Short Story Sunday-#22

Kiara's Hunt

Kiara steps out into the light, and takes it all in. The sun streams through the tall trees, making spotlights on the jungle floor. She stands in a spotlight, listening to the beautiful sounds around her. She can hear a distant squawk of a bird calling to its friends. Bugs zip around her head, buzzing as they go, but they don't bother her. Smaller animals scurry in the deep undergrowth and the waterfall constantly rushes beside her. Kiara has become accustomed to these sounds, and she doesn't know what her life would be without them.
   She turns to her babies sleeping in the grass, before silently creeping through the tangle of plants below her feet. Her ears perked, she listens for the perfect prey. While she listens, a large colorful bird flies by, admiring her orange coat. Kiara pays no attention; She is too hungry, and birds aren't her favorite.
   The cry of a monkey catches her ear, and she shoots off into the maze of trees. The call becomes louder as she makes her way towards it. Kiara stops underneath the monkey and stares up at it. It sits on a branch five feet above her head. She gracefully jumps onto the first branch and bats at the monkey above her. It squeals and crawls clumsily along its branch. Kiara pulls herself onto the next branch up and chases the monkey. It continues making high-pitched noises and begins to run faster. As the monkey speeds up, so does Kiara.
   When the branch begins to thin, the monkey hops to another, and Kiara is close behind. Every time she gets close enough to snatch it up, the monkey hops to another branch. Kiara's legs begin to ache, but the sound of her stomach rumbling keeps her going.
   She follows the monkey to a large group of monkeys. Her first thought was that she had hit a jackpot, but now as more and more monkeys appear from the trees, she begins to worry. They snarl at her and some even hiss. Soon, the monkeys begin leaping at her and biting her back.
   Kiara shakes them off and leaps to the ground. She gives the monkeys even more distance for good measure. She collapses to the ground and tries to catch her breath.
   A small bird flutters by. Kiara swats it to the ground and proceeds to eat it. Somehow, the frightening cat manages to eat delicately and almost politely. Immediately after finishing, Kiara feels the energy returning to her muscles, and she stands to find another monkey. This time she has a plan.
   She follows the sound of another monkey cry and finds the monkey in a tall tree. Kiara circles the tree and climbs up the opposite side. She pulls herself up onto each limb until she is just below the monkey. She reaches through the green canopy and claws at the monkey. It squeals in pain, giving Kiara time to leap up and seize it in her teeth. Kiara crawls down the tree, full of triumph.
   Her head held high, she presents the monkey to her cubs. The two of them playfully tackle it and begin to eat. Kiara watches them while cleaning her striped fur. When the cubs are finished, she decides to wash them under the waterfall. The water pounds down on them, cleaning every particle of dirt from their coats.
   Afterwards, they all swim a lap around the small pool at the bottom of the water fall. Kiara hops from the pool and shakes the water off, sending little drops in every direction. She then pulls her cubs from the water and dries them off. They curl up in a patch of sunlight and fall asleep. Kiara then proceeds to drying herself completely then, curls herself around her cubs and watches the ripples in the water reflect the sunlight before falling asleep herself.

   This story idea came from this photo:

  I have always loved tigers and I felt like I needed a story about an animal because all my stories have been about humans (excluding last time's story about the birdcage). So, a story about a tiger just felt necessary. Seeing this photo reminded me to write about a tiger, and here it is!

 

(P.S. The photo of the tiger is not mine and I could not find the original owner if this photo.)

Short Story Sunday-#21

   The Bird

I remember when he was here, the bird, I mean. He flew around and made the most beautiful noises. I loved him. He lived inside me.

   The first time I met him was exciting. I was bought by the man and he set me in the corner of his old house for almost a month. Then finally, the man came home with the bird. He opened me up and let the bird hop inside me. At first the bird didn't like me. He chewed on my metal bars, and squawked for freedom. 

   Eventually he got used to me, and the man brought toys for the bird to play with. Sometimes the man let him out and let him fly around the house while I was left to wait for him to return. The bird sang songs his friends taught him at the pet shop. He taught them to me. Now, I know all the songs, but cannot sing them.

   One day, the man came home with a woman. She seemed very nice and she loved the bird. The woman came home almost every day afterwards. Once, she came with piles of boxes and never left. Soon, they were children. They ran around the house like miniature monsters, annoying any one they saw, except me. They pestered the poor bird, but he still loved them. He told me so.

   I was almost replaced one day, when the youngest child chucked me down the stairs. Seven of my bars were broken, and the bird escaped. I remember the woman's hands on the bars. 'Such a shame,' she had whispered. I was almost taken to the dump and caste away to live among broken dishwashers and cars, unable to house my bird. But the man had many surprises. He was able to twist and glue my bars back in place so I could continue taking care of the bird.

   The house was always full of life with the kids, the bird, and the man with his woman. We were all happy...

   

Now I feel the emptiness biting inside me. I feel the lack of life and joy. I miss my bird. He's gone now, finally free from my cold metal bars. I sit in the corner and watch the world around me. The kids have grown up and left the house for good. The woman sits in her rocking chair humming to herself and the man just walks around the house, taking longing glances at the lack of feather inside me.

   And me? I remember the bird. That is all I can do. I remember the songs, but cannot sing.

Short Story

   A painful howl broke out, waking poor Jennie Sharp from her fantastical dream. Leaving the world of pink clouds and puppies to the real world in the middle of the night with mysterious howling animals was not her ideal situation. The eight-year old girl pushed back her covers and silently walked in her white nightgown to her parents' room. Her hands trembled when she clutched them close to her heart. What could that noise be?

   The door opened with a muffled creak and Jennie patted her mother's shoulder.

   "Mum? What was that sound? Did you hear it?"

   Her mother only rolled over and mumbled, "Go to bed, Jennie."

   "But I'm scared. It could be a monster. What was it?"

   "I don't know. Go find out. It's probably just a dog." She rolled over again and fell back asleep.

   Jennie tried again to wake her mother, but she slept deeply and didn't want to wake up. She walked to a window, pushed back the curtains, and looked out on her small town in the center of Great Britain. So, Jennie took matters into her small hands and found her wellies. She pulled the rubber shoe over her feet and opened the front door. Without looking back, Jennie Sharp stepped into the cold night and shut the door behind her.

   She was instantly frozen cold and decided she should had taken a coat. Jennie pulled on the door, it had locked behind her. 

   Rubbing her arms for warmth, the girl trudged through the pile of autumn leaves to find the source of the howl. She pulled back the bush in front of her house, and looked behind the nearest tree. Nothing. 

   She went to the neighbor's yard and scoured the garden for any sign of life. She peeked into their pond and a frog jumped out and landed with a plop next to her. Jennie sat on her rump and huffed.

   "I'll never find the animal. I want to go home," she told the frog. "I'm tired and cold." A tear slipped down her cheek and she was getting ready to wail for her mother but the howl came out again. Jennie stood up with a jolt and ran down the street to the woods at the end. She pushed past the trees and stumbled into the woods. 

   A distant cry called out, "Jennie! Where are you?" But the girl payed no mind to her mother's frantic calls.

   The howl rang out again. It came from her left. Jennie took off, nearly tripping over a root. The howl came again, but quieter. Maybe she was going the wrong way. The howl became a whimper, but Jennie could still hear it. She walked in the same direction, trying not to make noise in the dry, crunchy leaves.

   She heard the whimper again, very close. She continued on her path, listening to every noise. She heard bugs buzzing and owls hooting. She heard the wind, but neither the howl or the whimper.

   Jennie took a break and sat back down on the leaves, breathing deeply. She listened to her heartbeat. Lub, dub. Lub, dub. Over and over, fast at first then gradually slower. 

   A rustle in the leaves alerted her that she was not alone. Her heart beat faster and faster. She breathed heavier. The whimper came again, quieter yet closer. Jennie bent over and crawled across the ground. She moved the leaves out of the way as she went. 

  Soon, Jennie came to a small pile of orange leaves. She almost bypassed a great opportunity, but a sound came out to alert her of its presence. The whimper. Jennie took another deep breath, then slowly picked off the leaves. Underneath the leaves was a soft orange fur of a fox. It's breathing had become very a labored and it was trembling with cold and fear. Jennie stooped down and lifted the poor soul into her arms. She cradled the fox and rocked it back and forth. She stroked its head and sang to it. When she finished, she told the fox all about her.

   "My name is Jennie Sharp. I came to find you when I heard you cry. I live in a small house with my mum and dad." She laid down and continued to tell the fox all about her life. Jennie curled up next to the fox and closed her eyes. The fox did the same.
   There they slept until the sun rose to awaken them. There her mother found her sleeping with an injured fox in her arms. There they slept all night, together.

I got the idea from this picture. As soon as I saw it, ideas sparked up in my mind like fireworks. I eventually settled on a little girl finding the fox. I decided to set it in Great Britain, because when I lived there, foxes were everywhere. Now, in the US, I never see any wild foxes.

 

(P.S. the photo of the girl with the fox is not mine and I was unable to find the original owner.)

Short Story Sunday-#20

   Hey! It's me. I know I've missed a few SSS's but I've been so busy these last few weeks of school with exams, final projects and just plain old homework. I have also been working on my second book and the story for the contest. It's hard to handle all these things at once, but now that school is out and the story is almost ready, I'll be as free as a bird.
   I'll be writing stories constantly and I might end up posting more than just SSS. Maybe you'll see a SSM or a SSW and a--yeah, you get the point. So, hold on tight because you'll be seeing more of me soon.
   This week I decided that I really liked the last one I did, so I'm going to do another one where I take the lyrics of a song and create a story from it. SO! Without further ado, I give you--this week's SSS!

Amsterdam

   "Hey, Augustine!" He always hated his name. Augustine was absolutely sure it was a girl's name. "You have visitors. Get over there and talk to them." With stiff legs, Augustine stood and made his way to the cell door. The guard's key clinked in the lock and the heavy metal door slid open. Augustine followed the guard to a small room with a desk and a wall made of glass. He sat in the chair and picked up the phone from the desk. With a deeps breath, he held it to his ear and looked into the face behind the glass.

   "I'm sorry, Mother. I'm sorry I let you down."

   "Are you okay?"

   "Well, these days I'm fine. No, these days I tend to lie."

   "Why would you do this? Augustine. Why?"

   Augustine watched his mother's eyes. Tear began to well up and one slipped down her face.

   "Look where you've landed yourself. You're in jail."

   "Only for a few weeks."

   She put on a painful smile and asked him, "What will you do when you get out?"

   "I'll take the west train, just by the side of Amsterdam, just by my left brain, just by the tin man."

   "Ahhh, the tin man." A famous sculpture by the west train station. Augustine and his siblings used to spend their time their, playing.

   "Excuse me," the guard interrupted, "but your time is up. Next please!" His mother looked shamefully at him once again before setting down the phone and walking away.

   A new face appeared before him.

  "Augustine, I told you this would happen."

  "I'm sorry, brother. I'm sorry let you down. Well, these days your fine, no these day you tend to lie."

  "Hurry up!" The guard had begun to get bored. His lunch had started and he was ready to be done with this.

  "Oliver, listen. When I get out, I need you to do something."

  "Me? You're the one who stole--"

  "Oliver! We're running out of time! Listen. You'll take the west train, just by the side of Amsterdam, just by your left brain, just by the tin man. Bring her with you."

   "Mother?"

   "No, Jul-"

   "Time's up! Get off the phone, now!"

   "Do it, Oliver. Do it for me." With that, Oliver was left speechless while his brother was dragged away by a prison guard. He set down the phone and walked away to meet up with his mother. Why would he want him to bring Julie? Julie hated him now. Ever since he was arrested, she had lost her love for him.

   Oliver did as he was told and three weeks later, he convinced Julie to go on a train ride with him to see an "old friend". 

   "Who is this old friend of yours we're going to see?" she asked when they arrived at the railroad.

   "You'll recognize him when you see him." She sighed and sat next to the tin man. Oliver sat next to her, and they waited for the train in silence. The wind whipped Julie's blond hair over her face, though she payed no mind to it.

   "Augustine gets out today," she whispered.

   Oliver turned to look at her. "Yes, he does." Did she still care for him? Before he could think more of it, the horn of the train rang out and Julie stood up. The train came rambling down the tracks with intense speed and Oliver stood up.

   "Oliver! Is this about Augustine? Is that why we're getting on this train?"

   Oliver looked at her with strong emotion. He couldn't decide if he should tell her. "Yes."

   Julie stepped back two steps. "No! I'm not doing it. It's going too fast. I can't jump on. I don't want to see him. Good bye, Oliver."

   "Julie! Come back. I've seen you do it before, besides he wants to tell you something. Please. He wants to see you."

   As the train raced past, something made Julie stop. Something made her turn around and give the man a chance. Maybe it was something Oliver had said, or maybe she still loved him. Whatever it was, it made her jump into the thirteenth train car with Oliver on her tail.

   Out of the shadows, a dark figure emerged. A kind and sturdy man with sunken eyes and a scraggly beard. Julie clapped her hands to her mouth. Oliver sunk into the corner as the two gravitated toward each other.

   "Julie."

   "No, Augustine. Please, just leave. I don't want to talk."

   "Just give me a chance. Please. I know that you don't love me, but I love you. Give me a chance."

   Julie became quiet and listened to the man.

   "I'm sorry, lover. I'm sorry I bring you down. I kinda thought our love was a mystery and then I thought it wasn't meant to be, so I stole it. When I was being arrested, you said yourself fantastically, 'Congratulations, you are all alone.' I love you, but you didn't seem to love me so I thought it wasn't meant to be."

  "Augustine," Oliver said. "our stop's almost here. Sorry, but you have to wrap it up." 

  He nodded and turned back to Julie. "If you really don't love me, we can end this, but I want you to know something." 

Julie was close to tears by now, but she nodded for him to continue. 

   "Your time for love will come if you wait for it. It's hard, believe me; I've tried, but I kept on falling short. The rain won't fall for the both of us and the sun won't shine on the both of us. Believe me when I say that I wouldn't have it any other way because I don't want you to be stuck with me if you don't feel the way I do."

   "Alright, we're here," said Oliver. "Stay safe, Augustine. Don't get into trouble." Oliver lead Julie to the door.

  "Wait. Augustine, where are you going? Come with us."

  "I can't. I'm going somewhere safe. Away from people and you. Go, now. Remember, your time will come if you wait for it."

   "Julie, we have to go now. Goodbye, Augustine. Good luck."

   "Bye, Augustine."

   "Goodbye. See you soon."

  After one last faithful look back, Julie and Oliver jumped off the train and made their way home. Home to a safe place where they were to build their lives and forget about all that had just happened in these past weeks.