G3+Group+4

Rabiya, Richard, and Chris

Plot- Richard Characterization- Chris Setting, Theme, Introductory Hook, Title- Rabiya

Name- Stanley Age- 14 Problems- Dead mother and abusive father Background- Mother is dead, poor family, Father is a construction worker Lives in Detroit Likes to- Watch movies Cares about/Wants- Cares about Mother and wants a better life away from father like in the movies. Fears- His father Dreams- A better life


 * A Past of Broken Memories**

The dark night trudged along the motionless trees. Wolves screeched and howled in every direction. Even the moon was hiding behind the darkness, frightened. It made Stanley shiver. Actually, panic. The ubiquitous, unexpected wing flaps of birds made Stanley’s heart jump. He couldn’t sleep under these conditions. Sorrow flooded Stanley’s mind. Impetuous images and sounds flowed in and out of his mind like a gushing river with no end. Stanley threw his torn-up blanket over his head and pinched himself seconds later. He wouldn’t let his mind wander. He had to focus. Think. Survive. He examined the dark forest with his dark brown eyes in a squint. It was now around midnight and the emptiness was definitely not the type Stanley had imagined. Stanley wished he could just jump on his bed and lie there thinking and staring at the wall. No. He didn’t. He couldn’t. He’s not going to go home. No way. No how. He closed his eyes and shuddered. Running away from home wasn’t as easy as he thought. This wasn’t the way those movies portrayed it. Not even close. This setting made horror movies seem like comedy shows. He thought about what he would be doing at home. Probably watching another movie, or reading a book. Stanley reached into his book bag and snatched a Ziploc bag marked by dents and creases. He opened the back and reached in, pulling out a few scraps of money. 1, 2, 3, 4. $4 dollars was all that was left. Even spending one dollar a day for food and water wasn’t enough to keep the Ziploc bag from going flat very quickly. Stanley ran his hand through his filthy black hair and started to think. Tomorrow, he would have to scavenge for money. Where? Anywhere he wouldn’t be recognized as a runaway teenager. No chances could be taken. But first, he really had to get some sleep. The night still hung over, but Stanley finally drifted off.

//"Mom!" Stanley whimpered.//

//Tears were rolling down his cheeks; he grasped the handle bars of the hospital bed tightly. He winced at the coldness of the hard steel of the bed handles. He couldn't believe she was actually gone. Forever. He immediately collapsed onto his mother's strong and beautiful body and let his emotions pour out. The tears were still flowing like a downhill stream, but now, Stanley was sobbing really hard. He rested his head close to her heart, hoping for a heartbeat. The more he listened, the more tightly he clung to the handle bars. Eventually, they started to hurt, but Stanley didn't care. Suddenly, he heard a noise. He looked up with puffy, red eyes. He vision was blurry; all he could see was the piercing whiteness of the walls of the room and a big dark figure overpowering him//.

Stanley woke, startled and unaware of his surroundings. He rubbed his eyes vigorously and blinked a few times. Trying to recall his dream, he slid his hand down his dirty jeans and reached into his pocket to make sure his money was still there. He breathed a sigh of relief; his life depended on the few wrapped up dollar bills. After recollecting, he re-examined his surroundings. It was much like the day before when he set camp here. The fresh scent of life filled the air with insects and birds scurrying around, doing their daily chores. The trees were no longer motionless; their colors were vivid and their leaves bristled through the light breeze. The sun seemed to render the trees as transparent, the rays beamed through the atmosphere. The setting calmed Stanley. The spook from last night with that extremely emotional dream would have taken his depression to the next level. It actually felt like those movies. Everything was full of life and playful; there was nothing to worry about. Stanley felt like he wanted to run around chasing the squirrels and lie down and smell the soft luscious grass. He felt like he wanted to run around until he was so tired, he would just sit on a stump and doze off. He felt like he wanted to climb the branches of the tress and jump down from them with loud thumping noises. But no, he couldn't do any of that. He needed money and he needed food. Stanley swiftly gathered his few belongings: the ragged book bag, his blanket, his jacket, and his money. He stuffed everything he had into his bag as usual and arranged them so that they would make him look as if he was just another kid walking to school. He didn't have a mirror, so he didn't know what he looked like, but he was sure that he looked filthy and disgusting. There was no way of hiding that; he'd just have to try his best.

Stanley carefully guided himself through the park and into the streets. Right across, on the other side, was a block of nice diners. His stomach lurched, but he ignored and immediately put on an excited smile. Like an eagle, he glued his eyes to the street and the sidewalks. It was quite a difficult task. The ground was littered with cigarette butts, trash bags, and newspapers, anything you could imagine. A few times, a shine caught Stanley's eye, but they all ended up being litter. After quite a while, he decided that he had scavenged for enough and that he needed to move onto the next area. He quickly started to walk to his next location. As he began to walk, his hunger started to increase. Every step felt like he was chained to the ground. Finally, Stanley decided that would walk into the nearby diner. Even smelling the food would help.

As Stanley approached the diner, he caught a glimpse of himself in a store window. His red sweater was no longer bright red; it was now a more brown color. The dirt that had gathered up onto it was extremely visible. He was happy that his hair was black though, it camouflaged the filth that was inside it. If he bought something here, he would have lost at least half of his money. After this, he could tell there would be a couple of hours more of scavenging for money. Stanley walked up to the counter and examined the diner. It was a quite cheerful setting. The tile floors seemed to have been cleaned earlier, and the other areas also seem to have been well cared for. He had only four dollars left so he needed to buy something cheap.

As he stood studying the menu, an old lady that he had noticed when he was walking into the diner came up to him and kindly asked, "Do you want me to buy you something to eat?"

Stanley thought about the possible consequences of his decisions and decided with the amount of money that he had left the offer was too good to refuse.

"Yes, that would be very kind of you." Stanley replied.

"What would you like?" the old lady inquired.

Stanley looked through choices such as homemade chicken noodle soup, an Italian sub, and finally decided on the on the Italian sub. The old lady paid for the food and handed the sub to Stanley.

Stanley, not wanting to have to talk to the old lady, started walking away towards the exit, but the old lady grabbed his arm and said "I bought you the meal won't you be kind enough to at least sit and eat it with me?"

"Alright then." replied Stanley. He was a little disoriented due to the fact that he had been in very little human contact these days.

As she dragged him to the nearest table, he had time to study the old lady. Her frail face looked wise and experience and her eyes glistened. She reminded him of someone. She was wearing a bright purple dress and a straw hat. Her stride was not long or powerful, but definitely more solid than others of her age. There was something calming about her. Something that told Stanley that everything was going to be alright. He glanced around the diner and suddenly realized that they were the only ones there. The lady's presence made it seem as if everywhere was bustling with activity. By this time, they had reached the table.

They sat down at a table and Stanley started vigorously eating his sub.

"What is your name son?" the lady inquired.

"Stanley"

Seeing that Stanley was not going to ask her what her name was she said, "I am Mrs. Jones nice to meet you."

Stanley decided that he needed to get away from Mrs. Jones's questioning and started eating faster.

"What are you doing out all by yourself?" Mrs. Jones asked.

Stanley did not say anything. He was too hungry to make a carefully crafted response; her question also made him feel awkward, he was a runaway.

"Where are your parents?" she demanded.

Stanley stopped eating and froze. That one hit him hard. He felt like she had thrown one large boulder right onto his head. He knew he couldn't stay here much longer and grabbed the rest of his sub and quickly started rushing towards the door.

Stanley continued outside into the breezy day, but, instead of scavenging for more money for a couple of hours around the city, he headed for the park where he could relax and collect his thoughts. The air was getting colder and harder as each day went by; Stanley was sure that the brutality of winter was reaching its peak. He used to love the winter time, especially with his mother. Now, nothing felt the same without her. It was as if his whole world was turned upside down. He kept thinking about his mother until he reached the old wooden bench which had always been his primary spot of lodging. He spread his jacket onto the bench and laid down on it. He then grabbed his blanket from his book bag and put it over his body. He just lay there, looking at the tree, thinking. Think about his mother and how he loved her so much. Thinking about his father and how he was thankful he could be away from that evil, drunken man. Thinking about why he ran away, and whether it was worth it. And most of all, thinking about that old lady. All of this thinking was hurting his head for now, so Stanley decided to go to sleep early tonight. In retrospect, he felt as if his encounter today with the old lady had made him stronger in a way. He felt like it was his duty to go back to the diner tomorrow and see if he could find this woman again. As Stanley rolled over on his side, he felt at ease. Tonight was different from the other nights he had spent in the park. He immediately closed his eyes and started to sleep.

Stanley awoke with the sound of birds chirping and trees bristling. It was a sunny day with little clouds in the sky. He wanted to see Mrs. Jones again and hoped she would be at the diner again so he immediately packed his belongings and headed for the dinner. The thought of meeting that old lady made him sprint. He started to run as fast as he could. As he sprinted he thought about how he wished she went back to the diner today. He thought back to what it was like back after his mom had died before he had run away. His mom being dead only made his dad angrier than usual. He would shout at Stanley to get him some food find the TV remote. His dad always spoke in harsh tones. Now all of this was gone. Stanley arrived at the diner and his spirits rose. As Stanley entered the diner he crossed his fingers and, he saw the familiar face from yesterday. The old lady was sitting in the same booth with some soup and a glass of iced tea. Noticing Stanley, Mrs. Jones began to speak immediately.

"Why hello son. Are you back for another Italian sub? I think I have some money to spare."

"Yes Ma'am."

"Here," the old lady handed Stanley three dollar bills. He politely thanked the woman and bought the sub. Again, she asked Stanley to join her for her meal. Stanley obliged.

"You know son, you should really be with your family this time of year. I lost touch with my daughter right after they left the house. She was such a great kid. She always followed directions and never complained when times were hard. She was always running throughout the house when she was little. The only remembrance I have of her is this necklace." Mrs. Jones pointed at a beautiful necklace with a vivid blue sapphire, dangling from it.

Stanley stared hard and wide-eyed. Mrs. Jones continued.

"She was always wearing it. I gave it to her on her 10th birthday. I had my own copy. She vowed never to take it off. When she left, during college, I couldn't reach her again. Where are your parents?"

He hesitated, trying to think of something to say.

"Anyway...my daughter was the most important person to me in the world, and I lost her.

The old lady must have known that Stanley was a runaway. She should have, the way she was talking about the meaning of family and all.

Stanley thought more about the necklace. "What was your daughter's name Mrs. Jones?"

"Beatrice." Mrs. Jones said with a smile.

The name ricocheted throughout Stanley's head like a bullet.

"Well, Stanley, would you like to come stay with me for a while?" Mrs. Jones asked, her eyes gleaming.

He nodded and smiled. This was definitely like the movies.