April Showers Posted October 19, 2011 Share Posted October 19, 2011 Rules:Rules: 1. Read the entire story before you start posting. Don't just read the last post and start adding on to it or you will throw the story completely out of whack and I will have to come out and whack you a little bit. (KIDDING) 2. You have to wait for someone else to post after you before you can post again. If you double-post two in a row, they will be counted as one post so you will be wasting your time anyway. 3. Keep adding to the story. The more additions you add to the story, the more chances you will have to win the grand prize. You get one chance in the drawing per legal post (remember - no double-posting). 4. 4. The story and post counting begins now and continues until Midnight MST Saturday, October 22nd. The winner will be announced on Monday, October 24th. What are you trying to win???? AWESOME PRIZE The winner will get a $27.77 Gift Certificate for the Scrap Girls Boutique! Get your fingers and keyboards ready. Warm up your imaginations. Here is the beginning of the story: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
April Showers Posted October 19, 2011 Author Share Posted October 19, 2011 Andrea pried the book out from between two bulky volumes and hoped. The faded red cover was unfamiliar, but her breath caught in her throat as she opened the book. Words, familiar and childish, stood in stately fonts across the first page. The Grand old Duke of York he had ten thousand men He marched them up to the top of the hill And he marched them down again... The nursery rhyme, so deceptively innocent, was laced with secrets. Andrea anxiously scanned the lines, her heart picking up pace at the distant sound of footsteps. The letters seemed to meld together before her. She knew it was here, something was here. There had to be. And then her eyes slipped to the corner of the page... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MariJ Posted October 19, 2011 Share Posted October 19, 2011 She stared... There was a mark - an arrow! What did it mean - it pointed left so she turned the page and continued to read. And when they were up, they were up, And when they were down, they were down, And when they were only half-way up, They were neither up nor down. Andrea closed her eyes and thought. Hard. What did it mean? How could she decipher the secret? She opened her eyes and jumped! There at the top of the page was another mark that hadn't been there before...... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AnnBK Posted October 19, 2011 Share Posted October 19, 2011 It was a compass! And the arrow was pointing south by southwest. This was a mystery indeed. Andrea looked around her, gathered her bearings, and determined that south by southwest was through the library door. Was there something in the garden? She slowly closed the heavy volume, smoothed her skirt, turned, and walked slowly to the door. As she turned the brass knob....... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PolkaDot Posted October 19, 2011 Share Posted October 19, 2011 she repeated the words she had read in the book: The Grand old Duke of York he had ten thousand men He marched them up to the top of the hill And he marched them down again... And when they were up, they were up, And when they were down, they were down, And when they were only half-way up, They were neither up nor down. Her mind raced! Her heart pounded. The footsteps were getting closer! "Hurry, hurry, out to the garden," she thought. Finally, the brass knob turned. Andrea slipped out the door just as a shadow entered the room behind her. She held her breath as she peered through the keyhole, and was astonished to see.... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AnnBK Posted October 19, 2011 Share Posted October 19, 2011 a shadowy figure opening the dusty old volume she had left on the table. But there was something familiar about the figure. It was definitely a woman, and a woman of a certain age, to be sure. Andrea could not take her eyes away as the old woman slowly, carefully opened the book. What was it about that woman? Slowly, slowly, the woman started to turn her head towards the door. As the face turned toward her, and Andrea stared even harder, she recognized...... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Becster Posted October 19, 2011 Share Posted October 19, 2011 her grandmother, but she appeared as she had many years ago, as a young girl. How could this be? Possibly there was a clue in the garden, if only she knew which row of flowers to investigate. Perhaps the ... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AnnBK Posted October 19, 2011 Share Posted October 19, 2011 forget me nots! They were always Andrea's favorite flowers...but were there any in this garden? There were a lot of flowers in bloom, and the garden path twisted and turned through the beds. Andrea slowly wandered through the aromatic garden and was almost lost in thought when she heard...... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
debikins Posted October 19, 2011 Share Posted October 19, 2011 a crash. Looking around madly she spotted a broken flower pot ahead on the stone walk, flowers strewn and dirt spilt over. Then she caught a quick glance at what looked like a white cat, but she owned no pets and there weren't any neighbors close by. And as fast as she saw it, it disappeared...well vaporized. A stirring caught her attention as her heart pounded she turned and Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PolkaDot Posted October 19, 2011 Share Posted October 19, 2011 came face to face with the woman! "Grandmother, is it really you?" she whispered. The lovely woman, with the clear, soft brown eyes and soft, upswept hair which Andrea remembered so fondly, answered,.... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sara Arell Posted October 19, 2011 Share Posted October 19, 2011 "Yes, my darling Granddaughter, it is me. Come closer so that I take a good look at you." And look, I've brought you............" Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MariJ Posted October 19, 2011 Share Posted October 19, 2011 ...a silver locket. It contains a secret that only you can unlock. But, be careful because danger lurks nearby." Andrea shook. "But, Grandmother" she said. "What should I -----". She gasped. Her Grandmother was gone as mysteriously as she'd arrived. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AnnBK Posted October 19, 2011 Share Posted October 19, 2011 The quiet of the garden was broken by bird song. It was singing "I'm here...I'm here...I'm here". Andrea was drawn to the song and began slowly down the garden path. Soon, she came to an intersection. Which way should she turn. Should she go right? Maybe left? Continue straight. "Oh, I wish I had a clue," she sighed. There was a bench at the intersection and she decided to sit and ponder her choices. No sooner had she found a comfortable spot on the bench, she looked to her right and saw.... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PolkaDot Posted October 19, 2011 Share Posted October 19, 2011 ,in the distance, a hill. A hill! Was this the hill from the rhyme? Half aloud, Andrea wondered, "What has the mysterious rhyme to do with a locket and with Grandmother? The Duke of York, ten thousand men, a march up a hill and a march down a hill. A compass pointing south by southwest. A mysterious, vanishing white cat and forget me nots. What can it all mean?" Andrea stood, looked cautiously to the left and behind, and then...... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AnnBK Posted October 20, 2011 Share Posted October 20, 2011 drew up her courage and began the slow, steady march up the hill. Her every step was accompanied by the gentle cooing of the mourning dove. Such an eerie sound, but comforting in i's own way. The light was getting low, the moon was beginning to rise. She was thinking of the pages she had read in the book. The Grand old Duke of York he had ten thousand men He marched them up to the top of the hill And he marched them down again... And when they were up, they were up, And when they were down, they were down, And when they were only half-way up, They were neither up nor down. Well, she thought, none of that makes sense, there has to be a clue in there somewhere. As she approached the half way point of the hill, she stopped and realized she was neither up nor down. And she exclaimed..... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jode2771 Posted October 20, 2011 Share Posted October 20, 2011 "How on Earth did an old man like the Duke of York get up this hill!? I am exhausted!". She sat down with a sigh. Her mind replayed her day over and over. The moon was high in the sky now. A glowing yellow ball. Light cast out shadows the moon was so bright. Andrea laid down to look up at the sky. The stars were twinkling, and almost seemed smug - like they knew something she didn't. She closed her eyes to block them out and... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AnnBK Posted October 20, 2011 Share Posted October 20, 2011 immediately feel into a deep sleep. But not a sleep undisturbed by dreams. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MariJ Posted October 20, 2011 Share Posted October 20, 2011 Andrea opened her eyes - she was back in yesteryear, and there was The Grand Old Duke and what looked like his ten thousand men in the distance - but they were NOT marching up and down. Rather, they were camped in the distance - like her, not up nor down. An eerie silence covered the mountain. Andrea shivered. What should she do? How could she get out of here? What was it she needed to know or find out? There had to be a clue here. What was it? Suddenly she heard ---- Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sara Arell Posted October 20, 2011 Share Posted October 20, 2011 .....what seemed like just a light breeze, but it was a whisper........yes, a soft whisper! She turned so she could listen but the whisper was so quiet that she couldn't hear it. It was whispering her name, calling, calling......"Andrea! Andrea" She began walking towards the sound and as she did it got louder, that whisper.....that whisper was telling her to "come this way". Andrea followed the sound of the whisper and as she came to the top of a little hill, she saw........... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jode2771 Posted October 20, 2011 Share Posted October 20, 2011 the soft billow of smoke in the distance, coming from what appeared to be a small cottage. A large tree overshadowed the small dwelling. Again Andrea had that strange sense of familiarity she had had earlier that day. Something about it niggled at her. What was it? She strained her memory, trying to hold onto that distant memory that might, just might, help her to solve this mystery... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AnnBK Posted October 20, 2011 Share Posted October 20, 2011 Andrea moved slowly towards the little cottage under the spreading tree. As she neared the door, she heard sounds, strange sounds. Where were they coming from? What was making the sounds? She looked all around, then she gazed upward into the deep green leaves of the old tree. There! There it was! Nestled deep in the branches of the tree sat...... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MariJ Posted October 20, 2011 Share Posted October 20, 2011 her Grandmother! Andrea stared and started to speak, but her Grandmother held up her hand to stop her. "Andrea" she said, "I have so much to tell you and so little time". "First..." Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
debikins Posted October 20, 2011 Share Posted October 20, 2011 listen, as I only have enough time to say it once." As Andrea leaned in closer to be sure not to miss a word, her mind muddled by thoughts of confusion and disbelief, she just caught the first words spoken by her grandmother. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sara Arell Posted October 20, 2011 Share Posted October 20, 2011 "My dear Granddaughter, you have the silver locket that I gave you and you just need a key to open it. To find the key you must look within your heart for the clues. Look deep and remember those memories that meant the most to you when you were growing up - when you find the right memory and say it outloud, the locket will open magically and once you place the locket around your neck, you will be able to go wondrous places. It will take you anywhere you want to go, so be careful what you wish for. So Andrea, sat down for a few minutes to think about her fondest memories of her childhood and suddenly, she stood up and was ready to say one of them outloud. She said.................... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MariJ Posted October 20, 2011 Share Posted October 20, 2011 " I remember going to the mountains with my family on vacation. We climbed up the mountain and then down again. The next day we climbed halfway up and had a picnic. It was lovely." Andrea hesitated. She stopped and listened. She waited and .... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sara Arell Posted October 20, 2011 Share Posted October 20, 2011 .......and suddenly, a feeling of warmth and happiness came over her whole body. She felt as if she were floating and that someone else was beside her there. A sense of calmness came over her and she sat down on a rock nearby to just kind of take in the moment. Andrea was sitting on that little rock, hands folded in her lap, when she looked down and saw.............. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MariJ Posted October 20, 2011 Share Posted October 20, 2011 the Grand Old Duke of York standing in front of her! Andrea smiled at him and he smiled back. "Try the locket" he suggested... Andrea lifted it carefully and fingered the clasp. She pulled gently and..... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AnnBK Posted October 20, 2011 Share Posted October 20, 2011 with little resistance, the locket opened. Her hands were trembling as, from inside the open heirloom, there appeared... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MariJ Posted October 21, 2011 Share Posted October 21, 2011 a tiny piece of paper! Andrea eagerly opened it up and studied it intently. It appeared to be directions to someplace. The directions said: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PolkaDot Posted October 21, 2011 Share Posted October 21, 2011 "The secret is in the Silver Locket." Andrea frowned. This could not help her solve the mystery. She already knew that the secret was in the Silver Locket. But what was the secret, and why was there danger nearby? What was Grandmother trying to tell her? Andrea's eyes returned to the faded paper. She read on. The secret is in the Silver Locket. Mix the letters up to see a special hidden message which will solve the mystery. "Oh, my," Andrea sighed. "This is even harder than..... Her thoughts drifted. "Wait! Could it be an anagram?" she wondered aloud. "But which words, and how will I know it's the message to me?" Andrea thought and pondered and played with letters for the next hour. She was about to give up when, suddenly, the sun shone through the branches of the lovely old tree and lit two words on the torn paper. Silver Locket. The words glowed like gold. Andrea's eyes blurred from the brightness. The letters seemed to move magically around the page, dancing and skipping and spinning. When they settled, Andrea read the new words. Silk Coverlet. Silk Coverlet! That was it! An anagram for Silver Locket! Andrea's thoughts drifted back to the summer day of the picnic long ago when Grandmother had shown her a beautiful burgundy silk coverlet. Grandmother had gently placed her hands on Andrea's shoulders and bent at her side as she whispered in her ear, "Andrea, for right now, no one else must know of this, but I want you to remember these words. Hidden within this coverlet I have sewn a............ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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