English 9 C

You Set My Heart on Fire by Jessica R.

2008-05-02T12:58:00.001-04:00

Liar, liar,

You set my heart on fire,

Then walked away

And left me to expire.

The heat is creeping through my veins,

The oxygen draining from my brain,

Adrenaline rising, I feel the rush,

As my blood begins to gush.

With my body violently shaking,

I feel my heart start aching,

The fire’s within my soul

And I’ll lose all self-control.

Please douse the fire away,

Before I begin to decay,

I know what I have felt

And I don’t want to melt.

Save me from the flames you’ve made

And all the little games you’ve played,

Just lay me in my grave to rest,

This is all at my request.

I’ll never forgive you

For what you’ve done,

Even though I thought

You were the one.

Liar, liar,

You set my heart on fire,

Then walked away

And left me to expire.

Rain by Sam C.

2008-05-02T12:57:00.001-04:00

The brilliant sun dies like a rainy cloud

Raindrops fall into puddles on the street

Soon thunder might come and it will be loud

The water droplets and sidewalks will meet

Staring at the clouds in the sky above

The wind whips in a cold and bitter breeze

Dark clouds fit around the sun like a glove

Hopefully the furious wind will ease

Raindrops splash down intensely on a tree

When the rain goes away we can play

It seems to be all that children can see

When we get to waste the day away?

The brilliant sun will appear again

Through the gray clouds it will break through, but when?

Just Words by Melanie D.

2008-05-02T12:56:00.001-04:00

Everything that is said is just words;

Words rule the world,

Words satisfy the heart,

Words are the aristocrats of vulnerability.

They seize our beliefs and take away pride,

and cause tears from the pits of our souls.

Words can’t be proven,

Words can’t be shown as true or false.

The only power they have is to manipulate our minds.

Just words, and words alone

will always mean nothing.

Action takes control of empty words,

Actions are what show the difference of truth and lies.

Actions seize the day,

Actions save people, save the world.

Actions are what cause change,

they inspire hope with proven miracles.

They tell our history,

they lead our decisions

and speak our future.

Take action and show that

your words are not hollow.

Dust by Julia L.

2008-05-02T12:55:00.002-04:00

My angel, guardian, and keeper of peace

I lean on you in times of grief.

I need you, my angel, to keep me straight.

I need you more than ever, to keep me safe.

When filled with self-doubt,

You are dripping with hope.

You calm me, my angel,

Keep my anger at bay.

Please save me, my angel,

So I can see the light of day.

But what happens, little angel,

When you fly away?

When you disappear?

Or when you get preoccupied

With some other peer?

What happens, guardian,

When you turn to dust?

And leave me here to wither and rust!

Shall I wait for you, angel?

In this one little spot

Planted right here on this very dot.

I’ll wait, little angel, but don’t take too long

Or I might soon be gone.

Will It Always Be There? By Emma M.

2008-05-02T12:55:00.001-04:00

As I go back into my past,

I wonder why it did not last.

I pass the park where I learned to swing,

I hope that it will always be there.

I pass the field where I flew my kite

Feeling once more that old dog bite.

See the balloon fly in the air,

I hope that it will always be there.

At the house with the lovely dove,

In my heart I still feel the love.

Where I had learned to sing and play,

I hope that it will always be there.

Lowered Down By Rachel L

2008-05-02T12:54:00.002-04:00

People arrive wearing black clothing

They stare silently at the grave

Teardrops roll down their faces

And mascara runs down

Loving prayers are said

One last goodbye

The casket

Lowered

Down

First Sign of Spring by Danielle L

2008-05-02T12:54:00.001-04:00

So beautiful for all to see

Everyone’s heart fills up with glee

Like soldiers ready and alert

Small signs of spring stuck in the dirt

Delicate seeds all fly away

Ready to sprout another day

Right above my dear Uncle Burt

Small signs of spring stuck in the dirt

Swaying in the nice, cool spring breeze

Until frost comes and makes them freeze

All the bees come over and flirt

Small signs of spring stuck in the dirt.

As I Swim… by Caulien Cockley

2008-05-02T12:53:00.000-04:00

The cold water splashes my face,

while I swim at a steady pace.

The water is blue and clear,

as I swim, the finish is near.

Other swimmers are passing by,

but it’s only practice, so I sigh.

Those faster swimmers I do fear,

as I swim the finish is near.

Now I a swimming quite fast,

I don’t plan on coming in last,

The kids on the sides start to cheer,

as I swim the finish is near.

My Bright Blue Kite by Melissa O.

2008-05-02T12:51:00.001-04:00

My bright blue kite

It is very fine

It is all mine

It shines very bright.

What a sight

I think it’s a sign

My bright blue kite

It is very fine.

You can not see it at night

Not even a line

But it can shine

With a strong light,

My bright blue kite.

Ode to Eminem by Lauren B.

2008-05-02T12:50:00.001-04:00

Raising your daughter Hailey,

Always dealing with the cops,

Divorcing your drug addict wife,

Man I give you mad props

Always getting shit,

And hated on for being white,

You proved yourself as a rapper,

And never gave up the fight

You grew up in the hood,

Your life wasn’t that great,

But then you started rapping,

And you knew it was fate

When you spit on the mic,

And rhymed about your daughter

You blew all the other rappers,

Out of the water

You went from rapping on the streets,

To sold out shows,

From rags,

To very expensive clothes

One of your songs is my ring tone,

I hear it when I get a call,

Posters of you and d-12,

Cover all my walls

You have tons of money,

And are known all over the nation,

Your songs are played non stop,

On my favorite radio station

You went from being unknown,

To the greatest rapper alive,

I know if you ever met me,

You’d want me to be your wife

You’ve got tons of girls,

Screaming your name,

Tons of money,

And tons of fame

You are the greatest person,

You could ever be,

Eminem,

Will you marry me?

Him by Jess G.

2008-05-02T12:49:00.000-04:00

She looks at him from a distance

Not knowing what he thinks of her.

She is assuming the worst

So her heart doesn’t break.

She thinks he’s so cute

Has gorgeous eyes.

…..

He thinks the

same of

her.

Paradise by Melissa B.

2008-05-02T12:48:00.002-04:00

The clouds are low and the sun is setting

The ocean is calm and it’s very clear

To my left there is some tangled netting

Schools been boring and I wish I was here--

I close my eyes and feel the soft, calm breeze.

I can see mountain peaks in the distance

If I were in Alaska I would freeze,

I wish my dream land was an existence

Me, myself, and I are away from things,

A bright sun is shining upon my face.

With a point of the finger…poof…there’s swings

I really home I can come back to this place.

Done daydreaming and finishing my test,

I studied hard so I can be the best.

Cali By Julia M.

2008-05-02T12:48:00.001-04:00

The world I first saw,

full of shinning suns, and shimmering blue-green waves.

Famous for the twenty-four hour raves.

I long for this world, as I sit, waiting for this ground to thaw.

Memories by Erika D.

2008-05-02T12:47:00.000-04:00

Footprints fading in the newly wet sand

The sun is now set low in the blue sky

Memories only we can understand

The laughter remembered will never die.

Holding hands and jumping the rolling waves

We smiled as we had read each other’s minds

We knew how to test if we were each brave

Diving under water for ocean finds

Collapsed together softly on our backs

We watched as the clouds transformed above us

Each of us are as equally relaxed

We found the simplest things that we discussed

Now I’m sitting here on the weathered dock

The time now passed is like a ticking clock.

ODE TO LEMONADE By Tessa H

2008-05-02T12:46:00.002-04:00

Lemonade quenches my thirst

When I don’t have it I want to burst

Lemonade is fresh and tangy

I drink it even if it’s rainy

In the summer when it’s extremely hot

I like to drink my lemonade on the spot

On the swings or by the pool

Lemonade is refreshing and cool

I like it in a cup with ice

Oh, that lemonade tastes nice

taking it for granted by Olivia N.

2008-05-02T12:46:00.001-04:00

we whine about ugly shoes

but what to wear? how can we choose?

our silly american blues.

we are blinded with ignorance.

i met kids, happy as can be,

with only sandals and a tee,

or pants with a hole in the knee.

we are blinded with ignorance.

how can we say, i won’t eat that!

when some know nothing about fat?

are so hungry they’d eat a cat?

we are blinded with ignorance.

Ode to Summer by Chloe S

2008-05-02T12:45:00.001-04:00

It only comes once a year

When it does all the children cheer

People have lots of fun

out in the summer sun.

There’s swimming and sleeping in

Beach volleyball games to win

Vacations and popsicles too,

So many things to do.

The sky is sunny and bright

The air is fresh and light

Then just like a smack in the face,

School falls back into place.

Jason Varitek by Sam P.

2008-05-02T12:43:00.002-04:00

Captain of the Red Sox,
leader of the team,
a great hitter in the box,
to be like him is a dream.

Cape Cod by Kyle C.

2008-05-02T12:42:00.000-04:00

Cape Cod is a wonderful place to be

It is beautiful and there are many things to see

I go there for vacation every summer

When we leave, it is always a bummer.

Ode to Naruto by Alex H.

2008-05-02T12:41:00.000-04:00

A boy named Naruto

The demon residing within

A boy named Sasuke

Anger residing within

The copy ninja sees the anger

But is helpless to do anything

Naruto makes a promise

Will he be able to keep it?

Or will his word be broken

Like a vase dropped.

Itachi's words echo in Sasuke’s mind,

With his goal in mind he follows the curse

He has chosen his fate

He will revenge his clan

He knows he is wrong but he has gone too far

Can Naruto save him or will his choice be his demise?

Only time will tell.

Never Give Up by Taylor H.

2008-03-23T22:40:00.002-04:00

I've never been the kind of person to give up on something I believe in, and I think that's something Santiago and I have in common. Santiago loves to fish, and he never once gave up on himself, or the fish. It takes a lot of strength, courage, and pride to stay out on the ocean, for cold endless nights just to catch the one fish of your dreams. “There are many good fishermen and some great ones. But there is only one you." (23) Santiago knows how strong he is, and he’s never going to give up on what he loves.

When you want something really badly, you have to fight for it, and you can't give up on yourself or it no matter how hopeless it seems. For as long as I can remember, I've wanted to become the best soccer athlete that I was capable of becoming. Days on end I would take my soccer ball to my back yard, and I'd just get a feel for it everyday, never giving up on my dreams.

My dad has always had a huge impact on how I play on the field. He's the one who made me have such a positive attitude towards the game and everything that I love. Since the day I stepped a foot onto the soccer field, I always knew that this was it. The soccer field was my home, my passion, and my place where I knew I could get away from everything. I not only looked upon all the outstanding athletes like Mia Hamm and David Beckham, but I looked further than that. I looked through the eyes of my seventh grade teacher. She was an amazing athlete who always knew exactly what words to say to keep me going. She drove her inspiring words into my head, and made me want to work harder, and become the athlete I am today.

After hooking the marlin Santiago realizes he can't kill the fish quickly, and it begins to tow him farther out to sea. The old man soon begins to recognize a bond between him and the marlin. "Now we are joined together and have been since noon. And no one to help either one of us" (50). This shows me that maybe the marlin could have been one motivate his mind, and keep him from giving up.

If there’s one lesson you should learn in life it’s to never give up on your dreams. No matter what you do, always tell yourself that you can do it, because if you set your mind to it, you can do it. If someone tells you that your dreams are too big and unrealistic, tell them that maybe there’s aren’t big enough. "Fish, I love you and respect you very much. But I will kill you dead before this day ends." (54) Even though Santiago loves the fish, he won’t give up his dreams to catch the big ones. If you have doubt that you can’t do something, or can’t be the best at something, overcome that, and proceed to doing your best, because the best things in life don’t come easy.

by Sam P.

2008-03-23T22:39:00.002-04:00

As in many other stories, the main character faces many obstacles which they have to beat in order to reach their goal. This book is no different. The obstacles the Santiago manages to overcome are pretty impressive considering the conditions he was working in. The three main obstacles that Santiago is confronted with are his physical shape, equipment, and pride. All three of these took their toll on Santiago physically and mentally.

This fishing trip was extremely strenuous for the old man. First of all he was trying to complete this trip at the age of 84. I know of no other 84 year old who would even think about attempting this grueling trip alone. Also, Santiago suffers from rigor mortis in his left hand. The rigor mortis causes him a lot of pain during the trip. “God help me to have the cramp go,” (60). The pain that Santiago endures from the cramps is a major setback on a fishing trip. Another problem for Santiago was fatigue. Santiago is 84 years old and was out at sea for 85 days. He had very little food and very little water. With nothing to give Santiago energy, he grew very weak which made catching his dream marlin that much harder. Also, being out at sea for that long with little food and water made Santiago go a little crazy.

The Old Man and the Sea takes place in the late thirties early forties. The equipment that fisherman had back then was nothing compared to what it is now. Santiago really was unfortunate because not only was his equipment out of date but he was poor also so he couldn’t afford any new equipment. First of all Santiago’s boat is extremely small. The marlin was just as big as his boat. Boats today are much bigger and aren’t made of wood. “He is two feet longer than the skiff,” (63). Santiago also didn’t have the best fishing gear like rods and bait. All these things show what a disadvantage Santiago was at.

The third obstacle that Santiago faces is pride. Santiago was only supposed to be gone for about three days. He stayed out much longer than that just so he could prove to everyone that he was still a skilled fisherman. “Santiago,” the boy said. “Yes,” the old man said. “Can I go out to get sardines for you for tomorrow?” “No. Go and play baseball. I can still row and Rogelio will throw the net.”(12). This quote shows that the old man didn’t want the boys offer because he didn’t want other people to feel sorry for him. Santiago still had some pride left and he wanted to keep it.

As you can see Santiago overcame the challenges he was faced with and proved to everyone that he was still a worthy fisherman. Santiago used courage, bravery, and toughness to get through his long, laborious fishing trip and has earned the respect of many people.

by Sabrina M.

2008-03-23T22:39:00.001-04:00

In The Old Man and the Sea, one character struggles a lot through powerful forces and obstacles. That character is Santiago. Poor Santiago is an aged man that is born to be a fisherman. Little does he know that there is a fish out in the sea that will make him go through many obstacles. This fish is not your ordinary fish, this fish has a tremendous amount of patience that the old man doesn’t have. In the end, the old man never gives up catching the fish.

Santiago is a poor man. He struggles to get money and buy food. “Have another coffee. We have credit here.”(27) In this quote it shows that the old man can’t even afford a cup of coffee. Not being able to afford food affects him in many ways. One way is by not having food or water to get stronger; he will be a weak fisherman. Without food or water, there is no chance surviving. On his journey, he was able to catch some albacore and other little fish that kept him full while trying to catch the fish.

Fishing for this Marlin took a lot of strength out of the old man, which made him suffer in many ways. He became weak, he began to cramp all over his body and he ran out of food and water. But the main suffering was cramping. He could barely feel his hands from holding the fishing pole in one position for a long time. “God help me to have the cramp go.”(60) Santiago is at the point he is begging God for help. This goes to show you that Santiago doesn’t give up. He is still striving for what he wants.

Just as Santiago thought the Marlin belonged to him, it sure didn’t.” It was an hour before the first shark hit him.”(100) the Marlin is a gigantic fish that a lot of people would die to have. It could feed many people and sharks. And I guess you could say it did feed many sharks. On his way home, he had to face sharks. He didn’t have the appropriate weapons to do this. He only had a knife, harpoon, ore, little piece of rope and his bare hands. But each time a shark came around, Santiago prepared him self for whatever was coming next. Each shark had taken a piece of the Marlin whether the shark died or not. In the end, he was left with nothing.

To me, Santiago can’t get anymore successful then he has. I mean, I’d like to see someone today go out there on a little paddle boat and sit there chasing a Marlin for a number of days and at the same time try to survive and fight sharks. Also, he had to try to take care of himself. Honestly, I don’t think anyone could do it. That is why I think Santiago is a successful man. Even though he came back with no Marlin, he still came back with unforgettable memories

by Melissa B.

2008-03-23T22:38:00.002-04:00

In the book The Old Man and the Sea Santiago faced many challenges. Santiago had bad luck for 84 days straight. But that didn’t bother him. He was so convinced that he will go out in the smallest boat beyond where the other fishers go and catch the biggest fish. A few of the challenges he had were, him trying to catch the big marlin, his rigor mortis in his hand and the boy Mandolin.

Santiago tried so hard to catch the marlin that he would do anything to get it. He had bad luck of catching one for 84 days then finally the 85^th day came. As Santiago reeled in the fish for hours he grew very tired, dehydrated, impaction and his rigor mortis started to get to him. “For an hour the old man had been seeing black spots before his eyes, and the sweat salted his eyes and salted the cuts over his eyes and on his forehead. He was not afraid of the black spots. They were normal at the tension that he was pulling on the line. Twice that had worried him. “I could not fail myself and die on a fish like this,” he said.”” (Pg 87) This quote is showing how he is getting dehydrated from all the hard work that he is doing to try to catch the marlin. But the part of the quote where he spoke shows that he is not giving up soon and will do anything to get that Marlin.

The old man’s rigor mortis in his had got to him and made his hand cramp-up while fishing. He tends to talk to his hand and gets mad at it. Since his hand was so cramped up he could not catch the big fish. He had to try to straighten it out so the he could hold the line and catch the fish. “What kind of hand is that,” he said. “Cramp then if you want. Make yourself into a claw. It will do you no good.” (Pg 58) In this quote the old man is talking to his hand and he is questioning why it is cramping up because it is not helpful and there is no way he can use a cramped-up hand.

Santiago is always thinking about the boy. They have a very good relationship together. They spend a lot of time together talking about baseball and fishing. “The Yankees cannot lose.” “But I fear the Indians of Cleveland.” “Have faith in the Yankees my son. Think of the great DiMaggio.” (Pg 17) This conversation between Santiago and Mandolin shows how much they talked about baseball together and share the love for the sport. Mandolin looks up to the old man and wants to fish just like Santiago when he grows up. Since Mandolin’s parents wouldn’t let him fish with the old man he went out to sea trying to catch fish by himself. He often thought about the boy when he was out there and wished that he was there with him. “If the boy was here he would wet the coils of the line, he thought. Yes. If the boy were here. If the boy were here.” This quote shows that Mandolin could have been a very big help to the old man and good company as well.

Santiago finally caught the marlin that he wanted so bad. Although a shark got to it he still had a big piece of the fish left. Santiago worked so hard to get the marlin; he never gave up. He also worked through his rigor mortis and had his hand cramped for days because of it. Santiago missed Mandolin a lot when he was on the boat. Because he was always thinking about Mandolin he never gave up. Mandolin kept the old man going while he was alone and fishing for his dream.

By Kyle C.

2008-03-23T22:37:00.001-04:00

In real life and in novels, people battle conflicts that they must get through in everyday life. This is no different in The Old Man and the Sea. Santiago is an 84 year old man who has many obstacles in his way to conquer his dream of catching a marlin. Santiago has to overcome obstacles that are physically and mentally draining. Obstacles that Santiago must fight are fatigue, lack of equipment, and doubt. All three of these are bringing Santiago down and he wonders if he will ever capture the marlin.

While trying to capture the marlin, Santiago is affected by fatigue. Santiago is 84 years old and he is trying to capture a 1,000 pound marlin. Santiago does not have the strength that is equivalent to the marlin and the fish is slowly fatiguing the old man. “I’m tireder than I have ever been, he thought, and now the trade wind is rising.” (89). Santiago’s energy is also wearing down because he knows that either he or the fish will be injured from this incredible battle. Fatigue is only one of the many obstacles that Santiago must go through to capture the great marlin.

Another obstacle that Santiago is dealing with is lack of equipment. Santiago is a skilled fisherman, but his lack of equipment makes it tough for him to fish at his highest skill level. His fishing line is very thin and is not the size you want to capture a gargantuan marlin. Also, because of his lack of supplies, he had to use his hands to hold onto the line and he started to get cramps in his hand. “It was only a line burn that had cut his flesh. But it was in the working part of his hand. He knew he would need his hands before this was over and he did not like to be cut before it started.” (57). Having these cramps in his hand, Santiago was not 100 percent and struggled to fish with practically one hand. He has to create his own weapons to fight off sharks and other predators and this whole trip would be much easier if Santiago had the proper equipment.

Throughout Santiago’s long journey, he doubted himself and was unsure that he would ever catch the marlin. Santiago was extremely unlucky and the other fishermen at the tavern would make fun of him and laugh at him. This didn’t bring Santiago’s hopes down, but after being out on the ocean for so long, having cramps in his hand, and not having the correct equipment, he doubted himself. “I do not know, the old man thought. He had been on the point of feeling himself go each time. I do not know. But I will try it once more.” (93). Santiago had doubted himself many times, but he had a little determination left and he knew this was his best chance to catch a fish of a lifetime.

All three of Santiago’s obstacles while trying to catch the fish were all intriguing in different ways. They all show that if you want to achieve your goal, you are going to have to work hard for it. There are always going to be obstacles between you and your dreams, and you have to find away to get around them. That is exactly what Santiago did, finding different ways to catch the marlin with many disadvantages. He was fatigued with injuries and didn’t have the correct equipment, but was persistent and ended up catching the marlin. The Old Man and the Sea gave life lessons that are helpful in life. The book shows that if you have goals that you want to reach in life, you need intelligence, determination, and effort. Santiago had all three of these traits and that is why he was victorious in catching the great marlin

by Katie T.

2008-03-23T22:36:00.000-04:00

Every good story has a good meaning to them that the reader can relate to and apply them to their own lifestyle. The message from this story, Old Man and the Sea by Ernest Hemingway, is to never give up. You should stay with your goal and strive for the best. Giving up, in my eyes, is just an excuse for lazy people to say they don’t feel like it. I’ve never been the type of person to give up on something I am passionate about. Whether it’s with sports, school or life in general I am never giving up. I am always working my hardest to keep myself in line. I think that’s what Santiago and I have in common. He never gave up on the fish; he was determined to get the marlin. Most people usually would have given up on the second day but Santiago waited until the 82^nd day to get the fish and it took him three days to catch it. That shows a lot of dedication.

In the book, Old Man and the Sea, Santiago becomes very strong and helps himself through the hardest times. “You better be fearless and confident, old man,” Santiago says to himself, “You’re holding him but you cannot get line. But soon he has to circle” (84). He is convincing himself to stay with the fish with the conditions as hard as they are. Santiago is his own self motivator. The marlin is as strong as he and the marlin will put up a good fight so he has to stay strong and never give up.

I can relate to this theme a lot. I have never given up on something I love. For example, this week is lacrosse tryouts. Every day has been three hours long. It is long and painful. I am busting my butt to do everything right and not mess up so I can look good. I never even think about stopping or giving up. No matter how much I want to just stop and go home, I convince myself that I am here for a reason. To play lacrosse, it’s what I love to do. In the book, “Fish,” he said softly aloud, “I’ll stay with you until I am dead.” Santiago is telling the fish that he will do whatever it takes to kill him even if it means to kill himself. He is sticking with fishing just how I am with lacrosse.

Santiago faced a lot of struggles throughout the story as well and yet he still never gave up. He hurt his hand on the line. He was holding the line for to long and his hand got stiff and couldn’t move. Santiago had thoughts it was rigor mortis. On page 59, Santiago talks to his hand, “Now,” he said, “You can let go, hand, and I will handle him with the right arm alone until you stop your nonsense.” I consider this quote very important; it shows that through the physical struggles he still withstands the pressure of the ocean. Many people would have let go of the line by now. Santiago didn’t. Also, Santiago missed the young boy, Manolin very much. He wanted to be with the boy so he took charge of the marlin, so he could go home.

Every person around the world can take this message and apply it to their own life. This theme is very crucial to the book as well; even though Santiago was going through so much during his trip he took the risk and never gave up. I learned that you can’t give up whenever things go wrong; you have to stay calm and strong. It’s the type of thing that every person, everywhere, should keep in mind when things aren’t going the way they want. You have to believe in yourself and that’s the one thing that you have to understand to not ever give up.

by Jess G.

2008-03-23T22:35:00.002-04:00

In our life we are faced with many challenges that affect everything we do from that point on. In The Old Man and the Sea, by Ernest Hemingway, this is very true for Santiago. Throughout the novella, Santiago, a poor fisherman barely getting by, is faced with almost death situations and somehow finds the will power to come out alive. Some of these crucial situations are struggling with fatigue, having to face killer sharks without the proper equipment, and having no food or water.

In the novella there were many times where Santiago struggled with fatigue. “But he felt faint again. He lifted some water with his left hand and put it on his head. Then he put more on and rubbed the back of his neck.” (88). This quote shows that the sun was really getting to him and he was probably going to pass out soon. “The old man felt faint and sick and he could not see well.” (94). This quote also shows how he was getting close to being dehydrated. The old man suffered because he was so despite to catch a fish. He wanted it to prove to himself that he wasn’t unlucky; he also needed to prove to the other fishermen that he still had it in him. He needed the respect back.

Having to face killer sharks is one thing, but having to do it without the proper equipment is totally different. Santiago had only what he needed to fish and that wasn’t a lot at all. Santiago, being so intelligent though, didn’t need all fancy things to protect him. All of it would have been nice but it was just unfortunate that he was on the poorer side, and didn’t have it. Santiago killed the sharks that came to get his prized fish with his harpoon, a little knife, ore, a little rope, and his bare hands. “He prepared the harpoon, and made the rope fast while he watched the shark come on. The rope was short as it lacked what he had cut away to lash the fish.” (101).

Not eating for four days is pretty harsh. For Santiago it was even worse seen as with trying to catch the fish he was losing energy that his body couldn’t replace. “He leaned over the side [of the boat] and pulled loose a piece of the meat of the fish where the shark had cut him.” (106). He was so desperate for food that he started to eat a little of his marlin. Even though he could really use the money he needed to live more, and that was the only food he had..

Santiago struggled more in those four days than most people do in their lifetimes. From fatigue to sharks, and then to not having any food or water Santiago didn’t have it too well.. Through all of this though, he didn’t lose hope. He kept at the marlin. He was determined to get it and earn his respect back. Almost dying wasn’t in his mind at all. He was always only thinking about what people would say when he brought back the monster fish.

The Struggles of Santiago by Chloe S.

2008-03-23T22:35:00.001-04:00

Everyone struggles with powerful obstacles that affect their character, and determine what kind of a person they really are. Such is true for the old fisherman Santiago in Ernest Hemingway’s novel, The Old Man and the Sea. After 84 days of bad luck, Santiago ventured out on the ocean and was faced with loneliness, his own physical limitations, and dangerous sharks. These troubles help shape who Santiago is.

Santiago used to be married, but his wife was gone. In his small home “Once there had been a tinted photograph of his wife on the wall, but he had taken it down because it made him too lonely to see it” (16). The other fisherman in the village ignored or made fun of him. Santiago’s only friend and companion was Manolin, a young boy who he fished with. After all Santiago’s bad luck however, Manolin was forbidden to fish with him. When Santiago went out on the sea to catch the giant marlin, he had no one to help him, and no one to talk to. At various times during the story, Santiago commented on how he wished Manolin was there. But he didn’t let his loneliness bring him back to shore, which shows his bravery. Sometimes the journeys you take by yourself are the most important, because everyone needs time alone to think.

Santiago was not exactly a young man, unlike the other fisherman in his village. During his battle with the marlin however, the labor Santiago struggled with is labor intended for younger men. The marlin pulled the boat for a long time, while Santiago tightened and gripped ropes. He got cramps and rigor mortis in his hands from working so hard. He was especially frustrated by his physical limitations when “He could feel the steady hard pull of the line and his left hand was cramped. It drew up tight on the cord and he looked at it in disgust” (58). He also went long periods of time without food or sleep, and had to deal with fatigue and exhaustion. Other men would have given up, but for Santiago it seemed as if the wearier he was, the harder he tried.

When Santiago finally did hook the marlin and was taking it back, he was faced with something more dangerous. Sharks, attracted by the marlin’s blood, began to swarm his small boat. They weren’t nice either, “They were hateful sharks, bad smelling, scavengers as well as killers. And when they were hungry they would bite at an oar or the rudder of a boat” (107). They began to gnaw at the dead marlin that Santiago had tried so hard to catch. Santiago exerted tremendous effort to ward them off, and he was fighting for more than just a fish. He was fighting for respect, and for a broken streak of bad luck. But the sharks came in groups, and were enormous. Pretty soon the marlin was reduced to bones. Santiago had to accept the fact that the marlin was gone.

Even though in the end, the sharks destroyed the marlin, Santiago was not defeated. He had done what he’d wanted to do from the start. He faced the deep, immense ocean with no one but himself to talk to, but wasn’t scared about being alone. Santiago didn’t think twice about old age, cramps, or fatigue. He risked his life without hesitation, and showed amazing strength. And when the sharks came, Santiago gave everything he had to prevent them from eating the marlin. When he got home he realized that it wasn’t about actually catching the marlin. It was about how he did it, with courage and determination. The obstacles affected him positively, because if there hadn’t been anything to overcome, his voyage wouldn’t have been as meaningful. The other fishermen knew that Santiago’s journey had been a success, and Santiago knew it too.

By Caulien C.

2008-03-23T22:32:00.002-04:00

In the book the Old Man and the Sea by Ernest Hemmingway, Santiago has set out to sea on his 85^th day of unlucky fishing to try and turn his unluckiness around. As he is out at sea his line hooks a giant marlin, larger than his skiff! He spends four days with this fish and finally catches it. After catching the great fish, it gets attacked by roaming sharks that had followed the scent of fish blood from a mile away. As the sharks attacked Santiago fought till the end to keep his fish safe. As Santiago returned home, he was defeated physically, but he knew in a couple of days he’d be out at sea again trying to catch more fish. Even through all those troubles and problems, Santiago has never given up on anything.

Talking about this theme has made me think about how I can relate to it. As I play sports I can understand that you can never give up. Sometimes when I’m on the court playing basketball or when I’m swimming a longer race than usual, I get tired and feel like quitting, but I can’t because I’d be letting my team down and also myself. I must stick with what I am doing until I am finished. As Santiago has said to the fish as it pulls him across the sea, “’Fish,’ he said softly, aloud, ‘I’ll stay with you until I am dead.’”(52). And Santiago did stay with the fish the whole time after that.

As Santiago faces all these troubles he knows that he cannot give up. It’s not just, not giving up; it’s also that he wants to make the boy proud. He wants the boy to look at him as a hero of some sort. He wants to prove this to boy when saying, “’I told the boy I was a strange man,’ he said. ‘Now is the time to prove it.’”(66) He wants to be as famous as when he had hand wrestled against the Negro, “and at daylight when the bettors were asking that it be called a draw and the referee was shaking, [Santiago] had unleashed his effort and forced the hand of the negro down and down until it rested on the wood.” He wants people to look at him like he’s amazing and lucky, not an unlucky fisherman.

Also there is a very strong relationship between the boy and Santiago. Even though Santiago has been a very unlucky person for the past 84 days, the boy has still wanted to come with him on his fishing trips. Though Santiago is getting old too, the boy is always there to help the old man. Manolin will never give up on the man, until he dies. He wants to fish with the old man as he says, “’I do not care. I caught 2 yesterday. But we will fish together now for I still have much to learn.’” As Santiago sets out to sea, one of his lines gets caught by a huge marlin. The Marlin pulls him and his skiff for a few days and finally comes up. Through the time he has spent waiting for the marlin he goes through many troubles but he got through them. He had killed some sharks and injured plenty, fighting for the fish. But he never gave up on it.

Santiago has had a great experience and has gotten even wiser than before. He starts to understand the sea even better. Even though he had not been able to really bring the whole fish home, and it seems that all the fighting and pushing himself was a waste of time, and he knew that it would be very difficult, but he loves the sea. He said that he was to fish, so it must be in his blood to do things like that. He probably hopes that the boy will have the same experience as he did.

Santiago's Obstacles by Tessa H.

2008-03-23T22:32:00.001-04:00

In our world today many people struggle with different obstacles to continue to motivate them selves and continue living. From recently reading the Old Man and the Sea, throughout the whole book, the main character Santiago has to go through many obstacles’ that affect his fishing trip. This includes both mental and physical battles. To me the struggles that stood out most were his lack of supplies, being alone, and his bad luck.

Santiago set sail for the big fishing trip by himself with small items and the skiff. In his mind he was not prepared for those 4 days was going to be on the small boat. He had only brought along one water bottle with him. “For an hour now the old man had been seeing back spots before his eyes… he had felt faint and dizzy and that worried him”(87). The old man had become very weak and dehydrated from his lack of water for 4 days. Along with having a lack of water the old man had brought no food on his journey. The old man had become so hungry, after the first day he finally picked up his gaff, and began to hunt for tuna. He caught some, but they didn’t last long. He was still hungry. Dolphins sounded his boat, and tempted the old man to gaff them as well. Inside of the dolphin the old man found jumping fish to snack on, because he didn’t like the taste of dolphins.

Beside the fact that the old man had no supplies, he was very alone as well. Santiago was very upset with the decision that the boy had made, but had finally faced the facts that he was going to be going on the fishing trip alone. While out on the boat, the old man begins talking to himself. He doesn’t even notice it at first; aloud he said “I wish the boy were here… I wish I had that boy” (50-51). He keeps saying it because he knows it will be harder for him to catch the marlin without a young persons hand by his side. He also began to talk to fish, birds and eventually the marlin because of his loneliness.

As I stated before, Santiago had been out for 84 days trying to catch a Marlin. Everyone thought that he had bad luck or was “cursed”. “…after forty days without a fish the boys parents had told him that the old man was not definitely and finally salao, which is the world form of unlucky”..(1) He even started to believe it him self. Santiago had never caught a good fish, unless it was on the 85^th day. That is why he wasn’t a threat to other boats. Many other fisher men had joked around, saying he wont ever catch anything either.

Over all Santiago had over come many obstacles and challenges, whether it was his lack of supplies, his lonesomeness, or his bad luck. Santiago always got through what ever challenge that was thrown at him. By having these obstacles, it made Santiago more determined, and dedicated to catch the marlin. He also proved to himself he can do anything you can put him mind to.

By Sam C.

2008-03-23T22:31:00.000-04:00

In the novella, The Old Man and the Sea, by Ernest Hemingway, an old man named Santiago is faced with many horrendous obstacles he must overcome while at sea. All of these obstacles are physical or psychological, and Santiago has to find a way to get pass them and carry on with his fight to catch the marlin he has been after for a long while. He was never a lucky man and this catch could gain him the respect he has wanted. Throughout this story, Santiago is faced with excruciating pain in his hand, loneliness, and the fact he brought inadequate supplies.

Pain is one of the various things Santiago has to overcome in this novella. While the marlin pulls him through the Gulf of Mexico, his hand becomes cramped up into a claw shape. “ ‘How do you feel hand?’ He asked the cramped hand that was almost as stiff as rigor mortis, ‘I’ll eat some more for you.’ ” (58-59). This quote shows the determination that Santiago has and how he will do anything and everything in his power to make sure he has his strength to catch the marlin.

While out at sea, Santiago becomes very lonely. You can tell he is becoming lonely because he keeps repeating the words, “I wish I had the boy.” (51). The boy, Manolin, and Santiago have and have had a strong relationship. Even though Santiago didn’t have much luck Manolin always stuck by him and helped him. When he is lonely his mind roams thinking about old memories. Then, while out at sea, a bird lands on the skiff and Santiago begins to talk to it. “ ‘How old are you?’ The old man asked the bird, Is this your first trip?’ ” (55). This quote signifies that he is so lonely he will talk to anyone, including the bird.

A fisherman must always have adequate supplies to make it through their fishing trips, but Santiago believed his trip would only last a day. He obviously thought wrong. While at sea Santiago says to himself “ ‘You should have brought many things,’ he thought. ‘But you did not bring them, old man.’ ” (110) I think he felt somewhat disappointed in himself because he wasn’t as prepared as a fisherman should be. The lack of food made him tired which made it much harder for him to put up a fight against the 1,000-pound marlin.

Santiago’s experiences out in the Gulf of Mexico were very rewarding for him, but were also a painful experience. He has gained respect of the men in his village because of the massive marlin he roped in. Even though the marlin lost most of its meat from the sharks, Santiago gained wisdom for the next time he goes out fishing. He learned to bring an adequate supply of food and tools. In this story we have heard about an old man’s determination through pain, loneliness, and lack of food. If you have enough belief in yourself and enough determination you can overcome anything which was clearly portrayed by Santiago in The Old Man and the Sea by Ernest Hemingway.

The Old Man's Obstacles by Melissa O.

2008-03-23T22:29:00.001-04:00

Without the struggles Santiago has to endure throughout his journey, he may not have been as determined in catching the marlin. In the novella entitled The Old Man and the Sea, by Ernest Hemingway, Santiago is the old man struggling for 4 days trying to break his bad luck streak and catch a large fish. If he does so he will no longer be poor and will gain respect from all of the other fishermen. While out at sea the old man deals with physical and emotional struggles. There were many times any other person may have given up and admitted defeat.

After being in the boat for quite some time, Santiago finally hooks the great marlin. The problem is that since the marlin is so large, he must wait for it to rise to the surface so he can spear and kill it. Unfortunately, the fish ends up holding on and putting up a fight for a long time. Since Santiago is older, he is easily fatigued, but still manages to do his best. He becomes very tired and hasn’t been able to sleep that much. He is not only tired, but his left hand begins to cramp and ache from holding the line with the marlin. If his hand does not stop cramping he may not be able to hold onto the fish and lose everything he had worked so hard for. “God hell me to have the cramp go, he said. Because I do not know what the fish is going to do (60).” With his strong determination he was able to struggle through the pain and keep his mind on the prize.

Santiago had not expected to be out for 4 days trying to catch the great marlin. Being alone in a small skiff for such a long period of time must have been extremely hard, especially for a man of his age. There are numerous times when he wishes the boy Manolin was there to see and help in the catching of the fish. “Then he said aloud, I wish I had the boy. To help me and to see this. No one should be alone in their old age, he thought. But it is unavoidable (48).” Catching the marlin would have been much easier I there was someone there to help. They could take turns resting, fishing and holding the line, it would have been much less lonely and Santiago would have had someone to talk to instead of himself.

Fishing would have been much easier if Santiago would have been better prepared. He should have brought food, water and a blanket even if he wasn’t sure of how long he would be out there. But if he had better fishing equipment he might not have been out there for so long. The only problem is that he does not have any money. The boy really loved him and he felt bad when Santiago would never come home with anything, especially for 84 days in a row. “It made the boy sad to see the old man come in each day with his skiff and he always went down to help him carry either the coiled lines or the gaff and harpoon and sail that was furled around the mast. The sail was patched with flour sacks and, furled, it looked like the flag of permanent defeat (9).” I think that the boy is a great person for always helping the old man even though he doesn’t have too and there is nothing in it for him.

Santiago struggled physically from the pain in his hand and the lack of supplies. He struggled emotionally from missing the boy. It is amazing that Santiago was able to suffer through everything and still catch the fish. It took a lot of self control to push through but he did it. Even though he caught the fish he made no money since the shark ate most of it. He still was rewarded with respect from all the other fishermen. That seemed to be enough for Santiago.

by Julia L.

2008-03-23T22:27:00.003-04:00

Many stories are teeming with characters struggling to overcome obstacles, to prove themselves to others and, more importantly, to keep his own confidence alive. In the novella, The Old Man and the Sea, Santiago works through many struggles in his great feat after the marlin. Some of these struggles include a frustrating lack of supplies, physical fatigue, and the numerous antagonists against him. Santiago works through these problems in his old age to eventually conquer the marlin and prove he is an admirable fisherman.

The least life-threatening of Santiago’s troubles is the threat of inadequate supplies. When he heads out to sea, he only brings what is critically necessary under the belief that he will only be gone one day. He has only brought one harpoon, and when he loses that is left with a few somewhat ineffective weapons. Then, when there is only a knife left, it becomes dull and he wishes he brought a stone to sharpen it so it would a weapon worth using. “I should have brought a stone. You should have brought many things, he thought.” (110) He would have also been a lot better off if he had brought some food and a first aid kit.

Santiago also suffers from lack of sleep, a cramping hand, and malnourishment. He has been in the little skiff for so long that his whole body is becoming stiff. “You’re feeling it now, fish, and so, God knows, am I,” he said (56). Santiago feels that in his old age he has been still long enough to start cramping. “…his hand was cramped. It drew up on the heavy cord and he looked at it in disgust.” (58). It starts when he gets rigor mortis in his hand. He is also suffering from lack of sleep. He has to be on the guard twenty- four seven in cases the marlin does something, which doesn’t leave much time for sleep. That, along with the malnourishment from failing to bring any food, has left him physically fatigued.

Throughout the book, many different characters work against Santiago. First the marlin itself is fighting for its life, which Santiago is trying to take. It takes him three days to catch the marlin and by then he is stretched to his limits. The sharks coming after his marlin do not help his cause either. “And he was the biggest dentuso that I have ever seen. And God knows I have seen big ones” (103). Santiago is speaking of the incredibly big and strong sharks that are coming to take a piece of his prize fish. By the time the sharks are done with the marlin, it is nothing but a meatless skeleton and the old man believes they have won when he says “They beat me, Manolin, they truly beat me” (124).

Santiago went through a fantastic journey on his four days at sea. He proved to himself that he is still a good fisherman and he broke his dry spell. He worked through the frustration of not having the supplies he needed. He suffered through the physical pain and built up his inner strength in order to persevere. More importantly, Santiago pulled out that inner strength and beat the antagonists set on ruining his goals. He believes he was beaten, but who is to say that when he has obviously gone above and beyond expectations.

By Olivia N.

2008-03-23T22:23:00.000-04:00

Everyone, throughout their entire lives will go through obstacles, large and small, that they have to overcome. Santiago had many obstacles to face while he was out fishing and when he wasn’t. Someone once told me to think of my obstacles as a wall. Some walls are pretty short, and you can just step right over them, others require a running start and a leap of faith, some are so big, you’ll need someone to help you get over, and sometimes the only way to get past them is to just break them down.

One obstacle that almost killed Santiago was that he wasn’t adequately supplied for the fishing trip. All that he’d brought with him was the water. It wasn’t much water either, about one day’s worth, and he was out there for four. What he really needed was lots of food and water, enough to last him for at least a week, as well as protection from the sun and few more knives for self defense. “‘I wish I had some salt’”(59). If he’d brought some salt with him then he could’ve preserved the fish and had more to eat. If he’d brought more knives or spears or something he might’ve been able to hold the sharks off longer.

After holding on to the line the marlin was pulling for hours, it took an effect on him. “He could feel the steady hard pull of the line and his hand was cramped.” (51). He had pain in his back and he needed to rest. He had to sleep for a few hours and he cut up the albacore and ate it because he needed the strength to continue. Then his hands got all sliced up from the lines and his left hand cramped. By the time he arrived back at the dock he could hardly stand up and passed out as soon as he reached his shack, only waking up when the boy came.

Another big obstacle in Santiago’s life was the sharks “The shark closed fast astern and when he hit the fish the old man saw his mouth open and his strange eyes and clicking chop of the teeth as he drove forward in the meat just above the tail.”(101). Santiago spent 4 days out on the ocean catching the marlin, and after all his hard work, when he finally caught the marlin that was bigger than his boat, the marlin that didn’t give up for 4 days, the marlin that would make him rich and famous, the marlin that almost killed him, the sharks closed in for the kill. Of course Santiago tried to fight them off, he killed one with the harpoon, with the knife and with an oar, and soon all he had left to get rid of the sharks were his hands. And the sharks just kept coming and coming, and eating more and more of the marlin each time, and eventually the sharks got the best of him. He was so weary and worn out he could barely move, 4 days of fighting the marlin, and then the sharks had gotten the best of the old man. By the time he had reached the shore he didn’t care any more.

There were many obstacles keeping Santiago from achieving his goal. Obstacles that he had to overcome to show people that he wasn’t just some unlucky old man and that he was in fact a skilled fisherman. His entire journey was a struggle, there were many things that might’ve caused others not as determined as Santiago to just quit.

By Lorna M-R

2008-03-23T22:22:00.002-04:00

Santiago, the old man from The Old Man and the Sea, faces many challenges over the course of the novella. Ernest Hemingway, the author, depicts Santiago as a strong old fisherman that does not give up on himself, even though he begins to crumble. The obstacles he is faced with push him to his limits, and even begin to slowly kill him. As he begins to overcome them, and he slowly builds his confidence, he realizes that even though he is an old man, he does have a chance to catch the fish. He struggles with his body, his conscience, and of course with the fish. In the end, the obstacles take a toll on his mental awareness. Still, endless determination helped him to be strong and keep chasing after the marlin until he caught it.

When Santiago’s body begins to fail him, he struggles and realizes his age and his famine. The old man had to always be alert of the fish, and his fishing line, but it was difficult while one of his hands was cramped and numb. “He woke with the jerk of his right fist coming up against his face and the line burning out through his right hand. He had no feeling of his left hand but he braked all he could with his right and the line rushed out” (82). Even when his hands were in pain, the old man continued to try to catch the fish. He was also forced to sleep with the fishing line on his back, which was just as painful as his cut-up and cramped hands.

During his journey, Santiago was famished without food or water. When people lack the natural resources they need to survive, sometimes it can alter their state of mind. When Santiago’s hand was hurting him, he started talking to it, and he talked to himself, even though a hand could obviously not talk back to him. “’You did not do so badly for something worthless,’ he said to his left hand. ‘But there was a moment when I could not find you’” (85). He was lonely, and his hand was one of the only things that were left for him to talk to.

While the old man was pursuing the fish, the marlin gave him many problems. The fishing line cut his hands when the fish circled around in the water, and the fish also never gave up. This meant that the old man had to struggle for many days to catch the fish. Even after he caught the fish, it still gave him trouble. Since the fish was so big, the old man had to tie it to the side of his boat, which attracted sharks. “The two sharks closed together and as he saw the one nearest him open his jaws and sink them into the silver side of the fish, he raised the club high and brought it down heavy and slamming onto the shark’s broad head” (113). The sharks ate the fish, and therefore made the old man’s journey practically pointless.

The old man is faced with struggles that compromise his self-esteem, confidence, and even his mental health, but he persevered through it all. He overcame everything that he was faced with, and he never lost his will to catch the fish. Even though he lost the fish in the end, he didn’t let the sharks ruin his journey. He was proud of himself, and he made the boy proud too.

by Lauren B.

2008-03-23T22:22:00.001-04:00

Every person in real life, and every character in a book, faces daily struggles and obstacles that they have to find a way to overcome. Santiago, the main character from The Old Man and the Sea, by Ernest Hemmingway, faces an immense amount of issues and difficulties during the duration of the story. Each struggle the man overcomes increases the intensity level of the story. Three things the old man had to deal with while at sea was his hand, the physical and mental battle with the marlin, and loneliness.

Santiago, like many other elderly men, was very lonely. Santiago was an aging widower with only one friend; Manolin. Manolin was a young boy who fished on Santiago’s boat in previous years. In Santiago’s empty life, the boy was the one person who kept him company. After 84 days without catching a fish many of the other local fishermen started to look down on Santiago. Manolin’s parents believed that Santiago’s boat was unlucky and didn’t allow him to fishing on that boat any longer. Santiago became very forlorn. On his 85^th day at sea, the old man was all by himself. Being out at sea with no one to talk to or help you fish can make you lonely. You can tell the man feels this way when he thinks to himself, “I wish I had the boy” (45). Being lonely can bring down your spirit and make you feel hopeless and doomed for failure, but the old man does not let this happen. It is obvious that it bothers the old man to be completely alone but he is a determined fisherman and wont let his loneliness get in the way of catching a fish. The old man often deals with the obstacle of being lonely talking to himself, the animals, and other inanimate objects around him.

Another struggle that Santiago had to deal with was his hand. A fisherman’s hand is one of his primary tools. Without strong, sturdy and well working hands, it can be difficult to catch a fish. Santiago discovers at sea that his hand is not in the same physical condition that it had been when he was younger. Santiago’s hand cramps up in his determined attempt to catch a marlin. He develops rigor mortise in his hand and realizes that he has no knowledge or supplies with him to make it better. You can tell the old man is realizing the extent of his hand problem when he thinks to himself,” I wish I could show him what sort of man I am. But then he would see the cramped hand (64). Other fisherman would use the excuse of a crippled hand as to why they didn't catch a fish, but Santiago try's to work through the pain as much as he can.

Although Santiago struggled with excruciating pain in his hand and the mental toughness of being alone, I think the main battle of his was with the marlin. Santiago had both a mental and physical battle with catching a fish at sea. You can tell that the issue of catching a marlin is a struggle for the man when he thinks to himself, "You are killing me fish (92). Not only does Santiago want to catch a marlin for the money, fame, and food, but for the boy. Santiago has to prove to Manolin and his parents that he is a good fisherman and that is boat is not unlucky. Santiago has a lot to prove to Manolin, the other fisherman and Manolin’s parents, but even to himself. It’s easy to get down on yourself after failing for so many consecutive times. I think mentally it was hard for Santiago to be having such a hard time getting a fish. Also, Santiago was an old man and fishing against a fierce energetic marlin became exhausting and almost life threatening to him. Fishing can be a dangerous thing to do especially all alone, at an old age, and with no food. The marlin was pushing the old man to his physical limitations giving him a really tough time trying to catch him. The old man became somewhat injured in the process of catching this fish. Santiago’s determination and knowledge at sea helped him through this obstacle.

Hemmingway’s ability to create realistic obstacles for the character Santiago raised the tension level in the book and made it enjoyable to read. Although you are worried about the old man throughout the entire book and how he is going to handle himself, you are reassured every time he overcomes each obstacle. The old man faced the struggle of loneliness, the battle with the marlin, and his hand.

By Julia M.

2008-03-23T22:21:00.000-04:00

Ernest Hemingway’s novella, The Old Man and the Sea, focuses on the many relationships that the old man creates. Hemmingway works to build up many strong relationships between the old man and Manolin, the old man and the marlin, and Santiago and his hands. I think all these friendships helped Santiago’s character development as well as it helped to influence the decisions Santiago made.

Santiago and the boy, Manolin have a very strong friendship. Santiago first taught the boy to fish when he was just five years old. “ ‘I remember everything from when we first went [fishing] together,’ ” Manolin said to Santiago (12). Manolin’s parents put him on a separate boat after Santiago caught nothing for 84 days, however, their friendship is still strong. When Santiago set out on his 85^th day, he found himself often speaking aloud to himself saying, “ ‘I wish the boy were here,’ (56).” Santiago depended on Manolin in more than one way. To the old man, Manolin was the son he never had. Manolin gave him a reason to live, and to keep fishing no matter how little he caught.

Santiago spends four days out on the sea trying to catch the marlin. During this time, Santiago builds a relationship with the fish. Without the boy’s company, Santiago begins speaking to the fish, “ ‘The fish is my friend too,’ he said aloud (75)’. Santiago refers to the fish as his brother. Being a fisherman, Santiago has had many opinions about the fish. After being alone with no one but the marlin, he begins to think of the fish as a companion. He thinks about killing him and the fish’s respect. When they are finally arriving at the harbor, Santiago wonders whether it looks as though the fish is bringing Santiago in, or Santiago is bringing the fish in.

Another relationship the old man possesses is between him and his hands. Since Santiago lacks the new technology that all the young and rich fisherman have, he has to rely on his hands. During Santiago’s struggle with the marlin, his left hand fails him when it cramps. This worried him because he needed both his hands to work when it came time to strap the marlin to the side of the boat and ward off any sharks that might pick up the scent. “ ‘Be patient hand,’ he said, ‘I do this for you,’ ” and he took another bite of the tuna he caught (59). Santiago knows that he will need his strength so he eats the fish and talks to his hand, willing it to uncramp. With no updated instruments, Santiago’s hands are very valuable to him. He tries to take good care of them and keep them healthy.

All these relationships contribute to the story plot. If Santiago weren’t as close with Manolin as he is, he wouldn’t have had so much motivation to make it home. His relationship with the marlin gave him the strength to catch the fish and fend off the sharks. Lastly, the connection Santiago has with his hands helps him everyday when he is out on the sea. His hands are incredibly skillful after years of fishing. Also, Santiago believes he was born to be a fisherman. He thinks his hands were made to catch the biggest fish in the sea.

The Journey Through the Salty Sea by Jess R.

2008-03-23T22:19:00.001-04:00

The salty air wafts beneath his nose as a wave crashes against the hull of the boat, sending a foamy spray into the air. The clouds smear the horizon making it look heavenly as the sun peaked through the gaps between the fluffy, white pillows. This is the scene that Santiago, an old fisherman, saw as he was pulled through the calm ocean by an 18 foot long marlin. During his journey, this old man had faced many obstacles while fishing out at sea, including a dreadful hand cramp, exhaustion, and sharks.

First, Santiago attained a hand cramp that frustrated him, and drove him a little insane. The taut line that he was holding his prize catch on had burned away the flesh in a streak on the palm of his hand. Of course the cut had been exactly where he holds the line, and he needed that hand for when he attempted to catch the marlin. He had let the blood drift away in the ocean current, and then held the cord his fish was on again. This time, his hand stiffened when he held it, and began to cramp badly. Santiago had looked at his hand with disgust and hatred while saying to it, “Cramp then if you want. Make yourself into a claw. It will do you no good” (58). After cutting up another fish that he had previously caught, the old man told himself that eating it would regain the strength in his hand so it would uncurl into a normal position. He then questioned it by asking,

“ ‘How do you feel hand?’ he asked the cramped hand that was almost as stiff as rigor mortis” (58-59). Because his left hand was cramped, Santiago was left to use his right one for awhile. He wished that the marlin wouldn’t jump, because he didn’t know if he could handle it the way he could with the left one. Santiago didn’t want to force it open unless he absolutely had to, and he thought of the cramp as humiliating himself, although no one was around but the fish in the sea and the birds in the sky.

Second, Santiago was out at sea for four days and three nights. He hadn’t had much sleep because he didn’t know when the fish would jump, or start to slow down. He had to keep careful attention to the marlin as if it were a child. Santiago was tired, and going insane. He knew he wouldn’t live forever, but he kept a good grip on his life. The little energy that he had when he left on his trip was slowly draining out of his body. He needed a lot of rest and possibly some medical attention. “[He] could hardly breathe now and he felt a strange taste in his mouth. It was coppery and sweet and he was afraid of it for a moment.” (119). The old man had had fish to eat, but didn’t drink all his water, for fear he would run out of it. Where do you find fresh water when you’re in the middle of the ocean? Because he didn’t drink too much, he was extremely dehydrated. The old man was becoming dizzy, and almost passed out at the moment he needed to spear the great marlin. “For an hour now [he] had been seeing black spots before his eyes and the sweat salted his eyes and salted the cut over his eye and on his forehead” (87). It’s a good thing that Santiago hadn’t passed out on the spot. He could have tipped his boat, drowned, or lost the fish. His destination, and life, could have ended in one single second, but the old man was strong enough to hold on to what he had left in his life, and pushed himself to his limits.

Lastly, after going through with catching and spearing his prize, Santiago must have wanted to just relax in his skiff, and wait to be drifted towards home, but he couldn’t. His fish was always at risk, especially with the sharks. Santiago had already speared and killed the fish, and the blood drifted behind them, leaving a delicious smelling scent for all the sharks within a hundred miles of them. I’m sure the old man could just see them licking their lips as they followed him in the crimson water. Santiago speared one of the sharks, but the spear had broken when he tried to pry it out of the shark’s head. He was disappointed that he had lost such a valuable item, but figured it was worth it if he could get the money for his trophy fish. To make up for this weapon, Santiago grabbed his harpoon, and used it to kill another shark, but to his dismay, it was lost in the ocean forever, just as his spear was. Getting irritated at he sharks for taking large bites from the valuable sea creature that he had caught, the old man began to use anything in his skiff that he could use to kill more of them. He used an oar to stab another monster of the sea, but it had broken as well, so he used what was left of it in his hands to kill another. With his oar stuck in a shark’s head, Santiago risked his life by going to a last resort: punching any sharks that threatened to eat the corpse of the marlin. “The shark let go and rolled away. That was the last shark of the pack that came. There was nothing more for them to eat” (118-119). The fish, and the sharks were gone, but the old man’s hope was still left within him as his dream had been fulfilled.

Santiago had run into many obstacles on his journey out to sea. It isn’t every day that you get dragged out to sea by the biggest fish in the ocean. The old man had suffered his fair amount in his life, and then the opportunity to prove himself to his town and himself came, but was ripped away from him in the end after he had tried so hard in his life. He had caught his dream on a line that he had swung over the side of his skiff. Although the meat of the fish was gone, courtesy of the greedy sharks, the bones remained to remind Santiago that he had accomplished what he intended to do. Santiago had survived a horrific hand cramp, exhaustion, and wicked sharks. He endeared what most people would give up on, and was pushed to his limits to accomplish his goals. Santiago never once gave up, even if the times were tough, and he should be praised for that.

Obstacles by Emma H.

2008-03-23T22:18:00.001-04:00

In life many people struggle with obstacles and hit roadblocks that need to be conquered before moving on. Throughout the story Old Man and the Sea, the main character Santiago has to struggle with many obstacles, before reaching his main goal of catching his dream Marlin. There were three obstacles that stood out the most with getting in Santiago’s way of catching the Marlin. There was his ongoing loneliness, being unprepared, and his hand.

Santiago, had fished with the boy Manolin for many years but when Santiago had bad luck, and failed to catch anything for 84 days, the boy’s parents made him leave Santiago’s skiff. Santiago got in his skiff all by himself on the 85th day feeling confident he would catch something. However being as old as he was, he realized that fishing without the boy was harder than he thought, and Santiago starts to struggle with loneliness. “He did not remember when he had first started to talk aloud when he was by himself…He had probably started to talk aloud, when alone, when the boy had left”(39). To avoid going crazy, and to help deal with being so lonely, Santiago starts to talk to the fish, and the bird, and then eventually he talks with the Marlin.

When Santiago set sail in his skiff on the 85th day, he was not expecting to be away for four days, causing him to be much unprepared. Santiago lacked food, enough bait, and correct fishing tools. He only brought enough supplies for one day. “The boy was back now with the sardines and the two baits wrapped in newspaper and they went down the trail to the skiff, feeling the pebbled sand under their feet, and lifted the skiff and slid her into the water”(27). Because the old man didn’t have the supplies he needed, he found ways to solve his problems. He used the two baits he had, and used them to catch some fish for him to eat and fish to be bait.

One of the biggest problems that Santiago struggled with was his hand. After clenching on to the fishing line for so long, he began to get rigor mortis in his hand. This made him frustrated, because it made it harder for him to grip his line. “What kind of a hand is that,” he said. “Cramp then if you want. Make yourself into a claw. It will do you no good”(58). Santiago knew what he had to do about his hand; he kept making himself eat more fish to help. “Be patient, hand,” he said. I do this for you”(59). Santiago didn’t want to eat the fish, but he knew that it would help, and he ate it anyways.

Santiago was a brave man who never gave up. Not once did he let himself be defeated, he solved each struggle with the goal of catching and killing the marlin. He had to deal with loneliness, lack of supplies, and a cramping hand. This shows how strong Santiago was, both physically and mentally.

By Emma M.

2008-03-23T22:04:00.002-04:00

Whenever you read a story, there is always a theme. It helps to make the story more interesting and it helps the story flow. In The Old Man and the Sea, by Ernest Hemingway, there are many themes. I think that Hemingway having the character, Santiago, continue to struggle to catch a fish applies to the theme “If at first you don’t succeed, try, try again.”

Having faith in yourself is an important part of being willing to try again. Manolin, one of the boys in Santiago’s village, once said to him, “ ‘He hasn’t much faith.” ’ Santiago then replies, ‘ “No, but we have. Haven’t we?” (11). Santiago has faith in himself and that is all that matters to him. He could have gone home and sulked about how unlucky he had been for eighty-four days, but he didn’t. Instead, he went out and tried again. Because he kept trying, he eventually achieved his goal of catching the marlin.

If at first you don’t succeed, try, try again has been said to me by many people in my life. Every time I faced something I didn’t think I could handle, I kept thinking to myself that I could do it and I just needed to try again. For example, during soccer season a few years ago, I had trouble learning all about a new position-goalie. I had never even attempted it and I never thought I could do it, but, I tried. Every time a ball went past me, I’d ask for help from my coaches to improve myself. There were a few bumps in the road, but I overcame them because I kept trying despite the odds. I can connect to this quote from Santiago: ‘ “You’re feeling it now fish, and so, God knows, am I.” ’(56). When I read this quote, I connected with it because it showed how hard Santiago was trying. He was facing so many obstacles, but pushed through them.

Santiago knew that he needed to keep trying. After going eighty-four days without catching a single fish, he finally caught the marlin. He had achieved his goal, but ended up facing an unexpected obstacle-the sharks. He was unable to bring the massive fish home and doesn’t feel too great about himself. On page 124 after Santiago returns home, he says to Manolin: ‘ “They beat me, Manolin. They truly beat me.” ’ Manolin then replied ‘ “He didn’t beat you. Not the fish.” ’When Manolin says that the fish didn’t beat Santiago, I agree with him. The fish hadn’t beaten Santiago, Santiago had beaten the odds. He tried against all of them and won.

Many people have gone through hardships. If they hadn’t tried again, they might never have overcome their obstacles and become better people. In The Old Man and the Sea, Santiago overcame all of his hardships because he kept trying despite all of the odds. If he hadn’t, he might never have caught the fish or been praised by Manolin. Thanks to the theme “If at first you don’t succeed, try, try again”; Hemingway’s novella was a very interesting book.

Washing Away Fishy Obstacles by Danielle L.

2008-03-23T22:02:00.000-04:00

Santiago, in the book written by Ernest Hemingway, the Old Man and the Sea, has many obstacles to overcome on his journey. He is a very tough, old man who always tries to find the good in situations that are otherwise depressing and unbearable. Among the many obstacles he faces are the cramping of his hand, maintaining his sanity, and the lack of food and supplies. Some fisherman would give up under these conditions, but Santiago keeps on rowing.

First, an obstacle that gets in Santiago’s way is his cramped hand. It becomes cramped from being in the same position for a long period of time. It was not minor, but a major problem, resulting in him experiencing pain and a partial loss of strength. This challenged his efforts in catching the marlin. Clearly Santiago worries about his ability to control the fish when he says, ‘“God help me to have the cramp go because I do not know what the fish is going to do”’ (60). It prevents him from tightly holding onto the line. Santiago is worried that if he can not hold onto the line tight enough and the marlin does something drastic, he will lose the fish. Knowing that the left hand is weak, it does not come as a surprise that it cramped. He explains a time when he won an arm wrestling match with his right hand and lost a practice match with his left.

Second, Santiago has to maintain his sanity. The reader continues to question Santiago’s state of mind when he talks to his hand and says, ‘“Be patient, hand, I do this for you”’(59). This shows that the old man is lonely, as there are frequent comments made about wishing the boy, Manolin, were there. This makes sense because it is evident that Manolin is thought of as either a close relative or friend. Also, food and an adequate amount of fresh water are not available. So, he has to catch and eat raw fish and conserve the only water that is left. Loneliness, dehydration, and malnutrition all played a roll in the slipping away of reality.

Third, lack of food and supplies causes the chances of successfully bringing the marlin back to subside. Having no idea that the short trip would turn into a long voyage, he is not nearly prepared for what will be faced at sea. As a result, he has to catch his own food and fight off the savage sharks with what he has to make do with. Lacking food and supplies, the author expresses Santiago’s fear in this horrible situation when he says, ‘“Now it’s over [Santiago] thought. They will probably hit me again. But what can a man do against them in the dark without a weapon?”’ (117). All that was available, including a knife, a broken oar, harpoon, his fist, and a tiller, was lost. Losing his remaining supplies, Santiago is forced into letting the beasts (the sharks) steal his prized possession (the marlin). If he would have had the right equipment and supplies available, most likely there would be a greater chance of bringing back the full fish, but instead he only had the memories and stories to pass along.

Santiago overcomes a cramped hand, a lack of sanity, and a lack of supplies in his big challenge – the fight with the marlin. Because of his joyous attitude, determination, strength, and wisdom, accomplishments were made. This book really shows how dangerous and difficult a job at sea really is. Santiago is amazing because he was able to endure all of this and come out alive. This shows that he is truly a legendary figure.

Obstacles by Alex H.

2008-03-23T22:01:00.000-04:00

This essay will be on how Santiago deals with his choice to go out to catch the marlin. We will cover the following: His thoughts on his life verses the fishes, his choice to go for the big fish, and his way of catching the fish, . Santiago chose to go out to sea to catch a big fish. He went out with no help and without food. He didn't have the boy to help and didn't have good fishing gear. “‘Today I'll work out where the schools of bonito and albacore are and maybe there will be a big one with them.'"(30).This tells me that he only thought that he would only be out there for a couple days. He thinks that by going out farther he will be more likely be able to catch the big fish. He is telling himself that the big one will be out there waiting for him. He wanted this fish so badly that he would risk anything for it. His luck needed to return so the boy could return to him.

As Santiago waited for the fish to become tired he said to himself, "'Now that I have him coming so beautifully, God help me endure...'" (87). He wanted the fish so badly he asked God to help him. This reminds me how when we're in trouble we always call on God. I say that either the person is religious or not religious; you can't just call on God when we want to. He knew that if he became too tired the fish would be able to pull away. He knew also that if he didn’t get the fish to tire out that it would bring him to far from the coast. He desperately needed the boy but, he knew he was alone.

Santiago was contemplating whether the fish was going to kill him, "'Fish you are going to have to die any way. Do you have to kill me too?'"(92) He was really puzzled over this and thought about it. In the end he knew he had to kill the fish. He had to go home with it. He needed to be lucky again. He needed the boy's parents to let him come back with him. Catching this fish meant so much for him that he risked his life for it. He had to catch it and find a way to bring it home without too much meat gone. His choices eventually led him to tie it to the boat and bring it in this way. He knew that some meat would be gone but he thought he could get home with enough.

As he came back to his shores he was tired and delirious. He wasn’t thinking correctly and forgot to wash off the blood. This resulted in him losing almost all the meat on the marlin. He had to fight off sharks and protect the meat at the same time. He nearly died out there with the sharks but, his passion for getting the fish home kept him alive.

In ending this essay I would like to say that Earnest Hemingway’s book may not have been one of the most exciting books to read but, was a book that we all should read. We all need to realize that the choices that we make can influence our life.

Obstacles by Rachel L.

2008-03-20T13:59:00.001-04:00

In the novella, The Old Man and the Sea, by Ernest Hemingway, Santiago, an old, unlucky fisherman, attempts to go fishing at sea. He hasn’t had very good luck lately and had not caught a fish in 84 days. He was feeling unusually lucky on the 85 day and went out farther than he normally did, and to his surprise he caught the most incredible fish he had ever seen before. Throughout his journey Santiago comes across many obstacles that include defeating the marlin, internal struggles with himself, and the sharks eating his massive fish.

One obstacle that the old man goes through is catching the marlin. The first time the marlin jumped out of the sea, the old man knew his boat was far too small, but he was determined to defeat it. He had to hold on to the fishing line day and night, this made his body very stiff. “You did not kill the fish only to sell or keep for food, hr thought. You killed him for pride and because you are a fisherman.” (54). He realized it was his purpose, even though he respected the fish, and he thought the fish was remarkable.

Another one of Santiago’s struggles is the internal conflict with himself. While out at sea with little supplies he managed to catch the massive marlin. Doing this made the old man very tired and weak. “I’m tireder than I have ever been, he thought, and now the trade wind is rising. But that will be good to take him in with. I need that badly” (89). This shows that Santiago could use all the help he could get for his body was slowly dying.

After Santiago conquered the fish, he begins to travel back home. The marlin was far too big for the small skiff Santiago had, so he had to tie the marlin to the side and dragged it along. This left a trail for sharks to follow. Throughout the day many sharks came to try to get a piece of the marlin. The old man managed to kill a few of them, but they were so big. “And he was the biggest dentuso that I have ever seen. And God knows that I have seen big ones” (103). The sharks ended up eating the whole fish only leaving the skeleton. “ ‘They beat me, Manolin,’ he said. ‘They truly beat me’ ” (124). The old man had admitted defeat against the almighty fish.

Santiago was able to fight through weak and weary times, catching a fish he could only dream of, and fighting off vicious sharks. Santiago persevered and made it home safely, but sadly was not able to bring the whole fish back with him. At first the other fisherman just saw the old man as poor, and unlucky, but once they saw the skeleton of the marlin they respected him more. “Man can be destroyed, but not defeated.” (103). This shows that with enough perseverance anything is possible.

A Fight Against The Sea by Melanie D.

2008-03-20T13:55:00.001-04:00

There are many works of literature that show the struggles of man against many forces, but The Old Man and the Sea represents this idea in a unique way. Santiago is an old fisherman who has gone 85 days without catching a single fish and is now caught up in a possibly life or death fight with the biggest marlin he has ever seen. He has many obstacles to overcome, including loneliness, rigor mortis in his hand, and severe lack of rest, all of which he proves he can handle. These obstacles helped to form the story and made it much more interesting.

Santiago went out on a small skiff all by himself, hoping to catch a big fish after an unlucky dry spell, but after being alone against a large fish for a whole day, he is engulfed by loneliness. Throughout the tale, Santiago is constantly thinking of how he wishes Manolin was there to help him, “ ‘I wish I had the boy. To help me and to see this’ ” (48). Santiago states that he wishes the boy were with him for both help and companionship several times throughout the story. With no people around, Santiago talks to the birds that rest on his boat to keep himself encouraged, “ ‘Stay at my house if you like, bird… But I am with a friend’ ” (55). Santiago does anything he can to fend of the lonesome feeling that surrounds him, and lasts for three whole days without another human soul in sight.

During his journey at sea, Santiago is affected by his old age, which is one more battle he has to fight in order to catch the marlin. His left hand suffers from rigor mortis and cramps up constantly, making it very hard for him to keep a steady hold on the fishing line. He talks to the hand as if it was a person, “ ‘What kind of a hand is that, cramp then if you want. Make yourself into a claw. It will do you no good’ ” (58). Santiago cannot control what his hand does, and his body causes other problems for him too. Holding the weight of an 18-foot fish for three days is not a task that can easily be done, and it would take incredible inner and bodily strength to complete.

Fatigue haunts Santiago throughout his entire journey. He doesn’t sleep, barely has time to relax, and eats only the small fish that he can catch with his extra lines. He starts hallucinating slightly, and getting dizzy from lack of sleep and water. “ ‘But you have not slept yet, old man, it is half a day and a night and now another day and you have not slept. You must devise a way so that you sleep a little if he is quiet and steady. If you do not sleep you might become unclear in the head’ ”(77). Santiago’s strength helps him fight the need for sleep, and he manages to last three days and nights with less than a few hours of rest.

The Old Man and the Sea is a novella that shows the way courage, strength, and faith can work to overcome an enemy. It is a story about the many obstacles a protagonist must face, but in this case, he does not have a companion, the muscles of youth, or any rest to help him. These are all things that greatly affect the story, and an entirely different tale would have been told if the smaller internal and external battles had been left out. Even though the fish came back in a meatless skeleton, Santiago was victorious because he came back alive and proved that he could catch a huge fish and he did it with pride.

By Erika D.

2008-03-20T13:37:00.000-04:00

In the novella The Old Man and the Sea, Santiago endured many obstacles. Over the course of the story, he has to fight for the marlin, as well as fight for his life. Santiago is a very poor man who has had no luck for 84 days, and he hopes that on his 85^th day he will be rewarded for his times of suffering with an enormous fish. The old man’s wish comes true, but not without a heavy price to pay. Stuck far out in the ocean, the old man now struggles with loneliness, hunger, and a constant battle against sharks.

The old man is very poor, and before he even sets out to find the fish, he struggles. He lives in a small shack, and resorts to pretending that he has a good meal when he knows that he has little to eat. “But they went through this fiction every day. There was no pot of yellow rice and fish and the boy knew this too.” (16) The boy always went along with his pretending, but tried to help him as well. Santiago did not want him to worry, and seemed perfectly fine with his living conditions. This shows his strength, and his ability to make the best of the situation at hand.

Santiago is very forlorn on his little skiff, and has no one there with him to help pass the time. He feels very lonely, and starts to miss the boy. Thoughts of Manolin are what keep the old man going when he feels close to quitting. He focuses on the boy when he needs to focus on the fish, and on what he is doing. He continuously thinks of how much different it would be with Manolin there, “ ‘I wish I had the boy. To help me and to see this.’ ” (48). He knows how much easier it would be if the boy was there, and he also knows that it would be a good experience for him.

When Santiago finally succeeds in catching the marlin, the reader then has little time for belief that his troubles are over. He now has a very large fish strapped to the side of his very small skiff, and has to travel quite a long distance back to shore. The fact that the fish has now bled into the ocean does nothing to help the situation. Therefore, it comes as no surprise to Santiago when sharks begin to attack his marlin. Santiago knows that if a large number of sharks come, he is no match. “The old man’s head was clear and good now and he was full of resolution but he had little hope.” (101) Still, he puts up a good fight. When the sharks are gone, he doesn’t want to look at the marlin, for fear of what is left -or isn’t left- and he continues the ride back in silent dismay. He had to fight so hard to catch this fish, but getting it back was one obstacle that he could not completely overcome.

Santiago was a strong character that had many struggles throughout the story, and had to fight very hard to get what he wanted. Many of the obstacles that stood in his path were inevitable to him, yet we know nothing of it. He always knew that he could be pushed as far as his mind would take him, and he made it through with an experience to remember. Fighting through this was a strength for him that he knew he had, and he proved that he would never give up, and always keep going.

Jaguar Hope by Kyle C.

2008-02-01T10:00:00.000-05:00

Jeff Miles was the best basketball player on his team. He was the best point guard in the league and his team, the Jaguars, was in the championship. They were facing the Raptors. They were always the league powerhouse and had won the last three championships. The Jaguars, and especially Jeff, needed to play exceptionally well to win this game. They had really tough practices all week to make sure they were well prepared to play in the biggest game of their lives.

As for the Raptors, they were confident that they would win this game. They have more talent, more championship experience, and better coaching. They had the best player in the area in Brandon Johnson. He was their go to guy and could not be stopped. Almost every team that played against the Raptors had a plan to stop Brandon, but they couldn’t. The Jaguars had a plan to stop Brandon, but they knew it would still be a very tough job.

As the sun rose on Saturday morning, Jeff woke up excited and anxious to play in the championship game. He arrived at the gym two hours before game time to be as fresh and warmed up as possible. As the clock was ticking, players from his team and the Raptors were arriving. He knew the game was getting closer and Jeff was getting nervous. Then he looked up at the scoreboard and there was only five minutes left until the game. Both teams were pumped and ready to play. Then the buzzer went off, and the championship game was about to start.

The starters walked out on the floor and shook hands. Then the two centers stood at half court along with the referee and the game began. The Raptors won the tip and passed it to Brandon for an easy layup. The Raptors put on their devastating full court press and forced a turnover. The Raptors made a three pointer and were out in front quickly. The Jaguars broke the press and Jeff hit a three from the corner. The Jaguars started to go on a run at the end of the quarter. With five seconds left in the quarter, Jeff stole the ball and made a layup to beat the buzzer. The Jaguars were pumped until they saw Jeff lying on the floor screaming. Jeff hurt his ankle really bad and would be out for the rest of the game. In the Jaguar huddle, their coach said they had to overcome this and they could still win this game, but the players didn’t think they could do it.

The next two quarters didn’t go too well for the Jaguars. They were struggling on offense and couldn’t stop the Raptors on defense. Brandon Johnson was dominating the game and at the end of the third quarter the score was 55-42 Raptors. Bandon had 29 points and his team had all the momentum going into the fourth quarter. The fourth quarter started with the Jaguars getting the ball. They moved the ball nicely and they made a wide open three. Then the Jaguars decided to full court press. The Raptors had Brandon bring the ball up but he wasn’t that good of a ball handler. The Jaguars put a lot of pressure on him and forced him to make a bad pass. They stole the ball and Bob, the Jaguars other good player, made an easy layup. The Jaguars were coming back and the Raptors coach called a timeout. After the timeout, the Raptors had Brandon on the wing and passed it to him for an open shot. He missed the shot and Bob got the rebound and went coast to coast for another easy layup. The Jaguars kept their press on and stole the ball and hit a three pointer. The Raptors called another timeout and the Jaguars were only down six with two minutes remaining. The Raptors didn’t score their first possession after the timeout and the Jaguars made a three. The Jaguars once again forced a turnover and made an easy two. Then the Jaguars called a timeout to set up their defense.

There was 30 seconds left and the Raptors had the ball winning by a point. The Raptors put the ball in Brandon’s hands and with six seconds left he drove to the hoop and got fouled. He had two free throws. He made the first with ease but missed the second one. The Jaguars got the rebound and made a quick pass up to Bob. Bob made a spin move around the defender and spotted up for a three with one second left. It felt like slow motion when the ball was in the air. Then, it finally came down and it swooshed through the hoop. The Jaguar players and fans erupted into clapping and cheering. The Jaguars were jumping up and down at half court and they picked up Bob and held him up for his game winning shot. Then they went over to Jeff and they gave him high fives. The Jaguar players knew that they won because they never gave up. They knew it was going to be to win with Jeff on the bench, but they overcame the odds.

Derek’s Disaster by Sam P.

2008-02-01T09:59:00.000-05:00

It was a hot afternoon and the score was tied five to five. It was the bottom of the seventh, the last inning, and coming up to bat was Derek. Derek was the best player on his team and one of the top players in the nation. He was only 16 but could hit like a twenty year old. He stepped up to the plate and did his ritual just like the pros. He tapped the plate twice then aimed the bat at the pitcher. The pitcher wound up and hurled the ball towards the plate. Derek took a step towards the ball and swung as hard as he could. The ball made contact with the bat and took flight. Derek stood at the plate and watched the ball sore over everyone’s head and over the fence into the parking lot. As Derek rounded the bases he listened to the parents all cheering for him and looked at his teammates all gathered around home waiting for Derek so they all could mob him.

After the game Derek, his mom, his dad, and his younger brother went out to eat to celebrate the victory. After dinner Derek and his family headed home. Derek had a big game tomorrow and if they won they would make it into the state championship game. Derek went to bed and woke up the next morning ready to play. The game was at 1:00. Derek showed up ready to play. He was a little more nervous about this game than the others because not only was it more important but Derek was going to be the starting pitcher. Derek had only pitched one other game this year. He can throw really hard but wasn’t always accurate.

Derek took the mound in the first inning. His arm felt good but he was very nervous. His first pitch was thrown a little too far inside and almost hit the batter. His second pitch wasn’t even close to being over the plate. Derek just took a deep breath and thought about all the correct mechanics that his coach taught him. Once he started using his coach’s advice, every pitch was thrown over the plate and it was thrown hard. Derek struck out the first three batters in the first and retired his first nine batters. At the end of the third inning the score was 0-0. By the fourth inning Derek’s arm was starting to get tired and he couldn’t throw as hard. He got the first two batters out on ground balls but the third batter was the best on the team. He was huge and could hit the ball farther than Derek. Derek through his pitch and it was right over the middle of the plate. The batter drilled a hard liner into the left center gap. Luckily he was slow and only got a triple. Derek knew this was his last inning and had to finish it strong. Derek’s first two pitches were fouled off. His next three were balls and it was now a full count. The catcher called time and went out to talk to Derek. He told Derek to throw his curveball. Derek had only thrown two so far and they both were in the dirt. Derek reluctantly agreed but knew this was his only chance to strike him out. Derek wound up and threw his twelve to six curveball. It was perfect and the batter didn’t even come close to hitting the ball.

It was now the last inning and it was still 0-0. Derek led off the inning with a walk. He then stole second base and advanced to third on a fielder’s choice. There were two outs now and all Derek’s team needed was a base hit to win. The only problem was the worst hitter on their team was up. His name was Mike. He was short and skinny and wasn’t very good at batting. The pitcher of the other team laughed at Mike and threw his hardest. Mike couldn’t catch up to the ball. The count was 0-2 and Mike’s coach told him to focus on the ball and drive it into the outfield. The pitch came and it was the hardest one yet. Mike just closed his eyes and swung the bat. When he opened them he saw the ball in the outfield and Derek coming for home. Mike quickly ran to first and started to celebrate. The entire team ran over to Mike and gave him high fives and pats on the back.

The team was so happy that they won and that they get to play in the state championship game. They decided to have a party since the game wasn’t for another week. Derek and the rest of their team went out to a friend’s house for the party. Everyone was dancing and having fun. Derek had to be home at 11:00 and once that timed rolled around he started to walk home. He didn’t live too far it would only take him about five minutes. He was walking home with Mike because Mike was going to sleep over Derek’s. They had been good friends ever since they were young. On the way home they heard a car in the distance. They looked down the street and saw a car speeding towards them. The driver was drunk and out of control. Derek and Mike tried to get out of the way but Derek was too slow. The car hit Derek at about 50 miles per hour. The driver just kept going never stopping to help Derek. Mike went over to Derek. He was still breathing but was unconscious. Mike called for an ambulance. While in the hospital Derek’s teammates visited him. They all found out that Derek broke both legs, and arm, broke his neck, and had a severe concussion that had him in a coma for three days. The doctors said he was extremely lucky he wasn’t paralyzed.

The day of the game came up and the entire team thought they would lose without Derek. They felt so bad about what happened that they weren’t even sure if they wanted to play. Their coach tried to get them more focused on the game but he couldn’t keep his mind off Derek either. The coach decided that Derek would be a big inspiration for the other kids. Before the game he took all the players to see Derek. Derek was excited to see them all and wished them good luck in the game and told them to win this one for him. Derek’s teammates gave him a hug and then went back to the field to play.

All the talk about Derek inspired the rest of his teammates to play their best. Derek’s team scored twice in the first inning and never looked back. They won the game 6-3 and they did it all for Derek.

Everything Happens for a Reason by Taylor H.

2008-01-31T16:07:00.001-05:00

There’s always going to be something that you regret in life, but it’s how you react to it that makes you the person that you are. Faith was growing up, just a small town girl, living with the loss of her parents. She grew up with her grandmother; however, she has a huge regret in her life, a mistake that has changed her life forever.

Faith not only has to live with the loss of her parents, but she also has to learn to become a parent of her own. Luckily, she has her grandmother there by her side, and she’s not going to make her raise the baby alone, but it’s still going to be hard for her to be a single sixteen year old mother. She’s gone through a lot with her Grandmother in the past year, and Faith has been there every step of the way. Faith has always been the strong one, but now it’s time for her Granny to be there for her.

Faiths went to a party one night with her friends, and let’s just say by the morning, she couldn’t remember how she got home, or where she was. She got a call from a boy that she supposedly met the night before, and he asked her unusual questions. Therefore, she took a pregnancy test, and it came out positive. She couldn’t believe how irresponsible she had been that night, and how stupid she could have been to have done that. Not only does she have to learn how to be a mother, but she doesn’t even know the father.

Dear Diary, July 9^th, 2006

I don’t know what I have done with my life recently. I’ve thrown away all my hopes and dreams to make sure that this baby will grow up in a normal life style. I don’t know what I would do without Granny here with me right now. It’s been months since the party, and I still can’t believe that I’m going to be raising my own baby girl. I’m praying that I will be a good mother, because I don’t know what I would do if I couldn’t give my baby all that she deserves. I know what it’s like to have to live without my father, and I know that it’s going to be hard for her to understand, but there’s nothing I can do about it. I’ve gone so many restless nights without sleep, and I just want everything to be okay. I hope someday I’ll know how to get myself out of this hole that I’ve buried myself in.

Days have gone by, which have turned into weeks, and Faith is doing okay. Granny spends everyday talking to Faith and telling her just to believe that everything is going to be okay. She hasn’t thrown away her dreams; she can still accomplish all that she desires to do. Right now she is attending Sherwood High School, and she will finish

off the rest of her high school career as a single teenage Mom. However, Granny is going to help her take care of the baby, so she will have time to get her studies done, and still be the average student she was.

Months have slowly dragged on, and Faith has a beautiful baby girl named Emily. Granny has had Emily wrapped around her finger since the day she was born.

***

Faith wrote a letter to Emily for when she’s older so she can understand what happened in her life better.

Dear Emily, May 12, 2007

I know your life is complicated, and I know it might for you to understand everything that happens, but everything happens for a reason. You are the best thing that has ever happened to me, and not a day goes by that I’m not thankful that I have you in my life. You have a father somewhere, but he isn’t part of my life, or yours. Someday, we can find out who he is if you want to, I know he’d be so proud of the girl you’ve grown up to be. Being such a young mother, you have taught me so much. I love you with every beat of my heart, and I’m so glad that I have you in my life.

Love, Mom

***

In the end, it all comes back to Granny. If Granny wasn’t here, neither would Faith, or Emily. Granny kept Faith believing that everything was going to be okay, until eventually Faith started to believe it, and it was. Everything always happens for a reason, and this time, it ended up being the best thing that has ever happened to Faith.

Stranded by Sam C.

2008-01-31T16:06:00.001-05:00

The night was dreary and the wind was calm and cool. I walked for miles trying to find the sight or sound of life. I was in the forest on an island in god knows where, all alone, trying to survive. All I had was one slowly running out bottle of water. I knew that it wouldn’t last and I would need to find help or more water soon.

The last thing I remember was that I was on a cruise for my company. I think I was intoxicated and the waves didn’t help. I remember falling and my body striking the water. I don’t think I passed out because I made it to this island. I have been here for maybe five- days. For the first few days I sat on the beach silently, and thinking what I should do. So here I am now, trying to do something or find someone to save me.

I made note of everything that I passed in the forest so I could know if I was going around in a circle. I feel like I’ve been walking for hours and there has been no sight of anything. My stomach roared so noisily I thought the whole forest could hear it. I needed to get food, but how? The bushes in front of me started to quiver. It scared me for a moment but then out leaped a rabbit. Perfect, lunch! I thought to myself. I needed to find and make some sort of a weapon.

After searching the forest, I managed to find a pointed rock and a long stick. The perfect items to make a spear but how would I tie the rock to the end? I searched and searched even more and found a slender vine hanging from a tree. I ripped it down and completed my weapon. I hunted all night and when dawn came I had nabbed myself two small rabbits and six birds. I then proceeded to find a clear opening to build a fire and roast my game. I rummaged the forest to find some dry firewood and then headed toward the opening I had found. Building the fire must have taken me over an hour because the wind kept blowing out the only flame I had managed to produce. When the fire was finally started I roasted my first rabbit. It was delicious and satisfying. It would be able to hold me over till the next day so I decided to save the other game for tomorrow. I managed to keep the fire going all day.

The next morning I wandered around the island till I came to the edge. Clear, placid water surrounded me and I couldn’t see anything for miles. The best thing for me to do was try and start another fire as a warning signal. I gathered all the brush and wood I possibly could. I dug a hole in the ground and placed rocks around it to make a fire pit. Once the fire was raging I found sticks to spell out HELP in the sand. I knew that this would save me eventually.

Just then, I heard something in the distance. It sounded like a small whirring sound over the waves. I listened and stared at the sky till I saw a small object in the distance. I ran to the fire to make sure the smoke was high enough and the fire was raging bright enough. When the object got closer and closer I noticed that it was a helicopter. I frantically waved and flagged him down. He landed about 100 yards away from me and I ran to him. Finally after being on the island for about a week, I was saved.

Lost by Rachel L.

2008-01-31T16:05:00.001-05:00

The car rolled to a stop. A heavy steam was fogging the view. Dean got out to check the car and Ken followed.

“I think the engine is shot,” Ken said. Dean tried to get the car started, but all it did was make a horrendous hissing noise. Dean and Ken were brothers. They lived in a small town in the quiet hills of Vermont. They had gone out to the bar to have a few drinks. On their way home they didn’t realized that they took a wrong turn a while back and were completely lost. Ken took out his cell phone. He had little service and his battery was almost dead. He decided to shut it off and use it where there was better service. Dean and Ken began to walk along the dirt road. It was a cool, cloudy night and they needed to find a safe place to stay.

After an hour or so of walking, it began to rain. They were getting drenched when they came across an old beaten down barn. It looked as if it had been abandoned for years. Ken turned on his cell phone. He had to make it quick. He dialed 911. A friendly voice answered but got cut off by the sound of Ken’s phone powering down.

“Damn it,” said Ken, “Hopefully they can trace the call.” The boys tried to dry their clothes and get warm. For some reason the barn had a certain chill to it. They figured they should rest a bit to regain their strength and continue in the morning to look for help. It was hard for them to fall asleep. They lay close to each other to keep warm.

Strange noises kept them awake. It sounded as if there was someone pacing back and forth up on the second story of the barn. The noises seemed to be getting louder and harder. They were both frightened by this. Talking in a whisper they decided that Ken would go up the ladder and see what was happening. Ken slowly climbed up the rickety old ladder which could barely support him. He rolled over on to the top of the loft. Dean could no longer see him from the ground. It was silent for a moment. Dean called up to Ken asking him if he saw anything. Ken didn’t answer. Dean, concerned for his brother, decided to climb the ladder to go after Ken. Dean reached the top and looked at Ken. He was just standing there stunned looking at the dark, dusty corner of the barn. Dean quickly looked over and didn’t believe his eyes as a pale figure was forming. Bright yellow eyes were staring back at the brothers. Short and stubby legs moved towards them. Finally recovering from their paralyzed state, they jumped from the second story. Dean fell first and cushioned Ken’s fall. Ken darted for the barn door, but then he noticed that Dean wasn’t following him. He looked back. Dean’s knee was sprained and he could barely move. Ken rushed back to help him. Once they got Dean to his feet, they eventually made it to the door. When they were a good distance from the barn, Dean laid down to rest.

“What the hell was that?” asked Dean.

“I have no clue,” answered Ken, “do you hear something?” The siren of a police car comforted the brothers. The car pulled up next to them. Ken told the policeman about their car that had been broken down and asked if he would be able to give them a ride home. The policeman agreed. Ken and Dean got into the back of the car. The policeman asked Dean how he hurt his leg. Dean began telling him about their trip looking for shelter and how they came across the barn.

“Wait, did you see something there?” asked the policeman, “There used to be an old crazy man that lived up there. He never left his barn for anything. He went insane and eventually died. People say that his sprit still haunts the place.”

Ken and Dean looked at each other and nodded to each other, but did not respond.

Home Sweet Home by Olivia N.

2008-01-31T16:04:00.001-05:00

Benny was an orphan. His parents died in a fire when he was seven, so now he lives with “Aunt Margret”. Benny didn’t think she was actually related to him, because you’re relatives aren’t supposed to be that mean to you. Anywhere was better than the orphanage though, so he put up with it; doing chores from dawn to dusk while Aunt Margret sat inside watching TV. He knew that she made him do the chores because she just didn’t like him, things such as picking up the sticks in the backyard and raking the lawn in August were meant to keep him busy, they weren’t chores that were necessary. . Benny never complained though, if he did she would beat him like she does whenever he doesn’t get the chores done on time and not give him any food for two days. More than anything in the world though, Benny longed to have a family, and a place to call home where he could get away from the world and be surrounded by people who loved him. He had a roof over his head and an Aunt, but that was it. Just a house and some person who happened to be related to him.

School was no better either, the other kids made fun of him because of his ragged oversized clothes. He only had one friend, Rose.

One day after school, the class bully, Greg, started picking on Benny.

“Hey Benny, who’s sweater is that, your grandmother’s?!”

“No, it’s mine,” Benny answered politely, “but it was my Aunt’s, it shrunk in the wash, and she doesn’t buy me new sweaters so it’s the only one I have.”

All the other kids started laughing.

“Why don’t you wear her old skirt to school tomorrow with it?” said Greg.

“Shut up Greg!” Said someone in a quiet, but menacing voice.

“Who said that? Rose?” Demanded Greg. “Oh that’s funny, and who’s gonna make me, you?!” Rose was tiny, about half the size of Greg, but she had a big heart and an even bigger attitude.

“I will if you say one more mean thing to Benny!” She exclaimed.

“Hey Benny, I guess I can’t talk to you anymore, otherwise your little girlfriend here will beat me up! It’s too bad, I was just going to ask you if you had your Auntie’s bra on too!” He laughed.

WHAM!

Rose punched Greg in the nose and it started to bleed.

“I know karate and I happen to be a black belt! Go ahead, say something else! I’ll aim lower next time and you’ll really regret it!” She threatened.

“Bebby I’ll geb you for dis!” Shouted Greg while holding his nose.

The color drained out of Benny’s face and he just stood there.

“You alright?” Rose asked

“Yeah thanks,” said Benny

Suddenly the bell rang and it was time to get to class.

“Well see you later,” said Rose.

And they both ran to class so they wouldn’t be late.

Benny didn’t see Greg for the rest of the day, even at lunch, and Benny knew Greg never skipped a meal. Perhaps he went home, Benny thought. He wasn’t having good day though, and of course Greg didn’t really go home.

Benny was standing at his locker putting his books in his backpack, when he remembered that he needed to talk to one of his teachers about a homework assignment, so he ran back in the classroom. By the time he finished talking to the teacher pretty much everyone had gone home already and the hallway was deserted. Benny grabbed his back pack and walked towards the door, when all of a sudden Greg appeared out of no where and shoved Benny into against the lockers.

“Where do you think you’re going?” Demanded Greg.

“Home,” said Benny. Although Benny didn’t exactly consider it home.

“Well not anymore you aren’t, I know you love school, so you can stay here all night long and maybe one of the janitors will leave a night light on for you.”

“No thanks, I really need to get home, I have a lot of chores to do for my Aunt.”

“Well you can tell her the principal made you clean the school of all your slime.”

Greg sneered. And with that he picked up Benny, opened his locker and shoved him inside. Benny heard the lock click and knew he was stuck inside of his own locker until someone just happened to wander by. He heard Greg laughing all the way out of the school and doubted anyone would come. He sat in there waiting and dreading what his Aunt would do to him when he finally got out.

“Benny? Benny? Are you in here?”

“Yes! I’m stuck in the locker can you help me? The combination is 14-23-5.”

Benny heard someone fumble with the lock and a click and the door opened. Benny fell out tripping over his feet, almost bringing Rose crashing to the floor with him.

“I’m so sorry, are you okay?” She apologized.

“No, I’m fine, it’s not your fault, don’t worry about it. And thanks. I would’ve been stuck in there for hours if you hadn’t come. How’d you know I was in there?”

“Well I was waiting for you outside and you never came so I went inside and I saw your backpack in the floor.” Rose explained.

Thanks Rose, I really have to go, if I don’t get my chores done my Aunt will be really mad.” Benny said.

“Well, my mom’s here, we can give you a ride to your house.”

“Really, that would be great, thanks!” Said Benny smiling. “Rose?”

“Yeah?”

“You’re really lucky,” Said Benny.

“Why?” Because your mother loves you

“Oh, here’s my mom, c’mon let’s go.”

So Benny got in the car with Rose and her mother and Rose explained what had happened to Benny while they drove him to his house. When they pulled into the driveway there were ambulances and cops surrounding the house. Then they saw a body being carried from the house into one of the ambulances on a stretcher.

Benny got out of the car and went up to one of the cops. “What’s going on?” He said.

“Are you Benny?” Asked the cop.

“Yes,” Benny

All of a sudden Rose and her mother appeared next to Benny.

“Benny, your Aunt had a heart attack and passed away about an hour ago. The records that we have here say that she was your last living relative, and there was nothing in the will about who you would take care of you should something like this ever happen. I’m afraid you’ll have to go back to the orphanage.” The cop explained.

“NO!!!” I can’t go back there! You don’t understand, anywhere is better than that horrible orphanage!” Benny cried.

“I’m sorry son, but it’s the only way.” Said the cop.

Rose’s mother looked at Benny and then pulled the cop off to the side and whispered something in his ear.

“Well there will be a lot of papers to sign and a lot of legal work to go through, but, yes, you can.”

“We’ll take him then.” Said Rose’s mother to the cop.

“Benny, you’re one of the family now.”

The Messy Breakup by Melissa O.

2008-01-31T16:02:00.000-05:00

“What should I do?” Sarah yelled at Lisa.

Sarah and Lisa were sprawled out on Sarah’s bed. Sarah has been dating her boyfriend Adam for two months and feels it has been long enough. The summer was coming and she wanted freedom. She liked him a lot, but he was acting really weird lately and she was getting sick of it. She had to let him down easy, but how do you do that without hurting someone? So, Sarah decided to consult her best friend Lisa for advice.

“Just tell him the truth.” Lisa advised.

“Yeah, but the truth hurts and I do not want to hurt him.” Sarah said.

Sarah realized that Lisa was not going to be any help after spending hours on the subject and getting no where. She was on her own. She felt best the to use the excuse, “my parents don’t want me to date anymore” so this way it will seem that she still wants a relationship, but she can’t have one.

The next day Sarah and Adam went to the movies. It was awkward. Every time Adam tried to kiss her she ducked or coughed to avoid it. When the movie was over they went for pizza.

“We need to talk.” Adam said.

This was great! Sarah thought he might just dump her first, which would make things so much easier.

“Ok.” She said.

“Well, I didn’t want to tell you this, but I feel you have the right to know.”

“Know what?” She said like she had no idea what he was going to say.

“That I have cancer.”

For what seemed like hours she sat there just starring at him. This couldn’t be true. He was supposed to dump her and that would be it. For the rest of the night they were silent and when he dropped her off she couldn’t even look at him. It just didn’t make sense.

As soon as she got home she lied in bed silent for a while. Then the phone rang and it was Lisa.

“How did it go?” She asked.

“I couldn’t do it.” Sarah said

“Well why not? You had your heart set on it a few hours ago.”

“Lisa, he has cancer.”

For quite some time Lisa consoled her and told her that she did the right thing, but Sarah felt like she didn’t. Should she stay with him because he’s sick or should she dump a person with cancer? It was a really tough decision and Sarah thought best she should leave things the way they are and take some time to think about it. One thing was for sure and that was that for the time being she should make things alright with Adam.

The next day she called Adam and said they should talk.

“I’m sorry for the way I acted I just was confused and scared.” Sarah told Adam once they were alone.

“That’s ok I mean it was a lot to put on you. I’m sorry for being so distant lately it’s just that my mind has been a little scattered.” He said.

Sarah decided to just enjoy herself. They did things like they used to and they were really having a great time. They seemed to spend all there time together. A week had passed and Sarah was having such a great time she completely forgot that Adam was even sick. Until one day at lunch she noticed something different.

“Did you get a hair cut?” Sarah asked lifting up the side of his hat.

“Actually I did since it was starting to fall out anyway I figured I would just get it over with.” Adam said.

“Oh.” Sarah said as she began to remember everything.

That night Adam made Sarah a romantic dinner at his house since his parents were away. Ever since Sarah learned that Adam was sick they seemed to be having the best time together. They spent all hours of the day together and seemed inseparable. Sarah even had thoughts of the future with Adam. One night at around eleven Sarah received a phone call from Adams mother Mary saying that something had happened and Adam was in the hospital. Sarah rushed to the hospital.

“Is he all right? What happened?” Sarah said looking like she was about to cry.

“On his way to bed he fell. The doctor said the cancer has spread to his legs.” Mary said as she burst into tears.

“But he’ll be ok. Right?” Sarah begged, but Mary just stayed quiet.

Sarah then began to burst into tears. She stayed there hugging Mary for a while until the doctor came out and said Adam can have visitors. Mary went in first and then Sarah. Adam seemed fine, just a little tired. She couldn’t help but cry every time she thought of him.

Every day the cancer was getting worse and worse, and they stopped the chemo. Every day Sarah brought him flowers and stayed with him for hours. She stayed strong for him, but it was getting harder.

Three weeks later Adam passed. Sarah really loved him and was happy for the time they did have together. She knew she would remember him for the rest of her life.

A long way from home By Melissa B.

2008-01-31T16:01:00.000-05:00

It was the last day of school and Ellie was at her locker cleaning it out. She took her One Tree Hill pics down, the pics of her friends and of course, Jason. Jason was her boyfriend of 1.5 years. They went through high school together until he graduated last year. They were inseparable until he went to college. He was going half way across the country to play football at Michigan State. It was unsure to Ellie what they were now, were they still together or were they just friends? Being across the country from him made her think of him a lot. They didn’t talk as much as they used to. They’ve gone a whole three month without talking just because they’ve both been so busy. Ellie’s friends have told her to let go of him even though he was so great but there’s a better life out there for her than waiting for him to come home every 4 months, but she just couldn’t let go.

Ellie hugged all her of friends goodbye and said she would be at her going away party around 6:00. Ellie took one last lap around the school looking at all the posters and pictures and the classrooms. She couldn’t believe that she was leaving. Leaving home forever and most likely not coming back. Ellie looked at pictures of her and her friends on the upperclassman board. She grabbed the pictures and took them with her. She wanted to take everything she could with her to New Zealand that would remind her of home.

Ellie, her two sisters, brother, mom and dad were all moving to New Zealand for her dad’s job. He is an ER doctor and was being promoted to be the chief of the hospital in New Zealand. The pay was a little better than he was getting now but not the greatest since it wasn’t the richest place. But he would be getting paid more and he would get to help a lot more people that were in more need than at home.

That night at the going away party Ellie looked at her friends and thought that she had the best friends in the world and never wanted to leave them, or the town. They had so much fun together and they talked about things that they would never forget about each other. Ellie looked at her phone and realized it was 11 o’clock and knew that her dad would be there to pick her up any minute. Her eyes started to fill with tears as they fell splashing onto the floor. Her friends then all started to cry too knowing that the end was almost here. End of their Friday night movies and sleepovers, their study groups, their lunch in the cafeteria together and watching One Tree Hill calling each other on a 10 way discussing how shocked they were what happened. But they knew that one thing would never end, and that was their friendship. Ellie promised to email them at least one a week with pictures news about New Zealand. It was 11:17 and Ellie’s dad was here to pick her up. Ellie gave them all a hug and left with eyes full of tears.

The next morning the family grabbed all their stuff that they were bringing on the plane and sent the stuff that was to big to go on the plane, in the mail to their new house. Ellie was a little excited because their plane was making a stop in Michigan, not to far from Michigan State where Jason was. Ellie decided that since she had enough time, she would make a surprise trip to see him. They got to the airport and went through luggage check in and security then finally boarded the plane. The captain’s voice came over the loud speaker and said to follow the seat belt directions on the screen and to have a wonderful flight. Ellie clicked her seat bet in place, put her Ipod on, headphones in the ears and close her eyes for the 1 hr and 17 minute flight. The plane started going down as it hit the runway. The plane pulled in and the passengers started getting off.

Ellie and her family got their carry on’s and walked off the plane to a place to sit in the gate. Ellie said “I’m going to get a cab to go see Jason, don’t worry mom, I’ve got my phone and everything, call me if you need me.”

Her mom looked at her confused. “Please?!” Ellie said. Alright, you have 3 hours before we board the plane again. Make sure you’re back.”

“I will mom” said Ellie as she started walking toward the door.

Once Ellie got outside she put her Coach sunglasses on and called out for a taxi. A taxi stopped and she got in. “Michigan State University, please,” and with a shut of the door and a step on the gas, Ellie was on her way to see Jason. She was finally here. She walked into the main building and asked where she could find him. The lady at the desk gave her his door building and his room number. Ellie walked across campus until she was finally standing in front of his door. Ellie took a deep breath and knocked on the door. A guy answered who Ellie assumed was his roommate.

“Hi, is Jason here?” She asked.

“Nahhh, he’s at the center of campus,” said Jason’s roommate.

“That would be where?” Asked Ellie confused.

“Here, I’ll take you there,” As he grabbed his football jacket and shut the door. On the way to where Jason was, they talked and introduced themselves to each other. Jason’s roommate was named Greg, who was a junior and the wide receiver on the football team. He was a high second round pick into the NFL but decided to finish college first and then make a decision if he wanted to play football in the NFL or take up a “real” job. After about a 7 minute walk they finally reached the campus center. Ellie looked around for Jason. She looked everywhere and then finally saw him by the Starbucks. “Jason!” she yelled with a wave as she ran down the steps. He must have not heard her as he started to walk away. Ellie slowed to a quick walk as she followed him. She was only 100 feet away to finally talking to him in months. He then sat down next to a girl on the water fountain ledge. Ellie was to excited to notice this but when she saw him kissing the girl, Ellie stopped dead in her tracks. She just stared at them as her eyes started to fill up, standing in the middle of the campus about to cry. Greg came up to Ellie and just stood by her side not knowing why she was crying until he thought that she wasn’t his sister, Ellie was his high school girlfriend. “Greg!” someone yelled “over here!” it was Jason motioning for him to go over. Greg looked at Ellie and they both started to walk over to him. “Hey man,” said Jason, “who’s the gi……Ellie?” His voice quieted down as he looked up into her tear filled eyes. Then he looked at Meghan (the girl sitting next to him) “I uhhhh…..” said Jason not knowing what to say. The tears started coming harder now and Ellie was just so embarrassed. She ran to the stairs and ran up them skipping every other one wanting to get out of there as quick as she could. “Ellie” screamed Jason as he ran after her. Ellie flagged a taxi and was about to get in when Jason grabbed her hand.

“I’m sorry, I didn’t--”

“What, you didn’t mean to hurt me?!” interuped Ellie. “Yea, well it’s a little too late for that. My friends were right, you aren’t worth it”

And with that Ellie got into the taxi and left. She sat in the taxi in tears the entire way back to the airport. When she finally got there she had to go through check in again and security. Ellie walked up to Gate 36A and found her family.

“Hi, honey!” Said her mom “How was it?!

“I don’t think it is going to work out,” Ellie said with disappointment.

“Oh, I’m sorry”

“Mom, It’s fine” Ellie responded quickly, “He isn’t worth it.”

Ellie got back just in time to board the plane. Everyone got onto the plane, settled down, buckled up and took off into the air once again.

***** ***** ***** ***** *****

In New Zealand 1 month later….

***** ***** ***** ***** *****

“Ellie, get ready for school!” yelled her mother, “you’re gunna be late!”

Ellie rolled out of bed and got into the shower, got dresses (in her school uniform), did her hair, make up and then went down stairs to eat breakfast. She had been going to school for about 3 weeks now and in one of her classes she was already going on a fieldtrip.

The fieldtrip was wilderness survival as well as kayaking in the ocean and playing games on the beach. None of Ellie’s new friends were going and she didn’t know anyone that was going on the trip so she sat alone the entire 3 and a half hour bus ride. When they got there the class set up their tents and went swimming in the beach. Ellie just sat on the beach watching them all have fun. Ellie was just about to get up and go read a book in her tent but then she heard a voice,

“Ah, you going to come swim in the wottah with us?”

Ellie turned around to see a tall, New Zealand blue eyed, blond boy standing in front of her. He was like no American boy she’d ever seen. “Ummmm….”

“Come ohnnn” said the boy.

“Alright” said Ellie with a smile. Ellie took her clothes off to reveal her bright blue bikini. Ellie walked along side the boy down to the water.

“I’m Cam by the way”

“I’m Ellie”

They got into the water and Cam introduced her to the rest of the people. They played in the water for so long. They played catch with a nerf football, they played chicken, and then they got out of the water and played tag. Once the sun went down the teacher started a bonfire and put out things to make smores. Ellie hung out with Cam all night and they shared things about themselves to each other.

* * *

It was the last night that they would be on the trip until they got back home. Ellie and Cam sat under the stars and just watched as the sky got darker and darker. For the first time Ellie was happy that she was here in New Zealand.

Ellie looked up into Cam’s eyes and said “You make me want to never go back to the United States because there is somebody special here that would be waiting for me to come back if I left. There is no one like that back in the US, except my friends, but they probably don’t miss me anyway.”

As Cam leaned in toward Ellie he said “I’m so glad you’re here too, and I would miss you more than anything if you were to just leave.”

And with that, Ellie leaned into Cam and they kissed, under the light of the moon.

Fight of Defiance By Melanie D.

2008-01-31T16:00:00.001-05:00

I had been running and fighting for too long to give up now. I would not die before I broke the curse that bonded me with this ongoing nightmare that seemed to have captured my reality. It had started when I allowed myself to be lost in the mind games of life and had forgotten who I am for a fraction of a second, but even that was long enough to let this corrupt creature escape from my locked soul. I had no control after that point; it had run instantly away from my grasping clutches, and begun its destruction of every aspect of my life. It ran wildly, searching for every way it could find to abolish the person I had become. Before I could react, my whole town was lit in blazing flames that seemed to have seized the entire world known to me. I was confused beyond all reason, until I realized that this other, darker part of me had somehow been disconnected from my body and was now running lose through our small town, destroying anything that dared to cross its path.

Captivated by the horror of what was happening, I became immersed by a shot of adrenaline that absorbed my body, as I ran through the fires and past the shrieking citizens with fierceness greater than anything I have ever felt. I arrived at my house without even realizing it and charged through the rooms screaming hysterically for my family. I knew they were not there, but the fruitless bonds of false hope convinced me otherwise, and I searched anyway, not ready to lose faith yet.

A chilling voice echoed in my mind, “Your mistake will see them forever lost to you.” I couldn’t figure out where it was coming from, but it seemed as if the voice was latched in my own mind. I was sure that this creature was a deranged part of me, but it had severed the physical connection between us.

“No! I made no mistake, please just bring them back!” I cried as tears flooded my vision, yet the only reply I received was a ghastly laugh that mimicked my pain. With one final hope remaining, I sprinted through town and arrived at my best friend’s yard. Shock and disbelief spread through me when I saw the ruin that had overtaken the once beautiful home. The house lay in a blackened wreck on the smoldering ground, surrounded by the flames that had brought its death. This creature had gone too far, taking away my friends and family, leaving me with nothing left to live for. In that moment, standing amongst the disaster my life had become, I vowed that I would destroy this creature in any way possible.

I had heard somewhere before that the only way to truly eliminate an unknown being was to stab it with a silver blade, but I had no idea where to obtain one. I had also heard that if your need is great enough, and your ambition is strong enough, that miracles can happen without explanation or reason. As I was thinking this, a glimmer of light immersed in the blazing flames caught my eye, so I walked by to pick it up, and held in my burnt hand a magnificent silver sword. I was ready to fight and rein victory.

It had come to the final battle leaving me to fight something that I wasn’t even sure was real. Defiance held strong within me. I would not let this overwhelming force pull me away, I would not let it take me into the black depths of what lay beneath my mind. Tragedy had overtaken everything I knew, there was nothing left for me to fight for, but I still held on to that one last strand of hope with such strength that nothing could defeat my determination. I did not believe in giving up, and that certainly would not change now. The only enemy I had to face was myself, and once I had victory over that, the world would lie at my feet and I would be free.

I was trapped in a prison within my own mind that held unthinkable tortures in an unexpected way. I was so close to obtaining the knowledge of how to defeat it that I could imagine the possibility of never having to endure the inescapable pain that had chased me endlessly until now. That thought alone gave me the last surge of energy that kept me fighting with all the strength I had left, prompting the last victorious moments of the battle. The intensity and confusion that entangled my brain seemed to clear for a single instant that allowed me to strike down my enemy.

I gallantly raised my sword, and struck against the black abyss that claimed the body of this ruthless creature. As the metal pierced its insubstantial form, it released a horrific screech that could deafen any living being and scar their memory with the estranged sound of it. It gave its final stand in the fight it had begun and surrendered itself to the deathly hands of defeat, leaving me shocked, standing on the cold ground that just witnessed a heroic battle. I finally had the power to watch my enemy fall to my feet and collapse in a defeated bundle landing with a crash to the ground. Victory was mine to indulge myself in, and with it was brought my life that was once again free.

One Shot by Lauren B.

2008-01-31T15:58:00.000-05:00

I released my shot at the 3 point line watching it swoosh perfectly through the net tying up the game. My long blonde pony tail swiped against my neck as I rushed back to play defense. I got down really low and carefully watched the point guard of the opposing team handle the ball. She lost control of the ball for less than one second and I knew that it was my opportunity to steal the ball. I darted at her making her lose her focus and sneakily swatted the ball away from her. It flew uncontrollably down the court. I sprinted towards it and drove all the way to the hoop on a fast break. The buzzer went off marking the end of the game and the crowd cheered knowing that I had just won our team another game.

Basketball was my life. Not only did I enjoy playing, but I was really good at it. It was my passion, my favorite hobby, my main focus in life. I was determined to be the best of the best, and I was quickly gaining that title. I was, by far, the player that held my high school basketball team together. I had been the starting point guard on the varsity team since freshman year. My grades weren’t the best. Actually they weren’t even close to the best. I had basically all C’s and no chance of getting into any Ivy League college like my mom would want me too. It wasn’t that I was bad at school, I would just much rather watch a Celtic’s game than type an English paper or shoot hoops in my driveway than work on a math problem. My only hope of getting into a semi reasonable college was by a basketball scholarship and being the best player on a division one high school team gave me a good chance at that.

It was Saturday morning when I woke up still in a good mood from last night’s game. My muscles were sore but the image in my head of myself saving the game made up for it. I put on shorts and a hoodie and started off my day by jogging on my treadmill just like every other morning. My stop watch went off after exactly one hour and I hopped off and jumped into a steamy hot shower. I combed my fingers threw my hair and threw it up into a messy bun.

I was about to switch on my laptop to check out the scores of my favorite college basketball team when my cell phone vibrated in my sweatpants pocket. It was a text message from my best friend Sara. It read, “Brooke! Party at my house 8:00 tonight. I better see you there!” Sara’s parties were always way out of control and there was never any parental supervision. I decided that it was a better idea to stay home. They’d all be drinking and not remember that I wasn’t there anyways. I texted back saying, “Thanks but no thanks.” Right after the message was received my cell phone started vibrating again. This time it was a call.

“Brooke, you have to come tonight. It’s going to be awesome. My parents are gone for the entire weekend.”

“No thanks,” I responded. I wasn’t too much into the whole party and drinking scene like my other friends were.

“Oh my god Brooke, You are such a loser. You have the weekend off of basketball. You should just come. You never come to parties.”

I knew she wouldn’t give up until I gave in. “Fine,” I said. Maybe it would be fun after all. I deserved a break from basketball. It was all I had been doing lately. Plus I could celebrate last night’s game. I suddenly got really excited realizing that it would be the first fun thing I had done in a while. I slipped off my sweatpants and pulled on my shortest jean skirt and my tall chestnut UGG boots. I put on a cute sweater that complimented my eyes and wore my hair down and straight. It was a change from my normal work out clothes that everyone was used to seeing me in.

I basically stared at my watch until it turned 8:00. I walked out to my car and cleared my sweaty head band, knee brace, and basketball sneakers off the seat. I drove to Sara’s house confidently, getting ready to have a good time. I tried hard to hide my nervousness. It wasn’t that I was planning on doing anything bad; it was just that I wasn’t used to being at wild parties. I recognized the fact that I had nothing to be worried about because I couldn’t get in trouble if I didn’t do anything wrong.

When I arrived at the party, half of the guests were already drunk out of their minds. It was funny watching our friend’s trip over their own feet and laugh for absolutely no reason. I enjoyed being basically the only sober one and watching everyone else make a fool out of themselves. Everything was going great until a boy from my school offered me a drink. I kindly declined his offer but he wouldn’t take no for an answer. “Oh, I’m sorry. I forgot that the star athlete here doesn’t drink.” I laughed it off hoping he would leave me alone; but he didn’t. “Why would you come to a party if you’re not even going to drink?” he asked. He kept harassing me until I finally yanked the can from his hand and took a big long gulp. It was one drink that led to another, that led to another, that led to another. Everything was spinning and I found it very difficult to walk. I had lost count of how many drinks I had but it didn’t seem to phase me. Everyone was having a good time, laughing, taking pictures, and playing games. The rest of the night was a blur.

I woke up the next morning on the floor of Sara’s bedroom with a major headache and almost no remembrance of the previous night. I got up and drove back to my house. I layed in bed the entire day, exhausted from the crazy party. I couldn’t believe it was Sunday and I had school and basketball the next day. I was feeling much better by Monday and had a lot of new friends saying “hi” to my in the hallways.

After school I got dressed in my basketball clothes and went out on the court to start warming up before practice. My coach slowly walked up to me with a weird look on his face and a yellow folder in his hand. He led me into the coach’s room and told me to sit down. I had no idea what was going on. He sat in front of me with a table separating us. He opened the folder and took out multiple pictures and placed them in front of me. I couldn’t believe my eyes. In front of me were pictures of party that I had not seen. Apparently someone had put them online Sunday night and my coach had gotten a hold of them. There were pictures of me drinking alcohol and acting crazy. It was weird seeing me doing things that I couldn’t even remember. I hung my head as my coach raged at me. When he was done screaming and asking me what I was thinking, he calmly explained my consequences. He informed me that the team had a zero tolerance policy and that I would be kicked off the team permanently. I could not believe it. I didn’t even know how to respond. I covered my face with my hands as tears streamed out of my eyes.

I couldn’t even imagine not being able to play basketball. It was the one thing in life I enjoyed the most. I went out to my car and sat in the parking lot in shock. I couldn’t believe that one night, one party, one mistake, could ruin my entire life. I remembered that I had no chance of getting into college anymore and that I would probably end up not being accepted anywhere. The hardest part was telling my parents. They were extremely disappointed and more worried than upset. They also knew that my chances of getting into college were slim. I started trying really hard in school but I was not making any progress. It just wasn’t my thing.

I graduated high school by the skin of my teeth. I wasn’t accepted into any colleges because of my grades and I couldn’t get that athletic scholarship I was hoping for my whole life because I was no longer on the basketball team. If only I didn’t go to that party I would have been recruited to a division one school and got a good education and possibly got on a pro team. One mistake, one bad choice, one party, ruined my life. I wouldn’t be able to get a good job because I didn’t have a college education. Basketball is just a game but it definitely teaches you life lessons; One of those being to make good choices.

Running Into Love by Katie T.

2008-01-31T15:57:00.000-05:00

Jenna’s life has always been predictable. Good things have always happened to her until death crossed her path. She understands things happen for a reason and she has been waiting twenty-eight years now for something to happen. She lives in an apartment in Boston with her seven year old daughter. She moved away after college and is trying to find her new soul mate. Being a 28-year old mother in a big city is hard enough as it is.

Jenna was good at most of the things she has done. She is an editor for Seventeen magazine, and knew most of the hottest celebrities. One thing that always got her through the day was her daughter Sarah. Adam was Sarah’s father. Jenna and Adam were madly in love, however a few years after Sarah was born; he died in a tragic car accident. For a few years now, Jenna has put Adam’s death in her own hands. The death was not her fault, but she has acted as though it was. She has been depressed for a while now, and has been waiting for something good to come her way again.

It has been three years now since his death and Jenna was now ready to get back out on the dating field. Jenna wanted to just go out and find someone to love. Adam was the kind of guy Jenna usually didn’t go for. That wasn’t necessarily a bad thing though. Jenna needed to stop thinking about the past and start thinking about herself more. There was only one thing stopping her from dating again and it was her little girl. She didn’t want Sarah to think that she was trying to replace her father. Adam was Sarah’s hero, he played such a big role in her life and now he was gone. Sarah meant the world to Jenna and she didn’t want to do something to hurt her.

***

Jenna got out of work early for personal reasons, and took Sarah with her to Quincy Market. They were walking until they spotted a frozen Lemonade stand.

“Hey Mommy, hey Mommy, look what I found!” Sarah shouted with such delight.

“What is it dear?” Jenna said without paying attention.

“LEMONADE! LEMONADE! I want lemonade! Please mommy?” Sarah begged.

“Oh. Sure babygirl, anything that will make you happy. Now you go wait in line and I will be over in a second.” Jenna said laughing.

They couldn’t believe that so many people wanted this famous lemonade. The line was very long, almost too long. As the man at the stand asked them for the money, Jenna had realized that she had left her bag in the apartment. Sarah was very upset and stated to cry! But with their luck, there was a man behind them, a very handsome man that was willing to buy one for Sarah.

He handed Sarah the drink and said “I know what it feels like to want something really bad and knowing you can never have it.”

Jenna responded and said” Yeah, I know what you mean. Thank you again sir.”

The handsome man smiled and said “It’s Eric.”

Jenna reached out her hand to meet with his, “Jenna”.

***

The day Jenna and Eric met was the best day either of them have had in a very long time.

Ever since the day they met, everywhere they went they kept running into each other. They agreed to go on a date together. So, Jenna hired a babysitter for Sarah, so she could have a night of peace with a very nice guy. Sarah absolutely dispised babysitters and she had a fit. Although Jenna felt bad, there was nothing that was going to get in her way of going out with Eric.

“When will mommy be home? I want my mommy! I want my mommy!” Sarah cried to the babysitter.

“In a little bit babes, now go to bed, it’s getting late.” The babysitter told her.

Sarah had pretended that she had fallen asleep just to make the babysitter go back downstairs. Sarah was up for a few more hours than usual. She was waiting for her mom to get home, until she saw a car pull up the driveway. Sarah noticed that familiar face of the man come out of the car and opens the door for Jenna. They were both smiling as they walked up the steps. Right before Sarah’s eyes they lean into each other and kissed. Sarah couldn’t believe her eyes. She was very upset at her mother. How could she do that to her? This was a true nightmare!

By the time her mother actually got home, Sarah was fast asleep. She sent the babysitter home and went to bed herself. The next morning Sarah gave her mother the silent treatment. Jenna figured that it was because of Eric. She they had a big talked.

“Baby, he’s a really ice guy and he really cares about me. And I really care about him as well.” She explained.

“I can’t believe you would to that to dad! It’s so hard.” Sarah cried.

“Sarah you have to understand dad is gone now. I still love him dearly, but sometimes you have to let go of the things you love. Plus he is in a safer place now. I have to start searching for someone I want to spend the rest of my life with.” She tried gaining her daughters respect, “Sarah, I’m not trying to replace your father. If that’s what you think I’m trying to do. Nobody could ever replace him.”

“I know and it’s just hard for me because it’s hard to let go of the things you love. But I will give Eric a chance I promise. Now let’s go down town.”

***

It was a very special evening, Eric had a surprise for Jenna and Sarah was in on it. They all went out to a fancy dinner together, looking their finest. When the clock struck 11:11, Eric pulled out his chair and got down on one knee. Eric explained to her how much he loved her and how he wanted to spend the rest of his life with her.

“…So Jenna Callaway will you do me the honor by marrying me. We will live a great life and our love is everlasting. So will you?”

All Sarah could say was, “I love you so much!” Eric took that as a yes and Sarah was very happy.

***

Sarah was now ten years old living in an apartment in Boston. A new apartment, with her new family, with no problems. This was the first time her life where she truly felt at home. Jenna and Eric got married last year and were expecting a baby. There life was a fantasy. Who knew, if you want something really badly, go for it and you might end up getting what you want.

Confiding in the Fear by Julia L.

2008-01-31T15:56:00.001-05:00

The moon shone a dull, shady gold, suspended in the cloudless fall sky. A gentle zephyr rustled the leaves and gave off eerie aura. Anna and Sadie whipped around at the slightest noise, being thoroughly creeped out. Sadie took a hesitant step away from the noise, only to have it sound again. They took off running, scrambling through the thick underbrush. Adrenaline kicked in and they ran faster when they realized they were being followed. Anna stumbled on a root and was knocked unconscious. Sadie couldn’t just leave her there, but she didn’t find being murdered a good alternative. What she didn’t know was that Anna was already dead, but in the rush of the moment, Sadie didn’t dare stop and check. She stooped down and started to drag Anna into the cover of the nearby underbrush.

She heard her pursuer getting closer, and closer. Sadie had seconds before the thing was upon her. She pulled with all her strength, knowing very well that every breath might be her last. All her strength went into pulling Anna into the underbrush, all her concentration, everything she had. She knew nothing else in those moments, except for Anna and the formidable thing coming after her. She could hear it tearing through the branches above her! All of a sudden, it stopped. Sadie tentatively looked back and there it was. Black cloak, glowing green eyes, and an axe raised above its head that glinted in the moonlight. One momentary glance was all she had, until BAM! And Sadie crumpled into a lifeless heap on the ground.

***

Eight hours later, Sadie’s mom, Blare, awoke to the sweet melody of a nearby robin. She rubbed her eyes in sleepy contentment. They were camping in a literal hinterland with only the birds and the bees as company. Blare always had a passion for camping and when Sadie and Anna were born it had become a sort of tradition to come camping every fall. Blare started to prepare breakfast, hoping the smell of fresh-cooked bacon would wake the girls. Well, breakfast came and went and the girls still hadn’t wakened. Suspiciously, Blare peeked into the tent, only to find it empty. Now utterly worried, she started to call them.

“ANNA… SADIE!!” she screamed until her voice was nearly gone. In hysterics, she started to search the nearby woods. “Something is wrong, they wouldn’t have left without leaving a note and they wouldn’t be gone for so long. They know I would worry. Something must be wrong,” she thought out loud. She searched until she spotted a pool of red liquid out of the corner of her eye. It formed a little stream coming from behind a tree. She tentatively followed it until two mangled bodies came into sight.

It could not be! They came here every fall and nothing bad had every happened, but this year was different. Her two beloved daughters lying there on the ground like two worthless lumps. Blare found tears coming to her eyes, as she spotted a carved message in the tree the bodies were leaning against. As she read it tears were replaced by sheer terror.

“You are not safe. I will find you.” What was coming after her? She could not stay here. She had to; she was stuck here until Bill came to pick them up at the end of their excursion. That was a week from now. She could not leave her daughters here either. She came to the realization that she had no options, as she heard a rustling in the leaves behind her. She whipped around to see a figure in a black cloak and glowing green eyes step out of the bushes. It was almost transparent, like a spirit. It held a glinting axe dripping with blood in its hand. Blare was like a deer caught in headlights, paralyzed. As it took a step towards her, the hold keeping her there broke and she ran like a gazelle through the underbrush, adrenaline driving her along.

She could hear the spirit’s cloak rushing through the wind, but it wasn’t crashing through the underbrush as she was. Suddenly, she heard a whoosh above her head and she looked up to see the treacherous spirit flying above her. It had its glinting axe poised and ready to strike. In her terror, she screamed. Just as the spirit swung down, Blare fell. She fell down, and down, safe from the evil swing of that glinting axe. When she stopped rolling, she found that she had fallen down a steep ravine and was now hidden in the abnormally thick underbrush.

She was safe for now, but she knew she would not be safe for long. If she stayed in the same place, then she would be found and certainly killed. Blare peered through the underbrush and saw her pursuer standing watch over the ravine, like a sentry, in a tree. She could not get out of the ravine without being spotted. Blare was in a horrible predicament that guaranteed death. She considered and came to the terrifying decision that it was easier to join her beloved daughters in heaven then to run and spend her life in shame.

Blare burst through the underbrush and started running in plain sight of the mysterious spirit. It swooped down upon her and Blare stopped running. She stood facing it with no fear in her heart. She looked it straight in the eye, knowing that death was staring right back at her, but she was not scared. Those terrible glowing eyes and the jet-black cloak, a glinting axe dripping with blood in its left hand.

It slowly took a step toward her, and brought its axe up into position. “Go ahead, finish your job! I have nothing to fear!” Blare screamed at it.

“You think you are not scared of me?” it said it a slow, raspy voice that made Blare jump.

“Why should I be?” Blare answered defiantly, her confidence building with every passing second. It laughed a malicious, hollow laugh and stepped even closer. It was inches away from her as it raised its axe above its head. Just as it was about to swing, a cold choking noise came from its dry throat. Its glowing eyes dimmed and it dropped its axe. The axe landed with a thud as it grabbed at its throat. Seconds later, it was gasping for air. Suddenly, it burst into a cloud of green and black dust, covering everything in the vicinity in a fine layer of evil. Blares courage and fearlessness in the face of death had destroyed the spirit. The burst blocked out the sun for a moment until it settled and clouded the earth with its blackness. Then, an icy wind blew and carried it all away as if cleaning up the mess it made.

Blare stood there, stunned, unable to move. It came over her that she had not died and she fell to her knees. She would never see her children again. She realized she was stuck in her earthly form and a feeling of remorse and depression washed over her. As she sat there on the mossy ground, tears came to her eyes as determination faded into misery, and she burst into hysterics.

Never Go To Bed Angry By Julia M.

2008-01-31T15:55:00.001-05:00

Reilly sat at the kitchen table, sipping the last of her wine. Her husband, Blake, had forgotten about their anniversary celebration and was still at the office. She stood to put her glass in the dishwasher, shut off the lights, and went upstairs. As she was washing her face she heard the front door open as Blake snuck in quietly, as if that would change the fact that he was late. Reilly sighed as she climbed into bed and waited for Blake to find her.

Before long, he came rushing in with apologizes:

“I’m so sorry I’m late. There was a problem with one of the cases and I couldn’t leave until we solved it.”

Reilly had heard this story many times before. She gave him a blank look.

He pulled out a small box from the pocked inside his jacket. “I got you something.” He said.

“You missed our anniversary dinner and you think a necklace will make up for that?”

“Just open it, please?”

“Blake, if this was the first time you got caught up in your work then I would be more forgiving. But this has been happening a lot lately. It’s your law firm and you shouldn’t have to supervise every decision they make.”

She watched at he pursed his lips together to form a straight line.

“I told you Reilly, I couldn’t leave and I’m sorry. Can’t you forgive me and we can celebrate our anniversary together tomorrow? I’ll even take the day off. It’s not good to go to bed angry you know.” He said teasingly trying to lighten the mood.

Reilly shook her head as she crawled back into bed. She wasn’t in the mood anymore. She listened as Blake went into the bathroom to brush his teeth and strip down to his boxers. He set the loose change from his pant pockets on the dresser and then crawled into bed besides her trying to snuggle close. Reilly refused to let him. She was mad at him and she wasn’t going to let him off the hook that easy. Instead of wrapping her arms around him like she usually did, she put her book down and shut the light off. She knew Blake could take a hint as she felt his body turn away. She shut her eyes and was asleep in seconds.

L L L

Reilly’s alarm interrupted her dreams. She awoke and remembered her first class didn’t begin until nine. She glanced at the glowing red lights; 6:50, it read. It was no use going back to sleep now that she was up. She walked sleepily over to her closet to pick out an outfit of old sweats and a lacrosse shirt her team had won at a jamboree last year. Then she sauntered into the bathroom and turned on the shower. Below her, taxi’s whizzed by on the already busy streets. The first semester was almost over but Reilly was still getting used to the college life. In August she had packed up her belongings and left her cozy home in the suburbs for Boston. She had been accepted early and decided right away that she would attend Harvard Law School in the fall.

She turned off the shower and got dressed. She threw her beautiful long brown hair up in a ponytail, applied some mascara to the tops of her eyelashes, dabbed on some of the watermelon lip gloss her sister had gotten her and she was good to go. She walked through the doors of her off campus apartment. She could feel the eyes of the sweating construction workers watching her as she turned up the street to the library. She was used to seeing heads turn as she walked down the street although she had no idea why. Reilly liked to think of herself as plain and simple. She never paid too much attention to her reflection as she brushed her hair in the mornings or thought about what others would think as she chose her clothes. Instead she dressed in whatever it was that she felt most comfortable in and usually tied her hair back with rubber bands she often found in the bottom of her bag.

She ignored the horny workers and zipped up her jacked to shield her from the cold winds. A burst of air blew her bangs back as she opened the old library doors. She took a seat at the abandoned table in the far left corner and opened her history book to study for the exam today. She was reviewing the vocabulary when she felt the presence of someone sit down across from her. She glanced up. A boy with shaggy brown hair that covered his deep brown eyes glanced back at her. She couldn’t help but notice how cute she looked in his grey sweater and blue red sox hat.

“I’m sorry, do you mind if I join you?”

“Oh no, not at all.” She answered a little surprised.

He smiled, and she noticed his perfectly straight white teeth, “I’m Blake, I’m a junior here, I’ve seen you around before, this is your first year right?”

“Yeah.” She said, shocked that he knew so much about her when she hardly knew anything about him.

He fumbled around his bag for a moment before pulling out a notebook. He opened it and began writing. Reilly turned her attention back to her book.

A few minutes passed and Reilly was making no process. She could feel him looking at her but she kept her eyes on the words in front of her. Before long, her curiosity got the best of her and she decided she wanted to know more about Blake. He was so mysterious and she had never seen him around before although he had obviously seen her. She looked up at him. He had put his notebook away and was sitting patiently waiting for her to finish reading. She closed her book

“What time does your next class start?” he asked.

“Nine,” she responded and glanced up at the old clock on the wall, she had over an hour.

“Perfect.” He said happily, “How about we go for a walk and get some coffee, I know a great place just around the corner.”

Reilly took a minute to answer. Blake was a perfect stranger but he was talking to her like they’d known each other forever. “Sounds great.”

They walked out of the library and down the street. “So how do you like the dorms?” he asked

“Actually I live off campus. I have a small apartment to myself a little ways away. What about you? How’s it like having a roommate?” she wondered.

“Oh it’s great. I love it. Me and Tim go way back.” He said as he held the door open for her. He told Reilly the story of how he and Tim met up again after he moved away in high school.

“Sounds like the both of you got very lucky.” She said.

“Yeah, we did. What about you? Don’t you get lonely in an apartment all by yourself?”

“No, I love having it all to myself. My sister and I both had our own rooms. I’ve never had to share a room with anyone before. I was really glad when I found out that I could afford that apartment.”

“You have a sister? Older or younger?”

“Younger, she started high school this year.” She said.

“Sounds like you guys are pretty tight. I’m an only child so I love having someone to hang around with everyday.”

The waiter brought there coffee’s and the sat sipping them quietly. Reilly wondered again how this boy knew her.

“So how’d you know this was my first year?”

He glanced down at the table and rubbed his fingers over the small crook someone had left in it. “Actually I’ve seen you around a lot, and when I saw you in the library this morning I thought I’d take a chance and introduce myself to you.”

“Well, I have to admit, I’ve never seen you around.”

“Well, hopefully we can change that.” He said and then flashed her the most adorable smile she had ever seen.

She heard the chorus of her favorite Taylor Swift song coming from inside her bag. She had set her phone alarm this morning to remind her to get to class. They said goodbye with promises to get together again soon.

J J J

A strong smell of a gourmet breakfast brought Reilly back from her dreams. She put her robe on and followed the delicious smell downstairs. She stopped at the doorway to the kitchen and took in everything she saw. Blake was wearing the same adorable sweater from her dream, the first time they met. He was standing over the stove flipping French toast. A plate of bacon, sausage, and ham sat in the center of the table, which was set for two. She went over to her seat and noticed the small box sitting on her plate. It was Blake’s present that she had refused to open the night before. Reilly remembered their horrible fight. She walked over to the stove. She absolutely hated fighting with him.

“Good morning” he said with a kiss on the cheek.

She smiled, “Good morning.”

He brought the plate of French toast over to the table and sat down. French toast was her favorite food and she loved how thoughtful he was to make it for her today.

“Happy anniversary.” He told her as he began eating.

She smiled and took a bit, yummm! “I had the most amazing dream last night.” She said.

“Oh really?” he asked waiting for more.

“Mhmmm, about the first day we met. Do you remember?”

“Of course, at that old library on the Harvard campus.”

Reilly smiled to herself as she remembered the dream. “I’m sorry I was being stubborn last night.”

“I’m sorry I missed our dinner.”

This was Reilly’s favorite part of fighting with Blake. He got up and walked over to her, wrapping his strong arms around her waist and kissing her tenderly.

“If we could do anything today, what would you want to do?”

A mischievous smile spread across Reilly’s face, “I’ve got a few things in mind.” she said as she took his hand and led him out of the kitchen.

Crimson Pain by Jessica R.

2008-01-31T15:54:00.001-05:00

∆Warning: This story has blood in it.

Lizzy’s head hung low as she walked down the stone path of the town common. It was early morning, and the sun was just starting to shine over the bakery. Lizzy wiped her red eyes, and took a deep breath, hoping to catch a whiff of the fresh bread being made. Not many people were awake yet, and this seemed to be a good thing for her. She was afraid to let other people see her cry, even a tear, but was more afraid of her abusive husband, Jack.

Jack had seemed like such a gentleman when they had first met; always opening doors for her, walking her home, and taking her out. But, she had fallen for his trick. That wasn’t who he really was. He was a cold, selfish, hurtful bastard, and nothing anyone did would change him. In fact, no one knew about this side of him except her. When they were in public, he always had his mask on, but before they had left, he would threaten her to not try anything, or he would hurt her severely. Lizzy had always been too scared to do anything about him. It didn’t matter what he did now though. She was already scarred for life, and no physical pain could ever add up to what she felt at the moment. She understood now what he had gone through when he was a child with an abusive father, but that didn’t make Jack any more humane.

♥ ♥ ♥

Lizzy stepped into a drugstore on the other side of the stone street, causing the bell on the door to ring. The clerk looked up smiling at her. Lizzy quickly smiled back, her hair covering her puffy eyes. She walked over to the women’s section, and picked out a razor. It didn’t matter to her which one she chose. She rubbed her eyes a bit to try to get the redness to go away, and to clear her vision. Then she went up to the counter, and paid for it as fast as she could, already having the little money that she had left in her hands when she got there. She knew that she didn’t need this razor, but her old one was rusty and dull. It wouldn’t suffice.

“Have a good day. Come back soon,” said the clerk with a grin.

“You too,” Lizzy tried to say, but her voice was barely a whisper now, for she had been gagging on her tears.

Della left the store and hurried across the common to get back to the apartment. Almost everyone was awake now, and she knew that included Jack, who would be looking for her. She spotted him by a statue, surveying the area around him. Almost running, Lizzy rushed past him, hopeful that he hadn’t seen. When she got to the apartment, she opened the plastic package around the razor, and popped the blade out of the contraption that it was confined in. Shakily, she walked towards the bathroom, and closed the door behind her.

♥ ♥ ♥

Back at the common, Jack had decided that Lizzy would eventually come back to their apartment to get her belongings if she had run away from him. His heart ached, and more than anything, he just wanted to tell her that he was sorry, and to hold her tight in his arms. He raced home, eager to know if she still loved him.

♥ ♥ ♥

In the bathroom, Lizzy sat down on the floor and rested her back against the cold porcelain of the bathtub. She took a deep breath and held in the oxygen that she had obtained. Then she took the razorblade and held it to her wrist with just enough force to cut her pale skin. With her index finger on top of the blade, she slid it down to the other end of her wrist. Her body tightened instinctively when the cut began to sting. She released her breath and panted trying to get the air back into her lungs again. Lizzy watched now as her own blood oozed from the cut, and trickled down her forearm, leaving a trail of crimson pain on her skin. She looked down at the gory blade. It reflected her image back at her through the red liquid that covered it. Her quivering lips formed a smile as she slid the razorblade across her arm over, and over again. Her head felt light as she laughed sadistically to herself.

“This is how love should feel,” Lizzy thought to herself. “Light, and dreamy, and carefree. I feel as if I could just float away any second.”

♥ ♥ ♥

Jack entered the apartment to hear a soft laughter from the bathroom. He ran to it. When he opened the bathroom door, he saw his love on the floor, surrounded by a pool of her own blood, and gashes going across both of her arms. At first he just stood in shock with his mouth open. His heart skipped a beat, but then he fell to the floor on his knees, and rushed to her side, not minding the blood soaking into his clothes. Lizzy looked up at him, still smiling, and dizzy. Everything she saw was becoming blurry, as if she were in a hazy dream.

Jack knew that she had lost too much blood by now, and that if he tried to pick her up, more blood would be lost, only to result in her death. There were too many gashes on her arms to try to cut off her circulation, but he held onto her upper arms anyway, attempting to stop her blood flow. She squirmed in his grip, and he let her go, not wanting to cause her any more aches. As he tried to think of another idea, Lizzy whimpered, obviously in pain. Jack knew that he would chose his own life being lost over his darling’s any day, especially after all the things he had put her through. He sat closer to her, and held her tight in his arms. Lizzy knew she was too weak to try to get away from her husband, so she willingly collapsed into his embrace, feeling his warm body against her chilling one.

♥ ♥ ♥

Tears began to fall from both of their eyes, and contributed to the puddle of thickening, crimson blood that was already on the tile floor. Jack leaned over and whispered into her ear.

“I’m sorry Lizzy. I never wanted to hurt you, and I certainly never wanted you to hurt yourself. I love you, and I want you to know that.”

Shivering from his tepid breath on her ears, Lizzy turned toward him, and looked him in the eyes. She knew that he was telling the truth. She had learned his habits when he lied, and there was dependence in his eyes, telling her that he needed her. More tears fell from her eyes as her body became numb.

“I love you too,” she tried to say, but her lips were frozen and felt heavy, making her words just meaningless mumbles under her breath.

Jack had understood her though. Her heartbeats slowed as her eyes glazed over. Jack felt her body go limp against his, and he shakily checked her pulse by placing his fingers against her icy neck. She had died in those few seconds after they had said goodbye to each other.

♥ ♥ ♥

A pang struck his heart and he held Lizzy’s corpse close to him. When he finally calmed down enough to think, all that he could think of was his stupidity and heartlessness towards her in the last couple of years since they had been married. If his father wasn’t so cruel to him when he was a child, this might not have happened. He wouldn’t have turned out like his father and he definitely wouldn’t have hurt his wife, or even dared to threaten her. He had made mistakes before, but this one was impossible to fix. He had gone too far. He had made his one true love commit suicide.

Lizzy was gone now, and he had nothing left to get him through the days to come. Jack picked up the blood-stained razorblade, and began to cut. His blood dripped down and mixed with his love’s.

“I’ll never hurt you again Lizzy. I love you. I want to be with you forever, and I’m willing to kill myself to do so,” Jack said to himself, and her carcass, before his last seconds of life faded into a blur.

♥ ♥ ♥

His corpse fell front first, on top of Lizzy’s, but a blissful smile covered his lips as his heart stopped pumping the little blood that he had left throughout his numb body. They would be together for the rest of their afterlives.

A Love Away From Home by Jess G.

2008-01-31T15:53:00.001-05:00

She had moved five times in the last year. Every time it was the same, she would go to a new school and just start to make friends when her dad would have to leave for work and she would get dragged along too. This time was different though. She met a boy and had become really close.

“Maddie, wake up.” My dad shouted out of the kitchen.

“I’ll be right down.” I yelled back.

I sat up and looked out of an unfamiliar window. I missed Jason so much. We had started off as friends and then as we got to know each other, we pushed are friendship a little further. All around my room there were pictures we had taken together at cotillion, the movies, and everywhere else. We were always together. My dad didn’t like him very much though. He though Jason was the kind of kid that would be arrested 20 times before he graduated. I knew that it wasn’t true, and he had to get to know him a little. The fact was that Jason was on the varsity basketball team, starting point guard. He was on the varsity soccer team too, starting center halfback. Polite, smart. He was the guy every girl wanted to call her boyfriend. Jason was the only guy that didn’t do drugs at our school. Didn’t drink. This also made all of the girls crazy. He always said that no one had to be drunk or high to be the life of the party. All you had to do was be yourself, and if they didn’t like that then screw them. I loved Jason for saying this. It said that he wasn’t like all of the other guys at school. It said that he wasn’t interested in being cool of it meant not being you.

The bell rung, it was time for first period, art. I got to the class and found out that only the weird kids were in it. They all drew about either death or fairy tales about themselves and their “future” husband. I sat there, thinking hard, about what to draw. I started with a face and then moved on to the body. Tall, dark, handsome. As I finished the picture I realized I had drawn Jason. Just then I felt a tear run down my cheek, and a hand on my shoulder seeing if I was okay. That was when I first time I met Gracie.

“Why hello there.” My dad said in a cheery mood to the new girl in our home.

“Hello, I’m Gracie.” She said in almost a whisper.

“Hey, dad,” I yelled as entering the door, “this is Gracie; we are just going to go up in my room and listen to music or something.”

“Well, if I can get you anything just holler.”

We ran up the stairs and into my room. She looked around at all of the pictures.

“Who is this?” She asked.

“That’s my boyfriend Jason.” I said getting a little teary eyed. “He lives pretty far away.”

“Oh.” She said felling sorry she even asked.

“It’s okay.” I said lying on my bed.

She came and sat next to me and starting talking about how she thought she was in love but really wasn’t. I knew I was in love though. Every time I was with Jason I got butterflies in my stomach. It always felt like we were talking to each other for the first time. Gracie didn’t understand how I felt, no matter how much she wanted to.

“It starts in my toes
and I crinkle my nose
where ever it goes I always know
that you make me smile
please stay for a while now
just take your time
where ever you go…..”

I hear playing on my cell. I pick it up and hear a voice I hadn’t in what felt like forever. Jason.

“How’s it going there?” he asked with a little giggle.

“Sucks!” I said back.

“I called to tell you that for your birthday I am going to have a surprise shipped to you.”

“Really? What is it?” I asked wanting to know the answer as soon as I asked.

“If I told you then it wouldn’t be a surprise now would it.” He was laughing now.

“But my birthday is tomorrow so, how is anything going to get here in time?” I asked hoping it would get the answer out of him.

“Oh believe me it will be there in time.” He said and hung up the phone.

The night went by as slow as it could have possibly gone. I got up probably 40 times in one hour. I wanted tomorrow to come and for me to get whatever it was that Jason shipped me. What could it be, what could it be, I kept thinking to myself. Whatever it was I knew I would love it.

Knock, knock. Who could be at the door this early in the morning? I walked down the steps and opened the front door. It was the present Jason got me! It wasn’t what I thought though. It was him! I screamed at the top of my lungs and jumped in the air at him. Just then my dad came running down the stairs with a baseball bat. He looked so stupid standing there not knowing what the heck was going on.

“Dad, dad, dad it’s Jason!!!” I yelled.

“Well, I can see that.” My dad said sounding a little grumpy.

“So do you like your surprise?” Jason asked.

“I love it sooooo much!” I said, still not over the fact that Jason was here with me. “I’m glad you like it. Now hurry up and get dressed. You have to show me around this town.” Jason said looking at my dad seeing for his approval.

I ran up the stairs and into my room closing the door behind me. What could I possibly wear? I shuffled through all of the clothes in the closet and then in my dresser. I had nothing. I’ll wear this I finally decided. A light pink sundress with white flip flops. Perfect. I walked down the stairs and saw Jason’s reaction.

“You look great.” He said with his jaw dropped.

“You are going to make me puke if you don’t go now.” My dad said kidding. He always knew how to ruin the moment.

I showed Jason everywhere around town. Where I went to school, where I hung out with friends, where the cool spot was to hang, and all of that good stuff. When he had to leave it was really hard on me. I didn’t want him to go. That’s when he asked me the question I had been waiting for since we said hi.

“Will you marry me?”

Short Story by Erika D.

2008-01-31T15:51:00.000-05:00

Granny was walking down the street of her new town in the dying sunlight. This was entirely new for her because she never tried to move into a small town before. She liked the open country, where she could be far away from other people. Since her husband had died, the openness seemed more lonely than comforting. Her granddaughter convinced her to move closer to her, and this time, Granny was going to try and stay in this town for a while. She usually moved around a lot-once or twice a year, but she was getting older, and was sick of everyone getting on her nerves because they didn’t really know her well enough not to judge her.

As she came up on her house, she turned into her driveway and walked up her front steps. She closed the door behind her and walked into the warmth of her house. Although it was mid-January, she still took a daily walk around the square. She refused to be one of those old women who sat around knitting because it was too hard for her to walk. She loved to feel the cool air as she pressed on through the aches in her legs. This was her way to escape from everyone and just have some time to think.

She walked into the hall and put down her coat, simultaneously pressing the button on the answering machine to check for new messages. She smiled when she heard her granddaughter’s voice play. “Hi, Granny, just calling to check in on you…wanted to see how you’re doing. I found a great job for you if you’re interested; I think it’s something you’ll really love. Give me a call back. Thanks.” A loud beep left Granny in silence. She grabbed the phone and sat down on the couch, dialing the familiar numbers.

“Hello?”

“Hi, Jenna I just got your message.”

“Granny!” Jenna replied excitedly. “Ya, I know some people who live in your town who are looking for someone to look after their son. His name’s Doodle.” Granny was thinking quietly. She hadn’t worked for almost 5 years, when she was nursing, and she hadn’t even thought about working since her husband had died. Still, this was the chance she’d been waiting for. A job right in town, doing something she could easily do, and she would be helping someone out.

Sensing her grandmothers uncertainty, Jenna quickly said, “I don’t think they want you to do anything major, they’re just looking for someone to spend some time with them when they’re gone. The boy, Doodle, is crippled, and needs help walking. I know how much you enjoyed nursing, and I thought you might want to do this for the family.”

“Ok,” Granny finally answered. “I’ll do it.” They spent the next twenty minutes discussing the details, Granny assuring her that she would call them the first chance she got.

The next morning, Granny picked up the phone and called the number her granddaughter had given to her. A kind woman answered the phone, and Granny started up the story about Jenna telling her that they were looking for someone to care for their son. Granny told the woman about her past nurse work, and how much she would appreciate this job.

The woman laughed kindly into the phone and said that she would gladly hire Granny and that she didn’t need to persuade her any more. Her son needed someone to just be there with him, to take him for walks, to strengthen him a little. Both her and her husband worked full-time to try and keep up with the medical bills, and she couldn’t have him sitting around all the time because it was too risky for him to be out alone.

“I just want Doodle to have someone be there for him when I can’t,” she finished, somewhat breathlessly. Granny smiled and assured her that this would be a perfect job for her, and she would start whenever they needed her. They agreed on the next morning, and Granny put down the phone feeling much better, and looking forward to the following day.

Granny spent the rest of day thinking about what she would as her first day on the job. It was nice to actually have something to look forward to. She didn’t know much about Doodle’s disability, so she wasn’t sure how she could help him. Granny only knew how hard it was for him to walk, and she planned to change that. She wanted to show the boy that he could do this; that even someone her age could work that hard. She went to bed that night hoping that she would be able to help Doodle.

The next morning Granny woke up at 7:00 and got ready for her first day on the new job. She dressed warmly and laced up her walking shoes. She finished getting ready and walked out the door and, following her granddaughter’s directions, she arrived at the house where she would be working. She took a deep breath and knocked on the door.

Doodle’s mother, dressed in a suit, welcomed her graciously into the house. Granny walked in, relieving Doodle’s mom, and met the boy she had heard about. Doodle was sitting in an armchair reading a book. Granny walked up to him and sat next to him without saying a word. The boy looked up curiously and Granny smiled warmly. “Want to go for a walk?” she asked. Doodle smiled back at her and nodded.

Granny worked with Doodle all through the year, every day walking a little farther and longer. By the end of the year, Doodle could walk for almost a mile without having to stop and rest, or without limping at all. Granny came every day to help him, and they became very close. Granny was always welcome for dinner at their house, and she spent most of her time there. Though Granny was used to walking every day, she was also getting older, and it started to get harder for her. Doodle was helping her as much as she was helping him.

One morning, Granny didn’t show up. Doodle knew, then, that she was gone. Granny had spent the last of her life doing something that she enjoyed. She had helped someone else, and, in turn, had helped herself. Granny was finally content, and she left the world happier than she had ever been. Doodle lost his best friend that day, but smiled, knowing how much happier they had been together, and how much Granny would have wanted him to keep going, to improve himself. Doodle walked by himself that day, walking farther and faster than he ever had before. Granny had succeeded, and Doodle knew how much that meant to her.

The Chaotic Meeting by Emma H.

2008-01-31T15:16:00.000-05:00

Jennifer sighed as she sat down at the kitchen table, sipping her morning coffee. God, Monday mornings could be so chaotic. Elizabeth was always put up a fight to go back to school after having the weekend off for fun and games. But Jennifer had managed to get her onto the bus, and Jim had been able to get off to work on time.

Jennifer settled her hands on her growing stomach, already 6 months pregnant she was really beginning to show. And it was continually getting harder to do things she was used to, and to just move around. She was off of work now for a while, and loved having the mornings to herself.

The phone rang and Jen smiled, it must be Granny of course, that was one of Jen’s favorite moments of the mornings. Granny would call and ask about Elizabeth and Jim, and of course the pregnancy. Thinking about the pregnancy made Jennifer feel as though her life was finally something to be proud about. Six years ago, it had been a different story.

When Jennifer had been pregnant the first time it was when she was 19, she hardly knew the father, though it didn’t matter when that dirt bag left her. She was working a waitress job at the local diner, which was hardly enough to support herself, especially with a baby on the way. Thankfully she befriended a kind old woman, the kindest woman in the world, in Jen’s opinion. That was Granny, her real name was Elizabeth, which Jen named the baby after. Without Granny, Jen would have never been able to survive on her own, Granny provided food, shelter, and especially love. And then of course there was Jim, Jennifer had never loved someone the way she had loved Jim, she remembered the day she met him. It must have been fate.

“Grannnyyyy…” Jennifer called down the hallway, “I’m going to take Elizabeth out for a walk at the commons.”

Granny had just begun to knit a new blanket for Elizabeth at that time, “Alright dear,” she replied. “Just be careful it will be getting dark soon.”

“I will, don’t worry.” Jen smiled, she loved how much Granny cared about her.

Once Elizabeth was strapped safe in her stroller, Jen started walking down the sidewalks leaves underneath her feet crunching as they strolled along. Fall was approaching now and the auburn and burnt orange colors were becoming more frequent. The moon rose, and cast an illuminating shadow down on the sidewalk. The scene took Jen’s breath away, and she noticed, standing under one of the tall oak trees, a man was standing. He had set up a tri-pod and he was taking photos, snapping shots of the foliage. But the calmness was broken when Jen heard Elizabeth squirming, and whining in her stroller.

“Alright, alright,” Jen said to her, “but if I let you out, you have to promise you’ll be a good girl, and stay close to mommy.”

“I promise,” Elizabeth said in that little innocent child voice, which always put a smile on Jen’s face. But as the Elizabeth heard that “click” when her belt was off, she took off running.

“ELIZABETH!” Jen screamed, her complete fear showed on her face, and could be heard in her voice. And then, Jen saw it, Elizabeth was heading straight for the man’s camera, and then…CRASH! She collided with the camera straight on. But before the camera collapsed on to Elizabeth, the man grabbed her, pulling her out of the way.

Jen caught up, out of breath from the chase, and teary eyed from fear.” Thank you so much, it was so kind of you to save her like that,” Jen said hugging her daughter. But she glanced down at the heap of chaos which Elizabeth had created. “Oh my goodness, I’m so sorry about that,” Jen bent down to help while keeping hold of Elizabeth. “I will pay for any damages done.” She told that man.

The man just laughed, “Oh no, don’t worry about any of that, that camera has seen damage than anything else in this world.” He held out his hand, “I’m Jim,” he said.

“Jennifer,” she replied “and this little runaway is Elizabeth.”

He laughed and said, “Well hello there Elizabeth, that wasn’t very nice to run away from your mommy like that was it, you won’t do that again will you?”

“No,” Elizabeth said, sounding tired.

“Well I need to get her home and to bed, maybe I could take you out to coffee in the morning, as a thank you,” Jen suggested.

“That sounds great!” Jim said.

Jen smiled, the rest of the story was history, the two of them just clicked, and two years later they were married. Jen glanced up at the picture on the wall, it was of Jen and Jim, and they were standing in the town commons, under the big oak tree, the place where they met, and the place where they fell in love.

Fatal Love by Emma M.

2008-01-31T15:15:00.000-05:00

It took only one shot, a scream echoed through the woods. The lifeless body hit the ground with a thud, the only sound in the now silent forest. Then, there was a laugh. A long, shrill laugh that bounced off every surface and scared away the few birds left in the forest. Next, silence again, except for the dull crunching of footsteps walking through the leaves.

“Who can I call?” Diana wondered aloud as she slowly paced her bedroom floor. “Eric!” she said softly. “Eric? Is that you?” Diana whispered as she held the phone closer to her ear. She heard a muffled reply on the other end and assumed it was a yes. “I am so sorry to call you this early in the morning, but I really need your help. I’m running away. I can’t take this crummy little town anymore.”

She heard Eric breath in deeply as he replied, “What will your grandmother say?” but when she didn’t answer, he asked “What can I do?” She explained to him that she was leaving the next night after her grandmother fell asleep. He didn’t need to worry about what her grandmother would say, she would explain everything in the note that she was leaving for her. After a while, Eric agreed to come and get her that night and agreed to let her stay with him for the duration of her senior year.

Sitting around anxiously was the hardest part, she thought to herself, trying to calm her nerves and make it seem like nothing was wrong as her grandmother said goodnight and slowly made her way up the stairs. Diana quickly went up after her, pulling her into a tight hug at the top of the stairs. Her grandmother gave her a bewildered look, but just shrugged and shut her bedroom door. Diana grabbed her two bags from her room and snuck down the stairs. She took the note from her pocket and put it on top of the television remote, the first thing her grandmother would see the next morning.

Eric was sitting in the driveway at midnight, the planned pick up time. His house was an hour drive from hers and she had brought a pillow to sleep with in the car. He said hello and she climbed into the back seat, softly crying herself to sleep.

“Diana, get up.” Eric was shaking her awake, frantically looking behind him as she slowly opened her eyes. “Come on, get up!” he shouted as she rolled over and sat up.

“What’s wrong, Eric. Are we already there?” she asked, trying to stretch in the tiny car. She wiped at her tear-stained face and looked up at him, searching his face for a smile.

“No, come on, we need to get out of here, now.” She looked out through the front windshield and saw two small lights coming towards them.

“Who are they?” Diana asked as Eric pulled her out of the back seat and onto her feet. “What are we doing Eric; this is the middle of nowhere. Why aren’t we at your house yet? What’s happening?” Diana tried to pull away as Eric tugged at her arm, trying to pull her behind the tall embankment separating the road and the forest.

“I’ll explain later,” he whispered as she finally gave in and went along with him. The two lights slowly grew bigger as Diana peered around the wall, trying to figure out where they were coming from. Suddenly, she saw them. Two figures in long, black trench coats were walking down the eerily quiet street. She tried to gasp, but Eric covered her mouth, shaking his head and trying to pull her back to the hidden side of the wall. She shook loose and continued to watch the men who were quickly approaching the car shining what seemed to be flashlights on the license plates and on the inside. When they reached the car, they slowly picked their way through the backseat, making note of the makeshift bed on the floor. Eric was tugging at her arm again, pulling her back farther into the forest.

“They have to be around here somewhere,” the taller one began, “he wouldn’t just leave his car.” He kicked the tires and pulled out Diana’s bag. “He’s taking the girl with her. Is she going willingly or did he take?” he asked the second man who was walking toward the embankment. Diana didn’t understand what all of that could possibly leave. She knew her grandmother couldn’t have found the note that quickly, she never got up in the middle of the night. What could those strange men mean?

“Diana!” Eric whispered at her, still tugging insistently at her arm. She turned and followed him, deeper and deeper through the trees as the conversation between the two men died away.

“Explain Eric, now. Why’d you wake me up in the middle of nowhere! We are not even close to your house! Who were those men? Were they talking about me going willingly or unwillingly? What is happening here Eric!” Diana’s voice was getter louder with each word. Eric covered her mouth again and sat her down against a tree.

“Stay here,” he whispered, “and be quiet. I’ll be right back.” He walked back toward the road for a few minutes as Diana tried to calm herself down, thousands of questions running through her head. As she began to calm down, Eric reappeared behind her, trying to pull her up off the ground.

“Eric! I’m afraid. What are you doing?” Eric was pulling her deeper into the woods, looking behind Diana every few steps. “Eric! Answer me right now or I’m turning right around and going back to the car! I don’t care who those men are anymore! I want to go home.” Diana sat down on the ground, crossed her legs, and began to cry. “I want to go back, Eric. I want to go home. What is going on?”

Eric stopped, peered around the nearest tree, and finally looked at Diana. “Look, honey. There’s something I need to tell you.” He walked around Diana and made a move to sit down, but stopped himself. “I’ve been lying to you.” He turned away from her, looking off into the dark forest. “I’m not who I said I was. I wasn’t the football star in my old school, I wasn’t the scholar, and I wasn’t class president. I.” he paused for a moment, turning to face her. “I was the loser. I hated everyone in that horrible town. There was one though that got to me, Tommy, and,” he paused again, looking directly at Diana, “I killed him.” Diana gasped and struggled to her feet.

“Wait, what? You killed him? Does that mean that those were police officers back there? Do they think you took me and killed me?” She took a step backward, stumbling over a root. Eric took a step toward her.

“Yes, but they are somewhat correct. I didn’t take you, but I am going to kill you. You know too much now, you know where I am, what I’ve been doing, and what I’ll be doing next.” He reached into his back pocket and pulled out a small revolver.

It took only one shot, a scream echoed through the woods. The girl’s lifeless body hit the ground with a thud, the only sound in the now silent forest. Then, there was a laugh. A long, shrill laugh that bounced off every surface and scared away the few birds left in the forest. Next, silence again, except for the dull crunching of footsteps walking through the leaves.

In Memory Of Serena by Danielle L.

2008-01-31T15:14:00.000-05:00

It all happened so fast… the big truck, the blaring horns, the blinding headlights, and the ear-splitting sound of screeching breaks. The drunken truck driver was driving too fast and soon lost control of the wheel. The truck sped up and rear-ended the little car in front of him. The driver, who was in the car, wasn’t wearing her seatbelt, and was thrown through the windshield, head-first. Her mangled body lay in the middle of the road, motionless. She was my best friend, Serena.

All of my thoughts had swarmed in my head, like angry bees after the scent of honey. My head had throbbed, and I felt as if I were going to pass out. No. I knew I had to stay awake. I needed to know if she was going to be okay. I had sat there, in the ER, for what seemed like forever, just staring at the blank, white walls. Just when I was about to doze off, I’d heard a voice. It was a soft voice, the kind of soothing tone that was meant to comfort. Then, I’d heard my heart pounding hard in my ears. I’d looked up and knew. It was written all over her apologetic face.

● ● ●

One month later

“Starr, come out of your room and get some fresh air,” my mother sang out from behind my closed door.

“I don’t feel like it,” I called in an annoyed voice.

I hadn’t felt like doing anything for the past month, not since the accident. I just couldn’t get over what happened to Serena. The images haunted me every day. The sadness, mixed with anger and rage, swelled up inside my chest, refusing to leave. I couldn’t get rid of it. My only friend was gone.

“Starr,” my father called, “come out here. We have a surprise for you.”

“Commminggg,” I groaned as I rolled out of bed, passing by the mirror hanging on my wall. My hair was a big, brown mess, I had bags beneath my glossy, green eyes, and my already pale face was flushed. I looked so weak that I didn’t recognize myself.

I opened my door, and there stood my mom and dad wearing these goofy grins across their faces. Dad was holding something that I did not recognize at first. It sat in the palm of my father’s hand, looking like a small rat. But, no, it was a puppy; a cute, little puppy. I was beginning to get excited when the fact hit me - my parents were trying to replace Serena. With what? A dog. Nothing could replace her – nothing! I suddenly became filled with anger.

“You can’t replace her!” I screamed and slammed my door.

No one understood.

It isn’t that bad staying in my room all the time because it’s so nice. Before Serena had died, she helped me redecorate it. My walls are painted a soft lilac that is just barely visible under all the posters of different bands that are taped to my walls. I have a polished, wood floor with a carpet to complement the walls. My bed is a bunk bed. The top was meant for Serena when she slept over. There is a full bathroom branching off from my room. It is equipped with a shower and the usual things found in a bathroom. There is also a small, wooden desk and a big book shelf full of books to read. Reading is what I normally like to do.

My mood continued to stay dull, but my mind was on over-drive every minute of every day. My mom and dad kept trying to make me happy, to will me out of my room, but it didn’t work. I would not go near the dog. She was just another part of my life that I pushed away, and chose to block out. I didn’t sleep well, and if it wasn’t for the food my mother delivered to my door, I wouldn’t have eaten, either. This all went on until one day something miraculous happened.

I opened my door to get my food, as usual, and closed it. I was so preoccupied that I didn’t notice that the puppy had slipped in through my door. So, when I turned around, there she was, sitting on the small rug of my wooden floor. She just sat there, wagging her little tail and looking up at me. I cautiously crept over to her and gently pet her head. Her fir felt like silk, and was entirely brown. As I pet her, she licked my hand.

I sat there petting the puppy for hours. She actually made me feel better. I was happy. All the while that I was petting her, I didn’t think about what had happened. This was so amazing.

What should I name her? I pondered this to myself. Then it came to me. I’ll name her Serena, in honor of my best friend. By doing this I won’t be replacing Serena, but keeping her memory alive. Serena, herself, will never be forgotten.