Today in my creative writing class we were given a scenario. An insect, we aren’t told what, but he has numerous legs, bruised battered and covered with white small spots awakens to find himself lying in a heap. We were told to write what happens next. Here is what I wrote:

Lying there in pain Gregor began to drift, he began to think back when he, the centipede was about to taken hostage by an army of Lady Birds. “Lady Boys” Gregor had said to himself at the time.

Gregor had committed a crime, a major crime in the animal kingdom but Gregor hadn’t thought twice before committing the crime. There was one reason and one reason only Gregor had been taken hostage and was about to be tortured and that was LOVE.

 Gregor had fallen in love with the beautiful Princess Kara the most elegant Lady Bird in the whole of the animal kingdom. The animal kingdom was more popularly known as the Blackberry Kingdom because Gregors neighbour ‘John Snail’ who may be slow but ever so clever had invented a tiny insect version of the Blackberry mobile phone and was powered by Blackberries. Since then the kingdom was known as the Blackberry Animal Kingdom.

Princess Kara was the daughter of King Maynard, the king of the Lady Birds. Gregor and Kara had the audacity to fall in love with each other. “It is a sin. How dare a centipede fall in love with a Lady Bird? It’s hilarious, it’s ridiculous, and it’s atrocious” King Maynard had bellowed to Kara when he heard about the romance through the village grapevine. “We are beautiful people and you want to be with this….this…….animal!!!!! I forbid it!” King Maynard then summoned Gregor before him.

Gregor had gone deep into thought when he heard he had been summoned. There were two routes he could take. One was risk his life to be with Kara or lose her forever. It hurt to think about the latter. But. Gregor told Kara…..”Kara… you and I…..We are too different. I’m an ugly centipede and you are a beautiful Lady Bird. Your father is a king and mine works to keep the kingdom clean.”

Gregor looked at Kara. Whose face had dropped. Her once sparkling spots had become dull and her Red base was almost grey with sadness. Kara looked up to Gregor, “But I love you and that’s the main thing isn’t it? We want to be married and you will look after me, could I ask for more?” Kara said almost silently with moist eyes. With that Gregor held Kara close and vowed to do everything in his power to keep his Princess Kara. This centipede was a poor centipede but he had a big, warm heart. He knew if he went before the King his chances of producing mixed-animal grandchildren for his centipede parents were slim but not impossible! 

Gregor decided to go before King Maynard. He was scared, he was nervous but he was a centipede in love. Centipedes in love didn’t give up without a fight!

With that he made his way back to his hut, which more resembled a shack, but Gregor was feeling positive! He was going to put on his best centipedes suit and impress King Maynard with his big heart, grace, respect, generosity and Love! But Gregor didn’t make it all the way to his hut as on his journey across the blackberry kingdom the giant Lady Bird army had been waiting. Lady birds of all shapes and sizes, they were like giants! 10 times Gregors size, sizes you wouldn’t ever imagine lady birds would ever be! Gregor was thrown into a sack taken away to King Maynard’s palace. That was the last thing Gregor remembered before he’d woken up in the shattered, battered, bruised, tortured form he’d found himself in when he woke up that morning.

Gregor looked around. He was in his hut. His eye which was heavily bruised had glimpsed a flash of red in the corner underneath a sheet. The sheet moved. Who was it? Gregor passed out again. A few hours later he was awoken by a beautiful sound, the sound of Princess Kara. Kara informed Gregor there had been a fight, long and hard, brutal at times but in the end King Maynard could see that nothing could come between the love that Kara and Gregor had for each other and gave them their blessings to get married.

And they lived happily ever after…… happily in Gregors hut. X

 Copyright Priya Mulji 2010… x