Write about a character who makes a promise to someone dear to them years before – and then doesn’t keep it. Explore their point of view years later. What prevented them from keeping the promise and how did it change them?
Write about a character who makes a promise to someone dear to them years before – and then doesn’t keep it. Explore their point of view years later. What prevented them from keeping the promise and how did it change them?
“Okay, kids. It’s time to take a quiz.”
“Mr. Mayfield, look! I made it all the way to class on time.”
“Very good Dee. It’s still quiz time.”
“Mr. Mayfield, I drew this pretty picture of you.”
“That looks nothing like me Evan.”
“I’m sorry, it’s just that, you’re my hero, and now I’ve let you down, and…”
“Okay, class. Focus. It’s time for our quiz.”
“Mr. Mayfield, what’s our quiz on?”
“Olivia’s dating life.”
(Class breaks into hysterical laughter for several minutes)
“Okay, kids, seriously. Time to turn a corner and take a quiz.”
“Mr. Mayfield, do we have to take the quiz if we’re sick?”
“Lily, you’re always sick, so I would say go ahead and do your best.”
“Mr. Mayfield, my sister Hannah didn’t write you again today.”
“Thanks for the reminder Rylee.”
“No problem, what are we doing again?”
“A quiz.”
“Mr. Mayfield, I’m confused. I thought we hadn’t started yet.”
“We haven’t Emma. Don’t worry, you haven’t failed yet.”
“Mr. Mayfield, do you realize this book is older than me?”
“Paisley, you’re my genius five-year-old so as your genius 16-year-old teacher, I can assure you there will be a lot of things in life older than you.”
“Mr. Mayfield, are you really 16? My mom and I thought you were a teenager.”
“Lauren, why would a teenager teach at this school?”
“Mr. Mayfield, I finished my book.”
“Which book Abbey?”
“Tuck Everlasting.”
“Mr. Mayfield, Abbey read a religious book!!!”
“Delaina, Tuck Everlasting isn’t religious.”
“But I thought the only thing that was everlasting was Jesus.”
“Well, He’d be pretty lonely if He was the only one that was everlasting. But this book is about the Tucks…”
“Did they ask Jesus into their hearts?”
“I’m not sure.”
“So where does the everlasting come in?”
“They drink some stuff.”
“Mr. Mayfield, drinking is bad. Why are you making us read books about drinks that bring eternal life?”
“Delaina… Arg… Okay, kids, the quiz is on page 311.”
“Mr. Mayfield, where do we turn in the quiz when we’re done?”
“Bri, how are you already done?”
“I knew we studied the four sentence types. I knew our quiz was coming from the book. I saw the review exercise about the sentences and figured that was what you wanted done. So I’m done.”
“Mr. Mayfield, she’s making us look bad!!!”
“ARGH!!! I give up!!!”
“But you can’t give up, Mr. Mayfield. You promised you’d teach us.”
“Thank goodness you came Jason. She’s been calling for you through the night.”
I knew her time was short. I made my way in.
“Jason?”
“Yes, I’m here.”
“Jason…” She said before exhaling. Her breath was short, shallow.
“Jason… I’m sorry.”
“No, don’t say anything else. It’s not necessary.”
“I promised…”
“Yes, well, here’s what I learned a long time ago. People promise lots of things. Ponies, love, more ponies, more love, different person. I think the first time you get your heart broken you’re shocked by it all, at least, I was, but then after what feels like about the billionth time, and that’s just when you’re in your 20s, you learn that people promise a bunch of things and never really mean any of them.”
“I never…”
“Of course, you didn’t. No one does. Everyone makes these big promises with big words and grand motions and then BOOM things change and all that seems silly and is forgotten. Trust me, I know. I think I’m the only person that ever paid attention or remembered all the various stupid things people say in a day. And I never forgot, particularly when they seemed to rather quickly forget all that they’d promised. But don’t worry your sweet little head about it anymore.”
I left her to die. It sounds terrible, but there was nothing left I could do.
“Did you give her a chance to apologize?” the nurse asked as I walked out.
“Nope, not needed.”
“She needed it.”
“She should’ve thought about that before she made a promise I knew she’d never keep because no one’s ever kept their promise to me. Ball’s in my court now. I don’t have to hear another ‘I’m sorry’ because I knew it would all end this way anyway.”
I walked out. I had things to do. People waste my time…
fIrSt?
false starts, false promises…
God was ticked off. He wanted to destroy humanity again. He really liked the flood thing the last time around – but that rainbow thing… mmmm, how to get around it…
Then God said, “Let’s create a weather pattern called El Nino, you know, for all my espanol buds. And let that pattern drench California, I never really liked that state anyway. And let the men of the cities dance the dance of rain so that they confuse themselves into thinking they had something to do with it all…”
And California was flooded. And God saw it was good, good and wet.
Tone and his coach walked to the 18th green.
“I’ve never been happier in my life,” Tone said as he approached his final putt to finish eight under for the round.
“Tone,” his coach began hesitantly, “there’s something I’ve been wanting to tell you.”
“Me too,” Tone interrupted, “I’m just so happy to have you as my coach.”
“Tone, this just makes that much harder… You see…”
“Oh My Hello Kitty!!! Was that a shooting star I just saw???”
“Tone, it’s the afternoon. That was probably a search light from a cop’s car. You know, we’re not in the best area of town.”
“Star light, star bright, first star I see shooting up, well down, tonight. I wish I may, I wish I might…”
“Tone, I…”
“Wish my coach were my coach forever with all my might.”
“Tone, I can’t be your coach anymore.”
“Why? Am I too good?”
“No, I, um, this is hard to say…”
“Coach you can tell me anything.”
“Tone, it’s you.”
Tone begins to cry.
“See? This sort of proves my point because I can’t tell you anything because then you cry.”
Tone begins to cry harder.
“If it makes you feel better, I have a family. I really don’t like them, but I’m willing to spend more time with them if it means I don’t have to spend time with you.”
Tone begins to cry harder.
“C’mon, tap in and let’s be done.”
“But you said forever!!!”
“Tone, I said I like four wheelers. C’mon, tap in.”
“Why does everyone I love leave me?”
“Tone, you made your whole family come out and watch your practice lesson.”
“I SAID EVERYONE I CARE ABOUT!!!”
“Aren’t you being a bit dramatic? Is this a cry for help because your sister is a cheerleader, and the slayer of bunnies?”
Tone grabbed his putter. He never did finish that round, putting so wildly off mark that the phrase “Made a Tone” became shorthand for a while for “Got to the final stroke and then collapsed into a river of tears and couldn’t see straight to put anywhere.”
His ball was lost to time but it’s believe to be buried about 15 miles off course. Tone river still tastes salty…
nIcE sToRyS. i wAs FiRsT!
jOhN wAtSoN mAdE a PrOmIsE tO sHeRlOcK tHaT hE wOuLd AlWaYs Be HiS dEtEcTiNg BuDdY, bUt ThEn JoHn GoT dRaFtEd BaCk InTo ThE wAr, AnD sHeRlOcK wAs LeFt AlL aLoNe… 🙁
thank you bri – that’s why you’re my favorite… 🙂
yAy! iM yOuR fAvOrItE! 😀
“I’m joining the military Dad”, I said through the phone before I hang up. It was almost silent,all I could hear was my wheels on the road. I had already called the recruiters office and said that I was on my way. “Just one more mile until I get there”,I told myself.
I signed the sheet of paper assuring I am a part of the military and went straight to the base.”You need some practice… Mitchell”. sergeant said after looking at his clipboard.
6 months later.
I’m in our base as the sergeant calls orders.
“Mitchell, you’re here.” it wasn’t the sergeant, i turned to find my best friend.
“Will! Why did you join?”
“I came because my dad made me.”
“Yeah, I came because of the old man too, more to get away from him. You can’t cross the street without a complaint, he ran the whole town.”
“Is that it.”
” No, I wanted to serve my country.” I said as everyone got into trucks to go to battle.
I got in my position to shoot, the dust killing my face. I looked into my scope and found an Afghan soldier, I aimed.
I saw a flash back of when i was young.” Don’t kill anybody” my dad said as he gave me the gun when I was practicing shooting with my dads rifle. I shot way off the target, I thought I had got bullseye, and said “I am never going to kill anyone in my life!” I grabbed the binoculars and looked at my dads shot thinking it was mine. “Wow, I’m good.”
My sights got off the soldier, I aimed back on him. My promise… broken. My promise to my dad. My finger twitched, I couldn’t move, I couldn’t hear the gun shots. The pressure of my finger on the trigger was not much, but all I could do.
BANG!!!
Ok so my friend said that he was going to start going to the gym once a month but a thing that you should know about him is that he procrastinates (alot). He needs to go to the gym because he has been eating McDonald for a longtime now and you what that stuff does to you. Besides this has been going on for about a year and a half i mean it is his favorite place to eat. A funny thing is that his name is Jack and the reason that it is funny is because we call him mac for mac Donald’s. You know what they say you are what you eat!
So now that its getting to the point where it is really bad is because he weighs 482 pounds, and that’s a little much for his age because he is 19 years old. So today i am going to make him go to the gym. I am going to go to his house tell him we are going to eat ( since it is his favorite thing to do ) but actually i am going to take him to the gym. The reason im taking him to the gym is because i care about him, well actually i just don’t want to have to take care of him when he gets older. The thing that kept him from going to the gym is because he procrastinates alot and at this point i have to help him with that to otherwise it will get worse to and that will just be another thing i have to help him with since he cant do it himself.