[Writing] Tsuno's Short Stories

These stories were all written by me in my Freshmen English class. :x Had to write them in 10-20 minutes.

Tragic "first hand" account from a youth.

Spoiler for 9/11:

          Two hours had passed. We were traveling into town to visit my father. He spent his days as a clerk in the World Trade Center; we had been so excited when he landed the job. It wasn't until after he took it that we realized exactly how far away it was. It was near impossible for him to make the trip everyday - not to mention he was loosing sleep. Now he rents an apartment in the city and we come to visit him every now and then.
          The city limits came into view and it was as if we were all anew. It was 45 minutes later when we parked and entered the tower in which he worked. I kept an eye on my mother so I wouldn't get lost in the hustle and bustle. We entered a nearby elevator and began to go up. Twenty-five floors later there was a loud roar; most of us dismissed it as an error with the intercom system.
          As we reached the 72^nd floor and the doors began to open, there was another roar - only it continued to grow in volume. The whole tower shook and we were all thrown to the ground. The lights above us exploded, now shedding sparks as opposed to light. People screamed as the sparks seared their skin. Then there was a deep cracking sound - those who looked up were the only ones to see it before it happened. The ceiling was crumbling. Chunks of steel and concrete fell, crushing us beneath their weight.
          After some time everything stopped. Some sirens in the distance were all I could hear. I felt no pain, even though my body had been pinned to the ground. My breathes came short and shallow, everything was cold. I looked around and saw a sea of expressionless faces. As my vision darkened, all I could ask was - "Why?"

About a Coup. Fu appears in this story, although it's only because his "name" was the first to come to mind.

Spoiler for Coup de Grâce:

          Standing in a cold, dark recess, "FuManChu" as he aliased, mused on how things could have been different. Perhaps, he thought, this was divine punishment for his choices in life. As he thought, a squirrel tried to cross the road, to no avail. Most would view this untimely death as negligible, but to Fu, it held special significance. He perpetuated this thought process until he was in tears. He then took a swig of what he referred to as his last friend. He began to flashback to that horrible night, the images fuzzy, yet to clear.
          FuManChu stood in front of a crowd of exhilarated teens. He preached to them, as he did every time they met, of their punitive plan to redress what was happening to them. The late "president" of the United States had used military power to overthrow the government and turn this nation into a large republic. He used his new power to create a wasteland, one that benefited him... but this was not enough power. He set up a project to train cold, tactical, merciless killers. His "peace keepers", as he called them, were used to dispatch those who rebelled against his authority.
          This night was different. They were going to put their plan into action. They marched towards their destination. The stopped halfway, for footsteps could be heard on the covered bridge before them. Fu sent one of his "men" to scout the bridge and the area beyond. Armed with a rusty automatic, the boy boldly stepped into the bridge. A few moments later, that which they feared was realized, the boy yelled, "Peace Keepers!", just as he met his demise. The group ,filled with anger and hatred, ran right into the bridge, being mowed down as they went. Fu went into such a state of confusion that he knew not which direction he was going. "What a fool I was, we couldn't defeat THAT!"

A (VERY SHORT) story of the cruelty known as rivalry between girls

Spoiler for Ellen:

          In our school there are many colorful personalities. But none more colorful than Ellen's. To say she was not garrulous would be a misnomer. She professes herself  that she loves to talk. It would also be wrong to say she was a wastrel. In fact, her sonorous voice in insuperable, which places her in the vanguard of the choir. Many contentious people find the allure of her coveted position too much to bear, and try to start fights with her when they fail in obtaining her position. However, the blithe exponent of the position does not become crestfallen, though disheveled, nor finds her talent lamentable. Those whose moral lives are askew and fail to acquiesce their loss go a step further. One day, a girl named Sarah, during the short respite after auditions, used a sinuous lie to get alone with Ellen. She then game Ellen some homemade "candy" as "congratulations". Sarah smiled when Ellen thanked her and walked off, glad she was going to get the "retribution" she "deserved". During the next practice Ellen noticed something - her beautiful voice was gone!

We had to write something convincing someone to do something for us. Haha, it's cute.

Spoiler for Bologna Sandwich:

          I want you to make me a fried bologna sandwich. Why you ask? Simply because I got fired today. You see, there's this young lady who began working at the office. I noticed she was quite emaciated and asked her if she was eating well. She promptly glared at me and snapped, "Are you saying I'm fat?!" I later found out that she was an anorexic. Of course, it was too late by then - she had already gone to my superior.
          My boss, being the sophomoric idiot that he is, fired me on the spot. Now here I am, asking for food. You still don't understand? Fine, I'll explain some more. I'm depressed, when it comes right down to it. I might go crazy for all I know; I can't even get any condolences. I'm hungry too - been working overtime with no food.
          My head is spinning, I can't concentrate! All I want is a bologna sandwich! I might become suicidal you know, causing my own death and whatnot. A simple sandwich can make all this pain go away, even if just for a moment. Oh dear, I'm seeing snakes on the wall. Oh! Thank you dear, a little more cheese if you don't mind; a sprig of lettuce would be nice as well. Where was I? Oh yes, snakes. Those little buggers have been watching me all day, I know it.
          Was that the phone? Mr. Robinson you say? Why wasn't I at work? I can explain dear, honest! Put the knife down, no need to be hasty. Um, I love you so much I skipped work to spend time with you! Yeah, that's it. Now about that sandwich...

Err, about Krull and his father (ogres) going hunting, and a life lesson (haha, whod've thunkit)

Spoiler for Krull:

          Krull, a young ogre, prepared for his first hunting lesson with his father. He was ardent as he allocated the arrows between his father's and his quivers. He glanced over a ways and laid eyes on two gnarled short bows. He was rather capricious, and found himself daydreaming. He imagined himself standing next to his "helpless" father, shooting down a fair sized trophy. He giggled (which produced a pig-like grunt), then returned to the task at hand. Krull's father walked into the hovel, his copious girth brushing the walls of the entry way. "Yoos reday boy?", Krull stood up in response and grabbed the equipment. Seeing his son's limpid response, and feeling a tad omnipotent, he began to laugh. Krull, seeing his father's rather spontaneous response, felt it was sophomoric, but didn't feel rancor and continued to be assiduous. "A'ight boy, wees gonna go to da rivah", Krull began exulting. After they reached the river, they found cover in some tall grass, while his father wated for the poignant smell of a palatable trophy. Krull's father smelled what he was looking for, or rather, didn't. It was the same, yet so different. Confused, he stood up, deviating from usual hunting procedure, and almost instantly had an inkling that he made a mistake. An emaciated bird appeared from behind some brush, foaming at the mouth. He told Krull to stay put, but Krull was too excited and made the brash decision to loose an arrow towards the bird. Instinctively, the bird ran towards him. His father quickly ran up, grabbed the bird the neck, and flung it towards a nearby tree. The two were silent for a while. While he did not chastise Krull, he promised him that next time, there will be indemnity for his disobedience. "Yoos safe for now, but I not always be dere to halp."

Err, this one isn't really a story. We had to describe an imaginary school, and its curriculum, et cetera.

Spoiler for School :3:

          As you approach campus, all five senses are put into play. From the colors of the well-cared-for flower beds, to the full tone of an orchestra ringing through the halls - our school is  designed a bit differently than other schools. Though it may not yet have an official name (for it is still quite new), it still ranks as one of the top Fine Arts schools in the country.
          We have a small set of core-classes: English, History, and all students are required to have at least one fall sport and one spring sport. The other credits are earned through elective courses.
          Our elective courses are split into three basic groups: Music, Art, and Dance. Music is split into Solo Prep, Performance, Popular Music, Marching Band, Ensemble Performance, Orchestral Performance, and Music Theory. Most music electives are straight-forward and are taught by approved teachers with the highest education possible. Music Theory is run a little differently however. It is split into three "parts". The first quarter is Ear-Training, the second is Technical Studies, while the whole second semester is reserved for original compositions. The second semester requires the student to create an original composition a week; students go from being meek and slow in their composing, to bold and spitting out music like a well-oiled machine.
          Our Art program includes Impressionist, Modern, Still-Life, Digital, Anatomy, Pastels, and Abstract Arts. Knowledge of pains is assumed, yet reviewed throughout the year. If a student chooses an Art elective, he/she is recommended to take one semester of Anatomy (unless the student chooses Abstract as their only Art elective). There are stations placed around the Campus, providing a relaxing place to gather inspiration.
          Last but not least we have the Dance electives. These elective include Interpretive Dance, Ballet, Tap, Broadway, Ballroom, and Ceremonial Dancing. Rehearsals are held twice a week with a performance per quarter. Often times the school orchestra will accompany the dances. Professional dancers hold seminars throughout the year so students may learn from their experiences.
          The two core classes may be taken as-is or pass/fail. Taking a class as-is requires a 75 to pass. Taking a class pass/fail requires an 85 to pass. The idea is that students who want to take a class pass/fail should put forth more effort than those who take as-is. After all, a pass is equatable to a 100 whil a fail is equatable to a 0.
          Like all schools, we are not perfect. But we strive to push our students towards excellence and prosperity in their chosen careers. I would like to bid farewell with our school moto-
                    "Let every sluice of knowledge be
                    open and set a-flowing" (John Adams)

Too many big words in "Ellen" ;-;

Yeah, most of the time we had to integrate our vocabulary into the stories. lol