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.

The Flooded Ruin

 

The ruin was flooded. It had been for centuries, and even after all that time, the water level had never decreased.

The local village warned their children not to stray too close to the ruin, though when asked why by outsiders, no one could say why the warning was given. They'd received it when they were children, and so had their parents, and grandparents, for as long as anyone could remember.

The children were warned to stay away.

Despite the warning, every adult in the village could remember going into the ruins as a teenager. It was wet, and cold, and smelled like something might have recently drowned. But the water was crystal clear, even in the deepest halls that led to some underground area of the ruin. You could see clearly all the way to the edge of your light, enough to see that the sloped hallways always turned to some deeper, hidden corner.

So the adults and teenagers knew the ruins, at least partially. But still they felt that their children and siblings wouldn't be safe there.

Outsiders suggested someone take some scuba gear and properly explore the underground chambers, but the locals never gave them access. They didn't remember the purpose for the ruin, but they felt that it wouldn't be good to let an outsider go that deep into it.

Some outsiders troed to sneak into the ruin anyway, but somehow somethung always stopped them.

Broken gear.

Dangerous wildlife.

Violent storms.

Local authorities catching them.

Injuries just as they reach the ruin, forcing them to turn back.

Something always came up.

So the ruin sat stagnate with water, a local mystery that no one seemed willing to solve.

For what good would come from drying out whatever was best left submerged?

For Habits

 

1. They can save time. Sometines a habit is formed by repeating the most efficient way to complete a task. As each step becomes something you could do in your sleep, how quickly you can do it can also increase.

2. Because you wanted to aviid something. Like to jog, but don't like the big dog that barks every time you pass its house? As you scout out another path to avoid the dog, that new path may become the one you automatically jog, even after that dog's family moves.

3. To help you be healthy. Good habits for caring for yourself are great! Sleep schedule, regular meals, time with or away from others. Figure out what you need to be happy and healthy, then work to fit those things into your day-to-day life!

4. For your pets. Animals can recognize the daily routine. The dog knows when you supposed to feed him, and the cats know when it is time for bed. Sometimes, your pets remember the routine better than you do.

5. So you know what to do. Following the steps of your routine can help you know when something unusual will occur. Maybe part of your routine is to recognize and add those alterations to your schedule.

6. Because practice can make perfect, so long as you practice the good habits.

7. So you can focus your mind on other things. Simple, time consuming habits can be made more enjoyable by multitasking. If it is something you can confidently do, having your mind work on another problem while your hands are busy is great.

8. For when you just don't feel well. Sometimes a you don't feel comfortable at all, but still need to work on something. That's when having the familiarity of a habitual task can be nice.

9. It could give you something to talk about. Maybe you have a habit of eating all the red candies first, or you always pat your pocket before closing the car door. If someone notoces and is curious about what you're doing, you might be able to make a friend.

10. They help you not feel lost.