‘The Joys Of Being A Writer’: Guest Post by Rayne At The Bus Stop!

Calling all people of the blogosphere (especially writers!) I am thrilled to have a guest post by the beautiful Rayne At The Bus Stop today. Doesn’t she have a stunning name, guys? Rayne Abigail Morales. I could even be jealous.

Anyways, Rayne has written an amazingly fantastic and extremely helpful guide to the ‘joys of being a writer’. Be warned, if you are a writer, this will make you scuttle off to find your pens immediately, but not before you’ve been captivated by this amusing and engaging account by a truly wonderful story-teller (and definitely not before you’ve left us a comment!) Now, let’s go! 

Let’s pretend this is me reading Rayne’s guide, okay? ‘Cause I want it to be!!! I love this girl. Go Lizzie Bennet! Anyone else? (Before this turns into a rant) 

The Joys of Being a Writer 

Howdy, everyone!

    I’m Rayne from over at The Bus Stop. I’m a fourteen-year-old girl, a pianist, a big sister, and a writer of contemporary short stories. I blog to have the opportunity to share my stories with others, to build an audience, and to find and interact with other bloggers who share similar passions.

    I’m excited to be writing for Gracie’s terrific audience today!

    Gracie’s blog has an inspiring theme of using our passions to change the world. I absolutely love this ambitious and encouraging blog! Most of us in the blogosphere have a passion for writing, so today, I’m writing a post…

    …To all the writers out there who are feeling discouraged:

    My friends, would you describe the writer’s journey as long and hard? Are those the first two words that pop into your head when you think of the writing process? If so, you’re not alone. But have you ever considered that being a writer is also fun?

    Sure, maybe when you were brand new at writing, you were excited, fresh with ideas and full of enthusiasm. But by now, you feel like your writing is dead. The bad news is, if you feel like your writing is dead, it probably is. The good news is, this can be fixed! But bringing your writing back to life does not start with fixing the writing itself, it starts with you. If you’re not excited or enthusiastic about your writing, your writing will be dead, because writing will always reflect its author, no matter how far along your voice is in the refining process.

    So how do we change our own attitudes about writing? Well, we all know it won’t inspire us to write if we see writing as a box to check off on the list, or necessary to keep the blog running. So here’s the inspiring truth: Being a writer is fun. It’s an exciting journey we writers get to go on! We have so much creativity and discovery at our disposal. As Victor Hugo said, “A writer is a world trapped inside a person.”   

    My dad is an awesome writer. Guys, he writes for hours and hours many days. Sometimes I wonder how he doesn’t get tired of it. Yet when I asked him, “What’s fun about being a writer?” his answer was immediately, “Oh, lots of things!”

    I’m going to give you guys two of his many reasons and build off of them! Here we go!

1. The discovery process – having a single thought, then sitting down to write it and ending up with something more thought-out, more refined, and more elaborated, than your original thought. 

    When I say, “discovery process”, I don’t mean the research you get to do in the writing process (although that is both interesting and important), but I mean the discovery of yourself!

    As the Nobel-prize winner Gabriel Garcia Marquez (who is Colombian like me, I note with pride) once said, all stories start with an image. I remember the first time I heard that. An image, really? Not a plot, not an outline? Because those can be so tricky to develop and are boring anyways.

    I recently sat down to write a story, and I had a single thought, a single image. I imagined two children playing a pretend game (a classic knight-and-princess roleplay). I didn’t ask myself any questions, I didn’t make myself write an outline, all I did was write. See, being a writer who starts with an image is like being a cameraman. You get to take a single image and choose the angles, when to zoom in or zoom out, the filters, etc. AND HOW FUN IS THAT.

    Where were we? Oh, yes, so I began to write my image…

    And as I looked more and more closely at the image, I learned about my characters’ personalities and looks. I heard their dialogue and watched them play. And by the time I was finished observing the image, a story was already being formed. You can read it here

    So yes, the discovery process is such a fun part of being a writer! Discovering what YOU can do with a single thought, a single image! You can take a single moment and make a story, you can take a single person and write an entire lifetime, you can take a single setting and write a history!

    With that exciting thought said, we can move on to another thing my dad said is fun about being a writer.

2. The satisfaction of creating – we as people love to create. We write, we build, we invent, we explore. People who create improve life.

    Writing is hard work, yes! It’s a long process, yes! It takes a heck of a lot of time, yes! But it is very rewarding.

    Just think about it. You’ve created something that wasn’t there before. I mean, it was NON-EXISTENT before you came along!

    For example, take genius Lin-Manuel Miranda, creator of the hit Broadway musical, Hamilton. He took the story of the founding father, Alexander Hamilton, which used to be nothing more than history facts, and made it interesting and compelling. He took someone who to us was no more than a history figure and made him matter to us. And people LOVED IT. So, fellow writers, don’t throw away your shot to create something brand new! (Any other Hamilfans out there reading this right now?!)

    Now to use an example of one of my own works. I wrote a short story last fall entitled “My Tiny House”. I saw an image of a small house sitting next to a large house, and I went for it. My dad put the story on his Facebook page, and a teacher read it to her fourth-grade class. I created something that wasn’t there before, and it entertained a whole class of kids!

    So remember: writing is a long journey, but if you stay at it, you will reap the rewards. You will create things that weren’t there before that will challenge, entertain, or inform others. 

    Let’s wrap it up, shall we?

    Being a writer is full of discovery and reward! We writers get to have a lot of fun as we write to learn more about ourselves, about others, about life, and share it with others. If you are feeling discouraged about your writing, if your writing feels dead, stop in your tracks and look at yourself. Are you inspired and motivated to write? You have the capability to do great work – see it as a thrilling adventure, not as an obligation or chore.

    So, my fellow writers, take heart! You have an exciting journey ahead of you – all you have to do is pack your bags and go! Or in this case, all you have to do is WRITE. And use it to make a difference in the lives of other people.

    Signing off,

    Rayne from the Bus Stop

 

Wow! Who enjoyed that? Who is exhilarated with that surge of inspiration that’s rushing through your body right now? Who is dancing around the room, delighting in the joys of being a writer? #proud

Or dancing round a field. Either will do.

Please leave a comment, it makes my day and I’m sure Rayne would love to hear from you too. Thanks, guys, you’re all awesome.

Bye,

P.S. Since I’m doing GIFs in this post (which I rarely use) I have to include this one, as it’s from my favourite film of all time: ‘Calamity Jane’

Oops-There’s Been A Mistake!

Silly me, I accidentally pressed something that messed up my latest post, you may have already read it (and I may be worrying over nothing) but just to make sure, please click this link: https://graciechicksblog.wordpress.com/2017/06/26/why-does-it-matter/

Thank you everybody! You’re all so understanding. I’m just terrible with technology, what about you?

Why Does It Matter?*

*Warning: If you do not wish to enter the mind of a crazy, philosophical, teenage writer with BIG questions and even more BIG ideas, a burning desire to make a difference and passion and determination like you’ve never seen before, I suggest you turn back now. If you are even remotely interested/intrigued, please read on…!

“People were created to be loved. Things were created to be used. The reason why the world is in chaos is because things are being loved and people are being used.” 

One simple statement. Why would my opinion matter? Why would your opinion matter? Why would anyone want to know what anyone else thought? Those are the questions I’m asking. In this world, which is almost as crazy as the one in existence within my mind, it doesn’t seem to matter what anyone else thinks or cares about.

Our world is very muddled up at the moment, everything seems to be in political and moral chaos. As someone who is aware of current affairs, I see all the hate, confusion, greed, anger, bitterness, prejudice, my list could go on. It makes me feel helpless, but with a great responsibility, as the next generation, to replace these with peace, trust and light. But, I do believe in deeds not words, we must take action.

Sorry about this jumble of words, I usually try to articulate myself carefully, but today I just had to be honest and pour everything out. So yeah, apologies.

Please get in touch through the comments, I’m sure everyone has equally crazy ideas and thoughts. I wonder what YOU all think? Let me know….! 

 

Butterflies…

‘Butterflies in your stomach. Butterflies in your stomach.’ It’s such a cliche but it takes experiencing it to understand how true it really is. I take deep breaths and stare down at the salted caramel cookies my Dad bought especially for today. I realise that this is actually happening.

The gentle rocking of the boat isn’t making me feel any better, I keep glancing up the towpath, nervously watching, waiting. I expect to see them any minute. I don’t really know what they look like. All I know, (well, all you’re allowed to know) is that I am being filmed for a casting development project for a mainstream TV channel. A London production company is coming to film me and my life.

This has all happened so fast and, although I’m nervous, I feel an elated anticipation. Suddenly they’re here, carrying a huge camera and looking professional. This is it, Gracie…..this is it……

It all goes so amazingly, I enjoy every minute. Every minute spent giving my opinions on big modern life issues, being interviewed on challenging topics like politics, feminism, social media, materialism, relationships and social care. Every minute talking about my life and the things I’m passionate about, reading poetry and stories in a voice that seems more powerful now there’s someone here especially to hear it. Every minute spent being absolutely myself.

It was intense and my brain whirrs just thinking about it now. But I was in my element, I like a challenge. I like people who value the perspectives of young people on modern society. I loved thinking about the questions and carefully wording my replies. I didn’t find it easy, but I had the opportunity and I wanted to make the most of it.

All in all, I may be accepted to participate in this programme or I may not. I would love to be able to share my thoughts on life even further, but if not, I am just eternally grateful for this experience and I’m proud of myself for making it happen and getting this far.

Please leave me a message in the comments box below, I absolutely love to hear from you all. Thanks! 

Jo Cox – An Embodiment Of Compassion, True Beauty and Strength

Hello People, Last weekend marked the tragic death of one of my greatest inspirations: Jo Cox. I wrote a guide on theCramm as a tribute to her amazing life and want to share it with you all today. Here goes:

WHO?

Jo Cox should be remembered as an individual who wanted to make a difference, someone who worked tirelessly to create a fairer, kinder and more tolerant world.

She was the Labour Party MP for Batley and Spen in Yorkshire from 2015-2016. She was a passionate politician, one who cared about every one of the people in her constituency.

Before she entered the world of politics, she was a humanitarian aid worker in many countries throughout the world, she also spent years of her life campaigning for countless charities. On top of that, she was a loving and much-loved mother, wife, sister, daughter, friend and colleague.

She made a huge difference to many people’s lives, from refugees to the elderly to children to people with disabilities. Perhaps this is why she is remembered and honoured with such sadness today.

Jo Cox was tragically murdered on the 16th June 2016, at a constituency meeting. Her killer was later caught and is currently serving a life sentence in jail.

The past few days have been spent remembering the compassionate deeds that were fulfilled in this short life. Jo was just completely human.


IN HER OWN WORDS….

Here we have some quotes from Jo herself:


“One of the reasons I’m entering politics is that only 23% of the house of commons is female. If women don’t make that 50/50 then the people making decisions for our communities are never going to be reflective of our needs.”


“Our communities have been deeply enhanced by immigration and, whilst we celebrate our diversity, the thing that surprises me time and time again is that we have far more in common and far more unites us than divides us.”
– An extract from her maiden speech


“These children have been exposed to things no child should ever witness and I know I personally would risk life and limb to get my two precious babies out of that hell hole.” – On refugees and immigration.


“Every decade or so the world is tested with a crisis so grave that it breaks the mould. It’s how history judges us. The second world war, the genocide in Rwanda, the slaughter in Bosnia. I believe that Syria is our generation’s test.”

Please click the link below to listen to the most joyful and emotional protest song put together by some of the world’s greatest musicians, in memory of Jo:

https://youtu.be/PvF2llqLzxA

Friends of Jo Cox featuring MP4, Steve Harley, Ricky Wilson, KT Tunstall and David Gray cover Rolling Stones classic ‘You Can’t Always Get What You Want’ in honour of Jo Cox MP’s legacy and work.

A unique protest single is to be released by a group of music stars and MPs as a tribute to the late MP Jo Cox and her outstanding public service. Revenue from the song, a cover of the Rolling Stones classic You Can’t Always Get What You Want will raise funds for the launch of the Jo Cox Foundation established after her death.

The song was chosen as it called for multiple singers and choirs, reflecting a message of togetherness. During a time of growing worldwide political upheaval and uncertainty, the song marks the need for unity and tolerance.

Now, there’s something for YOU to do! I want to know who inspires you, why and how. Let me know in the comments, along with how this makes you feel. I appreciate all your heartfelt messages and I’m sure Jo would too. Thanks for reading and please keep Jo’s husband and two young children in your minds and hearts.

‘Sharing Our Strength’: A Guest Post By Elsie!

Hello everybody! As I said before, I want this blog to be a place where young people can share, discuss and challenge their thoughts, ideas and honest feelings. I asked my blogging friends to contribute to this and today I’ve got a brilliant guest post from Elsie .Yay! Thank you! So, here it goes:

Hi everyone! Hope you are all well! Before I start this post I would like to say a massive thank you to Gracie for letting me do a guest post on her blog! I chose to write my perspective on an aspect of our world that is changing/becoming more apparent with the help of social media.

There are a lot of horrible and appalling things taking place in the world every day because of people who, for whatever reason, believe they have the right to put other people’s lives in danger. This is a known fact and the thing that keeps people going after tragic events is the strength of those around them and not only those around them, but on social media too. Things have changed in how we don’t back down in times of fear. How we react to it. Yes, I am talking about Ariana Grande’s One Love Concert and how the image of people uniting and remembering lives lost was shared and spread across the world, showing those who choose to hurt others that we are stronger than they think. The concert was put on YouTube for those who could not view it other ways or wanted to remember it and in that way the memory never dies.

It will always be known that the good in the world is by far more powerful, as it is so easy to view on social media. In areas of terror where fear should radiate, it doesn’t. Life goes on for the people who’s brave actions strike a change in our world, reminding us of what it is like to be loved and what love truly means. Something happens on the other side of the world and the platform in which the news is shared becomes home to prayers for those hurt. People who will most likely never meet each other are there to hold each other up. Could this kind of thing even be dreamed of say 20 years ago? Of course social media is home to some spiteful people and content but the good by far outweighs the bad in bringing about a silent change to our world. I’m not saying that people used to live in fear before social media, only that what keeps us from falling apart as humans is that the fear is conquered right in front of us and we can actually see what’s going on together so as to stay strong. The blogging community is a fair example of this sense of friendship!

I don’t think the world will ever be perfect as nothing is. There are always new boundaries to set and overcome but the fact that the world/life can be altered by our actions and the way we react to what is happening around us brings us closer to a more realistic “perfect” and that is incredible in itself!

To me, this is a display of hope, optimism and compassion from a young person who truly believes in humankind. This is so refreshing after all the negativity, hate, anger and division in our world today. Perhaps it is our society, which is filled with these things, that causes the actions of these terrorists that Elsie speaks of. Maybe it is the feeling of being lonely, bitter and lost that makes them do the things they do. I don’t know. Whatever happens, our world has to change and our generation has to be the ones who make that difference.

Anyone who’s interested in guest-posting for me, please click here

What are your thoughts on social media? Positive or negative? Please leave all of your opinions and thoughts in the comments section, people! Thank you! 

 

Gracie’s Guides To The World Around Us

Hey Guys!

I got really positive comments on my guide to the UK General Election that I shared with you all a few days ago, you can read it here. I’ve written a few more sarcastically​ humourous and informative guides for my friend Liv from theCramm since. I thought they might be helpful to you all (and make you smile!) Hope you enjoy…!

Firstly, here’s one on the current Brexit situation:

LET’S GO BACK….

Okay, last year (2016) our former prime minister, David Cameron, decided to hold a referendum on whether we, in the UK, should leave the European Union. This was soon named ‘Brexit’, think of it as a ship-name for Britain and Exit. 

LET’S GO (FURTHER) BACK…

There have been massive debates over the ‘pros’ and ‘cons’ of the European Union for years and it all sort of came to a head in 2016, with many people wanting us to leave the EU behind and go it alone. Da da da! Anyway, even though Cameron backed Remain (in the EU) himself, he was under immense pressure from fellow politicians and members of the British public to hold this referendum and he had to agree. 

THE RESULTS?

A whole lotta people were mighty surprised when they woke up on the 24th June to find out that we had voted for Brexit. Yay. 

*Note my lack of exclamation marks. 

THE GOOD AND THE BAD

Brexit affects different people in different ways, both positively and negatively. It’s really difficult to know what side to be on, especially when you care about all the citizens of our country equally. 

For example, our young people won’t be able to study abroad so easily if we leave the EU, it won’t be great for UK citizens living permeantly in other parts of Europe either. But then, there was one poster, made by supporters of Vote Leave, that stated that we pay the EU 50 million pounds a day, their suggestion was to spend it on the NHS (National Health System) which is currently suffering from lack of funds. 

FAST FORWARD….

Right, we’ve time-traveled back to the future again. It’s almost a whole year later and we’re not exactly much further down the line. Well, Cameron’s stepped down and Theresa May has taken his place as prime minister and leader of the Conservative Party. She was all set to go through the Brexit negotiations and emerge triumphant, when something threw it all off course. 

Mrs May wanted to ‘confirm’ her strong leadership and the fact that she had the clear majority and backing from the public. So what did she do? She held a ‘snap election’, several years before it was due to take place. And guess what?! She lost….badly. Oops. Please read this guide on the General Election to find out more: http://thecramm.com/guides.html

So Brexit’s on hold….again. Our government is completely out of action and there’s nothing anyone can do until it gets itself back together again. 

THE REACTION?

David Cameron, who’s been keeping quiet (ish) over the past year, has now spoken up with a bit of advice for his successor, Mrs May. Aw, how nice. He says that she’ll have to “consult more widely” and “listen to other parties” now that she has lost the election and her power. 

People are also saying that there will be pressure for a ‘softer’ Brexit, now that Mrs May has lost her precious majority. A ‘soft’ Brexit is where we keep friendly relationships (and the odd trade deal!) with the EU. Whereas a ‘hard’ Brexit is complete independence (even with trade). 

I think everyone’s just sick and tired of all this messing about. The general opinion seems to be *sigh* “Let’s just get it over with.” *sigh*   

 

I wrote this next one this morning, it’s on the NHS hacking crisis:

REWIND TO LAST MONTH….

It’s May and it’s springtime. The sun is shining, flowers are blooming and major computer systems all over the world are failing….big time. Especially the UK health system (the NHS). The affects are massive and many essential organisations are totally unable to function properly, we are in chaos. 

So, what could possibly have caused this turmoil? Hackers, that’s what.

WHAT HAPPENED?

Hackers created a sort of computer virus called WannaCry, which swept across the globe, locking computers and then demanding a ransom. Threats were made to destroy all files if the money was not paid. Uh oh! This crippled the NHS, messing up their whole database.

FAST FORWARD TO THE PRESENT DAY….

Okay, in the past few hours information on the suspected culprits has been released. It is said that these hackers are based in North Korea and form a cybercrime (online crime) group called Lazarus. 

The group have a whole lotta history when it comes to serious international crimes. In 2014, they are believed to have hacked Sony Pictures, just days before a movie about the leader of N. Korea was due for release. Hmmmm, weird or what?! 

They’ve also been suspected to have robbed banks in the past, a few years ago North Korean hackers were linked to the robbery of $81 million dollars from a bank in Bangladesh. 

So yeah, things aren’t looking too great for these guys. Oh, except for the fact that they’ve made off with an absolute ton of dosh in the past month or so. 

BUT WHY?

It’s difficult to guess the motives of some hackers, sometimes they use their techno-whizz super skills to protest against something they feel is wrong. Sometimes they are attempting to steal information for their own country, like modern-day espionage. But the reasons that these hackers have is relatively obvious: money. It has been suggested that, because they live in a harsh, communist nation, they are desperate for funds. 

But that wouldn’t explain their motives for hacking Sony Pictures, does it? Perhaps they are loyal to their leader and didn’t want him to be portrayed negatively? Or maybe he paid them to do it? Perhaps it wasn’t even them? 

I know this guide has posed a lot of questions, but I hope it has been able to explain a few too. Thanks for reading!

 

See you all later…!

Do you keep up to date with current affairs? Are you inspired to make a change? Did you laugh out loud at my guides? Please leave me a comment….

 

Wanted: Guest Posters!!!

Hey there guys!

My dream for this blog is to create an atmosphere where young people who care about the world can discuss and share their thoughts and ideas, meet and connect with others and be a part of an inspiring community making a change. Where we can be honest and open.

To achieve this ambition, I want other bloggers to start contributing. If you think you’d be interested in doing a guest post for A Light In The Darkness, please let me know via the contact form I am including.

The guest post can be on any of the following subjects:

Changing the world

Writing

An inspiring blogging campaign idea that you may have….

Poetry

Things you struggle with/something honest 

Something to do with words!

A short story on current events 

A young person’s perspective on the world today.

Note: If you’re reading this in your WordPress feed, the contact form may not show up and you might have to click ‘visit site’.

Name(required)

Email(required)

Website

Comment(required)

Thank you all very much! I look forward to hearing from you soon!

Gracie

Xxx

 

Gracie’s Guide To The 2017 UK General Election Results

Hey there guys!

As some of you know, I have a job as a researcher for the inspirational Liv, the young creator of theCramm, a movement aimed at empowering and informing today’s youth. You can read more about my role and theCramm here.

Today, I sent Liv an in-depth guide to my country’s recent General Election results. I wanted theCramm’s readers and subscribers to understand what’s been happening and be inspired to try to make a change.

I’ve tried to include a bit of humour and sarcasm and I hope that you’ll all enjoy and learn from this short guide.

Please do note that it contains some of my personal opinions and that I do not wish to offend anyone. I welcome different ideas and thoughts and am happy to listen to others and discuss anything with you all!

Okay, so here goes:

WHAT HAPPENED?

The UK General Election of 2017 (which sounds really grand and pompous, but actually ended up in an enormously embarrassing mess for certain people) came out with some surprising results. In short, we ended up with what’s called a ‘hung parliament’.

A ‘hung parliament’ is when no party gets enough seats to technically ‘win’ the election. 

HOW?

There are two things you can choose to believe about how these results came about:

1) All the parties were just too AWESOME to choose one!

2) Um, all the parties were just too RUBBISH to choose one! 

I know which one I’ve got my money on. 

You could choose to be hopeful and optimistic about these results, believing that something good will come out of this, or you could feel worried and confused about the political chaos that our country is dealing with right now. Again, I know which best describes my feelings. 

SO WHAT HAPPENS NEXT?

There are many options for what could happen now. Our government is currently completely out of action, as no one is rightfully in power. 

Theresa May, our former prime minister and current leader of the Conservative Party, has lost her winning majority and probably wishes she’d never suggested a ‘snap election’ in the first place. It was expected that she would win with flying colours and confirm that she was a strong leader to take us through Brexit, but she failed to reach the minimum amount of seats to be re-elected.

Jeremy Corbyn of the Labour Party won the votes of a lot of young people, coming a close second in the polls. I think that this is because young people are more concerned with change that our older generations. Mr Corbyn certainly offers drastic change.  He is now calling for Mrs May to step down and resign. 

Realistically, the chances of becoming prime minister for these two party leaders are high. They are the still the main candidates. 

They now have the options of either going to our monarch, The Queen, and getting permission to form a minority government or….. Hey, wait! What exactly is a ‘minority government’? 

A ‘minority government’ is where the party in power has the most seats, but less than half of the total. It means that the government is also made up of MPs from other parties, meaning they also get a say in running the nation.

Other options include a coalition between parties or one main party attempting to go it alone. We’ll have to wait and see what will happen. One thing’s for sure though, the future of our country looks pretty perilous. 

What are your thoughts on these results? Did you find my guide helpful? Amusing? Do you have an opinion on the political events that happened? Comment discussions especially welcome! Thanks for reading, people!

 

A Light In The Darkness Part 6: The Ambassador’s Name

Demons haunted my sleep. “You have seen us and so you will die.” they hissed. I tried to wake up, but there was something about this slumber that was different. It felt like I was in a prison, trapped in the darkness and unable to free myself. I struggled for every minute of the seemingly endless sleep to wake up and find my way out.

Finally I broke through, gasping and sweating. My fingers closed around my cloak, it was covered in dried, crimson blood. I eased myself back down and stared up through at the canopy of leaves. Sunlight seeped through the gaps between the branches and touched my skin. It was so bright! I never knew how good the light was until that moment. I glanced around me.

I was laying on a sort of mossy bank and I could hear what sounded like a brook, bubbling somewhere nearby. I reached up to touch my head, it was pounding in a most peculiar and painful manner. My hand brushed a ragged cloth, again I could tell that it was crusted with blood.

“Faith.” my voice came out like a croak. “My name is Faith.” This made me laugh, despite myself. I don’t know why I was so deliriously happy. Perhaps it was because I knew I didn’t have Amnesia. I remembered the Ambassador and his strange behaviour in the moments before my accident. I even remembered the force of his hand pushing me hard to the floor.

Salty tears run down my cheeks. I trusted him. I thought he was good and kind and wanting to be my friend. I was so naive and now I had paid. I struggled to my knees and gritted my teeth against the searing, throbbing pain that plagued my head. “Ah!” I used the tiny incy bit of strength I had to heave myself to my feet and stumble off into the trees.

I had only walked a couple a steps when I began to feel extremely dizzy. I tried so hard to hold myself up, but it was no use.

I fell.

I don’t know how long I laid there, half conscious and moaning. It could have been minutes, even seconds, or it could have been hours. I only recollect two familiar arms folding themselves around my body and lifting me gently up.

Up, up, up.

High.

I was on top of the world.

All I could see was a deep, never-ending blackness, and I felt lost. “What if I’ve gone blind?” Stupid thoughts filled my barely conscious mind. Then I heard his voice and I didn’t care either way. “It’s ok.” he soothed, sitting me back down on the moss, I could feel its comforting springiness. I couldn’t see his eyes so I had no idea how he was feeling.

“I can’t see your eyes.” I whimpered. “Try opening your own.” he laughed. I did and was so overjoyed that I forgot to feel silly for not thinking of it before.

“Phoenix.” I spoke the word slowly, cocking my head to one side. An understanding passed between us.  “The bird that rose from the darkness in a glorious burst of flames and lit up the world with its light.”

This was so different to the way I had imagined telling him the name I’d chosen, but it seemed like the perfect moment. “I’m sorry, Faith.” he whispered. “You will forgive me, won’t you?”

“Of course!” I cried. “But why did you do it?”

His answer distressed me even further. “Because you’re my friend.”

“Then why did you push me?” My head started pounding again.

“I didn’t want you to leave. I knew they’d come to take you away from me and I, being the selfish person I am, wanted you to stay. I’m sorry, Faith. It wasn’t your fault. I was just hurt, and angry that you had to be taken away from me so soon.” he hung his head “Now I’ve ruined every chance I ever had of changing. I can never change, the dark side has crept into my mind and is poisoning me. I understand if you don’t trust me any more.”

I began to laugh and he glared at me. “Phoenix-” “Call me Ambassador.” He was angry with himself, I think he was on the edge of absolute despair. I had to make him understand.

“But I was never going to go with them! I decided that long before you found me!”

“What!? Don’t be stupid, Faith. They’re your friends.” he smiled ruefully. “So are you.” I said softly, turning sadly away.

“Huh?”

“I said you’re my friend too!”

He hugged me then, tightly like he’d never let me go. “Are you sure?” he asked, doubtfully. “Yes!” I exclaimed. “Phoenix, no one has ever been a better friend to me. No one has ever shown me so much, inspired me more, trusted me with their very identity. Honestly, please believe me.”

He gave a slight nod of his head, too overcome with emotion to speak. I nodded back happily and then sank, exhausted, back onto the mossy bank to sleep.

Da da da! All has been revealed! I find character’s motives in stories quite fascinating, don’t you? What did you think of The Ambassador’s name? I decided to stick with the original one that I chose. I think it suits him. Do you like the sort of prose-y vibe that I snuck into this installment? I hoped it would compliment the drama of this part of the storyline. Please leave me all your thoughts, questions and ideas in the comments below! It’s much appreciated, guys. 

See ya….😉

Gracie

Xxx