WALTZING MATILDA

by Danna Shirley

Writing assignment: use these words in a story...

Message     Fake     Graze     Scoundrel     Authenticity

Waltz     Discombobulated     Pumpkin

The email message dinged at 2:00 a.m. As a government operative, I could not ignore anything coming in on my Top Secret computer. The email was from Agent James Polk of the FBI. I quickly scanned its contents and learned there was a breach in our system. Further search placed the origination in Brussels.

I returned to my room and showered, packed, and kissed my hubby goodbye. Agent Polk met me at the airport and we were on a plane to Belgium by daylight. The investigation revealed the location of the breach was in the Castle of Groot-Bijgaarden (Bi-jerden). An invitation was highjacked to attend a ball the next evening at the castle. James and I hustled to buy evening wear and then quickly brushed up on our dance moves. I wasn’t the greatest dancer in the world but I could fake it when necessary.

Entering the castle grounds was a vision to behold. The estate was elegantly authentic with ducks and geese padding around a pond while alpacas grazed on the lawn. It seemed all the elite of Brussels were in attendance this night.

James and I arrived and blended in naturally with the other guests. We took the usual champagne glasses and nibbled on some pumpkin pastries as we explored the ballroom. Our host, Isador Van Beveren, walked around conversing with his guests. He was a pompous playboy and a well-known scoundrel of the worst kind,

A waltz began to play and saved us from an awkward greeting and explanation of our presence. We danced our way to the opposite side of the room and exited through the tall doors leading to the garden. Our contact told us the computer room was on the third floor of the castle tower. I had put slacks on under my dress for easy movement.

James and I ascended the back staircase and were in the computer room within minutes. There was no guard on the door but a computer nerd sat at a desk with his back to us. A silent approach and a tap on his shoulder had him discombobulated as to what to do next. I made quick work of getting him bound and gagged while James sat down at the keyboard and did his magic. When all was said and done, no muss—no fuss, we descended the staircase and entered the ballroom without even breathing hard. James waltzed me across the room and out the front door to our limo. We made a great team.

I slipped in beside my hubby at 2:00 a.m. and soundly fell asleep. The alarm went off at six and I heard my Sweetheart in the bathroom showering. I put on my robe and slippers and went to wake the kids. My motherly routine of pancakes and sack lunches and car pooling began. I was no waltzing Matilda. Boy, it was good to be home!

THE GOOSE GIRL

by Danna Shirley
Writing assignment: take an obscure Grimm's Fairy Tale and write your own ending...

Princess Tricity was very lovely and had all the young lads in the kingdom, both peasant and royal, charmed by her beauty. She had now reached the age of marriage and her mother said it was time to take her place beside a prince in a neighboring kingdom.

Marriage was not for her for she still loved the frivolity of riding her gentle steed through the forest. She still loved wading in the pond along the edge of the garden and feeding her beloved geese as they drank water from her cupped hand. And she loved brushing her golden locks and braiding her hair in the cool of the evening.

Tricity was not ready for marriage and certainly not ready to serve beside a King, always wearing royal robes and sitting on a throne. No, her heart was as the goose girl by the pond with her feathery friends. Her life, as such, was happy and carefree.

Her mother was not to be deterred, however, for she invited three neighboring princes to a royal feast. One way or another Tricity would marry; either by her choice of husband or her mother’s,

Tricity rebelled but it did no good, for her mother sequestered her in her room to be watched by her servant, Bekka, and readied for the royal feast. Bekka thought it quite romantic for Tricity to have her choice of handsome men. She heated and poured the royal bath, pressed and hung her gown, and combed and braided Tricity’s hair with jewels and perfume.

She was a vision descending the staircase into the main hall but there was no joy in her countenance. She greeted each prince with a curtsy and an extended hand. Prince Cecil was much older than she, a bit flabby around the middle with a fuzzy beard. She could not fathom even kissing such a face. Prince Milton seemed her age but realizing they were both too young for such a marriage, knew he was being pushed, as she was, into something they would both regret. Prince Oliver seemed exactly right but he showed no enthusiasm for this situation either.

They all retired to the feast, each one conspicuously placed around Tricity while her mother chattered on and on about how honored they were to have such handsome and royal guests. The servants entered with platters and bowls of steaming hot food and the delicious smells permeated throughout the hall. Then the cover was lifted from the main dish and there sat a roasted goose.

Tricity shrieked and ran from the table shouting, "Mother, how could you be so cruel to serve one of my dear friends as food for consumption."

She escaped to her favorite place by the pond. Her little goose friends nuzzled against her hand begging to be petted as usual. Bekka soon arrived relaying that she should return to the castle.

Tricity was so forlorn to even enter the great hall until she noticed Prince Oliver waiting for her by the gazebo. She approached hesitantly not knowing his purpose. He reached out and held her closely, kissing her braided crown.

“My dear sweet Princess Tricity. If you choose to marry me, I promise to never serve goose at our table ever again.”

She lifted her gaze and smiled. As they had their first kiss for a lifetime, her little goose friends surrounded them honking their approval.