Montville Township
High School
Dear Diary
by Sophia Conturso
August 1, 2018
Dear Diary,
It’s been a month since I’ve started my tour here in Iraq, and it’s not bad so far. I’ve got Stephanie with me which helps with my homesickness a little. We’ve been friends since fourth grade and I definitely didn’t think we’d stay friends for ten years. I thought I’d be ok with not seeing my family for a year because of all the traveling I did after I graduated high school, but I was wrong. I miss Nanna’s cooking on Sunday afternoons, my Mom’s rants about work, and surprisingly, my Dad and I’s constant bickering with him arguing that he’s always right. My little brother is probably throwing a temper tantrum right now about how he wants to go in the pool, and I’d agree with him, too. It’s crazy how much can change in two months when you choose to make a decision you usually wouldn’t. A short two months ago, I was in Bora Bora enjoying the crystal blue waters and the light breeze cooling off my rosy cheeks from the day before. Now, I’m doing drills and waking up at 0500 hours, but this is what I signed up for. That’s all for now, Lieutenant Monroe is calling me.
I close the cover of the diary, hide it under my bunk pillow, and walk out of the tent into the heat. Soldiers are lined up before the Lieutenant with a space beside Stephanie just for me. I run into the slot and get into position.
“Men. Women. Today, we will be going through an obstacle course to prepare you for war. This course will test your endurance, speed, and coordination. 3… 2… 1… Go!” Lieutenant Monroe yelled.
Stephanie and I look at eachother with determination in our eyes and race to the climbing wall. I reach for the rope and pull myself up so fast that I get rope burn, and with my hands burning, I continue on. I jump off the other side of the wall and dive to the ground to shimmy myself under the wire and conceal myself into the mud. I reach the other side, covered in mud, and get to my feet with Stephanie in my peripheral vision. I sprint even faster; my competitive side kicks in like when Stephanie and I were kids on the playground, and my untapped energy jolts my body forward even faster. One more obstacle and I know I have this in the bag because dodging dodgeballs was never Stephanie’s strong suit. A red ball flies past my face, and I make a sharp jolt to the left to dodge it. I continued on; jolt to the right, left, left, right, duck down, and right again. I cross the finish line first and can’t help but laugh when I see Stephanie get hit in the stomach with a dodgeball. She gives me a death stare, and I know she’s telepathically cursing me out for laughing at her through her smirk.
The rest of the day went by smoothly with more drills and obstacle courses, lunch, and then an intense workout. My legs feels like they’re on fire from a day full of physical activity, and I just really wish I didn’t have legs to feel this soreness sometimes. The sun starts to dim down like a light switch with orange and yellow swirls covering the sky like a painting. I walk briskly to the cafeteria with the feeling of hunger taking over my body. I sit down in the far side of the cafeteria where Stephanie greets me with a plate a food.
“Nice hit today Steph, you have to teach me your ways!”
“Wow, you’re so funny Sophia. You’re just lucky I didn’t catch up to you,” she responds.
I laugh at her sarcasm, “You do realize that the dodgeball is suppose to resemble a bullet right? Steph you seriously need to work on that drill. What are you going to do when we get put into the war?”
“Don’t worry about me,” she snaps. “I’ll be fine. Trust me. I know what I’m doing.”
All I do is smile back at her rosy cheeks and honey-filled eyes. I can see her arrogance peering through those freckles of hers. but there’s nothing I can do to help her if she doesn’t want me to worry.
October 6, 2018
Dear Diary,
Two months, that’s all it takes. Two months for your life to change forever and never be the same. Two months ago, on the first of August, I was sitting for dinner with my forever best friend, and two months ago, I tried to warn her about taking drills more seriously and to work on her flaws. My heart has been shattered since the day after that night, and it won’t be able to mend itself together again. We were put into war the day after that night when shots were fired towards our camp. My lip won’t stop quivering everytime I think about her honey eyes and kind soul. Puddles of tears fall from my eyes and land on this diary entry after every sentence. The nightmares won’t stop; her last moments on this planet are etched into my brain forever. I can’t sleep without seeing her, but sleep is all I want during these moments. Goodnight, diary.
The 4x8 leather book slides under my pillow as I curl into the corner of my bunk. Sleepiness comes over me like a spell and I drift into a deep sleep filled with another nightmare.
Boom! Shots and bombs are reaching closer to the camp now. The cafeteria is closest to the enemy, and that will be their first attack. The rest of the troops and I gather our weapons and take cover as we fight. Bullets are flying through the air like bugs with a deadly bite. My heart races faster than ever in this moment with thoughts flooding my brain. I keep my hand steady on my gun and fire ten feet ahead of me at the enemy starting to close in. Army trucks are speeding past me with my troops fleeing, and I see Lieutenant Monroe calling Stephanie and me over to leave. As I look around, I see only five people around me are left alive, including Stephanie.
“We have to run!” I scream into Stephanie’s ear.
“What if we don’t make it? I can’t!” she screams back to me. Goosebumps crawl up my back as the thought of running past the enemy crosses my mind, but I know we have no other choice.
“We will make it, I promise you that. But we have to go now if we’re going to make it,” I respond. “3… 2… 1… Go!”
I grab her hand and sprint faster than my body has ever run before. Stephanie is running next to me with her gun in her hand. I look into her eyes and give her a reassuring look so she knows everything will be ok. But all of a sudden, when I continue to look into her eyes, I don’t see golden flecks or reassurance, I saw fear. Her body falls to the ground like a leaf in slow motion with blood soaking up her uniform. A bullet has gone through her stomach, like the dodge ball, and another bullet right to her heart. With her lifeless body before my eyes, I freeze until a distant screaming snaps me out of my trance.
“We have to go, get in now,” Lieutenant Monroe shouts as he approaches with the truck.
I looked behind me and see that the remaining three soldiers that are huddled by me have fallen as well; I am the only one left.
“I can’t just leave her! No!” I sob.
“If we don’t leave right now, you won’t survive. Do you understand me?!” Lieutenant Monroe answers.
I look down at Stephanie’s innocent body on the sand, her rosy cheeks losing all their color. Tears burn my face as I look at her for the last time, and I run towards the truck, bullets aiming at me. Jolt to the right, left, left, right, duck down, and right again. I hop into the truck filled with a mixture of sand and blood, covering every inch of my body as the Lieutenant speeds away.
I jerk awake and realize that was all a nightmare again. I’ve been having this exact recurring dream since the day that horror happened. I try to slow down my breathing with breathing exercises, and that seems to help. Writing always centers my mind, so I pull out my diary and turn on the rusty lamp beside my bunk.
October 7, 2018
Dear Diary,
It’s 4:30 in the morning, and I was just shaken awake by another nightmare. My mind keeps focusing on the last two months of my life while I should be focusing on my future. What’s in store for my future? Honestly, I’m not sure, but school is something I want to see in it. After the war, I want to apply to state or community colleges close to my family and get the best of both worlds: family and higher education. I’ve figured out that helping people seems to be a passion of mine since joining the army, and I may want to pursue nursing in college. College seems so far in the future compared to where I am in my life right now. I can barely sleep anymore, and it’s starting to become obvious with the bags under my eyes. The sun is starting to rise and the remainder of my troop members will be up soon. See you soon.
It’s almost routine as a slide my diary under my pillow once more. I try to fall asleep but it’s no use; I don’t even want to try to close my eyes anymore. My alarm clock rings a half hour later, signaling me to start to get ready for the day. My uniform is as clean as a new car, yet it will always seem dirty to me from the memory of that bloody mixture in my mind. I tie my boots and head out of my tent when I hear the alarm going off, indicating that the enemy is coming. “Not again,” I whisper to myself. “ This can’t be happening.”
I can’t even run back into my tent to grab my weapon before I feel a burning sensation in my right leg that makes me fall onto the hot sand. There is no time to jolt past any bullets by this surprise attack. Bullets fly at lightning speed over my head; some hitting the sand, and others getting a grip on buildings. I feel chills going up my spine, and my sight is getting blurrier by the second. The sun is piercing into my eyes, and I can feel my head start to spin around. This heat distracts me for a moment from the immense pain in my right leg from the gunshot.
“I don’t see an exit wound. She needs help immediately; get her to the tent!”
Sand is being kicked up all around me from the stampede of army doctors carrying my soon to be lifeless body. Thoughts revolve around my brain of the life I’ve lived and the things I thought I’d never accomplish, like serving for my country. Then Stephanie’s face flashes through my mind almost as fast as she left my life, and that’s when it all went black.
My eyes feel like they’re blinking in slow motion, and I can’t focus on anything around me. The room is bright and cold with blobs instead of faces.
“Oh my god, she’s awake! Doctor!” a lady cries out.
My eyes go back to normal, and I realize I’m not in Iraq anymore. I’m in a hospital. I look down and see a wrap over my leg with my family at my bedside. Tears pour down my face as happiness spreads through my body when I see my grandma, parents, and little brother.
I hear footsteps getting closer to the hospital bed when a face approaches. “You really scared my staff you know that?” the doctor says. “We took you into surgery and removed the bullet out of your leg. You should be fine. A month of physical therapy and some rest, and you can get back on with your life. I’ll give you all some time together before I check up on you again.”
The feeling of happiness spreads over my body once again as my mother squeezes me like a doll. Out of the corner of my eye, I see my dad crying for the first time. This strong, stubborn man I’ve known all my life has been a walking teddy bear, and I’ve never even known it. This right here, in this hospital room, is what I love: my family gathered together with enough love to fill Iraq and stop all wars. Blessed is the only word that crosses my mind in this moment, and it couldn’t be more true.
December 12, 2018
Dear Diary,
Two simple months can change your life forever, as I always say. Two months ago, I was in a hospital room with a gunshot wound and now I’m in my grandma’s house for sunday dinner, showing her the five college acceptance letters I’ve gotten over the past couple weeks. Nursing used to be my dream profession, but I think I’m going to major in medicine now to become a doctor. Saving people’s lives and gifting them to their families again is what I want to do for the rest of my life. I want to be the doctor Stephanie was never able to receive. Her memorial is tomorrow at the cemetery, and people from high school, the army, and everyone else who was lucky enough to meet her will be flooding in. I never realised how much this diary meant to me before Lieutenant Monroe sent this back home to me. Christmas is coming up soon, and the only thing I want this year is my family happy and healthy. The Christmas tree is lighting up my grandma’s house with holiday cheer with a beautiful angel on the top of the spruce. I’d like to believe this angel is Stephanie watching over me this Christmas, just like how she watches over me everyday. Well, I guess this is the end of my diary entries for a while as the year closes out without stress until college. Thank you for everything, diary.
-Sophia
Me
by Michael Fichtenbaum
The water from the faucet kept dripping, the small splashes disrupting me from my task at hand. I couldn’t focus, so I couldn’t work. The sound was nauseating to the point where I wanted to throw the damn sink out the window. It was like an elephant was diving into a shallow pool of water. I needed to get out of here. Before I left my work station, I kicked the bottom of the sink, just to show him who’s boss around here. It was frigid out, maybe twenty degrees. Layers were necessary to keep warm. There was a homeless man; I saw he didn’t have gloves. I walked right by him and tried to ignore him. My father raised me to ignore the homeless—all they want is booze and coke. It was annoying to see that some people just can’t seem to get themselves a job. This town has a homelessness problem; I don’t really want to be the one who fixes it, not my job. Not my job.
I still heard the little splashes of water droplets. Icicles weren’t melting, but I couldn’t figure out what was dripping. I checked my pockets for my wallet and keys, and I started walking home. It was dark, but I couldn’t complain, I walk home late every night. The walk home is usually very pretty in the winter, but no sights were to be seen in the middle of darkness. Streetlights were on, but they were ineffective for looking at views, but the streetlights are all I need to get to my house. Cars drove by, sliding on the ice on the streets. Don’t they know it’s dangerous? It really annoys the hell out of me when people are so inconsiderate when driving. If they slip on ice, they might run off the side of the road and hit me. The laundromat was still open. I walked in and picked up my newly clean clothes. The clerk knows me well, so I am allowed to keep my clothes in the washers while I’m working. He must really like me if he doesn’t let anyone else do it. Ten minutes until I’m home.
Snow starts falling, glistening in the dark orange glow of the twenty year old streetlights. The small flecks of crystalized water land softly on my woolen hat, dampening it as it melts from the heat of my head. I take off my hat; it gets cold. I leave it on the side of the road. I can always buy a new one. This time of year is always the worst. I am never able to pick the right clothing for myself. Today, it rained so hard, I brought my umbrella and my rain jacket. But all of a sudden, it cleared up and then the temperature dropped. I can’t believe no one told me this was going to happen. It’s not my fault. Damn, I thought. I left my papers at the office. I ran back. On the side of the road, I saw my hat. It was still soaked but it looked solid. Had I really been that naive to leave a perfectly good hat on the floor? No, whatever. I left it there. I can’t believe I actually stopped to think about the hat.
As I stopped to think about the hat, I noticed some beautiful shrubbery and bushes. They were littered with bright red berries that are brighter than molten iron. I thought they were most likely poisonous and moved on. The laundromat was closed. The lights were on, and the clerk was cleaning up inside. I left a little bit of a mess while unloading my clothes. Hey, he chose the job, not me. I’m just happy I work at an office. The man saw me, but immediately looked away from me. I’m surprised. I thought he liked me. The neon light that says “OPEN” was off. I could smell the steam still leaving the vents of the laundromat. The cars were still slipping on the ice. I saw one of the drivers looked worried. He had the stressed face of a man who had just lost his winning lottery ticket. Maybe that’s what happened, but he deserves it. The lottery is for suckers. The car behind him was driven by a woman. She looked mad, maybe even pissed. As the car passed, I heard children crying in the back of her minivan. Those kids sounded really miserable. I thought of different things that could make a child so upset, but I kept trudging through the crack ridden sidewalk.
It kept getting darker. The streetlights’ glow was barely enough now. The dark orange tint did nothing more than to hurt my eyes. The strain it caused was nothing more than an inconvenience, though. Each one had stickers and flyers on it. One of the flyers was advertising a band that was performing at the “Cafe Locale.” I wasn’t too interested. On the next lamppost, there were a number of missing pet posters: one for a five year old cocker spaniel, another for a small white kitten named Belle. They both were beautiful animals. If I lost my cat, I would do the same, but I would probably be more proactive about it. The small spots on the dog’s hind legs were so mesmerising to look at. There was the splashing again. Except this time, it sounded more rhythmic. Still very annoying, but rhythmic nonetheless.
I heard the ice cracking from above. It wasn’t falling, it was just melting. A drop fell on my head, and I flinched. I cracked a little giggle and was on my way again. The temperature kept falling. I wish I kept my hat, I thought to myself. Well below zero now, I sped up my pace a little. The uprooted sidewalk panels prevented me from running. Other than that, the walkway was coated in a thin, reflective surface of ice. It was slippery as all hell, but I could still cope. I could see my office building. The homeless man was no longer outside the building. His blanket and chair were, however. His little plastic cup filled a quarter of the way was just sitting there, asking to be stolen by some awful person late at night. No one should steal from homeless people. I wouldn’t want it happening to me.
I stepped inside the building to a group of my coworkers discussing. They suddenly got quiet. I hope they weren’t talking about me. No, they weren’t. My boss looked at me with a face that might have said sorry, but also was happy, like was seeing someone he hated leave his life. I felt good, knowing that someone bad has left him. I decided to call a taxi home, didn’t want to bother walking all the way back home. When I arrived home, my phone started to ring. It was my boss. I picked up. He fired me.
The Girl From Outer Space
by Emily Gazzillo
In a peaceful and small mountain town, while everyone is asleep, a tall, thin teenage girl with long brown hair snuck out of her house, gazing at the star-filled night sky. While staring at the constellations, she noticed a strange object gliding through the sky. It glowed a light blue color, and accelerated faster than a jet plane. She watched the object as it crashed into the outskirts of the town, resulting in a loud boom. As the glow died down, she started running to the scene. Another teenage girl—who wore glasses and looked similar to the thin girl—appeared out of the same house and followed her. A few minutes later, the teenagers appeared at the scene with flashlights, looking right at a large, blue egg with strokes of light blue around it. “Oh my God, it looks like something out a science fiction film!” the tall, thin girl cried. “What the heck is that thing?”
“I think it’s some sort of alien, since it fell from the sky,” said the girl with glasses. She carefully and slowly approached the egg, with a stick in her hand. She stretched her arm out, and poked the egg with the stick. All of a sudden, the egg started to move. They jumped back and stared at the egg as it started moving even more. Their eyes widened once the egg actually “hatched.” An alien girl with ocean blue skin, long, dark, chocolate-brown hair, and a violet dress unraveled herself, and laid there.
“Dear God, I think that’s some alien!” the tall, thin girl gasped.
“That’s not just an alien, Marcy,” The girl with glasses said, pointing to the alien girl’s long, dark hair, “That’s an alien girl!”
“Is she dead, Lisa?” Marcy questioned. Lisa poked the alien girl, who twitched her arm. Both girls jumped back again, and the alien started to move. As she slowly got up, the two girls’ eyes were on her. Their eyes widened when the girl’s yellow eyes opened.
“Wh- Where am I?” the alien girl uttered.
“She can speak English?” Marcy whispered to Lisa.
The girl then panicked, “Who are you?” She fell back onto the ground in fear.
“Please don’t hurt us!” Marcy shouted with her eyes closed.
The extraterrestrial tilted her head, got up, and walked towards Marcy and asked, “You mean you are friendly?” Marcy opened her eyes, only to see that the alien was right in front of her, and she shut her eyes once more. “Don’t worry, I’m friendly too,” she told the girl again.
“Umm, alien, do you have a name?” Lisa asked her.
“Yes, I am Zella. Pleased to be at your acquaintance,” the alien introduced herself. “Do you both have names?”
“I’m Marcy,” Marcy responded.
“My name’s Lisa. I’m Marcy’s younger sister.”
Zella pointed to each of the teenagers, pronouncing their names correctly. She added, “So you must both be humans.”
“Yes, that’s right.” Lisa responded. “But how did you know that?”
Zella replied, “The people of my race, the Kohinans, study your planet. We are very interested in Earth, but we don’t mean any harm. My father is one of the leading Kohinans who has traveled across the galaxy just to study Earth.”
“So that must be why you know that we are humans, as well as why you can speak English,” Marcy added.
“That is correct,” Zella responded. “But we haven’t discovered everything about you humans and your planet. There is so much more to discover for us Kohinans, but I miss my family back in Kohina.”
“Aw, poor thing,” Lisa said. “How did you get here in the first place?”
Zella said, “You see, us Kohinans can travel alone in space once we turn fourteen. Since I’ve recently turned fourteen, I have the privilege to travel alone. I took my little red gliding scooter out for a spin today, but I was attacked by a cosmic snake, which is made out of pure cosmic material and has a taste for blood. It chased me across the galaxy over a span of thirty minutes, according to the time on the dashboard when it took a bite out of my scooter. I decided to make an emergency landing on Earth, so I jumped off the scooter and curled up into what looks like an egg to you humans. Now, I am stuck here on Earth until my family finds me.”
“Don’t worry, Zella,” said Lisa “We’ll take care of you during your stay here on Earth. Hopefully Dr. McStein hasn’t found out about this yet.”
Zella asked, “Dr. McStein?”
Lisa shivered, “He’s this scientist who lives way upon a hill. We’ve heard rumors about his experiments, especially about his most recent one: trying to revive a genetically mutated T-Rex.” Lisa gasped. “We can’t let him find out about Zella. If he were to find out, he would capture Zella and run experiments on her. He could hurt or even kill her!”
“Uh oh! Where am I going to stay?” Zella panicked.
Lisa, looking at Marcy, quickly responded, “She can stay at our house.”
Marcy interrupted, “What? I mean, okay! She can stay at our house! But how are we going to bring her inside?”
“I don’t know.”
Zella added, “I can turn invisible, does that make it easier for you guys?”
“Zella, you’re a genius!” said Lisa. It was at the moment when the girls heard sirens. They turned around and saw flashing blue and red lights. Lisa told Zella, “Come on, let’s get out of here before the cops arrive. I’m not surprised that the entire town heard that sound when you crash landed here.” Zella followed Lisa, followed by Marcy, whose legs were shaking. Once in the house, the girls tiptoed up the stairs and up to the sisters’ room.
Zella whispered, “Has your family noticed that you two were gone?”
Lisa whispered back, “No, we snuck out of the house while everyone was asleep to investigate you, since you fell from the sky. Now listen, we have two sisters who are way younger than us. Be extra careful not to wake them.”
Zella nodded. “Okay. Good night, Lisa and Marcy.” She curled up and became an egg-shaped cocoon again. Marcy and Lisa, now fully changed into pajamas, crawled into their beds, and went back to sleep. Zella unraveled once a ray of sunlight shone on her. She looked all around, noticing that everyone in the room was still fast asleep. It was at that moment when Marcy sat up, terrified.
Marcy gasped, “Oh my God!”
Zella ran up to her and said, “Are you all right, Marcy? You look frightened!”
Marcy stared at her with an even stranger look and answered, “Oh, it was nothing!” Marcy was in such a frightened state that Lisa soon woke up.
“Marcy, what’s wrong,” she uttered. “You look like you’ve seen a ghost or something.” Marcy staggered to even speak out a word. Lisa commanded, “Right, you’re coming with me.” As she got out of her bed, she grabbed Marcy’s arm, and they both ran out of the room, slamming the door. Zella leaned against the door, trying to hear what the two girls were saying. All she could hear was Lisa shouting, “Just give the alien a chance, Marcy! You may end up becoming friends with her!” Suddenly, Zella felt someone touching her arm. She turned around, only to find the girls’ two younger sisters right behind her.
One of the young girls, who wore pigtails, chirped, “It’s a pretty alien!” Lisa opened the door, and she and Marcy both gasped. They both saw their two youngest sisters climbing all around Zella.
Lisa muttered, “Oh my.”
The sister with the pigtails interrupted, “Look Lisa, it’s a pretty alien!”
The other one, who wore two French braids, said, “Yeah, she is not one of those scary aliens. She is like a princess!”
Marcy whispered, “They’re not afraid?”
Lisa replied, “I guess not, which is a good thing. Now we have to ensure they don’t tell Mom.” Lisa walked towards Zella, and introduced one another, saying, “Girls, this is Zella. Zella, these are our two younger twin sisters. The one with the pigtails is Abby, and the one with the braids is Gretchen. Do you know what pigtails and braids are?”
Zella pointed at Gretchen, “Are those pigtails?”
Gretchen replied, “No, silly! I have braids. Abby has the pigtails!”
“Oh, I see!” Zella figured.
Marcy giggled, and Lisa told her, “I heard that, Marcy.”
Marcy jumped, “What? No, I didn’t laugh!”
“Oh really?” Lisa smiled.
Abby asked, “Zella, do you have alien powers?”
Zella responded, “I sure do! Watch this!” She generated a strange energy, and suddenly, the girls were lifted from the ground. Gretchen and Abby chased each other around in mid-air, and Lisa giggled upon seeing this. Marcy looked around, seeing how much fun her younger sisters were having. She looked down at the ground, and a smile was on her face when she looked up.
“Hey, this isn’t so bad after all.” she whispered to herself.
“I heard that, too, Marcy.” Lisa giggled
“Hey, guys?” Zella said as she floated towards Lisa and Marcy. “Now that you’ve seen what I can do, can you show me the things on your planet that I have yet to learn about?” Lisa and Marcy looked at each other, and both nodded at Zella.
Days passed, and Zella was learning more and more about Earth. Her newfound human friends taught her many different things, from swimming in the local lake to learning new words. One evening, Marcy was sitting out on the deck with Zella, both watching the sunset. Zella was astonished and said, “Oh, this is beautiful, Marcy! I’ve never seen a scenery this amazing!”
Marcy smiled, “I’m guessing sunsets from where you live are very different from ours.”
“That is correct. Our sunsets are pretty, but yours are prettier!” said Zella.
Marcy laughed. “You’re very interested in Earth, aren’t you?”
“Yes, indeed! My race has been studying your planet for decades, and we are very curious!” Zella then drooped down, “Now, that I mentioned that, I miss my family and allies.”
“Allies?” Marcy questioned. “Do you mean friends?”
“You call them friends here?” Zella responded. Marcy nodded, and Zella asked, “So are you my friend too?”
Marcy grinned, “You’re not just my friend, you’re my best friend now.” She gently grabbed Zella’s hand, and wrapped her pinky finger around hers. “Zella, this is called a pinky promise. You would do this if you vowed to never break a promise. Now, promise me that we will always be best friends, no matter where you are in the galaxy.”
Zella tilted her head, as if confused, but then said, “I promise.” They both giggled and stood up. Moments later, Marcy and Zella were walking among the side of the lake, laughing along the way.
“You are some alien!” Marcy laughed.
“Why, yes I am!” Zella laughed back. It was at that moment when a large, metallic hand grabbed Zella, restraining her. Screaming a strange, alien scream, Zella attempted to break free, but the metal hand held onto her tighter with every attempt.
“ZELLA!” Marcy screamed as she tried to free her from the hand. Lisa came running up to Marcy.
“What’s going on?” Lisa yelled.
Marcy replied, “Zella’s been captured! She is being restrained in this giant hand!”
“Well, what have we got here?” A sinister man with a white lab coat, crazy gray hair, and large glasses appeared next to the machine. “A nice alien has just fulfilled my catch of the day!”
Marcy yelled, “You let my best friend go right now, Dr. McStein!”
“Oh, this blue, extraterrestrial girl is your best friend?” Dr. McStein laughed. “What a surprise! I won’t let her go. Now, if you will excuse me, I have a dinosaur to resurrect with her power. It would be nice if you would watch.” Dr. McStein placed tiny restraints all over Zella’s head, and he attached them to the giant metal hand. He pressed a button on the machine, and Zella started shrieking, as if in agony. “Oh, stop being such a baby!” he yelled. “I’m just absorbing your energy.”
“You’re hurting her!” Marcy shouted as she sprinted towards the machine, determined to free her friend. Dr. McStein pushed her to the ground. Zella watched with widened eyes. She quickly clenched her snow white teeth, her nostrils flared, and her yellow eyes protruded and glared.
“Don’t you dare treat my human friend like that!” Zella shouted. At that moment, a veil of light blue colors surrounded her, covering her. The gauges on the machine started shattering.
Dr. McStein blinked rapidly. “W-what’s happening?” He looked at the broken gauges. “Great Scott! The energy must be too much for this machine!”
Marcy shouted, “Zella, what are you doing?”
Zella responded, “Marcy! Lisa! Step back! What I’m about to do is dangerous, and I can’t let you two get hurt. This is also a sacrifice!”
“A sacrifice?” Marcy questioned. “You mean you’re going to sacrifice yourself?”
“I’m sorry, guys.” Zella spoke. “I have to do this, or this dinosaur could destroy your town!”
“NO!” Marcy screamed as she tried to run towards Zella again. Lisa jumped on her, restraining her.
As the girls ran further away from the machine, Zella turned to Dr. McStein and screamed, “Go away, monster!” The veil around her suddenly exploded, powerful energy flowing from it. Lisa and Marcy ducked behind a large rock near the lake. When the energy and smoke cleared, the girls stood up from behind the rock, and they started running towards the machine, which was now in ruins. When they got there, they noticed that Dr. McStein had turned gray and did not even move. Zella was there too and looked like her normal self. Marcy and Lisa slowly smiled.
Marcy spoke, “Zella, you’re oka–” Before she could continue, Zella started groaning and fell to the ground. Marcy and Lisa quickly stood still. As Zella tried to get up, both girls noticed that her feet and legs were freezing in place and turning gray, followed by the rest of her body. Both girls gasped as Zella had turned gray, and she did not move at all. Both girls surrounded Zella, who was now a stone statue. Their breaths were shallow, their smiles replaced by frowns. Marcy cradled Zella in her arms and cried, “Come on, Zella! You can’t die. You can’t! You heart must be pumping under your now stone skin!” She then fell down onto Zella’s frozen body. “Why did she have to turn to stone? WHY?” she sobbed. Lisa put her arm over her sister, trying to comfort her. At that moment, when raindrops from Marcy’s eyes fell onto Zella’s chest, the violet color of her dress started to return. Marcy, upon seeing this, quickly sat up. She and Lisa both watched as the stone on Zella started to melt, and as her colors returned. By the time Zella opened her yellow eyes, both girls’ smiles returned.
Zella slowly spoke, “Marcy, Lisa–”
“Zella, you’re alive!” Marcy interrupted as she jumped onto Zella, clutching her.
“Thank goodness you’re back, Zella!” Lisa added as she hugged her as well.
“Thanks, guys!” Zella responded. She noticed the stone statue of Dr. McStein, “Is Dr. McStein gone?”
“Yep!” Both girls giggled. At that moment, a flash of blue light appeared, causing the girls to look up. They saw a giant UFO, and Zella’s face immediately lit up.
“I know that ship, my family and friends back in Kohina are in there. They must be here to take me back, but I don’t want to leave you guys. I don’t know what to do…”
Sunday Blues
by Annie Lin
Today’s Sunday, the one day of the week where my parents are off from work, which is also the day when my family and I go on our weekly grocery shopping trip to ShopRite. Typically, Andrew stays home to play the video games he obsesses over while my parents and I go ourselves. This time, Mom and I went without Dad; he wanted to stay home to watch the football game. As I threw a sweatshirt over my head and pulled on a pair of leggings, I trotted down the stairs and headed towards my parent’s room. I popped my head through the doorway and said, “Are you ready, Mom?”
“Yeah, let’s go,” said Mom as she grabbed the car keys. With a slight nod, I headed toward the parked car in the driveway with Mom following behind. When I opened the door, I was welcomed by a cool breeze. The wind brushed against my face, turning my nose and ears to a bright, rosy red. I buried my face into my sweatshirt, shielding myself from the cold. The fall weather is coming to an end, and winter is approaching. I quickly jogged to the car to escape the unforgiving weather. Mom started the engine, and I cranked up the heat to high. Throughout the car ride, the radio was turned down to the lowest volume, and Mom and I chatted over our usual topics. Soon enough, we were able to see ShopRite down the street. Mom parked pretty far, the parking lot was packed with cars, which is not usual on Sundays. The wind picked up, and to fight the cold, I wrapped my arms around myself. Thankfully, I was greeted with a warm gush of air when I stepped foot into ShopRite.
“So, what do we need to get?” I said, as I glanced around the produce section.
Looking at her grocery list, Mom read off, “Let’s see: lettuce for salad, some fruits and—”
“Ice cream! We ran out of green tea mochi. Andrew ate the last one.”
“Right, how can I forget about your ice cream addiction?” Mom and I made our own system together, I would open the plastic bag while Mom would choose the best looking groceries. With all of our week's worth of groceries picked out, we headed towards the ice cream aisle. Browsing through the selections, I was drawn towards the green tea flavored mochi. The excitement only grew after I spotted the ice cream. Once I grabbed the box of mochi, we headed to the checkout line. With our checked out grocery bags loaded onto the cart, we piled them into the trunk, but not before I snagged the ice cream box out from one of the bags. While Mom drove home, I ate the green tea mochi, savoring the not overly sugary ice cream that's wrapped in a lightly sweetened mochi layer. Even if it’s almost winter, it’s never too cold for ice cream. “Hey,” said Mom. “Hand me one please?”
“Sure, hang on,” I said, while I fumbled with the box with one hand, as I held my mochi with my other. As Mom looked over to take the ice cream from my hand, I felt my whole body jerk forwards. I thought I was about to fly through the windshield, but the tight strap across my chest held me in place. The two mochis fell onto my lap and rolled to the car floor. I felt my airbag inflate, blocking my front view. I couldn’t see what was happening, but from what I could tell, we hit a truck. I could smell smoke trying to seep into the window cracks, and I knew that couldn't be a good sign.
“Annie! Are you okay?” said Mom, her voice was laced with concern.
With my face scrunched up in discomfort, I said, “I think so.”
“It's best for you to stay in the car. I'll call 911.” The car door creaked when she got out, and with her phone in hand, she made her way to the truck driver. I listened to her and stayed put in the car. I didn’t particularly feel like moving either, even from sitting I could feel pain coming from the lower half of my body. I rolled up my leggings to find nasty, blue bruises forming along a large cut that gushed noticeable amounts of blood. The seatbelt had left me with a burning sensation, and now, an imprint remained on my neck. I don’t know how long I waited in the car, I was in a daze. I couldn’t wrap my head around the whole situation, Mom is usually a careful driver.
Was it because of me that we crashed? Should I have said no when Mom asked me for ice cream? I kept questioning myself, and my thoughts always concluded that it was, indeed, my fault. Soon after, I saw red and blue lights flashing, accompanied by continuous sirens. Mom tapped on the front seat window, and I gingerly got out of the car. It was then when I had the chance to fully survey the scene before me. The car’s condition was worse than I thought. The whole front of the car was ruined with the headlights smashed, the rearview mirrors falling off, and the license plate dented. It looked like a chewed up dog toy. The truck on the other hand, didn’t seem to be in a condition as bad as ours. With a minor dent on the back of the truck, everything looked undamaged.
“The car’s totaled. We’ll have to ride in the ambulance. They’re taking us to the hospital for a check-up,” said Mom. I nodded and followed Mom into the ambulance. The drive was filled with loud sirens, aiding to my headache. Each bump in the road made my stomach drop, and it reminded me that this was a reality.
“What happened with the police?” I said, resting my head on Mom’s shoulder.
“Oh, don’t worry about that. Your dad and I will sort this out.” I wasn’t surprised that Mom avoided answering my question, I have always been left out when matters take serious turns, but I wasn’t reassured, and my guilt was eating away at me. The crash was my fault; if only I had not distracted Mom, that car crash would not have happened. She would not have taken her eyes off the road and would've noticed the truck merging into our lane. We would have been home by now. I would have helped Mom haul the bags inside and put the groceries away. I took my head off Mom’s shoulder and thought quietly to myself.
Arriving at the hospital, I wrinkled my nose when I was hit with the pungent smell of disinfectants. Surveying my surroundings, I noticed nurses running around like bees, and one of which ushered us into a room. Luckily, after Mom and I were examined for any lingering injuries, the doctor concluded that nothing was serious. Our cuts and bruises would heal within a few weeks. At some point during the whole ordeal, Mom must have contacted Dad and Andrew. When they got to the hospital, I kept my eyes trained on the ground. I feared that if I met their eyes, I would see the disappointment in them. I felt ashamed, I was the one who caused the crash and because of this, Mom got hurt. If her injuries were more serious than the bruises she had now, I would never be able to forgive myself. Mom glanced at me and gave me a knowing look. Tucking a stray hair behind my ear, Mom said, “This is not your fault. I don’t blame you and neither does Dad or your brother.” With Mom’s arms wrapped tightly around me, all I could do was give her a half-hearted smile. I felt my tears threatening to fall, and I was barely able to hold them in. I’m sorry, Mom.
Barred Windows
by Aaron Pottinger
A sour, old smell crept its way across each cell and through the old walls of the horrid prison. The floors were as cold as ice. The bars of the cell were rusty, and there were residues of disturbing substances on the edges. The bright lights shone directly on him as if he were a lab rat. “Please let me go!” Aaron shouted. The officials said nothing and pretended to be occupied. Aaron constantly moved around, trying to settle into a comfortable position with the handcuffs. The sounds of the guards beating a kid across the hall sent chills up and down his spine. Within a half hour, the officials threw Aaron into a cell and glared at him with anger. Aaron crawled to the barred windows, looking through the small squares to see the powerful sun spread its light across the brick exterior of the prison. He soon fought with himself to keep his eyes open and fell into a cat nap against the wall. Aaron began to dream and re-think the tragic situation.
Aaron’s Aunt Katrine was his only guardian, and she brought him in to live with her in Connecticut after a tragic incident occurred with his parents. Within weeks of Aaron living with his Aunt Katrine, he began to notice a change in her. Aunt Katrine was drinking alcohol excessively and wouldn’t step a foot anywhere in the house without a cigar placed between her lips. She constantly yelled and began to show aggression towards Aaron. It seemed as though her crooked ways were becoming worse each day. Although Aaron was a shy and quiet kid, Aunt Katrine repeatedly called Aaron a bastard and told him to leave almost everyday. It wasn’t until a week before, when Aunt Katrine threatened to send Aaron to a juvenile prison. Aaron didn’t consider the threat that she imposed, and figured it was a threat with no intent. The next day, two officials arrived at the front door of the house and forcefully dragged Aaron into a large, black van.
Shouts of cries woke Aaron up from his nap. He still couldn’t believe where he was, and he prayed that this was all a dream. He grew strong resentment towards his aunt, but strong sorrow for his parents. Aaron struggled to his feet, walking to the barred windows in a nonchalant manner. He peeked through the small squares, looking out at the terrain. He began to look up at the sky and think about his parents and the act of escape. The barred windows soon became a mental escape from the hell of a prison he resigned in, for the sight of the outside brought hope. The sound of footsteps, suddenly became louder, and caused Aaron’s heart to race uncontrollably. A brute guard appeared in front of his cell. “Get up!” the guard hollered. He repeated himself a second time. Within seconds, the cell opened and the guard grabbed Aaron by his shirt with ease. The guard held him against the wall with force, and began to drag him across the hall. Aaron remained silent, for he didn’t want to anger the guard anymore than he already had. The guard had taken him to what seemed to be a cafeteria. There were many kids scattered among the large room. The conflict between Aaron and the guard, then drew attention to the other delinquents in the cafeteria.
“Fresh meat,” they chanted, in an echo like voice. The other guards restored order within the cafeteria. Aaron started to feel nervous. The brute guard released his grip on Aaron and exited the cafeteria without any facial expression. Aaron quickly sat at the first table he could find. The tables were round, hard, and white, with old food stains imbedded in the material. He buried his head in his arms on the table and tried to distance his mind away from the painful bruise on his forearm. A sudden tap on the back caused Aaron to quickly become alert. The boy was with other kids and seemed highly irritated. He was around six feet tall and looked as strong as an ox. The name tag on his prison uniform showed the name Paul, which Aaron assumed was his actual name.
“Who are you?” Paul ordered. Aaron lifted his head from his shoulders. The other delinquents alongside Paul began to sit around at Aaron at the table. “Get the hell out of my seat!” shouted Paul.
“Sorry, I didn’t know it was yours,” Aaron replied. Paul quickly grabbed Aaron by the shirt and pulled him out of his seat.
Other kids in the lunch line were brought to Paul’s attention, and some kids continued to shout the saying “Fresh meat.” A rush of emotion ran through Aaron. Although as soon as Aaron thought the feud was over, Paul poured his steaming hot soup from the cafe on to Aaron’s head.
“Ahhhh!” Aaron hollered. Paul carried a malevolent smirk with him to the table as he boasted and chatted with the other delinquents. Ironically, despite Aaron being dragged into the cafeteria, he never received any food to eat. Aaron managed to get up on his knees, although a helping hand got him to his feet. Ari had brown hair and glasses, and his harmless smile contradicted his prison uniform.
“Don’t worry about Paul. Just try to keep your head down,” said Ari. “Oh and try not to make the whole new kid situation explode. It’s already obvious since you're still wearing normal clothes instead of a boppy.”
“What’s a boppy?” asked Aaron.
“C’mon, dude. It’s a prison uniform,” Ari replied. The two boys began to have a conversation as they headed back to their cells.
“So why did they send you here?” Aaron asked.
“It’s a long story to be honest, but long-story-short, I was set-up. I never got into any conflicts at school or my house. Although, after my parents passed away, I’ve been living in a group home where I’ve been threatened daily by adults and other kids. One afternoon, I arrived home and saw two officers in my living room. They forcefully dragged me into their van, parked outside of the group home. I had bruises marked on my abdomen.” Aaron sighed in relief, for he found someone who could relate to his pain and suffering just as much has himself. Ari glanced at Aaron, seeking a response in return.
“It’s crazy how similar our stories are. The only difference with mine is that my Aunt Katrine constantly threatened and insulted me daily. However, I would have never thought she would result to such ways.” Ari looked at Aaron in despair, and his face quickly became red.
“I’ve been held here for weeks, and I have been abused by guards and beaten up by the other delinquents. I’ve had enough, and I’m sure you’ve had enough, too. We need to escape. Follow me.” Ari led Aaron to a section of the prison,where Aaron had never been before. They were heading to a room, which by looking through the windows, appeared to be an office. Ari told Aaron to back away from door and tip-toed closer to the office. He peeked through the window, checking if any guards or other delinquents were nearby. Ari turned to Aaron to speak. “There is a key in that room, Aaron. I overheard the other guards talking about it a few days ago. Although I haven’t had the courage to go in yet.”
“Ari it’s our only hope. We don’t deserve to be here and have to deal with this constant abuse.” Before Aaron could even utter another sentence, Paul overheard the noise and approached the scene.
“What are fresh meat and Ari doing next to the head office?” Aaron and Ari said nothing at first.
“Leave us alone,” Aaron replied. The loud footsteps of guards heading towards the scene brought the attention among the three boys.
“I know what’s going on here, and I’ll be the first one in that office!” shouted Paul. Paul lunged at Aaron with force. Aaron dodged Paul’s attack and held him against the wall using all of his strength.
“I’m not afraid of you anymore!” Aaron shouted. Ari ran in the office, looked through a secret slot, and managed to grasp the key. The guards arrived on the scene in plain daylight. “Run!” Aaron hollered. The two boys ran through the hallways, trying their best to escape Paul and the guards chasing after them. A loud, ear-piercing siren sounded throughout the prison, which only increased Aaron and Ari’s determination to escape. As Aaron was running through the hallways, he quickly glanced at his cell. Within that split second of time, something had changed. His windows were no longer barred. The two windows were open, exposed to the outside. The beautiful, dark blue sky had arrived, and the sounds of crickets echoed among the plants and nature itself. A cool breeze then blew in from the open windows throughout the cell. At last, Aaron ran through the heavy doors guarding the prison and continued to run away from the premise, into the urban streets. As he was running, he dreamt back to when he was held in his prison cell, looking through the barred windows, seeking hope towards liberation, an escape, and a resolution.
Blinked
by Daniel Beltrami
It is November 27th, 1:27 A.M. My eyes gaze up from the blinding, blank white Google Docs screen to my mesmerizing TV, which is playing South Park. The volume is low yet loud enough to hear it vaguely over the heartbeat in my head. Why do I keep doing this to myself? What am I doing with my life? This is the third time I have been up late working on assignments I had more than enough time to finish at reasonable hours.
Eight days ago I received this assignment thinking “I got this, I have a great idea for what I want to do.” The assignment is simple, I have to write a short story about myself and a man v.s. self-conflict. I could write about the time I got over my arachnophobia and finally killed the spider I had trapped in a mason jar and kept on my desk. Or the time I built up the courage to ask my dad to stop and get food on the way home from school—well maybe not that one. As the days went by, I realized that I wasn't working on my English essay that I had said I was going to get a head start on.
At my chair, with my head in my hands, I say to myself, “I played myself on this essay. Should I even do this essay?” I wonder.
I rub my eyes and get up. I go downstairs to the bathroom and splash cold water on my face to hopefully wake me up a little. On my way back up to my room, I realize that I could have written a sentence or two more in the time I went downstairs, washed my face, and came back up. I start to type, eventually noticing that I already have one out of the five pages I need to get done.
“I'm starving, and I need food in me, but I can't go downstairs because I need to finish this essay soon.” I see the sad look I have on my face, reflected on my computer screen. “But I need food to function; my brain needs the energy to work,” I mouth to myself with a smile. “I'm makin’ some Pizza Rolls,” I sing to myself as I head down the stairs.
Being the procrastinator I am, I stroll downstairs, tip-toeing, of course, because I don't want to wake anybody up. I take some pizza rolls out of the freezer and then realize I can't eat right now, and I walked back upstairs. When I get back upstairs I sit down at my desk and immediately try to write. More time goes by as I stare at my computer screen: a page and a half down, three and a half to go. I look over at my clock, and the time is now 2:34 A.M. “At this rate, I’ll be up until next week writing this,” I mutter to myself.
As I'm looking hard at my half-written essay, I start to hear voices in my head telling me to play some Xbox to kill some time and wake me up. I soon realize that I am now going insane. Almost at the end of my second page and South Park is still playing at the low volume it was at before and I had even noticed my head start pounding. “I can't keep looking at the screen. I can't do it!” I exclaim to myself as I slam my hands on my desk.
Moments later, footsteps start creeping up the stairs, and I quickly shut my computer and jump in my bed to pretend I am sleeping. “What's going on?” my dad asks with a blank look on his face.
I don't answer to make it seem like I was actually sleeping. He totally bought it. As he walks back down the stairs, I wait some time before I power myself to get out of my nice, warm bed that has had my name on it for the last two hours. I sit back at my chair and say to myself again, “What am I doing to myself?” As of right now, I have no idea how I am going to function tomorrow in school or how I am even going to wake up. I then start to think about how stressed I have been these last few weeks and the piles of homework I have yet to do. I am so behind on so many things in every one of my classes. The stress I have put on myself is so much more overwhelming than I could ever have imagined. My head is in a spiral, and I cannot even think straight.
I can't stop thinking about the long list of things I still have to do. If I am this tired now and going to bed this late, I don't know how I am going to be able to take my math test tomorrow or do my science lab or finish my history project.
When it comes to big assignments like this one, I am my own worst enemy. I procrastinate so much and I can't even seem to help it. I try so hard not to procrastinate and tell myself I will do a little every day. When I miss a day I tell myself, “I'll do the part I missed today, tomorrow,” but then it gets out of hand, and when it comes to the last day of the assignment, I only have a small amount of the work done, and I get pissed off with myself and feel as though I will never get it done in time. Then, I end up staying awake until 3 A.M. for a few days before the assignment is due. When it comes to staying awake the next day, it is so hard because I only get three hours of sleep, at most. Plus, I have all this work that I am stressing over, so I can't even go to sleep when I want to go to bed early and really need the sleep.
Thinking back to when the procrastination started, my mom was in the hospital, and I went to visit pretty often and I didn't have much time for school. A family should always come first; school work can be done later. As time went by, the procrastination got worse and worse. I am not to the point where I won't do the work, I still get it done but usually very last minute or close to last minute, and that is what kills me.
I finally come back to earth, because I hear a voice calling me. I don't realize it at first, but I quickly understand that it's my bed talking to me. “You need to go to sleep,” It commands.
“But I need to finish my work, if I go to sleep now it will never get done,” I respond.
“Your loss,” it taunts. I know it sounds crazy, but my bed could actually have a point. Just hear me out: the pillows, the blanket, and the mattress are all so comfortable and warm. I just want to do a cannonball into my bed and go to sleep for twelve hours and wake up refreshed and not have to go to school, instead, looking out my window to two feet of glistening snow on the roads and lawn. Is that too much to ask?
When I regain my composure, I start writing again, and I realize that I am actually making good progress and that I could actually get it done before morning. I then look at the clock and realize it is 4:18 A.M. I’m not able to think straight anymore, so I just give up and go to bed. Before I know it, my dad is in my room telling me to wake up for school. It felt like I only blinked. Not even a blink, faster than a blink.
The Dragoness
by Emily Gazzillo
In the mythical kingdom of Onara, renowned for its magnificent castles in every single town, there lived a princess named Margaret. She was one of the sweetest girls in the kingdom. Her locks of hair were like rays of sunshine, and her eyes were mint green. She and her family lived in the largest castle in Onara, where her parents were the king and queen. Margaret was next in line for the throne, and with her parents retiring, her coronation was just a day away. She was also getting married to her love, Riccardo, on the same day as her coronation. He was a dashing young man who once rescued her from a Squirogger, a ferocious squirrel-frog hybrid, which is how they first met. Margaret loved him dearly and would do anything for her true love.
Just the day before the coronation and wedding, Margaret entered the throne room and asked her parents, “May I go into the forest to harvest some fruit for my coronation and wedding?”
The king whispered to the queen, “What do you think, dear? The forest can be quite dangerous, and what about the Dragoness?”
“Oh, stop being so paranoid,” the queen replied. “The Dragoness lives deep in the forest. As long as she does not wander too far into the forest, you have nothing to worry about.”
“Oh, okay,” the king answered back. “You win. We’ll let her go into the forest.” The king and queen then turned to Margaret. The king said, “We will allow you to harvest fruit in the forest.”
“But do not go too far into the forest,” the queen advised accordingly. “Do you understand?”
“I understand, Mother,” Margaret replied, and with that, she walked out of the throne room. Now, Margaret was a cautious young woman. However, at times, she would disobey her parents because of her curiosity and stubbornness. As she entered the forest, she was both fascinated and scared at the same time. The forest was mainly beautiful, hosting a majority of plants and friendly, magical creatures. However, the deeper, darker parts of the forest were dangerous. Magical creatures that pose a threat to humans live there. After entering the forest, she searched the area for fruit. But there was none in sight, and Margaret was left with a dilemma: to either venture deeper into the forest or return home empty-handed. Margaret did not want to go back home with no fruit in her basket, so she told herself, “I must go deeper into this forest; there must be fruit there!” And off she ran, deeper into the darker portions of the forest.
Determined to find fruit, Margaret kept searching the forest. Suddenly, a Squirogger leaped out of the brush. Because of her previous frightening encounter with a Squirogger, Margaret bolted, adrenaline rushing through her blood. After running for quite some time, Margaret decided to take a break. She spotted and rested upon a large rock. Once she caught her breath, she looked all around the area she found herself in. She finally found some fruit, and a joyous Margaret started picking them one by one. Soon enough, her basket was full of apples, pears, berries, and more. However, she forgot how to get back; she was lost in one of the deepest, and most dangerous parts of the forest. Margaret walked back to the same rock she rested upon. It was at the moment when she heard a loud growl, and she turned around. She inspected the rock further, and she soon realized that it was not just a rock; that rock was part of a cave. Margaret whispered, “Oh, this must be the cave of the Dragoness!” and quickly hid behind a large bush. She peeked through the bush to see where the Dragoness was. She suddenly heard another large growl, and she saw the Dragoness emerge from her cave.
She noticed many distinctive features of the mysterious woman. Her eyes, wings, and the scales that covered half of her body were all ocean blue. Her finger and toenails were pitch black talons. One of the only beautiful features Margaret noticed about the Dragoness, was her long, chocolate brown hair. As she stared at the beautiful yet beastly woman, Margaret did not make a sound while hiding in the large bush. All of a sudden, she heard rustling in the brush, and a handsome young man leaped out of the brush. And that young man was none other than Riccardo, Margaret’s true love! He then looked into the eyes of the Dragoness and said, “Where’s Margaret? I have come to find her, for her family and I all feared that she was lost in this area of the forest.”
“You must be exhausted and starving if you have come this far into the forest,” the Dragoness told Riccardo. “I have not seen this Margaret, but I insist you to come into my cave. I have plenty of food for you to eat.”
“That is nice, but I am not hungry nor exhausted,” Riccardo replied honestly. The Dragoness growled, generating some sort of energy from her eyes, hypnotizing Riccardo. “That would be nice, thank you very much,” Riccardo then spoke in a hypnotized tone, as he started to walk slowly towards the entrance of the cave. Margaret watched in fear, for she feared that the Dragoness would eat Riccardo.
“Psst,” something whispered to Margaret. She turned around but saw nothing. “Down here,” it said. She looked down, and saw a rabbit.
“Just a rabbit,” she told herself.
“Hey, are you going to quit staring at me like you’ve never seen a talking rabbit before?” the rabbit shouted. Margaret jumped in shock. The rabbit was capable of human speech!
“You can talk?” she quickly asked.
“Yes, I can talk. And that is because I was originally human—a wizard—but I got turned into a rabbit and was exiled to the forest by another wizard who thought I stole from him,” the rabbit explained. “Oh, in case you were wondering, the name is Theo. Now, you seem worried about your Prince Charming there. Fortunately, I have a couple of trinkets here that may help you defeat the Dragoness.” He took out a potion, a necklace, and a ring. “Now, you see, this potion causes drowsiness, the necklace has hypnosis powers, and the ring will turn anyone who wears it on their finger to stone. Got that?” Theo uttered.
Margaret replied, “Thank you, but how did you get those items?”
Theo explained, “I told you, I was a wizard once. I was assigned to study those items, but I also decided to keep them, which is why I was turned into a rabbit. Now I’ve said enough, so show that beast who’s boss! Good day, young woman.” Theo leaped back into the brush. Margaret grabbed the objects, and snuck up to the Dragoness’ cave. She peeked inside, where she saw the Dragoness, as well as a cauldron large enough to fit a human inside. She also spotted Riccardo, who was tied up. To get the Dragoness’ attention, Margaret kicked the bottle, which rolled further into the cave. She watched the Dragoness turn around. Looking down at the bottle, she grabbed it, and drank from it. Margaret waited and waited, but the Dragoness did not fall asleep. Frustrated, she decided to throw the necklace at the Dragoness, without being seen. Noticing the necklace, the Dragoness picked it up and wore it; again, that plan failed, as the necklace did not hypnotize her. Hoping that it would work its magic, Margaret threw the ring at the Dragoness. The Dragoness picked it up, and once she wore it, she immediately turned to stone within seconds. Overjoyed, Margaret ran into the cave to rescue Riccardo. Fortunately, he had not been thrown into the Dragoness’ cauldron yet, so Margaret untied him.
“Thank you, my sweetheart. You saved my life,” Riccardo cheered, and he kissed her on the cheek.
“My pleasure,” Margaret replied. “I would never let that Dragoness eat you.”
Once she arrived back home, Margaret explained to her parents everything that happened when she was in the forest. Although they were angry at her for venturing deep into the forest, they were also proud of her nobility in rescuing Riccardo. The next day, before her coronation and wedding, Margaret wondered where Theo had gone to after he jumped into the bush. When she walked outside to the courtyard, a rabbit leaped out of a bush, appearing right in front of her. “I’ve heard you are getting married and becoming queen of Onara tomorrow,” the rabbit spoke in an excited tone. “I just came to congratulate you.”
Margaret quickly cried, “Theo! You’ve returned! I thought I would never see you again, since you are a rabbit who lives in a large forest. Wait, how did you know about my coronation and wedding?”
Theo laughed. “First of all, I used to be human, so I can understand what other people say. Second of all, I sometimes sneak into town at night, so I kept hearing about you getting married and becoming queen.”
Margaret replied, “Well, that doesn’t surprise me.” They both laughed.
Theo then uttered, “Well, now I have to go. Since the wizard who turned me into a rabbit exiled me to the forest, I have to go back into the forest without anyone else catching me. I’ll see you soon, though, and once again, congratulations!” Theo hopped back into the bush. Later that day, Margaret and Riccardo got married, and became the new king and queen of Onara. Along with Margaret’s parents and Theo, Margaret and Riccardo all lived happily ever after.