Zariah

Vigil StarGazer-----Maybe your character(s) at the pen had a good christmas?

No, no one paid me money. I am just a fan and I will be watching for more!

Ha! Got it! Thanks for the advice and not telling me Gryphon. I feel good figuring it out myself!

It's really really sad. Not to mention the fact that there is reported over 22,000 deaths, but there is sickness from contaminated water, and tens of thousands of people homeless.... If you pray, please pray for these victims.

yeah so please someonme give me a hint....I've tried it at least 30 times...and I just don't get it!

Zariah was glad that two had answered and decided to share her own Christmas experience. "Well, since I had visited my home tribe a month ago, Mother Crow had given me a gift to open on Christmas. It was sad because I could not celebrate in my holiday tradition with them, but it was a warm and happy feeling to know I was remembered. Here, at the Pen, I have four close Crow friends and their two clans who I shared the Holidays with. I received small tokens, such as a silver painted feather necklace that they had painted and tied themselves with leather cord. I was given a feather hairpiece from my best friend Wanderer. He had found a rare red gem in a cave far away and wrapped it in leather thong and tucked in the feathers with it. I sang for them, my traditional song and we all danced in the forest. It was very nice....and...errr...." It finally hit her--she realized she had been talking for a long time and felt embarrassed. "So, yeah. That's, err...my story. Heh...." And she giggled a nervous laugh and sat down with her hands covering her face.

I think this describes a feeling a large amount of people go through. The poem makes me feel sad, because the narrorator is scared to be rejected, but yearning to have something with that person. Thanks for sharing.

Dang! You are a really good writer. You should write a collection of short stories and try to get it published! I absolutely LOVED this! You should be proud of yourself and know that you ARE talented. And you can deny it all you want, but you have Pennites who think you are grand. Write more! Please?!

Seeing Wren slip through the crowd near the Kissing booth, Zariah remembered that it was finally Peredhil's turn to be the kisser. She checked her pockets and realized that she left her coins at home. She reached up and took one of the three crow feathers from her hair, and approached him. "Er...hi...um, well see, sir-I saw Wren give you some money and I don't have any so..." she gave Peredhil a quick light peck on the cheek, and placed her feather into his hand. As he focused his eyes the gift, she quickly escaped and was gone before he looked up.

Zariah wandered the halls of the Pen, curious and anxious to share in the hoiliday spirit. She was excited to find out what the other Pennites had received for the Holidays. She peeked into the Cabaret Room and saw a few members lurking about with various expressions on their faces. She worked up her courage and made an announcement. Clearing her throat and shaking a little, she began, "Uhhh....(ok I can do this) I hope everyone had a wonderful Holiday! I was wondering if anyone was interested in sharing what they got for Christmas? I thought we could all share the good spirit together! Errr...or not...but, um...so....does anyone want to participate?? She looked at everyone with a nervous and pleading expression and awaited a response. (OOC: If anyone wants to add at the end OOC sharing of presents that's cool too, or even someone can start and OOC thread.)

Thank goodness you were born! Have a great day and remember your previous year but look forward to this upcoming year!!! :woot: Happy Celebration Day! :woot:

OOC: It's ok. Maybe some other time we can write another one up or something. Zariah walked past the bulletin board to see if there was anything going on that was new for the festival. She saw her name on a piece of paper and pulled it off. She looked around and headed back to her room to open it in secret. It was from Gwai! She read it twice and smiled to think he even remembered the fun time they had last fall. "Maybe we can take more walks in the forest. We both love the outdoors...and I had a great time," she thought. Zariah decided to hold her reply until she wrote some new thank you letters and tucked Gwai's under her pillow.

Peredhil--- I think the "Hark the Lemoned Salmon Sings" is so hilarious! I read it to my office and they laughed and laughed. They said you are original and funny! Hope you have an okay day today. (By the way- Are you going to convince any of the gal characters who haven't signed up for the Bachlorette Auction to sign up???) This is a GREAT Thread!! I want to see MORE, MORE, MORE!!!!!!!!

Thank you for your positive thoughts. I was just pretty shaken up yesterday and had no one IRL to talk to. But all your kindness has helped me tremendously.

Awww thank you rev. And thank you all who helped cheer me up... things are looking better for me.

LMAO!!!!!! that's sooo funny! thanks 4 sharing! everyone should read this! Oh and what was that car pile up from?

Awww thanks so much, you are sweet--unfortunately I won;t see Oliver until Friday Evening.

So crispy and crunchy It’s such a great munchie $3 to have 2 bought 2 minutes cooked to make it hot It’s oval shaped with three edged ends And beige or brown it all depends Insides mixed with ham and cheese Or other kinds if you so please Crisp outside just like a shell After I’m done I feel so well So try them out, they’re so yummy And you can have a happy tummy.

Thank you.

Today I got in a car accident with my sister. She was driving us to work and we were on the Key Bridge (That takes us to Georgetown DC) and one must be extra careful on this bridge because the traffic pattern depends on the cars at the end turning on to the next street. The girl behind us was not much older that I and she hit us from behind. She was pretty shaken up and explained that she spilled coffee on her lap and was looking down and didn’t stop. We had neck and back damage and I know I am going to try to go to the chiropractor tomorrow. She hit Cara’s (my sis) bumper and it needs to be replaced. The girl who hit us smashed the entire front of her car. My sister was consoling the girl and only took down her name, address, and phone number. (The girl only mentioned the name of her insurance company) She did not call the police or take the girls insurance information. I thought this was really dumb, because Cara had the risk that maybe the girl was making up her name and address and number to get away. However, the girl seemed really sweet and shaken up. Still, she should have taken down the other information. So when we got into work, Cara called her own insurance company and called the police to file a report. So my neck and back hurt and I am stuck here at work with no way home. And guess what I get to do today??? Take hundreds of bills (company) and find the invoices and the checks and put them together and after Joe (the head accountant) signs them, I get to stuff them into envelopes and address them. Whoopee! (That was sarcasm by the way). My co-worker, who I’ve become good friends with, is out today…so I have no one to talk to. She is at the doctors. She has on her iris a hole. It’s white and getting worse. I’d never heard of it before. Has anyone else?? Poor Debbie. Well, thanks for letting me vent. Maybe someone can cheer me up???

My favorite is Standing Man. I really like your drawing style--The shadow and lines are really capturing! Thanks for sharing!

Gwaihir, Thank you for taking me on that date, and sharing more about who you are with me. You seem really interesting, despite your clumsiness and shyness. I hope to get to know you better, because I think we could make great friends. (And you take really good care of your wiggly cabbages) *Hugs* Zariah Gwai (OC), Thanks for being available to help me with anything I need help on. You are such a sweet and intelligent person and I am honored to share in the community of the Pen with you. *Huggles* Katy

Zariah had two traditions. One was when she lived with the Crow Clan and the other when I lived with Freiffer. Mother-Wing would take me to the center of the forest, where the Crows from the four Clans who inhabited the forest would join for the Holiday Festival. Each crow would arrive bearing a gift to present in the center of the circle. Now obviously, they were either made with nature’s pieces, like twigs, leaves, etc. or they were human items found in the forest. The human-like items were always presented to me, for they hoped I could learn and understand the ways of man. Little did I know, they were preparing me to live in the human world. The other crows each recited a memory from their past or from the past year. Whoever received the loudest caw was allowed to pick a present from the pile. Now, regardless of my inability to speak any language other than crow, I had discovered that I could sing. The crows loved to hear me sing, and so I sang a song I had made up on the first Holiday meeting I attended. After I sang, the crows left to gather twigs, and they asked me to find the larger pieces of wood to bring to the clearing of trees where there was space—of course when I was accustomed to this task, I prepared for the fire ahead of time. I was the only one with hands, so I took two sticks and created fire. The crows were enamored by fire, and had verbally explained how I was to make it. We had our annual end of the year meeting, where there were politics and treatise made. After dark, we said our farewells and headed back to our territory. Now, after I had been delivered to Freiffer, I had a difficult time learning English. I was able to do tasks when shown, but I couldn’t understand very well what went on for the first year. For the first Christmas, we went into a town with many people with unfamiliar faces. It was scary and I hid behind Freiffer’s cape. We met in a small room with people who were making noises in English, which I later knew was caroling. The next year, I participated in the caroling, and everyone was surprised to hear me sing so beautifully. After the caroling, we all went outside to stand around a tree. I didn’t see anything special about it, and I was offended that they put lights and heavy things on its branches. I whispered to the tree and asked if it was ok. It told me that it enjoyed the attention. So, I watched as all the townsfolk joined hands…Freiffer took my hand and a man named Ryland took my other. We started walking around the tree and sang a catchy tune. I learned that this was a tradition celebrated to honor and worship one of the town’s goddesses. When we went home, Freiffer would always give me a present wrapped in pretty paper. Every time it ended up to be a book. It was special because it was not a schoolbook; it was a fun and entertaining book. I would give him a small gift, usually something I had made from paper or string. It was probably ugly, but he always gave me a hug and told me he loved it. Holidays for me were great before I began to travel. I had Wanderer part of the way, but for a good while I met many different animals, and never had the same Holidays every year. But it’s great to remember the traditions I had as a young girl.

I wrote this poem a while ago and found it in the previous entries. So I will post the poem and respond with my prose entry. Kiwi Poor tiny birdie, Named after a fruit. You can't even fly, Yet still remain cute! Beak searching for food, Eyes focused on dirt- Careful small kiwi, You might end up hurt! How quickly you move, Enjoying your roam. You don't belong here! New Zealand's your home! I was walking down the path, when a bird approached me. It gave me the opportunity to express my feeling for its kind. So I said to it, “It’s so unfortunate for you, dear bird. No one was creative enough to give you an original name! You have no ability to soar high in the sky. However, you still have your looks which are deemed by some as adorable.” It cocked its head to one side, as if curious to hear more, and so I again spoke. “Like most birds you search for food, but you have a beak which is unique and helps you on this search. Your eyes are focused on the earth to find the right bug. You should be careful, because if you don’t watch out for other people and animals you might get eaten or stepped on!” I had in more comment to make, and as I sat on the ground, the kiwi hopped to my side and showed signs of appreciation. “You move so quickly! I think you truly enjoy yourself and I think that’s neat. Did you know you are actually from New Zealand?” The kiwi shook it’s head in a “no” motion and again cocked its head to the side. “If you want to come live with me, we can make plans to visit your native land….are you interested?” The kiwi nodded and hopped into my lap. We got up and I carried the kiwi down the path toward home.

Congrats!!!