Diet Coke - A Drink or a Life Partner?

 Okay, you 7-10 people who read my little blog. Get ready to go where no soda lover has gone before. I present my object in first person point of view description. 

Soda as Life Partner

Soda as Life Partner

There are those who may argue that I’m unnecessary, just a poor substitute for water, which we all know is free. At least sort of. Let me tell you this – I’m the best thing invented in the last 40 years. I’m there when you celebrate every accomplishment, yet I’m with you during the darkest times – times of grief, illness, loss and sadness. My mission in life is to be consumed, enjoyed, and cherished. I’m Diet Coke, your life partner.

It all started in 1980, when most of these kids around you weren’t even born. I was born, like many things, of a recession and as a healthy substitute. You see, my older brother, Coca-Cola, started as an alternative to beer in 1886. I thought he’d never live this long, but Coke’s dark color and smooth taste charmed people everywhere. He was the talk of the fountain and everyone wanted to feel cool, so he became a staple. Of course, I remind him that it’s because he was made of cocaine. He’ll tell you that he left his checkered past long ago, but that’s why people love him.  On the other hand, I’ve always been a more refreshing, healthier option. I’m tall, dark, and carbonated as well as calorie-free. I taught you to drink from a straw and fueled your parents’ generation as they finished college, bought their first homes, and raised their kids. And now I’m yours.

I go with you to work, to school, to the movies, and I was even there with you when Tommy Krinkle ordered for you at Applebee’s. I can’t believe he thought salad was a meal! I was so glad you didn’t see him again after he ordered for you, got you one glass of me with no refills, forced you eat those weeds he called a salad, and then expected you to go Dutch on dinner. What a creep!

I remember you repeatedly cracking open one of my cans or getting the biggest size fountain cup you could during college. We sat in that cramped apartment with the cinderblock walls and cranked out assignment after assignment. We learned all the bones in the body, and we breezed through Spanish class only to get a C. A C! That seῆora was too hard on you. I loved riding in your green Hydroflask to and from campus. The way she kept me cold and carbonated! I really knew I was special. She took me to the library, your classes, on the bus, and even on that horrible road trip when we drove home in the blizzard.

I leapt for joy when you snagged that awesome work study gig. You became a published writer there. Sure, it was small informational stuff, but you created it. Oh man, I loved jamming to 70’s rock with you while you edited, reworked, and edited some more.

Just remember kiddo, I’ll always be there. I’m right on the sidelines, ready to celebrate, cheer you up, or even calm you down on those angry days. That’s what Diet Cokes do. We live life with you.

A story from A to Z or something like that.

 This week, our assignment was to write a story from A to Z in alphabetical order. The story had to contain one sentence fragment, one sentence that was exactly 100 words long, and a plot. Mine may not have the best ending... I ran out of alphabet, but it was fun!

An apocalyptic night, she thought, shuddering. Because massive wildfires ravaged the mountains above her home, ripping through land at a rate of 20,000 acres a day and destroying everything in its path, including homes, trees, wildlife, and livestock, Xena began to prepare, gathering berries, nuts, and fruits from her garden as well as spices, pots and pans, her favorite plant and her survival guidebook and pulling every last bit of jerky from her underground stash, tossing it in her satchel along with a bowie knife, her favorite hatchet, several rounds of ammunition, a compass, her favorite water bottle, some Diet Coke for energy, and a few momentos. Clearly, she couldn’t take it all, she thought as she rushed to the animals.

Dust and ashes combined in the air. Elephant-sized embers glowed near the side of the road, and Xena loaded all the animals and their crates in her trailer. Friends and neighbors had evacuated yesterday, and she’d made sure they had everything they needed before they took off. Ghastly remnants of their lives laid scattered about as Xena drove through what used to be her neighborhood. How tragic, she thought, mourning the imminent loss of her home, her garden, her shelter, and her friends.

Igniting in an instant, the shrubs lining her drive erupted as if someone struck a match and threw it into a puddle of kerosene. Jumping into her truck, Xena turned the key and slammed her foot on the gas, hard. Kitty the dog flew against the seat, hunkering down on the floor terrified by the torque that throttled her into the cushion.

Leaving trails of gravel in her wake, Xena barreled down the hill. Maybe she was going too fast, she thought. “No. Only the fastest and fittest survive anyway”, she muttered to herself. “Pushing the truck hard now ensures it won’t be burned out metal on the side of the hill later.”

Quickly continuing towards the Red Cross evacuation check-in, it donned on her. “Raggedy Ann – I left her on my bed!” she moaned. She couldn’t turn back now, though. Trees crashed behind her, slamming onto the road and igniting everything in their path.

Unbeknownst to her, Xena had rescued something far more important. Veronica, the immortal witch, lay underneath the canvas tent in the trailer. Xena would soon discover that this teeny woman held the keys to the forest’s rebirth. Yes, this small immortal being held in her hand the very item that regenerated all living things. Zocorro’s elixir – the sour syrup that would make all new – lay nestled in Veronica’s arms, and after one year she sprinkled it at the base of the forest road and made all things new.

Make it Write

 Hey all! I'm currently taking both a poetry and a fiction writing class. I thought I'd put some of my rough draft work out in this format. Read it if you'd like and feel free to comment. 

For today we wrote a paragraph of descriptive prose. 

"The crisp, dry leaves, flashing crimson, lemon, and ginger, rustle softly but swiftly above the dry and now barren ground. They stand in stark contrast to the pristine white trunks and branches. Above the canopy sit marshmallow clouds that waft through the sky, gently eased forward on their trek by the sudden chilled air, which whips around my body. My exposed skin waxes cool and clammy after a brisk walk in these woods.

"The sun greets me with his perky glowing beams, and my face flushes while enveloped in his warmth. Overhead the owl’s somber hoot and silent flight penetrate my mind’s eye, and I’m reminded again of the vast civilization dependent on this warmth, light, and life for being.

"Gazing eastward toward the jagged boulders spotted with evergreen boughs, I spot a gruff black bear inhaling silver skinned salmon, the coral flesh suspended from his massive jaw."

As always, this is my original work. Please do not plagiarize.

Hope you enjoy!

Aimee