Maya's adventures continue! She's given her new friend, Conner, a letter (an action inspired by Daddy-Long-Legs) and uncovered a mystery of sorts with him (inspired by Northanger Abbey). Her latest read? Dracula by Bram Stoker...
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Chapter 3 starts now. Thank you for tuning in!
Maya's Unconventional, Not-So-Fictional Romance
By Amber Holcomb
Chapter 3
June 25
In honor of Dracula by Bram Stoker, I'm keeping a journal this week. Conner suggested I hunt for something—like real-life squirrels or video-game zombies—since the characters in Dracula hunt down a vampire. But that was a big no from me. Although I wouldn't mind playing non-zombie video games with Conner sometime.
Anyway, I decided on the journal because I thought that was a neat aspect of the book, how it's told through journal entries and letters and stuff. I already wrote a letter as my Daddy-Long-Legs-inspired action, so here I am.
To be honest, this week hasn't been super exciting so far. Conner and I have started texting, so I guess that's cool. Mom wants me to help unpack some more boxes that have been sitting in the garage, so maybe I'll write more later.
Same Day, Evening
Compared to some other towns I've lived in, Trinidad is really cute and quiet and not scary. But my room is on the first floor of our new home, and my window looks out on an alley... And I forgot to close the blinds earlier. I got distracted reading Dracula, and then looked up to see darkness creeping into my room. I hate having the blinds open at night!
When I got up to close them, I thought I saw movement on the gravel outside. Way too big for a cat or even a dog. Why would someone be sneaking around this time of night? I mean, I guess it could have been one of the neighbors...
Okay. I'm totally being paranoid. This book is getting to me. Vampires never seemed all that terrifying until I started reading Dracula.
Same Day, Later
Okay, it's only been like 15 minutes, and I'm freaking out more. My blinds are closed, but I know I heard something tap the window. And I know I saw a light flash briefly out there, or at least some sort of glow. I am now going to shut the curtains, set aside Dracula (I don't care anymore about trying to finish it tonight), and listen to Taylor Swift (the songs from her early days, not the current stuff). I will remain calm.
Same Day, Even Later
Conner!!! I am seriously questioning our friendship right now. He texted me a Bitmoji (the evil-laughter one) and confessed to messing with me. That's what I get for telling him where I live. (Isn't that a total no-no until you know a guy for at least a year? I have no one to blame but myself.) But seriously, I thought he asked for my address because he wanted to hang out sometime, not because he was plotting against me!
He couldn't coax me out of the house for an in-person apology (or possibly an in-person session of rubbing it in my face). But I did send him some Bitmojis in return, to show him I was properly scared but I don't hate him. He owes me though.
And with that thought, I am now going to try to sleep with a smile on my face and a vengeful Taylor Swift song ringing in my ears.
June 27
Yesterday was pretty boring—plus, I slept almost half of it away after Conner's stunt the other night that kept me awake so late. (Well, Dracula can be blamed too.) But today I am determined to be more productive. I'm going to help Mom unpack more and organize the spare room. And I've been thinking about Conner's hunting suggestion. No, I will definitely not hunt some harmless animals. I wouldn't even know where to start. But Mom told me she heard about a beach not far from here where you can find agates. So she and I might go there this afternoon, and maybe I can hunt down some shiny rocks.
Same Day, Evening
Conner is the best. He totally won over my mom today. He drove us (and Ace) to the beach and asked Mom a lot of questions about her job as an English professor. (Which she loves to talk about.) She recommend some books to him, mostly self-help stuff about making goals and figuring out your direction in life, that sort of thing. She totally means well and really wants to help, and I'm pretty sure Conner got that.
Anyway, my hunt was a success! I've discovered I'm a natural at spotting agates in the sand, thanks to Conner. He pointed out the first one for me, and then I found five more. Most of them were small, but one was the size of my thumbnail, and it was a shadowy, gray-purple color. The others were orangey.
In case I forget or need to tell my children someday, here's how to spot an agate. (Note that not every beach has them.) Dig with your hands in wet sand on a rocky beach. It's best to search on a sunny day, because you're looking for a glow. Agates aren't completely clear, but they do tend to let some light pass through them. And they often have milky-white spots too. They're generally smooth and look like jewels compared to the rocks around them.
After reading my tips, I'm realizing they're not all that helpful. Really, you need someone like Conner around to verify that you actually found an agate and not just a pretty rock that you really, really hope is an agate.
Anyway, we had a lot of fun. The three of us sat on a beach towel, sifted through rocks, and talked about all sorts of things, like favorite school subjects, places we want to see, and desserts we hate. (Like custard. It's gross. The end.) And Ace was on his best behavior. He ran around some, but he spent a lot of the time lying down nearby, sniffing at our rock piles. Meanwhile, the sun shone down and the waves lapped a few feet away. I loved it.
Oh, and we got fudge in town when Conner brought us back! He couldn't stay for dinner, but Mom said she'd invite him again soon.
June 30
I finished Dracula a couple days ago and haven't quite decided what to read next. My mind has been consumed with thoughts of next week. Conner invited me to his family's Fourth of July party. He thinks I need to meet some more people. I really don't like parties, but he promised it would be fun—and he said his mom has a book I should borrow.
Nothing much else to write about this week. Guess I'll listen to some music and try not to stay up all night worrying about the socializing I'll have to do soon.
Copyright © 2019 Amber Christine Holcomb
2 comments:
I like how they are inspired by the books! I'm curious in what next week's one will be!
MovieCritic,
Yay! It makes each chapter fun to write too. :) Hope you enjoy seeing which books get featured!
~Amber
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