My eyes are heavy and strained like Atlas trying desperately to hold the weight of the world, but I persevere. The distant howling of wolves stirs me from my daze and sends a shiver from the nape of my neck down through my entire body. The sound-dampening snow slightly muffles their war cries, and their howls faintly echo through the trees. The tall pine trees stand tall as solemn sentinels, simply observing my torment. Clutching tight on my knife, I can feel the life draining from my body as frostbite sets in. I raise my eyes in front of me, and there is a light in the distance. Through the tall bodies of the pines, I can see it; the warm, welcoming light beckons me forward. Gazing forward in almost a trance, my legs give out, tired from walking miles through the deep snow. Lying on the soft snow, I long to sleep. The snow no longer feels cold; it soothes me to sleep like a warm blanket welcoming me after a long day. As I lose consciousness, the mirage of the light fades, and I am once again alone in the dark.
Time Flies by Jack Winnay Why Do I Have to Leave Oak Hill? Why do I have to go to private school? What schools should I tour? What’s Belmont Hill? Where is it? That’s a dumb question. Is it all boys? Do you think I’ll like an all boys school? When do I find out if I got in? If I get in, do I have to go? When’s the first day of school? Why do I start school way before my friends? Why do I have to wake up so early? Why are my teachers giving so much homework? Why are my grades so bad? “Jack, why are your grades so bad?” Will I ever like it here? When does baseball season start? How did 7th grade go by so fast? Who are all these new kids? How am I already a freshman? Do my grades this year go on my college resume? What colleges will I apply to? Do I even need to think about college yet? “Jack, you don’t need to think about college right now.” Thank God. When are varsity baseball tryouts? Do you think I’ll make the team? Do you think my back is O.K? “Ya, it’s probably fine.” What does the MRI say? How long will it take to recover? Will I miss the whole summer season? I wonder if coach hates me? How different is sophomore year from freshman year? Should I take any AP’s? No more study halls? When do we eat lunch? What time do sports start? Should I go back to football this year? What about basketball, should I play basketball this year? Why does advanced woodworking have to be over? I wonder if Mom will like the table I made her? When does baseball start? Will I play this year? Will I be able to stay healthy? When’s our first game? What’s COVID? How long do we not have school for? What’s Zoom? Are we going back? Nope! What are the rules going to be this year? Do I have to wear a mask all day? Do we actually have to stay 6 feet apart? How long is this going to last? Do you have to play hockey games with a mask? How is it already winter? I wonder what all these new electives are going to be like? I wonder how Creative Writing is going to be? How is it already spring? Is baseball season going to be normal? How is there only 7 games left this year? How is there only 3 weeks left in junior year? How have these 5 years gone by so fast? Is senior year going to go by as fast as these past years? How much am I going to miss Belmont Hill when I’m gone?
