Notre Dame College Prep 2012 Vision Literary Magazine

7/27/2019 Notre Dame College Prep 2012 Vision Literary Magazine

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oVisi nThe Fine Arts Magazine of Notre Dame College Prep7655 West Dempster Street Niles, Illinois 60714

2012


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INTRoToART Intro to Art


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Ruff by Scott Smith

Introduction to Art is the

foundation visual art courseat Notre Dame College Prep.

The vast majority of students

enter this class with no art

background. The course fo-

cuses on building fundamental

skills in a variety of dif-

ferent media. Problem-solv-

ing models are introduced as

a way to work through proj-

ects and an appreciation for

the artistic process is fos-

tered.


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Halo by Brian Eckman

Nash by Jimmy Cravens

Donald by Joey Solita

Beavis and Butthead by Peter Velez


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top: In Session by Scott Smith

right: My Dream by Eric Stauffer

above: Family by Ben Connolly


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above: Riding the Wave by

Brian Eckman

right: Brush Work by

Liam Prior


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top: Dream House by Christian LaBuda

left: Towering Beauty by Jaxon Lewandowskiabove: New Age by Michael Kolodziej


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opposite page

top left: To Be A Cham-

pion by Jimmy Cravens

bottom left: Hello by

Ryan Czachor

top right: Bear Down by

Brandon Pascalo

bottom right: Flight by

Elijah Mendez

this page

top left: Colts by

George Bicknell

middle left: City Street

by George Bicknell

bottom left: Go Gators

by Max OMalley

top right: Swim by

Victor Suezo

bottom right: Who is Your

God by Nikko Gomez


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top: Stormy Vacation by

Kyle Krogstad

middle: Scary Sculpture by

Tyler Wynd

right: Im So Proud by

Eric Zepeda


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top: Bath Time by

Brendan Clifford

above: Second Chance by

Matt Jensen

left: Who by

Nathan Benuelos


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opposite page

clockwise form top left:

Glory by Brett Bartes

Flight by Brandon Hinrichs

Future City by Jim Casey

Attack by Brian Kukla

The End by Nick Brinskelle

Dessert Desert by

Nick Brinskelle

Football Dreams by

Matt Livingston

this page

clockwise from top left:

Sunset Beach by Jim Casey

My Town by Charlie Healy

Its Square Floating City

by Keenan Connelly

Touch by Rafael Mora

City on the Hill by

Victor Suezo


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PHoToGRAPHYPhotographyArt one


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Paradise Rain by Ed Sobieski


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opposite page

top Rising by

Dan Pietrzyk

bottom left: Land

Locked byMark Hochleutner

bottom right: Into

Darkness by Ed Serrano

this page

top: Building the

Future by Alex Garcia

bottom: Calm by Luke

Topping

right: Dog Tired by

Neil Dunn


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above: Dark Crystal by

Mark Hochleutner

right: Rotation by Jared Lendy

opposite: Ghosts by Ed Serrano


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clockwise from top left:

Warning by Brian Kelly

Sailing by Jared Lendy

Passages by Brian Regal

Neon Forest by Jack Fracek


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Iron Giants by Ed Sobieski

Whispers in the Night by Brendan Carney


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Fuzzy Funk by David Childers

Reflections by Jack Fracek


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above: Rocks by Neil Dunn

left circle: Up by Neil Dunn

below: Rays of Lightby Connor Fallon


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top: View Point by Ed Serrano

middle: Peek byAnthony McDermott

right: Crazy by Dan Pietrzyk


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Moon Rise by Greg Leifel

Haunting by Anthony McDermott

Eye by Mark Hochleutner


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Footies by Ed Serrano

In Focus by Dan Pietrzyk

Hunger Games by Mark Hochleutner


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They are all powerful,

all knowingThey decide what is to be done

They control the concepon of me

They decide our fate

They know exactly what is to become of we

What if we over took they?What if we controlled we?

We gives the power to they

We will ulmately overtake they

We will rise to the occasion and establish

the meaning of we

Transionby Mahew Meer


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Bale ofLove and Hate

by Keith Ryan

Fights.

Arguments.

Destrucon.

Destrucon of relaonships.

Surprisingly, love stands.

Love is an important aspect of all lives.

It ows,

Connecng all in this world of anger and hate.

It calms the soul and allows it to be free of the hate lled body.The hate can overshadow but never destroy love.

Destroy relaonships?

Yes.

But the love is always there and will always be.

A man stands alone. Love is in his heart yet his relaonship is gone.

A man stands with tears owing, unsure of his future.

A man stands tying a rope, a noose, an end.

The chair falls, body swings, life ends.With it, love and hate.

Before tragedy, hate lled body wins a bale.

Love locked, under house and key.

A woman, standing tall, brought down.

She has a frightened look upon her face.

Blackness surrounds her eyes.

Blood vessels broken, such as her heart.

A man stands tall, angry.He has made his point.

A man and woman talk.

They enjoy each others company.

Love builds their bodies and keeps hate small.

They walk along, hand in hand.

Souls connected.


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The chair falls.

They look at each other and say I do.

They say they will remain one.

Body swings.

They have a child, but lose it along the way.

Life can be cruel.

Financial losses abundant.

Strain builds.

Hate released from chains cast by love.

Life ends.

Arguments.

Violence.

Hate is in control of both bodies.

The love is there but buried.

The man stands tall.

He has made his point but has done the unthinkable.

The woman is down, frightened look in her face, blackness around the eyes.

With it, love and hate.

Leaving causes sorrow.

Sorrow made by love of the lost.

No second chance.

Hate may be ed.

Love strengthened again.

Too late for changes.

Pain heavy.

The chair falls, body swings, life ends.

One must never let the hate lled body take over completely.

Love will stand but will be hidden.

If hate takes control, there is no hope.

If hate instead of love.

Then death instead of life.end


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Old Dynastyby Keith Ryan

Humanity has come to foolishness.

Men quarrel over ideals and

They throw themselves to mutated respectability

What comes from this madness is war.

I am of old ways; a few remain allied to my

Cause. Those who wage against me and my

Brethren, see the world by their cannon.

They take that law, held by all;

And tear words from it to suit

Their needs, their pleasures.

They despise respect for authority, even whenIt is given cause. They blow the bugle

Of unrest! The restless res in their

Hearts spur their ideal fueled war.

They are close-minded, they see no hope

In compromise and destroy their enemy.

Their ways will take over the

Malleable minds of society. In due

Eort, they will be overthrown by

Anothers ideals. A never-endingLine of change.

To Pleaseby Carlos Arce

You are like a life-giving sunbeam

Who saves my world

Who grows me as an evergreen

You are one with a voice so sweet

Who I want for desert

Who makes me commit gluony

You are one to speak, a liberne

Who takes the burn

Given by conforming jealousyYou are my remaining sanity

Who yanks my nerve

Who shuns me like a loving priest

Teardropsby Mark Hochleutner

If a teardrop were to fall

The day would turn blue

I will ride in a dream car

To the whisper of the

Wind

These sunny daysWill come to an end

Today in my dream

Teardrops will fall


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Hopelessnessby Keith Ryan

I will stand with eyes weary;

You will shout from the depths

Of the caverns, and silence

Will be the reply.

The ames of SatanWill consume your wretchedness;

Your soul devoured by the evil one.

I will stand and watch,

I will turn my back upon you.

Your shouts will echo, fear and sorrow.

You will be trapped, forever forsaken.

A Compeonby Alan Thornburg

Limping towards the nish line

I look up one last me

What do I see?

I am being passed on both sides

My fellow scholars are in full strides

Somemes I Flyby Carlos Arce

Somemes I y

Somemes I dont

Whos to test my mind

Some feelings spiked

Some stay normal

God Im oua my mind

Li your Goddess high

Way up above

Make her feelings glide

Singing birds like to stay

Way down low

While soaring birds stay so shy

Bite your lip; Bat your eye

and sing a solo

Stars and moons will shine

for you now

Auroraby Daniel Arden

Ruby, emerald, sapphire, purple quartz.

Dusky streaks upon the sky.

The powdered gemsthat form the hem

of Iris wedding gown.

The garment shines,

worth not a dime

but more precious than all upon the Earth.

You trek back home,

a frozen dome,

with your children round the hearth.


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Darknessby Keith Ryan

I walked along a country road,Well worn, with the passage of many.

I spoed before my person, a darkness.

This space was open to entrance,And upon such, I was shocked with cold!

I beheld a gure, draped in shadow, at its core.

Cauon guided my steps towardsThis gure. Upon closer examinaon,

I found a woman standing before myself.

She rose erect, and guiding her eyes to mine,

I saw the re within them, burning my soul.Those eyes beheld a re that pierced my heart.

Weakness took my person, swayingI fell. Upon awakening, the

Figure of the woman stood before me.

Certainty took my mind, I understoodThis creature was of jusce naught.Rather, she was the spawn of Satan.

The illusioned beauty of the fallen,Had passed her; granng what

Appeared to be true beauty.

The gure, this Demon, her smileHeld a memorizing eect

Upon my soul, casng chains to bind me.

My soul, eternal, could notKeep my captor at bay. With those

Eyes, she gazed into my depths.

I, giving in to her looks,Fell from grace given.

Beer judgment overtaken by temptaon.

I plead! O Lord forgive me!Forgive my acons that damn me, eternal;

Save me from the pit of forsakenness!


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Glimmerby Jimmy KohlTime

Tension

The only escape: a fantasy

To think of how things used to be

To think of how carefree

Trapped now inside a seemingly false reality

Troubled minds collaborate

To speak of thoughts upliing

The months go by

The tears go dry

Then suddenly reliquify

Trapped inside a cell

Us all

We listen to our thoughts

Abide by a life of opmismAnd soen the crippling fall

While we know not what lies ahead

Speculaon our only companion

Hopes are high

And spirits rise

For there is light at the end of this tunnel.

Twinkle TwinkleXmas Lights

by Jusn Komosa

Twinkle Twinkle Xmas lights

On my Xmas tree both big and bright

You bring a warming glow and cheer

Into my front room atmosphere

A special guest, just once a year

I sure am glad that you are here


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Sanctuaryby Adam Glowacki

Why do I feel such sorrow

and hate?

Oh dear, my appointment islate!

I rush into the city

I hope they show me pity

I see nothing but darkness

The world feels harmless

I see a light

Awfully bright

Then its gone

Suddenly there is dawn

I see a gate

Is this fate?

I decide to knock

And they unlock

Of The Nightby Jimmy Kohn

The nightmares ever lucid

Depart on the river of my unconscious mind

Dri with the currentExploring

The present

The future

The past.

A subliminal omen of demons to come

An alternate life

An intangible place

To the moon

A crystal block of iceYet but a puddle

In the midday sun.

Enter my untamed mind.

The mind of the night.

Where the most dangerous thoughts

Are liberated.


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Carsby Victor

A car is not just a material thing

A car is something that is a part of every young boys dream

It is an opportunity to express who they are

It is an opportunity to get to go far

Guys study cars from the inside out

However, they never realize what they are really learning about

In the beginning its about who has the fastest ride

And whos got the hoest girl in the passenger side

But as stubborn men we dont see

We dont see what this car is really supposed to be

The key to this ride becomes the key to our lives

It takes us on more than just a couple midnight drives

We believe that we are invincible when it comes to our cars

We believe it is just a way to get us from bar to bar

There is more to a car than where it takes us

However, that is not something that us guys rarely discuss

It teaches us responsibility and respect

It teaches us that everything we value deserves the best

We learn that life is not a race

In order to succeed one must go at a steady pace

Dont take for granted the things that you are given

Because there is more to a car than just the size of its engine

Everything in this life comes with a lesson

But we dont see it because we tend to believe we are made to perfecon.


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2-DSTUDIo

2-DimensionalStudio Art


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In Need by Nick Blake

2-D Studio level students are

working to build portfolios

of their art pieces to show-

case their talents. They work

on advanced problem-solv-

ing skills and the critical

analysis of work. Many of

the students are working to

earn college credit though

Advanced Placement.


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When I Weep by Nick Blake


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Yum by Mark Lupinski


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Angst by T.K. Suh

Aftermath by T.K.Suh


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Confusion by Victor Lee


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Forward by Sawyer Gardner


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Crucified by Nick Blake

Birth by T.K.Suh

Bulls Eye by Jeff Serna No by Jeff Serna


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Play by Victor Lee


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top: Down by Victor Lee

middle: Sunny by

Mark Lupinski

bottom left: Mute by

Jeff Serna

bottom right: Good Morning

by Jeremy Montalvo


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Figure 5 by Nick Blake


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Erase by T.K. Suh

Photogenic by Jeff Serna

Wrinkled by Nick Blake

Study by Victor Lee

Knight by Jeremy Montalvo


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top: Pink is Relative by

Nick Blake

bottom left: Product of theInsane by Jeff Serna

bottom right: Etch-a-

Storm by Jeff Serna


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Egg Wash by T.K. Suh

Child by Victor Lee


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top:Expression by Nick Blake

middle: Alone by T.K. Suh

bottom: Recline by Nick Blake


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The Ultimate Challenge by Jeremy Montalvo

Control by Nick Blake Product of the Insane 2 by Jeff Serna


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Whisper by Nick Blake


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this page

top left: Pose

by Victor Lee

top right: Figure 6

by Nick Blake

bottom diptych:

Landscapeof the Body

by Nick Blake

opposite page

top: Still Life

Objectifiedby Victor Lee

bottom left:

Quiet Moment

by Victor Lee

bottom right: All

by Victor Lee


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SHoRTSToRIESShort Stories


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I got home and went to sleep; found Abraham on the bed. He lied a

dog eye quizzically.

Hello there, he would say if he could. I imagine his voice would be

gru like an old man, not smoker gru, but red gru. Then hed ask me

why I was home so late. I would reply. Then wed talk about the weather,

how our stocks were doing. Times are changing, wed say to each

other.

Abraham is a dog. He cant speak. I sit on the bed and remove my shoes.

Abraham sighs. I pat his head.

My mornings begin at two. Is that early or late? The stores close at two.

Maybe its late.

Abraham is sll on the bed. He snores; eyes closed. A dog is beer thana white noise machine; helps me sleep.

I somemes imagine what Abraham does when Im gone. He must eat,

obviously, but what else? I imagine him in a noir lm, wearing a trench

coat and fedora. He solves mysteries and carries a .33 and a magnifying

glass. His nemesis is a cat name Gunner. He walks down the re escape.

Its always raining.

The evicon leer came. I have three weeks. Does Abraham know?

Evicon is harsh, the word I mean. I prefer liberaon; I didnt want the

apartment in the rst place. Tomorrow Ill pack my things.Eventually we all come to terms. Death is abundant, what about life?

He liked the world watered down, with thick brush strokes and ushed

out colors, and that was all right for him.

Abrahamby Josh Foley


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Winston was 34, yet he hadaccomplished so much. He nished his

Ph.D. two years ago and at the same

me became the youngest vice presi-

dent in the companys history; he wasextremely good at what he did. The

company Winston worked for oversaw

twenty-ve zoos and aquariums along

the east coast. It was his responsibility

to oversee the day to day operaons in

each of the facilies. He started working

for the Philadelphia Historical Societys

Aquarium while pursuing his Bachelors.

Winston worked his way up from clean-

ing the tanks when he was twenty to

being the VP twelve years later.

His job was a lot of work, butWinston enjoyed it for the most part.

He travelled to each locaon once every

two months which meant a consider-

able amount of ying on the corporate

jet. Although Winston enjoyed his end-

less work, it le him very lile free me.

All the travelling and long hours made

it hard for Winston to make friends or

date.

Dr. Akemal, the plane is sched-

uled to take o in twenty minutes. Are

you packed and ready to go? asked his

secretary, Colleen Rebohcs. The limo is

ready to take you to the aireld.

The company Winston worked

for, the Skilling Research Group, not only

oversaw dierent facilies but also spe-

cialized in research. It was the research

that his company conducted that led

to new government mandates on sh

and wild-life. From the companys hard

work, hundred million dollar grants were

given to them from the government to aid

with their research. Another aspect of

Winstons job was to make sure the money

was being spent the right way.

Yeah, Colleen, all packed, he

said as he walked out of his oce and to-

ward the elevator. He had a suitcase in one

hand and his briefcase in the other.

The plane should touch down in

Florida by one. From there a car will pick

you up and take you to your hotel. Youre

meeng with the President of the Miami-

Dade Aquarium is at three, Colleen said as

she ran to catch up with Winston before

the elevator le. From there you have a

meeng with their board of advisors at

four thirty.

Do you just have a sheet with all

of this? Im gonna forget it all by the me

the car leaves, he jokingly stated.

As she gave him a nasty look, Col-

leen handed Winston his inerary. The

two talked during the elevator trip from

the y-sixth oor down to the lobby.

They walked through the lobby togetherand out into the cold, Boston air. It was

only October, yet it was so cold.

The driver took Winstons suitcase

and put it in the trunk. As Winston climbed

into the back of the limo, Colleen came in

as well. Winston was shocked; she had

never done this before. The driver asked

if he could go Winston said no, but Colleen

said yes. Winston reluctantly agreed.

Have you talked to your parents

lately? asked Colleen in a very serious yet

calming tone.

Why would I? What would possible achieve by doing that? he ques

oned in response.

You havent talked with them in

what, six years? Give them a call. They cal

me weekly. Ask if I could patch the call in

to you. Do you realize how hard it is on me

to come up with a lie, that way you dont

have to talk to them? Do you? She began

to sound emoonal.

I dont want to talk with them.

That wasnt the queson! she

yelled. Colleen was one of the few people

who could get away with yelling at Win

ston.

No, I dont know how hard it is on you to

do that. But I am ever grateful you do, he

said with a smile on his face.

It makes me feel like shit. It

makes me disgusted with myself. They

are nice people now, what they did to you

happened so long ago so maybe its maybe

me you forgive them, maybe its me

that you call them and talk things out, she

ordered.

People dont change, Colleen. They jus

lie.

People change, Winston. People

do. Everyone deserves to be happy, even

you. Even them, she was almost crying a

this point.

Achieving Happinessby Patrick Lameka


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The limousine arrived at Bos-

ton Logan right as Colleen nished her

sentence. The driver had already walked

around to the trunk and goen Winstons

suitcase out. He put his arm around her in,an aempt to comfort her, but it was im-

possible. She was crying. Everyone does

and I am sorry, he whispered, I will try to

call them. She nodded and he exited the

door.

Have a good trip, Dr. Akemal,

the driver said in his deep voice.

Thank you, Alfred. As Win-

ston began walking to the door he turned

around to see the limo drive away. He was

le completely alone.

Winston was in his hotel suite, a

beauful view overlooking the coast. The

white sand was beauful from above. He

stood out of the balcony with a cigar in one

hand and a glass of scotch in the other. His

meengs went well, nothing to complain

about, yet he could not escape his over-

whelming feeling of guilt. Everyone de-

serves to be happy. Such a simple state-

ment, yet so complex. It was all he could

think about during his ight to Miami and

all he could think about during his meet-

ings.

What does it mean to be happy?

What is happiness?

How do you become happy?

He could not escape those three

quesons. He could not answer those

three quesons. He was the vice president

of a Fortune 500 company. He was making

a ridiculous amount of money. He had a

beauful house. He was doing something

he loved. He was all alone. He had very

few friends. He had no family he couldturn to. He had nothing.

He swallowed his glass of scotch,

followed by another, and another to ease

his pain. It couldnt hurt if I dont feel it

he thought. He soon nished the bole.

He cried. He had nothing. He could not

escape. Nothing could ease the pain.

Days passed and yet he could not

answer the queson of happiness. In just a

week he went from what he thought was

happy to depression. Aer Miami he wasno longer himself, he was no longer the

highly funconing man he used to be. He

missed seven days of work and just sat in

his townhouse, in the historical district,

and slept, watched television, or stared

out the window. It did not take much me

unl he knew what he needed to do.

He picked up the phone and di-

aled. The phone rang once, twice, three

mes, it reached the h ring and he

thought no one would answer. How would

he ever be able to move on with his life if

no one answered?

Hello? the voice on the other

end of the phone said.

Hey. Hi. Ummm.well.its Win-

ston, he said unsure of what to say.

I know Dr. Akemal. What do you

need? responded the voice.

Colleen, I need you to call the

best realtor in Boston. Im pung the

townhouse up for sale. I cant live here

anymore. Too restricted. I want some-

thing with land, I want a big house, he

blurted out nervously into the phone.

Colleen and Winston had not

been on good terms since their argu-ment three weeks ago. She resented

him for not calling his parents, and he

resented her for trying to make him

do so. Winston needed to end the ar-

gument, but refused to call them. He

knew that the closet thing he had to a

friend was driing further and further

away.

Why? she responded. Anger

ared in her voice.

I want a bigger house. Price

isnt a factor. I should be able to get

around two and a half million for thetownhouse. Could use that to get a

prey big house a lile further out

of the city. Lots of land, his response

sounded like it was coming from a ve

year old.

Did you call your parents?

quesoned Colleen even though she

knew the answer. Winston could not

bring himself to respond to the ques-

on. Silence remained on the line for

a few seconds, then she said, Ill call a

realtor when I get to it.

Months passed. Winston sold

the townhouse for more than he was

asking for. He was able to buy a beau-

ful seven bedroom house with more

than eight thousand square feet and

two acres of land located in Cambridge.

As soon as the sale nalized he went

out and bought two dogs, a bulldog

he named Hero and a boxer he named

Oliver. He went on a spending spree,

connue


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bought hundreds of thousands of dol-

lars worth of items: huge televisions,

new and expensive clothes, all types

of top of the line technology, and even

an aquarium for the house. He was do-

ing beer than ever at work. His mi-

cromanaging led to huge prots for the

company in the past two quarters, of

which he received a sizeable bonus.

He felt happier than ever,

yet, it all remained the same. He had

neither friends nor family. He had

no one to go and hang out with aer

work. Colleen stayed upset with Win-

ston. She connued to lie to Winstons

parents when they made their weekly

phone call to talk with their son unl

she could do it no more. One day she

told Winstons mother the truth which

only led to tears and more anger.

Two weeks passed and Winston re-mained the same; he ignored his par-

ents calls pung strain on Colleen.

Winston, we have to talk,

Colleen said to her boss one morning.

What is it, Colleen? Winston

stated with a pump in his voice.

Colleen closed the door. This

is my last day. I handed my two-week

noce to the CEO two weeks ago. Ive

been working on nding you an assis-tant; here are the choices Ive limited it

to, she said handing Winston a folder.

He was shocked, never before

in his life had he been unsure of what

to say unl now.

I know this is sudden but I

cant keep working for you anymore.

What you are doing to your parents

is wrong. You wont change, I cant

change you.I just cant be here any-

more.

Colleen, please?! Winston

said almost in tears.

Im sorry, she moved over

to her boss and gave him a hug, Its

been its been an experience, Win-

ston.

Over the course of two years,

Winston and Colleen occasionally visited

one another to catch up. Winston got Col-

leen a job as a secretary for a law rm so

that she would sll be able to work. She

loved her new job, the hours were great,

she was able to meet new people, she was

dang one of her co-workers, and was

making more money than before. Noth-

ing changed with Winston; he sll had no

friends and no family to turn to.

Dr. Akemal, CEO Rogers asks to

see you in his oce, stated Winstons new

secretary, Erin Pack.

Did he say what this was regard-

ing, Erin? Winston mindlessly stated.

No, sir. Sorry, sir, I should have

asked.

Dont worry about it, Winstonsaid as he stood up and walked down the

long hallway toward his boss oce.

Dr. Rogers, you wanted to see

me, Winston said.

Yes, Winston. Come on in. Please,

sit down.

Thank you, Robert, Winston

said as he took a seat across from his boss.

The two were not very close, but they were

close enough where they each called oneanother by their rst names.

Winston, Ive got some bad news

to tell you, he handed Winston a box of

ssues. Winston had a confused look on

his face as his boss connued, Im not

sure how I say this to you, butwell Win-

stonColleen died yesterday from a hit-

and-run driver.

Oh my God, Winston whispered

as a tear dripped from his eye, I just had

lunch with her last week Winston beganto ramble. Robert put a hand on his co-

workers shoulder to comfort the grieving

man.

She was all I had, he murmured

under his breathe.

The days that followed were hard

on Winston, he relapsed, started drinking

again. He drank heavily. Everyone deserves

to be happy. He was unable to escape this

pressing thought. On the day of Colleen

funeral, Winston sat in the back. The

church was packed; people were standing

all along the walls, on the sides, and in the

back of the church. It was a truly touch

ing service which made Winston cry sev

eral mes; he cried about his only friends

death, about his own, sad and pathec

life.

At the end of the service, Win

ston walked up to Colleens parents and

remorsefully said, I am truly sorry for you

loss.

Thank you. How didhow did

you know our daughter? her father asked

in a painful, yet desirable way.

She worked for me

Youre Dr. Akemal? She really

cared about you, you know, Colleens

mother spat out of her mouth.

I know. This is from me to you,

Winston said as he handed the two heart

broken parents an envelope, If you need

anything else, please let me know. He

gave each of the two a hug and walked sol

emnly down the aisle toward the doors. As

he made a cross across his body with Holy

Water, he heard the joyful cries of the par-

ents who opened the envelope to discovethe check for two million dollars. Winston

walked out the door without even a smile

on his face.

Over the course of the next een

years Winston became the President and

CEO of the company. He did everything he

could to make friends and to help others

Over those een years he sold nearly ev

erything he had so he could give it away

He gave to charies and even sought out

individuals who were deserving enough

to be rewarded for all they have doneWinston gave to tens of thousands of in-

dividuals, totaling more than one hundred

million dollars. When asked why he did it

he would always respond, Money doesnt

make me happy, but helping others and

seeing the look on their face- knowing tha

their life is going to be a bit beer, does.

Throughout this enre me, he failed to

speak with his parents.


85/126


86/126

Crazy Hellby Steve Kavanagh

Last thing I remember from the regular world was when my momused to play catch with my brother, Jake and me unl we had to go to bed.

Then she would put us in our rooms and say Goodnight, boys. Ill be right here in the

morning to wake you guys up. The joy that used to bring my lile brother was unbe-

lievable. She always had a good way for us to start our day. But that all ended 30 years

ago. In 2020, there was what some may call the Judgment Day but my brother and I

like to call it Crazy Hell. Somewhere in the Middle East, some dumbass scienst was

trying to make clones for their army. Well, he cloned himself all right, just into about

300 zombies. These crazy-ass zombies like to bite and eat other people, and when you

are bit, you turn into a zombie.

Now in 2050 Jake and I have been camping out in our local Costco. On occa-

sion someone who has not been bit will walk in the door and try to camp and stay with

us. It usually does not work because Jake over here likes to take the long sniper rie wetook from Dicks and pop them in the face before I can even speak. It does not bother

me because in Crazy Hell you have to have as much fun as you can or you go insane.

We both have seen many crazy ass things in Crazy Hell. From zombies rip-

ping peoples bodies open to eat their organs, people killing themselves so they do not

have to face the zombies, and even worse, watching your own family being torn apart

by a zombie. Overall, this is denitely is not a place you want to live in for the rest of

your life. Every day it gets harder and harder to live here, and it will not be geng

easier any me soon. Luckily I at least have my brother because without him I would

be going insane.

Jake went to go get some food from the frozen secon of our new so called

home. Who would ever think Costco would become our home. As Jake walked away

I heard a loud knock on the door, I took my big, bad 12-gauge and went up to the door.

Who is it? I said in a scared voice. I did not hear anything at rst so I was geng

nervous. I backed away from the door and yelled Jake, you fruit-cake, get over here.

He did not respond, so I was geng very nervous. I decided to walk up to the fort

we made from all the wood and metal we could nd. Waing and waing I would say

about 15 minutes passed. Get over here, Jake, this isnt funny anymore. I heard

footsteps running toward me. I slowly raised my gun to my shoulder, cocked it and was

ready to shoot at anything that was not Jake.

Jake came running at me all right, but Jake was bit. My heart dropped. I cried

NO! NO! My only friend, my only companion, my damn brother was gone. Aer

locking the fort door and hearing about 30 zombies trying to get in, I grabbed both of

the huge machine guns we found in some hillbillys trunk, got down on my knees, said,

Jake, I love you. Then I opened the fort door.

end


87/126

The Age of Gleeby Mike Welch

It was a lonesome life for the iron beast. It traveled where the world allowedit, its tracks forever guiding it to a predetermined land. Thunder cackled in the sky in a

terrible laughter as the passengers boarded one aer one in a single le. Its cars were

loaded with the spectacular animals and materials that it would carry but never know.

The iron beast had made the rounds before; every year was the same. Wherever it

was meant to go, it went. Somemes people waited to watch it, eyes widened with

curiosity. It traveled by the light of the moon, although on this parcular night clouds

shrouded the moon like a dark veil. A hard rain pelted the ground, against the iron

beast. It let out a piercing whistle in reply. It had no meaning; it was simply there. The

words, Seven Devils Circus were painted in bright red leers on its side. That was

what brought the iron beast meaning.

A ash of lighng struck in the distance. The iron beast let out a second whistle

as its wheels slowly began to roll. The iron beast was forever alive.

Mr. Ramsey sat at the small oak desk, laying a nger on the money that restedon it. He was aware of the woman that sat behind him on the bed, as she connued to

talk on about distant, unimportant maers. However, the only thing that he cared to do

was close his eyes and listen to the iron beast click along its tracks.

He is a danger to the Seven Devils Circus, her words were as sharp as a knife.

The Seven Devils were dead. There had been a me, of course, when the Sev-

en Devils were the best sight in town, loved by the masses and spectacles of the coun-

try. They were stuntmen really, boys who had refused to grow up, so instead learned to

ride motorcycles and play games of chicken. But there was something magical about it.

They were gods of their me.

But things change. The Seven Devils eventually dwindled to three. One had

died in an accident during a show, and the other severely hurt. The other two le in

their shock and grief.

Hes a womanizer, the smoke from her cigaree stung Mr. Ramseys nostrils.

He decided to ignore it.

And at the head had been Mr. Ramsey. He had been the one to create the

Devils. He had bought the equipment. He had made them stars. And now, he was the

owner of the remains of the dying Circus.

Hes been in numerous ghts, He could hear her sleos thumping against

the oor, walking towards him. Hes a gambler, a good-for-nothing carnie.

She rested her hand on his shoulder, leng her long bony ngers curl over and

underneath his collarbone. Mr. Ramsey cringed, and let his palm collapse on top of a

hundred dollar bill.

He has been making passes at me, the iron beast cried in the darkness as she

tapped her ngers rhythmically to a silent song.

Annabel, Im an old man, Mr. Ramsey turned around and allowed their eyes

to lock. The man is slime. And if it were up to me, he would not be allowed to breathe

the same air you do. But, dear, hes going to bring the Seven Devils back.

If youre not careful, hell be the one to strangle the life out of it.

Mr. Ramsey let his face fall into his awaing hands.

Youre right, Annabel. Ill have a talk with him, he said, but mostly because

he just wanted to hear the war cry of the iron beast.

end


88/126

In the beginning there was

darkness, and nothingness, without

me, and without presence. But some-

thing occurred, Out of the blank noth-

ingness, a spark of energy emerged. It

took the form of a ball of energy, pure

energy. This beings name was Enle.

Enle had an advanced mind,

and dreams of creang life and making

the nothingness full of color. But alas,

Enle had powers but was unable to

use any of them except one. He had

the power to split himself into dierent

parts. So he did.

The energy he was made from

split into four dierent beings. The

energy took the shape of bodies with

legs, arms chest and a head. The rst

to be born was named, Chaos. He had

the most power out of any others to

be born. He had six arms and six ten-

tacles coming out of him. The next to

be born was named Harmony; she had

four arms and four tentacles, she was

the second biggest. The third to be born

was named Storm; He had only three

Tentacles and three arms. The nal be-

ing to be born was named Calm. She

had only Two arms and two tentacles,

she was the smallest.

These where known as theEntes, their job was to create as many

universes as they could hold with all

their body parts, but also to create the

next generaon of Advanced Beings.

Chaos could hold the most

universes, ten in total. But before cre-

ang the universes, he gave birth to

next generaon of life. He called them

the 14 Zodiacs. He named them, Aires,

Taurus, Gemini, Cancer, Leo, Virgo, Li-

bra, Scorpio, Sagiarius, Capricorn, Aquar-

ius, Pisces, Zodiac, and nally Godaga.

They were to

govern and create their own life in the ten

universes, and Zodiac, the rst born was to

watch over the others and rule over them.

But his brother, Godaga became corrupt-

ed with jealousy and anger. He wanted to

have the power to rule and control the fu-

ture, and with his evil wants he conjugated

the power from inside him, and sealed

away the thirteen Zodiacs inside separate

crystal balls for eternity unl he released

them.

With him alone,

and Chaos unaware, he gave birth to a new

generaon of Advanced Beings, known as

the gods. In order, he gave birth to these

ten governing gods. Their names were,

Alpha, Theot, Universe, Fari, Eteri, Etheri,

Crimson, Shell, Cloe, Omega. The last three

were the essence of life, these three were

called, Twali, Cryst, and Criss.

The rst ten gods had the essen-

al element of Space, and they would be

the gods to have their own universes and

governed them. While the three other

gods, would be the essenal element of

Energy. Twali was made from Enles pure

energy and was the strongest god. Cryst,

was the god to create the vessels to hold

Twalis energy to give to the inhabitantsof the universe, such as stars, and planets.

Criss, was used to create the rst races of

each universe, he was the essence of life.

While the gods were busy making

their universes, they needed one universe

to have all the events that would determine

the prophesy of the demise of the gods.

They wanted this because they wanted to

see when their demise was coming and so

they could stop it. Out of a draw, the third

universe would be placed on the Crown of

Chaos, so that if any god did try to copy

Godaga, they would have to go through

each universe to get to the third and take

down Chaos.

But aer a few thousand years

nally the rst races were started. But at

this point in me, the rst of two dramac

events would occur. Cryst rebelled against

the gods and devoured his brother Twal

and became the most powerful enraged

god. He went on a rampage through the

universes killing o all the races, unl he

had goen to the Third where all ten Gods

and Chaos stopped him and sealed him

away for as long as they could.

But since the third universe was

not ravaged the Exilians of the 3rd uni

verse witnessed this great event, known to

them as The War of the Gods. They were

already advanced and did not have to start

over like the other races in the universe

So they were the only race known to the

gods as the Ready race. Universe gave

them an object made of crystal infused

with some of Twali and Crisss powers. It

was known to the Exilians as the Ulma

Crystal

Universe told the Exilians, that

what they had given them was the essence

of life, and that it was their job to populatethe universe and create dierent races.

A few hundred years later, Uni

verse engrossed in a problem while they

watched the Exilians work on the crystal

They split into two beings, the rst half

known as Uni, and the second known as

Verse. Together they engrossed in a con-

ict with the Exilians. Uni told the Exilians

to worship him as the true god, and Verse

as pure evil, and Vice versa with Verse. This

A Legend to Remember:

A Prequelby Jaxon Lewandowsk

Based on my upcoming E-Book:A Legend to Remember


89/126

enraged both gods and they fought, and in

the end Verse was sealed away within a

book, and the planet of the aerlife known

as Realm would be split into four parts.

The deepest part would be known as Hell

for those who worship Verse, Surface for

the non-believers, Heaven for those who

worshiped Uni, and Purgatory for those

who sinned.

The Exilians took nothing to this,

and decided they would be beer o with-

out them. So in a grave aempt they aban-

doned their own gods. Many years later, a

sign was shown to them. A being known

as Constructor appeared before them

and told them of the future demise of the

gods.

He told them, In the distant fu-

ture a child will grace the lands. He will be

the new god, and he will save us all, fora dark essence looms within the circle of

gods, a devious god, an evil god. This god

will send his disciples to ravage the 3rd uni-

verse. But 4 warriors will arise, and bale

these demons. But ten years make up the

me, for if they should fail, the universes

will end. The 4 legendary warriors will rise

up and stop the darkness. This will be their

desny.

This showed the Exilians a glimpse

of the future and nally began to under-

stand the use of the Ulma Crystal. Theyrealized they needed to split the crystal

into four dierent crystals, and use them to

create the foretold, Four Great Races. The

Ulma Crystal was split into four shards.

The Crystal of Faith they kept to signify and

empower their own race.

With the second crystal shard, the

Crystal of Power, they created the Gumar-

ians as the second of the Four Great Races.

They too advanced quickly like the Exilians

and soon were on par with the Exilians in

technology, mastering space, and manipu-

lang me and energy.

The Gumarians understood the usage of

the Crystals as well, and together they

mated the Crystal of Faith and Power with

the Crystal of Light to create the promising

Race known to them and the universe, as

the Humans of Earth.

Though they sought the Humans

to be successful they soon strayed from

the path and began to worship the god

Uni, instead of abandoning the tyrant god.

With the humans under his new control,

Uni wished to have the race evolve slowly

so he could siphon their prayers to fuel his

power.

The Exilians began to become

restless; they need to make the nal race,with the Great Crystal, which included tak-

ing the Humans DNA and the Exilian DNA

and merging it together. With me running

out, the Exilians abducted Human speci-

mens and created the new Race. The new

race was given the newly created planet

called Urithu, and the race was named af-

ter the planet, the Urithians.

The Urithians quickly evolved to

be parally on par with Guma. But once

they had the technology to shun the uni-

verse, they isolated themselves from therest of the intergalacc galaxy.

Time connued onward with

peace. Unl the day Exile was aacked by

the Fih race they had created known as

the Existonians, from the planet Existence.

They sealed Exile away, freezing them in

me. With only one Exilian le that had

escaped.

By this me, it was 1940s on

Earth. The ship the last Exilian had taken

crash landing at Roswell, New Mexico. Butbefore the humans discovered his pres-

ence he escaped into the world, unknown

to humankind.

The Exilian met with a woman

named Sarah, and they got together quick-

ly. She had accepted the fact that he was

an alien, and together they gave birth to

their rst child, her name was Cynthia.

It was 1980 Cynthia was now

thirty years old. She was a hybrid Exilian/

Human living in Great Britain in Europe.

Thats when she wished to the god, Alpha

which her father had told her about. She

wished to become a god so she could save

the coming demise of the universes. Alpha

granted her wish and she disappeared into

the world, she was the rst Mortal God,

known as The Scicon or Observer.

Seventeen years later, the

rst of the four Great Warriors would

be born. His name known as Ratchlon,

it is told that when he was sixteen he

also wished to an anonymous god to

become a god. The god Alpha heard

his prayer, and granted him part of his

wish. Because he was at a young age,

she only granted him the wisdom of agod, but not the look or powers. He was

told he needed to nd his mate, who

would be an Exilian Hybrid. Only then

will he become the second Mortal God,

and the third god of the third universe.

Years later, he met his mate

and they married, and Ratchlon be-

came the second Mortal God. Together

with his wife Cleyra, they fought and

protected the world from war, unl the

rst of ten events would occur which

called and brought The Four Great War-riors together. Bartholomew of

Urithu would descend upon Earth and

Sara of Guma would descend. They

were the original Four Great Warriors,

but they successfully stopped the chain

of events, but at the cost of their lives.

Bartholomew was the rst to die, fol-

lowed by Sara, and at the end of World

War IV, Ratchlons own wife had died.

So as the only survivor, he split his own

being into two, and his other half would

soon be reincarnated into another. That

other would be the next generaon of

Warriors.

But all alone he isolated him-

self up, and at this point it was year

2115, for 305 years he would ght in his

mind, unl he would awake to a scarred

Earth at war with Guma, and with of

the land unlivable, with only the islands

of Great Britain and part of Europe in-

tact. He was taken there to aid the new

Queen of Earth. Her name was Cynthia,

sister of Cleyra, and the fourteenth god.Together they reestablished an ocial

monarchy on Earth, and took residents

in the only stable land le, in England.

Together they watched over Earth as

King and Queen.

Eighty years later, the proph-

esy connues, and 4 warriors awaken

all connected to the family of Ratchlon

and Cleyra.

end


90/126

Dr. Hart, let s not beat around the bush,

Sherri McMullan began. Why dont you

talk to us about what everyone wants to

know?

And what would that be, Ms.

McMullan? Dr. Hart answered with a

ash of a devilish, charming smile.

Sherri McMullan slowly slid her

brown-framed glasses o her nose and

dropped it into her lap. Dr. Hart watched

behind his own pair of glasses with a

strange sort of curiosity. He was com-

pletely aware of the cameras that were

posioned with great care to catch every

angle of his interview. As he spoke, ev-

eryone in the United States was watch-

ing the greatest achievement known to

mankind, along with the enre world

itself. The mere thought made Dr. Hart

extremely sensive to the dim lights

hanging from the high ceiling of the lab-

oratory, which by the second were feel-

ing more and more intense.

For the past year we have

been teased by the implicaons that you

have been able to bring a human being

back to life. Your funder, Phoenix Labs,

seems to be prey condent in this.

Its called reanimaon, Ms.

McMullan, Dr. Hart leaned back in his

chair. Is it possible? the words

seemed to fall from her lips almost too

eagerly, as if this was the queson she

had been dying to ask from the moment

she walked in the door.

Oh, its very possible, Dr. Hart

answered with a slight smile. His voice

rose and fell in a naturally elegant dis-

play of showmanship. It was rst tested

in Nazi Germany during World War II. Us-

ing electric pulses, sciensts were able

to move the tail of a dead ralesnake.

Sadly, their eorts were never broughtinto fruion. I, however, have accom-

plished what they worked so direly to

achieve.

The camera to Dr. Harts le

zoomed in on his face, catching a look

of unshaken condence. The world

watched in awe of the man who had

learned how to defy death.

How does it work?

The test on the snake proved

the electricity could move the muscles

of the dead, but in no way did it bring it

completely back to life. Therefore, I worked

to create this small chip, Dr. Hart held up a

small black chip with a blood red dot on the

top right edge, holding it carefully by the

sides with his right index nger and thumb.When this chip is implanted in the corpses

brain, it can absorb the electricity and use it

to reanimate the brainpermanently.

Simply amazing, Dr. Hart! Ms.

McMullan was stroking her le palm with

her ngerps, and as she looked up to

speak to him, she formed an ecstac smile.

Get Disney o ice and lets get

him back up and running! For the people

who can aord it, they will no longer have

to worry about the darkness of death.

Imagine, Ms. McMullan, that our heroes

will never have to die. The founding fatherscould have led us into the new age with this

device. Empires and mulmillion corpora-

ons will never fall due to a lack of leader-

ship. Ms. McMullan, my fellow Americans,

the enre world, the disease known as

death has been conquered!

Dr. Hart closed his eyes, being able

to feel the applause he must be geng from

the countless people clapping and applaud-

ing in front of their television screens. He

could imagine them starng up their cars to

race o to the cemeteries in order dig up

loved ones, knowing that they would nallyreturn to them. The very thought seemed

as bright as the rising sun. Sherri McMul-

lan, despite her wild excitement, suddenly

stopped feeling her palm and squinted in

the dim light.

But, Dr. Hart, she asked slowly,

as if she was sll formulang the queson

in her mind even as she spoke, dont you

feel like you are playing the role of God?

Dr. Hart laughed.

With this, he said, raising the

chip a bit higher, I am God.

Dr. Hart stood up slowly andwalked over to a long lab table to his right.

The surrounding cameras turned quickly,

their total focus on the tall lanky man in the

lab coat, God himself. The table was like the

face of a mountain, with large peaks that

reached higher than the lower ones, all cov-

ered by a snow-white sheet. Dr. Hart slid his

ngers along the sheet before ripping it o

with a nal jerk of his arm. Revealed was

a middle-aged woman with owing silver

hair and unusually smooth skin lying dead

Kick Start Hartby Mike Welch

on the cold hard silver lab table.

How about a lile demonstra

on? Dr. Hart said. This woman has al

ready been implanted with my chip, he ran

his ngerps along the sches on the rightside of her skull. In a moment she will be

alive as you and me.

The woman, in fact, was Dr. Harts

wife of twenty-three and a half years. She

was cut down in the prime age of y af

ter a mysterious rupture in her stomach

Dr. Hart had been careful to put the body

on ice, repair the damaged stomach, and

protect the delicate ower that was his late

wife. He had loved her, and would always

love her. He had picked out a grave sight

upon her death, but had decided against

it. Dr. Hart had envisioned the future. Andhis dear late wife would be the one to lead

the world into the future. She would be the

second person in the enre world to rise

from the dead, apart from Dr. Harts savior

known as Jesus Christ. If successful, every

one could have the chance to return from

death like his or her very own religious de

ity.

Sheri McMullan, along with the

surrounding cameras and the enre world

watched intently as Dr. Hart took a step to

his right and ipped a switch on the con

trol panel, which sent a wave of electricitythrough the body of his dearly departed

The world held its breath. Dr. Hart did the

same.

The electricity jolted through the

body of Dr. Harts late wife, owing through

her veins, muscles, and organs at the equiv

alent speed of a jolt of lighng. The body

ailed on the lab table, which had been

heated by the sudden surge of electricity

before returning to dormancy. A dead si

lence lled the room.

What happened, Dr. Hart? Sherr

McMullan asked apprehensively.I dont know. Everything had

been done according to plan. It should have

worked.

I guess God doesnt like to be im

personated.

Dr. Hart gave a short fake laugh

suddenly remembering that the cameras

were sll capturing every movement he

made. Dr. Harts beloved wife was sll dead

forever and always. And all he had le was

a lab coat and a miracle chip.

end


91/126

I have never understood what drove me

to join the army all those years ago. The

thought of ghng and killing for my coun-

try I guess it was. I never like to discuss

those years, for the memories haunt. Buthaving now decided that whats done is

done, and it cant be changed. I have, at

last, come to terms with my terrible wrong

doings, and now wish to tell the story of

my deployment and rst bale to make an

aempt at lessening the guilt I have felt for

so many years and give you a lile wisdom

to use in your choices.

I enlisted in the U.S. army on the

15th of October 1942. It had been my life-

long dream to serve my country and do my

duty as an American cizen. Never once

had it occurred to me that the memoriesof my years in the service would torment

me for years aer my tour. My mother had

constantly warned me, I understand that

you want to do this, but carefully consider

what it will do to the rest of your life, and

if you get killed I will never forgive myself

for leng you do this. Your enlisng wont

only aect you, but it will aect the fam-

ily as well, they will constantly be worry-

ing about you. With what would be later

called World War II going on, I saw this as

my best opportunity and foolishly ignored

her advice.

I went to the enlisng oce, and

they did the usual. You know, measured

my height, weight, checked my vision, and

carefully looked over my medical history,

the whole nine yards. I was approved for

duty and sent to train at the military base

in Washington D.C. I was deployed on my

birthday three months later to France.

When we arrived, I at last saw

the terrible eects of war. Once beauful

buildings were destroyed by the ghng.

Many of the bistros that had once lined thestreet were closed or had CONDEMNED

signs in the front window. People con-

stantly had the look of fear, terror, and

worry on their faces. Also, many of the

streets and gardens had been neglected.

Although the bodies had been cleared

from the last uprising, blood sll stained

the streets and sidewalks, and the stench

of death lingered heavily in the air.

My regiment and I set up camp

on the East edge of town. The grass had

turned brown from the marching of the

German soldiers and their army trucks. It

was spring, but there were no owers or

leaves on the trees, nor was there a single

bird, animal, or creature of any sort. It wasalmost as if the Earth itself sensed and par-

took in the sadness and the fear.

We drilled and joked for weeks as

there was no sign of the Nazis. Then un-

expectedly, on August third, our scout in

the town came sprinng down the path.

He told us that the Germans were aack-

ing the village. He said that they had gone

up around the North side of town and at-

tacked from the West. As we were trained

to do, we quickly overcame the temporary

paralysis that came with shock and fear.

We loaded our guns and ran into bale.We were met by German snipers that had

already staoned themselves on the edges

of the lile town. We lost 5 men before

the snipers were found and exnguished;

two of the men lost I had become close

friends with. We slowly fought our way

towards the center of town losing more

men along the way. The stench of death

had been renewed by the y or so bod-

ies strewn about the area. We gave our

hearts and lives for the next eleven hours,

slowly eliminang the Nazi troops.

I looked into the eyes of one of the soldiers

as I shot him in the shoulder and witnessed

the same fear and worry that was alive in

every one of our troops. At that moment

I realized that the men and boys I had just

killed had lives, families, and the hope of a

good life ahead of them. They had moth-

ers who had probably lectured their son on

joining the army and that those mothers

would be torn apart and may never fully

recover from the grief. It was then that I

realized that the memory of killing those

men would haunt me for the rest of mylife.

We won the bale in the end, but a few

hours later, aer the adrenaline wore o,

I felt as though we had lost. There were

only een or so of us le. Most of my

friends were dead and gone. Upon remem-

bering the losses of the other side and the

lives I had destroyed, I was overwhelmed

and lost it. I cried for an hour before nally

gathering my thoughts and regaining con-

trol of myself.

That night nobody slept. We all just

sat around the re. Nobody spoke.

Nobody whispered. Nobody ate. I

guess they must have been thinking

the same thing I was. How were wegoing to get over this? Over our killing

and the hate we felt toward the enemy

for killing our friends and companions.

By the me noon broke the next day, I

had just decided that I would have to

try and put it out of my head. That I

couldnt go around for the rest of my

life doing nothing and being angry with

myself. More troops were sent to join

our regiment, and we went on to ght

and win four more bales before our

tour ended. Each me we spent hours

aerward trying to get over what wehad done, and realizing that we never

would.

That is the truth of war. You

lose even when you win. All you are

le with is the recognion of war and

its true destrucon.

end

The Recognion of Warby Jacob Brown


92/126

When the girl opened her mouth he

could see hate. It oated away in clouds

of cigaree smoke and entangled him

in place with lmy strings. She didnt

talk oen. But when she did, there was

a quiver in her throat as her jaw rose

and fell in such a passionate rage that it

scared him. Scared, but entranced.

He would watch her from a

distance on the playground. In the mist

of ying dodge balls and childhoodcommoon, there was always a small

group that would spend their me in

awe of the sight. She sat under the bud-

ding pink owers of a dogwood tree,

resng against its trunk with her head

lted slightly towards the ground as if

she were sleeping and a book propped

open, supported by her knee. The boys

watched in fascinaon, llated by the

fact that the only things that separated

them from her was a small fence, a side

street, and air. She was there every Sun-

day. And so were the boys.There was as a loud clamor be-

tween the boys as their heads moved

from the girl to each other and then

back again. Every Sunday was the same.

They would watch the girl as she read

and wondered as to what they would

say to a girl of that beauty and of that

age.

I would say that she has nice

eyes. one pronounced, Girls love com-

pliments.

Yeah? Well then why dont

you do it? Another asked with a chuck-

le. The others joined in quickly, in tune

like a small orchestra.

Why should I have to do it?

The rst boy said, taking a step back and

throwing his hands up. His beady eyes

began to dart from kid to kid as he con-

nued to speak. I think thatBill should

do it instead!

Bill stood on the outskirts of

the growing crowd of boys. He was small

for his age, only standing to the chin of

most of the others. Wide dark black glass-

es slid down his face as the others began to

turn and stare at him with a strange inter-

est. He took his glasses o, wiped it against

his light blue polo shirt, and placed them

back on his face, giving them a so push

with the p of his nger.

Yeah, make Bill go do it! anoth-

er boy screamed in agreement. What doyou guys think?

Bill opened his mouth in oppo-

sion, but a cascade of wild agreement

was already silencing him. The boy who

had proposed the idea held his hands out

in front of him in clenched sts, channg

his name with a smile on his face. It was

wicked, self-pleasing. The others followed.

Nnn nnn no! Bill cried. I dont

want to do it!

Bill, I dare you, the boy an-

swered almost automacally, as he jumped

up and down in a frenzy.The group of boys were started

to lose control as they followed the boy,

acng as a giant circular mirror that re-

peated every movement of the real thing.

Bill grabbed at his neck, running his nger

against his warm skin. Any words he made

were lost in the ruckus and every moon

lost in the commoon. There was no es-

cape. He was struck by the crowd. The

world melted away in an uproar of grade-

schoolers and chants of No thrill Bill. Fi-

nally Bill threw his hands up, let them slap

against his legs, and took a step towards

the street.

Cheers erupted as Bill slowly

walked across the street, rst watching

for any cars. But his eyes were more care-

fully watching the girl. She was no longer a

dream. With every step she was no longer

an unaainable goal but a girl of maybe

sixteen. As Bill stepped onto the grass she

was not a secret. Everything was real, but

more than that. Otherworldly maybe. The

summer sun shot rays of light at her, want

ing to lay an illuminang hand on her skin

It crept through the shade of the dogwood

tree, resng upon her at random, strange

places, such as the p of her nose and

under her right eye. It was like she was a

painng.

Hi, Bill said, voice quivering as

he raised a shaky hand in greeng.

The girl didnt look up from herbook. Jet black eyes hid behind the pages

refusing to acknowledge the presence o

the lile boy. For a moment Bill thought

she hadnt heard him, so he repeated it

again.

I heard you the rst me, she

answered, giving only a momentary glance

at him before returning to her book.

Youre prey, Bill responded

his buckteeth shining.

She giggled. Her voice suddenly

shied to a sweet and welcoming tone

Well thank you. But youre going to get introuble if you dont go back over to your

friends, buddy.

But I wanted to say Hi to you.

I can see that, she smiled be

hind the spine of her book.

A warm breeze uered through

branches of the dogwood tree, swaying

her brunee hair to the right slightly. She

lied a small delicate hand to x the hairs

that had come undone.

Whatre you reading? Bill asked

as he fell to his knees in front of her.

In the distance there was the

sound of gasps and excited chants. Bil

could feel the eyes of the crowd piercing a

hole into his back. For the me being the

world was only spinning for him and the

girl. Every noise was silenced just so he

could listen to what she had to say.

Greek mythology, she answered

leng her words blow away in the breeze

as if she didnt expect him to understand

Prometheusby Mike Welch


93/126

which he didnt. Theyre stories of heroes

and gods.

Gods in mass right now.

She laughed, and for the rst

me her aenon was completely on Bill.

He couldnt understand why she was so

amused, but he enjoyed that he had been

the one to cause it.

Well, not these gods. Here, let

me tell you a story. This gods name was

Prometheus.Bill nodded his head. She touched

her right eye, bing her lip with a strange

expression on her face. However, she

quickly regained her composure as she be-

gan with her story.

She told Bill of Prometheus, who

looked at the horrible condion of man

and pied them. He wanted to help the

poor creatures, she said. So he stole re

from the god of all gods Zeus, and gave it

to the humans so they could cook and see

at night. However, when Zeus found out,

he got angry, so he had his servants, Forceand Violence, chain him to a rock.

Why is Zeus so mean? Bill

asked.

She opened her mouth to speak,

but closed it slowly. Thought had taken

over her, and she rubbed at her face as she

pondered it. So ngerps ran across the

skin around her eye.

Wellbecause he can. Hes

stronger than everyone else, and he wants

to show his power.

I dont like him.

I dont either.

I thought God acted nicely all the

me, Bill, lost in his thoughts, said.

God does. People dont, she was

once again lost in the pages of her book.

Silence fell between them for a

few moments. Her eyes moved rapidly

along the words of the book, but Bill could

tell she wasnt actually reading. Her bare

feet were busy skimming along the grass,

and her ngers slid against her face.

Do you know what they said to

Prometheus? she asked, although she did

not wait for the answer that she obviously

knew. Forever shall the intolerable pres-

ent grind you down. And he who will re-

lease you is not born. Such fruit you reap

for you man-loving ways.

An idea suddenly appeared in

Bills head. Shouldnt you be at mass right

now?A god yourself, you did not dread

Gods anger, but gave to mortals honor not

their due.

Everyones supposed to go to

mass.

And therefore you must guard

this joyless rock-

The summer breeze rustled

among the owers of the dogwood tree.

Bill moved in closer. She was suddenly for-

eign to him. Jet black eyes were suddenly

cold and steely. Her grip had ghtened on

the book. Her right eye closed halfway, asif it wanted to go to sleep but couldnt. Her

voice picked up. It wasnt sweet anymore.

There was a sourness about it. But Bill

crawled closer all the same.

No rest, no sleep, no moments

respite.

A single tear glistened on one of

the pockets of sunlight that touched her

face, rolling slowly under her right eye.

Groans shall your speech be,

lamentaon your only words.

She looked up. There was no

emoon on her face. The tear was not of

sadness. Perhaps of pain. The two were

inches apart under the shade of the dog-

wood tree. Bill raised a childish hand and

wiped the tear from her eye. She pulled

away with immediate force, geng to

her feet and leng the book drop to the

ground. Her face was now covered in the

suns touch. But Bill, without knowing it,

had wiped something o. Her beauful

tan skin was now purple under her right

eye.

What is-

Do you know what Pro-

metheus replied? she quickly interject-

ed. He said, Go and persuade the sea

waves not to break. You will persuade

me no more easily.

She slowly bent down to grab

her book, turning her face away from

him. As Bill watched intently, she turnedto leave in a hurried rush.

Where are you going?

You said I should be at mass,

right?

But wait! I wanted to tell you

that you have nice eyes!

But she had already run o.

end


94/126

The man leaned forward on his ornate

throne, chin resng on his st, eyes nar-

rowed. The large chamber was dark, lit

only by a few slowly dying candles set

into the cold gray stone walls and in the

chandelier high above. There was a dull

crash from somewhere beyond the mas-

sive double doors on the other side of

the room. The chandelier shook slightly

with the impact, sending shiing shad-

ows dancing along the walls. Silence

reigned for a few moments before there

was a dull thud. This was followed byanother. Then another. The Man on the

Throne frowned as the heavy fooalls

slowly grew louder. Here he comes, he

thought to himself.

The thunderous footsteps grew

steadily louder and louder unl the very

walls shook with each step. Then, the

doors suddenly slammed outwards,

nearly ying o their hinges, as a hulk-

ing gure burst into the room. Vilkas!

he roared, the candles suddenly burst-

ing into ames as his voice lled theroom. When? When is the me? The

man stomping into the chamber was

massive, his full armor gleaming dull red

in the brilliant light of the ames. His

face was covered by a steel helm with

dark red spiral horns sproung from its

top.

The Man on the Throne raised

a hand. Oh, do calm yourself, Garth,

he muered, leaning back in his throne.

Screaming wont make things any easi-

er for anyone.

The hulking man called Garth

slammed a st against an ornate pillar,

sending cracks creeping up its length.

Enough stalling, he snarled. The me

is now. I can feel it.

Would you want to begin the

fesvies before the other guests ar-

rive? the Man on the Throne, Vilkas,

asked, a small grin tugging at the corner of

his mouth. This cannot be done without

them

Garths ery red eyes gleamed

with anger through his helmets eye slits.

Bah! Knowing those two, they wont show

up at all, he rumbled. His hand wandered

to the massive sword at his belt and began

to pace back and forth. We dont need

them. We can get the job done just as well

by ourselves. Beer even!

Vilkas glanced up, feeling the

weight of the crown on his own head.

That was not necessarily untrue. With

his intelligence and cunning and Garths

sheer brute strength, there was praccally

nothing that could not be accomplished.

But even their skills had limits. We are

strong, Garth, but not invincible. Brawns

and brains alone will not see this campaign

through. He absent-mindedly rubbed his

chin. You thirst for bale, true, but there

is another whose hunger and single-mind-

ed determinaon dwarfs even yours.

Garth froze. You mean... He

swallowed loudly. Malik is coming? His

voice was quiet and there was an unfamil-

iar edge to his words. Was that fear he

heard?

Vilkas smiled and nodded. And I

do believe hes just arrived.

The double doors creaked slightly

as they slowly swung open again. A dark

gure stalked in and the candles suddenly

died down. This mans coat was blacker

than the blackest night, and he was slightly

hunched. His thin, rat-like face split into an

ugly grin as he saw Vilkas. Ah, I thought

this day would never come, he said, his

voice rasping in his throat. He paused and

coughed heavily into his sleeve.

Vilkas raised an eyebrow. Are

you ill, Malik?

Malik shook his head and wheezed

quietly. Ah, its nothing. But, you know

what? His yellow teeth shone in the dul

light. I am famished. His eyes icked to

the only other object in the room: a large

stone altar in the center of the space. A

spherical object lay on it, covered by a

black cloth. So it is me, then. He le

out a high-pitched laugh. The feast wil

start soon, then, yes? Oh, it has to. It ha

to. Ive waited too long.

Garth scoed. Not unl the almighty Vilkas says so. Were sll waing

for Silas.

Suddenly, a chill wind blew

through the chamber, snung out the

candles. They all turned to see anothe

gure standing in the doorway. He had a

dark green hood pulled over his head and

a owing cloak of the same color. He slow

ly drew the hood back, revealing a wooden

mask, carved into the shape of a skull. The

spurs aached to his boots jingled loudly

as he stepped toward the central altar. Heglanced at the shrouded object for a mo

ment before turning his masks hollow

gaze to the other men. Evening, he said

conversaonally.

Silas, Vilkas nodded. I was be

ginning to wonder when you would show

up.

Silas crossed his arms. I would not

miss this. Not in a million years. His voice

was low but sll had the hum of authority

Maliks eyes wandered to

the massive longbow strung over Si

las shoulders. How goes the hunt

ing? he asked, twitching slightly

Silas reached up and lightly

touched the ornate wood of the large

weapon. Game has never been more

plenful. He nodded to Vilkas. Lets not

tarry any longer, hmm?

The Beginning of the Endby Eric Collins


95/126

Vilkas nodded and stood, de-

scending the steps leading up to his throne,

his white robes trailing behind him. He

strode to the stone altar and paused be-

fore it. Glancing at the shrouded object

for a moment, he ung his arms outward

grandly. Come and see, my brothers, he

announced, his rich voice lling the room.

Come and see. As the other three men

gathered around the altar, he could almost

feel their ancipaon. As you have no

doubt already sensed, Vilkas connued,

the me is upon us. I hereby convene this,the rst and last Court of the Revelaon.

As he spoke he grasped the black cloth on

the altar and swept it back with a dramac

ourish. The room was suddenly lled with

light as the object underneath was revealed.

It was a large orb, its surface shin-

ing and glassy. It was mostly a deep blue in

color, but was interspersed by large chunks

of light green and brown. In places, it was

lightly sprinkled with so white lines. Ma-

lik eyed it closely, a hungry light in his gaze.

So this is it? He almost sounded disap-pointed. This is the world-sphere?

Garth crossed his arms. Doesnt

look like much, he grunted.

Hardly appealing, Malik agreed.

He turned to Vilkas. Are you sure this is

the one? I mean, Im not complaining. At

this point, Im so hungry I could eat half of

the space-me connuum. But He ges-

tured vaguely at it. Its kind of puny.

Vilkas laughed. This is the one.This is the one called Earth.

Silas xed the planet in an ap-

praising gaze. Aer a moment, he nod-

ded. Its certainly more than you two

whelps deserve, he growled, glanc-

ing at Garth and Malik. He nodded

to Vilkas. It will do. Let it begin.

Vilkas extended his hands over

Documents

Notre Dame College Prep 2012 Vision Literary Magazine