Embedded Files
Inspired by the designated artwork, the written pieces were created by Honors Sophomore Language Arts students.
artwork 27
Standing alone in the prairie the thick, dark sand hits my face
In the distance stand cold snowy mountains
I craved to stand on out of the scorching heat
Certain patches of the hot desert sand allowed plants to grow
They bloomed purple like a pear
And yellow like the sun that rose above them
My calves burned walking through the sand
The sand that slipped from beneath my feet with every step
I trucked back to my fort that shaded be from the sun and sand
I washed my face with the water from a well at my feet
It only filled up every so often
I brushed my teeth and pulled back my covers
Slipping under the cooling silk sheets
I watched the sun disappear through the open roof above me
My eyes began fluttering and I thought about the stars above
Until my eyes closed and I began dreaming
Kyla J.
artwork 7
I have suffered through countless amounts of people taking advantage of me, slowly draining more and more out of me. Each person played with me as if teasing a flame, lightly blowing small gusts of oxygen to see the tiny flicker of fire sway. Wax dripping down the candle in similarity to tears rolling down my wet cheeks. Taking whatever they desire and leaving me as if I was a one-time use item. Eventually, I began putting up walls. Refusing anyone who wanted to even come close to me, even my family. To this day, my brain recalls moments, specific moments, I try to pretend they never happened. I act as if nothing happened, however a burnt candle can’t be unburnt, the wax will never rise up the candle, back to where it was before the flame.
I have suffered through countless amounts of people taking advantage of me, slowly draining more and more out of me. Each person played with me as if teasing a flame, lightly blowing small gusts of oxygen to see the tiny flicker of fire sway. Wax dripping down the candle in similarity to tears rolling down my wet cheeks. Taking whatever they desire and leaving me as if I was a one-time use item. Eventually, I began putting up walls. Refusing anyone who wanted to even come close to me, even my family. To this day, my brain recalls moments, specific moments, I try to pretend they never happened. I act as if nothing happened, however a burnt candle can’t be unburnt, the wax will never rise up the candle, back to where it was before the flame.
Marissa H.
The woman moves slowly through the house, careful not to make a sound. Her husband lays on the couch next to a nearly empty bottle of Jameson, sleeping like a baby. She looks down on him and wonders what drove her to a point so low in her life where a deadbeat is controlling every aspect of her life. He has such a calm look on his face as he continues to drift off on the couch. She needs water, but her throat is still too swollen. The woman continues through the tiny home with a somber look. She hears her holder, her owner, begin to stir from his drunken stupor. Ducking behind a chair, she looks to see his hands are still bloody. Tears are still clinging to her cheeks. And the bottle is still attached to his lips, loving it more than he could ever love her. New tears appear on the young woman’s face as he continues toward her hiding spot. Her mascara begins to clump around her eyelashes, her eyeliner starts to run down her face.
The makeup she worked so hard on, hoping for just one night her husband would go out with her like he used to, was wasted. Instead, she was living another night in hell, thinking of a new story to tell the cops. She was concocting a story in her head that involved a peanut and an allergy to explain her throbbing throat when the man appeared above her. She looked into his eyes and hoped to see someone that she used to know, but it was the same empty eyes that she had become accustomed to. He picked her up by the neck and threw her onto the couch. She tried to run out the door but it was too late. She would be living through another dreadful night while her husband's anger and pain were extracted from the bottle, traveled to his fists, and eventually moved to its final resting place; her. Kirin L.
I’ve always looked up to you
And you mean the world to me
But I don’t understand the things you do
Like what happened to the person that you used to be
The fun guy, always energetic, and outgoing
So soft spoken and caring, without even trying
But somehow you’ve changed, without ever knowing
You’ve gotten so secretive by constantly lying
You may never understand my hurt or pain
I pray for my old friend back each day
You criticize me and tell me I’m going insane
While I just continue to melt away
Daniel M.
It was the candle. The flickering flame was the reason. The constant crackling of the wick. The dripping of wax onto the gilded platter below. The flame caused all this. The flame was the cause. The effect was the end. The end of all. Fire consumes. Fire destroys. We are foolish to think that we can contain it within the simple confines of a paraffin wax mold. Fire spreads. FIre consumes. Fire destroys. As my world crumbles around me, I sit, and consider what I have done. The flame was the reason. As I watch the final smoking embers of the frail house of cards that I have built smolder, I think. Fire destroys. I watch my world burn, and then,I burn. My hands melt like the wax. I try to stop it, but I am too late. There is nothing. Fire destroys. I am the reason. I am the flame. I am the wick, cracking, snapping, falling. Fire consumes. It was the candle. It was the candle that drove me to this awful end.
T.J. R.
SPACE
he said he needed space
so I set off to the moon
the road was bumpy, and went straight up
but I made it past Venus by noon
I hopped and I floated along the way
I soared with the stars,
I never stopped moving, never stopped running
until I made it to Mars
from here, I could see Saturn
so happy I could sing
I leapt and I climbed
until I retrieved a golden ring
it was just what he needed,
some space to bring us together
and so I returned back to Earth
pulling on my tether
I showed him my golden ring,
so shiny and loved
a piece of space, just for him
brought from above
he told me he needed time
and I didn’t know where to go
I just didn’t understand
I guess I’ll never know
Briley P.
Clarity
Just leave me alone
I’ll be fine for a while
I’m not just another thing that you own
And I’ll refuse to pretend I’m fine and throw on a smile
I won’t forgive you so don’t even try
I see through all of those fake apologies
Despite you making yourself cry
You guys really need some psychology
I may be mean
But I don’t care
Because your treatment of me is really obscene
I need to escape and go somewhere
To clear my thoughts from everything
Daniel M.
As a child, I often dreamed about a world I invented. 10 years later I hear voices whispering to me. Those of the inhabitants of my imaginary world. To them it has been 1000 years since I abandoned them, and they want revenge.
When I was young, I lived in a world that belonged to myself. A world where I was surrounded by the dark, alluring sky, and billions of shining stars. There were long, winding roads that connected each planet to the next. Hundreds of different species of creatures and wildlife inhabited the planets, each ruled like a kingdom by its pertaining species. In second school, when the rest of the kids played tag in the field, I would climb the oak tree, just out of sight of the teachers, and lay along a thick branch. I would close my eyes and disappear to the world which I so loved. There, I’d be greeted by my best friend, Moya. She was one of the Makkan. Makkan were typically regarded lowly by the other kingdoms. They made up most of the population on Mars, which consisted of dust, volcanoes, and dry lake beds. Oftentimes when one couldn’t find a job in a higher kingdom, they ended up on Mars. Living on Mars was the equivalent of living on the streets in the ¨real¨ world, but Moya didn’t mind. In Fact none of the Makkan did. Unlike other species here, they had no jobs and no income. In the beginning, they relied on food and water for life, like humans, but over time they have adapted to the conditions of Mars. Now they live off of the energy from the land. Similar to the Native Americans,they don’t believe the land is there to live for a purpose; it’s just there to live, and so are they. Moya was the kindest, most selfless creature I’d ever met. The day I’d decided to leave her, and this world behind, was one of the hardest things I’d had to do. It had been my home from the time I could walk, to the day in 5th grade when I got a pencil shoved into my nose for always being by myself.
Madelynn K.
Freefalling
My phone is going off with notifications and all I’m getting is negative comments and texts from others. “You don’t look good in this post you should not have posted this” “Your fat” “This dress doesn’t look good on you” “Your bossy” “People don’t like you” “ I don’t wanna hang out with you” All of these comments are wearing on me. I’m already struggling with everything. I’m scared for the future, I don’t have anyone to support me, and I don’t know how much more I can take from this. I am hanging by a thread. I need people to stop making comments about me because they don’t know what I’m going through and keep assuming things about me. It hurts to know that people think these things of me when I’m trying my best. I sit in my room at night crying and all I hear is my phone going off knowing people are talking about me and bringing me down. It hurts me even more that people think that doing this is a good idea.
Bringing people down should not be a way to help you be happy. You never know what someone is going through so you should always treat them with kindness because they never deserve any of this no matter what they did to you. Be the one friend that everyone can count on to motivate you and treat you right. No one should ever be mad when they are looking at their phone and trying to relax. I get it, it is hard to grow up with social media. People think that they can’t hurt you because they’re behind a screen but if they were in person would they still say those things? No, probably not because they would be too scared too since there would possibly be consequences if they said these things in person. People don’t have filters when they think they're protected. People just tear people down because they want to try to make themselves feel better not realizing it can hurt the other person. They also do it so they can look superior to others.
Morgan M.
Image 26
16
All that you see right now what if it was flipped upside down,
Into outer space we go because planet earth is no longer anymore,
Light as a feather, bright as can be, with all these planets among me,
A new society made,
Greater than the last,
I think i'm starting to get whiplash,
Thinking of what happened in the past,
Was it my fault the whole world came crashing down,
More dimensions mixed into one little impeccable town,
I run from the past knowing this planet could be our last,
Space can be sad,
But I promise I will make you glad knowing that everything will improve,
That promise belongs to you.
Julia N.
The building was garish, probably one of the biggest ones she had ever seen in her life. Bigger than some moons too. Thumbing the handbook she was given for the city, she skimmed through the pages in search of more information on it. Roughly 10 times the size of the original, the new space needle was meant to be bigger and better than the one that had been on Earth. All the new colonies were meant to be just that- bigger and better. There were a lot of replicas of what had once been on Earth as well- maybe a bit too many.
There was one recreating ancient Rome, it was hugely popular. Functioning aqueducts, hundreds of commissioned statues of ancient gods, it was gorgeous. Similar to the empire, it just kept expanding. It was no hub of philosophy though. Some worried that it would bump into the other “cities” but she doubted it would happen. The most populated colonies were at least two times the size of Earth, and apart from the few plant species they had saved on the journey, anywhere outside of the cities was a barren wasteland. With the growth of more people and colonies though, came the expansion of art and cultures. Some groups isolated themselves and left for the smaller planets. It led to new dialects and languages being developed. Being in space allowed for more resources and materials to be gathered. CIties were bedazzled with all kinds of shimmering works. “It’s better than Earth!” They claimed. Not that she’d ever been.
The streets were free to the people. Pedestrian only. Cars had gotten harder and harder to get after better forms of travel were developed. She closed the booklet and tucked it into her bag. The weather report said that the streets were dusty today from yet another dust storm, so she and many others had taken the enclosed train- it rocketed through buildings and other structures, giving a show and providing transportation at the same time. Brightly colored billboards and tinted glass flew into a blur. Chatter filled the train. “Get a read on the city,” they had said. Something, something, weather, business meeting, people, economy, blah blah blah. Not that she particularly cared. The company she worked for was incredibly dull. Like, mind numbingly dull. More boring than anything else imaginable.
Grace N.
The astronauts land safely on the moon of Saturn. These men have been flying for years to reach this final destination. They always knew it was going to be a wild adventure, but they never suspected an alien civilization that spans the entirety of this moon.
The group exited the spaceship and viewed massive planets in the sky and other objects that mystified all of them. They readjusted their gaze to the huge tower, poking up into the sky at least a mile. They slowly started to approach the tower, taking notes on the stuff that's around them. They see creatures that are unfazed by the humans, and others that look eerily similar to humans. The group entered through huge hanger doors to see aliens of all shapes and sizes talking and waiting together for what seemed like a beam.
They approached the front desk and asked the alien secretary what this place was. The alien responded with gibberish and seemed to be yelling. Soon, a group of what appeared to be security guards approached the group and kicked them out and forced them to leave the moon otherwise they would get in serious trouble.
As the group was flying home, they questioned everything they saw and wondered if it was all real, but They knew the tower was real as they glanced back and saw it sticking straight in the sky.
Simon W.
Fear and Control
It's the dead of a light rainy night on the sea. The rain started to pick up and then lightning struck. The storm picked up and became fatal thunder and lighting sounding like somebody cracking a whip multiple times. Panic broke out in the crew's cabin. Everybody awoke from their deep sleep and got up in a hurry. Underneath the deck the waves crashed violently against the sides of the boat, deafening like an explosion to the ears.
There was silence, then BOOM! A wave crashed toward the starboard side of the ship. Yelling and commands broke out in a hurry, I bolted out of my cabin in a panic trying to help.
Another wave crashed against the boat. They were bucketing water off the boat in a hurry in order to not capsize. Commands were being completed easily left and right as if we were in some sort of drill. The captain was giving out orders like the true captain he was but his face showed the true fear he was feeling. I was able to help the crew get as much water off the boat as possible, Soon holes opened from how quick the waves were hitting the ship. As soon as the first command went out, working like a well oiled machine the crew was able to fix almost everything.
Thinking the worst of it was over, the crew began to relax a little. It was eerily quiet, the crew and myself included stood there wondering what was going to happen next.
Logan P.
I have been a wanderer all my life. I travel from place to place with my boat and my crew, never staying in one place for more than two nights. I have been with them since I was a child, only 11 years old. I prefer it this way, this nomadic life where I get close to nobody. After all, forming connections only invites trouble. The ocean has been a better friend to me than any human ever has.
On a particularly warm October day, I was standing on the deck of the ship when I noticed an odd looking land mass in the distance. I thought it was weird, because we had left the coast of Africa yesterday, and I didn’t think we were remotely near any large land masses. I pointed it out to one of my crew members, who also marveled at the oddity. We decided to reset our course for the mass, because we were curious. It’s not everyday that large masses of land just appear out of nowhere.
After a day of travel, we arrived at the shore. We discovered that the mass we had seen was actually a pretty decently sized island, and that it had many inhabitants and a bustling shoreline. I got on the radio and tried to call their port, which answered immediately. I gained clearance to enter the port, and we docked.
As soon as we got off the boat, it was clear we had entered a completely different world. People all around us were running to and fro, speaking a million different languages. We all looked at each other in astonishment, wondering, Just where have we ended up? We continued on and made our way into the town square. If we had thought the port was crazy, we were not at all prepared for the shock that greeted us at the square.
Lucinda P.
11) This ship is called the Great Voyager and it was the best ship in all the seas. It went everywhere throughout the world and could sustain the biggest waves and the harshest conditions. Everyone loved riding it and nobody felt unsafe. On June 16, 2021 The Great Voyager set out for the longest trip it has ever made by sailing for 340 days stopping at 60 countries and going around the whole world starting in Florida and ending in California. The ship set off and everyone was excited for this awesome adventure. There was everything on this ship that nobody ever wanted to get off of it. One day while everyone was happy being on the ship in the Indian ocean something struck it and it started to sink. Everybody panicked and it was sinking quickly. Nobody survived the sinking as they lost communications and the lifeboats sunk too quickly to get any.
Braylon S.
Salvation
“All hands on deck!” yelled Captain. All crew members rushed to help with the sails that were blowing out of control. As the storm arrives, the wind picks up and makes it harder for the crew to keep the ship on course. The waves get bigger and bigger, ice cold water splashes onto the deck. The crew are now practically soaked as they grab the right ropes to keep the sails pointing in the right direction. They pray the wind is blowing them in the right direction as their bodies begin to freeze.
Three months ago, a Captain convinced a crew of twenty men to set sail with no particular destination. A few years ago, this captain heard of this long lost island where great treasures were hidden by vikings hundreds of years ago. This captain would do anything for wealth, even if that is setting sail south to Antarctica through the dangerous Drake’s Passage. It took a lot of convincing to get the crew he now has, many are very experienced with sailing. While others had never been on a boat in their life. This Captain was so desperate, he took as many men as he could find not caring about their level of sailing experience. He may have wanted to re-think that.
Back to present, crew members were whipped in the face by freezing winds and shards of ice. The experienced sailors were pulling and pulling on the ropes so they stayed put. Those inexperienced crew members were panicking, hiding, and puking overboard. Not being much of a help in these circumstances. Pure chaos, thought the captain as he looked around his ship.
“I should have thought this through…” said the captain quietly to himself.
This storm came out of nowhere. The captain was expecting a smooth sailing voyage, but that took a turn for the worse.
The Crew worked day and night keeping the ship intact for three whole days. The men were tired, and hungry as their food went spoiled not long after they first set sail. They have practically given up. Many men tried to convince the captain to turn the ship around and set sail for home. Captain wouldn't budge, his life goal was to be wealthy. He was determined to do it even if that meant risking the lives of all twenty crew members in the act.
“Please… it's too dangerous,” said one of the men.
“No way, we have to survive this storm,” said the captain.
Just then, after those words left the captain's mouth.
“Look, Look!” yelled the lookout.
Then Captain sees it. The island appears through the clouds and fog. The frozen Crew celebrates, they yell and jump up and down. Captain blinks away a tear, as the boat hits the shore. We did it, he told himself in his mind. After months of searching they made it.
Payton P.
Short Story Artwork #2
I look upon the open world, staring into the millions of galaxies that lay ahead of me. Thinking about how I am just a little speck in one of the stars in the ever-expanding universe. Just floating around in space living my normal life. Seeing the beautiful darkness wondering what could be out there. Is there more life? Could it just be microorganisms? Could there be plants? Or could it be something more, like aliens? We will never know, we will just have to sit and ponder about it.
Connor S.
Image 15
A family of five lived in a pretty white house on the corner of a street. In the backyard of the property was an abandoned church. The church was still in good condition and the family liked the way it looked. One summer day, the church in the back caught on fire. It didn’t burn down but it was damaged. Nothing happened to the house but the family was never to be seen again. Nobody wanted to move into the mysterious house on the corner of a street. As time went on teenagers explored the abandoned place and vandalized it. A property that was once happy, is now creepy. The grass got really long and the place was no longer being taken care of.
Victoria R.
#15
I grew up in a small town and in that small town my friends and I were constantly looking for something to do. While there were some conventional things we had pretty much exhausted all the options and things to do in the town by the summer before high school. On the last day of 8th grade my friend Bob came running down the halls to tell me that this would be the best summer yet (as he did every year) and while I appreciated his optimism I was a little worried there was nothing else we could do.
As I went through the final day of school I could see how happy my peers were to be done but like always I was a little sad to be having my teachers for the last time. Nevertheless when the final bell rang a sense of relief came over me and I knew that I was going to make the best of my summer.
That night I met up with all my friends at Bob’s house and as we sat there we brainstormed what great things we would do this summer. As we started the list we found that there wasn’t much of anything “cool” that we had not already done. That was until Joe called for everyone's attention and professed his great plan to sneak into the abandoned factory. This factory did not need to be named. We all knew exactly what he was talking about because it was a town legend that this place was haunted and that violent criminals went there to hang out and avoid apprehension.
I was an immediate skeptic and denounced the idea right away due to the fear the legend had instilled in me. Many of my friends were clearly disinterested in the idea but in attempts to look cool and outdo one another they agreed.
As if the factory was not scary enough on it’s own my friend Joe insisted that we go on a Friday night that way it would be dark and even more “mysterious”. While I felt “mysterious” was an interesting way to say “dangerous”, “risky”, or even outright “stupid,” I was clearly outnumbered and my say in the matter was limited at best.
So we waited two days and when Friday evening came around it was a beautiful sunset, perfect weather for baseball, a cookout, or camping but instead my friends and I would be sneaking into the abandoned factory. I know for certain that my mother would disapprove but I felt that it was important I went because someone needed to take care of Bob and I knew my other friends would not put up with him.
To guise our escapade I told my mom that I would be sleeping over Joe’s which was only part of the truth though not an explicit lie. Shortly after 8 o’clock my friends and I commenced down the sidewalk towards the factory despite my continued voicing of disapproval. As we moved down the dimly light street it became more and more clear how dumb the idea was and it had boiled down to a game of chicken to see which one of my firends would join me in denouncing the idea which would have certainly ended the madness. However, afraid to be seen as less “cool” no one stepped up.
As we came with in a block we were all spooked by a police car that came flying down the street with lights and sirens blaring. As he passed I contemplated compromising my friends mission in an attempt to save us all from whatever might be waiting for us in the abandoned factory. When we arrived it became clear that the only way in was to climb up to the second floor and go in through the only doorway not bolted shut on a second floor landing. One by one we went up the ladder until we were face to face with this doorway that sent us all back home before we even entered.
Elliot T.
Put On A Smile
Within the confines of the smiling mask which I now don, I realize my mistakes and plea to erase them. The sticky substance which I ignored now haunts the very fabric of which I disregarded. All I am now able to do is sit in isolation as my world begins to crumble, with no one but myself to question the morality of my choices. What was once a small decision has led to a dystopia of which I am the ruler. I have no option other than to accept the failures I sport, and to hope for even an ounce of reconciliation. It seems that no matter how hard I try to escape these decisions, they follow me even through closed doors. I am forever binded to the things which I was told would help, using them in an endless cycle without the idea in mind that it doesn’t work, because if that appears true it would leave me with less. The only option I have is to put on this facade.
Braden R.
Image 8
A walk in the woods, that was all it was. A safe space, my escape from anything and everything. That was all it should have been and yet there I was, standing in the cold and damp woods, heat radiating through my hands. My eyes were caught on the light emanating from the almost invisible orb in my hands.
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I pull on my shoes and coat quickly and without grace. I stumble out the door, breaking into a run as soon as the door closes. I hold my eyes open, watching, searching through the darkness around me. I hear screams from behind me and then I hear them to my left. I stop at the edge of the road as a truck passes by. It’s full of obnoxious boys, screaming like maniacs. One of them catches sight of me and my legs shake. I see his face morph into a dirty scowl before he disappears from view. Crossing the road, I finally feel safe because on the other side is my forest. My sanctuary for years. I’d come here for an escape from anything life threw at me. Bad first day of school? Trip to the forest. Bullies? Trip to the forest. Mom throws another hissy fit? Trip to the forest.
I slip through the bushes, thistle and wet leaves pulling me in further. As soon as I’m through the protective wall of bushes, my shoulders drop and my eyes droop. I walk a bit more until I make it to my blanket I stored here a few months ago. I fall onto my back, closing my eyes and letting my heart calm. I lay there for a while, thinking about what my life could have been.
If my dad were still here maybe it would be better. Or maybe it wouldn’t. I never got the chance to know him, but what if knowing him gave me the courage to be myself? What if he could have been my safe place instead? What if he was the missing key all along? I brush off the thought immediately. If him living was the basis that changed my whole life, what would even be the point of living? What’s the point of free choice when the biggest decisions are made by something you couldn’t even control? No, he didn’t make me who I am today. I did. Whether that’s a positive or negative is still up for me to decide though.
An alarm rings through the trees, echoing off the bark. My eyes open and my body shoots up in alarm. All around me I hear branches cracking. Then I hear it.
Screams.
People calling out my name. A name I’ve long forgotten, wishing others would too. But the past can never be left behind. Not when we study it in schools. Not when we’re taught that it’s the most important thing about a person.
Lilah T.
Crumble house
They were a happy family, or so everyone thought they were. They would eat delicious dinners every night at the table by the window. They would go on long delightful-looking walks as a family with peaceful conversations. They would have family game nights filled with laughter and happiness. They had neighborhood parties, everyone would come over and admire this picture-perfect family.
But they weren't what everyone thought, their house was crumbling. People didn't know that there always was someone who would storm off at those family dinners because of a disagreement. That they quit having those family dinners, and everyone would eat by themselves. Or when they would go on those long walks there wouldn't be any peaceful conversations but fighting. Or when they would have those family game nights the laughter and happiness were anger and sadness. And when they would throw those neighborhood parties, they were only trying to prevent the inevitable from happening. Even though the timer on their family has rung.
Soon they filed for divorce, gather all their things, and left the house. The house was left there by itself. No one wanted to buy it, and it begins to crumble. Being only left with the memories of a happy family, that never was.
Maddy R.
Memories from Grandma's Front Porch
Stepping gently over the debris that is our lives, I turned my head when Carter called to me. “Sophie,” he said, “We really should hurry. It will be dark soon.” The look on his face said more than his words. He didn’t want to be out here in the sticks after dark.
I nod and turn my head back to my survey of what was once a well cared for home with gardens and vistas of the hills. I wish I could make him understand the depth of the emotions I am feeling. I may not have visited my grandparents much after Carter and I were married, but a great deal of my childhood had been spent in their home, and in their arms.
My heart twisted as a broken edge of a porcelain plate peeked from the clutter. Grandma Nellie’s dishes. She would be devastated to see her home in this condition. The insistent march of time had weakened the frame and yellowed the walls. A tornado, tearing and twisting, opened up the house and littered the front yard with the contents left behind after Grandpa died and Grandma had been relegated, unwillingly, to be passed among the relatives like a covered dish.
After that, looters had taken anything they considered valuable and destroyed anything in their way.
I held back a sob and reached for the pieces of plate. Maybe I could collect the pieces and make a mosaic table with all the broken bits. I needed to breathe.
“Did you hear me?” Startled, I gasped and dropped pieces. They crumbled further into shards and dust. Maybe no mosaic.
“Yes. I heard you Carter.” I sighed and looked him straight in the eye. “I need some time to process. And frankly, some space.” I took a deep breath and attempted to calm myself, to steady my nerves. “Do you mind?” I tried to sound kind but not pleading with the last words.
Mrs. K
Image 17
In the vast forests of India, a kingdom of animals ruled the lands. From tigers to birds, they all lived in harmony and had not a care in the world. The first humans arrived hundreds of years after a stable animal hierarchy was established. Slowly, the humans began appearing into these forests and cutting down trees to make way for towns and villages. Animals began being forced out of their homes to make way for these towns and one by one; they perished from lack of food and shelter.
The animals were powerless when it came to protecting themselves from the wrath of humans. They saw the greed and hunger for power coming from these humans and were not keen on interfering with them. However, it gradually became too much for them to bear and the animals gathered together in search of a solution.
Suddenly, all the animals heard the sound of an enormous crash and ran to see what had happened. What was standing in the middle of a crater, looked like a man but peculiarly, his form rippled into that of a tiger, a bull, a bear…and so forth. He spoke to the animals and informed them that he was a god from above that had heard the animals cry for help. He claimed that he could help them but that he needed to see their troubles for themselves as he shifted into his human form and went along his way into the town.
When he arrived in the town, he could sense whispers and glances behind him as he walked. He stopped at the village inn where the owner reluctantly gave him a room and as the owner walked away, the god heard him say the words “outsider”.
All of this seemed enough for the god to return back to the forest and tell the animals not to worry about the humans anymore. Puzzled, the animals looked towards the town to see a sweeping red gust of wind take an entire plaza and swing it into the air. Soon, almost all parts of the town were swept away with these winds and dispersed to places unknown. The animals turned to thank the god, but he had already vanished and what was left in his place was a bag of seeds to begin replanting the forest.
Vivian L.
Carnations and Carnivores
A Story by Wilder Surratt
Inspired by Piece No. 17
WILL BE WRITTEN OVER THE SUMMER
coming soon...
Image 8
A walk in the woods, that was all it was. A safe space, my escape from anything and everything. That was all it should have been and yet there I was, standing in the cold and damp woods, heat radiating through my hands. My eyes were caught on the light emanating from the almost invisible orb in my hands.
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I pull on my shoes and coat quickly and without grace. I stumble out the door, breaking into a run as soon as the door closes. I hold my eyes open, watching, searching through the darkness around me. I hear screams from behind me and then I hear them to my left. I stop at the edge of the road as a truck passes by. It’s full of obnoxious boys, screaming like maniacs. One of them catches sight of me and my legs shake. I see his face morph into a dirty scowl before he disappears from view. Crossing the road, I finally feel safe because on the other side is my forest. My sanctuary for years. I’d come here for an escape from anything life threw at me. Bad first day of school? Trip to the forest. Bullies? Trip to the forest. Mom throws another hissy fit? Trip to the forest.
I slip through the bushes, thistle and wet leaves pulling me in further. As soon as I’m through the protective wall of bushes, my shoulders drop and my eyes droop. I walk a bit more until I make it to my blanket I stored here a few months ago. I fall onto my back, closing my eyes and letting my heart calm. I lay there for a while, thinking about what my life could have been.
If my dad were still here maybe it would be better. Or maybe it wouldn’t. I never got the chance to know him, but what if knowing him gave me the courage to be myself? What if he could have been my safe place instead? What if he was the missing key all along? I brush off the thought immediately. If him living was the basis that changed my whole life, what would even be the point of living? What’s the point of free choice when the biggest decisions are made by something you couldn’t even control? No, he didn’t make me who I am today. I did. Whether that’s a positive or negative is still up for me to decide though.
An alarm rings through the trees, echoing off the bark. My eyes open and my body shoots up in alarm. All around me I hear branches cracking. Then I hear it.
Screams.
People calling out my name. A name I’ve long forgotten, wishing others would too. But the past can never be left behind. Not when we study it in schools. Not when we’re taught that it’s the most important thing about a person.
Lilah T.
Try it yourself! Choose one of the art pieces to inspire your own creative work!
Click on the carousels to explore 28 pieces of artwork from students in AP/ Honors Art Portfolio, Painting 2, and Printmaking.
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