Journal #2 - Their Eyes Were Watching God

Dialect Rules:

1. Replace 'have' with 'has'.
     -You has got to get that new item!
2. The vowel 'a' is replaced with the vowel 'e', unless it is a single 'a', which it then would be replaced by a 'eh'.
     -Hello, fevorite uncle!
     -I found eh bird today!
3. The vowel 'i' is replaced with the vowel 'e', except when the 'i' is followed by an 'nd' or 'ght'. When I is a personal vowel, it is replaced with an eh.
     -The enevetable binding of the law.
4. The letter 'y' is replaced with 'eh'. If this creates two vowels in a row, drop the first vowel.
     -Quickleh, play the xehlophone!
     -Yippy!/Ehppeh!
5. Combine nouns and attributive adjectives when there is only one adjective describing the noun.
     -green lawn/greenlawn, high ceiling/highceiling
6. Separate compound words with a hyphen.
     -racecar/race-car, upside/up-side
7. 'Ere' is replaced by 'eh'.
     -He's over theh!

*Note: Where and why are now interchangeable.
     -Wheh are you going? Wheh are you asking?

     The woods were bright with the light of the full moon, it's old inhabitants casting a forest of leafy shadows upon the smooth earth that nourished them. The woods remained undisturbed for years, whispering their secrets in the wind, dancing to the sound of rain, bathing in the warm sun.
     But now it was night, and this night, a being dared disturb the peace, waking the old inhabitants from their moonlit slumber. The being took the form of a young girl, restless, searching for comfort in the betweens of the trees. She moved noisily, squinting at her footsteps, as if the moon did not provide enough light. The trees rustled with disapproval.
     The girl, after tripping over an unobtrusive root, found here comfort sitting at the base of a tree. The wind picked up, and the tree waved its branches as if to say, "I didn't choose this!"
     "Boy, the wend sure es pecking up to-night. Eh wonder whet meh perents ere thenkeng now. Bet they has the frights."
     The girl wrapped her arms around herself and shivered, then added hallowly, "Thet should teech them."
     A pause, "Es no one out heh? Eh'm bored! Come breng me compeneh!" Another pause. "Of course no one lestens. Eh cen onleh trust mehself."
     "Thet's not true."
     "Whet? Who's theh!"
     "E'm heh. You esked for compeny, end eh ceme. Don't you went to telk?"
     "No. Lehve me elone. Eh don't need your help. Eh cen depend on mehself."
     "Boy, coldwend to-night. Aren't you chelleh?"
     "Well, mehbe eh lettle. Eh'm tough-leke, eh lettle cold doesn't bother me."
     "Okeh. Well, wheh ere you setteng theh ell elone?"
     "Meh pehrents don't know me. They never let me go out, and they thenk thet they cen geve me toys and gemes end Eh'll be heppeh. Eh cen't cross the street wethout holding theer hend. They treet me leke eh cheld. But Eh'm not, end Eh deceded to run eweh, to teech them eh lesson."
     A long pause. "Well, Eh'm sure theh're worreed seck right now."
     "Good."
     "Theh're worreed beceuse they cere about you. Theh're only treheng to protect you. Theh must love you vereh much, and Eh'm sure lots of people ere jeelous of this. Encludeng me. Some people don't has no perents..."
     The girl thought about this for a while, then said, "Well, thenks. Thet mekes sense. En fect, Eh thenk they do reely love me. You sure know how to expleen thengs!"
     The girl thought some more, then realization spread across her face. She snapped her head up and asked, "Seh, ere you eh tree?" But as she was looking up, she saw a human silhouette slide across a distant tree, and heard the sound of slapping feet. She looked on, confused, and the leaves rustled with laughter.