Picante

Magdalena loved to dance. All it took was the hint of music and her feet started twitching; even sitting at her desk her feet beat out the rhythm of a hundred songs a day.

She found music in everything; her graceful hands swept through the air like songbirds as she spoke; her hips and shoulders keeping time as she walked.

"Magda, Magda," her mother lamented; "¡tan picante!, that one."

She was too hot; she was too spicy for her mother's comfort. There was nothing she could do about it; Magdalena was born to dance.

© 2010 Cynthia Newcomer Daniel
Bead-woven bracelet. Pattern available.

Slaying Dragons

Gwennyth hated her name. It was far too romantic and silly, and she was not the type of girl who wanted to be rescued from a fire-breathing dragon by a knight in shining armor. Why couldn't she have been named something sensible and no nonsense, like Jane or Anne?

Philip was browsing through on-line profiles when he saw her name. Oddly enough, he didn't find it romantic or silly, though he did shorten it to Gwen after meeting her. She called him Phil, right from the start. Neither of them could believe that no one had ever thought to call them that before.

And they lived happily ever after.

© 2010 Cynthia Newcomer Daniel
Seed beads, crystals, brass. Hand fabricated, bead-woven necklace.

Rodeo Queen

Jess loved barrel racing almost as much as she loved winning. Her adrenaline rose when she made the first mad dash into the arena, and stayed high until she crossed the finish line. She loved getting as close to the barrels as possible, and she knew just how fast and tight her horse could take every turn. They'd been together for awhile now, and she swore that he trusted her more than he trusted himself; he did whatever she asked of him, and never held back. They were a team. They won, more often than not; Jess had superb concentration and handling, and Bullroar had speed and heart.

They'd won today, and tonight Jess was celebrating. She played as hard as she worked, and tonight was no exception. Tall, lean, and muscled, she was a match for anyone at the club; unlike her horse, however, she liked her men wild and unpredictable.

Jess nearly always got what she wanted.

© 2010 Cynthia Newcomer Daniel

Seed beads, wooden components, boulder opal, tigers eye, onyx, crystals, czech beads, leather. Hand fabricated, bead woven. Winner, Best Design Execution, Use the Muse IV.

Wind Dancer

Annalisa couldn't help it if the boys preferred her; it wasn't like she meant to steal other girls' boyfriends. Quite the contrary. She did her best to discourage them; she didn't want them to fall in love with her. Yet somehow, they always did.

Oddly enough, even after their break-ups, the girls didn't blame Annalisa. She was such a sweet girl; it couldn't be her fault. To a girl, they all were glad that they'd found out how fickle and unreliable their former loves really were. They told one another that they didn't want to be going out with boys who were drawn to another girl, like a fly to honey.

It wasn't the honey's fault.

© 2010 Cynthia Newcomer Daniel

Seed beads. Bead weaving, hand fabricated.