Week 1: Title Game Exercise

Ludicrous: Despite the time only being a few minutes past noon, the sky in the town of Little Creek was a smokey haze of purple with dark, stormy clouds spilling into the empty sky almost immediately. Marlene walked out of her small, quaint dwelling only to find herself in shock. Earlier in the morning nothing had seemed too out of the ordinary-- at least from what Marlene could've observed. "Well, there goes my afternoon..." Marlene sighed, the words she had just spoken out loud had been carried off in the rumbling winds. Only a few second after taking a few steps into her front yard Marlene came to a sudden realization. Where had the sun gone? Little Creek had its fair share of stormy weather but nothing compared to what Marlene was witnessing. She could only stand in astonishment and fear as the roaring winds began to pick at the grass and shrubbery. The sky only continued to darken.

Fade: Throughout the 50 years Luke had spent on Earth there was still one thing he couldn't quite figure out. He had analyzed how curious the human species was-- one day a person would be living a normal life and the next day that person would be completely gone. In that instance of an event where a human would disappear, Luke had observed that most of the times they were surrounded by loved ones. Those loved ones afterwards would not only make sure that person was remembered but that they were memorialized for what seemed to be forever. That only made Luke even more worried when he awoke alone in a hospital room. A needle connected to one of his veins, fluid ran through a tube and the needle into his bloodstream. Whatever was happening he wished to not experience it alone. What a pitiful existence I must have led here. Breathing felt more and more like a struggle that Luke felt he couldn't overcome. He laid alone in his hospital bed feeling himself slowly begin to fade away.

It is what it is: Kalyna hated Wednesdays. She hated how people would mockingly call it "hump day". She hated how nothing seemed to go good on Wednesday. In fact, the most hatred Kalyna ever felt was towards her most dreaded day of the week. Today was Wednesday and Kalyna once again waited to see what disappointment would await her. Like every morning, she struggled to climb out of the inviting warmth of her bed. After hitting the snooze button multiple times, Kalyna finally managed to escape her bed and rush into the rest of her morning routine. While waiting in front of the toaster for her bread to finish toasting to an almost burnt crisp (just the way Kalyna liked it), Niko, her older brother entered the kitchen. A goofy grin was slapped across his face. Kalyna focused her attention away from the toaster and towards her strange, eccentric brother. "What are you so happy about?" Kalyna resisted the urge to roll her eyes towards her brother's unusual morning energy.

"Y'know Kalyna," Niko paused hoping that the silence would add a dramatic effect, "Sometimes you just gotta recognize it is what it is."

Instead of rolling her eyes, Kalyna found herself raising her eyebrows.

Misleading Excitement: Summer was beginning to come to an end. While the leaves on the trees were most certainly not vibrant hues of reds, oranges, and yellows, Ari could tell her favorite season was coming to an end as the days grew shorter and nights longer. With that in mind, Ari knew that her most dreaded nightmare was coming-- the first day at a new high school. Before school started Ari decided to visit the local Community Park and enjoy the sun. She scrambled down the usual path that led out of her neighborhood and into the park. While she walked along the path she noticed a suspicious amount of kids following in the same direction. What could possibly be going on? Ari wondered. A young girl wearing a freshly pressed dress shirt and patched up overalls rushed up to Ari. The girl's sleek black pigtails bounced in either direction. "Aren't you excited? The 'Twilight Days of Summer' Festival has come to town!"

Only a few seconds later after Ari processed the young girl's statement did the excitement drain out of her and morph into a sense of fear.

How come? Every child has an inquisitive mind and Lee was no exception. He had wandered throughout his early years being able to take in every sight and sound and relate them to each other. Lee's parents would only ever watch him with careful observation and an open mind. Lately the had noticed how their toddler liked to start each question of his with the words "How come?" At first they thought this new musing of his was quirky and entertaining. Slowly though his questions became more and more exhausting. Lee was asking questions his parents had never even bothered to ask themselves. From the most mundane of topics like, "How come my jacket is red?" to almost defying personal levels like, "How come mommy sleeps in a separate room from you now?" Lee's parents at first could not understand where his questions were coming from until they started to feel like Lee was unconsciously throwing attacks at them. Whatever the case was, they needed him to stop, and they would begin to stifle his questions in whatever ways they could.

I'll meet you back at the ranch: After purposefully moving three states away from her home town, Charlotte realized maybe she had taken some drastic measures. Charlotte needed no convincing to move as far away as she did from her childhood home. Every day she had spent in the beaten up old farmhouse felt like a distant nightmare. Her parents had nitpicked and tore apart almost every piece of Charlotte's identity. By the time she had graduated high school Charlotte felt like there was no original part of her left. Every thought she had, every feeling she had, every friend she had, every experience she had was dictated by her parents. No doubt Charlotte's self esteem was shattered and she questioned any motive a person would have if they wanted to speak to her. So Charlotte took drastic measures to distance herself and her parents, unknowingly distancing herself from her younger siblings. By the time her father had passed away, Charlotte's stubbornness and fear of bringing up bad memories kept her away from attending the funeral. 

This time was different though. Charlotte's dear grandmother had passed away and she knew she would have to visit that lowly old farmhouse again to obtain the closure she sought. Stopping at the closest gas station outside of the town, Charlotte recognized a familiar face. There her younger sister, Shelly, stood waiting. Charlotte immediately knew who she was waiting for. A smirk crossed Shelly's face as Charlotte hopped out of her truck.

"Long time no see sis," Shelly called out to Charlotte, "You know what this means now right?"

Charlotte shook her head in confusion.

"I'll meet you back at the ranch," Shelly winked, abruptly turning her back against Charlotte, and headed towards her own car.