Daily 3/3/22

inspired by kotlcpenguin's music, elves tears, laughter

—
Zuri sighed, wiping her hands on her embroidered apron. At last, five o'clock had come, closing time. Customer after customer had come pouring in after the new ice cream flavors were released last Friday. The lines stretched around the block for the flavors' debut, and even a few news stations had sent a reporter with a cameraman to capture footage of the madness. Even for a world famous ice cream parlor, it had been a bit much. So why had the city gone crazy for music, elves' tears, and laughter?

To her, music had tasted like a smooth vanilla with caramel twists swirling through it, the way she imagined classical music would taste. Others said it tasted like anything from hot sauce to sweet potatoes. It was quite peculiar. Everyone seemed to enjoy whatever it was that it reminded them of though.

Elves' tears seemed to have a more consistent impression. Zuri didn't believe in elves, dragons, dwarves, magic, or any of that nonsense, but she had to admit that elves' tears was something special. She couldn't quite find the words for precisely what it tasted of, but every bite brought her back to a childhood memory of Christmas. One second she was sitting on a stool at a table after the work day was over, the next she was a six year old girl again, shaping cookies with her grandmother. Zuri would steal bits of cookie dough whenever she thought she wasn't looking. When her grandmother caught her, she would wag her finger and laugh. Others shared similar memories as they ordered the new sensational flavor.

As phenomenal as the other two were, laughter was arguably the fan favorite. The stuff was practically frozen happiness in a cone. Even a drop of melted ice cream brought a grin to the person's face, whether they were a tiny infant or an old man with a cane. Some even burst out laughing. It took all of Zuri's willpower not to constantly run over to the bin where the laughter was kept and scoop some up with her finger. With laughter, every bite was a bit of an experiment. Sometimes it was sour lemon, other times zucchini or gummy worms. One thing was for sure, it was never boring.

In just under a week, the shop had sold over 500 gallons of ice cream. Zuri supposed she should be delighted, but right now all she wanted was to sit down with a nice cone of elves' tears.

hi-fi in-cabin daily:

I am small
And they call
Me “Shorty”
My real name is Courtney
But they don't seem to care
I hate when they stare
Stop teasing me for being small
And that I can't play basketball
I don't really like that sport anyway
But you make me feel like it's bad I don't play
I like my height and I don't mind it
But you all tease me non-stop about it
Who cares about height?
I'm a cool gal, all right
I'm cool and smart
And I really like art
And one day I'll reach my growth spurt
And then you'll realize how much I was hurt
For no good reason at all
I'm proud that I'm small.

~March 3rd~
Main Cabin Daily
Word Count: 411
Main Post: https://scratch.mit.edu/discuss/post/6081187/

“Mystic Sorbet Shop.” I read aloud. “Sounds cool. Should we go in?”
Elana shrugged. “Sure. Sounds cool.”
Jon narrowed his eyes, “What if none of the flavors are good?”
Elana rolled her eyes, “You like flavors like Vanilla. You’re basic. Everything else tastes too weird to you.”
Jon scoffed. “Whatever.”
I giggled and the three of us went into the shop.

“Lavender. Hm, sounds cool.” Elana said, grinning as she read the rest of the flavors. “Jon, why don’t you read the rest?”
Jon was staring horrified at the flavor list. “Hot cheetos, pepsi, and mushroom?! This is outrageous!”
I laughed. “Pick your favorite, Jon.”
“Nuh-uh. Not happening! This is crazy! These people need serious mental help if they’re thinking of flavors like ‘Mushroom’!” He clutched his head and stared at the floor, refusing to stare at the loud, vibrant purple walls painted with stars and moons. He just stared at the light blue floor and had a small breakdown. “It’s too crazy!”
Elana rolled her eyes as she brought out her wallet. She said to the employee, “I’ll get a mushroom. Does it actually taste like mushrooms?”
The employee shook his head, “It’s a cherry cream soda flavor blend. The color is what inspired the name.”
“Oohhh! Yes, I’ll definitely have it now! A moon size, please.”
The worker gave Elana a medium sized bowl of the mushroom sorbet, and I had to admit that it looked amazing.
I stepped up and said, “Does the hot cheeto flavor actually taste like them?”
The employee, once again, shook his head. He said, “It tastes like chili mango.”
“That one sounds great! Could I get a star size of it please?” I grabbed a smaller size cup and walked back.
Jon walked up to the register and asked, “Do you have any vanilla?”

Jon came out with a planet size cup of Vanilla, the biggest size. We all sat at a table, under a starry looking umbrella. Elana and I couldn’t help but snicker at Jon’s happiness over the vanilla. He really was basic, but that’s what made him so funny. He was a great friend.

Honestly, we go back to that place a lot. And I mean a LOT. Jon branched out and tried the mushroom sorbet, which became his new favorite. Elana and I still looked at all of the new flavors there were with joy, while Jon always opted for the mushroom.

At least he’s not asking for vanilla.

March 3, 2022

Word count: 498 words

Prompt from Kit: Mango ice cream, guitar ice cream, goat ice cream

“Come on,” Elyse says, pulling me along, “We HAVE to get there before the limited edition mango ice cream runs out!”
“Wait- Elyse, slow down!” I cry, my arm wincing with pain. I try my best to keep up with her, still confused on what we were doing and where we were going.
Elyse continues to tug at me, taking us around the block and almost caused me to fall forward when we got to her destination. She had a triumphant look on her face as she stared at the building that stood before us. “SWC Ice Cream Parlor” it read, in big neon lights. A little bell rang as we walked in. Elyse automatically ran forward, placing herself at the end of the already long ling.
“Elyse, what are the flavors? You never let me come here and I can’t see!” I cry, looking at the row shoulders in front of me. I try to tippy-toe but only accomplish seeing the top of the menu.
“Um, hmm. You would probably like some of their specials,” Elyse responds, “Guitar and goat are probably the best, which one?”
I stare at her in shock. “Okay, you DRAG me over so you can get your ‘special limited edition mango ice cream’ and you expect ME to believe that there are guitar and goat flavored ice creams?” I rage, throwing my hands down.
“Fine, whatever,” Elyse brushes off my comment and steps forward, “There are only around 5 people ahead of us now, you better choose fast.”
I roll my eyes and huff, crossing my arms and tune out the bustling around me.
“Fin,” Elyse says, “Fin. Finnian. Snap out of it!”
“Hmm, wha? What is it?” I ask, snapping out of my zone.
“Your ice cream flavor, guitar or goat? Come on, the line is waiting,” she asks once again.
“I told you-” I stop, taking a good look at the menu.
“Limited edition: Mango Ice Cream! Get now before it runs out!” the first line read. My eyes continued down to the next row. “Specials of the day: Guitar and Goat Ice Cream!”
“Uh um-” I stammer, “Goat ice cream, I guess,” I mutter.
“One Mango and one goat please!” Elyse tells the cashier, joyfully. She then turns to me and takes me to another line. “Goat is such a good choice, it’s literally so good!”
I half-smile. “Yeah, we’ll see.”
“Order 254!” the speakers announce.
“Oh, that’s us!” Elyse squeals, “Let’s go get our ice cream!”
Elyse takes a lick of her ice cream as she hands me mine. I take it from her hesitantly, peering at the odd assortment of colors. It looked like a vanilla base with some nuts and chocolate. But there was something else, that I couldn’t tell. I bring myself to lick the ice cream.
“Wait woah,” I say, “This is like- so good!”
Elyse grins. “See~ I told you it was good!” she throws her arm around me, walking out the door.

March 3rd Daily. 503 words, 700 points.

Based on flavors created by @doglover_73

When Amy Aera visited her cousin Alan in Towname, she was expecting your typical town- a bank, a library or two, an ice cream shop, fast food restaurant- things like that. On top of that, she expected the library to carry at least one volume of How to Grow Tomato Trees (a nonsense book that happened to be very popular in Elevenation), the ice cream shop to have the flavors of chocolate, vanilla, and strawberry, and there to be multiple restaurants.
When Amy Aera walked by the ice cream shop that Alan said only barely qualified as part of Towname, she decided to take a look at the flavors the ice cream shop had in addition to the ones she was expecting. There were only three flavors, which she didn’t mind (simplicity was the bread and butter of Elevenation). What she did take issue with was the choice of those three flavors- ketchup, wood, and tomato.
After asking all of the locals and pestering her cousin with countless questions about if the one at the edge of the city was the only ice cream shop, Amy had her answer. The town of Towname, Elevenation, only had one ice cream shop.
After hours of complaining, Amy reluctantly accompanied Alan to try the flavors Towname’s ice cream shop carried.
“Alan, do I have to eat them?” Amy asked for the seventy-fourth time.
“At least a spoonful,” Alan replied for the seventy-fourth time.
“Do I have to eat all of them?” Amy asked for the sixty-first time.
“Yes, you do,” Alan replied for the sixty-first time.
They reached the front of the line, and Alan ordered two scoops of each flavor. Amy paid the bill, they chose a table, and waited for half an hour. After that half-hour had passed, their order was finally ready.
Amy tentatively stuck her spoon into the tomato ice cream and tried it. It didn’t taste horrible- more like a sweet-and-sour ice cream flavor but with chunks of tomato, and she finished her tomato ice cream scoop with ease.
The ketchup ice cream was like the tomato ice cream, but it had no chunks and was more creamy. Amy also finished her ketchup ice cream with little to no difficulty.
Now came the moment she was dreading- the wood ice cream. Amy squeezed her eyes shut as she dug her spoon in and brought it closer to her mouth, then opened her mouth and licked the ice cream off of her spoon.
The taste of the ice cream was exactly the taste of the pain of getting a splinter. Amy had no clue as to how she could taste pain, but that was what she did. A second improbable-sounding thing happened that day, namely the fact that the wood ice cream actually tasted good to Amy. She gulped down the ice cream just as Alan finished his.
“Told you they taste good,” Alan said as they left.
“Yeah, yeah, whatever,” Amy replied. “Let’s go again next week.”

slithering cobra flavor; midnight sky flavor; black spade flavor (by @silvertoki)

The gardener stood silently under the ebony-dark midnight sky, showered with a light sprinkling of shining stars. Everything in front of him was dark as coal, providing no distinction from solid or liquid, real or imagined, human or . . . other. The movements in the night seemed both muffled by the enshrouding darkness and enhanced by the overall silence of that strange, ghostly twilight. Lights from the faraway palace cast a slight golden glow on the ground behind the gardener, providing just enough light that he could count his steps to the weeping willow by the garden’s edge. His shadow was distorted strangely, almost grotesquely, by the wind- brushed grass, but the gardener paid it no heed, walking with purpose, though his shoulders could have been said to be nervously hunched, his steps too precise, his arms straight as though he feared moving.
“One, two, three, four, one, two, three, four,” he repeated quietly under his breath, the sound barely a whisper, a mere snakelike hiss.
Leaves rustled in the wind, branches letting go as the autumn weather refused to be forgotten, although the first frost of winter covered the grass.
The gardener’s lanky form separated for a moment so that you could see the black spade—well, the spade as black as everything else was in the darkness—that he held, clasped tightly in his left hand.
One, two, three, four.
The stars twinkled down cheerfully. The moon was nowhere to be seen.
One, two, three, four.
Brushing through the willow’s long, ensnaring branches, the gardener disappeared.
One, two, three, four, you counted.
Shhh, the grass sang. A slithering cobra rustled through the stalks, black as pitch against the equal silky darkness of the grass.
Chunk- chunck- chunk, the sound echoed as loudly as church bells in the pure silence of the night, as bright as searchlights in darkness. The gardener, digging? Perhaps. Perhaps not. Chunk- chunk- chunk, the sound continued, oblivious to your confusion and curiosity. Then the sound was abruptly cut off.
The gardener left the cage- like confines of the willow, brushing his hands off on his apron as he did so.
Silence once more. Then movement once more as the gardener walked back to the palace, his steps now less steady, with a slight swagger in his pace, and newfound lightness in his shoulders. As if they had been relieved suddenly of a great weight. What? you wondered as his silhouette disappeared once more in the darkness of the night, heading far away from the bright, inviting light of the palace.
Slowly, you pushed yourself to your feet. The grass had left imprints on your hands because of your controlled, unmoving position.
With a quick, cursory glance around you, you confirmed that there was no one else around. Even the slithering cobra had disappeared, melting into shadow. Then, with purposeful steps to rival the gardener’s, you walked over to the willow. One, two, three, four, you thought slowly, taking deep breaths. Nearly there.
Lifting a hand in front of you, you pushed the long branches away from your face.
Suddenly, brightness split the night.

March 3rd Daily for Hi-Fi, 483 words, 700 points!
There once lived three ice cream flavors, Vanilla, Butter Pecan, and Oreo. Brought into existence by the God of Sweets, they were magical and beautiful. Vanilla was a shy, plain ice cream who liked to read (when she was sure that her ice cream wouldn’t melt and ruin the pages) and would stand up for herself and her friends when needed. Butter Pecan was a strong, husky flavor who protected his fellow ice creams and liked to work out in the ice cream gym, (it had special air conditioning so that he wouldn’t melt). Oreo was an extroverted, talk a lot type of ice cream who like to do gymnastics and play ball. Even though the ice cream flavors argued a lot, they soon learned how to live together in peace and harmony, on a place called Ice Cream Island. They built their own mansion and had fun times together. One day, Oreo called for a meeting. They all settled on the couch, and relaxed. Oreo stood up.
“Look, I know we’ve never done this before, but I want to request the God of Sweets for us to be humans.”
Oreo proposed.
“Wh-Wha- Huh?!” Both Butter Pecan and Vanilla yelled.
“Hear me out. We’ve been stuck being ice cream our whole entire life and all we’ve ever done was walk around and melt! You’ve seen the photos of the humans! They’re so, free and pretty, while we’re cooped inside here.” Oreo insisted. Butter Pecan and Vanilla glanced at each other.
“Listen, Oreo, you know we-“
“You know what? Never mind. I knew you guys wouldn’t support me. I’ll just go ask him myself.” Oreo stomped out of the room, leaving the two ice creams alone.
“Oreo, no!” Vanilla cried, but she was long gone. Butter Pecan insisted that they chase after her.
When they got to the God of Sweets’ ancient palace, Oreo was already there. Butter Pecan and Vanilla walked slowly towards Oreo as the God of Sweets looked at both of them. Vanilla hid behind Butter Pecan, trembling.
“I-I can’t do it.” She whispered. Butter Pecan gave her a pep talk, and they both walked towards the God of Sweets.
Before they could say anything, however, the God said things first.
“I know why you’ve come. You know I created you. So I can change you as I wish. You will not be humans forever, but humans for 1 day. Enjoy yourselfs.” A bright light flashed as the ice creams changed into humans. Vanilla had light skin, straight blonde-white hair, blue eyes, and a plaid skirt with a collared white shirt. Butter Pecan had a tan complexion, with big muscles, brown hair and eyes, and a basic skirt with sweatpants. Finally, Oreo had dark skin with black and white hair, brown eyes, and a checkered dress. As they all hugged, they thought about all the adventures they would explore as humans.

I never mean to press submit :<

daily 3/2/2022

The heat beated down upon Arima’s jet black hair. They were tired, and hungry. They’d just finished their final assignment of the school year, submitted it, and was finally done with work for the school year. Essays were not fun.
“Amma, I’m tired. It’s so hot…”
“Watch some anime or something, I have to go to a meeting.”
“I don’t want to right now. I’m hungry.”
“Oh, I know! You could make some icecream.”
“Make– Ice cream?”
“Yeah, make it! I used to buy it from the store when I was younger in Chennai. Then, when I went to university here in the US, my Appa and Amma showed me how to make it.”
“Um, well, I don’t know how…”
“Just search it up, you’re always on the internet, I’m sure you’ll figure it out.”
“I-I don’t kn-”
Bang! The door to Amma’s office closed.
Arima sighed. They pulled out their phone, and went straight to Google. Icecream recipe easy, they typed out.
“Umm, all of these look so… boring…” Arima muttered, before scrolling to the bottom of the first page of results. “Oh, what’s this?” Arima clicked the link. Eazy Cream Iceclean.
Arima slowly started to read the recipes, confusedly.
Do your guests have stinky breath? Does it remind you of rats, crawling along your back? (ENCANTO PROMO! View at Urnumberonedisneygeek!!! Could be a scam be cautious) This Lysol Iceclean(cream) is perfect for you! Ingredients: One tub of Vanilla Icecream, 1 package of Lysol wipes, yep, that’s it! Use a mortar and pestle to smoosh up the lysol wipes. Add the juice into the tub of icecream. Use a paper shredder (Or a Vitamix) to crumble the wipe paper stuff into a garnish! Enjoy!!) Warning: Pleaseconsultyourdoctorbeforetastingthishastheabilitytodamageyourbodyproceedwithcaution.
Arima shook their head. “No way am I gonna eat that.” Out of curiosity, Arima continued scrolling through the flavors. All sorts of flavors came up, until something in particular caught their eye.
BRRRRR SQUEEEEEEEK VACUUM EEEEEEE ICECRWEAMMM DREAM… Eat this ice cream to be the person who nags the family to tidy up! Ingredients: One tub of Lysol Icecream One shredded vacuum this is a bad website do not trUST SKRRRRRRREEEEE
“Nope now way-” Arima looked away. Um, I might as well give up hope on this website. Obviously it was made by those lameos who make up memes that don’t have purpose. Like who cares about a rickroll? Why must we mock people in history!
Arima sighed. They really, truly wanted to make icecream. Arima took one last look. “Witch’s Brew?” What kind of icecream is that?
Infused with Kit Kats that have witches on them you’ll never look away from this specialty flavor. Ingredients: 7,000,300,267 marshmallow Kit Kats, 1 tub of marshmallow fluff, 1 tub of green tea icecream, 2 scoops of Lysol Icecream, 1 crunched up rosewood broom, chocolate sprinkles (at least 300 tablespoons).
“You know.. without the crazy ingredients and quantities, this could actually taste really good… Eh, I’ll pass. There’s nothing better than classic vanilla.” And so, Arima sat down, and enjoyed a vanilla icecream. Possibly with a bit of Lysol juice because clean teeth oh no we’ve said too much-

528 words ^^

when green flag clicked
forever
play sound [it's corn! v]
end

Daily March 2nd: Written from the perspective of a colored pencil

Being a colored pencil is not easy. My captor is unforgiving and demanding. She makes me work so much more than my siblings (meaning, of course, the other colored pencils who share my Premier Prismacolor Color Pencil Set. I memorized the name of my home a long time ago, due to my sibling Orange, who barely leaves it. The times I see Orange, she’s also whining about how she’s never gotten to see the world, be used, have a master. If she actually experienced it, she would change her mind in an instant. I tried explaining it, but no one wanted to listen to me. At least she’s still sharp and youthful. I lost my sharpness a long time ago. I never get to visit my siblings anymore though. My captor carelessly leaves me lying on her desk, where I stay until the night reaches a blue so dark it’s almost identical to my shade and stare out the window until hours later, when the sky looks like someone mixed orange and gold and pink together in one glorious pencil and scribbled all over it, adding dots of brightness for those white-hot orbs that twinkle lazily, high in the sky. The melancholy life I lead isn’t just staring out the window though. I sure have gotten to know some of the other desk sharers, specifically, The Sketchbook. The Sketchbook is my captor’s finicky friend, the one who I am forced to draw all over in soft, swift strokes of the deepest blues. In short, The Sketchbook is my number one enemy. The way it has somehow attracted my captor, to the point where my captor is with it constantly is unnatural. Is this what happens when you devote your whole existence to the enjoyment of another? Will I never be able to leave this cycle?

305 words

The next person in line stepped up to the register.

“I’d like a Purple Jelly Leaf tea, small please.” Purple Jelly Leaf tea? Some people might have considered that an odd flavour, but to everyone who worked, and everyone who bought from this particular coffee house, didn’t give it a second thought.

“It must be a rough day, wake up late? Oh no, you have a bunch of kids.”

“Yea, how’d you guess? Maybe it’s just my facial expression and baggy eyes, I guess.”

Cassie shrugged, knowing that she was just a very keen onlooker. “That’d be $3.96, you can go to the counter to your left.”

———

At the end of the day, the Leaf Counters Coffee and Tea house was closing. Cassie and some of the other new hirees, Zee and Kali to name a few, were wiping down tables.

“Hey, Zee, what’s your favourite type of tea?” Kali had asked.

“I’m not really a tea drinker,” Zee started “Crystal Moonlight, light roast of course, with a little moon art in the middle is my favourite, though.”

“Personally, I like Chocolate tea the best. It reminds me of when I was at my grandfather’s house over the winter,” Cassie started reminiscing. “They were cold winter days, up north. On Winter Star Eve, there was always knocking at the door. Some people from town came to my grandfather’s farm. They brought a variety of goodies including cookies, presents, and pastries, but my favourite was the different teas that they got from their adventures outside of town. There was this one family who went to a big city far more eastern than grandpa’s little town and gotten Chocolate tea samples. They had liked it so much that they brought boat loads home. Literally, there were at least three boats full of the stuff. When they came back that Winter Star, they gave grandpa a couple boxes of it for his hard work over the past few years with local fruits and vegetables. He let me take home a box, and I’ve been obsessed ever since.” Cassie sighed, she missed her grandfather.

Zee chuckled. “Wow, that was quite some story. I just like Crystal Moonlight cause of the little moon art in the middle. I’ve always admired coffee artists.”

“I can teach you, it was an art passed down in my family from when my great-grandmother moved to Tahangi a few miles away.” Kali told Zee.

———

After the three of them finished wiping down the few tables in the shop, Kali stood by her promise and taught Zee how to make coffee art. Well, tried to at least. Zee had really shaky hands and you needed precise hands to make the best art. Zee made a giraffe, but it looked more like a kindergartener’s depiction of a snake.

✎✐✎✐✎✐✎✐✎✐✎✐

Word Count: 467

Main Cabin Daily / 3

prompts by @-StrawberriiStxr-
chai tea, hot pumpkin spice, and cream knit cardigans

inspiration song: no stress by tycho

word count: 514 (400 minimum)

Soft warmth enveloped me. Scents drifted around my head, covering me in an invisible cloud of comfort. Chai tea and pumpkin spice perforated the air. My hands closed around a mug, filled to the brim with hot liquid. With a happy sigh, I took a sip. Allowing my eyes to close, I simply felt. Let myself drift away on this wave of happiness. The feeling of fall was crisp and present, even though our house was mostly flanked in evergreen trees. Windows left cracked open let in the scent of pine needles. Though it was cold out, I enjoyed the smells enough to keep them open. Plus, Dad liked them that way.
Opening my eyes again, I looked out over the ocean, taking in every detail. Relishing every color and sparkle. Bright foam and darkened sand where the water met land. Reflections of the afternoon sun shining off the water. Silhouettes of mountains in the distance, tips illuminated by the setting sun. Snow-capped peaks standing in contrast to the pink-toned sky.
“Hey there,” my dad said, nudging me as he sat down on the stool beside mine. With the clink of ceramic on glass, he set his mug in front of him. The mug was one I’d made when he and Mom had taught me to paint a few years ago.. Waves of green and blue and crested with white foam circled the bottom. “Enjoying the view?”
I shut my book—not that I’d really been reading anyways. But the feeling of paper in my hands was reassuring.
“Yep,” I replied, swinging my legs over and shifting to look at him.
“What were you reading?” he asked.
“Harry Potter,” I explained, flipping the book over and scooting it to his side so Dad could look at the cover. It was the Prisoner of Azkaban—my personal favorite.
“Ah, nice choice.” He flipped through the pages absentmindedly.
“I know.” I elbowed him.
Laughing, he tilted his head to glance at me, simultaneously picking up his mug.
After taking a sip of his coffee, Dad rolled down the sleeves of his cream colored sweater. Whenever he was typing away on the computer, he rolled his sleeves up. I guessed it made it easier to type—or maybe it was just a habit. Unrolling them meant he was done for the day. “So you’re finished with work?”
“Yeah,” he responded, the edges of his eyes crinkling as he smiled. Brushing back his dark hair, he grasped my shoulder and squeezed invitingly. “You want to go out?”
Most week-days, Dad wasn’t able to go biking with me. But sometimes, like today, he’d finish early enough when it was still light out. We’d need to be fast, though. The sun was already dipping below the horizon, highlighting the edges of yellow-toned clouds.
“’Course I do!” I agreed, already imagining the feel of the wind in my face and the smell of salt in the air.
“Great!” he exclaimed—not that he’d expected anything different—and took a long drink.
A few sips later, and we were out on the beach. Life tasted sweet today.


thanks for reading!
~ Crim from Sci-fi <3

3/2/22 - Salt to the Sea plot analysis:
Exposition:
The information isn’t given all at once, which makes it a bit hard to understand at first. It explains a little about who everyone is and how they got there, but most of the exposition is getting all the characters to the same place so the action can begin.
Rising action:
The journey to escape begins. What drew me in about the rising action is that more people’s stories were getting revealed piece by piece.
Climax:
The ship gets torpedoed. Not much to say about this.
Falling action:
Everyone is trying to escape the ship. This feels different from the rising action because while before everyone had a goal they were working toward, now they’re just trying not do die.
Resolution:
The resolution was the last letter at the end of the book. I had to read it a few times to understand what happened. No lessons were learned, but the plot was tied up nicely. It felt good to see that everything came full circle. The ending made me sad, but it was a beautiful kind of sad instead of just sadness.
Conflict:
Person versus person, because there was fighting in the book
Person versus society, because the characters were running from the Nazis and the Russians
Person versus self, because a lot of people had dark pasts and inner demons they had to struggle with
Person versus nature, because there were natural threats like frostbite, falling through the ice, and drowning.
Word count: 244
New total: 1651

Daily #3 - 436 words
They stand on the edge of a jagged cliff, bony fingers wrapped around the hilt of a glowing sword crackling with electricity. Static electricity clambers up Zai’s arm, twisting with a raw and feral strength. With their lithe and lean form, it was almost impossible to guess that this stoic figure was the genderless god of war. If one looks closer, though perhaps it is not entirely impossible to believe. Their golden robes float around them, as if they’re underwater, and their shoulder-length black hair crackles with purple energy every now and then, as it floats around their heart-shaped face. The intense expression written upon their face is a mixture of interest, thoughtfulness, and even a little curiosity. Power fills their entire being to the brim, and their eyes flash purple as they watch the raging battle going on beneath their post.
Despite the chaos of the battle, there are three clear sides to this war, as one could quite obviously see. War-hardened barbarians from the northern y-axis wielded giant war hammers and axes bigger than some of their own arms, dressed in furs and pelts that had been long since stained rusty red by the blood from all the battles they’d endured. Their thick weapons and wide eyes were streaked with orange-gold flames like the setting sun, or an enormous bonfire at nighttime.
The sea-bound warriors of the x-axis wielded tridents and staffs of shells and coral that shimmered with pink and blue and lilac in the fading light of sun. Their pointed ears, blue and green skin, and blank blue eyes were just as distinguishable as their silvery blue robes, made of swishy, cool fabric that floated around them and somehow still seemed clean and elegant even in the midst of battle.
However, Zai can sense the power radiating from the third side, the shadow mages of the z-axis. While some carried sleek black scythes encrusted with purple jewels, most were without weapons. Instead, they fight with blasts of black flame, massive waves of glowing purple-black water, and electricity crackles through the air, twisting around the mages like a cat winding around its owner.
The other two sides do not hesitate, swinging swords and axes and tridents and staffs. None of them can see what is about to happen, though. There is slaughter and bloodshed soon to come. But they keep still, weapon at their side, choosing to sit quietly for the rest of the night. And even when the sun has completely sank below the horizon, deep purple light still flashes somewhere within their eyes.
For they know what is soon to come.

Weekly #1
===
Part 1 :: Poetry
twilight - haiku
a soft nighttime breeze
whispers to you as the moon's
glow shines down on you

forest - acrostic
far away from the rest of the world
over the hills and down the paths
rests a peaceful forest, full of beauty
everything is calm and full of magic, and
somewhere lies a little cabin,
that you call home

midnight - free verse
Midnight.
It’s that time again.
Sleep won't take me into its peaceful arms,
insomnia won't let me go.
What can I do?
Nothing.
Just waiting until I drift off into sleep.
Counting sheep
Counting stars
The sky is endless
The stars shine forever.
The moon rests in its place,,
Its cool glow filling the night sky.
Eyes feel heavy,
Body feels tired,
Looking forward to tomorrow.
Midnight
It’s the end of that time again.

morning - narrative poem
She woke up in the morning,
sitting up and stretching.
Another day it was, another morning
Sitting up she rubbed her eyes
she got out of bed and dressed
she brushed her hair and teeth,
and went downstairs.
She smiled at her pet dog,
making his breakfast and her's.
Then she went off to school.

twilight - sestina
standing in the middle of the valley
I look up at the peaceful night sky
my favourite time of night, twilight
they shine beautifully, those stars
and those stars that dance across space

the moon shines on me from space
as it quietly rests in the night sky
surrounding it are the shining stars
they forever dance at twilight
and I sadly leave the valley

but the stars they follow me in the sky
they dance even though it's not twilight
the moon still glows, always visible in space
i realise they don't just live in the valley
they go anywhere they please, those stars

take me there to the stars!
so that i may dance in space
i can't get there, even in the valley
all i can do is wait until twilight
and from then watch the night sky

take me to space
shooting stars
home is not at the valley
bring me to the night sky
bring me there at twilight

heading home, accompanied by the stars
the night sky, it's endless space
endless space is the night sky
i know i'll return to the valley
and i say, until tomorrow, twilight

tomorrow, twilight, stars, i'll miss you
but i'll come back to the valley, to watch the sky
hoping again that one day i come home to space

422 words

Part 2 :: Essays
Argument Essay - Genshin Impact or Breath of the Wild?
Breath of the Wild, a Nintendo video game released in 2017, is an open world RPG action-adventure game part of the Legend of Zelda franchise. In 2020, another game by name of Genshin Impact was released. It is another open-world action RPG developed by miHoYo. The game features a massive, gorgeous map, an elaborate elemental combat system, engaging storyline & characters, co-op game mode, soothing soundtrack, and lots to explore. Due to a lot of big similarities in the two games, lots of people have been saying that Genshin Impact is a rip-off of Breath of the Wild. But, Genshin Impact does have heaps of its own original features and might even be better than Breath of the Wild. The two popular games have been constantly debated on which one is the better game. Both have significant ups and downs, and even though Genshin Impact is supposed as a copy of Breath of the Wild, in my honest opinion I strongly believe Genshin Impact as the superior game.

Comparing in-game features, Genshin Impact has some better features than Breath of the Wild such as having more characters with beautiful designs, the ability to change characters, more stories and quests, and it has more CPU's to interact with. Genshin Impact also provides the ability to play in Co-op mode, getting to play online with other friends and people. Breath of the Wild does have does have great features as well, like crafting, cool areas to explore, and lots of other things, but for now we'll stick to Genshin Impact's. The game also has amazing detail as and designs, even the character movements and animation is brilliant. The enemies designs are also epic. These featured definitely outweigh Breath of the Wild, while even though Breath of the Wild has a great storyline and some say Genshin Impact's storyline is bland, I really disagree, and anyways, Genshin Impact has lots of side quests and adventures and some can go on for ages as well, each one unique and awesome! Genshin Impact also contains impressive looking weapons, loot, artefacts, and lots more inventory items! Breath of The Wild sometimes feels too adventurous for me, always fighting or working, while Genshin Impact really let's me sometimes just relax, maybe go on a funny “date” (not actually okay) with the librarian, relax and look at the scenery, and even just meet new lovely characters. The fighting and adventuring is still fun though, and the physics are great.

The two games really are both great in their own ways, each one special and I understand another people's opinions. But as you can hopefully see here, Genshin Impact really is just a perfect game, and no one will ever be able to convince me otherwise. You should think so too. I wish that Genshin Impact won't get as much hate as it does, and I hope everyone realises it's just another fun game that you can enjoy, just like Breath of the Wild or any other video games. So for now, for me it looks like Genshin Impact wins this debate.

513 words

Part 3 :: Scripting
Central Valley Academy - Scripted

SCENE 1

CLOCK: BEEP BEEP BEEP BEEP

TOBY: Uuugh, 1 more minute, pleeeease…

CLOCK: BEEP BEEP BEEP BEEP

TOBY: Ok, ok fine!

(Sits up in bed, knocking a book onto the floor. Picks it up. It's a red journal.)

CLOCK: BEEP BEEP BE-

TOBY: (turns clock off. rubs his eyes)

Ok, here we go.

(Gets up and goes to his closet, taking out a uniform. Hiding behind the closet door, he soon exits and reveals himself wearing a white shirt with a dark blue blazer and an even darker blue tie with diagonal stripes a lighter shade. He exits the room, through to the next part of the stage.)

TOBY: (sits down at table)

Hey mom, morning,

MOM: Morning,

TOBY: (reaches out for a pancake on the table)

MOM: (stops him)

Your sisters not up yet, we'll eat together.

TOBY: Oh fine,

(kicks out of chair and runs up stairs behind him, going up to a higher part of the stage)

(enters room)

Come onnnn Gabbie, it’s time to get up!

GABBIE: (groans, rubbing eyes and sitting up)

What time is it…Toby, it’s still like sunrise…

TOBY: (drags her out of bed)

GABBIE: (stands up, running a hand through her hair)

Ok, I’m gonna come, just let me get ready.

TOBY: All right then,

(exits room)

SCENE 2

MOM: (sits down at table)
Ok,

TOBY and GABBIE: (stuffing themselves with pancakes)

MOM: Your father is already out in the orchards so he won’t be joining us today. Toby, you’re already in Year 9, so I expect you to look after Gabbie on the way to CVA ok?

TOBY: (mouth stuffed) Yesh mum~

GABBIE: Don’t worry guys I can take care of myself, I’m practically a teenager already, (slightly exasperated)

MOM: And control, your, emotions, ok? Now finish up, it's already 8, you should get going now.

TOBY: (quickly stuffs last pancake in mouth, gets up, grabs backpack.)
(opens door that leads off stage)
Come on, let's go already!
(goes out door offstage)

GABBIE: (quickly shuffles out the door too)

TOBY and GABBIE: (from off stage) Bye mom!

MOM: (calling out the door) Bye kids!

SCENE 3

TOBY and GABBIE: (jogs down path, which looks like smoothened oak planks, walking past all the other wooden houses)
(Stage is oak trees with a canopy of oak tree branches)

GABBIE: Have you been practicing how to control your powers?
TOBY: looks at her and frowns.
N-no Gab… I haven't.

GABBIE: ‘Kay, then let’s practise already!
(speeds up in front of TOBY and faces him)

TOBY: Uh, I’d rather not. We just ate breakfast and-

GABBIE: Ok, try to make a cloud.

TOBY: (sighs)
Now?

GABBIE: Yes now!
(crosses arms)

TOBY: (mumbling) Fine,
(stretches arms out, which begin to tremble slightly)

GABBIE (waiting, then small wisp of smoke appeared a couple of centimeters from TOBY’s palms)

Oh! You’re doing it, you're doing it!

TOBY: Shh wait…
(cloud gets slightly bigger every second, following them as they slowly walk, bobbing up and down. cloud reaches size of watermelon. little drops of water fall out)

GABBIE: Uuh Tobes, there’s rain coming out.

TOBY: Huh?
(The cloud lets off a steady flow of drops)

Oh come on!

(drops his hands down)
(lightning flashes out of the cloud angrily)

TOBY and GABBIE: (jumps back as cloud dissipates like a puff of steam)

TOBY: Ugh, see? I told you I’m not ready yet.
(kicks pebble)

(they reach the border of the Forest Region)
(path turns into a rough dirt path)
(distantly away the CVA's entrance can be seen. The CVA was surrounded by a tall really long wall. marble walls, cyan blue roofs, small arches lining the walls, lots of students around. at centre of the wall is massive archway, with a clock tower.)

SCENE 4

TOBY and GABBIE: (travel up white stairs and join a cloud of students heading through wooden double doors)

GABBIE: (goes through doors but is stopped by TOBY)

TOBY: Gab, thanks for trying to help me out, even though it didn't go too well.”

GABBIE: (looks at him and smiles)
No worries!
(walks through wooden doors, dodging the crowd)
Hope I'll see you at recess!

TOBY: (smiles and squeezes past the crowd, entering the school)

701 Words

Part 4 :: Nonfiction
Small Autobiography
Hi, my name's Gabbie, and this is my story, my life. I live in a family of 8, and I have a 3-month old baby sister, a 4-year old little sister, a 7-year old little brother, an 9-year old little brother, and a 14-year-old big brother. I'm 12, turning 13 on November 17. My family and I have been homeschooled our entire lives, except for 2020 where I and my big brother tried going to school. It was a great experience for me, but since lockdown had happened about 2 terms of school were online. My family is Filipino, and we live in Australia. We're also Christian. My siblings and I are really close with each other because we've basically been with each other 24/7 our entire lives because we're always at home. My four brothers all are allergic to dairy, eggs, seafood, and peanuts so sometimes it's difficult for them because they can't enjoy lots of different food. The rest of the family, however, are allergy-free (except for me, I'm allergic to peanuts as well). I have around 12 cousins. My family has been overseas three times, twice going to America and once going to the Philippines.

Now, to talk about some of my life. It was pretty uneventful (as in just normal life), just normal stuff, until Year 5, where I joined a school. When I went to school I'm pretty sure, that I was top of my grade (trying to be humble). The only problem was I was really shy and could stress out when something I haven't experienced before and don't understand happened. I had a few breakdowns then because of the incredibly sudden change of routine, environment, and work since I was used to always being at home. I fit in well though and even though it was hard work for my 10-year-old self, I thoroughly enjoyed school. If I continued school in Year 6 I would've become a Junior School Leader, but since we had to leave I didn't get the chance to. Somewhere after the middle of the year, we found out my mum was pregnant. But then, close to the end of 2020, my mum had a miscarriage… So now, 2021. My Grandpa passed away by Stage 4 Cancer around March, so those were some difficult times. We were back to homeschooling and so there weren't any major events I can think of, just spending time, doing school and the usual day-to-day life activities. The years seemed to fly by, and here we are now.

Scratch Writing Camp - Article

What is Scratch Writing Camp?
Scratch Writing Camp, also known as SWC, is a tri-annual virtual writing camp. Each campers at the start of each session sets a word goal for themselves' and aims to write that number of words during the session. SWC contains amazing and fun activities and lessons that encourage writing, teach different techniques of literature, and so much more!

Word Wars - What are they?
Scratchers from all around have been wondering what actually are Word Wars in Scratch Writing Camp? Well, we've recently conducted an exclusive interview with the current Host Bellvue91 about this subject. She has explained that Word Wars is when two campers challenge each other to both write words in a set amount of time, and whoever writes more words at the end of the timer will win 100 points for their cabin. Quite simple, really.

Scratch Writing Camp - The Cabins
We'll be discussing the Scratch Writing Camp Cabins now. Each cabin owns a certain genre. A list of the cabins: Mystery, Science Fiction, Contemporary, Realistic Fiction, Horror, Thriller, Adventure, Historical Fiction, Fantasy, Dystopian, Fairy Tales, Mythology, Poetry, Non-Fiction, and Fanfiction. Each cabin's campers are NOT required to write only their cabin's specific genre, they are free to write whatever they would like. Each cabin has a creative theme, such as Sci-fi Spacewreck, Mystery Monastery, and Horror Avenue.

Horror - My Cabin
Now I'll be talking about the Horror Cabin, my cabin, the one I'm leading, in Scratch Writing Camp. We call our cabin Horror Avenue, and I really love it there. Everybody is hard-working and very cooperative. My campers are amazing and enthusiastic,a don my co-leaders are the best. Our cabin's Relationships: Sibling: Thriller. Allies: non-fi, fairytales, mystery, myth, and adventure. Neutrals: dystopian, fantasy, contemporary. Enemies: real-fi, fanfic, hi-fi, poetry, sci-fi. During Cabin Wars, we should never attack our siblings or allies, we shouldn't attack our neutrals unless they attack first, but we should definitely attack our enemies. We have about 35 campers in our cabin.

Scratch Writing Camp - Pro's and Con's
Everything has its pros and cons. I’ll talk about Scratch Writing Camp’s pros first.

-SWC will be a ton of fun and you can enjoy using your writing skills for fun activities, challenges, and much more!
-SWC will help you learn more about writing and it can improve your literature and help you develop more skills!
-In SWC you can make new friends, discover other people's styles, and just really become bonded with your fellow campers!
-If you feel bored or want to be competitive and accomplished over things, SWC provides that by Cabin Wars, Word Wars, or even the Cabin Leaderboard!

Unfortunately, everything can't be perfect and so here are a few of Scratch Writing Camp's con's.

-SWC can sometimes be addictive and can get you distracted or too obsessed with doing it.
-SWC will sometimes cause you to be on the screen for long periods of time, and if you aren't keeping track it can become unhealthy for you.
-Some people will just join SWC, only to become completely inactive when the camp starts. This can become frustrating.
-People will slack or be lazy, or fights could break out if you're not careful.
-Sometimes you can become over-competitive and start getting irritated or hurt someone's feelings. You could also get hurt by what other's say, so be careful.

That's all for today's news article, thanks for reading, and see you next time.

1,011 Words

Total: 2674 words

I don't really know how forums work since I've never used them before so here goes nothing
Thing I made for creative writing. I only wrote 740 of these words in March but it would be weird not to add the whole story.

The park was quiet. Wednesday mornings usually aren’t that full with kids at school, parents working, people having better things to do. Of course I don’t, honestly I don’t know why I’m here. The park is nice as long as you ignore half the playground being reconstructed. It’s better since there aren’t toddlers drooling on the slide. Actually there isn’t anyone on the slides, or anyone at the park at all. I thought there were a few people hanging out somewhere but I guess they left. I layed on the grass and stared at the sky. Then I heard a sound. I stood up and looked around, there was a figure, and it was getting closer? Suddenly it was on me.
It was a woman, her hair a ruffled mess and her eyes were in a panicked frenzy. She grabbed my shoulders, resting her weight on me. I tried to push her off but she wouldn’t let go. She gasped for air as her grasp on me tightened.
“HELP ME! I- I you, WE NEED TO GET OUT OF HERE! She- that THING is coming Please… So long… help” She yelled, her voice was ragged and dry. Her knuckles turned whit e as I tried to shove her off me.
“Don’t touch me! Get off you, FREAK! What are you!” I yelled back pulling against her. She kept on yelling and pleading about someone else. I tried to call for help but no one else was around. The woman tried to pull me in the opposite direction, muttering ‘how it's dangerous here’ and ‘ She’s coming for us’ and she was about to drag me off. Kidnap me. Do weird experiments on me or something. I’d never be able to go back home. Someone help me.
She froze.
I looked up to see someone else. A blonde haired woman with two top hats. She wore a black blazer with sky blue tails, gold and silver patterns glittering with each step. Her hand was on the other woman’s shoulder and she smiled, friendly and inviting. Her grip on me loosened as I twisted out of her grasp and I finally got a good look at my captor. She had dark skin though the bags under her eyes were even darker. Her brown eyes half-lidded, dull and lifeless. She looked like she would pass out at any second. (the word count addition) She looked like all hope was ripped away from her. She looked like she had given up. I almost pitied her. Almost.
“Oh I am so so sorry if this girl is bothering you! She’s been having night terrors recently and has been really out of it, right?” The blonde’s voice was smooth like honey yet laced with some emotion I couldn’t describe. The other woman nodded weakly and she got a smile in return. Then she looked at me and a strange mix of comfort and anxiety washed over me.

“It’s uh fine. She kinda freaked me out but it's okay… I guess.” I replied, I don’t know why I said that. I was horrified by what was happening, yet the night terrors thing didn’t really add up to me. Something about the look on her face when she was pulling me away. Something about the desperation in her voice. The way the color drained from her face when the woman with two top hats arrived. I can’t bring myself to think it has anything to do with the woman. She seems too nice, too friendly, too perfect. Like I could watch her forever. A voice snapped me out of my thoughts.
“Again I am terribly sorry. How about I make it up to you. I’m actually the ringmaster of a circus. Circus ad infinitum.” She paused and struck a little pose. “For the trouble that this little thing has caused you. How about I invite you free of charge!”
The ringmaster smiled warmly but the other woman’s eyes widened. She started mouthing something and the ringmaster’s grasp on her seemed to tighten. I looked at the ringmaster and my mind seemed to go blank. I didn't know what came over me. My mouth was already moving and I heard myself say, “I’d love too”
She let out a laugh sickeningly sweet. It made me want to laugh too. She reached out her hand and when I was about to take it her fingers seemed to shift. For a split second they looked long and pointed, like claws that could rip something piece by piece. Like something not human. I hesitated and muttered, “I should probably tell my parents where I’m going, they’d be worried about me.” I was about to pull my hand away when she took my hand in hers. Everything around me was shut out. My sight, my touch, my hearing. The only thing I could sense was her voice.
“You don’t have to think about them anymore,” With that the tension I was feeling dissipated. I was going to be fine. Suddenly I became light headed. I tried to feel around but the ringmaster wasn’t there anymore.
I regained my focus and I was in a tent. A dark skinned woman with bags under her eyes was a few seats away from me. She was staring at me but when I waved at her she looked away. Strange, I guess she just wants to enjoy the show. For some reason she looked familiar, like I’ve seen her before. I tried to think back on before I got to the circus but as I did a searing pain went through my head. There was nothing. That doesn’t matter though the show was about to start. The lights went out and a voice as smooth as honey boomed through the entire tent. The audience went wild cheering and clapping echoed against the thin tent walls. I looked around but I couldn’t make out any of their faces. No one’s face except that woman.
“THANK YOU, THANK YOU TO EVERYONE HERE ON THIS ABSOLUTELY SPECTACULAR EVENING!” The crowd went silent and then she continued, “Finally. I love the enthusiasm but I can lead the ring, if I can’t even hear myself think. Now I would like to welcome you all to CIRCUS AD INFINITUM! THE SHOW YOU WISH WILL NEVER END!” Once again the circus burst into cheers. The ringmaster said something else but it was drowned out by the roaring of the crowd. I clapped along with everyone at the circus, it was so exciting. So perfect. But when I saw the woman, staring at me with eyes devoid of hope I started to worry and I didn’t know why.
I looked back to the ringmaster and the thoughts seemed to disappear. The show only just started but I didn’t want it to end.

3/3: Today is 33 flavors day! In the comments, write 3 ice cream flavors (They don't have to be real! Maybe you can create dragon fire ice cream or glass ice cream) and then choose someone else's 3 ice cream flavors. Create a story of at least 400 words using these 3 flavors as inspiration for 500 points, plus 200 bonus points if you share your writing!

Impending doom flavor, breath flavor, and grape flavor.

removed because of large mentions centered around blood and death </3

Daily for March 3rd - 469 words
(Writing with inspiration from ice-cream flavors)
mint chocolate chip, lemon mint, ginger (from @26friedland <3)

i actually really liked writing this LOL
— —

“Pick and choose, Sophie!”

I jumped up from my chair, my hands fumbling for my phone as I nearly dropped it. I looked up to see my friend, Jay, behind the counter. There were three tubs of ice-cream in front of him, and he grinned as I looked at him, confused.

“What?” I asked, pulling up my sleeves as I walked over to the counter, stopping next to Jay as I looked at the flavors.

“I said, pick and choose. Which one do you want?” Jay said. “Mint chocolate chip, ginger, or lemon mint?” He asked, tapping each one as he said it’s name. I simply looked up at him again and furrowed my eyebrows.

“Why do we need three different kinds?” I was still confused. Jay just laughed and rolled his eyes.

“Oh, you’re ruining the point! Just pick a flavor of ice-cream!” He threw his hands up into the air, but more in a can’t-stop-laughing way than a I-give-up way. I turned my head back to the three tubs of ice-cream. My mind started spiraling, like it usually did whenever I wanted to make a decision. My go-to is usually mint chocolate chip, but maybe ginger or lemon mint would be better for a change? But I don’t usually like ginger. But what if I’ve been missing out on it this whole time? And I know Jay likes lemon. Will he be disappointed if I choose some other flavor? Should I just stick to what I usually eat?

“Sophie, if choosing what to have for a little treat would make you this worried, I would’ve just made you a bowl,” Jay said softly, looking at me. His expression was half amused and half concerned. I looked back up at him, then down to the ice-cream.

“I’ll go with mint chocolate chip,” I said, with a short nod of my head. My go-to flavor. Jay squeezed my hand and smiled, then grabbed the ginger flavor and walked over to the freezer. I stepped back, then opened a drawer in front of me to get two spoons. One for me, one for Jay. I opened the tub of mint chocolate chip ice cream, while Jay opened his tub of lemon mint. Once we had both made our servings (my ice-cream in a mug and Jay’s in a small bowl) we went over to sit on the couch. We both got comfortable, then started eating. It was silent for a few minutes, until Jay turned the TV on. He looked at me, smiled, then turned to the screen. I turned my own head to the TV, too, seeing some random cable show. As I ate my mint chocolate chip ice cream, I wondered about how one decision can make a difference. Even the flavor of ice-cream you choose, I guess.

March third daily! My ice cream flavors were named after Encanto characters, can you guess which ones?
I stood up from my comfy chair, all signals of tiredness disappearing. “Let's go get some ice cream!” I announced.
The kids swarmed behind me as I put my coat on, grabbed my wallet, and opened my door. Because the sun was quickly going down, we had to get over there as soon as possible.
We tramped down the sidewalk, carefully crossing the solitary street that stood in our way before, finally, the ice cream shop, Scoops N' Sprinkles, came into sight.
The tall building's bright colors were accented by the purple and orange streaked sky, and, squinting I couldn't help but feel proud to live near such a wondrous place.
“How many scoops can we get?” one of the kids asked.
Normally I would keep it to one, especially at this late an hour, but I was feeling generous. “Two scoops each!”
“YESS!!” the children chorused.
“And three scoops for me…” I added under my breath, pulling the glass door open. The bells tinkled sweetly as we stepped inside, and the scent of warm vanilla waffle cone immediately invaded my nostrils.
One of my kids gasped, looking up reverentially to the flavor list. “They have flavors themed after Encanto characters!”
“What?” I furrowed my eyebrows, squinting up at the list. Some of the options seemed to have human names. “What's Encanto?”
Every single one of the kids gasped in perfect sync, looking up at me with betrayed looks on their faces. “The new Disney movie!” They all broke into a very off tune song.
“Okay…” I said, still very confused. “What flavors are you all going to get?”
They perked up at this, rushing at the poor ice cream scooper and yelling their orders at him. Somehow, the young man was able to understand, and, within minutes, six small bowls were lined up on the counter.
“Anything for you?” he asked.
I nodded, and, still unable to choose, said, “Can I have your three favorites?”
“Sure,” he said, immediately starting to scoop. Soon, my flavors were ready—the first scoop of deep green, the second light brown, and the third orangey red.
“Thank you!” I said, shoving an enormous pile of cash on the wooden counter—hey, good ice cream isn't always cheap—and following the kids outside.
We pulled up some chairs at the metal tables, and by the time we sat down, over half of the ice cream was finished.
“How do you guys eat so fast?!” I exclaimed, taking my first lick of the red ice cream. A strange feeling erupted on my tongue, it felt almost like I had taken a sip of sparkling water. If I didn't know any better, I would say a lightning storm was happening inside my mouth! But, of course, it was probably some cheap trick like Pop Rocks.
I wouldn't say I especially liked it.
Moving on to the next flavor, the green one, I nervously took a small bite. Hm. It wasn't really anything worth talking about.
That last one, though—I wouldn't be surprised if it had permanently singed my mouth.
The third flavor at least looked normal. I raised the cup to my mouth, giving it a tentatively sniff. The soft scent of cinnamon wafted into my nose, mixing perfectly with the undertones of what seemed like rich coffee.
Much more assuredly, I took a bite.
Despite this treat being called ice cream, I swear that this flavor warmed my mouth. It tasted just as expected, all of my favorite flavors combined into the most comforting taste imaginable. Now, I thought, my burned mouth was healed.