Excerpt From A Book I’ll Never Write: Submerged

~ Brooke F. ~ Leave a comment

The water lapped lazily at the sides of my small, sleek, wooden boat as it drifted through the clear blue water. The water departed before the hull, creating silky smooth waves on either side of the ship. The water glinted and sparkled in the midday sun, making easy to see into the depths below.

The New York City Skyline completely submerged loomed beneath the surface of the crystal water, its dark shapes giving it a ghostly and haunting look. Gazing down, it seemed so close I could touch it and feel the metal of the spires that jutted up from the one towering skyscrapers.


I gently allowed my hand to drag in the water, creating ripples as I did so. The water was cool and refreshing against my tanned hands. I withdrew my hand, knowing full well that the watery city lay hundreds of feet under. It would take an impressive scuba expedition to even touch the highest peaks of the tallest buildings, and even then, one never knew of the creates that lurked in the eerie hallways of old office buildings.
The bell hanging from my ship’s mast interrupted my thoughts with a clear and resounding clang! I jerked my head up momentarily startled. A gull sat upon the metal bell, tilting its head, giving me an almost questioning look.


“Hey, there,” I said to the feathered creature. “Looking for a handout?”
It let out a caw. Gulls were ALWAYS looking for handouts. But I knew better. Gulls were as bold as they were hungry and once one finds you have anything remotely edible in your grasp, they would not hesitate to throw themselves at you, nibbling at you with their curved beaks.


I shooed the creature away and it reluctantly flew off into the strikingly blue sky. I stared after, watching its white body disappear into the blinding light of the sun.
It’s been approximately one hundred and twenty years since the sea claimed the majority of the North American content, banishing most of its major city to the deep blue. I, of course, don’t remember this monumental event, being only 16, but my grandmother did.


“It was disastrous!” My Grandmother would tell me when I began questioning her about the event. “Or so the politicians wanted us to believe. Truth was, this flood saved us from an even greater disaster; greed.”

She then would go on and talk of the white house plunging beneath the ocean’s all too welcoming waves and how many people died and how that was but a great tragedy. But people rose from the waves, rebuilding their lives and cities above the water, creating “floating villages” and even cities that bobbed on the surface of the water. Our once organized government was in shambles as were many other countries. Old Japan was now nothing more than a memory. But New Japan was a sight to behold, at least according to the rumors. Humanity is remarkably resilient, and the Japanese people were no different. Truth being, they had more time to prepare, expecting the flood a little more early on than any of the other nations.


Some were not so lucky. Great Britain got the worst of it. Big Ben was now nothing more than an ornate home of fish and sea life.
But one thing remained without question; Many suffered at the hand of unforgiving the tide.

My Mother Taught Me…

~ Brooke F. ~ Leave a comment

1. My mother taught me TO APPRECIATE A JOB WELL DONE.

“If you’re going to kill each other, do it outside. I just finished

cleaning.”

2. My mother taught me RELIGION.

“You better pray that will come out of the carpet.”

3. My mother taught me about TIME TRAVEL.

“If you don’t straighten up, I’m going to knock you into the middle of

next week!”

4. My mother taught me LOGIC.

“Because I said so, that’s why.”

5. My mother taught me MORE LOGIC.

“If you fall out of that swing and break your neck, you’re not going to the

store with me.”

6. My mother taught me FORESIGHT.

“Make sure you wear clean underwear, in case you’re in an accident.”

7. My mother taught me IRONY.

“Keep crying and I’ll give you something to cry about.”

8. My mother taught me about the science of OSMOSIS.

“Shut your mouth and eat your supper.”

9. My mother taught me about CONTORTIONISM.

“Will you look at that dirt on the back of your neck?”

10. My mother taught me about STAMINA.

“You’ll sit there until all that spinach is gone.”

11. My mother taught me about WEATHER.

“This room of yours looks as if a tornado went through it.”

12. My mother taught me about HYPOCRISY.

“If I told you once, I’ve told you a million times. Don’t exaggerate!”

13. My mother taught me the CIRCLE OF LIFE.

“I brought you into this world, and I can take you out.”

14. My mother taught me about BEHAVIOR MODIFICATION.

“Stop acting like your father!”

15. My mother taught me about ENVY.

“There are millions of less fortunate children in this world who don’t

have wonderful parents like you do.” (What wonderful parents?!)

16. My mother taught me about ANTICIPATION.

“Just wait until we get home.”

17. My mother taught me about RECEIVING.

“You are going to get it when you get home!”

18. My mother taught me MEDICAL SCIENCE.

“If you don’t stop crossing your eyes, they are going to stay that

way.”

19. My mother taught me ESP.

“Put your sweater on; don’t you think I know when you are cold?”

20. My mother taught me HUMOR.

“When that lawn mower cuts off your toes, don’t come running to me.”

21. My mother taught me HOW TO BECOME AN ADULT.

“If you don’t eat your vegetables, you’ll never grow up.”

22. My mother taught me GENETICS.

“You’re just like your father.”

23. My mother taught me about my ROOTS.

“Shut that door behind you. Do you think you were born in a barn?”

24. My mother taught me WISDOM.

“When you get to be my age, you’ll understand.”

25. My mother taught me about JUSTICE.

“One day you’ll have kids, and I hope they turn out just like you!”

(This is and old file I found on my old laptop from a couple years back, I didn’t write it but I still find it funny. Maybe it’ll elicit a laugh from you amidst all the crazy things happening right now! Stay safe! And (for the forty billionth time) WASH YO HANDS)

100 Fears

~ Brooke F. ~ Leave a comment

From the list below count how many things you’re afraid of, then see the chart at the bottom.

[] the dark (Confession, I super was when I was little, and even then I knew it was ridiculous but I’d think myself into being scared. Not so much anymore though)
[] staying single forever (I think it would be fine. I could have pasta for breakfast and no one would judge me)
[x] being a parent (maybe a little, but more so the responsibility that comes with it.)
[x] giving birth (the paaaaain. Movies definitely don’t help this fear. And every time you talk to a mother they’re like; “Yah it was horrible I felt like I was dying” so definitely scared of pain. It hurts me.)
[] being myself in front of others (They know I’m weird)
[] open spaces
[x] closed spaces (sort of. Mcdonald’s play places anyone?)
[] heights
[] dogs
[] birds (?)

[] fish (also ?)
[x] spiders (YOU BET. Nothing should have eight legs. Nothing should have eight anything. (sorry families of eight). It also has eight eyes! A double whammy.)
[] flowers or other plants (OH NO IS THAT A BUTTER CUP???)
[] being touched (haha mood some days. But not exactly scared of it)
[] fire
[] deep water
[] snakes
[] silk
[] the ocean
[xxxxxxx] failure (Maaaaaaybeeee a litttlleee)

[] success (How??? Why???)
[] thunder / lightning (No way, thunder and lightning are nature’s fire works.)
[] frogs / toads (ugly but not scared)
[] my boyfriends / girlfriends dad
[] boyfriends / girlfriends mom
[] rats (They’re nasty but I don’t know if I’m scared of them)
[x] jumping from high places (bingo)
[] snow
[] rain (I’m sorry, what? Rain is so relaxing??)
[] wind

[] crossing hanging bridges
[] death (“You cannot kill me in a way that matters”)
[] heaven (wut?)
[] being robbed
[] falling (I think so. You know those drop towers at parks? I went on one once and got sick so never again)
[] clowns (They creepy but I don’t think I’m scared of them. I don’t exactly see how they’re supposed to be funny either?)
[] dolls
[x] large crowds of people (sometimes)
[] men
[] women

[x] having great responsibilities (Oops)
[] doctors, including dentists
[] tornadoes
[] hurricanes
[] incurable diseases
[] sharks
[] Friday the 13th
[] ghosts (Okay, I don’t even believe in ghosts but like every time in the shower and I have soap all over my face & I can’t open my eyes, I can’t help think there could be a demon right in front of my face I wouldn’t know. Like not seriously but occurs to me. Is that weird??)
[] poverty
[] Halloween

[] school
[] trains
[] odd numbers (How does that even work?)
[] even numbers (That’s odd)
[] being alone
[] becoming blind
[] becoming deaf
[] growing up
[] creepy noises in the night
[] bee stings

[x] dying completely alone (but then again, when it comes to death, aren’t we all alone? Can’t take nothing with us)
[x] needles (AHHHHH)
[] blood
[] dinosaurs (But they’re extinct, right? RIGHT???)
[] the welcome mat (uhhhh)
[] high speed
[x] throwing up (I HATE THROWING UP SO MUCH. I mean, nobody loves it, but I mean I super hate it.)
[] falling in love
[] secrets
[] flying in planes

If you get more than 30, you are basically terrified of everything. Chill out, its gonna be okay.

If you get more than 20-30, you are paranoid.

If you get 10-20, you are normal. (HEY! I’m normal!!)

If you get 10 or less, you are fearless.

If you get 0, you are a liar. 😛

Wished Away

~ Brooke F. ~ Leave a comment

Once upon a time, in a flourishing Arabian kingdom there lived a poor family in the slums of the beautiful city. The family was that of a young man with his mother and younger sister. His mother was very old and frail and his sister was very young so neither of them could work. This led to the young man, whose name was Nasir, being the sole support of his mother and sister. So, every morning, he would rise early and walk the city streets to the market place where he worked for a rich man by selling fish at a stand to those who passed by.
But one particular morning he rose late and had to walk very quickly through the streets.
I shall still be late, he thought disparagingly to himself. Then at that moment, a narrow alleyway caught his eye that he had never noticed before on his walk to the marketplace.
Perhaps it is a shortcut, he thought to himself. He cut through into the narrow street and began to run. Suddenly, he tripped and tumbled to the ground, a cry escaping his lips. He had tripped on something.
He rose, expectorating dust and sand out of his mouth and looked to see the cause of his fall. His gaze fell upon a small golden lamp, lying in its side in the dirt.
What luck, Thought he. I can sell this in the marketplace.
I bent down and snatched the lamp and commenced to dust it off. Upon doing so, glittering purple smoke erupted from the lamp, filling the alleyway.
Nasir dropped the lamp in fear as a lilac figure of a Nasir dropped the lamp in fear as a lilac figure of a man emerged in affluent golden robes from the smoke.
“I am an all-powerful genie!” He proclaimed. “You have awoken me from a great slumber and now I shall grant you three wishes!”
Nasir blinked in shock. This was too good to be true! He paused for a moment and then said, “Can I wish for anything?”
“Big or small,” the genie replied.
Nasir licked his lips greedily.
“I wish to very rich, so I shan’t be poor any longer!”
The genie bowed low.
“Your wish is my command.”
Nasir’s vision blurred momentarily and the purple smoke swirled around him, incapacitating him completely. As it cleared, he found himself standing before a colossal house with a fountain in its courtyard, decorated in luscious greenery.
“Where am I?” Asked Nasir.
“You are at your new home,” said the genie. “Inside you will find your riches along with your mother and sister.”
And with that, the genie disappeared in a poof of smoke and Nasir was left alone, standing before the large house, the golden lamp at his feet.
He picked it up and examined it for a moment as it glinted in the harsh sunlight of the morning. Then he shoved it in his satchel and entered his new house.
For a time, Nasir and his family were happy. He bought his mother and sister fine silks to wear and beautiful golden jewelry to adorn their wrists and necks. But as time went on, he gained many friends due to his riches but not all of them were wise or trustworthy. Many urged him to spend his money foolishly and to participate in foolish bets and gambling. So, inevitably, the time came when all his riches were spent, and he called upon the genie once more.
“Your wish is my command,” said the genie as he appeared before Nasir. “Big or small I shall grant it.”
“Riches were of no good to me,” said Nasir. “So now I wish for power and to rule over this many lands!”
“It shall be so,” the genie said and waved his hands.
More purple smoke filled the room and Nasir found himself in the kingdom’s palace with a crown upon his head.
Nasir ruled rather foolishly, giving in to the whims of his sly friends and did what he wished with no thought of his people.
One day his sister and mother came to him and said, “Nasir! Stopping living as foolishly as you are. While you are eating the finest food, many are starving!”
But Nasir, young and foolish as he was, ignored his mother and sister. As time went on, the kingdom fell further victim to ruin, and the people were angry.
So one dark night they rioted and stormed Nasir’s palace armed with torches. That night, half if the palace burned.
As the morning sun rose, Nasir stood among the ashes of his kingdom with his lamp in hand and rubbed it, summoning the genie for the last time.
“What is it, my master?” Asked the genie.
“Oh, woe is me!” Cried Nasir. “For my kingdom is nothing but a pile of ash and my family perished In the flames! Riches and power have failed to satisfy me! I was better off poor and selling fish!”
He knelt for the genie, spirit broken.
“Please,” he begged. “Make it as it was before. Let me start over. I wish to do it over again. And pray this time I am not so foolish!”
The genie smiled sadly.
“Your wish is my command.”
And Nasir found himself spiraling in a tornado of glittering smoke.

~*~

Nasir woke with a start and rubbed his eyes. He felt tired but knew not why. He then directed his eyes to the window of his room, and to the risen sun. He was late! Nasir rose and had to walk very quickly through the streets.
I shall still be late, he thought disparagingly to himself. Then at that moment, a narrow alleyway caught his eye that he had never noticed before on his walk to the marketplace.
Perhaps it is a shortcut, he thought to himself. He cut through into the narrow street and began to run. Suddenly, he stumbled and fell to the ground, a cry escaping his lips. He had tripped on something.
He rose, expectorating dust and sand out of his mouth and looked to see the cause of his fall. His gaze fell upon a small golden lamp, lying in its side in the dirt.
What luck, Thought he.

The End

Excerpt From A Book I’ll Never Write: The Sanction City Saga

~ Brooke F. ~ Leave a comment

No one remembers how this city came to be. No one remembers if it was once part of the real world, or if it was, where exactly in the world it was. People would tell you different stories, many completely different from one another. There have been reports of the city being sighted on maps in the United States, in various locations in Europe, or even as far as Australia. There are many conflicting reports of where people found the city, but one thing is for certain.

No one can leave.

Many strange phenomenons happened within the city on a regular basis. Some things felt out of place. Every day, people would wake up to find new buildings, seemingly out of a different era or different time, a different place entirely. Buildings that looked out of place or relics from a past long forgotten would show up, some items that didn’t even exist yet just suddenly did. It was as if the city was pulling time itself into its limits, devouring it and making it its own. Medieval castles and knights appeared out of the blue. People from thousands of years in the future arrived. People from empires long forgotten or lands thought only to be legend were seen in the flesh. Creatures thought extinct, and artifacts thought lost all appeared within the city.

People found their way to this city somehow, whether they felt a strange calling, or happened to survive what they thought was a near death experience. Others just woke up here one day. The population of the city grew, and despite their desire to go home, people soon had to accept that there was nowhere else for them to go. No matter how far they went, the city seemed to expand and mold itself to keep people within. To this day, no one has been able to escape.

The city was dubbed Sanction City seemingly hundreds of years ago, as people soon began to accept that this must have been some kind of divine punishment to trap them all here. The city felt like purgatory, and this trap was their penalty.

The general populace of Sanction City’s native-born seem to accept all of the irregularities as normal occurrences and don’t know any better. They’ve grown complacent in their way of life, and make the most of their situation and stopped trying to fight the city. Business and life began to thrive within the city like any other, but one couldn’t help but feel sorry for the unfortunate souls who happened upon Sanction City, being forced to live in a city that eats time.

Whether you’re new to the city, native-born, fighting for supremacy amongst the gangs, a student trying to get by, a squire from the medieval ages far removed from their time, or a futuristic time traveler has gone awry, there is a purpose for you in Sanction City. It’s up to you whether you want to go with the flow, or if you want to fight against time and fate itself.

Your story begins now.

Only Human

~ Brooke F. ~ Leave a comment

We’re only human so they say,

Yet so much more does fate convey,

Our paths lead across oceans, hills, and sands,

Bringing us together from different lands,

And while human we all remain,

We are so much more than just that name,

We are scholars, artists, leaders, explorers and more,

So whilst we don’t know what’s beyond that door,

We can safely say none are the same,

And that “only human” was never our name,

Excerpt From A Book I’ll Never Write: Death to Life

~ Brooke F. ~ Leave a comment

The Grim Reaper’s job is not a pleasant one. But is nonetheless necessary. Death people from all walks of life. The Rich, The Poor, The young, and the old. No one is immune. All lives must come to an end. And despite having such a grim occupation, the Reaper tries to make the best of it, asking if there are any last words and whatnot. But he can’t help but feel numb and mirthless about it all. It is a very draining job. But, as he would say, duty calls and SOMEBODY has to do the dirty work.
And so, one day, he was on a job in the slums. As he roamed the trashed cobblestone street, he saw the faint aura of death emitting from a small hovel. He sighed inwardly. Another soul to reap. The reaper adjusted his grip on his scythe and pulled his cloak closer around him and headed towards the hovel. Once inside, he found a woman buckled over on the ground.
“Sorry, lass,” he said emotionlessly. “Times up.”
She looked up at the sound of his voice and he noticed her forehead was beaded with sweat. Then she gasped.
“The baby’s coming.”
The reaper stood, mouth agape.
“What?”
“You must be a doctor!” she exclaimed. “How else would you know?”

Original Fairytales: The Lantern Princess

~ Brooke F. ~ Leave a comment

Once upon a time, there lived a princess named Nilsa. Her mother was a just and fair queen who was known for her charm and grace throughout all the land.
Her father, on the other hand, was a noble knight who fought with the ferocity of a dragon. He was both feared and loved among the people. It was he who named Nilsa, the word meaning “champion” as she would be a champion for her people.
As fate would have it, There came a time when Nilsa’s parents died she inherit the throne with reluctance.
However, word got out of her parents’ death and her father’s enemies began to make plans to attack the kingdom.
But the princess was no fool when it came to battle strategy as her father had taught her of things such as war. The enemies of the kingdom soon Found this out the hard way, returning home with few men, many of which were injured.
The rival Kings held a meeting among themselves and discussed as to how they could take the kingdom as they could not by force.
Then one proposed an idea. They would release locusts on their fields to destroy their farms.
The there agreed to this and they did as they discussed. They collected a hundred locusts and then released then on the Kingdoms fields. After a month’s time, there was no food left in the kingdom.
Nilsa’s people were hungry so she arranged and organized hunting groups to hunt down any available food. She herself was in one and so she rode out into the forest to look for game.
She came across a lady sitting in a stump. She looked haggard and was all bent over and she was very thin. A ragged cloak was thrown across her shoulders.
“Can I help you, Milady?” She asked the stranger.
“I am so hungry!” The other woman said, her voice hoarse. “I have not eaten in ten days. Please, can you prepare me a meal? If it is my last, so shall it be.”
“It shall be done,” said Nilsa. She hunted down a rabbit and killed it and returned to the woman. She then hastily made a fire and prepared it, cooking it brown. She then offered it to the lady along with some water from her own canteen.
“You are so very kind. But You are royalty? Why should you trouble with the likes of me?” The old woman said.
“A queen can eat when her subject’s stomachs are first full,” replied she.
Then the woman transformed into a beautiful shining woman in glimmering robes.
“Blessings upon you, Nilsa!” She said. “For you have proven yourself worthy. Your kingdom is ravaged with hunger but no longer this shall be.”
She then disappeared leaving Nilsa to wonder what has happened.
When Nilsa returned home, she came to find that the crops had regrown, twice as healthy and ready to harvest. Her people celebrated as they had an abundance of food.
The rival Kings marveled at this but resolved to bring Nilsa and her kingdom Down. The Kings held a meeting once more. This time they proposed they poison the kingdom’s water supply.
And so when Nilsa’s kingdom had nothing to drink, she journeyed into the forest once more in search of a new water supply. Upon searching, she came across a rabbit trapped in a trap.
“We are not hungry anymore,” she thought to herself. “So there is no need to kill it.”
And she released it but it did not run away. Instead, the creature panted mournfully and remained to lie on the ground.
“It must be thirsty as well,” she considered. And then she spotted a small well of crystal clear water. Without hesitation, she began to draw the water from out of its dark mouth. She then picked up the small creature and wasted no time in allowing it to receive the drink it had so craved. The rabbit lapped the water up greedily and then, strength regained, began to squirm. Nilsa loosened her grip, allowing the rabbit to escape.

Then suddenly, there was a bright light, and the lady in shimmering robes was present once more.
“Because you have proven yourself once again, I will aid you in your hour of need and quench the thirst of your land.”
And she disappeared once more and, like before, Nilsa returned to her kingdom to find their problem solved and the water not only purified but even clearer than before.
The Rival Kings were at their wit’s end.
“We need drastic measures!” Said one.
The others nodded in agreement and discussed what should be done. They finally agreed on a fire. They would allow the fields to catch fire from the north side of the kingdom and from the south side. The blazes then would eventually make their way to the castle and the village itself, leaving nothing but ash in its wake.
The night of the fire many lives were lost. But more than that, the village and the castle were reduced to nothing more than a few remnants of stone and charred wood.
Nilsa was badly burned but did not give up. That morning, she rose early and made her way into the forest. There, beneath a tree, sat the lady who had helped her before.
“I see that nothing will satisfy those villains but the downfall of your kingdom. But fear not as it will not come to pass for I have prepared a kingdom for you across the great divide. And there you and your people can live peaceably.”
“But the great divide is an uncrossable canyon of darkness where creatures of shadows roam,” said Nilsa. “How shall we cross safely.”
“The creatures are fearful of nothing but the light of fairies,” said she. “This I can give you so you might pass through safely.”
She stretched her hand out and in her grip was a lantern. “Light all the other lanterns with the light from this fire within the lantern and you will live to see brighter days.”
And with that, she was gone.
Nilsa wasted no time in returning to her fire scourged kingdom and telling her people of the fairy’s words. She then instructed her people to pack what material objects they had left and to arrange themselves in a line. Those who stood at the line’s edges and ends were armed with a sword and a lantern so to keep the darkness away.
And so Nilsa led her people into the dark divide. They encountered nothing though dark shapes in the distance could be seen, but they were long gone by the time they were nearing them.
Upon making it to the other side, the people were greeted with the sight of a beautiful, luscious, green valley with a castle at its center. Rivers of crystal clear water flowed throughout the rich farmland that lay in the outskirts of the kingdom and flowers of beautiful color lined the pathway that led to their new home. And there, Nilsa and her people built a new kingdom that became their paradise and they lived there happily for the rest of their days.
The ending for the evil kings, however, was not so happy. Strangely enough, one King’s water supply was contaminated. Another’s crops mysteriously withered away leaving him and his subjects with a food shortage. And yet another’s kingdom had a fire that swept across half of its entirety.
And while these Kings could not tell exactly why, but they somehow felt that it was the work of some form of strange magic. But the answer was far simpler; they were simply reaping that which they sowed.

The End

Things to do When you Just Don’t feel like Yourself

~ Brooke F. ~ Leave a comment

Is it just me, or are there days where you don’t feel anything? Maybe I’m weird but I feel like some days I’m completely out of touch. I’m uncreative, unpassionate, and, sometimes, unhappy. I don’t feel like myself. I wish I could say this funk passes, but sometimes I can go a solid week just… not feeling myself? Maybe it’s burnout, maybe it’s just emotional bleh, but either way, here are a few things that I do to feel like myself again. Maybe, if you feel this way sometimes perchance, they can help you too?

So, If you’re not feeling like yourself , try some of these things.

Go for a walk or a drive. Roll down the windows and listen to the wind. Get lost in nature. 

Listen to your favorite music. Listen to old music. Listen to your childhood favorites. Get lost in the sound pulsing through your head. 

Exercise real hard for like half an hour to a full hour and then take a looong hot shower or even a bath. The exercise will boost your endorphins and the shower will make you feel satisified and squeaky clean.

Read your favorite book. Remember what it was like reading it for the first time? Get lost with the characters and love them till the end. 

Pick yourself some flowers. Got lost in the way they sweetly smell and brighten up your room. 

Cuddle something. This can be a stuffed animal, a pet, or, if you have a designated cuddle human (apparently that’s what I’m calling significant other’s now?), a person.

Write something. A story. A letter. Anything. Get lost in the words and the way they tumble onto the page. 

Look up at the stars or watch a sunset. Get lost in the colors.

Open a window or something. Fresh air does wonders. I don’t think any candle or air freshener in the world could ever replicate the smell of crisp air.

Collect shiny things, little things that make you smile and put them in a jar. I know this sounds weird, and almost Crow like, but for me personally, I get joy from little things.

Remember, to find yourself, you might have to get lost a little bit, often in the little things. And that’s alright. Perhaps that’s why the little things are there in the first place.