Scratch

My first chapter for Write to death. Can you guys maybe help edit any mistakes and say how it is so far? So i can change any problems before carrying on.

Merry sighed and twirled dry grass stalks between her fingers. She wasn’t particularly fond of the name Merry. It suggested the kind of person who was jolly and wore red ribbons in her hair and had dimples and a laugh like a babbling brook. She was none of those. Her face was long and plain, her hair as brown as her eyes which were brown as dirt. The hair had a habit of escaping from whatever she tied it withand even now her simple plait was unruly and loose.
The crumpled dress she wore was a faded yellow colour(cream her mother called it) but Merry wasn’t sure what colour it had been to start with. It had been handed down so often no one could quite remember when it had been new.  The leather boots that peaked out from beneath the shapeless dress were too large. They had to be stuffed with rags just so they wouldn’t fall off, Merry sometimes thought she was just a way of moving boots around.
Birds flitted among the trees, whistling and calling. Though it sounds pretty often this insesant chirping is actually the birds telling other ones to “CHIRP off” which is quite insulting if you are of the bird persuasion. Rabbits milled around near hedges and to the left of a twisted apple tree a tiny field mouse washed it’s face.
Merry closed her eyes and rested her head in her hands. Her head ached and she couldn’t bear the thought of going back to her home. To the home where perfect Ruth would be sitting doing perfect needlework, where her mother would be lurking around looking disapproving, where shewasn’t wanted.
Sighing she opened her eyes … And stared. She stared at the silence. Intelligent people would say you can’t see silence. Silence is the absence of sound  and you hear sound with your ears. But they have never sat surrounded by movement. Constant activity, one moment surrounding you, the next moment gone. It leaves a gaping stillness, silence, that fills the air like treacle.
Gone where the whistling birds, the bumbling rabbits, the hygiene conscious mouse. Eyes narrowed Merry looked around, there was no obvious reason for the sudden silence. No one was around save herself, no dogs, no cats. What had caused the animals to flee, the very wind to still. Then she saw.
Out of the trees slid the strangest people she had ever seen. They were tall and slender, dark skinned with long, serene faces. Cloth that shimmered like sunlight on autumn leaves was draped over their bodies and simple wooden spears tipped with flint were held in elegant hands. Leaf markings adorned high cheek bones and deep, chesnut eyes shone with wisdom and age.
The frontmost being placed his weapon upon the floor and stepped forward, hands raised. “ We do not mean any harm to you or your people. We just wish safe passage to the chosen lands. Take this token as a symbol of our intentions.” He procured from some hidden pocket a piece of Amber, it was polished smooth and shone warmly. Inside, perfectly preserved, was a single oak leaf, suspended eternally in the beautiful gem.
Hesitantly Merry stretched out a hand, but the people had an aura of earthiness, peacefulness. The stone was slightly warm in her hand and it caught the sunlight. It was the most beautiful thing she had ever seen and, strange as it seemed, it itself seemed amiable. “Thankyou” she whispered, then continuing she spoke” You seem honest, and even if I wanted to I couldn’t stop you, so you may pass through our lands, unharming and unharmed. But be aware that others actions may be different… That is all I can promise, I am only a child, I have no powr.”
From the shadows came another of the people, this one was much older then then her company though. Her nut brown skin was wrinkled and the hair was streaked with grey, her eyes were deep and dark and she held authority over the man! She spoke with a voice that echoed despite having nothing to echo against” You may be a child. But you have great power. You are like an oak seed, you are small and insignificant, but you will grow into greatness. I hope that our people may call you a friend one day.”
“Your people?” Merry replied, confused.
“The Eith. We were once the great powers in this land, but now we are a shadow. The humans day has come and we are fading, just as one day, you shall too… “ The man looked at the eldery Eith, angry, “ You are revealing too much elder! We must go now, before night falls” The strange people loped away, graceful and powerful. As the last one passed though it turned, “Thank you human child, blessings upon you… Take heed though, the shadow of Rhae is falling.”

Wait, do we do books? Or just shortish stories?

Oops. Looks like his word target has gone to hell as far as my sci fi is concerned.

Hey mint-good ideas, I like them, you make a thread for the competitions, link back to it here, and I'll make the new main thread.     
We should probably put those two threads (chapter by chapter and competitions) in the collaborations forum? Right? It does sort of fit a bit doesn't it?   Yeah, it'll be fine.
You two make the threads then 

I stopped that in a really odd place. Just realising. Have some more: (it runs on exactly from the other bit)

The first tests had been robot probes. The robots had effectively taken footage of planets up to eight billion light years away, their own local moons, and further, outside their own tiny supercluster of galaxies and beyond the blank voids that lay between, to desolate lands that, when compared to your the inside of your average PE teacher's skull, had a lot in common. 
The humans were sending six people to the genonian world at exactly the same time that the genonians were sending a team to earth. 
The human commander, colonel James o'brian looked at the swirling portal before him. 
The year was 2756. His pack was around his back. They were to go in peace, but they had weapons with them just in case. 
He had only known his team a few days. 
Him, Thomas carter, William Dawson, Layla furst, Lucy sampson and Karen Blake. 
He would be first to step through the portal. It would take him ten seconds to get there, almost exactly. They would find the air breathable for exactly 47 hours. They were to get some rock samples, describe the sensations of the wormhole, and then go back. 
James put his foot into the portal. It was cold. He Had been told to breath out before going through, otherwise the air would have frozen in his lungs and possibly killed him. He breathed out, started his stopwatch, and walked through. 
Five seconds later, he crashed into a lizard-man coming the other way. 

Waffle27 wrote:

mintfang wrote:

Wait, do we do books? Or just shortish stories?

Do you mean for Write to Death? If so, Nomo said around 5000-10000 words, but it could be fewer if that was too much.

Oh thanks!

Good idea. Making and creating forums. Did I saygo in that one or not? Can't remember, but the library at least should go there.
The competitions could probably go there too, although write to the death didn't, so maybe we'd get away with it in collaborations.....?

I'll do the chapter by chapter thing 

mintfang wrote:

Whisperfur wrote:

I'll do the chapter by chapter thing 

Okay, I'll do contests! How about the take a book and make it a new cover and writing?

What do you mean by new writing?
Anyway, I love the new cover idea!! Even if my drawings arent the most artix=stic in the world...

mintfang wrote:

Waffle27 wrote:

mintfang wrote:

Okay, I'll do contests! How about the take a book and make it a new cover and writing?

What do you mean by new writing?
Anyway, I love the new cover idea!! Even if my drawings arent the most artistic in the world...

No, I don't mean new writing, but a writing contest! LOL

Oh I thought you meant rewriting the book and I'm like "... That might take a while..." Lol    Ok yes writing writing contest makes much more sense!!

XD I think this whole thread is Monkey-butt crazy. Or maybe even...Honkledorf Crazy!
(I'm still trying to decide what a Honkledorf is. Its in this really funny [well sort of anti humor] joke I made up and I want to use it for a story someday.)
When will the competitions start?

mintfang wrote:

Waffle27 wrote:

XD I think this whole thread is Monkey-butt crazy. Or maybe even...Honkledorf Crazy!
(I'm still trying to decide what a Honkledorf is. Its in this really funny [well sort of anti humor] joke I made up and I want to use it for a story someday.)
When will the competitions start?

I'm trying to think of how to word the first post so maybe... next week at the latest.

Okay 

pinnipediator wrote:

Hey, mint, whisper, one of you make the thread for the chapter by chapter thing, and one of you makethe thread for the competitions. Then give me the links.
And cheeseater: awesome librarian! Organised, enthusiastic, and because this is a virtual library, you don't get crabby when people put books back in the wrong places because there aren't books and there aren't places! Awesome! There are places u suppose, but you don't take Anything out of them   
awesome, organised and cool! Well done!

Thanks! 
Am i allowed to copy humhumgame's two books as it say "Do not copy without permission"?
The old library was in 'Things I’m Making and Creating' so i just created the new there.
All the writing above is cool are you entering that Write to death thing?! 
I think we need more books for the new library, would anyone mind writing a short story or book? I might make it into an ebook!    I have put pinnipediator's fantastic new banner up in the library!
Sorry about using so many exclamation marks and smileys,
Cheeseeater 

Waffle27 wrote:

I really like the new library cheeseeater! I have a biography on Benedict Arnold that I can submit at the end of this month at the latest.

Thanks!