Francesca's Extreme Writing 2021

Extreme Writing Francesca Layburn

Hope March 2021 Hope is A calming sea that washes your worries away, The sky on a stormy day waiting to clear, A small cocoon preparing to blossom into a butterfly, A lunar moth showing its beauty in the darkest of places.

Deep in the Sky Deep in the sky Deep in the sky Deserts will be flooded and Lions will be doing taxes and oceans will be empty. other human stuff. Dolphins will be digging holes Tigers will be standing out deep within the soil. among the grass,while antelope chase them down. Rocks will start to wilt, Flowers Animals will come from all will be immaculate. around just to see a human Deep in the Sky Every change will seem normal, March 2021 everything the same is strange.

The Swirling Sea Water swirled around my bare feet as it got pulled back to sea. The smell of salt took over my senses. The ocean curved with anticipation. I was ready, at least I thought I was. Slowly, the wave towered over me like an intimidating beast. Black. All I could see was black. Salt water invaded my nose and my throat. My hands swept across the sandy floor as my legs slipped off the ground, falling deeper into the darkness.

Playground incidents The familiar feeling of joy rushed through me. It felt so free running through the small breeze. Amongst the blur I could see something red,tall… it started to get closer.. And closer then.. Bang! First it hit my chin then the rest of my young face. “OUCH!” silence spread across the playground.. The other childrens staring eyes pierced through my soul. Why did I have to shout? I tried to hold back my tears to see what was there, but the pain was slowly winning the battle. In front of my face was a tall red pole and My clumsy self had crashed right into it. My head started to sting from the impact, but mostly in my bottom lip. Why was it stinging there of all places? Slowly my small fingers reached my lip. I pressed, I released. As soon as my finger came back into view I knew what was there. Blood.

Delilah Every story starts with a mind, Every life ends with a death. A story. A mind. A life. An end. That is all you will find.. in the tale of a young girl.. Delilah.. As my feet strolled through the Davis household’s garden, the aroma of flowers wafted through the air. I felt a sense of clarity, pureness. It calmed me somehow. If only this moment could last, but of course it couldn't. Once the clock chimes twelve, I'll be officially late to the worst part of my day... tea time. Having to look pretty and perfect for some people I don't even know! Of course once I turn 18 I'll be able to move out, but by the time I do I'll probably be married to one of these men for the rest of my life. Why did life bring me to this point? I stared down at my Breguet Marie-Antoinette Grande Complication watch or as normal people call it, a pocket watch. Barely a minute had passed and I'd been mumbling to myself for what felt like an hour. I guess there's no point in counting down to my doom. That minute had turned into hours. It was 5pm. I was still in the garden. I may have missed the worst hours of my life, but a dreadful wrath was coming towards me… My mother.

Why was it me First day stress is a common thing. Standing in front of the class, introducing yourself, having to make friends with people who already have strong bonds. All of that is already stressful, but it's worse for me, the shy introvert. Everything seems frightening. Even the door taunts me with its eyes, wait eyes? Why does it have eyes? Why is it staring? My mouth wanted to scream, but it couldn't.. Why? Why!? WHY? WHY!? A new place is now in view. Its white walls surround me. Was all of that just a dream? I could hear voices from the hallway that sounded all too familiar. Mom? Dad? Wait there's another one. It's the family doctor. “I'm sorry Ma'am, but there's nothing we can do.. She's gone too far.” What did she mean too far? I could hear my mother weeping from the place I laid.

Jump... She says her goodbyes to her family and her friend. Heavy breaths, all in time For now this jump will make her meet To her favourite tune, a nursery rhyme. her end. Taking a step forward, another one too. The edge is near, that statement is true You may be thinking, isn’t this where we depart? “Before i go remember one thing, But all she’s done is broken another’s life is more than a diamond ring heart. Theres anger, betrayal, and almost always The nightmares move on to someone dear. fear, They’re coming quicker, they’re drawing There’s a reason behind almost every tear,” near...

The nature of love I see a vast landscape of grass, slowly turning a muddy green. Humans chop down what was once a beautiful tree. Two trees placed closely seem to mimic the faces of two people sharing love through a kiss. Though in the distance there may be more, it seems as if they are alone. The last two trees under the dark grey sky. I remember when I first saw a tree falling to its knees. My pondering young mind kept thinking, “how does the tree feel? They're alive too, so do feelings fill their thick trunks?” though since then i've started to wonder how my head came up with these things. A plant doesn't have pain receptors, that must mean they don't care. Still my mind still returns to that very day. Do plants have emotion?

I imagine her nonexistent eyes staring back at him. Her blinks make her eyelids blend into her leafy skin. Though their undying love is vibrantly shown, murder still surrounds them. Humans walk around with their sharp blades, slowly killing their friends. Is this how they were before they stuck their roots into the ground? Murderous and cynical to all nature around them. Screams echoed through their leaves as they tried to iIf only they could run away, though their roots are firmly stuck. If only He could see her real face. One last time.

Everyone is a liar Everyone is a liar. Everyone in this town. Everyone in this country. Everyone in this world. For that is what I was raised to believe. Not to trust. Not to rely. Not to believe a word anyone says. Yet here I am, standing in front of the reflective glass which holds the answers to my many questions. Why am I here? Because an old man told me that things aren't what they seem. He told me that not everyone is a liar. In my 28 years of life, I have never trusted someone like this. The way I'd been taught was to picture everyone as a rabbit. Though looking innocent they can bite and scratch you till you writhe with pain. But this man. He was different. He may have scratched away the lies I'd been shielded with, but it did not hurt. It only built my curiosity back up after it had been crushed by my family’s distrust in the human race.

My hands shook violently as I stared into the same image I'd always seen, the back of my head. at least that's what people called it. If they have such a phrase, maybe there was a time before this madness. Before this was all people could see. I must commit to this. No matter if this answer drives me insane, I must do this for the sake of our town, our country, our world. As the Glazing slowly peeled back, the truth slowly revealed itself. No. It can't be. Everything has fallen to shambles. My upbringing has collapsed to the ground. Not everyone is a liar. But our society is constructed, built, on a mountain of lies to keep us away. Away from the monsters we’ve become.