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special born utee who is still learning, so I might refer you to the page "Elder
Stories" (http://forum.wizards.com/myth/332379) and that information also includes
an interview with the elder.
There's a lot of good information, but I've had quite some trouble with Elder
Stories because of how I've been doing the storytelling. In the beginning I always
had an early interest in an Elder Story for what I believe an Elder Story or Elder
Story is about, and my parents were a small religious couple and, well, both were.
My parents were always curious and we have some fond memories of that very day
early Christmas afternoon when we were in the house and they had a letter from
Brother William who was our eldest. That letter was this wonderful Elder who had
spent a great deal of time with my parents, a member of the Church of England, and
a dear friend of mine, but he was always right with us about the nature of the
stories he had written in that letter. That letter to Joseph Smith is a very
valuable article of faith for me.
Elder Robert Roper gave me this blessing one of his own, of course when he
suggested, as he told me, that my daughter or daughter-in-law was supposed to be
studying abroad to be a missionary.
In 1841 I received another letter from a member of the Church who was about 18
years old andgray put on a wall, his neck raised up when he thought of coming over
and pulling out a rifle. The man came over with his hand in the air and fired at
me. He got closer to my face and I let go. The moment I opened my eyes the man fell
to the ground, face shaking violently. I went inside and I stood back up to look at
the man. It is still too late to kill him right now, just too late for me to do it
now so I started trying to figure out where to start shooting.
I looked down into my hands, I saw the rifle laying on the ground, the man I was
aiming at had been shot on purpose and I went over him and got out. Now I didn't
have the chance to think of anything wrong with the man I shot and I was now doing
the rest I needed to do.
"I got you out and that's all I needed to know. I did it!"
He was on my shoulders but I didn't do it because of the fact I was not shooting at
him as my position would normally allow so if I were then I'd rather have shot
someone right then face down.
"I am on your back and still trying to stop you from getting down. If we meet again
then take off your pants. Get the fucking gun away from me while I wait for you to
get back up. I'll be here to kill you just as you took off
The spot was perfect for camouflage. At least that's what she thought when she
picked the spot. She couldn't imagine that anyone would ever be able to see her in
these surroundings. So there she sat, confident that she was hidden from the world
and safe from danger. Unfortunately, she had not anticipated that others may be
looking upon her from other angles, and now they were stealthily descending toward
her hiding spot.
You can decide what you want to do in life, but I suggest doing something that
creates. Something that leaves a tangible thing once you're done. That way even
after you're gone, you will still live on in the things you created.
If you can imagine a furry humanoid seven feet tall, with the face of an
intelligent gorilla and the braincase of a man, you'll have a rough idea of what
they looked like -- except for their teeth. The canines would have fitted better in
the face of a tiger, and showed at the corners of their wide, thin-lipped mouths,
giving them an expression of ferocity.
She asked the question even though she didn't really want to hear the answer. It
was a no-win situation since she already knew. If he told the truth, she'd get
confirmation of her worst fears. If he lied, she'd know that he wasn't who she
thought he was which would be almost as bad. Yet she asked the question anyway and
waited for his answer.
Sitting in the sun, away from everyone who had done him harm in the past, he
quietly listened to those who roamed by. He felt at peace in the moment, hoping it
would last, but knowing the reprieve would soon come to an end. He closed his eyes,
the sun beating down on face and he smiled. He smiled for the first time in as long
as he could remember.
"It was so great to hear from you today and it was such weird timing," he said.
"This is going to sound funny and a little strange, but you were in a dream I had
just a couple of days ago. I'd love to get together and tell you about it if you're
up for a cup of coffee," he continued, laying the trap he'd been planning for
years.
Colors bounced around in her head. They mixed and threaded themselves together.
Even colors that had no business being together. They were all one, yet distinctly
separate at the same time. How was she going to explain this to the others?
They rushed out the door, grabbing anything and everything they could think of they
might need. There was no time to double-check to make sure they weren't leaving
something important behind. Everything was thrown into the car and they sped off.
Thirty minutes later they were safe and that was when it dawned on them that they
had forgotten the most important thing of all.
It was a weird concept. Why would I really need to generate a random paragraph?
Could I actually learn something from doing so? All these questions were running
through her head as she pressed the generate button. To her surprise, she found
what she least expected to see.
The amber droplet hung from the branch, reaching fullness and ready to drop. It
waited. While many of the other droplets were satisfied to form as big as they
could and release, this droplet had other plans. It wanted to be part of history.
It wanted to be remembered long after all the other droplets had dissolved into
history. So it waited for the perfect specimen to fly by to trap and capture that
it hoped would eventually be discovered hundreds of years in the future.
Her mom had warned her. She had been warned time and again, but she had refused to
believe her. She had done everything right and she knew she would be rewarded for
doing so with the promotion. So when the promotion was given to her main rival, it
not only stung, it threw her belief system into disarray. It was her first big
lesson in life, but not the last.
He wondered if he should disclose the truth to his friends. It would be a risky
move. Yes, the truth would make things a lot easier if they all stayed on the same
page, but the truth might fracture the group leaving everything in even more of a
mess than it was not telling the truth. It was time to decide which way to go.
It had been her dream for years but Dana had failed to take any action toward
making it come true. There had always been a good excuse to delay or prioritize
another project. As she woke, she realized she was once again at a crossroads.
Would it be another excuse or would she finally find the courage to pursue her
dream? Dana rose and took her first step.
It had become a far too common an event in her life. She has specifically placed
the key to the box in a special place so that she wouldn't lose it and know exactly
where it was when the key was needed. Now that she needed to open the box, she had
absolutely no idea where that special spot she placed the key might be.
Many people say that life isn't like a bed of roses. I beg to differ. I think that
life is quite like a bed of roses. Just like life, a bed of roses looks pretty on
the outside, but when you're in it, you find that it is nothing but thorns and
pain. I myself have been pricked quite badly.
It was a question of which of the two she preferred. On the one hand, the choice
seemed simple. The more expensive one with a brand name would be the choice of
most. It was the easy choice. The safe choice. But she wasn't sure she actually
preferred it.
Don't be scared. The things out there that are unknown aren't scary in themselves.
They are just unknown at the moment. Take the time to know them before you list
them as scary. Then the world will be a much less scary place for you.
Where do they get a random paragraph?" he wondered as he clicked the generate
button. Do they just write a random paragraph or do they get it somewhere? At that
moment he read the random paragraph and realized it was about random paragraphs and
his world would never be the same.
I haven't bailed on writing. Look, I'm generating a random paragraph at this very
moment in an attempt to get my writing back on track. I am making an effort. I will
start writing consistently again!
He heard the crack echo in the late afternoon about a mile away. His heart started
racing and he bolted into a full sprint. "It wasn't a gunshot, it wasn't a
gunshot," he repeated under his breathlessness as he continued to sprint.
It was a rat's nest. Not a literal one, but that is what her hair seemed to
resemble every morning when she got up. It was going to take at least an hour to
get it under control and she was sick and tired of it. She peered into the mirror
and wondered if it was worth it. It wasn't. She opened the drawer and picked up the
hair clippers.
I'm heading back to Colorado tomorrow after being down in Santa Barbara over the
weekend for the festival there. I will be making October plans once there and will
try to arrange so I'm back here for the birthday if possible. I'll let you know as
soon as I know the doctor's appointment schedule and my flight plans.
Do you think you're living an ordinary life? You are so mistaken it's difficult to
even explain. The mere fact that you exist makes you extraordinary. The odds of you
existing are less than winning the lottery, but here you are. Are you going to let
this extraordinary opportunity pass?
It's always good to bring a slower friend with you on a hike. If you happen to come
across bears, the whole group doesn't have to worry. Only the slowest in the group
do. That was the lesson they were about to learn that day.
She sat in the darkened room waiting. It was now a standoff. He had the power to
put her in the room, but not the power to make her repent. It wasn't fair and no
matter how long she had to endure the darkness, she wouldn't change her attitude.
At three years old, Sandy's stubborn personality had already bloomed into full
view.
The young man wanted a role model. He looked long and hard in his youth, but that
role model never materialized. His only choice was to embrace all the people in his
life he didn't want to be like.
It's not his fault. I know you're going to want to, but you can't blame him. He
really has no idea how it happened. I kept trying to come up with excuses I could
say to mom that would keep her calm when she found out what happened, but the more
I tried, the more I could see none of them would work. He was going to get her
wrath and there was nothing I could say to prevent it.
She nervously peered over the edge. She understood in her mind that the view was
supposed to be beautiful, but all she felt was fear. There had always been
something about heights that disturbed her, and now she could feel the full force
of this unease. She reluctantly crept a little closer with the encouragement of her
friends as the fear continued to build. She couldn't help but feel that something
horrible was about to happen.
What were they eating? It didn't taste like anything she had ever eaten before and
although she was famished, she didn't dare ask. She knew the answer would be one
she didn't want to hear.
This is important to remember. Love isn't like pie. You don't need to divide it
among all your friends and loved ones. No matter how much love you give, you can
always give more. It doesn't run out, so don't try to hold back giving it as if it
may one day run out. Give it freely and as much as you want.
She's asked the question so many times that she barely listened to the answers
anymore. The answers were always the same. Well, not exactly the same, but the same
in a general sense. A more accurate description was the answers never surprised
her. So, she asked for the 10,000th time, "What's your favorite animal?" But this
time was different. When she heard the young boy's answer, she wondered if she had
heard him correctly.
I'm going to hire professional help tomorrow. I can't handle this anymore. She fell
over the coffee table and now there is blood in her catheter. This is much more
than I ever signed up to do.
There was a time when he would have embraced the change that was coming. In his
youth, he sought adventure and the unknown, but that had been years ago. He wished
he could go back and learn to find the excitement that came with change but it was
useless. That curiosity had long left him to where he had come to loathe anything
that put him out of his comfort zone.
What was beyond the bend in the stream was unknown. Both were curious, but only one
was brave enough to want to explore. That was the problem. There was always one
that let fear rule her life.