Emily+Willoughby-+option+1

The New Kid’s Prologue
The field trip over, soft dusk creeping on, The students were tired, energy gone. The bus rumbled softly, as every kid Stared out the windows, and ev’ry eyelid Struggled not to shut, even the teachers Had boredom sketched on all of their features. Then a small voice from the back spoke out loud, ‘If you’ve naught to say,’ he said to the crowd, ‘Then I have a story to pass the time Until we reach home. Quite willingly I’m Ready to speak, unless none of you wish To hear my tale, which is somewhat dark-ish.’ No resistance from the students turned ‘round, To hear from he who spoke never a sound. ‘Some of you won’t believe what I tell you, <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif;">But I swear on my life ev’ry word’s true.’ <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif;">One or two students scoffed, some rolled their eyes, <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif;">None of them certain if he would tell lies. <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif;">With a shrug he began, after clearing his throat, <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif;">To tell a strange tale, and his words I quote.

<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif;">The New Kid’s Tale

<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif;">‘None of you know me, and I don’t know you, <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif;">So I’ve nothing to prove what I went through. <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif;">I can’t force you to listen, nor believe, <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif;">I’ll just say it—I don’t care if you leave. <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif;">My story begins when I was five years old. <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif;">I had two siblings, or so I’ve been told. <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif;">My mother, she told me the other night, <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif;">Their story, and why I forgot despite, <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif;">The fact I had known them for five whole years. <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif;">The thought of it all, ‘bout brought me to tears. <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif;">I still recall the family vacations; <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif;">My parents, but no other relations. <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif;">We would stay at this farm, all quiet-like, <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif;">Away from the cars, trains, airplanes and bikes. <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif;">Now I realize I’d have been pretty bored <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif;">Without anyone to have the place explored. <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif;">I must have blocked out the horrid event <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif;">To this day I’m not too sure where I sent <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif;">The memories. So, these words are not mine <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif;">But my mother’s, after these long years nine. <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif;">And so this farm, on which we liked to stay <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif;">Pretty much kept the same day after day. <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif;">A nice little barn, with chickens and cows, <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif;">A cat for the mice, a clean little house.[1] <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif;">We hid in the meadow, we climbed each tree, <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif;">We swam in the spring, we had fun, we three.[2] <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif;">‘Til the dreaded day that Mother was out, <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif;">And Papa with her, us kids heard him shout, <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif;">‘Be good, remember to stay together, <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif;">And stay inside in case of bad weather!’ <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif;">They jumped in the car and drove into town, <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif;">The wheels picked up dust, all arid and brown.[3] <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif;">It wasn’t until ma came back and arrived, <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif;">To find me alone, the one who survived. <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif;">Survived what? I can’t really say. That’s all <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif;">She knows, and I’ve tried but cannot recall <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif;">The suppressed thoughts of something so extreme. <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif;">Yet, I been having a curious dream. <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif;">It could be nothing, my mind playing tricks, <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif;">But I’ll run it by you, purely for kicks. <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif;">Because it was about this thing, this day, <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif;">As if those old memories chose to stay.[4] <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif;">I see my siblings and me in our den, <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif;">In an old tree, in the woods, in a glen. <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif;">Below it, our hide-out, known just by us. <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif;">The perfect place to play pretend or discuss <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif;">Ways to fool mama, or how to scare dad, <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif;">How to sneak around, without being bad. <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif;">In my dream we three slept, just having played. <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif;">Then I woke up, to a sound in the shade. <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif;">Not my sister, she still fast asleep was, <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif;">Not my brother[5], whose snores still gently buzzed.[6] <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif;">I got up and found a hole in the wood, straight <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif;">Through the bark I could see far off our gate. <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif;">Suddenly clouds covered the shining sun,[7] <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif;">And that was the point my nightmare begun. <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif;">The soft blowing wind turned vicious and fierce, <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif;">As hail from the heavens[8] began to pierce <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif;">My view outside, there was only the storm. <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif;">In fear I cried out at the fearsome swarm <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif;">Of debris filling the air like large flies[9]. <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif;">My siblings woke in the blink of an eye, <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif;">And to my surprise I could see them both, <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif;">Their two faces, I’ll take a solemn oath. <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif;">In my dream, I can see them, quite clearly. <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif;">Though I don’t remember the event, nearly <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif;">All in my dream matches up with the tale, <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif;">Which makes me believe I’m on the right trail. <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif;">Anyway[10], the dream continues, with me, <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif;">Running as fast as I could from the old tree. <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif;">At the top of a hill I paused and turned, <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif;">To see a lightning bolt the tree had burned. <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif;">Dead and dry, the tree the fire took claim <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif;">The wind blowing a giant candle flame[11]. <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif;">My brother and sister, choking on smoke, <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif;">Crawled out and then collapsed under the oak. <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif;">I ran even further, against the storm, <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif;">To find my way home, afraid and forlorn.

<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif;">Here the dream ends, I wake covered in sweat <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif;">I think its imagination, and yet, <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif;">I wonder what it could possibly mean, <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif;">That those faces which I never have seen <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif;">Could show up so clearly, I see them now. <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif;">If this was fantasy, I ask you how <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif;">I saw them. I know I might seem crazy, <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif;">All dreams are strange and senseless and hazy. <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif;">But what if this dream is not that at all, <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif;">But memory found, a rolling snowball?[12] <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif;">And if only I their mystery knew, <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif;">How could I live with myself should it be true? <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif;">I might have helped them, perhaps saved their lives,[13] <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif;">But they wound up dying, while I survived.’

<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif;">At this the new kid, his strange story shared, <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif;">Let one tear fall, turned his head and stared. <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif;">Out the window of the bus, as he had <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif;">Before, leaving every kid driven mad. <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif;">What did he mean, by telling them his tale?[14] <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif;">He truly seemed shaken, his face was pale, <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif;">And the sigh that he gave, so sad and small. <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif;">What could his peers really make of it all? <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif;">So each turned back, and let their thoughts wander, <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif;">With only the new kid’s words to ponder. <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif;">Though heads full of questions, much to discuss, <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif;">The kids stayed silent, and on drove the bus.

<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif;">[1] Parallelism <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif;">[2] Asyndeton <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif;">[3] Visual Imagery <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif;">[4] Personification <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif;">[5] Anaphora <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif;">[6] Onomatopoeia <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif;">[7] Alliteration <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif;">[8] Alliteration <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif;">[9] Simile <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif;">[10] Expletive <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif;">[11] Visual imagery <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif;">[12] Metaphor <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif;">[13] Appeal to Ethos <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif;">[14] Catharsis