Why pass a test

when you can

pass away.

This is the pain I felt when someone insultd, scolded and acused me for something I didn’t do. Now, the pain he feels is worse. Much worse. What goes around will come back to you. So in the start itself

don’t

do it.

Don’t hurt someone cause

Karma

never looses an address.

The pain they feel will make you

endure the pain

in the

worst

way.

Well, as a seventeen-year-old, I don’t possess an endless inventory of books to boast on. But amongst the few that I had the opportunity to experience, a few of them are stories I still hold close to my heart. They encouraged me to read more, to write more, and to be a better version of myself. So let me commence.

So, the earliest books I read were, most probably, the textbooks of my lower classes; But we only have to analyse fiction. In that case, I assume it was the children’s magazines that my parents bought me. As time passed by, the entire magazines transformed into continuous reads completed without a halt; I could never control my fascination to know more.

Then, after years of waiting, the school administrators permitted us to access our school library. It was a dream come true; The place was described as paradise by my sisters, who received the permission a few years back. However, the opening days were not as bountiful as I hoped it would be. We could only read the small books allotted to us by our librarian, Sophie Miss. But a few months later, after more than adequate persuasion, we were granted the liberty to choose books on our own.

Most of my peers were not into reading those days, but I was, maybe more than I should have been. My visits to the library became more and more frequent; So that I even made friends with Miss Sophie. After a few books, whose titles I can’t quite recollect, I discovered the Magic Tree House series by Marie Pope Osborne. It grabbed me so tight, that I read all the books in the series, available in our library, back to back, until no more were available.

The series was so compelling. The stories portrayed Jack and Annie, two siblings, who travelled to other timelines, dimensions, past, future, other planets and all, when they entered, well, the Magic Tree House. There were a lot more intriguing plots as the series advanced, but unfortunately, I never was able to obtain all of them. Those books were also a lot informative; That was also one of the reasons behind my love for them.

But then, I reached back to the enigma, where I no longer knew how to recommence. I did find some interesting books, whose names I don’t remember but, one of them had a Lord Sparr as the antagonist. It was then I unearthed the one and only, the great Sherlock Holmes by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle. The adventures of Holmes and Watson carried me forward for a long era, but in the end, I had to bid farewell to 221 B Baker Street as well.

Then, my mind swirled onto other detective novels. I read some works by Agatha Christy, moved on to the Hardy Boys and even reached out to Nancy Drew in the end. But, crime and punishment were having its toll approaching. Afterwards, I finished the Diary Of A Wimpy Kid series which I somehow found quite interesting. And ultimately, I ascertained which fantasy realm was beckoning me aboard from the bookshelves, which I now knew like my palm; I successfully became a Potterhead.

JK Rowling and her characters from the World of Wizardry, particular regards to Sirius Black, bestowed me with a seven-book long broom ride, from where I got irrevocably expelled in the end. The spell was considerably powerful that I could never return to the fantasy genre anytime soon. Outside Hogwarts, it was indeed Albus Dumbledore himself who revealed me the route I could follow next, to my favourite novelist of all time, Mr Dan Brown.

Dan Brown is one of the finest authors, whose books I was extremely fortunate to have discovered. His novels are one of the main reasons I began my writing journey. The amount of research and effort he put into each book has always amused me. He is such a dedicated writer with one of those extraordinary bestselling collection ever, from Angels and Demons and The Lost Symbol to Deception Point and Da Vinci Code, each one of them is a masterpiece finely crafted by this dedicated man, who I respect. His works are so vivid and enlightening so that we can immerse in all those sequences. We could close our eyes to escape into this exciting world that he designs while sticking close to our reality.

After I finished all his books, I did read some other novels; But none of them could capture my spirit like Brown’s. The adventures with the Cambridge professor, Mr Robert Langdon are the ones I would never be able to forget in my life.

Well, that’s where I stand presently in my reading journey. I have not reached anywhere, I have such a long distance to travel, and I will continue running until I can no more.

*****

When I browsed some comments, I felt like I was presenting some sinister version of our library. But never, it was one of the best spots in my life. And it wasn't just books that made my adventures in the library special. Most of my treasured teenage memories were born there. A lot of fun, a lot of laughs, a lot of crying, talking, chattering, sneaking, it was so good. I miss it so badly.

There is some happy news. I found a batch of a hundred people who actually like the things I write. Thank you so much for the support, guys. I could never have done any of this without you guys. Thank you, thanks a lot!

#nonfiction

If there is a line

Separating the good from bad,

I am pretty damn sure

It ain’t so straight.

#poetry

Me: “Any response from Brain yet?”

Mind: “Nothing.”

I gasped, “It has been long enough since we discontinued BrainTalks. We need a new chapter.”

Mind: “I know.”

Me: “Why is he like this now? Before we started BrainTalks, he used to humiliate me for every word I said. Now, he is not even talking. Not even a word.”

Mind: “Maybe, he does not want you to write this.”

Me: “But why? Every time I try to do something good, he stops functioning, right there.”

Mind: “It’s alright, Cap. We will find a plan.”

Me: “Thanks, mate, you are being so supportive.”

Mind: “I have to. It’s my duty.”

I smiled. “But, Brain, what is wrong with you? Whatever it is, we can find a solution.”

He did not respond.

“Brain, I am talking to you. Have you fallen asleep?”

Brain: “Have I not been asleep since your birth?”

Mind: “That is not a bad one for a comeback.”

Thousand and two.

#nonfiction

Holding her hands tight, he went running into the moor. A hail of a thousand bullets whistled above their heads, but he let nothing harm her. Asking her to hide under a tree, he took a few steps forward to make sure she was safe. And a bullet came piercing his heart, a bullet she had aimed.

It went on for hours,

even when the great sun

dropped into nightfall,

and long past the rise of the white moon,

the sounds of many drums echoed,

voices ringing out in an eerie chant,

sometimes a sound screaming,

pierced all those who gazed at center stage

as flames licked the night air,

and faces now seen as fiery voices were heard,

as they sang to the death of their brothers;

fallen in combat.

Mother’s wept,

and dirt beneath their feet

became a river of tears.

Long after the lamenting songs died,

the sound of drums,

still played upon the soul.

I am so excited. I have created my first challenge in Prose. It's a bit tough since the entries has to be long. It took me long even to describe the challenge. It is time-consuming. But, I hope it would be alright.

It's actuallly more of a prompt than a challenge. I hope it's a good prompt and that someone gets good ideas out of it. Too excited to read!

Vows of love, simply given,

are never enough, my love.

To have and to hold

is but a beginning.

To love and to cherish,

only begins life’s adventure.

I give you warmth

that you may know love

will never grow cold.

I give you memories

you will always remember.

I give you a glorious wealth

of never-ending experiences.

I give you my life,

that you know you are always protected.

I give you the purest of water

that you will never know thirst.

I will hunt for the purest of food,

that hunger will never strike you.

I give you shelter

to be more than just a home.

I give you strength,

to surpass all weakness.

I give you understanding

that you know you are my equal.

I give you hope,

when you believe all hope is lost.

Vows of love run deep, run strong;

to honor and obey is a sacred trust.

Until death us do part,

is but a physical ending.

I will honor you as I do,

with nature’s blessing.

I will obey your guidance,

as truth is the ultimate emotion.

As year’s pass

and age takes command,

our wrinkled eyes and smiles

will have seen us through life’s mysteries.

When death sweeps us away,

I will know all I have done,

I have done for you.

So say I always.

Your Spirit Watcher.

Is it a bird? Is it a plane? No, it's- it’s Tohru with another weekly dose of happiness! This series was started by Mollo25 and me to lift everyone’s spirits during these times.

In Lake Michigan, a family rescues a dog nearly four miles offshore. The family was out on a boating trip when they saw a ‘red animal in the lake’. The dog was scanned for a microchip and was reunited with its owner

https://www.detroitnews.com/story/news/local/michigan/2020/08/10/family-rescues-dog-nearly-4-miles-offshore-lake-michigan/3336963001/

Charlie Manning, a six-year-old girl, normally spent her birthdays with her extended family in Idaho. Due to travel restrictions, she would not be able to spend it with them this year. Her aunt asked for help on social media. And she got help. 180 letters and 15 packages were sent to Charlie.

https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/british-columbia/charlie-manning-6th-birthday-1.5685969

A toddler went missing after she wandered off into the forest. She was found safe 24 hours later with the family dog.

https://people.com/pets/missing-toddler-found-safe-with-dog-after-lost-in-woods/

In Kuala Lumpur, a woman, prior to her death in 2013, bequeathed a portion of her multi-million ringgit estate to a number of orphanages as part of her last will and testament.

https://www.msn.com/en-my/news/national/mysterious-madam-w-bequeaths-millions-of-ringgit-to-orphans/ar-BB17Uxuj?li=BBr8Hnu

A species missing for fifty years was rediscovered. Tiny elephant shrews species were rediscovered after an expedition.

https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2020/aug/18/tiny-elephant-shrew-species-missing-for-50-years-rediscovered

I don’t have the article for this one, as it was hidden behind a paywall, but here it goes:

Grey reef sharks form long-term friendship, study reveals.

That’s all, folks. Tune in next Thursday for some more Weekly Dose Of Happiness. Till then, stay happy, stay healthy, and stay safe!

1. what got you into writing?

Too many stories in my head that needed to get out. Also, there's so much beauty in words and so much beauty in life and it's such a gift to be able to unite those things together.

2. outside of wtw/prose, who are your biggest writing influences?

Oh, wow. Definitely my English teacher. She's probably the smartest person I've met, but she's not one of those annoying smart people who brags about how clever she is. She's one of those quietly intelligent people (the most intelligent.) Apart from that, Rory Power, Shakespeare, Holly Black, Lewis Carroll, and Victoria Aveyard are big ones for me.

3. what’s the significance behind your profile picture(s)?

It's the sunset on a beach I live near, and that beach is really important to me. I've been going there since I was a baby. There's never anyone there except me, so I walk there almost every day and read for hours.

4. top fifteen favorite books - go. (if you don’t know what exactly are your favorite fifteen, just name twenty you like.)

(In no specific order; you can also tell by this which sorts of books I like, so don't judge...)

1. Red Queen - Victoria Aveyard

2. Queen of Nothing - Holly Black

3. The Darkest Minds - Alexandra Bracken

4. Wilder Girls - Rory Power

5. Truly Devious - Maureen Johnson

6. The Maze Runner - James Dashner

7. To Kill a Mockingbird - Harper Lee

8. Unplugged - Donna Freitas

9. The Scorch Trials - James Dashner

10. Everything, Everything - Nicola Yoon

11. Invisible Ghosts - Robyn Schneider

12. Glass Sword - Victoria Aveyard

13. The Death Cure - James Dashner

14. The Zookeeper's Wife - Diane Ackerman

15. War Storm - Victoria Aveyard

5. what’s the significance behind your username?

Not much, to be honest. Ellie is my first name. (I mean, technically, it's not my real name, but so many people call me it that I often forget it's a nickname. I just treat it like my real name, so...) Mccul is also not my real last name, just an abbreviation of it.

6. any particularly stupid quote that you nevertheless love?

"How lucky I am to have something that makes saying goodbye so hard." - A. A. Milne.

7. how would you define your current writing style? do you think this is your set style, or are you still evolving?

TRASH. (I'm joking. Maybe. People get sad when I hate on my own writing so I'll just pretend I'm joking.) I think I'm always evolving and developing and trying out new styles, but I'll say this about my current style: my style for poems and fiction are very different. Generally, my poems are light-hearted, and I like to play around with their structure (I've written poems in other languages, one backwards, etc.) and my short stories/fiction style is quite dark, speckled with some jokes. At least, that's what I would say, but I don't know if others would agree.

8. favorite song(s)? favorite song(s) to listen to ironically?

My favourite artist is currently Conan Gray, but I can't choose a favourite from his songs. Also, this is a weird piece of advice, but if you're looking for a song to listen to before writing a fight/action scene, listen to "Run Boy Run" by Woodkid and/or "Believer" by Imagine Dragons. Trust me. They're really good songs to pump you up for writing a good fight scene.

9. a common writing error or trend that annoys you?

In fiction, I don't like when writers draw away from the story to give backstory. It seems unrealistic. Like, nobody goes around their day-to-day life just thinking: "Hello. My name is ___, and I am ____ years old. I have three older brothers and an annoying amount of suitors pursuing me and also my dad left and my mother is dead. Ah, but here is my school locker." We don't want an internal monologue of someone telling us every fact about them. Slip it casually into dialogue, as it would happen in real life, or give us clues (e.g. maybe they have a photograph on the mantle, but the father's face is scratched out.)

10. should pineapple be on pizza?

I'm a vegetarian, and pineapples are usually put on pizzas with meat, so I couldn't really tell you.