Twisted Twelfth

"Wait! Stop!   My dress is caught! Come back!" 

Elizabeth screamed at the top of her lungs, but she knew it was no use, they were gone.  The resounding click of the spiraling staircase confirmed her dread.  She slowly freed her long skirt from the rose bush then stood up.

  She spun on the cobblestone pathway lifelessly, cloaked in shadowy moonlight.  The sight of her dancing could overwhelm anyone with joy or sadness, but no one was there to watch.   Through her tears she didn't see the golden palace turn black, or the warm light of the lanterns in the trees turn ominous.  When she finally looked up, the world was no longer beautiful.  It was a world of darkness and pain, like a burned face beneath a gilded mask. 

She barely recognized the place that had once been her escape.  With a sinking feeling, she realized that this was the world's true nature.  She looked around at the twisted trees and at the dark waters of the once glistening lake.  The world radiated darkness.  Her courage was consumed by fear and she shrunk back towards the jeweled forest.  Whispering voices slithered through the cool night air. 

"We're coming…we're coming for you…don't be afraid Lizzy…we won't hurt you…don’t be afraid…we're your friendssss.  Remember… we're commingcomingcomingcoming," the raspy voice hissed.

Elizabeth felt a snake slither down her spine as she realized that no one was there.  The trees seemed to look down on her and the black sky seemed to be closing in.  Ravens mocked her with their jeering calls as she fell to the ground.  She lay there in terror, sobbing into the dirt. 

Her innocent nature led her in to listening the dark voice.  She felt the darkness enter her soul, crushing the life within her.  She lay on the ground gagging and gasping for air.

"You fool girl.  You honestly believed me?  Oh don't worry, with that little sense, you would have died soon anyway," The cruel voice laughed. 

A dark hooded figure stepped out from the malevolent woods.  He threw back his hood, revealing a young face.  Through the mangled features, Elizabeth could just barely make out the face of the knight that had been watching them before. 

"Surprised, are you.  Well, let's make this quick.  Any last words," he paused.

"No," she replied, seemingly deep in thought.

"Hmm…Alright then,"  The Knight unsheathed a gleaming dagger.

Just as he plunged it through her heart she through the contents of a small crystal vial down his throat.  The healing water washed way the evil that coursed through his veins.  Realizing what he had done, he dropped down beside her.  He lay his head on her heart and saw that it was still beating, but was quickly fading.  He knew that there was nothing that he could do to save her.  He lay beside her making his final decision.  Then in the fading twilight he stabbed himself through his own heart and lay there to be forever joined with her. 

Sports Stereotypes

In the world of sports there is a lot of stereotypes.  Some sports, such as football and basketball are considered athletic by almost all Americans, but others like cheerleading and dance get almost no credit at all.  People never seem to realize that these sports use the same amount of skill.  The latter mentioned sports require just as much or more physical ability. 

Even though football is one of the most recognized sports, it requires very little skill.  Players just use force to pin each other to the ground while a ball is moved in to an end zone on the field.  Muscles are being worked, but not with control.  Imagine a pro football player; how does he look.  First, this person is most likely tall and wide.  This is because in the game you use your body as a sponge, absorbing the power of the other player.  Next, notice his muscles, this man is 200-300 pounds of sheer force.  How hard can it be to shove someone to the ground when you are this strong.  This game doesn't require much ability.  It's like a team of sumo wrestlers on a battlefield. This "sport" requires little ability and no flexibility or muscle control. 

Unlike football, there are many more wholesome sports.  One can even be found quite near to a football team.  Cheerleading.  This sport is not the stereotyped, supermodel thin blonde girl, but a difficult physical sport.  Cheerleaders need strength to lift each other in to the air.  They have to have strong arm muscles, but also leg and core strength.  To stand in the air, only supported by people's hands you need balance.  You also need to be able to hold all of your muscles incredibly stiff and have perfect focus.  People say that the cheers themselves are stupid, but they do use skill.  You have to have great timing and coordination.  Cheerleading also includes tumbling.  For this you need lots of muscle control.  You also need lots of arm and leg strength.  Like dancers, cheerleaders can't have bulging muscles like football players, it interferes with their movement.  Your body weight needs to be balanced to perform correctly and precisely.  Doing such an intense workout for over an hour takes endurance.  To build up these skills, cheerleaders do lots of conditioning.  This includes running a mile, upper body exercises, intense core work, and lower body exercises, like suicide sprints.  This sport seems easy, but it really is more than meets the eye.  

Now that you have seen the true physical aspects, let's look at the mental ones too.  Cheerleading uses teamwork and moves as one unified person.  In football at any level beyond high school, teams are competing within themselves to be the best player.  This an unhealthy atmosphere and an unkind environment.  Cheerleading promotes people to be the best as possible and to push yourself to become even better.  Football tells you to be better than everyone else.  How great is that!  With this charisma, I don't know how football is still a desirable sport.  Football is competitive and aggressive while cheerleading promotes trust and unification.  Cheerleading is a much healthier sport mentally.

Technically, cheerleading is a much better sport.  So why does football get all of the credit?  A lot of this is caused by stereotyping.  People guess that because football players are bulkier and bulging with muscle, they are more physically fit.  Many people also believe that boys are always better at sports than girls.  This is not true.  Since a few individuals have built this stereotype, people tend to believe that everyone is the same.  This makes them prejudiced against girls, and people that play "girly" sports.  If people weren't prejudiced, sports like dance and cheerleading would get a lot more credit. 

Crimson Mist

The burning tears rush down her cheeks; a river of sadness

The burning lies; clouding her past, singing her future

The burning pain sears her thoughts; a deadly fire

 The sorrow floods over her mind, numbing her senses

The sorrow washes away the fear, the only thing holding her back

The sorrow changes her, innocence gone, only anger is left

The sliver blade is unsheathed; never to return to its home

The silver blade shivers; a trace of doubt in her mind

The silver blade is thrust forward, plunging deep, hitting its mark

The blood surges forward; a raging river is unleashed

The blood seeps slowly, fighting, maiming the world

The blood stops, but the pain flows on

The mist swirls, and darkness fills the air

The mist colors, and the crimson blood rains

The mist clears, and the deed is done