Happy Halloween!!!!!!!

October is here with a new batch of writers and creative (some spooky) submissions.  This month we have seventeen pieces.  Yes, you read this correctly.  Seventeen.  So, for this month I will give you ample time to complete your assignment.  Read ALL pieces.  Choose four to comment.  Choose two pieces that made you THINK! and two that you LOVE!  Be sure to give at least one reason for choosing the selection.   Feel free to comment on more, if you wish.  Writers love when they get comments.  Comments are due Sunday, October 30.

Writers,
Watch your page and respond to at least two comments.  ALSO, choose two pieces (of the seventeen), one that made you THINK! and the other that you LOVE!  Your comments are due no later than Wednesday, November 2.

Enjoy your reading this month.  It's pretty fantastic.  Or, should I say, bootastic?

Happy Haunts and Boos!!!

Mrs. Solano

Creature--Vanessa

All she could remember was, You’ll sense him...it. You’ll know it’s coming and all you can do at that point is run.

But what else had he told her? What was its weakness?

As she reached a clearing, she stopped, rapping her bloodied knuckles against her forehead and trying her hardest to remember.

Not everyone escapes, he had said. In fact, only four ever have.

Her thoughts were interrupted by that feeling again. That icy chill that’s become so familiar, the one that makes her breaths turn to clouds right in front of her. It was catching up.

She looked up and saw that there were three paths in front of her. She slumped her shoulders and let out a groan.  

How Frost-esque, she thought.

She chose the one farthest to the right and took off. Her lungs burned from the hours of running and with none of the hatches she was told held shelter in sight, she was losing her strength. And her will to keep going.

She ran and ran, her heavy breaths the only sounds in her ears. Until she felt it once again.

Just keep going.

But this time, the feeling grew stronger with each step she took.

It’s all in my head, she thought. Eventually, it’ll go away again.

But it didn’t, and each step drained her more and more.

Not now. Not after all this time and pointless running, it couldn’t take her now.

Her thoughts were interrupted once more as she stumbled on a tree root, her ankle twisting as she failed miserably trying to catch herself with the trunk. A yelp of pain escaped her mouth at the same time she looked down to see the bone sticking out of her foot, and at once she saw why, after all this time, she had suddenly been so stupid as to stumble over a tiny root.

She was shrinking, how could she possibly be shrinking?

The world loomed over her now. She lay sprawled atop a dry, crinkled leaf, its color indistinguishable in the darkness.

Where else could she go?

There was nowhere, only endless forest and brush. She heard the snap of a twig behind her. A grunt. The snapping became faster and louder, and all she could do was lay there shaking, shivering on her small, lonely leaf. Then, slowly, something began to lift the bottom of the leaf, taking her along with it. She held her breath and shut her eyes until the wind whooshing alongside her ears came to a halt, and there was silence.  

There’s nothing more I can do, she realized. This is the end.

Suddenly, an easiness washed over her. She stopped shivering, her shallow breathing deepened, and for the first time since the eternal chase started, her muscles relaxed.

She rolled her shoulders back, raised her head, and looked straight into the lifeless pits of the creature’s eyes, something he told her never to do; a last act of defiance.

Alone, or Not--Aliyah

Have you ever felt alone? And no I’m not talking about you staying home for the day and feeling lonely because you miss your friends. I’m talking about being completely and utterly alone to the point where you think you don’t even exist. Well, do you? Of course you don’t. You’re the most popular person in the school. You don’t care about loners like me. You walk around the school with your group of friends hovering around you like a cloud, and your girlfriend sticking to your side like a piece of gum stuck to the bottom of your shoe. I was so envious of you, that I came to the conclusion that I wanted to be you. So, for the first three years, I studied and copied everything you did. I think it was safe to say that I knew you better than you knew yourself. I even went to the same college you went to, and came up with a plan to finally get what I want. Tonight is the night I go through with my perfect plan. I know you went to hang with your friends tonight, and should be back any minute now.

I taught myself so many things after being alone for so many years. I’m gonna use some of my special techniques on you. I even brought my favorite gadgets to do them with!

I hear your footsteps outside your one-person dorm and can’t stop the excitement from bubbling inside of me. But I had to control myself because I wanted to surprise you. You entered your room, completely exhausted from your previous activities and started to get ready for a shower. Oh my gosh! I was just thinking that your clothes would get in the way, and you started undressing. We think so much alike! I slowly and silently exited your closet and crept up behind you. You didn’t even know I was there. I swiftly pulled a rag out of my back pocket and wrapped it around your mouth, then pulled the zip ties from my other pocket and tied your hands and legs, all in a span of 15 seconds. I taught myself to do this a long time ago and practiced religiously on various items and people until it became a second nature to me. And now I’m able to do it to you! Isn’t that great! As I picked you up off the floor and turned you to face me, I saw the fear in your eyes. “You don’t have to be afraid. I’m going to take great care of you.” I said as I picked you up and gently laid you on your bed. As I got onto the bed, you started squirming away from me. “Why are you squirming away from me? It’s not like I’m gonna rape you. That’s mental.” I told you and sat on your naked thighs to stop you. “Now if you stay still, it won’t hurt as much.” I brought out my favorite carving knife and brought it to your face. When you saw the knife, you started struggling harshly with absolute terror in your eyes.

It made me very mad.

“I thought I told you not to be afraid, and that I was going to take care of you. I was going to go slow for you, but now I changed my mind.” As I brought the carving knife back to your face and started cutting into it, you let out the most ferocious yell, but it was muted by the rag around your mouth. Blood was pouring out by the gallons, soaking your sheets. Your screams were slowly weakening and by the time I was done, you were barely holding on to your consciousness.

Now, my turn.

I’ve mentally and physically prepared myself for this, so besides the slight pain it was pretty easy. I finished carving my face, peeled both of our faces off, switched them, and sewed them in place. You were already dead when I started sewing my old face to you. Such a shame. I wanted you to live through my boring life and see what it feels like to be nothing.

Well, it’s whatever, because I’ve finally accomplished my life long dream of becoming you. I’m finally popular. I finally have friends. I’m finally not alone.

Paralyzed--Gerardo

I can’t move, my body frozen, paralyzed. It was 12:47 as I was on my phone laying down on my bed looking at my ex’s new bf on twitter. I hate that guy so much, I mean what does he have that I don’t besides being good looking, tall, and captain of the wrestling team. Anyways I decided to leave my phone and go to bed since I have to wake up early for school. So I dropped my phone on the floor and dozed off to sleep. It started off like any other dreams off mine, my ex dumping her lame boyfriend and running back into my arms. Then suddenly the dream shifted to where I was a super hero flying from country to country and saving pretty women. As the dream started to get better my body suddenly shook and I became physically frozen. I opened my eyes and tried to move my body with all the strength I had but it was no use I was still stuck in bed. I tried screaming, yelling out to my parents for help but my mouth seemed like it was sown together, nothing came out. As I froze helplessly my door handle began to move and my door started to open. I began shouting with joy, mentally speaking, thinking it was one of my parents coming to check on me too see if I was still on my phone. As the door opened fully I noticed that neither of my parents were there.  That was funny I thought, what else could have opened the door? As I finished my last thought a shadowy figure caught the corner of my eye. Now my heart began racing, thinking endlessly what the shadowy figure could be. I thought maybe it was a ghost or a demon coming after my soul? The figure began getting closer and my heart began beating even louder than it already was. I tried to move but no movement came out. Now the figure stood over me, it’s tall, dark body, long arms with sharp claws on his hands reached out to me. I felt his hand on my chest as his claws dug into my chest. I tried screaming again but nothing came out. I closed my eyes expecting the worst and then the timer of my phone went off as I had set it to wake me up at 6 am. The shadowy figure left with a blink off an eye and I regained movement in my body. I told my parents what had happened but they blamed it on my imagination. I went to school not saying a word to anybody about the incident for fear of my friends calling me crazy. As I was walking to my first period I began feeling excruciating pain on my chest. I ran to the bathroom and took of my shirt to see why my chest was in so much pain. In the mirror, clawed on my chest it read, “ See you soon.”

Roses--Mackenzie

No balloons. No stuffed cats, dogs, or bears. No comically large cards. No cakes,
cookies, or candy. No flowers. Especially not flowers. Never. Any. Flowers.

I find myself explaining this to the nurse as she empties my tray and glances
around the room.

“I just think it’s bad karma to have something so beautiful killed and displayed.
Like ‘oh how pretty and dead.’ Especially in a hospital. W ho invites dead things into a
hospital, right?”I ask. She smiles warily and nods her head.

“I never let people bring them. I mean, Adam tries of course. And my mom. But
it’s a personal choice for me. I feel like...when you get those ‘feel better’ or ‘get well
soon’ things...you introduce the possibility of another o utcome besides those things.
Like, of course I’m going to get better, no need to jinx it, you know? I mean, I’m in a
hospital, I’m obviously being cared for…” I continue, in a hurried sort of voice that must
seem frantic to the nurse, as she’s begun to back away from my bed, nodding along
with a scared smile tight on her lips.

“I’ll have your dinner brought in at six.” I hear as she practically sprints out the
door, leaving me to my admittedly lonely, bare room.

I wonder where Adam is. This is the third time we’ve been to the hospital in the
last year, so i know he can’t have gotten lost on his way to get coffee. He left over an
hour ago.

Time goes by quicker than I thought it would being alone in bed. I get a call from
my mom, give her the same speech about being fine and in good hands and these
people are professionals and it’s not even as bad as Adam is making it out to be. She
says she loves me and tells me to feel be-. But I hang up before she can finish. Jinxes
and all that.

Dinner comes and goes. As I’m texting Adam for the fiftieth time, my door swings
open. An doctor walks in first, wearing his lab coat and a look of apathy. Then comes
Adam. His hair is rumpled, eyes puffy, shirt wrinkled. And he’s carrying a vase of
pristine white roses. My heart swells for a second My favorite. Then it plummets. Adam
knows the rules.
“Roses?” I whisper, my throat dry. He can’t meet my eyes as he places them at
my bedside table.

Dr. Apathy talks for a while. Adam leaves the room when I start to cry. Ugly
crying. Snot-smearing, chest-rattling sobs.

Night falls, and my gaze hasn't left the roses for hours. Moonlight slices through
the blinds and illuminates them. They are pearly and ethereal and taunting. They won’t
last more than a few days, yet they stand unafraid and elegant.

I whisper to them, “This is your fault.”

There is a magnificent explosion of water, glass, and petals. I fall asleep despite
the stinging cut in my hand.

Mr. Perfect Must Die--Valeria

            I sit here looking back at all of our old pictures, all I could think about is how we fought seconds after the smile was captured. All I could think about was your silent yelling, your clenching fists, your twitching eyebrow, and blackened eyes. All I could think about was how you pushed me, how you pulled me, how you shook, how you bruised me because you couldn’t recognize your own strength. You yelled at me for being silent but, as soon as I spoke your eyes called me names; I preferred to sit there in silence and physically deal with it rather than emotionally. My confidence, my independence was completely destroyed because you were better than me and I didn’t realize your dominance until it wasn’t present. You didn’t let me work, you controlled what I was allowed to wear, who I was and wasn’t allowed to talk to. You told me that I didn’t need those things because I had you and I believed you. Everyone around me always reminded me about how great you were and how lucky I was to have you. Teachers praised your intelligence, friends praised your character, and others praised your appearance. I always said you were perfect; that’s what you appeared to be. Mr. Perfect accepted into UCLA, Mr. Perfect being rebellious with a tattoo, Mr. Perfect with the clear skin and intense figure. In theory, you were perfect: asking me to be yours under the fireworks at the happiest place on earth, going on lavish dinners, shopping sprees, setting up a teenager’s ideal romantic setting. I remember all of the long car rides where we just drove and talked about our future together but now seems like a waste of time. I spent two years of my life dreaming about a happy ending yet, it never came like you promised. You begged me to stay with you, cried whenever I was at my strongest but, as soon as I left like I threatened to do so many times and never accomplished, you didn’t say a single word. All of the I love yous that I believed because we were living a teenage fantasy disappeared in a matter of seconds. You didn’t care about me, you just needed me to make your reputation stronger than what it was. Meeting you was too good to be true but by the way you were talked about in such a high status manner I thought maybe it was meant to be. Even after you yelled at me in public, after you punched things in fits of anger, I still believed we were going to get married. I only saw the good things about you, the good things that everyone else also saw but you were more than that. Everyone thinks that you live up to your status, and I am here to tell them that you don’t. Erik, Erik with a K not C, was a controlling, dominant, abusive, boyfriend. There, I said it, everyone knows.

My Role Model: Dr. Ijagha Eme--Nwojo

            Dr. Ijagha Eme, my cousin, is a proud physician practicing in Seattle, Washington. Before that, he was a humble kid trying to adjust himself in the United States after moving from Nigeria, where he spent most of his childhood. He remembered trying to learn the culture of the U.S. by playing sports like basketball, listening to popular music, and being part of his high school STEP. Despite this, Ij understood that he was a “minority of a minority” living in LA, finding it hard to blend well with his community as a Nigerian. Fortunately, he was successful academically as the education he received in Nigeria gave him head start in his high school education. Through all these things, he had his mind on becoming a medical doctor. He wanted to become a doctor mainly because he wanted to be a part of the team that would find the answers to his mother’s illness that was unknown back in 1998. He said the best advice he could give high school seniors was to stay focused, know what you want to do after high school, and to ask for guidance as soon as possible.

After high school, Ij continued to a path of success from various institutions. He attended community college for two years and then transferred to UC Los Angeles to complete his bachelor’s degree in two and a half years. Next, he taught for two years at Leuzinger High School. Then, while acquiring his medical degree at Meharry Medical College in Nashville, Tennessee, Ij served in the US Army and became a captain once he completed medical school. Now, he practices as a hospitalist in Seattle, Washington. In addition, he is happily engaged with his fiancé, Maria. Through his journey so far, he has learned there will always be challenges, but through determination and management, you can overcome them. “At the end of the day, there is a number one goal: make a difference in the community.” What kept him motivated through his journey was family support, his competitiveness, and the doubters who claimed he wouldn’t make it far. Family came first for him and I always remember the big grin on his face and the joy he expressed whenever we would meet each other at family reunions. Moving forward, Ij strives to be the best doctor he can be while giving back to the community. He finds the satisfaction in seeing his patients’ faces when he aids them and the connections he makes with their families the most rewarding parts of his job.

Personally, it is inspiring to know someone who truly believed in themselves and strived for their dreams. Like Ij, I hope to one day become a medical doctor, giving back to my community and healing others. Today, Dr. Ij Eme continues to be my role model and a friend I can always rely on despite being over a thousand miles apart.