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 Posted: Sun Jan 16, 2005 12:08 pm
Fantastic Start
On the way back from the headquarters, Celestyn sat in the back of the car in her baby seat. She didn't like being restrained, Celestyn was constantly pulling on the straps to no effect. When the young girl finally gave up, Memory turned around in the driver's seat and smiled at her. Celestyn giggled back, and Memory would realize later that it was because the baby had managed to wipe snot across her cheek.
Celestyn's smile quickly turned to a shriek as Memory returned to the wheel and realized she was about to run into a small rabbit. Memory panicked and swerved, missing the rabbit but running the car into a tree anyway. The nervous new guardian quickly spun around in her seat, checking on Celestyn.
To her horror, Memory could not see Celestyn. A large tree branch had come through the window, blocking the small child from Memory's sight. The woman, however, took little relief in the small whimpering she could hear from behind the wood.
After soaking in the scene before her, Memory tore out of the door and yanked open the back seat door opposite to Celestyn. Without a second thought, she began prying the tree away from her child and extracted Celestyn from the rubble in mere minutes.
Memory saw that Celestyn was shakened, though unhurt, and pulled the child close to her bosom, hugging her tight. To Memory's own amazement, Celestyn stretched out her arms in a feeble attempt to hug her back. The child gurgled in relief.
But Memory's plight was far from over. When she looked down, she saw a blood stain on her cream sweater. Memory turned Celestyn's small arm over and found a small cut on her forearm. It wasn't deep enough to require stiches, but it was deep enough to scar. In a heartbeat, Memory took off her shirt and wrapped it around Celestyn's arm.
Memory was too shakened to think clearly. She shut the back doors, reversed the car out of the tree, and drove home with Celestyn on her lap, where she bandaged Celestyn's small wound.
Late that night, when Aaralyn and Celestyn were both fast asleep; Aaralyn in his basket and Celestyn in her crib, Memory broke down into tears. How could she have allowed something like that to happen? And on the first day she recieved her Soul?
And in those moments, Memory made a vow to herself that she would be the best guardian the headquarters had ever seen.
After she drove her car to the shop in the morning.
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Posted: Mon Jan 17, 2005 4:42 pm
Awake
Late that night, Memory rose from her bed for no specific reason she could think of. She pulled a wool nightgown over her slip dress, and trod carefully down the steps of her house. The creak of the stairs as Memory slipped over them was met only with a dim silence from the rest of the house.
She began to boil water in the kettle on her stove. Memory wasn't planning on making tea, just an instant mix mocha. As she waited for the kettle to whistle, Memory stared at Celestyn's painting she had had framed in her living room. Every time the guardian looked at it, she saw it as if she was looking at it for the first time. There was something strangely exhilarating about it.
The whistling pulled her out of her segue of thought, and she quietly poured the boiling water into a ceramic mug. Absentmindedly, Memory brought the cup to her lips and took a gulp. She had forgotten momentarily that the water was scalding and that she hadn't added the mocha mix. Taken by a horrible surprise, Memory sprayed the water onto the counter and the wallpaper and watched as it fizzled there.
However, before Memory could clean up her mess, she was called upstairs but a soft but indistinguishable wail. Celestyn was whimpering in her crib, wanting attention from mommy. Memory picked up the child and cradled her in her arm, humming a soft lullaby. Evidently, that was all Celestyn was craving, so she shut her eyes and drifted off back to sleep.
Memory instantly forgot about the water downstairs, and laid back down in bed. The stains on the wall, however, would remind her bitterly for the rest of her life. Memory was a stickler for neatness.
Celestyn giggled next to her, having a lovely dream.
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Posted: Thu Jan 20, 2005 2:45 pm
Bottles and Building Blocks
However infatuated Memory was with Celestyn, she couldn't ignore her job. So, lo and behold, she took Celestyn to work with her.
Her boss gave her strange looks, but didn't ask. Memory couldn't have had a baby in the week she'd been gone, and have it almost three monthes along in its growth. Memory's boss just settled on the fact that it was an adopted child or someone she was babysitting, and walked away. He didn't really care much about his employees' lives. As long as they still came to work.
During her lunch break, Memory took Celestyn to McDonald's. She ordered a hamburger and took formula out of her backpack for Celestyn.
When she was putting mayo on her meal, Memory absentmindly set Celestyn's bottle on her high chair. And to her amazement, Celestyn picked it up and began to feed herself. This was an astonishing feat for someone of her Soul's age. Celestyn could hardly hold Mr. Binky, her stuffed pig, in her hands, and yet the child had somehow managed to feed herself.
Celestyn's motor skills were coming along quickly.
That night, it occured to Memory that the two had never really had moments alone to bond. She felt this was necessary in the developement of her child, so she locked Aaralyn in the kitchen and spread toys around the living room. Memory set Celestyn down on the floor and Celestyn immediately took an interest in the plastic building blocks by the window.
When she crawled over there, Memory followed.
Not missing a beat, Memory began to build a tower of blocks. When the small masterpiece was completed, Celestyn swung her hand across the tower and sent it tumbling to the floor. She squealed in a childish delight. Celestyn immediately proceeded to build her own tower, but only managed enough hand-eye coordination to put two block on top of each other.
When she felled this tower, the result was not as she had expected. Celestyn looked up and emitted a questioning squeak towards Memory. Her guardian got the hint and began to build another tower.
The pair continued this behavior for hours. Celestyn decided it was finished when she lunged for Memory's waist, trying for a hug. Memory laughed with delight and pulled the small child into her arms.
That night, Celestyn fell asleep on the couch. When Memory approached the sleeping child and laid a finger on the couch, Celestyn subconsciously took the outstretched finger.
And Memory began to cry.
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Posted: Sat Jan 29, 2005 8:58 am
Mush
It was raining. Fat, momenteous droplets of water crashed to the ground outside and sprayed the world in their symphony of gloom. Every once in a while lightning clapped across the sky and thunder seized the world.
Inside, Memory sat on the couch in the living room, nonchalantly reading a book. A tiny whimper and cough drew her attention to the tiny child that had its small arms clutched around her waist; as if it was necessary to stay alive. Celestyn's silky hair was splayed out on Memory's bosom, and her body shook on Memory's lap.
Memory had come to the conclusion that Celestyn didn't like thunder.
She rose from the chair and hoisted Celestyn up around her waist. The house was quiet, saving for the slightly annoying chatter of Aaralyn in his sleep. But Celestyn didn't seem bothered by it in the slightest, only looking over once at the creature mumbling away on the top of the bookshelf.
The empty kitchen was almost eerie. To Celestyn's utter dismay, Memory set her down in her baby chair, separating the frightened soul from her guardian. She looked around frantically to see where Memory had gone, and recieved only momentary relief from seeing her at the refridgerator with a bowl of rice cereal.
Memory padded back over to Celestyn with a rubber spoon, eager to try Celestyn on solid foods for the first time.
She placed the bowl on the counter and took a spoonful. She buzz her lips to indicate that the spoon was an airplane, and 'flew' the food around before it came into landing. Celestyn's face crinkled in a giggle and she swallowed the mush willingly.
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Posted: Wed Feb 02, 2005 2:48 pm
A Painful Journey
1/2
Lying in bed, Memory was absentmindendly fingering her earring holes when an idea crept across her floor and jumped into her mind. She'd always wished her parent would've let her get her ears pierced when she was a child, so why not start with Celestyn? That way, she'd never have to adjust to earrings and wouldn't remember the pain from getting them pierced.
Memory decided resolutley she'd do this tomorrow before she drifted off to sleep.
The mall was loud and obnoxious, every wall pressing in on Memory and Celestyn in her stroller. Celestyn had never been in such a large crowd and she was absolutley terrified. But her wailing soon subsided from the curiousity that overcame her.
The girl managed to attract quite a bit of attention by pointing at innocent bystanders and rambling off nonsense to Memory, presumbably about them. With each passage from Celestyn, her guardian smiled encouragingly, stifling back laughter.
When they entered the piercing stores, creatively titled "Piercings, Etc.", Celestyn's babbling subsided. The people in this store were different with tattoos and numerous piercings, so she prefered to look intently.
A woman with tattooed arms came up to them with a smile.
"What can I do for you ladies today?"
"We'd like to get her ears pierced, please." Celestyn sensed she was being discussed and kicked her legs in approval.
"A'ight. I've got some paperwork I need you to sign and then we can get to work."
Oblingingly, Memory filled out the paperwork without reading the text, not caring at all whether she was actually signing off her house or not.
They placed Celestyn in a chair. She was bouncing up and down excitedly, as if she knew something was about to happen.
[To Be Continued... I have the attention span of a fruitfly, so instead of rushing to finish the mini-story like I've done in the past, I'll conclude with another entry. Later.]
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Posted: Sun Feb 13, 2005 8:57 am
A Painful Journey
2/2
While the women busied herself with prepping the equipment, Celestyn began to pick at the skin of the chair. Her excitement had given way to boredom and Celestyn had quickly grown tired of sitting there. When the Soul made a feeble attempt to get down from her seat, Memory decided to occupy Celestyn by telling her what was happening.
"See that nice lady over there?" Celestyn's eyes followed Memory's finger, "She's going to pierce your ears. It might hurt, but in the end you'll have adorable little ears for everyone to love," Memory pinched Celestyn's ear lightly and proceeded to tickle her. Celestyn erupted in peals of laughter.
"Okay, we're ready," the woman turned around with the piercing gun, "Do you want to hold each other's hands?"
Memory nodded and gripped onto both of Celestyn's hands tightly.
When the first ear was pierced, Celestyn screamed. Her loud, shrieking sobs drew the attention of anybody in the nearby vicinety. When the second one came, Celestyn shrank away from the gun as if it was arsenic. Only when bribed with ice cream did she accept the gun, but Memory wasn't really sure that Celestyn knew what the reward was - she was just listening to her tone of voice. Celestyn's reaction was pretty much the same, if not worse, than that on the original ear.
By the time Memory wheeled Celestyn out of the store she was whimpering quietly and tugging on the new silver studs in her ears.
Instead of ice cream, the guardian bought Celestyn a doll that spoke in a calming voice whenever her stomach was pushed. Celestyn wasn't disappointed.
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Posted: Mon Feb 14, 2005 2:47 pm
Cupid's Arrow
[Ahh, what's more cliche than a Valentine's Day entry on Valentine's Day?]
Celestyn was chewing on a teething ring. It was a red number decorated with little pink hearts; special for Valentine's Day. Her guardian had given it to her; Memory was tired of her fingers being used as the much needed ring. And Celestyn was getting quite a pair of choppers. They were only tiny little things, not even visible unless you pried her mouth open, but Memory knew they were there.
Celestyn was certainly enjoying herself. Sitting in the middle of the living room, she was methodically going at the ring from every angle; like a dog would, only much cuter. Her knees bent outwards and each of the Soul's legs formed an 'L' draped against the backdrop of the red rug. The fabric of her baby suit stretched across Celestyn's legs.
Memory watched from her armchair, taking a moment out of her day to enjoy watching her Soul entertain herself.
When I see the way you look,
The way you look my way through the rain.
And the water crashing down washes both of us away.
Celestyn toppled backwards, sticking her stubby feet and hands up the hair and leaving the teething ring to wait on the floor beside her. Her silver-blue hair splayed out in a fan around her crown, surrounding it like a halo. Celestyn's chest rose and fell in a spasm of laughter, and Memory couldn't help but surpress her own smile.
I was the one who saw you first,
The grains and sands of the universe.
Celestyn tumbled over to her stomach and crawled over to the bookcase, looking periodically at Memory to make sure she was getting attention. Memory's gaze hadn't wavered. She manuveured herself to the sitting position and grabbed the nearest book off the bookshelf. It was a fat dusty volume, probably a boring history book Memory should've thrown out years ago.
With a grunt, Celestyn pulled the book onto her lap upside-down and began to mumble the words to herself, pretending to read the book. In truth, it was just a lot of nonsense. Celestyn was entertaining her audience.
And here in the sun I'll stay inside your shades of love.
Makes one day forever.
And when true light has come and gone.
This day will last forever.
Celestyn threw the book aside with all of her might, which wasn't really very much. She crawled about three feet before she collapsed in front of her teeth ring. Celestyn began to chew on it laying down, head to one side, body against the floor.
I'm here inside your shades of love,
Makes one day forever.
Slowly Celestyn's bites became far and few between. Her eyes drooped and slowly her chewing seized altogether. She fell asleep in a little ball on the floor and Memory watched her intently. Every few minutes, Celestyn would snore slightly. Memory took comfort in the steady rhythm of her Soul's breath.
She's all I see in front of me.
She's all I need.
Memory felt herself become drowsy. She curled up into a heap on the chair and fell into a peaceful, dreamless sleep.
I could live a thousand years.
If I could be alone with you....
[The lyrics are from the song Shades of Love by Empty Trash. Songfics are addictive little buggers, aren't they?]
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Posted: Tue Feb 15, 2005 2:19 pm
Social Interactions
1/2
Memory pushed Celestyn in her stroller through the door. They were in a local Child Study and Development Center; Memory wanted to know how Celestyn was developing and give the Soul a chance to interact with other children. She really hadn't had much contact with anything.
Meanwhile, Celestyn's curiosity was piqued, though technically not towards the panorama unfolding before her. All morning, the child had been methodically and painstakingly trying to find a way to fit her tiny hand into her even smaller mouth. The size element coupled with Celestyn's new coordination was crippling her in suceeding at this task.
Even as a baby, Memory knew Celestyn was one heck of a strong-willed girl. She wouldn't stop attempting something, well, until something more interesting came along. But all the same.
Suddenly, a woman blocked their path. She was of an average build but had the most stunning green eyes. Memory guessed her frizzy red hair lay just below her shoulders, but it was swept into a french twist. She had on thin, wire framed glasses and her face was dusted with freckles. The lady was wearing jeans and a blue t-shirt and held a clipboard in one hand.
Memory stopped dead. The woman had such a presence, such an air about her that the guardian was lost in her own thoughts for a moment.
"Hi, I'm Natalie," the woman had a hint of a British accent, "I'm the instructor for the Social Interactions group. Is that you?"
Memory nodded, "I'm Memory, and this is Celestyn." The guardian held out her hand for Natalie to shake.
Natalie accepted the gesture and paused briefly upon sighting Celestyn's blue hair, which was pulled up into two short, cute pigtails today.
After the polite introductions were over, Memory settled herself in a bench behind a one-way glass pane. Natalie and Celestyn had gone over to the other side of the wall, and now Memory was just a casual observer in Celestyn's interaction.
But instead, the first thing Celestyn did was bump into a leg of a table.
To Be Continued...
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Posted: Fri Mar 11, 2005 2:33 pm
Social Interactions
2/2Impulsively, Memory rose to aid her child. As if Natalie anticipated her reaction, she motioned for the guardian to take a seat. The teacher picked up Celestyn in between sobs and rocked her back and forth, saying something Memory could not make out. As if by magic, Celestyn's sobs disintergrated and she spread her mouth in a giggle.
Memory stared at Natalie in awe. How did she quiet Celestyn so quickly?
Memory spent the day watching Celestyn interact with the other children. There was a chubby blond boy and another little girl with a full head of red hair. It took Memory a few minutes to realize that toddler was probably Natalie's daughter.
Her heart deflated. She didn't quite know why.
As the group let out, Natalie approached Memory.
"Here are the observations I made watching Celestyn," she handed Memory a starch white sheet of paper folded over once. "She's a bright young girl. A talent like that shouldn't be wasted."
As Natalie turned around, Memory noticed the lack of a wedding ring on Natalie's hand. Her spirits soared.
Oh my god, she thought, I have a crush on Natalie.
It sounded so childish, so elementary school. Crushes. Those were what children had. Not her, not her.
Natalie turned around quickly and slapped her head.
"Oh, I almost forgot," she handed Memory another sheet of paper off her clipboard, "Celestyn drew this today. I thought you might like to see."
Natalie left with a smile. Memory pocketed the two sheets of paper and turned around to Celestyn in her stroller.
"Was it fun today, baby? Did you get to meet a lot of interesting kids?"
Celestyn gurgled in ascent.
When they were home, Memory looked at the material Natalie had handed to her.
She read over the details of the report and studied the summary at the bottom of the page.
Celestyn is an observant young girl. She's smart and gets along well with others. However, she can be withdrawn at times. But Celestyn shares well and is developing her fine motor skills early. I'd love to work more with her - I'd be more than happy to visit your home and study here there.
Memory caught her breath in her throat. Did Natalie want to see herself again? Maybe she felt the same way! The guardian brushed away the thoughts with a laugh. Of course not. She wanted to come over to observe Celestyn.
Carefully, Memory unfolded the second paper.
Memory surpressed a tear. Celestyn was growing so quickly.
She rummaged around in her closet for a frame.
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Posted: Sat Mar 26, 2005 11:00 am
Let Us Crash and Burn
1/3
Celestyn was sick. Disgustingly, revoltingly, really sick. Her eyes were bloodshot and she threw up about once every half hour. Her fever ran at about 100 degrees and she felt hot to the touch. Unsurprisingly, Memory was in a panic. She held an ice pack to her Soul's head and gazed as comfortingly as she could at Celestyn while checking her watch every few seconds.
The doctor had told her not to bring the child in. It'll pass in a day or so, he'd said, just feed her liquids keep away from the solid foods. Which was easier said than done. Celestyn was hungry and she wanted solid food. The child's sobs were none-stop as she spit out every bottle Memory tried to give to her.
In desparation, Memory had called Natalie, hoping that maybe she could do something, specializing in childcare and all. Natalie had said she'd be here about fifteen minutes ago.
The phone rang. Memory picked up Celestyn and cradled her in one arm as she picked up the black handset with the other.
"Hello?" she answered demandingly, both her and Celestyn irritated that they had been abruptly pulled away from the scene of their misery.
"Memory!" a voice on the other end demanded. It was her boss, "We need you here at work! The Hannigan deal is being closed and we have some very important paperwork to be processed, where the hell are you?"
Her boss knew exactly where she was, as she'd called in to work that day and explained her situation. Her boss' ignorance for anything outside himself infuriated her.
"Look," she started, growing angrier by the second, "I already told you. My only daughter is sick so, if it's alright with you, I'm going to need to take my one sick day off, okay?"
And at that moment, everything happen.
"Memory, you're fired."
Celestyn vomited on herself and Memory.
And Natalie came in carrying her daughter in a baby seat and two tote bags.
Natalie assesed the situation and thought twice about not knocking. Memory saw Natalie and mouthed thank you to her before taking a different tone with her boss to beg for her job. Sensing Memory's stress, Natalie set her child down on the coffeetable and gently took a shocked Celestyn from Memory. The Soul was frightened at the tone she'd just heard her mother use.
Natalie took off upstairs without saying a word, Celestyn in hand. Memory was too busy to notice.
Five minutes later, Memory collasped on the couch, bursting into tears. She'd begged her job back, alright, but the stress of Celestyn's illness to top that had jarred her. She put her face in her hands and looked up between sobs just in time to see Natalie carrying Celestyn down the stairs.
Memory could tell that Celestyn was still sick, but she looked a considerable amount better than she when Natalie took Celestyn from her hands. Natalie had changed Celestyn into what looked to be a large sky blue pillowcase with holes for her head and arms.
"How did you.. what?" Memory asked, bewildered.
Natalie shushed her. "It's okay, don't worry about it," she said in a calming tone. "Celestyn needed a diaper change and to be changed out of what she was wearing - tight clothes are no good for a sick child. Also, I gave her some Tylenol, it helps Emiko when she's sick."
Emiko. So that was the name of her daughter, Memory noted.
"Oh, and also," Natalie produced a t-shirt from her bag, "I got this out of you drawer. I hope you don't mind, I thought you might need it."
Memory smiled appreciatively and nodded at Emiko, who had fallen asleep in her seat.
Natalie smiled, "Right. I see Celestyn's almost out too. I'll put her down while you change-can you point me towards a crib?"
Memory nodded towards the salon before heading to the bedroom.
To be continued.
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Posted: Tue Mar 29, 2005 2:49 pm
Let Us Crash and Burn
2/3
Memory listened to Natalie coo to Celestyn sweetly as she changed her shirt upstairs. She was just buttoning up her blouse as Natalie walked through the door.
"So, how are you?" Natalie asked, painting a look of concern on her face.
"Tired, exhausted. Emotionally and physically. I never thought my wellbeing was so linked to her's, but god, she's my life now. I love her more than I thought I could ever love anyone. God, she's just--," Memory cut off in her ramble and looked up at Natalie, who was staring at her sympathetically.
"I remember when Emiko first got sick. I was a wreck for days, even as the little girl started to heal," she took a seat on the bed, "It happens to every parent."
Memory smiled. "Sometimes I think she's hiding a secret from me; like she's this whole world to be explored, y'know? I guess that's just how every parent feels, like their child is a mystery to them."
"I suppose," Natalie said, her voice unconvincing and her eyes dark.
Memory caught the strange answer but dropped it quickly, thinking she had maybe touched on a sensitive topic.
"Do you think you could stay overnight? I could really use your help in taking care of Celestyn, I'm so exhausted."
Natalie hesistated for a second. "Um... I don't know. I'm kind of busy and-," she broke off and studied the look on Memory's face.
"I guess."
"Great!" Memory's face lit up, reinfused with energy, "I'll set you up on the couch."
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Posted: Wed Mar 30, 2005 2:43 pm
Let Us Crash and Burn
3/3
Memory groggily awoke to the soft sound of feet padding up the stairs. She rolled over to check the time; 7:50. Feeling apathetic towards everything today, she snugged back under the covers and tried to block out the world around her to no avail.
"Hi," said a voice muffled by the sheets.
Memory peeked out to see Natalie standing at the doorway, holding a tray of pancakes and a glass of milk in one hand and Celestyn in the other. Celestyn was looking much better for she no longer had a feverish glow to her. The Soul's sickness must've exhausted her; she was curled tightly into a ball, sucking on her thumb, eyes wearily opened. Celestyn perked up considerably when she saw Memory and began kicking her feet in anticipation.
"I thought I'd make you something to eat," Natalie announced as she brought the silver tray and baby over to Memory.
"Thank you. You certainly know how to take care of the young," she gestured to Celestyn, "and the elderly," she pointed to herself.
Natalie laughed. "I'd hardly call you old." She tucked Celestyn into the bed next to Memory and handed her the tray. Memory dug in.
"Celestyn's such a delight to be around anyway," Natalie said, "She's certainly a special one. More than you know."
"I suppose all children are to their parents, aren't they?"
"That's not what I meant," Natalie sighed, her tone heavy. Celestyn grinned up at her mother and shut her eyes to sleep.
"What do you mean?" Memory asked, curious and concerned.
"You'll find out soon enough," Natalie paused, "I guess I'd better get going."
"Wait! Do you think as a thank you for this, I could take you out to dinner sometime?" Memory leaped from the sky without a parachute.
"I don't think I'll be able to make it. I won't be around much for a while."
Memory's fall came to an abrupt stop as she smashed into the ground. "Um, okay. Maybe after that?"
Natalie smiled and gave Memory a gentle kiss on the forehead. "We'll have to see." She jingled her car keys and walk out the door.
Memory caught a tear; she didn't like being turned down. She set her breakfast aside and burrowed back underneath the sheets, taking Celestyn into her arms. "You're certainly a special little girl, oh yes you are. Ohyesohyesohyesyouare."
A drained Memory slept until twelve that day. She felt like she could've rested forever.
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Posted: Fri Apr 08, 2005 5:57 pm
Plush Dreams
Memory sighed to herself as she watched Celestyn massacre a bowl of cereal on the floor of her bedroom. Celestyn immerged her hands in the goop and proceeded to rub it on her face, as if creating a primitive face mask. All the while she made appropriate sounds effects as to the action being taken place. Memory's gaze moved from the child to the Earth necklace curled on her dresser. She hadn't wanted Celestyn to ruin that before she was a toddler.
There was a strange quality about the necklace. Whenever Celestyn wore it, it seemed to glow with a unprecendented aura. It wasn't as if a golden halo circled it, but more like its shiny surfaces seemed to sparkle much brighter than before. Now, as it was apart from its owner, it had dulled to a matte.
Of course, Memory had brushed this away, thinking of it as her own imagination, a trick of the light, or even just another fantasic quirk to Painted Souls. Attributes far from normal should be expected, of course. The girl was, after all, born from a painting.
Her eyes fell to a small gift bag in the corner of the room. It was plain in its nature; white and the tissue paper that spilled out of it was a soft pink. Memory picked herself up from the bed and went to Celestyn.
"C'mon, baby. Mommy has a surprise for you," Memory cooed, lifting Celestyn up and wiping the cereal off her hands and face. "Cute little girl. My little Cellery."
Celestyn was less than happy at being disturbed from her 'eating' time. She kicked her legs indignately as she sat on the bed and gazed at Memory as she brought the gift bag to her.
"See, Celley? It's a present," she sat the gift bag in the child's lap. "People give each other presents on special days. Or just for being especially cute."
Celestyn regarded the bag with abject confusion.
"Let me help you," Memory took Celestyn's hands in her own and guided her to the bag. Once Celestyn realized that the tissue paper could be torn and drooled on, she seized a piece of the paper. "No, no, no, no, that's not the surprise. This is."
With a flourish, Memory removed an Earth plushie from the bag. "This is for you. It's an Earth. Like your necklace."
Celestyn took the globe and promptly began to drool on it. She shook it as much as a child of her age could to see if it made any noise. Memory smiled to herself as she watched the Soul explore the possiblities with the plushie. When Memory took her downstairs, Celestyn held on devoutly to her stuffed sphere, hoping that she wouldn't be forced to part with it soon.
Celestyn loved her Earth.
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Posted: Sun Apr 10, 2005 11:09 am
A New Player
1/4
Levana stepped carefully through the field. Its long grasses waned and waxed in the light breeze that tossed strands of her ebony hair from side to side. Absentmindedly, she reached up to touch the elegant coil that was threaded with gold and silver and rested on her crown.
She cursed quietly when she put one of her sandals down in an unsuspecting puddle of wet mud. Levana jerked her foot back up, but the shoe remained welded in the mess. Undetered, she kicked off her other sandal and continued to walk on.
Levana was beginning to forget about the turmoil that lay at home behind her when she realized her long, decorated white dress was dragging on the earth, leaving it streaked with grass. She sighed heavily, frustrated that she could not even walk through a field without something going wrong. In a symbolic gesture of irritation, she ripped the gown off her slender figure and continued onwards, unconcerned in showing her naked body.
Levana was not headed anywhere today. She was just heading away from something, though she could not quite put her finger on it. A mage in Levana's village had forseen the arrival of a miraculous yet catastropic event, sending the town it a frenzy. Levana, always the skeptic, was irritated at how seriously her people had taken this warning. Quoisis, or, literally translated, 'seeing-far', was simply a vague string of warnings or blessings interpreted until they lost their meaning, Levana remembered bitterly.
Thinking of such a topic angered her, so she picked up her pace until it gradually evolved into a sprint, her bare feet pounding out her fury at every step. How could they be so nieve?
Levana continued to run until she began to feel faint, at which point she collapsed to her knees. A single tear traced its way down her face as her irritation molded into sadness. This certainly wasn't the first Quoisis, and it would not be the last. But something about this time bothered her much more that she would've liked.
When Levana rose to her feet, she was hit by a sudden wave of naseau. She vomit over grass and rock in front of her and wrinkled her nose at the putrid smell before darkness clouded into her mind and she passed out on to the warm earth
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Posted: Mon Apr 11, 2005 1:23 pm
A New Player
2/4
Levana awoke to see her mother's worried eyes hanging over her. Levana's memory began to recall pieces of the day; or was it the hour; before. Her mind swam backwards and forwards until she hit blackness. Levana suddenly panicked, realizing she wasn't lying in the grass anymore.
Her back stiffened as she tried to lift herself up, but to no avail. She recognized her surroundings as the interior of the herbalist's office in her village. Her mother was quite the hypochondriac and took her to the establishment whenever Levana complained of the slightest aliment, most likely to be told by an exasperated physician that it was just a case of her monthly curse.
"Foolish girl," her mother scolded, "What were you doing alone in a field? And naked, to my utmost digust! What if a horrid boy had taken advantage of you?" her mother rambled in fluent Heiirain, which was her native language that she only spoke when distressed or elated. Levana strained to hear it for her mother has forgotten that she spoke only broken Heriirain.
"Elmiatia, calm down," her father came from behind, speaking the native language, "She was only exploring. We must not let her thirst for life become hindered by our constant nagging."
It was as if on cue that the herbalist poked his head through the door. "I have the results of Levana's tests." He jerked his head to the side, motioning for them to follow him. Slowly, her parents did so.
Levana took the time that they were gone to regain her motor skills. Little by little, she managed to sit up. She was not concerned about whatever ailed her this time; Levana had always been a sickly child, but it was nothing that couldn't be cured quickly.
Levana only became concerned when she heard her mother gasp in horror. Her father tried to quiet her, but Elmiatia's sobs rang quite clearly in Levana's ears.
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