♦ 「 golden kings 」

[SunnyStreets]

♦ 「 golden queens 」



just a little spot to store
random bits of writing i
like to do. characters
featured can usually
be found in my th.

[SunnyStreets]

♦ 「 silent ones 」



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[SunnyStreets]

♦ 「 creeping frost 」



characters
♦ swizzle
♦ basil



on cold days when nobody was visiting the centre, swizzle liked to curl up in the conservatory with a book and a soothing hot drink. of course, she never has the same drink. sure, it's always cocoa, but she's a big one for experimenting. a dash of cinnamon and a couple mint leaves, or maybe whipped cream with five types of sauce.

i tapped my claws against the desk, chewing on the cream braid arching from my bird's nest of hair. it was freezing, too cold even for snow, and yet it was the middle of summer. the garden centre is always busy and buzzing like a hive of bees this time of year - but not today. my sunflowers were even beginning to wilt, when they should've been at their highest peak.

frost traced intricate designs over the stained glass at the front of the store, but I barely registered them. the fur along my back rose irritably as I glanced back towards the conservatory, where warmth and a library of books awaited. but somebody else was in there now, a certain frustrating somebody who probably had their nose in a book about peaches. peaches, of all things! i ran my tongue over my lips, grimacing at just the thought of the fruit. no, i couldn't go into the library, but i also couldn't go outside for fear of my flowers dying.

actually, who cared. that certain somebody certainly wouldn't. they thought I was stupid with or without my beautiful, gorgeous, golden blooms.

I stepped into an arctic waste.

well, not exactly - the outside area of the garden centre wasn't in a good state, though. apple saplings stood hard and still, probably never to re-awaken, no sunlight graced the frosty leaves with an enchanting glitter, and every fruit had fallen, wizened and cold. even the greenhouse was frigid, the baby plants curled and dying. I ran my hand over a once-red tomato, now a dirty brownish blue. everything was ruined.

even my secret refuge, a weeping willow with long leaves dripping over the bank of the river to make a perfect hollow, was destroyed. the branches, grown brittle with ice and drizzled with long icicles, were stock still and seperate, making the secluded cove blindingly obvious. all the same, I crawled inside, nursing my curling petals.

the trunk of the tree was no longer lathered with moss, creating a plump, if prickly, cushion to relax on. it was all frozen, flattened to a slippery, icy slope. tears pricked at my eyes, but they froze instantly, welding my eyelashes together.

oh, how I missed the beautiful summer mornings when, a book in one hand and cocoa in the other, I would hunker down in this little cave, the tendrils of willow leaves folding around me like a comforting quilt of green. sunlight would dapple the pages and my flowers perked, eager to reach for the shafts of warmth.

it was the exact opposite today. the warmth of my body plastered against the icy sheen coating the tree trunk had caused a thin layer of shiver-making water to trickle into my fur, and my flowers had retreated into their buds, but those thin shells wouldn't last long and soon, they would die prematurely. frost had crept inside my terrarium, dimpling the edges of the glass with chilly fingers. the outside was already almost covered, icy spikes decorating it and crawling towards my fur. I wrapped my large tail around myself, for once grateful it was fluffier than usual. now it was keeping me warm, not knocking over seedlings and looming piles of compost.

I was beginning to grow numb, my cheerfully pink nose dulling to a purpley blue, my teeth chattering insistently. the little plant inside me, usually curling happily, had flopped to the ground in a disturbingly death-like manner. even when it was actually winter, those leaves had glowed with health, withstanding the dreaded snow, rain, even a tsunami once. not that that was to do with the cold.

My heart pounded loud in my ears, bouncing off my rib cage. at least that meant I was still alive, right? every breath was painful now, my own saliva beginning to freeze and my nose unmoveable.

Why had I come outside? Why would I do that? I knew what it does to me and my once-lovely flowers, the cold. Of course I know. My parents had to stop me from running off to ice-skate with my friends, from snowball fights and snowmen, from sled rides in the snow, even just a chilly evening could have me out for a day with a bad cold. my flowers were stupidly weak, feeble, rubbish, rubbish, rubbish. he'd been right all along, of course he had. that stupid bright green creature was always right; everytime. and I always made mistakes, and this was my worst one yet. I glanced down at my terrarium again, not really noticing I'd stopped shivering and just turned numb, for I was far too shocked to see my little plant was crumbling, turning brown and bruised. this was it. my final mistake.

I was going to die.

And I hadn't even apologized. what had we been fighting about anyway? he'd heard the lake had frozen over and the hill frosted smooth. he wanted to go sledding right across it. I couldn't. of course. with this type of weather I'd have got a flu even just walking to that hill, right across the bridge. it was a ridiculous argument. I hate being alone when the centre is empty and cold, so I said he couldn't go on his own. I had no right too, I don't control him. I remember that scathing look he gave me before storming off. it was all my fault.

with that realisation, I turned my head to the icy slick tree bark, ready to die.

"Swizzle, please wake up!" the voice was getting desperate now. It had been echoing throughout my empty head for what felt like years, rebounding from frozen, stoney wall over and over. a broken record.

"Swizz... wake up. You can't-" a sob shivered in the cave I seemed to be in now, holding still, not repeating. it froze, like a snowflake, somehow suspended in the air above me. I couldn't see it, I couldn't see anything, but I could feel it, wrapping around me like a warm hug. how was a sob, sadness, sorrow, grief like a hug? confusion came with it, a flood rushing along the tunnels of this cave. it was a lot bigger than I'd realised, a whole world of frozen ice, silent lakes, stiff leaved trees and icicles hanging like wisteria. and green, why was there green in the middle of this snow white desert? many shades of green, rippling into one floating watermelon. a big, bulbous melon, without a speck of white on it. it seemed to be splitting, breaking open to reveal a river of red, red juice trickling towards me...

suddenly terrified, I forced myself up, eyelids flickering, tugging at the glacial spiderwebs cementing my eyes shut, throwing off the duvet of frost. where was I? What was going on?

it was still white, all white and blue. but the watermelon had morphed into a person, a somebody. somebody I knew. there was the green stripy fur, the anxious red eyes, the strange, glittering ruby of a jewel waving nervously in my face. Basil always did that when he was nervous, flick the tip of his tail to and fro. not that he was often nervous. he was Basil after all. he was perfect, I thought bitterly, still staring, stock-still at him.

Then he spoke and I threw all thoughts of anger and arguing away. "You're alive. Swizzle... I thought.. oh, Swizz-" he broke off to flick the tiny frozen teardrops from his cheek, before shaking me fiercely. My head jiggled up and down, icicle dusted hair breaking free in little pinnacles and spikes. Just as I was sure he was still annoyed at me, he stopped and clasped me in a big hug. big for him anyway, though he's quite a small guy. "Why did you leave?" he wailed, pressing his head against my frostbitten shoulder.

"I was just getting my nerve up to apologize to you - it was all my fault, I know you get frightened, I shouldn't have tried to force you to go - I made some cocoa and everything - tried out something new like you like to do - but you were gone - I was so worried - weren't anywhere-"

My head is spinning but strangely I'm beginning to warm up, my fur dripping wet from the melting ice but at least I can move my arm now. I press my paw against his muzzle and he stops, shaking his head. "I'm sorry! We need to get you home, warm you up- I had to wake you up first, see, because I could never lift you." He struggles up, stretching each leg in turn. I only then wonder how long I've been asleep for, how long he's been here. How did he even find me? He doesn't know I go here, does he? But there's no time for questions now.

I drag myself up, clinging to him and to stiffly frozen branches off the willow, which snap at my grasp. Each part of me is weak with cold, my legs fumbling and collapsing with every step. It takes us a good fifteen minutes to cross the garden and getting into the conservatory is another five. Basil gets me to lie down on the sofa and brings me my favourite quilt. He sits next to me and I curl up my legs so he's more comfy. this simple movement is mind-numbingly hard, and sends thorns of pain pricking them.

He sees me wince and reaches out to put his hand on mine, anxiety clouding his warm eyes. "Does it hurt? I can fetch you something to numb it, or a book... or we could watch something?" he grabs the remote and the tv blares to life, making my head pound with pain. too quickly, he flicks through the shows, and I cover my eyes, mind swirling.

"This one." I look up and my heart blossoms, touched to see he's stopped on my favourite series, the one he despises. The warmth is beginning to spread through me now, and when I peek at my terrarium, I notice it is slick with water but no longer frosted, Even the little plant seems to be growing stronger, one leaf flickering as I watch.

Basil's looking at me questioningly so I shake my head. It aches fiercely, a brain freeze worse than any other. "No, I don't want.. the tv on. Please." My mouth feels funny, dry and stiff. My throat burns when I talk. Sighing deeply, I roll over and gaze out the window. "Basil.." I twitch my whiskers and flash a glance at him. "I'm sorry for being such a pain. That argument was all my fault."

He smiles, a big, joyful smile. "It wasn't anyones fault. Forgive and forget, okay?"

Smiling back, I agree. He leans back on the sofa, yawning. I realise how incredibly exhausted I am, despite having been asleep for hours already. Being chilled to the bone doesn't really help you relax, it seems. Blinking sleepily, I see a glitter of sunlight force its way through the clouds, and the icicles hanging from the roof begin to drip. Everything is gonna be fine.

Before I drift off to sleep, I see the cup of cocoa Basil made, still sitting precariously on a book. Paws shaking slightly, I pick it up and bringing to my lips. It's cold now, but there's something special, something different. Something spicy, even.

A tingle runs through me as I realise it's a chili and cinnamon hot chocolate, the perfect mix of sweet and spicy. Even cold, it's just what I need to dispel the last traces of frost and I down the whole thing before sinking into a deep, dreamless sleep, the mug still hanging from my paw. It falls, the last drip of cocoa landing on the rug, as Basil begins to snore.