Monday, May 13, 2013

Story a Day - First Person

The assignment for today was to write a story in the first person POV.  I have to admit I cheated a bit; instead of starting from scratch I finished a story that I have been percolating for a while.  A friend and I were talking a while ago about the occasional need for content advisories on the things we read, how certain topics can set us back for days if caught unawares.  This is one of those.  It deals with things that are hard; helplessness, the loss of a loved one, and it does so from the POV of a little boy.  But, if you can, I think it's worth the read.

The Halls of the Nosmo King

The halls of the Nosmo King are green.  Not a pretty green like, like leaves or grass or Mommy’s favorite dress, the one with the flowers all around the bottom.  No.  It’s a yucky green like the time I drank a whole lime slushy by myself at a birthday party for my bestest friend then threw it up and my friend’s mom spanked me for staining her couch and then we didn’t go to see her no more. 

The halls are green and they move around sometimes when you aren’t looking.  I know ‘cause I went to try to find something to eat cause my tummy was growling so loud and then I couldn’t find my way back.  I know that I goed the right way, but the tower, the tower wasn’t there anymore and a lady, I think she was a princess, but good one, she brought me back.  She tried to talk to me but I made her words sound like “waa waa waa” in case she was just pretending to be nice but was really going to cast a spell on me.  She gave me some food, some crackers and some juice, but I wouldn’t eat them either ‘cause they might have a spell on them, too.  They might even be poison. Yeah, I think they are and I think if I ate them I might turn into a monster or maybe they could use their mind control to get me to do what they want me to.  So I don’t care if I’m hungry.  I’m strong. 

The halls of the Nosmo King are green and they are loud.  They are so loud and even when I put my hands over my ears I can still hear stuff.  The torches in the ceiling buzz all the time and they flicker and make my head hurt.  You can hear the prisoners that they keep in the dungeons.  You can hear them crying or moaning and there are voices that even come from the walls and everything echoes echoes echoes so that you hear it all over and over again and it makes you crazy.  Crazy halls.  Crazy King. 

He is, too, that King.  Crazy. And mean. And a big scaredy cat.  I mean, I haven’t even seed him but I’m not stupid.  I know things and I can read and his name is everywhere in the castle so I know it’s his but he won’t come out.  I called for him and called for him all night long once and all the servant girls just looked really scared and kept telling me to please quiet down. So I know he’s here.  Somewhere.  He’s prolly hiding because he is a bad king and there are good knights who would take him down with a pow and a crash.  Wherever he is, I’ll find him someday.  And when I do, oh boy. He’s a mean old man and I do not like him. Not at all.

The halls of the Nosmo King are guarded by a dragon.  She looks like a lady, but I heard some people whispering and they kept calling her “the Dragon” so now I know the truth.  And then I knew and I looked and her when she didn’t know it and I saw.  Her lips are red cause she’s been eating something like maybe horses or maybe even people and she smells gross like smoke.  She’s magic too.  She has super sight.  I said some magic words once and sprinkled myself with some dust that I’ve been saving and I know I was invisible.  I tried to sneak by her to go see my mom but she still saw me and she roared and roared.  I was going to keep going, into the dungeon cause I HAVE to get in there but she roared so loud and her lips were red and I was scared she as going to eat me too so I went back to my chair and colored some more. I hate coloring. 

The halls of the Nosmo King are ruled by wicked wizards in big white robes.  When they show up, everybody runs and hides or bow their heads and follow his every command. They give out evil potions to hurt people and instead of a wand they give them shots just so they can hurt them even more.  And I heard what he said last time.  He said that he didn’t have to do anymore.  That she was dying.  And then he said that I had to stay away, that I couldn’t go in there no more and so I know that he knows my secret.  He knows my secret and he knows my Mama’s secret that, that before she got that evil spell putted on her, that bad bad spell that made all of her hair falled out and made her sick all of the time, before she got that spell and after she got that spell she would kiss my head and call me her Little Prince.  Her prince!  That means, that means that she is a queen and if my  mama is a queen then she’d defeat that Nosmo King and he wouldn’t be king no  more.  So he had that wizard put a spell on her and he didn’t think I’d know but I figured it out and when he comed outta my Mama’s room I attacked him.  I kicked and kicked and hit him – bam – and I even bit him even though I know I’m not ‘sposed to bite ‘cause mouths are nasty and we could really hurt someone but I WANTED to really hurt him so I bit him hard.  Then I yelled all the spells I knew.  I yelled and I yelled but I’m just little.  I’m just little and afore I could get to the end they held me down.  They kept saying, “it’s okay, it’s okay,” but it’s not okay and nothing is okay and they must think I’m stupid but I’m not and I’m sorry Mama I’m just so so sorry and next time I will do better and please forgive me.  Maybe, maybe if I was bigger or if I had a sword maybe then I’d know what to do and they’d have to listen to me and they would have to let me in.  Maybe if I were bigger I’d have bigger muscles or a bigger brain and I’d know what to say and then I’d get through whether they wanted me to or not and then I could kiss her ‘cause she’s my queen and she would be all better I just know that she would.  If I were bigger but I’m not.  I’m just little.  I’m just the little Prince and now there are people telling me that I have to go with them but I won’t.  I won’t never.  I’ll pretend to be a, a baby dragon, or I’ll pretend to be a ghost.  I’ll pretend that I’m just part of a painting or, or I’ll go invisible and I’ll just stay here ‘til I’m big.  So when I’m big enough and strong enough I’ll still be here.  Right here.  Here in the halls of the Nosmo King. 

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