Chelsea D'cruz It’s the last day of the millennium. I stand on the edge of the iconic Sydney Harbor Bridge, getting soaked to the skin in raw, frigid rain. This is how I choose to spend the last few hours-getting properly drenched and drowning in buckets of liberation. The sparse clouds had cleared like deep-velvet curtains, opening in a great, sweeping fashion to reveal the young night. The sharp coldness stiffened my hands, as my lungs swelled with the icy air. A fleeting year of globe-trotting had culminated to this moment. Another tick off my bucket list. Yet, as I stood there, one amongst millions, I couldn't have felt more alone. A peculiar, hollow feeling overwhelmed my senses... Australia’s close proximity to the prime meridian means its time zone is relatively ahead of most countries in the world- hence allowing them the liberty of celebrating most events first. Therefore, the clock will strike midnight on December 31st, 1999 in Sydney sooner than it will in most locales, leaving a jealous planet of revelers waiting for their turn to celebrate. However, punctuality is not Sydney’s only redeeming quality. The harbor also happens to be one of the most exquisite venues in the world. Its sapphire-blue waves glimmered like a thousand specks of diamond in Sydney’s bright sunlight, and at night-time it was another spectacle to behold. The kaleidoscopic colors of Sydney’s statuesque skyscrapers reflected brilliantly on its calm, cobalt water. To the right stands the grandiloquent Sydney Opera House. While it has the appearance of fragile beauty, it is actually sturdy and resilient, dynamic, and continually changing. From that height and that perspective, the Opera building seems delicate, almost fragile, and organic. The main structure seems to be opening, as if it were an exotic flower. It seems as if it is about to open further and that at sundown it might fold its petals for the night. The variations on the simplistic shapes are eye-opening. Each shell is so similar to all the others, and yet each is different in size, in the arc of its curved roof, and in the degree to which it tilts. They look as if they could have been paper - intricately cut and folded by a origami master. And finally, the structure that takes center stage at the New Year’s Eve celebrations- the Sydney Harbor Bridge. Fondly known by the locals as the ‘Coat-Hanger’, the Sydney Harbor Bridge is spectacular in more ways than one. Take for instance its rigid steel beams that tower high above the harbor, intricately fixed, and intersecting into a criss-cross pattern. The arching steel span of Sydney Harbor Bridge offers a magnificent view of Sydney’s gorgeous harbor, as well as the city itself. A newcomer is always in awe of Sydney’s coastal elegance. The rain showers abruptly stopped. My current location was a prime spot to watch the fireworks amongst the huge crowds. Hundreds of thousands of people lined the harbor bridge, awaiting the ignition of a million dollars’ worth of explosive gases over a five-minute period of indulgence. I must confess, after a lifetime of intermingling- I enjoy crowds. My odd favor towards crowds has a simple explanation. I wanted to be viewed by more people tonight than other person in the world, and at the center stage on Sydney Harbor Bridge as the countdown proceeds to the new millennium I am guaranteed to be a small dot on every television screen from Beijing to New York City. My 15 seconds of fame. Perhaps I just wish anyone were here with me tonight. However, years ago I had made a critical decision that made stable family relations difficult to achieve. Like many choices in life, we seldom understand all the ramifications involved at the moment of truth. A split second decision gave way to harsh consequences. I feared my family would never want to see me again. Thus, I embarked on a journey around the world - no better than your average Bedouin - I never stayed too long in one place. In fact, my singular ability of blending into vast crowds at a moment’s notice was a skill that I had developed over these years of travel. I had procured this coveted space on the bridge at the crack of dawn. Fortunately, I was not alone, as there seemed to be people from all walks of life preparing for the biggest celebrations of the millennia- from families to couples to groups of vagabonds. I quickly made friends with my temporary neighbors and soaking in the Australian culture, engaged in excited conversation. In a few hours it would finally be show time... With barely 15 minutes left to go, the crowd grew restless, and my mind continued to drift back and forth between thoughts of my family, friends and loved ones. A great roar interrupted my hazy dream. The crowd grew loud and rambunctious, it was nearly time…The countdown had begun. 10. 9. 8. 7. 6. 5. 4. 3. 2. 1. “Happy New Year!” the crowd roared simultaneously. My heart skipped a beat as a simultaneous firing from all firing points at the stroke of Midnight to the sound of an air raid siren rang in my ears and the first blazing firebomb lit up the night’s sky. Fiery red and golden yellow dispersed into freckles of azure and then blended into the tone of the universe. Ruby-peach bows streaked across the panorama and then disappeared. For a second, my heart dropped, but then suddenly picked up to twice its tempo when the new clashing colors scattered across the blue. With each successive burst, the harbor is ablaze with crackers exploding in a dizzying array of designs and a cacophony of sounds. 'Auld Lang Syne' commences soon after that, with shooting comets streaking off the Sydney Harbor Bridge and Opera House. The complicated pyrotechnics are a treat, with revolutionary effects introduced at this once in a lifetime affair. The lime green, pink, and yellow rockets zoom into a pitch black sky, amongst the hyperactive crowd. The closing sequence of the show features the Sydney Harbor Bridge before all firing points explode into an ‘all-white’ finale. The electric pulses in the sky vibrated and pounded into my bones with each successive firework. My blood flow finally caught up to my heartbeat and they continued to quicken in an automatic impulse. And with that, the war of sounds died down into thick, dark smoke that enveloped the air. The thunderous applause of the crowd echoed the night as the cheers and whistles of a few million resonated throughout. As I sat there, a face among the millions, I wondered if my family was watching at that moment. Would they see me? What would they think? Didn't I deserve to be with them? A new millennium certainly had to bring new changes? Yes, I thought. Of course it would. With a pause, I silently assured myself of a resolution that I would steadfastly keep. I smiled. Oh, what a time to be alive!S
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Beshid Behrouzi The eerie silence deafened me as I leaned back into my desk chair, trying to seek some comfort in the rigid leather that was plastered against my back all day. Taking in the paperwork and cases of the numerous people who depended on me so dearly to soften the blow of their federal punishment, my breath caught. Why did they have so much faith in me to help them? Was it because I was their last resort? Their only chance? Slowly and surely, I poured myself another drink. Rubbing my temples and practically gouging my eyes out, I made my way towards the record player and listened to the soft hymn which emitted from it. If anything, it just triggered the cacophony in my head to rage harder and louder. In a blinding rage, I flung the record player flying across the room like a Frisbee, sending the bookcase and all its contents cascading to the ground. Gathering myself, I took a deep breath. Only to be greeted with a bitter mixture of dust, tobacco and the rancid smell of rotting cheese. This room, indeed, hadn’t been lived in for a very long time. I looked back at the photograph on my desk of what used to be mine. Her ivory smile glowed, hardly taking away from the astonishing beauty of her kind eyes. Strawberry blond hair grazed her shoulders softly and her skin emanated with warmth. I will never forgive the universe for having taken her away from me. My joy, my rock; apparently I didn’t deserve any sense of stability or love. Numbly, I walked up to the desk and gently set the photo face-down. It was agonising enough to have to live with her loss, let alone to be reminded of its magnitude every time I glanced towards that photo. “How foolish and naïve,” I thought to myself, “to think that ridding yourself of a photograph would also rid yourself of its torment.” In a split second, I knew what was to come. Fearing the worst, I slowly turned towards the door. Just as I’d known, the monster stood by the doorway as it always does when I’m doing my worst, waiting for me to notice its presence. It towered over all that surrounded it and loomed over me like irreversible misery. It always moved in a grim and treacherous demeanor, but never towards me. Not out of politeness, but out of sheer intelligence. Because it knew…it knew that if I pushed myself too far, I would in turn approach it willingly. Pitch black eyes bore into my soul but I refused to stare back, as I knew if I did, I’d only find death staring back at me. A long, snake-like tongue dangled lethally, whispering my fate to me. It begged and pleaded with me to give up and give in.
Seeing no immediate response, the creature bared its yellow and ragged teeth at me with impatience. Its only desire was to see me fail and fall. A shooting pain stabbed my chest and I gasped hungrily for air. I felt the callous hands of death wrap themselves around my neck, giving me no alternative but to sputter and fight. I looked towards my palms and saw vermilion red seeping out of the seams, wanting to escape the body which could no longer bear and nourish it. With a quick blink of the eye and sharp shake of the head, I came to. The blood disappeared and my breathing was back to normal. Gradually, I was regaining my strength. Sudden clarity ignited in my mind and grief was lifted off my overburdened shoulders with this realisation: she wouldn’t want me to be doing this to myself. All this uncalled for and excessive guilt, remorse and anger which drives me to the edge of insanity everyday would have killed her all on its own. No terminal illness would have matched up to the pain it would have caused her to know that I was hurting to this extent. The monster growled, summoning me back to my previous state. I looked straight into its eyes and witnessed menace transform into defeat in a split second. Its ugly, pig-like snout quivered and shook. Another growl. “NO!” I shouted with such ferocious volume that I could’ve sworn I saw the windows shake. No to giving in, no to failing. Most of all, ‘no’ to letting her down. No, no, no. Gargantuan shoulders falling, the creature retreated. Not euphoric, but finally at peace with myself, I sat back down at the desk and took on my battles. Zeanne Mendoza | 11G1 The land of the samurai, a former name which our country was dubbed long ago has now evolved into something humans believed as beyond unfathomable. Because of the invasion of Amanto, the Bakufu was left no choice but to surrender to the Amanto’s superior technology and weaponry, a no match for a samurai’s katana. Despite the decision, the samurai entitled the Bakufu as traitors concluding to a long civil war- The Joui war. 20 years after the war, Edo-the capital and main terminal between earth and other planets now live in a modern lifestyle in diversity with the Amanto although there is still ongoing conflict. Furthermore, the sword-ban after the war made many samurai jobless since we only knew Bushido- the way of the samurai. That includes me- 15 year old Shimuya Shinpochi! Recently, I’ve been working at an Amanto restaurant here in Edo, Kabuki District. However, the wages are low and I’m always teased as the useless-four-eyes-errand-boy by customers. If I had a better option I wouldn’t hesitate to quit but there isn’t, considering me and my Ane-ue –Shimuya Omae, are working persistently to maintain and keep our dojo since our father died a decade ago. It was an ordinary Sunday working while serving a group of stuck-up Amanto, they purposely tripped me causing me to drop the fragile glass on the tray yet I was still the one to be scolded! I had to keep silent if I wanted my job then suddenly, a man in his mid-20’s with silver hair knocked off the group of Amanto in the blink of an eye with a wooden sword labeled Lake Toya on the hilt. I watched as I witnessed a true samurai with fiery eyes knock them out. “Oi, do you Amanto know what you’ve done?!” You spilled the parfait this two-left-footed-four-eyes-errand-boy was trying to bring to me!” And again I have been insulted! The silver haired samurairaged on about how his doctor prescribed that he was only allowed to eat one parfait a week due to his high sugar levels. “A sword in the age of the sword ban?!” one Amanto exclaimed. The samurai just calmly walked out and told me “Oi errand boy, tell the old man I’ll be back soon for another.” I chased after him despite feeling ridiculed as a two-left-footed-four-eyes-errand-boy in hopes of giving thanks but the Shinsengumi police was already outside as I froze in astonishment! “So you were the one causing all this commotion, eh?” I looked at the notoriously known Demon Vice-commander of the Shinsengumi- Hijitama Toshizou! With dilated eyes I made an attempt to burst out words to explain that I wasn’t the one to cause the complications but was too dumbfounded by the situation. I turned to Shinsengumi’s first division captain- Okita Sugou and with sadistic eyes he mentioned “Forget it four-eyes, you can’t excuse yourself with that wooden sword on your belt in the age of the sword ban.” I was framed! Regardless of the consequences, I made a run for it through the shadows in the streets away from the Shinsengumi and their undoubtedly alarming katana and cannon bazookas. While I was still relentlessly running for my life, I spotted the silver haired samurai from the bar earlier and darted for him as he rides his moped going 20 kilometers per hour. “Oi! YOU BASTARD! Because of you I lost my job and I’m now a person on the wanted list! How will you fix that huh?” without thinking, I released the overwhelming emotions inside of me and clung to the back side of his moped. “Hey, four-eyes get off my ride. You’re slowing me down and I need to get home to watch the news! I need to get a glimpse of reporter Ketsuno Ana!” The samurai replied as he nonchalantly picks his nose giving me a distinctive look. Instantaneously, we focused on the road as a Chinese looking girl carrying a purple wasaga collided with the moped and tumbled to the ground. Me and the silver haired samurai stepped off the moped to discover the deep blue eyed girl with bright, vivid, orange hair covered in crimson as red as her cheongsam. We gawked at her with fish eyes and as if in telepathy, me and the samurai rode off telling each other not to get involved as much as we already were. “We never saw anything right?” the samurai said. I nodded as the tranquil winds kissed my face in reply. In the momentum that we were riding, we felt a heavy sensation from behind. Stupefied, we saw that it was the Chinese girl riding unscathed! “You idiots! Do you think I would die after getting hit by a moped?” she explained that the bleeding wound she had was a bullet shot from when she was running away from a group of yakuza that held her captive for her superhuman ability. It turns out she is from the Yato clan! They are the most powerful warrior race in the universe! What’s a girl like her doing on earth? Still riding on the moped with all three of us clumped together while bickering about getting off and paying back for losses, I notice a big dark figure emerging from the dusty streets of Kabuki. It seemed like it was after the moped and before I was able to turn for alert the stubborn silver haired samurai, the thing that chased us caught up unsurprisingly since the moped now travelled 10 kilometers per hour due to the heavy weight. The unidentified creature was an Inugami-a God-dog! It had fur as white as snow and big, green, round eyes almost like a toy doll! “Sadoharu! You’ve found me!” It turned out to be the Yato girl’s pet! “Seriously!? With a size like that doesn’t it eat even a Yato girl like you?” The Yato-girl responded by smacking my head that her pet would never do that and that I should call her Kaguya instead of Yato-girl We stopped by a snack house where the silver haired samurai brought us for some refreshments. We quietly followed without question and sat down as we had some tea. The silver haired samurai broke the silence by introducing himself. “Let’s start over! Hi, I’m Sagata Gintoshi but you can refer to me as Gin.” Then we decided to refer to him as Gin-san. “Then Gin-san, I’m Shimuya Shinpochi of the Shimuya dojo and firstly…..HOW DO YO EXPECT TO CLEAN UP ALL THIS MESS?! WILL YOU GET MY JOB BACK?!” I bursted out in frustration. Feeling impatient my eyes fixated on Kaguya-chan who was gobbling down every grain of rice from the big rice cooker and asked for seconds the minute she put down the bowl. I now believe that the pet isn’t the one with a monster appetite. “Oi oi, what is with this commotion, Ara! New visitors Gin?” I couldn’t believe my eyes! It was Otome-san of the Kabuki four devas, the top four leaders of Kabuki District! I thought maybe I could work for Otome-san here in her snack house therefore, I requested if she could take me in yet she refused and said that she already has an cat-amanto waitress named Madeline. Madeline-san popped out of nowhere glaring at me as if telling me not to come any closer to Otome-san. That possessive and mischievous cat! I guess it was hopeless for me now and I excused myself home since there’s nothing more to do. However, if my Ane-ue finds out I was fired she is going to kick me in the tama all the way to the Shinsengumi! There was no other choice however, as I stepped out of the snack house, I was flabbergasted to encounter my Ane-ue standing in front of me with a ”You’re dead meat” face! “Shin-chan, I recently received word that you’ve been fired from your job?” She said in a sarcastic tone. I immediately knew I was done for before I even tried to utter a word and that’s when my tama had been done for as well! I couldn’t cry out in agony because of the excruciating pain and noticed Gin-san stepping out. “Ane-ue that’s the guy that framed me for the Amanto incident and got me fired!” Before I could look up, Gin-san was already badly beat up and was surely kicked in the tama as well. I stood up as Gin-san bowed and offered us a business card. “My name is Sagata Gintoshi and I run a Yorozuyabusiness so if it’s a job you need, employees are welcome!” Ane-ue and I looked up to see a sign on the second floor written in Japanese hiragana “Odd Jobs Gin-chan”. He basically does any type of work that anyone suggests. Unsure about the job, we stood and thought about the situation when without warning, a gun shot fired up inside the snack house and we rushed back to discover a group of Amanto and yakuza together ganging up on Kaguya-chan and Sadoharu. Kaguya held out her purple wasaga and without hesitation, fired bullet shots towards the gang from her wasaga! In the midst of confusion, we made a getaway before the amanto and yakuza could catch up and we spot an indistinguishable penguin or duck looking alien held up a sign that read “Over here!” we ran towards the alien hidden within the rows of barrels, lightly closed the lid and kept a low profile as much as possible. I struggled not to breathe so heavily because of the tight fit as I hear footsteps advancing closer and closer the heavier my breathing became. There was no possible way to see what was going on from inside the pitch black barrel and in the spur of the moment, someone made the biggest mistake in their life! “ACHOO!” A muffled and echoing sneeze resounded from one of other barrels at the worst possible moment! “Bless you” a deep voice from the outside unexpectedly replied and in that moment, we knew we were toast! Thinking of my death sentence, I accumulated as much courage as I could prepare to fight to the death just as a true samurai would! Taking a deep breath, I polished my glasses, grunted and came out from hiding only to discover that my Ane-ue single handedly beat a mere stranger unrelated to the unruly circumstances. We all stood out from our hiding place to take a closer look at my sister’s “victim” and as we look more and more, the man with long silky black hair turned out to be Katsura Kotarou- Joui Anti-Foreign Faction Leader! The strange penguin or duck must be his pet Alizabeth. “”Oi Casserole wake up!” I told Gin-san “it’s disrespectful to insult someone unconsc…” “It’s not Casserole, it’s Katsura!” I was interrupted by Katsura-san’s sudden awakening. Observing from the environment, we safe for now. On the contrary, who were those yakuza and amanto and what did they want with Kaguya-chan?! Have we gotten involved with such a dangerous person?! I just had to ask her directly and so I did. She sat down by a barrel and began explaining sounding and looking as if she’s letting her guard down and spoke in an empathetic tone. She narrated how she is actually an illegal immigrant here on earth just trying to live life as an earthling since her own planet does not have a sun to look up to especially since the Yato use their wasaga to maintain their white skin. Kaguya expressed how she longed to eat as much rice as she wanted and all the pickled seaweed that she could ever have. However, from perspective, Kaguya-chan is very young and probably younger than I am and it’s difficult to grasp the fact that she is just wandering with Sadoharu with no place to call home. Kaguya-chan further explains how she was taken in by those amanto and yakuza in exchange to fight for them manipulating her Yato abilities and says that she was sick and tired of hurting people just to get a small portion of seasoned rice. Gin-san stepped in and offered her to stay with him at the Yorozuya and work off her way back home and until then, she can eat all the rice she desires from Otome snack house. Everyone walked back to Otome-san’s snack house to help clean up the shop when Shinsengumi’s chief commander Isao Gondo entered the snack shop! My sister shocked pointed out and said “You’re that customer from the hostess club!” Plodding forward he came closer to Ane-ue and kneeled on one knee and I somehow knew where this was leading to. “Omae-san please marry me!” Ma…ma…..MARRY!? I was bewildered out of my mind! “ANE-UE WHAT IS THE MEANING OF THIS?!” I demanded an explanation yet my sister stayed quiet. Marriage out of the blue is completely off topic and random not to mention he is the chief commander of the Shinsengumi police force! In addition, I’m still wanted for being framed by Gin-san because of his Lake Toya sword that he placed on my belt. Being with Gin-san all day I’ve inspected how he would just pick his nose unconcerned about a turn of events he isn’t related to for his own convenience. How can I work for such a samurai?! We all went up to the second floor where Gin-chan resides as Otome-san’s tenant to discuss certain things. Haphazardly, we were caught in a big metallic net attached to a hovering ship the size of an earth whale shark on our way upstairs. We were reeled in as a strange gas was released above us which made all of us unconscious. When I returned to my senses, I was chained up against a tall metal pillar by the rear end of the ship along with Gin-san, Kaguya-chan, Gondo-san and Ane-ue beside me. I immediately recognized the amanto that stood before us, it was the perverted amanto that wanted to sell my sister as a courtesan in exchange for maintaining out dojo. I couldn’t digest what was happening and why it was happening. All I could absorb from the situation was that I’m chained on to this pillar along with people that I’ve just met today that don’t even have a connection with me! “So four-eyes-sister-complexion boy, I have a proposal for you” the amanto said. “I’d like to clarify that I do not have a sister complexion and please I’ve already heard enough proposals for the day!” I replied. He proposed that if I let my sister work as a courtesan then he will leave Shimuya dojo for good. Lies is what I see in his completely black eye-ball sticking out his fore-head and there isn’t a single chance I would give up my Ane-ue for some rickety old dojo! Strongly refusing, the amanto threatened me by pointing a canon bazooka at us if I don’t decide within 10 seconds! Counting down using his A-Phone 5X with 5 seconds to spare, I couldn’t come up with an absolute answer and believed it was the end of us. In an instant, these chains that left marks on my arms from struggling to wriggle out have been broken off by a familiar wooden sword. A man with silver hair that glistened through the burning sunlight descended. He looked me in the eye and said “Don’t just stand and do nothing. A true samurai will fight strong to the death regardless if you are fighting your own demons” his words struck my mind! “If you want a job to keep your dojo, remember that the doors in Yorozuya Gin-chan is always open for you, especially you so feel free to drop by when you’ve become stronger understood what’s dear to you” Kaguya-chan was able to retrieve her wasaga and beat up the Amanto Guard-dogs that secured the area and screamed out “Take Ane-go and leave! Protect her with your life four-eyes!” I grabbed my sister by the hand and dashed for the exit. “But Shin-chan…” I interrupted whatAne-ue was about to say by stating “NO BUTS! That old dojo doesn’t have meaning if you’re not there with me Ane-ue!” Before I knew it we jumped off the ship which blew up in smithereens. Which reminds me did we just abandon an unconscious Gondo-san? Ane-ue told me to forget it and that he is but a mere stalker then we landed in the sea and were rescued by Katsura-san in his ship with his unidentified alien pet Alizabeth. I bowed in gratitude and said “Casserole-san, thank you very much .” He replied “It’s Katsura not Casserole!” Over to the other side of the ship, there I spotted Gin-san standing proudly as he picks his nose. It was breath-taking scenery with the sun setting with everyone here even stalker-san I mean….. Gondo-san. I wonder why he is still unconscious though. Seeming to awaken Ane-ue get closer and head-butts Gondo-san into another slumber. I have a hunch that’s the reason why he was unconscious for a prolonged time. Ane-ue glances then over to the silver haired samurai that continuously picked his nose flicking boogers to the sea. I believe Ane-ue is hinting at me to join the Yorozuya Gin-chan business. I walked over to Gin-san to ask for permission to officially be welcomed. “Yoroshiku- onegaishimasu Gin-san! I am Shimuya Shinpochi” I proclaimed. Gin-san grinned watching the sun set and vociferated “Shinpochi-boy, you did a great job today and have become stronger!”. Feeling teary eyed I promised to work hard from now on. Nevertheless, I still wonder if it is okay to follow this silver samurai since I have witnessed how this man can be with his sugar addiction and habit of picking his nose publicly. Ane-ue looks at me with a calm expression stating “He is a crazy man but I understand him” and nonchalantly disappears down the lower deck. Moreover, there was the Yato Kaguya-chan and her pet inugami Sadoharu running around eating pickled seaweed. I honestly do wonder what would happen to me overtime especially after this hectic day of getting fired, encountering the Shinsengumi and even getting involved in an accident as well as having to be kidnapped! Perhaps this is the fate that our late father has once told us. There may be drawbacks, but then again that is exactly what life is expected to be isn't it? So I decided to revive my samurai instincts and live by the sword with all these new family members that me and Ane-ue now continue our lives with! |
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January 2019
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