Creative+Writing

Creative writing

Here I am, at the end of the world. Armageddon. L'extrémité du monde. Das ende der welt. In my long life, I have heard of this time in many languages and places, some long forgotten, and some very much alive. As for I, well, I do not know if I am as much alive as I seem. You see, long ago, before this text was invented, before even the time of history, a spring was created. Who or whatever that created this world once had a different plan for us. Have you ever heard of the Garden of Eden? The beautiful place where one never dies or could have harm done to them? A place where everything was good? Part of it still exists you know. When the creator dismissed that plan for our world and erased all hints of its existence, there was one piece, so far to the edge of our world that it was forgotten. This was the fountain of youth. Though just a little puddle, it still held the power for eternal life. With enough for solely one person it sat, waiting for its time to be found. I was the person to find it, and I was also the person that made the huge mistake of drinking it. It was the year 301 AD. I was then living in Rome, the capital of the world. We were a lower to middle class family, with enough to eat but very little pleasures. My mother was a widow; because my father had died while my sister was in the womb. He had been a miner, so I was told, in the Caesar Diocletian's mine. My mother worked as well, as a weaver. I also had a sister; she was younger than me so I looked out for her. She was my best friend growing up, and we spent many great hours together. I became a leader because I was the elder, and that still holds to this very day. Because my father died in a cave in, I grew up to become the family supporter as dear Momma became too far in her years to work. I was first a miner, like father, but mother disapproved of this fearing that I have the same fate as him. For her sake I left that business and became a craftsman. I created many fine pieces of furniture and supported my family well. Alas, as the times became harder and more and more people could not afford furniture, I was forced to go out of business. With so many people in Rome I had too much competition and could no longer live there. Seeking wealth and prosperity somewhere else, I moved. My search led us to a tiny town in Russia, as it is now known, and there I discovered the fountain of youth. The town was called "Городок морем", meaning "Town by the Sea." I has since been lost in history and completely forgotten. No historical documents were ever found of my city, but at that time it was a beautiful place. There were little over 20 inhabitants, so I had no competition and made a fine business for myself. With such a small demand for furniture now though, I had learned to create wagons as well. My sister had found a beau; his name was Lucius and he was cunning and very right for her. She deserved a man like him so I was not against it. I was content and happy there, in Городок морем, more so than I had been in Rome. There were many fine days and on one such day I went on a picnic with Mother to celebrate her 54th birthday. We sat facing the sea, a crisp breeze blowing from our backs, and the white, foamy waves crashing against the rocks. The air tasted like ocean and we could even hear the gulls calling from their nests. As I was staring out at the view, I noticed a small puddle. It looked like nothing but a result of yesterday's showers, until I noticed where it was located. The puddle was placed in the rocks in such a manner that it could not have formed. It was completely sheltered and uphill from the beach. After pondering it for awhile I just assumed it came to be before I arrived at Городок морем. A storm could have caused the sea to rise and fill the rock. But wouldn't it have dried by now? The other townsfolk have never mentioned a recent storm. I decided to investigate, curse my curiosity- it was what got me into this mess. As I neared the rock, I noticed a glimmer on the surface of the puddle. It was like the most beautiful rainbow ever seen, swirling colours bright enough to make ripe fruit look gray. As I neared the water I could smell it's odor, is was like nother I had ever smelled before. These sensations were somehow very controlling, and the water lured me into drinking it. It was like an orchestra of flavour playing in my mouth. The flavours putting to shame even the most delicious dishes I had tasted. So I drank more. The water seemed to heal my aching muscles and joints from hours of whittling and sanding. The feeling was so extravagant that I drank it all. Now I realize that I was an idiot. I should have never trusted such an alien substance. Day by Day time went by, my friends were starting to see speckles of grey in their hair, while I still looked as I did that day I drank the water. I was coming up 43 years of age, and where there should have been wrinkles, there were none. At that time I just thought I was aging very well, little did I know. Mother was now almost 65 and very much looking it. She had lived a very long life and there was sadness on her wrinkled face, where there had once been great joy. Before long dear Momma was bedridden and very sick. I knew she only had a few days left to live, so I took her to her favourite place. Mother had always loved the sea. I took her back to the area we had our picnic. The waves were smaller that day, just little ripples that seemed to wander aimlessly around the rocks. Momma was so tired that it was very hard on her to get out of bed and walk to the beach, but she knew it would be the last time she was with me. So she pushed through. I looked to see if the puddle was back, my greed taking over, but it was not there. As disappointed as I was about that, its absence made me think about the real reason why I was there. Momma and I, we sat together, there on that beach, silently sharing a final wonderful moment. I still remember it as if it was yesterday. "Son", she said, “I am old. I know that we both are aware of the fact that I am not going to be with you for much longer. My time on this earth wasn't amazing, I’ll admit, and after you father died I thought we were doomed. But you proved me wrong. You became a great man and knowing you were there for me always made me happy. I want you to know that I love you and I will always be with you." I was silent, because if I had learned anything from Mother, it was that sometimes nothing was the best thing to say. A silent understanding passed between us, and then I embraced Momma. I held her in my arms and kissed her wrinkled cheek. Slowly her lips, which I hadn't seen in anything but a frown for weeks, turned up into a smile. After another couple minutes, we slowly walked home. Mother fell into her bed again and slept for the last time. I watched over her for days only leaving to get food. She was the one of the only people left in the world who I had loved; and she was gone.  I knew Mother would want to be buried next to Father, so I took a trip back to Rome. There was only a small funeral, with sis, a couple of friends that we knew in the city, and I. Everyone was very sad to see Momma go, because she was that type of person who loved everyone, and that everyone loved. I had made a coffin for her; it was oak, with a carving of a swan on it. Mother had always loved swans. The animals seemed so free and peaceful, she had said, and their colour was white- perfect anad untainted. We dressed her in a white dress, so she could be like a swan, free from her sickness and happy in her new home. Wherever that is. As I closed the lid, a tear ran down my cheek and onto her pale forehead. I never saw my mother again and as we lowered her into the ground, it started to rain; the drops soaking into the ground, and packing the dirt, as if they were helping us bury her. The double gravestone read, "Aeliana and Paulinus Junius, they will always be together in out hearts. RIP." You may not know these names, because they do not appear in your modern language, but they are Roman names and are very special to me. I returned to Городок морем saddened by the past week's happenings. It would never be the same again. My only blood relative left on the planet was sis, but she was married, and did not participate in many outings with us. Or I should say, me. I keep forgetting that I am alone now, almost alone. I returned to my little wooden house by the river and the familiar daffodils and roses comforted me. The stone walkway, the high chimney, and the inviting feel of the light oak walls. Momma had planted those flowers and tended to them every day while I was in the shop, working. She made me a lunch good enough to get swell money off of and kept my clothes patched up and clean. I missed mother. And I still do. I walked in the door, using the key under the mat. A mat mother hand-made two years ago. She had spent many hours on it and she was very proud. We really had nothing to steal, nothing of value. Then I sat. Time passed and I found myself nearing the age of 50. All my friends were graying now and crow's feet had appeared next to their eyes. I, on the other hand, was still seemingly frozen in time. The time I first drank that water. My hair had not grown since that day, and neither had my nails. I started to suspect that the water was more than what it seemed, as if it possesed qualities that were otherworldly. If you could say that I discovered the water's secret one one day though, it would have been when I was cutting firewood and my axe missed its mark and found my foot instead. There was no terrible pain, as there should have been, and my foot had not a scratch on it. The axe had clearly hit my foot, I saw it with my own eyes! Finding this unbelievable, I pulled my knife from my pocket and cut a gash down my left arm. The pain was missing again and no blood came from my arm. It seemed as if I were invincible. I experimented many more times that day and all of the experiments supported that fact. Then it hit me, invincible, not aging, no pain, I had discovered to Fountain of Youth! There were many tales of this mysterious Fountain, but I had never thought of it as meerly a puddle! I had thought it was too good to be true, but now I realize it was the worst thing that had ever happened to me, and trust me, I have lived a long time. I lived and worked alone in that town for what seemed like forever. Still in that little house, I pushed through day after day, ocasionally finding happyness in the oblivous thought that I was this amazing person that could have no harm done to myself. I would try stupid, idiotic things like cliff jumping, because I knew I would be fine. I also learned that I could stay underwater for an obserdly long period of time because I didn't need to breath! Unfortunatly others followed my example, oviously they were not invincible, so many of them got hurt. I was content though, as conseited as I was back then.

Now I stand in a midst of terror and destruction. It is the year 3789, the end of the world has finally come and of course I am stuck with it. The screaming people are pretty much the only thing I can hear over the noise of earthquakes tearing buildings apart, volcanos spewing molten rock that, when colliding with something, makes a terrible hissing noise and melts the poor thing it collided with, huge waves crashing against the shore, and screaming winds so fast that they could lift a mountain. Speaking of mountains, I am on Mt Everest. It is the only place where the smoke of a billion fires has not yet reached. Its clean air and trees are like armour, extremely useful but not perfect. The end of the world started almost three days ago. You see, our sun, like every other sun in the universe, eventually explodes. Near the end of its life, it swells and then just blows up. The sun has expanded a great amount and now it is too close to our earth. The temperature has risen to unbearable hights and little by little the world caught on fire. It started in the warmer climates, because they were already hot, and has now progressed so that all except the cold climates such as Northern Canada, Russia, and high mountains are not immersed in flames. There are few people up here with me, the smart people who, even though it took a long time to climb up here, they knew it would be the last place that the fire reached. Right now, amidst the smoke from below, I can hear their voices. Many people did what they had always been too afraid to do, and many finally embarked on their life-long dreams. I, on the otherhand, wondered what was in store for me after the world was dead. Would I die finally, because there was no longer a world that I was tied to? Or would I just float around forever in space? I thought to myself, there is no use worrying about this now, I will find out soon enough. For I could see the line of fire slowly crawling up the side of the mountain and I knew that in less than an hour it would be apon us. The fire kept coming, we now had under a minute left. Someone suggested we all get together and stand in a circle, I thought this idea to be good, so I did as he said. Some people did not join up, they stood alone or with their love by their side. As I stood there I could see the fire approching and hear the people crying. I all flashed by so fast, flames, smoke, tremors and terror. The people standing alone were overtaken and now screaming joined the sounds that I hear and that I know will never leave my memory. 5. 4. 3. 2. 1. 0. We were now covered in flames and I had no choice but to watch as people were burned alive. I saw them, the final mortal humans left on earth, cry and struggle in their final seconds of life, and then I cried, Not for the reason that they were dying, but for the reason I was not. I stood there, and for days the fire burned around me, slowly ingulfing the earth. Little by little my world grew smaller and even ashes were burned. "It has come to the point where I can no longer see in front of myself," I thought, "this is the worst thing that has ever happened." I wait and wait. And wait some more. It seems like only yesterday I was on Momma's lap and she was singing songs to me, but I know that is crazy, it was over 3000 years ago! "Once and a while I will open my eyes just to see what is happening." I said to myself, so I continued to do that for who knows how long and eventually I lost track of time. What could have been months or years later, finally I could see some change. I was now just floating in space. I had no idea where I was but I thought that earth had finally burned up and I, left with no gravitational pull from the earth or anything else, had floated away. With nothing left to do I sit, or do I stand, in the never ending expansion of space. With nothing else to do, I decide to try to find a way into a state of medatation. "Think of nothing, think of nothing, think of nothing, think of nothing, think of nothing, think nothing, think nothing, think nothing, nothing, nothing, nothing, nothing, ..., ..., . . ."

...

Suddenly something brushes againt my shoulder. I wonder where I am. What am I doing here? How long has it been? I try to open my eyes, and I suddenly a light, the brightest I have ever seen, hits me in the face. Automatically I close my eyes again, but curiosity pulls me to make a second attempt. Ready for the light this time, I open my eyes and see a world, very much like earth. Green grass, blue sky, and animals everywhere. They only thing missing was humans. Wait! But what was that! A humanlike creature just appeared behind one of the trees. It seemed to be a primative man. Just then I relized something. I was on an earth, or something like it, where humans are just emerging! It was a new start at my life! I stood up, and followed this man to a tiny settlement. Really nothing more than a clearing with what seemed like designated areas for each person. I had an amazing thought, I could learn to live here! I could live here through the years and finally have a new start on life! I could make a name for myself here and do many great things! It was an opportunity to accomplish something in my life, as in my 3000+ years I have done nothing more than make a table. I could live once again... but better. I am finally happy, for the first time in 2500 years!

A swan flies off in the distance... Mother.



First, lets be clear on one thing, my fountain of youth makes you immortal, forever. You cannot be harmed, and you do not need sleep or food. Your hair and nails do not grow either. You could say your body does not change from the time you drank the water. I know many people have different impressions but this is how mine works.

1) List 5 things: Positive: Eternal Life, no disease, never lose someone you love, more time for things, try new stuff without dying (exploring volcanoes). Negative: Over Population, resources used up, pollution, war, not enough for everyone.

2) The Setting: Ranging from 301 AD to 3789 AD. Going through how the world changes. The different major events that happen all around the world. Some examples are: The Titanic (1912), The Hindenberg (1937), the 1st (1914-18) and 2nd (1939-45) world wars, the middle ages (500-1400), the renaissance( 1400-1600), and the New York nuclear explosion`in 3317 (in the future). My main character is in all of these events and he tells the story of how they happened. Then when we get to present time (in the book) he is facing the end of the world. I'm not giving away any more...

3) The Main Conflict: My character is at the end of the world. He is immortal, so he knew he would be there when it would happen. Everything is getting destroyed around him and he is trying to save as many people as he can. I can't really say much more without telling you the story! ...so I am going to stop here.

4) Plot Outline:

Intro - Tell about fountain - Explain where he is - Explain who he is (sort of)

First part - Explain history - Family - How he found the fountain

Second part - Tell of how, throughout history he was there -middle ages -renaissance - titanic - 1st WW - Hindenberg - 2nd WW - Haiti - Nuclear explosion in future

Third part - In present time (3700's) - At the end of the world - Destruction - Tries to save people

Conclusion - Tie things up - I cant tell you this part! - Surprise!

5) In the beginning of the story my main character is in a bad situation and he is very angry, lonely and sad. then at the end of the story he is refreshed, happy, accepting and positive. He is finally able to restart his life and does not hate his eternal life so much- like he did at the beginning of the story.

6) My story is ironic because, instead of eternal life being a good thing, like in most stories, my character sees it as a bad thing. This is the opposite of what the readers expect to happen. It is situational irony.

7) The swan is a symbol for the main character's mother and is also a symbol for being pure, free and strong.

8) The theme(s) of my story is/are redemption and mistakes. My main character does not do anything with his life, and then he gets another chance to actually make a difference.

hello ben! Dont be a sneak. I'm onto you

People who see this... there is nothing here. BEN THIS MEANS YOU!

There is nothing down there, the page is messed up...

Only i know this is here. in the end he is floating around in space, never dying he is super lonely. Many many years later he floats back to earth to see that life has started again anfd the earliest humans are just emerging. He gets to start his life, and the world again!

This isn't here...

Here I am, at the end of the world. Armageddon. L'extrémité du monde. Das ende der welt. In my long life, I have heard of this time in many languages and places, some long forgotten, and some very much alive. As for I, well, I do not know if I am as much alive as I seem. You see, long ago, before this text was invented, before even the time of history, a spring was created. Who or whatever that created this world once had a different plan for us. Have you ever heard of the Garden of Eden? The beautiful place where one never dies or could have harm done to them? A place where everything was good? Part of it still exists you know. When the creator dismissed that plan for our world and erased all hints of its existence, there was one piece, so far to the edge of our world that it was forgotten. This was the fountain of youth. Though just a little puddle, it still held the power for eternal life. With enough for solely one person it sat, waiting for its time to be found. I was the person to find it, and I was also the person that made the huge mistake of drinking it. It was the year 301 AD. I was then living in Rome, the capital of the world. We were a lower to middle class family, with enough to eat but very little pleasures. My mother was a widow; fore my father had died while my sister was in the womb. He had been a miner, so I was told, in the Caesar Diocletian's mine. My mother worked as well, as a weaver. I also had a sister; she was younger than me so I looked out for her. She was my best friend growing up, and we spent many great hours together. I became a leader because I was the elder, and that still holds to this very day. Because my father died in a cave in, I grew up to become the family supporter as dear Momma became too far in her years to work. I was first a miner, like father, but mother disapproved of this fearing that I have the same fate as him. For her sake I left that business and became a craftsman. I created many fine pieces of furniture and supported my family well. Alas, as the times became harder and more and more people could not afford furniture, I was forced to go out of business. With so many people in Rome I had too much competition and could no longer live there. Seeking wealth and prosperity somewhere else, I moved. My search led us to a tiny town in Russia, as it is now known, and there I discovered the fountain of youth. The town was called "Городок морем", meaning "Town by the Sea." I has since been lost in history and completely forgotten. No historical documents were ever found of my city, but at that time it was a beautiful place. There were little over 20 inhabitants, so I had no competition and made a fine business for myself. With such a small demand for furniture now though, I had learned to create wagons as well. My sister had found a beau; his name was Lucius and he was cunning and very right for her. She deserved a man like him so I was not against it. I was content and happy there, in Городок морем, more so than I had been in Rome. There were many fine days and on one such day I went on a picnic with Mother to celebrate her 54th birthday. We sat facing the sea, a crisp breeze blowing from our backs, and the white, foamy waves crashing against the rocks. The air tasted like ocean and we could even hear the gulls calling from their nests. As I was staring out at the view, I noticed a small puddle. It looked like nothing but a result of yesterday's showers, until I noticed where it was located. The puddle was placed in the rocks in such a manner that it could not have formed. It was completely sheltered and uphill from the beach. After pondering it for awhile I just assumed it came to be before I arrived at Городок морем. A storm could have caused the sea to rise and fill the rock. But wouldn't it have dried by now? The other townsfolk have never mentioned a recent storm. I decided to investigate, curse my curiosity- it was what got me into this mess. As I neared the rock, I noticed a glimmer on the surface of the puddle. It was like the most beautiful rainbow ever seen, swirling colours bright enough to make ripe fruit look gray. Then I noticed the smell of it. Think of your absolutely favourite smell, and then triple its goodness. A smell so wonderful that the water seemed good enough to drink... So I took a sip. It was like an orchestra of flavour playing in my mouth. The flavours putting to shame even the most delicious dishes I had tasted. So I drank more. The water seemed to heal my aching muscles and joints from hours of whittling and sanding. The feeling was so extravagant that I drank it all. Now I realize that I was an idiot. I should have never trusted such an alien substance. We lived very happily in that town for a long time. During our 4 or so years there, sis had gotten married. She was now living in our little town in her husband’s house. They were trying to have children, but had not had any luck yet. As for I, business was booming and all the pieces were coming together. I was better off now then I had ever been before. We could live easy and even splurge on a few pleasures here and there. For Agonalia, a Roman holiday that has been long forgotten in which we would share gifts and money with family, I was able to buy for my mother a splendid gown. It was perfect for dinner and gardening! Then a couple of years later, I started to notice that I was not aging. My friends were starting to see speckles of grey in their hair, while I still looked as I did that day I drank the water. I was coming up 38 years of age, and where there should have been wrinkles, there were none. At that time I just thought I was aging very well, little did I know. Day by Day time went by and mother was now almost 65 and very much looking it. She had lived a very long life and there was sadness on her wrinkled face, where there had once been great joy. Before long dear Momma was bedridden and very sick. I knew she only had a few days left to live, so I took her to her favourite place. Mother had always loved the sea. I took her back to the area we had our picnic. The waves were smaller that day, just little ripples that seemed to wander aimlessly around the rocks. Momma was so tired that it was very hard on her to get out of bed and walk to the beach, but she knew it would be the last time she was with me. So she pushed through. I looked to see if the puddle was back, my greed taking over, but it was not there. As disappointed as I was about that, its absence made me think about the real reason why I was there. Momma and I, we sat together, there on that beach, silently sharing a final wonderful moment. I still remember it as if it was yesterday. "Son", she said, “I am old. I know that we both are aware of the fact that I am not going to be with you for much longer. My time on this earth wasn't amazing, I’ll admit, and after you father died I thought we were doomed. But you proved me wrong. You became a great man and knowing you were there for me always made me happy. I want you to know that I love you and I will always be with you." I was silent, because if I had learned anything from Mother, it was that sometimes nothing was the best thing to say. A silent understanding passed between us, and then I embraced Momma. I held her in my arms and kissed her wrinkled cheek. Slowly her lips, which I hadn't seen in anything but a frown for weeks, turned up into a smile. After another couple minutes, we slowly walked home. Mother fell into her bed again and slept for the last time. I watched over her for days only leaving to get food. She was the one of the only people left in the world who I had loved; and she was gone.  I knew Mother would want to be buried next to Father, so I took a trip back to Rome. There was only a small funeral, with sis, a couple of friends that we knew in the city, and I. Everyone was very sad to see Momma go, because she was that type of person who loved everyone, and that everyone loved. I had made a coffin for her; it was oak, with a carving of a swan on it. Mother had always loved swans. The animals seemed so free and peaceful, she had said, and their colour seemed peaceful. We dressed her in a white dress, so she could be like a swan, free from her sickness and happy in her new home. Wherever that is. As I closed the lid, a tear ran down my cheek and onto her pale forehead. I never saw my mother again and as we lowered her into the ground, it started to rain; the drops soaking into the ground, and packing the dirt, as if they were helping us bury her. The double gravestone read, "Aeliana and Paulinus Junius, they will always be together in out hearts. RIP." You may not know these names, because they do not appear in you modern language, but they are Roman names and are very special to me. I returned to Городок морем saddened by the past week's happenings. It would never be the same again. My only blood relative left on the planet was sis, but she was married, and did not participate in many outings with us. Or I should say, me. I keep forgetting that I am alone now, almost alone. I still have her. She will stay with me for many more years and we will have many more amazing times! I returned to my little wooden house by the river and the familiar daffodils and roses comforted me. The stone walkway, the high chimney, and the inviting feel of the light oak walls. Momma had planted those flowers and tended to them every day while I was in the shop, working. She made me a lunch good enough to get swell money off of and kept my clothes patched up and clean. I missed mother. And I still do. I walked in the door, using the key under the mat. A mat mother hand-made two years ago. She had spent many hours on it and she was very proud. We really had nothing to steal, nothing of value. I walked in the door and saw a note on the table. It was from sis, she had left Rome a bit earlier than me, as she needed to get back to her husband. She could get into my house because my closest firends and family knew where the key was. The note read: "Dear Brother, I share my deepest condolences with you for the passing of our dear mother. She was the very best a child could have and I know that she will never leave either of our hearts. I regret to inform you that I have more bad news. I know this month has been terrible, with many bad things happening, but to save another month for good news I am going to tell you this bad news now. Lucius is moving to Spain. He is not originally from there but has decided to move there because that is where his family now lives. I am going with him, after all I am his wife, and so I will not see you for a long time. I am dreadfully sorry, brother, and I cannot even say goodbye, face to face. For I will have already left by the time you read this letter. I hope to see you again soon, before another year has past. Best wishes. Goodbye." The note was signed "Your loving sister, Marcia." This was too large a blow to my heart to forget. I sat at the table staring blankly at the corner of the house, where momma's rocker sat. The red cushion sitting on the seat so her old figure would not ache. Tears came to my eyes and I wished it was a dream, I wished with all my might that I would just wake up and see her sleeping in her room, for it was far too early for her old bones to be awakened. She would always say that to me in the morning, no matter how late it actually was. Then sis would be there and she would have made a nice, warm breakfast. Now sis was gone too. At least I could visit her though. She was not really gone, just away. Time passed and I found myself nearing the age of 45. All my friends were graying now and crow's feet had appeared next to their eyes. I, on the other hand, was still seemingly frozen in time. The time I first drank that water. My hair had not grown since that day, and neither had my nails. I started to suspect that the water was more than what it seemed, as if it possesed qualities that were otherworldly. If you could say that I discovered the water's secret one one day though, it would have been when I was cutting firewood and my axe missed its mark and found my foot instead. There was no terrible pain, as there should have been, and my foot had not a scratch on it. The axe had clearly hit my foot, I saw it with my own eyes! Finding this unbelievable, I pulled my knife from my pocket and cut a gash down my left arm. The pain was missing again and no blood came from my arm. It seemed as if I were invincible. I experimented many more times that day and all of the experiments supported that fact. Then it hit me, invincible, not aging, no pain, I had discovered to Fountain of Youth! There were many tales of this mysterious Fountain, but I had never thought of it as meerly a puddle! I had thought it was too good to be true, but now I realize it was the worst thing that had ever happened to me, and trust me I have lived a long time. I lived and worked alone in that town for what seemed like forever. I thought I was as lonely as I could possible be, but I now know I am much more lonely now than I was. Sis was still alive at least. Now I am compleatly alone. Still in that little house I pushed through day after day, ocasionally finding happyness in the oblivous thought that I was this amazing person that could have no harm done to myself. I would try stupid, idiotic things like cliff jumping, because I knew I would be fine. I also learned that I could stay underwater for an obserdly long period of time because I didn't need to breath! Unfortunatly others followed my example, oviously they were not invincible, so many of them got hurt. I was content though, as conseited as I was back then. One day I recieved a message via a friend. It was from Lucius, my brother-in-law. Expecting good news I ripped open the seal and unwound the scroll. Then I fell to the floor in shock. My sister had died during travel to Spain. She had gotten a foreign illness and her body was not used to the virus. She died within a week. I could not attend the funeral and was deeply saddened by that, but there was just no way I could do it. With my dear Marcia gone I was heartbroken and I was completely alone... The last Junius.

ht yj ydfjfjy jtukf yrj

Years later the Middle ages came, I was a craftsman still, but you could say I was extremely bored with life. I looked the same, felt the same and had done the same thing for a millenium! I had recently celebrated my 1000th birthday, alone. I had no one left in the world whom I loved, or who loved me. I had promised myself that I would never love a person because they would die, and I would not. I lived in England, because that was the place to be at the time, and I prefered large cities. It was easier to stay unnoticed. I would be hard to hide the fact that I never aged in a small town. You also might have thought that the quality of life would have improved from the times of Rome, but that was not the case. If anything people became more ignorant. Education dropped, medicine dropped, health dropped and even politics dropped. There was little to no order and I hated every minute of it. The middle ages, I think, were the worst years I have lived. It was the most terrible time in history to live. Trust me, I would know. I lived under king after king, through war after war and during famine after famine. There were some good times though I'll admit, great feasts and parties. I worked and saved up my money everyday, sometime I relized that I really did not need to sleep with my "condition" and so I rarely did. I found it a waste of time, but then again I had all the time in the world, literally. I shouldn't have cared about wasted time. I had -and have- too much of it anyway. During that long period of time which was the Medeival Period, I became quite wealthy. I had more than 15 lifetimes to build on my fortune and by the end of the 15th century, when the renaissance started, I was well off. I contributed to the art of the renaissance a great amount. It was a change in the world and so I was all for it. I became so bored with life as a craftsman that any change was a good change. I supported many of the great artists, such as Leonardo da Vinci, Michelangelo, and Geovanni Bellini. I like to think I was one of the reasons that the Renaissance was such a swell time in history. It was definately better the the Medieval Period. Time passed and I moved with the flow of civilization. Wherever the center of the world was I was there. In the 20th century I thought it was time I moved to "The New Land". Well, I guess it had grown older in the past centuries, but I still think of at as the "new" land. It is new enough for me. America was becoming the most powerful and well known area in the world, so naturally I wanted to move there. I had heard of an "unsinkable" ship that was leaving for America soon. It would be finished and seaworthy in about a year. I was determined to be on that boat and was convinced that the trip would be a sucess. Of course, anything that can prevent the mistakes of humanity, needed to be tested. If a perfect thing is pushed too far, it could become the opposite, a disaster. The Titanic just happened to be one of those rare times. It was April 10th, 1912. I had sold all my belongings and bought a ticket on the Titanic to New York. With the money I had collected over the many, many years I was certain that I could establish a good life for myself there, even though I had no idea what was in store for myself. I sailed first-class and spent four days of luxury on the ship. It was very elegant and beautiful. I was happy, and because of that I thought only prosperous and good things were coming my way. I was in the dining hall, having a very delicious meal of steak and potatoes, when I first heard the sound. It was death awakened from slumber. The shriek of metal peirced through the hall, it sounded much like a sword slashing through metal- I had memorized that sound during the Medieval Ages, it was one of my least favourite- but it was magnified a million times louder and more disasterous. The sound came first, and then there was a sudden lurch in the ship and I heard crashing glass. The dining glasses and plates must have fallen. Not to mention many people. The ship seemed to slow down, like it gained a sudden weight, and became sluggish. People panicked but I, being immortal and all, did not. I went above deck. There were many iceburgs and it was freezing. Nothing seemed out of the ordinary, but I still wondered about that noise. The cold shriek was too much to just ignore or forget. All was normal for awhile, like 2 minutes, and then the captain made an announcment. He said something like this: "We have had a set back, the ship has hit in the hull, deep underwater. We are slowly taking on water, but we should be still able to make it to New York at this rate. We will keep you posted." At the time though, all I heard, along with most passengers on deck was, "We have just hit an iceburg, it is nothing to worry about, afterall, this is the Titanic. Enjoy the rest of you evening." I did not completly take the announcments to heart. I just continued to make about with my buisness, which was finishing my meal! Things went downhill from there. The ship started actually sinking. And even with announcments from the captain and directions from the crew, it was chaos. People ran everywhere, trying to get to one of the few lifeboats onboard. Because the Titanic was "unsinkable" the crew was not really trained for the ship sinking and there were not enough lifeboats for the amount of people. I did not go to a lifeboat though, I thought that I would save them for another person. The boat sunk into the icy deep, the lowest floor was now compleatly submerged and most of the lifeboats were gone. In the mean time though, I thought how ironic it all was, that the "unsinkable" ship actually sank. The first time it was on the water! It really goes to show that people will do stupid things, especially when stupid things seem impossible to hurt in the long run. That is what happened to me when I drank the fountain of youth. Time was running out, for everyone else -not I, the ship was half underwater and the rate at which it sunk had increased. People were crowded onto the tiny lifeboats, and fear was the victor of the war in which we were fighting against our emotions. Mothers and children cried for their husbands and fathers from the boats in the ever expanding sea. Mostly men were left on the Titanic now, women and children had the first priority afterall, and you could hear songs over the terror that were about heroic acts and brave people. Soon the lucky folks who were first in line for the lifeboats were no more than tiny specks that could only have been seen by the peole that knew they were there. The sea was rising at the same rate as our terror, and little by little people were giving up. Some jumped into the sea, some hugged their loved ones, and some, so gripped by the icy fingers of histeria, were laughing, believing that the Titanic could never go down and that this was all some marvelous play that crew was performing. My bones chilled with the thought that so many people, young and old, were coming to the end of their lives. It was a terribly sad night from that point on, so I will not share the details with you. I will tell you though, that once the ship sank, and the rescuers came, many people were saved. They held onto the lifeboats, floating wreakage or something. But most that just kept treading water died of hypothermia. Everyone was amazed that I did not, everyone but I. Eventually I got to America. Established a nice buisness for myself, as a professor of languages. I specialized in Ancient Roman and Greek. As well as Old English, French, Spanish, German, and Russian. It was wonderful, earning a living speaking the languages of my youth, and many others I learned along the way. The First World War came and went and then the Second. the earthquake in Haiti and, in 3317, the nuclear explosion in New York. (I might add to this section in the good copy, I just do not have enough time.)

Now I stand in a midst of terror and destruction. It is the year 3789, the end of the world has finally come and of course I am stuck with it. The screaming people are pretty much the only thing I can hear over the noise of earthquakes tearing buildings apart, volcanos spewing molten rock that, when colliding with something, makes a terrible hissing noise and melts the poor thing it collided with, huge waves crashing against the shore, and screaming winds so fast that they could lift a mountain. Speaking of mountains, I am on Mt Everest. It is the only place where the smoke of a billion fires has not yet reached. Its clean air and trees are like armour, extremely useful but not perfect. The end of the world started almost three days ago. You see, our sun, like every other sun in the universe, eventually explodes. Near the end of its life, it swells and then just blows up. The sun has expanded a great amount and now it is too close to our earth. The temperature has risen to unbearable hights and little by little the world caught on fire. It started in the warmer climates, because they were already hot, and has now progressed so that all except the cold climates such as Northern Canada, Russia, and high mountains are not immersed in flames. There are few people up here with me, the smart people who, even though it took a long time to climb up here, they knew it would be the last place that the fire reached. Right now, amidst the smoke from below, I can hear their voices: "Why did I follow you up here Mary? This was a stupid decision. Now we will still die, it will just take longer! I thing all of us who have some sense should find a boat, and float apon the ocean until the fires stop." I had to cut in here because his plan was the most idiotic thing I had ever heard. "What are you saying? That will not work in the slightest! The sun is swelling, that means that temperatures will continue to rise and eventually our oceans will boil. We will be boiled alive! And even if we somehow survive that, the oceans will later turn into steam and we will die anyway. Nomatter what we are dead, even if we were immune to fire and heat the sun would explode and we would be blown to bits! Do not blame anyone for your predicament. Mary, do not worry about what this man says, you made the right choice. I do not know about you people, but I intend to make the best out of my last few minutes as I possibly can." "I'm with you!" "Me too!" I could hear voices shouting out, "Ya!" "Let this day be the best of our lives!" Many people did what they had always been too afraid to do, and many finally embarked on their live-long dreams. I, on the otherhand, wondered what was in store for me after the world was dead. Would I die finally, because there was no longer a world that I was tied to? Or would I just float around forever in space? I thought to myself, there is no use worrying about this now, I will find out soon enough. For I could see the line of fire slowly crawling up the side of the mountain and I knew that in less than an hour it would be apon us. The fire kept coming, we now had under a minute left. Someone suggested we all get together and stand in a circle, I thought this idea to be good, so I did as he said. Some people did not join up, they stood alone or with their love by their side. As I stood there I could see the fire approching and hear the people crying. I all flashed by so fast, flames, smoke, tremors and terror. The people standing alone were overtaken and now screaming joined the sounds that I hear and that I know will never leave my memory. 5. 4. 3. 2. 1. 0. We were now covered in flames and I had no choice but to watch as people were burned alive. I saw them, the final mortal humans left on earth, cry and struggle in their final seconds of live, and then I cried, Not for the reason that they were dying, but for the reason I was not. I stood there, and for days the fire burned around me, slowly ingulfing the earth. Little by little my world grew smaller and even ashes were burned. "It has come to the point where I can no longer see in front of myself," I thought, "this is the worst thing that has ever happened." I wait and wait. And wait some more. It seems like only yesterday I was on momma's lap and she was singing songs to me, but I know that is crazy, it was over 3000 years ago! "Once and a while I will open my eyes just to see what is happening." I said to myself, so I continued to do that for who knows how long and eventually I lost track of time. What could have been months or years later, finally I could see some change. I was now just floating in space. I had no idea where I was but I thought that earth had finally burned up and I, left with no gravitational pull from the earth or anything else, had floated away. With nothing left do do I sit, or do I stand, in the never ending expansion of space. With nothing else to do, I decide to try to find a way into a state of medatation. "Think of nothing, think of nothing, think of nothing, think of nothing, think of nothing, think nothing, think nothing, think nothing, nothing, nothing, nothing, nothing, ..., ..., . . ."

...

Suddenly something brushes againt my shoulder. I wonder where I am. What am I doing here? How long has it been? I try to open my eyes, and I suddenly a light, the brightest I have ever seen, hits me in the face. Automatically I close my eyes again, but curiosity pulls me to make a second attempt. Ready for the light this time, I open my eyes and see a world, very much like earth. Green grass, blue sky, and animals everywhere. They only thing missing was humans. Wait! But what was that! A humanlike creature just appeared behind one of the trees. It seemed to be a primative man. Just then I relized something. I was on an earth, or something like it, where humans are just emerging! It was a new start at my life! I stood up, and followed this man to a tiny settlement. Really nothing more than a clearing with what seemed like designated areas for each person. I had an amazing thought, I could learn to live here! I could live here through the years and finally have a new start on life! I could make a name for myself here and do many great things! I could live once again...