Again, just a little warning...some of my work is ridiculously crazy, written off the top of my head...hope you don't mind XP
Title.
I will remember that day for the rest of my life...and hate it forever with the very core of my being.
It was the day that brought living hell down upon me.
It was raining. Heavy gray clouds loomed smothered the sky, obscuring any light from above. The roof of the little shack rattled as the drops of water splashed densely onto it, constantly reminding everyone that lived under it of how frail it was. I was sitting by the fireplace, busy trying to somehow block the rain so the fire could burn and keep my family warm. While I was continuing my fruitless mission, a crisp voice called out, breaking through my darkened thoughts.
"Alexandra!" my mother called, "Would you please go out and grab some haystacks? The floor is getting slippery here." I sighed. "Okay!" I called back.
I dragged myself to the door and pulled on my rain jacket and boots. It wouldn't be fun getting drowned right at your doorsteps.
The haystack was piled neatly at the back of the little cabin. I trudged through the deep mud pools spotting the area, formed by the unrelenting rain. The mud and grime sucked at my foot like quicksand, eager to chain me down and swallow me. I hauled myself from the glue-like mud and concentrated on avoiding the holes and drilling rain that poured down upon me. Finally, for what seemed like a hundred years, I found the haystack and grasped three tight bundles and was about to take off, when something red caught my eye.
It was a lone flower, sprouted from between the cracks of stones that circled the house. It was black in the center, like the depths of a dark cave, which gradually seeped into a dusky red as it spread out. The petals were scarlet blood, streaming from the dark throat of the flower, flowing gracefully like ribbon in the harsh, bitter wind. Beads of rain water lined the edge of the pedals, glistening as if they're pearls and diamonds. The soft, silk-like flower grew narrower at the bottom, forming the slim, strong stem that swayed, though unyielding to the blast from the rain.
I stared at the flower, mystified by its dangerous beauty. It was as if a spell have been casted upon me, for I could not look away from the living jewel that sat majestically in the middle of the mounds of haystack. Soon, I began to feel unnerved, and possessed. I shook my head to clear it and seized the bundles, ready to bolt. But...that was a rare and elegant flower.... Setting down the pile, I reached for the flower with hands that felt detached from my body. The stem felt smooth between my fingers, and suddenly rather frail. I hooked it in and pulled it out with a small ripping sound. I gazed at the flower once again, drowning in the heart of the plant. This would be a nice present for my parents. They have not seen anything worthy of being called attractive for a reasonable amount of time. I laid the bloom on the top haystack and carried the whole heap back into the shack, stumbling awkwardly to escape from the gaping mouths of the mud pools.
The moment my family laid eyes upon the plant, I knew something was terribly wrong. My parents' faces turned gray with fear and my brother gagged and retched his dinner over the floor.
"Burn that monsterous, disgusting thing, Alexandra!" My mother finally gasped.
"Why? What's wrong with it? It's so beautiful..." I said, confused and rather hurt.
"You don't know? YOU DON'T KNOW?! That...flower is cursed, you halfwit!" My brother spat. "Burn it or we'll all die!" My family continued to shout and bellow at me in this matter until I finally agreed to throw it away.
"All right, all right!" I yelled. "I'll get it away, okay?" I held it out, and my parents and brother shrank fron it immediately, as if it was a nasty creature that would harm them with any given chance, which was exactly what they thought it was. Stumbling from the living room, I ambled into the the bedroom. How could I throw something with such exquisiteness away? Of course I wouldn't! I decided to continue keeping it until it's beauty seeps away and dies. What a horrible mistake I made.
My mother found the petal of the flower on my pajamas, and screamed. She stripped it off me, replaced my clothing with an old one, and burned the garb along with the petal. Then, she took the house apart looking for the flower, and finally, unearthed it from underneath my pillow. She grabbed it, and attempted to rip it apart, piece by piece, when something gruesome happened. My mother suddenly flung the flower at me, and shrieked in pain like a tortured animal. Blood flowed from her eyes, mouth, and nose. Her skin grew deathly white and the bones turned black like charred coal. The ghastly scene made my limbs fail from horror. In the living room, I could hear the similar screams of agony. Brother and Father were going through the exact same ordeal as my mother. A gurgling sound was coming from my hands. I looked down at the flower clutched in my hands. What I saw made my very bein turn to ice. Blood was running freely from the throat of the plant, creating a great pool of red around me. The blood of my family.
The plant was a monster.
It shattered my life and tore my family from me in a ghoulish way. I was eight.
Ever since, I've tried every absolute way I've thought of to destroy the wretched flower, but it was futile: the flower would not die. Finally the truth dawned upon me: the flower is, if possible, immortal. At this, my heart was clutched in an icy grasp. How many more people have been massacred by this beastly plant? How long has it been on the face of the earth? Endless thoughts whirled in my head; I lost numerous days of sleep. At times I was ready to go insane from the secrets I've learned, from being the sole survivor of all the people that have clapped eyes on the flower. Only the will to prevent anymore blood baths (literally) kept me rational, and continuing on the right track. I searched and sought for answers to this one riddle: how could I stop the flower from killing anymore?
Finally, I came upon the answer. I must stay with this flower forever. For after the flower has slaughtered, it drifts away and settles in a new place. It would be bound with whomever that discovered the flower first, and released only after the plant has killed the person. I was the sole survivor from the history of killings this flower made. If I made precautions and forbit the flower made, the line of curse would be broken forever, and this monster would finally obey the rules of nature and die along with me. I was set. I would not allow this beast of a plant to spill anymore blood, for it was bound to me, and it would stay that way for eternity.
The flower shall walk the years with me, follow me to the grave and after death.
The Sheep of Doom
In this almighty jungle, there once lived a powerful King of the Monkeys. They were as bright as rhinos and about half as wide, and also tend to hit things for fun. Very smart indeed. Now, don’t offend them, or they might cause you very serious “inconvenience”. Even if they’re not as smart as you think, they are smart enough to give you a lot of bad luck, and hammer you to death. So don’t try and make trouble with them. The result might be unspeakable.
Now, one day, good ol’ king decided that he’s bored of the jungle and wants to see what’s out there, in the fields. He called up his “faithful” servants. “Help me pack the boar (don’t ask), I shall ride it shortly.” “Yes, fathead.” “WHAT did you say?” “Nothing, sire, nothing.” And so the king traversed (note: vocab word) the jungle for days, busy being chased by tigers that found the boar he’s riding looking oddly tasty. Meanwhile, his servants were plotting to overthrow their king by setting him up for an unpleasant surprise. (Mehehehehehehee)
For days, they traveled, then, in the afternoon, the king suddenly saw — something flashing white!! It mustehh be something on the field. He made his boar charge, his clumsy slaves following slowly. Monkey King felt, light, light as a feather~~until he suddenly found that he was above…nothing. He screamed, crashing down — — down — — and POOF!!
The king landed on something extremely soft.
He jumped up, and looked down. A little sheep~! Awww…so cute!! Monkey King suddenly found that he was “boar-less”, where is his pig? He looked around, and saw it. The boar was limping, its leg having a wide gash on the thigh. Blood was dripping from the wound, and a couple of sheep started to look up. Piggy whimpered. Suddenly, the sheeps bleated…and charged. The boar was immediately lost in a the midst of wool and fur. Dirt flew in to the air, leaving bits of debris showering down on the sheep. Then, they parted, and where the boar once laid was a huge pile of bones.
A chill went down the kings back. “Hey!!” He grabbed one of the mini sheep. “Where is my boar? You better not have ate it, or else!” (yes...it's not very bright) The sheep’s eyes glinted red and bit down on the monkey’s finger, hard. “YEOUCH!” the Monkey King screeched. A small drop of blood quickly formed on the tip of the finger. The sheep licked its lips, savoring the taste of this unfamiliar creature’s vital fluid. It seems tasty. More sheep came, bleating for another snack. “Now listen,” the king began, “I know you think I’m the greatest creature ever alive on Earth, but you should really go look for another, better snack to eat. I’m not as juicy as my boar, you know. Hey, I can take you where more of me is — AHHHHH!” The flock of live, flesh-eating “lamb” came at ol’ great Monkey King in huge groups, and soon, there was too, nothing left but a pile of shiny white bones.
All this time, the servants of the former “retired” great king were watching the whole bloody scene of fur and limbs. They were pale as they can be, shivering with fear. “L-let’s…uh…g-g-go back, sh-shall we…?” “M-most definit-tly.” And they bolted, as fast as they can, back to their vast jungle kingdom. Other fellow monkeys stared in curiosity at the crazy monkeys that were ashen-colored and ate nothing but nuts, and whenever they see white, they scream. Most typical of them, don’t you think?
The Great Wall Massacre
Author's Note: This is an imaginary story, an assignment from the China Alive Portfolio the 7th grade had to do for the trip to Beijing. Kinda crappy...definitely not the best story I've written.
It was a hot, blistering day. the sun shone mercilessly down on the Great Wall, baking the warriors in extreme temperatures. they have been guarding the wall for the whole day, and yet the attack that was expected from the Mongolians showed no sign of coming. The General glared down past the glistening spear tips that lined the side of the wall, straining to see any black moving figures on the ground. He barked out some orders to his soldiers, and hurried down to patrol the lower lands near the great wall. The hours dragged on, until finally night came. The soldiers took shifts and took their time strolling around. The General was exhausted. He climbed into a fighting tower nearby and sat down in a corner. Soon, he was fast asleep.
Thud.
The General woke with a start. He scrabbled around, looking for his sword. He grabbed it and sprang up, anticipating an attack. The General waited.
Thud. THUD.
He looked around almost desperately. Nothing.
Then, he saw it.
A hook was anchored into the wall, with a rope attached to it. The General walked out and took a close look at his surroundings. There were scratches around the fighting tower. He squinted into the darkness, and he saw, two red eyes, glowering at him. He felt the hairs on the base of his neck stand up. The General snatched up a torch, ready to throw it into a barrel of oil near him. He never did it. A split second after the torchlight had moved the General's head toppled off his shoulders. His body crumpled on the dirty floor, and the torch fell, creating a huge fire roaring up, licking at the sky. Within seconds, the soldiers guarding the wall scrambled up and got into position, ready to battle.
THUD. THUD. CLINK.
More hooks flew up and anchored themselves on the side of the Great Wall, some smashing open a few troopers' skulls in the process. In a flash hundreds of dark shapes jumped over the wall and began to hack their way through the crowd of soldiers.
The Mongolians were here.
They slashed effortlessly pass the small Chinese army, not caring if their fellow warriors die along with the enemies. A man screamed his final prayers to the sky as he fell from the top of the tower, one leg missing. Another slid down the side of the wall with his neck bone shattered halfway, gaping in pain with his mouth open in a silent scream. The Mongolian warriors laughed harshly at the torment of the several Chinese men they slew. Everthing was drowned out in the color of blood, arrows flying, and swirls of blades slashing.
At last, there was only one Chinese soldier left. Suddenly, everything was deathly quiet.
A huge, immense shadow loomed over the crowd. The Mongolians quickly parted to let the figure past. The great shape moved slowly to where the last Chinese soldier was, grinning madly. A small Mongolian man briskly ran up, almost tripping over his short legs, and gave the figure a deep bow.
"What should I do with this scoundrel, Okakahn, my Lord?"
Okakahn smikled frostily, showing unsightly, crumbling teeth.
"Kill him." he rasped.
The Chinese soldier's eyes glazed in terror and panic, and let out a squeak of protest. He earned a hard blow in the chest, cracking two rivs. The man gasped in agony, dropped to the floor and lay still. Okakahn drew his sword, allowing it to display its deadly beauty in the gleam of the fire. He lifted it high above the soldier's bare neck, and let it fall, slicing the head clean off his shoulders.
The murderous laughing of the Mongolian king echoed off the Great Wall even as the body of the soldiers began to decay. The soft glow of the full moon also seemed to rejoice at the evil victory of that day the invading army made.
Over hundreds of years, even after people have cleaned the wall through and through, there was so much blood smears on the Great Wall that showed the many lives that were taken in the old battle. That ancient fight was just to make Okakahn feel victorious after the Chinese assassinated his son, the Mongolian prince. The historians named this cruel, pointless slaughtering "the Great Massacre".
And that was how the "Great Wall Massacre" came to be. The Chinese descendants of the soldiers on the wall remembered every detail of the battle and forever loathed the Mongolians, deep inside.
Martians Invade Earth
I was walking down the hallway along with my friends to the gym for PE class. As usual, I was on hyper mode and could not control myself, and so I have made several victims to my activeness. Most had lost many brain cells due to my let’s-whack-people-for-fun game. My inner angel here feels terribly sorry and guilty, however, my devil is currently taking over so I have no mercy. Anyhow.
Some of my friends are running for cover, while poor old Tina tried in vain to calm me down. Talking to me like a mother…("Jennifer, calm, okay? Breathe in…") Breathe out. Breathe in. Whatever. Chill out and I will give you a candy bar! No…I added that in myself. No good. Besides, if someone gave me a candy bar, I would go from hyper mode to Super Killing Spree. I have a feeling that nobody here wants to lose their lives. Yeah. Anyhow.
I was laughing like crazy, and while Veronica and Emily raised their eyebrows at me, I went up to Carey and knocked her into next week. The boys (in my group) were like “what the heck??” and Karen gasped in horror.
Then, I heard this…ripping sound.
Huh?
Look left. Karen. Normal. Look right. Emily. Normal. Look up. The ceiling. Nothing crashing down. …wait….then that means…
Look down. A huge hole had opened out of nowhere, and down all of us went, with someone screaming into my ears the whole time…. (Ahem….) Then, everyone crashed into a pile (literally). I went lights out.
I opened my eyes. I was staring into a pair of electric-blue eyes the size of tennis balls. There’s only one thing I can do. I screamed (eheh…not the kind of preppy scream, more like a yell). I jumped up, leapt back and smashed into something soft….I turned around slowly…and came face to face with Tob! What the heck?!
No. Not Tob.
It’s a midget alien…. Holy! “We are the messengers of the Great Emperor of Kiejv. We must destroy this planet of it’s evil inhabitants. You must die.”
…eh?
“This human/cretin does not understand…” Midget alien 1 sighed. Midget alien 2 screamed. “What, you imbecile? Ever since we arrived all you ever do is scream at any unsightly creatures…like the ones we see now.” Midget alien 3 (who is not so small…it’s bigger than Chay Chay XP) stepped forward and sniffed. Cough. “Ughh…these humans smell like animals…shall I terminate?” Midget Alien 3 asked, its eyes gleaming.
It slowly pulled out a glittering razor-sharp looking battle ax and advanced on me (my friends are still unconcious). Alien 3 raised it above my head. “It is over…human.” it whispered. "Pteh! it smells worse than we do!" “Do not worry, your little companions here won’t live. I shall take care of them personally…now, die.”
The battle ax flashed and —
<To Be Continued>
