I tried to open my eyes but all I could see was darkness. All around me darkness sits, still and quiet. I heard a creak, then a minuscule and weak voice talked, “Sydney, are you alright?” “Mmm” was all I could get out of my weak and tired body. Then the voice talked to me again, “Sydney, this is Dad speaking. The doctor just told me that the impact of you hitting the seat in front of you was very hard, it blinded you for life.” Darkness grabbed me, never letting me be perky and happy again…
Two black kittens are talking, near their food and water bowls. They are quite friendly, and rather hungry. Seeing his fellow cat, kitten 1 informs him “I’ll be coming to your home.” His friend replies “We’ll be having kitten food there.” Happily, Kitten 1 exclaims “Kitten food! Yeah!” Kitten 2 needs to know: “Which brand do you like?” He gets a clear answer: “I like the chicken brand.”…
I had bruises on almost every part of my body. I constantly had to go to the ocean to wash all the blood off my body. I had to figure out a way, some sort of way to get back to my home. Tears flowed down my red hot cheeks as I was thinking about my parents. The tears only made my head worse.…
Both 8th grade classes have recently finished the book “Into the Mouth of the Cat”. So at this point, you may not know what the book is about, so that’s what we are going to talk about. Lance Peter Sijan; does this name sound familiar to you? Probably not, since he died nearly 50 years ago. Lance happens to be a ‘Medal of Honor’ recipient which is the highest award you could receive in the United States military. He was captured in the Vietnam war when he suddenly crash landed which left him stranded for 46 days until he was taken to a NVA camp. You see, there is a lot to know about Lance Sijan. After finishing the book, I realized that I actually knew a lot about him to the point where it felt like I knew him. Since you’ll probably read “Into the Mouth of the Cat”, I’m going to tell you a little bit…
Once upon a time in a world where rabid squirrels viciously eat alpacas, three little alpacas sleepily woke up to terrible news. They were outgrowing their mother's’ home and were forced to build their own. Normally their mother was a very kind person and accepting of others, but she was getting tired of a cramped house.…
Have you ever stood on your front porch, looking at a mob of people accusing you of being an alien? Les Goodman, a resident of Maple Street, knows exactly how this feels. In the short story, The Monsters are Due on Maple Street, by Rod Serling there is a strong theme of…
I was tired and my face was numb; I forgot my face mask at my uncle’s house. I wasn’t in any rush to get home but the wood stove and my comfortable bed was a pleasing thought. The headlight on my snowmobile was only shining about ten feet in the distance when a giant moose stepped out in front of me. I immediately pulled my breaks, but it was too late to avoid contact. I was looking up at the towering moose; ready to fly forward all I could think about is how to survive this situation. My body became calm and everything went quiet. Then all of a sudden the big hooves came crashing down just…
It's no secret that kittens typically don't like water. But, that didn't stop someone from dropping a pair of kittens in the worst place possible; at a lake. Luckily, there were a couple of surprised fishermen out there ready to pick them up. Surprisingly, the kittens could swim pretty well considering the way they felt about the water.…
Everything appeared to melt from the heat of the sweltering sun. I had fallen twice that day and every time I tried to get back up it was like a cloud of darkness was in my head and covering my eyes. Dribbling a ball up and down a court in 100 degree weather can cause a little bit of dizziness. Except the third time I fell, my head did not experience the darkness; my whole body did. It was as though someone let a cage of butterflies out in my stomach, but not the kind you get looking at your first love. Laying on the black tar scorching in the sun, I make an attempt to get up. One leg moved and the other was distorted. My knee had melted away from the sun.…
The sky was nice and clear. It wasn’t too hot or too cold. It was perfect. It was a typical third grade day. My friends and I were in recess, goofing around, having fun. We sat on the benches and joked around. Next thing I knew my friend was on my back and I was carrying him around. Not aware of my surroundings, I tripped over a bench, closed my eyes, braced for impact, and fell face first into the dirt. I got up feeling dazed and the first thing I hear is a scream. Confused, I looked over to my friend and her face was a mixture of scared and shocked. I saw friends run to the restroom to get me paper towels, but others told me to go to the office. As I walked to the office, I began to feel pain in my lip. I walked into the office speechless.…
Three summers back, a friend and I were being hurtled by bus through the heart of…
Imagine being out in the fields hunting with your father. It has been a long day and a spitted warthog hangs between you. All of a sudden you are ambushed! An enemy tribe attacks you and your father. You fight using your makeshift spear but are overwhelmed by the number of tribesmen. You are hit in the head with a rock and fall unconscious. When you wake you are being loaded into a great wooden monster. You cringe in fear as you and your fellow captives are herded into this great wooden beast. You scream in protest at the white men who have chained you but they just beat you on the head with their rifles. You are taken into a dark and disgusting hold. The prisoners next to you are screaming in fear. The smell of waste and vomit permeates everything. As a white man chains you down below you think of your family and realize you are never going to see them again. Sleep comes slowly because of the cries of pain and misery; the rocking of the floor eventually puts you to sleep. A long time has passed. Your days consist of sleeping in your own filth, eating a disgusting porridge, and rarely seeing outside your hold. But one day the hold is opened and bright light blinds you. You are lifted to your weakened legs and led outside. The land is alien to you, and white men are everywhere. You are paraded in front of a great throng of white people. The humiliation is great as you are poked and inspected. Eventually you are shackled and loaded onto a horse-drawn cart. The ride is long and uncomfortable and the destination more frightening. You have no idea what is going to happen to you and are very much afraid. You come to a great house and are taken to the fields around the house. You are given into the custody of a great white brute. He puts you into a small cottage with other black men. You have a very difficult time understanding their languages but eventually they get a message across to you: You are a slave, and will live the rest of your days as one.…
My hospital bed was ice cold and the bleak and empty white walls depressed me as the uncomforting thought that I would have to stay here for maybe another week brought tears to my eyes. The usual and oppressive smell of disinfectant lingered in the room as I recalled that night in my head, trying to convince myself it wasn’t my fault, as I had done everyday since the accident. It was the day everything changed and my life was turned upside down. Forever.…
It was a rather cold morning while I was preparing to get ready for the day ahead of me. My usual 5 A.M. wake up time was met, but this day is going to be everything but a usual day. Before I could completely wake up, I felt the first one. It was a mediocre tremble that caused some things to fall off a dresser in the corner of my room which is part of a 3-room apartment building right on Main street. As I picked up the little damage left by this tremor, I was thrown from my feet by what felt like a wrecking ball hitting the side of my wall, but leaving no hole. I immediately crawled towards a table and the little protection it offered and grabbed the legs and held on for my life. Gravity was shifting up and down, left and right while pieces of furniture were being tossed around my room like pebbles. Something, maybe a dresser, landed on top of the table I was under and crushed it along with my helpless body. I don't remember the shaking ever stopping; whether I got knocked unconscious or it was just my body shaking after the ground stopped shaking, it felt as if it didn't stop until the morning light shown through my collapsed roof. With a throbbing pain in my head and shoulders, I managed to find a way out from under the furniture that fell on me, lucky to be able to walk. Through the damage, I made it out onto Main Street and the image I saw was unbelievable. From the top of the hill I could see hundreds of crumbled buildings, bridges, and…
It was a bright September morning. The day started out as normal as any day could be. I woke up, played with my bugs life finger puppets, ate some cereal, hopped in the shower, and took off towards school. I was running late, like usual, when my car decided not to start. So naturally, instead of asking my parents for a ride, I decided to sprint. I made it half way to the school when I felt something crawling on my head. I immediately started screaming and turning in circles until I fell on the ground in a panic. My legs began to flail, I started beating my hands on the ground, and began chanting, “Booga Looga, Chimmy Changa, Tipsy Topsy, AWAKE!” When my eyes flew open, I could not believe what I saw.…