Confucius

He typed at a fast pace but not hurriedly, he of all people would never rush his work. This time he’d picked a nice little coffee shop to complete his work in, no one every looks in the extremely mundane places. His speed and accuracy is vital to his career. Freelance criminal. From the mafia to lowlife scum came to him with schemes, and whether good or completely idiotic he took them, well for the right price anyway. They all knew him as Confucius. Even his government file, a slim one ironically, had only his alleged date of birth and his fake name. There wasn’t even a photograph of him. No one knew what he would look like from day to day, no one could track him or frame him, he was thorough. Between his intricate accents and his frugal disguises he could be anyone, anywhere.

Confucius was finishing a neat job for the mafia, all that was left was to cover his tracks. He wiped his laptop clean with a total reboot and sat waiting for conformation on his pay.

Of course he’d already secured his money in one of his many bank accounts but he still had to wait for the mafia to meet him and tell him the obvious, Mission accomplished.

He rarely met with his employers but tonight was different. He was curious to see who the mafia would send to meet him. So he stayed in the shop and waited, sipping a latte.

Tonight Confucius had on a brown wig and fake bushy brows, colored contacts (also brown) and a false nose completed his costume. He wore loose cargo pants, a sweat shirt, and an overcoat. Luckily the night was cool and he got away with wearing a pair of gloves as well. Simple but effective. 

A short man with squinty eyes and a pair of thick circular glasses entered the coffee shop at a quarter to 10. He hobbled to the counter and ordered a drink, putting his overheated laptop in its case Confucius waited for the man to join him. The small man shuffled over to his table and sat opposite him.

“Good evening, Confucius.” He rasped in an attempt to mask his thick Irish accent.

“Whom do I have the pleasure of addressing?” asked Confucius with a slight English inflection.

“McHale.” The man drawled.

“What does the Head say, McHale?” Confucius asked with no urgency or nervousness.

“Success. We will call upon your talent in future.” McHale said, sliding him a slip of paper across the table. On it was the code an average person would need to access the money due. Confucius however had no need of it, but pocketed it anyways.

“If I am needed I will assist.” Confucius said rising.

McHale nodded silently and Confucius left the coffee shop.

There, he’d met with success yet again. He made his way through the sleeping city to an apartment complex squished between a pizzeria and a convenience store. He slouched in the building nearly dragging his computer case on the floor. He leaned heavily on the walls and made slight groaning noises as he heaved himself up the stairs. In the dim light you could make out that he’d swapped his attire, replacing his brown wig was a slick white one and in place of his brown brows, unkempt grey ones, he’d done this during some point of his commute.

His laptop case touched each stair as he awkwardly climbed them to the second floor.

He fumbled with his apartment key and after a moment of grunting and jabbing finally fit it into the lock, another long minute passed as he struggled to turn the skeleton key and open the door. Once inside with the door locked and bolted, Confucius removed his coat sweatshirt and pants. Underneath that he wore a white undershirt and thin pajama pants. He sat in front of what most people would call a vanity, but was his number one work station. On the vanity was face paints, hair brushes, combs, powders, sprays, colored contacts, wigs, hair extensions, oils, lotions, salves and more. All spread out on the vanity and on the surrounding shelves that he installed, mainly to hold the wigs, but also the accessories like fake noses and ears, also the finger prints that he’d replicated to frame certain persons. Removing the grey wig from his head with care, and the brown one from his laptop case, he put them on their appropriate manikins. The brows had to be pulled off gentle or they would be ruined and he had to remove his bald cap as well. Some think you can wear a wig on top of your hair but Confucius knew that it would simply slide off unless you wore the proper equipment. He placed the brows in a container and stared at himself in the mirror. It was on a rare occasion that he saw his own face. He had in-between length blonde hair, it wasn't long but it wasn't short and it stuck up just a little from his head. His hair was thin and if you ran a hand over it, it would bounce right back up. His eyes were a startling shade of blue, if he walked around without a disguise on he’d be captured within a few business days.  What would surprise most people was that Confucius looked like a high school student. He had no facial hair and was slim and boyish, he couldn't have been out of his teens, and yet here he was an infamous criminal. 

Enjoy! 

Dear Friend

Dearest Friend, 

He knows your rise and your fall. It may seem the catastrophes and dilemmas greatly outnumber the triumphs and good days. Don't let it sway your heart, or mind, into believing that you aren't made for a greater purpose than to be swept about in life's insane current. You are the only one who can do what you were made to do. In at least one aspect you are different and special. 

You may not know it but there is no one like you anywhere. Sure someone is probably similar to you in a few ways, but you are the only YOU. Made just how He intended, you need no embellishments.

Make the most of everyday, don't forget to say "I love you" to your loved ones, and thank God for your life. And your life is more than being alive, my friend. It is every aspect of your day to day basis, from waking up in the morning, breathing through the day, being able to take care of yourself, to being sane... Knowing truth from fiction... having food, raiment, a will and desire to do things. The ability to love, laugh, and praise. To speak, write, and read. 

Do we give God the credit for these things or our selves? We ought to give Him the praise He deserves, the time of day to pick up our Bibles and read them. I don't mean do naught but read the Word and praise all day long, though sometimes it is good to meditate and linger in His word, but we should all have time for the one who breathes the breath of life into us constantly. 

Remember these things, dear heart: Appreciate. Listen, not just hear. Talk. Realize. Observe. Ask. Knock. Seek. Uplift. Sympathize. Reminisce. Pray. CARE. Let Him Shine through you. Be Patient. Feel. Smile. Laugh. Cry. Think. Learn. Help others learn. Be more. Desire good things and be good.

 Seek peace and ensue it. He knows all things. 

The eyes of the Lord are in EVERY place, beholding the evil and the good. Proverbs 15:3

C.Sunshine 

Chuckawalla

In the dead of night a black car glided over the fading asphalt to number 17 Theas Street. Even in the darkness it was evident that the house was old and dilapidated. The car came to a silent halt. A tall dark man emerged and walked up the path to the sagging porch. He knocked on the splintering wood of the door with a gloved hand. There was an audible squeak of a wooden floor board being stepped on. The man knocked again. The door swung open and a youth stood there looking at the man with reproachful grey eyes.

"Hello Charles." The man said. "You're a hard man to find."

"You're hard to shake." Charles replied grimly.

"You know you have to come with me. Mr.Heath is very anxious to have you back."

"Many people want me. You can tell the world that Charles(A.)Wallace is out of commission. I'm done playing games, Anthony."

"You haven't the right to make that choice, Charles. Your gift is not to be wasted." Anthony replied flatly.

"You know you don't believe that. Why are you his puppet? You could just leave, no one could keep up with you. Not even I could." Charles said.

"I can't... I- Just come on Charles, I don't want to have to hurt you." Anthony said unsure at first then firm and absolute.

Knowing Anthony would bring him to Heath Mountains by any means necessary Charles went with him. They took Anthony's car to the airport and caught the next flight for the Alps.

"Your a real lousy guy y'know that?" Charles said half mockingly.

"You shouldn't have left Chuckawalla." Anthony's lips twitched.

"Heath says he's all for the "cause" but you know he's in it for his own personal gain." Charles said somberly.

"He has something on everyone... it's not like we could abandon him. He's made sure of that." Anthony sighed.

Charles shook his head, "So did he find his new "star safer"?"

"Yeah, some kid named Rawlins. He shows a lot of potential. You know, he's going to make you bond with the kid." Anthony added.

"Yeah. He does that. It's way of taunting me. Ha, he laughs at me, you have to deceive these poor kids, you have to tell them you are their friend and everything will be okay. Ugh. That man is sick. Does he really have to do what he does?" Charles growled.

"Probably not. He does it to aggravate people who can't do anything about it."

"That's us." Charles said closing his eyes.

"Yeah..." Anthony accepted one of the neck pillows the flight attendant was passing out.





That's all for now, hope to supply more soon. If you're wondering this is from my story Heath Mountains. It's Charles backstory, he's an Instructor at the institute. 

More Faring Place

Sorry I haven't blogged in a while, it truly grieves me that I've been so negligent... Oh well, I'm posting now.
For those who have actually bother to read my blog, here's the next installment of Faring Place.

"Other than Wiley and Art, who lived?" I asked.

"We did." Tiger and Hobbes said together. "The portal was open until Madam Sun and Monsieur Moon intervened. By the time they did nearly everything was lost." Tiger said sadly.

"Why would you do that? And after the first time why did you go and do it again?!" I cried looking at Wiley and Art.

"Because this time you have something you didn't have before." Arts brown eyes shone and he smiled.

"What? Do you mean Sunnee?" I asked.

"That and a few other things." Wiley chuckled cruelly.

"Just tell us!" Jache wailed in a desperate tone.

"Why, it's much more fun to watch." Art grinned and he and Wiley disappeared without a sound.

"They left." Candy said stupidly.

"Thanks for that Candy, now we have a firm grasp of the obvious." Hollywood rolled his green eyes. Candy glared at him.

"That's not helping, Hollywood." Wally said. Hollywood just sighed. Everyone started to get up from the table.

"Where are you all going?" I asked.

"To bed. It's kinda late." Tiger yawned as the rest of the people, or elements of Faring Place filed out of the dining room.

"Are you serious? After what those two did your just GOING TO BED? You aren't going to try and figure out what they meant?" I was bemused by their apathy.

Tiger sighed heavily and sat down. "Just how are we supposed to figure out what they meant when we're too tired to THINK, Kedar? Really, you do know rest helps us regenerate right?"

"Yes." I snarled. "But they won't even stay up late to try and save themselves!"

"Listen," Tiger yawned again, "It's really late and we're all tired. Plus the full moon was two days ago, Madam Sun and Monsieur Moon kept it closed... Tomorrow we can try to figure out what we need to do."

"Wait a sec, you said that the Sun and Moon kept it closed? Why can't they do that all the time? And if the portal only opens when there's a full moon, can't the Moon just not show up?" I asked hurriedly.

"No Kedar, Monsieur Moon has to "show up" it's his curse, he will forever be the cause of the portals opening, all he can do is help us. No, Madam Sun would burn out if she came into The Night twice in a row... Or even twice in a hundred years! Kedar if it was that easy we would have already closed the portal for good!" Tiger rubbed his eye sleepily.

"How do you know you haven't overlooked something?" I asked him.

"Well every time you get a desperate idea you can tell me and I'll let you know if we've thought of it before." Tiger grinned, "Kedar, try and get some sleep, you'll need it." He walked out of the room leaving me in a whirlwind of thought. I sat at the table for a few hours after Tiger left. I thought of a million ways to figure out the missing piece of the Prophesy. Not one would have worked. I gave up after I thought of strangling Wiley and Art til they squealed. How can you strangle the Wind? I left the dining room and made my way to the stair case. As I began to ascend the stairs I heard Jonni crying. I took the hall way that led to the sitting room that I'd been in the night before. The door was closed, but light seeped out from under the door.

"You should be rejoicing Jonni! Not wailing so!" It was Sunnee.

"I-- I... I don't want to!" I heard Jonni cry like a child.

I raised my hand to the doorknob but someone jerked my arm back.  I turned to see Writer floating waist high in front of me. He began to float away and beckoned for me to follow, I did. He floated up the stairs to my room. "You belong Here Kedar." He said.

"What in my room?" I scoffed.

"No I meant Here, at 123 Faring Place... We need you. What for I can't imagine..." He eyed me indecisively, "You may prove yourself yet." He flitted away.

I stared after him even after I couldn't see him any more. Then I went in my room and lay in bed. I couldn't stop my mind from trying to solve Here's dilemma. Even though all my ideas were laughable I couldn't give up that I'd make a break through soon. I think it was around three in the morning when I dozed off.
So ended my second night at 123 Faring Place.

The next morning I woke to see Wiley and Art standing over me. Naturally I felt like hurting them, I tried to grab Art's collar and clobber him, but my hand went right through him. "Look Wiley, he's trying to grab the Wind." Art giggled.

"Silly boy the wind cannot be caught in your fist. Besides we came here to help you." Wiley said lazily.

"Really? Why would you two help me?" I asked with reproach.

"Because we have the deepest sympathy for you, Human. We do not wish death or torment upon you. We know you're bright, and you do like to write, do you not?" Wiley asked.

"Well, yes..." I answered,"But why does that interest you?"

"Because that fact will come in to play. You will need to write something you've never read before." Wiley gave a nasty laugh, "Good luck Savior." Laughing Wiley and Art dissolved.

I jumped up and ran out of my room, I ran down the hall, and slid down the banister. I flew through Wally's part of Faring Place and down to the dark of the basement. "Why! Why!" I called. A blue glow directed me to Why who was asleep on a hammock in a corner of the large basement. "Wake up!" I shook him.

He looked up at me with reproach, then wonder. "Wiley and Art just told me something about the Prophesy." I said. He sat up and looked at me eagerly.

"It doesn't exactly solve it, but they called me-- the Savior. They said I had to write something I'd never read before... Like the missing piece of the Prophesy." I explained.
Why looked at me a little annoyed. "I'm telling you the truth!" I exclaimed.
He gave me the 'then-prove-it' look.

"They were just in my room! They're gone now... I-- I can't prove it." I stuttered. He glared at me and rolled over, facing the wall. I sighed and climbed up the stairs to the kitchen. Around the table sat, Tiger, Hobbes, and Jache. Writer floated by the doorway. They looked up when I walked in. "Good morning, Kedar." Tiger smiled.

"It is not a good morning." I scowled.

"What's eating you?" Hobbes asked.

"Wiley and Art said something to me earlier about the Prophesy... Why thinks it's a lie." I said sliding into a chair.

"What'd they say?" Jache asked eagerly.

I gave a humorless laugh, "They said I was the Savior, and that I'd have to write the part of the Prophesy that they lost."

"You never even read it though!" Jache frowned.

"I know." I sighed.

"There must have been a large portion missing..." Tiger said thoughtfully.

"You believe me?" I asked hopefully, looking from Tiger to Hobbes and finally at Jache.

"Why would you lie? Your life depends on this as well as theirs." Tiger said motioning to Jache.

"But yours doesn't..?" I asked.

"No, we are Time, Kedar, Time is eternal. You know the saying, as old as Time, we are so old we've forgotten just how old we are. That's really old." Hobbes explained. "We are almost as resilient as Madam Sun and Monsieur Moon."

"Oh... Since I'm IN the Prophesy, can I read it? I'll need some idea of what it's structure is." I said.

"We'll have to ask Jonni..." Tiger said.

"Why?" I asked.

"Because she's... in charge, more or less." Hobbes said.

"But WHY is she in charge? What is she if I'm the only Human?" I asked impatiently.

"Because Monsieur Moon sent her to us when he and Madam Sun closed the portal when Wiley and Art did this the first time." Tiger explained.

"And that makes her what? A Moonbeam?" I asked.

"Well yes, and she was placed at the head of Faring Place along time ago for every ones well being. She's perfect for management and the like." Hobbes smiled.

"Really? Sunnee's a Ray of Sun, Jonni's a Moonbeam, you two are Time, Wiley and Art are Wind.... Seriously? This is so weird..." I sighed.

Tiger and Hobbes raised their eyebrows at me. Jache scowled. "This is REAL you know, Kedar. And if you're some kind of Savior, you should believe." Jache got up and left the room.

"Is this the only building in Here?" I asked Tiger and Hobbes. Writer snickered from his position above my head.

"No Kedar, there are many things here in Here, why don't you go explore? It's really a brilliant place. 123 Faring Place is the 123rd building you know." Tiger laughed.

"How big is Here, is it like a country? Or a state or...?" I trailed off in a confused silence.

"Here is more of a state of being than anything else. It's just here, and so are we." Hobbes grinned and my confusion.

"Whatever." I growled and left the kitchen. I walked down the hall to the front door and placed my hand on the doorknob. I hesitated, just what would I find on the other side of that door? I turned the knob and walked out into the bright Sunlight of Here.
I was stupefied by the bright ambience of Here. The street that was directly in front of 123 Faring Place was a violent violet. The sky was many shades of blue. Baby blue, violet blue, indigo, and deep blue in the center. The clouds were fluffy white lined with silver. There were tall willow trees lining the street. I stood there staring for a moment in bemused silence.

"Don't stand gaping, Kedar!" Maddy's sharp voice make me jump. I looked over my shoulder and saw her staring down at me from one of the second story windows. Her bright orange and deep red flame hair was flickering in the slight breeze.

"Yeah, yeah..." I muttered turning back around and walking down the slim pink path that led from 123 Faring Place to the wide violet path which stretched as far as I could see in both directions.

"Go left." said a soft laughing voice. I glanced up and saw Writer floating to my left.

"Why?" I asked.

"Because the right is so... difficult. The way turns blue and it is a sad and lonely hue." Writer said with a twitch of his lips.

"I despise riddles." I growled in irritation.

"Why? They are a rather large amusement here in Here." He chuckled.

"Ugh. I literally detest them. They are a bother." I sighed.

"If you do go left the path fades red and you will be forced to riddle instead of staying here in the middle." Writer flitted to one of the willow trees and floated inches from the ground beneath the shade the long stringy leaves produced.

"You said that riddles were a bid thing here?" I asked.

"No, I said that they are a rather amusement here in Here. Do pay attention, Kedar." He grinned.

"Then why hasn't anyone bothered me with riddles in 123 Faring Place?" I asked sardonically.

"Because Jonni banned it." He said simply.

"Whatever..." I began to walk along the violet path. My mind was crammed with information and I couldn't think what it was. My eyes glazed as I walked and I retreated to my mind which was trying to sort out fact from fiction... It wasn't doing a good job.
Walking down the path in this haze I was unaware of the little creatures on the path in front of me.

"Hey!" A boy roared at me. He had a shock of blonde hair and angry brown eyes.

I stopped and looked around, I saw the small orange beings on the path. They were barely knee high and had innocent blue eyes.

"Did you just plan on running my Ferus over?" He demanded furiously.

"No, I wasn't watching where I was going. Sorry kid." I sidestepped the little things and began to walk down the path.

"Hey, where do you think your going?" The boy asked.

"Uh-" I began.

"Don't apologize to me, apologize to them." he pointed to the Ferus.

With a sigh I walked back over to them and knelt down. "I am sincerely sorry for not watching where I was going." I said shooting the boy a is-that-good-enough? glance.
He nodded to the Ferus. They smiled at me with their thin lips. One of them stepped up to me and put a soft paw on my knee.

"We forgive you." his voice was deep and syrupy, he sounded like he was singing. I smiled and stood.

"Who're you anyway? I don't think I've ever seen you here." The boy asked.

"I'm Kedar Christenson." I said. "I don't think we've met before because I haven't so much as left 123 Faring Place for the past few days that I've been here in Here."

"I see... I'm Rory, I'm a Ferus Guardian. What are you?" Rory asked eyeing me.

"I'm a Human." I said.

"Really? I've never met a Human before." He said in wonderment.

"And I've never met a Ferus Guardian before." I grinned.

"So, Kedar the Human, where are you headed?" Rory asked.

"I was just wandering, trying to see what sort of place Here is." I replied.

"It's a nice place, though I hope you can solve the case, there is a a race, you must win." Rory said slowly and carefully as if he'd rehearsed.

I glared at him. "What are you talking about, Rory?" I asked dryly.

"I-" He faltered for a moment and then stood tall and began to recite, "It is the dim haze of mystery that adds enchantment to pursuit."

"Antoine Rivarol." I said. "So what is all this poetic nonsense for?" I asked miffed.

Rory puffed out his chest in indignation, "Heed the rhymes, you haven't much time, not for the feat that you must accomplish. Plus, aren't you a writer? Why do you hate poems?"

I scowled at him, "Nice to meet you, Rory. And Ferus." I nodded my head in their direction before I walked away down the path.

"Hey, wait!" Rory called desperately running after me, the tiny Ferus tailing along.

"What do you want kid?" I asked aggravated.

"You shouldn't go that way, really today isn't the day for danger." He said his eyes wide.

"Why do you insist on rhyming? It's annoying." I said. He merely looked at me. I sighed. "Well, where should I go?" I asked.

"That way, to the bay." He said pointing to a little green path nestled between two large weeping willows.

"The bay?" I asked him.

"Yes. The portal is there."

"THE portal? Where the... things come out? You just said today wasn't a day for danger." I said instantly wary.

Rory looked at me as if I was a child, "Dear Kedar, you have forgotten your Star."

"What? Oh, you mean Why?" I barked a mirthless laugh, "He wouldn't help me."

"Is that so? Look at that crow, it has followed you." Rory pointed to a large crow in a gnarly willow.

"Why?" I approached the bird cautiously. Why did morph from a Star to a human form, why not a bird? I thought. The bird flew to a lower branch and then hopped onto the ground. It stretched it's wings and Why stood before me with a lopsided smile on his glowing face.

"Why did you follow me?" I glowered at him. He shrugged.

"He was worried you'd come to harm. How sweet." Writer laughed sardonically, floating down and hovering a few inches above the ground.

"Why are you two here?" I asked again.

"Because Jonni told us to follow you," Writer grinned, "She was concerned." Why smiled and I saw his pointy white teeth.

"Concerned about what?" I asked.

"Your safety, little one." Writer snickered.

I glared at him and Why. "Soooo, shall we proceed?" Rory asked.

"Why are we going to the portal anyways?" I asked uncomfortably.

"You need to see it. You may have to help keep it closed." Writer said shortly. He, Why and Rory (with the little Ferus) began to walk down the green path. I hesitantly followed. We followed the trail to a gorgeous bay. It consisted a large beach, a grove of palm trees and an enormous grey mountain . In the middle of the mountain (between twin palm trees) there was a yawning cave mouth.

"Is that...?" I gulped as we drew closer to the mountain.

"Yes, that's the portal." Writer said solemnly.

Why stopped not fifty yards from the portal. Writer and Rory stood by him, staring into the black opening. I stood a little ways behind them with the Ferus, who were looking at Rory's back with their large eyes full of worry. Rory turned around and looked at me with scorn.

"Kedar, come here." Writer said in a flat voice. I inched towards him and stopped at his elbow.

"Yeah?" I asked, shooting the cave nervous glances.

"Quit being a coward." He said dryly.

"I- I'm... sorry." I whispered.

"Writer, I'm so sorry I have to miss this but I must take the Ferus home." Rory sighed and led the Ferus back up the little green path and away out of sight.

"What ever. Do you see that?" Writer pointed to a figure emerging from the cave. I almost fainted. It's supposed to be closed! I thought. I looked closely at the thing and saw it was human, or at least looked human. It was a girl. She had bouncy brown curls and wide blue eyes.

"Kill it." Writer said coldly.

"What? That's a girl, I can't-" I began to protest.

"That isn't a girl, Kedar. She is a beast. Right Why?" Writer turned to Why who was scowling darkly. He nodded yes.

"Wha- but, wait your not serious? C'mon, if she was a monster how would I kill her anyways?" I asked desperately.

"Do you honestly believe that I'd roam Here without a weapon or two?" Writer produced a slim sword from his long shirt.  "Be careful with it. It's delicate."

I took it from him with trembling hands and slid the gleaming blade from the leather sheath. I put my finger to the edge of the sword and winced. Blood flowed from a much larger cut than I meant to inflict. I sucked my finger as tears welled up in my eyes.

"You are supposed to kill that thing not yourself, Kedar." Writer said with a smirk.

"Shut up." I muttered. "Your sure she's a monster? I mean what if she isn't?" I asked toying with the sword.

"Kedar, do you doubt me?" Writer asked sternly.

"Well I--" I began.

He smack the back of my head. "Trust me, "she" is a beast. Kill her."

"Fine." I glowered and moved towards the girl.

Writer put a hand on my arm, "Don't let her speak to you Kedar."  I gave an uncertain nod and proceded towards her.

She waved cheerily to me as if she was waiting for me. "Hello, Kedar!" She called. I stopped, confused. How did she know my name?  "I finally found you!" she said running towards me arms extended as if for a hug. I backed away the sword useless at my side, I knew this girl. I thought. I had to, she knew me... As she got closer I made out her facial features. She had a small nose and a rosy mouth. Her eyes weren't blue as I first thought, but green and her face was round and smooth.  A shock went through me, I did know her!

"Dakota?" I asked. "DAKOTA!" I screamed dropping the sword in the sand.

"No, Kedar! It isn't her! Kill it!" Writer yelled at me.

I tensed. What if Writer was right? What if it wasn't Dakota? In a moment of fear and doubt I pick the sword back up and held it out in front of me. Dakota wouldn't run into it... The girl kept running towards me and she bared her teeth. She morphed from my Dakota to a wild looking woman with dark skin and black orbs where she should have had eyes. I screamed and thrust the sword into her middle still holding tightly to the hilt.
For a fearful second I thought it wouldn't go through it. But I felt it leave it's body. It lay, a bloody heap on the sand. I gagged and turned around.
Why and Writer walked up to me and looked down at the lifeless form.

"Well done, Kedar." Writer said relieving me of his blade. "Next time I'll make you clean it." He said wiping it on his pant leg. Why steered me over to a palm tree and sat me down. He began to write in the sand. He poked me until I looked down at what he's written.

"Who's Dakota?"

"She's... my friend." I said slowly. So many things clouded my mind, memories came rushing to me I was overwhelmed. I sat with my legs apart and clutched my head.

"Hey, are you alright?" Writer asked. Why glared up at him and shook his head. Writer groaned and flung himself down on the sand. "You know, Why it's a good thing it wasn't really her."

"WHAT?" I roared.

"Oops..." Writer said reddening under my glare.

"What do you mean, it's a good thing it wasn't really her! You said it was a monster, you said you KNEW it was a monster not really her! How could you lie to me?" I asked out of breath and light headed.

"I was fairly certain that it wasn't her..." Writer muttered.

"Fairly certain?! That's not good enough. I thought you said that the portal was closed." I looked at him with greatest distrust.

"It is... during the night." Writer said.

"Wait, you said you weren't sure if it was Dakota or not... does that mean she could come here?" I asked.

"Well... there's a slim chance." Writer said hesitantly. "Who's Dakota...?" He asked.

"She's my friend... we grew up together in the orphanage..." I said, remembering a red brick building a green lawn surrounded it. I vividly saw Dakota leaning against a tree smiling (at me). We were talking about something...

"We need to go." Writer said abruptly. "Now."  Why stiffened and got to his feet, he hauled me to a standing position and we headed for the green path. Writer stood on one side of me and Why on the other. They walked quickly, half dragging me along.

"Why are we going so fast?" I asked dazed. Writer didn't answer but both kept up the fast pace. We reached the main path and stopped, Why and Writer were out of breath.
Wiley and Art appeared in front of us smirking. Writer scowled and Why glowered.

"Oh Kedar you are a brave one." Wiley cooed.

I glared at him, no words would come to my parched mouth. "You know Kedar, these two have lied to you more than you know." Art grinned.

"What?" I croaked.

"Writer and Why and even Jonni have not been entirely honest with you. But we will be." Wiley said in a sickly sweet voice.

"What do you mean?" I asked.

"Did you know that your dear girlfriend, what was her name?" Art asked Wiley.

"Dakota." Wiley replied.

"Ah yes, Dakota. Your darling Dakota could come through that portal and be slain by any one of the inhabitants of Here." Art smiled sweetly.

"And did they tell you that there is an hour when the portal can transport you to where ever you desire to go? If YOU were to into the portal at this hour you could be taken back to Dakota." Wiley said with a flash of his sparkling teeth.

I looked at Writer and Why in disbelief. Why hadn't they told me?   

My Alice in Wonderland

I'm frightfully sorry I've neglected my blog! I have been very busy though... Never mind, here's a new post:

I've decided to write an Alice in Wonderland story, I don't have more than a vague idea of what I want to do with it, but an idea is a start! Here are some pictures I've been doodling from the Disney cartoon and a few from my imagination.

My Alice in Wonderland college.

The Blood Red Queen.

The Red Queen and the White Knight who becomes the Red King.

Tweedledee and Tweedledum.

"If you think we're waxworks you should pay for the privilege of looking. Contrariwise if you think we're alive we ought to introduce ourselves."  

Alice. 

"Goodbye Dinah!"

The talking Flowers.

"She's just a weed!"

The White Rabbit.

"Oh! I'm late, late, late, for a very important date!"

The King and Queen.

"Off with his head." Queen

"No!" King (Knight)

The Blue Caterpillar, or Absalom.

"Don't you know who you are? Stupid girl."

The Mad March Hare. 

"If you don't think then you shouldn't speak."

The Mad Hatter.

"Have I gone mad?" Hatter

"I'm afraid so, your completely bonkers, but I'll tell you a secret, all the best people are." Alice

The Mad Dormouse or Dormy.

"ZZZZZZZ....."

Obviously I have a few more characters to go, I haven't even drawn the King or Queen of Hearts yet, but I will soon. So far all that I really know about my tale is that my Mad Hatter's name is Cyrus, Alice is going to be lured into Wonder/ Underland to save them all no doubt, and that the White Knight, Benedict Andersson, unwittingly saved the Red Queen, Rani Brier, and is forced to marry her. She keeps him locked away in her dungeons and she calls him "Her little pet". Benedict is 21 years old, but he, like so many people, has a baby face so looks much younger. I know that's not much of an idea, but there'll be more soon!

Faring Place

I have greatly modified this and I hope it's better than before!

Twas a black night when I arrived here at Here. I had no idea how I'd come to be there, nor where to go. I stumbled about in the darkness feeling for something, anything at all to help me see. I saw a faint glow. With a rush of need I sprang towards it. I had no clue that it was very close to me. Thusly I ran into it. It didn't cry out but it shone very brightly. I studied it and saw it was... well this may sound odd, but it was a star. A round sphere of light stood before me shining bright and blue.

 "What's your name? Where are we?" I asked it, but it didn't reply. It looked at me and shrugged. It had morphed from a ball into a human. He, for it was male, began to walk away from me.

 "Wait!" I cried, "Don't leave me in this darkness!" He beckoned for me to follow him. I readily did so. He lead the way to a path which we followed to a large building, he knocked on the door and we waited.
A tall silver haired youth answered the door. His black eyes searched us.

"Ah... You two must be the new ones..." He grinned and called over his shoulder, "Hobbes, I was right! It is a fallen star!"

Another youth with the same silver hair and black eyes came to the door. "Yes, Tiger, but I did say that the other would be a human. Even?" He asked Tiger.

"Even." Tiger nodded.

"Whose at the door, Tiger?" A voice called. "Is it them? Are they here?"

"Yes!" One of them called.

"Then let them in, they must be informed." the voice commanded.

"Come in." They gestured together for us to enter.

We stepped into a warm hallway and followed Tiger and Hobbes to a sitting room. Inside there sat a girl. She smiled and motioned for us to sit down.

"Welcome to Here, boys." She said.

"Where is here?" I asked.

"Here is here, silly." She laughed. "We welcome you to 123 Faring Place. What are your names?" She asked.

I thought a moment then said,"Kedar... Kedar Christenson."

"Nice to meet you Kedar, I'm Jonni. And what is your name?" She asked the star.

He pointed to his mouth and shook his head no. "Oh, I see! You lost your voice on the way down?" He nodded. "That's common, will you write your name down please?" She handed him a piece of paper and a pen.

He wrote something and handed it back to her. "Why." She read aloud."Because we need to know who you are." She said.

He sighed and rolled his eyes. Taking the paper back he wrote, "My name is Why."

"Oh!" She giggled, "Stars do like having funny names, don't they?"

He cocked his head to the side and looked at her questioningly.

"Never mind." She said. "Okay, I think you'll be on the top floor," she pointed to me,"And you'll be in the basement." She pointed to Why. "Hobbes take Why to the basement, Tiger take Kedar to the top floor, please."
I was taken to a comfortable room where I immediately fell asleep.

That was my first night at 123 Faring Place.


The next morning I woke very much confused. I was sprawled on a twin sized bed in a large room. Looking over I saw a window. I got up and walked over to it. Outside the window I saw the ground very far below me. I kept staring down and began to get dizzy. Then a flash of grey blurred past. I cried out and jumped back. It must've heard me for it came back. It was a teen. He was an odd white grey. He grinned and tapped on the window. I slowly opened it, and he lept onto the sill.

"Good morning!" He said in a voice I wouldn't have thought he possessed. It was airy and boomed at the same time.

"Goo...d morning." I stammered.

"Your Kedar, right?"

"Yeaaah. Yes. Yes I am. And who are you? What are you?" I asked him.

"I'm Writer, I'm a Cloud." he said as if that would reveal everything to me, in truth it only confused me more.

"What?" I asked.

"Oh, sorry!" He laughed," I forgot you're, uh... new. I'm a Cloud from Sky." He took the unnecessary precaution of pointing upwards.

"Then how are you... down here?" I asked a little annoyed.

"You're the same guy who saw a fallen Star last night?" He laughed, "Kedar, Here is a wonderful place, lots of things that can't happen in other realms can happen here. I for one am permitted by Madam Sun to stay on Here."

"Wha-?"

He sighed, "Don't you know? Every century a Star and a Cloud are chosen by Madam Sun to come to protect Here from... Um, misfortunes and the like. Why and I are sort of like the guardians of Here. Get it now?" He looked at me with an eager expression.

"Kind of... So you and Why are a star and a cloud? And your here to protect Here... From what?"

"Well, uh... Ya know whatsit and whosits and... so on and so forth and what have you." He laughed lightly but his face was worried. "Nice to meet you Kedar, I float by again sometime!" And he shot off.

I was quite concerned about what we were being protected from. I didn't have the confidence then that I now have in Why and Writer.
I made my bed and then looked around my room. There was a roll topped desk. I went over to it and opened it's top. It had a laptop inside. I smiled and sat down. I opened it and went to notebook. And I began to type...and type....and type. I probably would have stayed on that laptop all day long had it not been for Wiley and Art.

"Gooood evening." They said in unison entering my room.

"It's evening?" I asked astonished that I'd been on the laptop that long.

"Yes Kedar, it's five in the evening." One of the youths said.

"Who are you?" I asked, slightly wary.

"I'm Wiley." The teen with black hair smirked and bowed.

"And I'm Art." The other boy was pale and had searching brown eyes.

"Nice to meet you both..." I noticed it was fairly dim in the room, since the sun had hidden her face behind a bank of clouds.

"How are you finding Faring Place?" Wiley asked.

"I don't really know yet. I haven't been out of this room." I said.

"Oh, pity."  Art grinned. "You ought to know the place your going to die in."

"What?" I asked very much bemused.

"Yes, you ought to know that you may possible give your self for another." Wiley said lazily.

"What are you talking about?" I cried.

"They haven't even told him the Prophesy. Tsk tsk tsk, what a shame. Shall we remedy that, Wiley?" Art asked grinning wickedly.

A girl with flaming hair burst into the room, "Wiley! Art! Get downstairs now! Jonni is waiting for you so we can eat!" She ordered bossily.

They glared at her and slunk away.

"You!" She barked at me.

"Yes?" I asked timidly.

"Who are you?" she demanded.

"Kedar Christenson... and you?"

"I'm Maddy and I'm a Flame. How old are you, Kedar?" She asked.

"Ummm... 18 I think." A flame, huh? Makes sense. I thought.

"You think? Don't you know how old you are?" She was exasperated.

"Yes I know!" I cried indignantly,"I'm 18. How old are you?"

"I'm 1432 years old. Well if you want to eat today you'll come down to the kitchen." She turned and started to walk away.

I begun to put my laptop away and she turned back around and barked, "NOW!" I jumped up and followed her out of my room. We walked down a wide hall way to the stairs. They wound in a circle all the way down. A person stood at the bottom staring up.

"Is Kedaw coming down?" The voice called. Not like Maddy's harsh voice, but soft and it had a lisp.

"Yes, Connie!" Maddy yelled back. "Connie's a writer. She's nine."

"Do her parents live here?" I asked.

"No, do yours?" She asked crisply.

"Nooo..." I muttered.

We began to descend the stairs, there were mirrors at every landing, I caught my reflection and stared. I have white hair, yellow eyes and my skin is copper.  "Wow..." I breathed. I had had no idea what I looked like at the time.

"Are you done staring at yourself, Kedar?" Maddy asked.

"I wasn't-" I sighed and followed her to the bottom of the stairs. There were three hallways.

"Go strait and you'll end up in the front of Faring Place, where Writer, Connie, and Jonni's rooms are. Go to the left and you'll be in Wally's world. The kitchen, the dining room, HIS room, and the stairs to the basement are that way. If you were to go right you'd be in the entertaining part of this home. There's a game room, a sitting room, a den, a living room and a half bath. Any questions?" She asked.

"Yeah, you didn't tell me what we pass on the stairs, what's behind all of those doors?" I asked her.

"Well, nosy, there's Wiley's,  Art's, Tiger and Hobbes's, and Candy's room for one. There's the laundry rooms, a few bathrooms, and my room. Satisfied?" She stormed.

"Not yet.  Wiley and Art said something to me about a prophesy, what's the prophesy say?" I asked.

"I can't say." She growled and took the hallway to the left.

"Why can't you?" I asked.

"Because it's not my place to spoil the ending." She tossed her hair over her shoulder. "Now shut up and let's go eat."

We entered the dining room. In it was a large table, people were crowded around it, and a large man in an apron pushed his way thru a swinging door opposite the one I'd just entered. He held a large tray, tall glasses of a foamy drinks were atop it. He set them down, tucked the tray under his great arm and lumbered back thru the door.

"Hullo, Kedaw!" Connie dimpled a smile at me from across the room.

"Hi." I said back. Maddy pushed past me and took a seat by Wiley who was staring at me with his crystal blue glare.

"Look whose here." One of the silver haired youths grinned. The other was gulping his drink.

"Everyone this is Kedar Christenson he's Human." Jonni said. "Wally, come here for a moment!" She called. The big man came back to the swinging door and poked his head into the dining room.

"Yes?" He asked.

"Meet Kedar." She said.

"Nice to meet your acquaintance, Kedar." He extended his meaty hand, I shook it.  He nodded to Jonni and went back into the kitchen.

"Okay, I want each of you to introduce yourself to Kedar. Tell him your name and title please." Jonni said. "Tiger and Hobbes will begin."

They stood, grinning, "We are Tiger and Hobbes, we are Time." They said in unison.

"I'm Candy, I'm a drop of Rain." A girl with watery blue eyes informed me.

"Nice to meet you, Candy." I said.

"I'm Hollywood I'm Ice." A boy with white blond hair told me. I nodded.

"I'm Connie I'm a Writew from Papew." The little girl smiled at me. I returned the smile.

"As you know, Kedar I am Wiley."

"And I'm Art." Wiley and Art smirked for no apparent reason.

"I'm Jache the Scribe." A youth with orange hair said.  I just tilted my head in his direction.

"I'm Maddy and I'm a Flame." Maddy spat.

"I'm pretty sure that's everyone." Jonni smiled.

I spotted Why slouching in a corner and walked over to him.  He nodded in acknowledgement when I said Hello.

"Do you like this place?" I asked him.

He smiled and shone brightly, then looked at me and raised his eyebrows.

"You do? I don't know if I do yet... I've only been up to my room and here." I explained.

He gestured his arm in a wide ark.

"I should explore, huh? I'll try to tomorrow... Will you come with me Why?" I asked.

He nodded vigorously. I smiled. "Hey, Why, have you heard anything about a prophesy?" He frowned and shook his head no.

 Tiger or Hobbes, I couldn't tell them apart then, beckoned for us to sit down beside him. We did so just as the large man pushed thru the door again.

"Here you go!" He bellowed, putting plates of food in front of everyone.

"That's Wally our chef." The black eyed boy said in a whisper.

"Sorry but are you Tiger, or Hobbes?" I asked.

"I'm Hobbes. You can tell if it's me or Tiger by our ears. I have pointed ears and he doesn't, see?" He tilted his head and I saw he did indeed have pointed ears. I glanced up at Tiger and saw he had normal rounded ears.

"Okay, thanks Hobbes." I said. I looked down at my plate. "Hobbes, what is this?" I asked eyeing the yellowish matter on my plate.

"It's food, Kedar." He grinned and took a large bite of his.

"What kind of food?" I poked it with my fork.

"It's G.U.M." Hobbes said.

"What? This isn't gum. Gum is for blowing bubbles and chewing, not eating." I said.

"Where DID you come from, Kedar? G.U.M. stands for Generally Useful Matter, or General Users Malnutrition Buster.... Or something like that." He muttered and took another bite of G.U.M.

"What does it taste like?" I asked.

"Like whatever you want to eat." He grinned. "For instance, I'm eating a hot fudge sundae."

"Really?" I asked. I took a small forkful and ate it. I tasted like something I'd eaten before. Warmth filled me though the food was cool, a lightness spread all over me. I heard a beautiful laugh and looked around for the source. I saw only the chatting inhabitants of Faring Place.

Someone nudged me and I glanced over. Why looked at me with concern. "Did you hear her?" I asked him.

His brow furrowed and he shook his head no.  I sighed. "Hobbes, did you hear her?" I asked.

"Who?" He asked. "Are you feeling alright, Kedar? You look a little pale..." He said.

"I'm fine." I'd suddenly lost my appetite. Getting up I left the dining room. I stumbled down the hall and was about to ascend the stairs when I heard her again. She seemed to be laughing with me even though I wasn't.

"Hello, Kedar." A soft voice whispered. I started and looked around.  On the stairs stood the most different looking person I've yet to encounter.

"H- h- hi." I stuttered gaping at her. She wore a brilliant robe of yellow, and she had a great deal of scarves wrapped around her neck and her waist. She possessed a grand amount of hats, a few of which must have been stuck in her dreadlocks. Many baubles, watches and bracelets hung off her wrists and arms. I looked down at her bare feet and saw that they were the same shade of yellow as her robe.

 "Who are you?" I asked her.

"Why, I'm Sunnee. I'm surprised no one greeted my when I came down. I suppose you all do things differently here. But you were expecting me, weren't you? You did received Madam Sun's message?" Sunnee asked me.

"I, uh.... I don't know. I was in my room all day... But I didn't hear anyone mention that you were coming."

"Oh dear," Sunnee breathed,"This is news indeed."

I led Sunnee to the dining room where dinner was in full swing. When we walked in everyone stopped eating and stared an Sunnee.

"Who's dat?" Connie asked, her eyes wide with curiosity.

"I am, Sunnee. And you say that no one was expecting me?" She asked me.

 "Obviously not." I replied.

Jonni stood up, "I assure you none of us knew." She shot Wiley and Art a hateful look, "We would have been preparing... Come, we need to talk." Jonni led Sunnee out of the room.
Everyone looked at me.

"What?"  I asked them.

"Where did she come from?" Tiger asked.

"I don't know... she was just there." I muttered.

"Why are you mumbling! Where did she come from?" Maddy said crossly.

"I was going to my room, and she was standing at the foot of the stairs." I said impatiently.

"So she just appeared?" Art smirked at my confusion.

"I don't know, why don't you ask her?" I cried.

"Obviously she's a Ray of Sunshine." Hobbes said.

"Well, obviously." Tiger frowned. "But why is she needed? We already have Why and Writer... and Kedar." he muttered.

"Perhaps the Prophesy was missing a piece? That DID happen to Hannon and Sokol... They didn't know how serious their problems were until it was to late." Hobbes said thoughtfully.

"What are you talking about?" I asked. Hobbes ignored me. I turned to Tiger, "What's that mean?" I asked him. He too ignored me. I looked about the room and scowled.
Wiley and Art were whispering with their heads close together, Connie sat on one of Wally's great knees crying, Maddy glared at Writer who was gliding about the room on his back, Hollywood, the youth with white blond hair, sat by Candy who was talking hurridly as if explaining something, Jache was staring down at his G.U.M., and Why was looking past me into the distance. Tiger and Hobbes continued to talk and shake their heads.

"Will someone please tell me what this means?!" I roared.

"No need to shout, Kedar." Art smirked.

"Well?" I asked.

Again the eyes of all 12 people were on me.  "Tiger, Hobbes, you tell him." Maddy ordered them.

"Okay." Tiger said. "You might want to sit down, Kedar."

I did and Hobbes began to explain. "It was three generations ago that Hannon and Sokol, a Star and Cloud, came to Here, to protect the inhabitants of 123 Faring Place from..." he trailed off.

"From what?" I asked irritably.

"Fwom a howwible fate." Connie piped up.

"What horrible fate?" I cried in exasperation.

"Calm down, Kedar." Wiley said smugly.

"Not until you tell me!" I yelled.

"Kedar, chill." Writer said floating above me in a circle.

Before I could start screaming again Tiger said, "Okay, Hannon and Sokol were supposed to protect Here from beasts. Fire breathing dragons, two headed serpents, giants, ghouls, monsters, nightmares, whatever, you name it, it's out there. More specifically they had to guard a portal so that these things couldn't enter Here."

In that moment I was more frightened then than I'd ever been. It was then that I realized that I was a coward.

"Now, they didn't receive their entire prophesy, the thing that Madam Sun procures for the guardians to tell them what they must face, and they were destroyed. Them and most everyone who was here at Here at the time. See once a month, when the full moon rises, the portal opens and all manner of evil comes out, unless of course a Star and Cloud are there to keep it closed. Sometimes the Star and Cloud need a little help, that's why Madam Sun gives them a Prophesy, to guide them and it let's them know if they DO need a little assistance battling demons and the like. We're usually informed if a Ray of Sunshine has to be involved. This means Wiley and Art have lost a vital part of our Prophesy, again!" Hobbes growled at them.

"What?" I asked bewildered.

"They are Wind, and they were supposed to bring us the Prophesy from Madam Sun." Tiger scowled,"Why anyone thought we could trust you two in the first place is beyond me."

"Don't be cross, we know you'll find out everything in time." Wiley smirked.

"Unlike you two we cannot just flit away at the first sign of trouble, we're firmly stuck here to face the evil that will be spewed from that portal if we can't figure out the Prophesy in time." Hollywood quipped. "We'll be a little more than cross we'll be destroyed."

A shrill squeal sounded. Everyone looked at Connie who was now sobbing. "Take her to bed, Maddy." Wally said.

"Fine, but let me know if there are any developments." She took Connie out of the room.

"Can't they just go and get the parts they left out?" Candy asked Tiger.

"No. That's the thing, once a part is left behind it dies and cannot be recovered." Tiger sighed.

"Unless someone can rewrite it, which is impossible cause no one read it but these morons." Wally said in a low angry tone, glaring at Wiley and Art.

"Wait a second." I said. "Hobbes you said that Wiley and Art lost a part of the Prophesy AGAIN. That means they've done this before, when?" I asked.

"When Hannon and Sokol came to Here they thought it would be great fun to let them figure it out by themselves. As you know that bit of idiocy breeded destruction. Almost everyone died..." Hobbes sighed.

"Other than Wiley and Art, who lived?" I asked.

"We did." Tiger and Hobbes said in unison. "The portal was open until Madam Sun and Monsieur Moon intervened. By the time they did nearly everything was lost." Tiger said sadly.

123 Faring Place

Twas a black night when I arrived here at Here. I had no idea how I'd come to be there, nor where to go. I stumbled about in the darkness feeling for something, anything at all to hep me see. I saw a distant glow. With a rush of need I sprang towards it. I had no clue that it was very close to me. Thusly I ran into it. It didn't cry out but it shone very brightly. I studied it and saw it was... well this may sound odd, but it was a star! A round sphere of light.

I asked it, "What's your name? Where are we?" But it didn't reply. It looked at me and shrugged. It had morphed from a ball into a human. He, for it was male, began to walk away from me.

 "Wait!" I cried, "Don't leave me in this darkness!" He beckoned for me to follow him. I readily did so. He lead the way to a path of sorts. We followed it to a large building, he knocked and we waited.
A tall silver haired youth answered the door. His black eyes searched us.

"Ah... You two must be the new ones..." He grinned and called over his shoulder, "Hobbes, I was right! It is a fallen star!"

Another youth with the same silver hair and black eyes came to the door. "Yes, Tiger, but I did say that the other would be an albino. Even?" He asked Tiger.

"Even." Tiger nodded.

"Whose at the door, Tiger?" A voice called. "Is it them? Are they here?"

"Yes!" One of them called.

"Then let them in, they must be informed." the voice commanded.

"Come in." They gestured together for us to enter.

We stepped into a warm hallway and followed Tiger and Hobbes to a sitting room. Inside there sat a girl. She smiled and motioned for us to sit down.

"Welcome to Here, boys." She said.

"Where is here?" I asked.

"Here is here, silly." She laughed. "We welcome you to 123 Faring Place. What are your names?" She asked.

I thought a moment then said,"Kedar... Kedar Christensen."

"Nice to meet you Kedar, I'm Jonni. And what is your name?" She asked the star.

He pointed to his mouth and shook his head no. "Oh, I see! You lost your voice on the way down?" He nodded. "That's common, will you write your name down please?" She handed him a piece of paper and a pen.

He wrote something and handed it back to her. "Why." She read aloud."Because we need to know who you are." She said.

He sighed and rolled his eyes. He took the paper back and wrote, "My name is Why."

"Oh!" She giggled, "Stars do like having funny names, don't they?"

He cocked his head to the side and looked at her questioningly.

"Never mind." She said. "Okay, I think you'll be on the top floor," she pointed to me,"And you'll be in the basement." She pointed to Why. "Hobbes take Why to the basement, Tiger take Kedar to the top floor, please."
I was taken to a comfortable room where I immediatly fell asleep.

That was my first night at 123 Faring Place.


The next morning I woke very much confused. I was sprawled on a twin sized bed in a large room. Looking over I saw a window. I got up and walked over to it. I looked out it and gasped. The ground was very far below me. I kept looking down and I started to get dizzy. Then a flash of grey blurred past. I cried out and jumped backwards. It must've heard me for it came back. It was a boy...Or a teen. He was an odd white grey. He grinned and tapped on the window. I uncertainly opened it, and he lept onto the sill.

"Good morning!" He said in a voice I wouldn't have thought he possessed. It was airy and boomed at the same time.

"Goo...d morning." I stammered.

"Your Kedar, right?"

"Yeaaah. Yes I am. And who are you? What are you?" I asked him.

"I'm Writer. I'm a Cloud." he said as if that would reveal everything to me, in truth it only confused me more.

"What?" I asked.

"Oh, sorry!" He laughed," I forgot you're-- new. I'm a Cloud from Sky."

"Then how are you... down here?" I asked.

"You're the same guy who say a fallen Star last night?" He laughed, "Kedar, Here is a wonderful place, lots of things that others don't think can happen do. I for one am permitted by Madam Sun to stay on Here."

"Wha-?"

He sighed, "Don't you know? Every century a Star and a Cloud are chosen to come to protect Here from.. Misfortunes and the like. Do you get it now? Why and I are sorta like the guardians of Here. Understand now?" He looked at me with a eager expression.

"Kind of... So you and Why are a star and a cloud? And your here to protect Here... From what?"

"Well, uh... Ya know whatsit and whosits and um... so on and so forth and what have you." He laughed lightly but his face was worried. "Nice to meet you Kedar, I float by again sometime!" And he shot off.

I was quite concerned about what we were being protected from... I didn't have the confidence then that I now have in Why and Writer.
I made my bed and then looked around my room. There was a rolltopped desk. I went over to it and opened it's top. It had a laptop inside. I smiled and sat down. I opened the laptop and went to notebook. And I began to type...and type....and type. I probably would have stayed on that laptop all day long had it not been for Wiley and Art.

"Gooood evening." They said in unison.

"It's evening?" I asked astonished that I'd been on the laptop that long.

"Yes Kedar, it's five in the evening." One of the youths said.

"Who are you?" I asked, slightly wary.

"I'm Wiley." The teen with black hair smirked and bowed.

"And I'm Art." The other boy was pale and had searching brown eyes.

"Nice to meet you both..." I noticed it was fairly dim in the room, since the sun had hidden her face behind a bank of clouds.

"How are you finding Faring Place?" Wiley asked.

"I don't really know yet. I haven't been out of this room." I said.

"Oh, pity."  Art grinned.

A girl with flaming hair burst into the room, "Wiley! Art! Get downstairs now! Jonni is waiting for you so we can eat!" She ordered bossily.

They glared at her and slunk away.

"You!" She barked at me.

"Yes?" I asked timidly.

"Who are you?" she demanded.

"Kedar Christensen... and you?"

"I'm Maddy and I'm a Flame. How old are you, Kedar?" She asked.

"Ummm... 18 I think." A flame, huh? Makes sense. I thought.

"You think? Don't you know how old you are?" She was exasperated.

"Yes I know!" I cried indignantly,"I'm 18. How old are you?"

"I'm 1432 years old.  Well if you want to eat today you'll come down to the kitchen." She turned and started to walk away.

I started to put my laptop away and she turned back around and barked, "NOW!" I jumped up and followed her to the kitchen.