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calliope '90

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Calliope is the eighth annual literar-v magazine ofOlathe South High School, 1640 E. 151st St., Olathe,Kansas 66062. Dr. Patricia All, principal

Newsstand Copy: $1.00

Staff AdvisorsVicki KohlLiz Anderson

Special thanks to Pal Wright, Gary Pippin,Kay Endecott, Kay Maberry

Cover art by Carol Saunders

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Alipon, PerpiAnsay, PaulaBayne, KatieBrown, QuincyCarstens, CraigChaffer, DonCole, BrianCoolon, MattCoughlin, ChadDishman, StasiDowling, JennieDowns, MichaelElliott, RobynEuthon, TylerGebel, KellyHamblin. ChristyHelt, JamesHennessey, PatrickHummel, DaveKhalili, BarzinKilby, ShannonKinney, WarrenKrauss, KenLynn, ChadMcCartney, PaulaMcClellan, ToddMcDaniel, ArtieMcDonald, Jenny

Chaffer, DonPeck, BrandonPeterson, DainSidener, Jeremy

CONTRIBUTORS

ILLUSTRMORS

Marriott, MarcieMartino. StephenMichael. ElizabethMirakian, MikeMoon, KyleeMoore, MatthewMoran. ToddMorgan, BryanMullikin. CarieNye, JeffPerry, CraigPerry, SerenaPhillips, GregPittner, JenniferPulliam. KrisQuinlan, CarrieRainwater, HeatherRedman, SusanRichardson, MariaSaunders. CarolSavage, SusieScrivner, AmySeager, RyanStrada, Matt

Tyhurst, TamaraUmphrey, HeatherWiedt, Tracey

Stauffer, TiffanyWilliamson, EricaZimmerman, Bryan

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1990 Olathe South High School Poetry Contest Winners

Overall and Senior - Don ChafferJunior - Amy ScrivnerSophomore - Tamara Tvhurst

My Wood ls DarkerI recall when I handed him my cello.that it blushed next to his."My wood is darker," I explarned.

But, no, its countenance ruly changedunder his stringed fingers,his bowed hands.

He displayed the instrument's charity.It agreed with him.I sat in my chair.I sat, inept, ready tofumble my fingers for him...Then, he breathed grace.and his eyes echoed an understanding-echoed the time whenhe saw his own cello blush.--Don Chaffer

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MeatloafHave you ever hadOne of those daysWhen the phoneRings and rings and ringsAnd when you finallyGet into the house to answer itThe ringing has stoppedAnd then you begin to wonderIf it was that cute guy in mathCalling to see if you wanr to go ourAnd you know you'd have a wonderful timeAnd you're just so convincedIt was him who calledThat when the phone rings againYou answer it on the first ringAnd right before you pledgeYour undying love... The Pf OCtOfYour mother's voice comes over the lineAnd asks you if you'd come over SaturdayFor meatloaP Vigilant, wary, she circles the roomLike some ever watching scavenger or bird of prey.Have you ever had one of those days They bite their pencils,Have you ever? Hunch sull lower over their desks,--Amy Scrivner As her eyes pierce ther backs like iciclesAnd send shivers up their spines.

Her cautious footsteps make no soundOn the carpet, give no warning of herhesenceUntil she is upon them,Eyeing their furtive glancesAt the smart kid in the third row.Wrthour a word she snatches a paper,

Pornts one suff finger at the door.At the sound of crumpling paper, heads nse,Look from her to the exiledUntrl an accusing stareDrrrcs them back down.And arms crossed,Shc returns to her slow.

Warchful course.--Tamara Tyhurst

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And they come and sirand drink the wineof a man that few of them know.They stroll aimlessly through his gardens,and that is also how they live their lives-with no direction, no purpose,but simply living.And they speak idly of lvlozart and Picasso,And they tell tales of people and places,but they have no knowledge of these things.But it does not. matter.For no one believes them,and no one disbelieves them,for tiey are merely accepted.And often, the man will comeand sit among those that aredrinking his wine,and wandering contentedly throughhis gardens.And he will converse,and become a guest himself,and be wholly sunounded,and be wholly alone.And yet they come.And he wonders what it would be liketo be without this loneliness,to truly know what it means to love.And would it have been drfferenrhad he been born, this silver spoonin his mouth from the beginning.In that way, would he have known?Would he recognize this loneliness,or simply become one of his guess.But what ifs are no use,for they do not listen,and they do not share,and they do not last,and they do not care,and they do not bring joy,and they do not bring life,and they cannot, live,for they cannot love.

--Shannon Kilby

Love of DemolitionLiving in such a cold world,voices brittle to my ears and heart.No one cares for anyone except himself.I say so much but no one hears,No one wants to.It is so frusuating trying to rebuild.rebuild what so many have torn down.Why do they enjoy desuuction so much.But saving me from hypocrisy,I reaize I am the same way.For every time I have loved, I have equally hurt.I swallow the lump in my throat.--Qurncy Brown

Leaning backWhile DES

CENDING

Pushing OffInto the airPassing l5 feet

then I'm backLeaning again--Bryan Morgan

P

M soes ned)rl betteroinD'Hr

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There is HopeThere is hope out in the watersAnd the never-ending sky.There is hope in children's laughterAnd the tears from which thev crv.There is hope in every cornerAnd every patch of light.There is hope in all the shadowsAnd where the sun shines bright.There is hope where there is lifeNo matter how dark and grey.There is hope in all the world.All you need to do is try.There is hope and you can find it.Just look around and you'll see.There is hope, don't give up looking,And with it, you'll succeed.--Susie SavageDedicationDedicated to the splendorOf the world and to our heartsIn which this beauty reignsAnd unites with the glory of our souls,The sun shines!To those who stand in aweHypnouzed by this natural spectacle,Paralyzed by its grandeur,The sun continues to shineAnd brighten the soilTrodden by those apathetically imprisonedIn their own world.As the rays gleam and glistenOn every leaf of greenAnd fluttering featherThe world remains in constant orbitDespite its wounds and scars.And to those who stareSympathetically with enduring farthAt the setting sun,This is dedicated,The world is dedicaredTo you. --Susie Savase

My Rellection ls What I SeeI look at my reflection andAll I see is one person,A person full of many splendored wonders.I see an abstract of art capturedon a mirror before me.I catch a glimpse and figure

out what this person really is.For one minute, I wonder whoI really am or what I amsupposed to be.The next minute I take timeto be honest with myselfand the reflection I see.My reflection does not lie.It looks like me asa prism hitting off a light beam.The last thing I nouceis me. This is my reflection;it is what I see.

--Serena Perry

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the rainyou, with your tiny fingers,reach deepno one strikes so often,so quickly.cursed by the boundaries of my skin,i cannot. hear your sound-so infinite,

so everywheredescending like a womb,bringing, in warmth, thesecurity of conception..in cold, the tumult of brrrh.you... inspiring mysteryin the deep concrete that echoes, pulls arethe lights of the streetinspiring resolutionin the cradle for my water dances.

inspring depthin the green of a newnigh-blue hue.inspring resignationof the private wishes i havethat i u as free ol'my conscience.and inspurng surrenderto the God's wombin whom I briefly live,waiting for my birth intoeternlty-where the puddle-circles embrace me,and the drops taste not of salt,and the cradle for my water dancesis his soul,and the curse ofand boundaries of my skin

are gone.--Don ChafferLupus

by Paula Ansay

Some events are too terrifying !o imagine. Learning that you or someone you love has an incurable disease can be an emotionaland physical upheav2l, One such disease is lupus. Lupus is a disease where the victim's body seems to wage war against itselfcausing havoc with the body's immune system.

The word lupus is Latin for wolf. "It is a fitting name for this predator; lupus can be in wait for years occasionallybursting forth in arampage of destruction, rhen skulking back into the underbrush until the next attack" (Rosenthal, 1989).This auoimmune system disease affects virtually every organ in the body. About sixty prcent of the patients have a red rashon their face over the bridge of the nose and on the cheeks below the eyes, in a more or less "butterfly" pattem, similar to thefacial markings of a wolf (Stone, 1988).Approximately a half-million Americans have lupus. It artacks women nine times more often than men with a peak in thechildbe aring yean of 15 -35 (B atelle, 198S). However, anyone can suffer from lupus. That's what Molly Freebern, a former OlarheSouth student, found out dr:ring her senior year of high school. She had painful sore throats and sore joints. She was so lired shehad a hard time finishing a whole day of school. Because of rhe simiiarity in symptoms, Molly was tested for Mono, Strep, andRheumatic fever. All these tesr.s came back negative,and yet Molly was still sick. Her doctor recommended that she visit arheumatoiogist to have more test's nrn.At the rheumatologist, several series of tst were nrn. They tested her for multiple sclerosis, leukemia, and lupus. It was a veryhard time not only for Molly, who was depressed a lor ar the possibility she could have a life-threatening disease, but also for herfamily as well.As aprecaution, the docnr told her to have limited exposure to the sun which can affect the virus that leads to the differentdiseases.However, when spring break rolled arormd, Molly was feeling better and decided to go ahead with her trip to San Padre Island.After two days out in the sun, she developed huge blisters on her arms and face. She was then forced to remain indoors for therest of the trip.When she retumed home, her doctor immediateiy sent her to bed for two weeks. The doctor had Molly cut out stress as muchas possible, starting by having her classes graded as pi6s or fail. Her docnr aiso put her on a short-term cortisone (a steroid thathelps cut down the symptoms of the immune system diseases) treatrnent. After these weeks of rest, Molly went back to schoollust for half days. It was hard for her because not all her teachers understood her situation.Since she graduated, Molly has had her tonsiis removed and all her rests have come back with results that were extremely closeto normal. What Molly suffered from was never diagnosed as lupus, but because all auto-immune diseases hide in one's body'

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Molly could end up suffering again later in life. Right now though, Molly is a very lucky person. She is healthy and enjoyingcoilege. However her cousin Michael Miller is nor so lucky.Michael was diagnosed with lupus when he was around eighteen years old. It was a great shock to his famill' that their son couldbe sufferingfromsuchapainfuldiseaseespeciallvsrncetheprobabilityof ayoungmalegettinglupusispracticallyzero. Michael'ssymptoms were the sarne as Molly's: fatigue, sore.;oin!s, and so forth. He also had the red blotches on his skin and face that helpedto diagnose lupus.It is hard for a college studen! to have a disease like lupus. Whenever Michael gets too stressed over finals, his symptoms flareup, and he has to be put in the hospital, at some points near death. Michael is treated w'ith prednisone, a rype of conisone, !o lowerswelling and pain in his 1oins. However, there are some side effects when using this strong drug. The most common one (w'hichMichael has) is not life *reatening and is referred to as "moon face." "Moon face" causes a person's face to swell.Other than drug treatment and remembering to keep his stress and physical activity to a minimum. there is nothing else Michaelcando. Thediseasecanalwaysgorrtoremissionandaddafewyearstohisalreadvshortenedlife,butthatdoesnotalwayshappen.People who suffer from lupus, are in a sense, allergic to themselves because their immune system attacks healthy cells. In 1963lupus was referred !o as a tuberculosis of the skin rhat usually attacked the iace around the nose with hard, brown/red bumps upto the size of a pea. The recommendation was to see a doctor and get tested for tuberculosis in other pans of the body ("Lupus",1963). Theexactcauseoflupusisuncertain.butluckilyresearchoverthepasttentotwentyyearshasfoundtreatmentssuchasprednisone to help ease the pain.The effects lupus had on both Molly's and Michael's families were very traumatrc. Lupus is a horrible, painful disease and thechances for a cure are unsure. Since 1963 a lot of strides have been made in the research and study of lupus, but only time willtell if further discoveries will somedav end the Dain for the victims and their famiiies.

When Scottish Eyes Are Smilingby Barzin Khalili

We finally came to a stop before two rowering gates of gold and ivory. They rose g1655iveiy out of the groirnd and joined togetherto form a golden blanket in front of our rented car. My father handed lhe attendant a slip of papr thal eventually allowed us toenter the porthole. I might have been only six years old, but it was safe to say that this Scottish garden and I made an inseparablepair. That was going to be the best vacation of my life.The garden was located around a splendid, eighteenth century castle which towered over the greenery of the many thousands ofacres. The castle was a remarkable piece of workmanship. It boasted a drawbridge, drurgeon. and many monsEous towers, onea! each comer. The palace stood fifty feet tall and each square foot was made of solid stone.At this time we had packed the car and began to roam the passages of the many thousands of acres. We were suddenly in for asplendid surprise. A light mist sttled on the growrd, straddling each and every leaf. It didn't matter where they were becausenothing can hide from the rain.Trees of every shape and size covered the beautiful rolling hills of the garden. They also formed a border, a border which wasas versatile as the wind. There would never be a boundary, a perrnanent boundary to encircle this lush land. There was one treein the middle of the courtyard which stood above the rest. It was a huge Bradford Pear, and it was at least thirty feet tall. It wasas if it was a lookou! to mak surc all other trees were healthy and in good condition. I looked around and absorbed all I could'for I knew I would never feel anything like this again. I once again drifted back into the euphoric annosphere that encompassedme. I continuel, to gaze arornd me.The earth was covered by a green blanket of long, slender blades of grass. None of which were blemished by the brown patchesof death which I had seen so many times in our own ill-kept yard. Not only was there greenery beneath our feet, but above ourheads also. Hanging ferns were accented by hedges which were shaped into cones. They were like guards for the castle. Twomonsrous hedges were molded to form towering statues which signified the entrance to the main garden'I walked in and instantly my mind felt at ease, norhing was weighing me down. I might have been only six, but I had my shareof problems. I was always under pre ssure. I entered and walked down a path of hedges which was covered from above by theoutgrown branches of the planr. I could see the twigs and roots as I walked through. In the middle of the tunnel it was very darkand not a sound could be heard. Birds did not dare fly into this death trap of mangled twigs, but it was a sight to see.I emerged out th other end and stood in awe for many minutes. Four paths had all come together in a round green chamber. Istood in a circle with hedge walls with heights of fifteen feet. The only ways out were the fotr paths or corridors. ln the middleof the room rested an old, mystic fowrrain. The water was bubbling forth, as was my imagination. All of life's roubles seemedso trivial as I gazed into the hypnotic red and yellow colors of a bush which surrounded the pool. At that moment the sun emergedand shined his light on the dancing water which illuminated in[o a rainbow of color. I shall never forget it, for at that moment Iundentood.

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Overwhelmin gPlunging in over my headto rise back to the roponly for a moment.to catch my breath,float on my back,and thinkof how to swim acrosslife's oceanand not drown' ode to Fruit cocktail--Maria RichardsonThoushts [il:'ff:?]ll3ffill?.1"1"*"rro,nFruit cocktail is eaten ull ou., the landMan, how I wish every moment The school lunch ladies put it in jello.could be like this one.I am sitting home, you can eat it straight our of the can,alone on a Sunday. With one of rhose little spoonsThe windows are all open and Del Monre is the top of the line brandthe warm summer winds are Fruit cocktail. it comes in a can.coming tirough the house --Matt Coolonto heighten my spirit-Peace and quier Childhood FriendThe only sounds I hear arebirds talking and flies buzzing,caught between the window and Those days of causing troublethe screens. are now all gone,Buzzing to get to my world, so is my friendbut they can't and I'm laughing but the memories are strong.because I finally feelsafe. The years have gone by

always wondering what had happened to him.The phone rings and Does he still remember me?the doorbell chimes-- Does he even realize I had gone?but I'm not answering them today.--Maria Richardson Always wonderingif our paths will cross.If I will Ftnd him,

but the names will be lost.We have grown a lot over the yearsand we don't look the same.Still when we discovered each otherour friendship remarned.--Christy Hamblin

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..BRYAN ZIMMERMAN13

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Steroids Myth or Reality?by liler Euthon and Matrhew Moore

Dale looked out the back window of the police cmiser. He watched the medics place his girlfriend in rhe ambulance. She wasunconscious and bleeding badly from the head. He had lost his temper and beaten her.Lance was a sktnny'kid. He was what most kids called the ciass wimp. Then he discovered steroids. Lance is not just a skinnykid anymore. He is dead. He developed tumors in his lymph nodes, and before they were discovered, it was too late. Steroids*'ere considered the cause.Roid rages, depression, heart problems, cancer, and even death are a few ailments that are caused by steroids. With these risks,why do teens take steroids? Where do they get rhem? What are the effects of steroids on the body?Some very important queslions are brought to mind when consideration is given to the consequences that prevaii over one's bodywhen anabolic steroids are taken. Why do athletes take steroids? What are the benefits? How far does it get the high school andcoliegiate athlete or the ordinar-v guy trying to look good for the ladies? Do the coaches know who is using steroids? Whv aren'tthe coaches doing something about it? What is being done to ensure that steroids are only being used legally under strict medicalsupervision?According to some leam members, as many as 10 of the 69 players of the University of Connecticut's spring football roster haveused anabolic steroids. Two anonymous Universiry of Connecticut players tested positive for anabolic steroids in a lestadministered by the N.C.A.A. a year ago. Former squad members say as many as fifteen players on the 1989 team used steroidsand as many as 10 on the 1988 team (Hartford, Connecricur; Courant, April 30, 1989).For a high school athlete determined to enrer the collegiate athletic arena. size and strength can mean the difference between apassing glance or keen interest from a recruiter. A scholarship to college can lead to a professional sports career and lucrativeconEacts. Thestakesarehigh,andthehighschooisaregroominggroundsfortomorrow'sprofessionalatiletes. Somehighschoolsboast of linemen weighing 300 pounds due to their use of extensive weight training. But, some high school athletes are gainingthat extra weight and muscle with help from anabolic steroids, investigators say. While football playen and weight lifters are theathletes most associated with the usc of steroids, the drug is used in nearly all sports. The Cuyahoga County, Ohio Sheriff's Officeis investigaring an assistant wrestling coach suspected of selling anabolic steroids to his students (Cleveland, Ohio; Plain Dealer,July 16, 1989).The first national study of steroid use among reens shows that 6.6Vo of rhe 3,50O seniors surveyed at 40 high schools had usedsteroids. Based on this study, educators and expers fear that as many as 500,000 high school students may have ";uiced up" bygraduation. What is more troubling is that 309o of those surveyed started when they were 15 years of age or younget fllew.-VourDail], News,Jwre 25, 1989). Steroid abuse is more prevalent in suburbia than in the inner-ciry. Like other illicit dnrgs. steroidsare obtarned from a thriving black market.The market for steroids exists because Americans are consumed by their desire for a "better than you" physical aPpearance.Where muscle development is concerned, bigger is berter. Bodybuilding has become an industry, and steroids have become a partof the attending culture.Ernie Gomez was tall, lean and muscular, but that wasn't enough. He wanted to be bigger, stronger, more muscular. He beganlifting weights. Then, he began comparing himself with orher weighr lifters in the gym. ''I felt like I was undersized for my height

and age," said Ernie Gsmez. "You see somebody in the gym and you want to be like him and you don't want !o work for sevenyears to do it" (Cleveland, Ohio; Plain Dealer, July 16, 1989).National experts say eight percent of the sreroids used illegally in the Unired States are distributed in the gyms, particularly thosethat feature free weighs and are frequented by seriors body builders.Gomez, age 18, took a shortcut. He bcgan using anabolic steroids, a synthetic derivative of the male hormone testosterone. Itworked. His weight went from 1?6 to 210 pounds in about a year. He was able to add more weight to his power lifts. "You seewhat it can do for you and it blows yoru mind," he said. "And you want more and more" (Cleveland, Ohio; Plain Deaier, July16, 1989). It can be addictive in the sense that the mind and rhe ego need it more than anything else. Gomez began using steroidswhile he was a senic in high school. He was one of a growing number of young adults taking the drug mainly because they werenot pleased with the way they looked.Studies show that high school males are incrcasingly using steroids for non-competitive reasons. Many are taking drugs boughtfromagrowingblackmarkettrade. Theyhavenoideawhattheymaybeinjectingorswallowing. InastudyreleasedinJunel989,117o of high school male srudents who responded said that rhey had used or are using anabolic steroids. A December 1988 snrdyshows that 6.6?o - one of every 15 male high school seniors - were using rhe drugs. The 1988 study of twelfth grad males, asrepo, td in the Journal of the American Medical Association, revealed that32.59o of steroid users did not intend to Participate inschoolspo,nsoredsports. Dr.CharlesE.Yesalis, Itr,aprofessoratPennsylvaniaStateUniversity'sCollegeofHealthandHumanDevelopment, directed the A.M.A. survey (Cleveland, Ohio; Plain Dealer, July 16, 1989)."You have to remember that these are not euphorigenic drugs," Yesalis said. "You don't get a buzz when you Put a needle inyour fanny and take a pill. The appctite for thcsc drugs is creared solely by parenrs, fans, coaches and the press. We fixate on

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winning and we fixate on appearance!" he said. If we were not so consrxned on winning, and consumed on appearance, nobodywould take anabolic steroids except males whose resres don't work" (cleveland, ohio; plain Dealer, July 16, l9g9).Heaith risks for young males using steroids can be severe, but most are reversible. Medical authorities worry cspecially aboutthe premature closrng of the bony epiphyses - plates at the end of grow,ing bones - that can result in sfunted growrh. The breastsof some male users become enlarged. Anabolic steroids also shrink rhe testicles and can cause persistent acne and uncontrolledaggressiveness, sometrmes called ''roid rages." More serious problems have been associated with the use of anaboiic steroids.Liverfunctionscanbecomeabnormalandjaundicecanoccur. Somesrudiesshowincreasedriskoflivercancerwithheavyanabolicsteroid use. Low density lipoproteur (bad) choiesterol levels have increased in users and high densiry lipoprotein (good) cholesterolIevels have decreased. These cholesterol changes have been associated with aneriosclerosis and coronary disease (l.'lew York, NewYork; Daily News, June 25, 1989).Women are taking the drug too, and the effects can be srriking. In addition to making the female users more muscular, heavy usersmay develop facial hair, shrinkage of their breasts, deeper voices and balding. Many have rncreased sexual drives, intemrptedmenstrual cvcles, and enlarged clitonses. Many of these effects are irrevenible.In spite of potentially serious heaith issues, the drug is legal !o possess but cannot be prescribed solely for athietic advancement.Steroidshavelegitimatemedicaluses. Someareused!otreatblooddisorders,severeburnsandosteoporosis-alossof bonedensitycaused by excessive absorption of calcium and phosphorus from the bone. But athletes seldom take the arnount suggested by themanufacturer. One report showed that some people routinely used doses of l0 to 100 trmes greater than the subJects of earlierstudies. thereby increasing the risks enormously (American Journal of psl,chiatrv; Apnl 1988).Many users quit only after getting caught. Olympic sprinter Ben Johnson denied using sreroids despite tests showing orherwise.He was stripped of his gold medal. He only recenrly admitted his use.Like Johnson, Gomez quit only after he was arrested as a juvenile by Lakewood, Ohio police last summer. He had been usingthe drugs about a year when he was caught carrying a satchel of needles and anabolic sreroids. He if off steroids now but admitshe is sometimes tempted to regain the feeling the drug gave him. "You feel like you can do anyrhing, lift anyrhing, and nothingcan stand in your way" (Cleveland, Ohio; Plain Deaier, July 16, 1989).Gomezisnowconcernedaboutaheartailmentthatheaggravatedbyhisuseofsteroids. "Afterlwascaught., Irealizeditwasn'tworthgoingto.lailfor,"hesaid. "That'swhatthebottomlinewas. Youcangerbiginjailorgetbigouthere. I'dprefergettingbig out here than in lail" (Cleveland, Ohiot Plain Dealer, July 16, 1989).Gomez's statement just about. sums up the steroid situation. Not only can they cause serious harm n the user, they may even endhim up in jail. The law has been quite strict about the illegal use of steroids. As illegal steroid use has grown, society has becomealarmed enough to begin cracking down on its use.Theevidenceappearsconclusive. Theuseofsteroids,evenexperimentally,isdangerous. Oncetheuseofsteroidsisbegunandthe positive impact is apparent, it is exremely difficult, if not impossible, to stop. From there, the downhill snowball effect takesover until the negative aspects of steroid use come crashing down. Those usen simply become another statistic.A new attitude needs to be fostered among athletes which encourages the natural development of the body ttrough hard work andeffort, rather lhan shortcuts or quick fixes. A natwal program should promote the athletes pride and self-esteem by knowing thathis excellence was brought about solely by his own efforts, rather than *rough any artificial means. The organized athieticcommutityistakingtherightapproachbygettingtoughonsteroidusers. Hopefully,ifthatdisciplinecontinuesandbecomesmorewidespread, the attitudes it engenders will even filter down ro the non-competitive public.

The Medallionby Heather Umphrey, Kris Pulliam, Jenny McDonald

The year was 1966. Dick Kane was the talkof Kankerville, asmall town on the outskirts of South Dakota. Thismiddle-aged,brown-haired man had just been arrested as a suspect in the slaughtering of Buela May Kane, his wife. The late Mrs. Kane's body hadbeen forurd in the trunk of a green, 1962 Mercedes, which had belonged to the couple. The couple's only daughrer, Gert Kane,18, was a lovely young woman with long, blonde hair and a speech impediment, which made her write on a piece of paper.Gert was very bored, so she meandered up to the attic where she knew her mother's prized diary was hidden. Her father, beingoverprotective, always forbade her o go up therc, but on this certain afternoon, he was not home. Strangely enough, the attic doorwas already open, even though it had always becn locked.As Gert forurd and read the diary, she found something out that she never knew - her grandmother, Bertha Bell, had abused hermother Buela May when she was young. Just then she heard a noise and looked up, and there, before her eyes, on the ceiling inred blood, was the symbol of a Mercedes medallion. Suddenly she heard the Mercedes start in the garage below her, and as shewent to check, there was no one there, except the car, which had an evil smile lurking on the front grill, running in a closed garage.As she studied the car, she noticed something was wrong. Then, she looked more intently. The Mercedes medallion was gone!Startled by the car's sudden ignition and rhe missing medallion, she rushed back into the house and locked the connecting door."It's nothing!", she kept saying o calm herself, burlare thar night, wirh rhe wind blowing against her window, she wasn't so surit was nothing anymore. She looked in the corner; something had moved. Then she heard somethhg that made her brisrle,something that she remembered from her childhood - her mother's eerie laughter.Gert threw the covers off her frozen body and ran out of the cold house, grabbing a shovel along the way. She was going to find

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the answer, once and for all. The place where she could find it? - The cemetery.As she neared her mother's burial plot, she got sick at the thought of what she was going to have to do. Grasping her cold, metalshovel in both hands, she bcgan the slow descent to her mother's resting place. Afier what seemed like hours, Gert took one lasthack at the unfenile and rocky soil. Her force threw back at her a crack, Iike the sound of someone knocking. It was her mother'scoffin.After she chiseled awav at the casket dmr, she slowly began to open il. There was nothing there! Not even the jewelry that. wasburied with her. Gert, sticken with fear, started to run away when she saw two very bright lights coming towards her. It was the1962 Mercedes. She began nrnning even faster as the car trailed closely behind. She kept her eyes closed the whole rime, hopingthis was nothing but a dream.When Gert finally opened her eyes, she was at the lake. The Mercedes was nowhere to be found. Gert was very hot and sweaty,so she decrded to sit down and soak her feet in the lake. She found her feet all tangled up in some seaweed. When she lifted herfeet out of the water, her feet were tangled up in someone's hair! It was the body of Bertha Bell, Gert's grandmother with theMercedes medallion stuck in her neck. Gert, frozen with fear, fell into the lake and drowned.Is Buela May still out on the loose? If you're ever in Kankewille, South Dakota, watch out for a green 1962 Mercedes with amissingmedallion. Ifyouhappentoseeit,runlikectazy,forit'sBuelaMay,andshe'souttochapyourhide.

I'm Back!by Craig Perry, Greg Phillips, Dave Hummel

Jack returned to his dark cell. For two weeks he had anticipated his visitor, and in less than one hour it would happen. Finally,afterhavingbeensentencedtolifeformowingdownaminimallwithanUzi,hewasgoingtobefree! Hecouldn'twaitanylongerfor his visilor to arrive, so he could avenge his sentence on the lawyer who put him there and anyone else who got in his way. Thatafternoonhisseqetfriendarrived,bearingwarm,freshiybakedchocolatechipcookies. Hurriediy,beforethepolicehadachanceto stop him, Jack ripped off the cellophane and tore into a cookie. Inside as he already knew were tiny viais of acid. Jack threwa vial at the officer who was "watching over" him. The vial, made to explode on impact, released on the policeman's flesh themost potent acid in existence.Immediately, he staned shrieking and rolling around on the ground while a putrid smell penetrated the air. Jack and his friendfled out of the gate throwing vials at the many unsuspecting officers who impeded them. Rotting flesh reeked now throughout theprison. Jack looked back, laughing, at the pools of red ooze in which the cops scrambled around. He was free ! They ran to oneof the cars in the parking lot and took off. For hours they drove *rough Georgia until eventually they arrived at a g:Is station inasmall,richsuburbanarea. Informedbyhisfriendofhisprosecutinglawyer'swhereaboutsandphonenumber,Jackputinacollectcall to his home. No one was home so he lefi a message on his machine. Laughing hysterically in a demented evil sort of way,he proclaimed, "I'm back!"After a short fill-up they both started walking to the stolen car. Suddenly, Jack stopped right behind his friend and whipped outthe large Bowie knife he had acquired from one of his prison buddies and slowly said, "I have one thing to say, I work alone!"Finishing his sentence, Jack dragged the dull chipped up knife across his throat leaving his previous friend flailing on the Sroundin his own pool of blood.The next moming when Charles awoke, he had decided to grab his rake and clean up the clutter of leaves which were all over hisfrontlawn. Whilehewasfinishinguphistask,heheardanoise q'hrchsoundedasthoughsomecreaturewasinagreatdealofpain. Charles thrcw down his bag of leaves and began looking franucally to find the source of the ghastly noises. He ran aroundto his backyard, and to his shock and dismay, Charles found his treasured black lab dog nailed upside down to a tree. A note wasstapledtothcdog'sforehcadwhichread,"You'renext,Chuck!" AfreshtrarlofbloodtrickleddownthetreeandontoCharles'feet. Since Charles had such a weak stomach, he began !o vomit vrolenrly. By the time Charles got bact to his senses, he heard thesoundofanautomaticmachincgrmbeingfired. Unfortunarely,hecaughr l7-25ofthebullets,andhefelltohiskneesintremendousamolrnc of intcruc pain. Charles' aggressor (Jack) srepped our from be hrnd a tree wearing ski goggles and a grisly smile on hisface. He thensaid,"Ifinatlygotyou,youscum!" ThereallysadrhrngabourJackisthathehadthisattitudewhichhealwayssaidproudly,"Iflkilloneperson,Iwillprobablygotohell,sol.lusrmavaswellkillfortyorfifiyl" Hethenwentonatremendouskilling sprec.Finally when the homicidal maniac was finished, he went on his mern' ol' way. Who knows, maybe he'll strike again and wecan write a sequel !o this story. Did Jack go back to the decomposrng b

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To Mother, with LoveShe yelled at meand rose to a thundering flightfar away to avoid my inefficiencyto succeed.She re-entered...She laughed...Her laughter's hollow echoesran through my frail confidence.She threw her anger towards meand thrust my bodyinto a frenzied heapin the corner of the room.Looking up with stained eyes,burning with doubt--once again, completely confusedand defeated.She stood above me...Indifferent.--Maria Richardson

l, Peter the GreatRussia, my beauuful Russia,My peasans hate me, yet I tryso much to give them a better life.Have I not traveled to England andFrance to pull my beauufulRussia out of is slumbers?How dare theyPetty worthless swine like Pnnce Romodovskytry to overthrow Peter the GreatNow he witnesses the toils ofhell for his gross incompetence!I, Peter the Great, even donnedthe executioner's mask myselfto show his timid followers thatthe reign of Peter the Great willlast for thousands of years!I am still the strongest manin all of Russia, yet this...this twirching...It will plagueme till my death.St. Petersburg...yet the windowto the West Made to betterthe lives of all Russians.Yes, that was my dream,A westernized Russia.I even went. so far asto put a tax on beards...but the peasants were so

timid, they did nothingabout this. And I bidthem unhappiness.F{appiness...Happy wasmy childhood. Do you remembermy "mock" rards of theIftemlin, my sister? You should,my own two army reglment's.If those men were stillwith me,I would rule withan iron hand. I alonestarted the Russian navywhich will grow withheavenly glory. And myBavels to England,I loved it there.And my dear wrfe, Eudoria,gave me my only son,whom I have slarn,my only heir.My sister, now you srtby my death bed.I will go down in historyas a strong leader andmodernizer... the greatest whoever lived...l am...Peter the Great.--Warren Kinnev

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19-.JEREMY SIDENER

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The Gloveby Brian Cole, Mike Mirakian, Todd Moran

Garth Renimlaoc was sitting in his rocking chair smoking his pipe. "What a beautifui sunset," he thought. It was a deep purple,closest to the grorurd, and on top of that a dark reddish orange. Rocking back and forth, dre creaking set his mind to thinking ofhis life. Garth Renimlaoc was not a rich man. All he had ever *'anted was to provide a good life for his family, but now his onlyfamily was Rachel. his granddaughter. It was in the quake of 1895 that he had lost his wife. Betty, his daughter, Alice, and his son-in-law, John. How terrible it had been. Seeing rheir house collapse from outside, while he was coming home from the sore. Therewas nothing he could have done to save them...nothing. Tears came to his eyes as he remembered the look in his wife's eyes, afterdigging through the rubble to find her. Was ir a look of fear? He couldn'r really..."Grampy!" came the yell for the fourth rime."Wha, what," said Garth having been snapped back ro *re present."Grampy ! " said the little five-year-old girl, in her pink and blue nightshirt and holdhg her favorite teddy, " You aid you wouldtell me a story bfore I went to bed."" Ah yes, my little one, " said the old man, provoking giggles from the little giri, " go on in and I'll be there in a minute. " Watchingthe little girl go back into the house, he turned once more to the fading sr,mset, and a tear appared in his eye.The next day early in the morning, Garrh headed for the small town of Bakersviile. Arriving in town he said his "hello's" toeveryone,tippinghishateverynowandthentoamajesticlady. StoppingatHarold'sGeneralStore,hewentinside. Thebelldingedashewalkedfromthestreet.ontorheriledfloorofrhestore. Hewentarormdthestorepickingouthisgroceries,thenheadedtowardsthe counter."Hi there, Garth, how are you doing roday?""Just fine, Harold, just fine .""Say did you hear about what happened to Mrs. Atkhson?" said Harold striking at rhe keys of the register."No. I didn't. What happened?""Well, it seems that last night someone got into that house of hers and stole tlat Ming somethin-sr-sthgl vas.""You mean that really ugly blue and white one?" Garth asked."That's the one.""No. I haven't heard a thing about it.""Go to the Star and you'll get all the details. By the way how are payin' for all of this?""Just take it out of my account."Reaching underneath lhe courter, Harold got the account book, licked his fingers and proceeded to thumb through it."Well, accordin' to this your account is all wiped out. Seems thar stuff you bought last week did the trick.""Hmmmm...," said Garth pondering over the situation, "can you cover for me and then I'll pay you back?""You know I can't do that. If I do it for you, then I have to do it for everyone. Say what about that mine of yours?""Guess I better go and try to dig somethin' up...save the groceries for me, I'll be back."Arriving home he went into Rachel's room to wake her up. Then he went nex! door to Ms. Johnson's house to see if she couldput up with another tenant. Agreeing to house a guesr, Ms. Johnson invited Rachel in with open arms. Garth got one last hug fromRachel. and then set off.It was a rough two day rrip. There were record breaking highs both days causing Garth and his mule to stop frequently. On theevening of the second day he arrived by the entrance ro the mine. He set up camp, then went n sleep. Waking the next day to

a bird call, he had b're akfast and then started mining. Though it took a relatively short time to get to the end of the passage it seemedthat the turnel was longer than the last time he was here. Picking up his pick he started hiuing away. Hour after hour Passed; hewas drenched in sweat, which would sometimes fall into his eyes. Taking a little b,reather he was surprised at the amowrt of dirtthat was clogging the air. A few morc hours went by and then suddenly and without warning the cave collapsed on him, sealinghim in forever....20 years have passed now and Rachel has grown up into a very beautiful and self-confidenl farm girl. She is 27 years old andnow has many othcr things to think about besides that ragic morning of the cave collapse. Her grandfather is believed to be dead

in the rubble of the old mine, and she has bcen trying for years on end to unloose the gigantic boulders covering the cave entrance.One day, about 2 p.m., Rachel and her boyfriend, Iack Levington, had a lunch date at the town of Bakersville. They met at anold chapel on the south side of town and walked hand in hand to the deli. Soon they were seated and discussed common lhingsin each other's lives. After about an hour of conversation, Jack stated that he was going to have to leave town for a bit, but wouldbe back soon. Rachel pleaded for him to stay, but he insisted that he should go. As Jack was leaving the table, he turned and saidthat he had a piece of paper that had the address of the place he was staying, if she wanted to write him. Rachel took the paper,and they parted frorn their leisurely date at the deli.Rachel arrived at her house, and immediately sat down and stared at the delicate piece of paper that Jack had given her. For shewas deeply in love with him, and hared to see him go. She leaned back in herchair and thought about the times that they had hadtogether. She briefly remembered walking to her house, arctrnd the big lake on their properry, always avoiding that treacherousmine of theirs. For Jack did not know about the tragic death of Rachel's grandfather, Garth Renimlaoc. Rachel had never told

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him about Garth before . Every time that Jack had visited the house, and Garth was there, she expiained him to be one of the remotefarmers that lived near by, and nothing more. Thoughts, thoughc, and more thoughrs ran rlrough her head. But soon a thoughtof the present came about, that delicare piece of paper had nor been used.She quickly got out a pencil and started to write to him. She wrote of how she missed him so, and how she loved hrm. At theveryend,sheendeditwithsomethingthathadbeeninhermindforyearspast..."Willyoumarryme?" Atthatsheaddressedtheenvelope and sent it awa.v to Jack. Five days passed,and Jack has returned. He looks to be a bit refreshed and care free. HeimmediatelygotlntohiscaranddroveouttoRachei'shouse. Jackhadneverdrivenout!oherhousebefore;theyhadusuallywalkedtogether, so he took the country road that was supposed to lead straight up to her front door. Along the way, Jack noticed a gullywlth many caves and disrupted boulders ne.r a grove of trees, a long distance away. He stopped lhe car, and in cunosity, madehis way down to the rocky area. Once down there he noticed it was a cave that had collapsed some time ago. He thought to himseif."I didn't know there was a cave back here. Rachel never told me about this part of their land before." He searched around thecave and the grove near by. While looking in the rocky area, he noticed a well worn and swea! stained leather glove under a rock.He bent down to pick it up and then thoroughly examined it. He thought it was a verv old glove, and of some value, so he sruckit in his pocket. He then looked at his watch, oniy to find that it was getting late, so he must hurry up to Rachel's house. He arrivedat her front door, and knocked hurriedly. Rachel answered the door with both a surprised and concerned look on her face. Sheasked Jack how he got up here, and he replied, "Well, I came up the old country road, and ohl uh!, that remirds me, you nevertold me that there was a collapsed cave on your property? Did you? " A concemed and fearful look came over her face as he spokethese words. "What's the matter?" said Jack, "ls something wrong?" "No!," she said very quickly. "Well alright - Hey butwhatkindofcaveisit? Isitaminewithgreatrichesinirorsomerhing?-hahaha." Shehesiutedandthensaid,"lt'sjustacavehoney...don't worry about it!""Weil, why didn't you tell me abour it before, if it is '1ust a cave'?""Because l didn't think that you would care," she replied. After that, nothing, nothing was said, and they sat down to eat a veryquiet dinner. Jack was not going to push the malter any further, but he knew that she was keeping something from him. He thought,"Itcouldbethatthecavehasrichesandgoldandsilver." Hiseyeslitup. "somethingwrong?"askedRachel,asshenoticedhis expression."No, nothing dear," he replied.So, the night carne to an end, and it was time for Jack !o leave. He said goodbye to Rachel, got into his car and started back intotown. As he moved down the road, he again noticed the gully and cave down below. It seemed to have a certain magic about it

as it sood out from everything else. A recurring thoughr passed through his head. When he reached his house, he immediatelywentupstairstogetreadyforbedbecausehewasveryrired. Ashewasundressing,henoticedthatgloveof fineieatherinhispocket.He took it out and examined it more. He decided tro pur it on ro ry its fit. As he put it on, a certain evil could be seen in his eyes.Many thoughts no raced through his head, none of which were good. With that he went. to sleep, with a devilish grin upon his face.He awoke the next morning, and looked over at his nighrstand. The glove was lying there, and, recalling his Oroughts from lastnight, he threw the glove into the oven fire pir....As the glove burned, Jack began to see visions of a dark tunnel. He ran out of the house and [owards Rachel's farm. When he

got there, he saw Rachel leave through the back door and walk toward the small gully of rocks. Jack followed behind her as quietlyas he could. As Rachel entered the tunnel, Jack drew closer to her, his eyes red with a hatred for Rachel which he could not explain'As he enlered the tunnel, he tried to turn back, but his body continued onward. Silenrly he followed Rachel away from hergrandfather's grave. Rachel, not knowing Jack was behind her, continued to dig as Jack crept slowly forward. Step by step Jack&ew closer to Rachel, and stone by stone, Rachel drew closer to Garth. As the last stone was lstnqved, Rachel saw the body ofher grandfather. Jack ,now only seconds from his prey, paused and stared at fie body. There lay a plate of silver metal withsomething carved in it.Rachel stooped to grab the plate as Jack picked up a large stone which he raised over his head. Rachel read the inscription andshrieked, jumping suddenly to her left as Jack thrust the stone down. The stone dropped harmlessly to the floor of the tunnel, andJack lunged toward Rachcl who had begun !o nm. Jack fell to the ground missing his mark. Rachel ran as fast as she could alwaysholding the silver plate up in front of her. Jack picked himself up and started to run again after Rachel, but before he had ukenten steps, t}re mine trembled and collapsed, sealing Jack behind a mnssive wall o[ rock. Rachel stopped running and looked at herfrantic face in the reflection of the silvcr olate.

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HandsSoft flowing movementsflicker across my handsAs I turn to my fnendwho lives in silence.Each single shapecreates a new idea,conveys a different conceplSoft music waftsthrough the airAccompanying the wordsthat I'm interpreung.But she will never hearthe instrumensOr knowthe tune.The music she hearsis dancing in my hands.A melody plays inside her head-unsung,

unheard,unknown.

Its srains are sweeterthan anything I've everListened to in the pale moonlightor the bright noonday sun.Yes-sweter-for no note has ruined itWith its loud blastin the quiet peace

of her world.My hands twrrl and twist-never resting-tie images spilling overone another-blending togetherinto one bluned picture.Hands. now still.the song is finished.Frozen rn my lap,their life gone--Gone with the song'send.But, her srlence isn't gone,it remarns--lt remalns.Why must her world be silent?With human hands as the only music she'll everhear. --Elizabeth Michael

23--DOIi'{ CHAFFER

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A Rainy Night in Juneby Stephen L. Martino

The three sunmers I spent working at Camp Theodore \aish are some of rhe most memorable davs rn mv life. Out of all rhe experiences there, onesttcks out ln my memory more than the others. It was during my first year on camp saff. I was servrng as a counselor-in-trarnrng, (CIT) and thingsweren'tofftoagreatstan,butnottoobadeirher. Thescoutscameinonaweekschedule,enteringSundavaftemoonanderitingonthefollowingSaturday moming, which provrded for a strrctly regimented schedule inside a mischrevlous sumer camp. This panicular week had been disasrrousand provided me with a plethora of grief.lt had rained and ratned and rarned some more. The rustrc camp did all it could to keep rhe waler soaked in, but soon the entire flag mall sewed asa lagoon. The trails to each of the individual campsites were so muddied and slick that it made traveling a particular ordeal. When everythrng is wet,it sets a bad tone for the entire week. Scoutrnasters executed their wrath upon the staff members who, in tum, rncuned shon parience wrth knavingscouts. I panicularly was ln a poor mood because I never seemed able to keep my shoes and socks dry, and walking around in wet feet was one ofthemostatrociousexpenencesofmyentirelife. Iresrgnedmyselftothefactthatthingsweren'tgolngtogetanybetter,andlmrghtaswellmakethebest out of a bad srtuation.The week progressed slowly but surely, and soon I found mvself staring Friday in the eye. Every Friday night the snff put on a "closing night"campfire. Formostoftheaftemoontherainshadclearedoff allowrngforasomeu,hatenloyable,butall thesame,humrdaftemoon. Butbyseveno clock that nrght, less than an hour away from show rime, the clouds moved back in and the sky growled hke a mangy dog. I was in my tent lyrngdowntryingtocatchsomesleepwhenoverthecampp,a.systemcamethecallfor"emergencyrunners". Thrscamedthesameweightforthecampstaff as the civil defense sirens do for rhe general publrc.Quicklyforgettrngaboutmomentarypainordiscomfon,Ithrewmyshoesandrainponchoonandracedasfastaslcouldtothecampoffice. Theadage of too many chiefs and not enough Indians was cenainly in full force. I tried ro lose myself in a comer while the camp director, commissioner,and several others argued about the best way of handling the cunent situation.I*'alkedoutstde. Therainwaspoundingdownsohardthegrounddidn'thavetimerosoakitin. Soonlirtlewater-cutravinesservedasacrudeformof watertravel. Iwatchedthelighrnrngillumrnatetheskyasitbouncedofftheraindroplers. Astronghandgraspedmvnghtshoulderasaclampofthunderstruck. Aquickchill ranupmyspineasif lhadbeenhitbyaboltof lightnrng;however, Iwasableiorecoupmyself andmakeafleet-footed about-face. It was Joe Farrell. the camo director."We'vegoraproblem,"hesaid. Theconcemwaswnuenonhisfaceandhisbigdroopymuslachewasthiclwithwarer. Iwartedforaconclusionto the statement, but it never came. I figured lhe time and place didn'r lend irself for popular Manino sarcasm. Joe placed fifth in the nation as aheavyweight wrestler in the NCAA toumamenr in lgEO. He mopped his brow of the excessive warer then barely audibly continued, "A scoutrnastersayshe'sgotalostboy. Weneedtofindhim." Noaccent.wasnecessary. Iknewtheimplicationsofthestalernent. Lawsuits, lostjobs,andcampsbeing shut down had been repercussions for similar instances.As quickly as I could, I raced to the area where the boy was last seen. I fek like a derecrive wirhout a lead on a new case, hopeless and pessimistic.Therainwascomingdownharderandfa$er. Lowspotswercbeginningtofillup,andthesituationwasonaborderlineofcntical. Visibilitywaslimitedto a few feet in front of me, and even walking on the side of the road became dangerous. The sheriff of Wyandorte county had shown up by now, andIwasabletohitcharidetothecampsitewherctheboywasreportcdmissing. ThesherrffdrovehisChevyBlazerrightuptotheentranceandhoppedout. ThereJoemetme,andtryashemighttoholditback,asmallsmilecrackedoverhrsface. Apparently,thescoutnasterhadmiscountedthenumberofboys-----noonewasmissing. Ibreathedadeepsignofreliefandbegantoheadbacktomytent. Joeyelled,"Steve,thanksforallyourhelp."A complimenr from the camp director didn't come very often, but I was too wet and tired to care. I headed back to my tent. My clothes were drenched,

but for some strange reason, I felt that I was a beuer person for my experience.

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With Apologies to William Shakespeare...To skip, or not to skip: that is the question.Whether 'tis safer in the school to remainIn English; or ro escape the never-ending abyss of lorture,And by exiting, end ir? To skip, to earBe full; and by skipping to say we endThe heart-ache and the thousand homework assignmentsThat the student is heir to. 'Tis a consummationDevoutly to be wished. To skip, to eat.To skip; perchance to escape unnoticed; Ay, there's the rub.For in that vast parking lot, How can we avoid great ToplikarWhen we have no pass to leave this prison?Must give us pause; there's the fearThat makes perfect attenders of so many students.For who would bear the wrath and revenge of angry teachers,The oppressive classes, the principal's demanding fist,The pangs of hunger in the belly, the school's stnct rules,The insolence of the administration and the boredomOf countless government lectures,But that the dread of I.S.S.The undiscovered room from whose bournNo student returns, puzzles the will.And makes us rather bear the homework we haveThan drive away to others we know not of.--Soft you nowlThe great Toplikar! In thy orisonBe all our sins remembered.--Todd McClellanMatt Suada

They have mocked us, andbelittled us a million times,laughed at our faults, scorned our ideas,thwarted our morale, ignored our strengths,magnified our weaknesses, andcalled us dizzy airheads. And why?Because we are blondes. Do we not have brains?Talents? abilitres? Do we not have motivations?Ambiuons? affecuons? Do we not have motivadonssubject to the same environment? If you give us money,will we not spend it?If you trckle us, will we not hit You?If we go to class, will we not sleeP?Just like our brunett counterparts.If you ask us out, will we not laugh?If a curb jumps out at us, will we not run over it?If you anger us, will we not get even?If we are hke you in the rest, we will resemble you in thatIf a brunette makes an error, what is the cause?A bad day?If a blonde makes an error, what is the reason?Excused, because of the color of her hair.The villarny you teach us we will execute--We shall stereotype you in retum.--Carol Saunders

Paula McCartneY

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To steal or not to steal: that is the question:Whether'tis nobler in the mind to suffer,The aches and pangs of hunger,Or to take food from aand therefore end rhem? To hunger; to want;No more; and by a theft to say we endThe stomach aches and thousand natural needsThat the flesh is heir to, 'ris a conremplationDevoutly to be wish'd. To steal, to hunger;To steal: perchance to be incarcerated:ay, there's the rubFor in that jail of hunger whar food may comeWhen we have eliminated this basic needMust give us relief; there's the respectThat ruins such a long life:For who would accept the termsand sentences of time.

The punisher's wrong, the full man's contumelyThe pangs of unfed hunger, the delay of being fed,The insensitivity and the spurnsThat one who is hungry must. always encounter,When he himself may be fedWith a small snack? who would bear much,To grapple with an over demanding life,But fearing discontent even in death,The world of contentedness, which born into,No traveler retums to, puzzles the willAnd makes us remain hungryThan to try a venture we are unsure oPThus hesitation makes us all over wary,And attempts to gain sustenance,Saning out feasible turn awry,And lose their direcrion.

--Craig CarstensArtie McDaniel

All the world's a band,And all the men and women merely musicians:They have tler instruments and attitudes;And one man in his trme plays one part,His choice being one of seven. At first the Tuba,Stumbling and bumbling in all that he doesAnd then the rowdy percussion, with their sticksAnd uncooperadve morning faces, creeping like snailsUnwillingly to rehearsal. And then the flutes,Acting like arrheads, with an ear-piercing EillMade to annoy us all. Then a trumpet,Full of egotism and stubbomness like the mule,Jealous in honor, sudden and qurck in quarrel,Seeking the bubble repumdonEven in his seventh challenge. And then tie French horn,In fair straight form with good manners allWith eyes pensive and clothes of formal cutFull of conservatism and hidebound nature.And so they play their part. The saxophone slipsInto his chair and leans back casually,With sunglasses on nose and horn on side,His laid-back attitude, well known, the world too fast-pacedFor his laziness; and his wandenng eyesTurning again toward unpracticed music, squeaksAnd whistles in its sound. Last player of all,That ends this srange musical ensembleIs complete childishness, a clownish trombone,Sans sense, sans silence, sans responsibility, sans every-thing. --Chad Coughlin

Jennifer PittnerJennie Dowline

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Open the Door!by Ryan Seager

My body shook with fear as I lay on the hospital emergency room bed."I'm going to die," I rhoughr. "No, I'm not," I rhought again.Earlier that morning I had gone with my family to a park with a plavground and rennis courts. My parents played tennis whilemy sister, our friends, and I played on the toys in the playgrorurd. I was having a great lime on the loys, but I had lo go !o [he restroom. Finally, I felt like I couldn't wait any longer."Dad, I need to go !o the barhroom!""Oh, you can hold it. You just went an hour ago."Well, being four ye ars old, I didn't have too much patience or bladder control. After a lengthy debate with my father, J convrrcedhim that I needed to go right then! My dad wasn't roo happy to have to take me to the rest room. He grabbed me by the arm anddragged me !o lhe car. We sped down the street until we reached a gas station.He , still being pretty angry with me, yelled, "We're here. Now hurry up so I can play more tennis with your mom."After I went, we left and returned to the park. On the way back I thought about ho*' much fiur I was having, and I became very

eager to get back out there.As we pulled up to the park, I was filled with exciremenr. I jumped out of my seat and out of the door. In my hurry to get to theplayground, I forgot to pull my finger out of the door. When I slammed the door shut, my finger got slammed in there too."Ooouch! " I screamed at the top of my lungs.My dad ran over and opened the door. By the look on his face, I kne w this was a pretty serious injury. I looked at my finger andsaw it dangling by a single piece of skin. I had cut it all rhe way *rough the bone and only skin kept the tip of my finger attached.My dad immediately began to put presslue on my finger to ry and slow the bleeding.We rushed to the hospital, and on rhe way my parents tried to avert my attention by ralking to me. This conversalion helped to

keep my mind off the pain of my finger."It looked like you were having a good rime our there, Ry"n.""Yes, I guess so."''If you want, later today or tomorrow we can play tennis with you. ""OK, I wouid love to, but I don't know if I will be able to play with my finger like this.""Oh, the doctor will fix it and you will be fine . Don't worry, evervthing will be all right."When we got to the hospitai, my dad picked me up and carried me into the emergency room. The doctor looked at me and triedto calm my nerves. He told me to look the orher way while he sewed my finger logether. It hurt like crazy, but I kept my paininside. When he finished, he pur my finger in a litrle cast. The doctor decided to give me a purple heart for my courage. It wasjust a little heart-shaped piece of purple felt, but for me it seemed like a medal of honor.

Untouchable LoveI had a dreamAnd I know what it meansI was laying in a heldOn my sideWith my head propped upon my handNothing was aroundAll alone in an empty expanseBut for a single white flower.Oh, beauty of beautres it was!Resplendent it stood in the surk sunshineI put out a hand to touch ir,

Upon contact it recoiled into iself.I waited and it slowly reopened.Puttrng my face to itMy breath prompted the same recoiling reactionAgain it opened.And I realize that thisMy flower loveIs only now to be observed.Maybe laterIn another dreamThe flower will bear my touch.--Carie Mullikin

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Walls Insideby Quincy Brown

"TheofficialmeetingofTheAbstractionWritersofArchwood "OfcourseIdo. We'vebeengoingourforalmosrrwoyears."High is now over," David said, rapping his wooden mallet on ..Can I come over?"thefloor. Allfourmembers gotupandwalkedoutof rhesmall, "When?"wooden shack they had built. "Later.""Man, it's bright out here." iVlikael said, following David and "Well... yea, I suppose... I was gonna go to Mike's but,... ohJerry out the door, Sam behhd him. well, yea sure, come over whenever.""No doubt," David agreed, cupping his hand over his eyes, "O.K., see ya soon.""and hot too." David wondered what was the matter but decided he shouidn't"That's why I come prepared," Jerr-v said, pulling a pair of pry. She wouid tell him soon enough. He decided to leave herswtglasses out of his shirt pocket, placing them over his eyes. with some comforting words, "Crys?""Ohhh, what a studl" Sam mocked. "Yea?""That's what they tell me," Jerry returned 'l love you.""Who?" David asked. "Thanks... I love you too.""Al1 the women!" Jerry answered. "See you in a while."They all burst out laughing and began to walk home. Sam left "O.K."first, turning off on to his own sr.reet. The orhers laughed and ..Bye "talked for about rhree blocks, then Jerrv left rhem. ft was iusr ,.Bve."Mikael and David. Da,rid pressed down rhe burron ro hang up and let it up again."whar's wrong Mike?" Hecheckedtohearadialr,one,thenbegandialing. Itrangrwice' ' Huh?' ' Mikael asked, snapping out of his daz e he had been and then someone answered.keeping at his feet. "yea?""Something bothering you?" "Mike?""Not really... I don't..." "Yea.""Hey... listen... don't let the others bother you. So you're in a "This is David. Look, I got a problem, man. Crys just calledslump. All poe[s run dry for short times. I did last year." and she's really upset and...""It's not just that... well..." Mikaei fidgeted. "You're not coming over, righr?""So, what are you doing tonighr?" David asked. "I'm sorry man, it's just..."Mike was somewhat surprised by the change of subjects so "It's cool, Dave. Don't worry about it. Loclk, I hope it'sabruptly. He was also somewhat offended, but he answered, nothing serious. Have any ideas?""Oh... I don't know. You can come over if you want." "I don't know, could be anyrhing.""Your mom gone again?" Dave asked smiling. "Wcll, it could be nothing also, ya know?""Y"p... she hasn't been home all week." "I'm not so sure. Anyway, I lust wanted to call and tell you I"Man, yoru mom is alwavs gone, your dad lives in San couldn'tcomeover. I'mreallysorry. Hey,whydon'tyouhaveFrancisco, and you got the house all to yourself. You're so Cindy over?"lucky!" "She was.""Yea..." Mikael mumbied. "Really?"They were at Mike's yard. He walked up his sreps, on ro rhe "Yea... we ralked."porch and opened his door. "And?""See ya tonighrl " David yelled at him as the door closed. "And we broke up."Mikaelwalkedintohishouseandwentstmighttothekitchen. Siience filled the line after that. It only iasted for severalHe got some chips and a coke and walked to the living ro

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"Hey! Don't worry about it. Now go get ready for Crys so Ican go to bedl " Mike said teasingly, trying to hide his sobbing."O.K. man... pick you up tJomorrow?""Yea, sure."''Seven-*rirty? ""Great.""You sure you're alright?""Good bye, David! ""Bye, Mike."About forty minutes after he hung up rhe phone rhe doorbellrang. David got up and walked to the front door. He opened it.Crystal Marlen stood in the doorway. Her long blonde hair

stirred slightly in the cml, spring breeze. Her blue eyes were redfrom crying. David walked to her and gave her a hug. Shesobbed on to his chest as he held her. He took her chin and liftedher head. He leaned down and kissed her."What's wrong?" he asked."Let's go for a walk," she answered, wiping her eyes.They w alked down the drivew ay and on to the sidewalk. He hadhis arm around her shoulder's and she had her arm around hiswaist." So..., " Dav id tried to start lhe conversation up, "... what' s onyour mind?""I don't know... I'm just under a lot of stress.""Like...?""Well... me and my dad got in to it tonight.""What happened?""I ticked him off so he got mad and started yelling. He said Ihad to be out of the house a month after I graduate. He said hewill be glad to get rid of me..."'' He was mad. We all say things when we're mad, " David triedto calm her down. "H"y... Hey... it'll be alright. I'm sure hedidn't mean it...""He did!!!""Now you know he didn't. He was upset. Just give him timeto cool down a littie.""I hate him.""No, you don't.""I do! ""Crys, you're upset rightnow. Just calm down and think aboutit. You don't really hate him, do you?""Well... no, but he makes me so mad.""I'm sure you make him mad too. It is no big deal. What elseis on yow mhd? I know a fight with your dad couldn't have gotyou this upset.""I don't know...""Tell me," David pleaded.Crys stopped and turncd to look David in the eyes."Do you love me?" she asked.''You know I dol ""How much?""What do you mean?""How much do you love me?""I'd die for you, " David said softly, Ieaning down and kissingCrys on the forehead. He was beginning to wonder what was onher mind."What's wrong?" he asked.Crys' eyes filled up with tears and she jusr looked ar him. Waterslowly ran from her eye, down her cheek. David took his index

finger and stopped it."Don't cry honey. It can't be that bad.""I'm so confused.""What about?""Well... uh...""Just tell me .""I love you.""I love you, roo.""Well it's just...," Crys began to say it but stopped. Shedecided she wouldn't tell him now. It wouidonlyruin his night.

She then said,"Oh... never mind.""Come on, don'! do this, Crys.""No it's nothing. Realiy... it's lust l have a lot on my mind.""Like what?""Nothrng in particular. I'm just really stressed out. I think Ineed a good night's sleep. Things will be better in rhe morn-ing.""You sure?""Yea. I'm sure, " she said, trying to smiie but doing a weak job.She took his hand and turned them around."Walk me back to my car," she said."I'll see you tomorrow," Cryt yelled, puiling out of David'sdriveway."I love you!" he yelled back."Me you too!" she answered.David walked up to his porch and sat on the swing. He reachedin to his pocket and pulled out a cigarette. It was such a nicenight out and he had a lot on his mind. B y the time he went insidehe had finished his nearly b'rand new pack of Marlboros and hadcalmed his stress a little.The next morning David woke up with ease. He got ready forschool and ate breakfast. When seven-thirry rolled around' hegot in his car and headed for Mike's house, who only lived acouple of streets down.He sat in the driveway honking for about five minutes."Man, where is he?" he asked himself.He shut the car off and walked to the door. He rang the doorbell."Hey! Mikey!l! [rt's go already!"He got no response."Yol Mike! Come on! Look, if I have to come in and you... "

he yelled playfutly, but still got no resPonse. He opened thescreen and stepped inside."You still asleep?" he yelled again, but novoice returned otherthan his.David walked in to the kitchen, but no one was there. On thetable was an envelope which had "Mom" written on the front'David left the kitchen and went to the living room' It was empty 'The house had an eerie feeling of loneliness. It seemedabandoned. He began to call quietly, "Mikael?"No one answered so he got louder' "Mikael?"He walked to Mike's bedroom door and slowly pushed it opensaying, "Hey Mike, you still asleep?"The door was open and David was in, but no onc occupied theroom. He w asn' I still asleep, at least, but wherc was he? His bedwas srill made. his rq)m clean. David was about to leave whenhe noticed something. On Mikael's pillow was an envelopewhich read,'' David " on the front. He began w alking ow ard thebed when he heard a noise, a scratching sound. He turned his

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head to the door to listen. He heard it again. He forgor about theenvelope and began to go toward the noise. It was coming fromthe hallway. He followed the sound. Finally he realized it wascoming from the bathroom. David leaned his ear against rhedoor and listened. He could hear movement.He tapped on the door several times saying, "Mikael?"No one responded.With a hand on the doorknob and the orher on the door, he askedagain, "Mikey, you in there?"He still got no response, but he could hear movement.He slowly turned the doorknob and pushed the door open,saying, "l hope you're decent because I'm coming in."Suddenly something shotoutof the bathroom, rhrough David'slegs. He looked down. A dog was hopping up and yelping."Hi, Pepper," he said as he petted the small, black poodle."Mike in there?"

The poodle just yipped and ran around his legs.David turned and pushed open rhe bathroom door. Everymuscle in his body froze as tears filled up in his eyes. Hecouldn't believe what he was looking at. In the bathtub was abody. It was Mikael. David just stared. The tub was full ofwater stained red. The floor also had puddles of red. Hefollowed one puddle on the floor and saw arazor blade lyingnex t to the tub. He looked ar Mike again. He didn' r move. Davidwaited for him to move. David slowly ran his eyes over lheentire scene. He looked at the arm hanging over the side. Heslowly dropped his eyes down to Mikael's wris!. There was agash starting at the palm. It was thin but very noticeable.David stumbled out of the bathroom backwards, his gaze stillfixed on the body. He bumped into the wall behind him, causinga picture to fall n the ground. He fell to his knees and began toheave.After losing his breakfast, he stood back up. He was very dizzyand leaned back against the wall for support. He cleared hishead a little and walked back to Mike's room. He sar on the bedand picked up the phone."You go on home and get some rest, son," the police officersaid to David, but didn't get through. David was in a trance,staring blankly at nothing. His mom and dad were talking romore officers in the living room. David was still in Mike'sroom. He hadn't moved since he called the police about twohours ago."David... David... David...," the officer tried again, rappingDavid's shoulder. Dave looked up and swcd at him blankly."Huh?" David asked."Go on home. There is nothing more you can do, thank you."David got up slowly and begur ro leave the rmm, when

someone called his name. He nrrned around and saw an officerlooking at him."What?""Isn't your name David?""Yea... so?""I think this is for you," the policeman said, holding up anenvelope with his name on it. It was the envelope on the pillow.David reached our and took it."Thants," he said as he turned around and walkcd out ofMike's room and house . There were three police cars out front.The ambulance had already left, with Mike's body in it. Daviddidn't feel like driving, so he pulled out a cigarene and began ro

walk home. A few minutes later he was home. He went straightto his room and fell on to his bed. He began to cry.At eight o'clock that nrght David heard the doorbell rurg. His

parents had come up about seven and tried to comfort him. butwanted tobe left alone. He hadn't moved from his bed all nightand he didn' t want to move now. so he didn' t. He heard the dooropen below and muffled voices. Then he heard someone comeup the stats. Suddenly Crys appeared in his doorway."How ya doing?"David didn't say a word. He just got up and walked to her.Halfway to her the tears began to flow. She stepped forward.into his room. They embraced. David wept on Crys' shoulderfor what seemed like forever."I can't believe it," he cried, stuttering out his words."lt'll be alright. Just calm down.""He's dead Crys. He's gone forever.""I know, honey, l know."David pulled away and walked to his bed and sat down. Crys

.loined him. They sat there for a moment while David gainedcontrol."He was my best friend," he mumbled.''David, there was nothing you could have done. "He.yumped up."There wasl!! I should have seen it coming. I was his bestfriend! He should have talked to me. I should have went over

there last night. I should have known. Now it's to latel lt's todamn late fsr me to do anything. The club was all he had. Theothers teased for being in a slump, " he yelled while pacing thefloor, "l even went aiong with the jokes. I was the only one whoreally knew him. I was his oniy true friend. Sure, Sam and Jerryliked him, but he talked to me. Me!l! Now I'll never taik to hima8ain. He's gone! Do you realize that? He's gone. Goneforeverl !1" and with that David punched the wall, releasing allhis fury. Crys stood up and walked to him."L,ook, David,... you need to calm down. I know what you'refeeling... ""Know what I'm feeling? How could you know what I'mfeeling? I don't see how you could possibly have the slightestidea of how I'm feeling. You can't relate with me on this one,O.K. Crys? You can' t comfort me now' I don' t deserve it. I willnever be able to say the ttrings I want to say to him. Don't yousee that?"David calmed down a little and remembered something."Hold on a sec..." he said as he began to search his pockes."What? What is it?""Now where did I put it?..." he mumbled to himself."Put what? David, what is it?"An inspiration hit him as he still ignored Crys."My coat!" he yelled and ran to his closetdoor. Crys followed.He opened it and took out his jacket."What are you looking for?""Some last words.""What?"David's coat dropped to he floor."This is whar I was looking forlll" he told Crys and held up an

envelope with his name on the front. They both sat down on hisbed."What is it?" Crys asked."something Mikael left me on his pillow," he answered,

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tearing open the top and pulling our rhe piece ofpaper inside andunfolding it. He slowly began ro read. Tears began ro flooddown his cheeks from his swoilen eyes."What does it say?"David didn't answer. He jusr handed the letrer to Crys and purhis face in his hands. mumbling, "Oh man..."Crys took rhe lerter and began at rhe rop. ft read:Dearest David,I bow this is awkward bw it' s something that I hadto do. Youwere my best frienl, my only frien"d at that, so I feel I owe youan explanntion.Ever since I was young, I was never really accepted. I learnedto chantul my dcpression with a pen. Bw wuhin the last yearmy pen has been losing its ink, running dry. I finally realized ithad drbd up c omp lete ly. M y pen was rw g ood so I q uit w r $ ing.Many complications have ledto the decisionl have made. WhenI decided tonight,l feltfree,likc I didwhenl wrote. I btew mydccisionwould hurt you, but you' Il have to realize itwas bestforme. You are the only one who has caredfor rne, so I baw you' llhonor this requcst. you kncw rne. the best, more thananyorle evercould. I want you to compose a poem explaining how I felt andhow Ifeel now, or how I' llfeelwhenit' s over. I wav youto readthis poem at myfuneral. Make people utderstandthe way I feltand.why I did this. I shall raw write my mom a note which she' Ilget whcn she gets home (wlwtleler that is) telling her that I haveaskcd you to da this. She will make all the arrangemenrs ,

I bve you, David.MikaelP.S. This painful rainfiully stops tonight.Crys put down the le tter and put her arm around David."What are you going to do?""What do you mean, what am I going to do? I can't do that.""Why not?""I just can't. I don't know how he felt. He made it soundalright, what he did. I just can't!" he said, looking into Crys'face. She stared back, tears forming in her eyes."Do this for him.""You don't understand," he said. standing up and walking tohis dresser, "I don't owe him anything!"Crys stood up and walked to him, standing behind him."He was your best friend!""Friends don't leave friends.""So you're gonna leave him?""He left me! "He turned to face her."I can't forgive him for that. Can't you undersrand? He hadno reason to die! His life may not of been perfect, bur neirheris mine . ""You can't blame him.""I can't?" David yelled, "I have every right to blame him. I

hate him for what he did. If he loved me rhen why did he leave?You're acting as if it was an accident. he killed himself,remember? He committed suicide! Should I just blow it off andlie n myself? He left me by choice!"Crys raised her voice, "Quir being so selhsh!""Selfish? I'm selfish because I don't admire him? I spir on

him! He had no excuse for what he did.""You're oniy thinking about yor,rself. What about the otherswho are miserable because you are. What about me?""What about you?""What's that supposed to mean?""I don't know... maybe we should spend some time apart. Imean, I'11 only hurtyou. I need to bc aione for awhiie.""l don't want. that.""I'm sorry... please understand, Crys, I need to be alone. Iwon'! be any help to younght now, or you to me, for that marter.I wanna break up."Tears filled Crys' eyes as she stared at David's face. Shecouldn't believe what she was hearing."You can't do this!" she yelled."Why not?" David asked."I need you."David turned around and faced his wall. He took several deep

breaths and wiped his eyes."I won't do you any good righl now."" David, " she said calmly and reached out to grab his arm. Shespun him around to face her and she stared into his eyes, strearnsflowing down her cheeks. "I'm pregnanr.""What?!?" David asked, taking a few steps back."I'm pregnant."David stood there staring at her for about three minutes,thoughs rac in g through his m ind. He didn' t need this ri ght now.

He looked down to the ground and said, "I'm sorry, Crys."He never looked up. He heard her run down the stairs cryingloudly and out the front door. A few seconds later he heard her

car start up. He went to the window, tears flowing steadily, andwatched her drive off.Two days later David was sitting in his rmm when the phonerang. He leaned over and picked it up."Hello?""David?""Yea?""This is Jolene, Mike's mom.""Yea?""I was just calling to tell you that it's on Friday.""What's that?""The fwreral. You do have the poem ready?""Oh yea, that. Well, some things have come up and I don'tthink I can make it.""Why not?""What do you care? What do you care if I go or not? Shoot,you probably won't b there. Lord knows you were never therefor him before!"'' I don' t have to put up with this' I' ll get someone else to read. ""Oh yea? Well...," David started but quit because he wastalking to a dial tone. He hung up the phone and picked his book

back up and began reading. He hadn't talked to Crys since thatone night and he really missed her. He felt really bad aboutleaving her when she needed him the most' buthe knew he wasright. He tried not to think about it much, or anything for thatmatter.Thursday night rolled around and David was sitting in his roomwatching television. He was flipping the channels when hecame to 6 mqvie on cable. He stopped and watched the last of

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it. It had been his and Mike's favorilg m.ri.. After a while rhecredits began to roll, and so did the memories. He rememberedail ttre grear rimes he had had wirh Mike. He shut off rhe T.V.and got up. He was crying and deep in rhought. He missed Mikeso much. He walked to lhe dresser and opened the top drawer.There it was, sirring like a ghost from the pasr. He reached inand pulled ou! rhe lerler--the lerter that Mike had written. Hebegan to sob as he read it again and again. After thirry mrnuteshe sat the letter down beside him and gor up. He went to his deskand prcked up his spiral notebook off rhe desk, along wirh a pen.He sat back down on his bed and flipped open rhe spirai. Slowlybut surely he found a clean page. He stopped and w iped rhe rearsfrom his eyes, tiren proceeded. He put the pen to the paper andbegan n write.It was quite a turn out. There were at least a hundred peoplegathered in the funeral home. No one expected that many. Mostof the people rhere were kids from school. Everyone was sirringin their seats and were speaking softly ro each other. A man ina black suit walked onto rhe stage. Everyone got quiet."We have gahered here tonight to pay our honors to thedeceased," rhe reverend spoke softly into the microphone."One of Mikael Carlen's last requests was to have someoneread a poem at the beginning of his funeral. Tonieht we haveasked Jerry Aldrich to come and read a poem he-composed.Jerry was one of rhe membrs of a poeu-y club Mikaei belongedto. Jerry..." the minister said. Jerry gor up from his seat in theaudience and walked to ttre fronr, went up the stain.yoined theman on stage. They shook hands and the reverend lefi. Jerrycleared his voice as he looked over the crowd."This is a poem enrirled'Wings'. This is a poem rhat Mikeloved. It was his favorire one of my poems. Wings.

If oniy I had wings.Oh for a pair of wings.I could fly away from my srrife,and live forever.I could..."

A noise caught Jerry's ears and he stopped reading. He lookedup and to the back. He couldn't believe his eyes. Otherpeople5egan to tum around. Pretty soon the whoie congregation hadturned to face the back. A smile came to Crys' face. Davidbegan to walk forward, down the aisle separating the crowd ofmoruners. He walked slowly between everyone and people'sheads followed him as he went forw ard. David went up rhe stageand sood in front of Jerry. He reached out his hand and Davidgrabbed it. He pulled David's arm roward him and gave him ahug. He let him go after about thirty scconds end walked off thesuge. No one said a word. David reached into suir coat pocketand pulled out a piece of paper. He slowly rurfolded it and thenheld it out in front of him, He looked up and skimmed throughthe crowd. Everyone was intently listening. It seemed no onewas even breathing."This is for Mikael," he said as he looked down ar his paper."This is called'The Rain Stops Tonighr'.The thorn glistens as the sun sec.Purple clouds haze up my thoughrs.This bud 0rey call a rose is so deceiving,it can capture you with its beauty,but if you grab it without looking ir will

cut your hand with is rhorns.I have grabbed at r.he beauty too fast.With a bleeding hand I look to the sky.Dark, stormy clouds fiil the air.They have been there for so long,but I have Just now noticed them.Rain begins to fall on to me.I wrap my arms tighrly around my body,and feel sorry for myself.I am alone."David paused to look around. Everyone was srill staring right

at him. He noticed tean on some people' s cheeks. No one spokeor moved. He continued:"Some embrace life but you ignored it."David began to get upser. His voiced raised and trembledwhile tears fell down his cheeks as he continued:"You left me, my friend,without wamlng or words.You left me alone.Alone with guilt that I don'r deserve,that no one desewes.This worid is unfarand the ones that hurt you are cruel.The rain pours on my head in this empty night.Maybe caring could have been more evident,by many people in your life,but now it's gone!"David spoke loudly and then began yelling as he criedfuriously, "Gone! You're gonel"

Then he stopped and lowered his head, sobbing uncontrollably.No one moved and no one spoke. The room was silent exceptfor the sounds of sniffing noses and soft weeping. David calmeddown a little and continued, softly,The rose couid wither and die anv moment.just like life.I love you. my brother,for you, the rain stops tonight.' 'David stood there staring blankiy at his paper. No one movedor spoke. It seemed like an etemity for anything to happen.

Suddenly there was movement in the front. Someone stood up.David raised his head and iooked. It was Jolene Carlen, Mike'smother. She stood there staring at David and David returned the516s's. f,veryone was looking at tiem. Suddenly Jolene put herhands ogether, she pulled them apart, then together again. Sherepeated that motion over and over, slowly at first and thenpicking up a steady pace. She was clapping. Then someone eisestood up. It was Crys. She smiled and began clapping. Clustersof people began to stand and clap. Within a minute the everyperson w.rs on his feet clapping. David walked down off thestage and went to the casket in front of the stage. He lookeddown atMikael's dead body lying in the woodenholder. Mikaelwas only visible from the waist up. David stared at him forseveral minutes, while everyone still stood and clapped. Hereached out and laid rhe poem on Mikael's chest."I love you Mike, and I'm gonna miss you.""I love you too."David spun around and saw Crys standing there. He looked ather. She was crying. Everyone still clapped."I'm sorry, Crys. I jusr..."Crys put her finger to his lips.

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"Shhhhh... don't worry about it."Shc removed her finger and smiled."I love you," he spoke sofriy."l love you too," she said and walked ro him. They wrappedtherr arms around each orher and hugged for several minules.The tears that were coming from David's eyes changed fromtears oi sorro\r' !o tears of happiness. They separared and the

clapping slowly died down. He stood bcsidc her in front. Helmked at evewone, his elres slowly moving across the crowd.Everyone was staring at him and Crvs. He smiled and slowlybent down and kissed Crys'. He brought himself back up andscanned *re crowd. His eves slowlv moved across the people,He looked down at Crys and looked back out and said softly,"Thank you."The ciappurg started up aearr.

..TIFFANY STAUFFER35

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;AiJ.---',!''...

36..ERICA WILLIAMSON

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A Cherished Christmasby Robyn Elliou

EventhoughlalwaysknewthetruemeaningofChristmas,asayoungchildallIcouldthinkof waspresents. Iknewthe reason we celebrated Christmas was because of Jesus' binh, but presents and toys were always on nry mind.I have many memories of Christmas wittt my mom, dad. and sister. We always had a family Christmas and stayed homewithjustthefourofus. WewouidopnpresentsandreadtheChristmasstoryfromtheBibie. Mydadwouldtakemoviepicturesof us singing Chrisrnas carols and opening presents. Christmas has always been a fun rime for oru family.There are many Christmases I can remember, but there is one that really stands out !o me. During the Christmas of I 984,I was twelve vears old. In September, my dad was told he had cancer. Our only hope medicaliy for him to live was a bone-marrowtransplant. This meant that my parents would be gone !o Washington for two months in order for my dad to have this transplant.My sister and I had to stay in Oklahoma with friends because we could not miss that much school. We missed them so much. Ialways knew our family was close. I reaiized just how close with my parents gone. When my parents got home, they were tryingto get ready for Christmas. I did not know of anything I wanted.

On Christmas Eve we went into our big living room decorated