The Ballroom

The Ballroom was, as usual, flooded with nonsense. It bumped and jostled, nudged and poked. At every turn Felix could see masks, plastered and tied to the faces of the crowded room. But the masks were hardly what was bothering him.

It was the people that were doing it, their actions like clockwork that moved around in joltingly smooth patterns. Waltz, Waltz, Tango, Chit-Chat, Small-talk, nonsense. Felix can’t stand the horrible nature of social awareness.

Over here was a woman talking about and with her peers, gossiping and slurring the good and bad names of her friends. Her cliques swarm like bees, feeding off of her sour thoughts and articulate accusations.

Over there, a man stood bragging about titles and statuses, about his power and prestige. His peacock plumed mask dips and bobs, beady eyes scanning the ballroom for unwilling ears to pour his soul into.

Felix slumped in his painfully hard throne, shifting his shoulders in a failed attempt to get comfort from hard gold. He’s annoyed to the very extent of his pleasantness, He rolls his eyes and smirks and coddles the girls who come to seek his favor, but he still bats them off with half-formed and fully flattering insults.

An advisor approaches him, seeking to force his counsel down the prince’s throat, but he is dutifully ignored. Felix does at least pretend to pay attention, offering nods and the occasional non-committal noise. He day-dreams about a different day, hopefully soon, where he can just relax in his chair and do nothing. No duties, no itchy suit, no heavy crown, no masked girls to hark on him. At the very least he could sit back and watch that foolish little jester of his.

He bats away a smile that nearly escaped him, that would have been a tragic mistake, especially since a girl was watching him with the hopes that her horrible story about a clumsy rhino would make the solemn ruler laugh. No, he gives her the same simpering smirk and waves a hand to send her off, signaling the next girl to step forwards.

Marriage was a dreadful thing, he decided, surveying the girls about him. There were absolutely stunning women, all around, of all ages. But all of them had hollow smiles peeking out from their masks, smiles that didn’t quite reach the gaping holes in their mask’s face.

A weary voiced- page prods Felix’s thoughts with a loud trumpet and the sound of an announcement. Usually he’d have ignored it, like he did the countless other introductions that night, but a name caught his attention. He only caught the latter half, but the name Queen Mathilde of Hungary bounced about Felix’s head and made him sit up straighter.

A relief at last. Queen Mathilde would at the least be able to keep him company. She usually had the best remarks about the noblemen, who she insisted were actually up-right pigs in petticoats. Their shared whispers in Hungarian were the life of any party. Felix sits up a little taller, balancing the stack of thank you cards and bribe money in his lap.

          “But who is that?” He asks with a frown, the queen had brought a lady with her. A girl, from appearance, with hair drawn back in a tight bun. Her clothes were laughably plain, a simple brown dress with a bit of green sewed onto the sleeves. The mask was made of wood, and only had a swirl for the sorry excuse of a design. For Felix, it was a sight for sore eyes. All of the other girls had worn their best finery, and clumped together in masses they clashed with bright pastels and neon hues. This girl was plain and dark and simply lovely to his eyes.

She must be a foreign princess.  He thinks to himself, leaning on his hand. He yawns, remounting his imperial façade. Regardless of this already forming opinion, she’d have to try hard to make him laugh. He was bored out of his mind, and stubbornly set on not even cracking a smile this long night. He won’t be marrying any of these frumpy little girls. She’s just another flower to add to this over-glorified perfume gas-house.  He watches, severely unimpressed, as she approaches the stand and curtseys. 

“Good evening, your majesty.” She drawls, in a tone most unsuited for any ballroom. Felix’s eyebrows twitch, then furrow. “It seems that you’re in desperate need of ...” She pauses for effect and he knows immediately who he’s talking to, he starts to laugh even before the dreadful pun takes effect. “…a jester of kindness.”

“Ildiko you brat!”  He hoots, standing up to greet his jester. The perfectly stacked pile of perfectly made cards topples from his lap to slide under his throne- not to be found for several decades- as the shoulders of every other girl raises in indignation and then fall in defeat. The gaggle of gawping officials start up their murmuring, buzzing like insidious bees as they try to figure out who on earth this girl, the only one to make the king laugh, could possibly. But regardless of her identity, the damage was done. The prince was laughing, and as the royal decree declared, his chosen bride would be this plain and simple girl. 

Poptarts

I would like to argue that the best type of Poptart to eat frozen would be the Hot fudge Sundae ones, the best to eat out of the toaster are the S'mores ones, and the best to eat 'raw' are the fles- I mean- Brown Sugar Cinnamon flavored ones. That is all, thank you.
~Kelsie

A sad day

We at Amazing Adventures are very upset to hear that Robin Williams has passed away. We tip our hats to you, oh king of comedy. Rest in peace.

Fujimoto on the Cliff (1)

Once upon a time, not too long ago, there was a young boy named Fujimoto. He was born with unruly ginger hair, and a mind full of great imaginings. He grew up in a small house, on a hill next to the sea, and from a very young age, he developed a great love for the sea. His father was a fisherman, and so was his father before him, and his father before him, and so on. Fujimoto and his two younger brothers were destined to become fishermen when they grew up as well. Fujimoto used to beg and plead to his father to take him along when he went on fishing trips. His father always warned him that the ocean was dangerous. He spent lots of time drawing pictures of fish, of mermaids, of giant squids.

On the day that Fujimoto turned five years old, his father agreed to take him aboard his fishing boat with him. The young boy was delighted. He waved goodbye to his mother and brothers and set out on his journey. Farther, farther, and farther still they ventured from the shore, until his little house one the hill was gone from sight. The young boy was amazed by everything; the seagulls, the beautiful silver fish, skipping amongst the waves, the sun, setting purple in the never-ending sky.

Then, night came, and Fujimoto's father had caught many fish, and was tired. He was ready to head back to the house. "Step away from the side, my son," He told Fujimoto, "Or you will fall from the boat and drown!" But Fujimoto did not listen. Fujimoto's father turned the boat around, and it rocked back and forth, back and forth. The deck was slippery from all of the fish they'd caught, and Fujimoto lost his footing. Down, he plummeted, into the ocean. It was dark, and cold, and he was scared. He began to panic, and under the water he went. His father reached out to grab him, but could not reach. He was just about to jump in, when something amazing began to happen.

The ocean lit up, with a brilliant yellow light. Fujimoto felt a pair of arms wrap around him, felt himself rising back to the top of the water. Before he knew it, he was above the water. He opened his eyes to see a beautiful woman holding him. Her entire skin glowed, and her long red hair stretched for miles beyond his view. A crown of jewels and pearls adorned her head. She handed Fujimoto back to his father, who, in amazement, thanked her for saving his boy. She said nothing, and disappeared back into the sea.

Most children, when nearly drowned, become very afraid of water.

On that night, however, Fujimoto became obsessed with the sea.

As he grew, he read all the books he could find, in a desperate attempt to find out who had saved him. Stories of old told of a nameless enchantress who lived in the sea that saved those who had fallen in. Many speculated that she was a mermaid, and many believed that she was a Goddess of the sea. He was sure that she was the one who had saved him.

All of the other children in his little town thought that he was crazy and teased him for believing something as silly as being saved by any magical creature, but he didn't care. He spent his hours at sea, reading his books and hoping to see her again. He even jumped overboard once, to see if she'd save him again. Alas, he found himself more than able to keep himself from drowning, and in fact, quite good at swimming.

He realized that since he could not honestly drown anymore, he would have to find another way to summon her again. He read through his books a great many times, searching for other ways to reach her, but no other ways were written. He continued to take his father's boat out to sea, almost daily. By this time, he'd become a bright young man, and at the age of eighteen, he could take the boat out on his own. He became very dedicated to learning all he could about the sea, and read every book on the subject in his school's library. He learned all about anemones and sea stars, about boats and anchors, about currents and waves. Everything he learned fascinated him. It held so much mystery, and so much grace.

The other students often picked on Fujimoto; his ginger hair (which was strange in itself in a simple fishing village) had grown well past his shoulders, and he'd grown tall and lanky. They called him crazy, obsessed, lonely. And maybe he was all of those things. None of their words bothered him though. He knew that he'd find what he was looking for some day.

One summer's night, there was a terrible storm at sea. Fujimoto stood on his front step, watching the ocean waves rip white creases into the dark blue. With some of the bigger waves, he could've sworn that he saw enormous fish. He was so distracted by the waves that he forgot to tie his father's boat back to the dock. It was only when he saw the boat torn to shreds off in the distance that he realized his mistake. His father scolded him furiously. He was so upset by his mistake that he went to bed that night without even changing from his day-clothes, and woke up the next morning with a dreadful cold.

Fujimoto's father left early in the morning to find a new fishing boat. Fujimoto stayed home from school with a fever. He didn't like being stuck at his house, with his mother and youngest brother. They thought that he was silly, spending all of his time obsessing over the sea. His mother, however, insisted that he stay in bed. He spent most of the day staring out the window, watching the fishing boats off in the distance, reading their flagsigns. That night, when the sun went down, Fujimoto crept out of his bedroom window and down to the dock. His father had stayed in town for the night, so Fujimoto had the dock all to himself.
He laid down across the wooden planks, staring blankly up at the stars. He let his arm fall off of the dock, his fingers skimming the water. The sounds of the waters were calming to him. He was still feeling admittedly under the weather as he tried to imagine himself out on his father's boat. He rolled over onto his stomach and looked out towards sea. There were hardly any waves rolling in that night. He felt himself slowly drifting off to sleep when a voice startled him.

"Are you alright?"

Fujimoto's eyes snapped open. He looked about, and saw nothing. He thought he might've been hearing things. He sat up and rubbed blearily at his eyes. Then, he saw it. In the water, where his reflection should have been, was the face of the woman. He was very surprised, and almost fell into the water as a result. He peered down at her in amazement. Again came her voice, soft and sweet.
"Are you alright?" She came out of the water and rested her arms on the dock. He was entranced by her. She was just as he remembered; long, flowing red hair, beautiful, luminous skin. He was so amazed by the sight of her that he almost forgot to answer. His voice came out stuffy and miserable, thanks to his cold.
"...Yes, I'm alright," He had been waiting his whole life to see her again, and she appeared on the one night that he was ill. He cursed himself inwardly for not tying up the boat. She craned her head at him, seeming confused.
"What's the matter with your voice?" She asked.
Fujimoto pouted. "I have a cold." Her eyes were wide with wonder. "...I'm sick."
"Oh dear," She said, smiling a bit. "That's not good at all!" She reached her pale arm forward and tapped the end of his nose with her finger. Suddenly, he felt as good as new, as if he'd never been sick at all.
"H-how did you-" He stuttered cluelessly. Her smile grew.
"I've been watching you." She said, brushing her beautiful red hair aside. "You come out to see me almost every day." Fujimoto's mouth fell open. He felt as if he must've been dreaming.
"Watching me?" He questioned. She nodded.
"Yes. I see you a lot. What is your name?"
"Fujimoto." He answered, bowing to her a bit.
"Pleased to meet you, Fujimoto. My name is Granmamare." Her very eyes seemed to glow with excitement. "I am the princess of the ocean."
"Princess?" Fujimoto asked. "Does that mean that your parents are the king and queen of the ocean?" Fujimoto couldn't imagine anyone more amazing than this beautiful creature before him.
"No, I'm afraid." She smiled sadly. "I never knew my parents. I grew up alone, with my older sister, as part of the sea."
"Oh, I'm terribly sorry," The young man answered earnestly. "But if that is the case, then why aren't you the queen yourself?"
"That is because you cannot be a queen without a king." She replied, looking dreadfully sad, "And I cannot marry, because I must stay in the sea."
"That's so sad..." Fujimoto didn't like the idea of growing old all alone. "and seems very lonely."
"It is." She frowned. "The sea creatures are friendly enough, but they aren't much for conversation." She giggled a bit. Fujimoto laughed too. "Now, speaking of lonely, what are you doing out here all alone? It's getting dark out."
"M-me?" How frightfully embarrassing, he thought to himself, that he'd devoted so much time trying to find the girl, but never thought of what to say to her when he did. He'd always imagined himself being charming, like the princes in the story books he so enjoyed. "I... I needed to get away from my house, you see. I've been home in bed all day long, and my mother and siblings have been a little exhausting to deal with." She nodded. "And my father's not home. He went out to buy a new boat. So-"
"New... Boat?" She asked. "What happened to the old one?"
Fujimoto's face flushed with embarrassment. "I... When the storm hit the town the other night, it got destroyed. I didn't tie it down very well..."
"I'm so sorry," She looked out to the ocean behind her. "I still don't have the hang of protecting the villages yet. That used to be my sister's job. My only job used to be to save those who were drowning."
Fujimoto wondered if she remembered saving him when he was younger. "Why is it your job now?" He asked instead, far too nervous to ask such a question.
"Oh." Her face grew solemn. "My sister fell in love with a human. She gave up all of her powers to follow him onto the earth. But when he did not return her love, she turned into sea foam." Fujimoto's eyes grew wide.
"That's dreadful!" He gasped.
"Yes, but it's where we all came from." She agreed sadly.
"FUJIMOTO!" Shouted a voice from upon the hill. Fujimoto jumped to his feet. "YOU'D BETTER GET INSIDE NOW!"
"Th-that's my mother! She sounds very upset with me... Oh dear..." He said in a panic. The beautiful woman before him turned back towards the sea, slowly sinking in. "Wait!" He called, nearly in a whisper. She turned back, all but her eyes and the top of her head beneath the water. "C-can I ever...?" No, he thought to himself, that's far too sappy. There's no way he could ask to meet her again.
"I'll be back tomorrow night," She whispered in return, before disappearing beneath the swell completely.

Fujimoto stared at the ocean, his heart still racing inside of his chest. There was no chance of him getting any sleep tonight.

in Which Nervousness and Warnings Happen

Okay. I am working on a Project that I'd like to post, but it's going to have to be serialized. I was going to post it as one short story, but now I can see that for it to make the impact I want, it will definitely have to be longer. I'm going to post the first piece of it probably today. I'm very nervous, as I've put a lot of thought into what I'd make of this. Please, be friendly to me about it. I'm such a chicken when it comes to letting people read things.

Salt water sadness

Anybody up for a backstory?

Ákos clutched his baby sister in his arms as the ship sank, looking around in vain for his parents. The couple was nowhere in sight, and the last place the boy had seen them was the brig. The two children were cowering on the deck of the crippled ship, and Ákos tried to comfort his sister as panicked crew members raced past.

The water began to reach the top of the boat. Ákos remembered what his father had told him about sinking ships. If it went under completely, anyone near it would get sucked under as well. Ákos sent one last furtive glance at the stairs, but no familiar faces appeared.

Luckily, the boy knew how to swim, so he strapped a life vest onto his sister and jumped into the water. It was horribly cold, but he shook off the chill and kept the baby above the water best he could. The waves were tall and fierce; the boy struggled to stay afloat as he was buffeted by the storm raging around them.

Just as his strength was waning, a hand gripped his shirt collar and they were hoisted onto a lifeboat. He spluttered, hastily checking to make sure his sister was okay. She squalled, but the little one was just fine. Someone was shaking him, yelling something, but it took him a second to register what he was saying.

“Hey… Hey kid, you okay? Kid? Where are your parents? What happened to the ship, did you see? Hey kid, can you hear me?” Ákos blinked salt water out of his eyes and blearily shook his head.

“The ship… the ship s-sank. My parents were on board but I couldn’t… find them. We hit… a rock or something. I had to get out before it sank.” The boy answered, pausing for gasping breaths when he had to. He spotted a blanket on the edge of the boat and wrapped his sister in it, pulling her into his lap and looking at the other occupants.

There was the cook and a few ship hands in the little life boat, but no officials who would notice that the kids hadn’t been paying customers on the ship.  Ákos knew that was good, no one would realize they were stowaways.

The storm crashed around them and the boat pitched violently back and forth. The baby whimpered in Ákos’s arms and he held her tight, feeling exhausted. The younger fell asleep first, but the boy soon followed, rocking back and forth in the midst of a storm on the Adriatic Sea.

They woke as orphans the next day. The boat had washed up in Albania, and the ship had been searched for while the children still slept. Minus the handful of people in the life boat, there were no survivors. Nobody was certain what had cost the ship to wreck, but a rumor began to pass that the captain had drunkenly steered them into rocks.

With no family to turn to, and no families nearby willing to take on two hungry mouths people began to talk of splitting the children up. When he heard this, Ákos picked up his baby sister and set out while the investigators’ backs were turned. He figured that he could take care of her better than they could anyway.  With a heavy heart, he mourned his parents as he walked. He decided that they should head back for Hungary, where his parents were born. Perhaps he could find work there and get paid enough to take care of them both.

He carried his sister on his back and kept walking, never looking back at the little town they’d left.

“Don’t worry,” He told the baby that was now his to care for, “We’ll be okay. I’ll protect you forever, Ildiko.” 

~~Kels

I need to do the thank you thing.

Hey. I'm kind of a big dork when I try to write to specific people but I'm gonna try it anyway. Thank you people for reading this blog. It really means a bunch to us that you read our stuff :D It means a huge deal to see that even people from other countries are reading it too :D Please, feel free to comment on anything! We always would love to hear what you have to say, or what you'd like us to write about! We aren't too picky, within reason, and we're eager to please! So please, if you would, leave us some guidelines that would help us grow! ~love always, Emma.

A word from the other big dork! Thank you to all of our viewers and we hope you enjoy the stories!! ^_^
~Kels