Seashells

“All You Need to Have for the Best Shelling on Topsail.” Topsail Island Rentals, 17 Feb. 2017, www.wardrealty.com/post/all-you-need-to-have-for-the-best-shelling-on-topsail/.

Ross, Rydel, and Riker loved going to the beach. Every time they went to the beach they were looking for beautiful seashells. To them, each trip to the beach was an adventure and with every step a new discovery. They collected variations of colored seashells that were pink, yellow, blue or a mix of different colors and would place them into their own glass jars. They thought the prettiest seashells were closest to the water, so each time they walked along the shoreline the cold water was constantly hitting their feet. One day, as they were looking for seashells, Rydel spotted something shimmering in the sunlight, so she decided to check it out.

“Hey guys, come look at this,” Rydel called to her brothers Ross and Riker.

“Woah, what is that?” Ross asked curiously as he picked up the object.

“It’s a necklace,” Riker said as Ross wiped the sand off the item in question. Riker was the first to examine the necklace and the other two went after him. The necklace was silver and on the chain, there was a charming seashell-shaped pendant. On the back of the charm, there was a small grey cursive engraving that said ‘M + S always’. The necklace was then passed on to Rydel, but Rydel didn’t want to pass it on to her younger brother Ross. Ross was getting angry and reached for the pendant. He tugged hard on the necklace, but Rydel wasn’t going to let him have it.

“Let me see it, Rydel!” yelled Ross frustrated.

“No, I want to keep it!” Rydel yelled back.

“Break it up guys,” Riker intervened, “Rydel, let Ross see it.”

Rydel stopped tugging on the necklace causing Ross to fall back on the sand. When Riker went to help Ross up off the sand, he noticed that the pendant had opened. The pendant had revealed a black and white picture of a man and a woman.

“They look so familiar,” Riker whispered, Rydel heard him and agreed. Ross, Rydel, and Riker were confused, but also in awe that the couple looked familiar to them. So with Ross and Rydel’s petty argument forgotten, all three of them ran back to their mother to show her their discovery. When Rydel gave her mom the necklace, her mom started crying.

“Mom, why are you so sad?” Ross asked his mother curiously but cautiously at the same time.

“I’m not sad honey,” replied their mom sniffling.

“Then, why are you crying?” Ross asked.

His mom told him, “because the people in the picture were from my past life.”

More Than You Know

Hughes, Jane. “KosoMasa.” KosoMasa, 19 May 2016, www.koso-masa.net/studying-too-much/.

Since receiving my rejection letter from UPenn on December 24th, all I could focus on was getting into college. I ate, slept, and breathed studying. I was studying for my AP exams, my finals, and getting ahead in every class so I would be prepared for anything and excel at everything. I gave up partying, friends, my social life, video games, and even spending time with my family. Some nights I wouldn’t even eat dinner. I signed up for every after-school activity so that I would have an edge over my peers. Towards the end of the first semester, I reached my lowest point when I began to separate myself from family activities and interactions. This resulted in conversations lost in the void of studying, and experiences gone forever to the black hole of time. It got to a point where all I could think about was studying, and I blocked out everything and everyone from my life who interfered with it. I had one-way conversations with people: talking to them, asking for things, but not paying much attention to their answers or their needs. All that mattered was me and my all-knowing textbooks.
     “Mooooooom. Can you please go get me some Red Bull?"
     “Sorry, honey, I am too tired today. Maybe tomorrow?”
     “Thanks, mom, let me know when you get back.”
     “Honey, I said I’ll get them tomorrow night.”
     No answer.
     1 week later:
     “Moooooom. Can you please go out and get me some Doritos and Mountain Dew?”
    “Sorry, sweetheart, mommy’s not feeling very well today. I haven’t slept a full night in months.”
     “Thanks, ma, I’ll be in my room. Just bring them up when you get back.”

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This way of life continued on for months; day after day, with no end in sight. My breaks, my weekends, all my time was spent studying. I started missing big family events; my little sister’s birthday party, a dance recital, and karate tournaments. In addition, I demanded complete silence in the house while I was studying, effectively instilling a tranquil atmosphere for the majority of the day. This enabled me to focus on learning without any distractions. I think at that point in time, I spent more hours of the day with my textbooks than with real people, and it only got increasingly worse over time. One day I heard cries coming from downstairs:

“Moooooom. Can you please tell whomever is making noise downstairs to keep it down? I'm trying to study.?”

“I’m trying - do you think I want to hear his crying?”

“Thanks mom, love you.”

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In May I got my acceptance letter from NYU, and it was one of the happiest days of my life. I decided to rejoice with the people who made it possible: the College Board. I brought some snacks up to my room and decided to do a congratulatory dance. Alas, my work was not done; I would not allow myself to rest comfortably on my laurels. I decided to crack open my textbooks and see if I could start preparing for some of my college courses. My mom, on the other hand, thought that I was deserving of a celebratory dinner with the family. I had become so accustomed to being alone that I actually thought I was happy celebrating by myself in my room surrounded my textbooks and study sheets.

“Sweetie?” She knocked on my door and gently swung it open. “Maybe you should take a break for tonight and eat with us. At least for a little while.”

“Mom I wish I could, but I need to learn this new coding language that just came out ASAP so I don’t fall behind.”

“Ben, I’m serious now. You haven’t shown up for dinner for the past few months. You come home, study, and when dinner’s ready you take it up to your room so you can study some more. For tonight you are eating dinner with us and that’s final. I will see you in the kitchen in five minutes. Love you!”

“No, Mom. Getting into college is not a guarantee of success in the future. If I want to be the best in my field, I have to work harder than anyone else.”

“You can take one night off: it won’t kill you.”

“One missed day is another day my competition gains on me.”

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“Hey, Mom, what’s for dinner?”

“Wow, look who decided to show up. Any particular reason for you to bless us with your presence, oh great one?” she replied in a voice heavy with sarcasm.

“Listen ,mom: I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have yelled. I completely agree that I could benefit from taking a couple days off here and there.”

“Thank you. I also made spaghetti and meatballs, just in case you decided to show up.”

“Perfect. Who’s that next to Noah?”

“Very funny Ben, I thought you lost your sense of humor while you were living alone for 4 months.”

“Mom, I wasn’t joking.”

“Sweetie do you need glasses? That’s your little brother Jake!”

“Little brother!? When did you have another baby?”

A month after receiving my acceptance letter to NYU, I heard a knock on my front door. I opened my door to the “smiling faces” of two Israeli soldiers. I asked them if there was a problem, and if I had done something wrong. They replied that I had missed all of my Tzav Rishon, and were wondering why I hadn’t showed up. “Tzav Rishon! I never even received a letter,” but as soon as the words slipped out of my mouth, I knew where I had gone wrong. I must’ve not read it and dismissed into the “not-a-college letter” pile, other wise known as my garbage can.  After I explained what had occured, the officers said that they are required to escort me to my interview so that I don’t ditch it again. During my interview I told the officer that I already made plans to go to college and that military service did not fit into my timeline. The officer looked at me as if he could care less about my plans and proceeded to fill out my mandatory draft induction card. I was in shock. I could comprehend the situation unfolding. I had a plan. I gave up days and months of my time to reach my goal, yet within the span of ten minutes, all of my hard work and effort was going to be washed away. I informed NYU regarding the situation, to which they replied, expressing how sorry they were for this unfortunate event to occur. In addition, if I’d like to, they would be happy to review my application again in three years.

Never Alone

We reached the dock a few hours later than expected, but decided to board the boat anyhow. We figured we could make up time by shortening our route and didn’t want to miss out on our scheduled speed boat adventure. My extended family of 23 people met up for an exotic summer vacation in Thailand. We had enjoyed sightseeing in Phuket, visiting the markets, riding elephants, and shopping. I suppose too much shopping. We had enjoyed our day so much that we didn’t pay attention to the time. The boat ride was scheduled to begin at noon so we could return to shore before nightfall, which was 6:30pm. Looking at my watch anxiously, I noticed it was almost three.
         As soon as the boat left the shore, the fun began. We enjoyed each other's company -singing, laughing, eating, and didn’t pay as much attention as we should have to the time the trip was taking or direction the boat was going.
       The sky began to get dark and the winds grew stronger. The waves grew large as tidal waves, and the boat was buffeted by the wind making it change directions. The captain got everyone’s attention and, in a loud, clear voice, announced: “This is an emergency, I repeat, boat 012 is in an emergency. All those on board, put on your life vests immediately. By a show of hands, I would like to know who can swim?” The captain feigned confidence well, except the tiny quiver I detected in his voice.
       The boat was shaking and the captain tumbled over; he fell to the ground because he could not steady himself. I stood there, frozen, not knowing whether I should be raising my hand. The captain was slowly trying to get up, muttering something I couldn’t hear because the winds were so strong. Sure, I could swim, but what about my mum and dad? My grandma? Sister? Aunts? Uncles? I could only imagine why the captain would need to know which of us could swim. I don’t think I was a strong enough swimmer to survive in the tumultuous ocean. Was this my end? I stole a quick glance in my mother’s direction and caught her wiping away tears while her lips were moving. Was she praying? I knew that I could not let her know that I had seen her crying. I looked back down on the ground and waited for the captain’s next instruction as he crawled to his seat.
       As the minutes passed, the sky got darker and scarier. The waves kept crashing against our boat, reminding us of the danger we were in. Our only hope was to find somewhere nearby to dock the boat until morning. I imagined meeting a strange tribe who might or might not be welcoming to my family. I was terrified. We were all terrified. So many possible horrible endings: our boat could flip-over due to the high seas, which would throw us all into the water with little hope; our boat could end up on some deserted island and we may never be saved; perhaps, the engine could fail, leaving us to die of starvation and exposure in the middle of the sea. None of these options were reassuring. As if on cue, we all started praying, hoping for a miracle, even though we knew our chances were slim.
       It seemed like a while later when the captain finally steadied himself and got his feet back on the ground. He had given up trying to get off the floor for a while, as the boat was getting rockier and less stable. He made his second announcement:
       “Dry land ahead, keep your life vests on,” said the captain.
       We hoped we could dock the boat and have time to figure out sleeping arrangements on the strange land, but our luck seemed to have run out  - the sky turned pitch-black as we docked. We could not see anything and had no idea where we were. We sat down on the shore, relieved that we weren’t in the water, but had no idea how we’d get back.
       The captain got up to make his third, perhaps the most frightful announcement:
       “I know you can’t see me, so please stay still and carefully listen. Thankfully, we are no longer in the water, but I am not much help from here, I have no idea where we are and don’t have a chance of figuring this out until the sun comes up. Tonight will not be comfortable, but I am hoping we can survive. Let’s just hope and pray for the best.”
       Some of my relatives started yelling at the captain.
       “How dare you take us out to the sea when you knew it was too late to make it back?”
       “Don’t you have a damn watch?” “Didn’t you check the weather, stupid captain?”
       The screaming drowned out the rest of what the captain was saying. While I wanted to shout out as loud as anyone, my voice got stuck in my throat and no sound came out. My eyeballs were moving around in every direction trying to see where my parents and sister were, but it was too dark to even see my own fingers. A large lump formed in my throat, which was blocking my voice from being heard. I could still hear the crashing waves against the shore, and thought this night would never end.
       Suddenly, we heard a familiar voice.
       “Where have you been? I’ve been waiting for a long time. When it got dark, I started getting really nervous. Thank god, you guys made it back safely.”
       The familiar voice was our bus driver. Somehow we had ended where we had started. disoriented captain hugged our bus driver. We all hugged our driver. We were safe in Phuket. None of us had any idea how we made it back from the shore we started off from. None of us really cared. We were so thankful to be alive and safe that we started dancing on the dark shore. We praised god for safely bringing us back to shore, it was truly a miracle. Being at sea, during a storm, made me feel very vulnerable and not in control of my fate. The boat ride made me realise how weak I am, and how dependent I am. My faith in God and his miracles were ignited on this trip. Until today, I look back at this trip and think how I am never alone, even when things get tough or scarry. God was with us the entire boat ride and he is still with me today.

I'm on the left

The Cloud

Gupta, Shreya. "Bon Voyage? Things about Airplanes That Will Shock You!" Teengazette. N.p., 15 Nov. 2015. Web. 7 Jan. 2016. <http://www.teengazette.com/bon-voyage-things-about-airplanes-that-will-shock-you/>.

  

Destitute. It almost killed us. Our government was our enemy. We didn’t know who was our neighbour and who was the spy. Being poor and different made it impossible to live there, in Centorails. Poverty made me feel empty inside. Sitting on this plane meant that we, my friends and I, were leaving our families and all our belongings behind.

As the plane took off, I closed my eyes. I was so scared that karma would hit me for stealing money from my parents. I loved them dearly, but I had to save myself from the government. All of a sudden, I felt the agitation of the plane.  The flight attendant said something I couldn’t hear due to all the screaming. I felt the plane falling intensely. I was glad. I thought that all my suffering was going to end, I thought I no longer had to run away. Then, I saw flashing images of my little sister and parents. The guilt unexpectedly paralyzed me. What will happen to them if I die?  The plane sprang upwards abruptly and immediately came to a stand still. As I glanced out of the window, I saw extraordinarily white clouds as far as the eye could see. I felt dazed and disoriented. Am I in heaven? I looked around me to ask Amy and Jenna what was going on, but nobody was there. The plane was entirely empty. At that moment, I was ecstatic that I hadn’t died. I realized that despite how bad I felt, I had a family which supported and loved me. I was happy to be alive. Some people have worse lives. Finally, I had the courage to step out of the plane, only to find myself standing on a cloud. It was fluffy and bouncy just like I had seen in cartoons. While admiring the exquisite sunset, a warm breeze brushed against my skin. Just like the dense cloud, I no longer felt empty inside. I felt content.

I heard the sound of footsteps behind me, so I turned around, and I saw light. Light that I had never seen before. It was my family; I had never felt such joy. I looked around and saw the city of Centorails being rebuilt into the old Centorails, where it was peaceful: the Centorails of my childhood. A place where we could say whatever we wanted and the government wouldn’t shatter us. Along with the city being rebuilt, I saw the people who where with me on the plane walking around. It felt like we were getting a second chance, living in the clouds. A fresh start with a magical mansion, just like the one I had always dreamt of. This wasn't a dream. This was our reality.

Centorails - it is a fictional city

The Hunt

           Every few years, something called The Hunt takes place in my town. My town? It’s pretty small, we’re about five hundred people. We’re like a big family, everyone knows everyone and we all live to help each other. The Hunt: is a big event that has been part of our society for hundreds of years. It starts out with a big boom and then it all begins; chaos breaks loose. Soldiers from the big city arrive within the hour of the boom and start to take the children. The ones that are taken are never to be seen again. No one knows what happens to them, but there are myths that these children are used as our meat. They get stuffed until they have enough meat on their bones and then killed to provide for the entire country. Anyone who resists gets executed on the spot. Everyone is scared of it, no one talks about it, and if you happen to mention it, people tend to stare at you with great fear in their eyes. George, my neighbor, always tells me stories about The Hunt, but they’re so gruesome they must be made up. How could human beings do such things to each other? George told me about Mr. Green. Yes, he was a bit odd and had his moments where he completely lost it, but the stories George told me? They couldn’t be true. He told me that Mr. Green had witnessed his own wife’s execution, after his three children were taken away.  She was executed because she resisted against the soldiers when they were taking away their children. Mr. Green has never said a word to anyone ever since. He tends to stay inside with the doors locked and the blinds shut. No one knew a thing about him.The next Hunt is in about three to four weeks from now and my parents are getting more nervous with every day that passes. We had a cabin in the woods where we would hide out during The Hunt. Everyday we took some supplies there. People became more paranoid and more careful. Careful to whom they would speak, share their information with, and even ask for help. Only two days until it starts –my parents are telling me to stay inside at all time. One-day left, I’m scared. My mother told me that we’re leaving as soon as it gets dark. 

After waiting for hours, my dad came up to my room and said that we were leaving. I was nervous, scared, and my heart was beating so fast, I could feel it in my throat. We were walking in the dark, we couldn’t see a thing, and we were all scared to death. My brother started sobbing and my mother couldn’t stop shaking. My father kept saying that everything would be fine, as long as we stuck together and kept on moving. When we finally got to the cabin, we knew something was wrong. Nothing was in the place we had left it in. The cabin looked searched. My mother grabbed my arm and pressed my brother to her body. My father pulled out a gun and I gasped. It was against the law to own a gun or any kind of weapon. We were barely allowed to own a kitchen knife. He put his finger to his lips to tell me to be quiet. I did as he said, but so much was going through my head. Where did he get that? Why didn’t he tell me sooner about this? I had so many questions and no one was giving me answers. We stood there for a few minutes, listening if there was anyone. Every noise we heard we shifted and with every noise I grabbed my mother’s arm with more power. And then, all at once, with a big boom, someone kicked down the door. I was blinded by the flash flights and felt helpless. Someone had taken me from my mother’s side. I tried to get away but he was too strong, I tried kicking him and I kept on kicking him until everything went dark.When I woke up everything hurt. There was this endless pain in my right arm: the arm that was held by the soldier that pulled me away from my mother. I opened my eyes with difficulty. I looked around me. There, in the corner, was a figure. It looked big and intimidating. It was looking at me. I couldn’t see its eyes, but I just felt it staring at me.

“Where am I?” I asked. It didn’t answer so I asked again, but this time louder and with more power, “Where am I and where are we going?” It stayed quiet for a bit and then he answered. He had a deep voice that sounded surprisingly friendly. “You’re on a train on your way to the city”. The city? What’s in the city? Why am I going to the city? “You have a lot of questions don’t you?” He said it in this voice, he sounded surprised.Hours had passed when the train came to a sudden stop and the figure started to smile. “We’re here.” 

He grabbed my arm and pulled me up. The door opened and the first thing I saw were high buildings, made up from glass shining in the early morning light. I was stunned and the man started to laugh, but not very loudly, but softly as if he were trying to make me feel more comfortable. They took me to one of the shiny buildings and told me to stay seated in one of the rooms, which had green chairs. I did as I was told. At the end of the room was a door through which a lady with red hair walked in. She signaled me to her and I approached. She said to follow her; she started to walk towards the same door she walked in through, and I followed. The room was made up of four walls, of which one was completely made of glass. My eyes automatically went to the glass and what I saw was the truth. The myths about the fate of the taken children weren’t myths; they were real. Everything was real; the children being stuffed, held in one place like animals, and the slaughtering.

"Stocks." Dreamstime. N.p., n.d. Web. <http://thumbs.dreamstime.com/x/glass-skyscraper-blue-sky-23720483.jpg>.

Unforgettable call

My husband told me that he is bringing them home after school so I decided to make them an afternoon snack.  As I was making them a snack, I heard a knock on the door. Surprisingly, it was my mom. She lives two hours away from my town so seeing her was a lovely surprise. I opened the door, we said hello to each other and I felt that she wasn’t her self. I asked her if everything was ok. She took a deep breath and said, “We need to talk darling.” I obviously thought of the worst due to my female genes.  The first thing that came to mind was if she was sick or if something happened to dad. I tried my best to look calm and show that if she ever needed to talk, I would be there for her. It’s funny how as I grew up all the things that my mom used to do for me are now the other way around. She took me into my bedroom and told me to sit down.

“Darling, you know I will always be here for you no matter what, right?” “Mom, what is it?” There was a sudden pause as my mother looked me in the eyes and said, “you’re adopted.” I never knew that two simple words could physically affect my body. I felt as if I was under water in a pool and all I could hear was the calm and still sound that the water gives off. My mom put a piece of paper in my hand and said, “This is your real mother’s number.” I was speechless. No matter how hard I tried, no words came out, just tears. My mother told me she loves me and left the house. I sat on my bed with the paper in my hand and looked at it with tears running down my face not knowing what to think. The kids came home and I quickly washed my face and went back into the kitchen.

As I was making food my son saw me crying and asked, “Why are you crying mom?” I laughed, and told him it was just the onions and he said, “Ok cry baby.”  Several days passed and that simple piece of paper was all I thought about. It didn’t seem possible that there was someone out there that was my real mother and I didn’t know about it. So much irritation and puzzlement went through my head.

One day I built the guts to call. I walked into my room, opened the door, and took the piece of paper out from my drawer. I took the phone and paused to think what I would say when she answered. How she would react. All these questions made me more tense and nervous. I took a deep breath, dialed the number, and put the phone to my ear. “Ring ring,” I had chills running through my body from head to toe. I sat there and waited for her to answer. “Hello, you have reached the answering machine, please leave a message at the beep…. BEEP.” Every part of my body went into shock. I never took to account that she wouldn’t answer. Took a breath for the longest two seconds of my life and said, “He-hello, I’m your daughter…Call me.” 

"Home Alone." Wikipedia. Wikimedia Foundation, 12 Sept. 2013. Web. 09 Dec. 2013. 

                   

                   "Home Alone." Wikipedia. Wikimedia Foundation, 12 Sept. 2013. Web. 09 Dec. 2013.