Four Fingers

I awoke to quite a startling sound this morning. A sound you don't audibly hear but you awake after in its quake. The sun was shining down on me warming me even on this cold november morning. Today is Friday, the 16th of November. I live in quite the quant town where I spend very little of my time. I am a student at the local community college that is still quite a drive up the highway. I have a job as a sales associate at the local department store. My life is simple and not to complexed though with my antics I tend to leave it in even more a mess than the day past. I read a lot and I end up basing my expectations of life off a world that exists only in the mind and hearts of readers like me. A very non realistic world, which has left me quite bored and rather uneasy every day I step out of bed. All of this I say I think about before I have even finished getting ready. As I am off today, from the job from which I feel is going to be brought to an end in a rather untimely moment, I have decided to spend it with my known sweet heart. She is quite the peculiar creature very spontaneous with little vision of the future. The poor thing had to endure the untimely death of her father in a very grotesque manner, that being of a round to the skull. Her and her mother an ER nurse at the large hospital have never been the same since. I naturally, being the downfall of her previous relationship, find myself in a very complexed situation having to both take care of, partner, and support this fine young woman who by all means is fantastic, smart, endearing, wild, passionate, and dazzling. I can't help but see that my time with her will come to an end and is not meant to last. I am not a person to stay in one place, I love to travel and am too restless right now to find myself attached in anyway to a single person. As sad and pathetic as I sound I wonder if others are having to walk a path similar or to deal with the same sad thoughts.

 I saw a film recently of a man who through some very dire circumstances was granted a new dream and that was to become a doctor. In this film he is given a question a genius man walks past holding 4 fingers up and asks him how many fingers does he see. The Gentleman of course answers with 4 and the older gentleman walks away muttering quite angry words at his answer. Later on in the film the Gentleman approaches the Elder gentleman and seeks out the answer. The answer is not a right or wrong but of perspective if you look at the hand you will see 4 fingers but if you look past them you shall see not 4 but 8 fingers. The lesson I learned was that you must look past the problems that have presented themselves right here and now only to distract you from your ultimate goal. For me it is to become a doctor as well. It has become not a dream but a passion of mine to help others and now I have a goal that will allow me to.

I with my sad thoughts, have decided that I shall attempt to see past them and while I am doing that I will work through them towards my goal. It is not ignoring that they are present, but that they in the big picture are a mere step in the pathway of my life. Made either to break us or propel us to a whole new level of awareness and life. I hope all of you read this will look past that which seems to be overbearing you, and that by looking past that which is only to blind you to the path, push through to your dream and to that which is your goal.

Faceless (a tragedy) Alex Flores

Chapter I

Through out the centuries of earths history, humans dreamed of living beyond the bonds of humanity, to fly freely through their skies, shrink from view in invisibility, live for the eternity that they so desired. Never once did they realize that each of these “dreams” held any regrets. For the new generation the ‘New Millenniums’ life was anything but a dream. After ‘The Incident’ our generation was left with more than just hormonal adolescence but to master and control our new found ‘abilities’. Many would think this to be dream, but we know it for what it really is, a curse. I have always hated my existence, the way I looked, sounded, my limits, everything. And when I woke up, able to be anyone I wish, to be able to look any way I wish, sound any way I find pleasing, and able to be the perfect being, beautiful to everyone, I thought it was a dream. At least that was when I thought that this was what I wanted. Now I don’t even know who I really am. 

“Hey Shift, come on class is starting!” said the tall guy with white hair, athletic build, and that tan skin most people would kill for. His name is, Faze.

“On my way!” I say as I collect my things together and put them back in my bag.

“God you take your pretty time, and the new look?”

Damn it! I forgot that I had even changed. “eh em, I got bored with the usual?”  

“Eh, works for me just don’t forget that you have more than your own reputation that catches fire.”

Sheesh, oh yeah I forgot to mention, we get new names once we go through our second birth, the realization of our full potential, called ‘Initiation’. I am Shift, fits my ability and well Faze, the one you just met, is my best friend and the party animal here at the Academy. 

As I sit down in my comfy, angular, plastic, torture device they call a chair, the bell rings and in walks Professor Insight. He teaches what the humans call psychology. He has the annoying ability to see into people emotions by just making eye contact. So most of us who don’t want the undivided attention just steer clear. 

The rest of the class is more entertaining than death, but only by a little. I just can’t wait to get out of here. 

“Hey Shift, you doing anything tonight?” Ah, the ever so charming invite to one of the many parties I avoid. 

“Shift?” 

“Eh, um yes.” The obvious lie, hopefully he gets it. 

“Oh cause I am throwing this party and I was wondering, well if you wouldn’t mind coming?”

“I don’t think I can make it, sorry Crash.” 

“Oh, it’s okay.” 

  I feel sorry for him honestly Crash has never really had any real friends. Always the but of everyones joke, and actually, probably one of the most dangerous. He has the sad ability to make what ever he wants just break down by touching them. He hasn’t yet learned how to control it. Most people can control themselves by the third week, but for some it takes years and some never find out how to. For me it came rather easy, for Faze, it took the full term. 

The rest of the class wasn’t too bad. I do my fair share of doodling and writing during class, its a wonder I pass. It started snowing by the time it got to lunch. Most of the students stayed inside and the rest of them went outside for an all out snow ball war. I found my little spot by the breeze way that connects building 1 to building 3, and watched the snow fall. I pulled out my pad and started drawing. Each line drawn with intention yet no planning. First it started out with a jawline smooth and pronounced with soft cheeks and high cheekbones. the hair wavy cascading down the face and around the ears. The nose was a very fair nose thin and not too pointed soft that connected the two halves of the whole. The eyes, I put my pencil down not knowing how to draw the eyes. Not knowing who this person was they were so familiar. Maybe one of my past perhaps my mother. I can’t remember my parents. Almost everyone here has a family but there are some of us to whom The Academy is home. I grew up in the Northwestern Territory, The badlands. I couldn’t even speak until Wolf found me. He is my guardian and teacher of History here. I call him Wolf, even when his New Gen. name is Black. When I met him, he had this wild blue black wavy hair that fell past his shoulders only slightly. His sharp features and even more penetrating eyes were frightening, but gentle. He reminded me of one of the many creatures that roam the badlands, that in time I learned was a wolf. When I had learned to speak I called him that and it stuck. As far as I can remember I was alone, I have no recollection of life before that time. As I sit here thinking this the bell rings, and I look at my unfinished sketching. I wonder who she is. With that thought I close my pad and shove it into my bag and head to class.