The Lorax Novels & Stories

He looked at me with confusion and worry etched into his features. “What do you mean he isn’t real?” he asked. I shook my head. “He isn’t real,” I repeated. “He’s a fairy story. A legend that parents tell their children about. There are books about him, and nursery rhymes. He isn’t real.” “What kinds of stories?” Onyx asked. I shrugged. I couldn’t believe that we were having this conversation. “There’s one legend about Soxor making a deal with the Moon Goddess that if he could go one full lunar cycle without sleep, she would grant him the power to change his shape, just as the moon does.”

I whispered compassionately, “I’m so sorry I even brought it up. You do not have to tell me about the rest of it.” She shook her head stubbornly, “No. I want to,” she stated firmly and took a deep breath. “Lorak couldn’t pinpoint exactly where his voice was coming from through the chaos that night, so he went about every hut, dragging the stones away from the entrances. He saved people’s lives that night. A lot of people didn’t burn because Lorak was trying to find his mate, but his mate burned. It was the last hut Lorak searched and by the time he got there…” she sniffled, “that’s the story.”

Chapter Twelve ****** The house was bustling with activity that Thursday morning, I was trying to not be languid in any activity I engaged myself as I hardly had any sleep the previous night. "Aunty Lola, grandma said you should come and keep some fried meat for grandpa" Tobi said to me eagerly, he was obviously excited about the errand as he would have a taste of the delicacy. "Oh" I groaned inwardly. Where do they want me to put it now?

Nothing except for tarantulorus rex. There was no sign of any spider, which meant it had either scuttled back into its hidey-hole or it was currently residing somewhere on me. After randomly brushing and flicking various parts of myself, and shuddering at the thought of what might be crawling around inside my shirt, I continued to the bottom of the stairs. Loran was lying on one of the tables, grey, pasty and corpse-like. Black gunk had congealed across his throat and pooled on the tabletop. It was a strange way to celebrate your birthday, although it made people very easy to shop for.

Three-year-old Theo, with his curious eyes and tousled hair, snuggled up close, his little hand reaching out to touch the colorful illustrations on the pages. "Once upon a time in a faraway land," Mama Hazel began, her voice gentle and melodic, "there lived a playful fox named Oliver. He had a bright orange coat and a mischievous twinkle in his eye." Theo's eyes widened in wonder as he listened intently, captivated by the tale unfolding before him.

The single-letter middle name has been inspired by none other than Kim Taehyung of BTS. As she sits on a wall that also serves as a rather hard bench, Lor reminds Kate of a black bear she once saw in Manila Zoo when she was a kid. Lor is slumped like a lazy uncle. The fact that she’s munching on roasted watermelon seeds enhances the impression. She’d break a seed open between her teeth, swallow the seed and then discard the shell. Within seconds, she’d start the process all over again. Her laid-back mechanical efficiency is evidenced by the heap of empty shells next to her. Lor’s siblings Leonard and Lisbeth are playing either tag or hide-and-seek with some kids from the neighboring tombs. T

Even if I have to burn this loom spinning us troubles and everyone wheeling it, I’m coming back. I turned the key. The engine roared to life, a predatory growl in the quiet parking lot. I shifted into gear and pulled away, leaving the my only true love behind, but carrying the prisoner's chains with me.