Writer's Nook
May. 13, 2008
My Story [Part 1] --
Here's a new story that I'm working on. Feedback would be great because I'm trying to decide if I should pursue this story or not.
“So, what's going on today?” a woman walked into the police station of the small town, Vistaff. Long, wavy, chestnut brown hair fell down her back as she flopped down into a chair and started shuffling through papers.
“Ah, Kit. You're here,” a tall man with dark hair rose from the table that he had been sitting at. “We got a call this morning, it looks like there's been a kidnapping.” Kit looked up. “Really? I thought that you said it was boring in this town Dan! You call that boring?”
Dan smiled a little, “Well, I should have said that it is usually boring. This hasn't happened for years. In fact, it hasn't happened at all while I've been here,” he picked up some papers and started fiddling through them. “Here's the what information we could find, it really isn't much.”
Kit got up and walked over to look over his shoulder. “Bethany Jackson, age eighteen, works at High Ridge Stables, estimated kidnapping time six thirty... was on a horse ride? Who would go on a ride that early?”
Dan chuckled. “People that are crazy about horses don't mind the time I guess. Ashley, the owner of the stables, said that she goes on rides at that time every day. Something about being alone with God or something,” he shrugged.
“So you've been to the scene?” Kit questioned.
“Well, we've been to the stables but we haven't done any looking around on the paths. I thought you'd like to be there.”
“Well you thought right! Are we going now?”
“We? I need to stay here and hold down the fort. You can go, there are some of our other people there still.”
“Great!” Kit grabbed her coat and ran out of the door, excited to be on something already. She had been at this police station for only a couple of weeks, though this wasn't the first time she had worked as a police. It had taken a while for her to get to where she was now, it had been something she had dreamed of pretty much all of her life. She had always been bolder than her sister and not nearly as boy-crazy. Kit rolled her eyes as she remembered overhearing her parents talking about her.
“What is wrong with that girl?” her mother asked, exasperated.
“I don't know. Maybe she'll grow out of it,” her father had been at least a little more laid back about the affair.
“But what if she doesn't?” her mother worried again. “What if she never goes out and finds someone? What will happen to her when we're gone? I think you should talk to her.”
“Why don't we give her a little more time? She may not need our urging.”
“Fine and I hope you're right. I guess it wouldn't do any good to talk to her anyway, she's as stubborn as a mule.”
Her father had chuckled. “That she is.”
Kit frowned. Her father had ended up talking to her once, her mother more than once, and her sister constantly would point out boys wherever they went. She wondered at how she had survived it all. Of course her brother liked her more because she didn't follow the usual silly ways of the girls in their neighborhood, and she got along well with him. Her sister and she were so different though that they never had a very close relationship.
She pushed aside the memories for a moment to turn onto a small gravel road that wound its way up the side of a hill. Her mother would never had approved of her bouncing along over a dusty road. Her mother wouldn't, and didn't, approve of anything that she had done. She wanted her to settle down and have kids, not run off to some college in America and become a police detective. She shook her head, as if to scatter the memories like autumn leaves before the wind. Her car came to a stop in front of the stables. There were a few policemen still there, and a few other people. Pushing her half grown bangs away from her face, she stepped out of the car and started towards the knot of people.
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May. 8, 2008
My Story [Part 2] --
“Heya Kit,” a tall brown-haired man waved as she neared them.
“Hey Jeremy,” Kit smiled and glanced around at the buildings. “Is the owner here?”
A short, brown haired woman stepped forward. “That'd be me,” she offered a hand. “I'm Ashley Carroway.”
Kit shook her hand. “Kit Schwester. Daniel sent me to have a look around, mostly at the riding trails.”
Ashley nodded. “Right. Well the trails are down that way, they branch off in quite a few different ways. Beth wrote in the log book that she was taking the red trail. It's marked by a red ribbon.”
“And the horse? It didn't come back?”
“No. I noticed that he wasn't in his stall and that is Beth's horse so I figured that she had gone out with him. The problem was that she was usually back by then. So I went to check the log, I thought maybe she had headed out late and I saw that she had left, as usual, at six thirty.”
“What does the horse look like?”
Ashley motioned for her to follow. “There's a picture of him in the stables.”
As they walked to the main building, Kit looked curiously around at everything. She had never really like horses all that much and so had never been to a stables. Now that she was at one she wanted to get as much information as she could from the experience.
The stable smelled of fresh straw on the inside, and one could hear quiet crunching as the horses ate their hay.
“There, that's Joseph.” Ashley pointed to a picture on the wall of a horse. It had a unique coat, that was for sure. White with black spots, outlined with brown and with grey speckles. “She named him Joseph after the Joseph in the Bible.”
Kit blinked and looked at Ashley. “What?”
“You know, the Joseph with the multi-colored coat that got sold by his brothers?”
Kit shook her head. “No idea what you're talking about,” she turned back to study the picture.
Ashley seemed a little taken aback, but she said nothing more about it. “Did you want to see the paths?”
“Yeah,” Kit stepped away from the picture. “I don't generally care for horses, but that is one nice looking horse. Are there many with that coloring?”
“Nope, that's the first one I've seen with those markings, and I've been around horses for a while.”
Kit glanced at the picture again and then followed Ashley out. Ashley led her to a well worn path that led off towards a patch of wooded land and then pointed. “There's the main path. Follow it down and just keep on it 'till you see another path jutting off that is marked with a red ribbon. That is the path she took.”
“Okay, thanks,” Kit thanked Ashley before setting off down the path. She hadn't gone far when she heard, “Hey, wait up!” She turned around to see Jeremy running towards her.
“What do you think you're doing?” he demanded.
“Dan said that I could check out the path.”
“By yourself? You don't know if kidnappers might still be lurking in there. I'm coming with you.”
“Don't think I can take care of myself huh?” Kit giggled. “Fine, I don't care if you come or go but let's get moving whatever we do.”
“What do you think you're going to find?” Jeremy quired as they entered the woods.
“Well, we could see where exactly she was kidnapped. Luckily for us it rained not too long ago so the mud should have some hints. Like how many people there might have been and just other little things.”
“Ah, I see,” Jeremy stuck his hands in his pockets and strode along beside Kit, looking as serious as he could. He was twenty and had just finished his police training. He and Kit hadn't spent much time together but they were already better friends than Kit had been with any other guy. Kit thought him the only guy that was tolerable to be around for any length of time, most of the time men got on her nerves, but he was different.
The woods were quiet, broken now and then by the song of a bird. The path was very clear and large. The ground was smooth, or it would have been if it weren't muddy. There were hoof prints very clearly marked on the ground and Kit kept her eyes on them as they walked. They swerved off after a little while and when Kit looked up she saw that they entered a path marked with a red ribbon. Without a word she kept after the hoof prints. This path had thicker growth around it and Kit kept her wits about her as they made their way deeper and deeper into the woods. The hoof prints began getting farther apart, Kit knew that the horse had been running. Jeremy had noticed too, though as soon as he did he started looking around more, making sure that nothing would sneak up on them. The prints came to an abrupt halt and were trampled over with shoes, more than one tread too. It looked like there had been a bit of a struggle, but then the prints led off of the path. Kit dove into the underbrush, looking cautiously around before looking back at the tracks. They led away, horse prints and three different shoe treads. The shoes were large, definitely that of a man, and one set had sunk farther into the soft ground than the others. Kit pointed at this set.
“See that? What do you notice that is different about those?”
Jeremy knelt down quickly, clearly eager to show that he was just as good at tracking as Kit. “Um... this one has little squiggly marks instead of dots on the tread!” He looked up eagerly.
Kit nodded and knelt beside him. “Yes, what is something else?”
Jeremy studied the prints and then shook his head. “I don't know,” he said, looking abashed.
“They've sunk into the ground more than the others.”
“Oh! So he must be fatter!”
Kit fought the urge to laugh as she shook her head. “That could be true, but what is more likely is that he's carrying the kidnapped girl. I don't see any footprints that could be a girls either.”
Jeremy's shoulders sagged. “Oh.”
“It takes a while to get good at tracking,” Kit tried to comfort him. “They don't focus much on that subject at the training center you went to. I was at the same one for a little bit, and it just takes practice,” she patted him on the back and stood up. “Look on the bright side, you had the sense not to stomp all over the tracks.”
Jeremy chuckled. “I guess so. But everyone knows not to mess up clues.”
“Come on, let's see how far these tracks lead.”
They followed the tracks only for a moment or two more, for they ended up disappeared into thick grass.
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May. 6, 2008
How
Here's another song that I'm working on. Feedback would be much appreciated for any of my songs as I'm still a bit new to song writing. Any suggestions are welcome!
How
How is it,
That you can see my pain?
How is it,
That you can see through the mask,
That I so carefully created?
You know how I feel,
You knew how I'd feel,
Before I was born,
How is that?
CHORUS
You are all I need,
To fill the hole in my heart,
You were everything I needed,
To cease the aching deep inside.
So long I've tried,
To cover my sin,
So long I've tried,
To run away from all the,
Problems in my life,
Act like nothings wrong,
Just hide behind my smile,
And hope that it's enough,
But knowing I needed something more.
CHORUS
I didn't know,
That You were waiting for me,
I didn't know,
That You were knocking,
Just waiting for me to open the door,
Let You in, surrender myself,
To Your love, Your grace,
So that You could fill me to the brim,
You wanted to show me that.
CHORUS
So finally I let you in,
And I knew at once that,
I wouldn't have to hide anymore,
You had taken over my life,
Washed me whiter than snow,
Now I can never me ashamed,
Because you are my king,
And I have something to live for,
All along you were all I needed.
CHORUS
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May. 4, 2008
Help Me Lord
Here is a new song I'm working on:
Help Me Lord
Trapped, but so eager to break free,
Wanna tell all about me change,
Can't get through the door,
Get tongue-tied, can't breath either.
What looks so easy for some,
Is harder than a brick wall for me,
What is the matter with me?
CHORUS
Look down and help me Lord,
I'm sinking under the waves,
I'm trembling and frightened,
This isn't my home and I'm lost,
I need Your sustaining touch.
Why can't I just move forward?
I want to get on, give it my all,
But how can I when I'm chained down,
Knees knocking and throat too dry to speak,
The world tells me NO,
They don't want me to spread the good news.
CHORUS
So here I am stuck,
Can't move forward,
But don't wanna go back,
To the life I led before.
I drop to my knees,
Fold my hands and pray,
I need Your help Father.
CHORUS
And he comes to me,
Lifts me up and bears me through,
Shows me I have nothing to fear,
I step out, knowing He's with me all the way.
Together we can tell storm the castle,
I will not fall far with Him at my side,
He's always there, ready to catch me.
He looked down and helped me,
I'm no longer sinking, I flying,
He stopped my trembling, He gave me a boldness,
My way is clear before me,
And always his touch sustains me.
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Apr. 28, 2008
My Story [Part 3] --
They were about to head back when Kit saw something on the grass. She walked over and inspected it carefully without touching it. It was a red handkerchief. There wasn't anything interesting about it but Kit dug a plastic bag out of her pocket. She picked it up and then tied a secure knot before stuffing it into her pocket. “Well, we'll see what it has for us back at headquarters. See anything else?”
Jeremy scanned the area and then shook his head. “Nope, nothing out of the ordinary.”
Kit nodded. “That's it, there isn't anything else so we'll head back,” she started back to the path and soon they were on their way back to the stables. They were halfway there when Kit got that strange feeling that people get when they're being watched. She glanced sideways at the brush on the side of the trail, but didn't slow her pace. She didn't want there to be any signs that she had noticed whatever or whoever it was. Nothing looked out of the ordinary but the feeling didn't go away. She looked over at Jeremy, curious to see if he had noticed anything. She could tell that he had for he wasn't loping along at his usual carefree pace, he kept jumping at every sound and gawking into the woods. He saw Kit looking at him and started to say something. Kit raised a finger to her lips and nodded. “I know,” she whispered as she stopped to listen. Someone was definitely there, she knew it, and they didn't want to be seen. She loosened the strap on her gun, making sure it would come out quickly and easily when she wanted it. A twig snapped and Kit dove towards the noise.
There was a rustling noise as a shadow started barreling away. It was a man, tall and thickly built but it wasn't bright enough to see anything else. “Stop!” Kit called, running for the retreating form.
Jeremy was close behind her, breathing hard with excitement. They ran for a while but the shadow soon disappeared, it had had a head start and was much faster than either of them.
Kit stopped and let out an annoyed breath. Looking back at Jeremy, who was clearly disappointed, she said, “Well, that's that. He didn't want to be caught, that's for sure. The sooner we get back to report the better,” with that she began wading through the bracken again.
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Apr. 24, 2008
My Story [Part 4] --
Together Jeremy and Kit made their way back to the stables, where Ashley was grooming a horse. Kit walked up slowly, looking somewhat nervously at the horse. She halted when she was still a few yards away.
“Oh,” Ashley glanced over her shoulder and smiled at her. “Find what you needed?”
Kit shrugged. “Found a little but not much that will help us.”
“You can come closer you know, this is one of the sweetest horses here,” she smiled and patted the great beast's shoulder.
Yeah, I've heard that before. Kit smiled back at Ashley and walked closer, determined not to look afraid. Fear was a weakness, something that she couldn't have. She forced herself to stand next to Ashley, which was right next to the horse.
“This is Zach. He's a big baby,” Ashley played with Zach's mane. “Maybe sometime you could come out and ride with us.”
Kit let out a nervous laugh. “Nah, I don't think so. I just...” she struggled to think of a good excuse. “I just am really busy with work and all,” she finished lamely.
“Ah,” Ashley looked as if she knew the real reason but changed the subject as she untied Zach. “So what kinds of things did you find? I always thought that it was neat the way some people can just go out, look at the ground, and tell all sorts of things,” Ashley spoke as she led Zach to the pasture gate.
Kit walked next to her, keeping as far away from the horse as possible without raising questions. “Well, we found that there were three kidnappers, that the girl had been carried away from the scene, and that the horse had been led away too. I'm guessing that Bethany saw the people or suspected something because there was a stretch where the horse was running, and where they stopped it looked like there had been a struggle. Then all of them went off into the brush. We found a handkerchief too,” Kit patted her pocket. “Did Bethany use an handkerchief?”
Ashley opened the gate and let Zach trot out to the other horses. Once she had closed the gate she looked at Kit and shook her head as she leaned against the fence. “Not that I know of.”
Jeremy came up suddenly from behind Kit. “Then maybe one of the kidnappers had a cold!” He grinned before turning to Kit. “Just got a call from base, Dan says that as soon as we're done to head back.”
“Alright then,” Kit glanced at Ashley. “You may want to keep an eye out, be extra careful and all that, we saw someone on the way back here. He got away but it seems pretty strange for him to be hanging around when that had just happened. I'd suggest that you don't go riding in the woods for a little, and I don't believe it would be a good idea for anyone to go out alone anywhere. Besides that, there isn't really anything else interesting so I'll be heading out. Good day.”
Ashley walked with Kit halfway to her car before forking off for her house. Kit sighed as she got into her car and slammed the door. “Well, this is more than I expected. Nothing like boring this, it's perfect,” she smiled contentedly, glad to have something for her active brain to work on for a while.
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Apr. 22, 2008
My Story [Part 5] --
After her full day, Kit was glad to retire to her apartment. It wasn't very large, one room served for her bedroom, kitchen, and living room. Against one wall was shoved her bed, which could fold up into a couch. She had a desk against the opposite wall, on it sat her computer and near the desk was a smaller table that held a small television. Next to her television there was a carefully stacked pile of movies. Her whole room was tidy and clean, for she hated anything to be out of order.
She let out an exhausted sigh as she flopped down onto her bed with a sandwich, grabbed the remote control, and started flipping through channels. It only took a few minutes for her to find that there wasn't anything worth watching on TV and so she stretched herself out on the bed to stare at the ceiling. There wasn't anything amazing about it really, it was white and bumpy, but she enjoyed staring at it and trying to find pictures like others tried to find in clouds. She had already found a bear and a tree, but tonight she wasn't feeling very creative, she had been racking her brain all day and was finding it to be rather annoying that she couldn't untangle much of what was going on. Dan had told her not to worry about it, that the first day usually didn't yield too much, but she couldn't help but be irritated. She had always had a quick mind and most of the time she could puzzle things out pretty quickly.
After lying still for a moment she felt better. Her hand groped for a book that she always kept next to her bed, and at length she found it. It was a thick book, the front proclaimed it to be “The Adventures and Memoirs of Sherlock Holmes”, one of her favorite things to read. She loved how Holmes could always figure things out that seemed impossible to, and she always felt a glow of satisfaction whenever she was able to figure out some of the mysteries too. Her mind was soon wholly emerged in the tale, she was no longer laying on her bed, she was there with Holmes, trying to put the pieces together.
A ray of sunlight filtered through the blinds of Kit's window, revealing her sleeping peacefully on her bed, a book lying open on her chest. All was quite except for the sweet song of the finch just outside the window. It was just at the peek of its song when a loud and insistent beeping broke in, startling the creature and sending it fluttering away. The alarm clock blared for a few moments before Kit's eyes half opened and a growl escaped her. She slapped her hand down on the clock, pressing the button and turning it off. She blinked dully at the book that lay on her, one of the pages bent and rumpled. She was a little confused about how it had gotten there, but then she quickly picked it up and smoothed down the page, grumbling to herself. “Good Kit, go to sleep in the middle of reading and just about ruin your book. Good one.” She book the book back where it belonged with care and stumped into the kitchen for something to eat.
A container of yogurt and a piece of toast was procured but as she sat down at her desk the phone rang. Kit reached over and picked it up. “Hello?”
“Kit?” it was Dan.
“No,” Kit smiled faintly as she started to pull her toast apart and mix it into her yogurt. “Its her mother.”
“Ha ha. Listen Kit, I just got word that they need my help down at the other office in Glenton. I'll need you to be here to keep an eye on things while I'm gone.”
Kit spooned some of the yogurt and toast mixture into her mouth and munched it slowly. “How long will you be gone?”
“Just a day or two.”
“When do I need to be in?”
“Like now, I want to leave as soon as possible.”
“Okay, I'm on my way,” Kit hung the phone up and ran to the bathroom to brush her hair. Some days she was very happy to have long hair, but other days she felt like taking the scissors to it herself. This was one of those days. She ripped through her hair hastily, ignoring her scalp's complaints, muttering to herself in her home language as she did so. Ack, Sie sind so ein Schmerz manchmal! She was soon on her way to the door though, grabbing for her half-eaten breakfast and strapping on her gun as she went.
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Apr. 22, 2008
My Story [Part 6] --
“What is that?” Was the incredulous question that met Kit's ears as she sat down at the police station with her breakfast. She twisted in her chair to see Jeremy contemplating her yogurt mixture with a look of disgust.
“Yogurt with toast in it,” she replied simply, stirring up and beginning to eat.
Jeremy sat down at his desk next to hers, still looking at her breakfast but with more of a curious look now. “Where'd you get that idea?”
“This is how my family would always eat our yogurt and toast,” she looked up with a mischievous smile as she asked, “Where'd you Americans get the idea of mixing granola and yogurt?”
Jeremy grinned, “I see your point. What else do you eat that is different from our food?”
Kit scraped the last of the yogurt out of the bowl and set it to the side. “We ate plenty of stuff that is different from your food but we need to get to work,” she began picking through the papers on her desk. Jeremy was fun to talk to, but it could also be a little annoying when she was trying to work. She was serious about her work and once she started on something she didn't like to be interrupted with anything, sometimes even going without a meal or two. Jeremy on the other hand liked having diversions and thought that everyone else felt the same way. There were some other policemen that felt the same way, but then there were some like Kit, who would get downright angry with Jeremy and his chatter. Kit wasn't the kind to vent her feelings very much, she kept them locked up, figuring that it was better that way.
Jeremy took her hint and kept quiet for a while. He glanced up every now and then from his work to see Kit studiously reading a report, or scratching something down on a piece of paper. Kit was glad for this, and soon forgot him completely when she remembered that she still needed to write a report about her check of the kidnapping scene. She pulled her laptop out of its drawer and began tapping away at a great pace on the keys.
"Visited the crime scene at High Ridge Stables on the Red Trail. Talked to Ashley Carroway. Found tracks of Bethany Jackson's horse, tracks of three men, signs of a struggle, and then tracks leading off of the right side of the trail."
Why did things like this have to happen? Yes, she enjoyed solving things like this but why would someone kidnap a girl? What made people like that? Kit sighed as she kept typing.
"The tracks led to an area of grass and there they were lost. Found a red handkerchief. On the way back a man was sighted in a black pullover. He was pursued but got away."
So they don't do it for enjoyment do they? They must live in constant fear of being discovered. But if that is true then why?
Kit put her head in her hands and let out a shaky breath. It was one of those days, she felt bothered by what was going on in the world. She wanted answers not only to the questions that her case raised but to why these things even needed to happen. Next the question of what she was here for entered her mind. How many times had she grappled with that question? Too many for her to count, that was certain. I'm here to help people out. She reminded herself again, trying to make herself believe that that was her purpose, but not quite succeeding. An overwhelming wave of emptiness washed over her. She didn't have anyone here, this wasn't even her country, and she felt lonely despite the fellow workers around her. This is my county now. She squeezed her eyes shut and clenched her jaw shut. But is this all that I'm here for? There has to be something more right?
Kit started violently as she felt a tap on her shoulder. Jeremy was standing next to her with a puzzled expression on his face as he held out the phone. “Um, it's Sadie Carroway from High Ridge Stables.”
“Oh, thanks Jeremy,” she took the phone and pressed it against her ear, shoving her thoughts away for a while. “Kit Schwester.”
“Hey Kit,” Sadie's voice sounded nervous over the phone. “Could you come over? We had some things stolen and I saw a man run out of the stables when I was going out earlier to feed the horses.”
“Really? What did he look like?” Kit asked excitedly, wondering if it was the same person that she and Jeremy had seen at the trail.
“Well, it was hard to tell. He had a black hoodie on.”
“Was he tall? Stocky?”
“Yeah, have you seen him?”
“He just might be the same guy we saw snooping around by the trail yesterday.”
“Ah, well are you coming over?”
“Of course, I'll be there in a few,” Kit hung up the phone and walked over to a man whose sandy colored head was bent over a paper. “Sam.”
The man looked up. “Eh? What?”
“I just got from High Ridge Stables and I need to head over there. Could you just keep an eye on things until I get back?”
Sam shrugged and bent over his paper again. “Sure.”
Kit ignored his gruff manner, he was always like that and she had learned not to mind it.
At the stables again she stepped out of her warm car into a chilly mist. She zipped her jacket up as she walked to the house. It was a pleasant looking little country house, white and two stories tall. She heard a low growl as she ascended the porch steps and she looked up to see a medium sized, black dog. It's brown eyes watched her every move and at first she wasn't sure if she should continue forward or not. She wasn't too keen on any kind of animal, but wasn't afraid of any but horses. When her brother had moved out of the house he had gotten a fine hunting dog. Bud and Kit had gotten along pretty well and she had learned a lot about dogs from him. Seeing that the black dog was no longer growling, Kit extended a fist cautiously towards the dog for it to sniff. He leaned forward and snuffed her hand for a moment and then he licked it, thumping his tail a little. She patted him with a smile. “All bark no bite eh?” Kit chuckled before going to the door and ringing the doorbell. As she waited the dog came over and pressed its cold nose against her hand. She allowed it to shove its head under her hand and began scratching it. The curtain of the window next to the door moved a little and then Kit heard the lock on the door being undone. Sadie appeared as the door opened with a smile on her face.
“Glad you came,” she glanced down at her dog. “His name is Bosco.”
“He's a nice dog,” Kit smiled for a moment before turning serious. “So what was stolen?”
“A saddle and a pair of boots. I know it seems like nothing but they both belong to one of the girls that work here. Also, the picture of her horse was stolen.”
Kit leaned back on the balls of her feet. “I see. Did the man have gloves on?”
Sadie nodded.
“Yeah, I figured they would. May I see the barn?”
“Sure,” Sadie reached in and locked her door before leading the way to the barn. Bosco got up and trotted next to her and Kit came up on her other side. They were about halfway to the barn when they turned around at the sound of a car pulling up.
Sadie relaxed a little. “That's Annette Woodworth. She's the one that had her stuff stolen. I called her to let her know and she said that she would be coming over.”
Kit watched as a girl emerged from the car. Her brown hair was pulled back in a tight braid and freckles decked her face. Her mouth curled into a smiled as she approached them. “Hiya! You must be Kit, Ashley told me about you. I'm Annette,” she extended a hand which Kit shook.
“Yes, I'm Kit. I understand that you are the one who had your things stolen.”
“Mhm,” Annette frowned. “It's a shame really because I was given that saddle by my father who had gotten it from his father. It is a family tradition, but since there weren't any boys in our family I got it.”
“Well, I'll definitely do my best to see that you get it back,” Kit started towards the barn again. “Have you had any arguments with anyone?”
“Nope, I'm not in the habit of running around arguing with people,” Annette grinned.
Kit was a bit surprise by Annette's lighthearted chatter, she had expected to find a frightened or at least annoyed girl wondering what was going on. This wasn't anything like what she had expected.
“Would you like to see Chester?” Annette broke into Kit's thoughts.
“Chester?” Kit raised an eyebrow.
“Yes, he's my horse. I came here to give him a good brushing and maybe ride him around the indoor arena.”
“Uh, sure. But I thought you said your saddle was gone?”
Annette shrugged. “It is true that I prefer a saddle, but I like riding bareback about as much, though I don't trust the rascal not to try something out of the arena,” she chuckled.
In the barn, Sadie pointed to a saddle rack that had a space on it. “That's where Annette's saddle was, and her boots were right under it. Chester's picture used to be on the corner of the board there.”
Kit did a quick check for fingerprints but found none. When she straightened Annette put her head to the side. “Find anything?”
Kit shook her head. “No, not a thing.”
Annette frowned a little but then suggested that Kit come see her horse. “He's really handsome and loves company,” she urged.
Kit finally gave in and followed Annette as she walked down a long aisle of stalls. “He's in that stall,” Annette pointed but kept moving. “I'm going to get him a treat real quick though. Feel free to pet him though, he's the sweetest horse ever.”
Kit walked up to the stall door and looked in. There stood a tall bright reddish brown horse with a neat white blaze running down his face. He looked like a Chester. She went closer to get a better look at something that caught her eye. What was that on his nose? There were two red dots right on the tip of his nose. He came forward and pressed his nose against the bars of his stall, obviously trying to get Kit to pet him. She reached a very unsure hand out to rub his forehead but her hand ran down to his nose after a moment to gently touch the two red spots. “Annette?”
“Yuppers!” Annette came up with two treats in her hand.
“What is this?” Kit pointed to the two marks on Chester's nose.
Annette reached out quickly to examine it, gasped, and then shot off running without saying a word. Kit was stunned and wondered what to do. Fortunately she didn't have to decide because both Annette and Sadie came running back, Annette carrying a first air box. “What's going on?” Kit asked, stepping back to make room for the frantic Annette.
Sadie, who had been examining Chester's nose, looked nervous also. “He must have gotten bit by a snake, and a poisonous one at that since there are only two holes.”
Kit watched Annette as she wiped a wet rag over Chester's nose. “Wouldn't it be sore though? Or puffed up?” Kit mused.
Sadie shrugged. “Not if it just happened, though I would think it would be tender. He seems to be enjoying having his nose scrubbed though.”
Annette stopped washing all of a sudden. Her back was towards Kit, so she couldn't see her face, but she was shaking. Sadie stepped forward and put a hand over Annette's shoulder but then she seemed to freeze too. Kit, by this time, was getting pretty curious, and so she moved a little to the side to see what they were looking at. For a moment Kit couldn't see anything that would make them act like that, then she blinked and stared at Chester's nose. There was nothing there! Her brow furrowed and she walked up to Annette, who was giggling as she held the washcloth.
“It was just marker,” Sadie explained for Annette, who was wholly unable to speak as she began to laugh.
“Marker?” Kit echoed. “But who would put marker on a horse?”
“Someone who wants to frighten someone else by making them think that their horse has been bitten,” Sadie was more serious than Annette. “But who and why? This is Annette's horse, only Annette's things were taken...”
Kit shook her head an frowned. “Someone definitely wants to shake her up.”
Annette took a deep breath to control herself, though her face still showed that she thought the situation very funny. “Well they aren't doing a very good job are they? Just look at me! They're making me shake from laughing!” She started giggling again as she got the grooming things out and started to brush Chester.
Kit and Sadie didn't seem as amused as they walked to the front of the barn.
“I don't like it,” Sadie hugged herself.
“Nor I,” Kit looked back at Annette. “I don't think she should be out here alone. Kidnappers have been known to stalk people before kidnapping them and I don't want another kidnapping to occur.”
Sadie nodded. “I'll be sure that she isn't,” she promised.
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Apr. 18, 2008
My Story [Part 7] --
“I don't like it,” Sadie hugged herself.
“Nor I,” Kit looked back at Annette. “I don't think she should be out here alone. Kidnappers have been known to stalk people before kidnapping them and I don't want another kidnapping to occur.”
Sadie nodded. “I'll be sure that she isn't,” she promised. “And I'll pray too.”
Kit let a small smile come to her lips as she nodded her head a little, looking confused. “Yeah, um,” she let out a nervous laugh. “Whatever makes you feel better,” she clasped her hands behind her back and looked out into the woods, scuffing her feet on the ground slightly.
Sadie looked curiously at Kit. “Have you ever prayed?”
Kit shook her head, a shadow of the earlier smile coming back. “Nah, just isn't my thing.”
“Do you have any beliefs?”
“I believe in myself.”
Sadie frowned. “Don't you believe in something else?”
Kit studied Sadie from the corner of her eye as she slowly replied, “No.”
“How can you be a police, putting your life on the line, and not know what would happen if you did died?”
Kit looked away for a moment then turned to face Sadie. “I need to go, there's a lot of things that I need to get done,” she started towards her car briskly, calling over her shoulder as she went, “Just call if anything else happens.”
Kit got shakily into her car and slammed the door shut. Sadie was still standing at the door of the barn, watching Kit with a strange expression on her face. Kit ignored her and pulled out of the driveway. As she drove down the gravel road she passed a car. Glancing over at the driver out of habit she found that she couldn't see the the person's face. A hat was pulled low over it, but brownish blond hair could easily be seen flowing down over her shoulders. She didn't look much older than Kit, maybe even a little younger. Kit slowed a little and looked over her shoulder to see the car pull up to the stables and Sadie wave to the girl as she got out. Kit returned her attention to the road and her thoughts turned to what Sadie had been saying. She hadn't felt so uncomfortable in a while, she had felt like a turtle out of its shell.
Kit gripped the steering wheel tighter and took a deep breath, looking around for something to distract herself with. A sign on the side of the road announced McDonalds iced coffee and she turned into the drive through. Coffee was something that always seemed to cheer her up, though she could never have more than a cup a day or else she'd be bouncing off the walls. Once she had gotten her coffee she started off for the station, sipping her drink. Her mind was now on the it, how she would like it to have a little more sugar and how it was a bit too weak. She set it in the cup holder, planning to add sugar to it as soon as she had parked, for she always kept sugar packets in her glove box for such occasions.
As soon as she had finished touching up the coffee she pushed her seat back and took her time sipping it, her eyes half closed in contentment. She allowed her mind to wander to the Sherlock Holmes story she had fallen asleep in the middle of the night before. He was trying to figure out how a girl had mysteriously died. She kept hearing a strange whistling noise at night and then one night her sister had heard a scream and as the girl lay dying she said something about a speckled band. Then some time later her sister moved into the same room that her sister had been in and began hearing the same whistles. Terrified, she had come to Mr. Holmes, and now he had to figure out what was going on.
A loud pounding on the window brought her back to reality, almost causing her to drop of coffee. She sat up quickly and stared out of it at Jeremy. She rolled the window down and looked at him quizzically. “What?”
Jeremy grinned. “Just wanted to see you jump, and also thought I should let you know that Dan called and said he's on his way back. Didn't think you'd want to be caught loafing around.”
Kit got out of the car and frowned. “I wasn't loafing. I was taking a break, resting the brain. It helps to figure things out easier,” she lost her frown as she spoke and ended with giving Jeremy a friendly shove as she trotted back into the station.
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Mar. 31, 2008
My Story [Part 8] --
At the end of the day Jeremy approached Kit, looking a little nervous. He came up in front of her with his hands behind his back, shifting his weight back and forth. He opened his mouth as if to say something, but closed it again, as if he didn't know what to say.
Kit eyed him suspiciously, being at a loss for words just wasn't him. She raised an eyebrow and cocked her head to the side. “What're you up to?”
“I, uh,” Jeremy looked at his feet. “I was wondering if you'd like to go out for dinner or something.”
Kit's eyes widened in surprise but a grin started to pull at her lips. “Nah, I don't like restaurants.”
Jeremy looked at her, surprised, but then suggested, “Maybe I could make you dinner then?”
Kit had heard of Jeremy's cooking, she had seen it herself. He had brought her a plate of cookies once. They had been quite burnt. “How about I make you dinner? You seemed interested in German food earlier so maybe I could show you some of our stuff?”
Jeremy grinned, showing not a little relief at her offer. “That sounds great,” he quickly agreed.
“How about tomorrow? Six?”
“Sounds great. See ya then!” Jeremy strode off, clearly pleased with his success.
Kit watched him leave with a smile and then shook her head as she got into her car.
The next day passed uneventfully and Kit hurried home after work to start dinner. She had had trouble adjusting to the idea of making a large dinner, as Jeremy was doubtless used to like most Americans. She had been brought up having large lunches and small dinners, and had continued that way of eating when she moved.
Kit pulled some potatoes out of the cabinet and started slicing, tossing the slices into a large pot of water as she went. Carrots, cabbage, and turnips followed, along with a few spices. She left it to simmer while she chopped cooked beef to throw in too. A glance at the clock told her that she had an hour before she could expect Jeremy to arrive, plenty of time to finish the meal. In the refrigerator lay a cheesecake, something she had mastered thanks to her mother. Her first had been a failure, but after more practice she had gotten the hang of it.
At six fifteen a know sounded at the door. Kit opened it with a playful smile. “You're late.”
Jeremy smiled back at her. “Sorry about that, but I had to stop by the store to grab these,” he proffered a bouquet of flowers.
“Thanks,” Kit took the flowers and sniffed them. She turned quickly around to hide a disgusted face as she wrinkled her nose. The flowers, instead of having the sweet scent that she had expected, held a rather displeasing fishy aroma.
“Do you like them?” Jeremy's worried voice sounded, clearly telling Kit that this was no joke.
“Y... yes,” she turned to flash him a quick smile. “Please come in, I'll just put these in a vase right quick.”
Jeremy seemed satisfied with her reply as he walked in. He looked around the room curiously and then sniffed the air. “Mmm... that smells good! What is it?”
Kit set the flowers in a cup of water as she replied, “Stew. Where did you get these flowers?”
“At the gas station down the road. It was the closest place and I was running late."
“Ah, just wondering,” Kit set the flowers on the counter.
Jeremy walked over and grinned as he sniffed at the flowers. He jumped back, covering his nose as he did so. "The flowers! They smell like, like,"
"Fish," Kit offered helpfully.
"Yeah!" Jeremy rubbed his nose. "See if I get flowers there again! I'm sorry, I didn't mean for them to smell like that."
Kit shook her head. "That's okay," she motioned to the futon, with she had pulled up into a couch. “You can sit down, dinner'll be done in a minute.” Jeremy nodded and flopped onto the futon, watching Kit as she stirred the stew and then lifted the spoon to her mouth experimentally. “Perfect,” she whispered to herself.
Soon she and Jeremy were sitting comfortably on the futon with large bowls of stew. She had pulled out a bag of her homemade rolls and she dug in now hungrily. Jeremy stirred his stew carefully and then tasted it cautiously. He finished the spoonful and then smacked his lips.
“It tastes as good as it smells, that's for sure!”
“You sounds pretty surprised,” Kit looked at him mischievously.
Jeremy jumped a little. “No! No, that's not what I meant!” He looked genuinely distressed for a moment before he saw that it was a joke. “Okay, haha, very funny,” he frowned and poked at his stew.
“Well I'm glad you like it because I don't have anything else prepared and people that don't eat their dinner don't get dessert,” she grinned.
“Dessert! Now that's just great! What is it?”
“It's a surprise.”
“Aw,” Jeremy sighed and leaned back. “Oh well, I'll just enjoy this for now then. What's in it?”
“Well, some carrots, potatoes, turnips, cabbage,” Kit stopped as Jeremy sat quickly up and stared at his bowl.
“Cabbage?! Turnips?! How, how did you get them to taste so good? My grandma always made me stuff like that and I never liked it,” he tried another bite of the stew. “I can't even taste it!”
Kit shrugged. “How should I know what your grandmother did wrong? Then again, some people just aren't as good at cooking as I am,” she laughed merrily and Jeremy joined her.
“So,” Jeremy asked as Kit sliced the cheesecake. “What do you do for fun around here?”
“Well, I like to read mostly,” Kit nodded towards her pile of books. “And then I watch movies sometimes too,” she wiped the pieces of cheesecake off of the knife she had been using and licked her finger off. She set a piece of cake on two plates and handed one to Jeremy, who started eating right away.
“Mmm... cheesecake is one of my favorites,” he said as he took his first bite.
Kit nodded. “I can tell. So what do you do for fun?”
“Mess around on the computer, draw, listen to music. I like to work on electronics sometimes too.”
“That's neat. I liked to draw once, I kinda got out of it when I started working though.”
For a while nothing was said as the savored the sweetness of the cheesecake, and when they had finished they just sat, wondering what to talk about.
“So...” Jeremy made an attempt to start some conversation. “How is your family?”
“They're fine,” Kit chuckled. “And yours?”
“Good. They're good. Um... have you done anymore on the kidnapping?”
Kit shook her head. “No, I haven't heard anything from Sadie and I can't come up with any conclusions with more clues.”
Jeremy nodded. “Well I'm sure you'll figure it out eventually. What do you,” he was cut off as his cell phone rang. He pulled it out of his pocket, frowning as he did so. “Hello... yeah.... no... what? Oh... mhm... no I... fine,” he hung up, grumbling. “I have to go, Dan's case has had a development and he wants me to go with him to get more experience.”
Kit rose and shook his hand. “Well I'll see you tomorrow then. Have fun.”
Jeremy nodded and shuffled over to the door. “Yeah, g'bye. We'll have to get together again, this was fun.”
Kit nodded. “Yes it was. Bye!”
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Mar. 29, 2008
My Story [Part 9] --
Ring... ring... ring... ring! Kit moaned and cracked open an eye as her phone rang insistently. She groped for the phone, yawning wide before answering it. She recognized Dan's voice and she sat up to keep from going back to sleep.
“Kit? Are you there?”
“Yeah I'm here.”
“You sound as if you've been asleep,” Dan's voice sounded puzzled.
“Well yeah, that's what I usually do at six in the morning.”
She heard a chuckle. “Well Sadie just called and you'd better be heading up to the stables.”
“Now?” Kit got up, afraid she would resume the sleep the had been so abruptly interrupted if she sat on the soft futon a moment longer. “What happened?”
“Sadie'll fill you in when you get there but hurry, don't fall back asleep.”
“I won't I won't, bye.”
Kit stumbled into the bathroom to splash some water on her face. This invigorated her and she finished dressing with much more enthusiasm. She put some coffee on while she ate a piece of toast and an apple. As soon as her coffee was done she poured it into her thermos and hurried out of her room.
Outside the sky was just beginning to turn pink on the horizon, but she didn't notice as she started for High Ridge Stables once again. There were four cars parked near the barn, one she recognized as Jeremy's, and another she was pretty sure was Annette's. The strong coffee was now working on her, she no longer felt half asleep, she was fully awake and ready for the day. She hopped out of the car and followed low voices to inside the barn. There she saw Jeremy and Sadie talking softly. She could also see Annette grooming her horse and a couple other girls doing the same. Sadie had noticed Kit by this time and she came over quickly.
“I'm glad you're here. I came out at five thirty to groom my horse and I nearly ran right into some guy who was right inside the barn door! He made as if he were going to try and catch me but Bosco went crashing into him. Bosco gave him a bite on the leg and the guy took off! I must say it shook me up,” Sadie leaned against the wall and let out a sigh.
Kit took a deep breath. This was definitely turning into something interesting. She was about to start asking the usual, “did you see what he looked like” questions but then something struck her. “Do you usually go out so early?”
Sadie smiled a little and shook her head. “No, and that's something else. Annette is the one that is usually here really early. She was a little late today because her alarm clock decided not to go off.”
Kit looked over at Annette as she fed Chester and chatted with one of the other girls. “Could you make out anything about the man?”
“Well, he was short, white-skinned, and had brown eyes. I couldn't see anything else though,” she followed Kit's gaze. “She was a little shaken at first but she's recovered her spirits again. Nothing keeps her down for long.”
Kit nodded. “I can tell. How many people come here to work?”
“Oh about twelve come here. Some just work, some stable their horses.”
The door creaked and Kit turned to see a girl slip in. She recognized her as the same girl she had seen driving to the stables yesterday. Her hair was loose and hung past her shoulders to the middle of her back and she had the same hat pulled down low over her face. She didn't look up at Kit when she walked over to Sadie and held out a piece of paper.
“Sadie, this is for you.” Her voice was soft, Kit barely caught her words. It didn't help that she didn't look one full in the face either, she would raised her head and met Sadie's eyes for a moment and then she dropped her eyes again.
Sadie didn't seem surprised at her behavior, and spoke as briskly as ever as she took the paper, “Thanks Haley. Who is it from?”
“I don't know,” Haley shook her head. “It was a man.”
“What did he look like?” Kit pressed into the conversation eagerly, hoping for a clue.
Haley turned her head a little to study Kit. As she did, Kit caught sight of her eyes and was taken aback by the deep sorrow that lingered there. Haley noticed Kit's study of her face and lowered her head quickly, hiding her eyes behind the brim of her hat. “He was tall and had a jacket on with the hood up. He left it on Sadie's car and ran. I though I should bring it in since the wind is picking up,” she still spoke with a softness that made her voice hard to catch, but Kit was able to make out her words.
Sadie, who had unfolded the paper, now held it up for Kit to see. “What do you think of that?”
Kit read the single line that was scrawled across the crumpled paper.
“Look in the woods.”
Kit shook her head. “Well, I guess we have a clue. Me and Jeremy will go out and have a look around.”
“Alright, be careful though.”
“You too. See you in a few,” Kit walked out of the barn with Jeremy close behind her.
“So what do you think is going on?” He questioned.
“No idea but hopefully we'll get a clue in the woods.”
They struck the main trail and before long Kit was aware of someone following their progress from the shelter of the brush.
A whisper drifted to her ears. “Over here,” it coaxed.
Kit loosed her gun and Jeremy followed her example as they approached the tree line cautiously. Kit heard the person moving away and she plunged into the the trees, knowing that it was better to be there than on the path now being able to see into the woods. Here she could see better, even though the brush was thick. A crunching of dead leaves and twigs was heard ahead of them.
“Jeremy,” Kit whispered. “You watch the read, make sure no one sneaks up on us.”
Jeremy nodded and they moved forward. The air seemed to grow stuffy as they pressed farther and farther into the woods. Kit drew up in an abrupt halt as the noise ahead of them stopped and a new noise started up to their right. She hesitated, not sure if she should see if she could find the person that had been making the first noise or pursue the new one. She was well aware that following the noises was doing what whoever it was wanted, but she felt it would be worth it. She finally made up her mind and went after the new noise. They seemed to be gaining on this one, unlike the other that had kept ahead. The branch of a nearby tree whipped around as though it had been pulled down and then let up suddenly. Kit slipped her gun out of the holster and made her way around a tree that had a huge trunk, motioning to Jeremy to go around the other side. She carefully looked around it and to her disappointment saw nothing. Her brow furrowed in confusion when she felt something tug at her hair from behind her. She whirled around, and came face to face with...
“A horse?” Kit couldn't help but say it. It looked familiar too, that multicolored coat could only be Bethany's horse, Joseph. He had all of his tack on, which surprised Kit not a little. She let out a sigh, but still felt far from comfortable with the large creature nosing at her. She stepped back, only to have the horse follow right after her.
By this time Jeremy had come around to see what was taking her so long and he looked just as bewildered as Kit upon seeing the horse. “What is it doing out here?” He wondered out loud, walking up to it and taking a hold of the bridle.
“Your guess is as good as mine,” Kit put her gun back into its place and took a deep breath, exhaling slowly. “It is definitely Bethany's horse though, I'd recognize those markings anywhere.”
“Sure is a friendly critter,” Jeremy rubbed Joseph's nose and then led it up to Kit. “Jump on, you can ride back to the stables!”
Kit shook her head. “No, I... it might be hurt you know. It shouldn't be ridden until it gets checked over.”
“That's true. Good thing you thought of that,” Jeremy patted the horse.
Kit looked at them for a moment and then led the way back to the stable.
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Mar. 20, 2008
Lesson 16 --
Doris the cat purred happily and curled up in the sunny window. She shivered a little when she thought about how long she'd lived in the streets as a skinny, stray cat. But that was then. now she knew she would never again choose to wander about chasing mice like she used to. It would be fancy cat food for her from now on, served in a fancy glass dish. As old Mrs. Winn patted her soft coat, Doris stretched and hoped that life would always be this good!
Before: Just as the space creature opened its mouth to eat me, I woke up. It was only a dream.
A memory? the monster's yellow eyes
A feeling? pounding heart
A hope? to never see the creature again
A decision? never watch scary movies and eat sugar before bed again
Revised ending: Just as the space creature opened it's mouth to eat me, I woke up. Relief seeped through me as I tried to slow down my racing heart. The creature's yellow eyes flashed back into my mind and I shook my head to disperse the remembrance. It was gone, it had been a dream, I'd never see it again. Yes, there was no more need to worry, it was gone. I laid my head on my pillow and determined never to eat sugary food and watch creepy movies before bed again.
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Mar. 19, 2008
Lesson 15 --
Book Title: Black Beauty
“Nutshell” summary: The horse Black Beauty is born on a farm and is well taken care of at first. He changes hands several times though, each owner being different from the last.
Hook: Black Beauty is telling about his first home and first memories.
Problem (first “down”): Black Beauty sold to a place that though nice, the lady is very much into fashion and will not go anywhere if her horses do not look perfect.
Up: Beauty make friends and does well because he is so gentle
Down: Beauty's looks are ruined by a drunkard
Up: Beauty has plenty of rest and time to heal with his best friend, Ginger
Down: Beauty is sold as a job horse
Up: Beauty is sold to Mr Barry for pleasure, not as a job horse.
Down: Mr Barry knew nothing of horses.
Up: Beauty is sold to Mr Barker, a very nice person
Down: Mr Barker is taken ill and Beauty is sold to a corn dealer and baker
Up: Beauty is helped by a kind lady who shows his driver a way to make Beauty's load easier.
CLIMAX (darkest moment): Beauty is sold to Mr Skinner and nearly dies
Resolution: Beauty is treated and allowed to get better before getting sent to be sold.
Satisfying Ending: Beauty is bought by Joe Green, now a man but once the boy that helped take care of him at favorite home and lives happily ever after.
TITLE OF YOUR STORY: No Idea
Nutshell summary (from page 30): Kit is a policewoman/detective and is put on a case concerning the kidnapping of a girl. When another girl is threatened, she and her co-worker, Jeremy, work side by side to find a rather unexpected explanation of the disappearance.
Hook: Meeting Kit and learning that there has been a kidnapping.
Problem: Bethany is mysteriously kidnapped, Kit needs to figure out what happened and retrieve her.
Up: Kit meets Sadie, and finds her to be very friendly and helpful.
Down: Kit doesn't seem to find any clues that will help them out.
Up: Bethany's horse is found unharmed with a note that tells Annette to go somewhere to get Bethany back.
Down: Nothing happens when they are at the appointed place.
Up: A clue is found at the stables.
Down: It becomes clear that Annette is being stalked.
CLIMAX: An attempt is made to kidnap Annette at her house, her moral is shattered.
Resolution: The kidnappers are caught and their motive revealed.
Satisfying Ending: Everyone goes back to their normal life with no fear.
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Mar. 19, 2008
Lesson 14 --
Blast it! Does anyone know how I can indent on here?!?! I've tried to figure it out, even looked through an HTML guide but I can't do it!! Please post if you have any tips!
Kit felt moisture on her face and jerked awake at the shock of its chill. Her brown head popped up from underneath the thick blanket she had been dozing under, dark brown eyes alert as they scanned the area, wondering what was going on. "Captain Louis! What's wrong?" Kit called over the roar of the river. Her blanket was soaked and she was shivering.
"We're heading into some troubled waters," the man that Kit had addressed, Louis, answered, "we got caught in a current and I couldn't pull us out of it."
Kit looked around, it was dark but one could still see that the waters were rough. "What can I do to help?"
"Well," Louis hesitated, as if he wasn't sure if he should tell her to do something. He had almost not allowed to come with him on his exploration, but she had begged so hard that he couldn't leave her at the camp. "You can hold tight. There isn't much we can do right now anyways. I'll be sure to tell you if there is something."
Kit frowned, wishing hard that she had been born a boy, but did as she was told. She reached over for the leather loop that had been fashioned to help people keep from getting thrown overboard. Suddenly the boat lurched and Kit found that she was partly in the air, before she could be worried though, she landed on the hard wood again. She out a breath of air with a whoosh as she grabbed her knee. "Ow..."
"You alright?" Louis's voice sounded worried.
"Yeah, just banged my knee," Kit grumbled as she rubbed her wounded knee.
"Take that pole there, paddle, help me keep the raft level."
Kit nodded and seized the long pole that was used to paddle on the raft. With a smooth motion she plunged it into the water, deeper and deeper until she could feel the hard bottom of the river. "Sure is shallow here," she commented.
"Yeah, that's just what I'm worried about."
Kit didn't say anymore, but concentrated on her work as they started going faster. The raft began to bounce and fine spray met her face as she squinted against it.
"Look out!" Kit heard Louis shout a moment too late. She felt herself become airborne again, but this time she didn't land on the hard wood, but cold water.
"Louis!" Kit struggled not to scream as she felt the current trying to pull her down. Her eyes were screwed shut as she felt something slapping at her face. Branches! Kit reached out to grasp one. Her hand succeeded in gripping one at last, but the water had made it so slick that it slipped right out of her desperate hand. She was swept away from the branches and dunked under the water. She came up spluttering and was about to call out again when she felt a pain in her shoulder as something struck it. Her hand went out instantly and grasped something solid, something rough. "Louis!" Kit started to say but instead found herself coughing up a mouthful of water. As soon as she had recovered herself she started pulling herself out of the water, onto the raft. The raft tilted unnervingly but she made it up safely. For a moment she just lay, trying to stop her head from spinning. Very soon after she had heaved herself up she felt a warm hand on her forehead.
"Are you alright? Kit say something!"
No. I want to go to sleep. Leave this cold place...
"Kit! Wake up!"
A sudden, stinging sensation on her cheeks brought Kit to her senses. "Ouch," she groaned before cracking open her eyes. "Are we out?"
Louis chuckled. "Yes, we're out of the crazy water. Don't doze off or I shall be forced to slap you again."
Kit laughed weakly. "I'm fine," she tried to convince Louis. Louis said nothing and when kit looked over to see why she saw that he had disappeared. "What in the world?" Kit sat up and looked around. Everything started to fade away into... pink walls? Yes, and the raft was dissipating into a soft bed. "No!" Kit's shoulders sagged and she scowled fiercely at the wall. "Aw man, I really hate dreams sometimes."
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Mar. 19, 2008
Lesson 13 --
Part 1
#1 - Sarah
#2 - Tom
#3 - Trick question! xD
Part 2
The giant thundered after Jack, a furious fire in his eyes. How dare he come into my castle and steal my things! Just wait until I get my hands on him! "Do you hear me?" the giant roared. "I will tear you limb from limb! You'd better run! Run little boy!"
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Mar. 18, 2008
Lesson 12 --
INDENT “Batter-up! We haven’t got all day!” Tom shouted.
INDENT “Stop yelling,” Katie said. She grabbed the bat and scowled at her brother. He scowled back.
INDENT “No girls,” Sean piped up from the pitcher’s mound.
INDENT “What do you care? She’s not on your team,” Tom snapped.
INDENT Sean glared at Katie for a moment, then shrugged. “Suit yourself. But I’m not going easy on her just ’cause she’s a girl.”
INDENT “Who’s asking you to?” Katie said. “Play ball!”
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Mar. 18, 2008
Lesson 10 and 11 --
Lesson 10 -- Yes, I have started my story and have the links to it in another lesson. =)
Lesson 11 -- Here goes, I'm horrible at summaries. xD
Title: Lord of the Rings
Nutshell Summary: The Hobbit, Frodo Baggins, goes on a journey to Mordor to destroy the one ring. While he is doing that the other inhabitants of Middle Earth work to defend themselves and keep the land from being overtaken by evil.
Title: Jeeves and the Cow Creamer
Nutshell Summary: Bertie Wooster is recruited by his aunt to steal back a silver cow creamer for his uncle. He has many adventures as he tries to get it.
Title: No Idea
Nutshell Summary: Kit is a policewoman/detective and is put on a case concerning the kidnapping of a girl. When another girl is threatened, she and her co-worker, Jeremy, work side by side to find a rather unexpected explanation of the disappearance.
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Mar. 17, 2008
Lesson 9 --
Part 1
[2] “Come back here with my horse!” Jack shouted. The outlaw laughed. “Come and catch him, if you can.”
[1] “It’s here! It arrived today.” Brian ran for the door and jerked it open. “This for you, kid?” The deliveryman thrust a heavy, oddly shaped package into Brian’s hands.
[5] Sara awoke and leaped from her bed. She ran to the window, threw open the curtains, and gasped.
[3] “Will they come back?” Tina whispered. She looked at her brother for an answer. “I don’t know,” Peter said. “I hope not.”
[9] What—Mary asked herself—was the point of trying to be good, when nobody really cared about her?
[6] It all started with Zach—like it usually does. I mean, he’s my best friend (and friends are hard to come by in the middle of outer space, so I’m not too particular), but sometimes he can be a real pain.
[7] Jamie loved spiders. Especially the big, hairy ones.
[4] Samantha folded her arms across her chest, squinted, and snapped her gum—daring the teacher to scold her.
[8] The double-suns of Epsilon 5 rose, blood-red, over the jagged mountains, casting an eerie shadow behind the ship.
Part 2; Take 1; Dialogue
Before: One sunny day Heather and Kit went to the beach and discovered a lifeboat washed up on shore.
After: "Look!" A tall brown haired girl pointed out across the sandy beach that stretched for miles.
"What?" A light haired girl stood next to her sister, shading her eyes against the strong sunlight.
"Don't you see that? It looks like... a boat!"
"Uh... yeah, I see it," the light haired girl spoke slowly before shrugging. "Who cares what it is?"
"Aw Heather, you're no fun. Come on! Let's go see what it is!"
"No! Kit! I don't really..." Heather trailed off as she saw that her friend had already charged away. With a sigh she stumped after Kit, grumbling a little as she went.
Kit had already made it to the boat. She ran her hand over the weathered wood that had once been white but now only had a few swathes of paint. "Cool! I wonder if it can float!" Without another though, Kit shoved it out and jumped in, only to find herself knee deep in water. "Aw man, how lame."
"Kit!" Heather shouted. "Get out of that water! Remember what happened the last time someone messed around in that water!"
Take 2; Action
Kit's brown topped head could be seen floating on top of the green sea water. Her brown eyes danced as she swam expertly up to an old lifeboat. In the boat sat her sister, Heather. Her light hair was neatly pulled back and her soft blue eyes were intent on the book she was reading. Kit was now next to the old boat. They had found it only that morning washed up on the shore and Kit had talked her sister into going out into the water in it. Kit's brown eyes gleamed as a mischievous grin pulled at her lips. She laid a cautious hand on the boat and with a quick movement, shoved the side down, tipping the boat over completely. Heather screamed as she toppled into the water in her neat white dress.
"Kit Schwester! You little imp! I dropped my book and just look at my dress!"
Kit didn't hear a word, she was nearly sinking under the water from laughing so hard. "You should have seen your face! Oh that was so funny!"
Heather's face darkened and her eyes flashed as she flipped the boat back over and climbed in.
Kit composed herself quickly when she saw how angry her sister was. "I'll get your old book," she said before taking a deep breath and diving down into the murky water. She could just see the poor little book laying face down on the ground and she made her way towards it at a leisurely pace. She was halfway there when she thought that she had seen something off to her right. By the time she looked there was nothing but when she returned her gaze to the book she found that it was gone, only a piece of paper showing evidence of anything having been there.
Part 3:
I have the beginning of my story here: Clicketh
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Mar. 17, 2008
Lesson 8 --
[1] Little Red Riding Hood lived with her 30-year-old mother in a small cottage in the woods. Ivy climbed and weaved around the cottage. One day she set out to bring her grandmother a basket of food. Mother packed a fresh loaf of bread, a few slices of bologna, and a thermos of hot, steaming cocoa in the basket. Red Riding Hood left the cottage and wandered along the path through the deep, dark forest. Her stomach fluttered at the shadows. Suddenly, from behind a tall fir tree, a dark, shaggy creature with pointed ears and a mouth full of sharp teeth appeared. It was a wolf!
[2] A throbbing head was the first thing fifteen-year-old Kit became aware of. It was completely dark but she could hear noises, people talking in hushed voices, footsteps, and a persistent beeping near her. For a moment she laid very still, wondering why it was so dark, but then she realized something; her eyes were closed. Slowly, very slowly, she cracked open one of her brown eyes and then the other. A white ceiling was what she saw, and when she twisted her head around she could see that she was in a bed and there was a table right next to her. A hospital! The thought struck her hard and she sat up quickly, as if she had laid on a pin.
"Ow!" she groaned and leaned back on the bed as pain lanced up her arm. She looked blankly down at it, struggling to remember what had happened. I remember walking through the woods... Billy came out... ah! He had dared her to climb that stupid tree! A tree that was much too whispy to support anyone. Kit frowned. Billy was the school's bully and was always making threats or daring someone to do something, and Kit was the type to never pass up a dare. Hearing footsteps approaching Kit looked up to see a doctor.
"How are we feeling?" He inquired.
Kit scowled. "Fine."
The doctor seemed amused. "One can tell who your daddy is," he chuckled. "I doctored him when he was a youngin', and he was just like you," he picked up a few papers and walked out, still laughing.
Kit watched him go with an eyebrow raised. "Doctors. They're so weird," she pushed a strand of wavy brown hair away from her face and stared at the smooth white wall.
Beep. Beep. Beep.
Kit let her breath hiss out between her teeth harshly and turned to glare at the beeping machine. "Good grief! Do you have to be so noisy?!" She asked, exasperated. She looked hard at it for a moment or two more and then slouched, returning her gaze to the wall again. "Maybe I'm as crazy as the doctor; talking to a machine. Gee," she sat unmoving for an hour, staring at the wall and trying to think of something to do. She hated just sitting around. Looking down at her arm she grumbled, "I guess I won't be crocheting or anything anytime soon. It's all Billy's fault. I'm gonna pound when I get back to school," she grinned at the thought and leaned back to savor the thought.
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Mar. 17, 2008
Lesson 7 --
Before: It rained all week during our camping trip.
After:
Raindrops pattered consistently as we sat in our tent, trying to amuse ourselves but failing utterly. It was as if they were bent on out-waiting us, determined to ruin our trip, and they succeeded. For a week we waited but to no avail, when we went home I was quite sure I never wanted to go camping again.
Before: Katie saw a scary sea creature at the aquarium.
After:
Ten-year-old Katie gasped as a scaled creature swam up to the glass at the aquarium. It was twice her size and seemed to be thinking that she would make a nice meal. Its light grey, shark-like body waved and quivered in the water as it stayed in one place, staring Katie down with its steely dark grey eyes.
Before: As I entered the cave, I found the object of my search—the lost treasure chest of the Ancients.
After:
About two feet long and half that wide the wooden box sat on the smooth stone floor. The lid was closed tightly and the bright jewels embedded in the gold trim told me that I had at last found the Lost Treasure Chest of the Ancients. Cobwebs covered the box and the corners of cave that I was now in. Cautiously I started forward, but not as quickly as Bingo, my little dog. He trounced towards the box, as if he knew that our search was over at last. Nothing seemed threatening so I didn't try to call him back, then I saw them.
"Bingo! Back!" I shouted, my voice echoing around the stone walls.
Too late, a hissing noise and a yelp told me that I had seen rightly. A neatly set trap had been laid in the cave wall and the barbed arrows that I had seen would have killed anyone who tried to get by. Bingo's white and brown spotted coat brushed against my leg and a whine escaped his muzzle. I crouched down next to him and examined him. I breathed a sigh of relief when I saw that the worst was a wound in his haunch, nothing serious.
"Maybe next time you'll stay by me eh?" I rubbed his side and stood back up, brushing a piece of my thick black hair away from my brown eyes. Keeping alert for any other surprises, I made my way to the chest and blew the dust off of it. My hand probed my pocket for the key and soon the lid was open. Before me lay the greatest treasure I had ever seen before in all my adventures and travels. Bingo nosed it and looked at me inquiringly.
"Yep, that's it. Our journey is over at last."
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Kit Schwester is twenty-two years old and lives in America. She grew up in Germany with a brother, a sister, and her parents. After graduating early from school, Kit went to a college in Germany where they recommended that she go to a bigger college in America. She went, despite the disapproval of her parents. She now works as a police/detective.
