Jumper

Forgiveness
6-7-11
Author's Note: This is an  essay on why forgiveness is very important.  I believe this theme was the one of the main themes to the story Jumper.  Throughout the story, forgiveness was constantly shown.  Also, the website article I mention in the story's URL is http://www.avclub.com/articles/book-vs-film-jumper,2178/  It has great points and I recommend reading it.

Forgiveness.  People deserve the chance to be forgiven for their mistakes, whether it's your brother breaking your favorite action figure, or your friend accidently breaking your flat screen TV.  These acts can leave you with a negative attitude and can leave the conflict unresolved.  Forgiveness is important because it allows you to move past the conflict and allows both the forgiver and the forgiven to move on in life.

In the beginning of the story, Jumper, Davy lived with an abusive and drunken father.  After discovering that he can teleport, he teleports away from his father, and goes to live in New York City.  While living in New York, he takes several trips back to his father's house to take several things from him.  One question I found myself asking a lot was why does he keep returning to his father's house?  I couldn't quite place my finger on it until after I read the book.  I read an article on the internet that said that Davy decided to go back to his father's house a lot because he was an abuse victim. It also said that it is common for abuse victims to stick to what they know.  This shows how Davy's abuse influenced him.

Later, toward the end of the story, Davy finds his father and decides to kidnap him and holds him hostage.  Davy takes his father to his mother's grave.  There, Davy forces his father to admit that he abused both Davy's mother and him.  After making him admit that he abused them, Davy sends his father to a substance abuse treatment center, and also decides to go for counseling too.  This is where forgiveness helps resolve the problem and allows both the forgiver and the forgiven to move on in life.

As you can see, forgiveness is very important because it benefits both the forgiver and the forgiven.  Forgiveness can really help people out by giving them a second chance.   In Jumper, Davy forgave his father, and that act of forgiveness also helped Davy recover from his former abusive life.   Forgiveness leads to healing.

 


RPGed
6-6-11
Author's Note:  This is a continuation to the story "Running".  In this story, Dre goes out on an errand, and when he comes back, Shaun is telling him to run.  Dre picks Shaun up and drives away from the condo.  Soon after, a S.W.A.T. team is on their tail and Dre has to fight them off.  He appears to be doing a pretty good job until the RPG hits.

The condo was relaxing, which was perfect for my team.  We got at least 12 hours of sleep at the condo before I changed our plans.  I patiently waited for the Deion and Shaun to wake up.  Once they woke up, I began informing them on our new plan.

"Alright guys change of plans.  We are now going to rob the largest casino in Las Vegas," I started.

"What?  Why?  We got to lie low!  The police got to still be looking for us.  Robbing that casino would be walking straight to death!" explained Deion.

"I agree with Deion.  If we were to rob a large casino, we would definitely be in deep doo doo," said Shaun.

"Also, what would we do?  We've never robbed a casino.  We've never even practiced robbing a casino!" said Deion.

"Ah true, but I've got another plan then fellows," I told them.

"I don’t think so; especially after that last plan," said Shaun. 

"Well first, we need to work our way up to the big show.  We need to take it one step at a time, right?" I said.

"I don’t think I like where this is going," said Deion.

"We need to start off with a small casino.  Just think about it.  We've robbed things much larger and more secured than a small casino.  This should be a breeze!" I explained.

"Alright, fine.  If we are going to do this, let's hit the big show first!" said Deion.

"Great.  We will start tomorrow."

I ended the morning's speech and headed into town for some groceries.  The nearest grocery store couldn't have been any more than a 10 minute drive.  Since I didn't expect to stay in Las Vegas long, I only bought enough food for around four days.  I bought extra food just in case our team had to leave on a short notice.  Luckily, the grocery store had close to no customers at the time I arrived there, so I was able to go in and out quickly.  I drove back the way I came and noticed something was wrong as soon as I parked the car in front of our condo.

The front door was left ajar.  Bullet holes lined the walls of the building.  What now, man?  I can’t leave those guys alone for just 30 minutes before they get into trouble again.  We are going to have to talk,  I thought to myself.  Suddenly, Shaun comes tearing out of the building just as I step out from the stolen car.

"Run!!!" yells Shaun.

I quickly hop back into the car and speed towards Shaun.

"Get in!" I order him.

"Dude they've got Deion!  Floor it!"

I immediately obey Shaun and sped away from the building at top speed.  I looked into my mirror and saw that the SWAT had finally found us.  They wore heavy protective armor and were all equipped with assault rifles.  Bullets soon started to fly at us from an armored vehicle directly on our tail.  The bullets coming from the armored vehicle were coming from a mounted machine gun.

"We've got company!" I yelled to Shaun.

"Yes I know!" yelled Shaun.

"Take evasive maneuvers.  Still got that SAW in the back?"

"Oh yeah, and it still has the bipod attached to it, so attach it to the sun roof and return some fire!"

"You got it."

I crawled into the back seat and opened the trunk from the inside.  The SAW was still in its case in the corner of the trunk.  I would still have to assemble it.  Assembling it could take awhile, but I would have to do it quickly.

"It's still in the case?" I asked, slightly panicked.

"Yeah sorry.  I didn't think the feds would find us so quickly," answered Shaun.

"Fine.  This may take me awhile."

"It better not take you any more than five minutes man!  After that I don't think our car will take any more bullets."

Five minutes later, I got the SAW fully assembled and mounted it onto the car's sunroof.  I immediately opened fire on the armored vehicle.  The SAW's bullets soon found the drivers head, and caused the vehicle to swerve into a building.  It burst into flames once it nailed the building.

"Ha ha.  Suckers.  Meet your maker!" I yelled in triumph.

"Hey what the-" yelled Shaun.

I turned toward Shaun just in time to witness the impact of the RPG that killed him.  The explosion was deafening.  My eyes were of no use as the world disappeared from them.  I felt myself get thrown from the car.  Once I hit the ground, everything went black.

Running
5-25-11
Author's Note:  This piece is a continuation of the story "Sniper" down below.  Unlike Sniper, this has a relation to Jumper.  In the book, Davy has to find a place to stay after he runs away.  He chooses New York.  In this story right here, the three gang members are able to find a place to stay while on the run.

Our chopper flew for miles and miles before finally landing on a private helipad about 50 miles away from our dead sniper friend. Like I had predicted, he was not able to survive the tall drop from the building. Serves him right. We kept his sniper rifle for future use though, so he proved somewhat useful. Fortunately, it still had five shots in the clip.




The private helipad didn't give us permission to land, so as soon as we touched down on it, a security guy came rushing out to meet us. His grim expression sure didn’t make us feel comfortable.



"You do not have permission to land on this helipad. Turn back immediately," said the security guy.



"Says who?" I snapped back.



"Me wise guy. Now leave before I call the cops."



"Yeah well that's just too bad. We stay here or else."



"No you leave now or else."



"Fine. Goodnight," I said, and put a .44 cal. bullet straight through his skull. The security man slumped to the ground. I hopped out of the helicopter and crouched down next to the man. I found his wallet and keys and stuffed them inside my pocket. After I gave the signal, the rest of my team hopped out from the helicopter and started the refueling process. It only took about 30 minutes, but we were all soon drenched with sweat.



Shaun started the helicopter, and we headed off to our new destination, Las Vegas. Las Vegas was always crowded with new tourists, so we thought that we should be able to lie low. We made sure to rent a place on the outskirts of town. We were able to find an old run down condo near a small casino. Fewer tourists traveled here, but just enough for us to not stand out.



Hiding our helicopter was a tough job. Shaun, Deion, and I were able to find a spot in the woods. Getting to our condo would be hard, because our landing spot wasn't close to the condo room we reserved over a pay phone. I led my team to the closest road, which was about ten miles away, and waited for a car to pass. The plan was to try catching a ride, kill the driver and anyone else, then drive into town. It took us 2 or 3 hours to reach the road, and it took another 30 minutes for a car to finally stop to see what was up.



"Hello there," said the driver as he approached us.



"Hi. Thanks for stopping sir. Our car had some trouble and we weren't able to get any reception out here, so we've been trying to get a ride for a while now. We were just wondering if you could take us to the nearest gas station. It's only about 5 minutes away," I lied.



"Why sure. I'd be happy to help," replied the driver.



"Good, then you prob'ly won't mind if we, uh, dispose of ya then," said Deion.



"What? No!" yelled the driver, but Deion's pistol had silenced him from any further objection.



"Alright boys, let's rock," I said, and pulled the driver and laid him in the grass on the side of the road. Luckily there weren't any other cars within five miles of the interaction, so there weren't any witnesses. We hopped into the car, and sped off towards our condo. The car, a middle-class four door sedan, had a full tank of gas, a top speed of about 150 miles per hour, and had an efficient 30 miles per gallon. Inside the car, we found some money in the glove compartment, a cell phone, and a spiral notebook.



"Looks like we picked the right car," I said after discovering the cell phone and money.



"Yeah. I agree. This baby should serve us well," said Shaun. He volunteered to be the driver, which was alright with Deion and I. We arrived at the condo in 15 minutes. After checking in and getting our keys, the three of us hurried to our rooms and instantly fell asleep. Life as a fugitive is exhausting.



Revenge
5-19-11

Author's Note:  This piece was inspired by the part when Davy and Matar were in the pit.  Davy thought of many ways to make Matar pay for killing Davy's mother.  He beat Matar and dropped him off the World Trade Center in New York (He caught Matar right before impact).  In my writing piece, Mike, a 7 year old, and Jack, a four year old, are found having an argument.  After the argument, Mike decides to get his revenge, but also learns something in the end.

"Why Jack?  Why?" I asked.

"Well, I didn't mean to do it.  It was an accident.  Sorry," replied Jack.

On this lovely Saturday morning, my brother and I were having a heated argument.  This argument so happens to have occurred early this morning when my uncoordinated brother "accidentally" broke my world famous collectible Sensei Chin Chin Editor's Pick action figure.  Apparently, Jack had taken my Sensei Chin Chin on a highly dangerous  mission to take on the feared Señor Sensei. Unfortunately, my brother does not know Sensei Chin Chin could perform an incinerating laser decapitation ray, so he ended up losing.  Losing for my brother means you get decapitated, so, in the process of battling my two collectibles, Sensei Chin Chin happened to lose his head.  This is what we are arguing about now.

"Well if you had known Sensei Chin Chin could perform his incinerating laser decapitation ray he would've never have lost his head!" I yelled at my brother.

"Yeah, but if you didn't want Sensei Chin Chin to lose, that would mean Señor Sensei dies!"

"I know!  I would much rather have Sensei Chin Chin win than  Señor Sensei!"

"That would mean Señor Sensei would have to lose his head!"

"I know!  What do you think I've been trying to tell you?  I'd much rather have him lose his head than Sensei Chin Chin.  Sensei Chin Chin cost me $10.00. You owe me bro!

"I don't know.  Sensei Chin Chin wasn't mine."

"Don't pull this stuff with me bro!  You owe me and that's it.  Now get me the $10.00 by the end of the day, or else!

"Or else what?"

"You don't want to find out.  Quit yo' sassiness."

"Fine."

"Chop, chop.  Tick, tock."

I finished my conversation with my brother and proceeded to breakfast.  When I sat at the breakfast table, I made sure to sit as far away from my brother as I could.  His little… ugh!  He has gone too far!  It is time for some pay back.  Jack better watch out, because he's about to find an unexpected surprise. 

Besides being completely angry at my brother, breakfast was, for the most part, enjoyable.  The scrambled eggs were cooked to perfection, the sausage was juicy and flavorful, and most importantly, the pancakes were soft and fluffy.  M-m-m, this breakfast couldn't have tasted any better.  It's just too bad that the events of the morning had to ruin my delightful breakfast. 

After breakfast, I hurried upstairs to Jack's bedroom and locked his door behind me.  It's pay back time!  I knew there was just one thing that he cared about, and that was his stuffed lion.  He slept with that stuffed lion every night.  Every day, when I come home from school, I see him playing with his stuffed lion in his bedroom.  It's time for some sweet revenge.

I searched his room, and found his stuffed lion hiding in his closet on the second shelf.  I took it, and hid it under my bed in my room.  How do you like me now brother?  This should teach him a lesson.  If this is how he wants to play, bring it on, because I can play like that too.

Once night came, I heard a terrified scream followed by a series of cries interrupt the night.  This meant Jack had discovered that his stuffed lion is missing.  Inside, a part of me felt really sad for him, because that stuffed lion means a lot to him.  Also, two wrongs don't make a right.  Should I return his stuffed lion?  The thought became stuck in my mind.  I couldn't seem to decide what to do.

Finally, after minutes of thinking about what I should do, I decided to return Jack's stuffed lion.  Getting revenge does feel right.  I gently handed him the stuffed lion, and apologized for being mean to him.  Jack accepted the apology and also apologized for breaking my Sensei Chin Chin action figure.

"It's okay Jack.  I'll just buy a new one," I told Jack.

"Really?  Okay.  I'm sorry about breaking your Sensei Chin Chin.  I really didn't mean to break his head off," replied Jack.

"I know.  It's alright.  I was just mad Sensei Chin Chin broke."

Revenge is not the right way to go.  Two wrongs don't make a right.  My apology felt really good, and was probably the right thing to do.  If I had chosen to get revenge, I probably would've felt really good at first, but later, it would hurt. 

Sniper
5-13-11
Author's Note: This piece is a free writing piece I did on Friday.  I've been sick so this post is a little late.  Anyway this piece is a continuation to the one below about a police chase, but this time, a sniper finds them.

Sleep comes easy for us fugitives.  Missions usually left me really tired, and that seemed to be the case with my companions too.  We woke at around 1 AM and prepared for takeoff.  Our chopper had a 3/4 tank of fuel left, so we were in good shape. 

"You got the choppa ready, yet?" asked Deion.

"Um just got to check the rotors.  Once I do that, we should be in good shape," answered Shaun.

"Well we don't got all day ya know," said Deion.

"Well sorry.  I'd like to you try working this thing."

"Whateve' man."

Fifteen minutes later at 1:15 AM, our helicopter was ready for lift off.  Shaun and I sat in the front two seats while Frank and Deion sat in the back two seats.  Our helicopter took off and didn't appear to be spotted, so we continued on our flight.  We decided to go into the city to try and get some gas and supplies.

It took about 30 minutes to get to the outskirts of the city.  That's when it happened.  Frank yelled out in surprise.  A bullet hit him directly in the neck, and caused him to fall out of the helicopter. 

"No!  Not Frank!"  I yelled.  Frank hit the ground and lied limp.  Frank was dead.

"There he is!  Sniper in building three clicks east.  I'm goin' after him!" yelled Shaun.

"Get him.  Doesn't matter if he lives or dies!  We need to get him!" I ordered.

"Wait hol' on man," interrupted Deion, "You sure we gone do this.  This will prob'ly give away our position."

"Oh good point," said Dre.

"Let's make it quick then!" Exclaimed Shaun.

Shaun flew the chopper right over the sniper's building, and Deion and I hopped out and started hunting for the sniper.  The building was pretty big, at least 10 stories tall.  The sniper was last seen on the 9th floor, so we probably had to go down a lot of stairs. 

"I'll be your eye in the sky," said Shaun once we got onto the roof.

"Sounds good," I said.

I took out both of my mini Uzi's and sprinted down the stairs into the building.  Deion grabbed his AK-47 from the chopper and quickly followed in pursuit.  I ran down the stairs, taking them two at a time until I reached the 9th floor.  Since I was the team's leader, I wore a headset that was connected with Shaun's headset.

"Dre!  He's on the move!  He's going in deeper into the building.  I won't be able to keep eyes on him anymore unless he comes out the other side.  Hurry guys!" said Shaun into the headset.

"Yes sir," I replied.

I slowed down a little as I entered the ninth floor.  I peaked around the corner and found nobody, so I entered the room.  It was quiet, too quiet.  I turned my headset off and proceeded deeper into the 9th floor.  The building appeared to have been deserted years ago.  Although it was abandoned, cubicles piled in multiple layers of dust still remained inside.  Oh gosh.  This will take awhile to clear.

I quickly skimmed my way through the cubicles and found no signs of the sniper.  Suddenly, a slight reflection of myself briefly appeared just a few feet from where I was.  Duck! I thought, and hit the ground.  A bullet flew right where my head would've been if I hadn't ducked.  I turned my headset back on and proceeded after the fleeing sniper. 

"Sniper is proceeding to the Stairwell!  Deion, cut him off!" I yelled into my headset.

"Yes sir."

I sprinted after the sniper.  The sniper had turned and made his way to a stairwell, a different one than the one Deion and I had taken.  He took the stairwell and chose to head to the higher levels of the building.  I followed in pursuit.

"He's taking them up.  Shaun, keep eyes on the roof of the building.  I have a feeling he's about to try and end this thing now," I said into my headset, "Oh, and don't shoot until he shoots or does something dangerous.  I need to interrogate."

I sprinted up the stairs and, as expected, found that the sniper didn't have plans to turn into the 10th floor.  This meant he was headed for the roof.  I took both my mini Uzi's off my belt, and slowed to a walking pace.  Since he was headed for the roof, there was no place to escape.

"Deion!  Get the opposite stairwell," I said into my headset.

"Okay.  Should I shoot him if he attempts to escape through my stairwell?" asked Deion.

"Uhhhh sure.  Go ahead."

"Thanks bro."

Once I reached the top of the stairwell, I looked to see where the sniper had gone to hide.  In my brief visual scan, I found no signs of the sniper.

"You got eyes on him?" I asked Shaun.

"He's hiding behind the box thing on the edge of the building closest to me.  He appears to be, oh gosh.  I'm hit!  I'm hit! I'm hit!"

"Dang it!  Deion, you've got the green light!" I yelled over to Deion.

"Thanks bro.  I'll take him out for ya."

His AK-47 was soon heard firing at the sniper.  A couple of returning shots were heard, but the AK-47 appeared to be outmatching it. 

"Okay.  Got one in his leg.  I think you shoul' question him or whateve' now," said Deion.

"Sounds good to me."

I ran over to the sniper and knelt down next to him.  Blood soaked his leg where the bullet hit.  He appeared to be in pretty good shape though otherwise.  I looked at him and saw that he was a young man in his 20's.  He had dark brown hair and had light brown eyes.  He wore a runner's jumpsuit.

"Sup," I said casually to the sniper.

"Sup," he groaned.

"Why'd you fire on my chopper?"

"I thought it was a police chopper."

"Well with that scope of yours, you probably saw that we didn't wear any uniforms then, right?"

"No."

"Yes you did.  Liar.  Sorry, but I've got to do what I got to do."

"No man come on!"

"You had your chance," I said, and pushed him off the ledge of the building.

"Good work, bro," said Deion.

"Thanks.  Now let's check on Shaun.  Shaun!  Shaun, are you okay?" I yelled into my headset.

"Yes I'm fine.  Only took one to the arm.  I should be alright.  Let's get out of here," answered Shaun.

"Sounds good.  Let's go Deion."

"Right behind you Dre."

 


Police Chase
5-12-11
Author's Note:  This piece was inspired by a part in the book.  Davy was getting chased by people, and this reminded me of a police chase.  Although Davy was not a fugitive, the characters in this story are.  Hope you like it!

 

Steady, steady, got it!  I thought to myself as I was able to extract the last diamond from the crystal clear glass case.  The last diamond shined white, hurting my eyes after only a couple seconds of looking at it.  I quickly, but carefully, placed the precious gem inside my jet black duffel bag.  Once I finished zippering the bag closed, a deafening alarm rang throughout the entire jewelry store.

"Time to go boys!"  I yelled.  My two companions, Deion and Frank, followed  my lead as I led the way to our entrance and exit, a hole in the ceiling.  I climbed the rungs of the narrow step-ladder that led down from the hole.  Once Deion and Frank made it up, I threw a red handkerchief down the hole.  Written on the handkerchief was a message that read, Again?  This act served as my signature, and told the police that I had beaten them again.

After watching the red handkerchief fall to the floor of the jewelry store, I quickly turned to the edge of the building.  Where are you Shaun?  I thought to myself.  Sirens wailed in the distance, probably just a couple blocks away.  I instantly started to pace, a wave of panic starting to rise inside of me.  The sirens were now maybe just one block away.  Shaun!  Where the heck are you?  I laid on my stomach and inched my body so that only half of it stayed on the roof.  I peeked out and found that there was still no sign of Shaun.  Hurry up! 

I made my way back onto the roof, and started to pace again.  Now, footsteps were heard pounding on the sidewalk beneath us.  Still no sign of Shaun.  Plan B would have to start once the policemen made onto the roof.  Butterflies soon filled my stomach.  Voices soon followed the footsteps, but this time they came from inside the jewelry store. 

"Dre, we don't have all day.  We are going to have fight our way out now.  Shaun ditched.  He won't be here Dre," said Deion.

"No.  He will be here," I replied. 

A low rumbling sound was soon heard.  Yes!  The low rumbling noise was the whir of the rotors of Shaun's helicopter.  He had finally arrived.  The helicopter, a 4 seater, had pulled up alongside of the jewelry store, providing an escape route for the three thieves.  Deion and Frank jumped their way in, but when it was my turn, I heard a voice come from behind me.

"Freeze!  Put your hands where I can see them!" yelled a police officer.  There were 6 armed policemen standing on the rooftop with assault rifles aimed right at my head.  I raised my hands.  I slowly inched my way toward the helicopter. 

"I said freeze!" yelled the policeman again.  He had taken a step toward me.  As soon as I reached the end of the roof, I jumped.  I jumped to the helicopter's landing skid.  One of my hands was able to hang onto the landing skid, and the other hand was able to pull out my mini Uzi.  I instantly opened fire on the group of policemen.  They dropped like flies.  Three of the officers dropped dead while one of the others was just only wounded.  After the four were hit, the other two fell back into cover. 

"That could have been easier," I said to Shaun, our helicopter pilot.

"Yes I know.  Sorry.  Fueling took longer than expected.  I told the dude to hurry it up but he said he was goin' as fast as he could," replied Shaun.

"Yeah well we almos' had to fall to plan B.  Actually we kinda half did," said Deion.

"Well be thankful I actually came bro," said Shaun.

"You guys all know we'll be on the news now.  Lay low until notified.  Let's-" I was interrupted in mid-sentence when two helicopters came into view.

"Looks like we got visitors," said Shaun.

"Take evasive maneuvers.  Do whatcha gotta do," I told Shaun.

"Yes sir."

Instantly, our helicopter swerved to the left, taking on one of the helicopters.  We were headed straight on a collision course with the opposing police helicopter.  We were perhaps only just about a hundred feet from the police chopper now.  I closed my eyes and braced for impact.  Seconds past.  More seconds past.  Our chopper should've hit the police chopper by now.

"You can open yo' eyes now chicken," said Deion.

"I'm no chicken!" I answered. 

"Well then just open yo' eyes."

"They were always open," I lied.

"Whateve' man."

Apparently, the police chopper had dodged our chopper right before impact.  Our chopper never moved off course until the chopper had moved out of the way.  We dropped a little lower to the ground and proceed on our flight pattern.

"You know they'll be followin' us now right?" said Frank.  This was the first time he had said anything since inside the jewelry store.

"Yes.  I know.  I'll lead them into the forest.  I'll be flying at tree top level.  Once we get to tree top level, I'll smoke 'em," exclaimed Shaun.

"Sounds good.  You were able to get some smokers onto this baby?" I asked Shaun.

"Yeah dude.  They're hidden near the rotors.  Probably not the smartest but it was the only available space on this chopper."

"Oh.  Nice.  So what happens after we smoke 'em?" Deion asked.

"We fly a couple seconds forward or until we know we landed a direct on them.  Then we'll turn right toward our destination.  I'll drop a second smoke screen right after we turn.  This should keep 'em busy," answered Shaun.

"Sounds good," I said.

"It sure does.  But wait, I think you should touch down and stash the chopper.  It would appear that we had suddenly disappeared," said Frank.

"Excellent!  That's why you're with us bro," I told Frank.

"Yeah I know."

"Let's get to it then dudes," I said.

Our helicopter instantly dropped to tree top level once we reached the forest.  As expected, the police helicopters followed in pursuit.  We let them catch up just a little bit before releasing our first smoke screen.  It was a direct hit.  The police choppers were instantly engulfed in pitch black smoke.

"Wait for, wait for it, now!" announced Shaun.

Our helicopter took a hard right and released another smoke screen.  This one covered our tracks well, so we landed carefully in the forest below.  Luckily, we the trees were really tall and heavily leafed, so our helicopter was well hidden from the choppers above.  As soon as we hit the ground, Shaun turned the engine off, and we hopped out. 

"Okay mates. We look good here.  Wait for night to come.  Once it's black, we'll resume our route."

"Sounds good," said Frank.

"For now, let's get some sleep."

A Ruined Day
5-10-11

Author's Note:  This writing piece was inspired by a part in Jumper.  In the book, the Davy's, the main character, mother dies from a terrorist bomb.  It's sad to think about how unlucky people can be because of terrorists.  In my writing piece, it is in the perspective of an eight year old boy at a picnic in New York.

It was a cloudless summer day in New York, New York.  The sun shined brightly in the sky, and warmed the earth below.  Flower fragrances filled the air around me.  I was at a picnic table enjoying a delicious roast beef sandwich with my family.  Our picnic table was overflowing with juicy fruits, crunchy chips, and a variety of different sandwiches.

Our picnic table sat facing a marvelous government building.  It was a sleek, modern looking silver skyscraper that had to be at least 500 feet tall.  People briskly walked in and out of the skyscraper and wore expensive looking suits.  I looked closely through the large windows of the building, and saw people sitting at their desk working on their computers. 

I slowly shifted my head downward to look at the streets of New York.  They were crowded with lots of people.  Tourists walked among the crowds with cameras hanging around their necks.  Occasionally, a tourist would stop to take a picture, but then quickly joined the crowd after he was satisfied.  Cabs filled the streets, and constantly stopped to offer services to new passengers.  

The drone of an airplane engine soon filled my ears.  Although this was a very common sound in New York, I couldn't help myself from looking up to see where the sound was coming from.  A 737 commercial airplane flew dangerously low above my head.  The airplane rocked slightly, then regained its low route.

"Mom?"  I asked.

"Yes dear?" my mom answered.

"Look at that airplane!" I exclaimed.

"Oh wow!  That airplane looks really low.  I wonder why it's so low."

After hearing this, my brother and my father shifted their eyes up to see the airplane.  A look of surprise filled both their eyes as they caught sight of the plane.  I could tell my dad was worried, which caused me to get worried too. 

"What's wrong dad?" I ask.

"That plane is way too low.  At its current course, it would be lucky to make it over that silver skyscraper," answered my dad.

I quickly looked up and saw the plane dip even lower.  "Oh no," I heard my dad say.  As soon as my father finished saying no, I loud boom filled the streets of New York.  The airplane my family had been watching had slammed into the tall skyscraper at full speed.  The explosion caused the government building to lean dangerously to one side.  A second explosion occurred, but this time, the damage was too much for the skyscraper.  The building tumbled from where it once stood high and mighty. 

Screams filled the air.  People ran crazily from the wreckage afraid of losing their own lives.  My parents and my brother quickly gathered up all of the picnic supplies and joined the running crowd.  For some reason though, I was rooted to the spot.  I seemed to have been frozen in shock after witnessing a terrorist attack.  All those people… I thought.  Now they're just gone. 

Tears started to build in my eyes.  Many lives had to have been lost.  It scared the heck out of me when I thought of how quickly my perfect day could turn into a disastrous nightmare.   In just seconds hundreds of lives were lost, I thought.  These people are going to pay for what they did.  I'll make sure of that.

5-2-11
Man vs. Robbery
Author's Note:  This story was inspired by a part in my book where a boy robs a bank.  I also liked this part because I can relate to it from watching some criminal t.v. shows.  Hope you like it.

It happened on a Saturday morning at the bank.  It was unusually busy, and I had a bad feeling something was going to happen.  An unusually crowded bank is not something you look forward to .  If you're like me, all you want to do is get to the bank, get your business done quickly, and then leave.  This is what I expect to happen, but it didn't look like that was in store for me.

I first came suspicious when the large white van filled with men pulled up to the parking lot.  The sight of the men reminded me of the t.v. shows I watch at home about robberies and stuff.  I never took it seriously until now.  While in their van, they all pulled masks over their faces.  This final act confirmed my suspicions of an actual, real-life robbery.  The only problem was that I was in the midst of it.

I established a simple plan; to just get the heck out of there.  The distance from where I was now to the door couldn't have been more than a couple yards.  Inch by inch, I tried to look as unsuspicious as I could as I inched my way to the front door.  Although I probably shouldn't have, I glanced at the white van with the masked men.  Faster Felipe, I thought.  A door slam soon filled my ears and scared me to death.  Come on, at least make it to the plant pot, I thought again.  Just before the front door opened, I was able to dive behind the plant pot. 

"Alright, this is a hold up.  Everybody down," said a voice near the pot.

At this point, I was scared to death.  I had no idea what I could do in this situation right now.  Every time I looked at the door, it was like having somebody daring you to do some daredevil stunt .  It angered me that freedom was so close, but yet so far away.  The front door was a whopping ten-fifteen feet away.  To get to the door, it would take a mad dash to make it out in time.  Maybe that's what I should do, I tried to convince myself.  I told myself, "It is better to get out stealthily than quickly.  My best shot is probably to escape when they reach the bank's vault.  All the money will distract them.  They will probably leave a guard, so I will have to take him out."  I thought this plan through, and felt pretty proud of myself.

Fifteen minutes later, I heard several pairs of feet moving.  The sound started to get fainter and fainter the longer I listened.  This is my chance, I thought.  I allowed myself to peek out from my hiding spot.  There was only one guard standing with all of the hostages.  Luckily, his back was facing me.  Although this was good news, this man also had a silenced mini Uzi, a very lethal weapon.  If I don't act fast, I'm toast.  Here goes nothing.

I slowly made my way out of my hiding spot and slowly made my way toward the guard.  Sweat instantly wet my shirt.  Can this get any scarier?  When I was only inches from the man, I wound up, and made sure I landed my punch squarely on his neck.  Bullseye.  One down.  I took his weapon and checked the rest of the hallway.  Hostages were the only thing left in my section of the building, so I decided to leave them here while I called for help.  After checking for any more possible threats, I whipped out my cell-phone and dialed 911.

 "This is a 911 response team.  What is your emergency?," answered a serious sounding woman.

"I'm trapped in a bank.  They're robbing the place.  I was able to take out one dude, but I don't know where the others are.  I need help now!"

"Okay.  Sir, what is your location?"

"M&I Bank located on Main Street."

"Okay.  A S.W.A.T. team has been called in.  Please remain calm."

"Alright.  Make it quick."

Waiting for the S.W.A.T. team wasn't included in my plan, it was just a back up part of it.  All the time I need is a couple minutes.  I closed my cell-phone and headed in the direction of the bank's vault.  The hallways that led to the vault were all clear, which meant that the remain three or four men are all at the vault.  It's go time.

I reached the hallway that led up to the vault.  I peeked out from behind the corner.  In my line of sight, I was able to notice three men hastily shoving money into large brown sacks.  Another one of them was standing guard outside the vault.  I laid down on the ground and carefully took aim at the guard.  The trigger was pulled three times.  Bullseye.  I quickly jumped up and sprinted toward the vault door.  It looked like it weighed a ton, but I would have to take the chance. 

 I grabbed the handle and pushed with all my might.  How could these robbers not have heard any of this, I asked myself.  Suddenly, I finally heard a voice come from inside the vault.

"Jim, what's happening?" a voice asked.

"I have no idea," answered a man whose name must've been Jim.

"Hey dude knock it off!  I've gotta gun and I'm not afraid to use it!" said the first voice.

"Yeah yeah.  Tell it to the S.W.A.T. team," I answered.

"Hey!  Dude! Stop that befo-"

The man was unable to finish his sentence as the vault door sealed them inside.  I heard gun shots from inside, but I had known that the vault door would be impenetrable.  Victory never tasted better.  On the front of the vault, I wrote, "Special gifts inside.  Handle with care," on a piece of paper.  After I finished taping the letter to the vault door, I headed back to free the hostages.  While in the middle of freeing them, the S.W.A.T. team finally arrived.  I bet you the scene they saw before them surprised them greatly.

"Where are the bank robbers?" asked one of the confused S.W.A.T. members.

"You'll find one of them right in front of you knocked-out, and the rest in the bank vault.  I would be careful, they are still armed," I answered.

"Johnson, Barry, get the tangos from the vault.  I'll stay here and find out what happened."

After two fully armed S.W.A.T. members jogged to the vault, the remaining one stayed to question what had happened.  I told him that I was the one that called for help and that I was also responsible for the takedown of all of the robbers.

"Wow dude.  Nice work.  You handled the situation well," said the S.W.A.T. man after I finished informing him.

"Thanks.  You know, those t.v. shows really help," I answer.

"Haha.  They sure do."

 


4-28-11
FAMILY
Author's Note:  This is Jack and my video.  It is located on the bottom.  It is showing what Davy did and what he could have done.

 4-27-11
STRANGERS
This is a response to one of the scenes in Jumper.  In the scene, a boy decides to hitch-hike with an unknown man and gets into trouble.  The fiction piece below is written in the perspective of an 8 year old boy who is curious to know what the dangers of strangers could be. 

Strangers.  Something that, at a young age, you are told to avoid.  When you're this young, you do not fully understand all the dangers in the world.  You're curious to know what a stranger is, but your parents don't tell you.  This makes you think, if strangers are so bad, why won't my parents tell me what they do.

You decide to try and find the answers on your own.  After your parents leave the house to run some errands, you decide to take a trip into the bustling city right outside your door.  You slowly open the door and gaze out.  The loud noises of traffic instantly fill your ears.

"Let's go," you say to yourself.

When you step outside the house, you start to walk in with the crowd, but you're having a hard time keeping up with everybody.  You are unsure of where you want to go, but you just want to get away from the house.  After trying to keep up to speed with everybody, you decide to take a break next to a run down looking store.  A group of men hung close to the building, making sure I never left their sight.

"You alone kid?" asked one of them.

"Uh.  Yeah."  you answer.

The man then whispered something to the rest of the group, then started to walk toward me.  You suddenly understand what some of the possible dangers and instantly sprint away from the group.  You don't even look back as you sprint back home.  When your parents ask you what you did while they were gone, you answer, "I think I finally understand the dangers of strangers mom."