It's Spooky How Good These Are!

 All Students:  Be sure to read the entries for this group --October writers).  Everyone is required to comment on at least THREE different pieces of writing.  You must submit comments on Canvas (for each one, include the name of the author and the title of their piece, and then your positive, specific comment ) by Wednesday, November 9, on Canvas .

Remember, comments must be positive, supportive, constructive, and SPECIFIC.  No "Good Job!" comments, unless you follow that with specific things you thought were done well in the piece.  Show them you actually took the time to read and enjoy their work!

"How to Preflight an Airplane" by Logan H

Ever wondered how pilots know whether the plane is safe to fly that day, and that all of its components are functioning properly? The answer to this question is preflighting. “Preflighting” is the inspection of an aircraft prior to flight to ensure everything is safe and working properly. This is done by either the pilot or co-pilot, and consists of examining the wheels, flaps, and lots of other components. Preflighting is done before each and every flight, and today I’m going to show you what this inspection looks like.

 

There are a few things to get out of the way before we start. First off, this does not count as flight instruction as I am not a certified flight instructor; this is meant for entertainment purposes only. Second, the airplanes we will be discussing are not Boeing 737s or the giant aircraft that airliners fly. I will be teaching you how to preflight small, piston-engine, general aviation aircraft. Specifically, today’s inspection will be performed on a Piper Cherokee 180. Now don’t be disappointed, because the inspection itself is very similar to what the airline flight crew does, and in many ways, is exactly the same. With those two things out of the way, please sit back, relax, and enjoy this tour.

 

Piper Cherokee 180:

   

 

 

Step 1:

 

The first step to preflighting happens before you even get in the airplane. As you’re walking up to it, glance over the airplane as a whole and make sure nothing major and obvious is wrong. This could include things like a flat tire, bent wings, dents, etc.

 

Step 2:

 

Next, you will want to hop inside the aircraft and make sure certain documents are present. We use an acronym called ARROW to help us do this. It stands for:

 

Airworthiness Certificate

Registration

Radio Station License (if flying internationally)

Operating Limitations

Weight and Balance data

 

I won’t bore you with what these documents mean, but just know that they’re required to be in the airplane, and the Airworthiness Certificate and Registration have to be visible to passengers as well.

 

Step 3:

 

Now, go ahead and extend the flaps. How you do this will differ by airplane, but in this model you just pull the lever on the floor all the way up. We do this so we can inspect them later in the preflight process.

 

 

 

 

Step 4:

 

Turn the red switch labeled “Master” on. This will start supplying electrical energy to the various systems in the airplane. Turn the Strobes, Landing light , Navigation lights, and Rotating Beacon on (their switches are labeled accordingly), and verify by walking around the airplane that they are, in fact, working. Lastly, read the fuel gauges in the airplane to get a rough idea of how much fuel it has, and then turn the master switch back off. Forgetting to turn it off could cause the battery to be completely drained, and you won’t be able to start the engine.

 

Step 5:

 

Take out the fuel sump located in a pouch behind the co-pilot seat, and drain a small amount of fuel from the fuel tank in one of the wings. Check to make sure there are no contaminants like water or dirt in the fuel, and that it is light blue (the color aviation gas is dyed). Repeat this for the fuel tank in the other wing, and the fuel strainer beneath the cowling.

 

Step 6:

 

Now, unscrew the fuel caps on each wing and visually check the amount of fuel onboard. This airplane uses a tab to do this, meaning if the fuel is up to the tab, then there are 18 gallons in that wing (they hold a max of 24 gallons each). Make sure you screw the cap back on tightly.

 

Step 7:

 

Walk up to the front of the airplane and inspect the engine and check the oil levels. When inspecting the engine, look for things out of place like disconnected cables or signs of animals, like bird or bees nests. To check the oil level, open the hatch on the nose of the airplane, unscrew the dipstick, and check what it reads. This airplane typically operates between 5-7 quarts of oil.

 

Step 8:

 

After that, inspect the prop for any possible cracks or dings. The prop experiences tremendous forces during flight so even the smallest crack can cause serious issues later on if left as is.

 

Step 9:

 

Now, starting from the right wing, walk in a full circle around the airplane while moving things like the ailerons, flaps, elevator, and rudder to make sure they are all functioning properly. As you move the ailerons up, the yoke should point to that side. As you move the elevator up the yoke should move forward. Also inspect for loose rivets and screws along the airframe. (This step is a lot more in-depth in reality, but for today’s purposes, that’s enough.)

 

Step 10:

 

This step is incredibly important, but easy to overlook. Under the left wing, make sure the “pitot mast” is attached, and that its holes are not clogged or damaged. This otherwise unremarkable part of the plane is actually what tells the pilot their altitude, airspeed, and rate of climb. These readings are crucial in all stages of flight, so this step cannot be stressed enough.

 

Step 11:

 

Now inspect the landing gear to make sure the tires are inflated properly, there’s no brake fluid leaks, and the brake pads are not worn too thin. If there’s a problem with the landing gear, it's clearly best to find out now and not when you’re barreling down the runway.

 

Step 12:

 

This airplane has multiple antennas attached to it that each do different things. Make sure the two antennas on the tail, and the three on the body are all there. These antennas are used for VOR navigation, talking on the radio, and for the emergency locator transmitter (in the event of an untimely landing).

 

Step 13: 

 

The very last thing is to make sure the baggage door is locked, and then remove all the chocks and tie-downs.

 

Now that you’ve ensured the airplane is in a safe condition for flight, you can have fun soaring the skies!!…after a few lessons.

 

 

I’m sure you’re wondering why I know so much about this. I’m actually a licensed Private Pilot and have been flying for two years with 100+ hours in the air. I got my student’s license December of 2020, and earned my Private Pilot License August 16th, 2022. After graduation, I intend on studying Commercial Flight in college and making this my career. There truly is no feeling like flying so I highly encourage anyone with an interest to take an introductory flight at your local flight school to experience it for yourself. I’ll admit this isn’t something for everyone, but a pilot’s license is a key that can take you countless places and truly enrich your life. Thanks for reading!

"The Room" by Leo W

 

            The cold, dark room is filled with silence and despair. The air is thin and it reeks of paranoia. His footsteps echo through the halls and he wants to call for help but he knows no one will hear. He prays for any contact, any entity that can possibly hear him.

            He makes his way through the halls with a sequence of lefts and rights, but it feels endless. There is no way out.

            Chills come over him, causing the hairs on his neck to stand. He feels a presence.

“Hello?” He whispers with a shaky tone.

No response. He begins to panic. He’s all alone…or so he thought. The walls feel as if they are closing in and his heart beats like a drum.

Dadump…Dadump…Dadump.

In his mind he tries to compose himself but he can’t shake the feeling something is watching him. He feels a cold, dead gaze locked onto him.

He is frozen in fear. His fear is a burden…a weight. A weight not even a god could withstand. He knows.

He begins to pace the halls once more until he comes across a dead end. He feels as if he is hallucinating, as if it’s his paranoia.

“Hello?” He repeats, as his fear is consuming him alive.

At the end of the hall stands a shadowy figure, about 6 feet tall.

“There is no way out,” the entity repeats over and over in a ghastly, dead tone.

He is shaking, his heart practically beating out of his chest. He begins to back away slowly, making sure to not let his eyes off the creature.

He stops in his tracks. His blood runs cold…It’s gone. The sound of footsteps devours the silence.

“There is no way out,” the entity states once more, followed by silence.

The creature moves in silence as if it’s…hunting. The room begins to take up a foul aroma, the kind that makes one’s stomach turn.

He slowly turns around to come face to face with the creature. It’s glowing white eyes meeting his, followed by a blood curdling shriek. The shriek makes him cringe like nails on a chalkboard.

It’s endless, the sound continuously bounces off the walls. He feels as if his head is going to explode. He can’t take it anymore.

He evades the mysterious creature and notices a path leading to a room. He darts towards it. With caution, he slowly but wearily enters the cold, dark room. Nothing but him and his thoughts.

In his despair, he breaks the silence, “There is no way out”.

"My Experience with Mental Health" by Taryn M

 

 

Poor mental health is something I have known for as long as I can remember. If it wasn’t my own it was the people’s closest to me. My family has a history of various mental illnesses such as ADHD, anxiety, depression etc. I started struggling with my mental health in elementary school. Throughout my years of elementary school I was picked on and bullied by most of my classmates and the people who were supposed to be my friends. Although the teachers and staff would see this happening and how it was affecting me, there were rarely any consequences given for their actions. This led me to feel as though my feelings were invalid. It got to the point where I never wanted to go to school and would come up with different excuses to avoid going. I can’t say for sure if I was depressed or not because at the time I didn’t even know what it meant.

At the time I didn’t have the best support system at home either. My older sister had multiple undiagnosed health issues that had her in and out of the hospital, and going back and forth to doctors appointments. Because of this my parents were never really there for me to talk to. My mom was always tending to my sister's care and my dad was working overtime to make money to pay the medical bills. I know they did the best they could with the situations that were handed to them, but it led to me not getting the support I needed from them to get through all the problems I was facing. I also didn’t have the best relationship with my sister at the time, due to the fact that she was never home, and if she was she never felt good enough to spend time with me. This made me feel very isolated and in a way unloved by the people who were supposed to be there for me the most.

Fast forward a few years to high school. I had an amazing group of friends who loved me and supported me unconditionally. School was going great and I had teachers who were always there for me. I was the happiest and healthiest I had ever been. Then covid came and I fell into a dark, depressive state due to the isolation. I found that my mental health made it very difficult to complete everyday tasks and to stay motivated in school. I think it's safe to say that for a lot of people, quarantine took a toll on the state of our mental health.

When I finally built up the courage to open up about how I was feeling and tried to get professional help, I was told that I was just “grieving the loss of social interaction” by my psychiatrist. No further action was taken and I was to believe that everything was fine and the feelings I was experiencing were just temporary.

            It's been two years since quarantine and it’s safe to say that those feelings were not “just temporary”. My mental health is still something I struggle with every day. At times it can make it incredibly difficult, near impossible to live a normal day to day life. When it started to get almost unmanageable, I reached out for help again, and I am so glad I did. Although in the past I was told my feelings were invalid, I gave it another shot. I recently started seeing a therapist, as well as meeting with a different psychiatrist, and making my mental health one of my top priorities. I was diagnosed with ADHD, depression and anxiety. It is so nice to finally know that the way I felt was not just in my head and that my feelings are valid.

            Although it has been challenging to grow up in these conditions, I wouldn’t change it for the world. I feel as though it has helped shape me into the person I am today. Going through what I have has led me to be more considerate of other people’s feelings, as well as being more compassionate towards others. I now know what different warning signs to look for in my friends and family such as irregular eating and sleeping, having little energy/motivation, pulling away from people and usual activities, and so many more. It has also led me to be more aware of how to help people going through situations similar to mine.

            My goal in writing this was not to make you feel bad for me, but to tell you that you are not alone. Struggling with mental health is not something to be ashamed of, and the way you feel is not your fault. If you are experiencing something similar I urge you to reach out and get help. Getting help does not mean that you are weak and it shouldn’t be looked down upon. It takes an incredible amount of strength and courage to try to get better. Your mental health is just as important as your physical health, and should not be neglected.

                       

" How to prepare an organic garden" by Jacob M

Want to get closer to sustainability and a cleaner world? Well, gardening is a small step in the right direction but like all things good for the environment it is not as easy as black and white. Organic gardening is a time-consuming project that has great benefits for both you and the world. I’ll only focus on preparing a garden space that is in the ground not raised beds or pots but some of these steps are helpful for all types of growing areas. Gardening is more than just the plants and watering, it is the soil life and quality, types of plants, and location that affect it in every way. Here you will learn how to prepare a garden organically, maintain it, and prepare it for future plantings.

 

Soil life is essential for any garden organic or not without a good soil life, plants have no mutual relationships with each other and the environment. Bacterial and fungal life is necessary for success and without them plants heavily rely on the nutrients you give them because they lack the natural cycle of nitrogen and phosphorus without these organisms. There are different types of soil but mostly in Southern California, the soil is either clay(1), sandy(2), or a mix of both depending on your geographical location. Invertebrates and insects play an important role in the soil as well, especially in breaking down organic matter and aerating the soil. All of these will help you understand what your plants need and how to treat them most efficiently.

 

The first step is to determine what type of soil you are working with because different types of soil need different things. You can take a sample of your soil and send it to a lab but not everyone is going to do that so one test is to water your soil and let it get soaked, let the soil absorb the soil, then pick up a fistful of soil and squeeze it. If it holds its shape and doesn't break easily then you are working with clay soil, if it breaks without much force then it is sandy, and if it breaks after some force but doesn’t crumble then you have a good balance between clay and sand. In all cases, to improve the soil add compost or other organic matter like peat moss or coco coir to help improve soil quality. Another thing to look for is the water retention of your soil, is it not soaking up water then it might be hydrophobic which would require extra watering until the soil is no longer hydrophobic which will vary on each type of soil. A good rule of thumb would be to water a hydrophobic area of soil for two weeks watering every other day or every two days depending on the weather.

 

Second, determining the amount of life in the soil is not as straightforward but digging multiple holes in different locations and examining the soil for any bugs, worms, or other creatures is necessary to know the amount of life. From my experience, I started in a part of the yard that was super sandy, hydrophobic, and life deprived so I saw nothing in the soil. If you see nothing then there is most likely life but it is deeper in the soil and too small to affect the garden. But if you do find worms or any insects in the top six inches of the soil, you are on a good track but it doesn’t mean you have a sufficient amount of life in the soil.

 

Lastly, to add life to your garden space you can add compost, manures, worm castings(3), and organic fertilizers(4) that contain mycorrhizae. All of these will add bacterial and fungal species to your garden, to add insects is much different because the only real thing you can add to your garden in this respect is earthworms which are very beneficial to the garden other creatures come after the garden is established and plants can provide protection so they come later. While through all of this making sure to keep the top 6-8 inches of the soil moist will keep all of this life alive. Now after adding these materials a good rule is to just water this space for a few weeks before your growing space and cover it with mulch whether that be straw or wood chips since they are most organically and sustainably sourced. 

 

            After a few weeks, your growing space should be ready for planting. A good note is to dig an approximate 6-inch hole and check for moisture level and for signs of fungal life or any other life in the soil. When planting makes sure to use a granular fertilizer best is organic in the planting hole so the plants have enough nutrients. Fungal growth is easier to spot than bacterial because fungi create these paths that connect them and are easily seen on wood while bacteria are very hard to find by the human eye. When each season is concluded you should not pull out your plants but cut them at their bases and let the microbiological life consume the roots which will help enrich the soil and check for the quality of soil life too while planting for the next season. Organic fertilizer is also a good idea to add after each season to help put nutrients back into the soil or compost depending on the amount or price of either one respective to your budget.

 

 

 

 

 

"The Beauty of Discomfort" by Giselle M

 

            “Happiness is not the result of bouncing from one joy to the next... achieving happiness typically involves times of considerable discomfort” (Psychology Today). In order to know what happiness feels like, you have to know what it’s like to be without it as well. But, what is happiness? And more importantly, how do you stay happy? Simply put, there’s no right answer.

Struggling with my mental health conditioned me to believe that there was some sort of “secret formula” to always feeling a sense of joy. That if I do “x” and have  “y”  in my life, I would always be happy. Unfortunately, that’s not how it works.  This is the day I realized something life-changing; happy people don’t become happy, they just are. Like Aristotle once said, “happiness depends upon ourselves.” We make the choice whether to look on the bright side of things or not. Now, I’m not trying to say that if you’re diagnosed with a mental health disorder it’s because you are choosing to not be happy. But, when those moments come in our life- to continue to stay comfortable in our sadness or to choose discomfort- choose the uncomfortable. Those are the times that will eventually lead to our contentment. Back in fall 2020, my mental health was the worst I have ever experienced. Being at a new highschool with everything in the world falling apart, it wasn’t easy. It wasn’t until school started to open up that I saw the light at the end of the tunnel. But even in that moment, I had to make a choice; stay in the place that I was in or choose the uncomfortable reality of the unknown. Thankfully, I chose the latter. Now, I’m not here to say that in every situation it’s that simple, but instead trying to explain that happiness is a choice. You can’t do one thing and suddenly be happy forever, it is a constant choice you have to make.

Recently, I have had to put my dog down. I adopted him eight years ago and practically grew up with him. If you have ever experienced a loss, you know it is not an easy thing to go through. But, once again, I had a choice. I could choose to use this as a gateway to lead me back to where I was in 2020; or, I could take it as a part of life and move forward. Just as Hellen Keller once said, “everything has its wonders, even darkness and silence, and I learn, whatever state I may be in, therein to be content.” This is not to say I shouldn’t have been sad, because feeling our way through emotions is healthy. My point is, I made the choice of how I intended to feel. I didn’t let the promising comfort of sulking in sadness overcome me.

By literal means, happiness is an emotion. But, in reality it’s so much more than that. There’s no right answer on how to define happiness because to each and every one of us, it’s going to look different. But, there is one common factor throughout it all: we have the power to make a choice.

" Loss: What They Don’t Tell You About It" by Sharon L

  

            Losing someone is something that everyone will go through at least once in their life, death is inevitable. People don’t expect to lose their parents in their childhood because why would you? Parents should always be there for you, right? However, losing a parent was a reality for me. My dad passed away when I was just 6 years old. I have a few vague memories with him like watching Spongebob in the morning and my 4th birthday party. He was fairly young, in his 40s, and loved by everyone in my family. He loved a lot of things like Spongebob, peanuts, South Park (like my cousin Merrill who is named after him) and rock music. He was even in a band with my uncles and his friends when they were in high school. He was taken too soon and I’m sure that anyone who knew him would agree. Loss and grief can be funny in a way, they come hand in hand yet feel so different. Grief is a grueling process that took me years to be able to understand. It is still something that I don’t fully understand to this day. Although I have been living with my aunt and uncle for most of my life, I still miss my dad after all of these years. It hurts to say this but I envy those who have living dads. I (oh so) wish that could be me. There are several milestones that my dad has missed and will continue to miss throughout my life such as going to my first dance, meeting my friends throughout the years (including my best friend), graduating from high school and so much more. I don’t ever think that this feeling of grief will go away, it is intertwined with my life.

 

I always wonder what people think whenever I tell them that I live with my aunt and uncle instead of my parents and the reasons behind it. I’ll ask myself questions like “Do they judge me? Do they feel sorry for me? Do they even understand what I’m telling them?” These questions are always at the back of my mind when I’m telling my story but I will probably never get those answers. People do feel sorry for me, I’m sure. Many give me that meek smile and a pat on the back with a sympathetic look matched with the standard “I’m so sorry for your loss” which isn’t a bad answer, it’s the most plausible one. But how do you respond to that? “It’s okay, really! I’m fine.” is my go-to answer. It’s a simple answer, one that many will just shrug off. However, I understand their perspective because many people don’t know how to respond after someone has told you that they lost their dad and don’t live with their parents. It’s something that not many people have gone through in their life. I’m very open about my dad’s death and even though I’m so open about it, some of my friends still don’t know. For example, I was talking about an unrelated subject with my friend a few weeks ago when I brought up my mom and eventually she asked me about both of my parents. Only my very close friends know about my mom so I knew that she wouldn’t know about her. But my dad? She didn’t know about him either and why I live with my aunt and uncle. I was very surprised to say the least. Surely all of my friends know about my dad, right? Nope. Not everyone. So I had to explain all over again about my dad, which I don’t mind but it can get tiring after a while. She said something that really stuck with me and made me so glad that I have people by my side.

 

As the title says, there are many things that people don’t tell you when you lose someone. It’s taken differently by everyone, of course. There isn’t a “clear” process for grief. It works in weird ways. I can’t define my way of grieving because it was so complex and confusing but I can tell you one thing: it doesn’t stop you completely. Grief doesn’t stop me from enjoying life. It does pass by and I will get sad about little things that remind me of him. Hell, I couldn’t even listen to rock music when I was younger because it reminded me so much of him. But because I live with my aunt and uncle and not my parents, I’ve met some amazing people at this school and when I was younger. I became friends with people that I probably wouldn’t even be friends with if I didn’t live with my aunt and uncle. I wouldn’t have gotten close to my cousins who I live with (who I also practically call my siblings now because they most definitely feel like my siblings). I would’ve lived a much different life if my dad was alive, which is a little heartbreaking to say. Writing this piece has made me think about different points in my life and my thoughts on it, which is still very confusing. Yes, losing my dad was one of the worst things in my life and if I could, I would rewrite my life so that my dad is still alive and here with me today. Losing a parent is not something that a young child should go through, it is a pain much too heavy for one to bear. This loss has also changed me as a person but I have healed in a way from it. You may have forgotten this already but the thing that my friend said that stuck with me, and probably will forever, was “You’re a very brave girl and a lot of other people think so too.” It reminded me that although I have gone through a lot in life, I’m still here with those I love by my side. I miss you every single day, Dad. Rest in peace and this one's for you.

“Identity” by Ricardo B.

 

All children are sensitive about some aspect of their self-perception. What child hasn’t thrown tantrums about their haircut being too short? Or cried from the embarrassment of not receiving a good grade when everyone else got one? In any case, every kid feels confused when facing their true selves. I’m sure every kid has felt the disappointment of realizing that they can’t become what they’ve always wanted to be– a powerful superhero, a terrifying dinosaur, or a magical unicorn. As children, our sense of self is so specific and underdeveloped that when it starts to change, it can be distressing.

In our communities, we set up many parameters of behavior that help children learn who they are. Psychology tells us that western society commonly uses a social learning theory where we reinforce gender-congruent behaviors through praise and punishment. This is shown in parents praising their little girls for playing with dolls, and in turn punishing their boys for doing the same. Our instructions for these kinds of attributes are established early and strongly. Growing up, I was welcomed to the frivolous dresses and cheerfulness of young girlhood. Being young, it was all I had known, so I accepted that definition unbothered. In one instance, I had invited my neighbor over to play. Once we ran to my room, he had asked to try on my cheap Cinderella costume. He had successfully fit inside it, so excitedly I told him to take it home. His careless face turned pale. Anxiously, he escaped the dress and repeated that his father would be angry with him if he took it. In my childish way, it took me a long time to understand why he was so afraid. We were in first grade.

When we are young, we believe in the harsh rigidness of labels. Right now you are this, so you can never be that. We can only fantasize about who we could’ve been. At the playgrounds, we put on different characters through pretending. So, much like my curious friend, I peered outside of the box of girlishness. Playing house, I’d choose to be the father. Away from the sandbox, I returned to a pepto-bismol pink room with walls encased in a purple tinkerbell wallpaper. When children have themed rooms, it usually indicates that they’re obsessed with that theme. However, I had never really shown interest in Tinkerbell – Ariel was always my favorite. Every little girl loves mermaids, but maybe it was something about Ariel yearning for a different version of herself that had drawn me to her.

 No one really told Ariel that she could become human. She had to seek results on her own, in the deep dark ocean. In the same way, when I was growing up, there was no guide to change who you were as a person. You will always be how you were born, and you will always abide by those standards. Other children may have believed this concept of stagnation in relation to their own struggles: “You are a bad student, so you will never be as valuable as better, smarter children.” Yes, we are told that we can be anything we want when we grow up: scientists, doctors, world leaders. But, children only believe what they are taught.

 In many instances, society prioritizes one standard over all others. Psychological studies in child development show that when dealing with identity, kids already believe that caucasian dolls are more important than dolls of other races. One way we can combat these heartbreaking beliefs of internal prejudice is through positive representation. In my process of self-exploration, my confidence in my identity was reinforced through the experiences of men who were like me, and happy. Children of all backgrounds should be able to identify themselves with a role model, fictional or real, and dispel any negativity about something that’s a part of them. As a result of positive role models, children can realize that all identities are equal, and that their peers are not lesser or better than they are.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

"Maneater" by Zalia B

  

In the dark a woman named Nadine stands with a foolish boy, Spade, beside her. They seem to create an awkward picture, due to the fact that there is no connection, no fluidity, no romance. This picture is quite the opposite of beautiful and it’s almost desperate the way Sade looks next to this vixen. The two begin to walk together physically but it’s as if they’re miles apart. A respectable man named Nola catches this awkward encounter and It's as if he is destined to follow the two to see where their next steps are headed. He catches Nadine glimpse at him but can't decide whether she truly sees him or not. As he stares deeper into this picture it is clear that Nadine is tired but of what? This isn’t the simple fix with sleep tired, but instead the soul wrenching tired. She looks amazing but so gone at the exact same time. Walking two blocks they finally reach an apartment and she looks as if she’s so detached. Spade walks inside and she continues to walk and Nola so curiously follows. He must find out what this woman’s deal is. Nola walks closely enough to hear the music that plays in her headphones, Lana Del Rey, “Young and Beautiful”. She begins to stumble like her energy has been entirely drained. Intrigued but nervously he walks behind Nadine and asks if she’s okay. She replies “yes I just get really tired from walking home alone”, so naturally he tells her it’s no issue to walk with her. The two instantly connect and it’s as if he is drawn in by her presence. They reach the steps to her house and Nola feels delusional because this woman he has known for a simple 5 minutes seems to have made him fall so deeply in love with her. They seemed to really have connected within this walk home but Nola can’t tell what is off about this. Nola asks her why she was with that boy earlier and she explains that he’s a bad person but he is one of the only guys she can be around. Nola begins to look very confused but doesn’t want to judge Nadine. She sees the look on his face and starts to panic. She tells Nola how much of a good guy he is and how hard this is for her. Nola doesn’t seem to understand and tells her that she can trust him. Nadine begins to say how this is the issue and tells him how sorry she is because she actually likes him. Nola stares blankly because he suddenly can’t seem to focus due to her singing. She comes closer for a kiss as tears roll down her cheek and Nola is filled with confusion but content due to her coming closer. This kiss was unlike any other because one minute Nola is in a flash of pain but she begins to sing to him again as his soul leaves his body. Nola’s mind enters a blank abyss and his soul travels into her body. Nadine walks into her apartment and begins to cry out to whoever can hear her above. She agonizes and yells “God please let me have the bad ones or no men at all, I don’t want beauty anymore… please”.

"Reponse" by Tanner A

  

The field immerses me.

Everywhere I look is covered in tall, thick stalks of wheat swaying gently in sync with the chill breeze. A scarecrow stands tall about 10 feet away from me, the torn coat swaying in the wind gently. Its waning smile on a hunched-over face stares back at me, intense enough that I feel I must look away. I climb the short boulder in front of me, hoping to gather my belongings. Instead, I am met with increased feelings of dread as I see nothing but an abandoned barn bordering the edges of my vision. The building looks to be barely standing, having been trapped in a losing battle with time for what seems to be decades upon decades. However, the withering monument is the only thing that seems to represent some symbol of humanity, no matter how long gone, as the field of wheat spans for miles and miles. My dread is only heightened by this revelation.

Dread. Dread. Why do I feel dreadful? Like my stomach is about to introduce its contents to the rough terrain. The hairs on the back of my neck are at full attention; my breathing quickens, and my eyes run rampant. I am gripped by a feeling of terror that I do not understand.

Why am I scared??

Is it the Scarecrow? Do its vacant, dark eyes piece further into my soul than I originally thought? Do I see an uncanny resemblance in its decomposing leathery skin? My mind swarms with countless possibilities as the Scarecrow regards me with the same apprehension it did at the beginning of our meeting. I turn, shielding my face hoping to protect it from the burning stare of black-beaded buttons. The body on the hanging post has left my mind and I know it cannot hurt me now.

But I am still scared.

Quick, shallow breaths plague me as I turn back around, and it's here that I understand. The Scarecrow is not the source of my horror, but rather the endless land of crop around it.

But, what’s so fearsome about a maze of wheat?

Don’t you get it? The field covers all. It roams forever and obscures it all. The stalks are so dense and jam-packed together in a way that it causes the all-seeing eye blindness. The field is horrifying because of what lurks behind the weak walls of grass. Namely, it is because there is something in that field. Something horrible and disfigured, a shambled shell of something lost. I know it not to be the Scarecrow because the Scarecrow is existent; and I know it not to be the barn, because the barn is hopeless, a pocket of time. My breath hitches because something’s creeping closer.

But what is in the field? What does it look like?

The answers to those questions are as foreign to me as they are to you. But I know what it sounds like. I hear the crawling. The hurried clittering of limbs; the grass stalks that move and dance, but not from the freezing wind; the glare of the damned piercing my exposed self. I desperately want to run like my body tells me to, yet my mind… my mind tells me the simple truth of the certain death that even the slightest movement of my muscles will bring. My mind and body clash among themselves and meanwhile the noises get louder. The air on my right whizzes loudly, my body reactively turning towards it, and immediately a darting noise on my left. I feel it circling me, stalking its prey, and my body seems determined to play the part to perfection. My vision goes fuzzy on the edges as my lungs reject the plentiful air around me. I crumble to the ground, bowing my head against the harsh dirt in fear of seeing my hunter. Leaves and wheat crunch all around me, all at once, leaving me to become even more confused in this void of helplessness.

I can’t see, I can't breathe, it's here, but where is it? All I can hear is a blaring noise… The siren continues, to the point where it feels like my ears are running with blood as steadily as the tears on my face. The noise stops… and a crisp voice pulls me from my wasteland.

“Unfortunately, it appears our time has come to an end. Thank you for your response. I heard some good things from you today. I hope to continue this conversation the next time, the exit is right behind you and you may leave whenever you are ready.”