Theme #90: Tree

Word Count: 254

World: Alternate Universe

Genre(s): General

Rating: K

Warning(s): None

Audrey's family lived in the city, but her grandparents had a ranch out in the countryside. Next to it was a great forest, and that was where Audrey discovered trees for the first time in her life.

"Goodness, Audrey," her grandmother said to her on one of her visits, after catching her trying to climb the big tree out in the backyard for the fifth time. "How many times do I have to tell you, it's dangerous for you to be up in that tree!"

"But grandmaaa…" the little girl whined.

"No 'buts'," said her no-nonsense grandmother. "You could fall and hurt yourself, or get stuck up there for hours. What if a storm comes? Do you want to get struck by lightning?"

She continued to lecture all night long; over dinner (where Audrey got no dessert) all the way to bedtime.

"Now promise me you will never try to climb that tree again," her grandmother said at the end of it.

"I promise," Audrey said obediently.

And she was lying, of course. There was no way she wasn't going to try again and again and again until she could sit at the very top of that tree and look out at all the other trees like they were a kingdom she was their Queen.

Audrey had many dreams that night of herself among the trees, climbing to their greatest heights, meeting a nice young man, marrying him in the middle of a great forest they would call home, and living happily ever after.


Theme #82: Contentment

Word Count: 162

World: Alternate Universe

Genre(s): Romance

Rating: K

Warning(s): None

What is happiness?

People ask themselves that question everyday. What is it and how you you get it?

Once-ler always thought you got in from love, the kind where people look at you with respect and admiration, and strive to be as great as you. For so many years, that was Once-ler's aspiration, as he sat up late into the night doodling his thneed design until the sun came up, his ultimate happiness.

He lays awake again on his wedding night, long after exhaustion has set in and Audrey is snuggling up to his side, sighing softly in her sleep as he plays with her silky red hair. It's such a simple moment, and he is still not the Great he's always strived to be, but for the first time in his life, he thinks it might not be so bad if he doesn't get there.

With this beautiful woman in his arms, he has found love, and he has found happiness.


Theme #77: Under

Word Count: 193

World: Alternate Universe

Genre(s): Humor, Romance

Rating: T

Warning(s): Mild Innuendo

"Can you see it?"

"I think…"

"Once-ler, can you see it?"

"Don't rush me!"

"I can't keep standing like this."

"Hey, you're the one who wanted to do this. Just be patient, it's my first time."

"Okay, just please try and be a little faster."

"Ow!"

"What is it now?"

"That hurt! Don't put it there."

"It was an accident. Can't you move over a little? I could probably reach easier anyway."

"I don't think so, this is already a really difficult position as it is. Please just try and be a little more gentle."

"Alright, I will. Geez…."

"There got it."

"Oh thank god for that."

"Didn't I tell you I could fix that leaky pipe?"

"Yes, Once-ler, you did. Next time, though, I think we should try calling a plumber."

"I'm guessing you regret offering to hold the pipe in place for me?"

"I had no idea it would be that heavy! You could've warned me."

"Or you could've followed my instructions in the first place and stood directly under the thing instead of away."

"Let's just get out of here. The basement gives me the creeps."

"Whatever you say, Audrey."


Theme #67: Pool

Word Count: 274

World: Alternate Universe

Genre(s): Family, Humor

Rating: K+

Warning(s): None

It was Audrey's idea to get a pool. Once-ler wasn't so sure, but she had given him the puppy dog eyes. He can't resist the puppy dog eyes.

It wasn't anything fancy, just something small and shallow for Gene to play in, because he was showing an increasing interest in swimming, and there was no way in hell her five year old was going anywhere near that river again.

For years it was his favorite place to be in the summer months, but like most childhood toys, he soon grew out his little kiddy pool and Tobias took his place. At least, that's what Once-ler had planned.

"NOOOOOOO!"

Tobias crawled up his father's lanky body, he over-inflated rubber duck floatie mussing up his clothes and hair. He stopped at the shoulders, unable to reach the top of his head, not for lack of trying. Anything to get away from the water it seemed. Once-ler flailed helplessly in between trying to pry him off, but Tobias was shockingly strong for a three year old boy.

"Tobias, stop it! It's just water, it's not going to hurt you!"

"NOOOOOOO!"

Once-ler eventually lost his balance, sending them toppling to the ground. Luckily, he broke his son's fall, and possibly some of his bones.

"Swimming isn't right for everyone," Audrey said later on while bandaging his arm. "Maybe he'll come around."

He didn't.

The pool sat untouched until Amelia's third birthday. She played it in all day and everyday for the whole summer, laughing and cheering and splashing around while Gene sat off to the side and splashed her back, and Tobias stayed far away. Once-ler was relieved.


Theme #53: Farm

Word Count: 190

World: Alternate Universe

Genre(s): Family, Drama, Romance

Rating: K

Warning(s): None.

Years later, Once-ler would never know exactly what his father planned to grow when he bought their land. Twenty acres of desert were his home for as long as he could remember, until the day he moved out for good.

It wasn't as if his father intended to leave them with nothing. He had to go. There were other opportunities for work out there. His original plan hadn't worked out, so he needed to look elsewhere for the good of his family. Maybe he'd become a hand on someone else's farm, then save up his money and come home with enough riches for the whole family to live comfortably and happily for the rest of their lives.

Of course, that didn't happen. Once-ler never saw his father again and his family was as dirt poor as ever the day he finally stopped calling them for good.

Sometimes, him and Audrey would drive past the local dairy farm, and his hand would clench into a fist. Audrey's own small hands found their way around it, warming him and soothing his pain, but he didn't think it would ever really go away.


Theme #49: Ask

Word Count: 304

World: Alternate Universe

Genre(s): Humor, Family

Rating: K+

Warning(s): Sex talk.

"Dad, where do babies come from?"

Once-ler nearly dropped his book. His face blanched and when he looked into the kitchen where Audrey was making a sandwich, he saw that she was in a similar state. Steady fingers were all that kept the butter knife from clattering to the floor and possibly taking the jar of mayonnaise with it.

Tobias was blissfully oblivious to all of this as he stared up at his father, eyes wide with an innocent curiosity Once-ler hasn't seen since Gene was that age.

"Ah- well son…" he looked at Audrey, pleading for help, but she'd gone right back to her sandwich. "You see… sometimes a man and a woman decide that they want to have a baby together."

"Does it have to be a man and a woman?"

"Yeah," Once-ler answered slowly, not sure he wanted to know what made his three year old son think of that. "So a man and a woman decide they want a baby, and so they… they uh.."

"They wish for one on a star and then the stork brings it?" Tobias supplied.

"What? I'm mean yes! Yes, that's exactly what happens!"

Tobias squealed in excitement. "I knew it! I knew that was how it worked!"

Once-ler laughed as Tobias danced around, so very proud of himself for figuring it out. Audrey came into the living room with her plate and sat down beside him, the two of them quietly expressing their relief through smiles and little nudges when Tobias wasn't looking.

"Just wait until I tell Gene!" he was saying. "I knew he was a big liar. He tried to tell me that babies happen when the daddy throws the mommy on the bed and puts his-"

"GENE!" Once-ler and Audrey screamed five seconds later after bursting into their eldest son's room.


Theme #34: God

Word Count: 165

World: Alternate Universe

Genre(s): Romance

Rating: K+

Warning(s): None

Audrey snuggles closer to him as they sat on top of a hill under the stars. Her red hair is tied back, even though there's no wind. Of course she would pick such a day to finally start doing it.

"Do you ever think about what's up there?" she asks.

"The stars are up there," he says matter-of-factly, and she playfully swats him on the chest.

"You know what I mean."

He really hadn't, not until she said it like that. Now he's trying to both not look embarrassed and figure out a good way to answer her. He's also wondering when she got to be so existential anyway.

'Okay Once-ler, you can do this. You can do this! Just don't say anything lame.'

"Well… I guess there is. Otherwise, how did I meet someone as amazing as you?"

He wants to smack his head against the nearest truffula tree even before Audrey starts giggling.

"Once-ler, you're just the sweetest," she says.

"Heh-heh, yeah…"


Theme #26: Flag

Word Count: 173

World: Alternate Universe

Genre(s): Drama

Rating: K

Warning(s): None

Audrey turns on the news one day and sees his face first thing. She starts to change the channel, but a key word of his sticks out to her.

Mayor.

He wants to run for mayor?

The whole concept is so ridiculous that she momentarily forgets about hating him and laughs at the thought of him in front of a podium in one of those flamboyant green suits of his addressing the people with his new tax plan or something.

What's even his platform? Free thneeds and no trees for all? Oh that's nice, it even rhymes a little. Maybe she should run that by him.

She amuses herself with a fantasy of the day that a thneed is raised up a flagpole for people to salute to, because she just knows he's vain enough to try it. She remembers the kind of jokes he used to make about when he became successful, back when she thought it was endearing.

Then she finally switches channels and goes back to trying not to care.


Theme #18: Loneliness

Word Count: 420

World: Canon Universe

Genre(s): Friendship

Rating: K

Warning(s): None

Once-ler house is on the outskirts of town, several miles away. Getting there used to require sneaking past O'Hare's many security cams and guard dogs, not to mention the fifty foot wall surrounding the town, and then traversing through bottomless canyons and depressions in the earth. Those are still there, but now Thneedville can come and go as they please, and a cleared pathway makes getting there no more than twenty minutes on foot.

This is Audrey's first time going without Ted. She's not even sure what Ted is doing today, and she wouldn't be too surprised if she got to Once-ler's place and found him already there, regaling him with another story of the replanting process.

She makes it to the rickety house without problem, not for the first time wondering how such an old and uncared for structure can be as sturdy as it is. Ted told her once that he's been trying to convince Once-ler to get it painted. Looks like he hasn't made much progress with that.

Audrey goes to knock on the door, checking first that the booby traps have all been disabled. No one answers her, but she hears tapping inside and the distinct gruffness of an elderly man's voice.

"Mr. Once-ler?" she calls out. "Mr. Once-ler? It's me, Audrey. Can I come in?"

There's more tapping, possibly from a cane. Each time Audrey hears it, it's closer. She presses her ear to the door to try and listen better.

"I'm busy, Audrey," Once-ler says right in front of the door on the other side. She starts and moves far away from the door.

"I just want to talk for awhile," she says. "I brought some tea."

"Some other time, maybe."

The tapping disappears as he leaves for another room, deep in his lurkim. Audrey knocks on the door again and calls his name one more time, but he doesn't return.

It's starting to get cold and the sun is going down. Much as she doesn't want to, Audrey knows she has to give up for now, before her parents get home from work and find her gone. Going out around town in the middle of the night is one thing, leaving town when it's almost sunset is going to get her grounded for life.

Audrey walks home slowly. She keeps looking back at that single house in the middle of a nowhere, with it's sole occupant all on his own, and feeling a terrible clenching in her heart when she thinks about it.


Theme #7: Video Game

Word Count: 281

World: Alternate Universe

Genre(s): Family, Humor

Rating: K

Warning(s): None

Gene stares at the screen as hard as he can. If he does it hard enough, maybe the little CGI man in the Indiana Jones getup will jump when he wants him to and not a second after. Or maybe it'll just explode. He'll take either at this point.

"Why don't you just go in another direction?" Tobias suggests.

Scowling, Gene pushes him off. "The game doesn't work like that, stupid."

"Hey, don't call me stupid, stupid!"

"Jump! Jump! Jump!"

"Be quiet, Amelia," Gene shouts at the happy baby in her bouncer.

"Jump! Jump!" she answers.

She's been saying that same word non-stop for three days, ever since Mom started putting her baby bouncer next to the computer table. Gene can't help it if his avatar keeps messing up and won't jump, but he really shouldn't have been chanting that word every time he lost. Maybe then the baby wouldn't have picked it up.

"Jump! Jump! Jump!"

Growling, Gene starts the game up again. The avatar starts his run, going left, going right, jumping, avoiding the log, collecting the coins, jump, right, right, left, jump, left, right, coins, jump.

Another large gap appears and Gene puts on his game face. Tobias watches in anticipation. Amelia shouts "Jump!"

This is it.

He gets to the gap and slams his finger down on the screen to make him jump.

The avatar does nothing and falls into the river. The GAME OVER screen flashes as Gene starts to shake. Tobias shrinks back in fear.

"Uh… maybe you pressed too hard?"

"Try going in another direction, son," says Dad as he walks through his office with knitting needles in hand.

"Jump! Jump! Jump!"

Gene screams.


A/N: Gene's playing Temple Run.