I stole some paintings from a buffalo cave. I had three beautiful pieces of art framed in my living room. They were ancient drawings of different shapes etched into bark each in a monochrome color palette. It was clearly done by the artesian buffalo breed that had a creative bent. I imagined they would carve the shapes with their horns and mix flowers and leaves for pigments. I was certain that my paintings were done by female buffaloes because they were in pinks and purples. I was moving so I decided to sell my buffalo paintings. I put an ad on Craigslist under authentic ancient buffalo art. I had tons of inquiries because pink buffalo paintings are super popular. The first person that came to see the paintings was the father of a small girl who lived a few blocks away. He asked me if I wanted to expand my collection. Surprised and slightly tempted, I said yes. Maybe I did have room for an entire wall of buffalo paintings after all! I went to his house and the walls were full of art similar to the pieces that I had in my living room. I looked outside and saw a small girl painting raw formed shapes on trees with a brush. I found the buffalo artist.
The Drama Pool
I fell into the drama pool. As soon as I hit the water, I became detached and helpless. I plunged further into blue despair and the solitude seeped deeper into my soul. My skin hallowed out and my stomach caved into emptiness. I closed my eyes convinced I was invisible. I pushed myself to the surface and pulled myself out of the pool. Immediately, I felt a rush of love wrap around me. My heart grew warmer and my skin started to glow. I opened up my eyes and I felt whole. I was tempted to throw myself into the drama pool again. This time I dove into the water and I craved the vastness of the sun. My hands reached out like spiders casting a net to grab specific traits from people I knew. I felt insecure and resentful as I rose up to the top of the pool. I climbed out and a flood of calmness washed over me. I was happy right where I was standing. I walked away from the drama pool. I could feel the residue from the first round of loneliness and the second dip of envy. I continued walking with these mixed feelings that were gone but had soaked deep into my skin.
The Butterfly Book
I found a book at the library titled, "How to be an artist". I always dreamed of being an artist. I had this little creative cocoon in my heart that was desperate to emerge. I grabbed the book and ran home to read it. I was absorbed by the pages and traveled inside the pictures. I returned several hours later bubbling with ideas and images. My heart was fluttering and I danced to the library to get more books. I took home books on arts and crafts and painting and drawing. I carried home books on origami and collage and stencils and acrylics. I was spinning with joy as my house overflowed with how-to books on creativity. I started to work my way through one pile at a time. Twenty piles later, I was drowning in books and sinking into other people’s imagination. I had so many ideas that I had no idea where to start. I was trapped in towers of creative knowledge. I left my house and went outside with my sketchbook. I forgot everything I learned from all the books, and started drawing the little creative butterfly bursting out from inside of me.
The Mirror Monster
I walked through a purple mirror. My skin tinted to lavender, and my hair turned to a deep shade of burgundy wine. I blended into the pastel colored air almost disappearing except for my dark hair. I saw purple people running around purple streets in purple shoes with purple feet. I walked through amethyst layered gardens and passed by rows of plum-fairy palaces. I hopped across lilac stones and skipped through fields of violets. I danced under the dark raspberry sun. I ate plums and grapes as I planned my escape. I tried to go back through the mirror, but the deep fuchsia force kept pushing me away. I was battling against a monochromatic monster that had a predilection for mauve. I decided to use my secret weapon, an orange hidden in my pocket. I held it up to the purple mirror, and the mirror freaked out and dissolved into a pale white mist. I ran through the fog and I was back into my colorful world once again.
The Intuitive Feather
I found a lucky blue feather. It was pointy and soft, and I wore it in my hair. I let the feather lead me and tell me what to do. I made decisions based on how my feather was leaning in the wind. I followed my feather and it never let me down. I was walking through the forest trails, and I found another feather. This one was a gorgeous green isosceles triangle. I added this new, perfect feather to my hair. At that moment, I could feel myself torn into two directions. I was no longer light and carefree. I was heavy and burdened and didn’t know what to do. I wanted to continue skipping towards the water, but the green feather assured me that it was going to rain. The blue feather reminded me of how much I loved dancing in puddles, but the green feather told me that I would ruin my new shoes. I tip-toed a little further along the path and listened to the feathers fighting in my hair. I was allured by the perfect green but attached to my flowy blue. I pulled the green feather out of my hair and tossed it away in the wind. I danced in the rain with the blue feather in my hair ruining my new shoes and I couldn’t have been happier.
The Worry Dragon
I built a pet dragon out of mismatched socks. He was different shades of green with a long neck and tail. He was soft and squishy and made for a good pillow. I told him all my worries. He ate them up, always hungry if I had more. If he ever looked thin, I would feed him more of my fears. I dragged him everywhere, so he was always dirty by the end of the week. I would throw him in with my laundry and he returned fresh and clean again. I told him my greatest fear which was being left all alone. His neck turned down as he swallowed that thought and stuffed it inside of him. This giant-sized fear filled him up so much that his green sock skin started to stretch thin. I felt a flood of all my anxious thoughts rushing back towards me. I became worried and panicked all over again. I held my puffy dragon close to my chest. I started crying when I noticed a small hole in his heart. The fears were escaping. I sewed him together, and my worry dragon held all my fears for me once again.
The Lonely Turtle
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.