Page 10 - Horizon 18 Online

HORIZON
Not All Heroes Wear Capes
The day starts normally for Sam. He is walking down the street on his way to school, when he sees a terrible sight that stops him dead in his tracks: a small creature, trapped under something heavy, and unable to move. No one else around Sam seems to be aware of the tragedy unfolding right be- neath them. Sam knows that his help is desperately needed. He makes his way over to the helpless insect currently trapped under a candy wrapper, a Snickers wrapper, to be exact. He quickly analyzes the situation. If he lifts the wrapper too quickly, the small ant would become alarmed, and im- mediately start running to safety. This, however, could lead to the poor guy getting trampled by the herd of oncoming foot traffic on the busy street. Yes, Sam will have to lift the wrapper slowly and carefully, so as not to concern his endangered friend.
Sam could not help but feel disgust towards the mindless civilian that “in- nocently” dropped this deadly candy wrapper on the ground, without any concern for the environment they were destroying. To make matters worse, the nearest trash can was only ten feet away. Apparently, this treacherous walk was too much for the litterbug to handle, thus they were turned to
a life of crime. However, Sam knows he cannot get too hung up on the mistake made by a random fool with no care for the cleanliness of the community. He has work to do.
He turns his attention back to the ant, who is still struggling to break free from the relentless grasp of the carelessly discarded candy wrapper. Sam takes a deep breath, and lays his hands gently over the wrapper. He care- fully places his fingers around of the edge of the thin, plastic-like paper, and lifts. He is sure to hold his breath, as every second is precious, and one wrong move could lead to a total disaster.
He’s finally able to remove the wrapper completely, freeing his ant friend from all constraints. The little fellow thanked his rescuer by scampering quickly off into a tiny crack in the pavement. Sam smiles, and is grateful that everything turned out for the best. He crumples up the candy wrapper and tosses it in the trash, where it belongs. Afterwards, he carries on his merry way, walking down the street, satisfied for having just saved a life, and eager to help more people, and creatures, in need of a hero.
The Turning Tide
The track turns, as do my memories. The song begins,
Transporting me,
Sending me back through time.
The scent of salt lightly burning,
Pleasing my nostrils.
Sand coursing through my toes,
Burning my feet as I dance across the beach. I run to the comfy lap of my mother.
A transistor radio crackles out music As I close my eyelids.
The redness stays
Peeking through the doors
By the strength of its rays.
The sun is shining, the weather is sweet. The steady rhythmic drumming beats on Behind the lyrics.
The heat drifts down onto my skin, Luring me into a dangerous sleep, Tempting to burn me.
Awake from your sleep and slumber, Ironically sings the radio.
The music slowly fades and almost instantly The song ends
And an ad turns on Spotify.
Abruptly,
Rudely,
Crashing into my memories,
Pulling me from the past
As I make one last effort to hang on.
In the present
I lay on my trampoline,
The light pull of the tightly woven threads beneath me. I smile as I think of the place I just was,
The place I always want to be.
10
Emily Kmiecik ’18
Colleen Doucette ’20