AP Literature Create A Story And Use Symbols to show comprehension of them in Literature.
It was a rushed story incorporating the idea of symbols in any story, after all, it was due two days after it was assigned, followed with hell loads of homework from all my other classes. I felt I could add so much more... oh well...
It was just going to be a regular sci-fi story, but then I said, to hell with it I'll add some MechScape themes.
Writing this also inspired a landscape picture... but I am not to sure if I will finish it.
Since I am lazy, I'll just post up everything... but I'll space it out to make it easier for you guys to read. Hmm... I think I just killed myself there.
Student Code - QJ
The City Flower
It was nighttime for nearly twenty of the twenty-four universal day hours. As such, every three universal days, the government would turn on powerful lights to give off the feeling and heat from regular solar light for most of the day. It was required for some of the biological life and civilians to strive. Either way, everyone loved the long nights. This was the only city on this dwarf planet, and it is described as simply beautiful. Of distinguishing feature, the lights burst through the darkness of the planet with such passion. However, science has somehow called the lights to still allow for the full view of the miraculous star ocean above, as four galaxies controlled by separate races and factions can be seen among it. To many tourists and travelers, the city was the jewel between the four factions. Yet to the many residents that have lived here for years, it was nothing, as they have simply forgotten of its true beauty, ignoring what is around them of what they once looked so closely to.
The roars of the engine engulfed the entire workshop. Sean took a good glance at it and quickly shut it off.
“Blasted thing…” he said, as he bashed it with his large wrench... “AC, hand me that laser stabilizer,” he ordered to the three legged robot near him.
“Human, an illogical choice, it will-” the cybernetic, AC began talking before being interrupted.
“Just hand me it,” Sean said to it, and handed him the tool. He made quick adjustments to the engine with the item, but in a snap it started up again, and shook violently, the screams of the mechanism ten fold as loud as it was earlier. Staggering at first, Sean quickly shut it off again, just as it looked as though it was to blow up. He sighed, he should listen to the intelligent robot more often… but he didn’t want to admit himself inferior to anything not human in any way. He took a look at his watch. “It’s three quarters of universal twenty four. You all can go home now, I’ll work on this more…” he said to the handful of workers in the mechanic shop.
Everyone slowly headed out, their footsteps and slithering silenced by their chatter. Sallis took a looking to what they were trying to finish… what a disaster. It was completely destroyed when we had obtained it, why were they spending so much time trying to refurbish this? It was such a good model, but it shall never be repaired. Sallis shook her head as she got onto her red customized nano bike and rode through the bright streets, still covered in greases and oils.
Sallis concentrated as she rode through the empty streets… left here… right there… change lanes… She made the twists and turns, finally slowing and parking her bike. She glared up at her aging apartment complex. For some reason, the sounds of hammering construction and sirens echoed constantly throughout the streets here.
The door opened automatically for her, and she slowly walked up a flight of cracked stairs… the elevator was always busted; stairs are good for exercise in any case… In no time, she reached her room, and placed her palm on the scanner by the door, to which a clicking noise was then heard as it verified Sallis’s identity. She twisted the door knob and entered the small room closing the door right behind her.
Right away, she took off her work clothes and dumped it into the auto wash before heading into the shower. She didn’t have plans, but it was a regular procedure for her to put on outgoing clothes right after work. She lied on her bed as she flipped on her small holovision, as cartoon girls sprouted from the projector in the middle of song and dance.
“Fruity oaty bars…” the commercial from the holovision filled the room.
“Son of gaki droppings…” Sallis said to herself as she instantly switched the channel, as another hologram soon appeared. It was such an annoying commercial to her. She sat up, and looked on to the window, where a plant pot was set. Above it was a radiating floral lamp. She grabbed some mineral water and sprinkled it above the plant pot. It has been budding for about half the year now… and she wondered when it would finally bloom. Sallis wasn’t even sure why she still had it. She took a step back and lay back down on her bed. Laughter boomed from the holovised program, as it was replaying a Gray’s standup performance. She has heard it to the point of which she memorized nearly every joke… like a scar through her mind. “Forget it…” she said to herself, as she turned off the holograms and went out onto the streets in her casual clothing.
This world wasn’t interesting anymore… a year ago, perhaps, when she had first arrived to find work right after the war. It was amazing how much the four factions could so easily forgive one another and live together here in harmony… in fact, the flower that she had by her window was given to her by an insect-like man when she had first moved here. The Pliigi, the insect-man whom lives near her, was actually a soldier who fought in the war, and shot down at least two human pilots, and five others in total from the two other factions with acidic spray cannons. The plant had just sprouted one month after Sallis moved, and began budding as soon as she found herself tired with this site… she wasn’t sure if the plant was going to kill or devour her, but she felt strongly the Pliigi man wouldn’t do anything like that.
Sallis had driven and parked her customized motorcycle in a designated area. She wandered into the lit streets; she hadn’t been here in a long time. The sound of police sirens spaced over the silence, then being broken by the sound of military fighters that flew overhead, on their regular patrol over the city. Their sonic booms struck the streets, as the building windows vibrated weakly.
“I should’ve joined the Federation…” Sallis said to herself as she looked overhead to the darkness. The crafts left bright red trails in the star littered heavens from their special plasmic engines. Sallis took a small smile, but looked away and continued her wander through the streets.
It was busy tonight, loads of men and women of all scattered among it, going to or from work, a number holding shopping bags, others just checking out the sites… poor souls. Some were even heading towards to famous casinos of the city. Sallis used to like them, yet she had always lost in them, one time losing over a thousand universal credits in a single go, to which she stopped herself from going to casinos ever again.
She began her stroll downtown; the smell of freshly cooked exotic food aroused the block. It has been too long... she was tempted to buy something, but she had already a good meal half an hour ago. Sallis took another look up through the sky as a hovering bus flew overhead and blocked her view.
Sallis sighed and walked down the lane, looking for any good shops selling some clothing or electronics she could afford. Nothing in particular was good looking or fairly priced as of now.
One thing she did want was a small space craft, so she could simply soar through the greater heavens freely. Her grandfather once did own a very old one, centuries old, but it had lost all its fuel one flight through space, and he was stuck in an endless drift in an unused route. By the time he was found, he died of suffocation, as the life support system wasn’t perfected with the model. So, Sallis’s own father and mother never bought a civilian model, even though current vessels ran on solar energies and had life support systems that never stop working. Her parents even forbid her from riding in one as a child. Times have changed though…
“Last night there was a robbing of a Mortiga store. Foolishly, the robber hadn’t realized he dropped his ID-” a female Pliigi news anchor reported on a large hologram as Sallis walked through the city center. Advertisements were everywhere on the enormous television screens and holograms.
There was a magnificent fountain lit up staggeringly with various designs constantly changing every few seconds. Sallis took a seat by one of the benches and pondered… it has been so long since the glorious days she felt when first arriving… The sound of some excited shouts was heard over the chatter and sounds of the people and electronics.
“Mommy! Look!” a little girl shouted as she pointed to the stars.
A number of people paused in what they were doing, and looked up to see what the commotion was about. Sallis soon followed them and stared up, the trails of some military fighters were seen faded, but in the star heaven, a shower of streams of lights was overhead. A large meteor was breaking up, forming a shower of falling stars. Sallis couldn’t remember seeing something so miraculous. The crowd around her made various comments and remarks.
“It is a sign of souls transcending to the greater peace, one stream representing a single being,” a rock-like creature, a Mortiga had remarked.
“I see it as a strong warrior, has finally fallen, and the heavens weep for him.” A Pliigi shared.
“Make a wish, I say it is a sign of good luck as well,” a human-like woman with animal characteristics said.
“Illogical… it is nothing but simply cosmic debris shattering and burning from the atmosphere of this world. The flames produce those streams,” a three legged, cybernetic robot explained, as some creatures turned their heads and took a quick glare at the being.
Sallis thought to herself… and smiled. “A new hope, and inspiration,” she whispered to herself just as the celestial event ended. A number of people were still looking straight up, as everyone then continued about their doings, and Sallis began her stride back to where she parked her bike.
It was a good few hours spent during her trip downtown… on the way to her bike and home, she had enjoyed herself very much looking into the technology and architecture of the city. The streets dazzled with the show of advertisements, holovision and television programs, and stylish light shows. It felt exciting… almost like it was her first time arriving here. The magic of the city flowing through her veins once again.
Sallis arrived at her aging apartment… the sounds of hammering construction and sirens still echoed. She headed upstairs to her room, and flipped on the lights. She then turned on her holovision as it played a popular song as she lied flat on her bed. She was weary. But something caught her attention, as a good aroma embodied the area.
“What is that?” Sallis whispered to herself, as she sat up and looked around. She glanced at her window, and from the flowerpot was a large and beautiful flower. Sallis couldn’t believe it… but it was there… her thoughts were racing in enjoyment, but her weariness got to her. So she smiled proudly, and turned off the lights as she pressed on to sleep.
Word Count: 1907
Symbols-
1. The Mechanism at the workshop- It is used to describe the views of Sallis and reflect her own dreams, which was once working before, but has been broken and put into repair. It is also used to describe her confidence.
2. Light trails and meteor shower seen in the sky- They are put in as a form of hope, even though they come from some less appealing objects. The first trails of light being created by weapons of warfare and the meteor shower streams described as coming from a large pile of debris.
3. The flower in Sallis’s window- It is used to reflect on her once again. The pot was filled with nothing but a seed given to her by her neighbor when she had first arrived in the city. The story describes the flower sprouting after a month of obtaining it, which reflects to when she perhaps became more settled in the city, and used to the surroundings. It began to bud just as she became uninterested with the city. Finally, it blooms once she has gained new confidence and recognized the city’s beauty once again.