by Scot McAtee
Random Objects,
Felicity Rowland
Double Homicide
When I got the call I rushed to the scene. I opened the hotel door and my heart dropped. There she was, sitting in a chair; blood stained her Pierce the Veil shirt, what seems like a bullet wound to her head and a history book in her lap. The light bulb in the lamp next to her was broken, which is a sign of struggle. Siting in that chair was my 17 year old daughter. Her name was Violet, but she went by Vi. I can’t help but slide to the floor; my legs have given up on me. Tears stream down my face and pain tears every bit of me in different directions. As I sit sobbing, the chief walks up to me.
“Hey Kate I’m really sorry and if you want off the case just let me know.” The truth is I want to be off the case more than anything. I want to go home and drown in my grief and tears. I can’t tell her that though. I am the best detective.
So I sucked it up and said, “I’ll stay on the case, but it will be extremely hard, so take it easy on me.” With a sigh she says,
“Okay, come investigate when you’re ready detective.”
I took a deep breath and stand up to investigate. With my legs still wobbly, I manage to walk up to her.
Detective Peters walks up to me and asks, “Do you know why she was here?”
“Yeah, she was here to celebrate her friend’s birthday. I told her she had to study for her mid-terms while she was here and that explains the history book”, I responded.
“Do you happen to know this friends name?” I thought about it for a minute because I have never really liked of any of her friends enough to remember their names.
“I think it was Christina, but I’m not sure.”
“We found a body”, said detective Langdon. I rushed over and took a look. To my surprise it was Kristen. She was Vi’s ex-best friend, but they stopped hanging out one day out of the blue. She had been the only one of Vi’s friends that I liked.
“This is Kristen Pope,one of Vi’s old friends,” I explained.
With a puzzled look Langdon asked, “Do you know why she was here with Violet?” I thought about all the possibilities but can’t think of one. “Honestly, I have no idea. She and Violet haven’t been friends in years” All I can think about Kristen’s mom. We used to get together when the girls were little. I start to tear up but hold t back. “We need to get the bodies to the lab for forensics. Oh, and Kate can you contact Kristen’s mother?” “Will do chief”, I answered.
When we got the girls to the lab we found out that Vi was killed from a bullet wound to the head and one to the lower abdomen and Kristen was killed from a bullet wound in her forehead and one in through her chest. They found a pillow with bullet holes through it on the floor which means the used a poor man’s suppressor. They also found bruises suggesting both girls had been hit with a bat before they were shot. According to the injuries Kirsten was shot from front and Violet was shot from behind at the desk. When I called Miranda, which is Kristin’s mom, she didn’t pick up. When I called again there were two rings and then a sweet “Hello?”
“Hello ma’am this is Kate Montgomery.”
“Oh Kate, what a surprise. We haven’t spoken in what seems like forever. How are you?” She was the first person to ask me how I was and it broke me inside a little bit. With tears gathered in my eyes I say,
“We can talk later but we need you down at the precinct please.” I can tell she’s surprised but serious when she says, “is everything okay?” with tears now wetting my checks and a crack in my voice I responded, “It’s Kristen.”
She gasped, “I’ll be right there.” When she found me I was crying in the corner unable to pull myself together. I am assuming they already told her because she came at me crying. She helped me to my feet, hugged me and we cried together. Gasping for air I tried to speak. “We…need to…go to…the lab and grab… the contents of...the room and ...their pockets.”
We walked down to the lab and we were greeted by Viviane. She flashed a look of sympathy at us but to be honest I don’t want someone to feel bad for me or sympathetic. I want someone to hug me tight and reassure me. “Ladies, I’m really sorry for your loss. We have the contents of their pockets and the hotel room for you.” She hand us the items to sort through. When we finished sorting, in Violet’s pile there was her IPhone 5 and IPod she got for Christmas, her keychain, and her chap stick. In Kristen’s possessions is her IPhone 4S, a green key, the hotel key card for room 107, a bag of airhead candy, and Savage Garden cd.
“Oh, Kate I think this belongs to you”, Miranda hands me a necklace. When I looked at I realized that it was the one I gave her when she was eight. I thought she had stopped wearing it. I clamped my hand shut and gave in to the tears. I’m now running but I have no idea where to. I run out the door of the precinct. I run until it goes dark. I hear a car horn and I’m gone. All I can think is, “I’m dying, and I can be with Vi in peace”
I woke up the next morning in so much pain. Doctor Jones walks and the room and explains, “You have a broken leg, your right arm is broken and your left wrist is fractured. You also have a fractured skull and a major blood loss. We are currently looking for an O+ donor.” Great now how am I supposed to solve my daughter’s murder. I need closure. “Hey how much longer until I will be released?”
She frowned, “About 2 weeks if your arms heal in time”, she didn’t look too sure.
“Can you call my chief and detective Langdon and ask them to come see me?”
“Of course”, she smiled. When they got here they told me their leads. “We dusted for prints and found 3, 2 of them belonging to Vi and Kristen. The other set belonged to a lady named Jenna Fox. Detective Peters has her in investigation as we speak”, Langdon informed me. “I guess that’s better than nothing. Thank you guys”, I said teary eyed. Chief looked at me and I can tell she is worried. “What happened yesterday? If you don’t mind me asking”, she questioned. I took a deep breath. “Honestly I don’t know. I guess I was just trying to run and get away.” Confused she asked,” get away from what?” I thought about it for a minute. “I don’t know, the truth? Maybe I was trying run away from reality and pretend it’s just a dream. In all honesty, I might have just been looking for death.” She stared at me for about 3 minutes then excused herself. Not long after that Langdon excused himself as well.
Just like that I was alone with my thoughts again. I don’t like it because I think too hard and push myself to my breaking point. I was just about to get deep in my thoughts when I heard a knock at the door. It was Miranda. “Hey how are you doing Kate?” a million emotions rushed though me but one stuck and all I could say was “Depressed.” She paused like she was shocked but I know she wasn’t. She found the words to say, “Me too.” She had one hand behind her back and it made me really curious. She must have seen me starring because she handed to me and said, “This is for you.” I took it from her hands and just starred at it. A smile spread across my face. It had been my first smile in a while. In my hands was a picture of Vi and Kris from when they were about 10. I just starred in awe until I heard Miranda say, “I wonder why they grew apart. It’s not like they moved schools, or had a big fight. I also was curious about why they were in a hotel together. Kris had told me she was going to stay with a friend but never specified.” I thought long and hard but I couldn’t give her an answer. I know that she would also like closure and I can’t help her with that. What I can help her with is by keeping her up to date. “Miranda did they tell you about the leads?” She dropped her somewhat of a smile and started to frown. “Yes, but do you know who this Jenna character is? I have never heard of her.”
“No, but the interview should be done soon and they will inform us of everything they know. If you want to wait here with me until they come you are more than welcome. Plus, I wouldn’t mind the company.”
I woke up from my sleep when I heard knocking. I looked over and Miranda was still sleeping in the chair. After a minute I said,” come in.” and the door
opened. It was the chief. She had a warm smile on her face but it faded when she told me the news. “Jenna’s alibi was air tight. She had gone to visit Kristen that day around 2:20 and the video footage from the hotel shows her leaving at 3:00. The girls ordered room service at 3:10.” By this time Miranda was already awake and had heard everything. It didn’t make sense; the killer always leaves some sort of print.
“I would like to see the video here if that is possible.” They roll in a TV and pop a tape in. “You can see Jenna walking in at 2:20 but the thing is it was light outside. When you see her leave it is 3:00 but it is dark outside. The girls ordered room service at 3:10 pm. And it would still be light.” Chief is confused I can tell.
“The sign out sheet has her signed in and out during the day not at night”, she said. I thought about it and figured it out. “The clip must have been altered. They prerecorded it and then edited it in there so it looks like she had left before the girls were dead. Really she killed the girls the night before and returned the next day to make it look like she was innocent. All we have to do now is find her and whoever helped her.” Miranda and the Chief smiled and chief said, “That’s why you are my best detective.” She left the room and Miranda followed behind her. Not too long after I fell asleep.
The next morning I awoke and Langdon is sitting in front of my bed. “Morning Kate”, he said softly.
“Good morning to you too Sir. Are you going to fill me in on what happened? Or do I have to guess”, I chuckled.
He laughed, “Guess, no I’m just playing around. Well last night we caught Jenna Fox and the hotel’s camera security at the airport catching the first flight to Costa Rica. We took them in to custody and got a confession from them both. They never said why or what their motives were. I’m glad we caught them, but I’m so, so sorry for your loss. Violet was a great girl.” I should be happy but it still hurts.
“Yeah she was great. Thank you Langdon.” He nodded and headed out the door. I have closure why am I not happy? Her killers are behind bars for life. Maybe it’s because I need to know why. Why they murdered my 17 year old innocent daughter? I took a deep breath and burst into tears. Loud wails and screams filled the room. She’s gone forever and there is nothing I can do about it. My baby girl is gone. Then the thought that shall be the death of me snuck its way into my mind. I am no longer a mother.
Bus,
Felicity Rowland
It Was Me
It was a cold, rainy day when I got back from Iraq. Not exactly the welcoming weather I had hoped for. When my plane landed I looked around for my husband and daughter, but no one was there to pick me up. It was seven in the morning so I really wasn’t expecting them to. I went to the little airport store and I bought a little yellow umbrella. I walked down the street to the bus stop. I looked at the schedule to see when the next bus would arrive. I guess I had just missed the last bus by ten minutes, so the next bus won’t be here for another thirty. I decided to walk back to the airport to buy a book. As I was looking I found a book about the bombs, so I bought it and walked through the airport. People all starred like they had never seen a female marine before. On my way back to the bus stop the rain had stopped so I no longer needed my umbrella. Naturally I am a really fast reader so I was halfway through when the bus got here. I closed the book and entered.
There were two seats open in the back so I sat next to a high school girl. I sat there reading my book and minding my own business when a strange woman walked in and sat in the only other open seat on the other side of the girl. Normally I don’t pay attention to people while riding the bus, but she was different. She was skinny but built. She was tall and had short black hair. She looked like a fellow marine. She started talking to the girl in between us. She must have noticed my uniform because she leaned over and said, “Thank you for your service.” She nodded then settled in her seat. She started reading about the anatomy in bombs. Same book I had. She stopped and then stood up on her seat.
“This is a filthy world we live in and I want to help you get to a better place.” There was silence and stares so she just sat back down. She leaned over and passed me a note. I scramble to open it curious what was on the inside. It said, “I’m going to save you.”
I was confused so I looked over at her but she just started smiling. I shuttered and turned away. She soon stood up again but this time gesturing to someone out the window. She just signaled a ten and slumped in her seat when we passed the strange man. Ten what? Ten hours, cats, bombs, people, minutes? The most logical one I could think of was minutes so I waited and exactly ten minutes. On the tenth minute her cell phone rang. I tried to look over at the message. All I could see is what looked like some sort of code. She pressed some buttons and her phone started ticking. My breaths got deeper and the pain of fear ripped into my chest. I just got back from war and bombs. I just want to go home to my family. With all my thoughts cluttering my mind I didn’t even notice that she dropped a note in my lap. I was frozen with fear but forced myself to open it. “Follow me off the bus if you want to live.” I didn’t want to but I need to follow but I need to survive.
She had also dropped a note into that teenage girl’s lap. She stood up and started to get off the bus. The girl jumped up and followed. I was reluctant but I got up to leave as well. We got off the bus and had made to an alley about fifteen feet away when she opened her phone and pressed a button. “BOOM” and I fell to the ground. My ears were ringing in pain. I crawled over to the teenage girl but she just glared at me and stood up. When the ringing stopped I finally was able to get to my feet. The girl called the cops and put more distance between us. I looked around for that strange woman, but she was gone. She had just killed at least fifty people and now she has just disappeared. The police were there within a matter of time. They helped us into the ambulance and rushed us to the hospital. I couldn’t help but feel guilty that I lived so many people died but I lived. My husband and daughter ran into my hospital room. “How could you kill those innocent people”, he cried. I was confused at first but then remembered all of it. I did it. I was the strange woman. I imagined it all. I had PTSD. I am going to prison. I was the killer.
First lines
Felicity Rowland
Hi I’m Alex
I wasn’t supposed to remember yet, it’s my most vivid night mare. The faces, the colors, the screams, are all so clear to me. Every night I lay awake too scared to sleep. I don’t want to relive it all again. I’m still afraid to drive past where it all happened. I miss not knowing what I used to. All those memories are gone. My family is gone. They said I wouldn’t remember anything from the accident, or before it. I can still feel where the stiches used to be on the right side of my head. I can feel the fake leg that replaces my left leg. It shifts as I turn over in my bed. I lay there restless. I remember tomorrow marks the three year anniversary of the accident. Every year, the night before the accident, my town’s local news channel does a story about it. I turn on my TV and flip to channel 16. Donna Tyler, the main news anchor, says “Tomorrow is the three year anniversary of the Noble family’s tragic accident. Amelia and Rory Noble, and their children Clara and Alex, got into a life altering collision with an airplane. The plane fell out of the sky and hit their vehicle. Amelia, Rory, and Clara sadly passed away, but Alex was still breathing. The air lined this 25 year old to the Griffith hospital. Alex went into immediate surgery. They removed tiny pieces of glass fragments from Alex’s scull. This damaged prefrontal cortex, which is part of the brain's frontal lobe affecting long-term memory. Alex lost long term memory, can’t even remember the accident. That poor ki-” I shut off the TV. She doesn’t know what she is talking about. I can remember the accident. She even said the wrong part of my brain. The prefrontal cortex affects short-term memory. The cerebral cortex is where long-term memory is stored. Also, I was 24 when this happened. Whoever told her this information obviously had not been doing their research very well. I slowly drifted into sleep.
The next morning I woke up to my phone ringing. I said in a not so pleasant tone, “Hello?” “Good morning to you to”, Hayden quickly replied. I met Hayden about a year ago. We became best friends immediately. She asked, “Do you have plans for today?”
“Other than sitting around wining bout how sad I am, no.” I told her, it had taken me some time but I finally stopped grieving and moved on with my life. “Well then we are going to hang out today, I simply cannot have you lying around all day alone”, she responded.
“You can come over here if you’d like and we could just hang out”, I offered.
She paused, “Sure, do you want pizza?”
“Yeah, any kind will do. See you when you get here”, I hung up the phone. About 30 minutes later, I heard my doorbell ring. To my surprise when I opened the door it wasn’t just Hayden. She had invited Mickey, Skylar, David, Matt, Karen, Peter, Rose, and Billie. I had met these people about a year after my crash. I let them all in and thanked Hayden for such a wonderful surprise. Although we had never really discussed my accident, I wanted to know if they had seen the news last night. It finally got quiet, so I asked, “Did you guys see the news last night?”
“What channel?”
“Channel 16”, I answered.
“I don’t have a channel 16”, Rose replied.
“None of us do”, Karen added.
“What do you mean? I watched it last night. Donna Tyler is the anchor.” With confused faces they all asked, “Who is that?” “Never mind, what I was going to explain was she did this story on me last night and it was way off.”
David smirked and questioned, “A story on you? What was it about?”
“Do you remember when we met and we talked about my crash?” “Yeah you got into a crash with the Oswald family. You were the only one in your family with serious injuries so they brought you in and stitched you up. On the other hand, the middle child, Cassandra Oswald passed away. They tried to sue your family but they moved to a foreign country and left you behind with no explanation”, David said with a worried look in his eye. “Are you okay?”
“Yeah I just need some water”, I lied. All the sudden, I got dizzy and nauseous and then darkness filled my mind and I was out cold.
Slowly regaining consciousness I hear, “Alex, Alex! Are you okay?!” I looked around and everybody but Billie was gone. “Yeah, how long was I out?”
“About 12 hours. I told everyone to go home and sleep and that I would watch you”, she said with a smile. “Thanks”, I muttered.
“No problem but do mind explaining what that was all about? I thought you knew all that already. Where you told anything different about the crash?” I paused for a moment.
Then I explained, “I remember the accident; a plane was falling out of the sky. I could hear my mom screaming and Clara crying. Then the plane hit our car and crushed it. Next thing I remember; is seeing them put my family in the ambulance after pronouncing them dead, and then rushing me to the helicopter to be air lined to the hospital. They did surgery on my brain so they could get the glass out. After that my long-term memory was gone. That’s all I remember. Nothing before it and only a little after, but I remember everything from about a year after when I met all of you to now.” She sighed, “Alex do you want to know the truth?”
“Of course”, I said with an uneasy feeling in my gut.
“Okay, I actually don’t know what happened.” She sighed.
“What?” I was sincerely confused. “I don’t know what happened! Whatever you know, isn’t the truth, I can tell you that.” She spoke quickly, sounding as if she wanted the words gone. Our conversation went in circles and eventually she left. My mind raced, trying to grasp what just happed. Billie, nor our other friends, besides Karen, knew what actually happened three years ago.
I raced to the phone and called Karen. The phone rang for about 30 seconds until I heard, “Hello?”
“Hey”, I quickly responded.
“What’s up? Are you okay?”
“Yeah, I need you to get over here as soon as you can please. I need to speak to you”, I begged.
“Okay”, she sighed.
“Thanks, bye”, I hung up the phone. I anxiously waited for her arrival. I stared out the window at my driveway. When I saw her pull up, I opened the door right before she knocked.
“Oh, hello”, she smiled.
“Come in”, I gestured. She sat down and got comfortable on my couch.
“What really happened the night of my accident? I need to know”, I bluntly asked.
“We already told you”, she lied.
“No, I want the truth and only you know it. Billie told me”, I cried. Tears are now streaming down my face.
“Alex, you have got to believe me. It’s too dangerous for you to know. The information could get you killed!” She has never yelled at me before.
“It’s a risk I’m willing to take”, I said. She looked at me for a minute, glaring at me like that was a stupid choice. “Are you sure?”
‘I’m positive.”
“Okay, I have to tell you something but you can’t tell anyone else ever. I am in the CIA and that is the only reason I know how much I do and couldn’t tell you. Alex this is a big deal. If I give you this information I will most likely lose my job. I’m willing to do this because you are a friend, and a good one at that. You also have to understand that this information will change your life. I can’t explain your past in words but the CIA has a special pill that will knock you out for a little while. Just long enough so you know the truth. While you are asleep it will seem like a dream but you will relieve your past”, she took a deep breath, “Do you understand?” I nodded, then she handed me a pill and said, “I will not be here when you wake up. Oh, and Alex be careful. When you wake up you need to leave. I don’t just mean the house I mean the country. If they know that you know they will come for you. I’d give them at least an hour after you wake up to come searching for you.”
“How would they know?”
“You are a very important person Alex. They have monitors on your brain. You don’t remember anything because they don’t want you to. I have to leave now take the pill an when you wake up leave”, she walked to the front door and left. I was excited yet scared to finally find out the truth.
I took the pill and I was out immediately. I started to dream. It’s a bit foggy but I can still see. I hear a scream and I turn around. I see a figure in a black mask brutally murdering a family. I took a closer look and then realized that it was my family. I felt sick but I couldn’t throw up. Then I remembered that this is just a dream. The person got rid of the bodies and then cleaned up. When the killer took of the mask I realized it was me. Terrified at the sight I ran out the front door. “This isn’t real”, I thought to myself. I stumbled into a park. It was dark and I hear more screaming. I spun around to see what was going on and that’s when I saw am lady in her mid-twenties getting strangled with a guitar string. It was brutal. When I looked closer I saw again that the killer was me. Scared and confused I ran. I kept running until I ran into a newspaper stand. I looked at the newspaper and it said “Alex Noble is a murderer!” “Alex Noble has murdered friends and family, including Amelia Noble, Rory Noble and little sister Clara Noble. Also Violet Smith, Myra peters, Kayla Harmon.”
“No, no, no, why would I do these things? Who are these people? I need to know more”, I cried. Next thing I know I’m in a white room. I see my body on the operation table. They are operating on my brain. “We need to take out the long term memory”, the doctor ordered.
“Amputate the left leg and make and incision on the right side of the skull”, he said.
“This needs to be as realistic as possible. Alex must believe there was a car crash.” One of the nurses questioned, “why are we doing this why keep Alex alive?”
“This is an experiment for the CIA. We want to see if we can change the psychopath. So we are replacing the memory”, he answered.
“Now implant this chip in the brain and we’re done.”
“We are making a special news tape for every year of the accident just for Alex.” With a gasp, I woke up. I hurried and gathered my things. I hate myself; maybe I would’ve been better off dead. A least I know everything now. When I opened the door a bag went over my head and it got dark.
“Hi, I’m Alex and I’m a Murderer.” They did change the psychopath but I’m back.
Write around story
Felicity Rowland
The Secret Panel
A secret panel swung open and then I went in the room to explore. When I step inside the door closes and locks behind me. Now I am trapped. I walk down a long corridor to see if I can find a way out, but all I see is cobwebs and creepy pictures on the wall. I turn my phone’s flashlight on and keep walking. It isn’t much light but it is better than complete darkness. About 20 minutes after walking down this endless corridor, I finally find a door.
I went to open the door but I heard something coming from behind it. I slowly grab the handle and pray to God I don’t make much noise. I silently crack the door open and I can’t believe what my eye’s see. An old man who looks familiar is in a white coat and has somebody sitting in a dentist chair half toothless. This old man was removing this guy’s teeth one by one and I just need to see more. I open the door wider this time getting a full view on what was going on. This man is not only missing his teeth, his eyelids are gone and this old guy has something holding his eyes apart.
The old guy keeps saying “I will make you immortal.” I am scared, but have to see what is going on. The old guy was putting small blades on the side of the man’s cheek. I am totally freaked out. I turned around and tried keeping myself from puking. That’s when I hear the old guy say, “When we are done I shall give you a name.” I gasp silently wondering what to do.
The man continued working and I could hear him muttering but I can’t make out what he is saying. I cup my hand around my ear. “After you’re done, your wife is next.” I peek back in the room and see the old man rip off his mask and clothes revealing a toothless man with no eyelids and blades in his cheeks. That is what he is doing to the other man.
I am not sure what is happening here but I know if I don’t get out of here, I will be his next victim. Trying to be quiet, I back out slowly. When the door closes it makes a loud sound. I freak out and run the other way.
I have to get out of here, but I have no idea where I am going to. Suddenly, I hear a slam of the door behind me. I push my legs harder trying to make my way further down the hallway. “Come back!” I heard directly behind me. I am afraid to turn back. I can’t be caught I have to keep going.
I can only run so far. The old man knows this place more than I do, but I won’t give in. There is no way I am going to lose to that weirdo. I keep that in mind as I run but ended up going to a dead end. I’m finished. I turn around slowly as I hear the pounding steps of the man. In a matter of moments he is in front of me with a knife. Then he says, “I want you. With a great big blade and shot from me to you. You will become immortal.
“No! I don’t want to be immortal. I want to go home.” I grab the knife from his hand and stab him. I guess he wasn’t immortal. I run down the hallway looking for a new door. When I can’t find one I sit down and cry. That’s when I wake up. I am in tears and sweating. That was by far the worst nightmare I have ever had.
Poetry Felicity Rowland
Drown
Underneath the bridge at midnight,
I hear screaming and crying,
There is a girl trapped in the water and she wants to be free,
Of the hurt and the pain, of the tears and the sorrow,
She goes to bed thinking there will be a better tomorrow.
She wakes up[ and realizes it’s all the same,
She feel the water rising filling up her lungs,
She doesn’t want to give up now,
Look how far she has come.
Almost engulfed in water now,
I look in the mirror and see,
That girl has drowned and dies now,
How did I not realize,
That dead girl was me.
Maria Mecklenburg
Maria Mecklenburg
Poetry
What Hilarious is Like
Being hilarious is like when you make people laugh all the time because you’re so funny.
The pain you get in your sides
Or the tears rolling down your face because it was that funny.
The silence of your laughter.
The ache in your jaw
The wheezing and gasping for air.
Hilarious is like when you can hear your friends
Laughing and giggling
Choking and Cackling
And sometimes the sound of their laugh makes you laugh more.
It’s being hunched over
Grabbing your stomach
Or your head tilted back and slapping your knee.
Hilarious occurs when you create inside jokes with your friends
That no one understands
Or making fun of the bad in others even if it means you’re not perfect either.
Telling someone not to or to say or do something,
Then do it yourself because you’re a hypocrite.
Hilarious is like when you walk through the halls
And pass your friends who look at you and
Raise their eyebrows twice or stick their tongue out
Making funny faces.
The warm feeling of companionship,
You feel all bubbly inside like you’re going to burst into laughter.
Hilarious is like reading a joke off the internet
Telling your friends and taking credit for making it up.
Or hearing only part of a conversation
And you take it wrong
because you walked in at the wrong time of the story.
It’s bursting out laughing in the dead of silence
Over something that happened yesterday.
Eyes squinted, nose scrunched.
Mouth wide open.
Hilarious is what makes you decide to
Wake up in the morning because you have
A feeling inside that today will be great.
It’s bringing up funny stories from the past.
It’s the smile that’s made.
The laughter you share.
The memories you store.
Being hilarious is what makes our day so much better
One laugh at a time.
Maria Mecklenburg
First Lines
The Wolf Who Dared
In my past life I was a wolf, who made a decision to wander off into the night and hunt while the rest of the pack was asleep, to ignore the alpha’s lectures, and rebel against the rest of my tribe. In my past life...I made…a mistake. I live on as a human to share my recollections of the moments before and after I made a choice. A choice that changed my life. I remember it like it was just 15 years ago. Oh wait, it was 15 years ago. Well anyway, it was a Tuesday in the middle of January, 1:00 in the morning, and 22 degrees outside. I wasn’t cold though. I had my thick coat on. My fur was white with streaks of black running through it. I felt a tickle every time the wind blew and made every little strand of hair shake ever so slightly against my skin. My name… was Yoshi. And I was about to run into the night that would be forever engraved into my memory for the rest of my life. Er, should I say, my for the rest of my human life.
I had been just laying around the cave. The only thing that allowed us to see was the faded light of the moon which was casting a stream of light on us. It lit up the gravel that I stood upon while others lay in the corners engulfed in the darkness and fast asleep. This is where the pack decided to camp for the next few nights. My eyes drooped down as I inhaled deeply and exhaled a series of sighs due to boredom. I had to stay in the cave because I wasn’t allowed to go anywhere. Even d
uring the day. The alpha wolf is in charge and keeps me under his supervision for safety reasons since I’m not old enough to go out on my own. How dumb is that? What does age or maturity have anything to do with it? Besides, I was 2 years old as a wolf which is almost like 20 human years. Nothing’s going to happen to ME. I have keen senses, large canine teeth, powerful jaws, and the ability to pursue prey at 60 miles per hour. They didn’t trust me. Well I’LL show them. I would break away from the pack to prove that I could hunt on my own. And that’s exactly what I did.
The crumbled leaves that lay like fallen heroes from the trees crunched between my paws and the grassy path as I trotted along through the forest…like a boss. The feeling of power, rebelliousness, and freedom overwhelmed me. I was free to do what I wanted and I loved every second of it. Just then, an aroma drifted through my nose. Sniff, sniff. Mmm… It smelled like I was having me some deer tonight. That’s when I took off. I ran and ran, air in my face, tongue hanging out of my mouth, legs pumping, and heart racing. An adrenaline rush overcame me as I leaped over rotted logs and bushes and dodged limbs of trees. Nothing could get in my way! I made a sharp left as the scent switched its course. I tracked it down a narrow path that led me into a tunnel of towering trees and vines coiling around their branches. I started to pace myself, then put my front legs far in front of me, my paws sliding, body turning, as I did a 180. Dirt began collecting under my nails as I skidded to a jerky stop, shook off the dirt from my fur, and caught my breath. I turned back around and took a look ahead at the tiny bit of moonlight in the distance. I leaned my snout closer to the ground to get a better whiff so I could get a 20 on wherever this deer thought he was going. Then I started up again until I came out of the forest. I found myself sitting on all four legs at the top of a small hill behind a depressing house. The windows were cracked, the grass was brown, and there were big gaps between each of the hanging boards that kept the house together. They were so soft due to rotting that you couldn’t even hear the loose nails rattle in the wind that whistled in my ears. I took one step forward and howled bloody murder when an excruciating pain rippled through my right leg.
The teeth of the trap punctured through my flesh while blood gushed out of the wound and made a puddle on the ground. I felt the teeth of the blade rubbing against the bone. I shrieked and yelled. Cried and yelped. Bawled and whimpered. My knees gave way, and before I knew it, I collapsed on the ground. I clenched my teeth in pain as I became yet another victim of a man’s effortless hunting scheme to catch wildlife. I’ve been warned about this before. I tried to grasp what was going on, but all I could think about was my leg. I looked down. I was caught in a bear trap.
It seemed like forever, but I finally managed to pry the bear trap out of my leg. The wind pushed a nearby bottle about 4 feet in front of me. Even in the dim light of the moon, I could tell it was beer. I crawled over, found that it was more than half full, reached my head near the opening, and guzzled it. I figured the alcohol would help numb the pain in my leg, which it did. OH NO!!! I was gonna be in big trouble. Would I? Or would they just be glad that I’m okay? Well, actually I’m FAR from being okay, but what are they going to say? Will the pack be mad? Where would we go from here? Did they even hear me howl? Will they still love me even though I broke from the tribe? Are they going to hold this against me for the rest of my life? Do they know I’m gone? Are they still sleeping like idiots? What if they smell my beer breath? HOLY CRAP, WHAT AM I GOING TO DO? My head was spinning. I started to feel lightheaded. I tried to gather my thoughts. I couldn’t go back. I could never go back. And that’s when it happened.
I saw a tiny little red dot towards the bottom of my neck, which connected to a stream of light. I followed the light with my eyes and saw a horrifying image. At the end of the light, perched atop a 4 by 4, sat the silhouette of a human. Its shadows were lurking through the pine trees in the yard of the depressing house. He appeared to be wearing a camouflage outfit equipped with a round of shiny metal looking things draped around his neck.
Chick chick...oh no…BOOM!
I immediately went deaf in one ear as the rifle was fired. The bullet pelted through my rib cage, shattering at least a bone or two. My face wore a gaping mourning expression as my eyes seemed to get wider and wider. My out stretched paw was struggling, grasping, and trying to reach out to someone, anyone, while the other lay on the pool of blood staining my fingertips and becoming the reminder of my decision to rebel against the others in the fight for freedom. I couldn’t even scream at the pain because my throat was bleeding from the inside out. The thick dark blood oozed its way out of my mouth and formed a tiny rivulet as it trickled down my chin. For a moment my face turned into a twisted light purplish blue color before it turned pale. My paw fell to my side as I went limp. I was dead.
Maria Mecklenburg
Bus
The Stranger on the Bus
I was sitting in the second to last seat in the back of the bus on my way to Hollywood Arts High School and examining my French tips when the bus driver break checked to a screeching halt like my grandma does all the time. Everyone’s heads slammed into the seat in front of them while the creaky door opened.
“Sorry ‘bout that guys,” said the bus driver.
I looked out the window to see that we had stopped at an unfamiliar house to pick someone up.
That’s funny, I thought. I don’t remember this stop being in the bus route. Must be a new kid. Great! I love new kids! NOT! We never got the cool kids or the ones who were smart enough to know that there’s a difference between an Xbox and an Xbox one. I glared over at Isabelle, who was a new kid 4 months ago but is still referred to as “the new kid.”
She had turned our awesome free time in study hall into a heated argument last week because she wasn’t familiar with the new generation of the Xbox. Then she tried to blame the rest of the class for her stupidity. How typical. She does it all the time. And if that’s bad! Between the tattletales and teacher’s pets, if I had to deal with another weirdo then I would scream. But I didn’t have to worry because just then a head full of curly auburn hair climbed his way up the stairs and maneuvered his way through the isle, which was filled with book bags and elbows. He was wearing a dark purple hoodie and had earbuds in his ears connected to an IPod. He wore DC’s and had his dark jeans tucked into the tongues. When he turned his back towards me to sit in the seat across the aisle, I noticed his Under Armor bag with drawstrings. He seemed alright for a new kid, I thought. That is, until he looked over at me and said
“Sup dawg. How ya hangin’? Where was you last night? I waited at McDonalds for like an hour, man. So I’s just left cuz I didn’t know if our reservation would still be good. Ya know what I’m sayin’ man?”
“Uhh…I think you’ve got the wrong person.” I said.
“Ah, na na. It was definitely you bro. I know cuz I texted you last night and I was all like ‘Hey, are we still on for tonight’…” he read from his Ipod.
I leaned across the aisle and looked at the top of his screen where my name, Kelly Burkart was. Impossible! I thought. I hadn’t even seen this guy until this morning.
“I don’t even know you.” I replied. “How did you get my num-“
“but then I’s never got an answer so I figured you’s just were getting’ ready or sompin’ like dat.” The stranger interrupted.
“You’re not my boyfriend.” I said disgusted.
“But it’s ight, man. It’s ight. We cool dude. Just next time wouldya let me know when yous gonna stand me up. Ya coulda at least called me for Pete steak. I mean, I was just there in the middle of McDonalds in my fanciestest clothes just sittin’ there, man, waitin’ for my girlfriend, but choo never came and people was just lookin’ at me like ya know?”
“Hey.” I said trying to get his attention. “I just met you. And I wouldn’t have stood you up because I’m not even-”
“Then da manager or sompin’ came and was like ‘Can I help you sir’?’ I mean, like how r
ude. Am I right? I tella, I go, “Uh, Dude. My name is TYrone.” He emphasized.
“Not Sir.”
“HEY! Look TYrone, I’m not-“
“Kelly, baby, ya gotta stop interuptin’ me, man. I’s can’t do dis anymore. It’s getting’ annoying. Until you start waitin’ for me to finish my sentices and quit talkin’ like one uh dose idiots, I’mma have to dump ya girl.”
“I wasn’t. Going Out with you ANYWAY!” I raised my voice.
He went dead silent and didn’t respond. His mouth made a tiny little ‘o’. He looked shocked. But I was just relieved he didn’t have anything else to say and finally shut up.
I began to think about some funny stuff that had been posted on the Internet recently. I reached in my pocket for my phone to check what was going on lately, but it wasn’t there! I began to nervously and franticly search my seat until I noticed that my purse was on the floor unzipped and some of my belongings had fallen out. I slid myself off the seat and crouched down closer to the floor in the space between my seat and the one in front of me and started to pick my stuff up. I threw my key chain, mirror, lip gloss, phone, wallet, back in… wait, what? My wallet? My school ID was tucked behind the transparent plastic that showed my picture and name.
That’s how that guy knew my name. I thought.
Well that’s ONE mystery solved.
I sat back in my seat, grabbed my phone, and pressed the on button. When my screensaver of me and my best friend appeared, I swiped the screen and typed in my password. Then I checked the Internet. One of my favorite TV shows, Candid Camera just hired someone a few days ago and they would be hosting tonight’s episode. So I decided I would watch who they were pranking tonight when I got home fr-
“What are you doing?” he asked.
“Ugh, you made me lose my thought.” I replied.
“The only reason why people get lost in thought these days is because it’s unfamiliar territory.” He said. I rolled my eyes at him and slouched in my seat.
Then he swung his bag off his shoulders, put it on his lap, and pulled out a book. He opened it in the middle and flipped a couple of pages that were completely blank.
“Hmm…” he hummed. “Where was I?”
Once the stranger found his spot, he stayed on the same page for a minute or two. I peered over at what he was reading, but the page he was on was blank. I glanced up at his face. His eyes went back and forth as he skimmed the pages of his book like he was reading it. His crimson red hair shook softly as his head moved with the words. Or should I say the fake words. There were no words or pictures. I blinked my eyes a couple times hoping that if I tried hard enough, I could make sense of what was with this guy. He put his book down after noticing that I was noticing him. He gave me a toothy grin before setting the book underneath him. He gripped the top of the seat in front of him as he stood up. He shifted himself into the aisle while the bus was moving.
“ATTENTION! Everyone! I have something I’d like to say.”
Huh, he managed to not talk like an idiot gangster for 3 whole sentences. I thought.
Everyone turned towards him to see what he had to say which turned into a boring speech.
“We the people of the United States, in order to form a more perfect…” the stranger rambled.
“Shut up!” someone shouted.
“Ensure domestic tranquility, provide for the…”
“No one cares!” a little kid whined.
“Sit down nerd!” another person yelled.
“Secure the blessings of lib-”
“Take a seat!” interrupted the bus driver.
“Ts, can you believe this guy?” someone asked. But he continued despite people’s thoughts and insults. After much yelling from annoyed high schoolers and like 5 minutes later he wrapped it up.
“Constitution for the United States of America. Thank you everyone! Thank you!” he kissed the tips of his fingers and made waving motions with his hands. Then he sat down.
“FINALLY!” a couple people sighed.
The stranger then took out a piece of paper and a pen and wrote something. Then he folded it and threw it across the aisle at me. I picked it up from my lap after giving him a dirty look and opened it. Inside, it said
Sorry about the damage on your car.
I raised my eyebrows in confusion. I didn’t even have a car. He had to have been just messing with me. The next thing I knew, he was looking through the window of his seat and pointing to something outside. He gasped and started to say
“Ooh, ooh.” I ignored him considering I already had enough of this guy. Then he pounded his chest like a monkey. Soon afterwards, I heard something weird as if his phone went off. He answered it and said,
“Hey, mom…yeah, I’m on the bus with her right now…no…no…mom, no
w-we’re not going to the Winter Dance, mom. Mom! ...y-you don’t...I don’t know…why? ...cuz I dumped her okay? …no, I’M NOT LYING.” He said very defensively. Okay, I’ve had enough. I sat up in my seat, stuck my arm across the aisle, and tapped his shoulder.
“Um, SCUSE me.”
“David, bro justa sec.” he said to his mom. He looked over at me with his eyes popped out of his head and his eyebrows raised. He turned his hand over as if he was about to say ‘what?’
“What?” he said annoyed.
“Hey, yeah hi. Member me?” I asked quickly.
“Not that I reeemember.” The stranger replied slowly. “What year is it?”
A kid in front of him who overheard the question turned around and said
“It’s 2014, stupid.”
The stranger’s eyes got wide all of a sudden.
“THE TIME MACHINE WORKED!” he yelled. Just about everybody on the bus turned toward us. It was so embarrassing. But the new kid didn’t say anything. Since nothing interesting was going on, people carried on with their conversations. I focused my attention back on this crazy guy. I had to set him straight. By then he had already put his phone against his ear and continued to talk on the phone. I decided to clear my throat really loudly.
“ET-HEM!” I shouted. He turned his head in my direction and I was about to yell at him that I’m not his girlfriend and to leave me alone but before I got the chance he said
“Bless you.”
“I didn’t sneeze!” I growled through gritted teeth.
“And how many times do I have to tell you that I’M NOT YOUR GIRLFRIEND?!?”
“Well tell him I don’t care…uh huh…I don’t know, yeah hang on…”
He put his phone on his shoulder and leaned in.
“My mom wants to know why you didn’t come to Thanksgiving with us a couple weeks ago.” He said to me. Thanksgiving wasn’t until a month and a half. This guy was out of his mind. I slouched in my seat and looked out the window. Maybe I could just ignore him until we got to school. He looked at me with a confused look on his face.
“My dad. Wants to know… Iff……You’re gonna. Make it to the game this Friday.” He said in a way that made it seem like he was repeating himself.
“What’s your problem dude?” I replied. He rolled his eyes and put the phone back on his face.
“Alright whatever.” he said to whoever was on the phone. “I’ll come to the dumpster after school. Bye.” He pursed his lips together as if he was trying not to smile. He must have thought it was funny. Oh well, what did I care what he thought? But all of a sudden I felt the need to stare at him for some reason. He flipped his hair to the side of his face. He kinda looked familiar. When the stranger put his Ipod on his lap to gather his things I noticed he didn’t hang up the phone. I slid across my seat towards the aisle to get a closer look. The screen was black. Blank. Off. He hadn’t even been talking to anyone.
The bus pulled into the lot of the high school. Once we arrived at the curb, the driver parked and opened the creaky door.
After gathering his things, the stranger looked over in my direction and jutted his chin towards me like when people say ‘What’
s up’, but in the goodbye form. Since I still needed to grab my bag and turn off my phone, I let him in the aisle first. He got down on the bus floor on his hands and knees. He began to crawl towards the front of the bus as if he was a cat.
Before I made my way off, I inspected where I had sat to make sure I didn’t forget anything. I noticed a folded piece of paper. I picked it up and realized that he must have dropped me another note on his way out. I unfolded the paper and for once, something on today’s bus ride finally made sense.
Smile, you’re on Candid Camera. It said.
