Cake Flavors

 

1. Yellow.

2. Strawberry.

3. Black forest.

4. Red velvet.

5. Coconut.

6. Apple.

7. Chocolate.

8. Spice.

9. Pumpkin.

10. Carrot.

The Shadowman

 

If the fire died, then the wolves would get them.

But if they kept the fire lit, then the Shadowman could find them. For a shadow could not exist without light.

Looking at those under her care, teenage girl wondered which option was worse. She knew that not everyone would be able to outrun the wolves, especially not with the injuries that Joey and Cecile had.

Yet if they let the Shadowman come, who knew how many of them he would take?

"I'm scared," little Rosie said, and the teen scooped the young girl up.

"Don't be scared, Rosie. We'll figure this out," she said with false cheer. As she passed the girl over to Alec (who was much better with the little kids than she was) the girl noticed a flicker at the corner of her eye.

Glancing around as subtly as she could, it didn't take long for her to notice something that filled her heart with dread. A long, thin shadow that didn't fit the shape of the stump that cast it.

The Shadowman had found them.

He hadn't yet taken on that semi-solid form required for him to interact with their world, however, so there was still a chance. If I can just kill the fire before he acts, she thought as she turned back towards the campfire. But before she could take a step, a voice like the whisperings of a monster beneath the bed breathed in her ear, "I wouldn't do that, dearie."

Turning back towards the stump as casually as she could, the girl moved so that she was between its unnatural shadow and the others. "What do you want with us?" she asked quietly, lips barely moving as she stared at the shadow. It shifted in a motion independent of the flickering firelight, moving closer to her.

"I don't care about most of you at all, actually. It has simply taken me this long to figure out which one of you I needed," the Shadowman said, his indistinct form seeming to grow more solid the closer it came to her.

"If you only need one of us, then what have you done with the others you've taken?" she asked.

"They don't matter, dearie. You'll never see them again," he replied, and she took a step back as she turned her head to call the warning she should have issued earlier.

Her warning never formed, however, for semi-solid arms wrapped around her and dragged the girl back into a world of shadows.

Nice Names

 

1. Penelope.

2. Quincy.

3. Jolene.

4. Bronagh.

5. Carl.

6. Douglas.

7. Geoffrey.

8. Frederick.

9. Walter.

10. Therius.

The (Supposed) Frog Prince

 

A long time ago, there was a frog.

The frog lived in the swamp, and every day the frog would eat his fill of flies and other bugs that happened along his path.

It was a simple life, but one that the frog enjoyed.

Then one day, a young woman dressed in the red and black of a ladybird came to the swamp. Now, the frog had never met a person like this woman, and didn't realize the danger that would come from trying to ask her to stop spraying whatever stinky stuff was scaring away his lunch.

For when the woman heard the frog speak, she decided that he must be a cursed prince.

And so the frog found himself taken from his lovely swamp, and set on a pillow in a room within a castle that was sorely lacking in bugs for him to eat.

When the young woman—who turned out to be something known as a princess—kissed him, the frog was confused.

The princess was disappointed, and decided that she must not be the one meant to break his curse.

Thus began the Frog Festival, wherein every eligible princess or maiden in the surrounding kingdoms who could attend woulf have the opportunity to try and break the (supposed) Frog Prince's curse.

No one listened when the frog said he was just a frog, and so he resigned himself to being stuck in the castle for the rest of his days.

Flavor Pairings

1. Coconut and caramel.

2. Raspberry and lime.

3. Vanilla and strawberry.

4. Lemon and pepper.

5. Cinnamon and clove.

6. Chocolate and mint.

7. Blackberry and cranberry.

8. Oregano and feta.

9. Rosemary and citrus.

10. Garlic and parmesan.

You'll Go Far

 

Time can be meaningless if not spent well.

Look around: where do your thoughts dwell?

Do you spend your time on things of mediocrity?

Or do you strive to improve your talents to the highest quality?

Looking around, are you pleased by what you see?

Or do you find yourself wondering if this is all you can be?

Lift up your hand, and reach for the stars.

If you never give up, I'm sure you'll go far.

Enjoyable Drinks

 

1. Milk.

2. Apple juice.

3. Horchata.

4. Orange juice.

5. Water.

6. Hot chocolate.

7. Soda.

8. Cranberry juice.

9. Milkshakes.

10. Broth.

Your Neighber's Party

 

It was noisy and cold, but at least one of those problems could be solved. Wrapping a blanket around you shoulders, you shiver in the dark for a moment.

Soon enough, though, the blanket fulfills its duty, and you start to feel warm again.

If it wasn't for the loud party next door, you might have been able to sleep. But the music was so loud that you could feel it in your bones, and the pounding of your head beat in time to the thumping bass.

Your neighbers always seemed to have a wild party on the weekend, and you were exhausted by the chaos it brought. You couldn't imagine what it would be like to actually be at the party, given how loud it was through the solid walls of your house.

Glancing at the clock, you gave a soft groan. Only a few more hours, and it should be over, you thought wistfully. Maybe you'd fall into an uneasy, exhausted slumber before then.

It was unlikely, but you could hope.

The one bright side of all this was that you didn't have to work tomorrow. Your neighber's parties were always worse on the nights where you had to go into work the next morning.

For now, you would simply suffer and how for sleep to claim you.