Nannerville: Through the Portal

The Writer's Graceful Entrance

~~~~~~~~ Before the Writer's Entrance ~~~~~~~

Narrator: It had been a typical day at the Agape' Shoppe' General Store. The four ape siblings busied themselves with closing tasks. Iwazaru was balancing the cash register and preparing for tomorrow, but his mind was not on the task at hand. Instead, he couldn't help but realize how he had grown bored and tired of the same daily routine stuck inside the shop, handling the business affairs. He wanted to do something that meant more, something a little more fun, something that brought smiles to customers' faces, but everyone here in Nannerville was already happy and smiling. He yearned to live in a place where he could deliver baskets and bring cheer and laughter to those it didn't come so easy for. He couldn't do that here. He was desperate for a change, a big move, but he had no idea where he would go, and he most certainly wouldn't go without his three siblings, and they seemed to be happy and content here in Nannerville running the shop day in and day out.

Shizaru was busy reading the lesson plan she had created to teach the children of Nannerville. She loved her job but found herself contemplating what it would be like to try something new, maybe something that allowed her to work with families, not just children. She no longer felt joy teaching kids and readying them for adulthood. She'd rather teach adults how to be children again, how to have fun with their kids, look through the eyes of a child to see the world the way they do, and explore it together. How could she do that here in Nannerville, where there is little world to be explored? Nannerville certainly did not have much adventure to offer.

Kikazaru worked replenishing the stock on the shelves. He found himself quite lonely these days. He yearned to find a best friend to connect with and enjoy laughter with. Everyone in Nannerville already had a best friend. Even his own siblings had their best friends. Shizaru and Mizaru were each other's best friends, and Work was Iwazaru's best friend. Kikazaru was happy; he just needed someone to share that happiness with and often dreamed of his best friend and the fun and adventure they would share.

Mizaru was busy cleaning up the mess from the creation process of her most recent masterpiece. She tried to think about what her next project would be, but recently, she noticed that Nannerville offered her little in the way of inspiration. When she sought inspiration from others, all she would get were ideas that involved nanners. The problem is, not only did she not like the taste of them, but she was absolutely sick and tired of smelling them seeing them and hearing about them. She refused to waste her time creating something that had anything to do with them. She desperately wanted a portal that would lead her out of Nannerville, but she would never leave her siblings and knew they would never go with her. She filled her heart with hope and her mind with visions of what life would be like if things were different.

The four Agape' Ape siblings finished their tasks, walked up the shop's stairs, said their goodbyes, and headed to their own bedrooms in the living space above the shop.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~Mizaru's Dream~~~~~~~~~~

Narrator: Mizaru climbed into her bed, and as she drifted off to sleep, she allowed her mind to picture what it would be like to live elsewhere. Blueberryburg, perhaps, where the smell of blueberries would fill the air, and she would work with other artists to create grand masterpieces of all art mediums -painting sculptures, plays, literary works, and music. Though she believed a place like that must exist, she had no idea how to get there. These thoughts led to a vivid dream, a common experience for her.

Mizaru: Narrator?

Narrator: Yes, Mizaru?

Mizaru: You have an awful lot of parts here. How about I tell the readers about my dream just to spice things up just a bit?