Baby Turtle

Once there was a baby turtle, who loved his neighbors so.
Every day, he would go out to play with them. It was a long walk from the burrow to where the neighbors lived, and even after getting there his journey wasn't through.
For his neighbors were chickens, and lived in a coop.
For the baby turtle to go in and play, he first needed to find a hole. A hole that led beneath the wire and wood walls of the coop's run, a hole large enough for him to go through.
This hole was his secret tunnel, and made him the envy of his chicken neighbors. For his neighbors would love to be free from their run, free to eat all the delicious grubs that squirmed just out of reach beneath the tree outside their run.
But it was not to be.
For the chickens stayed trapped in their run, and the baby turtle faithfully came every day to play.

For Numbers

1. They help us stay organized.
2. They are used in coding.
3. Because without them, we might have counted by colors.
4. Because math wouldn't be the same without equations like 2+2=4.
5. Without numbers, crafts like knitting, crocheting, and tatting would be harder to write patterns for.
6. Keeping time is easier with numbers.
7. Because the alphabet would get lonely without their number neighbors.
8. When your bookmark falls out, those page numbers can help you find where you were.
9. If numbers didn't exist, how could you be sure you've line up oldest to youngest?
10. Because without numbers, this would be called Reasons A through J.

Brownie Delights

The little girl knew three things about bedtime.
First; hers was at eight o'clock.
Second; parents don't go to sleep until ten.
And third; the brownies always strike at midnight.
That's why the little girl had learned how to reset her alarm clock. If she got up at 11:55PM, then she had just enough time to hide in the kitchen cabinet.
For at midnight, the brownies came. They were little people, with purple shoes and yellow hats. The little girl wasn't sure where exactly they came from, or why the came to her house.
All she knew was that they made the most amazing treats.
Lemon bars, strawberry jam, apricot pudding, and many other dessert delights that she'd never heard of.
The brownies came, and after making that night's treat, they would leave.
But the treat stayed on the counter.
And the little girl was quick to realize that her parents didn't know about the brownies. For some silly reason, they both that that the other had gotten up early to make the treat.
The little girl didn't think it fair that parents didn't have to follow the sharing rule, and so she would wait for the brownies to make the treat each night, and then have an after midnight snack all by herself.
For brownie delights were worth sharing, even if it was only with the dark.

For a Table

1. It can be a gathering place for your family.
2. You can play games on it.
3. It can hold stacks of books.
4. Food can be kept out of the dog's reach with it.
5. You can use it while folding clothes.
6. Depending on the table, it can be used as a makeshift stretcher.
7. Child can use it as a fort.
8. It can serve as a barrier when someone is trying to put frosting on your face.
9. You can use it while organizing your coin collection.
10. It makes using a sewing machine easier than if you were sitting on the floor.

Nothing

When there is nothing, it doesn't matter how you begin.
For how can the first word be wrong at that point i  time?
That one word will lead to another, and another after that.
And soon the page will be filled with words, where once blankness reigned.
Within that jumble of words, how does one find the right phrase?
Where do you begin, when awash in a sea of sentences?
It often comes down to a slow crawl through the muck, in order to find the gems hidden beneath.
And after you've found the right words, it comes time to polish them to a shine.
For though they are right, these words are not yet ready to carry the weight of the stories they'll tell.
Polishing can at times be painful, as it reveals the words that aren't quite right.
Those words are discarded, and those that remain become stronger for it.
In the end, others will wonder how your words came to be.
For in the beginning there was nothing.
But now you've made a wonderful something.

For a Pet

1. So you'll always have a friend close by.
2. Because talking to yourself can get pretty lonely. Besides, you'll get a better response from your pet than from a mirror.
3. Who else will you blame for having eaten the last of the bacon?
4. Pets are great at comforting you when nothing else seems to help.
5. They are fun to watch. For just like children, pets can react so humorously to the simplest of situations.
6. Because you need someone to get you moving in the morning, and a pet insisting on being fed can really get you out of bed.
7. So you'll have someone to go on walks with.
8. Because they can give you fun stories to tell your friends.
9. A pet can help teach children about responsibility.
10. Because they make you happy. What better reason is there?

The Best Pet

With a pet in your life, you haven't a care.
For each day is exciting, filled with the love that you share.
But one day it all vanishes, the fun times all die.
On that horrible day when you must say goodbye.
How do you cope, with a heart laden with grief?
Is there any way at all to find some relief?
Your eyes have been puffy, swollen, and red.
Throughout that day you have dread.
Your pet has been so frail, only bones beneath skin.
You wonder if your heart will ever be whole again.
Through all the anguish, you stay by her side.
For no pet of yours should have to go hide.
In those final moments, your heart simply breaks.
And you're shocked by how much it aches.
Can it ever be mended? Will this scar ever fade?
Can you even bare to look back at all the memories you've made?
For the moments of love surely outweigh the grief.
Maybe, one day, they'll bring some relief.
But for now your heart weighs heavy and sad.
As you mourn the best pet that you've ever had.

To Smile

1. Because you were able to spend time with those you love.
2. Someone complimented you.
3. You thought of a witty joke that made people laugh.
4. You didn't stub your toe.
5. The weather was nice.
6. You made a new friend.
7. Because the dog cared about you enough to get off his bed.
8. You ate tasty food.
9. You were able to finish a project.
10. Just because you can.

Duck Pond

There are three constants in the Missy Lee Park. First is that Mrs. Flora will always be sitting on the only park bench at exactly two o'clock, ready to feed the pigeons. Second is that all baseballs will eventually be stolen by the White Sox hound, who is quite friendly unless you try to reclaim your baseball from his collection by the pond.
The third thing that never changed was the duck.
Rain or shine, middle of summer or dead of winter, the duck would always be swimming at the center of the pond.
Nothing could entice the duck from its spot. Not breadcrumbs, dogs, fireworks, or even the rest of the pond freezing. The duck never flew away, and was never seen anywhere else.
And just like people learned not to bring baseballs to the park, they eventually stopped wondering about the duck swimming at the pond's center.
Until one day, one of the townsfolk were visited by their cousins from the city.
As it was one of the few places for fun in the town, the entire family gathered at the park. One child decided to show his cousin how to use a slingshot, as he didn't think they had such things in the city.
The city kid's aim was horrible.
So horrible, in fact, that she hit the duck.
And for once, the duck moved.
The stunned duck drifted a little to the left, the the ground shook.
People shouted and darted away from the pond as a sickly greenish light shot up from beneath the surface.
The duck stirred, but far too late.
The water churned a frothy white that hid the duck from view, and then a head almost too large to fit in the pond broke free from its watery prison.
The duck made a satisfying breakout snack.
As people fled the park, the monstrous creature pulled itself free from the pond, teeth chattering in anticipation as the lizard breathed in the dry scent of freedom.