The jealousy stricken princess tears up. She hangs her head as she raises her hand towards the left door. The apprehensive but determined boy walks cautiously to the door. With no sign of anything feral behind the wooden gate, he places his hand on the door. Nothing. As he grips the handle, he glances at the princess in tears whose gaze is drawn to the right door. The boy, heart practically bursting out his chest, jerks open the door…
His eyes widen as he comes face to face with a voracious, ravenous, bloodthirsty tiger. The tiger’s fur shines as the sun glares down onto the arena. The tiger lets out a bloodcurdling roar as a sign of battle. The boy quickly snaps his view to the princess that's…grinning maniacally at the ensuing bloodbath.
The boy felt, at that moment, an unknown emotion he had never felt before. As the emotion took over his body, he stopped moving. The crowd was riddled with confusion as the doomed man in the arena was completely still.
A moment passed and now that the emotion filled his whole body, he realized what it was. Anger. Animosity. Malice. Fear was non-existent to him. As he was sinking in the feeling of indignation, the tiger struck at him like a lighting bolt. The crowd erupted at the sight of such bravery and insanity of this man. Who is he to take his own demise without a thought? Unknown to the spectators of this massacre, the boy had a goal. As the tiger bolted at the figure, the boy, like the spawn of Zeus, grabbed the front of the tiger, mounting it. Then while riding the tiger like a bull, shifted his weight to one side and flipped over, wounding him but also throwing the tiger to the floor. The tiger hit the ground with a thud. The no longer human took this opportunity to run up and grip his hands around the tigers two front teeth. The tiger roared pushing a horrid gust of hot breath. As the breath hit the boy, he slammed his foot down on the jaw of the tiger, propping the mouth open. The tiger winced.
The boy wasn't thinking at all. He saw red. Black. And her. But on the outside, he was tightening his grip on the two teeth of the tiger. The crowd was roaring with the spectacle that was this fight. The boy was no longer one of man, but something of a demon. Then they noticed something. The boy was…crying. Nobody knew why. But they didn't know what was going on in the boy's head. Then, out of nowhere, the boy let out a groan. The crowd looked and was amazed at what they were witnessing. The boy has the upper hand! But the boy looked like he was losing strength. He was straining his body and his bones were visible through his skin. But then there was a snap. The tiger let out a loud cry as it fell over. The arena went silent. Blood everywhere. All were silent trying to process what happened, but then a spectator spoke up. “LOOK! HE RIPPED THEM OUT!” the witness said. Then everybody looked closely at the boy. He had ripped the two teeth out of the tiger!
The crowd erupted into an applause. The boy had killed the tiger! Or at least that's what they thought. The bleeding tiger slowly got up and let out a whimper. The boy, on his knees, didn't realize this was happening. Then, in a last ditch effort, the tiger sprinted at him, trying to get him with its claws. As the boy looked up, he saw the reaper in front of him, staring back at him. The boy finally realized what was going to happen. He tried to move but it was useless, bringing further pain to the extremely strained arms. The tiger got him, straight in the chest, with its sharp claws. The boy groaned in pain, falling to the ground with a thunk. The tiger took the opportunity and decided to try to pounce on him, killing him for sure. The boy couldn't move but needed to live. The tiger pounced on the boy, but then the boy shot his hands up and grabbed its claws. Now it's a battle of might, willpower and perseverance. The boy is on the ground, lifting the deadly tiger’s claws of his wounded but strong body.
It was a desperate fight between man and monster, both on the verge of death, with no decisive winner. But then the boy felt fear. It came to him like it was the first time he ever felt it. He felt like he would never get revenge on the one he loved most. Suddenly then that helplessness struck him like a knife through the heart, pouring his memories out and leaving a wound that could never be healed, a scar that would never disappear. He decided that if this was his last moment alive, he shall give it his all. And feeling like a new man, he tried to find a way to kill the tiger. “Should I roll? No, I can't! I would just move to the side. Should I push up? I’d probably break my arms. Wait!” The boy had an idea. He gripped the tiger’s claws even tighter and pushed the front part of his hand forward, bending the tiger’s paw. Then the boy gripped his hands into a ball, breaking the paw of the tiger. The tiger roared and fell to the hard, dirt floor. The boy took this one chance to take the two teeth and shanked the eyes of the tiger, killing it.
Blood was everywhere. It stained the ground, turning it into the Red Sea. The boy looked at the tiger as if it was a friend, then immediately turned to the princess who had witnessed the entire ordeal. She was bewildered at the sight of this peasant boy, who had not fought anybody before, killing a ferocious tiger the size of a chariot.
“Maiden of my heart! Why have you done such a thing to your beloved?!” the boy shouted from the middle of the arena.
“I could not let her have you!” the princess sobbed. “After I saw how beautiful she was, I could have not thought straight! Forgive me darling, for I am yours!”
“No! For you have broke me down to my core!” the boy shouted back. “You have betrayed me, denying my trust in you! Why have you been grinning at the scene for what you wished to be your partner's death?” said he with quite disdain.
“I'm sorry, my love!” she insisted “I was different then! I was a selfish woman! I'm now the fair maiden you have always wanted!"
“My love! Let me prove myself!" The princess then ran to the front of the Colosseum and jumped into the bloodstained arena. Not a word was spoken between the two. The princess held out her arms for a hug. The boy could see this. No more black and red. He started to cry. Then they embraced each other while the crowd was flabbergasted at the sight of this interaction.
Then the boy whispered in the princess's ear…“For someone wider than the four gates of hell, I apologize for the struggle of going through them.”
The princess was confused, but the feeling of confusion didn't last due to the feeling of pain. The boy stabbed the back of the princess with the tooth of the tiger he had slain. She let out a scream as the boy started to slice and spread out the insides of the princess. She fell to the feet of the boy, emotionless, standing over her.
“WHY, MY LOVE?” she groaned.
No response.
“ANSWER ME, TRAITOR OF MY LOVE!”
“Quiet down,” he clamored.
He makes the last strike, implanting one tooth in the princess’s head and the other in her tongue. He takes the two teeth out and looks up at the sky. Beautiful. The rampage ensues, the crowd hysterical at what happened to the fair princess. The guards charge the boy, one swinging his sword at him. The boy dodged it at the last second and jumped out of the arena. The crowd runs away from the boy who is already getting out. He rushed out of the Colosseum, guards on his tail. He ducks into an alleyway at the side. The guards rush past him with pure intent to kill. He is hidden. As much as he hurts right now, he must go on. He has a life to take.
No one would ever know,
The constant pain I feel,
Because in the light of day
No one would believe it is real.
I’ll play and laugh,
Sing some songs,
But the pain loves to stay
Because it lived along with me.
And when the darkness approaches
With its consuming power,
Slowly takes my soul
Hour by sweet dreadful hour.
But…they tell me that I’m strong enough.
They swear by heart that it will get better.
They say, “Just hold out
And bear the stormy weather.”
They tell me, “You’ll be happy one day.
And now, all you need to do is fight.”
However, they forget that
After every morning comes night.
By that, I act along.
Play my part
While this heavy darkness
Slowly breaks what seemed my heart.
I liked to be invisible and
A clever choice I made;
I dropped to the lowest shelf
On hard wood I was laid.
Many readers came to me,
But no roaming eyes had found
For I was a sneaky hide
I kept my pages bound.
Soon a child walked up to me and
Picked me up with care;
"You were the one book I always wanted."
And from that; we became a pair.
They left me in their treasure chest and
They kept me as a prize;
For they took great care of me
And dressed me up with bow ties.
I felt that I was dreaming...
An amazing paradise.
My destination
Had finally arrived.
By: Ari T.
My Mask, it cracks down the sides
its paint slowly fades away
the ink black coat under the glossy finish
It reveals.
It hurts.
It feels good, to me at least.
My Mask splits down the middle.
Splitting the happy smile in half.
THIS IS ME .
This is darkness.
I like it that way.
My Mask and me.
My Mask against me.
But what's behind the mask...
It THRILLS me.
Winter, the best time of the year,
Can bring a lot of cheer.
Walking on the icy sidewalks,
Sometimes tripping on snow covered rocks.
You can build anything,
From snowman to everything!
Some people can find it harsh
Walking through the snow and ice,
And getting frostbite which is not nice.
Winter can be a beautiful thing,
Just imagine the joy it can bring.
Snow covering the mountains and trees,
And a mix of a slight breeze.
Ice covering the trees and homes,
Snow covering stones.
Can be a little cold,
But it is beautiful as a marigold.