A small crowd stood around the giraffe exhibit, watching the giraffes graze from a tree inside the walls. They watched with enthusiasm and slight guilt, wondering if the animals were better off in the wild or in the zoo. The giraffes paid little attention to their audience as they continued to chew. One pair of twins the age of 7 stood near the front, closest to the fence. The boy turned to their mother, asking if they could go to McDonald's afterward. She replied, "Hay comida at home," snapping a picture of the speckled mammals. The twin girl held tight to the fence, standing on the bottom of it for a better view and leaning forward out of excitement. She smiled at their long necks and multicolored fur, hoping one day to be as tall as them. As the mother began ushering the twins away, the girl made eye contact with one of the giraffes. It seemed to nod at her, and she understood it granted her wish.

For Mandahh, who asked for prose about giraffes

On my way home last night, I fell asleep at the wheel. I had gotten minimal hours of sleep the night before, could not get to coffee all day, and my manager made me stay for closing. The highway was closed for construction, so I had to take Park Express, which past a certain point in the city, would be mostly barren that time of night. My eyes started drooping when I stopped at a red light, and I shook it off, telling myself just 5 more minutes till I got home. As I reached the part of Park Express that was 5 big turns, one almost right after another, I felt a deep wave of exhaustion roll through me. But I was so close. On the third turn, I bounced back from dozing off, and on the fourth, my eyes closed completely. I heard a loud crash, and again, but muted, and I opened my eyes. In front of the car floated a woman with wings. Everything about her was graceful and airy, soft beige and light turquoise. I opened my mouth, but couldn't find my voice, and she shushed me. I looked behind her and realized I was parked in my driveway. She smiled at me, and with a flutter of wings, she was gone.

For `Nyuu, based on an avatar

Try and make some friends. University is different than high school. Her mother’s words echoed in her head as she sat at the side of the pool, a few people splashing around near her. The Freshman Orientation Week Pool Party was dwindling down and the pool was empty. Most of the people still there at that point were staff or helping clean up. Jessica Liu spotted a group of three that seemed to be getting along well, evident in their laughter and dancing and unmistakable excitement about their budding friendship. They were interesting enough, although fairly energetic and extroverted—earlier, they got just about everyone to the dance floor when no one was dancing.

Orientation sessions before this repeatedly emphasized how the friends you make in college are friends forever, how college changes you, and the people you meet there, the things you experience there will shape you into the person you are supposed to be. She hadn’t talked to anyone for longer than five minutes.

“Hey, what’s your name?” Someone was standing next to her.

A small smile graced her face. “It’s Jessica.” She leaned back on her arms, a possible friendship before her.

“Alright, Jessie, could you help us clean up a bit?”

She sighed, grimacing at the nickname. “Yeah, sure.”

She looked back at the pool, watching the new group of friends. One splashed the other two as they walked past the pool, squealing and talking excitedly about what they would do next.
Kicking her legs in the water, Jessica watched them walk towards the exit. Their laughter swirled around the air, their hair was sparkling from the pool water, and their smiles were bright from the company.

“Actually…” She watched the friends. “I’ve got to go.”

Jessica jogged away, ignoring the shout from the technically-off-duty lifeguard about running near the pool. She stopped behind the group leaving, speaking up as much as her shaky voice could muster. “Hey.”

The group turned around, mostly confused or startled.

“I’m Jessica. I’m—” She took a deep breath, in and out. “I’m… I’m trying to… um—”

One of the guys spoke up, “Wanna hang out with us?”

Jessica sighed in relief, her breath evening out. “Yes! Thanks.”

The other girl smiled, bumping her shoulder into Jessica’s. “I’m Rose, that’s Taylor, and that’s Yemi.”

Jessica smiled softly. “It’s nice to meet you all!”

Her smile was returned by all three.

For @Mandahh!

Deaa awoke just before sunset to celebrate the start of her favorite time of year. As a half-moon-fairy, half-human, it is the one season both parts of her being come together to experience Springtime! She smiled and extended her wings and arms outward, stretching her limbs and back and then--she was off! Fluttering through the trees and their budding flowers, she sent kisses and good wishes to every plant, person, and creature she encountered. "Good evening, Deaa!" a voice lifted through the trees. "Good evening, it's going to be a beautiful spring night! The moon should bring some rain for the crops!" she called back. She settled on a cliff high above Roliana and looked down at her home as the moon appeared. The soft light shone down on everything as the other moon fairies rose into the sky, preparing for night. Deaa rested her head on her knees, and the flowers around her start to bloom in direction of the moon, and some bloom toward her.

An entry for a writing contest on another website