The “Story” Book
By: Kathryn Walden
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The “Story” Book Author: Kathryn Walden Walden Works Huntsville, Arkansas 72740 May 10, 2013
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Table of Contents Acknowledgements
4 Part 1: Action
Biographical Sketch Train Stop Stranded Don’t Keep Quiet
5 6 7 8 Part 2: Being Yourself
Biographical Sketch Masks Being Unique Groups Stand Up
9 10 11 12 13 Part 3: Poems
Biographical Sketch Mother Nature Encouragement That Girl Love, Problems, Imagination
14 15 16 17 18 Part 4: Emotions
Biographical Sketch Parents Letting Go Infinite The Past
19 20 21 22 23
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Acknowledgements To everyone who inspired me to not have to do it all by myself. To the ones that made me wonder who I can actually be through writing. I am grateful of my mother, who inspired me to write certain pieces of this. To Mrs. Sullivan, my English teacher, for helping me get started on some of my action stories. I thank all of my friends that gave me good and bad times that I put into my writing. Again I am truly grateful to everyone who inspired me to write everything that is in this book .
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Biographical Sketch This part of my book has a lot of action and adventure in it. There are three pieces that contain excitement. I thank Mrs. Sullivan for everything she put up on the board to help me get started writing. One of my friends I thank because she inspired me to write one about someone who was bullied at school and reporting it when they witnessed it.
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Train Stop I didn’t know where the train was going. After paying my fare, I simply stood in the platform waiting for it to whisk me away to somewhere, anywhere but here. And that’s when it happened. They came out of nowhere. Letting the smell of human blood guide them. I am wounded and can hardly run. What do I do? My choices are to either try and get to safety or to stay and fight until the end. They are fastly approaching and I am still standing there like a bump on a log. I make myself stay strong and hope that the train can cut them off long enough for me to have a surprise attack. The train is almost here. I can hear the whistle and squeaks of the breaks. The wolves slow for just a moment at the sound, hurting their sensitive ears. But just a moment is all I need. I jump onto the wolves. There are only two of them there and my body is big enough to take them both down. SPLAT! I hear one whimper; the other is knocked out cold. Hustling with all of my power I had to go catch up with the train when there is a sharp pain in my left calf. There was a warm, tingling sensation going all through my leg. I knew it was bleeding but what I couldn’t figure out was what made it bleed? The other wolf was chasing me! He was right on my heels now. I am so close to the train though, can I make it? I lunge for the train rails and pull myself up with my arms. The wolves are left behind and I am safe. I don’t know where the train is going. I’m glad it’s somewhere away from here.
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Stranded Boom! There was a funny smell to the air that made me nervous. What was it? I turned to look out the window and only saw a tan type of color. Where am I? Going up to see what is wrong I walked straight into a room black with smoke. What’s going on? I yell for someone to answer and all I get is silence as a reply. I walked blindly through the room and to the deck of the boat. Waiting for my eyes to adjust, I hang onto a railing that is oddly hotter than usual. My eyes finally focus enough to make out the shapes of trees. I see a red and orange flame surrounding me. Panic fills my thoughts. I have to get out! Knowing what will happen if I don’t, I jump into the water and swim to the shore. No one else made it out alive! I’m all alone on this island with no idea what to do to survive. Going to check out the whole island I have a feeling I’m being watched. Someone or something is following me. I turn to see something jump into the bushes out of sight. What is it? Jumping with anticipation I go to see if I could ask for help and what do I find? A little baby monkey! We live on the island until we get a ships attention and safely make it back the good old USofA. Or so we thought……
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Don’t Keep Quiet After school one day, Bobby was walking to the gym to shoot some hoops before he went home. He heard some screaming as he rounded the corner, approaching the entrance. Looking through the window he saw some of his friends huddled in a group around something. Bobby noticed it started to move and that there were some red puddles on the floor. All of a sudden it clicked in Bobby’s head that his friends just beat up another kid! He ran to the bathroom too scared to even say a word. Not knowing if he should tell an adult or keeping what he saw to himself. Bobby ran to the principal’s office and tells the principal exactly what happened. The kid got medical treatment and Bobby’s so called “friends” weren’t his friends anymore. Bobby didn’t care though, because he got a new and better friend in the end.
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Part 2 Everything that is in this section is about standing out of the group and being yourself. People everyday go with people that we think are like us. This section tells you how to be unique. I was inspired because I, myself had fallen into groups in the past that I don’t want in. I helped myself get out and this is what I wrote these to do.
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Masks We as people often wear the masks that everyone might say in normal, but in reality everyone has just got used to it. When people talk behind others backs and say things about them, they wear the masks some might call backstabbers or untrue friends. Some go and always gossip to others about how people in the world did things they weren’t supposed to, they have the masks on of gossipers. While some even go up to people and call them names, and they have the masks of bullies on. We all wear these masks to hide what we really are like because we don’t want others to tease or pick on us. Just wanting to fit in. We think that we have to be like everyone else so we wear masks that aren’t really who we want to be or are on the inside. We shouldn’t have to wear masks around, so let’s not.
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Be Unique Why is it that all kids think that they have to fit in with the group? Everyone wants to be the cool kid in school or the prettiest, even the richest. But has anyone ever really thought of what they have to be thankful for? Some kids hide the fact that they like something or watch a “kiddy” show and love it, but they should just let it out and have people who accept them in their own way. When people find out embarrassing things about others it shouldn’t actually be that embarrassing if you think about it. They have something they don’t want everyone to know just like we all have a secret that the world doesn’t want to know. Others buy clothes just to fit in with the group but, in reality most people don’t wear very fancy clothes at school.
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Groups People chose to join groups because they like the things that are in it or they want it to go on their record as community service. People also join groups because they could feel pressured into it by their friends, family, or even teachers at school. They could be forced to, to be able to graduate or not go to jail. Also people join because they have someone in there they like or don’t like and just want to annoy them and/or make them jealous. Some are good at what they have something to do in their free time. Some want to stay in shape, while others just don’t want to get made fun of for not doing it.
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Standing Up I would stand up for what I believe in because going with the crowd doesn’t let you express your individuality. Also when you stand u[ for what you believe in you could be the one that’s right and help do good to the environment. Standing up for yourself or what you believe in shows you’re not scared to say what you think. Having everyone just go with the crowd makes it hard for something to be proven right or wrong. It’s hard to say if you’re guilty or innocent against a full student body or population. Having you stand up for yourself it could start a movement that could last forever or even change people’s outlook on life. When you want someone to be justified just say what you think and you’ll not fit in with the group.
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Part 3 These pieces have poems and advice to give to others. Some of my friends helped encourage me to stay strong in some hard times and now I am able to write about it. Most of them are poems where you have to guess what or who the reader are talking about.
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Mother Nature The rath of her being, the sting of her cold wind. She never comes in unnoticed, yet always leaves with the wind. Her slates of rain pouring down, as thunder crashes across the sky. The clouds indicating the storm is overhead. She leaves broken pieces of everything shattered all around. Her powerful wind rushing overseas, torturing ship captions and rocking so many boats, even tipping them over. The solid hail she slaps down on us, and the rainbow popping up saying she’s done with destruction for the day. She is Mother Nature and, if I were you, I’d not want to make her unhappy.
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Encouragement I help with representing what everyone has inside of them. When something happens and you feel kind of low, I am there to cheer you on. When you are behind on a project and trying to catch up, I am there to help. When you are having trouble in a race, I am there helping you along the way. When you need some cheering up on a rainy day, I am there. I am encouragement, there to help with what you need help to succeed the best you can. I am there to help you in good times and bad.
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That Girl Her smile, that smile that send goose bumps down your spine. The smile that has everybody wondering about her past. She’s like the Mona Lisa Painting in art museums. She is that girl. The girl that always has a wicked smile in her toothless showing mouth. That girl that always sits by herself at lunch and you know close to nothing about her. That name rings through your ears like a worthless cackle on Halloween night. Her name is so out of place for the human thing. That girl always ends up everywhere in things that happen. Her name is Penny.
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Love, Problems, Imagination Love is a strong word in all cultures, but has anyone really thought about what the true feeling and meaning of the word is? Everyone says they “love” someone, but in reality, love isn’t that perfect. There are many problems that come with being “in love.” You have fights or don’t see things the same and now-adays no one really stays with one person they “loved.” The imagination comes from people expelling their love for one another in new, spontaneous ways. They come up with cute things, or dramatic even. If you say you love someone, you should actually mean it.
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Part 4 The pieces in this section contain a lot of loss and sorrow. They are filled with emotion and are moving. If you are into all of that sappy stuff, you would probably want to read them. My mom has helped inspire me to write a few of the pages. Other people in my past have, also. For instance, people who have hurt me and made me feel bad inspired me to write what I feel.
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Parents The pain that comes from them. The good times I share. One minute they are happy, the next a ball of fury. You have to love them, but sometimes you just want to run away. They love you, but get onto you moments after. Having them in your life hurts, but without them there you would be a little lost puppy out roaming the world. Everyone has moments where they just want to slap their parents. Parents are so difficult to be around. As a kid you think they are the best people in the world, as a teenager you just want space and freedom. They yell at you and punish you. Yet they buy you nice things and care for you. They help you when times are rough, yet they sometimes are the ones that start the mess. Having them around makes you want to scream. Not having them around makes you miss them. Keeping secrets bundled up you can tell them. No secrets are worth their regret. Having parties and sleepovers annoy them. With whatever life throws your way they stand by you. They are your parents and you have to love them either way.
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Letting Go So everyone takes my side on things, but I don’t know anymore. You say you regret doing it, but I don’t know if you mean it. Now you don’t want me to get over you? Please don’t even start… I like other people but you’re still in my mind. I’m trying to let you go, but I can’t. With you around me I always want to have things the way they used to be. When we were going out. All happy with no one else interfering. Seeing you around other girls still makes me sad, but I realize that’s the reason you broke up with me. Now I’m trying to move on. I kind of can and am but when I talk to you I still get butterflies in my stomach just like the first day I met you. Having you and wanting you are two totally opposite things. I used to call you mine and you used to be mine. Now that’s all changed. I guess it’s for the better though. Because I kind of like him. Now I can do whatever I want. I hope you realize that one day when you’re done with her, I won’t be there as your back up. “Never accept to be someone’s second choice. You deserve better.” –Unknown
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Infinite Well things have gotten better, I’m not sad about everything that’s happened these past few days. Not as much anyway. Knowing that you and me are friends now puts me at ease with myself. Yea I like you and yea I don’t act like it sometimes, but the truth is, sometimes I don’t know how to act. I don’t want everyone to ask if we are going back out because it annoys me and makes me think of our whole past. Sometimes I think that we are too young to have to go through any of it. It just feels like we shouldn’t have to put up with heartbreaks and mistakes in the 8th grade. I have doubts about everything in my life and I wish “we” weren’t one of them. I know you said it would never happen again, but I don’t know because ‘never’ requires forever and forever is infinite. That is kind of a long time don’t you think so, too?
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The Past The days go by and all I can anyone can think about is the past. A past that I, myself want to take away. Take away all of the hurt, replacing it with joy. A joy that I want. “Wanting and having are two separate things,” my mom said. My mom was the light of me eyes until that day. That day when it all changed. Changed into something horrible and tragic. Tragedy strikes everyone though, doesn’t it? Doesn’t it have to rain on all the poor souls that don’t deserve to be treated wrongly? Wrongly accused of something that wouldn’t have happened. Happening too fast to stop it. Its terror running its course through the world. A world of hate and sadness. Sadness that can’t be forgotten in just a blink of an eye. All eyes on us for what has happened in the past years. Past years haunting because of those days. Days and days go by and all I can try to do is move on.
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