Page 54 - The Muse 2021

They made it down to the docks. With help, Maxime threw out gear and junk from the boat to make room for the masses of people who hoped to get on. The volcano violently blasted pieces of magma into the air, and the thin, runny lava seeped down the sides of the volcano. Lizzie was almost knocked off her feet by the earth’s shaking.
Some people on the beach tried creating makeshift rafts, while others huddled by the docks hoping to get a spot on the singular boat the island had. Lizzie heard panicked people screaming from across the island. There were so many who were not going to make it onto that first boat ride. Maxime realized that one boat ride was not enough but didn’t want to choose who could get on. He resolved to make as many trips to the island as he could to ensure that the remaining people could escape.
People piled onto the boat, sitting uncomfortably close to one another. Lizzie anxiously awaited her entry onto the boat. Nothing about this boat ride was appealing to her. She winced at sitting so close to grimy strangers, but the volcano crackled above them and made the decision for her to get on the boat.
Maxime started the engine and they sped away. As the boat distanced itself from the island, the terrifying scene of the volcano revealed itself. The lava was oozing out of the volcano, making its way down the sides of the mountain at a faster pace. Lizzie was taken aback at the view of the helpless people on the docks who weren’t able to squeeze onto the first boat ride. The people were left crying, terrified for their lives.
As their boat approached the mainland, Lizzie saw that fleets of other boats were crossing their path. They were making their way to help the hundreds of people left on the island’s beaches. She looked over at Maxime and noticed he was grinning at the sight of the humanitarians endangering their own lives to help others in need. She felt possessed to do the same but fought the urge. She was faced with the odd feeling of wanting to bring them with her to save them. It was almost as if she genuinely cared for them, which was unusual for her to even comprehend. Lizzie had never cared about people in that way before.
The boat finally arrived, and people piled off. They all seemed so grateful. Some began to pray on their knees, thanking God and Maxime for both helping them survive.
Right when Lizzie was expecting Maxime to help her off the boat, he turned to her and asked, “Ready for another round?” She was taken aback.
He pressed her, “I helped you when you needed it. I can’t do this alone. I need your help. What do you say?”
Seeing the smoke in the distance, she hesitated. Today was terrible. So many gross people... I was surrounded by them to and from the mall. My phone’s gone. All my pictures are gone. I’m filthy from that muddy nature trail. I lost everything and wasted all of my money. And, I had to go all survivorman to help these people...Another boat ride? Really?
Reluctantly, Lizzie finally responded. With a touch of humor in her voice, she replied, “I kind of want to go home and change my clothes...but I guess I’ll stay and help.”
The Immune
by Marena Goodman 8th Grade
This is all their fault. They did this to us. If only they knew what became of this world, then maybe they would have done something about it. I hate them. I hate them for leaving us an unfixable world for us to handle all by ourselves. Yes, they may be gone now, but only thanks to the plague that they themselves caused. Little did they know, they stripped us of our parents, our grandparents, of everyone who raised us, and in my case, of the only family I had left. Some others were lucky, and had siblings that survived too, but even then, it was rare enough that you even survived. In 1966, yes exactly one century ago, the world was warned of the rapidly increasing carbon dioxide levels in our atmosphere. Of course, the idiotic scoundrels that were alive back then did not think anything of it, and ignored the warnings they were given, that was until the year 2020. From what I learned of that year, it was one of the most devastating and earth-shattering years the world had ever seen. Honestly, those awful people deserved it considering what we have to live through now. The one decent thing about that year was people all over the world were finally starting to do something that actually helped Earth from being inhabitable to
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Oriana Lovera, Grade 8