The Lake by Ryan L.

The sun beamed down on the gleaming water below. Another day at the lake. My friends Jim, Amy, and Charlie set up the wakeboards, and we took the boat out of the dock for a day of fun. I was the driver of the boat, and responsible for the passengers and the wake boarders. First up, was Jim, who caught an enormous amount of air his first jump, but crashed into the cold water. Next was Amy, who ended up with the same fate. “The water is too choppy,” Charlie said, “let’s go to the north side of the lake, the water should be smoother there.”

“No way!” I exclaimed. “The lake is 182 miles around we could get lost, or sink or …”

“Sink?” Jim laughed, “Do you honestly think our new boat is going to sink?”

“Probably not,” I stated, “but I don’t want to have to be rescued if anything happens.”

“Nothing will happen,” Amy retorted. It was a three to one vote against me, and so we left towards the north end of the lake.

The drive lasted for over an hour, because of the immense size of the lake. I had been using a map to guide me along my journey, but a wave hit our boat, and I lost it in the water. When we finally reached the north end of the lake, the water was as flat and smooth as a pancake. Charlie put on the wakeboard, and jumped into the water. As he did this, fog began to appear on the lake. When Charlie began, we could see him holding onto the rope. He landed some huge tricks like a back flip, and a toe side 540 which is 1 ½ rotations in the air. Amy, Jim, and I were all very excited and I didn’t regret my decision of coming to the north side of the lake.

The fog became thicker, and eventually, we couldn't see him any more. I stopped the boat to bring him in. Jim pulled in the rope, but Charlie wasn’t there! We began to shout, out his name, but there was no reply. Fear set in. We drove around for at least 30 minutes and then the engine shut down. We were out of gas. Our fear turned to panic, as my worst nightmare became a reality.

I had no idea what we should do. Many questions shot into my head, “Should we stay and wait for help? Should we continue our search for Charlie? Should I use a flare gun or air horn to signal for aid?” I answered these questions myself without consulting the others.1. We shouldn’t just stay here, as we may have little chance of getting rescued. 2. We shouldn’t search for Charlie because in our attempt to rescue him we could become tired, or be moving farther and farther away from him. 3. The flare gun is out of the question because in this dense fog, it would be unlikely for anyone to see it.

I believe my final decision was the right one. I decided to use the air horn because it’s loud, it doesn’t need to be seen for help, and if Charlie could hear it, then he might try to swim towards the signal. I took out the air horn, and held it high in the air. It erupted in a violent blow. The echo roared into the hazy abyss. I signaled a few more times just in case someone might be looking for us. Nothing happened, and the light gradually became less and less until nightfall finally arrived.

It was the scariest night of my life. It was pitch black; the only sounds were the frightening wind and the waves crashing over the sides of our boat. I couldn’t sleep for fear that I might fall overboard. I closed my eyes and prayed it was just a terrible nightmare. A wave jolted our boat, and I hit my head on something hard. I was out cold. When I awoke, the sun was shining, and both Jim and Amy were asleep. My head was throbbing in pain, but I couldn’t focus on that. My focus had turned outside the boat. In the distance, I saw land! I woke my two drowsy friends from their slumber, to tell them the news. Immediately, we began to paddle towards the land in the distance.

After a long and strenuous paddle, we arrived at the shore. A sign read, “Welcome to Longboat.” Longboat was on the eastern side of the lake. We had drifted almost 45 miles from the north end. There was a coast guard station nearby, and we told them what happened, and how we had lost Charlie. They quickly set out in search of our companion in hopes he might still be alive. Another coast guard member gave us a ride to our house on the south shore. My parents were deeply relieved when they knew we were alright, but their celebration was cut short when they noticed the absence of Charlie.

A few hours later the coast guard pulled up to our dock with a wet, and freezing Charlie. He was instantly taken inside and changed into dry clothes. Once he had dried off and warmed up, he told us what happened. “I was boarding, and the fog set in very quickly. Then, I went for a back flip, and I couldn’t tell where the water was. I smacked my head, and all I remember was hearing the boat drive off. I did hear the air horn, but I was too disoriented to swim towards it. The next thing I knew, it was daytime and the coast guard brought me home.”

We were all thankful that everyone was safe, and no one had died. But after this experience, I’ve learned to trust my judgment, and not give into what others want, because the consequences could be disastrous.

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Another Day at the Office by Nate J.

The businessmen in their suits and briefcases stroll the sidewalks of the human-infested town of New York. Workers go to their jobs at coffee shops and breakfast cafés to get an easy bagel or a shot of caffeine from the cappuccino or black coffee. The sidewalks were congested at the crack of dawn at 5:00. The roads were already screaming with the high-pitched sound of car horns. Many people were getting settled in there 10’ by 10’ cubicles in the 200 story skyscrapers, but one thing that defines the city of New York and is the definition of what big-time corporations and fortune 500 businesses live by, is the stock market.

At 9:00 A.M., the specialist stock brokers were turning on their computers, and were getting ready to start the daily screaming of words that sounds like a car pile up involving a thousand cars. Cooper Jensen was very new to this broker job, and was starting his job at 24, straight out of college, and is beginning to see the tricks of the trade, and it helps to be the loudest person in the Wall Street to get your prized share. Jensen was observing for the first few days, and saw that on the minute that the stock market was going down. It was not a big jump to the bottom of the tank, but it was heading down at a small angle, and it was not fluctuating back up.

Jensen wondered what had happened to the stocks, and the brokers were yelling louder and louder, until he could not hear himself think. He quickly asked his business partner, Felix Loris, what had happened. Felix had stated, “It was no big problem, it was only a network lag in the system.” Felix nodded, and was back to watching what the people did in there brokers job, and the daily ring of the market closed the market at 5:00 P.M., and everyone gathered there things, and left the building as quickly as they entered.

Cooper was looking at all of his notes that night and put together helpful strategies and times that would help him in the broker job tomorrow morning that he would be joining. Some of his notes were to be the loudest person in the room, and to make sure do your research first, before you trade. After he reviewed his papers several times, he went to his normal bed, turned on his normal alarm clock, and shut off his normal bed light. But he would not realize that this broker job he wanted to be in would make him anything but normal.

Cooper did not have a car. He did, however, have a subway pass. Then he got in the crowded subway car, and got off the car at station B2, and walked all the way to Wall

Street. He had felt that it was a good day, but then, one of the worst things that cold happen to the U.S. would happen that very day. Cooper had met up with his co-workers, and then he heard the de-briefing of what they would want to buy in stocks, and sell in stocks. And as fast as he got to the stock market, it was open.

Cooper was having a great day, he was screaming at people, making good money through stocks, and having an adrenaline rush of finding the right information as fast as he could possible. The stock market was rising, and the economy was going up. He was specializing in selling stocks for Bungie game studios, and the stocks were being sold, and the profits were going up and he was making money. The stock market was slowly going up, and the nation’s economy was making enough money and more.

He was having his 30-minute lunch break of a turkey sandwich, pasta, and fruit, when one of his co-workers ran into the lunchroom, screaming,” THE STOCKS ARE GOING DOWN! THEY ARE DROPPING LIKE CRAZY!” All Cooper was thinking was ,”great, I thought I was going to have a wonderful first day of work, and look, the stock market was crashing. This is definitely the WORST thing that could ever happen in the U.S. And sure enough, the stock market was going down, and down, and a little bit up, then down again.

He did not know what to do, since he was new to the job, but he huddled everyone together and said, “What can we do to fix this, and fix it fast?” Everyone was looking at each other, puzzled about what to say, and no one looked like they knew what to do. Finally, some one came with the idea to shut the stock market early. The co-worker talked with the supervisor, and the stock market was closed for the first time at 3:47 P.M.

He then went home early, and wondered what went wrong at the stock market. He thought of numerous outcomes of what happened at the stock market. He wrote every outcome he could think of down, from a company selling all of there stocks, or a company buying a lot of stocks from numerous companies, but none of them made sense. Then, he then remembered that “glitch” that happened during the time he was reviewing the broker job. He thought that had something to do with it, and he investigated it the next day.

He logged on to his stock market trading log, and realized that 500 million stocks were lost. This answered everything about what happened that day. He copied what he found to a flash drive, and showed it to the federal agents, and they tracked down the IP address where the stocks were stolen. It turned out to be from a 9-year old boy from Texas. He said he accessed the stock market by logging in as George Bush, and the password he typed in was C-=president.

Cooper Jensen saved the country from a total depression because he did not want to lose his job, and wanted to help the community from what he learned in broker school, and improved the ways of getting better stocks and improved the security measures for the stock market. Now then stocks are in a secured network, and the specialist brokers use headsets more to communicate with other brokers, so there wouldn’t be any noise violations next door.

The moral of this story is, if you want to do a job that looks very interesting to you, and you are about to lose it, and even if you are new to the job, you can still be smart enough to save the country or even other people’s employment.

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Coming to Terms by Morgan P.

“Daddy, where’s mommy?” Jordin asked quietly. A tear rolled silently down the six year olds face. Her shoulder length dirty blonde hair blew back slightly in the soft wind.

The pair walked silently along the sidewalk, watching the families running around having fun. Jordin should’ve been among them. The warm summer night was perfect for activity, and the setting sun cast beautiful colors into the sky for all to see. However, this wasn’t a pleasurable night in the least.

Alec wished with his entire soul that he could maintain his usual composure, and be as strong as the trees that lined the path upon which he and his daughter were now walking. However, as much as he longed for strength, it didn’t come at his call. Alec just couldn’t bring himself to answer Jordin’s lingering question.

“Where’s mommy?” Jordin repeated. “Daddy, is everything okay?” And still, Alec said nothing in return. When he saw the concern and fear growing in her eyes, he felt himself tearing up. He swallowed the urge as soon as he felt it. Crying was not something he did very often, and Alec did not want to shed a tear in front of his daughter, for then she would know that something was wrong.

The only thing that kept Alec from breaking down was the intent focus he kept on the building looming at the end of the sidewalk. He focused on the song that was running through his head, ‘just put one foot in front of the other.’ When he was a child he enjoyed singing that song wherever he went, but now it had kind of a scary effect. Alec didn’t want to end up where the path was taking him. However, after what had seemed like an eternity, Jordin and Alec had reached the church.

“Daddy, is mommy in here?” Jordin’s face brightened at the thought of seeing her mother.

“Yes honey, Mommy’s in here.” Jordin already saw it in her mind’s eye. She and her father would enter the church through the door in the back, and her mother would be chatting with Jordin’s godmother, Auntie Erin. They would turn around and smile, and Jordin would receive her mother’s lap as a prize for not making a lot of noise throughout the service. Jordin wiped the tears from her face and smiled, revealing her two missing front teeth. She took her daddy’s hand and entered the church.

Jordin was very confused when she entered the church and she didn’t see her mother or Auntie Erin in the back pew. Instead, she saw a church decorated with lots of colorful flowers, reminding her of the sunset outside. Jordin portrayed her confusion in her expression when she peered up at her father, who was staring straight ahead. Jordin followed his gaze up the center isle, where she noticed a big, black box.

Alec bent down on one knee so that he was eye level with his daughter as he asked “Hey Jordin, are you ready to see mommy now?” When Jordin nodded, still a little mystified by the whole situation, the two approached the black box. Alec scooped up Jordin in his arms and held her close as the two of them looked down on Kristi’s face. Her eyelids were closed and her peaceful disposition was there as always.

“Daddy, why is mommy sleeping?” Jordin asked this question sincerely. Pure wonder resided in her eyes. When her father inhaled and exhaled slowly, Jordin grew worried.

“Sweetie, Mommy’s not sleeping. She’s in heaven now, with God.” Tears now streamed down Alec’s face as he bent down and looked into his daughter’s eyes.

“Hey mommy,” Jordin said now turning to her mother. “Don’t worry about me or daddy. You can have fun in heaven with gramma and grampa now. Me and Daddy will take care of eachother. We will love each other forever and ever, and we will always love you.”

Of course at only six years old, nobody expected Jordin to grasp that her mommy was gone for good. And truth be told, she didn’t. However, what Jordin did understand was the fact that wherever her mommy was, it wasn’t with her, and that was the part that pained her. Jordin was perplexed by the fact that her mommy wasn’t there that night to tuck her into bed. The few tears that she shed that night were nothing compared to a few nights later, when Jordin really missed her mommy. She really wanted her mother to come back from heaven. Despite the fact that Jordin missed her mom, she still did not completely understand that her mother wouldn’t ever be coming back home.

On her 7^th birthday, Jordin was pretty sure that her mom wouldn’t be coming home. Ever. She and her dad spent the entire day together, and at bed time she asked him the question that had been present in her young mind for many weeks now.

“Daddy, mommy’s not coming back from heaven is she?”

“No sweetheart, she’s not.”

A wave of sadness washed over her as Jordin realized that she would never see her mother again. She thought back to one of the few things she could remember about her mother.

Jordin remembered how the rush of wind in her face had felt so exhilarating the first time her mom pushed her on a “big girl swing”.

“AAHHH!” she screamed playfully and giggled aloud as she felt her mom’s hand on her back, pushing her higher, and faster still. The warm summer wind was present on her rosy-red cheeks when she rushed forward, and it forced her hair into her eyes when she swung back. Then her mom was in front of Jordin, pretending to catch her feet whenever she came forward. Jordin laughed even harder when her mommy acted like Jordin had kicked her. Then before she knew it, Jordin was back on the ground, trying valiantly, but failing, to become weightless and again feel the wind on her face. Then, she felt her mother helping her off of the swing. Jordin was even more grateful to be in the arms of her mother. She found herself wishing that it could just stay like this forever, her resting in her mother’ arms, peaceful at last.

Jordin was jolted back to reality when her dad kissed her softly on the cheek, saying only “Good night my angel. I will love you forever and ever.”

“Good night daddy. I will love you for always.”

Perhaps some of her mother’s wisdom had come back to Jordin in spirit, but Jordin knew that she would need her mother when she was older. It was the inevitable truth. But Jordin had mad a promise to her mother almost a full year ago, and it was one that she had every intention of keeping. As hard as it would be to grow up without a mother, it would be even harder to grow up without a mother and a father. Jordin would always love her father. And she absolutely refused to forget her mother.

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An Apple a Day Keeps the Doctor Away By Lindsey H.

April 21, 2042

A Message from the People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals

The government has passed a new law stating that animal testing is no longer allowed. It is not humane, and anyone found conducting experiments or tests on animals will be prosecuted immediately.

Thank you.

***

I walked down the sidewalk, my feet crunching in the snow with

every step that I took. “Bye Stormi,” my friend, Isabelle, said as she turned down the street of her house.

I decided to take the route through the alley because it was shorter. The sky was beginning to turn a shade of purple as the sun was setting, and the shadows seemed to follow me. I turned around. Nothing was there. I continued walking down the alley, and I heard the sound of footsteps coming from behind me. Again, I turned around and looked behind me. It was nothing. My mind was indeed playing tricks on me. I turned the corner, and a dark figure came out of nowhere. I fell, and hit my head on the hard pavement. I heard a scream. No, wait. That was my voice. Why did my voice sound so distant? I became dizzy, and everything went black.

I woke up in a cold, damp, and dark room. It looked like the basement of a warehouse. The walls and floor were made from cement bricks, and one wall was made of metal bars. It was a cell, but surely I wasn’t in prison. What could I have possibly done to get myself arrested? I heard rustling behind me and turned around. My eyes weren’t adjusted to the dark yet, and I rubbed them. The image a boy and a girl appeared before me.

“Who are you?” I asked them.

“I am Aiden, and this is Persephone,” the boy answered. Both of them had sickly features. They were both so pale that they looked as if flour covered their bodies. They both had gaunt faces and large black and purple circles ringed their eyes. Persephone had long, matted blonde hair and Aiden had shaggy black hair. It seemed as if they had been here for awhile, but they looked to be about 18 or 19.

“Where exactly are we?” I asked, puzzled.

“We are in ‘The Observatory.’ This is the building in which all the animal testing was done for new drugs and products. Persephone and I were both locked up here about a year ago. You get one shower a week, your shots every other day, and an apple a day. It keeps the doctor away, y’ know?” Aiden spoke with cold humor. “We’ve seen it all. They bring in new people, they give them their shots, and many of them end up getting really sick. Sometimes they’ll just die, and sometimes the men in white coats and safety masks will take them out of the cell to who knows where.”

I was shocked. If I was standing, I would have most certainly fainted. I was probably going to die. I had to get out of here, but how?

***

Every single day for about the next year I received my apple, and every other day my shots. On this particular day, the men in the white coats unlocked the cell and led me out through a very brightly lit white hallway. We passed many white, locked doors, and I heard the wildest noises: Screams, growls. It was terrible.

I was situated on a cold, metal table, and a syringe about 4 inches injected an unknown substance into my blood stream.

The door burst open. “Doctor, we have a code ten-ten in the hallway.”

The doctor grabbed a syringe off of the table, and rushed out of the room. I was all alone, and decided to have a look. I opened the door slightly, and saw a terrible sight in the hallway. A sickly looking man was in the hallway on the floor with his mouth foaming. He had welts all over his body, and he was attacking anyone who came his way. Two men in white coats grabbed him by the arms, and the doctor jabbed the man with the syringe. He crumpled to the floor.

“Record on the man’s charts that a negative effect occurred, and take him to the incinerator,” the doctor said.

After hearing that, I had enough. I quickly went back into the room and waited for the doctor to come back into the room.

***

When I returned to the cell, I found Persephone and Aiden in the corner. Persephone was lying down, and Aiden was crouched beside her.

“What’s wrong?” I asked.

“Persephone is ill. I think this might be her last night with us,” Aiden told me mournfully.

Aiden and I spent the night in the corner of the cell with Persephone. She was having trouble breathing, and her forehead glistened with sweat. While we were with her I told them both of the scene I had encountered when I was receiving my shots.

“Record on the man’s chart that a negative effect occurred? Send him to the incinerator?” Aiden repeated a bit puzzled. “It’s all coming together now. The shots we receive – those are the products and we are the animals. They’re testing drugs on us because they aren’t allowed to test on animals anymore. We have to escape, and we have to tell someone what’s going on in here.”

***

So, the next day our scheme unraveled. The man who opened our cell the next morning to bring us our apples was our only hope of escaping the fate that was soon ahead of us.

We heard the man’s keys rattling, and Aiden knew it was time. He and I worked together to lift the heavy, stone bench in the middle of the room. When the man came into view, we ran into him with it and he was knocked out.

“I’d say we have a good ten minutes before someone comes looking for him,” Aiden told me. I ran over to Persephone.

“Persephone, we have to leave now,” I said, shaking her. She was still asleep. “Persephone!” I said a bit louder. I grabbed her wrist to feel her pulse, but it wasn’t there.

“What’s wrong, Stormi?” Aiden asked.

“She’s dead.”

***

Aiden and I sprinted through the bright halls looking for a way out. I pushed a door, and an ear piercing alarm sounded. We were going to be caught! We were going to be murdered!

“Stormi, come here. Quick!” Aiden yelled as I saw two men rush out a room at the end of the hallway. He pushed through one las door. This door was our last hope of life.

Thankfully, it led out of the building. We were in the middle of a city, in our grimy clothes and with our sickly pale bodies while people walked by us in their expensive designer clothes and with briefcases.

How was no one observant enough to know that this horrible thing was going on in this building that they walked by every single day? How come we were in there for about a year and nobody ever knew?

A woman passed us and was staring. She looked away and started walking again, but decided to turn around and come back. She gasped. “Aren’t you that girl and boy from the newspapers?” she said. “Come with me,” and with that she led us down the road in our grungy clothing all the way to the police department.

***

We told the police every single detail. In return, they told us of our fame. Apparently Aiden, Persephone, and I had our photos plastered over every newspaper and website. Nobody had any clues on where we were. Our parent’s thought that we were dead.

The police arrested the men in charge of the whole operation. They were given the death penalty for killing so many people, and all of the people who were held captive were under quarantine at the hospital, and they were under the watchful eye of the doctors there.

All was not well, however. Aiden found out he had cancer. The drugs that the men had injected him with caused a tumor to grow. It didn’t go away, and he died after about a year.

I ended up being alright. The drugs did nothing to me and I lived a pretty good life. To this day my past still haunts me, but that experience has given me so many new views on the world, and I’m grateful to be alive.

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I’m Sorry That I Died, Mom by Libby M

Dear Mom,

If you're reading this, then I guess I’ve gone to the better place. I obviously wouldn’t need to write this letter if I thought I was going to live through this ordeal. I'm writing this so you know what happened to me and Dad tonight. Yes, I know that hospital workers will tell you about the car crash, but they always soften things up for the victims’ families. You know that even better than I do, and I think you deserve to know what happened.

You know that Dad and I went to see that movie in Springfield. Oh, by the way, it was really good. You need to MAKE Aimie and Mat see it. Well, we stopped at Advance Auto Parts because Aiden knocked off those mirrors in that last snowstorm. We came out and a drunk driver passed us in the dark, going wicked fast. Dad freaked, like you and I both know he does, but I calmed him down. We pulled out of the parking lot and continued down Memorial Drive. You know where that is, right by all those chain restaurants. We heard police sirens down the road. They were coming at us, so Dad pulled over. They were chasing that drunk driver that had almost hit us. He didn't miss us this time. He lost control of his car. He flew over the divide and slammed into Dad's, crunching the car like an accordion. I think we lost them both instantly, but I’m not sure. I got slammed into my door and the windshield shattered over me. I got some massive gouges in my limbs and some small pieces of glass imbedded all over. We were in there for about 10 minutes before they ripped the roof off the car and placed me in this ambulance.

I was talking to the E.M.T.’s and they say that I’ll be fine, but you and I both know they were just trying to make me feel better, especially in the ambulance. I suppose they would feel really badly if I don’t live all the way to the hospital. But don’t you hate it when people lie like that? They don’t think I should write this, but screw them, because if I don’t then I couldn’t say some things I need to say. I want you to donate all my money to an animal charity. I don’t care which. You’re a good judge of character and I know you will choose a good one. Donate most of my book to that free book exchange thing we read about in the newspaper a few months ago.

Give the rest to whom ever you think would enjoy them. I want you to give my stuffed animals to any children with cancer or whatever in the Shriner’s hospital. I want you to keep training Fidelco dogs, for as long as you can anyway. I’d like it if you kept the boys until they pass on, but I know you’re not, and have never been, a big fan of my smelly guinea pigs, so I guess it’s not that big a deal. I want to be cremated, but I want you to burn my band sweatshirt with me. I want you to take off the personalization on my band jacket and give it to a homeless person. You pick which city or whatever. I trust you will deal with my guitars. Oh! Maybe Neil would like the nice new one you gave me for Christmas. He did say it was one of the best you could have gotten. Do whatever with the sub par guitar. Make sure to return my tuba to Mr. Wardwell. Give my videogames and systems to Aiden. I know he wants them. Other than that, do whatever with my stuff. You know what to do with junk like that better than I do anyway.

I’m sorry that I never talked to you when you asked me what was wrong. I’m sorry I never introduced you to any of the boys I dated. I’m sorry that I didn’t do what you told me to do the first time. I’m sorry I stopped caring about what you and everyone else thought of me. I’m sorry I didn’t take what I was given and was thankful for it. I never thought I would have to say these things, but I also thought I would outlive you. I’m sorry that I fought with Aiden so much. I’m sorry that I could never be as tolerant as you when it came to other people who couldn’t do as much as Aimie and I could. I’m sorry that I couldn’t be everything you wanted, and needed, me to be.

Tell Mat and any other nephews or nieces I get that I’m sorry I wasn’t around long enough to talk with them and teach them the random stuff I think everyone should know. Make sure they all learn to read fast. Get them Harry Potter and I’m sure any of the girl’s that Aimie is going to have would love some Tamora Pierce. Tell Joe that I’m sorry we never really had a relationship. There were times I really wish he had been there for me and it took everything I had to keep it together, but I still think he is the coolest brother a kid could ever have. You already know what I want you to tell Heather. The E.M.T.’s are starting to freak out. I think I’m leaving, and we haven’t even gotten to the hospital yet. Oh well. Death will be a nice release from the excruciating pain I’ve been in for the past, oh I don’t know, eternity. Hold on for me, Mom. I’ve got to go now. I promise I’ll meet you up there. You still have to introduce me to Grandpa Joe.

Bye, Mom.

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In the blink of an eye by Jessica M.

It was dark. Jamie could barely see her hand in front of her face. Her two friends, Caleb and Allison, were right behind her following her every move on the old fallen leafs covering the forest floor. The moon there only source of light, shining though the naked trees guiding them to their camp site. They had been planning this trip for months now and they finally got the chance to do so. In just a few months they all would be leaving to different colleges. Starting their lives, and leaving each other.

It was around ten at night and they still hadn’t arrived at their camp site. Finally Jamie saw a burning amber fire in the distance. Jamie, Caleb, and Allison looked at each other with a sigh of relief. Their backs seemed as if they were broken from carrying the camping supplies. “Does anyone know how to set up a tent?” Allison asked sarcastically. Caleb threw his backpack onto the dirt ground and started trying to build a tent, in an attempt to prove his manliness to Allison and Jamie. They just laughed and started to set up camp. The darkness made it nearly impossible to see everything. All they had was the bright shadows flickering on the tent fabric from the small fire in the middle of the camp site. They had finished setting up camp and all three of them laid by the fire talking about their new lives and how wonderful they were going to be. They apparently had no idea what was soon to come that cold dark night alone in the woods.

Jamie woke to the sound of screaming. She ran out to see Caleb was jumping out of his tent, also awakened by the blood curdling scream. They ran to Allison’s tent to notice the tent’s front zipper was opened. She stopped and she stared into Caleb’s eyes. They knew something was terribly wrong. Caleb reached out to open the tent. His hands were shaking and shivers running across his skin as he slowly opened the tent. Caleb looked at Jamie as a tiny tear ran down her pale face. Blood stained the tent walls. Tares in the tent’s fabric were lined in bright red showing a sign of desperate struggle, trying to get free from whatever was trying to attack. Allison was gone and Jamie and Caleb were left crying alone at the dark camp site, knowing there was a murderer right beyond those woods.

Jamie stood, not moving an inch, staring into the tent. Caleb noticed a trail of blood leading into the woods behind them. It was now almost dawn and the light shined through the trees from above. The blood from the tent showed more clearly in daylight leading into the woods. Caleb grabbed Jamie’s arm and they slowly crept into the woods. Fear filled their hearts which were now aching from the terrible sight they had seen. Each step forward seemed impossible for Jamie. Her legs were stiff and unable to work. Her body achy and filled with fear and shock like nothing she had ever felt before. Caleb, holding Jamie up from falling to the cold forest floor, suddenly stopped. Jamie picked up her head and noticed the blood had stopped right in front of their feet. The trail seemed to vanish out of nowhere. Jamie propped herself up and looked around the area. Caleb had gone behind the trees ahead to find out anything clues he could to find Allison. Jamie saw Caleb in the distance bent over, shuffling around the ground. She started to walk over when Caleb rushed toward her, stopping her from moving forward. He’s eyes looked scared and frightened as if he knew what had happened to Allison. Jamie pushed him away and she looked at his face. Out of the corner of her eye she noticed a slight stain of blood on his old flannel shirt. Jamie’s heart started beating faster and faster. Her face now ghost white. Thoughts filled her mind. “Did Caleb do this”, ran though out her head. Jamie turned around again to face Caleb, but he was gone. Jamie started to panic. She stood turning around in circles in the middle of this forest not knowing what to do. It was getting dark and Jamie was left alone with a killer.

All of a sudden the sun had disappeared behind the earth. Jamie, confused and scared, wandered around trying to find a way out of the woods. It was dark and cold. Different sounds surrounded Jamie, frightening her with every step she took. She stopped to try to see where she had walked to when all of a sudden she could hear the distant sound of footsteps on the dried leafs covering the floor of the dark forest. She didn’t move. Trying to hold in her breath, she tried not to make one sound. All of a sudden Jamie felt cold hands grasping around her fragile neck. Jamie struggled to free herself from the man. She quickly twisted around to break free, and there she was, face to face, with the murderer, Caleb. He’s eyes bright red with anger and craziness. Jamie grabbed his arms and bit down on his hand. Caleb released her and Jamie ran away as far as she could until she could hear him right behind her. Breathing heavy with rage he jumped for her and gripped onto her ankle. Jamie forcefully fell to the ground. She grabbed a fallen branch from the dirt and thrusted Caleb off her back. She rolled over and stabbed him in the chest with the branch. Blood ran though his shirt and onto his hands. She stumbled backwards onto her feet. She stared at Caleb struggling to breathe. Jamie just turned around and ran as fast as she could.

Dark and confused Jamie struggled to keep herself from falling. Her muscles seemed to stop working. Her mind was running wild, filling with the fear of Caleb right behind her, chasing her with determination and anger. Jamie started to feel a hot breath on the crease of her neck. She turned around to see nothing was there, just thousands of trees and a world that seemed only full of darkness. Steams of tears ran down her face, but yet she knew she had survived a friend, a murderer. The one that promised her that Allison, him, and herself would be friends forever no matter what. It’s amazing how in a blink of an eye everything can change.

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Richest Man of the Future by Garrett B.

I was on my last run. Another day of delivering pizza’s for the pizzeria. Here was the address. I walked up to the building and knocked on the door. Then right after I knocked on the door it mysteriously opened. I said to no one “man that was sketchy.” I walked upstairs and I saw these four giant tubes, these weird things that were glowing blue. I was baffled until I hit my head on an aluminum sign. After shaking my head from the hit, I read the sign: Cryogenic Chambers. “Wow” I spoke aloud as a rat scurried a foot away from me. “I wonder…?” I stepped in front of a chamber, I thought to myself “why not? Nothing is going for you might as well; I got no friends and no money. Heck, I would even take a robot for a friend.” There was a timer on the front and above it read: Timer. I spun the timer with all my might to a year and walked in, I suddenly felt a liquid rush against my skin, then it went down my throat and into my stomach, I felt trapped, and there was no way out. I couldn’t move my arms and legs. Then in felt like I got punched in the face and everything went black.

I felt warm, I felt sunlight on my face, and it seemed like that hadn’t happened in hundreds of years. Then the door to the chamber opened and a robot was just outside the door in a gorilla mask, he spoke “Welcome to Earth, ruled by monkeys, you must follow our primate rules or you will be eaten alive!” “Oh, ha ha ha, ya right, you are just a robot with a mask,” I said. “Come on its gotten everyone since I got this job,” He said as he took off the mask.

“So this is earth, its changed a lot since I was here in 2008,” I said as we roamed around Central Park. “Well since 2008 there has been many wars, inventions and changes in environment, as you can probably already tell,” Said the robot as we walked by a dead half bird, half cat on the ground. “Hey, you know what is funny, I’ve been living with you for last few days and I don’t know your name.” I said embarrassed. “Oh, well my name is Mark, and what’s yours?” said the robot. “I’m Matt,” I said. We walked for a little while until we came to my old bank. “Hey Mark do you mind if I go to the bank to get some money for lunch?” I asked.” Let’s go chump,” Said Mark. We walked up to the bank teller and I said “Yeah I have an account.” “Your name please,” the Cyclops teller asked. “Sure my name is Matt Crotty,” I said occasionally. She looked at me for a second in awe. “Well, sir, you have 8 billion dollars in your account, sir, you are the richest man in the universe by seven billion dollars.”

Mark and I just stared at her in awe. “Well, umm, so can you take out twenty dollars for me please?” I asked as my voice stammered. We walked out of the bank after the transaction and went to a nearby restaurant. As we waited for my food I asked Mark,” Would you want to live with me, and be my best friend?” He replied “Sure, I mean you’re rich, and you’re the only human friend I have, I would be honored to be a burden to your money.” I smiled and we ate lunch in silence.

We strolled back over to the bank and stepped in front of the same window, with the same Cyclops. “Hello, I was hoping I could take out about 4 billion dollars and put the rest to the best bank in Beverly Hills?” I asked very politely. “Of course, sir, we will send your account to our bank in Beverly Hills, thank you for choosing the Vandiesel Bank, serving people nationwide since 2000.”She replied. “Just one more thing, leave one million dollars in your account, you did such a great job.” I told her almost bragging. She just looked at me with her giant one eye. I looked at Mark and we walked out of the Bank like we didn’t have a care in the world.

Later that week we bought the biggest house in Beverly Hills. I married a Swedish model and Mark spent the rest of his life being a bachelor and flashing his money to all the Robot Girls, and we all lived happily ever after, until the Possums attacked!

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Game or Grades? By Connor F.

I reached out my hand and grabbed a thick literary packet from my English teacher. This packet accounted for 30% of my grade and failing would be devastating. Putting the paper down to my desk I flipped it face up with hope in my eyes, another F. This brought my grade no down to a low F and playing in the super bowl game Saturday was extremely unlikely. I was the starting Tight End, and Defensive end for my football team, and I would give anything to play in the game Saturday. We were facing the top team in the state, De La Salle, an infamous football team from Concord California, who has won the California State Super Bowl for countless years running. They had an enrollment of over 1,500 kids, which shattered our 600. Our small town of South Hadley put every bit of faith they had left in the success of our football team.

Looking up at the small clock in the corner of my classroom it read 1:56, the day was nearing end. I slowly laid my head on my desk and pondered my possible options. The California State High School Football Rules says that any student with two or more F’s isn’t allowed to play until grades are raised at the next marking term. I only had one F, but a South Hadley football rule is that if you have one F, playing is not an option until it is raised. The bell rang and I rose out of my seat, legs shaking with the news of the F. My English teacher, Mrs. Foley, was sitting behind her steel desk correcting recent papers. She was an older woman, with tired eyes but a large welcoming smile.

“Mrs. Foley, can I talk to you for a moment?” I said shakily as I neared the desk.

“Why yes Darren, what is on your mind?” She said in a kind but somewhat timid voice for she knew I was failing.

“I got the weekend’s packet today and I got an F on it. Grades close tomorrow and I don’t know what I am going to do to pass.” I said hoping for a positive response.

“Yes, I’ve seen that. We are having a small test tomorrow but you need to get at least an A to pass because this packet brought your grade down to a 52%.”

“If I get an A will it bring me back up to a D-?”

“It might I’m not positive but if I was you I’d make damn sure it was at the lowest an A.”

Driving home from school I realized that I needed to study incredibly hard for the test. That night I pulled out my English notebook and studied my notes for hours. The test Friday was on the elements of a plot, and I made sure to memorize everything. Sitting at my desk I read the words over and over until it rang like lyrics through my head. I put my head down to rest my eyes, and when I awoke I was stunned to see it was 6:30. I rushed throughout my house and gathered my belongings and drove to school. Throughout the ride there I was biting my nails and pondering the possible outcomes for the day. Walking into the school the bell rang, and I hustled to my A block class to make sure I wasn’t tardy. Walking through the doors I sat in my assigned desk and waited. The next few minutes felt like days as I sat reviewing my notes one last time. Finally a few minutes later Mrs. Foley passed out the test. Slowly starting the test I had a burst of confidence when I realized that it was 100 times easier then I thought and, at that point I knew I was going to pass.

Finishing the final question the bell rang for the next class and I slowly rose. The rest of the day went by unexpectedly fast, as it was a Friday. Fridays usually go by slower than any other days because you are so excited for the upcoming eventful evening. After the final bell I walked to Mrs. Foley’s English class to see the results of my test. Walking slowly into the class I felt like I was a character from a TV. Show waiting to hear the news of a fatal medical test or something of that sort. She was sitting behind her desk correcting papers and she waved me in.

“Darren, you did excellent on your test; if you keep up this work you are guaranteed to have a higher grade.” Said Mrs. Foley with a sudden, but solemn gleam in her eyes.

A burst of happiness ran through me as I knew now that I was going to be able to play in the game Saturday night.

“But, like I said you needed 100% to pass on this test, the final answer of the assessment you answered incorrectly, I’m sorry but you have a 59%, you are still failing this class.”

At that moment my heart sunk, my head spun and I immediately sat down. She tried re assured me that this wasn’t as bad as it sounded, but I was already out of the door.

Not being able to play in the California State Super Bowl was one of the best and worst nights of my life. I would have done anything to run out onto the field, or hear “Darren Washington” over the announcements after I scored, or made a tackle. But this was also one of the best nights of my life. We ended up beating De La Salle on a two point conversion with no time left on the clock to win 22-21. We pulled off one of the greatest upsets in California football history. Looking back on my high school career, I learned that not playing in the game was one of the most vital character changing events that ever happened to me. Throughout the rest of my senior year, I took school seriously and I ended up finishing top 10 academics for the graduating class of ’11. So now I realize that when some people are born athletes who have everything handed to them, it doesn’t matter because if you don’t work hard, in the end you can’t play in the game without the grades.

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Blue Eyes by Casey O

Sitting in his room, Matt was listening to the acoustical sounds that poured out of his record player, and thought about the girl he met last night at the pier. Her hair was wavy from the cool salty ocean breeze that hit it that night, and her eyes we’re the deep blue that you only see in magazines. He couldn’t stop thinking about her and the way she so calm and collectively swept him off his feet for the first time. She introduced herself as Brooke, but Matt was too star-struck that he stumbled to reply. She had left her number in the palm of his hand, and said she would love for him to call her. That night, Matt thought forever whether to call her or not, whether to show her that he was really swept away. He neglected to call, and sat and wrote the lyrics to a song he believed would be the ticket to this girl’s heart.

No one knows Matt’s past. He wasn’t the best kid back in Massachusetts. He was into the wrong groups of people, and doing some pretty bad things. Matt’s parents decided when he was 16 that they would move to a nice home in California to try to change Matt. Luckily their planned work, and as son has Matt was away from the atmosphere of his old town, he soon became the kid his parents had learned to love before drugs and alcohol became a problem. Matt calmed down in California where the days were long and warm, and the nights were calm and beautiful. But that night at the pier Matt knew what he had found. Matt knew that this girl would be the one that was to change him forever.

Matt woke up the next morning with paper stuck to his face, and the pen still lodged in his hand. It was Saturday and he was undecided on his plans. He looked at the pad of paper that he had wrote the beginning of his song to, then picked up his acoustic guitar and started strumming gently on the strings. The mellow music he was creating attracted his mother to come stop by his door for a quick listen.

Matt’s mother, Susan adored her son, and believed that moving to California had changed him for the better. Though still new to the school Matt picked up a quick couple of friends, who soon taught him how to surf on the radical wave’s that the California coast brought in every year. But lately she saw a mood that she had never seen before in Matt. Matt looked as though he was completely in love, but she had no idea with who. Still mesmerized in the sounds that Matt made from this acoustical guitar, Matt’s mother walked away pondering what girl has Matt so caught up.

Matt knew he had to call Brooke, knowing that if he didn’t he might loose her before he even truly had her. Brooke went to Matt’s school also, and was well known. Matt had never seen her though, until that night. He was too afraid to call her. She was gorgeous, he was okay. She was the definition of clean-cut, and he wasn’t. He sat there the rest of the day writing the song.

Blue eyes that would be the title of the song to this girl’s heart Matt had decided. But that Monday at school, Matt saw something that completely destroyed his hopes, and all that he had worked on for the past weekend. He saw Brooke walking the halls with an arm around her waist, and a boy attached with it. Matt left school early, and decided to go on a binge. Drug of choice, pot and his poison was Jack Daniels.

Matt knew he was cleaning up, but whenever he needed to just relax that was the combination he went to, and today was a huge exception. Matt was so hopefully that this girl would be the one for him, but when he saw Brooke with an arm around her waist his hopes were crushed. After 2 hours of smoking and drinking Matt was out of his mind. He didn’t know where to go next. Back in Massachusetts, Matt had attempted suicide once, but didn’t succeed. How could a girl he barely talked to for an hour, tear him down this easily? That night he decided to give this girl once chance, to show him that she was everything he expected.

With his guitar in his hand and the lyrics in his heart Matt walked to Brooke’s house with one thing in mind; to win her heart over. He was nervous to knock on the door to her house, as his hands became very clammy. She answered the door, with a jaw dropping look. Her eyes looked beautiful Matt thought, and that was why this song was perfect for her. She led him up to her room, and Matt began, “I need to prove to you, that even though I only met you once, you are amazing, and I would really like to know you better, so this is for you.” Matt began to sing the song he had spent all weekend complicating. He sang,

“Let me take your coat
To cover up the note
I finished yesterday
Telling you the way
I am without you
Cause I’d be lost forever if you slipped away
Blue eyes you’re the reason for my change.”

The acoustics’ played out perfectly, and the look on her face was exactly what Matt was going for. The song continued but the message was still the same, she was the one for him, she was the reason for his change. Brooke managed to hold back tears. She had never been treated this way before. Most guys that liked her only liked her for what she did in bed, but this guy was different. When Matt was all done with his song, Brooke went over to him, clasped his hand in hers and kissed him. “You’ve got me,” Brooke whispered.

“You are the reason for my change; you saved me from myself, blue eyes.” Matt whispered back.

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Chasing Summer by Brianna T.

As the sunlight shined down into the streaky window of an old red pick-up, it temporarily blinded a brown haired girl in the passenger seat. As she rose her hand to cover her dark blue eyes, a quiet voice said, “What a beautiful, sunny day.” The girl turned away from the blinding sun and looked at the woman in the driver’s seat. “Yeah it is a nice day, and it would be an even better day in Rhode Island.” The girl said sharply. “Mom, I can’t believe you’re making me do this! I mean I’m supposed to be in Rhode Island with my friends!” “Now Summer, we already had this talk, and don’t get fresh with me.” The woman said sternly. “You’re going to stay with you Grandmother and that’s final. Besides, you used to love going to visit her when you were young.” “Mom I’m sixteen years old, I don’t wanna spend my summer with my grandma, and I’m sure she doesn’t wanna spend hers with me.” “Now Summer, why would you say something like that?” the mother said as she turned towards her daughter, taking her eye off the empty road for only a second. “Because Mom, ever since dad di…” She stopped and her voice got quiet and soft, “Ever since dad passed away she hasn’t spoken to us, no phone calls, no letters or emails, not even a single birthday card.” Summer finished.

The rickety old truck slowly turned into a narrow driveway that lead up to a small beach cottage. The cottage was light yellow with blue shutters, and under each and every window was a black flower box with tiny white and pink flowers. A tiny, plump woman was standing in the doorway waving to them. “Hello Rose,” Summer’s mom said as she pulled the suitcases out of the back of the pick-up. “Why hello Lillian, and hello my dear,” she said as she hugged them both. “Hi Grandma,” Summer said. There was sternness in her voice, for she could not hide her feelings of abandonment towards her Grandma.

Rose took them into her quaint little home, and led them into two guest bedrooms that were across from each other. She gave Summer the room on the left. As she opened the door she gasped. This was the room she stayed in when she visited all those years. The walls were light pink and had white bunnies that bordered the ceiling. The twin bed was pushed up against the wall next to the window with the perfect ocean view. The bed was already made with pink sheets and a white and pink checkered comforter. Also in the room was a dresser, a mirror, a closet and nightstand with a small digital clock. “Will this do?” Rose asked. “Yes,” Summer replied, there was still a sternness in her voice. “Okay, I’ll go check on your mom.” Rose said as she left, shutting the door behind her. Summer sat down on the bed and sighed. The room brought back so many memories of her and her dad and the summers she use to spend here. Summer didn’t want to remember, so she grabbed a towel and walked out the back door to the beach.

The sun was already starting to set. She gazed towards the horizon admiring what seemed to be the last trace of color on earth. The waves crashed against the shore in such a way that their rhythm and sound made Summer feel as if she was in a different place in a different world. Summer’s trance was broken when something hit her back. “Hey, sorry” a voice said from behind her. She turned around and was face to face with a tanned, brown haired boy, with the biggest, brownest eyes she had ever seen. The boy stood up, and revealed a young golden retriever. He put out his hand and helped her up. “Hi, I’m Chase.” he said in a cheerful voice, his eyes never left hers. “Hi, I’m Summer,” Summer replied. The dog barked and Chase picked up the sandy tennis ball and threw it in the opposite direction. Summer watched as the dog bounded after it. Chase turned back to her and then looked at the tattered brown watch, on his wrist. “Wanna go for a walk?” His voice broke the silence. As Summer’s heart raced with feelings of excitement and curiousness she answered, “Sure.”

As they walked along the shore, the waves crashed towards their feet as if trying to sweep them away. “So, are you new around here?” Chase asked, “cause I’ve never seen you before.” “Um,” Summer started, “I’m visiting Rose with my mom.” Puzzled, Chase asked “Who’s Rose?” Summer looked at the dog who was chasing the seagulls down the beach. Then she answered, “My grandma.”

Right then and there Summer spilled everything. How her dad died, and how her friends and her were supposed to go to Rhode Island, and even about her grandmother and how she had stopped communicating. When Summer was finished she was in shock. She covered her mouth as she thought “why did I tell him that, I’ve never told anyone that.” Chase grasped her hand and said nothing, but for Summer, that said everything.

They stopped when they reached the cottage. Summer said bye and tried to let go of his hand, but he pulled her back. “Meet me out here at 11,” he said, “I’ll be here waiting.” “I don’t know if I can…”Summer started. “I’ll be here, if you decide to come or not,” Chase said cutting her off. “Okay,” Summer said softly, then she walked back up to the cottage.

When Summer reached the cottage she went into the kitchen. She grabbed a glass from the cabinet, and pored herself some water as she hummed a happy tune. “Who is he?” a voice came from the right. Startled, Summer looked over to the kitchen table, and there sat her grandma, sipping tea out of a rose covered teacup. “What are you talking about?” Summer said. “Summer, I’ve been around long enough; I think I know when a girl meets a guy.” Rose said with a giggle, “So what’s his name?” “Chase, and why do you care?” Summer said louder than needed. Shocked her grandma leaned back and looked away, and then said, “I know you’re mad at me.” Summer put down the glass of water on the counter. Her grandma continued. “You’re mad at me because I never spoke to you after your father died.” Summer’s eyes grew wet, “How could you grandma?, you really hurt me, you were like my favorite person alive, and then you just stopped talking to me and at a time when I really needed you.” Summer burst into tears. “I know I know I was wrong, but you don’t understand I wanted to see you but I just couldn’t.” Now even her grandma was tearing up. ”Why couldn’t you?” Summer questioned. “Because every time I looked at you, you reminded me so much of your father, and I missed him so much. Losing a son is the hardest thing in the world, and now I’m afraid that I’ve lost you.” A felling of guilt came over Summer. She got up and went over to her grandma and gave her the biggest hug and said, “You will never lose me.”

After she and her grandma calmed down, Summer told her everything her grandma had missed out on. She even told her about Chase. She told her about how cute he was, and their walk on the beach, and even how he said he wanted to meet her at 11. “So are you going?” her grandma asked. “I don’t know,” Summer said softly. “Well what are you waiting for?” her grandma said looking at the clock on the stove, it was 10:59. “Go,” her grandma said, “go.”

Summer ran out the back door. The cool ocean breeze blew on her face as she walked in the sand. It was dark, but the moonlight showed her a figure. It was Chase. “Well, here I am” she said as she stopped in front of him. “I have a surprise for you, so close your eyes.” Chase said as he grabbed her hand. Summer did as she was told, “and no peeking,” he said with a laugh. As he guided her along the beach, her mind raced with ideas of what the surprise was going to be. They stopped. “Open your eyes” Chase said. Summer opened them and gasped. The surprise was better than anything she thought it was going to be. Laid out before her was a blanket, with candles all around it, and in the center was a picnic basket filled with snacks and drinks. Summer looked back over her shoulder, at the cottage, and secretly thanked her grandma for telling her to come.

As they ate the food they talked and laughed. Summer felt as if she had known Chase forever. The waves swept against the shore as they sat in each other arms underneath the starry sky. As they gazed into space, Chase did the unexpected. He turned and looked at Summer, and said, “Summer you shine brighter than the stars in the sky.” He leaned in and gave her a kiss.

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The Murder by Anna K.

She opened the patio door onto a view that looked like it went on forever, like it couldn’t be stopped by anything or anyone. Just like the women looking at it, Carmen, no matter what crossed her path she never let it stand in her way. A tall, strong women both mentally and physically with dark brown hair and hazel eyes. She was a murder investigator and couldn’t let little things stand in her way.

She let the cool breeze envelop her in its clutch, something she rarely did. She needed a break from her latest case. She was overwhelmed with the amount of work she had to do. She stayed outside for a while and thought about the case. This is the first Saturday that she isn’t at her office. Normally, she would be sitting in her huge office shuffling through papers. Although her office was so big she felt as if it was no bigger than the ordinary cubical. It didn’t matter how many people were around her she still felt alone. She couldn’t do this anymore, she needed a sign to go back home to her family, maybe just for a little bit, so that she doesn’t loose herself completely. She took a deep breath and came inside.

She sat down at her mahogany desk and began to look at the evidence for the hundredth time. She couldn’t find anything knew to come closer to the verdict of the case. She closed all the folders that she had out. She got up, put on her coat and left to take a walk and clear her head. As she slowly made her way down the tree lined boulevard she felt something, as if she was being watched.

“You’re being paranoid, Carmen” she said out loud to reassure herself that everything was o.k.

“You’re not being paranoid” a sharp male voice said from behind her.

Carmen turned around and saw a broad man looking at her. She was paralyzed and told her feet to move but they wouldn’t.

“What do you want?” she asked.

“I want you to quit the case that you’re investigating” he snarled.

“Why?” she snapped back.

“Because, this case doesn’t concern you”

“I’m a murder investigator, anything to do with murder concerns me.”

“This is out of your league, there is more to this than you think. You don’t know everything.”

“What don’t I know?”

“I can’t tell you, look I don’t want to hurt you, but I will if you don’t do what I say.”

Before she could say another word she was off running with the man behind her. It’s like she had no control over what was happening. She kept running until she reached a nearby café. She knew that he wouldn’t hurt her in a public place, to many witnesses. As she knew what she had to do. A few minutes later she stood up and left with a large group of people and as soon as she turned the corner she dashed to the bank where she would get enough money to travel to her family. She wouldn’t go back to her house, she might

have been scared but she wasn’t stupid, he must have known where she lived if he was following her. She would hopefully leave that night without the man knowing where she was or how to get to her.

This was the sign she was waiting for. She needed her family. She wouldn’t quit the case however, she couldn’t let some bully push her around. She thought about who could have sent him and why and maybe there was more to the case, more than she knew, but that just made her want to know more. No matter how much she hated her job, it was like a drug, it was addicting. She had to solve it.

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Short story blog assignment comment criteria

I would like your short story comments to answer the following five questions:

I - Describe your personal reaction to the story. How do you feel after reading it? What do you remember? What images do you see? What concepts or ideas are in your head? What did the story make you think about?

II - Does the main character change over the course of the story? If so, what is his or her great insight or epiphany? How is this change important to the story? How would the story be different if the character didn't change?

If the main character does not change, explain why it was important that he/she remain static throughout the tale. How was the story arc dependent on the main character's personality?

III. What was your favorite part of the story? Did it occur in the exposition, rising action, climax, falling action, or resolution? Pick a line that you liked, copy and paste it into the comment box, put quotes around it, and explain what it was about it that stood out to you.

IV - Overall, what is this tale's best quality? It could be its characters, the conflict, the resolution, the description of the setting, the story arc, use of dialogue, etc. Use specific details and references to the story to explain why you thought this was its best strength.

V - What is one piece of advice that the author might consider for future writing assignments? This should be phrased constructively (try doing ------- next time, consider --------) or inquisitively (what do you think would happen if you -------------?)

Comments should be two to three paragraphs (8 to 12 well-written, informative sentences). Your comments should appear below the story you are responding to. When asked to choose an identity, click "nickname," then sign your comment with your first name and last initial. Comments not posted according to these instructions will be deleted.

I would like you to respond to a minimum of two essays per class (6 total). The essays will be up by the end of school on Thursday, Jan. 31st.

* Please bring a printed copy of your comments to class on Monday, Feb. 4th, as I will check them then. Your classmates and I thank you for your valuable feedback.

Six comments = a "check"

Nine comments = a "check plus"

For general information about posting blog comments, please click here.

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