"Barder the Flying Dog"

Our prompt was to create a story from this image. The only restriction was that the dog's name had to be Barder.

One day Barder saw a long, orange silky scarf falling out of a tree. He bit it and tugged. The silky cloth did not budge. He tugged harder and harder until he thought his teeth were going to be yanked out. Finally, with a sickly shredding noise, he was able to pull it out of the tree. His owner Jackson, saw the scarf's beautiful orange glow. He ran over and picked it up, stroking it. It was so soft, he just wanted to press it against his face. He wound it over his head as if it were a turban, and suddenly felt a kind of strength and happiness he had never felt before. On his first impulse, he went over to Barder and straddled him. Barder seemed to get the same sensation, he broke into a kind of dog-smile and started running as fast as he could; he felt he could run forever. The orange scarf glowed brighter and brighter and slowly seemed to rise. Barder and Jackson started hovering above the ground, higher and higher! They rose, running through the air, Jackson on Barder with the happiest feeling they had ever experienced. They circled trees and reached the one where the mysterious magic scarf had been pulled out of. From between branches, Jackson and Barder saw the most amazing thing: A fallen lifeless angel, without any hair! Bald except for a few glowing orange silky strands, flowing in the wind.

*This picture was taken from Jan Von Holleben's photography site

International Interference: When is it ok?

For this prompt we had to research a national problem of another country and discuss whether or not we believed the U.S. should become involved.

Over the past eight years, drug use in Mexico has skyrocketed. Crack and meth aren't hard to come by, and addicts often commit violent crimes or prostitute themselves to acquire a fix. The Mexican government is worried about the country's evolution from selling to using; recently there was a movement to test all high school students for drug use. Many people are realizing their dependance on drugs is unhealthy, and are trying to seek help at rehabilitation centers. The problem is, there aren't nearly enough centers to accommodate those who want and need them. The situation is clearly getting out of hand; the question is, should the U.S. interfere? I personally believe that we shouldn't become involved with another country's problems. This usually serves to strain the international relationship between the countries, and undermines the authority of the struggling country to solve their own problems. On the other hand, I do think it would be appropriate to help Mexico (or any other country) if they asked us for help. I believe in helping those who need it, but not imposing our ideals on countries that haven't specifically requested for assistance. I truly hope for Mexico's citizens to recover and to overcome this situation quickly, if they need help they know they can find it with the U.S.

Writing in Reverse: A Model Employee

The following passage was assigned for our English class to practice telling stories with creative writing.

Nick is about to be ten minutes late for work for his bellhop post at Le Chocolate Crossaint hotel. He's been working there for seven months, two weeks, and three days. Words cannot describe the passionate hatred he feels for his occupation and boss.

He woke up after letting his 6:30 alarm ring for fifteen minutes and took his sweet time ordering his usual hazelnut coffee at the neighborhood cafe. Nick finally took the subway, two trains after he should have embarked. He sat and stared while blasting Pepper from his earphones. The seconds ticked by, giving him too much time to think.

Getting up at his stop, passing the turnstile, he knows: Today's the day. Now here he is, swinging through the swiveling glass doors of the hotel. He interrupts the man already yelling at him about the uniform he's not wearing. With three quick steps he delivers a blow stopping him mid-sentence.

With his boss' blood streaming down his fist, Nick is now unemployed.

*This picture was taken from Bill Sullivan's Turnstile Photography Project site