Maddie--Tiny Things

Tiny Things

I believe that life is only worth living for the tiny things, the things so absolutely miniscule that their very existence seems so absolutely mundane that they are almost irrelevant in the grand scheme of our lives. If we can find these tiny things that give us that fleeting moment of instant joy and relief, then I believe that we can all lead lives that are much more fulfilling, For myself, it’s a candle on the edge of my desk that I light to do homework- not the candle itself, but the way the flame danced with the draft caused by an open window. The small wiggly motion it made like a gelatinous substance that had been dropped onto the floor, was enough to make me stop and watch in a moment of complete euphoria before returning to my econ notes. Even more so, the view from my rearview mirror when driving on the freeway on a rainy day. The brilliant yellows contrast beautifully against the solemnly dark paint coats of the cars and even more so against the sky. Or maybe, perhaps, the feeling of completing my homework, all of my homework, really well, and being able to sleep knowing that it’s all done. Sometimes I am even afforded ten to fifteen minutes to spend without anyone in the house- enough to appreciate the ability to be alone with my thoughts without having to converse or really do anything at all, and yet short enough to leave me wanting more. Sometimes I find myself reveling in the way my room brightens at Christmas and I can stay in bed with movies that I’ve watched hundreds of times- or- the way marshmallows always seem to float to the back of a mug no matter how hard I try to get them out. The best thing about little things though is that they never get old or tiring, they happen so often and yet go so fast that their departure almost occurs before we have the opportunity to notice that it was ever even there. We forget about the little things like someone letting us cut ahead of them in line or something that made us laugh when we were younger. Because they are so commonplace, we forget they exist. It’s almost funny to think about the hundreds of tiny things that make us so happy that we take for granted so often that their presence seems to be irrelevant to our livelihood and yet, if only we briefly acknowledged these tiny pieces of absolute perfection, we’d be so much happier. I think life is worth living for the tiny things but only because the little things remind us that in the vastness of this ever expanding universe, we too are tiny things.

Aaron--Tides Turning

Tides Turning

The morning of the tragedy started off like any other. Becky, the mother in the family, was in the kitchen cooking some mouthwatering pancakes. Bill, the father in the family, was reading an article in the paper about children in third world countries dying from the lack of medical attention. Brad, the eighteen-year-old only child, was in the shower attempting to remove the scent from last night's wild party. Finally there is Blitzer, a golden retriever, who at the time was running around looking for anyone to play with. The family was having a morning like any other. It was Blitzer’s birthday that day, he was turning a year old and their plan was to celebrate this gift that God gave them by having a picnic at the beach. Once they finished eating they commenced packing everything they would need to have a perfect day. They arrived at to the beach, sat next to tower 3, and began to set up the EZ-Up and the barbecue. Time passed, it was 1 O’clock and the food began to sizzle atop the flames in the grill. The chicken was slowly being roasted to perfection, the taste of the steak struck everyone just by staring at it, and it was all finished off by the company of grilled vegetables resembled some from a magazine.  Blitzer walked towards the ocean for a little swim. The clock hit 2 and as the family finished their five star meal, they noticed that Blitzer had not came back. To prevent chaos from erupting, Brad stated “Don’t worry I will go get him real fast!” As Brad walked toward the water, the tension dramatically decreased with Becky and Bill. The happy wed couple lay side by side and they began reminiscing on their lives. Before they knew it an hour passed and neither Blitzer nor Brad came back. As Bill began to panic, Becky said “Don’t worry honey, Brad probably found him and played with him and they must have lost time track of time. I will go tell them that they have to get out of the water now”. Right after she finished her sentence she was off, walking slowly towards the water. Bill sat alone. He watched the seconds turn into minutes. The minutes turned to an hour. With his heart filled with fear, he abandoned everything and ran full speed to the water. By 7 O'clock, the area next to the tower 3 was alone with the exception of multiple police vehicles and news reporters. “What should we call this report?” muttered a cameraman. “ I say we call the story as it is...a Family of 3 drowned”. Just as everyone was leaving the scene, a shadow emerged from the ocean. It was Blitzer. He eagerly pounced to where the family had set up, wagging his tail, looking for warm welcome. Bill, Becky, and Brad were nowhere to be found. He rotated his head right, taking a glimpse into the endless grains of sand. He turned left catching images of families huddled up around a circle roasting s'mores. His tail stopped wagging. Blitzer took off into the dark streets accompanied by only his shadow, searching for his family, his home, and his world.    

Courtney--Undoubtedly Me

Undoubtedly Me

Hanging in my room since I was an infant was a quote by Diane von Furstenberg which reads, “I didn’t always know what I wanted to do, but I knew the kind of woman I wanted to be.”  As most little girls do, I spent my early years reading fairytales and dreaming of my prince coming to pick me up and give me everything I needed in life. But luckily for me, I had a mother who loved me enough to tell me that no prince would come to give me everything I needed in life.

 My mother grew up in a quaint little town in southern Alabama where women strove to be the ideal “Southern Bell”.  My mother wore pearls and gloves whenever she left the house, she made sure that when my father arrived home that dinner was on the table and our house was tidy, and she always made sure the bows in my hair were straight.  On lookers would probably gaze upon her life and think to take pity her.  So many people look only at the surface of this lifestyle and think she’s living a lie that she could not possibly be content in the way she’s living.  Little did they know what kind of woman my mother really was. 

My mother was a woman of dignity and she would always tell me to never pretend to be someone I wasn’t especially for a boy.  She taught me to love my femininity without using it as a crutch for avoiding difficult things in my life. My mother taught me to read books and make them a priority.  She was enthralled with Maya Angelo and the way she read her poems impressed upon my heart the truth of those words.  Not only did she instill in me the importance of knowledge, she taught me to be compassionate. The cookies she baked every Friday weren’t to make my father happy; she made them to for the elderly gentleman at the end of our street who had lost his wife when I was six to cancer.  You wouldn’t believe the look on his face he had the first time we went. 

Now, that I am coming upon my 18^th year of life, the first thing I’m all too often asked what am I planning to do with my life.  I always think of that quote when I’m asked this and say I’m still unsure what I will do with my life but I know how I’m going to live it.  I’m going to live as a woman of honour.  I will carry myself with grace and smile at strangers.  I will study things that light a fire in my soul and will help me better the world around me.  I’m going to live a life that I love and only allow people into it that will help me love it deeper. Most importantly though, I want to be the woman my mother raised me to be.

Erick

At first, I thought I was dead. As it turns out I found myself in a pitch black hole, I felt the walls and the ground and it felt less like dirt but more of a metallic feeling to it. I immediately tried to find a way out of this unnatural hole only to find what happened outside. However when I try to remember what happened before I woke up, I draw a blank. After a while I feel a groove on one of the walls and released it, it was a lever within the wall. I reach for it and pull down and push. I struggled because it seemed I was asleep for a long time because my body was not used to extraneous activities. Finally when the lever was pulled down and I pushed out, I saw a grayish reddish sky with no clouds and a kind of fog or mist that appeared to surround me like a devil’s aura. It was so silent not a single living creature seemed to cry out for help or make their presence known. It was very warm not cold surprisingly, it felt as if I had a fever. I could see no signs of plants, grass or trees anywhere. What remained were ugly, disfigured carcasses of trees or plants that seemed to look like demons dancing in the aura. Debris was everywhere, papers with information from a lost era with announcements for upcoming events. Pieces of houses and buildings were either still standing or on the floor. As I took my first step out of the warm and “cozy” hole I noticed two things, there was an infinite amount of dust on the ground and that I had injuries. How I got these aches and pains I don’t know. I started limping my way through the debris and rubble to find any sign of survivors. I smelled burned flesh and decay, I felt as if I was walking through an ancient scene of battle. I read the signs on the walls of destroyed buildings and signs that were not destroyed by whatever hit this misfortunate area. I came to one of these signs “PREPARE FOR THE WORST: VOTE RICK E. RESORT FOR YOUR NEXT PRESIDENT, GOP PARTY” I read more and found out it was the year 2085, but when I tried to read more the piece was missing lost in this graveyard. I walked more and saw more, a once proud school in ruins. The red and black colors with eagles. A place where people went to learn now a wasteland for the unknown. I saw old shops a red target sign lying next to cars trying to escape whatever was the inevitable doom that they were facing. A broken bridge leading to the other side blocked my way of going to the other side and I climbed down and started walking on the empty freeway. I came across a fallen airplane, the reek of the gasoline offending my nose and I carefully walked by. I could see the dead passengers, their last moments imprinted like ice in their decaying last positions. Walking on the empty 15 freeway as I saw because of the sign obstructing cars, I suddenly remembered who I was. Well I looked in my back pocket and found my driver’s license it said Keith Tesfaye, nineteen years old, and born on June sixth 2066.  I made sure by looking at a side view mirror on a wrecked car. I walked for nearly 3 hours until I reached an eerie place. There were countless heads on sticks, body parts on the floor and an infinite amount of blood everywhere. The flies flew everywhere, this was their idea of a grand feast of decay. I was suddenly rushed by a half-naked man with a spear. His eyes were red and a terrible amount of spit and mucus was dangling from his half open mouth. The savage Hissed and bared his rotten teeth “Are you……DEAD!?!” I jumped back and in shock did not answer him right away. “I said……have you…..DIE!?!” I was so paralyzed with fear that I still could not open my mouth to answer his peculiar question. I barely shook my head and the savage’s eyes widen and he tilted his head giving me a face that would be etched in my mind for an eternity.  I looked behind him and found more savages, all of their faces disfigured. The Leader who I was speaking to suddenly straighten up and point at me. “YOU JOIN US……NOW” and then I knew no more as blackness covered my eyes. 

TO BE CONTINUED

Sierra

It's September, the 24th day of the month. I awoke to a very hot morning feeling like I was a chicken in the oven. The sun was already out, throwing its violent rays into my eyes. I fall out of bed, shocked by the amount of light hitting me. Light is running through my window attacking me, so I go scrambling towards the window while still on the floor to close out the evil enemies. The light disappears and I stay there sitting and thinking. Today marked the birth of me, seventeen years on this planet, with the last seven being a hell. No friends, no support, nobody for me.

Then came a sudden knock on my door.

            "Are you awake!"

            "Sadly yes..." I mumble under my breath to the voice behind the door.

            "What? Hello? Did you hear me! Wake u--"

            "Yes I heard you, now leave!" I reply wearily, getting up off the floor.

"Happy birthday to me, huh. This is gonna be a great day." and I go on to get dressed.

            7:32 and the bus is running 5 minutes late. Not much of a big surprise. Some time later, it finally arrives and I wait in the back for my turn to board a long yellow rectangle. Last one on, and I walk past each aisle, full of friends or a person with a bag taking the seat, saying "This inanimate object is much more important than you." More important than me.

Row No. 17 on the left. A seat which is finally occupied by no one or anyone's much more precious bag. I sit down feeling the glare of the robot driving the bus.

            7:56 and I am at school, walking through the hallways. Seven hours of gruesome tasks to be piled onto me to all be accomplished by the next day. Seven hours of being surrounded by people, which I recognize but choose to ignore me. Seven hours of loneliness in a place which I am not wanted nor recognized as human... Or is it that they're the humans and I am the robot? Humans that ignore me. Me for being strange.

            I feel it. That sensation... What is it?... Who are you!... What do you want from me, I have harmed no one!... What do you want from me?

            -THUD-

I see the floor approaching me. Quickly, as it is engulfing me, light fading fast, but yet all happening oh so slow. Darkness. Snickering. Evil presences surround me. Hatred. I am dying. Am I dying? Or perhaps I am already dead. No one helps me and I feel the evil disappear as quick as it came. Noises seem so distant, almost like a dream...

Silence.

I am lying on the floor for what feels an eternity; warmth surrounding my head like a halo would an angel. Footsteps? I feel my body being lifted up. Am I an angel?

"Aare youu ookaaay?" a soft soothing voice. Care and gentleness radiate from somewhere. Something thick is falling and I hear a gasp, very faint and far. It was as if someone shouted at me in a tunnel far, far, and away. The darkness settles in...

            I jump up, breathless, my heart pounding so much I feel the blood in my head. I am in my room. The clock to my right reads "6:00". I analyze my room and see there is barely any light entering. I take a deep breath and feel the cool air rush into my lungs. It feels like I haven't taken a breath in an eternity. I close my eyes and can see faces of people flash through. Friendly people... people who love me.

Kaiya--The House

The House

People have always said crazy stuff about the house I’m moving
into. Some say that a psychotic doctor built this house but ended up
killing himself because of his baby’s tragic disappearance. Others say
that a crazy teen boy lived here as well but was shot by the cops for a
massacre that he was responsible for at a high school nearby. But my
parents love the house and made an agreement to buy it of course.
Now I have to go to a completely new high school with nobody to talk
to.
My first day was horrible. I made zero friends and have horrible
teachers that I hate and I’m pretty sure hate me too. And on top of this
horrible first day of school I come home to the sound of my parents
yelling at eachother again great. I swear they will never ever stop
fighting with each other, sometimes the fights get so bad I have to
end up calling the police. I just ignored them and went upstairs to do
my homework. Once I got to my room I began to unpack some of my
things, I noticed a funny and very disturbing smell coming from one
of my boxes. I went over to go check and I found a possum with it’s
throat slit open and it was somehow still breathing. I freaked out and
screamed for both of my parents. They both came running to my
room asking what was wrong, I pointed to the box with the dead
breathing possum both of my parents looked in it with disgust
eventually my dad ended up throwing it away. I had all my nicest tops
in that box too. Well my parents stopped fighting after the situation
and ended up making up.
I couldn’t sleep at all that night, I kept thinking of the things people
have said to me about the house. I scared myself so much that I
ended up not sleeping at all that night. The next morning I was able to
convince my mom that I was sick enough to skip school. But I ended
up staying home all by myself since my parents had to go to work. I
got out of bed to make myself some breakfast when I heard someone
walking upstairs. I assumed it was probably my dad since he’s late to
work a lot. I asked for my dad but there was no response. I just left it
alone. I continued to make my breakfast. I heard a loud thump coming
from upstairs. It scared me so much I dropped the carton of milk all
over the floor. I went upstairs to go check and there was absolutely
nobody up there. I was on my way downstairs when somebody
behind me grabbed both of my arms and dragged me into the attic. I
have never felt more horrified in my life. One of the lights, turned on
and it was the psychotic doctor and teenage boy that died in this
house years ago. I asked what they wanted with me. I got no
response, just silence. They both walked to another room, I had no
idea what they were planning on doing so I took the chance to open
the attic door and run out but I was too late. The teenage boy had
grabbed me and began to tie me up, the doctor also got some
medicine to put me to sleep.
I woke up in complete horror, both of my parents were tied up and
unconscious right in front of me. They too also began to wake up. We
were all so horrified and had no idea what to do. The first thing we did
was untie each other quietly so the dead doctor and teenage boy
wouldn’t hear us. My mother and I wanted to escape the attic and
leave but my dad insisted that we stay here and act like we are still
unconscious and tied up. We both did as he said. It didn’t take the
doctor and the teenage boy long to arrive back. I opened my eyes just
a little bit and noticed that they each had a knife in their hands. My
parents noticed as well. My dad was the first to take action. He quickly
jumped out of his position and somehow managed to grab the knife
out of the doctor’s had and teenage boy’s had at the sametime. He
threw them on the floor and told my mother and I to run to the car as
fast as we could. We all got into the car and drove as far as possible
from that house.
We ended up letting that house go and moved back into our old
house, the house not filled with a bunch of stories and the house
filled with a nice high school with nice teachers and students and
friends to talk to. The incident at the old house not only scared us to
death, but made us all closer as a family.

Myra--Social Rejection

Social Rejection

I didn’t know what judgement was until I entered High School. California in general
seemed like a place for the most beautiful people in the world. I remember the first day of
freshman year, I came wearing a very plain white Tshirt
and all of the other girls around me
were wearing fancy dresses and blouses with loads of makeup and hair done to perfection. That
day was the emergence of my insecurity and shyness, it lasted for three years. The first thing I
noticed was that people immediately gave you a good look upanddown
before deciding how to
respond to your greeting, introducing myself to everyone seemed simple enough, a smile and a
“What middle school are you from” seemed sufficient enough. Some people answered the
question with the same friendly smile I greeted them with and others did not. Moving from such
a small town and small middle school to a suburban town and fairly populated high school was
not easy.The mere fact that there was around nine hundred students in my grade versus the
sixtyeight
at my old school was immensely degrading to my selfesteem.
I never understood the mindset of someone who was distant from people and interaction
when I was in middle school, but in high school I lived it every day. It just seemed as though I
didn’t fit in, no one seemed like they wanted the new and quiet girl in their already established
cliques. This was my first time being the new girl and it was not fun. Watching Disney movies
about high schoolers was not good training and . I always wondered why it made me feel so
worthless and insecure, I wasn’t like this in Las Vegas, I was indifferent towards any hatred
against me. I was content around the people that liked me, others were simply just people around
me and nothing else. I realized that I had not changed at all, I still thought the same way and
acted the same way. What changed is how I thought others were going to be, when I thought
about it, the same type of people that were middle school existed in high school, I just didn’t
know anyone here, so I wasn’t familiar with those types of attitudes and lacked understanding.
Obviously this was naivety, unfortunately that's the blessing that comes with being young. I
finally understood that people are not always going to like me and forcing people to, won’t ever
make their feelings change positively towards me, but possibly make them worse.
I found friends who liked me for who I am and were very similar to me, but I am happy
to say that I am now over it and have more important things to worry about. I must say that this
realization came at a very inconvenient time, when my last year of high school is marking the
end of my journey. This realization however came to me when I was thinking about my future
and starting the path towards the rest of my life. Surviving in this world is inevitably tough, but
the things we are put through in high school, no matter how horrible and heartbreaking they are,
they help us by making us stronger. Resilience is key to strength, without it we are vulnerable to
the harsh reality that is adulthood. Whether or not we enjoy high school, we all have learned
something from it. I did not enjoy high school as much as I wanted to, and I do regret it to an
extent, however, I still learned something and that’s what matters. Thank you high school, for
teaching me that people are people, they come with various pros and cons, and it is healthy to
keep in mind that that the cons might just be more evident than the pros. I am happy with
everything I have learned and with everything I have had to struggle with. When I was in the
eighth grade my health class took a survey on whether we thought we were going to change in
high school, I was the only one in the class that thought I was going to stay the same. I am happy
to say that I have changed since middle school. The perception of the world is not so
“rosecolored”
as I thought it was in middle school, and this perception has made me more
mature and ready for my future. I am still the same person, and I will never change, this is what
makes me different, and sometimes hiding isn’t always the best option.