Humanities Class journal Blog
I am working late tonight. Her mother was working tonight, as well, so she is staying with her grandfather near the capitol. I worry for her all the time, I have nightmares about losing her. I am extremely terrified for her well-being. My dad told me to bring my old telescope with me tonight. I don’t know quite why, but I bring it anyways.
I am on the rooftop after the meeting. I see the entire city all around me. And I see the capitol building, the only unlit building near us, save for a warm glow from one of the rooms. I look out there and imagine what could be going on. Then, I receive a call from my daughter. She tells me to get out my telescope. I get it out, feeling strange, as though this is some sort of setup going on. Then she says the unexpected: “Look out towards the capitol. Use your telescope.” So I do, and I begin looking at the building. Not long after I see some shadowy figure in the building. I see her discovering my childhood passion. And she sees me rediscovering mine. And I am glad that she sees me on the evening sky. Thanks dad.
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I knew she’d love that telescope. I knew that she’d love her father’s passion. I wanted to make my son proud. And this was the perfect opportunity to do so, but I had to do this soon.
I was taking care of my granddaughter for the night, as my son had to work late into the early morning. As he started driving away, I had to shake my granddaughter away from her devices in order to show her that her father was leaving her for the night. It looked like she didn’t even care. I had to do something. So I established rules as soon as she got into the house, the most important ones being “No electronic devices” and “No going up to the attic.” By setting these rules up, I knew she would be increasing in curiosity throughout the night. A few times before dinner I even caught her trying to open the locked doors to the attic. All was going according to plan. Well, except for her incessantly asking “Grampa, what’s in the attic?” Eventually, the time came when she was being put to bed. I tucked her in and went to set up everything in the attic. But this time I was almost caught off guard as I heard her just outside the door, so I walked up and opened the door, being careful to guard what I’d set up. I sent her back to bed, this time leaving the attic door unlocked. Then I sat and waited. Around 10 or so minutes after sending her back, I heard her open her door. I pretended to be asleep as she passed by, and when I heard her open the attic door, I knew my plan had succeeded. In the attic, I had set up a telescope at her level, and left her a note, which read the following, “Dearest Granddaughter, Your daddy is in the CorpoCorp Headquarters building near our house. He gets a break from his first meeting at around 10:15. Call him and ask him to go to the top of the building. Tell him to go to the east side of the building, and use the telescope to see him.” She followed my letter, and then I knew that she’d discovered a new passion. “Prisoner 07161998, step out of your cell. Do not attempt anything rebellious.”
This is what I hear every day of my life, and have heard for the past eight years. I have been in prison since the great roundup was in full effect, where the people in charge decided that the best way to keep the peace was to keep those who thought differently separated from the world. “Prisoner 07161998, proceed to the cafeteria to get your meal.” I wanted to be different from anyone else, so I got myself fired. I then tried to apply to the art district. I guess the people in charge didn’t take too kindly to that, so they branded me as a terrorist. They will do the same to anyone who tries to do what they want to do in life. “Prisoner 07161998, return to your cell immediately. A riot has broken out. This is for your own safety.” It looks like the tides are turning today. People have been fed up with every aspect of their lives being controlled. And it looks like the people in charge have been trying to control these uprisings by filling up the prisons. This is where they made mistakes, as those who think differently are all gathered together. “Wait, what are you doing? Prisoner 07161998, stop this right now!” I won’t kill, I’m not that type of prisoner. I can solve things the easy way. Amidst the chaos, I walk up to the control tower, and pull the lever that says “Prisoner Release.” 7 Seconds
I see her talking with my friends at the other end of the lunchroom, looking like she is having a good time. “Okay,” I think to myself, “I’ve got this in the bag. She is smiling and looking pleasantly around the room, but there is an empty seat next to her. “But what if I mess up?” I think anxiously. “Oh, god dammit, I’m gonna mess up!” She briefly looks up, a smile momentarily vanishing from her face, and I can tell that even popular kids like her need a friend. “No,” I tell myself, “I’ve got this. Just breathe in…” She then looks down, noticing me as I walk back towards her. “Now breathe out.” I tell myself as I walk towards her. “This will turn out ok for both of us.” I notice that her smile slowly returns. I sit myself down next to her, and I can see her sitting there and waiting for me to talk. I then say “Hey there. How’s everything been going?” She replies “Great, and you?” Thus sparking our conversation, leading to me getting her number and raising both our self esteems. As the bell rings, I walk to my next class, I think to myself “Mission Accomplished. I knew you could do it.” Find me
As I stepped out of the terminal, things started feeling a little weird. Like really weird, as in a family of miniature box robots shoving their way past me weird. In fact, as I began looking around, everything got weird. Secret agent mice hiding under boxes from giant salamanders with bird heads. Bigfoot and his little brother being scanned at the security checkpoint. A guy with wings bussing frilly suitcases above the madness. A giant blob of slime slithering over a slender, 4 armed alien, gathering things off the ground as he heads to his line. An ominous looking Dr. Doom type figure impatiently waiting in line. And- a Ford Mustang with legs instead of wheels? But I knew that, whatever happened, I could make my way through the madness to my future. The Thaw
Day 1: We have started on thawing out the strange craft found in the Ice last week. Its origins are, as of this writing, unknown. Yet I feel this is not some long lost experimental aircraft from another culture. At least, no culture from this planet... Facing the Beast
As I was being dragged away, I noticed the sword in the stained glass was missing. Then, as I was holding onto the door frame for dear life, I saw the sword by the broken door. That was weird, as I don’t remember that coming from anywhere. I was confused, but then I realized that I was in a life or death situation. Since this was no time to look a gift horse in the mouth, I started climbing slowly along the door frame to the sword. Then I picked it up off the ground and slashed my attacker with it. The beast hurdled back in pain, letting me go in the process. Before it could recover, though, I stabbed it with the sword. The beast suddenly burst into light, and the aura from the portal changed, as if I had killed off some evil from the land. I then stepped through to see what I’d saved. “Lost You”
The monster had grabbed me! I was being pulled away, into its home to be a meal for this frightening creature. I tried clawing at it, but to no avail. I tried hitting it with all I could muster, but to no avail. I even tried biting it, and it tasted terrible. It was to no avail. As I was being dragged towards the portal, I remembered everything I risked by going through in the first place. I remember my parents, who were always together and there to protect me. I remember my friends, who I could rely on to get me out of situations like this. I remember teddy, my constant companion who I hoped would always keep me safe. But this thing was teddy, and my parents wouldn’t listen, and my friends wouldn’t risk their lives for me. I felt hopeless. The beast was almost to the door. I grabbed on to the top of the doorway, hanging on for dear life. The creature pulled as hard as it could, destroying the portal’s doors in order to get a new grip. Then I noticed the knight’s sword, which was previously in a stained glass window, was sitting beside the portal. Thusly I knew what to do. I hit the stained glass portrait of the dragon, and the beast let go, allowing me to leap to the sword, my last line of defense against this monstrosity…
As I walked up to this strange new door, I had my mind running wild with the possibilities of what laid beyond. I could be a great knight, slaying evil and bringing peace and justice to the land. I could be a great wizard, bending reality and time for the benefit of my people. Or I could be a mighty and fair king, Changing the course of history throughout my entire kingdom. And all the while, my protector Teddy would be right by my side.
I put my hand near the light- no, ON the light. It felt like the weird goo my science class made one day. I could never enter this light by being forceful, only by letting myself sink into it’s warm embrace. The doors looked like they belonged in a castle, as they were well kept and highly adorned along their sides. There was painted glass above the tops of the doors; one side with a fearsome dragon, and the other with a regal knight. I couldn’t wait to go through. But I stopped. I couldn’t bear to leave my family forever, leaving all I was comfortable with. So I made a plan for how to get back. I packed what survival supplies I could, made sure I brought rope with me, tied it to my door, picked up teddy, and set off. I hope I am not gone too long, for I can’t wait to see what I will find beyond this great majesty... |
AuthorPatrick Froysland is a humanities student at Taylorsville High School. Archives
January 2016
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