Young Writers Society

Note: I wrote this when I was 6, my mom saved it for me in her hope chest. I did a lot of drawings and I had no idea what paragraphs even were, so to make things easier, I have included the picture and page breaks.

"Kirsten!" Said Charlotte. Charlotte waved at me; I waved back and said hi. She threw a beachball at me because she wanted to play catch. I caught the beachball and threw it back. "Ow!" I said. My foot hurt. So I looked at my foot and saw a necklace. It was sparkly and looked like a mermaid. "Mabey its magickal" I thought. So I put it in my pocket. Then Charlotte accidently threw the ball into the water so I got it. Then I was tired so I told Charlotte I had to go. She was sad. I was happy about the necklace I didn't know what it was. So when I was in my room I put it on and it turned me into a mermaid. I closed my door fast and hoped mom didn't see me. Then I took the necklace off and my legs came back. Mom made me eat dinner but I wanted to go to the beach. She saw I was in a hurry and made me stay longer. I told mom I love you and then I ran to the beach because I wanted to see what would happen if I put on the necklace. I was happy when I got to the beach. The sand felt warm.
(next page)
I put the necklace on and then I had a tale. I crawled into the water and swam to the bottom of the water. I saw pretty fish and other mermaids (picture of mermaids here, next page)

I saw a lot because I liked to swim. I saw lots of things but I was afraid to talk to the mermaids. They scared me because people at my people school didn't like me and I didn't want them to not like me. So I was quiet underwater. I missed my mom because I didn't have a dad. But I liked being a mermaid. But I still missed mom. I had to stop missing mom to feel better. So I did. Fish wanted to play with me but I didn’t want to so I said no. I felt pretty with my tale. I looked just like ariel from the little mermaid. I explored old ships just like ariel but I saw skulls and got scared so I stoped exploring.
(picture of “me” swimming some more and fish asking to play.)

I even saw mermen. They were handsom. So I met one and said hi. He was more handsom then any of the other mermen. The other mermaids were jealous. We swam away together and got maryed and kissed. (picture of mermaid wedding here, next page)

We made a house out of seashells and he kissed me three times and then there were mermaid babies. But Oh no! Then we saw a shark. It was scary and it hurt me. (drawing of shark, next page)

But then a dolphin saved me when I almost died. The dolphin talked to us and he was our friend. His name was Oscar. The dolphin played with all the mermaids because he was nice. Oscar also helped us get food and lived with us. We all lived happily ever after. The End! (drawing of mermaid family with dolphin)

Rain poured from the sky in fat droplets, running down Coventina's neck and soaking her down to her undergarments. She didn't care, though. She tilted her face to the sky and let the water pour down her eyes and nose, feeling more refreshed than she could ever remember. The world smelled of rain and spring flowers, bringing a kind of lightness to her heart nothing else ever could.
She kicked at a puddle, splashing her friend and knocking her out of her day dream. Innocently, she clasped her hands behind her back and looked away.
"Covie!" Dysis screeched, laughing and pushing the younger girl away. "My goodness, that's cold."
Coventina shrugged. "Eh. It could be colder. I'd rather be here than inside. Inside is where he is." She shuddered and kicked a pebble off the path and into the garden, splashing Dysis again.
"That'll infuriate the gardeners," she muttered under her breath. "Their pristine flowers and hedges disrupted by a pebble. Like a king disturbed by a mere peasent."
"What was that?" Dysis snapped out of another daydream. "Stop splashing me! My dress is wet enough as it is."
"Hm? Oh, nothing. I didn't say anything." Coventina looked towards the castle, a shiver running down her spine. "I've been trying a new method. Perhaps if I'm insufferable, my darling Prinssi won't want anything to do with me. I'll only be graced by his presence at night."
"That's when I'd want to see him least," Dysis muttered, a disgusted crinkle in her nose. She shook her head.
"Yes, well. Perhaps he'll see no need to summon me even then, as Asibas is already crawling with his children." Her stomach filled with nausea as she forced the thought of him from her mind.
Dysis covered her mouth, her eyes betraying the laughter she was trying to keep hidden. "Sh, Covie! Trees have ears," she whispered.
Coventina glanced towards the glade as a gardner slipped behind a weeping willow, trimming the same branch he had been since they started their walk. Coventina rolled her eyes.
"Whoops," she whispered. Is Jedrek really so paranoid that he would employ a spy to trim the hedges?
"Tina!" a voice called. Coventina groaned as a man barely older than herself ran through the garden, careful not to trample the meticulously trimmed grass. He stopped in front of her, breathing heavily with an apologetic look on his round, pleasent face.
"Time, Eddie?"
He nodded. "He's in an especially rotten mood, today. I'd be careful if I were you." He leaned in closer. "There was throwing things and yelling and such. Really not pleasent. It's really quite awful of them to make you go."
"When is he pleasent? Let's go, I suppose. We don't want to keep him waiting. That'll only add to the time."
She straightened her shoulders and roamed down the path, her shoes making sloshing sounds. Suddenly the rain wasn't nice anymore, and she just felt cold.
"Tina? Do you want to borrow my coat? You're too wet, you'll catch a chill."
She shook her head. "No! No, of course not, Eddie. I'll be fine. Besides, you're wet, too, you need it just as much as I. I'll warm up once we get inside."
"Alright. I'll send for a maid to start a fire in your room for when you get home. No doubt you'll still be cold then."
She smiled. "Thank you, that's very sweet of you." She stopped and stood for a moment, furrowing her brow and turning around.
"Dy? Why are so you so slow? Hurry up."
"Oh no, Covie, don't worry about me. I'm just enjoying the rain. Keep walking, you don't want to be late." She smiled contently and dawdled, kneeling to sniff a rose or inspect a colored rock.
"Now she wants to enjoy it, when we're done walking." She shook her head and looked up at Edwin. "She wanted to go inside when we were walking, you know."
"Oh really," he muttered, his eyes darkened. He glanced back at Dysis, clenching his jaw. "What a coincidence."
They chatted mindlessly as they went down the path, Coventina slowing her steps as they got closer and closer to the palace.
"Oh, Eddie, I really don't want to go," she sighed, making a face at the castle before them. Even the stone looked cold and unfeeling, grey and harsh in the overcast. The beauty and marvel of the building should have meant to much more to her than it did, but the only thing she could think of when she saw the majestic masterpiece of a palace was that she would live there day.
He smiled at her sympathetically. "It's only for a little while, then you can go home. If you try hard, you won't even cross his path for another week."
"Until we're married," she muttered crossly. "Thanks for walking me here. I really don't like going that path alone. It's too perfect." She looked back. "And Dysis certainly wasn't going to walk with me."
At her name, her friend sped up, panting as she made it to Coventina's side. "Sorry, darling, it's just so nice with the flowers and whatnot." Dysis smiled at Edwin. "Besides, I'm sure Edwin was happy to walk you. With all the chores and such Jedrek piles on for him, there's no way you see each other as much as I'm sure either of you would like, hm?"
"It was nice. It was great to be able to talk to you, Eddie. I've really missed you." She held out he hand and he kissed it.
"I've missed you, too." He nodded to the girls. "Well, I'd best be off. Good luck with Jedrek, Tina. And Dysis... always a pleasure."
He looked at the sky and sighed, trudging off on the muddy path to the stables and whistling a tune. Coventina winced.
"Oh, poor Eddie. Looks like Jedrek has his mucking out his horses. On a day like this... has the man no heart?"
Dysis smiled impishly. "Oh, Edwin will be fine. I'm sure. He seems to be in such a fine mood. Anything can be enjoyable when you're in a good mood."
Coventina raised her eyebrow skeptically. "Even mucking out horses? Really, Dysis? I'm sure." She straightened her back and took a deep breath, facing the large, ornate doors. "Well."
Before she could knock, a servent let her slip in, Dysis behind her. The light made her crinkle her nose, but the heat was more welcome than she was willing to admit. "Thank you, Sebille. I suppose it's not the most pleasent of days, is it?"
"No, Princessa, I suppose not," a deep voice from behind the door, called. "Perhaps you shouldn't have spent so much time traipsing in the garden." Jedrek showed himself, smirking and leaning against the wall. "Sebille!" he barked. "Fetch the Princessa some dry clothes."
"Don't call me that," Coventina hissed as the servent woman led her away. "I am no Princessa."
She stopped for a moment, watching Jedrek and Dysis.
"Why are you here?" He asked her, looking her up and down. "You can go back home, the Princessa will be fine for a few hours."
Dysis stood indignantly. "Why? I'm doing no harm."
"There's not a place for you here. Just return and Coventina will meet you when we're done. It's not a hard concept to grasp!" He crossed his arms and glared. "Sebille! What are you still doing here? The Princessa will catch a chill if you wait much longer."
Coventina began to walk slowly again, listening closely to their conversation.
"It's a castle! How is there no place for me?" Dysis exclaimed. Coventina could hear the irritation in her voice.
"I am Prinssi. You will not talk to me like that. If you won't leave on your own, I'll have someone escort you."
"Just go, Dy. I'll be fine. I'll meet you back at home." Coventina gave her a reassuring smile before turning back around and following Sebille to a chamber. She winced as she heard the door slam. "I can handle myself," she muttered. "I'm old enough to handle a spoiled prinssi on my own."
Sebille glanced at her with pity as she shut the door to Coventina's future chambers. "Alright, dear, let's find you something a tad bit drier, shall we?"
Coventina shed her clothes, layers falling to the ground in a sopping pile, water leaking on to the floor. "Sorry," she muttered, wringing out her hair. Sebille just smiled as she helped her dress again, lacing her corset tighter than it was before. Coventina pulled back.
"What's that?" she asked hesitantly. Sebille shook out the pale green dress.
"It's what his highness has your wardrobe stocked with. Would you like me to chose somthing else? They're all mostly the same though."
"Nothing warmer?" she asked. Sebille shook her head. Pig, Coventina thought in disgust. She gritted her teeth as the woman slipped the dress over her head and laced the back. The neckline as low as that of a dancer's. I'm going to murder him in his sleep.
"Is there a shawl I could use? I'm chilled to the bone." Coventina was glad that she was shivering violently, pulling the heartstrings of the kindly woman.
"Of course. I can't imagine how cold you must be." Coventina dried her hair as Sebille found a heavy wool cover, wrapping it around the girl's shoulders. Coventina sighed, her arms starting to regain feeling.
"I should probably return to the Prinssi," Coventina muttered. "The same place as usual?"
Sebille nodded. "Good luck, child."
Coventina wound through the halls, scaring herself with how well she knew the castle. She almost wished she would get lost in the halls, all identical and winding, but her feet carried her to her betrothed. Her feet were failing her.
She groaned as she stared at the wooden door, pushing it open. The room was far too warm and comfortable for it's purpose, with it's crackling fire and inviting sofas. She loved the dark wood and red cloth, but the simply beautiful sitting room was worthless when her Prinssi was there.

Coventina walked along the palace's garden paths, tilting her head towards the sky to feel icy raindrops fall on her face. She kicked a muddy puddle in the direction of her friend, missing, but still managing to get a frightened squeal.

"Covie, stop that! You're infuriating, you know that?" Dysis teased, squeezing the shorter girl's shoulders.

"I know," she responded, laughing. "I'm practicing for Jedrek. I figure the worse I am, the more time he spends with those other women. Smart, eh?" She kicked rocks into the flower beds, something she knew would infuriate the gardener's.

"Not really, being him, I wouldn't be surprised if he hit. Not that I blame you, of course, trapped forever with that insufferable prince." Dysis stuck out her tongue in an un-ladylike manner.

"You're not helping, Dy. I figure if I keep busy, I'll only have to see him at night."

"That's when I would hate to see him more," Dysis said, shuddering.

Coventina leaned her head on her friend's shoulder and sighed. "I know. I dread it more that you could ever imagine. Perhaps he'll find no need to sleep with me, as Asibas is already crawling with his children." She said, grinning.

Dysis laughed, but covered her mouth quickly. "Careful Covie, the flowers have ears."

Coventina glanced glanced sideways, making eye-contact with an eavesdropping gardener. "Oops," she whispered with a giggle.

"Well, speak of the devil." Dysis muttered, gesturing over the the shaped hedge.

Coventina crossed her arms. "Time already?" She called out, sighing as Edwin ran though the garden.

"Yes, he's in a bad mood today, Tina." He panted, stopping a few feet away from where the girls stood.

She scoffed. "When is he not? Dy, come with me, I really don't feel like putting up with him all alone."

Dysis hooked her arm around Coventina's elbow and the two followed Edwin as he hurried though the maze. They didn't talk, the impending visit hovering like a cloud over them. They ran through the garden until the castle came into view. Jedrek stood under the palace overhang, looking positively moody.

"You're wet," he said, curling his lip into a sneer and pulling at a drenched lock of hair.

"Only a little." She responded, glaring up at the man almost a foot taller than her.

"Sebille!" he barked, "Fetch the Princessa some dry clothes. We don't want her catching a chill."

''Do not call me that," she hissed as the chamber maid dressed in blue herded her away. "I am no princessa."

He smirked at her and waved as she was pushed down the hallway.

~~~

"He wants me to wear this?" Coventina questioned, picking up the gown with her thumb and forefinger, making a face of disgust at the low-cut bodice.

"I'm sorry, Neinen, but this is mostly what your wardrobe consists of. Once you're married, that's all he has had made for you." Sebille looked nervous, as though Coventina would hit her.

"Pig," she muttered under her breath, hatred for her betrothed growing.

She slipped off her clothes fast, the chill starting to make her shiver. Sebille started to redress her, a much hated, but needed practice. Coventina remembered the time she had tried to lace her own gown, which only resulted in frustrated tears. Her soaked hair was gathered into a net and the maid patted her shoulder.

"You look beautiful, miss. Hurry along now, I'm sure The prinssi is waiting for your return.

Coventina shook her head and started to walk down the corridor as slow as possible, dreading this visit.