SOP Meeting: Using Props to Make Your Story

Caleb was now a sixth year and next year would be his last year at Beauxbatons, reality was hitting him hard. His co-leader was graduating this year and there was no one to take Caleb's place once he was gone unless someone became his co-leader next year. Him and Sawyer had spent some time coming up with ideas for the meeting for this year and Caleb had a bit of a surprise for his graduating friend. There was a table set up with objects on top of it, a sheet covered them so the club couldn't see what they were doing. "Hello, hello, hello," he repeated as members entered the room and took their seats. Once everyone was settled, Caleb took his place in the front of the room. "Welcome to Student Organized Press."

He cleared his throat and eyed the members before continuing. "I have some sad news," he started, he looked over at his co-leader then back at the club. "It's our co-leader's last year at Beauxbatons, such terrible news, I know." He was truly sad to see the older boy leave, but he hoped it wouldn't be the last time they saw each other. "Well, I have a bit of surprise for him before we get the meeting started." Caleb pulled his bag from under the covered table and searched through it for the item he had been looking for. He pulled out a colorfully wrapped bag of candy and other treats, he held the bag out to the older boy. "I wrapped it myself and I picked out the candy." He grinned, he was a bit nervous about the whole thing.

After he was done with that, he looked at the rest of the group before pulling the sheet off of the table. "Today, were going to use props to tell a story. The story could be about the item or the item must be mentioned at least once. Who would like to go first?"

Ruby was excited for another year of Student Organized Press, this club (in her book) was one of the best clubs Beauxbatons had to offer. She liked making up stories and she enjoyed the company of the other members. She watched the club leader, Caleb, give the co-leader a bag of sweets. She had no clue it was his last year at Beauxbatons, how much longer did the club leader have left then? Who would take his place? The idea of being the club leader interested Ruby but she already had her hands full with her other club. Whoever became the club leader after Caleb graduated was going to have a grand time.

Ruby's hand was one of the first to go up, like always, and she hurried to the table. "Oooh! I want this one!" She picked up a blue umbrella out of all the objects and showed it off to the group. "This is Brian the Blue Umbrella and though he cannot speak, he can see and hear. Well, his owner likes to use him in the sun and the rain, in any time of weather really. He loves his owner dearly but he cannot handle the rain anymore, he hates the rain. If an umbrella was alive, do you think he or she would tell you how much they hated being in the rain? Well, Brian was so tired of the rain that when the wind blew, he blew away with it. But poor, poor, poor Brian got stuck in a tree. Too high for his owner to get him, so he had to stay there until he eventually fell. And that is the story of Brian the Blue Umbrella." She stuck the umbrella back in its place and bow to the crowd before going back to her seat.

Stephanie wasn't absolutely certain she liked this meeting idea. Telling a story to be published was one thing. Telling it in front of all these people another all together? She liked the space and the right environment. Quiet. A broom cupboard was a good place for stories. Out here in the open? Nope. Not at all.

She shoved her hands under her thighs as she watched Ruby eagerly get up to tell her story. The red head made it look so easy but Stephanie was sure it was nothing but hard. She turned to the person next to her. "You can go next. I'll wait it out a little longer." It was a cowardly thing to say but Stephanie really did not want to tell a story in front of all these people. She was a writer. Not a speaker. Writing was what this club was all about so why did they have to do this?

Sawyer loved the Student Organized Press club and had been in it for most of his time at Beauxbatons. Sadly this would be his last meeting ever, and he wasn't sure how he felt about that. He knew that most people in his position would feel very sad, possibly ready to cry, but Sawyer just felt a bit blue. He loved the idea that him and Caleb had come up with for this term and he thought it would be a good way to end his time in the club. He smiled weakly at Caleb's greeting and introduction to the club members. Sawyer smiled brightly when the teen gave him a big bag of candy, "Thanks." He said lamely. He watched a young girl go first and tell a silly story about a blue umbrella she had picked up.

After a rather long pause he decided he might as well go next. He walked up to the table, "I guess I'll go next then." He said before examining the items on the table and finally he picked up one of the pieces of candy instead of the other items. He held it up before starting. "I'm gonna tell you a story about a kid who loved candy more than anything else in the world. This kid with his sunny blonde hair and ocean blue eyes had always had a love for candy, there wasn't a time in his life that he disliked the sweet treat. When he wanted to show someone he cared about them he gave them candy, when he was hungry he ate candy, even while he told stories to a large crowd he still ate candy. What he didn't know though is that he was practically candy himself, sweet all the way down to the core, he too was happiness and smiled wrapped into one package. One day he found something he liked more than candy though but never forgot it and lived happily ever after." Sawyer ended lamely before returning to his seat.

Caleb was pleased that Sawyer seemed to like his hand, he didn't know what else to get the older boy after all. And who didn't like candy? A smile was attached to his face, like always, but this smile was bigger and brighter than his normal smile. He took a seat as the third year told a story about an umbrella. What a brilliant story to come from the top of some one's head. He pulled his leg close to him and leaned his head against his knee as Sawyer took the floor.

Instead of taking an item off of the table, he took a piece of candy from the bag. What was he doing? Then his story began, Caleb's heart beat faster and faster. Was he talking about him? He must have. There was no one else he could think of besides himself. His face burned, he knew a blush had formed on his face. He couldn't believe that Sawyer had made up a story about him. Him! The thought almost made him jump up and squeal but he couldn't interrupt the story. He bit his lip and watched the other boy return to his seat.

"I guess I'll go next," he said after finding his voice. He cleared his throat and went up to the table. What to choose? He picked up a box that contained his favorite board game, a game based on candy. "Once there was a boy who loved candy, he loved this game right here." He pointed at the box as if it wasn't obvious he was holding it. "And he could never get the courage to ask the person he liked to play a round with him. But maybe, just maybe, he'd find his courage and ask that guy to play a game with him."

How did they do it? Just get up and tell a story based on an object for the rest of the club to hear? Stephanie was sure she would die of humiliation if she did anything like what was expected of her. Get up and tell a story? No way. She would just continue to sit and watch everyone else. Only problem was sooner or later she would be the last one left to tell her story and she had a feeling someone would pick up on that fact.

Member after member told a story and those who had not had a turn were much fewer. Eventually she gave him and stood nervously. There wasn't much left to choose from and Stephanie picked up a toy rabbit. She turned and faced the rest of SOP. She could do this. Couldn't she? After what felt like a lifetime of just standing there and not saying a word Stephanie took a deep breath and began. "This is Clovis the rabbit. Clovis is a pet belonging to a little girl called Marie."

She paused, not certain she could go on with a story which was not originally hers. A story her mother told of her older sister's first pet. Maybe she should change it. Stephanie swallowed. She had to continue on regardless of whether she stuck to the original or made something up. "One day Clovis found his hutch had been left open by accident so he decided to go for a little adventure. He..." She couldn't do it. Stephanie finished in a collection of garbled sentences with. "He went out. He went in. And no-one found out." Before dropping the rabbit and hurrying back to her seat. The story had been changed and she felt guilt hanging down on her like a dark cloud.