Letters: A Short Story

Recently, I saw a prompt to write a story told in letters. I hope you enjoy it!

Dear,

I know I shouldn’t be writing to you anymore. You made that awfully clear with your last letter. But. All the same, darling, I need you. I need to feel the way that I did on that late summer night in your garden, the stars bright above us, determining our fates and tying us together forever and ever. I need to feel the spark inside of me when you look at me and grin like you used to when we were kids and best friends and oh, so madly in love. I need you, love. And if you deny me that, so be it. I will foster your story, our story and it will be marvelous. I will keep every letter you have written to me, every memory of your joyous, wondrous laugh, every glint of your eyes as you hid a laugh behind your hand, every time your hand grabbed mine. I will treasure the life you have breathed into me forever and I hope you treasure that knowledge. 

With all of my love.



My darling,

It pains my heart to receive no response from you. It is what you told me would happen, I understand, however, I yearn for your sweet paragraphs of your daily amusements. I long to pick flowers from the fields behind your house, then braid them into your hair as you hum the songs you’ve just learned. I ache for how your words sound whispered into my ear as you promise to hold me endlessly. Darling, do you not hear me as I call your name, long and loud, short and sweet? Will you not poke your head out of the window and laugh at me, just once, so I can feel accomplished? Do you deprive me of this too?
I went to the river yesterday, the one where we skipped stones and drank cherry wine, and I thought about you. I wondered what you would think of me, standing at the same spot that you had, climbing the same trees you had, living the same life you had. 

Until the ends of time.


Sweet,

I came by your house the other day. I know, I know, awfully reckless of me, but. Your mother was sick and I had picked up some groceries and if the flowers in my hand were for you- well, no one needed to know that. I knocked on the door, and hearing no answer, let myself in. Your house was empty, the faint, almost eerie, ticking of the grandfather clock. The floorboards had collected a layer of dust, the living room rug rolled up and placed to the side. Sweetheart, I cannot tell you when my stomach began to sink, when the truth set in. It was all I could do to not run to your room, to paw through the drawers, the cabinets, searching for the slightest trace of you. But I gathered myself, and with the slightest tremble in my hand, pushed open your door. And I found it. I found your letter, love. I know it now. You’re gone, off on a grand adventure, and I’m still here, writing letters to your ghost. I understand, my love. I understand. And I love you. Always. 

Your loyal companion.


Beloved,

It has been a year. Not a day goes by that I don’t miss you, without the silent, ever present wish that you were by my side, reading my book over my shoulder. Not a day. Darling, I miss you, that much should be obvious. However, I shall heal. I shall move on, and if your ghost permits it, I shall find someone new. Darling, let me bury this letter by the old willow tree and let it grow with the tree that has watched over us as we lived, loved, and learned. Let me climb the tree and let its branches cover me as I lean my head against its trunk. Let me adore you without needing you, hold on to you without suffocating myself. Darling, let me love you in the only way I know how. 

Forever yours.

Hermann Park- a poem

Recently, I got to go to Hermann Park and I had a fun, relaxing day! I wrote a small poem about it, where the goal is to start with 10 words and decrease one each line, eventually ending with 1. I hope you enjoy!

a stroll through the park, a waltz on the lake,
oh, how joyous you can be if you let 
the weight of the day not weigh on 
your shoulders and instead let the ducks 
feed your joy, feed your existence,
as you drift by. be
free, be light, be
truly who you
want to 
be.

I really enjoyed being able to go to the park! I got to feed the ducks, as well as boat on the lake (on a paddleboat). I got some really cute photos and in general, had fun during this free day.

Top Books of March

Here are my top books of March!

  1. Thirsty by Jas Hammonds
    This was such an amazing, well-written book. I loved Blake and Anita and the way that Blake learned how to grow and become a better version of herself as she found out who she really was. It was a heart-wrenching book, one that I thoroughly enjoyed reading. I totally recommend it to you!
  2. The Worst Perfect Moment by Shivaun Plozza
    This was such a beautiful book about death and the people who love you. Teagan has just died, and now she’s supposed to be living in her favorite memory forever. The problem is, Zelda, her assigned angel, has put her in her worst memory. As Zelda and Teagan go on a quest, everything starts to click into place. I really enjoyed this book!
  3. Five Survive by Holly Jackson
    This was an amazing murder mystery! When Red and her friends are trapped in a van during Spring Break, they don’t think it can get much worse than that. But there’s a sniper outside who won’t let them go until they reveal a secret. As the night goes on, enemies are made and secrets are spilled. I really enjoyed this book!
  4. The Reappearance of Rachel Price by Holly Jackson
    This was also a great read! Bel and her dad have lived alone for 16 years, when her mom suddenly disappeared. Now, after they’ve all moved on, the last thing anyone expects is Rachel, Bel’s mom, to turn up again. But Rachel’s story doesn’t add up and doesn’t make sense. This was a great read!
  5. The Brothers Hawthorne by Jennifer Lynn Barnes
    This was a really fun book! Jameson, Grayson, Nash, and Xander have always been competitive. But now, Grayson has to learn how to truly love and care and Jameson has entered into a game with even higher stakes. I loved reading this book and putting together all the puzzle pieces. I totally recommend it to you!

Top Books of January
Top Books of February

Odissi

Recently, I watched an Odissi performance by Ms. Arushi Mudgal. Her performance was based around a theme of Aikya, unity. I really enjoyed watching her dance, along with her live orchestra. There was someone playing mridangam, the dancer’s sister who sang and did nattuvangam, another singer, and a flutist.
The dancer performed an invocatory item, then a Parvati Lasyam, which was about Shiva noticing Parvati dancing and how she lights up the world.
Next, she performed a story about Radha and Krishna. The dance illustrated the story of Radha dressing up as Krishna and asking Krisha to dress up as her too. She becomes so immersed in her role as Krishna that she goes to the village and call out for Radha, her friend. This item had more abhinaya and I really liked the details.
Her next item was a pallavi, a full nritta item (in Odissi), about the joy of dance. I really enjoyed watching her dance! I noticed that there wasn’t a lot of aramandi used in her dance. She used a step like Lolita (from Mohiniattam) in this item.
Then, she performed a full abhinaya item about a hero leaving a naiyaka. She interpreted it as a soul leaving a body when the body is on the cusp of death. I really enjoyed this interpretation!
Her second to last item was once again about Radha and Krishna, but it was a more fun item where Radha is telling her friends about an encounter she had with Krishna. I really enjoyed the playfulness of this item.
This performance happened at the Match theater!

Top Books of February

Here are my top reads for this month!

  1. Ruthless Vows by Rebecca Ross
    This was an incredible second book! I loved diving back into the world of Oath, except this time with a more direct view of the battle as we get to see Dacre, one of the leading forces and Enva, his opponent. It was beautifully written and I loved reading about Iris and Roman again. I really enjoyed this finale to the duology!
  2. Jasmine Zumideh Needs a Win by Susan Azim Boyer
    I really enjoyed this book! Jasmine needs to get out of California and into NYU asap. And she knows she can do it, but only if she becomes Senior-Class President. And it should be easy! But when her heritage is suddenly all anyone can talk about, she needs to pick between standing up for who she is and her future. I really enjoyed this book!
  3. The Kinder Poison by Natalie Mae
    I really loved this book! Zahru just wants adventure. So when she gets the chance to sneak into the palace to watch the Crossing, she’s more than ready. But she gets confused for a competitor, she’s suddenly thrust into a dangerous world filled with dangerous people. This book was really fun to read and I really enjoyed it!
  4. The Other Merlin by Robyn Schneider
    This book was amazing! Emry knows she’s good at magic, better than her brother. But girls are forbidden to learn or practice magic. When a summons from the king comes, to find his next court wizard, Emry leaps at the chance. I really enjoyed this book!
  5. Hercule Poirot’s Silent Night by Sophie Hannah
    This book takes Agatha Christie’s characters and imagines them in a completely new murder mystery- this time in Norfolk-where a seemingly impossible murder has occurred. I really enjoyed this book and the new writing of Hercule Poirot!

    Top Books of January

The Transition from Middle to High School

Recently I wrote a short essay on how to ease into the transition of middle school to high school. I hope you enjoy!

The transition from middle to high school is tough. It can be intimidating to move to a bigger school and once again, be at the bottom of the school. As you move into 9th grade, it’s important to learn how to manage your time, how to make good friend choices, and how to still make time for what you enjoy.
Managing your time is important because with homework from multiple classes that is expected to be finished on time, you’ll need to make sure that you get through everything you need to do. A planner is helpful for managing homework, because, if you maintain it well, it’ll list out everything you need to do and when they’re due. Planners are also useful for big projects, because you can plan out your steps and what needs to be done in what order.
Classes will start to move faster! You’ll often need friends who you can rely on to help with homework and/or catch you up if you missed a class. Having friends you can rely on is incredibly useful, especially when studying for tests, as you can bounce information back and forth to review tough topics.
Lastly, make sure you still have fun! While there might be a lot of homework and it’ll take some time to settle down, you should make sure that you have time to do activities that let you relax. Having an activity separate from school that you enjoy will help make sure that you don’t get too overwhelmed or stressed by school. This can include a club/extracurricular offered by your school or something you choose to do in your free time.
Using all three of these strategies can help you adapt to a new school and a new style of work. While the transition from middle to high school can be rough, managing your time, having the right friends, and still having fun can make the transition easier and help you adjust.

What do you remember about your middle to high school transition? Was it easy or confusing?

The Shadow: Poetry Prompt

Hi! I wrote this short story from the prompt, “You wake up trapped in a strange castle with no memory of how you got there and there’s something lurking in the shadows as you explore the halls.”. I hope you enjoy!

There was a faint, dull throbbing in Emery’s head as she looked up to see stone, more stone than she’d ever seen in her life, elaborate windows, and a gorgeous, gorgeous view of rolling hills and green pastures. She sat up, pressing a hand to her forehead, adjusting the tiara (tiara?) that sat on her head, walking over to the window. The glass was cool to touch, foggy with condensation, and she resisted the urge to draw on it, to sit there and doodle and forget her senses and why she was there and really where she was.
She took a deep breath, walking over to the door, and pulling it open with a sense of finality. The hallway was deserted, completely silent. Emery’s gaze darted to the side, seeing a faint wisp of something, something dark, menacing, hiding in the corner, a shadow, really. It called to Emery, telling her to touch it, to let its cool, refreshing solitude wash over her. 
Emery blinked and the moment was gone, the voice of the shadow just a figment of her imagination. Maybe the whole castle is too. Maybe I’ll wake up in just 5 minutes and I’ll never see this place. Wouldn’t that be nice. She continued walking down the hallway, pausing as a stairway appeared in front of her, so sudden it was like it was enchanted. She risked a glance behind her, watching the shadows in the corner shrink and grow, pulsing towards her. She pushed down her growing sense of dread and continued up the staircase, counting the steps as she did, pushing open a small door at the top of the stairs to open up into a small room. One of the castle’s turrets, she would assume, a square one. 
The shadow was back.
It sat at the top of the stairs, as if waiting for Emery to turn around and notice it. Emery closed her eyes. On top of everything, this…creature (?) just had to be following her. As she turned around to examine the room, its voice spoke in her head once more, loud, bold, unafraid. I know you want to go home…Emery. Or Emmie. That’s what they call you isn’t it? And you hate it, but I bet you’d be ok with being called Emmie if it got you out of here. If it got you away from me.
Emery closed the book she was studying with a thud, letting the cover slam down on its antique, ink-ridden pages. She shook her head. She was imagining things, because shadows couldn’t talk, let alone talk in people’s heads, and this place must be making her dream. It must all be a dream and she would wake up and be normal and go to school and live her normal life and-
You know, it’s sweet how you have all these hopes and dreams. Most people that end up here don’t. And so, they end up being these unsatisfying hosts, but you. You’re different. Aren’t you, Emmie?
The shadow was almost on top of her. And then it was in her and then it was her and her thoughts and the shadow’s thoughts were just one and the same and there was no distinguishing, no real difference between the two.
The shadow wanted a host, after all. And it had gotten one.


January Top Reads

Here are my top reads for January!

  1. Aristotle and Dante Dive Into the Waters of the World by Benjamin Alire Sáenz
    This was a sequel to “Aristotle and Dante Discover the Secrets of the Universe” and I really enjoyed it! I loved the prose and the way that we got to see so much character development and love from Aristotle (Ari). It was such a sweet and beautifully written book and I really loved reading it!
  2. Castles in Their Bones by Laura Sebastian
    This book was amazing! Sophronia, Daphne, and Beatrix have been raised since birth to be the perfect queens. Not to rule, but to stop the rulers, bringing down the monarchies of each of their nations so that their mother can claim more land. I really enjoyed this book and each character!
  3. The Perfect Guy Doesn’t Exist by Sophie Gonzales
    I really enjoyed this book! It was wholly based on fanfiction, which I absolutely enjoyed. Ivy is looking forward to having the house for herself, but when she wakes up with her favorite character from her favorite tv show, everything spirals out of control. Suddenly, her fanfics start coming to life! I really enjoyed this book!
  4. They Both Die at the End by Adam Silvera
    Death-cast tells people when they’re going to die. And so, when Mateo and Rufus get the call, they know they have to live their last day perfectly. And so, as they find each other, they live out their last day together. This book was perfectly sweet and sad and I really enjoyed it!
  5. Zhara by S. Jae-Jones
    This was a really good book! I loved meeting Zhara and learning about who she is and what she would do for her loved ones. It was amazing to see her character development and how that bled into her becoming the strongest version of herself. I can’t wait to read the next book!

This month I read 15 books!

Misery- Our Winter Play

The set for Misery!

For the past month or so, my school’s theater program has been working on the winter play- Misery by Stephen King. While I wasn’t involved in the play- either tech or acting wise- I did go see it recently and I really enjoyed it!

Misery is a play about an author named Paul Sheldon, who is famous for his Misery series, and his “number 1 fan”, Annie Wilkes. As Paul is driving back to New York, a storm hits and he is luckily saved by Annie. However, as he recovers, he starts to see the true side of Annie-someone who is prone to dangerous mood swings and wants him to stay with her forever. The play ends with Paul eventually killing Annie to make it back to his life as an author. However, she keeps haunting him, telling him how she’s his “number 1 fan”.

I loved watching the play, especially with how well done the tech was, especially the set and lighting!

Darkness

This is a poem I wrote where, for the first line of each stanza, I used the second line of the previous one. I hope you like it!

It’s dark in here
There are no windows
No light, 
from the outside

There are no windows, 
no way to view
what’s been waiting
for me

No way to view
the truth
of the world
instead forced to accept

The truth-
the darkness isn’t 
that bad
you get used to it, or you don’t

the darkness isn’t 
your friend, but
it isn’t a monster either
it just lives, and lurks

and you learn to do so too