I awake with a sudden jolt. As I slowly peeled my eyelids open I could see dim light filtering in through my bedroom window, it was morning. Turning over, I reached for my watch on my nightstand which read “5:47 a.m.” I felt tiredness spread throughout my body after learning I woke up too early, but I reluctantly pulled myself up and threw my legs over the side of the bed. As I gazed across my bedroom, I regretfully discovered little light-brown piles of what looked like mashed baby food; my cat had thrown up her food again. It was a partial minefield of brown piles on the dark green carpet; I wasn’t looking forward to cleaning it up. Something caught my attention across my room. I examined the brown and black-trimmed tv cabinet, stared at the thirty-inch screen, and focused until Nala appeared.
A little furry calico cat named Nala had poked her head around from the back of the screen which startled me. She gave an innocent meow as she caught my gaze and hurriedly attempted to maneuver out from behind the tv, acting as though see had been caught red-handed doing something wrong. As...
The first thing which caught my attention was a photo of n “innocent kitten” and next to it was a caption. The caption was only eleven words; however within those eleven words the writer has given me a sympathetic connection towards it also, since they have used the term “kitten” it makes it seem more defenceless.
It begins nine in the years past, I sit on my bed stricken with fear of what hides beneath me, as I shriek for my parents, tears drip down my face, and hairs erect from my limbs. In horror, I hide behind my parents’ baggy pajamas with a hope of having protection from the unknown monster. “Honey, there is nobody in your closet or under the bed. Let mommy and
“The house is settling,” my Italian carer would say as the lights dimmed and glowed in her ghostly presence… but this wasn’t all the house did. I slept in my room. Well, not really slept. Sleep was never something I did much of, especially early on. My worries at seven pm far outweighed my need for sleep. Awake. Forever awake. My father had left me. My mother…
In the mornings, my cat often takes up a post on my chest. His presence is heralded by a chirpy meow and four quarter-sized points of pressure where his feet make contact; as he relaxes, he settles into a loud, rhythmic purr, and the pressure of his 16 pounds is more evenly distributed across my ventral torso. If I'm slow to open my eyes, he reaches out a paw and gently pricks my face with his claws ‹ enough to make an impression but not do real damage. When I do open my eyes, I see the triangles of his ears, the dense, velvety blackness of his fur and the sheen of his nose; his yellow irises are thin rings around his dilated pupils in the dim, early light.
This place is revolting; there is mold everywhere. It’s like a receptacle for disposing food and rubbish. No, I’m not talking about a trash can. I’m talking about Mrs. Pratchett’s house. My mother sent me over here to look after her because she’s been missing for a while. The house was a dingy gray Victoriana. The brickwork was crumbling away. There was a sinister threat within. The path to the door was overgrown with bushes whose thorns reached out to capture me. I walk through the open door and the floor didn’t show any signs of water, which is astonishing because last night it rained. I am currently standing in what appears to be the living room, or the dining room according to all the food everywhere. Milk way past their expiration date, the doors are a shade of many colors, rotten pizza on the ceiling fan, little bits of candy sprinkled on the floor like a cupcake. Dead, wilted brown flowers in a poorly chosen vase. I mean a carnation pink vase with this ugly mustard yellow walls? That is a fashion don’t. There is a putrid smell, like a dead animal mixed with body odor. I assume it was probably one of the many cats that ate the chocolate. Wondering how a person could be this disheveled, I walk over to the fireplace and see coal. There’s nothing unusual about that except it’s still warm. A cat scampers across my feet to the back of the couch. Thinking "there probably shouldn’t be another dead cat while I’m here." I go and find some food for it to eat and set out a bowl. I then walk to look behind the couch to check on it. Guess what? It’s not a dead cat that I was smelling, it was a human corpse. Being closer there was a penetrating smell, as if a dozen eggs had been left out to rot. It’s unclear to me how long he’s been dead ...
When Dad put Baby Sister in his arms, Aaron’s eyes opened wide. “She’s so warm. And she feels so…floppy.” Dad snapped the picture and then took another one for good measure. Baby Sister fluttered her eyelids a bit and gurgled. Some really icky-looking stuff dribbled from her mouth. Before Aaron had time to ask his dad about it, there was another smell. Aaron knew what that was. “Oh, gross. She pooped on me!” He held Baby Sister high off his lap, and Dad snatched her. “Yuck.” Aaron jumped out of the chair, charged into the bathroom and slammed the door. He took two gulps of fresh air and opened the door a crack. The stench rolled toward the door from the funny-looking bed where Dad was changing Baby Sister. The sides of Baby Sister’s bed were clear, and she was looking right at him. Then the smell hit Aaron, and he slammed the door again. How could he ever have thought she smelled good! She smelled awful. “She’s going to stink up our whole house,” Aaron shouted through the door. “Remember when Mugsy had an accident in the house. It stunk really bad and this is worse.”
Water. This is my first thought as I slowly manage to pull my eyes open and squint against the harsh sunlight streaming through my bedroom window. My mouth feels like I’m holding a cotton ball between my teeth and I blindly reach for a water bottle on my nightstand. As I bring the bottle to my lips I nearly cry out from the splitting pain that is coming from my head. I stumble to the bathroom in search of Advil and pause when I glance at my reflection. My hair is disheveled and I’m still wearing last night’s clothes. My eyes are bloodshot and mascara coats my under eyes, my lips dry and cracked. The events of the previous night play through my mind. The pounding music that makes my head hurt just thinking about it, the stuffy basement and a
I walked down the hall of Raymond Academy. I walked down until Faith grabbed me by the arm. I spun around and she dragged me into the nearest room. "What is going on?" I asked when she closed the door. "So? Are you going to tell me where this came from." She asked holding an envelope up. " Niro, what is that?" My voice sounded tired and confused.
I woke up to the sound of my alarm clock beeping rapidly. Ugh, I thought. I barely got enough sleep last night worrying about the hurricane that the news reporter was babbling about on TV. I tried sneaking outside around midnight to get some fresh air, but my hands wouldn’t stop shaking. What if the hurricane came now? Nobody would know where I went, and I would be lost forever. After about 5 minutes of just pondering, (my alarm clock still screaming at me), I climbed out of bed and silenced the clock, which was giving me a headache. I looked in the mirror and it reflected a big mess. Brown, scraggly, tangled hair, droopy eyes,and a frown. I walked down the steps to the crowded living room with low roofs, white walls and waterlogged carpets when I saw the familiar short, blonde haired woman watching the
I left the bag opened for Emma and stood next to her on my tiptoes, even though it only gave me a few inches in height, I reached for the cupboard above the bowl of fruit and on the lowest shelf to grab a couple of the cups that were meant for us. Easy access. Plastic. Only ever filled with water, milk, or the occasional orange juice. Only left the kitchen to go to the dining room. Setting them both down on the round kitchen table, I sullenly pranced from one corner of the kitchen to the opposite, from the food cupboard to the magnet-and-drawing-covered fridge. Opening the doors dramatically, I reached for the milk with both hands and turned around quickly to set it on the other side of the table. As I shut the doors, I looked to Emma to see if she would
As my Aunt and I entered Judy's house which was a fifteen minute drive from where I live, I noticed cut black and white cat long haired cat with a pink nose and mysterious slanted eyes sneaking up on me near the corner of the hallway of the house. Judy shared with me that Katie was spayed, what foods to feed the cat and that she was tramatized. Judy had shared with me that she took Katie to the Shelter to try to find the owners but to no aval. You see, Katie had showed up at Judy's arcadia door so Judy took her in and kept her for several months before deciding to give the cat away.
WOOF! WOOF! I slowly became awake out of a late night daze to hearing Lucy and Susie barking as someone was banging on the door loudly. It was around noon, I knew this only because you could hear my mom’s soaps from down the hall. You could feel the untouched chill from the tiles pressed on your feet as you walked towards the living room. I stumble from my sleepy haze to see that my mom was hiding behind the huge white wooden door peering through the peep hole. While looking to see who was on the other side of the door, she whispered to me go to in my room and take the dogs with me. Knowing better to challenge my mother’s words, I grabbed the fluff of black fur, Lucy, and encouraged Susie to follow me as I went into my room. When walking into the room every little sound became ten times louder, Susie’s paws taping on the cold tiles walking towards her bed by the nightstand. Closing the white door behind us, the warm natural light from the evening sun shining in my room was enough light for me to see the entirety of my huge master bedroom so I turned the lights off. Laying on my king sized bed staring at the ceiling, I could hear faint sounds coming from the living room where my mom loudly argued with the principal, and I slowly started to sink in the huge bed. After sitting around for what felt like forever, I decided to put Harvest Moon Magical Melody on my silver Nintendo GameCube, to distract me from whatever conversations going on. While playing the game, I was
As I depart from the kitchen, I walk into the living room. There is a terrifying ugly brown couch with a crocheted throw draped over it. Two more Lazy-Boy chairs sit by it. On the opposite side of the room from me is a stone fireplace with shelves built on either side of it. These shelves are filled with books on every topic one can think of. Subjects range from the Civil War to cooking and mechanics. Above the fireplace rests an old, dependable clock. As it strikes the hour with its dings and dongs, I know I am where I belong. I am home.
First things first, I flip the light on to activate the dormant bathroom, and I answer nature's call. After washing my hands in the tepid water, I grab my nut-brown hairbrush, and battle my way through the overwhelming tangles. Completing that formidable task, I pull the round, blue bottle of Noxzema out of the golden, oak cabinet to wash my face. Scents of menthol, camphor, and eucalyptus filter through my head and awaken my senses. Now fully awakened, I scamper to the kitchen, grabbing my blue and yellow bag of doughnuts, and pouring myself a cup of cold milk. Chocolate tickles my nose when I open my bag of delicious doughnuts. While enjoying my savory breakfast, the bong of the grandfather clock warns me that it is almost time to depart from my comfy home.
At the crack of dawn, the prolonged intense ringing got louder each time I snoozed my alarm clock. I had snoozing my alarm clock down to a science that it became useless, I knew the exact angle and position of the button. Now I know why my alarm clock did not work for me, but it definitely woke my family up, especially my mother. After five snoozes, my mother’s heavy stomp headed towards my room and her intensely intimidating voice scared the sleep out of me. Once i heard her coming, I would jump up faster than you could blink your eye, wrap my towel around me and head to the bathroom to get ready for school.