Andrew Carpenter Final Magazine

WE HEAR FROM YOU!Reader submitted stories

Where is YOUR happy place?

The Spot

Table of ContentsWhere is Your happy place................... 3

Interviews............................................ 12

Reader Submitted Content................... 19

Letter From the Editor

“The Spot” aims to provide an escape for the reader. The magazine allows you to be

able to get lost. Get away from it all by simply picking up the magazine and opening it. It

does this with its first impression, the cover. The cover’s simple design and beautiful land-

scape photograph aims to put the reader in awe. The magazine’s cool color scheme calms

the reader and puts him/her at ease. The magazines feature articles all have a central theme.

This theme is that they all revolve around a place. This place is generally one relaxing. One

that the writer enjoys dearly and this can be seen through their very descriptive writing.

Finally, in our last article features you the reader. We’ve opened up our office to submissions

from readers. We did this for many reasons. One of which is we like to her about you. When

we read your content it allows us to get to know you better. We can design the magazine spe-

cifically to what our readers want. Another reason for the reader submitted content is that

we value the reader. When we include reader submitted work so that the reader has a part in

the making of the magazine. The magazine becomes a collaborative effort.

The making of the magazine has been a difficult process, but one filled with reward.

From first drafting the articles and conducting the interviews to writing this letter I have

learned a lot about writing and myself as well. The magazine allows me to creatively piece

all my work from the summer together and present it in a unique and interesting way.

Andrew CarpenterEditor in chief

An escape. A getaway of a lifetime. It’s summertime which mean family vacations. Instead of breaking the bank on expensive trip to Maui, why not take the kids to grandma and grandpas. For many people family can be a time of fun and provide an escape without the stress on

your wallet. Our Andrew Carpenter tells us about how he gets away from the world.

A four bedroom, two-story house sitting on

thirteen acres of land in the Ohio River valley, sur-

rounding it is a small town one would only know if

they lived in it, or the close surrounding area. The

house sits at the end of a long gravel road. When

first entered one would find themselves in the kitch-

en, to the right a fire place room and to the left a

living room with a television. Upstairs are the main

bedroom, and two guest beds. Past the kitchen is a

dining room with big windowed doors leading to the

porch. From the sitting room window, you can see

riverboats guiding barges up and down the river. The

property contains a large back yard with a barn,

which was recently painted blue. Behind the main

property lies a wooded area that leads to the river on

the horizon. The main house is at least 80 years old

and has had many rooms added over the years. Be-

cause the house has been added onto over the years,

it is a combination of old style construction and

materials with new. It used to be a farm that was

divided up into smaller parcels that are now where

the neighbors live. There are cows in the pasture

next to the yard. Cousins collect wood for bonfires

on cold winter nights. Kids climb out the upstairs

window onto a gable and hang out on the roof.

There are dogs, cats & chickens. The chickens are a

new addition and are the first transition to making

the property into a proper farm, with talks of goats

next. Grandpa is turning the barn into a workshop

because the garage got too small for his projects. He

has been working on the house since its purchase,

and seems to always be doing something to it. There

is a quilting room with a large quilting machine used

by Grandma. She made each of her grandchildren

quilts years ago and has taken the hobby on head on

since.

*

When first entered one would find themselves in

the kitchen. During Christmas and Thanksgiving, it

seems as many people as

possible are crammed into

the kitchen, each family

cooking their respective

dishes with help from the

children. Many dishes

are made before the day

of, but without fail the

kitchen becomes a war-

zone. Pots bubble, potatoes

mashed, pies created, and

cookies baked. Because

of the crowding and pres-

sure to get things done

on time, tensions are sometimes

created among family members,

but it all settles down eventually.

Many different aromas arise, but

usually the smell of the holiday

bird dominates all. Just walk-

ing through one can almost taste

the feast being prepared. When

the time for football comes the

kitchen is cleared of most of the

men, but not before the refrigera-

tor is raided for beer. After the

meal, the plates are cleared from

the table into a mountain in the

sink. The days following are spent

noshing on the enormous amount

of left overs. Usually turned into

a sandwich with whatever side

dishes remain. Grocery shopping

usually isn’t needed for at least

five days after the holiday.

*

Cousins collect wood for

bonfires on cold winter nights.

Once every two or three days

an enormous pile of wood, tree

branches, cardboard, and any-

thing else flammable and non-

toxic is created. Grandpa usually

contributes most of these materi-

als because they are mostly scrap

from one of the numerous proj-

ects he is working on at the time.

The grandchildren, however, do

their fair share of contribution as

well. Clearing sticks and branches

from the yard or finding old

planks of wood in the barn, they

all throw them into this pile. The

stack of wood gets to be around

thirty feet in diameter and eigh-

teen feet high, although these

numbers can be much greater

depending on recent events such

as a windy night. At dusk the

wood is set ablaze, usually ten

minutes pass before the fire is

al full force but when it is it can

warm the coldest of bodies. This

is the time when people start to

bring chairs around, trying to

find the perfect distance from

the fire. On a night when some-

one had gone to the store earlier,

marshmallows are roasted. The

younger children scramble to find

long pointed sticks when they

hear of the marshmallows, while

the older kids usually steal their

chairs. This is where the family

eventually gathers during the

evenings when their daily tasks

are finished.

*

Behind the main property

lies a wooded area that leads to the

When the time for foot-ball comes the kitchen is cleared of most of the men, but not before the refrigera-tor is raided for beer.

river on the horizon. About a mile from the house

towards the river is a drainage tunnel that runs off

into the Ohio River. We first discovered the drainage

tunnel on a hike in search of nothing in particu-

lar but just for the sake of exploring. We climbed

through some barbed wire, because fun things are

always behind barbed wire, and started down a

steep grassy hill covered in light shrubbery towards

what looked to be a creek. Upon arrival at the bot-

tom of the hill we realized the creek was not a creek

but this long drainage tunnel. As curious as kittens

we wanted to know where this tunnel led to, but the

first of us to jump down quickly realized the tunnel

was home to snakes and our interests fled. After be-

coming a hang-out for a couple of days, the drainage

ditch was brilliantly named “the hobo hole” by one

of the younger cousins who was convinced a rugged

looking, bearded man lived there. For days groups of

cousins would go down to the hobo hole and explore,

talk, and imagine what went on when we were not

around.

*

There are cows in the pasture next to the yard.

One of the neighboring properties had a fenced in

pasture with cows. This fence was equipped with an

electrical component, a wire that ran parallel with

the barbed wire, all interlaying between the wooden

planks that supported the fence posts. One of the

cousins had the extremely intelligent idea of touch-

ing the electric fence but was too afraid to actually

do so. This quickly turned into a contest of who

would touch the fence and who would not, much

like the scene from A Christmas Story when the little

boy gets his tongue stuck to the flag pole. Being the

oldest and of course the bravest, I decided I would

go first. I crouched down and found which wire was

filled with currents of electricity. After a couple of

flinches my finger found its way on to the wire and I

felt a shock go throughout my entire body while my

leg involuntarily kicked backwards. It was a rush

like no other. Seeing as I was still alive and none of

my skin charred or hair on fire, the younger cousins

did as I.

*

On a warmer day the cows can be found sun-

ning themselves close to the fence that holds them

in. On this particular day there was a bull amongst

them, and my cousins and I were pretty interested.

My dad noticed us staring at the bull, and he walked

down from the deck to where we were standing

by the fence. After joking about it for a little, He

offered a 5 dollar reward to whoever could touch

the bull and come back. Instantly my mind flashed

to scenes of Johnny Knoxville and Steve-O being

nailed in the groin by bull horns, but this was five

dollars I was not about to let that pass up. Unfortu-

nately for my dad, neither my sister nor two slightly

younger cousins, Patrick and Bailey, wanted to pass

on this offer either. I went first, then the older of

the cousins, Patrick, then my sister and finally the

younger of the cousins, Bailey. Each of us hopped

the fence and took a deep breath

through our mouths as to calm our

nerves and avoid the awful smell

of the cows and their droppings.

I meandered a path and traveled

quietly, touched the bull and quickly

returned to receive my reward. This

was done by the next two people

to follow me as well. The last of us,

however, had a different experience.

Just before he was going to touch

the bull Patrick and I looked at each

other and screamed Bailey’s name.

Naturally, this startled the bull ever

so slightly, but Bailey much more. Seeing the bull

move Bailey bust into a full on sprint headed right

for the fence. In one motion he grabbed the top

wooden plank and swiftly threw his legs and body

over.

*

Rebecca Carpenter (my grandmother): “The

town in which your grandpa and I grew up is named

Belpre; it is in southeastern Ohio. Geographically,

it is compact bounded by the Ohio River on the east

and by low hills formed from river erosion on the

west. Belpre was, and is, a typical small Midwestern

town. Your grandpa and I grew up uneventfully

nurtured by friends, family, and sameness.

*

Typically, almost all small-town houses had

yards and, in summer, gardens were a source of

pride. In summer we ate fresh veggies and in winter

we ate home canned produce. My

mom always went to my grandma’s

to can because her house was much

roomier. There existed then, and

still exists, what I call a “tomato

cult” in the Midwest. By March

people are starting tomato seeds

in Solo paper cups in window sills

and by Memorial Day are proudly

pointing to their eight to twelve

inch high green plants. From then

on it is a race to see who gets the

first tomato. Your Great Uncle

Greg beat me the last two years

and your Great Uncle Ray always loses, which Great

Aunt Susan laughs about. Details like we start with

plants from the nursery give us a great advantage.

Most houses in this area still have at least a row of

tomatoes and many still make salsa or can. Not

I. In doctors’ offices and in grocery aisles, I hear

people asking, not about relatives’ health or vaca-

tions, but ‘How are your tomatoes coming?’”

*

A four bedroom, two-story house sitting on thirteen

acres of land in the Ohio River valley, surrounding it is

a small town one would only know if they lived in it, or

the close surrounding area. This is my happy place.

“Instantly my mind flashed to scenes of Johnny Knox-ville and Steve-O being nailed in the groin by bull horns, but this was five dollars I was not about to let that pass up.”

Indigo Hansen is not like an ordinary girl,

or one that I’ve encountered before. She’s kind of

weird, but totally independent and operates by her

own means. She definitely isn’t the girl to follow

trends; she’s the girl to do what makes her happy.

She has a younger brother Oliver who she’s says can

be a lot to deal with, but I like the little guy. Her

mother Karen owns an interior design

company. This where I believe indigo

gets her independent attitude from.

A soon to be Nole, she will be start-

ing at Florida State University in

the fall.

One of my best friends

throughout high school, Indigo and

I have known each other for the

better part of four years. Many a

date has been spent by us cuddling

up in a dark theatre and watching

a movie. We are spending the sum-

mer apart because I’m in college

and she is back at home. Because

of this distance our correspondence

was over email. It was nice to get

in touch with her and I enjoyed the

interview despite the lack of human

interaction. When I first told her I

planned on interviewing her she was

more than willing and seemed a tad

excited.

How often do you go to the movies?

Typically two to three times per month, sometimes

more if there are movies I want to see or if it’s rainy

for a few weeks

What is your favorite genre of movie?

Either comedy or action, like stepbrothers, accepted,

fast and furious, etc.

Interviews

How do you decide what movies to see? And how

much of a role does advertising play in this?

It depends on the trailer, if it looks good I’ll definite-

ly try to see it, or if I’m in the mood to see a movie

ill check out what’s playing, look up the trailer, and

if it looks good then I’ll go see it. Sometimes it also

depends on who is starring in the movie. A good ac-

tor can sometimes make drab plotlines worth watch-

ing. Some actors also just capture my attention and

keep me engaged no matter the role.

What would your ideal movie experience contain?

It would include seeing a movie with good friends,

and a movie with a believable and creative plot line,

good acting/actors, and good special effects.

How important is the theater experience to you?

As long as the theater is clean and has stadium seat-

ing it’s not that big of a deal. But stadium seating is

a must

Whose opinion do you usually value the most when

deciding on what movie to watch?

Friends with similar interests and sense of humor, or

rotten tomatoes if no one I know has seen the movie.

Who do you usually go to the movies with?

Friends and sometimes family

What GREAT movies have you seen recently?

Fast and furious 6, Monsters University, brave heart,

goonies

What made them/it great?

The action packed scenes

and crazy cars, the sequel to

a movie I saw as a kid and

the idea of Scare Games,

realistic portrait of the Scot-

tish fight for independence

and excellent acting, one

of my favorite movies and

watching it with my family

How do you feel about 3D?

It bothers my eyes but the

effect is cool,

It’s usually overdone or

underdone. Like there either

isn’t enough of 3d effect or

it’s too much and bugs out

my eyes

What does it do for your

movie experience?

Makes it feel realistic or

makes me dizzy, depending

on the cinematography. But

I usually prefer a regular

movie over 3d

What are some of your all-

time favorite movies?

Accepted, dark knight, fast

and furious, dinner with

shmucks

Why?

Accepted and din-

ner with schmucks are too

of the funniest movies in

my opinion and I laugh out

loud every time I see both of

them. Fast and furious is my

fave action movie because

I’ve always loved it as a kid.

And the dark knight is the

perfect combo of action and

political drama and I love

the concept of good vs evil

and how it’s portrayed in the

film

Interview with Lori

Carpenter:

A place for my family

to go on the weekends often

includes the movies. Gener-

ally speaking when my mom

(Lori Carpenter) comes we

see what she wants to see,

sometimes it is what the

family wants to watch and

sometimes it isn’t. When it

isn’t I almost always think it

will be a dreadful experience,

but it is usually not. By the

end of the movie I am usu-

ally surprised at how much

I liked it. My mom always

wants to see a movie with some meaning behind it

which is a nice counter to the newest gory zombie

movie. An avid watcher of the Oscars, she always

wants to see the movies that are nominated for ‘Best

Film’ so around the time of year the Oscars are on

she makes it a point to go see these films sometime

two in one weekend. She is currently away on vaca-

tion with my family but still made time in an area

where Wi-Fi is scarce to participate in my interview.

How often do you go to the

movies?

I visit the movies about

once a month.

What is your favorite genre

of movie?

I enjoy a movie about hu-

man triumphs over adver-

sity.

How do you decide what

movies to see? And how much of a role does advertis-

ing play in this?

Decision is made based on plot, actors and other

people with whom I am going to the movie.


At a convenient time, reasonable price, comfortable

seats where I can see well and a plot that keeps my

attention.


The theatre experience is very important to me.



I trust like-minded friends and people that know me

well.


I go to the movies with my husband and children.



I saw Superman and

LOVED it. I have always been

a fan of Superman as he is

the quintessential hero and is

always victorious in the end.

I also enjoy the way we learn

about his roots and the early

story foreshadows the hero we

know and love today, much

like the movie Young Sherlock

Holmes in which we learned

the origin of his hat and his cigar. I find that kind

of explanation of what we know of current literary

characters to be quite clever. While being a hero, he

is not just flat and he too has to make difficult choic-

es in life, often having to choose whether to benefit

the few or the many.

We also saw the new Star Trek recently and

it, too, takes us back to the origins of characters we

have come to know and explain how they got where

they are today. It also shows human friendships to be

what they are, riddled with mixed emotions of love,

admiration, envy anger and commitment.

How do you feel about 3D? What does it do for your

movie experience?

The only kind of three D movie I like was

the kind in Disney where you feel like things are

coming at you. I do not like the current three D

movies as I do not like the glasses. They seem to

distract me and take away from the movie experi-

ence and I do not see the true enhancement, they

seem to distort the color and I am constantly play-

ing with the glasses, taking them on and off.

What are some of your all-time favorite movies?

Why?

Prince of Tides, because it boldly shows

humans who are vulnerable and imperfect. Humans

have to make hard choices as they go through life

and sometimes the consequences aren’t always neat

and tidy. In real life things get messy and we have to

be ready to learn how to clean up. And as a thera-

pist, I was in awe of the character played by Barbra

Streisand who was able to unlock the demons in the

character played by Nick Nolte. I was moved by both

Nick Nolte’s character who was able to reveal his

past and get closure and be free as well as the talent

of the therapist who knew just how to open him up.

I was deeply saddened by the ending in which after

falling in love, Nick Nolte must leave and return to

his family, which while the right choice, seemed to

cause much pain and loss.

Other movie greats: the original Arthur, with

Dudley Moore. First of all, some of the best dialogue

and humor of all time with well written scripts,

well delivered dialogue and again the struggle we as

humans face with choices in life. The ability of the

spoiled little rich kid to grow up and become respon-

sible and his ability to grieve after Hobson his “but-

ler” died. The role of Hobson as the butler who was

also his role model, teacher and nearly a father to

him was also fascinating. So often in movies, we see

the characters complex roles which mirror so well the

complex roles we acquire in real life.

Inter viwe with Brian Carpenter:

My dad (Brian Carpenter) and I are similar in

many ways. We have very similar looks and are often

mistaken for brothers rather than son and father,

but more similar than our looks are our interests.

From television shows to new technology my dad has

always been someone who I could talk with, about

the newest “thing” I had found about. We share with

each other often, whether it is recommending articles

to read or video games to play.

One of these common interests is our taste

in movies. Visited frequently by the both of us, the

“I saw Super-man and LOVED it. I have always been a fan of Su-perman as he is the quintessential hero and is always victorious in the end.”

movies serve of a place of bonding for me and my

father. We both enjoy many of the same flicks and

have a similar expectation in a movie. Much of what

I like now is shaped by his recommendations of mov-

ies from his past, and now I can share those experi-

ences with him. Countless times I’ve skipped out

on visiting the movies with my friends, upon a new

release, to share the experience with my dad. These

experiences can only be told from my eyes though.

Emailing him I was curious what he had to say on

the matter.

How often do you go to the movies?

I usually only go to the movies when there is a specific

movie out that I would like to see. I probably average

one movie per month in the theater.

What is your favorite genre of movie?

Action adventure, I also like a good horror movie.

How do you decide what movies to see? And how

much of a role does advertising play in this?

Advertising plays a large role in what movie I see.

The story line portrayed. In the ad or trailer is the most

important influence in my decision next to recommen-

dation from family & friends.


Comfortable seat with a good view of the screen, fresh

popcorn & a movie that I enjoy.


My first choice of theater is based on convince, then

theater experience.



My son. We like many of the same movies.


It was my son. Since he’s away at school, now my

wife and daughter


Lincoln & 42


Lincoln was a great movie because it was a

great movie going experience. Not only did the actors,

directors and scenery make me believe that I was actu-

ally watching history, but I left the theater with many

lessons from this movie. One lesson was that there

was only one point in history that our nation was truly

divided and President Lincoln was the pivotal charac-

ter in bringing our country together. The other lesson

driven home by the movie is that no matter how differ-

ent society was in the time of Lincoln, the politics of

the time are very similar to politics today.

I feel that 42 is a great movie because it not

only focused on the character and circumstance of the

iconic Jackie Robinson, but the movie focused on how

the game of baseball changed our culture. Not only did

“Me, Myself & I”A raeder submitted story

At The Spot we enjoy reader submitted content. We want to know what you have to say, and share it with other readers. This particular piece came across our desk and we knew that it needed a feature in this month’s issue. This socking fictional tale is truly one for the ages.

The hallway was emptied of its usual boat

load of people except for me and this man I had

never seen before. He asked me where I was headed.

I told him the cafeteria, even though I was really

going to skip out on my afternoon classes and get

out a little early. He was a fit looking guy, clean cut,

with very professional looking attire. He had a deep

voice that one had to hear when he spoke, with this

profound voice, he told me he was a new guidance

counselor at the school and he had just started that

Monday. He wanted to get to know me and said to

stop by his office, the next day when I had some free

time. I figured what the hell I don’t like being here

in the first place and maybe I can miss some class

if I hang out in his office for a while. I could tell

he had invited me because it seemed I didn’t have

many friends at the school. And he probably figured

I would be a good first student for him to get ac-

quainted with. At the end of our talk, the next day

he said he’d really like to see me more often. So we

worked it out so I would see him seven more times.

I really didn’t care either way he seemed like a cool

guy and sometimes I got too miss half of my math

class whenever we had our appointments.

It had been two weeks since, and today was

not a day I wanted to be stuck in his office. I looked

up at the clock, almost four. I can’t wait to get out

of here; in fact, I don’t know why I agreed to come

to this office in the first place. I didn’t know this

guy, so what if he’s new at school. I cared at first,

but I regret extending my kindness to him. We don’t

even get anything done he just tries to get me to talk

about myself. Talk about things I don’t want to talk

about, that I don’t care about; things no one has

ever cared about before. Why talk about them now,

and with a strange guy who I only met a few weeks

ago. Finally, the previously muted sounds become

audible

“So what is your family life like you hadn’t

mentioned your parents the last time we talked”.

“Look Mr. C”, I said, “I have to meet my

friends in like a half hour, do you mind if we cut it

short?”

“No, just don’t forget about our time for

Thursday.”

“2:45, right?” I replied as I was walking out

the door.

“Yes” I heard as the door shut behind me

and the little bell hanging above it rang

I left to meet my friends Tommy and David.

We had our hang out spot by a lake. No one is ever

there except for us. It is an escape for me, a quiet

place where I can clear my mind. The true beauty

of the place is that nothing has to go on there; it is

a place as clear as I make it. I discovered it as a kid.

I had run away when I was little, when things at

home got hectic to say the least. There was always

something going on at home when my mom was

around, crazy they called her, always the crazy lady.

Society labeled her as someone to avoid, someone

who was a terror. She had schizophrenia, which

people did not understand. They just judged, they

didn’t care they thought they knew her. I do not

remember what sparked all of the chaos that day;

it happened like a slow motion explosion though.

Screams filled the house, and I can still see flashes of

a lamp being hurled clear across the room. It hit the

wall and shattered, popped almost like a glass bal-

loon. All I could hear was noise, noting distinct, but

like crowded city street combined with a war zone.

I felt trapped; I felt there was no escape, so I ran,

just ran. I ran to escape the sounds that drowned

my brain, the problems I did not want to deal with

anymore, to get away. I followed my feet for fifteen

minutes. Wind pounding on my face. My heart

pumped blood to the beat of a death metal song.

Until, I found myself at the lake which was filled

with bliss, I sat and tried to forget about everything,

to clean the very complex cloud from my head.

A few hours after my dad came to find me

there. He looked distraught, confused and bewil-

dered. He couldn’t seem to gather his thoughts. Mo-

ments of silence passed as he stared blankly at my face.

Finally, he uttered the only words he could manage,

“Let’s go.”

On the walk home he told me that my mom

would not be around anymore. He said she went away

to go get better because she was sick. She may have

been gone physically, but she never really left me. I

frequently saw her in my dreams. She would visit me

most nights and she always seemed happy, unlike at

home where she struggled with her illness. Years later

my dad would tell me that she died that die. Appar-

ently, in the fury of that day a knife was flung from the

kitchen where my mom was and landed inside her back

severing her spinal cord. Somehow I always knew. He

was never the same after, and you could feel in his eyes

a sense of emptiness. He always seemed to be looking

for something that he would never find.

Not too long after that day I met David and

Tommy. They were at the lake. The only other two

people I had seen there. They were a big help in help-

ing get through my mom’s death. They were really the

only ones there for me, when I needed someone most.

The three of us quickly became good friends and have

stayed that way since. Tommy was a jittery kid, al-

ways excited and fidgety. Sometimes he came off as a

coked up energizer bunny. This caused him to stumble

on his words which he did often. But he knew he did

and poked fun at himself for it. He was a thrill seeker

and an adrenaline junkie, always looking to push the

envelope even if it meant getting into trouble. Tommy

was currently suspended from school for his shenani-

gans. On Monday he decided in his fifth hour class he

was going to pretend to be a stunt man, and proceeded

to launch himself out the second story window into

a bush after singing “I believe I can fly.” David on

the other hand was quite the opposite, but that made

sense because they were rather extremes of one an-

other. David was a much quieter kid; he usually kept to

himself and never spoke much. He always seemed like

he was thinking, like he had secrets to hide. He was the

kid who most people did not ever notice, kind of like a

shadow.

“Hey guys, what’s up?” I asked.

“Where have you been it has been like a half

hour since you said you would be here?”

“Whoa there Tommy relax, I was talking to Mr.

C.” I replied.

“Mr. C? I’ve never heard of him.”

“Yeah neither have I.” David said quietly.

“He is a new guidance counselor I’ve been

talking to for the past few weeks. We have 4 more

sessions left.” I explained to them. We

hung out at the lake for just under an hour before I

had to get home.

“Hey my dad is going to be pissed if I’m late

again.” I said to them.

“Alright man we will catch you later.” Tom-

my said.

“Yeah man, have a good one.” David said as

he waved bye.

It was two days before my last session with

Mr. C. We had become a lot

closer over the sessions. He and

I talked about

my mom, and he

helped me out

through a low period when I really

missed her. I had a dream about

that day. Except in the dream I

felt what my mom was going through, I was her in

this dream. I woke up drenched in sweat and there

were no blankets or pillows left on my bed. That

night I couldn’t fall back asleep my mind was a race

of thoughts. He told me that flashbacks like that

were pretty common. He gave me some exercises

to help me stop them and he had me make a jour-

nal where I could write when I was feeling down. I

was glad we had those sessions and I was going to

ask him if we could set up a few more, just until

the school year was over. My dad and I were eating

breakfast that morning. We rarely saw each other in

the mornings, but today he didn’t have to be at work

until nine.

“Hey you haven’t been around lately” He

said, as he poured a glass of juice.

“Yeah, Tommy, David, and started to build

a rope swing for the summer over by the lake. We

found a thick branch that hangs just over the bank.”

I told him.

It wasn’t true, in fact, Tommy and I have

had some tension recently. See he didn’t like me go-

ing to see Mr. C, and David didn’t like it when we

fought. So hadn’t been at the lake all week.

“Who?” He asked, now walking into the

other room.

This didn’t really surprise

me he did not know my much

about my social life. In fact, he

didn’t know

much about any

aspect of my life.

He became really distant after my

mom passed.

“You know my friends Tommy and David.”

“Oh yeah.” He said clearly he had forgotten

what we were talking about. “Have a good day.” He

said as he closed the door.

Later that afternoon, the last bell of the day

rang, and to avoid the usual rush, I hung back. It

gave me some time to think which I always enjoyed.

I headed to the lake to meet David and Tommy,

we hadn’t been on the best terms

lately, but I didn’t think it was

anything serious. Oh, how I was

wrong. On the path through the

trees I could hear yells, and I

became worried. My heart started

to beat faster and my walk turned

into a light jog. I emerged through

the trees to see Tommy throwing

an absolute fit. He darted his eyes

towards my direction. I saw David

sitting down in a cowering position.

“He snapped.” He mut-

tered. “He just snapped.” Tommy

still hadn’t said anything he was

staring at me. Finally, words came

out of his mouth.

“Why haven’t you been

here!? Why are you always with

‘Mr. C’? You think you can just

leave us. We are your only friends.

We are the only ones that care for

you. The only ones that ever gave

a shit and you just throw us to the

side like a toy you don’t play with

anymore.”

“Whoa there, I had no

idea.”

“Don’t give me that shit

you’re avoiding us. You think your

better than us don’t you. You’re

awesome now because you stopped

hanging out with those losers,

that’s what you’re thinking isn’t

it.”

“You don’t understand it

not like that at all.”

I tried to tell him, but he

wasn’t listening to what I had to

say, he had already made up his

mind. He was rushing towards me

now I tried to take a step back in

order to stand my ground, but it

wasn’t any use. He shoved me back

and I came back with a fist. I con-

nected right in to his jaw. A shot

of pain went through my wrist and

I shook it out. He stumbled back.

The punch did not hurt him as he

was more woken up by it. He came

back at me with one of his own,

but I took it in stride. He hit me

square in the nose but my adrena-

line masked the pain. I swung with

all I had and hit him with another

punch to the ribs. He was angered

even more. He proceeded to charge

at me like a rhinoceros picked me

up and slammed me onto the dirt.

I threw up my guard and rolled

him over. Now in a mount I let him

have it. Anger consuming every

ounce of energy I had. Left, right,

left, right, left, right, I didn’t stop

until I looked up to see David terri-

fied. His eyes reflected the true face

In fact, he didn’t know much about any aspect of my life.

Thanks to…

National Geographic is a photography and nature magazine. The cover is simple with the main focus being on the image. I used a similar style picture.

The ESPN magazine talks about various topics going on in sports. The overall magazine is very well designed. The lettering of ESPN is very creative. I aimed for have a very captivat-ing title.

Maxim magazine is a men’s interest magazine. They use two columns for most of their fea-ture articles. I used two columns as well because it has nice symmetry.

Time magazine is a current news magazine. It usually features on a few blurbs on the cover. I included this as well because doesn’t crowd the image.

Tar magazine is an art and design magazine. Their title is place top left. I used this charac-teristic because it’s the first thing the reader sees.

WWE magazine covers the latest news on professional wrestling. Their feature article intro is a two page spread. I used this because it allows for a big introduction to my feature ar-ticles.

National Geographic is a photography and nature magazine. Its feature article introduction includes a large picture. I used this because it is pleasing to the reader and sets up the article well.

XXL magazine is a hip-hop magazine. Their pull quotes have large quotation marks. I used this characteristic in my magazine because it is out of the ordinary and captures attention to the quote.

People magazine reports on current trends and celebrities. Their pull quotes use text larger than that of the article. I also used this in order to bring attention to my quotes.

Time magazine is a current news magazine. Its letter from the editor uses an image of the editor. I did this so people know who I am.

XXL magazine is a hip-hop magazine. Its table of contents isn’t cluttered. I used almost no clutter and made it very simple.

National Geographic is a photography and nature magazine. Their articles are accompanied by landscape pictures. I used this characteristic to provide visual aid to the accompanying text.

of terror, and it was me. I looked down at Tommy;

his face looked mangled and badly beaten. So much

so you would have thought we went ten rounds. Da-

vid rushed to call an ambulance, but I left before it

arrived. A new beast had arisen in me. I was angry

and heartless.

This anger carried over into my last

session with Mr. C the next day. “What is wrong?”

he asked.

“You’ve barley said anything this whole

time.”

“Nothing” I blurted.

“It’s me, it’s Mr. C, you can tell me any-

thing.” I let it all fly. Words flew for at least fifteen

minutes straight I talked about how I was left when

my mom died. I told him my dad didn’t love me

anymore. I told him about all the depression I had

recently and lastly, after finally catching my breath

I said:

“And I drove my friends away; I beat one to

a pulp, the only people that ever cared about me. I

have nobody. Nobody cares about me. Nobody gives

a shit.”

“Someone gave a shit, and that was me. See,

you’re not going crazy. It’s me; I’m your best friend.

I know everything about you. You’ve been helping

yourself this whole time. Your friends, they’re just

figments of your imagination. Mr. C, see I’m your

conscience. I’m Tommy, I’m David, I’m the spot by

the lake, I’m…” “Me.”

It had been seven years since my discovery

of my mental illness. I still visit the doctors regu-

larly for treatment, but try to live a “normal” life.

What I have cannot be diagnosed, and the doctors

say it’s a case like they have never seen before. Be-

ing aware of my illness makes me think a lot more

than I used too, deeper thinking, that often makes

my head hurt. Differentiating between reality and

imagination has become a daily task. I often ques-

tion whether any of this world is real. Who has been

placed on this earth by my brain and who has not?

What places are real or just made up in my head? Who

are my real friends and who are just personas of me?