Twenty Four: Random Excerpts

"His echoing footsteps fell fast and short- a staccato beat ricocheted throughout the attic as he climbed higher and higher, until he could look out of the window and see the bustling city below. From his prison he could see Oakhill Street directly to the west. Amidst the commotion of the city stood a tall, gothic mansion. Gathered before its doors were a group of black-clad men- one of whom bore a striking resemblance to the hunch-backed leader from two weeks ago, even from such a distance. Suddenly Jay knew what the code on the paper he’d found meant. The realization came with a churning, sickly feeling in his gut, the kind of unexplainable pain that is commonly found among criminals."

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"In a darkened chamber high in the third tower, a figure was slumped on the ground. It stirred for a moment, and the guard worried that it might wake, but then it lay still. Five hours were left until he would be needed. The guard settled onto the ground across the room from the figure, and slept. Above them, four windows let in what little light there was. Had anyone bothered to look out of them, a familiar sight would have met their eye: Alemany Middle School, with one grimy crusted window high above all the others. "

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 "Guards are notorious for sleeping through half of their shifts. At least, the one slumped against the door of Jay’s prison was. Beneath the trademark navy blue cap, a drip of drool slid down the guard’s chin and neck. A ridiculous snore issued from his flared nostrils. Jay crept around the sleeping beauty, a silent snicker glued on his face. His captors had made it very easy for him to escape."

©Copyright Kiki O, 2009
(ish but not really, just because I don't feel like trying to publish a book that some random stranger already did because of some excerpts he found on the Internet)

I Had NO Clue...

 So before anyone thinks that I mean, a), I had no clue that I stink like a walrus(I do not stink and neither does a walrus), b), that it is hard to act sophisticated when you trip over your own feet, or c), that I only need to get two more things approved for science fair, let me explain. Okay, fine, b and c are true. But that's not what I meant. Oof I digress. Anyhoo, I had no clue that.... I actually write better than a random toddler that you pick off any random street in any random middle-of-nowhere kind of random place. (Could you say I'm random? But I digress...) Remember my "novel" Twenty Four(I actually think I'll need a better title. Mimi suggested Out of Time, but I'm not sure yet.)? Well, I haven't looked at what I've got written for almost a month, and when I read it today I was surprised that my writing was actually pretty good. Well, not phenomenal, like Kirsten Miller's, but better than the suspense-less, drab, not-making sense junk I'd always deemed it to be. Just like my teacher says, I think my work is worse than it really is.
Now I've gotta go read some other stuff. Wait, two more things.
1. Have any of you read THE HUNGER GAMES by Suzanne Collins? If not, you are doing yourself a real displeasure. You really should. Also the second book, CATCHING FIRE, which I have not been fortunate enough to get my hands on yet.
2. Has anyone read Edgar Allan Poe's short story, "The Pit and the Pendulum?" The one where the guy is imprisoned in a dungeon with(you guessed it) a pit and a pendulum and it happens during the Spanish Inquisition? If yes, then good. If not, then bear with me. Yesterday on our evaluation(my teacher's fancy way of saying test) question number seven read, "How is a fish like a can of condensed milk?" And I thought, how does this have anything to do with pits or pendulums or the actual story? And so our teacher started walking around the room, checking out everyone's answers for number 7, and he said "no" for each one. Well by the end of the period he had everyone stumped and he collected the papers with my number seven answer being only, "A fish is like a can of condensed milk because." As soon as the last paper was in his hand, he said, "The answer to number 7 was..." then he paused, "that neither can ride a bicycle."
I'll leave you to ponder that and whether number seven will count for the grade. I can only hope not.