3, 4, 5 and 6

3. Home

I was the first one to discover that she was gone. She hadn’t answered my calls in days. I was starting to get worried, so I called a taxi to take me to her house. I knocked four times, but there was no answer. I knew she hadn’t gone on vacation, her job didn’t allow it. She wasn’t sick, or she would’ve called. There were only two solutions: death and kidnapping. I doubted that she was kidnapped, because she always carries a knife on her belt and a gun in her shirt. Death was the only other answer. It was possible.

I knelt down on the steps and lifted the “Home, Sweet Home” mat. Underneath was a small key, which I used to unlock the door. My fingers fumbled on the knob. Finally, I turned it and rushed in. The lights were off. I dashed through the house, screaming, “Caroline! Caroline!”

After searching the main floor and finding nothing, I scurried up the stairs, still shouting. I threw open each door, but there was no Caroline. I ran to the nearest phone and quickly dialed 911.

Caroline was gone. She was dead, most likely.

4. Fire

I could hear the sirens. I jumped from the chair and started running down the stairs. As I was running along the foyer, I tripped over a cord from a lamp. The lamp tumbled to the ground. I scooped myself up and threw myself onto the door. I pulled the handle as quickly as I could and ran out to meet the cops. One got out of the car and stared at the house like a blithering idiot. The others followed in suit. I was confused. I turned around to see what all the staring was about. A stream of smoke was coming out of the windows. I let out a gasp. The house was on fire!

“AAAHHH!!!!!!! CALL 911!!!!!”

I started running in circles and waving my arms, which probably wasn’t the best thing to do. A policeman called in on his radio. By the time the firemen had gotten there, the house was already a blazing inferno. As the firemen started spraying it with water, the neighboring house caught on fire too. It was spreading! By noon, the whole town was on fire. By two, the whole town had burned down.

5. Fear

Those who survived the fire gathered together and shared hugs. Many had lost loved ones. Others just lost prized possessions. Everyone lost their homes, their cars, their money; it was all gone and it was my fault. I sat on a rock and watched my friends sobbing over their losses. Fear clenched at my heart. I couldn’t let anyone find out it was me. I felt like I had to hide, but there was nowhere to hide, since I burned all the hiding spots down. A tear slid down my cheek and dropped to the ground.

Someone laid a hand on my shoulder. I jumped into the air and screamed, “Fine! You got me! I did it! I did it! I started the fire! I’m sorry!”

I sobbed and sobbed. My next door neighbor stood up and stated angrily, “What?! You?! How could you?! I lost my wife and my little baby girl! You murderer!!!!”

6. Death

I turned to him and cried, “It was an accident! I didn’t mean to! I’m so sorry…..”

He pounced on me and stuck a knife right into my gut. I screamed in pain, then died.

My best friend, who had first come to me and placed his hand on my shoulder attacked the man that had killed me. He thrust a knife into the man’s back. The man died. The grandfather of the man attacked my best friend, and killed him. Our friendly little town turned into a killing frenzy. In minutes, everyone was stabbing each other for stabbing someone else. What was wrong with the town?

Everyone died that day, except for one child. James Roder, an eleven year old boy. He was hiding in the only place there was to hide; in the water along the shore. He was confused and scared.

Angela

A Shakespearean Adaption of the Frog and the Mouse

Frog: (to mouse) Oh mouse! Oh beloved mouse! Come to my home!

Mouse: How silly ye fool, I cannot swim!

Frog: Thou knave! Why hast thou denied the beloved kingship of the pond?

Mouse: Knave? I am no knave! Tie thou twine to thy leg! Take me with thee to thy kingdom!

Frog: Come! Thy twine hath been twined between us! Come now! Now that thou be so foolish, I shall drown thee in my pond!

Mouse: Barbarian! Squeak! Squeak! Thou hath drowned me! Thou hath killed my beloved nature! (eyelids close)

Stork: (flying overhead) Ahk! Thou insolent amphibian! Ye shall pay for thy evil Deed! (dives down)

Frog: Knave! How dare ye?

Stork: How dare ye murder an innocent mouse such as he was? Thou shall die by my skewering beak!!

Frog: I hath died from thou savage beak!

Stork: Thy blood stings my tongue! (eats mouse next) Sweet, beloved mouse, thou blood soothes! Now our feuds are over. I’ll return to my kingdom if the air, whilst thou rule thy kingdom of eternal darkness however thou pleases. (frog eyes slide shut)

2. Sea

Tears slid down Caroline’s face as she waved to Carlos. The boat was pulling out. Carlos was leaving for eight months at the most. Carlos waved back. A slight smile pulled at the corners of her mouth.

Watching the boat until it was too far out to discern anything, she prayed silently that Carlos would stay safe while overseas. Stuffing her hands in her pockets, she turned around and went home.

***

Carlos stared at his feet and his feet stared back. All of a sudden his feet jumped off of his legs and over the side of the boat. Carlos screamed in agony, tears pouring down his face. He fell to the ground instantly, rolling. He used his arm and stomach strength to propel his body over the edge of the boat to catch his feet.

Once he got in the water, he realized that since he had no feet, he could not swim. He screamed out his last word, “CAROLINE!”

He let his body sink into the water. He drowned.

A cry rang out, “Man overboard!!!!!”

***

Three days passed. Caroline walked down to the shore each day and remembered Carlos’ smiling face as he sailed off. She longed for the day that Carlos would come home and marry her.

She stared out at the waves, catching a slight glimpse of what looked like a body. Craning her neck, she watched the waves intently, searching for the body. In a quick second, she spotted it, out of the corner of her eye. Immediately, out of instinct, she dove into the water and swam as fast as she could to the last place she saw it. As she neared the body, fear clenched her heart. What if the person was dead? She stopped swimming, looking around. When she was about to give up on seeing the body again, it came crashing on top of her, along with the wave.

She let out a shriek. She pushed the body off of her and looked at the face.

“CARLOS!!!!!! NO!!!!!!!!!!!”

She hugged the body. Drastically, she swam as hard as she could to the shore. Before she could reach the shore though, she saw a fin sticking out above the water. Not any fin, but a fin that looked fairly like a shark fin. Her life flashed before her eyes as the shark leapt into the air and snatched up Carlos’ body. She screamed his name and dove underwater, searching for the shark and the body.

She felt a sharp pain in her leg, and then was pulled down deep into the water. She was gobbled by the shark.

Can you tell I'm not much of a "romantic?"

Angela

Secrets

Carlos bent his knee and looked up. Caroline returned his gaze.

“I love you, Caroline…will you-will you marry me?”

A tear shimmered in her eye. She looked down upon him, smiling intently.

“I love you too.”

Slowly sliding the ring on her finger, he stood. He reached her arms around her and held her tightly. He brought his mouth to her ear and whispered quietly, “I have something to tell you.”

Gently pulling away from him, she looked into his eyes. A lone tear slid down his face.

“What is it?” she asked.

“I’m leaving. I’m heading across seas.”

Caroline squeezed his hand.

“I don’t understand.”

“I’ve joined the Navy…I’m leaving…next week….I-I meant to tell you, but I was afraid you wouldn’t love me anymore.”

“Why would you think that? I’ll always love you…”

Caroline buried her face into his shoulder and cried. Carlos held her until her eyes were dry. He grabbed her hand and led her out of the garden in silence.

This was a writing challenge for a friend in a series of ten challenges, so this story will be finished. I know, it was pretty poor writing on my part, but I just needed something written this summer...

God Bless,

Angela