The Silver Balloon
Glow
多彩なライト! すべては夜に光っている
Hallo, everyone. I do hope you're all well. Forgive me for taking so long.....yet again. *Groans, slaps forehead.* I am not the brightest bulb on the Hanukkah bush.....
Ah, well. ^^ This chapter is somewhat peculiar...and Mikey better watch his step, because it's getting just a little bit risky to venture in and out for Rosa's letters at this point....poor dear.
Please, take care, everyone.
Quote:
"If you have it, you want to share it. If you share it-then you don't have one anymore.
What be I?"
(A secret.)
Dear Rosa,
Am I a charmer? Cooool. I was watching one of my Dad's soap operas the other day, and one of the girls (I THINK her name was Veronica, but it might have been her evil twin, Melissa) accused Brad or Klyde (I don't know who it was either) of being a "ladies man." Is that the same thing as being charming? Cos', heh, I know I am, but no one around here will tell me what a 'ladies' man' is.
I'm glad you liked the bus token! I sometimes play tiddly-winks with them, cos' we don't hafta use them, mainly cos'.....
........we live in the heart of NYC, and we can just...walk to places. My Dad says it's healpher...hettier......hartier.....better for you, anyhow.
Thanks for the dirt. :D I thought about throwing clumps of it at Raph when he made fun of my 'Zorro' costume, but I thought it would better to keep it. I put some of it in that pot with the rose bulb planted inside. We keep it warm and wet and in the sun, but nothin' yet. My brother Donny is actually doing ix...ox.....iiixpiriemints....tests with the plant, to see if it will grow faster if you talk to it. Some people say that helps, though I don't know why it would. Still, I'm going to read the latest issue of 'Silver Sentry' to it, just in case. I think it'll be ixsited or something when it hears about the Justice Force kicking some major can, and maybe it'll grow faster. Still nothing yet. I'm hoping the flower is pretty, though don't tell Raph that. I think he'd just stomp on it if he knew.
I guess I wouldn't mind a red rose, though I've never had a rose before, and I kinda hope it'll be something bright. Yellow is a nice color, too. If the flower is white, I can color it blue, right? :) That would make Leo happy.
Ewwww. It's not pink? Good. I don't think I like pink. I don't see it too much, but it's a sickish color with sickish stuff in them. Chris is right-pink is a cootie catcher!
And giving flowers....that sounds pretty, but again-don't tell Raph I said that. I wish I could give my dad flowers, but....
......they don't grow around here very much. Too much concrete, n'stuff. Hardly anyone in the city owns a garden (or even a flowa' box) though, so I guess it's okay. It's nice to have one flower, though.
Hey, are there boy flowers and girl flowers? You sent us a boy flower, right? I don't mind a girl flower, but when Leo and Raph laughed at me for asking if the plant was a boy or a girl, Donny said YES, plants do have gin....gon......are boys or girls! HA! When Donny said that-and he's really, really smart, cos he reads the livelong day-Leo said he thinks the plant is a boy. Donny says there's no way of telling, but he hopes it'll be a boy. Raph tries to pretend he doesn't care-but I think he wants a boy plant. As for me, I'd like a girl plant. :) Are they very different from boy plants? Like....are girl plants pink or purple or something? Donny says that purple isn't a girly color, but I kind of think it is.
Yep-the city's always alive, even when you come to the darker corners, where the tourists don't like to go, most of the stores' windows are boarded up, and there's graffiti n'stuff all over the walls. My Dad tells us at least six times a day not to go near there, but....
....I wish I could. It kind of makes me feel better knowing that not many people like to go there-so I'm not missin' too much. There are broken bottles everywhere, and people who tug around everything they own in shopping carts, and plastic baggies. It makes me sad.
Your grandpa's farm sounds really, really pretty. THAT'S something I wouldn't mind seeing. Raph says the only place we'll ever see a farm is in picture books or on the telly, knowing our luck-but I like to hope, anyhow. ^^ The most wildlife we see around here are the rats-whom I don't mind very much, seeing as I....see them a lot, or things like possums or squirrels when they come d-around here.
I think it was good that you grew up where you did. I want to see something like that for real someday. :D And you don't rant, Rosa-my brothers say that's what I do best. Heh.
Take care-write back soon-
Mikey
Chewing thoughtfully on a cookie he had "helped" Splinter to bake (By meticulously licking the bowl and spoon) just that morning, Mikey cheerfully put his chin in his hands, overlooking his letter thoughtfully.
After gazing at the faded notebook paper with a critical eye, Mikey at last nodded in slight satisfaction before putting it aside, and reached for his old crayon box, humming slightly under his breath as he reached for a midnight blue, and began to scribble at the creamy white page glowing softly in the sunlight.
Mikey had found yet another good place in the sewers for such a thing-a small, secluded alcove that too, had a grating quite a few ways up that allowed sunshine to stream through on particularly nice days, warming the slightly cool, secluded little spot, where Mikey's treasure box was hidden underneath an upturned crate.
His brothers were beginning to ask about his occasional disappearances-and now, it appeared as though Splinter was taking notice. With a gulp, Mikey paused in his work-and then, hurriedly resumed.
He had taken most of his precious belongings that rested in a cardboard box, and tugged them here. Rosa's letters, old and unusual looking stones, a colorful, broken badge, some comic books faded, mostly destroyed, and fairly new, including a prized, limited edition one that had been signed by Stan Sakai himself-old pens that had glittery ink, a small, crystal bottle stopper that gleamed and sent tiny little prisms of light shooting in all directions when you turned it in the sunlight, a brass key that was key to nothing, but still looked rather cool-old doodles, old stories he had tried to write, a sketchbook, an eggshell from a robin's nest, a dried lupine that still smelled nice, a weird looking stick.....
These were Mikey's secret treasures-and he kept them well hidden. The growing stack of Rosa's letters were hidden inside Socko, his smelly sock puppet. There was just too much risk that someone would fall upon his letters in the lair one day, and scurry them to off to Master S....
Mikey gulped as he reached for a soft yellow crayon next, drawing a large circle in the midst of the midnight blue. He might as well put on Chopin music after that.
That would be terrible. He LIKED writing to Rosa-and liked to receive letters in return. But he hardly thought Splinter would approve-let alone continue his journies aboveground to retrieve the letters. As it was, the rat insisted on retrieving the pizza himself whenever the rare occasion came that they could order one!
Besides, it wasn't as if he were going to MEET Rosa. Even Mikey knew that was an extraordinarily good way to jeopardize him and his family. While Rosa seemed like a perfectly lovely person-she undoubtedly assumed Mikey was a human being. How would she react if she knew that she was corresponding with a mutant, talking turtle?
Mikey didn't know. And he'd rather not find out anytime soon.
The thought made him just a bit sad, and he sighed before reaching for a dark green crayon lying adjacent to his turned elbow, and carefully began to make rows upon rows of slightly ruffled looking green lines.
Maybe sending out a balloon had been the wrong thing to do-but Mikey had never actually expected anyone to FIND the thing. Nor did it seem like such a bad thing as to have a penpal as pleasant as Rosa-so long as he was slightly withdrawn. Better safe then sorry. The orange-clad turtle frowned lightly at that thought.
Eccch. Now he was beginning to sound like Leo....
With a shrug, the little turtle reached for a light brown crayon next, and began to scribble upon the page, frowning absentmindedly as he did so.
At last.
With a relieved sigh, Mikey turned the small page over, squinting at the small marks he'd brushed away-and had left a few smears on the edges. Hopefully, they weren't too noticeable...he'd already crumpled up three sheets already because he had messed up.
Messy, five-pointed stars littered a midnight blue sky, with an enormous moon centering the sky-much like an oversized, bloated pearl. There were a few trees here and there on the ground-but not very many on the hills. At least, he hoped the green meatballs looked like hills. He wasn't at all sure they did. And, as for the trees, they looked lonely, so Mikey had hurriedly covered the leaves with little dots. Well, Rosa HAD said that they had lived in a fruit orchard....but did blueberries grow on trees? Or strawberries? Or raspberries? Didn't berries grow on bushes?
Well, he supposed that didn't matter very much. One tree, he filled with numerous triangles of pizza, though he wasn't at all sure if that was accurate. That particular plant certainly SEEMED like a good way to spend one's time investing in.....Mikey's mouth watered. He was going to have to hurry and deliver this to make it home to lunch.
Another tree he had helped, well....he had decided to term that particular one a "breadfruit" tree. Did bread grow on trees? He was guessing no, since he'd helped Splinter bake the stuff before.
The little turtle grinned as he remembered the day each turtle had baked a tiny loaf alongside Splinter's normal, good tasting, regular sized one-and while his had turned out most peculiar (He'd accidentally added food coloring to the mix, turning the bread an unsavory tint of cobalt, but his brothers HAD agreed that it looked so much cooler that way) Raph's had been so hard, Mikey was fairly certain he could have broken his teeth just nibbling a crumb. It was a wonder that they couldn't offer it to the local blacksmiths (Were there blacksmiths anymore....?) as a cheaper substitute for an anvil.
Don had added all of his ingredients precisely to measurement, but he'd kneaded the dough somewhat awkwardly, and the loaf had come out looking very oddly-shaped. Leo, well, Mikey revered his older brother very much, but Leo wasn't going to culinary school anytime soon. It was just like that time Leo had attempted to make lunch-and had instead made something involving jello salad, a hardboiled egg, and, well.....
Mikey giggled as he remembered Splinter's face when the rat tentaively bit into the concoction, with Leo anxiously watching him. Brave as Splinter was, he stomached it for Leo's sake-a fact that the orange-clad turtle very much admired. Personally, he felt in dire need of a stomach pump after the first bite.
But back to his drawing....
Mikey had scribbled an enormous red and white barn, hoping fervently that he'd gotten it right. Next to the barn, he'd drawn another large pizza-fruit tree, and a tree he decided was an oak next to it. Then, the turtle had drawn two long lines hanging from the branch-with a large plank connected to both.
The orange-clad turtle had no idea what Rosa looked like-now, or as a child-but it was just her shadow he had needed. A young girl rode upon the swing, head tilted backwards-her feet thrust forwards-(Mikey had decided to draw one sandal on her foot, with the other one flying into the distance) as she rode the long swing, looking ready to fall directly into the chasm of the badly-drawn stars.
For a moment, Mikey looked at the drawing, then began to fold it into the envelope he had nearby (which had already been stamped and addressed, same as always) alongside his letter. Pouting lightly, he licked the envelope closed, mentally noting that, once again, Post Office glue was not going to make its way into the listing of 44 Flavors at your local ice cream parlor.
After carefully tucking his treasures underneath the two boxes, and upon drawing on his 'Zorro' cloak, (Which he still believed to make him appear quite distinguished) Mikey hurried up the ladder, stomach growling faintly. All this thinking of food was making him famished. He was going to have to hurry and get this delivered, hurry and-
"Michelangelo."
The familiar voice made the startled turtle stop dead in his tracks, hands instantly freezing upon the rusted metal of the ladder.
His breath hitched.
A large lump was beginning to blossom in the back of his throat, but Mikey could not swallow as silence reigned throughout the small, dank tunnels. At last, unable to bear the silence any longer, Mikey did swallow-albeit painfully.
At last, he turned his head. And what he saw made him devoutly wish he had not.
Splinter was staring at him, dark eyes fixed calmly upon the turtle, clawed hands at his sides as he surveyed the guilty turtle, who was, as of this moment-lost for words.
Whew! It appears Mikey has landed in some serious trouble, aye, guys? But calm down-things are not what they appear to be, if you get what I mean. Lol. My point is-don't worry TOO much-coincidences (If such things do exist) can save your life when you need one most. ^^
