Akmos and Pharaoh's Dagger

   It was a cold and windy night; in the palace were cries of a newborn, Akmos. Surrounding him was his father, mother and older brother, Kamos. Akmos and Kamos were sons of the king of Thebes. Kamos was ten years older than Akmos and was excited to have a new baby brother. The night was still young, but a darkness was upon them. Egypt was invaded with foreigners who threatened to take over all of Egypt. Their northern enemy was Hyksos and their southern enemy was Nubia.  
   The next day the king began to prepare for a war to keep his family safe. He was tired of how low his kingdom had fallen. He was in his room putting on his armor when his wife walked in with their newborn. She rocked Akmos back and forth in her arms. "Dear what are you doing?" she asked him while looking at Akmos. The king signaled his servants to stop and turned to face his wife, "I am preparing to defend my kingdom. My sons will not be raised in a kingdom that is invaded by these intruders." His wife sat down and took a deep breath. "Can't you send someone else?" she asked. The king signaled his servants to come back. "And where is the honor in that? A war without its king is for cowards," yelled the king with a straight face. Just after, Kamos walked in with a wooden dagger. "What's this boy?" asked the king as he took the wooden dagger away. "I am going with you, into battle," replied Kamos as he tried to take back his dagger. The king pulled out a real dagger from his waist and handed it to Kamos. " I need you to fight a different battle, one that is most important. Kamos, your mission is to stay behind and protect your mother and brother." The king hugged his sons and wife right before he left.
   A week later the royal guards returned and from far away Kamos noticed the chariot  He was running back from the fields to greet his father home. With his father's dagger held tight in his hands he rushed back, but was stopped by his mother's cries. She was kneeling on the ground while one of her servants was trying to help her back up. He slowly walk toward his mother and the guards. "Where is father?" asked Kamos. "Your father was murdered," replied a guard. Kamos dropped the dagger. He looked down to pick it up. As he lifted his father's dagger, his last words came to mind. He walk over to his mother and placed his hand on her shoulder.
   That same night they began the burial ceremony. Kamos stayed in his room silently until he was notified that his father was going to be taken to his tomb. Kamos had not shed a tear since he heard of his fathers death. He walked over to his father's casket with the dagger in his hands. He stood next to it and finally his eyes began to water. He looked at the dagger and said, "with this dagger I will do what was done to my father, my king, my pharaoh." From that point on he demanded training in battle. Every morning he began his fitness training and then went on to battle training. In the evenings he would study military tactics. As years went by, Akmos began to walk and run. Akmos watched his brother, Kamos during his intense training. Akmos tried to play with him a few times, but he was always rejected. Kamos would repeat the same thing, "we are at a war and its up to us to finish it."
   Kamos was 20 years old by the time he felt ready to avenge his father. He consulted his military chief and every time he was in a meeting he held his father's dagger as a reminder. The time came when Kamos felt he was ready to take on his father's work to restore Egypt to its glory once more. Suddenly two guards returned from their nightly watch. They had capture a messenger running to Nubia from Hyksos. They planned to take over all of Egypt together. Kamos sent out word to his army to prepare for battle that same night. Just like his father before him, he stood in his chambers getting ready for war. Akmos walked in with a sword in one hand and a shield in the other. Kamos looked at his brother and approached him as he pulled out their father's dagger. Akmos dropped his sword and took the dagger. Kamos then repeated his father's words, "I need you to fight a different battle, one that is most important. Akmos your mission is to protect our mother and our kingdom. I will capture our enemy and bring him to justice within egyptian walls." Then Kamos set off into to the darkness to fight, leaving his brother behind. Kamos stood watch until his brother was just a small dot in the open field and then he was gone.
    Akmos began to train for war the next morning and like his brother he kept the dagger with him at all times. He trained day and night until his body couldn't move any more. Every morning he would send a guard to hear if there was word from his brother Kamos. A few months later he finally got a message from his brother. His first battle was a success and he was going to move on to the capitol. Kamos told Akmos in a letter how he was victorious.

   "Brother, it was as the gods had told me in my dream. We captured a spy and learned of the locations of our enemies. It was as if the gods had sent them to be placed under my mercy. We had the advantage over the battle. During the fight the gods blessed me with their godly power and made me invisible  I was the fiercest warrior that gobbled up any enemy standing in my way. I moved forward and with the slightest movement I won the battle. We are preparing to move on to the capital to finally show Egypt's true strength. I will write to you once more with my next victory. The gods are with us and victory is ours brother."

   Akmos was proud of his brother's victory and celebrated. He walked into his mothers chambers and let her know of their victory. His mother was a very quiet person since her husband was murdered, but she always had wise words to say when she did speak. "son, this is only the beginning, true victory is when our enemies are kissing the very ground they once took for granted." She took Kamos wooden dagger he held once when he was a boy and showed it to Akmos. "This has been replaced with real weapons, I will celebrate when it is restored." Akmos just stared at it for a few minutes and then excused himself.
   A few months later he was in the sun training and he heard chariots ride by. Expecting to see a messenger with good news he ran to greet them. To his surprise it was his brothers chariot and a few soldiers. He searched for his brother among them and did not see him. His heart rate began to rise and he began to sweat. A sense of fear suddenly hit him. He looked at the chariot and saw his brothers body wrapped in bloody sheets. Before any of the men spoke he raised his hand to stop them and signaled them to go. They walked away and left him alone tearing by his brothers body. Then he took the dagger which his brother passed on to him and cut a piece of the cloth which covered his brothers body. Akmos then tied it to the dagger and walked away.
    Years passed and Akmos was determine to complete his father's and brother's legacy. He took no part in ceremonies or feasts. He studied his lands and had his army scout the enemy nightly. Every night he developed a new plan and every morning he destroyed it because he thought it was not good enough. He always took time to enjoy the smallest pleasures in life like the river. He admired the land and bathe freely. It was here where he found the idea how to win his war and were he also met his love.
   She was retrieving water for a bath. As she was walking back to the palace he bumped into her. She apologized right away and bowed. It was the first time he laid eyes on a lady because he spent most of his time studying. She was tanned with long black hair. Her eyes were an almond shape with dark eyelashes. Her lower lip was slightly thicker than the upper lip. Akmos stared at her for a few minutes and then walked away without saying anything. He returned to his study area and wrote down his grand idea to defeat his enemy.
   Akmos knew he needed a larger army. He recruited and drafted every eligible man or young adult. He gave them time to train them for battle. He pushed his military chief to train them from sunrise to midnight. The army was beginning to look unified and were properly prepared after a few months. He planned out a root and then finally gave the order to depart. As he was getting ready he notice the girl walk passed the door of his chambers. He then ran after her until he caught up to her. She turned around shocked and confused. She bowed and ask, "how may I be of service my king?" He stood quiet for a moment, then he said,"you may answer three questions for me. The first, are you married?" She looked up at him for a second and then quickly looked down again. "I am not, I have just reached the proper age." Then Akmos asked his second question, "Is your heart loyal to a man?" She answered, "No, It is not loyal to any man yet." He grabbed her hand and pulled her closer to him. With his other hand he lifted her chin and asked his final question, "will you wait for me?" She took a deep breath. He could feel her heart pulse vibrating throughout her body and through her hands. Then she said "Yes," and he kissed her. He then excused himself and walked away.
   Akmos made camp every night and planned a new route so the spies would not be able to guess where they were headed. It was expected that he would attack from a frontal position, but Akmos took the least path taken and went through a very narrow entrance. It was this that caused them to surprise their enemy. They had snuck in between the cracks of his enemy's walls unnoticed. With all his army finally through the wall, he charged into the city. He took out everyone in his path and kept moving forward. His army was like a sandstorm devouring anything in its path. Akmos had reached the palace walls and found the king. He charged at him with such great force. With every blow he remembered his father and brother. He could see their faces in his mind. Flashbacks of his brother's body brought a few tears while he fought the king. Finally he disarmed the king and had him on the ground. Akmos guards then entered and lifted the fallen king up. Akmar looked at the king and pulled out the dagger he kept close. "You shall not die an honorable death here, instead you will died in my kingdom like a slave."
   Akmos returned to Egypt with his prisoner and presented him as the fallen king. He then publicly marked the fallen king with the same dagger his father once carried. He gave him the mark of a slave and had him thrown into prison without treatment. The fallen king only lived for three more day because his wounds became infected. Egypt was united once more and Akmos was now free to take a bride. He finally married the girl he met by the river and also pronounce himself as pharaoh.
   A year later his wife had their first newborn and we was an excited father. Akmos rocked his son back and forth in his arms for the first time. Then he handed him back to his wife and pulled out a dagger. This dagger was no longer the one he carried for years, it was the wooden dagger his mother showed him a few years ago. Akmos mother watched as he presented the wooden dagger to his baby. Akmos mother smiled and walked away slowly into the darkness. Her wish to restore the wooden dagger to its original purpose had been fulfilled. Akmos was known as the warrior prince and the great pharaoh. The palace once again was surrounded by the cries of a newborn, the new prince of Egypt.





 

A Series of Kindness; hiding behind a smile

    It was getting late and I heard the bus go past my house as I was getting up. I jumped up like a ninja and went to the bathroom to wash up. My eyes were still heavy and my belly rumbling because I skipped breakfast. I knew not to take the car because it had no insurance, but I did anyway. I got in and pulled out quickly because my exam was only a few minutes away. Last night it rained and it was still sprinkling in the morning. I was ten minutes away from school and traffic was unbelievable. As I was waiting in traffic I kept reciting vocabulary and formulas. The light turned green and I proceeded to move forward, then suddenly the person in front of me stopped. Thankfully I had given myself enough space for me to stop in time and not hit the car. I couldn't say the same thing for the person behind me. The lady smashed into my car, a 1996 Camero! I sat in the car and the only words that came out of my mouth were, "oh god, my exam! I don't have time for this." I was still in the car when the police knocked on my window. He said "pull over to the side, you're blocking the traffic." I pulled over and got off crying because I just realized a car just crashed into my Camero which I worked really hard for over the summer. My next thought was now my car was going to be taken away. I didn't have a license as well; to make the situation worse. The officer asked me to step to the side while he checked that everyone was okay. I was still crying when he got back to me, He then asked me why I was crying and was it because I got injured. I paused and looked at him, "I know I'm in trouble, I just got this car and I don't have the paperwork you need. I'm also late for my physics class and now I'm going to fail." He replied, "This wasn't your fault and I saw all those books on your passenger seat, I know you're not a bad kid. This is for the police report in that lady's insurance."  He handed me a ticket and drove off. I was standing there for a good five minutes to see if he was going to come back. I ran to the car and drove off to school almost 20 minutes late. I walked into class and showed the ticket to my instructor. He handed me a test and began his timer.
    After the exam, I was drained. I was sitting right outside of the library when my English instructor approached me. In her hand , she had a few sheets of papers that she handed me to sign. I looked at them and read "poetry contest." I looked at her with a smile and began to fill them out. For days now, she had been talking to me about submitting some of my work. I always procrastinated because I felt my work was still underdeveloped and I needed more practice. There was an excitement in completing the entry form and a scared feeling because I feared the criticism.
   I drove back home and got ready to go to work. As I was getting my things together I looked over old mail. I saw an unopened enveloped and read the return address. It was from a writer's scholarship and it said that I had been nominated to submit my final piece. I knew that the only person that would nominate me was my instructor. I jumped up a few times while reading the rest of the letter. Then I threw it my bag. I walked outside and noticed my car was gone. I couldn't believe it! I had the keys with me the whole time and then remember my sister had the spare. I dialed her cell right away and she didn't answer. I rushed to the bus stop and searched my bag for change. It couldn't belive it, I had no change left for the bus. I had bought a pastry for lunch with the idea that I'd be driving to work. I began to walk to work and called them that I'd be running late, literally! There was no bus stop for another 10 miles and I was walking briskly because I was tired of running. Then out of nowhere, a bus pulled over next to me. The bus driver asked "where are you going?" With sweat on my forehead I looked at him and responded "Work, just a few more miles ahead." "Get in," said the bus driver. "It's okay, I can't pay you. I have no money, " I responded and kept walking. He moved forward and stop again, "don't worry, get in." I smiled and ran inside saying multiple times ,"thank you soo much!"
    I was on the bus and on my way to work. I was not too late thanks to the bus drivers goodwill. I looked at my phone and checked the time. There was a text message from boyfriend, "I need to talk to you." I thought something bad had happened to him and called him right away. I must have called him three times before I got a second message, " I can't talk on the phone, lets text." I text him back, "what's wrong? are you okay?" He replied, "yes I'm okay, I've been thinking that we need to take time off." My heart sank, I didn't know how to respond to that. I called him right away, I needed to hear it from him. He sent me another text, "I'm with a few friends, I can't talk." I felt my face get hot, my fingers get cold and my heart taking a big hit. Tears began to push themselves out as I tried forcing the whimpers back inside. I then text him, "If a break is what you need, then that's what you will have, but don't expect me to wait around. I don't understand why you need it and why in this way. I deserve an explanation " I waited for a few minutes and as they kept passing by, my strength began to decay. I fell into tears and looked at the time again. Five minutes late, I ran into work and wiped my tears off. I kept working non stop and refused to take a break for the fear of what kind of reply I was going to get.
    At the end of the night I checked my phone and no messages from him. I looked up at the sky and began to walk home. I called my sister to see if she will finally answered. She answered and told me that the car was taken away. I was quiet for a few minutes, then I said, "its okay, I'll call you later." I hung up and pushed my pain back inside. I began to look at the text history and tried to find where things went wrong. He was beginning to get in patient with me because I had not moved in with him. I kept putting it off because of work. I knew that wasn't the only reason, It was something else that was bothering him but I couldn't see what.
    My eyes were puffy from the previous night. I no longer held my head up high and my heart was in pain which didn't seem to have an end. So this is what it felt to have your heart broken I thought. The tears on my cheeks had dried already. "Next guest please," said the barista. I stepped up and orders my drink and handed him my money. He was about to reach for it when he paused for a few seconds. Then waved me no.  "You're going to be okay," he said and he handed me my coffee. I looked at him and he smiled at me. I smiled back and walk away thinking, "he is right."

    I clocked into work and focused on doing the best I can. I was humming a song while I worked alone. I had to remind myself a few times "you are at work, you need to focus." My eyes were dry and irritated from all my crying. I didn't have any tears left to replace the moisture of my eyes. As I was helping client by client I forced my mouth to smile and for my eyes to not give out the sadness with in. One of the girls who currently worked with me asked me what was wrong. I answered "nothing" and smiled at her. Then when I was just heading out she gave me a card. The card said "you know you are in the presence of a strong woman when they are deeply hurting and she still says she is okay with a smile."
     For some time my roommate complained about my family always visiting and she had finally had it. When I got home she told me I had to move out because her name was on the lease. I was shocked and couldn't see her point of view at the time. I was furious at first because I was thinking of all the things I was already going through. Then I became very sad because I didn't know where to go. Who would take me in with a dog. Many times before I had trouble finding a place because they preferred someone with no pets. I was beginning to worry, I had just had a trip for my friends wedding and now I was broke. I had to pay deposit and first month rent again. I spoke to my sister and to my surprise she was also looking for a new place.
     It was the last day of the month and we still had no place. I prayed that morning and headed into work. During lunch I received a call from my mom, she had found us a place. I shouted with joy and told her where the spare key to my apartment was. She was moving all my stuff while I was at work. I smiled for real in a long time. A co-worker walked in and said "Hey, its about time. Now that's the type of smile I missed." I looked at him and asked him, "What do you mean? I always smile." He replied, "you always smile, rainy day or not, but I know when its real." I hugged him and gave him a small punch on the arm. "Get to work, ain't nobody got time for that!" and he clocked in as we both chuckled.
     Things were not easy at work either. I had a few coworkers that kept busy with gossip and doing small things to irritate me. I ignored most of it and tried to coach them in a different way. It became a challenge when the person you were trying to coach was above you. I didn't mean to step on her toes, however, from a business perspective I knew I was following guidelines and doing the right thing. That day she confronted me about it. I simple recited regulations and kept emotions out of the way until my character as a person was being attacked. I always pride myself in being courteous and fair to everyone, when I felt I was attacked as an individual I cracked. Tears rushed from my eyes as I tried to explain myself, "Its not easy maintaining a straight face, keep your cool and carry the weight of others while trying to keep yourself from drowning. Everything I've done are always with the best intentions and not to insult you, its all in the guide. If I tear now its not a sign of weakness, but a sign that above all I am still human." I looked away and concentrated on my breathing. The conclusion was not that I said anything or did anything wrong, but that they didn't like my tone. The next day I received an award from corporate for my hard work and dedication to the company, followed by a client's service complement. It was the best way to cheer me up. Someone had recognized me and wanted to let everyone in my store know it. 

   I changed the way I relayed information by doing less explaining and more bullet points. I did my best in asking less questions and did my own observations. I couldn't say the same thing about the other person, it was as if my efforts meant nothing. It hurt because I did my best to do what she asked of me, but I kept a smile on my face. I had a conversation with my boss of what I should do, her words of wisdom were "continue to do your best at work, we don't always get to choose who we work with, but we can choose if we let it affect us." With that said I kept doing what I did best, work. Weeks later she decided to quit because she was just unhappy. I wanted to wish her good luck, but I just said "that'll do piggy," just kidding, I said "you have a good day." Then I smiled at her.
   As I closed and locked the doors I was asked by some of my crew member if I'd like to grab a bite. I said yes and we all went off to the nearest restaurant. It was a little past midnight when we all decided to go home. Finally I got home really exhausted. I turned the light on to see where I was stepping because sometimes my nephew left toys on the floor. As I was putting my stuff down my nephew woke up. With sleepy eyes he said, "Tia is that you?" I answered, "yes, papi." He jumped off the bed and walked over to the table. He pulled out a plate covered with another plate on top. Then he uncovered it and grabbed a fork. It was salmon my sister made earlier. "I saved this for you, I know you didn't eat." I smiled and kissed him on the forehead, "thank you papi." I sat down and ate with him.  
   Sometimes its  difficult to focus on the good things that happen to us, specially if we are already hurting. We keep getting pushed down, but its not about about how difficult the situation may get, it's about how many times we get through it and keep moving. We tend to forget how to recognized the good things that happen to us, but if we take a second look we will find the magic in the series of kindness we receive from others. Remember to thank and appreciate those who have shown kindness because its more like you attract more good things to go your way.

Diary: Tales of my first kiss

Dear diary,

   These are the tales of my first kiss with my significant other. The world is becoming common, and fairytales are a fragment of our imagination that we once knew in a time where media was not our natural teachers. Books were our technology and music was still sung with a story. My first kiss with my few lovers were all too bland, but one. I write the memory of these kisses with my own take on the magic and what a first kiss should be.
   I was around seven years old. Curious of what the world was made up of and if the stories of true love's first kiss were real. The sun was out, the family was cooking out in the park and everyone around my age was playing. I had met this boy in the park, he was wandering by himself. I was playing hide seek when he tripped over me. As he tumbled down the hill I first yelled "ouch," then I started to laugh. Once I heard him moaning in pain, I ran over to him to help pick him up. He got up and asked "why did you trip  me?" I quickly let go of him and crossed my arms. He slipped and fell again while I said "You tripped over me!" He got up and cleaned his hands off on his pants. "Why were you hiding in the bushes?" "why weren't you watching where you were going." I snapped back. He looked around and it made me look around too. "What are you looking for?" I asked. Then he kissed me right on the lips! I couldn't believe it and so I pushed him off after I recovered by the shock. "eeewww, why did you do that for?" I yelled as I rubbed my mouth off. " That's what my dad does when he makes my mom angry or sad," he replied confused. Seconds later I hear my cousin yell out "I found you!" That right there was how my first kiss was, a stranger had stolen it from me.
     Years later I tried to remember of how the warmth of someone else's lips against mine felt like. It had been seven years since my first kiss. I had begun to start dating, but not ready to kiss. I really wondered how it felt and if I would even like it. The boy I was currently dating was my neighbor. We didn't go to the same school, but we saw each other almost every day. Every time when I played with my younger siblings on the yard, front or back, he was always out making eye contact with me. We wrote notes to each other and left them stuck between the gaps of the wooden fence. We developed a plan to spend alone time to meet at least for a few minutes. every night we would find things to throw away and take the trash out at the same time. There was a back alley where the trash was put out and picked up. As soon as I saw the time getting closer, my palms would get sweaty and my heart rate would rise. We met every night and spoke for a few minutes but not too long or our parents would start looking for us. One night he dropped the trash on the floor and I started to help him pick it up. As we were cleaning it up, we both leaned in and kissed. I started laughing because the smell of the trash was getting to me. We got up and said our goodbyes. Then I rushed in to wash my hands. When I was done washing up, I laid on my bed and replayed our first kiss over and over. That night I went to sleep with a smile on my face and woke up smiling.
   Years later my family moved and I lost contact with that boy who I snuck out to meet. One of my friends invited me to a party and thats were we met. He and I locked eyes as I was entering the room. At first it was curiosity which made me wonder who this guy was. We exchanged numbers and began to talk to each other from that point on.  On our first date he tried to kiss me, I said tried, because I looked away right before our lips met. The next date he tried again, and again he failed to kiss me. On the third date he attempted right away when I got in the car. I simply moved away and kissed him on the cheek. He looked a little sad, but not defeated. We went to see "anger management" that day. We got to the entrance and I went in front of him. The guy in charge of receiving the tickets looked at me and smiled. He then said "enjoy," as I walked ahead. I looked back and noticed the look on my boyfriends face. He puffed his chest out and walked straight passed me. I caught up to him and asked him what was wrong. He didn't answer me, but he grabbed my hand. We watched the movie and I began to reference a scene where the therapist pretends to french kiss the main characters girlfriend. The main character was first confused and then a rage explodes. I told my boyfriend that his reaction to the ticket guy was one step away from being similar. We were already outside of the theater and by a fountain that was in the front center. I was walking on the fountain when he tugged on me because he was trying to go back to tell off the guy. I was trying to stop him and so I pulled him back. As I was trying to pull him I slipped and almost fell into the fountain. Luckily he caught me in time. As he pulled me closer to him in his arms, he kissed me. This time I didn't prevent it because it was the way I was hoping for, romantic and unplanned.
   I was in college and my high school sweetheart was no longer with me. It had been a long time since I was out in the dating field. I had met him through a friend. At first we flirted and joked a little. We always spent our breaks together studying and chatting online. People began to ask us if we were dating and we both kept responding no. We finally decided that maybe we should go on a date, but in secret because we didn't want to make things awkward with our friends. We drove to twin peaks and looked at the view for a few minutes and decided to take pictures of us trying to climb the wall. We saw a few teenagers making out and felt a little pressured by the ambiance. We hoped in the car and drove off towards the golden state bridge. while we were in the car we joked about how youth rushes to kiss the girl or boy, but never really know how to enjoy it until a few practices sessions. Then he reached out to hold my hand and kissed it while he was pulling into the parking lot. He made me blushed and I got off the car as soon as it stopped. I ran into the darkness while yelling "catch me." He ran after me  and as I reached the edge I turned around to see if he was right behind me. He was fast, right before I completely turned around he already had his arms around my waist and kissed me. I placed my arms around him and kissed him back. It was as if the site was reserved for us, there was no one around. It was as I had imagined a first kiss should be, private and a nice outdoor setting.
   We fell in love with each other through letters, the last letter I received said " I can't wait to see you!" He had returned from his training and I was anxious to kiss him, yet there was no kiss. instead we went home from his release station. He asked me to get ready for dinner, I wore my red dress I bought for this special occasion.  I was still not done but he was already knocking at the door. He showed up with a bouquet of violet flowers, my birth flower, how thoughtful.  He greeted me with a hug and introduced himself to my family. Then he asked for my mother's permission to take me out on a date. As we headed out he opened the front door  and the car door. What a gentleman I thought to myself and I sniffed the flowers in my hand. He got inside the car and leaned over, which I thought was for a kiss, but It was because he was reaching for the glove compartment to put away his phone. We got to the restaurant where he walked me inside with my hand around his arm. After we had dinner and some wine, we walked back to the car. Then he suddenly stopped me and kissed me in the middle of the road. We must have kissed for a long time that a car honked at us to get out of the way. Wow, what a night of romance. After being separated for a long time he still took his time in making our first kiss memorable.
   A turn of events changed the ways things played out in life. I found myself single again. I was with my sister at a local place that played music every weekend. I went out, ready to just have fun and get back out as I once did before. I heard this song I loved and just pulled a random stranger from the side to dance. It was as if I had pulled a fish from water. I was embarrassed for the guy, but I kept dancing so he wouldn't feel like such a stranger to the dance floor. As the song was ending I said thank you for the dance and walked away. shortly after, another guy had been paying attention to me the entire night. He asked for my hand and signaled me to the dance floor. I took his hand and pulled him to the dance floor. I thought to myself, " you want to dance, I'll show you how its done." Surprisingly, he knew the steps to the type of music that was playing. We danced for the rest of the night. Right before the place closed we headed back to where my sister and I had parked. He tried to pull me into a different direction and I hesitated because he was a stranger. I then compromised with him that i'll walk him to his car a say goodnight. Right before we reached his car, he started to walk extremely slow. I asked him, "what's wrong?" He looked at me and said "I don't want to say goodnight, maybe if I walk really slow we can spend more time together." I smiled and said "there will be other nights, don't you worry." He got really happy and hugged me. He lifted me off my feet and sat me on top of a random car. My phone started to ring and I knew that I really did have to go because it was my sister looking for me. As I jumped off he helped me down and I landed straight into his arms. It was there when he took the opportunity to kiss me. It was just as if I was back in the park. The strange boy who kissed me that day had found me at a different time and location. I didn't feel disgusted, but I did pull away and said goodnight. Our hands were still in contact until the distance was too great to stay in touch.
   Time had passed since that magical night. He had gone as quickly as he came. I spent the rest of my days enjoying the blessing in my life and not thinking of when my next first kiss would be.  But the thought began to linger because my family started to ask me when I planned to settle. My plans are never public and nor are my feelings regarding the situation, however, it was a topic which I did wonder myself. I decided to put myself out there, but also be cautious about it. I don't know if it was luck, coincidence or fate, but we came in contact with each other. We started off by writing to each other every now and then. Finally we exchanged number and began to talk. Talking lasted for hours and time knew no boundaries. Then when we finally met, it was as if we knew each other for a long time, just like our phone conversations, the day went by fast. We didn't plan for it to go by so fast but it did. After our dinner and the fun activities of the night we drove to a quiet place just off the shore. It was there that we stood outside and looked at the stars for the first time again. We both complimented the sky's natural beauty, and then still in his arms, he turned me to face him. He kissed me softly and with tenderness. I kissed him back with the same affection. A kiss beneath the stars was the icing on our date. Right before I went to sleep that night I thought about that kiss. The very first kiss in such a long time and it was amazing.
   Diary, I don't spend too much time thinking about my first kiss with someone I really like or care deeply about. I think more about the time when I will receive my last kiss and hope that our life spent together is monumental for both of us. I know exactly what I want and where I want to be, but I am unsure of the details. That is up to fate, karma and the good nature in those I meet. I only hope for the best and nothing more.

The Morning Song

  Scarlet befriended a bird once, she was at school and saw it flying around the campus. He was a lonely bird and very quite with  feathers so bright blue, you would think he was a funny looking flower. Scarlet began to say hello to him every day as she walked passed him and went to class.  For many days he was in the same place. Scarlet wanted to name him and started to call him Gideon. One day she saw Gideon struggling on the floor.  He had a broken wing and was crying for help. Scarlet lifted him up and placed him back on the tree. She feed him a few times because she cared about him.
   One day, she took him home to protect him from the weather when it got bad. Every night, she talked to him about her day and always said "If you only knew what I was saying and talk back to me". One night as Scarlet slept, she saw Gideon flying over her in circles. He sang for the first time. The stars got brighter and Scarlet saw herself lift up. She was floating in the air on top of her bed. Sparkely lights began to float around her whole body. They tickled her and got brighter. It was so bright that all she saw was white and her eyes began to hurt a little. She closed her eyes shut and when she opened them, they were both flying next to each other. Scarlet looked at herself on the mirror next to her bed and saw she turned into a bird. She dropped like a rock because she had put her wings on her face. Scarlet looked at herself with her eyes wide open and her wings stretched out at the same time. She had very bright blue feathers on her back and teal feathers on her chest. The tip of her wings and tail were a light silver.
 Gideon landed next to her and said "Its okay, I made your wish come true."
 "What? Oh my god, Gideon, you talk! what do you mean? I'm just dreaming." said Scarlet and she ran around the bed looking for a way to get out.
"this isn't a dream Scarlet. You're a bird now, just like you asked," responded Gideon.
Scarlet looked back at him and said "but all I wanted was to hear you talk."
"And now you will Scarlet"
"how can this happen?" She asked as she walk closer to him.
"I sang in your sleep, you have to be calm and very quiet for the magic of the song to work. That's why people feel so relaxed and happy when they hear us sing, but they don't turn to birds because, one, there awake, and two, we don't want them as birds."
 "I don't know what to say Gideon, what about my family? they will miss me, and my friends?"
"you have me Scarlet, I'm your best friend!"
Scarlet looked down and said "I guess I can give it a try."
"listen, If you want to go back you just have to eat those berries," Gideon said as he pointed at a few raspberries growing on a bush right outside the window. Once he said that Scarlet spread her wings and said " well, what are we waiting for?"
"wwwhhhaattt?" Gideon squealed out while he jump back a step. "I mean lets start flying." replied Scarlet.
Scarlet started to flap her wings quickly, but couldn't fly. Gideon walked next to her and said "you have to jump high and the first flap has to be strong because that's your take off, then after that you can take it slow. Like so," and he began to show her. He jumped and flapped so hard the first time it made Scarlet blink a few times because of the wind.
  After a few practice take offs Scarlet finally learned to fly smoothly. Then as they flew past the puddles of water Scarlet stared at her reflection and still couldn't believe she was a bird. The air felt so good between her feathers. She was happy and scared. What was going to happened after she asked herself. They flew to the campus where he showed her the places he always visited. Every morning he took her out to show her a new place. They flew over mountains and large bodies of water. Her favorite part was going up as high as the clouds. It was a different world with new adventures to explore. When she was in the clouds there was no noise for minutes. But if you tried really hard, you could hear other birds in clouds flying very far from them. It was colder up there and so Scarlet flew down. She wanted to see how it felt to dive down and so she did. She dove like a bullet, the earth got closer and closer. Then sswwwoooosshhh, she opened her wings and they pulled her back up just a little. Her wings acted like a parachute and landed slowly on a tree. Her heart was beating really hard. Gideon caught up and said "be careful! you could get hurt." Scarlet was still excited from the dive that she ignored him and took off again. 
   One day Scarlet saw the rest of the birds singing and flying around in such a fancy way. She dove in and began to fly in all different directions. Scarlet was having so much fun that when She looked back, Gideon was not there anymore. She looked for him from tree to tree and branch to branch. The rest of the birds called to play, but Scarlet kept looking. Finally in a low dark corner she saw Gideon laying down. Her heart felt like it dropped as she rushed to see what was wrong. She landed and quickly placed her wings over him.
"Are you okay?" She ask as she tried to catch her breath.
"why yes, why wouldn't I be?" he answered as he jumped out from her wings.
"I just thought that maybe you have gotten injured or something. You're just here all by yourself."
"I'm sorry, did I interrupt your fun?"
Scarlet tilted her head as she responded, "I thought you were right there along side with me."
"I wasn't, I went the other way and when I looked back, you had already flown toward them."
"I'm sorry, I thought that it would have been fun to see what they were up to."
"fun for who?"
Scarlet looked down and turned around. Then right before she took off Gideon jumped in front of her.
 "I'm sorry, I wasn't prepared to see you around other birds. I was so used to us. lets, lets go do something that will cheer you up. Come on I know just the thing, You'll see."
   They flew to the zoo and went from cage to cage. Scarlet was so excited because she has never gotten so close to other animals and past the visiting bars. As they kept flying around the zoo, people began to notice them. The zoo keepers began to talk to each other through their walkie talkies about the two birds. They were impressed with the beauty of Scarlet, her feathers were so shiny and colorful. Gideon and Scarlet were making their last visit to the flamingo habitat and landed on the visiting bars. There was a small boy not too far from them. He waved at Scarlet and said "hello birdy." She hopped over closer and sang for him. The boy jump and giggled. He tugged on his mother to show her his new friend. He then pulled out an animal cracker to try and feed it to Scarlet. As she stared at the little boy, she was caught by surprise with a net. Gideon flew up right away making the zoo keeper missed him. Scarlet started to cry for help. The little boy started to cry and ran toward the zoo keeper. At the same time Gideon flew back to peck at the guy while the child pulled the net from the mans hands. In the middle of the struggle Scarlet broke free and flew away with Gideon. She looked back at the child and wanted to yell thank you. The words didn't come out but the little boy understood what she meant to say. As they flew away to safety the mother was apologizing to the zoo keeper.
    They had reached home safely. Gideon began to apologize quickly
 "I am so so so sooo sorry. I just thought it was going to be fun and we wouldn't be bothered and.."
"Don't bother apologizing. It was the best adventure of my life and the scariest moment too."
"you're not upset?"
"no, but I wouldn't do it again"
"are you sure you're okay?"
"yes, thank you, I had fun today"

   A few days later they flew back to her old home. They flew around the house and over to her old room. Scarlett's mother was sitting in her bed looking at pictures and crying. Scarlett had a sudden urge to console her and flew straight toward her. She was stopped by the window which was closed. Her mother turned around and noticed the bird. She opened the window and said, "poor little bird, are you okay," While she lifted her up. Gideon flew away to give them time alone. He flew past the living room and right by the kitchen window where he noticed a slice of pie. He smelled it and it smelled delicious. He looked around to see who else was around, but then noticed a basket of raspberries. It must be a raspberry pie then he thought. He flew out again and back to Scarlett's room. While the mother was caressing Scarlet, he over heard her say, "you are so lucky to be a bird, your parents expect you to leave the nest as soon as you begin to fly. My daughter just disappeared. I never saw it coming." Gideon noticed the sadness in Scarlett's eyes as her own mother placed her back outside. They took off and she still had a tear in her eye. He then said "you know, your mom makes the best cherry pies." Scarlet looked at him as he dove back down to the house and then followed him. They both landed on the kitchen window and walked in front of the pie. He nudged her, "go on, take some, I'll keep watch. do it for good old times." She took a bite and savored it. she thought hmmmm raspberry pie, her favorite each summer. "Wait, raspberry pie?" She said out loud as she looked back at Gideon.
"I know how much you miss her and after getting really close in loosing you I don't know how I could live on like that. This is for the best okay."
"But what about me? why didn't you ask me how I felt about it?"
"I knew you would have a hard time making a decision"
"and so you took it from me?"
"lets not see it that way, at the end of this night you will only remember us a dream."
"what do you mean?"
"It means that everything that happened never happened because the spell was reversed."
"so will I see you again?"
"I'm sorry, I cannot stay with you anymore."
"that's not fair."
"I will still sing for you, just look deep into your heart?"
Scarlet started to cry, "It's not fair, It's not fair. you are being cruel."
"what I didn't tell you is that I to go when the spell goes, its an energy trade of nature. My life for your life back as a human."
"That's even worse! Why did you do it?"
"Because I love you,"
"I love you too bird brain! but why did you do it."
"I would have rather died a hundred times before, just to keep you alive and happy, than risk your life and your freedom. But I will still live with in your heart, You will always hear my song every day you wake. Someday, when you are ready to leave your human world we will be reunited"
He placed his wings over her and stayed there for a few minutes, then they waited together while the night came. Scarlet promised not to fall asleep, but was so tired from crying her eyes out. Her eyes got really heavy and gave up. When she woke up the next day, as promised, there was a song for her. From that moment on it was as she never left, not one of her classes missed; or rainy day. She woke up every morning with the same song which lifted her spirit up. One night she wished upon a falling star and said "Give me a sign that you were real once." The next day as she woke, right by her pillow was a single feather and an animal cracker. She lifted them both and held them close to her heart as she thought "even the smallest animals have the largest hearts."
    Many years past and Scarlet grew old. She fell in love with another man she met shortly after college, Louis, and married him. Years later she had two beautiful children, a girl named Hope and a boy, Anthony. Every morning though, she still heard that beautiful song which kept her memory of Gideon alive.
   She had gotten very old and as she rested in bed, her time came to leave her body and give up her life in her human body. The doctor walked over to Hope and Anthony; Louis was already gone. He had died in battle serving his country as a soldier. "Your mother has passed away, Did you want to say your goodbyes?" The two of them walked into the room with their heads down. Once they were by her bed they heard two birds singing. They remembered the story of "The Morning Song," their mother always use to tell them at night and looked at each other. Then they knew, Her life as a human was over, but her life as a bird continued along with Gideon. Hope and Anthony waved at the birds with smiles on their faces because they knew it was their mother Scarlett and Gideon. The birds greeted them with song and flew away into the  trees to live as birds together.

The Beach

    The first time I saw the beach I was just amazed at its view. I was young and anxious for adventure. I saw the beach a few times before I dared approach it. It was a new environment and feeling. Every day I got closer in experiencing what it was all about. I was cautious because my mother said the beach can just take me away. I walked bare foot for the first time and sunk my feet in the sand. The feeling of the sand was tingly and different. I played near the shore without getting wet, but remained curious. Two years after, I slowly touched the water. My body reacted to it quickly. I have never really felt a reaction that fast and it felt exciting. Then one night, it happened, the ocean took my body. I swam and swam. I lost track of time. My mother called on me, but I was in love with the beach. I use to sneak out to meet the beach and it stood there waiting for me. Then one night as I was in the water, I felt it pull me farther away from shore. I knew I was in too deep, as I kept trying to swim back to shore the ocean kept pulling me back. I was drowning. That same night I felt my heart breaking. I knew I was never going to see the beach again.

encounter

The first time I felt a presence was around 8ish, it was dark and I had 
my dog scooby. I heard him barking in our back yard. the kitchen had a 
window which faced the back yard. It also had two doors on each side, 
one lead to a small room which had access to the outside and the other 
lead to the garage which also had access to the outside. I saw a girl 
standing in center of my yard facing the fence. I looked around for my 
dog. By then, he was in the garage barking. I looked back outside and 
she was gone. I grabbed scooby and went after the girl. we had two side 
entrances from the front leading to the backyard. I heard noise on the 
right side and went after it with scooby. We walked slowly in case we 
got ambushed. Then once we reached the side entrance, I noticed it was 
locked from the inside. I felt a cold rush and I ran away with my dog.

The second time I saw this girl was during my birthday party. My 
friends thought it would be cool to do donuts in front of the house 
while cheering at them. A friend filmed the whole thing on his camera 
phone. When we looked through the film a girl pop in for a few seconds. 
He slowed the film and paused it until it appeared again. There she was, 
in the middle of the picture, smiling at the camera. She had dark black 
hair and a white dress. Her face was blurry but we could sorta make out 
how she looked like. My friend asked me if there was anyone at the party 
who was wearing a dress and looked like her. I looked at the girl and my 
eyes widen. I responded "no, there was only 5 girls at the party, but 
I've seen her. I think that's a ghost." 

Invoke

   The sun was about to set and Steve was still in his office working on a new project called "Invoke". He worked for a gaming company which created alternate reality games for people that wanted to play out dreams they never went for. The point of the game was to make it seem as real as possible. More and more clients kept asking for a world full of magic, demons and ghosts. Steve's job was to research the information and mimic these elements. For weeks he read through sorcery, witchcraft and demons. He was in the processes of moving on to another subject in his list when he received the phone call from his boss; the deadline was pushed forward because statistics showed competitors were  also working on similar projects and a game introduced second was not likely to survive. Steve kept going on with his research and started cutting corners where instead of changing the entire name of a demon he changed the first letter, and instead of changing the entire chant, he cut off a few sentences. In it was a very old incantation which was found in a diary of a nine year old child who had passed away of unknown causes. She was found in the playground still sitting in the swing. Her body was frozen and her eyes were still looking up at the sky. Recesses was over and when the teacher walked over to grab her, after calling out to her several times before, she noticed the girl was very still. In her hand was the diary and in her other hand a ladybug. Her parents had uploaded her diary on the internet to preserve her memories in case of a fire or tragedy. Steve took a few sentence and made minor changes.

    The following few weeks he worked with the programmer and the designers to see what was plausible  The game was coming together and it looked very promising. During one of the meetings the developers announced that the game was also going to be available in a new type of product and it was going to require a little more of the enchanting and characters. Steve felt he had already brought in over 200 characters for the game and even though it would be just a game, the chanting was risky, but he kept quite. He took his assignment and did a little more research, but this time he had to go to bookstores and libraries for more information. He found this old place right outside of Sacramento. It was something call D booksale right by the North Fork American River. The place was lonely not far from the water. Steve browsed and found what he was looking for "Children of the dark that don't sleep or rest; incantations and recipes, unknown author." He went to purchase it and the clerk hesitated for a bit. She was about 60 and was wearing dark glasses. She then said, "I've been working at this book store for many years and I recognize ever book by smell, sound and texture. They leave a scent you know" and she leans in closer, "The books with the worst history. Now I don't expect you to believe an old blind lady. You have a nice day now." Steve was reaching for his wallet as she went on about her business. "your money is no good here, go on now, have a nice day." The lady just walk away while she hummed. Steve unsure of what to do stood there for a few more minutes and then left with the book. 

   He read through the book twice to get better understanding of the material. During his second time reading it over, he thought of what the old lady said, " the books with the worst history." what did she mean he said out loud. He grabbed the book and pulled it closer to him, he held it there for a moment as he thought to himself, "this is crazy.  what the hell, It's not real." He took a sniff to clear his curiosity. It was faint at first and so he sniffed a few more times like a hound sniffing out the fox. Finally it hit him like lightning, the smell was strong, It smelled rotten and humid. It was as if someone died in the room and was their for days. Steve opened the doors and windows. He looked at the book and stared at it. He then said " this is insane, it just my mind playing tricks on me." He went into the kitchen and made himself a cup of coffee. As he was drinking his coffee he heard typing in his office. He walked to his room and nothing was there. His screen was on the page with the incantation of the child. Steve exit out of the screen and called it a night. 

   The next couple of days he created more characters based on the book he read and then retyped a few chants. He went on with his normal routine which consisted of editing and changing  a few more minor details. The presentation for the new product came out. All of the developers, researchers and illustrators were excited. Matthew, one of the main leaders, was standing in front of the room with a screen. He started off by saying 

   

  "Welcome everyone, I'm so glad you all can be a part of this. Today we are going to introduce you to the new way of gaming. Everyone is so obsessed with 3D affects and alternate reality that they want more! Well what are we going to give them? More! We came up with the new MotionRF. We all know what motion stands for right, well the R stands for Reality and the F stands for Fiction. We bring these two together in one and we have a new paradigm. A world that allows us to use all our senses. We have been working with neuro-scientists and biologists to make this happen. Take a look at this," he then lifts up these circles that you mainly see in hospitals which doctors stick on the body, "these are micro sensors, every player receives  five, two are meant for you face, they are place on the outside corners of your eyes. The third goes right behind your neck and the final two go on your wrist below your palms. Each of these things recognizes the body part and pinches it lightly while inserting electrical impulses into your body. They allow you to see and feel the setting its programmed to show you by the main drive. By the end of the game you feel like you were actually there because the electrical impulses make you muscles contract and will feel slightly fatigue. To begin the game, just set your settings and to exit tap twice on your wrist or three times to pause. You can also communicate with someone outside the game when you place your hands outside the corners of your eyes. Allow us to demonstrate. " 

  Matthew signaled a guy to come forward, it was Bryan the animator. Matthew asked him to sit down and placed the round objects on the guy. He then said " you have to be in a rested position of course. We don't want anyone falling." As he started the game, "Invoke." The game started with a map of the world, It had the option of picking a name of which they chose "the summoner." Then it went on to picking the type level before moving on to location. Bryan was still mobile during this. The game had two goals, to send evil back or to bring the evil. They picked bring the evil to the world and picked Salem Massachusetts as the location. While it started to load it said, "please maintain in a seated position, the game is about to commence."  On the screen you could see the player which looked a lot like Bryan sitting down. Then you heard him say in the game, "Do I start?" but no words came out of his body. The room was amazed. Bryan began to walk and found himself in front of a house. The house was empty from the looks of it. It had a few broken windows, weeds on the yard and the trees looked dead. He went inside the unlighted building. There he found a few books of incantations and materials. He picked up a small book with a broken locket and started to read it out loud.

"Es través evocar mayores poderes espirituales los ritos de la Magia de los seres humanos llegan verdadera realización de lo que son en esencia: las entidades espirituales eternos, Yo invoco, Yo invoco, Yo invoco, Yo invoco a que vengas..." 

Then an entity of a child appeared, the child stood there quite. She was wearing a school uniform and was looking at the opposite way. There was something small and red crawling on her dress, it was a lady bug. Bryan then tried to communicate with her. "Do you have a name? who are you?" he asked. She stood still and quite. He then placed the book down and looked for a different incantation book. He saw this really old looking book with the title of "Children of the dark that don't sleep or rest; incantations and recipes, by F.Angel." He flipped through a few pages and found a summoning spell of some sort. He began to read it out loud to the child. He wanted her to respond to her questions, but when he was done she was still quite. He walk closer to her to get a better look. As he got closer she started to growl, then all of the sudden began to chant in an unknown language.  She started to chant louder and louder.
   The room stood quiet until Steve walked over to Matthew and whispered to him, "I didn't create that character." Matthew chuckled and said " of course you did, you sent me the information over a few days ago." Steve scrunched his forehead and opened his laptop to go through his emails. In his email he wrote the chant of bringing back torturer spirits and using the life source of a person. Steve started to think back of how he would have sent that email. He only remembers the time he heard typing in his room and that was it. He looked at the screen to see what was happening and he saw that the spirit was done chanting, the child turned over at the summoner to look at him. The child had the face of an old lady with no eyes. Then she spoke "Are you the sacrifice?" Bryan said " No, I am here as your master the summoner." The entity of the child got closer to him and said "I serve one one else but the Fallen Angel." "He is not here, he is not the one who called you" replied the summoner quickly. The child started to laugh as she said "Oh but he will be here, You are his vessel and he will come to claim it soon." Bryan looked at the books to find an incantation to stop her and send her away, but he couldn't find it. He placed his hands on the corner of his eyes and sent a message. "I want out, how do I stop this game again?" Matthew typed, "tap your wrist twice". Just before Bryan did the child ghost grabbed him and threw him across the room, then picked him up again and through him on his face. His body was motionless outside the game but his heart rate went up and he began to sweat. Then as he attempted to exit the game the ghost grad him and put his hands behind his back while she whispered, "Do you believe in gob, Bryan? where is he now?"

  Steve had enough of the game which looked all to real, he searched through his notes and found a exorcism chant to cast spirits back. He quickly began to type and tried to remember at the same time if they were the exact words. hoping he didn't miss a thing he sent it over to Bryan. It appeared in front of his face and he began to chant, soon the entity began to pull away as it cursed him. The entity had vanished  at the end of the chant, but before he could double tap on his wrist something else appeared. It was as they feared. It had horns with black wings, its eyes looked that of a snake and the face shaped as a goat. Hands with claws and feet with hooves. Everyone in the room just starred because they didn't know it wasn't part of the game. Matthew walked over to Steve, "I know this wasn't one of your characters, I saw and approved every single one." Steve just kept looking at his note while retyping the incantation again. He then hit send and looked at him, "I know this sounds crazy, but I didn't create those characters or that incantation." As he was trying to explain himself the body of Bryan lifted from his chair. He stood in the room as he stood in the game. Then all the people in the room gasped. One said "I thought he was supposed to be motionless." Then he began to speak the chants that Steve had sent him, His body was being tossed around in the meeting room while everyone screamed or moved out of the way. He was being dragged from the ceiling down and from wall to wall. The demon clawed Bryan on the back and on his arms. The lacerations he received in the game, he received in real life. One lady yelled out, "someone help him!" Steve started to chant out loud the exorcism chant. Bryan moaned and said "no, no, stop." Steve kept going and so the guy kept being tossed around and twisting. Then someone tried to run out, but was pulled back into the room by an unseen entity. They all started to chant with Steve until Bryan was dropped by the horned demon and disappeared. The guy double tapped his wrist and was contiguous of his body again. he moaned in pain because of the injuries he receive in reality.  He was taken to the hospital and it was said that he had an accident while moving old tools in his garage. The company paid all of the witnesses and their expenses.
   Bryan never really talked much after that day. One day after a meeting, Bryan was waiting in line for water and Steve was ahead of him. Right before Bryan served his cup Steve made a remark "god bless this water, I was so thirsty." Bryan smirked and walked away quietly with an empty cup.