Short Story Assignment

Author’s Notes:

1. I want the reader to understand what the narrator is struggling to grasp with his world that he’s created.

2. The descriptions worked well in this piece I think and the dream itself was easy to write.

3. I had some problems putting this on paper and trying to finish the story. The ending was hard to write and thus its a bit jumbled and rushed and weird.

4. I would like to proof read this myself and fix up some of the weird bits. I would rather if you didn’t comment on this as I do not like the essay and, if I had the choice wouldn’t share it with anyone.

Ever since I was little I’ve always gone to see her. I can clearly remember the day we met. It was a warm day by the beach, early summer I believe. the waves tumbled over the golden sand by the shore. The town bustled off to the left. Children played in the shallows and made short-lived fortresses in the soft sand. Few people went out into the waters, the sea was unfathomable after only a few feet out. I liked swimming out there however, it was relaxing if not a little dangerous, it was certainly deep enough for a variety of creatures to be living in the depths. I liked to swim out there however, to be alone, with just me and the fish who swam fearfully away at my coming. This day was different, I was going to go as deep as I could. There was a long thin stick that stuck outof the water like a broken flag. I took it as an invitation that there was a bottom. I plunged into the water and held my breath until I couldn’t hold it much longer but as I was going to swim back, something pulled me back into the depths. Like my weight was floating up in another direction. I blacked out and when I awoke I was in a small bunker with two rooms to the left and right and what appeared to be a T.V. on a shelf much smaller than it. Standing over me was a girl around my age, she seemed curious that I was there but greeted me as if I was an old friend. She had long, tangled brown hair and shockingly brown eyes. Brown always struck me as a dull color but she somehow made it seem light and exciting. It was odd, how odd this was and how un-odd she made this feel. It was like being greeted home after a long journey.

I’ve been to the bunker many times since that time, swimming into the abyss with more certainty each time. Nobody questioned me swimming out and not returning for hours or days on end. The girl didn’t talk much but expected my visits. We never did anything really, but those days in there were calming and cheerful, it fel        t         

like

                ho

me.

I awoke after what felt like a while. It was weird to do so after what had appeared that I had actually lived another life. Sort of like if you woke up one day and found out that your entire life had been a dream. It's a Scary thought. Especially because the average dream lasts between 5 to 20 minutes. I almost felt betrayed. Here I was with this memory of a town I’ve never visited, complete with people I’ve never met, and a girl who lived at the bottom of a bottomless sea. Not to mention memories about past times with all of these. Within a single dream that was the product of lack of sleep and a minor fever. Don’t get me wrong here, I have vivid dreams all the time, but never one that I felt close to, never one that I’ve had memories of another life. And never one that made me feel strangely complete. At the same time, I was sad. It was great that I was being allowed to visit this world, but I also knew that it might be the last I do. Dreams rarely happen again. The memory left the rest of the day on a good note. That night I fell asleep slowly and tiredly. Kept awake by my own thoughts.

I was in the city once more. I was curious as to why I , but then I noticed the differences. I was older, maybe late teens or early 20’s. Things seemed different than they were when I was here last, but then again how old was I when I first remember being here, 12? 13? The city was less welcoming now, grey buildings overlap with stores that once held the attention of endless tourists. I was startled but not deterred. A shady man shambled over to me with a crooked grin on his face, he asked in a raspy voice for money. He peered at me like a challenge to say no. I fumbled around my pockets and gave him a wad of money. It was only a dream, I had no use for it and something about the way the shadow’s moved made me believe that he wasn’t alone. I walked to the beach, it was bigger now, with a spot for gazing over the water. The shady guy walked up to me and put his hand on my shoulder like we were now friends. I gave him the rest of my money and he took a hint. I waded out in the water slowly at first but soon I was swimming out to that spot where the girl lay hidden. The stick was gone but I knew the spot now. I dove down and sure enough, I was in the bunker again. The girl was walking around with a blank expression on her face. When she saw me she seemed surprised, even scared. It was the same face that was infinitely full of life the last time. I asked her what happened and she stared at me, not speaking. It felt like I had been away too long. I didn’t understand. The bunker still had the homey feel to it but now it was underlined in sadness and betrayal. As the dream faded away I could hear her speak the single questio        ning

word,

“why.”

I woke up shaking that morning. It was way too early but going back to sleep was out of the question. What had happened? why what? So many questions were going through my head I couldn’t keep up. It was the same dream but wrong, wrong in many ways. I thought that originally I was living another’s life through this dream but now I know that to be false. It was me all along. One night later I was 7 years older and had let this fantasy creation go to waste and die. The reasonable side of my brain contradicted me, “well, its only a dream, dreams aren’t real.” In which I gladly took as the answer. Its hard to understand the unexplained so we, as humans create scenarios that are much more possible and realistic as we know it. I dismissed the dream and went on with the rest of my day without too much trouble. I fell asleep that night restlessly after not being sure of what would happen.

“GO”

I was awake. The solitary word deafened me and jolted me upright. I resigned myself to stay up for the rest of the night and so, immediately fell asleep.

“why are you here?”

I sat up, looking up at the saddened eyes of the girl. She was fuzzy and out of focus. I was sitting in the bunker once again like I had the night before. Everything looked about the same and it didn’t appear that time had moved forward. I sputtered for words, the girl hadn’t spoken much at all before this. She had a slight accent that was hard to place.

“You can’t be here,” she spoke softer this time, “This world is crumbling. Your imagination can only create so much before it moves onto other things. You have to dream of other things. As good as dreams may be it will only ever be a dream. The question that remains is what can you get out of it.”

“I don’t think I understand”

“you’re dealing with powers beyond your limitations. NOW GO.” With this she pushed me back and I fell, I never stopped falli  ng  while up abov

e there stood the girl with a look o        f acceptance and pain ingrained on her face. It looked like an Illlusion, with everything gradually weathering down to a shade of gray. With the edges distorted. It looked like a bad glitch in a video game.

    I woke up for the third time with a bad taste in my mouth. It was Monday and as much as I’d like to fake a cold, I don’t think I’d like to be alone with my thoughts or my imagination any longer.

Caturday and Computer Games - A Value Essay

    Caturdays and Computer Games

Value can have a lot of different meanings. Whether or not you’re talking about a fancy new sports car kind of valuable or a more deep sentimental meaning is up to you. The car definitely has more economic value with some cars reaching prices in the hundred thousands, but something more personal such as Christmas morning might be able to top some of the priciest of cars. Anything from the first relationship you had to the weird calendars aunts you’ve never met send you on the holidays can have value. The matter is not what the price tag is but rather how much does it mean to you.

    I wake up on a saturday morning. there’s nothing i have to do today and there’s nothing I’m going to do either way. My first cat, Wilt, comes in seconds later with his weird cat radar that tells him when I’m awake. He jumps on my bed and begs to be fed. I brush him off for as long as I’m able. It’s early for most but late for me. I look at the clock to confirm my suspicions, 7:00. At last I get up and walk into the kitchen. Wilt has left my side at this point as the kitchen is my other cat, Ellie’s territory. Ellie, in turn greets me on the floor as i go to get myself some orange juice as i do every morning. Now i turn back to my room, i shove my backpack off my desk. I’m not going to be doing any homework today.

I turn from my backpack and the rest of the day starts. What I see is the pride and joy that is my computer. Its nothing special to be honest but I bought all the pieces with my own money. Everything came separately to a grand total of approx. $600 which i payed for in earnings from birthday and christmas. I use it to play online with my friends for the majority of the day. We’ll play a variety of games but mostly League of Legends. I’ve played so many great games of League that even though my computer is worth $600 (probably a lot less by now though) and it’s technically a priced item, I value it at a much greater price due to all the time and the experiences that I’ve had on it.

Saturday mornings and my computer are very different things but with glaring similarities thrown in with it. One being that i do value my computer with more sentimental value than physical. With everything that I do being on that computer (while at my mom’s house). I’ve had so many memorable moments on the computer that I can almost call it valueless. The essay I am doing right now is on my computer (not exactly a factor on how much It’s good however). Another similarity is that I probably use my computer most on Saturday mornings so in a way they are the same. Both things are relaxing and calming in their respective ways as well.

The differences are fewer, but more obvious. While the computer is a physical object that can be picked up (with some difficulty) a weekend is not. A weekend is simply an idea (a grand idea i may add) made of days of the month that allows a moments respite from our daily life of school or work or whatnot. In short, it is a needed break that allows us to unwind. If just for a little while. It is not something that can be manipulated or touched. On the other hand a computer is a physical object and must be manipulated and worked to perform any useful function.

Everyone has possessions that are valuable as well as morning rituals, special moments, or traditions that mean a great deal. They say beauty is in the eye of the beholder and the same goes with value, things that are important to me might be valueless or even stupid to someone else. Anything that means something has value. And both of these things have very significant value to me. whether its economic or sentimental, both are “expensive” items and it would be hard to part with either.

Speak Reading Quiz

words:

    misunderstood - nobody understands what Melinda is going through, everyone assumes that she simply crashed the party when in reality she had a real problem

    lonely - Melinda doesn’t have any friends in high school except for Heather, her parents aren’t even there for her most of the time and not many people like her.

    isolated - Other people push her away but at the same time, she pushes herself away from everyone and doesn’t try to make friends. If she talked about what really happened, everything would probably be a lot better.

    sarcastic - Melinda tends to talk in a tone that is joking despite what she must be going through

    hurt - Melinda’s been badly hurt mentally and physically by what happened at the party by what she refers to as IT.

i think the best word to describe Melinda is isolated. She doesn’t have many friends but she doesn’t really try to make any. Heather’s her only friend but Melinda doesn’t really care about her. Not entirely. She doesn’t try to reason or explain to anyone about the party, she just lets them hate her. and in turn they avoid Melinda and she remains isolated. Its not only her or the incident with the party. for example, “She’s creepy. What’s wrong with her lips? it looks like she has some sort of disease or something.” This is said by a Martha, one of the groups in the school that has a reputation for good deeds and yet Melinda is automatically cut from the group.

Summer Reading Essay Assignment

 Author's Notes

1. I want you, my loyal reader to be able to read this without completely losing interest in my terrible writing.

2. I think the relationship worked well between Katniss and Ender, that was probably the easiest thing to create.

3. I do not like writing. Plain and simple. Everything was hard to write.

4. There are no edits that i particularly feel like making. If i try and editing it I'll simply like it less. Positive reinforcement helps. Negative criticism is necessary for the assignment but it really won't help. Only comment awesome things. Thank you

.

 A Broken World
By Satchel Harp-Monseau

Ender Wiggin from Ender’s Game

Katniss Everdeen from Catching Fire

    It was a risky move for Ender Wiggin to return to Earth. it less than a decade for ender but that was because of the complicated science of space travel. A few hundred years would’ve past back on Earth. Peter and his parents would be long dead, and the little house by the lake would most likely be destroyed by a number of means. Communication back and forth was scarce the past couple months and Valentine strongly disagreed with his decision to go. Ender and Valentine had been going back and forth between bugger homelands, among other planets, to search for suitable places for humans to settle. But the main goal was the queen wrapped in her cocoon to recreate the mighty civilization that mankind knew as the buggers. the bugger wars, however, barely remembered in the way it happened. Ender being the one who ended it. He would be arriving on Earth soon which was good. the journey was long. When the ship finally landed, Ender was surprised to what he saw. He had landed in a forest, no signs of human life anywhere. except - no he was certain he saw a girl, maybe around 17, quickly dart into a nearby bush.

    Meanwhile, Katniss Everdeen cursed herself for not noticing the giant ship land not 10 yards from her. She had been caught up in her own thoughts of Peeta, district 13, the games, and the capital that she hadn’t noticed it. it was quiet like the capital’s own vessels but much, much larger. the great machine appeared to be used for huge distances and she had hoped that no one had seen her, although if they had it was too late now. The outside of district 13 was barren, void of life but she had found this little forest to explore in peace before she truly had to deal with leading an entire country to rebellion. it wouldn’t be immediately but the capital couldn’t leave the home to a bunch of rebels alone for long. Refocusing back at the ship, Katniss realized that a figure was coming out of the vehicle. he was a man, around the age of 20.

“Hey!” He called, “Anyone there?”

He wore strange clothes, and didn’t talk with a gruff attitude that would normally be associated with someone out to kill a loosely banded together group of rebels but still Katniss kept her distance.

“I know i saw someone.”

Katniss stiffened. she cursed once again for allowing herself to be seen. he didn’t appear to be armed and since there seemed to be no other way out of this situation, she drew her bow. Katniss had borrowed it for hunting, it calmed her down, but it could very easily be used for self defense. she slowly rose from the brush she was hiding in and pointed the bow at the mysterious man.

“Who are you?”

“Ah, there you are, why were you hiding?” He spoke with a short, commanding kind of tone. like a general or a drill instructor in a way.

“answer my question first, and why are you here?” he looked down at the bow unamused but answered the question.

“I am Ender, I’ve come to see what Earth looks like after all these years, most of my childhood was in outer space but i’ve set coordinates for where my house was”

    Katniss laughed but kept the bow trained on his chest, “yeah right spaceman. if you try to take me back to the capitol, i’ll shoot you here and now.”

    He seemed confused at this, “Capital? you mean like Washington?” as if he didn’t know. and what was Washington?

    Katniss rolled her eyes, “kind of the head of everything here. If you’ve been here for the past 200 or so years then you would know what the capitol is, besides if you’re not from the capitol then what are you? part of the rebellion? because you don’t look the part.”

    Ender seemed very confused now, “i - i don’t think i understand, my name is Ender, I’ve come here after winning the bugger wars, i’ve helped colonize many planets with people. A good chunk of the world is spending their days on a completely new planet.”

    “Well I don’t remember anything about ‘buggers’ or whatever they are or people going to new planets” even as she said it she wondered what else the capitol was keeping secret.

    “well maybe this ‘capital’ is lying to you”

    Katniss decided that between this total stranger claiming to be from another planet and the capital she would choose the former.

    “So anyway what is this Earth like?” Ender inquired.

    does he really want to know? It seemed like his version was a lot better. “well we’re divided into 13 parts called districts with the capital ruling over all, every year we send kids to fight to the death against each other but now there’s a rebellion going on within the districts, each one fighting back against the supreme rule of the capital.”

    after a long pause Ender whistled. He had a disappointed look on his face that said, ‘it used to be good’. he mumbled something i couldn’t hear that sounded something like, “I thought Peter changed things for the better.” and started walking back to his ship. he turned around.

    “i never asked, what’s your name?”

    i was kind of surprised by the question but answered truthfully, “Katniss Everdeen. but i guess I’m the Mockingjay now.”

    he rolled the word on his tongue before grinning, “well, good luck to you, Mockingjay.”

    He said the word jeeringly. it was a stupid nickname after all. but one that would change Panem.