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 Posted: Thu Nov 27, 2008 6:26 am
A Rush of Black Gold The sun had begun to peep over the horizon, casting the first light of the day over the vast ocean and into the rooms of the house. Perching on a cliff overlooking the ocean were rows of houses, each with their own immaculately maintained garden. A private estate that housed the more wealthy people in Gaia - A place that Midas called home. Midas had already awoken and had begun to wash up, preparing himself for a series of important meetings happening throughout the day. Humming cheerfully, Midas prepared his simple breakfast of buttered toast and a bowl of oatmeal. He always believed that the day must always start on a full stomach and never failed to eat a wholesome breakfast before leaving the house. Downing a glass of milk, Midas finished cleaning the dishes and left the house. By now, the sun had already risen, causing the air to warm up a little. Midas started his car and set off for the office, hoping the day would be a fruitful one. --- The glass doors slid open quietly as Midas approached them, letting loose a gush of cool air. Quickly making his way to his office, Midas prepared his presentations and ensured that all his informational pamphlets were properly organised. His assistant had done a great job preparing them and he wasn’t about to let a little slip up cause her work to go to waste. After reviewing his slides and rehearsing, Midas began to feel more confident about his work. Checking his attire and adjusting his tie once more, Midas left for the board room to begin the meetings. --- “So as you can see, by employing this particular distillation column, you can reduce the amount of energy required to separate the products. Furthermore, the recycle stream will reduce any loss or wastage and also serve to purify the products. Overall, these new types of plates will ensure that the column would operate at a very high efficiency. Thank you for your time.” Claps followed the presentation that Midas gave. It was the last for the day and Midas was pleasantly pleased with his performance in the meetings. The board of directors were happy that his proposal would save the oil giant millions of dollars a year - more money which they would happily line their overflowing pockets with. Shaking the hands of each board member, Midas left the room and packed his office before heading home. --- Lounging lazily on the couch, Midas smiled happily to himself. He had been given a few days off from work for his performance at the meetings today – a well deserved rest considering he spent many nights preparing for today. Finally done penning down his schedule, Midas got up and went to bed. The lights went out in Midas’ house, leaving only the eerie glow that the moon and the stars were giving off.
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Posted: Fri Nov 28, 2008 3:30 am
More than just your Average Cabbage Sipping his tea from a ornately painted cup, Midas looked out his large full length windows. The herb garden in his yard was looking slightly shabby and sticking out like a sore thumb amidst the immaculate gardens of the private estate. He had planned to do a proper overhaul of the garden and maintain it during his well-deserved week long rest. Finishing the remnants of his breakfast of buttered scones and earl gray tea, Midas cleared up and began to prepare the items he would require for the tasks he was about tackle. With a trowel and a bucket of well mixed soil in one hand and a tray of seeds and seedlings in the other, Midas went out to the plot in his yard and began to work. Toiling under the morning sun, Midas painstakingly removed the withered plants and weeds and spread the soil mixture evenly over the plot. Carefully planting the seedlings and the seeds, Midas wiped the perspiration off his brows and went back into the house to take a drink and rest. Sipping the glass of lemonade, Midas glanced out towards his herb garden. Smiling to himself, Midas was pleased that his garden now looked as perfect as the others in the estate. Perhaps the estate's management committee will stop pestering me about my dismal garden. --- The next day, Midas went out to the garden to water the plants and noticed that there was an usual looking sprout growing in the middle of the plot. Unlike any weed he had seen, Midas thought that it was just a seed that had fallen out of place and began to grow earlier than usual. Shrugging the curious little sprout, Midas watered the plants and enjoyed the remainder of the day. --- The following day, Midas went to the garden to tend to the plants and pull weeds out of the soil. Immediately noticing that the peculiar sprout had now grown into a sapling, Midas became suspicious. Normal plants don't grow this fast, not even weeds. thought Midas as he inspected the sapling. Deciding to leave the sapling alone, Midas continued about his day, going to the gym for a good workout. Returning from the gym, Midas noticed that the garden's soil became a little parched under the relentless assault of the afternoon sun. As he watered the plants, he noticed the sapling looking dried out and withered. Inspecting the plant, he realised that it was writhing, almost as if it were in pain of being under the hot sun. This was a most peculiar occurrence and Midas decided to re-pot the plant and bring it into the shade of the porch. As soon as the sapling was brought into the shade, its leaves began to regain its verdant green. Relieved that the plant seemed to be enjoying the indirect sunlight and the shade of the porch, Midas left it here and went about his tasks. --- When Midas went to check on the plant the next day, he noticed that the plant had now become a small bulbous lump, similar to a brussel sprout. What intrigued Midas more was that there was frost forming around the tips of the leaves. Spring was almost ending and Summer was arriving soon, there was no reason as to why frost would form at this period of the year. Dusting off the frost, Midas decided to place the pot under the sun again to ensure that the frost will not form again. --- It came as no surprise to Midas when he discovered the very next day, that the fist-sized plant had now broke the pot he had planted it into. It had now grown into, what was obviously, a cabbage. Like the previous day, the leaves of the cabbage were covered in frost. After several futile attempts at removing the frost, Midas went back indoors and slouched over the couch, sinking deep into thought. After a few hours of thinking, Midas suddenly recalled reading about a top-notch genetics lab from a scientific journal. Flipping back through his archives, Midas managed to find the article and found that the lab was located off the road towards Barton's Towns. Picking up the cabbage and gently placing it in a picnic basket lined with soft fluffy towels, Midas began his journey to the lab. --- Arriving at the lab, Midas approached the receptionist at the counter. Immediately noticing the cabbage in the basket that Midas carried with him, the receptionist politely told him to wait while she made a few calls. Finishing up her conversations, the receptionist smiled warmly at him and said "This way please! A member of our research staff would like to meet you!" Following the receptionist to an adjoining room, Midas was introduced to the researcher waiting for him. Without much fanfare, the research staff went on to explain to him what the cabbage was and what it may become. As the education session went on, Midas became more and more excited. This was an opportunity to add meaning to his life, not to mention excitement. Ending the talk, the researcher added "If you would wish to take the responsibility of caring for the cabbage as well as providing the lab with viable information, please go to the reception and fill out the forms necessary. If not, please leave the cabbage with me." Deciding to 'adopt' the cabbage, Midas carried the cold cabbage out to the reception and proceeded to fill in several forms. Once done, the receptionist handed him a flier on a place called 'Liberty Center' and said "This place offers a wide range of facilities and day care amenities for your child. You might want to check the place out! Take care and have a nice day!" Nodding, Midas took the flier and left.
On the drive back home, Midas hummed a happy tune and even sang a little. He was elated at the prospect that his life would now be more exciting and possibly, fulfilling.
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Posted: Sat Nov 29, 2008 6:59 am
Winter's Unexpected Arrival Midas watered the cabbage daily, ensuring that it had sufficient amounts of water. Following the research staff's advice, he only placed the cabbage under the sun during the morning hours to prevent damage to it. As his week long break came to an end, Midas noticed that the cabbage was now able to snugly fit into a regular sized wheelbarrow. By now, the outer leaves of the cabbage were encased in frost, and almost never seemed to melt. Despite looking icy and rigid, the leaves always seemed to unravel themselves in the morning and close up at night. --- Monday morning arrived and Midas woke up and washed up. Midas headed towards the patio where he usually leaves the cabbage overnight to move it into the sun. Discovering that the outermost set of leaves of the cabbage seemed to have withered and fallen off the cabbage, Midas started to panic. He didn't expect the cabbage to wither especially after he had taken such good care of it. Calling up the Laboratory, Midas found out from the research staff that this might be a normal procedure since the way the lifeform emerges from the cabbage is almost never the same. Deciding that it was best to take leave for the day to ensure the cabbage was doing fine, Midas called in to his workplace and reported his application for a day's leave. Sitting on the patio with the cabbage slightly under the morning sun, Midas began to theorise what would emerge from the cabbage. Ending up with an endless list of possibilities, Midas decided to end this daydream and have breakfast. --- Lunch came and went and still nothing else happened to the cabbage. Midas was beginning to wonder if this will be the day of emergence. The sun was setting as he sat on his couch with the cabbage beside him. Snacking on some delicious ice-cream while he watched some programs on TV, Midas failed to notice that the inner leaves of the cabbage were starting to unfurl. Entranced by the action on the TV, Midas started to feel cold air by his side and turned to locate its source. Immediately, Midas spotted the cabbage's leaves unwrapping themselves and cold mist pouring out of the cabbage's center. It was time. Midas watched the cabbage intently as the leaves fell off, one by one. Ending with a grand finale, revealing a young boy completely glazed with ice in its center. Midas reached out to touch the unclothed boy and got stung by the subzero icy temperature of his skin. Forming a layer of gold on his skin, Midas reached into the cabbage's center and retrieved the boy. He had prepared some clothing as recommended by the lab staff and proceeded to clothe the slumbering boy. Sitting beside him, Midas watched as the boy slept. --- The boy blinked and opened his eyes, yawning sleepily in the process. The first thing, or person in this case, he saw was Midas. Instinctively, the boy called Midas "Daddy?"Midas exclaimed in glee hearing the boy call him Daddy. He replied excitedly saying "Yes! Umm, I'm your Daddy! What's your name?" Only realising, after asking, that the parent should be the ones naming the child. The boy looked up at Midas and shrugged. Immediately trying to think of a name, Midas noticed that the cabbage was still emitting a foggy mist despite the boy not being inside. Linking the mist to a name, Midas decided to call the boy Neflheim. "Your name is Neflheim, or Neffy for short."
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Posted: Wed Dec 31, 2008 6:31 pm
Santa is a boy! Midas and Neflheim had painstakingly crafted the bear out of raw materials, cutting, sewing, stuffing and stitching every piece together to form the bear. Looking at the bear, the pair chuckled. The head was obviously too big and the beads used for its eyes were too big too. Patting Neflheim, Midas said "I'm sure Ginger will love it, now go wash up while I wrap it up okay?"Neflheim nodded and scooted off to wash up. Midas continued with the bear, snipping off the loose ends of thread and wrapping it up nicely. The next day was a party held at the Liberty Center Daycare and School. Neflheim was supposed to bring a present for another, a girl named Ginger, as her Secret Santa. Being his first Christmas, Neflheim was excited about it and Midas decided to help him with the little project. Giving a satisfied sigh, Midas laid the box to rest on the kitchen counter top and went up to tuck Neflheim into bed before going to sleep himself. --- The day soon came and the pair was up and getting ready for the party. Midas had bought a nice new outfit for Neflheim to let him wear to the party, this despite most of the suit would be encased in ice after the event. Giving Neflheim a quick shower and grooming him a little, Midas helped Neflheim put on the cute little suit, making him look like a little gentleman. After taking their breakfast, the pair loaded the big box into the car and set off for the event venue. Midas had wound down the windows and let the cool air brush their faces. It was certainly Christmas. --- As they rounded the corner and turned into Liberty Center, Midas instructed Neflheim once more saying "Remember to look for the girl in the photo. Be nice and polite and let her open the gift if she wants to. Don't get upset if she doesn't like the gift okay?" Neflheim could not understand why someone would not like a gift but replied cheerfully "Okay! I'll make sure she gets it!"Midas helped Neflheim out of his seat belt before straightening his clothes once more. Nudging him towards the Hall a little, Midas reminded Neflheim "Remember, no matter what, have a good time okay? I'll be back to pick you after the event!"--- Midas promptly arrived at the stipulated time in the letter from the Daycare. Waiting in the car patiently, he spied cliques of people emerging from the hall. Scanning the crowds carefully, he didn't spot Neflheim. It was not long before Midas spotted Neflheim. Despite carrying a huge box, Midas made no mistake in identifying the boy. Leaving the car and running up to meet him, Midas laughed and asked "What did you get Nef?" To which he got a quick plea for assistance "Help me Daddy!"Taking the box from him and holding his hand, Midas led Neflheim back to the car and set the box down. Looking inside, he saw the goldfish and chuckled. He didn't expect someone to fulfill Neflheim's wish for a fish. Looking at Neflheim, Midas commented "Looks like your wish for a fish has come true Nef.", while buckling Neflheim up. Neflheim replied "I wanted a fish after we went to the aquarium and Joshua gave me one! I'm so happy!"After buckling up, Midas set the box on Neflheim's lap, glad that Thali had remembered not to let Neflheim touch the bowl directly. I will have to thank her later, she is so thoughtful. thought Midas as they set off for their home.
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