The Girl Who Carried Moonlight

 

There was once a girl who wore a blue dress the exact color of a robin's egg, and a scruffy brown cat who believed he was a lion.

Every morning, the girl would stand in the meadow behind her cottage, close her eyes, and listen.

Not with her ears. With her wild soul.

One morning the meadow was golden. Butterflies stitched the air with yellow thread, and the sun poured down like honey.

"Shall we go today?" whispered the cat.

"Not yet," said the girl, holding him close. "I'm still gathering my courage."

The next night the same meadow was indigo. The moon was a thin yellow smile. Fireflies rose like small lanterns, and the stars blinked awake.

"Now?" asked the cat.

The girl smiled with her eyes still closed. "Now I have a little magic, too."

She had learned something the grown-ups had forgotten: courage isn't loud. It isn't a roar. Sometimes it's just standing still in a field, holding a cat who thinks he's a lion, and deciding, yes, you'll follow the tiny bright dream that tugs at your heart, even if you don't know where it leads.

So she stepped forward. The flowers opened for her. The moon lit her path. And the scruffy little lion-cat purred.

"We're finally on our way."

It takes courage. A little magic. And a wild soul to follow your dreams.

And she had all three.

-Poppy

9.9.26

#shortstory #poppytheauthor. #storyteller #storytime #cats #catlovers.

If you enjoyed this story. Below is a link to another whimsy story.

https://m.facebook.com/story.php?story_fbid=1699061528894621&id=100063723712176&mibextid=wwXIfr

Sunny and the Flower Meadow

Sunny woke up with her hair shining like the sun.

"Today is a meadow day!" she said, and skipped out the door.

The meadow was full of flowers, purple, blue, yellow, and pink. They nodded hello.

Butterflies fluttered by in every color. "Come play!" they said, dancing in the air. Sunny twirled with them, round and round.

She found tiny mushrooms under leafy patches, like little red umbrellas. She counted them: one, two!

In the soft grass, she found lucky clovers. "One for you, one for me," she whispered to a ladybug sitting on a leaf. The ladybug waved her little antennae.

Sunny looked and looked. "I wonder where the brightest flower is?"

She peeked behind the tall grass. She looked under the clover. She asked the butterflies.

Then she saw it, right where she had been standing all along. A little yellow flower, shining just like her hair, surrounded by all her meadow friends.

Sunny smiled her big dot smile. "The brightest flower is where my friends are!"

And she sat down in the meadow, with butterflies, mushrooms, clovers, and ladybugs all around, feeling sunny all over.

The end.

Poppy

9.15.26

#shortstory #poppytheauthor. #storyteller #storytime

If you enjoyed this story. Below is a link to a few other whimsy stories.

https://m.facebook.com/story.php?story_fbid=1698554682278639&id=100063723712176&mibextid=wwXIfr

https://m.facebook.com/story.php?story_fbid=1702791528521621&id=100063723712176&mibextid=wwXIfr

Poppy's Good News!

I am thrilled to share some wonderful news—I have officially signed a publishing contract with Nightingale Books!

This is such an exciting new chapter in my journey as an author, and I’m incredibly grateful for everyone who has encouraged me, read my stories, and followed along as my little worlds and characters have come to life.

There is much more to come, and I can’t wait to share this next adventure with all of you.

Thank you for believing in my stories and for walking beside me on this beautiful journey.

With love and gratitude,

Poppy

POPPY

 Dream Walker - Poppy Dodson

This book follows a young girl named Sophia who loves space and dreams of traveling to the Moon. In her dreams, she floats through space, lands gently on the lunar surface, and explores craters, moon dust, low gravity, and the stars above. Along the way, she learns real science about the Moon, astronauts, gravity, and space travel. By the end, Sophia returns home inspired, with an even deeper love for discovery, science, and the wonder of the universe.

Excerpts from the book - Dream Walker

The moon hung high above the neighborhood.  Bright. Silent. Waiting.  Sophia smiled.  "One day, she whispered, I'm coming to visit."  A few minutes later, she drifted off to sleep.  At first, everything felt normal.  Then came the tingling.   Tiny sparks fluttered beneath her eyelids like fireflies.  

Sophia's boots touched the Moon.  For a moment, she simply stood there.  She had imagined this moment hundreds of times.  Maybe thousands.  Yet nothing had prepared her for how it felt.  The ground beneath her feet was soft and powdery, like fine sand.  Her boots sank slightly into the pale dust before settling.  A footprint remained behind.  

Now available on Amazon - Kindle and Paperback

https://a.co/d/01Tb1LQJ

Thankfulness and Gratitude

Thankfulness is the beginning of gratitude.  Gratitude is the completion of thankfulness.  Thankfulness may consist merely of words.  Gratitude is shown in acts.   - Henri Frederic Amiel

Rest and be thankful. - William Wordsworth

A Spirit of gratitude indicates a heart attuned to all that is good in the universe.

 

Written by Poppy - MARGARET

COMING SOON:

MARGARET

Written by Poppy Dodson

Book details:

The story "Margaret" by Poppy Dodson is a poignant tale of resilience, friendship, and the quiet strength that can be found in shared human connection. The story centers around a farm and is character-driven. Margaret and Thomas are married, and Thomas falls ill. Margaret is caring for the farm and her husband's needs and encounters Eleanor. This is a turning point in Margaret's life. Eleanor's intuitive understanding and steady support help Margaret rediscover her own strength and resilience.

People who will resonate with my story include caregivers, those living in rural areas, those who value friendship and support, individuals who have faced personal challenges, and, last but not least, those who enjoy positive and uplifting endings.

Artist - Book Cover by Poppy

The Radiating Vibe

Thank you for coming to visit Poppy's Blog.

Last year, I decided to participate in the NYC Midnight 250-word Microfiction challenge. 5,439 writers participated, and there were 125 groups, with approximately 44 writers per group.

The challenge is where you are assigned a genre and what needs to be in your story. Well, if you know me, I am a hopeless romantic, but I have never written a romance short story or story, so this was a challenge for me.

"The Radiating Vibe"     Written by Poppy

Coralee had a bad day at work because she was written up, so she decided to stop at her favorite watering hole. She walks into the bar and hears Todd Rundgren playing, hello, it's me. Coralee finds an empty bar stool and plops down. She continues to sing; I've thought about us for a long time. As she looks to her left, a big athletic guy is smiling at her with piercing blue eyes like hers. Coralee smiles. The bartender comes over, and Coralee orders a drink. The athletic man introduces himself as Louie and says, may I buy your drink? Coralee says yes. When the drink appears, she takes a sip. Louie then says bad day. Coralee says working in an office with all ladies can drive you crazy. Louie says I work with grown men who whine all day. Coralee says, touche!   

As they continue chatting, mostly small talk, Coralee notices she is finishing his sentences, and he is finishing hers. They order more drinks, and they are laughing. Coralee likes his laugh; it's contagious, just like hers. But his vibe was something else. It was radiating around her body. Coralee adjusts her skirt, smiles, slowly crosses her legs and swings them towards Louie. You could see Louie looking at her legs. Louie then smiles as he puts his hand on Coralees thigh nonchalantly. Coralee does not flinch and allows Louie to touch her thigh. Louie then reaches over and whispers in Coralee's ear. "I want you." 

Below is my feedback. This was definitely a challenge for me.

Dear Poppy,

The feedback from the judges on your 1st Round submission from the 250-word Microfiction Challenge 2022 is below. We hope you find the feedback helpful and are proud of the story you created for the challenge. Thank you for participating.  The numbers are judges.

"The Radiating Vibe" by Poppy 

WHAT THE JUDGES LIKED ABOUT YOUR STORY

{2256} I thought Louie working with whiny men was really funny. 

{2253} This story does a great job of adding mystery and a build up of sexual tension. I particularly like the ending when the scene seems to slow down a bit as the narrator is describing Coralee as she adjusts her skirt and Louie looking at her thighs—slowing this scene down shows how much the characters themselves are focused on these movements, thus building the tension and heat of the moment. 

{2281} Coralee and Louie meeting feels natural and at the whim of chance. There's something inherently romantic about just that kind of meeting. The idea that Coralee randomly deciding to stop for a drink could alter the course of her love life is a timeless concept. 

"In the end we all become stories."  - Margaret Atwood