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oVisi nThe Fine Arts Magazine of Notre Dame College Prep7655 West Dempster Street Niles, Illinois 60714
2012
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INTRoToART Intro to Art
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Ruff by Scott Smith
Introduction to Art is the
foundation visual art courseat Notre Dame College Prep.
The vast majority of students
enter this class with no art
background. The course fo-
cuses on building fundamental
skills in a variety of dif-
ferent media. Problem-solv-
ing models are introduced as
a way to work through proj-
ects and an appreciation for
the artistic process is fos-
tered.
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Halo by Brian Eckman
Nash by Jimmy Cravens
Donald by Joey Solita
Beavis and Butthead by Peter Velez
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top: In Session by Scott Smith
right: My Dream by Eric Stauffer
above: Family by Ben Connolly
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above: Riding the Wave by
Brian Eckman
right: Brush Work by
Liam Prior
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top: Dream House by Christian LaBuda
left: Towering Beauty by Jaxon Lewandowskiabove: New Age by Michael Kolodziej
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opposite page
top left: To Be A Cham-
pion by Jimmy Cravens
bottom left: Hello by
Ryan Czachor
top right: Bear Down by
Brandon Pascalo
bottom right: Flight by
Elijah Mendez
this page
top left: Colts by
George Bicknell
middle left: City Street
by George Bicknell
bottom left: Go Gators
by Max OMalley
top right: Swim by
Victor Suezo
bottom right: Who is Your
God by Nikko Gomez
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top: Stormy Vacation by
Kyle Krogstad
middle: Scary Sculpture by
Tyler Wynd
right: Im So Proud by
Eric Zepeda
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top: Bath Time by
Brendan Clifford
above: Second Chance by
Matt Jensen
left: Who by
Nathan Benuelos
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opposite page
clockwise form top left:
Glory by Brett Bartes
Flight by Brandon Hinrichs
Future City by Jim Casey
Attack by Brian Kukla
The End by Nick Brinskelle
Dessert Desert by
Nick Brinskelle
Football Dreams by
Matt Livingston
this page
clockwise from top left:
Sunset Beach by Jim Casey
My Town by Charlie Healy
Its Square Floating City
by Keenan Connelly
Touch by Rafael Mora
City on the Hill by
Victor Suezo
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PHoToGRAPHYPhotographyArt one
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Paradise Rain by Ed Sobieski
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opposite page
top Rising by
Dan Pietrzyk
bottom left: Land
Locked byMark Hochleutner
bottom right: Into
Darkness by Ed Serrano
this page
top: Building the
Future by Alex Garcia
bottom: Calm by Luke
Topping
right: Dog Tired by
Neil Dunn
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above: Dark Crystal by
Mark Hochleutner
right: Rotation by Jared Lendy
opposite: Ghosts by Ed Serrano
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clockwise from top left:
Warning by Brian Kelly
Sailing by Jared Lendy
Passages by Brian Regal
Neon Forest by Jack Fracek
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Iron Giants by Ed Sobieski
Whispers in the Night by Brendan Carney
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Fuzzy Funk by David Childers
Reflections by Jack Fracek
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above: Rocks by Neil Dunn
left circle: Up by Neil Dunn
below: Rays of Lightby Connor Fallon
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top: View Point by Ed Serrano
middle: Peek byAnthony McDermott
right: Crazy by Dan Pietrzyk
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Moon Rise by Greg Leifel
Haunting by Anthony McDermott
Eye by Mark Hochleutner
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Footies by Ed Serrano
In Focus by Dan Pietrzyk
Hunger Games by Mark Hochleutner
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They are all powerful,
all knowingThey decide what is to be done
They control the concepon of me
They decide our fate
They know exactly what is to become of we
What if we over took they?What if we controlled we?
We gives the power to they
We will ulmately overtake they
We will rise to the occasion and establish
the meaning of we
Transionby Mahew Meer
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Bale ofLove and Hate
by Keith Ryan
Fights.
Arguments.
Destrucon.
Destrucon of relaonships.
Surprisingly, love stands.
Love is an important aspect of all lives.
It ows,
Connecng all in this world of anger and hate.
It calms the soul and allows it to be free of the hate lled body.The hate can overshadow but never destroy love.
Destroy relaonships?
Yes.
But the love is always there and will always be.
A man stands alone. Love is in his heart yet his relaonship is gone.
A man stands with tears owing, unsure of his future.
A man stands tying a rope, a noose, an end.
The chair falls, body swings, life ends.With it, love and hate.
Before tragedy, hate lled body wins a bale.
Love locked, under house and key.
A woman, standing tall, brought down.
She has a frightened look upon her face.
Blackness surrounds her eyes.
Blood vessels broken, such as her heart.
A man stands tall, angry.He has made his point.
A man and woman talk.
They enjoy each others company.
Love builds their bodies and keeps hate small.
They walk along, hand in hand.
Souls connected.
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The chair falls.
They look at each other and say I do.
They say they will remain one.
Body swings.
They have a child, but lose it along the way.
Life can be cruel.
Financial losses abundant.
Strain builds.
Hate released from chains cast by love.
Life ends.
Arguments.
Violence.
Hate is in control of both bodies.
The love is there but buried.
The man stands tall.
He has made his point but has done the unthinkable.
The woman is down, frightened look in her face, blackness around the eyes.
With it, love and hate.
Leaving causes sorrow.
Sorrow made by love of the lost.
No second chance.
Hate may be ed.
Love strengthened again.
Too late for changes.
Pain heavy.
The chair falls, body swings, life ends.
One must never let the hate lled body take over completely.
Love will stand but will be hidden.
If hate takes control, there is no hope.
If hate instead of love.
Then death instead of life.end
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Old Dynastyby Keith Ryan
Humanity has come to foolishness.
Men quarrel over ideals and
They throw themselves to mutated respectability
What comes from this madness is war.
I am of old ways; a few remain allied to my
Cause. Those who wage against me and my
Brethren, see the world by their cannon.
They take that law, held by all;
And tear words from it to suit
Their needs, their pleasures.
They despise respect for authority, even whenIt is given cause. They blow the bugle
Of unrest! The restless res in their
Hearts spur their ideal fueled war.
They are close-minded, they see no hope
In compromise and destroy their enemy.
Their ways will take over the
Malleable minds of society. In due
Eort, they will be overthrown by
Anothers ideals. A never-endingLine of change.
To Pleaseby Carlos Arce
You are like a life-giving sunbeam
Who saves my world
Who grows me as an evergreen
You are one with a voice so sweet
Who I want for desert
Who makes me commit gluony
You are one to speak, a liberne
Who takes the burn
Given by conforming jealousyYou are my remaining sanity
Who yanks my nerve
Who shuns me like a loving priest
Teardropsby Mark Hochleutner
If a teardrop were to fall
The day would turn blue
I will ride in a dream car
To the whisper of the
Wind
These sunny daysWill come to an end
Today in my dream
Teardrops will fall
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Hopelessnessby Keith Ryan
I will stand with eyes weary;
You will shout from the depths
Of the caverns, and silence
Will be the reply.
The ames of SatanWill consume your wretchedness;
Your soul devoured by the evil one.
I will stand and watch,
I will turn my back upon you.
Your shouts will echo, fear and sorrow.
You will be trapped, forever forsaken.
A Compeonby Alan Thornburg
Limping towards the nish line
I look up one last me
What do I see?
I am being passed on both sides
My fellow scholars are in full strides
Somemes I Flyby Carlos Arce
Somemes I y
Somemes I dont
Whos to test my mind
Some feelings spiked
Some stay normal
God Im oua my mind
Li your Goddess high
Way up above
Make her feelings glide
Singing birds like to stay
Way down low
While soaring birds stay so shy
Bite your lip; Bat your eye
and sing a solo
Stars and moons will shine
for you now
Auroraby Daniel Arden
Ruby, emerald, sapphire, purple quartz.
Dusky streaks upon the sky.
The powdered gemsthat form the hem
of Iris wedding gown.
The garment shines,
worth not a dime
but more precious than all upon the Earth.
You trek back home,
a frozen dome,
with your children round the hearth.
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Darknessby Keith Ryan
I walked along a country road,Well worn, with the passage of many.
I spoed before my person, a darkness.
This space was open to entrance,And upon such, I was shocked with cold!
I beheld a gure, draped in shadow, at its core.
Cauon guided my steps towardsThis gure. Upon closer examinaon,
I found a woman standing before myself.
She rose erect, and guiding her eyes to mine,
I saw the re within them, burning my soul.Those eyes beheld a re that pierced my heart.
Weakness took my person, swayingI fell. Upon awakening, the
Figure of the woman stood before me.
Certainty took my mind, I understoodThis creature was of jusce naught.Rather, she was the spawn of Satan.
The illusioned beauty of the fallen,Had passed her; granng what
Appeared to be true beauty.
The gure, this Demon, her smileHeld a memorizing eect
Upon my soul, casng chains to bind me.
My soul, eternal, could notKeep my captor at bay. With those
Eyes, she gazed into my depths.
I, giving in to her looks,Fell from grace given.
Beer judgment overtaken by temptaon.
I plead! O Lord forgive me!Forgive my acons that damn me, eternal;
Save me from the pit of forsakenness!
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Glimmerby Jimmy KohlTime
Tension
The only escape: a fantasy
To think of how things used to be
To think of how carefree
Trapped now inside a seemingly false reality
Troubled minds collaborate
To speak of thoughts upliing
The months go by
The tears go dry
Then suddenly reliquify
Trapped inside a cell
Us all
We listen to our thoughts
Abide by a life of opmismAnd soen the crippling fall
While we know not what lies ahead
Speculaon our only companion
Hopes are high
And spirits rise
For there is light at the end of this tunnel.
Twinkle TwinkleXmas Lights
by Jusn Komosa
Twinkle Twinkle Xmas lights
On my Xmas tree both big and bright
You bring a warming glow and cheer
Into my front room atmosphere
A special guest, just once a year
I sure am glad that you are here
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Sanctuaryby Adam Glowacki
Why do I feel such sorrow
and hate?
Oh dear, my appointment islate!
I rush into the city
I hope they show me pity
I see nothing but darkness
The world feels harmless
I see a light
Awfully bright
Then its gone
Suddenly there is dawn
I see a gate
Is this fate?
I decide to knock
And they unlock
Of The Nightby Jimmy Kohn
The nightmares ever lucid
Depart on the river of my unconscious mind
Dri with the currentExploring
The present
The future
The past.
A subliminal omen of demons to come
An alternate life
An intangible place
To the moon
A crystal block of iceYet but a puddle
In the midday sun.
Enter my untamed mind.
The mind of the night.
Where the most dangerous thoughts
Are liberated.
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Carsby Victor
A car is not just a material thing
A car is something that is a part of every young boys dream
It is an opportunity to express who they are
It is an opportunity to get to go far
Guys study cars from the inside out
However, they never realize what they are really learning about
In the beginning its about who has the fastest ride
And whos got the hoest girl in the passenger side
But as stubborn men we dont see
We dont see what this car is really supposed to be
The key to this ride becomes the key to our lives
It takes us on more than just a couple midnight drives
We believe that we are invincible when it comes to our cars
We believe it is just a way to get us from bar to bar
There is more to a car than where it takes us
However, that is not something that us guys rarely discuss
It teaches us responsibility and respect
It teaches us that everything we value deserves the best
We learn that life is not a race
In order to succeed one must go at a steady pace
Dont take for granted the things that you are given
Because there is more to a car than just the size of its engine
Everything in this life comes with a lesson
But we dont see it because we tend to believe we are made to perfecon.
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2-DSTUDIo
2-DimensionalStudio Art
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In Need by Nick Blake
2-D Studio level students are
working to build portfolios
of their art pieces to show-
case their talents. They work
on advanced problem-solv-
ing skills and the critical
analysis of work. Many of
the students are working to
earn college credit though
Advanced Placement.
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When I Weep by Nick Blake
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Yum by Mark Lupinski
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Angst by T.K. Suh
Aftermath by T.K.Suh
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Confusion by Victor Lee
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Forward by Sawyer Gardner
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Crucified by Nick Blake
Birth by T.K.Suh
Bulls Eye by Jeff Serna No by Jeff Serna
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Play by Victor Lee
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top: Down by Victor Lee
middle: Sunny by
Mark Lupinski
bottom left: Mute by
Jeff Serna
bottom right: Good Morning
by Jeremy Montalvo
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Figure 5 by Nick Blake
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Erase by T.K. Suh
Photogenic by Jeff Serna
Wrinkled by Nick Blake
Study by Victor Lee
Knight by Jeremy Montalvo
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top: Pink is Relative by
Nick Blake
bottom left: Product of theInsane by Jeff Serna
bottom right: Etch-a-
Storm by Jeff Serna
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Egg Wash by T.K. Suh
Child by Victor Lee
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top:Expression by Nick Blake
middle: Alone by T.K. Suh
bottom: Recline by Nick Blake
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The Ultimate Challenge by Jeremy Montalvo
Control by Nick Blake Product of the Insane 2 by Jeff Serna
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Whisper by Nick Blake
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this page
top left: Pose
by Victor Lee
top right: Figure 6
by Nick Blake
bottom diptych:
Landscapeof the Body
by Nick Blake
opposite page
top: Still Life
Objectifiedby Victor Lee
bottom left:
Quiet Moment
by Victor Lee
bottom right: All
by Victor Lee
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SHoRTSToRIESShort Stories
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I got home and went to sleep; found Abraham on the bed. He lied a
dog eye quizzically.
Hello there, he would say if he could. I imagine his voice would be
gru like an old man, not smoker gru, but red gru. Then hed ask me
why I was home so late. I would reply. Then wed talk about the weather,
how our stocks were doing. Times are changing, wed say to each
other.
Abraham is a dog. He cant speak. I sit on the bed and remove my shoes.
Abraham sighs. I pat his head.
My mornings begin at two. Is that early or late? The stores close at two.
Maybe its late.
Abraham is sll on the bed. He snores; eyes closed. A dog is beer thana white noise machine; helps me sleep.
I somemes imagine what Abraham does when Im gone. He must eat,
obviously, but what else? I imagine him in a noir lm, wearing a trench
coat and fedora. He solves mysteries and carries a .33 and a magnifying
glass. His nemesis is a cat name Gunner. He walks down the re escape.
Its always raining.
The evicon leer came. I have three weeks. Does Abraham know?
Evicon is harsh, the word I mean. I prefer liberaon; I didnt want the
apartment in the rst place. Tomorrow Ill pack my things.Eventually we all come to terms. Death is abundant, what about life?
He liked the world watered down, with thick brush strokes and ushed
out colors, and that was all right for him.
Abrahamby Josh Foley
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Winston was 34, yet he hadaccomplished so much. He nished his
Ph.D. two years ago and at the same
me became the youngest vice presi-
dent in the companys history; he wasextremely good at what he did. The
company Winston worked for oversaw
twenty-ve zoos and aquariums along
the east coast. It was his responsibility
to oversee the day to day operaons in
each of the facilies. He started working
for the Philadelphia Historical Societys
Aquarium while pursuing his Bachelors.
Winston worked his way up from clean-
ing the tanks when he was twenty to
being the VP twelve years later.
His job was a lot of work, butWinston enjoyed it for the most part.
He travelled to each locaon once every
two months which meant a consider-
able amount of ying on the corporate
jet. Although Winston enjoyed his end-
less work, it le him very lile free me.
All the travelling and long hours made
it hard for Winston to make friends or
date.
Dr. Akemal, the plane is sched-
uled to take o in twenty minutes. Are
you packed and ready to go? asked his
secretary, Colleen Rebohcs. The limo is
ready to take you to the aireld.
The company Winston worked
for, the Skilling Research Group, not only
oversaw dierent facilies but also spe-
cialized in research. It was the research
that his company conducted that led
to new government mandates on sh
and wild-life. From the companys hard
work, hundred million dollar grants were
given to them from the government to aid
with their research. Another aspect of
Winstons job was to make sure the money
was being spent the right way.
Yeah, Colleen, all packed, he
said as he walked out of his oce and to-
ward the elevator. He had a suitcase in one
hand and his briefcase in the other.
The plane should touch down in
Florida by one. From there a car will pick
you up and take you to your hotel. Youre
meeng with the President of the Miami-
Dade Aquarium is at three, Colleen said as
she ran to catch up with Winston before
the elevator le. From there you have a
meeng with their board of advisors at
four thirty.
Do you just have a sheet with all
of this? Im gonna forget it all by the me
the car leaves, he jokingly stated.
As she gave him a nasty look, Col-
leen handed Winston his inerary. The
two talked during the elevator trip from
the y-sixth oor down to the lobby.
They walked through the lobby togetherand out into the cold, Boston air. It was
only October, yet it was so cold.
The driver took Winstons suitcase
and put it in the trunk. As Winston climbed
into the back of the limo, Colleen came in
as well. Winston was shocked; she had
never done this before. The driver asked
if he could go Winston said no, but Colleen
said yes. Winston reluctantly agreed.
Have you talked to your parents
lately? asked Colleen in a very serious yet
calming tone.
Why would I? What would possible achieve by doing that? he ques
oned in response.
You havent talked with them in
what, six years? Give them a call. They cal
me weekly. Ask if I could patch the call in
to you. Do you realize how hard it is on me
to come up with a lie, that way you dont
have to talk to them? Do you? She began
to sound emoonal.
I dont want to talk with them.
That wasnt the queson! she
yelled. Colleen was one of the few people
who could get away with yelling at Win
ston.
No, I dont know how hard it is on you to
do that. But I am ever grateful you do, he
said with a smile on his face.
It makes me feel like shit. It
makes me disgusted with myself. They
are nice people now, what they did to you
happened so long ago so maybe its maybe
me you forgive them, maybe its me
that you call them and talk things out, she
ordered.
People dont change, Colleen. They jus
lie.
People change, Winston. People
do. Everyone deserves to be happy, even
you. Even them, she was almost crying a
this point.
Achieving Happinessby Patrick Lameka
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The limousine arrived at Bos-
ton Logan right as Colleen nished her
sentence. The driver had already walked
around to the trunk and goen Winstons
suitcase out. He put his arm around her in,an aempt to comfort her, but it was im-
possible. She was crying. Everyone does
and I am sorry, he whispered, I will try to
call them. She nodded and he exited the
door.
Have a good trip, Dr. Akemal,
the driver said in his deep voice.
Thank you, Alfred. As Win-
ston began walking to the door he turned
around to see the limo drive away. He was
le completely alone.
Winston was in his hotel suite, a
beauful view overlooking the coast. The
white sand was beauful from above. He
stood out of the balcony with a cigar in one
hand and a glass of scotch in the other. His
meengs went well, nothing to complain
about, yet he could not escape his over-
whelming feeling of guilt. Everyone de-
serves to be happy. Such a simple state-
ment, yet so complex. It was all he could
think about during his ight to Miami and
all he could think about during his meet-
ings.
What does it mean to be happy?
What is happiness?
How do you become happy?
He could not escape those three
quesons. He could not answer those
three quesons. He was the vice president
of a Fortune 500 company. He was making
a ridiculous amount of money. He had a
beauful house. He was doing something
he loved. He was all alone. He had very
few friends. He had no family he couldturn to. He had nothing.
He swallowed his glass of scotch,
followed by another, and another to ease
his pain. It couldnt hurt if I dont feel it
he thought. He soon nished the bole.
He cried. He had nothing. He could not
escape. Nothing could ease the pain.
Days passed and yet he could not
answer the queson of happiness. In just a
week he went from what he thought was
happy to depression. Aer Miami he wasno longer himself, he was no longer the
highly funconing man he used to be. He
missed seven days of work and just sat in
his townhouse, in the historical district,
and slept, watched television, or stared
out the window. It did not take much me
unl he knew what he needed to do.
He picked up the phone and di-
aled. The phone rang once, twice, three
mes, it reached the h ring and he
thought no one would answer. How would
he ever be able to move on with his life if
no one answered?
Hello? the voice on the other
end of the phone said.
Hey. Hi. Ummm.well.its Win-
ston, he said unsure of what to say.
I know Dr. Akemal. What do you
need? responded the voice.
Colleen, I need you to call the
best realtor in Boston. Im pung the
townhouse up for sale. I cant live here
anymore. Too restricted. I want some-
thing with land, I want a big house, he
blurted out nervously into the phone.
Colleen and Winston had not
been on good terms since their argu-ment three weeks ago. She resented
him for not calling his parents, and he
resented her for trying to make him
do so. Winston needed to end the ar-
gument, but refused to call them. He
knew that the closet thing he had to a
friend was driing further and further
away.
Why? she responded. Anger
ared in her voice.
I want a bigger house. Price
isnt a factor. I should be able to get
around two and a half million for thetownhouse. Could use that to get a
prey big house a lile further out
of the city. Lots of land, his response
sounded like it was coming from a ve
year old.
Did you call your parents?
quesoned Colleen even though she
knew the answer. Winston could not
bring himself to respond to the ques-
on. Silence remained on the line for
a few seconds, then she said, Ill call a
realtor when I get to it.
Months passed. Winston sold
the townhouse for more than he was
asking for. He was able to buy a beau-
ful seven bedroom house with more
than eight thousand square feet and
two acres of land located in Cambridge.
As soon as the sale nalized he went
out and bought two dogs, a bulldog
he named Hero and a boxer he named
Oliver. He went on a spending spree,
connue
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bought hundreds of thousands of dol-
lars worth of items: huge televisions,
new and expensive clothes, all types
of top of the line technology, and even
an aquarium for the house. He was do-
ing beer than ever at work. His mi-
cromanaging led to huge prots for the
company in the past two quarters, of
which he received a sizeable bonus.
He felt happier than ever,
yet, it all remained the same. He had
neither friends nor family. He had
no one to go and hang out with aer
work. Colleen stayed upset with Win-
ston. She connued to lie to Winstons
parents when they made their weekly
phone call to talk with their son unl
she could do it no more. One day she
told Winstons mother the truth which
only led to tears and more anger.
Two weeks passed and Winston re-mained the same; he ignored his par-
ents calls pung strain on Colleen.
Winston, we have to talk,
Colleen said to her boss one morning.
What is it, Colleen? Winston
stated with a pump in his voice.
Colleen closed the door. This
is my last day. I handed my two-week
noce to the CEO two weeks ago. Ive
been working on nding you an assis-tant; here are the choices Ive limited it
to, she said handing Winston a folder.
He was shocked, never before
in his life had he been unsure of what
to say unl now.
I know this is sudden but I
cant keep working for you anymore.
What you are doing to your parents
is wrong. You wont change, I cant
change you.I just cant be here any-
more.
Colleen, please?! Winston
said almost in tears.
Im sorry, she moved over
to her boss and gave him a hug, Its
been its been an experience, Win-
ston.
Over the course of two years,
Winston and Colleen occasionally visited
one another to catch up. Winston got Col-
leen a job as a secretary for a law rm so
that she would sll be able to work. She
loved her new job, the hours were great,
she was able to meet new people, she was
dang one of her co-workers, and was
making more money than before. Noth-
ing changed with Winston; he sll had no
friends and no family to turn to.
Dr. Akemal, CEO Rogers asks to
see you in his oce, stated Winstons new
secretary, Erin Pack.
Did he say what this was regard-
ing, Erin? Winston mindlessly stated.
No, sir. Sorry, sir, I should have
asked.
Dont worry about it, Winstonsaid as he stood up and walked down the
long hallway toward his boss oce.
Dr. Rogers, you wanted to see
me, Winston said.
Yes, Winston. Come on in. Please,
sit down.
Thank you, Robert, Winston
said as he took a seat across from his boss.
The two were not very close, but they were
close enough where they each called oneanother by their rst names.
Winston, Ive got some bad news
to tell you, he handed Winston a box of
ssues. Winston had a confused look on
his face as his boss connued, Im not
sure how I say this to you, butwell Win-
stonColleen died yesterday from a hit-
and-run driver.
Oh my God, Winston whispered
as a tear dripped from his eye, I just had
lunch with her last week Winston beganto ramble. Robert put a hand on his co-
workers shoulder to comfort the grieving
man.
She was all I had, he murmured
under his breathe.
The days that followed were hard
on Winston, he relapsed, started drinking
again. He drank heavily. Everyone deserves
to be happy. He was unable to escape this
pressing thought. On the day of Colleen
funeral, Winston sat in the back. The
church was packed; people were standing
all along the walls, on the sides, and in the
back of the church. It was a truly touch
ing service which made Winston cry sev
eral mes; he cried about his only friends
death, about his own, sad and pathec
life.
At the end of the service, Win
ston walked up to Colleens parents and
remorsefully said, I am truly sorry for you
loss.
Thank you. How didhow did
you know our daughter? her father asked
in a painful, yet desirable way.
She worked for me
Youre Dr. Akemal? She really
cared about you, you know, Colleens
mother spat out of her mouth.
I know. This is from me to you,
Winston said as he handed the two heart
broken parents an envelope, If you need
anything else, please let me know. He
gave each of the two a hug and walked sol
emnly down the aisle toward the doors. As
he made a cross across his body with Holy
Water, he heard the joyful cries of the par-
ents who opened the envelope to discovethe check for two million dollars. Winston
walked out the door without even a smile
on his face.
Over the course of the next een
years Winston became the President and
CEO of the company. He did everything he
could to make friends and to help others
Over those een years he sold nearly ev
erything he had so he could give it away
He gave to charies and even sought out
individuals who were deserving enough
to be rewarded for all they have doneWinston gave to tens of thousands of in-
dividuals, totaling more than one hundred
million dollars. When asked why he did it
he would always respond, Money doesnt
make me happy, but helping others and
seeing the look on their face- knowing tha
their life is going to be a bit beer, does.
Throughout this enre me, he failed to
speak with his parents.
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Crazy Hellby Steve Kavanagh
Last thing I remember from the regular world was when my momused to play catch with my brother, Jake and me unl we had to go to bed.
Then she would put us in our rooms and say Goodnight, boys. Ill be right here in the
morning to wake you guys up. The joy that used to bring my lile brother was unbe-
lievable. She always had a good way for us to start our day. But that all ended 30 years
ago. In 2020, there was what some may call the Judgment Day but my brother and I
like to call it Crazy Hell. Somewhere in the Middle East, some dumbass scienst was
trying to make clones for their army. Well, he cloned himself all right, just into about
300 zombies. These crazy-ass zombies like to bite and eat other people, and when you
are bit, you turn into a zombie.
Now in 2050 Jake and I have been camping out in our local Costco. On occa-
sion someone who has not been bit will walk in the door and try to camp and stay with
us. It usually does not work because Jake over here likes to take the long sniper rie wetook from Dicks and pop them in the face before I can even speak. It does not bother
me because in Crazy Hell you have to have as much fun as you can or you go insane.
We both have seen many crazy ass things in Crazy Hell. From zombies rip-
ping peoples bodies open to eat their organs, people killing themselves so they do not
have to face the zombies, and even worse, watching your own family being torn apart
by a zombie. Overall, this is denitely is not a place you want to live in for the rest of
your life. Every day it gets harder and harder to live here, and it will not be geng
easier any me soon. Luckily I at least have my brother because without him I would
be going insane.
Jake went to go get some food from the frozen secon of our new so called
home. Who would ever think Costco would become our home. As Jake walked away
I heard a loud knock on the door, I took my big, bad 12-gauge and went up to the door.
Who is it? I said in a scared voice. I did not hear anything at rst so I was geng
nervous. I backed away from the door and yelled Jake, you fruit-cake, get over here.
He did not respond, so I was geng very nervous. I decided to walk up to the fort
we made from all the wood and metal we could nd. Waing and waing I would say
about 15 minutes passed. Get over here, Jake, this isnt funny anymore. I heard
footsteps running toward me. I slowly raised my gun to my shoulder, cocked it and was
ready to shoot at anything that was not Jake.
Jake came running at me all right, but Jake was bit. My heart dropped. I cried
NO! NO! My only friend, my only companion, my damn brother was gone. Aer
locking the fort door and hearing about 30 zombies trying to get in, I grabbed both of
the huge machine guns we found in some hillbillys trunk, got down on my knees, said,
Jake, I love you. Then I opened the fort door.
end
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The Age of Gleeby Mike Welch
It was a lonesome life for the iron beast. It traveled where the world allowedit, its tracks forever guiding it to a predetermined land. Thunder cackled in the sky in a
terrible laughter as the passengers boarded one aer one in a single le. Its cars were
loaded with the spectacular animals and materials that it would carry but never know.
The iron beast had made the rounds before; every year was the same. Wherever it
was meant to go, it went. Somemes people waited to watch it, eyes widened with
curiosity. It traveled by the light of the moon, although on this parcular night clouds
shrouded the moon like a dark veil. A hard rain pelted the ground, against the iron
beast. It let out a piercing whistle in reply. It had no meaning; it was simply there. The
words, Seven Devils Circus were painted in bright red leers on its side. That was
what brought the iron beast meaning.
A ash of lighng struck in the distance. The iron beast let out a second whistle
as its wheels slowly began to roll. The iron beast was forever alive.
Mr. Ramsey sat at the small oak desk, laying a nger on the money that restedon it. He was aware of the woman that sat behind him on the bed, as she connued to
talk on about distant, unimportant maers. However, the only thing that he cared to do
was close his eyes and listen to the iron beast click along its tracks.
He is a danger to the Seven Devils Circus, her words were as sharp as a knife.
The Seven Devils were dead. There had been a me, of course, when the Sev-
en Devils were the best sight in town, loved by the masses and spectacles of the coun-
try. They were stuntmen really, boys who had refused to grow up, so instead learned to
ride motorcycles and play games of chicken. But there was something magical about it.
They were gods of their me.
But things change. The Seven Devils eventually dwindled to three. One had
died in an accident during a show, and the other severely hurt. The other two le in
their shock and grief.
Hes a womanizer, the smoke from her cigaree stung Mr. Ramseys nostrils.
He decided to ignore it.
And at the head had been Mr. Ramsey. He had been the one to create the
Devils. He had bought the equipment. He had made them stars. And now, he was the
owner of the remains of the dying Circus.
Hes been in numerous ghts, He could hear her sleos thumping against
the oor, walking towards him. Hes a gambler, a good-for-nothing carnie.
She rested her hand on his shoulder, leng her long bony ngers curl over and
underneath his collarbone. Mr. Ramsey cringed, and let his palm collapse on top of a
hundred dollar bill.
He has been making passes at me, the iron beast cried in the darkness as she
tapped her ngers rhythmically to a silent song.
Annabel, Im an old man, Mr. Ramsey turned around and allowed their eyes
to lock. The man is slime. And if it were up to me, he would not be allowed to breathe
the same air you do. But, dear, hes going to bring the Seven Devils back.
If youre not careful, hell be the one to strangle the life out of it.
Mr. Ramsey let his face fall into his awaing hands.
Youre right, Annabel. Ill have a talk with him, he said, but mostly because
he just wanted to hear the war cry of the iron beast.
end
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In the beginning there was
darkness, and nothingness, without
me, and without presence. But some-
thing occurred, Out of the blank noth-
ingness, a spark of energy emerged. It
took the form of a ball of energy, pure
energy. This beings name was Enle.
Enle had an advanced mind,
and dreams of creang life and making
the nothingness full of color. But alas,
Enle had powers but was unable to
use any of them except one. He had
the power to split himself into dierent
parts. So he did.
The energy he was made from
split into four dierent beings. The
energy took the shape of bodies with
legs, arms chest and a head. The rst
to be born was named, Chaos. He had
the most power out of any others to
be born. He had six arms and six ten-
tacles coming out of him. The next to
be born was named Harmony; she had
four arms and four tentacles, she was
the second biggest. The third to be born
was named Storm; He had only three
Tentacles and three arms. The nal be-
ing to be born was named Calm. She
had only Two arms and two tentacles,
she was the smallest.
These where known as theEntes, their job was to create as many
universes as they could hold with all
their body parts, but also to create the
next generaon of Advanced Beings.
Chaos could hold the most
universes, ten in total. But before cre-
ang the universes, he gave birth to
next generaon of life. He called them
the 14 Zodiacs. He named them, Aires,
Taurus, Gemini, Cancer, Leo, Virgo, Li-
bra, Scorpio, Sagiarius, Capricorn, Aquar-
ius, Pisces, Zodiac, and nally Godaga.
They were to
govern and create their own life in the ten
universes, and Zodiac, the rst born was to
watch over the others and rule over them.
But his brother, Godaga became corrupt-
ed with jealousy and anger. He wanted to
have the power to rule and control the fu-
ture, and with his evil wants he conjugated
the power from inside him, and sealed
away the thirteen Zodiacs inside separate
crystal balls for eternity unl he released
them.
With him alone,
and Chaos unaware, he gave birth to a new
generaon of Advanced Beings, known as
the gods. In order, he gave birth to these
ten governing gods. Their names were,
Alpha, Theot, Universe, Fari, Eteri, Etheri,
Crimson, Shell, Cloe, Omega. The last three
were the essence of life, these three were
called, Twali, Cryst, and Criss.
The rst ten gods had the essen-
al element of Space, and they would be
the gods to have their own universes and
governed them. While the three other
gods, would be the essenal element of
Energy. Twali was made from Enles pure
energy and was the strongest god. Cryst,
was the god to create the vessels to hold
Twalis energy to give to the inhabitantsof the universe, such as stars, and planets.
Criss, was used to create the rst races of
each universe, he was the essence of life.
While the gods were busy making
their universes, they needed one universe
to have all the events that would determine
the prophesy of the demise of the gods.
They wanted this because they wanted to
see when their demise was coming and so
they could stop it. Out of a draw, the third
universe would be placed on the Crown of
Chaos, so that if any god did try to copy
Godaga, they would have to go through
each universe to get to the third and take
down Chaos.
But aer a few thousand years
nally the rst races were started. But at
this point in me, the rst of two dramac
events would occur. Cryst rebelled against
the gods and devoured his brother Twal
and became the most powerful enraged
god. He went on a rampage through the
universes killing o all the races, unl he
had goen to the Third where all ten Gods
and Chaos stopped him and sealed him
away for as long as they could.
But since the third universe was
not ravaged the Exilians of the 3rd uni
verse witnessed this great event, known to
them as The War of the Gods. They were
already advanced and did not have to start
over like the other races in the universe
So they were the only race known to the
gods as the Ready race. Universe gave
them an object made of crystal infused
with some of Twali and Crisss powers. It
was known to the Exilians as the Ulma
Crystal
Universe told the Exilians, that
what they had given them was the essence
of life, and that it was their job to populatethe universe and create dierent races.
A few hundred years later, Uni
verse engrossed in a problem while they
watched the Exilians work on the crystal
They split into two beings, the rst half
known as Uni, and the second known as
Verse. Together they engrossed in a con-
ict with the Exilians. Uni told the Exilians
to worship him as the true god, and Verse
as pure evil, and Vice versa with Verse. This
A Legend to Remember:
A Prequelby Jaxon Lewandowsk
Based on my upcoming E-Book:A Legend to Remember
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enraged both gods and they fought, and in
the end Verse was sealed away within a
book, and the planet of the aerlife known
as Realm would be split into four parts.
The deepest part would be known as Hell
for those who worship Verse, Surface for
the non-believers, Heaven for those who
worshiped Uni, and Purgatory for those
who sinned.
The Exilians took nothing to this,
and decided they would be beer o with-
out them. So in a grave aempt they aban-
doned their own gods. Many years later, a
sign was shown to them. A being known
as Constructor appeared before them
and told them of the future demise of the
gods.
He told them, In the distant fu-
ture a child will grace the lands. He will be
the new god, and he will save us all, fora dark essence looms within the circle of
gods, a devious god, an evil god. This god
will send his disciples to ravage the 3rd uni-
verse. But 4 warriors will arise, and bale
these demons. But ten years make up the
me, for if they should fail, the universes
will end. The 4 legendary warriors will rise
up and stop the darkness. This will be their
desny.
This showed the Exilians a glimpse
of the future and nally began to under-
stand the use of the Ulma Crystal. Theyrealized they needed to split the crystal
into four dierent crystals, and use them to
create the foretold, Four Great Races. The
Ulma Crystal was split into four shards.
The Crystal of Faith they kept to signify and
empower their own race.
With the second crystal shard, the
Crystal of Power, they created the Gumar-
ians as the second of the Four Great Races.
They too advanced quickly like the Exilians
and soon were on par with the Exilians in
technology, mastering space, and manipu-
lang me and energy.
The Gumarians understood the usage of
the Crystals as well, and together they
mated the Crystal of Faith and Power with
the Crystal of Light to create the promising
Race known to them and the universe, as
the Humans of Earth.
Though they sought the Humans
to be successful they soon strayed from
the path and began to worship the god
Uni, instead of abandoning the tyrant god.
With the humans under his new control,
Uni wished to have the race evolve slowly
so he could siphon their prayers to fuel his
power.
The Exilians began to become
restless; they need to make the nal race,with the Great Crystal, which included tak-
ing the Humans DNA and the Exilian DNA
and merging it together. With me running
out, the Exilians abducted Human speci-
mens and created the new Race. The new
race was given the newly created planet
called Urithu, and the race was named af-
ter the planet, the Urithians.
The Urithians quickly evolved to
be parally on par with Guma. But once
they had the technology to shun the uni-
verse, they isolated themselves from therest of the intergalacc galaxy.
Time connued onward with
peace. Unl the day Exile was aacked by
the Fih race they had created known as
the Existonians, from the planet Existence.
They sealed Exile away, freezing them in
me. With only one Exilian le that had
escaped.
By this me, it was 1940s on
Earth. The ship the last Exilian had taken
crash landing at Roswell, New Mexico. Butbefore the humans discovered his pres-
ence he escaped into the world, unknown
to humankind.
The Exilian met with a woman
named Sarah, and they got together quick-
ly. She had accepted the fact that he was
an alien, and together they gave birth to
their rst child, her name was Cynthia.
It was 1980 Cynthia was now
thirty years old. She was a hybrid Exilian/
Human living in Great Britain in Europe.
Thats when she wished to the god, Alpha
which her father had told her about. She
wished to become a god so she could save
the coming demise of the universes. Alpha
granted her wish and she disappeared into
the world, she was the rst Mortal God,
known as The Scicon or Observer.
Seventeen years later, the
rst of the four Great Warriors would
be born. His name known as Ratchlon,
it is told that when he was sixteen he
also wished to an anonymous god to
become a god. The god Alpha heard
his prayer, and granted him part of his
wish. Because he was at a young age,
she only granted him the wisdom of agod, but not the look or powers. He was
told he needed to nd his mate, who
would be an Exilian Hybrid. Only then
will he become the second Mortal God,
and the third god of the third universe.
Years later, he met his mate
and they married, and Ratchlon be-
came the second Mortal God. Together
with his wife Cleyra, they fought and
protected the world from war, unl the
rst of ten events would occur which
called and brought The Four Great War-riors together. Bartholomew of
Urithu would descend upon Earth and
Sara of Guma would descend. They
were the original Four Great Warriors,
but they successfully stopped the chain
of events, but at the cost of their lives.
Bartholomew was the rst to die, fol-
lowed by Sara, and at the end of World
War IV, Ratchlons own wife had died.
So as the only survivor, he split his own
being into two, and his other half would
soon be reincarnated into another. That
other would be the next generaon of
Warriors.
But all alone he isolated him-
self up, and at this point it was year
2115, for 305 years he would ght in his
mind, unl he would awake to a scarred
Earth at war with Guma, and with of
the land unlivable, with only the islands
of Great Britain and part of Europe in-
tact. He was taken there to aid the new
Queen of Earth. Her name was Cynthia,
sister of Cleyra, and the fourteenth god.Together they reestablished an ocial
monarchy on Earth, and took residents
in the only stable land le, in England.
Together they watched over Earth as
King and Queen.
Eighty years later, the proph-
esy connues, and 4 warriors awaken
all connected to the family of Ratchlon
and Cleyra.
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Dr. Hart, let s not beat around the bush,
Sherri McMullan began. Why dont you
talk to us about what everyone wants to
know?
And what would that be, Ms.
McMullan? Dr. Hart answered with a
ash of a devilish, charming smile.
Sherri McMullan slowly slid her
brown-framed glasses o her nose and
dropped it into her lap. Dr. Hart watched
behind his own pair of glasses with a
strange sort of curiosity. He was com-
pletely aware of the cameras that were
posioned with great care to catch every
angle of his interview. As he spoke, ev-
eryone in the United States was watch-
ing the greatest achievement known to
mankind, along with the enre world
itself. The mere thought made Dr. Hart
extremely sensive to the dim lights
hanging from the high ceiling of the lab-
oratory, which by the second were feel-
ing more and more intense.
For the past year we have
been teased by the implicaons that you
have been able to bring a human being
back to life. Your funder, Phoenix Labs,
seems to be prey condent in this.
Its called reanimaon, Ms.
McMullan, Dr. Hart leaned back in his
chair. Is it possible? the words
seemed to fall from her lips almost too
eagerly, as if this was the queson she
had been dying to ask from the moment
she walked in the door.
Oh, its very possible, Dr. Hart
answered with a slight smile. His voice
rose and fell in a naturally elegant dis-
play of showmanship. It was rst tested
in Nazi Germany during World War II. Us-
ing electric pulses, sciensts were able
to move the tail of a dead ralesnake.
Sadly, their eorts were never broughtinto fruion. I, however, have accom-
plished what they worked so direly to
achieve.
The camera to Dr. Harts le
zoomed in on his face, catching a look
of unshaken condence. The world
watched in awe of the man who had
learned how to defy death.
How does it work?
The test on the snake proved
the electricity could move the muscles
of the dead, but in no way did it bring it
completely back to life. Therefore, I worked
to create this small chip, Dr. Hart held up a
small black chip with a blood red dot on the
top right edge, holding it carefully by the
sides with his right index nger and thumb.When this chip is implanted in the corpses
brain, it can absorb the electricity and use it
to reanimate the brainpermanently.
Simply amazing, Dr. Hart! Ms.
McMullan was stroking her le palm with
her ngerps, and as she looked up to
speak to him, she formed an ecstac smile.
Get Disney o ice and lets get
him back up and running! For the people
who can aord it, they will no longer have
to worry about the darkness of death.
Imagine, Ms. McMullan, that our heroes
will never have to die. The founding fatherscould have led us into the new age with this
device. Empires and mulmillion corpora-
ons will never fall due to a lack of leader-
ship. Ms. McMullan, my fellow Americans,
the enre world, the disease known as
death has been conquered!
Dr. Hart closed his eyes, being able
to feel the applause he must be geng from
the countless people clapping and applaud-
ing in front of their television screens. He
could imagine them starng up their cars to
race o to the cemeteries in order dig up
loved ones, knowing that they would nallyreturn to them. The very thought seemed
as bright as the rising sun. Sherri McMul-
lan, despite her wild excitement, suddenly
stopped feeling her palm and squinted in
the dim light.
But, Dr. Hart, she asked slowly,
as if she was sll formulang the queson
in her mind even as she spoke, dont you
feel like you are playing the role of God?
Dr. Hart laughed.
With this, he said, raising the
chip a bit higher, I am God.
Dr. Hart stood up slowly andwalked over to a long lab table to his right.
The surrounding cameras turned quickly,
their total focus on the tall lanky man in the
lab coat, God himself. The table was like the
face of a mountain, with large peaks that
reached higher than the lower ones, all cov-
ered by a snow-white sheet. Dr. Hart slid his
ngers along the sheet before ripping it o
with a nal jerk of his arm. Revealed was
a middle-aged woman with owing silver
hair and unusually smooth skin lying dead
Kick Start Hartby Mike Welch
on the cold hard silver lab table.
How about a lile demonstra
on? Dr. Hart said. This woman has al
ready been implanted with my chip, he ran
his ngerps along the sches on the rightside of her skull. In a moment she will be
alive as you and me.
The woman, in fact, was Dr. Harts
wife of twenty-three and a half years. She
was cut down in the prime age of y af
ter a mysterious rupture in her stomach
Dr. Hart had been careful to put the body
on ice, repair the damaged stomach, and
protect the delicate ower that was his late
wife. He had loved her, and would always
love her. He had picked out a grave sight
upon her death, but had decided against
it. Dr. Hart had envisioned the future. Andhis dear late wife would be the one to lead
the world into the future. She would be the
second person in the enre world to rise
from the dead, apart from Dr. Harts savior
known as Jesus Christ. If successful, every
one could have the chance to return from
death like his or her very own religious de
ity.
Sheri McMullan, along with the
surrounding cameras and the enre world
watched intently as Dr. Hart took a step to
his right and ipped a switch on the con
trol panel, which sent a wave of electricitythrough the body of his dearly departed
The world held its breath. Dr. Hart did the
same.
The electricity jolted through the
body of Dr. Harts late wife, owing through
her veins, muscles, and organs at the equiv
alent speed of a jolt of lighng. The body
ailed on the lab table, which had been
heated by the sudden surge of electricity
before returning to dormancy. A dead si
lence lled the room.
What happened, Dr. Hart? Sherr
McMullan asked apprehensively.I dont know. Everything had
been done according to plan. It should have
worked.
I guess God doesnt like to be im
personated.
Dr. Hart gave a short fake laugh
suddenly remembering that the cameras
were sll capturing every movement he
made. Dr. Harts beloved wife was sll dead
forever and always. And all he had le was
a lab coat and a miracle chip.
end
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I have never understood what drove me
to join the army all those years ago. The
thought of ghng and killing for my coun-
try I guess it was. I never like to discuss
those years, for the memories haunt. Buthaving now decided that whats done is
done, and it cant be changed. I have, at
last, come to terms with my terrible wrong
doings, and now wish to tell the story of
my deployment and rst bale to make an
aempt at lessening the guilt I have felt for
so many years and give you a lile wisdom
to use in your choices.
I enlisted in the U.S. army on the
15th of October 1942. It had been my life-
long dream to serve my country and do my
duty as an American cizen. Never once
had it occurred to me that the memoriesof my years in the service would torment
me for years aer my tour. My mother had
constantly warned me, I understand that
you want to do this, but carefully consider
what it will do to the rest of your life, and
if you get killed I will never forgive myself
for leng you do this. Your enlisng wont
only aect you, but it will aect the fam-
ily as well, they will constantly be worry-
ing about you. With what would be later
called World War II going on, I saw this as
my best opportunity and foolishly ignored
her advice.
I went to the enlisng oce, and
they did the usual. You know, measured
my height, weight, checked my vision, and
carefully looked over my medical history,
the whole nine yards. I was approved for
duty and sent to train at the military base
in Washington D.C. I was deployed on my
birthday three months later to France.
When we arrived, I at last saw
the terrible eects of war. Once beauful
buildings were destroyed by the ghng.
Many of the bistros that had once lined thestreet were closed or had CONDEMNED
signs in the front window. People con-
stantly had the look of fear, terror, and
worry on their faces. Also, many of the
streets and gardens had been neglected.
Although the bodies had been cleared
from the last uprising, blood sll stained
the streets and sidewalks, and the stench
of death lingered heavily in the air.
My regiment and I set up camp
on the East edge of town. The grass had
turned brown from the marching of the
German soldiers and their army trucks. It
was spring, but there were no owers or
leaves on the trees, nor was there a single
bird, animal, or creature of any sort. It wasalmost as if the Earth itself sensed and par-
took in the sadness and the fear.
We drilled and joked for weeks as
there was no sign of the Nazis. Then un-
expectedly, on August third, our scout in
the town came sprinng down the path.
He told us that the Germans were aack-
ing the village. He said that they had gone
up around the North side of town and at-
tacked from the West. As we were trained
to do, we quickly overcame the temporary
paralysis that came with shock and fear.
We loaded our guns and ran into bale.We were met by German snipers that had
already staoned themselves on the edges
of the lile town. We lost 5 men before
the snipers were found and exnguished;
two of the men lost I had become close
friends with. We slowly fought our way
towards the center of town losing more
men along the way. The stench of death
had been renewed by the y or so bod-
ies strewn about the area. We gave our
hearts and lives for the next eleven hours,
slowly eliminang the Nazi troops.
I looked into the eyes of one of the soldiers
as I shot him in the shoulder and witnessed
the same fear and worry that was alive in
every one of our troops. At that moment
I realized that the men and boys I had just
killed had lives, families, and the hope of a
good life ahead of them. They had moth-
ers who had probably lectured their son on
joining the army and that those mothers
would be torn apart and may never fully
recover from the grief. It was then that I
realized that the memory of killing those
men would haunt me for the rest of mylife.
We won the bale in the end, but a few
hours later, aer the adrenaline wore o,
I felt as though we had lost. There were
only een or so of us le. Most of my
friends were dead and gone. Upon remem-
bering the losses of the other side and the
lives I had destroyed, I was overwhelmed
and lost it. I cried for an hour before nally
gathering my thoughts and regaining con-
trol of myself.
That night nobody slept. We all just
sat around the re. Nobody spoke.
Nobody whispered. Nobody ate. I
guess they must have been thinking
the same thing I was. How were wegoing to get over this? Over our killing
and the hate we felt toward the enemy
for killing our friends and companions.
By the me noon broke the next day, I
had just decided that I would have to
try and put it out of my head. That I
couldnt go around for the rest of my
life doing nothing and being angry with
myself. More troops were sent to join
our regiment, and we went on to ght
and win four more bales before our
tour ended. Each me we spent hours
aerward trying to get over what wehad done, and realizing that we never
would.
That is the truth of war. You
lose even when you win. All you are
le with is the recognion of war and
its true destrucon.
end
The Recognion of Warby Jacob Brown
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When the girl opened her mouth he
could see hate. It oated away in clouds
of cigaree smoke and entangled him
in place with lmy strings. She didnt
talk oen. But when she did, there was
a quiver in her throat as her jaw rose
and fell in such a passionate rage that it
scared him. Scared, but entranced.
He would watch her from a
distance on the playground. In the mist
of ying dodge balls and childhoodcommoon, there was always a small
group that would spend their me in
awe of the sight. She sat under the bud-
ding pink owers of a dogwood tree,
resng against its trunk with her head
lted slightly towards the ground as if
she were sleeping and a book propped
open, supported by her knee. The boys
watched in fascinaon, llated by the
fact that the only things that separated
them from her was a small fence, a side
street, and air. She was there every Sun-
day. And so were the boys.There was as a loud clamor be-
tween the boys as their heads moved
from the girl to each other and then
back again. Every Sunday was the same.
They would watch the girl as she read
and wondered as to what they would
say to a girl of that beauty and of that
age.
I would say that she has nice
eyes. one pronounced, Girls love com-
pliments.
Yeah? Well then why dont
you do it? Another asked with a chuck-
le. The others joined in quickly, in tune
like a small orchestra.
Why should I have to do it?
The rst boy said, taking a step back and
throwing his hands up. His beady eyes
began to dart from kid to kid as he con-
nued to speak. I think thatBill should
do it instead!
Bill stood on the outskirts of
the growing crowd of boys. He was small
for his age, only standing to the chin of
most of the others. Wide dark black glass-
es slid down his face as the others began to
turn and stare at him with a strange inter-
est. He took his glasses o, wiped it against
his light blue polo shirt, and placed them
back on his face, giving them a so push
with the p of his nger.
Yeah, make Bill go do it! anoth-
er boy screamed in agreement. What doyou guys think?
Bill opened his mouth in oppo-
sion, but a cascade of wild agreement
was already silencing him. The boy who
had proposed the idea held his hands out
in front of him in clenched sts, channg
his name with a smile on his face. It was
wicked, self-pleasing. The others followed.
Nnn nnn no! Bill cried. I dont
want to do it!
Bill, I dare you, the boy an-
swered almost automacally, as he jumped
up and down in a frenzy.The group of boys were started
to lose control as they followed the boy,
acng as a giant circular mirror that re-
peated every movement of the real thing.
Bill grabbed at his neck, running his nger
against his warm skin. Any words he made
were lost in the ruckus and every moon
lost in the commoon. There was no es-
cape. He was struck by the crowd. The
world melted away in an uproar of grade-
schoolers and chants of No thrill Bill. Fi-
nally Bill threw his hands up, let them slap
against his legs, and took a step towards
the street.
Cheers erupted as Bill slowly
walked across the street, rst watching
for any cars. But his eyes were more care-
fully watching the girl. She was no longer a
dream. With every step she was no longer
an unaainable goal but a girl of maybe
sixteen. As Bill stepped onto the grass she
was not a secret. Everything was real, but
more than that. Otherworldly maybe. The
summer sun shot rays of light at her, want
ing to lay an illuminang hand on her skin
It crept through the shade of the dogwood
tree, resng upon her at random, strange
places, such as the p of her nose and
under her right eye. It was like she was a
painng.
Hi, Bill said, voice quivering as
he raised a shaky hand in greeng.
The girl didnt look up from herbook. Jet black eyes hid behind the pages
refusing to acknowledge the presence o
the lile boy. For a moment Bill thought
she hadnt heard him, so he repeated it
again.
I heard you the rst me, she
answered, giving only a momentary glance
at him before returning to her book.
Youre prey, Bill responded
his buckteeth shining.
She giggled. Her voice suddenly
shied to a sweet and welcoming tone
Well thank you. But youre going to get introuble if you dont go back over to your
friends, buddy.
But I wanted to say Hi to you.
I can see that, she smiled be
hind the spine of her book.
A warm breeze uered through
branches of the dogwood tree, swaying
her brunee hair to the right slightly. She
lied a small delicate hand to x the hairs
that had come undone.
Whatre you reading? Bill asked
as he fell to his knees in front of her.
In the distance there was the
sound of gasps and excited chants. Bil
could feel the eyes of the crowd piercing a
hole into his back. For the me being the
world was only spinning for him and the
girl. Every noise was silenced just so he
could listen to what she had to say.
Greek mythology, she answered
leng her words blow away in the breeze
as if she didnt expect him to understand
Prometheusby Mike Welch
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which he didnt. Theyre stories of heroes
and gods.
Gods in mass right now.
She laughed, and for the rst
me her aenon was completely on Bill.
He couldnt understand why she was so
amused, but he enjoyed that he had been
the one to cause it.
Well, not these gods. Here, let
me tell you a story. This gods name was
Prometheus.Bill nodded his head. She touched
her right eye, bing her lip with a strange
expression on her face. However, she
quickly regained her composure as she be-
gan with her story.
She told Bill of Prometheus, who
looked at the horrible condion of man
and pied them. He wanted to help the
poor creatures, she said. So he stole re
from the god of all gods Zeus, and gave it
to the humans so they could cook and see
at night. However, when Zeus found out,
he got angry, so he had his servants, Forceand Violence, chain him to a rock.
Why is Zeus so mean? Bill
asked.
She opened her mouth to speak,
but closed it slowly. Thought had taken
over her, and she rubbed at her face as she
pondered it. So ngerps ran across the
skin around her eye.
Wellbecause he can. Hes
stronger than everyone else, and he wants
to show his power.
I dont like him.
I dont either.
I thought God acted nicely all the
me, Bill, lost in his thoughts, said.
God does. People dont, she was
once again lost in the pages of her book.
Silence fell between them for a
few moments. Her eyes moved rapidly
along the words of the book, but Bill could
tell she wasnt actually reading. Her bare
feet were busy skimming along the grass,
and her ngers slid against her face.
Do you know what they said to
Prometheus? she asked, although she did
not wait for the answer that she obviously
knew. Forever shall the intolerable pres-
ent grind you down. And he who will re-
lease you is not born. Such fruit you reap
for you man-loving ways.
An idea suddenly appeared in
Bills head. Shouldnt you be at mass right
now?A god yourself, you did not dread
Gods anger, but gave to mortals honor not
their due.
Everyones supposed to go to
mass.
And therefore you must guard
this joyless rock-
The summer breeze rustled
among the owers of the dogwood tree.
Bill moved in closer. She was suddenly for-
eign to him. Jet black eyes were suddenly
cold and steely. Her grip had ghtened on
the book. Her right eye closed halfway, asif it wanted to go to sleep but couldnt. Her
voice picked up. It wasnt sweet anymore.
There was a sourness about it. But Bill
crawled closer all the same.
No rest, no sleep, no moments
respite.
A single tear glistened on one of
the pockets of sunlight that touched her
face, rolling slowly under her right eye.
Groans shall your speech be,
lamentaon your only words.
She looked up. There was no
emoon on her face. The tear was not of
sadness. Perhaps of pain. The two were
inches apart under the shade of the dog-
wood tree. Bill raised a childish hand and
wiped the tear from her eye. She pulled
away with immediate force, geng to
her feet and leng the book drop to the
ground. Her face was now covered in the
suns touch. But Bill, without knowing it,
had wiped something o. Her beauful
tan skin was now purple under her right
eye.
What is-
Do you know what Pro-
metheus replied? she quickly interject-
ed. He said, Go and persuade the sea
waves not to break. You will persuade
me no more easily.
She slowly bent down to grab
her book, turning her face away from
him. As Bill watched intently, she turnedto leave in a hurried rush.
Where are you going?
You said I should be at mass,
right?
But wait! I wanted to tell you
that you have nice eyes!
But she had already run o.
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The man leaned forward on his ornate
throne, chin resng on his st, eyes nar-
rowed. The large chamber was dark, lit
only by a few slowly dying candles set
into the cold gray stone walls and in the
chandelier high above. There was a dull
crash from somewhere beyond the mas-
sive double doors on the other side of
the room. The chandelier shook slightly
with the impact, sending shiing shad-
ows dancing along the walls. Silence
reigned for a few moments before there
was a dull thud. This was followed byanother. Then another. The Man on the
Throne frowned as the heavy fooalls
slowly grew louder. Here he comes, he
thought to himself.
The thunderous footsteps grew
steadily louder and louder unl the very
walls shook with each step. Then, the
doors suddenly slammed outwards,
nearly ying o their hinges, as a hulk-
ing gure burst into the room. Vilkas!
he roared, the candles suddenly burst-
ing into ames as his voice lled theroom. When? When is the me? The
man stomping into the chamber was
massive, his full armor gleaming dull red
in the brilliant light of the ames. His
face was covered by a steel helm with
dark red spiral horns sproung from its
top.
The Man on the Throne raised
a hand. Oh, do calm yourself, Garth,
he muered, leaning back in his throne.
Screaming wont make things any easi-
er for anyone.
The hulking man called Garth
slammed a st against an ornate pillar,
sending cracks creeping up its length.
Enough stalling, he snarled. The me
is now. I can feel it.
Would you want to begin the
fesvies before the other guests ar-
rive? the Man on the Throne, Vilkas,
asked, a small grin tugging at the corner of
his mouth. This cannot be done without
them
Garths ery red eyes gleamed
with anger through his helmets eye slits.
Bah! Knowing those two, they wont show
up at all, he rumbled. His hand wandered
to the massive sword at his belt and began
to pace back and forth. We dont need
them. We can get the job done just as well
by ourselves. Beer even!
Vilkas glanced up, feeling the
weight of the crown on his own head.
That was not necessarily untrue. With
his intelligence and cunning and Garths
sheer brute strength, there was praccally
nothing that could not be accomplished.
But even their skills had limits. We are
strong, Garth, but not invincible. Brawns
and brains alone will not see this campaign
through. He absent-mindedly rubbed his
chin. You thirst for bale, true, but there
is another whose hunger and single-mind-
ed determinaon dwarfs even yours.
Garth froze. You mean... He
swallowed loudly. Malik is coming? His
voice was quiet and there was an unfamil-
iar edge to his words. Was that fear he
heard?
Vilkas smiled and nodded. And I
do believe hes just arrived.
The double doors creaked slightly
as they slowly swung open again. A dark
gure stalked in and the candles suddenly
died down. This mans coat was blacker
than the blackest night, and he was slightly
hunched. His thin, rat-like face split into an
ugly grin as he saw Vilkas. Ah, I thought
this day would never come, he said, his
voice rasping in his throat. He paused and
coughed heavily into his sleeve.
Vilkas raised an eyebrow. Are
you ill, Malik?
Malik shook his head and wheezed
quietly. Ah, its nothing. But, you know
what? His yellow teeth shone in the dul
light. I am famished. His eyes icked to
the only other object in the room: a large
stone altar in the center of the space. A
spherical object lay on it, covered by a
black cloth. So it is me, then. He le
out a high-pitched laugh. The feast wil
start soon, then, yes? Oh, it has to. It ha
to. Ive waited too long.
Garth scoed. Not unl the almighty Vilkas says so. Were sll waing
for Silas.
Suddenly, a chill wind blew
through the chamber, snung out the
candles. They all turned to see anothe
gure standing in the doorway. He had a
dark green hood pulled over his head and
a owing cloak of the same color. He slow
ly drew the hood back, revealing a wooden
mask, carved into the shape of a skull. The
spurs aached to his boots jingled loudly
as he stepped toward the central altar. Heglanced at the shrouded object for a mo
ment before turning his masks hollow
gaze to the other men. Evening, he said
conversaonally.
Silas, Vilkas nodded. I was be
ginning to wonder when you would show
up.
Silas crossed his arms. I would not
miss this. Not in a million years. His voice
was low but sll had the hum of authority
Maliks eyes wandered to
the massive longbow strung over Si
las shoulders. How goes the hunt
ing? he asked, twitching slightly
Silas reached up and lightly
touched the ornate wood of the large
weapon. Game has never been more
plenful. He nodded to Vilkas. Lets not
tarry any longer, hmm?
The Beginning of the Endby Eric Collins
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Vilkas nodded and stood, de-
scending the steps leading up to his throne,
his white robes trailing behind him. He
strode to the stone altar and paused be-
fore it. Glancing at the shrouded object
for a moment, he ung his arms outward
grandly. Come and see, my brothers, he
announced, his rich voice lling the room.
Come and see. As the other three men
gathered around the altar, he could almost
feel their ancipaon. As you have no
doubt already sensed, Vilkas connued,
the me is upon us. I hereby convene this,the rst and last Court of the Revelaon.
As he spoke he grasped the black cloth on
the altar and swept it back with a dramac
ourish. The room was suddenly lled with
light as the object underneath was revealed.
It was a large orb, its surface shin-
ing and glassy. It was mostly a deep blue in
color, but was interspersed by large chunks
of light green and brown. In places, it was
lightly sprinkled with so white lines. Ma-
lik eyed it closely, a hungry light in his gaze.
So this is it? He almost sounded disap-pointed. This is the world-sphere?
Garth crossed his arms. Doesnt
look like much, he grunted.
Hardly appealing, Malik agreed.
He turned to Vilkas. Are you sure this is
the one? I mean, Im not complaining. At
this point, Im so hungry I could eat half of
the space-me connuum. But He ges-
tured vaguely at it. Its kind of puny.
Vilkas laughed. This is the one.This is the one called Earth.
Silas xed the planet in an ap-
praising gaze. Aer a moment, he nod-
ded. Its certainly more than you two
whelps deserve, he growled, glanc-
ing at Garth and Malik. He nodded
to Vilkas. It will do. Let it begin.
Vilkas extended his hands over