Tag Archives: writing

EYG Comic Cavalcade #176

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October 26

Just a few days away from Halloween! Happy Halloween to all. This is my favorite holiday of them all.

Then, Saturday, Nov. 1 is my anniversary in comic collecting. I have been collecting comics in some form since I was in 5th grade. I remember staying over at my friend Jeff Wagner’s house to go trick or treating on Halloween and then spending the night reading comics he was getting from Comic World in Dubuque, back when the shop was over on Central Ave. I remember a bunch of X-Men books and Avengers. I was hooked, already a fan a superheroes. If my math is close, this would be my 45th year collecting (plus or minus a year or so).

Books this week:

Ultimate Spider-Man: Incursion #5. Written by Deniz Camp & Cody Ziglar with art done by Jonas Scharf. Cover art was done by Sara Pichelli & Tamra Bonvillain. Miles Morales finally got his hands on his baby sister and returned to his own universe…at least, his current universe. He also remembered everything from before.

No Man’s Land #2. Written, art and cover art (both B and A covers which were Gold and Bronze medalists respectfully) by Szymon Kudranski. I love this book. The worst part about it is that it is only three issues. I am not sure how they finish this mystery with only one more issue remaining. Either way, I can’t wait to see how this wraps up.

Ultimate Spider-Man #22. Written by Jonathan Hickman with art by Marco Checchetto. Cover art was done by Marco Checchetto & Matthew Wilson. Spider-Man and Goblin are back together and Peter also gets to spend some quality time with MJ.

Miles Morales: Spider-Man #39. “Thick as Thieves Part Three” Written by Cody Ziglar and art by Luigi Zagaria. Cover art was done by Federico Vicentini & Rachelle Rosenberg. Miles and his team up with Black Cat and Misty Knight concludes.

The Ultimates #17. Written by Deniz Camp with art by guest artist Phil Noto. Cover art was done by Dike Ruan & Neeraj Menon. This issue continues to build toward the return of Maker and focuses on Ultimate Doom.

The Undead Iron Fist #2. Written by Jason Loo and art by Fran Galan. Cover art was done by Whilce Portacio & Alex Sinclair. With Danny Rand back from the dead, we get a team-up with our undead Iron Fist with Daredevil. I love this new book with Iron Fist.

Radioactive Spider-Man #1. Written by Joe Kelly and art by Kev Walker. Cover art was done by Giuseppe Camuncoli, Lorenzo Ruggiero & Marte Gracia. It is the Age of Revelation and this book checks in with Peter Parker and sees where he is X years later. I liked this book because it still felt like Peter Parker. A lot of times with these alternate futures, they use it to create versions of the characters that are not like the current ones. This is not that way, at least so far.

Omega Kids #1. Written by Tony Fleecs and art by Andres Genolet. Cover art was done by Rod Reis. Quentin Quire is the leader of a group called the Omega Kids, who work for Revelation. However, there feels as if some of the kids may not be as loyal as they seem.

Exquisite Corpses #6. Written by Tyler Boss with James Tynion IV and art by Gavin Fullerton with Michael Walsh. Cover art was done by Michael Walsh. The tournament continues as the G4m3r Kid and Calvin were the next victims. This book continues to be one of the best on the market.

War Wolf #1. Written by Steve Orlando with art by Marco Perugini. Cover art was done by David Talaski. Sometimes your heroes are regular people and they will be the ones to fight the aliens. Mad Cave has had way more hits than misses lately and this has Steve Orlando behind it.

Fantastic Four #4. “Basic Obedience” Written by Ryan North with pencils by Humberto Ramos. Cover art was done by Humberto Ramos and Edgar Delgado. The FF have a new puppy… or is it? Why is it that Alicia Masters-Grimm is the only one who can tell this dog is not what it seems.

X-Men: Book of Revelation#1. Written by Jed MacKay with art and cover art by Netho Diaz. The Age of Revelation is moving along and this books looks closer at Doug Ramsey and his position as Revelation. He also may be denying the desires of Apocalypse himself.

Murder Podcast #2. Written by Jeremy Huan and illustrated by Mike Tisserand. Variant cover B art was done by Mike Tisserand. The murder podcast is still out and causing all kinds of troubles once again.

News from the Fallout #5. Written by Chris Condon with art by Jeffrey Alan Love. This is once again one of the best reads of the month, with some of the most compelling art that builds a tone and mood better than just about any comic out there. There is only one more issue to go and I have no idea where this is heading. That is awesome.

The Last Wolverine #1. Written by Saladin Ahmed and art by Edgar Salazar. Cover art was done by Martin Coccolo and Matthew Wilson. I was not sure what this book was going to be, but, it is the Age of Revelation and X years later, anything could happen. So when I saw that the “last Wolverine” was actually Leonard, the teen who had been turned into a Wendigo and who Logan tried to help, I was ecstatic. I really loved that character and I was sad he left the pages of Wolverine. Glad to get him back in this limited series during the Age of Revelation.

Universal Monsters: The Invisible Man #3. “Things Worse Than Death.” Written by James Tynion IV and art by Dani. Cover art was done by Dani & Brad Simpson. Looks like Jack is planning his serum out and he is up to human trials. However, he does not try the formula on himself first, which means there may be another person out there. Another great adaptation of a Universal Monster.

Detective Comics #1102. “The Courage that Kills Part Two.” Written by Tom Taylor and art and cover art by Mikel Janin. Batman has been infected and he has a limited amount of time to find a way to cure himself before major problems come around. Tom Taylor continues to be an exceptional writer, building amazing plots and conflicts for our heroes.

Spider-Girl #5. Written by Torunn Grønbekk with art by Andre Risso & Diogenes Neves. David Nakayama did the cover art. Guest starring Spider-Man, Spider-Girl has to team up with Spidey to try and stop Hijack. Oh, and Rogue shows up too.

Thanksgiving #1. Written by Mark Russell and art and cover art by Mauricet. What happens when that weird uncle at the Thanksgiving dinner admits to being a infamous serial killer? You always suspected right? This was a fun book with a strange group of characters.

Marvel Zombies: Red Band #2. Written by Ethan Parker & Griffin Sheridan with art by Jan Bazaldua. Greg Land & Rachelle Rosenberg did the cover art. The zombies hit the X-Men, the night when Jean Grey first arrived. Jean, Spider-Man, Cap, Iron Man, Jessica Jones try to stop them. What happens when an infected Jean Grey becomes Zombie Phoenix?

The Terminator Metal #1. Written by Declan Shalvey & Rory McConville with art done by Lorenzo Re. Cover art was done by Declan Shalvey (Silver Medalist). Some humans are being protected by a reprogrammed T-800. Is that a good idea? I guess we will find out.

Hello Halloween #1. A special Halloween edition of “Hello Darkness” featuring several stories including R.L. Stein’s Graveyard Club. The cover was done by Frazer Irving. The horror stories are the usual mixed bag.

Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles #12. “The Untying” Written by Jason Aaron an art by Juan Ferreyra. Cover art was done by Jorge Fornes. This is the final issue of the run with Jason Aaron and Juan Ferreyra on TMNT. I really enjoyed the 12 issues of this book, and I am not sure if I want to continue with it with a new creative crew. May give #13 a shot and see what I think.

Drawing Blood #9. Written by David Avallone and art by Ben Bishop. Cover art was done by Kevin Eastman. Bookman is back, but in a recovery place (instead of jail). This was an interesting issue of this book and I liked the development.

Justice League Unlimited #12. Written by Mark Waid and art and cover art by Dan Mora. Ten of the time displaced heroes team up to try and help protect the earth and oversee the evacuation of the planet while the big guns are dealing with the KO.

Other Books this week: New History of the DC Universe #4, Green Lantern Dark #7, Predator: Black, White & Blood #4, Harley Quinn #55 (pumpkin spice), Outlaw Showdown #1, Immortal Legend Batman #3, Captain Henry and the Graveyard of Time #1, Silverhawks #9, and Red Vector #3.

Quick Hits: Last week when I picked up the Hector Plasm Bigfoot book, I went to eBay and found one of his earlier appearances in Hector Plasm: Totentanz book from Image. Space Ghost #4 sees Space Ghost trying to prevent a war. The Headless Horseman guest starred in Hornsby & Halo #11. I picked up Mad Magazine #46, which came out last week but I missed it then. It is a magical issue of Moon Knight: Fist of Khonshu #13. Things are not going well in Orla #3 as she is losing her control. Escape #3 heads back into the war with a dramatic issue. Sisterhood #4 took a turn between Sophie and Violet, setting up the finale in issue five. Absolute Wonder Woman #13 has Diana battling some electrical creature. Maria Llovet’s Artifical #2 finds us back with the android dates. The Oddly Pedestrian Life of Christopher Chaos: Children of the Night #4 finds the conclusion with Dr. Jekyll. The eerie story of It Killed Everyone But Me #2 rolls on in its dark path. Speed Racer: Tales from the Road #1 focuses on a tale about Racer X, told in a very original manner and spectacular art design. Then, Predator Kills the Marvel Universe #3 continues to be a surprisingly good read.

Clown Park

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Clown Park  

By LBJlll

One day a group of 4 high school boys were sitting at lunch alone like always.

When they heard the cool kids talk about some clown park and how cool it was.

So after school they immediately met up with each other and decided to go there. The park was out of town. When they arrived at the park they were surprised to see the park was abandoned. 3 of the 4 boys wanted to head back home but Josh, who drove, said he didn’t drive all the way to the park just to turn around. The boys went in and they saw what looked to be blood on the front entrance wall but Josh said it was paint.

 They were hesitant but they kept going in until they made it to this room that turned the water slides on. They thought they found something cool but really they would see it wasn’t. They  ran up the stairs but Josh decided to wait and rest. All three of the boys agreed and went down the slide. When they got down the slide they were met with Josh laying in a pool of blood with a stab wound in his neck. Jake immediately ran to help but he slipped in the blood, fell forward and fell head first into a sharp wooden stick. The other two yelled lets leave right now. They started running. When the 2 kids got to the car they started calling 911 and driving home thinking they were safe. The dispatcher started talking but the two boys didn’t reply. 

The two boys didn’t respond because after the clown ended the first two boys he got in the back seat of the car with two knives and ended the boys there. The boy’s bodies were never found.

I’m Nothing Without You

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Oct. 24                                                                                                             By: Katie Cat!!

I’m Nothing Without You!!

We were on our way to a firework show near the 4th of July. I was so excited because my cousin was going to be there. When I got there my cousin was super excited to see me. We hung out for a while until she saw someone she wanted me to meet. So I said okay, and went with the flow. Little did I know it was this really cute guy. My cousin introduced me to him. “Hi, my name is JJ. What is yours?” I told him that my name was Katie. We hung out together and really got to know each other. 

A year passed, and we became really great friends. My 9th grade year, I was at home getting ready for bead, brushing my hair, brushing my teeth, the usual. I heard a knock on the door. I answered the door to see JJ standing in the doorway. In the yard was a bunch of candles shaped as a heart with the word HOCO? I was speechless. I gave him a big hug, and that was our first so-called date.
The years came and when, and seemed to really fly by. This was it, this was our big day, OUR WEDDING DAY!! And yes, I was still with JJ. We got married and had 2 kids. A boy and a girl. Their names were Ashley and Samuel. Sammy for short. We lived a great life and never had any problems whatsoever!!         The end.

Unicorn Park

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Unicorn Park 

Today I was on my way to find Unicorn Park. I was so excited that I couldn’t sleep the night before. When I was on my way to find Unicorn Park, I had to stop at the store to buy marshmallows, donuts, and sprinkles. 

After I left the store I accidentally ate the marshmallows and donuts. So I went to another store and they were out of marshmallows and donuts, so I went to another one and they had a whole bunch and I got some for the unicorns and myself so I wouldn’t eat them all before I found Unicorn Park. 

Then I finally found Unicorn Park! I was so happy when I saw the unicorns! After I was done jumping up and down I went to give them my marshmallows and the donuts and they loved them. After I fed them the marshmallows and donuts, I set up camp, since I was planning on staying there for a week enjoying life without any worries. That night I was eating with the unicorns and the other creatures that were in the park such as bunnies, unicorns, goats,  and friendly little bears. We heard a weird noise coming from the entrance of the park. So we went to see what the noise was and more people came to find the park just like how I was looking for Unicorn Park.   When I saw the other people coming I was so excited because I had more people to make friends with! After a week it was time to head back home. I was so sad to leave that I am planning to come back next month. A month later I am heading back and staying for two weeks along with the people I met the first time.              

The End!                         

`

Sarah’s Journey

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Sarah’s Journey

“Beep, beep, beep.” I woke up from my alarm clock on July 28th. It was my 15th birthday. I am so happy to finally be 15! Even though every bone in my body was excited for my birthday, I was also full of hope that my birthday wish would come true. Every year for my birthday, I have wished to go to the big city of New York. I have never been anywhere besides my small  hometown of Sippera, Nebraska. My family and I have never been able to travel due to my Dads condition Multiple sclerosis. It is really hard for my mom to get my dad around places, especially with my 6 siblings. I just really hope my dream comes true. 

I spent the whole morning hanging out with my family. “Happy birthday Olivia!” Screamed my best friend Sarah. She was so excited to spend the day with me. Later that night, it was finally time to have a birthday cake. As my dad lit the candles, everyone sang happy birthday to me. It made me feel so special considering I normally don’t get any attention with having so many younger siblings who need my parents attention more than me. I blew out my candles and made my wish. After everyone was done eating cake Sarah and I went to the shed to work on our huge painting of New york city.

My passion was art. I love to draw and paint. Sarah loves art also and wants to get out of this town too. However she wasn’t as passionate about it as me. She is an only child and everyone loves her. Some days I think my parents like her more than they like me. She was what people consider “the golden child.” I got used to it though. One of the things that has helped me get by, is my grandma. Her and I are really close and it feels like she is the only one who understands me. That night we finally finished our painting that took 2 months. My grandma called me that night and we talked for an hour. I went to sleep after that with a smile on my face. 

I woke up the next morning from Sarah calling my phone. “I have huge news! I am coming to your house right now!” Sarah says. A few minutes later Sarah comes running up to my room. She informed me that she submitted our painting to a huge art school in New York, and we got into the program! She knew how much I wanted to go to New York and also how much I love art so she thought this would be perfect. She asked, “should I tell them we are coming?” I said “Yes of course!” Sarah left to go tell her parents and suddenly a feeling of guilt went through my stomach. How could I leave my mom here alone to take care of my dad and siblings. That would be so selfish of me. It took me 2 whole days to build up enough courage to even bring up the idea to my mom. 

I told my mom about my situation. I heard her sigh and I got scared. Even though I thought she was angry or disappointed, I found her words very comforting. “Olivia, I know you feel like you have an obligation to stay here and help me, but that isn’t your job. You need to go out into the world and find yourself. I would never say you couldn’t follow your passion when you are the most selfless person I know.” Hearing these words gave me the courage to leave my family and pursue my dream. 

It was the next week that I left to go and get settled in before my first term started at the end of August. I got on the plane with Sarah, and our flight took off. Hours later, we landed in the big apple. I was so eager to get off the plane and go to our dorm.  However, when we got in the taxi together, New York was nothing like we imagined. People were mean, it was a rainy day, and everyone was honking their horns. Considering all of this, I saw right through the negative with my excitement. Sarah on the other hand, was a tad unsure about the whole experience. 

One week has passed and we have settled. I think Sarah is a little homesick already though. Classes start this morning and I am very nervous, yet am also happy to start improving my art. My first class was about painting. I enjoyed it so much because for once people around me understood me. I met Sarah after lunch and she told me her day has been rough. I gave her some encouragement to keep an open mind. We didn’t have any classes together and while I am used to being on my own, she is not. 

A few weeks have passed and after school one day, Sarah came to me in tears saying, “Olivia, I can’t do this anymore! I miss my family and house and I just really want to go back home!” I was a tad heartbroken but accepted her decision. The next day, she went home. She really didn’t love art as much as me. Even though Sarah had left, I was still happy that I got to do art. 

One month has passed and I got a call. My mom called me in tears saying Grandma was sick and didn’t have much time left. My heart dropped, tears streamed down my face. I told my mom I would be on the next flight home. I couldn’t help but think this was my fault. I left Grandma there and she wanted to help my family but her body just couldn’t handle it. 

As soon as I got home I went to the hospital to see her. I sobbed at her bed side for hours before I could get any words out. My parents left me alone with her to talk. I finally choked up some words and told her I could never go back to art school. Not after this. Grandma got a certain look in her eyes and said,“Olivia, you cannot give up on your dream because of me. I would never forgive myself if you did. This is not your fault. You have a huge future ahead of you filled with joy, sadness, excitement, and fun memories. But you need to go after your dream, go back to art school and remember I will always be in your heart.” She then gave me her bracelet that she had never taken off before and told me to keep it.

I had an entire week off of art school and spent every minute I could at her bed side. 3 days before I went back she passed away. I went to her funeral and barely made it through. I spent the rest of the time I was home with my family. It was time to go back and it has been one of the hardest things I have ever done. It helped knowing it is what my grandma wanted. I got on a flight back and once I arrived back, I have never felt so alone. With Sarah leaving and my grandma being gone, it was really hard. I got through art school though and just like that it was the next summer and time to go home.

Going home was hard because everywhere I turned, there were memories of Grandma. My mom knew how close her and I were and helped me through it. Every day that summer I worked on a painting of grandma and I. I never have shown anyone it because it was very personal. I knew it was my best painting so far though. 

3 years have passed and I still miss Grandma everyday. I have a new dream though, the University of CalArts. Since I went to art school, they were very impressed with my resume. However I needed a full ride scholarship to afford it. The only way to do that is to submit my art work to them. I need to submit the best ones and my painting of Grandma is the best.

After much thought, Grandma always told me to chase my dreams at any cost and remembering that, I knew this is what she would want. I looked down at my bracelet from grandma, and wrote my college application about him and submitted my painting  of her with it. 0890

After 3 weeks of eagerly waiting, I got a letter. I was so scared to open it. My mom helped open it and read it to me, and I got in! My whole family jumped with excitement and gave me the biggest hug. The day came when it was time to leave and my family sat me down and told me how proud they were of me and how much they loved me. I took a deep breath, and walked out the door excited and nervous to start my new life. I guess I am not so alone after all.

The Kyoto Hunters

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The Kyoto Yokai Hunters

By Naoyuki Sato

It was a normal day when I saw a yokai. I was walking home from a long day at school. It was a new school in Kyoto. My family moved to Japan for my Dads job. I moved a lot because of my dads job. This time he said that this would be the last move, I hoped it would. I had always wanted to live in Japan. I was thinking about my first day at school when something moved in the trees next to me. When I turned to see what it was I saw a humanoid shape but it was moving too fast to see it fully, “Maybe it was a deer.” I said to myself.

When I got home my mom was in the living room. “How was school today, Honey.” she asked me, looking up from her japanese language app. “It was fine.” I told her. My mom knows the moves are hard so she doesn’t pry and goes back to her app.  I go to my room and on the bed is a box. There’s a note on the box from my dad that says “I know the moves are hard and you handle them so well, since this is it, here’s a present for putting up with it.” Filled with curiosity, I opened the box. It’s a katana and there’s another note, not from Dad, from the manufacturer, “大正時代以前に魔を祓うために使われていた希少な日輪刀を手に入れました。この刀を誇りを持って振るい、成功をお祈りします。 – 田中慎介。” I grab my phone and go to my translator app which tells me what it says, “You have acquired a rare Sun Sword, originally used to exorcise demons and yokai in the taisho era and earlier. Wield this sword with pride and I pray for success. – Shinsuke Tanaka.” The note was cool but mostly looked at the user manual to figure out how to not break this thing or ruin it. 

After reading the user manual, I unsheathed the sword. The blade looked liquid, with a mix of blue, white, and green. The hilt was metal squares that made a spiral pattern with circle gems inlaid between them. The sheath itself was black, the handle green and black. It was light in my hand when I swung the sword, almost like it was made for me. “Will, come down here.” I hear my mom yell. “Coming.” I yell back. I put the sword back in the sheath,laid it on my bed, and went to my mom. She was at the door, with a girl from my school, Emi Watanabe. Why was she here? “Hi, what brings you here?” I asked her, and she replied, in perfect English, “Hi, I was walking home from school, and I wondered if you were invited to the festival or knew when it was.” “No, I didn’t know there was a festival. When is it?” I replied. “It’s in three weeks on Thursday.” she said “thanks.” I say, then she left.

After Emi left, I went for a walk around town. I needed to think, and a walk in Kyoto was just what I needed. After 30 minutes of walking I was at the spot where I saw that humanoid shape in the forest when I was walking home from school. I don’t know why but I brought my katana along. When I recalled what happened after school with the humanoid thing, I saw a path to a small temple or shrine. I decided to check it out. When I got there something seemed off about this place, then I saw a hand, a severed hand. There was blood trailing away from the hand to the back of the temple. Grabbing my sword’s hilt, I followed the trail of blood. 

When I got to the back I saw who’s hand it was. I saw Emi Watanabe’s cold body, her blood everywhere. She was the only person in class who helped me with problems in Japanese, she was even nice enough to wonder if I knew when the festival was or if anyone told me about it. Now she was dead, brutally murdered. I almost threw up from the sight of it, but I stopped myself and looked around to find any clues of where the murderer went. Bloody footprints led to the back door to the temple, I followed them. I unsheathed my sword, and went into the temple. Nothing was in here, or at least I couldn’t see them, but they were here. “Show yourself!” I called out into the dark. “Have you come to join her?” Someone replied in the dark. “Well, I am still hungry. You will be very filling.” The voice said. I was disgusted by what they just said, they killed Emi and then ate her. “Why did you do it? Why did you kill her, she did nothing to you.” I called back, my anger filling the room. “Show yourself.” Then something moved in the dark, the killer. He was a little shorter than me, he was lean, but something wasn’t right. There was a flashlight on a shelf next to me, I grabbed it and shined the light at the murderer. I wish I hadn’t. His face was deformed with veins popping out of his forehead that looked like they were covering his skin. His teeth looked like shark’s teeth. “Are you scared?” He said barring his teeth. “No.” I spat out the lie. Finding my last bit of courage I jumped at the murderer. Unsheathing my sword I went for his head, but he blocked it with his arm. The sword went right through it like hot butter. I kept up with the attacks, driving him toward the main door. When I got him to the wall, I went for his head again, this time my sword met its mark. When I did he went up in flames, screaming and cursing. 

After he was just a pile of ash, went back outside where someone seemed to be waiting for me. He was my age, maybe a little older, and he also had a sword. Eyeing  my sword he asked “Do I know you?” Confused, I replied “No, are you from Horikawa High School?” “No, I am not,” He replied “But how did you kill that thing?” He had seen me fight the murderer. Grabbing my sword’s hilt, I asked him, “What do you mean?” “I know you fought the yokai that killed that girl. How did you do it? Killing a yokai is impossible without a Sun sword, so how did you do it?” He replied. I was confused so I told him what had happened.

…….Later…….

I learned the kids name was Kengo Takemoto, and he was a Yokai Hunter, which are people who protect others from yokai. They are a special agency that is unidentified by the government. Kengo invited me to join, I accepted his offer, I wanted to protect others from the same fate as Emi. “There is a selection test to join in a week.” Kengo told me and he gave me a training regiment to get ready for it. 

The training was hard, I had to go up to the top of a mountain, then I had to do 100 push-ups, 200 sit-ups, 200 jumping squats, and 100 pull-ups. The thin air made it harder to do, but pushed through. After the work-out I had to run down the mountain, through the woods ducking trees and rocks. It was tiring, but I was doing this to help people and to avenge Emi’s death. 

The day of the selection test arrived. There were at least 30 people there, most were around high school age, but a few looked to be in middle school and a few were adults. Everyone was wearing traditional kimonos, which was how the officials knew that you were participating in the test, not running it. The test was held on a mountain with walls surrounding it, so yokai couldn’t escape. “Welcome to the Yokai Hunter Selection Test.” boomed a voice from a microphone. “My name is Shinsuke Tanaka, and I am the president of the Yokai Hunter Corp. Today you will be taking part in the test to join this corp, and protect humanity from the yokai.” 

President Tanaka told us the rules of the test, you had to make it to the other side of the mountain, which is infested with yokai, by sunrise. You could forfeit if you wanted to by shooting a flare up and some hunters would take you to the start. The test would start at sunset, which was in twenty minutes, and I was getting nervous. “You got this.” I said to myself, as some reassurance. I looked at my sword and remembered the first time I held it, I remembered when Emi came to ask me about the festival, I remembered her death, and I remembered Kengo, who took his time to make a training regiment for me. These memories eased my nerves and helped me focus. “Now,” boomed the President’s voice, “let the test begin.” 

I didn’t see a yokai until an hour into the test, which I killed when it pounced at me. After a little while, I heard someone cry out in pain, instinctively I ran to help where I saw a giant yokai lunge at a kid who looked like he was in middle school. I ran to help, and severed the yokai’s outstretched arm, “Run.” I told the kid, who followed my order. The yokai seemed to be calculating his newly severed arm and then, faster than I could see his arm was back. But I didn’t hesitate and decapitated the yokai. It seemed to take an eternity before I saw anyone else. When I did see someone they were running away from me, and then I saw why the finish line was right there so I sprinted toward it. Then out of nowhere a yokai pounced on me, I had no time to react and was thrown into a tree, unsheathing my sword I went on the attack. This yokai had four arms which made it harder to lay a hit on it, but I had a plan. I went for his legs, knocking it over, creating an opening for a decapitating move, which I took. After  the yokai was ashes I ran to the finish line, passing the test.

When the sunrise came and the search party combed the forest on the mountain for any participants who had died taking the test, it was time for the selection ceremony. Only seven of the participants passed out of the thirty.  “Congratulations on passing the test.” The president said, “You seven are the next generation, stand proud, and may your blades serve you well in your new life as a Yokai Hunter.”

The End

Blossoming Heights

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Part 1 – Braiden

I dropped into this Abyss, from a crack in the ceiling, everything was darkened, with very minimal light. The crack in the grey ceiling, shining the only light into this world. But, in the distance I spotted it, a lush land, which was filled with greens and somehow was brighter than the area around it. That was Blossoming Heights, an area filled with plants and magic as far as the eye could see. I ran forwards, my cloak and hood whispering and whipping with the wind, as the lushy area approached me, I noticed fresh footprints in this soulless grey ground, showing someone had beat me here.

I entered the luscious area, and it was clear to me life here was massive, as plants made up everything, even the lights. On the ceiling, plants strung down, with a fruit-like object that seemed to glow, and on the walls were long plants similar to a venus fly trap, just on a much larger scale. The fly traps snapped at anything or anyone that got close, even a rock, and occasionally vines wrapped the ground next to the fly traps, acting as a tripwire. Lot’s of pathways were also closed, due to vines, but some paths were opened clearly with a hole in a wall of vines.

I held my trusty scimitar up high, cutting and branches or vines in my path, until I noticed more footprints, they seemed to be in a rush, but it seemed like they cut through vines quickly, and then I saw them, another person in a hood and cloak, but clearly female.

“Braiden? What do you think you’re doing here!” The person said, as she turned around to face me.

“What do you think you’re doing here, Basil?” I yelled back at her, due to how inefficient the hoods were at hiding our faces, so we recognized each other immediately. Basil twirled a spear, and mounted it to her back. 

“I asked first! Why would YOU be here of all places?” Basil snapped back, walking closer to me.

“For reasons that you wouldn’t understand, now get out of my way!” I walked past Basil, pushing her to the side. So, I continued onwards through, of course though, Basil retreated back to the shadows, and away from me. Eventually, I noticed a small town that looked similar to current day apartments, just made only of stone, and in the middle of the town, stood a massive rock that had ash on its top, it had clearly seen better days. 

I walked up to a building with a wide open window, and a sign on the side that read ‘Blossom’s View’ And the inside had a counter with a safe on it, so, I quickly smashed the window and took the safe, knowing that this town was probably abandoned, and walked away.

Part 2 – Basil

“That idiot! How could he do something like this to an already broken down shop!” I ran over to a freshly broken window, carrying my spear.

“Hello? Is there anyone there? I’m sorry your window is broken!” I shouted into the dark room behind the broken window, but no response was heard for a long time, then, suddenly someone walked over to the window with a book.

“Hello- Hello?” They spoke, but they seemed scared.

“Hey, it’s okay! I’m just so sorry, it was someone else who did all this,” I said back, and then I put my hand on the broken window, and cast a simple spell. Vines came from the ground, gathering all the broken glass, and then it was all slotted back to where it was in the window, the cracks were then filled with vines.

“Thank you!” The person ran back into their store, and I walked away. I soon climbed up a ladder onto the roofs of this town, the roofs had vines covering them, and a small layer of dust covering the entire area. Every step I took, dust flung up, and soon, I had found a small cave entrance in a stone wall that the buildings were built against, and every single surface had some type of plant life on it, such as vines, moss, or flowers, I even took a second to smell a black flower. I traveled through this cave-like area, and then I noticed him again, Braiden was up ahead, walking through the area and killing any plants that snap even slightly. So, I ran ahead, running at Braiden until I caught up.

“Braiden! Quit killing the plants!” I yelled at him, but he didn’t care, he slashed at every plant with his scimitar even the ones that didn’t fight. So I ran ahead of him, and then stopped, holding my spear firmly.

“Jeez, fine, I’ll quit it, but if you do this again, I’m not holding back,” he said, and then lowered his scimitar, and continued walking. I doubted that he would actually listen to me, so I ran ahead of him, making sure he couldn’t harm anyone or anything anymore.

Part 3 – Braiden And Basil

I started running after Basil, but to no avail, Basil eventually got away, but at least in the end the stupid plants stopped snapping at me. I continued on walking through this plant-filled cave, until eventually I found a larger, much more expansive area, where vines dropped down from the Abyss’ ceiling, and massive flowers bloomed all around me, pointing upwards with a large colorful display. Even though there was no direct sunlight, these plants blossomed and prospered. There were even a few small and weak butterflies flying around, to which I promptly SMASHED into the ground with my foot, they clearly had never heard of survival of the fittest.

I then looked further into the open area, and noticed more flora seemed to appear the further out I went, rather than grass filling the ground or rather moss, it was all small flowers, I held my hand out and ripped some of the flowers out of the ground multiple times, leaving blank patches in the soil randomly spread out. I then stomped a few more flowers out before finally reaching my intended destination. A rigid “X” shaped hole was on the roof of the Abyss, which made me question if I could’ve just dropped down from there to begin with, but then I remembered the great fall it would be. It would shatter all of my bones, and to add onto that I didn’t even know where the top half of the hole was located. All I knew was that some type of pure white liquid was dripping from the hole, and collecting onto a massive flower that was half the way to the roof of The Abyss. I saw what I needed though, at the base of the massive flower, where the roots were like a tree’s roots, there was an inscription written down, that seemed to be carved with a dagger. I approached the inscription carefully as I could, but that’s when Basil suddenly dropped down in front of me, knocking me back a few steps.

“Basil? Why are you here now?” I yelled at her, and she took her hood down, I could see her light green eyes and brown hair clearly now.

“I… I can’t let you touch this!” She shouted back, drawing her spear forwards and pointed towards me. I raised my scimitar back in retaliation.

“It appears, you’re in my way, care to stand aside?” I calmly asked, dropping my hood and revealing my scarred face, brown hair, and light green eyes.

“I just can’t let you become like one of them!” Basil shouted, but in the end it didn’t matter to me. She was just another obstacle. My sibling was just another obstacle in my life, and I had to overcome her.

“So be it then, let this be our final stand!” I laughed a bit, and stretched, ready to fight.

“If… That’s what it’s going to be, then… Let’s make this last time, one to remember,” Basil talked softly, as if she didn’t want to fight, but I didn’t care. I quickly raised my scimitar and tried striking her, but she blocked it with her spear.

“I bet you’re having fun,” I said monotonously, and laughed slightly before striking three more times, but getting blocked each time. Then, finally, I struck her in the right ankle, making her fall over.

“Guess you’re rusty, sis,” I kicked her aside, and approached the inscription once again, and as soon as I got close enough to read it, Basil’s spear struck the text dead on. A pure white liquid dripped from where the spear pierced the inscription and massive flower, and it soon bubbled slightly, and before I could even react, the inscription exploded with vines and flowers. The last thing I heard was a gasp and wind whipping on by me.

Part 4 – Just Basil, Always Just Basil I was on the ground, slightly just confused by my own actions. I had thrown my spear at the inscription on the massive flower, but I didn’t think this would happen! I didn’t know if he was still there, I didn’t know anything! Thoughts just raced through my head, worry, anger, happiness? What and how should I feel? My brother just died in front of me! Or… At least I think? I stood up, but quickly fell back over due to my ankle being cut, so I crawled over to the cluster of vines that had appeared, and shifted and sifted through a few, but I found nobody, just my spear stuck inside, but the spear had changed, the liquid inside of the flower stained the metal tip of my spear as I yanked the spear out. So, I had sat down on the floor, staring at the liquid stained spear, and then back at the tangled vines. I tried swinging the spear at the vines, and it cut clean through, as if the spear’s blade itself had become stronger. So, I kept slashing, over and over, but I never found anything or anyone. I was just crawling closer to the vines, cutting them down, and repeating until the tangled mess was no more. I lost him, the last of my family, it was just me now, all alone. And then, suddenly, a light green crystal popped out of the flower, and I picked it up. I felt a connection to the crystal somehow, but I didn’t know how. All I knew was that I would hold it close to my heart, and hope everything would be guided the true and correct way. I never want this to happen to anyone else ever again, as long as I can help it, I’ll protect everyone that passes through Blossoming Heights!

The Delivery Guy

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By Care Rot 

The Delivery Guy

Hi my name is Millie. I am a tall blonde with blue eyes. I am 13 years old and 5’7. My favorite thing in the whole world is my sheep named Daisy. She is a hairsheep and is black and white. Daisy is like a dog. She follows me everywhere. Daisy also follows me while I do chores, but sometimes she finds the daisies that I have planted and sometimes eats them but it is ok because I can always get more. 

One Saturday morning I woke up and Daisy was sleeping in her usual spot, right next to me. I went downstairs and Daisy followed me. But it was kind of strange because Daisy was not acting normal. I didn’t really think anything of it so we just went on with our day. I made myself a bowl of  Cap’n Crunch. After I got done eating I got Daisy a bowl of sweet feed and some hay. While Daisy was eating I got a really strange phone call. I looked at my phone and it said an unknown caller so I answered.

“Hello” I said. 

The unknown caller silently said “Grrrrr”

I was really scared so I decided to hang up. When Daisy got done eating we went out to do some chores around the farm. We first fed the chickens. Daisy stood outside the cage while I went in and fed them. I also had to gather the eggs and water them. The next chore on the farm that I had was to feed and water all of my sheep. Besides Daisy because I already fed her and she always has access to water. I got a bucket of sweet feed and dragged the hose down to the water tank. I dumped the feed in and put hay in the hay feeder. After I fed them I went up to the spicket and turned on the water. I didn’t have to wait very long because the water was pretty full. 

I got done with all of my chores around 12 pm. After we got done with the chores we went inside. I was pretty hungry so I decided to order pizza from Dominos. I didn’t know the phone number to call so I had to look it up on google. It said the number was 563-556-2300 so I dialed it on my phone and called them.

“Hello this is Dominos pizza what can I get started for you” 

“Can I get a medium hawaiian pizza”

“Yes, will that be all?” 

“Yes I think so” 

“Okay your total is 9.99.”

“Okay sounds good”

“Ma’am what is your address”

“My address is 7461 167th street Maquoketa Iowa”

“Okay your pizza will be there in about 30 minutes. What is a good name for that order?”

“Millie is a good name and sounds good thank you!”

Thirty minutes passed by and my pizza just arrived. The delivery guy was standing at my door so I grabbed my money and opened the door. 

“Hi, is this Millie?”

“Yes it is!”

“Okay your total is $9.99”

I handed him a ten dollar bill and he handed me the pizza. Daisy smelled the pizza and ran over to the door. 

The pizza delivery guy said “Aww you sheep is so cute. May I take a picture of it?”

I was kind of confused so I replied with “Sure?”

The pizza guy took the picture and left. Later did I know that picture was gonna haunt me for the rest of my life.

The next morning I had to run a few errands in town. I had to get some more chicken feed from Maquoketa Feed and I also had to run to Theisens to get a pitchfork since I broke my other one. The sad thing is though that I had to leave Daisy at home. I knew she wouldn’t run away so I decided to let her graze on the grass in my front yard. I got in my  Ford F-150 and went off to town.  I live 10 minutes away from Theisens and 15 minutes away from Maquoketa feed so I went to Theisens first.

When I got to Theisens I tried to find the pitchfork but I couldn’t find it so I asked an employee. 

“Hi where are your pitchforks at?” 

“Oh yes they are in aisle 6.”  

“Okay thank you!” 

I went to aisle 6 and there they were. There were 4 different colors, red, blue, pink, and neon green. My favorite color is pink so that is the one I went with.  I went to the cash register and I got another strange call. I answered and it said unknown caller. I thought this was another trick but it wasn’t .  I picked up the phone and started talking.

“Hello?”

This person replied with “Baaa”

The “baaa” didn’t sound like any kind of  “baaa” it sounded like my sheep Daisy. I was kind of scared but I knew it couldn’t be her so I finished checking out and headed out to Maquoketa Feeds. When I got there I told him that I needed chicken feed and went inside to pay. I got four bags of chicken feed to last me 2 weeks. After I got the chicken feed I headed home. 

When I got home I walked inside and noticed something strange, nothing came running to the door and the house was silent. I’ve then remembered that I let her outside to graze on grass so I went and checked outside. I looked at my whole property and nothing was there. I even contacted my neighbors but they haven’t seen her. I knew someone who had to have taken her. But no one has been at my house since yesterday when I ordered my pizza so I knew it was either the Domino’s pizza delivery guy or the unknown caller. 

I called Domino’s Pizza and asked if the guy was there. They said he hasn’t been to work since yesterday afternoon. So then I went back to my phone and called the unknown caller. When I call them collar he answered. 

He said “WHAT DO YOU WANT” 

“What did you do with my sheep” 

“What do you mean?” 

  “I know you took her. You are probably the Domino’s delivery pizza guy”

 “How did you know?” 

“I find it kind of obvious when you ask to take a picture of my sheep and then you call and start making sheep sounds.”

“ I don’t have Daisy so I don’t know what you are talking about.” 

I knew that he had her so I just hung up. I needed to figure out a way to find where she put her and get him in trouble with the cops. I just didn’t know where to start. I thought of some ideas. I could maybe put up posters around the town where Dominos is or maybe even go to Dominos and ask where he lives. I couldn’t decide on which one to do, so I did both.

 I opened my computer and went on to Canva. I found a blank template and started describing her. I also put a picture of her on the poster. After I got done describing her I added my phone number and put missing in all caps and bolded. I was really hoping that someone would find her. My next step was to print off the posters. I didn’t know how many to print so I just printed 100 because I can always have extra. I got them all printed off and headed for town. I went to every single telephone pole and every bulletin board that I could find. After I hung up the posters I went to Domino’s pizza to ask about the delivery guy. 

I walked in and talked to the front desk lady and she said that he got fired. She was explaining to me that  got a lot of complaints about him so they fired him. I asked her if she could tell me where he lived but she said she couldn’t share that information. But I wasn’t going to stop looking for his house there. I went to the police station and explained my situation to them. They said they can check his house but they wouldn’t be able to just let me go there.  The policeman and I went to his house and I stayed in the back of the car. His house looked very sketchy. It had broken windows and the paint was peeling off of the house. He also had a garage in the door that had holes in it.

 It was now time to go in with the policeman. He came back out and said he couldn’t find anything, but Daisy was in there. I walked a couple steps and said she has to be in here somewhere. All of the sudden I heard Daisy saying “Baaa”. I KNEW SHE WAS HERE I screamed.  I heard it from the room right in front of me so I opened the door. There Daisy was tied up on the pole. I quickly ran over and untied her. After I got her untied I hugged her tightly. I thought I was never going to find her.  The delivery guy was sitting in the  corner of that room and the policeman handcuffed him. The delivery guy got arrested for life since he stole my sheep. I went home and Daisy and I lived happily ever after.

Pixels Horror Story

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It was a normal day as I (Sam Brenner) was going to a house to install a Playstation 4 and a new TV. I knocked on the door and was unexpectedly met with a 12-year old kid instead of the parent I expected. I asked the kid where his parents were and he said his mom was upstairs and told me how his parents had a divorce.

His mom then walked downstairs and said, “You don’t need to tell the installation man our whole life story.”

“Alright I’ll hook up this TV and PS4 up,” said Sam Brenner. 

“Yeah you do that,” said his mom. 

“Yeah, she’s struggling with the divorce and all that stuff,” said Matty.

“Yeah, that must’ve been tough,” said Sam Brenner. 

As I finished setting up, I went to get the release form and money for the TV and Playstation. As I knocked on her door, I heard her crying in the closet, and I said I was coming in. As I walked in I asked what the matter was. She said it was the divorce stuff so I was helping her with it and thought we were having a moment. I tried to kiss her and she got mad.

“I thought we were having a moment,” I said.

“Yeah a moment,” she replied.

“I didnt take you for the snobby type,” I said.

She got mad at me. I then got a call from my friend, the president. He told me he needed me over there ASAP! I told him I was coming and rushed to the car. 

As I started driving I stopped at the red light and the snobby girl was following me and she told her to stop trying to apologize and she said she was just going somewhere important. And then the light turned green and she kept following me and as I pulled into the white house she pulled in and they let her in as a lieutenant. As she walked I went in and happened to go into the same entrance as her. She got to the president’s door and they told her to go into the situation room and then told me the president was waiting for me. I then said ohhh somebody’s more important. As the door shut I asked the president what was going on?

 The president then told me that an airbase in Guam was attacked. I asked who attacked it. The president said that’s why I called you. I was then like me? He just told me to come here. I sat down and I saw this:

Wait, is that galaga, like the arcade game? said Sam Brenner.

Yeah they need me in the situation room but I want you to keep looking at this and let me know anything you find. said The President.

Ok can i sit in your chair? Sam Brenner asked.

No! said The President.

Ah gimme a break im sitting in the chair. said Sam Brenner.

Just after looking at it for a while I realized it was not exactly like galaga. It was like if galaga was a horror game and not an arcade game, instead of looking cute and like a fun or chill game to play, they looked

,                                                       deformed!

Just as i realized this i heard what sounded like noises from galaga but louder than a tornado siren, they came flying through the president’s window. I ducked down and grabbed a Darpa light cannon and shot the alien. I then ran into the situation room and said, galaga is here! Right as the general started yelling at me, more galagas started coming into the room and I started shooting them. I then asked if they believed me and they all nodded. I then said everyone follow me. I then started sprinting through the hall while shooting the galagas. 

Where are we going brenner!? said The President.

You’ll see, it will be worth it! said Sam Brenner. 

It better be! Said The President.

Alright everyone grab a light cannon! said Sam Brenner. 

Uhm how do we even use these? said The Army Man.

Just figure it out for god’s sake! said Sam Brenner.

It couldn’t possibly be that difficult if i figured it out! said Sam Brenner.

All the tvs then turned back and a weird man said that round one was over and that they had won, and that there are only 3 rounds in total. Well this is the endgame i was thinking.

Ok we need to figure out a plan to stop whatever round two may be. said Sam Brenner.

Ok well do we know what’s coming next? said The President.

Well the second game we played was centipede so i think we can safely assume that it will be the next game to take over. said Sam Brenner.

Ok well lets get training then! said Mr.President.

Ok first rule of centipede, is to only shoot the centipede’s head otherwise it will split in half and make more centipedes. said Sam Brenner.

 it will make more? Asked the soldier.

Yeah unfortunately you have to be very accurate or else there will be hundreds of centipedes in just seconds. said Sam Brenner.

Ok get gaming! said Sam Brenner.

Ok remember the patterns, memorize them, that’s how you win! said Sam Brenner.

Ok everyone we need to be prepared at all times, you never know when it could happen. said Sam Brenner.

Just as i said this all the tvs turned off and then back on showing the second location being in London and saying sometime tomorrow night. I realized we needed to get on a flight ASAP if we planned on being there in time.

Ok we need to get on a plane or a private jet and get to London so we don’t miss this fight and lose our planet! said Sam Brenner.

Ok well we better there then. Said The Mom.

London (2015)

As the helicopters landed, we all got out and started preparing for the invasion of the centipedes while the president was in the London prime minister office. 

Okay violet how is it out there? Asked The President.

It’s eerily quiet. said Violet.

Wow violet is your real name. said Sam Brenner.

Mr president there coming down now. said Violet.

It is centipede. said Sam Brenner.

Okay everyone DON’T split them in half or they will duplicate! Screamed Sam Brenner.

As they started shooting it looked good at first. But as you thought that, one centipede in half another 2 in half. Then I watched as half our team died so I knew it was up to me. I stole a light cannon and shot through a centipede that was rushing at me. One down just 3 more to go! I started breaking the mushroom things to get a better view. One started rushing me downwards so I shot through that one too. I killed the second to last one by shooting in from the back to the face. Just as I did that I noticed one of them running away. So I chased it onto the road and into a hotel where it trapped itself so now there were zero centipedes left.

Way to go brenner! Screamed The President.

No problem, what’s next? Sam Brenner Asked.

Well what’d you play next in the competition? The President Asked.

Pacman. said Sam Brenner.

Well dont you need ghosts for pacman? Asked the President.

So we need some little ghosts. Said Sam Brenner.

Here follow me to nyc. said Violet.

ok where are we going in nyc? Sam Brenner Asked.

Showing you the ghost. Said violet.

It’s a car? Sam Brenner Asked.

A super charged pacman killing car. Said violet.

Let’s go! Said Sam Brenner.

As i got in the car i saw giant 30 foot tall pacman turn around the corner

Ok well its now or never i thought to myself.

Ok brenner you got this just stay calm. Said the president.

Right as he said I slammed on the pedal and started zooming towards pac-man but he’s always been faster so i made a right turn to hopefully counteract pac-man and get one life down. As I turned the next corner I smashed right into pac-man and now he only has two lives left. Ok I got this  thought. I kept going and pacman spawned on the other side of nyc. I started heading over there going 100 miles per hour and I didn’t notice he was leading me into a power pellet. As he flew into the power pellet I started reversing. As I spun around I started flooring it and turning around every corner possible in order to escape. As the ten seconds were up I slammed on the brakes and pac-man ran straight into me and now there was one more life left. As pacman respawned i floored it for pacman not knowing again he was going straight to a power pellet again. As he rammed into it he started rolling at me as fast as possible. I started reversing into a parking garage and going up floor after floor as he chased me up them. He was getting way too close to me. As I got to the top floor I jumped off the roof heading towards the building, but as pacman was about to eat me the power pellet weared off and we won! After winning I became a world hero, didn’t have to pay taxes and became a billionaire!

Mia’s Horror Story

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Mia’s Horror Story

By Pooh Bear Sr.

There was a girl named Mia, who was a 6-foot tenth grader. She had been intelligent all her life and excelled in both school and sports. There were some people above her in sports, but it was fine because she tried her best to maintain her grades, which allowed her to play the sports she loved. There were these mean girls who judged her for caring about her grades, and she tried to ignore them, but they continued to make fun of her. She tried to make friends, but people just made fun of her height and made her want to quit sports and stop caring about school, just to stop the teasing and bullying.

“They’re just teasing you because they are jealous of you,” said her parents.

“ Yeah, right, what would they be jealous of?” said Mia.

 Her parents were trying to get her to like herself, but she kept thinking down on herself due to the things the girls said to her and how they treated her. The only thing that made her happy was when she played sports, but when she played sports, people made fun of her for her height and not being on the A-team. 

The basketball season just started, and Mia was very excited to play her favorite sport. Her parents were very excited to see her play the sport she loved. Today was their first practice, Thursday, November 13, from 6 to 7:15. When she got there, she was the first one. She put on her shoes and started getting some shots up to be ready for the practice. Mia thought that if she got there early and showed her dedication, she might start and be on the A team. She was wrong. At their first game, she sat on the bench the whole game and didn’t get to go in. This made Mia and her parents really sad. The reason Mia and her parents were annoyed was because this one girl showed up to one practice and got to start.

Mia decided to go talk to the coach about how she picked who plays.  

“ How do you pick who starts or who is on the A-team?” Mia said

“I really pick it off of skill. Is there a way you think I should base it on?” said the coach. 

“ I think you should base it on dedication, because a girl who only showed up to one practice all week got to start over people who went to every single practice and were not late to a single practice,” Mia said 

  “ I understand why you are a little mad. I will consider your ideas,” said the Coach .

“ Thank you for your time,” Mia said. 

  This made Mia a little less mad because Mia realized how The Coach picked the lineups.

After Christmas break, and we were back at an early morning practice. This time, Mia was not the first one there; Mia was actually the last one. This made Mia very confused. 

“Practice started an hour ago, and I was late,” said the coach.

“No one told me practice was moved earlier,” Mia said.

“The girls made a group chat to tell everyone it was moved to earlier,” said the coach.

“ I was not added to any group chat,” Mia said.

Come to find out, they added everyone to the group chat except Mia.

Mia’s coach had a player meeting. We talked about including everyone in anything we did as a team. Then the coach asked Mia to stay after, and Mia said okay. When Mia and the Coach were talking, she asked Mia if any of the players were bullying her or had previously bullied her. 

“Some of the girls have made fun of my height and how smart I am, but my parent just said they were jealous of me,” Mia said.

“ I will keep an eye on them during my practice because I do not tolerate bullying” said the coach.

I was very happy because something was going to happen, and the bullying might even stop. When I went home, I told my parents about the meeting we had. 

“What was it about? said my parents.

“ It was about it we are going to do something as a team, everyone has to be invited or included in the things we do as a team,” I said.

“ Nice, did anything else happen?” said my parents. 

“ The coach asked me to stay so she could talk to me,” I said.

“ What did she say?” said my parents.

“She asked if any people were bullying me or had been bullying me,” I said. 

“ What did you say?” said my parents.

 “Some of the girls have made fun of my height and how smart I am,”  I said.

“ It is okay, I hope it gets better because you told her,” said my parents. 

“ Thank you, love you!” I said.

After basketball season was almost over, the bullying stopped, but like two weeks after it stopped, it started again. Those two weeks I had so much fun, and I made so many friends. I went to three haunted houses and enjoyed them so much. I went to six sleepovers and had my first birthday party, and invited my whole basketball team, and they enjoyed it very much. At one of the sleepovers, we listened to Golden. It was the best part of the whole night. 

Then, after being friends for two weeks, we just stopped being friends and they said that they hated me all along and were just using me for all the stuff I got them and using me for my stuff. After that, they acted like they did not know me. At basketball practice, they tried to be my best friends.

“ Why are you only friends with me at practice and not at school?” I said.

“ I don’t know, when I try to talk to you, you do not talk back,” they said.

“ When I talk to you, you turn around and walk away,” I said.

“We will try not to do that; it was not on purpose,” they said.

“ Okay,” I said.

The next day at school, we were all called to the office. The whole basketball team was called. When we got there, we were so confused. We had no idea why we got called into the office. We realized that someone had told the principal that people were spreading rumors about other people. We all got called in one at a time and were asked some questions; these questions were really weird. The principal said to keep it confidential. I left the office and went back to class. Five minutes later, we got called to the main office, which was very scary, and I was the only one called. I realized that the rumors that they were spreading were about me. Then the principal asked me some questions.

“ Have you ever been bullied?” said the principal.

“ Yes,” I said.

“ Who bullied you?” said the principal.

“ People on the basketball team,” I said.

“ Why did they bully you?” said the principal.

“ They bullied me for my height and for how smart I am,” I said.

“ They are just doing it because they are jealous of you,” said the principal

Then I thought to myself that two different people have said the same thing, and maybe they were right. So for the next few days, I tried to believe them and tried to think that they were just jealous of me. Then, the next few days, the bullies were just meaner and ruder.

“ Why have you been so mean lately?” I said.

“ We have not been mean lately, you have just been so annoying,” they said.

“ Well, that is rude, and you are just jealous of me because I am better at school and sports,” I said.

“ No, I am not,” they said nervously.

“ You are lying, that is why you are nervous and don’t know what to say.”

“Fine, I was, and I am very jealous of you because you are so good at sports and school, and I want to be like you,” they said.

“ I will be friends with you if you actually want to be friends and you are not going to use me this time,” I said.

“ Okay, so we are friends now,” they said.

“ Okay” I said.

Then we were friends, and the bullying stopped, and I had all the friends in the world. When we went to the last basketball game, I started, and it was so fun. I felt like the coach considered my ideas, and it was amazing that I was able to tell the coach how I felt, and she listened to me and considered my ideas, and followed through with them. I feel like sometimes people do not really listen when you try to tell them something important to you. I had not only made an A-team for basketball, but also had many people whom I could call my friends. Sometimes all you need to do is confront someone if you think the thing they were doing was wrong. That is the reason I now have friends and can be free at school and not spend every day and every night alone. “Do things for people not because of who they are or what they do in return, but because of you.” By Harold S. Kushner.

Daily Countdown: TV Shows #60

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#60

The Twilight Zone

One of the classic anthology series of all time is next up in the Top 100 countdown. The Twilight Zone found a place in the culture of the country with its weird tales of supernatural and uncertain events.

You unlock this door with the key of imagination. Beyond it is another dimension: a dimension of sound, a dimension of sight, a dimension of mind. You’re moving into a land of both shadow and substance, of things and ideas. You’ve just crossed over into… the Twilight Zone.

Rod Sterling was the narrator of this series, starting off the show with his typical monologue featuring the main story they would be telling in the next half and hour (or so. The show had a season of hour long episodes).

There are so many classic episodes that are iconic to the world. The gremlin on the wing of the airplane. The man who only wishes for a chance to read, finds the time at the end of the world, only to break his glasses. It’s a cookbook!!!

I spent the summer of 2023 watching all 156 episodes of The Twilight Zone. What a wonderful watch. Some episodes were not as good, some were downright terrible (“The Bard” or “Cavander is Coming,” for example), but most were really great or amazing.

This is the top 10 episodes I ranked that summer. As with any list, things may change over time, but this was the comprehensive list at that time.

#10. “The Howling Man”

#9. “The Dummy”

#8. “An Occurrence at Owl Creek Bridge” 

#7. “Time Enough at Last”

#6. “Eye of the Beholder”

#5. “A Stop at Willoughby” 

#4. “Living Doll”

#3. “Nightmare at 20,000 Feet”

#2. “To Serve Man”

#1. “The Monsters are Due on Maple Street”

Some of the best actors around spent time in the Twilight Zone including Burgess Meredith, William Shatner, Robert Redford, Bill Mumy, Jack Klugman, Dennis Hopper, Agnes Morehead, Claude Akins, Elizabeth Montgomery, Ed Wynn, Lee Marvin, Telly Savalas, and Charles Bronson. There were hundreds of other actors that appeared in the show over its five seasons.

There have been many variations and homages to The Twilight Zone over the years, but none of them reached the level of success or quality as the original CBS series.

Jack Marlowe RIP

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My little town of Maquoketa, Iowa recently lost a legend as John Frederick Marlowe, known as Jack, passed away Saturday morning, October 4th.

Jack was an icon in this area. One of the most beloved individuals I have ever met. Jack wrote for the Maquoketa Sentinel-Press, the local newspaper, for decades, as a sportswriter. Jack had a love for sports and a head for stats and number that was unmatched. His encyclopedic knowledge of local sports was amazing. Just talking with Jack about high school sports was an experience where you would always come out amazed.

Jack would be embarrassed with that last paragraph because he was one of the most humble people I have ever had the pleasure to know. He would laugh it off, with that loud and bombastic laugh, and redirect the discussion away from himself. It was not in Jack’s nature to make anything about himself. It was yet one more appealing trait of him.

Every time I would see Jack, he would greet me with a big smile and he’d ask me about my own coaching, especially when I was coaching the team sponsored by the newspaper. Jack was always so kind and genuine, that you knew that he was truly interested in what you had to say.

I felt honored to have played basketball in the Marlowe barn, adding my name to the wall with a list of unbelievable people. Sadly, the barn no longer existed, but the memories will always be there.

Jack worked at the Maquoketa Sentinel Press for 55 years, including writing his own column “Sports Slants” in which Jack mentioned me a few times (which was always such a thrill). Even when he retired as an active sportswriter, Jack would continue with his column. Retirement was not something Jack did well. I remember seeing Jack delivering Sentinel-Press newspapers to local gas stations. He wanted to remain active.

Jack was an award winning writer and a local legend. The town held him in such high esteem that he was inducted into the Maquoketa High School Hall of Fame in 2016 and the Maquoketa Community High School Athletic Complex, which included baseball/softball fields and a track, was named the Jack Marlowe Athletic Complex in his honor.

The plague at the Jack Marlowe Athletic Complex read,  “A 1953 Maquoketa High School Graduate, Hall of Fame Sportswriter and lifelong resident of Jackson County who dedicated his life to highlighting the accomplishments of others while avoiding the spotlight for himself.”

Jack Marlowe loved this community almost as much as the community loved him. He will be missed. Rest in peace, Jack.

Sha Na Na S1 E6, E7

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I watched two more episodes of Sha Na Na on YouTube tonight and it has become apparent that the first season of this show had the same strength and weaknesses in them.

Strengths: The songs are great. Specifically, the songs the group does on the stage in front of the studio audience. Donny did a cool rendition of “Come and Go With Me” and led the singing in “Rock Around the Clock.” Johnny, whose voice is so heavenly, did “Teen Angel” and gives an epic sob in the middle. Then, one of the best street songs so far was “Breakin’ Up is Hard to Do” with Donny and Chico taking the main part of the song. This was one of the better choreographed songs so far. Great basketball pass at the end of the song from Santini too.

Weaknesses: Comedy. The comedy on the show just feels too forced. I hate the crowd noises they add because there are several times where it just intrudes on the song. In the comedy song bit “Along Came Jones” the can laughter and applause made it hard to hear the song. Pamela Myers’s acting in this song was atrocious (though she was a Tony-nominated actress). I do not think I have laughed once with the back stage skits from Kenneth Mars, Philip Roth or Jane Dulo. At least Avery Schreiber’s cab driver character has a few laughs.

Two comedians were the guest stars on these episodes with Charles Nelson Reilly and Phyllis Diller. Both had some good moments. I am a big fan of CNR, especially during his days on the Match Game, which he referenced in the episode.

I remember being a fan of Lennie Baker as a child. Being a chubby kid, I related to Lennie. I have to say though, watching him do his background dancing is always funny. Lennie has a tremendous voice though.

I have really enjoyed the musical parts of these shows so far, but the rest have been a bit of a trudge to get through. The music is absolutely the stand out from these talented musicians.

Sunday Morning Sidewalk #37

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Spoilers

“Full Circle”

Our fifth series for the Sunday Morning Sidewalk ended today with the tenth and final episode of HBO’s Lovecraft Country.

I wonder what H.P. Lovecraft would have thought about this series?

I did not see the ending of this show coming. I was very surprised with the death of Atticus in that ceremony, and the victory at the end, bonding Christina from using magic… and all white people… was a cool end.

I especially liked the use of Ji-ah in the finale. I have been wondering the purpose of this character for much of the series and to have that pay off in such a meaningful way makes me feel positive.

Of course, we had the best scene of the series in this episode too. Atticus, Leti, Montrose, Ji-ah, Hippolyta, and Diana were in the car, driving to Ardham, when the song “Sh-Boom” comes on the radio. Diana starts to sing along with the song and, before too long, the entire carload was joining in. It was my favorite moment of the series, giving us a flash of innocence and joy before the final spell.

Couple of things: Ruby’s death off-screen was a bit of a waste, I think, just for the surprise twist of Christina being one step ahead. Then, I am not sure how I feel about Diana crushing Christina’s throat with her bionic arm at the very end.

There felt to be a bunch of dangling threads or things that happened over the course of the show that felt insignificant. Why did Hippolyta have to go on her adventure through time?

Lovecraft Country, for me, was very up and down. Some weeks the show was tremendous, but I do think it lacked a comprehensive vision of what story they wanted to tell. It had some real highs and some lows too, all capsulized in this final epsiode.

Next week, in honor of the month of Halloween, we start the sixth series in the Sunday Morning Sidewalk. It will be Netflix’s series, The Haunting of Hill House.

Taylor Swift: The Official Release Party of a Showgirl

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I was not sure if I was going to go to this. This was a limited release film coinciding with the release of Taylor Swift’s new record, “The Life of A Showgirl.” I would not be considered a “Swifty” by any stretch of the imagination, but I did go to the ERAs Tour film and I enjoyed it well. It worked into the schedule tonight so I wound up in Cinemark with a ton of teenage girls and a few other adults to see this film.

It is not really a film. It is also not really a concert film. It showed us the brand new video for the song “The Fate of Ophelia,” all of the lyric vids of the other 11 songs, and several behind the scenes shots of Taylor in the prep for the video, both with rehearsing and discussion of the creative.

Taylor Swift was the director of the video as well so she was shown to be the definitive creative force behind it. There were times when it seemed that she would speak and everyone else would just agree with her. I would have liked to see someone make a comment that wasn’t just “Oh how awesome you are.”

As a middle school literacy teacher, I did love the fact that she made a comment about a metaphor, followed by a comment on alliteration and then mentioned imagery. I hope the kids in the theater heard those terms.

As for the music, it was a bit of a mixed bag. It was clear that “The Fate of Ophelia” was the best song on the album. They showed us that video at the beginning of the movie and at the end. It was definitely my personal favorite as well.

I did notice that Taylor Swift’s songs on this album had a tendency to be repetitive, in one specific manner. She seemed as if she ended every song in the exact same way. The music slowed or stopped and she repeated one line that she had sung during the song, as if she were really emphasizing it. It was fine, but I did notice it so I would have liked maybe some variety in the end of the songs.

The songs that I did enjoy included “Elizabeth Taylor,” “Actually Romantic,” “Wood,” “Opalite,” and “Cancelled.” There were two songs that I did not like at all. They were “Father Figure” and “Wi$h Li$t.” “The Eldest Daughter,” “Ruin the Friendship,” and “Honey” were good. The album’s title track, “The Life of a Showgirl” was underwhelming, but not at the level of “Father ZFigure” or “Wi$h Li$t.”

The experience in the theater was as much a reason to go to this as anything else. It was fun with the audience cheering and applauding throughout the film. No one sang along in my theater, but it was fun to be part of the mass.

Overall, this was not much of a film, but it was a solid experience and I was happy to have chosen to see it. “The Fate of Ophelia” is easily the hit of this album and was the most important of the songs with this movie.

3.6 stars