Disatrous Doggie Day!

The following story is an old one, but one that ya'll seemed to like. It was one of my more popular posts from the past, and one I wrote several years ago (I believe in the first year middle school). So one of my first stories, but I love it nonetheless. Looking back now, I laugh. The storyline is absurd, I could have used better words in certain places, and dogs cannot hiccup bubbles.

Oh well. *grins*

Enjoy!

This morning, I gave our elephant-sized dog, Tidbit, a bath. He ignored my two brothers squawking in his ear and rubber ducks surrounding him (courtesy of my four-year-old brother Mike).


Halfway through the bath, I looked down to see that his shampoo was empty! After scanning the bathroom for something to use to make Tidbit smell tolerable, I grabbed one of the shampoo bottles off our shelf.


“Silky Smooth Hair!” the words screamed.


It sounded good enough, so I lathered some onto Tidbit’s white fur then left to get a towel to dry him.


When I came back, I heard a weird noise.


“Hic!”


I rushed to the bathroom. Tidbit’s expression was peculiar.


“Hic!” Bubbles streamed from his mouth.


“I give Tidbit treat!” Mike giggled.


What?! I looked around frantically for his “treat”.


I spotted an empty soap dish. Oh, no! Tidbit had eaten a whole bar of soap! Indeed, he was now a living, breathing bubble machine. I tried to navigate through the bubbles and, Splash!


I was suddenly in the water with Tidbit.


“Hic!” he sympathized.


I sputtered and reached up to heave myself out of the water. Swish! The shower came on! My helpful brothers were on the floor laughing like hyenas.


I extracted the rubber duck that had nested in my hair. Tidbit then decided that he was done with the drama of the day, so he leaped out of the bathtub.


I attempted to pull off my favorite football player’s Terrific Tackle, but Tidbit was bigger than your run-of-the-mill quarterback. I latched onto Tidbit’s back, but he was strong.


“AIEEEEEE!” I was now living my dream of being a rodeo cowgirl, and my brothers were the rodeo clowns.


Tidbit thundered straight for the kitchen. Seeing the heavenly sight of our refrigerator, he stopped, hurling me over his back to…CRASH!…my mom’s valuable china. While I made sure no bones were broken, Tidbit was eating away.


Followed by my brothers, he loped to the living room. I sprinted outside at full speed, and SLAM…ran into the glass door.


After I recovered from the slight amnesia and pain from the impact, I opened the door and staggered outside.


We ran around for an hour trying to capture Tidbit. I noticed that he was shedding significantly. Finally, we caught him and rubbed him down.


“Tada!” I exclaimed, pulling the towel off.


To my dismay, I saw that Tidbit was bald! It looked like a blizzard hit my backyard and the “snow” had been dumped into our house from the upstairs bathroom to the backyard.


Well, here I am now raking up the “snow”. My brothers are cleaning-up the food and pieces of porcelain all over my mom’s new laminate floor. 

My parents informed me that the certain human shampoo I used caused poor Tidbit’s dilemma.


Now if you will excuse me, I need to go to my room and finish up knitting sweaters for my humiliated hairless hound. Hopefully, he will not mind that the sleeves are a bit long!

God Bless ya'll,

Where'd the Lights Go???

Hey ya'll! I'm so sorry I haven't posted any new stories, but I hope to start a new story tomorrow. Yesterday and today was/is pretty crazy.

Yesterday at school, we were in the middle of our first class (which is all girls) when the power went out. It wasn't snowing heavily, no ice problems, in fact, it was warmer than it had been the past week. So, here we are, reviewing for a test (which is Wednesday, by the way. Eeek!) when suddenly the lights go out, the overhead image disappears, and suddenly the backup batteries are beeping in the intructor's computers.We didn't panic, though. The emergency lights were still on, though it was still very dim.

So we just hung around for some time, trying to find a way to continue reviewing for the test and all... But the power didn't come back. It didn't take us long to figure out that everyone else didn't have power either. The teachers and head people started running places to find out what was going on and stuff, but we didn't have anything to do, since the wifi from our still running laptops had gone away. Cell phones came out, of course, but it was allowed since we weren't really in class.

We just talked, I enjoyed the darkness (I love being in the dark. Don't ask why, I've got no clue) and we found a way to get the teachers notes onto our flash drives, since she couldn't print it out.

We had been in the dimness for about 30 minutes now.

It was sort of fun, although I worried about not having enough time to work and get ready for that test, but oh well. We played cards, sitting crisscrossed on the cold tile. I know the game as "I doubt it!" although it has a worse name that I will not ever be saying. 

So the head person eventually found out that the construction going on to remodel certain parts of our school had somehow cut through a main line, and she let school out.

I was out of there by 2:20!

A total of 50 minutes, I believe.

I found it funny that to get out, we had to pry open the automatic sliding doors, and then push them back.

God Bless,

Fireflies

Why do I like this song? I have no clue. But I love the music and his voice.

When I first heard this song, my first reaction was "Daydreaming!"


Fireflies

Owl City | MySpace Music Videos

Randomness Friday: News and a Tag!

Thank you, Libby!

Okay, I've been trying to keep up with people doing Randomness Friday, and for the past weeks, I haven't seen a post by a person other than me that I know about. So, RF as an official blog carnival is in limbo for now. But hey, if people show interest again I'll be sure to start it up again. Until then, I will still be doing RF.

However, I will not let that damper my holiday spirits! We shall still rejoice that there are only 14 days until Christmas! Christmas break! Christmas services! Christmas trees! Christmas lights! Christmas parties! and CHRIST!

By the way, NEW POLL! Please vote. I really need to know what you think. 

You'll find an embarrassing story below, along with a Christmas T-A-G!

~*~
Please welcome to GoMC...*drumroll*

Jo March
Bekah

*cheering* Welcome, welcome, friends!

~*~

I did an embarrassing thing yesterday... (typical for me, huh?)


Anyways, we were learning about taking pulses yesterday, and we had to show the teacher that we knew procedure and what to do with unusual/irregular heartbeats or respirations (breathing pattern and rate). I forgot my pen, so my partner held my place while I went back to our table and got the writing utensil.


I shouldn't have bothered...


Anyway, I was looking at my paper and walked because, you know, I have a typical periphrial vision, and I can navigate through a chaotic classroom of people without tripping over someone's feet (or my own) so I was reading away and walking...


Didn't bump into any people...
Didn't trip over my feet...


Want to try hitting a cabinet door right at head level?


Yes, the cabinet door was just waiting for me to notice it. Maybe it was tired of just being opened and closed...

Maybe it dreamed of being, you know, a pro-boxer or something.

Knockout! Bingo! Sha-bang! Right on target!


It must have been pretty loud, because I got a LOT of people asking if I was okay...


However, I survived (might have lost some precious few brain cells, though *winks*)


~*~

 Christmas Tag!

What is your favorite Christmas Carol?
Carol of the Bells (instrumental only) and What Child Is This?

Do you have an artificial tree or do you get a real one?
Artificial, though we might go natural next year. I'm not sure.

Where you live do you get snowy Christmas's?
Sometimes. But I'm really good at snow sculptures (snow chair, three snow penguins, and a snow bunny) I hope it does!

What is your favorite Christmas tradition?
 Putting together a Christmas tree!

What is your favorite Holiday? Why?
Christmas. Family, coziness, Jesus, and food! :)

Do you go caroling?
No... I don't sing in public. Well, that's not true. Only in church where my voice just blends in.

What is your favorite Christmas movie?
Not sure...

Do you like listening to Christmas Music?
Yep!

Do you believe in Santa Claus?
As in the rotund elf dude? No. But as a real man that existed many, many years ago who paid the dowry for some girls? Maybe. *grins*

What is your favorite Christmas meal?
Hmmmmm.... American food for sure.

Do you write people Christmas cards?
No. *growls* I really wanted our family to do one this year, but it didn't work out. :(

Are you looking forward to Chrismas?
YES!

Do you have a manger scene?
Yep! Specially made by Artista!

Will you wish anyone Merry Christmas?
Yes! I wish you all a Merry Christmas!

I tag anyone who had school today!
~*~

I've heard so much these past weeks about how much people my age can get into things that are harmful to the body and hurtful to the soul. Especially girls. From bad situations to wrong choices, I think, this week, I've heard it all. Girls crying, asking why, wondering if they'll ever be loved...

It's truly sad, when someone gives up.

I heard an awesome song yesterday, though, and it just perked me up. I believe the band wants to potray what God would say to a girl...

For all of the girls at school:

~*~

I heard this COOL news story today...

What about?

BLT = Bear + Lion + Tiger

(You can just hear the "oh, my!" can't you?)

~*~

School was weird today... Okay, I had FOUR tests today at home (English, Bible Theology, History, and Literature)
Then, when I went to the academy and found out we were having a free day.
Okay, I was pretty happy that I had time to work, so I spend first block working on a bunch of worksheets and doing my best to get it done (by the way, after I post this...well, post, I'm going to fix the neatness factor on that baby...) even though its due Monday, so that I wouldn't have any homework over the weekend so I could study for even more tests...

These other people started playing cards! Laughing and talking- it was like a party! I sorta wished I could join them, but you'll be glad to know I (sorta) stayed focused...

Work, work, work, and then...

I joined them second block *grins*

But before you slam me! The teacher had said it was alright because this week was slow and not many people had homework and all. The people who were playing were (for the most part) non-slackers. Also, I finished my work *smiles pathetically* Is that enough?

It was really weird. Lots of laughs, though. And I won one game of cards...
~*~

God Bless,

Saving the Silent: Part Eight

Welcome to GoMC's Story Fest! For the next couple of weeks (possibly) I'll be posting my writings, only breaking for weekends and Fridays, when I do Randomness Friday.

If you missed the first seven parts, go to the following links, or just scroll down to part one. This is the last post of Saving the Silent. I hope you've enjoyed it, I had a fun time writing it!

Missed the Previous Posts? Go to the below links:

Part One
Part Two
Part Three
Part Four
Part Five
Part Six
Part Seven

PART EIGHT:

“Look out!”
Dawn ducked Sean’s flying football and shared an eye roll with Emily. She grunted and heaved a full basket of food on a picnic table, and Mom winked at her when she turned from watching Dad trying to catch a fish on Cedars Lake. Dawn smiled and sat down, watching Josh, Emily, and Sean play with the ball.
  “Be careful, Josh!”
She stared at his cast until he got the message. Josh had broken several bones in his arm, but he was the same Josh who had begged his parents to adopt Bugs, who was being gentled and looking forward to a career in jumping.
  Emily jogged over to Dawn and sat next to her on the table’s adjoining bench. She held her cell phone in her hand.
 “Guess who was on the news?”
Stifling a giggle, Dawn pretended to be clueless. “Well, I don’t know, but it looks like you’re going to tell me.”
  “You, Josh, and the animals!” Emily looked as if she was about to burst. “It’s so good to know those criminals are behind bars.”
 Dawn nodded. “You can say that again.” The brother and sister duo, who had been involved in horse abuse and a huge dog fighting ring, were behind bars, and they were going to be for a long time.
  Emily grunted. “But I can’t believe I was left out, yet again!”
Mom cupped her hands around her mouth, interrupting the girls’ conversation. “Gather round, everyone!”
  Josh’s family, Emily’s family, Dad, and Sean hurried over to the picnic table. Emily stared at the Pattersons with a sentimental look, and Josh was grinning from ear to ear.
 Mom spoke up. “Our family has been through a lot these past few weeks, and there are some extra things that Dawn and Sean don’t yet know about.”
 “We planned on telling you kids later, but what happened three days ago told us differently.” Dad put an arm around Mom. 
 “We’ve decided that we want you to officially be our son and daughter,” they said in unison.
  Dawn stared at them, speechless.
“Of course, if you two want to,” Dad quickly amended.
  “Are you kidding me?” Sean whooped. “Totally awesome!”
“Dawn?” Mom looked at her, smiling, but with doubt in her eyes.
  Dawn Patterson could feel the tears coming when she yelled, “Yes!”


God Bless,

Saving the Silent: Part Seven

Welcome to GoMC's Story Fest! For the next couple of weeks (possibly) I'll be posting my writings, only breaking for weekends and Fridays, when I do Randomness Friday.

If you missed the first six parts, go to the following links, or just scroll down to part one. This is to the second to last post of Saving the Silent- part eight will be the last one of this story.
  Please vote on the poll next to this post to let me know what you thought. Don't worry, I won't know who voted for what, so if you didn't like it, please say so. This blog is for you!

Part One
Part Two
Part Three
Part Four
Part Five
Part Six

PART SEVEN:

Josh and Dawn traded grim looks, and Dawn secretly hoped the woman really had been talking into a phone. She handed Josh the gun and began stalking around the building.
 The barn was one big room, but there were a lot of spaces that looked like closets without doors. Dawn felt as if she was in some spy or police movie, rounding each corner with her fists up. Josh kept the gun but promised Dawn he wouldn’t put his finger on the trigger. Ever since she had first started Tae Kwon Do, her master had repeatedly told her there was a difference between self-defense and going too far.
 There were a few dog cages in the barn. Dawn knew there were a lot behind the barn, filled with mangy dogs. She saw a dog that looked like a golden retriever along with some puppies. Dawn took a step towards her, but the dog’s warning snarl along with a terrible stench drove her back. She couldn’t wait until the abandoned farm was scoured by animal experts who could help the creatures in need.
Dawn met Josh near the front doors.
  “Nothing on my end.”
Josh grinned. “I would have screamed for you to help me if I had found anything.”
 They both glanced at the woman, who stared at them with a strange look in her eyes.
 “I wish I had a watch,” Dawn whispered. “Sean said he would call in help, and I thought it would be here by now.”
   “I’m going to go check on Bugs.”
“Why not?” Dawn shrugged and followed him out of the barn, but she soon realized that it was a huge mistake.
  Once they stepped outside, there was a shadow above them. Dawn barely had time to react before a heavyset man was standing on top of Josh. A weak groan told her he was alive, but she was still frozen in panic.
  Sirens broke the silence. Dawn could hear the sound of several emergency vehicles, but she couldn’t tell if they were ambulances, police cars, or fire trucks.
 “You kids!” he cried.
In an instant, Dawn was in his arms with a gun at her head, yet again. Red and blue lights appeared as several police cars charged through the forest. Dawn wished she could do anything to get him off, but her mind felt like rushing water. Too many thoughts flooded her mind until her brain throbbed.
  Uniformed men slid out of their cruisers and at least ten guns were trained on them in a matter of seconds. Her captor backed up against the horse pasture fence as the policemen expertly closed in. Some of them talked to her and the man, but she couldn’t hear them. The barking of dogs drowned out any possible noise.
  She saw a tall man and a woman with red hair holding each other at a safe distance away, and her eyes started welling up with tears. It was Mom and Dad, and Dawn didn’t feel the littlest big strange about thinking of them as that. If only she could call to them!
  Suddenly, she heard a thump along with the clang of metal. All of the air was knocked out of her lungs, and her captor fell. Dawn fell forward and looked back just in time to see Bugs, with his eyes rimmed with white. She couldn’t tell for sure, but it looked like there was also a mixture of love and anger in the horse’s eyes. As if just realizing what he had done, Bugs took off for the other end of the pasture, away from the terrifying, shiny animals and harmful thunder sticks.
  A tall policeman helped her up and led her away as several others jumped the criminal. Dawn felt dazed.
  “What happened?”
The policeman spoke with awe in his voice. “That huge horse kicked him, as if he knew what was going on.”
 “Dawn!” Mom and Dad ran to her, and she was enveloped in a hug. Regret panged through her, and she looked up at them. Would they still want her after all of the trouble she had caused?
 “Oh, Dawn, honey. I’m so glad you’re safe!” Mom kissed the top of her head.
  Dad chimed in with a thick voice, “Don’t you ever do that to us again, even if it’s to safe the whole world!”
   “So you don’t hate me?” Dawn sniffed and wiped her eyes with the back of her hand.
“No!”
Dawn took one last look at the scene before her. Ambulances pulled up and the medical workers rushed towards Josh and the barn. Policemen were swarming like ants around the area, and she could see other vans and trucks pull up. Some were news vans and the others were animal rescue vehicles. Chaos, but it was the good kind.
 Satisfied that everything would be fine, Dawn turned to her parents. “Let’s go home.”
 She was determined to give Sean a huge hug the moment she saw him.


God Bless,

Saving the Silent: Part Six

Welcome to GoMC's Story Fest! For the next couple of weeks (possibly) I'll be posting my writings, only breaking for weekends and Fridays, when I do Randomness Friday.

If you missed the first five parts, go to the following links, or just scroll down to part one.

Part One
Part Two
Part Three
Part Four
Part Five

PART SIX:

A voice cut through the darkness. “I told you them kids were trouble.”
 Dawn woozily opened her eyes. She was in a dim room that stank of stale hay and mold. Two shadowy figures stood in one corner, obviously arguing. She blinked several times until the image melded into a single person.
 “Ohhh…” she moaned to herself. It felt as if a horse had kicked her in the head. Her voice sounded even more muffled than she had thought it would. There was a cloth stuffed in her mouth that tasted like metal.
“-should have gotten rid of ‘em the first chance you got!”
Something moved beside her, but Dawn couldn’t tell what it was. She could only hope it wasn’t some huge, mutant insect. To keep her mind off of it, she made herself keep still and strain to hear the voices.
The voice, feminine but harsh, again caught her attention. “I don’t exactly want ‘murder’ on our list of crimes!”
 It was the gun lady! Dawn wriggled around, but the bonds that held her were tight and complex.
The woman’s voice became a murmur as she continued a conversation.
 Dawn took a deep breath, and went over the facts.
There were little holes in the ceiling, and Dawn could still see light. She hadn’t been out long, and old-looking rafters proved that she was in the dilapidated barn.
There was a little itch on her arm, but she couldn’t move.
 There was a chance she would live, but only if she thought and reacted fast.
  A low, haunting sound right next to Dawn’s ear reminded her of the horror movies she had watched with Sean.  “Mmmmm…” The shadow next to her drew back, and then something struck her side, like a very blunt dagger.
Dawn sat up like a rabbit listening for danger. First dangerous criminals, then overgrown insects, and now elbowing mummies? What was the world coming to?
 
“Dawn…” a voice whispered.
“Josh?” That’s what Dawn meant to whisper, but her voice came out like an ill rattlesnake.
 “Hold still while I try to get the gag off.”
She saw a glint of metal, and suddenly her mouth was free. Spitting the wad of cloth out, Dawn smiled. Sweet relief…
Her arms were soon untied, and Josh began hacking at the ropes around her legs.
 “We’re lucky that I brought my pocketknife.”
They both slowly stood up, but there was a click. Something cold and hard pushed against her hairline.
  “Don’t move,” the lady hissed, “Or she’s dead.”
Josh froze beside Dawn.
 “Drop the knife and kick it over here where I can see it.”
He obeyed.
As the woman was reaching towards the knife, Dawn acted.
 “Duck!” she screamed at Josh.
 She grabbed the woman’s gun hand and twisted it away from Josh and her. Several shots rang out, but none of them hit Dawn. The woman yelped once, and fell. As quickly as she could, Dawn dived for the floor as she twisted the lady’s wrist, causing her body to face away from Dawn to get the gun out of her hands.
  Standing up, Dawn kept the gun pointed at the groaning figure.
“Josh…”
“Whoa.” He stood still, gaping at Dawn. It reminded her of the fish she had caught last summer at Cedars Lake with Mr. Patterson. Their mouths were huge, and so was his, at the moment.
“Josh!”
Josh suddenly came to life and pumped his fist in the air. “Wow! Never mess with a black belt!”
 “Joshua, please tie her up.”
He quickly got her against one of the wooden supports. “Now, I really don’t like hurting you,” he pulled one of the ropes tight, and the woman groaned. “But desperate times call for desperate measures, as you said before you knocked me out.”
  “My leg,” she groaned. “I got shot.”
Josh bent to look at their captive’s ankle.
  “What do I do with the gun?” Dawn stared the weapon in her hands, disgusted.
“Put it down.” Josh looked up. “This woman needs medical help.”    
 “But, Josh, I think there’s someone else here. She was talking to someone.”
 “It’s called a phone, honey.” She looked up at Dawn with cold eyes. “I was talking to my brother in Denver.”
  Dawn smiled wryly. “Somehow, I doubt that.” She glanced at Josh. “She’ll be fine for now. I think we should make sure no one else is here.”
 “But my leg!” the now gun-less woman cried.
 “You’ll get help as soon as possible.”


God Bless,

Saving the Silent: Part Five

Welcome to GoMC's Story Fest! For the next couple of weeks (possibly) I'll be posting my writings, only breaking for weekends and Fridays, when I do Randomness Friday.

If you missed the first four parts, go to the following links, or just scroll down to part one.

Part One
Part Two
Part Three
Part Four

PART FIVE:

“Dawn, are you alright?”
Dawn jumped and stared into Mr. Patterson’s green eyes. “Yeah, sure.” She fidgeted anxiously. “Why do you ask?”
  “You’ve seemed tense lately, that’s all. But you’re usually laid back and relaxed, so your mom asked me to talk to you.”
  Dawn shrugged and stared out the window. Mrs. Patterson always had a knack of reading Dawn’s mind.
He pulled up near the double doors of the big brick building. “Have a good day.”
“I will,” Dawn managed a smile as she lugged her backpack out.
 “Love you.”
Dawn sighed. “Love you too,” she murmured, even though he couldn’t hear her.
The early bell rang as Dawn entered Kingston High. She glanced back at Mr. Patterson’s red car. Josh had told her to tell him the truth, but Dawn couldn’t build up the nerve. She headed over to her friends’ usual bench to find Emily sitting there, looking as prim and organized as always.
 Emily winced when Dawn told her what had happened. “Call animal control, girl.”
 She couldn’t help but tug at a horse charm on her favorite bracelet. “But, Em…What about Halo?”
  “Hello!” Emily rolled her eyes. “That lady can’t even lay a finger on your horse if she’s in prison. Seriously,” she tapped her temple with a finger. “Think!”
 “I don’t know the number!” she protested.
Emily pulled out a slip of paper from a barely wrinkled envelope. “I got you covered.”
 Dawn shifted her weight from her right foot to her left foot.
Emily rested her chin in her hands with a triumphant look.
“Okay, okay, I will. Even if I’m risking a lot!”
“It’s the animals, my dear Watson.” Emily looked pointedly at a payphone.
“No way,” Dawn held out her hands helplessly. “I want to tell Mr. and Mrs. Patterson first.”
Emily glanced at her watch. “Suit yourself, but I’d better head to class. My English teacher hates tardiness. Especially during our section on Shakespeare’s ‘Julius Caesar’.” She started walking away, but she turned around and dramatically said, “Do not vex thyself, troubled maiden! I shall see you at the midday meal.”
Her ponytail hair bounced as she jogged to her class.
  Dawn shook her head and started towards her locker. In her own weird way, Emily could always cheer someone up.

  Dawn looked out of her window for the thirtieth time and huffed impatiently. Josh said he would come at exactly five o’clock, but then again, it was Josh. He probably got distracted by a pencil or his little sister’s new pet gecko.
  They were going to tell Mr. and Mrs. Patterson the truth this time. Dawn had asked him to come early, because Mr. Patterson’s schedule varied, so at times he could be at home as early as three. Mrs. Patterson had gone to the grocery store, so they had time to plan everything out before they spoke to Dawn’s parents.
  Dawn pulled on her lip. Maybe she should have told him what they were going to do. Josh probably thought she had called him to go riding. 
  “Dawn? You in there?”
She climbed off of her bed and opened the door. “Hey, Sean.”
“Hey yourself!” His huge blue eyes, rimmed with the longest lashes ever, sparkled like the nearby Cedars Lake under a full moon. Sean knew what was coming.
  “Naw, I’d rather hay the horses.” Dawn ruffled his hair and opened the door wider.
He plopped into her favorite beanbag chair. “Your boyfriend called.”
“Sean, Josh is most definitely not my boyfriend.” Dawn fixed him with her plant-withering glare.
  “Then how’d you know I was talkin’ about him?” He smirked. “Just because you stay with him all the time doesn’t mean anything.”
Dawn examined her fingernails. “So,” she asked nonchalantly, “What did he say?”
  “That he would be late. I was watching TV, so I didn’t really listen.”
Dawn sighed. “When did he call?”
Sean suddenly looked guilty. “About thirty minutes ago.”
 “Sean!”
“Sorry! He said something about visiting a bug, though!” Sean shook his head. “Never knew you were interested in those insect scientist types.”
  “What? He went to visit Bugs?” Dawn felt as if an electrical jolt went through her. She dug her hand in her jeans pocket and pulled out a slip of paper.
 “Sean, I’m going to go find Josh. If I’m not back in thirty minutes, call the police and animal control and tell them all about the abandoned farm and what we saw there.” She handed him the paper and put on her coat. “While you’re at it, call Mom and Dad.”
  “Dawn? What is going on?”
“Josh went to the abandoned farm, Sean! I should’ve told him about the woman’s threat.” She shook her head. “There’s so much I should have done.”
  “What? Someone threatened you?” Sean suddenly stood up, and Dawn thought he looked very much like a bulldog.
  “Just forget it,” She ran out to the front door. “Please, call everyone I told you to if I don’t come back in thirty minutes.”
  Dawn was thankful that it was so easy to get Halo ready and get going. As they went through the woods like a swift centaur, Dawn began calming herself. Josh had just gone as usual, right? They’ve gotten away with going to the farm before, and he could be perfectly safe, sitting under the trees and joking with Bugs.
  Yet the sinking feeling she had wouldn’t go away.
Halo pulled up to a tree, and Dawn quickly put a rope around her neck to tie her up. Sure enough, Josh’s horse, Caddy, was there looking as placid as a crocodile. Obviously, Josh had been gone for quite a long time for the sweet horse to be in such a grumpy mood.
  “Stay here, you two. I’ll be back soon.”
She walked for a couple of minutes until seeing the ramshackle building. The feeling of scaly leaves tickled her arms until she emerged through the bushes to see the horses milling around. They looked worse than before, with fresh wounds. Bugs glanced up at her when she approached and immediately turned his tail on her.
Panting, Dawn fell to her knees. Was this some kind of warped nightmare?
  Josh wasn’t there.
“No, no, no!” she buried her face in her hands. Josh wouldn’t ever leave Caddy, his prized jumper. Could she have accidentally passed him on her way here? The forest was a huge place. Slowly nodding to herself, Dawn stood. Josh was probably waiting for her with his usual goofy grin.
 She was just about to head in the direction of the horses when a jolt of pain traveled down her body, and everything went melted into a world of black.


God Bless,

Awesomeful Followers!

Every now and then, I write a post with all of my awesomeful followers. I noticed that a lot of new people are coming in, so I thought we'd update it. If there is no link with your name, I couldn't find one, so please let me know.

So, in no particular order...

Jo March
Bekah
Moriah
The Cowgirls
Charity Anne
alicia haynes
•The Cornet Crazie•
Siminy
Abigail Prudence
AJ
Clare
Emma
Olive Tree
Buttercup
LaSara
B.L.
♥Libby♥
anna :)
tinydancer
Le Promeneur
Amy
Camellia Dayla
Maggie S.
Wild Rose
Eldarwen Failariel
Joelle
Alex Kindred
Eruanna
Joraiem
Moonlight Shadow
Isirian
Michaila
HorseLuver
Violinist4Christ
***Emily***
Hannah
Emii
justagirl4god
Elriana Undomiel
Elizabeth Kauffman
Lyceria Dulane
Jacob R. Parker
Kale Charis
Megan
Tippie
Earwen
SarahO'G
Araken
Ashleys Twin
God's Soldier
Sarah
Bryce
MaidenofEmmanuel
daniellapeter
Paris
Ellie

All fifty-seven of you are amazing, and I am so grateful to God for giving me you.
It was worth the 45 minutes of figuring out how to spell your names and hunting for links. *winks*

God Bless,

Randomness Friday: December!!!

Many thanks to Libby for creating this amazing button! (Want to grab it? The code is beside this post)

*The Formalities*

Welcome to Randomness Friday! This recently-made official blog carnival was started by me, and it went on for a while before I decided to make it something everyone can do. If you'd like to see what all of the excitement is about, go to this post.

*The Participants*
1. Isirian
2. Just a Girl 4 God
3. Libby
4. Eruanna
5. Maggie
6. Emii
7. anna :)
8. Buttercup

Several others have expressed interest in RF. Just remember I can't add you to the list until you've posted! And if I've missed anyone, please let me know!
~*~

Please welcome to GoMC....*drumroll*

The Cowgirls
Moriah

Thank you so much for following!

~*~

Wow. I have been having so much fun with this winter story fest! Like, really! Thank you so much for your comments- I love logging in and reading them, critical or not. We'll continue with Saving the Silent on Monday...

~*~
But for now... It's the weekend! Oh, how glorious- how splendid, how, how random! * grins* I am so glad it's finally December. It not only means I'm halfway through the school year, get to look forward to another blogoversary, but I mean, celebrating Christ's birth! What could be better than that!
  The family has already got all of our lights and decorations up, but the sad thing is that, because our house was designed to be so long (just makes it look big, even though it isn't huge) all of our Christmas lights are centered around the entry. It's sort of comical, actually, but I plan to put some lights in my window (which is some ways from the entry) to make it look more balanced.
  We got some cool lights, though. Multicolored ones that flash in cool patterns, and a sort of nativity poster that has lights behind it to make it look as if the lights are stars. I love it.

See, I told you it wouldn't take long for me to get into the spirit. I just needed December to start, I suppose.

~*~

I sure hope my teachers don't give a ton of homework over Christmas break. Some other classes in my school are, but I haven't heard anything from my teachers. It would be a nice Christmas present, but then it would mean tests RIGHT before break. Oh well...

~*~

Our family took, well, family pictures for the first time in years. It was okay. I mean, I think we all looked great, and the pictures were so professional. The only reason we went was because our church is making a directory, so we thought it would be nice to go.

The photographer wasn't the friendliest person. He wasn't mean at all of anything, but he was... efficient. But the pictures turned out great, Lil' Sis actually stayed still (or the camera was super fast), so we were all pretty happy when we left.

~*~

For the first time, I watched Facing the Giants. It was cool, watchin' it with the family. I really liked the storyline, and I didn't think the acting was bad. It was inspiring, to say for sure. During the last minutes of the movie I was going "Awww!" and "That's so sweet!" the whole time, but to myself, of course. It talks a lot about them not being able to have a baby, and that got a little old, but it added to the sympathy for the characters. I just wasn't a big fan of that aspect.

Overall, it was a GREAT movie. I love it, recommend it, and will watch it again.

Next on my list? Probably Fireproof, even though I'm not big on romance.

~*~

You all have a great weekend, and we'll continue the Story Fest on Monday

God Bless,

Saving the Silent: Part Four

Welcome to GoMC's Story Fest! For the next couple of weeks (possibly) I'll be posting my writings, only breaking for weekends and Fridays (tomorrow), when I do Randomness Friday.

If you missed the first three parts, go to the following links, or just scroll down to part one.

Part One
Part Two
Part Three

PART FOUR:

Sure enough, Dawn came with him for the rest of spring break. They eventually were able to get the big stallion, who Josh named Bugs after Bugs Bunny, to eat out of their palms. Several of the mares and geldings took sugar cubes, but Bugs was always sure to get the carrots.
“Just look at they way he moves!” Josh said dreamily. “Bugs would be an amazing jumper.”
Dawn squinted at the horse and shrugged. Dawn rode Western, so she wasn’t too familiar with the way horses were chosen for English jumping. She looked him over. Nice slope of the withers and muscle build, though he had plenty of room for improvement. He did look better due to the love and attention he had gotten since they had first visited him.
She glanced at her watch. It was almost three o’clock.
“I’d better go check on the horses.” She pictured the quiet area with plenty of trees. They had to keep their horses plenty distance away, so that they wouldn’t cause the other animals to get anxious and start making noises. Dawn and Josh took turns checking on them every thirty minutes, just in case.


As she walked through the trees, Dawn couldn’t help but feel happy. Warm sunshine created streams of light that acted like spotlights on a leafy stage. The animals were the actors here- most of the forest wasn’t often trod by humans.
Suddenly, something wrapped around her neck and squeezed. Dawn tried to scream, but she could only let out a weak gasp.
“Ain’t nobody who’s gonna hear you now, kid.”
Dawn looked up into a woman with cruel eyes and tried not to grimace at her grammar. She wore a red long sleeved shirt and ripped jeans. Dawn wouldn’t have been afraid of her, but the woman towered over Dawn’s five foot frame and had a shiny black gun. She would have been beautiful if she hadn’t had evil eyes.
With a snarl, she let go of Dawn’s neck and flung her against a tree. Dawn couldn’t do anything but stare up, helpless, at her hawkish gaze.
“I know you were on my property with that boy.”
Dawn pressed herself against the tree as she stood up. “What are you talking about?”
A flare of defiance flickered in her eyes. “Don’t be smart with me. I saw you. The two of you are continually trespassing on private property. Don’t let it happen again, or I’ll have to call the police.” She chuckled shook her head. “And we don’t want that, do we?”
Dawn clenched her fists and drew up to her full height. “I wouldn’t mind, but you would. You abuse animals on your sorry excuse of a farm! You shot at two kids! If you keep doing that, you’ll be in prison for torturing those poor, defenseless animals and misusing a firearm!” She had no idea what she was talking about, but it seemed to make the woman look wary.
“As if anyone cares,” she snorted and crossed her arms. “It’s not like they can tell anyone.”
Dawn could feel her face heat up like a stove. “But I will speak for them.”
“Do that and you kiss your pretty mare goodbye. I’m a good shot. One bullet is all I need.” She grabbed Dawn’s wrist and her long fingernails dug into her skin.
Dawn gasped and felt herself shrinking.
She let go of her arm. “Now, did you see any type of cruelty?”
Dawn quickly shook her head, causing her hair to sting her face.
“Good.” The woman briefly touched the holster at her side and disappeared into the shadows of the forest.
Breathing like an angry bull, Dawn stood up and ran all the way to the horses. Something had to be done.
As soon as she reached Halo, Dawn wrapped her arms around her mare’s cream-colored neck and did her best not to cry.
“Oh, you’re safe!” She scratched Josh’s Thoroughbred’s chin. “You too!”
Halo threw her head up, as if wondering if her zany human had finally lost it. Dawn pulled away from her hug and groaned.
“I’m scared, Halo.” She looked up at the blue patches between the branches of pine trees. The canopy above seemed to be closing in on her. “So scared.”

Saving the Silent: Part Three

Welcome to GoMC's Story Fest! For the next couple of weeks (possibly) I'll be posting my writings, only breaking for weekends and Fridays, when I do Randomness Friday.

The first story is called Saving the Silent. If you missed the first parts, go to the following links:

Part One
Part Two

PART THREE:

Dawn managed to make it through the day. Josh coughed loudly to keep her attention on school whenever her mind wandered, and she even saw Emily, a junior, once in the halls.
Teachers piled homework on their students, all except for Mr. Moore, her English teacher. Dawn didn’t classify writing under homework. She always loved sitting in her bedroom, dreaming of adventures. She had to admit that her classes that day weren’t too hard, but Dawn couldn’t get her mind off of the animals.
“-right, Dawn?”
Dawn blinked a couple of times. “What?”
“Gosh, girl!” Emily touched a lock of her curly hair. “I was asking if you liked my hair. I found a book in the library, so I decided to try some of the hairstyles.”
“Yeah. Sure.” Dawn nodded furiously. “It looks great.” She stared at Emily's fancily braided hair. How could she have missed something so drastic?
Josh turned around in the seat in front of them and looked at Dawn with concern. “Are you okay, Dawn? You’ve been out of it for the whole day.”
Emily pushed her hand against Dawn’s forehead. “No fever.”
Laughing, Dawn pulled her head away. “I’m fine. It’s just that-” she sighed and lowered her voice. “Sean and I went to the ‘abandoned farm’ yesterday and found abused animals. Someone fired at us when we were escaping.”
“What?” Josh’s eyes got big.
“Seriously?” Emily asked, ignoring Josh. Her forehead was inches from Dawn’s. “You are absolutely sure that you saw what you saw?”
Dawn nodded solemnly.
“You’ve got to tell someone. Call the police! Tell your parents!” Emily’s voice soared, and several curious eyes turned their way.
Dawn clapped a hand over her loud friend’s mouth. “I know, Em. But remember that one story we read in middle school about a girl who called the police about an animal? It was before you skipped a grade. And-”
“My goodness, Dawn Patterson, she called the police because her pet parakeet fainted!” Emily protested, almost comically, which was rare for her. “This is way different.”
“And,” Dawn continued, more loudly, “Mr. and Mrs. Patterson would never believe me. Even if they did, Sean and I would get into major trouble for going somewhere at night.”
Josh sat up. “I want to see it for myself.”
“Absolutely not. He’s dangerous, Josh!”
“And I’ve got dance practice tonight!” Emily whined. “Why do you two always get to have all the fun?”
“We do not, Emily!” Dawn scowled and slammed into the back of the bench. “I have to prepare my material for a Tae Kwon Do demonstration in a couple of days, and going there is dangerous! There is absolutely no way that I’m going to go again.”


“I can’t believe you convinced me to go, Joshua Patrick Jennings!” Dawn pulled her saddle off of its stand and weaved through the various horse supplies to reach the door. Her saddle and saddle blanket seemed heavier than usual.
Joshua met her at the door and took the tack from her. “It must be my smooth charm and amazing persuasiveness.”
Dawn frowned and took the gear back. “I’m thinking that it’s my weak backbone and your annoying whining.”
After she tightened the cinch and made sure everything was in order, Dawn hopped onto Halo’s back while Josh readied his Thoroughbred.
“Emily’s going to kill me,” she muttered.
“She may,” Josh tightened his saddle’s girth. “If she doesn’t take all of her anger out on me first.”
As they rode out of the yard, Dawn couldn’t help but wonder if they were doing the right thing. Was it safe for them to go alone?


“So this is basically it,” she whispered after they had ducked behind a tangle of bushes.
A poor excuse for a barn barely stood. A gentle wind blew, causing the whole worn structure to sway and creak. The colors were strange, and Dawn thought it looked very much like the coat of a calico cat. There was a white metal fence, and in the enclosure stood several horses. Their muzzles hung low to the ground, their backs were sagging, and their coats were too dull.
“The poor things. They look like they’ve given up,” she sighed.
Joshua suddenly stood up. He dug into the pocket of his jacket and fished out a plastic baggie. Dawn could see the bag contained something orange.
“What are you doing?” she hissed.
“I’m going to do something their owner never did.” He got something out of the bag and tossed it to Dawn. She turned it over in her hands and saw carrots and sugar cubes.
She also stood up and beamed. “You think of everything, Josh.”
He shrugged without a trace of a smile, which was unusual for him. “Come on.”
Dawn felt as if she was the one doing a crime. She felt her eyes darting around and her hands shaking, but Josh was cool and calm.
“Come ‘ere,” he crooned to the biggest horse. Its ears flicked their way, and it suddenly came alive. He reared and charged their way. Dawn took one look at its pinned-back ears and gaping mouth and dove back into the bushes, but Josh held his ground.
The stallion just stopped short of ramming into the fence. He stood there, snorting and glaring at Josh.
“The poor guy has bruises all over his legs.” Josh held out his palm with a carrot in it.
With an indignant scream, the bay jumped back, as if Josh’s hand was a monster.
“Alright, alright! Touchy, aren’t we?” Josh sighed and tossed the carrot near him.
The stallion reared away from the strange orange worm, but his curiosity soon got the best of him. He turned back on the little object, and his lips wiggled as he gave it a little nibble.
Dawn felt strange, as if she wasn’t even there. Everything had stopped for Josh and the untrusting horse.
“Score me some more carrots, Dawn,” he whispered, backing up after the horse had finished eating.
Coming to stand beside him, she gave him a handful.
“I never knew my best friend was a horse whisperer.”
Josh lifted his shoulders in a shrug. “He just needs someone to trust.” He tossed another carrot, this time closer to where they stood. The horse eagerly gobbled up the treat but didn’t break his gaze from theirs.
They repeated the process several times until he was right in front of them. Josh decided to save eating out of his hand for another day.
“You mean, we’re coming back?” Dawn asked, as they rode through the woods.
“Well, I am. With or without you.” Josh sounded self-satisfied, as if he knew that she would follow anyway. 


God Bless,

Saving the Silent: Part Two

Welcome to part two of Saving the Silent, the first story in my Writings Fest! Missed part one? Do not fear, go here!

After a night of getting tangled in her blankets from all of the tossing and turning, Dawn plodded into the kitchen. She had freshened up but still felt groggy.
“Good morning, sunshine!” Mrs. Patterson sang.
She shook her head and sank down into a dining chair. How people could have so much energy in the morning, she never knew. Mrs. Patterson had always said it was a big mug of coffee and God’s Word that always got her started.
Mr. Patterson hurried in with a briefcase in one hand and a coffee mug in the other. He looked every bit like the lawyer he was.
“Better head to work. Big case coming!” He turned to look at Dawn. “Want a ride to school, honey? I was going to stop near there to talk with a possible client after dropping your brother off.”
“No, thanks.” She took a sip of the orange juice that had been placed in front of her. “I already promised Emily and Josh that I would go with them. Besides, my teacher gets pretty flustered if one of her students shows up too early. Usually makes us read encyclopedias.”
Mr. Patterson smiled. “I’ll see you when I come home, then.” He knocked on Sean’s bedroom door, and her little brother walked out, looking alert and ready for school.
“Come on, bud.”
Sean hiked his backpack higher up on his back while Mr. Patterson fished his keys out of his pockets, and then they were gone.
Dawn finished her breakfast and got her backpack ready. The high school bus would be there soon, and she didn’t want to miss it. She could practically see Emily rolling her eyes as Josh told “funny” stories. Someone had to keep the peace.


She smiled back at Mrs. Patterson before heading out the door. “I’ll see you at four.”
It was about a block’s walk to the bus stop. Dawn loved walking through the trees and letting the cool breeze whip her hair around. She didn’t have the most perfect hair, but all Dawn cared about was what the horses thought of her. So far, Halo had never said a word about her appearance, so she was happy.
Suddenly, something clamped around her wrist, and Dawn screamed.
“Hey, calm down!” Dawn looked up to see Josh’s wide blue eyes and shaggy brown hair. Wincing, he let go of her arm. “Are you okay? You’d think I was Bigfoot or something by your reaction.”
“Yeah.” She rubbed the goosebumps that had formed on her arms. “To say in the least, I’m lucky you didn’t give me a heart attack.”
Looking more like himself, Josh nodded smugly. “I tend to do that a lot. I spilled chocolate milk on Trish’s iPod this morning, and she threw a huge fit.”
It took Dawn a couple of seconds to remember that Trish, Josh’s older sister, was taking a break from her hectic college life to enjoy spring break with her family.
“Come on. Miss Young won’t be happy if we’re late.” She held onto the straps of her backpack and hurriedly walked forward.
They just made it to the bus stop in time.
“Here comes the beast,” Dawn murmured.
“Who? The bus, bus driver, or Em?”
“You really are something else.” She rolled her eyes and pushed him up the stairs.
He struck a pose like a rock star in the crowded aisle. “And don’t you forget it.”

God Bless,

Saving the Silent: Part One

Welcome to GoMC's Winter Story Fest! The background to this post was in the last post, but I thought you'd like to just jump directly into the story. Without further ado, Saving the Silent!

“We’ve got to get out of here!” Dawn vaulted onto her mare’s back and looked through the sheet of rain to see if the dark shadow had followed. She quickly gathered her reins and waited for her companion, Sean, to mount his horse. 
  Adrenalin surged through her veins, urging her to ride on without him, but her sense of loyalty truthfully told her that her little brother wouldn’t make it without her.
  As soon as she saw that his boots were in the stirrups, she urged her horse to move forward in a gallop.
“Hurry!” she shrilled. 
  Whether it was to her brother or her horse, she wasn’t sure. However, they both sped up, and Dawn leaned close to Halo’s light mane.
“He’s going to get us, Dawn!”
She glared back at the silhouette of a horse behind her.
“Never!” she yelled fiercely.
A round of gunshots startled her, but she gritted her teeth and pressed down so hard that she felt at one with the horse. A bullet zoomed past Halo’s left ear, but the mare didn’t panic. 
  Dawn was proud of her well-trained mount but sickened by the thought that someone was actually shooting at kids.
She trembled in rage, thinking of the whip she had seen.
Dawn lifted up her elbows and tucked her head beneath one of them. Sean was holding on, but barely.
“The forest is coming up!”
The rain that pelted her neck, back, and arms suddenly ceased. Twigs snapped beneath the horse’s hooves, and everything became darker.

Halo slowed to a walk.
“Easy, girl.” She turned in her saddle. “You okay, Sean?”
He dismounted leaned against his old gelding, Comanche. “Think so. We’re both fine, but, Dawn…”
“Yeah?”
Sean’s voice returned in a haunted whisper. “There’s a bullet in my saddle.”
Dawn nodded, speechless. They had cut it pretty close.
“I hated doing that, but I’m glad you convinced me to go.”
Images of sick horses, underfed dogs, and an abusing owner flashed through her mind. Her heart did a dive. Why were people so mean?
“I told you something wasn’t right.” Her eight-year-old brother crossed his arms and looked up at her with a smirk.
Dawn let her long blonde hair fall over one shoulder, and she wrung all of the water out of it. “Yeah, sure. Let’s get home before Mr. and Mrs. Patterson find out we’re not in our beds.”
Sean slowly mounted Comanche. “You mean Mom and Dad.”
Dawn shook her head and bit her tongue. 
  Sean had been too little to remember their last foster parents. Dawn had loved them dearly, but when her “Daddy” had gotten in an accident resulting in paralysis, the young couple was quick to send them off. 
 Dawn knew that what had happened was tragic, but if something happened to their new foster parents, who could say that these people were any different?
The ride back home was boring and uneventful. Halo snorted several times until Dawn noticed that she was squirming too much and holding onto the reins too tightly.
“Sorry, girl,” she whispered.
Mr. and Mrs. Patterson were sound sleepers, and the barn wasn’t too close to the house. Dawn’s bedroom was next to the kitchen, near the front door, so she easily slipped into bed unnoticed. Hopefully her pajamas didn’t have too much horse hair on it to raise suspicions in the morning. 

God Bless,