It's been a while since I've had anything interesting to post, but I thought I'd share a bit of a story I've been working on since before the holidays.
It's not finished, but I am a bit stumped at the moment. It's getting put to the side for the time being.
Have a wonderful week, my friends. May it be good to you.
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Henry
Henry lived in the base of a great big oak tree in the backyard of an old house that had been abandoned many years ago. The house was old and rickety. Other gnomes and animals alike avoided it, but Henry didn't mind. He wasn't afraid and explored it many times. He liked its odd creaks and groans and even enjoyed the constant drip, drip, drip from a pipe somewhere behind the walls. On one particularly lucky day, he found a large gem under the floorboard. He struck gold a few weeks later when he found ten packages of chocolate-covered cookies. It was hard work getting them all stored in his little home in the oak tree, but well worth it..
Eventually, Henry fell into a routine. He'd wake up before dawn, attend to his chores, and then head over to the house. He searched every nook and cranny until the sun started to set. He never found anything as special as his stash of chocolate-covered cookies, but that was okay. He was happy.
But things don't always stay the same and unfortunately for Henry, he was startled awake, one morning, by loud bangs and shouting. He peeked out his front door to find humans scurrying this way and that around the old house. They were carrying big buckets, giant ladders, rope, wood and lots of other strange things he'd never seen before.
Now for obvious reasons, a gnome should always avoid humans as much as possible. They are considered disgustingly troublesome creatures that can't seem to get out of their own way. But, Henry was a different kind of gnome. He was much too curious for his own good. His curiosity had always served him well and he decided there was no harm in learning more about the newcomers as long as he stayed out of sight.
By the time the humans were done, the house looked brand new. They got rid of its peeling green paint and replaced it with warm brown shingles. The window trim was painted lilac to match the front door. Flowers lined the walkway leading to a brand new mailbox on a wooden post.
Henry rubbed his hands together with excitement and thought of long days exploring and the treasures just waiting to be found. There was no time like the present. He ran through the grass and made sure to stay as low to the ground as possible. There was no sign of the humans, but a gnome couldn't be too careful.
He crawled underneath a row of arborvitae that lined the back of the house and slipped inside a gnome-sized hole. It was dark and quiet like it always was, though it smelled different. Before the humans, there was a thick stench of must, dirt and other unmentionables, but now it smelled clean and fresh. He climbed the stairs to the basement door and crawled under. Lucky for him, the humans hadn't fixed it yet.
He stood in the kitchen and looked around. It was bright and clean. A ray of sunlight streamed through the once boarded up window above the sink. He breathed deep as it warmed him.
He spent the morning exploring each room and worked his way up to the second floor. By then, the sun was beginning to set; a clear sign the humans would be home soon. A door at the end of the hallway stood open. That wasn't there before.
The attic. He huffed and puffed his way up the wooden stairs until he reached the top. He gasped. The room was full of books. From floor to ceiling, books in every size and color lined the entire room. The chocolate-covered cookies were a wonderful find, but this was glorious.
to be continued...
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