Beth

I'm in my Fortress of Solitude. Okay so it's just my single dorm room but it felt nice to be alone after being on that petri dish of a ferry.  My new room has been painted gray, the color of a shiny dolphin. Before my mom passed away she had bought me a matching gray shag throw rug. Everytime I look at it I remember shopping at Bed Bath and Beyond with her. She could make even the most mundane trip fun.

On this particular trip Mom had a new game. "Pick something out you'd never want in your home. But you have to buy it and display it proudly and never tell another soul of our game."

I looked around the store and found a garish green cheetah velour bed covering. "Cheetahs aren't green! What in the world?"  It happened to be the softest blanket I'd ever felt.

"That's it." Mom teased, "You must have it. When your future husband asks, "Why do we have this hideous blanket you can say nothing but, 'Let's get some matching throw pillows!'"

We laughed and laughed. Mom I don't think I'll ever get married. Suddenly I felt very alone. I let a single tear escape and proclaimed, "No more! No crying in The Fortress of Solitude!" I'm a true dork.

From my backpack I pulled out a blank composition notebook and the mysterious box of crayons and placed them on my cold metal grey desk. "Why not? It's just for fun." I drew that green cheetah blanket to the best of my memory and ability. I added a couple of throw pillows for fun. One had menacing Cheetah eyes all over it the other had a single large yellow Cheetah eye covering the green rectangular pillow. As I looked over my artwork I smiled. "Thanks mom."

Suddenly there was a knock at my door. "Hello?" I asked but no one answered. Slowly I opened the door and saw an Amazon package. It was addressed to me. I put the large parcel on my bed. Curious as a monkey and as fast as a cheetah I tore into the box and there they were, the plushy soft green cheetah blanket and two throw pillows exactly as I had drawn them.

"Mom?" I looked around my room expecting her to appear laughing and saying, "Gotcha!"

Maybe my mother had ordered them before she died? I knew better. I had drawn my heart's desire and now I had to proudly display these hideous cheetah bed coverings. I did so gladly. 
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