This was an assignment from my Senior year of High School British Literature class. We had to write the beginning or end to a story we read in class. I chose to write the ending (my friend wrote the beginning) so I'm sorry if it doesn't make the most sense... but I think its a nice peace.
Thunder clapped through the air waking me from a restless slumber. I sat up in bed, sweat cold on my brow. Another nightmare, although this one had taken a different course then the ones that had troubled my mind for over a fortnight.
I had returned home to Monte Burlingame after the wedding of my best friend and cousin. But this thunder storm, which oddly came in the middle of June, seemed to reflect my current inner turmoil. The steps I took resonated off the surrounding walls, the hallow echo burning into my soul, each one reflecting one of my million mistakes.
Darkness filled every hall, and the washroom was no different. I slowly poured water into the basin to wash the filth from my face. As I splashed the chilled water onto my skin lightning flashed across the sky and I caught a glimpse of myself in the mirror. The old loon’s words rang in my mind. “That moment that his face I see, I know the man that must hear me…” My face. I marveled of the truths shown on such a masked surface and refused to be the man that had formally known so little of misery.
As I walked through the manor, memories of the past flashed through my mind. The many nights I had spent stripped of virtue plagued me. The lives I had left in ruin tore at my conscience. Before the wedding, I had been a different man. No, not a man, a selfish boy. Though I was of a much sadder disposition, I was now wiser and no more would I aim to be the spoiled, arrogant Count.
I knew that I had made too many mistakes, too many to calculate, too many to remember. But there was a few I could recall and I was determined to make them right. Of all the places to start on the long road to my redemption, here was not one of them.
Herefordshire estate was not that far on by carriage. However I was sure Count Alexander and the newly titled Countess would not be too pleased to see the man who had failed to fulfill his obligations at their wedding. But they were not the only ones to whom I wished to speak on the duration of my trip.
I met the newlywed couple in the parlor of their estate. As I entered the room I bowed my head, for I was feeling a new emotion. An unfamiliar word crossed my mind. Was this remorse?
Alexander stood close to Catherine, who sat with pride and dignity. For the first time in my life, I saw what true love was. Though Catherine sat with an aloof air she looked at Alexander with respect, admiration, desire, and what I could only describe as happiness. I could not help a small smile as I saw the same affection returned from Alexander. Today I would discover the word for the feeling that had plagued me since the wedding. Guilt. How had I been able to hurt them as I did? And, maybe, love was not the puddle I had once viewed it as. My apology to my friends was quick, for I knew that words would not be enough to ease the hurt I had caused them. It would take action. And that would take time.
After I excused myself I started my trip back towards Monte Burlingame. My carriage sped through town, past old houses and an old church. I had my driver stop. It is hard to illustrate the disgrace and embarrassment I felt walking into that hollowed building, with my multitude of sins weighing on my soul. I prayed genuinely for the first time in my life.
I felt lighter as I left and again started for the estate. There was one last thing I wished to amend today. We reached Lark Hill not long after midday. I spoke to Barron Cambridge and tried to set strait my intentions. Catherine had a younger sister by the name of Nicole and I wished to speak with her.
She sat contently in the small estate library, a book in her lap. It was rather odd to find a woman who often spent her time reading books and studying art as Nicole did. Her long hair fell gracefully down over her shoulders and I took my cap in my hands as I stood in the doorway for a moment, noticing her beauty as a human, not just another woman. I had always found her the more attractive of the sisters and on the notion of her beauty, I had pursued her. She was the only woman who had completely refused me. I had, however, never read further into my emotions than that futile attraction.
As I stood watching her I felt a movement inside, as if something was changing. The hard stone that held my parched, emotionless heart groaned and fell away, leaving my breast bear to the world. I felt the same affection in me that I had seen in Alexander and Catherine. I loved this woman and, if she would have me, I intended to marry her. Her name ran over my lips fluidly and rang through the room.
We were to be married two fortnights from now for, even in my prior arrogance, Nicole had seen what good had existed deep within me and had loved me in secret. If only I had known what life could be, what true joy could be.
Not only did I pledge myself to the happiness of my soon to be bride, I found refuge in the church. I gave a great deal of my earnings to the church and spent much of my time there washing away the scarlet in my soul and caring for others. I had found the two things in my life that made me feel worth while, religion and love. My soul was still scared and damaged, but it was well on its way to recovery. I had turned my life around. And this all started with the simple words of an old man’s tale. “There was a ship…”
~Tristan
5 Riddles
This was an asignment for my Senior High School British Litature class. We had to write five riddles of 14 lines each to share with the class. The answers are listed on the bottom.
Riddle #1
1 The living darkness that I am
2 seeps throughout the deeply
3 blackened woods. A visual
4 would reveal the yellowed
5 moon. Ivory razors, exposed,
6 a gut wrenching scream
7 to unite local comrades.
8 I am one of
9 many to move, perfectly synchronized,
10 with speed to great.
11 To govern my domain
12 fear must enter many.
13 A nightmare to countless
14 the true horror I personify.
Riddle #2
1 My body glistens with
2 the power to destroy
3 life. I am a leader,
4 a symbol of strength,
5 for though my vessel
6 grips my neck until
7 his knuckles turn white,
8 I lose no breath.
9 To some I am
10 their freedom, the path
11 that lest them live,
12 to others, the captor
13 that forces their summation.
14 I lead both to life and to death.
Riddle #3
1 Eternal twilight eclipses the
2 future that I know.
3 For the marble stone
4 that is my skin
5 is colder than any
6 of the snowy planes
7 that it resembles and
8 will not let warmth
9 reach my core. Blood
10 flows through me, though
11 not in my veins and
12 I have life in my
13 never ending death. Seduction
14 has never been this lethal.
Riddle #4
1 Many have felt me,
2 good and bad, for
3 I am ageless. I
4 can confuse you with
5 my simple grace and
6 happiness or my steadfast pain.
7 My true form is only
8 seen once, though I
9 may come, deceitful more than
10 once during your life. I am
11 a sweet music that
12 bewitches body and mind,
13 blinding and revealing. My
14 grip it the strongest there is
15 but it can be broken with a simple actions.
Riddle #5
1 Consuming everything I touch
2 I am a force
3 to be reckoned with.
4 I easily overpower others,
5 for that is my
6 nature. I am cruel
7 and spiteful, a companion
8 of evil. I feed
9 you deepest desires, stoking
10 them until they are a
11 burning inferno. With great
12 cunning and dexterity I control
13 your body and mind, but beware,
14 for I am a traitorous sin.
Answers
Riddle # 1- wolf Riddle # 2- sword Riddle # 3- vampire Riddle # 4- love Riddle # 5- greed
~Tristan
Riddle #1
1 The living darkness that I am
2 seeps throughout the deeply
3 blackened woods. A visual
4 would reveal the yellowed
5 moon. Ivory razors, exposed,
6 a gut wrenching scream
7 to unite local comrades.
8 I am one of
9 many to move, perfectly synchronized,
10 with speed to great.
11 To govern my domain
12 fear must enter many.
13 A nightmare to countless
14 the true horror I personify.
Riddle #2
1 My body glistens with
2 the power to destroy
3 life. I am a leader,
4 a symbol of strength,
5 for though my vessel
6 grips my neck until
7 his knuckles turn white,
8 I lose no breath.
9 To some I am
10 their freedom, the path
11 that lest them live,
12 to others, the captor
13 that forces their summation.
14 I lead both to life and to death.
Riddle #3
1 Eternal twilight eclipses the
2 future that I know.
3 For the marble stone
4 that is my skin
5 is colder than any
6 of the snowy planes
7 that it resembles and
8 will not let warmth
9 reach my core. Blood
10 flows through me, though
11 not in my veins and
12 I have life in my
13 never ending death. Seduction
14 has never been this lethal.
Riddle #4
1 Many have felt me,
2 good and bad, for
3 I am ageless. I
4 can confuse you with
5 my simple grace and
6 happiness or my steadfast pain.
7 My true form is only
8 seen once, though I
9 may come, deceitful more than
10 once during your life. I am
11 a sweet music that
12 bewitches body and mind,
13 blinding and revealing. My
14 grip it the strongest there is
15 but it can be broken with a simple actions.
Riddle #5
1 Consuming everything I touch
2 I am a force
3 to be reckoned with.
4 I easily overpower others,
5 for that is my
6 nature. I am cruel
7 and spiteful, a companion
8 of evil. I feed
9 you deepest desires, stoking
10 them until they are a
11 burning inferno. With great
12 cunning and dexterity I control
13 your body and mind, but beware,
14 for I am a traitorous sin.
Answers
Riddle # 1- wolf Riddle # 2- sword Riddle # 3- vampire Riddle # 4- love Riddle # 5- greed
~Tristan
Mirror
Gleaming with the morning light
I look upon a peaceful slumber.
I sit atop the dresser and reflect,
Reflect the room that I face,
And reflect unwavering reality.
Silent I remain for I know no words
But only truths beyond your comprehension.
I reveal what is and not what isn’t.
Not only do I watch but I listen,
Listen to confessions of a heart.
She looks into me as she wakes,
With hopes for a new day.
I show her what she is, who she is.
Watching and listening as she grows,
Grows from a girl, grows into a woman.
I have been there through her life,
Through everything she remembers and what she doesn’t.
Having seen all her shinning moments and all he lows
I know she what she fears,
She fears Aloadae and the bronze jar.
________________________________________________
In Greek Mythology, Aloadae (twin giants who where referred to as a singular unit) kidnapped the War God, Ares. Despite the strength of the god, Aloadae kept Ares captive in a bronze jar for thirteen months just to see if they could.
~Tristan
(Written junior year of high school)
I look upon a peaceful slumber.
I sit atop the dresser and reflect,
Reflect the room that I face,
And reflect unwavering reality.
Silent I remain for I know no words
But only truths beyond your comprehension.
I reveal what is and not what isn’t.
Not only do I watch but I listen,
Listen to confessions of a heart.
She looks into me as she wakes,
With hopes for a new day.
I show her what she is, who she is.
Watching and listening as she grows,
Grows from a girl, grows into a woman.
I have been there through her life,
Through everything she remembers and what she doesn’t.
Having seen all her shinning moments and all he lows
I know she what she fears,
She fears Aloadae and the bronze jar.
________________________________________________
In Greek Mythology, Aloadae (twin giants who where referred to as a singular unit) kidnapped the War God, Ares. Despite the strength of the god, Aloadae kept Ares captive in a bronze jar for thirteen months just to see if they could.
~Tristan
(Written junior year of high school)
A Book
A book is an adventure,
Another world inside itself.
Somewhere anything seems possible,
And nothing is as it seems.
A book is a portal to another place,
Taking you through time, through space.
Leading you to far-off shores,
Showing you what can be.
A book is an adventure,
Whatever one you chose.
A book is a portal,
No matter where the end.
So take an adventure,
explore a new place.
Chose where it takes you.
~Tristan
(Written sophomore year of high school)
Another world inside itself.
Somewhere anything seems possible,
And nothing is as it seems.
A book is a portal to another place,
Taking you through time, through space.
Leading you to far-off shores,
Showing you what can be.
A book is an adventure,
Whatever one you chose.
A book is a portal,
No matter where the end.
So take an adventure,
explore a new place.
Chose where it takes you.
~Tristan
(Written sophomore year of high school)
Anger
Anger is a wolf,
hunting all other emotions who are wounded prey.
Devouring every thing crossing its path,
leaving nothing but itself to fill the empty void.
Fighting is way to the top it consumes you,
fill every word, thought, every movement.
It rips around inside you,
tearing out into the open exposing the beast it truly is.
As it quenches its need for blood,
it retreats, leaving nothing but destruction, and the one who provoked it lifeless.
~Tristan
(Written sophomore year of high school)
hunting all other emotions who are wounded prey.
Devouring every thing crossing its path,
leaving nothing but itself to fill the empty void.
Fighting is way to the top it consumes you,
fill every word, thought, every movement.
It rips around inside you,
tearing out into the open exposing the beast it truly is.
As it quenches its need for blood,
it retreats, leaving nothing but destruction, and the one who provoked it lifeless.
~Tristan
(Written sophomore year of high school)
Baby-Sitting
Three kids that thought they could be thespians.
But Baby-sitting bothersome bundles brought about my bad behavior.
Alex admired a lot about me and amazingly admitted my aura was astoundingly aloof.
Shamus shyly sought something simple to shift my sad face.
Mackenzie’s marvelous mind might misunderstand my melancholy mood.
Alex amazingly applied art all around my appendages making me airy.
Shamus and his silly siblings sing songs about something strange made me smile.
Mackenzie marveled at me making my melancholy mind merry.
Having harnessed my horribly horrendous feelings
the theatrical tykes turned my temper to true treasure.
~Tristan
(Written sophomore year of high school)
But Baby-sitting bothersome bundles brought about my bad behavior.
Alex admired a lot about me and amazingly admitted my aura was astoundingly aloof.
Shamus shyly sought something simple to shift my sad face.
Mackenzie’s marvelous mind might misunderstand my melancholy mood.
Alex amazingly applied art all around my appendages making me airy.
Shamus and his silly siblings sing songs about something strange made me smile.
Mackenzie marveled at me making my melancholy mind merry.
Having harnessed my horribly horrendous feelings
the theatrical tykes turned my temper to true treasure.
~Tristan
(Written sophomore year of high school)
Dancing
A small touch of his hand made me smile.
He pulled me closer, and far-off I heard laughter and music.
I rested my head on his shoulder as we danced under the stars.
My smile grew as he spun me around and pulled me back to him.
His soft sweet smile melted my heart.
The suit he wore was vivid in color and I remember how soft it was.
Never to leave my mind is the smell of his cologne.
~Tristan
(Written sophomore year of high school)
He pulled me closer, and far-off I heard laughter and music.
I rested my head on his shoulder as we danced under the stars.
My smile grew as he spun me around and pulled me back to him.
His soft sweet smile melted my heart.
The suit he wore was vivid in color and I remember how soft it was.
Never to leave my mind is the smell of his cologne.
~Tristan
(Written sophomore year of high school)
The Wind Journey
The Wind ran quickly across the plane,
Making the grass sway to a distant beet.
Jumping and spinning the wind danced with the lone tree,
Catching his branches and making them move to a far-off rhythm.
Throwing herself up the wind glided freely across the sky,
Moving and provoking the remote song.
Journeying across space and time the wind travels swiftly,
Carrying the feel of an imposing melody.
In distant places, with distant faces,
She must carry on.
Dancing still to the same beet,
same melody, same rhythm, same song.
In far-off places, with far-off faces,
Her journey doesn’t end.
Forevermore she dances,
the wind dances,
to the beet of a lovers heart.
~Tristan
(written Sophomore year of high school)
Making the grass sway to a distant beet.
Jumping and spinning the wind danced with the lone tree,
Catching his branches and making them move to a far-off rhythm.
Throwing herself up the wind glided freely across the sky,
Moving and provoking the remote song.
Journeying across space and time the wind travels swiftly,
Carrying the feel of an imposing melody.
In distant places, with distant faces,
She must carry on.
Dancing still to the same beet,
same melody, same rhythm, same song.
In far-off places, with far-off faces,
Her journey doesn’t end.
Forevermore she dances,
the wind dances,
to the beet of a lovers heart.
~Tristan
(written Sophomore year of high school)
Introduction
Hey everyone. If you haven’t already, check out the about me on the side of this page. It tells you a little bit about who I am. I like to think I’m a creative person. And I love communicating my thoughts and ideas in a variety of ways. I’m a Gemini and I found this passage online that I believe is fitting.
“The Gemini-born are intellectually inclined, forever probing people and places in search of information. The more information a Gemini collects, the better. Sharing that information later on with those they love is also a lot of fun, for Gemini’s are supremely interested in developing their relationships. Dalliances with these folks are always enjoyable, since Gemini’s are bright, quick-witted and the proverbial life of the party. Even though their intellectual minds can rationalize forever and a day, Gemini’s also have a surplus of imagination waiting to be tapped…”
This passage couldn’t have been written better to describe me. Collecting information is something I enjoy and sharing what I know is a favorite pastime of mine.
I love tapping into my excess of imagination and I find it being triggered all the time, like it or not. Many people find inspiration in a simple thing like a chair and the way light hits it or a breeze blowing water spray onto their skin. I find inspiration in these things as well.
But what I have recently come to realize, is what really inspires me is people. I love looking at how people act, interact with each other, looking at what makes people tick. I write a lot of my own work, stories I create completely on my own from plot to characters. On occasion, however I like to take characters other people have created and twisting the situations they are put in. It helps me with my own writing and character development.
Another thing I do is I will base my characters on people. People I know and spend time with are easiest for me to observe and study. I love using the basis of their character as an influence for someone in my stories.
Please assume though that the characters in the stories you read here are completely my creation unless it is otherwise stated.
I hope you enjoy my work. There is something I ask of you though. If you get the chance please leave some feedback. It makes me a better writer and will in turn make my future work more interesting for you.
Thank you for taking the time to check out this site. It means a lot to me as these are personal works of mine.
~Yours truly
Tristan
P.S. I will try to put when they were written on the bottom of each post. I can only do this as best as my memory will let me, but I want to give you some kind of time frame. I wont be putting them up cronologicly but as I find them or get them typed up. And if you ever see this: ___ within a post, it just means that I have no picked a nome for something. Thanks for your patience.
“The Gemini-born are intellectually inclined, forever probing people and places in search of information. The more information a Gemini collects, the better. Sharing that information later on with those they love is also a lot of fun, for Gemini’s are supremely interested in developing their relationships. Dalliances with these folks are always enjoyable, since Gemini’s are bright, quick-witted and the proverbial life of the party. Even though their intellectual minds can rationalize forever and a day, Gemini’s also have a surplus of imagination waiting to be tapped…”
This passage couldn’t have been written better to describe me. Collecting information is something I enjoy and sharing what I know is a favorite pastime of mine.
I love tapping into my excess of imagination and I find it being triggered all the time, like it or not. Many people find inspiration in a simple thing like a chair and the way light hits it or a breeze blowing water spray onto their skin. I find inspiration in these things as well.
But what I have recently come to realize, is what really inspires me is people. I love looking at how people act, interact with each other, looking at what makes people tick. I write a lot of my own work, stories I create completely on my own from plot to characters. On occasion, however I like to take characters other people have created and twisting the situations they are put in. It helps me with my own writing and character development.
Another thing I do is I will base my characters on people. People I know and spend time with are easiest for me to observe and study. I love using the basis of their character as an influence for someone in my stories.
Please assume though that the characters in the stories you read here are completely my creation unless it is otherwise stated.
I hope you enjoy my work. There is something I ask of you though. If you get the chance please leave some feedback. It makes me a better writer and will in turn make my future work more interesting for you.
Thank you for taking the time to check out this site. It means a lot to me as these are personal works of mine.
~Yours truly
Tristan
P.S. I will try to put when they were written on the bottom of each post. I can only do this as best as my memory will let me, but I want to give you some kind of time frame. I wont be putting them up cronologicly but as I find them or get them typed up. And if you ever see this: ___ within a post, it just means that I have no picked a nome for something. Thanks for your patience.
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