NaNoWriMo Juniper’s First Story

mountain meadow of wildflowers surrounded by pine trees — on Flickr

Daily Note

Every day, a photograph, a poem. This meadow was the inspiration for the meadows in my stories. It’s up in Conconully country in the Colville National Forest— I couldn’t tell you where because we just drive to find a lovely place on the planet and this was one of our favorite drives one long summer day. Isn’t it beautiful. So– a poem for the young character Juniper in my story.

Pick One

Above your head a sky of blue
Below your feet, the earth
And in between are many hues
Pick one that sends you mirth.
Sheri Edwards
11.03.22 309.365.22
Poetry/Photography
Juniper’s First Verse
So Says the Mainstream
NaNoWriMo 2022

November Doodle:

Juniper in the Dragon Footprint with blue dragon dust on her feet

illustration of young golden-haired girl standing in a dragon footprint surrounded by wood sorrel with her shoes dotted with dragon dust — illustration of young golden-haired girl standing in a translucent blue dragon footprint surrounded by wood sorrel with her shoes dotted with dragon dust

Excerpt

“I don’t think it’s the fairies.” Juniper said.

Everyone looked, surprised. “You don’t think the fairies would protect our world— our things from the past that might be here?” asked Marigold.

“It’s not that. Look.” She stood surrounded by wood sorrel in a rut between the row of grapes and a row of lavender.

Everyone craned their necks to look down at her feet.

“No— come here. I think you can only see it if you look straight down.”

Each person picked up their buckets and walked to Juniper, who held her hand up just as they were a few feet from her. “Stop there. Think blue. And look straight down.”

“I see nothing.” Jade said.

“Nor I,” Marigold added.

“Think blue?” Jasmine asked.

“Think blue.” And she is it softly, but deliberately so the “oo” part was just a bit longer than normal.

Jasmine picked up a piece of broken trellis and held it out in front of her, poking it into the ground and outlining a shape. “I think I see this in blue.” She said blue just the way Juniper did.

As she drew, Juniper smiled and Jade’s eyes grew large. Marigold covered her mouth, and Joseph mumbled, “dragon.”

There in the dirt, with flattened grasses and wood sorrel, was the shape of a small dragon’s foot— a footprint of translucent blue.

“I’m standing in the other footprint.” And when they looked down at Juniper’s feet, blue dust covered her shoes.
Sheri Edwards
So Says the Moonstream
NaNoWriMo 2022