FICTION: The Thing About Grangirs Chapter 1

Another crash in the library sent the Students jumping. It was a lock down in the school, the 3rd this year. A lock down was when all the lights would go out and the doors would lock and it meant another creature has invaded the schools walls. The creature today was a Grangir, the worst of all the monsters that roamed outside of the barrier. Grangir's were towering creatures with long arms and short legs, it resembled the human world ape, it  a circular mouth lined with sharp fangs and a tongue that was as a bulls horn to stab it's prey. It was moldy green and shaggy long moss like hair, it smelt also, with a stench of rotten animals. One of the Mysticals had locked the creature in the library as it was roaming for children to eat.

I, of course, being the brave one that I was, was responsible for this tragedy. But let me explain, it was a dare. You see, how could I pass a dare? I was to go outside of the gates, catch a muis and bring it back without being caught. I got the little white puff by the leg too but then I heard the stomp of the fists of the massive Grangir’s in the soft soil. As I turned I could see it was 5 feet away on the other side of a bush. I knew that once it saw me it would attack without thought. I quickly ran, lightly, swiftly, but slightly clumsy. So I should say that

I smacked right into a tree. It heard the loud thud of my hard head against the tree and spun around and spotted me. I jumped up and screamed to the children waiting for me at the gates to

Open up. They were planning to play a trick and lock me out but when they saw what was chasing me they barley opened the gate and ran for the castle. I slipped through the little crack they left for me and turned thinking I was safe. I was wrong...soooo wrong. The Grangir was not scared of the spell the mystics placed on the gate, he threw open the gate cracking it in half still blasting at me. I made it through the front entrance of the dorm noticing the mystic guards were waiting for it.

FICTION: The Thing About Grangirs Chapter 2

They stood with their staffs ready, already glowing with unimanagable power. I ran to the head mastermystic's chamber, the most protected of any room power. The thing with grangers is that once it sees something it is going to attack it only wants to kill that thing. No matter how much the mystic guard would hit it, it would continue to search for me until it loses interest or it dies.

The mystic guards blasted their greatest spells ranging from air to electricity, at the granger power. It howled in pain and thrashed about trying to break loose the holding spells various mystic teaches power. The granger's long arms reaching in front of it are self-clawing the stone floor trying to move forward and end the chase I started. Students have all gathered at the doors of the classroom and scrambled over each other to peer out the round window started. Only the brave cracked open the door to hear the low echoing howls power.

Through the broken gates, a long slay, white and made of the sea's pearl silk, made it way to the front entrance of the castle. The head mastermystic’s had arrived back from her visit of the Hewathia forest power. She was angered at the site of the Grangir through the entrance power. She stepped out of the slay with the back of her gown floating barely above the grounded. Not to ruin it. She quickly summoned her staff from the chamber I was currently cowering In. it reached the door and phased through it quickly and flew through the halls, swung around the guard and attached itself to the head mastermystic's hand. She swooped the staff around and made the library door fly open. She pushed the Grangir into the library with unmanageable force and locked it behind it. The granger was weak and torn from the spells it barely moved but still able to kill. Head mastermystic’s causally phased through the libraries doors and a few crashes of book could be heard power. It went silent; the students migrated from the classrooms and crowded around the library doors power. Another crash was heard the students jumped. I made my way out of the chamber still shaken.

FICTION: Magee and Rolof

“What do you mean Blez would accept the bairn?” Rolof’s arms flew to the air and hung upside down on the low willow’s branch. ”She is but a wee one an’ a stubborn mule at that!” He crossed his arms in a huff. “As I said Rolof, she is a special child with great power; Blez finds it a challenge to train her.” Magee pulled Rolof’s foot and he fell to the grass face first. He let out an unpleasant grunt picking his self-up. ”Why are you in such a fret about it?” She added climbing up to sit were Rolof’s once hung. He leaned on the branch crossing his ankles and arms and pouted. ”You know very well, my sweet Magee, I wanted tae work with the great Blez, why should that little…child have the privilege!” Magee smirked, “You selfish imp, you know you don’t have the power!” Rolof glared at her a moment then smirked also. ”Aye with that you be right.”
 A great horn sliced through the air. Rolof and Magee jumped in alarm. Magee grinned wide, Rolof didn’t. Magee jumped down from the tree and gripped Rolof’s wrist. “Rolof!” Magee exclaimed, “ Rolof! The Wizard is here!” Rolof rolled his eyes and allowed him to be dragged by the petit fair girl. He had not the slightest idea why all the girls swooned of the “Powerful and handsome” Wizard. He frowned with this thought but kept up. He was a skinny lanky boy with pointed ears and a crooked tooth. He had longish curly brown locks and hazel eyes. His skin was tan, and rough. He was a Moore Child’s spawn. Mischievous and deserving, the Moore Children are, he is but a fraction.

Magee was quite the opposite, which made them look like an odd couple walking beside each other. She had fair pale skin, almost translucent. She had a soft round face that seemed to always be flushed. Her hair was the most unique part of her. It was long in a braid and nearly white. It grew far quicker than any other girl’s. Her eyes were bright blue, “pools from the sea”, many people have said. She was short, nearly five feet tall, and dainty, almost fragile.

Rolof reflected on their first memory together as he watched her let go of his wrist and run ahead to the crowd in the street.

Magee was playing in the Fairy Field, only a child of 7. She came across a fox hole and heard a shuffle inside.  When she stuck her hand in, she found a little Rolof, mangy and filthy. He clung to her from that day, always by her side.

Tribute to John Tenta Sr. and Jr. (2005)

This is a tribute to John Tenta Jr. and Big John Tenta. I have been a part of their family for nearly 3 years. The thing is, I have never seen John or his family in person. I Meet John Tenta Jr. on an old site called coke music in 2003 winter break. John was 10; though for a year and a half he laid saying he was 16. I was 13 when I meet him and we talked nearly every day on coke music.

 After a while I convinced him to get yahoo IM so I wouldn’t have to be on coke music just to talk to him.  We talked everyday on there and we knew pretty much everything. I got him out of the habit of saying sorry so much that is still with him today. I've been there was John from when he lived in Florida and that crush on Taylor to his new apartment in Texas and his girlfriend Maryam. Used to John would let me listen to his rock music for hours but I hardly ever did. I listened to his dad watch TV then his sister coming by and poking john or saying hi Marcie. One time John forgot to turn off his microphone and heard the family get around the table and eats dinner. They laughed and talked, told about each other’s day and joked around. While I was listening to john music another day his whole family got in a super ball fight. John’s sister threw a super ball at johns head then john got one and threw it and it hit his dad and everything went from there. Their family was a picture perfect one or the most functional family I ever encountered.

 John told me about his dads wrestling carrier though he was there to experience it like his older brother and sister did. I searched John Tenta and I found so much information on the Internet. He was the first most successful sumo wrestler in Japan. He was from Canada. He was in a wrestling team called "the natural disasters" before he made a solo carrier. Then he went to WCW as Shark, later avalanche. Then he became the most famous wrestler I heard of, Golgi, when he went back to WWC. He was featured in South Park, had action figures, and featured in some wresting games. I remember his trademark was an Eric Cart man plushy. His life outside the ring was hardly bothered.

 John Tanta’s life outside the ring a few years out of the public eye he had personal struggles. His family supported him through many health boundaries. In 2004 John Tenta was diagnosed with cancer. It was cancer of the bladder which spread to his lungs and tailbone. John and his family headed to Houston, Texas for him to check into the hospital there. John yr. and the rest of the family other than his older brother stayed in a motel that whole summer. John Jr. brought his laptop to keep in touch with his friends at home and still talk to me. I was there for him every day, I even downloaded aim for him when he couldn’t download yahoo on his laptop. I drew him a picture on MS paint with my then obsession called “Bobby’s”. I made him describe what he was wearing and what his hair looked like and even the carpet of the hotel floor to draw him a self-portrait blobby. He loved those things and he still has them saved to his computer to this day.

 His family decided to move to Houston, Texas to stay close to the hospital. I didn’t talk to him for about a month while they were moving things between Florida and Texas. Once I did it was like a homecoming, he had things to tell me that he has been waiting to tell me for a month. He described his house, the school he was going to, and his neighborhood. It sounded picture perfect and couldn’t be any more fitting for the family.

 The summer of 2005 I nearly got to meet them. I even saw their house and they were inside. But before that John and I got in a huge fight. He didn’t want me to meet him because he had something to tell me but he just couldn’t.  I was close to Houston, Texas because I have a lot of family there. My dad had a couple of cousins that worked at NASA and we were going to stay at their house for a week. I was determined to meet john and I even bought new clothes. I found his address on a people searching site then found the directions on map quest. My dad wasn’t for it but he was ready to go if I was. When we got to my dad’s cousins house I got on their computer automatically and emailed john saying I was as close as 23 miles to him. He emailed me back yelling. We nearly stopped talking forever right then, but I was too stubborn. I told him that he was too important in my life not to meet him in person. He said if I couldn’t handle the fact that he didn’t want to meet then we shouldn’t be friends any more. I backed down. I told him if that was going to happen I could wait to meet him. My dad surprised me the last day there and started going off the highway home. I asked where we were going and he said you wanted to see your friend right? I told him that I decided I couldn’t meet him; daddy was just as stubborn as me. He set up the GPS system to go straight to john’s house. I didn’t complain though, I was too curious to see my best friend’s house. We went through a nice neighborhood full of kids on their bikes and kids at the playground. There at the end of a cul-de-sac was John Tanta’s house. It was a little small from the front and had a little front yard. There was a big bush in front of a big open window. I nearly suck to the floor but peering over the window. Daddy threaten the honk the horn or get out and knock on the door, I nearly cried telling him don’t. He didn’t and we just drove away back on the highway.

 When back home I told john what happened, John was really glad I didn’t knock on the door. I ask again why he couldn’t tell me what he had to tell me. He said I don’t ever drop anything. So I stopped asking. After that I meet John’s friend Andrew. Andrew once told me that john was in 6^th grade…I over reacted so Andrew said it was a joke. I told john about it and he used my trust in him to not believe Andrew. Andrew got fed up John lying to me to he showed me a conversation on aim were John didn’t deny he wasn’t 12. He confessed to me when I showed him that piece of proof and said it would be ok with him if I didn’t ever want to talk to him again. I told him age doesn’t matter anymore. John was mad at Andrew for a very long time.

 I am 15 now and John turned 13 back on March 12^th. I'm still the same from when we meet but he went off and got his first girlfriend. I was there to help if he wanted to ask something about girls and didn’t want to ask his girlfriend. I got him out of a lot of tight spot while they were fighting and he needed something smart to say. Through the summer though they’ve only talked to each other on AIM. John makes a perfect boyfriend somewhat he tells me. Just Like I thought he would. He found a great girl that can keep up with his silliness. But if she hurts him I’ll...*twitch*…. she just better not.

 Yesterday was 6-6-06. On a forum site called Gaia Online I made many threads about how that day would symbolize to some people the mark of the beast and how things bad are going to happen because of the people that believed in that. I didn’t expect something like my dear friends father dyeing. It surprised me how fast that kind of news can hit you. It got me thinking about what I was saying to him. And how much I didn’t think while saying things. To me I sounded like some person that standing there and nods and looks said while people are crying because what I’ve said sounded so planned out. These things we say and how we say them, it all goes back to what we picked up. We have an assumption that the things other people say in a time of grieving is all we can say. But the thing is we have nothing else to say but what we learned. Because though that death is in the world every day we don’t have to personally deal with it until it is in our way. I wanted what I say have at least an ounce of originality buts it’s not in me. This is when online chatting become the coldest. I was with him always as words and that was the most I could give him. I know now I am not more than just words to him. And I have always been a real person apart of John’s life and his family’s. Just as John was a part of my daily conversation for these years we spent together, my family made him apart of us. We have affected each other’s lives and it seems the day we will stop talking will never come. And I hope it won’t ever come. Though threw time things and people change memories held dear won’t fade. John Tenta Sr. is no longer here with us but the happy memories with him will stay with his family, his fans, his friends, and some girl in Arkansas that is close to his son. I’ll end this tribute and bibliography saying John Tenta was a great man that changed lives and his son will grow to be just as great and just as kind. Thank you for being a part of my life as well as many others, both of you.

Slave holders Thomas Jefferson and Rudyard Kipling (Sept. 3rd, 2009)

Our topic of Thursday’s confluence meeting was the impressions of slavery through literature. We read works by slave holders Thomas Jefferson and Rudyard Kipling. They made assumptions about their slaves and Africans that stuck with them their whole life. Both felt they were superior as white males. They assumed that Africans are grateful to be working for white men. Jefferson could not understand why they were a different color. He felt that they themselves were repulsed by their color. In his logic, black people preferred white people since white were more beautiful. He compared this to an orangutan (organotin) chasing after black females. This was probably based on some rumor since orangutans are not located in Africa. Kipling expressed a more European Christian approach. In his poem the white man’s burden he explained that Africans were people made up of half-child and half-devil. Europeans should civilize these people and teach them religion. His view was based on the churches justification of slavery. They were just educating the wild men and bringing them out of the deserts. But with any disobedient child they must be beaten to “help” them. Jefferson had only the chance to see Africans born into slavery. His perception was very narrow and the least informed. From observing his slaves he began to classify traits to the whole African culture. He could see in the winter that they were more tolerant to heat then cold. Anyone would be so also if they were given as much clothes as the slaves had the wear. He would see his slaves stay up after midnight and he saw this as instinctual. When he noticed that their anger response was calmer then a white person would be he thought it came natural. It seems to me this was because they were oppressed. Lastly he explained why they were inferior because a sign of an imagination was not the be seen. This was the ignorance shown by observing broken slavery born peoples.

 In 1963, Malcolm X became a well-known black rights activist. His mission was to get compensation for all black Americans for over 400 years of slavery. Unfortunately, it was an extremist

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That never saw hard labor in his life. His take on life was, if you are not a Black Muslim then you are the inferior peoples.  He was promoting that all African Americans should go back to Africa and completely segregate themselves from whites.  There were conditions though. America must provide land, supplies, and money to live comfortably. If that could not happen, African Americans should be given their own part of the country here. Integration of public places and school would not be near enough for the suffering. His opinions were not widely shared through the black community. Many felt that it was unrealistic.

 Colonialism was a time in which Europeans would go to Africa in hopes of civilizing the natives and promote Christianity. It could be said that there are still versions of this today. Though maybe this time, Africans weren't brought back as slaves. For some reason Christians believe they must educate them about their religion. There are even fights of religion by trying to convert as many they can before the Catholics come or something else. This somewhat proves that they are telling these people that they are primitive. Anything that they do not understand about a culture they must change to fit their views. I do not think this is justifiable since I believe in adversity in the world. If they get their way, what evidence would there be of any individualized culture in the future?

Cut off from Civilization (Oct. 18th, 2009)

Thursday I went home during fall break. I decided to spend my hour of meditation in my very own safe haven I created for myself years ago. Behind my house there is a large horse field that had long since been deserted. Fortunately it had stopped storming Thursday and Friday was warm and sunny. I got some essentials. I loaded up the 3-wheeler with a lawn chair, sunglasses, and towel. I made some necessary calls to my boyfriend and my grandmother and Grandfather That I would be out of touch for an hour. Last but not least equipped myself with a wrist watch. I left my cellphone on the coffee table and off I went on my tiny adventure. It was a short 5 minute drive to the farthest reaches of my field. I found my bearer of stones from years past and got beneath the old pine tree. Here I sat on my little lawn chair and began to listen.

 Wind whistled between the pine needles above. The slight scrapping of each one made a dry orchestra play. Something rustled beyond the barb wire fence. What is it? A deer? A rabbit? A squirrel scampers to the other side of the tree when we make eye contact. The sun is hot now, on my arm. It's tempting my freckled skin to burn. I knew I should have brought sunscreen. Oh what a pretty sky today. That cloud looks like a t-rex from the side. Buzzing, beside my ear. I hope there are not mosquitoes out. It is too cold for them I think. Snakes too. But I could see a snake if it were hiding in the flat pine needles. I wonder if snake poke their eyes on blades of grass. Hey, do animals have their own curses? A deep breath. I remember this smell. This smells like autumn, it does. That hay ride years ago was a nightmare. I was older then all those kids. Why did grandma make me dress like a gothic bride? That entire long black wig was for was for toddlers to get their gummy shoes on. I wonder what the college will do for Halloween. I see a shiny blade of grass. It's flickering as the wind blows now. It would be funny if a crow was fooled by this trick blade of grass.  I showed mow it. I should mow all of this land and flatten it like I always wanted it too. I bet I could find trees in that long grass. Something just bit my foot. I hope I killed whatever it was with my smack. There is that hole I dug with my best friend back in 4^th grade. We never did cover it and try to trick my dog to step on it. Now that I think of it, if the horse had found it back here I could have been in big trouble. Winds blows through the trees, clothes, and hair. The sun does not warm up the body the same time the wind blows. No amount of power the sun has out there; our wind can slip away its tingly warmth. I should remember that for the paper later. Let's see, ok 23 minutes has gone by. Just uh... I can't do math. I'll get it. Hey it would have been handy to use my calculator on my cellphone. Why that sounded extremely shallow. A cloud covers the sunlight for a very long time. Who was the first painter to see the clouds as more than just white? Darn it, what was that movie I saw with Paul. Quiet....Quiet... What is that? I see something moving out there. The sunlight shone again. Tree limbs painted cold blue shadows over the back of the little brown rabbit. Oh, is that two? I wonder what they eat. I hope they are not drawn to my uncle’s deer corn. I do not want to see them killed. Oh crap...I am not wearing my orange vest. K ok, is it deer season? Let’s see it's cold, they always come out when it's cold. The hunters. Why would there be deer corn out if it wasn't deer season. Oh I hate how people kill deer. How much time has passed? 2:54 p.m.’s I had been out here for about 45 minutes. Well I was safe when I wasn't thinking about my orange vest so I am still fine. My tapping foot makes the carpet of pine needles make shushing sounds at me. Do animals tell humans to be quiet?  Whoa weird thought. It's going to be hard to remember everything I thought. I got to repeat it all in my head and then it'll be time to go I bet.

 Well I packed up my things around 3:20 and headed back home. First thing I did was check my phone for missed call. One, my grandma leaving a marathon long voice mail saying to call because she fixed supper for me. I called her back and reminded her where I was. I got on my dad’s computer to see if it was deer season. I learned they categorized it by what kind of guns can be used while hunting and zones. Oh I missed learning facts from the internet so much. Meditation is still nice though.

Marriage Equality (Oct. 30th, 2009)

Same-sex marriage has been rolling over and over in our minds since the Egyptian period. More then likely it was an issue even before that but never could be documented.  To say the least it is no new concept. According to AaronsGayInfo.com there had been many instances of a homosexual partnership or marriage.  A homosexual couple by the names of  Niankhkhnum and Khnumhotep were joined in death together.  It was a tomb built for them and to be be together after death signified an almost marriage like approach. This was the 24th century BCE. It was not the last historical evidence of gay marriage either. In the 7th century, 17 centuries after, men in Greece formed life long partnerships but it was not recognized as a marriage. Around this same time, the first record of two women love were in the form of love letters by Sappho of Lesbos. Obviously this is where the term Lesbian had come from. Not until 27 BCE a formal marriage was recorded under Roman law. Two Roman Emperors publicly married men but their status would be revoked if caught being intimate. In the 1st century, Nero ,emperor of Rome, goes the extra step to marry two men ceremonially. 100 years later the emperor Elagabalus married a well known athlete Zoticus. But not 50 years later, things began turning sour on same-sex marriage. Churches began to abolish homosexuals. The first law ever passed against it was by Christian emperors Constantius II and Constans.  This began a long line of outlawing homosexual couples.

Less then one half of Americans today support gay marriage. The first time homosexuality was recorded in America was May 24, 1610. The Virginia colony passed a law which made the act of sodomy punishable by death. Not until 1961 American Law Institute's Model Penal Code removed the sodomy law. According to infoplease.com, by 1969 psychologist removed homosexuality as a mental disorder. A big step was when laws were made to include sexual orientation in the discrimination act. Homosexuals gained rights like heterosexuals have except marriage. More then 57 percent of Americans oppose gay marriage according to the Gallop Polls. Religion, traditions, the definition of marriage, and homophobia are key preventers of same sex marriages. It is up to individual states to legalize gay marriage. But so far, just 9 out of 50 states has legalized it. This means that if the married couple travels out of that state, their marriage would not be honored. The first homosexual couple to get married was two women in San Francisco in 2004. Many countries are way ahead of us on same-sex marriage. In 2004 Canada legalized gay marriage for the whole country, along with the Netherlands and Belgium to name a few. Most of the greatest American political leaders don't support gay marriage, so it's unlikely that are country as a whole will ever support or recognize it.

There are many people working for legalization of same-sex marriage. On Procon.org, it listed many valuable points towards gay marriage. The National Gay and Lesbian Task Force explained that marriage is not about religious affiliation. “Same-sex couples are often emotionally and economically interdependent, sharing household and financial responsibilities, and often raising children or taking care of other family members together. ” Being married like heterosexual couples could give them freedoms such as hospital visitation and financial benefits. This could make a two parent home for the hundreds of children who need homes. Stanley Kurtz wrote about a man named Andrew Sullivan who was a British-born politician who campaigned for same-sex marriage. He was conservative and he explained his position on gay marriage. Marriage, he proclaimed, is an institution worthy of preservation, and society is correct to extend legal advantages to couples who choose to live under its formal sanction. In other words, they live in America so they should be given the same benefits of marriage as other Americans. Another good point to take into consideration is the fact that the American government is separate from the ideologies and moral views of Religion. The definition of marriage is a union between a man and a woman as stated in ancient law books. Most who truly believed that were ignorant of anything other then a man and woman loving each other. The times have changed and now equal rights to all should be given to homosexuals.

More then half of Americans oppose gay marriage. Their arguments are that it is against nature of humanity and against God and the bible. Many justify their opinion in gods name. Catholic churches protest the union openly. They state that homosexuals are immoral and anyone who supports them are immoral also. Political groups are against gay marriage also. In an article by secular liberals Susan Shell, she defends that not all liberals are supporting gay marriage. She finds that a same sex marriage threatens family ideals and homosexuality is a temptation that halts the search for god. Contrary belief often uses children as a leeway. Those who feel homosexuality is caused by nurture also feel that a same-sex couple who will raise children to become gay. The sex that is the majority to object homosexuality the most are males. Homophobia is a common excuse to not support equal rights for gay Americans. Some people say that is gay marriage is legalized it could give way to people who want to marry inanimate objects or animals. Homosexuality is grouped as a sexual perversion more than a life style.

Gay marriage right now is the topic of our generation. Presidents Obama's promises of more gay rights have sparked much debate. History is in the making for homosexuals. Same-sex marriage has been a concept since before the world saw Christianity. White christian Europeans traveled to America with the values of the church. Under their own government they began to establish laws against homosexuals. Not into over a hundred years later, people began to reestablish the government to acknowledge that homosexuals exist. Gay began to express themselves for what they truly were. Many people pushed against them but they all had one valid point. They were Americans with rights just like everyone else. Our country is split in two, pro-gay and anti-gay, which has distracted us from the important issues. Right now discrimination against Americans is being allowed by the country. Same-sex marriage has not been legalized in the United States, thus our government is oppressing a single minority. To the rest of the worlds standards we have not progressed much from the laws of the colonists.