~ For the January Writing Camp (JWC) ~ Art & Writing: @Astrid_da_potato 1) Main-Cabin Daily Word Count: 618 2) In Cabin Daily Word Count: 22 since it's a Tanka poem xD 3) Main Cabin Daily Word Count: 331 1) Main Cabin Daily: Traveling through time was all fun and games . . . until one of us got stuck. “You have no idea what you’re doing, do you, Janis?” I gripped the steering wheel and risked a second away from the road to glare at my twin sister, Sharon. I dug my fingernails into the steering wheel and tried to focus on the starry galaxies in front of me, creating swirling patterns in front of me. Despite my efforts, I could feel the all-too-familiar feeling of wishing I could scratch that smug smile off my sister’s face. “As if YOU have any idea what we’re doing!” I retorted, flaring defensively. “This is the first time humanity ever tried something like this before.” “Which is why we should be more careful!” “Easy for you to say. You’re not the one steering us through space. And besides, I AM careful.” I clenched my fists so hard that the steering wheel dug into my palms. I could still remember the day NASA started hiring kids to help around with the space station, granting us permission to control the first successful pod that could travel through time and space. Now, it all seemed like an overused joke. “And yet,” Sharon muttered. “Thanks to you, now we’re down a member.” This time, her voice sounded much less sarcastic and even held a hint of regret. I decided to stay quiet because as hard as I tried to ignore her, we both knew what she was talking about. “It’s been ten days since he went missing.” Guilt gouged at my heart. In a way, it kind of WAS my fault. After all, if it weren’t for the Stupidest Mistake Known to Man, Seth would still be here. I squeezed my eyes shut before my brain could barge on with a full flashback of what had happened. But it was too late. I could still hear the roar of the engines as we touched down in the 30th century. I wanted to see what the world would be like in the future. Long story short, I ended up annoying some humanoid robots, and . . . the rest is history. The experience had taken its toll on me and Sharon. I could still see the longing looks Sharon gave the empty chair next to us. The one Seth used to fill. And he would definitely be doing a better job at piloting this pod than I ever could. As if on cue, the spaceship swerved and started to descend, hovering over the surface of another planet from a distant galaxy and time period. “Are you trying to KILL US?!” Sharon demanded, pressing against the pod walls to keep from toppling over. “I’m not doing anything! I think the pod is malfunctioning.” “Oh, and that’s supposed to make me feel much better,” Sharon muttered sardonically. I tugged at the controls but the pod didn’t respond. And in an act of pure desperation, I started hitting random buttons--the exact thing the NASA instructors told us NOT to do. Thankfully, my impulsive actions didn’t make the pod explode or initiate self-destruct, so I took that as a good sign. Our pod landed on the planet with a soft thud. I took a deep breath. “Well, at least we’re safe.” Sharon rolled her eyes. “Yeah. Real safe. We’ve just landed on an enemy planet! Remember what happened last time? Who knows if the inhabitants are friendly, or if--” I stared out the window, trying to tune her out. And my heart froze. “What?” Sharon snapped she peered out the window and all the blood drained out of her face. “No way . . .” Finally, as I found my voice, I whispered aloud the “thing” we had both spotted. “Seth?!” 2) A flickering flame Amongst an ocean of grief Hopelessness conquered, This strong feeling will help you Brave the toughest shards of gloom 3) As I scaled my way through the mountainous terrain, my parents’ words kept coming back to me: “You can’t tell anyone.” I pulled my bandanna over my face and raised my arm to shield myself from the sun. /Just a little bit farther/, I thought. I couldn’t let them find me. Not after how far I’ve already gone. The relentless sun slammed down against my back as I dug my leather boots into the side of the mountain, clinging to the cliff for a short rest. I licked my parched lips, using my elbow to unhinge my side bag from my waist. Fishing out my water bottle, I ran the cool water down my throat. As I put my water back, I risked a glance down. The scenery was incredible, with long rolling hillsides and tufts of brown grass wilted by the summer sun. The land seemed to stretch limitlessly toward the horizon. Everything was a distinct contrast to my city home. /Just a little farther/, I repeated. /Just a little farther and you can start over again./ There would be no more disgrace being born as the firstborn child. A girl. I could still remember the day I was born. The day my family realized they had only a girl to continue the great family legacy. (Continued in Notes & Credits)
3) Main Cabin Daily: As I scaled my way through the mountainous terrain, my parents’ words kept coming back to me: “You can’t tell anyone.” I pulled my bandanna over my face and raised my arm to shield myself from the sun. /Just a little bit farther/, I thought. I couldn’t let them find me. Not after how far I’ve already gone. The relentless sun slammed down against my back as I dug my leather boots into the side of the mountain, clinging to the cliff for a short rest. I licked my parched lips, using my elbow to unhinge my side bag from my waist. Fishing out my water bottle, I ran the cool water down my throat. As I put my water back, I risked a glance down. The scenery was incredible, with long rolling hillsides and tufts of brown grass wilted by the summer sun. The land seemed to stretch limitlessly toward the horizon. Everything was a distinct contrast to my city home. /Just a little farther/, I repeated. /Just a little farther and you can start over again./ There would be no more disgrace being born as the firstborn child. A girl. I could still remember the day I was born. The day my family realized they had only a girl to continue the great family legacy. Over time, they started passing me off as a boy. Covering my face and my identity. If my family was normal, it wouldn’t even matter if I was a boy or not. But considering the fact that my dad was the emperor, several “adjustments” had to be made. I smiled and climbed some more, no longer caring that my fingers were scratched or that my skirt was filthy. The vast blue sky ahead seemed to be a promise of freedom. Out here, there would be no more limits. No more expectations. No more scornful looks I raised my face to the sun, laughing despite the scorching heat. After all this time, I was finally free.
