Congratulations! You found as much of the master story that has been written.
I'll update this page every week after a writer posts.
Each section will have a link to the original post/source, as well as a pdf or doc file if the writer chose to make an artist bio page.
artist bio page for this portion (pdf) <----- coming soon. i promise!
onceuponatime
there was a girl who had a blue scarf on.
she pretty much always wore the scarf because her hair was a terrible mess.
Like, not the pretty bed head cute mess. Like, she'd probably used a straight iron and gotten perms a whole lot.
So her hair was fried and ugly and looked a Lot like some shit you'd pull out of a drain, or when you clean the filter in the vacuum cleaner. ick.
so she wore this blue scarf.
also, she kept her dog in there. she didn't like to leave him home alone, so she tucked him into her scarf.
 |
| he thought her hair was itchy and wished he didn't have to be in the scarf with that nasty stuff. |
actually, it wasn't a dog at all. She always thought it was a dog, but it turned out that he grew into a horse from eating all of that hair.
And he was pissed (about the hair, but he was not pissed about having to be a horse now)
And he decided that it was time for Liberation!
He jumped out of that scarf!
 |
| i'm blowing this pop stand. |
and he started to trot, no RUN. He started to run! right! off! he was getting away from that damn girl with her bad hair.
He saw a poorly and hastily painted path. It had postage stamps beneath it for texture, but none of that right now. He ran, ran! up that path to a house. Which was conveniently lit up with a nice glowing light that hopefully is not fire.
 |
| oh no! it maybe *is* fire! |
not wanting to get lit all ablaze in that obvious house fire and risk having his mane resemble the nasty nest of hair that he fed on when he was trapped beneath the blue scarf,
he ran on.
he ran to the magical rockandroll lolipop sparkle forest of awesome wine town.
Which was also located at what turned out to be a snow topped mountain.
THat girl was still in hot pursuit, so he climbed the mountain (no running now, he was really exhausted, both emotionally and physically).
He took a bit of a break when he came to the glowing berry tree of happiness and rum.
He partook of that great tree.
Since the berries were rum filled, he got a bit tipsy and fell off of the side of the damn mountain.
and landed back at the house.
He missed the girl with the nasty ass hair and decided to give her another shot. Maybe, just maybe she could stop doing all of that crap to her hair and be able to take off the scarf, and they could live in that cool valley together as friends.
(as friends? wtf? were they going to be lovers?)
to be continued next week by Stephanie
***
So now that the horse knew he wanted to be friends with the girl, he couldn't find her anywhere. He thought he'd first try looking for her in the village of the valley
which was also cool or just plain odd or to be truthful,
both odd and weird which as far as I'm concerned, equals coolness to the nth degree!!!
Anyway, as he was walking along, he passed a rainbow of houses,
and lollipop trees transplanted from the magical Lollipop Forest.....
and in the distance, he spied a scrap of blue; maybe a blue scarf? ......could it be her?
It was her- she was hanging out in a mini lollipop forest! And she had loosened her scarf to wave it in the wind- to get his attention- and her hair....it wasn't nappy at all! It had grown back from where the horse had eaten it and now it was all pretty and red!
Then he heard her calling in the distance... "Catch me if you can....."
So he followed her along the star strewn path
and
leapt from day to night
because that starry, starry path led to the place where night meets day
but it was OK, 'cause he could just glimpse the blue scarf,
so
he knew he was getting close......
he was running so fast, he barely had a chance to see the houses he was passing.
But a few things caught his attention....
one house was full of butterflies- so full- they'd lifted the roof right off with
their hopes for freedom!
at another house, he noticed a man of questionable origins....
but alas, he had no time to stop for inquiries.....
because he was getting close- he could just see her scarf in the distance
as she flew away on the wings of a moth.....he was getting so close, he just knew it....
end section 2
***
He ran and ran, stretching farther and farther. His muscles started to ache with the strain and his shoulders burned fiercely. He must not let the girl get away!
As she rose higher, he made a desperate leap toward her. A moment of agony struck him between the shoulder blades and then... incredulity!
He was flying!
Two beautiful, bright white wings carried him in the night sky!
Ah, but in his joy and wonder, he lost sight of the girl...
"What are you?"
Startled awake, Pegasus looked up and saw the tallest, thinnest man he'd ever seen. Pegasus ruffled and folded his brand new wings upon his back as he stood up. The field they were in was far from any habitation and the nearby lake was occupied by only a few birds.
The man stood nearly as tall as Pegasus. He was an older gentleman with a proud bearing. Shoes and spats, straight-legged pants, topcoat with tails and a tall top hat.
"You're a curious creature. A magnificent stallion of unusual color, yet more. May I see?" The man gestured toward one of the folded wings. He made no move toward Pegasus, so Peg slowly, carefully extended the closest one.
The man clasped his hands behind his back and looked closely.
Pegasus turned his wing and refolded it.
"Fascinating. The wings of an eagle. Do they work?"
Pegasus just stood, wary of his visitor.
"Well, you are a sort-of horse, so I assume you can't talk, but it's nice that you understand what I say."
Pegasus started to fidget, anxious to continue searching for the girl.
"Ah. Something's bothering you. Are you hungry?" He pulled a beautiful, red apple from his pocket and offered it to Pegasus. He was hungry, but he didn't trust the man quite yet.
"Yes." The man said, as he put the apple away, "trust is something earned. As you wish." They stood and looked at each other for a second, then Peg started to fidget again. He started walking to the lake for a drink. The man quickly followed and caught up.
"Well, are there any more like you?" Pegasus just ignored him.
The man sighed and said, "You know, I have a problem too. I'm looking for someone." Peg's ears perked and swiveled.
"You know, you could make it a lot easier for me to find who I'm seeking. Are you willing to help me?"
Peg shook his head and started to walk away. Again, the man followed. As they walked through the field, Peg heard a whisper...
"Catch me if you can...."
He whinnied and leapt in the air. The man saw what was happening and grabbed onto Peg's neck. Before Peg knew what was happening, the man tossed his leg over and planted himself firmly on Peg's back.
Whew! Wasn't sure I could do that." He yelled. The rush of wind made it hard to hear. He hooked his legs under Peg's wings and gripped Peg's mane tightly.
"Wow! This is quite exhilarating!" Peg tried to buck and fly crazy, attempting to dislodge his unwanted rider, but quickly realized the man was secure.
Wow! This really is exhilarating! I'm so looking forward to our future adventures!"
Peg turned his head and looked at the man.
"So, where to first, my winged friend?"
end of section 3
***
This week it is my turn to add to Amy's "once upon a time" neverending story :D
Nobody had ever asked the girl in the blue scarf what she had actually done to damage her hair so badly.......
"Once long ago, I had a beautiful flowing mane of hair(that's probably why my dog turned into a horse after munching on it for so long!!)
There was to be a competition to find the most stunning locks in the land.
I knew I was sure to win(because Amy painted me, and she always has such fabulous hair), but just to be on the safe side, I spoke special magickified words that called up help to get me ready(which I can't type here because it would be dangerous and irresponsible).
I asked the four elements, Water, Earth, Air and Fire, to prepare my hair for the judges.......
I must not have been very careful with my words( everyone knows you MUST be VERY CAREFUL what you ask for when magick is involved ,right?)
So, first came Water to wash my hair with gentle dewdrops.
But it wasn't dewdrops........it was monsoon rain!
Then came Earth, to add minerals and flowery petal perfumes.
But it wasn't flowery petal perfumes.......it was mud and rotting leaves!!
Next came Air, to dry my mane with the softest summer breeze.
But it wasn't the softest summer breeze....it was gales and storms!!!
And then came Fire, who was pissed at being asked last......
enough said!!!!
So now I cover my head with this blue scarf, so no one can see the prize vanity brought me....with the help of four very naughty elemental sprites."
4 canvases, each 7 cm square. Acrylic paints, assorted paper scraps and stickles(glitter glue)
While the girl with a blue scarf reminisced about her hair, a whooshing sound came over her head.
"Oh my goodness!" the girl exclaimed.
She couldn’t believe her eyes. Was that her blue horse?
She shivered as she remembered the old wives tale of the man with no face. Nobody knew where he came from but everyone knew that no woman was safe when he turned up.
She was startled for a second but composed herself right away to ask him of his business.
He said: “No worries little lady. I’ve come to collect the gold.”
She was puzzled as she knew her family had no gold.
“Whatever do you mean, kind sir?” she asked.
And before she could finish her words the man leaped straight up to the window and grabbed the girl by her hair.
“I want your golden locks.” the man said in sinister voice.
Before she could open her mouth to protest he pulled out a sword and cut off her head.
Read more: http://natashamay.blogspot.com/#ixzz1bzxv9dqL
original source for this portion
The girl with the blue scarf put the thought of the girl with the golden locks who lost her head out of her mind. She needed to find out if that blue horse with the magical white wings was actually her little dog, the one who she used to keep in her blue scarf way back when.
She looked up into the sky which had turned as golden as the hair of the girl who lost her head. She could just make out the silhouette of the flying horse but wait, where was the man? He wasn’t on the horse’s back any longer.
Suddenly she felt a cold breath on her neck. The man with no face (which was actually really creepy because he literally had no face) stood right behind her holding the symbols of greed in his hands. She gasped at his fetid breath as the man with no face whispered in her ear:
‘Don’t scream beautiful red haired girl, I represent the money-hungry, faceless capitalist giants who are taking over the world and ruining it with our commercialised greed. I would never have believed that such a wonder as a flying blue horse existed if I hadn’t seen it with my own eyes. He led me right to you and I think that you and your eternal optimism and artistic creativity may be something else that we can capitalise on. I think you may have imagined him into existence and I won’t be happy until we’ve hunted him down and hung his head on our trophy wall. ‘
The girl was aghast. ‘But why would you want to destroy something so beautiful’.
‘Oh, because we can’ said the man with no face, nonchalantly.
He went on to tell her that he wanted her to work for him creating mystical, mythical creatures that he could then hunt into extinction. The privilege of working for the man would be payment enough, he arrogantly summed up.
It turned out that the girl with the blue scarf and the red hair had a fiery temper to match her fiery locks (must be the fighting Irish in her blood) and she mustered up all her karate moves (which in truth were only two) stomped on the man with no face’s foot, spun round and punched him squarely where his nose would’ve been, had he had a face.
As he squealed and cursed and rolled around on the ground like an overdramatic football (soccer for the American readers) player looking for a free kick, the girl with the blue scarf ran for her life into the nearby pumpkin forest (who knew there were actual pumpkin trees?). As she raced through the pumpkin trees with their heavy fruit already carved for Halloween which was the next hugely commercialised holiday that the corporate giants would cash in on, she saw up ahead, in a clearing, her beautiful blue winged horse that used to be a dog, pawing at the ground and waiting for her. She jumped on his back and they rose up into the air and flew far, far away from the man with no face into a night sky with a million, squillion stars twinkling all around them, off on their next adventure...
She felt the wind fly through her now gorgeous and
abundant red
hair and laid her head close to her amazing winged horse’s mane enjoying
the
beauty of his blue intertwining with her red and laughed as she wondered
if
soon they would be tied together and become purple. Everyone knows
purple is a royal color. She whispered softly in his ear, “I missed
you little doggy, my what a magnificent winged beast you have become!”
But how have you become a horse when you were
just a little dog? (insert Picture here)
Was there an enchantment mixed in with the hair destroyed by the Magical
elements that enchanted and destroyed my lovely hair? Her Dog/Horse
whinnied in agreement. I thought it was so she replied. “I do hope you
enjoying being a flying horse,
I imagine it is quite wonderful.” The
dog now winged Horse made a huge spiraling loop in the sky expressing
his
happiness over the predicament.
Wherever shall we go now she asked? In reply the horse soared faster and faster
as the sky became night and filled with so the diamond sparkle of a thousand
stars and soon she fell gently off to sleep to the beating of his wings. She awoke to the sun beaming warmly across
her face and her stomach gave a most unladylike growl. “We must find a place to land now, “ She implored.
I am so very hungry. “Oh look
down there a village, please go there.”
The horse shook his head and made a negative nay, wishing he could tell
her that he had a very bad feeling about this place.” Listen Blue, as good a name as any for a blue
Pegasus like horse. I am still your
master and I am telling you to land now.
I’m very hungry and sore from flying with you for so long.” Against his judgment but understanding that
she was indeed still his master he did as she asked and made a swirling landing
into the middle of a near empty street.
“Why, none of these shops seems open,” she stated with annoyance.
She walked down the silent streets yelling “Hello, Hello is
anyone here” with the blue winged horse trotting behind. Sometimes she wished he was the little dog
she loved again, maybe he intimidated people with his giant wings and they were
all hiding? As she walked by an alley a
dark mist began to swirl around her as if she was wearing a hooded cloak. Blue galloped toward her in alarm but we he
arrived to the blanket of mist she had vanished without a trace!
source for this portion
What had happened?
The blue horse held his breath, his heart beat faster, and he was afraid, more afraid than he had ever been in all his life. Where had the beautiful red-haired girl disappeared to? The mist swirled round him, blinding him, and suddenly, he was falling – down, down, down. He whinnied in fright, but at that moment he landed softly on something that felt like a huge cloud, and then he felt a hand touching his mane….
It was the red haired girl, who sobbed with relief that they had found each other again.
They looked at each other, and she held him tight till she could stand without shaking. Then they looked around to see where they were. It seemed to be a big cavern, with an enormous pile of white feathers in the middle, from which a long, narrow passageway led.
Without speaking they went towards it, although it was dark and cold. She held tight to his curly, blue mane. They walked for many, many hours. They were both hungry and exhausted. Suddenly they both stopped in their tracks. They could see a tiny light ahead of them. This gave them new strength, and they started to run as fast as they could, towards the ever-growing light, till they were free.
They were standing on a pebbly beach, looking at a seemingly endless sea. The moon and stars were shining brightly in the sky, and reflecting on the waves like little diamonds.
“Climb onto my back,” said Blue Pegasus. I will fly you home….”
***
source for this section
original source for this portion
source for this portion
What had happened?
The blue horse held his breath, his heart beat faster, and he was afraid, more afraid than he had ever been in all his life. Where had the beautiful red-haired girl disappeared to? The mist swirled round him, blinding him, and suddenly, he was falling – down, down, down. He whinnied in fright, but at that moment he landed softly on something that felt like a huge cloud, and then he felt a hand touching his mane….
It was the red haired girl, who sobbed with relief that they had found each other again.
They looked at each other, and she held him tight till she could stand without shaking. Then they looked around to see where they were. It seemed to be a big cavern, with an enormous pile of white feathers in the middle, from which a long, narrow passageway led.
Without speaking they went towards it, although it was dark and cold. She held tight to his curly, blue mane. They walked for many, many hours. They were both hungry and exhausted. Suddenly they both stopped in their tracks. They could see a tiny light ahead of them. This gave them new strength, and they started to run as fast as they could, towards the ever-growing light, till they were free.
They were standing on a pebbly beach, looking at a seemingly endless sea. The moon and stars were shining brightly in the sky, and reflecting on the waves like little diamonds.
“Climb onto my back,” said Blue Pegasus. I will fly you home….”
source for this section
Our heroine and her trusty Pegasus flew over the dark ocean under the full moon, so glad to be together again and out of that cavern.
"GO home?", she questioned, "NO way, I want to see the world, the ocean, the sky, the stars!" and off they flew, low enough to feel the spray from the whales blowholes. The beautiful red haired lady blew a kiss to the closest whale as he slapped his tail down on the water and sent a whole wave up towards Pegasus. The whales moved off in their pod, little calves swimming along next to their mothers.
Out red haired lady flew up and up and up with Pegasus, his mane whipping in the wind. They flew along with a gaggle of geese, flying in their tight V going south for the winter.
The noise from all their honking was way too loud in Peg's ears so up higher they flew. Climbing higher and getting warmer as day dawned bright, clear and blue. They spotted a world in front of them on a pink cloud. Each cloud ahead of them seemed to hold a whole town of little houses, but they headed to the closest one and landed softly.
It smelled of cotton candy and reminded our lovely lady of small town carnivals she'd been to as a child. They strolled down the lane of pink and blue and peach houses with giant mushrooms in the yards, when they reached the end of Cotton Lane they stopped before a house with a couple out front. They were sitting on their mushrooms and roasting marshmallows over a bonfire. They introduced themselves as Mr. And Mrs. Panda and Poppy Goldwater. They were just back from a trip across their cloud world and kept their guests entertained all morning with stories of their travels. They'd brought back baklava and origami paper cranes and souvenir spoons and shirts with big paintings of crabs on them as that was the style on the cloud number 9. Peg and the red haired lady told their stories as well and the four of them became the best of friends within hours.
They needed a nap and were invited inside where everything was cuter than even outside. It all looked edible like a gingerbread house and they both slept better than either had in weeks. They felt so safe and protected, with out a worry at all in this cloud world. When they woke the Goldwaters invited them to stay awhile as they hadn't had guests in years. Peg was inclined to stay anyway. .. but when the Goldwaters said they felt strongly that if the pair were to leave soon they'd run into serious danger, they were both convinced to stay a bit. Panda had a touch of the vision and said he saw danger, sea turtles, mermaids and cups of sweet tea in their near future, and he advised they avoid all of the above. "Have another marshmallow", he said and Peg and the red haired day gladly complied.
They laughed and settled in for a long visit, totally unaware at all that the very near future would be amazingly close to the vision of Panda Goldwater. And yet, our red haired lady couldn't shake an unsettled feeling...
Out red haired lady flew up and up and up with Pegasus, his mane whipping in the wind. They flew along with a gaggle of geese, flying in their tight V going south for the winter.
They needed a nap and were invited inside where everything was cuter than even outside. It all looked edible like a gingerbread house and they both slept better than either had in weeks. They felt so safe and protected, with out a worry at all in this cloud world. When they woke the Goldwaters invited them to stay awhile as they hadn't had guests in years. Peg was inclined to stay anyway. .. but when the Goldwaters said they felt strongly that if the pair were to leave soon they'd run into serious danger, they were both convinced to stay a bit. Panda had a touch of the vision and said he saw danger, sea turtles, mermaids and cups of sweet tea in their near future, and he advised they avoid all of the above. "Have another marshmallow", he said and Peg and the red haired day gladly complied.
They laughed and settled in for a long visit, totally unaware at all that the very near future would be amazingly close to the vision of Panda Goldwater. And yet, our red haired lady couldn't shake an unsettled feeling...
original source for this portion
Time slipped by, days barely perceptible from each other.
Memories of any past before where they were right now were almost completely forgotten except for a vaguely unsettled feeling the red haired girl could not put her finger on.
Days went by. Then weeks. Then months. Peg and the red haired girl spent their days drinking the sweet tea that the Goldwater’s always had on hand and eating marshmallows and other delicacies that grew freely on this cloud world.
Their days passed in a haze of sweetness and light with a tinge of the unsettled. But never enough of a feeling that the red haired girl could even put a tangible thought to. Peg on the other hand never seemed to notice anything amiss. Always well fed with her favourite treats, the temperature and light of the cloud world were perfect for her, and she forgot there was anything more than what she had right there in cloud world with the scent of cotton candy sweetening her thoughts to a level close to numbness.
At night however it was a different story for the red haired girl. Violent ocean swells dominated her dreams in shades of stormy teal darkness. Roiling and tumbling oceans, the girls very own subconscious telling her something was wrong. But she never remembered in the morning. Apart from the vague sense of unease that remained with her while she was awake. The only recourse her self-conscious had was her dreamscape, away from the tea, and marshmallows and scent of cotton candy.
In her dreamscape sea turtles visited her from the depths of the ocean telling her to find the mirror. Mermaids called to her and told her to break the mirror when she found it. Waves tumbled on to the shore of her subconscious, trying to wake her. Anything so that she would remember in the morning.
But when she woke there was her cup of tea and any chance of remembering her dreams vanished as she sipped from her cup of steaming sweet tea.
And then one day, months later, the Goldwaters were running late and her cup of tea was not there when she woke. And her mind chanted to her. “Find the mirror. Find the mirror.” And she looked around. And realized she had not seen a mirror since she arrived in this cloud land. And slowly she began to think of memories before she had arrived at cloud land, and she began to suspect she was under a charm.
Just then, she heard a creak outside her door, and she lay back down, pretending to be asleep. Without the tea-induced stupor she was beginning to think more clearly. She heard the soft steps of Mrs. Goldwater come across the room and smelt the sweetness of the steaming cup of tea curling towards her nostrils, and as Mrs. Goldwater began to leave the room she pretended to be just waking up.
And despite moments ago, thinking that the tea may be to blame for her forgetting her prior life, the tendrils of steam reached her nostrils and she went to take a sip. But as she held the cup to her lips she heard “Find the Mirror. Break the Mirror”. And in fright she dropped the cup. Thankfully it did not break, but in her panic to mop up the spill, she grabbed her blue scarf and soaked up the tea, hiding the scarf under her bed.
And without the steam of the tea, without tasting the tea, the voice in her head got stronger. “Find the mirror. Break the Mirror”. Repeating over and over. Mrs. Goldwater came into her room and the girl with red hair gave her a sweet smile as though nothing was afoot, and handed over her cup, commenting on how much she loved the tea. Mrs. Goldwater smiled saccharinely as she left the room.
The girl with red hair quickly got dressed, and trying to act as though nothing was wrong and there was no sense of urgency she went outside to find Peg. But Peg was munching on sweet cloud grass, which not only smelt of cotton candy but tasted of cotton candy too. And Peg did not want to move anywhere. And the girl sensing the urgency of the chanting in her head moved away from Peg slowly, towards the only part of the cloud world where the light was a little dimmer than everywhere else.
Not knowing why she felt pulled to that area, only drifting along to the chanting in her head. Walking along the cloud path, in the slightly dimmer light she felt her foot sink a bit in the cloud, and then she felt something hard stub her toe. She jumped back, realising that she had not felt any pain since she had first come to the cloud world. Sensing that she was close to something important, she reached down to feel what she had stubbed her toe one, and there was a handle.
As she pulled on the handle, she felt a little resistance and then up popped a hand mirror. As she looked into the mirror she gasped.
Her face was reflected back to her, but the landscape behind her, in the mirror was not the landscape of the cloud world, but the world she had come from.
Just then she noticed the Goldwaters and Mr. Panda running towards her, and the voices in her head were screaming at her. “Break the mirror, break the mirror.” She looked around and there was nothing to break the mirror with, but she could feel people closing in on her, and the voice in her head was reaching a crescendo and so she lifted her fist up and brought it down upon the mirror shattering her reflection into tiny pieces…
To be continued…
original source for this portion
Part Lisa...
The pieces spiralled out of the ornate frame jagged and sharp. The girl with the red hair watched them fall down, down, further and further through the cotton candy cloud. She felt weightless and dizzy and struggled to focus her vision on what was happening around her. Everything seemed to fracture at once. Cracks and chasms appeared in the sugar pink walls and the sweet grass. She heard a distant whinny – Peg was panicking as the world began to disintegrate beneath his feet.
A wild wind swirled around them. The girl saw tea cups, cotton candy and lollipops sucked into a cruel maelstrom alongside vestiges of the ‘real’ world she had left behind so many moons ago. Burger wrappers, car tyres (that’s tires for you US folk) and empty coke cans bounced off jars of marmite. What was happening? Where was Peg? Where were the Goldwaters and, what on earth had been in that tea? She felt the pull of the vortex and reached out in fear…
The girl took hold of Mrs Goldwater, but recoiled in shock as the once kindly-looking woman began to take on a new form… dark and scaly with green sinews and yellow eyes. Mrs Goldwater began to cackle as the demon within her was released. A long, pointed tail shot out the back of her flowery sun dress (quite ruining the lovely pattern) and horns ruffled her once beautifully coiffed curls. The demon sneered at our heroine and reached into the storm and pulled a bedraggled and terrified Peg towards her. Swinging her gangling legs, she climbed aboard the poor horse and disappeared in a cloud of … well…. It looked like cloud.
The girl with the red hair felt helpless as she span in the sticky mixture of cotton candy, tea and a crazy wind. In the distance she saw Panda Goldwater. He seemed to be beckoning her to him, but there was no way she was going anywhere near him, having seen what had happened to his wife. She was beginning to wonder why she’d trusted anyone called Panda in the first place.
But Panda was determined. He fought his way closer to the red-haired girl shouting an entreaty to put the mirror pieces back in place.
“You must complete the story” he shouted above the roaring wind… “she has to see her face”…
Not knowing to whom he was referring and frankly beginning to wish she’d never set out on this crazy adventure in the first place the girl with red hair made a decision.
She dived forward through the cloud to chase after the sparkling shards. She was still gripping the ornate frame which was fortunate. The clouds rushed past her face pulling at her long tresses and whispering secrets in her ear (things like why pop songs have a middle eight… and the hidden power of marmite).
Further and further she fell into the spewing foam of blue and white. But all was not as it seemed (again!). The clouds were not made of moisture, wool or cotton candy - they were made of words and letters. A thousand waiting to be pieced together and retold.
Far down below through the fairy tales she spied the glints of what could only be broken glass and she reached out , her anticipation mingled with fear… A fear that only intensified as she saw that she wasn’t the only one heading for the glass jigsaw… The demon and its unwilling mount Peg were gaining on her.
Poor Peg looked so frightened, but it gave our heroine heart. She would fight off the demon, fix the mirror, save Peg and show someone their face (but not necessarily in that order); but first she needed to take a small diversion…
To be continued...
source for this portion
original source for this portion
Part Lisa...
The pieces spiralled out of the ornate frame jagged and sharp. The girl with the red hair watched them fall down, down, further and further through the cotton candy cloud. She felt weightless and dizzy and struggled to focus her vision on what was happening around her. Everything seemed to fracture at once. Cracks and chasms appeared in the sugar pink walls and the sweet grass. She heard a distant whinny – Peg was panicking as the world began to disintegrate beneath his feet.
A wild wind swirled around them. The girl saw tea cups, cotton candy and lollipops sucked into a cruel maelstrom alongside vestiges of the ‘real’ world she had left behind so many moons ago. Burger wrappers, car tyres (that’s tires for you US folk) and empty coke cans bounced off jars of marmite. What was happening? Where was Peg? Where were the Goldwaters and, what on earth had been in that tea? She felt the pull of the vortex and reached out in fear…
The girl took hold of Mrs Goldwater, but recoiled in shock as the once kindly-looking woman began to take on a new form… dark and scaly with green sinews and yellow eyes. Mrs Goldwater began to cackle as the demon within her was released. A long, pointed tail shot out the back of her flowery sun dress (quite ruining the lovely pattern) and horns ruffled her once beautifully coiffed curls. The demon sneered at our heroine and reached into the storm and pulled a bedraggled and terrified Peg towards her. Swinging her gangling legs, she climbed aboard the poor horse and disappeared in a cloud of … well…. It looked like cloud.
The girl with the red hair felt helpless as she span in the sticky mixture of cotton candy, tea and a crazy wind. In the distance she saw Panda Goldwater. He seemed to be beckoning her to him, but there was no way she was going anywhere near him, having seen what had happened to his wife. She was beginning to wonder why she’d trusted anyone called Panda in the first place.
But Panda was determined. He fought his way closer to the red-haired girl shouting an entreaty to put the mirror pieces back in place.
“You must complete the story” he shouted above the roaring wind… “she has to see her face”…
Not knowing to whom he was referring and frankly beginning to wish she’d never set out on this crazy adventure in the first place the girl with red hair made a decision.
She dived forward through the cloud to chase after the sparkling shards. She was still gripping the ornate frame which was fortunate. The clouds rushed past her face pulling at her long tresses and whispering secrets in her ear (things like why pop songs have a middle eight… and the hidden power of marmite).
Further and further she fell into the spewing foam of blue and white. But all was not as it seemed (again!). The clouds were not made of moisture, wool or cotton candy - they were made of words and letters. A thousand waiting to be pieced together and retold.
Far down below through the fairy tales she spied the glints of what could only be broken glass and she reached out , her anticipation mingled with fear… A fear that only intensified as she saw that she wasn’t the only one heading for the glass jigsaw… The demon and its unwilling mount Peg were gaining on her.
Poor Peg looked so frightened, but it gave our heroine heart. She would fight off the demon, fix the mirror, save Peg and show someone their face (but not necessarily in that order); but first she needed to take a small diversion…
To be continued...
*****
and then…
Suddenly the girl with the red hair saw a bus coming towards her through the swirling maelstrom. This seemed incredibly odd but it was the diversion that she needed. Though the wind and debris kept trying to carry her away from the bus it loomed closer and closer and she fought to reach it. Finally it swerved up beside her and the door wrenched open.
She was shocked when she set eyes on the driver. She appeared to be staring at herself, which she knew had to be completely impossible. And yet, in a voice she recognized as her very own the driver said, “There is powerful magic afoot, come inside quickly and I will give you aid.” Dazed and confused by the ever-changing circumstances in which she found herself, the red-haired girl boarded the bus. She hoped that trusting herself was the right choice, but she had few options!
The driver explained that she was a physical manifestation of the strong heroine within the red-haired girl. She explained that she would drive the bus towards the mirror shards while the red-haired girl took time to gather her thoughts and determine what must be done.
The red-haired girl pondered the fact that Mr. Panda had not become a demon and had appeared to be trying to give her advice that would help them all. She began to wonder if he had also been under the enchantment from which she had helped set them all free. But he had warned her of sea turtles and cups of tea and she couldn’t determine how that fit into the puzzle in which she was enmeshed. She had to reach the mirror and put the pieces back. Her best guess was that was how to stop the demon woman.
As she reached this conclusion the bus lurched to a stop and the red-haired girl locked eyes with herself. The driver said, “The mirror shards are right outside but Peg and the demon, Mrs. Goldwater, are approaching quickly. You’ll have to work fast to put the mirror back together!” The red-haired girl leapt from the bus and began to gather the shards glimpsing Peg looming ever closer.
She knelt with the mirror and the shards and fit them back into place as best she could. While it was not perfect, she could see her own crooked reflection and had to hope it would be good enough. She was startled by a whinny from Peg, who was clearly right behind her. She whirled, mirror turned outward to face Mrs. Goldwater, or the demon that she had become. Mrs. Goldwater looked furious as she moved toward the red-haired girl not immediately noticing the mirror. When she saw the mirror it was too late, and she looked into her own twisted reflection. Instantly she turned from flesh and bone to a dark shadow and began to drift back to the sky. At the same time the wonderful, red bus, with her other self, and the maelstrom evaporated to expose a beautiful countryside. Peg, intensely weary, came to her side and nuzzled her neck. Mr. Panda was nowhere to be seen.
When the red-haired girl held the mirror towards Mrs. Goldwater she made a wondrous discovery. There was a map drawn on the back of the mirror. It showed rolling hills edged by a sharp string of mountains. Past the mountains was a lovely blue sea. She believed that was where the two of them were meant to go. Their fate seemed tied to the sea and the sea turtles and mermaids of which she had dreamed. Always frightened that the man in black might close behind, she mounted the tired Peg and set off towards the mountains that she could just make out in the distance. Though flying might be faster, Peg was not strong enough for that after what they had been through. They merely plodded off in the direction of the mountains, sorely tired but happy to be together once again.
to be continued…
By the time Red and Peg reached the ocean, they were both sore and hot. The cool blue water reminded Red of her Blue Scarf, and how safe it made her feel. So without hesitation, she jumped from Pegs back and threw herself into the foamy depths.
"Your...your....a FISH!" stammered Red, now totally confused. It was difficult enough for her to accept she could now breath underwater, without Peg mutating again!
Dog? Horse? Flying Horse? Fish?
"WOW!" said Red and Peg simultaneously.
To be continued.....
(It would seem that Red has the attention span of a goldfish, and had already forgotten her dream of mermaids and sea-turtles!)
Peg, on the other hand, stood nervously on the shoreline, letting only small ripples of the water touch his hooves.......
...it did feel inviting......
...it did feel inviting......
Suddenly Red let out a loud "SHRIEK!", as the waters around her started to bubble and froth. She felt something brush against her legs, and almost died of fright as a face bobbed up in front of her.
"Hello!", gurgled the green-haired girl.
"He...he...hello?", squeaked Red in return.
"He...he...hello?", squeaked Red in return.
"Isn't Peg joining us?"
"Who?...How?...What?..."Blurted Red in response.
"Oh, Sorry, silly me.....we were expecting you, though you seem not to be expecting us", smiled the girl.
"We?...Us?..." Red seemed to have lost the power of speech through the shock, and some vague memories started to struggle into focus.
"Yes silly! Me and my sisters have been waiting to meet "The Girl in the Blue Scarf " for simply ages! Come on!" and with that she grabbed Reds hand and dragged her beneath the surface...
PEG WENT WILD!!!
Forgetting his nervousness, he leapt full length into the ocean, desperately trying not to loose sight of Red.
He caught up with them amazingly quickly (even for him),but was even more amazed at Red's reaction when he slipped underneath her and tried to fly her back to the surface.
As they rushed together and broke free of the water, Red giggled! A gurgling kind of a giggle,and they splashed back into the depths.
The girl with the green hair took control of Pegs reins, and calmed him down. "Look!" she smiled.
Peg looked at his reflection in the water. "WHAT HAPPENED???!" he screamed.
Green and her sisters laughed gently.
"Your...your....a FISH!" stammered Red, now totally confused. It was difficult enough for her to accept she could now breath underwater, without Peg mutating again!
Dog? Horse? Flying Horse? Fish?
The green-haired girl flapped her tail at them. "Look!" she urged again "Haven't you worked out who Peg is yet?"
"No,.. well yes, of course I know who Peg is. He is my Dog..horse..fish thingy, but mostly he is my friend!"
"Very sweet dear, but no. He may appear to be all of these things, but what he actually is,"
"IS YOUR SPIRIT OF ADVENTURE!!" all the sisters chimed at once.
"He is the one who gives you courage when you are afraid, he is your inner strength manifest."
"He is the one who gives you courage when you are afraid, he is your inner strength manifest."
"WOW!" said Red and Peg simultaneously.
"For the next part of your adventure, you need to be able to get around under water. What use would a winged horse be here?"
To be continued.....source for this portion
The mermaids led Red and Blue to the edge of an underwater cliff. ”We don’t exactly know why you are here, but we’re pretty sure you should meet Pompy,” one of them explained. ”He lives at the very bottom.”
“Okay then,” Red responded, and she leaped onto Blue’s back and got ready to swim down off the cliff.
“Wait! If you go down too fast you’ll get hurt! You’re going very very deep, and there’s a lot of pressure. We’ll come with you. Swim slowly, and zig-zag downwards, and take deep, even breaths.”
Red and Blue looked at each other. How far down were they going? Blue smiled at Red, as if to say “Come on, where’s your sense of adventure?” Red grinned.
They set off down the cliff, keeping pace with the mermaid sisters. The water got colder and darker. The sisters gave Red a beautiful new scarf that looked like it was made from sea-foam and black ink, and she wrapped it around them both to stay warm. They took deep breaths to let the pressure equalize.
As the light dimmed, Red saw glowing spots in the water below her. The mermaids explained that some fish glowed to provide light for everyone in the deep ocean.
Blue was getting tired, so they took a break. Red saw a dancing ring of Firefly Squid a little way off, swimming lazily in hypnotic patterns. It was very beautiful.
didn't feel like painting an illustration, but they're quite pretty
Once Blue was rested, they started off again. They left the Firefly Squid above them, and the water got darker and darker. Red could still see the lights of other glowing fish, though. The beautiful gem-like lights danced like stars in the water around her.
Red gestured to Blue, and they chased a few of the glowing lights. But the fish immediately ran away and would not come nearer.
“Why can’t I see those fish?” Red asked. ”I want to know what they look like.”
“Nobody ever sees them up close,” one of the sisters answered her. ”They believe that a creature’s true beauty is the light it creates, and that is the only part of themselves they will show.”
They swam on. The water was almost black now, and it was getting very cold. Suddenly the water started getting warm again, and the lights were obscured by a purple haze.
“Careful!” one of the sisters called. ”Come back out of the smoke! It’s very hot!”
Blue turned and swam back to the sisters. Red looked around and saw billowing purple smoke rising through the dark water.
“We’re getting close,” one of the sisters told her. ”The smoke is muddy water from ahydrothermal vent. It’s a crack in the ocean floor that allows water to get heated up by the heat at the center of the world.”
The sisters turned to go on. “The smoke is hot enough to burn you at the center. Stay close enough to keep warm, but don’t go in it. Shout if you can’t see us or the other fish-lights.”
Red and Blue swam carefully. They got closer to the ocean floor, and then the sisters stopped.
“Pompy is there.” One of them pointed to a red creature below them, swimming slowly in and out of the smoke. ”But we shouldn’t go any closer. He’s sad, and he’s been sad, and we don’t know why, and he won’t let us talk to him any more. We’re very worried about him. We think you might be able to help.”
Red nodded. She would help Pompy if she could. She and Blue swam down towards Pompy.
As she got closer, she realized that Pompy looked like nothing else she had ever seen. He had a long red body with what looked like a thick coat of tendrilly white hair, and instead of a face he had a group of feathery pink tentacles. But he looked so sad as he swam that she could not be afraid.
not my best portrait, but Blue and Pompy came out well I think
“Who’s there?” she heard a voice say. She knew it was Pompy, though she couldn’t tell how he made the noise.
“I’m Red, and this is Blue,” she said. ”We came to meet you.”
“May I see you?” he asked, extending his tentacles. She said yes, and he gently brushed her face, feeling her shape.
“May I ask….what are you?” she asked.
“I am a Pompeii Worm,” he replied. ”I am a creature of the deep places of the world.”
He sounded so sad as he said it. ”Why are you so sad?” she asked.
to be continued…
Source for this portion
Red looked at Blue and felt a twinge of guilt.
"oow! oow! oow!" continued Blue, his tail swishing frantically, "CAN we stay HERE?" he leapt up and down now fit to burst.
"Thank you Blue" sighed Red, "I was tired and bored with my life, but you have inspired me. With your help, I am going to paint fabulous pictures of our adventures together and share them with anyone else who feels sad,lonely or just plain bored, so that they can have adventure in their lives too!"
And with that, they began collecting "stuff". Any stuff they could find, to build a home and fill it with art for the whole world to share.
Source for this portion
The ongoing adventures of Red and Peg
The girl with the blue scarf and red hair turned to Pompy with puzzlement in her eyes...Are you sad because you are lonesome? Red asked.
If that's the case you need someone like Blue to share all things with you...Why, we have been together through thick and thin; good times and bad !
Just then there was a swirl in the dark waters around them ....It seemed to be a throbbing, living thing. "What's happening ?" cried Dog, horse, flying horse,fish.aka Blue. They all looked up, and there in a big circle were hundreds , no thousands of fish , swimming in a big circle. They swam faster and faster, and the next thing our adventurers knew, they were swept into the maelstrom and sucked up, and up, and up. . . Pompy cried out...."Don't go !" but there was no stopping the swirling waters.
Peg burst through the foaming waves at the top of the sea, and his friend popped out right behind him. His scales and fins had disappeared and so had the beautiful white wings. He was back to his "normal" horse self.
Now Peg loved and wanted with all his heart to be Red's faithful, loyal, and very trustworthy companion....but somewhere behind his eyes he remembered the days before he grew the beautiful white wings, and soared through the sky into the marshmallow clouds. Advertures with Red were exciting and sometimes terrifying and the thoughts of peaceful meadows filled with green grass and white daisys were starting to make him long for something he couldn't identify. "Am I getting too old for adventures ?" he asked himself. Something seems to be missing.... what could it be ?
If that's the case you need someone like Blue to share all things with you...Why, we have been together through thick and thin; good times and bad !
Just then there was a swirl in the dark waters around them ....It seemed to be a throbbing, living thing. "What's happening ?" cried Dog, horse, flying horse,fish.aka Blue. They all looked up, and there in a big circle were hundreds , no thousands of fish , swimming in a big circle. They swam faster and faster, and the next thing our adventurers knew, they were swept into the maelstrom and sucked up, and up, and up. . . Pompy cried out...."Don't go !" but there was no stopping the swirling waters.
Peg burst through the foaming waves at the top of the sea, and his friend popped out right behind him. His scales and fins had disappeared and so had the beautiful white wings. He was back to his "normal" horse self.
Now Peg loved and wanted with all his heart to be Red's faithful, loyal, and very trustworthy companion....but somewhere behind his eyes he remembered the days before he grew the beautiful white wings, and soared through the sky into the marshmallow clouds. Advertures with Red were exciting and sometimes terrifying and the thoughts of peaceful meadows filled with green grass and white daisys were starting to make him long for something he couldn't identify. "Am I getting too old for adventures ?" he asked himself. Something seems to be missing.... what could it be ?
Blue was so tired, but he didn't know how to tell Red that all he wanted was to go home, after all it was him that had run away in the first place.
They had been having such a marvellous adventure, but it takes a lot out of a little dog, all this transforming, running and transforming again....He just looked at Red with big soulful eyes, pleading with the universe to let things go back to the way they had been.
Ever since he had left the safety of her blue scarf he seemed to be in a constant state of anxiety....
"Maybe we should think about going home Blue" she said quietly, "or even settling down right here?"
"It is beautiful by the beach, guarded from the outside world by the blue mountains and the blue ocean..." joined in Blue
"..and the BLUE sky!" giggled Red
"... like being wrapped in your Blue scarf, but with room to breathe and run around" said Blue excitedly.
"YES!" shouted Red, as she ran happily towards Blue, arms outstretched. "And Purple can come visit us when he gets lonely!" she smiled as she caught Blue up in her arms.
"Oooow.....oooooow....aooooow!" howled Blue, licking her smiling face.
You see, once the dream of adventure had been fulfilled, Blue had returned to his true form....the loveable, and truly loved little dog belonging to the Girl with the Blue scarf.
And they lived happily ever after......
THE END
