Rigged based on the novel Of Mice And Men

He sat there, doing nothing, saying nothing

The other not so idle, his glance at once calculating and pugnacious.

His stride drawing him nearer as he takes his place         

And he begins slugging him in the face

Still, no response

Not even a cry out of pain

As he was pushed into the ground and his hand was battered

His eyes now looking in wonder at his crushed hand.

His body was bent over to the left by his crooked spine

As the decrepit man was once again thrown to the ground

As easily as a feather

The other now pinning him to the ground with his beefy hands.

You would have imagined he struggled violently under his hands,

But he did not

Instead, as peaceful as an angel, he laid there without a word

Growing impatient, the other reached into his pocket

Pulling out a shiny black gun.

Aiming it at the crippled man, he pulled the trigger.

The man walked away, with a smug smile

Stretched across his face

Power doesn’t always translate to strength.

Reflection

I.

Sitting on the side of the road,

its frame cracking along the edge,

with splotches of oil

covering its shiny surface.

II.

In the carnival tent,

they surround you

following you, every step.

III.

The light, reflecting off,

creates a fire in the parched grass.

IV.

It swallows you whole

and spits you back out

disgusted.

V.

The car sped by you

cracking the mirror,

sending a piece of glass

onto your lap.

VI.

Your glasses, brand new,

reflect the lamplight

glowing in the night.

VII.

You look into the mirror again,

then put it away in its drawer

until it is needed. 

Rainbow Magic Land, Italy

The summer sun would blaze down every day, perfect for a dip in the pool. The various shops, all with their own unique personality, lined the cobblestone streets. After walking for hours until our feet were numb, and collapsed at our apartments. The street markets bustled with people trying to get the latest items. Italy is a perfect mix of popular urban culture with malls lining the streets as well as quaint little towns that make you feel as though you are home. The experience of this country was one of the best in my life. Learning more about my culture and heritage was an amazing experience, but it wasn’t all fun and games for me. My sister and I kept seeing advertisements for an amusement park called Rainbow Magic Land. I had been to Disney World and loved it. So judging by the name, I thought this would be a fun time that I could have with my sister and a few of her college friends who were obsessed with amusement parks. I hadn’t the slightest idea of what I was getting into.

            So, of course, we took a train to get there for it was on some remote part of Italy that wasn’t usually traveled to. This made me a bit suspicious because of how far away it was from regular civilization. I felt like I was Pinocchio being carried away to be turned into a donkey. My sister reassured me and told me I was being paranoid. I let go of the notion. Once we had arrived at the station closest to the park, we realized that there were no attractions to be found. There were posters everywhere but no park. My suspicions were coming back, but were soon put away when my sister asked a man how to get there. He said that there were shuttles but there weren’t any coming for a few hours. We decided we would call a taxi service. When the car pulled up, it was a huge black Mercedes. We were the only ones who were to go in it and this was a bit too shady for my liking. The whole ride there I kept telling myself that this was the end. I wasn’t getting out of this one alive, but of course we made it there safe and sound. I don’t know what I was worried about.

            We got out of the car, bought our tickets, and were traipsing through the park in a matter of minutes. It seemed like a nice enough place until I saw that they had a haunted house. It looked as though it was an old manor and there was a huge snake slithering on the top. It looked down upon you as if it you were going to be its midday meal. I was not going to be snake bait. I ran to catch up with the others who were already in line for the first attraction, a dark ride based on the TV series, Winx Club called Winx Planet. It seemed nice enough, a ride based on fairies with magical powers. What is the worst that could happen? I was about to find out. My sister and I got onto the carriage that would bring us into the ride and we were off. At first, there was no light at all inside the attraction which was a bit unsettling but soon enough there was a spotlight and we could see again. This was a relief at first but when we saw the strange goblin-like creatures crawling across the floor and the trees that were reaching out to us, ready to eat us up. The ride was filled with the creepiest statues and creatures that I had ever seen. It didn’t remotely look like it was based on the children’s TV show. By the end, the fairies did make small appearances but they were surrounded by the same horrible terrain that had been showcased earlier. Bottom line: not satisfied.

            We decided that the next ride we would go on would be a thrill ride, not a scary trolley ride like what we had just gone on. We saw a tower that must have been at least 100 feet high so we went to check it out. As we got closer, we realized that it was what looked like a version of the Spring from our own local amusement park, Seabreeze. The only difference was that this one went way higher. I wasn’t so sure about it but my sister and her friends were able to convince me. I hated the fact that they could get me to do whatever they wanted. We walked over to the person who was running the ride and showed him our wristbands. When I got an up close look at the ride, I could see that there were bright purple tentacles coming out of the ground. A shipwreck was also present even though it was more like a bunch of chopped up boards were scattered on the ground. I really didn’t like to admit it, but I was trembling in my boots. I was ready to leave when the man told me he didn’t know if I was tall enough to ride. Turns out, it was a mix-up. My only shot at survival, shattered. When we got on we had to strap up our seatbelts. The seats were arranged in a circle so we all sat next to each other. I couldn’t buckle up my seatbelt which made me very nervous. The man came and did it for me but I was very loose. I felt like I was going to slip out of it. The ride started up and we began our ascent. The way up was fine. It took about a minute and let us see a nice view of the park. Then, without warning, we were jolted into place and we had reached the top. There seemed to be some sort of locking mechanism that kept us up there. It was the wait that tortured me. I am sure it was at least five minutes before we heard a slight click that sent us plummeting to the ground. My legs were thrown up into the air and I swear I couldn’t breathe for the whole ride down. I don’t remember much of it because I was too worried that my heart had stopped. I guess some people would look at it as fun, but that isn’t the exact word I would use.

            I thought I might throw up so we weren’t going to walk far to get to our next ride. The next one was located right beside the death wish I had just made. It was an old castle that looked like it belonged to an Arabian King. I was so excited to go on it until I saw the figures that were walking along the walls of it. They had dark cloaks that covered their entire body and where their faces should have been, there was a blank slab of stone. I didn’t think I could stand another terrifying experience. All I could hope was that the actual ride had nothing to do with its exterior. Surprisingly, this was the case. You traveled into a dark enclosure and there was Rock ‘n’ Roll music playing and flashing lights everywhere. It was quite enjoyable the way that one turned out. The dips were exhilarating and the whole experience was a win for me.

            As we neared the end of our journey, I was feeling more confident that this park could grow on me. We had enough time for one more ride and we were sweating profusely. What 

Paragraph #3: Inkheart

Quote #1: "But I got one of my maidservants to teach me how to read" (Funke 169).
Quote #2: "Perhaps it's true that death is only the beginning of a new story, but no one has ever read the book in which it's written, and the writer of that book certainly doesn't live in a little village on the coast playing football with his grandchildren" (Funke 275).

But I got one of my maidservants to teach me how to read. There wasn't any need for me to do it when I had the resources to get someone else do it. Why take the extra time when I could be doing other things? Reading was never one of my specialties because the first book that I learned to read scared me out of it. It had a horribly morbid plot that I just couldn't stand. This girl parents had died and ghosts began to haunt her and foretell her own. I never wanted to pick up a book again for fear that I would read something more menacing. I just couldn't stand hearing another story like that and I knew there were so many more out there that could just slip under my fingertips. That's the reason I get others to teach me to read. I mean perhaps it's true that death is only the beginning of a new story, but no one has ever read the book in which it's written, and the writer of that book certainly doesn't live in a little village on the coast playing football with his grandchildren.

The Common Stranger

The sky turned dark from the table

as my eyes snapped towards the window.

This type of light was novel

to me. I could sense a figure on the block

and I decided to click

on a flashlight. I started to bite my nail

as the picture on the wall fell. The nail

had come undone. As I stood up, I saw the table

on the computer click

off the screen. I ran over to the window

to look at the lines. The rain attempted to block

my view. I decided to go back my novel.

At least I had the novel

to nail

myself to the couch, away from the block

where the stranger was. The table

I was at was not far from the window.

They could have seen me. Heard the click

of my flashlight. The crickets continued to click

in the night. The unknown was too novel.

I had to face them and look out the window.

I wouldn’t be able to nail

them in the dark. I went back to the table

and attempted to block

out my fear. I couldn’t block

it out. I began to click

my heels together under the table.

I kept looking over at my novel,

prying my eyes away. I picked up the nail

and threw it at the window

as the window

gave a shudder. My block

was normally safe at night. My nail

was almost invisible. The small click

of the streetlamps. My novel

was still sitting on the table

so I stayed at the table, still glancing at the window

as I continued my novel, my mind breaking away from the block.

Because of that subtle click, I no longer had to sooth my mind with the nail.

Warmth

Sometimes a piece of sun

burned like a coin between my hands

---Pablo Neruda

The icy wind that filtered in

would no longer chill my bones.

The sun, so massive, yet so small

could shift the balance of everything.

The warmth that radiated from my hands--

enough to make my day.

I took a chisel and went up to the sun
breaking off pieces

to sprinkle over the earth.

Everyone can have their own sliver

to keep with them

so they are never cold.

Paragraph #2: The Hunger Games

Quote #1: "I'm not as good as my father was, but he'd had more practice" (Collins 89).
Quote #2: "My throat releases the tears and they slide down my cheeks" (Collins 235).

I'm not as good as my father was, but he'd had more practice. He could comfort me at a moments notice and get me back up again to take another hit. It didn't matter what was going on or where I was. He would always find me. I didn't have to worry back then when I was small and I had my entire life before me. I would toss and turn in my bed having nightmares about monsters but now I have nightmares about this months bills. I was never good with budgeting and it was too late to ask for help. I had been cut off and I had my chance. I chose to leave my family behind and start fresh so I only had myself to blame. I work at a daycare now and I look after the toddlers. They remind me of myself when my dad would take care of me and now I was following in his footsteps. Today, a little girl came up to me and said that she needed help because she was scared there was a monster in the toy bin and at that moment my throat released the tears and they slid down my cheeks.