Fan Fiction by R.L. Stein

Nick Reynolds

Class: C

December 14, 2014

Hunger Games in R.L. Stein’s (Goosebumps)

The UFO games

District 12 is where I lived. My name was Katniss and I live in a small house with my mother and my little sister. The only friend I have here is Gale. He and I have been close ever since we were little kids. I try to avoid all of the other people who live here. None of them seem like friendly people and I think its best that I keep my distance. In only a few minutes they are about to reveal the two people who will be selected to explore the…well…no one knows what to call it. You see, a few years ago a UFO crashed into our district and it has caused a huge uproar all over the place. The whole site where the UFO crashed has been blocked off and sealed shut.  Our government’s idea of dealing with this is to select two people every month from the district to explore this UFO crash site. In just a few minutes they are about to reveal them.

The first person who was chosen is a strong man named Peeta. Just when I thought everything was alright, I heard the cold sound of my name being called. “Katniss Everdeen”. My heart trembled, but I knew I couldn’t do anything about it. If I tried to resist I would be killed. I said goodbye to my family, but only for a short time because I had to get moving. We then packed our stuff and jumped on a helicopter unsure of what was going to happen. Next thing I knew, Peeta and I were transported to the UFO site and I was face to face with the most disturbing and shocking thing I had ever seen. There was police tape surrounding the site and from what I could tell, there were no lights in or around it. All we had was a half cracked flashlight which barely gave us any advantage. I looked around to see if anyone was here with us, but we were left completely alone. The only thing we were given was a note from the government that read: Find out what this horror UFO contains and when you are finished press the red button. I had no idea what that meant, but then I realized that there was a clicker in my pocket that had a red button on it. I guess I have to press this when we are finished with our work.

 I stepped inside not sure of what to expect. I kept hearing these strange noises coming from all around, but when I asked Peeta if he heard them he would reply with “cut it out”. The noises must be in my head. A few moments later I heard a banging noise. I knew this was not in my head. It sounded so real. The noise was so real it felt as if it was right behind me. I looked back to see what it was but nothing was there. That was when I started to panic. I started to panic because that was the moment I realized Peeta was gone and I was all alone. I had never been more scared in my life. I pulled out my phone thinking that I could call someone, anyone, but before I had the chance to do anything I heard a voice whisper in my ear…”You’re next”. It was so cold and eerie that it gave me goosebumps and my heart started racing. I ran and tried to scream for help but it was too late. I felt the blade under my throat and while I was trying to yell for help, all I had time to say was Hel..and then it got me. I looked on the ground only to realize I was pouring blood. And then I shut my eyes never to open them again…

Humor

Nick Reynolds
Class: C
December 9, 2014
Satire/Humor

EA Are Nubs

Dear EA Sports Headquarters,

You are complete shite mates. I spent over one-hundred dollars on microsoft points to open some gold packs and i got bloody hell. The best player you decided to give me was Fernando Torres. The lad can’t shoot to save his life, he’s practically unusable. On top of that I can’t even bloody play a match without the servers crashing. Can you nubs manage your shite and   let me play the actual game? I didn’t spend 70 Euros on FIFA for nothing. So excuse my language but I would greatly appreciate it if you turkeys fixed your servers and stopped sitting around all day drinking tea.

-Angry British Gamer

Blood and Sweat

Nicholas Reynolds

Class: C

December 5, 2014

Blood and Sweat

The game takes blood and sweat

In the end, always a winner and a loser

When you step on the field you give it everything that you have, no holding back

You can do great things if you are willing to push yourself

Never give up or quit

Keep trying, there is always room for improvement

You have to believe that you will win, never showing as much as a seconds doubt of losing.

Confidence is key

When you step on the field nothing around you matters anymore.

It’s just you, the ball, and the net so what’s holding you back?

Stage Poem

Stage 1

The beautiful smell of the sea, drifting by my, nose,
The wind carries it wherever it shall go.
The smooth ride is relaxing and peaceful,
My only wish is that there will be a sequel!
There's nothing I'd rather do,
Than spend my time with you,
Oh dearest sailboat,
I think I am in love with you!

Stage 2

The salt of the sea, drifting by my, nose,
The wind carries it wherever it shall go.
The ride is relaxing and peaceful,
My only wish is that there will be a sequel!
There's nothing I'd rather do,
Than spend my time with you,
Oh dearest sailboat,
I think I am in love with you!

Stage 3

The Nautical Skipper
 
The salt of the sea, drifting by my, nose,
The wind carries it wherever it shall go.
The ride is relaxing and peaceful,
My only wish is that there will be a sequel!
There's nothing I'd rather do,
Than spend my time with you,
Oh dearest sailboat,
I think I'm in love with you! 
 

Reverse Haiku

Fernando Torres is mud
He should not be pro
He misses the net often

Hot Summer Day (Triolet)

 Hot Summer Day 

Sun scorching, hot summer day

Waves crash against the sand

The children love to go out and play

Sun scorching, hot summer day

Hydrating refreshments I must pay

Huge fish I hold in my hand

Sun scorching, hot summer day

Waves crash against the sand

-Nick Reynolds

Synecdoche

Nick Reynolds

Class: C

October 29, 2014

Synecdoche

            The neck is extremely long, covered in tan fur. The smell of vegetation emits off of it when extending upwards. If you listen closely, you can hear teeth chomping on leaves peacefully. People point at it and admire the brown spots of fur that look like melted chocolate spread out over desert sand. Do not try to eat it however, for it will have a bitter taste. 

Letter (FINAL)

Nick Reynolds

Class: C

October 23, 2014

            Dear EA Sports Headquarters,

As you already know, you are a very famous and successful business with a lot of money and power. Most of this money however, is being received through the purchase of a certain video game (FIFA 14). This video game is very amusing and entertaining. I am personally a huge fan of the FIFA series and I encourage you to continue in making more FIFA games in the future. Let me start by addressing the issue. As I woke up one Saturday morning, feeling lazy, I decided to sit on my couch and play some FIFA 14. This is what most of my “lazy days” consist of. I was about to hop on a thrilling game of Ultimate Team, when all of a sudden, I lost connection to the EA servers. This has become an issue almost every week and it is very annoying and stressful. All I want to do is enjoy my Saturday mornings playing FIFA, but it is seemingly impossible considering how many times I (randomly) disconnect from the EA servers. I am not the only person who is experiencing this as well. Most of my friends, if not all, have experienced this same issue at least once during their FIFA experience. As you probably know, many people are very addicted to FIFA and the series is a smash-hit in the world of gaming. I am one of these people who take the game very seriously, and you can probably imagine how stressful it is being disconnected from the servers every other day. I just want to be able to physically play the game without a message popping up on my TV screen saying: “you have been disconnected from the EA servers. Please try to log in at a later time. We are sorry for the inconvenience.” I don’t think you are actually “sorry for the inconvenience”, and if you were then you would do something about it. I have been an amazing customer to you for years and I have spent a countless amount of money on Player Packs and the game itself. All I ask is for you to put some time into solving this issue so that the many FIFA lovers of the world including myself, can play whenever they want to play, without being disconnected from the servers. Thank you.

-FIFA addict

PS

Nicholas Reynolds

Class: C

October 20, 2014

PS

Understanding Fanny Howe’s view on her students writing pieces, I disagree with what she suggests her students story’s are about. She is trying to argue that her students work consists of violence and a bad ending to it. She said that the resolution to most of the stories are not happy endings, but I will have to argue against this. In my case, my story did have a seeming happy ending to it. I found this peculiar because most of my writing pieces consist of violence and not a happy resolution. Some of them don’t even have a resolution at all.

Timed Prompt: Christmas Breakfast

Nicholas Reynolds

Class: C

October 20, 2014

Timed Prompt

It was Christmas Eve. Fog stuck to the tarmac at Lindbergh Field. I woke up at the crack of dawn (like I do every morning) to get my touches in for soccer. As I approached Lindbergh Field A gust of snow blew in front of my car, blinding me and nearly making me crash. The temperature was well below freezing and I was forced to bundle up in a warm coat and soccer pants with gloves and a soft hat. I began to juggle, trying to beat my previous record of 644 juggles in a row. While I was in the middle of juggling, I heard a strange noise behind me. I don’t know what was so strange about it, but something wasn't right. No one else comes here around this time, so I quickly stopped juggling and looked up to see who was there. As I looked up and made eye contact with the beast, I froze. I had realized that I was face to face with a huge brown bear. Without hesitation I screamed and ran for my car. I quickly put my keys into the ignition and floored it leaving behind my soccer ball. This morning was going horrible already. Not realizing what the time was, I discovered that I was late for breakfast at my mothers house! I bolted to my house and quickly took a shower and got dressed. I then jumped in my car and headed straight for her house. I was terrified that everyone would be waiting on me to get there before they started eating. I felt ashamed, but as I opened her front door, everyone was excited to see me. I guess they were too hungry to be mad at me for making them wait. We then said our prayers and chowed down on belgian waffles. As it turned out, this wasn't the worst Christmas Eve as I thought it would be.

Two Narrative

Nicholas Reynolds

Class: C

October 14, 2014

Two Person

Slave:

Life was excruciating for me on the ranch. Every morning i wake up wishing I could have a normal life, although some people would say this is a normal life for a black man. I wonder to myself what I did to deserve this. This is no life for any human being, and I need to escape soon. I’ve always had the dream of getting away from here and going to the Northside where I could finally be free. Every morning I wake up at the crack of dawn and do endless labor work ‘till nightfall comes. The worst part is being away from my family, Who knows where they are or if they are even alive. I try not to think about the possibility that my two sons and wife could be dead, but it is so hard not to think about it. They are the only thing that matters to me. They give me the strength to wake up every morning and do this unbearable labor work. One day it will be worth it though. I will escape from this rusty joint and be free with my family and we will live a happy life reunited.

Owner:

Every morning i have to deal with what's his face. He’s always complaining about how I don’t give him enough food, and how I work him too hard. Well you know what; I could be starving him and making him do twice the labor work that I already make him do. This is how white people get things done now a days. It’s part of life. The social class has spoken and right now, colored people are at the dead bottom of it. They don’t even deserve to be called people. The only thing they are good at is getting crap done for us. They were made to do labor work and serve as slaves for us white folk. Every day he acts up and requests brakes, but i don’t have time to be letting them slaves have breaks. When they don’t follow orders I have no choice but to use force teach them a lesson.

One Act Play

Nick Reynolds

October 2, 2014

Class: C

1 Act Play

The Ocean Storm

Mike and Mary are a young couple of lovers having a conversation at a fancy restaurant. Mike is dressed in khakis and a polo with Sperry's, while Mary is dressed in casual clothing.  

Mike: I love to sail. Isn't sailing just great?

(Mary quickly lifts her head up)

Mary: What? Sorry I fell asleep.

Mike: Is something wrong?

Mary: No! Nothing’s wrong. Just, well sometimes it gets boring listening to you talk about sailing all the time.

Mike: Oh…well I’m sorry. I’ll stop.

Mary: Its fine let’s just look at the menu and see what we want to eat.

(The waiter approaches them)
Waitor: What'll it be?

Mike: I’ll have a bacon cheeseburger with a side of fries.
Waitor: And for the lady?

Mary: I’m just going to have a salad please.

(The waiter leaves)

Mike: Listen Mary, I really like you and I think it’s time that you move in with me.

Mary: (Spits out her drink and says) WHAT? I mean what? Don’t you think it’s a little too soon for that?

Mike: I thought about that a first, but then I realized that it shouldn’t matter how soon it is. I know what I want and that is for you to move in with me.

Mary: Mike, you are such a sweet guy, but there was a reason why I wanted to go out to dinner with you.

Mike: (With a confused look in his face says) Well what is it?

Mary: I wanted to tell you that…well…I’m seeing another guy.

Mike: (Furiously says) WHAT?

Mary: Please Mike, don’t be mad. I think you are a great guy and I hope we can still be friends.

Mike: Well it’s too late for that! I thought things were going just dandy and now you are just telling me that you have found another guy?

(Mary tries to answer with a quick rebuttal but gets interrupted by Mike)

Mike: Well…who is he?

Mary: I met him at my cousins’ party and…well…we both just felt a connection.

Mike: So what are you trying to say?

Mary: I'm trying to tell you that...I think we should see other people.

(Mike freezes then has a furious look on his face)

Mike: (shouting says) FINE. LET'S BREAK UP.

(The waiter comes back with their food)

Mike: (picking up his burger and throwing it at Mary says) I never want to see you again!

(Mary, sobbing, runs out of the restaurant embarrassed while everyone stares at Mike)

Mike: (to everyone staring, loudly shouts) Well? What are you all looking at?

(He quickly runs out of the restaurant)

3 Takeaways

Nicholas Reynolds

October 1, 2014

Class:C

Alex Rose: FIFA Addiction

1. Use more contractions
2. More descriptive vocabulary words
3. Divide into paragraphs (not just one big one)

Sean Eykel: The Most Harmless Thing

1. Strong vocabulary
2. Very good job of painting a picture in the readers mind
3. Humorous in some aspects

Brittany Holmes: The Impossible Task

1. Good use of imagery
2. Need a stronger opening sentence that grabs the readers attention
3. Could use more, stronger vocabulary

Unreliable Author (FINAL)

Nick Reynolds

September 28, 2014

Class: C

Unreliable Author

            I could not bear to see this ugly man. He had just moved here from Arizona and supposedly liked playing soccer like me and the rest of my friends. He wasn't very good though. In fact, he was terrible. The shape of his face bothered me and his presence just fueled my temper. All of my friends loved him however. They were always hanging out with this man and playing soccer with him. They have completely ditched me. They blew me off for some ugly guy who is horrible at soccer. Soon they spent every day hanging out with this man. The more I think about him the more my boiling temper rises. What’s so special about this man? I tried not to think about it. My friends asked me to go play a pick-up game of soccer with them like we have always done, just the four of us. But then as I walked closer, I looked up to discover the unpleasant view of the ugly beast that stood before me. That man was right there playing soccer with MY friends. When I asked to join they told me I couldn’t because the teams would be uneven.

            It was officially the worst day of my life. My friends betrayed me. They plain out ditched me for some ugly freak. I told them to stop being friends with this man, but they kept saying that Apollo was cool and they liked to hang out with him. I decided to ponder around town, aimlessly walking, trying to think of a way to end this. As I got home I sat in bed and thought of the perfect plan. I was going to have them all over and end this for good. The next morning I decided to invite everyone over including Apollo. We were going to watch the final of the world cup. As we were all sitting there on my couch cheering on the team we wanted to win, all of my friends had to leave because they all had homework. Apollo did not however and he decided to stay alone with me and watch the world cup. I was not looking forward to this.

            We were both very hungry and even thought I hated the man, I decided to order pizza for both of us. We got two large cheese pizzas and devoured them instantly. The man looked at me and said “thank you very much for buying me pizza and allowing me to watch the world cup at your house”. I slowly replied with a soft “you’re welcome” and we continued to watch the game. Being from the US we both supported USA for soccer and in this world cup, they were in the finals. It was the 90^th minute and the US had a free kick against Germany. Before we knew it they had scored and won the game 1-0. Apollo and I were hugging and cheering with grins on our faces.

I hate to say it, but I was having a great time with Apollo. But soon I snapped out of it and remembered why I had him come over my house in the first place. The man was distracted by the television so I grabbed my baseball bat as I came down the stairs. I slowly snuck behind him and winded up for a blow to the back of his head! But something stopped me. I couldn't do it. I realized that he was actually a very nice man and I had a lot of fun hanging out with him. Just as I was about to hit him with the bat, it slowly slipped from my hands and there was a soft thump.      

         

Short Story

Nick Reynolds

September 18, 2014

Short Story

The Lonely Giraffe

         

          There once was a giraffe named Mike, who lived in the savannas of Africa. He only had one friend and that was himself. Mike was very depressed because none of the other giraffes wanted to play with him. Where he lived, he loved to play soccer. Soccer was by far his favorite thing to play, but it was difficult for him because no one would ever want to play with him. Every day he would dribble the ball around by himself while the other kids would make fun of him and shout mean things like “Hey fatty you are terrible at soccer” or “We’ll never let you play with us cause you’re a loser”. This made Mike very sad and sometimes he would run away bawling his eyes out.

One day when he was extending his neck to eat a delicious looking leaf, someone from behind him said “Do you want to play soccer with me?” A burst of excitement filled Mike’s eyes and he quickly replied with a yes. They both went to play pass and the other giraffe introduced himself as Alejandro. Alejandro told Mike that he and his family had just moved here from Brazil and he did not have any friends here. He also told Mike that he had a passion for soccer and soon after they were playing soccer with each other every day. All of the other giraffes made fun of Mike and Alejandro but this time it didn’t bother them because they knew they had each other…until moments later when they got hunted and were killed by an African tribe. The End

Self Deprication

Nicholas Reynolds

September 16, 2014

Self Deprecation

          I have always had a tendency to overreact when playing video games. This happens especially when playing FIFA 14. Something about getting scored on drives my temper to the point in which I am yelling into the microphone and cussing at the television.  Some people would tell me “it’s just a game”, but in my head I tell myself that it is so much more than a game. It is my life. It is something I enjoy playing and have spent so much time on.

          The score is 1-1 and it is the 90^th minute, game just about to end in a tie…then all of a sudden my opponent cuts in and out of my defense making them fall over as if they were pins struck by a bowling ball. His player cocks back his leg and rips a crackling shot just under the crossbar flying into the net. My goalie, not even moving, was completely stunned. Moments later the referee calls the game. It is over, and I have lost, the final score being 2-1. At this point I was fueled.

          Without hesitation I scream and start cussing at my television. That was not enough however. I throw my controller at my wall, putting a dent in it and breaking my controller in the process. The battery pack breaks off of my controller and shoots across my room. Then I hear my mother screaming “What was that”?

I immediately start yelling at her and becoming more and more heated. She does not understand that I have just been relegated on ultimate team, which means I drop down a division and need to start all over battling my way to the top.

          Out of all of this anger, I decide it is time to move on from FIFA. I decided to do what any other FIFA player would do at this point, and that is snapping my disc in half. Goodbye FIFA. 

RAFT

Nicholas Reynolds

Class: B

September 10, 2014

Creative Writing Essay

            Eugene was a very intelligent teacher from a famous place in Britain. He was a science teacher with great skill and remarkable talents. Everyone looked up to him for his handsome looks and his sophistication. Eugene was always a creative person and he loved to invent new things. One day he decided he wanted to invent something amazing. He started working on a new invention. He had been working with many scientists on finding cures for diseases. He decided that he was going to make a device that would cure every disease. He thought he had invented a laser that he would shoot a people and it would immediately cure anyone of disease. Like all great scientists would do, he tested it on one of his test monkeys. What happened next was remarkable.

 He soon discovered that it had somehow changed the monkey’s interns into alcohol! The monkey was drunk out of his mind. As the doctor went to grab the monkey, it went crazy and bit Eugene! He started to feel funny inside and then before he knew it, his interns were alcohol too! Soon the doctor and the monkey were on a rampage biting and infecting all of the British people. Everyone was soon infected and they all became drunk. This outbreak was all over the news and within moments, the whole world was aware of this spreading disease. Left and right the British people were being infected. It spread like wildfire. Suddenly the initial lab test monkey slowly fell to his knees and died. Soon after that, the scientist Eugene died as well. Before we knew it, the whole British population decreased and everyone died. Eugene never would have thought that his invention could harm anyone, but now the whole British population has to pay for his mistake.