Robbie West – Page 2 – Drucilla's Corner

Not All Monsters Are Monsters

Drucilla, Dalton and the twelve bees of court expected their next guest to arrive at any moment. Punctual to the minute, Dalton’s guard appeared in the entrance to the royal living quarters to inform them that their guest had arrived. Dalton hurried out to welcome him. After a few moments, Dalton reappeared in the royal chambers looking about as pale as a bee could look. His deep, bass voice trembled as he announced the man they had invited.

Dalton: Mr. Frankenstein, your royal Highness.

Drucilla (wondering what had Dalton so discombobulated): Please do come in, Mr. Stein.

The Queenly Opinion of the Wizard of Oz

The Wizard of Oz by L. Frank Baum, Geo M. Hill Co., New York, 1900.

by Drucilla B. Queen

I had read the book and written the entire review a week ago. I thought I was all set. The little orphan girl, Dorothy, battles the wicked old witch and finds her way back home again. There, she learns to appreciate her family, even when it is not quite the one she wanted. After her “tornado tour”, she realizes that her aunt and uncle would miss her terribly, even it they have a little trouble showing it. That is what Dorothy needs to know. That’s what anyone needs to know. I wonder if Dalton would miss me. And my ladies of court, who smile at me so sweetly in the royal living quarters? I have no doubt they would be the ones singing “Ding-dong, the witch is dead”! Dalton might not join in, but he probably wouldn’t stop them. And all I ever wanted to do was to take good care of them. Well, Kansas is starting to look like paradise. But I digress.

A Queenly View of Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland

by Lewis Carroll, MacMillan & Co., 1865.

This is the part where I finally get to express my opinion about my guest and her home. I already had this part finished last week, when a tiny, little problem cropped up. Dalton told me I have to read the book before I can review it. I asked him if I had to read the whole thing or if it was enough, only to read the parts where the Queen of Hearts plays a role. He said I have to read it all. Personally, I can’t imagine why. After all, this is my opinion about a book, it’s not a school project. Dalton claims there needs to be some kind of structure to my reviews. I am supposed to say what the book is about before I am allowed to pass judgement on it. How very tedious! To tell you the truth, if I had known the amount of work involved in this column, I never would have started it in the first place. In my opinion, Dalton would be a much better person to take care of this kind of business. He has read just about everything that has been written. He could write the reviews, and I could just sign them. Nothing easier than that. Unfortunately, Dalton sees this a bit differently. He argues that: 1) he could not express himself nearly as well as I could, and 2) it would not be quite honest. The Queen, he explained, must be impeccably honest at all times. I wonder what the Queen of Hearts would say to that. Most likely, she’d have his head chopped off. Ha-ha! Good old Hearts and her chopped off heads! She does have a sense of humor, even if she won’t admit it.

Book Review Contest

Dalton and I are very excited to announce our first Creative Book Review Contest. We think the review of a piece of art should also be a work of art. We want to encourage readers to write a review of their favorite books. Classics are alright, but we would really like to see something contemporary. We assume the contestants will review a book of fiction, but if anyone out there can show us an entertaining review of a non-fiction book, we will be happy to read it.

I will lay out some of the rules, but be sure to take a look at our guidelines as well.

The length of the review must not exceed 500 words.
Please use Times New Roman 12pt.
Put your name, address, phone number and e-mail address on the review.
Send a cover letter via e-mail to jc25-1750@online.de attach the review as a word .doc or docx file.
The deadline for submitting is June 30, 2020.
The winner will be announced on July 31, 2020.

So try something new with your book review. Personalize it. Personify it. Defamiliarize it. We can’t wait to read it!

The Troublesome Guest

It was so quiet in the royal living quarters, only the occasional wave of a feeler could be heard. The sound resembled that of a feather floating through the air. No human could hear it – only a bee. Drucilla B. Queen sat on her throne straightening her proboscis and rolling it back up again. She and Dalton both stared at the empty chair in facing them.

Drucilla: He’s not coming, Dalton. Who would have the nerve to stand up a queen?

Dalton: Perhaps something happened, your Majesty. Perhaps something out of his control.

Drucilla: I believe something will happen to him if he doesn’t show up in the next ten minutes.

Review of the Wizard of Oz

The Wizard of Oz by L. Frank Baum, Geo M. Hill Co., New York, 1900.

A royal review by Drucilla B. Queen

I had read this book and written the entire review a week ago. I thought I was all set. The little orphan girl, Dorothy, battles the wicked old witch and finds her way back home again. There, she learns to appreciate her family, even when it is not quite the one she wanted. After her “tornado tour”, she realizes that her aunt and uncle would miss her terribly, even it they have a little trouble showing it. That’s what Dorothy needs to know. That’s what anyone needs to know. I wonder if Dalton would miss me. And my ladies of court, who smile at me so sweetly in the royal living quarters? I have no doubt they would be the ones singing “Ding-dong, the witch is dead”! Dalton might not join in, but he probably wouldn’t stop them. And all I ever wanted to do was to take good care of them. Well, Kansas is starting to look like a down-right paradise. But I digress.

Drucilla interviews the Wicked Witch of the West

Drucilla B. Queen sits on her throne with the empty seat facing her. Her guest is late. Dalton is growing more nervous with each minute that passes. The witch has been known to have trouble with her broomstick before, sometimes landing her far beyond her destination. The ladies of court buzz quietly among themselves.

A guard finally appears in the doorway to the royal living quarters to announce the witch’s arrival. Looking relieved, Dalton makes his way to the main entrance to the beehive to escort their guest in.

An Interview with Heart

Queen Drucilla V. and her faithful colony of honey bees are in a peck of trouble. Pollen has become scarce, the worker bees are hungry and part of the beehive is crumbling. To improve their standard of living and to insure that there will be enough food for all throughout the coming winter, Queen Drucilla has decided to allow outside guests to come into the beehive. She wants to interview creatures from other books, worlds away from where she is right now.

Greetings from the Hive!

I am Queen Drucilla V. Until this year, my subjects and I have enjoyed a prosperous life. Now, on the brink of my retirement, my bee colony is in a crisis. Pollen is scarce this year, my worker bees can’t produce enough honey for everyone to get a full ration, and part of the hive is starting to crumble.

The truth is, we won’t make it through the winter unless I go to work. Ever since I was a little princess, I have wanted to be a journalist. So now I am going to try it out. But I’m not just any journalist. In particular, I want to meet characters from other books and hear about their strange and fascinating lives. It is such a great advantage to our colony that we have all learned how to read, but that is another story.