Maybe it’s all an illusion. Maybe I’m not really in this house. Maybe I’m in paradise. Maybe this is all a dream, a long dream that I will wake up crying cause it’s over. Maybe I’m still sleeping on the road. Maybe I’m dying. This is all too good to be true. This is all going on too fast. Life’s train is running at the speed of light. I can’t stop this train. I can’t make it go my way. I feel so hopeless.
Should I have started this journey? Maybe I should have just stayed where I was in the beginning. Maybe I should have just stayed at that lonely point. Maybe...
2.2.09
28.12.08
of exams (part 13)
John stared at the ceiling from his bed. His lips and hands were trembling.
“Did I actually do something wrong? Were they mad at me?”
John bit his lip and got up. He looked out at the window. It was all dark. Owls were hooting and werewolves were howling from afar. The moon was barely visible and the night sky was robbed of its stars. John thought back of his first night here. The night he slept on the road against the cold hard walls. He remembered vividly the coldness that ran through his spine, causing him to shiver in his tattered shirt. He reminisced the thoughts that went through his mind as he laid down on the ground. He thought it was all over, that he wouldn’t be accepted into the house, and probably have died on the streets and have an unmarked grave. He thought he would be reunited with his parents up in the sky. Crystal droplets uncontrollably rolled down his cheek. He just stared and stared at the scenery outside his window. The wind was blowing quite strong and leaves were flying all over.
John slid open his window and closed his eyes to enjoy the chilly breeze. The wind blew against his face and dried the tears. He smiled as he heard the sounds that rang all over. The chatter of the maids in the room next door, the sound of the leaves and branches as they were blown by the wind, the howling and hooting, the crickets chirp, the sound of peace and tranquillity. He whistled a tune and his face was beaming with happiness.
“Did I actually do something wrong? Were they mad at me?”
John bit his lip and got up. He looked out at the window. It was all dark. Owls were hooting and werewolves were howling from afar. The moon was barely visible and the night sky was robbed of its stars. John thought back of his first night here. The night he slept on the road against the cold hard walls. He remembered vividly the coldness that ran through his spine, causing him to shiver in his tattered shirt. He reminisced the thoughts that went through his mind as he laid down on the ground. He thought it was all over, that he wouldn’t be accepted into the house, and probably have died on the streets and have an unmarked grave. He thought he would be reunited with his parents up in the sky. Crystal droplets uncontrollably rolled down his cheek. He just stared and stared at the scenery outside his window. The wind was blowing quite strong and leaves were flying all over.
John slid open his window and closed his eyes to enjoy the chilly breeze. The wind blew against his face and dried the tears. He smiled as he heard the sounds that rang all over. The chatter of the maids in the room next door, the sound of the leaves and branches as they were blown by the wind, the howling and hooting, the crickets chirp, the sound of peace and tranquillity. He whistled a tune and his face was beaming with happiness.
12.12.08
of exams (part 12)
By the time John stopped crying, it was already nightfall. It was dinner time. Alfred called out to him, and John rushed to the dining table for a drink. He had cried too much. His throat felt dry and his eyes were swollen. His shirt was still slightly wet and slimy after he wiped his tears and mucus on it.
“Go change, young master,” said Alfred. “It’s not good to be presented at dinner that way.”
The whole family sat at the table for the first time together. Mrs. Colby was finally well enough to come down from her room.
“Weird. I thought I heard someone on the keys just now while you were away, Frank. It was beautiful. I think I felt better after listening to it. Were you around just now?”
“No. Was at work the whole day.”
“Hmmm. But certainly no one else plays it.”
“I agree. This is weird.” Mr. Colby went, nodding his head slowly in deep thought. "Alfred..."
"Yes, master?"
“Were you, by any chance, on the piano?”
“No sir, not I.”
“Okay, I was just wondering. Go on and do your work.”
“Yes master.”
At the mention of the word piano, John lowered his head and started to stuff food into his mouth faster. His heart rate increased and he grew more and more excited. His hands trembled, wondering what would happen to him if it was discovered that he had touched the piano without permission. Would he be punished? Thrown out of the house? He dropped his knife on the floor as his shaking hands could hold it no longer. Mr. and Mrs. Colby continued eating their meal silently as John reached down to grab his knife. Anna immediately went to help him clean the mess.
He finished his dinner with haste and took big strides to his room. He immediately made a decision to never step into the piano room again. Never.
“Go change, young master,” said Alfred. “It’s not good to be presented at dinner that way.”
The whole family sat at the table for the first time together. Mrs. Colby was finally well enough to come down from her room.
“Weird. I thought I heard someone on the keys just now while you were away, Frank. It was beautiful. I think I felt better after listening to it. Were you around just now?”
“No. Was at work the whole day.”
“Hmmm. But certainly no one else plays it.”
“I agree. This is weird.” Mr. Colby went, nodding his head slowly in deep thought. "Alfred..."
"Yes, master?"
“Were you, by any chance, on the piano?”
“No sir, not I.”
“Okay, I was just wondering. Go on and do your work.”
“Yes master.”
At the mention of the word piano, John lowered his head and started to stuff food into his mouth faster. His heart rate increased and he grew more and more excited. His hands trembled, wondering what would happen to him if it was discovered that he had touched the piano without permission. Would he be punished? Thrown out of the house? He dropped his knife on the floor as his shaking hands could hold it no longer. Mr. and Mrs. Colby continued eating their meal silently as John reached down to grab his knife. Anna immediately went to help him clean the mess.
He finished his dinner with haste and took big strides to his room. He immediately made a decision to never step into the piano room again. Never.
9.12.08
of exams
this story was actually written during my mid year exam and the exam question was one word - music. thus the birth of the story of john.
due to popular demand, (okay, maybe not. but somewhere along those lines.) i'll try to come up with something and hopefully wrap up the story. now that spm is over, i'll have time to think of something. my advice, don't hold your breath.
part one
part two
part three
part four
part five
part six
part seven
part eight
part nine
part ten
part eleven
due to popular demand, (okay, maybe not. but somewhere along those lines.) i'll try to come up with something and hopefully wrap up the story. now that spm is over, i'll have time to think of something. my advice, don't hold your breath.
part one
part two
part three
part four
part five
part six
part seven
part eight
part nine
part ten
part eleven
13.10.08
of trials
Task: complete your essay with the ending "...we hugged each other and cried tears of joy."
Note: A combination of elements from a lot of other stuff, like games, movies, stories, manga etc. If you can list them all down, you’re good.
A.D. 3875. September 15. I crawled along the cylindrical tube that was my prison cell. It was made of reinforced glass, and suspended over the “Earth”. Earth. Hah. It was no longer the earth that humans 1000 years ago knew. It was now an artificial life-sustaining ring that surrounded the Earth. The Earth was now but a wasteland for us. A junkyard. We humans have departed to the Zoë Ring. Zoe – the Greek word for life. Yes. That was the life-sustaining ring. That was where we lived on.
Two round panes limited my cell to a length of fifteen feet. It had a diameter of six feet only. We could barely stand straight in it. I crawled to one end of it. I could see my inmate. She was beautiful, gorgeous, amazing, and breath-taking. She had the most amazing hazel eyes, and flowing brown hair with patches of blackness. I could sense a bond with her. Every now and then, we reached towards each other and tried to touch each other’s hand. It was as though I saw her somewhere. Maybe in my past life. Unfortunately, we could only touch the pane that was set before us. Crystal clear glass, as though it wasn’t there. But it was, and it was thick. Sigh...
I looked to the other side. It was an empty cell. Not too long ago, a guy from the Secha Clan inhabited it. He was taken away just yesterday, cruelly executed by The Executor. Will my time come?
The Executor was a coliseum-like arena where the superior Tiha Clan children choose the death of a random prisoner. It had been there for a thousand years, and had eclipsed the likes of the Soccer World Cup or the Olympics in terms of popularity. Everyone related to the Tiha Clan watched The Executor live as prisoners were executed by the Tiha Clan children. The Freedom Clans watched too, and had no sympathy for us, the prisoners. There were no rules to how the prisoner would die, and the way the kill was carried out was only limited by the creativity of the Tiha Clan children. Some died being skinned alive then flushed down a gigantic toilet bowl that contained hydrochloric acid, others by a Venus fly-trap-like device that sent spikes piercing your entire body that was frozen apart from your head. You could imagine how much painful it was for us, members of the other clans that were categorized under “The Outlaw Clans”. Did we die because we stole? Or was it because we murdered? Were we liars, rapists, or thieves? Were we parents, children, priests or farmers? Or was it just because we were born of a different clan blood?
I was dumb from birth. The priests of the Zecha ziggurat prophesied that my tongue would bring disaster upon the Zecha clan, thus they cut it out from me the very moment I was born. That was all I knew about me. I woke up a few years later, with a tube connected to my head, and clueless about my past, only knowing that incident and that I was of the Zecha Clan because of the tattoo on my arm. They took me, disconnected the tube, and locked me up in my current cell, after physically torturing me. Every day, I was fed a blue pill, and a glass of Zliquid. It was all that was needed to survive in the Zoë Ring.
One day, a guard dropped something behind after serving me my meal. It was a bag of orange pills. ‘Must be their soldier pills’, I thought to myself. The Gods must be smiling upon me. Each day I ate one, and I grew stronger and my muscles expanded. Having nothing to do in the cell, I planned my escape with my new-found strength as my secret weapon. It was today. The moment they open the doors to feed me, I would take their pod and make my escape. That moment came right on the dot, just as I’ve planned...
As the guards smoked the chambers, I held my breath. Then *click*, my cell door opened. I barged my way out, knocking the guard out cold. The pod only had a pilot who was clueless about his fate. I snapped his neck and took off. It was relatively easy to manoeuvre as it used brain signals to fly. I took up an ion blaster from the dead pilot and made my way to the Tihakunoziggurat. It was their palace, their fortress, their stronghold and their pride, and I was determined to destroy it, together with their emperor. He is the reason why we’re suffering, and the guy who stepped on my mother’s skull that led to her death. Her poor head collapsed under his weight, and he walked off with no remorse. Wang Feroh, leader of the Tiha Clan and the ruler of the Zoë Ring.
I rode my way to it using their flight-pod. No one suspected anything as I was flying under their colours. The people were at the Executor, I bet. The palace was empty, the guards were missing. I took out a bomb from the pod and initiated it. The pod took off again. I hoped the foundation would crack under that bomb. It was placed strategically. Right where it hurt most.
30 seconds later, Tihakunoziggurat was dust. The world was in chaos. Tiha Clan warriors were in saiyan mode and searched the skies for me. They had idea of what they were chasing after, but they chased anyway. I joined them using my flight-pod, and they failed to realise that I was not one of them. A message flashed on the hologram transmitter. The Tiha Emperor, Wang Feroh, is believed to be slain in the bomb blast. I thought I would be happy, as I got my revenge, but that was not the case. I was not happy at all. I was angry, confused, and most of all, I was lost. The Tiha Warriors’ pods had disappeared, and I was on my own. The pod continued to fly, even though I did not give it any specific orders.
I found myself flying back to prison. Why? Maybe my heart was still thinking of that girl. Was it possible to save her? I allowed my heart to take over as I fell asleep on board. Moments later, I was awaken by a crash. I had crash-landed on the prison grounds. I quickly ran towards my old cell. Suddenly, I heard this voice boom out loud.
“Intruder alert! Intruder alert! Initiating bomb sequence in two minutes!”
The prison cell would be completed disintegrated in moments! I ran to my old cell and went to the next one. Empty! My heart pounded as the timer continued to countdown. Was she dead? Was she alive? Was she just an illusion? Or was she the latest Executor victim? Thoughts were all over my head. I was anxious to see her, to make sure she was safe.
The timer stated that there was only 22 seconds left. I ran and ran. I turned around a corner, and collided with someone else. It was a squeal that I heard, the squeal of a female. It couldn’t be any of the guards as they were all males. I was stunned.
“Nine...Eight...Seven...”
It was her! The angel in the cell next to me! I quickly got to her, we hugged each other and cried tears of joy.
(1247 words)
Note: A combination of elements from a lot of other stuff, like games, movies, stories, manga etc. If you can list them all down, you’re good.
A.D. 3875. September 15. I crawled along the cylindrical tube that was my prison cell. It was made of reinforced glass, and suspended over the “Earth”. Earth. Hah. It was no longer the earth that humans 1000 years ago knew. It was now an artificial life-sustaining ring that surrounded the Earth. The Earth was now but a wasteland for us. A junkyard. We humans have departed to the Zoë Ring. Zoe – the Greek word for life. Yes. That was the life-sustaining ring. That was where we lived on.
Two round panes limited my cell to a length of fifteen feet. It had a diameter of six feet only. We could barely stand straight in it. I crawled to one end of it. I could see my inmate. She was beautiful, gorgeous, amazing, and breath-taking. She had the most amazing hazel eyes, and flowing brown hair with patches of blackness. I could sense a bond with her. Every now and then, we reached towards each other and tried to touch each other’s hand. It was as though I saw her somewhere. Maybe in my past life. Unfortunately, we could only touch the pane that was set before us. Crystal clear glass, as though it wasn’t there. But it was, and it was thick. Sigh...
I looked to the other side. It was an empty cell. Not too long ago, a guy from the Secha Clan inhabited it. He was taken away just yesterday, cruelly executed by The Executor. Will my time come?
The Executor was a coliseum-like arena where the superior Tiha Clan children choose the death of a random prisoner. It had been there for a thousand years, and had eclipsed the likes of the Soccer World Cup or the Olympics in terms of popularity. Everyone related to the Tiha Clan watched The Executor live as prisoners were executed by the Tiha Clan children. The Freedom Clans watched too, and had no sympathy for us, the prisoners. There were no rules to how the prisoner would die, and the way the kill was carried out was only limited by the creativity of the Tiha Clan children. Some died being skinned alive then flushed down a gigantic toilet bowl that contained hydrochloric acid, others by a Venus fly-trap-like device that sent spikes piercing your entire body that was frozen apart from your head. You could imagine how much painful it was for us, members of the other clans that were categorized under “The Outlaw Clans”. Did we die because we stole? Or was it because we murdered? Were we liars, rapists, or thieves? Were we parents, children, priests or farmers? Or was it just because we were born of a different clan blood?
I was dumb from birth. The priests of the Zecha ziggurat prophesied that my tongue would bring disaster upon the Zecha clan, thus they cut it out from me the very moment I was born. That was all I knew about me. I woke up a few years later, with a tube connected to my head, and clueless about my past, only knowing that incident and that I was of the Zecha Clan because of the tattoo on my arm. They took me, disconnected the tube, and locked me up in my current cell, after physically torturing me. Every day, I was fed a blue pill, and a glass of Zliquid. It was all that was needed to survive in the Zoë Ring.
One day, a guard dropped something behind after serving me my meal. It was a bag of orange pills. ‘Must be their soldier pills’, I thought to myself. The Gods must be smiling upon me. Each day I ate one, and I grew stronger and my muscles expanded. Having nothing to do in the cell, I planned my escape with my new-found strength as my secret weapon. It was today. The moment they open the doors to feed me, I would take their pod and make my escape. That moment came right on the dot, just as I’ve planned...
As the guards smoked the chambers, I held my breath. Then *click*, my cell door opened. I barged my way out, knocking the guard out cold. The pod only had a pilot who was clueless about his fate. I snapped his neck and took off. It was relatively easy to manoeuvre as it used brain signals to fly. I took up an ion blaster from the dead pilot and made my way to the Tihakunoziggurat. It was their palace, their fortress, their stronghold and their pride, and I was determined to destroy it, together with their emperor. He is the reason why we’re suffering, and the guy who stepped on my mother’s skull that led to her death. Her poor head collapsed under his weight, and he walked off with no remorse. Wang Feroh, leader of the Tiha Clan and the ruler of the Zoë Ring.
I rode my way to it using their flight-pod. No one suspected anything as I was flying under their colours. The people were at the Executor, I bet. The palace was empty, the guards were missing. I took out a bomb from the pod and initiated it. The pod took off again. I hoped the foundation would crack under that bomb. It was placed strategically. Right where it hurt most.
30 seconds later, Tihakunoziggurat was dust. The world was in chaos. Tiha Clan warriors were in saiyan mode and searched the skies for me. They had idea of what they were chasing after, but they chased anyway. I joined them using my flight-pod, and they failed to realise that I was not one of them. A message flashed on the hologram transmitter. The Tiha Emperor, Wang Feroh, is believed to be slain in the bomb blast. I thought I would be happy, as I got my revenge, but that was not the case. I was not happy at all. I was angry, confused, and most of all, I was lost. The Tiha Warriors’ pods had disappeared, and I was on my own. The pod continued to fly, even though I did not give it any specific orders.
I found myself flying back to prison. Why? Maybe my heart was still thinking of that girl. Was it possible to save her? I allowed my heart to take over as I fell asleep on board. Moments later, I was awaken by a crash. I had crash-landed on the prison grounds. I quickly ran towards my old cell. Suddenly, I heard this voice boom out loud.
“Intruder alert! Intruder alert! Initiating bomb sequence in two minutes!”
The prison cell would be completed disintegrated in moments! I ran to my old cell and went to the next one. Empty! My heart pounded as the timer continued to countdown. Was she dead? Was she alive? Was she just an illusion? Or was she the latest Executor victim? Thoughts were all over my head. I was anxious to see her, to make sure she was safe.
The timer stated that there was only 22 seconds left. I ran and ran. I turned around a corner, and collided with someone else. It was a squeal that I heard, the squeal of a female. It couldn’t be any of the guards as they were all males. I was stunned.
“Nine...Eight...Seven...”
It was her! The angel in the cell next to me! I quickly got to her, we hugged each other and cried tears of joy.
(1247 words)
6.9.08
of exams (part 11)
Alfred
Master John is a poor chap. He is barely 12 I guess, yet he’s been through so much. Doubt I’d survive a day like that. Yet he has done it his whole life. I regret the day I first saw him and shouted at him. But, who can blame me? It was late, and I was tired. Who isn’t grumpy when they’re tired?
Weird. I woke up for dinner that night. I could sense heaviness in the air. I wondered what was going on. Looking out the window, the sun had already set, and the night had been cloaked with darkness. It was a full moon night, but the clouds in the sky hid parts of it. The stars never fail to amaze me. The whole process of it being formed and shining light over here is just crazy. I smiled at the heavens, knowing full well there is omnipotent being up there watching out for me. Then I sensed that heaviness in the air again. The smile faded and deep thoughts filled my mind. There was a weird feel, as though there was some mysterious melody floating in the chilly night air. It was distinct, yet inaudible. I couldn’t describe it.
I washed my face, and readied myself for dinner. Nothing beats the “good ol’ Janet dinner”. I walked down those familiar steps and sat at the long table. I sat at the head. I have always fancied myself to be a knight, sitting at King Arthur’s round table. That would be the best experience one could have. Food was already served, and Janet, Anna and Master John were already having their meal. It seemed different. I know what’s wrong. Janet is too quiet. She has never stopped talking since the day she stepped in this house. And today, today she was just sitting quietly. There must be something wrong. I looked at her eyes. It was all red and swollen. She looked tired and worn out. She looked like she had just cried. No, that’s not right. She isn’t being the happy, jolly Janet I have always known. I looked at Master John. He had been crying too. No. That’s not right. Has the Ma’am departed? I opened my mouth, but no words came out. I quickly closed it back and finished my meal.
Master John is a poor chap. He is barely 12 I guess, yet he’s been through so much. Doubt I’d survive a day like that. Yet he has done it his whole life. I regret the day I first saw him and shouted at him. But, who can blame me? It was late, and I was tired. Who isn’t grumpy when they’re tired?
Weird. I woke up for dinner that night. I could sense heaviness in the air. I wondered what was going on. Looking out the window, the sun had already set, and the night had been cloaked with darkness. It was a full moon night, but the clouds in the sky hid parts of it. The stars never fail to amaze me. The whole process of it being formed and shining light over here is just crazy. I smiled at the heavens, knowing full well there is omnipotent being up there watching out for me. Then I sensed that heaviness in the air again. The smile faded and deep thoughts filled my mind. There was a weird feel, as though there was some mysterious melody floating in the chilly night air. It was distinct, yet inaudible. I couldn’t describe it.
I washed my face, and readied myself for dinner. Nothing beats the “good ol’ Janet dinner”. I walked down those familiar steps and sat at the long table. I sat at the head. I have always fancied myself to be a knight, sitting at King Arthur’s round table. That would be the best experience one could have. Food was already served, and Janet, Anna and Master John were already having their meal. It seemed different. I know what’s wrong. Janet is too quiet. She has never stopped talking since the day she stepped in this house. And today, today she was just sitting quietly. There must be something wrong. I looked at her eyes. It was all red and swollen. She looked tired and worn out. She looked like she had just cried. No, that’s not right. She isn’t being the happy, jolly Janet I have always known. I looked at Master John. He had been crying too. No. That’s not right. Has the Ma’am departed? I opened my mouth, but no words came out. I quickly closed it back and finished my meal.