Surprise Snaps!

This is intended for all ages. Its purpose is to let the reader look into the mind of a person with low-self esteem, no matter how much confidence they display on the outside.




The food was scrumptious. If I wasn't otherwise indulged in my nice plate of food, I probably would've noticed my boyfriend, Jeff, sneak off to snap a photo of me. He knows I hate photos! Although it is really ironic, since he's a photographer and loves taking pictures, and I'm dating him.

If I knew he was going to whip out his camera and snap, like, fifty shots of me just in this carnival alone, I wouldn't have worn my bandanna... scratch that, I'm thankful I did. My hair is a mess today.

Ha! Jeff just showed me the picture he took. An old lady got caught it in, and her facial expression is hilarious! I can see her walking away now, shaking her head and muttering about "youngsters".

Granny, you ain't seen nothin' yet.

I love how the lights of the merry-go-round turned out, though. Jeff would've complained about all the other people in the photo. "They're taking away from your beauty." Ha! What beauty? He's constantly asking me to model for him, but there's not way I'm doing that. Pictures just aren't my thing.

Maybe he could ask that granny to model for him?

...

I can't believe I just thought that. Gross!

Two Peas In A Pod

This is intended for everyone who has lost touch with someone very special to them. It is intended to show that no matter how long ago you were separated, you will always reunite with them, whether in this life or in the next.




Green. That's what I'm wearing. A green pea suit. Normally, I wouldn't mind this too much. I mean, mommy has made me wear stranger things than a green pea suit, but did she have to put me on the floor too? Woman, I can't move in this thing! How am I supposed to crawl around and stuff everything into my mouth if I can't explore this cool new place you took me to? I can already see three... no four things I want to look at! Okay maybe not look... what I really want to do is taste it and see if it's edible, but that's beside the point!

But seriously mommy, did you have to put me on the ground where I can look at nothing except the sky? And more than that, stuff me in a green pea suit? Haven't you ever heard the expression, "two peas in a pod"? It's kind of cruel to put me in a suit like this, and make me stare up into the sky where I know my twin sister is looking down at me. Sure, she died in your womb and left me all alone, and you probably thought I wouldn't know any better, but I do. I spent my first six months of life cuddled up to her, only to have her leave me just like that. I wonder if you know how that feels.

Granted, once I get a couple more years on me, I'll have forgotten about her completely; in my conscious mind anyways. I'll go on living a happy, fruitful life; one that's fun enough for the both of us. And then I'll die, and I'll see her again. She'll be really pretty, like I know she'll be 'cause she's my sister. And she'll have big white wings, and teach me how to use mine, and together we'll fly all over the world and catch up on old times.

Like two peas in a pod. ('Cause that's what we were.)

Big Enough For The Both Of Us

This is intended for everyone who has a better older or younger sibling. It is to show that even though you might feel like this (consciously or not), if you start saying "I will" instead of "I can" or "I might", you'll get to stand on that platform too.




He was standing at the top of the cliff, looking up at the serene blue sky as a tranquil smile spread over his face.

It was always like this. He would stand ahead of me - above me, and leave nothing except the dust swirling around my legs. But he's my older brother, of course he would be better than me in every way. I've come to accept that, bearing the name of "younger brother". Already, it has become the norm for me to hear how much better he is compared to me, how I should be as successful as he is or as great and moral. By now, nearing my thirties, I should have gotten over it, right?

So why do I still feel like throttling his neck every time I realize how much better he is?

I shouldn't feel this way; I know I shouldn't. Kaine has been nothing but the best to me, treating me as his equal no matter anything anyone else says otherwise. But maybe that's the reason I feel like this. Maybe if Kaine treated me like dirt, kept telling me how much more superior he was to me, maybe I could be able to get past it. Because I would know he wasn't that great if he acted like an egotistical idiot.

Maybe. But the fact of the matter is he doesn't act like that. He's like the perfect son, the perfect boss, the perfect husband, the perfect father, the perfect brother. And here I stand, just below him on these rocky cliffs looking up and wondering when I would be able to stand beside him instead of behind him. That is... if I could even do that at all.

The platform he was standing on looked like it was only for one person. It was like the universe telling me it was my fate to follow behind Kaine for the rest of my life... but I don't want that, and I'm positive Kaine wouldn't want that either.

So I don't care what it takes. Platform... you will be big enough for the both of us!

A Bookcase Of Ideas

This is intended for anyone who enjoys to write stories like I do, and who would like to get a book published. Its purpose is to influence people to start writing more, whether it be stories or something else, especially if you're serious about it.




March 12th, 2009. Delphia Richardson sat in her room at the desk of her computer, contemplating when she suddenly jumped up and shouted, "Aha!" only to sit back down and furiously write in a small green book.

According to friends, this is a normal occurrence for the sixteen-year old girl. It simply means she has come up with a brilliant idea from out of nowhere, hence why she is writing it down.

"Delpi forgets stuff a lot. That's why she writes everything down; so she doesn't forget." Says Delphia's friend, Kaya Yumen. After further questioning, Kaya reveals that Delphia "probably has an entire bookcase of her thoughts." Upon entering Delphia's room, there was a small bookcase pushed up against the far wall, but has not been inspected thoroughly to determine whether they really are just notebooks of ideas.

"I like doing a lot of my actual writing on the computer. When I get enough money, I'm going to go out and buy a tiny notebook laptop just for me. One that can fit inside my purse and that I can carry around everywhere." Delphia states, beaming as she imagines some of the notebook laptops she'd like to purchase.

Mrs. Richardson was interviewed about her daughter's obsessive habit of story writing. She replied, "Oh Deli's been writing for about five years now. Mainly lots of reading and a little writing in between, but lately she's gotten so into it. Her dream is to publish a book, and now she's sprinting as fast as she can to reach that dream."

Big dreams for a young girl. Will she gain fame, much like Stephanie Meyer and J.K. Rowling, or will she sink and drown? It's too soon to tell, but Delphia does have this to say to aspiring author's much like herself.

"Practice makes perfect!"

The Easy Way Out

This is intended for everyone who texts using their cell phones, especially those who break up with their girlfriend/boyfriend using text messages. Its purpose is to show that humanity is starting to take the easier way out, and that might not be a good thing.




Wenonah Milan was seen typing away at her cell phone after school hours on Wednesday 11th, March 2009. Her thumbs were merely a blur as they shot this way and that, devising a long text that was soon to be mailed to a friend of hers.

"I could go faster than this." Wenonah comments, her eyes still trained to her phone but flickering back and forth between the bright screen of her cell and the reporter. "But I only ever do that when it's a really important text." When asked about what would classify as "an important text", Wenonah replies it would be something along the lines of really exciting news, or vice versa.

Cell phones are a very recent invention, and were originally created as portable telephones. But technology has advanced so much, and these tiny devices are now able to not only dial and receive calls, but also exchange "text messages" back and forth at an alarmingly fast rate. Teenagers have now taken to "texting" instead of simply dialing a phone number.

"It's a lot easier to text when it comes to devastating news." Psychologist Artemis Troy states in an interview. "The person would not have obstacles preventing him or her from delivering the news besides the reaction of the person receiving the news, as it is simply a cluster of letters and a simple 'send' button."

Many teenagers have now taken to "breaking up" with their significant others over text messages, and often the victims are female in gender. When asking an interviewee about breaking up over a text message, they had this to say:

"It's cowardly." Accompanying this is a shrug of the shoulders from Nilda Otto. "But unfortunately that's where our society is headed. Instead of facing our fears head on, we fall into the role of coward and send a letter. And it isn't restricted to text messaging. Everything else applies."

Is Ms. Otto right? Is humankind heading to a path of cowardice? The outcome is skeptical, but the future is not that far away.

An (Almost) Ignored Deadline

This is intended for everyone who procrastinates until the last minute on anything. Its purpose is to show them that putting things off isn't a good choice, and can lead to lots of stress.




After school, furiously typing away at her computer on a Tuesday night is Finella Reint. She is finishing up a project for school that she has neglected to do only a few days before it is due.

After asking the anxious girl why she has bothered to procrastinate, Finella answers, "I was lazy and didn't want to work. But that's kind of backfired on me now." She accompanies this with a sheepish laugh, going back to editing her project before she prints it out.

When asking Finella's mother, Mrs. Reint, what she thinks of her daughters procrastination, she replies, "I hope it teaches her to plan things out and actually do what she has been assigned to do." At hearing this, Finella embarrassingly slams her head on the kitchen table and covers her head with her hands. She then vows to her mother that something like that will not happen again... at least not on major projects.

An interview with her brother, Scott Reint, says otherwise. "She'll do it again, and when she does she'll be stressing majorly. I hate that, because then she gets cranky and it gets on my nerves, and pretty soon the entire family won't talk to each other until it blows over."

But as Finella's teacher recieves her completed project the next day, the two can be nothing but smiles.

Dolling Up And Dressing Down - What's The Difference?

This is intended for all students in East York. Its purpose is to show that we obsess too much about hating the uniform when it is simply another pebble in the path called life.




Right after school at around 3:30 on Monday, March the 9th, 2009, Scarlett Roy was seen standing in front of her closet, tirelessly sifting through clothing as she stood in her frumpy East York uniform.

"Lettie hates her uniform," says Scarlett's mother, Mrs. Gwen Roy. "Everyday after I pick her up from school, she goes straight to her room and looks through her piles of clothing until she finds an outfit she likes and changes into it."

Mrs. Roy also describes how her young daughter will take hours in front of the white sliding doors of her closet putting things on and throwing them off after realizing they "didn't go". It wouldn't be long until shirt after shirt littered the floor, covering the nice blue carpet Mrs. Roy has just vacuumed.

"I swear she goes through at least five shirts before she finally decides on one, only to change it once she realizes the bottoms she wants to wear with it don't match." Scarlett's older brother, Donal Roy, states. "It's a good thing she's a neat freak, or else it'll look like a bomb went off in her closet."

To that, Scarlett Roy sends her brother a withering glare before going back to straightening the shirt she has just put on. The remains of her school uniform have been thrown haphazardly into the laundry basket where they will remain until the next morning.

When asked about why she goes through such a tiring routine day after school day, Scarlett replies, "I dress so sloppily in school that when I get home, I need to feel pretty again. So I always try my best to dress nice once I don't have to wear my uniform anymore. It's like... a release, y'know?"

For many of the therapists in the city of Toronto, whatever keeps you out of their office is a win-win situation.

Red String

This is intended for all ages. It is to show that even though something might not happen to you in this life, it will eventually happen in one of your next lives.



Red String

Under a tree at dawn,
Under the willowy branches
They sit and talk,
Their feathers dancing.

Sweet nothings whispered to and fro;
The melodious calls of the ivory doves.
Cocooned in the warm wool blanket;
Heads nestled in the wings of the other.

A scandalous love affair, forbidden by many;
The sweet coupling of the doves, happy and merry.
Arms torn from the other, voices shouting all night;
Soft coos as the watchers observed the sweet sight.

Separated and never to be seen again;
Joined and always in the others sight.
A love exchanged with aching hearts and souls;
A love fluttering with glistening feathers.

No matter the distance,
No matter the obstacles.
Be it humans,
Be it birds.

We are bound to always meet again,
By the red string that ties our souls.

To See And Not See

This is intended for all ages. Its purpose is to show that even though blind people can't "see" like us, they can still see in their own way. Its other purpose is also to show that though you might lose something, you will always gain something else.




To See And Not See

I see, yet I don't.

I see the rippling cold ocean lapping at my feet,
I see the call of the seagulls above.
Yet I don't see the orange glow of the sunset,
I don't see the pinkish colours splaying across the sky.

I don't see, yet I do.

I don't see the smiles or hand gestures,
I don't see the beautiful clothes.
Yet I see the chatter and laughter,
I see the beauty of the soul.

Yes, I do see.

I see the whispers of the strangers who pity me,
I see the guiding hands that lead me across the street.
I see the teacher's never-ending lecture,
I see the braille on the sheet.

But I also don't see.

I don't see the pitied looks of the crowd,
I don't see the cars that speed down the road.
I don't see the chalk and the blackboard,
I don't see the letters on the page.

But you can see, and also can't.

You can see every twitch, every smile, every gesture;
You can see all the stylish garments and bright colours.
But you can't see past the dazzling physique,
You can't see the heart that lies within.

So don't sympathize with me,
Don't commiserate.
Just as you have the gift of sight,
I have the gift of it as well.

Because I see, yet I don't.

Just One Moment

This is intended for teenagers and maybe even young adults. Its purpose is to influence them to spend more time with their parents, or do something nice for them because while the child will never think much of it, it will mean the world to his or her parent.




Just One Moment

Crunch, crunch, crunch,
Is how the leaves go
Swish, swish, swish,
Is how the river flows.

Join my journey to the top of the cliffs
And see wonders rightfully called the great God's gifts.

Up, up, up the mountain we go,
'Til we stand at the edge of the breathtaking world.

Pause dear child, in your celeritous goodbye,
And gaze out into the blue, blue sky.
Feel the whispers of wind on your cheeks;
Let the bird's call lull you to sleep.

Haste makes waste, babe of my belly;
Lie down and look up,
To heaven without the telly.

Share with me this one moment in time,
So that forever it will be engraved in my mind.

A Dream Within A Dream

This is intended for people no younger than a teenager. Its purpose is to show that sometimes your dreams will not come true. That some things are not meant to be.




A Dream Within A Dream

It shines like a beacon of light,
Glows as a tiny star.
Never gives up the fight,
And sets the difficulty at 'hard'.

The chase is its life,
Its love,
Its blood.
But it scorns the dull,
Weak, and
Void life afterwards.

So on and on it runs, always out of reach.
Baiting,
Taunting,
Tempting,
The ever foolish me.

"Come back, come back!" to the star I would cry.
"Catch me, catch me!" it would always reply.
It twinkled and sparkled, and even slowed down,
And for a second my hopes would rise again.

The star would get brighter,
And brighter,
And brighter!
Until I could feel the burning heat,
Like a lighter.

But then the warmth would disappear;
The star would zoom out of sight,
And I would left standing with no more light.

Then shadowed faces would appear,
Each with a sinister smile.
Voices would begin to speak,
Until I felt in my throat the rising of bile

"There's nothing to fear."
They would tell me,
"Just keep going!"
But now I know better,
I know the story.

People would tell me to reach for the stars,
Shout, "Persevere, persevere!"
Except they decide not to mention,
That none of it is real.

I wake in my bed, hair plastered to my skin,
Shakily clutching the covers in panic.
Dreams are just dreams,
And reality is just reality.
And so the star gleams,
With a daunting finality.