Free Writing

We regularly include free writing exercises as part of our storytelling practice. We begin with a phrase or sentence story starter and spend 10-15 minutes letting our imaginations take us where it will. This year, we also did a number of 100-word story assignments, where the goal is to write a complete story in 100 words. The following is a compilation of both free writing and 100-word stories students self-selected for their 2020-2021 portfolios.

Smoke

I never felt more alone than when I was with them; we would sit around the campfire at night and I would watch as pallid tendrils of smoke would wrap around their haggard faces as they smoked in pensive silence. They were all alike, wrapped in their own world and own thoughts and own dreams, and I was different. My father always said to look perceptively at others, and use their differences to expel them from my life, but I couldn’t do that now, even this was better than caliginous solitude.

The Simulation 

Every time I heard the ice cream truck, my mind subconsciously jumped to the fact that it was real. But in this world, nothing is really there, it’s all a simulation.

I’m the only person I know who remembered when earth was destroyed, frankly I’m the only person who remembers what earth even was. So when I heard that ice cream truck, I needed to remind myself it was all a lie, a pacifier for innocent people who couldn’t comprehend what the real world was like, that their once stable sense of self and reality, was now gone, perhaps forever.

Everyday they would ask you questions, the rulers, the programmers I mean. They would ask if you had any dreams of other worlds or ever doubted that this wasn’t my home. They have always asked, and I have always lied. For if they know that I, a random expendable person, have any recollection of earth, I would be destroyed. Although sometimes I think my own death would take me back to the natural way of things, away from the simulations, lies, and hoaxes.

But I’m a survivor. I’m the only one besides the programmers who remembers the truth, and the organic world we left behind. 

But I know that they will catch me soon, and with my absence, reality would live in no individual anymore, and the distance would expand even farther.

That’s when I developed a plan. 

Memories

Every time I heard the ice cream truck I flinched, closed my eyes and curled up as tightly as my restrained limbs would let me. It was the same cherry song of my youth that rang through the speakers, but inside the white walls of the room it was contorted in a way that made me feel nauseous. What sick purpose it served to the scientists upstairs I do not know, and I don’t think I ever want to find out.
I knew what it did to me, though, and I hated it. Hated it more than I’ve ever hated something in my life. Something in the serum they injected into us every morning made revisiting memories one of the most painful things I’ve ever experienced. It was like falling down a tunnel, a tunnel that led nowhere, a tunnel lined with prickling thorns and flashes of light that felt like knives. I’d been resisting this since the beginning, ever since I’d woken up that first time and known that the memories I’d been seeing so clearly a minute ago were gone, wiped cleanly from my head. Every time I tried grabbing at them, holding on tightly, not wanting to lose more of myself than I already had. It was hard to do, and I’d often wondered what would’ve happened If I just gave up. Gave up, and let them pick apart the inside of my brain. It seemed so easy to do at times, and I feared eventually I’d have no willpower left to keep fighting.

Dancing

Tom lay down in the hay of the red barn, through cracks in the roof you could see the moon, its beautiful rays of light shining down on me.  I could see the rest of my family inside our old log cabin, it was a blast in there, there were people dancing and music echoing off the walls.  I wanted to be in there, dancing along with the other people, but I am only 12 and besides, mom says that dancing doesn’t pay the bills, I like dancing the beautiful tunes of the piano and the beat of the drums.

Fireworks

I have always loved fireworks. I used to watch as they shot up into the sky, bursting in multiple colors and raining back down. I would sit on the grass with a smile on my lips and the remains of ice cream smeared around my chin.

Now I sit tied to a chair, hands digging into the cord behind my back. My face is smudged with debris, my eyes fixated on the ticking bomb that lay tied to my feet. I watch as the numbers slowly tick down to one.
I tilt my head back and smile. I have always loved fireworks.

Honor

I was peacefully walking down the street minding my own business, when I noticed up ahead there were a few hoodlums roughing up a man. I wasn’t sure what to do should I walk away or should I help. I decided on the honorable option to run away with my tail between my legs to go get “help” at least that’s what I told myself. I scurried a few blocks away before realising I’d dropped my wallet somewhere on the route. I backtracked trying to find where I misplaced it. I couldn’t find it. But hey i guess that’s karma.

The Concert

The lights dimmed and the curtains opened. I felt like I was going to throw up. Why had I ever thought this was a good idea? My heart was racing, almost dangerously fast. My hands were gripping the fabric of my long, velvet dress, I hope I didn’t trip.

“Ladies and gentlemen.” Said a loud, confident voice. 

“I have the honor to present to you, Madam Gloria Green!” 

That  was it. I swallowed nervously at the sound of my name. I heard the sounds of hundreds whistling and cheering. I hope I didn’t disappoint them, I hope they didn’t disappoint me.

I walked slowly on to the stage, lights burning into my skin and the eyes of hundreds glued onto me, as I’d they could see straight through me into the vastness of my soul. The calming words of my mentor echoed through my mind. “They are not there. Only you, and the music you create.” 

I wish she was here in the room with me now, but now was a time for independence, a time for courage. 

The stadium quieted down, so quiet you could hear a pin drop, or my racing heart. 

I heard the sound of the piano ring through the room. Now was my time to shine, or die.

The Concert II

The lights dimmed and the curtains opened. I felt like I was going to throw up. Why had I ever thought this was a good idea? I stumbled across the stage, and as my sharp black shoes slipped on the polished floor, I could feel the light above me magnifying the attention on my presence. I looked out into the dark cavern of the crowd and I could see nothing, nothing at all except the eyes, cold and lifeless as they stared at me, like an animal in the zoo. As if controlled by puppet strings I bowed, and as I stood straight again and swept my arms up, the music started, resonating in my head, the mournful dirge of a haunted carnival.

100 Words

Hmmm, a story you say 100 words, no more no less? Let’s see, what fun how about this. 100 words singing a song all day long. No no no that won’t do let’s try again and start anew. 100 words all day long, 100 words coming along. No not that let’s try again, how bout this my rhyming brain? 100 words far and wide, upside down and side to side. 100 word poems are hard to write just ask me, I’ve been writing all day and night. Aha at-last a perfect rhyme, well look at that we’re out of time.

An Enchanted Spring

I drew back the trawl net in my hand, and plunged its light weight forward with all my might. The rope rippled gracefully as it was cast into the guzzling, encompassing, and enthralling blue. There was no telling what I would catch in the vernal pool before me, but the tones resonating from that transcendent voice in the water only heightened my curiosity. I stayed like that for hours, gliding my net through every edge of the enchanting water. Hoping to find that voice. Until at last I had ensnared the source of the melody. It was the spirit of the spring. The hue in their eyes, as limpid as the crystal blue I had pulled them from.

Captain Pendragon

This is the tale of the great pirate Captain Arthur Pendragon. He and his crew of 100 men sailed the limpid waters of the caribbean searching far and near for treasures untold. After many trials and tribulations (such as his legendary battle with the kraken) Captain pendragon came across a set of islands in the middle of the bermuda triangle, with his ships sails torn and the hull damaged he decided he and his crew would stop at this island, whilst on the island Captain Pendragon went fishing and reeled in a great beast the size of a small vessel.

My Side of Things

It was all over the Internet before I got a chance to explain things. I hadn’t even taken the video, and sure, while I was in it, I didn’t even know I was being recorded in the first place. Invasion of privacy, internet. Try looking at my side of things for a change.
This wasn’t the first time something like this had happened, either. While I’d been wearing a mask in the last video, so it wasn’t quite as bad, it had still spread like wildfire. I’d seen too many complaining parents to count. It’s not my fault that you let your kids do whatever they want. It’s not my job to keep them safe. The only thing I do is educate the public on things that actually matter, and now that my face was out there, it’d be a lot harder for me to do that.
Which reminds me. Back to the whole point of why I was sitting on a cement porch, the seat of my pants feeling uncomfortably soggy with mildew. I was waiting for someone. Once they got here, we’d have a little chat, one that might involve a few gunshots, but other than that, I was hoping to keep this pretty quiet. And clean. I hated cleaning up messes, but in my line of work, it was just something you had to get used to.

Fish

My boots make onomatopoeic sounds as they splashed through mud, the black rubber developing a camo pattern from the slimy terrain. I’m going to catch myself a nice fish for dinner. The fishing pole bumps comfortably over my back as I walk, I hold a bucket of bait in my hand. The fish in the pond are tame, fat. They know to expect food when they feel the vibrations of my feet through the water. The water is limpid, and I could see large brown fish swimming placidly in it. Perfect targets. I cast my line, and sit back, waiting….

Fishing

Joe set off in his canoe onto the lake, the water was very limpid allowing him to see right into the water, he spied and found a king salmon, this would be great for dinner he thought, he cast his line and waited for the fish to clamp on.  He waited and waited for the fish to bite but it never did. He was about to leave when he caught a glimpse of the sunset, its orange and blue rays brightening up the sky one last time, at that moment he caught the fish and had a delicious dinner by himself.

She

I ran up the stairs quickly but she was not far behind. When I reached the top of the stairs I locked the door. I could hear claw marks stretching the door. I ran to my car, put the key in the ignition but my car wouldnt start, I then heard a loud bang…she broke down the door! She then let out a loud screech that hurt my ears, she was running towards my car! I locked everything, finally my car started just in time to get away, she let out a scream that sent shivers down my back.

A Tweed Suit

I hadn’t planned on becoming a hostage at the bank when I got up that morning. But judging by the way things had been going since my three a.m. alarm clock rang, it hadn’t surprised me. The first blow of the day was to my car, my beautiful 1955 turquoise thunderbird. It had been totalled in a fight that had gone down on my street. Now this, had not surprised me, damage was bound to occur when you live in the superhero capital of the world. 

So I had brushed the accident off, as frustrating as it was, the insurance for damage done by hero fights would cover it. The morning was relatively peaceful, until 6:47 that is, when a huge inferno monster had decided to visit my neighborhood. Causing all the inhabitants to rush into the street, most in their pajamas, fortunately my prompt schedule had steeled me and my wardrobe choices. My sharp tweed suit was looking perfect for my meeting. Figuring the city clean up service would fix most of the damage done, I pulled my unscathed bike out of my crisp and burnt garage and made my way to the bank. Whilst pedaling, I practiced the speech I had prepared in my head. It was a fairly clear and concise argument, meant to prove to the people at the bank that my scientific quest was worth their time. With my lines rehearsed and my tie smoothed, I walked into the bank. 

A Sign of Courage

If lions are a sign of courage, I am glad I visited the zoo that morning, but how does one have courage when faced with a daunting and gaping ravine. I would have to find out sooner than later, as the speeding jeeps were closing in on me. I held on for dear life to the stoney edge of the cliff, and made my way down. Using my right foot to feel around for a foot hold. Nothing. I stretched further. Still Nothing. I grasped tighter the tree root that was holding my torso atop the cliff’s edge. A light shone in my eyes, scorching and blinding me. It was the refraction of the jeeps coming my way. I had to hurry. Hurry! Hurry! Hurry! My mind panicked. I wiggled more, trying to reach for something, anything. SNAP. THE ROOT. Crack. It was breaking. Unravelling. Sinking me down and dragging my body closer to the ravine. I had nothing to hold on to. Then I dropped.

The Colors of My Street

Paths cross with friends and strangers, the bold, popping colors of our garments clashing with each other as we blurrily take up space on the street. Our viridescent weaved baskets filled with the wares of the day. The street market itself was filled with blocks of color, each stall more vibrant than the next, in attempts to compete for attention. I surveyed the colorful array of vendors that were only beginning to set up. Then moved quickly to fill my tangerine colored stall with new tea leaves and spices. Blending and becoming just another part of the street’s prismatic hues.

The Robbery

I hadn’t planned on becoming a hostage at the bank when I got up that morning, but life works in mysterious ways. The day started out normal, well at least what I consider to be normal. I woke up in a daze, I didn’t recall falling asleep, or ever being tired last night, but there I was. I climbed down the steps on my old new york city house that I could barely afford, and made my way to the kitchen.

The kitchen was in a sense, a disaster. My cleaning abilities were far from good, and I never had the motivation to put things away after using them. The island was filled with old pizza boxes and stray napkins. Maybe I should order pizza later, I had thought.

My eyes wandered to the old clock on the stained wall, 11:00 o’clock it read, it was time for work. I gathered my things and got dressed. I combed my blonde matted hair and brushed my teeth with a cracked wooden toothbrush I bought from the dollar general on Jackson Avenue.

Shoot, I gasped. I was going to be late to work. 

I rushed out the door and called an uber on my 2014 Google phone, standing outside my house in the chillness of the fall. I was relieved that the Uber pulled up in a mere 5 minutes, but I was still cold and my hands were starting to shake. 

“Were too?” The uber asked. He had a twisted face with a long crooked mustache.

“Take me to the Elmwood office.” I asked plainly in my raspy voice. We were in the car driving for a few moments when I began to drift off in my thoughts. I was unhappy. Truly unhappy. I lived in a world where I couldn’t afford anything and my spirit was crushed by dreams of success I would never get.

Banking

I hadn’t planned on becoming a hostage at the bank when I got up that morning. I had my agenda filled with my usual Wednesday schedule – the nail salon, coffee with the girls, a little shopping at Neiman Marcus, then lunch with Jared. My husband doesn’t know about him, of course, so I always carry cash on Wednesdays so there’s no way to track my activities.

I had stopped at the bank to withdraw a few hundred dollars, and was chatting with my favorite teller, Clyde. I nearly jumped out of my 5” heels when the shrieking started. Heart thumping, I turned around and saw three men in balaclavas, guns in their hands. 

“Get down!” one of them yelled. “Face down, hands above your heads. If you even try to look at us, you’re dead.” I was wearing my shortest and cutest skirt, so I was not at all happy about this turn of events.

“Um, can I just sit on that chair over there?”

“On the floor! Now!,” barked the apparent leader. Looking him directly in the eyes, I shook my head no. 

What a Wish Costs

A storm. A flash. The sound of wailing. It woke up. Once again, she had been called forth. The wishes that had been poured into the delicately carved figurine, were now the foundation of her existence. The wishes that flooded toward the statue had breathed new life into her. In exchange for that life, the newborn deity would protect and grant the wishes and souls who were desperate enough to call on such a being. Most do not trust mythical beings, and rightly so. This entity in particular was the most sly and dangerous, but they had no other choice.

Decent Fellow

He seemed a decent fellow. I hated to kill him.
A few shafts of moonlight bit through the particles of dust floating through the air, illuminating the tops of my worn shoes. Etched into pillars around me were countless faces, staring towards me, their mouths scratched out with vicious lines. As I carefully approached the form at the end of the hallway, I could make out the little details of his face. He was only a man seated in a chair, but his lounging form carried a menace I couldn’t begin to explain, and despite everything, I began to feel intimidated.

Ghost Self

When I walk into my room it’s like a lightswitch turn off. My buoyant personality displayed throughout the day instantly disappears as if it was never there to begin with. The shadows under my eyes portray my fatigue. Moonlight filters through my window casting room in grey hughes. I curl up with my blanket looking out the window. I don’t know how I let it get this far. I was doomed to live the life of a happy person I was not, I thought as I closed my eyes inviting the darkness to escape the fake reality I had created.

Driving

I was driving on the highway today but then I realized I was extremely abysmal at driving because I was driving a Prius. First I cut people off then I scraped the side of Elon Musk’s Tesla. Then I ran into a gasoline truck blowing it up and launching me up in the air and landing me on a soccer mom van with 4 kids inside!, I then drove away to the nearest police station to report bad driving. I told them that elon musk Scraped the side of my car and that a family of four teleported beneath me.

Family Matters

“I don’t believe you.” I sat before my attorney, stunned. I was paying this guy WAY too much money to defend me and he dares say he doesn’t believe me??? I shot up from the chair and leaned over his massive walnut desk.
“What do you MEAN, you don’t believe me?” I hired you to represent me as an innocent party!
“I don’t believe you.” He calmly repeated the phrase. “Let’s go through your story again.”
Patiently, I started again, “I left my shift at the bar, and walked to my apartment, which is about a mile away. I was a little nervous, because there had been stories of this creepy guy hanging around the area. My friend Nancy had seen him when she was walking home last Friday.”
“Wait a minute,” Perry the attorney interrupted. “How do you know Nancy?”
“Oh, good grief! I’ve told you about a thousand times that Nancy and I have been best friends since elementary school. We even were roommates in college. Sure, we kind of lost touch for a few years, but reconnected on Facebook and have started hanging out again.”
“Hmmmmm, that’s not exactly what Nancy told me.”
“What? What did she tell you?”
“Hmmmmm, that’s privileged information I am not allowed to share.”
“Why, that lying, that lying, aaaargh! I don’t even know what to call her!?!?!?”
“Hmmmmm, you could start by calling her your sister.”
“My sister?! She’s not my sister!”
“Hmmmmm, the DNA evidence would say otherwise.”|
“DNA evidence? What DNA evidence?”
“The evidence Nancy asked me to gather when she realized you were trying to frame her for your father’s murder.”

Cafe Note

During the week there was always school to finish and life to attend to. But now it was Sunday. I could finally relax in the best way possible. Reading while sipping hot chocolate in my favorite cafe. I would arrive every Sunday for several hours and just read.

I held my book strategically with one hand, while the other lifted my warm mug to my lips. But when I set down my drink I noticed a small folded piece of paper on the table. I paused what  was doing and picked it up. On the inside it read…

“your it”

Seasons

The sky was a lovely shade of orange and lilac, with sunbeams shining through the dark grey clouds.  Deep in a cave, through the dark dampness a mama bear with her cub lay snuggled together. They slept as their breathing slowed and became in sync. Awaiting the cold and trouterus winter. The little cub woke up in a daze trying to piece the night together, his mother was gone!  He scrambled around the cave searching for her scent but was unable to find her, he left the cave out into the snowy terrain, roaring a couple times for good luck.

Breakfast

I awoke to the smell of eggs, bacon and pancakes wafting through the air. I sat up to see where the wonderful smell was coming from. I got up, got dressed and followed my nose all through the house looking for the delicious scent of breakfast. When I arrived at the kitchen, on the tabletop I saw breakfast fit for a king. The same smell that had greeted me when I had woken up was emitting from this wonderful looking feast. I looked around at all the things on the table and sat down to revel in my great fortune.

Breakfast II

I woke up from a deep sleep to an unfamiliar yet unsettling smell as I went down the stairs. The source of the smell revealed itself to me, my younger sister had burned her breakfast. I turned on the ceiling fan to move some of the smoke out of the room, then I took the super burned bread I threw out the window. I explained to her that next time she should ask for help rather than try and do it herself. I reveled in my small victory and made myself a bowl of oatmeal with brown sugar and banana.

Jason

He was terrified of small spaces and I knew it. My friend (jason) had claustrophobia and didn’t like that we were crawling through the draw space of my 1950s house so we would be safe during this Fujita Scale 5 tornado. After a few hours he was hyperventilating and seemed to be going into a panic attack, we had to get some fresh air or he could go into shock, I looked out the entrance and it looked clear so I pulled him out. We sat there from 10 or so minutes and as we were getting ready to go back down a piece of shrapnel came out of nowhere and hit me in the arm I could feel my bone snap as I yelled out in pain, I knew wj had to keep a cool head as to not send him into another panic attack wear I wouldn’t be able to get him out, I took a sleeve off my shirt and tied a split around me arm. I slowly went back in and closed the door.

The Beverage

“Drink it, quick!” I looked at the bottle. The contents were unlike any I’d seen. I closed my eyes and drank it in one gulp. Suddenly, a burning sensation filled my throat like fire clinging to my neck as it spireld up. My stomach felt like it was going to explode from heat!  For a minute I couldn’t breath as smoke fumed out of my nose. I reached out my hand in search of aid but found nothing there to support me. 

After what felt like five minutes of the unbearable fire liquid, it finally ceased and I was able to inhale again. 

“Come on, we don’t have much time, let’s go!” Yelled a familiar voice. I looked up after having found myself on the floor to see a woman, maybe twenty years in age, with olive skin and golden markings drawn onto her face. She had a sharp pointed nose and piercing dark eyes that looked like they could see straight through you. She reached out her hand, which also possessed golden art. I slowly took it and she hoisted me up to my feet. I felt strange, almost light on my feet, with no aftertaste of the horrific drink whatsoever. We walked down a long, firelit corredor, heading towards what looked like an old, wooden door.

Then, from what sounded not too far away, voices were heard yelling in a horrific frenzy. 

“Come on! They are getting closer!” The woman exclaimed.

Clouds

Its roots run deep into the earth. Its branches are outstretched towards the heavens. Its melody is played often as the wind weaves through the leaves causing them to dance. The cotton clouds would filter the sunlight shading the tree. But the things that offer protection, also bring destruction. The snow white clouds become greyed and dirtied as the clump together casting darkness below. They light up with flashing lights and their thunder rumbles like the belly of a beast. The lightning strikes the tree. Sparks fly, and all that can be seen for miles is a pillar of fire.

The Skeleton

It’s not every day you wake up in a puddle of blood. My vision was faint and blurry, and I felt half conscious with a fierce headache pounding in my head. My cold hand slowly moved towards my side, which was numb at the time, with a gruesome shard of glass impaled within it, creating a devistading and frightful wound. The ground I was lying on was composed of stone, there were specks of overgrown moss in its grooves, insinuating age and unceptness. To the far right of me, I thought I saw a dark, misty silhouette of what looked like a person, or a statue. But how wrong I was. 

“Ayy mate.” I heard a voice. I jumped, I couldn’t believe my own eyes! A skeleton dressed in fancy clothes came out of the dark corner.

The Skeleton II

It’s not every day you wake up in a puddle of blood especially when you’re in the hospital trying to heal from your injury that I got going down a double black diamond track I knew I shouldn’t have done but I did it anyway? The start went well until the 15 foot drop where I ruptured my back tire, I pulled my bike to the side and used my spear that I had stored in the bottom of my drop tube. 15 minutes later I was ready to go. I started off again and came to a Sharp turn right after a drop. I went through it too fast and fell on my back. I called the park’s emergency services and they got me to the hospital. Passed out and when I woke up I had a puddle of blood from my back.

Marriage

It’s not every day you wake up in a puddle of blood. My husband’s blood, no less. That’ll teach him! We were arguing last night (as usual!). The same old story, he works so hard and all I do is sit at home and watch the kids. As if that is all one does with kids, “watch” them!

You see, we have seven kids, three of them still in diapers! The twins are four months old, the next oldest is 15 months. The oldest is only ten, and she is already totally out of control. Every time I ask her for help, she reminds me I am the adult, and she is going to call the authorities and report me for child abuse if I ask her to do any chores.

Which is another story in itself. What kind of society punishes parents for asking their kids to sweep the floor or make their bed! My kid is out of control, I’m thinking our whole world is out of control.

Getting back to Mike, my husband. He was hanging out in his easy chair, swigging a beer and watching football when he started ragging on me. “Why are there dirty dishes in the sink?” “Why isn’t the laundry done?” And so on.

So, when we got settled into bed, I waited for him to fall asleep, his mouth hanging open, his snoring rattling the windows. Then I gutted him with my best kitchen knife.

Smoke

Smoke hung so thick in the library’s rafters that she could read words in it. Dust clung to the smoke and spider webs dangled further, drooping near the floor. She wondered how long this building had been abandoned. She hesitated on the threshold, afraid to enter, yet more terrified of the consequences if she didn’t enter.

The scroll in her hand began to unfurl of its own accord, inked words appearing where there had been nothing but illegible scribbles a few minutes before. Alan was the one who had put her up to this task, whispering hoarsely from his hospital bed.

“I almost had it, Jess. After all these years, the treasure is JUST out of reach. You need to go find it!”

Her twin had lived such a different life from her, and quite frankly she often disapproved. He was forever chasing the next dream, conquering the next mountain, never wanting to slow down. A fall from the fifth floor of his investment office had finally slowed him, and for several days she had not been sure he was going to survive.

She had practically lived by his hospital bed, sleeping in the uncomfortable chair in his room, startling awake every time he made a sound. His first words on regaining consciousness had been, “he pushed me.” When she prodded, asking who “he” was, Alan spun a tale of treasure hunting and a map and being just a pinch away from finding the treasure, which is why he had been pushed.

Smoke II

Smoke hung so thick in the library’s rafters that she could read words in it…

“I know your here”

She whipped around, the cold wind from her body moving blowing out and candles, and the letters of smoke dissipated in the frigid silent air. All around her tall bookshelves on ancient dusty tomes towered above her. The wood seemed to creak and moan as the pages rustled, and she didn’t feel alone in the library. She knew something was there with her. Keeping her eyes fixed on the dark expanse in front of her, she slid a hand back to the table, and felt with her fingers until she grasped the cold, slim blade of the sword. It was heavy, but not too heavy, as she picked it up, handheld it in front of her. The big window was at the very back of the library, and as she looked up at the clock, she could see it was well past midnight. She cursed herself silently, she should have kept better track of the time. She should have been gone long ago, but that didn’t matter now. She had messed up , and now she was in danger. She needed to get out of there now! She stumbled forward, almost dropping the sword, as the icy claws of the wind seemed to shove her farther into the black abyss.

Walkers

I walked down the street carefully. I kept my eyes open for walkers, I knew if one of those things saw me before I saw it, I was dead and I’d become like them, the living Dead. I made sure my weapon had a new magazine and my machete was at the ready. I saw one that appeared knocked unconscious somehow. I decided to take out my machete and slice its head off so I wouldn’t have to worry about it later. I walked down the street and accidentally broke some glass a horde of blockers came running at me.

The Drop

The wind lashed at my face as it threatened to pull my hair out. The car was increasing its speed every second. It didn’t seem to have a limit to how fast it could go. I reached for the brake but it was as if it had never been there to begin with. The jagged edge of a cliff began to make itself clear as I sped on. Stop. STOP. Why won’t the car stop! I closed my eyes as I felt the car fly off the edge and plummet into the abysmal depth below. The car exploded as it impacted the ground. I sat up. It was just a dream.

Frosty

I breathed the frigid air, my fingers felt like they were going to fall off, and I knew not where I was. People have been stranded before and survived, but there was no escape for me. All around me there was nothing, but glistening white ice and snow. shimmering as if to taunt me saying “ha pathetic I am such a beautiful sight and it will be the last thing you ever see. The snow indeed was beautiful but I was in no position to enjoy it. My lungs once again inhaled the frost bitten air, for the last time.

No More

The sky shown of orange and yellow mimicking what was below, with sunbeams piercing through the jet black clouds of whirling smoke. All that used to be alive and green with deer prancing through the trees and fish swimming in the brook were now enveloped in raging flames. Trees crackled and sparks flew up to where I stood high up on the mountain peak. I overlooked the destruction that I had caused play out before me. The place that I had spent all my life in was now fading as the flames wildly spread. I smiled. It was about time.

Him

We met on the rooftop that night. It was horribly icy up there; the wind cut through my clothes as if I wasn’t wearing three coats. The flights of stairs on the way up were bitterly icy, I probably would have slipped and died if I hadn’t had my phone light. I reached the top and I saw him there. The hood of his parka was down, but I could tell it was him because of the huge clouds of smoke billowing from under it; he always smoked. He raised his head as I emerged from below. “Your Late”.

To Choose Your Fate

He twisted his fate between his fingers, the red string that held everything together was so vibrant, yet it had a poignant sense to it. It was beyond his wildest imagination. He twirled the thread till it was taut, then weaved it, in and out. Shaping his new life. Tying the people he would meet and the places he would go to the main timeline of his existence. When he came to a particularly difficult decision, he let the string take the lead. It pulled itself forward as if possessed. It crossed the room then sped straight back for the man’s head. He had managed to duck just in time, to where the string had only speared through his hat. It was strong. Once it was done with it’s scavenger hunt, it glided over to the man. It hovered before him, as if waiting for an answer. And the man knew the question. He looked up at the room full of booming judges and that hall of thousands of portraits, waiting. Waiting till it was time. His own portrait began to fill in on the wall, the block of colors came first, then the finer details, then the red string of fate floated to the canvas covering all of its face and edges. It sunk deeper into the layers of the paint until it could no longer be seen. The portrait was finished. And now it was time. Time for him to start again. Once more he’d have a chance to prove himself to those judges. He lifted his hand to the frame and looked around one last time. The tingling glow started slowly, then it crashed all at once, taking him into his new world and life, with a new string of fate guiding him. It was all dark, everything. Then he opened his eyes. Yes, he knew this. The sting of bright lights in a hospital, the sounds of doctors rushing, the warmth of arms around him. Then he was gone, along with his memories. A chance at a new soul. The deal was complete. 

Pain

He twists his fate between his fingers. The rough edges that scrape his fingers were grounding to him, a reminder that this was real and not some far off dream. He’s standing on the edge of a cliff, looking over a city illuminated with blue and purple light that fade up into the dark clouds above it. Shooting stars race each other throughout the night sky, leaving trails of luminescent light that fall into the wide river below.
The wind sends light, barely there touches of air that push and pull at his feet, unsteadying him slightly. He reaches his arm out over the edge. The token in his fingers is drawn to the solar systems that are barely out of sight above him. It wants to be dropped; he can feel it sending little pricks into his hand, and yet he clings to it, afraid of what will happen if he drops it, afraid of what it will look like spiraling downwards into swirls of blue and silver. But he’s more afraid of the pain that accompanies it, and so he drops it. It hurts, almost, a vague sort of hurt that reminds him of ice cold chains wrapped around even colder wrists and the pine needles that stick into your hands after you’ve climbed a tree. He can’t watch as it falls downwards, can’t watch as it sinks into pillows of mist, can’t watch as it disintegrates slowly into sharp shards of glass. All he knows is a pain that slams into his chest and sends him reeling into vertigo before the world spins into blackness around him.

Orange

He twisted his fate between his fingers. How had it become so tangled? As a child, he plotted a simple, straightforward path, laid out with simple threads and single colors. He had chosen blue, because it was beautiful and calming.

Today, the threads are every color under the rainbow, including orange, a color he quite hates. He remembered that second thread he had added to the blue, a green one when he planted his first flower. It was a beautiful rose, and when it bloomed a pink thread was woven in, albeit for just a tiny distance.

Where had the orange come from?

He met Michelle while in college, and that is when purple was added to the threads. She brought balance and majesty to his life, and such joy. As the threads wove together, other shades began to emerge, yellow and red.

Now, many decades later, many of the threads have faded, and the strands are fraying. But the orange, what is that all about?

His memory is not what it once was, but he distinctly remembers an eye-catching tapestry that brought him inner peace, and a river of reflections of a life well lived. BUT, NO ORANGE!

The nurse bent over the bed, speaking gently, “Mr. Harris, wake up.” But, he was gone, the orange sun had set.

This is a self-selected series of free writing exercises that students did throughout the 2019-2020 year.

Blood to ice

Suddenly, a giant crash rang out through the night, piercing her ears. She jolted upright, grabbing her knife off the nightstand.

Assuming a defensive stance, she crouched under her bed and listened for any noise from the floor below her. In the room down the hall she heard her parents stirring awake.

Then, from the ground floor, she heard a noise that turned her blood to ice,

A faint padding sound could be heard, like the padding of a great hunting dog’s paws, coupled with a low whining growl……

The Famous Hamster

The Instagram account I made for my hamster just went viral, because the camera I have mounted to his cage caught him running at mach 2 on its wheel and the wheel began to flash with lights and teleported from one side of the habitat to the other. The next day its account gained 30 million followers. When it began running on its wheel the next day I filmed it and nothing happened, I was surprised that nothing had happened but the next time he ran I filmed it and it began to do the thing and all of a sudden it disappeared, it we gone for several hours and when it returned I we able to talk, it told me I became the arch Duke of gerbalton’s nemesis. He told me he confronted him in his palace in Scandinavia. He told me “the Duke ran in side a telephone booth and came out dressed like a mob boss, and said the Duke grabbed a mini Thompson submachine gun and began spaying and praying” he missed all of his shots like a novice and I charged him with Excalibur and stabbed him clean in the chest.

Annabelle’s Torment

Annabelle was young when she discovered her gift or should I say curse. At school, she used to get along with the other kids just fine, but when she showed them her powers their reaction was not what she was expecting. They yelled at her and called her names but she could read their minds they were afraid. They called her a freak all the friends she had once had were terrified of her. She lost all of her friends except one, Megan. Megan stayed her friend she tried not to read her mind but she had no chose but Megan said that she didn’t mind. They got along. All this time when she had tried to tell her parents they had just denied it but when on day Annabelle decided they had to know she told them things that she couldn’t have known they eventually believed her. The next day they went to the doctors to see if they could figure out what was wrong with her. Annabelle told them that nothing was wrong with her but they didn’t listen. When they got to the doctors she convinced the doctor that she could read his mind. The next day they were called back and met by more doctors. The next day when they went back they convinced the parents to let them take Anabelle with them. That was the last day Anabelle’s parents ever saw their daughter.

Your standing in line

Your standing in line at a coffee shop, when you spot a shiny coin on the ground, being a kid inature meant that you had to get that coin, it was kid law, so i bent down and picked it up, “why this isn’t any ordinary coin I thought, I took it home and examined it. At this time our family was poor, we had a steady income but we lived in an RV and ate hot dogs on WHEAT! Bread. I walked to my room and took a measuring glass to it, the date was 1620, this was a really old coin, what was it doing in a coffee shop? “Dad! Dad! Guess what I found?” I said handing him the coin, “son im busy, i’ve got no time for these silly games of yours” I ran outside, my mom called from out the window, “Jimmy where are you going?” “to Carters!” I ran downtown to the coin store, “bling” went to the door, “ello there son wheres your pa?” “he’s at home, listen i have a coin dating back to 1620 and like to sell it” “you do? Come to the back of the shop let’s look at it “”sure indeed this is an old coin, now where did you say you found this?” “on the ground in the coffee shop” okay that will do it, your total is $100,000,000. He pulled out a check and handed it to me. I ran home in breathless excitement, opened the mailbox door and put the check in it. Then I had dinner not speaking about the coin and went to bed the next morning I awoke to hear shouting, but this was not the type of shouting my parents usually did, this was shouts of joy! “Son! Guess what!…” “no let me tell you, you received an unknown check for $100.000.000” “how did you know?” I gave him a wink off my eye, we’d be rich in no time!

345th Birthday

The date was July 13th, my 345th B-day, it would be my last. I have lived in the timespan of four humans and I have seen so many things, good and bad, that I do not wish to remember. I have seen friends come and go and the world change and evolve in terrible ways throughout the centuries. Humans are so ephemeral, like moths that only live one day, they wax and wane so rapidly that I stay forever young, and youthful.

Today is my 345th birthday and I am surrounded by my….

Exploding Balloon  

A kid’s birthday party seemed like an innocent place to blend in, relax for a moment, but when the balloon popped….

Balloons popping, were the one thing in the world that triggered his weakness. He couldn’t stop his powers. The powers had been instilled in him since he was young. After a freak accident at a playground with toxic waste, he found he could blow things up. Each time he used his power, it got stronger. 

The last time he heard a balloon that went off, an entire mountain crumbled into dust. He desperately tried to move away from the space, sprinting through the door, He quietly questioned his foolish decision. “Why on Earth would he go to a place that had balloons?” One might ask. The answer, simply because the foolish man loved birthday cake. 

It was too late. The planet Earth quivered and proceeded to explode. Billions of pieces shattering through the sky. 

The Blob

Tony starred into the gloom at the approaching Blob. He thought about what Gertrude said “You mustn’t stare at it” so he quickly looked down the blob approached it suddenly stopped and came to touch the ground directly in front of itself and no sooner had the blob made contact them a low grumble began to emit from its irredentist body. As it did this the gloom surrounding it began to close inward obscuring his view. Out of the gloom came a deep voice it said, “Who are you”

Tony replied, “My name is Tony, and I have come to you seeking an answer.”

“An Answer,” it said “If an answer is what you seek you must know the price”

“I do” replied Tony solemnly as he took a pouch from his belt. From this pouch, he produced a small stone made of a rock that appeared to glitter with its own light. The Blob then said “Very well, come here and show me your dedication”

Tony came forth into the gloom hesitantly as we knew all know what would happen if this gift not was accepted. As he walked the Blob came back into view he reached out and dropped the stone into the Blob. As he did so the cavern they were in shook, the wind rushed through the stale air. Then, silence.

The coin

You’re standing in line at a coffee shop when you spot a shiny coin on the ground. What would you do? Well since I’m an archeologist I decided to give my place in line to an elderly woman to check out the coin. I picked the thing up and at once I felt a sharp pain where the thing had touched my skin and it had felt like a burn. So I used my sleeve to pick the thing up and get a closer look. I took it with me to my work and examined it further. I carbon dated it and this coin was ancient, it was older than the Triassic period. I thought to myself that’s not possible and even if it was, how did it end up in a coffee shop. I took many days to research what this coin could’ve been such as it’s material or it’s pattern. I found nothing until one day I was scrolling through the archives and I saw an image of a sword. It was a sword I’d never seen in all my years of archeology. It looked somewhat like a cutlass but the interesting thing about this sword was attached to a leather tie was the coin. I did more research on this sword and saw it was being kept in a museum in the Caribbean. I traveled there and found it. I looked at the sword and saw the coin was missing from the tie. I asked the curator if I could take it out of the glass and get a closer look. The curator agreed and even said I could keep the sword. I was slightly confused but I was fascinated by the blade. When I arrived at the airport I tried fiddling with the coin and the sword seeing if I could get the coin back on. As soon as I did a golden glow filled the terminal making everything a bright white it was impossible to see but when I was able to see again I saw something coming through a hole in the ground that had not been there before. It was a skeleton that had a glowing gold physic and he was coming towards me. Behind him came more skeletons, less gold and more a pale tan coloration. They stalked after me and I bolted but they weren’t any run of the mill slow skeletons from movies; these things were faster than me. They ran after me at full speed. I only had one option. Fight. I pulled the sword from its sheath and stood my ground. The things came at me from all directions I swiped at one of them and it disintegrated. I realized I had the upper hand with a sword and training with using one. I swung left and right disintegrating skeletons everywhere. When the golden one finally reached me. It unsheathed it’s sword. I shifted my feet and prepared myself. It charged at me and I swung my sword upward it dodged and swung backwards slicing my arm… I limped backwards towards the cracks they had made in the ground. My right heel hung over the edge. I had nowhere to go. The skeletons were in front of me and behind myself was the chasm. I decided to do the stupidest thing I could’ve done. I threw myself into the chasm. As I plummeted to the bottom I realized how stupid of an idea this was. Right before I hit the bottom it seemed to give way and I plummeted even further. I sighed which I had no idea how I did seeing as I was plummeting to my doom. This time when I saw the bottom I knew deep down that this was the real deal. I closed my eyes and waited for the impact. It came and it felt horrible my whole body ached but I knew that I had to stay awake. If I didn’t I would surely die but I couldn’t. I passed out. I woke up lying on the floor of the airport all my pain was gone I was confused but I dealt with it because it meant I wasn’t dead. I walked to my gate number. I got on my flight and realized the sword and coin were gone…

Su Tart

A kid’s birthday party seemed like an innocent place to blend in, relax for a moment. Su Tart had just gotten over the grief of the death of his friend, TROLL. He was at Felipe’s party and in the corner were no one could see him in his despair. But when the balloon popped…“Me done with this party!” but as he started to leave, the quests were pushing him back. If there isn’t one rule about Su Tart, never get him mad. All of the sudden the guests were pushed back with a great blast, Su Tart quickly pulled out an M4A1 and started flinging bullets everywhere. He hadn’t killed everyone yet so he threw a Frag and blew up the hallway, then he launched an RPG and blew up half the house! And if that wasn’t enough, he called in an A-bomb(and of course Su Tart was able to use this item) blew up the whole neighborhood! When he left the house(or what used to be a house) there was a plane outside, “come now, we send you to China!” “me goes!”

The trip to China was hard, you had to have a covid-19 shot and then be scanned. On the plane there was some cheap, plastic China tec like headphones and fans. While Su Tart was on the plane he saw Russia, what a bueatiful place it was! Su Tart made his decision. “bye , bye! Me imgrate to Rusha now!” with that Su Tart jumped off the plane and lamped right in a cell of a Russian cell and was locked up. “Me have to get out soon! I need me some tomatoes!” then a man came, unlocked the door and jumped off a cliff. It was TROLL! “Hello!” but when he looked down the cliff TROLL really dead and he had more greif! Su Tart fell to his knees, “take me now lord! Why you leave me in my anguish and dispair! Su Tart looked and saw a private jet! With this he could ride to China! He was riding the jet when all the sudden the jet was knocked off course he threw a potatoe forward, it hit a invisible wall. All the sudden the sky turned red and Felipe’s head appeared. “You escaped my last simulater you won’t escape this one! Ha ha ha ha ha ha!” “no me dies you now!” with that, Su Tart called in all the A-bomb’s the world had made and dropped them. “NO NO NO!” Felipe had been defeated, and Su Tart could imgrate to China!

The Vault

He opened the safe, it had gone. No one had the code, who could have opened it. 

“No one except me can enter this vault because it can only be opened by my touch. Otherwise, if another person tried to open it, they would be sucked inside and trapped.” 

My mind raced as I considered the options. Only a very powerful……

Sarah’s Couch

Today Sarah surprised me. She came home and started to for the first time in 5 years, she cleaned me. First she cleared off all of the empty pizza boxes from her roommates, then used the vacuum to get the crumes out of the bottomless pit between the cushions. Then she brought out the fabric cleaner and well cleaned the fabric. At first I was confused why she chose the clean me today but whatever. Then a few hours latter she sat down with a glass of “juice” for several hours watching Netflix. Then I realized she cleaned me so she could binj a entire 5 season tv show, about 6 hours in she got up four a few minutes then with a stack of pizza boxes she sat right back down. Then I felt one of my springs pop out of place and I knew this was the end of the line for me, by the 3 season 5 of my springs, half of one of my cushions had lost its bounce and by the time she had finished all of my springs were out of place and I had 3 very flat cushions. A few days go by and I see her and her roommates bring. In a new couch I stood up and we began to fight it out I ended up getting lined down by the brand new couch but in was a good effort. They took me down to the dump where I took my last breath and died, and that’s why I deserve to come into heaven god…

Leathery and worn

The old man’s hand was leathery and worn. His fineres bore the deep crevices and cracks that only come with age. The palms of his hands were rough and tanned a dark, honey, proof of his many hours spent working outside. The boy watched the old man as he sat by the fireside in the great leather chair. The old man reached down by his feet where the sleeping dog lay and picked up a knife and a half carved piece of wood. 

With intense precision, and hidden delicacy, he took up his tool and began to carve the object, methodically shaving off small slivers of the golden wood exposing the pale inside of the wood. After about half an hour, the boy could start to make out  what it was the old man was carving, the wood seemed to take shape and come to life in his rugged hands and he shaped and molded it, certain bits could be distinguished, a snarling mouth, a muscular shoulder,  a pattern of shaggy fur appears. 

After a full hour had elapsed, the majestic form of a beat had been beautifully and skillfully carved. The old man looked up from his work and smiled, his white teeth like diamonds in the mud…..

A Campfire Journey 

We sat around a campfire in Eerie silence….

Sally had just told us a spine-chilling story about werewolves. Successfully terrifying the whole group of teenagers out camping. All of us were shaking in our boots. SUDDENLY! We heard a curdling howl. It echoed through the forest, causing flocks of birds to emerge out of the trees. The howl sounded like nothing we had ever heard before. Being the ignorant people we were, the group decided to investigate the sounds. 

There was no stopping us, we had a plan, we were going to find what was making the noise. We trekked up mountains, under waterfalls, around lakes, across fields, into caverns, through valleys, and deep into catacombs. Then we found it. A werewolf society. Which strangely resembled a Roman City. We had somehow time travelled into ancient Rome, but its people were werewolves…

Surprisingly, our group was welcomed into the city. We were very glad to find the werewolves were not as scary as their howl. The werewolves were nothing like the stories back home. They were full endorsers of the arts and many of them were philosophers. The ones who studied science were far more advanced than in our society. They even helped build a machine to take us home. 

imgrating tu Rusha

It was back in the future of the past of 1747, there lived a tiny house, in this mansion there lived TROLL. Troll wasn’t any ordinary ogre. One day his best friend went to TROLL and said “i imgrate to rusha!” TROLL insisted he go with him so the next day they were and the airport. “Me board nuw” said Su Tart. On the plane the was a man, this wasn’t any ordinary man though, it was the handsome squidward! He was so shiny, he and his high cheekbones. He slowly turned his head to look at Troll but before he could speak a figure touched Su Tart and as he turned around, Haggitha the russian, and to other military officers were pushing them out the airplane door. “Wait me friend, me american, plz stop!” said Su Tart. “why you do to us? Wut we boo? Don’t make me dies you now!” but as always, they were thrown off the plane. To there surprise they landed right in the snow and realised they were in Russia. It turns out TROLL was 354 and fell he comit die. But it is true Su Tart did imgrate Rusha.

(he hap hap that troll comit dies!)

Stuck in a monsterous wood

At first, I thought it was the cat, but it was… Chimera I cursed my luck this was the third one I found in these woods they seemed to be drawn to me they kept on attacking it was the epitome of annoyance I couldn’t even get a break I sighed and pulled out my khopesh and charged at the thing it was quick though it seemed to flicker as it moved it was so fast it slid to the side and I went stumbling down the hill I kept rolling and rolling and gaining momentum my eyes opened wide right In front of me was a cliff as I was thinking my luck couldn’t get anymore rotten it started to snow no not just snow it was like a blizzard the pieces of snow were so large that the ground was covered in no time meanwhile I was about to plummet to my doom just as I was about to fall I stuck my khopesh deep into the side of the cliff I sighed and started to climb up once I made it up the treacherous cliff face I was met by an even more treacherous one the chimera was back and he was angry he roared so loud it caused an avalanche I moaned in annoyance and bolted towards the same cliff face I had just gotten up from I hide under the side dangling from my khopesh waiting for the avalanche to my enjoyment it came and along with the chimera falling to it’s inevitable fate I said “phew.” And started to climb yet again I got up and started walking up the cleared snow field when I heard a sort of flapping noise that sounded like wings “YOU’VE GOT TO BE KIDDING ME.” I shouted the chimera had somehow not died. I grabbed my khopesh from the grass and ran at the chimera. I jumped off a log and struck down with my blade straight into the chimera’s heart “thank the gods that’s over, wait no it can’t be.” I said as my eye began to twitch and I screamed “WHYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYY CURSES A HYDRA.” I fell face first into the remaining snow on purpose and began to scream no doubt notifying the creature of my presence. I stood up, gave the thing a dead stare and waited for it to come to me. It stalked closer and I shifted my feet and got ready to fight…

The Homeless Veteran

The old man’s hand was leathery and warn. His finger bore the deep crevasse and cracks that only come with age. I could tell that this man had been through a lot and I wanted to help him get off the streets. He said after “I came back from the Vietnam war, my finance sold my belongings, took money, car and left”. I could tell he was brokenhearted when he started crying. I offered to take him anywhere he wanted, I was going to get him a place to live for a little while, so he could get back on his feet. While we wear shopping for clothes for him I rented an apartment for twelve months. He picked out a big thick coat and thick gloves, hat and boots, then we went and got lunch. During lunch he said “you know boy, you’re pretty lucky for growing up in this age. When I was a kid we had little more than a stick a ball to play with, i never could imagine such a advance device in your back pocket, now if you want money you just have to be smart, but when I was working you had to be smart and strong.” At the end of lunch I showed him to his new apartment and he began to crying.

The Last Birthday

The date was July 13th, 2689, my 345th Birthday, and it would be my last. I had been fleeing from my destiny my whole life and it had finally caught up to me. My power cells only had enough power from 15 hours of high activity left or 353 hours of hibernation. I would not be hibernating. I would soon shut down and never boot up again. Maybe it was a good thing I would no longer be so alone, but something deep in my consciousness was afraid. I was afraid. I chuckled aloud imagining if my creators could see what I was thinking right now and what they would do. I was designed to kill I was designed to rip and tear flesh from the body, children from their families. I was disgusted at what I was designed to do but I think that over the hundreds of years I may have just made up for a small part of the grief and destruction that I caused. I looked down a child from the village who had made me a cake. I said thank you and patted her head as she smiled and ran away to go play with her friends. I sat down on a bench and looked around at the sky the birds the sounds of the insects, but most of all at the children playing. Thinking back I knew I could have done better, saved more lives, but I made peace with this fact.

The 15 hours passed by faster then I thought as I rested on the hill and looked around one last time I smiled.

Shiny Coin

You’re studying in line at a coffee shop when you spot a shiny coin on the ground. It catches your eye as it sparks against the sun, and you step out of the line, motioning for the person behind you to go ahead. You bend down and pick it up; it is warm in your hands and a yellowish brown color, although it does not appear to be gold. You turn it over in your hands and are surprised to see that it does not bear any recognizable symbols, and  on it carved in sharp relief, is a man with distinct features, and he has strong cheekbones and a sharp nose. On the other side of the coin is a bird in flight, surrounded on either side by great tridents……

Before Su Tart went to Rusha

Before, Su Tart didn’t want to imgrate tu Rusha, he wanted to go to Germany. Germany was a place were there were consentracene camps for potatoes. With all those potatoeshe could prank TROLL and fill his room. His freind would probably comit dieXD. This was Su Tarts dream, he wanted TROLL to comit die, so on the plane he was when all the sudden the raido was hacked, the rushin anthem was played through out the plane, a giant boulder struck the plane and I landed right at TROLLS mansion. Su Tart new what the had to do, he walked up the steps and knocked on the door. “Let uz im grate tu Rusha!”

Age

There’s only one thing in the world I’m afraid of…and I’m facing it now, staring in the mirror. My cheekbones are jutting more sharply than usual. Overnight, my features had morphed yet again. When Dr Zilhelm told me to expect unusual manifestations, I had no idea this is what would happen. I had gone to see him because, well, quite frankly age had begun to show ITS ugly face.

Movie Star

“You’re standing in line in a coffee shop when you spot a shiny coin on the ground.” Joe said putting a storyboard on display. 

“Just hear me out, this story will be good.” We were all in the boardroom, coffee and donuts on the table.

“And then, a high class movie star steps in and picks up the coin. Y’all with me? I made this plot up this morning.” He continued. 

“Joe, we were going to make a movie about space aliens not coins and coffee shops.” Susan mumbled. 

“Just hear me out, it’s a good movie plot,” Joe insisted waving his arms.

“So this movie star goes and picks this coin up right? And the people start crowding around him asking for autographs and pictures. Except for this one guy who says, hey! You’re so rich you don’t need that money,” 

The people in the meeting looked unimpressed. “There a punch line?” Susan asked.

“Well, ah, no, no punch line, but let me continue.” Joe said awkwardly. 

“So he says you don’t need that money and the movie star says, no, I dont need it in my life but it’s free just like you and all my fans. And then all the people start to get upset you know like what do you mean?”

“Joe is this going anywhere?” Susan asked again, her temper rising a little. 

“Yes yes it’s going somewhere. So then the movie star turns into a green alien, and people start running out of the coffee shop. Except for this one guy, who asks again. Hey! Your an alien, you don’t need that money give it to me!

The Old Man

The old man’s hand was leathery and worn. Fingers bore the deep crevices and cracks that only come with age. I sat on the slide with him waiting for the lifeguard to signal it was fine for him to slide down. Lifeguarding was a hard job for me. Everyday people would travel far and wide to go down the scariest water slide in the world, The Twister. This slide had twists and turns and things that would flip you upside down. 

This old man is going to have a bumpy ride, I thought, holding my breath.

The lifeguard from miles below gave a thumbs up. I had to use my binoculars to see him. 

“You ready sir?” I asked the old man. He was sitting on the slide, his hands braces on medal bars to hold him up.

“Yea” he grumbled. I bit my lip, this old guy might get killed going down this slide, but technically it was up to him.

“Ready,” I started.

“Set!!”

“Go,…”

“You know one time back in the 50s I went down a water slide with my friends.” He started talking, my hands nearly touched the button that would open the floor of the slide.

“That’s super cool sir, you ready to go down?” I asked.

“Yep yep.” He sighed.

“One, two, thre,..”

“And I remember we got some milkshakes after and went roller skating, it was me sally and bob.” He went on.

My hand was still nearly on the slide button.

“Sir, that sounds like a great time but,” there were tons of people waiting in line behind him.

“Are you sure, like positive you are ready to go down this slide?” I asked once more, losing my patience a little.

“Yeah I’m ready now,” he assured. I put my hand against the button.

“One, two, thr,..” 

“And then I remember Bob got milkshake all over his shirt it was,”

I slammed the button.

“Woawoaowa,,,,” he fell through the floor into the water. I saw him flip over and over and spin around. The people behind the slide were watching wide-eyed. I waited until he was at the bottom of the slide. There he was! I saw him through my binoculars. It looked like he was talking to the lifeguard down there. 

“Yeah me and Sally just laughed at Bob! I mean them there shake just spilled everywhere.” I heard him talk all the way at the bottom.

We sat around the campfire

We sat around the campfire in eerie silence……waiting for the gunshot to fire off again, “maybe it was just a hunter?” we crept through the darkness of the forest looking at every twig that snapped, “what was that?” Big Joe said in a whisper. “I don’t know, but I don’t like it” there was a faint drumming sound in the distance, we drew closer and hid in the nearby bush. “Snap” when a twig snapped and then the drumming stopped, we fell into eerie silence. Everything was quiet until………..”MOSCOW, MOSCOW NANANANANANANANA!!” “RUN AWAY!” we all ran fast back to the camp and up the hill, “coach Robertson wake up!” his eyes opened but they were shining yellow, all the sudden a drumroll was coming up, a little later he was singing moscow and chasing us through the forest! No matter how fast they ran he caught up to us, “you’ll never take me alive!”

I woke up, sweat rolling to my neck, “phew! It was just a dream!” there was a knock on my door, I assumed it was just my parents checking up on me, that was my mistake. I opened the door and all the sudden…..”we’re sending you to a boarding school son, pack up your thing and get ready to leave in five minutes.” (sad violin music:( )then an alarm sounded off, “attention fellow civilians, the Purge has just begun, all laws are gone for the next 24 hrs, have fun!” I quickly ran to my drawer and pulled out my trusty dusty knife mp1214Rex and my G36, “I, am ready!” “I AM SO NOT READY!” bullets flying everywhere and explosions were going haywire, everyone was shooting. There were a total of three people left, a sniper, a sweaty shoty boy and me. The sniper man instantly shot down the shoty and was pointing his scope at me, I ran as fast as I could. A shot rang off, was it dead or not? I looked but to my surprise the enemy was dead! “Who killed him?” then a drumroll sounded off in the distance, “oh no!” “MOSCOW MOSCOW NANANANANANANANANANANANANANANANANA!!!”

An Unfortunate Swap

In a world where ghosts have taken over. One ghost will be dumber than the rest, and his name is James. Now James wasn’t the brightest ghost of his friend group. He didn’t quite understand his limitations.

He died when he was 17 in 1969. He had been living as a seventeen year old ghost ever seen. Though one day, on October 1st 2019, ghosts and humans switched lives. Why? No one knows, but James has been living as a ghost for so long he had forgotten what it was like to be human. The amount of walls he’s been running into is unbelievable. I still love him though. 

Oh by the way, I’m his best friend, Gill. We both died at 17 in a car accident. It’s okay though, falling off that cliff was the most exhilarating seven seconds of our lives. 

Any ways, James has always been a little slow. That’s why I’m not surprised he died again within the first 2 months of his human life. He forgot he couldn’t float through cars while crossing the street.

Kindness

The old man’s hand was leathery and worn. His fingers bore the deep crevices and cracks that only come with age. His mouth was bared in a toothless grimace as he peered up through a tangle of grey, unkempt hair.

“Please, miss…” his voice quavered. “Help an old man. My daughter brought me here and left me at this park bench. She told me she would come back to pick me up, but that was two days ago. At least I think it was two days ago. I have nothing to eat, and my water bottle is empty. The nearest stores are too far for me to walk, and my daughter also took all my money and credit cards, so I cannot buy anything anyway.”

Sarah stared in horror. She had never seen such a disgusting sight. Why was this man even still alive? People who looked like this should be dead.

Nonetheless, her parents had taught her to always be kind, so she sat down on the bench, as far from the old man as possible.

“Who is your daughter?” she asked. “I can call her for you.”

“Don’t bother, she’ll not answer the phone, or else tell you she doesn’t know who I am.”

Now Sarah felt sad, and a little embarrassed. “My name is Sarah. Please tell me your story.”

“I was born a very long time ago, and quite far from here.” He stopped to take a breath. Sarah noticed for the first time how frail the man seemed. 

“My family was quite poor, so it seemed like we never had enough to eat. We were farmers, you see. I don’t really remember, but when the Dust Bowl years hit, my parents abandoned the farm and we started traveling around looking for places to work and live. I have vague memories of campfires and being cold a lot.”

Sarah zipped her jacket, feeling the chill. She looked at the old man and saw he had holes in his jeans and a ragged flannel shirt pulled over a thin shirt. She noticed for the first time that his hands were not only cracked and worn, but blue with cold. They trembled, and he rubbed them together, trying to warm them.

Realizing the old man needed more than a little chat on the park bench, Sarah coaxed him to his feet.

“Let’s go get a cup of coffee and a bowl of soup.” She helped him walk to her car, and gently maneuvered him into the passenger seat. She drove the short distance to the town diner.

As she entered the restaurant with the old man, some of her school mates looked up from their conversation and stared at her. The question in their eyes was obvious, “Who was this shabby creature she had brought with her?”

Lifting her chin, she guided him to a table and sat down across from him. When Betty, the gum-chewing waitress, sauntered over to their table, Sarah declared loudly, “This is my friend, whatever he wants to eat and drink is on me.”

The campfire story

We sat around the campfire in Erie silence… Charles began to tell his ghost story we all sat listening for when Charles told a story it seemed to come to life. He told us about an old sawmill that used to be in these woods we all shivered. He told us how an old man tended to the mill until the day he died. “The man’s name was John Apricot, and he still roams these woods.” Said Charles. I heard a rustle behind me but I didn’t pay much attention due to the loud chirping of the cicadas. Nevertheless I shrugged it off and continued listening. He told us how he stalked the woods looking for campers like us then suddenly behind me, I heard another rustle. I turned around and saw a shadow lurking behind the trees. I again decided to not alert my campers (because of course they would mock me for “seeing things”). Finally after many minutes of listening to the story and waiting something finally happened. A dark looming figure creeped up behind Charles and all the campers had a shocked look in their eyes. I shouted at the top of my voice “RUN!!!!!!!!”. Everyone stood up and bolted but I suddenly looked back to see Charles wasn’t following. I ran back to get him but he was nowhere to be seen. I decided to venture into the woods to tryin find him. I took a turn next to one of the cabins and saw Charles and the figure laughing? I had no idea what was going on so I went up to the two of them and saw the figure that we thought was John Apricot was really Charles’ older brother. Afterwards we all had a good laugh but that’s my story from camping.

The Elixir

We had done it. We killed him. Enoch was dead. It wasn’t very hard we had just walked into his hollow when he was asleep and choaked him. We would have stabbed him but we did not want to waste a single drop of his blood. We took the body up into the mountains in the early hours of the morning. We had to make it to the temporary base we had set up to distill his blood into the Elixir. We only had a couple of hours before his blood was rendered useless so we had to work quickly. Soon we made it back to the base and began the ritual and distillation process.

Johann began to drain his blood into the machine as Helma and I did the complicated work of making sure the machine ran without a hitch. We had practiced this before but this time was different but none the less everything was working perfectly soon we were on the last step Johann opened the last valve and the distilled Elixir dripped down into the flask. We had done it.

The Body

It’s so dark, and it smells like blood.
I can’t see a thing in here.
I feel a sharp shooting pain in what was my right arm.
Crap.
I can’t remember a thing can I?
Breath.
That’s the least of your worries.
Right now you need to figure out where you are and why you’re covered in blood.
What was that?
Foot Steps.
Okay stay calm.
It’s tight.
Figure out what you’re in.
A box maybe?
And what’s in here with me?
It’s soft, it has a hand, it’s…
It’s not breathing.
Oh god they’re dead.
Am I supposed to be dead too?
Is that why my arm is gone?
Was I supposed to bleed out here?
Calm.
Focus.
Where did the footsteps go?
Wait I hear them.
They’re approaching.
They’re approaching fast.
Oh god, oh god, oh god.
Should I play dead?
Am I already dead?
The lid is opening.
Do they know I’m alive?
Or at least I think I am.
Can they hear me breath?
Calm.
They’re taking the body.
Wait.
They took my body.
I can’t move.
Am I a ghost?
I’m a ghost. 

The Demon Wolf

We sat around the campfire in earey silence… as the sound grew louder we knew that the curse of the demon wolf had come true… they say the curse will only happen if you disturb the rock circle prison. When we saw its red eyes peering out of the forest we knew that we were gonna ether, had to lock it back in to the prison or die but we had to act fast. We were in a group of four that meant that we could distract it while the others put the rocks back. Two of my friends ran to the ATV so they could distract the best, me and another friend started work on repairing the rock circle. First we put the fire out, then we move out all of the burning wood and finally we swept the ash out. Now all they had to do is lure it back to the circle, my friends who had jumped on the ATV were long gone so we called them to come back, we figured the one was driving and the other was on the back. Thankfully someone picked up the phone, I told them to come back so we could end this madness they did and we lured it in a blam a bright flash of light and the demoing wolf was gone.

There’s only one word I’m afraid of

There’s only one word I’m afraid of,… lemonade. Ever since I was six or seven, I kept having this repeating dream of drowning in lemonade. I never told anyone this, until the day I saw a news report. A report that would change my life forever.

“Claire dinners ready!” My dad yelled up the stairs. I was sitting on my floor looking at my favorite magazine, Decor Land! 50 things you need for your room! I loved looking at the dark brown shelf they displayed on page four, it was a dream of mine to have it in my room, but alas, nobody with the right mind would pay 1000 dollars for a shelf. But then again,… I walked out of my room and climbed down the stairs. The house smelled like lentil soup. 

“Did you see this news report?” My Dad asked my Mom. She was taking off her dark blue apron, there was lentil soup on the corner of her mouth, but I said nothing.

“WFZ news says, people with recurring dreams such as flying on a log, magic tea pots or drowning in lemonade will win money! They must report their cases to their nearest hospital for scientists to study.” He laughed. Did I hear that right? I wondered. Real money?

“What kind of crazy thing is that? Who on earth dreams of drowning in lemonade of all things,” my mom laughed.

“Uhh, mom?” I started.

“I dream of drowning in lemonade every night,” my parents looked at me with disbelief.

Without another word, my dad ran to the telephone and began to dial.

“Hello?” He said.

I Woke up in a Tree  

I woke up yesterday in a tree, without even a sweater to keep me dry. The weird thing is…….

His stuff was gone. He had lived in that tree for his entire life without getting robbed. Now all his things were gone and his tree was knocked down on the ground.

A squirrel named Smokey, lived in a tree far far from the neighboring town. Smokey had always disliked being around other people. All of his ancestors had the same outlook on life. When they got older, it was tradition for the old squirrels to take their family far from any city and hide in the woods. Living the rest of their lives in only one tree. Now Smokey’s sanctuary had been taken from him. All his food, clothing, personal items, and retirement funds were gone forever. All the money saved from his days working in the horrible little town when he was a young squirrel lad was gone.

Smokey dredded his next decision, but it was a decision he had to make. He would move back. Just long enough for him to earn money to replant his tree. Smokey got a job at the local food storage and he moved into one old tree in a grove his family owned for years, though none of them wanted to use it. It was as close to the edge of town as he could get. Smokey was very happy about this. 

Living in a grove was a problem for Smokey. It meant other squirrels lived right next to him. The day he moved in, it seemed everyone in town wanted to meet him. He was horrified. Smokey only wanted to be left alone. The tiny neighborhood kits wouldn’t take no for an answer. After his work, the kits came by again and again, every single day. Playing in his yard, making noise, asking for stories about the woods. It was driving him insane. The only way to quiet them was to tell them those old stories they begged to hear. 

As time passed, the old squirrel started to enjoy telling the kits stories and the neighbors didn’t bother him as much anymore. He even found himself liking the town a little. When it came time to replant his tree outside town, Smokey couldn’t do it. He decided to stay with his new friends and replant his tree in the grove. Smokey spent the rest of his days telling adventures from his time in the woods to the kits.

Coconut: My Singing Hamster

The instagram account I just created for my hamster just went viral! Coconut is so pleased with himself and his new found fame! This morning we got an invitation from the Ellen show. What joy! I informed my husband, Peter, that we would be needing two tickets to Cali ASAP. He called me crazy but still signed the check. He knew that although it was silly. coconut would be the next big hit; I mean who wouldn’t want to see a singing hamster. Fast forward to Ellen, Coconut performed his opera solo of Ave Maria. It was so beautiful that everyone cried. Sadly, Coconut got caught up in his fame and traveled down the path of drugs and alcohol. After 10 long years battling addiction, he finally beat it. He then opened the first ever rehab center for Hamsters and the name Coconut went down as a legend in history. 

 Campfire

We sat around the campfire in eerie silence… Samantha had her hands clenched around a wooden bat, ready to strike at any time. It was the dead of night, and the crickets stopped chattering.

“Hello?” I asked. The cackling of the fire made a luminous glare around us. I reached for the nearest stick and stood up from my log.

“I’m going to investigate!” I whispered. Very slowly I began to walk further into the darkness.

“Be careful!” Samantha hissed. Heart pounding, I walked further and further away from the campfire. Something wasn’t right with the atmosphere, maybe it was because I wasn’t in the warmth of the fire. But still, something odd was going on here. My feet were making small crunching sounds as I walked on leaves. A cold chill went up my spine, a turned and looked at Samantha, “Aaaaa” I screamed.
A large shadow was hanging over her. She jumped up and started screaming too. She dropped her bat and ran towards me. Both of us ran for our lives towards the dark forest. Pang! Crash! We stumbled through the twigs and branches until we both tripped over a heavy stone. I looked up, Samantha was covered in burs and dirt, and I was no better. We sat for a moment, the bright moon shining over us.

“Is it gone?” I whispered anxiously.

“I’m not about to go and check!” Samantha hissed.

“BOO!!” Yelled a voice. We yelled and grabbed hold of eachother. Rage filled through me. Linda and Jack, our two friends from summer camp, were standing behind us laughing.

“What are you guys doing here!” Demanded Samantha.

“Your mom said you two would be having an outside sleepover! So Linda and I decided to pull a prank on you.

Writing

My 15th novel of the day! Phew! I’m ready for a break. My fingers are now double their usual size from the constant clattering across the keyboard. I am now on my 17th straight day of typing continuously; I am quite certain I continue to type in my sleep.

My publisher is very pleased. She says of the 253 novels I have produced this month, at least one of them should be a good seller. I noticed she didn’t say “best seller,” only “good.” I am beginning to believe this is not worth it.

Since I was 12, I thought writing was my ticket to fame, fortune, and a villa in the Alps. I’m now 47 and instead have $300K in debt and live in a three-bedroom apartment with five other people. 

The Sound of a Dragon

I knew that sound. It was a Dragon. Not just any dragon mind you it was the monstrous Odrir. He was coming after me and my wolf Magnus for we had just stolen his scales. We thought we’d gotten away with it when we heard that roar. I started running with Magnus right behind me we just made it past the second lava river when chaos literally erupted. A huge green and yellow blur flew out of the lava river it was huge, bigger than anything you’d ever seen even in its own cave it looked minuscule to how it looked now. It made a low growl that shook the ground and turned into a black flame. I winced the heat was so intense I felt like my skin was burning off the only thing that stopped me from becoming a crispy hero was Magnus. He leaped at the dragon which no one suspected not me or the dragon which is what saved Magnus and me. The dragon flinched long enough for Magnus to fall back to the ground and beckon me to come there. I ran to Magnus and jumped on he ran as fast as he could with the beast on our tail we had almost made it out of Odrir’s territory when catastrophe struck. Odrir shot black flames at us luckily Magnus dodged, but (because of course these stories never end without a but) Magnus tripped and we both went tumbling toward a chasm (because of course it had to be a chasm with lava at the bottom) I grabbed the ledge and felt a sharp pain in my ankle I looked down and saw Magnus hanging on to my ankle with his teeth. In wolf I said “come on man really you had to bite into my ankle to hang on.” He said back in wolf “less talking more climbing.” So or course because wolves are extremely stubborn I had to shut up. When we reached the top, I saw no sign of the dragon, it seemed when we rolled into the chasm we had rolled out out of his territory. Now all we had to do was get back to the village so the healer could save my father’s life with the scales.

You

You’re standing in line at a coffee shop when you spot a shiny coin on the ground. Your eyes sparkle has you reach to pick it up. You being as kind as you are, have the barista a smile as you put the coin in the tip jar. You’re so kind, always smiling to people, always giving. You’re selfless. We’d be perfect for each other, I would pick up the coin for you as you watched with passion in your eyes. I’d take care of you… unlike him. He disgusts me. He’s the only thing between me and you. But I’ll take care of him for us. Trust me, by the time he’s gone, you won’t even remember who he is. It will be a perfect world. Our world. Just me and you.

The Last Book On Earth 

They opened the last book on Earth…….

The journey had been long. Amari knew the dangers far outweighed the reward in most people’s eyes, but it was important to them. Books were their life. As the last librarian on Earth, Amari desperately wanted to retrieve the book. A few years back, a terrible tragedy had occurred. The union controlling all countries had banned and burned all the books. The union destroyed all the libraries along with them. Amari had heard a tale spun by the old librarians that told of one last book, hidden in an underwater cave full of magic. 

They decided they would leave on a journey to find the last book. They travelled to another lost city, far from the union’s capital, it was where they met Capitan Jeul. An extravagant man who tagged along with them. He had a map to give Amari that would help them on their search. It had taken them both years to reach where they were now. Amari had even located an ancient kind of submarine along the way, so Captain Jeul could pilot to the book’s location. Along the way, Amari found other people who had stories to tell and wrote them down as they travelled. Amari protected the small library of manuscripts they had collected on the trip. 

When they finally reached the right underwater cave, there laying on top of a stone slab was the last book. To their surprise the pages of the book were flipping, almost as if someone invisible were there turning each page. Then they noticed the floating quill. It was writing something in the book. On further inspection, they found it was writing their own movements. It was writing the story of their journey, and it had written a long history on other adventurers. The most important passage in the book told of the book’s own creation. It gave Amari the information they needed to place a charm on any book so it couldn’t be destroyed. Amari continued their exploring, writing down every story they heard. They started a small library that could never be burned and people have been adding to it ever since.

Sarah

Today Sarah surprised me. She walked into the house with her hands clasping onto grocery bags. I had this feeling that she would dump them all over me, me being a chair and all. She kicked off her leather boots in a hurry and scurried around her kitchen, I heard pots and pans rattle and the loud rapper sounds of the grocery bags. All I could do was sit and watch exasperatedly as she came around and tripped right over me! Bags flew up in the air, milk cartridges spilled and eggs cracked. I felt the slimy stick of butter unravel on the bottom of my chair leg. Sarah looked utterly beside herself. She quickly got up and reached for her food, knocking over the ripped fruit bag in the process. I did feel bad for her though, but I always thought of her as being a little flighty. In fact, I was lucky to get bought from her at all! If it wasn’t for that chair discount at the furniture store I would still be sitting on a rack with a price tag slapped on me. 

“You need any help Sarah?” I asked, she stopped and looked at me slowly, milk still splashing over the floor. “Did you just,” she stopped, and turned and shook her head.

Wow, how rude! I thought. “Sarah! Do you need any help?” I asked again. Sarah jerked her head up and looked at me distraught. “Aaaa!!” She yelled. Before I could ask what’s wrong, she bolted out of the house, slipping on butter as she left.

The Dreaming Novelist

If I could write a novel every hour.
Oh the things I could do.

I would start by writing the story of me and you.
The world would know of our love,
and the pain we’ve been through,
and how you taught me the world will always be more beautiful when I’m experiencing it with you.

Next I will write the stories of those I will meet.
I will travel the world day by day, week by week.
I’ll hope to spread love and compassion to those here and there,
In hopes of inspiring people everywhere.

After my grand adventure comes to a close,
I suppose there is one more thing that I cannot forgo.
I will write of my life and the adventures I’ve had, while slowly wiping away the tears that come with a bitter sweet sad.

Before you go there’s one thing I should tell you.
I hope these novels find you and compel you.
I hope you smile while reading them softly. And even if you’re hurting, please keep me in your heart and remember me fondly.

Just as the seasons come and go,
You and I know my life must come to a close.
But the stories I’ve told will live on forever,
Written on paper, letter by letter.

Wildflowers

Alex was a normal guy. He liked his life it wasn’t very interesting but he had a good job and a loving girlfriend who he loved back. Right now he was walking back from his job to get some flowers to surprise her when he got home. He walked through the streets to the flower shop that wasn’t too far out of his way. Nothing too out of the ordinary. He got the Flowers a lovely bouquet of wildflowers. The crosswalk light was being worked on and was not working properly as Alex looked up saw the white man and began to walk but not before looking both ways. He failed to notice the truck whose driver had not gotten any sleep the night before and just as he was about to walk back on the sidewalk. BAAM!
Alex sat up and looked around there were wildflowers strewn around him he thought that he must have dropped them and started to pick them up but weirdly he couldn’t. Alex then looked around confused he saw a police officer and went up to ask him he walked up in front of him and asked if he knew what was going on. He kept trying but them the officer walked right through him. Alex tried to talk to other people but then, he saw the body. His body. He was dead.

Into the jungle

In my bag I had a map lip gloss and 74 dollars. I was stuck in the stupid rainforest a trip I never wanted to go on yet my family thought its would be “good for me”. I was falling behind the rest of the jungle expeditioners. “Man.” I thought “how are they so fast.” I continued tromping along when I heard a sort of crunching noise coming from my left. I was curious, for it was the most interesting thing that had happened on this trip so far. So I started walking towards the direction I had heard the noise from. I kept on walking and the crunching noise kept getting louder. When suddenly……. SPLAT I’d fallen down a deep hole into water. I looked around my eyes adjusting to the dark, I saw a drawing on the far side of the hole and started swimming towards it. I pulled my flashlight from my belt and tried to turn it on but nothing happened. It was fried. So not knowing what to do I tried looking at the drawing. To my surprise I understood what it said. It read “whoever shall pass this riddle will uncover the temple of the snake.” I kept reading and saw the riddle. What has four legs when it is young, two when it is an adult, and three when it is old. That’s easy I thought I said aloud immediately “a human.” A rumbling started and the area where the drawing had been started to open. I crawled through the opening and the first thing I did was start a fire. I remembered my lip gloss had a component that was flammable so I took two sticks and started making a fire. I used the money as kindling for I thought that my warmth was more important than money.

Choose Your Own Adventure: The Coin Story

You’re standing in line at a coffee shop when you spot a shiny coin on the ground….

It was your lucky day. You pocketed the coin and proceeded to order your coffee. Going about your day, you forgot all about the coin. Walking out of the shop, you made your way to work at the tall office building in the distance. 

Soon your day started to feel the opposite of lucky. You got fired from work and then you started to notice strange things happening throughout your day. A flock of geese attacked you! When you went to wash your hands, the pipe burst and water exploded right in your face! You kept tripping on the pavement! A bicycle ran you over! The town you lived in got a tornado warning! Every time you stepped outside it rained, but when you went inside, it started shining again. Just as you were wondering why all these things were happening, a cab splashed water on you as it rounded the corner. 

Then it hit you. All of this started when you picked up the coin from the coffee shop! You only had a few options.

Do you:

1. Keep the coin and search for someone to help.
2. Throw the coin away, not knowing who it affects.
3. Use the coin to thwart an enemy.
4. Hide the coin where no one will find it. 

Endings:

1. You end up keeping the coin. You spend years searching for someone who knew what to do, dealing with all the bad luck that came your way. Eventually you came upon an old shaman who recognized the coin. The shaman told you to place it in a special box and dig it deep into the ground. It stays there for many years
2. You throw the coin in the sewers hoping no one will find it. Unfortunately, an alligator swallows the coin and stumbles into the city. The alligator walks by your favorite coffee shop and spits the coin back at you. 
3. You use the coin against your enemy. You secretly drop the coin in your enemy’s bag, but they discover it and send it back to you. KARMA.
4. You carelessly hide the coin in a park.. A small child named Jimmy picks up the shiny coin from where you left it. Jimmy had the worst of luck from then on. Not very nice of you.

The Leprechaun

I was standing in line at a coffee shop when I saw a shiny coin on the ground, I knew there way a leprechaun nearby so I decided to get my coffee and find this leprechaun. I left the coffee shop and looks at the coin, I said 1234 pot’o gol’ street, I googled the place and in instantly took me to a website called “nowyouknow.org” I explained the hole thing to me itsaid the Google is run by leprechauns and that is why there is not a special Google image for at. Patrick’s day to not bring in to much attention. Also that’s why you never see the Google man taking photos because he is dressed like a child but it wears small cameras, they said to give them you address and they would mail you a check for 50,000,000 so I did and the next day when I came home from work my house had been broken it to and had everything including my grandma’s ashes stolen, a few days pass and a new article about 5 reportedly leprechauns were selling “fun time stuff” on the internet but when a customer said they they felt normal after the had some, and all parties involved were put in prison. I never did get my stuff back.

Birthday Party

A kid’s birthday party seemed like an innocent place to blend in, relax for a moment. But when the balloon popped… and the spiraly creatures burst out and floated throughout the room, I knew we were in trouble. They were ever color of the rainbow, and seemed innocent enough, with their fluffy appearance. They resembled a cuddly miniature slinky, and the way they moved through the air reminded me of how I used to send my flopping down the stairs.

Then my friend Bart started screaming. We all jumped with fright, then rushed to see what was wrong. He was rolling on the floor, batting at something attached to his neck. It was one of the creatures! Without a sound, it was untying Bart’s skin. There was already a patch about 5” long and 3” wide where it looked like he had scrubbed himself raw.

He wasn’t really bleeding, but the area was oozing. The freakiest part was that it wasn’t red or pink or anything else within the realm of normal. The ooze was fluorescent green, and the consistency of silly putty.

Bart was clawing at his neck, trying to dislodge the creature, without success. As we watched in horror, it scooted lower, inside the neck of his shirt, still chomping away. Kelly put her fingers to Bart’s neck, trying to wipe away some of the green ooze. She began to scream, shaking her hand, “it’s on fire!” 

All the parents were in the back yard, sitting in the sun and drinking “adult beverages,” totally unaware of the sci-fi horror scene unfolding inside Bart’s house. Finally, Sam had the presence of mind to run outside and holler to the parents about what was happening.

Bart’s dad was the first to enter the house…