May 16, 2019
Usually I only post twice a week, but this is a special occasion. Recently, Rob Goldstein and I were sending emails back and forth, basically goofing around. I sent him an image by artist Michael Whelan and and added a whimsical line. And then another, and another. Suddenly Rob said, “Let’s make this into a story.”
One of the images I showed Rob is called Integral Trees. You can see it by clicking this link to Mr. Whelan’s work. The other paintings were Rimrunner (2011) and Erosion (1999). You can search the website with those names to view them.
Rob created a special image for our story. Since it began with his character, Trina, the story is in what I call his poetic format.
Trina Woke from a Dream

The Shadow Boy was on his way to visit while she languished above
a labyrinth of verdant shrubs.
He saw a blond child levitating outside the window of the monorail.
Shadow Boy was intrigued.
Was the blond child looking for his shadow? Could he catch it with his arrow?
The Shadow Boy examined the boy for clues.
The “boy” had pixie ears and breasts.
This wasn’t his boy.
Trina waved at the Shadow Boy and motioned for him to join her.
The boy hesitated. Trina wondered why. Perhaps because the sun was going down.
The Shadow Boy shouldn’t be afraid of the dark. Besides there’s a streetlight.

She decided it made no difference. She still had Madison, but wait, where had
Madison got to?
She was chasing a few moths drawn to streetlight.
Madison chasing moths? This was out of character.
“What’s wrong with you?” asked Trina.
“Nothing!” Madison scowled.
“You’re chasing moths.”
“They’re chasing me. Look at these holes!”
It was true; Madison was full of holes.
The end.
***
Please visit Rob and his post of this story. (Like many other bloggers, we are having issues with the “reblog button.”) Trina Woke from a Dream.
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This is a work of fiction. Characters, names, places, and incidents are either the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously, and any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, business establishments, locales, or events is entirely coincidental.
Copyright © 2019 by Rob Goldstein and Teagan Ríordáin Geneviene
Images copyright © 2019 by Rob Goldstein
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You and Rob make a great team, Teagan – you’re good for each other’s creativity. Hugs!
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Thanks so much Teri. Rob inspires me. Hugs on the wing.
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What a fun story, Teagan and Rob! And the artwork is spectacular, as always!
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I’m so glad you enjoyed it, Jan. Hugs on the wing!
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Reblogged this on Loleta Abi.
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Huge thanks for sharing from your place, Traci. Hugs!
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You’re welcome, Teagan! Hugs back!
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I love this! Kudos to you and Rob!
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Thank you so much, Resa. I was hoping you’d enjoy this one. Trina and Sarah would go wild for your gowns! Hugs on the wing.
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What a fun little story. You guys are a great team. I love Rob’s illustrations and the way your mind works with them. 🙂
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Thanks, Dan. Rob did all the heavy lifting on this one. I just nudged it along. Two consecutive nights of moths invading my bedroom had me sending Madison to chase them. Rob slayed me with his response. Hugs on the wing!
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Ha! Creative work should be fun – I’m glad it was.
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Thanks over here, too, Dan.
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Reblogged this on Chris The Story Reading Ape's Blog.
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Adored Ape, huge thanks for sharing this from your tree house. Hugs on the wing!
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Have a great weekend, Teagan 🦍🤗❤️❤️🤗🦍
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Getting together with my friend from the next town to celebrate her birthday. A great start to the weekend. Hugs!
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Thanks for the reblog, Chris.
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My pleasure, Robert 👍😃
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Love the images and the whimsy. Rob and you make a winning team, for sure. Thanks for sharing, Teagan!
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Thank you kindly, Olga. I really appreciate all your support. I hope you’ve had a beautiful week. Huge hugs.
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A delightful story and your sense of enjoyment and collaboration is evident in the light and magic of the story. As many have said, the ending twist is terrific! Will you work on more together?
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Hi Annika. Your comment is music to my ears. Rob and I have worked together many times. We have a couple of ideas incubating. Many thanks for visiting. Hugs!
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Thanks Annika. I think we’ll collaborate again. Actually, Teagan is advising me on the publication of my first book.
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Remember, Rob… 😉 Think Captain Jack Sparrow, but a 1600s Chinese pirate — he possesses the skull of Cornelis Drebbel.
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The slap scenes are hilarious.
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Thank you kindly for sharing from your place. Hugs on the wing!
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I saw this on Rob’s blog and throughly enjoyed your collaboration! The ending cracked me up. What a fun way to come up with a story!
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Dear Denise. You are so kind to leave a comment here as well. Doing this story was a hoot. I’m so glad you enjoyed it. Hugs on the wing!
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Hugs back 🙂
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A nice short story with a great ending.
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Welcome back Gerlinde. I’ve enjoyed your photos and Facebook posts of your holiday. Rob and I had great fun with this story. I’m happy it made you smile. Hugs on the wing.
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Thank you, Gerlinde. I’m glad you liked the story.
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The best kind of story—gorgeous and weird and a pinch of WTF.
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Hey Barb. It’s great to see you. Rob did all the heavy lifting on this one. I just nudged it along. Two consecutive nights of moths invading my bedroom had me sending Madison to chase them. Rob slayed me with his response. Hugs on the wing!
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I love those little pinches of WTF. I’m glad you like the story, Barb.
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Aw, it was cute and surreal and fun.:-)
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Tee-hee! Just what we intended, Priscilla. Thanks so much for reading. Hugs on the wing!
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Another great collab between you and Rob! Love the story and art. Those darn moths!! They can ruin a favorite garment in no time can’t they.
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Hi Deborah. I’m glad you are steadily getting settled in your new digs.
Indeed the moths can ruin clothes — and a good night’s sleep. Two consecutive nights of moths invading my bedroom had me sending Madison to chase them. Rob slayed me with his response. Hugs on the wing!
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I love this collaboration between the two of you. How fun. Good excuse for an extra post, Teagan.
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Diana you are so kind to visit both of us. Thank you.
I was in the middle of Brother Love, but when Rob wanted to share this as a story, I couldn’t resist. Now, where did I leave Birdie Devovo…?
Hugs on the wing.
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Saw this on Rob’s blog, too. So different and odd. Good job, you two!
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Thanks for visiting both of us, Mae. I really appreciate it. I think the Trina character lends herself well to the surreal. It would seem less odd if you saw the image prompts we were using, but they are not in the public domain.
We were just having fun, but I’m very glad Rob wanted to turn it into a story.
Hugs. 🙂
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Is Madison made of cotton or wool? Just kidding, of course. This is a most interesting take on the nature of a moth’s appetite.
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Hi Gary. Haha! Rob and I were goofing around via email with this. Then I looked up and saw how many moths had gotten into my room. Madison handled things in a much more… peaceful way than I did! 😀 😱 Thanks for visiting. Hugs.
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It ended up as a cute story.
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Lots of fun, Teagan.
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Thanks for visiting both Rob and me, John. I really appreciate it. I’ll be catching up at your place tomorrow.
It’s been quite a day here. But they got my carport built. Yay! Hugs.
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Yay. You need one there for sure. Hugs.
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Trina has the face of a doll. Love the whimsical feel of this piece-well done, Rob and Teagan!
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Indeed she does, Jacquie. But that’s for Rob to share.
I’m happy you enjoyed it. Yes, it’s pure whimsy. We really were just goofing around. I’m so glad Rob wanted to make a story of it. Hugs on the wing.
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I’m glad you noticed that, Jacquie. Thanks for reading the story and leaving a comment.
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Have a nice weekend, my friend 🙂
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What a neat little story with a clever twist at the end!
But I gotta tell you Teagan, you’re gonna have the gossip tongues wagging with all these “collaborations” between you and all these men! Lol! 😳😂🙄
🐾Ginger 🐾
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😱 Horsefeathers! Ginger I hope not. They are all happily married. And that part of my life is over. Most emphatically over. LOL.
I’m happy just me being me — and writing my stories.
Seriously though, Over the blogging years, I’ve actively looked for people who either are not writers or who at least write very different material than me.
This new serial with Dan will probably go on for quite a while (my serials tend to). So my plate is full.
But you raise a very good point. After that, I guess I should deliberately select a female collaborator. Hmmm — Hey Fraggle! Are you listening?
Great big hug to you, Ginger.
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Reblogged this on Campbells World.
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Many thanks for sharing, Patty. Huge hugs.
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I like our little story. 🙂
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So do I, Rob. Although you did the “heavy lifting.” Thanks for wanting to make it into a story. Hugs on the wing!
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I just snipped out a few words and added a semi-colon.
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Very cool story and great collaboration with Rob! Great job to you two! 😉
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Welcome Carolina! I always enjoy working with Rob. This was a ton of fun. Thanks for taking time to visit. Hugs on the wing!
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I am sure it was lots of fan! I loved to visit your Blog!
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