Open Your Eyes 

By Ashley Rude

I make dinner for my mom, seeming how I love to cook. One day I learned that my mom was sick, so I made dinner for her. Chicken noodle soup, water, and a piece of bread to go with her soup. I heard a knock at the door to find my boyfriend standing there with flowers. Logan.

   "What are you doing here? I thought you had an important meeting with your mom. Isn't that kind of important?" I ask and hug him, glad he's here.

   "I heard your mom was sick and you're alone tonight. It didn't seem right to me. How is she?" he asked. My mom didn't have long to go, the doctors caught it too late. Logan and his mom were kind of fighting and his mom wanted to talk to him. 

   "She's still alive. I just don't see how they didn't catch this. Wouldn't have something come up in her tests?" I ask and he hugs me tighter.

   "I know it's not fair. Besides, the doctors you're with don't really know when something is important until it's too late anyway."

   "Logan, they did what they could for me. I don't care if I have cancer, there is a cure for it. What my mom has is something completely different. There is no cure for her and she's dying. All I keep thinking is where is my dad?" I ask and he rests his head on mine.

   "I don't think you need to worry about him. He left you, Anna. He is rotten for doing it." he says and I breathe.

   "Do you want to see her? Is that why you're here?" I asked and he nods.

   "If that's okay," he says and I go to her room. My mom has brown hair and freckles along her cheeks.

   "Mom, Logan is here. He wants to say hi." I say and nothing happens. I go to her and shake her just a little bit. No response. I start to panic.

   "Mom!" I yell and I hear Logan's feet coming down the hall. Please open your eyes, mom. I need you to open your eyes. I need you, please! I think and nothing happens. My mom.

   "Anna, I need you to call 911. Do it now." Logan says and I do.

        The ambulance comes but they can't revive her. They say that she died in her sleep. She was fine when I gave her her dinner. Logan hasn't left my side yet and when those words come from the paramedic's mouth, I completely shut down. My mom was dead. I could not wrap my head around this. Who was going to go to my graduation ceremony now? Everyone I know is gone in another state and I don't want to leave. The only person I have left is Logan. If I had just sat with her as she ate, maybe, just maybe there could have been a chance for her. 

   "Anna, come with me. Please." Logan says as if he'd have to beg. I look at him and he's all blurred.

   "What happens now?" I ask and he shakes his head. 

   "Right now, I have to get you home. From there, we'll figure this out. I promise." he says with tears in his eyes. My mom died June 1, 2005. Logan hasn't left my side and he's always kept his promise. I am graduated and now a writer with two beautiful kids. One of them is seven and the other one is ten. Logan has been great to both me, the kids and the people I talk to. I have also beat my cancer, the chemotherapy knocked it out easily enough. The only pain I had left was the gap of absence. Sometimes it's hard and the grief wants to swallow me whole, but all I have to do is open my eyes and breathe.

Normal is Overrated

by A.L.R

 I was walking along an empty road not really paying attention to where I was going. I knew that if i didn't go home soon, I'd get into a lot of trouble. My life wasn't as great as my friends' lives. They had loving parents and loving partners. Me? I had my own two feet. Things happened to me that I believed to be my fault, but I couldn't keep doing this. I was angry at them... wasn't I? Or was I angry at myself for this? I mean I did run away, but what was the point? Was there any point in this anymore? The running, the hiding, the waiting until it's over? It was lame of me to do this, no one else deserved this. No one but me who is to blame.

   "I haven't seen you around here before." a voice says behind me. I turn and see blue eyes and brown hair. It wasn't the fact that I was a full city away from home, it's the fact no one knows I left. This guy made me uneasy. Six feet at most and a pompous pose that said 'I'm going to get you'. How was any of this okay?

   "I don't live around here."

   "Why are you here then?" he asked and I tried to think. Why was I here? What did I come here for? I needed to lie. Every part of my body wanted me to turn and run. If I didn't, I would regret it. Just lie, he can't know. He doesn't have to know anything.

   "I don't remember."

   "Got lost, did you?" he asked, and he looked me over, like a wolf would over it's prey. I was too slow to run but I was going to try my absolute hardest.

   "No, I'm not lost. I am looking for something. Why are you asking me so many questions?" I asked and the guy looked at me. I didn't like the way he was looking at me. It was a dangerous kind of look.

   "Just close your eyes and it will be over soon." he says and strikes at my head. I duck and turn, ready for a fight.

   "Don't come closer."I threaten and he laughs.

   "Like you could outfight me or run away. Stupid girl, don't you know that you're doomed?"

   "What are you talking about?" I asked and he laughed. His blue eyes, weren't so blue anymore. They were a dark black and that is when I ran for an escape route. Granted, if my mom wasn't so drunk and my dad was an actual dad and stopped treating me like a punching bag, I doubt I would be in this mess. I hated my life then, but I needed to be alive now. People are counting on me. My way was blocked by the menacing stranger and my life flowed into his mouth. I tried to fight, but both the loss of blood and exhaustion took me over and I closed my eyes. I tried to punch him, but my hands were immobilized and I was weak. It got to the point where I just closed my eyes and let myself go, like I should've done before.

      I woke the next day, not understanding my new found senses. Heightened sense of smell, hearing, and reflexes, this was something I only read about. The only difference is, they didn't accept it. I was going to freak out about it, but not now. Right now, I needed to escape this alleyway. I might have accepted this but hey, normal is overrated. Isn't it? I didn't know the answer but all that I knew is that something wasn't right. I was going to find out what.

I Stand for You

by A.L.R

I stand not for the strong, 

but for the weak

I stand not for the doubtful 

but for the hopeful.

I stand not for the compassionless,

but for the compassion lacking 

I stand not for just one,

but for everyone left behind 

I stand not for them

but for you as well.

I stand for the world that was,

not for the world now

I stand for them memories missing,

not the vague sense of it

I stand not for the wrongdoings of the world,

but for the hope that one day we'll return

I stand for the innocents,

not the guilty

I stand for the voiceless

not those who have no problem making noise

The world needs a helping hand, 

I will be the helping hand.

 I stand for the morally right in the world,

I will not see it knocked down

I stand for the world.

                                            Movie Day Friday

Every Friday for the rest of summer vacation Mulberry Public library will show a movie every Friday at 1:00 pm. 

This Friday Mulberry Library will be showing  The Incredibles

           Come on out, watch a movie and eat some popcorn

                       

Teen/Tween Color Wars!!!

Ready to go to (Color) War?

          

     This Wednesday, be prepared to attack! Tweens and Teens get ready to be colorful...or not! The person who is the least colorful WINS!! (Bragging rights of course). 

     Here is the only requirement! Bring a white shirt to put over your darker shirt so we can figure out who the WINNER is! And make sure you have a darker shirt underneath for modesty.

          

     Also to not, for girls (mostly), pin your hair back or put it up if you don't want to take the risk. Don't wear your most expensive shoes just in case, or your favorite pants. This is not a fashion show people this is WAR! 

     Bring your friends to battle it out and hope to see you there!

Make Patriotic Wreathes For Our Local Veterans!

All Tweens and Teens (those who are going into Middle school or High school)!

We invite you to give back to our local heroes, our Veterans and active military! We are going to be making Patriotic Wreaths pictured below to give to our local Veterans to honor their sacrifice. 

The only requirement is to please call and let us know if you are coming, so we can have enough materials! 

Our phone number is 863-425-3246, ask to speak to or leave a message for Sofia Simpson, the Assistant Director.

Lazer Madness!

LAZER MADNESS!

This Wednesday, June 24th.

In action packed spy and superheros movies, there has been at least one scene where our heroes is separated from their objective by complicated and dangerous laser field. Honestly, who hasn't wanted to try it out for themselves? This upcoming Wednesday at two o'clock, teens and tweens are invited to experience the adrenaline of trying to maneuver ones way though such a treacherous field while competing against other teens to see who is the Top Hero! Do you have what it takes to get through unscathed? Come and prove to us you do! 

School Is Out and Summer is Upon Us!

              

Now that school is out and most of us have more free time than we know what to do with, what is a better way to spend your time than at the Mulberry Public Library! Every Wednesday of this summer holds Tween and Teen events coordinated especially for you, but while you are not at the wonderful new library, you can be reading books to complete challenges in the Tween and Teen Summer Reading Program for prizes! All you have to do is sign up and complete the challenges to win! Tween's sign up here ->Tween Summer Readers and Teens sign up here -> Teen Summer Readers
Lose yourself in the worlds of Divergent, Harry Potter, The Maze Runner, Percy Jackson, and the various other places in the pages of the books in the Tween/Teen room in the Library, whither it be in the with friends chilling out in the library, or at home curled up in bed being a hermit (Because we are guilty of it at one point or another). Because really, what better way to spend your time than being transported to a new world?

Journey Through the Pages, A Fiction piece written by: Ashley Rude, Senior at Mulberry High School

My name is Callie Belfort. I have never really liked reading before until I saw one of the trailers for a movie. It was strange. The movie looked interesting, I mean, it was fiction. The movie was Dracula 2000. I liked the looks of it but I had people keep telling me I couldn’t watch the movie until I read at least one version of Dracula. Going to the library thinking I could cheat my way out of it, I did some research. I was very surprised to find that I had misjudged books completely. I was curious and let my annoying little habit get the very best of me. I checked out the copy of Bram Stokers Dracula and I liked it. I didn’t realize until I looked up from the white pages that I was wearing an old time dress. I hated dresses, where did this come from? I looked up to find the library was gone and in its place was a dense forest. I looked around feeling like I was being watched. I shrugged out of my reverie to find, I wasn’t alone. A man who was tall, dark, and kind of creepy was standing in the pathway out of the forest.

“Do not be afraid. Why have you come?” he asked. I looked around to see if he was talking to anyone else. I looked back and he was closer. I jumped, not really understanding why I did. It felt like a good thing to do at the time.

“I don’t know how I got here. Who are you and why are you blocking my way out of here?”

“You speak strangely. Where have you come?” he asked. His accent, now that I heard it, was different. It had a kind of zing to it. I didn’t like zing. Not right now anyway.

“I told you, I don’t know. Where are my parents?” I asked with a tone. He glared at me but said nothing. People really need to fix their manners.

“Your parents?” the guy asked.

“Yeah, parents. The people who look after you as you grow up and become an adult. Whatever this is, it’s not funny.”

“I find no humor in your fear. I hear your breathing and I think it best if you leave. If we cross paths again, I shall not be so wary of your curiosity.” He says and he leaves. I looked at him and a scream erupted from a nearby town. I ran toward it, trying to get there. Then I saw it. A crowd of people were standing around. I was going to ask until another guy with semi longish brown hair looked up from the body. Her neck was punctured and she was dead. I don’t know what I had just walked in to, but I knew I was strange. The guy stood and glared. What is with the glaring people?

“Where is the demon?”

“Demon? What are you talking about?” I asked and he grabbed my arm. Where I was from, grabbing me like that would’ve gotten you punched.

“This is no time for games girl, where is he?” the guy asked. Girl? I had a name but then I realized that I hadn’t given it. His grip hurt and that is when I realized that somehow and in some way, I had been able to get into the book and become a part of it. That was when I understood.

“You are Abraham Van Helsing, aren’t you?”

“He was here now he is gone. You are helping him! Where is he?” he asked, completely avoiding my question. So rude.

“I just got here.” I say and he drags me with him to a house, pulling me inside.

“Get inside.” He said and basically threw me inside his house. I rubbed my arm because his grip wasn’t all feathers and everything. He closed the windows and looked at me. He saw me rubbing my arm, but didn’t say anything. No ‘are you okay?’ or did I hurt you?’ Nothing. He had no manners What-so-ever.

“Where is the demon?”

“What demon? What is everyone talking about?” I asked and he looked at me. He grabbed my neck and turned my head. Don’t punch him.

“You have no signs of being infected. I know you saw him in the forest. What did he say?” Van Helsing asked and I realized why I automatically jumped. The person I met in the forest was Dracula himself. I felt sick.

“The stranger I met in the woods was not dangerous. If he was, I’d be dead.” I say and he smiles.

“You already are.” He says and grabs my hand. I looked and saw a cut on it. I didn’t realize I got cut. Knowing the motive, I knew then that I was worse than dead, I was a part a story that had girls afraid of the dark at night. I was in league with Dracula, and I was not going to like this outcome. Sneaky little man, I didn’t know he marked me for death. I thought and Abraham shook his head.

“I am sorry about this.” He says and lifts a crossbow to me. I had no point in trying to run. I was going to die anyway. Then as he fired, as fast as I got there, I woke in the library I had come to.  I looked at the book then at the pale walls. I have now found a love for literature all just because of the little journey I had. I saw the librarian and she smiled.

“I don’t get it. What just happened?” I asked her and she smiled. The smile said she knew what happened and she was not going to explain anything. She started to walk away when I stopped her.

“Hey, how do I get back?” I asked and she smiled.

“Just turn the next page.” She said and left. I looked back at the book wondering. If I go back, would it pick up where I left off?

“Going back in."

She is Alice/ecilA si ehS by Sam Brainard

She is Alice/ecilA si ehS

By: Sam Brainard (12th grade)

I am that sister languidly thumbing through an old volume beneath the tall tree,

And she, in all definition, is Alice.

I have watched her daydream every day for years, reading to her aloud,

Poetry I have studied in classes she never would take.

Her gaze—always chatoyant, Cheshire like, hunting for the next caterpillar—taking her on a trip,

Sending her back to Wonderland.

She needs another ephemeral dream to coax her from reality.

                And this, I could not give her with my verses and scriptures.

She is Alice—I am her sister

Scolded her for allowing the White Hare to take her away to dangerous places...

Worried over her, as the Queen ordered her head to be removed...

Cried when I found that she may never return from the rabbit hole.

I am the forbearance—she is the eager, the acquisitive, so ready for that next adventure.

We are a moiety, two parts of a whole,

Working against each other like a melody that ringing through jail houses and school halls.

She has the redolence of bad decisions, the attar of the Caterpillar's charm on her breath,

I cannot bring her from her reverie—she has chosen little blue dresses and Looking glass languages.

And I must watch from afar as she eats and drinks their mysteries.

I must watch from afar as she eats and drinks the mysteries, lost in serendipity,

The wherewithal gone—and I am so deathly and utterly alone.

Everyone else is murmurous, and I, murderous, screaming down that rabbit’s trap for my sister… to…

                                                please

                                                                come

                                                                                home.

Blind Date With a Book at the Mulberry Library!

Blind date with a book

A Commentary by: Ashley Rude

The Mulberry Public Library is hosting a Blind Date with a book and we need dedicated readers such as you to help those helpless books get a chance to be ‘dated’. All you have to do is come in; check out a book wrapped in brown paper, granted you won’t know what it is, and read away. It is for all teens so don’t be afraid to come on in and read your hearts out. I have already tried out a book or two and it is incredible.

I have read almost eight books already and I don’t plan on stopping any time soon. It’s just for fun, so you don’t have to feel pressured into reading anything, it’s just for fun. Come on in, pick up a book, and let the book pull you into its yellow printed pages. Each page is a different world. And dating a different world is just as fun.

There is a prize for the one who reads the most ‘blind dates’. I won’t say much as to what the prize is only that it is a basket. Filled with what? Well, you’ll have to read in order to find out what mystery the basket holds, just like our books. Keep the bookmark you are given by Mulberry High School Library or the Mulberry Library, because that is your proof.

February 28^th is the due date! Hurry in!

                                                                              

Waiting for Teen Writers!

TEENS!!

Doo-dee-doo-doo-doo-doo-dee-doo, Doo-dee-doo-doo-DOOT-doo-doo-doo-doo-doo...

We are waiting for great writing from some of our fantastic teens! Interested?

Contact Ms. Sofia Simpson, Assistant Director of the Mulberry Library, at 863-425-3246 or by email, ssimpson@cityofmulberryfl.com.

Can't wait to see what you got floating around in those brilliant minds of yours!

Until then....