Thursday, September 9, 2010

Flappy the Flamingo Pt #2 (Myth of the Chameleon Tree)

http://fineartamerica.com/featured/flamingo-m-mellon.html
As Flappy’s mother began to tell the story his ears started to perk, his heart started to beat a little bit harder, and he almost couldn’t stay seated due to the excitement he felt. She told him that the journey must start with great care. That anyone to began this journey must complete it. for it they didn’t complete it there would be a grave consequence. She asked him “do you want to know how one goes about getting to the Chameleon Tree?” again his words almost couldn’t be said fast enough “YES!!!” he exclaimed. The first thing that one must do is to get a pack with three special items in it. The 1st thing is a stone of honor, 2nd is a dagger of freedom, and 3rd one must have the rope of strength. Once the pack is full of these items you must head toward the mountains. Now for those of you who do not know mountains are no “walk in the park” for Flamingos. Mountains are the most dangerous place a Flamingo could go, but this did not scare Flappy one bit. He desperately wanted to be pink again. He was ready and willing to do what ever it took, but what he didn’t know was just how difficult it would be. His mother continued with the story by telling him a few things that he would face on the mountains. They myth says that once in the mountains no one can really say what could happen, but that there will be challenges greater then anything one could imagine. One will know when he has reached to top of the mountain when he a Tree. One that is like no other. No one has ever seen this Tree, for this tale is a very old one. They say that once you stand before the Tree that all you have to do is take one of the leaves and eat it, then the very next thing you eat what ever color it is you will turn.
All of this started to sound so over whelming to Flappy to the point he didn’t want to go. He stopped his mother right in the middle of telling the story. He told her that he couldn’t do it and that he would just stay blue forever. Now this was shocking news to his mother, and sad news at the same time. For what she didn’t tell him was that once a Flamingo turns another color his life is shorted. No one really knows by how much it is shortened, but it is and that is a fact. So Flappy’s mother told him these things and told him that he must go on the journey. She knelt down beside him and spoke gently into his ear and told him that she loves him with all her heart and that she wants him to live. That is why he must go. Flappy was filled with strength and hope with the thought of his mothers love. He was ready to go. He jumped up and grabbed his pack and asked his mother where he can find the three items he needed. She told him to go see the oldest of the Flamingos Oupa Sham. He would be the one who would have these items, and if he didn’t then he would surly know where to get them. Flappy quickly kissed his mother good bye and told her that he would return as soon as his journey was completed.
“Oupa Sham…….Oupa Sham!” cried out Flappy. He called out as he approached Oupa Shams house. Now Oupa Sham is 103 years old and doesn’t move very fast. He heard Flappy from the first call but being 103 he doesn’t get in a big hurry for much these days. Finally Flappy sees him and runs up to him telling him the whole story of what happed, and how he must go to the Chameleon Tree to be changed so that he may live. Then he asked him if he knew where he could get the items needed for his pack. Oupa Sham has heard this kind of story before. Being the oldest of the Flamingos and knowing the tragedy of changing colors. Flappy thought that he was the only one that this kind of thing happed to. But in all reality all Flamingos must go through this. See as Flamingos grow up this is not something talked about. Some of them end up eating something to change their outward color, but those that do not change outwardly some where down the line end up changing inside. How that happens is a whole other story. Both changes requires the journey to the Chameleon Tree. Oupa Sham gently and softly told Flappy that he did in fact have the required items he needed for his pack. He told him that he would be right back that he had to go get them. After waiting for 43 minutes (which is an eternity for a Flamingo, especially when there blue) Flappy finally got the three items plus one more that Oupa Sham thought that he would need. Oupa Sham brought him needle of direction. Flappy asked Oupa Sham how this needle of direction is suppose to work. Oupa told him that he must hold this needle in the palm of his hand and wait for the tip to move and point him in the way that he should go. Then he said that Flappy should go on his way now. That he had all that he needed for the journey. As Oupa Sham turned and headed back inside Flappy stood there for a minute to collect himself. This was a lot to take in for such a small little Flamingo. Then Flappy turned toward the mountains and took his first step to a life changing journey.
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Friday, July 9, 2010

Flappy the Flamingo Pt #1

Our story begins once upon a time in a distant land not so far away from where we are now. A land deep in the woods where the hand print of man has yet to taint. To be more specific our story starts in the most beautiful, peaceful body of water known to the woods. Our story is about Flappy the Flamingo. Flappy one day was strolling through the water looking for the perfect shrimp to eat. See Flamingos are pink because they eat pink shrimp, or so that is what is believed to be true. Know one really knows for sure, because know one has ever really put this to the test. That is until Flappy came along. While Flappy was in the midst of looking for the perfect pink shrimp he saw a little blue frog. That is when the thought first took holt of him. See Flappy for a long time now has been wondering why he has to be pink. I mean a real man isn’t pink a real man is what ever he wants to be. So when he saw that little blue frog he was determined to catch it and eat it. Now if you were to be there to see our little friend Flappy trying to catch a little frog you would have probably laughed so hard you wet your pants. Flamingos are not designed to catch frogs. He was flapping his wings, thrusting his head this way and that. Once it touched his toes and Flappy about flopped right out of his skin. This little cat and mouse game went on for about half an hour, until he finally caught that precious little blue frog. In a single instant Flappy started to feel something change. He could literally feel his color change. He stuck out his wing only to see the blue move from his body down to the tip of his last feather. He couldn’t believe his eyes “it worked it really really worked.” He thought to himself. He couldn’t move for a little bit due the shock he was in. once he could fell his toes again he started to really really strut his stuff. His head was held high and his eyes half shut. His stride was extra crisp with a little extra pep in his step. Then he heard it. He heard his friends start laughing at him. Not one of them was impressed. They all just laughed. He couldn’t understand. He just knew that the whole Flamingo flock would love him. Though his friends laughed at him he still tried to keep that little extra pep in his step, but that soon started to wear off. His head started to hang low and his feet started to drag. He made his way home, and all he wanted to do was hide in his room. Later that evening when his mother called him for dinner he didn’t move. He didn’t feel like eating. What he really didn’t want to happen was for his mother to laugh at him too. He was sure if he showed his face to his mother the too would join with the others and make fun of him. Well like any mother would do when Flappy didn’t come when she called she went to get him out of his room. She knocked on the door and said “Flappy. You come out here right now. You have been in your room all day, and it is dinner time now and you need to come out and eat.” Flappy didn’t answer. So again like any mother would do she went in to fetch him. When she opened the door her eye got so big that they about popped out of her head. She couldn’t believe that her son was BLUE! After talking with Flappy about how this happened and about how the whole flock mocked him, she asked him a simple question “do you want to be pink again?” He couldn’t get the words out fast enough “YES!!!!” He exclaimed. So his mother began to tell him the old myth of the Chameleon Tree.