The Gift 15, new techie things and awards
First, I have an exciting announcement.
The Pond now has an RSS feed located in the bottom bar at the bottom of the site and is hooked up to feedburner! Simply look up http://www.aduckinherpond.com/feed/ in feedburner or click the RSS link at the bottom and you’re all set up!
Additionally, a few of you have asked for a button to put on your blogs. The fabulous Gisele made this glorious button for me that’s now on the left column under the SITS button. Just save it as an image and place it on your blogs, and you can have a piece of the Pond with you at all time!
Since I know a lot of ya’ll are disappointed you didn’t win the personalized children’s book, I have some consolation prizes to hand out.
Katherine gave me this fabulous Friends award. If ya’ll haven’t stopped by her blog, go now. She makes the most incredible dishes and is the sweetest woman imaginable. The second I get a day off from my job that doesn’t go to family, I’m going to her house.
And I’m never leaving. I’ll be too fat and happy. You might as well find some antlers to hang over my butt and make the best of it.
This award says: “These blogs are exceedingly charming. These kind bloggers aim to find and be friends. They are not interested in self-aggrandizement. Our hope is that when the ribbons of these prizes are cut, even more friendships are propagated. Please give more attention to these writers. Deliver this award to eight bloggers who must choose eight more and include this cleverly-written text into the body of their award.”
I’d like to pass this on to these wonderful ladies:
1) Francesca, our featured blogger from yesterday.
2) Pam
4) Diane
5) Shalee
LoriIngrid passed on several fabulous awards, which was ever so kind of her. Now, Ingrid is a smart and sassy lady. Her favorite thing to do is give me grief about not writing Twirl fast enough for her. Personally, I’m flattered by the attention. Plus, she adores blondies, which are one of my favorite things other than pie.
And barbecue. And hamburgers. And peanut butter.
I’d like to pass this on to these fabulous ladies:
1) K
2) Kendra
3) Blue Violet
4) Dawn
5) Kara Noel
6) Colleen
And now that we’ve gotten all techie, celebrated these fine ladies and read yesterday’s post about the fabulous Francesca from Three Bay B Chicks, let’s figure out if Samantha will ever get out of Ireland. To read previous installations of the Gift, check out the Neverending stories tab above!
For those who don’t know, the Gift is the story of Samantha, a grad student who discovered a strange gift while staying with her friends at her parent’s vacation cabin over winter break. After traveling to her old friend’s bar to try to determine the origin of the strange necklace she received, she suddenly found herself in the enchanted forests of Ireland being pursued by a secret admirer. Can her friends and loser boyfriend Jeremy save her before she gets trapped in a real-life fairy tale? Read on…
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“What do you mean, bad?” Jeremy’s head popped out of the car. “What’s going on?”
“This doesn’t concern you,” Rouge snarled, his voice sharper than intended. The fairy scuttled back in the flowers, melting back into the clovers. Ashley saw Rouge’s eyes widen with fear. He dropped to his knees, pulling out the pendant that had been on Samantha’s bar stool when she disappeared.
“Forgive me for scaring you,” he murmured in a soft voice, lowering his eyes in respect for the clover fairy. “But you must understand my urgency. A strange man approached her in my pub. The next thing we knew, she was gone. This was all that was left.”
“She drank some bright blue stuff!” Jeremy yelled from the car. “Don’t forget that!”
The fairy scowled, crossing her arms. “He is quite annoying.” Her eyes narrowed and her fingers twitched. “I think the far darrig that lives next door to me would enjoy him.”
Rouge gulped. Quick Gaelic words spilled from his lips, his expression desperate. From this pocket, he pulled out three more honey cakes and placed them gently on the rock. The fairy studied the cakes, then popped one in her mouth. Chewing slowly, she grinned and demanded something in Gaelic. Rouge blanched but agreed.
Shaking back her red curls, the fairy’s eyes twinkled as she popped a cake in her mouth. Gently swirling dew drops on the clover leafs, she glanced at the girls, then Rouge.
“You were right,” she said, switching back to English. “She has attracted the attention of the Fin Brehea’s oldest son. His guard is with her now, leading her to the three clues. Once she finds the third clue, she’ll be taken to the palace. There, it is his intention to wed her at sunset, forever keeping her in the Fairy World as his mortal bride.”
“Samantha would never agree to that!” Ashley cried.
“But who wouldn’t want to be a princess?” Cleo argued. “She’d get to wear fine clothes, live in a castle…”
“She may not have a choice,” the clover fairy said, her eyes cold. “The Fin Breaha has long courted mortal women, keeping them for his own amusement whether they wished to stay or no. His son seems to be no exception.”
“But she’s my girlfriend!” Jeremy shouted from the car. “She can’t marry some elf dude!”
“Were you going to marry her?” Cleo snapped. “You gave her workout DVDs!”
“Are you ever going to get over that?” Jeremy roared, shaking the car door.
The fairy laughed, her tone bitter. “Your titles are of no importance in our world. Once she enters the Fin Brehea’s castle as a bride, she belongs to him. There’s only one way to save her now.” Her eyes slid to Rouge. “There’s only one man who knows how.”
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“What do you mean, I’ll be here forever?” Samantha hissed. She stared at the tree fairy, her chest rising and falling as she tried to push down the panic in her chest. “I can’t be here forever. School starts again soon. I have an internship. I have a life. I have a”– The word boyfriend died on her tongue. In fact, she hadn’t thought about Jeremy in hours. He hadn’t even crossed her mind. She had worried about Ashley and Cleo, but most of her thoughts had been on someone else.
The fairy spoke rapidly, her eyes darting about as if she expected Brogan to return any minute. “If you find all the clues, you’re accepting his gifts. Once you accept the third gift, you belong to him. As his bride.”
“Who?” Samantha demanded. “I belong to no one. If he wants to marry me, I expect a ring and dinner with my family and at least a two-year courtship…”
The fairy shook her head so hard the entire tree rattled. “You don’t understand. This world is magic. With every step you take on this journey, he gets another piece of your heart. If we don’t get you out of here, you’ll be convinced you’re his bride. You’ll think you’re in a dream, dressed in gorgeous gowns and getting your every desire. But it an empty life, and a long one. And once he has you, he’ll want another.”
“Then I’ll just leave,” Samantha shrugged. “There’s bound to be taxis or something.”
“You don’t get it,” the fairy cried. “With every trinket, he marks you as his own. Every necklace, every bracelet, every ring is another chain that binds you. And once you are his, he never lets you go!”
“The necklace!” Samantha gasped, her hand flying to her neck. “I lost his necklace. I bet if I wore it…” Her voice trailed off and she looked at the fairy helplessly. “Why me? How did he find me? Why does he want me?”
The fairy shook her head, leaves flying out of her hair. “That’s not important now,” she hissed. “You must leave! You must escape!”
Samantha gulped. “How do I get out of here?” she asked. “How do I escape this game?”
“Samantha?” She turned to see Brogan staring at her, a funny look on his face. “Why are you talking to the tree?’
Forcing a smile on her face, she rotated her body around so the fairy would have time to scamper away. “Just thinking aloud,” she lied. “Just thinking aloud.”
Brogan handed her a canteen full of water. “Drink up,” he advised, his eyes focused on the leaves behind her. “We’ve only got until sunset.”
“What happens at sunset?” Samantha asked, raising the canteen to her lips. Her chest was tight with fear. She hoped he couldn’t see her hands trembling as the canteen quivered under her lower lip, tapping her teeth. She screwed the lid of it back on and waited for his reply. By this point, she wouldn’t have been surprised if they were cannibals or serial killers. This whole thing was crazy.
All he did was smile. “That’s for you to find.”
To be continued…
Stay tuned, Invisible Friends! Tomorrow we reveal the secret to how the Blond Duck stays thin and Wednesday, a new Penelope’s Pie Shop tale. Thursday we have the world’s best burgers and Friday, a new Twirl! Stay tuned!
March 23rd, 2009 at 3:32 am
Hehe that picture of you and the cracker on your forehead is so cute!
March 23rd, 2009 at 3:50 am
[...] A Duck In Her Pond » The Gift 15, new techie things and awards [...]
March 23rd, 2009 at 4:23 am
Thank you for the very sweet plug. I would love for you to come for a visit! You know I love your stories, the real and the made up ones! You are so down to eart, C’mon who posts a picture of them self with BBQ sauce all over their face or a cracker on their forehead and still looks fabulous! Only you, you are an original.
March 23rd, 2009 at 5:22 am
Very cute button!
March 23rd, 2009 at 5:29 am
I am going to have to take that button home!!
March 23rd, 2009 at 5:44 am
All the graphics are great and fit your adorable blog perfectly!
March 23rd, 2009 at 6:09 am
Congratulations on your well-deserved awards!
March 23rd, 2009 at 6:45 am
Buttons! Awards! RSS feeds! It’s getting excting over here. And, quite worthily so. I happen to think it won’t be long before you run into all those mean popular kids and WOW them with your incredible life as beloved author and blog queen.
I am not making this up.
You are a marvel.
March 23rd, 2009 at 6:52 am
I always enjoy that story!
March 23rd, 2009 at 7:11 am
Congratulations on your awards:-)
March 23rd, 2009 at 7:31 am
I don’t want her to get stuck marrying an elf. Help her!
Congrats on your awards and thank you so much for mine!!
March 23rd, 2009 at 8:08 am
Yahoo for your awards, love the new button too!
March 23rd, 2009 at 8:18 am
Aww thanks for the Friends’ award!
I’m touched! Congratulations on your awards too — so well deserved!
March 23rd, 2009 at 9:31 am
You are the queen of cliffhangers!
March 23rd, 2009 at 9:42 am
Lots of great things from you to start the week, Duckie! Love your techie things, even if I don’t fully understand them. Congrats on your awards — you are wonderful and you deserve every accolade you get! And I’m eagerly awaiting your next installment.
March 23rd, 2009 at 9:54 am
Love the Gift, and I can’t wait to read how you stay so thin (darn you!!).
March 23rd, 2009 at 10:08 am
Thanks for the shout out! Congrats on your other award.
Are you saying I’m a pest about Twirl? I don’t mean to be but really if you knew me you’d realize I’m quite patient about having to go SEVEN whole days between readings. LOL!
Just so we’re clear if it was for your other stories to distract me I’d go crazy.
March 23rd, 2009 at 10:11 am
Congratulation on your beautiful awards dear, you so deserve them. Hey, I love that photo of yours, you look so fun and playful too.
Cheers,
elra
March 23rd, 2009 at 10:58 am
Great chapter to this wonderful tale!!!!
March 23rd, 2009 at 10:59 am
You deserve oh sooo many awards
March 23rd, 2009 at 11:15 am
I love the story and your awards are so sweet!
March 23rd, 2009 at 11:47 am
Yes, this is definietly a fave! Hop to it girl and get this finished!!
March 23rd, 2009 at 11:51 am
Hi. Thanks for stopping by my blog today. Love your “new” blog design and button. Very creative.
March 23rd, 2009 at 11:53 am
Congratulations on the two awards and thank you so much for giving one to me! It is such an honor, dear
NOOOOOO COME ON! SAMANTHAAAAAA RUN AWAY!
March 23rd, 2009 at 12:06 pm
The short answer is that chicken fried steak can be done under the broiler. I’ve given you a little more detail on my blog, and you can look under turkey for the recipe I referenced. Let us know how this turns out!
March 23rd, 2009 at 12:09 pm
Congratulations on the awards! You absolutely deserve them, and your stories are great!
March 23rd, 2009 at 12:10 pm
Congratuations on your awards! You deserve them!
March 23rd, 2009 at 12:18 pm
Oh, great addition to this wonderful tale Duckie! And what a cute button – I love it!!!
I hope things are going well at the pond!
XOXO
Jen
March 23rd, 2009 at 12:36 pm
thanks for coming by my site today!
March 23rd, 2009 at 12:58 pm
YAY for the RSS feed! I am subscribed, girl!
March 23rd, 2009 at 1:43 pm
Cute picture, cute button and I’m on my way to subscribe to your feed!
March 23rd, 2009 at 2:03 pm
Congratulations on all your awards!
March 23rd, 2009 at 2:09 pm
Love the new blog button! And I am GLAD you’ve got an RSS feed! Just got one a couple of months ago and it’s invaluable!
March 23rd, 2009 at 2:22 pm
Thanks!!! So cool! I was just tagged in another blog so I’ll post about this in the next couple of days! This will be great because then I’ll get to put out a link of love to you! Did you see I have announced my latest remember when linky… Remember Jr High?
March 23rd, 2009 at 2:53 pm
How kind are you! An award and a feature post. I am speechless. Thank you!
Oh, and your blog button is truly fabulous. One of the very best that I have seen. Thank goodness for Gisele.
-Francesca
March 23rd, 2009 at 4:01 pm
Thanks so much for the comment!!
March 23rd, 2009 at 4:14 pm
I LOVE this story! I cannot wait to read more!
Thank you so very kindly for the award! It means so much to me coming from you! Congratulations on yours too!
I am grabbing your button! I love it!
xoxoxo!
March 23rd, 2009 at 4:31 pm
I’d also like more of this story, but if you wrote more it would be over so much sooner. Keep the suspense going, it’s great.
Congrats on your awards.
March 23rd, 2009 at 4:44 pm
Hello, hello my friend…Congrats on the awards!
Awesome job with the story…
March 23rd, 2009 at 5:01 pm
Thank you for stopping by and the award. That is sweet. There is always something interesting on your blog. If its not a story, its an adventure or just silliness! Keep it up girl.
March 23rd, 2009 at 5:11 pm
I wonder if she would get to be immortal? That’s a plus isn’t it? Congrats on your well-deserved awards!!! Can’t wait for your secret!! And pie. I like pie.
March 23rd, 2009 at 6:34 pm
Aw! You totally rock! Thank you so much for making my Monday night a little brighter
March 23rd, 2009 at 7:54 pm
Congrats on your awards!
mm, I also love blondies.
March 23rd, 2009 at 8:22 pm
Congrats on the awards!!
I also love your new button!
March 23rd, 2009 at 9:03 pm
ah thank you for the award my dear!!
March 23rd, 2009 at 10:19 pm
Congrats on your awards!
Sometimes I think how much space there must be in the Internet to house every day all the thousands of new posts and new blogs! But where is all that endless space?……
March 23rd, 2009 at 11:11 pm
Lovely story again – I’m almost as hooked on The Gift as Twirl. Your buttons and rss feed are brilliant ideas, but blogger is clever too as it already tells me when you’ve posted. Congratulations on your awards. Jane x
March 23rd, 2009 at 11:37 pm
Wow – congrats on all your awards! And your blog is so supercute! I’m hooked on your story – guess I need to go back and read the previous segments. Did you write it yourself? If so, I’m awed by your talent!!! BTW, thanks for your comment on my Dora Rant last week! Come by this week and enter my awesome “Support Our Troops Giveaway”! See ya around SITSta!
March 23rd, 2009 at 11:52 pm
Oh Duckie! Thanks so much for sharing this wonderful award with me! I just adore this story of yours. I Know I say that all the time, but it’s totally true. She really does need to get rid of Jeremy. He’s such a loser. I hope she ends up with Rouge, please, pretty please!! Love you loads sweet friend! XXOO
March 24th, 2009 at 3:17 am
Thanks so much for the award! I’m honored.
Just trying to catch-up quickly. I’m on the road. Be back Wednesday.
-FringeGirl
March 24th, 2009 at 4:27 am
Congrats on your awards.. you so deseve them.. your website is like a beautiful GEM!
March 24th, 2009 at 6:15 am
Honestly, I’m not ALWAYS such an oblivious dork! Thank you so much for the sweet award! I am going to pay it forward tomorrow!
March 24th, 2009 at 11:13 am
I just love the flying pig. I love pigs and collect them.
March 24th, 2009 at 2:34 pm
Oh my, thank you so very much for the awards! You rock mama
Can’t wait for your next segment and love the button!
March 25th, 2009 at 10:58 am
Thank you thank you thank you! I am so honored!