The Gaia Girls
and the
STONE KEEPER
Photography and Story by T. S. Wolff
Illustrated by Brandon Vincent
Dedicated to the Earth itself, Lordess Gaia, and last but not least The Last Airbender movie.
Chapter One: Dog of the Trees
IT began with a mole. A rather delicious, plump, mole, but a mole nonetheless. The mole was in the yard of the Stone residence, showing off his delicious-ness to a dog named Harry, who actually wasn't all that harry- I mean hairy.
The dog barked happily and did what dogs tended to do when they saw a delicious, plump mole: He chased it.
He dashed after it, but it was a very mischievous mole and so it decided to show off by digging a hole in the dirt and ending up on the other side of the fence. Harry, not to be outdigged, dug a larger hole, went through it, and ended up near the driveway.
The mole was not about to be outdigged either, so he dug right to the top of the driveway. Now Harry was infuriated! He dug all the way across the street, and into the neighbor's backyard.
That, dear reader, is where the trouble began to begin.
This house was called the Gaia residence, and it was home to a mother, and four teenage girls, who were rather strange all by themselves.
The first, Ariel, had pure ocean-blue eyes, a pale-blue tank top, and swimming trunks. She had four freckles on her right cheek.
The second, Asha, had ORANGE eyes, a stone cold face, a hawiian shirt and red sweat pants. She had auburn hair.
The third, Skyler, had a pale-blue tank top like Ariel, but had white pants, white socks, and blue shoes. She also had pale sky-blue eyes.
The fourth and final girl was named Blossom, and she wore a pink dress, a green beanie, green shoes, and aggressive green eyes.
And Harry was in the midst of them.
Ariel asked in her cool, smooth voice that seemed to slither through her mouth, "Mother Earth, is this the one you foretold?"
The old woman frowned, peered through her spectacles, and said, in her frail old voice, "I believe so. My goodness me, it is true! This is the one!"
Harry barked.
Blossom, in her sassy, go-get-em kind of voice, which was a bit earthy, cheered cheerfully, "Get him, girls!"
Harry barked.
Ariel willed her hands in a strange sequence, and water shot at Harry. But he jumped up, tackled Ariel, and began licking her face.
She put her hands into fists, and released a jet of water. But Harry jumped up, and Ariel, covered in dog slobber, fell over.
Asha spoke in her peircing, persuasive, and cold voice, "You are the dog. You shall pay!" Her orange eyes glowed, and fire shot out of them! Harry's dog tag reflected the fire, and Asha was set on fire. Ariel put it out with water, but she was still too surprised to do anything to Harry.
Skyler, in her calm, nothing-ever-goes-wrong, enthusiastic voice, yelled, "What have you done to my sisters? You shall pay!"
She circled her arms, and an air bubble encircled Harry. It went up, up, up... Harry seemed to notice that something was wrong. He was a flying dog! He began to nip at the air, curiously, and the bubble popped, and then...
He came crashing down on Skyler's face.
Blossom shot up her arms, and a hill grew, making Harry almost touch the clouds. Then she chanted, "Roots, roots, water and fire, make me the tree on this dog I desire."
A tree began growing around Harry the dog. Roots were sprouting, the trunk was encasing Harry, branches, leaves, strong inner casing of bark, Harry barked, and suddenly realized his predicament. He was trapped inside a strong Douglas Fir. And there was nothing he could do about it.
Of course he didn't realize this, he was barking happily,but then he realized that the branches were high up from him. He barked, and decided to take a nap.
"Sisters," called the old woman, "That was the dog. Thank you, Blossom, for encasing him. However, what if he is still capable of killing the fifth Gaia Girl? We must do the only other option that I think is available: Cut down the tree."
Intermission 1: As the Prophecy Foretold
The Prophecy foretold us that one day, our fifth Gaia Girl, who had died in our fight with Ares, would be replaced, with even more power, the ability to control not only metal, but also stone, and to make it appear or disappear, and this girl's last name would be Stone. Ms. Stone would become pregnant with her, but then the family dog, a black, not-so-hairy mutt named Harry, would one day kill this girl before she could become a Gaia Girl at all, before she could discover and put good use to her powers.
The Prophecy foretold us that the only way to stop him is to put an end to the dog's life, or for all of you to become Ms. Stone's bodyguards for eternity.
The last thing the Prophecy foretold us was that the Gaia Girls had a dangerous fate, that to stay alive we needed to all work together at all times, all of us, that all myths shall collide once the Fifth Gaia Girl knows how to use her powers, and finally that in the end, the world is most likely to end, or at least OUR world.
A Prophecy never lies, and is never wrong.
Chapter Two: The Stone Keeper
"Steve, wake up. Wake up NOW."
Steve woke up.
"Steve, I have exciting news for you if you come downstairs!"
"What is it, Mom?"
"I am having a baby!"
Steve looked around. Where was his trusted ally, and best friend, Harry the dog?
"Mom, where's Harry?"
Ms. Stone looked around. "You're right, where is Harry, Steve? I though he was in the yard, the fenced area! Have you checked there yet?"
Steve got out of bed and ran downstairs. He put on a jacket, and his purple keens, and went outside. Harry was not there.
"Yes!" called Steve from outside.
"Look around," insisted Ms. Stone. "Harry couldn't be MISSING!"
Steve noticed a hole. "I see some holes, Mom! Come and see!"
"I can't honey," moaned Ms. Stone. "The Orthodontist said I mustn't go outside, for anything but going to the car, or from the car to the doctor's house. Sorry."
So Steve, on his own, was lured to the home of the Gaia Girls.
There, keeping guard, was Blossom, who couldn't dare to cut down a tree, especially one she had made herself, alert and ready, though in pink "Hello Kitty" pajamas on, with a stuffed cat. After all, it WAS only 6:00 in the morning, and to grow you need sleep.
Steve's mind went blank. His jaw dropped. But then Blossom began to raise her arms. Steve pointed at her arms, however, and they went down. The hill was destroyed. "Woah," Blossom breathed.
Intermission 2: Year 1592
"Hello, Ariel. My, you look smart today!"
I smiled at my babysitter, Mother Earth, she was called. She was a frail old lady, she was so kind-hearted, though. It was such a coincidence, however; her real name was, as she said, Gaia (Titan of the Earth) Mother Earth (Mother Earth!).
It was the year 1592 when this whole thing came to light.
There was a party made by the other girls who had been babysat by Mother Earth, and I was invited. We were all there, and what a peculiar set of names: Ariel (That's me!), Sydney, Aero, Petunia and Rocky.
And there was Mother Earth. She began by a speech: That's right. Girls, you are about to learn my true Identity."
We gasped. TRUE IDENTITY?
"I am Gaia. Titan of the Earth."
We all gasped in shock. A powerful source like Gaia, babysitting regular kids?
"I shall now disperse my powers among you all, so you may help me defeat not-so-nice gods and goddesses, and monsters like the Chimera. Let's see... Your names have something to do with your powers. I shall tell you the five elements that you girls control, and you try to figure out which one is for which girl. Number One: Water. Number Two: Growth and Nature. Number Three: Fire. Number Four: Stone. Number Five: Air."
This was a lot to process, but we got started on the project.
"Number One: Water."
"What has to do with water?"
"Um... sea?"
"No."
"Hmm. Crabs?"
"I don't think so."
"Mermaids?"
"Maybe... can you name some mermaids?"
"Ariel?"
"Yes! Okay, Ariel, congratulations, you have the power to control and manipulate water! Good luck! Next: Number Two: Fire."
"Hm... Ashes?"
"No Ashleys..."
"Cinders?"
"Cinders... Sydney...hmm... YES YES YES! I control FIRE!" As soon as Sydney said this, her eyes glowed orange.
"Okay, Number Three: Growth and Nature."
"Flowers?"
"Petunia?"
"Great idea, Ariel! OK, so Petunia."
"Air."
"Aero!"
"Okay, so rocks and stone..."
"ROCKY!"
"Gaia Girls," said Gaia, "Get ready to rumble!"
OKAY, THREE MORE GOOD REVIEWS!