When the boy went back to school the following Monday, he had a sudden realization of just how lonely he was. It felt like something had happened to him over the weekend, as if he'd lost every friend that he had in the world. See, he was still being chased by girls, but no one really talked to him. He was still kind of on the outskirts of the social pyramid. He was just...sad.
In each of his classes, he noticed that one or two seats were empty. In his school, it was strange to have space in classes because of how jam packed it was. So it didn't make sense to him that so many places in classes went all year without being filled.
Whatever is making me think like this, it doesn't matter. I've got a magic hole that makes my problems go away, and I love it.
However, in two weeks, he was singing a different song. His life was no longer complicated, but it was like watching a play that had no conflict, or a movie with no plot. The boy went from one thing to the other, getting exactly what he wanted from it. It was too easy, but he just couldn't stop. He had enjoyed this in the past, but was now getting to the point where he realized just how important challenging himself was. If he forgot about studying for a test, or telling The Rabbit Hole that he had a test, he failed astronomically. His grades were slipping, and it seemed like The Rabbit Hole wasn't having as much of an effect as it was in the beginning. For example, when "Failed a test" used to turn a thirty into a hundred, now "Failed a test" turned a sixty eight into a seventy, almost like his life was developing an immunity to repeated changes from The Rabbit Hole. He was starting to become aggravated with it.
But that's not all he was upset with. His parents were noticing the fact that his grades were slipping, and constantly calling him out on it. Eventually, they made him quit his extracurricular activities to stay on track. When the boy had used The Rabbit Hole, nothing had happened. He was frustrated and getting depressed, as he couldn't leave his house much anymore (which also made going to The Rabbit Hole difficult). One night though, after getting a rather harsh verbal lashing from his parents, the boy crept out of his window and ran to The Rabbit Hole, holding a single slip of paper in his hand. When he got there, he paced a little bit, as he was nervous about what he was about to do. With a deep sigh, he looked down at the paper that read "Overbearing parents" and dropped it into the blackness.
He went home and laid down in bed, wondering how The Rabbit Hole would make his parents less overbearing.
*********************************************************************************
The following morning, the boy didn't wake up until almost ten thirty, as he had forgotten to set his alarm. When he bolted from his room, he screamed "MOM, WHY DIDN'T YOU WAKE ME UP?" No response. Arriving in the kitchen, he saw no breakfast was waiting for him like it usually was. Later on, when he got out of the shower, there was still no sign of his mother anywhere in the house.
She probably went to go visit Dad at work today. She does that a lot.
Before he went outside, he noticed something that caught his eye. The family picture that normally hung over the mantle of his fireplace had changed.
It was just the boy.
*********************************************************************************
At school, (which he still found himself going to despite what had just happened), he asked one of his teachers about his parents. The entire class laughed at him. Soon, he heard people whispering behind his back in the halls. That's when it hit him like a train.
I've turned into Anthony Maxwell.
He ran. He ran from the school. He ran from his house. He ran from his old life. He ran to the only thing that made sense.
He ran to The Rabbit Hole.
When he got there, he screamed down into the depths of it. "GIVE IT BACK! I WANT IT ALL BACK! GIVE ME BACK MY PARENTS!"
No response but the wind blowing through the leaves above him.
The boy began to cry as he sat there, just staring into The Rabbit Hole, waiting for something to change. That's when another thought struck him.
What actually happens to things that get thrown down The Rabbit Hole? Are they waiting for you at the bottom? What would happen if...
With that the boy stood and walked to the edge of the hole, just looking into the black abyss below him. He sighed.
There's nothing better to do. I've already thrown almost all of my life down The Rabbit Hole, there's just one thing left to go.
And he jumped.
*********************************************************************************
A teenage girl had been walking aimlessly around the forest. She was just ending one of the worst days of her life, and needed to get some air. However, walking aimlessly was not safe for her, as she suddenly found herself almost falling into a huge hole. When she dropped her backpack to look at it, she found a letter stuffed into the roots of the tree, with
To Whom it May Concern written on it. She opened it to find two pages covered in writing. She flipped the back of the second page to see who had written it. In scribbled handwriting, she read
Be cautious,
----------*
She gasped, letting the paper drop into the hole. ---------- was an orphan boy who had all but lost his mind and then just disappeared last year. The case was going cold, as there was almost no evidence that he had even existed. When the girl realized that she had dropped the page, she shrugged.
It probably wasn't that important anyways. She began reading the front of the first page.
To Whom it May Concern,
It is doubtful you know who I am, but my name is ---------- If you have found this, then I have no doubts you have found the Rabbit Hole as well.
She was too busy reading to notice hear faint voices shouting out "No! Turn around! Forget you saw this hole!"
*********************************************************************************
*: If you though that you were going to get his name after ALL THIS TIME, I'm sorry, you're sorely mistaken. The idea is that he can be anyone. I don't want to tie him down with any kind of name. Heck, for all you know, he could be you.
Final Thanks:
First off, the idea to write this came from Aaron Koehne, so I still have to give him props on this.
Second, a thanks to everyone who was listed as one of the boy's close friends. While I would never make you disappear, you really are some of my closest friends, and I figured that you needed to be in this.
Third, to all of you. If you're still reading this, that means that you've probably (hopefully...?) stuck around since the beginning. If you want me to write another story, just leave comments and I'll work on my next topic.
Thanks guys! I'll see you again in the ward. <3
Tuesday, November 20, 2012
The Boy and The Rabbit Hole, Chapter Four
It had been the best week of the boy's life. He had been accepted to every college he had applied for, gotten thousands upon thousands of dollars of scholarships offered to him, found out that he no longer had to do homework, and was almost constantly being pursued by females on campus that had suddenly developed a massive urge to date him. All in all, a much better week than any other teenage boy.
He was at the top of his game. However, what REALLY caught his attention was that no one seemed to think anything was different. It was as if the boy had always been exempt from homework, extremely desired, and was incredibly successful. This was, of course, not the case. The boy simply assumed it was the magic of The Rabbit Hole that was fixing everything. As long as he was happy, he didn't care if it was Satan himself at the bottom of that hole.
*********************************************************************************
Yet, when the boy went to his car at the end of the day on Friday, he found a note stuck under his windshield. When he picked it up and read it, he broke out in a cold sweat.
Alright, I know exactly who you are and what you're doing. You need to stop using The Rabbit Hole. There are a few of us at this school who know what happened to Anthony. We don't want it to happen again. If you use The Rabbit Hole again, we will personally take it upon ourselves to make sure that you NEVER go back to it. We WILL know if you use it. Once you use it, you're connected to it. We can tell when something has been Changed. Don't make us hurt you.
The boy didn't understand. He was almost one hundred percent sure that no one knew, simply because no one had asked any questions about his sudden increase in luck, including his closest friends.
Whoever left that note must have used The Rabbit Hole in the past and got what they wanted. They probably don't want someone else taking up their days. But what do they mean they know what happened to Anthony...?
That evening, the boy did the only logical thing he could think of. If these people knew what was going on, then by throwing the note in The Rabbit Hole would make them forget all about it. It was a perfect plan.
And he did just that.
*********************************************************************************
The boy was woken up by a loud rapping on his window at one o'clock that following Saturday morning. When he finally gained the consciousness to respond, he could just make out four figures crouched outside in his side yard. What the hell....
He crawled across his room and turned on the lamp by the window. He was shocked to see his four best friends, glaring at him through the glass. James, his oldest friend and neighbor, mouthed "Open up," which the boy did.
"What the hell did you try to Change?" He whispered this as he and the three others slunk through the open window.
The only noise the boy could make was "Huh?"
Hallie, his other neighbor, slapped him across the head. "We figured you would actually listen to us."
Again, "Huh?"
Emma, who he'd just met this year, shook his head. "We told you we would know if you tried to Change anything."
Beginning to understand, the boy turned to the last person, his ex-girlfriend turned best friend Camille, and uttered a halfhearted "Huh?" She didn't say anything, just shook her head.
James took control again. "We left that note. I'm actually amazed you didn't listen to it. Amazed and ashamed at the same time."
Finally the boy's mind connected with his mouth. "Explain. Now."
Camille took the boy's hand and sat him down on the bed, while the other three sat on the floor of his room. "Listen to us, please. We know about The Rabbit Hole. We know how it Changes things. We've all changed somethings about our lives. But we realized that The Rabbit Hole is just as dangerous as a drug. You get addicted to the amount of control that you don't normally have."
The boy looked up to find that the other three were nodding their heads in agreement when Emma piped up.
"The worst thing about it is that there is no 'Undo' function. You Change something, it turns out to have a negative impact, you have to live with it. That's why I stopped. I didn't want to take any more risks. I already screwed up once."
He gave her a questioning look.
"You don't remember him, but I had a brother. He was an absolute pain in the ass, so I threw his name down before I realized just exactly what The Rabbit Hole does. When I woke up, no brother. No pictures, my parents didn't know who he was, his old room was now a guest room. I still think about him every night and day. We want to make sure the same thing doesn't happen again."
That's when the boy flashed back to the note. "You wrote down that you know what happened to Anthony. Can you tell me?"
The four looked at each other and Hallie nodded. "This is what happened. He was a lot like you, actually. Until he found The Rabbit Hole and decided that he had a lot that he wanted to Change..."
*********************************************************************************
By four o'clock, the boy had learned it all. What had happened to Anthony. The exact way The Rabbit Hole worked. Everything. His four best friends looked even more exhausted than he did, so he decided that he needed to call it a night. As he was saying good-bye to each of them, Hallie turned back towards him. "Oh right, the whole reason why we came over. What did you Change?"
The boy paused for a second. He didn't want them to know that he had thrown the note into The Rabbit Hole., or else they would probably get quite upset. So, he just decided to do what he was best at, tell a lie. "You won't believe it. I got pulled over AGAIN on my way home to school today, so it was just another one to get rid of traffic tickets. You got your feathers all ruffled up for a traffic ticket."
Emma, James, and Camille laughed when they heard it and climbed out of the window, but Hallie seemed a little more skeptical. "Okay...sorry for keeping you up so late. Go back to sleep." With one leg outside, she paused, then turned back and gave the boy a bear hug. "Please don't do anything stupid with The Rabbit Hole, okay? We all love you, and don't want to see you do anything to hurt yourself. Okay? I love you, you stupid kid." And she slid out the window without a glance back.
As the boy turned off the lamp, he noticed that Emma had left her purse on the floor. He picked it up and hung it on the handle of his door so he would remember to take it to her house in the morning. The boy climbed into bed, happy that now he not only understood what he had found, but he had such a fantastic group of friends that all knew exactly what he was going through.
*********************************************************************************
When his alarm blasted into his ear three hours later, the boy groaned. Why the hell am I so tired? I got nine hours of sleep, I should be fine right now. What the heck? Why is my window open? Maybe Mom shut the air off last night and wanted me to be cool. That makes sense.
He got out of bed and walked to his door, grabbed the empty door handle, and twisted, walking out into his living room to find his mother sitting on the couch. "Mom?"
"Hmm?"
"Did you open my window last night for whatever reason?"
She looked up from her magazine. "No sweetie, I had the air on all night. Why did you leave your window open ALL night?"
"I'm honestly not sure! I don't remember opening the window at any point last night. And I was in bed at ten, and didn't wake up until seven, but I'm freaking exhausted. I didn't work yesterday, so I'm really confused."
"Son, did you drink last night?" His mother's voice was dripping with sarcasm.
He laughed. "Oh yeah, totally trashed. Have you gotten the paper yet?"
"No, but it's been delivered I think. Can you go grab it?"
"Of course, Your Majesty. Don't get up from your throne, I'll do it."
"Oh shut it you."
The boy walked out into his front yard and saw the paper sitting on the sidewalk. As he bent down to grabbed it, he looked at his neighbor's yard on his right. The "FOR SALE" sign that had been there his entire life was still standing, as was the one to his left. He sighed. Why did we move into a neighborhood where two houses can be empty for seventeen years? I really wish there had been some kids in them growing up. Maybe we could have been friends.
With that the boy turned on his heel and waltzed back inside to his house, yawning.
*********************************************************************************
Author's Note: Oh no, what happened to the boy's friends???? If you don't get it, go back and re-read it, you'll understand.
And, if you're mentioned in this chapter, I love ya <3
He was at the top of his game. However, what REALLY caught his attention was that no one seemed to think anything was different. It was as if the boy had always been exempt from homework, extremely desired, and was incredibly successful. This was, of course, not the case. The boy simply assumed it was the magic of The Rabbit Hole that was fixing everything. As long as he was happy, he didn't care if it was Satan himself at the bottom of that hole.
*********************************************************************************
Yet, when the boy went to his car at the end of the day on Friday, he found a note stuck under his windshield. When he picked it up and read it, he broke out in a cold sweat.
Alright, I know exactly who you are and what you're doing. You need to stop using The Rabbit Hole. There are a few of us at this school who know what happened to Anthony. We don't want it to happen again. If you use The Rabbit Hole again, we will personally take it upon ourselves to make sure that you NEVER go back to it. We WILL know if you use it. Once you use it, you're connected to it. We can tell when something has been Changed. Don't make us hurt you.
The boy didn't understand. He was almost one hundred percent sure that no one knew, simply because no one had asked any questions about his sudden increase in luck, including his closest friends.
Whoever left that note must have used The Rabbit Hole in the past and got what they wanted. They probably don't want someone else taking up their days. But what do they mean they know what happened to Anthony...?
That evening, the boy did the only logical thing he could think of. If these people knew what was going on, then by throwing the note in The Rabbit Hole would make them forget all about it. It was a perfect plan.
And he did just that.
*********************************************************************************
The boy was woken up by a loud rapping on his window at one o'clock that following Saturday morning. When he finally gained the consciousness to respond, he could just make out four figures crouched outside in his side yard. What the hell....
He crawled across his room and turned on the lamp by the window. He was shocked to see his four best friends, glaring at him through the glass. James, his oldest friend and neighbor, mouthed "Open up," which the boy did.
"What the hell did you try to Change?" He whispered this as he and the three others slunk through the open window.
The only noise the boy could make was "Huh?"
Hallie, his other neighbor, slapped him across the head. "We figured you would actually listen to us."
Again, "Huh?"
Emma, who he'd just met this year, shook his head. "We told you we would know if you tried to Change anything."
Beginning to understand, the boy turned to the last person, his ex-girlfriend turned best friend Camille, and uttered a halfhearted "Huh?" She didn't say anything, just shook her head.
James took control again. "We left that note. I'm actually amazed you didn't listen to it. Amazed and ashamed at the same time."
Finally the boy's mind connected with his mouth. "Explain. Now."
Camille took the boy's hand and sat him down on the bed, while the other three sat on the floor of his room. "Listen to us, please. We know about The Rabbit Hole. We know how it Changes things. We've all changed somethings about our lives. But we realized that The Rabbit Hole is just as dangerous as a drug. You get addicted to the amount of control that you don't normally have."
The boy looked up to find that the other three were nodding their heads in agreement when Emma piped up.
"The worst thing about it is that there is no 'Undo' function. You Change something, it turns out to have a negative impact, you have to live with it. That's why I stopped. I didn't want to take any more risks. I already screwed up once."
He gave her a questioning look.
"You don't remember him, but I had a brother. He was an absolute pain in the ass, so I threw his name down before I realized just exactly what The Rabbit Hole does. When I woke up, no brother. No pictures, my parents didn't know who he was, his old room was now a guest room. I still think about him every night and day. We want to make sure the same thing doesn't happen again."
That's when the boy flashed back to the note. "You wrote down that you know what happened to Anthony. Can you tell me?"
The four looked at each other and Hallie nodded. "This is what happened. He was a lot like you, actually. Until he found The Rabbit Hole and decided that he had a lot that he wanted to Change..."
*********************************************************************************
By four o'clock, the boy had learned it all. What had happened to Anthony. The exact way The Rabbit Hole worked. Everything. His four best friends looked even more exhausted than he did, so he decided that he needed to call it a night. As he was saying good-bye to each of them, Hallie turned back towards him. "Oh right, the whole reason why we came over. What did you Change?"
The boy paused for a second. He didn't want them to know that he had thrown the note into The Rabbit Hole., or else they would probably get quite upset. So, he just decided to do what he was best at, tell a lie. "You won't believe it. I got pulled over AGAIN on my way home to school today, so it was just another one to get rid of traffic tickets. You got your feathers all ruffled up for a traffic ticket."
Emma, James, and Camille laughed when they heard it and climbed out of the window, but Hallie seemed a little more skeptical. "Okay...sorry for keeping you up so late. Go back to sleep." With one leg outside, she paused, then turned back and gave the boy a bear hug. "Please don't do anything stupid with The Rabbit Hole, okay? We all love you, and don't want to see you do anything to hurt yourself. Okay? I love you, you stupid kid." And she slid out the window without a glance back.
As the boy turned off the lamp, he noticed that Emma had left her purse on the floor. He picked it up and hung it on the handle of his door so he would remember to take it to her house in the morning. The boy climbed into bed, happy that now he not only understood what he had found, but he had such a fantastic group of friends that all knew exactly what he was going through.
*********************************************************************************
When his alarm blasted into his ear three hours later, the boy groaned. Why the hell am I so tired? I got nine hours of sleep, I should be fine right now. What the heck? Why is my window open? Maybe Mom shut the air off last night and wanted me to be cool. That makes sense.
He got out of bed and walked to his door, grabbed the empty door handle, and twisted, walking out into his living room to find his mother sitting on the couch. "Mom?"
"Hmm?"
"Did you open my window last night for whatever reason?"
She looked up from her magazine. "No sweetie, I had the air on all night. Why did you leave your window open ALL night?"
"I'm honestly not sure! I don't remember opening the window at any point last night. And I was in bed at ten, and didn't wake up until seven, but I'm freaking exhausted. I didn't work yesterday, so I'm really confused."
"Son, did you drink last night?" His mother's voice was dripping with sarcasm.
He laughed. "Oh yeah, totally trashed. Have you gotten the paper yet?"
"No, but it's been delivered I think. Can you go grab it?"
"Of course, Your Majesty. Don't get up from your throne, I'll do it."
"Oh shut it you."
The boy walked out into his front yard and saw the paper sitting on the sidewalk. As he bent down to grabbed it, he looked at his neighbor's yard on his right. The "FOR SALE" sign that had been there his entire life was still standing, as was the one to his left. He sighed. Why did we move into a neighborhood where two houses can be empty for seventeen years? I really wish there had been some kids in them growing up. Maybe we could have been friends.
With that the boy turned on his heel and waltzed back inside to his house, yawning.
*********************************************************************************
Author's Note: Oh no, what happened to the boy's friends???? If you don't get it, go back and re-read it, you'll understand.
And, if you're mentioned in this chapter, I love ya <3
Thursday, November 8, 2012
The Boy and The Rabbit Hole, Chapter Three
The boy was confused. The ticket had been right on top of his small collection of receipts; just last night he had double checked before he went to sleep (which probably caused that nightmare of a dream). He rustled through all the small slips of paper, just to check and make sure it hadn't slipped down anywhere. Again he found nothing. He opened the money flap and only found a few solitary one dollar bills. No ticket.
"Sir, please step away from the desk. You're wasting my time" the turtle woman snapped at him. "You don't have any record of a ticket. Maybe it was just a warning."
The boy nodded, then slowly turned away from the desk and exited the building. He was not one to argue about a two hundred dollar ticket that apparently didn't exist, but he knew exactly what had happened. He had hardly slept for two days because of the stress and fear of his parents finding out. For something that serious, what was going on right then just seemed...off.
With that thought, the boy suddenly flashed back twelve hours to the letter. Tomorrow, go and talk to your teacher about the overdue homework and try and explain yourself. If something seems off, then flip this page over. Until then, DO NOT KEEP READING.
This was the epitome of something being "off."
The boy quickly got back in his car and drove towards the woods, silently dreading what was awaiting him.
*********
For only being there once before, and finding the hole when it was close to dark, the boy was surprised by how quickly he found the hole again. It looked exactly as he had left it the day before, and could make out the crumpled letter stuffed in the roots, right where he had left it. As he approached, he found himself thinking about Anthony. The boy was tired of Anthony winding up in his thoughts all the time. It was something that was foreign to him. Now, with the ticket, he didn't think it was going to be possible to forget.
Upon reaching the hole, the boy sighed, but he was confused. Why am I so concerned and nervous about something that is obviously a trick? However, as he bent down and grabbed the envelope, he couldn't help but think that it might not have been a trick at all. Still, trick or no trick, the boy wanted to read the rest of the letter. He opened the envelope, pulled out the wrinkled scrap of paper, and turned it over to discover that it was covered in small handwriting.
If you're reading this, then something happened. I bet whatever was causing you stress resolved itself, in some way. Now, it's time for me to explain the Rabbit Hole.
I'm not even sure what the actual name of this place is, but I dubbed it the Rabbit Hole, because whatever gets tossed into it seems to just vanish into Wonderland. It's a funny story how I discovered that strange ability.
During sophomore year, I found myself a little...over-extended. I was being pulled in so many different directions with school, and work, and hobbies, and parents, and all sorts of other things. One day I just finally cracked.
The boy stopped. Parents? Anthony was an orphan. He didn't have to worry about parents.
One day I just finally cracked. I needed to get away from it all for a little while. So, one weekend, I headed off into the woods not far from my house. These woods. As I walked, I had completely zoned out and soon discovered that I was in a section of the forest I had not been in before. I was unfortunate to figure this out because I found myself almost falling into a concealed hole by a tree. The Rabbit Hole.
Of course it didn't mean anything to me. It was just a stupid hole that I had almost fell down. So I kept walking. However, I somehow must have walked in a huge circle, because an hour later I was back at the hole. Not sure how it happened, but it did. At that point though, I was too tired to care that I might have been lost. So I just dropped to the ground and sat there.
I don't know how much time went by, but it was getting dark when I finally realized that 1) I needed to get home and 2) my backpack was still on. Still, something about just sitting there away from all my problems sounded so...perfect. And that's exactly what I did. Well, sort of.
I figured that just sitting there wouldn't help anything. So, I pulled out a spiral and turned to a clean page. On that page I started listing all the things that had brought me up to this point. The first thing on the list? Too much school work. That was the brunt of my problems at the moment. But after writing that simple thing, I found myself just staring at the sheet. So, deciding that it was a stupid idea, I just ripped the sheet out, crumpled it up, and tossed it into the Hole. With that, I stood up, walked home, and collapsed. No homework, no dinner, not even saying hello to my parents. Completely wiped.
When I woke up in the morning, I didn't feel any different. If anything, my feet hurt from walking so much the night before. But I had almost completely forgotten about what had happened, and had DEFINITELY forgotten about the piece of paper. After realizing that I had, in fact, overslept, I grabbed my stuff and bolted to get to school.
Upon arriving to my first period, I remembered that I hadn't done my homework (honestly, not really a surprise). But, when the teacher came around to pick up the assignment, she just walked right past me. When I asked her about it, she told me that I had been excused from homework for her class. I laughed, telling her that I wasn't THAT lazy. She just kept on walking.
The same thing happened in the next class. And the following. By the end of the day, I was apparently no longer required to do any homework.
Needless to say, I was confused.
When I went home, I asked my parents if they knew anything about it, and they...
The boy again stopped reading. Seriously, what's up with the PARENT thing? ANTHONY WAS AN ORPHAN! Reluctantly, he continued.
When I went home, I asked my parents if they knew anything about it, and they said the strangest thing. "This isn't anything new Anthony. You've never had to do homework. You're teachers have said you don't need to." To this I laughed and went upstairs to show them the massive pile of unfinished (okay, who am I kidding, unSTARTED) homework.
There was nothing there.
So I left. I ran outside and into the forest. I needed to get away and clear my head. After running for a few minutes, I found myself, yet again, at the same freaking hole. The Rabbit Hole.
Suddenly, things started to click. It might have been from sleep deprivation, or too much stress, but it made sense to me that the Hole made things disappear. Then my interest grew. Just how much stuff could it make go away? Feeling my pockets, I found small scraps of paper and a pen that I had stowed there after class that day, and began scribbling. "College" got written, then thrown in. "Enemies" got written, then thrown in. "Traffic Tickets" got written, then thrown in.
And then I left, went home, apologized to my parents, and went to bed.
However, in the morning, nothing had changed. In fact, I had a message from the city saying that I still needed to pay my ticket. I didn't understand.
I went back that night with a single piece of paper. But before I could even begin writing, I saw that all three slips of paper sitting out in front of the Hole. It looked almost if the Hole had rejected them. I picked up the one that said "Traffic Tickets" and tossed that ONE paper in. I watched until it fluttered out of sight. Picking up the other two, I went home.
The next day, there was no record of a traffic ticket.
I went back after school and threw "College" down.
Every college I had applied to sent me a letter the next day saying I had been accepted with a full ride scholarship.
"Enemies" soon went down as well. This is where something went wrong.
When I went to school the next day, not worrying about homework, traffic tickets, or college, I noticed a distinct lack of
This was the end of the page, so the letter cut off there. It was obvious that this was not the end, so the boy looked in the envelope for the second sheet. He searched around the hole. He looked in the roots.
There was nothing there.
Oh well, he thought to himself, it can't have been THAT important. Let's take this time to get rid of some more stress.
So the boy, taking a leaf from Anthony's book, wrote "College" on a slip of paper and watched it fade into the darkness of the hole.
When he got home from school the next day, there were seven letters in his mailbox. Each one was from a different college that he had applied to. He smiled.
I'm pretty sure I just became the luckiest man alive.
********
Sorry for not posting in a while. A combination of writer's block/starting senior year has prevented easy access to my creative juices. Don't worry though, I'm gonna make sure that I keep up with this!
"Sir, please step away from the desk. You're wasting my time" the turtle woman snapped at him. "You don't have any record of a ticket. Maybe it was just a warning."
The boy nodded, then slowly turned away from the desk and exited the building. He was not one to argue about a two hundred dollar ticket that apparently didn't exist, but he knew exactly what had happened. He had hardly slept for two days because of the stress and fear of his parents finding out. For something that serious, what was going on right then just seemed...off.
With that thought, the boy suddenly flashed back twelve hours to the letter. Tomorrow, go and talk to your teacher about the overdue homework and try and explain yourself. If something seems off, then flip this page over. Until then, DO NOT KEEP READING.
This was the epitome of something being "off."
The boy quickly got back in his car and drove towards the woods, silently dreading what was awaiting him.
*********
For only being there once before, and finding the hole when it was close to dark, the boy was surprised by how quickly he found the hole again. It looked exactly as he had left it the day before, and could make out the crumpled letter stuffed in the roots, right where he had left it. As he approached, he found himself thinking about Anthony. The boy was tired of Anthony winding up in his thoughts all the time. It was something that was foreign to him. Now, with the ticket, he didn't think it was going to be possible to forget.
Upon reaching the hole, the boy sighed, but he was confused. Why am I so concerned and nervous about something that is obviously a trick? However, as he bent down and grabbed the envelope, he couldn't help but think that it might not have been a trick at all. Still, trick or no trick, the boy wanted to read the rest of the letter. He opened the envelope, pulled out the wrinkled scrap of paper, and turned it over to discover that it was covered in small handwriting.
If you're reading this, then something happened. I bet whatever was causing you stress resolved itself, in some way. Now, it's time for me to explain the Rabbit Hole.
I'm not even sure what the actual name of this place is, but I dubbed it the Rabbit Hole, because whatever gets tossed into it seems to just vanish into Wonderland. It's a funny story how I discovered that strange ability.
During sophomore year, I found myself a little...over-extended. I was being pulled in so many different directions with school, and work, and hobbies, and parents, and all sorts of other things. One day I just finally cracked.
The boy stopped. Parents? Anthony was an orphan. He didn't have to worry about parents.
One day I just finally cracked. I needed to get away from it all for a little while. So, one weekend, I headed off into the woods not far from my house. These woods. As I walked, I had completely zoned out and soon discovered that I was in a section of the forest I had not been in before. I was unfortunate to figure this out because I found myself almost falling into a concealed hole by a tree. The Rabbit Hole.
Of course it didn't mean anything to me. It was just a stupid hole that I had almost fell down. So I kept walking. However, I somehow must have walked in a huge circle, because an hour later I was back at the hole. Not sure how it happened, but it did. At that point though, I was too tired to care that I might have been lost. So I just dropped to the ground and sat there.
I don't know how much time went by, but it was getting dark when I finally realized that 1) I needed to get home and 2) my backpack was still on. Still, something about just sitting there away from all my problems sounded so...perfect. And that's exactly what I did. Well, sort of.
I figured that just sitting there wouldn't help anything. So, I pulled out a spiral and turned to a clean page. On that page I started listing all the things that had brought me up to this point. The first thing on the list? Too much school work. That was the brunt of my problems at the moment. But after writing that simple thing, I found myself just staring at the sheet. So, deciding that it was a stupid idea, I just ripped the sheet out, crumpled it up, and tossed it into the Hole. With that, I stood up, walked home, and collapsed. No homework, no dinner, not even saying hello to my parents. Completely wiped.
When I woke up in the morning, I didn't feel any different. If anything, my feet hurt from walking so much the night before. But I had almost completely forgotten about what had happened, and had DEFINITELY forgotten about the piece of paper. After realizing that I had, in fact, overslept, I grabbed my stuff and bolted to get to school.
Upon arriving to my first period, I remembered that I hadn't done my homework (honestly, not really a surprise). But, when the teacher came around to pick up the assignment, she just walked right past me. When I asked her about it, she told me that I had been excused from homework for her class. I laughed, telling her that I wasn't THAT lazy. She just kept on walking.
The same thing happened in the next class. And the following. By the end of the day, I was apparently no longer required to do any homework.
Needless to say, I was confused.
When I went home, I asked my parents if they knew anything about it, and they...
The boy again stopped reading. Seriously, what's up with the PARENT thing? ANTHONY WAS AN ORPHAN! Reluctantly, he continued.
When I went home, I asked my parents if they knew anything about it, and they said the strangest thing. "This isn't anything new Anthony. You've never had to do homework. You're teachers have said you don't need to." To this I laughed and went upstairs to show them the massive pile of unfinished (okay, who am I kidding, unSTARTED) homework.
There was nothing there.
So I left. I ran outside and into the forest. I needed to get away and clear my head. After running for a few minutes, I found myself, yet again, at the same freaking hole. The Rabbit Hole.
Suddenly, things started to click. It might have been from sleep deprivation, or too much stress, but it made sense to me that the Hole made things disappear. Then my interest grew. Just how much stuff could it make go away? Feeling my pockets, I found small scraps of paper and a pen that I had stowed there after class that day, and began scribbling. "College" got written, then thrown in. "Enemies" got written, then thrown in. "Traffic Tickets" got written, then thrown in.
And then I left, went home, apologized to my parents, and went to bed.
However, in the morning, nothing had changed. In fact, I had a message from the city saying that I still needed to pay my ticket. I didn't understand.
I went back that night with a single piece of paper. But before I could even begin writing, I saw that all three slips of paper sitting out in front of the Hole. It looked almost if the Hole had rejected them. I picked up the one that said "Traffic Tickets" and tossed that ONE paper in. I watched until it fluttered out of sight. Picking up the other two, I went home.
The next day, there was no record of a traffic ticket.
I went back after school and threw "College" down.
Every college I had applied to sent me a letter the next day saying I had been accepted with a full ride scholarship.
"Enemies" soon went down as well. This is where something went wrong.
When I went to school the next day, not worrying about homework, traffic tickets, or college, I noticed a distinct lack of
This was the end of the page, so the letter cut off there. It was obvious that this was not the end, so the boy looked in the envelope for the second sheet. He searched around the hole. He looked in the roots.
There was nothing there.
Oh well, he thought to himself, it can't have been THAT important. Let's take this time to get rid of some more stress.
So the boy, taking a leaf from Anthony's book, wrote "College" on a slip of paper and watched it fade into the darkness of the hole.
When he got home from school the next day, there were seven letters in his mailbox. Each one was from a different college that he had applied to. He smiled.
I'm pretty sure I just became the luckiest man alive.
********
Sorry for not posting in a while. A combination of writer's block/starting senior year has prevented easy access to my creative juices. Don't worry though, I'm gonna make sure that I keep up with this!
Wednesday, July 18, 2012
The Boy and The Rabbit Hole, Chapter Two
That night, the boy dreamed of Anthony Maxwell. His face was floating in the hole, and calling out to him. The boy could hear Anthony calling out to him, asking where his parents were. He tried to run, but was pulled over by a cop and given a two hundred dollar ticket because he was apparently running in the "WALK-ONLY" section of the forest. The boy began to cry and turned away from the cop, only to find himself staring back into the eyes of Anthony in the hole. Instead of asking for his parents, Anthony was now asking for the boy's stress, for the traffic ticket, for overdue homework. When the boy threw the ticket into the hole, Anthony caught it in his mouth and vanished, but his voice could still be heard, screaming out for his parents.
He woke in a cold sweat, crying out into the semi-darkness of his room. It was early, much earlier than he ever woke up on a Saturday, but he couldn't force himself to go back to sleep. He was afraid to see all of that again. So he just lay in his bed, his mind wandering between thoughts of holes, tickets, and parents. The boy didn't understand how something so pointless and disconnected from him could torment him so much. Anthony Maxwell wasn't even his friend, he was the school psychopath. It was just a confusing connection.
Even more confusing, if not stupid, was that letter from yesterday. Why would Anthony leave a letter like that? Or was it even Anthony? Maybe it was some disrespectful kid just trying to freak other people out by posing as a dead kid. The boy corrected himself, Anthony wasn't dead, he was MISSING. Though everyone assumed something had happened. Even as he thought that, the boy heard his mother's voice prancing across his head. "You know what they say. When you assume things, it makes an A-S-S out of U and M-E. A-S-S-U-M-E-." His mother still treated him like a five year old.
He was wandering again. He turned his attention back to the letter. The boy also realized that even though he considered the letter stupid, he wasn't exactly practicing good logic skills. What was stopping him from reading the back of that sheet? Absolutely nothing but a threat that had no way of being acted upon. It was pointless to not read the rest of the letter while he could. Knowing his luck, when he went back, the letter would have been blown out of it's hiding place is would be sitting at the bottom of that deep hole. For all he knew, everything that had happened the day before was imagined. The boy did have a very overactive imagination for an eighteen year old.
However, he decided that he wasn't going to let something as pointless as that letter ruin his Saturday. School had only been back in session for a week and he was already exhausted. He didn't want to spend his first day off fretting over that.
And that's exactly what he did. He tried to live his Saturday like a normal teenager, but couldn't help thinking of the hole, and the letter, and Anthony Maxwell. Every place he went, he somehow ended up drifting back. Oh look, a pet store. It probably has rabbits inside of it. Or maybe it went something like Oh look, a mom and dad with their new baby! Anthony never had that... It was terrible.
But then the boy remembered. The traffic ticket. If he went and paid the traffic ticket and disproved whatever the letter was talking about, then he could move on and forget all about it. He decided that he would go and pull the two hundred dollars out of his bank account (he had just gotten paid at his usual job and could easily cover up the loss), then go downtown and pay the ticket at the courthouse. It would be cut and dry, nothing too difficult. He could pass it off without telling his parents, even though it would show up on his driving record. The boy wasn't too worried about it. Other than the fact that it was still a two hundred dollar speeding ticket.
***********
The boy had always been intimidated by the courthouse. It was a huge building, but unlike most courthouses, looked like a prison. It was solid gray, with the only windows shining into the lobby. He remembered taking a field trip here once in fifth grade, and could remember feeling uncomfortable under the harsh fluorescent lights. Too cold and unfeeling for his taste. Yet here he was again, walking through the tall wooden doors and heading to the reception desk, with his wallet in hand. The woman working there had hair that matched the outside of the courthouse and was hunched over an ancient computer, squinting through her narrow glasses. He could barely make out her shoulders under an ugly green shawl that was draped across what looked like her entire body. The more she hunched over the keyboard, the more the boy thought she looked like a turtle, not a human. Judging by the speed at which she was typing, it was very possible the woman was in fact exactly what he was imagining her to be. He found himself laughing as he approached the desk and tapped the bell lightly.
The woman spun her head towards him and scowled. "Give me your name, address, and reason for an appointment" she almost growled out as she shot him a glance that screamed "I don't want to be here, get away from my desk." Oh she's a turtle all right. A snapping turtle.
The boy said his name and address, along with explaining his ticket. Halfway through his story, the woman held up a wrinkled finger to silence him. "Sir, you have no record of getting a ticket. Now, if you'll excuse me..."
The boy stopped her, explaining that he had been pulled over for going sixty miles per hour in a forty. He had gotten a ticket for two hundred dollars and was coming to pay it.
"Young man, there is nothing under your name or address pertaining to a recent unpaid traffic ticket. Unless you have a receipt, then get away from my desk."
Again, the boy prevented her from shooing him off. He told her that the receipt was in his wallet, and was met by an outstretched hand. He opened his wallet and unzipped the pocket where he kept receipts and the like.
The ticket wasn't there.
MAJOR THANKS TO AARON KOEHNE FOR HELPING ME BREAK MY BLOCK. I DEDICATE THIS STORY TO YOU!
He woke in a cold sweat, crying out into the semi-darkness of his room. It was early, much earlier than he ever woke up on a Saturday, but he couldn't force himself to go back to sleep. He was afraid to see all of that again. So he just lay in his bed, his mind wandering between thoughts of holes, tickets, and parents. The boy didn't understand how something so pointless and disconnected from him could torment him so much. Anthony Maxwell wasn't even his friend, he was the school psychopath. It was just a confusing connection.
Even more confusing, if not stupid, was that letter from yesterday. Why would Anthony leave a letter like that? Or was it even Anthony? Maybe it was some disrespectful kid just trying to freak other people out by posing as a dead kid. The boy corrected himself, Anthony wasn't dead, he was MISSING. Though everyone assumed something had happened. Even as he thought that, the boy heard his mother's voice prancing across his head. "You know what they say. When you assume things, it makes an A-S-S out of U and M-E. A-S-S-U-M-E-." His mother still treated him like a five year old.
He was wandering again. He turned his attention back to the letter. The boy also realized that even though he considered the letter stupid, he wasn't exactly practicing good logic skills. What was stopping him from reading the back of that sheet? Absolutely nothing but a threat that had no way of being acted upon. It was pointless to not read the rest of the letter while he could. Knowing his luck, when he went back, the letter would have been blown out of it's hiding place is would be sitting at the bottom of that deep hole. For all he knew, everything that had happened the day before was imagined. The boy did have a very overactive imagination for an eighteen year old.
However, he decided that he wasn't going to let something as pointless as that letter ruin his Saturday. School had only been back in session for a week and he was already exhausted. He didn't want to spend his first day off fretting over that.
And that's exactly what he did. He tried to live his Saturday like a normal teenager, but couldn't help thinking of the hole, and the letter, and Anthony Maxwell. Every place he went, he somehow ended up drifting back. Oh look, a pet store. It probably has rabbits inside of it. Or maybe it went something like Oh look, a mom and dad with their new baby! Anthony never had that... It was terrible.
But then the boy remembered. The traffic ticket. If he went and paid the traffic ticket and disproved whatever the letter was talking about, then he could move on and forget all about it. He decided that he would go and pull the two hundred dollars out of his bank account (he had just gotten paid at his usual job and could easily cover up the loss), then go downtown and pay the ticket at the courthouse. It would be cut and dry, nothing too difficult. He could pass it off without telling his parents, even though it would show up on his driving record. The boy wasn't too worried about it. Other than the fact that it was still a two hundred dollar speeding ticket.
***********
The boy had always been intimidated by the courthouse. It was a huge building, but unlike most courthouses, looked like a prison. It was solid gray, with the only windows shining into the lobby. He remembered taking a field trip here once in fifth grade, and could remember feeling uncomfortable under the harsh fluorescent lights. Too cold and unfeeling for his taste. Yet here he was again, walking through the tall wooden doors and heading to the reception desk, with his wallet in hand. The woman working there had hair that matched the outside of the courthouse and was hunched over an ancient computer, squinting through her narrow glasses. He could barely make out her shoulders under an ugly green shawl that was draped across what looked like her entire body. The more she hunched over the keyboard, the more the boy thought she looked like a turtle, not a human. Judging by the speed at which she was typing, it was very possible the woman was in fact exactly what he was imagining her to be. He found himself laughing as he approached the desk and tapped the bell lightly.
The woman spun her head towards him and scowled. "Give me your name, address, and reason for an appointment" she almost growled out as she shot him a glance that screamed "I don't want to be here, get away from my desk." Oh she's a turtle all right. A snapping turtle.
The boy said his name and address, along with explaining his ticket. Halfway through his story, the woman held up a wrinkled finger to silence him. "Sir, you have no record of getting a ticket. Now, if you'll excuse me..."
The boy stopped her, explaining that he had been pulled over for going sixty miles per hour in a forty. He had gotten a ticket for two hundred dollars and was coming to pay it.
"Young man, there is nothing under your name or address pertaining to a recent unpaid traffic ticket. Unless you have a receipt, then get away from my desk."
Again, the boy prevented her from shooing him off. He told her that the receipt was in his wallet, and was met by an outstretched hand. He opened his wallet and unzipped the pocket where he kept receipts and the like.
The ticket wasn't there.
MAJOR THANKS TO AARON KOEHNE FOR HELPING ME BREAK MY BLOCK. I DEDICATE THIS STORY TO YOU!
Tuesday, July 17, 2012
The Boy and The Rabbit Hole, Chapter One
There once was a boy who lived on the fringe of some major city, in a comfortable house, with regular parents and a normal sibling. He had an average social life and a perfectly fine number of friends. He was, in all sense of the word, simple in almost everything he did. ALMOST everything.
He excelled in a few places. He was the brightest in his school. He was overly involved in his church and held a major national position in the Boy Scouts of America. To add on to that, he was a senior in high school, and beginning to face the biggest decision of his life: college. It was a avenue that would not be open to him without many hours of work, simply because his family was relying on him to get a NUMBER of scholarships to afford college.
Needless to say, he was under a lot of pressure.
However, one day, while walking though a small forest near his house, the boy stumbled across something he had never seen before. It was a hole, hidden between the roots of a crooked tree. The hole wasn't small by any means; he could easily fit himself inside the opening. He figured it was some kind of animal, like a badger or family of rabbits. Whatever it was, it was deep. The sun was almost directly overhead, shining straight into the hole, and he couldn't see the bottom. The boy reached his hand as far in as his arm would allow, to see if the tunnel turned or got narrow, but it just seemed to go on forever. Already getting bored, he retracted his arm, but not before brushing up on what felt like a sheet of paper stuffed in the roots at the opening. The boy grabbed the corner and dislodged it, discovering a small envelope with the words To Whom it May Concern scrawled in sloppy handwriting on the front. By the look of the envelope, it had been there for quite some time. No doubt the person it was meant for never found it in the roots. Becoming intrigued, he opened it.
Inside he found two sheets of paper folded neatly, a small slip of paper, and a pen. The boy pulled the sheets apart to see both sides of each sheet covered in the same sloppy writing envelope from the envelope. He began to turn back to the front, then changed his mind. Wanting to see who wrote it, the boy flipped to the back of the second page and his eyes jumped to the bottom.
Be cautious,
Anthony Maxwell
The boy gasped and dropped the page in shock, not even noticing that the dropped page was falling deeper and deeper into the hole, until it was completely out of sight.
Anthony Maxwell was a former student at the school that the boy attended. However, Anthony had something wrong with him. He was an orphan, but always rambled about his parents, saying they were just going to come back. His grades were horrendous, always had been, and he seemed none too interested in improving them. Honestly, he seemed to have no interest in improving ANYTHING in the world, and claimed he wouldn't until his parents came back.
Then he just vanished one day. No one knew where he went. The search began, but was declared cold a year later when no headway was made. Soon everyone, including the boy, forgot about him. It was a terrible story.
But this letter could help! It might have been the one clue that they needed to find him! The boy looked down at the first sheet and eagerly began reading.
To Whom it May Concern,
It is doubtful you know who I am, but my name is Anthony Maxwell. If you have found this, then I have no doubts you have found the Rabbit Hole as well. This isn't any normal hole. I don't totally understand it, but this is the extent of my knowledge.
I'm sure you have sources of stress in your life. Everyone does. I'm also sure that you've tried to rid yourself of that stress in a number of ways. No doubt most of them have failed.
The Rabbit Hole offers a foolproof way to escape specific sources of stress. Allow me to explain, because I'm sure you're skeptical. Take a slip of paper (I have included one and a pen in the envelope) and write a minor source of stress in your life (ex. "overdue homework"). Drop the slip into the Hole. Only ONE slip. Then go home and sleep through the night. Tomorrow, go and talk to your teacher about the overdue homework and try and explain yourself. If something seems off, then flip this page over. Until then, DO NOT KEEP READING.
The boy scoffed. This was rubbish, obviously some stupid ruse to learn people's problems. Still, he was interested in disproving the letter, so he grabbed the pen and wrote "traffic tickets" on it with the pen (he had just gotten a two hundred dollar ticket the past week and neglected to inform anyone of it yet. His copy of it was still sitting in his wallet, in a zipped up pocket with other recent receipts). He dropped the slip into the opening and watched it flutter away. He was laughing, thinking just how stupid he was to try this. The boy slid the letter back into the envelope and stuffed it back in the roots. When nothing happened the next day, he wanted to come back and laugh at the stupidity of Anthony Maxwell. He stood and turned, leaving the hole behind him, and returned to his simple life, with Anthony on his mind, wondering what exactly had happened to him.
MAJOR THANKS TO AARON KOEHNE FOR HELPING ME BREAK MY BLOCK. I DEDICATE THIS STORY TO YOU!
He excelled in a few places. He was the brightest in his school. He was overly involved in his church and held a major national position in the Boy Scouts of America. To add on to that, he was a senior in high school, and beginning to face the biggest decision of his life: college. It was a avenue that would not be open to him without many hours of work, simply because his family was relying on him to get a NUMBER of scholarships to afford college.
Needless to say, he was under a lot of pressure.
However, one day, while walking though a small forest near his house, the boy stumbled across something he had never seen before. It was a hole, hidden between the roots of a crooked tree. The hole wasn't small by any means; he could easily fit himself inside the opening. He figured it was some kind of animal, like a badger or family of rabbits. Whatever it was, it was deep. The sun was almost directly overhead, shining straight into the hole, and he couldn't see the bottom. The boy reached his hand as far in as his arm would allow, to see if the tunnel turned or got narrow, but it just seemed to go on forever. Already getting bored, he retracted his arm, but not before brushing up on what felt like a sheet of paper stuffed in the roots at the opening. The boy grabbed the corner and dislodged it, discovering a small envelope with the words To Whom it May Concern scrawled in sloppy handwriting on the front. By the look of the envelope, it had been there for quite some time. No doubt the person it was meant for never found it in the roots. Becoming intrigued, he opened it.
Inside he found two sheets of paper folded neatly, a small slip of paper, and a pen. The boy pulled the sheets apart to see both sides of each sheet covered in the same sloppy writing envelope from the envelope. He began to turn back to the front, then changed his mind. Wanting to see who wrote it, the boy flipped to the back of the second page and his eyes jumped to the bottom.
Be cautious,
Anthony Maxwell
The boy gasped and dropped the page in shock, not even noticing that the dropped page was falling deeper and deeper into the hole, until it was completely out of sight.
Anthony Maxwell was a former student at the school that the boy attended. However, Anthony had something wrong with him. He was an orphan, but always rambled about his parents, saying they were just going to come back. His grades were horrendous, always had been, and he seemed none too interested in improving them. Honestly, he seemed to have no interest in improving ANYTHING in the world, and claimed he wouldn't until his parents came back.
Then he just vanished one day. No one knew where he went. The search began, but was declared cold a year later when no headway was made. Soon everyone, including the boy, forgot about him. It was a terrible story.
But this letter could help! It might have been the one clue that they needed to find him! The boy looked down at the first sheet and eagerly began reading.
To Whom it May Concern,
It is doubtful you know who I am, but my name is Anthony Maxwell. If you have found this, then I have no doubts you have found the Rabbit Hole as well. This isn't any normal hole. I don't totally understand it, but this is the extent of my knowledge.
I'm sure you have sources of stress in your life. Everyone does. I'm also sure that you've tried to rid yourself of that stress in a number of ways. No doubt most of them have failed.
The Rabbit Hole offers a foolproof way to escape specific sources of stress. Allow me to explain, because I'm sure you're skeptical. Take a slip of paper (I have included one and a pen in the envelope) and write a minor source of stress in your life (ex. "overdue homework"). Drop the slip into the Hole. Only ONE slip. Then go home and sleep through the night. Tomorrow, go and talk to your teacher about the overdue homework and try and explain yourself. If something seems off, then flip this page over. Until then, DO NOT KEEP READING.
The boy scoffed. This was rubbish, obviously some stupid ruse to learn people's problems. Still, he was interested in disproving the letter, so he grabbed the pen and wrote "traffic tickets" on it with the pen (he had just gotten a two hundred dollar ticket the past week and neglected to inform anyone of it yet. His copy of it was still sitting in his wallet, in a zipped up pocket with other recent receipts). He dropped the slip into the opening and watched it flutter away. He was laughing, thinking just how stupid he was to try this. The boy slid the letter back into the envelope and stuffed it back in the roots. When nothing happened the next day, he wanted to come back and laugh at the stupidity of Anthony Maxwell. He stood and turned, leaving the hole behind him, and returned to his simple life, with Anthony on his mind, wondering what exactly had happened to him.
MAJOR THANKS TO AARON KOEHNE FOR HELPING ME BREAK MY BLOCK. I DEDICATE THIS STORY TO YOU!
Starting a series!
I've decided that writing short poems and stories are starting to bore me slightly, and want to show that I am more versatile with my writing style, so I'm going to start a small series called "The Boy and The Rabbit Hole." I really hope that you enjoy it and would love to hear feedback from everyone as the story progresses. Thanks everyone! But a major thanks to Aaron Koehne for giving me the advice that broke my writer's block. This story is dedicated to you Aaron!
R. R. Barrett
R. R. Barrett
Friday, May 11, 2012
The Art of Road Trips in the Rain
Here for
a moment,
Then gone
when eyes are opened,
I can’t
help but feel a pang of sorrow
Knowing
I won’t ever see that landscape again.
I won’t
ever be back in a place
Where
EVERYTHING was perfectly untouched
Next
time I return, if ever,
So much
will have changed.
Trees will have grown.
Grass
will have died.
Leaves
will have fallen.
Life will
have continued.
But
if I had tumbled out of my shelter
And run
off to explore,
Would
I have grown old with it?
Could
I escape the ferocity of a concrete jungle?
Yet
even now I know that I cannot.
There
is too much to do,
Too many
to leave behind,
Too much
lost.
Even
with that thought,
My sorrow
returns.
There
is nothing preventing me from leaving,
Yet so
much holds me back.
A
seat belt, yes,
But
my mind finds family,
A place
where everyone loves you.
This can’t
be found out there.
So I sit
back and sigh,
And turn
to gaze at the leather in front of me.
Still
I can’t help but look out
And sorrow
turns to envy.
How I
long to travel out into that landscape.
How I
want to escape my invisible bonds.
How I
wish the water pouring down
Would
wash me into the unknown.
To
explore, to grow old,
To escape,
to be reborn.
So I dream
of escaping the pavement
And getting
swallowed by a landscape.
Being
lost in the green.
Running
until I vanish into the rainstorm.
Why,
oh why,
Can I
not escape?
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