Chapter 12: A Short Story

Hinton, an amiable tobacco planter in Virginia, inspected the mill infrequently and trusted him to make an honest trade. There was no way to forecast when loggers would arrive, depending on the weather and the wind and water currents so Matthew remained available year-round. He was tall, burley with bushy, red hair, and freckles that almost connected into a solidly tan face. People never forgot him because his freckles were such an assortment of colors, red, brown, tan, beige, pink, auburn, rust, black, and orange. He entertained visitors with stories of animals and men fighting themselves and each other along with spine-tingling stories about ghosts and Indians that intimidated the settlers. If they were true, it did not matter.

“Come here.” She motioned for him to move closer. Once he stood before her, she dipped her finger under the elastic of his boxer’s waistband and gave a tug. “Let’s see how sexy you are when you come.”

“This is it,” Theron said, leaning against the holotable. Everything had been powered down and packed up. All that was left was to pile onto their ships and go their separate ways. Theron had a shuttle standing by, a simple, one-manned vessel to deliver him to his mother’s command ship.

Three days passed before Jingyan took a trip to Su Zhe's residence, following a familiar path to a destination with a wholly different sort of anticipation. He made his visit at night, when there were less watchful eyes and more shadows to hide his trail. When he finally stepped into the courtyard of plum blossoms, he detoured to the pond before entering the still-lit room of the house.

The equation on the page of his scribbler began to spread out a widening tail, eyed and starred like a peacock's; and, when the eyes and stars of its indices had been eliminated, began slowly to fold itself together again. The indices appearing and disappearing were eyes opening and closing; the eyes opening and closing were stars being born and being quenched. The vast cycle of starry life bore his weary mind outward to its verge and inward to its centre, a distant music accompanying him outward and inward. What music? The music came nearer and he recalled the words, the words of Shelley's fragment upon the moon wandering companionless, pale for weariness. The stars began to crumble and a cloud of fine stardust fell through space.

I sit at the kitchen table going over the eviction papers. But we have done nothing wrong I think in my head. My husband John paces beside me furrowing his brow. “I just don't understand. Why us? Why would they come after us?!” exclaims John.

Freedom, a birth-given entitlement or a manmade privilege? For the female population on this Earth, neither is the appropriate answer. Freedom is defined by the power or right to act, speak, or think as one wants without hindrance or restraint; everyday women are silenced for speaking out or are frowned upon for being independent by not submitting to the heavy-weight of the set standards placed upon their shoulders. Over the centuries, the proposal of women having any rights remained a constant battle that appeared to not have any pre-destined ending. In the intervening time that Charlotte Perkins Gilman fabricated, “The Yellow Wall-Paper”, any thought of Women 's Rights was unorthodox; whereas when Mary Oliver indited, “Wild Geese,”

Lifty huffed, snuffing his cough back into his throat as he chucked Petunia into his bedroom.

The actual programming of a computer is what controls its every operation. Similarly, society’s gender roles control every choice that a person makes. For example, “From an economic perspective, the traditional female careers into which significant numbers of girls are directed pay substantially lower wages than nontraditional fields. For example, in the field of cosmetology, in which girls represent 98% of the students, workers typically earn a median wage of $9.52 per hour, yet in the electricians' field, in which girls comprise only 6% of students, the median earnings are more than twice as much, at $20.33 per hour.” (Toglia, 2)

He opens his eyes to an unfamiliar view—there is a blue-toned light hitting against the shadowed ebony metal siding. He hits his head from the van driving over a bump, "Ow..." he gently rubs the affected area.

People live in a certain area that has the resources they need. Including water sources, food sources, and transportation. Some of the earliest civilizations built their civilizations close to a water source like an ocean, river, or lake. According to Lesson Why do People Settle in Certain Areas, (2001-2011), “Many of the oldest and largest cities in America are located along the Atlantic Ocean.” A water source could be used for food, transportation, and as a drinking source. Some people plant crops for a food source like corn, beans, or wheat. There are many kinds of things you can use for transportation. Some examples are a boat, a car, a bus, or even an airplane.

Maggie had grabbed a quick lunch from the cafeteria before hauling ass back to her room. At the moment, she wasn’t interested in spending time making idle conversation with her teammates. She had already been awake longer than she normally would’ve been for one day and her irritation was growing from the forced social interaction. She craved some quiet, alone time to allow herself a break and to prepare herself for whatever Shannon had planned for them next.

“What’s more concerning is the fact you’re dehydrated. Your dry mouth, tachycardia, lethargy, and low blood pressure make that clear.”

The group had to settle down from the night, but from what Nihei said they were pretty close to the village. Ryder and Emma had finished cleaning up the food as Jack tended to the fire. Izzy and raichu laid out on their sleeping bag fast asleep with zorua curled up to the side of them. Venusaur and Nihei were also fast asleep beside each other.

“Stop barneymugging and get yourselves outta there!” I couldn’t believe Buck was still in there. He refused to leave once he saw all the cash, said he needed to get all uh’ it before the cops got there o’ somethin’. Now the cops is there and theys stuck inside! “Clyde they gonna get killed!”