I'm Sorry. [SHORT STORY]

“Kenta, please take care of your brother.” He patted me on the head, smiling. I wanted my parents to know I could take care of the family. I wanted to prove that I was big and strong, my name said so. Even though my dad was young, somehow he always sat by the bed and took pills of some sort, and then he’d go to sleep. This process would repeat again every day, and it would only get worse. My mother used to go to work early in the morning and get home very late. She was always holding a bottle and always smelt really weird. Her body would look shaky and she’d stumble onto her bed every day. That process was repeated too. I never complained though. All I cared about was my baby brother. His name is Rengae. It’s a lovely name, even if it is a little girly for a boy. I helped name him that. It’s a type of complex poem in Japan, and I like complex things.

“I am so tired of this- I’m leaving!” Those were the last words I said before I left. I was in High School back then. After that, I joined a tribe. Well, more like a gang. They weren’t like those violent, obnoxious, free- shooting American gangsters you see on films. They were more like the Yakuza – a quiet, stealthy, mafia- style gang. I was just a young teen back then who saw something I shouldn’t have, an innocent witness. I was almost killed back then but luckily, I was seen as a possible candidate for their gang. It was a strange initiation though. I was just told to shake the leader’s hand. ‘Meh…Why not?’ I thought, as I shook his hand. Wrong move. As I shook his hand, a strange aura surrounded me. It felt like I had become far stronger than I ever was before. My head was in the clouds after that, and the last words I heard before blacking out were: “Welcome to our gang.”

Then, it was time for training. I trained for ten years slowly earning my ranking. I stood out amongst the other members - I was different, they said. That was how I got promoted to become boss. Well, almost. There was a final mission before I officially became boss. They told me to defeat the rival - the police force captain. ‘Easy.’ I told myself, before I actually realized who I was facing. It couldn’t have been - It shouldn’t have been him! Why was he the captain out of all the people? I hesitated as we both stood face to face, with our teams behind us. It was raining heavily back then, I remembered. Then again, how couldn’t I? I remembered his face. He looked just like mother, a bit girly for a young man.

I held my sword tightly, before I charged at him. He didn’t move…he was paralyzed. His eyes, before he fell crashing to the ground- were filled with confusion and disappointment, I remembered. How couldn’t I? I regret my decision now- I really do. I broke my parent’s promise; I remember the dying captain’s last words…

“Big brother…why?”

[STORY DEVELOPMENT] ♛ THE HIDDEN KINGDOM ♛

“Where am I?” Mikha looked around the place. It was a strange place. The trees were made out of old leaves and what seemed like dead twigs the other. There was a waterfall that was the colour of ebony, and  dark cotton candy disguised as clouds. The flowers were skeleton shaped that were singing depressing songs. Mikha stood up and looked at himself. He wasn’t wearing his casual clothes anymore! Instead, he was wearing a dark green, long-sleeved shirt, with a brown cape tied and pinned with a brooch. Mikha tried to interpretate the brooch that settled on in the middle of his chest. It was a picture of a turquoise-colored serpent, with eyes colored in maroon. Mikha was confused –what happened? Where was he?  Why was there this brooch-?

“Who are you and what are you doing out here?” Mikha looked at the stranger that had asked that. It was another boy, the same age as he was; only the stranger was a ginger, had freckles and he looked more muscular. He was wearing a maroon, long-sleeved shirt with golden cuffs on it. He had a black cape tied around his neck with the same exact brooch Mikha had. He was also holding a set of daggers. Mikha was grateful because he thought that the boy was in the same team as him.

“ Oi! Did you listen to what I just said? Who are you?!”

“…Do you know where we are?”

“ARE YOU DAFT? WE’RE IN MOONSHIRE!”

Moonshire? Where was THAT?

“Moonshire?”

The ginger groaned. He ruffled his hair and frowned even more.

“How were you picked to live in Numerus in Serpentem if your brain is a size of a walnut?”

“I don’t remember really.” Mikha said, lying. Hey, if this was the only way to save himself, he had to do it. The kid was holding a set of daggers, for sake. The ginger head only sighed and put away his weapons. Then he kneeled down so his emerald green eyes were locked in with Mikha’s periwinkle ones.

“Look- sometimes I get out of hand, and sometimes I throw a fuss over something so belittling. Let’s start over. What’s your name?” The boy asked. Mikha gulped before slowly answering the question.

“M…Mikha Cedric.” He answered, hoping that the worst wasn’t going to happen.

“Well, Mikh, I’m Callas Pierot. I am the captain of the T.O.R.A.   – Troop of Orkhana Rebellious Alliances.” The gingerhead replied, standing up and held his hand out to Mikha, intending to help him stand up. Mikha held his hand and stood up.  He looked at Callas, smiling a bit.

“Callas, this brooch is the same as yours. What does this mean?” he asked, looking at Callas. He hoped that the boy would know the answer, and he did. Callas pulled out a piece of paper from his messenger bag. He unfolded it, revealing a map. He motioned Mikha to stand beside him. Mikha obeyed and did what he was told to.

“Do you see here? This is Lagios – where we live, and the big alliance, Numerus in Serpentum, lives. That’s the alliance in charge for trades, a very important role in this city. This city is located underwater, under the Caspian Seas, to be exact.  Now this is where we are.” Callas explained, pointing to a city quite far from Lagios. It seemed like a dark city, and there was a symbol of the moon settled on top of it.

“ This is Moonshire. The city is also known as the ‘City of Night’. This is because the sun doesn’t exist here. The other cities are much bigger so they overshadow the sun away from the city. Despite only having darkness, Moonshire is known to have incredible magic. The wizards and witches that inhabit the city produce enough magic in order to light up the city, so it isn’t incredibly dark. In exchange for light, wizards provide the knowledge of certain spells to trusted partners, such as Lagios.” Callas finally pointed towards a certain location. It was marked with an X, and circled around. When Mikha looked closer to the map, the location didn’t seem like a city at all. It was only a recollection of clouds.

“But those are only a set of clouds.” Mikha asked, confused. Callas chuckled slightly as he looked at Mikha, as if he knew something that Mikha didn’t. As if he knew anything of the world he’s in. Callas wasn’t surprised though, because only certain people knew what was hidden in those clouds. He then wrapped the map and put it in his bag. Mikha looked up at him confusingly.

“Why did you put it away?” He asked. Callas was acting strange, like he was hiding something from Mikha.

“We’re here, in Moonshire. A war’s about to start and the commander asked me to deliver the message to the south regions, especially our allies. Then we set off to the east.” Callas said. He intended to talk like it was a normal conversation, but it sounded more like a command to the other. He nodded anyway, entering the city.  As they both walked on the road, Mikha looked both ways. The place seemed empty. Nobody was in sight at all. He was beginning to think that they’ve gone to the wrong place.  He looked at Callas. He seemed very serious. For a while, they walked in silence, until Mikha finally spoke up.

“Callas, nobody’s here-”

“Mik, you’re being rude. They’re watching us, you know.” Mikha widened his eyes. Who were they? And why were they watching the two? He shuddered at the thought of people watching him. He wasn’t exactly too bright on the idea.

“Callas, I really don’t see anyone…” He said, shuddering. Callas must’ve noticed his reaction, because he slightly chuckled before grabbing something in his pocket. After he rummaged through his pocket, he gave it to Mikha.  It was a pair of bright blue goggles. He was confused.

“Here. Take it; it will help you to see them.” Callas explained.  Mikha just nodded, grabbing the goggles.  As he put them on, he could see figures. They weren’t humans- they were shadows. Shadows with no face, just eyes. 

“Woah..what are they?”

“Shadow creatures. They’re awfully shy towards other species, only special kinds of glasses can help you see.” Callas explained, smiling at the shadow before them. The shadow simply bowed, before passing through them.

“Why aren’t you wearing goggles or glasses then?” Mikha asked, as he noticed that the taller boy was able to see the shadow without any aid. Callas smirked before facing Mikha again.

“Take a look at my eyes, idiot.” Mikha blinked before slightly observing Callas’ eyes. Previously, they were emerald green, but now they were demon red. Mikha got startled and tripped, only to bump into a shadow. He immediately apologized to it before walking on. He stared at those eyes for quite a while, until Callas quickly commented,

“It’s rude to stare you know.”  Mikha quickly blinked and shook his head in realization. He was caught staring at the first time! It was really embarrassing too, because the inhabitants were staring at him, even Callas was. Who could blame him for staring, the eyes were gorgeous after all.

“How do you do that?” He asked, tilting his head slightly. Callas sighed and continued walking, leaving Mikha behind. Mikha called out and tried to catch up with Callas. He was really curious to know the history of those eyes. After bumping into some shadow creatures here and there, he finally caught up to the ginger, who was walking fast.

“Hey! You didn’t answer me!” he said, grabbing the other’s arm. Callas quickly pulled away, glaring at Mikha. His eyes were burning red. His cheeks were flushed and his mouth was scrunched up. If eyes could kill, his would be burning a hole. Mikha quickly stepped back. It was as if he had triggered a switch for Callas’ anger. The gingerbread spoke.

“I don’t need to tell you.” Callas said sharply, before turning away and walking into a small shop. Mikha looked up at the shop name. Shoppe de Glacies.

‘What a name.’ He thought, entering the shop.

What do you think? Please comment! 

-War Horse - Film Review-

"War Horse " is one of those family movies where you can feel as if the movie itself is dragging you into the movie. It is adapted from 1982 novel with the same title by Michael Morpurgo, and is set to thrill the audience in real life. The movie is directed by the famous, Academy Award winner Steven Spielberg, who brings all of his films to life. Not only has the film brought the audience to love it, but the actors as well. Ted Narracott, played by Peter Mullen, the father of Albert, one of the main characters, has barely a string of connection with his son, Albert Narracott, which plays an important role in the movie. Jeremy Irvine, who plays as one of the main roles, Albert Narracott, develops a connection to the lovely main actor, the horse named Joeys. He is the very creature which creates miraculous hope for the soldiers involved into the war. It is a family movie which adds a bit of spice and dice into the historical events that is written in the history books, settling in various countries involved in World War I.

The story is set in the countryside in England, where we see a young Devon boy named Albert Narracott who witness a beautiful event; the birth of a foal. In that very moment, it may be described as "Love At First Sight" in a way. Years pass, and the young foal turns into a fine colt. He is then bought by Ted who regrets what he has done, but takes the horse home anyway. Albert's expression was like that of a chuffed chap. Albert suggests that he trains the horse, which he names Joey. Although it was a difficult trail, but he succeeds in the way. Because of financial issues they have, hey are forced to sell Joey because of harvest failure, and they need to pay the farm somehow. Before Joey walks into war, Albert makes a promise that they will be together again. As Joey drifts from Albert, he is met with a new owner; a captain named Captain Nicholls from the British Cavalry. Joey passes through the hands of many people with different statuses, personalities and nationalities. Albert dreams of meeting Joey again...will he?

What I like about Steven Spielberg is his very sharp eagle eye in directing. He puts lots of details into the scenes within the movie, especially all the heart-breaking scenes within the movie. My favorite scenes would have to be what happens to Captain Nicholls. He specifically says to Tom Hiddleston, who plays as Captain Nicholls to change his face not to a man... but to a young boy. It's strange, but it follows to give one of the most epic and most memorable scenes in the film ever. Another thing I like about the film is the Music. I absolutely adore the music in the film, because it really gets to you heart. Especially during the scenes found at the ends of the movie, it's what makes the movie better, because the audience can really "see" how the characters and the situation is like at that moment, because the music is what emphasizes the situations throughout the movie. If you want to know what makes the movie top-notch, it's the music composed by winner, John Towner William Jr.

If you really want a movie that can touch your heart and make a man cry, it's this one. I recommend this 10/10, because it's heart-throbbing, adventure-hopping, hope-dropping and one really big,emotional tied together. This is one of those rare movies  where you don't watch the movie as the audience, but you feel you are the main character, Joey. Although you are no horse, you can feel Joey's feelings, and can feel the pain he's gone through. The experience that almost kills you, the friends that cherish you, and the family that guides you.  Courage, hope, respect and most of all, friendship, is what makes this Steven Spielberg movie one of his greatest, most adventurous movie of all. With all due respect, I salute him because this movie is wicked interesting!

War Horse Pt. 2 - Friendship United!

Thursday already?! I feel like it's still Tuesday but time flies....

If you've read the title and the first part, you'll know what I'm talking about. The movie, "War Horse".  So basically, today we finished the movie and I cried. Really. Not sure why though, I didn't cry watching Hachiko...It's so weird. The picture beside this paragraphs are the very few scenes in the final parts of the movie.

On the other side of the battle, Albert has finally gotten into the army, with the thoughts of Joey is dead. (We know he's not though!) He, his best friend , Andrew and the landlord's son, David Lyon, have all joined the army, and were facing death onto the no man's land. After the whistle is blown, the soldiers all fight for life on the battle field.

David gets hurt in the middle, and Albert doesn't move forward to battle. He carries David into a safe place, so that he can be rescued and saved. David keeps begging for Albert to leave him, but Albert still wants to save his friend. After he makes sure the safety of David, Albert leaves and gets onto the German trench with the help of Andrew's bravery. Before the battle, Andrew was assigned to shoot any retreated soldiers, but as he saw David's hurt body, he changes his position with him, helping Albert. He throws a grenade at the sniper's nest of the Germans, which helps them move forward.

As the surviving British soldiers enter the trench, it was very empty. Nobody was there, and those who are in there, dead. The British didn't have suspicion at all, and went through the trench. As they proceed, suddenly poisonous gas shoots from the trench, poisoning those inside, including Albert and Andrew...this results in Andrew's death.

As we move forward, after replacing the position. Topthorn and Joey are both forced into labor. In the end, Topthorn is only forced to die, causing for the man in the German army and Joey to mourn for him. Joey is asked to run away, in which he did. He runs onto the No Man's Land, where the war between British and German is commencing. Joey runs and finally falls into a series of barbed wires, causing for him to fall and be hurt. The Germans and the British stop for a while.They both notice the horse, because it was settled in the middle of No Man's Land, and they both try to call it so that the other side can have a disadvantage, but Joey doesn't move.

Finally, one of the British soldiers named Colin goes to the horse, although he was called a bloody git by his commander. While he walks towards Joey, he meets up with a German soldier named Peter. Since he didn't bring any wire cutters, Peter helps him, even if he is the enemy. Bringing in more wire cutter for Joey, the two men finally helped Joey out of the wire, talking to each other like pals. They both flip a coin, and the British win the horse. Both nationalities go back to their base, only to continue the war.

Joey gets back with Colin, getting nicknamed by the man "the Miracle Horse".  As he takes the horse to the infirmary, Albert is getting treated. He survived the poison gas, but his eyes still needs to recover because it was hurt badly. As he rested, someone announces there was a miracle horse. Albert flinched for a moment, thinking the only horse who could do that was....

Joey's leg hurt badly, but the doctor still refused. A broken leg for a horse is a no-good horse. Finally, it was forcefully decided that it was time to shoot Joey. Colin begged to not do it, but they had no choice. As the gun was being aimed at Joey, an owl call was heard. Joey looks for the very person who makes the call, giving everyone confused looks. As the moment passes, they discover it was Albert whose eyes are shut by bandages that called the horse. The commander first decides to shoot the horse, but as Albert tells him what his horse looks like, the commander is surprised because Joey is exactly as described.... because of this, Joey doesn't get shot, and Albert reunites with him....but that's not the end.

The bells have rung, and the war has ended. Sadly, all of the horses that aren't the commanders have to be sold...including Joey. Albert begs for the captain not to trade the horse, but it's what the command is told. The military all have put their money for Albert....32 guineas. When the auction has begun, the French and the British auction on for the stallion...only to be defeated by the one and only character that comes back from the middle of the movie....Emilie's Grandfather. He offers 100 guineas, and that ends the auction. Albert begs for the grandfather to give him Joey back....only to find out that little Emilie has died of her disease.

At first, as the grandfather walks away with Joey, Joey escapes from his grasp, and trots towards Albert. Albert gives Joey one last thought (Which was really heart-breaking!), before releasing him. The grandfather then asks about the sash he found, and is surprised to find out that it was Albert's father's. He finally gives a final thought and returns the sash...along with Joey. Albert and Joey walk back to the farm, but before that Albert asks:
"What was her name?"

The grandfather smiles and answers:
" Her name was Emilie....her name is Emilie."

After the return to the farm, the movie fades to black and it ends the movie.

War Horse PT.1 - Be Brave Joey, Be Brave For Albert!

"Can you imagine flying over a war and you know you can never look down? You have to look forward, or you'll never get home. ...What could be braver than that?" - Grandpa

War Horse is a movie about the journey of a young boy's foal who grows up to be a fine stallion which enters war. The story starts when a young boy observes when a mare gives birth to a young foal. Years go by, and the young foal turns into a stallion which has parted with its mother and sold at an auction. At the auction, an old drunken man which goes by the name of Ted Narracott is told to find a plow horse but finds the young,wild stallion to be a 'beaut'. Because of this, he then drunkenly fights his land owner for the horse, which ends up in a regret. As he comes home, his wife becomes dissapointed in his action.The son,Albert, is very content though, and ends up taking care of the horse. Albert names his stallion Joey, and he's glad.

Months pass, and Albert finally begins training Joey to plow. The harvest may be rocky, but Albert is always optimistic, and encourages Joey to do it. The landlord and the others don't believe in Albert and Joey, but because of hard work, Joey and Albert finally plow the field, making a harvest of turnips. Years past, and the night before the harvest, a heavy rain drops by, thus making a harvest failure. The war is near, and the father (Ted Naracott) decides to sell Joey without Albert's permission. When Albert finds out about what his father has done, he runs as fast as he could,but finds out he was too late. Joey has been sold in order to pay for the farm rent.

Albert rages for a moment, and begs for Captain Nicholls, the new owner of the horse, to let him in the army, but fate didn't let him be. Joey finally parts from Albert and joins the British army. Over there, he meets a trusty horse as well, best on the army. His name is Topthorn, and he belongs to the Major, whose name is Jamie Stewart. The two horses are uncomfortable with each other at first, but after a while, they decide that they should be partners, soon to become the best of friends. The horses and the new British army begin walking towards their target, making strategies in order to attack their target, the Germans. When they do, it seemed easy... a little too easy.

They discover that the Germans have heavy artillery that shoots repeatedly, resulting in Captain Nicholls death and the surrender of the British army. The two horses are kept though, to be the German's horse army. During the war, two German brothers, the elder named Michael, the younger named Gunther are assigned different tasks in the army, which risks the death of many. Michael is assigned to move the horse, while Gunther is assigned to join the army, although he is 14 years old. Because he has promised his mother, Michael grabbed Gunther by the waist and they both run away from the war (with Joey and Topthorn as their horses). The next day, they are both discovered by the rest of the German army, and are shot to death as punishment for their escape. Topthorn and Joey are left there, only to be discovered by a young girl named Emilie.

Emilie discovers the horses, and takes them as her own. She gives them different names, and asks her grandfather's permission so they can keep them. The grandfather refuses at first, because Emilie is a ill little girl and very fragile, but in the end, the grandfather agrees. For a few days, they all enjoy their time training Joey and Topthorn, but soon the army comes to invade their possessions. Emilie hides the horses,and they went undiscovered. Soon after though, Emilie and her grandfather takes the horses for a ride, only to be taken away by the German army. Emilie goes unhurt, but the horses are taken away for hard-work labor. As they journey back to the Garman Army, to lift the machines. Any horses who get injured on the hard labor, directly gets shot in battle. At first, Topthorn was to replace the dead horse, but his broken leg fails him to. As a result, Joey helps Topthorn by replacing his position in the machine.

Loyalty, Bravery and Friendship are what makes this family movie to be one of the most touching stories ever. Based on the 1st World War, we can see that a lot of courage is needed to face war, and one must be brave to do it. Friendship is said one of the most important connections of all. You can never really forget anyone who has been your friend, and you should keep that friendship loyal, because even if you part ways, you will always find a way back.

OBJECTION!

....says Phoenix Wright.

 Alright, so the last unit I was studying at my school was about Argumentative Writing and debates. I don't like debates, to be honest. It reminds me of what happened in the last grade where I had debate as a final mark. (The teacher LOVES debates!) *shudder* ...Anyway, so this time we were supposed to make two assignments :

1. We were supposed to debate on why Globalization makes a brighter future. ( I was on the Pro side.) 

2. We were supposed to make an argumentative essay on any subject we chose. Mine was about How Guns should not be sold to the public. 


Anyway, the first assignment took us two weeks to do, and the teacher who was marking us wasn't our teacher, it was another English teacher. I was so nervous, I would've broke down any time, but I didn't, which was a success! Although I was shaking like I lived in the arctic without a coat, I actually aced through the debate....phew. I thought that I would lose...but I won! Yay! The other team was really tough, but I'm just glad we passed the debate. Maybe next time, I would input more things into my debate, and try not to shake like someone who just came from massaging, ha ha. ^.^


Now onto the argumentative writing. My teacher who normally teaches us said that she was disappointed. She said that most of the argumentative writings were disappointing, because we all had potential , only we didn't use it well. Normally she would all be happy and cheerful but it looked like she was really disappointed. I was really nervous so I went last to ask my scores on the argumentative writing. I thought I got a horrible score, but just when the lesson had ended... I finally got up and asked.....and suddenly my score waaaaas....

AWESOME! 

Oh my gosh! yay! And I was so nervousssssss.....

I thought I got a horrible score because there was SO many grammar mistakes, I thought I was going to get like a 18/24, or a 16/24 but I got a 23/24! Oh wow! And that's one of the highest scores in the WHOLE grade! I don't know what was better, the fact that I was shaking but I got a great score, or that I was actually nervous which turned out to be just anxiousness, haha. Alright, so the assignments and its scores were fun and this is the reflection on them.

I probably need to improve my grammar, and this is because I lack reading books. I should probably hit up the library and read more books to improve my grammar even more. I also need to watch my work, because my font was unrecognizable at the Internet Cafe, and it became random Webdings font. I think that's all, bye bye~

OBJECTION! 

DETECTIVE , OUT!