Mona Lisa

Alexis Brooks
2315 McGraw Street
Penticton, B.C
V2A 7P3

March 14th 2014

Inspector Clouseau
Chief of Police
123 Rue Justice
Paris, France
1A2 R3T

Dear Inspector Clouseau;
     I have written to inform you why I decided to save Ada Artlover. As the room began to fill with smoke I thought to myself, do I save the Mona Lisa, or do I save this sweet old lady I had just gotten to know. I feel I have done what any humane person would have. It is true that the Mona Lisa is a priceless piece of historic art, but how do you put a price on some ones life. You can't. That is why I carried Ada out of the fire while letting the painting burn. When I was deciding what to do I just thought about what if that was my mother or my grandmother... I couldn't bear the thought of that poor family finding out some terrible person saved a silly painting rather than a life.
    
     I know that I destroyed a piece of history and I cannot apologize enough for that, but I am not sorry for my decision because at the end of the day I'm the one who has to sit down and think about what I did. There is not a single feeling of regret that I have for that day. At the time I had thought of how much easier it would be to save the painting and become the hero, but the thought of a family thinking of me as a murderer made no amount of praise and glory worth it. Inspector, try to understand what I went through and where I'm coming from. I only did what anybody in that situation would have. Besides the story of a young girl saving an old lady instead of the Mona Lisa may go down in history just as well as the painting itself did.

     The fact that the Mona Lisa is gone is devastating and she will forever be missed, but its not like she will never be seen again. The amount of imitation paintings there are, nobody will go without seeing what the painting was like, even if it is just through a photograph with hundreds of other cameras in the bottom of the shot. That mysterious smile of hers will never be forgotten. When the Louvre burned, tragedy struck, but imagine if lives were lost along with the art. That is why I decided to save Ada Artlover instead.

Sincerely,

 Alexis Brooks

Alexis Brooks

Waiting Room

The tension in the room builds as we hear the footsteps coming closer and closer down the hall. With each click his steps make, I become more aware that I'll have to face reality. A tall slim figure in a long, white coat appears, although I seem to be the only one aware. His rough cough shatters the deafening silence and suddenly everybody's eyes are pinned to him. My dad approaches the doctor with a fear I have never seen in him before. The glisten in his eyes is heartbreaking. He’s trying so hard to keep a brave face, because if he loses his cool, the rest of us will. As I'm looking around the room I can't help but feel trapped. It's as if I'm being surrounded by a mass of options and results. Suffocated by my thoughts I snap back into reality. My chest feels hollow and finding my breath again is proven difficult. Feelings of nausea and dizziness cast over me. I need to sit back down; although as soon as I do my dad summons me towards the doctor and himself. Light headed and pale faced, they ask if I’m alright. Not wanting to cause a scene, I lie. I know today, right now, is all about my mom. I clench my lips between my teeth and listen quietly for the results. I can’t focus on what he’s saying, but watching my father’s eyes dwell with tears and a smile cover his face, I can tell the news is good. “She’s going to be okay.” Suddenly everything I was feeling diminishes and all I feel is relief.

Bluffing

A short story about a young adventurous couple who unknowingly run into some trouble in the woods and find great danger is "Bluffing" by Gail Helgason. Gabriella and her boyfriend Liam are on a hike to have some lunch by the lake. After Liam is attacked by a bear the story switches back into the hospital. Throughout the story the setting switches into the past of what happened at the lake and the present of Gabriella visiting Liam. When he's finally awake long enough to speak to her, he claims "[he] meant the bear to come after [him] instead of [her]." It's hard to tell if this is the truth or not seeing as how they don't have the most honest relationship. Liam insists that she use a homemade cleaning solution while Gabriella decides she doesn’t like it but she doesn’t bother to tell him "she'd stopped using it." Liam is a liar and will say anything to get his way. If he doesn’t want to share a destination with other hikers, he lies to scare them off with an imaginary "elk carcass" that’s clearly from a grizzly. Another reason Liam isn’t telling the truth would be how excited he is to "get by for three months over the winter" and live in a van all so him and his friend Clive could head down south and explore some "good, technical rock." Why would he give that up now to save Gabriella when he would be leaving her for a long time anyways. The final reason that Liam’s bluffing when he told Gabriella "[he] wasn't trying to run up there" is that he is incredibly selfish. He has a keen eye for his future and has many goals not involving his beloved girlfriend, who happens to have the same interests and goals. All he wants to do is explore with his friend while Gabriella waits and tries to set up a future with Liam. Why would he bother to risk his life that he planned so many great adventures for a girl who wanted a commitment.

Stories Untold

As she inhales another breath of her cigarette, a look of serenity covers her face. At the age of sixty three you can tell she’s had a good, long, adventurous life. Each wrinkle on her forehead tells a tale, an experience she had many years ago. The deep grey tan left on her face, showing she spent her time in the sun. Skin dark and worn out sags down from her face. A hat to hide her eyes that are full of mysterious stories she dares not to tell. Her body language, the way she carries herself shows her lifetime of elegance and etiquette. Through her perfectly perched lips, a bitter expression comes while releasing some  smoke. The necklace overlaying her wrinkled neck matches perfectly with the rings on her fingers. Gems that appear to be as old as she is. A soft breeze blows and her thin, brittle hair is brushed away from her face. She is an untold story dying to be read.

 

Physical Soul



As the heat of the stage lights illuminates her nervous smile, it reminds her that these are the moments she lives for. This is why Lexi spent the last fourteen years of her life hidden in her studio. The next three minutes are it. The only time she has to show everything she's worked for, for the past year. She must show every detail of how she's grown and changed. As the music starts all her inner emotions and thoughts flow throughout her body. Expressing herself the only way she knows how. Movement. When Lexi is on stage it is clear that this is all she wants to do. The beat of the music takes control of her body and carry's her throughout the stage. As the music stops she engulfs the feeling and realizes she has never felt more like herself. Dancing is her physical soul.