__picture it & write

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I urge people to join in, comment with your paragraph of fiction to accompany the image. It doesn’t have to follow my story or reflect the same themes. It can be a poem or in a different language (provide a translation please ). Anyone who wants to join in, is welcome. This photograph will be reblogged under Ermisenda on tumblr and added to the Picture it & Write gallery on Facebook and Pinterest.

Please continue to write however you’re inspired, but add a tag to the beginning of your post if there’s mature content in order to keep Picture it & Write an engaging event for all of our followers.

“How much longer do we have to stay out here for?” Yezus asked, folding his arms behind his head.

“You said you’d let me show you the woods for a few days. Try and enjoy yourself.” Richard kept his gaze steady, watching the trees.

“But how long is a few days?” Yezus looked over to Richard, waiting for him to look over. With no response, Yezus looked straight ahead at the trees again and tried to relax. “Aren’t you scared a witch will come out? Or a bunch of giant spiders? Or maybe the chainsaw massacre guy?”

Richard chuckled lightly. “Nature is the most peaceful thing to me and yet you manage to think about those things while looking at it.”

“I’m not saying that it’s the only thing I see, it’s just–“

Richard leaned over and kissed Yezus on the lips. He pulled away and took his hand. “We’ll go for a hike in ten minutes.” Then Richard went back to staring at the forest.

Yezus nodded, leaned back, and stared ahead too. He squeezed Richard’s hand. “If anything was to jump out, it’d definitely be that chick from the grudge.”

- Ermisenda Alvarez

__picture it & write

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I urge people to join in, comment with your paragraph of fiction to accompany the image. It doesn’t have to follow my story or reflect the same themes. It can be a poem or in a different language (provide a translation please ). Anyone who wants to join in, is welcome. This photograph will be reblogged under Ermisenda on tumblr and added to the Picture it & Write gallery on Facebook and Pinterest.

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Forest Sculpture by Spencer Byles

“You need to stop seeing these things!” My father grabbed me roughly by the shoulders and shook me. “You need to close your eyes and tell yourself that they’re not real. I don’t care how real they look. I don’t care how tempting it can seem to walk towards them. You do not go near those archways of Satan! Do you understand?”  I kept staring out into the forest. Where did those archways lead?

I felt my father’s hands grab my chin. He snapped my head around to face him. My gaze fell on his anger-lit eyes. They were still there. The archways were in his eyes too.

- Ermisenda Alvarez

Blind Sight: Leocardo | Chapter Two

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blind sight by ermisenda alvarez, creative writing, free books to read, free ebook, free novel, mystery, stories, urban fantasy, writing

Blind Sight: Through The Eyes Of Leocardo Reyes

Ermisenda Alvarez

Chapter TWO

SINKING INTO OBSCURITY

Leocardo rolled out of bed and cursed. He slept horribly, having woken up in a cold sweat twice before passing out from exhaustion rather than falling asleep. The bleak sun illuminated the pastel walls and dreary furniture in his room. He dialed his parent’s number, but once again received no response.

After the unfamiliar recording, Leocardo left a short message telling them not to worry and that he would explain everything. He hoped by the time he got a hold of his parents, he would have more answers and fewer questions.

Odette appeared in the kitchen shortly after him. “I need to go to school here.” She was dressed in oversized, mismatched clothing, her dark hair in a lopsided pony tail that allowed her bangs to fall gently across her forehead.

“School?” he asked. She was not suggesting they just accept their circumstances and stay, was she?

“I can’t just stop going,” she pointed out as she felt for the cereal box.

Leocardo suddenly envisioned their future here, Odette slaving away at school and him imprisoned to work at the bar for the rest of his life. Without hesitation he reached for his sister’s hand.

“We’re leaving this island now.” He whispered to his sister who had begun to tremble. Odette pulled back but Leocardo strengthened his grip. “We can’t stay here.”

Leocardo let go of Odette’s hand to grab his wallet and their passports. Odette stood in the middle of the apartment as if frozen.

“Leo, we can’t.” She murmured. Odette kept shaking her head. Her glassy eyes quivered, unfocused.

__picture it & write

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I pushed dirty locks from my eyes. I was still bleeding from the gash on my leg and I ground my teeth in pain. Peering out from the forest, I saw a mansion on the edge of a cliff. Lights flickered behind some of the windows. There were people inside.

I looked down to see my growing belly. Rubbing it, I made a prayer. Would the people inside help me or shame me? There was no turning back now. The village had made it clear what they would do to my growing child if I stayed. Taking a deep breath, I walked. With each step I took towards the mansion, another window was lit from the inside.

- Ermisenda Alvarez

__picture it & write

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Resin stacking rings by daimblond

She presented a little box and opened it so I could see what was inside. There was a beautiful purple ring. It was simple but mesmerising.

“What is this for?” I asked, confused.

“Try it on!” she insisted and giggled.

“I really can’t accept that. I didn’t get you anything.” I shook my head. Guilt was settling in my stomach.

She grinned ear to ear and took my hand and pulled it towards her. She grabbed the ring and pushed it on my index finger.

“Wait, wait,” I mumbled. The ring was cutting into my skin. I retracted my hand but it was already on my finger. “Ow.” It bit into my skin like a row of teeth. I stared at my finger and blood seeped from beneath the ring. I tried to rip it off but it wouldn’t budge. I noticed that there were gold bits arising from the purple stone. “What is this?” I shrieked. The pain intensified.

She stared at the ring intently, as if waiting to collect it once it was done.

- Ermisenda Alvarez

__picture it & write

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I urge people to join in, comment with your paragraph of fiction to accompany the image. It doesn’t have to follow my story or reflect the same themes. It can be a poem or in a different language (provide a translation please ). Anyone who wants to join in, is welcome. This photograph will be reblogged under Ermisenda on tumblr and added to the Picture it & Write gallery on Facebook and Pinterest.

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He insists on holding my hand all the way. I hold tight.

“Where are we going?”

He throws me a smile over his shoulder but doesn’t respond. I watch my feet, making sure I don’t trip on the rocky path. He stops without warning and turns around. He cradles my face and kisses me deeply. When he pulls away, I take a deep breath.

“Are we there?” I ask with a smile. There are butterflies in my stomach.

“Not yet.” He takes me by the hand again and keeps walking.

- Ermisenda Alvarez

__picture it & write

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I urge people to join in, comment with your paragraph of fiction to accompany the image. It doesn’t have to follow my story or reflect the same themes. It can be a poem or in a different language (provide a translation please ). Anyone who wants to join in, is welcome. This photograph will be reblogged under Ermisenda on tumblr and added to the Picture it & Write gallery on Facebook and Pinterest.

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by eecksy

“It’s huge!”

“Ginormous!”

“How is this possible?”

I watched the moon in silence although everyone around me was eager to verbally share their awe. I was left speechless. I watched with wide eyes and contemplated the universe. Here I was, a tiny insignificant creature, witnessing something so much bigger than me. Curiosity and delight filled me up. I wanted to learn about the planets and stars. I realised in that moment that astronomy and science was what I needed to study. Although I did not say a word, I couldn’t imagine any other person here feeling more enlightened and awe-struck by the event than me.

- Ermisenda Alvarez

__picture it & write

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I urge people to join in, comment with your paragraph of fiction to accompany the image. It doesn’t have to follow my story or reflect the same themes. It can be a poem or in a different language (provide a translation please ). Anyone who wants to join in, is welcome. This photograph will be reblogged under Ermisenda on tumblr and added to the Picture it & Write gallery on Facebook and Pinterest.

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He wouldn’t pick up. I rang his number again. Just when I was about to give up, he picked up the phone. “Please hear me out.”

“I don’t do commissions anymore.”

“Just one more. I will pay you more than any other client. You name the figure.”

There was silence. “I don’t want your money.”

“What do you want?”

“To be alone.”

- Ermisenda Alvarez

__picture it & write

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I urge people to join in, comment with your paragraph of fiction to accompany the image. It doesn’t have to follow my story or reflect the same themes. It can be a poem or in a different language (provide a translation please ). Anyone who wants to join in, is welcome. This photograph will be reblogged under Ermisenda on tumblr and added to the Picture it & Write gallery on Facebook and Pinterest.

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Photograph by Steve Rosset titled ‘Nature’s Surprise’

“This will cure your mother’s ailment.” The doctor tore open the strange, red, prickly egg. Was this thing an egg, a flower, a fruit, an animal? The long, thin red hairs that covered it wriggled furiously. My uncertainty and disgust must have been plainly written on my face as the doctor assured me that, “This will work. Trust me.”

“She just has to eat the little red seeds?”

“Yes. They will taste a little bitter. Just do not eat the hairs. They are poisonous.”

I reached out hesitantly to take the fruit-thing. “Thank you.” The hairs tickled my hand and I nearly dropped it. Dropping it into my purse, I took out some coins to pay the doctor. When I placed the coins into the doctor’s hands, I noticed that the fruit had streaked my palms with red. I thought of my mother coughing up blood at home. Shivers ran down my spine.

“I assure you its her best chance. Do not worry,” the doctor said as she pocketed her coins.

“Okay,” I whispered. Trust the doctor. Just trust the doctor.

- Ermisenda Alvarez

Book Review: Maze Runner by James Dashner

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book review, book talk, dystopian book reviews, maze runner by james dashner, stories, young adult books

Maze Runner

by James Dashner

genre: dystopian, youg adult

A fantastic start, but the book fell flat towards the end. Find out why I gave it 3 out of 5 stars!

Summary

(Taken from Goodreads)

If you ain’t scared, you ain’t human.

When Thomas wakes up in the lift, the only thing he can remember is his name. He’s surrounded by strangers—boys whose memories are also gone.

Nice to meet ya, shank. Welcome to the Glade.

Outside the towering stone walls that surround the Glade is a limitless, ever-changing maze. It’s the only way out—and no one’s ever made it through alive.

Everything is going to change.

Then a girl arrives. The first girl ever. And the message she delivers is terrifying.

Remember. Survive. Run.

Review

This book is surrounded by hype. I decided to pick it up after seeing the movie trailer. The concept motivated me to read the book before I watched the movie. I still haven’t seen the movie, but I’d like to!

I found it hard to put down for about the first third of the novel. Nearly every chapter ended on an amazing cliff-hanger that kept you reading. I really enjoyed the no-fuss writing style with minimal description. It really helped drive the plot. But after the first third of the book, I felt things start to change. Maybe it’s because once you’re a third into the novel, you’re meant to feel invested in the characters, and I wasn’t. The main character, Thomas, is a Gary Stu. He’s just a conventional, good guy protagonist but he has no personality (because he doesn’t remember who he is). I think the end wouldn’t have fallen flat, or the ‘climax’ moments would have had more impact, if I cared about the characters. I think the author sacrificed character for plot and too much so. After sucking us into the story, he should have used the opportunity to make us care about the people we were reading about.

But I kept reading after the first third even though it started to become more ‘meh’ or average. I thought the world/concept was too cool not to know what was behind it all. I think people should read it if you feel like a decent dystopian YA book that isn’t immature and deals with some heavier themes. It could have been so much more though! This was a plot-driven novel with very little character. It started out as a 4-5 star and ended up being a 3.

Now I’ll discuss some aspects of the books but with SPOILERS. Look away now!