Short Stories No 2--- The 2 cows

Once upon a time, there were 2 cows, Flora and Fauna, both belonging to Farmer Jones.

At mealtimes, both cows were allowed to graze on the grasslands behind the ranch.

Farmer Jones had built a fence which divided the the grasslands into half, for the other half belonged to his neighbour Farmer Smith.

Everyday, Flora and Fauna would stand at the fence, and admire the grass on the other side.

"Oh Fauna oh Fauna, don't you think the grass on the other side looks so much more luscious?" Flora would moo.
" Oh Flora oh flora, indeed, even the dew drops on the grass blades looks so much sweeter." Fauna would moo in reply.

One day, Fauna decided to leap over the fence just for a small bite of the grass on the other side.

" Oh Flora oh Flora, won't you join me in the feast?" Fauna mooed questioningly.

"Oh Fauna oh Fauna, I would love to do so, except the mud that I'm standing on is so much stickier and yuckier and my hooves are soo deeply stuck i can't move them." Flora mooed back.

" Oh Flora oh Flora, aren't we grazing on the same brown mud?" Fauna mooed.

" Oh Fauna oh Fauna, indeed we are grazing on the same side but the mud I'm standing on just seems so much gooey-er than yours. " Flora mooed.

So, sseing that she could not persuade Flora, Fauna leapt over the fence to feast on the delicious grass.

After feasting for sometime, Fauna looked over and saw that Farmer Jone's grass looked more delectable than usual. So, she leapt over the fence and feasted on the grass on Farmer's Smith side. Then she looked up and saw that Farmer Jone's grass looked more delicious. So she leapt and ate and leapt and ate.

As days passed by, Fauna became so toned and muscular that Farmer Jones decided to keep her for the Annual Cutest Cow Competition.

Flora, on the other hand, had became so listless that she couldn't eat the grass on Farmer Smith's side that she lost her appetite and became thinner and thinner everyday. Seeing that Flora was wasting away, Farmer Jones sold her to the peelers, so that her skin may be used to make bags and her hair to make brushes.

2 friends, the same conditions, the same owner, with very different fates.

Moral of the story--- You can either choose to indulge in 1) the grass is greener on the other side 2) the mud you're standing on is yuckier. Not both. And if you really wanna do sth, go ahead. Who remembers for long that you look as spastic as Fauna leaping over the fence repeatedly? All the world remembers is the medal she's gonna win at the competition.

Short Stories No 1---The Escape

There was a girl, Ani, who lived with her parents in a small village.
When she was 16, she decided to run away from home to escape an arranged marriage as the 16th concubine to the village chief, who was then 61 years old.

So she started her escape, bringing along only the pittance(10 Lia dollars) she has saved by running errands for the village folks.

So she ran, and she ran, and she ran.

Unfortunately, in her haste, she tripped over a tree branch and dropped 2 dollars. Just as she writhed towards her money, 2 big fat black crows swoop down and snatched the 2 shiny coins away.

Ani was dismayed but she went on running and running and running.

Unfortunately, in her haste, she tripped over a stone and fell, into the arms of a charming woodcutter. The woodcutter looked deeply into her eyes and Ani was mesmerized. It was love at first sight. Ani invited him to join her on her escape and they decided to elope together after a good night's rest.

The next morning, the woodcutter was gone, and so did 6 dollars, with a note attached," Honey, I left you 2 dollars to grab a bite, love cute woodcutter."

Ani was disgusted( because he only left her wif 2 dollars and not 3 dollars). She continued running and running and running.

Now and Ani was just a few km away from the main entrance of the town, a scrawny man bumped into her and mumbled something before sprinting away. The man turned around to give Ani a thumbs-up when he was some distance away. Ani smiled and returned the thumbs-up sign, thinking to herself, " What a friendly guy."

When Ani reached the entrance of the town, she was ambushed by 2 burly muggers. She was most willing to hand her purse over( for 2 dollars in exchange for her life is a very good deal) , when she realised her purse was gone!!! Remembering the scrawny man, realisation dawned upon her that she has been pickpocketed. She sat down and wailed and howled like a wolf on a full moon night.

Now the burly muggers were really freaked out. ( They were new on the job and so far their victims only tried to put up a futile struggle. None had acted like this girl before.)

" Are...are you alright?" One of the braver muggers stepped forward. Ani managed to tell her story of escaping, while wheezing and choking on her sobs. Soon, all 3 of them were hugging together and crying for poor Ani.

Touched by Ani's tale, they recruited her as a fellow mugger and they all lived happily ever after in the town. Their rule of thumb, was to take the money only of those who resembled Ani's parents, the 61 year old village chief, the cute woodcutter and the scrawny pickpocket.

Moral of the story---a messed up situation cannot get anymore messed up. So if you feel like you're at the bottom of the deepest pit ever, rejoice that the only way to go now is up, not deeper.

Arms Of An Angel---performed by Sarah McLachlan

Spend all your time waiting for that second chance
For the break that will make it ok
There's always some reason to feel not good enough
And it's hard at the end of the day
I need some distraction, oh beautiful release
Memories seep from my veins
They may be empty and weightless, and maybe
I'll find some peace tonight

In the arms of an Angel, fly away from here
From this dark, cold hotel room, and the endlessness that you fear
You are pulled from the wreckage of your silent reverie
You're in the arms of an Angel; may you find some comfort here

So tired of the straight line, and everywhere you turn
There's vultures and thieves at your back
The storm keeps on twisting, you keep on building the lies
That you make up for all that you lack
It don't make no difference, escaping one last time
It's easier to believe
In this sweet madness, oh this glorious sadness
That brings me to my knees

In the arms of an Angel, far away from here
From this dark, cold hotel room, and the endlessness that you fear
You are pulled from the wreckage of your silent reverie
In the arms of an Angel; may you find some comfort here

The School Gate

The school gate couldn't understand why

Guarding the school
Was its sole responsibility
And this
It took upon seriously

Everyday it stood
Against the wind and the rains
In solitude at night
And through the bustling and hustling of the day

What couldn't it understand?
It doesn't know why
At 5am each morning
The security guard had unlocked itself
With such viciousness and ruthlessness
In response to its welcoming smile
For finally company was here

Maybe I should smile more
It thought to itself
And it had smiled so that there was a creaking sound
And the guard cursed
For it was time to oil the gate again

It doesn't know why
At 6.30am each morning
When the students and teachers start streaming in
They were dragging their bodies
And slowly trudging along
Like some slime with great inertia

Their faces stoned
Their eyes drooped
Their smiles lost
Replaced with grim frowns
Their laughter absent
Replaced with groans and whims

Yet when the bell rings
Signaling the end of the school
The students and teachers alike
Would fill out of the school
Chattering with excitement
Bubbling with anticipation

It all seemed to the gate
That they were only far too pleased to leave it
Alone all over again

Even as the guard locked up the gate
At the end of the day
At 7pm
He would be whistling to himself
Through his almost toothless gum

All the gate wanted
Was just an acknowledging nod
Or just one more glance
From those he loved and protected

Yet that never came

Not even as the gate was replaced
With the new stainless model from Japan
Resplendent with a new coat of paint
Attracting wows and admiration from students and staff

It was fortunate
that the old gate mistook the milling crowd around the entrance
As students expressing their gratitude
To his service all those years

As it was being delivered
To the disposal grounds
The gate started to miss the kids
Who came to say goodbye.

Memories

My random thought of the day---
If you ever had some wonderful memories with anyone
And that someone comes to forget it
Then how can you be sure that
Those incidents actually took place?
Or was it just your own hallucination
or day dreams?

Maybe it did happened
Or did it not?

But so what if it really did take place
And you're the only one on this world
who remembers it?

It seems then that maybe
memories are only precious
when they are shared with someone else.

Vienna waits for you...

This song "Vienna", performed by Billy Joel, is one of the songs in "13 Going On 30".
Got this lovely song from a lovely friend, thanks teo=)
Loved the lyrics, hope you love them too.

Vienna

Slow down you crazy child
You're so ambitious for a juvenile
But then if you're so smart tell me why
Are you still so afraid?
Where's the fire, what's the hurry about?
You better cool it off before you burn it out
You got so much to do and only
So many hours in a day

But you know that when the truth is told
That you can get what you want
Or you can just get old
You're gonna kick off before you even get halfway through
When will you realize...Vienna waits for you

Slow down you're doing fine
You can't be everything you want to be
Before your time
Although it's so romantic on the borderline tonight (tonight)
Too bad but it's the life you lead
You're so ahead of yourself
That you forgot what you need
Though you can see when you're wrong
You know you can't always see when you're right(you're right)

You got your passion you got your pride
But don't you know that only fools are satisfied?
Dream on but don't imagine they'll all come true
When will you realize
Vienna waits for you

Slow down you crazy child
Take the phone off the hook and disappear for a while
It's alright you can afford to lose a day or two
When will you realize...
Vienna waits for you.

And you know that when the truth is told
That you can get what you want
Or you can just get old
You're gonna kick off before you even get halfway through
Why don't you realize...Vienna waits for you
When will you realize...Vienna waits for you

Everyday

As a warning to my friends, you SHOULD NOT read the following entry if you feel your life is screwed up enough for it would make you feel even worse.

Everyday
When I go to bed at 3am in the morning
I dread falling asleep
For I fear waking up
Into a world of nightmares.

Everyday
Each step I take
Seems so heavy
Every breath
So laboured
Every beat of my heart
I can only feel
The slipping away of life
Doing things I hate
Or trying to love the people I hate

Everyday
I wonder when that day would finally end
I start a countdown
From the instant I open my eyes
To the instant when Im deep in sleep enough
To stop hating myself

Everyday
I pray for the day
When everything would be all right
But what is all right?
I dunno truly
But I guess I know it's all right
When I can fall asleep not haunted
by the arrival of next day
And wake up
Taking my first breath of the day
Out of desire
Not by forced will.

Neighbours

The brown spot on the floor
Of the dingy corridors
In the 20 year-old flat
Should be avoided at all costs

It cannot be washed away
Permanently
For it always comes back
Shortly after it was removed

It reeks of blood,
The neighbours whispered.
Of the sin
which happened so many years ago

Did you hear?
Sssshh...
She brought her other man home
And he chanced upon them
when he returned home early
after getting fired by his boss

There the pair of lovers were
Entwined in bed sheets
The ones he bought for Valentine's day
After she complained of how unromantic he was

That was the last anyone saw of the couple
For the next thing they knew
He was standing in the corridor
His blood-stained hands still clenched onto the knife
Dripping into a brown puddle at his feet

Panting and heaving
In his last act of defiance
He had plunged the knife
Fresh with the couple's blood
Into his heart
The one with which he loved his wife so

The blood spurted
And as he spasmed and collapsed
Onto the brown puddle
His last cries of maniacal laughter
Reverbrated throughout the
Long dingy corridors

Now the estate management had sent its cleaners
With their most advanced tools and latest chemicals
To clean the whole block of flats

The brown spot was gone in a flash
And it never came back

The neighbours cursed and swore
They were displeased
They say the spirits may be angered

Still their ears remained pricked up
Their eyes sharp
Their noses sniffing
For any hint of sin
That could be taking shape
Behind the closed doors

Behind the greetings each morning
Behind the small talk in the lift or at the wet market
Behind the sharing of soy sauces and spices
That's what true neighbours are for.

---By (Lia) Leow Hui Ting, first copy right