Welcome to the Romantic Friday Writers' fortnightly writing challenge, started and hosted by DeniseCovey_L_Aussie , where participants share their own 300-400-word text - story or poem - to a given prompt or on a given theme. This time, for Friday 9th of March, Challenge No. 33, the prompt is 'I love you because...' and must be a part of the poem or story. My text is written directly for this REW-challenge. (I expanded a 100-word post for Mrs Jenny Matlock's Saturday Centus.)
This is my daughter, Elisabet, who, in this photo, is very sad about Pelle the cat,
having to go. Elisabet is the model for the character Melissa.
[Photo Copyright 2011-2012 Christina Wigren]
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Here is my text :
'I love you because...'
'I love you so much, Pierre!' said little seven year old Melissa to the tuxedo cat that she held in her arms.'Hope they won't want you.'
'But Melissa, we've already talked about having five cats here.'
Surprisingly, the Jones family did want the nine-month-old kitten. He could roam their farm and still keep warm in their son's bedroom. Melissa had thought that Pierre was the one she liked least. But now that he was about to leave, he had become attractive.
Her mother said, 'Wish Pierre luck, give him a hug and then hand him over to Mr Jones'.
'Be a good cat, Pierre. I'll come and visit you soon', said Melissa kissing his furry face. Pierre was warm and soft to hold and he purred in her ear. Melissa loved him, but she could do nothing more than to let Pierre's new owner lift him from her hands.
'Be a good cat, Pierre. I'll come and visit you soon', said Melissa kissing his furry face. Pierre was warm and soft to hold and he purred in her ear. Melissa loved him, but she could do nothing more than to let Pierre's new owner lift him from her hands.
Later that evening, Melissa fell asleep and dreamed. In her dream, she was on the farm. It was summer, not winter, last summer when the kittens were only some weeks old, fluffy and tiny. She saw Pierre with his brother and his sisters. Melissa approached Pierre and wanted to scoop him up in her arms. Pierre looked straight into Melissa's eyes, opened his mouth and said. 'Oh Melissa, you came!' He had a soft but clear voice. Melissa could not recall that Pierre could talk.
Melissa felt her limbs grow numb, and Pierre seemed to grow before her eyes. But his proportions remained the same as a kitten's. He just got bigger and bigger until she was standing looking at him eye to eye. It seemed that the whole world had grown with him. The trees and the farmhouse had also grown. She looked down and saw two white kitten paws where her hands should be. Her arms were covered in striped ginger fur! It wasn't Pierre that had grown; it was she who had skrunk and become a little kitten herself!
'Oh my!' said Pierre 'I must show you to our two-legged mummy. I hope she'll let you stay with us.
'Do you want me to stay with you, Pierre?'
'Oh yes, Melissa. Please stay. I love you. I have always loved you. Now I love you even more. I love you because you are the prettiest little kitten in the whole world.
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Word count according to WordCalc: 400; 'FCA', Full Critique Acceptable.
This is Pelle, the inspiration for Pierre:
[Photo Copyright 2011- 2012 Christina Wigren]
This is Anna-Mathilda, the inspiration for Melissa's new life as a cat!
[Photo Copyright 2011- 2012 Christina Wigren]
Thank you Nancy for including Elizabeth Barett Browning's wonderful poem on the RFWers blog:
| "How do I love thee? Let me count the ways..." by Elizabeth Barrett Browning (1806-1861) |
| How do I love thee? Let me count the ways. I love thee to the depth and breadth and height My soul can reach, when feeling out of sight For the ends of Being and ideal Grace. I love thee to the level of everyday's Most quiet need, by sun and candle-light. I love thee freely, as men strive for Right; I love thee purely, as they turn from Praise. I love thee with a passion put to use In my old griefs, and with my childhood's faith. I love thee with a love I seemed to lose With my lost saints, --- I love thee with the breath, Smiles, tears, of all my life! --- and, if God choose, I shall but love thee better after death. |
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Best wishes,
Anna
P.S.
This is a work of fiction inspired by the departure of our boy cat Pelle to his new forever home. Pelle is Pierre and my daughter Elisabet is Melissa. The ginger kitten that Melissa turns into is a kitten named Anna-Mathilda.
Now we only have four cats in our crowded four-room apartment. Read my 100 word version of this for my post for Mrs Jenny Matlock's Saturday Centus here.
This is a work of fiction inspired by the departure of our boy cat Pelle to his new forever home. Pelle is Pierre and my daughter Elisabet is Melissa. The ginger kitten that Melissa turns into is a kitten named Anna-Mathilda.
Now we only have four cats in our crowded four-room apartment. Read my 100 word version of this for my post for Mrs Jenny Matlock's Saturday Centus here.
First Commenter:
Ann Thompson
of
Ann's Snap Edit & Scrap
Or to read other texts for Romantic Friday Writers Challenge No. 33, with the theme 'I love you because...', please visit this site or click on the image below or scroll farther down to the main linky.
