Behind the Fridge Door: Chapter 2

This morning, Linda gave me human classes. Humans have hands and feet instead of paws, and no tail! They also have no fur, but they wear something Linda calls clothes. They sound pretty silly to me. She also tried to teach me cursive handwriting. Look, I wrote my name! Cameron Sammy says it’s illegible (whatever that means) and Linda says maybe I should stick to print. She says things very kindly, but I can tell she doesn’t like my cursive. Oh, well. I’ll learn. Maybe. I wonder what weird thing I’ll learn about humans tomorrow. There has to be lots more.

Behind the Fridge Door: Chapter 1

Hello! I’m Cameron. My family and I live in a human house. I have two sisters and a brother. Their names are Linda, Sammy, and Rosie. I’m a third mouseling. Daddy goes out every morning and tries to gather some scraps. The fridge is the place where all the really delicious stuff is, but the door’s too heavy. Someday, I’m going to get into the fridge. It would be really exciting! I sometimes have writing lessons with Linda, and sometimes Sammy shows me how to make a paper airplane and throw it correctly. Linda’s really nice to me, but sometimes she uses a little too much baby-talk. I wish they would sometimes remember I’m a big mouse now. I can write, I can read, and I can help Mommy make scrap pancakes. Also, I’ll be the first mouse to get in the fridge, someday!

Dragon Fire: Chapter 11

Sonia looked over, and saw that everyone looked slightly different-a little older than when she’d first met them. Oh, great, thought Sonia. In the morning, I guess we’ll find out how many months we’ve been away… and that they did. After spending the remainder of the night in extremely dusty bunks, thy went downstairs to breakfast to find that they attracted a lot of attention. Georgia looked very displeased to see them, as though she had been beginning to hope that they’d never come back, and everyone else just stared and whispered. Ruby ran up. Sonia immediately asked “ How long have we been in the time stream?” “Oh, that’s where you were! You’ve been away for-well-if you had been here, this would be the feast at the end of your 2nd year.” Nick nearly choked on his pancakes. “2nd?!” “I am so going to flunk this test!” Pete moaned “Nicolette, I am going to get you!” Sonia was feeling shocked, and Colin just looked resigned. The next day, they took the test, achieved a C+ each, and gasped with relief when they were informed that they had just passed. Sonia spent the last few days begging Nicolette for the spell that made a huge pool in the school grounds, trying very hard not to use her fire at all in dragon form, and inviting Robert, who turned out to be a very nice boy, to go out for ice cream with them. When she finally was flying back to the orphanage again, (Ruby had insisted that she had to), she knew that this summer, for the first time, she’d have something to look forward to in the fall. The End

Dragon Fire: Chapter 10

That night, when Sonia’s mother returned from a tiring night of helping the police deal with the explosion on Bluegrass Hill, she found a strange tape lying on the kitchen on he kitchen. She called her husband in, and played the tape. It showed a cave in the forest with-how did the staff get in that cave? Then, a voice said “A magical staff was sent in a time stream to a cave in the future.” A few sparks that looked like the kind from the explosion that night rolled into the cave, followed by fire that looked suspiciously dragon. “Then, one day, the staff burned in a forest fire,” continued the voice. “The only safe place anywhere around the area was the Shape Shifters’ school.” The children listening at the window withdrew their faces. “I think it worked!” said Sonia, feeling relieved and glad that they’d had the dragon, Pete’s sparks, and been near the cave so they could tape it. “They should send it to the school when they use the time stream.” “We really owe it to your dream. Without your knowing what the staff looked like, Nick and Pete wouldn’t have known to use their Glo-Gel on the stick.” Sonia smiled, feeling complete. “Now, let’s go home, Nicolette. Nick, Pete, Colin, make sure you’ve got everything. Nicolette?” Nicolette was now looking worried. “Well, Sonia, there’s a problem. When people travel back in time, they exit time, and enter another year. But the time of the place they exit doesn’t stand still. We-” “You mean we could come back and find that we’re in school with Georgia’s grandchildren! Why didn’t you tell us before?” Sonia yelled. “Well, nothing we can do about that now,” said Nicolette, trying to gloss over the guilt in her voice with a matter-of-fact tone, and began the spell. When she got to the part with the pictured place, Sonia tried to pull her anger in. She knew that the slightest blur in her head image could ruin the spell. She felt a tug and reappeared in the Bluesea dormitory.

Dragon Fire: Chapter 9

That night, Sonia was awakened by two things: a whiff of smoke and a sound halfway between a whimper and a yelp. She opened her eyes to find Colin, flattening himself to the wall, cowering in the shadow of a huge dragon! Sonia’s dragon instincts kicked in, and she transformed. She’d always gotten aggressive at the orphanage when someone else was on her bed or stealing one of her things. She now supposed it was dragon territorial defensiveness. Now, though she was the trespasser, she felt the same way and roared. The other dragon turned, claws ready to attack anyone who dared distract it from its next meal, and Colin slid away. The others awoke, and Nick and Pete took one look at the dragon and morphed into two identical tigers, setting upon the poor beast. Nicolette, hesitating to turn into her fox, cried “Look out,” as a jet of flame singed Sonia’s wingtip. Sonia gave out a gasp, and a shower of sparks met the dragon’s flames, one flying towards a tank of highly flammable liquid belonging to the boys. Nicolette took one look at the spark soaring towards Nick and Pete’s experiment and yelled, “Quick! Get away from the jar!” Nick dragged the dragon out too, moments before the whole hill exploded. Pete grabbed an extra jar from his ever-full pockets and caught some flying sparks. “For later experiments,” he explained. Nicolette stood, hands on hips. “It’s one of your ‘experiments’ that blew up that hill!” “Everyone! I just had an idea!” Sonia exclaimed. “Pete, do you have a video camera in your pockets?”

"Blog girl" in the style of Norman Rockwell

One day, my older sister Rebecca came home with a funny silver case she calls a "laptop". It has "keys" with letters on them, and when she presses them the letters appear on the screen. She says it's a new invention. She sends messages to her friends on it. I asked her where she got it, and she laughed and told me "It's much too expensive for you, Rosie." I think she's right. I only have $9.50. Still, Rebecca lets me occasionally "type" on it. She says it'll help when I finally can afford a laptop if I already know how to type. I think laptops are cool. They should have one at my school.

On a Norman Rockwell painting

Today, our family decides to go to the zoo. Grandma sits in the back, Mother and Father sit up front, and in Lucas's lap, Woofster barks in tune to Robin's yells of "We're going to the zoo!" I, as always, have to sit in the middle with Lucas, but today I don't care. I blow huge pink sticky bubbles, which pop when Lucas leans across me, looks out the window, and yells "We're here!" We get out, and see giraffes, elephants, lions, tigers, monkeys, and zebras until 4:00. Then, finally, Mother yawns "Time to go!" Everyone piles back into the car, and Grandma looks on the verge of sleep. Father is so tired he almost crashes the car 3 times, and the boys are looking glazed. My bubbles are growing smaller and smaller, and finally I fall asleep and Woofster jumps into my lap.