CS Writing Competition - July/August Entries Open!

[Drymoon]

December 2024
Link to Pet:
Pet's name: Luna
Adopt virtual pets at Chicken Smoothie!
and

Pet's name: Omen
Adopt virtual pets at Chicken Smoothie!
Entry:
It was a crisp winter afternoon, and Luna was excited to spend time at home and with her friends during the break. As class is wrapping up and everyone starts to get ready to go home, Luna feels a tap on her shoulder. She turns to see her best friend Omen, a pretty fox with beautiful horns if you asked Luna, looking at her with barely concealed excitement.

"Luna, they are having a big snowball fight after dinner time tonight! The whole school is gonna be there, ya gotta come and play with me!" Omen exclaimed as she jumped around Luna's desk.
"Of course Omen" Luna said happily "That sounds like fun, but I think they might have forgotten something when planning"
"Forgotten? Everyone was invited, I made sure!"
"Its a full moon tonight" said Luna with a smirk " As a wolf, I am faster under the light of the moon. And the sun sets before dinner so it will be out and shining of the snowball field tonight!"

As they walked home, Omen and Luna discussed strategies for winning and the best way to use the timing to there advantage. There was the full moon, but the contest was also taking place when it would be dark, so Omen and Luna's eyesight and and nocturnal nature would give them an advantage. They had often stayed up late to talk or work on art projects so they were basically one with the night at this point. When Luna got home, she set to making a list of important strategies. The snowball fight would take place in the old field in the center of town, that where all the good contests where held. That field had a hill on the right side. If Luna ran up it before anyone else she could gain a high territory that would be perfect for lobbing snowballs at people lower down. They learned all about physics in Luna's science class,so she knew she had to made gravity work to her advantage. Her speed and agility would be useful for dodging incoming snowballs, and she had gotten pretty good at rolling up snow with her snout. She practiced all this winter because last year, they had to use Omen's magic to roll the snowman's head because Luna couldn't get the shape just right. But she was ready now, perfectly round snowballs would have perfect throwing capabilities!
Luna was so excited she could barely sit still as she ate dinner and waited for the time to pass. She waited at the old willow tree near her house for Omen.

"Hiya Luna, ready to show those guys what we canines are capable of?" shouted Omen, still about a block away.
Luna waited for her friend to get closer, as it was dark out and she was raised to be polite, before exclaiming back "Yeah! I can already feel the moon lifting my feet and making me lighter!"
"Its too bad we can't be on the same team Luna" said Omen sadly "but I'll never forgive you if you go easy on me!"
Luna stopped moving and looked at Omen. She could not believe she had forgotten her best strategy.
"Omen, why can't we be on the same team? We would fight much better together and they'd never see us coming"
"But Luna, there is only one prize. We won't both get the medal and we would just have to fight alone at the end"
"We can share Omen! I don't mind and we are together all the time anyways, we can trade who has it on Fridays after school!"

Omen looked at Luna, eyes shining "Bet no one else thought to share, they'll never know what hit 'em".
"Best friends?" asked Luna with her paw outstretched.
"Best friends!" confirmed Omen as they tapped their paw to Luna's.
And together they ran off towards the field to be the best snowball fighting team this school would ever see.

[KasperKat]

December 2024
Link to Pet:

Pet's name: Eye Of The Storm
Adopt virtual pets at Chicken Smoothie!
Entry:

Eye of the Storm, or Storm for short, ducked beneath his hastily made snowy barrier, trying desperately to think of good strategies. Adelia, the polar bear on the other team, was a true powerhouse, and she could plow through a hail of snowballs without even blinking, simply shaking off her white fur and trampling on towards Storms' team's fortress. Every time they had a snowball fight, Adelia always pulled through with the winning moves.

Storm snapped back to the present as Plague, a blue-and-brown cat, slumped down beside him, sighing heavily. "We're never going to beat Adelia, Storm. What's even the point in doing this again?"

"Come on, Plague," Storm replied, trying to cajole some spirit into his teammate, "it's the last snowball fight before winter break! We've got to win this one."

"Whatever," Plague sighed. "Look, you can do whatever you want. I'm going to head inside or go play snow soccer."

Storm frowned, watching his friend pad away, her booted paws leaving round prints in the snow. He didn't like the general air of discouragement that had pervaded his team this time around, even with the before-break cheer.

Storm looked into the trees behind the other team and frowned. Maybe there was something new they could try? The shadows...blue and black...like his pelt. And the trees, so close to the other team. Had they ever tried anything like...?

Storm looked around quickly, needing a distraction - his friend Silverfrost, a large horse kneeling as best he could behind another snowbank. Storm scampered across to where Silverfrost lay.

Leaning towards the black-and-tan horse, Storm grinned. "Silverfrost, I've got an idea for how we could win this. But it requires Sonikku and Carli - and you to be willing to sacrifice yourself."

Silverfrost's ears twitched. "I'm listening?"

Hastily, Storm laid out the plan, eyes sparkling with excitement. Silverfrost tilted his broad muzzle, then "hurm"ed thoughtfully. "Well, that might well work...it's worth a try at least."

It only took a minute to persuade Sonikku and Carli - a fluffy dog and rat, both with Storm’s color scheme - and as they all got into position, Storm could feel his heart pounding like this was a real battle and not just a recess snowball fight. Looking to his left and right, he could see his friends looking at him, ready for his signal.

Storm took a deep breath and gave Silverfrost a nod.

Silverfrost exploded out of the snowbank, tossing his head and whinnying loudly as he charged towards the other team. The other teammates seemed shocked at first, though they quickly began patting snowballs together as Silverfrost charged the distance. They were so focused on getting Silverfrost to back off that they never ever noticed the three shapes that blended in quite well with the icy shadows, creeping around the edge of the battlefield.

Storm barely breathed, hardly able to believe that the other team was so surprised by Silverfrost's attack that they really weren't noticing the two dogs and rat that were sneaking over behind them.

Nodding again silently to the other two as they reached the edge of the trees, the three creatures circled around and began to pull back the branch of a tree. Storm could feel the sweat on his paw pads, despite the fact that it was so cold outside his breath was practically freezing in his mouth. He prayed quietly that nothing went wrong, that the branch didn't lose all of its snow, or that the team didn't suddenly decide to turn around, or that Silverfrost went down too early, or that-

Storm stopped himself. No more worrying. Looking at the other two, straining to hold the snow-laden branch down, Storm steeled himself. And then he yelled, "Now!"

As they let the branch go, the other team turned around, and for a split second Storm's heart dropped, convinced he had yelled too soon. But the branch flew true, with its burden of snow, and it flew better than he could have ever hoped.

A huge blanket of white cascaded down onto entire team, and when they finally flailed their way out, spitting and blinking snow out of their eyes, they found Silverfrost, Storm, Sonikku, and Carli practically rolling on the ground howling with laughter and the other team running over, amazed, to congratulate each other.

"Happy winter break!" Storm laughed, brushing snowball residue off of Silverfrost's back.

[scmarshtacky]

December 2024
Link to Pet: - Thalia
Side Characters:
- Pifi
- Hafis
- Colth


Entry:

Finally. Thalia was free at last! With an extra hop in her step, she trotted out of the school. The cold snow on her paw pads was refreshing, as it marked the beginning of their vacation. She cleared the steps out of the building in one graceful leap and came to a halt on the grounds buried beneath a thin layer of snow.

Whoosh.

She heard the noise, but couldn’t identify it until she felt cold settle against her scruff. Thalia found Hafis the snowy macaw and Pifi the brown fox giggling from across the lot.

“You-!” Thalia rounded on them, gathering up a pawful of snow as she went and lobbed it in their direction. The strike didn’t hit, and they stopped laughing only long enough to duck behind a bank of snow. “Get back out here!” Thalia challenged, pacing back and forth across her side of the school yard as she gathered up enough snow to form a shelter.

Once constructed, she hid and tossed a couple more snowballs in their direction. Thalia couldn’t tell if her second attack had landed - they were still in hiding behind the snow bank - but she did hear a soft ‘paf’ as a snowball hit her defensive wall. With this, they’ll never be able to hit me. Or so she thought, until a snowball fell atop her head.

Thalia craned her neck upward, and for a moment, her vision was full of white feathers. “Hafis, that's cheating!” Thalia swatted at the macaw, managing to touch a tail feather, but he was gaining altitude as he retreated back to his side.

Her claws dug into the soft dirt beneath the snow as a frustrated growl resonated in her throat. If the two of them weren’t going to play fair, then she’d come up with another solution to win. She scanned her surroundings, and the other pets milling about until she saw exactly who she needed. “Colth! Hey!”

The blue and white head of the butterfly wolf turned as Thalia called him. “Can you help me out? Hafis and Pifi keep throwing snow at me, and I have the perfect idea to win!” When his ears tilted in curiosity, she smiled and whispered her plan.

“And that’s all you have to do, okay?” She concluded.

“Are you sure you can pull it off?”

“No problem! I’m faster than both of those guys anyway. Let’s go!” Thalia jumped over her snow barrier out into the open field.

“Look at you both hiding behind your snow like a bunch of cowards! Come get me if you dare!” Thalia pranced in front of them, close enough to be within range of a snowball, but far enough that it wouldn’t be an easy shot. A couple of balls of snow came her way but she dodged both. Hafis was circling above again, but he couldn’t sneak up on her a second time. “Haha, can’t get me. You’ll never win like that!” It was their turn to be annoyed now, as Thalia performed her own little dance of victory in front of them all whilst avoiding their cold, fluffy projectiles.

In the midst of it all, Thalia dodged by smaller and smaller margins until finally one of the snowballs skimmed across her fur. Tucking her tail, she spun and ran for the treeline at the edge of the school yard. She glanced back only once to confirm that the two were in pursuit; then, Thalia’s eyes found Colth. They exchanged a nod before she ducked behind one of the fir trees.

“Where’s all your talk now, huh?” Pifi taunted, drawing closer.

Plop. The two had finally crossed under the limb where Colth was stationed, and the butterfly wolf had yanked on the branch and dropped the whole day’s worth of snow on top of both of their heads. Hafis had been knocked to the ground and the only part of Pifi that could be seen was the end of her scarf.

Beneath the massive pile of snow, two mounds moved until both had poked their heads out, coughing and sputtering.

“That’ll teach you two to mess with me!” She held out her paw and Colth met her in a high-five.

It wouldn’t be the end of the tease-bickering between Pifi and herself, but at least for today, Thalia had claimed her victory.

[Turo0]

December 2024
Link to Pet:
Pet's name: Tigress
Entry:

Tigress was nervous. It was her first time being invited to join a snowball fight. It would start in a couple of hours. She had just enough time to go home after school to change and eat dinner before she'd need to go. The end of her last lesson was getting close, so she started quietly packing her bag already. When the bell rang she stuffed the last of her things in. Then she quickly put on her coat and shoes and ran all the way home.

When she arrived she just tossed her bag away, stripped her jacked tossing it in the same pile and kicked her shoes off. She was getting more and more excited. She took some food and sat down to eat. While she ate she wondered what the fight would be like. Would there be something to hide behind? Or would she need to run and toss at the same time? Or did she need to try to ambush someone? Just to make sure she decided to search her most white clothes to blend in the snow better. She was good with camouflage as she had studied it before trying to figure out why she had such stripes and her friends didn't. She was just a cat, but was happy being different, almost like a tiger.

After dinner Tigress opened her closet, and found a really big white beanie. It would cover her head well. She also found white mittens, but had to borrow her parent’s jacket as she didn't have a white one. Luckily it was long enough to cover most of her legs too. “Okay, I'm ready!” She thought and left.

She arrived at the park where the fight was supposed to take place. She saw some of her friends there, building covers and making snowballs ready. They waved at Tigress when they noticed her. She smiled and jogged the rest of the way to them. “Hi! What can I do?” she asked excitedly.
“Hello Tigress! Help me build this wall!” one of her friends replied.

When they were done building they joined the rest making snowballs and talking tactics. “Okay, you see over there, I think they are going to try to stay behind that big tree. We should split to see both sides of it to give them less space” one said pointing at the opposing side. “I'll go to the gate side, Tigress, want to come with me behind the wall we made?”
Tigress shook her head. “We haven't had time to build anything to the other side, I'll go there and cover my shoes with snow. If you distract them they won't even know I'm there!”
The others agreed and finished their snowballs. Then a couple of them went to the middle of the area, with some kids from the other side coming their way too. The rest of them were watching carefully, waiting when they were going to start.

Tigress took advantage of this, sneaking carefully to the other side. She dug a small hone, kneeled down in it and covered her boots and the part of her pants that were visible under the coat. Then she gathered a snow pile in front of her and hid behind it, making some more snow balls ready. She noticed her friends walking back to their side. It would be on soon. She took a deep breath and put her beanie deeper on her head.

“3, 2, 1, NOW!”

With great yell they all started tossing snowballs. Tigress didn't see any snowballs coming her way. That was good, her sneaking had been successful. She was peeking carefully behind her snow pile for a target. Finally one kid came far enough around the tree. Tigress targeted him carefully, but tossed her snowball at him before he had a chance to toss at her friends. It hit his side. “Goal!” Tigress thought by herself grinning happily. The kid looked around, confused where the ball had come from.

One opposing kid had seen Tigress toss the ball and tossed one back to her, hitting her. Doing that she had revealed her back to Tigress's friend, who also hit her with a ball.

It was over sooner than expected. Tigress's side had won, as one of her friends was left unhit at the end. “WHOOP! That was fun, can we go again?” Tigress asked and everyone agreed.

[Seasonal]

Entries for December 2024 are CLOSED.
Judging has now commenced and the winner will be announced on January 15th!

Entries for January 2025 are OPEN.
Please refer to the main post to make sure you are following all rules.

Prompt: Happy new year! Your pet is celebrating by taking a well-earned vacation. Where will they go? Are they traveling solo or bringing someone along? What will they do when they get there? Tell us all about it!

Judge: dogtreat

Prize:

[KasperKat]

January 2025
Link to Pet:
Pet's name: Nita
Adopt virtual pets at Chicken Smoothie!
Entry:
Nita frowns, pawing through her collection of scarves. "Hmm, well, I'd like to bring my striped one, but this wool one is much warmer. And my orange-and-black one goes SO nicely with my pelt. Which one to choose..."

Nita's friend and roommate, Caterina, rolls her eyes from where she is standing next to Nita's bed. The tan horse stomps her hoof slightly and says, "Nita, this is a week-long vacation to the beach. Packing should not be this hard."

Nita nods. "You're right, Caterina, as always. I'll bring them all!"

"That's not what I was-" Caterina starts, then shakes her head, beige mane swinging. "Oh, never mind. The orange-and-black one does look good. Hopefully you won't need very many warm clothes at the beach, though."

"Oh, you never know," Nita frets, turning her bright yellow eye on her friend. "What if there's a freak storm? Or what if something happens while we're on the plane and we have to make an emergency landing somewhere chilly? Then you'll be the one begging me for one of my scarves."

Caterina shakes her head, but she can't help the faint smile on her muzzle at her roommate's antics. "Well, I'm already all packed, and I trust my mane to keep my neck as warm as it needs to be anyway. You know us ponies have a pretty high body temperature."

Nita leaps from the floor, where her suitcase is laid out with a variety of clothes and items strewn around it, and settles herself on her bed. "I just can't stop thinking how excited I am! We've both been working so hard, I feel like I haven't gotten to spend enough time with you! And now a whole week together."

"Aw, I know," Caterina smiles. "What do you think of the schedule so far? I tried to keep it price-friendly!"

"Oh, I love it," Nita purrs. "Are you kidding? I've been meaning to get one of the spa treatments that goes to the roots of my fur! I keep trying those hydrating fur soaks, but they just don't get to the bottom of your fur! It means my skin gets so dry during the winter. That spa day will be a blessing."

"My favorite thing is the surfing class," Caterina volunteers, her tail swishing as she moves to stand next to Nita's bed. "I've always wanted to go surfing and now I finally have the perfect opportunity! You know I'll be the master of those waves before long!" She strikes a pose, tossing her mane dramatically, and Nita laughs, rolling on her side.

"Well, I'll cheer you on from the beach. Not to be a stereotypical cat, but you know, all the fire that I'm involved with means that I'm not too keen on getting wet. I'll dip my toes in when we're just hanging out on the beach though!"

Caterina shrugs, grinning. "Your loss. Less competition for my surfing mastery. There was some zany stuff we could have done though. A tail painting class?" She mock shudders. "I can't imagine dipping my tail in paint voluntarily."

"Ooh, I don't know, that kind of sounds fun!" Nita exclaims.

"You would say that, you've got the forked tail and it's much easier to clean. I bet you'd be a natural!"

Nita grins. "Well, no harm in liking things you're good at! Ugh, I'm so excited for everything."

"Well, before we can go, you have to finish packing first," Caterina says with a meaningful look at the pile of clothes and items on the floor.

"Ughhhh," Nita sighs, dragging herself off of her bed. She pads over and paws a few hats out of the pile, then frowns. "Checkered, plain red, or swirly hat? Or all three?"

"Oh my god," Caterina groans, "this is going to take forever, isn't it?"

[Time Traveler Aubrey]

January 2025
Link to Pet: viewpet.php?id=415263576
Entry:

We're sick, head to toe. It feels awful and it's not just me and not just you, but us both.

"Maybe this means we should just go home," you say blithely. I grimace.

"No way."

I suck back up a huge green loogie. The back of my throat tastes salty and irritated, like it's been rubbed with thorns. You sniffle, black fur limned with white mucus instead of the usual blood moon-light.

"Can we still go to the adoptable forums like this?"

"... Maybe we should go to the rejuva springs, instead."

The bubbling rejuva springs had water clear and blue like the warmest day. It was tucked in between the Adopt and Forum tabs, only visible to pets without owners. It was said that the items there, when worn, would make you feel neuteralized and safe, a load off of your chest like putting the backpack down after walking around with it on all day.

"Aw, *cough* I really wanted to look at the cool newly designed pets. But I guess *cough* I'm already feeling sick."

There's no one to take care of us but us now, so we gotta make the right decisions on how to treat our bodies. Listen to your body and all that. "I know, I know, I used to tell you it was uncool, the kind that you hear and go ugh, so corny, but after being yelled at a few times by someone who just didn't understand that it was possible to change your mind, I appreciate it more."

You snicker at me. I wave a hand at you.

"First one there gets to feel better faster!"

The actual events of getting there have so much walking and swearing I'm not going to write it down here. You're flapping along with wings and bottlebrush tail, and I'm moving across the mile-long green. It's been better since they replaced the grass lawns with herb cover, not triggering my allergies so badly, but I'm still looking at the houses that we're walking by, all jealous of the people inside.

"I wish I were them," I say as I pass by a particularly bright colored one who's picture I recognize from browsing online museums of art. The mosaic tacked to the wall is full of children, delicate dot art, and a mailbox full of letters. "I wish we were them."

"All cozy and established and not having to be unsure like ownerless pets," you say wistfully, ears twitching. A black feather comes loose from your wing and I pick it up, running the silky cool surface over my arm. But we're almost there.

Rejuva springs. Bench with spiked wrough iron railings, empty beach, sword on the stone. A skeleton groans on a plinth, rubbing its eye-sockets, revived by the wet steam.

I lower my aching and throbbing body into the water. My body's doing the thinking now. You're on your back, floating, threading the surface with your hair. Dip and roll. The dragonflies that landed on the surface shed water from their wings and take off. You shrug your head; the air is humming with bugs. I go under the surface and kick my legs; down below, someone's left a plastic bag of trash. just starting to come loose, already tangled with seaweed.

"This felt like a right decision." A crab claw floats up, regrown body and legs wiggling.

"Yeah."

[NamiNomNom]

In the summer of 2025, a unique green and black dog named Oliver found himself on an unexpected vacation. Oliver lived with his owner, Namine. They had decided to take a much-needed break and escape to a remote Caribbean island, known for its breathtaking beaches and vibrant wildlife.

Oliver was a curious and adventurous dog. His unusual fur color made him stand out wherever he went, and he was loved by everyone he met. As soon as they arrived on the island, Oliver couldn't wait to explore. The salty breeze, the sound of the waves, and the sight of the turquoise water excited him to no end.

Oliver and Namine stayed in a quaint beachside cottage surrounded by lush tropical forests. Every morning, they would take long walks along the beach, where Oliver would chase crabs and dig in the sand. One day, during one of their walks, Oliver noticed something shiny partially buried near an old palm tree. With his keen sense of smell and a wagging tail, he began to dig furiously.

To Namine's surprise, Oliver unearthed an old, rusty compass. Intrigued by the discovery, they decided to take the compass back to their cottage. That evening, while Namine was examining the compass, she noticed faint engravings on the back. It was a map with a series of coordinates that led to a spot deep within the island's forest.

The next day, armed with the compass and a sense of adventure, Oliver and Namine set off to follow the map's trail. They ventured into the dense forest, guided by the compass and the coordinates. The journey was filled with wonder as they encountered exotic birds, vibrant flowers, and even a family of playful monkeys.

After hours of trekking, they reached a hidden clearing. In the center of the clearing stood an ancient stone statue of a guardian, with emerald eyes that seemed to glimmer in the sunlight. At the base of the statue was a small, weathered chest. Oliver barked excitedly, and Namine carefully opened the chest to reveal a collection of old coins, gems, and a scroll.

The scroll told the tale of a legendary guardian dog that protected the island's treasures. The guardian was said to have fur as green as the island's lush foliage and black as the volcanic rock. Namine realized that Oliver was the modern incarnation of this guardian, destined to protect and discover the island's hidden wonders.

With a sense of fulfillment and amazement, Namine and Oliver decided to share their discovery with the island's museum. The artifacts and the story of the guardian dog became a cherished part of the island's history, attracting visitors from all over the world.

Their vacation had turned into an unforgettable adventure, and Oliver became a local hero. The islanders adored him, and he enjoyed every moment of the attention and love. Namine and Oliver returned to Norcross with memories that would last a lifetime, knowing that their bond and their incredible journey would always be a part of them.

https://www.chickensmoothie.com/viewpet.php?id=457584029

[Seasonal]

Our winner for December 2024 is…

KasperKat!

You will receive your prize shortly.

I hope you all are enjoying the writing competition so far! If you have any feedback, feel free to share it on the discussion thread. :)

[LanternLight<3]

January 2025

Link to Pet:

Adopt virtual pets at Chicken Smoothie!


Entry:
NEW FREEDOM.

It was midnight when it escaped - midnight, on the 31th of December.
It was hard to keep track of the days it had been captured. Other beings did not come in frequently, and when they did, their purpose was mainly to check on its bindings. They rarely spoke, except for the occasional grunts as they checked the security of the chains. It watched them quietly. What was there to say? It knew it had done no wrong, and they thought otherwise.

It was next to impossible to chain a shadow, but its captors had found a unique trick.
They had begun by chaining it, using a few runes. Chains by themselves could not hold it for long- such things were easy for a shadow to slip out of with a bit of effort. However, they had shone points of light on the chains, such that it, as a shadow, could not move. It could escape the light if it forced itself enough, but light could trap it in one place for a while. And with the chains, it was unable to escape.

Days passed. Maybe months. Maybe years… but no, it doubted that, with the new information it had found.

However long it was, it seemed forever to the shadow. It had time to sit quietly, and think. Some days it was freezingly cold, other days it was warm, and the chains seemed to burn with heat. Recently, the cold days had come more often. Temperatures didn’t affect it that much, and at least they gave it a sense of what could be called time.

When two beings came in to check on it, it heard the words ‘New Year’ coming from a muttered conversation. And it thought for a while.

There was cheering upstairs. It could hear feet stomping on the ceiling of its unique prison. And then, there was a scream, many voices as one.

“HAPPY NEW YEAR!”

It felt an odd sensation of wild joy coming from the world above it. And then, everything seemed to freeze. The world was dark once again, as if the New Year was giving the universe a chance at redemption- even it- a solitary shadow.
The lights, for once, had gone out. They returned a second later, but that gave brief moment gave it just enough time to slip upwards through the chains, through the ceiling, and quickly through the room.

Nobody seemed to notice its absence, not even its captors. They were all inebriated and laughing, throwing themselves against one another, dancing, and it was almost dancing itself, feeling its body shift and adjust through little cracks in the walls. As it found its way outside, it continued to hear the sounds of the wild joy around it. Beings were laughing, talking in the dark. None noticed the silent shadow.

It listened attentively to a conversation nearby, shadowing a tree.

“I’m going to take a vacation for my new year,” one said, laughing a bit.

“Oh? That sounds lovely. I’m staying home with my family myself- take the last week of the winter holiday to relax.”

“Good luck with that. I really just want to take a week to get free from all of the pressures of my life. Explore, you know? See some things. I want to try and find whatever part of myself vanished this year.”

The other one laughs as well, patting the first’s shoulder. “Good luck to you as well.”

Vacation. It liked that word. It wanted to ‘see some things’. It was free, and it wanted to truly enjoy that freedom. It had no idea where it would go next, no idea what it would do. Is this what a vacation was? It didn’t know. It’d have to avoid people with ill intentions, of course- stay careful.

But it was away from them, now. It could enjoy the beautiful shadows of the world. There were no more chains. It would ‘vacation’ for as long as it could.
What part of it had vanished this year? It wasn’t sure. Had there ever been an ‘itself’ to vanish? It had forgotten so much over the time it had spent in chains, as it tried to disassociate itself from the world. But the world was coming back in full, now, offering itself to it.

So why not accept this gift - this newness that had appeared so suddenly and beautifully to it?

What was a new year but a new try for freedom?