Jennifer M. Zeiger's Blog, page 54

Spy’s Mission Option B: See the Horse Trainer

Welcome back to the second part of the adventure. Reader’s choices have led you to tracking down the horse trainer to help you warn the King of the threat on his life. Let’s see what happens.

Spy’s Mission Option B: See the Horse Trainer

As you approach the city gate, the guard turns to address you.

“Where are you headed?” he asks. His tone is monotone, he’s probably asked that exact question hundreds of times this day.

“To the royal horse trainer, Master Ham. You see, he ordered a special halt…”

“Move along,” the guard gestures you forward, not caring what the horse trainer wants so long as your purpose in being in the city seems reasonable.

You let your bag fall back to your side. If he’d let you show him, you would’ve pulled out a decorated halter you made just for this purpose. It wasn’t anything too fancy but on a quick inspection, it would pass as a present for the princess.

You’ve learned in your time with the spy network that, as long as you appear to know what you’re doing, most people don’t second guess it.

Moving farther into the city, you realize you didn’t ask the guard for directions, so you flag down a man pushing a hand cart full of turnips.

“Friend,” you call, “can you point me in the direction of the royal stables?”

“Master Ham’s got a surprise for everyone today!” The man announces. “You helping him with it?”

You shrug and hold up your hands as if to say “maybe.”

“Follow this street and hang a left on Oddfellow.”

Thanking the man, you wander down the street and hang the left. Oddfellow Road opens up into a broad thoroughfare and today, with the Princess’ birthday, the space is thriving with merchants, shoppers, and the general lookie-loos who just want to see something special.

As you make your way toward the palace at the end of all the chaos, the sound of bells catches your ears as woman passes wearing bangles on her ankles, then the rank oder of sweat distracts you and you sidestep a man so grimy you’re not sure what skin color he possesses. Yup, you’re definitely in the city.

Finally arriving at the palace, you head to the left where large fields with random fences and such run for training horses.

“Hey you, close that gate!” Shouts a man as he points at the gate closest to you. You hurry over and close the indicated gate just before the horse he’s trying to catch races out. The horse stops dead and you can almost swear it glares at you.

“Where might I find Master Ham?” you ask.

The man raises a brow and then breaks into a grin that reveals very white teeth in the middle of a red beard.

“You’ve found him,” he says.

You open your mouth and then hesitate as your master’s caution about telling about the threat on the King runs through your head.

Do you…

Bb. Trust him?

or

Bc. Go it on Your Own?

Blessings,

Jennifer

(Please post a comment with your choice. One vote per post please but comment as much as you like=) This makes counting votes easier. Voting will end at 8pm Mountain Time Monday. I’ll post whichever option gets the most votes Tuesday and we’ll see how the adventure continues!)

Spy’s Mission

Back to the adventure! I hope everyone had a wonderful holiday season and has started the new year off right.

After the break I’ve now got all sorts of story ideas running through my head, so let’s have some fun and dig into a new adventure on this beautiful January day.

Welcome back to the adventure=)

Spy’s Mission

Below the hill, the city sprawls like a swollen snake hemmed in with a stone wall. You’ve never been to Galdon, the King’s home city, before. That’s why your Master, the head of the spy network, sent you. He warned the mission wouldn’t be easy, especially since you’re unfamiliar with the city, but he had to send someone who wouldn’t be recognized.

A threat’s been made on the King’s life. A threat from someone very close to him although you’ve been unable to figure out who it comes from.

You’ve arrived just in time. The city’s adorned with flags of blue, purple and green and the streets are streaming with people. It’s all to celebrate the Princess’ 16th birthday. From what the spy network’s discovered, the assassination’s supposed to happen this evening.

Taking a sip of water, you close the water skin and let it hang at your side below your elbow before you wind your way down the hill toward the busy gate. As a spy, the press of people provides a wonderful way to blend. You consider simply slipping by the gate guard, who’s questioning people as they enter, but then you decide against it.

Since you’re unfamiliar with the city, you can ask the guard for directions. You’ve been debating on how to get close enough to the King to warn him. The night’s activities involve all sorts of things but the two most likely routes lie with the cook or the horse trainer.

Before dinner, the royal family always goes for a ride through the city. This year, it’s rumored the Princess might receive a new horse.

If you get to the horse trainer, you might be able to warn the King before or during the ride.

On the other hand, the banquet hall’s set for a large feast. If you connect with the cook, you might be able to serve the King…or maybe the queen if you can’t reach the man himself. Your Master warned you to be cautious with who you tell. With the threat’s source unknown, you don’t want to tell the wrong person.

So do you tell the guard…

A. You’re headed to see the cook?

or

B. The horse trainer?

Blessings,

Jennifer

(Please post a comment with your choice. One vote per post please but comment as much as you like=) This makes counting votes easier. Voting will end at 8pm Mountain Time Wednesday. I’ll post whichever option gets the most votes Thursday and we’ll see how the adventure continues!)

The Big Rocks

Ever read something that made you sit back and think, ‘wow, I need to think on this one’?

Awhile ago my sister sent me a blog link that made me think this. The blog uses this story to make its point:

“…a professor who held up a jar of rocks to his class.  He asked them, is this jar full?  They all agreed that it was.  Then he took a bag of small pebbles and poured it into the jar.  The pebbles filled in the space around the jar and he asked, now is it full?  Everyone again said yes.  He then took a bag of sand and poured it into the jar.  The sand filtered through the rocks and pebbles until all the space was filled.  What about now, he asked, do you think it is full?  For the third time the class said yes.  Finally he took a pitcher of water and poured the water into the jar until it was all the way to the brim and began spilling over the top.  Now, he said, we can say the jar is really full.  He then asked his class an important question:  Do you think, he said, if I had started with the water, then the sand, and then the pebbles, there would still be room for the rocks?

(Read more at http://www.livingwellspendingless.com/2013/09/03/filling-the-time-jar-5-steps-that-will-change-your-life/#94Gk15v5kjvgYSq9.99 )

Since reading this story, I’ve tried to keep in mind the rocks, the things in life that really matter and must come before everything else. My faith, my family and so on.

Recently there’s a lot of change happening in my family life. So, keeping in mind the rocks, I’m going to take this holiday season to focus on the precious time I have with my family.

What does that mean for the blog? It means I’ll be taking a short break until the beginning of January. And then I’ll be back with adventures and stories to start off 2014 with some fun=)

So until then, I challenge you to figure out your rocks and focus on them as the year ends.

Blessings,

My husband, Nate, and I.

Jennifer

Beings of the Lovely Hills Option Bb1: Stay Put

Welcome to the end of the adventure. Readers have chosen to stay with the cats instead of searching for the dragons even if the cats are lying. Let’s see what happens.

Beings of the Lovely Hills Option Bb1: Stay Put

“Sound like you just want to eat the cats,” you say. “Why should I trust you?”

The wolf snorts. “Trust a wolf? You’d be stupid to trust me.” His lips pull up in a toothy grin. “Of course I’d like to eat the cats but they’d give me indigestion. Their kind always do. Beside, if I’m going to put such an effort into it, I’d rather have a rabbit. Rabbits are far tastier than those two rascals.”

“Then go hunt rabbits.”

“All right. But don’t say I didn’t warn you.”

And the beast disappears into the willows. You stay awake for a while, listening for movement but the wolf doesn’t return and you eventually drift to sleep. The sun’s beating down on you when you wake. Stretching, you look around.

The cats are still curled around their egg, content in their slumber. They’ve stretched out but that’s about all. Your stomach rumbles but you quickly forget about your hunger when you hear the heavy whoosh of large wings.

In the sky two beasts appear winging in circles. One has the dark black scales you figure Nightwalk must have and the other glints silver. They’re obviously flying together, searching. You start to second guess your decision to help the cats.

Then the dragons dive, having spotted you.

“Run!” you shout, pushing to your feet and taking off through the willows. The cats screech behind you but you don’t look back.

The wolf must have been telling the truth, for the two dragons were definitely working together. Nightwalk’s not the enemy the cats told you he was.

But it’s too late now. You hear the whoosh of great wings and feel the push of air from them. You dodge to the side but the dragon’s tail lashes out, tripping you. You roll and come to your feet again to keep running but again that giant tail smacks into your legs. Rolling over, you put your hands up in surrender but the dragon doesn’t give you time to explain.

I’m sorry to say your story from here is rather sad.

Once the story comes out, the dragons realize you were an innocent pulled into the cat’s schemes but by then, of course, it’s too late. However, they do sneak out of the Lovely Hills to leave your family a basket of fruit. The dragons heard somewhere that’s what you do for humans who loose a family member.

The End

Unfortunately the ending didn’t go so well but may you have better luck in the next adventure. And hopefully you’ll have a restful weekend=)

Blessings,

Jennifer

Beings of the Lovely Hills Option Bb: Construct Something

Welcome back to the adventure.

Reader’s have chosen to move the dragon’s eggs all at the same time. Let’s see if you succeed=)

Beings of the Lovely Hills Option Bb: Construct Something

You don’t have a lot of time, so you opt for trying to move all the eggs at once. If you’d remembered to grab your bag, you would have been able to use your sleeping bag, but alas, the backpack’s still sitting in the cabin that the dragon’s probably going through right now.

“Between the two of you, can you move one egg?” you ask.

“Maybe,” Lily says, “depends on what you’re thinking. We can’t exactly pick it up.” She holds her legs out to show they’re too short to grasp an egg.

Picking up three dead branches, you set them beside an egg. Then you search around for an aspen tree. Finding one, you peel at the bark with your nails until you finally get a section pulled off the trunk. Carefully you peel off long strips of bark.

Returning to the egg, you cross the branches to create a triangle frame that’ll lift the egg off the ground once the egg is set on it. Using the long strips of green bark, you lash the frame together at the corners of the triangle.

Setting the egg onto the frame, you unbuckle your belt and attach it to one corner in a large loop.

“Use the belt as a harness,” you instruct the two cats, “and pull the egg.”

“Won’t that leave a trail?” Lily asks.

“At first, yes,” you say, “but I’ll follow behind and cover the trail.”

“He’ll sniff us out,” Norman says. “Even if you cover the trail, he’ll be able to smell us.”

You look around, trying to come up with something else that’ll cover the trail. “What if we used the stream?”

“That might work,” Lily agrees. She and Norman fit themselves into the belt and pull, hard. The egg moves about an inch.

“Keep at it,” you encourage and start pulling your shoe laces. Using the laces, you tie them around the last two eggs and then tie a thick stick onto the end of each lace. Then you turn and, using the sticks as handles, pull the eggs forward.

When you look back, there’s an obvious trail cut into the forest floor. You don’t bother trying to cover that trail. It’d take too long. Instead, you and the cats pull the eggs until you reach the creek. Entering the creek, you go one way for a while, get out and lay a false trail, and then head back into the creek and head up stream until you reach an area where it forks.

By this time, you’re yawning constantly and your shoulders ache from hauling the eggs around all night. Heading up the far fork, you make sure you’re far enough away that you’re out of sight of the fork and then you pull the eggs up onto the muddy bank of the creek.

You all slouch in exhaustion and before long, the cats fall asleep curled around the egg.

You’re about to follow their example when you hear something in the willows to your right. Tilting your head to look, you see furry legs and a long snout.

“They’re at it again,” says the wolf.

“What?” you say, glancing at the cats. They’re still sleeping.

“They attempt to steal the dragon’s eggs every time she lays a new hatch. It’s a sort of game for them.”

You’re so tired, you have the urge to close your eyes and ignore the wolf but your sane mind kicks in and you keep your eyes on him.

“What about Nightwalk?” you ask.

The wolf chuckles. “Gonna eat them? that’s their usual story.” The gray beast eyes the two sleeping felines. “The dragons, if they think you stole the eggs, might eat you. But, if you slip away now and tell them where to find their young, they might let you see the hatching. I can sit here and watch the cats for you.”

You frown. Sounds like the wolf just wants to eat the cats. But if he’s telling the truth, you just helped steal the dragon’s eggs instead of saving them for their mother.

Do you…

Bb1: Stay put?

or

Bb2: Go find the dragons?

Blessings,

Jennifer

(Please post a comment with your choice. One vote per post please but comment as much as you like=) This makes counting votes easier. Voting will end at 8pm Mountain Time Wednesday. I’ll post whichever option gets the most votes Thursday and we’ll see how the adventure finishes!)

Beings of the Lovely Hills Option B: Admit You Don’t Know

Happy Thanksgiving to those in the United States =) and for those who aren’t, hope you’re having a wonderful Thursday.

Read on for the second part to our adventure Beings of the Lovely Hills. So far, you’ve stopped in at a random resort because you almost fell asleep at the wheel. You’ve been awakened by a cat who asked you a riddle and have chosen to admit you don’t know the answer to his question.

Beings of the Lovely Hills Option B: Admit You Don’t Know

The cat purrs as it waits for you to answer. The soft rumbling carries to your ears as you consider a response to the riddle.

“Honestly,” you say, “I’ve no idea.”

The purring stops. “You’re no fun. No fun at all. Surely you’ve got a guess.”

“Nope,” you shrug.

The cat harrumphs. It’s an odd sort of half-hair-ball sort of ‘ga-rumph’ that has you standing up off the bed just in case he hocks a hair ball on you.

“Sure you don’t have a guess?”

“Stop tormenting the human, Norman,” says a new voice.

You swivel your head around just as a new cat jumps up on the bed. This one’s got white splotches but that’s all you can tell in the dark cabin.

“We need a hand moving something. Once that’s done, we’ll gladly call it your payment and you can get some rest. Deal?” the new cat says.

“Sure,” you agree, enticed by the prospect of getting some sleep and glad payment sounds easy. The two cats hop off the bed and head toward the door. You shove to your feet with a sigh, opening the door for them, you follow the two felines through.

“Rather nice human this time. Good job picking, Norman,” the white spotted one says. In the light from the moon, you can now see this cat’s smaller than Norman, who has a decided pouch to his stomach.

Norman just purrs louder.

There’s  rustling in the trees ahead and the two cats freeze mid-step. You pause behind them.

“Hide!” Norman hisses and ducks behind the nearest cabin. Ducking around the side too, you turn to look back at the trail you were just on in time to see something very large ambling down the path. Its whole body sways and the moonlight glints off of scales.

The answer to the riddle hits you. “Dragon!” you whisper.

Norman shushes you.

The dragon continues down the path and disappears without looking your way.

“Lily, how’d he find us so fast?” Norman asks the white splotched cat.

Lily glares at him. “You, dumby. I went back to the nest and found where you’d rubbed against the entrance. You may as well have shouted to him who took the eggs. That’s why I came to help you tonight.”

Norman’s ears go back and he sinks his belly to the ground. “Oops” is all he says.

“What have you gotten me into?” you ask.

Lily sits on her haunches. “We made a promise to take care of Lady Silverscale’s eggs while she’s building a new nest. She’s had some trouble with Master Nightwalk eating her hatchlings.”

“So why do you need me?”

“We can’t move the eggs and obviously, Master Nightwalk’s onto where we hid them.”

Norman sidles up to your leg and leans in. “Please, help move them.” He gives you that unblinking stare. At least it’s not vapid like the lady in the lobby.

“Why didn’t you just ask the lady in the lobby to help you?”

Both cats hiss. “She’s not all there, if you hadn’t noticed.”

“Right. All right,” you agree.

Both cats give a rumble of delight at your response. You follow them down the path to past the last cabin and then head into the trees behind the resort. They take you down into a valley with a small creek running through the bottom. At a spot where the creek pools, they stop and scratch at the leaves covering the ground.

Underneath are three eggs. Two are white with green spots and one’s solid gray. They’re all the size of a basketball.

“You’re riddle said they were small at birth. That’s not really small.”

Norman gives the equivalent of a shrug. You crouch down to lift one and groan. It’s got to be close to fifty pounds.

“I can’t move them all at once,” you say.

The cats glance at each other. “We can’t leave them here. Nightwalk’ll be here soon. He’s a good tracker.”

Do you…

Bb. Construct something to transport all the eggs at once?

or

Bc. Find a hiding place for the eggs while you move one at a time?

Blessings,

Jennifer

(Please post a comment with your choice. One vote per post please but comment as much as you like=) This makes counting votes easier. Voting will end at 8pm Mountain Time Monday. I’ll post whichever option gets the most votes Tuesday and we’ll see how the adventure continues!)

Beings of the Lovely Hills 2

I don’t usually rerun an adventure for at least six months after the initial post. However, I had a wonderful request from some of my readers to see this particular adventure again, which is awesome!

So this one goes out to the Rohman Kids.

Thanks for stopping by=) Read on and vote at the end for how you’d like the adventure to continue but choose wisely, for the world isn’t always as it seems.

Beings of the Lovely Hills

After almost falling asleep behind the wheel on your way home from visiting family, you decide to stop at the next place to rent a room for the night. Miles of road and trees go by before you see a sign advertising the Lovely Hills Resort. Great, a resort. The price will probably be exuberant but it’s better than getting into an accident, so you pull onto the road for the resort and park in front of the lobby, which happens to be a large log cabin with gigantic flower beds lining the front. Sunflowers taller than you grace those beds.

Slinging your pack over your shoulder, you enter the lobby and approach the counter.

“Is there a room available for the night?” you ask.

“Welcome to the Lovely Hills Resort.” The lady behind the counter gives you an empty smile. You wait but she just continues to give you that vapid grin.

“May I have a room?” you ask again.

“Of course,” she grins and hands you a key. No payment, no ‘please sign these papers,’ just a brass key.

“How much do I owe for the night?” you ask.

“Owe? What do you mean?”  Vapid grin.

You let it go. The key’s engraved with a number three. You decide to go look for room three without directions.

Stepping out the back door of the lobby, you find yourself surrounded by tall trees that smell sharply of pine. Three trails covered in wood chips fan out from your feet. There aren’t any signs telling you which way to go, so you simply head down the right hand path.

The day’s ending, so you hope to find room three before the sun sets and leaves you in darkness.

A building appears up ahead to the right of the path. As you draw closer, you see it’s a log cabin with large picture windows, a peaked roof, and a chimney. On the door is a number ten.

Turning around, you head back, realizing the numbering system probably runs left to right from the lobby. Reaching the lobby again, you head off down the left hand path and breathe a sigh of relief when the first cabin you come to displays a brass number one.

Continuing on, you pass number two and finally reach number three. You’re eyes droop with exhaustion. Shoving the door open, you drop your pack onto the floor, close the door and lean against it with a sigh.

The cabin’s furnished with heavy, dark wood furniture with leather cushions and boasts hard wood floors and lush ornate rugs. At this point, you wouldn’t care if it just had a bed and a bathroom.

You trudge to the four poster bed and fall onto it, groaning in pleasure.

You’re just this side of sleep when something brushes your cheek. You brush it away but it returns. Blinking, you find the cabin dark. You must have fallen asleep for a little while. Rolling onto your back, you wait for your eyes to adjust and when they do, you make out a small shape sitting on the bed beside you. Two shiny eyes blink as they watch you.

“Welcome to the resort,” purrs the shape.

“I’m dreaming,” you rub your eyes and look again but the cat’s still there.

“No dream. Just the start to a fabulous journey. Answer me this, human, what’s small at first, winged at birth but feared by all when the end of its life falls?”

“What?” You’re still groggy from lack of sleep. Rubbing your eyes, you protest, “I just stopped in for some sleep. I’m not here to play games.”

The cat chuckles. “You’ll have plenty of time to sleep but you’ve yet to pay for the room. Payment around here takes a different form than money. So answer the riddle.”

Those shiny eyes stare at you unblinkingly. You remind yourself never to have a staring contest with a cat.

“Small at first, winged at birth, feared when it dies?” you mutter, thinking over the riddle. Nothing comes to mind but, as you stare at the talking cat, you realize the answer might not be part of your normal world. You could make up something mythical or just admit you don’t know.

So do you…

A. Make up something?

or

B. Admit you don’t know?

Blessings,

Jennifer

(Please post a comment with your choice. One vote per post please but comment as much as you like=) This makes counting votes easier. Voting will end at 8pm Mountain Time Wednesday. I’ll post whichever option gets the most votes Thursday and we’ll see how the adventure continues!)

Grandma’s Punishment

So Midnight Abyss and the amazing group I’ve gotten to work with continue to challenge me in my writing. We have a tumblr page and for November we decided to write short flash pieces. Short fiction has never been my forte, so flash fiction’s an even greater challenge. The odd part about trying to write these pieces is I’ve found I love it. It forces me to be concise when I’ve always been a wordy writer.

So without further wordiness… here’s Grandma’s Punishment. Hope you enjoy.

Her toes didn’t look right. She’d been watching them for the last five minutes and they’d taken on a greenish color.

Grandma said the candy would turn her into a green bug if she stole a piece while she wasn’t watching. Evelyn always tried to listen but the chocolate truffles were the best. They melted in her mouth.

She’d resisted for two whole minutes before she’d snuck not one, but two of the treats while Grandma’s back was turned.

“Sweety, bring me the flour please.”

Evelyn gulped and brought Grandma the bag of flour. Grandma looked down to take the bag and tisked.

“Really, you had to take two?”

Evelyn looked at her toes but that just reminded her they were green.

“Two turns you into a minnow. Grab a glass and fill it with water before you turn.”

Evelyn barely had the glass full and handed it off to Grandma when the change took over. Looking at Grandma’s big nose through the glass, Evelyn wondered how long she’d wait to change her back. Hopefully not a week this time.

Blessings and have a wonderful weekend.

Jennifer

Taking the Next Step

Some of you have already read this because I wrote it as a guest post for Andrew Hines. However, after having published Midnight Abyss and looking in hindsight, I wouldn’t change anything about the post and I’d like to encourage you all to reach for your dreams by taking them a step at a time.

Taking the Next Step

There’s that look. The one when you say you’re a writer and whoever you’re talking to doesn’t respond except to look at you like you’re nuts.

I’m intimately familiar with that look. Ever since the seventh grade, I’ve wanted to be a writer and while growing up, I’d say so. I always got the, ‘okay, and what else do you want to do?’

So I dabbled in writing for years but never branched out to do anything with it, afraid that, by sharing my writing, I’d only confirm I wasn’t capable of making it my career. I graduated high school, went to college, got married. You know, followed the respectable ‘life plan.’

I like to think my creator hit me upside the head with a two-by-four. He created me with this passion to write. And he used my husband to get me back on track.

About a year ago we moved and my husband suggested I focus on my writing instead of searching for a full time job.

God, did that thought scare me. But it also thrilled the daylights out of me. Tentatively, I started a blog with the idea that I’d use it to ‘thicken’ my skin to the experience of others reading my stories. I’d heard this was the thing to do to build an ‘author platform,’ whatever that meant.

Well, you have to tell people you have a blog. You have to interact. Great-leaping frogs! You mean I have to use Twitter? Well, yes, that’s what needed to happen. So, after working up my nerve, I started posting on Facebook and Twitter. Small beans, baby steps. Whatever you’d like to call it.

Ultimately this lead me to joining a writing site that started talking with me on Twitter. A site called Writer’s Carnival.

That was back in March, I think. Anyway, one thing led to another, in a series of steps I’m not even sure I could outline now, until I was invited to join eight others from the site in publishing a short story anthology.

I personally never would have thought of attempting to self publish. I never thought I had it in me, but now we’re published as of the end of October. It’s my first publication ever.

And none of this would have happened if I hadn’t started the blog. I’ve never even met the other authors of this anthology beyond the internet, yet the interaction with them is what made publication possible for me.

When I started, I couldn’t see past the next post. For the most part, I still can’t. I know many writers who don’t feel like they’re getting anywhere or who think starting a ‘platform’ is a waste of time.

I might have agreed with you a year ago, maybe even a few months ago. I’m not one of those who built a following in a couple months and even now, I don’t have a large following. Many times it simply feels like you’re trudging on. Throwing something into the void with little response.

It’s not true though. The smallest step, posting on Twitter, talking to a complete stranger, whatever the step may be, can lead you to achieving your dream. Whether that dream’s writing like me or singing like Andrew or something else, you probably won’t see the outcome from the next step, but take the step anyway. You never know where it’ll lead.

So I’ll leave you with this one challenge. Think about what you want, what dream really makes your heart beat in excitement, and take one step toward achieving it, even if that step’s only saying hello to someone.

Blessings,

Jennifer

Time Mine Option Aa1: Tell Him About the Taste

Welcome back for the conclusion of our adventure.

Up to this point, you’ve ended up in a some Victorian court wearing clothes for hiking, been invited to a formal dinner and then been mistaken as the King’s new taste tester. You tried the shrimp for him and have decided to tell him it tastes horrible.

Now let’s see what happens!

Time Mine Option Aa1: Tell Him about the Taste

“Well?” the King prompts.

“Well, I don’t feel any effects but honestly, the taste leaves a lot to be desired.” You make a face to emphasize your point.

“It’s bad.” The King hands the plate to the serving woman behind him and demands to have something else.

After another half hour or so, the serving woman returns with what might actually be roasted duck. She sets the plate before you.

“Ewww! Shrimp. How disgusting!” the man beside you exclaims.

After talking with him for the last half hour though, you’re pretty sure he’s just acting crazy, so you send him a half smile as you cut off a small chunk of duck.

Before you can get the bite to your mouth, your hands turn weak and the fork clatters to the floor.

You stare at your fingers as they lengthen and turn skinny, then take on a greenish hue.

The woman to your right screams. It’s an ear splitting sound. You try to cover your ears but it doesn’t work as other strange changes take over your body. Your vision goes topsy turvy  and the table whooshes past your line of sight.

Suddenly, everything settles. You’re still on your chair but the table’s above your head. When you open your mouth to ask what’s happened, a large croak comes out.

“A frog!” shouts the lady to your right. She pulls her shoe off and you’re bunching your muscles to jump away when another set of hands picks you up.

“Now, now Lady Catrina. No need to go killing the poor thing. Give me some time and I might be able to turn the dear back.”

His face is much larger now but you’re sure it’s the man who sat to your left. He hands you off to a dainty pair of hands. After blinking several times to clear your sight, you realize the woman now holding you is the original lady who invited you to dinner.

“Glad I didn’t try the shrimp,” says the king as you’re carried from the hall.

There’s general laughter all around.

***

Over the next several weeks, you come to learn that the man you sat next to at dinner and the woman who invited you work together at an apothecary. They continue to feed you odd potions in hopes of returning you to human form.

One time, they succeed in changing you into a bird but the change doesn’t last and you become froggy again.

Although you can’t really communicate with them, they still tell you what they’re doing and you’ve high hopes that they won’t give up.

The End

Blessings and hope you have a wonderful weekend=)

Jennifer