|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
 Posted: Thu Jul 28, 2011 9:12 pm
It was a hot summer day in Destiny City and most of its children were outside playing sports, games and other activities that would otherwise be taking advantage of the weather but not in that group of children was a ten year old girl with two braids on either side of her head. She was in her own group, in her own world, hidden between a tower of books. It wasn't just a tower of books, but a tall tower that the princess was trapped inside! The librarian Mr. Darrow and Dogby hadn't been around in awhile so it left Ainsley to play on her own, reading parts of her tower studiously.
The book the girl had at the moment was about the Wonders of the World and she was so interested in the text and images on the pages that her nose pressed firmly against it as she peered over the Great Wall of China and through the wall of the tower to the large children's section that spanned the forest her tower was surrounded with. It was unusually quiet, there were no rescuers out in the fields today for her to toss her sash to. There was a small sigh, and after one final look she drew a breath, lifted her head and turned the page to the Taj Mahal.
|
 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Thu Jul 28, 2011 10:12 pm
It was a nice day. One that he could be outside and enjoying, if he wasn't stuck inside the library. Honestly, he didn't understand why his mother insisted on going to the library when she could pick up her Kindle that his oldest brother got her for Christmas and download any book she wanted. But no. She liked to hold the books in her hand and be able to turn the pages, she said. But then she could just order the books ahead of time and the library would call when whatever she wanted was available. But again, his mother liked the 'adventure' of finding a book, or some crazy thing like that.
Peter sulked as he meandered through the shelves of books, his smart phone in his hand, touching the screen with his other to send some very grumpy looking birds across the screen to knock things over. He almost didn't even glance up as he passed by a girl with pigtails, but noticing the picture in the book she was looking at, he couldn't help but pause.
"It's made entirely out of white marble, you know," he said, matter-of-factly, before realizing that it was a girl he sort of recognized. "Hey... you were at the camp, weren't you?" he chirped, a little more interested than he'd been previously. He knew that face... It was the girl who wouldn't throw water balloons at first.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Thu Jul 28, 2011 10:56 pm
"Really?" The child asked before she even had a chance to look up out of the book. Books sure did come to life when you read them huh? Of course, it didn't seem it was the book that was talking to her this time and although in the corner of the page under one of the pictures it stated it was in fact made of marble it had not been the book that was telling her this new and exciting fact but what seemed to be the voice of another person. Curiously, her eyes slowly began to drift off the pages and back outside of the walls of her tower.
It was a boy! Or perhaps a shining knight standing there with his mighty smart phone in his hand. There was something familiar about him and when he asked if she was at camp, a description of events came with his face. He was the boy at camp who came to the campfire song event, and the water balloon battle... he was on her team! He was the one who "encouraged" her to join in throwing the water balloons. She finally nodded her head to his question and sat up a little off the floor as she said, "I was, you too!"
She smiled a little after it, looking at him for a moment before her hands fell on against the small tower of books around her, resting on it. "It's made entirely out of books, you know," she said with a giggle. "It's not nearly as spec-tact-u-lar as this beauty," she said as she held up the book for Peter to see more clearly, "but I can see as far as the mountains over yonder." She was making reference to aisles of shelves that spanned the distance. It also made for great reading material.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Sat Jul 30, 2011 1:15 pm
Peter stopped himself from making the comment about how of course he was at the camp, and why would he know she was at camp if he hadn't been there? But he was instead distracted by the tower of books beside the girl.
He blinked a few times, completely incredulous at the girl and then at the pile of books... made of books. O-oh... maybe this was a game she was playing? 'Cause. Yeah. Books... Those things you read from. He glanced back up at the book when she held it for him to see, wishing he could convince his parents to take him to Agra sometime so he could see it up close. And then the Great Wall of China... The pyramids were already checked off his list, at least.
"You like libraries?" he asked, curious, wondering if it was the library or if she just liked playing make believe wherever she was. "If you can, you should go to the Library of Congress... It's the biggest one in the world," he said with a nod, glancing at her tower of books again. Was she going to check all of them out...?
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Mon Aug 08, 2011 11:56 am
The child finally pulled the book back into her arms, looking at the boy in front of her. Of course she liked libraries! Her eyes were wide just at the thought, quickly spinning around the room to look at all the shelves of books that covered this wonderful place. Although it was possible she didn't like other libraries because this library had been her first and only one. She couldn't deny that the biggest library in the world, the Library of Congress, sounded very appealing. The child had to wonder just how many books would be there and how many of them she could manage to read.
"I love libraries! They're so much to learn here," she said with a nod. "I would like to go someday, it sounds wonderful!"
It wasn't the place she wanted to go to at the moment though. A tower for a tower, and soon the child began to dig around her tower of books to pull out a book on Paris. She held it out to Peter to see, a page spread with the picture of the Eiffel Tower on it. "I really want to go here again though but this time I want to climb to the top and see Paris from it. It's really big! Don't you think it would have a nice view?" The child was still sad that her mother had refused to take her up on it when they had actually been in Paris. Regardless of what her mother had said, seeing it from the ground looking up wasn't the same as from the sky looking down.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Mon Aug 08, 2011 10:48 pm
Ah, so she did like libraries. Sorry... She loved libraries.
Peter stood in amazement at her enthusiasm, and although he knew he should probably suggest for her to keep her voice down, he decided it wasn't worth the trouble. If someone had a problem with it, then they can come over and tell her to be quiet.
He did look at her curiously when she pulled out a book with the Eiffel Tower, nodding in agreement. "Yeah, it does have a nice view. I went there a couple years ago," he said, not minding sharing his adventures with her. "It wasn't supposed to be a permanent tower, you know. It was put up for the World's Fair in eighteen eighty nine, which was the hundredth year anniversary of the beginning of the French Revolution," Peter told her with a nod.
Er, but that was just the facts he knew.
"It's pretty high up, though. So if you're not scared of heights, then it's something really neat to try out. It was kind of cloudy when I went, so I don't think I was able to see all of Paris, but it was still pretty cool."
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Tue Aug 09, 2011 5:17 am
This boy was just full of interesting things, the child decided promptly after he had told her all about the Eiffel Tower. She had to admit she was envious that he actually was able to go up to the top of it it, but it wasn't enough to ruin her day more than bringing a small pout to her face. A pout that didn't last long when she looked up at the boy. How much did he know? It was a curiosity that had to be sedated, the child quickly picking up the Wonders of the World book again and opening to the page on the Leaning Tower of Pisa. She held it up to him with a smile, replicating the tower's lean by moving her body to an angle on one side.
"What about this tower? This tower leans to the side unlike the other ones!"
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Tue Aug 09, 2011 6:28 am
Normally, by this point, Peter would have moved on to more 'interesting' things than continuing with indulging a little girl in her games. Not that he wasn't only about a year older, but still.
Of course, whenever he thought he was going to get bored, she pulled up something else to keep his interest. Dang... now he couldn't leave. Not when he was actually able to share all the pointless information he'd spent hours reading up on after watching shows about each place on the television.
"The leaning Tower of Pisa? Yeah, that's because they built it on ground that wasn't stable to hold that kind of weight," he explained, lifting a hand to point at the top few stories of the tower. "They realized it was leaning when they'd finished about here, and since they couldn't fix it, they just make these stories lean the other way. See? It looks kind of like a banana," he grinned, amusing himself at least, if not her.
"You're name is Ainsley, right...?" he wondered, looking her over as if there would be a name tag somewhere. "I'm Peter..." He couldn't remember if they'd actually been introduced, so he figured he might as well save her the trouble of trying to remember.
"I've never been to Pisa, but I was in Venice for a layover on our way to Egypt. My dad travels a lot," he added as an explanation, as vague as it was.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Tue Aug 09, 2011 11:00 am
Once again, the boy made Ainsley smile with his knowledge about the places she showed him from the book. She couldn't believe just how much he knew, and she wondered if he wanted to travel the world like her. Although you could say her idea of traveling the world was a bit more expansive than his, but how could it not be after having been to space? The world was just so big, and Ainsley felt like she had to spend all her time here in the library to learn it all. This boy, however, was way ahead of her!.
He introduced himself, and she nodded in reply, giving him a curtsy. "That's right, my name is Ainsley McMahon. It is a pleasure to meet you again Peter. "
The child paused, pulling the book against her chest in a small hug, gesturing to the open space next to her. "Would you care to join me? I have a lot of books here about Earth, you could tell me more about your father's travels!"
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Tue Aug 09, 2011 1:38 pm
Peter stared at the girl again when she curtsied, not really sure what to think of her, but she seemed nice enough. She seemed interested in things about the world, at least. That was always something good, he thought.
He hesitated for a few moments, before moving closer to her and squatting down so he could look at the stack of books she had. "That's a funny way of saying it... 'books about Earth'...? Isn't it usually called 'the world'...?" he wondered, eying her curiously. Not that it really mattered. He was just used to calling it 'the world', but he supposed if people really wanted to, then they can call it 'Earth'. It just seemed rather formal for a place they lived.
"My dad's been everywhere. He's in the Navy, and so is my brother. They've been to places like China and India and Australia and then to Brazil and Argentina and Peru," he listed off, although he knew he was only scraping the tip of the ice burg. "Where have you been?"
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Tue Aug 09, 2011 7:24 pm
The child set down the Wonders of the World book when Peter sat down beside her and folded her hands into her lap. She listened to Peter list off the various places that his father had been, mentally trying to recall each of them in her mind. She knew where China was, one of the biggest and with one of the biggest World Wonders. She could remember reading that it was the only man-made structure that could be seen from space, and soon as she recalled that thought she considered having to look down at Earth if she ever had the pleasure of being up there again. India and Australia were also familiar, but the last three were not as familiar only being able to note their general area.
"Wow," she said, nodding her head as she reached over to collect a new book. It was of the miniature atlases that she had in her pile and after placing it on top of her lap she flipped it open to a map of Europe. She was staring at it for a moment before she pointed to several places including France, Spain and Greece.
"Paris, of course, but last summer my mother was took me to a cottage on a coastal city in Provence! She was busy with work most of the time, but it was really nice there and perfect for reading!" She paused, her finger lingering on France before moving to Spain and then quickly to Greece. "I don't remember Spain very well, but my mother had a job in Athens the year before last and she took me with her for the weekend. She's been to Milan several times, but she couldn't take me with her. I really wanted to go, but she was really busy so instead she brought me back some clothes."
She left the book open, but she turned the pages back a couple to North America.
"I used to live in California, as well as New York City before I came here. Have you lived in Destiny City all your life?"
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Tue Aug 09, 2011 8:50 pm
"My brother was born in Spain," Peter chirped, not minding sharing that bit of information even if he and his older brother did't get along very well. "On the base, I mean. They didn't live there for more than a year or so," he added, so it really wasn't that impressive to begin with. "My brother who was a counselor at camp, I mean. My other older brother is the one in the Navy."
"I've never been to Greece, though," he said, frowning at his own lack of world travel experience. "I want to, though. I really want to see Crete." It was probably a little out of his league, but he was more than happy to study up on as much as he could before going. His mom told him that he wouldn't appreciate it as much without having learned some ancient Greek history, especially the art history of it, but he was more than willing to prove her wrong.
"I lived in Washington D.C. before moving her when I was two, but dad always has to go there on business, so I've seen it plenty of times. I've never been to California, though. And only an airport in New York," he told her, thinking about his lack of exploration of America. He could see America any time, though... right...? People needed passports to see other countries, so at the moment that was much more desirable for him.
"If you went anywhere in the world, where would you go?" he asked suddenly, not really knowing the answer, himself.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Wed Aug 10, 2011 7:26 pm
Ainsley listened well to Peter's story about his family and Spain, nodding her head as she took in the personal information about the boy. She tried to recall his brother when he mentioned his brother was a counselor at camp. She couldn't really picture a face, but she could remember meeting him once or twice during some group activities. For the time being, Ainsley basically just cut and paste Peter's face onto a bigger body, and imagined his brother similiar to that.
"Is Washington D.C nice?" She inquired between his speaking.
The child didn't even think about it when Peter asked her where in the world she would go. Ainsley was a big thinker, and immediately she knew the answer to where she would go if she could go anywhere in the world. It was a hard place to get to, although everyone could see it from a distance. A distance would never be enough for this child though and neither would be the distance she had closed to them the time she was in space as Sailor Chibi Hypnos.
"To the stars!" She answered.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Wed Aug 10, 2011 8:14 pm
She would be pretty close if she cut and paste his face onto a bigger body. At least where eye and hair color came into play. Peter thought he was better looking, though.
"It's okay. It gets pretty busy at times, but at least it's clean. I went to London for a few days a year ago and it was really dirty compared to D.C. but there's a lot of differences, too, and London is a lot older, anyway. But I like the cherry blossom festival they have, and we always go for Christmas. Dad's work gets us in to some fun parties, and even when he's in meetings, mom and I get to go to museums and the zoo," the boy rambled on and on, before finally forcing himself to stop and let Ainsley answer his question.
Peter stared at her again, wondering if her head was screwed on all the way. "Uh... That doesn't count. I meant... in the world. Not outside the atmosphere." Not that he couldn't understand anyone's desire to go to the stars... He wanted to be an astronaut, after all, but literally going to stars was a bit impractical. "Do you want to be an astronaut...?" he ventured, wondering just how many people he was going to meet who were interested in being an astronaut. "But, uh... try again. In the world..."
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Thu Aug 11, 2011 5:25 am
Ainsley wanted to tell Peter that she'd been outside the atmosphere before but she felt reprimanded about the fact she had said the stars for a location when he said it didn't count, her face dwindling into a small pout as she lowered her head slightly. It should count! Why couldn't it count? It had been totally plausible to do, although she wasn't sure if she'd ever be able to again. Maybe she'd just been crazy, or it had all been a dream? She didn't really want to be an astronaut, so she shook her head to his question before sighing lightly, trying to recall a place on Earth that she'd really like to see.
She couldn't think of one off the top of her head, and so she picked up the Wonders of the World book again and started to page through it, flipping carefully after studying the pictures for a moment. She wanted to visit someplace that was pretty, perhaps a place with a lot of historic history. She passed a lot of amazing pictures, but soon stopped on a small castle section in the book. She lingered over Neuschwanstein Castle in Germany, and Mont Saint-Michel in France.
"These castles look remarkable," she nearly squealed, pointing them out for Peter to see. A castle was an obvious attraction for Ainsley but there were just so many places in the world called Earth that she'd want to visit, it was hard to just pick one out so she decided instead to see where Peter would go. "What about you? Where on Earth would you go if you could go anywhere?"
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
