Calling all creative writers! This is a column run by Nathaniel Lee to inspire readers to write. The column includes writing prompts, pieces by the coordinators, and occasional submissions from readers.
This month: short stories from Kayla Newman, Casey Leigh, and Nathaniel Lee.
Below are a set of prompts for different styles of writing beyond journalism. The idea is that you can create some kind of creative writing piece inspired by one of the prompts, but it doesn't have to be. You can submit any piece of writing you would like to share! All submissions should be school-appropriate. You can also suggest prompts to be featured in the next issue.
Here are some prompts to kinda get you started. They can be used for anything, though some specify poetry or short stories. This month the prompt theme is Choices.
1. Write a story where a character has to decide whether to press the button or not.
2. Your character has just realized the app they’ve been developing has become self-aware. How do they react?
3. Set your story in a world living with the consequences of a climate apocalypse.
4. Write about a character preparing to go into stasis for decades (or centuries).
5. You can buy a pill that lets you decide exactly what you will dream about while you sleep.
If you have any prompt ideas in mind that you haven't seen on here yet or would like to see someone else respond to, drop them in the Google Form below and I'll try to get them in the next issue! I sometimes don't see the response until after the issue is published, so I'm sorry if it takes a couple months.
In the early 1800s, hundreds of small mining settlements popped up over the west like pimples on a pre-teens' face. Thousands of people flocked to these small settlements in hopes of hitting the jackpot and escaping the deep dark slums of poverty. Every day, these poverty-stricken souls would trek up the mountain and into the deadly and confined mines in hopes of finding unbelievable riches in the precious metals that lay hidden beneath.
Quickly, these metal-rich mountains dried up and the town followed not long after. Thousands of people gambled away their lives just for a glimpse of the golden lives of the rich. To only end up darker in the slums than before.
A lonely old mining town lay forgotten in the middle of a dusty and hot desert. A town once populated by hundreds now lay dilapidated and forgotten. The buildings' paint had long since flaked away into the universe and left behind the deep, dark wood that was hidden beneath. Many roofs were sunken and collapsed as the wooden beams that once supported them rotted away into nothingness.
The old expeditions were still clear in the scarring that was left behind from the mining. Deep paths carved into the mountains that once allowed for easy access to mines lay unused and unstable. They waited to just crumble away leaving behind a new face. The desert brush had taken over the once-set paths only to leave the buildings looking scattered and lonely.
The smell of frying eggs invaded the dusty, old air of the abandoned town. Pop, pop, pop a sound quite similar to the popping of too-hot cooking oil overtook the serene quiet.
Just then, what looked like a frying pan with another one upside down on top. Smoke blew out where the two handles met—much like the exhaust on a car that blows out billowing black clouds of smoke. It weaved and waved through the decrepit buildings narrowly missing them each time. It was like an old granny with cataracts was at the wheel. It quickly came to a halting stop just a few centimeters in front of one of the few homesteads with an intact roof.
The top of the two pans opened up to reveal multiple transparent beings with opaque yellow-orangish heads, much like those of uncooked eggs, and full yellow eyes like the gold that once inhabited the mountains that surrounded them. These small egg people ranged from only a few inches, give or take, to about six inches at the most. The little beings scrambled their way out of their pan-like ship landing on top of each other in the process. One of them, however, wiggled their way out of the egg pile and stood in front of them all.
“We will conquer this puny planet and prove to those meatheads that the Eggians are the superior race!” A small, squeaky voice emitted from the egg-man.
“Yes, King Eggry!” the pile of egg people echoed. They untangled themselves and ran off like chickens with their heads cut off around the abandoned mining settlement. They emitted a small squawky war cry as they barreled themselves through the wooden walls of the homestead with forks posed above their heads like javelins.
Some of these small egg people catapulted their companions through the dust-caked windows and cheered like they’d won the lottery wherever they succeeded. Another group of egg people ran into a variety of holes dug by native wildlife only to be chased out by the inhabitants, to go back in in a never-ending loop.
By the time the egg people destroyed half of the remaining town, the hot desert sun was high in the sky. The once transparent white of the egg people gradually became more and more opaque. Upon seeing their comrades cooking alive, the egg people started to freak out.
They ran around in a panic while screaming that they were all going to die. At least, until King Eggry Stood up on top of their pan ship.
“My citizens, board the ship and let us leave this dastardly hellscape," came the nasally squeaky voice of the egg-king. Upon hearing this, the egg people rushed back to their ship. They scrambled over each other as they attempted to escape the deadly sun of Earth. Sizzling egg and the popping of oil filled the area once more as the egg people left.
No one would ever know about the Egg Invasion. For they only invaded an abandoned miners' town in the middle of the desert and left a couple of hours after wreaking havoc. The only evidence they left behind is the small egg-people-shaped holes and a few of the forks that laid forgotten, much like the town.
“How are you alive?” I asked, annoyed. I tried to subtly unclasp my sheath, but it opened with an audible click.
“She got rid of me, so I’m getting rid of her. I knew it was coming, and now it’s here. The Hunger.”
“What’s that?” I asked, trying to stall.
Noah sighed. “How did you become a Vampire Slayer with so little knowledge? The Hunger is a time when our thirst for blood will never be slaked. We will drain every human and burn this world to the ground. We will reign supreme! Kill us and we will return in hours. The doors are open wide. Vampires that have been trapped in the Dark Realm can now return to exact their vengeance! My father will be very pleased with this offering.”
“Your father?”
“Yes. My father is Count Dracula, the first vampire, and our Emperor.”
“Wouldn’t that make him Emperor Dracula, not Count Dracula?”
“Well, that was the plan, but unfortunately every human calls him ‘Count Dracula’ and so we decided to keep it.”
“Count to ten, then charge him. I’ll help,” a voice said in my head.
After ten seconds of Noah ranting about how annoying humans were, I charged forward and tackled him. He threw Lil away and fell to the ground. My stake, Miron, flew out of his sheath and stabbed Noah in the chest, pinning him to the ground. Instinctively, I held out my hand and Juliet flew to me. I stabbed Noah right next to Miron, and he screamed in pain, then disintegrated. Miron returned to my sheath.
“You harnessed the spirit of Quincey.”
“Quincey? What kind of a cool spirit name is that?”
“Shut it and listen. Quincey was the first Vampire Slayer, and the only male until you. He sent Dracula to the Dark Realm but died. It’s said that his spirit will live within a male Vampire Slayer with a stake of ash. That’s you. Juliet is meant for you. Your stake is meant for you. I’ve never seen a stake float around on its own, but that’s special.”
“I don’t know, it just happens.”
Lil’s eyes widened and she ran towards the elevator.
“Lil, what’s wrong?” I asked as I chased after her.
“My mum!” She got into the elevator and I barely managed to make it in before the doors closed. As we rose, Lil swayed back and forth. When the doors opened, she fell out, landing on the floor.
“Whoa!” I said. “Calm down.” I helped her up and she grabbed my hand, pulling me to her mum’s room. The door was closed, and Lil tried opening it.
“Your hands are shaking.” I tried opening the door. “It’s locked.”
Lil screamed and pounded on the door. When it didn’t open, she slid to the floor, tears streaming down her face. After taking a step back, I lashed out and kicked the door open. Lil half crawled, half ran into the room. I followed and found her on the floor, rocking back and forth.
“Lil, what’s wrong?” I asked as I sat next to her.
“She’s gone!” Lil said through her tears. “She’s gone!” I heard a shriek outside, then more that answered it. I looked out the window and saw several black-clad figures running towards the house.
“Um, we have a situation.” I grabbed Lil and helped her up.
“I’m going to kill every last vampire here, then go to the Dark Realm and burn it to the ground.”
I grabbed her hand. “Together, right?”
“Together.”
*Note from the author: The finale to this story will be in the June issue! Make sure to go back and read any you missed so you can be prepared!
The next day, they mentioned him on the news.
“Aaron Walker, an eighteen-year-old, was the only casualty in the attack.” They showed a picture of him. His senior picture. At school, everyone was in shock. Part of that was from his death, part of it was the new threat. The one who’d caused the explosion. A real villain.
They called him the Shadow.
He actually had powers. Every night, like clockwork, he’d roam the city and destroy a random building. Only one. Whether it would be a house, a factory, or an office building, no one knew. Everyone stayed awake in constant panic. If you were caught on the street, you were killed. We knew none of this at the time. He’d only destroyed one building. All that would come later.
I arrived at school early and saw a huddle of people. I put my hood up and walked over to them. Recognizing them as Aaron’s friends, I moved into earshot.
“I can’t believe he’s gone,” one said. They went around the circle and said things about Aaron.
When they were done, I spoke. “He was amazing.” They turned to me in surprise.
“Did you know him?” they asked.
“Yeah. He is . . . was in my chemistry class. I helped him with stuff, but he was smarter than I thought. I just wish I’d known him more.”
They made a spot in the circle for me and I stepped in, then they told me about him. His obsession with working out and martial arts, the ballroom dancing classes he took, how great of an actor he was. We all began to feel better as we talked about the good things in his life, not the bad. After school, one of them invited me to have dinner with his family. He said he was Luca Ruiz and told me he’d moved here from Mexico during the summer.
“My sister can be a pain,” he warned as we walked to his house. “I love her and all, but she always bugs my friends.”
“How old is she?” I asked.
“Thirteen. Almost fourteen. She’ll be at the high school next year, just in time for me to be gone.” We got to his house and he opened the door.
“Mamá, ¡estoy aquí!” he called. A plump woman came around the corner.
“Hola!” she said with a smile. Her voice was musical and made me feel happy. “You must be the friend Luca said was coming.”
“I guess so.” Luca led me up to his room.
“Do you have any siblings?” he asked.
“No.” I thought about where I lived, the abandoned house on the outskirts of town.
“Do you live nearby?” He tossed his backpack on the ground and lay on his bed, staring at the ceiling. I set my backpack down but stayed standing.
“Nah, it’s on the other side of town.”
“Hey, you should stay the night. Call your parents and see if it’s okay.” I took out my phone and pretended to call my nonexistent parents.
“Hey, Mom, I was just wondering if I could stay the night at my friend's house. Yeah. His name is Luca Ruiz. Okay. Yeah, I’ll come home after school tomorrow. Alright. Thanks. Love you too.” I “hung up” and turned to Luca. “It’s all good with them. All I have is my backpack and what I’m wearing though.”
“I’ve got stuff you can wear to sleep in, and you can sleep in my bed.”
“Where will you sleep then?” I asked.
“The floor, or maybe the couch in the corner. I’ll be fine.”
We did homework and played games for about an hour, and then had dinner with his family. His sister didn’t bother me that much, and his dad was really nice, as well. The food was spicy but still good. After we ate, we went back up to his room.
Luca sat on his bed. “So, what are you interested in?”
“Well,” I said, sitting next to him. “I like robotics, chemistry, and math. Y’know, nerd stuff.”
“I don’t think it’s nerd stuff. I might be a basketball player and a ‘jock’, but I also like English, and I’m in Choir. Not everyone has to be defined by what they do. It’s who they really are that matters.”
“You sure? Sometimes it seems like what I do is all that defines me. It’s where I get my importance.”
“Dude, I think you’re important. I thought you were important before I even knew what you enjoyed.”
“See, I’m not as tall as you, or cool as you, or strong as you, or anything like that. You’re immediately noticed. I pray no one notices me.”
Luca stood and started putting his shoes on. “C’mon.”
“What?”
“I go for a run every night. You’re coming with me.”
“Why?”
“Because running is the best way to relax yourself. Plus, if you stay, you’ll have to deal with my sister.”
I reluctantly put on my shoes and followed him outside. We jogged through the night air, and sure enough, I did begin to relax. We didn’t really talk and focused on running. After several minutes, we stopped under a streetlight, breathing heavily.
“See?” Luca said.
“You were right,” I replied. We stood there to catch our breath.
“Wanna head back?” Luca asked. I nodded. We were about to start when something moved in the darkness. The shadows seemed to be shifting and rolling like the waves in the sea. I saw something wrapping around the streetlight and then it lifted off the ground, plunging us into darkness.
“Luca!” I called.
“Where are you?” he yelled back, his voice sounding distant.
The darkness seemed to choke me, and I flicked my hands out and waited. After a few moments of oppressive dark, my suit came to me in pieces and quickly covered me. I activated a bright light and saw dark shadows swirling around like a bunch of snakes. Luca was running towards me through the shadows.
“No! Luca! Run back home!” I screamed, amplifying my voice with my suit. He quickly spun and sprinted away, tendrils of darkness at his heels. I turned the light on the shadows, but it did nothing. I ran away, the shadows chasing after me. They grabbed my legs and pulled me to the ground. I kicked free and ran into an alley. As I cowered against a garbage can, a figure walked towards me.
“Please don’t attack me!” I said.
“I’m not going to attack you. I’m not the shadow.” The voice sounded familiar, but I couldn’t place it.
“Please, capture me, arrest me, I don’t care. Just get me away from them,” I pleaded.
“I’m not here to arrest you. I’m here to save you.” The person walked into the light and I recognized him.
Aaron.
