Bearing gifts, Badgering Bob and his little Bobby brought holly and ornaments to decorate the woody alcove of the harvesting village of Animal Ville. Christmas was on its way, and “Wow” what a Christmas this would be. Days were short, only three days left till Christmas. The whole harvesting community was excited.
In the hollow of a great willow tree by the river the mice and squirrels counted their “gold,” the acorns they hoarded. They wanted to trade the goods at the store for the red and green tinsel to decorate their willow tree. The squirrels saved up their best quality acorns all year in a community effort of the holiday spirit.
Two bright chirping birds worked together to fasten a beautiful felt evergreen ribbon into a bow, a symbol of their common bond with all the creatures in Animal Ville. The night before Christmas, baby bunny was born and came out of his scrunched up state. It snowed and made a glistening, white, silvery scene. It was felt on that certain day, you could look at baby bunny and feel a sense of tranquility. All the creatures in Animal Ville came alive. The birds chirped, mice squeaked, squirrels chattered, in the happiness of the holiday spirit.
Although exhausted, the creatures were filled with anticipation for the upcoming festivities. All the creatures and their families lay snug and cozy in bed as the day grew into darkness and the snow canopied the town. The night was quiet. Animals lay in bed looking forward to the following morning when they would find homemade presents under the Christmas tree.
The morning sunset basked the snowy Animal Ville with bright colors of oranges and reds. Overnight the skies opened up and dusted the trees and ground with light, feathery snow. The sun started to shed light on the Christmas tree as yawns were heard all around. The animals awoke to the beauty of a memorable Christmas Day.
Baby bunny had a bottle of carrot juice for her newly born baby awaiting under the Christmas tree. Birds had ribbons of bird seed circling the prominent trunk. Mice found farmer's cheese in between bird seed sashays. Ears of corn were left for the squirrels which they nibbled on.
Mel,
ReplyDeleteI love how lighthearted your writing is. Your descriptions are beautiful and make me long for Christmas(almost). Maybe work on something more definitive for an ending?
The story is written in parts and you won't see the ending for awhile. I'll post parts of it each week and they will all be a continuation of the original story.
ReplyDeleteMel,
ReplyDeleteThis is so beautiful. I wish I was there in Animal Ville. You have a gift for description. These images are vivid, a visual feast. I can see that baby bunny, a scrunched new born.
What was the impetus for writing this story? What is it about? You seem to be creating a world for your characters. I can see the rules of it forming...like the fact that the squirrels have currency. Where do they get the tinsel? Is there a store? What are other rules of this world and animal community? Who are your characters? What is the conflict? These are all questions to ask yourself moving forward. My guess is this is a story for young readers? Especially in children's books it is important to have a conflict for the characters to deal with because children too need to have models for how problems are addressed. "Where the Wild Things Are" is a good example of very real, universal conflict being addressed in a wonderfully magical world for an audience of children. I love this opening and I can't wait to read more! Thanks so much.
Anna