Chapter 4: Waking to a Nightmare

      Author’s note: this is chapter four in my story The Dog Tags of John Parker, it is meant for the writing rubric.
    
       “…OW! What in the?...AH!...What’s…happening?” When I first open my eyes everything is blurry, my eyes come into focus every few seconds. I can’t get up, there’s a searing pain in my left knee and I can’t even feel my right leg, I tried to look at my hands. When my eyes come into focus, I see that my hands are cut up, scratched, and bruised everywhere. I felt like I was hit by ten busses while going through a washing machine, I couldn’t get up all I could do was tilt my head. I looked around the roof where I was and there were small patches of fire everywhere. I look behind me to see if anyone in the battle was still alive and my vision was blocked by the crashed Black Hawk. It was just five feet behind me facing parallel, the very bottom of the helicopter was in the building. The top of it was on fire with thick black smoke spewing from the tail and engine into the sky. Its side doors were opened and I could see inside the chopper, I could also peer into the cockpit. Both the pilot and co-pilot weren’t moving, the windshield was all cracked and there were patches of blood on the inside. My vision became blurry more frequently now; I knew it was only a matter of time before I passed out.
        
        I attempted to turn over as painfully as possible; when I finally do I saw that McKinley was just about four feet in front. He was lying on his side facing opposite of me, I didn’t know if he was alive or not so I hopped for the best. I didn’t see where Corporal Holland or Private Hull were, I couldn’t see them. “Did they escape? Did they call for help? Were they killed?” These thoughts flew through my head. James wasn’t moving at all and I was scared out of my mind, I didn’t know what to do every nerve of my body hurt like heck. “I can’t move, I have no food or water, I’m going to pass out any minute, what am I supposed to do!? Oh god I’m going to die out here!” I was screaming in my head! But what was I to do? For all I know everyone is dead “or are they? Is James dead? God please no! Is the sergeant dead? Killed? God dang it!” I didn’t know what was going to happen, whether I would live or die, the waiting was driving me crazy. Waiting for death, waiting for rescue, as I was falling in and out of consciousness I spent the terrifying time waiting….watching….wondering….hoping….dying. Before I knew it I was out, but to what awakening? So I just went out…waiting.                                               ........
          
         “Ahh, it’s so bright!” I am awake, well at least I think so, my eyes are still closed, there light seeping through my eye lids. “Am I awake? Is it morning?” The last thing that I remember was passing out and then dreaming. I hadn’t dreamed since my first day at boot camp, after that…time was too rough to dream. The death of friends in combat is too much to bear to have my imagination run free while I sleep.
           
         The more time I spend awake I think, “Where am I? Was I captured? Are any other marines here with me?” The mere thought of being captured sent shivers down my spine. If I was captured I would no doubt be beaten and tortured. I notice my body is in a different position and I am not lying on that concrete roof anymore. There are faint voices not so far around me; I can’t make out what they’re saying and curiosity takes over. I finally open my eyes but no one is there, my vision is blurry for four seconds before regaining focus. Unlike before I can move, well…sort of, the pain is searing. I finally realize that I’m not lying on the ground at all but on a stretcher? I’ve been bandaged where my cuts and bruises were and my right leg has been put in a white cast. I still don’t know if I’ve been captured or not, so I give out a “Hello?” After a few seconds I hear someone running, the sound is getting louder and louder closer and closer. “Oh shoot! What if it’s a terrorist!? He’ll probably execute me! No god please no!” I thought in my head, by now I was almost sure I was captured I was sweating bullets waiting for death. My eyes still a little blurry, a silhouette appeared over me and I thought this was it, this is the end. But the silhouette seems somehow familiar, like someone I know; when my eyes come back I am relieved that it’s not a terrorist at all. What I see is the best thing that’s happened to me since boot camp; James McKinley was smiling over me. I’ve never been so happy to see his face, all the worried feelings I had have been washed away like a sand castle on the beach. “Morning sleepy head.”

Traitors and Second Chances

    

Author’s Note: From the novel Traitor, this conflict resolution piece explains the effects Fergus Watt’s title as  ”Traitor” had on his grandson Danny, and how it was resolved to bring them closer.

Devastated, Danny Watts learning the horrible truth about his former Special Forces grandfather and has no choice but to chase him down and bring him to justice. Due to a Columbian drug bust, Fergus Watts is now pictured as a “traitor” in everyone’s eye. Searching for days on end, Danny finds his grandfather near a café in London and is furious for ruining their family name. The main conflict of the tale is trust, the trust in someone is easy to lose and hard to gain. Fergus attempts to tell Danny what really happened, but the pain that the name “traitor” has caused has now almost made it impossible to trust Danny’s grandfather again. Is Fergus really a traitor? Can Danny trust his own grandfather? Is it all a lie?

To begin with, being an expert in hand to hand combat old Fergus Watts knew he wasn’t in any real trouble when his seventeen year old grandson arrived. Fergus tried to tell the raging bull Danny that the drug bust was not his fault. Time and time again Danny didn’t believe him, he hadn’t ever met his grandfather before, how was he to believe him? Though Danny’s grandfather told the tale with such detail, it started to make some sense, however Fergus was still part stranger to Danny. Fergus told his grandson that he was framed by a Britain government agent George Fincham. He began to think that it was the truth but one question still remained, why? Why was his grandfather framed? He told Danny that the British were killing not just drug dealers but also civilians and Fergus knew that it was not right.  

However in the book, Fincham knew that Fergus would try to tell the press that they were killing civilians so he had to take him out of the picture. When the grandfather and grandson had been attacked by only Fincham, Danny had no choice but to picture his grandfather’s story as the truth. Suddenly it began to make sense to the 17 year old boy, pictures, the attacks, and Fincham all proved that Fergus was the victim. Danny’s confused hatred now turned much less at Fergus and more at the tyrant Fincham for keeping him apart from his granddad.

   Likewise, the story was forever changed by this turn of events from Fergus being a traitor to revelations of the past. The tale of a 17 year old military graduate searching for his grandfather who betrayed his own country many years ago has now changed. Two friends searching for a way to let the truth be known about an evil man and a Colombian drug bust.

In conclusion, most eyes of England will always see the former Special Forces Fergus Watts as a betrayer of their country, but only Danny Watts will now know what really happened. The terribly long hunt for justice will have formed a new companionship between a kid and his grandfather.        

You don't Know what you've Got Until it's Gone

In your life you may have family, places, or objects that make you happy, things that you like and love. You may even have old items that you used to play or do things with and now you don’t anymore. Then one day, you may move away from that place or you may give away that something, and you realize you really liked it and now miss it. But you can't have it anymore…it's gone…In the poems Field Below by Regina Spektor and Big Yellow Taxi by Joni Mitchell, they explain that you have to cherish everything you have. Otherwise you won't know what you had until it's gone.

Likewise, the mood of the story to me is never take anything for granted. Like in Field Below the author explains that she used to see a field, she means she had a lovely grassy area but she moved away and never saw its beauty again. The Author's purpose for writing like I said before is to take care of and be happy with everything you have. Like in Big Yellow Taxi, it says "They paved paradise and put up a parking lot they took all the trees Put 'em in a tree museum." By that it is saying that there used to be a forest and it was beautiful but it was torn down to make another building.

Parody

I have eaten

the cookies

That you have made

In the oven.



I know you spent

Your whole weekend

Working on them,



To me it seemed

As if they were a gold mine

Waiting to be found



I could not resist,

So I consumed them

Like a lawn mower

Faster than imaginable



When I swallowed that last one,

The taste finally came to me;

Bland and tasteless.

Mother to Son

Author’s Note: This is a short response to the short story Mother to Son, it is meant to explain the detail and figurative language it possesses.

Mother to Son does an amazing job of describing the emotion and mood of the story. Using slang terms such as ain’t, turnin’, I’se, and a-climbin,’ it interprets that the setting is in the more southern parts of the United States. Another great way the writer Langston Hughes uses figurative language is by using the metaphor, “Life for me ain't been no crystal stair.” This phrase is explaining that the mother’s life has been difficult and maybe even poor. That her life has rarely been good at all, the mother also wants her son to do better than she did and have a better life. Using another metaphor; “So boy, don't you turn back” the mother is telling her son and maybe Langston Hughes is telling the reader to never give up on life and always chase your dreams.

Special with a Capital “Z”

Author’s Note: this is a writing piece on word choice, it is meant to tell the tale of a special boy named Donald Zinkoff from the book Loser.

What would you do if you met a boy that you could never upset? A boy who you could never anger? In the novel, Loser by Jerry Spinelli that boy’s name is Donald Zonkoff. Donald Zinkoff is a young boy who can never be mad as if he were Mr. Rogers himself, and it is physically impossible for him to do anything but laugh. If Zinkoff were to here the worst joke in the world he would laugh until tears streamed from his eyes. Zinkoff is a short, brown haired, curious little scamp who appears to always look for trouble. In his second grade year when his teacher Mrs. Biswell, is out of the room Zinkoff goes straight to the chalk board. He claps the erasers together making a complete mess, and when his teacher comes back something most unexpected happens.

In addition, when Zonkoff is stressed such as when his teacher angrily comes back in the room, Zinkoff has a stomach problem in which he pukes more than anyone does on Mardi gras. It is not his fault; the tube that goes down to his stomach is upside-down. He is adored by his parents but questioned by everyone else; to Zinkoff every day is a plus. He is physically uncoordinated and has terrible handwriting, in every class he gets nothing but F’s, yet still has a good time.

Lastly, Zonkoff is the craziest child in the world; he is even the Curious George of his time. He may have a few screws loose but his heart is always in the right place and to him every day is the best day of his life.

Donald Zinkoff

What would you do if you met a boy that you could never upset? A boy who you could never anger? In the novel, Loser by Jerry Spinelli that boy’s name is Donald Zonkoff. Donald Zinkoff is a young boy who can never be mad, and it is physically impossible for him to to anything but laugh. If Zinkoff were to here the worst joke in the world he would laugh until tears streamed from his eyes. Zinkoff is a short, brown haired, curious little scamp who appears to always look for trouble. In his second grade year when his teacher Mrs. Biswell, is out of the room Zinkoff goes straight to the chalk board. He claps the erasers together making a complete mess, and when his teacher comes back something much unexpected happens.

In times of stress such as when his teacher angrily comes back in the room, Zinkoff has a stomach problem in which he pukes. It is not his fault; the tube that goes down to his stomach is upside-down. He is adored by his parents but questioned by everyone else; to Zinkoff every day is a plus. He is physically uncoordinated and has terrible handwriting, in every class he gets nothing but F’s, yet still has a good time.