A fire-breathing dragon infestation, which was documented in rare manuscripts made up by the Fixin’ Leaks and Leeks Team, once led to frustrating years of isolation for wealthy castle-owners. In an attempt to still make a buck or two, they opened up their rocky courtyards to tourists who were brave enough to venture into fire-breathing dragon territory. Signs leading to these rocky courtyards read, “Open for Take-Out and Make-Believe.” Tourists could fill their pantaloons and petticoats with all of the rockin’ rocks they could find and either leave them “as is” or use paint to turn them into delightful replicas of nature or celebrities. Best of all, they didn’t need any special weapons in order to hunt the rocks. They could leave their sharpened swords, lances, spears, and knives at home. In fact, some of the rocks could just be thrown at any menacing fire-breathing dragons that would get in the way, and they’d drop from the sky, already cooked. Some of the fanciest rock-hunting places also carried delicious spice rubs that tourists could take home if they were lucky enough to hit a tasty dragon in the head and knock it from the sky.
As you can see, rock hunting is not nearly as exciting or dangerous as it once was, but Nate, Alex, and I took the ferry to Whidbey Island to wrangle up a few rocks that might be getting a little too comfortable along the shoreline of the Puget Sound. In particular, we were looking for a rock for our own dangerous feline creature that does not shoot fire. Instead, SeaTac the cat shoots vomit because he eats too quickly. So, at the last doctor’s visit, the vet technician suggested we stick a rock in his bowl so that he has to eat slowly around it. During our hunt then, we found a very nice rock that shines like crystal in the sun. SeaTac does not appreciate it nearly as much as we do. In fact, when I first stuck it in his bowl, I swore I could hear him say,
“What the @!!? What is this? What do I do with it?”
Eventually, he pushed it out of the way and ate around his food. Hopefully, that rock helps him keep his food down.
Of course, we couldn’t go home with just one rock. Nate, Alex, and I didn’t exactly fill our pantaloons with a harvest of hardened soil and minerals, but I did find at least one other that I could turn into a ladybug, and here it is:
I especially like how you can still see the glue hardening around the googly eyes and the dots, which add real-life touches to the painted parts. It’s like the ladybug is really coming at you. Either that, or it’s trying to send out a warning as best as it can, through its very expressive eyes, that there’s a fire-breathing dragon in the area. Take cover.
In Other News: “The Dishwasher” is a story I wrote several years ago about a dishwasher that eats people. As you can imagine, it got rejected. A lot. However, The Daily Drunk Magazine just accepted it, and you can read this short, short piece of fiction here: The Dishwasher.
Your Turn: Have you ever painted a rock or collected rocks on a beach? Discuss.
Fixin' Leaks and Leeks 
I love collecting beach glass but that ladybug is adorable!
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Thanks so much! The ladybug was fun to paint.
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Oh yes, especially when I was younger. Your ladybug is cute! 🙂
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Thanks! I’m thinking about making a whole family of ladybugs. Nate and Alex can help me out, maybe. 🙂
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I’ve got a pet rock. I haven’t spoken with it for a while though.
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There’s a bit of pop culture history!
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Tell it I said, “Hi!”
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I will 😃
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When I was a kid, I used to pick up pebbles on every hike, or visit to the mountains or shore. Eventually I stopped collecting them, but now I’m going to always take a couple of rocks with me, to throw at dishwashers.
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I’d make that rock a large one . . .
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That might not work, though. When dishwashers turn evil, it’s probably best to just remove them from the house. I don’t understand why the people in my story never did that. What were they thinking?
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I thought you’d know! 🤔
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I displayed the last rocks I collected on the beach in a candy dish, and my mother mistook them for bonbons. Luckily, she realized her mistake before trying to eat one.
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I could see how that might happen. We used to put unusual rocks in a basket in our living room. They looked great at first, but then they just collected dust.
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Yes, I’ve retired much home decor due to the collecting dust factor.
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I haven’t painted any myself before but family and friends have an have helped to scatrer them x
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Ah, yes! We have lots of kids in the neighborhood who might enjoy looking for ladybug rocks. Great idea!
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I loved your story on rock hunting, Cecilia, and it took me back to a favourite birthday gift of my childhood, a rock polishing kit. Just a couple years ago now! Maybe, over time, SeaTac’s tongue will polish the rock into something even more beautiful as well!
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Thanks so much! Yes–I had a rock polishing kit when I was younger too. It was awesome. And, you’re right. SeaTac will definitely polish that rock over time.
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Ahh, Whidbey Island, my childhood home! Great rock hunting there. I think you found the purrfect rock for SeaTac even if he disagrees.
And, congratulations on the dishwasher story getting picked up!
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I didn’t know you were from Whidbey Island! It’s a beautiful place!
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Not that I can recall, but probably in my youth. The ladybug is very cute. And the title of the magazine that took your story says it all. Haha! How am I not already subscribed to that?!
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Thanks! I love that magazine–I think they get me:)
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Oh, my…your story reminds me why I never use my dishwasher, Cecelia!
I loved hunting for rocks on the shores of Lake Superior in Michigan’s Upper Peninsula. I miss that place every single day. I still have some of my lovely finds.
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Yes–dishwashers are evil–sometimes:) Thanks for reading!
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Your stories are always very entertaining!
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i loved collecting rocks and shells as a kid, but recently i’ve stopped doing that. great post, thank you for sharing❤️
Follow @everythingtips for tips and recommendations if interested! It would mean a lot to me!🥺❤️
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You’re welcome! Thank you for stopping by!
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my pleasure! i love your blog💞
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