In our drama 20 class, we were given Harris Burdick pictures and were told to make a story out of it. Here is what Dorliana and myself came up with from this picture
This picture is called The Harp, and the quote that comes with it is “So it’s true he thought, it’s really true”
As the lights come up, RAVEN is playing her harp down stage left. The music continues, she looks up graciously and then she starts the narration.
RAVEN THE ANGEL WOMAN (NARRATOR): There is a boy. My boy. His name is Nathaniel. He was a happy and jolly soul. He always had a smile on his face until the most unfortunate event occurred. My death and his diagnosis of schizophrenia.
When I was just 39 years old, I thought I would live 20 years longer, I thought I would live a happy life with my family, I thought I would live to see my son be a successful man. God wanted me back but the devil had other intentions. The devil was well aware of God’s plan for me and he elaborated on it. He decided to possess my husband. (pause)
And now there’s the Harp. The Harp that calms my child down. I had to take it with me so that the devil could no longer have a connection with me. I did not know that I could not take any earthly possessions to heaven with me so I unwillingly left the Harp at our family’s favourite river. So here I am today, trying to protect my son from people. People who only my son and I can see.
My son Nathaniel, was diagnosed with schizophrenia. He believes he sees spirits, spirits that aren’t there. Those who surround him anywhere make fun of him and laugh at him when he yells (this is said out loud by the actor playing Nathaniel): “THE DEVIL IS FOLLOWING ME!” They push him and tell him to get over it. Even his father at home laughs at him and takes all of his anger out on him. He cries himself to sleep every night questioning me as to why I left him. (pause)
He sees the spirits. He talks to the spirits. He even fights with the spirits (a box is thrown at nothing. There is a pause). His only friend, his dog, Buster, also rages at the spirits (dog barking noises). But upon seeing me at the river, he comes to cuddle.
Buster knows that I am here and can see me. Nathaniel however, knows I’m here but he can’t see me. I don’t want him to see me. That is why I move the harp everyday to let him feel my presence, to let him know that someone is still here to protect him. That someone still cares about him.
One day however, he saw the movement of the Harp taking place. He made his way towards me even though there were obstacles in the water (there is a pause as NATHANIEL makes a complicated route his mother). Over the face of a broken child, I saw a glimpse of hope on his face.
This time I felt weak, I didn’t move. I let him come to me. His cold hands made the hairs on my neck stand but his warm heart melted me.
It was time for me to go. I can’t become weak now. Not after all that I’ve done for him. (there is a 15 second pause as RAVEN leaves NATHANIEL). So it’s true he thought, it’s really true.
Emulation: This emulation was done by Manvir, Mandeep and myself.
Sixty-Seven nights. I try to rationalize it. Sixty-Seven nights is nothing.
At least that’s what I try to tell myself
In those sixty-seven days I tried to make the time go faster by forgetting you but it only made me want you more.
The first ten days.
Your name never crossed my mind, never whispered down the halls of this empty house, never ripped away a second of my sleep.
The next fourteen days were numb.
Like the calm wind that precedes a storm, its anguish chilled me until the ghost of your lips on my skin froze in place, and I could pretend that you were still with me.
The next twenty-six days were spent in solitude.
I felt as if I was trapped in prison, no matter how far I reached out between the iron bars, all that awaited me on the other side was air.
As I sorely swallowed the blood from silencing my tongue I’m reminded of the iron bars keeping me from you.
Then next ten days.
I find myself at our favorite place day and night.
It takes all that’s in me not to jump.
It hurts me to realize that a place I once loved has now become a bittersweet death trap.
The last seven days.
I do not have the strength any longer.
Every step I take I sink a little further and every call I make you don’t pick up.
Maybe you’ll realize my worth we you can no longer reach me
For the sixty-seven nights are now over.
Reflection: The writer that my group did our seminar on was Gayle Forman. We did not know which author we wanted to and had a lot of difficulty choosing, so we decided to go onto good reads and see if any of the authors there interested us. While browsing through, we can across the book If I Stay that was by Gayle Forman and we started discussing it, wondering why many people enjoyed reading it. one thing I really admire about Gayle Forman is her ability to write about time. I really admire Gayle Forman as a writer because she can use the common yet delicate subject in her stories. Geyle Forman has taught me to not worry too much about making my writing sound too professional or “good.”
This short story has been inspired by the picture on bottom. This was one the pictures we were shown for writing inspiration one day in class
*****
The day had finally come, the day Maya had been awaiting for the past year. Maya’s was finally breaking the chains from her father, and her mum gaining freedom from her husband, Adam. Just one signature of her father could change their fate forever. They had been waiting for her father to sign them and send them back. It eventually came back in after 3 weeks, alongside a letter.
I hope you are happy now Sarah. You’ve taken my whole life away from me. I don’t know why you want to be away from me. What is there that I haven’t ever given you or Maya? Why are you feeding poison in my innocent daughter’s mind about me? She’s just as much of my daughter as she is yours and nothing will ever change that. Maya has the right to know what happened and if she ever asks me, I will tell her the truth. With these papers I am leaving my daughter my number and my address in hopes that you will convey it to her. Maya has the right to know that her father will always be there for her. Please tell her that I have always loved her, still do, and always will. That’s the least you can do.
Maya was telling her mother that she didn’t need a father in her life anymore when suddenly the doorbell rang. When Maya opens the door, she finds her mother’s best friend Harris standing there.
“I need to speak to your mother in private. It’s urgent.” He seemed tensed. Curiosity lingered in her mind, which took her outside her mother’s room, where she started eavesdropping. She overheard her mother and Harris’s conversation.
“Why? Please give me one legitimate argument as to why not. You’re divorced now. Think of Maya, she is going to eventually need a father.”
Sarah came into Maya’s room exactly twenty minutes later and told her to pack her bags; they were moving in with Harris.
Harris’s house was a four story high mansion. Maya’s room was on the second floor, her mother’s and Harris’ on the first. Maya dropped her belongings off in her room and went on a journey to explore her new house. She made her way up to the very top floor and stepped into the attic. The door slammed with the wind locking her in. The minute she stepped into the attic, she knew that Harris’ house was not a safe place. She looked around herself and saw the dark walls. Through the top window, she saw that all the rays’ light had left her surrounded with darkness. The summer breeze had slowly abandoned her with the merciless chills of the autumn. She looked around her and saw that even nature had started to mock her.
The door behind her opened, startling her. She turned around to find Harris pulling her mother in by the ponytail.
“Well, well look who we have here! Originally, I was looking for you, but you had disappeared from your room so I thought I would make do with your mother for today. Don’t worry, it’ll be your turn tomorrow!” He said, chuckling.
“Ah, do not try and run baby doll. Please, sit yourself down on that chair to your right and enjoy the show while it lasts. Do not try and be smart or else this knife will slit open your mother’s throat. Come on, be faster. Perfect.” He took the ropes lying near a pile of boxes, tied her hands to the back of the chair and started unbuckling his belt while walking towards Sarah. Maya immediately started her struggle with escaping from the ropes.
She closed her eyes and heard her mother’s whimpers turn into wails, her hopeless screams for help. Maya took the rope and slowly started to run it down her hand feeling the burn marks that would scar her for life. She endured the pain and got her freshly wounded hands free. The minute she freed herself, her mother took her last breath, finally becoming free of all the pain in the world. Maya stood her in shock not know what to do. All she could see was the knife marks on her mother stretching from her stomach to her chest. Her teary eyes quickly scanned the room to find a baseball bat sitting in the left corner. She looked back to where her mother and Harris were and saw Harris looking up at her with a sadistic smile, slowing covering it with his index finger. She knew she had to keep mum. He slowly looked at back down at Sarah and Maya took advantage of the opportunity. She ran as quietly as she could towards the baseball bat, grabbed it, and tip toed right behind Harris. She took a vast swing and hit her target: Harris’s head. He fell to the ground whimpering in a familiar way. Maya took full advantage of the opportunity and flew down the stairs entering the first room she saw; her mother’s.
Maya managed to lock the door and stack a chair and the night table in front of the door before she heard someone thumping down the stairs. She eyed the room and found two things: her mother’s cell phone and divorce papers. She ripped open the envelope and found her father’s number scribbled on it.
Ten minutes later the police and Adam were at the doorstep arresting Harris.
“There’s still one year left till you’re legal. You’re going to have to stay with me till then.” Adam told Maya with a hopeful expression.
“Only if you tell me the truth, the whole truth. What happened?” She
replied with an innocent smile with guilt still in her eyes.
“Do not always believe what you see. Unfortunately, a lesson your mother was never able to figure out. If she had, she still would have been with us today. She had left me for Harris.”
All everyone ever saw was her eyebrows too thin, hips too wide, nose too round, ears too pointy, hair too short, fingers too long, eyes too small, feet too big.
Everyone saw her isolating herself.
No one realized she did try talking to other people only to choke on her own voice.
All everyone ever thought was she only wanted attention.
In reality she isolated herself to get away from the crowd.
She wanted to escape from the pressure.
All it did was make her feel suffocated in open air.
They would torment her for staring out of the window rather then talking to people.
They weren’t able see that she was only trying to conceal her swollen eyes.
She flooded her room with tears every night.
They made fun of her for always listening to music.
Unable to understand at the time music was her only escape from the world that eat her alive.
They would laugh at her for always carrying a notebook.
Never would they have understood she would pour her soul out on paper.
Paper was the only thing, which would listen.
She got teased for always staying at home.
Little did anyone know she felt safe only at home.
They all had a prejudice against the scars on her forearms.
It was her only way to relax herself, to feel pain, to know she truly existed.
They were her battle scars.
All they ever did was add on to the pain she already felt.
She had a childhood diminished from the beginning.
An identity lost due to corrupt minds.
Words, which stole her innocence away.
Today, they all stand hovering over her coffin.
Today, they finally looked past her flaws.
Finally realized that it was her thin eyebrows, wide hips, round nose, pointy ears, short hair, long fingers, small eyes and big feet that made her beautiful.
It took them too long to figure out their words had become the scars on her body
They found her heart blackened by their taunts.
Now they wish they could cram back the words which choked her.
They wish they could lie in the coffin with her.
They wish they could rip out their own hearts and give them to her.
Now, we all wonder who are “they”
The monsters under her bed or the voices inside of her head?
We say “they” are society.
But ever for a second have you given it a thought?
I can never forget the feeling that went through me on March 28, 2015. The day will always be unforgettable. It had turned the best spring break into the worst break. We all knew that he wasn’t going to be amongst us for long, but no one had imagined that day would come so soon. The day my uncle had passed away.
My brothers and dad were asleep, and my mom and I had just finished watching a movie. My mom and I were about to head to bed just after finishing a movie, when my mom decided to first call my uncle who was sick and ask him how he was doing. My mom called him, but he did not answer. She then called her aunt that my uncle lived with, but she did not pick up either. My mom tried calling a few of my other aunts as well, but no one picked up, and we immediately knew that something was wrong.
Eventually, my uncle’s best friend picked, and the minute we heard his voice, we knew something was wrong. He told us that my uncle had fallen unconscious and they had brought him to the hospital. Before we could ask him anything else, he said that the doctor had come out and he would call us right back after talking to the doctor. The silence that followed after the phone got hung up was unforgettable. It was obvious that we were both praying for his well-being. The phone finally rang to break the silence. My uncle’s friend told us that they were putting my uncle on a ventilator, and they would know in ten minutes if he would be all right or not. That was the longest ten minutes of my whole entire life. I had a thousand thoughts flowing through my mind during those ten minutes. My uncle’s friend called back after about ten minutes tell my mom that she should book her ticket to come to India.
Through tears, my mom told me to wake my dad up. I went up to my dad’s room, and woke him up. He immediately knew something was wrong after looking at me. He wiped my tears away and came with me. When we came back, my mom was on the phone. She looked at us and shook her head. The pain that went through me at that moment was indescribable. It was like something had pierced through my heart. My dad told me to try and calm my mom down, but I could hardly even move. Eventually my dad went and got my brother to come and calm me down. My dad and brother finally got us to go to bed around 3 am. I remember not being able to get any sleep that night; all I did was cry. When my dad came into my room the next morning to wake me up, he knew I didn’t get any sleep. He told me to come downstairs as soon as I could.
My cousins and other relatives were sitting there, and soon everyone decide that my mom should go to the travel agent as soon as possible. When she called me at the agents shop and told me to start packing her clothes as soon as possible, and told me that she was leaving for the airport in 2 hours. I busied myself with packing her clothes.
I remember how depressed I felt for the next weeks that followed. I went on walks with my dog and found empty places where I could just scream my heart out. I had never felt that alone before. I had finally made a bond with my uncle the last summer when we went to India. I remember how much I regretted not dong things my uncle had said that we should do together because I was too tired. I hate how quickly our bond broke off.
For my interview, I decided to interview my cousin Avneet (Avi), a FFCA high school graduate, and in currently a student at the University of Calgary. Through this interview, we really just had the chance to connect and see the similarities between us both. After the interview, my cousin told me that this interview and the questions made her really think very deeply, and said that she had always though about these questions, and knew the answers, however, she never thought that deeply and just putting it into words made her really just reflect on everything that she said. She said that through the interview, she had a chance to find herself. For some of the questions, she took a very long time to think about the answers, and for others, she replied within seconds. I put up only a few of the question that she was okay with me putting up.
Here are the interview questions and answers:
1.Tell me about yourself
My full name is Avneet Sidhu. I am currently 21 years old. I am born and raised here in Calgary. I am a 5th year student at the university of Calgary, doing a major in law and society alongside with a minor in sociology. I have done a co-op for a organization within the Calgary police service called youth and Calgary, as well as for the federal government at the Calgary airport.
2.Where did you grow up and what was your childhood like?
I grew up in Calgary. Second born child into my family, and the first girl in my mom’s side of the family. I was a spoiled child, I was a brat, I was loved and adored, and I overall had an amazing childhood. It was lots of fun, I loved being dressed up.
3.Was there anything you had to overcome as a child or a teen?
Academic pressures. Not from teachers or anyone else, but standards set by myself for myself, and if they weren’t meet, I would feel horrible about myself, I would get stressed, and I would actually get sick as well. I would form a schedule for myself and if I didn’t meet up to it I would feel horrible, and get messed up along the way.
4.What is the most important thing you learned in school?
5.Self-Confidence! I learned how to stand up and when to stand up for myself. I understood that rather then beating yourself down, you should learn from your mistakes. Communications skills, teamwork, perseverance, and that motivation is the key to success. You should always just do what you love to do without any pressure, and living with no regrets.
6.What is your greatest regret?
I know this is weird, but not joining a sports team or any sports team during high school. I could have just been so much more well rounded, meet new people, and gained new skills that I don’t have now. I still could if I wanted to, but it’s just so much harder, like even jut the tryouts are so much harder.
6.Was there any person in your career or high school who really made a difference to you?
I know this sounds crazy, but Mrs. Cambridge. Because of her teaching method and just how strict of a teacher she was really helped me be where I am today. Mrs. Cambridge has really high standards and because of her I set high standards for myself and which is why I am where I am today. This sounds crazy but I actually switched into her class when most of my peers were switching out.
7.What was the happiest time of your life (Day or Period)?
There’s more then one. The first one would be when I got my dog, I found my best friend. The second one was when my family and your family and just our whole family went to India together as a whole for our cousins wedding, where we meet our long lost cousin Sunny and bonded with him.
8.What do you consider to be your greatest achievement?
Getting accepted into the university I wanted to. I also worked hard to get a job so my work achievement. Doing things that make me step out of comfort zone.
9.What is your most treasured possession?
Can we have a list? My family, my Pandora bracelet that captures all of my special moments, the ring my mom gave me so my mothers ring, photo albums.
10.What is your idea of perfect happiness?
That’s a really good question. Having and making the time and opportunities to spend meaningful time with my friends and family and loved ones. Being happy, healthy and successful all around. Having no regrets. Crossing thing off my bucket list.
11.What is your motto?
When one door closes, another one opens and if it doesn’t open then you grab a hammer and break it down because you need to create your own opportunities. Remember that the road less traveled is often the one with the most roadblocks; however, with perseverance, motivation, and hard work you will reach your ultimate potential and greatest success.
12.What 3 character traits would your friends use to describe you?
Funny, compassionate, and too hard on myself.
13.List 5 character traits you would use to describe yourself.
Challenge myself a lot, goal orientated, straightforward, nice, compassionate
14.What are your greatest strengths?
Detail oriented, goal focused, strong communication skills, reading and writing, teamwork, persuasion
15.What are your greatest weaknesses?
Over analyze situations, over thinker, selfed-out, fear of peer judgment
16.How happy are you with the way you’ve lived your life looking back on it?
10. I lived with no regrets
17.How happy are you looking at what your future is going to be like?
7.5. I think bout it too much and over analyze it too much
18.Is there anything else that you wish I had asked you about?
Yes, what is your greatest pet peeve and what makes you smile?
I look to my left and all that I can see are trees, branches, and beautiful flowers growing. To my right, there are trees, but only about five rows. I try and look behind these five rows of trees, and what I see is incredible. Behind the trees, I see a whole field filled with gorgeous yellow flowers.
The path that I am currently walking on is a dirt path. The path has a lot of bumps all over it and is kind of crooked. The outsides of my shoes are filled with dirt, but I don’t mind having to walk down this path, in fact I kind of enjoy how it is not completely straight and flat. In front of me, I see the dirt path, and on the path, there is a ray of sunlight shining in only one particular part of the path, and on a small group of trees toward my left.
The things that I can smell in the forest are pines, flowers, and the smell of some kind of a body of water, either a river or a waterfall. The only sound that I can hear is the sound of birds chipping.
While I am walking down this lovely forest, I suddenly see a big black bear with huge claws pop out of nowhere. I bring my hands in towards my chest and I freeze. In my mind I keep on chanting my god’s name. The bear slowly goes back into the trees, and I cautiously resume my walk.
While walking, I see a key lying on the ground. The key seems to be the key to a house, but it is very shinny and can be spotted from miles away. I pick the key; keep in a fist in my hand, and keep on walking while trying to search for the house that the key belongs to. While walking in search of the house, I come across a river.
The river looks kind of like the bow river, except for it is not quite as fast, and is much more cleaner then the bow river. Beside the river, I spot a cup. It is like a mug but it doesn’t have a handle – the handle is not broken, it just didn’t have one to start with. The mug is a plain white pearly colour. I pick the mug up, get some water in it, wash my hands with it, and put it right back down where I found it.
After crossing a bridge going over the river, I come to a farm. It is one of those farms where you grow and harvest wheat. All I can see and smell is wheat. From a very far distance, I can hear a tractor, and very faint sound of people talking. I see a sugarcane laying in front of me to the right. I pick it up and start to eat it, it is very sweet.
In a very far distance I can see something in the shape of a building. I work my way towards it. Once I reach it, I see that it is a very big house made out of grey concrete. On the right side of the house, there is a small window, but the curtains are closed. In front of the door, there is a mat that says welcome, and to the right and left of the door, there are tiny flowerpots. I choose to not enter the house since I don’t know whose house it is and I’m not familiar to it.
