The grand turtle was turning ninety-two. He was shy and hid inside his shell, so he didn’t have many friends. I baked him an over-sized chocolate chip cookie to celebrate. The cookie was big and heavy, and I couldn’t carry it by myself. I turned the cookie sideways and started to roll it to the turtle’s cave. He lived far away, and I knew no-one would travel there for his birthday. I was determined to see him, so I kept rolling my cookie up the hills and down the valleys. It was hot outside and the sun was beating down me and my cookie. The chocolate chips began to melt leaving a sticky trail behind me. The dark chocolate aroma drew people out of their homes, and they started following the sweetly scented path. My following continued to grow until all of the townspeople drifted along with the smell of my cookie. The lonely grand turtle was overjoyed to see so many people arrive to celebrate his birthday, and together we all shared the giant gooey chocolate chip cookie.
The Red Cloud
I was being stalked by a large red cloud. It trailed me wherever I went. I walked to school, and it strolled along with me. I went to sleep, and it rested on top of me. I climbed a tree, and it floated up too. I didn't know how to get rid of this red cloud. I googled "red cloud following me" and the red cloud blocked my screen. It knew my thoughts too. I decided I would sink the red cloud in the ocean hoping it couldn’t swim. I jumped into the ocean and the water around me turned red. The waves that were calm turned angry and rough. I tried to swim to shore and I could barely catch my breath. I finally made it to land, grabbing the rocks along the edge with my hand to pull myself up. I sat there, shivering in the cold. The red cloud wrapped itself around me like a warm blanket. Thank you, I said. And the red cloud dissolved through my skin and melted into my heart.
The Ghost Fish
I bought a white-tailed ghost fish. I couldn't see my invisible fish, but the pet store owner assured me that he was there. I believed him, since I could see the trails of water from his movement. I took the fish home in a bowl and situated my new friend in the living room. I read books to my ghost fish in the evenings. He preferred fantasy and drama, so I started reading him the Harry Potter series. I would stop once the water was still, because I knew he was asleep. The ghost fish sometimes had nightmares, and there would be water spilled onto the floor the next morning. I cleaned up the mess and would switch the genre to sweet fairy tales to calm him down. The ghost fish had a penchant for vocabulary, and he would write notes to me. The notes disappeared quickly since they were written with the trails of water as he swam. I was reading to him one night and he started writing me a short-lived love note, "I see you".
The Magic Bubbles
I was doing the dishes with a new, lavender scented dish soap. It created shimmering purple champagne bubbles that bounced into the air. I was mesmerized watching this theatrical performance of dancing bubbles. I scrubbed the dishes more and the bubbles flew higher. I used tons of soap and the bubbles got bigger. They flew to the ceiling and kissed one another as they completed their performances. I clapped at the end of each show, popping the bubbles with my hands. I watched some the bubbles merge into larger bubbles and others fall and disappear. I created a magnificent purple spectacle in my sink. I wanted to join the show, so I started jumping up and down. I curled into a ball and then exploded into a jumping jack with my arms spread wide. As I burst upwards, I reached for a huge purple bubble. I pulled it over my head and squatted down. I went to jump up again and I floated off the floor. I was trapped inside the bubble. I bounced on top of the foam fountain tower in the sink looking into the purple-tinted world outside.
The Pink Necklace
I found a necklace in my garden. It was draped around the tulips waiting for me to save it. I rescued the dark rose quartz gem that was cut in an imperfect shaped heart. I put the necklace on and I started to glow. My skin was radiating a light pink aura, and I began to float off the ground. I grabbed onto a tulip stem as I rose into the air, but the force was so strong that the tulip came with me. I had no control over where I was going. I gently drifted through the sky with my heart gem and my tulip. I looked behind me and I left a soft pink trail wherever I went. I floated through miles of plains and fields and oceans. I plucked a leaf off a passing by tree for a pillow as I continued to float in my sleep. I was delicately placed on the top of a castle tower where I was greeted by a small hummingbird. I gave her the tulip, and then flew behind her through the turret window.
The Imaginary Mermaid
I found myself doing somersaults in the rain. I wanted to be a mermaid. I was tumbling down the hill along the wet grass when I crashed into a tree. I was slightly dazed from the crash and startled when I saw a frog. It wasn’t just one frog, but a whole army of frogs. I began to inch my way backwards noticing that I was surrounded by little green creatures who were staring me down. I could barely move since I had on my tight one-piece mermaid wrap dress, purple fishnet stockings and long fin-like slippers. My outfit was designed for tumbling, diving and swimming in the rain. The frog brigade pinned me to the ground and wrapped me in twine. I looked up and in the tree there was the king frog with a golden crown. He blended into the leaves and his deep voice echoed among the trees. I began to explain exactly how I became a mermaid, and I’m certain he was convinced.
The Disappearing Friend
I built a snowman out of pink cotton candy. It was summer and I needed a friend. I started rolling the bubblegum flavor cotton candy along the lawn. The cotton candy was sticky so there were little blades of grass, unwelcome weeds and dandelion heads mixed into the cotton spheres. I stacked the three round cotton structures on top of one another and I had my pink multi-speckled partner by my side. I placed a baseball cap on his head along with a pair of sunglasses. I added straws for arms and gumdrops for buttons. I told him about my dreams to be a ballerina dancing with the ocean waves. I left him outside overnight intending to share my plan to build a tall butterfly ship for my travels the next morning. When I came back, I was sad to see a giant gust of wind had swept my airy cotton friend away. There was sticky pink cotton candy spread all across the grass. I still wanted a friend, so I started rolling my pink snowman together once again.
The Blue Cave
I followed the orange path by the blue lake. I was enchanted by the shiny orange sparkles that glimmered in the distance. I wanted those mandarin diamonds. It was getting hot on the orange path, and my feet were starting to burn. I was tempted to dip my toes in the lake to cool down, so I started to step off the orange trail. But I couldn’t. It was like the orange path was sucking me in, and I couldn’t move away from the colored runway. I tried harder and harder to pull away. And the harder I tried, the angrier the orange path became. I could feel the ground getting hotter and the orange color turning darker. My feet started to sink into the burnt orange sand. I screamed and pulled, desperately wanting to dive into blue lake next to me. The orange path enveloped me and I was thrust down an orange slide into the depths of the blue cave. I started following a blue path now suddenly enchanted by millions of shiny blue sparkles that twinkled in the dark.
The Giant Hug
I found a giant, awkward and totally lovable heart on the sidewalk. It was cold outside and the heart was frozen in the snow. I wrapped my arms around the heart to carry it home. It was heavy and long, and I tried my best to make sure the tail of the heart stayed off the ground. I got to my house and squeezed the two of us through the door. I placed my giant heart on the couch and together we sat by the fireplace. I fell asleep by the fire resting my head on my giant heart pillow. I dreamed I was a superhero that found hearts around the world and saved them. I recounted lugging this massive heart home to protect it from the cold. I woke up and panicked. The heart was gone. I searched the whole house, but I couldn’t find it. I knew the heart was still there, and I could feel its warmth. The heart melted into a giant, awkward and totally lovable hug that filled the air.
The Unexpected Pet
I received a pet grasshopper in the mail. It came in a tiny sandwich bag with several air holes. This was an unexpected gift, and I named my new pet insect Sprite. My little snap pea Sprite looked pale, and I searched around the house for some food. I left her with the can of poppy seeds and went to take a nap. I came back an hour later, and she had devoured the entire container! She had grown twice the size and plumped up like a balloon. I panicked and decided to take her for a walk to get some exercise. I tied a piece of dental floss around her neck and we headed outside. Sprite was tiny but strong. She bounced up and down and pulled me along. I tried to keep up, but the thin piece of dental floss slipped out of my hands. Sprite flew into the air, and I never saw my green little jumping bean again.