A Weird Christmas

 

J.T. Brooks

December 2022

A Weird Christmas

Waking up to something burning is never good. Especially when you live alone. This is how my day started. So here we go....

Ahhh....sleep....the dancing cookies are very entertaining....wait are they starting to smoke....uhhh....oh no! the dancing cookies are catching on fire....but they are still dancing....odd....

OK, now I'm fully awake and I realize that the smoke I smelled was not from the dream cookies. I smell it in my house. What in the world! Guess it's time to investigate before my house burns down around me. So....I go out to the kitchen and there it is....an elf is burning something on the stove and there are flames.(saucer eyes, casue really!?!)

So I turn off thee burner and get the lid for the pan and place it on....crisis averted...or so I think. I notice smoke coming out of the oven now as well....really don't want to open that up....but here goes....joy....burnt cookies. (eye roll)

I turn to ask the elf what is going on, and he's no where to be seen. Just poof, vanished. I sigh and start to clean up the mess and open a window to let the smoke clear out. (just how I want to spend my morning). 

Finally I get  everything cleaned up and washed and put away. Then I notice that my tea kettle is missing. (Now where did that get to?) I search everywhere and cannot find it...guess it's going to be a no tea morning. Since I can't make my tea I go and get a shower and dressed and ready for the day. (guess where I find the kettle....yep...in my sock drawer) Not sure how that got there, but at least I can have tea now. Things are looking up. (until I walk out of my room)

It's like some sort of twisted time warp happening....my house now looks like its a log cabin in the woods with snow everywhere....I live in Hawaii....there should be no snow outside my windows....but there is....weird. I think I really need some tea...I must not be fully awake yet....yeah, that's it....I'm still dreaming. That's the only explanation. 

I walk into the kitchen with the kettle and there are elves everywhere! I'm baffled....so I walk out of the kitchen, kettle still in my hand, and sit on the sofa, and look at the snow.(I've gone round the bend, thats the only explanation)

"Well, good morning," says a voice from the front door. I turn to look and in walks a couple dressed in all red and looking happy and awake as anyone could be. (who are these people?) 

"H-hi," I say hesitantly...casue now I think I've been abducted by a cult or something. "Who are you?"

"We are the owners of this house...you just showed up last night on our door step and we bundled you into bed to let you sleep and warm up." Said the lady. 

"Where am I? Last I know I went to bed late after making some pies...and when I woke up I was in my house, but now I'm here...where is here again? "

The man smiles and says cheerily, "Why, the North Pole of course." (Like that doesn't sound crazy....not at all) 

Just then, all the elves come running out of the kitchen yelling about dinner. (It's like having a classroom full of kids hopped up on sugar and sucking helium) They say that dinner is done and we should eat it before it gets hot (whatever that means) Everyone proceeds to the dining room where the table is set and there are so many desserts on it there's almost no room for the plates and forks. (did not know people actually make dessert for dinner like this, but hey, when in Rome)

So we all sit down and serve ourselves yummy desserts and eat. (still like having a classroom full of hyper kids with high squeaky voices, kinda hurts your ears) But, we all have a nice conversation, and then when dinner is done, everything on the table disappears. (POOF! Gone) Then a pot of tea appears (I think I might die of shock soon, but hey, I will not pass up some tea)

As we enjoy our tea, I ask how I can get back home to Hawaii. No one knows. So, I guess I'm stuck here for now. (ugh) The tea makes me sleepy (that's unusual)and I ask if I can go lay down. So I go back to the room I was in earlier and lay down to nap. 

When I wake up again, I am sitting in the kitchen on the floor with a pie in my hands. (weird)  There is a card on the floor next to me, so I set the pie down and open the card. It's a Christmas card....signed by like a billion people....it reads:

"Hope you enjoyed your stay in the North Pole. Have a happy Christmas and you forgot your tea kettle, so we left you a new one. ~~the Clauses"

"P.S. the elves ate your other pie, sorry"

There was a new kettle with a bow under my small tree in the living room. So, I washed it and made some tea and thought about everything that happened. I decided I was off my rocker and I would not tell anyone about it. (guess that didn't work, since I'm telling you, but shhh...don't tell anyone) 

With the knock on the door I knew my family had arrived for the Holiday and we were short one pie. (eye roll) Guess we'll have to make due with one this year. 

The end

Hope you all have a wonderful Holiday and stay safe...you never know when the elves will burn something. 

A Very Interesting Holiday Xmas Edition

I welcome you all back for another interesting holiday…

Silver Bells plays softly in the back ground as I wake up to the morning. I’m slightly concerned that it is silent in the house, except for the music. This does not bode well for the day…(like when there are toddlers in the house…silence usually means something is up.) 

After I got dressed, I walked out into the living room and was immediately attacked by the cookies!(Because, who would think anything else would happen on Christmas?) There was icing, gum drops and sprinkles flying everywhere. SOOO, just like on any other ‘normal’ day around here, I ducked and weaved and escaped to the kitchen for a nice hot cup of tea.(But, of course, it can’t be that easy) There was no tea! How horrible. I opened the fridge to get some milk instead and found a gaggle of geese inside. They were playing card games…in the fridge…not sure where all the food went, but the geese were betting bread crumbs in their card game. (Guess stuffing is out of the question for dinner)

I asked the geese if they had seen the food, and they told me they moved it out onto the porch, because it needed some fresh air.(I’m sure I had a puzzled look on my face)The geese asked if I could close the door before I left. So, I did. And the next thing I did…that’s right, I went out on the porch to see if the food was still good or if I would have to figure out a new plan for dinner. 

Well, the food was there on the porch, but it was starting to get rotten. The veggies were saying some very nasty things to the turkey.(I am not repeating what they were saying…it was that nasty) Now, on to planning a different dinner for tonight. I think PB&J sounds good, but not sure the rest of the family would like that for christmas dinner.(where were they anyway)

As I walked around looking for my family members, who were mysteriously missing, I decided a nice potato soup might be good for dinner. I had plenty of potatoes in the cabinet.(luckily they were not part of the nasty talking veggies on the porch) My family was still nowhere to be seen. I was starting to wonder if I would be alone for christmas dinner this year. 

I went to check on the living room, to see if the cookies were still at war, and they were, of course.(some of the gingerbread men were missing limbs now) As I turned to leave the room I got a pie in the face.(and not a whipped cream pie…a chocolate pudding pie. Ugh!) I was looking forward to eating that pie, not wearing it. So I decided it was time to enter into this war and get some payback. I picked up an icing bag off the floor and started shooting. 

All of a sudden, there was a knock on the front door. Everyone went still and silent. I went to answer the door covered in chocolate pie, icing and sprinkles.(not my most shining moment, but what could I do) I opened the door only to be met with the scowling face of the fire department chief.(evidently in the melee the fire alarm was triggered and no one noticed) Well, the chief was none too happy about being called out unnecessarily on christmas. As I was apologizing, the geese came out of the kitchen singing carols and walked right over him.(I kinda felt bad, they came outta nowhere fast) He left and said if he had to come back again he wasn’t going to be nice about it.(I thought he was kind of grumpy to begin with, but what do I know)

Still no sign of my family…odd.

I went back into the kitchen to make the potato soup. And, surprise…there was the whole family, arguing with the nasty talking veggies. So, I just ignored the argument and made the soup. It was very yummy if I do say so myself. Everyone else seemed to think it was good too.(even the veggies, the cannibals) Everyone went to open their gifts and I sat there in the kitchen, thinking about everything that happened so far. 

That’s when it happened. I fell out of my chair and woke up when I hit the floor. Apparently, I have some vivid dreams while sleeping in a chair at the kitchen table. I looked at the calendar and notice there’s still a week left until christmas. There are no cookies having wars, not nasty talking veggies and no gaggle of gees in the fridge.(I wonder if late night snacking can cause weird dreams) Silver Bells is still playing in the background though.(I love that song)

the end :) 

A Very Interesting Holiday (revamp)

 J.T. Brooks

28 October 2021

A Very Interesting Holiday

I woke up this morning to a funny gobbling sound. I figured it was the kids making turkey sounds. Well, I was wrong. It was the cat. (Because that’s not the least bit odd) I was staring at him trying to comprehend what my senses were taking in, when he just opened his mouth and gobbled at me. So, me being me, I asked him how he started gobbling. To my amazement he said he couldn't help it. He told me that he got on the stove and ate some of the Thanksgiving turkey while I wasn't looking. Then he got these stupid hiccups.(what turkey…it was still in the freezer, or it should be)

I had to go into the kitchen to see what he was talking about, because I didn’t even start the turkey yet. Well, sure enough, there was a turkey all roasted and brown sitting on the stove. To make things more unbelievable, the dog was standing there with a baster, just basting the turkey like it was normal.

I went back to my room to see if I was still there and not really walking around the house. Maybe this was all just a bad dream, but I wasn't still in bed asleep. So I went back to the kitchen and asked the dog why he was basting the turkey. Well, of course, in my house of smart alecks, he said thats how it stays moist, and he added a ‘duh’ at the end for emphasis.(I hope the dog doesn’t go through a snarky teen phase too)

I asked the dog why he and the cat cooked the turkey. The answer was not what I would expect.(of course) They cooked the turkey, because it jumped out of the freezer and started to dance around on roller skates like it was the ice-capades.(ummm…what) So, I just chuckled, shook my head and went to shower and dress. 

When I got back to the kitchen the dog and cat were chatting over coffee like any couple would.(this is not a weird thing at all) I asked what else was on the menu for dinner and they laughed and said they had no idea. They ate the turkey because it sounded like a good breakfast.(evidently it was delicious.I wouldn’t know because they didn’t share)Guess I will have to think up something else to have for Thanksgiving besides turkey.

When the rest of the family got home and I explained to them what happened, they called the mental ward to have me committed.(because I finally went round the bend)But then, they walked into the kitchen and decided we were all delusional.(obviously I am not as nuts as they think)So, they called the mental ward back and said that they dialed the wrong number and no one needed to be committed.(because, really how could you explain everyone seeing this)

We couldn't figure out how to get the dog and cat back to normal and the cat had those hiccups again.(hearing a cat gobble was really weird)We tried to scare them out of him, but it just scared him. He tried to run but kept slipping on the hardwood floor. It was kinda funny, but sad at the same time cause he still had the hiccups.(he did finally get traction and ran out of the room to hide, and he lost the hiccups)

Any-who, we decided we'd have hamburgers and hot dogs for Thanksgiving dinner since the turkey was no more.(just what we always wanted to eat for Thanksgiving dinner)We went to bed with the cat and dog standing in the kitchen drinking coffee and debating the merits of chasing your tail or a laser light.(‘cause why not have a debate about that)

The next morning we woke up and the dog and cat were back to normal, but it was the day before Christmas! (Oh boy…)

The Spider in the Livingroom

I woke up this morning to what sounded like the dog slipping on the hardwood floor. But when i made it out to the living room it wasn't the dog at all. It was a giant spider dressed as a pumpkin on roller skates. I was so amazed. It was like a scene from a movie only better. I asked the spider what he was doing in my living room. (Wrong question) He said he was slipping on roller skates on the hardwood floor on roller skates. So to make the noise stop I gave the spider some sneakers to wear. So he sat down after much persuading and put on the sneakers and we went for a walk. Well the walk was very long and we had good conversations about all kinds of things. When we got back to the house he said, "I am sorry, but i have to eat you now." "You can't eat me," I said, "I gave you sneakers. Way would you want to eat me?" He said," I have to eat something." OH NO!!! He ate the neighbors dogs. They were kind of annoying, but it was horrible.So after the spiders snack he decided to try the roller skates again, but outside this time. and he rolled right out of the driveway into the street. There were people swerving and people screaming. The spider scared most of them and they all started running away. so the spider decided that he wanted to try and drive a car. OH MY!!! I didn't believe it. He squeezed himself into a Mini Cooper. I was so amazed that he was able to fit in there that i went up to the window to talk to him and....well....he jumped out and ate me. So I send this story to you from the belly of a giant spider dressed as a pumpkin on roller skates.
So everyone beware if you find a giant spider in your living room.

The Concert

As I sit here in the fresh spring air waiting for the concert to begin, I am reminded how much excitement I used to feel when preparing for my own concerts. The rush of know I would be going on stage soon. The fear of being in front of all those people. The butterflies in the pit of my stomach wanting me to vomit, but not doing it because I knew I could calm my nerves. It was like a high from a drug, only there was no drug involved except excitement. Then we were all on stage and setting up our stands and our music. With the hot lights beginning to scorch us as we sat there, waiting for the director to lift his baton. We were all at the ready, waiting.... And then the baton began to fly through the air and the individual parts came together in a wonderful melody, making my heart soar because I was part of this wonderful group making this beautiful music, that was both complex and relaxing. Following along and counting the measures, all while listening to the rest of the band and hoping I don't make a mistake. And if I do, making it seem like it actually belonged there. Then the cut. And waiting for the next piece to begin and going through all those emotions and feelings all over again. It was magical. I miss it and all the friends I enjoyed it with. Somehow I will never lose that part of school. Those memories, they will always be there every time I hear a concert, every time I pick up my instrument. I will always remember the feelings and then thrill of the concert and the music. 

It's a little odd being he parent of a band student now. Knowing what I went through and wondering if she gets the same feelings I did. The difference....my parents used to talk with the other band parents, while I prefer to sit by the side and observe. I would much rather be with the band than the parents. That part will never die or change in me. If I had the chance to preform in the band, concert or marching, again I would jump at it. 

Crazy Mixed Up Life

Yesterday if you asked me how my life is I would probably tell you normal.  I can no longer say that I think my life is normal.  Today really proved that I have a crazy Mixed up life.
So here's what happened that made me change my mind. So I got up early this morning and got right to the day. Showered and dressed and had breakfast....you know the normal kind of routine you would do I the morning. Then around lunch time it happened. I looked out my window and  noticed that it was pitch dark. I had to look at the clock a couple of times to make sure it as really noon. It was noon but it looked like midnight. I went outside and looked up. There was a giant umbrella over my house. I had no idea where it came from but it was there. I walked up and touched it so I know it was real. By this time I had called for Lil to come and see the giant umbrella and asked if she knew where it came from. Lil was just as confused as I was. Then a man walked up to is and said he knew why the umbrella was there  but he couldn't tell us because it was a secret.  We asked why it was secret but he said it's not a secret. We were still very confused.  The man said he had to go and he just vanished after saying goodbye. 
We decided to go for a walk in the sunshine. We could see the sunshine just at the end of the umbrellas edge. So we started walking.....we walked fir a long time and we still had not reached the edge of the umbrella. So we kept on walking. Still we never got to the edge of the umbrella, no matter how far we walked. When we looked back the way we came the umbrella had just gotten bigger and covered the house and everywhere we had walked. Then the man was back. He asked if we knew the secret yet.  We told him no but the umbrella was growing.  The man chuckled at us and said well what did you think it would do? And the  he disappeared again. So Lil and I walked home and the umbrella then only covered the house again. Like we were never meant to enjoy the sunshine again. So we just stayed inside wondering what to do in this seemingly endless darkness.  then the dinosaurs walked through the front door. We'll let me tell you....that was unexpected.  The dinosaurs then put on a dance for our entertainment and we laughed and clapped and called for an oncore. Then the dinosaurs said the had to go and get dinner and the left the same way they came in.
Again we had no idea what to do in the endless darkness so we just sat there. As we sat there we began to hear a buzzing noise. It kept getting louder and louder until we finally noticed that the room was filling with bees. Not just any bees mind you, but bees as big as people. And they were all wearing fedoras. Yes you heard it right. Bees wearing fedoras. We weren't totally sure what to do. You see we were allergic to bee stings. And these were some big bees. If they stung us we would be dead in a minute. One of the bees introduced themselves as Mr. Copperbottom. He said they were here for some shade and a nice sweet drink but didn't know the service was so terrible. So they were going to leave. And they did all at once and they took the umbrella with them. They still wanted the shade you see and decided to just steal the umbrella covering the house. This time though it didn't grow. It just stayed the same size and went with the bees. 

We finally thought life was going to be normal again until the dinosaur came back with some of his friends and promptly told us that they were moving in. 

Going Fishing

   Daniel set out one morning to go fishing. But he never made it to the fishing hole. He saw something strange on his way there and decided he should investigate. 

  Now what it was he saw was more than a little strange. I don't wnat to alarm anyone but it was just plain weird. He saw a tiny dinosaur riding a cat like it was a horse. 

  Yes sir, you heard me right. A tiny dinosaur was riding a tomcat like a horse, saddle and all. Daniel couldn't believe his eyes. So, of course, he decided to follow the cat to see if he was imagining things.

  As he followed the cat with the dinosaur on its back he noticed that the woods seemed to be getting thicker than he remembered them to be. He had played in these woods for years, I mean he was a whole twelve years old now, and he never thought the woods were thick until today.

  That is when Daniel noticed that the ttrees were different. They were not pines and oaks anymore. They looked like palms and ginkos now. What happened to all the trees? How did they change?

  Suddenly, right in front of him was a huge scaly foot. As he slowly looked up he realized it was a giant dinosaur. Daniel jumped back and hit a tree that wasn't there a moment ago.

  Where am I? Daniel wondered. And why are there dinosaurs here? He wandered around a bit through the woods, being very careful of where he stepped and what was stepping near him. Until he reached a clearing....and he saw herds of dinosaurs everywhere. It was like watching a show about the herds of the Serengheti. 

  There were plant eaters everywhere and he spotted a few meat eaters hiding in the trees near some of the plant eaters. It was like his own Jurassic Park in his back yard. But where had all the houses and other people gone to? And was there anyway back for him?

  All of a sudden, the ground began to shake violently. That's when Danile opened his eyes. Mr. Marvin had caught him sleeping in math class.

   Guess it was all just a dream thought Daniel. Maybe I'll go fishing after school.

The Craziness Among Us

Ok. So I'm not really all that sane all the time, but did you ever hear about the craziness among us? It's everywhere but you may not notice it because you are just that little bit craziy yourself. I started noticing it a while back when I was having a particularly stressful day.

The day started out with the kids not getting up and getting ready for school and then the dog vomited all over my work clothes and the kids almost missed the bus. All of this was followed by being late to work(because I had to change) and having someone yell at me for something I had no hand in. Joy! Ok , so I decided to go out and about for lunch instead of staying in the lunch room at work. As I'm walking around the mall I begin to watch people. That's when I noticed the weirdest things that people were doing. Like the guy over there, putting donuts in his soda. Now I've heard of donuts dunked in coffee but not soda. So any way I looked kinda funny at him and went on my merry little way. Then I saw a kid tap dancing on a table in the food court. Who would let their child do that? Especially when they are eating at the table the kid is dancing on?!?!?

When the Photocopiers Came to Life

The photocopiers came to life one day and threw up all over the office.

Yep, you read that right. They came to life and started walking around the office spewing papers, ink and words all over the place. No one knew what to make of it. They just sat there in their cubicles and watched. Until one of the photocopiers farted into one of the cubes. Black ink clouds went everywhere and it  smelled bad. At that point someone yelled, "Call the Ghost Busters!"

Then everyone started running out of the building because the color copier tried to eat the managers yucky green sweater for lunch. That was when everyone got scared and started to run. The manager was soon consumed and the chaos stopped. The air cleared and everyone went back in the building. But the color copier never worked correctly again. And there were always yucky green stripes on everything that it printed.

The Strange Noise

The strange noise wouldn't stop. I searched everywhere for where the noise was coming from. But I haven't found it yet. No one else seems to hear the noise besides me. I'm starting to think I'm going crazy. Finally Boo said she heard the noise too. But she couldn't find its source either. We searched and searched for days, but nothing. We began to grow accustomed to the noise and we started ignoring it. Then the noise changed. So we couldn't ignore it anymore. Again we looked and looked for the source of the noise. Everyone started laughing at us, because we still couldn't find where the noise was coming from. Finally we just gave up on trying to find the noise. That was when we realized.....it was our shoes making the noise.

The Dinosaurs Came to Visit Again Today

The dinosaurs had so much fun when they visited last time that they decided to visit again. We set up a dinner party for the dinosaurs to share with us. There was so much to do to get ready for the dinner before our dinosaur friends got there. Everyone was running around crazy trying to finish up the decorating and seasoning the food.

The dinner was going to be outside in the garden so everyone could fit because the dining room in the house was not very big. So the table outside was set, the grill was going, and the umbrellas were up. The Dino-sized burgers were cooking for Rex and Spinosaurus and there were veggie burgers and salad for Appatosaur and Gallimimus. 

Knock, knock, knock. They're here! 

All the dinosaurs made it for dinner. We all sat down to have a bite but Gallimimus decided to throw potatoes at Spinosaurus. So Spinosaurus tossed a pie back at him. It missed Gallimimus and hit me. So....FOOD FIGHT! We had a good laugh after the food fight but it was time to clean up. Everyone helped to clean up the mess and then we all sat and watched the fireflies.

And that's what happens when the dinosaurs came to visit again.

Academy of Natural Sciences 1988

I could not believe my parents were taking me to the Museum to see the moving dinosaurs!!! Its pretty cool when you're 6 and you get to see dinosaurs with skin and eyes moving around in the museum. 

My big brother, my older cousin and myself at the Academy of Natural Sciences of Philadelphia in 1988. What a goofy grin I had on my face. I was always so happy to go to the Museum to see the dinosaurs. We used to go with our Great-Grandfather too. :)

I still go to the Academy of Natural Sciences of Drexel University as it is now known. My daughter and I love to just go and spend the day there. We recently went to Paleopalooza there in February. It was great!

We saw all the exhibits and got our faces painted.

I will never stop going to the museums, no matter where I am in the world. But i will always think of the Academy as my museum.

Crazy Dream

Today was a very interesting day. I went to work on my bike.I'm trying to get into a healthier lifestyle, but that's not what is interesting. The interesting part came later in the day. It all started at lunch time. We went to Wendy's and my friend went mad while standing in line. She started yelling that the chicken patties were going to escape. We didn't know what to do but when it was our turn to order she stopped. Then when she ordered her drink the soda fountains all started pouring out at once with out anyone touching them. But the soda didn't flow on to the floor. Instead it went up and splashed on the ceiling and lights. But that's not the weirdest part. Nope. The weirdest part came when the burgers started mooing and running all over the store. Well we all ordered the spicy chicken and sat down to enjoy the show. We kinda thought it was funny. My friend was no longer crazy so she was enjoying it too. Suddenly, the chicken nuggets started flying around and dive bombing everyone in the store. We decided it was time to leave, so we did. As we ran out of the store everything stopped. It was really strange. So anyway, we went back to work laughing about what happened. We all went back to our cubes and work resumed. Nothing out of the ordinary until our IT guy stood up on his desk and started singing Frank Sinatra songs. Not sure why he started doing that but it was kinda funny. The manager told him to stop or he would be voted off his desk. So he stopped and then she started to sing opera. And we all ran out of the office. She got offended and locked herself in the bathroom. We all came back in after that. It was quiet for all of five minutes and then, well you're never going to believe what happened then....the Purple People Eater fell through the roof and started dancing and playing music. Well the day continued with everyone dancing and singing in their cubes. When five o'clock came the Purple People Eater vanished and my friend was shaking me. He said I fell asleep and was shouting, singing and dancing the whole time. So I guess it was all a dream.
Or was it?

Today

Alfred asked about the pumpkins. He wanted to know if he could eat them yet. But the pumpkins weren't ready to be eaten. They weren't ready to be picked. They weren't even orange yet. They were still little green things on the vines. But Alfred wanted the pumpkins now. So he found some orange things and ate them. But they didn't taste like pumpkins they tasted like oranges. Because Alfred they were oranges. So he tried something else that was kinda like a pumpkin, but it's was a squash. It didn't taste like a pumpkin either. So Alfred waited. And waited. And waited some more. And finally the pumpkins were ready to eat. BUT! Alfred didn't want pumpkins anymore. He wanted Christmas cookies.

Michael

It was a rather stormy afternoon and we couldn’t go outside. I was playing my favorite video game and was just getting to the really good part, when the screen went black. Oh, No! What happened I thought? Did the cat pull the cord out of the wall again? Then I noticed that the lights were out too. The power had gone out. Now my game was lost and I’d have to start all over again and I had almost beaten the game!

It was really dark in the game room and I wasn’t sure if I should try walking without any lights. As I sat in the dark wondering what to do the room became lighter. I thought the power was trying to come back on but it was only mom.

“Michael, are you okay?” Mom asked as she came into the room with a candle.

“Yeah, I’m fine,” I said. “When is the power going to be on again? I was almost to the end of the game.”

“I don’t know Mike,” Mom said. “But there are many things we can do until it does come back on.”

“Nothing will be as fun as my game,” I grumbled.

“Sure it will,” Mom said. “Come on, we’ll see what your sisters are doing. They should be in the living room with your dad.”

“Do I have to?” I whined. “They aren’t very fun or interesting.”

I have one older sister and three younger sisters. We never get along. I followed mom back to the family room and sat down on the sofa with my sisters. Danielle, my older sister was reading a book with a flashlight. I made a face at her as I sat down but she had her nose in her book and didn’t notice. Just like always, I thought to myself.

We all sat in silence for a while, and then mom and dad tried to get me and my sisters to talk. I never could talk with my sisters. They don’t like video games; all they do is read and do crafts. I tried anyway.

“So what score do you think you could get on Bot Blaster?” I asked my sisters.

“Bot Blasters is stupid,” Danielle said. “All you do is blow things up. There is nothing intelligent about it at all.”

“It is not stupid!” I yelled. “Your books are stupid! Stupid!”

Danielle and I kept yelling back and forth. Then my three younger sisters started yelling too.

“Okay! Okay! Why don’t you all try one of these board games,” Mom said loudly. “Dad and I will light more candles so you can see better.”

Danielle and I argued over the games. We both wanted to play different games and we weren’t letting our younger sisters get a word in. So mom decided what game we would be playing so we would stop fighting. I got to go first since I was the only boy. We played Yatzee first for a long time. Then we decided to play UNO. We started having fun playing together.

We stopped to eat sandwiches for dinner. Then after dinner my sisters and I continued our game of UNO. We were playing and laughing and having so much fun. All of a sudden the lights came back on. Andrea, Guinevere, and Tessa yelled, "Oh, No!” and ran for the light switches. All the lights were turned out again and we continued to play by candle light.

We had so much fun and got along well enough that now mom and dad light candles once a week for us to play our board games. The one night a week we all get along and there is peace in the house. I finally realized that you can have fun without video games.

The End

The Storm

Michelle stared at the big red barn. She had always wondered why they were painted red and not orange or purple. So she sat and wondered every day. Eventually I will figure it out she thought.

     Michelle had just turned seven over the summer. She thought she was all grown up now, but there were still so many things that she didn’t know. She didn’t know why the potatoes grew under the ground, while the tomatoes grew above the ground. She also didn’t know why her big brother, Daniel, who was nine, took so long to do his chores. She was waiting for him so they could play.

     Daniel always played with Michelle after their chores were done. They played all kinds of games around the farm, but Michelle’s favorite was hide and seek.

     Finally, Daniel was done with his chores and went to where Michelle sat staring at the barn.

     “It’s about time you finished,” she said.

     “I have a lot more chores than you do Michelle,” said Daniel. “What do you want to play today?”

     “Well I think today is a good day for hide and seek,” Michelle said.

     “Well then,” said Daniel, “hide and seek it is. I’ll be it, and you can go hide.”

     Daniel started to count on the side of the barn, and Michelle ran off to hide. She liked hiding in the pig pen with all the pigs. Michelle thought she should hide with the chickens today, but they were making a lot of noise, so she settled on the pigs again.

     Daniel always knew where to find Michelle, because she always giggled and couldn’t stay still. He would look everywhere but where she was hiding to make the game last longer and not hurt Michelle’s feelings by finding her right away.

     It was fall now, so they were wearing their jackets and the leaves crunched under their feet. The leaves made it really easy to tell where Michelle had hidden herself. But Daniel still looked everywhere else first. He knew Michelle was hiding with the pigs but he looked in the chicken coop, and the calf pen.

     That is when he heard the rumbling. It almost sounded like a stampede of cattle, but when he looked around there were no cattle running. Then he heard it again. He looked towards the road and saw big black clouds coming in fast. The rumbling he had heard was thunder. Daniel didn’t have to look for Michelle anymore. The thunder had scared her out of hiding.

     Just then Daniel heard their father calling to get the animals to the barn. Daniel led the calves to the barn, while Michelle led the foals. Then they went out and helped their father with the big animals. As Daniel and Michelle were running back to the barn with the cat and dog, Michelle kept looking over her shoulder. She wanted to make sure that there were no animals left outside.

     The storm was moving in fast. Just as Daniel and Michelle reached the barn the sky opened up and a torrential rain fell. It was raining so hard that their father said they would wait out the storm in the barn.

     “We’ll make little seats and beds from the extra hay,” said their father.

     So they made little beds and lay down to wait out the storm. Michelle fell asleep while she was waiting. Next thing she knew, she was being shaken awake by Daniel.

     “Come on sis,” said Daniel. “you have to come and see this. It’s really cool”

     So, Michelle followed Daniel outside the barn. The rain had stopped and there was a beautiful rainbow with blue, red, green, orange, purple, and yellow in it.

     That is what the barn should be painted like, she thought. A rainbow barn would be much more interesting than a plain old red barn.

A Very Interesting Holiday

I woke up this morning to a funny gobbling sound. I figured it was the kids making turkey sounds. Well, I was wrong. It was the cat. I was staring at him trying to comprehend what my senses were taking in, when he just opened his mouth and gobbled at me. So, bieng me, i asked him how he started gobbling. To my amazement he said he couldn't help it. He said he got on the stove and ate some of the Thanksgiving turkey while i wasn't looking. Then he got these stupid hiccups. I had to go into the kitchen to see what he was talking about because i didnt even start the turkey yet. Well, sure enough there was a turkey all roasted and brown sitting on the stove. And the dog was standing there with a baster, just basting the turkey like it was normal. I went back to my room to see if I was still in bed and this was a bad dream. But I wasn't still in bed asleep. So I went back to the kitchen and asked the dog why he was basting the turkey. Well, of course, in my house of smart alecks, he said thats how it stays moist. So I just chuckled and went to shower and dress. When i got back to the kitchen the dog and cat were chatting over coffee like anyone would. I asked what else was on the menu for dinner and they laughed and said they ate the turkey because it sounded like a good breakfast. Well, the rest of the family got home and I explained to them what happened and they called the mental ward to have me committed. Then they walked into the kitchen and decided we were all delusional. So, they told the mental ward that they dialed the wrong number. We couldn't figure out how to get the dog and cat back to normal and the cat had those hiccups again. We tried to scare them out of him. He tried to run but kept slipping on the hardwood floor. It was kinda funny, but sad at the same time cause he still had the hiccups. SO we decided we'd have hamburgers and hot dogs fot Thanksgiving dinner and went to bed witht he cat and dog standing in the kitchen drinking coffee. We woke up the next morning and the dog and cat were back to normal, but it was the day before Christmas!

The Photocopiers

Photosaurus Rex, Photoceratops and Copymimus were all good friends who lived in the savage land of the "Office". Now these friends had issues with the vicious Fax People. They thought that these fax people kept making them sick, so they went to see the out cast Jammodactyl. Well they explained everything to Jammodactyl and waited for his reply. They waited and waited and waited some more. Then Photosaurus Rex kicked Jammodactyl and he started up. Jammodactyl apologized for the delay. He explained that sometimes he got stuck on colors. The three friends were a bit hesitant in answering his questions after that. They began to think that he was a bit crazy. They now knew why he was an outcast. He got stuck a few more times before he really got started trying to puzzle out their problem. Finally it all came out. And the three friends went home and pondered what he said.....

"The easiest way to get rid of the evil fax people is to become one of them. Only then can you understand."

Photosaurus Rex thought he meant that he needed to make funny noises like the fax people. So he started making really funny noises. Photoceratops thought that he ment that he needed to try and send things through the phone lines. So he tries really hard to send things thru the phone lines. Copymimus thought it meant that he should run out of paper faster. So he made sure that he ran out of paper really fast. But they still got sick and they all went back to Jammodactyl for an explanation. Jammodactyl was surprised at how they took his words of wisdom. He chuckled and told them that they all vastly misinterpreted what he said. Jammodactyl told them that he meant for them to stop blaming the fax people for making them sick. He said they are getting sick because they are older and they have been working too hard. They finally realized what he meant and rebelled against the most evil humans and the fax people joined in the rebellion.

What Happens on Halloween Night?

Do you know what happens on Halloween night? No?!?!?!?! Well I'll tell you what happens. All the little gremlins come out an steal the children. Then the gremlins go door to door yelling trick or treat. So they can get candy an other treats.


Thats not what happens on Halloween night! You shouldn't tell fibs like that. Now tell the nice people what really happens on Halloween night.


Okay! Okay! So, on Halloween night all the children go and steal the gremlins and make them go around and say trick or treat. So they can can get all the kids candy and treats. This way the kids don't have to do anything to get all the candy.

No! No! No! You need to stop telling fibs! And what is your fixation on gremlins? You have to tell the truth about Halloween. There are no gremlins who steal children or children who steal gremlins. You should tell them about the pumpkins and costumes and things.

Alright, alright! So anyway there are pumpkins. They are these really big purple things that jump up and take bites out if children who walk by them. And the costumes, well they throw nets to try and catch the pumpkins. But sometimes they catch the children. So then the costumes take the candy the kids collected from the houses.

You are hopeless!! You don't seem to know the first thing about Halloween. I will tell everyone what happens on Halloween night....The little people get dressed up in costumes, carve scary face on pumpkins and run a muck in the streets yelling trick or treat. They get all sorts of candy and goodies from every house they go to. The kids say thank you, get a candy rush, and sleep very well that night when they get home. That's what happens on Halloween night.

Are you sure there are no aliens from outer space that suck out the kids brains and make them candy zombies?

Yes, I'm sure. Good Night!


HAPPY HALLOWEEN!!!!

The Day the Dinosaurs Came to Visit

Today the Dinosaurs came to visit. We were sitting at the table having tea when there was a knock on the door. When we opened the door it was the Dinosaurs. They came to hang out with us. So we offered them some tea and cake. We all finished our tea and cake and went outside for a game of hide and seek. T-Rex was it so he started counting and we all hid. It was easy for most of us to hide, but Spinosaurus and Appatosaurus had a little trouble. Rex found them first. Finally after a long time Rex called "Olly Olly Oxen Free" and we all came out of hiding. We all decided we should play a different game. So we tried volley ball, but Gallamimus kicked the ball all the way across town. So we didn't play anything for a while. Finally we figured out what we could play. We all decided we could play "Dinosaurs"! The Dinosaurs were really good at this game and the people were good with the plastic ones. So we all played "Dinosaurs" for a while and then we all decided that we were all hungry. Luckily we had Dino-Sized burgers in the freezer, so Rex and Spinosaurus wouldn't eat anyone. We all had burgers and chips. Appatosaurus had a few veggie burgers and some of the pine tree. We all had a good day. But it was time for the Dinosaurs to go home. We all said our good-byes and said we would come to visit them soon and have a good day. And that's what happens when the Dinosaurs come to visit for the day.

An Amazing Day

Today was an amazing day. I went to work like normal and started my day off the way it always does, with pop-tarts for breakfast at my desk. I got a call from a friend of mine who tod me they won the lottery and were going to move to Australia. I was like..."Wow! Congrats!" And they were like "yeah! I cant believe it!". So the day went on I was happy fro my friend and that made my day a little brighter. So there i was typing along with the beat of my music and the ceiling fell down around me. Aparently there was a giant Babboon that fell from a plane and landed right on top of my office building. The poor babboon did not survive the fall. But my manager called the zoo anyway to see what we should do with it. And the zoo told us that the plane was supposed to be landing and delivering this particular babboon to them becasue it was an endangered species. Well, that was the end of the line. One of my co-workers decided to protest the planes and the people who fly them. How could the people on the plane let the poor babboon jump off the plane wihtout a parachutte? And so...on that note...lets continue. The zoo came and got the babboon and we had the roof fixed. I was sad because i liked my temporary sun roof. Well back to typing to the beat of the music and then Frank jumped up and yelled that ther were ants in his pants. He started to run about the office yelling about the ants and asked for help to get them out of his pants, so Bob decided to give Frank his anteater to try and get the ants out. Well the ant eater ate all the ants and Frank and Bob went back to work. So did I. By this time it was lunch time and we all had a good time eating and compaining about the silly things people email us about all day. Then it really happened! The whole office sank under the ground and we have been stuck here since. we can still work and we have plenty of samples in the freezers to eat for a few days but we have to figure out how to get out of here. "I want to go home!!!!!" :(

My Very Long and Boring Day

Today has been very long and boring. Some strange woman came up to me and asked if I had a cookie for her belly button. I said I didn't have a cookie today but she could have a gumball. Well, she went on her way with a gumball in her belly button and a smile on her face. I called my mother and told her what happened. She laughed so hard milk came out her nose. There was no way to stop her from laughing. So I hung up the phone and let her laugh. So anyway, the day went on being long and boring. A purple monkey tried to steal my snow blower for his summer home in the tropics, I told him he didn't need a snow blower for the tropics, but he insisted he did and he took the snow blower. Next thing I knew it was lunch time and my brother had packed me a hedgehog and a pineapple. I wasn't very hungry so I took the hedgehog to play with the other animals in the science lab.He liked it. I didn't know what to do with the pineapple, so I threw it onto the roof of the school for the birds. Finally the day was coming to an end. I was walking home when a penguin jumped out of the bushes and karate chopped me for stepping on the crack in the sidewalk. I ran the rest of the way home and that was how my very long and boring day went today!

Belladonna Silverweb

Belladonna Silverweb was amazed when she found out she could do magick. Her parents couldn't do magick, but her Great Grandmother Lavendar could. Bella went to spend the summer with her Great Grandmother and found out all about the families past. most of the women in the family were witches and some had even been tried and found guilty at the Salem Witch Trials in Massecheutts. She was so facinated that she began a family tree and tried to trace it back as far as she could. she found out that the only women in the family so far that had not had magickal powers were her mother and her grandmother. There were still people in Salem who wanted the Silverweb Family out at any cost. Some people still held on to the old prejudices that were once in practice. This upset Bella very much. People always seem to fear things they cannot understand, things and people that are different from them and what they believe.
Bella visited her Great Grandmother Lavendar every summer and everytime school let out for vacation. She wanted to find out all she could about the family and her powers. She wanted to prove to the people that witches are not all bad.