Missing--Gabriel

 

The date was the twentieth of July 1975, the summer after our senior year. School was

out, college awaited us, the rest of our lives ahead of us. A group of friends including myself

decided it was about time we started to explore this amazing world we live in. My best friend at

the time, Steve, was reluctant to go, saying he wanted to stay home and relax before he left for

Virginia in a few weeks for college. Nevertheless, my friends and I were able to peer pressure

him onto this trip. Jeremey, the more adventures of our friends recommend a forest his father

used to take him to as a kid. This forest was in the middle of Arizona by the Navajo Nation.

Jeremey raved about this spot and how he and his father would camp for a few days up there and

fish while they were there, then hike about five to six miles back to the car and go home. Eager

to explore, our small group of five agreed and set off the following weekend.

The date was the twenty-fourth of July 1975. That Thursday we set out on our nearly

five-hour drive from Phoenix up north. Everyone was excited, this was our big trip of the

summer before we’d eventually go our own ways and start our own lives. The car ride felt so

long yet so short when thinking back on it. It was within a blink, and we were there, five straight

hours of driving and we had finally made it. It was around noon when the car came to a complete

stop on this dirt road. We all stared at Jeremy profusely, “are we here?” Melissa asked while

yawning, “This seems to be the spot I remember” said Jeremy. As we all climbed out of the car

eager to finally stretch our legs, we took in the amazing smell of nature of what seemed to be the

poop of some kind of animal also. We grabbed our bags out of the trunk of the car, collected our

belongings and set out for a long five-mile hike as Jeremey claimed, which would take about 2

and a half hours. As our hike began, mile one was a breeze, and we were staying on the trail just

like we had all assumed we would since there was a well-traveled trail we had been following for

the last mile. Though for the middle of summer the sky was covered in clouds and only a little bit

of heat was slipping through. As we continued to walk, the birds sang a beautiful song as the

bushes and trees danced along in the wind. I thought nature couldn’t be anymore beautiful at that

moment in time. As mile two came to the end Jeremy said confidently, “Alright, here is where

the real adventure starts”. He pointed at a fork in the trail, the path forward was overgrown, and

the path below was nothing more than a thin strip of dirt no more than two feet wide covered in

vegetation and debris from leaves blowing off trees. “Do we really have to go through that?”

questioned Margot. “Yes” Jeremy shouted, “It’s the only way to get to the spot”. Reluctantly, we

all agreed to continue forward down this path, following behind Jeremy. As we kept walking into

our last mile as projected by Jeremey, Steve had started to talk to me about his future plans, and

so I did the same, we went on and on about how we wanted to start families and live the good old

American dream. That was one of the most memorable times I had with Steve on that trip. It's a

conversation I'll never forget between the two of us. On what we had thought to be the last mile

of our trip turned out otherwise when Jeremey said, “Hmm…this doesn’t seem right”. I asked

him, “What do you mean this doesn’t seem right”. Jeremey gave an assuring response that he

wasn’t lost, though we hadn’t yet reached the right campground. Though we had been hiking all

day and the majority of our group decided we were done hiking for the day. We set up camp for

our first night next to a small creek under the shade of trees. As the sun began to set, we finished

setting up our tents which would sleep three in one and two in the other. As we sat around the

campfire, talking and eating our dinner, it seemed like the first day was coming to a good end. I

woke up that night at around two o’clock in the morning needing to use the bathroom. I got up as

quietly as I could to not wake anyone. I stumbled to the nearest bush and relieved myself. As I

was staring into the cold morning sky, I heard rustling in the bushes about ten to fifteen feet out.

I was startled, seeing that it was so early in the morning and I could barely see a couple of feet in

front of me. I kept looking in the direction of the bush as I walked backward towards my tent. As

I was walking I heard the sound shift to a bush now right behind our tents. I quickly unzipped the

zipper and jumped inside as if my life depended on it. I sat there in silence for what seemed like

an eternity until I eventually fell asleep once again.

The date was the twenty-fifth of July 1975. We woke up that morning and continued on

the rest of our journey. Day two wasn’t as eventful as day one, though as we packed up our tents

and kicked out what was left of our fire, Steve called out, “Hey come look at this”. We all

hurried over. “Is that blood?” said Melissa with a grossed out voice. “Yea, that’s what it looks

like” replied Jeremy. This bush was in the same direction I heard the rustling just last night,

though I didn’t give much thought into it. We continued forward with our hike until about one

o’clock, when we had finally reached the spot Jeremey remembered with his father about three

miles on top of the five we hiked the previous day. We set up camp once again, then set out for

the small lake that was right next to camp to fish for a potential dinner. Though after hours of

fishing we had only gotten a few bites, though nothing was able to be caught. When heading

back to camp, a fog started to roll in. None of us expected this as it was the middle of summer in

Arizona. Though we ignored it and went back to camp and all hung out around the fire and

enjoyed a couple of drinks. At around midnight, Steve and I were the last to stumble into the tent

to finally fall asleep. Around three twenty-five in the morning, I woke up, and I had the feeling

something was watching me. I woke up Steve sleeping to my left, though he ignored me and

went back to sleep. Being the naive person I was, I got out of the tent with a flashlight and

decided to check out what it was. As I stepped out of the tent I couldn’t see even three feet in

front of me. The fog was so heavy I was stumbling around still a little drunk from what I had

drank only a few hours ago. I once again heard the rustling in the bush, though this time it

sounded bigger and closer. I instantly ran back into the tent and woke Steve and Jeremy. Once

they had both fully woken up, they too heard the sound. As we were about to get up and out of

the tent to investigate the sound and scare the animal, the rustling stopped. It was eerily quiet like

something was bound to go wrong. Then, within an instant, the sounds of children laughing all

around our tent and banging on all sides. Our screaming woke up both Melissa and Margot in the

other tent. They came out and opened the tent and looked at us like we were crazy. “ What are

you all screaming about?!” exclaimed Melissa “There is something here with us, and it’s not any

animals I’ve ever heard”, I replied. Jeremy, in shock, didn’t know what to say but that we needed

to leave. We attempted to pack up all that we could into our backpacks as fast as we could.

“Okay, who made the ring of rocks?” said Steve. Out of thin air, a ring of rock all in a perfect

circle surrounded our camp. A loud blood-curdling scream came from behind our camp which

sent us all running. Towards the trail we walked here on. As I was running in pitch black, Steve

was alongside me. We ran until we had run out of breath. When resting against a tree looking in

the direction we ran from, we could hear nothing but screams from our friends coming from the

direction of the camp. Steve and I continued forward towards the car hoping that we’d eventually

run into someone. I grabbed a flashlight out of my bag and while doing this I learned that Steve

grabbed the keys for the car just before we were about to get out of the tent. We continued back

on this thin trail, walking as fast as we could and running at points when we recovered any

amount of breath. About an hour into our hike back, we came across the original fork where we

first turned onto the overgrown path. We both seemed like we knew the way, so we continued

walking. Though after some time of walking, we stopped as we had hit that same fork in the

road. “We were just here Steve”, I said, “WHAT IS GOING ON”, Steve replied. As we tried to

make sense of the situation, what sounded like the voice of Jeremey calling out for help was

coming from about a couple of hundred feet behind us. Steve handed me the keys and ran toward

the voice. I told him not to go, though it was too late. Steve disappeared into the darkness. I

waited for what felt like forever when I eventually made the decision to continue forward.

The date was the twenty-sixth of July 1975. It was about seven thirty in the morning

when I had finally reached the car. I was alone, no one was there with me. I opened the car door

and sat inside, remembering what we had all talked about in the car before leaving for the trip.

They all had such bright futures ahead of them and, just like that, it’s all gone. At that moment I

remembered what Steve said to me when we had just gotten on the trial, “You know Gabe, I’m

glad you all forced me to go on this trip. I’m going to miss you the most, I think, when I go off to

Virginia, but when I’m on break you’ll be the first person I want to come to visit and tell you all

about Virginia”.

Faded Memory--Maylene

 

It was spring, and the gentle warmth of the breeze whispered through the strands of her

hair, as she walked along the cobblestone steps of her local village. Bree lived in a small town

that was encompassed by large spruce trees with a small village and several small cabins

scattered throughout the town. It was a place where everyone knew each other and secrets

were rarely kept hidden. Although it was a little annoying, she loved her little town. Every day

she would take a walk along the main center of her village, and every day she would walk into

the same antique shop. That day she walked in, and the owner greeted her with a huge smile as

usual. She welcomed Bree in and asked “ Were you looking for anything in particular today,

sweetie?” Bree replied “No, I’m not looking for anything in particular, just browsing.” She

glanced across a glass box filled with various beautiful jewelry, necklaces encrusted with jade

gems, perfectly woven leather bracelets with aqua-colored jewels. Suddenly her eye came

across a ring that had the initials O.G. She thought to herself how funny, and realized that it was

such a beautiful ring. It had a gold exterior and along it was a design of branches throughout the

ring. It was very simple, to be honest, but she believed it was the most charming piece

throughout the whole glass case. She asked the lady at the counter if she could buy it from her,

and she looked at her with a puzzled expression but gave her the item for free, nonetheless.

Bree left the store delighted and the ring was placed onto her finger as if a magnetic force

bound them together. A couple of hours later, when she was done with her usual stroll, she

decided to stop by a coffee shop called the Brew & Biscuit. When walking towards the door, she

dropped her tote bag. She quickly went down to reach for it and swiftly got up, when she

bumped into a person walking out of the cafe making her drop her bag again, along with the

stranger’s beverage. The stranger instantly reached down to retrieve the bag and some of the

items that had fallen. Although, once his eyes met hers, there was something so familiar and

warm to them like the pleasant taste of a cozy cup of coffee. Bree then caught herself staring for

far too long and quickly said sorry. He laughed and said, "Do you always greet people like this?"

She laughed nervously and said, “No, sorry I just thought you looked familiar.” He introduced

himself as Oliver. He was a tall guy with dark chestnut hair that was a flowy mess but somehow

looked perfectly placed at each angle which complimented his amber eyes. She then continued,

“Sorry about your coffee too. Can I get you another one?” He replied, “Weird way to ask me out,

but sure we can have coffee together.” Bree smiled, and they went inside the cafe and ordered

their drinks. They began talking to one another and instantly formed a great conversation,

discussing different TV shows they had been watching, what their hobbies were, and places

they recommended in town. She felt a bond to him with each sentence that exited his lips, and

she knew that he could feel it too. Soon after finishing their second cup of coffee and third

shared chocolate croissant. they left. They continued to keep in touch with one another,

frequently texting back and forth, sending game pigeons. They agreed to meet in person and

watch a movie together at Bree’s place. Bree made sure that everything was perfect from every

book on her shelf to each small baked pastry that she had spent all night baking. An abrupt

knock came to her door, and unexpectedly her heart began to beat a bit faster. Oliver came into

Bree's tiny snug home. She watched him as he ventured around, looking at childhood photos

and the various books stacked along her shelf. There was something so natural about him being

in her home, as if he were meant to be there, like a vase of beautiful flowers on the center of her

dining room table. They began to watch one of Bree’s all time favorite movies La la land

followed with complementaries of Ben & Jerrys and popcorn. During the middle of the movie,

Bree got up to use the restroom. When she went to rinse off her hands, she took off the ring that

she wore religiously. She then returned to the room, and he was gone. She searched all of the

rooms, pacing back and forth. She went back into the bathroom to get the ring to place it back

on. Unexpectedly, she heard a knock at the door with the following voice “ Hey, I left to get us

some food. I thought you might be hungry.” She then opened the door, and it was Oliver in front

of her doorstep. This puzzled her. She could not have been gone for more than ten minutes.

She put aside all of her questioning, even though it secretly bothered her the rest of the night.

Oliver then left Brees home at 11 o'clock at night. She went to sleep in her room after he left.

She placed her ring on the bedside. Bree began tossing throughout her bedsheets unable to fall

asleep or soothe her emotions. She found herself waking up in and out of dreams which felt like

familiar memories with Oliver; but when she awoke, she began to cry and felt a heaviness within

her chest. Quickly, her head whipped around to face the ring placed on her nightstand. Without

any hesitation, she instinctively put the ring on her finger. Again, she heard a knock at her door.

She ran to the door and looked at Oliver again with that same smile, those same amber eyes

that for so long were fixed upon her. She began to remember. Oliver looked sadly towards her

and held her closely. They then shared a fleeting kiss. As she opened her eyes, he was gone.

His name was Oliver Gray, her first love, her only love. Bree had met Oliver in that same coffee

shop where they had bumped into each other. They bonded over the same books, ventured to

different thrift stores as well as antique shops, and fangirled over La la land together each rainy

day. One day she took a drive with Oliver in his old rusty pickup truck. She remembered that

night like it was yesterday. It was raining, and she could feel the crisp air touch her cheek. They

had been listening to all of their favorite bands, driving a mile per minute along the road when

suddenly, the slippery road made the car drift. Oliver lost control and crashed into a nearby

ditch. Everything happened so quickly that Bree had no time to react. Slowly she looked over at

Oliver. His eyes fluttered, opening and closing. He reached for her hand and grabbed it. At that

same moment he closed his eyes. His hand loosened his grip from hers, and a small gold ring

that he often wore left his finger. She felt the droplets of rain grace her skin. Bree couldn’t tell

what was water or her tears. She took all of Oliver's belongings including the gold ring with his

initials engraved on it, and donated it to one of their favorite antique shops. She then came back

to reality remembering every terrible memory that had haunted her for so long. She constantly

felt alone, unable to create any sort of relationship with anyone else. What was it worth building

a new relationship with someone else if it wasn’t him. Because living a life in her own delusions

proved to be far sweeter than a life spent without him.

A new chapter--Vincent

 

Greed--Bianca

 

Greed--Agozie

 

Greed is one of the most powerful forces in the world. It drives us to put our own desires over the needs of others, whether it be for wealth, power, or any kind of self-gain. Greed can be characterized by its insatiable desire to obtain more. It seeks to swallow up every valuable asset until there is nothing left in its path, fully ignoring the consequences. While in some cases it may lead to success, the long-term implications of greed impact not only the individual but society as a whole. 

An immediate effect that stems from greed is the abandonment of morals. When fueled by greed, individuals ignore what is morally right in order to relentlessly pursue their goals. Whether it’s lying, cheating, exploiting, or any other method, greed is similar to a drug that clings onto someone and pushes them toward malice. Over a period of time greed breaks down relationships and strips the trust that others once had for you away. The tricky part about greed is that even after you purge it, if even an ounce remains, there is a chance that it will come back even stronger. 

Another characteristic of Greed is its ability to create a cycle of unstoppable desire. Regardless of how much one obtains, when fueled with greed no amount of possessions or wealth will be able to satisfy oneself. This pursuit only creates a mindset of emptiness, unsatisfied with the way things have turned out. As one becomes more focus on individual wealth and the material aspects of the world, relationships, health, and so many aspects of life suffer. Greed is a silent killer. 

On a larger scale, greed can undermine a society as a whole. As individuals all start to put their needs over the needs of their society, a gap forms between every person. A domino effect is set off, and social unrest grows exponentially. Those feeling exploited will take to the streets to push for equality and society as a whole will struggle to trust again. Neighbor will be pitted against neighbor and the Earth will suffer. Simply because of human nature, a society corrupted by greed can never exist. 

Additionally, greed can lead to environmental degradation and exploitation. As they pursue profit, companies will destroy the environment without care, using processes like pollution, deforestation, or overexploitation of natural resources. The effects that these methods have on the Earth are not short term by any means. As communities and wildlife suffer, their cries will be drowned out by the fattening of ‘the man's’ wallet. 

I myself was not immune to the effects of greed. It snuck its way into my life under the guise of ambition. It started with the first time I was appointed student council leader in 4th grade. The feeling I got from my victory had me hooked. I wanted more ‘power.’ More influence. I craved all the respect my peers had to offer. At every chance I got I would run for leadership positions, handing every opponent a vicious defeat. With each victory, I got more and more ‘ambitious,’ eager to defend the influence I had amassed and add to it tenfold. It wasn’t until junior year that I realized I wasn’t running to improve the school as I was telling myself. The only person I was running for was myself. Going into senior year I vowed to become a representative that the underclassmen leaders could look at for reference. I barely escaped the clutches of greed and to be honest, somestimes I still feel its grip. The only way to defeat it is to focus on what truly matters - love, compassion, and morality. 

Overall, greed is a destructive force that can have far-reaching consequences for both individuals and society as a whole. It can lead to unethical behavior, dissatisfaction, and inequality, as well as environmental degradation and social unrest. By recognizing the negative effects of greed and striving for a more balanced and compassionate approach to life, we can work towards creating a more just and sustainable world for all. If humanity fails to keep its greed under control as we famously have in the past, there is no miracle in the universe that could save us. 

Sources: https://bbc.com/news/science-environment-61221666

 https://public.wsu.edu/~taflinge/socgreed.html#:~:text=A%20person%20dominated%20by%20gr eed,bans%20individual%20greed%20can%20suffer. 

https://geediting.com/9-dire-consequences-of-greed-on-personal-relationships/#:~:text=The%20 desire%20to%20have%20more,irreparable%20damage%20to%20your%20relationships.

Determination--Patrick

 

Uncomfortable--Rezzelle

 

My greatest skill is being uncomfortable. Discomfort automatically enforces a negative

impression since it may be wondered, how is that a skill? Last summer, I heard a faint meowing

sound through my window for a couple of nights. It was not until one night when I was parking

my car in the driveway that I heard the noise becoming more coherent. My curiosity and love for

animals led me to search for the stray kitten housing in the bush of my front yard. I immediately

fell in love with the kitten’s circular, emerald-colored eyes and gray-striped fur. A few weeks

later, nurturing the kitten back to a healthy state quickly made me grow an attachment as caring

for it was basically engraved in my daily routine. I was guaranteed that the kitten was officially

mine to keep until my mom, who strongly dislikes animals, rid me of it and gave it to my

long-distance uncle to keep while I was not home that day. The sudden shift in my routine caused

a feeling of uneasiness; the kitten was no longer a part of my day as I would not feed it as soon

as I woke up. This brought to my attention that changes are bound to be uncomfortable.

The definition of uncomfortable is to be in a state of discomfort, uneasiness, and being conscious

of stress or strain. Despite this word being seen in a negative light, my perception of the word is

what needs to occur in the process of expanding one’s horizons and seeking improvement. It is

not necessarily a bad thing, but you are simply doing something out of your comfort zone, which

evokes feelings of stress and unpleasantness. But what improvement is being made when you

stick with what feels normal to you? Memories that had a lasting impact on me when I was

plagued with the feeling of discomfort were when I tried out for tennis, but never in my life have

I touched a racket. I tried out for dance, but have never been to a studio. Humbling was merely

the word to summarize my humiliation and how belittled I felt. Being surrounded by experienced

athletes who devoted most of their childhood to a hobby I had yet to experience was

uncomfortable. However, I became a JV member for tennis and a Varsity member for dance, but

my accomplishments would have been hindered if I had feared discomfort and unfamiliarity.

Peter McWilliams once said, “Be comfortable being uncomfortable.” This simply means to be

willing to put yourself in positions where you will face hardships and obstacles, but there is

never an outcome where you do not gain positive results from this. If you believe that everything

happens for a reason, then take the situations that caused you the greatest pain to be opportunities

for growth and push your boundaries beyond what you are familiar with. Additionally, you

cannot be afraid of uncomfortable situations when change is inevitable and your comfort zone

can only remain secure for so long. This can be applied in various circumstances whether that is

being uncertain about trying a new haircut or hair color, going to the gym for the first time, or

learning how to detach from a person after a heartbreak. Whatever the circumstance is, as long as

you have the willingness to embrace change and discomfort, you are bound to find growth and

expound your potential.

Works Cited:

https://www.dictionary.com/browse/uncomfortable

https://www.brainyquote.com/quotes/peter_mcwilliams_393223#:~:text=Peter%20McWilliams

%20Quotes&text=Please%20enable%20Javascript-,Be%20willing%20to%20be%20uncomforta

ble.,pay%20for%20living%20a%20dream.