The Robbery 8/14/08
At the pharmacy that day,
I have a gun the man did say.
He threatened us with ½ a minute,
Open the safe the drugs are in it.
Finally opened the safe she did,
He grabbed 5 bottles by their lids.
Off he ran while we all trembled,
All bravery away it crumbled.
Will ran to tell the LP guy,
While Pharmacist and I did cry.
Then all the police, and detective came,
To take our statements and our names.
The camera’s of course they didn’t work,
So now we can’t ID the jerk.
Now we try to pick up the pieces,
The memory it never ceases.
Thursday, August 14, 2008
Saturday, July 26, 2008
Phunny Pharm
Phunny Pharm by Abigail R. LoCascio
"I need some refills!, said the dude
In a manner almost rude.
"I need Prozac for my wife
and Viagra for our sex-life,
Then the Adderall for my kid,
Also either Nix or Rid.
I need them NOW.
I GUESS I'll wait.
Twenty minutes??
I'll be late!"
Insurance problems,
the printer's jammed
Today we're very under-manned.
Three lines on hold,
another ringing,
All my nerves on edge are pinging!
The end of this so far away,
I just started out my day!
But then, the day calms down at last,
and craziness is finally past.
Then the kind folks come and go,
John and Lisa, Beth and Joe.
This "pharm" day has finally ended,
All the issues, off are fended.
Off we drive into the night,
To rest up for next day's fight.
"I need some refills!, said the dude
In a manner almost rude.
"I need Prozac for my wife
and Viagra for our sex-life,
Then the Adderall for my kid,
Also either Nix or Rid.
I need them NOW.
I GUESS I'll wait.
Twenty minutes??
I'll be late!"
Insurance problems,
the printer's jammed
Today we're very under-manned.
Three lines on hold,
another ringing,
All my nerves on edge are pinging!
The end of this so far away,
I just started out my day!
But then, the day calms down at last,
and craziness is finally past.
Then the kind folks come and go,
John and Lisa, Beth and Joe.
This "pharm" day has finally ended,
All the issues, off are fended.
Off we drive into the night,
To rest up for next day's fight.
The Five Dollar Bill
The Five Dollar Bill by Abigail R. LoCascio
Georgia fingered the five dollar bill.
She'd paid rent and the light and water bills. It was summer so she didn't have to pay for heat. She'd bought bread, milk, eggs, ham and a head of lettuce at Save and Go, and had gotten $5.22 back in change. This was it till Friday. She tucked the money into her back jeans pocket and left for work.
*********
The skateboarder tailed Georgia lazily. He saw a corner of money peaking out of her back pocket. He hadn't had a smoke all day, because he had no dough. Skating close, he pretended to bump into her and while both tried to regain their balance, he expertly lifted the fiver from her back pocket. He excused himself politely and skated past her, leaving Georgia unknowingly broke on a Monday.
*********
Skateboarding to a convenience store a few blocks away, the young thug thumped the bill on the counter. After aquiring a pack of cigarettes, he was gone. A few moments later, an older gentleman ducked into the convenience store for some snacks and soda for his visiting Grandson. He soon exited with $5.56 in change, and the snacks. Climbing into the car he handed the soda and the five to the boy.
*********
A couple days later the boy bought candy and a magazine from the bookstore in the mall, with the five dollar bill. An hour later a wealthy young woman left the bookstore, laden with 3 books, 2 magazines a mocha latte cappucino and $5.85 in change.
*********
That afternoon she visited the salon where Georgia worked as a hair-dresser. After getting her hair cut, dyed and styled, and had her nails done, she paid the salon manager and flipped a five to Georgia for a tip. She left without a backward glance.
Georgia fingered the five-dollar bill.
Georgia fingered the five dollar bill.
She'd paid rent and the light and water bills. It was summer so she didn't have to pay for heat. She'd bought bread, milk, eggs, ham and a head of lettuce at Save and Go, and had gotten $5.22 back in change. This was it till Friday. She tucked the money into her back jeans pocket and left for work.
*********
The skateboarder tailed Georgia lazily. He saw a corner of money peaking out of her back pocket. He hadn't had a smoke all day, because he had no dough. Skating close, he pretended to bump into her and while both tried to regain their balance, he expertly lifted the fiver from her back pocket. He excused himself politely and skated past her, leaving Georgia unknowingly broke on a Monday.
*********
Skateboarding to a convenience store a few blocks away, the young thug thumped the bill on the counter. After aquiring a pack of cigarettes, he was gone. A few moments later, an older gentleman ducked into the convenience store for some snacks and soda for his visiting Grandson. He soon exited with $5.56 in change, and the snacks. Climbing into the car he handed the soda and the five to the boy.
*********
A couple days later the boy bought candy and a magazine from the bookstore in the mall, with the five dollar bill. An hour later a wealthy young woman left the bookstore, laden with 3 books, 2 magazines a mocha latte cappucino and $5.85 in change.
*********
That afternoon she visited the salon where Georgia worked as a hair-dresser. After getting her hair cut, dyed and styled, and had her nails done, she paid the salon manager and flipped a five to Georgia for a tip. She left without a backward glance.
Georgia fingered the five-dollar bill.
The Man from Wikiup
The Man from Wikiup (Feb 2007) by Abigail R. LoCascio
There once was a man from Wikiup,
Who drove to town in his picky-up.
He wooed Senoritas,
And drank Margaritas,
And had to walk home with a hiccy-up.
There once was a man from Wikiup,
Who drove to town in his picky-up.
He wooed Senoritas,
And drank Margaritas,
And had to walk home with a hiccy-up.
The Lost
The Lost (06/30/08) by Abigail R LoCascio
I’m so sad for all the lost.
They throw away their lives, at cost.
They run away into the world,
Forever life, away they’ve hurled.
Everything held dear in past,
Away from them, afar, have cast.
My heart, it breaks for these young ones,
All the daughters, and the sons.
Why from Jehovah do you run?
And, the ransom of his son?
This is not some little thing,
To Jah, you promised, you would cling.
And yet the world called out to you,
And away to it you flew.
Please come back and do not wait!
Please… before it is too late.
I want you there, by my side,
In Paradise to reside.
Please come back my dear young friends,
Before this wicked system ends.
I’ll be here, waiting for you.
To be your friend, to help you through.
Just please come back, come back to us,
Do not fight and do not fuss.
Jehovah’s true, the world is not,
And after Armageddon fought,
This world you’re living for today,
Will be completely thrown away.
And then it will be too late.
So do not balk and do not wait.
I’m so sad for all the lost.
They throw away their lives, at cost.
They run away into the world,
Forever life, away they’ve hurled.
Everything held dear in past,
Away from them, afar, have cast.
My heart, it breaks for these young ones,
All the daughters, and the sons.
Why from Jehovah do you run?
And, the ransom of his son?
This is not some little thing,
To Jah, you promised, you would cling.
And yet the world called out to you,
And away to it you flew.
Please come back and do not wait!
Please… before it is too late.
I want you there, by my side,
In Paradise to reside.
Please come back my dear young friends,
Before this wicked system ends.
I’ll be here, waiting for you.
To be your friend, to help you through.
Just please come back, come back to us,
Do not fight and do not fuss.
Jehovah’s true, the world is not,
And after Armageddon fought,
This world you’re living for today,
Will be completely thrown away.
And then it will be too late.
So do not balk and do not wait.
My Room
My Room (published 1996 By Majestic Books) by Abigail R. Zacharias {LoCascio}
Mother says, "Your room's a mess,
Here's a slipper - there's a dress,
A stack of books, a teddy bear,
Your sweatshirt draped across the chair.
There's a pair of purple socks
Stuffed into the Kleenex box.
Your dirty clothes in a heap-
Oh my! It must be four feet deep!
A faded poster on the door,
An old dog biscuit on the floor.
And too, I think the family cat
Chewed the flowers off your hat.
I see your homework 'neath your shoe-
Is that the paper that's past due?
I think you;d better start today,
And get this stuff all put away!"
But I look around and it's plain to me,
That things are where they ought to be.
Mother says, "Your room's a mess,
Here's a slipper - there's a dress,
A stack of books, a teddy bear,
Your sweatshirt draped across the chair.
There's a pair of purple socks
Stuffed into the Kleenex box.
Your dirty clothes in a heap-
Oh my! It must be four feet deep!
A faded poster on the door,
An old dog biscuit on the floor.
And too, I think the family cat
Chewed the flowers off your hat.
I see your homework 'neath your shoe-
Is that the paper that's past due?
I think you;d better start today,
And get this stuff all put away!"
But I look around and it's plain to me,
That things are where they ought to be.
Too Much Rain
Too Much Rain 6/3/1997 by Abigail R. Zacharias (LoCascio)
All the sky gives us is rain.
If we get much more, I'll go insane.
I wish the sun would shine real soon,
Cuz here it is already June.
I'm so depressed that I could cry,
But I won't and I'll tell you why,
We don't need more of this liquid stuff.
I think that we've had quite enough!
All the sky gives us is rain.
If we get much more, I'll go insane.
I wish the sun would shine real soon,
Cuz here it is already June.
I'm so depressed that I could cry,
But I won't and I'll tell you why,
We don't need more of this liquid stuff.
I think that we've had quite enough!
Sneaker
Sneaker 10/21/96 by Abigail R. Zacharias (LoCascio)
S- Sweet and cute and oh, so dear
N- Nose and eyes, and toes and ears
E- Eager to please that silly cat
A- And black and white and Oh, so fat.
K- Kitten right up to the last
E- Everlasting? No he's past
R- Roadway was his own death bed,
So now I cry and hang my head.
(My sweet kitty Sneaker got hit my a car. So I wrote this poem.)
S- Sweet and cute and oh, so dear
N- Nose and eyes, and toes and ears
E- Eager to please that silly cat
A- And black and white and Oh, so fat.
K- Kitten right up to the last
E- Everlasting? No he's past
R- Roadway was his own death bed,
So now I cry and hang my head.
(My sweet kitty Sneaker got hit my a car. So I wrote this poem.)
Paradise
Paradise (07/17/2001) By Abigail R. Zacharias (LoCascio)
Jehovah our God is wonderful,
Above everything all powerful.
How great and many His grand works are.
From the tiniest bug, to the largest star.
No one else can truly see,
What in future days will be.
But He's promised, this we know,
He will destroy the wicked foe.
And bring Paradise to all the land.
No more His people to be banned.
Each person will have his own delight,
And be restored to perfect might.
A day when all the dead will rise,
And tears of joy fill their loved ones eyes.
A time when no person will say,
"I feel bad or sad today."
A wonderful time when we will find
A tiger grazing with the hind.
Awesome stories will be told,
by all the faithful men of old.
When each human to their feet will rise,
To help make earth a Paradise.
Then for awhile Satan will be freed,
To see if all God's laws we'll heed.
And if faithful we prove to be,
Then God's Blessing we will see.
Satan forever will be cast out,
And we in joy will sing and shout.
"Praise Jehovah our God above,
A God of mercy and of love.
For making all our problems cease
For giving us true lasting peace.
We thank you, our God Most High,
For helping all who groan and sigh.
For releasing us from the old world's pressure,
For giving us this glorious treasure.
Teach us all your wonderous ways,
As we look upon endless days."
But till then we must stay strong
For our wait will not be long.
Jehovah our God is wonderful,
Above everything all powerful.
How great and many His grand works are.
From the tiniest bug, to the largest star.
No one else can truly see,
What in future days will be.
But He's promised, this we know,
He will destroy the wicked foe.
And bring Paradise to all the land.
No more His people to be banned.
Each person will have his own delight,
And be restored to perfect might.
A day when all the dead will rise,
And tears of joy fill their loved ones eyes.
A time when no person will say,
"I feel bad or sad today."
A wonderful time when we will find
A tiger grazing with the hind.
Awesome stories will be told,
by all the faithful men of old.
When each human to their feet will rise,
To help make earth a Paradise.
Then for awhile Satan will be freed,
To see if all God's laws we'll heed.
And if faithful we prove to be,
Then God's Blessing we will see.
Satan forever will be cast out,
And we in joy will sing and shout.
"Praise Jehovah our God above,
A God of mercy and of love.
For making all our problems cease
For giving us true lasting peace.
We thank you, our God Most High,
For helping all who groan and sigh.
For releasing us from the old world's pressure,
For giving us this glorious treasure.
Teach us all your wonderous ways,
As we look upon endless days."
But till then we must stay strong
For our wait will not be long.
Lost Love
Lost Love (03/07/2003) by Abigail R. Zacharias (LoCascio)
Tell me what do you think of
when you think of lost love?
Of sonnets, and bonnets,
and fancies galore,
beseeches,
knee breeches,
a waltz 'round the floor?
Of bees and of honey,
something privately funny,
a grand sunny day,
in the third week of May?
Or maybe a rowboat,
a sloppy old snow coat,
a big bass bassoon,
or a flat red balloon.
But whatever you think of
when you think of lost love,
don't feel to low,
for new love can grow
when you least expect it.
So don't reject it.
Let new love be found!
Let happiness abound!
That's what to think of,
when you think of lost love.
Tell me what do you think of
when you think of lost love?
Of sonnets, and bonnets,
and fancies galore,
beseeches,
knee breeches,
a waltz 'round the floor?
Of bees and of honey,
something privately funny,
a grand sunny day,
in the third week of May?
Or maybe a rowboat,
a sloppy old snow coat,
a big bass bassoon,
or a flat red balloon.
But whatever you think of
when you think of lost love,
don't feel to low,
for new love can grow
when you least expect it.
So don't reject it.
Let new love be found!
Let happiness abound!
That's what to think of,
when you think of lost love.
Poem for Nick
Poem for Nick (11/15/2004)
by Abigail R. Zacharias (LoCascio)
Its amazing how life changes on you.
Doesn't care what you're going through,
In the blink of an eye your life shifts gears
and you find what you've searched for many long years.
Jehovah knows what it is we need,
and with the right timing we will succeed.
So very glad each other we've found.
Time spent with you makes the world go 'round.
Let's look to Jehovah to help us through,
Because I just can't see, me, without you.
by Abigail R. Zacharias (LoCascio)
Its amazing how life changes on you.
Doesn't care what you're going through,
In the blink of an eye your life shifts gears
and you find what you've searched for many long years.
Jehovah knows what it is we need,
and with the right timing we will succeed.
So very glad each other we've found.
Time spent with you makes the world go 'round.
Let's look to Jehovah to help us through,
Because I just can't see, me, without you.
No Title Yet work in progress...
Note this is only the first chapter of this story. I'm not putting my whole baby out there for all the world. If you want to read more you can e-mail me, sapphirarlo@gmail.com I'm still trying to figure out a title.
Chapter One - The Disappearance of the Crown Jewels
The girl’s worn shoes were silent as she made her way along the stone wall. Her long, hooded cloak fluttered around her in the cool spring night air. Beneath her cloak she fingered the hilt of the slender but strong dagger and checked to be sure the feed sack was still tucked into her belt.
The back gateway of the castle was growing nearer and in the glow of the torch light she could make out the shapes of the two guards. One was tall and skinny, the other short and stout.
She stopped in the shadows and thought her plan through one more time. She glanced around nervously. She didn't want to use the dagger unless she absolutely had to.
Loosening her cloak enough to push it and her blouse off one shoulder she then tucked her skirt up to her knees. She pinched her cheeks, smoothed her hair and bit her lips to redden them. After tucking the dagger into the back waistband of her skirt she pulled the cork from the vial that hung round her neck. She touched the liquid to her fingers and rubbed in on her lips. She had taken the antidote for the powerful sleeping potion earlier.
She then focused her attention on the guards. The tall skinny one stood at attention but thankfully the stout one was dozy. His eyes drooped and he sat leaned back against the gateway. She waited till she heard faint snoring from the sleepy guard and then sauntered into the light.
“Halt! Who goes there?” the tall guard demanded. The stout guard snorted and dozed back off.
“Just a peasant girl, passing by, on this fine evening.” She replied in what she hoped was a sultry voice. She flicked her hair off her bare shoulder.
“Oh!” the guard widened his eyes, smiled, and relaxed.
She sidled up to him and leaned in for a kiss which he accepted. A second later he slumped heavily into her arms deep in the drug induced sleep. The other guard dozed on completely unaware. She stood over him and as he opened his mouth in a snore she tipped a drop from the vial into his open mouth. He awakened with a sputter at the bitter taste and then just as quickly he was unconscious again. The girl glanced around once more, replaced the vial around her neck, pulled the cloak tight around her, and flipped the hood back over her head.
The hoot of an owl startled her and a bead of sweat ran down the middle of her back. She breathed deeply to calm her jangled nerves and pulled the key from the pocket of the tall guard. She unlocked the gate returned the key, and slipped through the opening placing a small flat rock from her pocket between the gate and the jamb, ensuring a quick escape route. She had ½ an hour to finish her quest.
Keeping to the shadows she skulked along the wall. The moat was about 50 yards away. She dodged from tree to tree till she was amongst some brush close to the moat. She stripped down to her undergarments and wrapped everything in her cloak. She wouldn’t care about being wet coming back but going in she didn’t want to leave a trail. The dagger she clamped between her teeth just in case she had to deal with something nasty in the moat. She swam as quickly as she could across the moat trying not to think about what might be swimming with her.
Once on the other side she ducked into some more brush and stripped bare. She wrung out her undergarments and redressed, making sure her cloak was tight around her and her dagger and feed sack tucked safely back into her belt. She ducked through the trees to the back of the castle.
The castle and its walls and moat sat amongst a wooded area. She had picked the gate she had because very few people knew it existed. The king used it when he snuck out to one of his endless secret trysts with loose or naive women.
She flattened her back to the castle wall. She found the back servant entrance in the moonlight. It was almost 1:00 A.M. and everyone was asleep. Everyone, that is, but a watchdog, chained to a post in the courtyard. He saw her approaching and snarled. Having anticipated a dog or two she had thought to put a few scraps of meat in a pouch in her pocket, already treated with the sleeping potion. She tossed a scrap to him now and he snatched it in mid air. He didn’t even bark. He scarfed down the meat and swayed as the drug took effect. He slumped to the ground sound asleep.
She surveyed the courtyard. The wide walkway toward the heart of the castle was what she wanted. She followed the floor plan as she had memorized it thankful for the full moon and the occasional torch mounted occasionally on the walls. Soon she found the throne room. Just off that room was a small windowless inner room that held the crown jewels and other valuables.
She paused in a darkened doorway her pulse pounding in her ears. She pulled out a packet of herbs that when ground together creates a lot of smoke but no fire. She mixed the herbs in the palm of her hand and then rubbed her hands together. A thin ribbon of smoke rose. She quickly wrapped it back in its packet, dropped it behind her and ground it with her heel. Smoke rose thickly. She ran down the hall and hid behind a tapestry that hung around the corner from the throne room doors. Soon the call sounded out,
“FIRE!!!!!!”
Two guards barreled out the throne room doors, leaving them open and ran right past her through the smoke. She rounded the corner and into the throne room. Pulling the doors behind her, she closed and locked them. She barely got her eyes adjusted and then she pulled the heavy velvet curtains open at the window. Moonlight poured in along with light from a single torch on the wall. Pulling the dagger from her belt she jimmied the lock on the safe room. In what seemed like ages to her she finally heard a click and she flung open the door. She grabbed the torch and took it with her into the safe room. Carefully she hurried and put the torch in a sconce on the wall.
She wrapped the scepter, the crown, and the signet ring in the velvet from their display cases and tucked them into the feed sack which she then tied tightly. She ran out of the safe room, hauled on a cord that was to tie the curtains back and snapped it free at the top. She tied it to a sconce on the wall next to the window and flung it through the window hoping it was long enough to get to the ground below. All of a sudden there was banging on the door. Her heart pounding she hauled herself out the window slid down the rope, recklessly dropped the rest of the way to the ground, regained her balance, and tore across the grounds to the moat. She ripped her blouse off and yanked off her skirt flinging them into the water. Gathering her cloak to her head and tucking the sack into her belt she dove into the water. She dropped her cloak around herself and hurled herself toward the wall and gate. Behind her on the other side of the moat torch light bathed the grounds, dogs barked and people were shouting. Dislodging the pebble she flung herself through the gate, and listened to it latch behind her. She paused to catch her breath for a second before disappearing in to the forest with king's most prized possessions.
Chapter One - The Disappearance of the Crown Jewels
The girl’s worn shoes were silent as she made her way along the stone wall. Her long, hooded cloak fluttered around her in the cool spring night air. Beneath her cloak she fingered the hilt of the slender but strong dagger and checked to be sure the feed sack was still tucked into her belt.
The back gateway of the castle was growing nearer and in the glow of the torch light she could make out the shapes of the two guards. One was tall and skinny, the other short and stout.
She stopped in the shadows and thought her plan through one more time. She glanced around nervously. She didn't want to use the dagger unless she absolutely had to.
Loosening her cloak enough to push it and her blouse off one shoulder she then tucked her skirt up to her knees. She pinched her cheeks, smoothed her hair and bit her lips to redden them. After tucking the dagger into the back waistband of her skirt she pulled the cork from the vial that hung round her neck. She touched the liquid to her fingers and rubbed in on her lips. She had taken the antidote for the powerful sleeping potion earlier.
She then focused her attention on the guards. The tall skinny one stood at attention but thankfully the stout one was dozy. His eyes drooped and he sat leaned back against the gateway. She waited till she heard faint snoring from the sleepy guard and then sauntered into the light.
“Halt! Who goes there?” the tall guard demanded. The stout guard snorted and dozed back off.
“Just a peasant girl, passing by, on this fine evening.” She replied in what she hoped was a sultry voice. She flicked her hair off her bare shoulder.
“Oh!” the guard widened his eyes, smiled, and relaxed.
She sidled up to him and leaned in for a kiss which he accepted. A second later he slumped heavily into her arms deep in the drug induced sleep. The other guard dozed on completely unaware. She stood over him and as he opened his mouth in a snore she tipped a drop from the vial into his open mouth. He awakened with a sputter at the bitter taste and then just as quickly he was unconscious again. The girl glanced around once more, replaced the vial around her neck, pulled the cloak tight around her, and flipped the hood back over her head.
The hoot of an owl startled her and a bead of sweat ran down the middle of her back. She breathed deeply to calm her jangled nerves and pulled the key from the pocket of the tall guard. She unlocked the gate returned the key, and slipped through the opening placing a small flat rock from her pocket between the gate and the jamb, ensuring a quick escape route. She had ½ an hour to finish her quest.
Keeping to the shadows she skulked along the wall. The moat was about 50 yards away. She dodged from tree to tree till she was amongst some brush close to the moat. She stripped down to her undergarments and wrapped everything in her cloak. She wouldn’t care about being wet coming back but going in she didn’t want to leave a trail. The dagger she clamped between her teeth just in case she had to deal with something nasty in the moat. She swam as quickly as she could across the moat trying not to think about what might be swimming with her.
Once on the other side she ducked into some more brush and stripped bare. She wrung out her undergarments and redressed, making sure her cloak was tight around her and her dagger and feed sack tucked safely back into her belt. She ducked through the trees to the back of the castle.
The castle and its walls and moat sat amongst a wooded area. She had picked the gate she had because very few people knew it existed. The king used it when he snuck out to one of his endless secret trysts with loose or naive women.
She flattened her back to the castle wall. She found the back servant entrance in the moonlight. It was almost 1:00 A.M. and everyone was asleep. Everyone, that is, but a watchdog, chained to a post in the courtyard. He saw her approaching and snarled. Having anticipated a dog or two she had thought to put a few scraps of meat in a pouch in her pocket, already treated with the sleeping potion. She tossed a scrap to him now and he snatched it in mid air. He didn’t even bark. He scarfed down the meat and swayed as the drug took effect. He slumped to the ground sound asleep.
She surveyed the courtyard. The wide walkway toward the heart of the castle was what she wanted. She followed the floor plan as she had memorized it thankful for the full moon and the occasional torch mounted occasionally on the walls. Soon she found the throne room. Just off that room was a small windowless inner room that held the crown jewels and other valuables.
She paused in a darkened doorway her pulse pounding in her ears. She pulled out a packet of herbs that when ground together creates a lot of smoke but no fire. She mixed the herbs in the palm of her hand and then rubbed her hands together. A thin ribbon of smoke rose. She quickly wrapped it back in its packet, dropped it behind her and ground it with her heel. Smoke rose thickly. She ran down the hall and hid behind a tapestry that hung around the corner from the throne room doors. Soon the call sounded out,
“FIRE!!!!!!”
Two guards barreled out the throne room doors, leaving them open and ran right past her through the smoke. She rounded the corner and into the throne room. Pulling the doors behind her, she closed and locked them. She barely got her eyes adjusted and then she pulled the heavy velvet curtains open at the window. Moonlight poured in along with light from a single torch on the wall. Pulling the dagger from her belt she jimmied the lock on the safe room. In what seemed like ages to her she finally heard a click and she flung open the door. She grabbed the torch and took it with her into the safe room. Carefully she hurried and put the torch in a sconce on the wall.
She wrapped the scepter, the crown, and the signet ring in the velvet from their display cases and tucked them into the feed sack which she then tied tightly. She ran out of the safe room, hauled on a cord that was to tie the curtains back and snapped it free at the top. She tied it to a sconce on the wall next to the window and flung it through the window hoping it was long enough to get to the ground below. All of a sudden there was banging on the door. Her heart pounding she hauled herself out the window slid down the rope, recklessly dropped the rest of the way to the ground, regained her balance, and tore across the grounds to the moat. She ripped her blouse off and yanked off her skirt flinging them into the water. Gathering her cloak to her head and tucking the sack into her belt she dove into the water. She dropped her cloak around herself and hurled herself toward the wall and gate. Behind her on the other side of the moat torch light bathed the grounds, dogs barked and people were shouting. Dislodging the pebble she flung herself through the gate, and listened to it latch behind her. She paused to catch her breath for a second before disappearing in to the forest with king's most prized possessions.
Priscilla's Prized Pet
Priscilla’s Prized Pet by Abigail Zacharias (LoCascio)
(When I was 11 this story was publised by Majestic Books . All rights reserved.)
Priscilla Arlington ran up the front steps and through the door. She and her mother were going to make grape jelly that day.
“Mother! Mother! She called.
“In the kitchen darling,” her mother called back. Prissy ran into the kitchen. Mrs. Arlington hugged Prissy to go upstairs and get into some old clothes. Prissy ran upstairs and yanked on her work dress, long stockings (which she hated) and boots. She ran back downstairs and told her mother she was ready. Then she grabbed her bucket, ran out the back door and down the steps to the buggy.
The grapes were delicious. Prissy grabbed a handful of grapes. She put one in her mouth and the rest in the bucket. She filled a bushel basket that way.
Prissy was soon tired out, so she walked along the bushes eating grapes as she went. When she came back her mother was finished picking grapes. Before they left they sat down under a shady tree and ate a lunch of sandwiches, cookies, and grapes (and grapes and grapes!).
The next morning Prissy and her mother picked the grapes off the stems, squeezed the grapes, and put them into a jelly bag to drain. After they got their jars ready, they went outside where it was cooler for a break.
While they were outside their kitten, named Concord because she loved grapes, was inside. She smelled the grapes straining, jumped on a chair then up on the table, and started eating the pulp. She ate so much she rolled right off the table. She picked herself up, waddles into the sitting room, crawled into her favorite chair and fell asleep. Prissy came in to get her doll and saw little purple footprints all over the table and floor. She followed the footprints to the sitting room, saw her kitten lying on the chair, and screamed. Her mother came running to her side.
“What on earth is the matter?” Mrs. Arlington asked. When she saw the kitten she gasped, “Oh my! What happened?”
“Concord lived up to her name Mother,” Prissy said. Then Prissy saw something she didn’t like. There were little purple footprints on her clean white shawl which she had laid across the chair. She was going to make a design on it for a local contest.
“Oh! No!” she moaned.
“What’s the matter, Prissy?”
“Look at what she did to my shawl!”
"Oh dear,” her mother said. “Well maybe you can use it anyway. Look, the footprints are only here in the middle. It would surely be different from all the others."
“That sounds great!” exclaimed Prissy. “Good now I’ll go finish the grape jelly while you clean up this mess, said Mother.
Later on that day when her father came home, he brought an announcement for a cat show. All the girls in the territory could show their kittens and cats. The person with the prettiest cat would win a beautiful silver cat dish for the cat and a silver statue of a cat for the girl. Prissy thought about the contest. Her snow white kitten was purple! Purple!! Prissy jumped up and found her mother. She found her washing the table cloth and jelly bag in the washtub.
“What fortune!” she thought. “Mumma?” Prissy asked as she tapped her mother.
“Hmm-m-m?”
"Do you think we could wash concord in your washtub?” “Of course we could. I’m almost done anyway. Go get a bar of soap honey, and I’ll get Concord,” her mother replied.
When Prissy was all set her mother said,
“Ok, Prissy, be careful—don’t get her against your clothes. I’ll hold her, you soap her up. But, wait; push up your sleeves first.”
After they soaped up the kitten they dipped her under the rinse water and pulled her back up.
“Ouch! Yelled Prissy angrily, holding her hand. “She scratched me!”
“Let’s finish her up quick—then we’ll fix it.”
Then Prissy got a good look at Concord. She was still purple, only all over!
“Mumma! Look at her!” She cried.
“I see, honey. I don’t know what to do now.”
A couple of days passed. They tried everything they could think of on the cat trying to get her snow white again. But instead she turned a lovely lavender.
Prissy was sitting on the front steps forlornly holding her lavender kitten. Her best friend, Caddie, came skipping up the road. She stood at the bottom of the steps and said,
“What’s the matter, Prissy? You look like you lost your last friend!”
“Look at this cat,” Prissy said angrily. “She’s purple!”
“Well, don’t snap at me I didn’t do it,” said Caddie.
“I can’t enter a purple cat! I’ve tried everything I could think of and the contest is tomorrow,” said Prissy sadly.
“You haven’t thought of everything, Enter her anyway,” Caddie suggested. “She’ll be the only purple cat there. Besides, she’s really a lovely shade of lavender.”
“Do you think she’ll have any chance to win?” asked Prissy.
“Concord is gorgeous! With a big silver bow around her neck, she’d be the prettiest cat there,” said Caddie.
Prissy smiled at last. “Ok! You could be right.”
“I have a piece of silver ribbon you can use. Want to go with me to get it now?” asked Caddie. “And bring Concord so we can make sure it’s long enough.”
“Sure! Let me tell my mother first.” Prissy was so excited she couldn’t sit still. She had gotten up early and brushed and fluffed Concord. Then she put the big silver bow around her neck. At the last minute she put her into the old picnic basket and climbed into the buggy with her brother Will.
“Sit still Priss! If you bounce anymore you’ll bounce right out of the buggy,” Will teased.
“I can’t help it! I’m terribly nervous,” she replied.
In just a little while they pulled up in front of the schoolhouse, Prissy jumped down and carefully took the basket.
Will said, “You go on in. I’ll take care of the buggy.”
When Prissy entered she saw at least a dozen other girls with cats and kittens. There were two fluffy white cats, one sleek calico, a slim grey cat, an old orange tomcat, a tiny black and white kitten, another one a little older and a lot more ornery, two brown tabbies that kept scrapping, one sleek all-black cat, a grey and white spotted cat with one blue eye and one green eye and one yellow and white half grown kitten. The two tabbies were entered by Caddie and her little sister. Prissy decided to keep Concord in the basket till it was her turn to show her. Since she was last to arrive she would be last to show her cat.
So Prissy watched as all the other girls went to the table in the center to show their cats one at a time. Before she knew it, it was her turn. As she pulled Concord out of the basket everyone gasped. She could hear people whispering,
“She’s gorgeous! She’s beautiful! She’s lavender!”
The judges asked how she got a lavender cat. Prissy related all that had happened. The judges just nodded and asked her to go back and sit down. People were still whispering about the unusual cat when the judges made their decision.
"We all agree, said the head judge, “that Concord, the lavender cat, is the prettiest cat her. Please come forward for your prize, Miss Arlington."
Will whooped and whistled while everyone else clapped. After Prissy collected her prize the judge continued,
“There’s a prize for every cat here, because they are all special.”
Prissy felt really proud and happy as she and Will started back home in the buggy. And she felt a little more hopeful about the shawl design contest next week.
Will offered to take Prissy to the shawl contest too. She wasn’t quite as nervous this time. Everyone took their shawls in earlier that week to be judged. Today they’d see who had won. When Prissy entered the room, she saw a rainbow of colored shawls all around it. Most were embroidered, but some were painted, some had the pattern woven right in, and one had little purple footprints running right across the middle. Prissy was surprised to see a big blue ribbon pinned on the shawl. She had gotten first prize for the most unusual design. Will thumped Prissy on the back and said,
“Good work, Priss.”
Prissy smiled. Who would have thought all of this would have happened when she picked up a lovely little white kitten in the grape vineyard a few weeks ago.
(When I was 11 this story was publised by Majestic Books . All rights reserved.)
Priscilla Arlington ran up the front steps and through the door. She and her mother were going to make grape jelly that day.
“Mother! Mother! She called.
“In the kitchen darling,” her mother called back. Prissy ran into the kitchen. Mrs. Arlington hugged Prissy to go upstairs and get into some old clothes. Prissy ran upstairs and yanked on her work dress, long stockings (which she hated) and boots. She ran back downstairs and told her mother she was ready. Then she grabbed her bucket, ran out the back door and down the steps to the buggy.
The grapes were delicious. Prissy grabbed a handful of grapes. She put one in her mouth and the rest in the bucket. She filled a bushel basket that way.
Prissy was soon tired out, so she walked along the bushes eating grapes as she went. When she came back her mother was finished picking grapes. Before they left they sat down under a shady tree and ate a lunch of sandwiches, cookies, and grapes (and grapes and grapes!).
The next morning Prissy and her mother picked the grapes off the stems, squeezed the grapes, and put them into a jelly bag to drain. After they got their jars ready, they went outside where it was cooler for a break.
While they were outside their kitten, named Concord because she loved grapes, was inside. She smelled the grapes straining, jumped on a chair then up on the table, and started eating the pulp. She ate so much she rolled right off the table. She picked herself up, waddles into the sitting room, crawled into her favorite chair and fell asleep. Prissy came in to get her doll and saw little purple footprints all over the table and floor. She followed the footprints to the sitting room, saw her kitten lying on the chair, and screamed. Her mother came running to her side.
“What on earth is the matter?” Mrs. Arlington asked. When she saw the kitten she gasped, “Oh my! What happened?”
“Concord lived up to her name Mother,” Prissy said. Then Prissy saw something she didn’t like. There were little purple footprints on her clean white shawl which she had laid across the chair. She was going to make a design on it for a local contest.
“Oh! No!” she moaned.
“What’s the matter, Prissy?”
“Look at what she did to my shawl!”
"Oh dear,” her mother said. “Well maybe you can use it anyway. Look, the footprints are only here in the middle. It would surely be different from all the others."
“That sounds great!” exclaimed Prissy. “Good now I’ll go finish the grape jelly while you clean up this mess, said Mother.
Later on that day when her father came home, he brought an announcement for a cat show. All the girls in the territory could show their kittens and cats. The person with the prettiest cat would win a beautiful silver cat dish for the cat and a silver statue of a cat for the girl. Prissy thought about the contest. Her snow white kitten was purple! Purple!! Prissy jumped up and found her mother. She found her washing the table cloth and jelly bag in the washtub.
“What fortune!” she thought. “Mumma?” Prissy asked as she tapped her mother.
“Hmm-m-m?”
"Do you think we could wash concord in your washtub?” “Of course we could. I’m almost done anyway. Go get a bar of soap honey, and I’ll get Concord,” her mother replied.
When Prissy was all set her mother said,
“Ok, Prissy, be careful—don’t get her against your clothes. I’ll hold her, you soap her up. But, wait; push up your sleeves first.”
After they soaped up the kitten they dipped her under the rinse water and pulled her back up.
“Ouch! Yelled Prissy angrily, holding her hand. “She scratched me!”
“Let’s finish her up quick—then we’ll fix it.”
Then Prissy got a good look at Concord. She was still purple, only all over!
“Mumma! Look at her!” She cried.
“I see, honey. I don’t know what to do now.”
A couple of days passed. They tried everything they could think of on the cat trying to get her snow white again. But instead she turned a lovely lavender.
Prissy was sitting on the front steps forlornly holding her lavender kitten. Her best friend, Caddie, came skipping up the road. She stood at the bottom of the steps and said,
“What’s the matter, Prissy? You look like you lost your last friend!”
“Look at this cat,” Prissy said angrily. “She’s purple!”
“Well, don’t snap at me I didn’t do it,” said Caddie.
“I can’t enter a purple cat! I’ve tried everything I could think of and the contest is tomorrow,” said Prissy sadly.
“You haven’t thought of everything, Enter her anyway,” Caddie suggested. “She’ll be the only purple cat there. Besides, she’s really a lovely shade of lavender.”
“Do you think she’ll have any chance to win?” asked Prissy.
“Concord is gorgeous! With a big silver bow around her neck, she’d be the prettiest cat there,” said Caddie.
Prissy smiled at last. “Ok! You could be right.”
“I have a piece of silver ribbon you can use. Want to go with me to get it now?” asked Caddie. “And bring Concord so we can make sure it’s long enough.”
“Sure! Let me tell my mother first.” Prissy was so excited she couldn’t sit still. She had gotten up early and brushed and fluffed Concord. Then she put the big silver bow around her neck. At the last minute she put her into the old picnic basket and climbed into the buggy with her brother Will.
“Sit still Priss! If you bounce anymore you’ll bounce right out of the buggy,” Will teased.
“I can’t help it! I’m terribly nervous,” she replied.
In just a little while they pulled up in front of the schoolhouse, Prissy jumped down and carefully took the basket.
Will said, “You go on in. I’ll take care of the buggy.”
When Prissy entered she saw at least a dozen other girls with cats and kittens. There were two fluffy white cats, one sleek calico, a slim grey cat, an old orange tomcat, a tiny black and white kitten, another one a little older and a lot more ornery, two brown tabbies that kept scrapping, one sleek all-black cat, a grey and white spotted cat with one blue eye and one green eye and one yellow and white half grown kitten. The two tabbies were entered by Caddie and her little sister. Prissy decided to keep Concord in the basket till it was her turn to show her. Since she was last to arrive she would be last to show her cat.
So Prissy watched as all the other girls went to the table in the center to show their cats one at a time. Before she knew it, it was her turn. As she pulled Concord out of the basket everyone gasped. She could hear people whispering,
“She’s gorgeous! She’s beautiful! She’s lavender!”
The judges asked how she got a lavender cat. Prissy related all that had happened. The judges just nodded and asked her to go back and sit down. People were still whispering about the unusual cat when the judges made their decision.
"We all agree, said the head judge, “that Concord, the lavender cat, is the prettiest cat her. Please come forward for your prize, Miss Arlington."
Will whooped and whistled while everyone else clapped. After Prissy collected her prize the judge continued,
“There’s a prize for every cat here, because they are all special.”
Prissy felt really proud and happy as she and Will started back home in the buggy. And she felt a little more hopeful about the shawl design contest next week.
Will offered to take Prissy to the shawl contest too. She wasn’t quite as nervous this time. Everyone took their shawls in earlier that week to be judged. Today they’d see who had won. When Prissy entered the room, she saw a rainbow of colored shawls all around it. Most were embroidered, but some were painted, some had the pattern woven right in, and one had little purple footprints running right across the middle. Prissy was surprised to see a big blue ribbon pinned on the shawl. She had gotten first prize for the most unusual design. Will thumped Prissy on the back and said,
“Good work, Priss.”
Prissy smiled. Who would have thought all of this would have happened when she picked up a lovely little white kitten in the grape vineyard a few weeks ago.
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