Through the treacherous thicks of the forest we stumbled. Beaten by the overhangs of branches and vines, exhausted but still forging ahead. For days we have been lost here. The aches of my feet and legs overwhelm me. I must rest for now. My brother continues ahead until he realizes I am not following. He turns and waves at me, then puts his backpack down. In the clearing nothing shades him from the sun, and it burns maliciously at his skin. From his backpack, he pulls the sunscreen and sops it on. Now walking towards me, I see only from his shoulders up.

Then suddenly... He disappears. Bolting upright and jumping upwards to see over the rough bushes then dashing through the foliage I find him waist deep in quicksand. Grabbing at the nearest vine I reach out to him, and he grabs at my hand. Our grip fails from the slick lotion he just applied.

Just then I remember the contents of my backpack. I tell him to wait as I go to retrieve it. Upon my return I reach in and pull out a small periwinkle blanket. With one hand clinging onto the vine, the other throwing the end of the blanket to my brother. Outstretched to my fullest arm span, he finally grabs ahold. Slowly he inches out of the quicksand and I pull him to safety.

Rolling onto his back, still out of breath he turns his head to look at me.

"I could really go for a burrito right now."

Write from your heart

Let the words come, don't force them.

Try to imagine what you want to say before you write them

Find inspiration from anywhere and everywhere.

Don't hold back.

Why do we say that what does not kill us only makes us stronger?

Balance.

Our universe, world, whatever your belief system, is centered around the concept of balance. Imagine one of those scales you would see as in the images of law and the legal system. On one side you have those things that could “kill” you, mostly figuratively- the loss in a job or loved one, the bills you cannot pay, the things that always seem out of reach, every “no!”, closed door and defeat. Now, all of these “kill” factors are very heavy, just as the burdens we place on ourselves. With each of these occurances, we actually lose a piece of ourselves, and it feels like a serious blow when it does. But this loss is misunderstood.

You see, on the other side of the scale is our strength. When we start out, the strength side is high in the air, and no match for what the world has in store for us. So as we progress through these struggles, that piece that was taken from you does not disappear. It finds a new place on the strength side. Losing that part, only lightens your burdens and struggles. That piece you lost, is the fear of not overcoming, or not succeeding, or the anxiety and stress of what may or may not happen, that plagues you and prevents you from moving forward. But when we do succeed or make it through those events, there is more that is gained for us on the other side. We have lost nothing, only moved it in a way that benefits us- your fears become your motivations, your worry becomes your drive, and everything that weighed you down, that you yourself have defeated, becomes the strength you need on the other side of the scale to create balance between your potential deaths and your survival.

Within an hour, most of the adults were on their way to Janelle’s place. It was the only house that sat on a hilltop, and was situated in such a way that you could see it from anywhere in town. From our window, they looked like ants running up a mound, racing against time before curfew started. I settled on my couch just under the window, and began watching television. It wasn’t long before my eyes got heavy and I found myself drifting off.

Minutes later I was thrust out of my restful state by a tremendous boom, followed by a ground shift below my feet. Turning to the window, a bright light swallowed everything in front of me. I could no longer see Janelles’s place. It's time, I thought to myself. But it's too soon. Outside was dead silent and the light was still too bright to see past it. I have to go underground now. My parents would surely be coming back soon and they would want me to get to safety. I grabbed my little brother and raced to the entrance below our basement stairs. Two smaller booms could be heard in the distance. I got inside, closing the door behind me but not sealing it yet. I felt cool air coming from the pipes above-maybe this is the clean air system the scientist was taking about. Maybe they had to start it early.

For over an hour I waited for my parents to come. When they didn't, I made my way back up the stairs. It was so quiet. Running towards the window, I expected to see swarms of people leaving Janelle’s place to get home. Nothing could have prepared me for the view from my window.

The once lavish house on the hill had been reduced to a smoldering patch of land, like it was vaporized and only the burn marks remained. The homes and small farms that once lined the streets leading up the hill were flattened or had disappeared completely. Debris was scattered as far as the most distant aster fields.

Am I dreaming? Where did everyone go? What is going on? Is this what was supposed to happen with the meteor? I had no one to answer my questions and lacked the mental capacity to even begin to try to understand any of it. Turning with my back towards the window, I sat awkwardly on the edge of the couch. I was overcome with shock, unable to move, I could barely breathe. A small cry broke the nothingness around me. My brother!! Dashing down the stairs, and into the shelter I sealed the door behind me. Resting on the cot, I held Cody in front of me. Are we the only one’s left in this world?

*******

To continue reading, visit: www.jennymena.wixsite.com/mywords/remembering-asterville

Remembering Asterville by Jenny Mena

Short Story Fiction

Young adult/adult

Full story word count: 4959

Synopsis: A remote town is informed of potential meteor with possible radiation risk. They are advised to build shelters and soon live underground for five years. Something goes terribly wrong before anyone can get to safety. A few lone survivors discover that all is not what it seems and what really happened runs much deeper than they could have ever imagined.

***

When originally creating this story, I had to limit the word count to under 5000. After finishing it, I realized it was well over 8000, and had to omit many details regarding the setting and character development. This piece has a lot of room to expand and I believe the original story could become something much bigger-which would make for a good fit for anyone trying to pick up a great idea.

Bio/my writing

I began writing when I was in third grade. My teacher at the time took an interest in my work and really motivated me to pursue it. As life would have it, my writing began dwindling to almost nothing other than reports and research papers. In college, I studied many subjects, and picked up Associates Degrees in Liberal Studies, Communication Studies and General Science, then later received my Vocational Nursing Diploma and License. After more than five years of nursing, I began studying law independently, which I thoroughly enjoyed and plan to eventually make a career out of. I recently left my native state of California after 41 years, and found myself in Nevada. For whatever reason, call it boredom if you will, being here has rekindled my writing and now I am fully immersed in it- much as I should have always done. It is extremely therapeutic and truly brings me joy.

As long as I could remember I have been a creative writer of mostly poetry. Just this year, I began challenging myself by writing in different lengths and genres, and I try to submit my work to just about any contests or challenges that I can find. Remembering Asterville was my very first semi-Sci-Fi piece I ever even attempted, and I was surprised to find how much I really enjoyed it. I am quite proud to say that I have finally finished creating my online writing portfolio, Jennymena.Wixsite.com/mywords. It has taken months, maybe even years, but it is there finally, and I continue to add to it.

There is a great deal of my personality within my work. Although it is hard to find if you don't know what to look for. I am very easy going, open minded, and have a bit of a witty approach to my sense of humor. My blog, "Attitude Your Change" is very telling of the type of person I am, as I openly include some of my beliefs, motivations, loves, and pains as well. Other than writing, I love cooking, being outside, working hard (seriously!) and spending time with my son and partner. My eventual goal is book writing, but in the mean time, I am really enjoying the process of expanding and improving my writing.

Thank you for reading!

Jenny Mena

I tried to call you today after hearing the news.

But i hadn’t the strength to lift the phone

Nor the breath in which to speak.

As much as I desired to,

I could not be the strength you needed from me.

As much as I needed to run to your side,

I could barely stand on my own two feet.

How does one breath with no air in their lungs

How could I tell you how badly it hurts.

When I know you are suffering just as deeply as I.

Today we lost someone together,

Even though we are apart.

Today we all suffer from a broken heart.

I tried to call you today after hearing the news

But a part of my heart passed away as well

And even though I didn’t call, or run to be by your side,

I know you are never going to be alone…

Now that our angel has gone home.

What's hotter than the sun?... Nothing!! So when you're in it, you gotta wear protection, er, um, I mean, use protec..., um, not that either... you gotta try not to overheat or get sunburned, yeah. With these summer fun tips, you can be sure you are not falling victim to the suns harsh rays!

Rule #1-Fruits and Veggies-while this may seem like a no-brainer to always EAT your fruits and veggies, there is more to do with this little vitamin packs. Gather watermelon and cucumber, slice them really thin, then lay down, naked of course, and grab a friend or trusted (or in the very least, super hot and sexy) individual and have them cover your entire body in a single layer. Nature can be very refreshing. Be sure to avoid lemons, oranges, limes or anything super acidic- those can be hard on the skin

Tip#2-Sweatsuit (the workout kind that is plastic that you wear to make you sweat).

Sure, this doesn't seem to make much sense but keep reading. Okay, so put on the sweat suit, duck tape the bottoms of the legs and arms near the hands and feet. Zip it almost all the way up, leaving a small gap around your neck. Go into your kitchen, fill a pitcher with ice, then water. Pour the contents into the sweat suit until it goes up to your shoulders. Then zip all the way up. (Duck tape neck if it starts to leak,

Option3: Backpack Recharger- Have you seen those backpacks that have a usb recharger built in them? Well buy one of those. Then go buy one of those mini USB fans. Put on the back pack, plug in the fan, and WALLAH! ***Make sure if you have long hair, you wear it up when using this idea- can you imagine the mess you would have if your hair made its way into the fan. Oh, no.

Four--Air Conditioner- DUH! buy an AC. if you can't afford one, steal one off your neighbor's roof- just don't fall off. And you have to do it at night because they would notice it during the day if it suddenly turned off, in that case you better be pretty fast or have Superman come help you

Fifth; Move. That's right, they say if you can't stand the heat, get out of the kitchen. So if you are too lame to handle the heat, get your ass to Alaska or something. The last thing we need is to hear you complaining that its "too hot". Whining little baby.

Through the frosty glass I could see them. They were laughing and celebrating their success throwing money on the checkered tablecloth. Tipping their drinks, I watched them splash on the floor. After a moment they began to settle down on the couch. It was so quiet, you could almost hear the sizzle from the man lighting his cigarette. The two sat there smoking, until one of them noticed they were not alone. Abruptly he jumped out of his seat, knocking over an out of place ketchup bottle. It was time to make our move. My partner went first, blasting through the front door...

"SWAT team, don't move!!"