How to Survive the Zombie Apocalypse and Other Scrambled Eggs

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February 5, 2010 Featured Teen Writer

Here is the short story I promised from Lilly. She wrote it in February of last year, and I’m hoping that she will continue.   I want to know what Jessica confessed and why she is confessing to Tom, a boy she seems to barely know…  I want answers!

A Wasted Death

By Lilly

Jessica Lore walked down the hall getting pushed around by the people by her.  Tears trickled down her eyes.  Confessing to him was easy, taking the truth was hard.

Tom Smith stood in the classroom in complete shock.  Though he was a popular guy, never once had a girl confessed to him.  He slouched down into the nearest chair and gave out a heavy sigh.

“What’s wrong?” Kyle asked Tom, walking into the room, “I heard you sigh.”

For a moment, Tom considered telling Kyle about Jessica’s confession but then decided against.  Tom knew no one would want their confession to be told to the entire school.

“It’s nothing,” Tom said.  Kyle looked confused and turned to the window.

“Is that Jessica?”  Kyle said as he stared out the window.

“Yeah,” Tom said looking out.  Tom waved to Jessica and she waved back.  Slowly, she walked backwards off the cliff.

February 4, 2010 Heights Writers’ Group

Heights Writers are going to be featured on Teen Talk Radio in the near future and with all the material we have it seems as though our radio spot couldn’t get here soon enough.  Don’t worry, we’ll keep you posted.

New prompt:

How far would you go to save your child?

We’re also sticking with one from last week:  Write about a bucket of distaste.

Later this week I’ll be posting a story by Lilly.  Stay tuned and don’t be shy, we would love to see new faces!

Next meeting: Thursday February 18th @ 4pm

February 2, 2010 Featured Teen Writer

Hey all!  Our Heights Writers have been slaving away writing some wonderful stories.  A couple weeks ago we had a prompt involving nursery rhymes.  Mikale wrote a gripping short story with based on Little Bo Peep that she was kind enough to share with everyone.  Just wait until you read her twist on the original nursery rhyme.

Little Bo Peep

Traditional Nursery Rhyme c. 1805

Little Bo peep has lost her sheep
And doesn’t know where to find them.
Leave them alone and they’ll come home,
Bringing their tails behind them.
Little Bo peep fell fast asleep
And dreamt she heard them bleating,
But when she awoke, she found it a joke,
For they were all still fleeting.
Then up she took her little crook
Determined for to find them.
She found them indeed, but it made her heart bleed,
For they left their tails behind them.
It happened one day, as Bo peep did stray
Into a meadow hard by,�
There she espied their tails side by side
All hung on a tree to dry.
She heaved a sigh, and wiped her eye,
And over the hillocks went rambling,
And tried what she could,
As a shepherdess should,
To tack again each to its lambkin.

Little Bo Peep

By Mikale c. 2010

I feel like I am drowning. I feel the need to cry, but not even dry sobs will rack my body. Somebody needs to pull me up, needs to save me. Somehow they all reach out their hands for me, but not quite long enough–or maybe I’m just not reaching out my hand farther enough. The anger I once felt is no longer raging fire, so I cannot be burned by it. It is not even the cold, calculating anger that scared me, making me shrink away from its icy tendrils. No, the feelings that I feel only give a tentative thump–no, just a subtle plop–at my heart. I feel them trying to break free, but I have suppressed them too much and they are buried too deep. I feel nothing. I deserve nothing.

Yesterday, when I was supposed to be watching the, the–oh I cannot bear to say their names–something else caught my attention. I twirled my blonde hair around my fingers and carefully looked up at the distraction through my eyelashes. The distraction wiggled its eyebrows at me and I smiled at it.

I no longer remember how it’s lips felt on mine, what convinced me to go all the way around the corner just for a kiss, to leave their door unlocked and wide open.

All I remember if frantically searching for them, painfully calling each of their names:

“Johnny!

“Angela!

“Lee!”

All I remember is the soft cry escaping from my lips, hardly audible over the sound of my breaking heart.

All I remember is how my legs could no longer support my weight and the weight of what my carelessness had done to them.

All I remember are the feverish dreams with me calling the names of my darlings, my children, and almost getting to them, but them just slipping out of my reach.

Today all I see is Lee in my arms; my hair–brown then–still clinging to my head with sweat, her umbilical cord still swinging at her waist, me admiring the diamond-shaped birth mark on her forefinger.

“Take care of her. Take care of all three of your diamond children,” my mother said over me. Funny how all three of them had the same birthmark, and in the same place.

I don’t need the police’s help. I know where they are.

On the long trek to their father’s house, I picture her fluttering fingers, diamond slipping in and out of view. I can see them gracefully releasing her sweet, sweet music. Bright as day I can see them putting her precious Lola back into her case. I can see them holding onto my neck tight as her father shakes with rage as he says, “If you keep them from me–if I can’t have them–then nobody will!” I see her fingers shaking from fear and wet from my tears.

I stop abruptly. I’m at his house. At his steps. I carefully walk up the first step, trying to prepare myself for anything. I walk up the second one and step on something. It squishes beneath my cheap shoe. I swallow, take a deep breath and peek under my shoe to see what I’ve stepped on…

…to find three black diamonds.

Something in me snaps. I howl to the Sun, the moon, to the Earth. I howl and I don’t stop.

January 21, 2001  Heights Writers’ Group

Hey all!  Sorry for the delay in posts.  With the new year and coming in things have been a bit hectic.  Today’s meeting went swell!  New prompts! 

New prompts!

- Write about a bucket of distaste.

-You wake up one day with an unusual super power that seems pretty useless — until you are caught in a situation that requires that specific talent.

-  You’ve been waiting in line for days to get concert tickets to your favorite band’s upcoming show.  You’re keeping track of your experience in journal.  What does it say?

As always, you can write a short story, poem, illustration, etc. for one or all of the prompts!

Soon to come: I will be posting stories from the writers’ group writers in this space.  If you want to send me a story to post my email address is maggpie83@hotmail.com.  Please put your name and Heights Writers’ Group in the subject line, or most likely I’ll end up deleting it.

Next Meeting: Thursday, February 4, 2010 @ 4pm

December 17, 2009 Heights Writers’ Group

Hey writers!  We’ve decided to save our Eutopia stories for our next meeting, so those of you who couldn’t make it or those of you who want to join can bring them to our next meeting, December 31st.  I’m wondering, since it is New Year’s Eve, how many of you are going to be able to make it to our next meeting.  If you are planning to come, you can email me:  maggpie83@hotmail.com.  Thanks!

Anyway, here are the new prompts Mikale and I picked for the next meeting:

- Flip through a magazine and write a story around the first image you see.  Don’t forget to bring in the image with your story!

- Use the first line of any nursery rhyme (your pick) to start a story.

Do one or both and bring your work to our next meeting.  If you haven’t already, and you really want to , you can still write a Eutopia story (see instructions/definitions below).  Also, remember that your work doesn’t always have to be in story form.  Poems, songs, anything you want to create, is just as wonderful.

Keep writing and I’ll see you soon!

-Maggie-

December 3, 2009  Heights Writers’ Group

Hey all!  The Heights Teen Writer’s Group had it’s first successful meeting today… What is this writing group you ask?  Our Writer’s Group is a place to discuss your poetry, fiction, short stories, or whatever you’re currently working on.  Each meeting we will come up with prompts for short stories or poetry to share at the next meeting.  The group meets every other Thursday at 4:00.

Meeting Dates: Dec. 17 & 31, Jan 7 & 21, and Feb 4 & 18.

Topic for the next meeting (12/17) : Utopia – make up a short story or poem to describe your perfect world.  At the next meeting with will discuss the differences, downfalls, and advantages of each others worlds.

Definition:  Utopia

1. an imaginary and indefinitely remote place

2. often capitalized: a place of ideal perfection especially in laws, government, and social conditions

3. an impractical scheme for social improvement

Bring your story or poem to discuss your Utopia on Thursday December 17th at 4 pm!

September 10, 2009 Teen Read Week and Teen’s Top Ten

This year Teen Read Week 2009 will be celebrated the week of October 18-24th.  The theme is “Read Beyond Reality” and the Young Adult Library Services Association – a.k.a. YALSA – is encouraging you to read something out of this world just for fun!  Sound like fun?

Also, or maybe more so, you have a chance to give your opinion!  Vote in the Teens Top Ten for 2009.  Here you can vote on your top three book picks for 2009.  It’s like the Teen Choice Awards for books.   You have until September 18th to cast your votes!  Winners will be announced during Teen Read Week.  Click below and follow the “Vote” link to cast your votes!

August 5, 2009  Book Suggestion Please!

I need a new book to read! I just finished Sarah Dessen’s The Truth About Forever, which was great. It’s about a girl in high school whose dad passed away a year and a half before and how she’s been trying to keep her life all neat and orderly and “perfect” ever since. Obviously things have to start stirring at some point. So when she meets a totally out-of-hand and unorganized but endearing and lovable group of people, the walls start coming down. Throughout the book she’s struggling with the idea of not be perfect and it being okay. I know I deal with that on a regular basis!

August 5, 2009 Web Comics?

Does anyone have a fav web comic they’d like to introduce me to? I have a couple that I am addicted to and check on a daily basis. Just to share:

Natalie Dee and her husband Drew write super weird but silly comics that I’ve been checking since I was in high school. They’re Ohio natives! Check out their blogs too. I also really like Dinosaur Comics, Sam and Fuzzy, and Questionable Content.

www.toothpastefordinner.com

Currently Reading: (Well, just finished) The Truth About Forever (Sarah Dessen)

Quote of the Day: Of all the things I’ve lost, I miss my mind the most. (Mark Twain)

July 28, 2009  Introducing…

Actually, I’m pretty sure I’d only last three days if there were to be a Zombie Apocalypse, and that’s only because I have an inherited-accidentally-never-gave-back-to-my-friend-before-they-moved-away copy of The Zombie Survival Guide:  Complete Protection From the Living Dead (Max Brooks) on my bookshelf.  I’ve only half skimmed it.  But my roommate read it, so that should help, right? Right.  Silver bullets?  Or is that werewolves?

Aaaaanyway.  Introductions.  I’m Maggie.  I’m a new Teen Associate.  Right now you can usually find me at the Noble branch with my counterpart, Margaret, but we’ll be wandering around the branches so hopefully I’ll get to meet all of you.  Welcome to the rambling, muttering mush that is my brain!

Currently Reading:Love, Stargirl (Jerry Spinelli)

Quote of the Day: “I like an escalator because an escalator can never break, it can only become stairs.  There would never be an escalator temporarily out of order sign, only an escalator temporarily stairs.  Sorry for the convenience.”  (Mitch Hedberg)