the Tale of the Cantaloupe

The Tale of The Cantaloupe

or, my second actual creative writing prompt

"Write a paragraph that includes the following words:

cantaloupe,

toothpaste, 

guitar,

flashlight, 

 and flipflops."

        You may recall that some time ago I did my first creative writing class prompt on the subject of fantasy worlds. Today, for some reason, I have felt randomly inspired to do the prompt again. It's not so much that it inspired me as much as the previous one did, but more that I felt the desire to embrace that old randomness of creative writing prompts like way back when (last year) when I was in Creative Writing I and wrote my prompts in my Creative Writing Notebook, before these new-fangled blog things came to be ;) Well, actually, I did have my blog during that time period, it just wasn't in use then. I did kind of like writing my prompts in my notebook before, though I also like putting them here on the internet in a way, too, but there is definitely a difference. For example, if this was in my notebook, this introduction wouldn't be here, because this is purely me explaining things to you people of the world to whom I refer as my "blog readership", or, a term referring to the imaginary group of strangers I presume are reading my blog on a regular basis. 
       But what prompts like this really bring about are just random, wild stories, and I love to do things like that. So, today I decided to do this prompt. I have very little planning--I've titled it "the Tale of the Cantaloupe", because cantaloupe was first on the list, and so I've decided that a cantaloupe will play a prominent role as some sort of magical object, and that fairies or perhaps faeries (which in the domain of my writing are two different species; faeries are much more advanced, basically. They're the ones in the writing excerpt I shared some time ago.) will be involved. And also I know it will probably be more than a paragraph, but that's my artistic license. And so... here goes!

        I raced through the busy market, bare feet pounding the sun-warmed, uneven cobblestones, searching to find it before they did. Suddenly, the sunny orange banner that hung above the proper stall caught my eye. I swerved, dodging between the people in the thick crowd, and began frantically rifling through the cantaloupes. The man running the stall began shouting at me in the native language of the region, which I didn't understand, but I couldn't slow my search to even attempt to explain (as though he could possibly understand) because I could already hear my pursuers behind me. 

       Just as a rough hand grasped at my arm, the shimmering rainbow glow of the Enchanted Cantaloupe caught my eye in the pile, and I threw myself upon it. 

      The bustling marketplace around me was gone. I was in the midst of a serene forest. The noon-day heat had gone and the twilight air was cool and moist. I could see no signs of anyone around me, but slowly I became aware of music floating on the air, so subtle and natural that I hadn't noticed it immediately, but now the lighthearted guitar strums were growing clear to me. I crept slowly towards the sound, unsure of what I was doing but unable to resist. It was truly the most beautiful guitar tune I had ever heard. I was so lured by it that I completely neglected to remember the Enchanted Cantaloupe, its dancing aurora of light fading behind me. 

       As I picked my way through the quickly darkening woods, I began to wish I had brought a flashlight. I stumbled often in the dim on protuberant roots and tangled brush. The guitar tune that lured me farther and farther from the cantaloupe seemed at times to be getting louder, but still I could never quite pin it down, and I had yet to come upon its source. I began to doubt I would ever find it, but I could not bring myself to give up on searching for it.

       Suddenly my feet were caught fast in some sort of pasty goo, of a consistency similar to toothpaste. I couldn't free my feet. I began to panic. The soothing guitar music had stopped and as I came to my senses, I realized it had all been a trap. How I wished that I had worn some sort of shoe, that my foot might have slid out of it and I could have freed myself! Even a mere, flimsy flip-flop could have been held in the tooth-pastey trap, and allowed me to go free. But, what seemed now like weeks ago though it had been only hours, I had run out of my house too quickly for any such preparations to be made, those pursuing me hot on my heals from the outset. 

        A low growl issued from the woods, not far off. Whatever horrifying creature had set the trap for me was coming, slinking through the woods. My mind was blank with terror; I could think of nothing to save myself. 

        A flicker of vivid violet light shone amidst the leaves of a nearby tree, sparking my hope once more. A fairy! Perhaps I could convince the creature to aid me. 

        "Hello!" I cried desperately at the glow in the darkness. "Hello there! Could you help me?" 

        The fairy slowly moved towards me, growing from a faint, indistinct, deep lilac glow to the recognizable form of a miniature woman in a flowing gown with faintly patterned, monochromatic butterfly wings, which, as she approached, I could tell were clearly the source of the glowing. She peered inquisitively at my face, hesitating, unsure of me. It seemed as if she had never met a human before. 

       After an uncomfortably long pause, particularly considering the unknown monster undoubtedly creeping towards me, she murmured to herself, "The malveillant has another one... an odd one at that..." and turned, about to leave. 

        "Wait! Could you at least bring me my cantaloupe? I left it some ways back..." I said quickly, without thinking.

       This seemed to confuse her. "A cantaloupe? You stumble into the trap of the malveillant and all you ask for is a cantaloupe?" she addressed me for the first time, her faint but audible, high-pitched voice filled with bemusement. 

        "Well..." as desperate as I was, I hesitated to tell her the secret of the Enchanted Cantaloupe, which I was instructed to guard with my life. I sighed, seeing no other option as another howl came from the depths of the wood, chillingly closer than before. "I really like cantaloupe?" I tried tentatively. 
        "It's magical, isn't it?" she said, understanding.
        "Well..." I still hesitated to disclose its secrets. Of course, I should have realized that any fairy versed in their lore would have such knowledge.
        "Ah, it's the Enchanted Cantaloupe." At the moment, I was shocked, but knowing I could no longer hide it from her, I nodded. She seemed to be mulling it over, the tension for me only building as I began to imagine what a malveillant was and why exactly it would lay a trap of toothpasty goo baited with summery guitar tunes. The answers my mind provided to these questions grew less and less pleasant. Finally, she chimed, "I'll get you the Cantaloupe on one condition. Whatever quest you're on, I'm coming." 
        "That's just the thing. I ain't be on a quest* (to all my fellow grammar nazi's out there, and other people who aren't usually bothered by grammar but who are simply appalled by this awful-sounding phrasing, see my note on my archaic grammatical usage of ain't at the end of this post, where I explain that this is actually the original proper usage of the contraction ain't. Of course, given the length of this parenthetical note, I could probably already have explained it by now, but I'm just going to go on with my story now and explain grammar at the end of the post, and leave this lengthy and probably mostly unnecessary note about my grammatical note unfixed. This is another thing that wouldn't be here if this was in my notebook, except maybe a short thing to explain it for my teacher. End paranthetical ramblings). I simply got swept up in all this, and before I knew it I was running off--or, teleporting, or something--with an Enchanted Cantaloupe!"
       "Can I come with you, or not?"
       "Alright, just bring me the Cantaloupe!" I was getting desperate. 
       And so the fairy and I, barely escaping the grasp of the malveillant, set off on an unknown quest together. 

This tale from beyond the violet mist, and the much-anticipated grammatical note, shall be continued at a later date.