Vignette Reflection
- Project Description: What was the assignment?
We had to write about a "Moment in Time" that affected us in one way or another, or changed our life in a drastic way. We were required to use the five senses (sensory detail) and dialog to bring our reading into the moment. We had to Show, not tell. - Process: What steps did you take to get to the final product?
I at first didn't know what to do. The first thoughts that went though my head at the time was "What stuck me the most?", "Should I include this?", "Would this be good enough?". That eliminated all the events except three, which were the deaths of my three closest friends. I was only there for two of them, sadly, so it was down to two devastating moments. My friend, Hermit, died of old age, but he slept happily. What really stuck me was my best friend's death, when he fell down the stairs of school (they were steep, and he was fragile). I was there when it happened, how do you think that made me feel? I took that event and reminisced back to that moment to share my pain into a paper. Now that I think about it... all of these events happened four years ago...
Either way, continuing on. After I chosen my event, I started writing. I captured my pain and my sorrow, and I tossed in some of my anger into there as well. Flowing, my fingers danced across the keyboard until the piece was done. After I finished the first draft, I figured I was crying. ¬_¬ Thats when I started sharing it to the world, getting revisions and drafts back so I can fully capture the moment.
To see the writing, see below to find my piece. - Reflection: What did you learn? What challenges did you encounter? What would you do the same or different? How will this help you later?
Hm... what did I learn? Other than I gained my writing skills back, I barely learned anything. I already knew how to use dialog to my advantage, I already knew how to show my story, all I needed was a refresher course.
The challenges I encountered... other than bursting to tears during writing or being stuck there trying to think what change my life? I don't see anything other than those two challenges (oh, and the grammer/spelling mistakes I made).
The same or differently... during the moment or during the writing? Specify please... (what I do know that I would change differently is that I shouldn't delete all my writing and regret doing it again). During the moment, I can't change the past because the course of the future might have changed as well (I've been reading comicbooks ¬_¬). During the writing... I don't see anything I could've or would've changed.
How would this help me later? Writing maybe... otherwise nothing much. - Artifact: A physical piece of evidence that shows the project and its components.
Silens Lacrima (Silenced Tears)
“To himself, everyone is immortal; he may know that he is going to die, but he can never know that he is dead.” –Samuel Butler
It was raining that day. His tears fell from the heavens, and his heart became one with it. Was it fate that he was meant to sleep eternally, or was it a choice that someone else made that brought it all to an end? Covered in scarlet mud, no one was there to grieve his death. No one there to hear his cry for help, no one there to help him as he fell…. No one…. Except me….
I can’t seem to remember his name; I can’t seem to remember his smile. He was a good kid, always cheery, never to let his pain or emotions take away from his personality. I remember what he was like, I remember his eyes. They were always shining, looking forward to seeing tomorrow. I remember everything about “that time”… where our friendship ended in a second. I do not wish to remember, because it is not part of my personality to give over to sorrow; to reminisce on the past.
It was four years ago, I remember it clearly as day. I was ten, a bit too innocent to see someone close disappear from this world. He was my best friend, always greeting me with a lighthearted, “Hello”. No matter what the situation, no matter what the mood, he seemed to always make the day brighter. Even in this downpour, he could bring sunshine.
It was raining that day. He had no care in the world, and he lived there in the present, in happiness. It was the end of the school day, everyone went home already; there was no one around to realize what had just happened. He happily climbed the stairs he always took home. He climbed the stairs that he always enjoyed playing on. I stood there, in awe… in envy. I wanted to be like him, always to be happy just like him.
There was a figure on the top of the stairs that he was climbing. I assumed it was his brother, as he always talked about how he adored his older brother. At that moment, I made that one mistake. I turned away and started back to my home. That moment, I regret all my life. I didn’t notice until it was too late. A cry of agony, and then silence… I turned to see what it was. The still body of a boy, tumbling down the stairs. His body fell to the earth it came from, ringing death’s knell. My eyes became dull, replaying the moment as if it was eternal… the last moments of my best friend, before my eyes, dying.
It was raining that day. He lay there, covered in blood. He was motionless, silent. My body became numb; my legs fell to the ground. Tears fell like rain from my eyes. Everything that happened, it was all too soon, too much to handle for me back then. That figure, staring down at us like we were of nothing. I couldn’t handle it anymore; sorrow filled my heart and my voice.
“You were his brother!” I screamed, “Why didn’t you save him!? WHY!?” That figure just stood there, doing nothing. He turned and walked away, ever so slowly. I couldn’t stand it; rage filled what emotion was left in me. “He adored you!! He loved you! Tell me why!? Why couldn’t you save him! Why… why….” I choked on my tears. I had no more strength. I use every ounce of my energy just to get over to my friend’s side, just like he always came to mine. He looked at me, with his eyes full of lifelessness. “Don’t die…” I pleaded. I lifted his head and cradled it in my arms. “Don’t die… please…”
Cold tears fell from the clouds. The shadows embraced him, allowing its frozen darkness to blanket over the sky. His blood stained the earth maroon, his voice faded into the tainted wind. He never showed his pain or other emotions, always hiding behind that smile. He never cried, he never complained. He adored his brother, he adored this world…. Even when he was leaving it, he continued smiling. His last words… as silent as the grass under him… and as dark as the heavens above. His eyes closed, ready to sleep forever. He finally allowed himself to shed one last tear… a sign to begin his journey back to the world that brought him into this one. He smiled all the way through his pain, even when it was too much to bear. He smiled all the way to the end.
Rain fell from my eyes. I clung to his frigid corpse, never letting go of either his body or his memory. He was my best friend. He was always there for me. I have forgotten his name; I’ve forgotten why he always smiled. I’ve forgotten to say “goodbye” as he parted with me, with the world. It was because of him, that I began to smile. It was because of him, that I expressed my feelings. It was because of his death, it was because of our friendship that I became who I am. He was always there for me… even now he’s here, watching over me….
“Even if you forget, I will always remember. Even if you don’t know what to do, I will always be there to help you. ” – Dying words of a Friend. April 1994 – 2004
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