A FEW weeks later Hanna, Nicky and Kari were sitting at Red’s Inn, which was owned by Fredrick Quinn, a man about in his late forties. Everyone called him either Red or Mr. Red.

They were all sipping milkshakes; Kari’s was a vanilla, Nicky’s coffee and Hanna’s was a chocolate. As they sipped their shakes, Red came up to them and asked, “So guys; how do you like your shakes?”

They all gave thumbs up and suddenly, they all fell off their chairs and landed on the floor.

“Ouch!”

“Owe!”

“Gaah!”

“Brain Freeze?” Red asked, grinning. The girls nodded.

FOR THE next few weeks, Hanna practiced harder and harder. While the team was on a break from practice, Hanna started making friends with the other girls—all except Kari. The girl acted like she didn’t have any friends and it made Hanna feel sorry for her.

This August, my family and I went to Boston, Massachusetts for exactly four days. We left on Sunday afternoon and got back Wednesday afternoon. It took us a day and a half to get to Boston and when I beheld the Old City, it was full of wonder and delight.

As I rubbed my sleepy eyes from deep slumber, I saw the ocean water lapping lazily against the harbor docks. Tourist boats skidded across the water’s edge and people waved up at the bridge. I thought about waving back. Nah, I told myself, better not. It’d be weird.

This is based on a true story. I wrote this story for a friend of mine last year who plays soccer in college. She wanted to be 11 years old in this story because that's her number. She was also 11 when bother her parents were still alive. My friend's Dad passed away from cancer when she was 12 and her Mom from the same disease when she was 18. This story is dedicated to her Mom, a well known and loved woman. She was also a Mother figure in my life, I have to admit myself. I hope you enjoy Hanna and her story of soccer as my friend did herself. -J. Glen Pollard
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Yesterday, I took my little sister to the woods for the night. We were supposed to sleep in our small but sturdy tent. A summer wind blew across our hot and tired face.

As we walked to find a perfect spot, my sister let out a loud and horrified scream. She jumped up and down till I grabbed her by her small hands and calmed her down. She told me she just saw an ugly dwarf behind a creepy tree.

Since others also seem to be catching the omgimgettingolderialmosthavenochildhoodleftwhyamisoangstyidontknowwhatiwantanymore bug, I figured that I would toss in my two cents on the subject.
Ever since I was about twelve, I’ve known what I wanted to do with my life. You know what’s funny is that I don’t even remember what that was anymore.

Notes: I have been working on this for about two months. It's been a journey, and still I am not satisfied with this final draft. But I still feel like I should post this. I am asking that if you comment, to please, please give your most honest feedback. It may hurt, but it will build. I need advice on grammar, content, and mainly how to write more powerful short stories. I've put my heart and my soul into this story, and I have prayed and prayed on how to write this, because some parts were just - so - hard.

1. Freckles
you have a lot of freckles
i had never been close enough to notice
they all kind of join together
i like them

2. Oops
i thought i was over you
seriously, this time
but she said you were cute
and i wanted to claw her eyes out
oops
here we go again

3. Well Okay
letting go
is harder
than i thought

4. Oh Well
i can miss you
with all my might
but you won’t
miss me back
it’s okay
no big deal
i’ll keep missing you anyway

1. Eternity
If I’m to live forever
I should pray that you will, too
Because, dear God, I wouldn’t want to live
Without, my darling, you

2. It Was a Bad Day
Maybe all these big girl dreams aren’t for me after all
Maybe I wasn’t born to go to college and get married
Maybe I wasn’t made for the usual course
Maybe I was born with wild eyes
Maybe I was born for the road.

1. Inward Chaos
You make me a quiet kind of crazy
Send me into internal turmoil
I don’t think you know
But if you do, you’re good at hiding it

2. Head Over Heels
I’m enraptured by every part of you
They say eyes are a reflection of a person’s soul
If that’s the case, yours is beautiful
I’ve never met someone like you
I don’t think I will again.