Prose & Short Stories

The Brightest Light

     --Henry Lam

There once was a light named Sody. He lived in a huge arena with many other lights. All the lights were the same. They all shone brightly and happily in the arena.

But one day, the owner of the arena upgraded Sody. He became the brightest of all the lights. The others admired him. But Sody became proud of his new gift.

Sody said to himself,"I am now the brightest of all the lights. I do not need them. I have all that I need in me.

So Sody left the arena and moved into a building where he would shine alone.

Indeed, he lit the whole building by himself, but something was not the same. Although he shone brightly, he was not happy. When he came to think about it, he wasn't as bright as he thought. So Sody left the building and moved back into the arena.

The owner was overjoyed that Sody moved back in. The arena was not the same without him. All the other lights agreed. Sody was embarrassed for thinking he ws better than the others.

Now he understood that his one light was never meant to shine alone, but to shine among all the other lights. Indeed, he thought, if all the lights in the world could learn what he had learned, there would be no more night.

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The Magical Time And Place

     --Norman Woo as E.H.

The chill of the winter morning was unbearable as I trudged to the old corner store. I listened as my shoes crunched over the fallen and dead leaves. Silence, nothing but silence. I entered and the ring of the bell suggested that I was starting another day at the corner store owned by Mr. Graves. He had a round wrinkled face that would be continually smiling. Always wearing a worn-out brown jacket and trousers, he would have a red carnation in his left pocket. He wasn't very big in stature, but he was a man of confidence. He was a nice old man, smarter than he looked. I greeted him at the counter and put on my apron. Inventory, that was my job, that and everything else. I had worked through my first year and everything was going pretty well, but that day my life was about to change for the better.

"You know a young man like you shouldn't be getting a job," said Mr. Graves.

"What should I do then, Sir?" I replied as I got the inventory list.

"Get an education, it's just a walk over there," he answered, stacking some more cans.

By "it," he meant the school. That school unnerved me. I didn't belong there. All grey and somber like that, it wasn't full of life. It was just a place to learn "crazy" and "kooky" things, nothing practical. When will I need to know the history of a country when it's money that really counts in the world.

The supposed "cool" people went to that wretched place. The students didn't even know why they were there. They were there because their parents wanted them to go. Little adults, robots all of them. Why would I want to go and become like them?

"Education? No time, sir. Why it's just a waste of time!"

"Waste of time staying around here and working all your life," he said emphatically.

"Oh no. I have bigger plans than this, maybe even travel a little," I replied.

"Then you have to go to school, travel and then even write," said Mr. Graves.

"Yeah! Like that's a possible dream." How could he be saying this? He never went and he has a pretty good life.

"My life has all gone into the store, boy, but for you... you, I have bigger hopes."

"Life at the school, sir? Yeah right!" I answered.

"Don't waste your life. Learn to live. Why, I hear the school isn't so bad. There are new friends. New things to learn. Why, the girls are much nicer also," he stated.

I sighed, "Yes sir, that last point I would agree with."

He smiled and I began to get on with my job.

Three days later Mr. Graves died. His doctor told me that he had been sick for a while, but had kept on working. That old fool! why did he have to go and die? On the day of the funeral, no one was there, no family, only me. A lone stock boy from his corner store. They should have heard about the death. Why didn't they come! Damn them! No one cared. I paid my last respects and noticed on the headstone engraved was a phrase. Don't waste your life, M.G. I never found out how he had known I would be there, but I thanked him.

The old corner store is now shut down and is gone, but every time I think back to old Mr. Graves, I hope he is happy with what I've done with myself.

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Red Roses and Blue Violets

     --Jeremy Liao

________________________________________________________
     To Margo:

________________________________________________________

"I promise we will spend every moment together for eternity."

"Lamont! Watch out for that blue car."

Disordered images continuously appeared in my head as the brake started to screech. Images of my first birthday cake, my first toy gun, my first day at school, my graduation. However, it all came to a stop at the image of the garden full of flowers. Then it all came back to me.

September 9th, 1999. I will never forget this day because it was the day I met Margo, Margo Lane. We met at the City Square Garden on that day. The sun was shining in the baby blue skies with a few patches of cotton-candy-like clouds scattering. The garden was filled with all kinds of blossoms. Yellow Lily, Purple Tulips with marble dots, Red Roses and Blue Violets. Hmm...I'll never forget Red Roses and Blue Violets.

I was strolling in the rose garden and was preoccupied with the vibrant color of the roses and the way they came alive when the wind brushed through them. Then I noticed over at the beds of blue violets, there was this woman about 5'9" with a good figure walking toward me. As she turned away from the flowers and looked at me, all a sudden I could feel a spark of electricity in my life. My heart was beating the rhythm of the summer drums. We exchanged glances for a few moments. Somehow, I had a feeling that she was feeling the same thing as well...

We've been seeing each other everyday after that. The places we go, the sights that we see, the scent that we smell, and the sound that we hear have not been able to distract us from each other. We are like two turtle doves, inseparable and come in a pair. Our minds melt as one like caramel and chocolate. Our body intertwine so that you couldn't tell what was hers and what was mine. Every time I hold her hand, I could feel our hands lock perfectly the two of us. We spend every moment of our lives together as if there is no tomorrow...

"...For better or worse. 'Till death do us part. I'll love you with every beat of my heart, and I swear..." One of the famous R&B song, "I Swear" by All-4-One from 5 years ago made me realize that I've been thinking about Margo again.

I was just on my way to pick up Margo from her home. In my red Ferrari, I couldn't help but continuously imagine my Margo. Her black silky hair runs down to her waist. Her smooth silky skin covers her entire body waiting for me to explore. Her every feature and every detail is just the way God would make a woman to be, so flawless, so perfect.

"HONK. HONK."...Damn, I did not see the traffic light that just turned from yellow to red. At least I was almost there at her place. Just one more intersection and a few more blocks. I've been thinking in the car. It's been exactly one year since that day at the City Square Garden. It's about time for the big question. Okay, the second biggest question. I was asking her to move in with me.

There she was on her porch, pretty as ever. As I was driving up the street, I could see that she was so relieved, so overjoyed beyond belief to see me. I walked out the car and she ran toward me.

"What do you have back there?" Nothing could escape her observant and yet so delicate yes. I took out these bouquet of twenty red roses and twenty blue violets.

"Oh, Lamont! You remember!" She came up to me and the next thing I know, our bodies melted as one and our lips were matched perfectly. It was a long and passionate kiss.

"You still remember our one year anniversary."

"Who could forget that day!"

"Remember whe you came up to me and said in a deep and sensuous voice, 'I can't stop noticing how beautiful you are. Do you want to go out with me?'"

"I remember as if it was yesterday."

Both of us know how much we treasure that day. If I hadn't had a bad day and decided to take a walk at the Roses patches and if she had't decided to take a walk to spice up her day, our lives would have never been the same.

"Margo, I've been thinking for the past few days. How should I put this? Would you move in with me?"

"Lamont. I thought you would never ask. Of course, without a doubt. Yes. Yes. Yes. I will move in with you." I could see her eyes sparkle. Then she turned around and looked at me and said,"But you have to promise me! promise me that we will be together for the rest of our lives not matter what happens."

"I promise we will spend our every moment together for eternity."

"Lamont! Watch out for that blue car."

The disordered images have at once brought me back to the present. All of this is unavoidable now. I brought her closer to me and held her tightly in my weak arms hoping that we will be together for the rest of our lives.

_________________________________________________________

"A horrible accident happened today near City Square Garden. A red Ferrari crashed with a blue Ford at the intersection of Romeo and Juliet Street. The driver of the blue Ford was mildly injured; however, the couple in the red Ferrari died in the crash. The paramedics were not able to send them to hospital quickly enough, because they had difficulty removing them from each other. The couple's hands were locked together with the male holding the female tightly in his arms. The cause of the accident is still unsure. However, we've noticed the inside of the red Ferrari's windshield was covered with red and blue petals. Perhaps, their vision was blurred and they did not see the light turn red..."

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I Saw You on the Last Train Home

     --Henry Lam

I saw you on the last train home. It was late and I was tired. When I saw you, I couldn't believe my eyes. You were so delicate, so right, so perfect to me. You took your seat and I watched through my weary eyes your every breath and action. I hadn't seen a girl like you in the longest time. So sweet and innocent, untouched by the worries of the world. Then you left at C�te-des-Neiges, just walked off the train and went on home. I was too tired to stop you; too tired to say a wor; too tired even to smile. I knew very well that even if I had the strength to go after you, I wouldn't get back to my home. The last train home: 2 o'clock, dark, and alone. I stepped off that train at Snowdon and walked to the corner of the street. I saw the Oratory towering in the distance and said a bachelor's prayer that night.

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