Happy Friday, fellow book lovers! Feature & Follow is a blog hop hosted by Parajunkee and Alison Can Read. The goal of Feature & Follow is to meet new bloggers, make friends, and gain readers.
This Week’s Question:
or did you ever consider writing?
In tenth grade I wrote a story about the “real” way King Tut died. It was obviously due to insta-love with a slave who became pregnant followed by Tut’s psycho sister/wife murdering them. Big yikes.
I also used to write on Quizilla, back when it wasn’t owned by Nickelodeon. In the early 2000s, Quizilla was an outlet for authors who wanted to write a brand of “choose your own adventure” stories. It was difficult because authors had to formulate multiple outcomes at the end of each chapter, but it was so much fun to read and write! Let me tell you, I wrote vampire romance before it was cool.
My tenth grade English teacher loved to make us write. I ended up with a published poem (which was total BS) and, my favorite, a story I wrote with one of my best friends. It’s a mashup of Lord of the Rings, Pirates of the Caribbean, and robots, with names ripped off from the actors in said films. I’ll be honest with you… it’s pretty epic.
Duncan was walking through the quiet Lijah Forest when he spotted a tiny white rabbit crouching in the grass. As he walked through the undergrowth the creature appeared to move slowly toward him. When he knelt to pick the bunny up, it was so small that it fit right into the palm of his hand.
* * *“And a horrible creature by the name of Zarg will make its presence known to all. The Elves will experience a time of great pain, in which most of the Elven culture will be wiped out from the face of the earth. Only a few will remain to defend the world, and all it’s inhabitants. The fate of the world will depend on the decisions that are made in this time of immense sorrow.”
* * *The adorable animal looked up at him and Duncan began to speak to him in a small voice. Suddenly, the rabbit that had seemed so sweet and innocent only moments before jumped towards his face, protracting his long, sharp nails and sinking them deep into his flesh. Instinctively, Duncan began clawing at the animal, trying desperately to remove the creature Zarg from his face. Vainly he continued to pull at the rabbit’s paws. He called for help, but no one came.
Zarg continued to scratch at the elf’s face, and at one point, the one of his black nails became caught in Duncan’s eye. Duncan grabbed onto the rabbit’s fur and yanked him until he flew off into a tree. Then, he fell to the ground in a pool of his own blood and became unconscious.
When Zarg had regained his composure, he stumbled back over to Duncan. Just then, Orli, the elven prince of Lijah, came running into the clearing. Having heard Duncan’s cry for help, he had come with bow and arrow in hand. He stopped with a jerk when he saw Duncan’s body lying on the ground, then noticed Zarg slowly made his way from the dead elf. The rabbit bounded over to him, and Orli, entranced by the animal, picked him up off of the ground. Then, in the same way that he had done to Duncan, he jumped at Orli’s face, but having keener senses and quicker reflexes than most of the other elves, he dodged him just in time. He turned quickly with his bow loaded and ready to fire, but Zarg was nowhere to be seen.
He then made his way over to his friend. He reached for his head and jumped back when he realized that it was hollow with the exception of his crushed skull. Then he felt something inside. Reluctantly, he put his hand into the slimy cavity and pulled out several black and blue eggs. Throwing them to the ground, he jumped up and stomped them until they were nothing more than a pile of shell and goo.
After his encounter with Zarg, Orli returned home to warn his people of this tragedy that was sweeping through their forest. But, despite his attempts, Zarg continued to terrorize the elves and kill them off one by one in the same gruesome fashion that was used to kill Duncan.* * *“And a machine shall rule them all.”
* * *Lalu was washing the deck as he did every day aboard the great pirate ship, The Sparrow. On this day Captain Depp was transporting a very important piece of machinery. Curiosity overwhelmed Lalu as he tried to resist looking at the mysterious black box that read, “DO NOT OPEN.”
With each wipe of his sponge, Lalu managed to make his way closer to the box. But Captain Depp knew from experience that instructions must be given, so he summoned him. As Lalu peered around the wooden door, he had a child-like expression on his face. Depp called him to come further into the room. “Lalu, you mustn’t open that box.”
Knowingly busted, Lalu tried to cover up his curiosity, “I’m afraid I don’t know what box it is you’re speakin’ of sir.”
“Oh, I think you do. Do not go near the black box! Savvy?” He stared deep into the young pirate’s eyes. He was already aware of the boy’s close attempt earlier during the day.
“Yes Captain.” He turned and went back out onto the deck above, his head hanging towards the floor all the way. But, of course, his curiosity got the best of him. He looked into the bucket of water and saw his scruffy reflection. “Just a small peek won’t hurt anyone.” He stood and walked towards the box.
As soon as the lid of the box was opened, it busted open and wood flew everywhere. What came out of it surprised everyone. A short pink robot, no taller than three feet was revealed and it exclaimed, “I am Hobbobot.” It reached out, grabbing Lalu by the arm. No one was sure of what was happening, but then, from the hand that was grasping Lalu came a large, blue shock of electricity and he fell to the ground instantly. Several others ran over to him, but found his body limp and lifeless.
Captain Depp came up from below and saw what had happened. “You fools! I told you not to touch it!” He reached for his pistol and shot the hobbobot. It fell to the ground for a moment, but then stood up again. That was the beginning of a horrible reign of terror that would take over the ship.
* * *“But I say to you, a war is coming. Out of that war a hero will be born, destined to save the world, but later to fall. These things that I say are all true, but no one will listen to me.”
* * *The pirates and elves had conspired together to, once and for all, beat the hobbobot and the race of psychotic bunnies. Each side had spent months in preparation. They had discussed war tactics; each side had their own opinion on how the war was to be handled. When they had finally come up with an idea that pleased both sides, they had been left with little training time.
The hobbobot and the rabbits were having yet a more difficult time. The tiny animals wanted to eat everyone because of their evil hunger, and the hobbobot was having trouble controlling them.
When the day of the war had finally come, the hobbobot released the rabbits to eat the elves and pirates. When they saw the giant stampede coming toward them they began to aim their flaming arrows, and black spots appeared in the white army. Bombs were thrown into them, and the creatures were killed instantly.
Soon the good army ran out of ammunition, and had to depend on their sword fighting skills. Many of them began to panic, and Orli stepped onto the front lines to prepare them. “Elves! Pirates! Men! We must stand strong! If we do not prevail, no one will! We must not lose this battle! The fate of the world depends on you! Stand your ground and show no mercy!”
The pirates and elves, with a new fire in their hearts they got into position. Orli turned to Depp, “This is it. We must win!”
“We can only hope that they will stand strong,” Depp replied. They stood waiting for the white demons to approach them. The men on the front lines began to tremble as their lives passed before their eyes, but they stood firm. After what seemed an eternity, the rabbits reached them, and the men began to slash at them with all their might. Some of the creatures proceeded further into the army. Others, however, were not as lucky.
After many long hours, most of the rabbits still remained among the men of the forest and the sea. The hobbobot stood on his hill, a coward for not joining his own battle, and looked out over the war with an evil grin. Suddenly he was snatched up off the ground and he found himself being pulled toward the battle. He looked up to see a knight in a suit of brilliant silver armor, riding on a black unicorn.
The knight hastily tied a bomb to the hobbobot’s waist and released him into the pack of ravaging bunnies and the explosion took out a large percentage of the rabbit army. The army of elves and pirates paused for a moment in thanks for their new ally. They followed him as he ran into the few remaining animals. They continued to fight until they were confident that every last one was dead.
They breathed a sigh of relief and made their way back to pay tribute to those fallen. As the knight turned his back, the only bunny left jumped for his neck and he fell to the ground. Seeing him, Orli pushed through the crowd and ran to his new friend. He held his head in his hands and wept. Then he heard an unexpected sound, “Do not cry my friend. I am not yet ready to leave.” His armor had saved him.
He gazed in wonder as the knight lifted his head and began to rise to his feet. The knight gave him one glance as he turned to face the sea of lifeless white bodies. There, in the midst of all of them, stood an odd-looking man with a little brown monkey sitting on his shoulder. The man walked with ease towards the very last bunny – the one that had attempted to kill the heroic knight – and strangled the life out of it. Everyone stared blankly at the mysterious man as they waited for him to speak, but he did not.
The monkey hopped down off of his shoulder and walked towards the group of men. Unexpectedly, the knight fell to his knees and appeared to be bowing to the brown monkey. Then the monkey looked at the knight and said, “Do not bow to me. I am but a messenger of the Lord – the great I Am. He has sent me to inform you of these terrible things that have happened, but no one would listen to me. Now, because of your lack of faith, It…is…finished.”
Suddenly a blur of rock fell on top of the monkey, and the man standing beside him. The people stood completely stunned. Then, meteorites began to fall all about them and people were crushed and burned by the large, flaming stones. The knight ran towards his unicorn, but as he did, a meteorite fell on top of him. Orli, seeing what had happened, jumped onto the black unicorn and they flew into the air.
They soared around for hours waiting for the meteorites to cease. When things finally grew quiet, they dropped to the ground. He walked through the crowed mixed with bodies and rock. He did not see his friends, the monkey prophet, or the knight. He dropped to the ground screaming in agony, “Why Lord? Where shall I go? What shall I do?” He seemed to feel a bit of renewed strength as he stood and faced the blazing sun.
