page nineteen

[fantasies]

[Henry dictates to the journal this morning, his consonants slightly scrambled by the fact that he's a young boy given a credit card in a place with a truly extensive selection of candy stores.

Behind him, there's the beeps of what can only be arcade games, one of the few times he's actually gone to the arcade when he said he was going to.]

You know, while we were here I read something. [A pause while he chews.] It was a story, like the fairy tales we have at home, but from here instead. It was about a boy who liked to draw cats. Everyone told him he shouldn't, that he drew cats too much, and that he should stop to pay attention to other things. He tried, but he couldn't stop.

One day, the boy was in a temple and he drew a cat on one of the screen things. A huge cat, the biggest and best he'd ever drawn.

Then, in the middle of the night, there was a huge fight in the temple. When the boy came back, he found out that a huge monster rat had come to attack the temple, and that something had killed it before it could hurt anyone. And he found out that the drawing he'd made of his cat was facing the complete opposite direction than how he'd drawn it.

[Another pause, and more crunching.]

I'd never heard that story before. I don't think it's in my book. But, there's so many places, so many worlds.... I mean, if we can do this, then it's not that weird to think it might be true somewhere.

Comments

[whichwayyoulean]

Thaaaaat people's drawings can come to life and kill other things?

Gosh that's a comforting thought there, Henry.

[fantasies]

It was protecting them!

[whichwayyoulean]

Doesn't make it any less creepy.

[fantasies]

It's magic. It's not like the castle's magic is that much different.

[unvarnished]

[that does it: he's going to buy Henry some books on Japanese tales]

Great story, kid.

[fantasies]

[Mission accomplished!!]

You never know, maybe he does live in the Enchanted Forest, and his story was just in another book.

[unvarnished]

There are more worlds out there than the Enchanted Forest, Henry. There's Neverland, Wonderland, the world Doctor Whale came from... and those are just the ones we know about.

Henry

[wolfchild]

Do you know of the Storm King?

Arya

[fantasies]

Nope. Is that a story?

Henry

[wolfchild]

[ she smirks a bit. ]

It's a true story. Do you want to hear it?

Dictated

[pastina]

[There's a gasp.] Ve, the kitty came to life all on its own?

[fantasies]

Yep. The cat protected them, so the boy vowed never to give up drawing them.

[pastina]

Oh wow, that's amazing! Do you think if I kept drawing bunnies and kitties, they would come and protect me too?

[fluthlu]

That's certainly not a story that I've heard before. I'm a bit perplexed as to what it's moral might be. Perhaps, hold fast to your irrational obsessions, lest they become useful at the most bizarre of times?

[fantasies]

Afterwards, when the villagers realized what happened, they all called the boy a hero. I think it's supposed to be about being true to yourself.

[That sounds nicer, anyway....]

[fluthlu]

That is a much more optimistic interpretation. Makes a bit more sense that way, I suppose.

[Though she'll still be wondering about the specifics and attempting to make sense of it all.]

You're quite correct, though. I've often thought about the newfound validity of tales such as those, seeing the sorts of things we've experienced in Paradisa.

dictated;

[wishgrant]

I've never heard that one before!

[fantasies]

Yeah, I think they only tell it around here.

[wishgrant]

I know all th' ones like Snow White an' Cinderella an' stuff.

[savethedarkness]

You know, I'd never heard that story before. Thank you for it, it was lovely.

[fantasies]

[He brightens.]

You're welcome!

I bet I could find more. I might look.

[savethedarkness]

Quite a lover of stories, then? You might like a friend of mine, I think. He collects them, as well. His name is August .... and mine is Emma, while I'm handing them out.

[heloise]

Would you have drawn a cat?

[fantasies]

I kind of like dogs better. And they're easier to draw, too.

[heloise]

Easier than cats? Is it the whiskers?