Have you ever wondered if the Chinese horoscope is more
than just superstition? A few of the traits of an ox are found in my
personality. However, many are not. A few qualities that I have, I
want to work on changing. Looking at the traits of the ox and rat, I
realize that I have more characteristics of a rat.

A few of the qualities of an ox, I posses. One is
loyalty. I will always stand up for a friend, even though I might think he or she is
wrong. All of my friends know that they can count on me. Even if
everyone disagrees with him or her, I try to be a good friend.
Sensibility is another trait that I have. When an intelligent person
gives me advice, I know when to take it. Over these past few years, I
have learned to take my own advice. If someone not too bright tries
to advise me about a situation, I know when to ignore. Being
dependable is another ox characteristic I have. People can always
count on me, because I will never break a promise. My parents trust
me to go out with my friends and to act mature. These are the only
three traits that apply to my personality out of all of the ox
qualities.

Some traits of an ox, I don't have. Patience is
definitely not one of my qualities. I am extremely hot-tempered and become irritated
easily. Sometimes, I lose my temper with my brothers or sister. Parents
and friends are not excused from my temper, either. Not many people
would say that I fear taking the intitiave. The ox is supposed to fear
taking the intiative, but I do not. The only way to get anywhere in
life is to take chances and risks. Conservatism is not one
my characteristics, either. Speaking out and questioning those above
me does not scare me. People can always learn by asking questions.
The majority of the ox characteristics do not fit me, and these are
just a few examples.I already possess some traits of an ox that I would like
to change or develop. Patience is one of them. It's important to be
able to listen to someone else's point of view without getting angry.
Sometimes, being dependable is not such a wonderful trait. Some
people try to take advantage of you if they expect you to be
dependable. I would like to know how to handle the situation when I
know someone just wants to get me to do something for them.
Sensibility is already a characteristic I have, but I would like to
learn how to be more open minded about certain things. Even if I become
more open minded, I would still have the same values that I have
now. Many other traits besides these I would like to change or
develop.

Some of the traits of the ox do not apply to me, many
traits of the rat do apply to my personality. Some traits fit me, but some do
not. Like many others, I also have qualities I would like to change or
develop. Many people's horoscopes do fit their personalities and
some people's horoscopes do not fit them. There are only a few ox
characteristics that apply to me, because I am unique and do not fit in
any category.

Once upon a time, as traditional myths and fairy tales go, there lived
a young girl named Savannah Nicole. She lived on a beautiful Greek
island called Instanopolous. She lived with her mother and father. It
seemed as though she had everything she could ever want or need.
Savannah Nicole was very attractive and smart. She had many friends in
her village and was well liked. She inherited her good looks from her
mother, Jennifer Leanne. Jennifer Leanne had married Antony
Onstonopolous when she was just eighteen and he was twenty~four. Antony
was a very wealthy merchant and was rarely at home. He spent most of
his time sailing around the world. Savannah's family believed that the
reason Antony was such a successfull merchant was because they always
made offerings to the gods and goddessess of Mt. Olympus. One day, when
Savannah came home from school, she discovered that her father had once
again embarked on one of his trips around the world. Savannah went out
into the gardens fo!
r a walk and she heard an unfamiliar voice behind her. When she spun
around, she saw a little man with wings. His skin had a bluish tint to
it and at the same time he seemed to shine. When Savannah asked who he
was, he said that he was Apollo, the messenger of the god's and
goddesses. "The gods of Mt. Olympus have asked that one girl from each
island be selected and brought back to them at Mt. Olympus. There, you
will recieve training to become the guardian goddess of Mt. Olympus.
You must go into your house, pack your things, and come with me at once
to Mt. Olympus." he recited. Savannah was shocked, but this sort of
occurence happened frequently in Ancient Greece. So, she did as Apollo
said.Savannah ran in the house to tell her mother. She was not suprised
at all that this had happened in the middle of her gardens. She told
Savannah that she had been picked to go to training for the guardian
goddess when she was sixteen, also. "I decided not to become immortal
but I'm sure y!
ou will decide what is best for you. Now, Apollo is said to be rather
impatient, so you should probably hurry." and with that, Jennifer
Leanne kissed her daughter's forehead and Savannah ran out the door.
"I'm very sorry to keep you waiting. Let's be on our way, sir."
Savannah said. Apollo handed her a gold feather. He then told her to
hold on to it, and close her eyes. In about three seconds, Savannah
Nicole opened up her eyes and looked around. She was on a stunningly
beautiful mountain in the middle of the sky. It was like a tropical
rainforest. Everything was green. If you looked closely, you could see
some of the palaces that were scattered about the mountain. Savannah
turned to Apollo and asked him what they were going to do now. "Well,
first, you need a new dress and you need to be cleaned up. You will be
staying in your own palace. If you are selected as the guardian, you
will have a palace built in your honor. After you are ready, you will
go to Zeus. He will then dec!
ide if you will make a suitable guardian." Apollo informed her. They
began walking on a path down into the forest. Savannah asked if there
was going to be any training like you would recieve for any mortal job.
Apollo told her that it would all be explained when she saw Zeus. "Here
is your palace. You will find attendants inside and they will take care
of everything." Apollo said. He vanished before Savannah could ask
anymore questions. She walked inside and some ladies dressed in white
dresses took her to a room filled with men and women in white clothes.
Everything she saw was either white or gold. People started doing her
hair and her nails. After the attendants were satisfied that Savannah
looked presentable, they took her out of the palace to a chariot.
Savannah got in and they raced across the ground. When they finally
slowed down, Savannah could see a magnificent palace. It was absolutely
breathtaking. They reached the palace and Savannah got out. The driver
instructed !
her to go inside.Savannah ventured into the palace. She walked down the
golden halls until she reached a huge room. It was nearly empty except
for a marble throne at the back. A large, imposing man sat in the
throne. He spoke to Savannah. "Come forward. I have a special job for
you. Years ago, your mother decided not to take my offer because she
wanted to have a daughter and pass the honor onto her. I have decided
that I want a guardian for our Mt. Olympus. If you do become the
guardian, you will be made immortal. Before you become the guardian,
you must first pass three trials. If you do not pass these trials, then
I'm afraid you will die." Savannah was astonished. She wasn't sure if
she wanted to become immortal.Her thoughts were all jumbled up in her
head. She was more than a little overwhelmed. Zeus told her to come
back in the morning for her tasks.Savannah was taken home in her
chariot. She went right to sleep when she returned home. When she
awoke, she got the same sort!
of preperation that had taken place the day before. As soon as she was
ready, she was taken to Zeus. He said, "You have three tasks to
complete. First, you will go to the Birds of Hyathorn and bring back
three feathers for me. Second, you will go to the Golden Bridge and
bring me a blade of grass from each side. After that, you will go to
the Tree of Knowledge and ask how to get back to Mt. Olympus. When you
come back, I will expect the feathers and the blades of grass. Then,
you will be considered for immortality." Savannah turned and walked
out. She knew she would never be able to complete these tasks. The
Birds of Hyathorn were evil. If anyone approached them, they would peck
their eyeballs out. If anyone tried to cross the Golden Bridge, it
would break in the middle. It was impossible to cross the bridge. The
Tree of Knowledge only told the god's and goddessess information, not
just normal mortals.As Savannah was walking, Apollo suddenly appeared.
He gave her three golden!
fruits. An apple, an orange, and a banana. He told her that they each
represented one wish. He warned her to use them wisely, though. She
said thank you and kept walking. Suddenly, she was on earth again. She
didn't know what had just happened, but she was now walking on a road
in her village. She went into her house, where she told her mother all
that had happened. Her mother gave her only one piece of advice,"Never
speak to the old lady that you will see by the Birds of Hyathorn, the
Golden Bridge, and the Tree of Knowledge. She will cause you nothing
but trouble." Savannah said goodbye to her mother and set off in search
of the Birds of Hyathorn.
Savannah had been walking for forty days. She was so very tired and so
very hungry. One day, she saw birds circling over head. When she saw
the gleam of their silver feathers, she knew that they were the Birds
of Hyathorn. She sat down to think about how she was going to get them
to come down to her so she could pull some of their feathers. She saw
an old lady sitting under a nearby tree. "Dear, could you please get me
some water?" Savannah remembered what her mother had said, so she
didn't reply to the old lady. Then, she remembered the three golden
fruits. She pulled out a golden apple. She said, "I wish I could have
three of the feathers of the Birds of Hyathorn." In her hand appeared
three feathers. Savannah was overjoyed when she discovered that all she
had to do was use the other two golden fruits to complete her tasks.
She wished for the two blades of grass and this wish was also granted.
Then, the old lady started talking to her again. She was begging her
for a drink o!
f water. Savannah almost started crying because she felt so sorry for
the old woman. Savannah forced herself to turn away, though,
remembering her mother's warning. She used her final golden fruit to
take her to the Tree of Knowledge. When she arrived, she asked how to
get to Mt. Olympus. The voice inside of the tree said to touch the
trunk. Savannah was about to touch the trunk when she heard the old
lady's voice again. The old woman was on her hands and knees begging
for Savannah to give her a drink of water. Savannah decided that it
would be okay to just give her a few drops of water without saying
anything. When she handed her the water, the old woman said, "Thank
you, my dear. I was so very thirsty." Savannah's first reaction was to
reply and say "Thank you." So she did. Suddenly, the old lady turned
into Zeus and he said to her, "Since
you tried to get around these tasks by cheating and you ignored your
mother's warning about not speaking to the old woman, you will have to
be punished. Instead of being the guardian of the gods, you will be the
guardian of the fruit forever so that no one may ever use them to cheat
with again." Savannah did not live happily ever after, as I'm sure you
were expecting. Instead, she was the guardian of the fruits and she
still is to this day.