"My Hero" by Richard B

 

     Marissa was never expecting to be in the house of a boy that she liked, but here she was sitting at a table with his mother and father. The boy wrote notes to her for months and eventually was invited to meet his parents at a dinner. All during the meal she felt her head ache a bit but she shrugged it off ‘I just need some water’ she thought to herself. The house the boy lived in was very nice and large, pictures of old family relatives with fun names lined the walls all around, one had particularly caught her eye. When she read it she could feel chills run down her spine for some reason: ‘Hiram Marwood’ the label at the bottom of the portrait read. All throughout dinner she stared at the portrait and it got to the point where she began feeling sick and asked to go to the bathroom. As she walked out the bathroom she heard a voice call her name, “Marisssaaaaa….” she looked around in confusion, “Hello?”  she couldn’t tell if she was hearing her name being called from down the hall or in her own head, “You have to save me Marissa” the voice called. She felt her head turn towards a door a little further down the hall, “Save me Marissa” the voice begged. She began to walk towards the door and she stopped for a second, ‘Should I really be snooping around this house?’ she thought, “Help me Marissa ''. Without a second to spare she opened the door and looked down at the staircase, ‘The basement’. Marissa looked back to see if anyone was around and made her descent, she found a flashlight lying on the floor and shined it around the dark basement, nothing about it was particularly eye catching. There were boxes strewn around it but the basement was large, as she continued searching she eventually found several boxes stacked in a clump. “I’m here Marissa” she moved the boxes and behind it was an old stone door, several odd symbols lined it and she could feel that something was behind it. “They’ve trapped me in here Marissa” the voice echoed from behind the door, as she put her hand to the door her mind was filled with millions of memories. An exploding star, a comet that hurled through the cosmos and landed on a planet, ancient earth, she could feel the being’s awe and wonder of the world around it. As it walked the ancient worlds animals stayed away from it in fear Marissa could only make out its form through the shadows in the memories. As the being grew over time it had amassed a power but before it could use it a man stabbed through its heart, a glowering light emerged from the being and as it fell to the ground it looked up at its attacker, it was Hiram Marwood. Marissa took her hand off the door and held it up to her pounding head, “Marissa” the being called, “They took everything from me, each full moon they weaken me.” Images of the beast being stabbed as a full moon glowered from a ceiling window filled Marissa’s mind. It happened every full moon, different attackers in robes, and as the most recent memory flashed through her mind the robed attacker removed their hood. The Boy.“He didn’t like hurting me, I could feel his guilt, so I made him a deal. He’d never release me, he’s too scared, someone like you Marissa? You love helping those in need, I’ve seen you through his eyes”. Marissa was shivering, “You can release me I know it”. She wanted to say no, but she wondered if she really had a choice, she had helped so many others and who was she to deny the being. “What do I do”.

“In their library there’s an orrery, you must bring it down here and I'll tell you the rest”. Marissa began to walk to the stairs determined, she felt a doubting voice in the back of her head but she brushed it off. ‘I can talk to you in here’ she heard the being echoing through her mind ‘what if i’m caught?’ ‘You won’t be, I have numbed their thoughts, I have never been this close to freedom’. She opened the library doors, as she walked around a bit she saw it, the orrery glimmered gold. The solar system it replicated looked like the natural one but a little older, some planets hadn’t formed yet. ‘I found it’ Marissa called, ‘Amazing, bring it down here’ the being answered. The orrery was heavy but Marissa didn’t care, she had to help the being, it’s all that she could think about, everything else in her mind was fading away the closer she came to the basement. Her life, her friends, her family, all of those thoughts melted in her head, all she could think about was freeing the being. She made it to the door, ‘the sun at the center, open it’ the being spoke in a serious tone she looked down at the orrery and opened the sun in the middle. As it opened a glowing ball of light emerged, ‘You've done it, you’ve really done it! I knew you could. The handle of the door shook a bit, ‘open the door please’. She knew that even if she tried she couldn’t stop herself from opening it. As the door opened a tentacle reached out to the light,  and as it did Marissa saw more memories. Worlds destroyed, the being destroying planet after planet across the cosmos, leaving nothing behind. Over what seemed like eons this being wiped out millions of planets, “After all this time” the entity's voice echoed through her head, “I am finally free, no matter how hard beings have tried the cycle always ends with the end of all organic life”. As the being consumed the light Marissa heard the last thoughts reverberate through her mind.

 

“Thank you Marissa, you’re my hero”

"The Eclipse of the Willow" by Shanthi A

The moon, a lifeless rock that owns the night, lingers in the bright blue sky waiting for the sun. Gusts of air fly through the forest, whistling and shouting nonsense at one another.

The murder of crows, spying amidst the branches, screech in unison alerting the willow that someone is approaching. A girl, wide-eyed and pure, emerges from beyond the haze, tightly grasping the trunks of nearby trees. The willow tracks her every move as she wobbles through, frantically searching for the next thing to grab onto. There are no thoughts as to why she's alone, poking around in the darkest part of the forest, only bloodlust. Liquid as hot as the Earth’s core courses through its body. Its restlessness grows as the girl moves closer.

 

 

The haze thickens as the girl travels deeper into the forest. When she can no longer see what’s right in front of her, she turns to head back home; however, the sudden sound of water piqued her interest. A screech from one of the winged creatures causes the girl to slip on the rocks and into the murky water below her. When she looks up, a beautiful willow tree emerges from the fog just on the other side of the water. Its wondrous stature catches the eye of the girl, luring her in. She stands in awe, engulfed in how large in size yet graceful the willow tree is. Wonder enters her mind as to why it’s trapped deep in the forest with only the company of the crows.

Before she can finish her thought, a bird as big as the sun, as dark as night, with claws sharp enough to tear a hole in the sky appears. The girl tries to run, but its speed is unmatched. She falls to the floor and squeezes her eyes shut, wishing that she never left her home. She remembers the flowers she planted getting ready for Spring, the pleasant sounds of the birds singing and the animals chatting, her mother calling her in for dinner.

Heavy breathing and eyes full of tears, she grips her arms tight, so much so that the pigment of her skin appears white. Wondering why she has not been torn to shreds, she opens her eyes to find the enormous bird gone and a small crow where it once was. It stares intensely at her, and before the girl can react it flies away. She quickly gets up and runs towards the direction of home, but the willow tree appears in front of her again. In disbelief that she got disoriented, she turns to head in the opposite direction. However, the tree is there once more. She tries and tries again, yet no path is leading her to anywhere else except the frightening tree.

Running around until her feet ache, the girl falls to the ground and stares at the sky through the haze above her. Thinking she might be going insane, she turns her head to look at the willow tree not too far from her. She gets up and heads for the tree, however, the small crow from before glides down next to her. It stares at her once again, and then hops along the floor. Hesitant at first, the girl travels behind the crow as it leads her back to the tree. It gives her one last look, almost pitiful, and flies up into its branches. Following it, she reaches out and grabs onto the tree. The girl, like a fool, trusted the crow.

 

 

The blackhole moon finally captures the blazing sun, leaving nothing but murderous red light emitting from the willow. Screams emanate through the forest as the girl cries in horror, watching her hands start to melt against the burning tree. She thrashes around, breaking away what’s left of her hands. The winged creatures that were once ordinary birds now have the horns of a ram and tails of a lion. They dart towards the girl, weaving through the thick branches. She attempts to escape, but the creatures surround her, forcing her to crawl back towards the monstrous tree.

The willow whips its branches out and grabs the girl by her arms, causing them to bend and snap. She wails, begging the tree to stop. It tears its roots out from under the Earth and wraps them around the girl. She flails under the burning roots, and the screams that were once heard are now sobs.

How did it come to this? She didn’t mean to travel this far alone, she didn’t mean to go up to the unknown tree, she didn’t mean for any of this. She just wants to go home to her family. To her mother preparing food, scolding her little brother and sister for sneaking in some sweets before dinner. To the comforting sight of her father stoking the fire, chasing the cold out. She tries to hold onto the memories of her family as her consciousness fades, but it’s all too much. She exhales her final breath, regretting ever leaving the front yard.

"The Average American" by Christian G

 

January 1, 1920

            My Mother told me to start writing this diary, she said it would be a memory to look back on. Or whatever. So, I am a High School freshman this year at Ponca High School, (Nebraska), and tomorrow I am going to have a merry day at school.

John had thought how odd it felt to write his feelings dpwm, but his Mom and Dad insisted on it for some reason, saying that it helped them manage their feeling during the Great War.

---

January 20, 1920

            My Dad asked about how the diary writing had been going, once he found out that I hadn't worked on it I was yelled at for an hour! You want me to write my feelings in this, WELL I HAD A TERRIBLE WEEK; THERE. What do they know! I am failing and I became the laughingstock of the school on my first day of school!

            I don’t want to go back to school but I need to, I can’t just let it go like this, this diary I’ll just lose it.

---

I can’t believe I found this old thing again. As he goes to blow off the dust, “cough, cough”, he opens the book and reads the only 2 entries. His only thoughts were, “ I really was a snotty brat. Maybe I should try writing again.

May 28, 1924

            I just graduated High school, and although I feel like I just started High School, time really does fly, doesn't it? (I guess I can quickly write down what has happened to me.) After I took care of my fellow classmates I was able to have fun and do things that mattered to me. Time doesn’t feel real right now, I have the hold world ahead of me.

“John we have to get going!” yelled Robert.

“Okay,” he said, as he shoved the book in his jecket.

He was moving out of his parent's house and has a job across town now.

---

June 3, 1929

            I lost my job, times have become rough and my car is being taken, I am living with Robert now and don’t know when I’ll have time to update this dirary, I’ll be moving back with my parents. But now is nothing but a time to celebrate Robert is getting married tomorrow and joy is the only thing we need moving forward.

---

 

August 18, 1933

We don’t have enough to eat, I am starving and my Mom and Dad may not last another day, I need to go out and find food. We won't last another day. Robert and his family have left for California, but we don’t have the funds to do that. I don’t know what is going to happen.

      Radio, “Tensions are still high after the banks have crashed causing an economic downturn never seen before.

John needs to go into town to find food of any kind. There, a basket of potatoes sitting on the floor in the distance he needs to grab it. As he began running toward it it seemed like it was getting farther away, it was a hallucination, but it was too late the wind's roar scattered in front of his face and into his eyes, he needed to take shelter now or there would be dire consequences. He ran into an old mine without any hope for shelter, as he sat in the mine he thought, “It smells funny in here”. The mine air was poisonous, it was slowly killing him; he who had no muscle to the fiber of his being. His only choice was to crawl deeper and deeper into the mine hoping to find shelter. Once he had reached the end of the mine it was a dead end, there was no hope of survival no hope of escape; but his will refused to give in he grabbed a leftover pickaxe a struck the floor causing a sinkhole to form so large it swallowed him whole. With a broken arm and broken leg, he laid in a pool of water that seemed to shimmer as if a light had graced itself upon it. His wounds healed his pain was no longer and his mind was ever clear. His only thoughts were “Sleep I want to sleep now.”...

---

Unknown

            I woke up in a strange place, the water that I thought I had laid in had disappeared, and I felt refreshed. Now to make my way out of this mine.

      John had easily climbed his way back up to the hole as if his body was in its prime state. Hewas able to enter the mine but now he no longer felt deterred by the strange scent. Although he had smelled something funny he was no longer affected by sent. At this time John did not notice anything, the fact that he was immune to a previously toxic gas did not even occur as a thought. When he had emerged there was nothing by dust to see for miles. He was able to get to town and ask a few survivors questions about what had happened only to learn that it was now the year 1938.

---

August 18, 1938

            GONE, GONE they are all gone. My parents, our house, and my town were swallowed by the dust and turned into dust. How, how could this have happened? I was only going to get food, none of this was supposed to happen.

      A radio off in the distance, “A war is predicted to break out in Europe within the next year, but no need to worry The Neutrality Act is being proposed by President Roosevelt. All of this information had never even made it into John's thoughts as he was engrossed in sorrow. He ended the night as a recluse in what used to be his parent's house.

---

August 18, 1942

            The attack on Pearl Harbor has harmed us. Robert sent me a letter saying he was serving in the war, I can not lose someone else important to me, and have sent off my draft registration card to join the army. I will not let him die, no it cannot even be thought.

      John had set off on a journey to his local draft board, which was located in the main city. He was able to get hold of a car, and although the roads were quite terrible he had made it in time for the first draft and would be stationed with Robert.

---

December 23, 1942

            They have been training us and I have been separated from Robert, his current whereabouts are unknown to me, they are apparently classified. They say we will be stationed soon and that for now we need to focus on building our teamwork.

            John's spirit was slowly breaking with nobody to rely on and no one to assure him of the future he slowly grew paranoid. It unconsciously implanted a seed of doubt in his heart.

---

 

 

 

April 1, 1945

            We are being deployed to Japan, and the days are grueling and hard but I am able to keep up because of Robbert, although for some reason when I talk to him around others, they never see him there. We are fighting today, and I am ready for the battle later today, I will take down those imperials.

            Robert has been long gone, lost in battle, his body has not recovered and many refuse to believe that he is dead, but Johns grief has caused him to suffered from hallucinations.

---

September 3, 1945

            A second sun has descended on me, gone once again, all around me is gone, the people are nothing but shadows. The buildings were gone and the spirit of the land burned. It wasn’t long before people came to investigate what had happened, and why they died while I survived, I needed to run or they would start asking questions.

      John had run further into the nuclear waste and people could not follow him due to the lethal levels of radiation, but it did not affect him because his cells were regenerating as fast as he was losing them.

---

 

 

September 3, 1945

            I don’t know what day it is but the season has passed and I don’t feel a day older. It’s just me in the house, everything dies, and nothing stays alive. Seems like a pattern with both people and plants is to disappear. Won’t it be easier to never be around life? I will just leave, loving people isn’t worth the trouble.

            The end…

 

Feeling unsatisfied, me too…

"The Power of Music" by Juliana Z

 

“Do not let fear control you” is a phrase I know well, a phrase I live by. However, I found that I let fear control me in certain situations, which can alter the truth behind this ideology. In the beginning of my sophomore year of high school I had a choir assignment. I did not think much of it, as it was simply requiring a video recording of myself singing a song of my choice. At this time in my life, I had extreme fear of singing in front of others, but was able to record myself singing with ease. I decided to record myself singing the song “My Future,” by Billie Eilish. On the second take, I found it good enough to submit simply expecting feedback from my choir teacher and nothing more. The next few days or so after submitting I received the “submission comment” notification on canvas. I was excited to finally receive input from someone who knows music well. I recall the comment complimenting my tone and overall performance while recommending that I focus on having less of an “airy” sound. I was glad to know that I did relatively well. A week or so after submitting this assignment, my choir teacher notified the class of a concert that we will be having. She went on to note that it will be a solo concert and individuals will be performing if they are chosen after auditions. My teacher had also written down names of individuals who she recommended to participate in this concert based on what she heard in our video submissions. With the list in hand, she reads to the class the people she hoped to see participate in this solo concert. Despite doubt, I had a feeling that my name would be on that list. She went on listing the few people, and read off my name. I was flattered, but full of doubt on whether or not it was meant for me to sing this solo. The fear I felt simply thinking of the fact that I would be on a stage, alone, with all eyes on me was excessive. As fearful as I was, I knew that I would need to work on my ability to perform. My passion was stronger than any fear I had at that moment and I decided to go for it. I let my teacher know and, with a smile on her face, she checked off my name. A couple of weeks had passed and it was time for me to sing this song in front of the class. I had the option to use a soundtrack, but decided to have our pianist play the piano as I sang. With shaky hands and running thoughts I walked up next to the piano and began to sing. At this moment, it was hard to regulate my breathing and I was trying to avoid eye contact. I stared at the sheet music as I sang the song, hoping this would make time fly by just a little faster. I was extremely quiet and my confidence was not very high and that affected my overall performance. But I knew deep down that I was capable of performing. I was able to get through the entire song, and felt proud of myself. This was an immense step in the right direction. A few weeks passed, and the concert day arrived. With countless rehearsals and reassurance from family, I felt prepared enough to perform. I was scheduled as the third soloist of the evening and, despite the fear and doubt in my mind, my passion for performing was stronger than ever. I walked up to the stage, introduced myself and informed the audience that I will be singing “My Future” by Billie Eilish. As I began singing, I had a rocky start, but was able to get through it. After the concert, I was extremely hard on myself and my performance. I knew that I did not perform as well as I practiced, due to nerves, and felt ashamed. However, as I was on that stage I realized how truly enjoyable it was to be able to sing in front of an audience. Knowing that you can do what you love and others can be there to enjoy it too made this moment just that much more meaningful. As scared as I was, and as shaky as I sounded, I knew that with practice I could perform better. This very moment led me to go for any solo concert opportunity I could get, and I am now able to continue practicing stage presence. To this day, I still struggle with fear before getting on stage. However, I know that the passion I have for performing will be stronger than any fears. I would not be where I am today if I allowed myself to be controlled by the immense fear I felt. Throughout my life, music has always been apparent. But, the moment I stopped letting my fears control me was the moment I realized the true power of music.

 

 

"Do Not Say A Word " by Phoebe H

 

            It's October 12, 2023, and my family has just moved to Big Rapids, Michigan. I used to live in Northridge, California… however, my hard-headed dad decided it was best for us to move somewhere far and ¨ dispersed from modern society where people are the same¨, whatever that means. He also decided that it was best for my little brother, Daniel, to have a new scenery since he never really fit in at our old school. Some of the other boys even considered him to be an outcast. Myself, however, I’ve been able to work my way around my old school’s popularity system and have been able to get myself out of some categories.

 

Around 4 o’clock we arrived at our new house. It was a grand Dutch colonial revival style house but modernized to current standards. It stood tall with a great lawn that had flowerbeds filled with oleander blooms and fresh white daisies around the landscaping of the house. I never wanted to move here, but did I have a choice? I didn't want to leave my friends and family and go to this creepy little town that looked like Ted Bundy would live there. Coincidentally, the first encounter I had with people here, was with our neighbors across the street. They live in a pretty standard home… two stories, with a big driveway, and fair lawn space. At first, they were welcomed at their home distance like your typical next-door neighbor, however, I just feel like they're something wrong about them, as if they are trying to be so nice for a reason we don't know of.

 

I start to my room and it's a nice medium-sized space with a large arched window that looks out towards the lawn and my weird neighbor's house across the street. I knew I should've called dibs on the other room.

 

A little after 9 pm, I hear a knock at the door and look through the peephole to see the neighbors standing still with eerie smiles. No emotion. Just smiling. I quietly call my dad over and head to the top of the staircase where I can see the doorstep. My dad opened the door halfway to them, about to gather the typical “ Hello nice to meet you I-'' until they interrupted him and worriedly asked if they could come inside. They didn't even care to say hello or personally address themselves as to who they were. But there was this alarming look on their faces. Something about how they do not look sane because of how their sinister smile still stayed on their face as they kept asking. My poor dad, however, seeming concerned and extremely confused grew angrily adamant that they wouldn't tell him why they had to come into the house. They just kept on becoming more and more forceful that at one point the husband began to push on the door to open it further into the house. Ten minutes pass and my dad eventually gets them to leave. He kept saying that something was disturbing them and that the problem came from our house, yet there should be nothing to worry about.

 

I head back to my room after that weird disturbance and check on Daniel as he walks to the restroom.    “How's it going kid?” I say as he keeps walking past me. “Nothing. I'm just trying to get this sticker off this drawer. I wish we could've just gotten new drawers because now I have to keep using my drawer from when I had my transformer phase.” Daniel turns and motions to me the little transformer stickers that are packed dirtily on the plastic drawer. “I have a hair dryer, you can use to melt the stickiness on the back. Maybe you can use that?¨  I laughed. Daniel starts to my room as I walk to get the rest of the boxes in the hallway. After about 5 minutes of taking the boxes to my door, I noticed that I hadn't heard the hairdryer. Maybe he hasn’t found it? I open my door slightly to see Daniel still rummaging through the boxes that were previously in my room. I walk to the box near the window that says ¨makeup and hair¨ and pull out the hairdryer that was sitting on top of my belongings. I lift the dryer to his face and laugh saying, ¨ See it was right here, you just aren't looking in the right place.¨ He says nothing however and begins to grow pale with tears forming in his eyes. He's stiff with no movement whatsoever.

 

What is he staring at?

 

I slowly turn around towards the window looking out to the dark little area in the middle of the lawn and there it is.

 

There is a man.

 

Staring at me.

 

Watching.

 

There is no characteristic of this man, other than the fact that he has a tall broad figure with his head covered by a linen bag with chains around his face covered in what looks like blood.

 

But I can feel him staring at me.

 

I grow paralysed in fear. My limbs are at a halt, and I say nothing as I can't fathom what to do. I just stand there.

 

Two minutes have passed and we have not moved the slightest bit. No words. Just silence. The man still eerily stands motionless until Daniel says something underneath his quivering breath.

 

¨ I-Ive see-n hi-him bef-fore. ¨

 

The exact moment he says those words. Daniel immediately cries, ¨ HE’S GONE, HE DISAPPEARED,  HES NOT THERE.¨

 

What do you mean he's not here? He's right there standing in the same spot as me.

That's when Daniel finally moves towards me, until he falls; the back of his head first to the wall. At this point, he looks paler than ever and he’s practically paralyzed lying on the ground.

 

The man is in the room with us.

 

I turn around and see nothing except the space of my room then stare back at the window in the same place I still see the man standing at.

 

I look towards Daniel and see him still staring at the blank space behind me. “ Is he looking at me or you Daniel?” I say while trying to scramble my words until I immediately feel a blunt force of pressure right behind me. I fall to the ground and see the man's chained linen-bagged face only a few inches from mine. He puts his hand over my eyes and I start to feel his hands progressively starting to push on my eyes. During this moment I’m more than terrified, I feel like time has completely stopped and this moment is the last thing my soul will remember. I start to lose consciousness as his hands start to sink into my head, barely able to fight back. I suddenly feel the pressure of the man come off me and start to faintly hear screaming. I had no idea what was going on however, I gained the strength to at least get on my knees. I can feel the blood starting to rush out of my eyes trying to gain a reconnection. A few minutes later I finally regained my vision and saw Daniel and my dad sitting on the floor. The man is somehow gone, and to this moment, I still do not know what happened to the man as I lost almost all my senses.

 —

Days have passed and that night still haunts me every minute. I've hardly been able to sleep as well since Daniel decided it was best for him to be in my room due to his separation anxiety. My dad, who still hasn't told me what he did exactly to vanish the man, became more reserved in his studies than ever before. I've also found out that my neighbors coincidentally committed suicide on the same night only a few houses down from their own. Apparently, they did it in an execution style in the middle of the street. I head back to bed after doing my nighttime routine until I hear a thud at my window. I stop in my tracks.

 

I creep up slowly to my window, hoping that I do not see what my fears start to imagine. I look and see nothing outside. I even scan the area towards the sides of the lawn and only see my late neighbor's house and the large flowerbeds. I step back in relief looking down at the creaking wooden floors, until I look up again towards the window and see a reflection not of mine.

 

The man is right behind me.

 

 

 

"Brilliant Mind" by Analise I.

 

 

She's waiting until he makes the next move as he looks at the empty board. Katherine had just turned ten before she ended up in a foster home. When she was growing up, it used to be her and her mom doing so many fun things like skating around the house, making funny jokes, and eating as much chocolate as possible until their stomachs hurt. Katherine was born very smart and could do high school-level math when she was only 9. Sadly, her mother passed from cancer and her dad had since separated from her life. Six years had passed with her in the foster care system, but she managed to have a close relationship with one of the girls named Anita. One day, Katherine's foster parents wanted to make it official and have her as their daughter. It was a long, heavy process, but it was finally official. She had a new family. The husband's name was Tom and the wife was Mary. Tom never really seemed very interested in Katherine being there. He just went on business trips and was not home often. A little after Katherine got settled in they enrolled Katherine in a beautiful school near a lake, Mary found out that Katherine was very smart and needed to be placed in a better program so she had sent her to Colony Ridge College. There was a competition where universities would time their smartest kids to see who could solve mostly impossible questions the fastest. The winner would win up to $1000. Katherine was determined to win that prize, but there was an entry fee of $30. She sent a letter to her former teacher from when she was in foster care, asking if she could loan her the money. She promised to give half the money if she won the prize. Katherine ended up getting a letter back with $30 to enter the competition. Not many women at the time were skilled in math or even allowed in these types of things. So, when the competition started, she was placed with another woman who shared the same ambition. She won against her and waited for the next player. This happened until she faced the city's best player, whom she beat 30 minutes before he finished. Her mother questioned where she got the prize money, but Katherine gladly explained. The next day, her mom started planning more games in different cities and states. Katherine decided to go on the trips with her mom, giving her 30% of her winnings. They traveled together to support themselves, especially since Tom hadn't come home in over 2 months. A couple of months later, they received a call from Tom, saying he wouldn't be coming home and was staying in Washington. Mary and Katherine didn't mind, as they had each other. They traveled all over the country until Katherine turned 21, but then Mary fell ill and sadly passed away in Mexico City before Katherine's next match. Katherine called Tom to inform him and he left her the house, wanting nothing to do with her. Katherine kept playing these big events until she faced the top player in the world. The competition was in Florida, and when she started, she noticed he wasn't writing. She waited for him to make a move and questioned his approach. He finished before her, which frustrated her because she was confident she would beat him. Despite the loss, she continued playing and beating others. But then, another man beat her, and she asked him to teach her to be faster. They both learned from each other's strengths. To play against the top player again, she had to beat the other top ten players day by day. She played and beat each one, even the second top player who took two separate days to find the solution. She eventually beat him just seconds before the time ran out. Nervous but determined, she faced the number one player and won by a landslide. She became a math teacher for foster children and continued to excel.

"What is Beauty?" By Dianna M S

 

 

 

“Il faut souffrir pour être belle”, a French saying meaning “One must suffer to be beautiful”. A cold reality women have been told for centuries in our quest to be the ideal beautiful girl society has been pressuring women to become. This ever present pressure has led to the creation of strange trends for women in an effort to meet the current beauty standards. I saw a video of a woman trying to attempt an “at home nose job” in order to achieve the perfect button nose. Many people were praising her nose saying she doesn’t need to change, she's already pretty. Others encouraged her, they were distraught that her “nose job” didn’t work. They wanted this creator to get the actual surgery just for her to get a prettier nose. It made me wonder, what is beauty in society’s eyes? If thousands of people were divided on whether this random girl’s facial features are beautiful or not, can anything be beautiful or is it just in the eye of the beholder? I believe there is no true meaning of beauty, it is a mixture of ideas, looks, and personal opinions that form the idea of beauty. Then, on a random day, we all decide that these beauty standards are no longer the pleasing thing we once saw, but now ugly and outdated. Just like the fleeting beauty of women.

Every year and every month has a new definition of beauty. A new trend that takes center stage only for it to be quickly replaced by something new, something different no one has seen before, except we have. Every trend we have seen isn’t anything new. It is just a recycle of older trends that has been renamed to something new. An old standard women have been told is unattractive and outdated is now the new shiny toy everyone is obsessed with. This constant repackaging of aesthetics has left women chasing an unattainable goal of beauty. Once women have reached perfection, they are the embodiment of beauty, but for how long? The instant they are beautiful their looks are stripped away from them. The hard work they put into changing themselves was for nothing, they have been replaced by a more beautiful girl. A “new” trend, aesthetic, style, and body is better than the one they have. They aren’t pretty anymore, they are outdated, similar to the trend they made themself become. Leaving women to repeat the same cycle all over again because their appearance is just a product to be consumed, judged, and thrown away. Forever leaving them unsatisfied with their own looks causing them to chase a goal they can never obtain. Always looking ugly to society’s eyes.

The continuous change of trends and beauty standards has left a skewed definition of beauty. Since society has come together and as a whole to decide what is ugly and what is not based on popularity. People cannot come up with their own meaning of beauty, especially when their perception is different from others. Beauty is in the eye of the beholder, but we are stuck arguing with each other, unable to decide whether a cartilage bump is unattractive while they ignore the harm beauty standards have left on our world.

"Positive Effects of Selfishness" by Logan G

 

The word selfishness has come around to acquire a negative tone and meaning of the word, although this could be true, depending on context and true meaning this word doesn't need to mean anything negative of the sort. The definition of the word selfishness means the quality or condition of being selfish, selfishes meaning being “lacking consideration for others; concerned chiefly with one's own personal profit or pleasure”.The definition in itself already sets negative tone for what could end up being a positive word, rather then history’s take on selfishness as being a sin. Being selfish can actually end up being something healthy for oneself and the human mind.An antonym of selfishness, being “Altruism” is all about being selfless which could also be taking a direct opposite take of instead being a positive thing, ending up as something negative. Healthy selfishness is what inevitably turns this negative word around and makes it positive.

 

Healthy selfishness could also be considered as self love, we as humans are never taught to formally love ourselves, going through any sort of selfishness in turn helps us self teach ourselves self love whether in a good or bad way. Self love is extremely important for recognizing self worth and accepting yourself ultimately building a healthy self esteem.As long as context subdues a good reason this in turn provides. “Selfishness requires having a clear sense of one’s own needs and desires, paired with the belief that advocating for such is essentially a birthright—and in some measure, it can indeed be positive.”  This quote was written by Lia Avellino, and in itself perfectly explains a reason why selfishness would be positive. To thrive in a relationship you must first know what one wants in a relationship, with this you are forced to take a sense of selfishness.

 

Altruism is seen as a good positive effect on oneself, but inevitably Altruism can lead to some bad negative effects. Altruism can ultimately end up deteriorating one's views on themself leading to low self esteem and mental health. This undoubtedly is the complete opposite outcome of what would happen with healthy selfishness. Selfishness and Altruism is all built up of the mind and relating to mental health and how these two traits affect mental health in countless different ways, just as building a healthy lifestyle, or destroying one's own self worth.

 

            So while at the very least we have these two common words as antonyms this whole time we can in reality also see the effects of what they cause. For the reason of this being they both could lead to very similar effects, Of which toxic altruism can lead to no self worth and unhealthy mental health which could be the very same effects of a bad selfish mind. Healthy selfishness in the end leads to a built up self esteem and healthy mindset on yourself which is what altruism can also lead to. This therefore concludes the positive effects selfishness can have on someone and a brighter future they can have with said effects.

Our First Group is Here!

 

 All Students:  Be sure to read the entries for this group --September 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 Friday, October 13 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!

"Dr. Stevens Report: May 6th 2123 " by Nicole C

 

 

100 years ago, the world was perfect. But because of those people, the world has now become destroyed, split off into three different parts. The North and the South, an endless blizzard, creating mountains of ice colder and taller than the peaks of Everest. No life would be able to sustain itself there. Around the equator, is where the ozone layer broke off. Those UV rays make the equator uninhabitable, as simple contact would burn and melt all that tried to challenge it. The ground had been melting away ever since that day. Cries of pain were heard as people boiled from the inside out. Life wouldn’t be sustainable here either. The only place left that people were able to live at was in between the poles and the equators. That was the only place humanity was able to protect. The only place where the winds still whistled and the grass still danced. This is the story of how the world was destroyed.

 

Today, I got invited to do an interview with Professor Steven. I got out of bed, made my breakfast, then put on my coat. I walked through the door and entered the OLE

 

campus, where we study the environment around us. The OLE stood for “Original Life Experiments”, which is because this university was created by Professor Steven Olson to study the environment. This university was founded back in 2082 specifically to focus on protecting our planet. After years of human recklessness, our world had begun losing its atmosphere. With the return of chemicals known as the CFC, the once healing ozone hole had returned. Professor Steven and his team were supposed to find a way to fix this as soon as possible. However, something went wrong, and everyone knew it wasn't accidental.The Professor was one of the scientists who participated in that mistake.

 

“Good morning, Prof. Steven, how are you doing today?” I said, nervously.

 

“Very well, actually, I’m glad to participate in this interview with you,” He replied, ”then we can settle things once and for all”

 

Then the camera man came in signaling us to sit down. “Have you been talking to any of your old co-workers this year?” I asked.

 

“You mean those guys that used to work in the lab? No not after what happened.” He answered.

 

I was taken aback when he said this, because they had been working together for about 10 years, and were always known to be pretty close.

 

“So I know we were all confused when the “mistake” happened. Can you explain what led you to work on fixing the ozone layer?” I pushed, hoping he would elaborate.

"I think in 2110 I was a scientist known for studying the environment who understood a lot about the atmosphere. Somewhere around that time, I heard the speaker talk about his plans and ideas to seal the ozone layer. I was excited about his ideas and decided to contact him immediately. I ended up joining with them to turn his ideas into reality. So for 5 years, all we did was design a way to go up into the ozone layer, but nothing was ever mentioned about fixing it. When I started to talk about the ozone layer, they would have confused looks on their faces and looked like they didn’t care.”

 

“After I finished my studies- it was about a spacecraft that can provide a way for people to stay up there longer, they started contacting me less. That's when I started to think that they had other intentions. So I went up to our project manager, also known as that speaker, to express the confusion I had on what we were doing. That’s when he told me the truth. He told me that we were still going to fix it, but we needed money. That’s why he was sending people up to gather expensive chemicals, to sell to the other nations so we can make money. He turns around and pulls out stacks of cash, telling him to not worry about it and just to continue working.”

 

“How did you feel when he told you they needed to make money by selling the chemicals?” I replied trying to comfort him.

 

“At the time, I knew deep down the cash wasn’t going towards fixing anything, but I still wanted to keep my head up and hope for the best. Thinking back, I should have stopped him right then and there.” He told me, with a blank stare on his face.

 

“Then what did you do next?”

 

“So I took the money and kept doing their bidding, knowing they wouldn’t start working on fixing the ozone layer. I knew I couldn’t change anything by myself, but I forced myself to believe that what I was doing was going to save this world. One day when I visited the spacecraft, I saw a lot of people transporting boxes upon boxes of chemicals. I went in shocked, because they weren’t even pretending to be doing something productive. All I saw them doing was making money for the sake of themselves. When I told them of the dangers, they ignored me and continued packing up the boxes. That's when I realized the mistake that I had made. So I ran back to the facility to try to talk to our project manager, but the security blocked me from entering. I left that day knowing I had helped the wrong people out. The following days were the same. Me, trying to go back into the facility, and the security not letting me in. Then the thing I was worried about happened. The spacecraft exploded because of the over contamination of chemicals in the unprotected rooms. The release of those dangerous chemicals into our atmosphere lead to the full destruction of our ozone layer and the ecosystem as we know it. So many people died that year, but because of me, the people who worked on the project have now become the richest people on this planet.”

“Ding!” The timer sounded, signalling the end of the interview. I thanked Prof. Steven for being on this interview and left the OLE campus, to go back to my office. Walking on the sidewalk, I replayed the interview back in my head. I was fairly shocked about everything that I just heard. If it was me, I probably would have done the same thing too. Sometimes you cannot change the world with only one person. Maybe sending this interview out would also have few reactions but I know overall it wouldn’t change anything for the better. As I walked through the door of my office building, I stopped and looked at the trashcan. I slowly walked towards my desk knowing it's my job to release this interview to the public. As I walked past the trash can, I accidentally dropped the report into it. I thought about quickly picking it back up, but stopped halfway. I thought about it, then I walked away, with the report still in that trash can. Maybe some things are better left unsaid.