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Marcus

The room held an ominous red glow, and was coated with an interior design which seemed to surround both a respected John Gatti theme and gave the notion that this mighty lord which sat before me was a previous understudy of Shinobu Tsukasa. Shadowing over the mysterious body before me stood a hulking suit of what appeared to be ancient samurai armor wielding a great sword which held the phrase “Now I am death, destroyer of worlds.” inscribed into it. Along the wall it read eleven rules, which I myself was formerly familiar with. I looked across the table, as the character before me released smoke from his mouth and expelled it in a way that it was carried as if the wind itself bent to his will, and the heated smoke and smell of rotting flesh and fermented tobacco surrounded me. He leaned forward, into a small beam of light, his slicked back black hair glimmered and exposed a streak of red along the left side as if there was reason for it. His eyes illuminated with a yellow glow, the glow pulsing in unison with his breathing. He spoke, “Mr. Echols”
“Excuse me?” I replied.
“Hold the surprise. How could you simply walk into an establishment such as my own and have surprise by our knowledge.” He said as he leaned back and threw three loaded folders which slid across the gloss of the black table between us. He continued, “November 22nd, 1963, body count, one. April 26, 1986. 31 immediate, skyrocketing to approximately 4,000 within a week. March 3rd 1991, 9382AU, every member, dead. Every act, every plan, every course of action; Hell! every breath you’ve taken, I know about. I know everything.”
My tongue was held by my nervous mind, but I felt the inspiring touch of courageous flame from between my lips, after a moment's pause. “You may have knowledge about my past, but like any good book, you can read it if the author writes it, but what about the author masterpiece in the works? Don’t think for a second that you’re in control. I may have walked into your building, but from the moment my heel rolled onto the floor, everything you ever held the strings of was cut, and tied to the fingers of a new puppet master. I came here to kill a god. Now die.” He began to boom in laughter, as I rose up out of my seat. Two figures silently grew behind me, as if the shadows themselves became animated. The suit of armor once thought dormant groaned as the rusted metals grinded against each other and the beast rose for precautionary measures. The man grew silent as his entertainment built itself to concern, and his smile pulled itself down to a frown. He stood, his build being complemented by the massive exoskeleton of a monster of war. He spoke once more “I do believe you should excuse yourself now.” I stood my ground in a silent exchange of looks. He shouted with a commanding voice, “Krieger!” as he spoke that single word as if he was calling upon a loyal dog, the armor was illuminated by a great blue inner glow, and it flowed with life. The mighty goliath wielded it’s weapon in a combating pose. I quickly snapped to my waistband and grasped the cold oyster pearl grip of both Vincent and Jules. I held both figures in front of me in their still, with my now fire breathing hands. The ancient warrior moved in a way that was no longer so very ancient, as his master began to flee. My mighty hands shouted in attempts to maim, and prevent escape.
 I exclaimed, ‚ÄúOrias! Gabriel! Devolvat in deos!‚Äù The shadows which accompanied me came together, and formed a figure far surpassing the might of that which charged. With the malicious head of a dog, and a great black massive tunic

Cast Your Vote

I added another fun activity to our blog.  Each month you can vote for your favorite author.  Once all submissions have been posted, the poll will open.  Choose your favorite piece and cast your vote.  Happy Reading and Have Fun.

August Featured Writers

A big Thank You to our August Featured Writers!!!  WOOOOHOOOOO!!!!  Check out the blog and read our talented writer submissions.  Remember, you need to comment on each submission.  There are six submissions for the month of August.  Please make sure you visit the blog, read and comment.  I will also post this on School Loop and send you all an email.  Happy Reading.  Stay tuned.  I'll be posting the September Submissions soon:)

Joseph

The event that followed had scarred me for life. This happened a few weeks ago from

today as I was driving home from ROP, on the main street to my house. I was driving, overjoyed

from making so much progress in my ROP class, which was located at Ontario Airport. I had left

the class with a smirk on my face. I walked down the old, rugged airport and stepped into my car

and left the premises. Driving home, I blasted my music in my car, listening to as many songs as

possible, singing my heart out, not caring who sees. I exited the congest freeway and headed

down Foothill, passing by the variety of stores. I slowly turned on my main street, and my car

quickly accelerated on the street. I passed by many of the people I knew, shyly waving to them

as I passed by. That was when I suddenly heard a loud thump, and I quickly used my reflexes

and slammed my feet onto the brakes of my car. My mind was racing, and all I could think about

was “What did I hit!” My eyes were wide open and I opened my door and looked behind me

onto the desolate street. I had hit a small brown dog. I stepped out of the car, and saw that two

small girls were standing there with eyes, flooded with tears and sorrow. My heart dropped to the

floor, because I know how it feels to lose something that means so much to you. I sluggishly

walked over to the family of the deceased dog, approaching them with a face that showed so

much fear that they knew how I felt at that moment. I apologized greatly, but they would not let

me take the blame as they said it was completely their fault for letting the dog out. They

explained to me that he was not trained to be outside by himself, and has a tendency to run away.

I insisted on taking the blame, but I was beat and they told me to get home safe. I did the right

thing, and that was to stop and apologize. Even though it was not my fault, I had this horrible

sensation building up inside me. I walked back to my car and slowly drove away. I pulled into

my small street and stopped in my usual parking spot. I held in the tears that wanted to slip out. I

called the only person that I could talk to and that was my close friend Moranda. I pressed the

send button and listened to the ringer several times until a familiar voice had answered. I tried to

speak when a hello was given. That was when I just fell into pieces. Tears rushed down my face,

and sobs were heard on both ends of the line. I cried, and cried, and cried, because I know the

same feeling of losing a dog that you loved so much. I cried as I did the night my dog had died.

Moranda told me everything was ok and that it was not your fault, but the image of the two girls

screaming for their dog had burned into my brain and I can still, vividly picture the event in my

head, even right now. It had opened my eyes on how the life of anything can end in a heartbeat. I

feel like I should appreciate the people around me because at any given time, their lives can end

and I might never even get to say goodbye. I never want to have an event like this happen again

anytime soon.

Sierra

We’ve all gone through traumatic life situations. May it be something dangerous that we go through or witness happening, they deeply affect us and alter our lives in ways that never would have changed us if not for these incidents, leaving scars on our lives. What seems to most affect all of us the most is death. It can tear families apart, damage our daily lives and even destroy our basic principles of life. Death isn’t something that simply goes unnoticed and whether it is close family or friends, it changes us. Having to do this writing assignment couldn’t come in a more timely manner as I sit on an airplane to fly out to my beloved family in a time of need because of the loss of someone we all deeply love, my grandfather.

                It never ceases to surprise me how easily my family and friends pull together when we need each other most, and our ability to drop everything for someone we love so much just proves how strong our family ties are. At 4 am Saturday August 24^th we got a phone call that my grandpa, Dennis Toman, passed away in his sleep. Despite our awareness that there was a possibility of this happening, it still shook us up and completely shocked us. There was no hesitation for us to know that we had to return home to Pennsylvania for the funeral and to handle some family affairs. So the remainder of our Saturday involved packing, finding pet sitters and searching for plane tickets. Sunday morning we woke up, loaded up our truck and drove to Los Angeles International, sat through lines and then spent the next 4 hours on a crowded airplane.

                A few hours later, we were landed in Philadelphia, getting our luggage, and driving up to see my grandmother. Picking us up from the airport was my father, aunt, and my cousin. After a little bit longer of sitting on our butts, we got to my grandmother’s house. Upon seeing each other for the first time in months, the moment immediately became emotional and everyone burst into tears. Hugs of overwhelming love were passed around and laughter soon overpowered the tears. For the remainder of the night we sat on the back porch, drinking Dr. Pepper and telling old stories that made us feel like my grandfather had never left us. A few tears were shed, but for one night only, there was no arguing, no fighting, and only happy thoughts surrounded us.

                The next few days were a blur of tears and depression. Arrangements were needed to be made to ensure that both the funeral and the viewing would be just right and everyone that needed to be there would be available. A video was made by the whole family in order to justify the pleasure in his life and share all his happy memories with his family and friends. Old photo albums were pulled out and family videos reincarnated for more happy occasions. Blood and tears were shed over a simple manner of making a poster of pictures. Our grandfather seemed to be everywhere we walked, whether it was photos or simple things that reminded us of him. The viewing came and I saw family that I hadn’t seen in a decade and old friends that filled the missing pieces of my heart. There was no dry eye at the sight of such a strong man at his lowest point. When I saw my grandfather, I broke down. No matter how hard I tried, the tears wouldn’t stop flowing down my face, and there was no possibility of catching my breath. Unimaginable thoughts of my life without having a grandfather to call every time I had an issue with my truck, or a man to cheer me on at my barrel races filled my mind and overclouded the common sense to simply inhale and exhale. The sight of my dad so torn apart from losing his own father was too much to bare. When the tears finally subsided I collapsed into a hug from my best friend and finally felt the ability to stand on my own for a little bit. The time period between the viewing and the funeral was practically nonexistent and despite my confidence the night before, it was impossible to feel any kind of strength when a priest talks of how you have to be strong enough to go on without them. Heaven and Hell swarm into thoughts floating around me, and thoughts of how short life is are all I could think of. My chest grew heavy and I know my dad was watching me struggle to regrasp my faith when such an amazing man was tore from my life so soon. That old phrase “only the good die young” fades in and out of my mind and I can’t help but question why that phrase is true. A quick glance to the rest of the people sitting behind me and I see my best friend, who was so strong for me the other night, crying. With all of my heart I wanted to stand up and tell everyone of all the love I had for him and the great memories that him and I shared. However, none of this mattered when I looked past the make-shift alter and saw my Man of Steel lying in his own grave. Thought of going on without him proved to be too much to open my mouth and give my speech. All these people came together to celebrate the life of a great man and support one another through their mourning. Despite my sadness at the loss, I know I’m going to be okay and that even though he isn’t here, he’s watching over me and protecting me with everything that I do and every step I take. My grandfather is beside me, whether in spirit or living through all the people that he touched and he won’t ever leave me. The funeral concludes with the burial of our beloved Dennis Toman Sr. and a lunch together with all of the people he loved.

                The rest of the week gets a little sweeter and finally my family has found time to have a little fun. My sister and I have gone swimming at our “more than best friend’s” house and played with all our cousins. I went mudding with a bunch of the guys in order to lift up my mood a little bit. Our car broke down at a friend’s house and we had a sleep over with our oldest friends because we couldn’t leave. Even in his death, our grandfather is still playing pranks on us. Every day my family and I find time to laugh a little together and enjoy each other’s time.

Throughout this week my family and friends have grown so much closer. Through the loss of one great man we have found hope and love within one another. I appreciate each moment with every one of my friends more and realized who my true friends are in life. I value the little things they’ve done with me and for me. With a death, you can’t help but realize how short life is and that we have to get the most out of it. It’s easy to let fun and enjoyable things pass you up in life and live to regret them. A little bit of excitement and a little more fun needs to bit mixed in all our lives to ensure that ours was a life worth living. Most importantly, I’ve found myself again. Through the stress of school and conformity to the “friends” around, bits and pieces of me have chipped off and faded away. However, spending time with my family in Allentown and my best friend Alec and his brother, you remember who you are again. With the pain of losing such an amazing man in my life, I’ve gained another that will help me through all this. I appreciate my family so much more and my love for all of them has grown. My grandfather helped me grow up as a child, and now he’s going to make me a better woman. I’ve grown up more and fell in love with this crazy family of mine, and for that it is an unforgettable memory.

Chris

The Man in the Yellow Suit

He slowly began walking away wanting simply to forget all that had happened. He continued to walk down slowly into the stillness of the night and lowered his head in shame unaware of how he could ever live with this. After what seemed like hours of walking he heard a clap, and almost immediately he looked up to see a long tall man in what appeared to be a yellow suit with red stripes as once again he clapped he began to walk closer the man he noticed the man was starring directly at him while still clapping in the same beat. Aware that the man might be another junkie he crossed the street hoping to avoid him, but each time he looked up the man in the yellow suit was staring intently at him with a nice wide grin. Eventually he passed the man in the yellow suit and continued walking until the man nearly disappeared from his thoughts. At that moment he heard a loud and powerful clap, startled he turned around to see not far behind the man in yellow wait staring at him standing completely upright with the same wide grin as before. He walked away from the man thinking to himself that the man was another drug addict like the other, until he heard light footsteps coming from behind him. Trying not to make it to obvious he walked faster nearly at his car, then he heard the pace of the footsteps increasing rapidly. Without a second thought he broke into a sprint running with all his might trying to avoid a repeat of what happened. He turned behind him to see the man in yellow suit running after him, and he didn’t stop running not until he saw his car. No more than ten yards away from his car he then turned around walking backwards towards his car ensuring the man was no longer following him. That’s when he bumped into the car, feeling secure hi took a large breath a turned around only to come face to face with the man in yellow suit. The man was close to him their faces almost touching he could feel the man’s hot breath on his face. Almost immediately he pulled his gun pointing it at the man’s heart just waiting for him to move. The man in yellow suit leaned in and whispered a single phrase “thanks for the fun tonight” and with that a loud bang echoed in the night. The man simply walked away without a second thought blood had been splattered everywhere the in the yellow suit leaned on in and placed a Band-Aid on the hole he had left in this man’s head. And with that he walked off into the night clapping periodically just waiting for some lowly person to walk by and make the same mistake that they always do.

Victoria

He stared blankly at the paper contemplating what to do or say. What he said today would set the tone for the rest of his life and he knew he couldn’t mess this up. He had to make this perfect. “Perfection, the greatest word ever invented by man…” he thought sarcastically. He wanted to just write what he knew and felt but something kept holding him back…there was always that thing in the back of his mind that kept saying, “Are you sure about this? Do you really want to do this?” Benjamin was notorious for not being able to make up his mind and take a stand but this time he knew he had to or else he would risk losing the thing he cared about the most. As he continued to stare at the blank page, he grew more and more frustrated with the mere nakedness of it, the shadows of the candle dancing on the blank canvas. Benjamin just wanted to be that person that he always admired; he wanted to be the person to go out on a limb for what he wanted and just not care what other people had to say. “What is wrong with me? What am I waiting for? Why can’t I be who I want to be?” The endless rhetorical thoughts kept going around and around in his head like a carousel. Benjamin knew what he had to do. He was going to be that person, he wasn’t going to miss his opportunity, he was going to be perfect; he wanted to be perfect for her. He held the paper in his hands and placed it into the candle’s flame. Never was he so delighted to see something burn to ash. That paper was the epitome of everything he didn’t want to do. He never wanted any of this; he just wanted to live a simple life, alone. Free from society’s critiques, from the obligations of Thanksgiving Dinner, the mundane-ness of it all sickened him to the core. He smiled and laughed with irony, for if he never asked a question he wouldn’t have ever been in this situation. With that realization he stood up from his chair and blew out the candle. Benjamin walked out the door and never looked back; he was finally the person he always wanted to be. He was finally himself and he wouldn’t change that for her.