it's-a-tuesday-and-i-almost-forgot-to-post-again-BUT-I-DIDN'T-FORGET

Hello, folks!

School is going quite swimmingly so far. Hooray! The best parts of my day today were mostly sightings. 

1. The Ms. PoPo sighting, which occurred before lunch. (In her natural habitat - the classroom!)

2. The House/EZ sighting, which occurred before ninth period.  (awwww)

3. I sighted a Carrie after school today!! She was kind of far away and I'm not sure if she sighted me too, but the moment definitely brightened my day. Hooray!! 

Since I have no time, today's entertainment will be a dive into the past. I'm going to go through the oldest documents in my "Virgil" folder and show them to you here. (It's actually titled as my real name, since I've been using it since I was like eight. I wasn't called Virgil back then...)

Okay. Ready? *clicks "sort by date modified," scrolls all the way down*


Oldest Document: Titled "Feelings" - Date last modified: June 8, 2005 (I was eight years old.)
This document is comprised of not words, but pictures, more specifically the crappy shapes which can be found on Word 2003, filled with all those lovely "present fill effects." It's got a heart, two stars, a sun, and a moon. 


Number 2: Titled "Rainbow" - Date last modified: June 9, 2005
This one is similar to "Feelings," above. My feelings are a rainbow. This must mean something. 

Number 3: Titled "Beauty" - Date last modified: August 29, 2005 (I'm nine now!!!)
This one is basically the same as the other two. Again, mostly hearts, stars, and suns, filled with wonderful fill effects.

Number 4: Titled "[Virgil's] Favorites" - Date last modified: January 4, 2006
Quoth:

color-purple

place-Bahamas

food-strawberry

animal-dolphin

movie-Pirates of the Caribbean

holiday-Christmas

Those were the colors and everything. Don't I have such an artistic eye? 

Number 5: Title: "stone soup almost final copy" - Date last modified: February 6, 2006
This is going to be the last one, since it's quite long. IT'S BASICALLY NOVEL LENGTH.
I haven't looked at this in years.... I submitted this to the kids' writing magazine, Stone Soup, and it got rejected because I suck at writing. Hehe.
The actual title is "A Crystal in the Darkness" - I hope you enjoy!! 

Oh god I can't believe I'm putting this on the internet. 

Here it goes....
(Since it's absolutely NOVEL LENGTH, I put in a page break.)
(Just think about this for a moment. You're about to enter the mind of nine-year-old-Virgil. I haven't changed anything in the writing since 2006. O.o ) 
(Consider yourselves lucky)
(This'll be like a collectors' item someday)

Hang on. Hang on. Hang on.” She was wondering if it was even worth the effort. Gabriel Lily Robin, better known as Gabby, was lost at sea. Her little dinghy, named “June” after her grandmother, was long since floating. There were no life jackets on the little boat, and all poor Gabby had was a float-wood barrel on which she was clinging for dear life.    

            Why hadn’t she listened to her mother before she left the dock at dusk? She had no idea. Gabby had simply planned to circle around Palm Tree Bay, but then a violent storm suddenly brewed and sent her boat off course. She was a skilled sailor, yet nothing could have prepared her for this. Now she was floating aimlessly with no sight of shore.                                                                                       

            Suddenly, she saw something in the distance! Her cold legs clumsily paddled towards what looked like a small island. It was very small, only just big enough for a man to set up camp. Nevertheless, in the middle of the Atlantic Ocean, the smallest piece of land means hope. Gabby kicked until her legs hurt. She realized the tide was almost with her, so she floated slowly forward.

            Once she got closer to the island, she was starting to see it a lot better. It was very small indeed, about as big as her bedroom back home. It had a simple palm tree in the middle. Although it was tiny, the tide was in and when it went out, the isle would be bigger. Yet to her, it was an oasis.         

            Gabby beached herself on shore. It was still late spring at the time, and the weather was warm. Yet the water was cold. She wrapped her cloak around her legs. She looked out into the beyond. Nothing was there now except the gently rolling waves of the big blue ocean.                                       

            Then without warning, a fin appeared out of the water, disturbing the calm atmosphere. Then another one and another.

            “Sharks!” was the first word that came to Gabby’s mind. Her heart raced. Her blood turned to ice and she was petrified by fear.

            The three fins glided towards her. Then the heads of the creatures slowly arose out of the water and rested on the edge of the isle that Gabby lay on. They were not sharks, they were dolphins!

            Although Gabby had heard stories about dolphins saving stranded humans from certain death, she was very doubtful that these ones were here to rescue her. They seemed to read her mind and appeared to attempt to gain her trust. Hesitantly, she wrapped her hands around the fin of the first dolphin.

             “I shall name you Crystal,” Gabby said aloud. Then the most amazing thing happened. So astonishing it just had to be written in a story.                                                              

            “I like that name,” said a voice. It was not Gabby who said it, however. The speaker was none other than Crystal herself. Gabby gasped and backed away slowly. She pinched herself, but nothing was different except for the small red mark.

            Although Gabby was twelve years old and quite mature for her age, she was very thin and had pale skin that made the pinch mark stand out. She blinked and rubbed her tired eyes, yet the vision of the talking dolphin still remained. She sat there bug eyed for what seemed like hours until Crystal spoke again.

            “Do not be afraid dear child, for I mean no harm. Hold onto my fin and I shall take you home to safety.” Her words flowed through Gabby like a river, her ears the stream and her heart the lake. She knew that was the truth, for those words were like a song whose notes are as pure as a sunrise in winter. They gave her hope. They gave her courage, and she was no longer afraid.

            “Crystal, Crystal, Crystal,” murmured Gabby as she nodded her cold head in agreement. She held Crystal’s beautiful fin and off they went! Gabby felt as if she was skimming atop of the blue water, and when she came to her senses, she really was! 

            “Wow! I never thought being lost would be so… fun!” exclaimed Gabby.

            “You are not lost, Gabby. You are found,” said Crystal. Gabby was still not used to talking dolphins, yet something else surprised her even more than that. 

            “How do you know my name?” she asked.  

            “Just like you know ours,” said the dolphin to the right of Crystal.

            “So, you are Sapphire, and you are Turquoise,” Gabby responded, confused how she knew that and absolutely astounded.

            “Exactly,” said Sapphire.

            Gabby tried pinching herself again, but this was real. What was more, it was happening to her!                                                                                                                                                                                                           

             “How long can you hold your breath?” asked Crystal.

            “I don’t know,” Gabby replied, “maybe about thirty seconds.” She wasn’t sure what Crystal was getting at, yet the amazing dolphin had earned her trust.

            “That’ll be just enough,” said Crystal. Gabby could have sworn she saw a twinkle in the dolphin’s mysterious cloudy-gray eyes. “Ready?”

            “For what?”

            “Just hold your breath.” Suddenly, Crystal dove into the murky water, jerking Gabby forward. Turquoise and Sapphire were rushing after them. Gabby heard their slender tails slapping the water as her view of the underwater landscape grew clearer. There was a beautiful coral reef hidden within the bright green sea grass! Different shades of pink, yellow, purple, and all colors imaginable appeared on the surface of sparkling coral.                                                                                         

            Crystal darted for the reef heading straight for a cluster of vibrant orange coral. It parted, as if sensing their presence, unveiling a cave. The cave was made of shining gold, embedded with gleaming rainbow jewels that sparkled randomly. It was truly and will always be the most fantastic thing humble Gabby had ever seen.                                                                                                                                                                                            

            Then, out of the blue, (literally) a figure emerged from the shadows at the mouth of the glorious cave. Gabby couldn’t quite make out who or what it could possibly be. However, that was before it came into view. It had a long flowing tail with indigo scales that shimmered in the sunlight reflected off the sparkling jewels and gold. Small patches of fiery red scales were slid in between the blue ones. The bottom of the spectacular tail was a violet flipper lined with gold and silver. The body was smooth, slim and cream colored. On top of it was a sparkly magenta cami that was waving in the soft current. The creature had a rather big, round face with the most gorgeous blue eyes. Its golden blonde hair had bright red highlights and it wore a lemon yellow headband that was decorated with the most stunning rubies. And yes, it was nothing less than a half human half fish, mermaid.

             “Hello, Ruby,” said Turquoise. She cocked her head towards Gabby, who was twirling her brown hair nervously. The mermaid, or “Ruby” nodded, and glided over to the anxious girl. Ruby took something from a reed basket. It was a shell necklace made out of red and pink shells and pieces of purple coral. She put it over Gabby’s head.

            By now, Gabby’s lungs were bursting, and she felt she would crack any moment.

            “It’s okay,” Ruby gently whispered. “You can breathe.” Gabby was very relieved and let out a big sigh. Yet she didn’t quite understand. How was she breathing? Then she realized it. The necklace was allowing her to breathe underwater!

            “Wow!” Gabby thought in amazement.

             “Come with me,” said Ruby as she led them into the cave. Suddenly, rows of dried seaweed lamps lit up! The inside of the cave was almost as decorative as the outside, if not even more. Diamonds glittered on a marble surface with dozens of tiny emeralds lining the ceiling! A crimson red rug woven of tropical sea grass covered the floor wall to wall. The cave stretched for quite a long way, with many hallways of various colors connected to it like a chipmunk’s burrow. Ruby then guided the trio of dolphins (and one Gabby) to one of the rooms that joined with the front hall. It had violet and aqua green swirled gemstones all over the walls and a black opal decorated chandelier hanging from the silver ceiling. In it was a remarkably clean set of chairs carved from the finest rose quartz and topped with soft pink pillows studded with red and blue rhinestones.

            “What a room!” exclaimed wide-eyed Gabby.

            “Thank you, Gabby,” said Ruby.

            “Okay, how do you know my name?”

            “Sapphire told me.”

            “Oh.”

            “Come along, there is so much to do before we can get you back to your home.”    

            “Home,” Gabby repeated the word several times to herself. “Home.” So they were going to help her, at least try anyway.

            “Here we are!” said Ruby as she opened a jewel encrusted door. In gold letters, the words “Potion Room” were printed on the silver handle. This room was a dark shade of blue all over, though Gabby hardly noticed it. Most of the wall was covered in stone shelves, glistening with dozens of strange jars and bottles that looked like they contained a valuable magic of some sort. Yet the most amazing thing in the curious room was the ebony black cauldron propped up smack in the middle! It had many sparkling rubies lining the outer rim.  Gabby wasn’t sure if this was very safe. She looked back to see Crystal nodding and that made her feel much better. Ruby gracefully glided over to a shelf and picked up a lime green jar that was labeled “Transportation Potion”. 

            Gabby was puzzled. Was Ruby going to transport her home? Or was she going to use it for a different purpose? It was truly a mystery, and Gabby was afraid to ask. Then Ruby took the potion and poured every drop of it into the cauldron. It immediately began to bubble and fizz! Ruby then picked up a bottle filled with golden nuggets. It was labeled “Wishing Stones”. She plopped one, two, three into the cauldron. It suddenly flashed a rainbow of light all over the room, cascading over everything within sight! Gabby was the only one in the room who was startled by this. Yet it ceased as soon as it started. Ruby also threw in a pinch of sparkly dust that came out of a little bag labeled “Ground Sea Serpent Scales”. A huge green cloud of foul- smelling smoke surrounded everybody in the room! As it slowly lifted, Gabby started to think. Was her mother missing her terribly? Was her father out searching? Was her baby brother, Nathan crying for her?

            “Am I going home now?” Gabby asked Crystal.

            “All in good time,” she softly replied.

            Meanwhile, Ruby was getting something else from a cupboard. It was a small, blue bottle that looked like it was over a century old. This one was labeled, “Shark Teeth”.

            “Yuck!” Gabby thought, visions of sharks’ bloody mouths dancing in her head. Ruby poured a handful of it into the cauldron. Just as she did this, the now purplish liquid bubbled up to enormous heights! However, it quieted after a minute or two.

            “Fantastic. Just fantastic,” remarked Gabby, green eyes filled with wonder and amazement.

            “What? Oh yes it is fantastic,” replied Ruby. It sounded as if she had never had someone compliment her skilled sorcery before. “Brace yourself, for it is time.”

            “For what? Send me home? What is it Ruby?” asked Gabby, now more curious than ever.

            “Let’s just say, you are going for a … little ride,” she answered, her mysterious blue eyes dancing.

            “Before you go, we were meaning to give you something,” said Crystal. “so that you will remember us, always.” She picked up a small blue bag hanging from her fin that Gabby had not noticed until that moment, and gave it to her. Gabby slowly untied the thin cord that was holding it closed. Inside, there was a little round box that was covered in soft, red velvet and decorated with exotic shells. As she opened it, she saw four gems gleaming  inside. One was a little round turquoise. One was a sparkly sapphire. One was a small, cleanly cut ruby. And in the middle, there was a big dazzling crystal that shone rainbows out of one side of it. The whole box was simply stunning. She closed the box and put it back in the bag.  

            Before Gabby could even say thank you, Ruby started chanting in another language, waving her thin arms over the cauldron. It went on and on, for minutes, maybe an eternity. Gabby couldn’t keep track. “Ready?” Ruby said. Gabby gulped and nodded hesitantly. “Okay then,” the mermaid continued… “Kaopasia!”

            At first, Gabby thought the potion hadn’t worked after all and they would have to start all over again, and she really didn’t mind that much. She actually found it all quite fascinating. Yet Ruby seemed content with her work. But why? Then Gabby figured it out. Right then and there. She was levitating, right on the spot. Gabby was slowly floating uncontrollably across the room, until she was hovering right over the strange, bubbling cauldron.

            “Goodbye, friend,” Crystal called. The stunned girl opened her mouth, but no reply came. Suddenly, Gabby fell straight into the murky cauldron! A tornado of colors surrounded her. Vivid images passed through her mind, images of mermaids, dolphins and caves. The voices of her friends sounded very distant. The colors swirled around her rapidly, overwhelming her. Then, it stopped. Gabby found herself going into a very deep sleep…

            Gabby’s eyes fluttered open. She wasn’t in the mermaid cave anymore. She was in “June”! And not only that, she was no more than one hundred yards away from shore! Although she wanted to get home as soon as possible, her dinghy was still broken. Gabby dove into the water and swam with all of her might. Once on shore, she ran towards her house, a small brick building by the pier. Thankfully, the front door was open.

            “Phew,” she quietly said to herself. Gabby pushed the door open and it slammed behind her. She sprinted up the stairs, headed for her room. Halfway up, she bumped into her mother!

            “What in the… It, it’s you! Oh honey, you’re back!” (Right here she smothered her daughter in kisses.) “I missed you so much! I simply must go tell your father. Isaac! Isaac!” she set off rushing down the stairs. Meanwhile, Gabby continued up. She stepped into her tiny room and sat down on her bed. Had it really happened? Had she really just done that? Gabby rummaged in her cloak pocket. There it was. The little shell box with the four little stones.

            “Crystal,” she murmured softly. She heard voices downstairs.

            “What is it, Martha?” Gabby heard her father’s booming voice echo in the hall. She quickly hid the box in the blanket. Just then, both of her parents ran into her room, and she was once again smothered in kisses. Her father was carrying beaming Nathan on his strong shoulders.

             “Gabriel, how did you get back? We saw your boat in the bay just before the storm hit,” her father said. (Only her parents called her “Gabriel”.)

            Gabby simply smiled her sweetest, most innocent smile and replied, “A crystal in the darkness.”

 

Don't judge me. 

Best wishes!
Virgil


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