A Clean Modern Well-lighted Place

A Clean Well-lighted place has many differences between the story and the video. Over all I liked the passage best because of how perfect everything seems to fit together. The video was not very well pieced together because of the fact that they were Irish.

I did not like how they changed the characters from Hispanic to Irish. It caused them to loose the whole meaning of the scene at the bar. The word nada was obviously important because they repeated it several times.

The story takes place in the 1930's but it is obvious that the video does not. If you look around the bar, it is very much like a restaurant you and your family would go out to eat. They also had very modern lamp posts and on the outside of the building, the box the menu was in was also very new.

The Blind Night

Authors note: This was a free writing piece that I wrote whenI was bored. It is supposed to be a cliff hanger but the reader gets to kind of play around with what some of the things mean and what had happened during the story.

I could tell something was wrong. Even before I stumbled upon the puddle of blood I knew something was wrong. The night hung in the air, a crisp breeze stinging my body with bites like a bee sting. I saw nothing but a few trees directly in front of me, the rest of the forest covered by the white creepy fog, like the kind you see in horror movies right before something bad happens. It was a surreal feeling of the silence all around you.  Every nerve in my body told me to run away as fast as I could, but I stayed. I stayed because I was not going to go back out of the supposedly murderer infest woods to face a bunch of bully’s. I was not going to be coming home with a black eye tonight. No I was not. I kept walking over the fall leaves on the ground. I purposely stepped in a pile of crunchy leaves, but they didn't make a sound. Strange I thought. I decided to forget about it.

I sprang around to the path behind me when I heard footsteps coming. As the person turned the corner, I saw who it was, my best friend Emily. “Emily what are you doing here?!  Those guys aren't after you! Why did you come in her?” My voice was soft but urgent. I was worried for her. I knew it wasn't safe in here. But I took the risk because I thought the risk of staying out was greater.

“I didn’t want you to be alone. I know your mad at me but don’t be. I’m your best friend and I’m allowed to take risks for you. Besides nothing is gonna happen. Those are just stories.” She rolled her eyes at me.

“Well I still think that this is a bad idea for you to come with me, but there’s obviously no chance I’m going to be able to get you out of here without me... Besides your right. Those are just stories…” Despite being worried for her, I was sort of glad in a jealous way that she was here with me.

We started moving again, chatting as we walked. I stopped abruptly when I realized what I had just stepped in. A scream gurgled in my throat but no sound came out. I felt frozen to the spot unmoving.  Emily stopped and turned around when she realized I had stopped. As she looked at me and at the puddle of blood at my feet I could see her piecing the scenes together. 

"Don't scream." I warned her. I moved out of the puddle and bent down next to it. "Its still wet so its fresh. That means whoever did this is still here."  A look of mixed horror and fear splashed across Emily's face. I stood up and wiped my foot off in a pile of leaves.

 I stepped forward to comfort her when I heard a twig snap behind me. I knew it wasn't either one of us because there was no twig around where I was moving and Emily was frozen in shock. I spun around to face that direction. I slowly backed up towards Emily, but not taking m eyes off of the woods in front of me. I reached my arm out to touched Emily to make sure she was there. But she wasn't there. I reached out again desperately trying to slash away the air to find her. She was gone. 

I turned around and sprinted down the path the way we had come. The puddle of blood already gone from my mind. "Emily!" I screamed over and over again hoping she would here me. When I stopped to catch my breath, I heard a slight whimper coming from the woods. I quickly froze and  strained to hear more. "Help! I can't see anything! Where am I?" It was a whimper but I heard it. I could tell it was Emily but she spoke with such an urgency I was scared for her.

As I cleared the bushes I saw her laying on the ground. Her eyes where wide open and she was looking around frantically.  "Hello? Who is that?" She questioned at the sound of my footsteps. 

"Emily can't you see me?" 

"Oh thank goodness it's you."

"Emily you didn't answer my question." I turned her face towards mine and looked into her eyes. Right there I saw the worst thing in the world. I saw a veil of fog covering her eyes. My best friend, the very one who came into the haunted woods with me so I wouldn't be alone, was blind now. I helped her up and guided her to the path. I then started slowly walking towards the hospital.

The puddle of blood would have to wait.

Fire is clean

 "Take your fight outside. Better yet, into the incinerator. Funerals are unhappy and pagan? Eliminate them too. Five minutes after a person is dead he's on his way to the Big Flue, the Incinerator's serviced by helicopters all over the country. Ten minutes after death a man's a speck of black dust. Let's not quibble over individuals with memoriums. Forget them. Burn all, burn everything. Fire is bright and fire is clean."

This was meaningful because it really shows the plot of the book. The last line shows that they believe burning things, will solve all of there problems, because fire is clean.

Finding Safe Haven

Jadin trudged the thick forest under the heavy canopy, partly limping. A expression of grim determination covered her face as if it were wall paper. Over the past few weeks, stress had drawn wrinkles permanently into her forehead.  Jadin's  long black hair hung in her face with snarls clumped together. Blood streaked her body leaving black, dried blood crusted among her wounds. If anyone had seen her like this on a regular day, they would have called 911 and held their children back. But today, Jadin did not care about her looks, because today was not a regular day, and she was running out of time.

 If she did not find the Safe Haven in hour… she would never live to see the light of another day. They were after her, and she knew it. Their advantage came from their speed and their numbers. They had all the cars and trucks and hounds sprinting through the forest looking for her. 

Jadin flung her cell phone out and dialed a number that had become very familiar as if it were her own. She laid down in the tall under rush just in case they were close and rolled in puddle the water spring had created. There, her smell was momentarily disguised. She stayed in the mud while the phone rang but it only got to 2 rings before someone answered.

"Password?" A very gruff voice asked.

"The Underbrush is standing tall, Jadin speaking" Jadin replied evenly.

The voice immediately changed into what it really was, a high pitched squeaky voice of the eight year old  James, "Jadin! How good it is too hear your voice again! Have you found us yet? I know it isn't the easiest but I gave you those clues and all…" He obviously hadn't talked to anyone in a while, "But I'm guessing you probably figured it all out and know we are on the bank of the Pacific Ocean…"

"What! You could have just told me that! I've been traveling in the wrong direction for two whole hours! James!" My anger was fuming.

"Oh… you're right. I should have told you."

"I have to go. I can hear  them coming." My voice lowered to a whisper. I quietly snapped the phone shut and slid it into my pocket. I laid as still as I could as I listened to the boots trudging in front of me.  The boots walking around meant that they didn’t know I was here. Good.

The boots stopped and every noise in the forest ceased to exist as if someone had pressed mute on a remote.

I laid in the mud trying hard to breathe as quiet as I could. I looked up at the sky and my breath caught in my throat.

“Game over Jadin.” He spoke with a nasty snarl before he brought his hand down on me and I blacked out. 

Flower's of Despair

Authors Note: I wrote this piece as a quick short story and then decided to use it. In the end, don't worry Jennifer is not dead!!

I stared off into the darkness. It has to be here somewhere! I thought harshly.


What has to be here? The words came from somewhere in my head.


Go away Bella. I’m not in the mood.


But I am, Jennifer. Besides… I’m getting a little bored all closed up in here. I think it’s time to break through my cell and trick the guard into switching. Bella thought the last sentence with a smile.


No! Please just wait! But I knew it was already too late, I could feel the switch happening I tried to keep moving to keep her distracted and to keep myself in control. As I moved I could feel myself losing power. My right arm hung lifelessly against my side, my left one starting to join it. My legs began to strain as I pushed them harder and harder. My right leg went limp and I fell to my left knee. I would not give my body up to Bella. I slowly used my left knee to push myself further, dragging the rest of my body along with it.


Just give up already! You are never going to win! Bella screamed at me.


I will not give up. I will never quit fighting you! I countered. A tingling began at my foot and continued all the way up my leg. As it reached my mid- thigh, I lost feeling and could tell I had lost it too. The world began to fade into blackness and I closed my eyes, accepting my fate.

Human Season Wheel

Summer, fall, winter, and spring are all season on the season wheel,  we watch it turn all around. As the wheel goes round and round, we watch some spokes shine and some darken. Sometimes it's almost if our heart and soul were attached to it with strings.

 In Spring many things are reborn. Fresh starts are given to every tree and blossom, and it is in that time that we are the trees and the blossoms, reaching out to those we've pushed away.

In Summer the  sun shines and many colors change. In those times we are the many things, our skin darkening, or blistering in the summer sun. Giggles and laughs are formed with quite a few from beaches and pools.

In Fall the leaves change colors, and it is in that time that we become the leaves as we change moods. When the leaves fall, we are in our moment of glory looking beautiful and glorious and when we hit the ground it's time for another to shine in the gorgeous fall sunshine rays.

In Winter the snow falls, covering the leaves with a blanket of snow and in this time we have stayed the leaves covered in a grand old quilt. The quilt causes drowsiness and depression when all things are so tired, some tired than most and burying down in a quiet little hole and hibernating from the cold harsh weather.