Randell woke to the rumbling of stampeding cattle, and the sound of a freighter coming into port. His friends pickup accelerated and raced towards the closing gate, “I can make it... “ he muttered. Randell, who thought that his life was more valuable than time, lunged to grab the steering wheel. The truck skidded to a stop on top of the tracks, blowing out the tires in the process. A long high pitched squeal rang out as the train stopped, the buffers kissing the door of the truck.

Randall crawled out, stumbled off the tracks and fell to the ground. He stared at the grass yelling profanity at it. After 15 minutes of damning things to hell, he ran out of breath. He could not have imagined what might have happened if the train didn't stop in time. Suddenly he felt extremely tired. He looked back at the train and fell into the grass.

Randell woke to the rumbling of stampeding cattle, and the sound of a freighter coming into port. His friends pickup accelerated. Randell lunged to grab the steering wheel. The truck skidded to a stop on top of the tracks and was swiftly crushed by the oncoming train.

I was waiting for Zawinul’s cue.

“Come on Joe... What are you doing…Not on the last song of the tour.”

If he doesn’t cue, I’ll completely mess the intensity the song.

I was supposed to build it.

We were nearing the last four bars. Then 8 beats. Then we’d be done.

Joe smiled at me.

My thoughts raced,

Forget it.

We couldn’t end it like that. We’re the best in the world, we were supposed to be at least.

I held my breath, the anger grew.

I smashed the snare. I wasn’t going to stop with end of the piece.

Tom. Snare. Tom.

The lights went off.

My hands began to bleed.

Shorter glared at me. What are you doing?

I didn’t care. I felt the rhythm pulse through me.

The spotlight turned on. On me.

There wasn’t a single clap. Whole stadium silent.

I stopped.

Stood, bowed.

Walked off stage.

As I headed to sound check,

I thought. I knew it was over.

I walked in, bowed head,

I looked up to see the whole band.

Joe handed me a Dixie cup of Cognac. He said something I never expected,

“Last night you did something, last night you graduated.”

I sit in my apartment, listening to the rain softly hitting the roof. No one else in the building is still awake. I remember what my mother used to say to me every night before bed.

“Get some rest. Tomorrow is another big day.”

Her words still echo in my head. They are some of the only remaining memories I have of her. There are photos of us together as a family, with me, my dad and her, but none of them really connect. They had been fighting for a while. I woke up one night and heard them, so I crept downstairs. Eventually, they noticed me watching them and tried to pretend that nothing was happening, but I had heard enough. I knew what was going to happen.

When she left, it devastated my father. He became depressed, and  didn’t want to go to work. I convinced him to take an odd job here and there. There was never quite enough money. College was a relief to me, an escape line out of the world I was trapped in.

I should take her words to heart and go to bed. After all, tomorrow is another big day.

The cold air blew in between my toe, through the dark night. I sprinted as far as I could,  all the way down the street, running and running. I stopped after what seemed like forever, my heart beating like a drum against my cold wet hand. My legs and arms were freezing as I only had my underwear on. I turned around, wondering if “it” was still chasing me… Nothing seemed to be there. “It” was after me, running tests on my body, searching for something within me. The street light flickered above me, as the alleyways were covered in muck and dirt. I scoured the area for some clothes or food, but nothing appeared to be around. As I leaned against a brick wall, I slowly let my feet slip forward and dirt cover my feet, my body slowly falling to the ground. I curled into a tight ball and prayed for safety, what I see is “it”, and everything goes dark.

The man leaves the room, and the gas turns on. I see him in the darkness, after the red button is pressed, and I scream, even though nobody will ever hear me or care. I slowly feel the life draining from my helpless body in that cold dark room. I hear maniacal laughing coming from a room adjacent to mine, and slowly, my body falls away as I swiftly rise upward- faster and faster. I feel air whipping past me and then all is quiet. I land softly on what feels like warm sheep’s wool, and finally, I can rest, before the cycle restarts and I have to go through living hell again.

Besides the fact that he was three feet shorter than the normal person, Marvin was a rather normal guy. He liked to go on long walks in the park and he was an accountant. A lot of people made fun of him because of his height, but he didn’t care. One day he met Eliza, who was six feet tall. They fell in love and in got married. They had 8 beautiful children who were all four and a half feet tall. They all had wonderful names; Petunia, Larry, Peter, Jaime, Hannah, Zander, Madeline, and Preston. They all lived happily ever after and carefree.

I stepped up to take the penalty, the last one and the score was 1-1 and 3-3 in penalties I had the chance to win the Champions League, my lifetime dream. I set the ball down on the spot and backed up waiting for the referee's signal then the whistle blew and I ran towards the ball.

“You take it Johnny” coach yelled. This was it, I thought to myself, the chance to be champions. Are team had been 2 goals down but we came back, and now it was tied 2-2 in penalties in the State Cup final. I walked up placed the ball down on the spot and stepped back then I heard it and stormed towards the ball and hit it then all I could hear was the sound of the crossbar rattling. I had missed right off the bar and the next shot they had scored. We had lost the championship.

As I hit the ball I had known that this was the one but then all I heard was the sound of the crossbar but this time it had gone off the bar and in!, we were world champions.

I woke up. It was early, but the sun was already rising. I sat up in bed and leaned back against my pile of pillows; the quiet crumple of the sheets echo in my ears. I pulled my white comforter up to my chest and looked out the window, the soft rays of dawn falling upon my short, black hair. Someone must have opened the heavy garnet red curtains while I was asleep. Through the frost-edged glass windowpane I could see the pine sapling my father and I had transplanted a couple of years ago-before I was sick. The edges of the needles were slowly becoming brown, falling apart in these past years. I realized then that the pine and I were so alike. This must be what it’s like to start at the end and move forward.

Game Changer

Everyone has it but no one can lose it, Jay woke up with this certain intensity to play chess. He was playing himself, but was losing. When he went to the bathroom he looked into the mirror and saw himself waving back at him with a devious smile right across his pale face. He went back to his room and laid down on his side, he closed his eyes and opened them up to a dark room with a table and the game of chess setup. He walked closer to the game and his reflection materialized itself out of the dark shadows. His reflection sat there with this impatient stillness and that devious smile, and Jay just stood there. The reflection told Jay to let him in over and over again but Jay wouldn’t budge. He finally woke up screaming and saw his reflection standing right over him. He walked over to the game of chess and saw that a piece was missing from the board, his vision started to become blurry. He realized that he wasn’t playing his reflection, he was playing his shadow, and with one look he realized that his shadow was playing for his mind.

I am smacked into the ground, repeatedly, as we travel onward. I feel the hard concrete echo through me as I hit the floor again and again. I don’t mind it that much, because every day, my partner and I are wore. My laces are tightened and I feel my soles wearing out when I am put on someone’s foot. I am splashed through the mud, worn in rain and shine. I have been to soccer games, to the park and even to Disney World. I am faded purple with colorful stripes, and worn on the left foot; I am a shoe.