#8

It is the morning after clean up day. A girl died last night. Her name was Rory. She looked at the full moon for so long that she just collapsed. I didn’t believe that this could ever actually happen. It’s just a legend in stories. A girl is dead from it now. Shortly after that happened, more buildings began to disappear. Then, a spaceship came down and some green men came out of it. They took everyone in town back with them. There is only me and sweet, sweet Cornjulio left. We are all alone in a destroyed village. The color is faded from the world. Everything is dull.

Suddenly, I hear a loud, deep voice coming from the sky saying, “Welcome to the Renaissance.” And then, a bunch of stone buildings and plants that definitely don’t exist anymore begin coming up from the ground. People that got abducted by the aliens are now back and walking around, but they aren’t seeming to remember who I am. Cornjulio looks up at me. The women are wearing big, beautiful dresses and the men are wearing big baggy pants with some very sophisticated white shirts. I think me and Cornjulio are the only sane ones. The crazy thing is, I’m diggin it.

#7

The next morning Annabelle wakes me up at 6 A.M. and forces us to get up and help the community clean up after the storm. Stupid community. I hate this, but I need a place to stay. Conjulio lay there sleeping. Awwww, he looks so sweet. After breakfast, Annabelle and I get in her car and head toward my town.

When we get there we are both surprised that the town has set up a small festival with rides and “The Little Mermaid” projected on a huge screen. People are out with their trash grabber sticks and trash bags.

It’s quite beautiful out so Annabelle and I decide to stay out until about 6 in the evening. After the movie ends, a man walks up and says that there will be a lunar eclipse. Everyone begins clapping and seems really excited. An hour later, they announce that the church has disappeared. I’m not excited anymore. I know what this means.

#6

Lightning has struck a tree and made it fall on to my apartment building. It's a huge tree- an oak tree that has been there for nearly two hundred years I hear someone say. People on the left side of the building have been evacuated, including myself. It's looking like the problem won't be solved anytime soon. "Where will we go?" I say as I look down at sweet, sweet Cornjulio.

The only person who lives even remotely close to me is my sister. Damnit. I've been doing everything possible to avoid her. She's just overly emotional and she makes me feel unsafe sometimes.

But I do the only thing I can do. I call her. She picks up after the second ring, enthusiastic to see my name on caller ID. "Yesss?" She says. "Could Cornjulio and I stay with you for the next few nights? A tree has fallen onto our apartment building, and we just..."

"You absolutely can! We are going to have so much fun!"

Well, at least I'll have a place to stay. I see her pulling up into the parking lot to pick us up. Then I see a flash. Cornjulio and I are gone.

#5

It's a beautiful, crisp Thursday morning here. The past few weeks have been quite rough with Annabelle and all. We still haven't made any plans for moving in together. I don't want to hurt her feelings. Lately, I have been contemplating making an appointment with god, or at least visiting the church.

There has always been pope Michael wheeling around his confessional trying to get people to talk to him. Rumor has it that he forgets everything because of his dementia. So I guess that's cool. It's not that I really have anything to confess, bad stuff just keeps happening to me. I mean I almost died the other day.

I look out my window at Pope Michael. He actually looks like Gandalf. His confessional has a little donation box on the side. He walks around in a creamy, silk white gown. He's also wearing Birkenstocks- navy blue ones. He has on a big gold cross necklace and it jingles around as he walks.

I decide to take a chance in my life and start confessing things to this man.

#4

As I'm driving to work the next day, it's quite hard to see anything. Everything is covered in fog. I can't see the top of the building I work in. It's in the clouds. As I'm parked on the railroad tracks in dead traffic I begin thinking about how I forgot to have a cup od coffee this morning, so I'm very sluggish and tired. I'm not even thinking about a train coming because that hasn't happened in years. But then I hear a train horn honking. What the hell? That's strange. I start honking at the cars to move out of my way so I don't get hit, but no one is moving. The train is getting closer and closer until the headlights of it are shining in my window. Fuck!

I quickly open my door and grab sweet, sweet Cornjulio and jump out. I look back at my car and see it get smashed. I scream and yell relentlessly and Cornjulio howls at the rising sun. Then the train just stops. The roads are completely blocked in the fog.

Cornjulio and I have nothing else better to do, so we just watch. Out comes an old man and a little boy with duct tape on his mouth from the train. People begin getting out of their cars to see what's happening. Everyone is quiet and watches.

The boy walks toward an Oaktree near the park and begins setting up a blue tent. The man lays down on a blue blanket and takes off his hiking boots. It's hard to tell their exact faces. They are but shadowy figures in the midst of the fog. Cornjulio starts barking and runs toward them. He's barking louder than he ever has before. His bark is deep and threatening. He soon gets close to the old man and frightens him, and he runs into a tree like he's blind or something. "So you mock my blindness. Let me tell you..." shouts the old man. Suddenly the town is completely silent, and its pitch black outside.

#3

After Beth stormed out of Annabell's apartment, Jamie walked in. At the time, Annabell failed to know who he was, but after about five seconds, she remembered. It was a revolutionary moment. She felt a huge rush of joy that she hadn't felt in years. Jamie was her stepbrother. She hadn't seen him since she was a little girl. They parted ways as children. Annabell stayed in England, and Jamie went with his father to America after their parents got divorced for the second time. It was hard hearing their parents fight all the time, so they would sleep outside under the fort of blankets they built every night with sweet, sweet Cornjulio.

"Hey, Anna. I heard you were in the states and when I found out you were living in the same apartment as me, I had to come and see you."

Annabell ran up to Jamie and gave him a big hug. One of the biggest he's ever received. Annabell needed this. She was lonely in this apartment and didn't know anyone.

"You've changed so much, Jamie. Is Cornjulio still kickin'?"

Jamie chuckled only a little. "You know it."

"Let's move in together!" Annabell said very quickly, avoiding eye contact with Jamie

Jamie had nearly forgotten how Annabell was. She was the girl who got what she wanted. He loved her, but in a way, he was like a jealous best friend. Annabell always got to use the pogo stick, she took ownership of the remote, she got to pick the colors of the blankets they used to build the forts. She was the kid who dropped her ice cream on purpose just to get a new flavor.

"You know, I'll think about it, Anna."

Stupid, stupid, stupid.

Jamie quickly left the apartment feeling absolutely distraught about what he had just done.

#3

After Beth stormed out of Annabell's apartment, Jamie walked in. At the time, Annabell failed to know who he was, but after about five seconds, she remembered. It was a revolutionary moment. She felt a huge rush of joy that she hadn't felt in years. Jamie was her stepbrother. She hadn't seen him since she was a little girl. They parted ways as children. Annabell stayed in England, and Jamie went with his father to America after their parents got divorced for the second time. It was hard hearing their parents fight all the time, so they would sleep outside under the fort of blankets they built every night with sweet, sweet Cornjulio.

"Hey, Anna. I heard you were in the states and when I found out you were living in the same apartment as me, I had to come and see you."

Annabell ran up to Jamie and gave him a big hug. One of the biggest he's ever received. Annabell needed this. She was lonely in this apartment and didn't know anyone.

"You've changed so much, Jamie. Is Cornjulio still kickin'?"

Jamie chuckled only a little. "You know it."

"Let's move in together!" Annabell said very quickly, avoiding eye contact with Jamie

Jamie had nearly forgotten how Annabell was. She was the girl who got what she wanted. He loved her, but in a way, he was like a jealous best friend. Annabell always got to use the pogo stick, she took ownership of the remote, she got to pick the colors of the blankets they used to build the forts. She was the kid who dropped her ice cream on purpose just to get a new flavor.

"You know, I'll think about it, Anna."

Stupid, stupid, stupid.

Jamie quickly left the apartment feeling absolutely distraught about what he had just done.