I am the principal, for at least a day, I haves the power, and I shall play mind games. Starting with the daily announcement, I speak into the microphone that reads the idea of “Everybody can go home! Free day off!” Most don’t budge, they know. Anyway those who don’t come bolting to the door, I send them back with a message. I tell them to go back to class and say that the front gate is on fire everybody has to evacuate to the back. They smirk with delight. I see one go back, the second, then the all are back sending the message. I tap into the speaker again, I light a candle and start screaming, “Evacuate! Listen to the kids I sent!” I hear footsteps loud and quickly paced, but none close enough to see the actual front gate. I mutter a soft giggle. I wait a couple minutes and leave everybody waiting in silence on the grass, mind games. I paint myself with red, and walk out to where everybody is. I stand there looking like a zombie then get on my all fours and start running towards the crowd. They should start running away when I will scream, “April Fools!”

Treat everyday is going to be the best day ever! They said.
Well today I will fake it till I make it.
Today, I will be a positive person, a happy Harold as you could say.

I wake up to a whole new day!

I fly down the highway on my way to work as per usual.

I imagine myself in a loud car.

Something I could never imagine driving.

Vroommm…

I speed through the air.
My windshield is hit by a rogue maple leaf.
I hate my life.

No! Stay positive!

I have to take a detour though.
I love when this happens!

That’s in a positive tone by the way.

As I park my caboose on a oh so nice persons front of house.
The leaf feels superglued to my windshield.
I try to take it off my car.

I can not reach it.
I want to give up.

No! Stay positive! Don’t give up!
Okay, It’s okay, I’ll continue on the highway.
Skrrt! Boom!

A crash.
Someone didn’t want to hit me so they ran into another car.
I feel so guilty.

I mean unlike those people I can fly away from this situation.
Although that leaf is still stuck to my beak.
Ill just have to ask my pigeon friends to take it off.

The book I chose to read in the month of November would be Long Way Down by Jason Reynolds. Long Way Down is short a book that speaks the rivalries and deadly circle of revenge gun violence passed down from generations. This book is told from the perspective of a 16 year-old boy that goes by the name Will. At the beginning of the story Wills brother Shawn was shot dead. He grieves heavily, but in bed remembers the three rules his brother had showed him. One, no crying. Two, no snitching. Third, being to take revenge in the way of shooting the person who had shot or hurt a loved one. This fact causes Will the next morning to take his brothers gun and head into the elevator to complete his goal, all that separates him from it is five levels. Five levels to finalize his decision.

My favorite part of about the book is how the author writes the novel in a way compliments the characters internal dialogue. The author choosing in a short-poem-like format to mimic the speaking in an actual persons brain. Although a trip in the elevator may only take around a minute, the author was able slow it down that moment in such a good way that gives a story to tell. I would recommend this to any reader who likes a short read and a fast-paced plot.

My favorite character is that main character Will. His character represents the topic very well. He speaks like a boy his age would, and seems almost real. Will is a over-thinker. When Will reaches floor five his mind imagines Dani, his friend, a girl who had been shot and killed accidentally. In the story it states, “Then Dani asked, What if you miss? But I won’t I said. But what if you do? she asked” (149.) This evidence proves that Will is an over-thinker in the way of him creating an whole figure of a person that isn’t really to represent the doubt and worries about his plan. He uses Dani is used to represent the possibility of missing or possibly getting the wrong person in the goal to get the person who murdered his brother. For the fact a missed shot is what ended her life.

My favorite line in the book has to do with invention of the rules. The book states “…ain’t come from my brother, his friends, my dad, uncle, the guys outside, the hustlers and shooters, and definitely not from me” (39.) Why stood out to me about this line is that it hint towards the bigger picture and meaning of the story. It has to do with how these teenagers are trapped in a cycle of murder to “follow to rules” when they do not even know where it started. This furthermore feeding into the lesson about gun violence in the real world.