The Coming of Christmas: The Story of a Rhyming Advent Calendar

Come boys and girls!

Come one and all.

Get your Christmas calendars.

Hang them on the wall.

The days ‘til Christmas Eve

Are twenty-four to count.

It seems like a lot,

But it’s a very small amount.

Open the doors wide

For each day on the chart.

Behind each tiny door

You’ll find a sweet or a tart,

And maybe you’ll find a poem,

Or an extra special story

Of Jesus and angels

And Christmastime glory.

You might get a puzzle,

Or a game that gives you fun,

Or a picture with a riddle

That has a quirky pun.

The best gift will come

With the arrival of St. Nick.

By the 25^th day of December,

He arrives with reindeer click.

Count the days on your fingers

And when you run out of toes,

You can use your two ears,

Your two eyes and your nose.

Look for the man in the suit

With a sleigh that can fly.

Christmas will be here

In the twinkling of an eye!

Copyright 2018 Jennifer Waters

THE KINGLY SALAMANDER synopsis

LOGLINE

An important destiny makes personal sacrifice a noble thing, especially when love, loyalty, and friendship are also involved.    

PITCH

The Kingly Salamander’s ancient destiny is to save a young village girl so she can become a princess. Over the years they become friends, and he hopes no harm will come to her. But when she’s threatened by a wildfire destroying all the nearby villages, he steps up to his mission and sacrifices himself so she and her beloved prince can start life anew in peace and happiness for generations to come.

SYNOPSIS 

Before time began, flames burn beneath the Earth, creating all living creatures, including a fantastic amphibian: The Kingly Salamander. Its red leather skin with black spots is incombustible, and the Creator tells him that his fire-proof blood will save the life of Aliza Lazarus so she can marry the prince of her village. Over thousands of years and many adventures, he comes across The Village of Adar which is in an inhumane war for precious diamonds. Once a place of upright people who loved its neighbors, it has become dark and violent. However, Aliza, a beautiful, young peasant girl who collects flowers in the field, dreams of being a peaceful princess one day.

The Kingly Salamander follows the girl back to her mud hut and watches from a distance, admiring the girl that he would die for one day. When young Prince Gabor arrives on a white horse with silver and gold trappings, the Salamander slips into Aliza’s pocket and hears her promise the Prince that she hasn’t told her parents his father is King of The Village lest they forbid her friendship with the Prince, who would be told to marry a nobleman’s daughter. So, they meet in private and become closer than most at a young age. As months turn into years, the Kingly Salamander and Aliza become friends, and the amphibian realizes what a good Queen she could be. He questions that he would ever have to give his life for her. Then, one windy night, the Prince arrives, whispering for Aliza with panic. A fire is growing in the hills and is bound to reach Aliza’s home by morning. Although he can’t take Aliza’s parents with her, he might be able to save himself and her. Aliza quickly slides the Kingly Salamander into her pocket and crying silently, leaves with Gabor, knowing her family would most likely die in the flames. Three days later, the two arrive in the brush near the ocean, waiting for the prince’s father to join them.

As Aliza falls asleep on Gabor’s shoulder, a huge gust of wind appears over the mountains, blowing the fire to the sea. The two are so tired they don’t notice the devouring flames coming toward them. With tears in his eyes and knowing his destiny, the Kingly Salamander throws himself on a nearby rock. His blood splatters on Aliza and Gabor. When the fire reaches the sea, it burns through the brush where Aliza and Gabor sleep, but the flames don’t touch the two who are covered in the blood of the Kingly Salamander. Aliza and Gabor realize that the fires have destroyed not only the people of The Village, but also his father’s noble household. Finding the remains of the Kingly Salamander, Aliza picks up the ashes of the amphibian, wishing to have a son called Salamander. As the decades pass, King Gabor and Queen Aliza live long and happy lives in peace, and their son Prince Salamander is kind and strong, and fire never singes him or his kin. The Creator returns the Salamander to the eternal fire, and his image burns in the flames for the rest of time for everyone who is looking for him.

Copyright 2022 Jennifer Waters

Skeletons: The Story of Halloween Bones

Everyone has a bedroom closet

Where they hang their fancy clothes,

But Halloween brings costume time,

From your nose to your toes.

So, before you put your outfit on,

And act all mean and goblin-scary,

You can sweep your closet clean,

Not a thing from spring to bury.

If you want to hang your skeleton up

In the closet on a soulish hanger,

Make sure to hang it super softly,

Or it might cause a real loud banger!

If it falls to the closet floor in ruins,

And breaks into a million pieces,

You’ll have to put it back together,

And the madness never ever ceases.

Two hundred seventy bones at birth

Becomes two hundred six bones strong,

Tiny bones to help you to hear,

Three in each ear, and you can’t go wrong.

The Skull holds the face together.

The cranium is the proper word.

The mandible, maxilla, and shoulder girdle

Make me sound just like a nerd.

The clavicle and scapula are more precise,

If you want to know particulars.

And there are many other bones,

A lot of them are perpendiculars!

The vertebral column is quite complex.

The ribs and sternum hold their own.

The humerus bone is always funny!

The femur, tibia, and fibula well-known.

They can break into many little parts.

Oh, the tarsals and the metatarsal sections

And the phalanges can crack like that!

It’s always good to count your collections.

So, before you give a trick or treat,

Hang up your skeleton for Happy Halloween.

It’s not always the type of October-thing

That you would ever want to be seen.

Then put on a costume for the ages!

Something creative that has a tale,

A hero or a king or a princess story,

Your skeleton will never leave a trail.

All the bones will hang up in the closet,

And you can shut the creaky door.

Collect the neighbors’ skeletons, too,

And you’ll be a part of Halloween lore!

Copyright 2018 Jennifer Waters