Episode One of a New Creative Writing Anthology Series
This is the first of a series of creative writing samples or short stories that will be the gateway for me to get back into creative writing! I would love to let you all in on my creative process and journey.
When I was a kid, my mother, brother, and I would go on walks and take turns creating stories from three different pieces. It had to include a chosen animal, a location, and an object assigned by someone else. From there, we would create and tell our story from scratch while the two of us listened. A fond memory I am bringing back to life!
For those interested in participating and providing inspiration, feel free to reach out to me personally and provide me with an animal, an object, and a location. Without further adieu, here is the first chapter of the first story!
Tommy Toucan’s Library
“The caged bird sings with a fearful trill,
― Maya Angelou, I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings
of things unknown, but longed for still,
and his tune is heard on the distant hill,
for the caged bird sings of freedom.”
Chapter 1 – Desert Dreams
Tommy was an outcast and a loner amongst his kin. Perhaps that was by choice. Quite frankly, Tommy wasn’t too sure of himself. He just knew he was different. He knew that most other birds, animals, bugs, and trees all had a “best friend”. To him, a best friend sounded so amazing. “How awesome would it be to have one friend that understands you so well, shares the same interests, and you were attached and journeying through the world together?”
But Tommy was different. One day he wanted to be a prankster and clown around without a care in the world, and other days he wanted to explore every inch of his Oasis, searching for secrets lurking in hidden places. He was not attached and it was hard for him to imagine ever feeling that with someone. There was simply too much to explore and soak in, even in the limited Oasis he inhabited. Through exploration, Tommy wanted to remember the past, understand the present, and manifest the future.
The Oasis
This Oasis that he called home to was large enough to support a healthy rainforest ecosystem. But it was absolutely an oasis in every sense of the word, surrounded by a dry, treacherous, and unforgiving desert. For as far as he could remember, his elders told stories of how their home was a refuge in a time of trouble. When their habitat and life as they knew it was crumbling down and drying up into the desert, this oasis was their savior. To this day, it provides food, water, community, and balance. Those who lived during the more expansive and plentiful past, and subsequently its downfall, have now been reduced to memory. But these memories sparked curiosity in Tommy. After all, Tommy was a Toucan, a vibrant, beautiful bird meant to soar! Tommy’s mind became fixed on discovering what else was out there in the world.
A New Adventure in the Desert
When Tommy was his most daring, he tested the limits of the desert, despite warnings from all walks of life. He made strides in learning and mapping the landscape, but came no closer to discovering a way out of his home to a world beyond.
One day, as he was becoming more consumed with his own quest, he had a jolt of emotions and intuition pushing him to head south and not to look back. He imagined himself powering through a marathon journey to the other side of the desert. A journey to reclaim his birthright of abundance. So he set out with nothing but the wind and pushed himself to the brink of his physical and mental limit. Near that breaking point, he remembered being swept up into a sandstorm that took him.
When he woke, he recalled visions or mirages or dreams of his home, the beyond, and two distinct moving images.
The Hidden Library
The first vision was of a spiraling sentinel tree guarding a hidden cove filled with tunnels and passageways filled with books! Deep within the tunnels seemed to be a bookshelf of significance. Just imagining it again brought back deep emotions and feelings he could only imagine are resembling the love he has for his family and friends.
Searching deeper in his mind, memory and thoughts, he remembered that this place exists in the Oasis. He had stumbled upon the tree one day in his adventures with his friends, but was so distracted and busy playing to notice. The tree was also so big and tall that it sheltered such a wide footprint. By not venturing down its trunk, he didn’t reveal the hidden treasures beneath. It had been so long since he had visited that area, because it was a sacred area to his community, and was generally forbidden to young birds like him. “Of course, all the exciting information is always hidden from me!”
He was so excited to return back to his home to search for this hidden gem. He finally had a new adventure to begin! All of a sudden, he remembered he had another vision/dream, and he quickly snapped into that memory, attempting to salvage all he could.
The Mysterious Toucan Goddess
Tommy remembered swirling and being spun with the sandstorm and eventually in the blur he witnessed a vivid spiral of color and light, shining down on him from above. The spiral was a beautiful spectrum of colorful elemental and living material leading higher and higher. It spiraled like the tree, as if his soul was spiraling out and extending to the sky. Tommy felt his eyes dilate and open and felt his body ascend the spiral. He felt propelled by a force faster than light, and when he reached the top time and space stood still. He saw the colorful cloud finally begin to fade, and behind it was… her.
The most vibrant and colorful toucan he had ever laid eyes on. She first shielded her eyes with her beautiful deep violet and iridescent plumes. She slowly pushed off the tree she was perched on to meet him and as she reached eye level, her eyes locked with his. A deep sense of knowing, longing, and curiosity shown in her beautiful deep eyes. As they hovered they hovered closer, entranced by each other’s presence, magnetized by the immediate connection shared between them. Tommy reached out his right pointer feather and his right toe out to her. The exact moment before they would have touched, Tommy snapped back out into his reality, exhausted and lost in the desert somewhere.
Stay tuned for Chapter 2 coming soon! I’m just going to go with the flow here! Please reach out with feedback! Would love to hear your thoughts, recommendations, etc.