"Once Upon A Dark Nightmare"

This is a story written by Grant as an end of the year writing project. He really enjoyed this and didn't want to stop! He did a great job- said his FLC teacher and his proud momma.

"Once Upon A Dark Nightmare"
It was a dark cloudy day, no birds chirping, no green things living, horns honking, people screaming, and the ground was not visible for all the trash. Joe, unfortunately, lived in this wretched town in New York. Joe was very intelligent but still had no sense of humor and had a permanent frown and a hate for the town he lived in. The only friends he had were his neighbors and his very best school friend. He would have been the happiest person if not for his town, his attitude, and his whole life. Sometimes Joe would wake up and pretend he had billions of friends, a nice green sunny pasture, and a big house with a barn full of horses and cows. Then he would look around the room and begin to realize that he was never going to get out of this tiny apartment in the city.

Joe's parents always tried to make him happy but he always seemed to not accept the opportunity to be happy. He would simple say, "Thanks." in a bored kind of tone and then get on with his life. His parents almost gave up on trying to make him happy when they found he loved to read fantasy books. He would even crack a tiny smile when he got a new book. He would read them by the dozen and one time he even laughed a squeak of a laugh. Joe would go to school with his library card and as soon as the bell rang for the end of school he would be running to the library. The only reason he loved the books was he could imagine the fun it would be to ride the white horses and slay the dragon, or solve the mystery, or fly in the skies. When he wasn't reading books he was moping about with dark eyes and wearing his frown.

Things went on like this for years that seemed so slow that you could still see yesterday through the fog. Joe was 19 now, he still had a permanent frown, and still read fairy tales, but something was different; he had a driver's license! His parents always said that fairy tales and driving don't mix. As time went on things got worse, the economy was bad, gas prices were up, and his money was down. He thought he had only one choice: to leave home. He talked to his parents for hours late one night and finally convinced them that he was responsible and could find a job somewhere. The boy he had once been was all grown up and gone. Once upon a dark nightmare, there was a young man on a mission to find true happiness.

The journey he took was not alone, his neighbors and friends came along too. His friend Dan was 20, selfish, and kind of dull. Sean was 18 with the presentiment that everything would go wrong. Seth was 19 and he was just plain mean. The journey started the next week in a minivan loaded with suit cases. They had two tents, two air mattresses, and lots of lanterns, batteries, and flashlights. The plan was to go find a remote location to live with a big back yard and a spacious neighborhood. The place they were looking for was in the mountains. The Appalachian Mountains were the best place for people that wanted to leave the crowded city filled with noise and pollution.

One day they were searching for a tent site near what looked like a rain forest that hadn't been touched for years, when a scream came out from behind them and Dan was gone! The next thing they heard was the splatter of mud. He had fallen into a deep hole of quicksand. Dan fell painfully slow, running out of oxygen, when he felt something. It was a doorknob. Out of instinct he pulled the door slowly to find a spider inhabited, sideways palace, that was actually filled with fresh air. He was astonished to find many more doors leading to more rooms, and stairs, rugs, sofas, and other plentiful and luxurious furnishings. Above the underground palace, there was crying and mourning. When the mourners heard a voice that said, "Wow, sweet!" it made them all stop crying. Then Joe spied it; a corner of a roof and a vent. The sudden feeling of happiness was so surprising for Joe. They climbed through the vent to see Dan and his palace.

This is the hard part, saying that the story is done, but the lives of "Jolly Joe and his Friends" went on for a long time after the ending of this story. Joe was able to stop reading his fairy tales because now he was living one.

The End.