[Contest] A Valentine's role playing Story!

[Sinister-King]

Is gay story accepted or is it against peg-7?

Hello Kaakao,

Absolutely nothing wrong with it.

However I'd like you to private message me the entry and await approval before submitting.

Thank you,
Sinister-King

[Balerathon]

not meaning to sound a homophobe, but it's against the law to expose anyone under the age of consent to references of homosexuality in the uk.

[LadyElia]

She wasn't sure just how long she stood there staring at the faded lines, but when they began to blur, she realized that she was blinking back tears. Now, where had those come from? It wasn't like this was the first Valentine’s Day she would be alone, but there had always been so many other things to fill her time – her training (on the sly, of course – couldn't let dear old dad catch her!), then never ending quests and pirates, bandits or traitors to ferret out and crush. Not the most lady-like of pastimes perhaps, but they suited her just fine.

Her mind wandered back to those long-ago days when all of life was a new adventure. The first time she’d seen him, he was face down in the muck after having the misfortune of approaching her father’s battle stallion from the wrong direction. When he’d managed to roll over, gasping for air like a beached trout, she desperately tried to smother giggles at the grime now bedecking what had been carefully combed hair and a neat groom’s uniform. Others stepped forward to take their horses, and she found herself awash in the mayhem of the welcome for the King’s newest general and his family. It was several weeks before she saw him again - this time, she peeped from the shadows as he hummed and wielded a brush with smooth, steady strokes. There was something about the rhythmic gentleness of his touch and the taunt sinews of his arms and shoulders that mesmerized her. Then the old gelding nuzzled his shoulder with a contented grunt, and he smiled.

She stroked the letter and smiled – oh, she had thought her heart was going to flip out of her chest – her objective from that day on was to see if she could make him smile, to have that look directed at her! And she had succeeded – the first smile came as she shyly offered his gelding half of the apple she was feeding her mare. He never addressed her, but he didn't seem to mind if she came and sat on a barrel while he swept stalls, or asked a thousand questions which he answered with patient kindness. Of all the grooms, he always made time for her, showing her how to care for her mare, repair her tack or care for a wound. He never laughed at her as she limped back, torn and scratched, from yet another attempt to prove her worth as a scout.

Reading the letter again, she wondered what might have happened if she had sent it. True, he was kind to her, but didn't he treat everyone courteously? And yes, he did help her with anything and everything she asked, even her wildest schemes, but wasn't he helpful to everyone? As she smoothed the letter back into its well-worn folds, her memories drifted to the night she had written it – the night before a battle which she was truly afraid might be her last. This was not the only letter she had written in those early dark hours, but it was the only one she had not given to the courier.

She sighed as she tucked the letter back into her equine anatomy book and had to admit to herself that her heart had long ago been given into his keeping, whether he knew or not. Between her campaigns, she found ways to casually ask about him and as the years passed, began to wonder that he had not found some lovely young thing to make a home for him. When she was at the capital, he always seemed glad to see her, and if she teased about his need to find a wife, he would just give her an indefinable look for a moment, then shrug and laugh.

Suddenly, her breath caught and her eyes widened – how could she have been so blind? That look! She HAD seen it before – in a man's glance at his sweetheart! Could it be that he thought of her that way? With a pounding heart and swift steps, she crossed the room to remove the letter with trembling hands. Her desk, never tidy at the best of times, was upended as she searched for an envelope and stamp.

Three days later, she stepped into the stable uncertainly, hesitating for a moment on the threshold. He turned, and there was that sun-brilliant smile; he took two quick steps, and she was in his arms. She would not be alone this Valentine’s Day.

[Dopey]

There was no rules on length so:


Mark felt sleepy and finally fell asleep after having enjoyed a good cup of brew by the fire. He was startled out of his sleep by a very loud bang from a nearby room. “Great! It’s probably that silly cat again!” he mumbled to himself as he got up out of the chair and walked over to the room. When he got inside the room it had looked like every single book had fallen from his grandmother’s bookshelf. “If I catch that cat…I swear…I will…mehhhhh” he said as his anger deflated into resigned apathy.

After spending a good hour picking up all the books from the floor and placing them back to their rightful place Mark noticed an old letter on the floor. He picked it up and gave it a little dust off before reading it. As he read he had a sudden flash back. It was the first love letter he ever wrote and had every intention of sending it to the then, and still, one true love of his life Esmeralda, but just never had the guts to do so.

He was suddenly overcome with nostalgia, excitement and panic as he realized he’d been alone all this time admiring and pining for her when she probably didn’t even know he existed. At this point he also realized Valentine’s Day was fast approaching. An uncharacteristically fierce sense of determination rose up inside him as he decided to do something about his never told one true love. But as soon as he decided to do something he was stumped as to what he could do. Memories of his time at school, sitting two rows in front of Esmeralda came back to him almost at the same time he decided to do something about his heart’s desire. She was out of his league. Her father was the chief executive of the towns bank and one of the most richest and influential people in the town. Esmeralda was therefore part of the popular ‘in’ crowd, all trying to be her friend. Whereas Mark was the class looser. He had a couple of good friends but they were like him on the social scale of things. He had no chance with a girl like Esmeralda, she would want a rich, handsome guy with connections. Someone her father would approve of, probably hand his business empire over to when he retires. Mark was just a baker’s son, who if he was lucky would end up inheriting his granddads bakery.

With such damning social inequality hampering his resolve before he even got started Mark went and made himself another brew then took it back into the living room to sit and think about what he could do for Valentine’s Day that might impress Esmeralda.

By early afternoon many ideas had come and gone but none had seemed actually workable. The biggest problem Mark faced was that he didn’t know where or what Esmeralda was doing these days. Last he heard she wanted to be a horse breeder and her father would buy her a stable. Deciding if he was going to do something he would actually need to start somewhere or he would forever be alone, he got out of his chair put on a coat and headed outside.

Mark walked through the village getting mud all over my shoes and hoping one day the mayor would make roads mandatory. After a few minutes he heard his name getting called. “Mark! Mark! Hey wait up!” shouted Gina as she ran out of her father’s bow making work yard as he passed it. “Oh, hey Gina! How are you?” he asked groaning a little, not wanting to get distracted from his mission, fearing if he did he might lose his determination before he actually achieved anything. Gina was one of the few friends he had at school and being fairly close by was the one he had kept in contact with the most since they left school altogether. “I’m pretty good thanks! You ok?” asked Gina all smiles. “Can’t complain. What’s up?” asked Mark. “Oh…err I just saw you going passed, wanted to say hi, you seem like you’re going somewhere? Usually you don’t leave the bakery?” queried Gina full of curiosity. “Ah yes well I guess you could say I’m either going to do something very brave or very stupid. I’ll let know in a few days, but while I’ve got this feeling I’m going to run with it and hope for the best” Mark replied. “Huh? What are you planning to do then?” asked Gina now a little worried. “I’m not sure yet to be honest. I found…something a few hours ago and it’s made me realize if I want my heart to be happy then I need to do something about it, not just sit and kneed bread all day!” replied Mark. Gina became very interested at this point and asked “Your heart? You mean you’re going to ask someone out or something?” “Maybe, like I said I don’t know. I realized I first need to figure out what Esmeralda is doing these days, that’s where I’m off to. I remember she wanted to run a stable so I’m going to check the local stables and see if I can find her and take it from there replied Mark. “Oh…right, Esmeralda, yeah of course…She owns one of the stables a short distance that way, near the witch tower amusement park” replied Gina losing a lot of her pep and cheerfulness. “She does? Oh that’s useful, thanks Gina that will save me having to search all over the town, you’re a star!” replied Mark who now knowing a pretty solid direction to go to started to run off in that direction leaving Gina standing in the mud. With a sigh and small little fists balled up in anger Gina turned around again and headed back home.

Mark kept on running till he passed the witch tower and came across some stables. He found Esmeralda in the 3rd one he checked. She looked as lovely as ever and Mark’s heart skipped many beats as he stood and watched her from a distance hidden away from view.

While he watched her he contemplated his next move. Going up to her and talking to her seemed like such a complicated thing once he tried to take a step forwards to do just that. It was like one moment all it was, was a friendly chat and the next he needed to explain string theory to her just to say hi. After a few minutes Esmeralda went out of view and Mark noticed that there was in fact others working in the stables. His focus had only been for Esmeralda but with her absence Mark saw a girl cleaning out one of the stalls. Wanting information but not able to get it directly from Esmeralda Mark figured he might be able to get it from the stable girl instead.

Making sure Esmeralda was definitely gone Mark walked over to the girl just inside the stall. She saw him approach and asked “Hi, can I help you?” “Err, I hope so. My names Mark and I was hoping you could tell me a little bit about Esmeralda?” asked Mark. “What do you mean? Why?” asked the girl a little wearily. “Well you see I used to go to school with her and had big crush on her. But I never did anything about it. I recently found a letter I wrote her and being Valentine’s Day tomorrow I’ve decided to try and actually do something about my feelings. The only problem is it’s been a few years and I’ve no idea about her anymore. Like for instance, does she have a boyfriend or husband? A special someone in her life?” asked Mark. The girl relaxed, became a lot friendlier and said “No, no one. Many have tried though but her father always manages to send them away in the end. The rumors I’ve heard is he’s keeping her for the time he can find another town willing to be trading partners and marring her off to the mayors son or something like that. You’ll have your work cut out for you if you plan to try and ‘woo’ her. I’ll try and help as best I can though. Judging from the flour liberally applied on you I’m going to guess you’re a baker’s son?” “Yeah, born and raised as they say. I don’t care what’s happened to others, I’m not going to give up just because of her father” replied Mark. “Well I admire your spirit and I can tell you that she loves Cherry pies. Perhaps since you’ve got access to a bakery you can make her one for Valentine’s Day? I’m sure she would like it” replied the girl helpfully. “That’s perfect! My father makes the best pies in town! I’ll make one using his recipe! Thanks!” said Mark feeling like he had the beginnings of a plan now. “No problem, I hope it goes well!” said the girl. “Thanks, cya, you’ve been a really big help!” replied Mark as he started running back the way he came to go home.

Mark ran pasted the bow maker’s workshop, not giving Gina the chance to come out and catch up to him. He kept on running till he got home and went straight to the store front of the bakery to find his father. “Dad!” exclaimed Mark all out of breath and excited. “Whoa, slow down my boy, where’s the fire!?” asked his father reacting to Marks hasty entrance. Mark took a couple of good breaths then asked “Dad, can I have your cherry pie recipe? Please?” There was a moment’s pause as his father took the time to think the request through. He then asked “Why the sudden interest? Usually I have to practically tie you down to try and make you learn our recipes, you’ve never shown this much interest before?” Mark blushed a little and slightly sheepishly said “Oh err well you see its valentine’s day tomorrow and there’s this girl I’ve liked for a long time and I’ve just found out she likes cheery pies. You make the best ones in town so I want to use your recipe to make her one and give it to her tomorrow.” Marks father gave out a hearty laugh and said “Well it’s about time! Now if only there were a 100 other girls you had your eye on we might get you learning all those recipes!” “So you’ll let me have the recipe?” asked Mark wanting clarification. “Certainly! It’s written down in the family recipe book, volume 4. You’ll need to get the best cherries of course. We’ve got everything else already. The cherry’s you can get from a little patch of trees near the great lake in the centre of the island. Watch out for bandits though yeah? They like to camp near lakes for water as they have no wells” replied Marks father. “Thanks dad! I’ll be careful I promise!” agreed Mark as he then took off for the back of the bakery and into the little study area. Skimming his hands over 8 large volumes Mark soon came across volume 4 of the family recipes. Opening it up and laying it down on a desk Mark then checked the index for cherry pie.

After reading the recipe and the needed ingredients he concluded his father was right and they had everything he needed except the cherries. Wanting to make the pie today, ready to take to Esmeralda tomorrow morning Mark decided he would go and get the cherries now before the light went. He put the book back knowing his father would be angry and his grandfather livid if he just left it out. With the book secure back on the shelf Mark started to briskly walk in the direction of the lake.

This time as he walked past the bow makers Gina was able to catch sight of him and came running out to greet him after dropping what she was doing and give a quick “Be right back” to her father. “How’d it go?” asked Gina once she had caught up and kept pace with Mark. “I couldn’t get up the nerve to just talk to her after so long so I talked to a girl there clearing out the stables. Turns out she likes cheery pies so I’m going to go pick some cherry’s and make her one to give her tomorrow” replied Mark. “Oh, I see. So you’re going to make her a cherry pie for Valentine’s Day?” asked Gina more to herself and out loud then as a serious question to Mark, given how he had just told her that information. “Yeah, she’s also single still, seems her father is very protective and focused on who she’s marrying” replied Mark. “Marrying? You haven’t even asked her out and you’re thinking of marrying her? You don’t even really know her anymore!” stated Gina incredulously as well as a letting a little anger show. “Well I just saw her and she looks just as lovely, people don’t change that much. I’ve wanted to marry her since the first moment I saw her. Haven’t you ever had that kind of feeling for someone?” asked Mark a little defensively. Gina blushed and said “This isn’t about me it’s about her! I heard she had her eye on that particular farm for ages. The owners though wouldn’t sell. A month later the town veterinary agency were round there and mysteriously found the horses were being fed contaminated food and water. The owners were basically blackmailed into being forced to move or let it be known of the findings ruining their reputation as one of the best horse breeders in town!” Mark didn’t like the sound of that at first but clouded by love was quickly saying “Well she can’t help it if she mentions her problem to her father and what he does to help her. I’m sure she had no idea what happened. This also sounds like rumor more than fact.” Gina got in a bit of a hump at that point and said “Well don’t say I didn’t warn you!” “I won’t, why are you here anyway?” asked Mark not entirely welcoming of such negative company right now. “I…Err…was just bored and saw you going past. I can come help you pick the cherry’s if you want?” asked Gina not willing to give up an outing with Mark even if it meant picking cherry’s for another girl Mark liked. Marks attitude changed completely with the offer of help and said “Oh…ok, thanks!”

The pair kept on marching to the lake, slowing down a bit as they got tired. Half way there they stopped and rested on 2 old tree stumps. Gina took this as an opportunity to just talk with Mark. Mark at first was more focused on just getting to the lake to make his pie but after a little while started to talk back more and more with Gina till he realized he had been sitting on the tree stump enjoy Gina’s company for over an hour and it was suddenly a lot darker. “Damn it! We need to get going again! I completely lost track of time!” exclaimed Mark a little annoyed with himself for talking and Gina for delaying him by starting the conversations in the first place. Gina had been happily enjoying herself and guiltily hoped if they kept on talking and having a nice time Mark might forget all about the pie and Esmeralda. She had been trying to work up her own courage to tell Mark how she felt about him but she was almost as useless as Mark was in this regard. But before she could capitalize on the last hour and try and express her feelings Mark broke her confidence completely by standing up and realizing the time had gone along with a lot of the day light. While cursing to herself in her head Gina did her best to be reassuring and said “There is still some light left I’m sure there won’t be a problem.” “Yeah but I want to leave plenty of time for when I get back to make the perfect pie. It’s why I brought 2 bags with me so I can pick enough cherry’s to do a couple of trial runs.” “Baking’s in your blood Mark, you’ll do it first time I’m sure of it!” encouraged Gina brightly. Mark gave a little reluctant smile at the encouragement and said “Thanks” before marching off to the lake again.

After another 10 minutes the pair came to the section of forest near the lake noted for its cherry’s. They then both started to look around for the best and ripest ones for picking.

With just over half a bag each full 20 minutes later they both heard a scream of distress. “Do you hear that?” asked Gina alert and worried. “Yeah it came from over there!” said Mark pointing to an otherwise indistinguishable section of the woods while making quick steps in that direction. Gina was soon following him.

Over the next minute they heard the scream again and again which increased their haste and panic. Soon into view Mark and Gina saw a dangerous site, a bandit’s nest. Staying low and hiding behind dense shrubbery Mark and Gina peered into the clearing and observed the bandits camp. Straight away Mark stood up again once he saw Esmeralda tied to a wooden post. Had he been left to his own devices he would just gone running into the camp like a fool and attempt to release her, somehow expecting the bandits to realize he was in love with her and not minding him take her back home. With a quick grab and strong sharp pull back to the ground Gina stopped Mark suffering a needless death and in a hasty whisper said “What the heck are you doing!? You’ll get yourself killed if you just go wondering into the camp!” “But they have Esmeralda!” was the only explanation Mark felt was needed. “Yes and you walking into the camp helps her how? You think they’ll let you just untie her and leave?” asked Gina wisely. With a moment to let some sense of rational thought enter his mind Mark saw the point Gina was making and started to think more sensibly. “You’re right! We need a plan!” was his reply. “Whoa hang on! What do you mean we need a plan? The plan is we go running back to the barracks and get the village’s army to wipeout these no good lowlifes!” said Gina. “You’re right one of us should go get help. I’ll stay here and keep an eye on her, you run back and get help!” agreed Mark still a little handicapped with his thinking. “What?! No I meant we both go back you idiot! You can’t stay here, what if they catch you as well?” asked Gina in alarm. “I’m not leaving her! What if they move camp? The army will need to know where she is again!” replied Mark. His reply did take the wind out of Gina’s sails a little as she could see he made a reasonable point she hadn’t thought of. “It’s too dangerous! The army will know how to track them if they move, they’ll find her again!” tried to reason Gina. “They might not though! It’s no use arguing, I’m staying! The longer you stay here as well the more chance we’ll both get caught and the longer the army will take to get here!” said Mark giving some of his own reasoning. Gina gave Mark a long stare for a moment then said “Fine! Just don’t do anything stupid ok?” “Yes, yes…now go!” replied Mark urgently. With that Gina crept slowly away from the dense shrubbery then made a mad run home once she felt she was clear enough away from the camp.

Mark watched her go for a few seconds then turned his attention back to Esmeralda. He had no intention of telling Gina but he fully planned to rescue her all by himself. In his head he equated rescuing her to making a million pies. This was his chance to win her heart. Mark was also thinking of how rescuing his daughter from bandits would surely secure acceptance from Esmeralda’s father too. All he had to do was figure out a plan.

It took him 5 minutes to think up a plan. He was regretting letting Gina go and get help as most plans he thought up required a second person to make a distraction. In the end though Mark had settled on a sneaky plan. Esmeralda was secured to a wooden post on the other side of the camp near lots of supplies and resources. It was the perfect area to hide in. His plan was to simply sneak round to that side of the camp in the shadows, creep his way in and out of the supplies then untie Esmeralda and escape the same way. He would need to pick his timing for freeing her but after observing the activity of the camp Mark felt he should be able to pull it off without getting caught.

So slowly and quietly Mark crept round the edges of the camp till he came up behind the start of the supplies, boxed into wooden crates. Keeping his back to them and sliding alongside them to the edge Mark peered round the edge making sure the coast was clear before darting between crates. He made slow cautious progress like this making it just over 20 minutes since Gina left before he was within a few feet of Esmeralda.

Staying in a hidden position and with a low level “Psss!” Mark gained Esmeraldas attention. Turning around Esmeralda saw Mark and in a hushed but urgent voice said “Oh thank goodness! Please help me!? They raided my stable and kidnapped me! They said if Daddy doesn’t pay the ransom there going to kill me! You’ve got to get me out of here!” “That’s the plan! Can you shuffle over here a little? I need to untie you without anyone seeing” asked Mark. Esmeralda looked back into the camp once more, checked where everyone was and when they were not looking in her direction subtly started to shift her body towards Mark. After 5 minutes of slow edging little by little towards Mark, having to stop from time to time when a bandit looked her way, she finally got within reach and Mark started to untie her hands and feet.

Once she was free Esmeralda took one more look into the camp then scrambled up onto her legs and went passed Mark in a fearful run. Mark started to join her only to watch as she clumsily knocked a barrel with her shoulder as she tried to escape. It wobbled then fell off the crate and made a soul destroying noise, bringing with it sounds of surprised alarm from inside the camp. “What was that?” “She’s escaped!” “After her men!” Mark heard the sound of rapid footsteps mixed with clinking metal coming his way and after dodging the barrel ran his fastest speed possible now fearing fully for his life.

Mark kept on running as fast as he could but unfortunately once he cleared the campsite and so did the bandits they spotted him and went in pursuit after him. Esmeralda had ran far away by then, not stopping after knocking the barrel. The further away from the camp you got the harder it was to see into the forest making Gina now a barely visible ghost the bandits would have no chance of catching.

Heart racing no longer for love but for fear of his life Mark kept on running, not looking back but knowing the bandits were slowly closing the gap between them. He could hear the clanking of metal and footsteps getting closer and closer. A horribly gruff sounding voice that sounded way to close for Mark’s liking said from behind him “It’s no use running boy, your mine now!” Somehow like his legs were waiting for the bandit to say that and were traitorously holding back on him for these occasions only, those ominous words gave Mark a small little extra speed boost to his legs. He was starting to think that it would do him no good though as he would slow down eventually and when he did he would be at best captured or at worst killed. With no other plan though all Mark kept on doing was running.

Gina had gone running back to the village, stopping only brief at her father’s workshop to get something and then straight on to the barracks. The first solider she met standing guard outside the main barracks building she gaspingly said “Help! Please help me! There are bandits and they have… have taken a villager captive! Please come quick! Their by the…by the lake near the old abandoned copper mine!” “Slow down Miss, catch your breath first. You say you have found bandits?” asked the guard. “Yes and they have captured a villager called Esmeralda Vanderson! Please come quick! My friend stayed at the camp to keep an eye on them but I’m worried he’s going to do something stupid!” explained Gina after getting her breath a little bit now. “Vanderson? You mean Stanly Vendersons daughter?” asked the guard in surprise. “Yes! You need to gather the army and rescue her!” proclaimed Gina. “Follow me Miss, I’ll take you to the general, he’ll want to know everything” replied the solider. Gina then followed the solider into the barracks to find the general.

Much to Gina’s relief the General wasted no time in sounding the alarm and within 2 minutes the well trained army of soldiers was following Gina back to the camp.

All but given up hope he was going to survive for much longer Mark was running out of energy and could tell that the bandit chasing him was within near grabbing distance now. His legs only able to do the speed boost trick once were now just screaming at him ‘Stop! We can’t keep on like this!’ and his lungs were feeling like they were worn out as well. Feeling like this was it Mark then heard more metal clinking and at first feared it was from behind him and the other bandits had grouped up with the one chasing him. But then he realized it was in front of him. The metal clinking was also a lot more of a heavy thud, implying a full set of heavy armor. He had heard it before and much to his joy recognized it as the village’s army marching towards him. Within about 20 seconds Mark saw the army appear in the distant tree line. However so did the bandit and a lot like Mark had done with his legs for survival the bandit to found an extra surge of speed, brought on by the fear of not having a hostage when faced against a whole army. Unlike what Mark had thought all the bandits’ mates had given up on the chase and gone back to the camp expecting their friend to be bringing Mark back soon. So with the extra spurt the bandit managed to close the last bit of the gap between him and Mark and grabbed him by the neck, holding it firm and bringing them both to a stop while at the same time bringing a knife to Marks throat. “Move and I’ll slice!” hissed the bandit who then took in their wider audience. The army had likewise seen Mark and the bandit coming towards them and had increased their own speed to the point where with just a few more seconds and Mark could have escaped behind their lines and been safe. “Oh my goodness! Mark! Are you ok?” asked Gina who had headed up the front lines in order to guide the general and his army. “Gina! You need to get out of here! I’m fine, just get out of here!” exclaimed Mark fearing the worst and not wanting her to see him die. “Please Miss let me do the talking” said the general who then addressed the bandit and said “Release him now and we will spare you!” “No chance! We both know I’m dead if I do! You let me leave with the boy or I’ll kill him!” countered the bandit. “You kill him and I’ll be sorry!” threatened Gina fiercely. The bandit laughed and said “The way I see it your generals brought no ranged or cavalry units with him. This gives me the advantage so long as I have the boy. Let me go and he might live, try anything and I promise I’ll cut his throat before a sword gets anywhere near me!” Without thinking Gina said “Your wrong they brought one ranged unit” as she said that she also pulled up her father’s champion bow she had pinched from the cabinet in the workshop, put an arrow from the small quiver behind her back in place, drew it, aimed and released all within a blink of an eye. The laughter of the bandit stopped dead the moment the arrow hit the shoulder of the arm and hand his sword was in. The laughter was replaced by a stunned silence as the bandit got to grips with what had just happened, as was everyone else watching. The bandit though then erupted in a painful scream as he drop the sword to the ground and clenched his shoulder with his other hand releasing Mark in the process. Mark wasted no time running straight for the general and getting behind the front lines. At the same time once Mark was at a safe distance the general yelled “Get him men!” which produced a vengeful stampede of men charging the one nearly one armed bandit and produced the same noise the general had heard a thousands of times whenever his army fought, he was prepare these days for it though and had brought ear plugs and was grateful he didn’t need to use blocks for this battle as well.

Behind where the army had been lined up Mark met up with Gina who had rushed back to find him. “Where the hell did you learn to shoot like that? You only get trained at the barracks to shoot that good!?” was the first question Mark had, very impressed. “I have a whole workshop full of bows, the first thing I picked up when I was a baby was a bow, you don’t think I’ve played with them every now and then?” asked Gina with a grin that things had turned out well and she had obviously just impressed Mark. “Well thank goodness you did! I thought I was dead for sure for a moment back then!” said Mark gratefully. “I’m just glad you’re ok! What happened?” asked Gina. “I tried to…oh heck! Where’s Esmeralda? Have you found her yet? She ran off into the woods! I hope she escaped ok!” replied Mark suddenly remembering how he got into the situation he was just in. “No! We need to tell the general!” stated Gina getting panicky again.

Once the general was informed of Esmeralda’s situation the general ordered his men back into a formation once the bandit had been dealt with and then were soon marching off towards the bandit’s campsite.

After a few minutes the camp site came into view and the general ordered the attack. The army of soldiers swept through the base fighting and subduing the defending bandits who had returned to the camp after giving up trying to follow after Mark and failing to find Esmeralda. When the fighting was over they searched the camp top to bottom but couldn’t find Esmeralda. “She must have escaped recapture but did she make it home?” asked Mark still worried. “We all know this area pretty well she shouldn’t of had any problems getting home” tried to comfort Gina. “I’ll leave most of my men here to spread out and check the surrounding area. The rest of us can head back to the village and see if she’s made it home” said the general which is what they ended up doing.

Much to Mark’s relief when they made it back to the village they found Esmeralda at her father’s house. Her father probably wouldn’t have let just Gina and Mark inside but being with the general managed to tag along. Once they were brought into a grand and well decorated sitting room Mark saw Esmeralda getting seen to be a maid, having some cuts and minor wounds getting cleaned and dressed with bandages. “Esmeralda are you ok? I’m so glad you made it home I was really worried!” stated Mark. “Who are you all? What are you doing here? Oh…you’re that boy? The one who untied me aren’t you? I’m sure I’ve seen you somewhere else too!” said Esmeralda most put out by having Mark, Gina, the general and 5 of his soldiers strolling into the room. Her father had been escorting the general and his entourage since they had entered the house and explained “This is General Plaxton pumpkin they’ve just come from the bandit’s campsite and wanted to make sure you were ok.” “Well I’m fine now! Where the heck were you when the bandits attacked my stable though!? I ended up getting rescued by this scruffy looking boy!” complained Esmeralda. Mark wasn’t all that encouraged to be called scruffy and the way she addressed him did not fill him with a sense of warmth at all. Responding to her early statement and now wanting to get to his ‘prize’ as it were Mark said “I’m Mark, we err actually used to go to school together. I used to sit 2 rows in front of you! I’m really pleased you’re ok Esmeralda, it’s a good think I came along when I did!” Esmeralda got a look of recognition on her face and gave a small gasp before saying “I remember you know! You were the creepy boy that would always look round and stare at me with that creepy smile!” With that she go up out of the chair she had been sitting in and like they were all little bugs annoying her said “Well thank you for untying me but if you don’t mind I’ve had a pretty horrible day and don’t want to make it worse keeping the riff raff around. Daddy, can you make them leave now?” With a pout and a pleading voice at the end while looking at her father Esmeralda soon got her father saying “Yes pumpkin of course!” With that he turned to the general and diplomatically said “As you can see general my daughter is fine and I thank you for checking up that she was but as I’m sure you can appreciate it’s been a bad day so if you all wouldn’t mind…” “The general knew who he was dealing with and with his job done saw no reason to stay so was quick to agree and started heading back out the way they had come in. Mark though was feel rather hurt and was left so shocked as to what to say he ended up saying “But…but I saved you! You’re just kicking me out?” “I said thanks, what more do you want, a reward? That’s the problem with your type, always wanting more! And you still creep me out! Please just leave! You’re giving me a headache!” replied Esmeralda firmly. Dejected and nearly in tears Mark slowly headed out and followed the general with Gina feeling just as bad for seeing Mark hurt like he was while also angry at Esmeralda for hurting him.

After saying thanks and parting from the general Mark headed home feeling depressed and almost feeling like he wished he hadn’t found the stupid letter leading him into the heartache he currently felt. Gina didn’t want to leave him feeling like this so tagged along with him as well doing her best to provide support.

When they came into the front store of the bakery Mark’s father could see there was instantly something wrong and asked “What’s the matter? What happened?” “She didn’t even give me a chance!” whined Mark who then brushed passed his farther going to the back of the shop in a state of tears now he felt he could afford to let them go while in relative privacy. After his departure Mark’s father turned to look at Gina and asked the question again. For the next few minutes Gina explained the story of what had happened and how Mark had been a hero but ultimately that hadn’t been enough for Esmeralda. Once explained to him Marks father was just as angry as Gina was with Esmeralda and could easily see her own frustrations in how she behaved and the way she told the story. In truth Mark’s father had been pretty sure of how Gina had felt for Mark for well over 2 years now. He had just been waiting for one of them to do something about. He had also assumed the cherry pie had been for her. He could see his plan of waiting was doing no one any good so with some reassurance to Gina he would see to Mark he had Gina go on her way to face the music of her own farther who by now had figured out his champion bow was missing.

Mark’s father let his son have some time to let out his emotions and calm down a bit. Then in the early evening he knocked on Mark’s door and even though he got a firm “Leave me alone” entered anyway. “I said go away!” reaffirmed Mark a little louder in annoyance. “I think we need to talk and you need to get your head checked” said his father in a slightly jovial manner. “I don’t want to talk, I don’t want to talk to anyone ever again!” declared Mark. His father sat on the edge of the bed Mark had been laying on and said “Gina told me what happed. First of all…” at that point Mark’s father leaned in and clipped him lightly on the head then continued and said “That’s for trying sneak into a bandit’s camp on your own! I can guess what you were thinking and why you did it but even if it had worked that still a stupid thing to do! Second…” and with that he clipped him round ear once more before continuing to say “That’s for being so blind I’m amazed you’re not walking into walls!” The clips round the head had gotten Marks attention and he no longer just wanted his father to leave and instead was now fairly interested in what he was on about. “What do you mean? I’m not the one that’s blind Esmeralda is! It’s like she thinks I’m less than her or something, she just wanted me to leave!” stated Mark bitterly and indignantly at getting called blind. “Well obviously then you’re too good for her because you are much better than that! You deserve someone nicer and more caring then her” replied Marks father. Mark gave a little laugh and said “Oh yeah like whom? She was the first girl I loved and she rejected me and it’s not like there lining up for me either, is it!? Maybe I’ll become a monk and work in the friary, don’t have to worry about women at all then!” “Good grief its worse than I thought. You’re a completely blind fool, you know that right? And as to them lining up outside let me ask you this, what days do you work out in the shop front?” asked his father. “Monday, Wednesday, Friday and Saturdays, why? If this is meant to be a pep talk you need to work on them cause your not making feel any better” replied Mark. “Just listen…Ok so you work Monday, Wednesday, Friday and Saturdays. How many customers do we get each of those days?” asked his father. “Huh? I don’t know maybe 20-30 each day, I don’t get how this…” started to reply Mark before his father interrupted and said “No I mean how many customers do we get come back on each of those days…repeatedly? As in the same person comes in on all 4 of those days.” “What? No one!? No one needs to buy that much bread in a week!” sated Mark. “Good grief this is hard work….Ok I need you to think really hard about this now. Try going through last week and list off the customers we had on Monday and then do the same for Tuesday, Wednesday etc…” said his father getting exacerbated. Mark did as his father said to even though he still thought he wasn’t making much sense. “Well there is Mrs. Felaon, then Mr. Yetmar, Little Rosie from next door, the Lepton twins, then Gina and Mrs. Je…” “Now do Wednesday” prompted Marks father. “I’m still not sure I get what this is for…Tuesday…On Tuesday I had Mrs. Felaon again, she forgot to get some soft rolls. After her I had Miss Trent then Mrs. Kelly, Mr. Jefferson, Gina, Mrs. Hes…” “Bingo…” interrupted his father. Mark looked at him for a moment wondering what he meant then realized where he had stopped and that Gina had been in on Monday as well. “You’re talking about Gina?” asked Mark looking a little confused. “Yes!” exclaimed his father. “But she always…” trailed off Mark till at last the penny dropped. “Yes exactly! Every time you’re working the shop without fail I watch her come in, do her best to get you talking then leave. Have you never wondered why she needs so much of the cheapest bread we sell? She’s been interested in you for well over the last two years and it’s been almost painful to watch you not ignore her but ignore her in that sense. Now with this crazy notion of going after one of the most unobtainable women in the village I’ve decided I can’t stand by and do nothing any longer. You my boy need to figure out that there are good things right in front of you for the taking, you just need to open your eyes and see them before they give up and move on!” said his father.

The 2 of them were quiet for a short while as Mark took his time realizing many things he had never taken the time to really appreciate. All this time he had seen Gina as more like his best friend, these days it would be more true to say his only friend. When he really started to think about her in that way though he realized everything that made her is best friend were all the same things he now found himself attracted towards. She was smart, funny, witty, and always chatty and had something to say. Was a good listener too though and he had always considered her pretty, he just never truly considered her looks in a sense of attractiveness. To top it all off the thing he was now remembering the most now that gate had been opened and the memory was still fresh, was the look in Gina’s eyes as she quickly lifted, drew, aimed and fired the arrow. It was a look of anger and fear he now just knew was not for a best friend but of for someone she loved. “Oh heck! Your right! How the hell didn’t I notice…she’s been there right in front of me the whole time! I’m such an idiot! But what do I do now? I’ve just made a fool of myself in front of her for another girl! She’s probably angry I’ve ignore her for so long yet go off rescuing a girl I haven’t even talked to in 3 years!” cried Mark feeling really horrible about what how he had unknowingly been treating Gina’s interest in him. Helpfully though his father said “Well if she can put up with your stupidity for 2 years I’m sure it would take more than this to shake her. I think what you need to do is show her that you’ve finally figured it out. Don’t forget its valentine’s day tomorrow, what better day to start a new relationship? I also happen to know her favorite pie is apple pie which we have lots of in storage, freshly picked yesterday! So my suggestion would be to bake her an apple pie just like you were going to do with Esmeralda. Then tomorrow you can take it round and convince her you’re not a complete idiot after all and worth the wait!” “Yes! That’s perfect! Thanks dad you’re a genius!” said Mark jumping off the bed and heading for the door. “Slow, down, slow down, let’s do this properly, I’ll come supervise to make sure she don’t get food poisoning, that would not be a good part of the plan now would it!?” said his father wisely. Mark did slow down a little bit and replied “No, this pie needs to be perfect! Can we use grandma’s special tin?” “I have every confidence if I tell her it was for Gina at last, she would be delighted if we used it” replied his father as they made their way out into the baking area.

Mark and his father spent the rest of the evening making apple pies. The first 2 were purposely made with the cheaper ingredients just so Mark could have some practice. When it came to the 3rd one though his father felt he was ready and they set about making the perfect apple pie for Gina.

Mark had trouble sleeping that night but he did mange it in the end. He woke up excited and also nervous in the morning. When his mother found out what he and his father were doing she too had expressed her relief that he had finally figured Gina out. She had helpfully come up with the suggestion that they give it a nice red bow around the edge of the pie. His father had enough wits about him to have made a nice decorative heart shape on the top crust of the pie as well. The end result was exactly what Mark wanted, the perfect apple and the perfect valentines gift.

So come mid morning with much trepidation Mark left the bakery carrying his carefully and lovingly made pie and walked all the way down to Gina’s father’s work yard. When he arrived, he stood just out of view of the work yard, took a moment to do his best to calm his nerves then on slightly shaky legs walked towards the main building in the work yard where he knew Gina and her father lived.

He didn’t actually making to the building though as he soon heard a cry of “Mark! Hey! How are you?” come from behind a pile of logs when Gina had just managed to catch sight of him before he disappeared from view. “Hi!” said Mark suddenly finding his voice managing to go up an octave. Clearing his throat he tried again. “Hi, I’m ok. What about you?” asked Mark trying to figure out if she was angry with him and her general mood. It so far seemed to be pretty good so he was encouraged by that. “Me? I’m fine! I’m more worried about…” replied Gina who then stopped and frowned once she saw the pie. “Oh…err you’ve made the pie?” asked Gina who Mark saw quickly become disappointed as well as looking a little pained. He didn’t take that as a good sign and asked “Don’t you like it?” fearing now his dad was somehow wrong and she didn’t like apples at all but in fact hated them or something. He started to sweat thinking he had already managed to ruin things before he even got started. “Oh no it’s not that exactly, it’s just…I’m really not sure a pie is really going to change much now” replied Gina who had now gotten so used to Mark thinking of her a friend rather than a love interest she automatically dismissed any hope it might be for her. Mark started to feel sick and like he was the biggest idiot on the planet, now obviously believing he had blown his chances with Gina and the pie was too little too late. Barely keeping himself together and holding back the tears Mark dejectedly said “I…I understand. I just thought…never mind.” With that Mark then started to head home feeling depressed and lonely. Gina could see she had made him feel sad and hurt and it had pained her to try and come up with something to say short of ‘she things your scum’. Gina felt it was going to be a lot better for Mark to hear it from her and stop him from going back to make a fool of himself with Esmeralda. Believing if rescuing Esmeralda from a camp of bandits didn’t at least get him a trial date then the pie had no chance.

“Wait Mark! Don’t go like this! I’m really sorry to say it but it’s true. Let me at least try and cheer you up a bit before you go? Come inside and have a brew, please?” begged Gina not wanting him to associate her with such horrible reality and leaving it at that. This though confused Mark a bit, not understanding Gina’s actions all that much. “But…fine!” agreed Mark seeing how he had managed to upset Gina though not for the reasons he thought. He also hoped that maybe he could say something to make things better, change her mind.

Gina brightened up a bit with Marks’s agreement and guided him into the large building complex institute of the work yard. Sitting at the dinner table near the kitchen Mark placed the pie down as well on the table while Gina started to prepare the brew. There was silence for a moment till Gina suggested “We could try some of the pie of you want, no point wasting it, I’m sure it’s a lovely!” “Sure whatever, guess it don’t matter too much now” replied Mark with an unhealthy dose of apathy.

When she handed Mark his brew and placed hers on the table she took the pie to the kitchen worktop, found a knife and cut into it. When she had made 2 insertions she then got 2 plates out of the cupboard and proceeded to lift and place a slice of the pie on one of the plates. A little frown came over her face when she saw it was apple though. “I thought it was going to be cherry? That’s why we picked all the cherries wasn’t it?” asked Gina looking for something to say and figuring it was good enough to stop the silence. Not thinking too much about the question or his answer Mark sipped his brew and said “Dad said you liked apple pie.” “Oh, ok” was Gina’s similarly unthinking answer for about a second. Then her mind allowed her to think rarely thought thoughts and along with them came hope, which had her standing in the kitchen in silence not for lack of things to say but more an over load of too much to say and too much to think all at once. Just such a simple thing as apple instead of cherry and such a simple sentence were now the whole focus of her world. The hope she had was so cautious from being let down so many times now that she found herself breaking her own silence with the question of “What did you say?” Mark, still lost in his own little world of miserable thoughts replied without thinking about it too much and said “Dad said you liked apple pie so I made you that instead” giving more encouraging information to Gina. Willing at this stage to risk letting her hope drive her actions all the more Gina asked “You made the pie for me?” “Thought you might like it for Valentine’s Day, guess it was too little too late” replied Mark only now just picking up Gina was acting a little differently. “Why?” was the only question that seemed relevant to Gina at that point. Had Mark done this for her a few years ago she would have easily assumed the obvious but she was so unwilling to accept the impossible had happened she had to be sure Mark was saying what she thought he was saying. Mark was now also picking up on a few things and slowly figuring out that maybe things were not as lost as he had thought. “Last night my father had a little chat with me, helped me realize a few things. Things I had been very stupid about. I’m really sorry Gina, you were in front of me all this time and I never even saw it. You’ve been my best friend for so long now it just never occurred to me think of you in any other way. I realize now much I do actually love you it was just always hidden behind a blinding wall of friendship. Is there anything I can do to make it up to you?” said Mark apologetically. Gina felt like she was going to explode with happiness and was getting scared she was having a dream now, one she never wanted to wake up from. “There is only way you can make it up to me!” declared Gina excitedly. “How? Name it and I’ll do it! Anything!” stated Mark who had also perked up a lot now too. “Kiss me!” replied Gina simply. That had not been the answer Mark expected though and he dumbly replied “Huh?” while also suddenly over come with immense trepidation at the prospect of kissing Gina as well.

“I said kiss me. If you want to make things up to me then all you need to do is kiss me. I’ve been waiting for you to do it for 3 years!” reiterated Gina now with intense anticipation and hoping that even if this was a dream and she had to wake up soon that it just let her have the kiss first.

Mark started to sweat again as he got up out of the chair, took a step closer to Gina, took a breath then leaned in towards her feeling like he was about to float away and half hoping he did. He had just enough awareness of something other than his intense focus on wanting to get this right that he took the fact in Gina had closed her eyes once he got close enough. Millimeter by millimeter Mark brought his lips closer to hers till eventually they touched. Mark backed that up with a light reaching around behind Gina with his hands, pulling her in closer to him, all within the same second. It was a magical moment for both of them as spark of something erupted inside their souls all from just a simple kiss. Mark got more confident in his ability to kiss and relaxed a little once the initial contact was made. Much to his relief he also found Gina willing to help ‘engage’ more and take more control now she had, had the moment of ‘being’ kissed and not just kissing.

The pair remained kissing for quite a while, Mark enjoying it a lot while Gina was pretty sure now she had died and this was heaven. Which at this moment in time she was fairly ok about if that had in fact happened. Mark wasn’t stupid enough to be the first to break the kiss so hanged in there enjoying it for as long as Gina wanted. She did eventually stop after a while but only to focus on giving him a big loving hug instead. “Happy valentine’s day!” said Mark looking for something to say after such a magical moment and not sure it did it justice. Gina knew just what to say though and said “Just shut up and kiss me again….”

[Iolanthe]

Hello Kaakao,

Absolutely nothing wrong with it.

However I'd like you to private message me the entry and await approval before submitting. (Emphasis added.)

Thank you,
Sinister-King

You're joking. What possible reason could there be for this when it's not been suggested for the others?


Aside from this all the stories have been a true delight and I can't wait to read any others.

[Sir_Sparkalot]

Is gay story accepted or is it against peg-7?

Zoom in on your island and look at all the settlers walking around. Tell me if you see a female one?

Maybe he regrets writing to the Witch of the Swamp. Did I say the letter was for another male?

[freyjamoon]

JOE JOLLY AND PESKY PRINCESS.

One night after finally falling asleep, after having enjoyed a nice good cup of tea by the fire, I was suddenly woken up by a very loud bang in the room next door.
"Great...Probably that silly cat again" I mumbled to yourself.
I entered the room, every single book has fallen from your grandmother's bookshelf...


"If I catch that cat..I swear..I will.. mehhhhh" I said .

After spending a good hour picking up all the books from the floor and placing them back to their rightful place, I noticed and old letter on the floor. The letter seems quite old now! I read it and had a sudden flash back...
Indeed, this was my first love letter... I wrote it with every intention of sending it to Joe, but you never had the guts to do it!

I was engulfed by nostalgia, excitement and panic as I realise I've been alone all this time and that Joe, who I'd admired and loved for years, doesn't even know I even exist!

"Hmm," I ponder to myself, "I wonder what ever happened to Joe the jolly geo, he was always so bubbly and the brown wavy hair capped with the golden hat always made me swoon when the wind blew through it." After all it is Valentines day very soon.

I went to bed and dreamt of Joe.

The next morning I decided "no Ï will not be alone any more, I will find joe and see where things go, and this time I will have the courage to speak up how I feel, and who knows I might even give him this long overdue love letter.

I started by searching up all the J.Jolly's I could find. While I was calling all the numbers I found, My cat decided to curl up on my keyboard, as usual, however this time it seemed to have triggered a "Marble"(search engine) search on my pc.

It came up with all the J.Jolly's it could find everywhere on the settlenet. One of the search listings was a missing person one, and who would of guessed it, it was Joe.

I got all the information i could find from the settlenet, including a location of his brother, Harry the hardened General.

I headed to Harry's place to see what I could find out.

I knocked on the door and Harry answered "yes." he asked.

"Hi," I replied, "I'm Sue Savage, my brother used to work with Joe, finding mines etc. I lost contact with Joe for a while and I just found out that he is missing, have u managed to find out anything yet?"

"Come in" Harry said.

I walked in and sat down on the couch.

"We tried everything we can but we just can't find Joe anywhere, not a trace" Harry said.

"If you don't mind me asking, what happened?"I asked.

"Well one day he said he found a lead to a mega gem mine, but it was far away, he said he would be gone for 3 days this time and when he returns we would be very rich. He packed his equiptment and left and we never heard any more from him. I reported him missing to the garrison, but they couldn't find anything, so its just an open file that will just sit there." He said

"Did you have any clue as to the location of the mine at all?"I asked.

"He didn't tell me but I did find a scrap of paper in his room that said I.O.P." He replied "but I have no idea what that could be or if it's even relevant."

"Hmm I have an idea what that could be, are you busy and can u accompany me?, I fear if I follow this one alone, it might be dangerous."I asked.

"Sure, where to then"He replied.

"Well, I think I.O.P. might be The Island Of Pirates, so I think we should start there."I said.

We travelled to The Island Of Pirates and spoke to the leader, Pete Peg Pirate.

"Hello," I said "I am Sue Savage, and this is Harry Jolly, we are searching for Harry's brother Joe." I showed him a picture of Joe. "We were wondering if, perhaps, you might have seen him."

"Arggh, I, perhaps, may have seen him, but if I did it be a long time ago."The pirate said.

"Do you know where he was heading by any chance?" I asked, holding in my excitement.

"Well if he be the one i'm thinking then he was looking for some gems, he said he would give us a share in return for some help" he said. "But we pirates, we helps no-one but us-selves, as you may well know. But cause you be a pretty lass, I will tell you he was fixing to go to dark island, but beware the dark priests, they hold no love for no-one. Now best you be going lass, before my men try to take you for themselves."

We were about to leave when a young pirate came up to us. "I did see him i did miss, he was a good man too, he helped me when I got caught in a trap that the Victor Viscous fella laid. He said he was looking for a hidden gem mine that was full of gems, more en usual he said. But I fear he no longer walks the lands of Newfoundland no more, I do. I heard tell from a prisoner that got bought in a while after he left, that he went to Dark Island, and he got seen by the Dark Priests and Wild Mary. You see they works together, thems do."He said

"Yes please go on. Tell us all you know please" I asked.

"Well this fella, see, he was bragging about how they, the priest and Wild Mary, took him to the secluded place where they do the experiments, you see, and they used him for an experiment that was magical like, cause they wanted to make men strong, using magics, so they could raid the bandits nest and take their island, see. Anyways they say the magic went wrong and he like, disappeared. Just "poof" the fella said and just like that he wasn't there, see. Im sorry miss, but that's all I know, I liked him, he was kind to me. I hope you can find him."He said "and if you do can you tell him that little Poe said ty for all he did.

"I will"I said with tear in my eye and my heart in my throat. "Goodbye and thankyou so much for your help."

"Well what now?"Asked Harry, "It sounds like we are never gonna find him."

"No," I said "I will not give up, I have an idea, I will go and see the Witch, she might be able to see something in her bones."

"You can't go into the swamp alone." Harry said.

"I have to" I said "If she sees you she will flip, she despises men entering her swamp."

"Ok, but please, call me as soon as you are finished." He said.

"I will." I replied.

I went to the swamp and asked the witch if she can tell me anything about where Joe was.

"I can help"she said "but it will cost you, 100 coins and 50 gems my dear. And i need a picture, so i can be sure I am seeing the right man."

I gave her the coins and gems, along with the photo of Joe.

"Now let me see" said the witch "ahh, yes, I see him, sort of. He was experimented on, a bad experiment too." the witch started to laugh.

"Please, why are you laughing? this is serious."I said.

"Yes deary it its, but I can't help myself, those Dark Priests bungle everything. Especially when they try magic."She said." Yes, he is still with us in Newfoundland, but he isn't."

"What do you mean, how can he be here but he's not?"I asked.

"Ahh, his body vapourised and combined with his soul, he walks as a ghostly spirit."She said "Yes i see him, he has visited you many times, everytime he comes to you though your cat scares him away with hisses."

"So thats why my cat has been acting funny."I said.

"Yes, last time he came he left a message for you."she said.

"A message, I didn't get any mess.... ahh all my books on my grandmother's bookshelf were knocked onto the floor along with this."I said, handing her my letter.

"This must be his way of letting you know. You seem to be the only one that can help him, as your heart is true, and he is still in it."She said.

"But how?"I asked.

"You need to go home, take your cat to a friends so she wont scare him away again. He will find some way of letting you know he's there. When you know he is there you need to light this candle,"She said handing me a purple candle and a piece of paper, "and say these words. Make sure you do it with love in your heart, and he will be returned back to his proper body."

"Thankyou, I am so grateful to you, and for your help."I said.

I phoned Harry and told him everything. Luckily for me he offered to take Pesky Princess to his house.

That night I sat in the library where all the books had been knocked to the floor, previously. I fell asleep in grandma's rocking chair.

BANG! a book fell to the ground and I woke startled.

"Joe, is that you?"I asked and another book dropped to the floor. "Joe, please stay here, I can help you. But first please listen, I have to tell you how I feel and its easier if I cant see you. I idolised you for so many years, my heart was yours, but I was too scared to tell you. I wrote this letter to tell you but I chickened out and never gave it to you. I know you didn't even know I existed, but I loved you anyway. A a a a are you still there?"

Another book fell to the floor. My heart soared, because then I knew that was it, no backing out now. "Ok, Im going to bring you back. I hope this works." I said.

I lit the candle, and read the spell the witch gave me.


Love thats secret,
But now is known,
Spell gone wrong,
Make him shown.

My heart eternally,
yours it shall be,
What was taken,
Please return to me.

That evil doing,
That took away,
Will now undo,
And now will stay.

Slowly, I saw Joe appear, "Oh Sue, thankyou, and you should have said all those years ago. I that thought I was invisible to you, I thought your affections laid elsewhere. So I kept it to myself." He said.

"No Joe, I have always loved you, "I said "and always will. I thought you would never love me as I love you. And I was always too scared to tell you, in case I was right."

"No," said Joe "I was in love you too, thats why I went looking for that mine. It thought, if i found it then I would become famous, and you would then know I existed. But now, I think perhaps we should go and let Harry know im ok now as well."

"Oh, yes Harry," I said "he has my cat, Pesky Princess."

"Umm, why does he have your cat?"He asked.

"Because she would scare your away"I said.

"Oh, that, yes she did scare me away a few times," he said "for some reason she was the only one that could see me."

We went to Harry's, explained it all, and he was relieved to finally see Joe returned and safe. Joe and I took Pesky Princess home, and spend many nights and days hidden away, catching up on all we missed out on.

We spent a very romantic Valentines day weekend in the Nords hotel, and six months later, Joe and I got married and Pesky Princess was our flower cat.

And of course we bought her a friend to keep her company out of all the money we made off that mine. (Yes Joe was right and we found it together.)

THE END

[Wreckless-]

I think I'll pass on this one. To close to reality for comfort. ;-)

[Egrcfirth]

@ Dopey you've a long one there.

[stephyy1992]

I read the letter over and over... Time goes by really quick and before I even realise it 's 8 o'clock in the morning and time to go to work. I feed the cat quickly put on some fresh clothes and grab an apple to eat on my way. During work I just can 't stop thinking about the letter. I begin to wonder if maybe I should send that letter now? But then again... She 's probably married by now, or even worse, she won 't like me...

That night at home I decide to type out the letter on my computer and then i notice the mess. I was so caught up in the letter all day that i had completely forgotten about it... But it can wait, the letter is way more important right now, so I start typing it out and while I 'm at it I correct all spelling and grammar mistakes in it. After all a letter with a bunch of faults in it isn't very attractive and I definatly don't want to be rejected if I decide to send it. So the days pass and I keep thinking about the letter... Then finaly after a week or so I print it and send it to her, luckily adresses are easy to find in the small village we live in.
So a couple of days later I receive an answer. It doesn't say much actualy: 'Hello, I really don't remember you, but i liked your letter so maybe we should get to know each other a little better? Greatings Ivy' was all it said. But it was better then nothing and she did say she wanted to get to know me right? So I write back: 'Hi, it would be an honor to meet you again after all these years, a lot has happened since then, so maybe we could go to the park this Saturday? The weather should be nice and we could have a picknick or something like that if you want to. Also, here 's my phonenumber so you can call if somehing comes up or anything. Love, Ralph' From the moment I send that letter I keep my phone close to me, just in case she 'ld call. But off course she doesn't call me and by Saturday I'm extremely nervous to go to the park... What if she doesn't show up? Or what if I don't know what to say so she 'll think I'm a total idiot? All the questions drive me crazy. But I wanted to see her and there's really nothing I can change about it anymore, so I dress up nice take the picknickbasket and go to the park, heart beating loudly.

When she finaly arrives after what feels like an eternity (really, it was only a couple of minutes) I notice she's not alone.
'Hi, this is my friend Amy. You two should meet' she greets me.
'Oh, hello Amy' I greet the girl a little startled.
'Hi'
'Good so now you've met, I 'll get going again'
'So you're not staying?' I ask.
'No, I have a lot to do' she replies'
'Oh okey'
So Ivy leaves and we stand there a litte uncomfortable for a while, unsure of what we should do next.
'So euhm... wanna go for a walk?' I ask after an awkward silence.
'Okey'

We take our walk around the park without much talking, but it's a nice kind of silence this time. It feels like we don't need words to understand each other and I really like it. And I think she likes it too cause afterwards she says:
'I'm getting a little hungry, wanna go find something to eat?'
'Yeah sure' I reply happily.
So we go find ourselves some place to eat and we find this really cozy restaurant where we spend the rest of the afternoon talking about our lives and everything. At the end of the day we share phonenumbers and e-mailadresses and before I know it, I have found my valentine and future wife.