Stories Inspired By Class

The Loop

*I will be posting the prompts given at the beginning of each chapter along with any photos given to set a setting.*

Photo Story Starter - For today's journal, begin by looking at the attached picture. Use the picture as your setting for your story.Give the setting imagery - help the reader imagine that they are there.Also, create characters and a conflict for your story.

     They walked through the forest, following the gravel path lined with orange and yellow leaves, which had fallen from the autumn trees that loomed above them. The sound of water running through a stream could be heard from within the trees, along with the occasional sound of a leaf crunching beneath their feet. Every few minutes, a low hanging branch would brush her left shoulder, dampening the cloth of her yellow hoodie with the morning dew that resided on the leaves.

     She walked in silence with a man. He was tall, with a black hat covering his platinum blonde hair. He wore a grey scarf over a black hoodie, along with a loose pair of blue jeans. He walked with his hands in his pockets, save for the few seconds he took to readjust his glasses that covered his blue eyes. He took long strides, causing the small girl next to him to almost jog to keep up, which wasn't very convenient for her, seeing as she was in skinny jeans and combat boots. She didn't mind though, she had wanted to go on a jog today anyway.

     The silence continued until it began to bother her. She tried to start small talk with her newfound friend, but the way he responded left no room for conversation. Then another branch hit her shoulder, and dampened her hoodie once again. Then she noticed her hoodie wasn't really damp. The water simply formed into drops on her shoulder, then slipped down her back to the rocky ground beneath her. She didn't think much of it, and continued to walk/jog with the man beside her.

     "Do you know where this road leads?" she asked him, hoping for an explanation, as she didn't quite remember how she got there.

     "Nowhere." he replied.

     Her stride faltered, and she came to a stop. She watched in confusion as he continued walking at his brisk pace and around a curve. She looked up, and the sun was at its highest, shining down on her. A bird soared high above, circling around where she stood. She watched as it continued to circle around her, then dove down off to her right, seeming to have found its prey. She felt a breeze push her hair forward, but noticed the few clouds in the sky didn't move with the wind. She squinted at one just to her left, and saw that it never changed. It stayed in place, and never changed its shape.

     Sudden footsteps just behind her dragged her from her observations, and she turned to see the same man she had been walking with walking towards her. She stared after him as he continued to walk by her, confused as to how he had ended up behind her. She rushed after him, sprinting to cover the distance he had already managed to put between them. Another branch hit her shoulder as she slowed to a jog next to him.

     "Where are we?" she asked in a demanding, yet breathless tone. Finally he stopped walking. He turned to face her and looked down. Upon making eye contact with him, she noticed that his eyes were dull, almost appearing lifeless. It made her uneasy.

     "I'm surprised it only took you a few years to ask, most take at least a century." she looked at him as if he were crazy. A few years? Impossible. It's been but a few hours! She was about to call him out for his lies, but then his next words only made her think he was actually crazy.

     "It was noon, and you were on a walk with your dog. You let him off the leash, and after a few minutes, he took off down the path. You ran after him, yelling for him to stop. He ran around a bend in the road," he pointed farther down the path, which she realized she had seen before, "and as you got there, a branch hit your shoulder, getting your hoodie wet. It felt cold, and you reached over to wipe it off. You started forward again, but stumbled on a rock. You lost your footing, and fell. You grabbed onto another branch to try and catch yourself, shaking a copperhead onto your back. It bit you, and you died within the hour without medical attention."

     She looked up at him with disbelief in her eyes. It was crazy! How had he made up that story so confidently? She began to laugh, and rolled onto her side. He waited patiently for her to come back to her senses, and began to explain again.

     "You were raised to believe that there is Heaven and Hell, but really, once you die you relive your last happy- or calm- memory over and over again. As for the absence of your dog," he made a seemingless gesture with his hand, waving the thought away, "since it is still alive, found by your mother shortly after your death, it cannot be here."

     You scoffed at him and stood, turning away from him. You continued to walk down the road, determined to find something. As you turned the corner, a branch hit your shoulder, dropping water onto your hoodie. A few minutes later, you turned another corner, and another branch hit your shoulder, once again dropping water onto your hoodie. You began to hyperventilate as you realized that you never tired, and when you looked into the sky, the sun was still at its highest, and the clouds hadn't moved. You fell to the ground, unable to understand what was happening. 

     Suddenly the man was next to you again. He reached out a hand to help you up, and you took it. You rose shakily to your feet, and looked up at him. Up until now, he hadn't shown any emotion. Not through his face, and not through his voice. But now, he wore a sinister grin, his white teeth gleaming in the light.

     "Welcome to The Loop."