Pages

Saturday, April 30, 2011

Anywhere

By Jade Tara (sadly not written by Eeshie)

Age 12, Grade 7 (sadly not Eeshie's age)


____________________________________

Once there was an ordinary boy living in a town so ordinary it dried out his soul and forced him to live in a dream. The boy’s dreams numbered a thousand, and in these dreams he did a thousand heroic things. Sometimes he was a fantastic explorer, or sometimes a scientist who made an amazing discovery so great that he was given a shiny medal straight from D.C., along with permission to leave the town and work for the government. Once he was a mathematician who was so brilliant he left the town to teach at a school for people as brilliant as he, and once he was an artist who painted the ordinary landscape of his hometown a thousand times in twisted and beautiful ways, until finally a rich man gave him money to go to France and paint the beautiful, twisted landscapes there.


When he was 10 or 11, the boy’s dreams changed. Like always, they ended with the boy leaving the town. But now, when the boy left, he was not a rich politician, or a skilled musician: no, these dreams were too far off for the boy to draw comfort from. What comfort can be drawn by a 10 yr old boy from the idea that in 20 years his dreams may (or may not) come true?


For years the boy spent half of his time in an ordinary school that he hated with an extraordinary passion, and the other half of his time in a home he hated even more. So the boy began to dream of brave, boyish deeds, like finding treasure in an abandoned cave, or, more frequently, saving the pretty blond girl name Anywhere who lived down the street, from a terrible fire, and getting a metal from the city. Anywhere would kiss him, and her parents would thank him. His parents would stop worrying over bills for just a little while and be proud of him. He and Anywhere would leave for a big city somewhere far away, where there were no fires’ to hurt her and he could finally stop dreaming.


But that never happened. Summer ended, and his time for dreaming dissolved into time for studying. Autumn came, the air got drier. His mother got sick. Anywhere smiled cautiously at him when he passed, but never said a word. His father kept worrying over bills. The boy stayed in the town. So did Anywhere. Winter came. Winter past. Spring came. The boy’s mother got sicker and soon passed away. The boy never cried, no matter how much drier his soul got or how much more dreadful his life became. He continued to dream.


As the boy grew older, his dreams dried up like his soul and became bothersome. There were no caves in his town, anyway, the boy told himself, and began to be angry that he’d spent so much of his life dreaming.


The boy still dreamed of leaving the town, of course, but no longer were his dreams accompanied by unlikely and heroic deeds. Now the boy had grown resigned to the fact of what he was: Just an ordinary boy. I am just an ordinary boy, he said to himself, but that doesn’t mean I can’t leave this town. Just a week, just a month, just one more year… Then I’ll leave. Soon, he entered High School. He didn’t even bother dreaming of college. Instead, he began to date Anywhere. One day, he asked her to leave with him, to go to a city far away and never come back. Anywhere shook her head and smiled, and her blue eyes told him she knew a secret he did not. Anywhere did not want to leave. She was still a child as much as he was, and she dreamed too, but her dreams were of simplicity, of a family and happiness, and that was all.


They grew up. They got married. They had three children, two boys and a little girl named Any. The boy still dreamed. But soon, he realized, dejectedly, that that his dreams were only dreams. The boy was no longer an ordinary boy, but an ordinary man, and he recognized that the time for this sort of dreaming was past.


One day, the man came into the kitchen and sat down at the table. He watched his wife as she was making dinner, shredding carrots, placing them into a pot, repeating the process. “I have to go,” he said, “I have to leave.”

Anywhere turned to him. “Okay,” She said, “It’s okay. I know.” She said good-bye and turned back to the carrots. Her eyes still said there was a secret he did not yet know.


The man who was once a boy walked and walked and walked until he reached the edge of the town. There, he saw a wall, all around, straight around the town like a rubber band closing it in on itself: clear and made of a plastic-like material he’d never seen before. It took a long time for the man to realize what that meant—the wall meant he couldn’t leave. When he realized this, the boy ran, and kept running and running until he’d gone a full circle around the edge of town, and he knew for sure that there was no way out. Then he sat down and cried and cried and cried. When he was done crying, he stared out the wall at the blurred visions of trucks going by. He did not dream.


Once there was an ordinary girl living in a town so ordinary she could feel it beginning to dry out her soul, and forcing her to force her dreams into reality. Like any healthy young girl, she dreamed. However, she dreamt different dreams than her father, as her mother was quick to assure her every now and then. She was a clever girl, and she had smart dreams. She dreamt of getting a scholarship to an out of state college, and of leaving the town.


When she told her mother these dreams, her mother whispered, “You know, Any, I’d like to leave here too, someday.” But then she smiled with her blue eyes, and they said that she knew a secret that the girl did not. The girl didn’t like it.


Nevertheless, the girl worked hard, and before long she’d won a scholarship to a college out of state. She said good-bye to her mother and her older brothers who looked at her doubtfully but wished her luck. The girl said good-bye to the town, and packed her bags, and then she began the long walk to the edge of town. There sat a homeless man, old and slightly insane, smiling with his eyes and telling her he knew a secret that she did not yet know. If he recognized his daughter, he didn’t say a word. For a while the girl stood there. She watched the man, who sat, staring at the wall without dreaming. She stared at the wall too; but the girl never stopped dreaming, even for a second. Then she stepped towards the wall.


The man began to laugh. He laughed and laughed and laughed, and refused to stop. The girl looked at him. She shook her head and smiled. Her eyes said she knew a secret he still did not know. The man-who-was-once-a-boy watched his daughter as she stepped through the wall and walked onto the other side.


A terrible realization came to the man. He stared at the wall, dreaming, wondering what the girl might find. He reached out his hand. It went straight through. 

45 comments:

  1. I have been enlightened by this post! (teehee)

    Simple story, wasn't sure what expect, overall good read. I'm pretty glad I sat through it :)

    ReplyDelete
  2. Haha, oh wow. You're telling me a 12 year old wrote that?! Incredible!
    <3

    ReplyDelete
  3. dreams are the best, nicely written

    ReplyDelete
  4. This comment has been removed by the author.

    ReplyDelete
  5. that was wit and creativity at its best. Loved the story and the way it ended.

    aJ

    ReplyDelete
  6. sooo amazing. i can't believe a child wrote this. it's so original and unexpected.

    ReplyDelete
  7. That's written by a 12 years old? wow. Im hopeless =[

    ReplyDelete
  8. a... twelve... year.. old?
    *shoots self*

    ReplyDelete
  9. 12 year old?!
    WOW.
    This definitely killed my writer self esteem.

    Meh.
    That's why I draw...

    ReplyDelete
  10. what gold medal? did you know that the olympics used to have poetry as an event?

    ReplyDelete
  11. I know I already commented here, but I just saw this on DBPB and was like "ZOMG EESHIE THOUGHT OF THIS FIRST! >:/"

    Dear world,
    If skinny people "skinny dip," do fat people "chunky dunk?"
    Sincerely, curious.

    Mhm.
    Though, I also saw this and chortled heartily:
    Dear airports,
    Osama Bin Laden is dead.
    Sincerely, can we bring shampoo now?

    Teehee.
    Anyhoo, sorry for the comment overkill.

    Much love!

    ReplyDelete
  12. I'm so glad we're engaged!!! <3 <3

    ReplyDelete
  13. Hm. That's pretty good for a 12-year-old. Colour me impressed.

    I would go into more detail about my interpretation of it, but sooner or later I would get critical because that's what I always do, and people would get mad at me for hating on a 12-year-old. Which is what I would be doing.

    Great story. Thanks for including it.

    ReplyDelete
  14. This is really impressive writing, I need to work on my skills :D!

    ReplyDelete
  15. that was interesting!
    tell Jade she is an amazing writer!
    the twist was soo unexpected!
    following u now :))

    ReplyDelete
  16. Great text, but the pictures one the side are mindblowing!

    Saving them all

    ReplyDelete
  17. D: A twelve-year-old wrote this? What an amazing story!
    I'm kind of sad, now.

    ReplyDelete
  18. A nice story written by a 12 years old girl. WOW!

    Thank you for visiting and commenting on my blog.
    I have followed your blog on Google Friend Connect (No: 137). Please follow back. Thanks.

    ReplyDelete
  19. Hi Eeshie! Thanks so much for visiting my blog and leaving a comment! I've added your outstanding blog to my bloglist, and am glad to make your acquaintance! As a middle school English teacher, I assure you Jade is an unusual talent for her age. This story, with its many layers and sophisticated themes, is a masterpiece! Most 7th graders haven't reached a level where this kind of reasoning is possible...I hope she is being challenged in school, as part of gifted/talented program, writer's circle, etc.

    ReplyDelete
  20. "Some are born great, some achieve greatness and some have greatness thrust upon them." - Unknown

    Jade had the greatness thrust upon her, of course. To think that a twelve-year-old girl wrote this story is just incredibly unbelievable. She must be a genius! Her story shows the amazing power of determination that will conquer all, I definitely think this story is one of those short stories that should be taught in the classroom. Best of luck to Jade. But it makes me feel pretty crappy, though, as a writer, I mean. Sigh. Oh well. Gotta keep trying, though, since that's obviously the moral of this story.

    Anyway, thanks for posting this. And CHECK YOUR EMAIL!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I tried to send you an email days ago and received back an error message. I think your inbox is full again because YOU NEVER CLEAN IT OUT. Grr.

    ReplyDelete
  21. PS. I have a heart-stopping, head-spinning, incredible unbelievable and amazing secret.

    ...

    That I won't tell you. :P

    ReplyDelete
  22. WHOAAAAAA. that was awesome! i loved it it was so deep :)

    ReplyDelete
  23. Nice blog dear and thanks for your comment on my blog..:)

    ReplyDelete
  24. a 12 year old wrote this stuff!!!! cheers to her.awesome post and an awesome blog : ) following it : )

    ReplyDelete
  25. awesome!! the story was progressing pretty normally until the twist!! amazing piece and to think that a 12year old wrote it is just wow!!! :) Jade is superb... Nice blog..following now..

    ReplyDelete
  26. Dammit! If children can write better then me, then what is the point of me trying?! I guess I'll keep at it though. lol

    ReplyDelete
  27. A miracle! A miracle!
    Absolutely fantastic!!

    ReplyDelete
  28. What an amazing piece for a 12 year old to write!

    ReplyDelete
  29. EESHIEEESHIEEESHIEEESHIE!
    I mis saying that! great story, but, MOOSE FRANNY'S BIRTHDAY IS TODAY BABY! we has to celebrate! oh yeah! im reading The Hunger Games, and thats some good stuff there. did you know their making it into a movie?!?!?!

    ReplyDelete
  30. can't belive I readed it all, interesting. I'll follow

    ReplyDelete
  31. nice blog and interesting post

    ReplyDelete
  32. hey you. i awarded you on my blog. chekitawt. xD

    ReplyDelete
  33. a 12 year old wrote this? I quit everything, i'm hopeless.

    ReplyDelete
  34. I can never write anything like this.
    Crazy this was done by a 12 year old, very good.
    That kid deserves respect.

    ReplyDelete
  35. Wow. That's pretty talented. Seriously.

    ReplyDelete
  36. wow. i'm completely speechless. and a little disheartened.
    this was amazing.
    I still can't believe it's by a twelve year old.
    she's my new role model.

    ReplyDelete
  37. D4: Tee hee back at you!

    Sarah: Mm-hmm. Surprising, eh?

    Ed: Yes. Dreams are definitely the best.

    Colin Biano: YEAH WE DON'T CARE AT ALL

    hidesfaceinshame

    aakash: Right? The ending was so shocking.

    Lemons Don't Make Lemonade: Yes. Yes it was.

    Victoria: Yes. Unexpected! Very, VERY unexpected!

    Roshni: So am I =[

    ChickLitGirl: *steals the gun from your hand*

    Salena Sablich: You...you didn't even comment on the post!! :(

    PeaceLoveandSharpies: WOW is right.

    Maybe I should start drawing, too...:P

    -E-: Gold Medal in the Scholastic Art & Writing Awards. And really? That's so cool! Why don't they have that now?!?

    PeaceLoveandSharpies: THOSE ROTTEN STEALERS. I appreciate you showing it to me :]

    And the Osama – Shampoo thing? GENIUS.

    Sarah: Yes, we shall have a happy marriage!! <3

    Kicking Rocks: Well...okay then!! Thanks!! :D

    That Blond Guy: Colour you impressed? Well...okay...

    I dunno. When I read this over for like, the fifty-seventh time, I still could not find a single flaw. It's just that good. And you're welcome. :D

    thenitefalls: Ugh. So do I :P

    Arisa: I would, but I don't know Jade in real life! :(

    And thanks for following! That makes me happy!!! :D

    Dootzkie: ...How the heck did you come up with your screen name? It's so awesome!
    Ha ha! Yes, the pictures are great.

    Sana: I know! The ending left me feeling all sad and reflective.

    Bookish.Spazz: Yup. Interesting. :)

    Multibrand: Thanks for following! And yeah, it truly is amazing.

    Pepa: Thank you! WILL DO!

    Jenny Petricek: Hey there! You're very welcome for visiting your blog – I enjoyed every minute of it. Actually, I should thank you for visiting MY blog!

    I hope so, too. It really makes me wonder where the heck she learned how to do this. I mean, when I was in 7th grade, I wrote good but not CRAZY good!

    Misticalnia: That quote describes my brother. -___-

    Yeah. When I read the story for the first time, I couldn't stop thinking about it. It just kept gnawing on the back of my head. When I posted it here, it felt better for some reason. I don't know.

    MY INBOX IS PERFECTLY FINE. IT IS NOT FULL. IT'S ONLY 93% FULL. GOSH, LEARN HOW TO READ, WOMAN.

    <3

    Misticalnia: Oh, fosh. I already know the secret.

    Agent 0017: Awesome indeed!

    Shoaib IshratL Thank YOU!

    Kiran Ashraf: THANK YOU!! It's people like you that make my day. :)

    maithili: Jade is such a good writer, and I really really really really want to meet her. Don't you?!

    Rob: THAT'S HOW I FEEL! :O

    The Tame Lion: It *is* a miracle. Huh. I never really thought of it that way.

    Paul Blark: VERY amazing!

    Amb104: HAPPY BIRTHDAY MOOSE FRANNY!

    OH MY GOD. DO YOU LIKE IT?!? ARE YOU DONE WITH THE SERIES??!

    daniel: Why thank you, sir.

    Mercurio: Thank you, as well :D
    meandmythinkingcap: Thanks!!

    Just Me: I know. I couldn't believe it myself.

    Ishashime: Wheee! Awards!! Thank you!!

    sporktar: I quit everything, too.

    GhostDude: Sadly, neither can I. Yes, respect is much needed.

    TheGuy: Yup.

    Daniel: Ah..I see what you did there...

    ViceVersa: Mine too! I don't care if she's younger than me. She's absolutely amazing!

    ReplyDelete
  38. answer from marthainheaven:

    Thank you so much for the kind words, I really appriciate it :)

    I am so glad to hear that I am not the only one. And yes, you are right, it isn't that much older ;)

    Thank you again, your comment made my day :)

    ReplyDelete
  39. Hey! I just wanted to ask if you ever have any trouble with hackers?
    My last blog (wordpress) was hacked and I ended up losing a few months
    of hard work due to no backup. Do you have any solutions to stop
    hackers?

    My web-site; openbox S11 Hd Cccam

    ReplyDelete

Please leave your message after the beep. *Beeeeeep*