Wet Pennies

You've already counted the ceiling tiles. The thick, pungent scent of hospitals and death is strong in your nostrils, lingering like a bad case of the flu. You're halfway through counting how many people are wearing sneakers when the door opens. You don't meet the doctor's eyes because you have the feeling he's not looking for you.
"Ms. Hashburn?" You keep your eyes on her shoes, scuffing hurriedly across the tiled floor, until her flip-flops disappear around the corner. You bet that's the other Sad Room, where the doctor takes family members in to privately tell them their loved one has perished. Why not just announce it to the entire room? People are going to know eventually, when the victim comes back in, sniffling and sobbing, trying to recall the last things they ever spoke to their dearly beloved.
You're already counted the shoes. You've moved on to acting interested in CNN on the television. The TV is muted, so you're simply reading white words scrolling across the bottom, and they're worried about the health care bill. You're worried about having to spend another hour here.
They don't call your name, but instead, call your father and take him into the room. Why can't you come along? Just because you're young doesn't mean you're completely stupid. Soon enough, though, your father comes out and his face is stoic. You shake his arm gently and he shifts uncomfortably.
"Did she have too much to drink this time? Is she dead? In a coma? Come on, Dad, you can tell me. We both knew it would happen eventually."
"I can't believe she's gone."
"So she's really dead?" You let out a huge breath and don't expect it to catch on the way out of your throat, but it does, and you can feel the water pricking at your eyes. You shut them tightly and your fists clench around the arms of the chair. When you open, the hospital smell is stronger, and so is the scent of blood. It reminds you of a copper penny and you wrinkle your nose in disgust. When you go to unclench your fists, you find that you cannot. Confusion rakes through you roughly. The lights on the ceiling are dazzling and bright and pulsing down onto your wet forehead. Wet? When did you last take a shower?
Your tongue darts across your upper lip and the copper penny emerges again. You're bleeding. Okay, you're bleeding. You can't tell if you're lying down or sitting up, but you try to move your head, to look for anyone to complain about the wet copper pennies. You see the flash of a white coat, doctors bustling like bees with doctorates, but nothing more. The lights above begin pulsing again, this time with a light feather design. Feathers?
You're a bird. You flap your wings, but you go no where, and you are saddened. You want to be a bird. Squeeze your eyes tighter and more feathers appear. Eyelashes. Momentary lapse of attention. More bees pass by in their long coats and turn to gaze at you with large, round glasses and all the eyes are staring at you. You smile and flap your wings for them.
"I can fly, too." Where is the Sad Room? Are you in it? If so, can you leave, so you can fly away?
"I can fly, too." The bees do not reply. They cover your face with a white shroud, but it's dark to you, and the pulsing lights are gone. The feathers are gone. You try to beat your wings, but to no avail, and the wet pennies are creating a thick film over your eyes.
"I want to fly!" You scream and wrestle against the hand that pulls you into a sitting position. The shroud drops down and the pulsing lights are back and the feathers are back and now your wings are working. You pull away from the bees as they look on with their thousand eyes and pass the Sad Room, where your father is sitting alone.
You count the ceiling tiles as you burst through them.

Oreo's Big Adventure

This is a story I typed out on my grandmother's computer when I was seven. I'm going to leave the spelling mistakes in just to add to the nostalgia.
"Once upon a time there was a little bunny named, Oreo. One day she was looking at herself, and thinking of what she would look like in the future. So she went to see the Great Magical Bunny. So she got up, packed the things she needed where were, food, water, clothing, and a tent, a flashlight, and a map to see where it was. When she was all ready, she set off on her adventure.
As she walked, she went through the freezing cold, the blazzing hot, and rain, and sun. One day she came upon another bunny who was lost and was very cold. Well, Oreo thought that if the rabbit had made it this far that she should deserve to go where she was trying to reach. So Oreo helped the bunny up, and told her that she would be okay, and she would help her. Then Oreo asked what was her name. The other bunny told Oreo what her name was, and what she was doing there. When Lilly- the other bunny told Oreo her story Oreo looked dumbfounded. Lilly told her that her family was to big so her parents kicked her out. When Lilly finished, she asked Oreo what she was doing there, and what her name was. Then Oreo told Lilly what she was doing there and what her name was. After that, Oreo asked Lilly why she was going to see the Great Magical Bunny, Lilly told Oreo why which was she wanted a big bunny sister. But Oreo said that they could be sisters. After that they went on there way.
After several days of weird weather, they made it to the palace. When they reached the castle doors there were 2 guards at the door, both rabbits asked the guards if they could go in, the guards said yes. But 1 of the guards told them there there was a giant hole somewhere, and a dragon lived at the bottom, and if anyone ran across the bridge would get eaten, because the sound is triple times that loud in the hole. When the guard told the rabbits this they said that they would be quiet. Crossing over the dragon's lare. So the guards let them through the gates and they were on there way. An hour later they saw a giant hole, but they did no see anything, so they said first that Lilly would go fist. But there theory was that it probaly wern't sure if it went all the way to China, or if it had a dragon at the bottom, but they went anyway.
So Lilly went first, she said it was okay, so Oreo crossed the bridge. But when Oreo was in the middle of the bridge she thought she heard something, but she thought she was just to nervous, and she was just hearing things. But the second time the whole bridge shook, and a dragon came out. The dragon had scales all over it's body, it had gills sharp enough to stab a rock inhalf, flaming orange eye's that were as bright as those of the sun's, and steam that looked like you were in a thick fog. Oreo was still as a rock on the bridge from being so terrified.
Lilly finally found her voice after trying to be like a Blood Hound to find it. Spoke up. Lilly said, 'Hi my name is Lilly, and my friend's name is Oreo. Oreo had just gotten off the bridge. Then the dragon cleared her throat and said, 'Hello my name is Carla, and I was wondering what all the comosion was about. Then they all asked questions. After 5 minutes, another dragon came out of the hole. Then he asked Carla who the rabbits were and why she was talking to them. Then Carla told the other dragon why she was talking to them and what their names were. When Carla told the other dragon about Lilly's story the other looked just as Oreo had looked when Lilly told her story.
After that the boy dragon introduced himself, he said his name was Justin. Then Justin told Oreo and Lilly that he was Carla's boyfriend. Justin also said that supper was ready. But before he went down Oreo and Lilly told Justin about what the guard said at the gate. After they finished telling him he just said, 'They just don't like people coming in and out of the gates, so they try to scare people.' Then he said Goodnight to both of them then went down into the hole.
After that Oreo started to set up the tent, while Lilly gathered firewood. Lilly also gathered up the sandwiches and the water.
After everything was set up, the fire was going, they were ready to eat. After they ate, Oreo put out the fire while Lilly set up the sleeping bags. Then it was time to go to bed. The next morning the rabbits put down the tent, put everything back into the backpacks, and they had to clean up the place. When they were done Lilly checked her watch, she said it was ten o'clock they had started a six o'clock. Just then the dragons popped out of the hole. Then they asked the rabbits if they were leaving. Oreo said yes and that they would try to make it there by three. Both the dragons wished them goodluck on there journey. The rabbits said thank you, then they said good luck to you in the future.
Then Oreo and Lilly were on there way, it was three o'clock before they made it to the king's long hallway which led to him. So they started down the long hallway. As they walked they saw pottery, shelves with books, and then pictures from the first king to the last. It had been an hour before they reached the end. Then Oreo and Lilly went up to him and then Oreo said, 'My name is Oreo Nabisco, and I came here to ask you what I would look like in the future, then the king looked her up and announced she would be a beautiful bunny- and is what she grew up to be. Then both of them walked back to the dragons hole, They decided to build a house right next to the dragon's hole, that way they could be near them. After a few months Carla and Justin had 5 baby dragons, and when they went out or to go to work, Oreo and Lilly watch them. In return the dragons pay for the new car that the rabbits have and other bills. Everyone is happy. And that's what Oreo and Lilly wanted all along."


I can't tell you what a kick I got out of this. Why do the dragons have jobs? Why do they still live in a hole? Why do the rabbits want to live near people with five kids? Why do the rabbits have a car? Why does Lilly have a watch? Why is one dragon clearly Spanish and the other sounds like a frat boy? Why did Oreo never speak in quotes?