There were two men I knew

Both were very talented

And handsome

But the two of them were opposites

And as fate would have it

Opposites attract

Man number one

A ruthless business man

With connections

In every company you could name

And as fate would have it

The richest man on Earth

Man number two

A retired war veteran

With skills

Far beyond any god or angel

And as fate would have it

The most dangerous man alive

One day, the business man

Heard about something

An opportunity

To move ahead much farther

And as fate would have it

He signed up

But this rich business man

Did not expect this

A war veteran

Being considered for the opportunity

And as fate would have it

He was very well liked

And thus began a petty fight

Between the entreprenuer

And the god

Polar opposites attracted

And as fate would have it

They went to war

What amount of talents

From confidence and delegation

Building bridges

Could possibly land this man ahead

As fate would have it

This man could go no further

What amount of talents

From wisdom and strength

Dependability

Could possibly keep this man ahead

As fate would have it

This man could go no further

An immovable object

And an unstoppable force

Collided

Both blinded by their egotistical talents

And as fate would have it

Talent alone gets them nowhere

The Leaves are a beautiful species that many overlook. The Leaves live in the trees, watching the world change before their very eyes. The Leaves are social creatures, and loved to mimic nature. Their soft skin allows them to absorb the colors of their surroundings.

In the spring, they would take on the bright yellows and oranges of the rising sun. In the summer, they would become the shades of green from the thriving plants. In the autumn, they would turn into the browns of the resting trees.

But in winter, they would freeze. Such fragile beauty could not handle the harsh snow, and so they allowed themselves to fall from the trees and start anew.

I cannot even begin to describe the many reasons why you should not follow me. But I will do so anyway. You see, I am full of ideas, and I'm always coming up with new ways to convey them! Do you really want to follow someone who has ideas? Didn't think so. Secondly, I'm constantly learning! I know what you're thinking. Learning? What is this, school? What kind of total loser wants to learn? Exactly. This is why you definitely shouldn't (wink wink) follow me! You'd totally hate it.

I can't remember where I was supposed to go.

A map would have been nice, if such a map existed.

Maybe I'll be lost here, forever searching for an exit that doesn't exist.

Many people have disappeared before, but not like this.

I'm not even sure anyone would ever understand my experience.

Sometimes I consider no longer searching for an imaginary exit.

So I go to the one place that keeps me safe in this void.

I call it the Risk, and to most people it may sound dangerous.

Names can be deceiving, however.

Good thing that Risk leads to reward, and eventually, I will make an exit.

"You know, most people like the county fair."

I glanced up from the map to see a clown sitting next to me. I couldn't remember how many clowns were left, but there was clearly at least one. Which was strange, because I was pretty certain I had gotten them all. But after all that had happened so far, I decided not to question it.

"It's not bad, I guess," I muttered. "We've just been here too long."

"Too long, huh?" The clown chuckled. "A few hours too long for you?"

"Tch, yeah, sure." I looked back down at the map, which had now shifted.

I wish it was a few hours. It should have been a few hours. I did expect it would be a few minutes over, considering how excited my sisters get, but not this long. My parents promised me we would only stay three hours.

It's been ten weeks.

My name is Alex, and I love to write.

But lately, it's all been boring.

Should I switch the scene from day to night?

Change the windows or the flooring?

Perhaps I need some sudden deaths,

Yes, that will do the trick!

When characters take their last breaths,

The reader is shocked real quick.

Katie and Sarah should be in a car crash.

Matthew will drown in a swim.

Pierre's set on fire and burned straight to ash,

No firefighter could save him.

Melissa should fall off a three-story roof,

With Simon caught below it.

This recipe is completely foolproof,

I'll get awards before I know it!

Autobiographies aren't very frequent,

But I'll get some money for the time I've spent.

I have a friend and her name is Scarlet.

Scarlet knows what is fake and what is true.

To me, she's a goddess and a starlet,

I do what she tells me to do.

When doctors pretend that I am unwell,

I go to Scarlet for comfort and safety.

Together we fight the demon's spell,

Trying to convince me that I am crazy.

Scarlet and I will walk in circles for hours,

Speaking to each other inside of my mind.

Scarlet and I have these magical powers,

That allow us to see things when others are blind.

And then I take meds for my brain,

And Scarlet leaves me once again.

As long as I can remember, I've been colorblind. I've always seen the world in shades of green. The kids at school would make fun of me for it, especially Pat Sorenson, and it would often make me upset. In an effort to make me feel better, my grandma told me about a legend. That those with green vision were gifted by the Goddess of Luck.

I know she made it up, but it's still nice to think about. My grandma was just cool like that. I remember eating mashed potatoes with her in the trailer, watching movies together. Our favorite one was Clover, about a young girl entering a dance competition with an Irish jig. Grandma and I would make fun of it, especially all the cheesy special effects.

One day, grandma insisted I stop by her house. I thought it was an emergency, but when I got there, she had just made cookies.

"These aren't just any cookies," Grandma winked. "They give you blessings."

That's my grandma all right. I tasted one and took the rest home. But on my drive, I noticed something.

A rainbow. With more than one color.

It was almost as if I could taste it. For the first time ever, I was seeing colors. I pulled over to the side of the road and just stared. Grandma was right. She was right all along.