Books & Authors - June 2006

what are the things/creatures that pull the carriages to hogwarts that only harry and luna can see? i must have missed it somehow, and are the significant?

2006-06-25 17:40:08 · 14 answers · asked by afterflakes 4

Once upon a time there was a servant girl. Her name was Nikki. She worked in the beautiful palace of Kore. There lived a king named Peter, a queen named Rachel, and a prince named Ben in that palace. Nikki received this job as a servant when she was just a little girl of 7 and her parents “mysteriously” disappeared. She was told that they abandoned her, so that’s what she thought. Deep down, however, she somehow knew that was a lie. Nikki was now 20 and everyday she would wake up before sunrise to prepare for the day of work for the royal family. She cooked their meals, cleaned the rooms, did the washing, and anything else she was ordered to do. It was hard work to care for them day in and day out but Nikki always tried her best to grin and bear it, as the saying goes.
Our story begins in the middle of the day in the kitchen of the palace. Nikki was scrubbing the floors and thinking about her life. Behind her she could hear footsteps and then the annoying voice that followed.

“Slave, oh slave,” said the prince.
“Yes, your majesty?” Nikki said with the utmost respect.
“My sheets are filthy,” he began, “I would like you to wash them again.”
Nikki refrained from taking her rag and pelting him with it and said, “Yes, sir. Right away, sir.”
Nikki climbed the staircase to the prince’s chambers to retrieve the sheets. I just washed these yesterday, that…brat, she thought to herself. She snatched the sheets and went outside to the washing area. As she was washing, she looked to the forest of Kore. It looked oddly familiar to her. Oh sure, she had seen it before but something about it made her think a bit more. All of a sudden she got a flash image of a young man, he was with another older man. She shook her head as if trying to shake them out of her memory and went on with her work without thinking about them again that day.

Later on that evening, when Nikki was going to sleep, she thought of the men one last time before she slept.
“They looked familiar,” she whispered to herself. Nikki soon drifted off into sleep. She dreamt about the one man, the younger one. She was with him, in the forest. Nikki awoke suddenly and shook her head again then got up for her daily chores.

“Breakfast was marvelous, Nikki,” Queen Rachel said.
Nikki smiled, “Thank you, madam,” she replied. She always felt loved by the queen. The king and prince, however, always seemed to be planning a conspiracy against her.
“Well, we must be going, Ben,” said King Peter.
“Going?” the prince said obliviously, as always, “Going where?” Nikki couldn’t help but smile at his stupidity as she took the plates into the kitchen.
“Why into town of course,” his father said, “We must go and get your armory, swords, and that sort of such.”
Prince Ben’s eyes widened. “That’s today?” he asked.
“Yes, son,” the king said nodding his head, “I reminded you yesterday during dinner.”
“But, father,” the prince protested, “can’t we have an armorer come to the palace and give me my armor and such here?”
“I’m sorry, Ben, but I’ve already made arrangements,” the king said sounding everything but sympathetic. So the king and prince went off to town.

“Well, I’m sorry to leave you, Nikki,” the queen began, “but I have a little get together with other ladies of the court. I trust you will be fine alone?”
“Oh, yes, of course, your majesty,” Nikki said.
“Good, good,” Queen Rachel said, “I shall return at about sunset. Peter and Ben should return around the same time as well. Goodbye, Nikki.” The queen left for her get together promptly, leaving Nikki alone in the gorgeous palace of Kore.

Nikki soon finished her chores; they went much quicker without the prince around to interrupt and criticize. Nikki decided she would go look out by the forest again. It wasn’t the most beautiful forest in the kingdom, but Nikki always loved thinking next to it. It brought her a sense of comfort, a sense of excitement. She often wondered if anyone lived there.

Nikki decided to make dinner for the royal family, as sunset was drawing closer.
“What to make, what to make?” Nikki said aloud.
She opened cupboards, looked in the pantry, trying to decide what to cook. Finally she decided to make them spaghetti and meatballs. Nikki got out all of the necessary ingredients and started cooking. Suddenly, there was a knock at the castle door.

Nikki wiped off her hands on her apron and ran to the door. She opened it and saw one of the family friends, Karl of Kensi, the neighboring kingdom.
“Hello, Karl,” Nikki said, “What can I do for you today?”
“Why, hello, Nikki,” he replied, “Is Peter here?”
“No, I’m sorry, he’s not. Would you like to stay and wait for him? He should be back soon.” Nikki said to the king, “You could also stay for dinner if you’d like.”
Karl sighed as he thought about his decision.
“I’m cooking spaghetti and meatballs for Peter, Rachel, and Ben,” Nikki shrugged, “It won’t be a trouble to make a bit more for a guest.”
Karl smiled, “Well, I do love spaghetti and meatballs.”
Nikki smiled back at him, “How about you come in the kitchen with me and we can keep each other company?” The two went into the kitchen and Karl sat down while Nikki finished cooking.
“I’m telling you, it was beautiful. Flowers blooming in the spring, leaves changing colors in the fall,” Karl said, “I think you would have loved it back in the day.” Karl was telling Nikki about the forest of Kore while she was preparing the dinner.
“How do you know so much about the forest, Karl?” Nikki asked.
“Well, I used to live there. Back before the…never mind. But I did live there for about 15 years of my life. Then my mother and I moved to Kensi where she married Josh, the king at the time. So after they died, I took the throne of Kensi,” Karl said.
“Before what?” Nikki asked inquisitively.
“Nothing, you were too little to remember it anyways,” Karl said.
“What are you saying, Karl?” Nikki asked, turning around to face him.
“Okay, I’ll tell you but you must promise me that you won’t tell anyone about it or that I told you,” Karl said secretively.
“I promise,” Nikki said sincerely.
“There was a war,” Karl said, his eyes focusing on hers, “A horrible war. Between the forest folk and the royals of Kore. The forest folk weren’t exactly legal in Kore and once people started realizing that, they complained to the king. The king, of course, wanted to keep his people happy, so he went to war with the forest folk. My father, James, was killed during the war; soon after that, my mother and I fled. Your parents, Kyle and Isabel, were killed as well, about a year after you were born. I remember you from back then, vaguely but I do. My mother took care of you for a month or two before we fled and then you were handed of to Tom and Jack. Tom was a man that everyone in the forest knew. Jack was another kid like yourself, whose parents died in the war. Tom had no family and was great with you two; so he adopted you kids as his own. The three of you lived in peace for 6 years after the war. But then King Peter, in memory of his father, sent out troops to the forest, just to be sure nobody was there. Well, lo and behold, they found you three. They captured you but left Tom and Jack. So that is how you landed your spot as a servant in the palace of Kore. My only dismay is that you couldn’t have lived in Kensi instead.”
Nikki just stared at the king in awe, “So my parents didn’t abandon me?”
Karl shook his head, “No, they didn’t. Everything you’ve been told about your past is a lie.”
At that very moment there was a knock at the castle door. “I’ll go get that,” Nikki said, “And Karl, thanks for telling me the truth.”
“You’re welcome,” he said as she sped off for the door.

At the door was the queen.

“Hello, your grace,” Nikki said, “Karl of Kensi stopped by and I invited him for dinner. I hope that was okay.”
“Of course, Nikki,” Rachel said, “The more the merrier.” Soon after the queen, Peter and Ben arrived.
“So a doctor stops by a man’s house and says ‘Okay I’ve got some bad news and I’ve got some worse news.’ The man says ‘Well what’s the bad news?’ The doctor replies ‘You only have 24 hours to live.’ ‘That’s terrible,’ the man says, ‘what’s the worse news?’ The doctor looks at him and says ‘I forgot to stop by yesterday and tell you.’” Karl said, telling the royal family and Nikki his favorite joke. Everybody busted out laughing.
“That’s a good one, Karl,” Ben said still laughing.
“Well, what’s for dessert?” Peter asked hungrily.
“Chocolate cream pie,” Nikki said bringing it to the table.
“It looks delicious, Nikki,” Rachel said. Ben’s stomach was growling in agreement.

The five finished off the pie without a crumb to spare.

“That was positively the best pie I’ve ever had, Nikki,” Karl said, wiping his beard with his napkin.
“Thank you, sir,” Nikki said as she took the plates to the kitchen sink, “I’m glad you enjoyed it.”
“That reminds me, Peter,” Karl said, “When are we going to take Ben out hunting?”
“Well, I don’t really know, Karl,” the king of Kore said, “He still needs to train quite a bit before going out there. I was thinking we could go to the forest of Kore and hunt there.”
Karl and Nikki exchanged quick glances. “No, Peter, I think the forest of Kensi is much better for hunting; Kensi also has a lake, we could go fishing too,” Karl said.
“Oh yes,” Peter replied, “Good idea, Karl. We’ll go to Kensi. I’ll mail you when Ben and I are ready and we’ll plan a day from there.”
Karl stood up, “Well, I guess I should get going. I promised Jenna I wouldn’t be out too late.”
“Oh do tell her I send my best,” Rachel said, “How is she doing, with the baby coming and all?”
Karl smiled, “She’s doing well. I believe she’s due in a couple months. We can’t wait. She’s hoping for a girl, but personally I’m hoping for a boy. Well, again, I must be going. Thank you for having me; and Nikki, thank you for the marvelous dinner and dessert.” He then gave her a look that said, “Remember what I told you, but don’t spread it.” Nikki motioned that her lips were sealed. Peter, Rachel, and Ben went to the door to see Karl off.

Nikki was finishing up cleaning up the kitchen when the family came back in.
“Well, we’re off to our chambers,” Peter said, “Good night, Nikki.”
“Good night, your majesties,” Nikki said.

The three royal members of the family went to their chambers, leaving Nikki to think about what Karl had said. She could hardly believe that her parents had died fighting the same kingdom where she lived. Oh, Nikki thought, Tom and Jack must be the men I saw in my dreams and thoughts. That makes sense now…in an obscure kind of way…

2006-06-25 17:25:53 · 25 answers · asked by Anonymous

And what can I do to convince them that it is awesome1

2006-06-25 17:15:56 · 31 answers · asked by Hilary 1

Are Jumblies not very bright or something?

2006-06-25 17:06:41 · 3 answers · asked by monkey 5

2006-06-25 16:27:19 · 5 answers · asked by Anonymous

2006-06-25 16:20:25 · 9 answers · asked by Anonymous

Who thinks Harry will die in the next book? There have been many clues leading up to book 7 that foreshadow death. I'm still very unsure, but I think it might come down to Harry and Voldemort killing each other at the same time. Anyway, lets hear what you think. And if you want to chat more HP, about anything at all, e-mail me at fluffywillbiteyou@yahoo.com

2006-06-25 16:14:20 · 15 answers · asked by Matt T 2

Anybody remember what the dancing figures that was used in one of the Sherlock Holmes's work? what book was it from and is there a site that contains an explaination of it?

2006-06-25 16:12:50 · 3 answers · asked by None 1

2006-06-25 16:01:25 · 4 answers · asked by Nicole D 1

2006-06-25 16:00:00 · 4 answers · asked by Anonymous

2006-06-25 15:42:53 · 21 answers · asked by lildg2014 2

main character Sean (sp?), fiction, main character a former IRA member, main character i believe lived on a boat, cloak and dagger story

2006-06-25 15:28:08 · 1 answers · asked by mamsr 1

2006-06-25 14:47:16 · 17 answers · asked by cooper243 2

does anybody know if and when the next harry potter book will come out i mean the last one was inconclusive

2006-06-25 14:25:35 · 17 answers · asked by blaxican56 2

Or do you think they are childlike? What do you think about people who read J.K.'s books?

2006-06-25 14:24:37 · 36 answers · asked by thebusstop69 2

2006-06-25 14:20:34 · 16 answers · asked by Hermy* 3

1980. Jamie's Gang

2006-06-25 14:17:42 · 2 answers · asked by Anonymous

2006-06-25 14:08:05 · 7 answers · asked by Lori 1

2006-06-25 13:24:13 · 1 answers · asked by Anonymous

My book is entitled, "Sail Away With Me." It is a 60 page book of heartfelt poems that the whole family can enjoy. My poems deal with: love and love's losses, marriage, infidelity, romance, death, inspirational poems, dedication poems, poems that will make you laugh, cry, feel, think, and most of all, hope.

2006-06-25 13:12:53 · 9 answers · asked by Carolyn M 1

harry potter rocks...
my guess is Regulas Black

2006-06-25 11:02:40 · 4 answers · asked by ikeman 2

2006-06-25 10:37:20 · 19 answers · asked by rjbendre 3

What horror writers do you like to read? (I like Koontz, King, Mattheson, Wilson, Little) I am hoping to discover some different writers to read. As, I am quickly reading everything by these writers.

2006-06-25 10:02:10 · 7 answers · asked by tooshortheather 2

for stupid jokes.

2006-06-25 09:57:47 · 15 answers · asked by Giordan M 1

2006-06-25 09:45:13 · 9 answers · asked by TrueAim 1

2006-06-25 08:59:58 · 8 answers · asked by Anonymous

I am looking for suggestions of good books to bring with me on vacation. I enjoy romances and mysteries. Anyone read anything good they can recommend? Thanks!

2006-06-25 08:53:48 · 32 answers · asked by Anonymous

2006-06-25 08:36:03 · 8 answers · asked by plainsjain 1

As Coelho in Paulo Coehlo

2006-06-25 08:33:01 · 5 answers · asked by anoo r 1

He is one of my favorite writers and wonder if anyone else is a fan.

2006-06-25 07:58:05 · 4 answers · asked by shoppingontherun 4