My Bedtime Story from Trading Spouses

I have always dabbled in creative writing. More of my work is on the ((plays with words)) link. This is an excerpt from the story I read to the Chaffee kids.

In addition to writing and illustrating, I am a collector of illustrated children's books and promote literacy through my art and words.

Palace of Gray

Samuel stood gazing at the riverbed. Rushing water lulled his mind and the frigid water stole the feeling from his feet. “I shall build a house here,” he thought. A finer landscape could not exist in all the many kingdoms. “I shall build a gleaming palace and entertain my friends. They will howl at the doors for an invitation and I shall throw the gates wide for all.” He tapped his fingers against his thigh. “Where to start,” he pondered.

A submerged rock reflected the rising sun. Ahh…That is the place to begin. He dared the freezing waters and released a smooth rock from the riverbed. Stepping carefully with numb toes he set the rock at the edge of a small fall. Samuel stepped back to admire his work. The suns heat warmed the rock and as the water fled to air, it lost its luster growing gray. Samuel frowned at the rock. I shall gather another. One whose beauty can endure the sun. A palace must be made from only the finest. Again and again he returned to the river. Again and again he set the stone and was displeased. The palace grew. Gray and without the tones of jewels he had so imagined.

Maura placed a hand on Samuel’s shoulder. She looked to the palace and then to him. “It is a work of art my friend.” Maura took from her pack a small stone she had carried from her homeland. This she placed in Samuel’s hand. Build this into its foundation so I may help hold the dream.

Samuel took the stone and set it at the utmost bottom of the palace. Half-submerged in sandy soil, it winked. “It should all shine as your tiny stone,” he moaned.

“But it does my friend,” Maura nodded at the structure.

Samuel groaned as he sat at the river’s edge and drifted into thought. Maura, knowing her friend well, slipped to the forest.

“He will call when needed,” she whispered to herself.

Its form was impeccable. A towering castle born of desire and fortitude and yet, Samuel was displeased. “They will not find this gray appealing. It has no life, no grandeur.”

From the flowers of blue surrounding the palace, Samuel harvested petals. From the homes of nesting birds, he gathered eggs. From the trees he collected springs early dew. Grinding with mortal and pestle, Samuel mixed the ingredients and smiled at the silver blue paint he had created. “This shall make the palace the gem I so desire.”

Comments

MazzyStar131 said…
Beautiful, you should get published! And on the show TS, I noticed how well the one little girl listened to every word you spoke while reading the story and even had a question about a new castle ect. That was so heart warming to see how much she enjoyed that and appreciated it!