How To Become A Magician 101

Chapter 1

My sister Amber says that nobody can remember the day they were born, but I know I can.

I still remember how my mother's hair hung damp and limp around her face, some strands falling on my brand new face. I remember how she smelled like roses and peppermint and how I felt safe and loved in her arms. I remember the buzz of the lights in the hospital room and the smell of cleaning products. And most of all, I remember how she bent her head and rested her forehead against mine, and whispered the story of the great dog. It goes like this:

Once there was nothing. No light, no air, nothing. Then, suddenly a great dog as big as the universe popped into  existence. He had hair as long as a thousand planets and teeth as big as a million galaxies filled his enormous red mouth. The great dog howled with loneliness, for there was nothing pretty to look at or a friend to play with. She lay her head on one paw and soon fell asleep. While she slept, her dreams leaked out of one ear and filled the vast space of nothingness. When the dog awoke she barked with happiness because there was everything. There was day and night, crabapples, water, lightning bugs, bees, sand, clay, trees, birds, and much more! And the great dog was no longer lonely.

People who come from the great dog story are sometimes lonely. They howl for the things they miss and need to express themselves in any way they can. Some end up artists like me.

There are other stories too of course. Like the red bird story, though this one starts with a tree.

Once there was a tree who lived in a beautiful orchard. Every day he was happy because his branches dripped with apples as round as the earth and as red as rubies. One day a storm tore through the trees arms. When the rain had stopped 77 of the trees beautiful apples lay on the ground, covered with rain. Suddenly, 77 birds, as round as the earth and as red as rubies flew from the sky and rested on the trees empty arms. Their wings brushed away the raindrops and the tree felt happy again because his arms were no longer empty.

There is the story of Adam and eve too.

Once there was nothing except god. One day he decided to make everything. So he did. And it was good. He made water and land, he made birds and fish, he made land animals and he made humans. One day Adam and eve ate from a tree that was forbidden. They ran and hid because they realized they were naked. After that they opened their eyes and ears and began to live differently.

You can always tell what story a person came from by the way the act and live. For instance, the cabbage patch story.

Cabbages sit in the same place they were planted and never move unless someone makes them. Their roots are firm and deep and they don't bother to look past their own patch of dirt and they don't like being taken from it. People from the cabbage patch are stubborn. My sister, amber, is from the cabbage patch and that's why she always has her feet firmly rooted to the floor and acts like there is no other way to look at things.

People from the red bird story are always there to fill the empty space left by something loved. They help others to get their minds off of their own empty spaces.

People from Adam and eve are most always bashful. Some look at their feet and blush a lot while others open their eyes and ears and learn things. Some pretend to be something their not so people won't know how uncomfortable they are in their own skin. Sometimes that's because they don't know who they are and are trying to figure it out.

I am Carmen wheeler, and I am from the great dog story. I have 4 siblings, 1 half sibling and one on the way. I have a step mom and a dad and a perfect little cat named ginger. I try to find out everyone's story so I can understand more. Figure them out. And I don't intend to let one slip by.