For flowers

1. As a colorful centerpiece. Almost any room can be made a little brighter by the simple addition of a few flowers.
2. As a get-well gift. Many flowers not only look pretty, but smell nice too. These two qualities can often help someone feel better.
3. Flowers can catch the attention of others. When you appear with a bunch of flowers, people notice.
4. They can show how you feel. Different flowers carry different meanings; and to those who know those meanings, the type of flower matters.
5. Flowers normally have a pleasing scent. A flower in the pocket of your shirt will probably smell better than that garlic and onion sandwich you just finished eating.
6. A flower can entertain you. Be it a snapdragon, a dandelion, or a long-stemmed rose, a flower can provide you with a surprisingly large amount of laughs.
7. They can let others know how much you care. A gift of flowers can let someone know of your love, your regret, or simply of your admiration.
8. Flowers can make someone feel special. Being able to make someone smile can be worth the price of some colorful petals.
9. They can inspire creativity. Whether you paint, sketch, write, or simply dream, a flower can fill you with ideas.
10. Flowers are pretty. Sometimes all you need is to look outside and see all the different flowers in bloom.

Medusa

What sort of life can you lead, when you can never meet another's eyes?
Kinship fades, and those who might have been a friend flees.
Trapped with only the hissing of your own thoughts, you flee from the torturous reminders of the life you could have had, had you not been cursed with a petrifying gaze,
Secluded, you while away each day in a bitter attempt to cling to what sanity you still have.
How could any stay sane with that hissing constantly in their ears?
Bitterness bleeds steadily into an agonizing denial, which in turn coagulates into rage.
Rage which is then aimed at all who intrude upon your sanctuary.
To those who dare try an destroy what little you've managed to create amidst the encroaching madness, no mercy is shown.
They become monuments to your solitude, yet another reminder of the curse you've been afflicted with.
You avoid their terrified gazes, as they should have avoided yours.
Then the day comes when one of them thinks himself smarter then those who'd come before.
And you've grown so tired of the constant hissing, the terrified reminders, and the aching loneliness thrumming through it all.
So when you see yourself reflected in his shield, you pretend for just a moment that his plan was successful.
That your own gaze would actually betray you.
And then you feel his blade cut in, and realize that you've fantasied a moment too long.
Instead of an instant of petrifaction, all the agony bleeds away as the hissing finally stops.

Elegant animals

1. Cats. Most cats carry themselves with grace and dignity. Those elite felines tend to ignored their disgraceful kin who are prone to tripping over their own paws.
2. Crocodiles. Whether on land or in the water, each movement a crocodile makes is cafefully calculated.
3. Spiders. You might expect spiders to stumble about on all those legs, but they know what it takes to weave a perfect web.
4. Bats. If you'll take some time to watch a bat flutter about catching bugs and afterward dive down to skim a pond's surface to get a drink, then you've seen how elegant bats can be.
5. Peacocks. A peacock is certainly a sight when his tail feathers are fanned out to impress a peahen. Just try to ignore his cries for help should he be startled.
6. Snakes. A snake slithers in such a way that can either be called elegant or frightening, depending on how you view such a cold-blooded creature.
7. Deer. Dainty, cautious steps as the doe leads her fawn out of the safety of the trees and into a meadow. The proud tilt of an antlered head before a buck prances away. Deer can be graceful creatures, if caught at the right moment.
8. Fish. Yes, some are strange in appearance, but the way that a fish glides effortlessly through the water is wonderful.
9. Dogs. A well-trained dog moves with precision and very little wasted movement. It can be interesting to watch how long a dog will wait before taking that final lunge to begin its chase of a rabbit.
10. Birds of prey. Soaring high in the sky, barely a speck to the eye. Then it dives, gathering speed as it hurtles ever closer to its target. Birds of prey are fascinating to watch hunt.

A New Friend

Reading can be lots of fun. Some books are little, and can be read at a run.
Others are longer, and seem more like a marathon.
But if you keep at a good pace, then you'll feel no exhaustion during this race.
For the words on each page will carry you along.
From sentence to sentence, then paragraph to paragraph.
Soon you'll find yourself chapters deep, with even more discoveries just waiting to be reaped.
And when you are finished, and the final page has been read.
You need never dread those two words: The End.
For though that book is done, your journey in reading is never through.
There are plenty new books awaiting you.
So when you are ready to dive back in, you will never be without a new friend.

Things that seem to take forever

1. Waiting in line. You're just standing there. Waiting. You take a step, and then have to wait some more.
2. Cooking food. Be it on the stove, in the oven, or even in the microwave, when you're hungry, the time is far too long between the prep work and getting food on your plate.
3. Chores. They are never over. You just keep going on and on, without any end in sight.
4. The toaster. It keeps you in constant suspense, and eventually you start wondering if your toast will ever pop up.
5. Homework. When it comes time to do any kind of homework, suddenly anything else sounds better to do. Yet you have to do it, and each piece of homework takes an endless amount of time to complete.
6. Threading a needle. You aim the thread carefully at the needle's eye. And miss. You try again, and miss again. And if your thread starts to unravel, then it will take even longer.
7. Answering questions. If you are nervous, then trying to remember the answer to a question can be a terrifying experience that stretches on endlessly.
8. For the final bell. If you're sitting in your last class, watching for the bell to ring and signal that you may go home, then the time for that bell to ring will never seem to come.
9. Finding shoes. Sure, you can find two shoes, but do they match?
10. Conversations. Is there any end to them, or will you be trapped there forever listening to a friend ramble on and on about pizza toppings?

A Glass of Water

I'd been told three things when hired to patrol this prison.
First, to never spend too much time near any of the prisoners.
Second, that eating on the job would get me fired.
And third, to never, ever, give prisoner three-hundred-sixty-three a glass of water.
I'd broken rule one after my sister's brother-in-law got locked up for stealing a royal rooster. Because really, what harm could passing on his mother's scolding message that he'd earned every month that he would spend in here, since anyone would an ounce of sense would have gone for one of the hens, and would have waited for the proper moment, instead of barging into the royal roosts in the middle of the day, during the annual celebration of chickens.
My sister certainly married into an odd family.
Rule two was broken all the time by my fellow guards, and no-one had been fired for it yet.
So that's why I'm eating now. Breakfast was quite some time ago, and lunch went by without even a nibble. So I'd given in when a fellow guard, Rupert, offered me some grapes.
So here I am, walking down dimly lit corridors, and plucking grapes off one by one as I do my rounds.
By the time I plucked the last grape, I was pretty thirsty.
So I got a glass of water at the next guardroom I passed, waving away the laughter of another guard as he warned me not to let our superiors catch me with that in the three-hundreds.
I'd finished off most of the glass by the time I reached the door of prisoner three-hundred-sixty-three.
And for the first time, I heard something move from within that room.
"Wait," the voice was barely a rasp, yet something in it made me stop.
I contemplated responding, but that would be a wonderful way to beg for one of my superiors to come around the corner and catch me breaking two rules at once.
"I know you must have your orders, but there's been a mistake." The voice rasped again, and I could picture some old, hollowed shell of a man that must be the source of the voice. It did get a bit tiring, patrolling a prison where they never had you check on the prisoners. Who fed them? We guards never did, that much I knew.
"I'm not the one they want. My brother was at fault, not I." The voice continued to rasp, and I caught a flicker of movement from behind the barred window set in the door.
I took a step closer, squinting in the dim light to make out features that stuck me as off.
The figure in three-hundred-sixty-three didn't seem to be an old shell at all. The longer I stood there squinting to make out some detail, the more I found.
This prisoner was surprisingly young for how long I'd heard that this cell had been occupied. Young, with a curtain of straggly black hair and large eyes the color of sea foam. A pretty face, despite the dry, flaky skin and cracked lips.
And most surprising, this prisoner was a girl. A young girl, scarcely old enough to have done anything worth being thrown in here.
Well, I suppose if one could be locked up for attempted rooster theft, then a young girl could be imprisoned.
"Your brother?" I'd asked the question before I'd realized it, and quickly glanced down the corridor.
"Yes. He's always getting into trouble, with a whistling warble that would drive any maiden mad." The girl rasped, her eyes flickering as they caught the light. "He planed this, you know."
I frowned. "Planned what?"
She shook her head and offered a painful sounding laugh. "For me to be locked in here. Far away from my home, from the carefree waves and crying gulls." Her raspy voice gained a wistful tone, and she sighed.
If she told the truth, then her brother must have a lot of power. Or money.
Of course, she could be lying.
I didn't know enough about any of the prisoners to know if they lied.
Maybe that's why we weren't supposed to talk with them.
The girl gave a horrible, hacking cough. Her coughs continued for quite a while, and I wondered if they were the source of her raspy voice. Probably caught something down here, in the cold and the dark.
"Please," The girl's voice was weak, and her entire frame trembled like a sapling in a storm. "Might I have something to drink?"
Something to drink. Such a simple thing. Everyone needed to drink something at some point. It couldn't hurt anything to let the girl drink.
Could it?
My arm was outstretched before I'd made up my mind to give her my glass. The moment it came within reach, she snatched it like a dog snatched a meaty treat from midair.
She greedily drank, though there wasn't much left in the cup.
Then she began to change.
The flakiness of her skin smoothed, her chapped lips became moist, plump, and red. Suddenly she wasn't so little, and couldn't be called such a childish term as girl.
"The door is made from wood." She spoke, and it was such a melodic tone that it had to be called song. "Take that torch from the wall, and burn it down for me."
I moved, grabbing the torch from its place with ease. As I approached the door, I paused.
Why should I burn the door? It was there to keep this woman, this prisoner, contained.
Why was I listening to her?
"Burn the door. Come to my aid, and receive your reward." The woman sang, each word beckoning me to her.
The door burned.
So quickly it burned. Such fierce flames, despite the dark dampness of the prison.
I coughed, the smoke burning my eyes.
But I couldn't leave.
Not while she sang for me to come.
When enough of the door had burned, I broke the rest down with some well-placed kicks. My foot hurt, and there were burnt holes on my boot, but that didn't matter.
I'd made it to her.
The woman looked at me, her sea foam eyes and plump red lips almost as seductive as her song.
Closer, come closer.
She placed a hand on my check, and it was cold.
So cold.
Like a lake in winter, when the ice cracks.
Her song faded as her lips parted in a smile.
A toothy smile. that widened impossibly as her jaws stretched wide to reveal row upon row of serrated teeth.
Those teeth tore into me before the silence could reclaim the sanity that her song had stolen, and so I couldn't even scream.

For libraries

1. Books. Adventure awaits you within those pages. Or perhaps you are seeking a fantastic romance? Fear not (unless you enjoy scary stories)! The library has many, many books, and there is sure to be one that is just right for you.
2. Local events. The library is a wonderful place to go if you're looking for a event to attend. Movie nights, book clubs, activities for children, the library hosts all kinds of events for their local community.
3. Study rooms. You can reserve a study room at your local library. In it, you could host a book club, writing group, tutoring session, or even study.
4. You could learn something new. A library is full of knowledge. It can be found there in books, workshops, lectures, galleries, activities, and sometimes simply by asking a librarian.
5. Libraries have computers. So if for some reason you need access to a computer, the library can help you get to one.
6. They are excellent places to think. Do you know what one of the best things about libraries is? They're quiet. That means you can just sit back, relax, and think. All without having to tune out the noisy sounds of everyday life.
7. People. Going to the library means that you can meet new friends with the bonus of giving them recommend to you by your favorite books. That can make for a wonderful review!
8. You'll find movies and music there too. Not really into books? Well then, why not go check out a movie or cd? Because the library is filled with so much more than books.
9. Libraries are family-friendly. From young children to aged grandfathers, the library has something for each member of your family.
10. A library card is free. So what are you waiting for?

Starless Night

The starlight faded from view when the aliens arrived.
No longer would stars light the night, nor would the gentle caress of the moon fill the meadow.
The night sky holds nothing but fright now.
Never gaze at the night sky, or they will come for you.
Silently, without even a flicker of shadow to warn of their coming.
Until their eerie green glow fills the room, and a silhouette unlike that of any earthly being appears through your window.
There is nowhere to hide.
Nowhere the night sky cannot find you.
Even the strongholds beneath the earth are falling now.
Crumbling beneath the might of the starless night.
Beware the night.
And fear for the day when those unearthly creatures dim our final light.
That dreadful day, when at last the mighty rays of our stalwart sun are consumed.
And the day becomes as black as the alien night.
And the only light left will be feared.
For it will be a green glow.
A green glow to signal humanity's destruction.

To have a friend

1. It gives you someone to talk to. It is almost always better to talk to a friend than to talk to a rubber duck. After all, your friend can talk back. A rubber duck can only quack so much before you crack.
2. You'll always have a good laugh. Friends are funny. They know how to make you laugh, and you know just what to do to make them chuckle.
3. Because it is hard to be sad around your best friend. Best friends have this thing, you see, about their friend being sad. That's not allowed. If your friend realizes that you are unhappy, then be prepared to be cheered up. Friends can do that, because they know just what to do to bring out your smile.
4. You'll always have a helping hand. Whenever a friend needs help, you can find a friend striving to provide just what is needed. Because friends are there for one another.
5. The fun will rarely end. Friends are fun. They know just what to do to have a great time, be it searching through the stacks at the library, watching a movie, playing games, or something insanely strange, friends know how to have fun.
6. Friends share. Food, books, cute hats, friends are normally willing to share what they have. Unless it's the last cookie, of course. Then things become a free-for-all.
7. You'll never have to worry about an inflated ego. Friends have this knack for keeping one another's heads from becoming too large, which is extremely useful when it comes to walking through narrow doorways.
8. You'll always have support for your crazy scheme. A friend is always there when you start to doubt your goals. Is it out of your reach? Not if your friend has anything to say about it!
9. Friends can help you to improve. A good friend can draw out the best parts of you. They can see your potential, and usually won't let that potential slip by without you noticing it.
10. With a friend, you won't have to sit alone. Because sometimes all a friend needs to do is sit beside you in a crowded place.