100 WC Week 19

 Why I Owe Jade 10 Bucks

"Bet you ten bucks you can't last an hour in Old Harley's house," Jade's eyes glinted as she presented the dare. There was a collective gasp, but I nodded.

Looked like I was about to enter a haunted house.


*****

Jade had placed a candle near the entrance. As the flame flickered and then went out, I was bathed in shadow. Just then, a transparent person floated towards me, and I backed against the wall. My hand came away sticky.

I ran out screaming, and promised myself I would never accept a dare from Jade ever again.

Now I had to find ten bucks.

100 WC Week 18

Thunderstruck

The silence was deafening, and I huddled under my covers. It was hard to feel courageous in teddy bear pyjamas.

My family had been in our new house for three days, and I was already convinced it was haunted, with its burnt-orange walls and antique furniture, and the objects that seemed to move overnight.

My bedroom door opened quietly, but it might as well have been a crack of thunder, the way I jumped. I smashed my head on the headboard of my bed, and the room swam. All I could make out was the blurry silhouette of my sleepwalking sister before I passed out. 

100 WC Week 17

Unexplained

The unexplained is always the most interesting in life.

One day, I was walking along a beach, when I found a stairway that wound up into the sky. I climbed, but there was a golden gate near the top. I couldn't get in.

I was pulled out of my daydream by a local chatting away.

"A stairway to heaven was once going to be built here, but it was never completed," the local informed me.

I glanced at the barren ground, unsure how I had seen the completed stairway. There was just a small dove sitting there. It winked at me and flew off.

100 WC Week 16

      Sunlight streamed through the trees, casting leaf-shaped shadows on the forest floor.
All I could hear was the sound of Jade's even hoof beats, hitting the ground as she cantered. We swept around a bend, and a creek came into view. The pebbles glistened at the bottom of the creek bed.

      I let Jade gain some speed to jump the creek, but I guess she didn't want to. She halted, but I flew through the air. Suddenly, I hit the ice-cold water. Jade nickered and sped off.

    "Jade! Wait!" I was left alone, soaking wet, and without a ride.

100 WC Week 15

Brit strolled along the beach, enjoying her vacation. It was a blissful moment of silence, minus the sound of waves.


The silence was shattered by Brit's annoying sister's scream.


"Jessie! What did you do now?" Brit raced to where Jessie had her feet stuck in a green recycling bin, where cans are supposed to go.


Jessie had been out to lunch, and decided to recycle her flip-flops. Like usual, not really thinking, Jessie had stuck her feet in the bin and kicked off her only pair of flip-flops. All she had left were boots.


Brit sighed in resignation.

100 WC Week 14

"Sam! Can you get an apple out of the basement?" Mom called.

I went down to the basement and over to the box of apples which were sitting in a dark corner.

I put my hand in the box and felt something scaly amidst the smooth apples. I pulled out a rubber snake.

"Bella!" I hollered, and my prankster sister bounded down the stairs.

"Very funny," I looked at Bella, " a rubber snake. Seriously?"

Bella appeared confused, "I didn't put that there. It must be real."

The snake hissed, and I screamed, running away. I didn't see the diabolical smile that stretched across Bella's face.

Week 13 Short Story

Meow-vie Star

They call me Whiskers. I am a calico cat. I would much rather be called something else, maybe a human name. They have such nice sounding names, like Ella. Humans are bizarre creatures with strange-looking fur that they can take on and off, and seem to think they rule the world, (just in case you do not know what a human is) so they decided to throw me out of an airplane. 

Hold on. Let me back up a bit, and I will explain the airplane situation, and how I had a brush with death, almost losing one of my nine lives. (At least, I think I have nine lives. I am too nervous to try and lose one. Maybe it is just a myth?) 

My owner, Angeline, is a nice girl. She has always been nice to me, but when she let them throw me out of an airplane, I kind of felt betrayed. The day was a nice, sunny day, with the sunbeam falling right on my cat perch. But no, I had to give up my extremely busy day of doing nothing to be stuffed into the torture box of eternal doom, (also known as the cat carrier) ride in the car for eternity, (actually ten minutes) and unceremoniously thrown into open air. (I had a weird belt thing on that stopped me from being smushed on the ground, but it was a lot scarier than it sounds.) 

"Whiskers, you are going to be perfectly fine, and you don't have to do anything you don't want to do," Angeline didn't say. 

Instead, she said, "Whiskers, you're going to be famous!" Whatever that means. 

What do you mean? What are you going to do to me? I cried, but Angeline has not taken the time to learn cat, unlike me, who knows exactly how to read and understand Human. I just have the handicap of not being able to speak Human, since they use all sorts of weird tones in their speech, so I was ignored.

Soon, after a scorching hot car ride, with Angeline talking a mile a minute, we arrived at a place with lots of humans buzzing around.   

"Here's Whiskers, my cat. She's ready to shoot the scene," Angeline told an official-looking person. I could tell they were probably super smart because they had a clipboard. Angeline once told me that clipboards made you look smart. Do people that are truly smart carry clipboards, or do they just make unintelligent people look more creditable? There I go, off on one of my irrelevant tangents again. Anyways, Angeline was talking to a person.

Can someone please tell me what is going on? I mewed, but no one was looking at me, just yelling words that made no sense, and they were completely out of context. Who yells "cut!" randomly without using it in a sentence? That is not what Angeline's pocket dictionary said.

Someone scooped me up and started stuffing me into a tiny device, which seemed a bit like a human 'vest'. (Which, in case you are unfamiliar with the human life, is an article of clothing.) Only this vest had tighter straps that wrapped around me, and it made an unusual clinking noise as they put me in a human contraption, which was actually an airplane, (but I was unaware of that at the time) and we flew about a gazillion feet up into the air.

We reached a mind-boggling height and they yelled something over their headsets. Some person in the helicopter had a flashy sign and yelled something to a camera, "Cat-astrophe in Carolina, scene forty-eight, take one."

Then, they threw me out of the airplane.

The ground was so far below, just a spot. Calm down Whiskers, I told myself, Angeline would never let people hurt you. But the spot just grew and grew, until it was directly below me. A split second before I hit the unforgiving ground, I was yanked backwards, back up into the sky.

Long story short, once I reached the ground, few people escaped unscathed. They let me go, and I went home.

Angeline was disappointed, but I prefer to live a low-key life. I would rather be a house cat who is always curled up in the sun rather than an eminent cat who lives in the spotlight. (Eminent, what a cool word. I just found it in Angeline's dictionary, and I thought it was perfect. It means famous, or high in rank.)

Oh, Angeline just came in.

"I wonder what you would say if you could talk, Whiskers," Angeline says, "would you have a story to tell? Of course not. All you do is lie in the sun all day."

I have many stories to tell, she just doesn't know that yet.

- Whiskers

100 WC Week 13

Mom, on one of her antique finding kicks, brought home a chair. She left to complete some errands, so I sat in the cushy, high-backed chair with a cup of blackberry tea. I put the tea on the table beside me and picked up a book.

Earl Grey, our cat, hopped up on the table, splashing tea all over the chair. I grabbed a paper towel, but the spot just grew and grew as the chair absorbed the tea. When Mom came home, I showed her the tea stain on her antique chair.

"That's my old office chair. Now I have a reason to throw it out!'

100 WC Week 10

Intuition is what made me pause in the courtyard that day. Intuition is making me crazy.

One day, as I walked past a group of statues, I felt a connection. I felt their sorrows, their feelings, everything that I didn't know statues had. I wondered if I was clairvoyant.

Maybe the anciet Spartans weren't as psycho as everyone thought they were, thinking that you could chain someone's spirit inside statues.

Those statues spoke to me, and now I sit with them, rain or shine, and think of the secrets I will someday learn, if I wait long enough. Like a statue.

Week 10 Short Story

There was once three smart men, all from different corners of the great world. Because they thought they knew everything, they stopped listening to the ideas of others.

One day, they all agreed to meet in Japan to discuss all their ideas of the world and universe. Mother Earth watched. They have forgotten between smart and wise, she thought sadly, those brilliant minds were wasted on those selfish men. The smart share their ideas, but the wise listen and become wiser by doing so.

The three men heard the rumble of Mother Earth's voice speaking to them, and paused from their discussion.

"Asher, Mardul, and Andrew," Mother Earth said, for that was their names, "you are smart, but not wise. If you want to be wise, you must listen, but not speak."

The three men left, and ultimately failed at the task set before them. When the three men next gathered, they were disappointed to find none of them were wiser.

"I will give you one more chance," Mother Earth warned, "an event will happen today. It will effect everyone's lives forever. When this happens, you will become wiser."

The date was August 6th, 1945, the day the Americans dropped the atomic bomb on Japan. The moment of the explosion, Mother Earth turned Asher, Mardul, and Andrew into solid statues to protect them.

As the people around them died from intense amounts of radiation, the three men were frozen.

When people examined the wreckage, they found a statue of three men talking. Eventually, the statue was sold and was placed in a courtyard. Now, you can go and see the statue of the three men who are extremely wise, except for you will never be able to tell because they cannot speak. They can only listen. That is their eternal punishment for never listening and only talking. The biggest punishment of all is the fact that the souls of the men live inside the statue. They can never truly die. They are forever, just like the shadows of people who are long gone are still on the walls of the buildings in Japan.

100 WC Week 9

I loved to read comics, always thinking that, to be a superhero, you had to have special powers. I first excerised my 'superpowers' one August day...

*****

A small, flamboyant girl was standing in the the street, giving a performance to her dolls. I noted that a convertible was speeding towards her at an alarming pace. Not sure she would notice in time, I ran, tackling the girl, so she landed on the sidewalk.

"You're my hero!" The girl exclaimed, true adoration in her eyes. I realized that super powers aren't what make a superhero. It's the desire to help others.

Week 8 Short Story

Hamilton stamped his foot on the gas pedal, then the brake, narrowly avoiding a foam cut-out of a dancer.

“Son, if you want to get your driver’s license, you have to be able to avoid obstacles,” Hamilton’s father said, his calm tone only infuriating Hamilton.

It’s more likely I’ll find myself in someone’s swimming pool than successfully getting my driver’s license and seeing the sprawling green countryside, Hamilton thought to himself.

“Why do I have to do this stuff?” Hamilton had a fire burning in his eyes as he tried to turn around in an impossibly tiny parking lot.

“If you’re going to do something, do it right,” his father instructed, “a wise man once said; ‘there are no shortcuts to anyplace worth going.’”  

“I don’t know about you, but I want to go to the countryside by myself, and there are plenty shortcuts to get there.” Hamilton knew he was back talking, which would get him in trouble, but he was so irate he didn’t care.

“You, young man, are not ready to be driving. I will drive us home,” Hamilton’s father exclaimed sternly.

When Hamilton’s father took over the wheel, he pushed his foot on the gas pedal.

Vroom! Vroom!

The car didn’t move, it just continued to make racecar-esque noises.

“Dad? It’s in neutral,” Hamilton chimed in, trying to hold back his laughter.

“I knew that,” his father said.

*****

Later, after Hamilton’s driving test, he returned home, his spirits soaring like a majestic and proud seagull that has just stolen someone’s lunch and is very pleased with itself.

“I passed!” Hamilton exclaimed triumphantly to his mother.

“Hmm,” mused his mother “that’s wonderful news, dear. Did you know your father failed his driver’s test three times before he passed?”

“WHAT!?” Hamilton was so angry, and he felt like a volcano that was about to erupt. His mother, completely oblivious, contemplated the thought of putting broccoli in that night’s stew. Hamilton’s majestic spirit-bird crashed into the wall of skyscraper, and came back down to earth.

“That’s why he wanted you to learn everything before you went for your test. He didn’t want you to be humiliated by your friends when you didn’t pass,” Hamilton’s mother said absently.

Maybe dad wanted the best for me after all, thought Hamilton.

“I’m going to apologize to dad,” Hamilton stated, rather matter-of-factly.

“Okay dear. Pass the broccoli, will you?”

100 WC Week 8

"You gotta have a public image, look like you're doing good for the world," My manager said, "Help a child achieve their dreams of becoming a dancer, start a swimming club."

I nodded.

*****

When I got up on stage, I saw all the people watching me, and I realized that I had the chance to change the world.

"This started off as a way to improve my public image, but now I realize I have a chance to help. You can go green, get an electric car instead of a gas one, but, most likely, what you really care about is what makes the most change. You choose. As for me, I think I'll start with renting my summer house out at low prices so that the less fortunate can have the luxury for once."

100 Word Challenge Week 7

Troy snuck out of his bedroom in the dark of night, obviously wanting to remain secretive. He crept over to a secret door in the back of the hall closet.

He twisted a handle, the door opened and there it was, his secret collection of My Little Pony and Disney Princess DVDs. He selected Frozen, his favourite movie, and returned to his bedroom to watch.

In the morning, Troy felt drained and looked haggard.

"Troy, you're looking more and more exhausted each day," his mother commented.

"Where are all my Disney DVDs?" Shrieked Bella, Troy's younger sister.

"I dunno. Maybe your gerbil ate them," Troy lied.

100 Word Challenge Week 6

Emma arrived at the stables and sauntered over to her Anglo-Arab's, Hermes, stall. She was shocked to see that the stall was empty! Hermes was galloping freely, like he really had wings on his feet.


"Stop! Hermes!" Emma cried, grabbing a leadline.


As Emma raced after Hermes, who was a speed demon, she tripped and landed in a puddle of mud.


"Ew!" She shrieked.


Hermes turned around, tossing his head back like he was laughing. Then, he gracefully cantered back into his stall and latched the door, acting like nothing had happened.


"The worst thing is that I ruined my new, expensive boots," Emma moaned.

100 Word Challenge Week 5

I've never been responsible, and the night my parents were out of town was no different. 

I forgot to shut the door on the fireplace, and I woke up to the smell of smoke. 

"Help!" I cried out the window.

That's when I remembered Cassie, my baby sister. I dodged the flames to reach Cassie's bassinet, grabbed Cassie and raced onto the balcony. 

The flying firemen came, and there wasn't much damage done to the kitchen. Everything else was charred to a cinder. When my parents came home, they weren't too pleased that I had burnt down the house. Again. 

Week 4

I was elated about my dance performance that day.

“If you’re nervous, just remember the poem,” my dance instructor said, gesturing to a poem framed on the wall.

Once everything turns from dark to bright,

It’s because you’ve found what turns on your light.

Those two lines are really all I bothered to remember, but later that day, before I went out on stage, I wished I remembered the other lines.

When I started to dance, I remembered the rest.

At least once in your life,

Let go of sadness and strife.

When you’ve given all you have to give,

You truly live.

100 WC Week 3

I was insanely apprehensive about my upcoming English final, and I was up until midnight studying.

"I hope I'm prepared," I thought before drifting off to dreamland.

                                                                     *****

I sat down and stared at the English final of drawn out death and read the first question:

Define these words:

Cataclysm

Enigmatical
Floated

Hard

Mountain

Phantasm

Red

Umbrella

Maybe I would pass after all! I finished, and when my paper was collected, the professor looked at me and said:

"Beep!" 

Huh? Why would a respectable English teacher say something like that, randomly?

That's when I woke up to my alarm clock ringing, annunciating my impending doom. 

100 WC Week 2

Interrogation

Waiting for interrogation,

Cold, dank room, windows collecting condensation.

I thought of my alibi,

A young man began to cry;

“I committed the horrible crime!

Life isn’t all song and rhyme.

I’m a modern Robin Hood,

I swear I only stole for good!

Steal from the rich to give to the poor,

They’ve never been rich before.”

He was taken away,

Never to be seen again in all of days.

Now I think it all the way through,

Didn’t know what would happen as I joined the queue.

Boy, was I glad, that one time,

I didn’t have to wait very long in the line.

Week 1

Week 1

Gina crept into the kitchen. She grabbed the toaster and opened a tiny door on the bottom. Two little men marched out.

“At your service!” exclaimed one man.

“I need cupcakes for tomorrow’s Crazy Cooking contest,” Gina ordered.

The men got to work. Gina realized that she had taken the men for granted. They had helped her so much, they deserved to be thanked.

Later, Gina walked over and opened the door, the men marched out. Gina put a cupcake in front of them.

“You’re always working for me, you never get to enjoy your work. This cupcake’s for you.”