FICTION IS BACK

This month we stepped away from our usual deep self-reflection pieces and focused on fiction. Years ago, the local paper Chico News & Review hosted a contest called Fiction 59, challenging writers to tell a complete story in exactly 59 words. Our Juvenile Hall students often did remarkably well in that contest, and through it I met an incredible local writer, Emiliano Sarnoff. Emiliano later volunteered with our Writing Exchange program in Juvenile Hall, and the experience inspired him to return to school to become a teacher. Today, he is my daughter’s English teacher, and together we decided it was time to revive the challenge. This month, students from CORE Butte Charter, Butte County Juvenile Hall, and Shasta County Juvenile Hall wrote stories in exactly 99 words—and the results are amazing. The pieces below come from students in Butte and Shasta County Juvenile Halls, and we will be publishing the winning entries from all three programs soon.

Entry #2184
Escaping the Monster
The familiar smell of burning plastic tingles Leslie's nose as Mommy takes her “medicine.” Mommy hops out of the car and stumbles away with some old man who's glaring at her with lust dancing in his eyes. Leslie wiggles her bruised body to the radio, a bird spreading its wings when an ad alerted: “EMERGENCY, EMERGENCY, LION ESCAPED FROM ZOO.” She glances at her paw, fur suddenly covering her battered arm. Leslie realizes this is her chance. Lunging out of the car on all fours, the brave lion tearing through her, towards the sunset and away from the monster.

Entry #2185
Dine & Dash
The hostess seated them both next to the window. Josh said, "I'm so frickin’ hungry.” Rob's stomach was growling. As he slid his shoe, his toe popped out from the bottom. The waiter came to them with the calamari appetizer. Josh's mouth watered as it was delivered. The waiter described the special: steak, mashed potatoes, and bread rolls. Rob held the holes on his hoodie so no one could see. They both agreed to the special. They were so hungry, they started shoveling down, trying not to use their fingers. The check read $190. They knew it was time.

Entry #2186
Earth Child
A young girl was thrown into a small garden. Two tall trees ruled the foliage. Trees meant to bear fruit wielded twists of ivy and whips of thorns; only extreme weather showered the garden. Light rain turns to storms. Defining wind shaped the girl. As she grew, she yearned to leave the garden. The trees learned of her dreams, cracked down with shredding thorns, burning ivy. The damaged girl rebelled. Uprooted grass cut down shrubs. They sent her to the ocean. Trapped in the depths, she confided in the coral. In turn, they took her away so she’d be free.

Entry #2187
World War 3 1/2
Dirt slashed Von's face as explosions went off, so many of Von’s troops lay dead in front of him. He keeps hearing voices, not knowing if they're out loud or in his head. Limping for cover, bullets in his leg, the Greys are overflowing them. He's out of resources. He rallies the last of the troops, then right when it was about to get interesting, Freddy hears his mom call him for dinner. “Freddy, come eat, it's your favorite.” Freddy comes to the table with his little soldiers, the army is ready to eat. “Good, 'cause I made extra for them.”

Entry #2188
He Didn't
Random beach trips. Donuts in stools. Cops. Going anywhere they desired. Lines. American Eagle shorts and tube tops. Hennessy. That green beam of his that made her feel protected, until it was used to threaten her. Xanax. The fast life. Kenzie loved that life, until everything changed. He changed. Beatings. The arguments that made the house tremble. Betrayal. He turned into the monster in the closet she hid from when younger. Meth. He grew giant and she grew tiny. Destruction. The bottle shattering over her head, blood pooling on the floor. He almost killed her. But he didn’t. Resilience.

Entry #2189
Life Through Glass
Maria watches intently as the two joyful boys dance freely through springing grass, their boyish voices boomed happily through the cracked window that once used to be whole. These are the times the boys will know for certain, as the air turned warm and the eviction notices stopped being posted. Ashamed that these times were shortened. As time went on, Maria saw the boys less, and years passed since she felt the embrace of a motherly hug. She now sits on the other side of a sheet of thicker glass, sadly knowing that the boys will be together forever.

Entry #2190
RUN
No matter how long he runs for, Dave's past seems to linger just behind, awaiting a moment of vulnerability. Silent whispers drift back in his crowded mind, “Just this once!” What’s the worst that could happen? Yet Dave continues to flee from the memory of his mistakes. Several times he contemplated falling into those disgraced mistakes he’d make, coming as close as a thread, despite his hatred & fear caused by his decisions. One morning, as he awoke, he felt too spent to run, & instead he stopped to face his past, embracing his pain & finally forgave himself.

Entry #2191
Change
I sit & wait for change to come upon me. I go over in my mind the most despised parts of myself, wondering when and how this change will come. Will it be a person? An object? A situation? I yearn for the change I so desperately need. As time goes on, my confidence begins to fade, and I start to lose hope that this change will ever show. I contemplated my options & struggled to choose. So, with a final push of hope, I moved myself & stepped out of that room, & I found the change myself.

Entry #2192
Friday the 13th
On Tuesday the 10th, Leonard thought for a moment that his dog, Theo, said something. Part growl, part bark, it sounded like he asked for a treat. GRRRDOGGGTRRREATT. Other strange things happened too: By Wednesday, Theo figured out how to open doors, even the fridge. One time he lifted his leg and tried to pee in the toilet, only missing a bit. Then, on Thursday, he turned on the hot water, and Leonard found him standing in the shower. Friday was frightening as fragile glass shattered in the kitchen. Leonard walked in, and Theo clearly said, “Dude, I’m hungry!”

Entry #2193
Running Thoughts
Sitting handcuffed, Jake was told he’d be out in 2-weeks. Mind racing with the freedom of what was going to be. Instinctively planning his next lick, the pounds he would come up on. He wondered two things: if his pole was still where he stashed it, the slit in the mattress on the wall side, and if the stolo was still in the back alleyway by the avenue. Calling up his boy Ricordo, talking in code. On his date, his PO walked in, monitor in hand. Jake's head fell, eyes to the floor, not as free as he thought.

Entry #2194
Unprejudiced
I am a very freespoken kind of guy. I use big words in my life. Why doesn’t anyone use words? I am very loquacious, magnanimous, and sanguine. However, I am also obstreperous, idiosyncratic, capricious, but also very discerning. I’m also a cacophony. I am perceptive, peaky, and persistent. I am precocious, erudite, and indecisive. I love my girlfriend. I am very commiserative, but I can also be sympathetic. I feel a lot of tragedy, privation, and loneliness. I’m also disconsolate. However, my life is very slow and fast at the same time. My mind is ADHD, 100 mph.

Entry #2195
Clouded Thoughts of Family Matters
Jared had a thousand voices in his head. He never could quiet them. They would roar for hours with no end in sight, and sleepless nights gave him no avail. He was always fighting with his parents. Insomnia created a fog in his days. During an argument with his parent—his father attacked him, slamming him into walls, shoving him, pushing him so hard he flew through the air. Unaware if he was awake, sleeping, or even conscious, he retaliated, grabbing something metal and smashing it against his father’s head. Or did he? He wondered if he was really incarcerated?

Entry #2196
Shadow At Dawn
Kylie arrived at Shadow Falls. She had one burning question, “What am I?” But giving Kylie the most trouble is her aching heart. Her gorgeous werewolf, Lucas, left the camp with another girl, but he’s still visiting her in her dreams. Derek, a sexy half-fae who’s always been there for her when she needed him, is pushing to get more serious and growing impatient. Especially when Lucas returns, Kylie knows she needs to decide between the boys, and it’s tearing her up inside. Yet, romance will have to wait because something from the Dark Side of her world is hiding.

Entry #2197
A Moment in Abyss
Blinding lights. Loud thumping music. Rowdy crowd jumping and screaming my name. I've been dreaming about this moment since I was a kid, fame. I stare off into the crowd, and start to remember what it took to get me here. Pushing through the hardships: poverty, drugs, people who wanted to see me fail. I came from nothing. Section-eight housing, no food, drugs flooded the house. As I close my eyes, I’m overcome with euphoria. I eagerly jump into the crowd only to find myself in the same trapped-out drug house. I can't dream big when I feel small.

Entry #2198
The Fall
Jack was climbing the tree: no shirt, nothing, just a waterbottle, sunglasses, boots, and shorts. As he kept climbing, the branches got smaller. Real small. He had scrapes up and down. 120 feet up, he stumbled, the branch snapping was like a gunshot, and gravity took over like a magnet to the earth. The fall brought some regrets. The time he gave up his kids for the white lines. Or, the time he stabbed his dad in the back. The ground approached, he wanted to make things right. Closer and closer. He started floating up. “Please forgive me.”

Entry #2199
The Dog and the Fish (Ohio Edition)
The dog woke up one morning and started meowing, so I took him for a swim, and he met the fish. He then befriended the fish, and they continued on a mewing streak together. Soon enough, the fish grew old and became Sigma. The dog was now getting jealous and wanted to steal the fish’s gyatt. The fish was also the master of rizz, so this would be hard. So, the dog challenged the fish to a rizzing challenge in Ohio, and he won. The sad fish went along his way. Then, the dog realized he had no friend.

Entry #2200
The Last Attempt
Sam couldn’t resist the dare to run through the train tunnel. On his way to school each day, he would try to build the courage to run through the other end before he arrived. Today was different. Today would be remembered. Ignoring all signs of danger like they didn’t exist, Sam was like a cheetah. Making it halfway through before a loud roar echoed across the hollow hole of tracks. A bright light then appeared, but he ran faster than he ever had before. Realizing he was looking down at himself, Sam was slowly drifting into the dark sky.

Entry #2201
White Roses
He was a drawing man. School felt like Hell, and drawing, heaven. He chose heaven over hell. Heaven caused the day to go quick. Hell was everything else. His girl was on the other side of heaven. He sends her these drawings, hoping she keeps them. “Wherever is fine,” he says. He just wants to make sure she has them. She likes crown, not just the alcohol, switch that, the alcohol too. She’s a queen. He says, “She’s my queen.” He sent more heaven her way on Valentine’s Day. “Flowers like white roses are common here,” he says. Heaven is for real.

Entry #2202
Family Cookout
Hearing her loud cousins and the drunk adults laugh and yell, Deliliah smelled the seafood wafting through the air. It was so much better than the rancid beer on her uncle's breath and vodka on her aunts. Listening to the cracking of a crab shell and the satisfying sizzle of tri-tip on the grill. She spotted her mom aggressively stomping towards her and her cousin. Hiding behind the wood stack, secretly eating crab after being cut off. “You have to save some for the family!” Giggling and running, Delilah’s mom was now laughing too: “I’m gonna get you guys!”

Entry #2203
Raul’s End To A Start
Throughout elementary, he was the class clown, the bully, and didn’t listen. Raul drowned himself with trouble. In 5th and 6th grade he didn’t do school. In middle, he killed brain cells, focusing on blunts and trees, rolling up. When he got into high school, everyone told him he needed to focus; he didn’t care. His first two years of high school, his sister did his homework. After the robbery, Raul got some years. Years to think. He realized this wasn’t the end but a start. He started to focus, he sharpened his pencil, and opened up a textbook.

Entry #2204
The Apple in the Tree
A big, red apple grew in a huge tree, the highest branch, waiting to be picked by just the right person; but what the apple didn’t know was it couldn't be reached. It grew ripe and big, looking out into the rest of the scary woods. The apple didn’t have much time to be picked. The apple slowly began to get mushy and rot from the inside out until it fell straight to the ground and sat there decomposing, with ants crawling all over.

Entry #2205
Plan
Ryder became a new father on the same night as his father’s crash. Baby Willow helped him change his old ways. Instead of smoking and drinking from an endless bottle, he began giving a bottle. Instead of partying all night, Ryder would watch the baby all night. He stopped selling, landing a construction gig. Honest money instead of hustle. He wanted his daughter to follow a good path, to grow up with both parents, and have a nice home where she could feel comfort. He provided opportunities he never had. Wanting the best for her, Ryder became a dad.

Entry #2206
Boy
He was a boy who didn’t understand the world. Even though he tried, no one wanted to give him an answer, just say, “You’ll learn one day, kiddo.” He hated adults, especially his “own” adults. Having enough, he bolted far away from his monsters called parents. Eventually, he stopped running and sat dangling his legs off a log while his heart raced. He sat up, looking around, and realized he wasn’t close to home. Actually, he didn’t know where he was. He made his own home, forgetting the world around him. Now, he’s happy, forever a lost boy.

Entry #2207
Military
Inside Juvie, walls are like an aching pain. You are told when to eat, sleep, shower, move. It's hard to be on the same track as people on the outs. In here, we move with caution. Me and my brothers are always focused. We know everyone's move before they do. We can see snakes at play. We move like the military, ready for war, but ready for peace. They labeled us as a gang but were really just a family who would kill for one another. I love ‘em all equal; I know we would all protect one another.

Entry #2208
Racing in the Wind
The needle crept past 100, trembling slightly, matching the adrenaline spiking in my veins. Midnight on the empty highway felt like flying. Engine screaming, white lines blurring into a neon streak of light, the world reduced to a tunnel of asphalt ahead. My knuckles gripping the leather wheel, I felt alive, completely detached from the quiet, boring life I left behind. No phone calls, no responsibilities, just pure, electric speed. The wind roared, mocking the speed limit sign I passed hours ago. It was dangerous, reckless, selfish even, but for this fleeting moment, I was fast. I was free.

Entry #2209
The Road to “Reality”
Fear seeked me through no rear near. I’m adventuring through the mind-compelling woods late night. Vision revolves around the daylight, unknown in shadows. Once upon a time, there creeps a ghost within a tunnel-like alley approaching a mysterious road. I’m met with footsteps, loud banging, cleaning, ringing, but littleness amuses within this dark forest. As I near the alley, escaping the fierce thrill. A marathon exiting trail back, quarter-mile to safety. I detect the destination. I want it to disappear. A cold breeze of a touch skims over me. I begin running, I trip, I fall over…

Entry #2210
Crash
Well, this story starts one yelling Sunday night at a Valero gas station. We were there buying Tw-eas. We had been arguing all day, so we went to get a drink to chill out, but the opposite happened. She was a savage. She bit me after I told her I slept with her friend. So, I told her I was going to steal her car. She didn’t believe me, so I grabbed her keys and took off until her dad was following me, and I sped up to a corner. I turned the wheels, but the car didn’t follow.

Entry #2211
The Exit
His rat tail was braided tight and his left hand showed the ink he represented. Carlos had been fighting his case for four years. Gigi didn’t like who he was hanging out with, always running the streets, on substances, and involved in crimes. His mind was racing: Gigi’s disappointment, the example he was giving his little brother, Mario, and the fact that he had been lying. In court, realizing that the truth could be his exit ticket out of the life he was living, Carlos stood up, releasing weight. “I did it. It was my gun.” Carlos had changed.

Entry #2212
George Escaping the Zoo
George was a tall giraffe. He lived in a zoo way out in the middle of nowhere. One day, he was eating, and he noticed a hole in the fence. He stuck his head over the fence and saw a big red exit sign. He felt curious and started walking slowly towards the hole. He got there and stared for a while. Eventually, he started walking slowly through the hole. He made it through and started running toward the exit sign. Once he made it, he ran through the parking lot and grass. He looked back and realized he was free.

Entry #2213
Boom, Boom, Boom
Boom, boom, boom, boom! Crash! Get down! I peek my tiny little head down the hall to the living room. Mom and Dad are on the ground. They look like pretzels. I rushed to my sister with pools in my eyes as she pulls me into a bear hug, telling me repeatedly, “It’s going to be okay.” The cops come into the room, ripping us apart like Velcro, and throwing me in a car, and jetted me to town—a lady who smelled like flowers bombarded me with questions like, “How was life at home?” I just wanted my sister.

Entry #2214
The Talking Carrot
One day, a carrot started growing in the garden, and no one knew who planted it. Jorge asked his parents if he could go play outside. His parents said yes, so he went outside to the garden and started playing. He ran around for a while, then noticed the carrot. He pulled it out of the ground, but only half came out. He picked up the carrot and ran back inside. He showed his parents, then set it down. The carrot started talking. Jorge screamed and ran back to the garden to put the carrot back with the other vegetables.

Entry #2215
Quarter Man
Billy realized that he swallowed a quarter, but he didn't freak out. He thought to himself that it didn't taste too bad at all, so then he started trying pennies, dimes, nickels; but they didn’t taste the same as the quarters, so he began to make quarter sandwiches, quarter pizza, quarter brownies—everything had to have quarters on it. There was a problem, though: he started getting stomach issues. He knew better, he just couldn't stop eating quarters! He knew it was bad for him, but he couldn’t resist it. Sadly, he passed away; but not without his quarters.

Entry #2216
Misery Loves Company
I woke from a sound sleep, drenched in sweat. The nightmares just wouldn’t stop. This time, it was back. It would haunt me until the end of my time. It’s the reason I am the way I am. The reason I was incarcerated for so long. I was filled with such rage, a rage that couldn’t be stopped until I felt that the atrocity was hurting me, my family, and people I loved. It took me a long time before I was able to face my fears and my misery. But you know what they say: misery loves company.

Entry #2217
The Kid That Became Cool
Once upon a time, there was a kid that would get bullied in school. He wanted to become a cool kid in school, and he wanted to be noticed in school by all of the cool kids. So what he did was, his parents said they were going out of town. So, the kid had a light bulb idea. He went around school telling everyone that he was hosting a Halloween party at his house. Everyone wanted to go. Everyone actually showed up, and after that, the kid that always got bullied at school became a cool kid, finally.

Entry #2218
Locked Down
Stuck in a room full of bricks. You only have a pillow, blanket, sheets, and a mattress. You wake up every day, same time. Sitting in the day room with nothing to do. The TV’s on, but you don’t watch. Your P.O. asks what you learned, but you tell them you made no progress. They tell you that you only seek attention. And all you think of is redrum, redrum, redrum. And you want out to go home, but you’re locked down. You don’t have anything. You’re lonely, lost, and burned out. But it’s really not like that, ever.

Entry #2219
She Loves Him Because
She loves him because of the way his eyes light up like fireworks on the Fourth of July. She loves him because his tongue twists and melts words like a chocolate factory at work. She loves him because his soul fills hers like a buffet to a small, spoiled child. She loves him because his body knows every bump and imperfection she has. She loves him because her heart feels safe with him. She loves him because of his childlike smile when excited or happy. She really loves him, loves, because it’s him, and no one compares.

Entry #2220
Doobies Tales
Doobie caught a case in the first degree. He was cold-hearted. Nobody could tell him nun, and when they tried, he just said they were playa hatin’. Doobie’s time in the Pitna was extraordinary. He watched people get pulled up for looking at someone the wrong way, but that was just the life for him. Doobie cherished everything about the system. Doobie woke up one Friday evening craving violence. He grabbed his shank, crept up on Big Mike, and started poking. Blood splattered everywhere, all over the entire Pod, but that was just another day for Doobie.

Entry #2221
He Is Trying to Describe Pain in 99 Words
What’s 100 minus 1? 99. 99 ways my heart was broken. I have been in pain 99 times, 99 times. My heart is of granite, yet of dust as well. Pain has many names: hurt, hate, desolation, sadness, depression, anxiety, and envy. Relief has many names, though, too: sobriety, pills, drugs, gangs, and affirmations. Too bad they don’t work for me. Unfortunately for me, pain is destiny; it’s all I have most days. It’s my trench, my weapon, my strength, and sometimes it’s my family. If I am surrounded by pain, then I will become the epitome of the pain.

Entry #2222
Sparks
My dog Spark ran from my house, and I’ve got to find him, so I’ve packed up a bag with a drink, some food, and some protection, just in case I ran into an opp. So, I’m walking down the street, yelling out, “Spark!,” and I don’t hear or see him; that’s when I pull my food out and start eating my sandwich and drinking my Red Bull. Somebody drove down the street. I think, “It’s an opp,” so that’s when I whip out my slingshot and start blowing at the opps because they started blowing at me too—then I dipped.