“I can feel it kicking!” Michael said with one hand on my arm and the other on his enormous belly. He’s about five months along now. “That’s great honey!” She said with a hint of sarcasm. She was sick of having to hear about the baby every five minutes, get special food for Michael, it was like having a toddler! But soon, it would all be worth it when she had her precious baby girl, God forbid it was a boy. All boys do is ruin things and have babies. Girls actually get places, and they make all the money. They are more progressive than boys at the most. No, no boys for me, Maylee said in her mind. “Ok, I need to get to the office, I have an unusual appointment today. A woman who claims to be pregnant.” “She should be admitted to a psych ward not my office” she muttered to no one in particular. A woman. What a peculiar thought.

It was a bright day, the sun shining, birds chirping, the water was a perfect shade of clear green. It was perfect. But at the same time, something was off. What was it, Violet thought that made things less than perfect today? She went through her mental checklist again, sun shining, birds chirping, green. No, everything was perfect. Violet shook away her bad feeling and continued on her walk. The streets were empty, the houses dark, “that’s odd.” Violet said to no one in particular. At that moment, all the birds stopped chirping, and the wind stopped blowing. The waves froze in place. Violet looked ahead at a dark figure heading towards her. “Hey!” Violet yelled. No response. Thirty-one seconds later the man reached her. She turned to run but found herself frozen in terror. “Don’t scream.” the man said calmly as creatures emerged from the empty houses. Then, they attacked.

One twist

One turn

another dead end

another broken friend

Two lost objects

Two dry flowers

Another dead end

Another garden to tend

Three seeds planted

Three peices of half scribbled paper

Another dead end

Another book to lend

Four people staring

Four raindrops on your head

Another dead end

But this is not a circle.

It does not repeat

One continuous line

One small sign.

It was a warm, sunny day as Calliope, a Demigod, daughter of Athena, ran down a hill covered in vibrant, warm, green grass. The picture was almost perfect, execpt for the fact that Calliope was running from three monsters, they looked like hellhounds, and they would most definetly snap her neck off if she dared to stop running. “Help! Please, help!” she screamed, as she lost momentum. Sundenly, Calliope was no longer on that field. She was on Mount Olympus. “Come here, child” a voice boomed. Looking around frantically, she spotted a squat man with an olive wreath sitting at a large table, empty exept for him.“I have answered your prayers, but it comes with a price.” Calliope breathed a sigh of relief. She was safe. “you have to make me laugh, if not, I send you back to die in that field. “I accept your challenge” she said, knowing very well that if she didn’t, she would be dead in a heartbeat.

Soon, three maids scuttled up to her with three objects. A sword, a rope, and a leaf. “You must include one of these items into your performance to make me laugh. You have three chances. Use them well.” Calliope looked thoughtfully at the objects before choosing the leaf. Dionysus gave her a look of surprise. “interesting choice. Your deadline is sundown.” Now it was Calliope’s turn to be surprised. Sundown was in two hours! How on Earth would she make him laugh without a proper day to prepare? Surely she would die! She grabbed the leaf and began to think.

It was sundown, the cursed time. The Olympians had gathered at the table to watch the show. Her own mother was missing. Her mother should at least come see her last moments, before she was eliminated by the god with the best poker face! “It is time” Dionysus boomed. “Begin” Calliope, being intelligent and witty, took her leaf, and multiplied it into four, then eight, then sixteen leaves, a mortal magic trick. Dionysus did not even smile. One chance wasted, she thought. Next she told a story of three goats, turned to humans, who did not know how the world worked, A couple of the gods cracked a smile, not Dionysus. She had run out of ideas and the sun was five minutes to completly set, the colors fading from the sky. She would die, all because she did not make him laugh. But, she did not was to die at the hands of a god.

With all her strength and courage, she burst out the doors of the throne room, into the fresh evening air on top of the mountian, then she leaped. The last thing she heard was a laugh, a strong chuckle, turned into a giggle, then full on hysteria.