The Script: Interview of a Teenage Blogger Queen

Inspire. Create. Write. TM

Model: Taz Noble

INT. PROD HOUSE – TALK SHOWROOM (SHIANE DAILY) – CONT’D

FADE TO:

INSERT THEME OPENING CLIP

PAN SHOT:  to the talk show host

Shiane Hawke stands (broad, welcoming smile), with arms outstretched to greet the in-house audience as well as the viewers.

SHIANE

Welcome back! Thank you for watching. Today we’ll be talking to the multiple award-winning and critically acclaimed, Grace Ann Scott. Dubbed the Blogger Queen by her worldwide fans.

(pause for cheer)

Shiane makes a show of touching her ear as if receiving communication there. She holds up a finger as added.

SHIANE

(CONT’D) Wow, okay I’m getting word now ….that Grace has just entered the parking bay! Let’s have a look shall we?

CUT TO:

EXT. PARKING BAY - DAY

B-ROLL: Wide-angle shot of the thousands of girls & women, shouting and screaming in fandom behind the barricades. Cross-cut to Grace getting out of the car w/ 2nd cam on the cheering fans.

Close ON: Grace waving and greeting the crowd. WHEN(Grace decides to sign autographs or bags, ZOOM IN on 2nd camera to cap action)

SPLIT SCREEN: Cam 1 to stay on the cheering crowds. IF(any emotional girls/women, ZOOM IN). Cam 2 to follow (handheld) Grace into the building.

FADE TO:

INT. PROD HOUSE – TALK SHOW ROOM – CONT’D

DUAL CUT: Cross cut b/tween Cam 1 on Shiane & Cam 2 on Grace.

Dainty hugs shared b/tween Shiane & Grace as to not smudge anything. They get seated at a cross angle to the cameras.

SHIANE

(exultant expression)

Grace Ann Scott! OH. MY. GOD. As I live and breathe. Let me start by saying I’m a huge fan of the ‘GraceConfessions’ website. I never go a day without checking it.

GRACE

Awww, thank you for having me Shiane but it is me who is the fan of you. I’ve watched you for years now and all my fans know it.

SHIANE

Well try as you might to be humble Miss Thang, you’ve created a revolution. That letter you released from Maya is absolutely heart-breaking & uplifting! Is it true that she’s the newest member with her own section on the website and everything?

GRACE

(smacks her hands together)

Yes! Oh my God! I’m so excited for her. Maya is just a complete phenomenon right now and she’s inspiring girls all over the world. I have big plans in store for her.

SHIANE

That’s amazing Grace, I know all the tweens are loving you for that. Plucking some random from obscurity and giving her a life only celebrities get to live. On a more serious note, is it true that you & Maya share a very special bond? Can you tell us about it?

GRACE

(visibly saddened, looks down)

Maya’s letter really resonated with me because I too lost my mother at a young age.

(shakes head out) (MOS)

(CONT’D) Yet I know that Maya is one of a kind, thoughtful, funny, totally teddy bear hug you to the wall caring. I would be ‘besties like toasties’ with her in any lifetime.

B.G(Background): Producer waves to Shiane to advise on the time limit.

SHIANE

Well, without further ado let’s get this show on the rolly polly, shall we? So you’ve been called the Blogger Queen, the Queen of Beauty, the Grace connection. Can you tell us how this all started?

GRACE

(laughs nervously at the attention)

Oh please, I ain’t no Queen. I have friends around the world, not loyal subjects. (laughs). Basically, my ‘besties like toasties’ Ashley & Nicole were complaining about how all the websites were extremely hardcore beauty or extremely hardcore anti-beauty. But there was nothing in the middle, nothing light-hearted and fun. That’s what the ‘GraceConfessions’ is all about, keeping everyone completely up to date with beauty but by keeping it real & quirky which is what most of us are, is it? Quirky.

SHIANE

(claps)

Yes! How true that is girl! Now, I hope you don’t mind but ever since it was announced that you’d be here, the fans have been tweeting us up into a storm. There’s been so many questions asked & we’d like to get a few of them answered.

GRACE

Ofcourse I don’t mind. Ask away Shi.

SHIANE

(looks to the crowd in anticipation)

Here we go. Grace, the fans would like to know, What is your skin care regime?

GRACE

I’m a CEM kinda girl. Cleanser, Exfoliant & Moisturizer. On certain days, I apply the eye cream, toner & a mask.

SHIANE

Perfect, ok question number 2. Becka from Sydney wants to know, Do you wear makeup every day?

GRACE

Oh yes, it’s just a part of who I am. Alittle goes a long way.

SHIANE

I like this one, What is your favorite beauty brand?

GRACE

Well ofcourse it’s MAC, MAC for life but I’ve really been enjoying a Japanese brand lately. It’s called Shiseido.

SHIANE

Really? Maybe I should give it a go as well. Question number 4 from Brighton in London, What are your beauty sins? Oh! Speaking of this, you site gets thousands upon thousands of these on a daily basis. Which one is your favorite?

GRACE

Brighton! Such a cool name. It’s true I’ve read every beauty sin I’ve thought possible and still more pours in every day. I would say it’s not washing out my makeup before bed, some days are just more exhausting than others. My favorite would be the one a guy posted a while ago about how he shaves with baby oil. We’ve had so many guys come back and say they tried it with great success. It was really funny and incredibly humbling to see guys use the site too.

IN B/tween shots of laughter from the crowd.

SHIANE

Gracy, so modest. Ofcourse guys follow it, it wouldn’t be a revolution if they didn’t. So What’s in your make-up bag at this very moment?

GRACE

I think the more interesting question is, what isn’t.

(laughs; short bursts)

Let’s see my key items that I can’t live without are Eye Shadow, Eye Liner & Lip Stick.

SHIANE

Oh yes darling, I couldn’t bear to not have that on me. Ok, let’s see hmmm the next question is from Teddy in Texas. She says, You are late for a meeting and can only put on one make-up item before leaving the house what do you grab?

(Grace & Shiane look at each knowingly and at the same time s/o)

Eye Liner!

(giggling ensues, crowd joins)

SHIANE

Yes, it really is the only thing worth having isn’t it. Right then, Grace Ann have you ever uh, I think the phrase they used is, “ugly cried” and have your mascara run in public?

GRACE

(laughs childishly)

Veronica Roth

That’s a new one!.....I thank God for water-proof mascara otherwise, there would have been plenty of insta-Blair witch project photos of me out there by now.

PAN OUT: Crowds reaction.

SHIANE

(waits for crowd to die down)

Ally and she adorably she signed this as Ally Not McBeal, is a housewife in Wisconsin asks If you could dye your hair any colour what would it be?

GRACE

In honor of the great artist Prince, I’m definitely going to say ~Purple Rain, Purple Rain~ (sings in perfect pitch)

SHIANE

Wow, you’ve got some pipes on you girl. Question number 9 is, How often do you wash your hair?

GRACE

I try to do it every day but during my busiest weeks, it’s most likely every second day.

SHIANE

Taraji from Kenya would like to know, Are your eyebrows on fleek? Wait what in the holy heavens are eyebrows on fleek? Sounds positively demented.

GRACE

(giggles and claps on legs)

Don’t worry Shi, it’s an American thing...mostly. As with most things beauty related it started with Kim Kardashian & her eyebrow war with the wonderfully goofy Cara Delevingne. Kim won by bleaching her eyebrows and the trend ‘eyebrows on fleek’ was born. It's a variation of the word 'flick' or eyebrows on point if you will. So my answer is, yes (giggles) and I do enjoy watching those who do it too.

Posted by Brinton Parker

SHIANE

Really? You Americans are really some’fin else you know that?

B.g: Producer rolls out his hand.

(CONT’D) Let’s continue, shall we? Question 10 is Do you Contour?

GRACE

I love how this isn’t a model exclusive thing anymore. Yes! I love to contour. Ashley is the greatest at it and always does mine before we hit the town.

SHIANE

We’re almost done here. Minali from South Africa would like to know if you thread or wax?

GRACE

Minali, I love these names. Well Minali, I thread ofcourse but there’s just something’s better left waxed, you know. (winks to cam 5)

PAN SHOT: crowd

SHIANE

Last question Grace Ann, What would you call your own beauty brand?

GRACE

(exultant expressions)

I’m so overjoyed that you asked that question. (body language to the crowd). I’m very excited to announce that the ‘GraceConfessions’ site is well on it’s way to launching it’s very own beauty brand!

PAN SHOT: Crowd reaction, ZOOM IN on exultant expressions.

SHIANE

(visibly excited)

Don’t leave us in the dark now Grace Ann, tell us what it’s going to be called.

GRACE

(looks around w/ mysterious smile to build anticipation)

………….It’s going to be called The Grace Kelly! (crowd erupts, waits for settle down) Yeah, we’ve gotten the permission from Miss Kelly’s estate and everything. The Olsen Twins are one of our big investors.

SHIANE

Bloody Hell! I cannot wait to try this new brand out, you simply must not forget to send me samples. Also, it seems another popular must have from the twitter-verse is a Quick Fire round. In which I give you two options and you pick one in rapid succession. Ready?

GRACE

Awesome sauce! We play quick fire all the time at sleepovers. Go for it.

SHIANE

Gel or Acrylic

GRACE

Gel

SHIANE

Liquid Liner or Pencil Liner

GRACE

Oooh pencil is a golden oldie but I’m going to have to go with Liquid on this one.

SHIANE

Yes me too Luv. Matt or Gloss.

GRACE

Daily it’s Gloss all the way but special occasions… bring out the Matt finish.

SHIANE

Salon or DIY

GRACE

DIY. Ashley would say, personal stylist.

(laughs from crowd & Shiane)

SHIANE

Curled or Straight

GRACE

Curled

SHIANE

Bold Lip or Dramatic Eyes

GRACE

I’m especially fond of the Egyptian eyes.

SHIANE

Oh yes! Me too! So intriguing. French Tip or Nail Art

GRACE

French Tip

SHIANE

Floral or Musky notes for your perfume

GRACE

Floral

SHIANE

Makeup wipes or Micellar Water

GRACE

Oh, we love Micellar water.

SHIANE

(claps hands together)

Grace Ann, that was a lovely round of fan-based questions, don’t you think?

(looks to Cam 7)

(CONT’D) Thank you all for tuning into Shiane Daily. Grace insisted we answer the fan questions first as you all mean so much to her. Join us after the break where Grace and I will be interviewing some potential candidates for the ‘GraceConfessions’ position right here in the UK!

B-Roll: Wide-angle shot as theme music plays in the background of cheering crowd.

Cross-out: Cam 5 to close on Grace as she waves to the crowd.

FADE OUT: Commercial Break. 

****************************************

Authors Note*

Please Note* That this was just me being creative with a Blog Tag writing prompt and might not entirely reflect the true form of a script as I didn't want it to be too technical.

The First Photo was modeled by local Cosplay Icon, Taz Noble and refers to my original short story on Wattpad, called the “The Lady in Blue Heels.”

Update* “The Lady in Blue Heels.” is now available on the blog!

Mommy Blogger: How I found out I was Pregnant

Mommy Blogger: How I found out I was Pregnant Part 2

You can also read the Prequel to this titled: Confessions of a Teenage Blogger Queen

It’s filled with love, romance, intrigue, drama & suspense. Get to know more about Grace Annelise Scott.

The Blog Tag provides bloggers with daily Writing Prompts in line with a weekly theme.

If you're interested in taking part either follow the link or click on the image below which will take you to the Aesthetically Blog-tastic Website.

~Be Kind to One Another~ Ellen Degeneres

The Originals (TV Series): Review

Family is Power

DeviantArt Cred: crystalpearl66

A family of power-hungry thousand-year-old vampires, seek to take back the city that they built and dominate all those who have done them wrong.

Quote: I'll tell you what I know about death, Camille. Death dances silently in everyone's shadow, and she doesn't give a damn. So why give a damn about her?

Seriously, the English make everything sound so elegant. Don't they?

Whether it’s Elijah’s maddening quest to find redemption for his brother, Rebekah’s over rebellion against her brother or Klaus’s quest for kingship. I am thoroughly hooked on this show. It has everything I want: family, power, love, death, war, vampires that are almost unstoppable.

Above are the truly memorable stars of the show that have made it into legend. From left: Elijah, Klaus, Hayley & Marcel.

In this world, the First Vampires were called the Original Family. They are the strongest and are highly resistance to conventional vampire killing items.

Klaus Mikaelson is a thousand-year-old vampire/werewolf hybrid that is as powerful as he is cunning. His diabolical plans have been known to have many layers and crescendos. Many in the literary world have fawned over the creation of such a villain. To hate him but yet somehow relate to him sees a true genius in the author L. J Smith’s works. He would have never been given his own TV Show otherwise. When last have you seen the villain of a show get his own TV Series? I’m dying to know. His tortured Love story with Camile has been going on almost as long as Haley & Elijah. She really is a great character, though, very emotionally grounded & serves as a great turning point for Klaus.  #Klamile

Elijah Mikaelson is the third oldest Original sibling with a penchant for the sophisticated, Major props to Daniel Gillies for making this character awesome. Tailored expensive suits, ripping out hearts without so much as a smear of blood on them. Now that’s power. I love it! He’s one of the coolest characters I’ve ever seen. His love story with Haley only adds to his addictive storyline, making you root for them for over 3 seasons now. When will they get a chance? Or is it better that they don’t? 

DeviantArt Cred: crashspyro98

The amount of fan-fiction I can write on this show is endless.

What I enjoy the most are the challenges that're thrown at the family. Seeing as they are some of the most powerful beings on the earth. The show makes them face almost impossible odds that only as a family can they endure and overcome. It makes for entertaining viewing.

My best bro digs True Blood more, only because the vampires there are more vicious, powerful and have way more sex. Yes, True Blood was a great show but the originals are more grounded and seem more realistic.

In truth, we have to thank author Stephanie Meyer as without her Twilight series, vampires would have not been so popular, especially with teenagers. True blood, The Vampires diaries and subsequently The Originals would have never aired. She did start it all. Although on that same thought, Blade and the Underworld series should be thanked too as they kept the vampire genre going. Plus the vampire/werewolf hybrid from Underworld was significantly more badass than Klaus in his hybrid form. Don’t get me wrong Klaus is a great power-hungry, neck-biting Mofo* but you can’t beat the Michael vs. Victor fight.

The Originals is a great show, with powerful characters, intricate plots and demanding emotions. Prepare to be hooked.

Personal rating: 10/10

In the days to come, I will add more reviews of my favorite TV shows and Movies. 

Let me know your thoughts about the show. All views are welcome.

If you enjoyed this post, I’d be honored if you’d help it spread by emailing it to a friend, or sharing it on Twitter or Facebook/Tumblr. Thank you!

~Be Kind To One Another.~ Ellen Degeneres

****************

Special Mention

Here's some Amazing .Gifs made by KittyGifs:

The Mikaelson Family

Haley & Elijah

Klaus Mikaelson

Confessions of a Teenage Blogger Queen

Inspire. Create. Write. TM

"Forgive me, Father for I have sinned."

"Tell me, child, what is your confession?"

Model: Taz Noble

Grace woke that morning with surprising purpose. She flung her body across the room to where her MacBook Air lay in wait. Drumming her fingers on the see-through glass desk, she started up the Mac. 981 emails, 346 twitter notifications, and 1407 Instagram mentions all greeted her anxious eyes. What joy she felt seeing this. It had only been 3 months since the launch of the website and the results were unprecedented. Before she began, Grace closed her eyes and prayed to the heavens… to her mother.

"Mother, guide me." The whisper escaped her lips, easing the tension in her shoulders. She opened the Twitter notifications.

@SON***ASHUK said, “I get a two-hour facial every month”

@BETHSH******I said, “I've been known to brush my hair with a fork in emergencies.”

@A_M***E said, “I use hand lotion to tame frizz in a pinch.”

@TW**TRA said, “I'll pull out a strand and use it as floss in a pinch. Disgusting - but it works.” (Authors Note**A friend confessed that she does it too!)

@BETH**POURI said, “I use lip balm on my cuticles in a pinch. Even the colored kind upon occasion.”

@SEA***TH said, “I shave with baby oil gel for the closest shave ever!”

@CHER****NENY said, “I keep all my perfumes on the dairy shelf of my fridge, so I don't have room for yogurt anymore.”

These were fantastic! Tweets from around the world were coming in, faster than she could blink. Even men were posting! She couldn't wait to upload them to the site's 'Beauty Diaries' section.

Next, Grace opened her emails and Seven minutes later.....

Droplets of tears coated her cheeks, a heavy burden weighed down against her chest. Grace sat there, alone and could not contain her sobs. Like a dam breaking, it started slow, then all together at once, it broke. The email before her, could not be felt any other way... her eyes traced to the sender. Maya from Minnesota, bless her soul had sent a short story of her mother's passing. In relation to the theme, Maya had written about how difficult it was having to learn everything a girl should be taught by her mother and rightly so. Things like how to apply blush, deal with split ends, how much makeup to use, boys & what bra sizes to get. It was all detailed in beautiful prose with an emphasis on how lost she felt without her mom there to guide her. Once a month, Grace would feature a story regarding Beauty confessions and this was definitely going up. Anything posted before, felt trivial in comparison. Maya wrote with such raw emotion & seemed quite knowledgeable now on all things beauty related. Grace thought back to those winter days of longing, where she would be perched against the frosted window. Watching in solemn thought, the neighbor kids playing around in the snow. People could only guess how she felt, they could never know exactly how it felt to lose a mother. The soul crushing darkness that she had been propelled into had left her wanting. Maya was the first person in a long time to understand that kind of despair and know the sheer tenacity it takes to step into the light again.

Grace could only marvel at Maya’s inner beauty. She had started the website called “GlamConfessions” as a way for her to connect with her friends around the world. To share beauty tips, tricks, trials & trips. The “Beauty Diaries” section had sky-rocketed in popularity after the first week, women from every country were posting in 140 characters worth of their Beauty tips, tricks, trials & trips. It was mind-boggling to see so many women; strong, independent, shy, lonely, depressed or in love all connecting and uniting with each other under this one banner. In order to keep a handle on the overwhelming amount of feedback, Grace enlisted the help of her two “besties like toasties”, Ashley & Nicole. Some of their best slumber party nights were sitting up & reading the Beauty Confessions from all around the world.

They had gotten a ton of email from teenage girls saying how much hearing other women’s confessions, helped them to not feel alone anymore. To know that they were not the only ones, impacted them greatly. Grace remembered reading a touching story about a girl from South Africa who was constantly being bullied at school for caring too much about fashion and beauty. Suicidal thoughts, which were vividly described, were a daily battle for her. Then the “Beauty Diaries” happened…The girl describes exultant emotions with what happened next. Due to her crazy obsession with beauty & fashion, coupled with her quick wit & charm, the girl became the go to #beautyconfession of the day! She gets retweeted, at a mean average of 400 times a day! People shower her with love for her Beauty tips, tricks, trials & trips. From all of them, it was truly, Grace’s favorite success story and it was time for another one just as big.

Grace hit the reply button to Maya’s email:

“Dear Maya the Angel

Your letter had me gushing in tears, laughing for joy but most of all, it had me reminiscent of my own mother’s passing when I was only a little girl. I know those feels so well, lil angel & I promise you it never goes away. Thank you so much for having the courage to write this, girls around the world are going to be inspired and enlightened by your words. I wish I could give you the biggest teddy bear hug right now! Please accept my deepest condolences for your loss. I am so happy that the website has helped you so much, I totally love love LOVE your inventive & creative handbags. Those pictures are just gorgeous.

Please know, that I have been reading letters and guest post proposals all month long. From the thousands, I have chosen to run yours in this month’s “Glam-Core” section. Congratulations! I cannot wait to see the world fall in love with you the way I have. You’re a star!

In addition, please see the attached form. I would love to offer you a position on my website. I know the girls and I would be honored to have you on the team!

Xoxoxoxox

Yours sincerely (& your biggest fan)

Grace Annelise Scott”

Grace hit the send button and laid her fingers to rest. She smiled quietly to herself, with big plans for Maya in her thoughts.

There is Beauty in helping others achieve their dreams. In hope, I wish we all find it.

Model Taz Noble

~"Be kind to one another."~ Ellen DeGeneres

****************************************

Authors Note*

The First Photo was taken by me and refers to my original short story on Wattpad, called the “The Lady in Blue Heels.”

If you would like to read the rest of Grace’s riveting story, you can check it out Here.

It’s filled with love, romance, intrigue, drama & suspense. Get to know more about Grace Annelise Scott.

The names of the confessed have been redacted for privacy purposes.

URGENT: This post is in honor & Memory of  #RIPAmy  
My heart goes out to her family & friends. This is not OK.            

The Blog Tag provides bloggers with daily Writing Prompts in line with a weekly theme.

If you're interested in taking part either follow the link or click on the image below which will take you to the Aesthetically Blog-tastic Website.

***

Not Alone: The Beauty within a quiet moment of Reflection

Inspire. Create. Write.TM

Photography Cred: Me

Staring through my window, I look on as the summer rain drenches every individual blade of grass, in some way or another connecting sky and earth. Rain, being one of the many natural cycles that is essential to this planet, how could anyone not marvel at such simplistic process? The irony of it all I thought, how can one day seem amazingly perfect and complex yet the next be filled with so much pain it's hard to breathe?

I stood up abruptly not wanting to fall into the morbidity of such thoughts. I looked around my room and realized how crowded the walls seemed as opposed to years ago when I first painted it red and black in parallel to one another. Spending days here, reading and immersing myself in so many different worlds except my own, my blindness afforded my denial. There was no escaping it was there? Peace of mind would be unfathomable at this point. Not now, not when everything I touch is obscured by the vision of 'It' disintegrating before me, ashes. Just like ashes to the wind. There was a knock on the door and in that moment, a distinguished timeline seemed not to exist. I knew that the eventuality of my mistakes was upon me now.

                                                                          ***

I searched the classroom for her face and found it easily, her beauty always caught me off guard, no matter how many hours I had spent marveling at every detail of it. She wore a smile of understanding, I smiled back feeling secretive again wondering why I ever insisted that we keep what we have a secret. Then I realized that what we have, as I've always deduced, is inevitably either a sweet, sweet dream or maybe just a beautiful nightmare. How many days have I been in turmoil over what I had done to deserve such an angel? Countless. Her beauty has no equal and the beauty within her was even more of a rarity. In my reality, she would always by my dream and in her dream I would always be her reality. What a pair, the sky, and the earth, so very far apart yet connected in mysterious ways.                         

***

Before the pain…
Sometimes in life, you find a special person: Someone who changes your life, in impossible ways, just by being a part of it. Someone who makes you laugh until you can't stop. Someone who makes you believe that there really is good in the world. Someone who convinces you, that there is always an unlocked door just waiting for you to open. True Love is what holds you, the stuff of legend that binds you, in an unbreakable way, without any effort.
True Love and family… Ha! So naive was I, to have believed I could have both. What was I? If not, a soulless and selfish monster. No one alive could hate me more than I hate myself. 

I am an empty wondering idiot without a conscience, without purpose, and without hope.
A past erased and a future obscured. I am only left with the present, to live without anything besides one, just one, agonizing memory. 
What was it? Anger, pain, rage or disgust? I could not decide which to feel at once or even together. I knew but only one thing, that these emotions were nothing if not my immortal curse and mine alone to bear. 
They had taken me over so irrevocably it was as though they were given a conscience of their own. I was weak; I wanted, it to end, to die.
If only someone would be kind enough to give me my one true wish.
Death, it seems will always be both my enemy and my savior. 
You have to wonder, though. In the event that death is upon us, what would be the most intense aspect of it experienced? Would it be rage, despair, greed, sacrifice, destruction or even intoxication, madness, and nihilism?
Maybe the answer is, above all else, simplistic and a little ideal…. loneliness or old age? And yet still, the aspects of life seem to elude and discombobulate us.

***

Every family has their own domestic problems and after years of fighting against the tide, I just gave up, flowing with the current, not knowing where or when it would end. I would later find out just how wrong my decision was. The following disasters occurred; in my silence, my father felt he had failed me and chosen to revert back to the old ways of drowning his problems away at the bar with a favorite friend of his, named ''Brandy''. I could never understand how a man whose had a much longer time to be an adult than I, could not end such a cowardly habit or have any respect for himself at all but who was I to judge. I was still a beginner to life, a tenderfoot so to speak. The consequences of these actions then lead to my mother's depression, blaming herself for failing at her marriage and her misunderstood son. 

''Dad hurry up we are going to be late!!'' I urged my father as we were driving to the airport; after all the drama endured I would finally enjoy an independent, family-free holiday. In the distance, the airport came into view and with it a sense of unlimited excitement washed over me like that perfect wave all surfers dream of having. I was not going to waste it, as fast as humanly possible, we were at the gateway to the plane. My mother was in tears, my father looking like he was searching for the right thing to say and my sister feigned disinterest.

I knew there was no possible way to dissolve every issue before I left so I searched for the right words to say what I knew I would mean. ''I'm going to miss you.'' Was all that escaped my lips. My mother burst into tears and so did my sister, the both of them held closely by my father, clearly in no state to talk.

''Have a good trip and be safe son.'' My father replied, with a look of discomfort on his face. A little disappointed I walked away, a single tear of pain flowing down my cheek. ''WE LOVE YOU!!'' Shocked I turned around and saw my father too in tears, waving. I smiled and waved back until my view of them disappeared as I entered the gateway.

The plane trip was finally over, leaving me agitated and annoyed. The married couple next to me were constantly finding ways to grope each other secretively, with no success I might add. Whispers of ''I love you'' and ''I love you more'' were continually exchanged between the newlyweds, which drove me to the point of insanity and made my non-belief in love grow immensely. Sherlock Holmes once said that ''When you've eliminated all of the impossible, however improbable, only the truth will remain....'' Which begs the question what is love? How can one ascertain the truth of love if we live in a world where love is commercialized and it's true meaning abandoned when teenagers and majority of the public decide that after months of dating the next logical step would be the ''I love you'' part right? When clearly they've only offered the written meaning of what love is in the dictionary and not a personalized unaltered meaning of their own. How can one believe that love exists on the pretext of knowing that the French invented the word to bed women and play Casanova? It all becomes very complicated compared to the simplicity of it explained in books and movies. And still, those cheap meanings are still incredibly enticing and seductive, even I have longed to experience something so illogical, the novelty of it and all that. 

Upon arriving at the hotel, I immediately admired my surroundings: A huge entertainment area complete with a flat-screen TV, a mini bar, a recliner and even a light dimmer. And the luxuries continued with a magnificent en-suite complete with a multi-faceted shower for a massaging wake-up call, a refined almost heavenly Jacuzzi and yet another flat screen TV for the guest's viewing pleasure. A Massive king size bed with accessories like the most comfortable pillow I've had the honor of resting my head on, sheets that felt like Egyptian silk and of course a phone to indulge in late night food cravings. And finally the most important part, the view. Standing on the balcony marveling at the impossibly beautiful landscape of Rome, all my problems seemed to disappear with a long awaited and relaxed sigh. 

It was about two in the morning when I received the call that would change my life forever. Apparently after they had dropped me off and were heading back home, a drunk inexperienced driver lost control of the car causing a massive collision ending the lives of 12 people including my family’s. For several moments that felt like an eternity to me, I stood frozen next to the bed not thinking of anything in specific or able to move any muscle. ''They are alive, it was just a nightmare.'' Was the only thought recurring in my head as I raced to the terminal. I wasn't in denial, I wasn't in pain, I just needed to prove my nightmare wrong to know that the family I had neglected were at home… for me to redeem myself and ask for their forgiveness. They just had to be there, someone's family just couldn't be taken away in so instantaneously. Could they?

By the time I reached home I was already aggravated to the point of screaming at the taxi driver for his slow services, I through a bunch of notes at the undeserving driver and hurried into the driveway, bags in hand. What I saw brought me to my knees; both families were there, my father's side and my mothers, all in tears consoling one another in a feeble attempt to promise hope, hope they did not have to promise. The pain of realizing my worst possible fear was confirmed; it was unbearable, paralyzing every cell in my body. The pressure of it brought me to my knees and I stared in horror as the wind blew away everything, the house, the walls even the grass! Then there was only darkness, it devoured me and I welcomed it with open arms. 

***

''Ever since my mind has permitted me to remember, I grew up with the most compassionate woman I've ever had the honor of meeting. She taught me of what it means to give selfless unconditional love without any thought or expectancy of the outcome. Her life was filled with emotion and caring for this family. Every day she struggled to make each of us hap—''

I paused only to lose more of a breathing rhythm, I thought I could be strong, I thought I could ignore my emotions for just this day, to be strong enough for everyone else but I couldn't, in this moment I felt wave after crashing wave of torture. I looked at their faces all hanging on my every word, searching for hope and strength that I could not provide. And then, there she was at the end of the hall looking straight into me with a kind of compassionate intensity, in that instant, she became my bond to sanity… for the time being. Behind her were my parents and my sister, they were smiling… apparently unaware of their deaths. I knew then that I could be strong enough, strong for this day and not tarnish my family's memory.

This wasn't the time to cause more pain when the one everyone was experiencing that day was crippling enough. So instead I talked about how much my parents taught my sister and me, how entranced they would get over a game of scrabble. I spoke about all the things that made us a family; that made us unique.

''Our minds are the birthplace of ingenuity, of all decision and we have to work through our hearts and not from it, to achieve life's true meaning. My family has passed, and they'll never take another breath again. I don't know what will happen now but I do know they'll never truly be gone, as long as we keep those memories we have of them close and carrying them with us throughout our lives.''
Yet again another single tear shot down my cheek, I hastily wiped it away hoping no one saw. Looking up to the back of the room I saw her again, with my family on the cornerstones of her shoulders. ''Thank you all for coming, it means a lot to me.'' With that, I walked over to the coffins and placed a rose over each of their bodies, not realizing that at each coffin I had squeezed the stem of each rose so hard that it had caused my hand to bleed. The physical pain was somehow irrelevant at this point. In my sister's coffin, I placed a picture of her dancing, in my mother’s, a picture of our family in one of those unanimously and rare happy moments. In my fathers, a picture of him and I after a long day of bonding through the art of fishing. As I got off the platform, through my tear-filled vision, I saw that a figure was moving rapidly towards me, the way a rocket would through space and time. I could only regard this as a threat, instinctively shielding myself with my hands, but then the figure surprised me by launching its weight against me… embracing me and in finality, I knew it was her. She'd been waiting to take me away, away from the crowd so they wouldn't see me let go.

As the coffins were lowered into their resting place one by one I let out one final whisper to them, ''Love you.''

THE END.

There is Beauty within a moment of quiet reflection. In hope, I wish we all find it.

~"Be kind to one another."~ Ellen DeGeneres

************************************

Breaking News* The official website launched yesterday for The Blog Tag! If you're interested in taking part either follow the link or click on the image below which will take you to the Aesthetically Blog-tastic Website.