Finding a way OUT!!

Finding a way OUT!
When Hercules returned from taking Cerberus back to the Underworld, he had one last journey to complete before coming immortal. For his last quest was quite easy the other God’s claimed, that he could have done it with his eyes closed, and that his last quest should be the hardest to complete, for no one else had ever done it before. To find a safe way IN and OUT of the Labyrinth. He could not have help, no string to help him see it through. And to add on top of having to find a way through the maze he must also fight the Minotaur and WIN, and continue finding his way out of the maze. The God’s could not help him though many wanted to they could not.
When he reached the gate, which was large to a normal man but Hercules was not a normal man, having been born of a God and a mortal he had great strength, and was very tall, but like all humans he had many weak spots. He stood as tall as the gate, when he entered in, he felt as if he were being watched, by someone but when he looked about he could see no one. As he reached the start of the maze, he was just about turn and run, he didn’t care if that made him look like a child, and for the smallest amount of time, he forgot that if he did make it through that he WOULD be immortal, but that didn’t matter right then, he didn’t want to go through with this. He thought to himself, What will everyone think of me if I come home saying, “No I didn’t go through that maze, I never made it passed the gate” he couldn’t stand it, I must go on he kept telling himself I must. And so he did.
Left, then right, left and then he paused to remember that he could make it through, look at all the journeys he had made it through before, twelve and one last one and he would be immortal. He started the maze, taking it one step at a time. He kept looking back at the way he came, I some how must remember all of this in case I don’t make it to the other end. He was wearing a large coat, after tearing it into pieces after five steps he would drop another piece, marking his path as he went. He reached many dead ends, not wanting to go any father he stopped, he could hear something following him, the Minotaur! But it was too late it had grabbed his arm, and was pulling him into the darkness, he couldn’t grab anything for the walls were too smooth, nothing to save him. Just when he thought all was lost the Minotaur, loosed his grip, Hercules was surprised and also frightened, “What will happen to me?” The Minotaur started to speak,” You also have come to find a way out of this maze have you? After 35 years I meet you and you are scared to meet me, have you not heard stories of how when you are lost in the maze you are lost forever, of how many souls have died in this maze? Tell me that my story has been passed down that they still fear me and that you are the son of the God’s that was foretold to come and find the way out to break the curse that is upon me?”
“I am he, as was foretold, and I am here to find the way out, but how many people have came within to also find a way out leaving trails and markings but still finding no way out? How do you find food, water and how do you live in this darkness day after day? Do you not wish to see the sunlight? And if you were following me, how many others did you follow? Do you follow them until they can’t find their way anymore? Or until they go crazy?”
“I follow them right when they start, picking up any trail or destroying any markings that they make. I am the master of this maze I have my home here with all the wants and needs of me. I have no want to see the sunlight, or no need to. But to find the way out you must come in. You can’t just look from the outside and find it out, you must come in and find it out for yourself. But I know that you are here to fight with me, but as you can see I am becoming old with age and I will not fight you for I know that you are a son of a God, knowing that they are all powerful, mighty and I do not want to tempt them. So if you solve my riddle, I will let you go, but do not think that this riddle will be simple, for no one has solved it, no one has made it out yet, and I suppose that you are going to be the one that makes it through, that breaks this spell, and frees me. And if you are, I will be ever so grateful.”
Hercules thought to himself, ‘If I do make it out I will free beast, but to get out I must solve a RIDDLE, that’ll be easy, at least I hope it will, I’m not the best with those, but when I do get out I will tell him that I am in his debt not him in mine, he is letting me off easy, a riddle come on how hard could that be?’
“Well here are your riddles that if you solve, you are free to go if not you are forever lost in the maze,
What can grow without rain?
What can feel without touch?
What can see without sight?
What can burn for long years?
What can you need but never want?”
“Without rain, without touch, without sight, long years, without tears? What kind of riddle is that? I’m supposed to know the answer to that?!? How would I know? Why would I care?”
“If you do not answer my riddle you can never leave, I have picked up every piece of your coat as you came in, you will be trapped in the maze forever, or until you answer my riddle.”
After thinking and thinking though he still thought he had the wrong answers he answered him saying, “Stones can grow without rain, your heart can feel without touch, your feelings for one another can see without sight, your love for them can burn for long years, and you can need love but you can never want to have to love every day for the rest of your life,”
“You may pass through, Hercules, having answered my riddle, you may pass through the maze, the path is marked with star if I remember right, on the corner of each wall you pass,”
“If you remember right? Is this some kind of sick joke? I don’t get it. You are the master of this maze you should know this. But I, Hercules will find a way out if this place and free you from your curse, I will promise you that,”
“Don’t make promises that you can’t keep, Hercules it is a bad habit,”
Hercules started to walk away from the Minotaur knowing that if he did make it out alive, it would be a great blessing from the Gods. When finding a wall that had many markings on it he found at the base of the wall a small shape an x just like the Minotaur had said, he felt sorry for not believing him, but he couldn’t turn back now he had a long journey ahead of him. Almost crawling on his hands and knees, he felt his way out if the maze finding it very hard to see what was a head of him, “If I only had some light” he kept thinking to himself, this would be so much easier! But easy was not what the God’s wanted him to think of this quest, it had to be hard, he had to prove to them that he could be able to be immortal just like them, that he was worthy and that he had trust. Making that promise was building some trust, but not quite enough. When he reached the end he could feel the light, and see it also, just a head of him, but he had to remember that “It just might be a figure of my imagination that it really might not be there keep going when I reach the end I will know it.” He could hear voices all around him but he could not see anyone. He could smell the sweet smell of flowers blooming in the spring and he could hear the birds singing and people cheering for him that he had made it through. He had done it, but he was so tired and sleep deprived that when he reached the end and made it to the sun light he fell to the feet of the Gods just barley mumbling that “I, Hercules have completed yet the last and final quest that you have given me and I know will die for sure, for I have not eaten for weeks and have not slept for fear of falling into the hands of the monster, but yet I have found the way out and have broken the curse that held him a prisoner in that dark cave for so long. I am now dying of lack of sleep and food, I will for sure die for I know it.”

Just as the words came from his mouth, the great God Zeus came to him and said “ You will not die my son, Hercules, for you have done what was asked of you. Having completed all of the thirteen tasks which at times you just wanted to give up I know, there were times I wanted to help you but I was bound and could not. You have made promises that you must keep, you don’t want to loose the trust of your friends.”
And at the maze was lifted out of the ground and the great Monster that laid within came out into the sunlight, and thanked Zeus and Hercules for all that they had done, breaking the curse, and saving him from that darkness. But the man that came out from the maze was not what Hercules had seen in the maze for he had changed into a young man not much older than Hercules himself, his name was Christen, half and half just like him, his only wish was that he too could be immortal with Hercules that they may talk and learn to grow with each other through out the rest of time.

K@t3lyn Nich0ls0n'$ Myth

Long ago before the world began, there was a Great Light in the heavens. As the earth formed and people began to walk the earth each day they saw a Great Light in the heavens. One day while the American people were walking they stared to wonder What does this Great Light do for us? We have no need for it. The bravest and the strongest of the group was Samen, he told the others that he would go and talk with the gods to see why they needed this Great Light in the heavens.
Upon arriving at the Mountain of the Gods, Samen began to be afraid of what the Gods would do to him for asking such a question, so he didn’t go. He stayed in the near by town with a few friends. When morning came Samen was woken by his friends, Jack and William. When he asked what the matter was they couldn’t answer him, for they we so astonished by what had happened. Samen raced outside to find the city in ashes, the only thing that stood and that was not burnt was Jack’s house in which Samen had slept in that night and he was going to stay another night but after seeing that he wanted to leave as quick as he could. William would not let him go, he said to Samen,
“ Samen, you must journey to the Mountain of the Gods and see what has angered them so, for you are the bravest of us all and you have the most strength you must go. Not only to save yourself but to save the other cities”
“ I know that I must continue my journey to the mountain but I’m not sure how to tell the gods that there is just a ball of fire in the sky that we don’t need, and I know that for the sake of the surrounding cities that I need to go but won’t you come with me William? Jack will you not come with me one more day to take our journey to the Mountain of the Gods?” Samen answered William.
“No I will not leave my family for another night following a man who has nothing to lose, who could have already made the journey by himself but had to stop so many times, I’m sorry that I can’t make the journey with you Samen, I really am but I just can’t leave Sarabe like that again.”
Samen set out on his journey by himself, not wanting his friends to leave him, but if that is the way it must be it must have to be that way, when he reached the steps to enter the Mountain of the Gods, the earth began to shake and it felt as the earth would have fallen out from under him, he began to run back down the stairs but was caught by a large hand, bringing him back up the stairs, he yelled for help many times.
“Samen,” the voice said “why do you run from the presence of the Gods? Didn’t you except the challenge to come and find the reason behind the Great Light in the heavens? Wasn’t you that said I will go to the Mountain of the Gods? But now why do you run from the sight of the Gods? Are you scared? Samen, we the Gods created you, and when you come and see us and ask about the Great Light in the heavens or questions that only us Gods would know, it makes us glad to know that you will come and see us, it makes us grateful that we have created humans. Samen tell me why you were running was it just out of fear, or hatred? Samen you must have a reason for coming to the Mountain of the Gods other than to ask about the Great Light in the heavens, you do don’t you?”
Samen was over come with so much fear he had forgotten that he had another question to ask when he reached the Mountain of the Gods, but when it came to him he was so afraid of what the Gods might say.
“ I have come to ask about the Great Light in the heavens that is true but I also have come to ask why the night time is so dark, there is no light in our homes and sometimes you can’t see where you are going and if you travel, you want to be there or home before dark for you cannot see. We need light during the night time, some kind of light that can help us see but it can’t be as bright as the Great Light, but we need some light on some nights it is so dark, you cannot see anything. “
When the Gods told Samen that his journey was just to tell the Gods what they already knew, he felt very sad and torn apart in side, he left for home but when he got home, he understood what he need to do, he need to shoot arrows at the Great Light in the heavens and cause many to fall and if he got a big enough piece to fall off that it would stay just right there, right by the Great Light and follow it and still have some light but not as much as the Great Light did. So Samen gathered many friends and neighbors to help him and they all fired their arrows, shoot as long as they could, after many hours of shooting they heard a loud CRACK! And then a POP! And a BOOM! When they looked toward the Great Light a piece had broken off and all the smaller pieces came with and when night came there was light but not so great as the Great Light, but you could see in the night and the small pieces that had broken off from the Great Light were scattered in the night sky, making small pieces of light, making the night sky something you would want to look at. And that is how stars came to be. So when you see a shooting star always remember that Samen shoot the Great Light and gave us stars in the night sky.


-Katelyn Nicholson

Third Grade Ready for Stitches?

When I was in third grade, my friend, Sarah and I would ride our bikes to school and pick up our other friend Madison on the way. One morning we didn't pick up Madison and now that I look back it is a good thing that we didn't. Sarah and I had just learned how to go no-handed on our bikes and we took one turn and I leaned too far into the turn and my bike fell out from under me and I ended up cutting up my elbow really bad, but from where we were was just about half a block from our school. My arm was starting to go numb and I couldn't feel too much in my hand or my lower arm. When we got to the school Sarah took me right to the office where Carol fixed me up, called my mom to tell her that I might need to go to the clinic to get my arm looked at. My mom was doing Day-Care and couldn't make it to the school, but Slayde's mom was there to drop him off at school,she took me home because she lived just a block away from my house. I remember thinking what just happened? What needs to be looked at on my arm? My grandma took me to the clinic and they looked at my elbow and told me that I was missing quite a big chunk out of my arm. If I had not been missing all that skin they would have just stitched it back on. They wrapped it up and sent me home. I didn't go back to school that day though I went home and slept! When my arm did heal up, I found out that I do have tar off of the road in my elbow. Really cool scar and I'm so glad I didn't have to get stitches.