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Stories posted in this category are works of fiction. Names, places, characters, events, and incidents are created by the authors' imaginations or are used fictitiously. Any resemblances to actual persons (living or dead), organizations, companies, events, or locales are entirely coincidental.
Note: While authors are asked to place warnings on their stories for some moderated content, everyone has different thresholds, and it is your responsibility as a reader to avoid stories or stop reading if something bothers you. 

Drew's Prompts - 1. Chapter 1- The Grid and Dice Newsletter Game

Character: A lonely duck who can't shift.
Setting: The bottom of the ocean
Problem: The fridge is empty.

Note: This isn't so much a story, but rather a snapshot in the life of Devin and his family. Nevertheless, I hope you all enjoy it.
The sound of the crashing waves and the warmth from the sun were the ingredients for a relaxing day. And for Devin, he needed a relaxing day.
 
First, he didn’t have breakfast this morning because the fridge was empty. Well the fridge wasn’t empty per se, because there was a carton of milk and a bag of celery; but that didn’t count, because one whiff of the milk made it clear that it was sour and Devin avoided vegetables like the plague. Even if he was inclined to eat that crap, his sister, Liz, swooped by and snatched the bag of celery. Of course the head cheerleader would choose to eat that rabbit food, just to maintain her petite figure.
 
Second, was Adam. He and his brother never got along. In Adam’s eyes, Devin was nothing more than an annoying brat, and in Devin’s eyes, Adam was nothing more than a condescending jerk. Well, that morning, Adam barged into the kitchen and shoved Devin aside to reach the fridge. And to add insult to injury, Adam, upon seeing the near emptiness of the fridge, wound up blaming Devin for the lack of anything to eat.
 
But, before Devin could unleash a verbal barrage against his brother, their parents came in which brought the third reason why Adam needed a relaxing day- his mother berated Adam for yelling at her little Duckling. Ugh… Devin wanted to die at that very moment. Couldn’t his mom understand that he was too old to be called that. He was thirteen for crying out loud! What made it worse, however, was the fact that out of all of them in this family of duck shifters, it was Devin who had yet to shift for the first time. His parents told him he was just a late bloomer, but that didn’t stop his brother’s taunts. His favorite method of teasing, was using Devin’s pet name, Duckling.
 
And that morning was no different.
 
Adam smirked at Devin and said, “Aw, did I hurt Duckling’s little fweelings?”
 
Their mother gave Adam a warning look. Raising his hands up in surrender, Adam backed off.
 
After glaring at his brother, Devin turned to his parents and told them about the empty fridge.
 
“Well, do we at least have coffee?”
 
“Kids, ignore your father, only one thing is on his mind in the morning.”
 
“Aw honey, you knew that before we even got married.”
 
Giving her husband a fond look, she continued, “Anyways, I’ll go to the store to restock the fridge.”
 
His mother continued, but at that point, Devin walked out of the kitchen, and made his way outside. He walked to the nearby beach and sat just before where the land met the sea.
 
Two hours later, his tranquility was interrupted by the buzz of conversation. Looking to his right, Devin saw his brother and his football buddies approaching. Not wanting to deal with them, Devin promptly got up and walked into the sea.
 
He couldn’t help but smirk, his brother may be well-built, but that body wasn’t suited to swimming. In other words, Devin could and did swim laps around his brother.
He swam ten meters out, took a huge gulp of air, and dove beneath the waves. Soon enough he reached the ocean floor. In the several minutes that he could hold his breath, Devin let all his worries drain away. At least for the moment, he could finally relax.
 
When his lungs were near their limit, Devin swam up and breathed in deeply. And then, he swam back to shore. His brother and his friends had settled nearby on the beach, so when Devin came ashore the teasing promptly began. But, Devin chose to ignore it and continued walking, he wasn’t about to let his tranquility be shattered by them. When he arrived back home, he thought, Maybe the rest of the day won’t be so bad.
Copyright © 2017 Drew Espinosa; All Rights Reserved.
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Stories posted in this category are works of fiction. Names, places, characters, events, and incidents are created by the authors' imaginations or are used fictitiously. Any resemblances to actual persons (living or dead), organizations, companies, events, or locales are entirely coincidental.
Note: While authors are asked to place warnings on their stories for some moderated content, everyone has different thresholds, and it is your responsibility as a reader to avoid stories or stop reading if something bothers you. 
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Chapter Comments

A day Devin let life roll off his back, like water off a...oh. There's a metaphor, I think. I like the very real touches and vivid detail you add. Hope there is more someday!

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Finding strength to face the world in the calm of the ocean... I've done that myself. A pool can do the trick too. Somwthing about water that just sets things right. Maybe I'm an unshifted duck as well...? LOL

  • Like 3
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Nice snapshots, and good to see Devin could escape to the sea even if he couldn't shift. Maybe he should start calling Adam Roast (Duck). :lol:

  • Like 2
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That was really good. A day in the life of a teenage duck (not yet) shifter and how he finds calm. Well done.

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This was so enjoyable, Drew!

 

I liked how he was able to finally relax and let things slide once he had been in the water. The water must be very calming for a duck. :P

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On 03/06/2017 05:23 AM, Parker Owens said:

A day Devin let life roll off his back, like water off a...oh. There's a metaphor, I think. I like the very real touches and vivid detail you add. Hope there is more someday!

I plan on writing a story with these very characters. I'll be making it my priority. :)

 

Thanks Parker!

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On 03/06/2017 05:36 AM, Puppilull said:

Finding strength to face the world in the calm of the ocean... I've done that myself. A pool can do the trick too. Somwthing about water that just sets things right. Maybe I'm an unshifted duck as well...? LOL

A pool definitely does the trick, but it isn't as grand and dramatic as the ocean. :P

 

On a serious note, I'm happy that Devin is able to find the strength to deal with life (especially the crappy bits) from the ocean.

 

Thanks for the review Puppilull!

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On 03/06/2017 05:53 AM, Timothy M. said:

Nice snapshots, and good to see Devin could escape to the sea even if he couldn't shift. Maybe he should start calling Adam Roast (Duck). :lol:

Roast Duck :lmao: Devin will have to run as soon as he called Adam that.

 

It'd be worth it though, especially for Devin who would have the upper hand in teasing when it comes to his brother.

 

Thanks Tim! :hug:

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On 03/06/2017 12:34 PM, LadyDe said:

That was really good. A day in the life of a teenage duck (not yet) shifter and how he finds calm. Well done.

This is a world that I certainly want to come back to. I want to further explore the relationships Devin has with the rest of his family and follow him on his journey in whether or not he'll ever be a duck shifter. :)

 

Thanks for the review LadyDe!

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On 03/06/2017 01:40 PM, Lisa said:

This was so enjoyable, Drew!

 

I liked how he was able to finally relax and let things slide once he had been in the water. The water must be very calming for a duck. :P

Hehe, maybe Devin and Adam could go on a fishing trip... being surrounded by all that water, it should calm them down and hopefully they'll get along. :P

 

Thanks Lisa! :hug:

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I thoink you showed well, Drew, that life for a teenager is not so different whether you are a duck shifter or a human. Big brothers are pains in the rear, and parents are lame(ducks :P ). We all need our escapes. For Devin it is the ocean... for me it was my books. Good job, buddy... Devin would be an interesting character to run with if you so decide... or maybe fly with... cheers... Gary...

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I suppose it's no coincidence that even as he can't shift yet, Devin already finds comfort in the water. Brothers!
Nicely done prompt Drew. I'm looking forward to seeing where you take these characters.

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On 03/06/2017 03:09 PM, Headstall said:

I thoink you showed well, Drew, that life for a teenager is not so different whether you are a duck shifter or a human. Big brothers are pains in the rear, and parents are lame(ducks :P ). We all need our escapes. For Devin it is the ocean... for me it was my books. Good job, buddy... Devin would be an interesting character to run with if you so decide... or maybe fly with... cheers... Gary...

You know, I've been meaning to write a story that explores the relationship between brothers. It is an aspect that I'll hopefully explore in further stories, whether they involve these characters or new ones. :)

 

And I agree, big brothers are pains in the rear, wait... in my family, I am the big brother. :P

 

Thanks Gary! :hug:

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On 03/07/2017 09:08 AM, northie said:

I'm looking forward to reading more, Drew. :) An enticing snapshot, indeed.

Thank you northie! :hug: The story I plan for these characters won't be novel-long, but I hope it will be long enough to satisfy all. :)

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On 03/07/2017 01:15 PM, Defiance19 said:

I suppose it's no coincidence that even as he can't shift yet, Devin already finds comfort in the water. Brothers!

Nicely done prompt Drew. I'm looking forward to seeing where you take these characters.

Brothers! Indeed. :P Maybe Devin and Adam will eventually learn to get along, but maybe that is asking for to much, lol.

 

Thanks Mama! :hug:

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Poor little ducking. IT suck to be the youngest. At over 50 I'm still referred to as "the kid". A lovely little story/chapter and great take on the prompt

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Ahh brothers, the never ending pain in the butt ;)  although this was just a snapshot I think you effectively showed how mercurial a teenage brain can be.  Take Devin: he went from wanting everything to end to realizing life isn't so bad.  All it took wa the vestness of the ocean ;)  Well done, Drew 

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17 minutes ago, Albert1434 said:

I very much like this snap shot well written and clear no mud nice to read.

 

You should give the other Grid and Dice stories a chance too. Most of them were hilarious.

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On 7/12/2017 at 2:09 PM, Albert1434 said:

I very much like this snap shot well written and clear no mud nice to read.

Thanks gorgeous! :glomp: 

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On 7/12/2017 at 2:27 PM, Timothy M. said:

 

You should give the other Grid and Dice stories a chance too. Most of them were hilarious.

I think I forgot to leave reviews for the others. I'll need to fix that. :) 

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