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Chase’s Senior Season by Anonymous

The season was right around the corner. Chase left his home on the cold February evening to go attend a preseason workout his team was having. The workout lasted around an hour, and as Chase went to leave the coach stopped him and asked to talk. Nervously, Chase approached the coach to talk. The coach mentioned that he had high expectations for this year’s lacrosse team and was really pleased with how Chase was performing this off season. He went on to tell Chase that he wanted him to be a captain this year expected big things from him. Chase was ecstatic, in fact speechless. Immediately, he responded, “Yes Sir, thank you coach!” He was so excited that the coach had noticed his hard work in the winter and wanted to run home and tell his parents.

Chase was a 17 year old high school student in North Carolina. He had made it through most of his senior year and was looking forward to his favorite part, lacrosse season. He had high expectations and lots of goals for the team as they were the favorites to win the state championship this year. Chase was the heart and soul of his team and his teammates respected him greatly.

On February 20th, Chase and his team experienced a scary moment.. Chase was working out on the field in preparation for the season and hurt his knee. He was unsure the extent of the injury and thought he would be fine in a few days. However, with the season just 10 days away, This was not what Chase was hoping for. After a few days of rest, his knee seemed to not be getting better. He told his parents he thought they should get it looked at as precaution because the season was so close. He went to the doctor who felt around the knee but said he could not diagnose anything without an MRI. That night, Chase got an MRI on his right knee and could only wait at this point. The next day, he received the call he never wished to get. The doctor said “I’ve read the MRI and unfortunately your knee has a good amount of damage to it.” The damage included a torn ACL and meniscus. Devastated, Chase was speechless and even shed some tears. He felt as though he let his team down and was very upset. After talking with his parents, doctors, and his coach, they all agreed to get the surgery over with and start recovery.

Weeks later, Chase took his first steps after surgery. This was a great moment for him and his family. That week was the team’s first game and Chase wouldn’t miss it for the world. The season progressed and so did Chase’s recovery. The team was doing great and was in first place approaching playoff time.

The last game of the regular season was a home game in which they honored all of the seniors on the team. Chase, still on crutches, was determined to put the jersey on one last time in high school career. He started the game and was subbed out minuted later. As he exited the field, the fans chanted “Chase” and he even became slightly emotional. It brought back memories of all his years on the field and he was glad he got to wear the jersey one last time.

The team’s success continued through playoffs and they advanced to the state championship game. They were playing one of the best teams in the state and it was a heated rivalry. Chase’s team scored a goal in the final seconds to win the North Carolina state championship. When interviewed after the game, Chase’s coach states, “That one was for Chase! The heart and soul of this team!”

The Beach by Anonymous

     My favorite place in the world is the beach. Since I was young, I’ve spent every summer on different beaches around the world. When I was younger my entire family would travel to Hilton Head Island and stay a week. It was my entire childhood, and it was by far my favorite trip. We’d rent a big house right on the beach and my cousins and I would share rooms. We’d always rent bikes and ride around the island and on the beach. I would spend hours in the ocean, my mom would always say it was in my blood since I was born in Florida. I’d let the waves crash over me and my sister and I would see who could bodyboard the farthest. Some of my favorite memories were made at that beach.

     One year I asked my dad to pull me out on a boogie board. We started heading out and my dad stopped and ran out of the water. I was really confused so I took the boogie board and followed after him. He was sitting on our beach chairs cupping his foot in pain. My mom rushed over with a towel and water bottle and started pouring the water over my dad’s foot. That’s when I noticed that he had been pinched really badly by a horseshoe crab. It wasn’t that bad of a wound, but it did enough to scare me and my love for the ocean. Some crazy things have happened to my family at that beach and that’s just one of the many.

     Another year, my sister and cousin were in the water. They weren’t out too far when I heard a scream. I turned around to see my sister being carried out of the water by my cousin. When she got to the shore, I ran over to her and saw that there was a fishing hook in her toe! There’s a law or a common sense rule that fishers must cast at least 20 feet away from any swimmers. The man whose hook was in my sister’s toe was way too close to swimmers and so when he cast, my sister stepped on his hook. My aunt pulled the hook out, and ran over to the man and started to yell at him. At first he denied that it was his hook, but considering he was the only fisher his “alibi” didn’t exactly workout. My aunt was so mad at this guy, she scared him so badly he offered to pay for any medical bills and to treat our entire family to lunch. Luckily my sister went to urgent care and they just cleaned her toe and sent her on her way. According to the doctors there, this was a common injury at the island.

      Occasionally, we would go fishing on a boat we would rent. My grandpa taught me how to fish, so we would always see who could catch more; normally it was him. I wouldn’t say I’m great at fishing, but to be fair it is kind of a matter of luck. It must’ve been my lucky day because little 8-year-old me, cast my line and quickly felt a huge tug. I couldn’t reel in my line by myself so my dad helped me, and when we pulled up the line to the boat I had caught a shark! It was a baby Black Tip shark. It wasn’t huge, it weighed about 10 pounds and was probably a foot and a half long. My sister and cousin cast a huge net and when they pulled that up they caught a ton of fish and a stingray. We loved our fishing trips and sometimes we’d see a dolphin or two swim beside our boat.

     Hilton Head definitely holds a very special place in my heart. It’s where I learned to surf, long board, fish, and ride a bike. I loved being with my entire family for a week and just have the most fun. The beach was my entire childhood and sadly we stopped going after my grandpa passed away. We did go to the beach as a family, but it was in Florida and we only did that for about 5 years after his passing. One day I hope my parents get a house in Hilton Head because it’s such a special place for my family and I. I’d even like to take my kids there one day, but I’ve got a long while before that ever happens. It’d just be really nice to restart a great tradition.

Rec Soccer by Anonymous

When I was in third grade I was on a rec soccer team with a bunch of my friends. This team brought me and my friends closer together which allowed me to continue this friendship for the duration of my life. We had ton of memories throughout the years up until fifth or sixth grade, when the team was split up. The coach was the dad of two players on the team and he made the team even more fun. This memory really changed my life and who I am still friends with to this day.

     We started off as a rec team and we were a very good team that won every game. After the first season our coach decided to bring our team up to rec A, which is in between rec and travel. In that league we also destroyed every game and it was so much fun because we were so good. The streak ended when our coach thought it was a good idea to move our team to travel where we lost almost every game. The only thing that made that season fun was that our coach gave out packs of cards that had soccer players on it. In reality they had no meaning and couldn’t be used for anything but everyone on my team enjoyed getting them.

     After that season we all took different paths in our soccer career but still remained friends. One of my best friends Max was on that team and we did everything together. We did the same activities because we enjoyed most of the same things. Another one of my friends, Wil, was also on my team and connected throughout the years as well. Wil and I were in the same fourth and fifth grade classes and we were inseparable. Overall, I made a ton of close friends by playing on a simple rec soccer team. Some of the players still play soccer with me on the high school soccer team.

      This memory is not just a memory it is a significant part of my life that changed me forever. Every second of those years I remember, from winning every game to getting packs of soccer cards for no reason. This event wasn’t just life changing it was fun and I think that’s what makes me who I am today.

Gerald the Monkey by Ben Oldhouser

There once was a monkey named Gerald. He lived in the canopy on the banks of Monkey River in Belize. He enjoyed his life there, chilling in the trees, eating bananas, and staying safe from the crocodiles below. He had lots of friends in the trees who lived with him. Everything was perfect.

There was something peculiar about Gerald, however. Sometimes humans would come by on boats and he could understand what they were saying. None of the other animals could and they always had to ask Gerald what was going on. Gerald had no idea where this gift came from. He did not know his mom or his dad. They had both been eaten by crocodiles when he was just a baby.

One day, while attempting to eat a banana, Gerald dropped it to the river below. Now he was starving and that was the best banana he had ever picked. He had to jump down into the river to retrieve it. He checked for crocodiles and saw that the coast was clear. Gerald leaped into the river and grabbed his banana.

Sensing no danger, he casually crawled out of the river onto the bank. Out of nowhere a crocodile jumped out of the river and grabbed him. Gerald fought back with all he had, but the crocodile was too strong for him. Gerald knew he was going to die as he was dragged under water.

Closing his eyes and holding his breath, he stopped fighting and gave up. Suddenly he wasn’t under water anymore. The crocodile had dragged him through a secret door in the bottom of the river. There was a huge room, filled with every kind of animal known to the area. There were crocodiles, monkeys, jaguars, and lizards, all sitting around a conference table. Gerald had no idea what to do. Quickly, one of the jaguars got up and pulled out a chair for Gerald.

The biggest crocodile in the room stood at the head of the table. He looked at Gerald and said, “I know you do not know who I am, but we know who you are… Gerald.”

“What’s going on?” Gerald replied. “Why am I here?” Who are you?”

“Calm down son,” the crocodile replied. “My name is Jeff. You are here because we need your help; the sharks are planning to swim up the river and take over. We need to stop them but we don’t have much time. The humans in the nearby village can help us but we need you to communicate with them. It is well known amongst the river that you can talk to humans- you are the only one.”

Surprised by this request, Gerald had no idea what to do. “But who do I talk to? What do I tell them?”

Jeff slid a rolled up map across the table. “Go to the X on the map. There you will find Manuel, the best fisher in. the village. Ask him for his fishing nets. Tell him Jeff sent you.”

They gave him a bag full of bananas and sent him on his journey. He leaped from tree to tree, swinging on vines until he reached the village. Consulting the map, he found a small shack where the X was. Inside sat an old man.

“Are you Manuel?”

“What do you want?” replied the old man. Gerald told him how Jeff had sent him for fishing nets to stop the shark. Manuel agreed to give him the nets, but he was too weak to come with Gerald.

Knowing he was running out of time, he had to act. He made a beeline for the mouth of the river. From atop a tree, he could see fins coming over the horizon. Jeff was nowhere to be found. He only had a few minutes to act. Staring at the nets, he tried to come up with a plan. Jeff had not told him how to use the nets. Looking into his bag, he found only rope… lots of rope. He knew what to do.

He tied the rope to the nets and covered the mouth of the river with them. He tied the last knot just as the sharks arrived. They hit the net with force, but none could break through. The sharks were baffled. Frustrated they turned around and swam back out to sea. Returning to the room under the river, Gerald was greeted with cheers and a party. They crowned him king of Monkey river and under his watch, the sharks never bothered them again.

Heart of a Winner by Anonymous

It was my sophomore year, and I was the team captain of the junior varsity wrestling team.  The wrestling season was winding down, and my varsity team was looking to make the playoffs.  It was the last match of the season, and in order for us to make the playoffs, we had to win by 30 points.  Earlier that day, my coach had told me that he was pulling me up to varsity to wrestle for the team in  this match.

“He looks strong, but inexperienced,” my coach said, as his intense gaze scanned my opponent while he warmed up.  “I expect you to step up today, the match may come down to you.”

My team warmed up and my individual match was the first one to take place.  As I took the mat my legs trembled from nerves, and the inside of my stomach felt like a hundred butterflies had just been awoken.  I walked to the center of the mat and shook my opponent’s hand.  The crowd roared with excitement, and my coach gave me a reassuring nod as I glanced at him.  The whistle blew and the match began.

Storms of Time by Anonymous

It was the proverbial dark and stormy night. The sky was encompassed in a pyrotechnical display that would put the best fireworks show to shame. This was no ordinary storm, as an impenetrable wall of inky clouds and blazing firebolts imprisoned my home. As I lay quietly in bed silently counting the time between the lightning strikes, I was relieved to find that the storm was moving on. Although I felt somewhat tired and weak, I decided to get up and survey the damage that my dad was sure to make me cleanup in the morning. Just as I pressed my face against the glass pane, I was suddenly jolted by the appearance of a grey haired old man on the other side of the window. He was a pleasant looking old man with a strange question mark shaped scar over his left eye. I say old, but to be fair, I must admit that he appeared to be about my father’s 40 years of age. I ran straight to my father and told him that there was a strange man looking in my window. He immediately put on his shoes and jacket, grabbed a flashlight and baseball bat, and bravely trekked outside to investigate. When he returned he calmly informed me that I must have seen my reflection because there were no footprints in the muddy flowerbed outside my window. I sternly objected that it could not have been my reflection because I was not a wrinkly old man with grey hair. As I stoically walked back to my bedroom, it slowly began to dawn on me that the old man actually looked a little like my father. As I lay back in my bed, I thought maybe it was my father playing a practical joke on me, but I realized that it could not have been him because he could not possibly have made it back into the house in that short of time. I also realized that there was something about the old man nagging at the back of my mind. Then it hit me. The old man was dry. How can someone be standing outside in the worst storm of the century, yet be totally dry? How is that possible? How is that …

I woke up the next morning, refreshed and relieved to realize that the events of the previous night were quickly fading to nothing more than a bad dream. Over the next several weeks, I went about my normal summer routine. One night, I was playing Black Ops 3’s Zombies Chronicles during a sleepover with my friends when another strange storm settled over my home. It was the same wall of storm clouds as before, but much less severe. We lost power and the lights went out, and I felt this irresistible urge to look out the basement window. As I reluctantly pressed my face against the windowpane, a strange sight greeted me once again. Only this time it was not an old man staring back at me, it was me. My reflection, but with a strange bloody question mark shaped cut over my left eye.  As I lifted my hand to my head and turned towards my friends, they all had confused and scared looks on their faces. Just then, power returned and the lights came back on. I told my friends what I had seen in the window and they explained that when I first turned around, they thought they saw blood over my left eye. We all felt a little freaked out and were in no mood to play Zombies, so we called it an early night.

The next day, my father ignored my pleas of summer vacation and insisted I clean out the garage. While organizing my father’s tools on the wall, I accidentally knocked a large crescent wrench off of its peg and it fell forward and hit me hard just over my left eye. It hurt terribly and almost knocked me out. My parents took me to the doctor and as she closed the cut with stitches, she commented that it was going to leave a nice scar. Several days later, I removed the bandage and was dumbfounded to find that I had a strange question mark shaped scar over my left eye.

The Nurse by Devon Filippone

     The Nurse left work at five o’clock. Her day was very busy. She had worked a double shift and was ready to go home and relax. On her way home, though, she got into a car accident. It was a 4 car pile up that was caused by a woman who was texting and driving. Without any hesitation, she got out of her car and decided it was her job to help these people. She called 911 and the first person she decided to help was the initial car that was struck. In this first car, there was a family: a mother, father, a 10 year old boy, and a baby girl. Ellie went right to the baby to see if she was okay. Luckily, the baby came out of it without a scratch. The 10 year old boy however wasn’t wearing his seatbelt so when the car made impact with the other car, he went flying forward into the seat in front of him and had a large gash on the side of his head. The boy was conscious so she gave him instruction to stay still and she gave him her sweatshirt so that he could use it to apply pressure to his wound while she checked on his parents. The father and the mother were severely injured. They were both unconscious and she wasn’t able to get them out of the car so all she was able to do was check for a pulse and move on to the next car. The next car she went to was the car of the woman who caused the accident. The woman seemed fine and came out of the accident walking and talking normal except she had a pain in her stomach. Nurse Ellie believed she probably had some internal bleeding. There was nothing she could do except tell the woman to sit still and wait for the ambulance. Before she was able to check the other cars, the ambulance arrived. Since she was there during the accident, she wanted to ride with the ambulance to the hospital so she could be with the 10 year old boy and the baby since both their parents were in serious conditions. On the ride to the hospital, Nurse Ellie was told she would not be able to help any more than she is now. Her boss had told her she needed to be looked at and to leave the kids alone. Nurse Ellie wasn’t happy about this. She wanted to be with the boy and the baby but she knew she had to listen to her boss. After getting checked out, Nurse Ellie’s boss pulled her aside and told her that the little boy keeps asking for her. Apparently this boy wouldn’t talk to anyone except her. Her boss also gave her some bad news. The boy’s mother had died on the way to the hospital and the father was not doing well. Nurse Ellie didn’t leave the children’s side the whole night. She brought them food and cared for them just like their mother would have. A couple days passed by and the children’s father passed away as well. Nurse Ellie wanted to be the one to tell the boy. When she told him, he told her that he had already knew both his parents were dead because he had overheard her talking to the doctor about it. Ellie was devastated for the little boy and his baby sister. As the days went on, Nurse Ellie grew closer and closer to the boy and the baby. She was given special permission to care for the children while they figured out what they were going to do with them. Authorities noticed this bond she had with them and brought up to her the idea of adopting the children. The boy had made it clear he wouldn’t want anybody else taking care of him so she started the adoption process and six months later the little boy and baby girl were finally hers.

Nick and Lucy by Anonymous

Long ago there was a boy named Nick Dragneel. He was a little boy with pink hair and brown eyes and was raised by a dragon of fire. Nick was a dragon slayer and one day his dragon father disappeared, so he went into town to look for him. He ended up at the fairy tail guild with headmaster Gentry. Nick talked to the headmaster about how his dragon disappeared and the headmaster offer to let him stay with them at Fairy Tail until Dragneel the dragon was to come back. Nick stayed, and he met a boy named Kyle.

Kyle is an ice wizard and Nick is a dying wizard. The two of them don’t get along but they become good friends. They have an older sister-like figure named Lizana and she has bright red hair. She’s a warrior wizard – she can change her apprentice just by thinking about it, as well as her weapon. As time passed the three of them spent their entire day around each other, even during jobs.

One day, Nick was sent to an old suburban town to help fix some broken cabinets around the house and ran into a group of people that were crowded around a fairytale wizard name Nick. The real Nick was confused at first, but then realized that he was fake and beat the fake one to a pulp.

Once he was done beating him down a girl came up to him to ask if he was the real Fairy Tail wizard and he said, “Take me to lunch and I will answer all of your questions.” She agreed to take him out for lunch.

Nick ate like he hadn’t had anything to eat for the past few days with his companion named Happy. Happy is a dog with wings; he’s a blabber mouth. Lucy wanted to know if there was a way that she could get any jobs. Nick invited her to fairy tail’s guild. Nick went to the train station and bought two tickets for Lucy and him because Happy doesn’t need one to ride a train.

There were two couples on the bus that said that Nick and Lucy made an adorable couple and they had to explain that they just met and they’re just friends. Once they got to the town they headed straight for the guild hall. The first person Nick introduced to Lucy was Lizana. Lizana said the first thing to do was introduce her to the guild master Gentry, an old man with white hair. He was really short but he could transform into a giant if needed, especially during fights.  He asked her few questions like “What is your specialty?”

Lucy said that she was a zodiac wizard and she needed keys in order to use her powers. But as of now, she has one key and it’s Aquarius. She can summon any kind of water. Gentry said that she and Nick should go on her first job together. Their first job together was on a trip to an island; they had to fight off the monster that was eating the islanders. It looked like a dragon but around this period dragons were extinct.

During this trip they ran into Kyle; he was eating food at one of the dinners. Kyle tagged along to fight the dragon-like creature. The two guys started fighting about who was stronger. The two of them grew up together and they always got into fights because Nick made fire and Kyle made ice. Fire and Ice can’t ever get along.

As they reached the location where the creature was, they aimed for its feet and face. Lucy called her water spirit Aquarius, who’s half human half fish – more like a mermaid. She washed the creature into the sea so Kyle could freeze it and they moved it to a safe location, far away from people. They lifted the creature to a remote location and put cuffs on it to keep it from hurting anyone. They had 5 helicopters come in to carry the creature away to a safe zone where it would be treated with care but zoned off so that it can’t hurt anyone.  

The War of 2020 by Anonymous

    He thought that this day would never come. At war with North Korea, China, and Russia. After a North Korean nuclear strike on Seoul, the United States and their allies declared war on North Korea, leading China and Russia to back Kim Jong-un. He can hear bullets whizzing off of the armored vehicle as they prepare for an amphibious invasion of a North Korean beach. Cruise missile strikes and naval guns have been prepping the beach for the invasion for a few hours, eliminating dug in positions of the beach head. Still, the Marines have a fight ahead. Now they can hear explosions from the cruise missiles hitting their targets on the beach, and they wait for the rear doors to open. Accompanied by South Korean Marines, the Americans are ready for a fight. The vehicle hits the beach and the rear doors open. All the Marines exit and take cover on the beach behind any obstacle they can find.

After regrouping as a unit, the Marines move forward, providing suppressing fire and destroying the enemy. Casualties are being taken on both sides and medics rush to aid the wounded. The Marines push onward into a nearby town, eliminating any enemy that stands in their way. Room to room, buildings are cleared and prisoners are taken. The Expeditionary Force gets orders to gain fire superiority to allow for more Marines to land on the beach by boat and helicopter. Soon A-10s join the fight, doing gun runs and destroying tanks in the nearby hills, clearing the path for more infantry to storm the beaches. As infantry engages targets on the ground, Marine Air Wings take to the sky to gain Air Superiority. F-35s take out North Korean MiGs like it’s a turkey shoot. With stealth and new technology, the F-35 is unstoppable. The North Koreans almost fifty year old MiG fighter jets cannot match up to the U.S. fighters, therefore taking heavy losses.

Marines move through the town covered by close air support. They take minimal casualties while inflicting heavy losses on the North Korean infantry. After intense fighting throughout the town the Americans clear the enemy out and continue to move forward into the countryside. They are soon met by a mechanized division of North Korean units paired with some Russians. They dig in knowing that if they were to continue they would for sure be dead against tanks and lightly armored infantry. They call for resupplies and close air support on the mechanized units. A-10 and F-35 jets nearby get the call and close in on targets. Both jets provide air support by doing gun runs and firing their air to surface missiles. They aim for weak spots in the armor of the tanks and take most of them out of the fight. After taking direct fire from aircraft the rest of the mechanized division retreats as the Marines push forward into a valley. They call up their own mechanized units of LAVs, Abrams tanks, and Humvees. The U.S. mechanized infantry brings equipment up with them to set up a Forward Operating Base.

Troops are constantly being flown in from aircraft carriers out in the Sea of Japan as multiple forward bases are set up near the coasts of North Korea. Marines and Army personnel stationed at the DMZ have broken the defenses and are meeting up with the Marines that just stormed the beaches. They have also taken minimal casualties but have destroyed much of the outdated North Korean equipment and demoralized the enemy. Russian and Chinese troops are still getting positioned for their offenses but the American tactics and weaponry have overwhelmed them so far. Allied nations are sending their ships and troops to help push the North Koreans out. As they prepare to move forward and push on the next day, the Allied troops learn from the mistakes made during the Korean War and attempt to take the towns surrounding the capital, which will also be taken with the help of advanced weaponry and a high morale from the first successful attacks.