[Blogger's choice: #1 - Written by agent dbl-0-ninety-two]
Harry Potter, again? I gave an exasperated sigh. One could only put up with so much hero-worship before they puked up their pumpkin pasties. I glared at the fourth group of girls to walk past my table whispering excitedly about the arrival of the Chosen One. This was a library for crying out loud.
I continued my work, trying to find that one quote I knew would prove Redkin the Rude was born January 16, 1338, until a fifth group shuffled by me, almost knocking my neatly stacked pile of parchment to the floor. I managed to snatch them midair, but, by that time, I had already decided a change in scenery was necessary in order for me to retain any sanity I may have had left.
I rolled up my parchment, slid the large, dusty tome into my book bag, and stuffed my quill into my cloak pocket. The hallways were mostly empty, and my shoes made muffled scuffing noises against the stone floor. It was nice to hear the echo.
Towards the end of the school-year, days at Hogwarts get very hot. This is when our house members especially have to find something to do besides study. It wouldn’t help our reputation any to be the only ones locked up inside doing work while the rest of the school spends their time outside playing Quidditch or napping under trees.
I met two of my friends in the Ravenclaw common room, and, after a brief conversation, decided to go down to the lake. We walked down slowly, not wanting to spend too much of our energy, but to no avail. By the time we reached the water's edge, we were all sweating profusely.
I looked out over the lake's glassy surface, and was about to turn back to my friends’ discussion when a ripple caught my attention. I whipped my head back to where I had seen the flash of white, but saw nothing. After a while, I looked to my friends, but noted that they were still arguing about the answer to one of the more difficult problems on our Arithmancy homework. I sighed.
I took off my cloak and shoes and left them in a pile on the shore, then started making my way around the edge of the lake. Eventually, I lost sight of them, and made my way through the trees at the water’s edge. I looped around a particularly large tree, listening to the chatter of birds in the branches above me, then turned my attention back to the lake. The water looked amazingly refreshing.
I looked around, an idea forming in my mind. Well, I thought, there’s no on around now. No one’s gonna see me. Before I could change my mind, I dove into the lake, barely making a splash. I felt the skin in the side of my neck start to melt away, making way for two gill-like slits on either side. I swallowed a gulp of water, and smiled as it exited my gills.
I forgot how much I love water. My feet and hands had already completed their transformation, and I spun around experimentally, marveling at the speed webbed digits provided. After a minute or so of simply treading water, I started kicking, moving further into lake.
The water felt amazing against my heated skin, and I continued my journey into the deep, not caring that all sorts of water creatures inhabited the water around me. As I moved further into the depths, less light could penetrate the darkness, and I had to rely on my watersight more and more. I didn’t particularly like the green tinge it provided, but was grateful that it allowed me to see into my surroundings.
I continued my journey, glad to get away from the world above. It was way too hot and dry for my tastes. The water below was much more enjoyable. Out of the corner of my eye, I saw the same flash of white I had seen at the surface. So it was him, I thought, as a pale, grey tentacle emerged from the darkness.
I knew I should have been at least somewhat worried, and had I been anyone else, I would have been, but the utterly relaxing environment I was in seemed to shut out any of the fears I could have had. I turned to face the giant squid, and was surprised to find myself staring straight into his enormous eye. The pupil alone was the size of my fist. I gazed at the creature before me, gently kicking my fins to keep myself suspended at the squid’s eye level. It was not everyday he decided to show himself.
Gracing me with your presence, are you? I thought. Bubbles appeared and rose to the surface.
A chuckle.
Well, I’m not impressed. The squid simply stared at me curiously.
Eventually, he lost interest and turned, slowly swimming away, its many tentacles drifting lazily behind it. It made its way back into the depths. Once he had gone, I paused and looked up, where tiny rays of light could be seen filtering through the green water. I kicked my legs, and began my trek back to the surface. I emerged at the water’s edge, the same place that I had begun my swim. The birds in the large tree were still chirping noisily. As the warm breeze grazed my neck, the slits melded back together, and I took a deep breath, air now entering my body instead of water. I shook my head.
Nope. Never as good.
I made my way back to my friends who were beginning to walk in my direction.
“Where did you go?” the first said curiously, as they reached me, “You were here one minute, and then we turn around and you’re gone.” I stopped and slipped back into my shoes and cloak, not bothering to use a spell to dry my clothes. The heat would take care of that for me.
“I felt like going for a swim.” My friends just looked at me as if I had grown two heads.
“Right,” the second responded sarcastically. “Because swimming in a lake full of dangerous water creatures is a totally awesome idea.”
I just smiled and nodded. “Yep, totally awesome.” They stared at me incredulously, but left it at that, and we began our walk back to the dormitory to finish our Arithmancy homework.
oOoOo
As the three figures strolled back up the hill toward the castle, a lone quill lay upon the ground where they had just stood. It fluttered only slightly, pushed by the wind, until a particularly strong gust lifted it up into the air. It swirled for mere moments before being released and falling onto the lake’s surface. The gentle touch of feather-on-water, though, caused no disturbance in the lake’s appearance.
Suddenly, a lone gray tentacle reached up, curled swiftly around the object, and then dipped back below the surface, disappearing once more. There was a brief disturbance in the uniformity of the lake, but, seconds later, the ripples were swallowed by the wind, and the lake became smooth and glassy once more.
Harry Potter, again? I gave an exasperated sigh. One could only put up with so much hero-worship before they puked up their pumpkin pasties. I glared at the fourth group of girls to walk past my table whispering excitedly about the arrival of the Chosen One. This was a library for crying out loud.
I continued my work, trying to find that one quote I knew would prove Redkin the Rude was born January 16, 1338, until a fifth group shuffled by me, almost knocking my neatly stacked pile of parchment to the floor. I managed to snatch them midair, but, by that time, I had already decided a change in scenery was necessary in order for me to retain any sanity I may have had left.
I rolled up my parchment, slid the large, dusty tome into my book bag, and stuffed my quill into my cloak pocket. The hallways were mostly empty, and my shoes made muffled scuffing noises against the stone floor. It was nice to hear the echo.
Towards the end of the school-year, days at Hogwarts get very hot. This is when our house members especially have to find something to do besides study. It wouldn’t help our reputation any to be the only ones locked up inside doing work while the rest of the school spends their time outside playing Quidditch or napping under trees.
I met two of my friends in the Ravenclaw common room, and, after a brief conversation, decided to go down to the lake. We walked down slowly, not wanting to spend too much of our energy, but to no avail. By the time we reached the water's edge, we were all sweating profusely.
I looked out over the lake's glassy surface, and was about to turn back to my friends’ discussion when a ripple caught my attention. I whipped my head back to where I had seen the flash of white, but saw nothing. After a while, I looked to my friends, but noted that they were still arguing about the answer to one of the more difficult problems on our Arithmancy homework. I sighed.
I took off my cloak and shoes and left them in a pile on the shore, then started making my way around the edge of the lake. Eventually, I lost sight of them, and made my way through the trees at the water’s edge. I looped around a particularly large tree, listening to the chatter of birds in the branches above me, then turned my attention back to the lake. The water looked amazingly refreshing.
I looked around, an idea forming in my mind. Well, I thought, there’s no on around now. No one’s gonna see me. Before I could change my mind, I dove into the lake, barely making a splash. I felt the skin in the side of my neck start to melt away, making way for two gill-like slits on either side. I swallowed a gulp of water, and smiled as it exited my gills.
I forgot how much I love water. My feet and hands had already completed their transformation, and I spun around experimentally, marveling at the speed webbed digits provided. After a minute or so of simply treading water, I started kicking, moving further into lake.
The water felt amazing against my heated skin, and I continued my journey into the deep, not caring that all sorts of water creatures inhabited the water around me. As I moved further into the depths, less light could penetrate the darkness, and I had to rely on my watersight more and more. I didn’t particularly like the green tinge it provided, but was grateful that it allowed me to see into my surroundings.
I continued my journey, glad to get away from the world above. It was way too hot and dry for my tastes. The water below was much more enjoyable. Out of the corner of my eye, I saw the same flash of white I had seen at the surface. So it was him, I thought, as a pale, grey tentacle emerged from the darkness.
I knew I should have been at least somewhat worried, and had I been anyone else, I would have been, but the utterly relaxing environment I was in seemed to shut out any of the fears I could have had. I turned to face the giant squid, and was surprised to find myself staring straight into his enormous eye. The pupil alone was the size of my fist. I gazed at the creature before me, gently kicking my fins to keep myself suspended at the squid’s eye level. It was not everyday he decided to show himself.
Gracing me with your presence, are you? I thought. Bubbles appeared and rose to the surface.
A chuckle.
Well, I’m not impressed. The squid simply stared at me curiously.
Eventually, he lost interest and turned, slowly swimming away, its many tentacles drifting lazily behind it. It made its way back into the depths. Once he had gone, I paused and looked up, where tiny rays of light could be seen filtering through the green water. I kicked my legs, and began my trek back to the surface. I emerged at the water’s edge, the same place that I had begun my swim. The birds in the large tree were still chirping noisily. As the warm breeze grazed my neck, the slits melded back together, and I took a deep breath, air now entering my body instead of water. I shook my head.
Nope. Never as good.
I made my way back to my friends who were beginning to walk in my direction.
“Where did you go?” the first said curiously, as they reached me, “You were here one minute, and then we turn around and you’re gone.” I stopped and slipped back into my shoes and cloak, not bothering to use a spell to dry my clothes. The heat would take care of that for me.
“I felt like going for a swim.” My friends just looked at me as if I had grown two heads.
“Right,” the second responded sarcastically. “Because swimming in a lake full of dangerous water creatures is a totally awesome idea.”
I just smiled and nodded. “Yep, totally awesome.” They stared at me incredulously, but left it at that, and we began our walk back to the dormitory to finish our Arithmancy homework.
oOoOo
As the three figures strolled back up the hill toward the castle, a lone quill lay upon the ground where they had just stood. It fluttered only slightly, pushed by the wind, until a particularly strong gust lifted it up into the air. It swirled for mere moments before being released and falling onto the lake’s surface. The gentle touch of feather-on-water, though, caused no disturbance in the lake’s appearance.
Suddenly, a lone gray tentacle reached up, curled swiftly around the object, and then dipped back below the surface, disappearing once more. There was a brief disturbance in the uniformity of the lake, but, seconds later, the ripples were swallowed by the wind, and the lake became smooth and glassy once more.
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[Blogger's choice: #2: Written by they_call_me_stanley@hotmail.com]
Once upon a time in a galaxy far, far away, there was a superhero. His name was...Salmon Boy. Salmon Boy was no ordinary superhero. His salmon senses were by far the keenest in the entire solar system!
Now, Salmon Boy had a terrible arch-nemesis. His name....was Lord Trout. He was the meanest man in the whole of the universe. He liked to torture the common folk by putting them just out of reach of the world's most tastiest looking cakes; to watch as they struggled, catching the scent of the delicious baked goodness. His evil knew no bounds!
One day, Salmon Boy decided it was time to put and end to his madness. Using his elite salmon senses, he tracked Lord Trout's digusting fish aroma to an old abandoned planet.
"MUAHAHAHAHAHAA!" Lord Trout laughed, evily. "You think you can stop me. I AM THE MASTER OF THIS UNIVERSE!!"
"THINK AGAIN, LORD TROUT, YOU DASTARDLY FIEND!" Salmon Boy shouted defiantly. "For I harness the power of...THIS ROCK!"
"NOOOOO!" Lord Trout cried, as Salmon Boy smartly smooshed him in the back of the head with a rock, killing him instantly.
"Salmon-Boy!" the villagers cried when they heard the news. "How did you know how to defeat him?"
"The same way you defeat anything annoying!" Salmon Boy said happily. "Hit it with a rock!"
The End.
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