VOICES2013

A publication written and illustrated by the students at

Shore Regional High School

J. Giardino

The Forest--John Leslie

There’s an acre of clearingOutside of townWhere a forest is made out of metal.The county dumps its out-of-date towersAnd the forest increases a little. I’ll inform you right nowI’m known as a freakFor taking long walks in this wood.I like to feel the air on my faceInstead of indoors as I should. There’s always this hummingBack in my townThat comes from the towers in use.But back at the graveyard of metal and poles,The sounds don’t come from a fuse. I can hear this crunchUnder my feet.Of my boots grinding the gravel;And my fi ngers feeling the beamsAre the joys that come from my travel. On a freezing afternoonI found a new poleIt was brown, like a front door.It wasn’t smooth, it was rough and unevenA texture I had not felt before. But then a police copterFlew overhead.The blades vrumming, ripping the air.Poles crashed to the ground, metal arms caught my waist.In a grip, I was fl own far from there. I was quickly convictedAnd locked in a cell,Not allowed to feel anything.Not the cold of a pole or a touch-screenOr the warmth, that the brown can bring.

J. Giardino

Fear No Evil (March 21, 2013)--Cole Barrale

I fear no evil, I fear no shadows.The waters are deep but to me they are shallow.

I walk chin up, eyes always forward.Walk very slowly and die even slower.

I hear no hatred, feel only good.Walk through the fire, shields won’t be wood.

Stronger that I feel, stronger than I look.Caught on a good vibe, almost like it’s hooked.

Confidence in pockets, love inside the heart.Positives my option but fists are high to start.

I fight, I bleed, but not easy to kill.Swallowing my pride like it’s really not a pill.

And drugs come in all forms, kind of like our critics.I stay real at all times and never be a mimic.

So judge me or kill me, I will not leave peaceful.I fear no hatred, I fear no evil.

Sweet Venom (March 12, 2012)--Cole Barrale

Love is when the soul finds its perfect match.Love is the reason you can get so attached.

Love could change the world just as well as yours.Love leads to new beginnings, newly opened doors.

The problem is, we are all God’s kids, we think we do no wrong.We calmly kiss, the thought is this, I think that you’re the one.

You’re happy now, you keep a smile as long as they are there.But just as soon, when they are gone, life becomes unfair.

The question is, why do you have to fall so hard?The knife is deep, but once it’s out, you are left all scarred.

What would make it better? Only time will tell.We both were once at the top but only I had fell.

Love is the sweet venom flowing through the veins.Love can take the pain and wash it all away.

But if it consumes you, it can kill you off.Keep your strength and walk the plank, but don’t let it push you off.

Lies--Anonymous

Me, I am a happy girlWho is quiet most the time.Eggplant is my favorite dish

I eat it when I dine.I hate to readI love to write

And I hate to fallBeing in a high up placeScares me most of all.

I’m the best person in the worldtrust me, I know why

When I speak,No matter what I never tell a lie.

Food--Anonymous

I’m supposed to write a poemAbout my favorite meal.May be mashed potatoes

With a side of veal.Some chicken, mac and cheese

Or maybe a roasted duckI’d tell you what my favorite food

Is if my poems didn’t suck.

Lean cuisine is pretty goodIt tastes good and it’s light.

My thighs and butt will shrinkMy pants won’t be so tight.

I wait for it in the microwaveWhile I pour juice into my cup.

It’s done, hooray!I eat it fast

But it will never fill me up.

8th Grade--Anonymous

Time has passedGone all too fast

Yet I feel I haven’t grownNo matter what I said or did

You’re the best friend I’ve ever known.

We laugh, we joke, like usual,But I don’t know why.

I’m smiling at you like always, But there’s a tear that’s in my eye.

I look at all theteachers and desksthat I will not miss

I don’t cry when I seethe tree where I was first kissed.

But when I look at you I seeyou love your brand new start.

But for us this is the end.

Lovely Lovely--Anonymous

Lovely, lovelyhis curls golden brown.

Lovely, lovelythey peak up from his crown.

Lovely, lovelywith eyes like the sea.

Lovely, lovelynever looking at me.

Lovely, lovelywith a laugh that could burst.

Lovely, lovelyhe’s the best, I’m the worst.

Lovely, lovelystars outside my window sill

Love me, love mehe never will.

Christmas--Anonymous

A home is somewhere cozy,A big red comfy chair.

A hat knitted by my grandmotherPlaced atop my hair.

Home is Christmas Eve partiesWith cousins, moms, and dads.

All my dreams consist ofA home I’ve never had.

J. Giordano

Red Dawn--Bryan Patrick Siders, Jr.

Day 1 It had been three days since I awoke from my coma. I walked downstairs from my bedroom. There were bloodstains all over the walls and floors of my room, and as I walked down, farther into the bowels of my home, I saw bloody dead bodies piled up along the walls. I continued my trek—and what I encountered was truly horrifying. It iced my soul. I found my child, Anthony, and my wife, Justine, lying in a pool of blood, dead on the floor. Zombielike, I walked outside. Everything was abandoned; there was not a soul in sight. I waited, I walked around, and I found a school. In front of the now-lifeless building I saw a man who appeared to be weak. He seemed to be wounded. I walked towards him and asked, “Sir, what is your name?” He stammered, “I’m . . . Eddy.” “You look wounded, Eddy.” Standing behind his shoulders, I saw blood dripping from his face. When I turned him around, I discovered that his eyeballs had been gouged out of their sockets. As I gaped at this horrific sight, Eddy told me something important, something that would decide whether I would live or perish. The words that he uttered would turn my blood cold once I found out what they actually meant. Eddy warned, “Fear those that reside in the shadows.” I thought that he was delusional, but I soon realized that mine was a false conclusion, one that would threaten to end me until I learned to accept it. Somewhat distracted by Eddy’s enigmatic advice, I wandered into the school and saw them, the “Infected.” There were at least one hundred of them. Their presence startled me, but what I saw next jolt-ed me even more. Hiding in the shadows was a decrepit figure. He wore a red hood and a red cloak; and he stared directly at me before he left. The dead began to mobilize, as they sniffed my warm flesh. I bolted from the room, but I turned when I saw the figure again. As I followed him, I reached a locked room; but I found the key—a skeleton key with a skull on the end of it—under the doormat. I fumbled with the lock, and then I saw the figure standing near me, pointing at me. Then he fled. I understood that he wanted me to follow him, and he led me to another door, one that displayed the oblivion symbol on its face. (I had seen this before, as I had looked it up in Google images; and I also play a game based on it.) My fascination with this mystery was intense. I tried the key, but it would not yield the room’s secrets to me. As I searched the area for another method of entry, I found a journal entitled “The Rise of Sithis.” As I read the first page, I encountered an unusual word, and I sounded it out: “Daedra.” This utterance caused the door to open, but initially I found nothing interesting inside the room. Then I discovered effigies of my son and my wife. The figure had his hands tightly closed around their necks. I charged at him, and he stabbed my arm with a knife that was al-ready dripping with blood. Then he shot an arrow at my hand. It had a letter attached to it, and the blood oozed onto the letter. I read the letter: it had nothing but blood and the same oblivion symbol on it. The knife sported the same symbol, as well. I collapsed into a slumber. When I awoke several minutes later, I walked into the shrine room, which was marked by the same symbol that had been carved by the knife that had slashed my arm. As I walked into the entryway, my wounds miraculously healed. I looked at the note again and paid special attention to the coordinates: “Lat. - 66, Long. – 66.” That was the location of the hospital where I was kept after I was born.

Day 2

As I walked to the hospital, I saw at least twenty hordes of relentless “Infecteds”; all of them ap-peared to have been placed around the hospital. I walked and walked until I came to the front door. None of the zombies attacked me. Instead, they stood there as if they were guards.

I pushed the door open. Only rats and oddly comforting bloodstains were there. Yet, I smelled an evil stench—the stench of malice and bloodlust—as if something was waiting, waiting for me. I moved on to the basement, where I found a sword made of pure silver. It had no blood on it. In fact, it looked as if it had never been touched. The air was heavy with silence. I opened the door and discovered my lifelong friend, Jake Long. He was holding a note in his mouth that had obviously been put there for me to find. As I began to open the envelope, I saw that it had been sealed with the symbol of Sithis. The instructions inside presented a puzzle through odd symbols randomly inserted into the image. Closer inspection revealed that these symbols appeared as a pattern; they revealed a path that led to two doors. One of these was marked with the oblivion symbol, and the other was decorated with a cross. I chose the one marked with the cross. As I opened this door, I could almost hear and feel crying children. Inside, I found tunnels that had been stained with blood and what seemed to be pieces of organs. I began to follow this trail through the hidden tunnels. Soon into my quest, I arrived at a fork in the trail: the path on the left-hand side had been stained with smeared hearts, lungs, and other organs that had been stomped on by the heavy feet of non-believers. Eerie, heart-rending sounds of demonic screeches and human wailings issued from the ground beneath my feet. The path I had chosen took me down into what seemed to be the depths of hell, the gates to my destruction. There were a path that led to an undercroft and a door that led to nothing—until I opened it. The man with the hood appeared and slit my throat. I lay on the ground, bleeding. Then I began to strug-gle as if for some reason I couldn’t die. As I writhed at his feet, he pinned me against the wall and stabbed me with the silver blade, thrusting it deeply into my vital organs. My internal bleeding was profuse, but I felt no pain. Repeatedly and with superhuman strength, the hooded specter stabbed me, leaving me bleeding. Finally, he seemed to be going in for the kill. He grasped the silver blade with one hand on the edge of the hilt and one on my back; he began to plunge the sword deep into my core, and blood poured from my veins in vermillion waterfalls. At last, he left. I felt cold, but at least I was alive. I lay on the ground, eyes focused on the heavens, and waited for death to come to me swiftly.

Day 4

As I gazed into the heavens, I saw fire instead of light. I thought I saw God, too; but the path I am currently following will lead me to the bloody bowels of Hell itself. I focused my gaze on a figure in the distance, and as I moved into the Underworld, I saw that this creature was Satan himself. When I stared directly at him, Satan raised his claws to kill me and to take my soul. I resigned myself to my horrible fate and waited for Satan’s will to be done. Just as his claws grazed my back, I awoke and re-entered reality. I was back from Hell, but this reality was hellish, as well. I got up despite my almost fatal wounds and continued to march into the abyss. Again, for reasons I still did not understand, my wounds healed themselves automatically as I strode onto my path. Following the path that I felt would provide answers to my questions; I saw a figure with a decrepit body, a rust iron helmet, a staff, and a red robe that could

not hide his massive stomach. I needed to talk with him; I wanted to know why I was born on this unholy earth and why I had been in a coma. I inched closer to him until I was next to him. Breathing on its back, the figure moved little and said nothing. It seemed to be oblivious to my presence.

I moved further along the path until I found a chest. From my pocket, I took the key and inserted it into the lock. Immediately, the Lich came at me. With a shrill scream, he attacked me with the staff. I dodged his blows and recovered my footing. I counter-attacked and brutally stabbed his face. He was unaffected. Looking away, I glimpsed a red skull in the distance and began to move toward it with the Lich following me. When I arrived at the place of the skull, I stabbed it mightily; the Lich screamed in agony and then turned to mere dust. I went back to the chest, opened it, and found another note: Lat. – 33, Long. – 33. I did not know the location, but I continued on the path until I found a ladder and escaped the hospital to find that the zombies were relentless. They all came forth. I knew that I had a sword—forged from silver—in my hand, but it did not help me. I saw a tank in the distance and with no hesitation, I ran towards it. I slew all the zombies in my path; their blood gushed from the slashes I inflicted on their heads. The blood dripping from their heads was profuse, but the hoards were relentless. They continued to come up from nearby cities, but it felt like a larger plan was in place. I saw that the robed entity was on top of the tank, with a smile that suggested his involvement in the planning of these awful activities with the intention of testing me. My energy level plummeted with-in the first few minutes after I defeated the Infected hoards. The robed entity leapt from the tank and walked towards my helpless form. As he approached, I couldn’t move. I was paralyzed with the fatigue that resulted from my intense efforts to survive. The robed figure was next to me, and he whispered froze my soul: “Brother, Sithis’ love has been given to you. Sip the blood of Merunes Dagon and join our family. Experience our paradise.” Initially, I answered “no,” but then this man, if in fact he is a man, replied, “If you want to find the truth related to your coma, then move into the loving arms of Sithis and receive his gory love.” I was mo-mentarily speechless, but then I replied, “I’ll join you on the condition that you tell me what happened to my wife and son.”

Day 5

I awoke in a room that was oddly clean—tidy as if it had been prepared before I work up. I did not remember what the man had said, but I remembered his name: Altair. I looked around and eventually found a chest that contained two vials of human blood and one of canine blood. I also found Altair’s journal. According to what I read, he was off to a farm called Weyon Priory; he was off to seek something called the Aylied Stone, or, more commonly known as the Welkon Stone. I seemed he wanted to retrieve these, but no entries in his journal dealt with the success of his mission or his return. I took the journal and left the room. To my surprise, as I was leaving, I en-countered three other members of what is called “The Dark Brotherhood,” the only cult I had ever joined. There are only 23 members of this group, and many had been recruited by Altair. I left the inner sanctum and walked out of the abandoned house in Skingrad where their base was located; and immediately I was reacquainted with the hordes of undead. I had no weapons. However, I did have a green vial. Quickly, I drank the liquid in it and simply walked past the undying corpses. I ventured into the mountains and then walked on to Weynon Priory. The building looked almost abandoned, but I saw the oblivion symbol written on its outer walls in fresh blood. I walked inside. There were approximately fifteen members of the guild there, all wearing angry, almost insane looks on their faces. I saw Altair’s body hanging from the kitchen ceiling. The guild members all gathered around his lifeless corpse. I discovered immediately that they were all staring at me. Instantly, they attacked me.

I had obviously found something I wasn’t supposed to see. Immediately I ran out of the barn, but I knew that they were tracking every move I made. As I contin-ually dodged what seemed to be endless Shurikens and Kunais, I ran out of places I could hide. Coming to a dead end, I know that my life was truly in jeopardy, and I closed my eyes, waiting for thousands of kirks to stab my body. Nothing happened. Opening my eyes, I saw that they had stopped; their assault had been ended by a shadowy figure. Altair had returned to life, and he had saved me.

In one motion he banished almost half the guild members to a place called “Oblivion,” the realm of the Daedra. All the gates were forever closed because of a man named Ocato. He was the Arch-Mage in the Arcane University in the Imperial City. I was stunned to behold such a powerful necromancer, and then he did something that I felt only a god could have done—he summoned his own army of zombies. I was astounded, as I witnessed what only Ocato himself could have done. Chancellor Ocato had been promoted to a government position, “Champion of Cyrodil.” Yet, what he did to save me seemed to be beyond his own power. The army of undead obliterated everyone in its path, spar-ing only Altair and me. Then, when the blood and smoke had cleared, Ocato intoned to me, “Now I will tell you what happened to you and to our great nation. I will reveal why you found your wife and your son dead on your staircase and kitchen floor.”

Day 6

I was stunned, emotionally and psychologically unable to move. I listened to the details of my wife’s and my son’s untimely ends. According to Ocato, my wife had discovered my son dead on the floor and as she tried to contain her tears, my “Brothers” of the guild were tracking down an infamous necro-mancer named Mannimarco. He had caused the death of my child and my unborn daughter, as my wife was pregnant at the time with our second bundle of joy. Mannimarco had also killed my wife, Justine. Mannimarco also caused the death of our champion, Chancellor Ocato. He apparently escaped to a cave called “Dark Fathom.” There he obtained the title and staff of “The King of Worms.” He started another cult

that the daedric shrines would soon come to shatter. Along with the cult, he created “Rage of the Ortho-dox”; he obtained a stone that was worth $1B US, and he named it “Aylied.” This was the stone that Altair had forsaken. The stone, in his grasp, could summon Sithis from his bloody tomb. Free from imprison-ment, Sithis could mete out his unholy wrath to ravage all of Cyrodil. Mannimarco was also the key to my coma. He had killed my wife and son in order to obtain infor-mation on my whereabouts. Altair planted the stone in the hospital, and he then retrieved it when I was about to exit the cave. This happened concurrently with Altair’s obtaining the stone. Yet, Mannimarco had died a long time ago. The power of the stone took his soul and left his possessions and his physical life. I was stunned to find out that the time when I called my wife and child was the same time as when Mannimarco entered my humble home and slaughtered my son. My wife was upstairs at the time, work-ing on some project. When she came downstairs for a break, Mannimarco heard her. He acted swiftly, grabbing a kitchen knife, forcing my wife to tell him where I was, and then slitting her throat. He then re-turned to Dark Fathom Cave. The resurrection of Mannimarco happened in Anvil, and I was in the docks there when it occurred. I have a special sensitivity to necromancy, and I felt that it was being performed in Anvil. Thus, I investigated. I can to the Anvil lighthouse outside the town, and I encountered a man in a ripped black robe unlocking the lighthouse. I followed him. He was rifling through the chests that belonged to the lighthouse owner, when he pulled something from his pocket. The object was my wife’s wedding band. I fell into a bloodthirsty rage and attacked the man in front of me. He then pulled a staff from his robe, and the words that the man, Altair, said were obviously meant for me. I blacked out, not recalling exactly what he had said. The next morning, I awoke in the hospital; Altair had brought me there on his horse. My physical wounds were dressed, but my soul screamed for revenge. I asked Altair where Mannimarco was hiding. His answer was what I feared: Mannimarco was sequestered in Dark Fathom Cave.

Day 7

Right after I gathered my possessions and was about to leave for the great journey ahead, it occurred to me that I had no real memories of the days I entered and exited the hospital. I was pondering my recent past, recollecting my thoughts, and regath-ering ideas and information. I considered my sudden, brief death. I remembered seeing the fiery gates of hell, like a burning tsunami. When I tried to remember more, my thought processes were stymied; I sim-ply could not recall what had happened. I gathered my things and left as soon as possible. Altair stopped

me, and he advised, “Fear those that reside in the shadows.” After ascertaining that I had heard what he had said, Altair left. I continued my trek; I passed Weyon Priory. Then I came to a serpent’s pass, a quick way to exit to the Dark Fathom Cave. As I traveled, I came to a rock about five miles before I came to the dreaded cave. I picked up the rock and gazed at it in my palm. On it was an inscription, which read, “Fear those that reside in the shadows.” Again this message was directed at me; it was a dark gift that would soon save my life, although I was unaware of such at the time. I moved closer to my destination, and in that process, I saw bodies hanging from the ceiling in the entrance to the cave. I opened the door to the cave and the first thing I saw was my wife’s corpse. I con-tinued deeper into the cave, and I quickly encountered the body of my dead son. Traumatized, I ventured further, as if I had an idea of where I was going. Soon I saw another door, and as I opened it, I met Mannimarco. He appeared much as he had when I saw him at Anvil. When I chased him, he moved agilely out of my grasp. I grabbed for his robe, and he dived into an enclosed hallway. Despite herculean efforts, I could not open the doorway to this passage. Then, I saw a pair of enchanted gauntlets next to a stone carving of Akotosh. I bore the gauntlets and opened the door myself. As I pushed open the heavy stone, I saw that Mannimarco was just ahead of me. Yet, as I sprinted to catch him, I found that he was always just beyond my reach. Happily, I discovered a shortcut to the end of the hallway and managed to get on his tail. I was just about to capture him when I noted that he was lifting his staff. Immediately, I dodged for cover. As I did, I witnessed magic and necromancy beyond my most vivid imagination. I began to flash back to my days just after I left the hospital. I saw myself on the bed, unconscious; then I saw Altair carrying my body back to the guild. The brief memory faded quickly, and I was jolted back into reality. The first thing I saw as I shifted back into the present was a lightning bolt, blue and flashing straight at me. I managed to withdraw from the center of the hallway just as the blue bolt struck my leg and Mannimarco slipped out to enter an unknown portal. I limped towards the exit. As I did so, I discovered a locked chest. I remembered that I had a stash of at least 23 lock-picks in the bag in my pock-et. After breaking twenty of them, I finally opened the chest. Within it was a sword decorated with the Oblivion symbol and a potion to restore my health. I followed Mannimarco into the portal. I gazed into the jaws of the portal that would take me to the Oblivion, the hell where shadows dance, where Mannimarco would soon experience his last breath, and where the last thing I would see was my sanity.

Day 8

The realm was tinged with a red sky, a dark-red, lightning-filled sky. I saw dead bodies, odd al-chemical ingredients, and Mannimarco running towards a tower. The rest of the area featured claws that moved from the ground. The horticulture featured live, devilish, carnivorous plants. Towers taller than the Empire State Building dominated the landscape. These structures were coated with human organs. The region was a desert, a lava-filled canvas. Red and black scenery created a macabre effect. This place was like hell—it was hell. As I walked through the landscape, I couldn’t shake the feeling that an army was watching me. I trudged over what seemed to be an endless plane filled with blood and demonic items: fire and an army that was definitely watching me. I saw many shadows that stood at least ten meters tall. It felt as if the shadows were not only watching me but that they were stalking me, waiting for me to low-er my mystic sword or my intense vigilance. This vigilance was the ticket not only to my survival but also to the soul these creatures from hell wanted to harvest. These creatures, born in fire, got tired of waiting and leapt at me in the form of an army. Their unrelenting appetite for flesh and bloodshed morphed into an onslaught. One of them slashed my leg, and the gash spewed blood like a waterfall. Another bit my arm with three tons of force, causing it to splinter and exude a river of warm, soaking blood. Fending off

the daedra was hard. In fact, many of the species were in evidence: the Clanfear, with the head of a tricer-atops and the body and tail of a lizard; the Xivilai (one of the strangest), with gray-toned skin, long black hair, and the frame of a human; the Daedroth, a giant lizard-bodied creature with the jaws and head of a crocodile; and the most annoying, a Scamp, a tanned-body goblin with lizard-like teeth and scales that can cloak its body in fire while also producing balls of fire in short bursts. These apparently invincible creatures fell to my mighty sword easily. I beheaded more than three Xivilai with one swing; blood clots spewed from their veins. I slashed the torsos of at least ten daedroths, watching them fly away while their blood rained from the sky. Mannimarco knew that I was coming, and he locked the tower gates. I couldn’t set foot inside the tower. Realizing once again the power of my sword, I slashed at the gates, and the twenty-foot high struc-tures shattered into rock, crumbling into the ground. Mannimarco was at the top of the main tower. I en-tered. I was weak. Craving liquid, I spotted a fountain. Unfortunately, the fountain offered not water but pure daedric blood. Knowing that I was too weak to go on, I drank from the fountain anyway. My wounds were instantly cured. I moved to the main sanctum, where the “Sigil Stone” was kept. This was the only way to close the gate. I climbed the stairs to get to the Sigilum Sanctum (Sigil Santum) and opened the door. Inside were stairs made from bone, and in the middle was a giant red orb, a walkable orb, of red flesh. I walked on it as I moved to the top floor. There I found Mannimarco, “heard” the Sigil Stone, and encountered an As-tronach (God-like elemental). Mannimarco sent the Astronach forth to fight me. Fortunately, I was ready to fight his conjured collection of stone in the shape of human.

Day 9

As I gazed on the deadly elemental, I know that I stared into the face of something that could rip my visage off with ease. I leapt at least ten feet into the air, as the Astronach continued to shape-shift into many earthbound forms. I slashed its head, turning the elemental into dust. Unexpectedly, it re-formed into its original shape, except it was now much larger. The sword glowed crimson, something I had never before witnessed. I readied myself for impact from the foul fantasy’s fist. The monstrous form struck at me, and then it sent out 10,000 tons of molten earth from its mighty arm. My sword glowed a brighter red. As I blocked the next blows with my sword, the creature flew back; and then its serpentine form collapsed into dust, the rocks that formed it on the ground, and the monster could not re-form itself. Mannimarco stopped running, only because he had nowhere to run. He grabbed his staff quickly, and I brandished my sword. I charged him with unrelenting speed, but he answered with speed that far exceeded mine. Our weapons clashed with incredible force. I was able to push Mannimarco back, and I jabbed him directly in the face. As he bled profusely from his facial wounds, I was able to stab his torso with my right hand and then push him back with my left hand. Mannimarco was almost dead, but he was still able to issue spells. The maniacal magician cast a paralysis spell. I was unable to move. Then he cast a fire spell, and a massive ball of fire rushed towards me. I panicked. This orb was too powerful for my sword—had I been able to use it—to repel. Then, in less than a second, something—or better yet, someone—had employed a shield spell. This magical shield reflected the fire back at Mannimarco. Panicking, the magician ran towards mw, knowing that the paral-ysis spell had worn off. I took my blade, and with a final attack, as I ran, I plunged the sword into Manni-marco’s skull. The bone shattered, and he fell to the ground in a pool of his own blood. As he lay on the ground, he looked almost innocent. Suddenly, I felt a decrepit hand brush my shoulder. An old soul breathed on my back. “Well done, my dark descendent. Now we shall take the Sigil Stone and leave.” As I struggled to see who was talking to me, I realized that it was Altair, licking the blood off my wife’s skull. I didn’t know how to react. The last thing he said was “Now Sithis can rest in peace, as you have killed my son as I have killed yours.” I glared at him, and the intensity of my stare seemed to make him tremble. He vanished into the

darkness, and the gate closed behind him. Altair took not only the Sigil Stone but also loved ones’ lives. My heart shook with both anger and grief. I did not have any idea where Altair had gone. I took my sword and left for Chorrol, where the Dark Brotherhood headquarters was located, for I would start my search there. I worked my way to the Abandoned House and opened the cellar door. I went through the crack in the wall and opened the secret latch to the door. As I entered, I saw the entire guild waiting for me with angry eyes and weapons in their hands. An orc named Mazzera swung her axe, but I rolled out of the way. Her axe stuck in a chest. I took valuable time to strike the hilt of my sword at her green skull. No blood oozed from her head. I dodged a dwarf’s arrow that was shot from an ebony and golden bow that glittered with a heavenly light. It hit an unsuspecting guild member in the leg, and he dived into a fiery torture chamber. Idiot! I then took the axe from the now flaming dead body of the idiot. The axe was enchanted with a “drain health” spell. I hit the guild members one by one, beginning to feel as if I were immortal. Laughing, I drained the life from each of their carcasses. I began to feel a surge of power. With every attack I made and ev-ery strike I threw, I began to feel more like a god. I believed myself to be invincible. I slashed and tore through the guild members’ bodies as if I were cutting paper with scissors. Every body that fell by my hand began to disintegrate. The axe had begun to glow blue. I dropped the Oblivion sword, and it lost its crimson glow. After I decimated the entire guild, I began to search the area. I discovered three letters in a chest by Altair’s bed. They were bloodstained. When I opened the last of them, I found a key that was attached to this note: “This is the key to my domain. Let it take you to Paradise.” I was puzzled, and I reread the other two letters. They instructed me to use the Sigil Stone and Aylied Stone to create somehow this Paradise. As I read to the end of the second letter, I found a photo-graph of my son and my wife.

Day 10

Stunned, I fell to the ground and burst into tears. Looking at the photograph, I felt an urge to call, “Take me with you!” I cried while I lay on the ground. I felt depressed. I missed them profoundly. After sobbing for what seemed to be hours, I put the photograph into my pocket and walked through the doors of the guild. I was intensely angry: I was filled with a devilish, malicious hatred, and I now understood where I could find Altair again. He was in his Paradise. I knew that I now had the way to get there—the blue axe represented the Aylied Stone, and the Oblivion Soul-Stone represented the great Sigil Stone. I put the two together and then gathered the deadly plant, nightshade. The two weapons merged to emit a green light. With their combined power, they opened a portal; and I heard a voice in the back of my mind urging, “Go, go now, and slay the man of a sullen child.” I entered, expecting to find a horde of devious devils. Instead, I discovered an actual Paradise. The sky was azure blue, and flowers filled the landscape with brilliant hues. It was an amazing sight to behold. As I marveled at the glory of this region, the voice instructed me again: “Find him and close the jaws of oblivion.” It was as if Ocato himself spoke these words to me. I wandered until I found a stone structure. On it was a picture of my wife. As I turned it so that her head was angled towards me, a doorway opened. I strode through, and as I did, I thought I saw the statue shed a tear. I continued further until I saw a statue of my son. I turned his hand so that it would touch my face, and another doorway opened. I stared back at the statue as I moved forward. I came to two doors. Opening one of them, I found no traps, and I walked into the den. There I found a photograph of my pregnant wife. When I turned that counterclockwise, yet another doorway opened. Within that room were two candles. One was lit with a white flame, and the other glowed bright blue. There was a candlesnuffer beside them on the table. I decided to put out the demonic blue flame. As it went out, every light in the demonic domain was extinguished. Altair knew that I was there. Almost at the same moment as the lights went out, a huge tentacle terror appeared from within the shadows. Its dark, slimy tentacles seemed never-ending. About twen-

ty of them shot at me with blinding speed. Fortunately, my agility seemed to save me. Spotting a sword chained to the wall, I grabbed at the weapon, hoping to slash at the tentacles. Before I could wrest the weapon from its chains, the beast wrapped itself around me and raised me towards the ceiling. I shot a shuriken (a ninja throwing star) at the sword, and the chains shattered. The sword dropped to the floor, but it was far out of my reach. The creature grabbed the sword and plunged it through my leg. Somehow I managed to break free of its grasp, but my ribs were crushed by its mighty grip. Yet, I found a silver dag-ger amid the rubble on the floor, and I stabbed one of its tentacles. As the tentacles of the beast bled what seemed to be liquid fire, my hand sustained third-degree burns. Working through the intense pain, I grabbed a silver mace from the arsenal in the room and cast a “flare” spell on it. Fueled by adrenaline, I struck the beast’s skull with the mace. It fell to the floor, skull shattered and bleeding profusely. The detritus on the floor turned into the color of Sithis—blood red. I happened to notice a chest encrusted with diamonds, and I tried all the lock-picks I had with me. None worked. Frustrated, I searched the area; I found a key on a necklace around the neck of the dying beast. I removed the necklace, and, using the key, I opened the chest. It contained what I had believed existed only in legend: Merunes Razor, and even more interesting, the Amulet of Kings.

Day 11

I gazed upon the unimaginable wealth and power in my hands. I donned the Amulet of Kings and found that it was a perfect fit. Immediately, my clothing turned white. Pondering what had just hap-pened, I remembered that only the prince or the king of Cyrodil could wear the Amulet of Kings. Merunes Razor began to glow with a purple aura. As it did, I noted that it had a few elven words engraved on it. Notably among them was the Dark Elf, called “Dummer” in my homeland, which was an area of farmland and rich estates. I was momentarily nostalgic, as I remembered my home. It was a five-story structure on rich farmland. Orc slaves worked in the house and on the land. I didn’t agree with having helpless slaves, but I was reminded of their strength and usefulness as I noted that Merunes Razor had been forged from Orcish armor and then cast in Mithril armor. This made it as hard as diamond. The purple glow melted into my eyes, and then my eyes were cast in red. The once engravings I could make out were “Daedric Banishing on Strike” and the poorly written words “Below,” “Health,” “Half,” “Trans-form,” and “Tetsaiga.” This last word was the Japanese word for “Sword of the Wind,” and the ga at the end partially abbreviated “scar,” the English word for a wound that has healed under pressure. The amulet had a stone made from human blood and the blood of the Daedric Prince, Merunes Dagon. Merunes Razor was the weapon of choice of the 75-foot tall demons, but the dagger itself was fit for a human hand. I stared at the dagger that had caused the fall of Morrowind. Then I noticed the door slowly open-ing. Altair emerged from the shadows, holding my wife’s head. Immediately, he locked the door behind him and called forth at least fifty zombies. He wanted me to follow him somewhere, but I wasn’t sure what I should do. I knew that going with him would cause bloodshed. I knew that Altair would take plea-sure in seeing the zombies die and in my being wounded. After bloody battles with the zombies, I was able to follow Altair out of this area. Enraged, I chased him mightily, and he led me to a cave that was fitted with traps. I ran towards him heedlessly, and I set off one of the traps. Fortunately, I freed myself with ease and continued to follow him. He would ultimately lead me to a cellar built by a former Thieux Guild cat burglar, Maximilian Pegasus, one of the richest men in all of Cyrodil. Towards the Nibenbay in eastern Cyrodil, I escaped into the sewers and headed straight for him. When I finally entered the house where Altair was hiding, I did not expect to see anything as cruel as what he had for me; I found Max hanging from the ceiling. I moved on to the cellar as I prepared for what I instinctively knew would be the final battle.

Day 12

I opened the door to the cellar, and there was Altair, holding an Orcish long sword. He seemed to be anticipating my every move. I charged at him boldly. His mace met my dagger, and a shockwave sent Altair flying back. I ran at him again and was able to stab him in the back. His blood spurted into my face. We continued to fight, mace clanging against dagger. My deliberate attack eventually bested him—or at least, I thought that it did. After several brutal blows to his body, Altair sank to the floor. I shivered when I looked at him, for I detected a sly grin on his bruised face. I understood that he was just toying with me. He rose from the floor suddenly, striking me in my leg. His blow shattered my knee. Then he charged at me and broke my arm. Next, he slammed his mace into my skull. I was bleeding heavily. Standing close to me, Altair whispered, “Don’t you get it? I will kill you just as I did your son and wife. You stand before me weak—and did I mention how much I enjoyed every minute of killing the ones you once loved? Their agonized screams made my life complete.” Enraged, I felt my gaze become stony. I got up, even though my legs were broken and I saw only red. I grabbed my dagger and ran at Altair. My angry visage and reckless approach seemed to intimidate Altair. I stabbed his legs at least ten times. He kneeled before me as if I were a god and he were a peasant. I snatched his mace from him and slammed it into his body and face unrelentingly. Finally, I knew that I had killed him: his broken body lay crumpled and still on the floor of the cellar, and he made no sounds. Exhausted, I sat on the floor near his corpse and cried for my wife and my son. Then I closed my eyes and fell into a deep slumber, for I knew that finally my family was avenged.

Day 13

I awoke and found myself in a bed, one that seemed fit for an emperor. My dagger and amulet had been taken from me. As I got up from the bed, a maid came in with a platter of heavenly food. I asked her, “Why am I here?” She answered, “Your majesty, you were found in the outskirts of town, but we were able to bring you here to rest. Here are some fresh clothes. Are you hungry?” I replied in a delighted voice, “Yes, yes, I am.” I feasted on the foods she had brought me, and then I went downstairs. There I found a man dressed like a bishop, and I asked him, “Why am I here?” He responded respectfully, “I am your chancellor; I am here to save you.” He bowed deeply and then he said, “Your Clemency, we found you in the outskirts of town. You were critically injured, and we brought you back to your palace to recover.” “What happened to my dagger and my amulet,” I queried. “We put the amulet in the treasure room, and your dagger was put in the check by your bed, along with your mace. We cleaned both of them for you, Sire.” I walked back upstairs to check for my weapons. All were where the bishop told me they would be. I returned to my dressing area downstairs, where I donned my gold-trimmed shoes, and then I walked outside. My palace was the Imperial Palace of Cyrodil, and it was also known as the White Gold Tower. After socializing with some of my subjects, I bought a loaf of bread and returned to the palace. I walked up the stairs to the roof, and I felt as if I were at the top of the world. Before I left to return to my room, I recalled what had started it all. Mannimarco, Altair—my journey had been perilous. Then I remembered the plane of oblivion, the red skies, the bloody thorns, and the red-hot lava. I had a glass of tea before I let myself go to sleep. As I sipped it, I remembered my family. I remem-

bered how beautiful my wife was, and I thought about my son, who looked just like me. I recalled playing ball with him on the farm, watching birds fly by. Then I closed my eyes, and as I drifted off to sleep, I saw the storybook I read nightly to my son. Its title was Red Dawn.

The material published in this volume represents the work of several talented young writers and artists. The staff of Voices invites students to consider writing for the 2014 edition. Material can be submitted throughout the year to Ms. Ensor (adviser) or to the student editor, John Leslie.

Staff members:

John Leslie, editorRobbie MillsCarlyn PerlowKelly BrodyHarrison BakerIlianna AniseJustina AniseCailyn McGrathJohn BazleyAllison FisherKristina LaMarcaEmily LubitzJenna PinhoMackenzie DeerinJosie Herring