Page 29 - The Muse 2019-20 Issue

also want to use my voice to bring happiness to people, so I am going to invent magical music. I hope to go down in history as a great warrior and a kind person by the name of “Ash or Ashes” instead of my old name “Sage.”
This is America
by Eva Tosca
7th Grade
Blue Ribbon
My life was as boring as a family party with none of your favorite cousins, which I have experienced various times considering my cousins live on the other side of Arabia. I was so sick of being told, “Misa, don’t say that!” and “Misa, keep your head down!” But I dealt with it because, what was I going to do? Where I lived, there were two pathways in life, one for men and one for women. If you were a man you started working young, most likely at a factory. You would grow up to either still work at or own one and be grim and cold until the day you die. If you were a woman, you spent your life cooking, cleaning and hiding in the shadows because that is the only place you were welcome. That’s the way it was, and that’s the way I thought it would always be, until I met him. Well, not really met...more of just had a conversation with. Well, not exactly had a conversation with, more saw from a distance.
Anyway, everything changed when I saw him, Emil Massumor. He changed my whole outlook on life, and it was all from his walk. The way he held himself was all I had ever wanted from life. He always looked like he had somewhere to be, like someone was expecting him. He never wandered, he only strode or galloped like a self-righteous horse. His head was always up, his eyes were certain, and his dark streaked light hair danced in the wind. He was the only blonde I had ever seen, considering everyone I had ever encountered was brunette or raven-haired. His hair looked bleached by the sun, but it was actually a gift from God. He was my one true love, of that I was certain. But my mom had told me my whole life not to talk to a man unless one talks to you. So, I had never heard his voice, but I imagined it would be deep, strong, and smooth. Yes, that is what I imagined, until I knew.
One day, my mother asked me to walk into town and sell some tapestries she had made. As I was walking, I spotted Emil leaving the factory. He was striding, as always, with some papers in his hand. He neared the end of the path leading away from the factory and switched onto my path. It was silent. All you could hear were our feet hitting the ground and my heart beating. I was resisting the urge to strike up a conversation, because well, my father has given my mother permission to kill me for that. “Women aren’t here to talk, they are here to serve,” he used to say. So, I was trying to stay quiet, but I just couldn’t.
I said, “Your name is Emil Massumor, right?” even though I already knew the answer. He was slightly shocked, but then he seemed pleased.
He answered,“Yes, what is yours?”
“Misa Zketon,” I replied, trying to sound as confident as possible.
“Right- well, I see my car. Bye, Misa.”
I stood and watched him walk to his car, get in, and drive away. I was astounded, first because, he
said my name. Second because I had just gone against anything and everything I had ever been taught. And yet, I was proud, I liked being defiant. That night I returned home to hear my father talking in deep voices with what sounded like ten men in the basement. It was 11 P.M., so why were people over so late? What were they doing in the basement? I wondered if Emil told his father about what I did, and they were all in there conspiring my death plan. But then, I picked up on a couple of words and realized that wasn’t the case. I heard “max power”, “no escape” and “it’s very popular”. The last words were the ones that really settled my nerves because they just didn’t make sense when planning a child’s murder. I wondered what they were planning, if I only knew. I shrugged it off and went to bed.
The next morning, I discovered from my mother that my father was already at work. How strange, I thought, that he was there nearly two hours early. I decided to do something completely out of this world crazy. I did this not only because of this exact instance, but because for what seems like my
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