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Servantry by Kudra Wagner
She wouldn't tolerate anyone else.
Everyone else she sent away, or ran away screaming. Her utter impatience drove them all mad. Except me.
I loved her, that's why I tolerated the countless food spills when it wasn't to her liking, the books she didn't like thrown across the room, the millions of unnecessary errands she had me run.
I would brush her long, black hair one thousand strokes and love every minute of it. I knelt at her feet and felt good about it; happy almost. I polished her endless riches until I could see my gaunt face and scraggly blonde hair.
She brushed away any and all suitors who asked for her hand. No matter how rich, how sophisticated or how talented he was, she brushed them away as if they were mere gnats; that's what she thought of them.
At one time, I tried to tell her how I felt
I walked into her room, carrying her breakfast on a silver platter. She lounged lazily on her bed, pillows strewn about the room. I set the tray down and laid out her morning breakfast on the table in front of her. My hands shook as I poured her late-morning wine into her little golden goblet
She chuckled at me, as she always did when I was being foolish. “A little shaky there, eh Rozu?”
I laughed nervously and shook my head. “No my lady.” I handed her the wine and she sipped it lightly. “My lady?” I said quietly.
“Yes Rozu?” she responded, an eyebrow raised.
My face flushed a deep red to hear her address me by name. “I-i-i-i-i was wondering why you turn them all away....”
She chuckled. “None of them suit my interests.” she replied. “Why do you ask?”
“I was wondering....” I said meekly.
“Yes?” she asked, a hint of impatience in her voice.
“I was wondering if you would ever consider a servant.” I said.
She didn't answer and started place the little crushed dates on her toast, something I would have normally done. I already knew the answer though.
It went on like that, me secretly loving her, worshiping her, and Nefertiti not caring.
We searched for the cause of her death, and found a half empty bottle of poison. I sat in her bedroom that day, and I found a small envelope with my name on it. Surely, this couldn't be from her...
I opened the letter with trembling fingers and carefully unfolded the letter. It read:
Rozu,
Take care of my heart.
I've always loved you, more then you could ever imagine.
~Nefertiti
The letter slipped from my hands as I fell to the floor in shock. I sobbed for hours, no one hearing me. I held tight to the bottle of amber liquid and drank it down; every last drop. My spirit left the scraggly body it had been trapped in for so long, but I was stuck between the worlds. I was forbidden to travel to the afterlife. The poison that gave my queen her freedom trapped me where I could never reach her.
They soon placed her inside the tomb with so many riches. They sealed it up, knowing full well the grave-robbers would be upon it soon. I couldn't let them take my love's plethora of riches. I stayed beside her, like I have been my whole life. I shall forever protect her.
No one will find her. She is safe in my care.
I may be miserable but she is all that matters.
The Little Things by Kudra Wagner
The incessant high-pitched beeping of the alarm wakes you up for the third time. No more snooze button. You drag yourself out of bed, your joints popping back into their rightful places as you sluggishly walk down the steps. You make your coffee and scrambled eggs and just as you're about to sit down at the little breakfast bar, you notice a small card that wasn't there before. Setting your plate down on the table, you sip your coffee as you open the note. The coffee scalds your lips and tongue, so you set it down. You focus now on the card.
Wondering where you got this? Go on upstairs to the bathroom and see.
You sigh. You're hungry, so you sit down to eat your eggs. You take a few bites before you realize that this little card has sparked a certain curiosity. Eating will have to wait. You set the fork down and get up from your chair. You walk upstairs and enter the tiny bathroom, seeing a card taped to the mirror. Taking it off the mirror, you open it and examine the words inside.
I see your curiosity is sparked. Wonderful. Let's go back downstairs to the living room and the television.
You race down the stairs, grumbling a bit about this pointless little quest. Stride over to the television and snatch the card off its blank screen. You open the card. The card sends you to the refrigerator and that card sends you outside and that card sends you into the garage.
Oh, isn't this fun! Under your pillow, perhaps?
The pillow card leads you to the shower and that card leads you to the third couch cushion from the left and then that card leads you upstairs. You're frustrated, terribly frustrated, and sweating from the frantic going about the house. Practically tearing the card off your bedroom door, you breathe through your teeth as you open it, wondering how the cards suddenly appear when they weren't there the first time. You had passed your bedroom door at least twice, and each time there was no card. But somehow...
Ah-ha! You realize my trickery. Nice job. This is your final clue, I promise. Go outside, and around the corner. A tall tree awaits you.
You crumple this note and as you make your way downstairs, you realize that your eggs are cold, and your coffee lukewarm. That was such a waste. You slip on a pair of flip-flops and walk outside to the crisp morning. You walk to the end of your driveway and turn the corner onto a neighboring street. A giant oak tree greets you, and you spot a white card tucked between two branches. Standing on your tiptoes, you grab the card and open it. It's blank. Infuriated, you tear the card into pieces. You feel a slight tap on your shoulder, and you jump as you turn around.
Tears of joy come to your eyes as you realize who stands there. He's been gone for so long, and you hardly recognize his face! You throw your arms around him hug him close, breathing in the scent of where he has been, remembering the times; and forgetting about the cold eggs and coffee.
Life's Mystery by Jake Paine
The blood running down Miyra's face was warm; almost soothing. The pain he felt was exhilarating, yet it took away the feeling of exuberance from the experience. This was the fourth time this week Miyra had competed. He was warned by several of his teachers and peers but he was too belligerent to concede to just watching the fights. Every thunderous clap of his fist shattering another bone was almost an elixir to his life, driving his existence. Every drop of blood falling from the swollen eyes of his opponents was like a drug. Miyra was undefeated and was unstoppable; a force against nature.
Miyra touched gloves with his opponent, Kain, and immediately began his fear techniques. He strafed side to side with the grace of a dove, with the speed of a cheetah. He began his reign of terror on Kain, landing punches hard enough to cripple a grown elephant but Kain wouldn't go down. As Miyra continued his deluge of strikes, he realized Kain hadn't moved from his starting position. Something was very wrong.
Kain took his first step forward. Instinctively, Miyra sidestepped quickly. Kain watched
Miyra's moves and then began moving in the same way. Kain started going faster. He began striking back with uncanny accuracy and power but he was not hitting for the win. He was aiming for a kill.
Miyra's vision became red and hazed. He had lost and the only thing he was fighting for now was his life. Kain stepped forward and grabbed Miyra's throat with an iron grip and then stopped moving entirely. A man with jet black hair and designer sunglasses walked into the arena.
“And so we have it folks! Dr. Topp has finally developed a better fighting machine than the previous model, the M.I.Y.R.A!!”, announced the man with a reverberating voice.
Miyra stopped only to notice the arena changing into a Coliseum with hundreds of thousands of viewers in the stands. He looked down and noticed his blood was not blood, it was oil. He was paralyzed. Kain unfroze and jammed his hand into Miyra's chest, but Miyra didn't feel it. All he saw was a “system override” message and blacked out vision.
Write Across America competition and rules
Started on October 1st, 2011
Sponsored by DramaWorksinc.com
Competition Rules and Requirements
Students submitting stories to the blog must be under eighteen years of age
There is no limit to the number of entries a student may submit, though there are no resubmissions of an accepted story, for subsequent competitions
Each story must be no more than 600 words long and can be on any subject
Each emailed submission will be critiqued and the critique sent to the student. The submission email address will be competition@write-across-america.com
Suitable short stories will be posted on our blog, http://write-across-america.com
Readers of the blog stories will be allowed to comment and vote for stories. Each comment will be vetted by the editors prior to posting
Stories from the blog deemed to be of suitable quality and subject matter will be published in an eBook of short stories. Students may have more than one story accepted for the eBook
Royalty payments will be made on books sales, commensurate with the number of stories included from each author. This eBook will be available for purchase at Amazon Kindle and Barnes and Noble Nook and will be titled “Let the Young Speak”
The three most-voted for stories in the blog series will be awarded a cash prize of $100 each
After the three prizes are awarded and the eBook published, the competition will start again
The timing of the publication of the eBook and the awarding of the cash prizes will be determined by the editors and will depend solely on the number of stories that are submitted and the votes cast. The more stories and votes submitted, the quicker a new round will begin.
************
Once the 600 word competition has been firmly established, a second competition will be initiated. Designed for the older student, the stories submitted cannot be longer than 140 characters. A character in this instance includes numbers, letters, punctuation marks and spaces. The competition will be given the name, Ultra-shorts. These stories will be initially published on Twitter and the Write-Across-America blog and may be published in eBook format at a later date. Prizes will be awarded for the most-voted stories through tweets and the blog.
Please email any inquiries to competition@write-across-america.com
We need more stories!
Arrow by Emily Jackel
I lie next to my leopard Arrow and bask in the sunlight peeking through the blossom trees. He purrs silently and I pet him. I hear a servant girl’s voice calling my name.
“Kihone!”
I begrudgingly get up off the warm grass and I ride Arrow back to the palace steps.
“You called for me?”
“The three Magicians are here!” I run through the palace, with Arrow at my side. When I make it into The Great Hall, I see three tall men in royal blue cloaks. My mother, Queen Tai, is sitting on her throne and she gives me a dry smile. I bow before her and I then sit in a chair a distance away from her. She never liked me. Always thinking I want the throne for myself. Arrow creeps up behind me and lies by my chair protectively, glaring at the three magicians with his big yellow eyes.
Then, the show begins. The first man pulls out a blue wand and he supposedly turns it into a bouquet of white roses. This is a common, boring trick.
The second man waves a red wand and a gust of wind carries through the palace windows and doors. I suppose this trick is better than the first but I yawn in dismay. I have seen many tricks.
Then the third magician brings out a wooden staff. He bows and throws the staff down on the floor. I gasp, and I see cold blooded slits for eyes, Cobra, staring at me. Arrow runs away indignantly meowing behind a wall. Fear overwhelms me and I stare in the Cobra’s eyes. I glance at my mother; she is smiling at me. Her eyes are stormy gray and are lined with Kohl. She turns the other way, not looking at me.
All three magicians grin maliciously.
Does my own mother, Queen Tai, dare to plot against her daughter?
The snake moves closer to where I stand. If I run, it will lash out at me. If I stay still, it will feast on me anyway. My heart races and I stare into the snake’s eye slits. My father once told me something before he died.
“If you are going to fail, then at least fail magnificently.” In this case, I am going to die, so I can at least do so majestically. Not a very comforting thought but I have nothing else. My hand hovers over my gold dagger I always kept sheathed. I hoped I would never have to use it, until now. I slowly unsheathe it.
The snake leans back and is preparing to strike the first blow. In a heartbeat it strikes and I slash of its head. The body of the snake wiggles and a puddle of blood forms on the tile floor. I look up at my mother and her face is pale with shock. The magicians run out of the door and I hear guards running in. I hear a few battle cries and the Magicians are no more. My mother shouts an unforgivable thing.
“Kill her!” She shrieks.
In a flash of black and red, Arrow leaps down onto Queen Tai. I close my eyes. When I open them again she lays dead. That evening, she was placed in her tomb.
The next evening, I was crowned queen of Egypt. It was a bitter Coronation but I know that it is my duty to lead Egypt. For hundreds of years, my country of Egypt has prospered. I do pray that I can lead Egypt with wisdom and fairness.Wait For It - Bailey Phillips, 7th grade
Dammon. His lips were the perfect shade of blush pink. His eyes were an amazing sapphire blue. His skin was the most amazing kind of tan there could possibly be. He was perfect. Yet he was out of Yuuki’s reach.
Yuuki awoke to a startling tug on her shoulder. ‘’Dude wake up! Its 8:30, the waves are killer out on the beach. Get your suit on and let’s go!’’ her roommate, Nina, exclaimed. Yuuki stared at her for a moment then slowly arose from her bed and slipped into her two piece. ‘’Where’s my board?’’ Yuuki laughed, still somewhat in a fog. ‘’There ya go. It’s already waxed and on the beach ready to go.’’ Nina answered.
Both of the girls ran to their boards and slowly entered the water. Within a matter of seconds both girls went pale white from the ice cold water. Yuuki slowly slid her hand through her surfboard leash and dove into the water face first. When she surfaced she saw him, Dammon. She turned to face Nina, ‘’Dammon surfs?!’’ Nina laughed at Yuuki’s surprise. ‘’How do you think he got his amazing tan?’’ Nina watched Yuuki as Yuuki watched Dammon. Slowly they both straddled their boards and dove under the first wave.
‘’Next one is mine!’’ Yuuki hollered at Nina as a twenty or so foot wave swiftly approached. She paddled out to it and quickly stood up on her board. As the wave began to barrel, she crouched low and stuck her fingertips into the crystal blue water. The wave crashed loud behind her as she slowly rode in. Everyone on the beach who has seen that shouted her name with pure excitement. Her eyes found Dammon and she began to blush because he was cheering as well.
When Nina and Yuuki got back on shore Dammon was there waiting for Yuuki. ‘’Dude, what you did out there… It was amazing.’’ He complimented taking a slight step forward with a bashful smile spread across his lips. Nina winked at Yuuki and walked away leaving the two alone. ‘’Your name is Yuuki right?’’ he asked bashfully. She laughed a little and nodded. ‘’I’ve has the pleasure of watching you surf before. You’re amazing. I was wondering, maybe you could teach me some of your tricks and I could get you lunch. If we’re out here long enough I could even take you back to my place and fix you some dinner. Sound okay? Or too pushy?’’ he asked nervously. She giggled, ‘’Sounds perfect.’’ He smiled, took her hand in his and led her out to the water.
The Rocky Mountain Wild Life of Colorado - Tristan Martin - 6th
The sun was just rising over the snow white peaks of the mountains and nature was rising with it. Deer and rabbits poked their heads out of their hiding places, checking for safety before entering the lush meadow. With no danger in view, they started their morning ritual of feeding on the green grass of the meadow at the base of the mountains.
The birds started their morning tune to tell the story of the beautiful day. Hawks and buzzards began to scout over the meadow. They looked tirelessly for any small rodent or morsel to be breakfast. The bald eagle soared like the king of the sky with no worries in the world, landing at the top of a redwood tree at the crest of the mountain taking his place like a king in his castle. All the mice went underground to their burrows trying not to be seen by the sharp eyes of the hawks and buzzards. The last of the wise owls flew fast to their nest, trying not to get blinded by the bright sun shining above the mountain peaks.
A thunderous sound from the mountain tops of galloping wild horses got the attention of the meadow life. They all stopped and stared at the grand sight that approached them. The horses raced to the meadow to get their share of the rich green grass. As they reached the meadow they started to play and buck happily in the green grass. Their coats were gleaming and shining from the warm sun above. Manes were flying behind them like flags in the wind. Their muscles made them look strong and beautiful, able to run for miles and miles.
The scene of the morning routine of all the wildlife in the Colorado Rocky Mountains is the most beautiful, majestic and peaceful sight. Those who get to live near these spectacular mountains are very lucky to have the chance to see it in motion and I am sure they truly treasure it.
Video Interview
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ROJXpPIsuu4
Dal
Empty Heart by Johanna Hernandez 14
Alice Skyes had midnight-black hair and hazel eyes; her skin porcelain and perfect. She was beautiful in every possible way. She was the girl next door and also happened to be my best and only friend. I was the boy next door, the one no one knew at school. I was thin and pale with long hair. I was unpopular unlike her but that didn’t seem to stop her from being friends with me.
I adjusted the strap of my backpack and out of the door I saw a beautiful Alice smiling at me,
“Hey D’mitri.”
I couldn’t help but smile back. ”Hey Alice”
“You ready?” She asked.
I nodded and we both walked to school as usual.
A cold breeze entered my room as I walked over to close the window. I gazed into the chilly beautiful silent night .The only sound was the sound of Alice playing her guitar. She played a song I didn’t recognize, but it sounded good. As I approached the window I saw the door to her room slam open. It startled us. A man with a lame swagger stumbled in with a beer in his hand. ”What the hell do you think you’re doing up here Alice?! I told you to cook some food!”
“I already did.”
“Don’t you talk back to me!”
“I was just responding to you.”
Before I could turn away, I heard the sound of someone getting slapped and I knew it was Alice. I saw her fall to the floor as she cupped the side of a cheek that was glowing amber red.
“I told you not talk back to me!” He drank from his beer, “You’re useless…just like your mother.”
Alice got up.
“I’m not useless!” Tears coated her face as she turned and glanced out the window where she saw me. I looked away and pretended I hadn’t seen anything. I had.
The days passed and I couldn’t help but bringing up the subject about her dad to Alice.
“I know I shouldn’t bring this up but why did your dad slap you.”
She said nothing and sat in silence. I could feel the tension between us.
”What are you talking about?” she replied as if she knew nothing.
“Nothing.” I said as I let the subject slip from between us. I knew better than to bring the subject up.
The following week I didn’t see Alice; her dad claimed that she was sick but the last time I had seen her she seemed fine. Days passed and Alice was nowhere in sight and then one day I decided to go over to see if she was really sick and that’s when I heard a gunshot. I ducked to the floor but then I realized the gunshot came from inside.
“Alice!” I turned the door knob and the door swung open. I ran upstairs to her room where I saw her on the floor, dead. She had committed suicide.
Tears filled my eyes. “Alice!” I howled.
I didn’t know what to do. I had lost the one person in my life who meant something to me. Despite what her dad had said she wasn’t useless. She actually meant something in my life because the truth was I loved her.
If her dad would have stopped treating her like trash, perhaps she would still be alive and I could tell her that I loved her. I would hug her in my arms and promise her she would be okay. Instead I looked down at the dead girl I loved right before my feet. She left me with tears in my eyes and an empty broken heart.
@WriteAcrossUSA
