Joshua’s heart pounded. He could feel it in his chest, his neck, his ears. He thrust his sword towards his enemy, but was blocked by a shield. He held his own in front of his chest to protect from a parrying attack. Back and forth they struck and defended. He tried to ignore the layer of sweat forming on his skin, and his straining muscles, which cried out for rest. This fight was not yet over, and he had to keep up until the very end.
Joshua attacked, but missed. The enemy’s sword penetrated a weak point in his armor and sliced the skin of his arm. He didn’t have time to lecture himself, there would be enough time for that later on. That is, if he survived to later. Don’t let your guard down, he whispered to himself.
Pain began to radiate from the point of his wound. As it progressed, it became harder, and harder for him to hold his shield. He now had no choice but to drop it. He tried to keep going, but even his sword arm was struggling to keep up with the skilled movements of his enemy. He was struck several more times, only blocking about half of them.
The battle was grueling. The sun reached out to him with its fiery fingers, trying to steal away what little he had left. It started with shaking legs. Then it progressed to blurring vision, and the ground wobbled beneath him. The battle was lost. Joshua’s body was failing him. He took one more look at his opposition before he slipped into darkness.
Who he saw there caused him to drop to his knees, trembling in fear. It was the one person he’d hoped never to come face to face with. The one person he’d never wanted to bow down to. The one person who had destroyed him.
(313 words)

Hi Rosemary,

I’m really sorry to hear about your migraines (especially since they’re preventing you from going out and doing the things that you enjoy!). The pain sounds horrible; hopefully the heat clears up soon so that you can start hiking again. Also, I feel you on wishing for summers off. This is the first year when I've actually had something like a job during June/July, and I already know that summer vacation is one of the things that I’m going to miss most about being an unemployed kid, lol. Your summer classes sound like such a pain, too, on top of work; you must be so busy! It’s cool that you’re doing a double major, though — I saw on your profile that you’re studying psychology (?), but may I ask what your other major is? Also, I would definitely recommend volunteering at your library if you can. It’s so rewarding, especially if you’re a reader; I feel that my local library was one of the most influential forces that shaped my love of books, and volunteering there now is like giving back, in a way.

All of the books you recommended sound so interesting! I will admit that I haven’t read any Shakespeare out of school, but I really liked the two plays that my English class studied in freshman/sophomore year (Romeo and Juliet and Macbeth). There was also a recorded production of Much Ado About Nothing that I found on YouTube a couple years back, which I enjoyed a lot more than I expected (it was SO funny). I feel like that’s probably a sign for me to engage with more of his work outside of school, lol. Which plays of his are your favorites, and are there any that you would recommend?

I’ve never heard of Henrik Ibsen, but I just looked him up and his plays seem very intriguing! I’ll have to check him out. Do you have any Kafka recommendations? He’s actually an author I’ve been curious about reading for a while; I was planning to start with The Metamorphosis, since that’s the one everyone knows, but I would love to know if you have any other favorites. And ooh Crime and Punishment! I’m honestly very intimidated by that book because I’ve heard a lot about how dense it is. I would love to hear your thoughts on it when you start, though (and if it’s really worth picking up, haha). Also, it’s such a funny coincidence that LotR and The Count of Monte Cristo are two of your favorites, since I’m in the middle of reading both right now! I just started Monte Cristo and I’ve been reading LotR on and off for about a year now (currently on The Two Towers). Both are really enjoyable so far, although I will say that LotR does drag in some places. I keep getting distracted by other books, then forgetting what happened and having to start over. I’m determined to finish eventually though!

I’m also currently watching the LotR movies with my family. So far, I think they’re a fairly well-done adaptation of the books. It’s interesting to see which parts they kept vs. the parts they cut). I saw Back to the Future and Indiana Jones years ago but I don’t remember much about either movie — maybe that’s my sign to rewatch them. And I love My Neighbor Totoro! It’s such a nostalgic movie, omg. My personal favorite Ghibli films are Spirited Away and Howl’s Moving Castle.

It’s so cool that you’re an orchestra violist! I’ve always wanted to learn how to play a string instrument, but never got around to it. I do play clarinet in my school’s wind ensemble, though. I used to participate in marching band as well, but I’m quitting this year because I no longer feel that the commitment is worth it. (The social environment has also become really toxic over the past couple years.)

And yay, another fellow crocheter I love that you crochet horse ribbons. It sounds like such a neat intersection of two different interests. The animals looking wonky is so real omg. My first few were very lumpy and strange-looking as well; it definitely takes a lot of practice.

Wow, your horse riding experience is really impressive! Getting your own horse seems like such a motivating goal to work towards (the financial concerns are so real, though). Do you ever participate in horse races (since you crochet ribbons for them)? Also — this is kind of a random question — are there any misconceptions about horses that you feel show up a lot in movies/books/etc.? This is something I’ve always wondered about haha, since I feel like horses show up all the time in fiction, but most writers don’t seem to have much real-life experience to draw from.

I’m going to stop here because I just realized that this letter has gotten slightly out of hand in terms of length, lol. But thanks for your response — I really enjoyed reading it! — and feel free to yap about anything. I’m excited to learn more about horses and books, or whatever else you’re interested in right now.

Sincerely,

Inky