Prompt #19

I’m going to be in so much trouble. I’m probably going to be put in jail. Great.

My cousin, Nicky, walks beside me shaking and nervously looking around her. I walk straight ahead knowing that nobody is looking for us in the woods; yet. Out of the corner of my eye I could see Nicky jump with every snap of a twig. Our mutual friend, Michael, walks behind us texting. All three of us had been walking in the woods for a half an hour.

“Tenika, I’m scared. I can’t go home with her. She just scares me so much sometimes. I told her all that when I texted her earlier. I can’t live with her anymore. I just can’t,” Nicky sobbed.

My aunt and uncle have fought with each other for years for custody of their daughter. If Nicky could choose I know she would live with her father. However, her mother has never wanted to accept that fact. There had been many nights in the past where Nicky would call me upset because of her mother and I would just sit on the phone with her and let her cry. Seeing her so upset made me nervous. Nicky is usually the strongest person I know.

I start to scan through the many trees that surround us for anyone coming our way. I know these woods like the back of my hand. I would always walk home through the woods after school.

“Um guys?” Michael interrupted.

I had forgotten that Michael was with us. I turned around at the same time as Nicky to see Michael staring at his phone.

“One of my friends just told me that Nicky’s mom called the cops. The police are talking with her and the principal. Apparently Nicky‘s mom wants them to find all three of us.”

“Great,” I sighed. “It’s okay though. I knew I was heading for trouble when I offered to help keep Nicky away from her mother.”

I can’t believe my aunt called the cops. Actually, I can believe it. I learned a long time ago not to put anything past her. I am basically kidnapping my own cousin from her mother. Ugh! I’m going to be so much in trouble. What have you got yourself into Tenika?

Nicky’s eyes widened in shock. It only took a few seconds before she began sobbing even harder. Michael was staring back at his cell phone. His fingers were tapping furiously on his screen as he typed a message.

“I'm sorry but I can’t stand this custody fight anymore! I don’t want my parents to have split custody. I want to live with my dad. Where is my dad?” Nicky cried again.

I unlocked my phone and looked at my home screen. The screen said I had one new message sent two minutes ago.

“Your stepmother just texted me and said your dad will be here in five minutes.”

Leading the way, I made a sharp turn onto another trail that would lead us to a small parking lot. I knew my uncle would expect me to bring her there and not back to the school.

“I’m sorry you guys got roped into this.” Nicky’s tears were slowly starting to stop. “The last thing I want is for you guys to get into trouble because of me. Especially you Tenika, you‘re sacrificing your relationship with your aunt by helping me.”

“Don’t even mention it,” I smiled at her. “ You’re my little cousin and I would do anything for you. Besides, someone has to keep you out of trouble.”

The trees were becoming less dense as we walked. Ahead, I could hear the sound of an engine running. Patches of red were visible through the trees that I recognized as my uncle’s truck. Nicky ran ahead of us as she raced to her dad.

Once Nicky was inside the truck you could tell she felt safe. She slumped against the passenger seat resting her arm alongside her window. A big smile was plastered across her face showing her braces. As the truck pulled away I could see her mouth the words “thank you” to Michael and I. The mess was over; for now.

Did I do the right thing? I don’t know.

Prompt #21

My friends and I are constantly going on trips together. However, one trip stands out more than all the others. Towards the end of this past summer my friends and I went to Bar Harbor. We rolled down the windows to breathe in the fresh air and laughed as the wind blew our hair around. Music blasted through the car as we danced and sang along to our favorite songs. About twenty minutes into our trip we noticed a car following us. The car sped up and slowed whenever we did. Every stop and corner we turned the car was still in the rear-view mirror. We became concerned and our laughs turned nervous. We had no idea who was following us but knew that it was definitely not a coincidence. In an attempt to lose our pursuer, we made a last second turn into Acadia National Park. Not knowing where we were going we just kept driving. The mysterious car and its driver were no longer tailing us.
      A few minutes in Acadia we found ourselves following the road up Cadillac Mountain. The music was turned down and we looked out the windows enjoying the views. Half way up the mountain we were startled by a beeping sound. The gas light was blinking, taunting us. We crossed our fingers hoping we wouldn't run out of gas in the middle of Acadia National Park. To make matters worse, even with all of our different phone carriers, none of us had cell phone reception. Even the radio and CD player stopped working. With no music all we had to do was think about our current situation and worry.
We were so happy and relieved to find our way out of Acadia and make it to a gas station. To treat ourselves we decided to stop at CJ’s Ice Cream shop before heading home. While we were enjoying our soft serve ice cream outside, all of sudden it started pouring. Not even done eating we threw our ice creams away and left the ice cream shop. The car was quite a walk away so we all jogged our way to the car, trying to get there as soon as possible. Traffic was horrible as people wanted to leave due to the unwelcome weather. Tourists were annoying and would not let us cross the street. Almost fifteen minutes later we were all wet sitting in a soaked car because we left the windows down. The rain just being an issue made the trip memorable along with the other hurdles we encountered during our trip.

Prompt #17

I have never seen my mother angrier than the day that I lost an old family heirloom. I was about twelve years old walking around a large craft fair outside with my mother. Countless craft booths stood side by side forming six rows. At random times I would gently twirl the necklace that I wore. It was a gold necklace with a thin, delicate chain that held a red stone and a small intricate design that bordered the stone. The pendent, with its design, somewhat resembled a blooming flower. My mother had given it to me a week before and told me to take good care of it since it was a family heirloom. I loved the necklace and wore it everyday since it was given to me.
My mother scanned every booth looking for jewelry that caught her eye. I barely looked at anything since I was content with my new treasure that I hung from my neck. When we finally reached the last row, I reached to twirl my necklace again only to find that it was gone. I was shocked the necklace was gone. Surely I would have felt or heard the necklace fall. Frantically, I looked around me hoping the necklace would be somewhere near and it would be intact. It wasn’t anywhere to be seen.
      After quickly filling my mother in on the missing heirloom, we began retracing our steps. I tried to recall the last time I knew I had the necklace but I couldn’t remember. We went up and down every row searching the floor and booths. My mother asked random people if they had seen my necklace. I had to keep myself from rolling my eyes. We were at a craft fair, there were necklaces everywhere. A necklace on the floor wouldn’t look out of place. If someone were to see it they would either take it or bring it to the closest booth. We must have looked for almost an hour but our family heirloom was never recovered. I felt absolutely horrible for what I had done and I got to sit and soak in my guilt since I was grounded for a week afterward.

In Class Work Week 5

I’m about ten years old wearing warm clothing to keep myself from freezing. I’m staring up at the roof of my father’s house. Snow blankets the roof and icicles hang down from the gutters. My father stands in front of me with a ladder leading to the roof. His right hand holds the ladder steady as he carries a shovel in his left. He motions for me to go play in the back yard. I do as I‘m told. My father climbs up the ladder to the roof. Once on top he disappears from view. I sit down and watch as my father shovels snow off the roof. It doesn’t take long for my father to make great progress. However, it doesn’t take long for me to get bored as well. There is a huge tree in the backyard which my father wouldn’t allow me to climb no matter how much I begged. Staring at the tree I become more and more curious of how high I could climb. Disobediently, I walk over to the tree and start to climb. I smile at myself when I make it halfway up the tree. Before I know it I’m falling. I land softly on my back in a snow bank. The wind was slightly knocked out of me so I just stare straight above me recalling what happened. In a blink of an eye, my father is standing above me gathering me into his arms. Before he can ask if I’m okay, I start laughing.
“Daddy, that was fun! Can I do it again?”
My father looks at me awestruck. Shaking his head no he picks me up and carries me inside where I can stay out of trouble.

Prompt #15

My friends always make fun of me because I sometimes talk to my cat Ashton. However, I have caught them a couple times talking to their animals too. It’s not like I expect Ashton to answer me but what if he could? What if my cat could answer my questions for a minute? What would I ask him? I found Ashton a year ago on one of my friend’s front steps. He was scared of my friends but ran right into my arms when I knelt down. My friends and I walked around trying to find his owner but to no prevail. I quickly fell in love with the little American Shorthair kitten and took him in. I guess I would ask him what happened before I found him. Were you abandoned? How long were you left outside in the cold? Why did you only run up to me? Are you happy now? If only he could answer my questions.

Prompt #14

To me writing is just as hard as cooking. I can’t cook for my life, which is surprising because my family is full of great cooks. My grandmother however, is by far the best cook in the family. She makes up her own recipes for every dish. Her most popular recipe seems to be her pumpkin squares with cream cheese frosting. Even my friends who hate pumpkin love her pumpkin squares. Many people have asked for her pumpkin squares and cream cheese frosting recipe but it remains a secret even to the family. In my opinion, my favorite recipe of my grandmother’s is her summer fruit cake. It’s a two layer vanilla cake with strawberries and blueberries in the middle. She even uses her cream cheese frosting to top the cake off. It’s absolutely delicious and one of the things I love about summer. It’s hard to chose a favorite recipe of hers because she is constantly coming up with new dishes. A week ago she used her last pie crust and emptied her pudding drawer by making a banana and chocolate pie. The bottom layer was chocolate layer and the top layer was banana. She cover the pie with marshmallow fluff and sprinkled crushed graham cracker on top. It sounds really disgusting but it was actually good and I don’t even like bananas. My grandmother’s kitchen always smells delicious since she is constantly cooking something. Ninety percent of the stuff she makes is given to family, friends, and neighbors. Sometimes I think my friends come to my grandmother’s to eat rather than see me. My grandmother jokes that she has adopted all of my friends as her grandchildren and that they are welcome over to her house whenever.

Prompt #13

They say a picture is worth a thousand words. Then why doesn’t this picture speak to me. The picture is of my parents holding me as a baby when my parents were still together. When I take it out of its frame, the back of the picture states that I was a year old. That however, only answers one question out of many. My parents are smiling in the picture but were they really happy? Was I happy? When was the picture taken? Christmas? All three of us are wearing red. How long after this picture was taken did my parents separate? Was I part of the reason why they fought a lot? My parents won’t answer this question for me. If only this picture in this black frame could answer my questions.

In Class Work Week 4

Part 2

A tall pine tree stands all by itself. Its green color is dull most likely due to age and the cold winter weather. Many branches are dead and hang bare showing the poor condition of the tree. Lights are still loosely hanging off its branches from Christmas. Nearby, there is a flag pole which holds the American flag and the state of Maine flag. Both flags flap continuously in the wind. The edges are frayed from age. The colors are worn from extensive time outside. My observation is interrupted as a guy steps outside. I immediately note his clothing attire. He is only wearing shorts and a sweatshirt to protect him from the cold. I wonder why he isn’t wearing warmer clothes in twenty-two degree weather. I shiver just looking at him. A baseball cap rests on top of his head. The raven on his hat represents the Baltimore Ravens. He is most likely walking around expressing his content with the outcome of the Super Bowl last night.

In Class Work Week 4

Part 1

A tall pine tree stands all by itself. Its green color is dull. Many branches are dead and hang bare showing the poor condition of the tree. Lights are still loosely hanging off its branches from Christmas. Nearby, there is a flag pole which holds the American flag and the state of Maine flag. Both  flags flap continuously in the wind. The edges are frayed and the colors are worn. My observation is interrupted as a guy steps outside. I immediately note his clothing attire. He is only wearing shorts and a sweatshirt to protect him from the cold. A baseball cap rests on top of his head.

Prompt #12

I have been to the Bangor Mall countless times. However, I’ve never really paid attention to what goes on around me. I’m usually just busy and caught up in what I’m doing and all the stores that fill ever hallway. Busy shoppers surround and pass by me. People who are there for a specific reason, stare straight ahead as they know their destination. People who are just browsing, look from side to side at all the store displays. Teenagers who are just there to hang out look at each other and laugh together. An adult couple are standing at the jewelry store. The woman has one arm linked around the man’s arm. Her other hand points at a different ring every five seconds. The man just smiles at her and nods his head every time she points out a new ring. In front of me a mother holds her daughter’s hand as they walk side by side. The little girl is holding a new build-a-bear and smiling from ear to ear. The mother smiles down fondly at her daughter and clutches her purse with her empty hand. Behind them, an old man walks slowly by himself carrying two heavy bags. People who walk by him consciously move out of his way but don‘t give him a second glance. No one offers to help him with his heavy load. A young woman walks by wearing the highest high heels I have ever seen. She can barely walk straight in them. I think to myself that she definitely needs a different pair of shoes especially for winter. A few seconds later she walks into the Shoe Department. I hear a woman order a coffee behind me. I don’t turn around until I hear something fall to the floor. Turning around I see she dropped her fresh coffee. Her son kneels down with a wad of napkins to clean up the mess. The smell of coffee fills the surrounding air, mixing with the aromas of food from the food court. It reminds me that it is getting late and I haven’t had dinner yet.

Prompt #11

As soon as my cousin, Nicky, enters my grandmother’s house she always heads straight to my room. She always spends a long time in my room despite how she says she doesn’t like it. My walls are a light green; one color she hates. My carpet is a darker green than my walls; the only color she thinks is worse than light green. Lights droop down all around my room; something she thinks is stupid. A two door closet takes up almost a whole wall which she thinks is too small. Then there is my new flat screen television which she insists is too small as well.
“I’m hungry,” Nicky complained.
“You’re always hungry” I replied.
“Yes but how does that remotely help me now? All I can smell is Gram’s cooking. Gram said it’s going to be another fifteen minutes before dinner is ready,” Nicky said. Even with my door shut, the smell of corn chowder drifted through my bedroom door. “It’s torture I tell you.”
“I have a feeling you’ll live,” I said.
“We’ll see. I’ve always liked that picture,” she replied changing the topic. She was staring at a small picture I had of us at my sixteenth birthday party on my wall.  “My back was killing me after though because I had to crouch down to be at your midget height.”
“Hey!” I yelled while throwing a pillow at her. “It’s not my fault I’m shorter than you. From my point of view I’m at an average height and you’re just a giant.” Nicky easily grabbed the pillow and laid it on her lap as she plopped down into my reclining chair. My chair seemed to be the only thing she liked about my room.
“Whatever you say cuz. Oh hey! I almost forgot. I’ve got some information that you may be interested in.” She said with a mischievous grin which I tried to ignore. “Really?” I asked. “Does it have anything to do with the twenty dollars I loaned you that you never gave back to me?”
“Oh yeah,” she said. She reached into her Vera Bradley wallet, pulled out a crumpled twenty and set it on the night stand beside her. “Here. That wasn’t what I wanted to tell you by the way.”
“I’m pretty content with just getting my money back but if you want to tell me something then be my guest,” I replied.
“Okay,” she answered while getting more settled into the chair. “You know I basically argued with myself on whether or not I should tell you. At first I was like, yeah she needs to know. Then I thought, well it isn’t my business and I shouldn‘t get involved. Then was I was like, who am I kidding….”
“Nicky… earth to Nicky,” I interrupted. “Can you please just get to the point?”
“Right, to the point. Well, I was talking to Michael yesterday and he told me that he liked you!” She suddenly exclaimed.
“What?” I asked confused.
“He likes you. Like more than a friend,” Nicky explained.
“No I understood what you meant but… I just don’t get it. We’re just friends! I think of him as a brother!” I exclaimed back.
“Well if you ask me I say give it a shot. Yolo!” She yelled.
“Our friendship means so much to me and I don’t want to jeopardize it. I just know he is going to hate me when I turn him down. I have no idea what to do.”
“Well you’re in a pickle,” she said while switching her attention to her buzzing phone.
“Yes,” I agreed. “I am definitely in a pickle.”
“Speaking of pickles I am still hungry,” Nicky sighed. “I’m going to go eat and leave you to think about your destroyed friendship.”
“Gee! Thanks so much for your help Nicky,” I replied sarcastically.
“Did I just hear you say I love you Nicky? You’re the best cousin ever? That’s so sweet,” she said jokingly. Laughing she closed the door behind her and left me thinking about my ruined friendship.

Prompt #10

I’m walking around the hallways trying to find a conversation to write about because my creative non-fiction writing teacher told me to. The school seems empty at this time of day. My friend, Paige, and I walk side by side as she was given the same assignment. Occasionally, we see other students from our class walking around with notebooks and pens in their hands. My ears are strained as I listen for any conversation. No luck so far. Paige and I decide to give up and resolve to talking to ourselves while walking back to our classroom.
“What are you going to write about for your prompt?” I asked.
“I’m going to write about the party at Alex’s house Friday night. You know, the party that you sadly couldn’t attend.” She said.
“Hey,“ I replied. “You know that I had a prior commitment that I couldn’t cancel. I wish that I could have gone.”
“Yeah yeah yeah. You are coming to the next party though, even if I have to drag you.” She said seriously.
“Okay,” I responded jokingly. “We’ll see what happens.” She rolled her eyes at me. “How was the party anyway? Did I miss a lot?”
“OMG yes!” She exclaimed. “It was so funny! Alex was definitely more drunk than anyone there. Tenika, he ran outside in his bare feet! This other kid eventually had to go get him because he was heading to a pond and we thought he was going to fall in.”
“Sounds like it was very entertaining,” I laughed.
“It was!” She said. “Later he threw a blanket over his head and just laughed for the rest of the night. It was so weird it was funny.”
“Well that is going to make a good prompt for class. I can’t believe I missed it.”
By this time we had reached our classroom. Only a few people were back from their assignment search. Paige and I headed straight to our seats to start writing.