Kia (W.E. 24)

Exercise 24:

You(or a character) have often passed a particular house (or first floor apartment) as you(or a character) walk to the train or drive home from work. This particular evening it is just past dusk so that there is still a little deep blue color to the sky, but all the lights are on in the house/apartment/place you(or a character) notice. Something makes you(or a character) stop and look.

Looking in the window, you(or a character) can see rooms and pictures on the wall, furniture. It seems strangely family. Suddenly you(or a character) are in the room, and it is a room you(or a character) have been in so many times....

Kia

Kia was a beautiful young woman with bright orange hair that flowed down past her shoulders and curled slightly at the tips.  At the moment she had her hair up in a loose bun.  She wore a plain white shirt, and a loose royal blue hoodie.  Her jeans were torn at the knees, a sign they were well broken in.  Upon her feet were black All Star sneakers, they also looked worn.

With hands in her pockets she walked up the stairs of her dull apartment building, and descended down the mildly dark corridor.  Her eyes were upon the floor until they met daylight on the stained brown carpeting.  Pausing in her stride she looked to her right.  That was when she saw the scene. 

Before her was a mother, with brunette curly hair, a smile spread across her lips.  She was laughing with her little girl, who had equally curly brunette hair, and the brightest blue eyes Kia had ever seen.  Kia heard their laughter as the mother wrapped her arms around the little girl and tickled her.  The mom pulled her daughter of about 6 into a hug and kissed the top of her head.  It brought a smile to Kia’s own lips, and it warmed her to the core.

Light cascaded through the window as Kia’s feet met the floor and she walked through the threshold.  “Hey Leslie.”  She said with a smile.

“KIA!”  The little girl bolted toward her and wrapped her in a hug about her waist. 

“Hey there Diana.”  Kia smiled rubbing the top of Diana’s head.

Leslie’s smile turned to Kia. “Hey, how are you?”

“I’m fine, I just got home from work. I was on my way to my apartment when I saw you, and since I haven’t come by lately, I just thought I’d say hey.  You two seem to be having a great day!”  Kia responded.  “Anything particularly marvelous happen today to put you two in such a great mood?”

“Mommy took me to the park and we swung on the swings. I flew so high, I thought I would go into space!  Then, she took me to get icecream!  It was so fun!”  Diana spoke, as she held her arms out and ran around the room like she was flying.

“Careful sweetie, you don’t want to trip and hurt yourself.”  Leslie warned.

“That does sound like a good day.”  Kia responded.

“So, we’re going out to dinner later, do you want to come with us?”  Leslie asked hopefully.

“I’d love to but, I have to wake up early in the morning, so I thought I’d just get a tv dinner and a hot bath and call it a night.”  Kia responded, sounding rather displeased with the idea of having to reject the offer. “Raincheck?”

“Sure.”  Leslie said with a smile, grabbing a glass off the table and heading into the kitchen to set it in in the sink.  “Don’t be a stranger alright?”  She leaned back against the counter with her hands gripping it by her sides.

“I’ll try not to be.  You two have fun tonight alright?”  Her gaze fell to Diana who was playing with a stuffed bunny now, hugging it to her chest, with its fuzzy little face pressed to her cheek.

“We will. I wish you could come!” Diana responded with disappointment clear in her little voice.

“Next time.”  Kia said, taking her right hand out of her pocket and waving to the two ladies and walking out of the apartment.  It was always such a delight to talk to them, if only just for a moment.  The atmosphere made her remember her mother, before her step father came into the picture.

Kia’s hand found itself safely within her warm pocket as she stared at the brown stained carpeting and finally found herself at the end of the hall to her apartment.  From her left pocket came a key, and within the door it went.  Soon she was in her apartment, going straight to the fridge and getting that tv dinner, popping it in the microwave, and she stared at it as it turned on the pedestal.

Kia felt a strange sadness inside of her.  The memories of her childhood washing over her, the smiles her mother and she shared.  Then the memories of her step father hitting her mother, and her own face covered in bruises…

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Authors Note:

This is unfinished, and if anyone wants to finish it, feel free to. I'd love if you'd leave the continuation as a comment if you do.  I know it's kind of dull, but I've been rather uninspired due to life's current situations. [ Updates might be slow for a while.  I need to figure out a few things in life before I can continue, but I will try to keep updating. ]

Spoiler: Journey to Freedom (W.E. 23)

People were fighting like their lives depended on it.  No, it was monsters and people.  She saw cannibals in the street biting peoples arms and faces.  Blood and flesh was devoured before her very eyes.  It made her a little sick to her stomach, but she continued to watch the sight before her, as if she were drawn to it like a fly drawn to shit or a moth to a flame.  “What the hell?”  She thought, realizing the chaos unfolding.  It was like something out of a silly horror movie.  Part of her wanted to sit down and write about the chaos unfolding, but there was no time, she knew...


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Authors Note:
This is from a story I'm working on called Journey to Freedom.  I don't want to give the whole story away of course, so just a little smidgen for you to read.  This small section still may change in the future; however, I wanted you guys to know that even though I haven't been updating my blog so frequently, I've been writing just the same.  I hope you enjoyed the little tidbit!  ( That which is in bold will probably be written differently.  Why?  Because I loathe repetition, which I just now discovered occurs in this little section.  Eh, nobodies perfect.  Haha. )


* If you'd like, you may reword this section in any way you like as a writing exercise.  If you do, please share it as a comment to this because I'd be interested in reading it indefinitely.

Captured (W.E. 22)

Continue the story:
"The wink, or the blink, seemed to bring the room into clearer focus for the monk." (A Canticle for Leibowitz by Walter M. Miller Jr.)

Captured

He lay on the cold hard concrete floor and surveyed his surroundings. The first thing he noticed as his eyes adjusted was how dark it was in this room.  Above him he could see rafters covered in webbing, probably from cob web spiders. Next, he noticed the stairs, they too were made of concrete, and no railing led up with them.  The third step from the bottom had cracks throughout it, as if it were going to collapse.  There were 7 steps in all.  At the top of the steps was a normal door, minus the 5 randomly scattered bullet holes.

His eyes wandered to the walls.  They were unfinished and also contained cob webs.  To his left near the floor was an outlet.  Behind him was a window that was too dirty to see through.

His head throbbed like he'd been previously knocked out, and perhaps he had been, he didn't know.  He didn't know where he was or how he'd got there, but something told him he was in a load of trouble...

Freewrite (W.E. 21)

Exercise #21

Freewrite whatever comes to mind for 5 minutes. Go back and circle or highlight one word that stands out to you, then start again.

It’s 1:29am on a Monday morning.  It was terribly hot yesterday, but thankfully not as hot as the day before.  People who don’t live in California have absolutely no idea how hot it gets during the summer.  The day before yesterday the temperature was 110 degrees!  I don’t have air conditioning, just a swamp cooler that makes my world humid more so than cold. 

I wish I didn’t have such a horrible headache right now.  The heat thrashed me yesterday.  I feel tired, and yet more bored than sleepy.  The motions on my tv, and the sounds do nothing to entertain me.  

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Writer's Note:

I'd like to apologize for not having posted anything in June thus far.  I've been going through too many things at once.  It's been stressful.  I hope to get a few updates ready for you to autopost. I'll be moving soon so no promises.

My Life's Journey of Oranges (W.E. 20)

Exercise 20:
Write a personal narrative.  If you've ever read a poem or a short story that made you feel a strong emotion, this will be easy to write.  Use the story that gave you a significant reaction.  This reaction can either be a strong loathing or a strong love/liking.  Describe why it gave you that reaction.  Make sure to organize your ideas.  You may use a personal story, a recognition of character, a connection to an event or (fill in the blank).

My Life’s Journey of Oranges

I remember having a very strong feeling for the poem “Oranges” by Gary Soto. What did I feel? I felt a strong sense of importance: oranges. It made me think of oranges with the idea that they are experiences. When I read it, I thought it was the most amazing poem I had ever read. It's been a habit of mine for the longest time to write down the things I want to remember. This poem “Oranges” will always be in my little time capsule, as I will refer to it. I liked it so much that I took the book out to the living room with me, and I read it to my mother. I don't really know why but I wanted her to feel something as I read it to her. I read it with as much emotion as I had experienced it. I asked my mother what she thought of it, and it didn’t seem to give her the same reaction. I guess I was hoping to share something with her that I truly enjoyed, and hoping she’d enjoy it just as much as I did. I recall telling her how deep I thought it was, how sweet. I thought “That’s the innocence of a first love.” For me, oranges can represent many different things. My life has a few oranges of its own. As I read the poem, I was full of some deeper emotion I find difficult to define. I can only define it by telling of some of my own experiences. 

 

It reminded me of my childhood. It reminded me of the first time I was able to finally climb a tree. I'd tried so desperately to pull myself up into the branches day after day. Then one day I was finally able to pull myself up. I felt a strong sense of accomplishment. I climbed as high as I could, entirely fearless. I remember the first feeling of looking down and realizing how high I'd climbed. It was absolutely amazing. I'd finally done it. I'd climbed the tree in its entirety. In this scenario, my orange is the accomplishment of having climbed the tree for the very first time.

It reminded me of my first boyfriend. His name was Christopher. I was in 5th grade at the time, and he was in 4th. He had these dorky glasses and this scraggly blond hair he was constantly fidgeting with. The first time we held hands was completely innocent. He and I were talking about secret areas in the game Super Mario. We held hands as we swung on the swings next to one another. Our fingers weren't interlocked, but our hands were clasped together. It wasn't a tight grip, nor was it gentle. It was simply perfection. I remember how light I felt inside, and how happiness was so easy to come by. It was the power I had within me as a kid; happiness, so simple to grasp, so easy to define. Happiness was my orange. 

 
It reminded me of the first time I heard a metal song. It was Powerman 5000. I felt scared. In my childhood metal music was always seen as evil, satanic. I was scared because I knew it was something I shouldn't be doing. That scariness made me enjoy it because I rarely deviated from the guidelines of my family. It made me feel like I was doing something dangerous. I felt like I was being bad intentionally for the first time. Danger made me feel strong. It made me feel fearless. When I was listening to Powerman 5000 my brother told my mom I was becoming a Satanist. I don't know if that's what he truly believed or if he had some other hidden agenda. He’d convinced her it was Satan’s music. I was banned from listening to them, even though it’s not satanic music at all. I felt another strong emotion then, the emotion of frustration at my brother's lies. He didn't want me to have the experience. Perhaps he was more afraid than I was. Fear became strength, and that strength was my orange.

 
It reminded me of the first time I enjoyed reading. I use to absolutely hate reading. Reading was difficult for me as a child. I didn’t like any of the stories they were having us read. I thought all reading was boring and couldn’t be more than that. The only books I’d enjoyed before had pictures in them, books like “Where the Wild Things Are” and “Baby Beluga.” 

 

I was in the library at my elementary school, Frank Zeek. I was looking desperately for something interesting to read. I don’t know why I’d gotten the idea that reading could be fun, maybe I was simply curious. There on a cart full of books waiting to be returned to their shelves was a book with a dragon on the cover. The cover read “Dealing with Dragons.” I know you’re not supposed to judge books by their covers, but the cover intrigued me enough to pick it up and read the back. As I read the back of it I found myself captured by the story. I decided to check it out. Eventually I read the rest of the series. I was so into the story that I couldn’t put the books down. I remember a warm feeling inside of my stomach like I’d finally found a place I belonged to, a place within the world of books. It was one of the greatest feelings I’d ever felt.

I rekindled the feeling a few months ago when I started reading again. It made me wonder why I’d even stopped reading at all. I suddenly got this strong urge to pick up a book and read. The stories are so captivating. This is why I was so easily captured in my youth by the Enchanted Forest Chronicles by Patricia C. Wrede. I prefer those with fiction tales, mostly with adventure, because I feel my own adventures aren't always exciting enough to share. Reading is still something I can now enjoy through that simple experience. Reading is now one of my permanent oranges.

 
One poem can bring up so many memories for me. Oranges are strong feelings contained deep within those memories. They are accomplishments, happiness, strength, and a place to call home, but they are not limited to those alone. Oranges are everything worth experiencing. They are every tangy little drop of life's magic. I could think of more emotions tied to tales of my life. If I weren't limited to examples of only a short few, I'd probably continue to write for hours. I could probably share endless amounts of oranges. Oranges are everything and anything to me. If life allows me, I hope to experience more oranges that can never fade away, for they are worth savoring every juicy detail.

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Authors Notes:

This is an essay written for my English 201 class for May 16th 2012.  The stories mentioned are true stories as I remember them.   What are YOUR oranges?

Strange Planet (W.E 19)

Exercise 19:

I don’t know about you, but my desktop wallpapers cycle.  In this exercise I’m going to allow my current desktop wallpaper to inspire me.

Strange Planet

A hole existed amongst all the space matter floating around.  That which floated about in space consisted of carbon, platinum, iron, helium, hydrogen, and so many other elements.  This deep dark hole didn’t discriminate.  It was so hungry for all of the matter floating around, that it sucked it all in.  It began to grow, like a fat kid consistently eating cake.  The thing about this ominous abyss was that the more it ate the more it grew the more hungry it became.  It then began to devour specific things.  An asteroid belt was the new desire of this deep black nothing. 

No, it wasn’t a nothing, it was a something.  This something was once a star that had exploded and collapsed.  It contained so much gravity within itself, that it couldn’t stop itself from collecting everything nearby.  Every little piece it left behind in the explosion now was a part of it once more.  Every fragment of gold, silver, copper, carbon, iron and everything else was now reunited.  It was becoming something new.  It was becoming something to inhabit.  It was becoming a planet. 

At the farthest reaches of this solar system floated luminous bright colors created by other super nova.  Pinks, purples, greens, blues, even yellows and oranges floated about, and yet were so unmoving.  Time simply stood still here.  It wasn’t the past, nor was it the present.  It could only be an unknown future.  Time flowed, yet it flowed so slowly that to the human mind it would appear nothing occurred. 

Over decades, over centuries, over millennia, mankind had observed the universe.  Documents told of different constellations, stars, and planets.  Yet over time everything changed.  It changed slowly, yet the change was seen but unseen.  One human life could never see the slow change.  How simple man, and how short one’s life.   No one could comprehend why time was so fast on Earth and yet so slow in space.

One day this black hole would become a planet.  One day particles from space would share in the growth of many new species.  It was a slow process.

“Captain, I believe I have discovered a new planet.” Navigator Fleece spoke without a shake in her voice.

“Very good navigator.  What are the specifications of this new planet?” The captain requested.

“It appears to have some strange force around it.  At this time we’re unsure what this matter contains.” She spoke with a clear voice.

“Well hurry up and find out imbecile.  Perhaps we can dock and refuel there.  Exploration is of interest to me.”  He spoke in a stern voice very arrogantly.

“We’re looking into it as we speak captain.”  She spoke as if she didn’t hear his insult, but deep within her stomach was a knot festering of anger.  He only ever treated her this way.  Perhaps it was because she was a woman.  She was the only woman of his crew.  “Kraft, try to pull us as close to this planet as possible, I’d like to get a reading on this new energy.”

Around the planet appeared to be some pink-yellow gas. It floated around in rings much like that of Saturn’s rings, but more scattered.  The planet was colored a deep purple-blue.  Specks of green and brown appeared in small patches.

                As navigator Kraft pulled closer to the planet sensors went off, and then stopped abruptly.

                “What is the source of these sensor screams?”  The captain spoke in a collected manner.  He appeared as if he had no fear at all.

                “I’m not quite sure sir.” Spoke science officer Cobalt.  “Our computers didn’t give us a direct reading.  Whatever it was, it’s gone now.”

                “Let me know if you discover anything further, I must rest.”  The captain turned and left through the only set of doors leading into the cockpit.  These doors were double doors with a zigzag down the middle.  They opened automatically when approached due to motion sensors.  They slid closed with a loud clank behind him.

                “Aren’t you going to voice your concern’s Flora?”  Cobalt asked of her.

                “Which concerns are those?”  Fleece asked as if she was clueless to his intent.

                “That he consistently calls you such harsh names, when you don’t deserve it.  You shouldn’t let him treat you that way, captain or not.”  He said, going over the monitors.

                “It’s not of your concern.”  She could hear his concern, but she wanted him to know that she wasn’t a weak minded fool.

                “Whatever.  I just think it’s dumb that just because he’s a captain…Well just because he’s a captain doesn’t give him the right to treat you like dirt, or any other woman for that matter.”  Cobalt voiced.

                “I think she can handle herself Chris.”  Kraft flashed a smile in Fleece direction.  She caught it and found herself unable to keep from blushing.  She couldn’t deny that she was very much attracted to him.

                Just then the sensors blared again before the power of the ship fluxed.  The computer screens and lights all flickered off for just a few seconds.  “Energy levels at 80%.”  The ship said in a very feminine voice.

                “What in space matter, do you guys see that?”  Kraft pointed through the windshield of the ship and saw flashing balls revolving around in the pink-yellow gas.  It was as if the planet itself had stolen some of the ships energy.  It was coming back around and then as if the ship itself had called it, the plasma flew directly at the ship.  The ship shook as if it had been hit by enemy fire.  The planet seemed to be attacking.

                “Damage minimal.  Taking evasive actions.”  The ship blared out once more and made distance between itself and the planet to what it believed was a safe distance.  It had taken the initiative and went into autopilot as a response to the attack….

Authors Note:

Due to being too tired to continue this at this moment, I’m leaving it open ended.  Please, if you’d like, continue this story in your own blog and share the results with me in a comment or on my twitter: @lylathewicked I may continue this at a later time.  This is the barebones unedited version of course.  Things may be changed around to better suit my needs.

The Boundary (W.E. 18)

Continue the story:
"Gleaming in the sun, a few clouds in the west obscuring its upper reaches, a continuous barrier of ice the height of a mountain stretched across the land as far as she could see, marking a boundary beyond which none could go." - Jean M. Auel (The Mammoth Hunters)

The Boundary

This boundary was made not by nature, but my mankind.  This mountain looked very real.  It appeared as if mother Earth herself had created it.  Unknown to the masses, this wall was nothing more than a Hologram.

Why has this boundary been created?  Because beyond this wall lies a secret meeting place of government officials.  This was their sanctuary in crisis.  It was their protection from the angry rebellion.  When they could not control they people they would hide away.  Cowards, all of them.

She knew the truth of the massive wall, yet she found herself without a soul to tell.  No one had ever accepted her.  She was different.  She never took words from anyone as literal meanings.  She sought the truth. There were secret words hidden by metaphors. Her motto was: "question everything."

It was simply chance that she'd discovered the false layers of this boundary.  She thought "What is a mountain if it is not worth climbing?"

The fact it was entirely ice did not deter her.  As she came to the wall, she tried to place her hand on what should have been a slippery cold ledge.  Instead her hand disappeared through it.  The false mountain before her rippled like a stone being thrown into water. She understood, this was not a wall she would ever climb.  It was a wall she could walk through.

Gathering all of the curiosity and courage within her, she took the next step.  She walked slowly forward, pushing both hands through.  The wall gave off two stone-like ripples.  Finally, deciding it was safe, she put her head through.  On the other side lay what appeared to be a technological society.  To her it appeared a palace.

She had known for many years, as everyone else had, this mountain was impassible.   It was entirely solid ice.  Now, she knew it was all a lie.

No one had questioned how mother Earth could have created a wall without mankind knowing it.  It was widely accepted.  Everyone accepted the words of the government as a truth.  She soon discovered why.

In mere moments she was surrounded by fleets of men.  They were the controllers and watchers of the boundary.  Though she was in trouble and knew it, she didn't try to run.  She found a truth no one else had taken the time to question.  The desire to climb this impassible wall had been the force behind the discovery.

As they bound her wrists and guided her through to the sanctuary, she had found comfort.  She knew deep down, she would not survive the night.  She had found something.  It had given her life a greater meaning.

She knew the truth of the boundary.  It was enough to bring a smile to her lips, a smile of which had never been seen by anyone.  She found herself unafraid of her fate.  She was proud of her discovery.

She would be the first of many to die on the opposite side of the holographic boundary.


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Authors note:
I was bored before my English class on April 18, 2012.  This is the result of that boredom. ;)