I Exists

            I exist.  I kept telling myself as I sat in my pod. I was sitting on my bed that had white sheets, a white cover, and a white pillow.  The four walls were all white, the floor was white, and my clothes were all white.  There were no mirrors so I did not know my eye colors or my face and I could feel my head.   I had no hair.  I did not even know how old I was.

“Number 109,” said a voice over the loud speaker and I got up and stood in the center of the room to face a screen with a giant “B” on it. 

“Yes, Brother?” I asked.

“It is time to do your work,” and I opened the slot that was built into one of the walls to find a book and I flipped through it to look at the math problems.

“Solve the whole book in at least three hours,”

“Yes, Brother,” and then it went silent.  I sat on the floor and opened the book and took out the pencil from the book.  The first part was simple addition and then it turned into multiplication, middle school algebra and geometry, high school algebra, and then college calculus.  When I was done, I placed the book and pencil back in the slot for Brother to collect.

“Number 109,” said the voice and I quickly got into the middle of the room. 

“Yes, Brother?” I asked.

“You completed the task in three hours and three minutes,”

“Yes, Brother,”

“You will undergo treatment,” and then my whole body felt like it was on fire.  There were electrical currents under the floor of my room so that no matter where I went, I would always be shock.  When my treatment was over I was laying on the floor. 

“Get up,”

“Yes, Brother,” and I stood in the center of my room. 

“You will undergo a penalty for not completing the task in time.  I will show you a video.  Please find the hidden message,”

            I sat in the center of my pod and Brother played a video for me to watch.  The video was of random images that I knew but never seen before.  I could not understand how I knew the image of a whale, school, businessman, tomato, cup, and much more if I never saw it outside my pod.  The truth was, I never knew a time when I was never in my pod.  This was life, as I knew it.  When the video was done, I stood in my pod.

“What is the secret message?” asked Brother.

“You are nothing,” I told Brother and I waited to hear his answer.

“How did you come to that conclusion?”

“While the images were playing, I caught sight of letters.  From the letters I was able to form words and from the words I was able to form a sentence,”

“And what does the phrase ‘you are nothing’ mean?”

“I do not exists,”

“Correct.  Good job, Number 109,”

            I could not say it out loud, but I knew I exist.  Every since I could remember, Brother has told me that I did not exist, but I knew I did.  If I can think, then I do exist. 

“Meal time,” said Brother and in my slot I found a tray with a fruit, sandwich, and water.  It has been the same meal since I could remember.  After I finished eating and put the tray back in the slot, the lights went out.

“Sleep time,” said Brother and I climbed into bed but before I went to sleep, I kept telling myself that I exist. 

            “Good morning,” said Brother as the lights went on.  I made my bed and then I sat on it, thinking. 

“Number 109,” I got up and went to the center of my pod.

“Yes, Brother,”

“I need you to run around the pod in a circle fifty times in five minutes,”

“Yes, Brother,” and I did as he said.  I ran around the room and counted to fifty.  When I was finished I went to the center of my pod.

“Again,” said Brother.

“Yes, Brother,” and I did the whole think again, but Brother kept making me do it over and over again.  Eventually I lost track of how many times I ran around my small pod. 

“Are you tired?”

“Yes, Brother,”

“Open your slot,” and I did to find a backpack but it was heavy. 

“There are ten pounds in the backpack.  I would like you to run around your pod, wearing the backpack and completing fifty rounds in four minutes, your time begins now,”

“Yes, Brother,” and I ran around my pod again but it became so difficult that I ended up falling and rolling on to my back. 

“Number 109,” and I struggled to get up and into the center of my pod.

“Yes, Brother,”

“You did not complete your rounds on time.  You will be given a treatment,” and instead of a shock, I felt the temperature in my pod increase.  I took off all my clothes and sat in the pod naked but I was still sweating and I had a feeling that at any moment, I was going to burn to death.  I started to cry and then sob. 

“Number 109,” and I got up and went to the center of the pod while wiping my eyes. 

“Yes, Brother,” I struggled to say. 

“Because you failed to complete your runs on time, you will be given a penalty,”

“Yes, Brother,” and then I heard something coming into my pod.  A wide door opened in my pod and I turned around to see a small black box enter the middle of my pod. 

“Number 109,”

“Yes, Brother,”

“Get in the box,” I looked at the box and opened it to look inside.  There was a monitor so that I could always see the letter ‘B’ from Brother, but other then that there was nothing and I knew that I could barely fit in side it. 

“Get in the box,” Brother said again. 

“No,” I said staring at the monitor.

“You will disobey your Brother?  You will undergo treatment that is twice as hard as anything you have ever faced before,” said Brother.

“You can kill me,” I said and I meant it.  I hated this life.  I wanted out and I wanted to live outside my pod.  I did not know what was outside but I wanted to see a school, a whale, a car, streets, and other stuff I never saw except in my mind and on the monitor when Brother played a movie. 

“Do you know what the word ‘death’ means?” asked Brother.

“A separation from the soul and body,” I told him.

“How can a soul separate from the body when you do not have a soul?”

“I do have a soul.  I had a soul before I was born,”

“How did you come to this conclusion?”

“I know things.  I know what a perfect circle looks like but I can’t draw a perfect circle, no one can draw a perfect circle. I must have gotten that knowledge somewhere since no one taught me.  I also know the meaning of Good and Beautiful although my idea of those two adjectives can be different from someone else’s idea but no matter where I go or who I am, those words will always exists.  To have this knowledge, this must mean that I have a soul,”

“What would you do if I told you that we already discovered that you and others like you do not have a soul,”

“If I believe I have a soul then I have a soul and it will continue after I die because will separate form my body,”

“How about this, number 109.  There is an instrument but no one plays the instrument.  Does the instrument still make a sound?”

“If no one plays the instrument then the instrument has no sound,”

“Yes, that is correct.  Then what if the instrument is destroyed?  Does the instrument still have a sound, can it even make a sound?”

“A broken instrument can never make a sound because no one can play a broken instrument,”

“Exactly.  Do you understand?  You are the instrument.  No one has ever played you, thus you have no sound.  When you break, you will no longer be able to make a sound, thus the human body, your body, has no soul,” It made sense to me but I could not believe that I had no soul. 

“I DO HAVE A SOUL AND IF I HAVE A SOUL THEN I EXISTS!” I screamed at Brother.  I did not care if Brother was able to prove me wrong that I had no soul, but as long as I believed I have a soul then I have a soul and if I believe I exist then I exist. 

“You exist?  How did you come to this conclusion?” asked Brother.

“I think so therefore I am.  I exists,” I told him. 

“Let me ask you this question.  There is the letter Z, correct?”

“Alright,”

“Then letter Z breaks up into two new letters.  Letters A and B.  If Z broke into letters A and B, then does Z still exist?”

“No,” I said thinking this through.  I could not find a way for Z to exist after breaking into A and B. 

“Do you understand?” asked Brother.

“I understand that Z no longer exists,” I said.

“Correct, therefore, you do not exists,” I was shocked by what Brother was telling me.  It couldn’t be true, it just couldn’t.

“You didn’t-

“Yes I did,” replied Brother, “you are the letter Z that split into A and B.  You are not the only number 109 to exist in the world,” and I fell to the floor and started to cry.  Then I started to sob. 

“Number 109,”

“Yes, Brother?”

“Do you exist?” Still sitting down in my pod, wiping the tears from eyes I was able to say in between sobs,

“No, I do not exists,” 

Children of the Corn: Matriarch

In a small town in Nebraska, not far from Gatlin.*

            I did not know what happened to any of them.  At the beginning of the day they were normal and going about their daily lives but after six at night, they turned on us.  Every adult in town went wild and started to scream and cry at the same time.  Every child in town under the age of twenty-five became afraid of their own parents. 

            The fathers dealt with the oldest children first because they were the strongest.  The mothers focused on the younger ones.  The single parents team up to gain on their children.  The date was June 6^th, 1966, my birthday.  I just turned six years old that day. 

            I was in the playroom, playing with my dolls when my parents turned into monsters.  I heard their screams and hid in the game closet and then I heard footsteps.  I heard them both enter the playroom.

“Where is she?” I heard my mother ask.  Then the door to the closet open and I stared at my parents.  They looked and smelled like my parents, but their eyes were shot red.  They stared at me with their monster eyes. 

            My father picked me up by my hair and threw me to the ground.  My mother kicked me and they both yelled at me, calling me a terrible daughter and wishing that I would burn in hell.  I did not understand what was happening or why my parents were acting crazy.  Then they stopped and I was bruised and bleeding everywhere.  It became difficult to breathe but I struggled to live. 

            My mother left and returned with a pair of scissors and cut my beautiful blonde hair.  I cried and asked her why she did that but she did not respond.  Then my father grabbed me and the pair of scissors from my mother’s hand.  It all happened so quickly.  He slit my throat and I died.  But while I was dying I wished for revenge.

            In the year 2016, fifty years after the massacre of the children, the town seemed like any other town.  A town with shops, schools, cars, and families.  Everyone was happy and many thought that the story of the children massacre was a myth.  In one such house lived a little girl named Eve who would soon be six.  She lived in the house with her parents and her older brother, Matt who just returned from his first year of college. 

            When Eve’s birthday arrived, everyone was happy for her and gave her presents.  At home she got her favorite chocolate cake and got a new doll from her parents.  Her brother got her a locket with their pictures in it.  Then when their father clock stroked six at night, Eve changed. 

“Is everything alright, honey?” asked her mother.  Eve just finished her first piece of chocolate cake and stared off into space with her hands shaking. 

“Eve?” asked her father.  Eve became pale and then when the clock said six ‘o’ one, her color came back and her hands stop shaking. 

“Honey?” asked her mother and she reached out to touch Eve, but Eve pushed her away and left the table. 

“Eve, apologize to your mother!” exclaimed her father, but Eve walked away and into her room. 

“I’ll go talk to her,” said Matt.  Matt became worried when he found Eve sitting on her bed, staring out side the window. 

“Eve is everything okay?” Matt asked.

“When was I born?” Eve asked.  Matt found this to be a strange question but answered it anyway.

“Today, silly.  June 6^th in the year 2010,” Eve then had a smile on and turned to her brother.

“Then I am six today?” she asked and Matt saw that his sister was back. 

“Yes!  Do you like being six?”

“I love it!  I wish I did not have to age.  I want to be a kid forever.  How old are you?”

“Did you forget?  Oh well, your still young, forgetting is okay.  I will be twenty in November,”

“Twenty?  Then you are still young too!”

“I guess, although I feel old,” Eve then got up and started to play with her dolls.  Matt thought she was okay and went back downstairs to talk to his parents and tell them Eve was just fine.  But when he walked out the door, Eve had an evil smile on her face and took two Barbie dolls that represented parents and took off their heads.

            When the clock stroke midnight, Eve got up from bed.  She walked into the kitchen and looked around.  She found a butcher knife and stared at her reflection. 

“I look better with brown hair,” she said to her reflection.  Eve quietly walked up the stairs and into her parent’s bedroom. 

“Now, you will pay,” she said in a low voice.  In a quick chop, she cut off her mother’s head without hesitation.  The blood splattered her on her face and the rest hit the wall.  Her father was still snoring away in his sleep, thinking that everything was all right and that his family was safe. 

“You’re next, daddy,” Eve said and walked to his side of the bed.  Just as she did to her mother, she did to her father.  Blood hit her face and pajamas and blood hit the wall.  The wall looked as if it was bleeding.  Her parent’s bed was filled with blood. 

“Good-night, mommy and daddy,” she said before walking out.  She took the butcher’s knife and buried in the backyard along with her pajamas.  In the bathroom she washed her face and then went back to sleep.

            The police arrived when Matt called.  Matt made sure Eve did not enter the room or see the police arrive.  He sent Eve to school and called after the bus picked her up. 

“Did you hear anything last night?” asked the police. 

“No, I did not hear anything.  I slept the whole night.  I was tired from work,”

“Do you know anyone who would want to harm your parents?”

“No, I don’t,” and Matt watched them remove the bodies in bags and the police went into the room to investigate. 

“Officer, my sister and I will need a place to stay.  I can’t afford the mortgage,”

“Did you try calling your friends?” Matt was so overwhelmed he did think about calling anyone.  His closest relatives lived on the other side of the country and then the next closets lived in Europe. 

            Matt called his friend Robert and asked if they could stay over and told him what had happened to his parents.  Robert’s parents quickly decided to take in Matt and his sister. 

            When Eve arrived home that afternoon, Matt told her everything.  Eve shook her head and started to cry.  Eve locked her self in her room and pretended to be sad but instead she was planning. 

            Matt drove himself and Eve to Robert’s place that was on the other side of town.  By that time, the whole town heard about what happened. 

“You can stay here as long as you like,” said Robert’s mother. 

“My brother and I are going to share my room.  Your sister and you can stay in is room,” Robert said as he escorted the two to his brother’s room.  The room had one bed and a mattress on the floor. 

“I’m sorry for your loss,” Robert’s brother said when he saw the two orphans going into his room.  Eve gave Robert’s brother a dirty look as if saying ‘beware’ but Robert’s brother over looked this. 

“Why is he wearing such strange clothing?” asked Eve to Robert.

“He’s a priest at the local Church,” he said and Eve facial expression changed. 

            It was near the end of the school year for the younger kids and Matt was surprised to have gotten a call from the school about Eve.  Eve waited for him out in the hallway during her lunch period and Matt went in the classroom to talk to Ms. Cooper about Eve.

“Is something wrong?” asked Matt. 

“I know your parents just died and this is difficult for a child but I am worried about Eve.  She’s changed and I know children change once their parents die all of a sudden, but this is different.  She’s change, extremely,”

“What do you mean?”

“During recess, Eve usually played with her dolls with the other girls or played tag.  But after your parent’s death, Eve started to gather children.  First it was two or three, but now it is growing.  At the current moment, she has gathered most of the school and each time, more join her gathering,”

“What are they doing?”

“She talks to them about God.  A God called He Who Walks Behind the Rows*,” The room was silent for a moment.

“Maybe they are just playing.  I’ve never heard of a God by that name.  We’re Jewish,”

“I know this is shocking.  But this is a public school.  If this continues, she may not be welcome back next year,” This ticked Matt off and he said that the teacher was crazy just because his little sister was fooling around.  Matt stormed out the room and took Eve by the hand.  The next morning Eve and the children went to school and to no one’s surprise they had a substitute.  Ms. Cooper died in a car accident the day before. 

            Matt kept a close eye on Eve and started to see some changes.  She went to temple but argued with the Rabbis.  Matt was told by the Rabbis to not allow Eve back in the temple.

            Eve’s class took a field trip to the high school to see a play they put on for the children.  Eve disappeared from her group and got lost in the school’s cafeteria where she started to preach to the students.  The faculty got angry with this and when Eve was about to be taken back to her class, the high school student’s in the cafeteria rebelled.  A few faculty members were killed. 

            The children in the town started to change.  Children argued and disrespected their parents.  Some even changed their names, such as the boy who lived across the street from Robert’s house.  The boy’s name was Gale but he changed it to Jonah.  The twins next store to Robert named Grace and Daisy changed their names to Rachel and Ruth.  Matt also started to notice that Eve got up in the middle of the night.  He thought that Eve was just going to the bathroom or getting a drink of water, but then he realized he did not hear any water or the toilet being flushed, so he knocked on the door and realized she was not in there.  He went into the kitchen and the TV room, but she was not there! 

            One night, Matt pretended to sleep and when Eve got up, he decided to follow her.  He follower her outside the house and she went into a cornfield that surrounded the town.  He also noticed other children, of all ages, entering the cornfields.  Matt even saw Robert enter! 

            Matt followed the children to an opening in the middle of the field.  A cross was made out of corn and he saw three corpses being hung on three giant crosses.  He immediately recognized his parents and the other one was Ms. Cooper. 

“Today I will you tell you the story of David, our first King,” he heard a child’s voice and he sat down in the corn to listen.

“David was only a child when he became a favorite of God.  When Goliath was threatening his people, David took up the courage to fight him.  Goliath saw the boy and laughed.  Saying that the army should have sent out a man, not a boy.  With one shot of his slingshot, David hit Goliath on the forehead.  Goliath, who was an adult, not a giant, fell dead, defeated by a boy.  Goliath underestimated the power of David because he was a boy but David proved to be more powerful.  Because David had God because God loves children.  We are his children.  But like any child, David had to grow up and when he was twenty-five, David betrayed God.  He slept with someone else’s wife and purposely killed the man to get to her.  His innocence was gone.  His connection with God ended.  He became a sinner, like all the adults in the world.  Do you want to fall out of favor with God?  Thus that is why the age is limit to twenty-five.  Anyone twenty-five or older, must not be trusted because they are sinners.*  Praise God,”

“Praise God, praise the Lord,”* said the children.  Matt listened to the whole story and immediately took it all in.  He started to see why the children listened to Eve; he saw why the children acted strangely to their parents.  It was because the adults were sinners!  Just by listening to one sermon, Matt started to believe in Eve’s teachings and the teachings of this God called He Who Walks Behind the Rows.

“God demands a sacrifice,” said Eve.  Two older children brought out a man from the cornfield that was tied up and placed him on a cross.  Matt recognized the man as Robert’s brother. 

“This man is a sinner and worshiping a false God!  He must be punished.  Sacrifice! Praise God!”

“Praise God, praise the Lord!” Eve picked up a scythe and handed it to Robert.  Robert’s brother had fear in his eyes and looked at all the children.

“Children!  This is blasphemy!  Remember what the bible says, do not worship false Gods!  Beware young children!  Beware false Gods!  Robert, my brother, don’t do this!  I’m your brother!  Jesus is our savior!”

“Lies!” exclaimed Eve, “It is also stated in the bible that a child shall lead them.  Anyway, our God is powerful.  We’ve have seen his powers.  Your God is false!  Our God is powerful and is older then Jesus himself!”

“You worship the Devil!  My brother!  Children!  Repent!” yelled Robert’s brother with fright in his eyes.

“You should repent brother for your time has come,” and Eve nodded to Robert.  Robert chopped his brother’s head off with scythe and watched the head roll to the ground.  Robert had no emotions on his face.

“Praise God, praise the Lord,” he said.  Then I saw Eve’s head turn and I knew that she knew my presence was in their mists. 

“Come out from the corn,” she said pointing at me and I came out.  Everyone stared at me but no one moved.

“My dear brother, you’ve finally joined us,” Eve said with a smile.  I walked to the back where the older kids sat and sat down next to them. 

“I wish to hear more stories,” and Eve told another tale. 

            It was almost July fourth and unlike in the past years, none of the older children went to sleep away camp because they knew the time had come.  Eve told them the date and time of when to take action and when it arrived they took action. 

            Every child in the town took their parent’s lives as the lives of Eve’s host took hers.  That night, instead of the children screaming, the adults screamed.  Some even prayed.  By the new morning, every adult in the town had been dispose of and their bodies taken to the cornfields.  Eve’s host finally got her revenge. 

“It has been done, Eve,” said Matt who is now called Matthew.

“Brother, my name is not Eve.  Call me, Sarah,”

The children gathered on the night of November 15^th, 2022 in the center of the cornfield.  Every child was carrying a lit candle except for two.  Matthew and his sister, Sarah.  In her left hand, Sarah was carrying the bible of the group. 

“Do not be afraid, brother,” Sarah said to Matthew.

“It is God’s will,” A girl named Elizabeth, who was only twenty stood next to Matthew and in her hand was a baby boy. 

“Sister, will you do the honor of naming my son before I go?” asked Matthew. 

“Of course brother.  I know a perfect name for the child.  There was a boy, many years ago before any of us were born, before the twenty first century.  He led a group of children not far from this town.  He promised us that he would come again when the time was right.  We have been waiting ever since,” Sarah looked at the baby and gave the child a smile and a kiss. 

“What shall his name be?” asked her brother.

“His name, shall be Isaac*,” said Sarah.

“Isaac,” whispered Matthew and he kissed his child on the forehead and his wife on the cheek.  He gave Sarah a smile and headed towards the cornfield.  Before entering, he turned around and looked at the group of children.

“Praise God! Praise the Lord!” and then he enter the cornfield. 

           

References
1. “Gatlin” is a reference to the original location of the short story “Children of the Corn,” by Stephen King.

2. “He Who Walks Behind the Rows,” is a reference to a God created by Stephen King in his original short story, “Children of the Corn”.   

3. “Don’t trust anyone over twenty-five,” is a reference to the novel Little Brother by Cory Doctorow. 

4. “Praise God, Praise the Lord,” is a reference to the original saying from the original short story “Children of the Corn,” by Stephen King. 

5. Isaac is a reference to the original leader of the children in Stephen King’s original short story, “Children of the Corn”.  

Hunter

            It was dark with no windows.  My ankles were chained to the walls and all my weapons were taken from me.  They gave me food and water, but I hated them.  Every time I saw one, I wanted to kill it.  I did not care if they treated me like an animal and tried to get me to talk, I hated them. 

            I did not know what date it was or even if it was morning or night.  There seemed to be no time for them or time in this cell.  I started to grow tired because I knew I have not slept in days.  When my eyes started to close, I thought I heard their voices.  My parents’ voices.

            I was thirsty and I got out of bed to get a glass of water.  As I was walking to the bathroom I heard my parent’s voices.  But I did not just hear their voices, I also heard another voice.  Out of curiosity I snuck down stairs to hear them. 

            I stood outside the room and did not peek in but I could tell that my parents were angry at the stranger.

“How dare you come into our home,” I heard my father say. 

“You killed her,” I heard a deep voice say. 

“Why did you come here?  You know who we are.  You know what we do and since you’re here, we have to get the job done,” I heard my mother say. 

“I thought your motto was to defend yourselves and the world from attacks?  I am not here to attack you.  I am here to confront you,” said the stranger.

“Just another way of saying revenge,” There was silence for a moment.

“I know you killed her,” said the stranger.  More silence. 

“I KNOW YOU DID IT!” he exclaimed and by this time I was on the floor covering my ears and closing my eyes.  I felt cold and scared by this stranger.  I could not move although I desperately wanted to run up stairs and jump back into my bed. 

“Okay, we killed her.  But it was an accident.  We were sent after someone else and we accidentally killed her because she was where he was supposed to be,” said my mother.

“That’s no excuse!  I believe your holy book says an eye for an eye,”

“Don’t you dare!” The next thing I heard was something like a fight.  I heard things falling over and breaking.  I heard stuff being thrown and I heard screams from my parents.  I did nothing except cover my ears, close my eyes, and pray that the fight would be over. 

            When everything fell silent, I slowly got up and found the courage to turn around the corner and enter the room.  I would never forget what I saw.  It scared me so much that I was not able to sleep well for years. 

            My parents were on the floor, blood everywhere.  The room was torn to pieces, as if a tornado went through the room.  My mother had a knife sticking out of her back and I saw stab wounds all over her body.  My father’s head was smash and I saw blood flowing out of his head.  I knew that his head was smash against something and that caused his death.  Then there was something standing in front of my parents.  It was the stranger. 

            The stranger was wearing a nice suit with a black tie.  He had long black hair, with his bains in front of his face.  He was breathing very hard, almost out of breath.  He was putting  his hand over his stomach, where I saw blood was draining from his body.  He also had stab wounds on his arms and knees and I saw that his shirt was cover with blood, probably my parent’s blood.  But that was not the only thing.  The stranger had pale skin and from his mouth I could see two, long, sharp white teeth.  That was when I saw the teeth marks on my parents.  That was when it hit me.  The stranger was a vampire!

“Mommy, daddy?” I asked looking at the bodies, which was when the vampire looked up. 

“A child?  I didn’t know,” he said in between breaths.  I stood still, staring back and forth between my parents and the vampire.  I started to shake and shed a few tears. 

“I’m sorry young one.  I did not know that they had a child.  I didn’t know,” said the vampire with sad looking eyes.  Then it seemed as if he was afraid and then he jump out the window and into the dark woods. 

            I ran to my parents and knelt next to their bodies.  That was when I started to sob.  A vampire killed my parents!  My brother who was sleeping upstairs and I were now alone.  We became orphans over night.  I looked at my parent’s bodies and asked them to wake up.  I then got sick and I tried again to wake my parents even though I knew it was useless. 

“Please, don’t leave me,” I said to them through my sobs.  Then all I could do was sit next to them and cry until morning came.

            I grabbed the chalk and drew a side ways line against the four lines together.  I counted the lines and told myself that I was in the cell for about thirty days now, although I was guessing.  I was probably there longer since I started keeping count a few days after they caught me or so I believed.  I could not tell when a day passed so I marked the wall when I thought it was appropriate.  Then a tray came into my cell.  The tray had a piece of bread and water. 

            After our parent’s death my brother and I were sent to an orphanage, a few towns over.  We said good-bye to our friends and neighbors before leaving.  The police said that our parents were murder but I informed my brother about what I saw.  That was when he told me everything. 

“They were going to tell you when you turned thirteen about their job.  They work as accountance in the morning and hunters at night,” my brother told me. 

“You knew?” I asked. 

“Yes and I just started my training shortly after my thirteenth birthday.  But I don’t know much, sister.  I just turned thirteen.  I’m sorry you had to see that,”

            My brother and I lost our parents, our home, everything that we loved and knew.  We were only allowed to take a few clothes and only a few objects.  My brother took five of his favorite books along with a picture of our parents.  I took my teddy bear that my parents gave me for my fifth birthday, which was six months ago.  Everything else we owned was sold. 

            My brother and I hated the orphanage.  The other children were mean to the younger children, such as myself.  Within the first week, another child stole my teddy bear.  My brother also lost his books.  On rare occasions I saw my brother, they often kept the boys and girls separated.  I made a few friends, but eventually they got adopted and left.  Most of the older kids ran away and many tried to convince my brother to leave, but he would not leave me behind.  They ended up leaving him behind instead.  There were many young couples that wanted to adopt me but each time I found a way to stay at the orphanage to stay with my brother.  The people who ran the orphanage did not like my brother and I.  They wanted my brother to leave to make room for younger orphans and they wanted me to be adopted to make money.  However we always stayed put. 

            After living in the orphanage for about a year, a man came for us.  He said he was away, traveling in Europe and got a notice of our parent’s death recently from a friend.  He had long black hair, tied in a ponytail, a long black coat, a nice clean suit and shoes, and a scar on his left cheek. 

            My brother and I were called into the office to meet this man.  It turned out that this man was our uncle, our father’s younger brother. 

“Hello children, my name is Caleb, but you can call me Uncle Caleb,”

            One of them came to my cell and opened the door.  They tied chains around my wrists and neck.  They took me to the council room and I sat in a chair in front of the panel.  But the seats were empty and everyone waited for the council.  I could care less.  I look down on the floor, thinking about my revenge.  I also looked at the clock in the room.  The hearing was supposed to start at noon, but it was almost one.  That was when a messenger came in and said that the hearing was cancel due to busy scheduling.  They returned me to my cell. 

            Uncle Caleb lived in a mansion that was isolated from society.  When we arrived I asked him if he was a vampire hunter like my mother and father.  He said he was and promised to continue my brother’s training. 

“I want to train to,” I told him.

“You are too young.  The law says you must be at least thirteen to start,”

“I don’t care.  I want to start now.  Teach me,”

“No,” he said.

“I SAW MY PARENT’S DIE!” I yelled at him and he gave me a shocking look as if a six year old could not scream that loud. 

“Teach me,” I told him with determination in my eyes. 

“Fine.  I will teach you along side your brother.  However, you two must not tell anyone otherwise we can all end up in jail.  Come,” he said and my brother and I followed him to the training room.

            It was discovered during our training that my brother had asthma.  Even though he had asthma he could still be trained.  When September it was time for my brother and I to go to school however Uncle Caleb wanted us to be home school.  My brother did not like that idea and somehow got my Uncle to allow him to go to the local school in town.  However, I was home schooled under the guidance of my uncle. 

            I often skipped my home schooling to read books about vampires.  How they lived, how they hunt, why they hunt, and so on.  I also skipped home schooling to train my body.  I ran, jumped, swam, did push ups, and other physical activities to make me fast and strong.  My brother could careless he became interested in math and science and found little interest in becoming a vampire hunter.  One day during training he got into an argument with uncle Caleb. 

“I don’t want to be a vampire hunter, I want to be a mathematician,” he said. 

“You do not have that choice.  It is in your blood to hunt vampires.  You may not realize it now, but eventually the pulse to hunt will over come you, both of you.  You have no choice, it will become an urge,”

“I have a choice!” said my brother.

“Actually you do not.  Most vampire hunters have one parent who is a vampire hunter.  Those children will be able to live normal lives because the impulse only comes from one side of the family.  However, you two are special.  Both sides were vampire hunters, thus you will not be able to control the pulse.  It may not be in you now, but for you, boy, it will be soon, as you get closer to your eighteenth birthday,”

            After training for a year with Uncle Caleb, he was impressed by my improvements.  I was much stronger then my brother and due to that we could not longer spare with each other.  I had to continue my sparing training with Uncle Caleb.  He told me that my abilities to attack and hunt were that of a prodigy.  He said by the time I’m thirteen I would have the strength and skills equal to that of a professional vampire hunter. 

            “Put her in that cell,” I heard a voice say and I looked up as I saw them place a body in the cell across from mine.  I saw that she was a bit older then I and weak.  She was struggling to breath and sitting up.  I knew she would not last two days.  She would be dead by then.  After what felt like a few hours, my only guest since I was put in the cell died.  They took her body away.  She was dead before I could even talk to her and find out who she was.  Death was constant for hunters.

            We had been living with Uncle Caleb for two years when an army of vampires attacked.  Uncle Caleb told us that he on top of the lists for vampires to attack.  He was a well-known hunter and his presences threatened their lives.  We did not know how they found us until it was revealed that one of the servants was a vampire that we over looked.  We rarely had contact with the servants and they went under intense questioning before hiring.  Somehow this one vampire went under the radar. 

            They came into the house and set it on fire, making my brother and I get up and run outside.  Uncle Caleb also escaped the fire, but the house burned to the ground.  The vampires surrounded us on the lawn. 

“We only want you Caleb,” their leader said.  Even I knew that Caleb could not fight all of them and I only wished I had my sword and knife on me. 

“I will let you take me under one condition.  You will leave the children alone.  I know your kind does not attack children,” he said to them and they agreed. 

“No!” I yelled and my brother yelled with me.  As they were chaining up Uncle Caleb, one of them looked at my brother.

“How old are you boy?  You are at least fourteen.  Old enough to had start your training.  We should take this one,” and when he said that I grabbed my brothers hand.

“He has asthma.  He is too weak to become a hunter.  His future lies in math,” my Uncle Caleb said and they check my brother’s pockets and found his inhaler.  However, we knew that he was lying.  My brother’s asthma was not that severe that he could not become a vampire hunter.  He lied to save his life. 

“Leave them,” said their leader and as quickly as they came, they left.  My brother and I became orphans again. 

“Come on,” said my brother.

“Where are we going?”

“I don’t know.  But we’ll continue our training together.  They must be stopped.  First they took our parents and now our uncle!  Our only relative!  I hated them!  We have money, we can buy weapons and Uncle Caleb taught us how to track.  We can take them all down,” and that was when I started to see that my brother was turning into a hunter. 

“Together,” I told him and we walked off into the unknown. 

            For the next twenty years, my brother and I traveled the whole country, searching and hunting vampires.  We became very successful and the vampire community had bounties on our heads.  Although we were children at first, we became professionals very quickly due to our heritage. 

            There were times that we had to team up with other professional hunters but in the end, after the deed was done, my brother and I left to continue our own hunt.  We kept count up to killing over a hundred vampires and then we lost count.  The Vampire Hunter society wanted to recruit us.  They were an international organization of vampire hunting and it was the same organization that our parents belonged to and their parents and their parent’s parents.  Our ancestors were famous vampire hunters and we knew very little about our family.  My brother and I declined, deciding to follow our own principals and knowledge. 

            Eventually when I was twenty-eight and my brother was thirty-six, our sources led us to a castle in England.  A powerful vampire family was thought to have lived there and that they were going on a killing spree in the local town.  But we landed in a trap and my brother and I were taken by the vampire’s society.  That was how I landed in my cage. 

            They took me from my cell and I returned to the vampire council.  This time all twelve seats were filled with each leader of a famous vampire elite family.  They read my accounts and all the murders I commit.

“How do you plea?” they asked me.

“I killed them for killing humans, just like you killed my parents,” I told the council. 

“We have our own judicial system but you humans believe you can play God.  We have vampires who are murders but we also have vampires who are not, just as in your world you have humans who are murders and humans who are not.  You have your justice system and we have ours.  Hunters do not have the right to interfere with our judicial system,” said one vampire. 

“How does the council find the defendant?” asked a vampire sitting in at the end of the right row. 

“We find the defendant, guilty,” No surprise there.

            My final sentence was death.  I was to be killed in one day’s time.  Meaning I had twenty-four hours left to live.  I also heard that my brother got the same sentence.  I sat in my cell, not willing to eat or drink until my death.  When my cell started to open I somehow knew that it was too early to get me.  To my amazement, the cell door was open but no one was there.  I also found my chains to be unchained as well.  There was a note on my cell address to me.

            “I’m sorry about your parents all those years ago.  I hope this makes it up to you.  Your brother is free as well.  Please forgive me, I did not know that they had children otherwise I would have never had killed them.  Please forgive me,”

            I crumpled up the note and took off.  I found my weapons and escaped and found my brother waiting for me in the woods.

“Did you get the note?” I asked him.  He nodded.

“Remember my brother, never forgive them,” He smiled at me.

“Come sister, we have a hunt to continue,” and we walked back into the unknown. 

            

Youths of America

              I was listening to the radio in my car and I listen to the music that was playing on each station as I switched between them to find a good song to listen to.  Then I started to wonder about the lyrics and words that are used in songs.

            Shit.  Faggot.  Fuck you.  Ass hole.  Bitch.  Crap.  The list can go on.  When I arrived home, I sat down and turned on the television. On MTV and other reality television shows they kept repeating those terrible words.  I switched to Nickelodeon, Cartoonnet Work, and the Disney Channel that allowed children to be children.  I started to wonder about how many children still watch these cartoons and when do they start switching to the rap music and the “older” channels? 

            I walked into town and went to my town’s park.  It was a little pass three on a Friday afternoon.  The children from the middle school were out, having fun with their friends in the park and talking to girls or boys.  I saw high school kids drive by in their cars that had more than one person.  I sat on a bench and took out a book and I watched the younger children hanging out. 

“Hey you!  Fuck off!” one of them yelled at me and another one called me a bit and another one yelled faggot.  Eventually they got bored with me and left me alone but when they told me those terrible things I felt sad for them.  They laughed at each other as they called me one thing after another.

“How old are you kids?” I asked them innocently. 

“Eleven and twelve,” one of them said and then yelled another terrible word at me.  Then they started to talk among themselves. 

            Eleven and twelve year olds yelling those words at someone they do not know.  They probably do not understand how hurtful those words were to some people.  Did they always yell that at adults?  Even their own parents?  What was this country coming to and yes I do mean country.  I’ve traveled outside the country and in many of the places I’ve been to, none of the children were like the awful children in the United States. 

            These terrible words were becoming to be the norm for young children in the United States.  I started to wonder if the adults who wrote the songs or the adults who produce the television show knew how their influences were effecting the youths of America.  If they were on live television and told the country that saying curse words were wrong and that they would stop using it in their songs and televisions, would it effect the youth?  I answered with yes because those songwriters, singers, producers, and so on are the youth’s role models and whatever they do, the youth do.  So if they say, “saying curse words are wrong” then I believe the youth will follow them. 

            They do not know how they are affecting the children in the country.  It’s not the children’s fault or the parents.  Even if parents made them stop watching television or listening to certain music, the kids will find ways to do those things.  So do those certain adults know what they are doing to the youths of America?  Making them yell curse words at people they do not know, make fun of others, and disrespect their parents?  They probably don’t because they do not have children of their own or they just don’t see it. 

            “It’s no one fault,” I remember hearing as a child and to this day I still believe in that saying.  Yes, the famous people are doing things that children will mimic, but if they do not know what they are doing is wrong, then it’s not their fault.  It’s never anyone’s fault but maybe if we took those words out of music and television shows, things will start changing for the youths of America.  Change is a difficult thing but eventually everyone has to adapt to it. 

            All I could do in that park that day was sit back, look up at the sky, and remind myself of how wonderful my life is, even if those kids yell mean things at me.  Those words are not going to change who I am because in the end, the children do not know any better.  Once they are older, maybe they will understand and I can only hope for the best. 

The History of Hatred

              I look back during my time in school from elementary school through high school.  In my history classes I learned about how African Americans were enslaved and then were free after the Civil War.  I learned how the Jews were put into camps during Nazi Germany.  I learned how a man named Martin Luther King Jr. fought for the equal rights of African Americans.

            My grandmother was born in 1920 and she told me stories about her life and how she was picked on for being Italian.  During her time no one like the Italian and the Irish because people thought they were taking their jobs and were going to take over. 

            In sophomore year, I learned how on the West the people hated the Chinese because they thought they would not be able to assimilate and the cultures were too different for the citizens of the United States at the time. 

            During World War II, I learned how citizens of United States who were of Japanese origin were put into camps.  They were taken away from their homes by force and were taken to an unknown land in their own country because people feared them.  Even people who never met a Japanese person became frighten after Pearl Harbor. 

            In history class I learned how people struggle because of who they were and were judge based on the color of their skin, their heritage, or their beliefs.  I started to admire the people who fought for their rights, including those who fought for the rights of others although they did not share the same heritage, beliefs, or colors of the skin.  And by reading the paper and listening to the news, I learned that this hatred continues, and not just in another country that is far away, but in my own country! 

            There are many people who disagree with gay marriage and call them “faggots”.  I know some people do not believe it in because of religious reasons, but then I see children and they just mimic their parents.  They are not able to think for themselves and I wonder if they will ever be able think for themselves.  I also questioned the bible about gay marriage. It is written in the Old Testament, but I could find nothing about it in the New Testament.  Did this mean that God changed his mind?  Also, Jesus taught us to love one another as I have loved you.  So why do people continue to hate, if our savior taught us to love?  Does that mean they are going against Jesus and his teachings?  If Jesus was here, right now, watching my country and the whole world, would he be upset with those who continue to hate but still love him?  I also question why God made a man love another man or a woman love another woman and the only thing I could come up with was that he was testing us.  Testing us to love and accept different people.  Testing has always risen in the human history and I realized that there would never be a time when we are not tested by God or some supreme being. 

            For those who follow the gospel, I question them.  Jesus taught us to love everyone and everything, so why do you hate?  Jesus never taught us to hate.  What about the story of the Good Samaritan?  The Samaritan hated Jews and the Jews hated them, but in the story it was a Samaritan who saved the life of a Jew, while the Rabbi and a scholar left him for dead.  Doesn’t that mean anything?  Wasn’t Jesus telling us to overlook everything we knew and to care for one another?  God created man in his image, so when we see someone we should remind ourselves that God created them in his image and we should not question God why he made a man a man or a woman a woman. 

            Love is a powerful thing.  Loving a friend, parent, child, relative, pet, and even another human being who we would want to be with for the rest of our lives.  So why is it wrong for a man to love a man or a woman to love a woman?  It’s love and it can take many forms and can be strong during difficult times. 

            I know what people may say about me if they read this or listen to my beliefs about gay marriage and gay couples.  Although I am not gay, I still believe they have rights because they are humans as well, are they not?  I studied the bible and the teachings of Jesus and he taught us to love.  Every story he told his followers were about love.  So then, if someone hates someone just because of whom he or she is but say they follow the teachings of Jesus Christ, then would that person be a hypocrite?  I would say yes because if you hate someone, then you do not follow the teachings of Jesus. 

            What would you do, if you died and stood before Jesus?  I believe Jesus would question you why you had so much hate.  You would probably ask him what he was talking about.  Jesus would tell you that you hated gay people and you would tell him why you hated gay people.  But then I believe Jesus would ask you, “I taught my followers to love one another.  So if I taught love, then why do you hate?  Why did you become a lost sheep?” and you would probably say why but I believe in the end, Jesus would be sad and no matter what you say, Jesus would still question why you did not love. 

“Love one another, as I have loved you,” 

Rescue: A Dog's Tale

            You think I forgot, but in reality I remember everything, starting from when I was very young.  I remember my mother and my brothers and sisters and how we played together and slept together next to our mother.

            Although we were happy and always bouncing with joy, the time came when we no longer wanted to be with our mother, but instead wanted to make a family happy.  At night while we slept, we dreamed about our new home and the humans who we will be sharing our wonderful life with. 

            As days went on, each one of us was taken home, hoping for a perfect family who will love us forever.  We did not care if we were taken to a house or an apartment.  If the family was big with kids or just a bachelor or bachelorette who wanted a partner to keep them company.  The only thing we wanted was a place to call home.

            Eventually, just like my brothers and sisters, a family choose to take me home.  They were a young couple and they gave me a name that I was honor to have.  I licked their faces and promised them (although they could not understand me) that I would always love them, protect them, and make them happy. 

            As years went on, we ran through some rough times (such as house training) and some wonderful times (like going on long walks) and as each time passed, I loved it all.  I was happy and had a wonderful home.  I thought that I would stay with you forever and that no matter what, you would be at my side. 

            But then I needed medication and you decided that you could not afford it.  For years I stood by your side and when I needed you the most, you decided to take me somewhere.  I sat in the back of the car, not knowing what was going through your heads.  I was wondering if you were taking me to the vet or a friend’s house.  Instead you took me to a shelter and said your good-byes to me.  I watched you leave, wondering when you would come back to pick me up. 

            A stranger put me in a cage and it was a very small and cold cage compared to my big and warm house.  I laid down, waiting for you to come get me.  The stranger who put me in the cage looked at me with sad eyes. 

“I’m sorry buddy,” he said and wrote something on my cage and left for the night.  It was dark, cold, and small.  But even though I was in that cage, I still told myself that you were coming back.  That no matter what, you were going to come back.

            Early the next morning, a young lady came in and saw me.  She talked to the man who put me in the cage last night and the man seemed happy to see her.  They opened my cage and the lady petted me.  I gave her a smile and wagged my tail.  I was telling her that even though my humans left me, I was going to be okay because they were going to come back. 

            The man then gave the lady a leash and she attached it to my collar.  She took me outside in the cold morning air and put me in the back of her car.  She smiled at me, which seemed both happy and sad.  I thought she was going to take me to my humans but instead she took me to a small house and put me in another cage. 

            Although I was back in a cage the lady came by everyday and allowed me to play outside with other dogs, although they were much younger then me.  That was when I realized that you were not coming back.  The others and I talked to each other about our “old” humans and the others informed me that you were not going to come back.  At first I told myself that it was not true, but eventually I learned that you were not coming back and I became very sad. 

            I lay down in my cage and was wondering what I did wrong.  Did you love me?  Did you miss me?  What did I do wrong?  You had me for almost ten years and just like that, you left me.  Although I knew you were not coming back, deep in my heart, I was hoping that you would change your mind and come back for me. 

            Months went by and I still lived in the cage along with the other dogs that I became very fond of.  But many of them found new homes and I started to think that for the rest of my life I would be stuck in a cage because of my age.  But then one day a woman and her college daughter arrived at the shelter. 

            The daughter was looking for a younger dog, but once she saw me, she said I was perfect!  I licked her face and her mother’s and let them pet me.  I really wanted to get out of that cage.  I knew that deep down in the daughter’s heart that she was sad and when she took me home, I knew why.  The daughter just lost a dog that she had for fourteen years. 

            When I discovered why she was sad, I went up to her and lay down next to her feet while she was watching TV.  I told her that I know you are sad because you lost a companion and a friend.  I bet you loved your dog very much.  I lost my humans and I became very sad because I loved them and they gave me away but now I need someone to make me happy. 

            Many months passed and the whole family loves me.  Although I live in a new house, with a new backyard and a new family I still dream about my old home with my old family.  Although they gave me away, I want them to know that I will never forget them and I will always miss them.  But now this girl needs me and I found a purpose in my life once again, to become a companion and friend.  And somehow I know that this family and I will not separate, not until death comes to get me.  But for now, I wish for you to know that I am happy and I love my new life but even though you gave me away, I love you too.