Endangered World

Hello all!

So for those of you who don't know, I am a bit of a story writer. I never finish them but boy do I enjoy writing them... until I get bored that is and hence the reason why I have never finished one. I just can't seem to get passed writing those boring scenes that turn out to be Oh so important to finishing a book. Most of my stories are in the fantasy realm, some having to do with vampires, others with the elements, elves, princesses and queens.

I usually quit after writing between 5 - 10 pages. There is one exception though. One of my best friends and I started a story called "Endangered World". We started it when I moved here to Sacramento as a fun way of keeping in touch with each other. Well six years later we are now 145 pages into the story. It has taken so long because one of us would write then we would lose contact with each other and then one of us would text or call out of the blue and then we would start it up again and so on.

Well after a year or so of lying dormant and untouched, it has now been brought back to life. I am so excited to be writing again and to be writing with such a great friend. So how it works is I write for as long as I can (which is usually about 2 pages) until I can't write anymore either due to boredom or lack of inspiration. Then I copy what I've written onto an e-mail and send it to my friend, who in turn write until she can't write anymore and them emails it back. What's awesome is that our writing style are very different from each other. Where she prefers writing conversations and interactions between two or more characters I prefer to write descriptions and the inner monologues/feelings of a single character.

I must say, that for having been started and written more than halfway through without a plot or clear ending figured out between the two of us, that it is actually quite an interesting story and is coming together nicely. What is even more fascinating is to look at my writing from six years ago and then compare it to my writing now... things that I could only guess at while writing about certain topics and situations I can now write with ease thanks to experiences that I have since had.

I figured that since I have talked about it for so long I may as well share a snippet of the story. So without further ado I present for your reading pleasure "Endangered World":



Melissa writing:

The world had long forgotten about elves, dwarfs, and the magical creatures that had once ruled it. Now they only live in the story books of children. Their deeds confined to ink on pages and their beauty subject to the artists' insufficient hand. Or at least, that's what we thought...

It was one of those days in Tehachapi. The first morning after a violent storm where everything seems crisp and fresh. The kind of day where your eyes seem to see better, see sharper color, and see more than you ever thought capable of human eyes. Everything was still, almost as time could not find this place, like in this valley surrounded by mountains was a place untouched by the world.
"Look out little squirrel!" Melissa shouted in concern as the squirrel ran out of the way of her car. The 4-runner sped on down the steep hill going way past the speed limit that was posted on the side of the road. Cheryl laughed at her friend's silliness as she gently fed the CD, she had burnt and presented to Melissa as a present, into the CD player.
"We can't end our trip without singing our song now can we?" She said smiling.

Melissa's smile was replaced with mock arrogance as she replied, "Of course not. It's tradition." She skipped through the other songs on the disk till it came to number 5. The music started, a simple tune played on the piano, soft and gentle with a hidden sadness. Melissa turned it up and Cheryl smiled in approval. Neither thought themselves to be good vocalists and the louder the music, the louder they could sing with confidence they could not be heard too well.

They both inhaled at the same time as the music signaled the lyrics were coming. "I can't stand to fly. I'm not that naive. I'm just out to find.... the better part of me. I'm more than a bird, I'm more than a plane, I'm more than some pretty face beside the train and it's not easy to be-he ME!" They emphasized the last word with added drama and both laughed at how they had both had the same idea. On they sang, two best friends, unaware a great adventure lay before them.



Cheryl writing: (the friend lol)

After they stopped laughing, Cheryl, with a smile still on her face, asked "So what are we supposed to be doing today? Besides enjoying the fact we're out of school and all that."

Melissa thought for a moment (Cheryl commented she thought there was smoke coming from her friend's ears) and said "Well......I actually do have some chores and stuff. But, you know, it doesn't have to be done right now. Just by today."

Cheryl nodded. "Ditto." Grinning evilly at each other, they had to stop at the red light. Someone in the next car saw them, and suddenly feared for his life. When the light turned green ("My turn!"), the man eased slowly away from them so they could continue scheming. Turning onto the freeway, he was seriously frightened now, because they were on the freeway as well. Poor soul-he didn't realize that they were only going to Barnes and Noble, completely opposite his own destination.

"So any books you've read lately that you liked?" Melissa asked her bookworm friend. Cheryl frowned, as if trying to go through a file cabinet of the books she's read and enjoyed. Melissa now commented that Cheryl looked like she was going to give herself a hernia.

Sticking her tongue out, Cheryl said "Nope, not lately. More reason to browse though, right?"

Melissa nodded. "And Starbucks."

Nodding her head vehemently, Cheryl also said "And mall? Is the mall good?" Melissa seemed to be considering the suggestion. Cheryl added "We like the mall, remember? Girl's day out and all that. And if your chores are anything like mine, that's where we get 'em done. Shopping, right? There's a grocery store next to the mall too, if we need it." Melissa merely turned up the music again, leaving Cheryl glaring at her before turning to the window. "I knew I shouldn't have come," she muttered just loud enough for Melissa to hear.

Melissa grinned. "I heard that. You didn't have to. I gave you the option of staying home. My car, my rules." Before Cheryl could answer, Melissa swerved slightly to avoid an onrushing car that had cut into the lane. "Stupid person! There's rules, you know!" Melissa yelled indignantly.

Cheryl raised an eyebrow. "Says the person going...73 in a 65 mph zone?"

Melissa harrumphed. "Be quiet. Or no Barnes and Noble."

"Yes ma'am."

Little did they know that Barnes and Noble was going to be as far as they got. No-one knew that the characters that lived in books were still there. Alive, breathing, living. They just existed in on a different plane from the rest of us though. But what would happen if there was a bridge, a single bridge, wide enough for two people to cross between the planes? Oh, what tangled webs we weave.....