It's supposed to be my last day at Ideasmith today, had I not extended my stay for two weeks. At this stage, however, it feels like I'm the one benefiting, not the company. We're working on a killer project now, one I hope to make a final snatch to my portfolio before leaving.

Came across an interesting book weeks ago. It's titled 'The World's Shortest Stories Of Love And Death'. And guess how short? 50 WORDS! Yeah, every story is exactly 50 words long, yet contains some sort of plot twist. Incredible or what? At the risk of getting sued, I'll soon post some favourites for y'all to see.

And...it's storytime, kiddos.

Slumber (Part 5 of 10) (Did I mention that this story IS heading somewhere?)

"It's gone!"

"What?"

"The Bed," Lenny pointed at an odd flat-grassed patch. "It's supposed to be here."

"And it isn't?"

He rolled his eyes at her, annoyed.

"Where could it be, then?"

"Someone moved it," he pressed his nose to the ground. "And they smell suspiciously close."

It was the Twins,
Curse their dismal grins

"Lenny," Jenny tugged fearfully. "Th-the trees! They're whispering!"

"The Twins, eh? Which way did they go?"

North of the bony oaks
Whichever way the stew cooks

"Thank you," he kissed the ground, and turned to Jenny. "Follow me."

She trailed him to a bumpy path lined with elderly-looking trees. As though by magic - if it wasn't in fact that - their knobbly branches pointed the same way.

They went that way
Fine as any breezy day

Suddenly a distant rumbling shook the trees like leaves. As if they weren't quivering badly enough already, the leaves themselves shook like leaves. It was a faint, steady rumble; the sort that made you feel all queasy and calm-before-the-stormish.

Black, Black, trouble at hand
Broken dreams awaiting the sand

Boom! A wolf-like creature pushed through the oaks, howling to announce its arrival. It was a hulking beast, no smaller than Lenny, jet black all over. A blackened trail, not unlike soot, lingered from its path.

Lenny snarled. "Jenny - I'll distract Black here. You go where the trees are pointing. Keep running till you see the Twins with the Bed. Shadow them till I get to you. Leave a trail."

She nodded, and made a dash. At once Black pounced viciously at her. Lenny, however, saw it coming and charged at him mid-air.

Both wrestled to the ground, snapping at each other's throats. Black was the more powerful of the two, but Lenny was quicker and more agile with his wings. Each time Black tried to pin him down, Lenny's wings would flap violently, forcing Black to back off.

Eventually though, Lenny would tire and allow an opening to gash his chest. As usually is the case, injury led to injury - and it didn't take a Wizard of Oz to foretell the battle's outcome.

*****

"My ears decieve me!" Scatter Witch shrieked. "Surely!"

The Night Mare neighed and stomped again.

"Go away."

It burst into lucent flames and bolted out the door, almost catching Bo on the way out.

"Now what?" Bo grunted.

"Apparently," she folded her arms. "The Twins couldn't find the Bed. Someone moved it before they arrived."

"Mystifying."

She glared daggers at him. "And no one else would have the power to do that."

"I could say the same of you."

Her fists clenched white. "So be it, till proven guilty. I shall fly myself to the Trembling Woods, and seek out the Bed. You keep an eye on things."

"Be my guest."

Perfect. Just perfect.

The Worst Writer In The World

The Worst Writer In The World
Put down his pen
He couldn't write from nine to five
Why, he couldn't even write to save his life

The Worst Writer In The World
Tore up his book
He never knew the right words to say
Why, he even forgot what he wrote yesterday

Alas, The Worst Writer In The World
Never knew what to write
Till he saw others write it
He wrote for hours and hours to no end
But always saw the same from beginning to end

His stories wasted his time, his poems wasted his rhyme
Tall tales, short stanzas, fiction, faction
Meanderings, panderings, wanderings, bickerings
Gibberish!
Rubbish!

Indeed, he said
I am The Worst Writer In The World
I quit!

And somewhere between the pages yellow
The Best Writer In The World died, poor fellow

Slumber (Part 4 of 10)

So much has happened lately. Okay, not a lot actually, it's just one big thing that seems to have far-reaching consequences.

My company's (still Ideasmith at the moment) Creative Director passed away suddenly from a stroke last week. He was 55, had two kids of 10 and 14, and was apparently a well-respected figure in the Chinese literature community. His name was Lim Yew Chuan.

And it couldn't have come at a worse time, exactly one week after I tendered resignation. Things were mightily sombre around office last week, and at most times I felt like jerk for leaving as everyone was picking up the pieces. Was also afraid that my boss would persuade me to stay a little longer - which he did yesterday, asking for 2 more weeks. Will need to talk to Joescher (my soon-to-be boss) about that.

On the flip side, it was nice to see us grow closer - somehow, everyone's been more helpful and co-operative these days. It's a shame that as I'm leaving, the company seems to be entering a period where us young 'uns will be called upon to step up. But live life with no regrets, I say.

Oh wow...a preamble that's already half-a-post long. That's what I get for not updating in ten days.

Slumber (Part 4 of 10) (And believe me, this story IS heading somewhere)

"Across the Trembling Woods. That's the only way we can get to the Great Bed." Lenny murmured.

"But why can't I just sleep here? See, my eyes are shut already!"

"You won't be able to. The only way back is through the Bed. Now hurry, before Bo gets there first!"

Jenny held on for dear life, as Lenny spiralled downwards to a gloomy green patch. It was an overgrown mess of quivering, sorry-looking plants, stretching out to forever.

"Get down." He took care not to hurt her. "Hand on my tail. And no letting go."

One foot before the other, the two ploddingly made their way to the heart of the woods, taking care not to trip on the snaking weeds. The constantly trembling canopy very soon became dizzying, making sunlight dance in and out their eyes. You never knew when an innocuous-looking bush would just shake violently, and burst into a flight of leaves.

"Lenny," she suddenly quipped. "What if we can't get to this Bed? Will I see Mom and Dad again?"

His caramel eyes met hers. "Of course we'll get you back safely."

"It'll all just be a bad dream?"

"Yes."

She caught an uneasy glint in his eye.

*****

"Without the Great Bed, there is no way she can wake up."

Bo peered up from his notes. "Mm? And?"

"I've sent the Twins to take care of it. Black will track down Lenny and the girl."

"Good, good."

"Ahem," the Scatter Witch tried unsuccessfully to see what Bo was writing. "You still haven't told me how much of Slumber I'll get."

"You're afraid I'll trick you."

"Can't be too careful."

"How would I dare mess with the mighty Scatter Witch," he scoffed. "After all, you're the only one who has seen a thousand years of Slumber."

"And Lenny."

"But you said he was weak. Which was why you left him to seek the Night Mares."

"Whatever you're thinking," she glared piercingly at him. "Remember this: I can thrive in any dream of any child. But you, my friend, can only exist within the mind of this girl."

"If ever Jenny awakes," her pencil fingers snapped. "Poof."

"Heh. You worry too much."

Oh how you underestimate me, Witch.

Slumber (Part 3 of 10)

It's April! And not a single meaningful story post yet for the year.
So what's new? I finally resigned last week, will be starting a new job in Sri Hartamas next month. Gonna miss lunchtime shopping in Mid Valley, but you take some and give some...
And before I forget...something I wanted to include in my Wikipedia post, but somehow overlooked. Make it a point to check out this admirably ridiculous site: www.uncyclopedia.com

Jenny looked up, startled. What new uncomfortable twist was this?

A glassy pair of doggy eyes stared back at her. In the strangest, most inexplicable way, she was being taken away in the jaws of a big flying dog.

"Hullo there!" the dog gruffed. "Sorry I had to introduce myself like this. Name's Lenny."

"I-I'm Jenny."

"That I know. I'm taking you now to the Great Bed."

"Great Bed?"

"Jenny," Lenny descended and dropped her gently onto a cloud. "Every night you go to sleep and start dreaming, this Land of Slumber comes alive. We all have our little adventures. Sometimes you join us. Sometimes you sit by watching."

"When you eventually wake up, everything disappears. Nobody remembers what happened the night before. Nobody but three people - you, me, and the Scatter Witch. Everyone else fades to the back of your mind."

"But you're not really a person." Jenny giggled.

Lenny frowned. "A little seriousness. Please."

"Sorry."

"So here's the problem. I don't know how, but tonight Bo has somehow gained dream awareness. He knows that this is a dream, and you're the one keeping it going. His existence depends on you staying asleep."

*****

"I have a little...idea." Bo snorted a wisp of smoke at the Scatter Witch's face, annoying her to bits. "You might be able to help me. Help us."

"What in your dreams do you want?"

"Just think. Wouldn't it be amazing if we could make the Land of Slumber...last more than one night?"

Her pale eyes grew wide. "You're not supposed to say that. None of you dreamlings ever should."

"Well...I did."

"B-but...how? It's not possible!"

"We'll deal with the nitty-gritties later. Now are you interested or not?"

Her eyes became slits. "Tell me more."