Adventure on Shank St.

ADVENTURE ON SHANK ST.

by

Paige Doskas

(age 15)

I hear a knocking at the front door of my apartment. Glancing over at the clock, I realise the time- 12:36. Who would be visiting at this time of night.  I slumped out of my old rocking chair and made my way over to the door.  At first glance, all seemed normal. Everything encompassing the house seems to be quite average. Shanks St. usually was quite boring and average, but tonight the boring and average seemed to be at an all time high.

The only other living thing in sight was Mr. and Mrs. Percible's pit-bull. Now one would think that being as this dog is a said "pit-bull" that it would be big and bruting--which was the case for the vast majority of them, but Sparkle had been fed a few too many milk bones. One could mistake her for a beached whale if one was to glance too quickly at her. Certainly she did not walk all the way to cross the street, knock, and then quickly run back as if playing a game of Ding- Dong- Ditch. She was far too large for even a brisk walk--let alone running, and slightly in the obvious, dogs can't knock on doors.

Turning around to go back indoors, to my previously scheduled nd rudely interrupted sleep, I tripped over a welcome mat. Curiously, I examined it. I never bought a welcome mat. One should never do something so tacky. Lifting up the mat, I uncovered a small letter in the lefthand corner of where it sat. 

The letter is sealed with what looked to be a tiger stamp On the front, written in beautifully perfect cursive writing is written--"To: Addison Melbourne, 234 Shanks St."  I do not know anyone with such time on their hands to write this. I opened it very carefully, not to damage the masterpiece--that is the envelope made by the mysterious sender

Glitter--that was what was in the envelope. Why would someone put so much work into an envelope that was practically empty? The next thing I know,I was standing in front of a tall,black office building. The building seemed normal enough, but something about it gave me an uneasy feeling. Shrugging off the feeling of dread as I entered the doors. I examined the room. There is no receptionist--simply two doors. One is green, the other orange. What an odd place. How did I get here, and why?

(Assignment for Lesson # 13 - Imagination)

If you are between the ages of 13 -18,

(or know someone who likes to write stories)

I would like to post your story here.

Send me an email. I'd love to read your story!

Phones and Enemies

Phones and Enemies

by

Paige Doskas

(age 15)

"Bay, get off of your phone. We are in church!" I hear my step-mother Lisa scold me.

Oh, no, I've been caught. Abort! Abort! I quickly hit the power button."I will, sorry." I hid my phone under my leg and turned it on again. 

There is no way she can see me using it now.

"Bay Oliver, give me your phone, right now!" Lisa scolded once again. 

Seriously! Does she have x-ray vision or something?  I looked around. Trying to figure out how the heck she knew that I was binge playing 'Flappy Bird' in church. 

Then, I made eye contact with the devil himself - Chase Montgomery! We have been arch enemies for years, and it had to have been him. I know he sat directly behind me just to make me mad! Oh, he really gets my goat. 

 I turn around and whisper to him,"Why did the chicken cross the road?"

"I have no clue."

"To get to the idiot's house. Knock, Knock." I smirk.

"Who's there?"

"The chicken."

(assignment for Lesson #9 - Dialogue)


If you are between the ages of 12-18,

(or know someone who likes to write stories)

I would like to post your story here.

Send me an email. I'd love to read your story!

Human Nature

HUMAN NATURE

by

Paige Doskas

(age 15)

   Today should be interesting. My thoughts were interrupted by my platinum silver hair cascading down my face. I finished putting my makeup on, and put my contacts in. My mom always complained about how much makeup I wore, but she knew why and didn't question me on it when I rounded the corner into the kitchen. She was in her Wednesday clothes - black leggings and a grey silk shirt, with her makeup perfectly done and her beautiful black hair thoroughly tucked into a sleek bun. "Good morning, my sweet Nike!" I hear my mom sing out to me. She is in a good mood this morning. She usually calls me by my full name Nicolette ,which I hate.

  "Hey, Brosky," I replied to her in a lack luster tone, pulling out one of the stools at the kitchen island to eat my breakfast and hitting the small button in front of me. "Protein shake with dragon fruit, quinoa, and a shot of pumpkin spice," I spoke into the microphone that had popped up.

"Right away, Miss!" roared a robotic voice from the speaker that hung on our stark white wall.

  "You could at least try to be a decent person, Nicolette," mom voiced, and there it was. Her happy mood didn't last long.

  "Brosky, it isn't 2020 anymore. When you are as successful as I am, kindness is of the past "

  "One day you will realize that kindness has no time line, and money can't buy happiness, Nicolette Angout, and until you do, you will have a very hard life."

  "Mm-hum, that's nice, but the cylinder is going to pass the house any second now, and I have to get to work."  I walked  to the over-zealous wall portal, pulled open the small glass door to get my protein shake, and slumped over to  the pod teleporter. As I was climbing into the large metal pod, I heard my mother say,  "Nicolette, just remember- some people are so poor they only have money."   I decided that, being as it was a thirty minute ride to the sector building ,I would catch up on the latest episode of 'Keys to Success' Suddenly my cylinder came to a screeching halt. Then the door flew off of it and landed with a metal clang on the ground. "WHERE THE HECK AM I?" I screamed at no one in particular. Nothing was working. As the pod light ran out, the darkness from the world around us slowly creeped around  me.

 Weighing my options, I felt that there was only one thing I could do. I hadn't done it in a long time, but knew it had to be done. I must go outside. It was my only option. I couldn't stay here. The darkness would take me. I had to venture into the world on my own.

  My mother had always been there with me to talk me through every step I made. How was I supposed to do this without her? Then I remembered what my mom had told me every night since I could remember.  "There will be a day when you will have to be without me. And you won't know that day until you are so deep into it that it seems impossible to get out, but remember this, my love - kindness is the strongest weapon."    As I trekked along the empty street, I came across a little boy. He was slumped against a wall at the end of a gloomy ally.

 "Excuse me." The young boy coughed . "Could you help me? I am lost, and I need to get home."

 "Um, where are you from?"

 "The East Sector originally, but I have been here so long that I don't know any more."

 "I am from there too. I would take you, but my pod has broken down, and I have no light left my meter."

  "Do you know what the meter runs on?"   I tried to recall the childhood science lessons.

   "Kindness," the boy said. "The meter runs on kindness." 

(assignment for Lesson #5)



If you are between the ages of 12-18,

(or know someone who likes to write stories)

I would like to post your story here.

Send me an email. I'd love to read your story!

A Morning Hunt

A MORNING HUNT

by

Paige Doskas

(age 15)

     Ellen was woken by the sound of her noisy radiator turning on. Slowly turning over to grab her old,cracked phone off of her side table, quickly glancing at the time.

    "Oh heavens! I slept in. Foxy must really have to go to the outside," she said to no one in particular.   "Foxy, Foxy, where are you?" She cheerfully chanted, hastily searching her beautiful, New York apartment. Foxy shouldn't be that hard to find. She was a one hundred pound pit-bull. It wasn't not like she Pug or a Chihuahua.

  "Oh, maybe Jack took her out." With that she put on her pink slippers and fluffy, Betsy Johnson house coat. As she did, she made a mental note to tell Jack to fix his radiator. (His apartment was always freezing since it broke.) With that she made a mad dash down the empty hallway.

  "Knock, Knock," said Ellen in a girlish tone.

  "One second. I'll be right there."

  "Sure,sure," she replied in a mocking tone right as he opened the door. His bedhead seemed uncontrollable, and his pajamas were obviously that one pair of old PJ's that you never throw out, but pray that no one sees.  "Why, hello! To what do I owe the honor of having you at my door at this ungodly hour?" he snorted.  "It's ten o'clock, but I was just wondering if you have Foxy in there with you. When I woke up she wasn't there around, Did you take her out?" questioned Ellen. 

  "Um, not that I remember. Do you think she got out on her own again?"

   Ellen groaned. "Oh, I hope not. We will never be able to find her."

  "She always comes home. She is a smart dog. Go home, take a nap, and wait ," he yawned.

  "OK! Thank you, Jack."

  As Ellen turned to go to her apartment, she heard a thunderous bark coming from outside. When she finally got to the stairs where the noise was coming from she realized that it was Foxy.She was lying under the creaky steps.Wondering how she might have gotten outdoors. Ellen began to explore. Quickly noticing, the door at the back of the building had been left opened. 

  Returning to Foxy's side, she heard a small squeak. Curiously, she began to look around for the thing responsible for the sound, and she realized that Foxy wasn't alone.  

  "Oh Foxy, how could I not have known you were having puppies? What a wonderful surprise!" she said while scooping up a sleepy puppy. After spending an hour carefully looking over the puppies and making sure there were no complications. She scooped all the puppies up and said to Foxy, "Come along then. Let's get you inside. We have some beds to make."

  With that, the tired mother got up and made her way out from under the stairs. Together they started to make their way back indoors - to start their happy little family.

(Assignment for Lesson #4 of Polliwog Writing Lessons)


If you are between the ages of 12-18,

(or know someone who likes to write stories)

I would like to post your story here.

Send me an email. I'd love to read your story!

The Wild Mustang

The Wild Mustang

by

Paige Doskas

(age 15)

I woke up to the sound of my alarm clock buzzing.  A slight groan came from my lips. It’s Saturday and I am up at the crack of. Last week, my friends and I decided that we were going to hike up Deadman’s dawn Mountain. Jack had the great idea to start at 4am so that we could see the sun rise. I guess that I didn’t clue-in that it meant I had to get up at 3 in the blasted morning. 

 Slowly I got out of bed, and got ready to leave.  I was surprised that it only took me a half an hour to pack everything I needed. Rummaging through my cluttered desk drawer, I found a pen and some old scrap paper. Quickly I scribbled down a note telling my parents were I am going and that I will be back for supper.

I walked out of the door and started to make my way to our meeting spot. As I got closer, I could hear the laughter and shouting of my friends. "Hey, you guys!" I yelled at them, quoting the ever so famous Goonies.

Finally, you're here. Now. let's get going," yelled August.

  

We started to run up the hill, tripping over branches that had probably fallen in last week’s storm. When we got to the top we decided that we should explore a little bit. As I was looking around I found a lovely little mountain stream, but suddenly I stopped dead in my tracks. At the end of the stream was a beautiful pure black horse. I had never seen him before. There were stories of a wild mustang that lived up here, but that is all I thought they were - stories.

(assignment for Polliwog Pages Writing Lessons)


If you are between the ages of 12-18,

(or know someone who likes to write stories)

I would like to post your story here.

Send me an email. I'd love to read your story!

The Watch

THE WATCH

by

Paige Doskas

(age 15)

It was in the front window of a little shop, on a street in Italy. I had walked by, just like I had all the shops before it, but something in the window had caught my eye - A watch and it was beautiful. It was rose gold in color, and the center was surrounded in small, shining diamonds.

I walked into the shop to ask how much it was. A little old man sat behind the counter. He appeared to be older than time and was tinkering away at something. "How much is that gorgeous watch in the window?" I inquired.

"Oh, Miss! You don't want that watch. It has been broken for years. I have tried, but there is no way to get it to work. I made that years ago. For a lovely young girl," he said to me. "You remind me of her."

"I love this watch, and will pay whatever price is on it," I shot at him. For some reason, heavens knows why, I wanted this watch. There was just something about this broken watch that intrigued me.

 "I'll tell you what. This is a special watch. The reason I can't get it to work is because I am not the person it has chosen. That watch chooses who it wants. The young lady I made it for was the first person it chose, but she has long since passed. That watch is free to whoever it chooses. Bring it to me please."

I walked over to the display in the window and slowly picked up the watch. As soon as I picked it up, a spark went through me. It was magical. I don't know how to explain it. When I turned back around, the old man was gone. I walked over to the counter, and there was a note. "It chose you! Use it wisely." and with that I walked out of the shop. What did he mean by "use it wisely?"  Suddenly, I heard a ticking. When I looked down, it was working. What does this mean? Magic couldn't be real.

(Assignment for Lesson #2 of Polliwog Pages Writing Lessons)

If you are between the ages of 12-18,

(or know someone who likes to write stories)

I would like to post your story here.

Send me an email. I'd love to read your story!