Sitting on my bed with my knees pulled up and the sheet pulled over my
head, I read my story by the faint light of my flashlight. I had to keep
the beam low, my parent's room was right down the hall. They always made me
keep my door open, (one of those Mom and Dad security things), but the book
was getting really good and my imagination was getting the better of me. I
held the light steady. It was all I could do to control my excitement from
growing.
The book was called, "Lord Daeloneil , The new Elvin Empire". It was part of a five book series, and it was the last one. I was on the last five chapters, with each page getting better and better as I went along. I was on the part when the leader of the Elvin people had reunited the kingdom and was congratulating the hero who had saved them from the monster inside the cave a few miles away. I wanted to know if he got to marry the leader's daughter, but I wasn't going to get to know, because a second later, I heard footsteps coming down the hall and saw my Dad's silhouette in my door frame.
* * * * * * * * * * * * * I woke up that morning with thoughts of the Elvin citizens celebrating. I couldn't wait until first class period, reading. It would be the perfect time to finish the book, and satisfy my brain which was now starving from the excitement of the story from the night before. I took a shower, got dressed, and had my breakfast, (cold mashed potatoes. My Mom hadn't been out shopping in a while). I went into my Mom's room to wake her up to take me to school. As usual, her snores were loud enough to wake up the whole neighborhood. As much as I tried, I couldn't wake her. I glanced at the clock, ten minutes until first period. I shoved her a little harder.
"Jus gimme a fe mror muntis," I heard her mumble sleepily. Knowing my Mom, she wouldn't get up for at least another hour. I pushed the over so her face was facing upward. I patted her cheeks to wake her up.
"Alright, I'm getting up." She said. Slowly, very slowly, about a year slowly, she got up out of bed and crawled over to her bathroom. I waited, light on, water running, toilet flushing, the sounds of my mother in the morning. I glanced again at the clock. It read 8:05. Great, just great. Five precious minutes of Daeloneil reading ripped away. After about 5 more minutes, my Mom skipped out of the bathroom, now adorned in makeup, hairspray, and nail polish.
"CAN WE go now?" I asked impatiently.
"Of course we can." She replied sweetly, walking briskly past me twirling her key ring around her finger.
* * * * * * * * * * * * *
As soon as I got to school, I raced into my classroom. Everyone looked up at me. My teacher peered at from over the rim of her glasses.
"Ms. Robinson, you know you need an attendance slip if you are going to be late, now march right back out that door. I want to see a pink slip in your hand when you get back."
"Yes, Mrs. Gerald." I said painfully. I walked back out of the door and quietly closed it behind me.
As I walked to the attendance office, I looked up at the school clock, now 40 minutes past Eight. "This just isn't fair. Why does my mother always have to sleep in so late?" I opened the door to the office. The secretary looked up at me and smiled.
"Why, hello Jennifer, your mom just came by. She said to give this to you when you came in for your late slip." I looked down at what she was holding. My lunch, in my old broken Teletubbies lunch pail. My eyes grew wide. This must be her way of getting back at me. I glanced around nervously. "Good, nobody around."
"Umm, thanks Mrs. Sernan." I said with a rush. I grabbed my lunch, the late slip and tried to run to the door before anybody saw me. Before I could turn the door handle and step out, someone on the other side of the door opened it instead. The door hit me in the face. I fell backwards, letting go of the lunch box. It came down on my head with a klinck and split open. Peanut butter and juice everywhere. I forced myself to look up. I could feel the color in my cheeks darkening quickly. Standing there looking down at me with peanut butter all over my face, was Nick Jennings.
* * * * * * * * * * * * *
When I got home that afternoon, all I could think about was the incident that morning. "Oh my gosh..he must think I'm a total dork now". Nick Jennings was the guy I liked. Not liked maybe,..but loved. " Now any chance I may have had with him is gone," I thought. And it was all because of my stupid mother. "My stupid mother." The words kelp revolving around in my head. "And my stupid dad, too. It's his fault I couldn't finish the book in the first place."
"I HATE my family!!" I screamed, and chucked my backpack at the bedroom wall. Then I stopped and thought for a second. "Well, nobody is going to stop me now from reading my book, so I guess I will". I walked over to my backpack, now with a much happier feeling towards it. I unzipped it, carefully taking out the book. Just as I was about to open it up and start to read those beautiful words, my Mom knocked at the door and told me dinner was ready. I stuck out my tongue at the door.
"Coming." I said.
Dinner was pretty normal, except for the glares I kept getting from my mother for "patting her face." She claimed I had hit her. Typical.
After dinner, I was finally allowed to be left alone in my room. I opened my window to let in some air, and sat down on my bed with the book. I opened up to page 378 and started reading. Before I even got to the second sentence, my mind was already drowning in the fantasy world of elves and magic. After what seemed like years of adventure, the last few pages turned near. The words seemed like they were getting bigger, almost dancing like flames in front of my eager eyes. I drank in the letters, words, and sentences that were my dreams. The last page was before my eyes. It read:
And so, the Elvin folk of the forest lived
their days of happiness and prosperity,
feeding off of each others happiness until
there was too much to go around. It wasn't until
200 years had passed that their leader had had
enough. There were too many good things
happening. They needed some change, some
adventure. And not too soon, for a stranger had entered
there land of peace and happiness. Later that week,
the leader awoke to find his one daughter sprawled across
his bed, covered in blood.
I turned to the next page. It was blank. That was it. That was the end.
I couldn't believe it. That couldn't be all."there must be another page or something." I thought anxiously. Quickly I flipped the pages to the end, looking for a tear mark after the last page. I found none. "That must really be it then." I thought sadly, and turned to the window. I could see the sun setting behind the house next to mine. I looked up into the sky. And that's when I saw it. The first star of the night. The big, beautiful north star. Then a thought came to me. Kind of stupid, but hey what's there to lose, right?
"Star light, star bright, first star I see tonight" I chanted softly. "I wish I may, I wish I might, have a wish I make tonight. I wish that..that..I could get away from my parents and know what happens next in the book. I want to see, no live the real ending." I pulled the covers over my head, and drifted off to sleep.
Rumble.Rumble.Swish.Rumble. "I'm going to get you, you know you stupid little girl." Said a voice from the shadows. Rumble. Rumble.Swish. "You can't get away. Your trapped.FOREVER." Rumble.Swish.Rumble.
"AHH!! NO! don't get me! Stay away!" I screamed and woke with a start. I found myself staring into the black that was my room. I ran my hands through my hair. The strands that were once soft and dry were wet and sticky. Sweat, and a lot of it. My shirt was sticking to my back. I laid back down and tried to think of what I was dreaming before I woke up. All I could remember was a sort of rumbling swishing noise. I closed my eyes. Rumble...rumble...SWISH, It was really loud now. Whatever it was, it was in my room! I felt my fingers feeling for the light next to my bed. Before I could flick it on, however, my whole room illuminated with a blinding white light. I searched frantically around for the noise. Then I saw it. My weather ball was shaking violently and exploding over the top. I had never seen it do that before. Then my mind switched back onto the light situation. "How had they come on so quickly?" My question was answered though, when a portal of some sort opened up right over the weather ball. It looked like a hovering mass of bright yellow, swirling just as violently as the ball was shaking. Without thinking, I grabbed the weather ball. I don't know why I did it, an impulse, maybe. As soon as my fingers touched the delicate glass, a pulling sensation behind my navel gave me a shove like being pulled downward. Downward into absolute blackness and unknown.
* * * * * * * * * * * * *
The book was called, "Lord Daeloneil , The new Elvin Empire". It was part of a five book series, and it was the last one. I was on the last five chapters, with each page getting better and better as I went along. I was on the part when the leader of the Elvin people had reunited the kingdom and was congratulating the hero who had saved them from the monster inside the cave a few miles away. I wanted to know if he got to marry the leader's daughter, but I wasn't going to get to know, because a second later, I heard footsteps coming down the hall and saw my Dad's silhouette in my door frame.
* * * * * * * * * * * * * I woke up that morning with thoughts of the Elvin citizens celebrating. I couldn't wait until first class period, reading. It would be the perfect time to finish the book, and satisfy my brain which was now starving from the excitement of the story from the night before. I took a shower, got dressed, and had my breakfast, (cold mashed potatoes. My Mom hadn't been out shopping in a while). I went into my Mom's room to wake her up to take me to school. As usual, her snores were loud enough to wake up the whole neighborhood. As much as I tried, I couldn't wake her. I glanced at the clock, ten minutes until first period. I shoved her a little harder.
"Jus gimme a fe mror muntis," I heard her mumble sleepily. Knowing my Mom, she wouldn't get up for at least another hour. I pushed the over so her face was facing upward. I patted her cheeks to wake her up.
"Alright, I'm getting up." She said. Slowly, very slowly, about a year slowly, she got up out of bed and crawled over to her bathroom. I waited, light on, water running, toilet flushing, the sounds of my mother in the morning. I glanced again at the clock. It read 8:05. Great, just great. Five precious minutes of Daeloneil reading ripped away. After about 5 more minutes, my Mom skipped out of the bathroom, now adorned in makeup, hairspray, and nail polish.
"CAN WE go now?" I asked impatiently.
"Of course we can." She replied sweetly, walking briskly past me twirling her key ring around her finger.
* * * * * * * * * * * * *
As soon as I got to school, I raced into my classroom. Everyone looked up at me. My teacher peered at from over the rim of her glasses.
"Ms. Robinson, you know you need an attendance slip if you are going to be late, now march right back out that door. I want to see a pink slip in your hand when you get back."
"Yes, Mrs. Gerald." I said painfully. I walked back out of the door and quietly closed it behind me.
As I walked to the attendance office, I looked up at the school clock, now 40 minutes past Eight. "This just isn't fair. Why does my mother always have to sleep in so late?" I opened the door to the office. The secretary looked up at me and smiled.
"Why, hello Jennifer, your mom just came by. She said to give this to you when you came in for your late slip." I looked down at what she was holding. My lunch, in my old broken Teletubbies lunch pail. My eyes grew wide. This must be her way of getting back at me. I glanced around nervously. "Good, nobody around."
"Umm, thanks Mrs. Sernan." I said with a rush. I grabbed my lunch, the late slip and tried to run to the door before anybody saw me. Before I could turn the door handle and step out, someone on the other side of the door opened it instead. The door hit me in the face. I fell backwards, letting go of the lunch box. It came down on my head with a klinck and split open. Peanut butter and juice everywhere. I forced myself to look up. I could feel the color in my cheeks darkening quickly. Standing there looking down at me with peanut butter all over my face, was Nick Jennings.
* * * * * * * * * * * * *
When I got home that afternoon, all I could think about was the incident that morning. "Oh my gosh..he must think I'm a total dork now". Nick Jennings was the guy I liked. Not liked maybe,..but loved. " Now any chance I may have had with him is gone," I thought. And it was all because of my stupid mother. "My stupid mother." The words kelp revolving around in my head. "And my stupid dad, too. It's his fault I couldn't finish the book in the first place."
"I HATE my family!!" I screamed, and chucked my backpack at the bedroom wall. Then I stopped and thought for a second. "Well, nobody is going to stop me now from reading my book, so I guess I will". I walked over to my backpack, now with a much happier feeling towards it. I unzipped it, carefully taking out the book. Just as I was about to open it up and start to read those beautiful words, my Mom knocked at the door and told me dinner was ready. I stuck out my tongue at the door.
"Coming." I said.
Dinner was pretty normal, except for the glares I kept getting from my mother for "patting her face." She claimed I had hit her. Typical.
After dinner, I was finally allowed to be left alone in my room. I opened my window to let in some air, and sat down on my bed with the book. I opened up to page 378 and started reading. Before I even got to the second sentence, my mind was already drowning in the fantasy world of elves and magic. After what seemed like years of adventure, the last few pages turned near. The words seemed like they were getting bigger, almost dancing like flames in front of my eager eyes. I drank in the letters, words, and sentences that were my dreams. The last page was before my eyes. It read:
And so, the Elvin folk of the forest lived
their days of happiness and prosperity,
feeding off of each others happiness until
there was too much to go around. It wasn't until
200 years had passed that their leader had had
enough. There were too many good things
happening. They needed some change, some
adventure. And not too soon, for a stranger had entered
there land of peace and happiness. Later that week,
the leader awoke to find his one daughter sprawled across
his bed, covered in blood.
I turned to the next page. It was blank. That was it. That was the end.
I couldn't believe it. That couldn't be all."there must be another page or something." I thought anxiously. Quickly I flipped the pages to the end, looking for a tear mark after the last page. I found none. "That must really be it then." I thought sadly, and turned to the window. I could see the sun setting behind the house next to mine. I looked up into the sky. And that's when I saw it. The first star of the night. The big, beautiful north star. Then a thought came to me. Kind of stupid, but hey what's there to lose, right?
"Star light, star bright, first star I see tonight" I chanted softly. "I wish I may, I wish I might, have a wish I make tonight. I wish that..that..I could get away from my parents and know what happens next in the book. I want to see, no live the real ending." I pulled the covers over my head, and drifted off to sleep.
Rumble.Rumble.Swish.Rumble. "I'm going to get you, you know you stupid little girl." Said a voice from the shadows. Rumble. Rumble.Swish. "You can't get away. Your trapped.FOREVER." Rumble.Swish.Rumble.
"AHH!! NO! don't get me! Stay away!" I screamed and woke with a start. I found myself staring into the black that was my room. I ran my hands through my hair. The strands that were once soft and dry were wet and sticky. Sweat, and a lot of it. My shirt was sticking to my back. I laid back down and tried to think of what I was dreaming before I woke up. All I could remember was a sort of rumbling swishing noise. I closed my eyes. Rumble...rumble...SWISH, It was really loud now. Whatever it was, it was in my room! I felt my fingers feeling for the light next to my bed. Before I could flick it on, however, my whole room illuminated with a blinding white light. I searched frantically around for the noise. Then I saw it. My weather ball was shaking violently and exploding over the top. I had never seen it do that before. Then my mind switched back onto the light situation. "How had they come on so quickly?" My question was answered though, when a portal of some sort opened up right over the weather ball. It looked like a hovering mass of bright yellow, swirling just as violently as the ball was shaking. Without thinking, I grabbed the weather ball. I don't know why I did it, an impulse, maybe. As soon as my fingers touched the delicate glass, a pulling sensation behind my navel gave me a shove like being pulled downward. Downward into absolute blackness and unknown.
* * * * * * * * * * * * *