Sentence Prompt Challenge

The challenge is to write a story where the characters from your book come to life and refuse to follow the plot.

"Gary, get off of the statue, please.  You can't fly until the end of the book.”

It was then I realized that birds know how to glare and I experience an Alfred Hitchcock moment.

"Gary, I said please.  No need to shoot daggers at me."

Gary flies from the statue and I hear a "plop" on the sidewalk just behind me.

“Were you aiming at me?” I glare back. “I wrote you into the book, and I can write you out of the book. I’ll be thinking of good cat names.”

The little green bird lands, wanders over to the food that I put out for them, and munches on sunflower seeds while still staring at me. 

I think,  “Onward and upward,” and smile at the irony.

"Ok, Gizelle.  We're on page twelve.  You're up first."

Suddenly, Gabby is chirping in my ear, "Why is she going first?  She's the youngest.  I don't even get my own exit from the nest.  I have to share the scene with Greg and he falls, gets a bandage on his beak, and all sorts of sympathy from the readers. I'm just hovering around up there waiting for him to get his act together, so we can fly off to who knows where.  What if I don't want to go wherever he's going?  Maybe I have plans of my own."

I suppress an eyeroll,  "I don’t think Greg necessarily has an itinerary until the second book.  So, where would you like to go, Gabby?"

"I don't know yet.  You haven't developed my character.  I'm just the big sister.  Gary is a whiny baby who doesn't want to leave his mommy. Gizelle is a loud mouth diva.  Greg is this athletic, handsome bird that all the girl birds swoon over."

Grateful that Gary is now glaring at Gabby instead of at me, I ask,  "Where did you come up with that description of your brother Greg?  I didn't write him that way."

"Oh yeah!?  The lead male character in your romance novel is written as the most perfect, gorgeous guy on earth, and what's his name?"

Knowing this isn’t going to end well, "Greg?"

"That's right.  You named him Greg."  

I reply a bit defensively, "I wrote the first Gary Greenbird book long before Greg existed in the adult fiction manuscript.  It’s a coincidence.  Quite honestly, I kind of forgot about them having the same name.  Gabby, what would you like me to do?"

"Write a third book!  It took you a couple days to write the second one and send the boy birds on a big adventure across the country."

I try to gently correct her,  "It took more than a couple days."  

Gabby let's out a squawk and flaps her wings. I inwardly cringe and try to figure out how to tell her the third book is already a concept, but it's not about her.  

I take a deep breath and just go for it, "I have been kicking around the idea of another book. I mean, you really can't ignore a bird born with a tiara and a boa.  I'll write you in as Gizelle's assistant when she is cast in a movie or becomes a fashion designer.  I haven’t quite decided what direction to take her yet."

Suddenly Gabby’s wings are flapping furiously and she’s in my face,  "Her what?!"

"Her smarter, prettier assistant?"  I answer, trying to keep feathers out of my eyes.  

"Develop my character!  That's what they pay you for."

"Well, technically..."

Gabby's wheels are spinning, "I picture myself as a crime fighter, or a special assistant to the FBI.  Birds see things, you know.  We see lots of things."

I don't like the way she's looking at me.  

"So, a crime solving bird?"  

I chuckle at the image I have of Gabby in a Sherlock Holmes hat, clutching a tiny magnifying glass.  She flaps her wings again.  In that moment, writing a murder mystery with Gabby as the prime suspect seems fitting.

"I promise I'll work on it and I'll get back to you.  Could you just get in the nest and be ready to fly, please."

I look around for the Greenbird brothers.  Gary has moved on to a bowl of blueberries.  No doubt he plans to aim better and stain my clothes next time.

"Gary, could you take your place in the nest, too, please."

I hear a snarky, "I thought I couldn't  fly yet."

My glare has returned, "Gee, I wonder if I can replace the cute little cow in ‘Gary and Greg's Baseball Adventure’ with a hungry cat."  

Gary quickly hops in the nest next to Gabby and Gizelle.

I look around again, "Has anybody seen Greg?"

Suddenly I feel something on my shoulder, "Hey babe, can we talk about the order of the names in that book title?  I feel like Greg and Gary has a better flow or maybe leave Gary's name out of it all together,"  he raises an eyebrow at me.

I make a note to change my adult fiction hero’s name to Jake.

I  hear Gizelle shrieking, "Come on!  I haven't got all day!  I have an appointment to get my tiara polished."

I've created four little green monsters.  I wonder if the dog trainer at PetSmart has ever worked with birds.  I’m giving him a call.