little light

Whenever I start to write a poem or a story, I always need to find a song or any piece of music that matches it.  I play it again and again while writing. It's like wine to my muse.

So today, I needed to submit a writing exercise to the Internet writing workshop. The theme of the week was "Little light of mine":

In 400 words or less write a scene that takes place on the night of the Winter Solstice, the longest night of the year, and show us someone or something bringing light into the darkness.

I had no idea what I was going to write. So I thought of things that light up: candles, light bulb, sunlight, and then I got it-- fireworks!  Then I remembered a song I heard from a Taiwanese boyband:

I don't speak Chinese and yet this song managed to bring a story out of me. Music is wonderful that way, yes?   I kept playing it over and over the whole day, even though I didn't understand a word.  Here's the little scene that I wrote, I hope you all like it-- I do. Thanks F4!  Happy New Year everyone!

Two small figures ran to the playground. "Hurry up! Someone might see us!"
The girl felt her heart pound. She was tired.
"Faster, fat ass." the boy whispered.
She glared at him. "My parents will kill me if they found out about this."
"I know." he said and smiled.
"I hate you."
He laughed. She always made him feel better about being an orphan. He sat on the ground and watched her lumber.
"Hey, that's the watch that you wanted."
She looked at the pink glow-in-the-dark watch on her arm. "Yeah, my sister gave it to me this Christmas. Jealous?"
"Please, it's a girl's watch. What time is it?", he said.
She pushed up her glasses and looked again. "Uh.. it's late."
"Really, what time?"
"Like, bedtime late."
"Like, what exact time?"
"Like time for you to shut up that's what!"
He laughed so hard, he fell back on the snow. He barely felt the snowball that hit him in the chest. His laughter echoed, probably all the way to The Home. He didn't care.
Suddenly, she was standing over him, hands at her hips.
"Did you bring a lighter?"
"Yeah." she said.
He stood up and opened his backpack. There were four small skyrockets inside. One of the kids at the orphanage knew someone who knew someone who made them.
"This is going to be awesome."
"I know!"
He set them carefully on the ground and then bowed at her. She booed him.
"Alright, I'll let you have the first one. Then I'll go, then you again." he said.
Her smile faded. She took out the lighter, images of blood and burnt hands came to her mind. She looked at him, afraid. He took the lighter from her hand.
"Sorry."
He waved his hand. "Hey, if you're scared you might do something wrong. I don't want you to lose your arm. How else can you wear that pretty watch and tell the time?"
She laughed and punched him in the chest.
"Alright here goes." He lit the wick of the first one. "Stand back!"
They ran and covered their ears. The rocket made a hissing sound and shot upwards. They screamed and hugged each other as it burst in the night sky, forming a brilliant ball of gold. A cold winter wind blew at them, yet they had never felt this warm before.

christmas gifts

There's this great article on sltrib.com that listed their readers' most memorable Christmas gift. Here's my favorite:

Timeless pictures
A few years ago my husband took his 3rd grade school photo and my 2nd grade photo (both from 1959) and had them framed with photos of our two girls from their second and third grade years. It vividly shows how our older daughter strikingly resembles me and our younger daughter takes after her father. It’s priceless. — Sally Loken

The Christmas gift that I remember the most was the one from my mother. It was back in high school, at the height of my craze for anything horror: books, movies, tv shows, anything. Everyone didn't get it, my room was full of it and my mother, especially, loathed it. She thought it was creepy. But what did she give me for Christmas? A mystery novel with a big skull at the cover.

Merry Christmas everyone!

kunimasu

A team of researchers from Japan found a fish thought to be extinct for the last 70 years.

The fish is called the black kokanee or in Japanese, "kunimasu". It thrived before in Lake Tazawa, 310 miles away from Lake Saiko where it was found, but a hydroelectric project made its habitat more acidic. Since then, its numbers steadily declined. The Environment Ministry listed it as extinct in 1940.

"I was really surprised. This is a very interesting fish – it's a treasure. We have to protect it and not let it disappear again," said Tetsuji Nakabo, a professor at Kyoto University who was with the researchers that found the fish.

They found enough number of kunimasu for the species to survive, so long as the current environment is maintained. Nakabo also hoped the fishermen will leave it alone.

The fishermen's organization had a meeting last December 15, to talk about making the kunimasu's area in the lake as a no-fishing zone. They will be discussing this with the town government, residents and others.

Source:
http://mdn.mainichi.jp/mdnnews/news/20101217p2a00m0na015000c.html
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2010/12/15/scientist-says-he-found-j_n_796978.html
http://www.kfc1091.jp/Photo_Gallery/2007/pgal2007.html

people

Ships that pass in the night, and speak each other in passing, only a signal shown, and a distant voice in the darkness; So on the ocean of life, we pass and speak one another, only a look and a voice, then darkness again and a silence.
~ Henry Wadsworth Longfellow