Writer's Journey

  The ominous manor stood tall, looming over the tiny people in the crowd outside. As if mocking the tacky cobwebs and skeletons littering the front yard of the haunted house, the sun shone bright and sunny.   It was the first of October, officially the spooky season. People of all ages were clamoring to enter, and everyone was excited. Well, everyone except Stanley.   “Man up, Stan,” Mike groaned. “It’s not that scary!”   Stanley’s scared whimpers from behind the bench were his only reply. He had been dragged here by his two best friends but was not informed of the destination. Now, he was thinking of any way to escape.   Elliot grabbed his scared friend’s hand and pulled him up from his crouched position. He rolled his eyes at his antics. “Come on! We’ll be with you. I’m sure it will be fun!”   Against his will, Stanley found himself dragged closer to the entrance. He tried to think of anything to make this situation better. The hot sun was making him fee...

The sizzling sound of bacon frying and the light clinking of cutlery against plates marked yet another Monday morning for the Johnson family.   Samantha’s father had already left for work, but she was still at the table scarfing down her breakfast. After the last bit of food disappeared from her plate, Sam looked up in satisfaction. Her mother had settled herself across from her with her own plate of food. Sam had often been late to school, but she woken up early, for once. Perhaps she was so shaken by her dream- or nightmare- that she actually woke up to her alarm. She decided to get her mother’s opinion on it. “I had the strangest dream ever last night!” Not waiting for her mother’s reply, she continued with enthusiasm. “I was invisible or something! I mean, nobody at school could see me. I kept trying to talk to Millie, but she never even looked at me. Maybe she couldn’t hear me?”   She waited for her mother’s reply but received none. However, she decided not to badger her...