Childhood memories cloud her mind. Butterflies hatch and flutter around in her stomach. What would this day bring?
Romance.
Fantasy.
Beauty.
Exhilaration.
Adventure.
She follows the hundreds of strangers shuffling through the turnstiles. She thinks she remembers smiling at the attendant, but she doesn't know for sure. It isn't hard for her to lose herself in it all. She can't help but give in to the euphoria that overtakes her as she walks down Main Street.
Her eyes wander. They bypass all of the smiling faces until they catch glimpse of something so breathtaking, so surreal, so remarkable that she has to stop moving. Others continue on, passing her, brushing against her as they make their way forward. She vaguely recognizes the sweet smells wafting from the bakery to her right, and she thinks she hears music playing from the speaker behind her. But neither move her. Her feet are planted and her gaze is locked. There it is. Cinderella's Castle. The royal flags wave in the wind as she studies it in awe. Perfectly laid bricks separated by expertly carved windows. Her attention settles on the highest window at the very top of the castle. She wonders what it would be like to look out from that window. What would she see? How would it feel to be on top of the world?
A squeeze on her left hand startles her back to reality. How had she forgotten he was there with her? She turns and looks at him. His eager eyes smile at her and nudge her forward. She takes a deep breath and then exhales. As they rejoin the moving crowd, she squeezes his hand back and whispers,
"I love this place."
"I love this place."
This image is one that I took at Magic Kingdom in Orlando. I chose the sky background that matched the background of the photo and corresponded to the "dream" title. Speaking of the title, you may recognize it as a lyric to a Disney song. Coincidence? I think not.
ReplyDeleteAs far as the narrative, it started as a description of a trip I took with my boyfriend; however, in reading it, I realized that it can also be from the point of view of a little girl visiting the park for the first time- perhaps with her daddy?
I placed the photo in the center and was careful not to make it too small or too big. I think the placement of the photo within the text complements both the story and the image.
This blog post is a great representation of a child at Disneyland. The blogger has a way of describing what the little girl is experiencing, it’s almost as if we are experiencing it with her. Including sensory details about what the girl smells and hears is a great way to make us conscious of the surroundings.
ReplyDeleteI thought it was very clever to include the video clip of everyone walking around the park because it is yet another way for us to feel what the little girl is feeling. This visual is placed after the girl starts to walk down Main Street, but before we get any details about the “others continue on, passing her, brushing against her.” By doing this, the blogger has allows us to see what happens before it actually does.
What I like most about this post is how he/his/him is kept anonymous. Is it her dad or Prince Charming? It makes me anxious, and when mixed with the excitement I’m already experiencing from the description of Cinderella’s Castle, I can feel the same butterflies that the little girl does at the very beginning. These elements will keep me, and others, coming back to the blog until we uncover the mystery.
Something that could be cool for your next post would be to play around with the format a little. Right now, everything is centered, and it would be interesting if the reader’s eyes had to jump around the page a little. To me that would symbolize the mass amounts of people that are in the park. That being said, I would keep the castle centered because it’s the little girl’s main focus. Also, I don’t know if this is possible, but it add to the experience if we could hear some type of Disney music.
Hey Susan,
DeleteI wanted to apologize to you. I misunderstood the assignment and rather than creating a new post, I updated my first post. I hope this didn't confuse you too much! Thank you for your feedback!