It was a cool March night, where if a gust blew through, one might even feel a bite of cold. The moon shone brilliantly above, casting a soft white glow on a field below. It would be full in a week’s time, but for now, its almost fullness was a spectacle for all to see.

The clouds around the moon were wispy and scarce, barely visible against the dark sky. Those who chose to listen closely past the rush of cars on the highway would hear the gentle “chirrup” of crickets and the croak of a spring peeper on this peaceful night.

The grass in the field was not itchy against the skin, but comfortable for one to stargaze, or even to sleep until morn. If one did choose to stargaze, they would hundreds of stars shining like jewels, Venus and Jupiter almost aligned, and a couple of airplanes passing by.

This was art to a painter’s soul, music to a musician’s ears, and to all, it was bliss.

It was on this night that a beautiful woman with auburn hair, who looked as if she could be a goddess, stepped out of her car and into the grass.

In fact, she was a goddess; goddess of the moon and hunt.

Artemis exhaled a long, heavy sigh. She missed the nights that were uninterrupted with traffic. It was difficult to believe that only twenty centuries ago, there were gorgeous temples and chariots that roamed the streets.

She had to admit though, some of these modern inventions were quite practical.

Artemis stood back up and began walking to her car when she realized there was a man standing by it.

Perfect, she thought sarcastically, just the guy I wanted to see.

“Hello, Apollo,” she grumbled.

“Hey, sis! That wasn’t the greeting I was expecting, especially since I brough mangoes, but anyways, how are you?” Apollo was extremely chatty. It was one of his many traits that annoyed Artemis.

“I was fine until I saw you. Now can you move out of the way, I need to get back.”

“Get back where? You don’t even need a car. You can just appear wherever and whenever you want.”

“Perhaps I humble myself and do things the old-fashioned way.” she said.

“What? This? Old-fashioned?” he laughed, and flicked the Tesla. The whole thing combusted into flames. “Oh, yes, I suppose it is. Well, here’s a mango.”

Apollo took a perfectly ripe mango out a plastic bag and offered it to Artemis.

Artemis was seething with rage. “I don’t care about your mangoes! I just want to go back to my archery range. Ugh!” and she took Apollo’s advice, disappearing with a pop.

passage from The Wind in the Willows: “Such a rich chapter it had been, when one came to look back on it all! With illustrations so numerous and so very highly coloured! The pageant of the river bank had marched steadily along, unfolding itself in scene-pictures that succeeded each other in stately procession. Purple loosestrife arrived early, shaking luxuriant tangled locks along the edge of the mirror whence its own face laughed back at it. Willow-herb, tender and wistful, like a pink sunset cloud was no slow to follow, Comfrey, the purple hand-in-hand with the white, crept forth to take its place in the line; and at last one morning the diffident and delaying dog-rose stepped delicately on the stage, and one knew, as if string music had announced it in stately chords that strayed into a gavotte, that June at last was here.”

Blackout Poem:

Such a rich chapter

when one looked back.

Illustrations of the river bank,

purple loosestrife,

willow-herb,

and dog-rose.

It was as if music announced that

June was here.

Spring is Here (the final poem)

All through the dreary, blue winter,

oh, I wished and hoped.

Thinking of how I missed the spring

Each day, full of anticipation

for a rich chapter of life that would soon occur

where each morning I would awake,

hearing the music of nature.

With morning walks on the road

where flowers lie along the path,

and birds chirp,

greeting a new day

as I wait for the sun to rise.

There’d be the budding growth of leaves

on the trees

pollen everywhere,

and baby goslings in the lake.

The books I would read

with illustrations of dandelion puffs

dog-roses,

and daffodils,

living in long skirts and fairytale dresses,

twirling barefoot in the grass,

such vivid imagery.

In the evenings,

warm cups of milk and sugar

or lavender tea.

Writing to my heart’s content.

Off to sleep I’d go,

dreaming of a world of wonder.

All this would tell me

that spring is here.

introduction: I've done it! I've finished my first weekly! This post will contain the first three activities, which I accidentally made them really repetitive. However, you will see my thought process for my story. Anyways, I will have another post with the official story coming after this one.

the butterfly effect- 680 words
event:

We left Retro Hotel early in the morning, planning to time travel back home after a quick breakfast of bagels at a nearby diner. As we were walking, I tried to twiddle with the baby’s breath ring on my finger when I realized it was missing.

I stopped walking.

“Hey, Florence?” I said.

She turned towards me, “Yeah?”

“I um…” I hesitated, “I dropped my ring.” Tears welled in my eyes, a mix of humiliation, shame, and sorrow.

“Oh, Fleur…”Florence came towards me and wrapped me in a hug. “It’s going to be okay.”

Meanwhile, across the street a man by the name of Rolf Vee spotted something shiny in a mud puddle and picked it up.

Outcome #1:

Rolf examined the shiny object and determined that it was a ring. He was very curious if the flower still smelled, so he sniffed it. Time seemed to stop, and then it whirled around him.

The next thing he saw was a room filled with pots with interesting flowers.
What an interesting room, he thought.

He left the room and found an interesting box thing. It took a while, but he figured out how to use it and learned that it was called a “computer”

With his newfound knowledge, Rolf soon discovered that the room he landed in was filled with time-traveling flowers.

He put the ring on his left index-finger and then smelled a flower. He went to the past and grabbed a villain. He kept doing this until he accumulated many villains.

Then he dominated the world and different eras of time.

Outcome #2:
I looked over Florence’s shoulder as she hugged me, and I saw a man pick something up from a muddy puddle.

“My ring!” I gasped.

“What?” Florence asked.

“Over there,” and I pointed in the direction of the man.

Florence and I walked across the street to the man and politely asked for the ring. He handed over the ring, and I replied with a thanks.

Then Florence and I walked to the diner and had our breakfast. We excused ourselves to the restroom and returned to the present day.

Our town was very similar, except for one difference. There was once this rude old man by the name of Rolf Vee. It turns out he was the one who returned my ring. He is now a nice man that the town loves. Florence and I are kind to him and deliver his groceries to him.

Who knew that a kind “thanks” could change someone’s life forever.

Outcome #3:
I looked over Florence’s shoulder as she hugged me, and I saw a man pick something up from a muddy puddle.

“Hey, that’s my ring!” I shouted.

“What?” Florence asked.

“Over there,” and I pointed in the direction of the man.

Florence and I walked across the street to the man and the man looked up.

“Hand it over, that’s mine.” I demanded

“No he said.”

So, I punched him. This was something I had never done before, but I suspect it was due to being upset about my ring.

He shouted, “OW!” and Florence gasped. But it worked. He dropped the ring.

Florence picked it up, and we ran with the man chasing after them.

Hiding behind a building, we time traveled back to the present.

But everything was different.

The town was depressing because we were under the ruling of an oppressive mayor named Rolf Vee, who was the man that I punched.

Florence and I understood our mistake, and time traveled back to the 1950s.

This time, I intentionally dropped my ring in the muddy puddle. Then Florence and I hid and waited for Rolf to pick it up.

He did.

Florence and I went over and politely asked for the ring. He handed over the ring, and I replied with a thanks.

When we were back in the present, Florence and I decided that time travel causes too much trouble.

So, in the night, we set our rings on the shelves in the secret room, and burned down the flower shop, watching our lives go up in flames.

linear timeline (527 words)
1. It was a gloomy day outside, and customers were scarce. Fleur was busy trimming the ends of of flowers, and Florence was working on the computer, while deliberating whether to tell Florence about the secret room. Florence decides to show Fleur and she givers her a ring with a baby’s breath flower as the centerpiece. Florence explains that this ring allows a person to time travel back to the present. However, Fleur seems a little confused, so Florence thinks the best way to explain time travel is to experience it. They time travel to the 1950s where they observe what life is like.

2. The next morning, as Florence and Fleur were leaving the inn for a quick breakfast before going back home, Fleur realizes that her ring is missing. Full of shame, she admits her mistake to Florence tells her that all will be okay and gives her a big hug. Meanwhile, a man by the name of Rolf Vee sees something shining in the puddle. He picks it up and examines it. He determines that this shiny object with a flower as the centerpiece is a ring. As Florence is hugging Fleur, Fleur looks over Florence’s shoulder and spots the man with the ring. She points this out to Florence.

3. Florence and Fleur cross the street and walk over to Rolf and the muddy puddle, demanding that he returns the ring. Unfortunately, Rolf refuses to return it because they were being rude. Fleur punches him as hard as she can in the stomach (which is something she has never done before, and will ever do again) and he drops the ring. Florence picks it up, and the two girls run away with the man chasing after them. They hide behind an inn and time travel to the present. However, the town is now dystopian and people are miserable because Rolf is an oppressive mayor.

4. Florence and Fleur went back into the secret room, smelled a camelia, and were transported back to the 1950s. Fleur locates the muddy puddle on the side of the road and intentionally drops her baby’s-breath ring in it. Then the two girls hide behind a building and wait. They watch Rolf pick it up, and they go and politely ask for it back. Luckily, he gives it back, so Florence and Fleur thank him. The two girls go back into the present and realize that Rolf Vee is a kind old man, and they resolve to buy groceries for him every week.

5. The two girls also agree that time traveling is dangerous. They dislike the power that it involves and they have a long discussion on what to do. They have a plan and pick a day to perform their action. One the night of their plan, the two leave their rings on a shelf in the secret room. They leave the room and shop, and go outside, each with a box of matches in their hand. They both strike the match against its box, lighting it, and they drop it by the shop. They watch as their life and world they’ve known goes up in flames.

non-linear timeline (298 words)
summary: Florence and Fleur work at a flower shop in a small town. Florence shows Fleur a time traveling room, and they go back to the 1950s. Fleur loses a special ring, but when Rolf Vee picks up the ring, she punches him. When the two girls go back to the present, everything has changed because Rolf Vee is an oppressive mayor. The the two girls go back in time, asking politely for the ring. This fixes everything, and at the end they decide to burn down the flower shop.

rising action
climax
falling action/resolution

- Florence and Fleur spend the day in the 1950s looking around
- the next day, Fleur notices that her ring is missing while they were walking to a diner for breakfast
- Fleur admits that her ring is missing and Florence gives her a hug
- Rolf Vee finds the ring in muddy puddle and picks it up
- Florence and Fleur see Rolf with ring, demanding him to return it
- he refuses, so Fleur punches him, causing Rolf to drop the ring
- Florence picks it up, and the two girls run away to time travel to the present
- Fleur intentionally drops the ring once they return to the 1950s, and the two girls hide
- Rolf picks it up, and this time the two girls politely ask for the ring
- he accepts and returns the ring and the two girls return to the present
- Florence gives Fleur a ring and shows her the secret room since Fleur has been an apprentice for two years
- they time travel to the 1950s so Florence can demonstrate the power of the flowers
- present is a dystopian society with Rolf Vee as oppressive mayor
- they go back to the 1950s to fix the mistake
- the girls decide to burn down shop because it causes too much trouble

Time in Flowers
In a place that know one knew of in a town that know one’s heard of, there was a flower shop. Florence’s Flower Shoppe to be precise.

The shop was found in the 1950s by Florence (hence the name) and it was passed on to the granddaughter, named, well, Florence.

Florence was still young, and she had many new ideas which included hiring an apprentice.

Fleur had been apprenticed for two years, and it was on her 731st day of work that this story begins.

❀❀❀

“Ahem, Fleur…” Florence began to say one dreary morning when customers were scarce.

I turned towards her, still holding the roses I had been trimming in my hands. When I had first met Florence, I was entranced by her pink hair. Now, however, her hair was a vivid blue.

“Yes?” I asked.

“Since you’ve been an apprentice for two years,” she continued, “I’ve been wanting to show you something.”

I put the flowers back into their bucket and wiped my wet hands on my apron. I then followed Florence to a back door that I thought led to an empty room.

When I arrived at the flower shop two years ago, I naturally asked about the room. Florence had told me that it was a room know one used because her grandmother lost the key before the shop had even opened.

So, presumably, as she pulled a key out from one of her apron’s pockets, I said, “I thought you told me that your grandma lost the key thirty years ago.”

Florence answered honestly, “Those were just lies. You’ll see why in a minute. Anyways, do you believe in time travel?”

“Umm… I’m sure it will happen someday. Why?” I could hear a sense of nervousness in my voice, and I hoped that Florence did not hear it.

“This is why,” and she opened the door.

❀❀❀

The room had shelves from floor to wall filled with flowers. I was very confused, wondering why a room of flowers had to be so secret.

“Here you go,” Florence said while handing me a ring that had a baby’s-breath flower as the centerpiece.

I put the ring on my left index finger, still confused.

“These flowers,” Florence explained, “can bring you anywhere you want in time, and that ring,” she pointed to my the ring on my finger, “brings you back to the present.”

I’m sure my face expressed bewilderment, which would be why Florence said, “Perhaps it would be better to explain.”

Florence went over to a shelf filled with camelias and took a flower, then she came back to me.

“Sniff.”

I did. Shortly thereafter, time seemed to stop and the world spun around me.

When the world stopped spinning, Florence was beside me, and we were still in the secret room.

“It looks the same.” I observed

“Well, yes it does,” Florence noted, “but that’s because we are in the same location. When we step outside everything will be different.”

And sure enough as soon as I stepped out of the shop door, I had to put my hand up to shield my face from the blinding sun.

We spent the rest of the day looking around the town.

Everything was so different. The cars were different, the fashion was different (believe me, we got a lot of stares,) there wasn’t even a TV in our hotel room!

❀❀❀

We left the Retro Hotel early the following morning.

The night before, Florence and I planned to time travel back home after a quick breakfast of bagels at a nearby diner. As we were walking, I tried to twiddle with the baby’s-breath ring on my finger when I realized it was missing.

I stopped walking.

“Hey, Florence?” I said.

She turned towards me, “Yeah?”

“I…” I hesitated, “I dropped my ring.” Tears welled in my eyes, a mix of humiliation, sorrow, and shame.

“Oh, Fleur…”Florence came towards me, and wrapped me in a hug. “It’s going to be okay.”

I rested my head on Florence’s shoulder, thinking of how foolish I was as the tears fell down my cheek.

When I opened my eyes again, I saw man pick something up from a muddy puddle.

“Hey, that’s my ring!” I shouted, and I pulled out of Florence’s hug.

“What?” Florence asked.

“Over there,” and I pointed in the direction of the man.

Florence and I walked across the street and over to the man. As we approached him, he man looked up.

“Hand it over, that’s mine.” I demanded.

“No,” he said. His voice was gruff,

I am still unsure why I did what I did next, though I suspect it was due to being upset about me ring. Anyways, I punched him.

“OW!” he cried out. Florence eyes went wide as she gasped. But it worked. He dropped the ring.

Florence hastily reached down and picked it up. Then we ran with the man chasing after us.

Florence and I ran back towards the inn, and ran around to the back.

“Ready?” I asked.

She nodded in reply, and we time traveled back to the present.

But everything was different when we walked outside.

The residents were depressed, and there were signs everywhere with a man’s face, an older version of the one I had just punched. Under his picture were the words, “Rolf Vee rules!” It seemed he was our new mayor.

“Florence,” I whispered, “what did I do?”

❀❀❀

As Florence and I walked back to the shop, we discussed on what to do. We agreed that if we time travel back in the past, we should be able to fix our mistake.

Once we entered the secret room, we both smelled a camelia and watched as the world spun around us.

This time, I intentionally dropped my ring in the muddy puddle. Then Florence and I hid behind bushes on the side of the road, waiting for Rolf to pick the ring up.

He did.

Instead of demanding for the ring, I asked politely. When Rolf gave it back, I smiled.

If only I had done this in the beginning, I thought.

❀❀❀

“So this is it,” I said.

“So this is it,” Florence said.

After many late night discussions, Florence and I finally reached a solution. We had both agreed that time travel is dangerous, we just needed to decide what to do.

Florence and I left our rings on the shelf of camelias in the secret room and we went outside.

Florence struck a match, then dropped it along with the box.

We stepped back, and we watched as our life went up in flames.

end.

The sun was setting, but it didn’t matter. She sprinted through the woods as fast as she could. Stray branches whipped her face, and several thorny vines along the path had already cut her legs. When there, up ahead, there was a grassy clearing.

Tanya stopped, spotting a girl standing there. The girl’s hair was a mess, as if she too had been running through the woods.

“There you are! I’ve been looking all over for you!” Tanya exclaimed, walking over and panting as she caught her breath.

“Here I am, I guess!” said the girl, giving a soft smile.

“Where were you? I’ve been trying to find you in the woods for hours.”

“Just looking for someone.”

“Who?”
“It’s no one in particular.” As she said this, her cheeks flushed pink.

“Why are you lying, Aylee,” Tanya chided. “No, Aylee,”she said a moment later, “you’ve got to be joking.”

“Why can’t I keep looking?” Aylee fumed. “I’ve still got hope!”

“Maybe one day in a far away world, all will be well. But that isn’t the reality, so don’t pretend it is.”

“What do you mean, Tanya?” then Aylee’s voice got quiet when she said, “Isn’t there still some shred of goodness in this world?”

Tanya sighed, “Yes, but it’s all broken. Aylee, I just need you to promise me that you won’t go looking for him.”

“But there’s no one searching!” Aylee cried, “He could be all alone, and nobody will be there to help him!”

“Aylee, you saw the evidence, Owen is gone!” Tanya’s eyes welled with tears, and she bit her lip to keep herself from crying. “There will be no more searching.”

“Maybe you’ve given up, Tanya, but I’m still going.”

“Aylee, please, listen to me! I’m not asking for much, just a promise. And you can’t even do that.”

She looked Tanya dead on, “Well then, I still don’t promise,” and Aylee ran off, once again.

introduction: hello! For today's daily, I used situational and verbal irony. I decided to continue writing from daily eight because I think that story has a lot of potential. I'm sorry that this is a bit rushed, but I am about to leave for a trip. Anyways, enjoy!

Tanya didn’t know what to do, so in this confused state she stood there, alone in the grass clearing. Aylee was not going to come back, she knew that, but still, she stood.

Great, Tanya thought, wonderful, superb. My best friend is going after someone whom she thinks is very much alive when the evidence proves otherwise. Just great.

A bird flew over head. It was a great horned owl, signaling the arrival of the night. Tanya would have to get back before it was too dark to see.

She slowly walked along the path she had taken earlier. The trees looked much more menacing with their harsh night shadows, but she continued on until she reached the helicopter.

“Did you bring her?” Russel asked. His voice was gruff, probably because he had been standing there for several hours.

“Yes, I brought her,” Tanya said rolling her eyes.

“Then where is she?”

“She’s not here! Gah! I was being sarcastic.” Russel could be very aggravating, but he was the security guard that the police sent for her.

“Did you at least find her?” Russel asked.

For this, Tanya had to think. She could tell him the truth that she had found Aylee, but this could also be dangerous. The police would come and set up camp around the forest, and then they would spend the day searching. If they found her, Tanya didn’t want to think of what would happen. She slowly shook her head.

“Oh, well, we must try somewhere else then. You wanna fly.”

Again, Tanya shook her head no. She was the best pilot among the team, but she was also terrified of heights.

“Oh come one!” Russel complained. “If I crash this helicopter…”

“Okay, okay, fine,” Tanya said. At least it was dark, and she wouldn’t see the ground below.

introduction: good day! I am currently on vacation, so my writing is a bit rushed. For today, I used a story idea that I had in my head for a couple months now. Basically take Jeremy Fisher (character by Beatrix Potter) and put a witch hat on him. Thus was born Junie!

It was a cool morning. The fog was drifting in from the nearby sea, the sun was slowly rising, and the bird song was just beginning.

Junie opened her eyes and peeked behind the curtain, taking in the wonder from outside.

Such a beautiful day, she thought, and indeed it was.

Sliding out of bed, she took off her lace nightgown and put on a simple linen dress before heading outside for her morning walk.

Each evening, she left her woven basket by the cottage’s front door for her to pick up the following morning. On this morning, she walked down to the sea, collecting shells and gathering bottles of ocean water. Then she gathered some herbs from her garden. Today there was oregano, mint, chamomile, and lavender ready for harvest.

When she was inside, she got a spool of twine, and tied it around around each group of herbs to keep them in bundles.

She set down the basket by the door for later and shuffled about the cottage, preparing it for the day.

She put a pot of water on the wood stove, opened the curtains, and made her bed.

When the water was boiling, she poured in some oats for oatmeal. Her oatmeal was simple, it just had some cinnamon, almonds, and honey, but it was still delicious.

After breakfast, it was time for her morning errands.

Junie put on her witch hat took her basket, and left the cottage once again, heading into town.

Her first stop was at the apothecary. It was here that Junie dropped of the bottles of ocean water.

Nest, she stopped at the market to deposit the four herbs at the grocery store.

Junie began to feel a gnawing in her stomach, so she stopped by a small outdoor cafe run by Linda the ruby-throated hummingbird.

“Hello, Junie! What can I get for you today?” she asked in her sweet voice.

“Just some lavender lemonade, with one pump of nectar.” Junie responded, and she gave Linda a smile.

“Coming right up!” and Linda smiled back.

Junie sipped her lemonade while she walked to the tailors shop. She needed a new apron since her other one had a giant scorch mark on it. She had been experimenting with a new potion, and well, it exploded.

Therefore, she went to see Tilly, the best seamstress in town. They were also best friends.

Tilly was a small brown mouse, unlike Junie who was a green frog.

At the shop Junie bought and apron with embroidered flowers along the top. There were small roses, dandelions, and baby’s-breath. It was the perfect apron for Junie.

As she left the shop, Junie could see the sun setting. It was time to head home.

Once home, she made some mushroom soup and a cup of tea for after.

Drinking the peppermint tea, Junie was writing down ideas for new potions.

The moon was up, making the cottage a little chilly, and Junie climbed into her warm bed.

Crickets were singing, the moon was casting a soft glow, and she soon fell asleep.

activity 1 (136 words):
These mornings are precious. Every breath of fresh air reminds me to be grateful for this life I was given.

Morning walks help me connect with the natural world. I see each day’s sunrise, feel the cool air on my skin, and hear the bird song.

There is a little patch of trees that I visit on these days. The trees are bursting with new leaves, but there are a few who are only just starting to bud.

While I take these walks, I listen to the 2005 Pride and Prejudice soundtrack. It is full of classical music, and it seems to be created to play along with nature.

I make myself a cup of tea once I am back home. It warms me from the inside out and prepares me for the day to come.

activity 2 (125 words):
For this activity, I read The Wind in the Willows. I have the gorgeous Puffin Classics edition with a green cover and the four friends sitting outside with a cup of tea. I chose to read this book because it is a perfect book for spring. All of the nature scenes transport me to those faraway places in England.

I read the eleventh chapter (there are twelve chapters in all), and I am excited to finish the book. It is such a cosy read with animals sitting by a warm fire, rowing boats in summer, and walking through a winter storm in the Wild Wood. And who doesn’t want to read about talking animals? Anyhow, this was a perfect activity to keep me stress free.

activity 3 (514 words):
Little Witch
It was a cool morning. The fog was drifting in from the nearby sea, the sun was slowly rising, and the bird song was just beginning.

Junie opened her eyes and peeked behind the curtain, taking in the wonder from outside.

Such a beautiful day, she thought, and indeed it was.

Sliding out of bed, she took off her lace nightgown and put on a simple linen dress before heading outside for her morning walk.

Each evening, she left her woven basket by the cottage’s front door for her to pick up the following morning. On this morning, she walked down to the sea, collecting shells and gathering bottles of ocean water. Then she gathered some herbs from her garden. Today there was oregano, mint, chamomile, and lavender ready for harvest.

When she was inside, she got a spool of twine, and tied it around around each group of herbs to keep them in bundles.

She set down the basket by the door for later and shuffled about the cottage, preparing it for the day.

She put a pot of water on the wood stove, opened the curtains, and made her bed.

When the water was boiling, she poured in some oats for oatmeal. Her oatmeal was simple, it just had some cinnamon, almonds, and honey, but it was still delicious.

After breakfast, it was time for her morning errands.

Junie put on her witch hat took her basket, and left the cottage once again, heading into town.

Her first stop was at the apothecary. It was here that Junie dropped of the bottles of ocean water.

Nest, she stopped at the market to deposit the four herbs at the grocery store.

Junie began to feel a gnawing in her stomach, so she stopped by a small outdoor cafe run by Linda the ruby-throated hummingbird.

“Hello, Junie! What can I get for you today?” she asked in her sweet voice.

“Just some lavender lemonade, with one pump of nectar.” Junie responded, and she gave Linda a smile.

“Coming right up!” and Linda smiled back.

Junie sipped her lemonade while she walked to the tailors shop. She needed a new apron since her other one had a giant scorch mark on it. She had been experimenting with a new potion, and well, it exploded.

Therefore, she went to see Tilly, the best seamstress in town. They were also best friends.

Tilly was a small brown mouse, unlike Junie who was a green frog.

At the shop Junie bought and apron with embroidered flowers along the top. There were small roses, dandelions, and baby’s-breath. It was the perfect apron for Junie.

As she left the shop, Junie could see the sun setting. It was time to head home.

Once home, she made some mushroom soup and a cup of tea for after.

Drinking the peppermint tea, Junie was writing down ideas for new potions.

The moon was up, making the cottage a little chilly, and Junie climbed into her warm bed.

Crickets were singing, the moon was casting a soft glow, and she soon fell asleep.

end.

I unbuckled my seat belt, and put on my backpack before stepping out of the car. My mom also got out of the car, and she came to give me a big hug.

As we pulled away, tears fell down my face. I was already missing my mom, and she hadn’t even left yet.

She stared straight into my shining, watery eyes, “It’s going to be okay.”

“Will it?” I asked. “What if a fire breaks out, what if I get sick, what if…” my voice broke and trailed off.

“You have your phone, so you can easily call me. And if you are worried you’ll lose your phone, the camp has their own phone, so you don’t have to worry. Also, you were the one who said you wanted to go to a writing camp for the month of July.” she chided.

“I know, I know, but!”

“You’ll be fine.”

I sighed. I knew that I would be fine, but still, I had never been away from my mom for a whole month.

She gave me one last hug, whispering, “I love you.”

“I love you too.”

Waving goodbye, I headed through the gates and into Scratch Writing Camp.

introduction: happy Panda Day! I tried writing my short story in second person again. The story is reflective on the purpose of zoos. I feel that zoos are very controversial, and I totally understand. To be honest, I have no solid view on them myself. Anyways, I hope you enjoy this story about a panda.

It stares at you with gigantic eyes hidden among its patches of black fur. The creature is huge, and you imagined it giving magical hugs.

You were at the zoo for the day and staring at this creature in captivity.

The exhibit sign had said it could not be released into the wild. It had been born, but its mother soon left it to fend for itself. The wildlife rehabilitators took it in to nurse and raise it. Unfortunately, it learned to be friend with humans, meaning it would be friendly with hunters. Therefore it stayed here, where people watched it each day.

Each year.

Just watching.

Poor, Panda.

flowers
chamomile: energy
daisy: innocence
magnolia: love of nature

The morning air was chilly as she walked along the grey cobblestone street. The street lamp cast a soft yellow glow, lighting the foggy atmosphere.

Sometimes she stopped now and then to look at the magnolia trees in full bloom. The white petals were pure like snow against the dark green leaves. The act of photosynthesis created wonders, and all of this nature appeased her soul.

Daisy was wandering down the road to a flower field. The spring flowers would begin to grow, and her curiosity led her to this field each season.

In autumn, the chrysanthemums were blooming and the grass was golden. In winter is was covered in snow. There had been no life, but all was serene.

Now she was going to see the spring.

Such innocence.

Daisy had brought a picnic basket with some water bottles for these flowers. Rain had not come in weeks, and it would still not come.

These plants needed the tender kindness of a mother, and so Daisy came. She was like a human form of Mother Nature.

Such love.

More minutes of traveling down the street, brought her to a dirt path that followed to the meadow. The grass was overgrown and there were dandelion weeds perfect for wishing.

She took of her sweater, Mary Janes, and socks, and laid them by the basket.

Being barefoot always felt good, especially when she could feel the dew on her feet.

Chamomile flowers were here and there, and Daisy danced around them.

She carefully took a couple of the flowers for tea and to press between books, but she did not take much. Nature was intended to be wild and free, just as she was in the field.

Such energy.

When the sun was up for an hour, Daisy headed back, her head filled with the memories of the enchanted morning.

There was a flash of silver as something fell onto the grey carpet floor with a thunk!

“Here you go,” Kindness said, bending down to pick up the fork.

“T-thank you,” Shyness quivered. She tentatively reached out, took the silver fork and replaced it on her plate.

Going to a charity event with every emotion was torture for Shyness, but luckily, Torture was on the other side of the room.

“Well, I am going to find a table,” and Kindness walked over to an empty table with Shyness following closely behind.

Several minutes after the two took their seats, Charity and her twin brother, Generosity, took the stage.

“Good afternoon, everyone!” said Charity, beaming. Her teeth were pure white, like her brother’s, and her curly brown hair sat on her shoulders. “Today we are all here for one reason…”

Charity’s voice trailed off as Generosity whispered into her ear.

“Two reasons!” Charity bellowed again. “The first is that you had no choice but to come to this special event, or else Anger would hunt you down, and the second is that you would like to help those in need. Before we begin we would like to thank those who helped organize this event, Kindness, Sympathy, Love, Friendship, Compassion and of course, Generosity and I. Now without further ado, let’s start brainstorming ideas”

The first person to raise their hand was Compassion.

“Yes?” Charity asked.

“Well,” Compassion began, “We could do something similar to what Mr. Scrooge did in A Christmas Carol.”

“Yes, such an original idea,” Anger shot out, rolling his eyes. “You’re only saying that because you are the main message of the story.”

“It’s a nice story,” said Compassion. “Anyways, we could buy food, like turkey, for those in unfortunate circumstances.”

“Ah, I see,” contemplated Charity. “Write that down, Ponder.”

A man with wire framed glasses wrote on a white board,

• donate turkey to unfortunate
  

“Alright, next!” called out Charity.

…

This continued on and on until all who wanted to speak had their turn. Five whiteboards were filled, the food had run out, and Anger and Rage were starting to get cranky.

Charity exclaimed, “Well, I would say that was successful. Thank you all very much and goodnight!”

introduction: hello! and welcome to Vi procrastinated on the weekly… honestly, this is not my best work, but I am experiencing writer's block, so I did my best. Anyways, during this weekly I continued my somewhat chaotic story that I started in a daily? So yeah. For those who have read my daily for day 8+9, *SPOILER ALERT* Owen is alive! Okay, welp, here is my weekly.

activity 1: 275 words
In the Merriam-Webster dictionary, emotion is defined as, “a conscious mental reaction (such as anger or fear) subjectively experienced as strong feeling usually directed toward a specific object and typically accompanied by physiological and behavioral changes in the body” The word has quite a long definition for something we experience everyday, but it is a complex subject. When writing emotion, it is important to pay attention to the syntax, word choice, and writing style.

If I was writing a scene of dialogue with someone angry, the sentences would be short, and each beginning with the word, “I” Said person is angry, and they want to get their point across. Syntax is something I have often struggled with understanding, so this is something to focus on when I am editing scenes with intense emotion.

Once I have the structure of the sentence, I need to find the right words. Continuing with the angry person, the sentence shouldn’t have fancy words (unless the scene is in the past where language is more complex, there is no need for complex words). The words would also be shorter to go along with the short sentences.

Lastly, the writing style needs to be more persuasive than descriptive. If someone is in an argument, they are trying to persuade the other person to switch views. Also, as someone who writes with lots of description, it would be weird to have someone say aloud that description in an argument.

Overall, it is important to pay attention to the writing when using emotion. This area of writing is vulnerable to mistakes, and it can be avoided with proper syntax, word choice, and style.

notes: why did I write a short essay? I honestly don't know. I guess this is my form of brainstorming.

activity 2: 339 words
quote chosen: “…I don’t know what I would have done without you, you know? I haven’t had the chance to thank you yet.”

Tears welled in her eyes, “…I don’t know what I would have done without you, you know? I haven’t had the chance to thank you yet.”

“Well, you’re too late to thank me. It’s been weeks, Tanya, and we’ve seen each other plenty of times during those weeks.”

“What do you mean? Do you think it’s easy for me to speak in front of a group of people?”

“You need to get over yourself.”

“If I thanked you during those days, then your secret would have been revealed, and everyone would know the truth. Would you like that, Owen?”

He winced as he heard his name, “I told you not to call me that,”

“That is exactly why I wasn’t going to say it in front of everyone! No one knows that you’re alive, and Aylee is still out there looking for you…”

“She is?” Owen interrupted, his eyes showed alarm, panic.

“Yes, but as I was saying,”

Owen interrupted again, “I thought you told her?”

“No, I haven’t seen her in two months, and I only just found you a week ago.”

“Then where is she? You can’t let her, my- my best friend be running around looking for someone whom she believed was alive while everyone thought otherwise, though is very much alive.”

“I don’t know what to tell you. Maybe you shouldn’t have faked your own, well you know.”

“I need to go find her,” he mumbled.

“No, you do not. We’ve already got search teams.”

“That haven’t found anything!”

“Yes, but if they find you, that’s going to take a lot of explaining.”

“Fine!” he folded his arms. “Then what are we going to do? Just let her run around the planet?”

“No, but perhaps I can find a way to get us a helicopter.”

“You, a person afraid of heights, is finally suggesting by yourself to fly a helicopter?”

“Yes, yes, but don’t ruin it, or else I might change my mind,” Tanya said, but there was a small smile creeping up her face.

activity 3: 540 words
emotion: vibrant

vibrant (full of energy + enthusiasm) → energetic + eager → bouncy + alive + excited → someone is excited because it is there birthday → filled with excitement, someone is bouncing up and down with anticipation for the birthday presents → filled with excitement, said person was anticipating the many presents to come that would be filled with things they would enjoy; to express how they feel they can’t stop bouncing up and down, and there is a huge smile on their face (84 words)

The room was filled with hot pink, white, and neutral balloons. Vibrant colored streamers lined the walls, and there was a bouquet of flowers in the center of the table. Disney music played softly in the background as Evelyn walked into the room in a pink party dress. She looked around, admiring the room and was pleased that it was just what she wanted.

She walked over to the head of the table and sat down. She bounced up and down, clapping her hands while the party guests gathered around the table filled with presents. When everyone was situated, she reached out her hand, ready to grab one, when her mother, put out a hand to stop her.

“Wait, honey, shouldn’t we sing first?” she asked.

Evelyn frowned and her eyebrows furrowed into a caterpillar, “But then we would had to eat the cake before I open my presents.”

“No, no, dear, we would just light the candles, bring out the cake, and sing. After you blow out the candles, and I would bring the cake back to the kitchen.”

“Hmmm…” Evelyn pondered. It is only a slight delay, she thought.

Her smile appeared back on her face. “Okay!” she exclaimed.

Her mom disappeared into the kitchen and came back with the cake. It was frosted in white with seven pink candles on top.

She set the cake in front of Evelyn, used a lighter, and lit the candles.

“And a one, and a two, and a one, two,” her mom counted down, and everyone began to sing, “Happy birthday to you, happy birthday to you, happy birthday dear Evelyn, happy birthday to you!”

“Make a wish!” someone shouted.

Evelyn made her wish, a wish to always be happy, and blew out the candles. As the puffs of smoke rose, she coughed when she inhaled them.

Her mom came and brought the cake back into the kitchen.

When her mom came back it was time to open the presents.

“Here is the first one,” she said, handing Evelyn a box wrapped in silver paper. The box felt like crinkled metal, and gave a fogged up reflection of herself. Evelyn opened it. Inside was a fluffy plush rabbit.

“Ooh!” she said admiringly with a big grin on her face. “It’s a toy rabbit!”

She gave it a big hug before moving on to the next one.

Evelyn opened the rest of her presents, a range from more plushies to Disney princess costumes, until there was a mountain of wrapping paper, and no more presents remaining on the table.

Evelyn’s father began putting the wrapping paper into a trash bag, and Evelyn’s mom went to help

As she passed by, she whispered into Evelyn’s ear, “Happy birthday, Evelyn.”

activity 4: 842 words
Owen and Tanya walked into a room filled with hot pink, white, and neutral balloons. Vibrant colored streamers lined the walls, and there was a bouquet of flowers in the center of the table. Disney music played softly in the background.

“Why are we hear again?” Owen asked Tanya.

“It’s my cousin’s friends birthday. I think the birthday girl wanted as many people to come.”

“Ahh, okay,” Owen nodded.

When everyone was situated in the room, Evelyn reached out her hand, ready to grab a present, when her mother, Linda, put out a hand to stop her.

“Wait, honey, shouldn’t we sing first?” she asked.

Evelyn frowned and her eyebrows furrowed into a caterpillar, “But then we would had to eat the cake before I open my presents.”

“No, no, dear, we would just light the candles, bring out the cake, and sing. After you blow out the candles, and I would bring the cake back to the kitchen.”

“Hmmm…” Evelyn pondered.

Her smile appeared back on her face. “Okay!” she exclaimed.

Her mom disappeared into the kitchen and came back with the cake. It was frosted in white with seven pink candles on top.

She set the cake in front of Evelyn, used a lighter, and lit the candles.

“And a one, and a two, and a one, two,” her mom counted down, and everyone began to sing, “Happy birthday to you, happy birthday to you, happy birthday dear Evelyn, happy birthday to you!”

“Make a wish!” Tanya shouted.

Evelyn blew out the candles. As the puffs of smoke rose, she coughed when she inhaled them.

Owen coughed too, and had to step out of the room until he stopped.

Linda brought the cake back into the kitchen. When she back it was time to open the presents.

“Here’s the first one,” she said, handing Evelyn a box wrapped in silver paper. Inside was a fluffy plush rabbit.

“That’s our gift,” Owen whispered to Tanya.

“Ooh!” Evelyn said admiringly with a big grin on her face. “It’s a toy rabbit!”

She gave it a big hug before moving on to the next one.

“She seemed to like it,” Tanya whispered back to Owen.

After the procession of opening presents, the guests began to grab some cake.

“Hey, Logan?” Tanya said, touching Owen’s arm.

“Yeah?” he turned towards her and they locked eyes. His eyes were a piercing grey.

“Let’s step outside. I want to talk to you about something.”

Outside the sky was dark, and the air was sticky from the humidity.

“So, what do you wanted to talk to me about?” Owen asked.

“I wanted to thank you,” tears began welling in her eyes, “…I don’t know what I would have done without you, you know? I haven’t had the chance to thank you yet.”

“Well, you’re too late to thank me. It’s been weeks, Tanya, and we’ve seen each other plenty of times during those weeks.” His face began to grow red with fury.

“What do you mean? Do you think it’s easy for me to speak in front of a group of people?” Tanya said, her voice rising.

“You need to get over yourself.”

“If I thanked you during those days, then your secret would have been revealed, and everyone would know the truth. Would you like that, Owen?”

He winced as he heard his name, “I told you not to call me that,”

“That is exactly why I wasn’t going to say it in front of everyone! No one knows that you’re alive, and Aylee is still out there looking for you…”

“She is?” Owen interrupted, his eyes showed alarm, panic.

“Yes, but as I was saying,”

Owen interrupted again, “I thought you told her?”

“No, I haven’t seen her in two months, and I only just found you a week ago.”

“Then where is she? You can’t let her, my- my best friend be running around looking for someone whom she believed was alive while everyone thought otherwise, though is very much alive.”

“I don’t know what to tell you. Maybe you shouldn’t have faked your own, well you know.”

“I need to go find her,” he mumbled.

“No, you do not. We’ve already got search teams.”

“That haven’t found anything!”

“Yes, but if they find you, that’s going to take a lot of explaining.”

A man opened the door, and the two turned towards him.

“Hey, we’re about to do a ‘Let it Go’ singalong. Wanna join?” he asked.

“Um… no thank you,” Tanya said, and the man closed the door, going back into the house. “And, back to the conversation.”

“Fine!” he folded his arms. “Then what are we going to do about Aylee? Just let her run around the planet?”

“No, but perhaps I can find a way to get us a helicopter.”

“You, a person afraid of heights, are finally suggesting by yourself to fly a helicopter?”

“Yes, yes, but don’t ruin it, or else I might change my mind,” Tanya said, but there was a small smile creeping up her face.

edited piece:
In a place that know one knew of in a town that know one’s heard of, there was a flower shop, Florence’s Flower Shoppe to be precise.

The shop was found in the 1950s by Florence, (hence the name) and it was passed on to the granddaughter, named, well, Florence.

Florence was still young, and she had many new ideas, one of which included hiring an apprentice.

I had been apprenticed for two years, and it was on my 731st day of work that this story begins.

❀❀❀

“Ahem, Fleur…” Florence began to say one dreary morning when customers were scarce.

I turned towards her, still holding the roses I had been trimming in my hands. When I had first met Florence, I was entranced by her pink hair. Now, however, her hair was a vivid blue.

“Yes?” I asked.

“Since you’ve been an apprentice for two years,” she continued, “I’ve been wanting to show you something.”

I put the flowers back into their bucket and wiped my wet hands on my apron. I then followed Florence to a back door that I thought led to an empty room.

When I arrived at the flower shop two years ago, I naturally asked about the room. Florence had told me that it was a room no one used because her grandmother lost the key before the shop had even opened.

So, presumably, as she pulled a key out from one of her apron’s pockets, I said, “I thought you told me that your grandma lost the key thirty years ago.”

Florence answered honestly, “Those were just lies. You’ll see why in a minute. Anyways, do you believe in time travel?”

“Umm… I’m sure it will happen someday. Why?” I could hear a sense of nervousness in my voice, and I hoped that Florence did not hear it.

“This is why,” and she opened the door.

❀❀❀

The room had shelves from floor to ceiling filled with flowers. I was very confused, wondering why a room of flowers had to be kept a secret.

“Here you go,” Florence said while handing me a ring that had a baby’s-breath flower as the centerpiece.

I put the ring on my left index finger, still confused.

“These flowers,” Florence explained, “can bring you anywhere you want in time, and that ring,” she pointed to my the ring on my finger, “brings you back to the present.”

I’m sure my face expressed bewilderment, which would be why Florence said, “Perhaps it would be better to show you.”

Florence went over to a shelf filled with camelias and took a flower, then she came back to me.

“Sniff.”

I did. Shortly thereafter, time seemed to stop and the world spun around me.

When the world stopped spinning, Florence was beside me, and we were still in the secret room.

“It looks the same.” I observed

“Well, yes it does,” Florence noted, “but that’s because we are in the same location. When we step outside everything will be different.”

And sure enough as soon as I stepped out of the shop door, I had to put my hand up to shield my face from the blinding sun.

We spent the rest of the day looking around the town.

Everything was so different. The cars were different, the fashion was different (believe me, we got a lot of stares,) there wasn’t even a TV in our hotel room!

❀❀❀

We left the Retro Hotel early the following morning.

The night before, Florence and I planned to time travel back home after a quick breakfast of bagels at a nearby diner. As we were walking, I tried to twiddle with the baby’s-breath ring on my finger when I realized it was missing.

I stopped walking.

“Hey, Florence?” I said.

She turned towards me, “Yeah?”

“I…” I hesitated, “I dropped my ring.” Tears welled in my eyes, a mix of humiliation, sorrow, and shame.

“Oh, Fleur…” Florence came towards me, and wrapped me in a hug. “It’s going to be okay.”

I rested my head on Florence’s shoulder, thinking of how foolish I was as the tears fell down my cheek.

When I opened my eyes again, I saw man pick something up from a muddy puddle.

“Hey, that’s my ring!” I shouted, and I pulled out of Florence’s hug.

“What?” Florence asked.

“Over there,” and I pointed in the direction of the man.

Florence and I walked across the street and over to the man. As we approached him, he man looked up.

“Hand it over, that’s mine.” I demanded.

“No,” he said. His voice was gruff,

I am still unsure why I did what I did next, though I suspect it was due to being upset about me ring. Anyways, I punched him.

“OW!” he cried out. Florence eyes went wide as she gasped. But it worked. He dropped the ring.

Florence hastily reached down and picked it up. Then we ran with the man chasing after us.

Florence and I ran back towards the inn and around to the back.

“Ready?” I asked.

She nodded in reply, and we time traveled back to the present.

But everything was different when we walked outside.

The residents were depressed, and there were signs everywhere with a man’s face, an older version of the one I had just punched. Under his picture were the words, “Rolf Vee rules!” It seemed he was our new mayor.

“Florence,” I whispered, “what did I do?”

❀❀❀

As we walked back to the shop, we discussed what to do. We agreed that if we time travel back to the past we should be able to fix our mistake. We reentered the secret room, smelled a camelia, and watched as the world spun around us. Once we were back in the past, I intentionally dropped my ring in the muddy puddle. Florence and I hid behind bushes on the side of the road, and waited for Rolf to pick up the ring. He did, and instead of demanding for the ring, I asked politely. When Rolf gave it back, I smiled. The future was back to normal, but Florence and I agreed that there was still one thing left to do.

❀❀❀

After many late night discussions on time travel, we finally reached a solution.

“So this is it,” I said.

“So this is it,” Florence said with a sigh.

We took off our rings and set them down in the secret room on the shelf of camelias. It was the shelf where everything had started, and now it would be the shelf where everything would end.

We walked outside into the chilly night air, and Florence struck a match. She dropped it with the match box on the shop’s lawn and stepped back.

Then we watched as our life went up in flames.

end.

reflection(103 words): This process reminded me that editing is not just about finding grammatical errors, it’s about fixing the story itself. I’ve never been one to enjoy the editing process, more specifically the proofreading section. To be honest, I usually skip it all together! However, this bi-daily reminded me to take the time to edit my work. I actually found a lot of grammatical errors and some confusing scenes. I made sure to fix those, and I will now edit all of my work (I assure you). Overall, this bi-daily will really help me grow as a writer, so I can provide my best work. (103 words)