Cookie Flavors

 

1. Suagar cookies.

2. Chocolate mint.

3. Lemon raspberry.

4. Toasted coconut.

5. Iced orange.

6. Gingersnap.

7. Almond cranberry.

8. Oatmeal chocolate chip.

9. Pumpkin spice.

10. Apple jam thumbprint cookies.

Hair

 

The brush ran smoothly through raven locks, each stroke slow and deliberate. No knots nor snarls were allowed, nor were split ends.

After the long care routine was complete, the head of fabulous raven hair was set oh so carefully upon the vanity,  and its owner proceeded to the bed to sleep.

Soon, gentle snores filled the otherwise silent room.

From the vanity, the carefully tended hair began to move. Strand by strand, it slipped off the model head. Each strand then moved like tentacles, with the bunch at the center part massed to form a psuedo-body.

The hair crept across and then down the vanity, masking its slight sounds beneath the snores. Upon reaching the closed door, it spread itself flat in order to shimmy underneath.

Once in the hall, the hair moved faster, its strands almost wild in their haste. First, it went down the long hall to the top of the stairs, then it proceeded down the steps.

Once on the lower level, the hair took a right down another hall, before stopping at a closed door.

Shimmying beneath the door, the hair had but a moment to gather itself before something pounced on it. The hair twisted beneath its attacker, each strand coiling around and around the attacker until the hair completely covered it.

Then, the hair shuddered, and fused itself to the attacker.

The attacked shivered once, then gave a rumbling purr.

Thus, the hair without a true body and the cat without a hair became one.

How to Respond to Your Cat's Meow

 

1. Say his name, so he knows you're listening.

2. Fill in your half of the conversation. It's the polite thing to do.

3. Check that your cat is okay. Sometimes our kitties do silly things like lock themselves in the bathroom, and it is our job to help them. 

4. Tell him that 2am is for sleeping, not singing.

5. Make sure that it isn't the "my bowl is empty and I need your opposable thumbs to get the food" meow.

6. Meow back.

7. Look at what interesting thing your cat has found to play with. It might be a straw, is might be a spider.

8. Quietly hush them, because commentary is for the second viewing of a film, not for the first viewing.

9. Separate the siblings, before someone loses a whisker.

10. Give your cat the cuddles he asked for.

Grandmother's Rules

 The forest was dim, lit only by the flicking moonlight of the waning crescent moon. A movement of air followed by the dying squeal of a mouse gave evidence that there was life in the forest, despite none being visible.

Except for the eyes.

Luminescent orbs that lurked in the shadows, always watching. In brief moments, they would reflect the flicking moonlight, revealing hints of a hunger that was somehow held back. A hunger, that seemed directed at you.

No matter how often you walked this path, the eyes always brought dread to your heart. You knew, just as well as you knew your own name, that those eyes would get you if you ever disobeyed Grandmother's rules.

First: never leave the path. No matter how enticing something appears off into the trees, no matter if it is a flower just out of your reach, never leave the path.

Second: always wear your cloak with the hood up. It limited your vision a little, and got uncomfortable in the middle of summer, but the hood had to stay up.

Third: never speak your name in the forest. Not to yourself, not to Grandmother, not to any stranger or creature you might meet. In the forest, you were nameless.

Fourth: never travel on nights of the full moon or new moon. Any other night was fine, if you needed to travel at night, but those nights were ill luck to any traveler.

Fifth: never knowingly kill in the forest. Doesn't matter if it's a bear or a bug, knowingly killing anything in the forest brings terrible consequences.

Those were the rules my Grandmother taught me, when I was small and she could still make her way into town to visit us. My siblings laughed at her stories if the forest and what happened to people who broke the rules. I listened, and then put what I learned into action when Grandmother fell ill and needed help getting supplies from town back to her cottage.

As time went on, she delegated all the town chores to me. Shopping for supplies, selling her tonics on market day, all the things that gave her reason to come into town.

It's been so long since she last left the forest that I don't even remember what Grandmother's name is.

Still, I care for her, and she cares for me. So long as she needs it, I'll bring her supplies from town every time I visit her home.

Even if it means enduring the eyes of the forest while I obey Grandmother's rules.

Fun Gifts

 

1. Keychains.

2. A punny t-shirt.

3. A scarf.

4. Fun pens.

5. Socks.

6. Cool hats.

7. Notebooks.

8. Chocolate.

9. Craft supplies.

10. Books.

A Girl and Her Ghost

 

A chill wind blew through the graveyard, stirring up flakes of snow to glitter in the sunlight. The day was quiet, as most days are in a graveyard.

A lone figure tread through the snow, weaving a path through and between headstones. Their steps were light, barely crunching the snow beneath their feet. When the figure reached a certain headstone, they paused to glance around before crouching before it.

"Hey, it's me again." The figure said softly, their voice a light alto. "I thought you'd like to know how the recital went."

The headstone seemed to sparkle like the snow for a moment, before a wispy figure floated out to rest atop it. It was a rather lean boy, somewhere in those awkward teen years. His wispy form seemed barely there, like a hot breath on a cold day just before it disappeared. Yet there was enough for the girl crouched before the headstone to see him smile. "I'd forgotten that was today. How'd it go?"

And so the girl told him all about the recital, and then they talked and laughed about all sorts of things. If there had been anyone else in the graveyard, the girl may have be told to be more respectful, to not be so loud.

But no one else was there, and so the girl and ghost continued laughing.

When the day started edging into twilight, the boy looked around and sighed. "You have to go now."

The girl frowned. "I shouldn't have to."

The boy leaned down from his headstone and tapped her nose, his finger becoming more distinct and solid until it actually pressed against her nose. "You know what the others will do it they find out about you." The girl lifted a hand to touch his hand, but the ghost pulled away before she could, his hand growing more wispy and out of focus the farther from her it got.

"I wish you'd come with me." The girl said, her voice once again soft. The boy sighed and shook his head.

"You know I can't. You know why I can't."

"I could handle it, for a few days." She said as she stood. The boy shifted his position on thr headstone, idly kicking a foot in and out of it.

"I know you think you could, but I'd drain you before daybreak." He shook his head and gave her a sad look. "You really should have picked a better friend. Someone who could have actually gone to your recital."

"What's the point of being able to see ghosts if I can't help them?" The girl asked, glancing at the gathering twilight.

"You're not strong enough to be an anchor. All you'd do is give the ghost a chance to swap places with you." The boy said, repeating what she already knew. "Now, you've really got to go."

"All right, but I will be back." The girl said, and the boy gave a soft laugh.

"Maybe you should try to actually live that life of yours, instead of hanging out in a graveyard talking to a ghost."

"Maybe tomorrow." The girl promised woth a shrug. The boy just laughed again.

"Good night."

"Night."

And so the girl worked her way back out of the graveyard, while the ghost boy watched from his headstone. Part of him longed to go with the girl, to live again, but he shoved it back down. He tried to be a good ghost, and that meant not purposefully harming the living.

He was just glad she'd stumbled into his headstone the day her powers awakened, and not into his sister's. She wouldn't have hesitated to latch herself onto the girl, and drain her of the very power that allowed her to communicate with the dead, the power that could bring a ghost back to some semblance of life.

Now, all her had to do was keep the girl a secret from the other ghosts until he could get her to stop visiting, or get her strong enough to fight off any leaches.

He just hoped he wouldn't accidentally kill her in the process.

To Count to Ten

1. You're teaching a child how to count.

2. You are it for hide and seek.

3. You need exactly ten of something small, and are carefully counting them out.

4. You stubbed your toe really bad, but are trying to calm your urge to cry because you have guests over.

5. A little kid just sold you something for exactly ten dollars, and is so excited about it that you just have to count out each dollar for them.

6. You're keeping track of how many times the cat can rush up and down the stairs.

7. You were given the honor of making sure all ten chickens are back in the run.

8. Because counting helps you fall asleep.

9. The child was given ten minutes to finish playing before dinner, and you get to let them know when their time is over.

10. Because you like practicing how to count in various languages.
 

Shop Interlude

 

The old shop was filled with old trinkets. Jewelry, glittering paper weights, even the odd bottle cap.

Some would call the items here treasure.

Some would say it was full of junk.

But for the shopkeeper, each item had a story, and his shop was merely an interlude chapter.

Some items were only here for mere moments, while others had been waiting years.

The shopkeeper knew each item was valuable, even if it didn't look like much. His favorite moments were when a customer would come back, and tell of how the item's story had continued. Snippets of the next chapter,  reminders that the items did still exist beyond the walls of his shop.

One day, he hoped that his shop would be empty of items, that all the halted stories would have continued on beyond his brief interlude.

Then, perhaps he too could continue to the next chapter.

Pets for a Dragon

 

1. A salamander. Cute little fire lizard that won't mind if you sneeze a fireball his way? Just the right pet for a dragon with allergies.

2. A cat. Because a cat doesn't care whether their person is human or dragon, they just want a warm lap for cuddles.

3. A snake. If not careful about keeping their cave clean, a young dragon could find themselves living in a den of snakes during the colder months.

4. A horse. These poor creatures often find themselves abandoned outside of a dragon's cave, and if he isn't too hungry, a kind dragon will take the terrified beast into his care.

5. A princess. The pet most dragon fledglings long to have when they're old enough. Fine, pretty critters, who sometimes know how to make the most delicious desserts! Yes, a princess is the most sought after pet, even if one often attracts pesty knights to your cave.

6. A dog. Loyal pups love to go for runs through the wood, chasing after their flying master for a treat.

7. A leprechaun. A pest turned pet that is quite good at caring for a dragon's hoard. Just be sure to tame it before letting it near your gold.

8. A chicken. Provides a tasty, eggy snack and the loose feathers can be used to cushion the more fragile pieces of a dragon's hoard.

9. A fish. The hardest part is keeping their water clean of ash and not too hot.

10. A dragonfly. Named such because dragons used to love having them as pets, and even bred some giant ones that were more resistant to heat and flame.