This is our beautiful horse, Rusty. He is (as you can see) chestnut brown with a streak of white running down his forehead. He's 17 years old.
Wednesday, April 27, 2011
Monday, April 18, 2011
Zoey Rockshindle, chapter 6: The letter
The next day, Cecillia and Cody hired a search crue online to find Zoey.
A while later sixteen or so men arrived at the great mansion where the
Rockshindles lived. They were dressed in slick black suits, wore serious
expressions, and came in a van that had blue exhaust. The first man walked up the
concrete steps and knocked on the door. Cecillia came out to meet them. She was wairing brown pants with a leather belt, and had a peach-colored long-sleeved turtle-neck blouse. She had clearly been crying. Her face was flushed and her eyes
were red. But she was happy to see the men, and led them inside.
So, in the house they went, following Mrs. Rockshindle into an office where
Mr. Rockshindle sat working on a computer. He looked pale and skinny.
When he heard them coming, he turned and told them all
that had happened. It seemed he had been rehearsing what he said to the men.
"An old woman came to our house to see Zoey, then left without an explanation.
Zoey remained upstairs, possible crawling out the window, while we called her down for dinner. Then a crow flew down from her room. We didn't know how it got inside, because Zoey always keeps her windows shut. Maybe while Zoey escaped, it flew in. We've been so worried. It's been, like, a day since we saw Zoey."
The men nodded and set to work.
By the time sunset came, they had spread all over the county. They assumed, or rather
hoped, that Zoey hadn't made it out of town. Lucky for them, she hadn't. The only
problem was that she had been turned into a bird.
Zoey and Mellisa had thought up a plan the night before. It wasn't brilliant, just
a simple way to convince Cody and Cecillia that Zoey was safe.
First, Mellisa waited for the men to leave. Then she walked up to Cecillia and
Cody's house and rang the dootbell. Then she ran off.
This time Cody answered. He looked around, and, seeing nobody, was about to leave but then he spotted the envolope lying on the WELCOME mat. Cody opened the envelope and read the letter inside. By the time he was done, his frown had turned to a big smile. He walked inside and showed Cecillia the letter. She read it out loud:
"Dear Mom and Dad,
I'm sorry to leave without telling you where I was going.
Let me explain why I did.
The kind old lady who came to my room that day was a my good
friend Eva's grandmother. She was there to tell me that it was
Eva's birthday. She said she had been on a walk,
seen our house, and realized they had missed our house when
they sent out invitations. She understood you guys wouldn't
let me go, so she lied and said it was urgent. (But don't be
mad at her, please.) I also figured you guys wouldn't let me go,
so I snuck out the window. I don't know why, but a crow flew
in after I crawled out. Please don't worry about me, I just
need some time alone. I love you guys!
-Zoey
(p.s. : I might go to a summer camp in a few days.)"
Cecillia looked up from reading. She smiled.
Secretly she had always wanted Zoey to have an adventure.
A while later sixteen or so men arrived at the great mansion where the
Rockshindles lived. They were dressed in slick black suits, wore serious
expressions, and came in a van that had blue exhaust. The first man walked up the
concrete steps and knocked on the door. Cecillia came out to meet them. She was wairing brown pants with a leather belt, and had a peach-colored long-sleeved turtle-neck blouse. She had clearly been crying. Her face was flushed and her eyes
were red. But she was happy to see the men, and led them inside.
So, in the house they went, following Mrs. Rockshindle into an office where
Mr. Rockshindle sat working on a computer. He looked pale and skinny.
When he heard them coming, he turned and told them all
that had happened. It seemed he had been rehearsing what he said to the men.
"An old woman came to our house to see Zoey, then left without an explanation.
Zoey remained upstairs, possible crawling out the window, while we called her down for dinner. Then a crow flew down from her room. We didn't know how it got inside, because Zoey always keeps her windows shut. Maybe while Zoey escaped, it flew in. We've been so worried. It's been, like, a day since we saw Zoey."
The men nodded and set to work.
By the time sunset came, they had spread all over the county. They assumed, or rather
hoped, that Zoey hadn't made it out of town. Lucky for them, she hadn't. The only
problem was that she had been turned into a bird.
Zoey and Mellisa had thought up a plan the night before. It wasn't brilliant, just
a simple way to convince Cody and Cecillia that Zoey was safe.
First, Mellisa waited for the men to leave. Then she walked up to Cecillia and
Cody's house and rang the dootbell. Then she ran off.
This time Cody answered. He looked around, and, seeing nobody, was about to leave but then he spotted the envolope lying on the WELCOME mat. Cody opened the envelope and read the letter inside. By the time he was done, his frown had turned to a big smile. He walked inside and showed Cecillia the letter. She read it out loud:
"Dear Mom and Dad,
I'm sorry to leave without telling you where I was going.
Let me explain why I did.
The kind old lady who came to my room that day was a my good
friend Eva's grandmother. She was there to tell me that it was
Eva's birthday. She said she had been on a walk,
seen our house, and realized they had missed our house when
they sent out invitations. She understood you guys wouldn't
let me go, so she lied and said it was urgent. (But don't be
mad at her, please.) I also figured you guys wouldn't let me go,
so I snuck out the window. I don't know why, but a crow flew
in after I crawled out. Please don't worry about me, I just
need some time alone. I love you guys!
-Zoey
(p.s. : I might go to a summer camp in a few days.)"
Cecillia looked up from reading. She smiled.
Secretly she had always wanted Zoey to have an adventure.
Tuesday, April 5, 2011
Zoey Rockshindle, chapter 5: The Woodpecker
Zoey woke up to a pecking sound. She groaned.
"It's to early..." She thought. "I was having a good dream."
But the pecking would not quit. Peck, peck, peck!
"If birds get headaches, I'm gonna have the worst migraine ever!" Zoey thought.
She got up and looked around. In the daylight she could see her little room
better. obviously, she had not been the first creature to find the cozy spot. There
were signs that other animals had nested there, like scratches and dried grass.
There were even two abandoned eggs in the corner. Zoey wondered if they could still
hatch. She got some moss and grass and covered up the eggs good, to keep them warm.
"Caw, crew, carr!" Zoey said. Which meant: "That should do it."
Then she waddled out of the hollow tree to see who this persistent tapper was.
"Ah ha!" Zoey cawed. She had spotted the guilty tapper a little ways up her tree.
It was a handsome woodpecker (and appeared to be male) drilling away in search of
breakfast. Zoey flew up to him and asked politely in bird language,
"Ever try the ground? It's much softer and you don't get cranky neighbors."
The woodpecker looked at Zoey. Then he said,
"Ever try minding your own buisness? This is my territory." He went back to pecking.
"Since when?" Zoey demanded.
The woodpecker didn't answer. His red head was a blur. Peck, peck, peck!
Zoey cawed: "I don't think this tree likes that much!" And started pecking lightly at
the rude bird. The woodpecker got annoyed and moved to a different spot on the tree.
But before Zoey could follow, she heard a CLUNK and the woodpecker fell to the ground. Then
a swarm of kids ran over, one carrying a sling-shot. Another had a cage.
"Oh no," Zoey thought "The bird might be rude, but nobody should be in a cage!"
She flew down, and before the kids could stop her, she scooted the woodpecker far into
her tree-cave. He was unconscious and heavy, but she was strong enough.
The kids had seen Zoey scoot him in, so they got down on their hands and knees,
and began sticking their hands in through the narrow entrance. But Zoey pecked
at them, and after a while they went away.
By the time the kids left, the woodpecker had gotten up. Zoey told him what had
happened.
"Thanks for saving me." He said. Then he spotted the eggs in the corner, and
asked Zoey about them.
"Chirp chir-r-r-r-r-rp." He said, which meant "Did you lay those?"
"Claw ra, caw," She replied (meaning no). "Just found them here."
Then Zoey told the woodpecker her story, about how she was turned into a bird, and
they became friends. The woodpecker said his name was Ruz. But soon they were
both hungry. So, out of the tree they went. Ruz chose a different tree to peck
on, and Zoey gathered a few bugs to eat.
After breakfast, Zoey said farewell and went over to Mellisa's house. In through
the window she flew. Mellisa was writing on her old typewriter.
"Caw, caw!" Which is how crows alert other birds of danger, or get their attention.
Mellisa turned. She jumped up, ran over to Zoey and whispered:
"You really shouldn't be here. My Dad Blue is allergic to some feathers. And my
other Dad, Ninro, thinks I bought you from a pet store. But you can stay for a
while, as long as you keep quiet."
She went over and sat back down at her typewriter.
Zoey sat on Mellisa's sholder and read the begining of a story Mellisa was writing.
Then she got Mellisa's attention and asked for a fresh paper by gestering toward a
stack of paper.
Mellisa took her story out and put a new piece in. Zoey flew down and typed:
'You might not want to start the story so descriptive. Especially if it will
be a long book. You may not be able to keep up the fancy writing as the story
goes on.'
Mellisa typed:
'I know. I probably won't finish it, anyway. I have trouble finishing books I
start.'
Zoey changed the subject and typed:
'My parents are not doing good. My Dad is depressed. He can't work. My Mom is so worried,
she has circles under her eyes and looks horrible. How can we reassure them that
I'm safe?'
Mellisa thought. Then she typed:
'I have an idea.'
"It's to early..." She thought. "I was having a good dream."
But the pecking would not quit. Peck, peck, peck!
"If birds get headaches, I'm gonna have the worst migraine ever!" Zoey thought.
She got up and looked around. In the daylight she could see her little room
better. obviously, she had not been the first creature to find the cozy spot. There
were signs that other animals had nested there, like scratches and dried grass.
There were even two abandoned eggs in the corner. Zoey wondered if they could still
hatch. She got some moss and grass and covered up the eggs good, to keep them warm.
"Caw, crew, carr!" Zoey said. Which meant: "That should do it."
Then she waddled out of the hollow tree to see who this persistent tapper was.
"Ah ha!" Zoey cawed. She had spotted the guilty tapper a little ways up her tree.
It was a handsome woodpecker (and appeared to be male) drilling away in search of
breakfast. Zoey flew up to him and asked politely in bird language,
"Ever try the ground? It's much softer and you don't get cranky neighbors."
The woodpecker looked at Zoey. Then he said,
"Ever try minding your own buisness? This is my territory." He went back to pecking.
"Since when?" Zoey demanded.
The woodpecker didn't answer. His red head was a blur. Peck, peck, peck!
Zoey cawed: "I don't think this tree likes that much!" And started pecking lightly at
the rude bird. The woodpecker got annoyed and moved to a different spot on the tree.
But before Zoey could follow, she heard a CLUNK and the woodpecker fell to the ground. Then
a swarm of kids ran over, one carrying a sling-shot. Another had a cage.
"Oh no," Zoey thought "The bird might be rude, but nobody should be in a cage!"
She flew down, and before the kids could stop her, she scooted the woodpecker far into
her tree-cave. He was unconscious and heavy, but she was strong enough.
The kids had seen Zoey scoot him in, so they got down on their hands and knees,
and began sticking their hands in through the narrow entrance. But Zoey pecked
at them, and after a while they went away.
By the time the kids left, the woodpecker had gotten up. Zoey told him what had
happened.
"Thanks for saving me." He said. Then he spotted the eggs in the corner, and
asked Zoey about them.
"Chirp chir-r-r-r-r-rp." He said, which meant "Did you lay those?"
"Claw ra, caw," She replied (meaning no). "Just found them here."
Then Zoey told the woodpecker her story, about how she was turned into a bird, and
they became friends. The woodpecker said his name was Ruz. But soon they were
both hungry. So, out of the tree they went. Ruz chose a different tree to peck
on, and Zoey gathered a few bugs to eat.
After breakfast, Zoey said farewell and went over to Mellisa's house. In through
the window she flew. Mellisa was writing on her old typewriter.
"Caw, caw!" Which is how crows alert other birds of danger, or get their attention.
Mellisa turned. She jumped up, ran over to Zoey and whispered:
"You really shouldn't be here. My Dad Blue is allergic to some feathers. And my
other Dad, Ninro, thinks I bought you from a pet store. But you can stay for a
while, as long as you keep quiet."
She went over and sat back down at her typewriter.
Zoey sat on Mellisa's sholder and read the begining of a story Mellisa was writing.
Then she got Mellisa's attention and asked for a fresh paper by gestering toward a
stack of paper.
Mellisa took her story out and put a new piece in. Zoey flew down and typed:
'You might not want to start the story so descriptive. Especially if it will
be a long book. You may not be able to keep up the fancy writing as the story
goes on.'
Mellisa typed:
'I know. I probably won't finish it, anyway. I have trouble finishing books I
start.'
Zoey changed the subject and typed:
'My parents are not doing good. My Dad is depressed. He can't work. My Mom is so worried,
she has circles under her eyes and looks horrible. How can we reassure them that
I'm safe?'
Mellisa thought. Then she typed:
'I have an idea.'
Zoey Rockshindle, chapter 3: Mellisa's advise
"Well, that didn't go very well," thought Zoey as her furious mother slammed the great wooden door of their enormous mansion.
"I never realized how big our house is," she thought. It towered over all of the others on the block.
Zoey looked around her.
There was a park across the street, with children playing in it. Recently, a fire had damaged most of the trees in it. Down the busy road was a food co-op, a few shops, and her friends' house. suddenly an idea popped into Zoey's little mind.
Flap, flap, flap! She soared into the air, past a few trees, the co-op, the shops, until finally she arrived at her friend Mellisa's shabby little home. Zoey waddled up the wooden steps and pecked three times on the door then backed away. A round, chubby little face poked out of the house. The big, brown eyes filled with glee when they found a little black bird on the step.
There was one thing everyone knew. Millisa Waterlap LOVES birds.
"I'll call you Dino. You'll be my little snugglypoo. Yes, I could just tell, when I first saw you, I knew you were special! I think...I think you're a crow, little guy. I mean, Dino. Yeah, this handy little guide told me." She held up a book.
Zoey tried to roll her eyes. Mellisa was obsessed. First thing she did with Zoey was comb her feathers, give her a bath, then wrapped her in a towel on her bed and was
now sowing a blue shirt for her.
And, she thought Zoey was a male bird! Zoey tried to ignore all the
attention she was getting and stick to the plan. First, she flew over to a pen and paper on Mellisa's desk. Then she picked up the pen in her beak, and started writing. But it looked like scribbles, so Zoey took Mellisa over to their old typwriter.
She pecked the letters and managed, slowly, to tell Mellisa everything that had happened. By the time she finished, Mellisa was sitting there open-mouthed and wide-eyed.
"Zoey? Is it really you?" She said.
"SQUAWK!!" ("Yep.")
"You do seem a little to comfortable around people to be a bird."
Zoey bobbed her head and typed: 'I can make this sound:'
She squawked "CanIhavesome?!"
Mellisa laughed.
"The crone must've known you were always saying that," She said. "But I know what you've gotta do. You should stop trying to become human. Go have an adventure. Enjoy being a free, flying, beautiful bird. I've always wanted to..." Her voice trailed off.
Zoey pecked at her softly and typed: 'the grass is always greener on the other side.'
Mellisa smiled.
A little while later, Mellisa's dad Ninro (pronounsed Neen-row) came up to tell her it was dinnertime. But he took one look at Zoey and said:
"Oh, Mell, what've I told you about buying birds? I don't like the thought of animals in cages."
Mellisa quickly replied "Oh, right, Dad, sorry. I wasn't going to keep her, anyway. I'll just go set her free."
"You understand why it's wrong, right? Just imagine if you were in a cage." And Ninro went on talking about animals in cages until Blue, Mellisa's other father, came along to see why Mellisa and Ninro were not coming for dinner.
So, Mellisa ended up letting Zoey out the window, saying, "Remember what I said."
Zoey flew off to the park.
"I never realized how big our house is," she thought. It towered over all of the others on the block.
Zoey looked around her.
There was a park across the street, with children playing in it. Recently, a fire had damaged most of the trees in it. Down the busy road was a food co-op, a few shops, and her friends' house. suddenly an idea popped into Zoey's little mind.
Flap, flap, flap! She soared into the air, past a few trees, the co-op, the shops, until finally she arrived at her friend Mellisa's shabby little home. Zoey waddled up the wooden steps and pecked three times on the door then backed away. A round, chubby little face poked out of the house. The big, brown eyes filled with glee when they found a little black bird on the step.
There was one thing everyone knew. Millisa Waterlap LOVES birds.
"I'll call you Dino. You'll be my little snugglypoo. Yes, I could just tell, when I first saw you, I knew you were special! I think...I think you're a crow, little guy. I mean, Dino. Yeah, this handy little guide told me." She held up a book.
Zoey tried to roll her eyes. Mellisa was obsessed. First thing she did with Zoey was comb her feathers, give her a bath, then wrapped her in a towel on her bed and was
now sowing a blue shirt for her.
And, she thought Zoey was a male bird! Zoey tried to ignore all the
attention she was getting and stick to the plan. First, she flew over to a pen and paper on Mellisa's desk. Then she picked up the pen in her beak, and started writing. But it looked like scribbles, so Zoey took Mellisa over to their old typwriter.
She pecked the letters and managed, slowly, to tell Mellisa everything that had happened. By the time she finished, Mellisa was sitting there open-mouthed and wide-eyed.
"Zoey? Is it really you?" She said.
"SQUAWK!!" ("Yep.")
"You do seem a little to comfortable around people to be a bird."
Zoey bobbed her head and typed: 'I can make this sound:'
She squawked "CanIhavesome?!"
Mellisa laughed.
"The crone must've known you were always saying that," She said. "But I know what you've gotta do. You should stop trying to become human. Go have an adventure. Enjoy being a free, flying, beautiful bird. I've always wanted to..." Her voice trailed off.
Zoey pecked at her softly and typed: 'the grass is always greener on the other side.'
Mellisa smiled.
A little while later, Mellisa's dad Ninro (pronounsed Neen-row) came up to tell her it was dinnertime. But he took one look at Zoey and said:
"Oh, Mell, what've I told you about buying birds? I don't like the thought of animals in cages."
Mellisa quickly replied "Oh, right, Dad, sorry. I wasn't going to keep her, anyway. I'll just go set her free."
"You understand why it's wrong, right? Just imagine if you were in a cage." And Ninro went on talking about animals in cages until Blue, Mellisa's other father, came along to see why Mellisa and Ninro were not coming for dinner.
So, Mellisa ended up letting Zoey out the window, saying, "Remember what I said."
Zoey flew off to the park.
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