Prompt: Use any quote and write a 500 word story about it. The quote can be from anywhere, but still needs to be appropriate. (No cursing allowed in the quote!) The short story can be in any point of view and is allowed to go over 500 words.
Due at the end of the period on Friday for Mrs. Ell’s class AND Mr. Kupiec's class.
Example: “A reader lives a thousand lives before he dies. The man who never reads lives one.” –George R.R. Martin
“I’m sorry Ms. Callaway, but I’m not sure how to tell you this.” The doctor said looking over his clip board. “A valve in your heart has busted and there really is no way of fixing it.” I looked down at the ground shaking slightly, not fully sure how to process this information.
“I’m going to die?” I asked looking back up at my doctor. He looked back down to the clipboard and let out a defeated sigh.
“I’m so sorry Erica, but before I even came in here I made the nurses reevaluate the papers. I tried to even change the results myself but nothing can really change this outcome.”
“And I can’t get surgery for this?” I asked getting angry and a little frantic. “You’re telling me right now that there is absolutely nothing I can do to stop this?”
“No you canno-“
“And why not!” I screamed glaring at Dr. Richards.
“Because if we go in you won’t come out” He spat and then took a breath to relax. “Erica if we go inside to fix this valve there is a 100% chance of it not helping what so ever. It did not only split, but it ripped its self so far apart that to retrieve the other piece we would have to go down to you small intestines. We have no idea how this happened, but going off of a guess your body has become very weak and is starting to break down.”
“I- I can’t believe this. How long do I have?” I asked looking up to my doctor feeling as if it is the last time I’ll ever see him.
“Two weeks. Throughout that time you’ll feel your body getting weaker, but it won’t be severe. How the damage is happening you should just pass without pain.” He said looking at me with sad eyes. “Try to live up these next few days Erica. Do everything you’ve always wanted to do.”
“What else is there left for me to do?” I asked shaking my head. “I’ve already swum with dolphins, explored the Grand Canyon, and went to concerts. I’ve flown all over the world and gone to a different universe. Well actually multiple universes if you want to get technical. I’ve worked for the FBI, and also done some sketchy business. I’ve been a drug dealer and police officer. I have tamed lions and some of the largest beasts you’ll ever imagine. I’ve been treated like royalty and multiple occasions I have become the ruler of nations. I’ve fought in the army and suffered the most deadly of wounds. I’ve been reborn and found out all the secrets that have been hidden from us for years. I’ve had drinks with Caesar, talked about the planets with Galileo, painted out the meaning of life with Michael Angelo, and have danced in the presence of Queen Elizabeth. I have traveled everywhere, including Atlantis. Did you know that mermaids do exist?” I asked with a raised eyebrow. “I have be-friended mythical creatures, the strongest warriors and villains of all sorts. I say all this to ask. What else can I do?” I finished looking back at Dr. Richards.
He looked at me shell shocked. “I have no idea, but it seems like you’ve lived many lives.” He said still confused
I smiled lightly “Yeah I guess you could say that.”
“For me, singing sad songs often has a way of healing a situation. It gets the hurt out in the open into the light, out of the darkness.” Reba McEntire
ReplyDeleteI sat in the kitchen as I tried to keep the tears from rolling down my face. I know it was true but I didn’t want to admit it. All he did was leave a note on the table saying “I’m sorry, but were over, I found some body better.” I knew he was cheating because he was always sneaking around and coming home from “work” at weird hours of the night. We were together five years and this last month he was acting weird and I knew what he was doing, but I never wanted to admit that the love of my life didn’t love me anymore. The tears started to roll down my face, I couldn’t hold it in anymore, I just had to admit I still loved him a little. That day I called out of work I just couldn’t go in, I stayed home and cried. I knew I should have just gotten over it because he obviously stopped loving me and I should not be still waiting him, but I couldn’t help it we were together for the longest time and I stared to believe he was the one. I turned on the radio to help forget about the pain of him leaving, but it didn’t help much because it was all love songs. All songs about how he loves me and he won’t leave me and all the songs that are a lies. I turned it off and just turned on the TV to find a movie. All the movies were the same to about the girl falling in love with this guy and they live happily ever after in the end. I started to cry again, knowing that what I had was gone. I turned the TV off and just sat on the couch crying knowing I will never have that because who I thought I would marry cheated on me and left me for her. I cried myself to sleep that night knowing he wasn’t next to me. I got up the next day and got ready for work. My heart was broken and my eyes were swollen. I did everything I could to look presentable. I got in my car and turned it on. The radio was left on and the first thing I heard was cause I can't make you love me if you don't. I turned the radio up and as I drove down the driveway. As the song went on it got to me, and I began to sing. The sad song turned my day all around. The words fit perfectly to my situation. Even though the song was sad it fixed everything at that moment. The song mended my broken heart, my frown turned into a smile, and my eyes didn’t have tears in them. That one sad song that was meant to bring me down repaired me.
”when you change the way you look at things, the things you look at change”
ReplyDeleteWalking down the hallway I feel like I’m not even the person I am, I’m confused about this whole life situation. I guess I’m just not mentally stable to be here on this earth but if I wasn’t’ here where else would I go. I walk through the hallways and feel as though I want to cry but I heard a wise man say don’t let them see you weak. I feel confused, about everything. Am I depressed? Am I stressing? I don’t even know how I feel anymore I think to myself as I walk to the bus stop. I just want it to be night time and sleep all day. When I sleep I dream and when I dream I feel happy and refreshed like nothing can stop me. I don’t know maybe I’m depressed and I don’t know how to handle things. “taj”, “ taj” wake up, get up its time for you to get ready your breakfast is on the table. I think to myself. I wake up happy but when I get to school its like something puts me in a bad mood but I don’t know what it is. Is it the people? Is it the things I’m surrounded by? When I look at others I see success and when I take a look in the mirror I see someone who is confused about the life that he is living. Why can’t I have all of the finer things in life? Why can’t I have a lot of friend? Why and live like the people live in TV? , I’m tired of eating the same thing day after day. I just want to live large, a big mansion, a nice little shorty that follows me around wherever I go but how can I get all of that? When I’m by myself I feel accomplished I guess whenever I’m at school I feel judged. I know it’s always going to be someone more handsome then me or someone that has more material things then me I know it shouldn’t define me but what else am I supposed to do. I had a dream a few nights ago a man was in it but I didn’t know who he was, I think it was my father but I don’t know. The man said “it’s not about the size of the boat; it’s the motion in the ocean”. I sat there in my dream and just looked at him, until I felt a falling sensation then I woke up. A few days later that same dream that I remember made a lot of sense. Later I started to realize what I had, I may not have the biggest meals in the world but aye the noodles that I have puts something in my stomach, it doesn’t matter that me and my brother share a room as long as I have a place to lay my head. I know it’s someone out there that’s more handsome then me but that doesn’t make me ugly right?. If I don’t appreciate the things I already have how I will ever appreciate the better things that are yet to come. I realized that no one can control my happiness besides me so what is there to do? “yes “ better myself and the things I already have. So now what is there to do now? “Yea” learn how to be a man .Material things? I might throw some new rims on my car just because I can, happiness? Where else can it go besides with me, money? Minds as well get it I need it to survive, love? Psh who needs it when I got this all these sorties in my phone. I guess I’m living how I was meant to live or maybe not guess I won’t know until later on in life. Am I really happy with myself? Does all of these material things really matter or am I blind?
“To love is to destroy.”
ReplyDelete“Look at me! Nai, please!”, he begged on the brim of tears.
She stood facing away from him with her arms crossed.Light from the great bay windows cast her in a halo of light that made her blonde hair shine brighter.
“Why? Why should I look at you? Why should I listen?” she whispered barely loud enough for him to hear.
He looked down at his feet, making his shaggy hair fall into his eyes.
“B-because I love you. I can’t bear to live a day without you. Nai I love you, I love you more than I should.”
She stood motionless, as if she didn’t hear him. All he wanted to do was hug her and hold her close, but she was acting like as if he was a rodent. Confusion, frustration, and despair churned inside of him. Why was the only girl he could love treating him likes this? What had he done to make her like this?
“Noah, I’m so sorry. I’m so so sorry. I-I..” she began to sob as tears fell rapidly down her face.
He walked over to her and wrapped his arms around her. Nai tried to push him away but she finally gave in, crying into his chest.
“Shhh. It’s okay, I’m not mad. What’s wrong babe?” he asked while stroking her hair.
“You deserve so much better. Noah I’m sorry, I never meant to hurt you.” she said, looking everywhere but at his eyes.
His world began to spin, he felt like he had been punched in the gut.
“What do you mean? What did you do?” he asked, pulling her away from him.
She shook her head and wrapped her arms tight around herself.
“Nai, look at me. What did you do?!?” he stared past her at the wall, trying to contain his feelings.
“Noa-” she began
“No, tell me what you did. Nai please.”
“Greg. Greg and I, last night.” she stammered.
His world began to spin out of control. He felt sick to his stomach.
“Why Nai? Why would you do this to me?!?” he murmured.
“Noah, I’m sorry. I love you. I-I never meant to do this to you.”
He knew that he should feel angry, but he didn’t feel anything.
“Nai, did you know that you are the first girl that I ever loved? I mean really love, that you feel deep down in your bones.” he inquired, staring at her beautiful sky blue eyes.
She opened her mouth to say something ,but then shut it close.
He wanted to forgiver her, to make things work, but he couldn’t process anything. All he felt was despair and a sense of loss. He thought back to a book he read and something one of the characters said.
“To love is to destroy.” he whispered.
“Knowledge cannot replace friendship. I’d rather be an idiot than lose you.”
ReplyDelete– Patrick Star (SpongeBob SquarePants)
I walked out of last period and looked around at everyone there and I wanted to find my friend. My friend was named Natalie and we were so close. It was like a SpongeBob and Patrick type of relationship. We were completely crazy and I guess that’s what I loved the most about our friendship. I finally found her talking to another classmate of ours. Her name was Ashley and she was a sophomore here in our school. I walked up to Natalie and gave her a hug. She looked over at me with a smile.
“So are you ready to find out if we made it into our favorite college we want to go to?” Natalie smiled with excitement. I smiled at her but I wanted to tell her so bad. I wanted to tell her the truth that I didn’t get accepted because I found out last night. Natalie turned back to her friend Ashley with her blonde hair swinging by while turning back to talk to her. I walked away so I could go to my locker. Natalie then said goodbye to Ashley and walked over to my locker. I was taking off my sweatshirt and when I got it off, she was right there and startled me.
“Oh my God, you scared me Natalie.” I said to her then smiled right after. She then turned her head to see who was screaming in the hallway. It was this kid named Joe that everyone loved. He was perfect in every way. From sports to good looks to the good grades he gets, Joe was a guy that everyone loved and he loved everyone. Joe smiled at me and Natalie as I was closing up my locker, then walked over to us.
“Hey girls, ready to see if you got accepted into New Paltz college? I found out last night. I got in!” Joe was so excited. I can see the emotion on his face that he was proud of himself. I was happy for him. But I was upset that I didn’t get in and I couldn’t go to school with Joe and Natalie because I know Natalie is going to make it into the school. I still don’t know why I didn’t get accepted with having excellent grades and the fact that I’m involved in sports, but I guess they didn’t want me. Me and Natalie walked home from school together, we got to her house and she checked her mail. She got the letter and she ripped it open. It told her that she was accepted and she jumped for joy. She then told me to go home to check my mail but I immediately told her that I got it already.
Well now she knew and I told her that she better go to college with Joe. I don’t want her to feel bad or not go there because I didn’t get accepted. Natalie and Joe were so upset about how I can’t go to college with them but I told them it’s okay because I’m going to the college that’s only forty five minutes away from them but Natalie couldn’t help but me upset. She really wanted us to go to the same college but I told her that we will still see each other.
So the day came that we were leaving for college. I went to Natalie’s house to say goodbye and Joe was going to be there too. I walked in and Natalie looked up at me and smiled. Joe came out of the kitchen and smiled. They had their bags packed and ready to go. Natalie got up and looked at me. Joe walked up and stood right next to Natalie. Then they both leaned in and gave me a hug and then whispered that they had something to tell me. They proceeded to tell me that they rather go to school with me then go to an all rich smart school and be miserable, so we’re all going to the same college together. I couldn’t be happier. I got my friends with me and that was all that matters.
“Most folks are as happy as they make up their minds to be.” -Abraham Lincoln
ReplyDeleteI have lots of friends and family that love me. But at one point I thought no one cared about me, that I was invisible. Therefore for setting my mind like that I was never happy I was always sad; this is how the story begins. I was in seventh grade and I had many friends. Also in my household I was loved by my family. Every morning I would wake up and walk into my parent’s room and sister’s room to say good morning. Then I would receive a good morning back, then I would get ready for school. Once I got to school all my friends would be at the end of the hall in front of the main office. Therefore I would walk towards them and greet them too; and like every other day I would get a hey or hi back. I would talk to them throughout the whole day and then I would go back home to my family again and eat dinner and have conversations. This was my routine every day. But one day I decided not to say anything to anyone to see if they would say something to me first. Therefore I did not say good morning to my family to see if they would say it to me before. But no one did so I went to school saw my friends without me saying a word they did not say hi. For the rest of the day they did not talk to me. I was already said I went home and sat at the table for dinner and the dinner table was quiet so I thought to myself no one loves me and I set that on my mind, so I was un happy. For a couple of days I was alone until my friends asked me why I stopped talking to them. And they didn't say hi to me because they thought I was in a bad mood because I was the one to start conversations. When I arrived home I asked my family why dinner was so quiet now and they said the same thing I am the one that starts the conversations. Therefore since I was not starting the conversations they thought the same way as my friends. So I realized that day that I was the one choosing not to be happy; but sad the whole time because I set my mind to that. This is why now I like that quote be Abraham Lincoln because one can be as happy as they set their minds to it.
“I go to seek a great perhaps.” – The famous last words of Francois Rabelais
ReplyDeleteI sat there in the middle of the auditorium, surrounded by all the people I’d grown up with, as we were lectured on how it was time to figure out what we wanted to do with our lives. Not even that it was time to figure it out, but that we should already know and should be working towards it.
I was so tired of it. Tired of it, not because I didn’t know what I wanted to do, but tired because I knew what I wanted to do wouldn’t measure up to what is expected of me.
Expected. How wrong is it that anyone should feel that they have the right to have expectations of me? Shouldn’t I be able to do whatever it is that makes me happy without having to worry about how it will make other people feel?
I remember when we were little and when a teacher asked us what we wanted to be when we grew up everyone had an answer. Everyone had dreams, and back then none of them seemed out of reach, and nobody put you down. Now it’s different. Now almost no one knows what they want to do, and it isn’t because they really don’t know, it’s because now that we’re older we have to start looking at things realistically. And the sad truth is that many of our dreams have become unrealistic for us. Now we don’t have the grades, or we’re told it would be too much for us to handle. The phrase “you can be anything you want” isn’t heard anymore. You know why? Because it’s true. We can’t be anything we want anymore. Now we’re not smart enough, don’t try hard enough or don’t have the right connections to do the things that make us happy. And how sad is that?
“Mr. Matthews.” The principal’s voice bellowed from the front of the room, snapping me out of my daze. “Where do you plan to do with your life after high school? Where is it you plan on going?”
I knew he didn’t think anything of me. He just thought I was some punk kid, and maybe I was, but that didn’t mean I wasn’t smart, or that I wasn’t going anywhere. And that was just the thing, I was going somewhere, I was going everywhere.
All eyes were on me.
I was leaned back comfortably in my seat; left foot on the back of the chair in front of me. “I go to seek a great perhaps,” I said, and before he could respond I got up and walked out the back doors.
Beautiful. I love the way you constructed this. Great choice of quote. I always liked the idea that when someone asked you what you wanted to be when you grew up, the response should be, "happy."
Delete“Expect nothing and you will never be disappointed.”
ReplyDeleteI do not mean to sound pessimistic, honestly. People always take my perspective of life in general as negative…I just rather not sugar coat everything, like everyone else does. I remember when I met my first “love”, I guess you can call him that. That damned man was more like the first guy whose crap I fell for. I’m not going to lie and say a million men went around wooing me and such, but there had to be more than one guy who claimed to feel what this one said he felt. His words made my body react in weird and unexplainable ways. I would sit down, listen to him, and picture a whole life with him. Eventually he became my boyfriend and I considered him to be my best friend. He was the center of my universe and almost every single one of my thoughts revolved around him. He was never supposed to betray me, since I would never consider betraying him. I expected him to be “the one” or “Mr. Right”. He was supposed to be the only one, because of an amazing connection I thought we had, to treat me exactly how I treated him. I expected way too much from him though. He was human, a man that like other man, screws up. I don’t know why I expected him to be flawless—it’s ridiculous now that I think about it. In my eyes he was some sort of perfect creature, heaven sent: an angel. You can imagine what it felt like to watch, before my eyes, how he was just like any other idiot out there on the street. When I saw him do everything I never expected him to do, I was overwhelmed by disbelief, distraught, but most all, I was overwhelmed with disappointment. This disappointed which was completely inevitable, affected me not only emotionally, but also physically. I became sick and all of the gushy feelings he provoked me to feel eventually transformed into symptoms of a stomach virus. Now, I no longer care about him…I don’t care much about anything. I stood up one day and decided to leave that in the past, but my unfortunate encounter with “love” affects me in any encounter I have with anything similar to it. I no longer get my hopes up either. I live day by day and expect nothing specific about anything. I meet someone and enjoy my days with that person, but I no longer expect anything that lasts forever. I don’t even expect an end; I just enjoy myself while I have them. When I take an exam I no longer expect to get lucky or obtain more than what I worked for. If I worked extremely hard in vain, then so be it. It’s not like I’m dead anyways, I still have many more days to get what I want. I only want to try new things anyways…moving on is no longer difficult for me. It’s exhilarating and wonderful to finally move on—not disappointing. What’s not great about embracing life’s many opportunities? If something or someone doesn’t move on with me, I don’t get upset because if I do have any expectations left—it would only be everything else life has to offer. See, my perspective isn’t actually pessimistic, it’s rather optimistic I would say. Live on, move on, and don’t expect much in order to not be disappointed, ever. It’s called opening your eyes to reality; accept your life and the way it chooses to go.
This provides a lot of insight into who you are, and it is al ogical perspective. Good job.
Delete“The purpose of our lives is to be happy.”~ Dalai Lama
ReplyDeleteMarcy has always been sad there has never been a type of happiness in her life. Marcy has to live with her aunt because her parents died in a car crash when she was just a baby. Thankfully before she had died her parents wrote their will agreeing that they would leave her with her aunt from her mother’s side of the family. They left her everything that they had left. When she was growing up her aunt scammed her out to slowly lose all of her money. By the time that she was in college she had no money left. She had to get loans from her college. This wasn’t the worst. She got an apartment with her friends because she didn’t want to live with her aunt anymore. Growing up Marcy had a heart of gold. She never let anything happen to her aunt that’s why she ran out of money so fast. Her aunt would say that her job didn’t give her any money because she had so many bills to take care of that she could barely support herself. She told Marcy in order for them to live in a nice house that she needed to give her money. Marcy lived in the only upstairs room. This room had three rooms. The room that Marcy stayed in was the room that didn’t have heat or ac. Throughout the whole year Marcy struggled to stay in her room. When she asked her aunt if she could stay downstairs she threatened to hit her.
“Auntie Karen all I want to do is stay home for one night and not worry about getting sick for once.” She told her aunt when she was about eight.
She grew up and saw that her aunt never loved her. Her plan was to always grow up and move out. The day she graduated she moved out of her house and got a place with her best friend. They went through college and she found a guy that made her laugh. He would go over her house every day and they would cuddle on her couch whenever they would watch a movie. Henry would hold her hand and give her little kisses when she wouldn’t expect it. He would hold onto her like there was no tomorrow. He would grab onto her hand whenever they were in public. He always made her day and always wanted her to be happy. He knew all about her pass and didn’t want her to be sad and not experience a bad time. He always tried to make her smile and tried to make her giggle because he loved her laugh. Then one day he took her out to eat to celebrate their anniversary. He got everyone’s attention and got down on one knee and looked at her.
“The purpose of our lives is to be happy. I want to be happy with you and nobody else. Will you marry me?” Henry asked him.
“Yes I will.” She told him.
She grabbed him by his neck and kissed him. He put the ring on her and everybody clapped for them. Months later they got later and she ended up pregnant to a healthy baby boy. All she finds in her life now is happiness.
Proofread this, please! I'll comment when youre done.
Delete“The purpose of our lives is to be happy.”~ Dalai Lama
DeleteMarcy has always been sad there has never been a type of happiness in her life. Marcy has to live with her aunt because her parents died in a car crash when she was just a baby. Thankfully before she had died her parents wrote their will agreeing that they would leave her with her aunt from her mother’s side of the family. They left her everything that they had. When she was growing up her aunt slowly scammed her and made sure that all her parents left was going to be gone by the time she was older. By the time that she was in college she had no money left. She had to get loans from her college. She got an apartment with her friends because she didn’t want to live with her aunt anymore. She knew that if she lived in a dorm that when a break came around she would need to be with her aunt again. She had to get two jobs to help out her friend. Growing up Marcy had a heart of gold. She never let anything happen to her aunt that’s why she ran out of money so fast. Her aunt would say that her job didn’t give her any much money because she had so many bills to take care of that she could barely support herself. She told Marcy in order for them to live in a nice house that she needed to give her money. Marcy lived in the upstairs room. The house had three rooms. The room that Marcy stayed in was the room that didn’t have heat or ac. It was almost like an attic room. Throughout the whole year Marcy struggled to stay in her room. She never felt comfortable in there. She never felt like she was at home. She never called her aunt’s house home. When she asked her aunt if she could stay in the first floor rooms she threatened to hit her.
“Auntie Karen all I want to do is stay downstairs for one night and not worry about getting sick for once. I’m either too cold or I feel like I’m dying of heat.” She told her aunt when she was about eight.
She grew up and saw that her aunt never loved her. Her plan was to always grow up and move out. The day she graduated she moved out of her house and got a place with her best friend. They went through college and she found a guy that made her laugh, he made her feel like her true self. He would go over her house every day and they would cuddle on her couch whenever they would watch a movie. Henry would hold her hand and give her little kisses when she wouldn’t expect it. He would hold onto her like there was no tomorrow. He would grab onto her hand whenever they were in public. He always made her day and always wanted her to be happy. He knew all about her pass and didn’t want her to be sad and didn’t want her to experience a bad time. He always tried to make her smile and tried to make her giggle because he loved her laugh. Then one day he took her out to eat to celebrate their anniversary. He got everyone’s attention at the restaurant and then got down on one knee and looked at her.
“The purpose of our lives is to be happy. I want to be happy with you and nobody else. Will you marry me?” Henry asked him.
“Yes I will.” She told him.
He stood up and she grabbed him by his neck and kissed him. He put the ring on her hand and everybody clapped for them. Months later they got married and then she ended up pregnant to a healthy baby boy. All she finds in her life now is happiness.
“That’s why the peasant has wisdom, because he is defeated from the start.” ~Ernest Hemingway.
ReplyDeleteA man walks into a bar. His clothes are tattered and he has some sort of dark dust on his face. He’s wearing brown gloves with the fingers cut off, an olive overcoat, and faded jeans that looked as though they were never new. His boots look loud and heavy, but he knows how to handle them so as to not draw too much attention to them. His look was warm, but weary, and he nonchalantly walked over to a seat on the bar and ordered a regular old draft beer. He took a book from his inside pocket, opened it and started reading it contemplatively. He grabs his mug every now and then to take a sip, and sits with his back against the bar and his elbows resting on it behind him.
Another man walks into the same bar. He has immaculate blond hair in an impeccable coif and a spotless three-piece suit. But his expressions don’t match his dignified attire. He looks disgruntled and lost, and his thoughts are barely together enough to impatiently order his complicated cocktail. The bartender is cooperative only because of personal obligation. He knows which customers gave the best tips, and this is one of them. The other customer indignantly sits at the bar as if it’s its purpose to seat him and turns up his gaze from the ilk next to him in the dirty olive overcoat.
The first man averts his attention from his novel and takes a glance at the second man next to him. His drink arrives.
“Here you go, sir.” The bartender says politely.
The second man says nothing and waves the bartender away with a flourish of his hand. The first looks over with intrigue at the disgruntled specimen beside him.
“What’s your dale, man?” he asks, “He was only trying to be polite.”
“Yeah, well, there are times in life when you can’t be polite,” the other begins, “and today just isn’t his day.”
The first man looks puzzled for a moment, and then reaches a moment of clarity. “I get it.” He said. “You’re one of those people.”
The second man is clearly offended. Without even thinking he points his finger accusingly before being cut off by the first man.
“Let me finish.” The first man pauses and the second man’s indignation turns to inquiry.
“You’re one of those people whose ambition gets the better of them.” The second man’s inquiry grows.
”What do you mean? Ambition drives us to new heights, and without it, we’d get nowhere! Who are you to—“ He cuts himself off. “Why am I even talking to the likes of you? What makes you think you know what you’re talking about, anyway? You don’t know the first thing about ambition. If you did, you’d be a lot better off that you are now.”
The first man maintains his calm demeanor. “You didn’t let me finish.” The second man concedes and reluctantly promises to listen.
“There’s a difference between having ambition and letting it take over your life.” The first man prepares for a long speech. “It’s understandable to want to get better, but there’s a point when you need to look back and think long and hard about what you’ve done to get there.” Pause. “You’ve given up your peace of mind. I can tell just by looking at you.” He gets up to leave the bar. “You wanna know how I know that? Because the same thing happened to me. I got too ambitious and realized that I wasn’t only hurting the ones I loved, but also myself.” The second man looks attentively, his mouth agape. “When your own ambition screws you, you’ll know what I’m talking about. I’ve been beat down more times than you can count, and mine only made it worse.”
The first man leaves the bar, leaving the second alone with only his drink and his thoughts.
I love this. It should be in a preface to MACBETH.
Delete“I've learned that you shouldn't go through life with a catcher's mitt on both hands; you need to be able to throw something back.” -Maya Angelou
ReplyDelete“Do this, do that” that’s all I ever hear. I don’t mind it though; I’m a very passive person when it comes to life. I just do what I’m told. I’m not one to make scenes and have all the attention on me. I actually feel very awkward and uncomfortable when people pay too much attention to me. I just sort of sit back and let life ride me instead of me riding life, and being in control. I wouldn’t say that I have no control of my life, but I don’t really do anything that proves that I do. I don’t really mind it. I could see why it’s a bad thing but I would never do anything to change it. My family is always telling me that I should change my ways. “Life is about what you make it Ally, come one Al, do something with it, stop getting walked all over” that’s all I ever hear from my mom. I wish she would just drop it. They all act as if I’m not happy with the way things are going in life. I mean it is my life, so why should they all care what I do with it? It’s actually starting to annoy me. Maybe I should start and take a stand and telling everyone to back off of my life. But we all know I won’t; only if I was told. It’s very strange thing, I sometimes want to change my life around but no matter how much I would want to I never would. I just take whatever anyone gives me. I can tell that certain people use that for their own advantage. One day, I will do something though. No one will see it coming and that will be the best part. I am, a smart enough girl to realize that I shouldn’t let everyone walk all over me. I should give back what people give to me. Life is all about getting what you give right? I should take a big step in like and stand up for myself. However, I’m not at that point yet. At least I have come to a realization that it should happen soon. That’s a big step. As for now, I will just make baby steps. I mean I haven’t really made too big of a step but for me that’s something. All I have to remember is that is my life and that is all that matter and that’s all that will ever matter. I will come to the point where I throw everything that I have been given in life right back at everyone and that will truly be awesome. I will be a day of great achievement for me. I can’t wait. I have high hopes that it will come soon, but only time will be able to tell.
I like this. I like to imagine that the girl could either be truly genuine, or maybe only fooling herself. When you look at it that way, it becomes really interesting.
DeleteThe soldiers rushed Gavin and Damian into the city at a constant sprint, even after they’d past the city limits and had weaved through multiple alleyways. Damian tried to remember where they’d turned, when they had to cross streets, which way they took when a road or alley forked, but they’d travelled so far it was no use. After a sharp turn down a small alley about three feet wide that he probably would’ve missed otherwise, they came to an abrupt halt. A soldier turned to them and held out a black sash.
ReplyDelete“Over your eyes. Now.”
Damian couldn’t help but laugh out loud. He clenched his fists, amused and amazed by the density of these men. “A blindfold, really? You must not have seen me cut down all of those mages outside city. I’m not a hostage, and I won’t hesitate to do the same to you and your men.”
The man looked at Gavin and cleared his throat. “Private, you know what to do.”
Damian felt a shiver creep up his spine as he turned towards Gavin. All he saw was the barrel of a rifle pointed right between his eyes. He sighed and turned back to the soldier that had spoken to him originally.
“Listen, I don’t know what you think he’s gonna do, but we have a bit of a partnership going on now, so how about-”
Damian awoke with a pulsing pain in his head. It felt like his brain had melted into an ocean, its waves slamming and crashing against his skull. He tried to hold his hands to his temples to calm himself, but found his arms chained to the ground. He was on his knees, in a sea of darkness, the shuffling of skin against chain and chain against metal the only sounds he could perceive. He started coughing, like there was an infinite blockage between his mouth and lungs. His coughing tortured his mind with its echoing about the room, and the coughing itself taxed him so much that it ended with him vomiting. His lungs were burning from the stale air and the constant coughing. He leaned back, held up only by the chains fastened to his arms, and fought tears. He couldn’t use magic, these were no doubt high-end magicuffs. He knew what this was. He was a hostage of the Syndicate, a bargaining chip they could throw into play whenever they pleased.
The thing was that the Syndicate had no idea how little value Damian was. The whole reason he’d fallen off the face of the earth was because his sister Diana had exiled him from the Dominion. He’d refused orders given directly by her, and so she branded him a traitor and gave him the option of being hanged, burnt alive, frozen alive, or thrown into the Void. Damian of course being a Void mage chose the Void and made his final request a look at the Black Tome. He looked up the spell for access to the Void, memorized it, and escaped minutes after he’d been thrown in. It didn’t look like he’d be getting his way out of this one. Just as he was about to surrender to the sadness of captivity, light began to pierce the darkness. It was a door…a door was opening! Damian started to struggle against the chains, trying to get to it before it closed and not realizing that it was actually growing larger, that someone was about to enter.
Really descriptive. You capture a nice moment here. Very cinematic.
DeleteComing home for the holidays was always such a pleasant time. All I had heard since I arrived was, “Lisa this” and “Lisa that;” and Tobias and Macy kept going on and on about her latest adventures in Peru. Safe to say, I wanted nothing more than to get the hell out of there or put them on mute. It’s such a shame that people can’t be muted like a TV. If I had my way, I wouldn’t even have returned for Christmas—not with her there—Lisa.
ReplyDeleteLisa was a monster, but only I could see it. Everyone else saw how her wavy blonde hair would catch the light just perfectly and how her eyes glowed when she flashed that innocent smile of hers; but I saw a phony Judas—a liar—a person who went back on her word time after time.
The doorbell had rung sixteen consecutive times with no pauses in between—and no, that is not an exaggeration. Macy rushed to answer the door and swung it open with a smile eight times wider than the one I received only twenty minutes earlier. I already wanted to make a mad dash for the back door.
Tobias leapt into the foyer at that time, eagerly taking her coat and guiding her with a gentle hand to the kitchen where several pungent appetizers had seemingly appeared out of thin air because there had been no sign of them when I perused the cupboards mere minutes ago.
They were wrapped around her finger and it was so pathetic. The morons moved to the couch in a heartbeat when commanded to do so. I was commanded as well and I followed only to keep my mom from blowing up a little sass into a full-fledged argument.
When the princess walked into the living room with a wrapped box for each of us, I felt no desire to open it. I had minimal storage space in my apartment to begin with, so chucking this souvenir into the garbage was the only logical option. Before I could do anything, Macy shot me a look, and instead of dropping the package into the trash bin—which every bone in my body ached to do—I peeled off the wrapping paper, dropped it into the bin, and brought the box back to the rocking chair—a fraudulent grin upon my face. If she wanted excitement, well that’s exactly what she was going to get.
“Thank you so much, Lisa, for bringing me back a gift.” I made sure to speak like a honey stick—sweetly. Then I lifted the lid of the box and threw on the guise of surprise. Wrapped in bubble wrap was a small vase with a unique colorful design. It was actually pleasant to look at, but I couldn’t stand the fact that she gave it to me. A bubbly conversation soon erupted between Lisa, Macy, and Tobias after the rest of the gifts had been opened—a tribal necklace for Macy and a bunch of cigars for Tobias. I plastered on a faded smile as I completely zoned out. I was in no mood to endure such a frustrating conversation, hearing Lisa talk about all of these exciting adventures that she had experienced in Peru—without me. I felt weakened because she had actually gained the spotlight in my mind for a little while. I began thinking about our last year together.
Why had she left me behind? And how come she never invited me to visit her at NYU when she had asked even her distant friends to come and see her? There was not a day that went by when I didn’t ask myself the most important question of all—when had we stopped being sisters?
Dinner flew by in the same manner. They would chat about Lisa and she would indulge their sweet addiction, telling them every little detail. I would be asked about my opinion on several things every now and then and I would insert an “I think that’s wonderful” wherever needed. I almost survived this way until dessert, when my premade line didn’t hold up for that particular discussion. It was apparently about her recent breakup with José, or some Hispanic name like that. I guess I could see how that response was inappropriate, or something like that.
Coming out of my daze—which had been themed on my latest lecture with Professor Barry—I was bombarded with a pair of angry expressions—courtesy of Macy and Tobias—and one that was rather tearful, which of course belonged to Lisa.
ReplyDelete“Why would you say that to your sister, Diane? Can’t you see how upset she is?” Macy scowled at me unrelentingly but I didn’t care, and I was no longer in the mood to pretend.
I shoved my chair back and looked Macy directly in the eye. “I’m sorry. Did I upset you, Macy?”
“That is enough! You refer to your mother as Mom, Mommy, or Ma—not by her first name!” Tobias erupted in anger but he came across as the mirror image of a tomato—completely red-faced. “Respect her, goddammit!” He looked at Macy and then he glowered over me and growled, “How can you possibly expect us to love you when you insist on acting this way?”
Macy grew sad when he said that because I suppose she didn’t feel quite the same. She might as well have said it, though, because she didn’t bother to correct him.
And that was the night I killed my parents.
I’m only kidding, but it sounds believable. Trust me, they suffered their sins all on their own—no interference necessary.
Wow, this is really good. Sort of sociopathic. I really like the way the main character constructs every part of her interaction with everyone around her. It really helps to how how truly isolated she is. Well done.
Delete“Setting fire to our insides for fun, to distract our hearts from ever missing them.” -Youth by Daughter
ReplyDeleteSchool is a sobering hit of reality. Every morning I wake up with a headache. I don’t want to have to deal with reality. But I’m forced to. “It’s your responsibility,” my mom would say. While Sasha, sitting on the floor, would eat cheerios and share with the dog. No one liked high school, except for the nerds who were receiving scholarships to get into college. And what was there left for me? Struggling through to make myself care about the classwork, I could never fit in. It’s not that the work was hard for me, memories of receiving honor roll certificates flashed by. My mom’s stunning smile, while she clapped, brightened up the room. But when she went to hug me, I shied away, wanting to sit by the rest of my friends. What was hard for me now was finding a reason to care. Sophomore year I began slacking in my honor classes, the following year I was placed in regular classes. Now, my senior year, I tried hard to be active in my classes but the work didn’t have any meaning to me. I did my classwork, when I could stay awake.
Dread surrounded me every day. I dreaded the sun burning through the blinds in my room alerting me that it was time for school, yet in the afternoon I dreaded going home. So each day, there was a new “adventure”. I pushed myself to get to school every morning. I had the willpower to motivate myself that far. After school, I couldn’t keep a routine. Rather, I tried to find different ways to distract myself. I walked for miles, discovering places I didn’t know. Meeting knew people. My mom’s voice in my head would fade as she said, “going out to the street is only looking for trouble.” But these people I met had their own stories. In a way, they were my support. And every game that they taught me, made me forget all of the pain.
I tried keeping myself away from very terrible things. But the only sense of “feeling” came from taking a few risks. Sometimes I would go too far. It was hard to keep safe on the streets while trying to find something. “What are you looking for?” I asked myself this all the time. It was a common question among the “lost souls.” I didn’t even think I fit in with them, but it was sometimes where I found the most comfort. I would do things my mom would never approve of. Many answered they were looking for themselves. Others, an escape from themselves. I thought, I was really searching for anything I could find. I wanted to find a reason for life, I wanted to find myself, but I could never accept myself. Many times, the people I met only angered me. “If you want to be someone why are you here?” But I knew it was hard to move on. I finally realized, that’s why I was here. That’s what I was looking for. I wanted to forget all the pain, yet I could never forget my mom. Even doing all of this, I could always hear her voice. No matter what “methods” I used, the pain from the tragedy of losing my mom was something I couldn’t erase.
This is good; it's interesting because it hints at the futility of escapism, but also makes the reader understand that if that escapism is fueled by the inherent desire to search for something, anything, it is almost a noble endeavor.
Delete”The love of money is the root of all evil”
ReplyDeleteI’ve always been in love with the thought of having money. I dream about how my life will be once I have money. It seems great. Right now I work at a grocery store making $8.50 an hour. I want an easy life. I don’t want to have to work hard every day just to get by. I want to have money and just spend it on whatever I want. i will do anything just to have money. I don’t care what I have to do.
When I got home I thought about all the things I could do to get money. I remembered that my mother had a lot of money saved up somewhere in her room. I knew it would be terrible to steal from my own mother but I need money. I don’t care. She would never even expect it to be me. I went to her room and searched everywhere. I know she will be home soon so I have to rush. I looked everywhere; under the bed, in the cabinets and even in all her jewelry boxes. I went to walk out because I didn’t find anything while I stepped on a soft stop on the floors. I looked down and noticed that there’s a little square on the floor. I open it and there are hundreds of bills stocked on top of each other. I didn’t take all of it because I didn’t want her to realize. So I took a couple hundred just so I can go shopping and I left.
At the mall, I felt so good. I had no regrets. I had dozens of shopping bags on my arm; it was kind of hard to carry. Having the biggest smile on my face, I returned to my house to pick out an outfit for school the next day. When the day was almost over I felt like I needed to go shopping again. When my mother was in the kitchen I returned to her room and took all of the money so I can get more clothes. I know she would notice it was gone but I would just act like it wasn’t me who did it. The next day, I returned to the mall and spend all the money on things I didn’t even need. I love shopping. It kind of made me sad that I can’t take more money from her because I took the rest.
A couple days passed and I walked in the front door of my house after getting home from school. My mom was sitting on the couch with her head in her hands. I got nervous but instantly asked her what was wrong; even though I knew already. She said that we were robbed and I just hugged her. She was devastated. I didn’t think it would be this hard to hide it but the guilt started to fill my body. I felt terrible. I knew I couldn’t tell her so I ran to my room and busted out into tears.
“I wish I looked like Cindy Crawford”
ReplyDeleteCindy Crawford
Today was the day we were going to see the photo’s! All of the girls were so excited to see how the pictures came out. They would be picking the cover photo too. I was not very worried. I didn’t really think I would be on the cover. I was just hoping that the camera gave me justice. There are a lot of better looking girls who are probably going to be on the cover.
When we arrive at the studio we all file into an office. Our managers are there, most of us have the same manager, but some of the more experienced models have their own manager. My manager also manages three others, two of which I am friendly with and one model who is new and I haven’t really had time to get to know. These last couple weeks have been crazy with fittings and photo shoots and we are all prepping for the upcoming fall fashion show. At last the photographer and some executives arrive to begin the presentation. They have the magazine pages digitally shown on a power point presentation and the first slide is the picture that will be on the cover. They open up the power point and start the presentation. A girl’s face shows up on the screen, but she is barely recognizable. It’s me. They have completely changed my image and have left only some recognizable features on my face. Even my hair seems to have more volume and be sleeker. A few people congratulate me and my manager has a huge smile on his face. But I feel like crying. I wasn’t pretty enough as me to be on the cover. I didn’t even want this and now they have stuffed this image down my throat. Now I will need to lose even more weight to keep up with the image that they have created with their computers and technology. I feel like curling up into a ball and crying. Everyone else is focused on their pictures now. I look up and realize that it is not just me, but all of the other girls photos are extremely enhanced too. The girls are furious. Well at least most of them. Some girls don’t seem to care but my manager’s new girl has gone insane. Screaming at the producers and our manager. No one is happy but no one is as angry as her. She is so mad and I agree with her. I can’t believe they would do this to us. I don’t think this is right. I walk out of the room and head straight to the real press. They will give me justice. They will hear my story if it is the last thing I do. I can’t believe this is actually happening to me. This sucks. Christian hunter my manager is going to win if I don’t lose 500 pounds. I can’t believe my life right now it sucks so much.
“I wish I looked like Cindy Crawford”
DeleteCindy Crawford
Today was the day we were going to see the photo’s! All of the girls were so excited to see how the pictures came out. They would be picking the cover photo too. I was not very worried. I didn’t really think I would be on the cover. I was just hoping that the camera gave me justice. There are a lot of better looking girls who are probably going to be on the cover.
When we arrive at the studio we all file into an office. Our managers are there, most of us have the same manager, but some of the more experienced models have their own manager. My manager also manages three others, two of which I am friendly with and one model who is new and I haven’t really had time to get to know. These last couple weeks have been crazy with fittings and photo shoots and we are all prepping for the upcoming fall fashion show. At last the photographer and some executives arrive to begin the presentation. They have the magazine pages digitally shown on a power point presentation and the first slide is the picture that will be on the cover. They open up the power point and start the presentation. A girl’s face shows up on the screen, but she is barely recognizable. It’s me. They have completely changed my image and have left only some recognizable features on my face. Even my hair seems to have more volume and be sleeker. A few people congratulate me and my manager has a huge smile on his face. But I feel like crying. I wasn’t pretty enough as me to be on the cover. I didn’t even want this and now they have stuffed this image down my throat. Now I will need to lose even more weight to keep up with the image that they have created with their computers and technology. I feel like curling up into a ball and crying. Everyone else is focused on their pictures now. I look up and realize that it is not just me, but all of the other girls photos are extremely enhanced too. The girls are furious. Well at least most of them. Some girls don’t seem to care but my manager’s new girl has gone insane. She is screaming at the producers and our manager. No one is happy but no one is as angry as her. She is so mad and I agree with her. I can’t believe they would do this to us. I just don’t think this is right.
After the meeting nothing was resolved. While most of the models had signed off on the pictures, my manager was waiting on the girl who wouldn’t budge. Since we had a combined contract, all of my manager’s girls could not sign until she signed or quit. I was glad I didn’t have to decide right away. A couple of other managers were waiting for their girls to calm down too. When we walked out I saw her storming off to drive away. I ran after her and when she unlocked her car I just sat down in the passenger seat, making it clear that I was not looking for permission. She also got in and just looked at me for a moment. I thought I could console her and tell her that I wanted to help. But what she said to me took me off guard.
“I know. I know. This is your big chance and I am messing it up for you. You want to be on the cover and it’s great that your picture looks amazing. Maybe you want to be held to that standard, but I sure as hell don’t. So get out of my car before I kick you out.”
I am completely dumbfounded. I can’t believe her. I stare at her for a moment, trying to find to words to explain. To explain to her that I agree with her and that I think that what the editors did was wrong and that it should not be allowed.
“I wish I looked like Cindy Crawford”
She looks up at me and I know she understands.
Very good. This actually has a feeling of true effort and engagement. Your writing should always be this inspired.
Delete“If you don't like something, change it. If you can't change it, change your attitude.”
ReplyDelete-Maya Angelou
Nancy and her friend Karen we sitting in there school lunch room, an announcement came on about running for student council. They both disregarded the announcement and went back to talking.
Nancy said, “our prom this year is going to suck we have no money.”
“Well maybe you should volunteer and raise money so it doesn’t suck,” Karen added.
“You know I don’t have the time,” Nancy whined.
“Well make the time,” Karen smirked.
“Still even if I did volunteer we never have any good fundraisers,” Nancy complained.
The bell rang and the girls went their separate ways to class.
Nancy continued to complain when she got to class. Everyone was sick of hearing her complain.
Finally her friend Karen said, “Why don’t you run for student council and change it.”
“True, why don’t I?” Nancy said.
Later that day Nancy went to the guidance and said that she wanted to be a candidate. Karen and her, later on passed by the store and got poster paper. They went to Karen’s house to make the posters for Nancy. They then later made a list of issues that they had with the school and they wanted to change. Nancy then was inspired and made her speech about becoming president. Karen then told her what to fix and how to make the students want to vote her for President. Karen then looked through her closet to see what Nancy should wear for the Election Day. Karen and Nancy were serious about the elections and were determined to win. They wanted to change the school and thought voting would be a perfect way to improve the school. They wanted to make school a little bit more enjoyable. Even if it was a little change they were willing to make a change.
They woke up the next day. Karen helped Nancy with her hair. They wanted to win this was their goal. Nancy wore a pencil skirt and a blouse with a pair of flats. Her hair was in a bun with her bangs pulled back. They wanted to look professional. Karen was running the campaign. Karen texted everyone that they should vote for Nancy for the new President. The day before the election, Karen and Nancy baked cupcakes for Nancy. Before school started Nancy and Karen passed out the cupcakes telling people to vote for Nancy for President. Karen and Nancy put up all the posters that they made and pins and shirts saying “Vote for Nancy!”
Later that day, when it was time to vote Nancy’s competitor came up to her and wished her good look in the election, Nancy wished them good luck as well. The next morning the principal came of the announcements to announce the winner.
He paused for a moment and then said Nancy is the new student council president. Nancy’s class all cheered for her, she was so happy. Nancy was able to change the situation for the better and now she can make sure her class has a good prom.