Nick Miller
The Awakening
David was a happy child. Why wouldn't he be? he had everything. His parents were rich, he was advanced in his fifth grade class. He lived 30 minutes away from the Californian coast. He was also very fortunate to have his little town completely untouched from the war.
The war had sprouted from a bad relationship with Japan. About 20 years ago an uprising communism party overthrew the democracy and set up a dictatorship. The new leaders were vicious to their people, and bad relations with the U.S. started almost spontaneously. War had been declared between Japan and the United States of America.
Today was a supposedly big day for David, the president was coming to his little town to give a speech. David looked in the mirror as he wondered what boring things would happen today. As he was looking at his mirror he thought that maybe he had grown taller. For his age, David was a pretty tall kid, standing at 4 feet 11 inches. He had short black hair and was wearing formal clothes for this occasion. "How I hate these clothes." He thought to himself.
"David Lets go! We are going to be late!" David heard his mom, so he ran to the car and hopped in. David did not relish the idea of wasting a Saturday listening to some boring speech from the president. However, after his parents threatened to ground him if he did not go, he submitted and came along.
When they arrived, they were already late so they could only stand at the back of the crowd. After only 10 minutes, David was already bored out of his mind. He felt a nudge behind him and turned around to see what it was. It was a German shepherd. The dog started walking away, by now David was so bored that he just followed him around. He followed and played with the dog until he eventually came to a little cellar. It was the hurricane/tornado shelter for the town. He knew that he was not supposed to go in but he thought to himself, "Who is going to find out?"
When David went in it was extremely dark. He was trying to find a light when he hit his head on a shelf and was knocked unconscious. When he awoke he could not remember what had happened. He walked around slowly as he started to remember what he had been doing. As he found the exit he thought to himself. "I hope the speech is not over, if they find out that I am in here I will be in huge trouble!"
As he opened the doors he was horrified at what he saw. Everything was in ruins! He did not know what to do, he had to find his parents! He took off in a mad run to where the speech was held. He could not find anything, there were bodies everywhere.
"David! . . .David!"
I looked over to see who it was. It was Elizabeth, my neighbor. She was not in very good shape.
"David, you have to get out of here! You have to go to the nearest town and get help!"
With that, her eyes drooped down and closed; she was dead. All David could do was run. He ran back to the shelter that he was hiding in earlier. After sulking for about 15 minutes, the dog reappeared. He came up and sat down by David. He did not know what it was, but the dog showed David that he had to get moving. He went over to the food storage and grabbed some food, a map, some water, and a blanket.
As he was walking out the dog got up and started following him. "I think I will name you Yoda." The dog barked and wagged his tail as he followed.
By the end of the night, they had reached the edge of the forest. David had decided to rest. He had pulled out his blanket and laid down for awhile. He was wondering what he was going to do. He had nowhere to go, and his parents were dead. What could he do? As he was thinking he drifted off into a slumber.
That night he dreamt about the past that he had. He was in school playing kickball. The bases were loaded and he was about to kick. The ball came. . .He was arguing with his parents about not behaving in school. He was running to his room. . .He was in the hospital when he was 7, his parents were there with him the whole time giving him support. The rest of the night he dreamt about things that happened to him in the past.
He awoke and Yoda was gone. David decided that he would go on. As he as walking a black bear approached him from behind a tree. The black bear, although the smallest type of bear, was still no less dangerous then a grizzly. It started to charge to at David. He was paralyzed and could not move, he did not know what to do. Out of no where, Yoda jumped out and bit the bear in the neck and held on to kill it in a death grip. This broke David's trance, and he ran up behind the bear and jabbed it in the back of the leg with the knife his father had given him many years ago. David was just trying to tire the bear out. David backed away, and as he did the bear threw Yoda off of his neck. The bear did not know what to do. She wanted to protect her cubs, but she was seriously injured. She went back to her cubs hoping that they would not follow.
David got away from the bear as quickly as he could. He rested against a tree stump when he felt that he had ran far enough from the bear. As he sat there, Yoda came up to him, he felt so comfortable and relaxed that he fell asleep.
The next morning he awoke. He knew that he could reach Riverdale before the day was over, so he ran in a trot. As he ran Yoda followed him, and once again thoughts of what the future would bring started popping into his head. He wondered what he would do. He had nowhere to go. He decided that things would eventually work themselves out, and that he shouldn't worry about it.
His thinking was cut short though, when he suddenly arrived at the city. He was surprised at how fast he had arrived. He did not know where to go, so he went to the local police station. When he walked in, everyone was busy it seemed. He was so intimidated all he could utter was "Somebody help me. . . " A local policeman looked at him and came up to him. "Can I help you son?" "I . . . I am from Riverfield. . . . " David looked at the ground sullenly. The Policeman was in utter shock. "Let's get you some food, I would be very interested in hearing your story." The policeman had heard what had happened to Riverfield yesterday.
David sat in the room with a hot cup of cocoa and Yoda lying down by his side as he told his story to the police.
"Yes, we heard of the attack on your city yesterday. The Japanese tried and succeeded in killing our president, however that cannot be changed. We did send out a search party yesterday, and we found a woman who had survived. We believe she was your mother." David looked on with shock. "We think that she was searching for you and when the bombs hit, she was far enough from the blast radius to survive, however, she is in the hospital for some injuries that she did receive." "Sir, can we go see her please?" David asked. "We will tomorrow, just get some rest now." "Alright, what about Yoda sir?" The policeman looked at him and said, "That was the president's dog, but since he will not need him anymore, and he seems attached to you, you can keep him."
The next day David went to see his mother. She was happy to see him and within three weeks, she was out of the hospital in their new house that the government bought them. David now lived a new life with a different outlook on life. He graduated head of his class, and joined the Army in memory of his father. Over the years he rose through the ranks to become a general, where he lived out the rest of his days.
The Awakening
David was a happy child. Why wouldn't he be? he had everything. His parents were rich, he was advanced in his fifth grade class. He lived 30 minutes away from the Californian coast. He was also very fortunate to have his little town completely untouched from the war.
The war had sprouted from a bad relationship with Japan. About 20 years ago an uprising communism party overthrew the democracy and set up a dictatorship. The new leaders were vicious to their people, and bad relations with the U.S. started almost spontaneously. War had been declared between Japan and the United States of America.
Today was a supposedly big day for David, the president was coming to his little town to give a speech. David looked in the mirror as he wondered what boring things would happen today. As he was looking at his mirror he thought that maybe he had grown taller. For his age, David was a pretty tall kid, standing at 4 feet 11 inches. He had short black hair and was wearing formal clothes for this occasion. "How I hate these clothes." He thought to himself.
"David Lets go! We are going to be late!" David heard his mom, so he ran to the car and hopped in. David did not relish the idea of wasting a Saturday listening to some boring speech from the president. However, after his parents threatened to ground him if he did not go, he submitted and came along.
When they arrived, they were already late so they could only stand at the back of the crowd. After only 10 minutes, David was already bored out of his mind. He felt a nudge behind him and turned around to see what it was. It was a German shepherd. The dog started walking away, by now David was so bored that he just followed him around. He followed and played with the dog until he eventually came to a little cellar. It was the hurricane/tornado shelter for the town. He knew that he was not supposed to go in but he thought to himself, "Who is going to find out?"
When David went in it was extremely dark. He was trying to find a light when he hit his head on a shelf and was knocked unconscious. When he awoke he could not remember what had happened. He walked around slowly as he started to remember what he had been doing. As he found the exit he thought to himself. "I hope the speech is not over, if they find out that I am in here I will be in huge trouble!"
As he opened the doors he was horrified at what he saw. Everything was in ruins! He did not know what to do, he had to find his parents! He took off in a mad run to where the speech was held. He could not find anything, there were bodies everywhere.
"David! . . .David!"
I looked over to see who it was. It was Elizabeth, my neighbor. She was not in very good shape.
"David, you have to get out of here! You have to go to the nearest town and get help!"
With that, her eyes drooped down and closed; she was dead. All David could do was run. He ran back to the shelter that he was hiding in earlier. After sulking for about 15 minutes, the dog reappeared. He came up and sat down by David. He did not know what it was, but the dog showed David that he had to get moving. He went over to the food storage and grabbed some food, a map, some water, and a blanket.
As he was walking out the dog got up and started following him. "I think I will name you Yoda." The dog barked and wagged his tail as he followed.
By the end of the night, they had reached the edge of the forest. David had decided to rest. He had pulled out his blanket and laid down for awhile. He was wondering what he was going to do. He had nowhere to go, and his parents were dead. What could he do? As he was thinking he drifted off into a slumber.
That night he dreamt about the past that he had. He was in school playing kickball. The bases were loaded and he was about to kick. The ball came. . .He was arguing with his parents about not behaving in school. He was running to his room. . .He was in the hospital when he was 7, his parents were there with him the whole time giving him support. The rest of the night he dreamt about things that happened to him in the past.
He awoke and Yoda was gone. David decided that he would go on. As he as walking a black bear approached him from behind a tree. The black bear, although the smallest type of bear, was still no less dangerous then a grizzly. It started to charge to at David. He was paralyzed and could not move, he did not know what to do. Out of no where, Yoda jumped out and bit the bear in the neck and held on to kill it in a death grip. This broke David's trance, and he ran up behind the bear and jabbed it in the back of the leg with the knife his father had given him many years ago. David was just trying to tire the bear out. David backed away, and as he did the bear threw Yoda off of his neck. The bear did not know what to do. She wanted to protect her cubs, but she was seriously injured. She went back to her cubs hoping that they would not follow.
David got away from the bear as quickly as he could. He rested against a tree stump when he felt that he had ran far enough from the bear. As he sat there, Yoda came up to him, he felt so comfortable and relaxed that he fell asleep.
The next morning he awoke. He knew that he could reach Riverdale before the day was over, so he ran in a trot. As he ran Yoda followed him, and once again thoughts of what the future would bring started popping into his head. He wondered what he would do. He had nowhere to go. He decided that things would eventually work themselves out, and that he shouldn't worry about it.
His thinking was cut short though, when he suddenly arrived at the city. He was surprised at how fast he had arrived. He did not know where to go, so he went to the local police station. When he walked in, everyone was busy it seemed. He was so intimidated all he could utter was "Somebody help me. . . " A local policeman looked at him and came up to him. "Can I help you son?" "I . . . I am from Riverfield. . . . " David looked at the ground sullenly. The Policeman was in utter shock. "Let's get you some food, I would be very interested in hearing your story." The policeman had heard what had happened to Riverfield yesterday.
David sat in the room with a hot cup of cocoa and Yoda lying down by his side as he told his story to the police.
"Yes, we heard of the attack on your city yesterday. The Japanese tried and succeeded in killing our president, however that cannot be changed. We did send out a search party yesterday, and we found a woman who had survived. We believe she was your mother." David looked on with shock. "We think that she was searching for you and when the bombs hit, she was far enough from the blast radius to survive, however, she is in the hospital for some injuries that she did receive." "Sir, can we go see her please?" David asked. "We will tomorrow, just get some rest now." "Alright, what about Yoda sir?" The policeman looked at him and said, "That was the president's dog, but since he will not need him anymore, and he seems attached to you, you can keep him."
The next day David went to see his mother. She was happy to see him and within three weeks, she was out of the hospital in their new house that the government bought them. David now lived a new life with a different outlook on life. He graduated head of his class, and joined the Army in memory of his father. Over the years he rose through the ranks to become a general, where he lived out the rest of his days.