Creative+Writing

=**Fountain Of Youth**=

Negative:
The fountain of youth could possibly be a negative thing, because of the following answers. 1. It could be dictated by evil people, who use it to do negative things. 2. Over population. 3. Not enough resources. 4. If the fountain does not have endless amounts of the water, it would be greatly disputed who would deserve to drink from it. 5. Nobody would want to look old, or be old, they would mostly just want to be young, go out and have fun... Which would make people less intelligent in general.

**Positive**
Along with the negative effects it could cause, there would be some good ones as well, for example. 1. People could have second chances at things, and prepare themselves better for the future. 2. People in the industry of beauty, cosmetic companies, models, celebrities, could do better in their professions, cosmetic companies could put the water of youth into their makeup (better economy), models could have longer careers, along with celebrities. 3. You would not die of old age as quickly, or at all depending on how much water is consumed. 4. If you wasted parts of your life on things like studying for medical school (five years) you could easily get them back, to work longer. 5. If you wanted you could keep loved ones young as well, like grandparents, parents, siblings, etc. = Character Questions =

1. What do you know about this character now that s/he doesn’t yet know? That her problems are not unsolvable.

2. What is this character’s greatest flaw? My characters greatest flaws are that in the beginning she is unable to look past her own problems.

3. What do you know about this character that s/he would never admit? That she is sometimes lazy, and is easily tired.

4. What is this character’s greatest asset? Almira's greatest asset is her mind.

5. If this character could choose a different identity, who would s/he be? Almira would probably want to be a queen, since everyone wanted to be at that time.

6. What music does this character sing to when no one else is around? Almira likes to listen to classical music, that was the only kind around...

7. In what or whom does this character have the greatest faith? Almira is not religious.

8. What is this character’s favorite movie? At the time movies did not exist, plays were not popularized either.

Does this character have a favorite article of clothing? Favorite shoes? Almira likes to wear simple dresses, her favorite are floor length dresses, with large sleeves, and little details. Almira likes to wear leather shoes.

Does this character have a vice? Name it. Almira is weak, and sometimes gullible. Living in the past of her life, being regretful. Name this character’s favorite person (living or dead). Almira's favorite person was the person that she loved.

What is this character’s secret wish? Almira's secret wish is to become famous, she wants to be loved again.

What is this character’s proudest achievement? Almira is proud of her status, she is a noble.

Describe this character’s most embarrassing moment. Almira's most embarrassing moment was when she accidentally went out without her shoes in the morning, the whole village saw.

What is this character’s deepest regret? Almira's biggest regret is wasting her youth, which she sees after she is enlightened.

What is this character’s greatest fear? Almira's greatest fear is losing her friends, they are very important to her. Another fear for her is failure and death.

Describe this character’s most devastating moment. When the man she loved got ill, and died.

What is this character’s greatest achievement? Her greatest achievement is gaining the ability to read, and write.

What is this character’s greatest hope? That she will get to drink from the fountain of youth, and that she will be able to settle down again.

Does this character have an obsession? Name it. Almira is obsessed with the idea of fixing her life, she is a perfectionist.

What is this character’s greatest disappointment? Seeing the obstacles, (at the time).

What is this character’s worst nightmare? Dying without fulfilling her dreams.

Whom does this character most wish to please? Why? She wishes to please her friends, and herself. She wants to be the best she can be.

Describe this character’s mother. Almira's mother is a noble named Mary, she is usually kind, but strict with certain things.

Describe this character’s father. His name is George, he is usually not home, because he works at the palace.

If s/he had to choose, with whom would this character prefer to live? It would be a tough decision, living with her father would be more exciting, but living with her mother would be more comforting. Currently Almira does not live with her parents.

Where does this character fall in birth order? What effect does this have? Almira does not have any siblings, she had a brother who died premature.

Describe this character’s siblings or other close relatives. Almira has her mother, Mary, father, George, an aunt and uncle, and one cousin. Almira's grandparents died of old age.

Describe this character’s bedroom. Include three cherished items. Almira's bedroom is very clean, everything has a place, there are no excess things. She has a bed, a desk, wardrobe, all the necessary things for living. Her favorite items in her room are, her golden ring, her red cloak from her mother, and a letter from her loved one.

What is this character’s birth date? How does this character manifest traits of his/her astrological sign? Almira was born on January 21st, her astrological sign is Aquarius. "Those born under the sign of Aquarius not only march to a different drummer, they make up new music as they go along. They are 'mind oriented' individuals, whose thoughts never stop tick-tocking over. Because of their high focus on intellectual exploration, many inventors, eccentrics and highly original trailblazers are born under this sign. Their intense ability to live on many mental levels, holds both pain and pleasure for Aquarians." They are also leaders. Almira thinks differently, but she does not apply herself enough.

If this character had to live in seclusion for six months, what six items would s/he bring? Almira would bring a friend, water, food, clothes, her letter, and some sheets. Almira would want to keep herself alive, so she would bring the things needed to do so.

Why is this character angry? Almira only gets angry when it is necessary, in my story she only got angry about twice, when she saw the obstacles, and when she found out that there was an extra person competing for the fountains water.

What calms this character? Almira calms herself down with music, thinking, and sleeping.

Describe a recurring dream or nightmare this character might have. Almira is sometimes a cowardly person, so she could have nightmares about anything, for example mythical monsters.

List the choices (not circumstances) that led this character to his/her current predicament. It was not really Almira's fault that her lover died, but she could have handled the situation better.

List the circumstances over which this character has no control. Her personality, and what things happen in the story.

What wakes this character in the middle of the night? Well since she has no "skeletons in the closet" It would most likely be some sort of nightmare, or sad dream about her lover.

How would a stranger describe this character? A stranger would probably call her smart looking, and pretty.

What does this character resolve to do differently every morning? She wants to try, and make up for her waste of youth by trying to be the best she can now, or trying to fix her youth.

Who depends on this character? Why? Nobody really depends on her, maybe the other women, and the knight to help out a little bit.

If this character knew s/he had exactly one month to live, what would s/he do? Almira would try to have as much fun as possible, she would try to die happy.

How would a dear friend or relative describe this character? They would describe her as nice, caring, a perfectionist, smart, dedicated, etc.

What is this character’s most noticeable physical attribute? Almira has purple eyes, which are very rare, and she has got a birthmark on her cheek.

What is this character hiding from him/herself? She is hiding her discomfort, she knows she is sad, but pretends to be happy, she doesn't know if she really is happy or sad. Basically emotions.

Write one additional thing about your character. Almira is well educated, she is smart.

Setting: The story takes place over the course of about a day. The place is Europe, she is living in England. She lives in a suburban area of town, near some major things. Beatrice lives in a fairly big white house, she used to live in it with her husband, but then he fell ill, and passed away. There were no cars, the time switches from day-afternoon-sunset-night like our days. Right now in the book it is summer.

Main conflict: The main conflict is Almira VS. herself, she wants to be the best she can be, but she is hurt deep within. She is not sure what to do about her problems.

5. How does the main character change over the course of the story? ﻿Almira goes from being a sad, unsure person to being happy with her life, she becomes sure. At first she is sad about her husband, and her age, but then she becomes happy with her life, after thinking deeply about it. She gets her happily ever after in the story, when she decides to marry the jester. 6. Describe the use of Irony in your story. The irony in my story is how everyone wants to get up to the fountain, since they think it is great, but there is not any magic at all to the water. 7. What symbols are present in your story? Some symbols in my story are the answers to the inscriptions, tears represent agony, they are the proof. A symbol of hard work is sweat, when you work hard you sweat. 8. What is the theme of your story? The theme of my story is youth, all my characters want to get younger in my story. Another theme i tried to incorporate was the theme of magic. Although it is up to the reader

Juvenescence
On a steep hill, hidden by a bewitching forest, and mess of rosebush flowed the majestic fountain of youth. Once every Summer Solstice, three good people are allowed to enter. Those who made it up to the fountain were allowed the privilege of drinking the water, which results in the losing of age. This was a reward most longed to gain.

The night aforetime many of people flocked to the base of the hill, hoping to achieve entrance in the morning. Three unfortunate beings stood waiting, talking amongst themselves waiting for the daybreak. The first was an old woman, named Edith; as a young girl her house had been robbed leaving her to live in poverty with her family, she had a sad upbringing, and desired to be young again to try to make a better childhood for herself. The second was named Almira, she had been quite well off, but when she had been younger her lover had passed on, Almira was addicted to him, he was her life and without him life felt like death. She had tried to move on, but it usually failed at every attempt. Almira was now much past her prime, and could no longer even attract anyone to her. The third was a young maiden, she was in some sort of enchanted sleep, nobody was quite sure what had happened, her name was Sylvia. Sylvia had lost many years to this mysterious sleep, after she had awoken she was also ill stricken, Sylvia had tried every remedy, and the fountain of youth was her last hope. Briefly, sometime after the conversations of the three women, the sun started to rise. The sun brightened, and lit up the dome that referred to as earth, spreading its jovial sunshine in all directions. In a pleasant mood, the three women decided to make promise to each other, since only one could bathe in the fountain, they decided if they reached it they would all jump in together. The rosebushes started to fall, revealing a massive golden gate. Fairies stood behind it, one fairy took Almiras hand, and the others grabbed onto her other hand. Unfortunately there was an unwanted guest clinging to the sleeve of Sylvia, some sort of jester. The faeries handed each person a magical tool, a sword to the jest, a magic stone to Edith, and magic powder to the other two. “What have you done Almira, how will we decide who bathes in the water now, and what if he pulls some sort of trickery on us, exclaimed Edith.” The gate swung shut, desperate screams came from the crowd, the rosebushes rose again, and then all was silent. “Just to let you know, I plan on trying to bathe in the water myself, I won’t be much of a bother to you, said the jester.” “Coward, we all have equal reasons, it would be most intelligent to share the privilege,” reasoned Sylvia. “I shall consider it, I supposed we are all equally misfortunate, and it would be more logical to do so… replied the Jester” The scenery was lovely with vibrant flowers of all colors, lush green grass, and a large assortment of shrubs, and trees, ranging from apple to oak. Along the way there were various bodies of water, dazzling icy blue rivers, a tremendous waterfall, and a couple ponds. The opulent land was both pleasing to the eye, and nose. Walking through the garden smelled as nice as it looked. All four carried on without impediments; soon they arrived at the base of the hill. However at the base of the hill stood a beastly chimera. “O spite, I’ve heard of these creatures, they’ve the body of a lion, a snake for a tail, and a fire breathing goat head perched upon its back, they are so large, and dangerous we may not be able to pass it, sighed Almira.” “Prove to me your agony to pass, it stated” The three women discussed ideas, while the jest attempted to go forth and attack with his sword. Almira, Edith, and Sylvia all tried to use their magic items, but strangely none of them succeeded. “Useless, why we were given these items if they do not even work, cried Edith.” The Chimera glanced at the tears, and sauntered off.

“What good fortune, smiled Sylvia.” The four continued on, until another obstacle came up. A large fence was in the way, inscribed into it was the message; show me the fertility of your toils. The three women were bewildered, the jester placed a coin on the fence, which then fell off and rolled to some unknown location. The four of them walked around the circumference of the fence, they split up into twos and went searching. Sylvia walked with purpose; she had gone much farther than the others, until she once again reached the irritating sign. Sylvia panted, the forehead was moist with sweat, it slowly trickled down her face, and fell to the earth. The fence opened up in front of her. The other three soon came; all of them cheered, and carried on. They could see the fountain from where they stood, it sparkled and shined in the sunlight, the water smoothly flowed out, into the bottom basin, the fountain, and the water itself was only comparable to diamonds, valuable, and just as shiny. However around the fountain was a mote, too rapid to cross, and like the other obstacles, enchanted. Etched into a stone was the following, “Show me what valuables your past has produced.” The sun started to rise, it was a radiant mixture of reds, orange, and yellow, the sun was starting to rise higher. Almira stood and stared at the sunrise, remembering all the precious memories she had in the prime of her life. Soon a magical bridge appeared over the river, it was made from flowers, was easily as stiff as wood. As soon as they crossed the bridge, Almira, Edith, Sylvia, and the Jester all ran to the fountain. Water poured down from basin, to basin, the water glimmered magically. Surrounding the fountain were patches of beautiful flowers, and other plants. Sylvia felt thirsty, she sat and panted. Edith began mixing up some of the flowers with some water from her gourd; she gave it to Sylvia to drink. “I think I am cured of my disease, I feel wonderful,” exclaimed Sylvia.”I am also quite young as it is, and without this illness I am free to do whatever I please so I suppose I am in no need of this fountain!” “If this really worked, and I healed you with these plants, maybe if I sell this I could make a fortune, cheered Edith.” “All I really ever wanted was more gold, as a child and now, so I am in no need of the fountain either.” The two women turned to stare at Almira, waiting for a response, the jester bowed, waiting for her to bathe in the water. Almira nodded, “This journey made me think, after remembering all the good times with my deceased lover, I now realize that they were good but that is the past, I do not want this affecting the present any longer, and now that I think about it he was ungrateful.” “Since we no longer need the fountain, I leave the opportunity up to the Jester,” added Almira. The jester didn’t know what to say, he was amazed that out of the whole city he would have the chance to use the fountain. When he rose from the water, he saw the most beautiful women he had ever seen, Almira. Feeling brave, the jester decided to ask for Almiras hand in marriage, Almira realized that the jester was suitable to her, and accepted. The four then became good friends; they all walked down the hill together. The faeries smiled, knowing there was no magic to the fountain at all. The End.