“It all started on that one day… The tavern was a welcome sight. It always was, to the weary travellers in the swamp, trying not to sink in quicksand, drowning, etc. Also being eaten by crocs. But let us return to the story. On this fateful, wet and rainy night, a young boy stumbled across the boardwalk with the small boat leafing to the tavern. Laughter echoed through the gloomy night in the dark swamp. He burst in the door, spraying water everywhere. He was a human, short for his adolescent age, and worked in magic. Pulling off his cloak, his bright blue close-set eyes above his freckles gazed around at the men and pretty women chatting, drinking and mingling. His pointed nose dripped water and he shook even more out of his curly mass of light brown hair. I (the innkeeper) rushed over to him. “Now now, no shaking your rain all over us nice warm folks,” he reprimanded. “Here. Take this towel and warm up by the fire.” “Thank you,” said the boy. “Pray tell, what’s your name, race and business?” “I’m Damian. I’m a human teen and I know magic. I’m here to rest and settle a little score I have with them men over there in the corner. Tomorrow I will go on again. My business is private, I’m afraid.” Damian toweled off his hair and warmed up by the fire. He was getting comfortable but his clothes still dripped onto the rug by the crackling logs. I was rather unhappy about my best rug getting ruined. “Well, why don’t you go and get dry in a room? Take these clothes and come back down when you are ready for a meal and rum.” “I don’t drink, thank you, please prepare a meal for me,” was all the mysterious boy said as he traveled upstairs. He came back down around fifteen minutes later. He flipped me a coin and sliding his plate off the bar into his hands, he strode over to the table. Curious, I couldn’t help but watch. Damian set the plate down and leaned against the table, looking at all the men. It seemed ridiculous at the time that the men -who were twice the size of Damian- leaned back when he leaned in. “Gentlemen,” said the lad. “Greetings, my old… friends.” The guys looked at each other uneasily. “Um… hey, Damian. How’s the ol’ wizzy?” One asked in a -dare I say it- trembling tone. “The wizard died last year, two months after releasing me from training,” said Damian calmly. He lowered his voice. Eavesdropping, I struggled to hear. “But I’m not here to converse with old buddies about old tutors. I’m not here to attack you seven, either. But I am here to settle some scores… I need my money.” “We… don’t have it,” the men admitted. “I will not be cheated out of the money you made me bet for, the money I _won,” _growled Damian. “You get it to me tomorrow or else.” “But… we can’t get a job out ‘ere and it’s miles from anywhere with a job worth paying two hundred gold, twenty silver,” murmured one man who was a little into the drink.” “Not my problem,” said Damian darkly. “But I hear they pay you to fight the crocs at this place. Of course, you have the whole part where you possibly die. But that’s hardly a problem compared to what I’ll do to you if those coins aren’t in my possession tomorrow.” I watched as Damian disappeared into his room upstairs. The men huddled together, talking in rapid, panicked and low voices. Then, well…”

“Did the men challenge the crocodiles like Damian suggested?” Avery, the inspector, said. He was interviewing me about what had happened last night.
“Yes. They all… they all died. I asked Damian the next morning about how he must be upset about the money. He merely responded, ‘I got what I came for,’ flipped a coin to me and left.”
“Thank you for your time. In the future, the croc fighting is to be banned. Thank you. This is your one time warning.”

…

Sorry the ending is a little weak but I couldn’t think of anything lol

First there was darkness… and I wished to see past it. I ruled above, but all I could see was shadow and I heard that ridiculous monster plague ravaging my beautiful world of tigers and birds, apes and fish. I decided to journey to the distant galaxies and find something that would give sight and relief to my amazing world. It was a long journey and I discovered many things, but finally, I found the perfect thing. A star. It’s name was Sun. Interesting, because it was born from the cosmos and it was female. But it told me it would bring light to the world, circling around. It said it was not quite big enough to brighten up the entire area but would constantly circle. This worried me. Would my beautiful world be in fear in the dark? Why even choose Sun if she merely lighted up half of the globe at a time? I had a brilliant idea. I enlisted Moon, a quiet and dark thing. She was silently beautiful and the mirror image of Sun, except she only lit up, and only a bit, when Sun shone on her. I figured out a way to reflect Sun’s light onto Moon. It would not be complete light but not as it was before. The animals rejoiced and the dark monsters ran away. My planet prospered. Until HUMANS evolved. Dang things. Finally, I’d had enough. I enlisted Sun to slowly grow closer to them until she consumed them all. Next planet I make, there will be no humans.

My self hatred is back But I need you no more I’ma shut those thoughts Out my front door

I got no need for you. Do I want you? In your dreams! Yet still you come back, For more it seems

I hate your pity parties 1,2,3, awwwwww I’ll win your game this time No more losses or draws

Your once-powerful thoughts are now few Your rein of terror is gone and through There is nothing more you need to do. You’ve come back, but I no longer need you.

blows a giant raspberry now go away

The one armed man held the robot’s hand on one side. The plump woman held the other. “How much farther?” The one armed man, named Jacques, asked. “A few more minutes,” whispered the woman, Danny. “Be quiet, we don’t want to wake the spirits.” “Spirits? What spirits?” Jaques asked quietly. “The doors you see around us all house spirits who never made it to the end of the tunnel. They are very dangerous and wish nothing more than to take your place on the path by swooping across and throwing you into the abyss. The number of people who enter must be the same at the end, so you take the spirits place in their door while the spirit takes your body and walks on. That was from Wikipedia. Do you want to hear the next one?” The robot beeped in a whisper. “No, thanks. I can’t believe this stupid thing is the most powerful thing in the universe. Why is it so important to get it to the council?” Jaques muttered grumpily. “It’s got the secret to saving us from the rule of the King,” murmured Danny. “I can hear you talking about me. That is hurtful.” The robot reprimanded in its electric tone. Jaques rolled his eyes. “So you’re telling me this hunk of metal is the key to freeing the world?” He asked. “Yeah, pretty much,” said Danny. “I repeat my comment. I can heat you talking about me, that is hurtful,” said the robot. Danny rolled her eyes and smiled and Jaques grumbled. They walked out of the tunnel and into the light of the world beyond… the world of the council.

….

Part two or no?

…for revenge. Revenge so she could slip into his bed in the dead of night and slit his throat. He had killed her true love, and when he was dead she could find a man worthy of being king. Revenge. That night she brought her knife to bed and when the time was right, killed him. Just the way Daddy taught her. She remarried a man who actually loved her and they lived happily ever after. The end.

Help. I’ve been abducted by aliens. I have no idea how you’re reading this. Did it float out into space somehow? Am I dead and you found it on me? Did I escape and get back to earth and now you’re reading this, Aria? (If it is you, Aria, get your little sister nose outta my business and SCRAM! I MEAN IT! WHY HAVE YOU NOT YET? GO! YOU BETTER NOT READ THE NEXT SENTANCE! OR ELSE! UH OH, YOU READ THE NEXT SENTANCE. YOU WILL DIE NOW.) Anyway, the abduction happened just last night. I was admiring the stars when POW! WHOOSH! I was floating in the air like some dumb cow from an alien abduction movie. Stupid livestock. I ended up in a cell and I’ve been fed a whole bunch of weird food. I’m with a whole bunch of other animals — a dog, cat, moose for some reason, tiger and sheep, but I’m the only human. The aliens (who are way bigger than me, I’m like a mouse to them) are keeping a close eye on me and one has a clipboard. I think it’s cute. I’ve learned to recognize specific words now and they keep trying out new foods. So far none of them are tasty. Are they fattening me up to eat me?

Ok, so tonight I figured out what they’re doing with me. They’re selling me as a pet with all those other animals! I tried to ask an alien, but he doesn’t understand me. Anyways, he figured out what I was trying to say in the end and drew a picture… thank goodness pictures are literally a universal language. 
I found a food I like that resembles pizza… I guess. They jumped up and down when I ate it and shouted something along the lines of, “More PIZZA!” In their language. Or whatever they call pizza… I think they’re trying to train me? They kept pointing at the pizza and making one specific sound so I tried to replicate it and they started jumping up and down and screaming. /= {. I’m fairly sure they’re actually girls. This is just like when my girl friends trained Hailey’s parrot, Polly, to actually say “My name is Polly.” I’ve tried to escape but I’m starting to think it’s hopeless. I’ve just decided that I’ll go with the flow and take the opportunity to escape if it comes. 

Today we arrived at the aliens planet. They brought all us Earthlings (animals and human) to a very big pet shop. I feel like a little hamster, and I guess that’s how they see me. I’m like, I dunno, a ferret. A family of five came in today…. They looked like a normal family, but giant and … aliens. Anyway, they bought me and brought me home which looked like a wierd, futuristic version of a house. The three little kids wanted to play with me so I chased the ball they were throwing and clearly wanted me to chase. It’s really not so bad here. Although, I am getting sick of pizza.

I’m running out of room in this book… I showed it to the aliens in hope that they would get me more and they found it adorable, but that’s all. Haha… I feel like a dog that’s being really cute. If I get home, I’ll look at Bona a lot differently. Then again, I kinda like it here. But I puked up my pizza today, so I will try to escape if they don’t start feeding me different food. I have been learning the language. But as long as I’m a pet in an alien home, I suppose that I should say what I can do. I can sit, lie down, shake and roll over. Go ahead. Laugh. It is kinda funny.

This will be my last entry. I have no more room and I’ve given up hope for escape. But at least they’re feeding me a variety of foods now. I have no idea how you found this and I hope that I managed to get back home safely and it’s not like I tried to get out and they found this on my body. But I feel hopeful for the future. I don’t really mind this life and I’ve come to accept it. After all, I have no school. The idea that I’m a pet in an alien enviourmment is still kinda funny. Not laughing. However, it’s a little boring. Maybe I’ll draw on the walls. See you never.

Sincerely, Farah.

P.S. Aria, if you’re reading this, those are my hands around your neck.

mentions of suicide

Gabriel was a quiet boy, everyone always said. A quiet but well-meaning, well-mannered boy. He had dark eyes and brown hair. His smile was quiet and rare, like the sun on all those cloudy days in the small town he grew up in. When he did smile, everyone smiled back. It was reminiscent of the Mona Lisa, that small curve in his lips that brought everyone to like him even more than they already did.
He was hardworking, as he was the son of the woodworker. One might stop by the shop for a chair, thanking him as he politely gave them the change at the register and blushing as he complimented them. He always asked how you were doing when you said hello, and when you were the one that asked him, he would always say, “Just fine, thank you. How are you?”
He was strong, but not muscular. He wore sweatshirts and close-fitting sweatpants, always dark colours. He walked about by himself and the girls were always talking about him, whispering about how cute he was.
I suppose that it all began when his father died.
See, his father went to war and did not make it back. Gabriel was furious. No one saw him but his mother when he heard the news. “He punched a hole in the wall, and yelled in an angry voice,” she told her knitting club later. “But he apologized to me and fixed the hole. He gave me a hug and said that he was sorry for being upset, that I was going through this too. He’s such a sweet boy.” The news got around and people didn’t really think much of it. Until he went to war.
One night, he vanished. His mother was in tears. “He told me he was going for revenge,” she said. “He said someone had to pay. He had to kill that murderer. I didn’t stop him. I was afraid he would get angry. But he’s underage and I fear he’ll be killed.” She began crying and was glad when they switched the topic.
Now everyone was alarmed. All who knew him were shocked at the once-peaceful boy’s actions. They wrote letters asking him to come back. But he never did. He wrote only to his mother. She said that he acted as though all were fine.
Eventually, the war ended and Gabriel came home. He was different. More silent and moody. Always quiet, he only talked when talked to. He never smiled. He was still polite but he seemed darker. (The girls still liked him. Silent and tortured was very cute, according to them). 
One night his mother ran into her good friend’s house. “He’s ran away,” she sobbed. “He’s ran away.”
It took them awhile to get the whole story out of her. It appeared that he had had an argument with her and he’d thrown the china at her. She had gotten out of the way but it shattered against the wall. “He had looked down at his hands as if wondering what had happened,” she said. “It was one of the only times I’ve ever seen him scared.” He had packed a bag and left, saying the whole town was better off without him. 
They didn’t see him for many years. Eventually, he came back, horrified. “I’ve killed innocent people, children,” he cried. “I’m a monster.” 
He comitted suicide by jumping off a cliff. His mother was distraught, his friends gloomy. 
The rest of the world didn’t really mind. While he was gone, he had taken over the world.

….

I was a little sad that I had to make him evil. He started out pretty good 😢

I panicked. Where is the exit? I can’t go anywhere. I’m stuck! My yells for help went unheard as they mingled with the joyful yells of the county fair. _ _My lungs struggled for oxygen as I sank into fear and the now-deflating walls. Right before I was suffocated, I took a deep breath. Holding it, I closed my eyes. There were worse ways to die, I supposed. It was really comfortable, even if the top was on me and the ground was rather uncomfortable. I felt very strange and opened my eyes, realizing the poof of the castle had left me. I was lying in the deflated tent, breathing hard. It was a little dark and tough to breathe, but I was alive. I crawled to the exit and out. Still shaken, I made my way to the meeting spot where I met up with Mom. “Oh, there you are! How was the bouncy house? I bet it was pretty boring compared to the other rides you’ve been on today,” chuckled Mom. “Oh, um, it was deflated,” I murmured. She’ll never believe my story. “Oh, that’s too bad,” sighed Mom.

——————

Sorry about the ending, couldn’t think of anything else, 😆.

It started with him opening the door But personally I thought it was something more

She smiled, ‘Thanks’, as he let her in To the flower shop, he smiled within.

She worked there for the rest of the day Bought nothin he did but yet he stayed

February rolled around, Valentines He took her to dinner, asked, ‘Will you be mine?’

Dating four years in love with each other Making kind gestures to one another

He washed his car for their date She was always on time, never late

They hugged when they saw one another He treated her like no other

She made him cupcakes that didn’t work out He didn’t mind ‘cause it’s the thought that counts

He hung up her coat when they went to a diner Told her her new earrings made her look ever finer

She gave him a watch for his birthday He told her he’d lost it a month before the day

They got married and had kids He did the dishes when she needed cups and a lid

She made him cookies after a tough day at the office Unlike the cupcakes, they turned out flawless

They told each other ‘I love you’ every night They always worked things out after a fight

And there’s no such thing as a perfect couple But I’d say they got there on the double.

…but were those benefits really worth it, wondered Jay. Free room and board, food and exellant pay was what had appealed to him when the young man, fresh out of university, had applied to the job in an effort to earn money and please his parents. But then, there were the downsides. He had strict instructions and could not divert from them. He was on call 24/7 and hardly ever left the building he worked in, seeing as the room he lived in was in his work building. Being always on call, he never went out for fear that he could get drunk or lose his phone. A cleaner came in from time to time, which was good because his vacuum had broken. He ordered food off DoorDash. His visits with his parents were limited to video calls, phone calls, and texting. And forget his social life. The benefits were okay… the apartment was nice and when he was done for the day he sat on the couch and watched tv. But then there was… the beast. _ _The bane of his existence and the reason he was here. He was key bearer to the gigantic thing, which resembaled a wolf swelled to the size of a car. It was a science experiment gone wrong, so necessary precautions had to be taken, and lucky Jay had one of the only keys to the things domain. Every day he had to open the door and crawl into the cage that uncannily resembled the cage to keep divers safe from sharks, except stuck to the wall. He actually had to climb in there, toss a steak of overly huge size into the enclosure, and then, looking like an idiot, pour water into the beast’s bowl through a large watering can. All in his cage. Then he crawled back out and went to sit on his couch. It was easy but terrifying. One day, he slipped and fell through the bars of his cage. The beast ran over and he prepared for death, but instead… It cuddled him and stuck it’s oversized head under his arm like it was waiting for pets. Shocked, Jay looked down at it. Looking at it closely, he realized it resembled a husky more than a wolf. It was probably actually a dog, not a dangerous predator. Just… big, because of a lab experiment. Catiously, Jay stroked the beasts head. It wagged its tail and leaned in to the stroking. Later, Jay lay in bed, smiling. He looked over at the enclosure, where a window showed into it from his bedroom. He fell asleep soon after. So in the end, was it worth it? Yes.