Thursday, October 30

School... school... home... ballet... String Fling...

Physics is hard... /.\ I don't like tension or weight or Newton's Second Law. Blech. I need to read Frankenstein now. I still haven't finished Ivanhoe... but I don't think I will. I'll just get the sparknotes and answer the questions. I'm a cheater. *smile* Frankenstein is really boring so far, but the questions are easy, or so I heard.

Ballet... COSTUME PARTY!!!! The Alice costume doesn't smell any more! Hooray! But I had to leave early for String Fling. *sigh* I wish it was on Saturday or something...

String Fling... Chamber is playing V. Williams and for the finale we're playing Cripple Creek with all the little people. I fail at fiddling though...

Wednesday, October 29

School... school... violin... ballet...

I forgot my backpack. Actually, Rachel took it somewhere and I don't know where that somewhere is.... SO! I have no pencil, or homework... Which means I get to do a ton when I get home. *urk*

We had a "recording session" in orchestra today. We played Handel, but we hadn't practiced it much. It sounded funny...

Violin... I still need to memorize the Gigue. The Concerto is hard... I need help with that. The march is... blah. We play V. Williams too much in orchestra.

Ballet. I STILL NEED TO GET MY COSTUME READY! I'll dry it when I get home, and I pray it doesn't still stink to high heaven!

The Marvelous Adventures of Tippit -- Chapter 4

Serpia stared at me. "To save the world. That is what you were sent here for."
"What?!?" I shrieked. "I can't do that! I'm only eleven, for goodness' sake! How am I supposed to save the world? What about Pinnip? What's he supposed to do?"
"Pinnip? Ah, yes. The feline. Well, Pinnip can accompany you on your journey. First we must train you, though."
"Wait, what journey? To where?"
"Oh! Silly me, I forgot to explain. You are to go to the edge of Jomblia and get the Fire Sphere. Do you know why our world is so strangely colored?" I shook my head. "It is because the Fire Sphere was tampered with. The Great Pig monster, who lives in a stone castle in Sartia, stole it and uses it for a play thing. You goal is to get that back and banish the monster from his castle. We do not care how you do this deed, just please, do it." He hung his head.
Feeling sorry for him, I said, "Well, I can try my best, but I think the training would be very beneficial before I go and try to defeat the monster."
"Very good. Sleep well tonight, and we shall start your training in the morning. Good day, Tippit."

I lay awake in the soft bed the girls had prepared for me. They had given me a lovely dinner and a soft cream-colored nightgown that was cut like the dress I had worn earlier. Yawning, I thought about all the days events. Not being able to sleep, I got up and, with Pinnip, went outside to look at the stars. The sky was black, to my relief, and the stars were twinkling white. "Save the world." I stroked Pinnip's soft black fur. "How am I supposed to do that, Pinnip? What am I going to do?" Leaning against the hut, I closed my eyes. "Dear me..." I drifted into a deep, dreamless sleep.

"Tippit? Where are you, nya?" The girls were calling me. Jolted awake by the sudden sound, I leapt up. "Oh dear, oh dear, oh dear. Where is she, nya?"
"Here I am!" Picking up Pinnip I ran around the hut and into the door. "I'm sorry, I couldn't sleep so I went outside."
"Oh, my, my, my. You scared us, nya! You are to meet Master Serpia in the cavern today. Let us get you dressing in proper clothes, nya."
They stripped me of my nightgown and put the blue dress back on me. "You must hurry, nya! He will be waiting! Resti here will escort you, nya."
Resti, the girl who she indicated, was a short, pretty girl. She wore a bright green dress and had purple eyes. "My name is Resti and I will guide you to the cavern, nya."
We walked for what seemed like miles down the most gorgeous, if not the queerest, path I had ever seen. The tree that lined the road were all pink and purple. Yellow apples hung from some of the trees. I plucked one off and took a bite. It was the most delicious thing I had ever tasted. The juice ran down my chin and dripped onto the ground. It was tart and sweet at the same time. I picked another and ate that as well. The grass all around was checkered, but not black and white. Now it was black and bright green, almost the same color as Resti's dress. The pink sky was cloudless, and the huge yellow sun hung like a dish suspended in the air. The air was fresh and smelled of apples and flowers. All around the trees were little flowers of all the colors of the rainbow. They reminded me of a botanical garden I went to with my grandmother several years before.
A large waterfall loomed ahead. I could hear the splashing of the water on the rocks. The water we white and foaming. It was gorgeous. There was an overhanging rock at the top of the waterfall which created a sort of tunnel behind it. Standing in the entrance to the tunnel was Septia. He was standing with his back to us and running his hand through the water. As we walked up, he slowly turned around. "I've been waiting. Resti, leave us." She bowed, turned, and walked back up the path.
We turned and walked under the waterfall. "How did you sleep, Tippit?"
"I slept well, thank you. But, where are we going?"
"We are going to the cavern. Did they not tell you?" As we walked, a large hole in the rock wall came into view.
"Is that the cavern?"
"Yes. Please enter."
Inside the cavern was very spacious. It was at least fifty by fifty feet. Every five feet or so around the wall hung a lantern. In the middle of the cave was a tall stand, about six feet tall, that looked somewhat like a candelabra. There were fifteen candles on the black stand, which was very intricately designed. In one corner of the cave was a large trunk. The trunk was closed, but the latch was unlocked.
With long, determined strides, Serpia walked across and opened the trunk. Inside were clothes like the ones Miss Lorma wore, but different colors; a forest green tunic, a pair of black trousers, and black knee-high boots.
Serpia left so I could change. When he came back he was holding a short sword about two feet long. "This is your training sword. Cut this block of wood to chunks." He brought in a large slab of light brown wood.
I raised the sword and brought it down hard. It bounced back. I cried out in pain as the hilt reverberated in my hand. Dropping it, I shouted, "How am I supposed to do this? This sword is as dull as a play thing!"
"Keep trying. Here's some food, I will be back at night fall."
With that, Serpia turned and left.

Monday, October 27

School, school, school, nothing, ballet.

Orchestra... String Fling on Thursday. March is hard. Reprise is easy. We had to set up. Did I miss something last night? I'll have to check...

School... Physics is blah! I need to do all the Practice Problems. I did all the Review Questions. I wonder if we get the test tomorrow... I still have to read a ton of Ivanhoe... Gah! I'm so behind! I also need to do questions... I need to ask Mrs. Plehn about the questions for chapters 1-10.

Ballet... I got my leotard! But I have to wait until tomorrow to wear it. Tonight is an Advanced class. Grr... I love my new pointe shoes! *dance* Thursday is the Halloween party. I need to get my costume ready...

The Marvelous Adventures of Tippit - Chapter 3

The group of panther people edged in closer. "We were waiting for you. Welcome to Phetaria. My name is Serpia and I am the leader of this clan." He spoke in a slow commanding voice, and all the other panther people who were near kept their heads down. The leader of the group was dress like Lorma, but his tunic was purple and his trousers were red. He had an identical belt and a hat that looked like it belonged to a pirate captain. All the other panther people wore dresses that went to their mid-calves. The dresses were different shades of blue, green and teal.
"Uh... eh... hello. M-m-my name is Tippit. And th-th-this is Pinnip, my c-c-cat. Would you kindly tell me what is happening?"
"My dear girl, you are in Phetaria, one of the many countries in Jomblia. You were sent here by the magic orb we call the snow sphere. Welcome." Then, to my utter surprise, they all knelt down on one knee. "We are here to serve you."
"But I'm not princess or anything special like that! Really! You need to stand up! Please, you make me feel uncomfortable."
They all stood up. "Please, come inside and meet the rest of the village."
Everything seemed strange; blue houses, spotted people, checkered grass, purple trees, I could not begin to comprehend what type of world this was. We passed by several houses, a well, and a crowd of panther people. A huge building, a type of meeting hall I supposed, was in the approximate center of the village. It was about fifty feet long and thirty wide. It was covered in tiny green colored mosaic pieces and, like all the other buildings, had a blue thatched roof. A loud clamor could be heard from inside, and it only got louder when we entered. I clutched Pinnip tightly.
The place was filled with panther people, all dressed similarly to Lorma and the ones who greeted me at the entrance. In the center of the room was a raised platform. On it were three people, but instead of panther spots, they had stripes like a tiger. They were wearing black trousers that came up to their chests and hugged their legs closely. Their shirts were cream colored and had brownish stains on them. Their feet covered with brown, knee-length boots. Around the boots were heavy looking chains which were attached to a post in the center of the platform. Two of them were sitting and one of them was standing.
When Serpia climbed up onto the platform, the crowd was suddenly hushed. Serpia spoke in a loud voice, not shouting, but commanding. "I have here the first human to enter these realms in the past century and a half. She came to us using of the snow sphere. What do you say?"
A general murmur arose from the crowd. "We want her to speak," shouted one panther man. "Yes! Speak! Speak! Speak!" A loud chant had started.
Serpia turned and said, "Well? Tippit, why don't you speak? We all want to hear what you have to say."
I stepped forward. "Um... Hello? First of all, my name is Tippit and this is Pinnip my cat. I am extremely confused! Please, who are you?"
"We are the Greper clan! We are the Euperthas!" A chorus of answers were shouted back.
"Okay, the Euperthas. Well, I have no idea what I'm doing here, and I just want to go back home. I'm here by a complete accident. I have no idea about Grepers or Jomblia, or any of this. Please, just send me home. Please..." Then I lost it. I started bawling on the platform. Several of the girls who were around Serpia came and put their arms around me.
I was escorted out of the building and into a small hut right next door. "Calm down, dear. Let's get you out of those strange clothes and into some fresh ones, nya." The girls helped me take off my yellow sun dress and fitted my with a blue and green dress like the ones they wore. On my feet, they put black boots which came up to my knees. "There. Now do you feel better, nya?"
"Yes," I sniffed. "Thank you very much. Where is Serpia? I need to talk to him."
"Here I am." In stepped Serpia. He looked very menacing silhouetted by the light coming through the door. "What do you need?"
"I want to go home. This place is really funny. Please. How do I go home?"
"You were sent here for a purpose. You need to fulfill that purpose. Only then can you go home."
"What purpose is that?"
"To save this world."

Sunday, October 26

Church, Common Cup, Snow rehearsal, more Common Cup, go home at 9.

I woke up late this morning... *sigh*
We were about 15 minutes late for church this morning, there were no seats, but I got hot chocolate, so it was all good. Brunch was really yummy. I had coffee cake, yogurt, grapes, and the cake for the conferments. Yum.

I hung out at the Common Cup for about an hour and drank lemon tea. Leah was also there.

Snow rehearsal. I can't remember who is snow... I know Leah is one... I think Molly is one. But I just learn a most horrific fact about Columbine... I have to kiss the Harlequin on the cheek! Ick ick ick ick! And the worst part is... Jim is Harlequin! *die*

I had to stay at the Common Cup for hours on end after rehearsal. Read Ivanhoe and did stuff on the computer.

The Marvelous Adventures of Tippit - Chapter 2

Lights blinked on and off. I gained consciousness back from Pinnip, my cat, licking my face. "Ugh! What the... Oh... It's you. Good morning. Why are you licking my... Oh my word." As I opened my eyes, a strange spectacle met my eyes. I was surrounded by rolling hills covered with trees and bushes. The sky was a gorgeous shade of pink with a couple blue, puffy clouds floating by. The strangest thing was that the trees were purple and the ground was covered in black and white checked grass. I looked around, closed and rubbed my eyes, then opened again. It was still the same.
"Pinnip? Where are we? This is the strangest place I've ever been..." Then, I heard a trumpet call. "What's that?" I grabbed my cat and scrambled behind the nearest blue bush.
A woman riding a horse bareback came into my view. But, it wasn't a woman, and it wasn't a horse. It was a half-man half-leopard creature. It had the stature of a human, but was covered in brown leopard spots and yellow fur. She was wearing a short brown tunic which fell to just below her knees. She wore tan colored pants and black leather boots that came up to her knees. Around her waist was a thick belt made of leather darker than her tunic, but lighter than her boots. On the belt were several pouches, all the same color as the belt. The horse was red, but not like a chestnut color. It was scarlet and had golden hooves. She must have heard my gasp, because she suddenly stopped.
Her head turned from side to side. She sniffed and jumped of her horse with such agility, that I thought she must be a leopard. Slowly, she walked towards the bush I was hiding behind. She reached into one of the pouches on her belt and pulled out a small dagger. "Come out of there, stranger," she said in a low mysterious voice. I held tight onto Pinnip and slowly came out from behind the bush. "Name, business, species, occupation."
"I... I... My name is T-t-tippit. I-I-I don't know w-w-what I'm doing here. I'm a... girl. I don't work." My stuttered was slightly lessened by the end of my sentence.
"Of course you're a girl, child! What race are you? Leo, tigress, or panther?"
"Race? I'm a human! Do I look like an animal"
A low growl emanated from her throat. "I am not an animal. I am a panther. And how can you be a human? They have been extinct for years. I saw you just now come out of a flash so I hurried over here. What are you, girl?"
"I... I don't know. There was a ball and..."
"A ball? What did it look like? Do you still have it? Hand it over, girl, and be quick."
"First of all, my name isn't girl. It's Tippit. What is yours?"
"My name isn't important right now, but I will call you Tippit if you want. Now, Tippit, be a dear and show me the ball you found."
I reached into my pocket and pulled out the small golden sphere. "Here. I found it earlier by my house. I pushed the little black thing and it... blew up?"
"Blew up? What do you mean. Explain the situation in detail."
I explained what happened, and said "Um... what happened? I want to go back home. Can you help me, please?" No response. "Miss? Could you please help me? I'm really scared."
"Oh! Sorry, dear. Here. Hop up on the horse. I'll take you to my village." She lifted me up onto her scarlet horse and jumped on behind me. "Hold on to his mane. It won't hurt him and you won't fall off." Then, the horse leapt forward and we were off.
Purple trees rushed past. The sky, as pink as ever, seemed to stretch to infinity. The checkered grass made me dizzy if I looked down, so I kept looking up. A bird flew by with a cry. It sounded like an eagle, but I could tell that it was green with yellow wings.
Looking forward again, I spotted a small clearing in the trees. There were several houses made of blue thatched straw and white rocks. A group of the same kind of creature as the panther woman came forward to great us. "Who do you bring, Miss Lorma?"

Saturday, October 25

Ballet, computer, clean, computer, clean some more, computer, student dinner.

Today, ballet was fun, besides the fact that I was feeling icky the whole time... After turns, I kept being dizzy and it wouldn't go away. I feel better now, though. Jim is a freak. Alex had a really pretty pink leotard.

Tonight we have a student dinner* so I had to clean the living room and the kitchen isle. There was jelly all over the counter! It was really nasty.

I have to get my Halloween/All Saints Day costume ready for next week. We're going to have a costume party at ballet on Thursday! Candy and cider... Yum. I'll probably be Alice from Alice in Wonderland. My mom says I can go trick-or-treating if we recruit a bunch of people for the All Saints Day party**. I need to help with that too... I like doing the David and Goliath room and the Daniel room, but I've already done both of those... Hm...

I'm listening to Nutcracker on my iPod... wow. It's too early! I'm a bit crazy!

*Student dinner: My dad is a teacher, so every week or so we have a bunch of his students come over and my mom cooks a really yummy dinner or everyone. Then we play games. The traditional games are Catch Phrase, Pit, Spoons, Set, and Wink. It's fun, but gets boring after a while.

**All Saints Day party: All Saints Day is the day after Halloween so we have a party at my church on Halloween night. We play bible-relate games, get candy, drink cider and eat donuts, and (if you're old enough) help with the games. I'm too old to play the games anymore, so my mom lets me help for an hour. It's only two hours long, but it's still really fun.

The Marvelous Adventures of Tippit - Chapter 1

I dashed down the street and rounded a corner. Something in the shadows had caught my eye. It shimmered and sparkled for the briefest of seconds, then faded to dull again. Searching the darkness, I saw it again. It taunted me with its quick blink. Three steps, four steps, clank! I stepped on it. I looked down, and saw a small sphere. Picking it up, I inspected it carefully. It was covered in strange etchings and seemed to be made of a silver colored material. I brought it out to the sun. It glinted in the light, and I noticed a small black dot on one side. The dot was smaller than the head of a pin, but it sparked my curiosity.
Looking up, I noticed the sun was setting. It was a gorgeous pink-orange color and the puffy clouds were blue with a hint of yellow on the bottoms. It was truely a marvelous spectacle. I had always loved to watch the sun set. Each one was more brilliant than the one before it. Even if it was raining I would hurry outside to watch the beautiful orange sphere set between gray clouds and bolts of lightening.
I was due home before dusk, so I ran down the almost empty street at a brisk pace. It was Sunday, so besides a couple people who were out shopping for the next day, everybody was at home eating dinner or reading yesterday's newspaper. This town belonged to me.

"Tippit! Tippit? Where are you, dear?" My grandmother was always worried about me. She would make sure I got home before seven o'clock every night. It didn't surprise me, though. I was the only daughter of her only son. And, to make matters more complicated, I was an orphan. My parents were killed in a train accident three years before, when I was eight. My grandmother had every right to fuss over me like a mother cat. But, I had to admit, it was a bit on the annoying side.

As she opened the front door of our little house, a jogged around the corner. "Mama Beth! Mama Beth! Look what I found!" I always called her Mama Beth. "Look! What is it?" I showed her the strange orb that I had discovered earlier.

"I don't know," she replied. "Bring it in so we can look at it under a light." We stepped inside out home.

I lived in a nice house. It was about twenty years old. It had brown paint on the outside, and blue, red, yellow, green, and purple paint on the inside. There was nice, dark wood furniture and the one couch we had was upholstered with nice burgundy fabric. My grandmother always liked to clean and make the house look nice and neat. She also liked art. Several paintings that she made of me and my cat, Pinnip, hung on the wall. We also had quite a few copies of Degas paintings. My grandmother was a bit of a nutcase. She only liked Degas and the paintings she did. The kitchen always smelled like a bakery. My grandmother always had fresh baked bread. My favorite was banana-pecan bread. There were two bedrooms. One for me, and one for my grandmother. My room was painted blue and green. Hers was painted red and purple. I loved to help my grandma paint. We had no basement, but our attic was stuffed to the bring with odds and ends. Old manikins, fabrics, boxes of baby toys, and a large treasure chest were shoved in every corner possible.
We went into the kitchen and placed the tiny sphere on the table. We shone a light on it and it glinted in the brightness. My grandmother turned it over and over in her old, wrinkled hands. She studied the small dot and saw that it was a slight hole. She went to her room and brought back a pin from her sewing drawer. Handing me the pin, she said, "Here. Stick this in the little hole right there." I carefully took the pin and pressed it into the hole.
A sound like a sonic boom follow. I grabbed Pinnip. There was a huge gust of wind which blew everything except for me and Pinnip away. We were surrounded but blue, then yellow, then green, then white, then black. It was like we were in a huge vacuum. I held onto Pinnip tighter, and the I lost consciousness.

Friday, October 24

School, home, pajamas, more computer. *sigh*

Today I don't have any dance. I need to talk to Kathy and reschedule Marzipan rehearsal. String Fling is on Thursday.
I need to practice my accordian.
Physics is horrible. I need to get the table measurements from Annie or Joe and type up my lab reports.
Algebra is... ick. I need to finish yesterday's lesson, do another lesson, and do a test.
I still need to read Ivanhoe. I'm on chapter... 13? 14? I can't remember. It's the spot when Ivanhoe got injured. I need to answer the stupid questions and write stuff.
I still need to finish my flash cards for French. I did the vocabulary sheet, and now I just need to write down all the words on the cards.
I need to memorize my Wizard of Oz lines and read the Importance of Being Earnest hand outs.
Blaaaaaaaaah school.
Headache. I'll go to sleep and it'll probably go away, but it's really annoying.
Lydia got mashed potatoes in my hair! *Urk* I just took a shower too! I'll have to take another tomorrow morning.