October 2011 midnightwriters.webs.com midnight.writers2013@gmail.com
Ask Aphrodite
Musings of Hades
Athena’s Corner
Ask Aphrodite is an advice column that anyone can submit to about anything. If you have questions about school, parents, your love life (or lack thereof), anything your heart desires! We will answer your questions within 1-3 days and some will be published in the monthly newsletter. You can submit questions anonymously if you choose. To submit a question, email to askaphro@gmail.com.
Every time Halloween comes around, I count our lucky stars that there was never an ancient Greek equivalent. We had plenty of our own costumed festivals, but a holiday specifically for dressing up and mooching sweets off strangers? The world would‘ve never been the same. My brother Zeus is particularly notorious for disguising himself to either test random people‘s hospitality or to ingratiate himself with whatever girl who‘s caught his fancy at the moment. (Swans, bulls, golden rain, said girl‘s husband – how in Tartarus am I related to him?) His favorite Halloween costume these days is his pilot uniform, and poor Hera has to follow him around to the random parties he crashes. (Their marriage counselor says the best method is to prevent it before it happens.) Hermes is just as bad as his father, only he loves Halloween because it‘s the perfect excuse for him to play pranks. (―It‘s just holiday spirit, Uncle Hades!‖) The reason why October 31st is the most haunted day of the year? Hermes. The reason why tricks are so infamous that night? Hermes. The reason why shades mysteriously escape from the Underworld and haunt the living? Hermes… But All Hallow‘s Eve isn‘t that bad. You think those Olympian bashes are something to talk about? Please, you‘ve never seen an Underworldian party. Demon dogs, ghosts, tortured souls, monsters threatening to smash your skull around every corner? Yeah, we‘ve got the real thing. And Persephone makes a pretty darn good pumpkin-chocolate-ambrosia pie.
The Hunt of the Unicorn: March 2011, C. C. Humphreys When Elayne‘s father tells her a fantasy story about unicorns and other worlds that supposedly happened to her ancestor, she is understandably cynical. However, on a school trip to a museum, she falls through a tapestry into the story‘s world! A unicorn and a king are on opposite sides of a war, and Elayne must choose her allies wisely if she wishes to get back home in one piece. This enthralling plot is fueled by multiple mystical beings (unicorns are only the beginning…) and plenty of intrigue as Elayne desperately tries to figure out how to return back to New York, a task that becomes harder and harder the longer she stays in Goloth. The Lost Gate: January 2011, Orson Scott Card This book far outshines the other books of his that I‘ve read (Pathfinder and Ender‘s Game). Danny is descended from the Norse gods of myth, and he and his relatives hide from the humans on Earth. Although Danny believes that he has no powers, he is in truth a gatemaker – a person whose powers will condemn him to death under his family‘s rules. Danny escapes, but must learn how to use his powers properly before he is found and executed.
Q: What's a good look for a ginger hobbit? Sincerely, short and confused... A: Dear short and confused, Trust me, I feel your pain. No, really. I do. I'd avoid colors that clash with orange/red. So purple tends not to be a good color. Yellow is pretty good and softer colors are definitely better, just not PINK when you have ORANGE hair. It won't work...ever. Avoid clothes that make you look shorter than you actually are. If you are strolling around the mall and see this really pretty striped shirt… slap yourself. Do not buy horizontal stripes. They suck. Something already longer and more flow-y makes you seem taller so if that's what you're going for, then congrats! :D If you own anything light pink, purple, and some blues that clash horribly with your hair color or if you own anything that when you put on makes you look midget-like I would get rid of it immediately and go on a shopping spree! You can take me along if you'd like. (Trust me, it'd be FUN!!!) LOVE FROM, Aphrodite <3 *Aphrodite and Deus Ex Machina
Hints from Hestia: Coming Soon! Need domestic advice? Please email us at the address above!
Special thanks to Sra. Steele and acknowledgement to Hades, Athena, Hippolyta, and Hermes.
The Blank Page by Blackthorn Rose The white space, it mocks me Prompt at top, blank underneath The words, they rule me It must be perfect These words, such simple characters The key to my fate, doors to unlock I must open as many as I can It must be perfect Pressure is building, building The date keeps sneaking, sneaking O time, why must you move? It must be perfect Thirteen essays; two weeks My dream on the line This is something I must do I want to do It must be perfect Yet the page is blank Empty, white space That taunts me My perfect essay: where are you?
The Mask By Calypso The perfectness The beauty The grace Of the mask Is stunning. Arched eyebrows Pale skin Full lips High cheekbones Playful smile No heart No soul No emotion No feeling Nothing The perfect Mask To hide Who I am Inside. Where has my Heart gone? Trapped by The mask I wear.
Illustration— ―Masquerade‖ by Chronos
Tired of forcing your way through the Bulldog Lobby between classes every day? Ever wonder exactly why students are packed like sardines in those two narrow hallways—and others? Read Hallway Congestion: Remedies to an Overcrowding Problem by Sisyphus, available online!
Illustration by Honey-Senpai
Bobby is hiding from a very dangerous someone who‘s going to take away his most prized possession… Read Cornered by Marisa M., available online!
I'm too scared To take it off And show The world Who I am.
Liz Anderson is fearless. Or is she? When superrich classmate Gino Caldonado hosts a Halloween party, complete with a frighteningly realistic haunted house, Liz just might regret being so stubborn about her image. Read Death Before Day of the Dead by Apollo, available online!
Would they Like who I am? Or would they Prefer the Mask?
How often do you read your horoscope? Do you want an article that gives you a warm, fuzzy feeling when you read it? All Zodiac signs—but especially Libras and Scorpios—are welcome! Read October Corner by Nana, available online!
Illustration by Calypso
SPOILER ALERT
You’re My Rose By Kenpachi As time flies by I can only hope for you I wish I was by your side I've only thought of you You‘re like a rose in the morning Blooming bright as the sun When love goes wrong You always shed a tear You are a rose in the morning Tears like the dew Rays of the sunlight Let all your tears dry Conscious dreams I hold them to dream of the day Letting all my thoughts fold on Even as you cry I'll always be by Your side You‘re my flower, so beautiful He who leaves you, take no care
‗Cause when you turn away I'll be right there Now hold me close, I'll wipe your tears Your my rose, with glistening ruby tears. Until death to us part I'll never leave you. Every time you kissed me My heart was in such pain Gathering the roses We sang of the grief Your very voice is in my heartbeat Sweeter than despair We were there, in everlasting bloom Underneath the stars Shaded by the flowers Kiss me in the summer day gloom, my love You are all my pleasure, my hope and my song I will be here dreaming in the past Until you come
New Sins, New Cir- clearly reveling in cles by Theodore your pain. In their inRobespierre fernal discotheque, they have to dance for With the rise of the all eternity to nothing 21st century, the sins but Olivia Newtonand circles of Hell John. have become highly Saying ―You‘re Weloutdated and irrele- come‖ Before You vant. Perhaps the sell- Can Say ―Thank ing of indulgences was You‖: Someone has enough of a problem just begrudgingly done that Dante needed to you a favor. You walk give a section of Hell, up, mouth already with its own unique, halfway unhinged to ironic punishment, but say ―Thank you,‖ today, it sits unused. when they jump in So here I present a with a curt ―You‘re proposal for modern welcome,‖ sneer alsins, and their modern ready in place. In Hell, punishments. between the eternal Requesting Horrid torments, they get a Songs on the Radio: quick option to ask Have you ever been forgiveness, followed driving along, maybe by a quick ―too late!‖ humming to the tune, before another round when all of a sudden, of fire and brimstone. someone thinks it Serving Spam to would be a bright idea Guests: Spam: The to call in and request ubiquitous mystery The Beegees of all meat itself. Spam has things. And so, they to be the vilest consubject you to the hor- coction known to man, rors of Stayin’ Alive, a veritable Hell stew
of bits and pieces. Those who subject their guests to this disgusting mass of pain, must learn exactly what‘s in Spam. Then they have to eat it. Saying You Liked Something Before It Was Possible: This is for our charming hipster friends. Every time we express approval, say we like something, you insist you liked it before it was popular. Well, in Hell, you can do that forever, living forever with only the most unpopular of everything. Have fun driving from your concrete house in your Ford Edsel, slaving away at the cubicle farm, only to return home for a nice hot plate of Brussels sprouts, prepared by your lovely spouse, Voldemort. Being Voldemort: You have to be married to a hipster.
Until we close our eyes The secret is inside the pain Winds are high up on the hill I cannot hear you Come and hold me close I‘m shivering cold in the heart of rain Darkness falls, I‘m calling for the dawn Silver dishes for the memories for the days Gone by Singing for the promises Tomorrow may bring I harbor all the old affection Roses of the past Darkness falls, and summer will be gone Joys of the daylight Shadows of the starlight Everything was sweet by your side, my love Ruby tears have come to me for your last words I‘m here just singing my song of woe Waiting for you, my love.
Photo by Aphrodite
Autumn by Artemis Rich fiery reds Bright eye-biting yellows Vastly ranging oranges Fastly fading greens The colors on the trees Let me know Autumn is here AND HALLOWEEN IS COMING! XD
Secret Garden By Hunny-Senpai The clouds hang low The sun, hidden from the sky A little girl walks back from the park Her bear, her only friend by her side. She sees a glimmer in the trees. She follows it A secret door, for a secret passage. She opens it, Entering the passage curiously. A secret passage, for a secret house. She slips into the doll house It is cute and just her size She snuggles in the chairs, She jumps on the beds, Forgetting her bear on the entrance floor She hears light footsteps and she turns, Seeing her teddy bear there, A puppet without strings. A secret house, for a secret magic. It signals for her to follow, She does so, mesmerized. They travel outside to the garden, Flowers looming over the house, Watching every move. A secret magic, in a secret garden.
The bear stops in its path It turns to face the child. A smile that rips its mouth open from the seams. She feels frightened, Her heart beat, a running horse. It crouches down, She closes her eyes in anticipation. A cold chill runs through her… She opens her eyes. The flowers tower over her, A silent crowd for their dangerous ballet. A tall shadow looms over her Familiar in shape, a stranger in spirit Her own face smiles menacingly down at her The girl can‘t move Her own hands are pinning her down. The girl struggles anyways, fear etched in her eyes A hand lets go, but the grabs her by the neck. The girl shuts her eyes
Illustration by Hebe
The sound of a ripping stuffed animal echoes though the garden, Then silence. A secret garden… With a dark secret.
It‘s just another day at school for Ethan. You know, bacon, biology, chicken nuggets, just chilling with friends. That is, until there‘s an accident and Ethan has his first encounter of many of the undead. Read Zombie Mayhem by Hercules, available online! Molly has a stalker. Every night for the past twelve nights, he‘s left her a blood red rose with a black ribbon tied around it. Truth be told, it would be rather flattering—if only her ―admirer‖ wasn‘t somehow sneaking, unnoticed, into her room to leave his gifts. And the thing is she can‘t really escape him. After all, she‘s trapped on a ship in the middle of the Atlantic. Read The Phantom’s Roses by Hades, available online!
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Illustration by Honey-Senpai
All Hallow’s Eve by Hades Lanterns are low, Inside and alone. Black ink on paper, Pages turning, turning. Laughter distant and faded, A whole other world. Doorstep is empty, No tricks or treats here. Sudden chill in the air, Tense and alert. A hush, a whisper, Ghost in your ear. A sigh, a murmur, Ice on your skin. The room, it grows dark, The candlelight, it dims. Cackles in the shadows, Fingers beckoning forth. Footsteps in the attic, Moans in the basement. Drink spills on the table, But no guilty hand. Shivering, trembling, Stifling a scream. Fly to your feet, Run for the light. Imagination, a dream, On this most haunted of days. A night for the strange, All Hallow‘s Eve begins.
It’s That Night Again by Athena
The Womb by Nyctophobia I am usually afraid of the dark. Yet I get these moods… In these moods, the darkness is soothing, I just lay in bed with door locked, curled up in Devils mischief-making, ghosts wailing, and cats yowling loud, the covers, protected, isolated from the Everybody enjoys themselves in this large and diverse crowd. normal world. The world of suffering. The fun continues as the candy pours into bags like rain, The world of pain. The world of yelling. And all of it is eaten to get energy again. The world of fighting. I retreat into my own world of darkThe night wears on, the fun never stopping, ness. Where suffering turns to dullness. But younger monsters start dropping, Complaining of headaches and just plain lethargy, Where pain turns to numbness. Where So the crowd thins as these youngsters leave sleepy. yelling turns to an eerie quiet. Where fighting turns to a desolate battlefield the Then the older ones begin to bore, day after a great clash, still layered in Believing these celebrations to be a snore, carnage, but a great feast for the vulAnd they finally leave as the horizon begins to get bright, The final end of Halloween night. tures. It is a weird world. Unreal. Nothing is Illustration by Hades right. It is an illusion I use to protect myself. But what good does an illusion provide other than false hope? So I hide my agony in the dark. Night falls, monsters laugh, come out to join the fun. Witches, ghouls and goblins all run out and greet everyone. The stage is set to have a ball and enjoy a trick or two, For what other night can one dare to be nothing other than you?
Illustration by Chrysanthemum
Illustration by Athena
One day, our shards washed onto a rocky Shards to Sea-glass A House in the Woods by Hades By Hippolyta shore. Far, far away in the shadows, But they were no longer shards, There is a house in the woods, The antique wineglass was treasthey weren‘t broken. Hidden by vines, resting in a hollow. ured, They had learned to be happy alone. Sitting by a garden, long overgrown, a gift from the ancestors. Tendrils of ivy creep up on the sides, But once it broke, ―The Tide left me on sand, its shards, I felt the Sun on my face, and And window boxes yearn for their blooms. though once part of a precious Myself drying. Creak open the door, dusty and groaning, whole, Gulls flew over me, and I Step into the room, musty and dry, were unceremoniously tossed befriended the pebbles around me. Take a moment and listen… still… out . Then I was dropped into a bucket Can you hear the forsaken cries? and taken away. “I was a shard, But it did not matter” Can you see the bloodstained secrets? Away from the whole, Can you feel the sadness in the air? Marked for destruction. The shards that were sea-glass Up the stairs and around the corner, Sharp and cold, either stayed on the shore Into the first door on the right, Lifeless little glacier.” or did not. A room of laughter too fleeting. But they found new lives, and did not miss But fortune had smiled each other Weak shafts of light from curtained windows, kindly on them, nor their Whole. Tired dolls waiting for their mother, for they Little handprints fading on the floor. had been tossed “And so I am treasured, again a gift. A ghostly breeze, an icy touch, I am complete, into the sea. Turn around, but no one there, with smooth edges and warmth. “I tumbled and tossed Having felt the horror of Yet whispers still echo sadly. and feared I would break, shattering, Far, far away in the shadows, turn to dust, and no longer exist. the beating of waves, There is a house in the woods, But my travels softened me, and the Sun on my face, Hidden by vines, resting in a hollow. made me new. I am my own beauty. A place that is ever silent, And then I was not afraid.” I am sea-glass, A place not even the birds will go, I am One.” A place… that is best… forgotten…
Photo by Eris
Photo by Hades