The Man In the Black Cape

If you stand alone at the corner of Church St. and Market St. in Charleston, South Carolina at 3 AM, you see a man coming down Church St. wearing a black hat and black cape with stringy white hair and weathered skin. He'll stop at one of the two corners directly across from where you are standing and start to walk the corner directly opposite from where he is standing. When he reaches about halfway (dead center of the intersection) and nobody else has arrived, he'll stop, turn, and look directly at you.

If you do not blink for roughly 20-30 seconds he'll tip his hat to you and walk along his way, disappearing into the dark shadows of the trees that line the streets. Nobody knows what happens if you follow him.

If you do blink before he tips his hat, the very first thing you will see is the man standing directly in front of you. He'll grin maliciously at you and draw a blade hidden in the shaft of the cane and slash you across your throat, but you will not feel a thing. You will, however, pass out and remain in a comatose state until the sun rises over the horizon.

For the next six nights, you will have a recurring dream of the man walking down the street, appearing suddenly before you, and slashing your throat. On the seventh night, the events will replay the same up until he stops in the middle of the intersection. At this point, he'll say, "It's been fun playing with you, boy, but now it's time for you to go. Don't ever let me see you again." He'll then tip his hat and walk away before you wake up.

Nobody knows what happens if you visit the corner a second time.

Queen's Bay

It is said, a long time ago, when Queen's Bay was just a small fishing village, the mayor's young wife Maura was killed by "The Queen."

I'm not one to say whether this is true, but I do know that certain nights are colder than others.

You see, you’re too young to remember, but your mother used to run the inn where the Lady Maura used to live. And there were times, young man, when you woke up screaming, because "the scary woman was staring at you."

Laugh if you will, but your mother was never too sure about this. Until that night when you didn't wake up.

She had put you down for the night and returned to the common room, to have a glass of wine and tally the evening’s profits. About an hour later there was a crash from your room upstairs. Thinking you were waking up from another one of your nightmares, she hesitated to run upstairs, waiting for you to cry for her before coming to the rescue. Strange thing is, young man, you never started screaming.

She eventually closed everything up and, thinking you had gone back to sleep, doused the lantern and went to her room.

The next morning came and you were late for breakfast. After calling for you several times, she went up to your room. I can tell you, she intended to skin you raw — your mother with a common room full of customers and a dish boy who was too lazy to get out of bed.

She gasped as she entered your room to find it empty. The window was open, and the toy horse you kept by the windowsill lay shattered on the floor. Your sheets were strewn across the room, and you were nowhere to be found — the only evidence being the merest trace of a lady’s bootprints, and a few drops of blood.

The whole town was up in arms looking for you that morning. For days, we searched high and low to no avail. Devastated, we returned home to wait for the news.

It wasn’t until about a week later when your mother, still inconsolable, heard another crash in your room, late in the evening. Hoping you had somehow returned, she rushed up the steps only to find your door open and a young woman — beautiful they say — placing you on your bed. Your mother screamed and the woman looked at her. I can hear your mother now, just as she told me the first time: “Her hair was blond, her eyes blue as cornflowers. She had such a sad smile, and a thin line of red that ran across her neck.” As your mother approached, the woman faded as if she had merely been smoke in the shape of a person, now blown by the wind into nothingness.

The town cleric told us that it was a changeling or some other evil spirit that had gotten you — one of the servants of The Queen's court. But that night your mother cradled you close, screaming. It was all we could do to pull your lifeless, cold body from her arms.

Oh, my boy. Your poor mother, right before she took her own life, made me swear to visit your sweet grave once a year and tell you this story. She wanted you never to forget the woman-shaped thing that took you from us, and how she will see you soon.

One For The Baron

An odd occurrence has been rumored to happen in a certain pub at night in southwest Germany. If you sit in the stool farthest from the door while one beside it is empty, order a round for yourself and offer to "buy one for the Baron". The bartender will without question or expression will pour 2 beers from tap. He'll place one beside you and the moment the other one hits the table the room will go dark and silent, save for the sound of footsteps as a man in uniform sits beside you.

It is believed that it is indeed Captain Manfred von Richthofen, although no one is sure because they can barely see their own glass, much less the person's face. No one who's told this story has had the nerve to touch him or risk insult, and the figure does not say a word. But apparently if you were to ask him "So sir, what's the condition at the front?" he would tell you startling details about the region's future and sometimes how they connect to the world as a whole.

Those who lived long enough after the fact claim that these events took place the exact amount of years from the date they asked as from the date Baron von Richthofen died in battle. Yet this cannot be confirmed, because every time the figure has been asked the question after 1964 he's only replied with a cold laugh.

(Note: Manfred Von Richthofen was the Red Baron, German hero of the Great War.)

The Old Man

Dear god, I feel like I'm in a waking nightmare. I'm at work; paranoid, jumpy... out of adjectives, too. I quite literally jumped when I saw a reflection in my glasses as I was turning my head a moment ago. Adrenaline is roaring through my veins, and my peripheral vision is on overdrive. Every last reflective surface is being noted by my brain whether I realize it or not, and I've got this horribly pervasive feeling of being watched because of all of that. Hell, a dude came into the store a second ago. I managed not to jump or yell when the door buzzer went off, but as I was heading to the counter I kept watching the guy. Intently. Desperately. As he walked between the racks and shelves, I kept trying to get glimpses of him to make sure he wasn't melted or dripping. Making sure he was intact and verifiably human. I made sure not to turn my back to him, and he only left my sight for a moment at a time. And then, when I turned to get his cigarettes, I was positive he was going to *change* somehow and then lunge across the counter at me. I'm freaking out over here, man.

I think it started with having a really long dream about being robbed at work over and over and then waking up to a house full of smoke due to somebody leaving a pot with a couple of packs of ramen in it on the stove to burn. No, that wouldn't be right. I think it was before that. I'm certain it was before that.

"The old man came drip, drip, dripping down the wall." That's where it started. That simple, silly-sounding sentence. It seems innocuous enough; just a handful of words strung together in a nonsense phrase. Yet it's been circling through my mind, endlessly repeating every morning for the last few days. Always in the wee hours before the sun rises, but after everyone else has retired to the sanctuary of sleep. I sit, solitarily awake, in a chair placed at the center of the room with a laptop in it's natural position before me. With the sound muted I browse along, sipping my beer and occassionally venturing out for a smoke or a trip to the bathroom. Then, out of nowhere, the phrase comes to me. "The old man came drip, drip, dripping down the wall."

"Well," I think, "That's an odd thing to come up with. Kind of has a ring to it, though. 'The old man came drip, drip, dripping down the wall.' Funny."

But suddenly I don't feel so alone in that chair. I get the feeling that maybe something might be watching me watch the blue glow of the computer. Something dark, corrupt, and putrescent. Something mostly silent as it oozes down from the ceiling, unseen and stealthy behind me. I get the unsettling image of something long left to rot into a black, brackish jelly bubbling out of the pores of the wall in slowly writhing tendrils. "The old man came drip, drip, dripping down the wall."

Suddenly the phrase doesn't sound so silly to me anymore.

I decide that a smoke and another beer would be a really good idea right about then. And some light. Definately some light. So I get up and go into the kitchen, trying not to gasp as a hulking, shapeless thing materializes in the faint glow from my lighter. Nothingness. A trick of the mind. I flip on the lightswitch for the basement hallway, trying to keep as far as I can from the darkness filling each doorway I encounter. "The old man came drip, drip, dripping down the wall."

Why does it repeat itself if it makes me feel so anxious? Why do I let it repeat? So I try to distract myself; concentrating on my cigarette and my beer, trying to plot out what to do when I next go to work, ignoring the swirling shapes in the darkness, sensing congealed masses working their way out of the floorboards and forcing their way around the doorjamb behind me at every turn. But I won't think it again. Won't let (The old man...) myself even (...drip, drip...) think about (...dripping...) looking at (...down...) the wall. So I retreat to the bathroom. I hear dripping. I glance into the bathtub, but there's no water. It looks dry. I look away, and hear it again. Drip... drip... dripping dow- except I'm not thinking about that. The furnace kicks on and suddenly there's hot air against my back and I can't hear anything and I can't look everywhere at once but at least before I could hear everything and- drip. Dear god, I know there's no water in the tub or the sink, yet I can still hear it. But it's not water. In my mind and just under my vision are images of (the old man) something clinging to the inside of the shower, dead yet (dripping) moving steadily closer to where I'm standing. The thought is so strong that I douse the lights and nearly sprint to the bedroom and the safe, sane glow of the laptop.

Sitting down, I settle in for what's sure to be a very long morning. A couple of hours still remain before I can rationalize going to bed, and at least an hour of that will be spent in darkness. My mind is running on overdrive. Every time I look into the shadows beyond my computer screen, I see shapes and shadows of waking dreams leaping and creeping; yet, safe again in my chair, I seem to be calming down a bit. Getting a grip. All those fanciful thoughts are fading as my mind slowly allows me to rein it in. There's no old man, no dripping, and nothing standing directly behind my chair. Nothing at all. Yet the phrase keeps repeating like some sort of evil chant, and it keeps getting louder in my head. With each repetition I lose a little more control over my mind, and my heart begins beating faster and faster. Again, every creak of the house becomes some loathsome thing slithering just outside my view; every glance into the darkness reveals the nearly seen glimpse of monstrous things neither quite liquid nor solid. I'm dreaming with my eyes open and I realize it, yet the realization does nothing to break the irrational fear. And the words keep running in my head. "The old man comes drip, drip, dripping down the wall."

"The old man comes drip, drip, dripping down the wall. The old man comes drip, drip, dripping down the wall. The old man comes drip, drip, dripping down..."

A vision comes out of the darkness, vivid as reality. An amorphous, churning blackness writhing and dripping over and into itself, dappled with spots alternately void of light and highly reflective. It looks as though it should reek of the grave, and my mind knows instantly that it was once human despite its current formlessness. With the suddenness of a striking snake, a taloned, skeletal arm shoots out of the sludge; ringed with pitch-black tendons and tipped with unnaturally long fingers. It's gone from my mind as quickly as it appeared, but not before I can see sharpened ribs within its mass, the ends gnashing together like an unholy mockery of a slavering maw.

About that time I decided to go to bed. Yet even still the phrase repeats itself. Where it came from, I'll never know. Perhaps an overactive imagination, or perhaps... Perhaps it was a thought born from truth, a warning of the unseen things lurking in the dark? I never saw whether anything hides behind me in the dark hours before dawn, but sometimes I get the feeling I'm being watched. And occassionally, once in a great while, I think I hear something sliding. Oozing. Dripping.

The old man comes drip, drip, dripping down the wall...

A Blue Day Book (A Lesson to Cheer You Up)

(Retold from the original by Bradley Trevor Grieve)

Everybody has blue days.

There are miserable days when you feel lousy, grumpy, lonely, and utterly exhausted.

Days when you feel small and insignificant, when everything seems just out of reach.

You can’t rise to the occasion.

Just getting started seems impossible.

On blue days you can become paranoid that everyone is out there to get you (This is not always a bad thing).

You feel frustrated and anxious, which can induce a nail-biting frenzy that can escalate into a triple-chocolate-mud-cake-eating frenzy in a blink of an eye!

On blue days you feel like you’re floating in an ocean of sadness and sorrow.

You’re about to burst into tears at any moment and you don’t even know why.

Ultimately, you feel like you’re wandering through life without a purpose.

You’re not sure how much longer you can hang on, and you feel like shouting, “Will someone please shoot me!”

It doesn’t take much to bring on a blue day.

You might just wake up not feeling or looking your best, find some new wrinkles, put on a little weight, or get a huge pimple on your nose.

You could forget your date’s name or have an embarrassing photograph published.

You might get dumped, divorced, or fired, make a fool of yourself in public, be afflicted with a demeaning nickname, or just have a plain old bad-hair day.

Maybe work is a pain in the butt.

You’re under major pressure to fill someone else’s shoes, your boss is picking on you, and everyone in the office is driving you crazy~~~!!

You might have a splitting headache, or a slipped disk, bad breath, a toothache, chronic gas, dry lips, or a nasty ingrown toenail.

Whatever the reason, you’re convinced that someone up there doesn’t like you.

Oh what to do, what to dooo?

Well, if you’re like most people, you’ll hide behind a flimsy belief that everything will sort itself out.

Then you’ll spend the rest of your life looking over your shoulder, waiting for everything to go wrong all over again.

All the while becoming crusty and cynical or a pathetic, snivelling victim.

Until you get so depressed that you lie down and beg the earth to swallow you up or, even worse, become addicted to Billy Joel’s songs! (BORING!)

This is crazy, because you’re only young once and you’re never old twice.

Who knows what fantastic things are in store just around the corner?

After all, the world is full of amazing discoveries, things you can’t even imagine now.

There are delicious, happy sniffs and scrumptious snacks to share with.

Hey, you might end up fabulously rich or even become a huge superstar (one day).

Sounds good, doesn’t it?

But wait, there’s more!

There are handstands and games to play and yoga and karaoke and wild, crazy, bohemian dancing.

But best of all, there’s romance.

Which means long dreamy stares, whispering sweet nothings, cuddles, smooches, more smooches and even more smooches, a frisky love bite or two, and then… well, anything goes.

So how can you find that blissful “just sliding into a hot bubble bath” kind of feeling?

It’s easy.

First, stop slinking away from all those nagging issues. It’s time to face the music.

Now, just relax. Take some deep breaths (in through the nose and out through the mouth). Try to meditate if you can.

Or go for a walk to clear your head.

Accept the fact that you’ll have to let go of some emotional baggage.

Try seeing things from a different perspective.

Maybe you’re actually the one at fault. If that’s the case, be big enough to say you’re sorry (it’s never too late to do this).

If someone else is doing the wrong thing, stand up tall and say, “That’s not right and I won’t stand for it!” It’s OK to be forceful. (It’s rarely OK to blow raspberries.)

Be proud of who you are, but don’t lose the ability to laugh at yourself (this is a lot easier when you associate with positive people).

Live every day as if it were your last, because one day it will be.

Don’t be afraid to bite off more than you can chew.

Take big risks.

Never hang back. Get out there and go for it.

After all, isn’t that what life is all about?

I think so too.

The Witches & The Singing Mice

(Retold from the original story by Jenny Nimmo)

On stormy night, when wolves still roamed the Highlands, three witches came to Glenmagraw. No one saw them come but Tam, the blacksmith’s cat, and Rory, the carpenter’s cat, who were watching from the barn.

Through the scream of the wind and the rumble of thunder, the cats’ sharp ears picked up the sound of hoof beats. A horse was toiling up the road, and a heavy wagon creaked behind it.

The cats crouched low in the hay, wondering what kind of human could be traveling on such night, and when the wagon passed, they shuddered from the tips of their whiskers right through to the tufts at the ends of their thick furry tails.

Three dark figures were leaning into the wild wind; one held a whip, one held a lantern and the third stared into the barn with terrible glittering eyes.

“I smell mischief,” Tam hissed.

“I smell worse, Brother,” Rory grunted. “We must rest well, for I believe it might be the last good sleep we’ll get for many a night.”

But the cats slept fitfully. Strange sounds disturbed their dreams, a clattering and a hammering that had nothing to do with the weather.

By the next morning the storm had rolled away. The sun burst over the hill and the villagers of Glenmagraw bustled into the street. There they scratched their heads and murmured in disbelief, for overnight the tumbledown building on the hill had been given a new roof; the crooked walls had been patched with stones and smoke poured from the chimney.

“Who can be living there?” Andrew McBride, the blacksmith, asked.

“And who would build a house with only a peephole for a window?” Kirsty, his daughter, asked.

“Who could work on such a stormy night?” Alec Ross, the carpenter, asked.

“A magician?” His son Jamie suggested.

“Or a witch?” Kirsty said.

“What nonsense you children talk,” the blacksmith and the carpenter laughed.

But Kirsty and Jamie walked away from the laughter and headed up the hill, eager to see who could be living in the windowless house. They had not climbed far, however, when someone emerged from the house on the hill. The figure wore a hooded gray cloak that hung over her face in heavy folds, and she moved towards the children like a dark pillar of smoke.

Kirsty and Jamie ran helter-skelter down the hill, wanting only to be safe from that cloudy figure.

“Slow down, child,” Kirsty’s father said as she raced into the yard. “Have you seen a ghost?”

“Not a ghost, Father, a…a…” But she could not finish, for there, moving soundlessly into the yard, was the stranger in her gray shroud.

“Good day, and what can I do for you?” Andrew McBride asked, a little shaken by his mysterious visitor but determined to be polite.

“Blacksmith, I want you to make me a bed,” she said, and her voice sent a chill through the man. “A big iron bed with a bronze moon at the head and a bronze star at the foot. And I want it tonight.”

“I cannot make you a bed by tonight,” Andrew McBride said, standing his ground. “I have work to do for the other folk. Come back in three days and I’ll see what I can do.”

“You will do what I want today!” she screeched.

“Woman, I will not.”

“Then it’ll be the worse for you,” the woman snarled, and as she whirled away, she turned on Kirsty such a furious glance that Kirsty, feeling dizzy, knelt and clung to her big cat Tam.

“Stay with me tonight, Tam,” she begged, “for I dread to be alone in the dark while that strange woman roams around.”

And Tam murmured softly against Kirsty’s cheek.

That night the big tomcat followed Kirsty when she went to bed. He curled himself comfortably at her feet and heard her drift into her dreams. But Tam steeled himself for a sleepless and watchful night.

He saw the moon sail into the sky. He smelled the dew on the grass and he closed one eye. It would be so good to have a little nap, but he knew he must not. He listened for footfalls, for anything that might bring harm to little Kirsty, but all he heard were owl crying and bats calling and faraway a drowsy, dreamy song. It was such delightful music that only the fairies could have made it. He yawned and closed his other eye. Surely Kirsty would come to no harm if he slept for just a minute or two…

Tam woke up feeling an unnatural chill in the room. Kirsty was lying cold and still, too still. He gently patted her cheek, but she did not stir. Tam felt the chill strike deep inside him.

“Kirsty!” Mrs. McBride called. “Get up, lassie. Come and help me in the kitchen.”

Kirsty did not move.

Tam raised his head and such a dreadful wail tore out of him, Mrs. McBride came running into the room.

“Whatever is it, Tam?” she cried, and then she saw Kirsty’s face, deathly pale on the patched pillow. She shook her daughter and called her name over and over, but Kirsty was held fast in some terrible enchantment. And as her mother desperately rubbed the slender fingers, Tam saw four tiny tooth marks on Kirsty’s wrist, and was filled with shame. Mrs. McBride saw them too.

“You wretched cat!” she cried. “A mouse has bitten our Kirsty and poisoned her, and all the while you slept beside her. Shame on you for being a lazy good-for-nothing!”

Tam did not wait to hear any more. He ran out of the house and crept under a thorn bush. And there he stayed, disgraced, watching Kirsty’s window.

He saw Granny Pine, the oldest and the wisest in all the village, as she arrived at the house. She had brought her magic stick and her basket of herbs, and as Andrew McBride drew her inside, there was a gleam of hope in his eyes. But when they came out, the hope was gone.

“It’s the singing mice,” she said and shook her head. “One bite and the victim sleeps forever.”

“That cannot be,” the blacksmith argued. “The singing mice disappeared in my father’s time, and they’ve never been heard of since.”

“Well, they’re back,” Granny Pine said. “There’s no doubt about it. And I cannot undo their sorcery” She looked sadly at her willow stick and her basket of herbs. “But there is a chance,” she murmured thoughtfully and whispered something into the blacksmith’s ear that seemed to cheer the man.

“Tam!” the blacksmith called.

But Tam would not go to him. He would not go to the house for his evening meal. He would not join Rory who called him from the rooftops. He lay all night beneath the thorn bush, watching Kirsty’s window. And in the morning he stayed there still, cold and hungry as he was.

Rory did not understand why his friend crouched alone all day and would not talk to him. Puzzled and lonely, he went to play with Jamie in the carpenter’s yard. He was chasing a cotton reel under the cart when he felt an icy wind blast into the yard, and the fur on the back of his neck bristled uncomfortably.

There in the gateway stood a motionless figure. She was wrapped in a black fleece and was taller than her sister, and fiercer.

“It’s a fine day,” the carpenter said, trying to be pleasant. “Can I help you?”

“I want a cupboard,” the woman demanded. “A big oak cupboard with ivy leaves carved on the door, and I want it tonight.”

“You’re teasing, woman,” the carpenter replied. “I have no oak cupboards and I certainly can’t make one in a day.”

“Then it’ll be the worse for you,” the woman said, and as she turned away, her green witch’s eyes rested on young Jamie, who was chasing Rory and did not see the look.

That night Rory paced the rooftops calling for Tam to join him. His bright eyes searched the fields for a sign of movement, but it was a bitter, frosty night and no rats or voles were stirring. Then he heard a soft crunch of a football on the icy ground and saw a small figure drift across the street, as in a dream. Young Jamie was making for the dark house on the hill. Swift as a hawk, Rory leapt off the roof and was after the boy, but on the hill path a sound of wonderful singing surrounded him. It filled him with longing, and he knew why the boy was drawn to it. He sank into the bracken, not knowing if he was tumbling into the song or the song into him, and at last he fell into a sweet, dreamless sleep…

The next morning Alec Ross found his son fast asleep on the doorstep. He was stiff and cold in his nightshirt and his father could not wake him. As he carried Jamie into the house, the carpenter saw four tiny tooth marks on the boy’s wrist and he knew that his son suffered from the same dreadful sickness as Kirsty McBride.

“What use is a cat if he can’t keep a mouse from our door?!” Mrs. Ross cried, flying at Rory with a broom.

“There’s more than mice at work here,” the carpenter said. “Why should our son leave his bed on a frosty night? Sorcery, that’s what it is!”

Rory slunk away, ashamed and sad. he met Tam in the street, and the two cats strolled together, sharing their terrible news. As thye passed the weaver’s cottage, they felt a hush behind them, like an indrawn breath that swallowed even bird-song.

The two cats ducked into the shadow of a plum tree close by the weaver’s door. They saw a woman cloaked in dark feathers and smelling of bones and mildew, taller than her sisters and even fiercer. She rapped on the door and when the weaver opened it, she said in a cruel voice, “Weaver, I want a hundred yards of black cloth and I want it tonight!”

“A hundred yards?” the weaver exclaimed. “I have no black cloth, and I cannot weave it all in one day. Such a task is impossible.”

“Then it’ll be the worse for you!” the woman said, and as she whirled away, her deep eyes darted past the weaver to the baby girl who slept in his wife’s arms.

The dark figure swooped up the hill in her gloomy crow colours and the two tomcats gazed helplessly at each other.

“We must do something,” Rory said. “Or like Kirsty and Jamie, that poor baby will sleep forever.”

“Let us go to Granny Pine,” Tam suggested. “Her herbs may be useless against the sleeping sickness, she is still the wisest in the village. She will surely give us some advice.”

Granny Pine was out on the hill, so the cats jumped through her window. They gazed at the herbs and the berries and heather; so many bright bottles, so many fragrant bowls. They crept close to her fire to wait.

“Well, it’s Tam and Rory, isn’t it?” Granny Pine said, twilight following her into the room. “Come for advice, have you?”

The cats rubbed their heads in the soft folds of her skirt and looked up at her.

“There is a way to sure Kirsty and Jamie,” the old woman said. “If you can bring two freshly killed singing mice to the blacksmith and the carpenter, their children will be saved. But you must stay awake through the bewitching song, or you are lost!”

The cats sat back and listened anxiously.

“Watch those witches and follow them,” Granny Pine said. She tapped each cat with her willow wand and for a moment they glimmered like fairy creatures. “A little magic to give you strength,” she said. “Be off with you now, for soon those witches will be on the move.”

Tam and Rory walked out into the starlight. Their tails were high and their golden eyes beamed eagerly into the night.

A thin pine yawned over the witches’ wrinkled roof and when the cats reached the house, they skimmed up to a branch beside the peephole window.

Peering into the room, they saw a round table with a tall candle in the center. The flames guttered in a draft that blew down the chimney, and strange shadows danced across the walls. Now the cats could see the witches; their hoods were down and their long hair straggled on their bony shoulders. Their faces were gray, their eyes were green and they wore dreadful glinting, sharp-toothed smiles. The witches reeled around the room, and as they did so, their features began to change and the dark flying shapes were pierced with glittering eyes, flashing teeth and knife-edged silver claws.

All at once and with a deafening shriek the dancing ended. The witches seemed to have vanished, and in their place three black cats paced around the room. They polished their whiskers and sharpened their claws, then snapping at shadows, they ran out of the door.

“We must follow!” Tam whispered.

“At a distance,” Rory said. “If they see us, we will never solve this mystery.”

Silent and skillful, Tam and Rory climbed out of the tree. The three black cats were heading toward the forest on the other side of the hill. Even the men from Glenmagraw seldom hunted there, for it was wolves’ territory and a dark and dangerous place. But the two tomcats, thinking only of Kirsty and Jamie, moved soundlessly after the witches.

As they drew near to the forest, sweet music issued from the trees and the two tomcats began to falter. They sat back on their haunches, their heads spinning and looked at each other in dismay.

“The singing mice,” Rory breathed. “We are lost, Brother. I am falling asleep.”

Frosty moonlight spilled onto the hill and the cobwebs that festooned the bracken glittered like strands of diamonds. Tam glanced drowsily at Rory and sweeping at the cobwebs, he thrust a pawful deep into each ear. Without a word Rory did the same. Deaf now to the bewitching song, they sped down the hill, anxious not to lose sight of the witches. When they reached the trees, however, the three black cats had vanished.

Trusting in their sixth sense, Tam and Rory entered the forest. Ancient trees grinned and threatened, tangled roots caught and tripped the nimble paws, but the proud tomcats pressed on until they found themselves on the fringe of a glade lit by flames. The three black cats were circling a fire, and their smiles were so wild and wicked that Tam and Rory almost turned back at the sight of them. But as their eyes became accustomed to the fierce light, they saw small gray shapes moving beneath the trees, and they knew they had found the singing mice.

Tam and Rory leapt into a tree just as the black cats ceased their wild walk. They faced the crowd of little gray mice, and one of the cats stepped forward.

The mice stared up at her fearfully, and Tam and Rory swept the cobwebs out of their ears. The glade was silent; a witch was about to speak.

“Mice,” she said. “You have pleased us. You have punished the blacksmith and the carpenter, but it is not enough. Today the weaver refused me. He has a baby. You must sing it to sleep and bite it. If you do not, you know what will happen!” And she raised a paw that glittered with razor-sharp claws.

Out of the crowd crept two mice; a streak of silver ran down each gray back, and between their ears they wore tufts of white fur like tiny crowns.

“We have decided not to harm any more children,” the first mouse said.

“You will do as we say, King-mouse,” the cats snarled, “or we will kill every one of you!”

“We have made our decision,” the second mouse piped up. “We will not bite children!”

“Foolish Queen-mouse!” the witches shrieked, and they pounced upon the little mice and struck them with their terrible claws.

The two royal mice rolled over and lay still.

“We must finish those witches, once and for all,” Tam whispered, and together he and Rory leapt from their tree onto the three black cats.

The witch-cats had claws that burned, they had teeth that sank into the very bone and the strength of a hundred cats. But Tam and Rory clung on until even their eyes began to fail. They thought they must be fighting in their sleep and that when they woke, they would find themselves in the barn.

But when Tam and Rory opened their eyes at last, they were in the forest and the taste of blood told them they had not been dreaming. Beside them were three motionless forms.

“Dead!” Rory said. “And look, there are the king and queen of the singing mice.”

With but one thought the two cats picked up a tiny body, and holding them gently in their mouths, they crept out of the glade.

The villagers were awake. Sounds from the forest had invaded their dreams and they were gathered in the street, bewildered and afraid.

“Look there!” Alec Ross said as two shadows limped over the brow of the hill.

When the two tomcats hobbled into the lamplight, they were so bedraggled, they could scarcely be recognized. But Andrew McBride exclaimed, “Why, it’s Tam and Rory. You brave tomcats! You have brought us singing mice.”

The blacksmith and the carpenter took the two little mice and placed them under the children’s pillows, while Granny Pine gathered the cats into her arms. But even after she had rubbed ointment into their wounds, they would not rest.

“We must keep watch,” they said, and they went to sit, each on his own roof under the stars. They did not move until they heard the cries of joy in the houses beneath them as Kirsty and Jamie woke up.

“They are safe!” Tam sighed.

What a fuss the children made of their two wounded heroes. There was so much cuddling and kissing, stroking and tickling, Tam and Rory purred themselves hoarse.

“It’s a strange thing,” the blacksmith remarked, “but the mouse we put under Kirsty’s pillow had disappeared by this morning.”

“So had ours,” the carpenter replied.

Tam and Rory looked toward the hill and thought of the dark forest beyond. The singing mice would be welcoming their king and queen. For surely in dying for a child those two good mice had regained their lives.

The three witches were never seen again, and whenever the people of Glenmagraw mentioned them, a little anxiously, at dusk or at the onset of a storm, Granny Pine would say, “You’re quite safe, you know, with Tam and Rory here.”

And Tam and Rory would prick up their proud torn ears and lift their battle-scarred tails, and parade together down the street. And no one who saw them ever doubted that they were the bravest tomcats in all the Highlands.

Wait Till I Grow Up

“Excuse me, miss! I’m a star-seeker. Would you like to become a super model?”

“Super model?!”

Henrietta (Henry for short) Lovegood couldn’t believe her luck. She was actually approached by a star-seeker to be asked to become a super model. Henry couldn’t help feeling elated about it.

“Ah, you look so perfect up close and personal,” the star-seeker said, rubbing his chin. “You have a beautiful face, an attractive aura, and you are, what, at least 170 cm, no? You are just the type of girl we are looking for! Where have you been all our life?!”

Henry felt even more elated. Her friend Joannie, who was about as tall as her shoulders, looked apprehensive about all this.

“Would you mind telling me your name, Miss…?” the man asked, handing her one of his business cards.

“Henrietta Lovegood. You can call me Henry!” Henry replied excitedly.

“And how old are you and which school are you in?”

“I’m 12 years old and studying in Pollen Flower Elementary!”

The star-seeker was stunned. He chuckled nervously and said, “Come on, don’t play games with me. Seriously, how old are you?”

But before Henry could confirm her statement, the man caught a glimpse of her name tag and was shocked to see that the name of her school ‘Pollen Flower Elementary’ was written there in bold, bearing the class Grade 6 Amethyst. He stared at Henry in disbelief before backing away and, “Sorry, little girl. I thought you’re a college student. We don’t use small children for models!”

“Wha…?” Henry was stunned at first, but then let out a relaxed laugh and said, “Oh well, being a model is pretty cool, but I’m still a sixth-grader! Ha ha ha~!”

That’s right, ours truly Henrietta Lovegood a.k.a. Henry is a sixth-grader, as in an elementary student. She was born with the physical maturing speed of a speeding bullet, and because of her grown-up look, she was often mistaken to be a grown-up by other men far older than her. It was both a blessing and a curse to her. When the person knew that she was only a sixth-grader, they would immediately have a 180 degrees attitude change, just like before. Many men and star-seekers were captivated by her beauty, yet shocked by the reality of her age.

“Well that’s because he thought you’re a grown-up, so he treated you like one!” Joannie said.”You practically dress up as one, for goodness sake! Now take off that name tag! School’s over and we’re gonna head off to the cinemas to watch LXG! Come on!”

“Well, you can’t blame me for having the body of a grown-up. These are my sister’s clothes, not mine,” Henry said as she took off her name tag. Suddenly she was accidentally knocked down by a passer-by and she was in the verge of falling off the stairs. She was too late to regain her balance and when she thought she was going to break her neck sooner or later, she felt a hand grabbing her wrist.

When she got back to her senses, she realized that she was in the arms of a tall, smart-looking guy. He asked in a deep mature voice, “Are you alright? It would be a pity for a girl as pretty as you to fall and break your neck.”

As she looked up, she was shocked to see that he was the most handsome creature she had ever encountered. He was a head taller than her and was strong and built. He had his hair smartly cut to form the shape of his head and he had sideburns and a tail to match. His eyes were a deep set of black and his left eyebrow was slightly higher than his right, making him look as though he only had one eye. There was something about him that made him look cute and cool at the same time. Her heart pumped hard at upon looking at him. She was taken aback—was she experiencing love at first sight?? She had to get her chance.

“But then, for me to save a beautiful big sister like you, I have to be the luckiest man alive, don’t you think?”

Henry was struck. Before she had the chance to introduce herself, another problem came in. obviously, he had again mistaken her for a woman older than he was, just like the rest of the guys. How could this happen to her?! She liked the way she was prettier than other girls, but to be mistaken as an older woman, that’s just not what she needed!

“Oh, sorry, I gotta go now. It’s nice meeting you,” the boy said as he walked off. Henry was shocked. She can’t let him go now! She simply can’t! She must meet him again! Hastily, she came up with a plan of having a date with him.

“Excuse me, I…” Henry stopped. Just when she caught his attention and was about to tell him who she really was, she began to contemplate the consequences. What if he knew that she wasn’t the woman he thought she was and rejected her right on the spot, just like the other men who approached her? That would be the death of her! It wasn’t always that she could get a date, and at this age too! She had to play along. Putting out a cool, mysterious pose, she smiled.

“My name is Henrietta Lovegood. You can call me Henry. To show my gratitude for saving my life, how about a date?”

The boy stared at her with his ‘one-eyed’ cool look. Henry could feel herself trembling and her heart pumping 1000 beats per minute as a million things went through her mind. Is he falling for it? Is this how it feels to be a grown-up? Will he accept my offer? Did I have that chic look? Am I convincing enough? Should I…?

“When do you want it?”

Henry realized that the boy was talking to her. She immediately blurted out, “How about this Sunday?”

Again, the boy fell silent. Henry was beginning to think that he wasn’t going to fall for it when he let out a smile and said, “The name’s Jasper Kensington, Senior 2. If you don’t mind me being younger than you are, we’ll meet here at the subway station this Sunday then, Ms. Lovegood.”

Henry was all smiles. She was actually going out on a date, and with a cute guy at that! She was so glad and lost in her fantasy that it took her a few minutes for her friend Joannie’s voice to reach her ears saying, “What are you gonna do now? He really thinks that you’re older than he is!”

Henry’s world came back to focus as she realized what she had done. ‘Th…That’s right!’ she thought. ‘Although Jasper agreed to go out with me, he did that because he thought that I am a grown woman! I gotta make his impression right! I gotta!’

So as soon as she went home after watching the movie ‘LXG’ with her friend, she approached her sister Melanie and begged her to lend her some clothes that would make her look both sexy and grown-up. her sister was only to willing to do so. Then she started practicing on applying nail polish and make-up. after a whole days’ tedious work, she finally made herself a grown-up. She felt so glad—she couldn’t wait for Sunday to arrive.

Finally, the day came. She stood at the entrance of the subway station waiting for her prince to come. She was a tad early but she didn’t mind. It would be worth the wait.

Her wait didn’t go wasted. Finally Jasper appeared in his body-fit sleeveless shirt and denim vest and his fashionably torn jeans and canvas belt. He looked so handsome and cute that Henry almost drooled looking at him. But she managed to gain control of herself.

“Have I kept you waiting for too long?” Jasper asked in his suave way.

“No,” Henry replied as mature as possible. “I just got here. I’m kinda tired standing around and waiting though. Let’s take a seat on the bench before we go anywhere else.”

“Sure, no problem,” Jasper replied as he led her to the bench. The subway station was somewhere near the park, so the seat was pretty near. Her high-heeled boots she borrowed from her sister was kind of killing her as she stood stock without moving, but that had all gone when Jasper arrived. She sat beside him a crossed her legs in an attitude kind of way and was hoping that Jasper would notice it.

Suddenly she saw a lady who was walking her dog sniggered at her. When she tried to find out what’s wrong, she realized that the mini skirt she borrowed from her sister was so short that it actually revealed her panties when she crossed her legs. Out of embarrassment, she hastily stood up and accidentally trippe din the process, landing face first on the ground. Others present in the park were sniggering, including a pair of couples. She felt so embarrassed; it was her first date and already she had made a wreck of things.

Just when she thought things were not going to get any better, she felt herself lifted up and in a man’s arms. She blushed when she realized that it was Jasper, her prince! His face was so close that she could almost see his deep black eyes. He asked, “Are you alright, Ms. Lovegood? Take a seat, Ms. Lovegood. You ought to calm down. I can see that this is your first date.”

Henry’s heart was filled with bliss. He was definitely someone totally different than all the guys she knew in her school and the other boys that tackled her. She couldn’t help feeling that he was suave and cute and a real gentleman.

“Although I must say, Ms. Lovegood, that your reaction just now certainly seemed like a small kid. You’re really funny, you know that?”

It was like being hit by a 10 tonne truck when she heard him say that. ‘A kid?!’ she thought. ‘I can’t be a kid! I’m an adult! I have to be an adult! I can’t let him know I’m really a kid! He’ll dump me for sure! I gotta try harder this time!’

“So, wanna go get something to eat?” Jasper asked.

“Uh, yeah! Yeah, sure, why not?” Henry stammered as she got up abruptly and walked with him side by side to a coffee house called ‘Café de Rue’.

Inside the café, as they were looking at the menu, Henry’s eyes sparkled when she saw a great hunk of display of sundaes flashed before her eyes. She was tempted to get one but she had to keep her grown-up figure. So when Jasper ordered coffee, she did to the same. She didn’t add any sugar as she wanted to impress him more with her grown-up attitude by drinking dark-coffee.

Her plans to be mature and with attitude backfired when she almost choked with the horrible bitterness of the coffee. She didn’t think that dark coffee would be so strongly bitter. She was mortified. Looks like she might swear not to touch coffee ever again. As she tried to gather herself, Jasper’s question struck her cold.

“Ms. Lovegood, are you alright?”

“I’m cool, I’m cool. I just choked a little, that’s all!” Henry forced a smile while she mentally cursed the cup of coffee for being so bitter.

Jasper stared at Henry for a while, then turned to the waitress and said, “Excuse me, miss. Can you get me a chocolate sundae, please?”

Henry stared back at Jasper in surprise. ‘Now that’s something new,’ she thought. ‘I didn’t think he would order a sundae.’ When the sundae arrived, Henry looked at it secretly with longing. How she wished she was eating the chocolate sundae instead of forcing down the dark coffee into her gut. That’s when Jasper did something unexpected.

“Ms. Lovegood, if you don’t mind, would you like to exchange your coffee with my sundae?”

“Huh? But…But I thought you ordered it for yourself?” Henry was even surprised.

“Yeah, I did order it for myself. But…well, let’s just say seeing is believing. The more I look at it, the more I feel full. Yet if I don’t finish it, it’ll be a waste. So if you would be so kind as to finish it for me, I’ll be very much happy.”

Henry was at lost of words at first. She didn’t think that Jasper would be such a cool and sweet guy. ‘He must’ve guessed that I’m forcing myself to drink coffee,’ she thought. ‘Oh well, guess I have to go with the flow.’ She let out a sweet smile and said, “Well, I don’t usually have a sweet tooth and all, but it is a waste if I don’t eat it. Well, bon appetite!”

After their snack they did a little window-shopping together. They passed by a man selling jewelry at the road side and they both stopped to take a look. Henry, the sixth-grader she was, was fascinated with the jewelry.

“Do you want a ring?” Jasper asked. “I’ll buy one for you as a gift.”

Henry was elated. She loved receiving gifts as much as she loved giving them, and this time she was actually receiving it from a man! But then the words of her sister when she asked for clothes that day struck her, “I wear nothing but branded stuff, like from Cardio or Guess or popular brands like these.” She assumed that that’s what grown-ups wear all the time, she put up an attitude pose and repeated the same thing her sister told her. Jasper looked slightly disappointed.

“Yeah, I guess you’re right. You’re a grown woman; you wouldn’t want to get involved with jewelry from the road side stops.”

Henry almost wept inwardly. She wanted so bad to have one of the rings displayed there. She didn’t think being a grown-up would be so hard.

“Wait, you stay here, Ms. Lovegood,” Jasper said as he left slowly. “I’ll be right back.”

Moments later, Jasper came back with a small piece of paper strip. Henry looked closely and saw that it was a strip of nail stickers complete with every different kind of shapes and sizes available and fashionable to the nails. Henry was about to ask why the sudden gesture but Jasper answered first.

“I was kinda thinking what kind of gift I could give you to remember this fateful day and of course I can’t afford a Guess ring, so, uh, how’s this?”

“I like it! Thank you so much,” Henry said, smiling sweetly and in genuine. She was so happy that she liked Jasper even more. To avoid losing the sticker strip, she slipped it into her daily planner. When she looked up, she saw that Jasper was incoming closer and closer towards her. She realized that Jasper was actually going to kiss her! She mentally told herself not to panic and go with the flow.

Ignoring the sniggers and staring eyes of passers-by, they kissed…

When they parted, Henry could feel her heart thumping wildly, like about more than a 1000 beats per second. They decided to chill out and sat on the pavement. Then, almost suddenly, Jasper popped out the big question.

“I like you, Ms. Lovegood. Will you be my girlfriend? I mean, I know that you’re older than me and everything, but you wouldn’t make that a barrier, right?”

Henry didn’t expect that to happen. She loved to be his girlfriend but she couldn’t continue to lie to him like that. She was about to blurt out the truth when a few small kids—about first or second graders, maybe—passed by and chanted naughtily “Boy loves girl! Girl loves boy!” Jasper let out a chuckle.

“Kids will be kids, don’t you think, Ms. Lovegood?”

‘But the truth is I’m just about like them…’ Henry thought sadly. She decided to give him a hint, “Uh…Jasper. If I were to be like them, say, a sixth-grader…would you still want me to be your girlfriend?”

“What kind of joke are you pulling?” Jasper let out another chuckle. “I would never date an elementary school kid. Think about my offer, OK? I’ll go get us some juice.”

As Jasper left, Henry’s eyes began to well up. How could this be? This has always been like the last few times. She was back to Square One all over again. How could she ever let him know that she was really a sixth-grader when he already said that he would never date little girls like her? If he were to know, he’ll regret ever agreeing to date her today…It would be better if she disappeared from his life right now…

The next day at school, she went over a pool of tears to Joannie when she mentioned about the date that Sunday. She told her everything that had happened, from the good to the bad.

“I see,” Joannie replied. “No wonder you’re so blue. So what are you going to do?”

“I have no choice!” Henry replied. “I have to let him go! The only thing I’ll ever remember him by would be those nail stickers he gave me!”

As she rummaged through her bag, she realized that her daily planner which kept her nail stickers were gone. She couldn’t find it anywhere in her bag. She must’ve left it on the pavement when she was running away from Jasper after his respond to her question. Now that the stickers were gone, everything was gone as well. She realized that everything was lost for good this time: the date, the memories, the smile on Jasper’s face, the kiss…Was she really going to just sit there and let it all go without explaining to Jasper about her sudden departure? Was she really going to let everything go and forget that she had ever liked him?

“Henry, where are you going?” Joannie asked when Henry stood up abruptly.

“I have to go and look for Jasper! I have to tell him the truth!” Henry said as she ran out of class.

“But where are you going to find him??” Joannie called after her. Henry did think about that when she ran out of the school compound and towards the gate, but she had to try anyway. She will find him, and tell him the truth about her age, and also tell him how much she liked him for everything he had done for her…

As she was about to reach the school gate, she saw a figure standing outside in waiting, and lo and behold! It was her prince charming with the one-eyed look Jasper Kensington, waiting for her with that look on his face that was simply irresistible. She knew right now that she had been found.

“You dropped your daily planner at the pavement and you just left, and there’s the name of your school written on it. I thought it could be your younger sister’s or something and you were just borrowing it but…I never thought that you would really be a sixth-grader…”

“I’m so sorry,” Henry replied. “I should’ve told you earlier, but I was afraid that you would reject me just like the other older guys who tried to tackle me. I wanted to be with you so much…’coz it was love at first sight…and I didn’t want to lose you. I wanna be with you forever…”

A long silence hung between them. She had finally said what she wanted to say and she ready for the consequences. Finally, Jasper said, “Close your eyes and hold out your left hand.”

Henry obliged, not sure what he was going to do. When he ordered her to open her eyes again, she was shocked to see that one of the nail stickers was on her ring finger. She was speechless. Why did he do that? What does this mean?

“Actually when I found out that you’re an elementary student, I was pretty shocked and pissed and I had a mind not to come here or see you anymore…” Jasper admitted. “But then again, when I thought back…none of that ever matters anymore, ‘coz the person I love is not the grown-up you or the child you, but you and you only. The Henrietta Lovegood you is what I’m asking for.”

“Jasper…I can’t believe it…! You’re too kind…” Henry was at lost of words and in the verge of breaking into happy tears.

“So this sticker will be a sort of reservation spot. When you finally grow up to be the lady you are, I’ll let you wear a real ring, and this will be our only promise…” He was about to kiss her, but then realized that they were still in Henry’s school compound, so instead he took her hand and kissed the sticker instead.

“Guess I’ll have to be patient then for the time being,” Jasper said with his usual cool and cute smile.

Henry longed for the day that she would grow up and become a real lady.

Truck Driver

There's a dark forest deep in the heart of the Rockies, surrounded on all sides by mountains. In the center of the forest is a lake on the shores of which you will find a large black stone. If you swim out into the center of the lake, the stone will drag you down into the darkness.

You will emerge from shadows in the alley of a frightening dark city of heavily arched roofs and buildings built on stilts. You must not talk to a single citizen of this city, or you shall be trapped there forever. The citizenry is horrid and mutated, and they will leer and curse at you, and their hideous and deformed women shall offer you unknown and horrible lewdness.

At the edge of this city is a highway. Walk down the left side of the road (yes, against traffic) with your thumb out and a man in a dark truck shall pick you up and drive you back the way you came. The city will be gone, and he will take you to any place on Earth as long as you can name it and there's a road there.

A Sweet Cat's Confession

Julie and Jenny hid behind the bushes as they stared into the field. Julia blushed as she saw her dream prince rushing around the field with the football close to his feet. At the side of the field, more girls sat and watch, letting out giggles and cheers at the star player of the team.

There is no one in school who doesn’t know the jock of Kilimanjaro High—Chad Henry Junior. Everyone adored him, and that goes the same with ours truly Julia. She had always wanted to step up to him and talk just like the rest of the girls but she was often pushed away by them. This time was of no exception. After getting an encouraging cue from her best friend Jenny, she lunged forward and tried to squeeze her way through the crowd of girls that surrounded Chad as soon as he was done practicing his football with the team. Her efforts have again failed her. She was pushed away harshly that she had sprained her waist and couldn’t get up. Jenny had to help her take her to the sick room.

Julie went home disappointed yet again. Chad Henry Junior was in Senior 3, and he was the coolest and cutest guy among all the seniors. Ever since she set eyes on him during orientation week on the first day of school, she ha experienced love at first sight. For days, even weeks, she had tried to capture his attention but none pf them seemed to work. It was as if she had never existed before. The first thing she did when she reached home was confided her feelings straight away to her pet cat Pow-Pow. Pow-Pow has been her pet for a very long time and he was a really good listener. Whatever problems she had, he would be the first to know.

“I am such a loser! I can’t believe I failed again today! Why am I such a chicken? If I continue like this, I won’t be able to give him the chocolates for Valentine’s Day! I even have the chocolates well-prepared. See?”

Pow-Pow stared at the chocolates full of wanting, but of course, cats can’t eat chocolate—it’ll kill them.

“He’s gonna graduate soon and I won’t be able to see him anymore. Even though I want to tell him that I like him…I never got the chance and I never got the guts to say it…I’m only human, after all! I can’t just go up to him and say it just like that! What’ll they think of me…”

“You are so bored.”

Julie turned around, trying to see who was the one talking. She found herself staring front of Pow-Pow’s golden eyes and his mouth as the words and the voice came out, saying, “If complaining is the only thing you can do all day, why don’t you become like me and listen to other people’s complaints for a change?”

It took her a full 5 minutes before she realized that her cat Pow-Pow was actually talking to her. Before she knew it, she was yelling her head off in shock and almost hysteria, shouting about the ultimate discovery on her cat. Pow-Pow groaned exasperatedly.

“We cats have always mastered the power of speech dating to the Egyptian period. It is not that surprising. It’s just that we like to maintain the calm and cool mysterious aura on us and don’t want to let the cat out of the bag, if you get my drift.”

Julie stared at her cat, dumbfounded. Cats that could talk since the age of the Egyptians? That is something you don’t see everyday. She should read up on her history more in the future.

“Julie,” Pow-Pow said in a tired voice. “Do you realize that you have been going on and on about your crush with Chad but I don’t see any happy news about it? All you do is just come back home failure after failure and complain to me night after night whether I want to listen to it or not. I heard about failures but you are just so ridiculous! You gotta learn how to stand on your own feet! I’m sick and tired of you ranting and raving at me without doing something about it!”

Julie was ashamed. She didn’t know that her nightly complaints had such a big impact and a bad nuisance to her cat. She didn’t know what to say to make him feel better. She really felt bad about it, that is, after she got over the shock of having a talking cat.

“I’ve had enough of your complaints. I am going to make you stand on your own feet even if it means revealing my secret powers to you.”

‘Secret powers?’ Julie thought. ‘What secret powers?’ Before she could ask, she was suddenly hit by a blinding flash of light. Her whole body fell backwards, as if she was hit by a bullet train or something. It didn’t hurt though, although the impact was strong. When she opened her eyes, she was in for a shock.

She found herself wagging a long white cat’s tail and her ears were jutting up like a pair of white cat’s ears, with a tint of light-brown on the tips. She had actually turned into a human cat!

“What…What have you done to me, Pow-Pow?! What have I become??”

“I’ve laid a curse on you,” Pow-Pow replied nonchalantly, as if everything was an as-a-matter-of-fact way of things.

“A…A curse?! Why do you have to do that for?!” Julie asked, horrified. She may have irritated her cat a little, but she didn’t deserve this kind of punishment.

“It’s a power we cats are proud to possess throughout the centuries. I just did that to teach you a lesson not to mess with us cats, the superior of all animals. If you continue to be so naïve and bottle up your feelings not doing anything, you’ll be a real cat within 3 days’ time, and it won’t be pretty. Don’t get me wrong, there is a cure for this curse, and I’m also doing you a good favour.”

“Favour?! What kind of favour is this?!” Julie asked angrily, pointing at her tail and her ears.

“Well, for starters, I’m actually getting you the guy that you crave for so much, for the cure to this curse is that on the third day before sundown, you must go and confess your feelings towards Chad. Then the curse will be broken.”

“Wha…What?! you mean I have to actually go up to him and tell him that I like him?!” Julie blushed terribly, practically horrified.

“That’s the plan,” Pow-Pow nodded.

“B-B-But in 3 days…? That’s impossible~!” Julie said doubtfully.

“Don’t worry,” Pow-Pow replied. “I may be the one laying the curse on you, but it doesn’t mean that I can’t help you break it. Or…do you want to let yourself turn into a cat and live completely different lives from Chad? I can assure you, being a cat is pretty wonderful.”

Julie was struck there. There was no way she was going to live a cat’s life and be away from Chad forever. Sure, confessing may be a scary thing, but unable to see Chad and become completely isolated from him and live off cat scraps and fish bones for life was scarier.

That’s when she had made her decision.

The next day, she went to school as usual, but did a small alteration on herself. She hid her ears under the two buns of hair at either side of her head and curled the tail up and stuffed it inside her underwear. Her heart was thumping madly just thinking of what she was going to do today. She didn’t know why she let herself be talked into this anyway.

“OK, now, Julie,” Pow-Pow, who was wrapped in Julie’s arms started saying. “Plan A for today will be to let Chad know your name, you hear me? Hey, are you alright, Julie?”

“P-P-Perfectly f-f-fine,” Julie’s stammering didn’t sound too convincing. Soon, she heard some of the girls giggling in delight and saw Chad walking into the school compound. Instinctively, Julie ran into hiding behind the bush. Pow-Pow was annoyed.

“I don’t believe this! Is this what you do everyday?! No wonder you’re such a failure! Are you gonna just sit there and wait until it’s too late?”

Julie couldn’t help feeling that Pow-Pow was right. If she doesn’t start saying something now, she never will get the chance. It’s now or never. Gathering all her guts, she came out of her hiding place and blurted out, “Senior Chad!”

Chad looked at her way and to her face, asking, “Yes, you called me?”

Julie’s heart skipped a bit. Those mesmerizing blue eyes and that striking blonde hair tied into a thin ponytail was simply too hard for her to bear. His deep voice was like a knight in shining armour talking from his grand stallion. He was too cute for words and not something she could hold on. Her face heated up and she began to sway, falling headfirst towards the floor. Chad noticed and instinctively held out his hand to catch her by the waist. Julie’s hot cheeks grew even hotter. His hand around her waist! He was actually touching her! She had never seen him touching other girls before when they gathered around him after football practice but there he was right now, wrapping his arms around her waist!! It felt so blissful that she didn’t want to get up.

“Err…May I ask? What the heck is that?”

Julie shifted her gaze to where he was pointing. She was shocked to see that her cat tail has uncurled out of her underwear and was standing up straight. ‘Oh no!’ she thought. ‘I forgot that when cats get excited, their tails would stand up straight! I can’t tell him that I’ve been cast a spell by my cat! I gotta tell him something else! But…But what?!’

Finally, as a last resort, she blurted out, “I’m…I’m a very big fan of cats. So much that I occasionally dress myself up as a cat!” Before Chad could say anything else, she held up Pow-Pow for him to see, “This is my cat Pow-Pow. See? See how much I like cats?”

Chad was staring at Julie with such awe on his face that Julie began to worry that Chad might think she’s crazy. The silence hung for about 2 minutes before she actually saw Chad smiling and laughed, saying, “You’re an interesting little guy! To tell the truth, I like cats too.”

Julie couldn’t believe her eyes. She was actually another side of Chad that she had never seen before. She was actually looking at a smiling Chad picking up Pow-Pow and stroking him lovingly onto his fair cheek, and not the calm and collected cool guy Chad. She felt so lucky to be the first to see this, although some other girls might have a head-start seeing him that way.

“What did you say your name was…?”

Julie came out of her senses when she realized that Chad was asking for her name. This was her chance. She blurted out again, “Ju…Julie! Julie Lattimer from Class 1 Dandelion!”

“Julie, eh?” Chad said as he handed her cat to him. “If it’s OK with you, I’d like to borrow your Pow-Pow some other time.”

“S-Sure! No problem!” Julie replied as she took Pow-Pow back. Finally, he remembered her name. She actually existed after all. She again felt so blissful that she hoped time would just stop there and then for her.

“Success!” Pow-Pow exclaimed as soon as Chad was out of ear-shot. “My cat features never fails to impress people! Now let’s go for Plan B!”

“There’s a Plan B?” Julie asked absentmindedly, her face hadn’t yet gotten over the shade of red yet.

“Yes, there is. The next step right now is to set up a venue and a perfect atmosphere to confess your feelings for him. You got to write a letter to him and tell him to meet you somewhere secluded during Valentine’s Day!”

“What?! You want me to write a letter to tell him that?!” Julie’s cheeks which had gradually reduced to a slight pink shot back up to red again. “I can’t do that!! That is so embarrassing!”

“No complaints,” Pow-Pow said authoritatively. “Are you gonna write or not?”

Thinking about the possibilities of becoming a cat if she didn’t, Julie had no choice but to oblige. With shaking hands, she wrote the letter in bold letters:

TO SENIOR CHAD,
MEET ME AT THE SCHOOL BACKYARD AFTER SCHOOL ON THE 14TH.
JULIE LATTIMER OF CLASS 1 DANDELION

After writing the letter, the next morning after school, she went over to the field where Chad had his usual football practice and waited behind the bushes. He was as cool and as gallant as ever as he passed the ball and kicked it without much trouble. As usual, girls were standing at the side of the field cheering and giggling.

“Right, now you have written the letter. All you have to do now is hold on to the letter and wait until he’s done with his practice before handing it over to him,” Pow-Pow whispered. Julie nodded, her stomach fluttering and her heart still pumping although she had already have an up close encounter with him.

Suddenly, the football Chad’s team was practicing on bounced into the bush Julie and Pow-Pow were hiding and Julie found herself pouncing onto it like Pow-Pow did in such playful and longing mood. When she realized what she was doing, she was horrified.

“Wha…What did I just do?!”

“This means that you’re slowly inching your way into becoming a cat,” Pow-Pow replied as he pawed at the ball. “Welcome to the family.”

While Julie tried to contemplate the dreaded transformation, she suddenly felt a familiar presence. When she turned around, she was shocked to see that it was Chad looking back at her with his striking blue eyes. She almost went pale with horror at what he might have seen.

“Julie? I’m here to get my ball,” Chad said, pointing at the ball Pow-Pow was playing with.

“H-Here you go,” Julie replied, handing him the ball. She prayed to God hard that he hadn’t seen what she had just done.

“What are you doing here?” Chad asked curiously.

“I…I…err…” Julie didn’t know where to start.

“Give him the letter,” Pow-Pow whispered, pawing at her ankles.

“Oh…Oh yeah!” Julie was knocked back into her senses as she took out the envelope containing the letter. She handed it to Chad and said, “Senior Chad, this letter…”

Whether Chad was shocked at such gesture or he was just caught off guard, he had accidentally lost his grip on the ball and it slid out of his hand. As the ball fell and bounced on the grass, again Julie instinctively pounced onto the ball with Pow-Pow and Chad stared in awe yet again. Chad’s scoff brought her back to the horrible reality.

“You really are an interesting girl,” Chad grinned.

‘I’m horrible~!’ Julie groaned inwardly; she had never felt even more embarrassed than this.

“Yohoo~! Chad! Come back! Practice is not over yet!” one of Chad’s team members called out from the field. Chad let out a grunt and turned towards the field. Julie was taken aback. ‘He’s leaving?’ she thought. ‘At least accept my letter!’

“Err…Senior Chad…this letter…” Julie said tentatively. Chad turned around, noticed the envelope in her hands and took it without a second thought.

“Alright, I’ve taken your letter now. Between you and I, I’m pretty afraid of the girls around me, but surprisingly to you, I don’t feel that way.”

Julie was again taken by surprise. He actually felt differently towards her? She thought that Chad treated every girl the way he treated her but she didn’t think that Chad would actually feel this way to her. Hope still hangs in her wake.

“Cool! Now all you have to do is confess to him tomorrow!” Pow-Pow said gleefully, glad that everything was going according as planned.

Julie smiled. She was glad too. All she wanted to do is let Chad know how she felt for him.

She couldn’t ask for more.

Soon, the Big Day—Valentine’s Day—has come. As soon as the bell rang indicating the end of school, Julie ran towards the school backyard and waited for Chad. Pow-Pow followed suite.

“So this is where you guys are gonna meet,” Pow-Pow commented. “Hmm, secluded enough.”

“But he’s not here yet,” Julie replied worriedly.

“Don’t you fret. I’m sure everything’s under control. Here, I’ve got your chocolates.”

“Thanks, Pow-Pow! I almost forgot about them!” Julie said thankfully.

“You’ll pull through, Julie. Be strong. You’re left with the confession now. Don’t give up,” Pow-Pow said, giving encouragement to his mistress. Julie was touched at his gesture.

“Don’t worry, Pow-Pow, I’ll win this battle if this is the last thing I’ll do!”

“He’s here,” Pow-Pow said as he pointed at Chad who was standing outside the bush she was hiding, looking around as if seeing if she was there. She was there alright. This was her real chance. She was ready.

As she popped out of her hiding place and was about to call out his name, she was drowned out by the high-pitched squeals of the girls. It seems like they have been looking for him for a long time as they were so excited to see him. They brandished their box of chocolates at him, hoping that he would take it. Julie couldn’t believe they had a head-start on things faster than she thought. But she had to give him her share of chocolates. Taking a deep breath, she braved herself to squeeze past the girls.

“Excuse me, please, excuse me, I wanna give my chocolates to Senior Chad…” Julie struggled to squeeze through, which, of course, annoyed the other girls.

“Get out of here, you loser! Can’t you see we’re busy?”

As usual, she was pushed out of the crowd a few feet away from them. She didn’t think that they could be so strong. She looked up and saw that the Chad that she loved didn’t see her. He was practically surrounded by the girls that he couldn’t even notice her. Her heart began to ache at the thought that she had failed yet again.

‘Why? Why must this happen to me? He’s so near, yet so far. I’ve tried and I’ve tried to go near him, but I just couldn’t…I just couldn’t!!’

Heartbroken, she ran away from the scene with the box of chocolates still in her hands. She didn’t hear Pow-Pow calling after her. All she knew was that she had to get out of there before she dies with a broken heart there and then. The words kept ringing in her head as she ran, ‘I can’t do it! He’s just some faraway star that I can never reach no matter what! I can never confess to him! Never!’

She only stopped running when she was somewhere in the old janitor’s closet. As she sat there musing and wallowing in self-pity, the feeling of being hit by a bullet train came again. Her whole body glowed and she felt herself shrinking and changing. When Pow-Pow finally found her, she actually turned into a Persian white cat!

“What have you become?! This is so not you!!” Pow-Pow exclaimed, horrified at her transformation.

“Pow-Pow~!” Julie bawled. “I don’t know what happened! I just felt a blinding flash engulfing me and when I opened my eyes, I’ve become this! It’s not even sundown yet!”

“I guess it’s because you suppressed the urge of confessing too much that it has fast-forwarded the process. You were almost there! Why didn’t you carry on?!”

“I…I don’t know…I guess I panicked…” Julie replied sadly. “I guess I’ll have to forget about Chad…since I’ve become a cat…”

Pow-Pow scowled and said, “Is that so? Is that what you want? Are you willing to even forget human speech and all the human memories you have on this earth and really assimilate yourself into a real cat? Is that what you want?”

Julie was shocked. To forget the ability of human speech and forget about everything that is human? Even forget her feelings towards Chad, the boy that she had a crush on for so long? She didn’t want that to happen! She certainly didn’t want that to happen ever!

Seeing that his ex-mistress didn’t reply, he sighed and said, “Oh well, I guess your feelings for Chad is only until this level. Don’t worry. The memories will just slip away like sand; you won’t feel a thing.”

Julie scowled at Pow-Pow. She knew about cats being unconcerned and all but she didn’t expect Pow-Pow, her great listener and great friend act so cold like this. She grabbed the box of chocolates and exclaimed, “I said that I will win this battle if it is the last thing I do, and I will do as I have claimed!”

Dragging the box with her mouth, she walked as quickly as she could to the school backyard before it was too late. Before her memories slipped away, all she wanted was to let Chad know how she felt for him. She had to. Soon she saw Chad standing there, the girls all gone and him all alone, looking around and muttering to himself, “Where did she go? I thought she was here somewhere…”

Julie pawed at his ankle to get his attention. Chad saw her and picked her, saying, “Hey there, little kitty. What is it you want from me?”

Julie tried to talk but only a series of mews escaped her lips. She tried hard anyway, saying, “Senior Chad, please. It’s me, Julie Lattimer! Don’t you recognize me? I’m Julie!”

Chad chuckled silently and said, “Weird. You really look like that Julie girl.”

Julie was glad. He had somehow recognized her. She shoved the box of chocolate to his chest and tried saying in her mews, “This is how I feel for you, Senior Chad. Although I’ve turned into a cat, I have always liked you!”

Chad stared back at her, as if trying to comprehend what she was saying. Somehow, he kind of understood. Julie pawed at the box of chocolate on his chest and mewed some more. Chad noticed and asked, “Is this for me?”

Julie nodded. Chad smiled and picked her up slowly towards his face and kissed her, whispering, “Thank you, kitty.”

Julie was touched and overwhelmed. Seeing Chad accepting her chocolates was one thing but receiving a kiss from him was another thing. She didn’t expect this to happen although she always hoped that it would. It was like a dream come true. She felt her body going warmer and warmer. The transformation was complete. Well, at least she would become a contented cat and have Pow-Pow for company…

When her eyes came into focus, she found herself in human form with her lips touching Chad’s. It took the both of them a full 30 seconds to register what was going on. They both let out a shocked yell and let go of each other. Chad widened his eyes in disbelief. Julie checked her head and her butt and she was glad to find out that her ears have turned back to normal, her human speech was back and her tail was gone! She had become human again! Somehow it seem like a scene from The Frog Prince.

The box of chocolates was back in her hand. This time she was going to use her own human words to tell him how she felt for him. With a red face, she held out the chocolates to him and said out loud, “I’ve…made these Valentine’s Day chocolates just for you. To tell the truth…I have always liked you. I have a crush on you and I’ve…I’ve been waiting all my life for this moment. I…I like you…a lot…”

Julie suddenly found her shoes very interesting. She didn’t dare to look up at Chad. It was overwhelming enough to finally let it all out. Slowly, she felt the box of chocolates leaving her hand. She looked up and saw Chad holding it with a smile on his face.

“I just came back from rejecting all the chocolates given to me…’coz I only wanna receive Valentine’s Day chocolates from you.”

Julie gaped. Her courage has finally paid off. Finally she had released everything that was in her heart and she got a positive response from her dream prince. Pow-Pow was right all along—if she just stood on her own two feet, she would definitely make it. She made a mental note to thank her cat properly as soon as she went home.

“Err…Mind if I ask…What just happened back there…I mean, the cat and all…?”

Looks like there’s gonna be a lot of explaining to do for her.

Wedding Trivia

Samantha ran as fast as she could to get to class. There was no way she was going to miss Mr. Mitchell’s class. He was the school’s most handsome and cutest teacher and if she were ever to miss one second of his class, she’d rather die.

She practically crashed into class. There he was, Mr. Mitchell, about to be ready for class. She grinned and said, “Sorry, sir. I overslept. It won’t happen again…”

THWACK!!! Her head was immediately hit by Mr. Mitchell’s scroll. His stern face looked even more handsome than ever as he boomed, “How dare you come late for my class? Don’t you know that English is one of the most important subjects for your daily life? Now go and take your seat immediately!”

“Oh, how lucky for Samantha to be hit on the head by Mr. Mitchell! I want to be hit on the head too!!”

Samantha Lorne looked down as she walked towards her seat. She wasn’t the only one having a crush with Mr. Mitchell Sherbet. Almost everyone in Devon Girls’ High was having a crush with Mr. Mitchell. Mr. Mitchell was really, really cute, like a dark-haired version of Orlando Bloom, only more mature. Samantha stared at Mr. Mitchell as he started his English class. She had never paid attention to the class; it was all about Mr. Mitchell. She couldn’t help it. She just had to stare at him. He was way too handsome beyond compare…

“Samantha!” A hard pressing feeling on her cheeks shook her back to reality. She was shocked to see that Mr. Mitchell’s face was directly in front of hers, his ebony-black eyes staring sternly and intently at her brown ones and his hands were holding her cheeks.

“Don’t stare at me during class! Pay attention during class! My lessons are on the board, not on my face!”

The silence was pressurizing. Before she knew it, Samantha was bleeding in the nose out of over-excitement and immediately fainted at the spot. Needless to say, she was taken to the Sick Bay and had to miss Mr. Mitchell’s class.

Lying on the sick bed, she touched her face in ecstasy. ‘He touched my cheeks!’ she thought. ‘He actually touched my cheeks! I’m never gonna wash my face ever again!’ As her thoughts continued to drift, she imagined herself together with Mr. Mitchell living their lives in love and harmony. If only she could find the courage to tell Mr. Mitchell how she really feel. Courage as in the courage to tell him that she was really, really in love with him and not afraid of the other girls mangling her into a pulp.

After school, she rushed home with a happy, ecstatic face, and couldn’t wait to jot down everything in her diary, when she noticed her parents were in a very happy mood.

“Hey, Mom. Hey, Dad. What’s the big occasion?” Samantha asked.

“We have such good news for you, my dear darling,” Mrs. Lorne replied happily. “Your father has been promoted as an executive and will be transferred to Germany!”

“That’s great, Dad! Congratulation! So when are you going?”

“Next week, pooh-bear! And we’re all going to move to Germany!” Mr. Lorne replied with enthusiasm.

The whole atmosphere was silent for a while. Suddenly Samantha burst her bubble and said, “What?! We’re all going?! Why?!”

“Of course, pooh-bear,” Mr. Lorne replied in an as-a-matter-of-fact way. “I cannot leave you and your Mom here all alone. This is permanent. I won’t be coming back here anymore. We have to move.”

“But…But what about my friends? What about my school? What about…” Samantha stopped before she accidentally revealed Mr. Mitchell. She had told her parents about having a crush with Mr. Mitchell but she never told them that he was her English teacher.

“Don’t worry. It has all been taken care of,” Mr. Lorne reassured her. “My company is responsible for all the expenses of going to Germany, and also the company branch in Germany that I’m going to work in will take care of all the accommodation and your schooling expenses. We only have to move there. You have nothing to worry about.”

“You can make new friends at Germany,” Mrs. Lorne tried to make her daughter feel better. “I heard that there are a number of local people has gone there either to study or migrate. If you’re lucky, you’ll find some our fellow local friends. It’s gonna be alright, trust us on this.”

Samantha practically lost all interest in everything after that. How could she convince her parents that she didn’t want to leave because she didn’t want to leave Mr. Mitchell? Sure, getting a promotion to Germany was a real deal and she wouldn’t mind moving to a new environment, but she was talking her life-time happiness here! How was she ever going to be happy if the person that she loved wasn’t around? She simply couldn’t bear to think of it.

Needless to say, she was in a glum mood the next day at school. Although Mr. Mitchell’s appearance was a temporary solace to her, it wasn’t enough to cover up the glum. Mr. Mitchell noticed and walked towards her seat.

“Samantha Lorne, is there anything wrong?”

“Uh, uh, no, sir. Nothing’s wrong,” Samantha replied, blushing as she looked away. Mr. Mitchell still stood there, obviously not buying the ‘nothing’s wrong’ routine.

“Forget about her, sir,” one of the girls voiced out. “She’s been like that the whole day. Even we couldn’t get it out of her. Just ignore her.”

“Sir, sir! I heard that you are going out on a match-make date soon! Is it true?!” another girl from the far end of the classroom asked worriedly.

“Serious? Mr. Mitchell is getting match-made? How can this be?”

“What’s going on, sir?”

“Tell me it’s not true!”

Samantha, despite her glum, was interested to know about this match-making business. It’s very rare for people to still practice this traditional marriage method at this modern age.

“Yes, it’s true,” Mr. Mitchell’s answer sent a long heartbroken groan to all the girls. He cleared his throat and continued, “The Headmaster got me into this, because he thinks that it’s a pity for someone like me not to get married at this age. But, don’t worry, girls. I will be declining the Headmaster’s offer.”

All the girls giggled in delight. Samantha remembered something about match-making—her cousin went through it before, as in first a couple of get-to-know-you dates, a meet-the-parents sort of ritual, then the engagement ceremony, then the official wedding…

That’s when her little innocent mind just clicked. ‘What a brilliant idea!’ she thought. ‘I can just match-make myself with Mr. Mitchell and get myself married to him! I’m not 16 years old yet, and 16 years old is the eligible age to marry, but I can wait! That’s it! I’m gonna match-make myself with Mr. Mitchell!’

The plan was all set. First she pretended to ‘accidentally’ bump onto the Headmaster who was about to take the file of Mr. Mitchell’s match-make date and switched her picture with the original picture. She then went to meet the original date and pretended to be Mr. Mitchell’s daughter and told her not to marry Mr. Mitchell (works every time). Later she went by herself to the marriage affairs office to purchase a marriage application certificate, and gave Mr. Mitchell a call impersonating the Headmaster saying that if he didn’t attend the match-make date, he would be fired.

The only thing for her to do now was to get a nice dress to wear.

The next day, after school, Mr. Mitchell—the punctual guy he was—went to the park where he and the original date promised to meet. He seemed pretty nervous. He had never dated before and so he was a bit queasy about the whole idea.

“Mr. Mitchell, sir!”

Mr. Mitchell turned around and was shocked to see Samantha dressed up to the nines in a beautiful one piece dress. He backed away and asked in a stern voice, “Samantha Lorne, what in the world are you doing here?”

“I’m here for our date, sir, if you must know,” Samantha replied, smiling sweetly.

“Date? Since when do we have a date?”

“If you hadn’t noticed, sir, I’m your match-make date.”

Mr. Mitchell stared in disbelief at his student for a full half minute before taking out the match-make file. Thanks to Samantha’s cunningness, her picture was definitely on it, confirming her convictions.

“This has got to be a mistake,” Mr. Mitchell almost became as pale as a ghost before taking to his heels. “I think we should just all forget about it and go home.”

“No, sir! Please!” Samantha grabbed Mr. Mitchell’s sleeve. “Since you’re already out, you might as well carry on! Please, sir, I’ve always wanted to go out on a date with you! Don’t think of it as a match-make, just a plain ol’ date. Please~!”

Mr. Mitchell turned around and looked at Samantha. Her brown eyes were shining with determination and wanting, as if she was really desperate to be with him. Mr. Mitchell couldn’t help feeling sorry and concerned for this girl. He had never felt like this for a long time. Probably because he was teaching in a girls’ school, he was much immune to the little bickering of little girls.

Soon, he found himself letting out a sigh of defeat, taking Samantha’s hand and replied, “Oh, alright. Just this once. Then we’ll pretend that this had never happened, alright?”

Samantha was so happy she was willing to agree on anything.

One more problem though, how was she going to make him sign the papers?

They had a great day at the city. They went to the mall, then to the arcades where Mr. Mitchell took her hands to play the arcade games (ooh, romantica!), and went to a whole lot more places until Samantha realized that she was quite hungry. So Mr. Mitchell took her to a restaurant to eat.

The restaurant was quite full, so they had to stand wait for their turn. In the meantime, the waitress required them to sign the guestbook so as not to lose their seats to other barging-in customers. That was when Samantha had her chance. She slipped in the papers onto the guestbook and guided Mr. Mitchell to sign it. He was too busy looking to see if there were any empty spaces for them to sit that he just signed it absentmindedly.

‘Perfect!’ Samantha thought. ‘Now all I need is his stamp. But…he doesn’t have a stamp. No one would be an idiot to bring a stamp along, not Mr. Mitchell…Oh well, I guess his fingerprint will do.’

After their lunch, Samantha begged Mr. Mitchell to take to watch the latest romance movie ‘If Tomorrow Never Comes’. Mr. Mitchell, the sweet man he was, agreed. They bought the tickets and watched the romantic movie. Around them, Samantha could hear sobbing from the other girls who came to watch with their boyfriends. She wanted to cry herself—the movie was so touching—but she had better things to do.

Slowly, she took out the marriage papers and took out her ink pen. She took Mr. Mitchell’s hand softly and was attempting to mark his thumb so that she could get his fingerprint. She realized how silly it was when Mr. Mitchell glared at her with a pair of angry ebony black eyes and flushed cheeks. He grabbed her wrist and dragged her out of the cinema to the park where they met before their date.

“Alright, Samantha, what the heck is going on here? I’ve began to suspect you ever since I agreed to go on this date with you. Yes, I had a great time with you so far, but you have been acting strange when we were having lunch. You were grinning all the way and you had that strange piece of paper snuck into your bag after I’ve signed it. And now you’re trying to stamp my fingerprint on it. What are those papers anyway?”

“You…You knew?” Samantha didn’t know where to start telling the truth.

“Do you think I’m that stupid? Now I demand to know what the heck is going on around here! And what are those papers you’re so obsessed about?!”

Samantha had no choice but to tell the truth. She told him about her crush for him, her leaving to Germany with her parents and her plan to make herself get married to Mr. Mitchell so that she would be able to stay and won’t miss Mr. Mitchell a single day. Mr. Mitchell listened in silence throughout her whole confession.

“I’m sorry I had to do this, sir. But this is the only way I’m able to be by your side, and…and also the only way for you not to be absent in my mind. I’m…I’m doing this ‘coz I love you, sir. I love you so much…I’m willing to do anything to stay…” So saying, Samantha sobbed, clear tears falling out of her eyes.

Mr. Mitchell looked at her with a confused gaze, his heart skipping a beat and his face flushed once more. A child in love with him? He knew that almost all the girls in the school were somewhat quite crazy about him, but he didn’t think that she would go that far just to be with him. He had no idea he had so much impact on a 15-year-old girl like Samantha. This sacrifice she made over her pride and her life was really great. Was this really love, or just an obsession? He was so confused that he could only say one thing:

“Don’t be so childish. You should listen to your parents. Go to Germany with them.”

Samantha could hardly believe her ears. After all she had done and after she had braved herself to tell Mr. Mitchell the truth, he rejected her just like that. Her heart broke as she ran away from the park and back home, tears flowing more out of her eyes. She couldn’t believe that Mr. Mitchell, her long-loved Mitchell, actually said something so mean as that.

Mr. Mitchell couldn’t help hating himself for saying that.

Next week was incoming really fast. Throughout that week, Samantha tried as hard as possible to avoid Mr. Mitchell. Samantha and her family have already packed all their belongings and have shipped them to their new home in Germany. All they need to do now is catch the evening plane and they’ll be off to Germany within the day. She had announced her leaving to all her classmates and they gathered around her to wish her goodbye. At least she found a little comfort from her friends; they were at least caring for her leaving.

The time of leaving was almost near. Samantha sat alone in her class thinking about the great time she had with Mr. Mitchell on their so-called match-make date. She remembered every detail of their date together and found it hard to just let it all go just because of her father’s job. She still had the papers with her. She finally got up from her seat and scribbled something on the blackboard before leaving.

Mr. Mitchell was staying back late that evening in school. As he marked the papers, he felt something missing in his heart. He felt the utmost uneasiness inside him, as if he had let go something very important that he had ignored for so long. It was as if he…

He shook his head in denial. He refused to believe it. He refused to admit it. He was a teacher, and he should act like one. That was when he realized that he had left his file in the classroom. He rushed over to get it and was shocked to see the ever familiar scribbling on the blackboard:

I’m sorry about the trouble I’ve caused you, sir, but I still love you no matter where I go or what happens. I’ll miss you. Take care, sir.
Your student,
Samantha Lorne

Mr. Mitchell stared at the scribbling over and over again. He saw the marriage papers still on his desk with his signature still on it. He clenched his fists so hard it was in the verge of cracking. There was someone whom he could spend his whole life together in such happiness and he had forgo her just because he was a teacher and she was a student. There was someone who was willing to do everything for him regardless the consequences and he had let her go just because he thought it was childish. And there was someone he had actually fallen in love with and he had denied her just because he was too blind to see it.

He finally knew what to do.

He grabbed the papers and a stamp. He asked one of his students what time was Samantha’s flight and rushed immediately to the airport. On the way, he kept repeating in his heart, “Please don’t go, Samantha! Please don’t go! I love you, Samantha, I love you!! Don’t go! Don’t leave me!!”

Meanwhile, at the airport, Samantha was in one of her tantrums again. She never wanted to go in the first place, and now she was feeling really bad following her parents to Germany and leaving Mr. Mitchell behind. She wanted to go home. She didn’t want to go to Germany. She didn’t want to go anywhere else but to Mr. Mitchell’s arms.

“I don’t wanna go, Mom, Dad! I wanna stay!!”

“Please be reasonable, pooh-bear. It’s for the best. We can’t leave you here, we have no one here to take of you,” Mr. Lorne tried to coax her out of her tantrum.

“Yes, sweetie. Please stop crying. Germany is not so bad once you get to know it,” Mrs. Lorne agreed, but it didn’t do Samantha any good.

“I wanna go home! I wanna go home!”

“Samantha Lorne!!!”

That voice! That ever familiar voice! How could she not recognize that stern, masculine voice? She rushed to the railings and looked down to the ground floor.

“Mr. Mitchell! You’re here!” Samantha exclaimed in surprise.

“Samantha, come home with me!!” Mr. Mitchell yelled from the ground floor, waving the marriage papers above his head. “A wife as troublesome, as childish and as great as you is the only girl I want to marry!!”

Samantha was touched. He had come all the way from school to the airport just to marry her! He actually agreed to marry her! Out of excitement, she climbed the railing and jumped down towards the ground floor into Mr. Mitchell’s arms. It was a blissful sight to behold.

Mr. Mitchell set the little midget girl down and took out his stamp. He displayed the papers right before Samantha’s eyes and stamped the column where his stamp was needed. He smiled sweetly at Samantha for the first time and asked, “Am I making you happy now?”

“Yes, sir! Oh yes, you made me the happiest little girl alive!” Samantha replied as she hugged Mr. Mitchell lovingly.

Samantha’s parents quickly went downstairs to see what was going on and to check if their pooh-bear was alright. When they caught a glimpse of Mr. Mitchell, Mr. Lorne, for the first time, asked him seriously, “Who are you? What are you doing with my daughter?”

Samantha hid behind her teacher. Mr. Mitchell took a deep breath before showing the papers to him and said, “I’m Mitchell Sherbet, your daughter’s English teacher and I come to ask for your daughter’s hand in marriage. I may not be qualified in your eyes and I know she is not eligible to be married until she’s exactly 16 years old, but I can promise you, Mr. Lorne, before that day arrives, I will take good care of her and be responsible in everything that has happened to her!”

That was really a great moment to Samantha as she heard him say every word. She could feel his body slightly trembling and had a feeling that he was as nervous as she was. She begged to God hoping that this might work out.

Fortunately for the both of them, Mr. Lorne took Mr. Mitchell’s hand immediately and exclaimed, “So you’re the Mitchell boy my pooh-bear has been talking about! I knew right from the moment my daughter mentioned you that you are the right guy for my pooh-bear! I’m so glad you’ve asked for her hand in marriage!”

And the rest was pretty much history. Mr. and Mrs. Lorne went without Samantha to Germany and her father promised that he’ll ship back all her belongings to her once he reached there. Samantha soon found herself walking side by side with Mr. Mitchell to his home.

“Are you sure about this, sir?” Samantha was still skeptical.

“Would I be running to the airport for you if I weren’t sure?” Mr. Mitchell asked. Samantha smiled and shook her head. No, he’s never that stupid to do that. Not her Mr. Mitchell.

When Samantha returned to school, she briefly bluffed a little that her parents had got her someone to take care of at the last minute because they didn’t want to waste the fees paid. The reality was that Samantha was living with Mr. Mitchell under one roof.

In the meantime, they were getting ready for the wedding. The wedding clothes were bought (Samantha found out that she had gotten a little fat for some of the dresses) and the wedding spot was picked (Mr. Mitchell wanted it to be a surprise, but Samantha found out quite soon enough). Now last thing they need to do was the traditional bachelor and bachelorette party. Samantha invited some of her closest friends for the party and Mr. Mitchell hung out with his old college mates.

“Serious? You’re actually getting married to Mr. Mitchell?! You lucky girl, you!”

“What charm did you put out him to make him so addicted to you?”

“You must teach me the next time I want to get the guy I want!”

Samantha was showered with compliments. She felt both proud and awkward at all the attention she was getting. The last time she had such an attention was when she won grand prize for the National Art Competition. She’s good in drawing, you know.

Suddenly, the door bell rang. The girls thought it was Mr. Mitchell coming home, but Samantha knew that it wasn’t him; he’d bring the house keys. She went to answer the door and was shocked to see a gang of spunky-looking ladies barging into the house.

“Alright, who’s the wise girl who dares to marry our Mitchie-kins?!”

The leader of the gang looked pretty strong and spunky. Samantha backed away. Her friends have run into hiding moments later. Samantha decided to stand up to them.

“I…I am. Who wants to know?”

The leader took a glance at Samantha’s small built and suddenly guffawed, followed by her members. She pointed a jeering finger at Samantha and exclaimed, “You?! You’re our Mitchell’s wife-to-be?! You gotta be kidding me, little girl! I can see it in your eyes that you’re nothing but a grade-schooler!”

“I’m not a grade-schooler! I’m 15, and next year I’ll be eligible to be married to Mr. Mitchell!”

“Oh yeah? What makes you think you’re eligible to marry him?” one of the members asked scornfully.

“By law and by decree!” Samantha said as she pointed at the signed marriage papers that she and Mr. Mitchell framed and put on the wall as soon as she moved into his humble home. “And the reason that we love each other!”

The leader of the group glared at the framed marriage papers on the wall and her eye twitched in anger. She tore the frame out of the wall and smashed the frame onto the floor. She then took out the papers out of the smashed frame and lit a match on it, letting it burn. Samantha was horrified. This was the only thing that proves that she and Mr. Mitchell is a lawful wedded couple.

She ran towards the burning papers and, with her bare hands, tried to pat the fire away. The leader was horrified.

“You idiot! You’ll get yourself scalded! What are you trying to do?!”

“This is…This is me and Mr. Mitchell’s papers. I can’t let it burn!!! You’re evil!! These are our papers!! How could you?!” Her hand was beginning to hurt in heat, but she didn’t care. She need to get the fire killed.

“What’s going on here?”

Everyone spun round to see Mr. Mitchell and his gang of bachelor friends standing at the doorway, his hands on his waist and his stern eyes glaring at the spunky girls. The girls softened their spunky faces and rushed up to Mr. Mitchell.

“Oh, sweet Mitchell! Please tell me that this immature girl is not the one you’re going to marry. You never used to be like those stuck-to-glue type of guy. Tell me it’s not true,” the whiney voice of the leader made Samantha made her sick.

Mr. Mitchell didn’t reply straight away. He dashed towards Samantha, checking to see if her hands were hurt or anything—obviously it was—and hugged her close to his chest.

“How dare you girls come barging in like that?! If you hurt one more hair of my wife, I swear I’ll call the police!!!”

“Your…Your wife…? I can’t believe it, you’re actually going to marry that midget?!” the leader was stunned.

“This ‘midget’ is my wife and I’m not going to let you hurt her!” Mr. Mitchell glared at the girls with his dark eyes dangerously. The leader hesitated for a while before letting out a sharp breath.

“Fine! If you want to spend your whole life with that little bitch, suit yourself!” she growled before pushing her way through the bachelors and out of the door. Mr. Mitchell tended to Samantha’s hands.

“Silly girl. It’s fire you’re dealing with. Why did you go heroine all over and try to put it out?”

“I had to. She was burning them. It was a symbol of our lawful marriage by decree. I had to…” Samantha was close to tears but Mr. Mitchell had his fingers wiping them.

“Silly little girl. They’re just pieces of paper. We can get another copy. There, there…”

“So! This is the lucky bride I see!” one of the bachelors said as he ruffled Samantha’s dark-brown hair. Everyone had a hearty laugh and the tense atmosphere was released. Samantha’s girlfriends came out of their hiding place and joined in the fun.

Well, all’s well ends well. They got a new copy of marriage papers, reapplied it and resigned it. And just on Samantha’s birthday, they got married at the church. Before they both set out into the procession, Mr. Mitchell went into the waiting and checked on Samantha, who was doing the finishing touch of her outfit.

“Are you done yet?” Mr. Mitchell called out.

“Almost,” Samantha replied. Mr. Mitchell stared in awe at Samantha in her wedding dress, his face blushing like heck.

“You…You are so beautiful…” Mr. Mitchell muttered sheepishly.

“Really?” Samantha asked. She looked at her husband-to-be and said, “Sir…Are you sure you want to do this? I mean…I forced you to take me as your wife…and you could find other girls more suitable than me…”

Mr. Mitchell grinned and replied, “Yeah, you sure are a midget, pretty but not cute, and you are a little extravagantly crazy.”

Samantha pouted, “I should’ve known.”

“But,” Mr. Mitchell said as he raised his bride high above his head and stole a kiss from her rosy lips, “That’s what I like about you, Samantha.”

So, with the vows made and the rings exchanged and the kisses shared and the confetti showered on them and all, they were officially declared husband and wife. It was romantic, more than words can describe.

Cliché as it may sound, I must say that they lived happily ever after.