So check back every Thursday or so to see if I've published anything new! I will usually publish new pieces here on Thursdays, because that's when Creative Writing Club meets this year.
About this Page:
I know I blog, but this kind of writing is clearly much different. It's creative writing! I'm a part of the creative writing club at school, which I absolutely love, so I've decided to share my pieces with you all.
I know you can't actually comment on this kind of page, which is weird, so if you'd like to give feedback, just comment on one of the posts on the home page referring to this page. :) I love feedback, and welcome it. Even if it's negative. A writer has to start somewhere.
Here's the poetry I've been talking about. There are a few here, and you might notice, I don't like to have long lines. I usually break it up to be very short, and a lot of the time, my lines are only one word each.
Enjoy!
~~~~~~you'll notice each piece is separated by these marks~~~~~~~~~
My Creative Writing Pieces:
Road to the Unknown is inspired by this picture, the cover of the new book: The Mysteries of Harris Burdick. Voila:
Road to the Unknown
by Sonja Winter Heels
if we were on the road to hell
or heaven,
i did not know
it could end right now
these could be the last of my spoken words
my family and i,
we are nothing but lost refugees
we don't know how to swim
the wave approached
as we huddle
or am i simply pessimistic?
this could be
but a wonderful journey
one of a lifetime,
one just peeking it's head out to see
the possibilities
we set on this new road,
we brought everything we owned
the angry lightning has fought it's battle,
and so have we
yet,
despite our efforts,
no one but us
would hear our screams of terror
victims hear victims
suspects suspect nothing
witnesses?
none
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Dust is inspired by another picture in The Mysteries of Harris Burdick. (Thanks to my old English teacher for showing these pictures during creative writing club!)
This is my favorite of all the pictures in the book:
i was forbidden to descend
into the cold stone basement
my stepmother sealed the door shut
after she married my father
father seemed to always be gone
gone,
out,
abandoning me
forgetting me
everything i used to know
sits,
waiting for me
only but boards of wood
keep me from flying back down
down to heaven
my old ice skates,
from when mommy was alive
we would go out to the pond
after my schoolwork was complete
she taught me to skate
a figure eight
around,
around,
and around we went
and under a pile of dust they still wait
my hats,
in their round pastel-colored boxes
julia, the greatest of friends,
she and i would wear them
playing dress-up
and laugh
act silly,
act snobby,
and under a pile of dust they still wait
even my old rugs,
they used to be spread
in what is now my stepmother's bedroom
my great aunt suzy created those great masterpieces
just for me
her only niece
they are soft,
colorful,
exquisite,
and under a pile of dust they still wait
i weep
as i recall
everything that is locked away
i will never forget
i will fight,
shout,
protest,
and under a pile of dust i still wait
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Innocent Yellow was actually inspired by the scratch marks I saw on the bus ride home today, and with me and my messed-up imagination, I wrote this poem. Here goes.
Innocent Yellow, by Sonja Winter Heels
in the back of the bus
is sit
glancing at the cold metal wall,
next to my firm green seat
i notice the evidence
scratch marks
scrape marks
all over the wall
who knows?
who on earth knows,
what could've happened
or if anything did
after all,
it's just a silly yellow school bus
for that very reason,
no one cares?
pure nonsense, i say
everything is evidence
notice everything,
my idol once said
and so i do
so many tragedies
are let off the hook,
some not even noticed,
because,
oh!
it's just a silly yellow school bus
what could possibly go wrong?
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Caution, this next one is pretty deep, and some said it was depressing. Sorry, I guess. It is poetry after all. I'm not saying poetry is supposed to be deep, but I never really like silly poetry. Most of my poetry is weirdly deep and thoughtful. I present to you, In The End.
In the End
by Sonja Heels
pain softens us
when we see it
when we feel it
it brings out the empathy inside us
we stope
like a deer in headlights
are you okay?
we ask
may it be a friend or foe
or someone we don't know
there is no difference
pain brings us together
closer
happier
in the end
but why
must something so devastating
so dreadful
so distressing
occur
in order for there to be joy
and happiness
in the end?
may we live a trouble-free life
and be just as joyful
in the end?
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Now, not a very deep poem coming up, but just inspired by the night sky when I was coming home from swim practice. Here is Hidden Beauty.
Hidden Beauty, by Sonja Winter Heels
there I sat in the front seat
when inside the drug store was my dad
my bronze hair dripped the chlorine water on my shoulders
as I started to shiver
the dark night surrounded me
except the blinding street light
drops of gentle rain settled on the windsheald
I was exhausted from swimming
laps,
flips,
dives,
streamline,
the coaches orders
echoed through my head
I squinted my eyes
peering at the windsheald
the rain has stopped
the water droplets left behind
from squinted eye's
point of view,
the droplets
were just beautiful things
they were there all along
waiting
for someone to notice
their beauty
And now, presenting to you a short story that took me several months during Creative Writing Club to finish: (Also, give some credit to a friend of mine who helped me come up with the plot. Thanks James!!!) I wrote this in 7th grade.
Fallen by Sonja Winter Heels
Prologue
~ ~ ~
In the magical river of Queifade, it is said that many mysterious things beyond imagination lurk below it's surface. The land of which this enchanted river lay was several hundred yards from a summer camp for girls about 70 years ago, but news quickly spread about one little girl who went into the river, and never came back out.
They heard her cabin group was going swimming that late afternoon in one of the camps pools. She didn't want to go to the pool, all full of chlorine, and so artificially blue. No fish, sand, she didn't like it at all. Since the cabin groups were fairly large, perhaps 15-20 girls per cabin, one short stubborn girl missing isn't very easy to catch right away. She wandered off into the forest nearby, and was fascinated by a sparkle coming from a river. Although it was quite far away and off camp grounds, she ran to get to it. Ever since she had gotten there she wanted to explore. A very independent girl, always wishing to be alone.
She kicked her flip-flops off, them flying elsewhere in the woods. Cautiously, she dipped her toes in, just barely afraid of the temperature. No temperature whatsoever could be felt... and she couldn't move her toes at all. It was as if they had become part of a statue. Yet the water seemed so delicate and pure, how could it possibly be that she couldn't pull her foot out? It didn't matter to her. She threw herself in.
Approximately half an hour later, 17 girls and 2 very scared counselors were yelling her name through the woods, echoing helplessly. The sparkle of the river caught the girls' eyes, as they ran to it, just as curious as the missing one. The counselors followed behind- and then they all saw it. Her towel and flip flops several yards from the 2 small foot prints in the mini-shore before the grassy hill.
Just as before, the water was deadly still. The 17 girls didn't care, just as Helen. They copied her in throwing there flip flops and towels and running right in. The counselors didn't see the problem. They just figured maybe she was just underwater and her head will bob up any moment now.
But her head didn't bob up. They waited, becoming nervous. None of the girls' heads came up to breathe. They thought. The girls didn't even splash one tiny splash, or make one tiny bubble as they ran in. They simply ran in, as if it was a doorway, welcoming you to anything.
One of the counselors blew their whistle three times, which all the girls knew was the signal to report back to the counselors. Silence. The other counselor, in curiosity, threw a pebble at the river. It didn't splash as it immediately sank out of sight. They exchanged glances, and then went right down to the mini-shore, looking down into the shallow river. Normally, you can see a few things through water in the shallow end, then it get's darker as it gets deeper. They just saw a very deep navy blue, starring them in the face. Yet there was no reflection either.
A tear came from one of the counselors' eyes, entering the river. Just as the pebble, it suddenly sank into the darkness. No splash, no bubble, no ripple on the waters' edge. Absolutely nothing.
A year later, parents started to hear this story. Some say it was just a stupid campfire story, but many swear it was true. Parents became deeply concerned, and eventually the camp went out of business.
But the river was still there.
~
Chapter 1
As soon as I ran into the river, I found myself on a sandy, soft river carpet. Plenty of seaweed too! Just what the silly pools at camp were missing. I blinked- and little bubbles raced up to the surface- which was way too high to see. I guess this river was deeper than I thought.
My feet were gone, and instead, I had one of those mermaid fin things from my waist down. It was my favorite colors, too!! Yellow and orange. I felt like Alice in wonderland. It was like a whole new world where everything is perfect! I mean, this is the only place in the universe where there are mermaids that are literally just like the ones I've dreamed about!!
Above me I saw a blur of lots of mermaids, fish, castles, it was like Cinderella's castle-- everywhere! Every different color, size, and each with it's own unique variation. Thankfully, my voice was the same underwater, because usually when I try to speak underwater, it just comes out as very muffled sounds with bubbles coming out. I tried talking, just to myself, and it was like I was overground!
I was super excited to explore, and especially to accept the fact that this was actually reality. I wonder when everyone else came down here. But I guess I was pretty lost. Lost mermaids need mermaid help.
I swam up to the big area where plenty of mermaids seemed to be swerving around, rushing for some reason. Or maybe they were just speed swimming for the fun of it. I tried to ask someone for help, since, well, I was kinda new here.
“Hi! Um, could you direct me--” I tried, but they just rolled there eyes and swam elsewhere. “Would you tell me, um, where I am?” I raised my voice, so people would know I'm a newbie. No one who lives here actually asks that, so that had to get attention. But of course, it didn't. “S'cuse me? Um, can you help me...?” No one listened to that one little girl, moi. It was all about them and their speed swimming. I gotta try that sometime.
One of them finally noticed the small, innocent, lonely, lost girl, that was me, and came to my rescue.
“OH! You're new here, aren't you?” The mermaid asked, starring into my eyes. She had hazel eyes. I was sort of thrown off and stunned for a second.
“Um, yeah. Yes? I think so, I mean, I haven't exactly seen this fin on me before, I mean, except in my dreams, but that's not really important...” I trailed off.
“Sweetie, one thing you must know about Anneli is everything you see depends on your imagination, and your dreams. Okay? That's the reason you came here!” She smiled at me supportively, but I was kind of lost.
“...Who's Anneli??”
“Oh, forgive me for being unclear. Anneli is what we call this place. When I was a little girl, I always dreamed of being a mermaid. Voila! Here I am. Isn't it amazing? Oh- and speaking of being unclear, my name's Teresa. I can help you get settled if you'd like.” Her auburn hair floated around her head. She kept smiling, which almost got creepy.
“Uh... sure. Thanks! ...”
“Cool! Follow me! Oh, and by the way, since you're a mermaid now, you gotta try speed swimming. It's so cool! You can go to like 150 mph!!”
“Yeah, I've seen them do that... I SO want to try it!”
“You gotta. ...But for now we'll just stay average speed. Make sure to stay on my trail, we'll be going through some rocks, under castle bridges, all that.” She told me, as if she was my mom. Which she almost was. She reminds me just like my mom, except for that whole creepy smiling thing. I nodded to her.
It took us a few minutes, but we eventually came to what seemed like the most lonely place of all Anneli. There were several castles, but they weren't very close together, so it seemed much more open. Down on a small hill of the river carpet was a very teeny tiny white castle. Teresa banged on the door. Nothing. We swam inside a window, and there was an old, frail mermaid in a rocking chair. I think she was asleep... and drooling. Is that possible to drool underwater??
“Ms. Dixon!!” Teresa promptly said, waking the old women up. “I believe we have a new member of Anneli.” She said, losing her happy charm and acting all serious. It was kinda freaking me out. She gently pushed me forward, and I inched back a tad. The women was staring at me with her head turned oddly to the side for a few moments. Yes, I'm a girl, if that's what she's trying to figure out. Why do mermaids have 2 sides: super nice and then super creepy and scary?? She finally said something.
“Well, well well... I can't remember the last time we had a newbie come here. Tell me sweetheart, what was the last thing you remember seeing before you came here?” She asked, as if she was some kind of fortune teller.
“Um... I ran into a river, and then I was a mermaid. It was weird, though, 'cause the river wasn't really a river... it was like really dark, but I just wanted to be a mermaid and... now I am.” I stared at the floor for half the time.
“Ah, yes... the river of quiefade, if I remember correctly. Not too many of our citizens come from there, but we have had a few. Well then, I guess that makes you special, doesn't that, dearie?” Now she wasn't really a fortune teller, it was more like a grandma who couldn't really remember who you were. She pulled out a pad. Not of paper, just... a board. A blue board. Like a white board, almost... but blue. She took out a feathery pen and wrote down the following:
New Member of Anneli
Name: Helen Lester
Gender: Female Mermaid
Age: 11 years
D.O.B.: May 9, 2000
Current education status: 5th grade
Previous location: Charri Summer Camp for Girls, entrance through River of Quiefade
Current residence: Anneli holding tower, room 953
Current Occupation: -None-
It was like she had written out my birth certificate, but for Anneli. It dissappeared into the white board. I kind of understand why she was staring at me like that for a minute or two... and now she knows all this stuff about me. Some of it is obvious, like the fact that I'm a girl. But how the heck does she know I was born May 9th?? Talk about creepy. “How do you know all that?!” I shrieked, realizing all the creepy things were getting to my head.
“Sweetie, I'm a mermaid. I'm the only one in all Anneli that can detect this kind of stuff. It's why this is my job. It's not much fun, but it's what I do. Maybe you can be my replacement. How old am I, honey? When was I born?” She asked nicely.
“Um... I don't know ma'am. I don't think I would be fit for your job.” I said honestly, staring at the floor. Teresa had left. Great, now I'm on my own.
“That's quite all right dear, very few mermaids have the strange ability. Oh, and please, sweetheart, call me Miss Dixon. There are way too many ma'ams in Anneli, I like to have something special to be called. Now, since your loyal friend has left, I suppose I should lead you to the Anneli holding tower.” She said, rolling her eyes at Teresa's absence. I didn't say anything.
~
Miss Dixon led me into a very large castle. There were a few hallways. She went into one, and instead of stairs or elevators, at the end of each hall way, there was a hole in the ground and a hole in the ceiling, leading to the next floor. Just swim through. The “doors” where just long ovals. Maybe it's not good to trap water in. Maybe it's mandatory to have fresh water all the time. Who knows. But there were no doors in the front of the castle either, just a wide opening. It's not like they had AC or anything to keep inside. If only we could do that... in the winter, we always have heaters and fire places. In the summer, we blast the AC and fans everywhere. Is there really any time we could just leave our windows open, our door open? No, because no one above ground trusts anyone with leaving their home open like that. I guess that kind of bad robbery stuff just doesn't happen down here. Sweet!
I finally got to my room. ...Was this like a hotel? An apartment castle? An orphanage of some mermaid type??
“Here you are. Once you find a job that suits you, and once you get settled, you may move out as you please. Now, I must tootle off my way. Wonderful meeting you, Helen.” Miss Dixon said, heading toward one of the holes in the floor. Now she's just leaving? I have too many questions to ask her!!
“Wait! Um, Miss Dixon, where exactly do I move out to, you know, like when I'm ready?” I asked.
“You get to have a small castle of your own to call home, of course! It takes a while to save up the gold for it, but it's worth it compared to these little “hotel” rooms they offer until you're ready.” She answered with a big smile, swimming slowly down the hole.
“WAIT! Miss Dixon, please, just a few more questions. When do I get to go home?? I mean, I love this place, and it's literally like my dreams, but when do I leave? My friends are probably worried about me, where the heck I've gone. …” I said, wondering what they're up to right about now.
“What, you mean back to reality? Earth? Real life?? Never!!” My face looked horrified. Tears streamed down my cheeks, turning into bubbles floating up to the surface. Mermaid life was so weird. “Sweetie don't you see? You belong here now! That's that. Isn't it everyone's dream to have their dreams come true? It's only in fairy tales that this kind of thing happens. Well,some stubborn lucky girl doesn't accept this gift. Now I really must tootle off, and if you have anymore of your questions, ask someone else. You're staying here, darling.” She gave me another quick glance to make her point clear, and she raced down the hole, and out the castle.
So that was that. I was left in salty tear-bubbles, sitting on my bed, inside my room which in fact had no privacy, because of the giant tall oval in the wall. That had to be the door. Basically, my new home was just your average 1 person hotel room. Maybe a little worse, considering the window I also had. Giant hole in the wall. Great. There weren't any sheets on the bed... it was just this mattress with what looked like a whole bag of cotton balls spread evenly around the mattress.
I didn't even want to go out and make the best of it, as I would in most situations. Usually I'm pretty optimistic, but this was just completely different. I had just lost everything that was important to me, and now I'm trapped in my own dream- forever. They're dreams for a reason, and there's a reason why people wake up from them. I couldn't make myself accept reality now. I was trapped as a mermaid.
What a wonderful world.
I didn't have a choice, so I just forced myself to live as a mermaid. I can't find a job, I'm lonely, and helpless.
Back and forth, back and forth. I deal with it, I try to find a way out. I deal with it again, then I cry some more because I can't find a way out. Now I"m going straight to the top of this twisted mermaid world.
Chapter 3
"Miss Dixon!! Miss Dixon!!" I shouted as I started to swim down to her small white castle. I saw her swim out right before I could reach the opening. "I want to go back home. There has to be a way. Please, Miss Dixon!" I pleaded, sounding as innocent as an 11 year old could be.
"Helen, Helen, Helen... haven't I already given you my speech on this topic? There's no way out. End of story, my darling. End of story. Now, I must go elsewhere now. You know to do other things in other places." She explained, slowly moving away and out of sight.
I thought. ... I came into this place through a river, I have to come out of it as a river. The surface! Of course! Swimming all the way up, getting much closer, the light glistened much brighter than ever, blinding me as I kept swimming towards the shimmer. When I was just a few yards from the surface, I heard Teresa screaming my name in the distance.
"STOP!! HELEN!!! What are you doing!?! Have you gone completely insane!!??" I was startled by her shrieking voice.
"I've decided I'm leaving. Sorry, but I really miss my friends and family." I said with a sad look, but also happy for what I was headed for.
"NO! Helen, wait! Don't you know what happens to mermaids that try to return?" I shook my head. "It's practically suicide, but for mermaids. You'll turn into a spirit if you're lucky, but most just end right there. Human transformation is nearly impossible. Especially from being a mermaid. It just can't be done, so you either die or become a spirit." I looked horrified. So much for being happy fro what I was headed for. I could never be human again. Yup, welcome to this wonderland. All my dreams come true- yeah right. Teresa continued, "...but I don't even get why you'd want to leave! You got here only a month ago! please stay, you can live with me if the holding room is bothering you, just please don't leave!" Teresa begged.
I couldn't believe I was doing this. "I'll always remember you. " I said half smiling, half bubble-crying. My throat knotted up and my face went red. I swam straight up.
~
It felt like years before I woke up. I couldn't feel anything. I had lost all my senses, but I could still see and hear. PLus, I could float, like a ghost. A ghost!!! I was a spirit!! Just like Teresa said. I guess I was one of the lucky ones. I roamed over to the river, and saw my cabin mates running in.
"NO!! No, please, NO!!" I shouted, but it was just a whisper in my own ear. I saw the counselors sitting on the hill, staring at my flip flops. That felt like a million years ago that that happened.
Then I realized what was so special. I was a mermaid down there because I dreamed of it. I know my friends didn't want to be mermaids, they never dreamed of it. They were seeing something else. Something new. Anything.
THE END
Tah dah!! :) It was kinda cheesy with the whole mermaid thing, I know, but I like how it ended. Don't worry, I'm sure she'll live a happy life as a spirit. Maybe she'll be like nearly-headless nick from Harry Potter.
