This short story is about the emotions we feel in certain situations. Writing this story was fun because I got think about every horror movie I've ever seen and put it all into one small paragraph. 

It's All In Your Head

Alex was alone when he heard the crash upstairs. He had been alone for several days after his parents and sister went on vacation to the Bahamas without him. He was grounded and was to remain at home until they got back. Alex, when he heard the crash, muted the television. He was unsure if what he heard was the TV or real life. Then came the smashing and crashing, and he knew that someone had broken into the house. With his heart pounding and his mind racing on what he should do, Alex made his way to the garage to grab a bat. When he reached the garage door he realized something, the noise upstairs had stopped. Alex, now sweating, quickly turned around and saw a man in a hockey mask and brandished with a machete, standing at the top of the staircase. Alex ran. He ran into the garage and began looking for his father's gun, but he couldn't find it. He ran inside, and the man was nowhere to be seen. His blood became ice cold when he was grabbed from behind and stabbed in the back.

This story of love is one that touches the heart directly. This story, based on an assignment where we listened to a song and wrote a story, will make you get butterflies in your stomach.

The Proposal

Tyler was deeply in love. All he could think about was her. Her dazzling smile, her long brown hair that would blow in the wind, and her sparkling eyes that shone brighter than the sun. She was his job, his hobby, and life. He knew that he could not let her escape like all the other ones did. He had decided a week ago that he was going to pop the question at some point, but he just couldn't gain the confidence to bring himself to ask her. There had been many opportunities. Tyler had taken her on a midnight walk through Central Park under the bright full moon, but the time just didn't feel right. He even took her to a Yankee game, her favorite team, but he pulled her head away before she could read the message on the board. However, today was the day for him. He was finally going to do. He had already gotten her father's blessing so there wouldn't be any awkward exchanges between the family, and he how her father felt about him. He had said that he couldn't have asked for a better son-in-law and he was confident he would become a great father in the future.Tyler agreed with his girlfriend, Nancy, over the phone that they were going to meet at the fanciest restaurant in town. She had begun to grow an increasing suspicion that Tyler was up to something, but she couldn't make out what it could possibly be.

8:00. Where could she be? Tyler, his hands shaking and his forehead beginning to sweat, was becoming increasingly worried. She is late, she's never later, so where is she, Tyler wondered. It was now 8:15 and she still wasn't here. If she wasn't here in 5 minutes he was going to leave. Right then, Nancy walked through the door and Tyler's jaw dropped. She was adorned in a long green dress and outfitted with diamond earrings and high heels. Tyler was paralyzed with fear as her beauty overcame his confidence and he now realized that this was real. He was really going to ask her and there was no going back. 

"Wow you look great," said Tyler.

"Thanks," said Nancy. "Sorry I'm late, there was so much traffic over the Brooklyn Bridge."

"It's perfectly fine. Please take a seat."

Sitting across from each other, Tyler slipped into a state of being in which he became extremely suave. His voice didn't crack, his hands stopped shaking, and he could carry on a conversation without having those weird silences in between. Towards the end of the dinner, where there food was finished and the dessert had been demolished, Tyler felt like now was the perfect time to ask. He swiftly got on one knee, pulled out the ring and proposed.

This piece of revision follows a man as he tries to decipher the meaning behind the strange house on Maple Street. Follow the twists and turns as a story, which is based off a black and white photo of a house, as it takes you on a journey. This mystery will enthrall you and leave you wanting more.

The House on Maple Street

Three blocks down and two blocks to the left was the house on Maple Street. Nobody knew who lived there, or what lived there, but we knew something lived there. The front yard was always trashed at night the attic light would always be on. When people walked down the street they would be sure to not linger in front of that house. People were especially nervous about this house because nobody could remember when it was put there. In the old town records, there were always photos and dates of the house, but never when the house was built and who bought it. What was really strange was that in the oldest photos of the city, the house was always there and it was always old looking and worn down. It didn’t make sense. My discovery of these things only led to the weirdest experience of my life, and the rehashing of old memories that just gave way to more trouble.

One day I was walking down Maple Street when I stopped in front of the auspicious house. I had the weirdest feeling something was watching me. I looked up at the house attic where I saw the faintest shadows of a person looking down at me. Quickly, I walked away, never raising my head and never looking back.

The next morning I flipped on the television to find that an entire family had been kidnapped. This included a mother, father, 12 year old, and their 7 month old baby. I let out a gasp of despair thinking to myself what has this world come to, that they think this is okay. I walked to the kitchen to get myself a cup of coffee, always exactly one cup, decaf, no sugar, lots of cream. While I was putting the cream in I heard a thump on the door which startled me and made me throw the cream everywhere. I stepped outside to see what the noise was. It was only the newspaper hitting the front door.

“That’s strange; the mailman normally throws it on my driveway.”

I picked up the paper and looked up. I couldn’t put my finger on it, but something looked slightly different about the neighborhood, but didn’t know what it was. I did find it a bit strange that I could see the brown house from way over here, when I couldn’t see it before, but I shrugged it off. I shuffled back inside and closed the door, however, immediately I heard a scream from outside. I ran to the phone to dial 911 to report what I had heard, but the phones were dead. Confused, I ran outside and gasped at what I saw. The entire neighborhood had disappeared. Every tree, house, and road had disappeared, except for the creepy house on Maple Street.

“What the hell is going on?” I yelled.

In the distance the front door of the house opened where the faint shadow of a person was cast against the door. The shadow disappeared into the house, but the door remained open. Scared out of my mind and unsure what to do next, I made my way over to the door. When I reached the front yard the door slammed shut. I opened the yard gate and slowly walked towards the door. I turned the door handle and walked inside.

The house was old and musty inside; it contained no furniture, and smelled terrible. I heard a door slam upstairs, followed by a shriek and a baby’s cry. I remembered the news report of the missing family earlier and ran up the stairs.

“Don’t worry, I’m coming,” I yelled. “Help is here!”

I busted through the door, but there was nothing in the room.

“I can’t believe this, where are they?”

The door downstairs slammed and the couple ran out the front door. To my surprise the neighborhood had returned to normal and it was a bright and sunny day. A passing man looked up at the house and saw me in the window. He then quickly ran away. I couldn’t believe it, why would he be scared of me? Then I realized, this was my house.

This compilation of quotes is meant to motivate those who need a little motivation in their lives. Reading these quotes will hopefully inspire to do something or achieve something that you truly desire. 

Famous Quotes

"The will to win, the desire to succeed, the urge to reach your full potential...these are the keys that will unlock the door to personal excellence."-Confucius

"If you don't design your own life  plan, chance are you'll fall into someone else's plan. And guess what they have planned for you? Not much."-Jim Rohn

"If you're going through hell, keep going."-Winston Churchill

"You have to learn the rules of the game. And then you have to play better than anyone else."-Albert Einstein

"Ever tried. Ever failed. No matter. Try Again. Fail Again. Fail Better."-Samuel Beckett

This point of view of Minna is based off of the short story Bill by Zona Gale. Minna tells the story of what her father went through but in her own point of view. Follow this 1st person point of view as it takes you down a curvy road.

Minna POV

I was four when mommy died in the train crash and my daddy was thirty. Daddy worked from home in his workshop everyday, but when he had to leave for a little while, our annoying neighbor would babysit me. Daddy was a great cook. He could make coffee, bacon, potatoes, and pancakes. I loved his cooking. He also cooked oatmeal and vegetables sometimes, but they were always burned and yucky. Daddy would also fix all my dresses and fixed my doll whenever she got ripped. One year I went to school where I would draw and learn my ABCs. One time my dad visited but seemed very confused and never came back. One day Daddy said he had to go to the doctor so our neighbor watched me. When he came back his face was pale and he wouldn't let me near him. Does he not love me anymore? He tells me to be a big girl, but I don't want to be a big girl, I want to hug my dad.

A lot of people are coming over now. One woman and her family came in a big limousine. The lady was really mean to her daughter. I don't like her. She said something about leaving her own daughter and taking me. I thought that was funny. Why would she take me? One day a man and a sad woman walked to the shop and my dad said they were the ones and to give him one day.

Today Daddy spent the whole day in his shop. He just sat there and stared. He looked sad . When he tucked me into bed I told him I wanted to be a little girl, but he reminded me to stay a big girl.

This morning my dad washed me up real nice, fixed my doll, packed my bags, and told me to be a big girl. Then the same family from the day before pulled up and gave me a pretty umbrella. They took me to their car and I didn't even give my dad a second glance. 

This piece of descriptive writing reflects where I grew up as a child. This was my favorite place to be in the house, and although it may not be a room, it may as well be for that was where I lived. This descriptive piece will make you rethink what you appreciate and life rekindle old memories and will hopefully lead you to create new ones. 

Room Sweet Room

Gazing into the treetops, I sit in the brown, freshly painted chairs as I watch the squirrels hop from tree to tree. This area is a place of solitude, but is bustling with millions of different ecosystems doing their part for one whole environment. This is the place where I discovered gold, saved the Indians, and walked on the moon, and all as an 8 year old. I grew up in this backyard, however, recently we have grown apart. I don't have the time now to hang out with my microscopic friends, as school and family have caused to become distant. Writing this brings back nostalgia of watching my dog play as a puppy, sniffing every crook and cranny, taking in her new surroundings. The dog next door always greeting me at the fence as we rekindle our friendship that was lost and regained the day before. I have remodeled this backyard a million times, installing plants, moving rocks, creating a majestic garden. This garden filled with new fruits and vegetables and lined with our own personal grape orchard. The fruits of our labor becoming evident when picking time comes and we can enjoy the berries that we crave. My backyard is beautiful and I love being in it, however, it does have a dark side. Past the lawn and the blooming rose bushes, lies a downward sloping hill, as thick as the Amazon and as wild as the Great Plains of Africa. Down there lies rattlesnake families and bur plants that create a havoc in my dog's fur. Down there is where I choose no I demand no one to enter, for if you go down there, you will be lost forever. This backyard has a mind of its own. Changing with the seasons and either rewarding us with fruit and nice summer days, or destroying us with raccoons and turkeys eating away at our plants and causing us dismay. My backyard is where I grew up and where I hope to replace nostalgia with new memories.  

This poem is based off Wallace Steven's Poem, "13 Ways of Looking at a Blackbird," in which he describes a blackbird in thirteen different ways. This poem follows that concept, but instead follows the escapades of a single piece of rope.

13 Ways Of Looking At Rope

I. Among the aisles of Home Depot

Lies the still threads

Of a singular piece of rope

II. The rope waits patiently

Silent as the light breeze

Excited to be chosen

III. You pull the rope

Attached to the curtain

As you open a new setting 

For the stage

IV. Ropes gather together

joining together to make one rope

V. The rope has been

around longer than written history

VI. A rope necklace drapes around his neck

He is flying above the crowd

Like a cloud of menacing terror

VII. How do you expect me 

To talk to you 

With a rope constricting my throat

VIII. The rope hitting the ground

In circular rhythm.

Children jump to reveal happy lives 

IX. The ropes braided chords

Spiral around each other

Like a double helix, they cling

To each other

X.All together 

The strength of many

Used to pull the Trojan horse

XI. Rapunzel's long hair is used

To climb up into her tower

Kind of like the rope

Everyone has to climb in gym class

XII. Careful of hangman's rope

It'll use you to heal itself

While it drains your life

XIII. Aisle after aisle,

Row after row,

Until the one section

Where the little rope lay