'some things have to happen'
writing comp entry - 1511 words
this is mostly from my weekly
tw: mentions of death

It was just going to be a normal day with the family.
It was just going to be an amazing trip overseas.
It was, at least.
No one would know, that by the end of that day, one person would be dead and everyone would be in hysterics.
These were the thoughts that Nico had as the doctor, with a concerned face and sad but serious tone, announced that Thana was dead.
His parents were crying and wrapping their arms around each other and him, but Nico just sat there, slack with numb.
Then he excused himself to the bathroom, where he cried his heart out, his eyes going blurry in spite of tears.
This can't be real.
This can't be real.
This can't be real.
But this was now a reality, and he would never get to see Thana again.
His mind flashed back to the moment, the stumble, his scream-
The sanitiser smell of the bathroom was not helping his shallow breathing and panicked heartbeat.
Getting a handful of tissues, Nico slowly opened the door and walked down the hallway, back to the hard and cold chairs, feeling wobbly.
'I can't process this,' he thought.
His parents' cheeks had tear stains on them, and the doctor was still there, trying his best to comfort them.
“Can I see her?” Nico asked, his voice all small and squeaky.
The doctor furrowed his brow and sighed.
“I'm afraid not.”
“But…”
Tears came down again
The next second he knew, he was in the back of the car, going to the hotel.
“We have to go home.” His father said in a hollow voice.
'Home' would not be home without Thana. ‘Home’ would not be home without his older sister.
A lump in his throat developed, and he glanced across at the car seat Thana had always claimed hers.
It would never be now.
He closed his eyes.
This can't be real.
This can't be real.
This can't be real.

“Please!” Nico muttered, burying his face in a pillow and staining it with his tears. “Please. I can't live without her… this can't be real.”
The moment they got to the hotel, Nico flung himself into the hotel closet and found an abandoned pillow.
He sobbed.
Until a bright light shone through the pillow, through his eyelids, and completely startled him. Nico lifted his face off the pillow, rubbed his eyes, and saw… a circular thing floating.
“Huh?”
A strong voice sounded in his ear.
“Maybe this will teach you something. This is a time traveling portal, and it will bring you to the start of today. Good luck…”
Nico jumped up and banged his head on something, but was too jittery to care. His mourning suddenly turned into determination, and he was insistent on saving his sister.
He took a deep breath and stepped in.
A whirl of colours, a whooshing sound, and dizziness brought him away from the present.

Nico found himself in the tiny hotel bed, staring up at the ceiling. He checked the clock sleepily.
Six-thirty.
From the room he was in, he could hear the snore of his sister, and the footsteps of his mother, already awake.
He took a deep breath.
'I can do this. I'll save Thana.'
Nico got up from his bed, turned on the lights, and got dressed.
He then spent time pacing his room, with the question of how.
'How' exactly would he save Thana? ‘How’ would he stop her from falling?
His thoughts were interrupted by a soft knocking on the door, and Thana's head poked in.
“Time for breakfast, bro.”
Nico took a moment to take her face in, to stare at her hair and eyes and mouth and nose, to remember everything about her. Her dark, wavy hair that always flopped over her face. The soft cave-in of her cheeks where her dimples were. And her voice- the singsong tone of it, calling him bro. Acknowledging the fact that she was going to die.
'But I'll save her,' his thoughts scrambled.
“Nico? You look like you've seen a ghost,” Thana joked, though her eyes were serious.
“U-um, yeah…?” Nico stuttered, then cleared his throat. “Coming.”
At the breakfast table, his family was chatting. To him, everything seemed surreal. Nico poked at his food (toast and baked beans), his stomach in knots.
Around and around his thoughts bubbled:
I have to save her.
This is my only chance.
After breakfast, when cleaning plates, Thana pulled Nico aside. “You seem off,” she commented, looking into his eyes.
“I'm fine.”
His parents announced that they were going to the bridge, Golden Gate Bridge. Normally this would be exciting.
But not today.

Nico's family piled into the car. He checked his watch.
7:45, it read.
'She fell at around 8:50,' Nico thought. ‘Maybe all I can do is keep her away from the bridge.’
That was useless though, and he knew. It had been one of Thana's dreams to walk the Golden Gate Bridge.
That left the question again: how?
How?
Before he knew it, the time had leapt to 8:15 and they were getting off the car. Many people were around, and Nico felt squashed.
“Oh!” Thana exclaimed, seeing the bridge. “Oh! It's amazing.”
Despite being nearly fourteen, she was still awed by the sight of a bridge.
Their parents brought some ice cream for them and took many photos.
Nico felt sick and passed off his ice cream. He couldn't help but feel that there was still going to be consequences.
“Let's walk on it now,” his mother suggested, pointing to the bridge.
Nico's heart lept into his throat.
It was time for the stroll.
'I wish I could stop time,' Nico thought frantically. “I don't know what to do.”
Going on the footpath on the bridge, Nico was anxious.
“What if I can't do it?” he whispered under his breath.
Thana shot him a suspicious look.
“Stomach ache,” he whispered.
Thana made an ah sound, but Nico could still feel her stare.
He just stuck to Thana's side and watched every move she made.
She walked. She skipped. She talked to herself.
Before long, her eyes clouded over, like someone was giving her bad news. She took a deep breath, and-
“Wait!” Nico whisper-screamed. “Why?”
“Why what?”
“You can't fool me. You're about to jump!”
Thana looked at him directly in the eyes, like she always did. She clasped his hand.
“You'll understand soon. Some things need to be done. Even if you convinced… him to turn back time…”
Her eyes were glowing. Her face… her body was glowing. She was glowing.
“I'm sorry to leave you. Some things in life have to happen.”
Thana sighed.
“Goodbye.”
And with that, she let go of his hand, stumbled, and fell, with Nico hollering after her.
He sank to the floor.
'I had a second chance.'
'But she's gone now.'
Hearing the ambulance's wails made it harder.
All he could do was close his eyes and wish everything to go away.

That night, he couldn't sleep.
He had a lump in his throat.
His heart felt heavy, and he sat on the side of the bed, thinking nothing but everything at once.
Everything that had happened before happened again. But this time, Nico was mourning his sister much more.
Along with his grief came a new element: guilt.
I had a second chance. Why did I fail? he kept asking himself.
Maybe if I convinced her to not jump. Maybe if I had grasped onto her tightly.
“All those ‘maybes’ will never help.” a voice said. “You'll just fall into a rabbit hole of what ifs.”
Nico gasped and blinked his eyes. “Thana?”
And sure enough, there she was, like a ghost.
“I am a ghost.”
“You can hear my thoughts?” Nico asked, flabbergasted.
“Yup.”
Suddenly, Nico's shock became rage.
“Why? Why did you fall?” he cried. “I can't live without you!”
“I have a reason. A good one.”
“Tell me.”
“I'm afraid you'll have to find out by yourself. And don't feel guilty for my death. You couldn't have stopped me,” Thana continued, her voice in a melancholy sing-song.
“There was no other choice for me, Nico. It was for the greater good.
”I can't be here for much longer. Remember, not all things can be prevented. Not all things should be prevented. Some things have to happen. Be strong. Love you.“
Just as quickly as she appeared, she melted into the darkness.

He lay in bed, a feeling of loneliness washing over him.
He thought about the day again, rubbing his eyes.
Replaying her fall. Replaying all the things he did, how he was so determined to save her.
He remembered the voice of the portal.
”Maybe this will teach you something,“ the voice had said.
Nico thought about his sister's words again.
”It was all for the greater good.“
”Not all things can be prevented… Not all things should be prevented… Some things have to happen.“
The last two words she had told him.
”Love you."

Finding Home

Not Home
Rei trudged home.
The pavement was wet after a short drizzle. Puddles formed in small holes.
Rei stared at one of them, her reflection appearing in the water.
She examined her sunflower-yellow eyes that used to be brighter.
Rei stomped in the puddle and started running. Running away from those idyllic memories that could never happen again.
Rei reached the apartment. She walked up the steps, slowly, while counting.
19, 20
First floor.
…
78, 79
Home.
Or is it?
Rei has never known how home felt like ever since Ma left.
She stopped in front of the door, and without trying to, she could hear the voices of Eliza and Papa arguing.
Rei barged in, saying loudly, “I'm back!”
The fighting stopped abruptly.
-
That morning, a word made her decide to run away.
“… divorce.”
Rei stuffed some snacks and two water bottles into her backpack. She was about to leave when something caught her eye.
A doll. Rei grabbed it and stuffed it in her pack.
Then, she opened her bedroom window and used the pipes to climb down. It wasn’t really that high. Even if it was, she wouldn’t have been able to notice with hot tears clouding her vision.
Before her feet even touched the blades of grass, she turned and started running toward the place where her childhood was spent the most— the Treehouse in the Tree.
Rei stopped in front of the Tree, which looked the same as it was 8 years ago.
She ran her hand over the rough bark, which had scraped her hands and knees countless times. The trunk of the Tree itself was extremely thick. The equally thick foliage had different shades of green, easily concealing the Treehouse, where Rei and…used to play.
Without a second thought, Rei scaled the Tree quickly then climbed from branch to branch, reaching the Treehouse.
She was standing there, taking in the surroundings, when sounds of rustling and grunting caught Rei off guard.
She quickly hid in a far corner and used her eyes to observe the young boy the same age as her emerge from the foliage.
“Hiro?!”
The memories came flooding back.
The boy jumped. “Rei??”
“What are you doing here?”
“I could ask you the same thing.”
“Yeah, but I asked you first.”
Hiro huffed. “Well, you see-” he started.
“Have you been coming here?”
Hiro flushed. “Um, yeah I guess. Now what are you doing here?”
Rei sat down on the closest chair. “Needed some space. And peace.”
“What's wrong?”
“Eliza demanded a divorce.”
Silence.
Rei cleared her throat. “Are you starting to get along with your foster parents?”
“They’re fine.”
Silence.
“I’m tired. Going to sleep. You don’t need to stay,” Rei said, trying but failing to hide the note of desperation in her voice.
“Nah. I’m tired too. Those two stayed up screaming while watching a tennis match.”
And they slept.

Different World
Rei woke up to the sound of water splashing against the sides of the Tree and the cool wind sharp against her warm face.
She sat up, shocked, remembering the last place she had fallen asleep was in a Tree that was stuck in the soil.
But this, this was water.
It was a crystal clear mirror that stretched out for miles, its height reaching only just above the Tree’s roots.
“Hiro! Hiro! Dangit, why do you sleep so deep????”
“Wh-what?”
“WE’RE SURROUNDED BY WATER!”
“No way that’s possible,” he said, looking out the window. “No… way…How’re we going to survive here?”
“I only brought two water bottles and some snacks.”
Hiro rubbed his nose. “We’ve got to be dreaming…”
“Heyy!!!” They heard shouting outside.
Rei rushed out to the window.
There were two creatures with glossy blue skin and white hair. Their eyes were like crystals, indecisive on what color to take. They were probably twins. “How did you get here?”
“Um… Who are you?”
They giggled. “We should ask you that. Do you need help?”
“Why yes we do!” Hiro jumped in. “How do we get home, earth?”
The first child's eyes widened. “Earth?”
The second nudged the first. “Perhaps Papa will know.”
“Yes, yes! We should bring them to Papa!”
“Perhaps he will know how to help you. Come with us!”
Rei climbed down the Tree. Hiro quickly grabbed her arm. “Umm… Rei, what if they’re hostile?”
She shook her head. “I have this thing… I can tell if a person has bad intentions. They're perfectly pure.”
She saw the doubt on Hiro’s face. “Ugh, whatever, I’m going. Come if you want.” Rei jumped off the Tree into the water. Not long later, another splash came from behind. “I’m not going to let you go with some creepy blue kids.”
-
“Come here!” One said, beckoning them closer. “I am Ashoka, she is Chione!”
Hiro frowned. “Wait, those are real human names.”
Ashoka nodded, grinning. “Because our papa like humans!” He poked both of them. the duo flinched.
“Oh, uh… I'm Rei, he's Hiro.”
Ashoka grinned even wider. “Hieee!!”
Chione elbowed him. “Quick, show them the entrance!”
“I was going to,” he pouted, and then jumped.
To Hiro and Rei’s shock, the water swallowed him.
“Humans first!” Chione smiled.
“Umm… Ladies first?” Hiro said.
Rei rolled her eyes and felt the place Ashoka disappeared with her toe. It was solid.
“Close your eyes, Rei!”
“Ah.” Rei closed her eyes, sucked in a lungful of air, and jumped.
-
It felt like sinking into soft jelly, suffocating at first until Rei opened her eyes… and forgot where she was.
The bright light from above shone through the ripples of the water, shining on the city before her. Breathing was like breathing air, but perhaps thicker.
How was she breathing?
“When Ashoka poked you, he gave you the ability to breathe in our lands,” said Chione, close to her, a Hiro in awe.
“Come with us.”
-
They passed through a market. Rei saw a pink slimy tentacle; a bouquet of multicolored flowers that looked like fingers and many more weird things.
The twins led them to a house.
“Papa! These humans need help!”
Behind a curtain emerged an older replica of Ashoka.
Rei looked at him and paled. “We've got to get out of here.”
“What?” Hiro exclaimed.
“Call me Joqein.” His voice wasn't as deep as you thought, perhaps like a male teen going through puberty.
But Rei saw him. Just like you can look at the crinkles of one's eyes to confirm if they are smiling genuinely, Rei saw a dark glint deep in the depths of those crystal eyes.
Joqein knew that. In a second, he was behind the duo. With his knuckle, they were out like a light.

Caged
“-ei!”
“Rei!”
Rei sat up immediately, noting the darkness in her surroundings.
Opposite her, was a glaring Hiro.
“You said they weren't hostile.”
“I said that the twins weren't hostile.”
“Whatever. How are we going to get out?”
She shrugged. “I left our provisions in the Treehouse.”
Hiro's tummy grumbled in response. “Welp.”
“What time is it?”
“Rei, didn't you realize that this place is never dark?”
“Huh.”
Hiro sighed. “Maybe we should sleep.”
It took too long for Rei to fall asleep. Creeping in her mind was her Papa, worried sick, talking to the police, calling Ma…As she was drifting off, she heard voices.
“Papa's gonna kill us for this.”
Chione?
“Umm… not literally right?”
Ashoka!
“I don't think so,” Rei found herself blurting out.
“Rei!” They shouted.
They ran over to their cell, brandishing a key.
“Woah, how did you get that?” Rei marveled.
“Tell you later. Come! We have to go! Wake that friend of yours.”
Rei looked at Hiro, still snoring. She grabbed his face and shouted, “WAKE UP!” quietly enough so that no one outside would hear, but loudly enough so that Hiro's amber eyes flicked open and scrambled out of Rei's grasp.
“Holy cheese Rei, one day you're going to appear in my nightmares.”
“Yes, cheese are holey! Now come on, let's get out of here!”
Hiro grinned. “Well, slay.”
-
“So we got keys from Papa while hugging him.”
“Then we stole this orb from his study. It can teleport. But not to surface.”
“Then we creep here when we're supposed to be sleeping.”
“Then get you out! Also, here is some food!”
They presented a packet of chewy green cubes. Without hesitation, Hiro took one and popped it into his mouth. “Yums. Tastes like caramel!”
Rei took a cube and ate it. It tasted like caramel, not the overly sweet kind, the one with a little salt at the side. It made her full.
“We overheard Papa talking to an official about how he could finally study human life!”
“We were going to be used as experiments?” Hiro said, horrified.
Chione giggled. “Also, did you know that we've been speaking English this entire time? Our native language is too hard for humans to understand. One time, after a human visited, Papa decided for us to learn basic English.”
However, Rei was only half listening. “How’re we going to get back?”
Ashoka stomped his feet. “We're not done! The thing is, this human arrived AND left in a Tree!”
-
“Grab on to us,” Ashoka said, him and Chione holding the orb. Rei and Hiro took a twin and held on to their arm. “I've never done this before, hope it works-” Ashoka shouted an unintelligible word.
“Wait, wha-”
It felt like a rubber band being pulled… then let go. It sucked out all the air inside of them, and for a few horrifying seconds, Rei's intrusive thoughts screamed “WE'RE GOING TO DIE!”
Then they were released.
They heard shouts, Joqein was coming after them! Ashoka pushed the orb into Rei's hands.
“Take this, I'll try to hold them. Quick, close your eyes and jump!”
Rei did as she was told.
She was emerging out of the jelly, and with a pop, the jelly spat her out.
It was strange breathing in the pure air after the slight thickness under the water.
She had to gasp a few times to even out her breathing.
Suddenly, the Tree started vibrating.
Ashoka immediately jumped to his feet and pushed them to the Tree. Rei didn’t realize they were there. “Go! Go! They are coming!”
They sloshed in the water and reached the Tree. Rei scrambled up, just like the day she ran away. Hiro came after her. At the Treehouse, the duo waved goodbye at the twins. “Come visit again!” they said.
A sudden decision striking Rei, she took her bag and grabbed the doll. She threw it down. “Keep it! It's for you!”
Then, suddenly, violent winds blew, obscuring the duo's sight.
They were going home.

Real Home
When the winds cleared, they were back in the familiar place.
The Tree was rooted in the ground.
And there- there was the apartment.
Hiro was looking the other way. “I'mma go check on my foster parents now. See ya.”
Rei smiled and nodded. She watched him clamber down and shoot off in the direction he was looking, before slowly climbing down the Tree.
She trudged toward her apartment, like the very day before she decided to run away.
But this time, she was looking forward to going back.
She climbed the steps.
She felt something heavy in her pocket.
The orb. She counted the steps.
…78, 79
Home.
Or is it? She had thought.
Yes it is, Rei replied.
Behind the door was quiet.
She opened the door tentatively. Papa looked up, his dull eyes lighting up. “Rei…” he said, arms wide. She ran in without hesitation. For the first time, she felt like she was really home.
The door opened again. “I'm sorry for being so late, I came as soon as possible, there was a horrible traffic jam, I-”
“Ma?” Rei's voice sounded timid.
“Rei?” she sobbed and joined in the hug. “Oh Lord, I thought you ran away.”
“I did,” she said, voice muffled. “But I came back.”
1995 words (i had to reduce it so much! original was, what, 2000+?!)

geography homework part 2 - 660 words (fun fact my entire document is 666 words long hah)

Because of climate change, the world as we know it is being drastically altered. Climate change is endangering many incredible species, including our own. Not only does it affect the fauna on Earth, but our breath-taking ecosystems are also at risk of harm. The changes in temperature and precipitation caused by climate change are negatively impacting on humans and ecosystems. Do you really want to be another contributing factor to the ultimate destruction of our planet?

First off, what is climate change? Climate change is the change that a region or area experiences to their average conditions over a long period of time. This includes the said region’s temperature, rainfall, and much more.

Climate change affects us more than you may think. It changes the entire world in many ways, including things such as the rising of sea levels, the shrinking of mountain glaciers, and the increase in the average global air temperatures. In fact, the past five or so years have been the warmest in centuries, and the global temperature has increased by 1.1°C since the preindustrial times. Talk about some warm weather!

Something important to note about climate change is that it affects the rainfall and water all around Earth. NASA studies indicate that the rising temperatures associated with climate change would intensify the Earth's water cycle. This means that there would be increased evaporation, which will result in more frequent and intense storms. The affected areas would receive a higher risk of flooding, but areas further away would be more at risk of drought.

According to Upmanu Lall, director of the Columbia Water Centre, most of the impacts of climate change come down to water. Climate change is closely associated with global warming, and in a warmer world, the heat would suck up more water from oceans, lakes, soil, and plants. Conditions on Earth would be a lot drier in many places, and this will negatively impact agriculture and water supplies. Our water resources are being adversely impacted by the devastating effects of climate change.

As mentioned earlier, climate change affects our ecosystems in a wide variety of ways. It truly is an important environmental influence, but that isn’t always a good thing. The warming of the Earth may force species to migrate to higher latitudes to survive, and the rising of sea levels may cause saltwater intrusion into freshwater systems, forcing some key species to relocate, or die. These are only a few examples of the affects and impacts of climate change on these vital ecosystems. Only a heartless monster could stand by, watching innocent creatures die horrific deaths like this. Are you a heartless monster too, or are you willing to be different?

Climate change has been described by the World Health Organization as the biggest health risk of the 20th century. It directly affects human health by the increased intensity and frequency of the extreme weather events and indirectly affects us by the worsening of air quality and changes in the spread of infectious diseases. Because their immune systems haven't fully developed, children are at risk of negative health affects due to this. They are more sensitive to exposure to air pollution, and they're more likely to harmed by heat stress and dehydration.

The fact that the air would be so much warmer due to climate change could also endanger human lives. A study by Columbia University's Lamont-Doherty Earth Observatory found that the higher humidity would cause the future higher temperatures to make some places around Earth unbearably hot. This would be caused by the humidity blocking the cooling effects of sweat.

You simply can’t deny that climate change is slowly destroying our world, and it’s foolish to suggest otherwise. All these negative impacts that climate change has, like the deaths of many incredible animals, and the heating of our Earth, are so much harm. It’s clear to see that humans and ecosystems are being negatively affected by the alterations that climate change causes.

return home here

AsteriaTheNightWing wrote:

geography homework part 2 - 660 words (fun fact my entire document is 666 words long hah)

Because of climate change, the world as we know it is being drastically altered. Climate change is endangering many incredible species, including our own. Not only does it affect the fauna on Earth, but our breath-taking ecosystems are also at risk of harm. The changes in temperature and precipitation caused by climate change are negatively impacting on humans and ecosystems. Do you really want to be another contributing factor to the ultimate destruction of our planet?

First off, what is climate change? Climate change is the change that a region or area experiences to their average conditions over a long period of time. This includes the said region’s temperature, rainfall, and much more.

Climate change affects us more than you may think. It changes the entire world in many ways, including things such as the rising of sea levels, the shrinking of mountain glaciers, and the increase in the average global air temperatures. In fact, the past five or so years have been the warmest in centuries, and the global temperature has increased by 1.1°C since the preindustrial times. Talk about some warm weather!

Something important to note about climate change is that it affects the rainfall and water all around Earth. NASA studies indicate that the rising temperatures associated with climate change would intensify the Earth's water cycle. This means that there would be increased evaporation, which will result in more frequent and intense storms. The affected areas would receive a higher risk of flooding, but areas further away would be more at risk of drought.

According to Upmanu Lall, director of the Columbia Water Centre, most of the impacts of climate change come down to water. Climate change is closely associated with global warming, and in a warmer world, the heat would suck up more water from oceans, lakes, soil, and plants. Conditions on Earth would be a lot drier in many places, and this will negatively impact agriculture and water supplies. Our water resources are being adversely impacted by the devastating effects of climate change.

As mentioned earlier, climate change affects our ecosystems in a wide variety of ways. It truly is an important environmental influence, but that isn’t always a good thing. The warming of the Earth may force species to migrate to higher latitudes to survive, and the rising of sea levels may cause saltwater intrusion into freshwater systems, forcing some key species to relocate, or die. These are only a few examples of the affects and impacts of climate change on these vital ecosystems. Only a heartless monster could stand by, watching innocent creatures die horrific deaths like this. Are you a heartless monster too, or are you willing to be different?

Climate change has been described by the World Health Organization as the biggest health risk of the 20th century. It directly affects human health by the increased intensity and frequency of the extreme weather events and indirectly affects us by the worsening of air quality and changes in the spread of infectious diseases. Because their immune systems haven't fully developed, children are at risk of negative health affects due to this. They are more sensitive to exposure to air pollution, and they're more likely to harmed by heat stress and dehydration.

The fact that the air would be so much warmer due to climate change could also endanger human lives. A study by Columbia University's Lamont-Doherty Earth Observatory found that the higher humidity would cause the future higher temperatures to make some places around Earth unbearably hot. This would be caused by the humidity blocking the cooling effects of sweat.

You simply can’t deny that climate change is slowly destroying our world, and it’s foolish to suggest otherwise. All these negative impacts that climate change has, like the deaths of many incredible animals, and the heating of our Earth, are so much harm. It’s clear to see that humans and ecosystems are being negatively affected by the alterations that climate change causes.

return home here

this is so good! as it's for school, i'd suggest that it could be a little more formal/professional, but it's great as it is!

Daily 30
998 words
Thank yous :D

Cae, you’ve been an amazing leader of our cabin, so motivational and encouraging. You’ve really made my very first SWC session special. You’ve been so amazing this month with the time you spent dedicated to SWC, you really are a great cabin leader and I hope that next session I will have a leader even half as good as you. Thank you for making my very first session so wonderful. I hope you carry on being amazing

Sofi, you’ve been a great co-leader this session. You told me everything I needed to know for my first session. I’m glad that I was put into your cabin, not just because I’m your sister (though mainly that) but because you’re such an awesome co-leader

Fc_ghshsh (sorry, I don’t know your nickname)
You’ve been such a fantastic cabin mate, and it’s been so nice to have someone who has so much in common with me. Even if we didn’t talk that much as the session went on, it’s been nice to have someone so friendly to begin my very first session of SWC. You welcomed me so nicely and really gave me a boost! Thanks so much for doing all this. ( I found out that your nickname was A).

Cherry (cherrymango17), you’ve been such an enthusiastic camper, always typing so fast (unnaturally fast) and completing all of our cabin wars so quickly that we can barely look at them before they’re done. You have been such a consistent camper and have completed all of the dailies and weeklies. I don’t think we would have managed to get into first place without your sonic-speed typing

Pepper- You’ve been so great in our cabin, and every time I look in the comments there, you seem to nearly always be the one at the top, always there and you are just such a great camper, I don’t know what to say. I also noticed that you put more hearts on Tragedy than Sea Cabin so thank you for that as well

Pixie - I barely know you which is kinda sad, but I love your profile picture, the expression on it is great You’ve also been a great backup camper and I’m so glad we have you in our cabin.

El - Even though I haven’t seen much of you, you have been talking a lot with your cabin mates and you have a great sense of humour. I hope you continue with SWC and I hope to maybe even get to know you a little better.

Aeris - You are amazing. I know that we basically don’t know each other, but I love how funny you are and your profile picture is awesome! I saw your first comment in the cabin and I knew that you were super friendly.

Velvet - You’re really nice and you are amazing, I hope that you will continue SWC and be just as amazing as you are now. You are definitely part of Tragedy.

Geek - I don’t know you well either, but I think that you will be fantastic in all of the other sessions just like you are in this one. I wish you well on all of them!

Ginger - Arrggghhhh! Another camper that I don’t know well. As I know Cae has said, but I have to mention as well, your profile picture is really cool. Thank you for being so chill and incredible and I think that you are a credit to Tragedy.

Mae - Mae, I think you are a great Scratcher and camper, always so friendly and eager and I am so happy that you were in my cabin. Even though I don’t really know you, I think you are really sweet.

Mercy - I think you are really enthusiastic and have written loads of words for our cabin. No matter how much I don’t know you, I think you are extraordinary. I know that you will continue this way, not just in SWC.

Azy - Azy, you are so nice! You are a very secure member of our cabin, even if I don’t know you and haven’t even spoken to you, you are just so kind and friendly and I would love to have known you a bit more.

Cali - Yet another that I don’t know Sorry if this is getting repetitive, but I would like to know you better, really. I’m awful at thank yous, so sorry if this is the shortest thank you note you’ve ever seen (not including this bit) but thank you.

Amelie - I love your profile picture and it’s one of my favourites. Even though like some of the other campers, I don’t know you, I think you are just as nice as your profile picture looks, which is a very good thing, as your pfp looks incredible!

Hybri - I think that you are an amazing backup camper and a very committed one. You’ve written lots of words and completed lots of dailies and I think that Tragedy are very lucky to have you as a backup. I think that you would do brilliantly as a camper.

Mystery- It’s been so nice to see all of your enthusiasm during this session. You’re such a great sibling to our cabin and we love you!

Steampunk- You’ve also been a great sibling, it’s nice to see your love of lasagne, unlike anything I’ve seen before. Lasagnes are great! Also, I love your profile pictures soooooo much! They are so cool!

Hi-fi - even though you are our enemy, congrats on second place! At the start of camp you really soared and I think you are a great cabin.

Alocasia- You’ve come up with so many dailies and weeklies and you are so involved in it all. SWC wouldn’t be what it is without you.

xXFierroFalafelXx (sorry if I got your name wrong)
I absolutely love reading your writing and you gave me a great critique on my writing, so now I can improve a lot more.








Daily 29


Worldbuilding: your appearance changes every time someone leaves or enters a building.
Antagonist:a historical figure
Lesson: never let anyone walk all over you, be firm in your boundaries.
Dialogue: Well, that should be it. Finally quiet at least isn’t it?
Turning point: a piece of the moon breaks off and begins floating away to somewhere the main character holds dear…

Spring found herself on a rocky platform, suspended in mid-air above the rest of her planet. She blinked her eyes groggily and looked around. From above, all to see was the eerie moon and endless black, below a constant buzz of activity, people shopping or going into work. But she could never work out who.

Spring lived on a planet called Azural, a planet where people changed their appearances every time they entered or left a building. She probably looked completely different to how she had been before she went to bed. But how had she come to be here? One moment she was safe in her bed, she woke up and she was here! Was that even possible?

People had started to see her in the air above their heads, their eyes twitching with confusion. How had a girl of 6 managed to be up there? They started laughing, staring straight at her. Spring glared at them all angrily. She had been given her unusual name due to the happiness and brightness of spring and how she could always be recognised because of the light spring in her step. But she didn’t feel very light now. She just felt humiliated.

She jumped down and sat at the steps of the statue of the very first person to discover Azural, Azura. It had been named after her and she had been standing there ever since, her very last appearance in the statue. She leaned her head against the cold stone leg. A slight movement made her jump. She looked up. The statue blinked at her. Blinked?

She stepped back fearfully and Azura took a great stony step onto the ground. People screamed while others stayed rooted to the spot in amazement. Everyone ran to their homes, their frantic running echoing around the streets. But Spring stayed still.
“Well that should be it. Finally quiet, isn’t it at least?”
“You can talk?” Spring finally managed to utter.
“Of course I can, dear. Unlike this floating piece of rock!”
She pulled the moon from the starry sky and looked at it triumphantly. She pushed it back into place. She stepped back onto the pedestal.
“We’ll be meeting again soon Spring.”
With that, she let the stone overtake her, spiralling up from her feet to her topmost strand of hair until she was frozen again.Spring stared open-mouthed. And she raced home.

Once she entered through the door, she felt a familiar sensation rush over her as she changed again. She looked in the mirror and saw a girl with long ginger hair and startling green eyes. She said nothing of her encounter.
“Redhead!” called her brother. “Carrot! Orange!”
She hung her head low.
“Ha! You look a fright, Spring!” her father laughed.
Spring felt her spirits sink even lower. Her family were always insulting and discouraging her. She went up to her bedroom and went to sleep.

Spring dreamt about her old home, the planet from the galaxy far away in the midst of time, probably dying now. She had been born there, but one day woke up as a baby again here on Azural. She remembered her old family as clear as day, but she would never see them again.

Her dreamy mind led her to Azura. The statue looked at her meaningfully. She touched her leg.
“Ah! I can finally stretch my legs again!” Azura exclaimed. “Now, Spring. I told you we would meet again. Here we are! The thoughts running through your mind will eventually stop my plan, so I must stop that. I am going to send this piece of moon towards your old home. They will be destroyed in let’s say… 3 days? Here it goes!”
She tore off a chunk of the moon and flung it out into the dark abyss. Towards her home. Towards her true family.

Daily 28

Quote: While we come from different places and speak in different tongues, our hearts beat as one: Dumbledore, Harry Potter

Lily was a girl of 10 years from Africa and she had lived there all her life. Her parents had always wanted to move to England, and they had even given her an English name! And she was on the plane there, her parent’s dream finally being fulfilled. The clouds floated by lazily and rivers snaked through valleys beneath her. The sky was a heavenly blue, almost like a glowing jewel.

Lily had never really had a preference about England, but she had decided that she wouldn’t want to go there. It sounded grey, dreary and dull, where in Africa it was always blazing hot with antelope galloping around. It didn’t sound like there was much wildlife in England either and she barely knew any English! In Africa she had been perfectly content, where in England she had decided that she would be anything but. It had already been 4 hours and Lily felt her eyes drooping and she eventually dozed off, leaving her thoughts of england behind in her pleasant dreams.

“Lily! We're here!”
Lily’s eyes fluttered open. She looked out of the window. This was going to be her new home, England. A slight drizzle blanketed the pavements and, despite her earlier thoughts, the sun was shining cheerfully, a rainbow arched across the sky. She stepped out tentatively. A sudden breeze hit her face and she stepped back in surprise. Her plain, airy clothes weren’t used to this and she shivered.

Her parents had told her that while the house was getting ready, they would be staying with some distant relatives, the Parsons. They had one son, a year younger than her, and she had been told that she would have to sleep with him. She was not looking forward to that. They clambered into a shiny new car that was extremely cold inside and smelt of something strange. Yet again, Lily felt her eyes drooping as the other cars whizzed by, lulling her into a deep sleep.

She was woken up by the sound of voices and looked around. The car had stopped by a cream-painted house with a blooming front garden and a smart driveway, very different to her little home in Africa.
“Hello!” piped up a too bright voice. “I’m Veronica, and this is Fred. You must be Lily!”
She smiled a sickly smile at Lily and carried on.
“You will be sleeping together for the next two weeks, then you will move into your new home, as I’m sure you know! I’m sure we’ll get on like a house on fire!”
Lily doubted it would come to that.
“I’ll take you to your room,” said a quiet little voice.
Lily looked in surprise. She had been expecting some boisterous little kid, not this scaredy-cat!
“I’m Fred.”
He led her up an impossibly tall flight of stairs until they reached a white door. He opened it and Lily saw a bunk bed next to a colourful rug and a few pictures on the wall of his family.
He pointed at the bottom bunk.
“You'll be sleeping there.”

The next morning they all sat down to a breakfast of scrambled eggs and toast with glasses of orange juice, accompanied by the endless tap of the rain on the windows.
Veronica smiled.
“Lily, you and Fred can look around Cambridge, just don’t go too far. I’m sure you will find it very interesting!”
Veronica seemed to be always so sure on things, thought Lily.

Soon. the two children were winding their way through the ongoing stream of bicycles towards some tall, quite old-looking grand buildings.
A cyclist yelled at them.
“Outta my way kids! You don’t wanna be run over, do you?”
“Funny,” said Fred, “The cyclists are never rude like that…”
Lily simply stuck her nose in the air, deciding that she didn’t want to make friends with any of these jolly English people. They were so stuck-up and ignorant, nothing like the open, friendly Africans.
“Oy! This is your last warning or you're both outta this world, you hear me?”
They stepped out of his way just to see a flash of something that looked like a rifle!
“Did you see that?”
“Let’s follow him.” Lily said with an air of knowing.
“We can’t-”
“Yes we can and you can stop being such a scaredy-cat and just put up with it, ok?”
He nodded meekly.
They snuck along the edge of the road, never taking their eyes off the cyclist.
“Look what he’s wearing! He’s all in black and he has so many scars on his face!” Fred announced in excitement.
Lily felt a grudging respect for him, as he was obviously someone who noticed things. They carried on slinking behind him until he went into a little alleyway. They peered inside.
“It’s protected by barbed wire and an electric fence. No way we’re getting past that.” sighed Lily.
“Oh no there isn’t!”
Lily and Fred whipped around to find themselves face-to-face with another cyclist, dressed exactly like the other one. He reached into his pocket to reveal a small bullet. He pulled out a rifle.
“Just one shot.”
Fred’s blue eyes widened in terror.
“You-”
Lily nudged him.
‘Run,’ she mouthed.
This time she whispered.
“The hedge, with me, on three.”
“One, two, three!”
They both ran as fast as they could towards the hedge. Now all of the cyclists had stopped to let them through and the person couldn’t shoot in public.
Then the man clicked his finger. Everything froze. He tightened his finger on the trigger.
“We stand as one.” lily whispered.
He released the trigger.

Weekly 4
Hickory Dickory Dock (with a twist)

Hickory Dickory Dock,
They bird flew round the clock,
The clock struck 5, the bird flounced to the sky,
Tick, tock, creak, crack, tick, tock, creak, crack.
The bird raced in again,
Counting up to ten,
TEN!
The bird flew back through the window again.
The bird flew back through the window again.

Part 1

Lottie stared through the window, steamed up from her cold breath. The trees were mirrored in the little winding stream below her and clouds rolled menacingly. She was always going to be a clone. Always. The gods had obviously chosen for it to be that way, so she couldn’t change, never for her whole entire life.

She sighed and picked up a book. The rain trickled through a little gap in the mossy roof of her hut. The stars twinkled brightly and the moon gazed down upon the dark, damp ground. She found her eyes drooping and eventually she dozed off into a fitful sleep. Her dreams were full of Lottie, the not-clone coming back to take over her body.

She woke up to sunlight streaming in golden rays through the curtains, and the voice of the newspaper boys. They were in the streets below, in nothing more than rags, but seemed perfectly warm. Lottie shuddered.

“Get a gift from a god!”
“Get your loved ones back from the dead!”
“Destroy your enemies!”
The newspaper boys seemed very excited and rightly so, Lottie thought. Gift from the gods? Stange.

So she got changed into her usual outfit of a scratchy uncomfortable dress. The mothers of the other children in Paris thought she was a scrawny ugly little figure, and simply stuck their noses in the air when they saw her.

The streets were bustling with people trying to get to the newspaper stalls. Lottie herself with her ‘scrawny figure’ slipped past everybody and was almost at the front of the queue. She squeezed in front of a chattering lady, not even noticing her as she stepped on her foot, and quietly waited.

At last, she was at the front and was asking for a newspaper.
“Here you are, Madam, your very own newspaper!” one of the newspaper boys said with a mocking bow.

Gods offer gifts!
Young oracle, Anna Jones, has recently made an incredible discovery. The gods visited her in her dreams bla bla bla and now you can visit them yourself at the Golden Village and get your very own wish granted.

That was basically how it went. Lottie knew that it sounded like a very silly, stupid thing to do, but she couldn’t help but wonder if that was something that she could do! She could get rid of her label as a clone, be a real human, actually eat food, drink water, do all of those human things!

Golden Village was very famous, sort of a portal to the gods (this part is made up by the way) where you go through and make a connection with them. Lottie had made up her mind. She would go.

The next morning, she set off confidently. She was there in 8 hours and found somewhere to sleep for the night, at a snug little inn. Golden Village did have some gold in it. Every house had something. A gold statue, a railing, a pillar.

In the early morning sunlight, these glinted richly, as Lottie headed to the portal. On the outside it looked like just a normal, slightly golden building, but on the inside it had some sort of dreamy effect about it. She rushed forwards and immediately fell asleep.

“What is your wish?” a bored voice asked.
Lottie was in the Land of the gods, Olympus. It shone around her in silver and gold and bronze, statues and even the clouds shone in all the colours of the rainbow.
“I want to become human!” she announced eagerly.
The god flicked his hand.
“There you go…”

Lottie found herself back in the building. She walked out and smelt all of the food. She gagged.
“Ughh!”
It smelt horrible! She touched the shimmering gold. A sudden heat coursed through her and she pulled her hand away quickly. Perhaps being a human wasn’t such a good idea… 649 words.

Part 2
Twinkle, Twinkle, passing time,
How I wonder what you hold,
In those from past to day of mine,
From the future to the old,
Twinkle, twinkle passing time,
Many years have passed your eyes,
When the shining sun has gone,
You the time shall still live on,
Twinkle, twinkle, passing time,
Through the years your clocks shall chime.


Sofia looked through the tiny hole in the sack. She could feel herself being rocked around by the violent shaking of the vehicle, a gentle hum buzzing in her ears. She was heading towards her sister, but also to a potential terrible fate.

Malu had kidnapped her as well, and now she was being taken to where her sister supposedly was, which was sort of what she wanted. That had been her goal, to be taken to where her sister was, but she didn’t think of it in that way.

The van came to a halt and the sack lurched. Sofia felt herself being pulled out and placed roughly onto some sort of rocking surface. She had a gentle splashing echoing faintly around her and she finally realised that she was at sea.So her sister was overseas! That was why there wasn’t any information here in England. She must be in a whole different country! That would make it a whole load harder though, because she didn’t know any other languages than English. She would have to improvise…

4 days later, the boat stopped. She had survived many infuriating hours at sea, stuck in her little sack with just a little bit of stale bread to eat each meal. Sofia heard voices float nearer until she was taken out of the sack!

She breathed in fresh air for the first time in what seemed like years. The sharp, cool scent refreshed her and woke her up. She looked around and saw little white houses and lots of bakeries. She saw a sign saying ‘France’ on it in French and felt slightly confused for no reason that she could explain.
“April!” she cried in happiness.
“Sofia!”
“What happened to you?”
“I don’t think I should say… just come with me.”April led her to a small, cream-coloured house covered in ivy.
“This is where I have been staying, just don’t ask any questions, I know as much as you do.”
Her sister sounded so much older now, so much wiser.

That night, they slept in scratchy little beds in a cramped room. Everyone else was asleep and there were no guards, so why not just escape?

She asked this to her sister and got a very vague reply.
“Don’t do it.”
“Why not?”
“I’m telling you for your own good, don’t do it,” her sister urged.
“Well then, I’ll have to do it myself.” she said bravely, although she didn’t like doing this to her sister. “But one more time, please come with me!”
“I can’t, you don’t understand.”
“Then let me!”
Her sister stayed silent. It hung over them like a dark, stormy sky, just about to break free of its rainy prison.

Eventually, Sofia went back to her bed and lay down, thinking. She heard her sister’s deep breathing and crept across the floor to gather her belongings. She went out of the room and through a window on the bottom floor. Sofia didn’t feel right leaving her sister like this, but at least she could tell someone, the police maybe.

She had already made her plan, she was to escape in the small boat, it couldn’t be that hard? So she slid inside the damp, airy interior, and started up the engine with a key hse had stolen from the housekeeper’s room. She heard the engine buzz gently and the boat started rocking a bit, edging forwards.
“Sofia, no!”
The boat rocked even more. She looked behind her and saw April, looking at her in agitation.
“Sofia!”
She fell down into her watery grave.

Sofia felt a sudden cold hit her as she sank deeper and deeper through the churning mass of water. Bubbles rushed past her and her tangled knot of hair streamed out behind her. Sofia’s eyes widened in horror as the bottom came ever closer, a whirlwind of blinding sand. Everything went black.

April had been able to swim since she was tiny, unlike Sophia, and she was glad that at least one of them could. She dived down into the swirling black water and could barely see anything underneath the water in the early morning sun. Still, a faint ray lit her path and she could see something curled at the bottom. Her lungs were telling her to simply stop and swim back, but she wouldn’t.

Eventually, she reached her sister at the seabed and tugged at her. She didn’t move. Still, her lungs were aching, burning like a wildfire, so she desperately pulled her sister towards the surface.

She was now quite light, due to the lack of food she had been given ever since she was kidnapped, so it was a fairly easy job for April. They broke the surface at last, and April gasped for breath. Her sister stayed limp.


By now, a few people were at the bakeries, and a small crowd were gathered by the shore, trying to offer April help.
“It’s no use! She’s dead.”
After her short time in France, April had begun to know the people here, and she knew one who spoke English.
“Take her to the doctor, please.”
The man nodded and carried the sodden Sofia away. April herself was pulled out by the other people, who were speaking to her in French.

At the doctor, April found Sofia alive, but unconscious. She flung her arms round her.
“Careful!” said the man. “She’s still delicate.”
Her eyes fluttered open.
“April.”

Part 3

Row, row, row your ship,
Rocking through the sea,
What is that over there?
An island just for me,
Rocking gently, rocking wildly,
Into the waters we sink,
Oh just on the brink,
The brink of earth, oh please,
Save our souls, our lonely souls,
All waiting to be freed.

It was cabin wars and the campers were buzzing with excitement. The very first one for the session, and everyone was looking forward to it in anticipation. Some of the campers had stayed up all night long, waiting for it to begin, watching their clocks desperately.At last they ticked twelve. It was cabin wars.

Wars were immediately flung back and forth between the awake campers, and they were soon all busy typing, some attempting the devious fifty-headed hydra, some just typing a few hundred words before heading back to bed. Of course, at this hour, most campers were fast asleep in their tents, but a couple had stayed up all night by the campfire with their marshmallows, slowly melting into a sticky mess on their sticks hanging over the blazing fire, casting long shadows across the huts and tents. Those people were wide awake, alert for any incoming cabin wars and were waiting quietly.

One of the leaders woke up in the commotion and came out to see what was going on.
“You’re never going to be able to write anything in the morning, go back to bed!”
The others trooped back to their beds and immediately fell asleep, despite their excitement about cabin wars.

A crack of sunlight peeked through the tent roofs and glared down on them, almost forcing them to get up.
“It’s cabin wars!”
Thrill rushed through the camp, and they were immediately checking for wars, or warring other cabins. They rushed around, hurriedly eating breakfast and hastily brushing their teeth, and soon they were all busy at work on their laptops, typing at such a speed that you could barely see their fingers.

Soon the cabins were losing and gaining points, some people typing so much that their fingers needed replacing (this is almost true). Some of the campers who had stayed up the night before rubbed their eyes and yawned. Still, they were raring to get on with however much typing they had to do.

It was lunchtime and the campers were reluctant to be pulled away from their writing, but eventually went to lunch. The sun splashed in rays around them as they ate their lunch and the trees dappled it on the green, mossy ground. The sounds of chatter and laughter drifted around as the sun shone on in its heavenly splendour. Birds chirped happily and the scratchers went back to their typing.

The typing soon trailed off a bit after lunch, as they just wanted to laze in the glorious sunshine, but they were all back to their writing at some point. They relaxed under the welcome shade of the huts and typed at the same time, their eyes peeled for any wars, watching with eyes like hawks.

All afternoon, they did nothing but write. Wars were flown back and forth, back and forth until it was finally the end. The moon sent pools of white light across the camp and the stars twinkled cheerfully as the campers all went to bed, their eyelids drooping, their minds full of the events of cabin wars.

Part 4

The cogs on the time machine go,
Buzz, buzz, buzz,
Buzz, buzz, buzz,
Buzz, buzz, buzz,
The cogs on the time machine go,
Buzz, buzz, buzz,
All eternity long,
The person on the machine goes,
Ahhh, ahh, ahh,
Ahhh, ahh, ahh.
Ahhh, ahh, ahh,
The person on the machine goes,
Ahhh, ahh, ahh,
As it jolts them back in time.

Sofia listened to Malu as he explained his story, all led by a clock.
He said that at the beginning, a very old grandfather clock had started ticking again, for no reason whatsoever, but was going the wrong way, anti-clockwise. He had been trying to get it to go clockwise when he had discovered a key. He had inserted this into the keyhole and had been sent to France with instructions imprinted into their brains, telling them what to do. They had said that they had to find Sofia, that she was special to them. After that, they had no further communication.
“Who’s they?” Sofia asked.
“That was what we were hoping that you would know, now that we have the instructions, now that we know who you are… at the, well, your home, we didn’t realise it was you. When we were chasing you I finally realised and knew that you would not come because you wanted to, so Inhad to force you. I think they want you to also communicate with the clock.” Malu told her.
“Where is it?”
“It’s back home…”
“You mean, your home?”
“Yes, Sofia. I must take you there.”
“When?”
“Tomorrow.”

The next morning it dawned rainy and dull, a drizzle trickling down as Sofia and Malu headed back for England. This time, they took the ferry, the rain steaming up the windows and they sat there uncomfortably sipping their hot chocolates and nibbling their cookies.
At last Sofia asked, “What exactly does this clock look like?”
“Well, it’s sort of like your typical grandfather clock, but it has strange markings on it…”
After that, they stayed silent for the rest of the journey, driving back home in the meek sunlight, not really focusing their minds on anything.

When they did at last arrive there, Sofia was taken into an old-fashioned, slightly leaning Tudor house. Inside it was very dusty and needed a lot of tidying up. The one thing that stuck out (the only thing that was straight) was the clock, engraved with lots of little engravings.
“It’s the zodiac signs!”
“Zodiac signs?”
“Yeah, they symbolise your birth date.”
“Which is yours?”
“Libra, the one over there.” Sofia pointed to a symbol.
“What should you do with it?”
“I dunno, touch it?”
Sofia brushed her hands over the symbol. Nothing happened. Then after a few seconds she was pulled into a misty whirlwind. She grabbed hold of Malu’s arm and pulled him in. They landed with a thump on the ground. Sofia looked outside. She saw a newspaper float past.
“We’ve been taken back in time.”
Bi-daily
Her vision dimmed as the sack came over her head.
“Stay there or you're done for, you little lump of nothing.”
A chuckle broke through the endless black.
“She has no clue what’s going on, does she?”
She felt her knuckles clenching in anger as he said that. She knew more than they could ever dream of. More than they did, more than anyone did, and she had to tell someone.

The sack opened. She peeked out into the bleary darkness, her eyes adjusting to the light.
“We need to talk…” a gravelly voice grunted. “Who are you? What are you doing here?”
She replied softly, “My name is Sofia, and what are you doing here?”
“What do you mean?” he indicated the dagger in his hand threateningly and his eyes seemed to stare into her soul, reading her thoughts.
“This is my home.” Sofia announced triumphantly, her thoughts tingling with anger at this man who had destroyed her house. “Or rather, it was.
“Well, Sofia, this is private property that you are trespassing on, and you are interrupting our work.” he replied just as coldly.
“And what work may that be?” Sofia inquired.
“Children like you don’t need to know.”
“Or do they?”
The man’s companion, Malu, as she knew him, the man who stole her sister, whispered to the man.
“ - it’s the girl, the one who stole your samples and set off the alarms, remember?”
Sofia’s eyes widened. They were on to her.
The man gasped. He stared at Sophia in blazing fury, his face paling.
“Not you…”
“Yes me.”

And with that, Sofia raced to the fence, broken branches tripping her up and razor wire digging into her ankles. She slid neatly under the fence, her lungs burning in agony, but still, she carried on. Her thoughts whirred and buzzed and she stole a glance behind her. They were on motorbikes, quickly gaining ground. They came closer and closer. Sofia’s legs ran faster and faster, and soon, the two were just a distant blur in the night.

Sofia saw a hedge, nestled under a dark overhang. She slid behind it, and then slowly into it, the twigs and thorns pricking her like those people when they stole her innocent little sister.. She shuddered. It was still an unwelcome thought. The bikes raced by and she sighed in relief. But that was all gone when a hand rested on her shoulder, cold and familiar.

“What are you doing here?” came the voice of her most hated enemy, Malu.
“Get off me!” she screamed in panic. “You stole my sister, kidnapped her, and I want her back!”
Malu pulled back her shoulder and she cried out in pain. “Your sister is perfectly safe, I can assure you, for now. She is with us right here, you see,” Malu said calmly, a hideous smile on his face. He revealed her sister, tied up in ropes from behind his back.
“Say hello!”
Her brow furrowed in confusion.
“April?”
April’s infectious smile was the last thing she saw. A sack was pulled over her head again and she hit the pavement with a thack. She fell into a tunnel of darkness.
Critique
Generally, I think it is a very good piece, very descriptive, with lots of similes and a nice contrast of the Greek myths and unique touches. I think it is quite a good start to a novel, however, there are a few details that need neatening up

First of all, the introduction is a little vague. It needs to give a bit more information about what is currently happening. Also, you might want to tell the reader a bit more about Icaros’ parents, introduce the mother a bit more, about her illness, and Daedalus’ inventing.

Other than that, my simplistic mind can’t conjure any more mistakes that you have made, so I will have to tell you everything amazing about this piece!

I love all of the imagery involved and the similes and metaphors. The description is amazing and it is a great part of your novel. I also like how you make each section blend into each other, not like, ‘suddenly this happened and then this happened and then everyone got abducted by aliens,’ but you make them melt into the next part, which is a skill that I am still sometimes trying to master. I also love how he is making friends with nature and the fact that he is only seven, because most novels have main characters of eleven or twelve, but this is a completely unique story and I think you should be extremely proud!

There are so many more things that I would like to compliment you on, but I think that would be a bit too much, so I wish you luck on your novel and byeeee!
The Mist
512 words
It was 2150 in the early morning, the crumbling point of the Shard poking upwards meekly whilst the garish lights of the Scape, the most modern building here, flashed brightly and sent waves of colour across the city.
An unearthly silence hung over London and everything was dark and silent. Fog drifted and a light drizzle soaked the soily ground beneath it. Leaves swirled in the autumn breeze and the few faint stars twinkled weakly.
The fog gradually faded away into nothing and the silence was broken by the snapping of the white, ugly lights. The sound of lorries on the bridge far in the distance buzzed slowly into hearing and a few cars trundled by. The sun had just started to peek through its blanket of hazy clouds and a faint glow lay over the cobbles.

A bird’s sweet song had just started and its clear, light notes brought London to a lovely, radiant dawn. The frosty leaves unfurled slowly and they became delicate and crunchy, and a dew started to form over the lush, green grass. The trees waved wildly around in the strong autumn’s breeze like an animal waiting to be freed.

I woke up with a start. Startling light poured into my room through the silky curtains and my frizzy plaits were in a mess. I opened my curtains to reveal the beautiful, autumnal landscape and I sighed in content. It was like every autumn morning. Perfect. Quiet. A haven for the world. I slid into my soft furry slipper boots and crept downstairs. It was still only 6:30 in the morning and practically no one was awake. I padded across the kitchen and soon it was filled with the wonderful smells of sizzling sausages and frying eggs.

A strange sensation vibrated through the ground and I frowned. Nothing like this really happened here. No storms or tornadoes… weird. I jumped with my heart in my mouth. A crack tore through the floor right next to me and a rumble formed in the air. I stumbled up to my room hastily and looked outside.
Everything was in ruins. Chimneys were ripped off toppling roofs and trees were pulled up from the damp, caky earth. It was unlike anything before in London, the worst that had ever happened was a small earthquake, but that only made the lights on our ceiling sway a bit. Nothing like this.

The storm eventually ceased, after what seemed like days, but stayed only a few minutes. A mist floated overhead, and gradually came closer and closer, until it enveloped the city in its icy grasp. It carried on thickening and thickening, twirling and spiralling, chilling and freezing, until you could barely see your hands in front of you. It swirled through the smallest of nooks and slipped into the darkest of alleyways, twisted around the roots of the toughest trees and twined itself around the most delicate of vines.

I woke up every morning to the cloudy maze of streets and houses, circled by what was known as the Mist.

Part 1 - planning / brainstorming
Something something magic power choice??? Idk???
OR!! I could write about Winston Hill again I love Wynn
idk what do I write about those sillies though
“Write about a god who’s trying to make the hero do what they want desperately” OH YEAH I CAN WORK WITH THAT!!
Ok so the main character is called… uh ok let’s see…. Let’s call them Benjamin Hawkins. They are trying to live a normal life but this hindrance is not letting them, and is trying to get them to become one of the world’s Majestic Protectors™ such and such. You see, when Benji was young, they really wanted to become one of them but then they realised that they are just a group of privileged bleep. The God, though, doesn’t understand that and thinks that Benji is just scared of… well, he isn’t sure what he’s scared of, but definitely something, so he encourages Benji to join the Protectors™ and get over that fear. This is shown in the God doing a variety of different things from burning out little signs over his office papers to burning down his place of work.
Part 2 - introduction
I really hope that today won’t be ruined by anyone. Yeah, yeah, I know, this is wishful thinking when talking to you but mayhaps you’ll leave me alone just this once?
Do what I say and I will. Oh for- Why would I- Please. God, this is literally, what's it called, gaslighting. Benji, how did you manage to muck up the definition of gaslighting? You know what I mean! Manipulation! It’s not like you gave me a choice. Give you a- Mate, you could just-
I sigh and decide to ignore the annoying voice in my head. Whatever. I don’t care. There’s no pleasing him anyways. Instead of paying it any mind, I get out of bed and get ready for the day, like every other main character at the start of their story. I’m not sure when my story started, really. Probably when I was born, or when I decided to not follow destiny, or when I began hearing voices - well, voice - or maybe even today. Although, I don’t think that today is that different. For example, I’m walking to my office like I do literally every working day.
Hopefully, although unlikely, I’m not even the main character of any story, I decide as I walk to my desk. Surely many people grew out of wanting to be one of the city’s Majestic Protectors™ and are now being chased around by a god who’s trying to get them to become one? It can’t just be me, right?
Yes, it can. Shut up. It is, in fact. Please. I just got an assignment from my boss. Don’t ruin this. Why? Because you need to pay bills? And eat food. Us humans kinda need to do that. And drink water. We talked about this. You’d get free food and a room at the Protector House™ if you just followed through with your dreams- They’re not my dreams anymore. I grew out of them.
Part 3 - conflict
Anyway, I decide to, once again, attempt - likely futilely - to ignore the literal god whispering, well, not in my ear, but maybe somewhere inside my brain. There’s a few assignments from my boss - mostly to process a few orders to PS1 (Protection Squad One). If you’re new to our world, I can practically sense the questions burning in your brain.‘Oh, but Benji, why do you have Protection Squads if you have the Protectors™? Why do the squads have people processing orders for them? What’s with the uncreative names?’ If those aren’t the questions, well, then, I doubt you’ll get answers so suck it up. Well, you see, we have a normal army / police called the Protection Squads that get normal army / police treatment - if you consider the whole man-in-the-chair thing that our sector is doing normal army / police treatment - and the Majestic Protectors™, who are the group that is glorified in all the propaganda we’re exposed to but are really just elitist snobs who couldn’t care less about the people they aren’t getting paid to protect. Basically they are meant to be a specialised group of specially trained people that get equalled to superheroes but they’re actually on-paid bodyguards. Oh, and have I mentioned that they get, uh, whatsit called, godly blessing because the group is also devoted to our religion? That’s why a god who remains unnamed for me as much as for you is trying to get me to join the Majestic Protectors™. I think that the gods are a bit in denial about how the group’s resolve to serve our country and said gods have deteriorated over time.
My computer is hissing at me. It does that a lot, but then again, doesn’t every computer? Oh but wait, now that I think of it, this isn’t a normal whir - it’s too loud, it’s- oh for everything’s sake, my computer is overheating.
Mentally cursing the god that keeps forsaking me since, unlike most cases, he can actually hear me, I attempt to finish up my work as quickly as possible, encoding and decoding and checking the commands, but the computer soon turns off due to overheating. Hopefully, I’m not the only one working on these.
Friendly reminder that this will stop if you just- You know well enough this won’t convince me. This is a tiny inconvenience. What next, will you set my house on fire?
No, no he won’t, he’s too godly and righteous for that. Maybe he will make the day unbearably hot or burn out my work but he’d never put my life in danger. Someone else’s - easily, by mistake, like he did just now, for example.
For the hundredth time, I wonder, why me? Apparently it’s because I’m “pure of heart” though that’s obviously a lie. It’s also because I used to want to be part of the Majestic Protectors™ but then I realised that the group aren’t the Knights of the Round Table unlike what the media is making them out to be. Surely that can’t just be me, right?
The God’s voice in my head is quiet, this time.
I get up and walk away from my desk. No-one questions it, for some reason. Seems like those orders are being processed by someone else, after all.
Part 4 - climax
Wait, why do I smell burning?
Agree.
…Oh god.
Agree, and this will stop. Everyone will be saved.
Oh god. He’s going to do it. He’s doing it, oh god, oh god, oh god.
I can’t see any fire alarms to pull nearby - who builds like this, I think, panicking - and I can smell smoke and God is about to burn down my office and all the people in it.
But he’s meant to be righteous, he’s meant to make sense, he’s one of the gods, he’s-
Alright. Okay. It’s fine. I’ll find a fire alarm in another room. I have to calm down.
I speed walk to the other offices. The smell of burning is getting stronger…
Oh god. Why is there an entire wall of fire blocking my way to the door? Why would he-
It’s not that hard.
In my panic, I manage to ignore the godly voice reverberating through my head.
There are people screaming around me. Oh god. This is it. This is how I die.
The fire alarm finally goes on, but it doesn’t do anyone any good, does it? We’re completely sealed off by fire.
I grab a water bottle off of someone’s abandoned desk and pour the water inside of it onto the flames in an attempt to douse the fire and it works… barely. The extinguished fire is quickly reinstated.
“Just stop this!” I yell into nothingness. “Please! People are about to die, that’s not what you want, is it?”
I don’t wait for an answer, instead trying to think of ways of escape. There’s a fire escape somewhere in another office… I think someone’s already called the firefighters, but they might not come in time… There’s meant to be a fire extinguisher somewhere, as well… I think it’s in the same office as the escape.
Oh for everything’s sake.
I grab a chair, stand on it, and push myself into the doorway, into the flames.
It’s so hot… I swear loudly as I pass through the fire. However, my body is somewhat unscathed. It;s not nearly as hot as it should be. Maybe the fact that a god has been practically living in my head for years has affected me?
No matter. No time. I jump off of the chair - of course, it’s caught on fire - and find the fire extinguisher. There aren’t any people in this office - must’ve all gone down the fire escape.
First things first, I extinguish the wall of fire, much quicker than I should’ve. My terrified coworkers come spilling in.
“There should be a fire escape somewhere there,” I say, pointing to the windows. They probably know.
Part 5 - conclusion / outroduction
Considering that I’m here, the other floors probably don’t have the firewalls. I join the escape queue.
Two of my coworkers are fighting over who goes in first. The familiar irritation comes in place of fear. Some people are actually walking in order though so that’s good, I guess. I pick up a piece of somehow-not-burned-up paper, roll it into a ball, and throw it at one of them.
In a few minutes, I’m climbing the ladder of the escape to the ground, to safety. The fear is mostly gone and I’m met with the familiar, comforting apathy.
The God has never done something like this before. What’s to say he won’t do this again?
In twelve hours or so, I’m lying awake in my bed, unable to sleep. I think I have the answer to why he chose me, but I can’t be sure.
I somehow survived walking through fire. The unnamed god messing with my life is literally a fire god. Coincidence? I don’t think so.
I wish I knew your name. It would be much easier to get your attention then.
Your silence is very loud, you know.
It was never about me being ‘pure of heart’ or any of that kind of bullcrap, was it? Of course it wouldn’t. The Protectors™ aren’t pure of heart, though I don’t think you understand that.
You blessed me, didn’t you?
…It was a mistake.
Yeah, obviously.
I attempted to correct it.
What, by killing- not killing me. By killing others.
What is one life worth correcting a godly mistake?
It’s worth more than I think you’ll ever realise.
Instead of waiting for a reply, I roll onto my side and fall asleep.

Weekly 3 (WIP)
Part 1: 157 words
Part 2: 421 words
Part 3: 404 words
Part 4: words
Part 5: words

Jitterbug: A humorous realistic fiction story starring Mia, a confident but strong-willed baker who must complete her client's wedding cake by the end of the week but is confronted by a pesky fly. Mia's objection to the little creature results in her focusing more on ridding her bakery of the pest then on completing the cake. In a sharp climax, Mia uses a fly-swatter to hit the fly, but instead hits the cake, knocking all of her hard work down. Mia is crushed and all her will to kill the little fly sizzles away. Noticing the bug seemingly buzzing her favorite song in her ear, Mia's confidence sparks again, and she starts to work, this time cherishing the fly's companionship instead of trying to rid herself from it. When the client comes for her cake, she is startled to find that Mia has accidently drew a giant fly on her cake instead of a bride and groom.
—
“And, please, add two white roses to the sides. For aesthetics.”

Mia bit her lip, trying to concentrate on her notes, and not the fact that the young woman, with her blondish-grey hair and silver sunglasses, had not used the work aesthetics correctly. “Yes, ma'am.” She managed to chirp out, remembering her pop's words: “Kill em' with kindness.”

“Actually,” The middle-aged woman clicked her lips. “Make them blue. Something, old, new, borrowed, and blue, right?”

“I've been to several weddings, Mrs. Montero.” The words seemed to roll, off Mia's tongue, like snails off a slippery slope. “I've heard that saying as many times as the amount of wrinkles on your forehead.”

Mrs. Montero scowled, adjusting her visor downwards to cover her balding front. “You know,” She began, teeth grit and all. “I don't see why I should keep coming here if you keep shutting me away with words like that.”

“I'm here to make cakes, ma'am.” Mia dropped her pencil and sat back down on her rolly chair, crossing her arms. “Not to socialize. Now,” She inhaled. “That's a triple-layered red velvet cake coated with four layers of white frosting, and covered with blue roses, gold tinsel, and a wedding topper on the third layer.”

“Don't forget the hearts.” Mrs. Montero prepared herself to leave, grabbing her bag from the table. “I need my hearts, Mia.”

“Of course.” Mia rolled her eyes. “And you'll be expecting that cake, when?”

“By the end of the week.” Mrs. Montero started her way out. “And, honey?” She said before leaving the premises. “If I were you, I'd get that attitude checked out.”

Mia took a deep breath, waiting for her to leave the store. When the closing bell rang, she practically collapsed onto the counter, exhaling softly. “Jesus.” She mumbled. “What a lady.”

She realizes that laying around like a possum playing dead wouldn't bake the cake anyways, and got herself up, dusting her pink apron with the shiny silver stars off. Mia approached her mirror, her space buns bouncing up and down with every step she took. “Well, Pops.” She began, putting her hands on her hips. “Ready to bake?”

There was no response.

“Oh,” She realized where she was and what day it is. “Never mind.”

Mia glanced at the radio, leaning over towards it. She popped the CD inside and her favorite song started playing. She stood there, taking in the song's happy, upbeat tone.

“You put the boom-boom into my heart,
You send my soul sky-high when your lovin starts”
—

As the song blasted on full speed, Mia grabbed her cake bases and frostings from the fridge, preparing her workspace. The bakery was her safe space- a place to let out all her feelings and revel in herself without a bunch of Mrs. Monteros stumbling around demanding fattening, sugary sponges in their mouths.

She took out her frosting knife and slowly started to spread the creamy fondue around the cake, humming Jitterbug to herself contentedly.

Bzzzz…

Mia slapped the back of her ear and winced. She could have sworn she had heard someone behind her. The baker looked around her kitchen, but nobody had dared to come in.

Mia sighed. Delusions, delusions. She picked up her knife again and resumed her art, knowing the final product would be worth it.

Bzzzz…bzzzz…

“What the HECK?” She swept her had around, eyeing the kitchen like a hawk, before she came face-to-face with a quarter-sized housefly.

Mia bolted towards the fridge, hugging it for dear life, her body shuddering and her breathing going shallow. “What the-” She turned towards the fly. “My god.”

The fly has marked its territory directly on the cake, laying there contently. It didn't seem as if it had any plans to move away anytime soon.

“Get,” Mia grabbed a pan and slowly started to descend over to the cake. “Get away.”

“Bzzzz.” The fly said.

“I said,” Mia exclaimed, her voice rising. “Get away! It's not your cake!”

“Bzzzz.”

Mia hesitated for a moment but realizes that she needed to save the cake. Mrs. Montero was getting married, and she had promised new clients as well. She took a big step forward, the soles of her flat shoes banging against the marble. The quarter-sized fly zipped away with glee. Mia muttered some unflattering words under her breath, her curly blonde hair moving up and down energetically.

“Stupid fly,” Mia could not stand it any longer. She started running after the fly, chasing it around the kitchen. The little fly wouldn't let up, however, and it dodged through pots and pans, wiggled down the allies of closed drawers, and danced across Mia's baking area without a care in the world.

Mia's frustration was only growing. She grunted and muttered some not-so-flattering words underneath her breath. determined to catch the little pest distracting her from her work.

The song kept playing:
“Jitterbug into my brain
Goes a bang-bang-bang ‘til my feet do the same”
—
As Mia chased the fly around, she realized that there was no chance she had of catching it. She panted and groaned, buckling down to cap her knees with her hands. As she sighed, she came face-to-face with a fly swatter.

A small smile crept across her face. She moved over to grab it, saying to herself: “It will be gone once and for all.”

She turned towards the mirror, smiling to herself. “Don’t worry, Pops.” Mia began. “We'll catch that fly together. Just like we always do.”

Mia dusted herself off and rose up, her fly swatter tucked snugly in her fist. The fly was buzzing around one of her old paintings. A painting that she loved dearly.

“Oh, no you don't.” That was the final straw. “You don't mess with Pops.”

Mia took a running leap to the painting and smacked the fly as hard as she could. It managed to fly away. What resulted was the most furious cat-and-mouse chase Mia had ever taken part in.

Utensils were knocked over, flour bags were toppled, causing misty clouds full of white powder to leak all over the floor. Mia groaned and gave out one final attempt at killing the fly. She picked up her fly-swatter and flung it. Towards the cake.

The next few seconds were a blur. Pieces of fattening, cavity-causing sponges fell onto the ground, staining the marble Mia had spent hundreds on to be polished. Mia fell onto it, the white frosting plopping onto her forehead. For a moment, Mia regretted insulting Mrs. Montero's own.

She sat down in the mess that she had created, her spirit to catch the fly only dissolving into apathy. The fly was in her territory and it would stay there. Her desire to get rid of it has caused her to ruin her client’s cake- and possibly, her career.

But Pops’ painting was safe. She walked over to it, caressing the frame slowly. “At least you’re safe, Pops.”

The painting was a picture of her grandfather.

Mia stepped over to the mess to get one good look at the horror she had created. The room was an absolute mess and it would take ages to clean up. Mia would need to remake all three of the cake bases that has been ruined and also prep some more frosting on top of that.

And worst of all, that same buzzing sound she had heard from the fly earlier was still stuck in her head.

weekly 3
total word count: 1818

Part 1
182 words
Pete is going for a hike when he notices a strange cave on the side of the trail, and goes inside to investigate despite having an odd feeling about it. Inside the cave is a portal that he goes through, and finds himself in an alien world filled with potatoes. He eventually comes to a town where he meets an alternate version of himself, Pete II, who offers to help him get back home. He takes Pete up a dangerous mountain, which has a portal at the summit, but when they are almost there he reveals that he wasn’t actually going to help him go through the portal; he just wants to steal Pete’s soul and use it to improve his potato farm. They have a battle at the top of the mountain, until Pete takes out a potato that he took from the town and throws it over a cliff. Horrified by how Pete disrespected such an integral part of his life, Pete II runs back down the mountain, and Pete can safely travel through the portal back to his home.

Part 2
363 words
In the forest, everything was perfectly normal. The birds sat on branches and chirped their usual songs, the squirrels darted between rocks and roots, and leaves crunched between Pete’s feet–all as usual. That was, until he found the cave.
It was right on the side of the trail, though he did not remember ever seeing it before, and something inside it emitted a strange blue light. As he stepped closer, he began to feel an odd aura that he could not explain, but that seemed to be coming from deep inside and permeating the air around him. Though his instincts told him to turn back, that something was dangerous, Pete could not help but walk down into the cave, which very quickly became damp and narrow. The stone walls were craggy and wet, and seemed to be closing in on him, getting closer and closer…
And then it opened into a wide, tall cavern, and Pete was stunned by a sudden burst of light emanating from the middle. When he regained his senses and looked up, he found himself standing in front of a staggeringly large wall of blue light–and he could feel the aura he had sensed earlier increase as he grew closer.
The instinct which had told him before not to enter the cave was also now stronger than ever, urging him to get away from this wall of light, to leave this cave–but, like before, he did not listen. Pete reached his hand into the light, and–
Landed in a soft, dew-covered field. He got up, dazed and confused, and looked around to see the tall blades of grass extending in every direction. And… potatoes? Hidden among the grass there seemed to be hundreds and hundreds of potatoes, some that were unnaturally large. One in particular caught Pete’s eye–a tall, golden-brown potato sitting atop a hill, barely visible from how far away it was. So, having nothing else to do and still not knowing where he was, he set off towards the potato on the hill, hoping he would find any clues to help him figure out what had happened to him, and to guide him back to his home.

Part 3
502 words
After hours of traversing through grass and potatoes under the scorching sun, Pete finally made it to the foot of the hill–and although he had seen it from afar, he was still shocked at how large the potato was up close. What was more shocking, however, was the wooden door built into the bottom of the potato, complete with hinges and a knob. This house-sized potato actually seemed to be a house, or at least some sort of building.
Pete hesitated on whether he should go approach the house, but the prospect of spending even another minute in the heat was unimaginable for him; and luckily, his instincts agreed, knowing that he needed to get out of this place, though he did not yet know what it was. He walked up the small hill, took a deep breath, and knocked softly on the potato’s door.
“Hello?” a voice quickly responded, and Pete wasn’t sure whether to be scared or relieved.
“Hello,” he said nervously, “I’m a bit lost. Do you know… where this is?”
“Oh, another traveler from Potatoville IV, are you?” the person–person? Pete had no idea, as the door was barely open–said, laughing. “Well, welcome to Potatoville V, kid. I’m sure you’ll have an amazing time.”
“…huh? Potatoville… five?”
“Yeah, did you not hear me or something? You’re in Potatoville V. I’m sure there are some much nicer people who’ll be willing to waste their time talking to you, but I won’t waste mine, alright?”
“…okay?” Pete said, backing away from the door, which was slammed shut a second later. So with that, he walked down the other side of the hill, ready to investigate this Potatoville V.

Just as the stranger at the door had said, there was indeed a small town below the hill–and, living up to its name, all of the houses were simply very large potatoes. Little children–human children, Pete could now see–played in streets paved with potatoes, swam in pools made of potatoes, and played ball with potatoes, throwing them into hoops of potatoes. All around him, there was life–simply with an abnormally large number of potatoes.
Perplexed and yet amazed, Pete walked through the streets of Potatoville V, examining its buildings and inhabitants and searching for any insight on how to get back home. Several times, he tried to talk to another person about his problems, but they would all simply greet him and then go on their way; that was, until he met a very peculiar individual.
“Hey, you’re not from around here, are you?” This person said, coming up to Pete as he sat on a potato bench. “You’re not even from Potatovilles I through IV, am I right?”
Pete nodded. “You… know about where I’m from?”
“Why, of course I do!” the man responded, “wait, I haven’t introduced myself, have I? I’m Pete II.”
“Pete… II?”
“You heard me,” said Pete II, whom Pete could now see looked uncannily similar to himself. “And I know exactly how to get you home.”

Part 4
514 words
“…and we knew that we couldn’t have all the potato farms in one central location, so the new Republic of Potatoes decided to have not one, but five capital cities–hence the five different Potatovilles across the country,” Pete II said, concluding his short history lesson, “hey, would you look at that? We’re here!” He looked up at the tall mountain that they now stood in front of. “Your gateway home should be right atop that mountain.”
“Seems like an inconvenient place to put a portal,” Pete muttered, but began to follow his doppelganger up the spiky and precarious stone path.

After falling twice and almost dying several times, the two Petes finally made it to the summit of the mountain, where, as promised, sat the portal home: a wall of blue light, just as it was in the cave.
“Well, here we are,” said Pete II, “this is it. Ready?”
“I am,” Pete said, and walked towards the portal. When he was almost there, he turned back briefly to look at Pete II. “Thanks, by the way. For getting me here.”
Pete II nodded in acceptance, but as he continued ascending the final staircase up to the portal, Pete swore he heard a soft laugh coming from his friend. He turned around one more time, trying to see what had caused it–
And was pushed off of his feet by a thick rope.
“…Pete II? Was that you?”
“Who did you think it was?” he said, no longer trying to hide his mirth.
“But… why…”
“You really thought I wanted to help you get home? You thought I’d give up a chance like the one I got?”
“…what do you mean?” Pete asked, struggling on the floor.
“Oh, you don’t even know, do you?” Pete II replied, “humans from your world have some… interesting properties. If I took your soul, I would be able to make new machinery for my potato farm! I would finally have an edge over everyone else! And once I do that… I will return the Republic of Potatoes to its former glory!”
“…okay?” said Pete, too dazed to have fully comprehended anything. All he knew was that Pete II was definitely not his friend, and that he needed to get through that portal quickly.
Pete II had started monologuing again, but this time Pete barely heard. Instead, he slowly reached towards his pocket, pulling out a hard, baseball-sized potato that he had picked while traversing the fields. He drew his arm back, and, hoping for the best, threw it directly at Pete II’s head.
Pete’s doppelganger dodged, and the potato flew past him, past the mountain, and down into the fields below.
“Ha, ha… did you really think that would…” he stopped, a look of horror beginning to form on his face. “Wait. Did you just… throw… a potato? Don’t you understand what you just did? You… you can’t!”
Horrified, Pete II ran down the mountain, repeating his last two words the whole way–leaving Pete free to break out of the ropes and, finally, go back to his homeland.

Part 5
257 words
This time, not wanting any repeat of what had just happened, Pete did not look back when he walked through the portal. Stepping into the blue light without regret, he emerged back in the cave where this had all began–but this time, the feeling of dread was replaced with a sigh of relief. He trekked back through the rock, though the tunnels seemed much less narrow, and soon was right back on the quiet forest trail, as if nothing had ever happened.
And in the forest, everything was normal. Flowers were blooming, and birds flew through the skies high above. Animals ran among the trees, leaves crunching beneath their feet, and Pete walked down the dirt path, singing a calming melody.
By the time he made it back home, it was already nighttime, and the house was quiet but for his own footsteps and the sounds of the crickets outside. On the table, waiting for him, was a plate of mashed potatoes–which his family knew was one of his favorite foods. Looking at it now, however, he shuddered, and could not bring himself to eat a single bite. Every time he picked up his fork, he would think of giant potatoes and strange clones, and would put it down again–so eventually, he gave up trying, and lay down in his bed to sleep. If anyone asked, he had been too tired to eat them, or had not even noticed their presence.
That night, Pete’s dreams were calm and relaxing, and in them was not a single potato.

Word War
122 words, prompt “On second thought, I probably shouldn't have jumped out the window.” by @Septembersong

I was cornered. Capri stood, looking triumphant in front of me. I only had one escape. “Well,” I said looking out the window behind me “I should get going.” I smiled at her. “No! I've waited to long for this!” Capri shouted. The room burned around us. I look back at the window, and jumped. The ground below my was covered in debris. On second thought, I probably shouldn't have jumped out the window. I landed, hard, on my back. As I stood up I saw Scott running to me. “We need to go!” He yelled over the sound of the fire. “Taylor is still in there!” I yelled back and ran back into the building. I wasn't going to lose him.

Daily! (I know this is really out of context)
I have to get back alive.
My feet crack loose branches as I trudge deeper into the forest. Peace starts to seep into me, still with a thrumming beat of anxiety lying underneath. My heart starts to slow as my feet sink into damp soil, my eyes and ears taking in the luscious forest. It’s almost magical.
Whispers seem to echo through the forest, awakening it at every step. Birds pour out cheerful melodies, bright colours gliding in between trees. The sun peeks through the gaps in the canopy, lighting up parts. It’s a dance of brown, green, and flecks of other beautiful colours, all vying for my attention yet balanced in perfect harmony. It’s amazing.
The faint sound of rushing water pours into my ears. I’m nearly there, but I don’t want to take any attention away from this place. I don’t want to leave. It’s a comfort, a second home. If only I could live here… my life would be rearranged. I would be free to roam in this haven, this beautiful retreat. I’d have free and easy access to water every day. I’d be able to get more than enough food.
Slowly, the river comes into view. It gushes powerfully, showing its strength. A couple of rocks stand defiantly in the middle as the river rushes over them, weaving through them. My bucket hangs loose in my hand. Fresh water. This is the place to get it.
Slowly, I lean down to the water, holding the bottom of my bucket with one hand and the top with the other. Water flows into the bucket. I pull it to my mouth and take a drink.
First, my lips become wet with fresh, glorious water. It pours down my mouth, reviving my tongue, my throat, everything. It’s amazing. I drink half the bucket, then dip it back in to get some more. I could never get enough of it. But I have to leave.
I hear the faint sound of footsteps from somewhere deeper. My body freezes. Is there someone there? Or is it just another animal? No. Thud. Thud. That’s a rhythmic, human sound, not an animal’s sound. There’s no mistaking that for a person. I listen a little longer. They’re coming closer. Do I run? They might be another gang – but no gangs come here, and it’s only one person. Like me, maybe. No. They can’t be. Nobody else has found the place. Nobody ever comes here – but I’m a bit late this time. Maybe they come now, instead of earlier? Why?
I stay frozen.

Writing Comp Entry ~ 1996 words ~ Slightly Different

“Students!” My math teacher, Mrs. Sanders, caught everyone’s attention. “I finished grading your chapter tests from last week. I’ll be passing out the results.”

Mrs. Sanders walked across the classroom, passing out the papers. I sat at my desk and patiently waited, though I knew it would be a while until I got my test back. Mrs. Sanders organizes the papers of our class by alphabetical order by last name, but Ventura, my last name, wasn’t so high. If only she sorted it by first name. Then my first name, Aurora, would be the second name on the list. If only.

At long last, after waiting for Mrs. Sanders to walk all around the classroom, she finally came to me, the one in the front row seat. I snapped out of my thoughts, sat up straight, and tried to look as focused as possible.

She handed me my test with a smile before walking to the front again. Before she started talking again, I peeked at my score. I got 100 percent, but that is typical. For me, even skipping up a level, math is easy. However, the sad part is that it does make me the shortest in class.

Math class went as usual. I solved and explained a few problems, and then Mrs. Sanders explained everything else because nobody was raising their hand. After a while, the bell rang, and we packed our bags and began to leave.

I was just peacefully going to my next class, well, not really a class, but I was the assistant of the math teacher of the sixth-grade math. I was just minding my own business when someone ‘accidentally’ bumped into me.

“Whoops, I’m ‘so sorry’ about that!” Harper laughed the exact same laugh that she has used since the fifth grade. “I think you dropped those nerdy glasses of yours!”

“I wear contacts, not glasses. You got that, Harper?” I shot back, rolling my eyes.

“Okay, fine. As if I care. Anyways, how’s the project for magic class going?” She sarcastically replied. “Oh right! I ‘forgot’ that you don’t even have any magic!”

Everybody is gifted in magic, aside from me. At least, that’s what they thought. Only one person here knows my secret: the principal.

The secret is that I do, actually, I do indeed have magic.

But instead of the regular sorcerer or sorceress, I’m a devil. Which means my magic is darker and stronger.

Back in the day, back when my father was my age, devils were just a standard part of society. That all collapsed one day, when a fight began between devils and sorcerers. My very own father had been in that fight. They won, but there was a consequence to winning.

That one fight had scarred our reputation beyond repair. And nobody ever trusts any devil again.

And so I hid, keeping my secret hidden deep within.

“Ugh!” I grunted, wanting to shout in her face.

“Hey, cut it out!” My friend, Cassie, popped in between us. She had no clue about my true identity, my inner self as a devil.

Harper flicked her hand in the air and a bright light appeared for a second, giving us stars in our eyes.

“No magic against others!” Cassie yelled at her.

“If you forgot, the principal is my uncle. And he won’t care if I do anything, but he sure will if you do even the slightest move.” Harper smirked at us.

I bet she was just saying things for the sake of saying things since her uncle, Mr. Meyers, was actually really nice. He accepted me into the school even knowing I was a devil.

Cassie gave her a death stare, and Harper went off to her snobby friends.

“Did you hear?” Cassie turned to me with a frown on her face.

“Hear what?” I asked, confused. Cassie was normally the enthusiastic and outgoing one. It wasn’t normal for her to be serious.

“A magic explosion is occurring just slightly to our west, right now. And it is on the move, coming straight at us! And if I have heard correctly, it is a powerful one.” Cassie exclaimed, worried. “The whole school is buzzing, and I’m pretty sure Mr. Meyers already knows. We’re just waiting now, I guess.”

My gut wrenched. She knows it’s bad, but she doesn’t know how terrible this could be.

Magic explosions occur when a devil’s magic erupts, causing the explosion. And the stronger the devil, the stronger the explosion. Sorcerers and sorceresses have too weak of magic to fend against most explosions, so devils are in need to fight against it. But since the incident, sorcerers and sorceresses started to try and fight the weaker explosions, though devils may still be needed. But they won’t be able to fight stronger ones.

And since I’m a devil, I’d have to stay back if everyone is evacuated for the explosion, especially since it’s a strong one.

Which may reveal my secret.

To the whole entire school.

I stood there, my mind racing as I tried to process the information. All the scenarios were playing out in my head, and I attempted, but failed, to push it away. Leaning against the wall, I took a deep breath.

“Aurora, are you okay?” Cassie looked at me, concerned.

“I’m fine. We should go to class soon.” I replied in a hurry, standing back up.

“Are you sure?”

“Yeah, I’m good. I should get to my next class-slash-tutoring so I can review what we’re doing.”

“Okay! Bye!” And she left.

I took my time to go to class. I stopped by my locker, grabbed my papers, put away my textbook, and took a short rest to think things through.

“I’m just going to have to hope that the explosion turns. Or it moves very, very slowly. If that happens, I don’t have a mess that I’ll have to explain to everyone.” I whispered.

“But if it comes during school hours, which is a likely scenario, there’s nothing I can do. Everyone else will be evacuated, while I depart from my class, trying to avoid people, mainly teachers, from seeing I’m off from the group. And I’ll have to go to Mr. Meyers, the principal, and check with him first, and he’ll let me know what to do… right?” I thought aloud, though quietly enough so others didn’t hear me.

I checked the clock on the wall. Two minutes until class started. I closed my locker and headed over to class.

I entered, saying hello to the teacher, Mr. Reed, and reviewed what we they are learning today. I tried to focus hard and ignore the thoughts in my head, but it kept pulling me away from my thoughts that I needed to think about.

I reviewed the lesson as best as I could, and the bell rang. Class had started.
As the students got ready, Mr. Reed began the lesson, and I quietly took attendance and submitted them on the computer.
About halfway done with the lesson, Mr. Reed motioned to me. I nodded, got the stack of papers on his desk, and started passing them out to the students.

“We’ll be working on this worksheet for the rest of class. Let’s first look at problem-” Mr. Reed began, but then being rudely interrupted by a blaring alarm.

“A magic explosion is drawing dangerously nearby. This is not a drill. Please evacuate immediately. I repeat, a magic explosion is drawing dangerously nearby. This is not a drill. Please evacuate immediately.” The automated voice system said in a monotone voice.
I knew it. It just had to come at this time.

“Students! We need to line up and head out! Please stay quiet so we all can hear the announcements clearly!” Mr. Reed shouts over the speaker. Turning over to me, he said, “go to the very end to keep track of the students.”

I nodded, but I knew I wouldn’t be able to do that.

We exited the classroom as I locked it. When nobody was looking, I slowly edged my way to the principal’s office, which luckily was quite nearby. I almost got caught a few times, when I hopped into another class’s line, pretending that I was a part of them.

I made my way up to the principal’s office and I entered, seeing Mr. Meyers getting ready to leave.

“Is that you, Aurora?” he asked, not even looking up from gathering some papers.

“Yes, that’s me.” I replied, sort of shocked that he knew it was me.

“Okay, that’s good you’re here. From what I have heard, the explosion is from a powerful devil. A few sorcerers and sorceresses have tried to slow it down, but it isn’t working. We need devils.” He explained, motioning us to leave the office into the now-empty hallways of the school.

Mr. Meyers continued, “I wouldn’t want to you be in the battleground unless you must. You’re still young; let the adult devils take care of it. Only join in if you really need to. Also, I would like you to report on how the explosion is going. Come to the evacuation field for a second for a second, and then you can go.”

I sighed. I knew I shouldn’t, but I had that urge to. An urge that was nagging me to go and solve the problem as quickly as possible, but it was what it was. Taking a deep breath, I told myself repeatedly that I wouldn’t do anything unless I was needed, and finally I made myself comply.

We made our way to the evacuation field, where almost all the classes were already gathered. Thankfully, he stopped slightly to the side, so I wasn’t standing in front of the entire school. Although, if they were looking, they could see us.

“I’ll be over there,” Mr. Meyers pointed to the center of a raised area in front of the field. “Motion me over from here if you have any updates. You should start to prepare – it’s a big one.”

I nodded, and I closed my eyes. Sucking in a deep breath, I reopened my eyes. They changed from their normal, hazel eyes, to a glowing, deep red. In this state, I can use a bit of my powers. But then, the only thing I needed to do was to track the explosion.

I chuckled. I remembered, long ago, I used to tease my big brother for me being the only one in the family able to sense something.

“The explosion is probably going to miss us, but barely. However, if it takes a turn, it could run almost directly into the school building. It shouldn’t hit here, though.” I informed Mr. Meyers, trying to sense what is going on. “But I may not be completely accurate.”

“Okay, thanks for the update. You can go now.” And he hurriedly walked to the center, overseeing the students in the field.

I looked at all the students before I left, and I locked eyes on the one person that I didn’t want to see me – Cassie. Her look was mainly confused, but I could tell she knew what was going on but didn’t want to believe it.

I nodded my head slowly, telling her that it was what she thought before going to see the explosion for myself.

I could sense that Cassie understood me, but she didn’t want to. I pushed it away and teleported to the site of the explosion.

I teleported slightly away so I didn’t get hit during the fight. I slowly walked up and realized I should level up my protection, since the fight was intense. I summoned a small shield and saw many sorcerers and sorceresses, and a few devils were battling the explosion.

I started surveying, like Mr. Meyers wanted me to, when I saw /who/ exactly was the devil that caused the magic explosion.

I didn’t want to see it. The reality was an enemy.

“F-father…?”

July 23, 2022

Sapphire bounded up to Dusk and his friends, sitting in a group by the riverbank. “Hi guys!” she said. “I’m so excited to meet you all!” The group of cats turned their heads collectively towards Sapphire. She felt a light blush rise onto her cheeks. “I’m Sapphire.

“THE Sapphire?” one of the cats piped up. “Princess Sapphire?”

“Uh, yeah,” she said bashfully. “You can just call me Sapphire.”

“Sapphire’s new and is looking for a group of friends.” Dusk hopped up and nudged Sapphire playfully. “She’s a healer's apprentice!”

“Uh- yeah. Anyway,” Sapphire continued, “what were you guys planning on doing?”

“We’re going to the beach,” a hazel she-cat replied. “It’s super cool and refreshing.”

“Oh, the beach!” Sapphire exclaimed. “I’ve never been, how fun!”

“You’ll love it,” Dusk assured her. “The sand can get everywhere, but that’s just part of the fun! Plus, you can go fishing. Here-” Dusk handed her a long net made of woven fibers that was folded in order to be easier to carry. “I brought an extra one for you.”

“Um, I’ve never fished before,” Sapphire said. She examined the net. It looked quite intimidating. How would one handle such a large net anyway?

“You’ll get the hang of it,” Dusk said. “Besides, fishing is not often a one cat job. I can help you. Or you can just not fish. It’s all up to you! That’s what’s so fun about the beach. There’s endless fun and possibilities.”

Sapphire nodded, beginning to get more excited at the prospect of the beach. Finally, she could interact with cats her own age for once! Sapphire spared one last glance at Lilac before heading off with the other kits. The healer was talking to Moonpelt, the cat overseeing Dusk and all the other kits.

“She’s such a fine young kit, and smart too,” Moonpelt was saying.

“Indeed,” Lilac said. “She learns quickly.”

“I’m sure she’ll grow up to be a respectable cat, just like her mother.”

Lilac dipped her head, her voice solemn. “That’s… that’s what I’m afraid of.”

The words splashed Sapphire with surprise and concern. Why would Lilac say such a thing with such a tone? It almost hurt her in a way. Was Lilac insulting her mom?

“Sapphire!” Dusk called, interrupting her train of thought. “Are you coming?”

“Yeah!” Sapphire replied, hurrying to catch up to the rest of the cats. She didn’t have time to worry about what Lilac might have or might not have implied.

413 words

Weekly #3
1959 words
This went downhill so fast

Part 1: 375 words

I wrote this down randomly somewhere else :’0

Part 2: intro

(okay i wrote this bit before July it doesn’t count, it's just nice to have for inspo)
BOOM! The massive wooden doors to the dragon’s keep exploded open, hurling out searing flames that shone light onto piles of flying treasure and one very terrified knight. He hurtled out with a large, gaudy book as the dragon roared in fury behind him. Sweat trickled down his face as he heard the lumbering footsteps of the hoarding beast chase him through the decrepit castle. Why did anyone think I was cut out for this? he thought as he awkwardly toted the heavy book, fumbling with it as he ran. This is ridiculous. That dragon can’t even read! Flames flared by him, coming so close he could feel their incoming burn. He scurried through hallways and rooms, the wretched dragon on his tail. It smashed through the building with all intent on getting the book back. It's more possessive than a mother hen, with the attention span of a crow to match! The knight grunted as the book weighed him down. I hate my job!

… (new)

Storybook towers soared high above the radiant hillside. Their colorful banners waved triumphantly in the air, and fanfare played through the surrounding village. The townspeople were chattering with excitement as they went about their day. The water wheels burbled cheerfully, women gossiped at washboards, clothes fluttered high in the air throughout the compact streets, and the merry bugle from the tallest tower rang out for all to hear.
It signaled the return of a very important knight who had at long last returned from a quest of securing an item of the utmost importance. In fact, this knight was the leader of all the knights of the land, and he was to be given a gloriously smashing welcome.
But not all heroes are recognized with such grandiose acts of praise. Some are even regarded as the most paltry of people, the lowest of the low. So as the company rode triumphantly through the opulent gates heartily shouting their arrival, deep in their magnificent castle the most paltry of heroes slammed a hefty book down with a BANG!
“I finished my quest early,” the knight said to a bored looking fairy behind the cluttered desk of the Expedition Management department. The fairy glanced up at him, most likely observing his steadily bruising complexion or exhausted facial expression. Fairies do like a good drama, after all.
“Woah, slow your roll mate,” she squeaked. “Clearly your quest left you in a bad state. Why don’t you just wait till the rest of your mission’s days terminate?”
The knight frowned and tapped his fingers on the flaking cover of the musty book. “This book needs to return to its owner posthaste. That's the entire reason why I rushed here!”
He didn’t feel like arguing with lazy, rhyming fairies at the moment, so he shoved the book across the desk, pulled out his wrinkled report, and smacked it on top of the troublesome tome. “Please just get this where it needs to go.”
His vambrace chose that moment to fall off his arm with a clatter. His smile turned into more of a grimace as he fixed it back on. “I’ll be ready for the next quest after a little rest. I’ll be fine.”
The fairy looked bored again as she grabbed the book. “Spoken like a true knight, how trite. Whatever suits your flute, toot!”
And with that, she waved him off. The knight turned around and sighed. Finally, some peace.
A shout blared through his musings.
“Oh Sir Reynard!” The voice sang through the entrance to the Expedition Management department.
The knight grimaced again and slowly turned towards the speaker.
Every time. Every time.

441/300 words

Part 3: conflict

Reynard stood in front of the familiar brick house. He would have recognized its good-natured, crooked door or its pleasant puffs of chimney smoke anywhere. He noticed the plants that were just sprouts when he last came had blossomed into vibrant flowers. They swayed gently in the breeze, well cared for by the devoted hands that had sown them.
He turned to Sir Conan. “ Why are we here?”
The jolly head knight laughed. “It’s your next quest, of course!” he poked Reynard. “Goodness knows you wouldn’t call on your mother unless I forced you to.”
Reynard looked down guiltily: he wasn’t so close to his mother. Sir Conan had proclaimed that his next assignment was going to be something adventurous. Visiting someone didn't exactly fit with that idea, or with the role of a knight. Throughout his whole career he had been tossed from job to job, but he never felt the pride he figured noble knights were supposed to feel. He just felt … tired.
He surveyed the cheerful house. “I'm thinking about quitting,” he finally said.
Sir Conan started, “What? My boy, you’re a wonderful knight!” he looked at Reynard earnestly. “Why would you quit”
“Because no matter what I do, I don’t think I’m really making a difference!” Reynard gestured to the house. “Just look at me. I can’t even visit my own mother.”
He sat down on the path to the house. “Nobody cares.”
Sir Conan’s face wrinkled under his fluffy beard as he eased himself down next to the younger knight. “No one said it’d be unicorns and rainbows.”
“Yeah, most unicorns want to run you through,” Reynard muttered.
“The point is, good Sir Reynard, that it can be a tiring job sometimes, a thankless job sometimes.” Sir Conan sighed and wring his hands together. “And everyone goes into it thinking they’ll achieve grand acts of service and be beloved by all.”
Reynard avoided his glance. That was what he thought when he first signed up.
“You have a noble heart: of course you want to make a difference. But you can affect someone profoundly by the little acts, too. The gratitude is there, you just have to look.”
Sir Conan smiled at him. “You’re a lionhearted do-gooder, Sir Reynard. People appreciate it. And it starts with calling on your mother.”
The old head knight stood and offered Reynard a hand. “Now come on. I can smell freshly baked pie from here.”

407/400 words

Part 4: climax

The village buzzed merrily, per usual. Reynard walked his horse past chattering merchants and laughing children. Rays of afternoon sunlight fell into the main thoroughfare and flitted warmly on his face. The clip clop of his horse’s hooves fell into rhythm with the rest of the sounds of the village. Everywhere he looked, he was met with a smile. Women beamed through windows while baking, stand owners grinned while organizing produce: the town was full of smiles.
He never noticed them before.
But like the sun, present and real, the villagers' smiles were warm and infectious.
And he couldn’t help but smile himself.
But his quest was to do something meaningful, and it seemed like everyone had it covered. He led his horse through the streets, matching his step with its steady clip.
“Hey!”
Reynard glanced around and kept walking.
“Sir Knight! Excuse me!”
He whipped around and searched for the voice. A flustered young lady dodged other folk as she ran down the street.
“I need help!”
Reynard stopped his horse as the townswoman caught up with him. “What- what seems to be the problem ma’am,” he stammered.
Finally, something I can do!
…
The hustle and bustle of the busy village faded away as they journeyed out towards the hilly countryside. They were headed towards a rolling field dotted with sleepy sheep. The picturesque scene was marred by a wagon crowded with shouting people. The woman had told him that her family’s work wagon had gotten stuck in the mud. Country roads were more prone to wrecking innocent people’s modes of transportation.
As Reynard approached the stuck wagon, he could see that the one horse attempting to pull it out was not strong enough to counter the mud. The people around the wagon stopped shouting at each other and pushing it. He awkwardly lifted a hand in greeting.
“A knight!”
“He’ll be able to get us out of this fix.”
A knight’s job lay in service to his people. He recalled the smiles from the village. They trusted and depended on him.
He tied his horse to the wagon. His boots squelched in the mud as he secured the knot. Everyone moved behind the wagon to push it out as the horses started pulling. The ropes strained. The horses' hooves pawed through the mud. He put his shoulder against the wooden planks of the wagon. Their feet slipped against the mud. Muscles strained. Reynard grit his teeth as the wagon started to move. Bit by bit it started to emerge from the mud, splattering it against their faces and clothes.
He gave it everything he had. It was just a wagon to him, but to the others it was so much more. A livelihood. A precious piece of equipment. He couldn’t give up, for the people. For the ones that depended on it.
And just like that, the wagon popped out.

483/300 words

Part 5: conclusion

There were laughs. Cheers. Whoops and hollers. And. So. Many. Smiles. Reynard grinned. It was all in a knight’s day’s work. He had signed up because he thought it a noble cause. He thought he’d be fighting monsters and rescuing innocents. He thought there'd be royalty and magic.
Compared to the stories, a knight’s work was a joke.
Every day he got down in the muck and mud, sometimes literally, just to help people. He saw peasants, farmers, merchants, and all the manner of regular, everyday folk.
They used to not seem very special.
He thought the village was cheerful and naïve. His deeds felt simple and unremarkable.
But standing here, mud splattered and tired, Reynard felt something else. He was amidst smiles and joy. They smacked his back, and showered him with praise. They ached together with the feeling of a job well done.
He never noticed it before.
He served the people he came from.
And they showered him with love.
Out there in the open countryside he could feel the sun on his skin. It was warm, present. Laughing and dancing but not uncomfortable by any means.
Faces met his with smiles. True smiles of gratitude and affection.
He started to wonder why he thought he ever needed anything else.
He was surrounded by sheer love wherever he went.
I suppose this might be what being a knight feels like.
He looked back at the storybook towers where heroes gathered and set out to save the world.
Sir Reynard smiled.

253/250 words

whoops I thought I could post contest entries here ^^’ sorry for clogging up the forum-

July 24, 2023

Hualin has always been overshadowed by his adopted sister, Skita. He's always wanted to be just as qualified, smart, and capable as her. But things are not as surface level as they seem. When Skita’s mental health begins to slip, she seeks out friends who will appreciate her for who she is. But they might not have her best interests at heart. All of this comes to a head when Skita goes missing and Hualin is forced to confront their awkward relationship. As he struggles to find out the circumstances behind Skita’s disappearance, Hualin also unveils secrets that will change his life forever.

103 words

critique for @tapdancer707 - 306 words

- Firstly, I like the way that you executed the character's social anxiety and love for ballet. You described it well and used a variety of words.
- The first paragraph really hooked me in. It left me wondering, why is she nervous? why does she take a deep breath? which made me continue the story to find out. The fact that you don't explain everything in the first paragraph is something I enjoyed.
- The description of Kaitlyn, Emily and Lily's understanding of each other or ‘silent alliance’ as you called it was great, especially the choice of wording.
- The feeling of social anxiety was well described in this story. Even though I don't have it, this piece really made me realize what social anxiety is like.
- I found Kaitlyn's passion for her hobby relatable, even though I have never done ballet.
- This well-written story is relatable and interesting to read. Good job!

- For some things to improve on, I think that the line ‘and ballet is the calmest, least stressful class I’m in’ only needs to include ‘calmest’ or ‘least stressful’ since they have very similar meanings.
- On the line when Lily asks Kaitlyn about pointe (“Nervous for hearing about pointe?”) it didn't really make much sense to me. Only afterwards I realized that it was about ‘hearing results of whether or not she’ll get into pointe.' (this assumption might be wrong though) I think it would be clearer to change it to something that makes more sense, for example: “Nervous about taking the exam for pointe?” or “Nervous about results for pointe?”
- For the paragraph formatting, I think that's up to you. I personally prefer extra spaces between paragraphs because it's easier for me to read. But them again, it's up to you.
- Not really a suggestion, but have you got a name for the story yet?

Overall this piece of writing is amazingly awesome! (is that even a word? xD)

removed, apologies </33

Daily For Scratch Writing Camp- July 2023
A blurb on the novel I'm working on.
Well, I am currently working on my novel–The mist, The Eternal Fog which I started in this month when during the second week. Scratch writing camp did help me with that. So it revolves around the group of 4 teens who started their own secret agency for the protection of normal citizens and is headed my Carmi–Their Leader. So Now we have the heroes so what about the villains then we do have the big bad boss who is the Unknown and I named him like that because in the first chapters no one knowns much about him but in the later chapters we will get a better glimpse and picture of him. So Until now, I just Completed my First Chapter and just Started my Second chapter that I posted for yesterday's daily so I guess we are done here. So thank you for listening to the glimpse of my novel.

Heat and the Lack Thereof (723 words)

Opening the car door I was immediately struck by the immobile nature of the cold. In its hottest form water bubbles and boils madly, inevitably losing its connection to the earth’s surface and expanding outward towards the vastness of existence. Cold water is stagnant, unmoving and rigid. Hailing from the sweltering heat of Mississippi I was far more accustomed to the former. Despite my apprehension, I found myself struck by the picturesque beauty of Vermont. The green mountain state’s breathtaking landscape had long ago abandoned any prospect of symmetry and instead allowed nature to run its wild course. This profound contrast in my surroundings was my goal in coming here. Despite my usual circumspect nature I thought that this upheaval in circumstances would be good for me. While I never claimed to be intrepid I had to concede I was becoming a little too sure footed back in my hometown. The unusually frigid and solid precipitation ought to keep me on my toes.
The foreign climate wasn’t the only thing setting me off balance in my new environment. The retreat consisted of a small and intimate group of individuals who I would get to understand very deeply. One woman in particular always seemed to catch my attention. At this point I cannot say whether it was the extent of her intellect or her propensity towards showing me all of New England that first drew me to her. It would not be fair to say it was love at first sight for sight played almost no part in our connection. The extent of my attraction would be just as strong had I been blind all of my life. The attire worn in such harsh conditions cloaks any physical beauty, forcing the beholder to look a little deeper. I find my love for her in the warmth that spreads across my cheeks in her presence. I see it in the little cloud produced by her warm breath in the cold air. I feel my affection in the celerity of my heart rate and the alacrity of my spirit. When I was with her I didn’t mind the way the bitter cold slowed the clock. I yearned for endless nights with my new favorite companion.
It was a near perfect winter evening when we went on our first date. The solicitude I’d been experiencing over the past few days felt foolish with her hand in mine. She led me excitedly towards a secluded location over a mile from our cabin. The sun hung low in the sky and she hurried me along, fearing we wouldn’t make it before sunset. My stamina was running low and my lungs protested each breath of cold air. Until this point my love had treated my lack of cold tolerance with total deference. Whatever she wanted to show me must be truly worth it. With my patience wearing thin we finally reach the spot and my resentment melts away. She has shown me to a place where the line between earth and sky is blurred. A huge expanse of ice stretches out in front of us reflecting the sky back up to the heavens. Together we watch not one sunset but two as the sun and her reflection meet on the horizon. Leave it to me to shatter our perfect evening.
Shatter is actually a very apt term to use here as that is exactly what the ice did when I foolishly ventured too far from the shoreline. I heard only a second of my lovers scream before I plunged into the icy depths. It pains me that she will take no solace in the way that it wasn’t her fault. She didn’t tell me to take that last step, but I know her well enough to know she will blame herself all the same. The quickness and cruelty of a moment can be hopelessly abominable. There’s something remarkably unique about drowning in icy cold water. It is noted by scientists that cold does not truly exist. Heat exists as a byproduct of energy while cold is simply a lack of heat. It may feel like the cold is penetrating every part of my body, my whole being. In reality it is the heat that is abandoning me. Trying pointlessly to share its warmth with the entire expanse of the world.

First part of fourth weekly of July 2023 Session.
My prompt is– “ The London Bridge is falling down, falling down, falling down”

Now, My First Verse:
The London Bridge is Building up, Building up,
Oh my Britain,
If the Bridge is Building up, Building up,
I can go to the yellow wood.
The London Bridge is Building Up, Build Up,
Oh my Britain.