1. Broken

I received some new challenges from a friend of mine and decided to post these. :)

1. Broken

Sarah slumped to her knees, a tear falling down her cheek. She pounded her fist on the ground and shouted up to the sky, “Are you happy, God?! Cause I’m not! You took it all away! Everything! I didn’t think that this was what the Bible meant when it said that I must surrender everything! I don’t understand! Why did you do this?!”

Burying her face in her hands, she sobbed heavily. Her whole body shook. Her heart pounded. After a few minutes, she contained herself. She pulled her hands away from her face and wiped the tears from her swollen, red eyes. She lifted up her head and sighed.

Two days earlier, her best friend, Catherine, lost in a battle with cancer. It broke Sarah’s heart, shattering it into many little shards. The next day, she got a phone call telling her that her mother and younger sister had gotten into a car accident, killing them both. Then, today…well, today was the worst of all. Her house burned to the ground… her father; her brother and his girlfriend were all caught inside, along with their two dogs and her turtle, Phillip. Everything was gone. All she had was the clothes which she was wearing and her pocket Bible, which she carried with her everywhere. Her brother had given it to her.

Pulling it out of her back pocket, she opened it gently and read the inscription in the front cover:

To my favorite sister, Sarah:

You’re the best sister anyone could ask for. I hope that this helps you in your times of need and when you need a little bit of scripture. I love you and will always be here for you, as you’ve always been for me.

Love, Kyle, your little brother

Her body shuddered and tears slid down her face once again. The drips turned into a steady flow. She held the Bible to her chest and rocked back and forth on her knees. As she was crying, a strong hand rested on her shoulder. She jumped up at the touch and turned around. A man was standing there, looking at her. She looked into his smiling face. His eyes were bright and filled with love and compassion. She asked through sobs, “Who are you?”

He grinned and answered, “Just someone. I can tell you this though; I can see that you’re hurting and need a friend. I can tell that you’re experiencing a lot of pain right now and I want to help you.”

He held out his hand and asked kindly, “I’m going for a walk. Would you like to join me?”

7, 8, 9 and 10!!!

I finally finished the challenges. :)

7. Cold

James slowly stepped out of the water and onto the shore. Staring blankly, he took another step forward. A lone tear dripped onto the sand. His feet shuffled as he made his way across the land- away from the bodies. He entered a cave, which he had found when he was seven. It was dark. Slowly, he walked along the wall, feeling his way towards his favorite place. His hand reached a hole. He stepped inside and felt for his lighter. After bumping into a few boxes, he finally found it. Carefully, he flicked on a flashlight at the entrance to the hideout.

He looked around and sighed. This was his favorite place. He had prepared a small bed in the corner, where he would hide and sleep often. He curled into a ball and shivered from the cold. He cried.

8. Shift

James woke up and blinked tiredly. The sun was shining into the cave, brightening the small space. As he sat up, a bright light in the corner of the room almost blinded him. His eyebrow furrowed as he searched for the source of the light. After a few minutes of searching, he finally found a small, golden watch, which the sun was reflecting off of. He studied the peculiar watch and rubbed his finger on it. A flash of light blinded him for a split second, and then disappeared.

Time flashed back. There were no fires. There were no tears. Everything was back to the way it was to begin with.

*******

“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.”

He slipped the ring on her finger and they embraced.

*******

James walked through town, a small golden watch in his pocket. He grinned to himself, for he knew he now could control time completely.

9. Burdens

After much persuading, Carlos decided to withdrawal from his duties and raise a family with his wife after their marriage. Carlos and Caroline became happily married a few months later. After a year, James’ mind became quite troublesome. He had constantly been rewinding time to fix his errors and the mistakes of others. It seemed to him like everyone was happy, except for him. No one but him remembered the hideous and horrifying events of that day, they burdened his heart. He was confused and didn’t like always relying on a watch to fix everything he did wrong. He soon sought out guidance and help.

He struggled on deciding who to confide in, but finally set his mind on telling Carlos everything. Once he had told Carlos everything, there would be no taking it back. James tried extremely hard to not make it sound to extravagant and exaggerated, but his efforts were to no avail. Carlos didn’t believe him and neither did Caroline. James was hurting and didn’t have anyone to support him.

10. Love

James felt like he had told everyone in town of his troubles. No one had believed him. Most just laughed at what they thought were childish ramblings. As James was standing along the seashore one day, a girl walked up behind him and stated quietly, “I believe you.”

James turned around slowly and looked the girl in the eyes. “Do you really?” James answered incredulously.

The girl nodded. James smiled and felt the burden lift.

“What’s your name?” James asked kindly.

“Julie. I’m eleven years old. What’s your name?”

“James and I’m eleven years old,” he responded happily.

A spark lit in Julie’s eyes. She smiled and held out her hand.

“Friends?”

James grinned and whispered, “Friends.”

I tried to wrap the story together and end on a good note. :)

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

Growing Up

5 years old-

It’s not fair! My family can see out of the stupid window and I can’t! All I can see is a wall. A wall! My brother can see all the whole world through that window. I can’t see any world through the wall. Only cracks and my fingerprints. I can also see the bottom of the thingy my momma calls a windowsill. Who comes up with a silly name like sill? What does that mean anyway? Dirty wall and sill. That’s all I see.

6 years old-

I can finally see out of this stupid window. Or at least part of it. I can see the sky when I look up and the bottoms of my mommy’s flowers. I got to pick the colors. But I can’t see them, so I don’t even know if I picked the right colors! I sat for hours looking at the stems and leaves of my momma’s flowers. I cleaned the part of the window that I could reach so that I could see better. A bird ran into it! I laughed.

7 years old-

I can see out the window! I see bright colors. Pink. Green. Blue. I see pretty butterflies with bright colored flapping wings and bees flying around stealing stuff from flowers. I never liked bees. I can see the pretty dragonflies flying around and hovering and being pretty. I can see a bird that my brother told me is called a humming bird. Why is it called a humming bird? They don’t even hum. They just fly and steal stuff out of flowers, like bees! I don’t think I like humming birds. They don’t do anything. This morning I cleaned the window and my brother flew into it while playing Superman! I laughed.

12 years old-

I looked out my window today and wonder why I thought it so amazing when I was young. I see a tree. Exciting? No. I see a bush. Wonderful? No. I see a butterfly. Amazing? Sort of. I see children playing. Do I care? No. I see a flower. Pretty? Yes, but not something to watch for hours. The sky is blue. Skies are normally blue. I don’t even care now if I see clouds that are white. Why did I want to see this so much when I was younger? I don’t understand some things about little kids.

21 years old-

Today I spent two hours looking out the window. I saw trees and bushes and beautiful flowers. God’s creation is amazing! I see the clouds, which are white and billowing. The bright blue sky with birds flying across. The smiles on small children’s faces as they play and run around. Sprinkler systems watering the lush, green grass. When I open the window I smell the sweet, fragrant smell of the roses and petunias. I can now hear the laughter of the children and the buzz of the cars as father’s drive to work. Looking out this window makes my heart beat quickly because of the amazing creations. I love the wonders of God’s creation!

This is something I wrote not too long ago. I hope you enjoyed it. I'll be posting some more soon. :D

Angela