I Have No Name Parts 1 and 2

Here is what I have so far on my book I Have No Name. I included the first part with it.     

       A girl opened her eyes and pulled herself up from the warm covers of her bed. She sauntered over to her bedroom window. Rain is pouring down in torrents; the wind is howling fiercely.

      “It matches how I feel,” she said. She was crying inside herself and her feelings howled just like the wind. Why, you may ask? Because today is the day that she, Lady Alexander, turns thirteen.

      In the kingdom of Timberland no one has a name till they come upon the age of thirteen. Before you are thirteen you are called something along the lines of “Sir Adams” or Lady Cole.” When a child turns thirteen they must set out into the world by themselves, away from their parents’ watchful eyes. The go out into the world to discover their trade, future life, and their name. When you set out on your journey you are called a Name Searcher. It is a Perilous journey though. Every year, many of the Name Searchers are kidnapped and taken to no one knows where.

      Lady Alexander strolled down the stairs into the warm, delicious-smelling kitchen. Usually Lady Alexander would have been happy at this moment every year. Years before she would run down the stairs, so excited that it was her birthday. She would gobble up her porridge with cinnamon, a traditional birthday breakfast, and dash outside to idle away with her friends. This year she felt sad that she would be leaving all of her friends and family and angry that she was forced to become a Name Searcher. She couldn’t believe this day had come so soon.

“Cheerful wishes, daughter!” said Lady Alexander’s mom exuberantly, Penelope Alexander the weaver. “Cheerful wishes” was the way people wished you a happy birthday in Timberland.

“Many thanks, mother,” replied Lady Alexander dolefully. She settled on a wooden spoon to eat her delectable porridge with cinnamon.

“So where are you traveling too initially?” asked Penelope. She undoubtedly didn’t comprehend how dismal her daughter was feeling.

“I posses no plan, mother,” confessed Lady Alexander. She wished that she and her mother could discuss something besides becoming a Name Searcher.

“I advise that you go to Webster Brown, the weaver. I would love it if you could continue my business as a weaver. What do you perceive daughter?”

“I suppose I could go there to begin with,” she said.

“There’s an angelic child! Now, I have made sure that your dresses and your cloak are all fixed up for your journey tomorrow and-“

“Mother, I need to step outside for a while,” Lady Alexander did not want to talk about her journey any longer. She just wanted everything to be the same as it was when she was younger.

“Cheerful wishes, Lady Alexander!” exclaimed her friend, Lady Barrett.

“Many thanks, Lady Barrett,” replied Lady Alexander. She said it just as sullenly as she did to her mother.

“What sorrow has come over you?” requested Lady Barrett. Lady Alexander always felt as if she could be herself and always tell what was really going on to Lady Barrett.

“I’m not exactly excited about becoming a Name Searcher. I’m more maddened then anything that this day has reached me so soon.” It felt good to get that out of her. Her emotions were still raging but they had calmed a little from earlier that morning. Lady Barrett stood poised next to Lady Alexander. She seemed to be considering what Lady Alexander had just said.

“Well, why aren’t you excited? You are finally going to grasp your destiny!” She seemed astounded that Lady Alexander wasn’t excited.

“I don’t want to leave my friends and family and travel to unknown places,” she mumbled. This wasn’t the full reason but she didn’t want to seem childish on her thirteenth birthday.

“But it is an adventure. Besides, I don’t think that is the only reason you don’t want to go.” Lady Alexander knew Lady Barrett would drag it out of her.

“Fine, the reason I don’t want to go is that I am afraid to be captured!” It was out of her. Lady Alexander had finally told released her greatest fear into the open. It felt so good yet she felt so guilty because she thought she was being childish. She was also exceedingly impassioned because Lady Barrett had dragged it out of her. With all of these emotions surging like violent waters in a storm inside of her she did what any other girl would do. She exploded into sobs.  

“Oh, I’m incredibly sorry, Lady Alexander!” Lady Barrett never wanted anyone to cry. She was always the peace maker of her friends and she did feel sorry for Lady Alexander because of her having to leave.

“It’s j-just that y-you d-don’t understand w-what it’s l-like having t-to leave.” Lady Alexander struggled to converse through her sobs.

“You’re right, I don’t, Lady Alexander. But I think you should try to think on the bright side of things.” Lady Alexander ceased to cry and stared at Lady Barrett astonished.

“There is a bright side of becoming a Name Searcher?” asked Lady Alexander.

“There’s got to be. Let’s see… You won’t have to be called Lady Alexander any longer. You’ll get your own name!”

“I guess you’re right about that. It gets annoying being called ‘Lady Alexander’ all the time.” Lady Alexander started to look more cheerful. Lady Barrett’s plan of trying to find the bright side of things was working.

“Daughter!” called Penelope Alexander.

“Daughter, you must help me pack your things for your journey.”

“I’ll be there shortly, mother!” called back Lady Alexander. She turned towards Lady Barrett and gave her a hug.

“Thank you for helping me see the bright side of things, Lady Barrett.”

“It was nothing, Lady Alexander. I hope to see you off tomorrow. So long!”

“So long!” cried Lady Alexander as she hurried inside.

I Have No Name Part 1

This is the first part of my new book, I Have No Name. I hope you enjoy it. I am doing it for NaNoWriMo (National Novel Writing Month) which I am starting 28 days late. I couldn’t wait to start it and here is what I have so far. It is 455 words of the eventual 10,00 that will be in it.

A girl opened her eyes and pulled herself up from the warm covers of her bed. She sauntered over to her bedroom window. Rain is pouring down in torrents; the wind is howling fiercely.
“It matches how I feel,” she said. She was crying inside herself and her feelings howled just like the wind. Why, you may ask? Because today is the day that she, Lady Alexander, turns thirteen.
In the kingdom of Timberland no one has a name till they come upon the age of thirteen. Before you are thirteen you are called something along the lines of “Sir Adams” or Lady Cole.” When a child turns thirteen they must set out into the world by themselves, away from their parents’ watchful eyes. The go out into the world to discover their trade, future life, and their name. When you set out on your journey you are called a Name Searcher. It is a Perilous journey though. Every year, many of the Name Searchers are kidnapped and taken to no one knows where.
Lady Alexander strolled down the stairs into the warm, delicious-smelling kitchen. Usually Lady Alexander would have been happy at this moment every year. Years before she would run down the stairs, so excited that it was her birthday. She would gobble up her porridge with cinnamon, a traditional birthday breakfast, and dash outside to idle away with her friends. This year she felt sad that she would be leaving all of her friends and family and angry that she was forced to become a Name Searcher. She couldn’t believe this day had come so soon.
“Cheerful wishes, daughter!” said Lady Alexander’s mom exuberantly, Penelope Alexander the weaver. “Cheerful wishes” was the way people wished you a happy birthday in Timberland.
“Many thanks, mother,” replied Lady Alexander dolefully. She settled on a wooden spoon to eat her delectable porridge with cinnamon.
“So where are you traveling too initially?” asked Penelope. She undoubtedly didn’t comprehend how dismal her daughter was feeling.
“I posses no plan, mother,” confessed Lady Alexander. She wished that she and her mother could discuss something besides becoming a Name Searcher.
“I advise that you go to Webster Brown, the weaver. I would love it if you could continue my business as a weaver. What do you perceive daughter?”
“I suppose I could go there to begin with,” she said.
“There’s an angelic child! Now, I have made sure that your dresses and your cloak are all fixed up for your journey tomorrow and-“
“Mother, I need to step outside for a while,” Lady Alexander did not want to talk about her journey any longer. She just wanted everything to be the same as it was when she was little.

Pictures Drawn by Rui

It was 8:00 this morning and mama had called me down for a fun activity (who knew that drawing funny pictures could be so fun). We were drawing pictures of people. We would take cards that had different features on them and draw it. It was quite fun. Mama then exclaims that our little sister in China had drawn us pictures! They were emailed to us. I have to show you the pictures she drew and part of the email mama received.

Here is part of the email.

I received three pictures from your daughter today! The orphanage sent a short note telling me the pictures were done by herself under her teacher’s instruction. She hopes her family on the other side of the world will like them. She really likes her gift, too (we sent her books, a cake, a photo album, etc.) . And hopes to see her daddy and mommy soon.

Isn’t it sweet?

PS: I don’t know why the words I wrote above the pictures are linking to one of Rui’s pictures

Won’t Be Here

I just wanted to tell all of you that I will be visiting my grandmother for the next week so I won’t be posting. I’ll be posting again on next Sunday or Monday. You may continue to comment and email but I won’t respond till next week.

Summer Camp and…Lip-Gloss? (another short story)

I wrote another story today which I have to share with you. The camp, one of the characters (Liz Clark), some of the food (the pancakes and the fries), and one of the events (the main event) were all based on my experience at camp. I hope you enjoy this story. Make sure you read the one on the post before this one.

 

Summer Camp and…Lip-Gloss?

Piper had been waiting for this day for months. She had started her packing two weeks ago. She had talked about nothing but this day ever since she had decided to go. Piper Madeline Phelps was at summer camp.

           Piper and her friend Eleanor stepped off the bus with their luggage in hand. They gazed around. About thirty kids were around them while adults were trying to make sure that they all stayed in their groups.

“Let’s set our stuff down over there,” Eleanor gestured to a bench. They went and sat their pillows, suitcases, backpacks, and sleeping bags down beside the bench and sat down.

“It’s a beautiful day,” said Piper.

“I know!” said Eleanor.

“I hope we’ll be able to go kayaking this afternoon,” said Piper. She lived far away from any natural water but had taken a kayaking trip with her family once and had the time of her life. Eleanor didn’t say anything about kayaking but just looked around.

       Eleanor was very girly and didn’t like getting dirty. She was Ms. Popular at school and always had the best outfit and hair. Piper was hoping that she wouldn’t let her girlishness get in the way because if it did, while Piper was out swimming, kayaking, or water skiing she’d be on the shore tanning.

        A college age girl called Piper and Eleanor’s names. They went over to her with several other girls.

“Hello girls! My name is Liz Clark and I will be your camp counselor this week.”

         Liz Clark was a tall girl with straight blond hair that hung from her head in a ponytail behind a blue headband. She wore a red shirt, blue jean shorts, and red flip-flops. She looked around nineteen. Piper’s older sister, Cynthia, was nineteen and she hoped that Liz wouldn’t be as bossy as her.

         They had to ride on a ferry to get over to the island where the camp was. As she stood next to Eleanor on the way over, Piper felt the wind rushing against her face and blowing her brown hair. She felt the warmth of the sun against her skin. When she saw the island she gasped. It was beautiful! It had many dark green trees and sandy shores. When she stepped off the ferry Piper felt like dancing. She was finally to the place she had been dreaming about for the past four months. Eleanor didn’t seem as excited. She seemed to be digging the dirt out from under her finger nails.

“I hope she gets over this,” she thought.

       They weren’t able to go kayaking that afternoon but they were able to head to their cabin which Piper immediately fell in love with. It was a small room with six bunks and two restrooms. She claimed the top bunk of a far bed while Eleanor claimed the bottom one. After they had gotten everything situated they received a tour of the camp from Liz. They went everywhere from the east shore to the north shore. They saw the dock, the dining hall, the craft room, and the sports building. The more Piper saw, the more she loved the island.

        They finished off the day by heading to the dining hall and having a supper of grilled cheese and fries. As they headed back to their cabins Piper considered Eleanor. She hadn’t wanted to climb on all of the rocks on the north shore, she didn’t take any interest in the island, and she had even eaten her fries with a fork and knife.

“I sure hope she assents to going kayaking with me tomorrow,” Piper thought as she slipped into her sleeping bag.

      Piper awoke to the sounds of a hair dryer.

“That would be Eleanor,” she thought.

         As they headed out of the cabin Piper surveyed Eleanor. She had a pink blouse, a jean skirt, and white leggings on. She had her hair up in a clip with not one hair out of place; she had her make up on when most of the girls hadn’t even packed make up with them. She had so much lip-gloss on that her thin lips looked huge.

“Are you sure you packed for summer camp and not a beauty pageant?” Piper couldn’t help asking. She was getting genuinely frustrated with Eleanor’s girlish ways.

“Just because it’s a summer camp it doesn’t mean I have to give up my sense of style,” Eleanor replied.

      After a delicious breakfast of pancakes Piper and Eleanor headed to the dock to go kayaking. Piper was relieved that Eleanor was willing to go. They climbed into the boat stuffed in life jackets and with paddles in hand. They talked and laughed as they paddled out. They saw a few others heading out in kayaks.

        After a while their arms got tired so the two of them just sat in the kayak and continued their conversation. They were talking about what eighth grade would be like in September when Eleanor screamed.

“I see a snake!” shrieked Eleanor.

“Where?” asked Piper. She knew that sometimes Eleanor exaggerated but she wasn’t too fond of snakes herself.

“Right there!” Eleanor pointed to a something black in the water. The two of them snatched their paddles up and paddled as fast and as hard as they could. They must have paddled too fast and too hard because the next thing they knew they were in the water with their kayak upside down. Eleanor was still screaming and swimming frantically but Piper calmly swam back a little ways. She looked at the “snake” and realized that they had been wrong.

“Hey, Eleanor, look!” Piper held up a piece of black rope. The two of them burst into laughter and they were still laughing when a boat driver came in his boat and got them to shore. They dried off with their towels and headed to the cabin to change before lunch. As they walked Eleanor confessed.

“I’m sorry I haven’t been very fun, Piper. I just let the girly side of me take over the fun side of me,” confessed Eleanor sorrowfully.

“It’s okay, Eleanor,” replied Piper.

“I just have one question.”

“What’s that?” asked Eleanor.

“Do you need to borrow some clothes?”

        After that, Piper and Eleanor could not stop laughing and they were still laughing when they got to the dining hall for lunch.

The Most Beautiful House in Tampa

I just finished this story and I really hope you like it. It is my entry for Lune Violette’s story contest. I also put it on www.writealways.com on the page Hannah’s Stories. I know the title is kind of weird but please just read it. I will say this is not a haunted house story it turns out to be a Christian story.     

 

  The Most Beautiful House in Tampa

        The place was old and haunted looking- it gave everyone the chills. The giant house at the end of the block was built with dark wood, the yard was unkempt, and there was graffiti on the wooden gate made of the same dark wood as the house. This house wasn’t just your typical stay-away-from-me-I’m-haunted-house; it was Rosie’s new home.

       When Rosie’s dad told her that they were moving into a fixer upper she imagined a house that would need a few weeds pulled, some carpet added, and a few paint jobs needed. She never imagined that her new home would look like this.

“Are you sure this is it, dad?” asked Rosie.

“Sure am! Just look at the Victorian architecture! It’s gorgeous, don’t you think so?” Both of Rosie’s parents were architects and they were always talking about how one house looked Victorian and another looked Spanish etc.

“Are you sure we have the time and ability to fix this house up?” asked Rosie. She really hoped she could talk her dad out of getting this house.

“I have to agree with Rosie,” said her mom.

“I’m not sure we have the time for this big of a project.”

“Come on you two! This is an adventure. We’re going to have a blast fixing up this old place.”

      Rosie watched as her parents signed the forms to buy the house. She felt as if her parents had signed all of their lives to doom. When she got back home she went to her room and started packing up all of her clothes, books, and various sundry items into boxes. She could just imagine living in that big house. She wondered if there would be ghosts and secret passageways in her room.

      The next day was a Saturday and she was going to go help her parents with fixing up the house. When they got there the sense of dread she had felt when her parents had signed the papers filled her again. Thoughts of ghosts and secret passages filled her mind again.

    All morning she worked at pulling weeds and scrubbing graffiti.

“Are you sure this house is worth it, Dad?” asked Rosie.

“Of course, Rosie. Besides, we already signed the papers. Just watch, this house is going to go from scary to the most beautiful house in all of Tampa!”

         After that Rosie stopped trying to convince her dad that the house was too much of a fixer upper. It was obvious that he loved the house and would live nowhere else. In Rosie’s opinion, even if they could fix the house up it wouldn’t be the most beautiful house in Tampa. To her, it would make even the top ten.

         Except for the fact that the graffiti was not coming off, the work wasn’t too hard and thankfully, nothing abnormal happened. That is, till they went inside the house. The floor creaked horribly when Rosie stepped through the door.

“Just like a haunted house,” thought Rosie.

              She stayed close to her mom as they made their way through each room, making a list of everything that needed to be done. Just then, she heard rustling sounds behind her.

“What was that?” asked Rosie worriedly.

“Probably just the wind,” her dad said.

             She tried to forget about it. Then, the impossible happened. A ghostly white figure was in front of her. Rosie felt faint. It was impossible. How could a ghost appear right in front of her? Her mom was about to scream when her dad cupped his hand over her mouth.

“Come on you guys! You know ghosts aren’t real,” said Rosie’s dad.

“Then what is that?” asked Rosie.

“That was my plan to set you on the right track,” he replied.

“You see, I could tell you two were worried this house was haunted or something like that. I came in here and put a projector in so it would look like a ghost was in here. Come over here.”

          Rosie and her mom followed him to where the “ghost” was. There was indeed a projector. They all burst into laughter.

“See, this house isn’t haunted. It is just a house that has been neglected. Now, are you two ready to turn this house into the most beautiful house in Tampa?”

          After that Rosie didn’t complain about the house. She knew that if they worked at it, it would be a wonderful house to live in. That night during family devotions they read about how God chose David out of all of his brothers to be king, even though he was the smallest. Rosie’s dad loved illustrations so he used their new house for his example.

“If you think about it, that’s what you two were thinking of our house,” he said.

“You only payed attention to what was on the outside, how it looked. You should have been thinking of how it could be, what its potential was. It’s the same when we judge people. We shouldn’t only look at what’s on the outside but what is on the inside as well.”

           As Rosie went to bed that night she thought about what her dad had said. She resolved to always try to not judge people on the outside but on the inside.

             A couple months later Rosie and her family were living in their new house. They had finally managed to get the graffiti off the fence and do a few other much needed projects. The house looked great.

           One day when Rosie was at school a girl she didn’t know came up to her.

“How did you and your family turn that old house at the end of the block to the most beautiful house in Tampa?” she asked.

         Rosie smiled to herself. She thought for a moment and then came up with a great response.

“Well, we didn’t look at the outside but we saw its true potential. You know that’s kind of what God does when he sees us.”

“Who’s God?” she asked.

“Meet me in the hallway after lunch and I’ll tell you,” answered Rosie.

            She never could have guessed that moving to Tampa into an old neglected house and turning it in to something beautiful would help her lead a girl to Christ.  

Are there any other languages you wish you could speak?

    There are several languages that I wish I could speak. I would love to be multi-lingual. Imagine the possibilities. I could write all of my diary entries or anything in a different language and talk to people who spoke different languages. When I go places occasionally I will here a different language being spoken. It would be cool if I knew what they were saying. So here are the languages I wish I could speak.

      My number one language is Spanish. In my opinion it is the coolest language. I already can speak some of it but I wish I was fluent. If I could speak Spanish I could read the Spanish instructions and when we go to restaurants that have people who speak Spanish there (we have one in our area) I could talk to them in Spanish which would be cool. I try to read anything Spanish but it doesn’t always work. Some Spanish words look like English words but some don’t sound or look the same. Let’s take the word Estedonedence. I’m not sure that is how you spell it and I’m not positive of what it means but I know it has something to do with America. Does that word bear any resemblence to the word America? Of course not! So this complicates thing when I try to read in Spanish. I am learning Spanish but I probably will never be fluent in it.

    French is a language that I have recently fallen in love with. It is a much more complicated language than Spanish for me. Still, the sound of the words is just beautiful. I have one problem with it. Let me use an example to explain it. In Spanish and French the word “bien” means “good.” However, In Spanish bien is pronounced bee-in while in French it is pronounced bee-uh. That completely throws me off. I have been studying Spanish off and on for half of my life. I understand how many Spanish words are pronounced. I have only been studying French for a very short time and I understand very little of it. When words are pronounced different then I usually pronounce them it is difficult. I also ran into this problem when I was learning what the Spanish translation of Canada was. It is the same thing it is just that they emphasize a different syllable. I guess you run into this problem with most languages with the Latin base.

     Another language I would like to learn is Mandarin Chinese. This is a very difficult language to learn. It is not based on latin like Spanish, French, and English. In Mandarin you have 5 tones and the different tones can change the meaning. The word for eyes is pretty much the same as the word for glasses except that the tones are different. It also does not use English characters which really complicates things. It doesn’t have a basic alphabet either. It has a character for every syllable or something like that. I am learning some Mandarin before we get Rui which will probably be in a month or so. I am really struggling with it. I think there is more of a chance that I will be fluent in Spanish and French than Mandarin. Still, it is necessary that I learn it so that I can communicate with Rui when she gets here.

      Latin sounds like a fascinating language to me. It would help me with vocabulary a lot. It’s not a language spoken but instead used for scientific purposes. It wouldn’t be too terribly hard to pick up because so many of the English words come from the Latin language. The downside is that there would be no one to talk to so that you could practice it.

        So what about you? Are there any languages that you wish you could speak. If you do a post on this on your blog comment below and give me the link. If you don’t have a blog just comment below with your answer. I’d love to hear from you.

Gabby’s Watch Your Words Campaign

I just wanted to promote Gabby from I Heart American Girl’s newest campaign.

PS: just in case you thought the girl in the video was me, it isn’t

Harry Potter Tag

I am creating this post to be passed along to all Harry Potter fans.

1. Who is your favorite character? Mine would either be Hermione Granger or Luna Lovegood.

2. Which is your favorite book? I was glued to the Chamber of Secrets!

3. Which is your favorite movie? I love the Sorcerer’s Stone and the Deathly Hallows Part 2.

4. What is one of your favorite quotes? “Do not pity the dead, Harry. Pity the living, and, above all, those who live life without love.” -Albus Dumbledore

5. What is your favorite place? I loved Hogwarts and the Burrow

6. Which is your favorite Hogwarts House? I love Ravenclaw!

7. Which house would you belong in (not just which house do you like)? Ravenclaw or Hufflepuff

8. What position do you want to play in quiditch? I’d prefer not to play but if I had to I would choose chaser

9. Who is your favorite professor? Professor Dumbledore and Professor McGonagall

10. What is your favorite class? ancient ruins, potions, and transfiguration

 

I now tag my fellow Harry Potter fans, Francesca, Lune Violette, and Gabby

When You’re Twelve Going on Thirteen Chapter 3

I just wanted to say that the last chapter I put of this book on this blog was chapter 2. The first chapter includes some acknowledgments which I would have to alter to put on here due to privacy issues. I hope you like this chapter.

 

Chapter 3: Christmas

 

       The next big thing that Sarah did was the Christmas band concert. This was Sarah’s first concert where she got to play with the band. She was very excited and nervous. She was wearing her black velvet dress and her snowflake pin which she had been given by her mom.

 

      She was doing a solo of Deck the Halls on the flute. She was on second, right after a boy in beginner band who was playing Jingle Bells on the saxophone. After the boy had finished, Sarah, with her flute and music in hand, walked up to the music stand and started her solo. She played very well and bowed at the end. She was very proud.

 

      Sarah was sitting with her parents, grandmother, and sister when she suddenly realizes that she left her band folder in the band room! She doesn’t know exactly how to get back because she doesn’t go to the school. She runs frantically around and finally spots it. She hurries back as fast as she can.

 

      She gets back in plenty of time before it’s time for the steel drums to play. She goes up onto the stage with the rest of the band and they start playing Silent Night. Everything goes swimmingly until they get part way through Mozart’s Sleigh Ride and not everyone goes to the correct spot in the music. They have to start over. Sarah is so embarrassed! They do it well the second time. They now take the steel drums away and go to get their music and instruments.

 

 

        Sarah and the others go on stage and start warming up. Once everyone is set they begin to play An African Carol beautifully. They play several other songs and end with their traditional Saints Hallelujah. As the audience exits the conductor talks to the band about when they start back up and things like that. Sarah couldn’t wait for band to start back up in January.

 

      The next big thing was of course, Christmas. It was a wonderful Christmas. They got up and Sarah and Kate read the Christmas story in Luke 2 with their family. After that they opened their stockings. Sarah received shoes and an outfit for her dolls and a bag for her point shoes that she had been wanting. There were even sock monkeys! Everyone’s stockings were loaded with candy as always.

 

     The presents were wonderful as well. Sarah and Kate gave their mom a comfortable mat to use when she cooked and a membership to a cooking website. They all gave Mr. Walker clothes from his favorite football team. For both Sarah and Kate their favorite present was the same. They each received a Kindle. They were so excited.  As Sarah went to sleep she thought, like after her birthday party, how much fun the day had been.