From: the leader of the pack To: lumps around the campfire Subject: EXERCISE: It [cuddle up in those jammies, pull the blankets tight, and watch the flicker and flash in the heart of the fire for a while. listen to the breeze nudging through the woods, and the silence when it stops. listen to the creak of boughs, the slither of dry leaves, and... crack! a twig bursts in the fire. smell the sweat that sprung out, and wipe your face. and then realize that something is blowing hot breaths on the back of your neck...:-] It clanged once on the roof, scraped across the back and slid off as we raced away. Think about it, think about we, and think about us trying to race away. Is it animal, vegetable, mineral, or just plain other? Are we afraid of it? (you bet we are!) But how do we feel about each other? Will one of us push the other into the gnashing teeth, or will one of us sacrifice ourself to keep the other pure and innocent? And what are we riding? A car, a chariot, a ... no, really? Go on, dream a little, nightmare a little, and tell the tale of it. [Remember, only 16 more writing days until the end of the Halloween Sub Contest, so if you'd rather, you may work on that. The sentence for that is What waited there was powerful and hungry and alive, alive, wild and fierce and old and strange-- 3,500 words and no change...Halloween Sub: Your Title Here!] (this next part is non sequitur--just non-sked, non-sectarian, and most of all nonsense... I am a lineman for the poets, and I rhyme these silly shorts! a rhythm and a tapping that never seems to end... I am a lineman for the poets, when the center snaps, they throw its! tackling and sacking and quarterbacking all downs... :-) *giggle--wild words running!* tink