My company laid off 68 people in the past two weeks. Now they are holding pep meetings. When I got the notice for the meetings I took notice to one of the topics highlighted.
“How does it feel to be a survivor?”
How do you think it feels to watch all your friends go from job to jobless? Why would you ask such a thing to a group of people? What is wrong with you guys?

Quickly scurrying away, the shadows flee into the dark corners of the room. Stretching over the room as if it were fire. The fresh brightening light takes over the area as the sun peeks through the bedroom window. This was the marking of a new day. Eyes rolled around in their sockets as Mike fought the thought of waking up. Finally his eyes opened, blinking at the bright blue sky where his ceiling once was. Mike threw his upper body up giving himself a head rush in the process. His eyes searched the room quickly looking for what had caused the lack of roofing over his bed. On the left bedside stand his eye rested finding his target. A basketball sized orb was atop the small wooden stand. It’s smooth black surface was resting just above the wood as if it was on a pocket of air. Mike now remembered the events that took place the night before.

Mike had just gotten himself ready for bed. A fresh shower, brushing his teeth, and watching a few episodes of his favorite show before he passed out waiting for the next day. These were all expected last night, but something went rather wrong while he was watching his television. The set has started to grow fuzzy, and then it turned itself off completely. Trying the remote Mike grew frustrated at his luck with electronics. Mike turned over in his bed to look through his night stand for his stash of AA batteries. Just as he closed the drawer he heard a crackling sound coming from his light fixture on the ceiling. His neck twisted as he turned around to see what was making the annoying sound. His eye lids shut momentarily just to blink, and his light fixture was gone, along with the surrounding ceiling.

Mike’s jaw felt like it could have hit his knees with how hard it dropped. A small baseball sized orb descended from the air above stopping at mike’s eye level. Mike was now frozen with shock, his eyes couldn’t leave the smooth surface of the orb. The batteries Mike had in his hands were starting to get warm, snapping him out of his frozen state. Just as Mike opened his hand to look at the now warming batteries, the orb swooped up the batteries with the speed greater than any hawk could know. The orb then dashed for the bed stand where it stopped. Mike watched curiously as the orb pulled the batteries into itself. There had been no opening, the batteries just seemed to disappear. Now with his curiosity taking over his actions Mike reached out to touch the now motionless orb. That is the last thing he remembered before waking up the next morning.

The orb was motionless, it didn't even make a sound. There was no electrical buzzing, or humming of an engine. The outer surface was smooth, it didn't have any scratches or dents. Mike hadn't noticed it before, but as he let his head fall on his shoulders he noticed that the light reflecting off of the orb had a light tint of blue. This just made the orb even more interesting to Mike as he looked around the room for anything blue that might be causing the coloration. Failing to find anything nearby that could be causing the blue tint, Mike set his gaze on the orb once again.

The urge to reach out and touch the smooth surface of the orb rolled over his body with vengeance. He had not gotten to feel the perfection of the orbs outer wall last night. Mike's hand slowly closed the gap of air seperating it from the surface. A faint, almost annoying feeling started to develop in the back of Mike's head. His hand stoping cold as he remembered that the last time he tried to touch the sphere. He could not recall what had happened the last time he had this mind controlling urge. He also just realized that the Sphere was now more than twice the size it had been when it had first entered the room.

The batteries, the batteries it had eaten where no where to be found. It had inhaled them and left nothing behind.

So I am heading to my parents house to drop off my brother and his Girlfriend. I stop at a light where I have the choice of going straight, or taking a right, either one will take me to my parents house. My brother tells me to just take the right so we don't have to wait for the light. I muse with the idea for a few seconds and then take the right without saying anything. Down this treacherous path there is a steep hill and in the middle of this hill are a set of train tracks. Now I have seen vans, cars, and even city buses take this too fast and bottom out hard, or take a tire or two off the road. Well I went a little bit faster over these tracks then they did. Normally this would be fine and my car would land this beautifully...... but I took it a little too far and not only did I have all four tires off the ground, but I cleared the rest of the hill and landed where to road became level again. Needless to say, my nose hit first. The only words out of my brothers mouth where "Why wasn't anyone outside to see that? Not even a passing car." After I was done woohooing and pulling over to check all the damage I had done, I kicked myself for not video taping this event for youtube. I was able to drive away from the incident but the front end of my car was pushed back so that the radiator fans were touching my engine belts and the motor mounts were busted. So now it is in the shop.

Gently playing with the water the reflections of soft white moon light lured by the amusing ripples. The leaves of the trees dancing at the touch of the sensual breeze. Sounds of frogs, and their un-expecting dinners faintly echoed between the green lined lake. A small gravel path split this small forest in uneven halves, weaving through the grass as if created by a snake only known to authors and their readers. A small playful squeal breaks the natural flow of life in this segregated utopia.
“If you keep that up I will end up waking somebody, I can’t help myself.” A laughing girls voice tried to whisper.
The little utopia is in the center of an apartment complex which is desperately in need of repair. It was the only escape from the world surrounding it. The one sanctuary where peace could be found.
“Alright, I will keep off your ticklish spots.” Whispered a males voice.
The couple stop along the path to take a seat on an old wooden bench. She starts to lean into him as the soft moonlight licks their faces. With a smile on his face he looks down to her and asks.
“Kristy, I know I asked you to come out here, but I only asked because I knew you wanted to talk. Even now as I look at you I can tell there is something on your mind.” His smile fades.
Kristy looks away surprised by what he had said. “I don’t like sharing you with kayla.”
His eyes widened with a surprise of his own. He had not been dating either of them, but he knew that they both had been getting closer to him. “What do you want me to do? Pretend to dump her and tell her you stole me away? We were never dating in the first place.” The words rolled out of his mouth quickly with a hint of a laugh.
“We don’t have to pretend.” She let out softly afraid of the answer.
His hand reached out to gently pinch her chin. He slowly guides her gaze into his own. Her eyelids fall softly knowing well what is in store for her. As their lips meet the sound of life around them is drown by heavy racing beats of the joined hearts now filling their ears. His head slowly pulls away as his lips part, the words barely audible to the world around them. “Will you walk beside me where ever I go?”

The sound of heavy footsteps faintly bounces off the surrounding trees. Darkness crept up the only dirt path leading through the thick greenery of this forest , as the steps slowly become more auditable,. The darkness was not caused by the falling of the sun, as the moon was high and bright. Moonlight was parted by a tall dark figure who's shadow stretched out spreading darkness like running water. The figures steps are heavy and its pace is steady. The shining moon starts to peek through the trees reflecting off the water from a nearby lake. As the dark figure enters the clearing where the lake rests, his head tilts back. The dark hoodie slowly falls from his head to reveal a solely lifeless expression.


The man turns around using is deep dark eyes to gaze through space at his well lit companion. "It is time to go." The words weighed down as they leave his lips. His head lowers and he turns again to the body of water, and starts his heavy and steady pace once more. A small wooden boat comes into view as he gets closer to his destination. The wet ground sinks under his feet as he pushes the boat into the water. his feet leave the ground once the wooden craft brakes free from the ground. He is now one step closer to closure.


His hand reaches into a front pocket as his fingers gently caress a small note. His hand trembles as he pulls the note from his pocket. "I didn't want it to end like this, I was yours from the start. I can't express my feelings in words. Why can't you forgive me? It is painfully numb without you. I can't live this life without you. You can find me deep within our first kiss. Goodbye my love." His finger glides over his lips as he remembers the night on this very boat he has kissed her for the first time.


A tear falls from his chin as he clutches the now crushed paper. The next tear falls with his body into the water. The pressure around him intensifies as the cement block steadily pulls him to the depths of his first kiss. Fire erupts in his lungs as his body pleads for air. The sinking finally stops causing him to open his eyes. A smile breaks through the pain, the last bubble of air leaves his lungs as they are filled with lake water. The words "forgive me" are formed with the last moments of consciousness. His dark sorrowful eyes eternally staring into the eyes of the woman he loved.