Bryan M.

Surprise Reuniting was painfully infrequent and then only when dreams allowed. Andy’s gloved hand and outstretched arm stabbed at the ball which was carefully lobbed to him by his father. Missing it time and time again he gleefully chased after it as if it was part of the game. Retrieving the ball, he cranked his arm back and galloped towards his dad closer, and closer threatening throwing it at each interval until catapulting it, as only a four-year-old could, at an uncomfortably close distance. Andy laughed uncontrollably at his dad who recoiled awkwardly, half protecting himself and half attempting to catch the ball, unsure of when it would be released or which direction it would take. Once the ball was caught or recovered, Ward would then encourage Andy to back up a few feet so he could toss the plastic wiffle ball again, aiming for the glove in hopes of landing it and crediting Andy with the catch. As the ball appeared to finally rest in Andy’s glove, “WARD. WARD. WARD…” Irene summoned him from his slumber, “Come help hang the tire swing for the kids.” Disappointed that his time with Andy was cut short, Ward sighed and reached over the side of the hammock for the beer he conveniently left within reach. He quickly recoiled when instead of the plastic cup, his hand found the furry back of Lauryn’s dog, Kitten, who was helping herself to the unattended beverage. “Get out of here, dog!” He scolded Kitten. It was no secret, and Ward made no apologies for his stance that he had no use for animals as pets. He considered them a nuisance and expense. He tolerated Kitten – but not by much. As Ward sat up, he noticed the large empty hammock box and unopened assembly instructions resting nearby. Lauryn had purchased the hammock for him for his surprise birthday party. He didn’t want the party nor the hammock. He processed the idea of keeping the box and returning the hammock, but only briefly. Lauryn was enthusiastic about giving it to him and encouraged him to put it together and test it out. Out of politeness to his daughter, he thanked her and told her he looked forward to resting on it. Ward cussed under his breath as he jabbed the black metal tubes together which had heated to blistering temperatures in the mid-day sun. He continued to grumble once the frame was erected certain the mesh body was too short to span the distance between the connecting rings. When he was finally able to link the swing spring, he lay on the hammock, keeping one foot on the ground, suspicious it would spin 180 degrees and dump him onto the lawn. He hadn’t intended to fall asleep. “Ward, are you coming?” Irene continued to plead with him. Ward glanced at the frothy whiskers of Kitten and his spilled cup of beer before assuring her, “Yes. I’m coming.” He heard the children’s shrieks of excitement as they anticipated riding the swing. “You guys stand back now,” Ricky cautioned the kids as he made yet another ill attempt at tossing the heavy rope over the thick branch some twenty feet in the air. With each missed toss, the downward rope attacked like a menacing serpent chasing the children out of its reach, the sound of its cascade resembling the riffled shuffle of a deck of cards. Ricky saw Ward approaching and made a desperate final attempt to clear the branch - with similar failed results. “You think you can toss that rope over that branch old man, then go for it,” he challenged Ward. Refusing to dignify the remark or get into a verbal tether, Ward ignored Ricky - as usual. Ward reached up and scratched his head behind his ear as was his peculiar habit of buying some time when thinking through a problem. He noticed the ball of string on the ground sitting next to kite. He grabbed the sting, let out twenty or so feet, and as if tossing a grenade, lobbed the spool up and over the branch. He tied the end of the heavy rope to the string and carefully fed it up with one hand, while pulling the string with the other. “I’m gonna get another beer,” Ricky announced as he departed, refusing to acknowledge Ward’s obvious success. Once the large rope was up and over the branch, Ward secured the tire to it, then hoisted it up a couple feet off the ground with the opposite end of the rope, which he then tied to the base of the tree. As the children raced to the swing and proclaimed their turn, Irene smiled at Ward and mouthed, “Thank you.”

Assignment #1 Story Statement: The safety of his family, at whatever cost, becomes a dying man’s priority. Assignment #2 Antagonist: We all know a “Ricky”. He’s the one whose continued failures are the result of everyone and everything. Accepting responsibility is something he is unable to fathom as it would provide a level of accountability, he’s keenly aware could only be used against him. His confidence and sense of self-importance are backed not by achievement, but by his unchallenged outbursts. When being aggressive fails him, he embraces being the victim. He steamrolls over those who allow him and attempts to rally support against those with “character flaws” who don’t. To call him a narcissist, not to his face – of course, would be calling Everest a hill. Assignment #3 Breakout Title: THE CALM OF CHAOS DOG FAITHFUL CONSEQUENCES Assignment #4 Comparables: THE ISLAND OF DR. MOREAU by H.G. Wells – Displays the ability of animals to have human characteristics and manners of thinking. HACHIKO WAITS by Leslea Newman – Story of a very dedicated dog to its master who waited at a train station for 10 years for him to return. DOGS by Nancy Kress – Provides the misunderstanding of dogs / animals’ intelligence and our inability to fully communicate with them. Assignment #5 Hook Line: A lightning strike provides a stroke victim’s dog with his cunning, which is used to surreptitiously exact revenge on those who have wronged him and who he sees a threat to him and his family. Assignment #6 Protagonist: Ward has suffered a great deal of loss, particularly that of his young son, Andy. He is far from a fan of his daughter’s loser boyfriend, Ricky, who he tolerates at her request. He sees much wrong going on around him but has taken a very reserved stance to the point he can be considered a push-over. Having spent four years in the Marines he is able to deal with conflict but chooses to avoid it. He knows he must do something about Ricky to protect his daughter. Assignment #7 Setting: A quiet underdeveloped town, Clarksville, was mostly known for being ‘near Akron’. A community of farmers, blue collar workers and of course, Amish. The people who lived there stayed. It was not unusual for families to have several homes of different generations built on the ‘property’, which could span hundreds of acres. Above ground pools, mobile homes, fishing ponds, non-operational vehicles and farm equipment hidden by tall grass were commonplace.