Alyssa Larue – Derby Public Library's Blog

The Story Before Time Writing Challenge: The Adventures of Cherry P.I. by Emma Lazar

Emma Lazar is a thirteen-year old writer who participated and completed the summer 2026 Story Before Time Writing Challenge. Her short story, The Adventures of Cherry P.I., is a hilarious collection of mysterious cases in a dinosaur and dessert-filled community.

Read Emma’s story below:

Introduction

Hi, I’m Cherry. I work in Triassic Town as a Prehistoric Investigator. You will find, in this book, five of my most odd and exciting adventures. Many things will happen and you will meet many more people, but they aren’t all human. If you can not handle thieving snacks, dinosaur architects, salon owners, chefs, pilots, and other mysterious, and delicious characters, then close this book and return it to the shelf.
Love Cherry, P.I.

Chapter 1: The Egg-ceptional Heist

It was a Friday when Pterry D. Actyl swooped into my office. “My wife’s eggs!” he exclaimed, “they have been stolen!” This happens all the time, so I wasn’t too surprised. “How many?” I asked. “148” he answered calmly. This took me by surprise. About five minutes later, I heard a thump. A. Patty Saurus was stuck in the doorway! “Help!” she said, “my eggs have been stolen!” More? I was intrigued. “How many?” I asked, having deja vu. “302” she answered, finally getting unstuck. I leave my cozy cave-office and get just past the “Cave Sweet Cave” mat when I am stopped by Great-Grandma Maya Saura. “All 3 generations of my eggs have been stolen!” she says. I try to keep count and ask, “how many?” She says, “2,222.” My brain can barely do math that big. With 2,S72 eggs on the line, I set off to my accomplice Bear Claw’s house.

Bear Claw lives in a neighborhood called TreeTopolis, with all the flying creatures. Bear meets me at the bottom of his ladder. “I need your help,” I say and explain the situation. “Mike R. O’Rapter just moved in a couple treehouses away,” he suggests, “maybe we should interview him?” “Great idea, Bear,” I reply, “let’s rock and roll!” We run over to Mike’s house and slam open the door. I see some eggs shells and go over to examine them. “What have you done with the eggs!” Bear demands. “I haven’t done nothin’ with no eggs!” Mike said, “but how many?” “2,S72,” I answered. His eyes light up with hunger. “Tell me if you find them,” he says, licking his lips, “I might drop by.” “Suuuure,” I answered and jumped off the balcony.

We take the scenic trail to our next suspect, listening to the non-stolen Actyl kids squawking. After a while, Bear asks me where we are going and why I told Mike about the eggs. “To see Tru O’Don, my nutty friend. And they were the wrong egg shells,” I answer, “Omnivors eat EVERYTHING.” We sneak into Cretaceous College. “Wow,” Bear marvels, “I didn’t go to college, but I wish I had.” With its high, volcanic ceiling and lava heaters, who wouldn’t love CC. “The race before us was a race of giant horseshoe crabs called…” is all I heard of Ms. O’Don’s history lecture before I pulled her aside. “Tru, I need to ask you a few questions,” I ask, “where were you last night?” She blushes and answers, “I was on a date with Dean Onykus. We got chicken salads at Ann Kylosaurus’ Gourmet Salads.” “Are you sure you didn’t get EGG salad?” I retorted. “No!” She said, “I’m allergic!”

I sulked back home, having yet another dead end. On the way, I passed the news studio where Titan O. Boa is broadcasting live. “The mysssstery of the sssstolen eggssss remainssss unssssloved,” he says, “the four victimssss are not happy. Alberta Ssssaurussss, the Actyl family, A. Patty Ssssaurussss, and Maya Ssssaura. When will our beloved Cherry

P.I. figure it out? Thissss issss Titan O. Boa, ssssigning off.” Then I figured it out! I ran as fast as I could to the Saurus Salon and I burst in just as Therazina Saurus was getting her nails done. “Cherry!” Alberta says, “you scared me! I could have been impaled!” She was referring to Therazina’s 5 foot long nails. “Sorry,” I say, “but Titan O. Boa is going to steal your eggs!” There was a collective gasp. “Albert!” Alberta says, “he is alone at home protecting our eggs!” We hear a mighty battle filled with roars and hisses. I run out of the salon, then over the river and through the woods to Alberta’s house I go. I push back ferns, horns, and saber-tooth monkey hands, then I hear a whoosh. “Need a lift?” Pterry is there! I hop on his back and we take to the skies. I see Titan slithering through the town with a sack of eggs on his back. I instruct Pterry to get low over the snake. I jump off and wave him away. I use my trench coat to make a sack full of animal pelts, then switch out the to sacks. I throw the full egg sack to Albert. Perfect timing, too, because we have reached the Cave of Eggs. We are not alone, there are 49 police men, one for every foot of the thief. “What! Thissss issss all a huge missssundersssstanding! I’m innocent!” Titan pleaded “Tell it to the judge!” Police officer Pat A. Choux said, “innocent is spelled with a ‘c’.” I counted the eggs and wonder why he stole ALL of those eggs. “Officer, I would like to interview the thief,” I said. He left for a little while and Titan and I talked.

Me: “Why did you steal so many eggs?” Titan: “ I wanted some kids.”

Me: “But why so many?”

Titan: “Being a dad can make one hungry.” Me: “Officer take him away.”

Pat: “My pleasure.”

Titan is still pleading innocence while getting dragged in front of judge E. Claire. As I walk past Cretaceous College and TreeTopolis, I think about Alberta Saurus’ home. I meet up with Edmon Tosaurus, the town’s architect and construction supervisor. We talk a little while and he agrees to build the Saurus’ new house free of charge and I leave for home. When I get back to the office, I see something peculiar on my desk. I call up Bear Claw, “Bear, we have a new case.”

Chapter 2: The Missing Assistant (and Pat)

“Terribly sorry, love,” responds Bear Claw’s assistant Julie Roll, “but Mr. Claw is not home.” “What?!” I said, “I was with him 10 minutes ago!”

“My apologies. Miss. He left very suddenly.” I hung up and ran to the police office to get some help and saw Pat A. Choux was gone, too! Intrigued, I explored Pat’s pristine office. I see he left his sunscreen, which is not good in a heat wave, as well as noting his snow clothes are missing. I then go to Bear’s house in TreeTopolis, but before I can get inside I am stopped by Pterry D. Actyl.

“Ms. Tart,” he said, “Q. Coatlus is gone!” I looked around and saw overflowing trash everywhere! Where could our amazing trashwoman have gone? I said goodbye to Pterry and went to explore Bear’s house.

Bear’s house was a mess, to say the least. There were mountains of laundry, piles of paper, and a lake of soda. One thing stood out, a receipt floating on the lake for 5 boxes of hot chocolate at the General Store. None of the clues worked…who wore snowboots in the middle of a heat wave?! In one last attempt for clues that made sense, I went over to the dump.

It. Was. Beautiful. There were old glass bottles made into suncatchers, knitted blankets, rainbow yarn, and a template for giant wing warmers that was printed yesterday. One other thing caught my eye, a poster for Ice Age Island. I went there for vacation last week and it was freezing. On Q’s calendar I saw two dates marked in red, August 1st and 8th. They said

Drop-off Choux and Pick-up Choux. I knew where Pat and Bear were now, but where Q was remained a mystery. Luckily, I live for mystery. I can’t do this on my own though. I ask Pterry for a lift to Ice Age Island. “Anything for you, Ms. Tart, you found my wife’s eggs!” So I climb on his back and we take to the skies.

When I got to Ice Age Island, I went straight to the Prehistoric Investigator’s office. I walked in and was met with a huge hug.

“CHERRY TART,” yelled Blueberry P.I., my little sister. “Blueberry!” I embrace her in a giant hug. “It’s been too long.”

We talk a little: she tells me about her mysteries, I tell her about the eggs. She tells me about some baby mammothes, I tell her about Q. “Wait,” she says after I say why I’m here, “tell me all the clues.” So I tell her about the wing warmers, calendar, and missing knitting needles. “Well, tomorrow is the 8th, maybe she will come back?” Blueberry suggests.

“Good idea, I’m going to go search just in case, though,” I say. But suddenly I am attacked! RAWR!!!!! Two ferocious, but adorable, baby saber-tooth tigers jump on me.

“Tootie! Fruitie! Off!” yells Blueberry, then she takes Tootie while Fruitie stays firmly planted on my head. “Sorry” *pant* “Ms. Tart” *pant* “we just” *pant* “came back” *pant* “from the mammoth” *pant* “mystery.” Blueberry’s assistant, Tira Misu, says before taking a nap in her chair. I say goodbye to Blueberry P.I. and actually leave.

On my way to the hotel, I passed a very angry lady saying something like “Patrick Anderson Choux! When I get my hands… Never again… You’ll regret it!” She stomps past me to the police office and I follow. I used my keen intellect to deduce that Patrick Anderson Choux is Pat A. Choux. Sure enough, Pat and Bear Claw come out holding mugs of hot cocoa! Bear looks my way before whispering something in Pat’s ear, grabbing the rest of the hot cocoa, and heading my way. Pat and Patty are in a very heated conversation when Bear gets over to me.

“Thanks for picking me up,” he said, “Q never came.”

“Well I didn’t even know you were here!” I said, “you didn’t tell me where you were! Or Julie either!”

“Sorry about that,” he responded, “Pat wanted to take a boys trip so he couldn’t take Patty and he invited me instead. We left very suddenly.”

“Oh,” I say, “okay well we need to find Q. I know she is here…” “I don’t see her,” Bear interjects.

“No, not here with us, here on this island.”

“Ohhhhhhh. Let’s rock and roll!” he says as he runs off. “Hey! That’s my line!” I exclaimed as I ran after him.

We explored the resort: the pool, the spa, the hotel, and the cruises. There was no sign of Q anywhere. Just when I was about to head back over to Triassic Town, I found a trail of rainbow yarn and a pair of large knitting needles. I brought out my trusty magmafying glass and followed the thin trail up mountains, down mountains, in lakes, out of lakes, and to… the dump!

We ran in and found Q talking to Sabe R. Tooth-Tiger. “We are fresh out of knitting needles, but we have some chopsticks, sticks, and baseball bats.” Sabe pitched to Q.

“Thanks, I think the chopsticks would work the best.”

“Or you can use these” I say, holding up Q’s knitting needles.

“Oh! Thank you sooo much, my wings were sooo cold!” Q exclaimed and took her knitting needles. “What are you doing here Cherry?” Q asked as we went to pick up the Chouxs.

“I’m here looking for you!” I exclaimed, “the streets of Triassic Town are covered in trash.” “Sorry,” she replied, “it felt so nice here and I just stayed on the roof of the hotel.”

When we picked up Pat and Patty, they were chatting like nothing ever happened. On the way back, Bear told me an odd story. One I had to write down. Beware, in this next chapter, Bear tells me a lot of tall tales. If this story does not make sense, it is not my fault. If you like mammoths and assistants, you’ll enjoy this.

Chapter 3: The Assistants’ Adventure

Hi, my name is Bear Claw. I have been D.P.I. (Deputy Prehistoric Investigator) of Triassic Town for about 2 years. This is what happened when I tried to take my first vacation.

I flew Q Coatlus and Pat A. Choux to Ice Age Island. (You flew?!) Well, I didn’t actually fly. I was on Q’s back…but I was basically flying. Anyway, we landed in front of the police office because Pat wanted to feel at home on vacation. Then, the most beautiful detective I’d ever seen burst in…Tira Misu.

“Pete! Cal! Are you here?!” she yelled as her pet tigers, Fruitie and Tootie explored.

“I don’t know a Pete but I do know a Pat,” I said. “I’m Bear Claw, D.P.I. to Cherry Tart, 2 years running. This Pat A. Choux, he’s a really old police officer.”

“Fine, let’s see what you can do,” she said.

She explained the mystery as I showed off HUGE muscles (what muscles?). She said this week is the 7,034th Ice Cream Festival. Wool E. Mammoth planned an amazing first day: a party, a milkshake pool, and a giant ice cream cake from Cari Bou’s Creamery. But when everyone was swimming in the pool, the deed was done. The Ice Cream Cake disappeared! There were 2 sets of tracks around the table on which the cake previously stood. Large circles, small circles, paws, and hooves.

“I know the circles are mammoth prints. We should start there,” she said.

“Let’s rock and roll!, ” I responded (Hey! That’s my line!). Tira then pointed me in the right direction and we all ran towards the mammoth’s home.

When we got there, Wool was crying Wooly was making dinner, and the kids were running around chasing Tootie and Fruitie. We talked to Wool to see what his story was, but he was crying. When we asked him what was wrong, he said”Everyone was blaming me” *cries* because I kept commenting on how good the cake looked!.” Then he continued to cry so we interrogated Wooly.

“Where were you the night of the murder!” I demanded.

“What murder?!” she said. “Ohhhh, the disappearance of the cake? I was watching the kids get all sticky in the pool.”

“Thank you,” Tira Misu said then walked out the door and walked towards Cari Bou’s Creamery.

The sign on the door said “Closed for Quality Test.” Even though the sign clearly stated the store was closed, Tira pushed through the doors…and straight into Cari licking frosting off an ice cream cake. A chocolate ice cream cake. Ah Ha!” I exclaimed while Tootie and Fruitie joined Cari in licking the cake.

“You, Mrs. Cari Bou, are going to jail for the theft of the Ice Cream Festival Cake!” I reached for my handcuffs (Hoove-cuffs?) before Tira took them and started questioning her.

“What were you doing at 3:00 PM yesterday?”

“I was swimming in the milkshake pool, of course.”

“What proof do you have?”

Then Cari pulled a picture of her in the pool dated July 31, 7,034th Annual Ice Cream Festival. “What number festival is this?” asked Pat. Tira responded by leaving the creamery and heading towards the police office.

“Let’s regroup,” she said. “We know all the mammoths and Cari are clear…”

“So that just leaves anyone with paws,” Pat finished. “But you will have to solve it, I have to call Patty, she is going to be really mad.” he said, then walked solemnly into the office.

“Follow me,” Tira said as she ran out of the office and to The Pawed Pub. While there, we talked to Sabe R. Tooth, Short-Faced Bear, and Cave’ Lion, all which had genuine alibis. Then Di R. Wolf came up to us and told her story.

“I was walking around the party, making bets on who would make the biggest splash in the pool…(kids, never bet). I was walking around the cake table when I saw Cari Bou licking the frosting!”

This was very surprising, but it could just be Di blaming someone else. “What were you doing during the pool party?” I asked.

“I was making sure I got my money, by the way. I got a 20 on Cari Bou taking the cake, anyone else?”

“No, thank you” Tira said, then dragged me out before I could put 40 on Di. We left the pub and went to the pool.

We investigated the crime scene for a little while before Tira noticed Tootie and Fruitie licking a trail of chocolate ice cream leading out of the building! We found a lead! We followed the trail everywhere. It went in and around mountains, lakes, and forests, before it finally ended at a small hole in a mountain. “Now what?” I asked, “We can’t fit in there.” Then Tira pulled me tot the side and we saw a little squirrel-like creature run out. It was Crono Pio! He was leading his kids somewhere! Maybe he took the cake! Tira and I snuck right behind them. They retraced the trail all the way back to the pool. They went under the table and didn’t come back out. We heard faint singing as Tira threw the table cloth off of the table. It was the cake!

Chrono cut a hole in the table, then put the table cloth back on during the pool party. Chrono explained everything, “My centuplets had their birthday today and it is hard to find work while being so tiny.” he said. “I thought it would be fine.”

“You’re okay, just buy a new cake,” I said. Then we helped him find work as a mixer at the Creamery. It isn’t the easiest job but it pays well.

Chrono apologized to everyone, then we all ate the new cake. Tira finally introduced us to Pete Za and Cal Zone, the police chiefs here. I got to enjoy my vacation until Cherry came (hey!) See you next time!

Chapter 4: The Ring Thief

I’m back everyone! Many thanks to my assistant Bear Claw for writing the last story, but I’ve got this one. It started the week after Bear’s vacation, when he, Pat, Patty, Pete Za, and Cal Zone decided to try a different vacation.

I was visiting the Cretaceous College, and after attending one of Tru O’Don’s history lectures, I was approached by Dean O’nycus.

“Cherry P.I., I need your help,” he said, “I am going to propose to Tru O’don today!” “What do you need help with?” I excitedly responded..

“I want to make sure everything goes perfectly, be here at 3!” he said, then ran away frantically.

I was bored so I headed toward my office. On the way there, I passed a woman taking pictures of plants. I realized this was my sister, Cocoa Tart, P.I.! “COCOA TART!” I yelled and wrapped her in a bear hug (Bear was not involved).

“Hello sister,” she responded with a faraway look in her eyes. “I thought I would drop in to collect some new things. I have a bit of everything from Cavemen Cove.”

I escorted her to my office to talk more. “What have you been doing?” I asked. “Not much, but something weird is going to happen in the waters around the cove.” “…going to?…wait, I’m confused. Why aren’t you there right now?”

“It hasn’t happened yet, I need to bring you with me when I leave.”

This confused me even more, but I couldn’t think too hard on it because at that moment Dean burst in. “CHERRY! CHERRY! MY ENGAGEMENT RING IS GONE!” He said before curling up in a ball and crying.

“I am going to look for feathers,” Cocoa said and left the cave. “Dean?! Dean?! Are you OK?!” I asked.

“NO! I was just making reservations at Ann Kylosaurus’ Gourmet Salads for a candle-lit dinner of chicken salad and Ann asked to see the ring. But when I reached in my pocket, the ring was GONE! The only thing there was a slightly crushed gray feather.” He gave me the feather then ran out crying.

With only one clue and a 3:00 deadline, I started by going around to all the gray feathered dinosaurs. I couldn’t interview Tru O’don because it would spoil the surprise (if there was going to be a surprise at all). So I interviewed Mikala Rapter, Mike’s gray feathered girlfriend..

“Mikala, have you seen a ring?”

“Ohhh, no, have you?” She said with a hungry gleam in her eyes.

“No, I was just wondering.” I said, then quickly left and went next door to Mike R. O’rapter’s treehouse. But before I knocked on the door, I looked in the window and saw Mike’s feathers were blue. So I left and went to find Archy Opteryx.

I found Archy at practice with the Feathered Friends (very convenient) his band. I interviewed him as well as Di Long, Yuti Rannus, and Hesper Onis. Even though they all had some gray feathers they were all in the clear. I was at a dead end, walking through the forest when I bumped into Cocoa.

“Why, hello Cherry. Look at this long bright red feather, doesn’t it belong to a rooster?” “What’s a rooster? Those don’t exist.”

“Not yet…” she said as she took a picture with her camera and walked off.

Now I was confused and at a dead end until I saw Draco Rex admiring something small and shiny… I ran towards him and snatched the ring out of his hands. When I looked closer, it was inscribed with PCS, the initials of Draco’s sister Pachy Cepholo-Saurus. “Why do you have your sister’s ring?” I asked. “For the last time we are COUSINS thrice removed! We are barely even related!” he yelled then stomped off. I walked around, interviewed a few more people, then sat clueless on a rock. A little while later Cocoa came over while staring at the road through her camera.

“Would you like to see a magic trick?” she asked. “Will it help?” I answered.

“Maybe.…” She brought out a bright blue feather, like one of Mike’s, and crushed it. Amazingly, it turned gray. The same grey as the feather Dean gave me!

I ran as fast as possible to TreeTopolis and I burst right into Mike’s house. I was too late though, he had already left! I jumped over the gap and to Mikala’s house. I ran in and this time, I was right! Mike was down on one knee and was proposing to Mikala.

“STOP!” I exclaimed and I yanked the ring from Mike.

“Hey! What was that?!” Mike yelled. Mikala stood and gave me a dirty look. “This is not yours!” I scolded.

“Yeah, it’s mine!” Mikala chimed in.

“No, it’s Dean O’nykus’” I said, “he is going to propose to Tru O’don.”

“Fine, you got me, I took it,” Mike confessed, “I just moved here and was going to pay it back when I got enough money.” Mikala scoffed and left.

“You need to go to Dean, apologize, then sign up as a janitor at the school to repay Dean.” I said. “Just pay for it yourself or take out a loan.” I left to go to Ann Kylosaurus’ Gourmet Salads and give Dean the good news when I ran into Cocoa walking around aimlessly.

“Hello, Cherry, may I accompany you to the salad restaurant?”

“How did you know where I was going? Actually, don’t answer that. You helped solve the mystery, come on.” I said as I led her to get chicken salad.

Dean O’nykus and Tru O’don are now going to be happily wed at Caveman Cove. Turns out I have to go home with Cocoa P.I. Who would have thought?

*The properties of Mike R. O’Rapter’s feathers are inspired by the modern-day Blue Jay. Blue Jays’ bright blue feathers are still blue when they fall off,

but when crushed (like sat on) turn gray.

-Cherry P.I.

Chapter 5: The Wrecked Wedding

Hello, My name is Pete Za. This is the story about how I became a Prehistoric Investigator.

I was vacationing at Caveman Cove with my friends Cal Zone, Bear Claw, Pat A. Choux, and Pat’s wife Patty. We all received an invitation to the wedding of my old colleague Dean Onykus. Bear and the Chouxs had brought nice clothes (as nice as Bear gets), but me and Cal brought nothing. The next day, on the wedding day, Cal and I rushed to Drthal’s Dressings. “What can I do ya for?” said Neo Drthal, the owner. “Two pelts fit for a wedding, please,” said Cal, “and fast.”

About 3 hours later, an hour after the wedding started, we left Drthal’s and ran towards the cove. When we got there, the reception was trashed and everyone was gone! I looked towards the ocean and I saw Tira Misu and Blueberry Tart P.I. floating there.

“Tira! Blueberry!” Cal and I yelled at the same time, but then a huge shark came up and swallowed them. “NOOO!” Yelled Cal as he dropped to his knees.

“Wait!” I exclaimed as I remembered something from the historical tour I took. “The SubMarine 54NDW1TCH! We can use it to go to the old SubWay station underwater!” I pulled Cal to the Cove Cave Museum, where they display the Sub 54NDW1TCH. I jumped in and tried to figure out the controls.

“I got this,” said Cal, “I majored in unique vehicle driving.”

We dove down, down, down, and to the SubWay station. The Sub station was in perfect condition aside from the family of ammonites living in it. “Hi,” I said to the biggest, “I’m Pete Za and this is Cal Zone, what do you know about the shady figures down here?” Ammy Nite, that was the mom’s name, said that the two most toothy, deadly, and biggest are Mo Sasaurus and Meg Ladon. Mo is long and strong, with A LOT of teeth. Meg is shorter, but she has 2 extra rows of teeth and can smell blood. “Thank you, Mrs. Nite.” I said then pulled Cal aside.

“I think Meg Ladon was the one that ate Tira and Blueberry.” “What if Meg was trying to save them?” he asked.

“Why would she save them?”

“The benches were burned, maybe they escaped into the ocean?” “No, come on, let’s go find Meg!”

“Fine.” said Cal as he reluctantly piloted the Sub 54NDW1TCH down to Meg Ladon’s lair. We found her home near a warm volcanic vent. Not a bad place. When we went into Meg’s cave it was extremely clean,

aside from the teeth leaking out from under her pillow and the coins mixed in with them. But there was no sign of Meg. We then went across the street to Arch Elon’s Apartments.

“Hello, good sirs, what may I do for you on this fine day.” Arch said as we swam in with our 6-inch Subs propelling us.

“We would like to see Mr. Mo Sasaurus, please,” said Cal.

“He is being questioned for mass murder.” I added, with the thought that it would make us sound important.

“Mr. Sasaurus is not in right now, thankfully, if he just committed mass murder.” Arch said, he then ushered us out to make sure we did not cause any more panic.

Back in the Sub 54NDW1TCH and headed towards the surface, we saw Wool E Mammoth flailing for help. We raced to the surface, but we were too late! Mo snatched Wool up and swam away. We chased him around underwater volcanos, through kelp forests and to…another Sub Station! In perfect condition, too! Mo opened his mouth and Wool swam out! I was very confused, but Mo started talking so we listened in from the shadows.

“Everyone, I know you all are wondering why you are here, why we put you in our mouths, and what happened so here is the basis of it all. You were having your wedding, up on the surface and a huge asteroid came out of nowhere and hit the middle of the aisle, sending everyone flying into the ocean! Meg and I get a pretty bad rep because we are very intimidating, but we are vegetarians. Since we don’t have hands, we held you in our mouths on the way down. As for why we’re here in this station. We would die trying to get you back on the surface, so we brought you here, the next best thing.” Cal hit me in a gesture of “I was right” before parking the Sub and dragging me into the middle of the room.

“Pete! Cal! You’re alive!” yelled Tira Misu, “when you were not found we thought you had died!”

“No biggie, is everyone accounted for?” I asked, then I heard a scream. It was Trudith O’Don, Tru’s mother. “My daughter! She’s gone!”

“As is my son!” replied Don Onykus, Dean’s father. We searched the Sub Station, but we could not find anything except a fleet of Sub 54NDW1TCHs. We dispatched teams of dinosaurs, people, and other mammals to search for the new bride and groom. Cal and I stayed behind to look for clues and when we were just about to give up hope and search on the 6-inch 54NDW1TCHs, we saw two of the 6-inch Subs were missing, perfect for a complete His and Hers set. I looked out the launch doors and could still see a trail of bubbles leftover. We raced after the bubbles, telling every team we found to follow us. The trail ended at a large forest of glowing coral. We saw the two missing 6-inches parked a little to the right so we dove into the coral and found…a new wedding venue being set up by the missing bride and groom. Everyone was relieved and the ceremony started. Once the wedding was over, I was promoted to

P.I. with Cal as my assistant. Until next time, Pete Za P.I., (and Cal Zone) out.

The End

The Story Before Time Writing Challenge: “Faerie Tale Ending” by Rebekah Abbot

Rebekah Abbot is a seventeen-year old writer who participated and completed the summer 2026 Story Before Time Summer Writing Challenge. Her short story, “Faerie Tale Ending,” tells of a teen boy, Shay, who discovers hidden secrets about his grandfather and a world unknown.

Read Rebekah’s story below:

Once upon a time when the word color was spelled with a u, there lived a young man named Shay. He had many friends, few relatives, and fewer admirers. Overall he was satisfied with this arrangement. Then one year his grandfather unexpectedly fell sick. Three days later he passed away. They hadn’t been close, so it came as a shock that grandfather had named him in his will.

Shay was baffled. He looked down at the note his grandfather had left to him.

“To Shay L. Ronan, I leave you my old house by the river and everything in it. You will find there are many books, and I advise you to take care of them. I know there were misunderstandings in our relationship, but I trust that all will be made clear, even if it is too late for me to be there with you.”

It didn’t make any sense! His grandfather had tried to kidnap him. Multiple times. He even got a restraining order. He really didn’t know what to think about all of this. Maybe he had misjudged him. It was hard to be sure of anything connected with him.

Grandfather had left him a lot of money too. This was exciting at first. He saw shows, went shopping, and lent money to friends which was rarely repaid. This new shiny life was quick to wear off. Shay soon realized that with money comes relentless flirtation from uncivilized females.

Every week Shay would go to the lake to swim. As more of his acquaintance learned this, more girls he knew would show up to talk.

“Do you want to go kayaking?” They’d say.

“Do you want to play cricket?” They would inquire.

Shay always declined politely, for he knew the ways of these women.

Nothing, it turns out, drives a man out of society so readily as attention. That’s when Shay remembered grandfather’s house. In just a few days he had packed his belongings and bumbled off to the estate by the river.

As Shay opened the door to grandfather’s house, moths burst forth and fluttered into the blue. The room inside was vastly different from any place Shay had been. There was definitely more bookshelf than wall. The atmosphere in the room was unrealistically breathable for such a dusty literature arena. As Shay stepped through the doorway he entered a new world. A world of secrets and insects in displays. And there was the mirror. It stood tall against the wall, looming intensely and sparking occasionally. This obviously caught Shay’s attention. It was mounted to what he guessed was a jewelry cabinet. It was locked. The phone rang. He hadn’t noticed it before, stuck to the wall. He picked it up.

“Hello.” He said.

“Hey, is this Shay?” A woman answered him. “I didn’t know you were leaving! I got this phone number from your mom. She says she might go visit you next week and I was thinking about coming with her. Y’know, just for safety. And I told her…”

The woman droned on like a bagpipe. This was Julia, Shay’s childhood friend. She was so different now that he was wealthy. Always looking for ways to get closer to him.

“Julia, it’s past your bedtime.” Shay said. He hung up.

It really was late. He tossed his belongings on the floor and went to find a bedroom. There were surprisingly many. He picked one with a nice big window and walls painted black. The bed was already made with clean sheets. He went into the bathroom to look around. There was a new toothbrush and toothpaste still in the packaging. Grandfather had been expecting company. He picked up the toothbrush and turned it over. He dropped it in shock. Very neatly sharpied on it was the name “Shay”. He checked the toothpaste box. It was written there too. Grandfather hadn’t been expecting company. He had been expecting Shay. He got ready for bed quickly and tried to get some sleep. That didn’t work. Shay soon got to wondering how grandfather had known he would choose the black room. He didn’t particularly like the room or anything about it. He tried not to think about it, but eventually he threw off the covers and went to investigate. The other rooms were spotless too, everything clean and in order, but they didn’t have any random objects marked with his name. Weird. He was troubled, but he went back to bed. After rolling around for an hour or so he managed to fall asleep.

The next day came like a tarantula. Slowly and seemingly without direction. Shay was glad to be awake though, so he got up and made some coffee. He had always been one of those people who said “don’t talk to me before I’ve had my coffee” but never drank any because he thought it was funny. Coffee was completely new to him. And weirder than he expected. He carried on because all of his great aunts swore by it.

He received several more phone calls in the course of the morning, all of which were treated with the same severity as Julia’s. This was quite tiring, so Shay fell to organizing grandfather’s books. They were splinterous and dusty, and probably worth more than the house all together. He opened the cover of an asthmatic volume titled “The How and Why of Fire: a guide for the unlovely”. A large key was drawn on the cover page. Next to it was a long and nonsensical conversation. Seemingly between a man and his reflection if the next drawing was anything to go by. He shut the book and went outside. The house looked much smaller from out there. Shay walked the short path down to the river. He found a nice big flat dry stone just out of the water where he sat down. He threw his feet into the river and kicked at any fish who approached. It was so tranquil. A nice break from whatever foolery he had been performing.

Shay did not fall into the water. This detail may seem unimportant to you, but not all is as it seems. He stayed by the river for a good part of the day. When he finally came back to the house Julia was there waiting for him.

“I was starting to think you’d given me the wrong address!” she pronounced. “Your mom will be here in an hour or so, but I couldn’t stand how slowly she drives, so I came by myself.”

Shay sighed. Then he decided politeness was the best way to proceed and plastered a smile onto his tired face. “Do come in!” He said with forced alacrity.

As soon as Julia stepped in the door she flocked about in a storm of cleanliness. She put all the books back on the shelves completely undoing Shay’s hard work. She upset a vase and a few paintings in the process. The vase shattered on the wood floor. Julia was dismayed. She slumped to the floor and scooped up the ceramic remnants. Buried in the mess she found a gold key with red gems embedded in it. She showed it to Shay. He was sure he recognized it as the key drawn in the book. The book was lost on the shelves now, but he thought he knew what the key went to. He looked up at the cabinet with the mirror front. The key slot on the side looked similar to the key in Julia’s hands. He tried it in the lock, but the cabinet didn’t open.

Something far more momentous happened. The invisible strings that held his reflection like a marionette snapped. The man in the mirror was free to move as he liked. He beckoned Shay to come inside. Julia screamed. Shay put his hand to the mirror’s surface, but he couldn’t get through. He needed the book. He knew it. He needed those words copied down into it by grandfather.

“Julia, help me find that book. The one about fire for the unlovely.” He said.

She was freaked out, but she didn’t dare to oppose him. Luckily the title had stuck with her, and she remembered where she had put it. Shay took it down and opened it to the title page. There were the words. Shay went to the mirror and said:

“The weather is decent this evening.”

“Most assuredly.” The reflection replied.

“A depressed lack of susurrus.” Shay went on.

“Never more so.” Came the answer.

“The pie tastes like scrupulous shrimp cocktail.” Shay was confused as he read this aloud, but that’s what the book said.

“I like your way of putting things.” The reflection said

“The well-shod totally cool young man has the upper hand.”

“But radishes wither in the heat of combat.”

“The satyr only departs when necessary.”

“The faerie queen will punish him with punishments.”

“Do I gain admittance?” Shay finished.

“You do.”

Shay’s reflection took him by the hand and pulled him through. Julia caught him by the ankle and came in after them.

What happened next came as a surprise. Shay’s reflection melted into some sort of guitar wielding flute monger. It was a shape shifter. The world around them was not like grandfather’s house at all. They were standing in an open field. There was a copse some way away, and on the other side was the ocean. Behind them, ever looming, was the mirror. The guardian stayed there. You never knew who might happen along on the other side. Shay wandered off toward the trees. Julia looked around nervously, but she decided to follow. She was sure she didn’t want to be alone here. In the middle of the copse there stood a beautiful young lady with flowing golden hair and a dress made of moonlight. She introduced herself as Hailow. She had come to this land as a child and had been invited to stay by the king, so she had made it her home.

“I live beyond the sea.” She said. “I came to show you the way.”

“How do you get across?” Shay asked. He knew better than to ask how she knew he would be there. This place did not work by the same rules that earth did.

“Come, I’ll show you.” She answered. The three of them walked down to the shore. They could just see the mountains on the other side of the sea, and atop the highest peak stood a golden unicorn. Shay was amazed. Something invisible was drawing him forward. Hailow could see it in his eyes.

“Get in the water.” She said. “There will be big and dangerous fish and sea monsters. The way to get past is to ignore them.”

Shay nodded. He was scared, sure, but that wouldn’t stop him. Julia however would have none of it. As Shay and Hailow waded forward she cried out.

“Don’t go! It isn’t real!” She started crying. “Nothing as beautiful as a unicorn could ever exist. It’s a trap Shay! Stay with me!”

Her noise was drowned out when his head went underwater. He opened his eyes and looked for Hailow. She was still moving forward. As he watched she became something new. A seal perhaps, but he’d never seen one in person. She moved so gracefully through the water, much faster than he could swim. He felt himself fall to pieces. The fish came at him with growls and hunger.

Shay’s mom arrived at grandfather’s house. She came in and looked around. The mirror sparked and spluttered. She hesitated slightly before taking the key out. Shay and Julia were wrenched out and flung down on the floor boards. Shay gasped with dismay. He hadn’t wanted to leave. Julia sprang up and seized the key. She ran out the door and to the river. With the energy of a swordfish and the forethought of a lemming she hurled the key into the water. She watched as it sank out of sight. Shay came running out to try to stop her but he was too late.

Everything was different now. Shay couldn’t just pretend nothing had ever happened. He wanted to go back to that land, the place with the unicorn. The key was gone now, and with it all of Shay’s hopes. Not all the therapists in the world could change that now.

Julia was humiliated by her rashness. She and Shay’s mom went to a hotel for the night because they couldn’t face his disappointment. He was all alone sitting by the river and generally bemoaning his fate. As the sun set he remembered Hailow, the seal girl. He wondered what had happened to her in the water, and if seal people really existed. He went back to the house to look for information in grandfather’s books. He took down a large volume with a promising title. ‘Fantastical Creatures: a comprehensive guide’. It wasn’t even hard to find. He opened it to the table of contents and started looking for clues. Dragon? No. Hippogriff? No. Phoenix? Still no. Mermaid maybe? Shay thought there might be other kinds, but upon reading the mermaid section he found nothing remotely seal-like. Mermaids were scarier than he’d imagined. He flipped to the index and looked up ‘seal’. This brought him to the chapter titled ‘The Selkie’.

A selkie turned out to be just what he was looking for. A person who could transform into a seal if they had a sealskin with them. He hadn’t noticed Hailow having a sealskin, but maybe he just hadn’t been paying attention. He had to wonder why she’d have led him into the water knowing he couldn’t transform like that. Maybe it was a trap. No. It couldn’t have been. He needed to get back, and since the key wasn’t an option he needed to pick the lock. The only obstacle was his lack of skill in this area. Luckily, Shay had a friend, Synthetic Tweed, who had learned to pick locks back in middle school to impress the girls.

Shay went to the phone and dialed Tweed’s number.

“*Sniff sniff* Hello?” he said.

“Hi Tweed!” Shay said. “It’s been a while. Look, I know you’re busy with the Llama farm and everything, but I need a favor.”

Synthetic Tweed sighed. “What do you need?”

“I need your mad skill in the art of breaking into locks.” Shay announced.

“Brother. You’ve called up the right strategist.” He said.

Two hours later they had the lock picked (with some help from the drawing of the key) and Shay was ready to go. He stuffed some beef jerky in his jacket pocket and went to grab his bags. He opened the door to his bedroom, but the room was gone. It just exploded or something. Oh well. There was no need to mourn. He came back down the hall. As he passed another open door he saw something that caught his eye. His bags were safe, stacked neatly by the wall. He stepped into the room to collect them. The room was quite eccentric. The walls and ceiling were painted a brilliant shade of red. A pair of red slippers lay on the carpet. ‘Shay’ was embroidered on each of the soles. This was almost less strange than the bedroom exploding, so Shay put them on without questions. He picked up his belongings and legged it to the mirror.

“The weather is decent this evening.” He said.

The man in the mirror responded: “Most assuredly.”

When Shay came out on the other side Hailow was there waiting for him. She was glad to see him. Shay was still unsure about the whole selkie thing so he asked her about it.

“Yes,” Hailow said, “I am a selkie. You are too, Shay.”

“But I don’t have a sealskin.” Shay mumbled.

“Yes you do.” Hailow said. “It’s part of you. It”s a part of who you are. Don’t forget this again Shay, because someone had to die for that.”

Shay thought about the seal, robbed of its life just so that he could have its coat. He felt kinda bad about it.

“You will understand when you speak with the unicorn.” Hailow said.

They wandered off toward the sea talking as they went.

Shay opened his jacket and took out the beef jerky.

“You want some?” Shay asked.

“Thank you Shay, but your earthly food will be useless here. You will have to leave that behind when we go.” Hailow said, gesturing toward Shay’s backpack.

Shay slipped the straps off his shoulders and left it in a heap on the dirt. They waded out into the water and started swimming. Hailow dived beneath the surface, and when she came back up she was a radiant seal. Shay dived too. Once again he felt himself shatter into a thousand pieces and fall to the ocean floor. Out of the pieces a new Shay was built. A Shay with a silvery coat and fins. A seal.

Hailow and Shay sprung though the water now with vigor. They also had to keep their eyes out for mysterious creatures. There was a coelacanth once, and what seemed to be a giant squid, but these were easy to avoid with someone there to keep him on course. And Shay did the same thing for Hailow.

They reached the other side within an hour, and there on the sand they de-transformed. Shay sat up, trying to catch his breath. Hailow spat a fish out of her mouth. Shay stood up and helped her to her feet. They turned away from the sea and started up the mountain. They struggled onward for difficult but lovely hours, always with the hope of what they would find at its peak. Up at the top the unicorn still reigned. The sunlight glinted through him and was channeled into the ground at his feet. And they were feet. He was no longer a unicorn standing before them, but Grandfather. Hailow’s words echoed through Shay’s head. “Someone had to die.”.

Shay saw now. Grandfather died.

Shay’s mother panicked when she found out that her son was missing. She flew about the hotel upsetting things and pretending to be useful. Mothers tend to do that when they’re upset. Julia wasn’t being helpful. She was sure she knew where Shay had gone, but she wasn’t going to say anything about it.

At this point it will be important to the story to mention Shay’s mother’s name. Her name was Deborah.

Deborah’s fit eventually subsided, and Julia was relieved. They checked out of the hotel and drove to grandfather’s house. The panic began anew and with redoubled vigor. Julia leaned against a wall and watched.

‘This is fun.’ she thought. ‘Watching the mother of the man I was going to marry go actually insane. Maybe it’s good that he left. I would hate to be related to that.’

The day went by without any revelation concerning Shay. Julia was getting tired of ‘all this nonsense’ so she left. Deborah wasn’t even sure where Julia went, but she didn’t follow. The moon rose slowly, as if it wasn’t sure if it should be there or not. Deborah eyed the mirror suspiciously before walking outside. It was a beautiful night full of stars. The pines towered above her head. There were bird calls and the chirping of frogs and insects. An owl sneered at her and screeched his little song. “Hoo who who hoooo” Deborah shuttered. Then there was another bird. A strange one that shone with a light of his own. Flames embellished his plumage, and his eyes shone a blinding gold. Deborah knew what it was already. A phoenix. It opened its beak and let out not a bird call, but human speech.

“Deborah.” He said. “You find no joy in this.” It was a statement, not a question.

“How can I find joy?” Deborah cried. “My son is gone. Gone forever I fear…”

“I will show you joy.” he said. “Take hold of my tail feather, and I will take you to the land where joy is found.”

Deborah looked around. This was unusual to be sure, but something told her that the bird knew something special. She reached out her hand and grabbed the phoenix’s tail feather. Grandfather’s house disappeared along with the river and pines, whirling like the vapor it was.

Deborah found herself in an open field. On one side of her was the sea, and on the other was a small copse. She turned around. There stood a tall misshapen musician. She could have sworn he was a phoenix a minute ago. He nodded politely to her, then lumbered off to an uncertain ‘somewhere’. Deborah looked around calmly before walking to the copse. As you will have guessed there was someone there, waiting. A little boy, maybe about six years old, stood majestically with his cloak swirling in the wind.

“Hello Deborah.” He said with a gentle smile.

“What…how?… Who are you?” She stammered.

“I am called Jin.” He said. “I came to act as a guide to you.”

“Where are we going?” Deborah asked.

Jin pointed out across the sea toward the mountains.

“You see there?” He asked. “Up atop the highest mountain peak. There stands the unicorn, source of joy. He’s not so far away as he seems. We need only cross the water and climb the land.”

Deborah looked. He was right. She turned to him and gave him a little nod.

Deborah and Jin crossed the field to the ocean. Jin didn’t stop walking there. He kept right on into the sea. When he sank beneath the waves he seemed to dissolve. A seal surfaced and beckoned to Deborah. ‘It must be Jin.’ she thought. So she kept going. She was confusedly pleasantly surprised to find that she transformed as well. She swam up and stuck her head out of the water. Jin warned her about sea monsters and malevolent eels, but they got past sooner than you’d think.

When they reached the other side they shook themselves off like dogs. Deborah stood up and looked at the path ahead. Jin started up the mountain. Deborah took a deep breath, put on her mountain goat pants (figuratively of course), and began the ascent. It wasn’t easy, but she had someone to help her along and something to look forward to at the end of it. It wasn’t bad at all.

She reached the top with her lungs burning like a furnace, and alchemy coursing through her windpipe. The unicorn stood there, main and tail twirling in the soft wind. Deborah smiled. She knelt before him as her heart filled with joy and adoration.

“Rise.” He said. “You have done well.”

“Really it was the phoenix.” She said, “And the boy, Jin.”

“I sent the phoenix and the boy.” The unicorn said. “I prepared the way for you. Just because I wrote the story doesn’t mean the character didn’t do great things.”

The unicorn turned and walked into the fog of the morning mountain. Deborah followed, trying not to lose his silhouette. When she reached him again she found he was grandfather, her father in law, talking to someone blocked from her view. He turned and looked at her, then pulled the man behind him forward. It was Shay! He embraced her as grandfather watched, smiling.

“Come.” He said. “I will show you wonders you haven’t yet imagined.”

They let go of each other, walking side by side after him.

He showed them the fields of golden wheat, rippling, blazing, in the sun. He showed them the vineyards and wine presses. Everywhere they turned there truly was joy. Whether it was cheering and dancing or just a quiet steadfast knowledge that all would be well. There were a lot of people there. Shay was glad to see one of his old friends there. His name was Keith. Shay remembered he’d gone missing just over a year ago. Everyone at home thought he was dead.

“Come join me in my work!” Keith said.

Grandfather nodded. Shay came up to see what he was working on. Keith was building a plow.

There were piles of metal scraps, old tools, and equipment that nobody needed anymore. Keith would look through what he had to work with, consider what he could do with it, take the hammer to it, and turn it into something new. Something useful. Shay sat down and helped. The furnace burned bright, heating swords and spearheads until you could shape them with a blow of the hammer. The fire turned the metal a blinding golden orange that looked like glass blowing and smelled like burnt turmeric.

This was a world of work and never complaining. That environment is hard to come across where I come from. It was beautiful, but Shay couldn’t stay there. Neither could his mother, Deborah. They weren’t there to live, as they soon found out, but there on a visit.

“You have seen the beauty.” Grandfather said. “This was never the place for you though. Only a reflection of the true ending of your story. You will get to the end, but you’re not there yet. Today the beauty you saw was a story, a microcosm. You must go home now.”

The fumbling musician opened the door. Many friends stood around to see them off. Hailow was in the front holding Jin by the hand. She stepped forward and held something out in her hand to Shay. He took it. It was a golden seal bracelet.

“Think of us when you wear it.” She said. More of a question I think. “And remember the transforming power of the unicorn’s land.”

Shay nodded and put it on.

“We’ll meet again Shay.” She said.

When they stepped through they were back in Shay’s childhood home. Shay stood blinking in the dusty light from his window. That wasn’t real!? It had seemed so real. ‘A reflection’ he thought. Not a bad vision of the future. He could hardly think of a better one. But this wasn’t the end yet? Shay had assumed that that place was his happily ever after, the one promised to all the heroes and heroines in legends and faerie tales. In a way it was his ending. As near as he could be to it for now anyway. That place still existed. It still exists. Even if we can’t get there by walking or by train. To have been there himself made it easier for Shay to get there the other way. Through memory. And others would see it too, in story. Julia would see it in story.

“Oh my helium fruitcake!” Julia shouted into the phone. “Shay you’re still alive!? I never thought I’d see you again. I thought something must have happened to you once you went into that mirror of horrors!”

“It’s not evil Julia.” Shay objected. “You were just scared, that was all. Let me tell you what was there. It will help.”

And Shay told her. He told her about the unicorn and the towns and fields, and about what grandfather said.

“That’s insane.” Julia interrupted with. “Why would you listen to a dead man who was so insecure that he turned himself into a unicorn? That’s not like you, Shay.”

“I don’t think you really know me anymore Julia.” Shay said. “I have changed since we were little.”

And then something happened that would be remembered by generations to come. Something so deeply cringe that it was almost funny. Julia asked him out in what can only be described as the second most awkward way ever. Shay paused. He rethought what could have put him in this position. It just seemed so… off.

He thought about the ending of his story. He hadn’t seen the full ending yet, but somehow he saw that Julia wasn’t going to be in it.

Shay took a deep breath. He opened his squinted eyes one at a time, and refused. Julia was immediately embarrassed beyond expression. It had taken her weeks to whack up the ginger, and it all came to this. Julia mumbled some excuses and hung up the phone.

Things moved on for Shay. He bought a house (grandfather’s house had fallen), got a fabulous job as a tortilla critic, and later a museum tour guide. Through all of this he kept the land of the unicorn in his heart. He got married to a wonderful woman named Hailow, a girl who knew the story and lived it too. They would eventually grow old together, telling the story to their children who told it to their children, and all of them lived it.

A life on one side of the sea can be hard for a selkie. There was a swimming pool though in Shay and Hailow’s house of dreams. Deborah lived close by and came now and then to visit. She taught her grandchildren how to swim in that pool. They were never surprised when they found they were Selkies. Only grateful. They had seen their father and mother transform countless times and knew everything there was for them to know.

When Shay’s children asked him about their great grandfather Shay told them about the unicorn. There was no doubt in his mind that that was the real grandfather. The man who laughed creepily and tried to kidnap little boys was an idea Shay had made up about him. A fear for what might be. Now that was gone, and he had a hope based on the things he knew to be true.

Shay took his wife by the hand and walked to the stream where grandfather’s house once stood. Their children trailed behind them like ducklings. They found a nice big flat dry stone to sit on and dangled their feet in the water. Shay no longer looked into the water for a dream of tranquility that wouldn’t come back. They looked out beyond the water to the trees and the sparkling sunrise. To what was on the other side.

Here I conclude my narrative. Not because Shay’s story has ended, but because this is where he lies. Looking to the future, living in the present, and rejoicing over his past. This is a true story, just as your life is. You cannot walk to grandfather’s house by the river, nor can you take a train, but you can get there. You already have. It exists in faerie land, and faerie land exists in your head.

The End

The Blog Wants to Know: Aug. 2026

With temperatures in the 100s lately, it’s felt like the desert outside so that got me thinking of an idea for the next blog question!

Setting survival and communication tools aside, what would be your deserted island picks to keep you entertained while you’re stranded and waiting for rescue? You can pick one book, one movie, and one music album (ignoring the logistics of how you’d actually be able to watch or listen to these things…).

Tami, Office Manager: Music: All Over the World: The Very Best of Electric Light Orchestra (2005), Book: A Gentleman in Moscow by Amor Towles, Movie: Singin’ in the Rain (1952)

My list shows (1) my age and (2) that I am going to need some upbeat things to survive!

Maycie, Public Support Services: I really had to think about this one! My album would be The Stranger by Billy Joel because you can neverrrrr go wrong with some Billy Joel. The Stranger has everything you need on one disc. For my book, I would probably bring Lord of the Rings (the 3-in-1 one with the bible pages) because with all the time on the island I could really pick it apart and, who knows, maybe I’ll learn the language! I’m bringing Top Gun for my movie; it’s my fav and already my go-to plane movie so presumably I already have it with me in this situation.

Now… if Megan and I were stranded on this island together then lookout, because we’re bringing the cast recording of Hamilton and we’re putting on a two-woman show for our own entertainment!

Kristy H., Public Support Services: Book: The Island by Natasha Preston (haha!), Movie: Any Halloween movie with Michael Myers, Music: Journey

Kameron, Public Support Services: Book: Cloud Cuckoo Land by Anthony Doerr, Movie: Princess Bride, Album: Divide by Ed Sheeran.

Shelia, Interlibrary Loan and Cataloguing: If I were on a deserted island, I’d want the book “Where the Red Fern Grows”. No matter how many times I read it, I cry. I’d want the movie “Lonesome Dove” and the album “Frontiers” by Journey.

Alyssa, Adult and Teen Services Coordinator: I think I’d have to go with media that made me feel excited to be where I was and inspired to take advantage of the desert island vibes! For movie, I’d go with Aquamarine, a delightful mermaid classic with Jojo and Emma Roberts. For music album, I’d go with The Absence by Melody Gardot, and for book, it’s got to be Where the Crawdads Sing by Delia Owens.

Ashley, Interlibrary Loan and Cataloguing: Book: The Hobbit by J.R.R. Tolkien, Movie: Bridget Jones’ Diary, Album: Joanne by Lady Gaga

Now it’s your turn! What would you bring to a deserted island to pass the time or keep your spirits up? Let us know in the comments below!

The Blog Wants to Know: Summer 2026

Our summer reading theme, Unearth a Story, is in full swing and we’re surrounded by dinosaurs and prehistoric tales. We thought this would be the perfect time to ask our library staff about their favorite dinos!

What are some of your favorite dinosaurs or ancient creatures from the Mesozoic Era (Triassic, Jurassic, and Cretaceous Periods)? This could be an actual dino like the brontosaurus or the t-rex, or it could be a pterosaur, marine reptile, synapsid, or even early mammal. What do you like about these specific creatures?

Megan, Outreach Coordinator: My favorite dinosaur is the Compsognathus. Why? Simply because they’re cute! They remind me of a chicken. I would be the little girl from Jurassic Park II who was trying to feed one; that became several!

Kristy H., Public Support Services: Tyrannosaurus Rex because he is the biggest and best dinosaur that I’ve loved forever. It’s just so impressive and massive and huge and has a big ‘ol head and mouth!

Maycie, Public Support Services: I’m a biiiiigg fan of long-neck dinosaurs. Brachiosaurus is my favorite but I’m also partial to a brontosaurus or a diplodocus. I think they just look really neat!

Shane, Public Support Services: I love the Brontosaurus because I will always have a soft spot for Little Foot from Land Before Time. However, as an Anthropology graduate, I am super interested in any ancient species of apes. Homo Erectus is the most interesting one to me as the first species to have a “humanlike” stature and fully walk on two legs.

Hannah, Assistant Director: When I was a kid, I wanted to be a marine biologist. Not very practical for a kid from Kansas, but I was fascinated with whales, dolphins, and sharks. It’s probably no surprise that my answer is prehistoric sharks. Not necessarily the megalodon specifically, but it is a very cool creature just based on its predicted size alone. It just blows my mind how old some sharks can live and how long their species has been on the planet. Like the Greenland Shark, which was genetically studied and is believed to have been around over 2 million years ago. They have the longest lifespan of any vertebrate with some Greenland sharks living for over 500 years!

Kameron, Public Support Services: My favorite is the parasaurolophus because of its distinct look with the horn extending out the back of its head!

Justin, Technology Coordinator: So everyone wants to talk about the T-Rex being their favorite and I’m sure its been mentioned multiple times by staff. That’s fine. But the real deal is the Ankylosaurus. He is just out there, low to the ground, munching on leaves, completely armored up and dragging a literal wrecking ball on its tail. Do you want to mess with that? Be my guest. The T-Rex gets all the glory, but the Ankylosaurus just doesn’t care. That’s my kind of dinosaur.

Annalise, Public Support Services: It’s no secret that I’ve always been fascinated with dinosaurs and other creatures from the Mesozoic Era. I was obsessed with The Land Before Time movies as a kid, and I still have my old VHS copies somewhere in my closet. The fascination grew I got older, especially after discovering the Jurassic Park films when I was a teenager. Despite my love and curiosity for dinosaurs, my favorite creature from that period is not a dinosaur. It’s a heteromorph ammonite called The Paperclip “Squid,” or Diplomoceras maximum. Interestingly, it wasn’t quite a true squid, just an ancient relative of the squids and octopuses we know today.It lived at the very end of the Cretaceous Period, and it quite literally looks like a paperclip. It’s not presumptuous to say that it was a strange creature, and that’s exactly why I like it.

Now it’s your turn! What are some of your favorite dinosaurs or ancient creatures?

The Blog Wants to Know: May 2026

I find that people often go through weird “phases” where they’ll be obsessed with certain topics, shows, or even celebrities. Something grips your curiosity and sends you to the Google searches and late-night video scrolls, desperate for more information about that topic. Or perhaps it’s a movie, song, or TV show that you can’t help but repeat over and over again, feeling that surge of dopamine with every viewing. For this month’s question, we’re diving into hyperfixations, obsessions, and topics that have gripped our staff’s curiosity.

What’s your current phase/hyperfixation/obsession? What’s something that you’re constantly curious about and that you find yourself researching, watching, or reading about? This could be a show, series, period in history, celebrity, musician, author, artist, or even just an overall vibe.

Trinity, Library Page: For a while, I was fixated on the art and life of J.C. Leyendecker, a commercial artist whose works were extremely popular from the 1920s-1930s. He’s most well-known for his Saturday Evening Post covers (of which I’ve collected ~15) and clothing advertisements for Arrow Collars and Kuppenheimer Clothes. J.C. and his brother, Frank (or FX) painted together for much of their early careers. Norman Rockwell is known to have been inspired by him, and some people suspect that F. Scott Fitzgerald based many of the motifs from The Great Gatsby on the grand parties that were held at his estate. I was drawn to him because I’ve always loved history and art, but more importantly, I relate to his experiences as a queer artist. Leyendecker’s relationship with his model, Charles Beach, was an open secret, but he still had to hide parts of his identity from the public eye. Beyond this, J.C. Leyendecker’s work is beautiful, characterized by bright color, movement, and his signature hatching technique that added visual interest to every part of his work.

J.C. Leyendecker (1874-1951), *Couple in a Boat — Arrow Collar Advertisement*, 1912, oil on canvas,

More recently, I’ve been diving into astronomy. I think it was a mix of the Introduction to Astronomy course I’m finishing up and watching Project Hail Mary. I’m fascinated by the cosmic waltz of our planet and beyond. I always struggled in math, and science could be hit or miss no matter how much I loved it, but astronomy is such a beautiful blend of physics, science, chemistry, and art. In a few weeks, my summer reading might be out of this world!

Annalise, Public Support Service: I’ve always been the type of person who switches fixations at the drop of a hat. Every week, it’s something new! Lately, it’s been vintage and antique jewelry. I’ve always liked wearing jewelry, but suddenly after seeing reels and shorts by Maejean Vintage on social media, I’ve fallen into the rabbit hole of researching different eras of jewelry, their meanings, what materials were common in these different eras, etc. Victorian forget-me-not pieces enthrall me currently. With their overall theme of remembrance and deep connection, these pieces had a wide variety of meanings, giving a unique and sentimental backstory to each one. I own a few antique jewelry pieces that I’ve been lucky enough to pick up at estate sales, antique malls, and yard sales, and I’m looking forward to expanding my collection as I learn more!

Kathy, Public Support Services: Jackie, Shadow and their two eaglets from the Friends of Big Bear Livestream.

Shane, Public Support Services: My current hyper-fixation is tiny living and tiny houses. And while I go back and forth on if I could actually live tiny, it has pivoted me into self-sustainability and homesteading which both feel more obtainable realistically.

Ashley, Interlibrary Loan and Cataloguing: My latest obsession has been with watching baseball. I used to play as a kid on rec teams during the summer. I loved going to games on school trips to see the Wichita Wranglers.

Photo from my Seattle trip in 2016. My family went to see the Mariners play.

My team was and still is the Seattle Mariners. I really got interested in them when Ichiro Suzuki played back in the early 2000s. I have been to several Mariners games in Kansas City and one in Seattle. Recently, with a free subscription to MLB.TV I have been able to catch several games and rediscovered my love of the sport. I wear my Mariners gear, grab some snacks and watch my team play whenever I can. Maybe one day soon I will get to go to another game in Seattle and see the new Ichiro statue by the stadium. I would love to enjoy some sushi and beer while I cheer them on! #TridentsUp

Dawn S., Youth Services Coordinator: I’ve been obsessed with game shows lately like Wheel of Fortune and Jeopardy. My kids and I will watch for about an hour after dinner and before homework. The show I’ve been constantly watching is The Rookie. Love me some Nathan Fillion.

Alyssa, Adult and Teen Services Coordinator: My latest hyperfixation is all things Wizard of Oz/Wicked. I dove headfirst into the Wizard of Oz book series by L. Frank Baum in preparation for my Oz-themed Murder Mystery Night at the library, and the infatuation has yet to lift. I’ve read all fourteen of the main Oz books, and now I’m diving deeper into the “Famous Forty” titles as well as the vintage Reilly and Lee and Del Rey editions. I’m also a huge fan of the Wicked films and have been a bit obsessed with finding Wicked merch. I created a Wicked/Ozian corner in my home with all of my books and cute finds. The obsession is so bad that I even joined the International Wizard of Oz club!

Now it’s your turn? What is your current obsession and what do you love about it? Let us know in the comments below!

The Blog Wants to Know: April 2026

This month’s question is getting nostalgic by diving into the world of animation and cartoons!

What were some of your favorite cartoons to watch as a kid? Whether movies, TV shows, or even anime, what were some of your favorite childhood cartoons? And because it’s totally okay to watch cartoons even as an adult, do you have any current cartoon faves that you’re in to?

Tabbitha, Youth Services: Growing up, I was definitely a fan of Arthur, Magic School Bus, and Rugrats. I loved anything with a bit of adventure! As for now, being in the library world, I have a huge appreciation for the art and heart in shows like Bluey—it’s honestly as much for the parents as it is for the kids. I also still have a soft spot for Studio Ghibli films like My Neighbor Totoro; the animation is just timeless.

Shane, Public Support Services: My favorite cartoon as a kid was Spongebob Squarepants, so much so that my first pair of glasses when I was 8 or 9 had a Spongebob frame. The episode “Have You Seen this Snail?” was very emotional for child me.

Dawn, Youth Services Coordinator: Inspector Gadget, Eureka’s Castle, Snorks, The Jetsons, The Flintstones, Noozles, Rugrats, Fraggle Rock, The Smurfs, and Doug. The movies I watched over and over again were The Little Mermaid and Aladdin.

Kathy, Public Support Services: We always had Looney Toons on Saturday mornings.

Alyssa, Adult and Teen Services Coordinator: Cartoons have shaped who I am as a person and basically raised me when I was a kid. I learned probably everything I need to know about life from Tommy Pickles and Rugrats. I was a 90s kid and a Disney kid so I loved Doug, Hey Arnold, Lilo and Stitch (both the movie and TV show), The Powerpuff Girls, Blues Clues, Little Bear, Franklin, Dragon Tales, Spongebob Squarepants, and I loved the HBO Family shows like Crashbox, Happily Ever After, and A Little Curious.

Honestly I watch just about as many cartoons as an adult. My favorite show of all time is Summer Camp Island. I also love Craig of the Creek, Moominvale, Doc McStuffins, and this new show I found while researching my Oz-themed murder mystery called Dorothy and the Wizard of Oz. It’s a preschool show featuring many characters from the Oz books!

Shelia, Interlibrary Loan and Cataloguing: One of my favorite memories involving cartoons was the Saturday morning cartoons. Some of my favorite cartoons were Scooby Doo, Captain Caveman, and The Jetsons.

Justin, Technology Coordinator: I have some thoughts. Specifically on TV.

Growing up, I was a cartoon kid, every Saturday morning, no exceptions. I won’t mention every cartoon I watched. But I’ll give a special shout out to Dino Riders (dinosaurs with laser guns, honestly ahead of its time) and Muppet Babies. The adventure combined with the cultural references just nailed the vibe. But the one that always stands out, the one that reminds me most of being a kid, is DuckTales. I can’t tell you why, but that show defined my childhood. When they did the reboot some years back I was pretty hyped for it…. it was ok. Not terrible.

As an adult, I will say cartoons aren’t really part of my regular rotation anymore. But my daughter is a huge fan of Star vs. the Forces of Evil, and despite my best efforts to just let it play in the background, it won me over. It’s a genuinely good show and I’m not even a little embarrassed about it..

Going over to movies, I’ll drop this one: Oliver and Company. I’m not sure why, but I remember being obsessed with it. Favorite quote: Tito (Cheech Marin): “Hey, man, if this is torture, chain me to the wall.”

Hannah, Assistant Director: I watched Rugrats, Pinky & the Brain, and Bobby’s World. But my favorite cartoon was probably DuckTales, including the full-length movie Treasure of the Lost Lamp. My love of DuckTales extended to video games. I played through the NES games too many times to count.

Ashley, Interlibrary Loan and Cataloguing: My sister and I loved watching cartoons as kids. We watched DuckTales, TailSpin and Chip n’ Dale Rescue Rangers on Disney all the time. Cartoon Network had the old cartoons like Scooby Doo, Looney Tunes, Flintstones and The Jetsons. We loved them all! It was exciting when Disney+ started because many of the old cartoons were on there. It is nostalgic to watch them again and be able to introduce them to my niece and nephew.

Annalise, Public Support Services: My favorite cartoon TV shows and movies to watch as a kid were Strawberry Shortcake, Chowder, Scooby-Doo, SpongeBob, The Land Before Time, and Barbie movies. When my mom got me a portable DVD player, I was unstoppable. As an adult, I still love watching the media I enjoyed as a kid, particularly when I’m sick or need a pick-me-up. I didn’t get into anime until middle school, and even then, I found that I enjoy watching it with my brother more than watching it alone. It’s fun to have someone to watch and react with! These days, we hang out weekly for TV & gaming sessions and watch Frieren, Odd Taxi, Steins;Gate, Castlevania, and more, with Frieren being my all-time favorite!

Baya, Youth Services: I watched a lot of cartoons growing up, still do actually. Some that I still re-watch to this day include Scooby-Doo, Kim Possible, Phineas & Ferb, and Looney Tunes. As a kid, I also enjoyed Blue’s Clues, Dora the Explorer, The Backyardigans, and Max & Ruby.

Now it’s your turn! What were some of your favorite cartoons as a kid and do you watch any cartoons now as a grown-up?

The Blog Wants to Know: March 2026

It’s almost spring time and that means opening up the windows, clearing out the stale winter air, going through old clothes to donate or purge, and sprucing up your home. It’s not easy tackling the constant chore of cleaning so we’ve asked the librarians for their tips and tricks.

This month’s question is:

Do you have any cleaning, de-cluttering, or organizing tips that you’ve discovered over the years? What are some products that you love or books/resources that you have found helpful when cleansing your space? Are there areas in your home/car/workspace that you’ve found more difficult to keep tidy?

Shane, Public Support Services: One tip I have is have homes for items and always put things back in their home. If you put something somewhere just “for now,” that’s going to become its new home. My desk is my hardest place to keep tidy because it’s where I put my “deal with later” mail, and I don’t have a trashcan nearby to get rid of it when I do deal with it so it often stays on the desk. Bonus tip: I also like to have bags or baskets for work-in-progress crafts, crochet, and knitting so they can be put away or even left out in a way that doesn’t look like clutter.

Tabbitha, Youth Services: Every evening after dinner, our family shifts into ‘tidy-up mode.’ We set a timer, crank up the music, and work together to clear the day’s clutter. It’s our favorite way to hit the reset button so we can wake up to a fresh, organized home the next morning. To finish things off, I love using essential oils while I clean. It’s a simple, natural way to make the house smell amazing and adds a calming touch to our evening routine.

Annalise, Public Support Services: I think it’s vital to find tips that you can see yourself actually using in your daily life. For me, keeping my hobby room tidy is difficult because I have too many hobbies! For that room and all of my spaces in general, I use the “cousins and coworkers” method. I found this tip on iOrganize’s social media page. It’s helpful for me because it gives three simple categories to decide where an item should go: whether it’s cousins, coworkers, or family (which is a bit more general than cousins for those hard-to-sort things).” It’s made de-cluttering and cleaning much easier, and led to a cleaner space for myself to enjoy hobbies in overall!

Maycie, Public Support Services: My favorite cleaning tip is to make a sticky note wall. I’ll take a minute to walk around and assess what all I think needs done (or what I can realistically do) and each task gets it own sticky note. Then as I go along, I get to rip a note off of the wall after I complete each task. It’s a really nice physical representation of my progress on a deep clean day.

We have two big big dogs who were both grave diggers in their former lives so it is impossible to keep up with the amount of dirt that gets brought into our home. My best advice, and I know this is bougie, but get a robot that will mop for you. Not having to think about sweeping and mopping on top of other chores is a life saver. I can be doing the dishes while Niles (like the butler from the Nanny) mops around me. It’s so worth it!

Megan, Outreach Coordinator: I have found that doing a “Sunday Reset” has been helpful! Nothing feels better than starting the week off right.

Also, alternating household chores every week with your partner. This gives you one goal everyday for a week to focus on, instead of trying to do it all.

Finally, a 5 minute clean-up every night. Set a timer (either on your phone, or Youtube has fun ones) and everyone in the house tidy’s up. It’s especially fun with kids!

Dawn S., Youth Services: What I’ve had to do is change my mind set when de-cluttering. I used to be really bad at saving stuff. I would say to myself, “I might use this later.” That was my mistake because all I was doing was cluttering more. Tip: Throw it away if you don’t have an immediate use for it! I love using the Pink stuff to clean my shower and a magic eraser. My car is by far the hardest place to keep tidy. I want to say it’s due to shuttling kids from place to place, but it’s probably due to just being lax at cleaning it more often.

Ashley, Interlibrary Loan and Cataloguing: My biggest tip for cleaning is to clean as you go. Put things back where they belong as soon as you’re done with them. I use this to keep my apartment tidy but it is also my strategy when cooking/baking. If I put away supplies, wipe down work spaces and throw away trash, it feels like I finish quicker. I can enjoy the smell of the food cooking/baking faster rather than focusing on the cleaning process at the end.

Now it’s your turn! Share your tips and tricks for cleaning and organizing in the comments below.

The Blog Wants to Know: Feb. 2026

February is often a time to connect with a loved one, be it a friend, family member or partner. Whether you celebrate “the season of love” or not, this month’s blog question is sure to get you thinking.

This month, the blog wants to know:

If you could go on a dinner date (either romantic or platonic, your choice) with any character from a book, movie, or TV show, who would it be? What would you and this character talk about? What would you want to ask? Feel free to include more than one character if you’re struggling to narrow it down!

Maycie, Public Support Services: Romantically — Hello Mr. Henry Tilney! He is my favorite Austen hero. He is snarky, smart and he is an “excellent judge” of muslins so you know you can trust him.

Platonically — I think it would be very fun to have a night on the town with Merry and Pippin. You have to admit that they prove to know how to have a good time!

Kathy, Public Support Services: It would have to be Sean Connery and I would like to know what it was like growing up in Scotland and how he was selected to be the first James Bond.

Alyssa, Adult and Teen Services: One of my favorite books and films is The Secret Life of Bees by Sue Monk Kidd and the character of August Boatwright is such a gentle, motherly soul. She’s a beekeeper, a caretaker for her sisters, and a truly independent woman. Every word she says is pure wisdom. I’d love to talk with her and soak in all of her loving energy.

Kristy H., Public Support Services: My favorite person in the whole world is Jim Carey. Since as long as I can remember (all the way back to In Living Color), Jim Carey has always been my rock. Whenever I’m sad or lonely or need someone, he’s there to make me laugh. Never a dull movie! I feel my happiest when I watch him or hear his voice. I would just listen to him talk and talk about him and his day. He’s truly the best person to have a drink or laugh with.

Baya, Youth Services: Book-wise, I’m going to a mystery dinner with my pal Nancy Drew. I would also thank her for three generations of reading—my grandma, my mom, and me. Film-wise, I would love to have coffee at Central Perk with Joey and Chandler. Chandler’s sarcasm is funny, and Joey is endearing. I think they would be really great F.R.I.E.N.D.S to have!

Shane, Public Support Services: I would go with Geralt from the Witcher series. It would be difficult with this character, but I would just want him to talk about being a Witcher and some of his stories of slaying evil creatures. Maybe if we bring Jaskier along, he can do most of the storytelling, accompanied with fantastic music!

Annalise, Public Support Services: I think I would go on a platonic date with Fran Fine from the TV show The Nanny. It’s one of my go-to comfort shows to watch, and I’ve always loved her fun sense of style! So I’d ask her all about her outfits.

Now it’s your turn! Let us know which fictional character you would like to chat with in the comments below!

The Blog Wants to Know: Jan. 2026

We’re starting up another year of “The Blog Wants to Know” where we ask staff members questions about their everyday lives. Stay tuned all year for some great recommendations, shared memories, and heartfelt words of advice from our amazing library staff!

For this month’s question, we’re looking into 2026 with hope, promise, and accomplishment.

What is one thing you hope to accomplish this year? It can be big or small. It can be a trip you hope to take, a project you hope to finish, or a professional or personal goal that you hope to achieve.

Kathy, Public Support Services: “To go on a trip with my sister now that she has retired. Hoping to convince my husband that we should go to Michigan and see the grand baby.”

Dawn S., Youth Services Coordinator: “I hope to take better care of myself this year.”

Shane, Public Support Services: This year, my goal is to practice tarot more often and pull and interpret at least one card per day. To facilitate this goal, my partner got me a Writual Journal for this year. It’s a helpful addition that combines astrology with tarot. It has card spreads for moon phases, monthly pages, and you can also use it for daily to-do lists and other journaling. So far, I haven’t missed a day!”

Hannah, Assistant Director: “I set the goal to journal every day. Nothing fancy, just dumping a random stream of consciousness onto a piece of paper. I love stationary, and I recently branched out into the fountain pen world and splurged on a Midori Codex 1 day 1 page journal.”

Ashley, Interlibrary Loan and Cataloguing: “In February 2026 I will turn 40! This always seems like such a big number but I am going to try to make it fun rather scary. I have dubbed 2026 ‘My Fortieth Year Extravaganza!’. I want to do something fun each month to celebrate the year.

Ashley with her parents at Kerry Park on Queen Anne Hill in Seattle overlooking downtown.

In February I am actually going to Seattle for five days. The big reason for this is I was born up in Tacoma (just south of Seattle at the Air Force base there) and thought it would be a great way to celebrate. I will be there on my actual 40th birthday! On a side note, the Seahawks are playing well and may make it to the Super Bowl which is also that weekend and would be fun to experience the game with other 12s. Go Hawks!

In May my parents and I may go see Styx at the Park City Arena. Then my hope for the fall is to take a trip to Wisconsin and try to go to a Green Bay Packers football game at Lambeau Field with my dad. Go Pack Go!

The other months are currently open for ideas. I hope to make this year one to remember!”

Now it’s your turn. Let us know what are some of your hopes and goals for the new year, and we can’t wait to be a part of it!

The Blog Wants to Know: Dec. 2025

In this holiday season, you might be working through your shopping list of gifts for loved ones, but it’s okay to share what you might like this season so we asked our library staff what they’re hoping for!

What’s something you’re hoping for in the holidays, whether a gift from others or a gift you might get for yourself? What’s something you’ve had your eye on for a while? Maybe your wish list might inspire some ideas for others!

Ashley, Interlibrary Loan and Cataloguing: This holiday, I got myself a little gift. I moved into a bigger apartment this summer so I was lacking a few items to fill the space. I really wanted a dining table with chairs for my kitchen. I finally found one that was reasonably priced and the perfect fit. Last weekend I went to pick it up and got it set up in my space. I LOVE it! I cannot wait to have people over for a little dinner party. Luckily Christmas is just around the corner!

Kathy, Public Support Services: There is not anything I need anymore, so the thing I want most is to spend time with my family!

Dawn S., Youth Services Coordinator: What I want the most is for life to slow down a bit this holiday season so I can enjoy it. I feel like I’m always running from place to place and exhausting myself. I want to spend the holidays with my family and enjoy my surroundings.

Tabbitha, Youth Services: Honestly, the best gift I could ask for isn’t something that can be wrapped. I just want time with my family! Just to be present, share some laughs, and intentionally create those beautiful, core memories that we all can share for years to come and that will stick with my daughters for a life time.

Alyssa, Adult and Teen Services: I had the opportunity to take surf lessons with my goddaughter this summer, and I realized pretty quickly how much strength and training it requires. Since Kansas is the most landlocked state ever, I know that I need something to help for the next time I get to hop on a board in the ocean. I found this awesome balance board called the RevBalance Swell, and I really hope to snag that so I can practice my balance for the waves!

Shane, Public Support Services: I always appreciate a gift that makes my life easier in some way. This year I asked for a Happy Planner for next year, a new computer keyboard, and a water distiller. However, I have been eyeing a sale for a Big Blanket Co. Hideout Hoodie. I just can’t justify the full cost to spend on myself!

Now it’s your turn! What are some of your holiday wishes this year? Share them in the comments below, and Happy Holidays!