―Whatever You
Do
Don‘t Fall
Asleep‖
---Nightmare on Elm Street
Table of Contents
Letter from the Editors.....................................................................1
Researched Article .................................................................... 2
Hercules: The Myth Within the Myth By: Katrina Rudisel ....................... 2
Friday the Thirteenth By: Mallory Nygard ........................................4
Short Stories ............................................................................ 6
The Nameless Stranger: A Modern Twist on
the Myth of Persephone and Hades By: Sarah Greene ....................... 6
Love and War By: Brianna Vance .................................................... 9
Literally By: Breken Lach............................................................11
A Place Called Home: A Short Story By: Jacey Baumler.......................12
POEMS..................................................................................13
Robin Hood By: Hope Erickson......................................................13
In the Future By: Sage Nichols......................................................14
If You Dare By: Deseree Roundtree..................................................15
Way to Go Mom By: Morgen Quintus..............................................16
IT By: Caitlin Skjervem..............................................................17
HOROSCOPES..........................................................................18
Whatever You do, Don‘t Fall Asleep
Dear Reader:
You are about to read.
While reading this pretending periodical, you will unknowingly become a new
person.
This excellent piece of literature will make you educated among legends of
folklore, Greek myth, female serial killers, and those depicted in popular movies. You
will also find yourself stiffening as you read the terrifying tales deeper enclosed. Then
you will read your horoscope. Ever more will your body stiffen. You will read further
legend. You will then be quivering, ever so slightly, inside your shoes. You will come to
the end of this publication, and by that time, you will realize that you have been sweating
profusely. Then, you will become aware that the person you were before you opened this
fateful stack of papers is gone forever and has been replaced by the new person it has
created.
READ AWAY, BEAUTIFUL INNOCENTS!
Love from your affectionate editors,
Emma Millspaugh, Kelsey Drayton, and Sage Nichols
Page 1
Whatever You do, Don‘t Fall Asleep
Hercules: The Myth Within the Myth
By: Katrina Rudisel
Zero to hero? Or troubled soul? Disney‘s
Hercules is a well known movie,
certainly worth the ninety-three minutes
of your time, but too many people in our
society take the knowledge presented for
granted. What needs to be remembered
is that Disney made the movie for
children. Why does this matter? The real
story, the real Hercules, does not have a
G rating. A myth within the myth has
formed, and it is
through careful
analysis that one
can decipher the
true myth from the
Disney myth.
First, to
better understand
the changes made
by Disney, a recap
of the Disney movie
version: Hercules is
born the son of Hera
and Zeus, and lives on Mt. Olympus as a
god. Hades, god of the underworld, in
his everlasting effort to make his brother
Zeus‘ life miserable, sends his demon
minions Pain and Panic to turn baby
Hercules into a mortal with a potion.
However, this plan backfires when
Hercules does not drink every drop, and
thus retains his god-like strength.
Hercules grows up feeling like an
outsider, and when he discovers he was
once a god, must set forth to prove
himself to regain his immortality. After
his training with ―Phil‖, a half man, halfgoat creature, Hercules falls in love with
Meg. For a while all is well, with
Hercules committing great deeds.
Unfortunately, Meg sold her soul to
Hades, and Hades uses her to get to
Hercules. In the end, however,
everything works out, and Hercules is
made a god again, but chooses to stay on
earth with Meg.
While this version is certainly
child-friendly, were it to be graded
academically, it would receive a failing
grade. From the very beginning, the
censoring starts. Hercules was not born
of Zeus and Hera, but rather
of Zeus and his mortal
lover Alcmene. Because of
her husband‘s infidelity to
her, Hera hated Hercules,
and worked to destroy him
and make his life
miserable. Her first effort
in this was to send two
serpents to kill the baby
Hercules in his cradle.
Despite being a mortal, he
apparently inherited his
father‘s strength, because the infant
easily strangled the serpents (Rexroth).
This is quite different than the Disney
version, in which the above-mentioned
Panic and Pain transform themselves
into the serpents on the orders of Hades.
The second blatant butchery of
the original Disney makes is in
Hercules‘ love life. The debauchery
starts with the character ―Meg‖, as she is
known in the Disney version. Megara, as
she is known in the actual texts, did
exist, though not in the way Disney
portrays. Megara and Hercules marry,
and have children. However, the
marriage isn‘t a tale for happily ever
after. Hera, always hateful of Hercules,
sends him into a fit of insanity, during
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Whatever You do, Don‘t Fall Asleep
which he kills Megara and their children.
It is the guilt over these deaths that cause
Hercules to commence with his famous
Twelve Labors (Hercules).
These Twelve Labors are grossly
overlooked in Disney. The only Labor
covered in any extent was his battle with
the Lernaean Hydra, a
beast who would grow
two new heads for every
one that was cut off. Even
though some of his other
labors were covered,
there were many that
were deliberately
ignored, such as the
stories and the Cerynian
hind, cleaning the stables
of Augeas, and stealing
the girdle of Hippolyte,
queen of the Amazons.
These labors took him
twelve years to complete.
After these labors, though,
he had still not gained god status.
Hercules partook in multiple adventures
after the labors, such as defenestrating
Ipihtus (eldest son Eurytus, after Iphitus
accused Hercules of stealing Eurytus‘
cattle), fighting with Apollo, being sold
into slavery to Queen Omphale of Lydia
(during which this great hero was
spanked and forced to wear a women‘s
dress and spin wool), and rescuing
Princess Hesione of Ilium from a sea
monster (Rexroth).
Hercules eventually did become
a god. His second wife, Deianira,
became jealous of Iole, a woman whom
Hercules always had loved. Nessus, a
centaur whom Hercules had mortally
wounded, tricked Deianira into giving
her husband a cloak soaked in Nessus‘
blood, which burned and stuck to
Hercules‘ skin. Hercules lit a pyre on
Mt. Oeta, and burned himself there. His
mortal body went up in smoke to the
heavens to become the constellation
Hercules, but his immortal part ascended
to Mt. Olympus (Hercules). From this
point on, Hercules was considered a god.
Interestingly enough, in the Greek
culture Hercules was worshipped not
only as a god, but as a
hero as well
(Galinsky 5). As his
―cult‖ moved to
Rome, he became a
personal god, to
whom not only
priests performed
rituals, but common
people as well. He
was a personal
favorite of military
men, and was
worshipped by
Roman generals from
Scipio to Antony
(Galinsky 127).
While Disney provided an
entertaining movie, the consequences of
such work resulted in a gross ignorance
into the true story of Hercules. Not only
is his origin distorted, but his love life
and deeds. Society has little classical
knowledge, which is further distorted by
pop culture. It is thus necessary for
scholars to correct and explain the truth,
and dispel the distortions that the media
presents to its followers.
--------------------Works Cited:
Galinsky, G. Karl. The Herakles Theme.
Totowa, New Jersey: Rowman and
Littlefield Publishers, 1972. Print.
―Hercules.‖ FactMonster.com. The
Columbia Electronic Encyclopedia, 6th
ed. 2007. Date. 13 June 2010.
Rexroth, Kenneth. "Hercules."
Encyclopedia Americana. 2010. Grolier
Online. 13 June. 2010.
Page 3
Whatever You do, Don‘t Fall Asleep
Friday the Thirteenth
By: Mallory Nygard
The most infamous day in history
is not the Ides of March or the JFK
assassination. No. The most infamous
day in history is Friday the thirteenth.
Why is it so unlucky, you ask? How do
people show their irrational fear of this
day? Let‘s take a look.
Friday the thirteenth is more
unlucky than any other day because it
combines the most unlucky day of the
week with the most unlucky number. As
a result, this day is doubly unlucky as
compared to any other day.
The unlucky-ness of this day is
rooted in multiple ancient cultures. The
Norse, French and British all have
reasons why the day is so feared. There
are also references in the Bible, Roman
history and mathematics.
In Norse mythology there is a
tale of a dinner party with twelve gods in
attendance. The thirteenth god to come
was a trouble maker who arranged for a
god to shoot the god of joy and gladness.
This caused the entire earth to go dark
and mourn. Not a helpful story in
regards to the reputation of Friday the
thirteenth.
On a fairly more recent Friday
the thirteenth during the Middle Ages
King Phillip of France arrested the
Knights Templar who guarded the fabled
Holy Grail and torturing them to reveal
the location. According to legend, they
did not give up the Holy Grail and the
day has been singled out as a day of the
devil.
In Britain, Friday the thirteen has
also been rooted connected with
violence. There both Friday and the
number thirteen were synonymous with
death. Fridays were the traditional day
someone was hung and there were
thought to be exactly thirteen steps
leading up to the gallows. As a result of
the connection with death, Friday the
thirteenth has long been thought to be
unlucky in Britain.
The Romans were believers, also,
in the bad omen that Friday the
thirteenth has become. They thought
witches existed and gathered in groups
of twelve to perform rituals and
therefore the thirteenth to come was
alleged to be the Devil itself.
Mathematicians and
numerologist don‘t connect the devil and
Friday the Thirteenth. They instead have
considered twelve to be a ―complete
number‖ giving such examples of the
twelve signs of the Zodiac, twelve
months of the year, twelve gods of
Olympus and the twelve trials of
Hercules. They believe the bad luck of
the thirteenth to be a result of being just
slightly more than the ―wholeness‖ of
twelve.
There are many references in the
Bible to the number thirteen and Friday.
Judas, the betrayer of Jesus, was the
thirteenth guest at the Last Supper,
making him the unluckiest man there. It
is believed by many that Jesus died on a
Friday. It is also believed that the flood
that covered the earth began on a Friday.
Some also believe that Eve tempted
Adam with the apple from the Tree of
Knowledge on a Friday.
Due to its long and varied
history, Friday the thirteenth has been
labeled the unluckiest day of the year in
our society. In fact,
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Whatever You do, Don‘t Fall Asleep
Paraskevidekatriaphobics, those with an
unnatural fear of Friday the thirteenth
often resist doing anything risky on that
day, including driving to the hospital and
going to work. There are over twenty
one million people, or about eight
percent of the population in the United
States who claim to be
paraskevidetatrinaphobics.
Although there are many theories
as to why Friday the thirteenth is
unlucky or not, it all comes down to the
belief of each individual person. For
those who believe in its supernatural
power, the day may hold extra
significance. To those who do not
believe, it is just another Friday, just
another day.
Page 5
Whatever You do, Don‘t Fall Asleep
The Nameless Stranger: A Modern Twist on the myth of
Persephone & Hades
By: Sarah Greene
I was in a barren field that seemed to
stretch on for miles and miles. The air
was hot and dry; a putrid burning smell
floated in the air. The grass beneath my
feet was dead. Scorch marks littered the
barren wasteland. I had no idea how I
had gotten to this lifeless place. The sun
was setting off in the horizon; the sky, an
ominous shade of scarlet.
“Hello? Is anyone there?” I called out
into the twilight. My voice resonated
around me as though I were in a giant
metal dome and not a field, not outside.
The sky was simply an illusion.
Then out of nowhere a warm deep
breath whispered in my ear.
“Behind you, il mio angelo*.”
I whipped my head around to see a tall
dark figure off in the distance. I could
see was his tall muscular physique, but
his face was darkened as if by an opaque
shadow.
“Who are you?” I demanded with
synthetic courage. My heart was racing
a million miles an hour and I could feel
the adrenaline tingling through my body
to the tips of my fingers.
“I’m coming for you, il mio angelo.
Soon you will be mine.”
A rancid smell like sulfur filled the air.
He raised his hands up to the “sky,” and
the field burst into flames.
*
I woke with a start drenched in sweat.
An icy breeze blew through the open
window sending shivers down my spine.
This was the second night I had had that
dream, both of them were the same;
same faceless man, same barren
wasteland, same fiery end. I had no idea
what it meant.
I looked over to my bedside table; the
clock read 6 AM. My shift at The
Lexicon, the local bookstore, started in
two hours. My head hit the pillow again.
I woke up again an hour or so later, got
dressed, and made my way downstairs.
―Sephone, darling you‘re awake finally!
I made pancakes and eggs for breakfast.
We got this new brand of wheat pancake
mix in at the the factory, so I thought I‘d
give it a try!‖ My mother, Demi,
informed me when I walked into the
kitchen. I loved her to death, but
sometimes she was just a little too
enthusiastic a little too early in the
morning. She was the manager of
Organic Wheat, the local grain factory in
town. A single mother, my ―father‖ had
knocked her up when she was 18 and
abandoned us before I was even born.
―Thanks, mom. That was sweet of you,‖
I said to her, still in a daze from the
dream. I had this feeling in the pit of my
stomach; like poison butterflies with
razor wings were fluttering around
inside. Knowing me better than anyone
else, she could immediately tell
something was off.
―Honey, what‘s wrong? You look very
pale.‖ Her face was full of genuine
concern. She put her hand to my
forehead. ―You‘re absolutely burning
up! I think we should call Horace and
tell him you need to take a sick day
today. You‘re working yourself much
too hard at that place.‖
―Mother, that‘s not the problem. I love
working at the store … I‘ve just been
having this weird dream is all …‖
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Whatever You do, Don‘t Fall Asleep
A look that I could not identify passed
across my mother‘s sharp features. Then
ever so slowly, she sat down at the table
where I was, completely forgetting about
breakfast. All good cheer having
vanished from her face, a somber
expression had taken its place.
―Tell me exactly what
happened in this dream.‖
So I told her.
―I want you home right
after work. No shortcuts,
no detours. Just come
home. I think it‘s time for
you to know …
everything,‖ she said
cryptically. I had no clue
what she was talking about,
so I just passed it off as her
overreacting as usual. She
had always been very
protective of me for as long as I could
remember. Perks of being an only child.
―Alright, mom. Whatever you say.‖ I
looked at the clock, it read 8:20. ―Crap, I
have to go. Love you.‖ I kissed her
check and left the house politely
ignoring her calls for me to take my
breakfast with me.
I arrived to work with three minutes to
spare. In four years of working at The
Lexicon I had never once been late for
work. As I walked into the door, I sensed
something was different, wrong. There
was a dark, sinister aura in the store. I
could feel it in my bones. My breath
caught in my lugs, and I suddenly felt
faint. Before I passed out I saw a tall
dark figure coming towards me, then my
world went black.
*
I awoke to the smell of new paper and
books; not even my favorite smell could
sooth the negative energy I was feeling
around my entire body. It was only then
that I noticed I was lying in rock hard,
surprisingly warm arms. I looked up at
the figure that appeared to have caught
me. He was tall and had pitch black hair
that covered his brown eyes. At least, I
thought they were brown. They were so
dark they almost looked black – like tar.
He was wearing a starched
black dress shirt,
untucked with faded dark
jeans.
―Well hello there.‖ He
said in an elegant voice
laced with a light Italian
accent. His voice
sounded so chillingly
familiar, but I could not
place where I had heard it
before.
―Um … hi. Yeah, sorry
about that, I just get a
little light headed
sometimes,‖ I explained, getting up and
out of his grasp, all the while trying to
hid the embarrassment at having fainted
in public. The blackouts had been
happening for almost 2 months before
the dreams started, but I had never had
one in public until now.
―That‘s quite alright, Miss. I don‘t think
I caught your name.‖
―Persephone … I go by Sephone though.
Are you new in town or something? I
don‘t think I‘ve seen you in here
before.‖ I had moved to the cashier‘s
area and sat down on my stool trying to
ignore the painful pounding of my head.
I felt as though I was going to implode.
―Yes, I‘m new in town, but just passing
through.‖ He said looking me straight in
the eyes as thought trying to drown me
in his tar black gaze. I felt selfconscious, as though this dark stranger
was reading every secret I had on the
surface of my mind. It was as thought he
could sense my pain; could tell I was
repressing it.
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Whatever You do, Don‘t Fall Asleep
I refused to break his intimidating gaze. I
never did respond well to intimidation,
which is what I felt like he was trying to
do; like he was using his presence to
show his dominance – over what I did
not know. Me? My female sex in
general? I was anything but a lowly
damsel in distress.
―Well that‘s nice. Now, was there
something you needed help finding?‖ I
asked him, wishing to rid myself as
quickly as possible of the negative
energy that seemed to be surrounding
him.
―Actually there was something in
particular I was looking for. I was
wondering if you had any books on
Night Hunting.‖
*
It was 10 PM when I finally closed up
the store and headed home. I walked out
into the dark humid night. The air was
thick. I hated humidity, hated it with a
passion. I got into my car, an ‘01 Dodge
Neon, which was also, quite cleverly
happened to be his name. This car was
my baby, perfect for me in every way,
even though he was in desperate need of
detailing and had been giving troubles
lately. I revved the engine. Nothing.
Neon wouldn‘t start. I tried a second
time. Still nothing. A third time, he
started! Then sputtered and died
pathetically.
Damn it.
I figured my mom was still at work so I
didn‘t bother to call her, deciding to
walk instead and call my friend Henry,
who worked part time at the local
mechanic shop. He usually fixed him for
me for pretty cheap. Insanely cheap
actually, which, it‘s possible, explained
why my poor old Neon till had so many
issues.
I walked down Main at a steady pace.
My house was only about 10 minutes on
foot. I walked past the alley and heard
something crash. My heart jumped out
of my chest.
Stop it, Sephone. You‘re being paranoid.
Breathe.
I kept walking. For the next few
minutes, I just walked. It wasn‘t until I
got to 10th Street that I started to become
aware of a presence; that same feeling
ominous feeling I had gotten when I
walked into the store earlier. Someone
was following me. My lungs started to
close up. I couldn‘t breathe straight.
Don‘t black out. You‘re in the middle of
downtown. If you past out you will
probably get raped for God‘s sake! Keep
walking. Don‘t give in.
I must not have even noticed when I
fainted because I woke up suddenly with
a hand covering my mouth, suppressing
my scream.
―Hush, il mio angelo. I‘m not going to
hurt you.‖ I recognized the voice
immediately. It was the same voice from
my dream. It was the same voice of the
man from the bookstore, a man whose
name I never bothered to ask, who never
bothered to tell me. I felt nauseous.
―I‘ve been watching you for some time,
il mio angelo. I‘ve been visiting your
dreams, learning everything about you.
Your beauty, your purity is
mesmerizing. The innocence in your
heart bewitches me. You were meant for
me, Persephone. Meant to be my Queen,
to be a light in my darkened world.‖
He had taken his hand off of my mouth
by now. Maybe it was what he saw in
my eyes; how they softened
unconsciously as he said more and more.
I was intrigued. I was drawn.
I had never been involved with a
mentally insane man before.
--------------------------------------Footnote: *―my angel.‖ (Italian)
Page 8
Whatever You do, Don‘t Fall Asleep
Love Within War
By: Brianna Vance
It wasn‘t the beautiful horse part
of him that caught my attention; the way
all his legs seemed so graceful and sure
as he slowly trotted towards me. It
wasn‘t even the deliciously sculpted abs
that I got glimpses of as his open vest
swung while he walked. No. It was the
way his smoldering dark gray eyes
caught mine and held them in a tender
embrace before stepping close to
envelope me in the heat of his arms—
that was what caught my heart and
makes it skip beats when I‘m near him.
Him, my husband, my friend.
The only difference between him and I;
I‘m a mortal, aging human, and he is an
immortal, ostentatious centaur. Despite
our differences, we couldn‘t be more
right for each other. I don‘t love him for
what he is; I love him for what I become
when I‘m with him. We, together, make
a whole, a perfect union of man and
wife, one complete soul. As I stepped
out of his embrace, I saw a tear slowly
make its way down his cheek before
burying itself in his chestnut beard.
He stepped farther back as his
first-in-command handed him his double
handed sword and shield. He belted
them on before removing his vest and
replacing it with the burgundy with gold
trim stiff leather body armor that
signifies him being General of the Army.
I took the small princess circlet
from around my head, and after I
unhinged a hidden clasp, I re-did the
clasp around Taankah‘s neck. I pulled
his head down to my level and
whispered in his ear. ―Come back to me,
my love. I hate every minute not
knowing your safe.‖
His hands wound around me and
moved up to my hair. He pulled me
close, crushing me to his chest. ―I
promise you, I will always be with you.‖
He whispered back. His lips sought mine
and then softly kissed my eyes shut. His
hands folded mine around a small box
before whirling away. I could hear him,
along with his first and second,
galloping away.
I waited until I could no longer
hear them before opening my eyes. I
slowly opened them to discover Taankah
had put a jewelry box into my hands. I
lifted the lid to discover a small pair of
earrings and a necklace. The earrings
had small jewels around the globe part
of my ear and at the end of the small
chain were the clearest crystals. At the
very center of the crystals was a pale
pink sunburst. I immediately took out
the earrings that were in my ears and put
in the new ones.
Then I slowly reached back in
the box for the necklace. It was made of
white gold chain, with small crystal
flowers gradually getting larger as they
worked their way down the chain.
Finally, at the center of the necklace,
there was a beautiful crystal lily. From
the center, the same pale pink burst out,
throwing random splashes of color into
the petals. The smaller flowers
surrounding the center piece had the
same pink bursts.
I gingerly picked up the necklace
and examined it, turning it this way and
that. I discovered that the back of the
center flower was engraved saying: To
my beautiful flower, this necklace will
always keep me near to you. Unclasping
the catch, I slipped the necklace around
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Whatever You do, Don‘t Fall Asleep
my neck and locked it into place. As I
was softly fingering the center flower, I
felt my finger catch on a small button. I,
being curious like I am, pushed it down.
Through my ears I suddenly heard the
thundering of hooves. I instinctively
looked around and
seeing no one, I
was confused.
―Is
anyone there?‖ I
called out,
thinking that
dark magic had
rendered my
enemies
invisible. I heard
laughter in my
ears. It was a
laughter I
recognized very
well, it was the
laughter of my
husband.
―Taankah!
Where are you?
Why can‘t I see
you!?‖
―My
love! Relax your
mind!‖ he said laughingly. ―I asked
Charron to enchant the earrings and
necklace so that whenever we were
parted, we weren‘t really parted. I hope
you aren‘t angry.‖
―Taankah, how did you do it?‖ I
asked.
―I am not positive how he did it,
but I asked him a few months ago about
long distance communication and he told
me about the earrings and necklace.
Now we will never be apart. As long as
you are wearing both the necklace and
earrings, you will always be with me,
and I with you.
My love, I must leave you now.
We are arriving into the edge of the
battle grounds. I love you more than the
moon loves the stars. I will speak with
you later tonight.‖
Page 10
Literally
Whatever You do, Don‘t Fall Asleep
By: Breken Lach
Her eyes were copper, her heart didn‘t
exist. She walked into the room with a
demeanor I can‘t even begin to explain.
Her lazy walk displayed how arrogant
she truly was. The room was dimly lit,
and she didn‘t do much to help that. If
anything, she made it worse. Physically
she is slight, with dark hair and probing
hazel eyes. When she suddenly glances
around and catches my eye, I instantly
feel sick to my stomach. Where does this
woman‘s future lie? If it weren‘t for that
one night, that one cold evening in
September, none of this would have to
happen. Prior to that night, she was a
daughter, a lover, a sister. Now, she only
has one label.
She swore she would never let her
emotions take control of her. She knew
what the consequences were. At the
same time, she couldn‘t wait to dig the
knife out of her back and dig it into his.
Literally. All it took was a short drive on
the highway, a short walk up the
driveway, a short time waiting at the
door, and a short blade sunk into his
chest. He broke her heart, so she put a
paring knife through his. And he was
only the first.
Page 11
Whatever You do, Don‘t Fall Asleep
A Place Called Home: A Short Story
By: Jacey Baumler
Christmas: a time for family, a time for celebration. But for me it‘s
different; coming home is something I haven‘t done since I was young and
unsure of my future. As much as I deny it, I‘m not normal. I never will
be, at least not in this world. At home I was normal. At home I was loved,
but something wasn‘t right. I wasn‘t right. Call me the Little Mermaid but
I longed to be a human. Maybe that‘s odd
since most humans find us
beautiful, graceful, holy, unblemished;
perfect. But that‘s not true. How
could it be? Maybe we look it on the
outside, but we are no closer to
perfect than you are. Unbelievable, I
know. Your mind is probably blown.
Here‘s a little secret; No one knows what
they are doing. Oh sure, some
people may look like they‘ve got it all,
but they are only telling
themselves that, hoping one day they‘ll
believe it. I think about this as
I glide through New York City with the
―grace of an angel.‖ How ironic. I
think about all the people I have helped
in my time here, and how unhappy
I‘ve made my family. But I‘m finally
going back to make things right.
That‘s what we do; we fix things. In a
few short moments I am back in my
world, where I should belong. I trudge
over white, puffy clouds to where
my family is. Strangely they are
watching something below, in the world,
from which I have come. I wordlessly
stand beside them and see what they
are looking at. Below in Central Park is
my little sister, earning her
first wings as the Christmas morning bells
chime. The look on her face is
pure joy. I know the feeling since I too got my wings Christmas morning,
but I also know she will face challenges she has never faced before in her
life, and it will not be as glamorous as she thinks... I only hope she
will overcome it better than I have.
Page 12
Robin Hood
Whatever You do, Don‘t Fall Asleep
By: Hope Erickson
A knight from the Holy lands—
A warrior from the Crusades
Returns to his homeland
Exhausted and weary.
His beloved England
Has changed so much.
King Richard is in the background
And Prince John in front.
His father dead—
His lands stolen
Courtesy of the Sheriff of Nottingham
As a gift to Sir Guy of Gisbourne.
He retreats to the forest
Only to find
He is not alone.
The Outlaw of Sherwood Forest
They call themselves—
The scapegoats of punishment
Under the tyranny of Prince John.
Much the Miller‘s son,
Little John,
Will Scarlet and
Friar Tuck.
Robin Hood and his band of Merry Men
Guard the forest—
Robbing the rich—
Saving the poor.
Leaving him confounded
Robin Hood had some
Marvelous adventures
But it all came to an end one day
When he was betrayed.
To Kirkley Hall
He did go—
For he had
Taken very ill.
She took him
Up to a private room
Where she bled Robin Hood—
Drop by drop.
At midday
Robin was so weak
That when Little John came
He was all but gone.
He said to Little John
‗Give me my bow
And where this arrow lands
Let me be buried there.‘
There he was buried—
Within the fair Kirkleys—
That is the tale
Of legendary Robin Hood.
There is but one who
Kept Robin Hood alive—
That is his true love—
Fair Maid Marian.
Together they dance
Around the Sherriff‘s men—
Robbing him blind
Page 13
Whatever You do, Don‘t Fall Asleep
In the Future
By: Sage Nichols
If I cut myself open,
Would there be wires
Instead of veins?
Oil
Instead of blood?
In the future,
If I cut myself open,
Would there be pipes
Instead of bones?
A memory chip
Instead of a brain?
In the future,
Would my heart be a battery,
Instead of a heart?
Beeping
Page 14
Whatever You do, Don‘t Fall Asleep
If You Dare
By: Deseree Roundtree
Close your eyes and travel with me,
To a place of a strange mystery.
Where good is evil and evil is good,
And nothing is acting as it should.
Now picture a girl with big black eyes,
And a look that says ―all I do is lie.‖
Her hair is black, her skin is white,
I bet you want to open your eyes now, right?
Well keep them closed we are not quite through,
This girl is coming after you.
A look of evil plays on her face,
And now you want to leave this place.
And now she has a big sharp knife,
And you want to open your eyes with all your might.
And now I‘m done, I hope you‘re scared
Now open your eyes if you dare.
Page 15
Way to Go Mom
Whatever You do, Don‘t Fall Asleep
By: Morgen Quintus
So this one time on some ridiculous whim,
My parents for some reason thought that it
would be a good idea
To buy my little sisters rabbits.
Little did they know it was a terrible idea.
First day the rabbits appeared normal
Cute, fuzzy, stupid…what bunnies should
be.
Little things about each of them stuck out,
Well at least about Milly.
She had a bite missing out of her ear
Like a peg-legged pirate or a shady drunk
who threw a few
punches in his fair
share of bar fights.
She had a history
A dark, black,
disgusting,
gruesome, history
At least for a
rabbit,
And none of us
would even
discover
What caused her to
be what she was –
Vicious.
So one day, before Milly revealed to us her
inner feelings pertaining to mankind
My mom was holding her on the porch
The rabbit had never lashed out before
Well, maybe she had missed a carrot a time
or two and munched a finger
By accident….?
At least we thought so
Mom was sitting in the rocking swing
CREAAAAAK, EEERRRRRRRRREEEW,
CREEAAAAK,
EEEEEEEEEEEEREEEEEEEEEW
The long, veiny palm-tree leaves
Ears
Must have picked up the sound waves like
kids pick up the candy after the plunge of a
crushed piñata
Quickly and entirely
It must have shaken that little pea-sized
brain over the edge
She lunged at my mother‘s leg
And sunk her massive rodent incisors into
the flesh of thigh
Mom was up instantly
Milly was on the ground
After a few profanities
(seeing mother cuss out a
rabbit on the porch was
interesting)
She picked Milly up to
apologize,
But all was different
now.
Milly was never the same
She pounces
Ferociously
A swimmer flying off the
starting block
And any human near her
She grunts and emits noises
Unbelievable
I thought rabbits were quiet
She beats her feet on the ground
Like old men beat their fists on the table
Like Tarzan beats his chest
And the human is the enemy
Watch out for those teeth
So much for taming the shrew
How about controlling the rabbit
Who knew it could be more terrible than an
ill-tempered human
She sits out in her lair, her hutch, with her
hairs on end
Watching untamed with her beady eyes
Who is next?
Page 16
IT
Whatever You do, Don‘t Fall Asleep
By: Caitlin Skjervem
IT roams.
IT stalks loved ones held so dearly.
IT stretches out IT's long, cold fingers,
And grasps the throat.
Cutting off all means of communication.
IT haunts his dream, the ones still left
standing.
Creating sentences to mumbles as he
watches.
IT watches.
As family members pass by with their
smiles, will soon wilt to frowns.
IT laughs at the deed that will be done,
sooner or later the time will come.
IT waits, for that perfect time, to ruin the
moment.
IT prepares, IT strikes.
The moment goes silent, all because of
IT.
The deed is done, but IT stays to watch.
Oh IT watches, with that blood red eye.
IT stares, so he doesn't try to talk.
But he cries, sobs come out, for being
mute.
For being impared, for being distraught.
IT laughs for the misery he is in, for the
misery the family is in.
You watch,
Wait for some reaction.
No words.
No life.
Is he still there?
The world gives up on him.
Says he is too far gone.
Because IT kills.
KILLS the heart.
KILLS the Love.
KILLS the mind.
But, I know, IT does not kill his
memories,
He knows.
Yes, I know that he knows.
But the world doesn't.
The only reason keeping the world from
knowing such knowledge is...
IT.
And they call IT,
STROKE.
Page 17
Whatever You do, Don‘t Fall Asleep
HOROSCOPES
Read at your own risk
CAPRICORN (12/22-1/19): You will find
yourself forced to choose between a
woman and one of your own organs. Your
clever self will end up choosing to give
your skin, and it will be the best choice
you’ve ever made.
AQUARIUS (1/20-2/18): Go for a swim
this weekend. There may be octopi among
you, but that’s okay.
ARIES (3/21-4/19): Buy yourself some
parchment. Then take that parchment,
and fold it in half. Then fold it again. Then
fold it again. Then fold it again. Then fold
it again. Just keep folding it.
TAURUS (4/20-5/20): There are animals
up for adoption on Craig’s List. Adopt one.
GEMINI (5/21-6/20): No, airplanes are
not shooting stars. You will not get your
wish.
PISCES (2/29-3/20): If you wake up one
of these coming mornings and find
yourself with an extra appendage, do not
worry. Or, if this doesn’t happen at all,
don’t worry then either.
CANCER (6/21-7/22): Chickens are
arguably the most
abused animals in
the world.
Page 18
Whatever You do, Don‘t Fall Asleep
LEO (7/23-8/22): Hello, Leo. I want to
play a game. You go about your life every
morning waking reluctantly to earn your
salary without any appreciation for this
advantage you’ve established for yourself.
This game will test how much you really
want to continue living. You have sixty
seconds.
VIRGO (8/23-9/22): Howdy. Your wheat
is ready for harvesting.
LIBRA (9/23-10/22): My name is
Hannah. I am a ten-year-old girl with
brown hair. I also have blue eyes. I have
no nose. If you do not forward this to
20 people by midnight tonight, I will
appear in your room, and you will
realize that I AM REAL.
SCORPIO (10/23-11/21): Your
refreshments have been tainted with the
poison from Cupid’s most dangerous
arrow. You will now fall madly in love
with the next person of the opposite sex
you feast your eyes upon. Be very careful
with your eyes.
SAGITTARIUS (11/22-12/21): You kids
better brush up on your archery skills,
and be gracious with the vegetables you
consume.
CLASSIFIEDS
Do you want to know
your future? Call
Madam Stork for
all the answers.
Open 24/7
Call
1-900-PyschicStork*
TODAY!!
*Not a valid number
Page 19
Sources
www.photobucket.com
www.images.google.com