Jasper's Love

They were in love. It was as simple as that. There was no one as close as Levi Thompson and Mary Elizabeth Massey. They were in 10th grade when they first met, and they were inseparable. Mary always came to his baseball  games and cheered him on; Levi walked her to class daily and held her hand all the way. Although Levi thought their two year relationship was going strong, Mary always thought there was something missing. The lovebirds had grown apart, and she felt as though she were settling. She’d had her eye on Jasper Bishop, the new kid in town, and she noticed his eyes on her when she walked by. Jasper and Mary started to pass notes, see each other before and after class, and had a sort of secret romance going on behind Levi’s back. When Mary started becoming distant and not wanting to see him very often, her boyfriend suspected she was cheating on him with that good-for-nothing Jasper. Levi had seen the way her face lit up when she saw him, and the twinkle in her eye when he spoke to her. He had to do something. Levi had to profess his love to Mary and win her back! Although poetry wasn’t his best talent, it was something girls loved. He wrote her a poem, picked her some flowers, and sprinted barefoot down the dirt road to her house. Levi knocked three times and waited. Two more knocks; no reply. He knew Mary was at home, because her parents were gone, and she had to stay at home with her younger brother. Levi got impatient and opened the door without being welcomed. He ran to Mary’s room; he was just so excited to give her his gifts! To his surprise, he discovered Jasper snuggled up to Mary on her bed, caressing her hair.

Mary jumped up and screamed, “What are you doing here?!”

Something inside Levi snapped.
He lunged at Jasper, but Jasper dodged him swiftly.

“What is HE doing here, you tramp!”

50 years later

    Levi had always had a knack for science, and became a college physics teacher. He always hated the first day of class because of all the new people he had to meet. After his first class, he went to the school cafeteria to get some lunch. That’s when he spotted her; the woman with the luscious blonde hair and gorgeous green eyes. He knew that hair. He knew those eyes. They were Mary’s. It couldn’t be her - it’s been almost fifty years since he’d seen Mary. She would be at least seventy years old. This woman even had her pearly white smile. Even though she was probably in her forties, she looked like a goddess. Levi made his way over to the woman and sat down beside her. She told him she was the new Algebra teacher, and her name is Evelyn Bishop. At once, Levi knew.

“Who are your parents?” Levi asked curiously.

“Mary and Jasper Bishop,” she replied. “They are from around here.”

Levi longed to see Mary.

He asked where she was living, so that he could come visit. He explained that he was an old friend from high school. Evelyn gladly gave Levi the address, and welcomed him to visit anytime.
After classes for the day were over, he rushed to the address. He rang the doorbell and waited.
Levi was so excited when she opened the door.

“Mary!” Levi exclaimed. “How’ve you been?”

Mary was so delighted to see him.  “I can’t believe you’re here! It’s been so long! Please come in.”

Levi could see Jasper wasn’t home. He couldn’t help but notice there were family pictures everywhere. It pained him to see Mary with Jasper. Levi wanted her back. He never forgot the feelings he had for her so long ago. They sat down and had some tea, and just talked about their lives. Mary had moved away with Jasper, but decided to come back to Arkansas to retire. Evelyn came along because of the new teaching job that had opened up. Levi told her how he’d been pretty lonely most of his life, and he was glad he got to see her again.

Even though Mary hadn’t seen him in fifty years, she couldn’t help but sense that same attraction she had when she was in the 10th grade. There was something about him; . He was still pretty attractive for an old man.  Levi sensed the attraction too. The old flame had never died. Mary left all her feelings for Jasper behind. She knew she belonged with Levi, and always will.

   
    It was hard for Mary to tell Jasper, and even harder to tell Evelyn. Jasper planned his revenge against Mary. He knew what he had to do. Mary couldn’t get away with this. If Jasper couldn’t have Mary, no one could. Late at night, while Mary was asleep, Jasper snuck into her room. He crept up next to her, and whispered, “Now you’ll be mine forever.” He shot her in the heart, and then shot himself.

Levi was so depressed when he found out, because she had been one of the only happy things in his life. He still visits her grave from time to time, and leaves beautiful flowers. Rest in peace, Mary Elizabeth Massey.

Scary Stories From Different Cultures

Scary stories have been told for centuries, and there are many different varieties.  There are those really creepy ones that make you paranoid for a week. There are gory ones that hurt you just from reading them. Then there are those scary stories that are just so not scary, that you end up laughing. These variations usually come from where the story originated.  Even though these stories have way different backgrounds, they all have something in common: They are supposed to be scary.

In the (Pennsylvania) story Axe Murder Hollow , retold by S.E. Schlosser, a couple is driving on a highway, when the car suddenly slides off the road. The husband gets out to go look for help, while the wife sits in the car terrified of what could be out in the woods. She hears a shriek, a loud thump, and a strange gurgling noise. The she starts to hear a periodic bumping sound, and gets out of the car and to her horror, finds her husband dead, hanging from a tree branch.  The gruesome sound she kept hearing was the bumping of his body against the tree. The woman screams and tries to run away, but the Axe Murderer is waiting for her. The last thing she sees is the glint of the axe blade in the eerie, incandescent light.  The theme of this story is to be very careful about where you are when your car breaks down, and to stay out of Axe Murder Hollow.

In the (Maryland) story Hairy Toe, also retold by S.E. Schlosser, an elderly woman decides she wants some roots for dinner, and goes outside to dig them up. While digging, she comes across a big hairy toe. The woman brings the toe home, cooks it in her soup, then eats it. That night, she goes to bed and hears a mysterious voice saying, “I want my hairy toe! Give me my toe!” A giant missing his left big toe comes to her house and orders her to give the toe back. After she tells him she ate it, she is never seen again. Just like in Axe Murder hollow, this story has a man vs. man conflict, takes place in the woods, and has an unhappy ending. The theme is to never eat scary giants’ big toes.

In the (Texas) story Suicide, once again retold by S.E. Schlosser, a man hears a suspicious rumbling of a car running in a neighbor’s garage all day long. The man calls the police, and they discover the neighbor had committed suicide. The car had been running all day, and poisoned a small child in the house with CO. The little girl ends up in a coma. The man visits the little girl in the hospital, feels a chilling breeze, and sees the girl’s hair on her head been flattened as though a hand was patting it. The girl wakes up from the coma, and the man wonders if the breeze had been the ghost of her father. This story, unlike the others, has a man vs. self conflict because the man committed suicide, and also a man vs. technology conflict because the CO poisoned the daughter. This story is also different because it had a happy ending. The theme is to be conscience of how your own actions will affect your loved ones.

All three stories involve people being scared, and people dying. Each of them sound somewhat similar culture-wise because they all take place in the United States. Hairy Toe most likely took place a while back, because not many people today dig up roots for supper (or eat random toes from the ground).  Suicide and Axe Murder Hollow are written so that they could’ve taken place recently.

Oklahoma City Bombings of 1995

On April 19th, 1995, Oklahoma City underwent a tragic disaster.  The bombings at Alfred P. Murrah Federal Building in downtown Oklahoma City killed 168 people, and left 680+ badly injured.  A photo was taken that day of a firefighter carrying a very badly injured infant out of the building.

This photo really affects my emotions, because it puts the frantic situation into perspective. People hearing the commotion, and feeling the building shake, then scrambling out to protect themselves from falling debris. This innocent baby has been brutally killed due to the careless recklessness of a complete stranger. I can only imagine the defeat the firefighter felt to finally rescue the infant, only to realize she is dead. He dove into the inferno of flames, putting victims' lives before his own, then pulled Baylee Almon from the abyss, and cradled her limp body in his arms. The dense smoke swirling behind them creates a barrier, leaving them secluded  from the horrible disaster site only for a short time. Chris Fields pushed up his mask, to briefly look into the eyes of the poor, badly hurt baby. She was lifeless; his desperate efforts were no use.

This is why America needs to change. Just think of the future this child could've had. There is no need for such violence in this country, or anywhere else. Seeing this photo really makes me think twice about how lucky I am that I haven't gone through a huge disaster such as the bombing.