Oco trudged through the snow towards home. The snow continued to winter down around him, trying to catch a glance of the glowing orb cupped in Oco's mittens, as they flew slowly by.
The cold was pleased. Her eyes narrowed at the wind laughing among the pines. The wind was too moody, as fickle as the weather. Pushy too, always shoving around the clouds and the cold.
However, with the sun away the cold had grown. Now, she was too strong, too powerful, to be pushed around by the wind and made to shift and move with the seasons. It was time to take the wind in hand, to bridle it and make it her obedient steed.
The cold caressed her faithful frost minions, and then with a tinkling laugh like breaking icicles she pointed cruelly, ordering the attack.
The frost minions surged forward into the wind frozen fangs gnashing, biting, chill claws raking the wind viciously, the wind was unprepared and no match for such a tenacious assault, flinging the frost minions into trees and banks of snow, the wind struggled vainly to free himself from their cold grasp but they were too many.
The wind howled.
Oco shivered, pulling his coat closer, as the wind whipped about him. The snow was falling much faster now, snow mixed with ice, cold flakes and frost flying about like crazed bees; my how they stung. The end of his hat lashed about in the air like a long angry snake in the wind. In all the wind his brown, fur-lined boots were having trouble holding onto the snow-covered ground.
Oco quickened his trudge towards home to escape the rising blizzard, and the deepening darkness. As he pushed through the deep snow, he wished he had longer legs. He wished he’d brought a lantern. He gasped as the orb of light in his hand shifted, seemed to melt into itself and then shine brighter in the shape of a small lantern.
Startled, he dropped it. It landed in the air a few inches above the ground. The snow quickly melted around the lantern until a small patch of grass was visible in a circle around it. Oco’s bright eyes widened in wonder.
“How odd.” He whispered. Reaching out slowly he touched the lantern tentatively. It emitted soft warmth, not the heat he had expected.
He hesitated, but the vicious flurries whirling around him spurred him into action. He grabbed the lantern. It shone brightly. Oco grinned, then holding up the lantern, now lighting his way, Oco hurried home.
The cold watched the small boy, Oco, hurrying home, her cold gaze narrowed. He must never return the key to the sun.
Turning her attention back to the wind, she fashioned a whip from a gust and flicked her wrist with a snap, a pine branch broke with a sharp crack, frozen. The cold looked back on the boy once more, before riding off on the wind, deeper into the forest to tell the gloom of the small boy and his key.
The wind howled.
Friday, August 14, 2009
Friday, July 24, 2009
The Key to the Sun - pt. 1
"Where is the key? The key to the sun, it's almost morning..."
The sky was blue with embarrassment. "I dropped it." The sky is always dropping things.
"Well go and get it! The doors are locked...I can't open them without the key."
"The clouds hid the key."
"The key to the sun?!"
"Yes."
The wind sighed. "I can't believe you lost the key."
"The clouds are to blame."
"You know they're not to be trusted, all mischief, insubstantial dust, and sog."
"I'll go and see if anyone finds it, maybe they will return it to us."
"Easier said than done."
The wind sighed.
The warmth of the sun seeped from behind the doors of the sky but it was still quite cold. The light of the sun was nowhere to be seen. It was dark but the light from the stars made the masses of clouds seem almost luminous, in a quiet gray sort of way. The clouds were cold too, but also amused, and their laughter tinkled out in six-sided mirth.
Oco, crunched timidly through the soft snow. The dark pines loomed around him as his boots rose and fell in a halting slow march.
The reason for his trepidation was the glowing ball of light in the snow, but even with all his apprehension he moved forward, his long winter hat pressed down over his ears and brows, his dark face peering intently into the snow at the shimmering sphere of undulating, liquid light. It was small like a plum, but oh so bright.
His hat's end trailed behind him in the snow, it was a long hat striped like a candy cane; bright red around his ears, trying to muscle down his dark hair, which peeked out with obstinate curiosity all the same.
Oco stopped. He pulled his red mitted hands from his coat pockets and squinted curiously at the orb of light, hands clutching nervously at the brass buttons of his coat.
He leaned down and reached slowly towards the small glowing ball. It floated unnaturally still above the snow. The large pine trees seemed to lean in closer as if to see for themselves, shifting softly in irritation as the wind laughed at their snow laden tresses.
Oco, grabbed the ball of light and it seemed to simply dissapear, vanishing into the cold air. But as he opened his hands to look into them, there was the light, the ball of shimmering liquid light. Floating gently above his open palm.
It began to snow a little harder.
As the sky pushed the silly chuckling clouds aside to see. "I think a little boy has found it. The key, the key to the sun."
The wind sighed.
The sky was blue with embarrassment. "I dropped it." The sky is always dropping things.
"Well go and get it! The doors are locked...I can't open them without the key."
"The clouds hid the key."
"The key to the sun?!"
"Yes."
The wind sighed. "I can't believe you lost the key."
"The clouds are to blame."
"You know they're not to be trusted, all mischief, insubstantial dust, and sog."
"I'll go and see if anyone finds it, maybe they will return it to us."
"Easier said than done."
The wind sighed.
The warmth of the sun seeped from behind the doors of the sky but it was still quite cold. The light of the sun was nowhere to be seen. It was dark but the light from the stars made the masses of clouds seem almost luminous, in a quiet gray sort of way. The clouds were cold too, but also amused, and their laughter tinkled out in six-sided mirth.
Oco, crunched timidly through the soft snow. The dark pines loomed around him as his boots rose and fell in a halting slow march.
The reason for his trepidation was the glowing ball of light in the snow, but even with all his apprehension he moved forward, his long winter hat pressed down over his ears and brows, his dark face peering intently into the snow at the shimmering sphere of undulating, liquid light. It was small like a plum, but oh so bright.
His hat's end trailed behind him in the snow, it was a long hat striped like a candy cane; bright red around his ears, trying to muscle down his dark hair, which peeked out with obstinate curiosity all the same.
Oco stopped. He pulled his red mitted hands from his coat pockets and squinted curiously at the orb of light, hands clutching nervously at the brass buttons of his coat.
He leaned down and reached slowly towards the small glowing ball. It floated unnaturally still above the snow. The large pine trees seemed to lean in closer as if to see for themselves, shifting softly in irritation as the wind laughed at their snow laden tresses.
Oco, grabbed the ball of light and it seemed to simply dissapear, vanishing into the cold air. But as he opened his hands to look into them, there was the light, the ball of shimmering liquid light. Floating gently above his open palm.
It began to snow a little harder.
As the sky pushed the silly chuckling clouds aside to see. "I think a little boy has found it. The key, the key to the sun."
The wind sighed.
Wednesday, July 15, 2009
Ebb and Flow.
Time is stealing our lives, one grain at a time. So quick, build a sand castle. Build it tall and proud...
"Castles may fall into the sea, eventually."
So build it high and proud, make it beautiful, if only for a moment. The waves may wash it away, but the grains you touch, the grains you gave form and purpose to will not cease to exist. You will know what you've done, people will remember your castle in the sand. Even after the sun has set and the tide has hidden your handiwork from view, the image of your handiwork will still be etched in memory. For many vacations to come...
Time is stealing our lives, one grain at a time, so get to work.
Don't close your eyes and imagine you are born to make a difference
Don't hold your breath and make a wish
Don't rub light fixtures hoping for a genie
Grab a hard hat and get to work.
"Castles may fall into the sea, eventually."
So build it high and proud, make it beautiful, if only for a moment. The waves may wash it away, but the grains you touch, the grains you gave form and purpose to will not cease to exist. You will know what you've done, people will remember your castle in the sand. Even after the sun has set and the tide has hidden your handiwork from view, the image of your handiwork will still be etched in memory. For many vacations to come...
Time is stealing our lives, one grain at a time, so get to work.
Don't close your eyes and imagine you are born to make a difference
Don't hold your breath and make a wish
Don't rub light fixtures hoping for a genie
Grab a hard hat and get to work.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
Posts
