My Original Short Story Assignment

This story is what I wrote for my Creative Writing class, enjoy!

Once a upon a time, there was a far-away land called Andalasia. Andalasia does not exist on our planet Earth. In truth, it was far from our plane of reality. Andalasia was the kingdom, accompanied by lush forests and clear skies, where the beautiful princess named, Avia, resided under the care of her parents. Each time her birthday arrived on July 6th, her esteemed friends and cherished family members usually came over for her exquisite birthday parties. That was not hyperbole. To provide further context, this was the manner in which Avia would receive her birthday cards. Although, before her birthday celebration itself, she started to read her birthday cards in her dulcet voice. As for the kingdom of Andalasia, it had adapted to the modern technology of planet Earth, making the kingdom of Andalasia both traditional and innovate in its structure. This meant that people living in the kingdom of Andalasia has access to modern technology while continuing with the traditional practices Avia’s family had started centuries ago. Even the magical creatures that resided in Anadalasia had evolved alongside the technology.

The first birthday card said,” You’re a very special young woman with so many wonderful dreams to dream, places to go, and things to do for life. I sincerely hope  you have a happy and healthy year and I wish that it is everything you hope it will be. From: Ellenia”. Ellenia was Avia’s third cousin on her mother’s side of the family. Ellenia was also present at the time of Avia’s conception in the kingdom. Ellenia’s personality was exuberant like the flowers that grew when they were watered during the spring season in Andalasia.

After reading the first card, Avia was then given the second birthday card, which had said, “Having you for a niece has always been a joy for us to behold for many years. We’ve had so much fun over the passage of time and the good times we are sharing now will continue into creating more wonderful memories for us to remember for eternity. On a day as special as your birthday, it’s only natural to tell you how much love you have brought to life and how much you’re loved in return. From both your aunts and uncles: Denise, Jodi, Alan, & Robert.”

What made the third and fourth birthday card rather intriguing that unlike the first two birthday cards, they were different in that the birthday cards were written in the format of number dials similar to the rotary phones in the 1940’s or the smartphones we currently have today. The cards were given to Avia by her sweet cousin Victoria. Victoria had red hair that blazed like the scorching sun in the blue sky. The third birthday card read as follows,

        “Your birthday voice mail card has 9 numbers. Out of all the numbers shown, pick one that resonates the most to you personally.

1. Press 1 if you’re having a birthday.
2. Press 2 if you want it to be happy.
3. Press 3 if you plan to party.
4. Press 4 if you plan to take a nap.
5. Press 5 if you plan to nap at a party.
6. Press 6 if you plan to party at work.
7. Press 7 if you’re bringing goodies.
8. Press 8 if the goodies are donuts.
9. Press 9 if you’re not bringing goodies. “

After much deliberation, Avia had simply chosen number one and number three because they were the two statement proven to be true. Fortunately, this did not disappoint Victoria, for her fourth birthday card would be more captivating than the third one. It was also due to the fact that the fourth birthday card incorporated meta-humor. Meta-humor, by the way, is humor that makes explicit or implicit references to yourself, an idea, or an object. That’s how the fourth card was special in its own way. Victoria had insisted that Avia opened the fourth card with eager anticipation.

Victoria – Or you can just open this card!

“And…

1. Press 1 if you like this card.
2. Press 2 if you don’t like this card.
3. Press 3 if you’re tolerating this card.
4. Press 4 if you wish I didn’t send you this card.
5. Press 5 if you’d rather I sent you a different card.
6. Press 6 if your tired of reading this card.
7. Press 7 if this card is beginning to annoy you.
8. Press 8 if this card does not annoy you.
9. Press 9 if this card is driving you nuts.

And have a happy birthday! From Victoria.”

Avia responded to Victoria with, “Thank you for the lovely cards, Victoria. We will never part as cousins no matter how distant our kingdoms are”. To Victoria, this meant that her cousin, Avia, selected number 1 because of the humorous nature of this card. After reading both the third and fourth birthday cards from her favorite cousin, Victoria, the fifth card she would receive was special in that it was written by the one person who cared for the most: her mother. Her mother had written a succinct yet sweet message that her daughter would never forget. The 5th card read as follows:

“My dearest Avia Adina Yosef.

Since you were just a little girl, the time flew by for the both of us, it seems,

Each day brought new accomplishments,

Each year fulfilled wondrous dreams,

You have added so much joy and fun into my life,

Along with pride and happiness,

You have been loved a lot by me for many years,

just as you are today. 

Enjoy your special day sweetheart! From the person who loves you most: Mom.”

Just like that, the 5th card Avia received was the most endearing and personal birthday card she had ever read. The contents of the card made Avia feel fortunate to know that she could depend on her mother in both times of crises and celebration. This is what it means to have parents. Regardless of whether they were related to you or not, parents provide love, loyalty, and compassion as you grow in life. This is exactly what Avia’s parents have done for her, and as a result, Avia will continue to grow into the queen she was meant to be.

After Avia was done reading the fifth card from her mother, she was finally presented with the sixth card. Like the 5th card, the last card Avia was given was special in its own way. The difference was that this 6th card was given to her by her valiant and noble boyfriend named Carlos. One would assume he was a knight in shining armor. To a degree, he was. Although he never rode to battle on majestic horses and vanquished enemies with swords, he was happy with the simple life he lived. He got to serve dinner to the king and queen for a while for he was the waiter. It would be on occasion that Carlos noticed Avia hoping for the day that she would be his. Now that his dream had come true, it is how he was able to give her the sixth and final card which said,

 “Happy Birthday, my dear girlfriend! Now that you are another year older, I want you to enjoy this moment because you are now more intelligent and kinder than you were before in the past.

You can achieve your goals if you keep believing in yourself all the same. I thank you for being a good –

no, scratch that – one of the best parts of my life, my love.

Just like Belle from Disney’s Beauty and the Beast, you are precious outside and most importantly the inside.

You’re cherished love, Carlos.”

After Avia read the final card, she then turned to Carlos and kissed him on the lips. A few seconds later, she responded to him with, “Thank you for the birthday card you have made for me, Carlos.” Carlos then responded back to her with, “It was a card that was especially made for you along with the message that I intended to relay to you. Every word that I wrote in my card is true. I want you to have an amazing day today and to keep having days like these. This is your day after all”. On those last words, Carlos had left the castle and waited outside for her once she was done celebrating.

The reason why that he could not be in the party was because of how loud the sounds were. Unbeknownst to the people around Carlos, he possessed a certain disorder that highlighted one of the central features of it: hyper-sensitivity to loud noises. Because the birthday party was teeming with trumpets, horns, and drums, Carlos had to excuse himself from the premises. Because he was the only person with this disorder, he was ostracized by the people in his village except for his family members, who understood him better than the rest of the villagers did.

In reality, he felt better over at the kingdom of Andalasia because he did not face the same rejection he did before. Nevertheless, Carlos thought about the welfare of his family for he had revered them for being the people who never rejected him. He missed them dearly. He had hoped to return to them one day. While Carlos kept contemplating about his journey, Avia was already done reading the cards. This birthday party was far from finished.  

A tower of vanilla cake came out of the royal kitchen for the birthday princess. Afterwards, her family members were singing Happy Birthday to Avia in harmony as she brimmed widely with glee upon her countenance. She then consumed her cake and enjoyed her company that came for her magnificent celebration. Essentially, the message that she received was this:

“Celebrate all you are and all you dream to be. Beautiful, inside and out which is most definitely you.”

While this message had provided her a sense of reassurance about her inner and outer beauty, she longed to be embraced by Carlo’s warm hugs. The search for answers as to why Carlos vanished the night of her birthday party begin. Avia also was conscientious of the fact that Carlos would intend to her return to her one day and that what he was doing was simply rekindling with his folks.  

Epilogue

It had been 5 years since Avia’s birthday party which also marked the last time Andalasia heard and saw Carlos as he was contemplating about what new journey he was about to embark on next. Another key element Avia was about to realize was the fact that Carlos had not simply abandoned his love for the affections of another. Far from the contrary. She was on the verge of discovering that he returned to his village home to take care of his family. This would commence by Avia asking her parents a question.

Avia had inquired to her parents if she could visit the village outside of the Andalasian kingdom despite the fact her family had not visited there in years. Her parents had surmised the only reason why their precious daughter, Avia,  would inquire about the village was because she had the desire to know where Carlos  had been for the past 5 years. With enough courage to muster, her mother told her the truth. Avia learned that Carlos had to return to his family promptly because his mother was falling ill. The only other person in his family was his younger sister, Marina.

This revelation did not shock Avia in the slightest. What it did, however, was ignite the fire of passion in her heart to find Carlos. She brought was necessary for her trip: Her brush,  her hygiene products, water, food, and her confidence. Knowing the village was no mere excursion, she came prepared in advance. Carlo’s village was just a few clicks outside the shrouded forest.  She knew better to leave the castle grounds during the daylight. Before saying goodbye to her parents, Avia thanked her parents for giving her their blessings on this trip.   

Immediately, Avia rode her gallant horse, Fortitude, with the thought of reuniting Carlos and seeing how he had been doing with his family. When riding through the forest, Avia knew a certain path that would lead to Carlos’ village. Upon entering, she simply headed straight, then right, then left, and then right again. After taking this necessary direction, Avia rode out of the forest safely to witness Carlos’ village. It was a small community of people who knew each other well and the houses they resided in were made of wood. Out of the houses available, Carlos lived in the house on the far right side. He was sifting the horse manure from the ground and disposing it elsewhere. When Carlos turned his head, he too, smiled because the love of  his life was literally in front of him. 

Due to the fact he had been working under the scorching sun, along with smelling like horse manure, he did not want their reunion to be him hugging her while dirty. This was why Carlos had to retreat inside his house and shower himself with the buckets of water collected from the clouds. After showering himself, Carlos then emerged from his house to embrace Avia tightly after 5 years. Feeling joyful, Avia wished to know when he was going to return to Andalasia. Carlos replied to her with the fact that his mother was getting ill with high fever and severe colds. He received this news the day of her birthday party after reading the letter written by his younger sister, Marina.

Since then, Carlos had not returned to the kingdom of Andalasia for he was thinking about the welfare of his family. Avia inquired him if there was anything that she could do that would suffice in order for his mother to be nursed back to health. Carlos then answered to her, “Yes, you can. You can provide me my cooking tools. I am going to make soup for everyone”. Hearing that sentence come out of Carlos’ mouth was not unusual.  While working in the kingdom of Andalasia, Carlos had been washing dishes and occasionally cooked some delicious soups that Avia’s family would come to develop an acquired taste for. Although, Carlos had been making a special type of soup that he hoped would nurse his mother back to health again.

The soup he had conjured up was one of chicken and vegetables. It was steaming hot for it had been cooked in 30 minutes. He delivered the hot soup directly to his mother and Avia followed suit. Upon arriving to his mother’s bedroom, Avia saw how bedridden she was: She could not lift any limb. To compensate for her lack of physical movement, Carlos’ mother could still smile like she did before which meant that Carlos’ efforts to nurse her back to health were not wasted. Even though Carlos’ family did not live in a gorgeous castle, they were happy just having each other. Avia had the desire to return to her home in Andalasia, but seeing as how she made it this far, she decided to stay with Carlos until his mother could be nursed back to health and so he could return to Andalasia with his mother’s undying blessing. It was at this moment that Avia learned another lesson: Life itself is fragile for everyone living on planet Earth whether they were rich or poor, and as long as they had the strong support of their family members, people could face the challenges of life with relative ease.

• once upon a time