Volume 23, Issue 2 - October 2023

The Sputnik,We Orbit Around You.

Volume 23, Issue 2 - October 5, 2023

News, pg. 3

Sports, pg. 5

Arts & Culture, pg. 10

Opinion, pg. 13

The Infinitum, pg. 8-9

FREESTORE GRAND OPENING

GOLDEN HALKS HIT THE ICE

SULTANS OF STRING TOUR

THE FINAL GIRL

“MORNINGSTAR”

MAKING SPACE FOR WOMEN IN THE SLASHER FILM GENRE

A HORROR SHORT STORY TOLD WITH COMICS

NOW OPEN TO ALL STUDENTS

HOCKEY SEASON PREVIEW

NEW ALBUM WITH INDIGENOUS ARTISTS

LEAVES, LATTES & LEARNING The Reading Week Issue

UMAYMAH SUHAIL / EDITOR-IN-CHIEF

Squirrel in Victoria Park Square, Brantford.

02

THURSDAY, AUG. 31, 2023

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THE.SPUTNIK

Editor’s Note: Why I don’t celebrate Halloween

VIDEO EDITOR VACANT

LEAD ARTS & CULTURE WRITER Sienna Bilancia

THE.SPUTNIK

UMAYMAH SUHAIL EDITOR-IN-CHIEF

The door to October is welcomed with falling leaves, crunchy at your feet, brushed with warm browns, reds, oranges and yellows despite the crisp winds pricking your rosy cheeks. Soft knitted scarves and sweaters wrap around you in a familiar embrace. Bright orange pumpkins with dusty stems, short and stout, tall and slim, line every front porch in sight. Strawstuffed scarecrows are pinned in your neighbour’s yard, where now wilted flowers once bloomed.

When the sun sets and the coral sky begins to fade into a deep blue and black, the pumpkins reveal their jagged carved smiles or frowns and soulless eye sockets. A black and white horror film flickers in a window. Children skip happily, dressed in playful costumes — superheroes, princesses, idols and monsters — ringing doorbells one by one while their parents watch not too far behind.

Halloween, jack-o’lanterns and trick-or-treating are the highlights of the autumn season for many children, teenagers and adults alike. Growing up Muslim,

I have never participated in any events or activities even slightly Halloween-themed, except for my family’s own tradition of making sure all the lights in our house are turned off by the evening to avoid any angry trick-ortreaters when they’re refused candy. Although these holiday norms are commonly known to host mainly innocent haunted and spooky themes, when people are encouraged to scare or “trick” each other, most are not aware of the eerie origins

harvest, according to Library of Congress blogs.

Carving jack-o’-lanterns, a fall favourite, originated from the Irish practice of carving turnips to frighten evil spirits. This arose from the 18th-century folktale of a man named Stingy Jack who trapped the Devil and only let him go after he swore Jack would never go to Hell.

When Jack died, Heaven rejected his soul and left him aimlessly roaming the earth as a ghost. The Devil then gifted Jack a carved turnip with burning coal inside to help light his way between both realms.

One of the many theories behind trick-or-treating is that the tradition started from the Scottish activity of “guising”, which is visiting people’s houses disguised in SERENA ANAGBE / PHOTO EDITOR An open, empty notebook. fancy dress or they’re embedded in. These masks, and “souling”, which roots are also the reason why is handing out cakes for All I personally don’t celebrate Souls Day on Nov. 2. In the Halloween.

Middle Ages, children and The earliest known elders would go to neighbasis of this holiday is the bouring houses and collect ancient Gaelic festival of money and food in return for Samhain on Nov. 1, celebrat- prayers, which slowly shifted ed the eve before on Oct. 31, to non-religious songs, jokes as said on History.ca. This or “tricks” later on. is when it was believed the Although these spiritual boundary between origins date back centuries, the dead and the living blurs there are some parallels with and the ghosts of the dead how the pagan celebration is make their way back to earth. observed today. Before you This religious pagan cereparticipate in any Hallowmony called for people to een festivities this year, keep wear scary costumes to ward these occult roots in mind, off these lost souls and light share them with a friend and bonfires to welcome the fall most importantly, stay safe.

THE SPUTNIK  NEWS

THURSDAY, OCT. 5, 2023

03

CAMPUS

Freestore grand opening Laurier Brantford’s Freestore is now open to all students

LAUREN KUIVENHOVEN NEWS EDITOR

Wilfrid Laurier University Brantford’s Freestore had its grand opening on Sept. 3 at the Level One Lounge in One Market.

The Freestore is open at 4 p.m. to 8 p.m. every Tuesday and Thursday, and 12 p.m. to 4 p.m. every Wednesday and Friday. The store is run by the Sustainability Office and the Dean of Students Office. Its purpose is to divert waste and help students with the cost of living.

Over 300 students have taken goods from the store in the past two weeks, which shows a “huge need,” said Tyler Britz, the student life and experience coordinator at Laurier.

Desired items are appliances, pots and pans. By the end of the first week, “basically anything with a cord was gone,” said Britz.

Appliances are especially useful

to international students, since “you can’t fit a microwave in your suitcase,” said Britz.

Students are allowed to take five household items and three toiletry items per day. The store will always provide free tampons, toothbrushes and toilet paper for students.

“It was so busy the first few days,” said Britz. “We have three

storage closets in there and they were overflowing, and now they’re almost empty.”

The items in the Freestore were donated throughout the summer by staff, faculty and members of the community.

“We’re really hoping that students will donate, students that have extra stuff that they don’t

administrative assistant at Laurier International.

International students “take a whole bunch of stuff and they go, ‘We’ll see you in four months,’ and they bring it all back,” said Britz. The store gives students the opportunity to help others and keep more items out of the landfill.

The Freestore has already saved over 1,200 pounds of waste. Any items besides clothes and food are accepted.

“Don’t throw them out, don’t give them to Value Village,” said Britz. “You can pay it forward and give SERENA ANAGBE / PHOTO EDITOR it to other students at our Students at the Freestore. institutions.”

Donations are accepted at the need,” said Britz.

Level One Lounge’s front desk. If The store was designed to help there’s no one around, items can both domestic and international be left in a donation bin in front of students deal with the inflated the store. economy.

Students can find more infor“It’s definitely a great resource mation and updates about the for students so that they can save a Freestore on their Instagram, @ little bit of money and not have to lauriergreen. equip their kitchen with everything,” said Sabina Di Nino, the

BRANTFORD

Homeless shelters await funding Despite government increase in funding, local homeless shelters haven’t received the extra money

SIMRAN JHA LEAD NEWS REPORTER

MPP Will Bouma announced in April that Brantford-Brant will receive $1.8 million from the province as a step towards resolving the homelessness issue in the city.

Shelters have yet to receive the funding.

“Nothing has been received yet, but is anticipated to be released by the end of the year,” said Katie Wilkes, the operations manager at the Rosewood House in Brantford.

The City of Brantford is responsible for providing funding to local services such as housing resource centres, emergency shelters and help with finding affordable housing.

These include four emergency shelters, such as the Rosewood House, the Salvation Army Housing Resource Centre, Nova Vita and the Youth Resource Centre. Other local organizations include three

transitional Indigenous housing programs and two transitional housing programs also open to non-Indigenous people, like St. Leonard’s Community Services.

Even with these services provided, Wilkes said, “There is not enough funding by the city. Because of the lack of funding, there aren’t enough services to support the homeless or those who are becoming homeless.”

According to a city report discussed by the Brantford Social Services Committee in May, there are approximately 118 bed spaces available through the Homelessness Prevention Program. Of those, 68 are in emergency shelters and about 50 are in permanent spaces.

Out of the 1,753 individuals who used the emergency shelter system from February 2021 to 2023, about 823 people were turned away from emergency shelters due to the unavailability of beds. There are still 453 individuals experiencing homelessness in the Brantford-Brant area.

“We do not have enough beds, we are always at capacity and have to turn away people,” said Wilkes

when asked about the services provided at the Rosewood House.

“I’ve been with Rosewood House for eight years, and part of the issue is that it is not just individuals, but it’s also families.”

When asked about what needs to be done better with the incoming funding from the province, Wilkes said, “We need more affordable housing.”

The affordable housing and housing resource centres provide services to help individuals dealing with landlord-tenant issues. Wilkes said there needs to be more addiction and mental health services as the wait to access affordable housing is still “really high.”

“There is also no support for people who are transitioning back into the real world, like offenders and addicts,” said Wilkes. “They have to return back to homeless shelters because they can not afford housing today.”

The release of the funding is crucial to provide better and more services to individuals facing homelessness in the Brantford-Brant area.

SERENA ANAGBE / PHOTO EDITOR Boarded up home in Brantford.

THE SPUTNIK  NEWS

04

THURSDAY, OCT. 5, 2023

EVENTS

Raising awareness for World Suicide Prevention Day Flag-raising ceremony for suicide prevention

LAUREN KUIVENHOVEN NEWS EDITOR

A flag-raising ceremony, organized by Suicide Prevention Brant for World Suicide Prevention Day, took place in Harmony Square on Sept. 7.

The ceremony, along with two more ceremonies at the council building and the Brant County Health Unit, took place to spread awareness about World Suicide Month and World Suicide Prevention Day on Sept. 10.

Among the approximate 20 audience members were representatives from Woodview Mental Health and Autism Service and the Canadian Mental Health Association, along with Mayor Kevin Davis.

This year’s theme is Creating Hope Through Action, which includes, “The small things that we do either with coworkers or family or friends, we see they’re struggling, and you don’t ignore it,” said Davis.

“There is a taboo about talking about suicide, it makes people feel uncomfortable and all that does is it contributes to the feeling of isolation,” he said.

On Nov. 30, a 988 crisis line will be available to Canadians.

People can talk to or text trained counsellors if they experience suicidal thoughts and want to talk to someone. The line has already been active in the United States for over a year.

“The research clearly shows that suicide is a preventable tragedy, and that’s the emphasis, prevention,” said Davis.

According to Statistics Canada, 12 people die from suicide every day.

“Suicide prevention is everyone’s business,” said Lill Petrella, the team lead of mental health promotion and education from the CMHA. Students at Wilfrid Laurier University should, “Make sure that we’re actually talking about it so we can support our peers better,” said Eugenia Garcia-Pena, a fourth-year social work student.

She said the ceremony made her, “More aware that I can have that conversation and it would be okay.”

Suicide Prevention Brant raised awareness all last year with, “Meetings that we have and initiatives that we take,” said Petrella.

“Through bringing awareness, we are promoting safe talks in the

SERENA ANAGBE / PHOTO EDITOR

Mayor Kevin Davis and Nicole Schween raise flag on World Suicide Prevention Day in Harmony Square.

community, we have assist trainers within our agency that support individuals,” said Nicole Schween, the program manager at Woodview Mental Health and Autism Services.

“We’re very happy that you’re

here and we want you to stay here, so please take advantage of the resources that are out there,” said Petrella.

The Suicide Prevention Brant website and Facebook page have “all that information about how to

access these resources and how to get a hold of people from suicide prevention,” said Petrella.

Laurier’s Student Wellness Centre provides mental health support and counselling. This service is included in students’ tuition and

is accessible in-person or through online appointments.

This article was originally published online on Sept. 20, 2023.

THE SPUTNIK · SPORTS

THURSDAY, OCT. 5, 2023

05

EXTRAMURALS

Laurier Brantford’s hockey teams prepare to hit the ice once again Team members share their goals heading into the start of the season

MITCHELL HARTMAN LEAD SPORTS WRITER

With the fall semester now underway, Wilfrid Laurier University’s Brantford hockey players are preparing for the quickly approaching season, which is starting up after fall Reading Week.

The upcoming year not only gives new players a chance to join the team and meet new people, but it also gives returning players a chance to further grow their skills with Laurier’s hockey program.

Fourth-year social work student and returning member of the women’s team Kira Hoskins is

thrilled for hockey to be returning. Hoskins is looking forward to seeing her teammates again and “having fun on the ice.”

Hoskins also added some words of encouragement for incoming first-year students who are interested in playing hockey. She said it is “important to step out of your comfort zone and get involved. It might be scary at first but it is so worth it.”

On the men’s side, the team is looking to build off a strong 2022-23 campaign that saw the group finish with a birth in the RECCup regional finals, which were hosted in Barrie last March.

Second-year criminology student and team member Jon Duka

OLGA STEBLYK / SPUTNIK PHOTOGRAPHY

is looking forward to the upcoming season with the men’s team.

“I’m most excited about getting back on the ice this year and hopefully bringing a trophy home,” he said.

Apart from winning a trophy with the team, Duka is also hoping to improve his own skills as a player.

“A goal of mine is to improve my defensive skills overall and become

a more reliable defenseman,” he said.

Head coach of both the men’s and women’s teams, Eric Collins, is not only excited to see the returning players come back for another season and another shot at a championship, but also looks forward to seeing a lot of new faces on both teams.

“It’s always great seeing former players move on from Laurier, graduating, getting jobs and starting families, but seeing new faces joining the program is something that is exciting every year,” said Collins.

Players and coaches of the men’s and women’s teams are finishing up their preparations for the upcoming season, where they look to make the school proud once again.

GOLDEN HAWKS

Student-athlete spotlight: Jackson Rice

How the fourth-year runner hopes to leave his mark at Laurier

MITCHELL HARTMAN LEAD SPORTS WRITER

Heading into his fourth year in digital media and journalism, Jackson Rice hopes to wrap up his cross-country career with a team championship and leave his mark on Wilfrid Laurier University Brantford in a positive way.

After a strong high school career running cross-country, Laurier alumna and current Coach Kara Hughes suggested that Rice join Laurier’s cross-country team. He joined the team and made a strong impact right away.

Rice was a top-50 finisher in Canada during his rookie season, which was something he did not expect to do so soon.

“I had goals set out during my rookie season,” he said. “I did not

expect to hit them right away.”

Along with that top-50 finish during his rookie year, Rice has accumulated a strong list of achievements in his cross-country career at Laurier Brantford. Rice has won a Rookie of the Year and two MVPs for the men’s team, while being a two-time nationalist.

Despite his long list of accomplishments so far, Rice’s goals remain high.

“One goal of mine has always been to be an OCAA all-star…this is my best chance yet,” he said. “We have a strong team this year and we hope to earn a team medal.”

Even with all of his terrific achievements so far, Rice has had plenty of adversity to overcome in his career.

“In my rookie season, I dealt with plenty of injuries…I wish I had done more research and taken care of my body a little better,” said Rice.

“I dealt with shin splints, running on concrete will do that to almost anyone.”

Rice never stopped running, however, and continued to persevere and overcome any challenges in his career.

The runner gives a lot of credit to Hughes and cross-country head coach Cory Currie, who have not only helped him grow as a runner but also as a person. He also gives credit to his parents, who have supported him continuously throughout his life and career.

With his cross-country career nearing an end at Laurier Brantford, Rice hopes to leave his mark on the school in a positive way.

“Obviously, I want to be remembered as a runner,” he said, “but also as a strong role model for other runners and people who want to join athletics.”

Rice also hopes to help coach and promote school athletics even after his graduation.

With the current cross-country season now underway, Rice and the rest of the team look to continue representing Laurier with pride.

SERENA ANAGBE / PHOTO EDITOR

Jackson Rice, fourth-year DMJ student and cross-country runner.

THE SPUTNIK · ARTS & CULTURE

06

THURSDAY, OCT. 5, 2023

ENTERTAINMENT

Laurier alumna Heather Dixon’s breakout novel hits the stands From Judy Blume to Laurier and all the way to motherhood, Heather Dixon has a story to share.

ALEXA FORD ARTS & CULTURE EDITOR

Wilfrid Laurier University Alumna Heather Dixon released her first novel titled Burlington this summer. The suspenseful novel tackle’s themes of friendship, motherhood and sense of belonging. Burlington was released on Aug. 22, and Dixon’s next novel is coming in Oct. Burlington is Dixon’s first novel to be published but is not the first novel she wrote. She has been writing novels since 2018 and Burlington is her third novel.

“After I wrote my first book, I learned that I did it all wrong,” said Dixon.

Dixon had to research and learn what worked best for her and how she could properly write about plot, character development, structure, etc. Now that Dixon has been through the book writing process three times, she is learning what works for her.

Given that this is Dixon’s first

novel, the process has been a learning curve as well. Dixon is an early bird and regularly wakes up at 5 a.m. and writes when the rest

CONTRIBUTED PHOTO / HEATHER DIXON

Heather Dixon, Laurier alumna and author.

of her family is asleep.

“That time in the morning when I am alone nobody interrupts me.

Not even my dog gets up at that

time, so I can just really focus,” she said.

After revisioning and rewriting for several months, even years, the books are ready to be sent out to potential literary agents. During these times when publishers are going through her current novel, Dixon begins working on her new projects.

“I find that it works best for me during that time to start working on my next project,” she said.

Now that Dixon’s book has been on the stands since Aug. 22, she is learning about the less lovely side of publishing work: negative feedback.

“This is the interesting part because a creative person is usually quite sensitive. So, there can be 10 good reviews and one bad review and I see that one bad one and it’s all I can focus on,” said Dixon.

Burlington has been receiving a great mix of reviews in its first month on the stands.

“I knew all along some people would love this book and some people wouldn’t and that’s perfectly OK, because that’s the way the world works. But it’s a hard adjustment,” said Dixon.

Dixon has a community of friends she confides in and seeks advice from and she constantly reminds herself that the reviews are for other readers not for her.

Dixon graduated in honours English literature in 2002. Since her time at Laurier, she has nursed her writing skills working in advertising. After having her children, she began writing about motherhood on “mom blogs” and she has found her way back to the creative side of things.

“Motherhood for me gave me a renewed sense of passion and purpose for writing, so I bring this into a lot of my writing,” she said.

As a child Heather was an avid reader, enjoying the writings of Beverly Cleary and characters like

CONTRIBUTED PHOTO / HEATHER DIXON

Burlington novel.

Judy Blume.

“At the same time, I was always writing,” said Dixon. “I was just writing like silly little stories when I was a kid, but I always had that part of me that wanted to write.”

Dixon’s next novel, The Last Summer at the Lake House is set to come out this month.

WELLNESS

Reading week: Review, relax, recharge The long-awaited week off, what should you be doing?

SIENNA BILANCIA LEAD OPINION WRITER

Reading week is fast-approaching from Oct. 9 until Oct. 16, here are a few tips and tricks that may benefit you. This advice comes to you from Wilfrid Laurier University’s Brantford Academic Advising, Wellness Education as well as a fourth-year who has been through a few reading weeks themselves.

Reading week is not always as it seems in the movies. It is here and then it is gone, and all those super

cool and relaxing plans that you have all ready to go are gone. You may be left thinking, “Where did that week go?”

The academic perspective first, it is called reading week after all.

Some of this week can be dedicated to schoolwork.

“Use this time to catch up on required readings for your courses.

If you’ve fallen behind on your textbooks or assigned readings, reading week is a great ti[m]e to get back on track,” said Samantha Pafford, the administrative assistant at academic advising.

That is just the beginning of the advice academic advising has provided. They also recommend that students work on assignments, as there is a good chance some due

dates are coming up. Other suggestions are as simple as organizing your schedule, work on a to-do list or study and review your notes, especially if your classes have midterms.

Reading week from another perspective is a week of wellness, no classes. There are many activities that students can plan to do during their break that will not just allow for time away from classes, but to actually decompress and relax.

Claire Howarth from Wellness Education suggests that “students consider their breaks intentionally.”

“What is helpful and supportive of wellness can be unique to each individual, what works for one person may not work for another

person,” she said.

There is a wide range of activities you can complete during reading week that can range from going for a hike to reflecting on how far you have come and where you still have to grow. Some other examples of what you can do during your reading week are intentional self-care, going outside, a little exercise and connecting with the people you miss.

Fourth-year social work student Eugenia Garcia-Pena has some advice based on her own reading week experiences. “Don’t be so hard on yourself,” she said. “You may not accomplish all of your goals that you want to have done.

Be self-compassionate. The time will fly make sure you try and use

the time to rest if you need it,” said Garcia-Pena. “Stay hydrated during reading week and eat properly because it is like your one time to eat healthy and stay hydrated during school.”

NIYATI PANCHOLI / SPUTNIK PHOTOGRAPHY

Student studying.

THURSDAY, OCT. 5, 2023

THE SPUTNIK · ARTS & CULTURE

07

CAMPUS

O-Week...just the beginning

O-Week 2023 is in the books and went by in a flash, a recap

SIENNA BILANCIA LEAD ARTS & CULTURE WRITER

Orientation week sets the stage for the rest of the year. Better known as O-Week, it is usually catered towards the incoming first-years, although there are a few events that are open to all students. This year, there was the Get Involved Fair and the O-Carnival.

“It got me excited to actually join some leadership roles and help plan events too because it seems like there is a really fun culture around planning and hosting events at this school,” said first-year game development and design student Oscar Gorbet.

The Get Involved Fair is an event that can benefit everyone, plus there are always new things to see and clubs to check out. This year there were the clubs, committees and sponsors as always as well as something that always draws students in…free food. Some of the local eateries in Brantford brought some food for the students to sample.

The get involved fair is also a chance for people to realize how many other different people there are on the campus and the opportunities that are out there for each person.

“Volunteer moral[e] was also high this year which helps with the

get involved fair specifically like if the volunteers are excited and signing up for committees then the first years and other students will as well,” said Koyal Vyas, vice president of programming & services.

Brantford is a small campus, so many people don’t realize how many committees, clubs and teams there are for students to try out for and join. This fair gave many people the chance to walk throughout the Research and Academic Centre Courtyard where the booths were, and really see what the school has to offer.

“It helped show me a bunch of clubs that I didn’t know existed but am really interested in,” said Gorbet.

Now, the O-Carnival is usually a big hit during orientation week, and it is also usually reserved for only first-years to partake in. This year was the first year that it was opened up to all Laurier students.

Something a little different that had a very positive reaction.

“First-year students get to meet older students in their programs and so they can ask them questions there too,” said Shinerama executive Megan Jacobs.

There were many people who had their O-Week online for the most part, and never got to experience these in-person events in their first year.

“I think that it went really well. I liked how they opened it up to all years,” said Jacobs. “There were a lot of people who came out and got to reconnect with each other after

the summer and they had a lot of cool events there that I wish that I had in my first year.”

What a way to finish off the second day of classes.

“It’s important for students to know that the Students’ Union is

going to continue these events throughout the year…things will start very soon,” said Vyas, giving students a heads-up. “O-week was just the beginning of it.”

SERENA ANAGBE / PHOTO EDITOR

Students at the Get Involved Fair.

ENTERTAINMENT

Essential fall reads Provided by Laurier Brantford’s Book Club KATIE BIRD ARTS & CULTURE WRITER

If you’re looking for the perfect books to get you in the fall mood, whether it be cozy or spooky, keep reading to hear Wilfrid Laurier University Brantford’s Book It Up book recommendations for just that.

The first book you should be adding to your cart is Daisy Darker

by Alice Feeney. This book follows Daisy Darker, as she and her family meet at her Nana’s secluded house on an island for her 80th birthday.

When the clock strikes midnight, Nana dies and an hour later another family member meets the same fate. The family, trapped by the tide, has only eight hours to see who’s killing the family one by one.

If that book is not your style, then Funny Feelings by Tarah Dewitt might be the book for you. This book follows Farley, a stand-up comedian who has pushed aside her feelings for her best friend Meyer who also happens to be her boss. Meyer, despite being a busy single dad, would do anything to help Farley achieve her dreams. So, when an opportunity for Farley’s dream job comes up, they find themselves in a fake relationship that does not feel so fake. This book will most definitely do the job to give you those cozy vibes.

Lastly, if you are looking for a book that will mislead you and take you down a road of paranoia and discomfort then you must pick up

The Secret History by Donna Tartt.

This book, narrated by Richard Papen, as he is accepted into an elite New England college. He falls into a group of clever misfit students that are studying ancient Greek under the supervision of a mysterious professor. They uncover a way of thinking and living that is in contrast to the way of others around them. Eventually, boundaries are pushed and morality slips, leading to unpreventable evil. This dark academia book will definitely give you the fall vibes making it the perfect book to read this October.

Be sure to pull out your phone and add these books to your fall reading list. Remember to always check the trigger warnings before

reading a book!

CONTRIBUTED PHOTO / LB BOOK CLUB

The Laurier Brantford Book Club logo.

THE SPUTNIK  INFINITUM

8

was Midnight Horrors. She looked at the ticking clock lit by the moon outside, the Devil’s hour stared back. All Jenna could do was sigh as she sunk into the couch, resurrecting the preacher’s horrors with the click of a button.

The screen burned alive, Jenna watching the images with

Morningstar

THURSDAY, OCT. 5, 2023  9

a deadness, a desperate sadness that hoped for it all to end. All the sleepless nights, the beating hearts and sweating palms. Why couldn’t she be normal, why couldn’t she be like her little brother who snored away in paradise, never mind that he was alone in a room shrouded in darkness with

a cold sky above lit by a distant star galaxies away. A star that was submerged in the endless ocean that is this universe, a universe lurking with unknowns and impossibilities of which we could never even comprehend. What was out there, what was beside her, was there a dead ghost seating next to

circling the sky while Jenna was face to face with the world’s evil.

This evil didn’t hide in the ethereal, it walked in broad daylight. Adults and old folk cried on the screen, deep in mourning.

Tears gushed from the woman’s eyes.

Jenna spared herself from the horror, she barely knew what was happening, but she wouldn’t bother, desperate for slumber yet frightened of its darkness.

Jenna froze, face to face with the devil. His gaze burned her eyes bright, Nazari Morningstar pacing across the screen, preaching to his audience while Jenna wondered how the television turned on.

THANDO BHEBHE LEAD INFINITUM WRITER

THANDO BHEBHE/INFNITUM LEAD WRITER

THANDO BHEBHE/INFNITUM LEAD WRITER

THANDO BHEBHE / LEAD INFNITUM WRITER

KAREN SAVOY / SPUTNIK PHOTOGRAPHY

It all started with darkness. This was a darkness that worsened with each heartbeat, one of clenched eyes that tightened in retreat only to discover more darkness.

An invisible finger that writhed against sweating flesh, the wind

her, lost in the images of a past life.

Jenna didn’t know, but the thought haunted her, the mystery of it all, it refused her rest and peace, it ached and croaked, stroking her skin, whispering warnings that left her in a state of eternal flux.

Bodies burned in her eyes, federal agents and helicopters

roaring louder as images of flailing curtains pervaded the mind. Once the eyes opened, however, it all vanished, nothing but a cold empty room staring back, embarrassment flaring.

This was every day for Jenna

Diaz. She felt like a fool for hoping things would change. The shame that titillated was a familiar one.

She slid from her bed, the anger boiling. Why! What are you so afraid of! She would shout, her mind replying with silence. The

angst boiled on, a buzzing blood jolting her from her room as she wandered around the silent house like a nocturnal ghost, searching for revenge in the haunting of the television. It didn’t matter what was on, all she searched for was

the light and some voices that reminded her she wasn’t alone.

The room suddenly died into black, Jenna being its arbiter as she prevented the fear from refueling. She could barely handle the dark, the last thing she needed

THANDO BHEBHE/INFNITUM LEAD WRITER

Nazari then looked into the camera, meeting Jenna’s eyes as her unease strengthened.

Silence reigned, Jenna blinking as she held her chest, this night was getting more eerie and as her eyes fell on the clock, it hadn’t moved an inch. ‘’Shit.’’ She muttered.

Her head then sunk into the cushion, her hand on the remote.

She thought maybe she could crawl back into bed, try and sleep.

But alone in her cold empty and silent room, no chance. At least in the living room she could hear her brother’s snores, it was comforting.

Occasionally, there would be the

woosh of a car outside and Jenna would think on how life would be much easier if she lived in a noisier area.

While most fled from the noise she chased it, she would sleep at a party if she could. The booming music, the stomping feet, no way her thoughts could terrorize her

THANDO BHEBHE / LEAD INFNITUM WRITER

But then it hit her, that strong stare, the hot laser of watching eyes. Was she really alone or had a ghostly presence joined her midst.

Had an ethereal visitor finally revealed themselves, sitting right beside her, watching her, stroking her hair with invisible hands? We all have guardian angels her father would say. They watch us and protect us, never leaving our side. The heavenly Father also watches us, observing our every move. Ancestors and dead family members, all gathered high up in the clouds staring down on you.

The whole world, the whole universe, past, present and future, united in the watching of you. Every entity holds their breath until you finally open your eyes and then woosh, they’re gone.

Jenna’s sleep was stolen, the fear prevailing yet again.

Slumber would not kiss her tonight and as the clock ticked on, the Devil built himself an immortal empire.

This wasn’t going to end anytime soon, and the dead THANDO BHEBHE / LEAD INFNITUM WRITER television screen rubbed within her the wrong way, she could see that chaos, in the madness of it Nazari preaching on in the black, all, serenity would reveal itself as his sweaty face and burning eyes she would flee into that envied flaring in her mind. She needed a slumber. How beautiful it would retreat from this fear, a place where be. The thought of it drowned her she was fearless, a dream where eyes as they grew heavier, her joy simmering as she felt herself falling she was at peace. asleep. Finally.

THE SPUTNIK · ARTS & CULTURE

10

THURSDAY, OCT. 5, 2023

ENTERTAINMENT

Walking Through the Fire across the nation Collaborative album with hopes of healing and education about Indigenous lives told through music

On Oct. 3, Brantford’s Sanderson Centre and Symphony Orchestra will be host to new album by the Sultans of String called Walking through the Fire. This album is a collaboration with several Indigenous singers, songwriters and content creators. Walking through the Fire is a response to the Truth and Reconciliations Commissions ’94 calls to action that ask for indigenous and non-indigenous people to work together. The Sultans of String band has made this record with First Nation, Metis, and Inuit artists as a response to this call to action.

The album released on Sept. 15 and now the artists are going on tour across Canada. Brantford’s tour date is in early October, with the band kicking things off in Markham on Sept. 28. The band will be touring for the next few months leading into the new year and capping things off once again in Markham in April.

The inspiration for this album came when Band Leader Chris McKhool heard Canadian poet, Dr. Duke Redbird reciting his poem The Power of the Land.

“I went up to him and I said, ‘Hey, that was such a beautiful and moving and really deep poem. It must be a song already, right?’ And he said, ‘No, but I’d love to hear it as one,’” said McKhool. “So, we worked with him to turn it into a song and we recorded it and made a video, and it was very well received.”

From there, the idea for this album was born. It has taken almost a year, but the album has been recorded and all the voices on this album are gearing up for their Canadian tour. Artists from across the nation are flying to Ontario to begin the tour. The album has 14 tracks and were all written with indigenous creators. Artists include Marc Meriläinen, Crystal Shawanda, Raven Kanatakta of Digging Roots, Leela Gilday & Leanne Taneton &Shannon Thunderbird to name a few.

The process of writing this album was a great opportunity for non-indigenous creators to collaborate with indigenous creators.

Marc Meriläinen, a song writer on the album, said he enjoyed the collaborative atmosphere of creating Walking through the Fire.

“I’m all about, having fun with music as well as if we can kind of get a message out there and hide it into the music that’s nice and tasty for the listeners then that’s a feather in our cap as well moving forward,” said Meriläinen.

This album was made to entertain and be heard.

“For us, it’s about creating that space where, conversations can take place and learning can take place,” said McKhool. “You know, we’re just really eager to learn more about Indigenous issues and through music, we’re also bringing our audience along in discovering more about Indigenous issues and

Indigenous thought and art and music.”

Along with the original creators coming on tour with the Sultans of String, the show in Brantford will feature the Brantford Symphony, which band leader McKhool is very excited about.

“Bringing in the Brantford Symphony is just like, takes it over the top.” he said. “It’s just absolutely

I am in love with my roommate. I know it’s only a week and a half. We are best friends and I have never felt this way for anyone before. The problem? He’s straight. He’s so sweet and kind to everyone, always nice things

to say. We have explored our new city together. I just don’t know if I can move past these feelings, but I don’t want to ruin our friendship. I really don’t want my year to start bad. Any recommendations to get over these feelings

would be appreciated.

This is a sticky situation. We truly feel for you! You could let him know how you are feeling, without any expectations just to let him know what you are going through. Or you could wait

it out a little longer. First year is a roller coaster of meeting new people and the emotions are running a little high, so feelings like these are completely normal. However, you choose to handle it, you would want to

ALEXA FORD ARTS & CULTURE EDITOR

CONTRIBUTED PHOTO / SULTANS OF STRING

Walking Through the Fire contributors.

ridiculous how awesome this is going to sound because they’re an incredible orchestra.”

With the tour starting on Sept.

28, McKhool is excited to begin this journey.

“We’re all learning together, and we’re all going to grow together and bring our audience along for a really fantastic ride,” he said.

KAREN SAVOY / SPUTNIK PHOTOGRAPHY

avoid just blurting it out or acting on these feelings without his consent. Best of luck to you!

THURSDAY, OCT. 5, 2023

11

THE SPUTNIK · OPINION

ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE

Students’ Grasp on AI: A cheater’s way out Educational extinction HASNA ISASE OPINION WRITER

One day I was working, a student from campus came in with their friend. I asked them how school was going, and the anonymous source said they haven’t gone to class. They laugh when professors tell them that readings are important, since they’ll use Chat-GPT to finish their midterms and tests.

I had a discussion with a professor on the use of artificial intelligence within English programs, telling him I aspire to teach at a university level. He gave me a

simple but pungent statement that he honestly cannot see what lies in the next 10 years for the future of education. He doesn’t know what the outcome for teachers will be, therefore he advised me to find a plan B. While I forced out a nod, my stomach sank into itself.

Has social media hindered our appreciation for academics?

Does social media affect our critical thinking? Why does the convenience of media overshadow the arts, critical judgements, and academics? Has technology, consumerism, and a need for dopamine boosts taken

KAREN SAVOY / SPUTNIK PHOTOGRAPHY

AI is hurting more than helping.

over our patience for deeper ideologies or judgements of society? Politics are already trying to eradicate the importance of teachers with technological tools.

But I couldn’t count how many students I’ve met who cannot learn without physical interaction or a hands-on experience.

Conversely, a large number of students cannot see past the convenience of artificial intelligence since it saves time and the hassle of completing a task.

Do students ask why A.I is damaging? As someone who grew up learning through the Catholic French School board, the institutionalized education system already works against the individual since there’s no personalization and is replicated for every student.

It is easy to see why the exhaustion of traditional education pushes people to find shortcuts.

By using A.I to “beat the system”, the need for convenience fails our humane obligation to learn, grow, adapt, and make decisions.

Technology has made things quicker, simpler, and more efficient; the newer generation has lost the intent for practice. When a teacher mentions A.I, the room gets stiff.

There’s this barrier between the older and newer generation, as if we’ve found the greatest resource in history to further our education. Just because generations get more modernized does not mean our practices or morals are better.

It’s not always about the essay you’re writing or the readings you’re trying to get through.

Sometimes it’s about the process of organizing your thoughts, centering profound analytical attention to something, and dissecting its patterns, to see your weaknesses and strengths in your study. To be present in your journey of learning instead of taking it for granted.

This is becoming a wider systemic issue. A.I is climbing onto extinction levels when it comes to the significance of literature, the validity of degrees, and future

jobs. Technology can help us be activists and critical thinkers since it’s a great way to reach large groups.

However, students who use A.I aren’t using it responsibly or constructively. Anyone who considers themselves an academic or scholar knows A.I is a low blow of educational resources and a lazy research tool. Students can’t demand a better education system and criticize its ethics when students are willingly contributing to its downfall.

You’re cheating yourself out of the benefit of education in which those applied skills/lessons can help you for the rest of your life.

While equally standing on a weak sense of ethics/morality.

We forget the significance of presence and process because we prioritize convenience over a learned experience. At some point, we must make sacrifices for our needs, instead of wants, and better self which contributes to the quality of global education.

PUBLIC HEALTH

Medical Assistance in Death A horrifying expansion VINCE MASSON SECTION WRITER

Medically assisted suicide for those whose sole diagnosis is a mental illness will be a reality in Canada starting in March 2024.

To be more specific, it’ll include “conditions that are primarily within the domain of psychiatry, such as depression and personality disorders,” according to Dying With Dignity Canada’s website. Something like parkinson’s, for instance, wouldn’t qualify.

To describe this as a bad idea would be an understatement.

Sadistic might be one way.

Misinformed and cruel might be another. The United Nations told us as much in a concerned letter sent to the government of Canada in 2021. They said, “...It is not beyond possibility that, if offered an expanded right as per Bill C-7, persons with disabilities may decide to end their lives because of broader social factors such as loneliness, social isola-

tion and lack of access to quality social services”.

The whole thing reeks of cruelty, ignorance, and old-fashioned boomer condescension.

Tim Stainton, co-director of the Canadian Institute for Inclusion and Citizenship at the University of British Columbia was less optimistic when he said this is “probably the biggest existential threat to disabled people since the Nazis’ program in Germany in the 1930s”.

This begs an obvious question, why wouldn’t we want to invest money into mental health programs, pay people a decent wage, especially those with disabilities, as well as offering affordable housing, and reducing social isolation, instead of giving them an easier option to die? The answer, as always, that everything to do with money, and very little to do with the actual well-being of our citizens.

Earlier this year in Vancouver, as per True North Centre’s re-

porting, a woman was “accidentally” offered MAID after doing the responsible thing and checking herself into the hospital following suicidal thoughts.

In October of last year, a 54-yearold disabled St. Catherine’s man with back pain applied for medical suicide because, according to him, “I don’t want to die but I don’t want to be homeless more than I don’t want to die,”.

So yeah, it totally sounds like this will not be used for killing Canadians who could use more support. Considering 1 in 3 Canadians will struggle with a mental illness in their lifetime, almost 9 million people, we can safely assume there may be more of these incidents down the road.

Not to worry, says Carolyn Bennett, our minister of mental health and addictions, claims that suicidal people will not be eligible for MAID. This begs a very common-sense question, isn’t someone who is suicidal also depressed? Do we

CONTRIBUTED PHOTO / UNSPLASH

Who will protect our most vulnerable?

honestly expect physicians to recognize the difference thousands of times per year without ever making a mistake?

Bennett, I might add, was embroiled in a minor scandal two years ago for suggesting that an Indigenous member of parliament’s empathetic tweets about unmarked graves of Indigenous children were her attempt to secure a pension, rather than an expression of empathy. That sounds exactly like the kind of level-headed, empathetic, and critical thinking that we need in modern discussions about mental health in this country.

We have crisis/mental health

hotlines because what we really care about in this country is suicide prevention. We have no interest in long term assistance.

We love to tell you to step back from the ledge. Try deep breathing. Try counting to 10. Try writing in a journal. Then, take your prescription meds, and get back in line with the other serfs, and stave off your depression with fancy new toys and gadgets like everyone else.

This all leads me to my final question, who really are the mentally sick people in this country?

THE SPUTNIK · OPINION

12

THURSDAY, OCT. 5, 2023

INDIGENOUS RECONCILIATION

The Honourable Harvest Food as a forgotten tool of reconciliation

JADA PHILLIPS LEAD OPINION WRITER

With the emergence of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission, there has been a renewed effort to mend the relationship and harm committed against Indigenous people on Turtle Island. Food is often left out of the discourse of reconciliation, but that overlooks just how intricate of a role food plays in Indigenous communities.

The first settlers of Turtle Island looked at the richness of the land as something meant to be taken.

Indigenous communities were deemed “lazy” for their “lack of industry” on reaping the land.

What they failed to appreciate was how those same practices for harvesting contributed to the thriving landscape of Turtle Island. Over the following centuries, Turtle Island has become commodified by neo-liberal

policies which placed the authority over the food system in the hands of large corporations and transnational organizations whose only interests were profit margins.

Indigenous people across Canada experience more than double the rates of food insecurity than their non-Indigenous counterparts. Food insecurity has a long history rooted in settler colonialism and socio-economic marginalization. Through the forced confinement of Indigenous people onto reserves, many tribes were isolated from their traditional lands and food sources. In the 1800s, the Canadian government sanctioned the slaughter of buffalo, hunting regulations that violated treaties, the issuing of fishing licenses and the elimination of agricultural production on reserves were all ways in which food insecurity was exacerbated. In residential schools, Indigenous children were starved and punished using food. A negative relationship with food was created and traditional foods were banned in schools.

Food was used as a tool to sever ties with community and culture.

Indigenous people’s relationship with food and more importantly the land, are a fundamental piece of Indigenous culture. Food is more than sustenance, but an intentional reciprocal relationship built on responsibilities and natural law. Through hunting, fishing, growing, and gathering, Indigenous people practice what Potawatomi professor Robin Kimmerer describes in her book Braiding Sweetgrass, as the ‘Honorable Harvest’. The Honorable Harvest “are rules of sorts that govern our taking, shape our relationships with the natural world, and rein in our tendency to consume—that the world might be as rich for the seventh generation as it is for our own.”

The laws of Honorable Harvest are caring for who takes care of you, never taking more than what you need or what is given to you, leaving some for others, minimizing all harm, always sharing what you have and being grateful by honoring the life you have taken. Moreover, this relationship

is essential for the transmission of culture and traditional responsibilities to future generations. As University of Victoria Professor Jeff Corntassel writes in his journal article Toward Sustainable Self-Determination, “Without the ability of community members to continuously renew their relationships with the natural world, the indigenous languages, traditional teachings, family structures, and livelihoods of that community are all jeopardized.”

Canada lacks adequate policy towards food and land that has a reconciliatory nature towards Indigenous food sovereignty.

Indigenous food sovereignty is unique in that the framework for policy should support not only Indigenous people’s access to food systems but also facilitate their sacred responsibilities to their ancestral lands, culture, and spirituality for future generations.

Canada’s policies should borrow principles of Indigenous ecological knowledge and practices to transform the food system on Turtle Island into one that is

more just, sustainable, and equitable for all. While national policy is just the start, a true commitment to reconciliation would require a change of values as a society. Food should be looked at as a tool to undo the harm of the past while progressing as united nations on Turtle Island.

SANYA OBEROI / SPUTNIK PHOTOGRAPHY

It’s time to build bridges.

POLITICS

A better tomorrow It’s time to do better

MITCHELL BALDWIN OPINION EDITOR

When you stare down the barrel of the gun that is the climate crisis, it’s easy to fall into despair.

Rampant wildfires. Devastating hurricanes. Air filled with so much smog that children and the elderly are urged to stay inside. Horrifying stuff, right?

When our elected leaders are comprised of corrupt cons and witless progressives, it’s easy to feel like the game is stacked against us. Greenbelt scandals worth more money than any of us will ever see; a party of the working class reduced to cringey TikTok dances and circular social politics; the list just goes on and on. All in all, things look pretty bad, right? Let’s do something about that.

It has been long overdue that we throw these relics of our na-

tion’s neo-liberal past out with the trash. The time for simply being angry has passed. It’s time we start taking direct action to improve our society. The longer we wait to act, the longer the corporate-owned establishment has to dig in their heels. It’s time to start fighting for tomorrow, the tomorrow where no one has to be worried about being killed simply for existing, the tomorrow where empathy and compassion are championed as the true mark of what it means to be successful. It is time we stood up and did something about all this because one day, there may be no tomorrow.

But who will lead this charge against the powers that be? Believe it or not, you will. It’s time to get outside of our comfort zones. It is time to make our politicians bleed in one of the ways most important to them, by taking away their power from the stem with our votes. Let’s arm ourselves with the most powerful tool that we can — collective action. It’s time to go door to door and put your own name on the ballot to take the fight right to where it matters most, in the hearts and minds of the people. There is nothing our corporate lapdogs fear more than the people, no flags or par-

SERENA ANAGBE / SPUTNIK PHOTOGRAPHY

Change begins with us.

ties attached, coming together to fight for a common good.

They have relied on our apathy, our distraction, our fear as the means to their success. There is nothing they fear more than the belief that at our core, we are good. That at our most vulnerable, we will come together despite all of our differences.

That we will choose to be better, for no other reason than that we must be better. That we will choose love, hope and compassion to be the building blocks of our new world.

They will attempt to distract us with circular social politics that none of them really care about.

They will attempt to break our resolve by squeezing every dollar we have out of our pockets.

They will fail.

They have grown complacent and lazy with their power, thinking that the total domination of our peoples will come easy, without a fight. They think they will win because we aren’t all fighting under the same flag. What they fail to realize is that unity isn’t something to be achieved, it’s simply a matter of perspective.

My perspective is simple. It is the duty of all to fight with all of their resolve for a better tomorrow. For a world without violence, for a world without hate, for a world where we are truly free to live as we desire, to love who we want to love. A world not worth dying for, but one worth living for.

The only question left is, are you ready to fight too?

THURSDAY, OCT. 5, 2023

13

THE SPUTNIK · OPINION

ENTERTAINMENT

The Final Girl Making space for women in the slasher film genre

JADA PHILLIPS LEAD OPINION WRITER

October has always been my favorite time of the year. The leaves change colors, I can wear my favourite sweaters and, most importantly, there is Halloween. As a diehard fan of all things spooky, Halloween was my chance to binge all the classic slasher films.

However, you can only watch the killer hunt down countless helpless female victims until you become disillusioned with the slasher film genre. A genre that had roots in challenging the status quo, but quickly perpetuated the ideals it shunned.

Any movie made in Hollywood between 1934 to 1968 was subjected to strict censorship rules commonly known as the ‘Hays Code’.

Any portrayals of sex and violence was completely repressed from the big screen following a puritanical moral code of the era showing “correct standards of life”.

This was until John Carpenter’s Halloween franchise become a box-office hit when it premiered in the 1970s. The slasher film dominated the horror genre for decades after with franchises like Scream, Friday the 13th, The Texas Chainsaw Massacre and A Nightmare on Elm Street becoming mainstays.

A formula quickly emerged for tropes frequently seen in various slasher films. These tropes included a scorned or traumatized man out for revenge, victims engaging in sexual or immoral behaviors,

sudden death scenes and the final girl (typically white, cis-gendered and a virgin) who outsmarts the killer. Even the slasher films themselves started commenting on the tropes of the genre, seemingly aware of the slasher ‘meta’. In Scream, horror film fanatic Randy Meeks comments “That’s why she always outsmarted the killer in the big chase scene at the end.

Only virgins can do that. Don’t you know the rules?”.

Even the way in which the film is presented is through the male killer’s gaze. Everything we see is from their point of view. We as the audience can’t help but subconsciously identify with the killer as we witness their killings.

The audience is forced to objectify female victims as they are presented in long sequences of violence in various stages of

undress, engage in voyeurism through the killer’s stalking, and watch as they are killed with a phallic weapon.

Despite all the flaws of the genre, I can’t help the feelings of excitement and nostalgia that slasher films give me. This seems to be the case for many women as research done by Brigid Cherry show that women can make up to 50 per cent of horror film audiences.

Women haven’t completely been ostracized from the slasher film genre as films have been used to explore issues of womanhood.

The true disconnect lies with the characterization of women and the lens in which they are seen through. Women could only exist as the helpless victim or the clever surviving final girl, never as fully

realized individuals with their own wants or needs.

Which is why it’s time for women to take a stab at the slasher film genre. The creating of spaces for women has already begun with films like Pearl, Audition and You’re Next. The slasher film genre could be a place to critique society while portraying women and womanhood in a meaningful way. The new wave of the ‘female slasher film’ looks very different than their predecessors.

Films are more psychological or satirical in nature with cinematography in a more stylized aesthetic.

The use of gore and violence is intended to be purposeful to subvert the male gaze. The modern slasher film could be an appeal to intellect and push boundaries for the representation of not only women but other marginalized people.

OLGA STEBLYK / SPUTNIK PHOTOGRAPHY

14

THURSDAY, OCT. 5,THE 2023SPUTNIK

THE SPUTNIK  INFINITUM

POEM STORY SHORT

Coffee Death ICup AmofBecome SOFIA VASQUEZ-RIVAS The prologue for the I Am Become series INFINITUM CONTRIBUTOR

You’ve been gone for too long THANDO BHEBHE LEAD WRITER Left INFINITUM me listening to love songs Wishing my heart wasn’t aching Breaking Slowly Piece by piece Wishing we were under the sheets It was just yesterday Laying together under the night sky Believing we could fly Masters of the universe But then we dispersed All that remains Are bittersweet memories With you calling someone else hunny Yesterday will never come again You’ve been gone for too long Left me listening to love songs

Day dreaming Tears streaming There used to be meaning You and I Now all I do is cry You’ve been gone for too long Left me listening to love songs You’ll never return Our love was destined to crumble & burn But it was a valuable lesson to learn You’ve been gone for too long Left me listening to love songs But Today...

I’ll make a cup of coffee AND Get out of bed

SERENA ANAGBE / PHOTO EDITOR

A cup of coffee.

POEM

Say It KAREN SAVOY/SPUTNIK PHOTOGRAPHY

There is a story I once heard, a story of a hero who stole fire from the Gods. He gifted the first flame to mankind, and the Gods watched as a spark of fire erupted under a dark sky. For this, the Gods punished this hero, chaining him to a mountain. The world of man stared at him from below as the sky grumbled in godly rage.

The bright sun’s shine was sheathed by this grey grudge, clouding heaven as vultures circled the mountain with bloodlust. Their tongues tasted fear, and their beaks blasted for blood, pecking, and gouging at the chained hero as he shrieked in utter agony. The beasts would never relent.

This would last eternity.

I wondered why the Gods punished him like this. Had he not saved us? Fire was a gift, a blessing even, yet it was not one from the Gods. I dare say I rebuked the Gods for withholding such a gift, didn’t the Gods want mankind to prosper, did they not want mankind to rule the earth forever…

My wisdom held my tongue for I knew the Gods knew better, so instead, I wondered what it was the Gods saw, what vision was so horrid, so terrifying as to refuse them the will to grant mankind such a gift. Fire has given mankind dominion over the earth. It has warmed their homes, cooked their food, lit their streets, and enflamed their swords.

If only it ended there.

As time went on, I soon knew the answer to the Gods’ mysterious objection, I knew why the Gods refused man fire’s eternity, once man’s eternity ceased.

This story rang in my mind in an aimless amble across a beach as I was lost in the deep sands of reminiscence. I could hear the writhing of the waters; I could feel the cold touch of a whispering wind, I could see the great grey sky above, how a subtle light leaked through the clouds.

I was alone.

I was alone in a small corner of sand, one hidden from the running children, sheathed from the held hands, covered from the young hearts and the sun glazed twilights.

My feet sunk into the wet sands, the earth dipping deeper with each wave. The waves came and went, my eyes imprisoned in their motion, it was completely paralyzing me, deafening my ears as the laughing children died down, the world shrinking into that mere body of water, translucent with a shade of glistening flare, rising, and falling, forever in motion, a storm breaking within the supposed calm waters.

How could such tranquility wilt into utter chaos, in such swift succession too. I’d say it was without warning, yet it was always known, I could tell from the internal bend as the moving waters morphed, flowing within themselves, uniting into a multiplied force, growing in speed and power, in will, will for destruction.

For death!

I could feel their surge, their zeal. It is quite a beautiful thingdestruction. To look at the end from afar, to see it rise and ascend, a messiah of the purest form, the ultimate salvation... for where is damnation if there are no damned.

I was on the verge that day, on the very precipice of tomorrow, right there in those heavens where the Gods roamed. I could feel the warmth of their fire, its burn searing onto the tips of my fingers. How could I wield it without burning my flesh? How could I steal it and grant it to mankind?

The story of the man who granted men fire echoed in my mind, but I think back then, I didn’t fully grasp its gravity, and

to my own defense, I didn’t even think it was quite possible, this sin, this forbidden dream I dared ponder. I didn’t yet know or even really imagine the true cost of such power, this fire burnt brighter than I could ever fathom, and to give it to such feeble hands such as those of men, hands plagued in greed and corruption, in jealousy and spite, in self-destruction and all destruction.

In death!

SOFIA VASQUEZ-RIVAS I wish I followed wisdom’s path, INFINITUM CONTRIBUTOR

I wish I held my tongue, I wish I asked myself if it was the right I loved them thing to do, instead, I lost myself in From the time saidit,“hi” how I could even they fathom daring theydreaming never loved me back to But dream, a nightmare.

I thought it would okay Oh, the foolish girlbe I was…

Cause eventually theybut would Tinker, tinker, tinker, some love meare best left untouched. things See And forme what I wonder, then, now, Hear me and tomorrow, oh if I only had But reality hits tomorrow. am Queen Sorrow, Queenyet II didn’t evenofgain the world, of Pain Queen of never returned love The one that finds the ones that are done, finished and through The ones that love me and leave me I would metaphorically crawl on my hands and knees for them Because I can’t survive without them I am wishing for the clock to go back Take me back to the past Cause I’d do anything, change everything, be anyone Just for someone to last For someone to love me Cause I know, I know I’m hard to love I am not perfect or beautiful like the girls in magazines I am not the healthy one I am like tar that sticks to your lungs and suffocates you I need them more than air All I want and nothing more Is someone to love me Like how I love them

OLGA STEBLYK / SPUTNIK PHOTOGRAPHY

An empty room.

THANDO BHEBHE / LEAD INFINITUM WRITER

14 THURSDAY, OCT. 5, 2023

THE 15SPUTNIK

THE SPUTNIK  INFINITUM

SHORT STORY

IThe AmUnknown Become Death The prologue for the I Am Become series THANDO BHEBHE LEAD INFINITUM WRITER TUSHARIKA TYAGI INFINITUM EDITOR

KAREN SAVOY/SPUTNIK PHOTOGRAPHY

There is a story I once heard, a story of a hero who stole fire from the Gods. He gifted the first flame to mankind, and the Gods watched as a spark of fire erupted under a dark sky. For this, the Gods punished this hero, chaining him to a mountain. The world of man stared at him from below as the sky grumbled in godly rage.

The bright sun’s shine was sheathed by this grey grudge, clouding heaven as vultures circled the mountain with bloodlust. Their tongues tasted fear, and their beaks blasted for blood, pecking, and gouging at the chained hero as he shrieked in utter agony. The beasts would never relent.

This would last eternity.

I wondered why the Gods punished him like this. Had he not saved us? Fire was a gift, a blessing even, yet it was not one from the Gods. I dare say I rebuked the Gods name is Erico when I forMy withholding suchand a gift, didn’t was 14, my doctor told me had the Gods want mankind toIprosper, trouble emotional regulation. did theywith not want mankind to rule Ithe was given exercises and some earth forever… mood stabilizers and eventually, My wisdom held my tongue forI would say I have been living life I knew the Gods knew better,aso just like anyone else.what That it was until instead, I wondered was Ithe saw my husband’s dead body.

Gods saw, what vision was so We live a forest and somehorrid, so near terrifying as to refuse times when frommankind home to them the willgoing to grant our grocery store, wemankind would suchlocal a gift.

Fire has given cut through thethe woods.

When dominion over earth.

It haswe moved we had been told that warmedin,their homes, cooked their the forest wasstreets, haunted and noamed food, lit their and enfl locals ever used it, but at that point their swords. weIfhad through the woods so onlygone it ended there. many times it was natural us.

As time went on, I soon for knew James, my husband, hadmysterious said he the answer to the Gods’ wanted to race mewhy home. was objection, I knew theHe Gods holding mostfiof theeternity, heavy bags; refused man re’s once honestly, I could never say no to man’s eternity ceased.

This story rang in my mind in an aimless amble across a beach as I was lost in the deep sands of reminiscence. I could hear the writhing of the waters; I could feel the cold touch of a whispering wind, I could see the great grey sky above, how a subtle light leaked through the clouds.

I was alone.

I was alone in a small corner of sand, one hidden from the running children, sheathed from the held hands, covered from the young hearts and the sun glazed twilights.

My feet sunk into the wet sands, the earth dipping deeper with each wave. The waves came and went, my eyes imprisoned in their motion, it was completely paralyzing me, deafening my ears as the laughing children died down, the world shrinking into that mere body of water, translucent with a shade of glistening flare, rising, and him.

I decided along.aIstorm had falling, forever to in go motion, just gottenwithin aheadthe when I heardcalm a breaking supposed thump waters.behind me.

Bags thetranquility floor, spilling How were couldon such wilt our everywhere, andsucintogroceries utter chaos, in such swift he had just His eyes cession too.fallen I’d saydead. it was without were openyet and greying at aknown, speed warning, it was always II couldn’t I grabbed could tellcomprehend. from the internal bend him and tried to call out to him as the moving waters morphed, and shake him,themselves, but it was asuniting if, in flowing within an he hadforce, become a partinof intoinstant, a multiplied growing the ground.

At some I began speed and power, in point, will, will for to scream. I thought maybe he had destruction. a stroke, but I couldn’t compreFor death! hend anything.

I tried to pull him I could feel their surge, their up, it quite was asa ifbeautiful his bodythinghad zeal.but It is turned to stone.

I strained destruction.

To look at theand end dug nails almost fromuntil afar,my to see it were rise and ascend, detached nailbeds. a messiahfrom of thetheir purest form, the Nothing working. heartis ultimate was salvation... forMy where was racing wildly and I don’t know damnation if there are no damned.

I was on the verge that day, on the very precipice of tomorrow, right there in those heavens where the Gods roamed. I could feel the warmth of their fire, its burn searing onto the tips of my fingers. How could I wield it without burning my flesh? How could I steal it and grant it to mankind?

The story of the man who granted men fire echoed in my mind, but I think back then, I didn’t fully grasp its gravity, and

to my own defense, I didn’t even think it was quite possible, this sin, this forbidden dream I dared ponder. I didn’t yet know or even really imagine the true cost of such power, this fire burnt brighter than I could ever fathom, and to give it to such feeble hands such as those of men, hands plagued in greed and corruption, in jealousy and spite, in self-destruction and all destruction.

In death!

I wish I followed wisdom’s path, I wish I held my tongue, I wish I asked myself if it was the right thing to do, instead, I lost myself in how I could even fathom it, daring to dream, dreaming a nightmare.

Oh, the foolish girl I was…

Tinker, tinker, tinker, but some things are best left untouched.

And for what I wonder, then, now, and tomorrow, oh if I only had tomorrow.

I didn’t even gain the world, yet

SERENA ANAGBE / PHOTO EDITOR

Trees in a forest.

what happened, but at some point, I fainted.

When I gained consciousness, I was in my bed. A light was on in the washroom connected to our room and I could hear running water. Just for a second, I had the blissful thought that maybe it had all been a dream.

Then, I tried to move and noticed the pain all over my body.

The blanket had covered my hands.

I pulled my hand to face me, and my hands had been meticulously bandaged. I was staring at them, my mind racing, as the door to the washroom finally opened.

James came out looking as he always did. That night, I was quiet as he cared for me and reassured me that everything was okay.

He lay beside me and when I put my ear to his chest, I could hear two heartbeats.

He behaves just like James, but sometimes, it’s as if there’s someone else, no... something else there. It doesn’t understand normal human behaviour and knows that I know something is wrong.

Yet, it cares for me.

I have been having panic attacks remembering the night and most times, the one to comfort me is this creature. It tells me I’ll never be alone. It felt how I clung to my husband’s body, its body, when...

He says he’s grateful and will never leave my side.

I never go into that forest, and it doesn’t let me either. My husband sometimes wants us to take the

shortcut through, but if I even step close to the woods, it grabs me and holds me until I say I won’t go.

The worry in its eyes reminds me of the first time my husband and I fell in love. Sometimes, I can see it looking around our home, looking through our family pictures and trying to understand our bonds.

It furrows its brows, trying to understand what makes an older woman different from a child.

I can’t help myself be… endeared. But then I see my husband and I feel wrong.

I feel crazy. I don’t know what to do!

But at least my husband is still there... sometimes.

THANDO BHEBHE / LEAD INFINITUM WRITER

THURSDAY, OCT. 5, 2023

16

“Scream (1996).”

What’s your favourite horror movie?

– Bachir Miloudi, Photographer

“The Conjuring (2013).”

“It (2017).”

– Alexa Ford, Arts & Culture Editor

– Sienna Bilancia, Lead Arts & Culture Writer

“Lights Out (2016).”

– Sathyashini Suresh, Social Media Manager

“The Bride of Chucky (1998).”

“I don’t like horror movies.”

– Umaymah Suhail, Editor-in-Chief

– Maryka Van Wyngaarden, Arts & Culture Writer

Tune in to The Orbit Podcast on Radio Laurier

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