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Table of Contents Letter from the Editors by Editing Team
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Silence by Abe Weinstein
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Teenagers by Abe Weinstein
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Light and Darkness by Jack Noland
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Stairway to Heaven by Jack Noland
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Bubble by Liya Chen
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52 Hertz by Liya Chen
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Broken by Alex Bandong
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Film Reviews by Alex Bandong
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Untitled by Sanjana Chillarege
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Reckless by Lindsey LaSasso
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Trouble in Paradise by Jack Noland Quarter Past Midnight by Jack Noland But that’s none of my business by Jillian Rokuskie Masks by Sasha Kostenko How to Leave a Home by Sasha Kostenko Days in the Meadow by Madison Swyers
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1920s Rolls Royce by Luke Johnson
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Wonton Soup by Sasha Kostenko
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Fatigue by Sasha Kostenko
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Wandering Mind by Luke Johnson
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Stirfly Noodles by Luke Johnson
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Literary Magazine Team
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Letter From the Editors We the Editors of the Literary Magazine, in Order to form a more perfect Issue, establish Grammar, insure domestic Creativity, provide for the common reader, promote the general Format, and secure the Blessings of Literature to ourselves and our Authors, do ordain and establish this Constitution for the Literary Magazine of Cary Academy. Article 1: Grammar We will ensure the following are exceptional: Diction: The most ideal word choice. Detail: The most in-depth description. Imagery: The most authentic visuals. Syntax: The most solid structure. Tone: The most impactful stories. Article 2: Formatting The Format of the Magazine shall be to the standards of the Graphics and Design team; we will ensure consistency among genres, vivid imagery and artwork, and a design that best exemplifies the hard work and accomplishments of our submitting authors. Article 3: Creativity We are an outlet for creativity, for innovation, for bold and unique thinking, and we shall encourage personal growth through literature. We shall display Cary Academy’s diversity of ideas, and we celebrate each contributing member and their ingenuity. Thank you to all our submitting authors—keep owning your writing! Literary Magazine Editing Team
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Silence Abe Weinstein The sun beats down like a hammer on Jacque's back. Sweat runs in agonizing rivers from his brow. His white grease paint is nonetheless immaculate. A black beret sits rakishly atop his head, fixed as the laws of gravity. Jacque has tried removing it. Oh, he has tried. He has flailed like a madman, clawed at his face with manic abandon, pulled on his fingers with every bit of force his body could muster. To no avail. His hat stays on, his face paint flawless, his white gloves tight. This is Jacque's personal hell. Then Jacque sees something in the distance. A family strolling along the sidewalk. They shimmer like a mirage. Jacque begins to scream, he pounds on his unseen prison. The family sidles up. "Look daddy, a mime!" says the little girl. "Yes sweetie, it certainly is." No! Jacque screams, No! I am trapped! But they move on. And Jacque is left in silence.
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Teenagers Abe Weinstein "Rise and shine, Evan." Jerome raps twice on his stepson's door. When there is no answer, he sighs and opens it a crack. "Wakey-wakey, Evan, it's time for school." "I told you, my name is Evanthos, the Lawless One, He Who Brings About the Day of Judgement," responds a bleary voice. "Okay, Evanthos, now climb down from there. It's time for school." *** Jerome sits at the kitchen table. He reads the newspaper over a mug of coffee. Jerome glances at his stepson, cocking an eyebrow when he sees the petulant look in the child's blood-red eyes. "Something wrong, sport?" The boy stabs a silent finger at the bowl in front of him. "Use your words," coaxes Jerome. "Why is there milk in my cereal. I asked for the blood of a youngling goat." Jerome sighs and puts down the newspaper. "Well, son, you can't always get what you want. Sometimes in life--" "YOU'RE NOT MY DAD!" screams the boy with a voice that cracks stone and sunders the sky in two. Jerome shakes his head. "Teenagers…"
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Light and Darkness Jack Noland
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Stairway to Heaven Jack Noland
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Bubble Liya Chen
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52 Hertz Liya Chen
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Broken Alex Bandong FADE IN:
INT. APARTMENT - DAY Two people sit across from one another at a kitchen table; the WOMAN is screaming at the MAN. The man quickly gets defensive and the conversation escalates. WOMAN How could you? MAN How could I? Maybe if you were around more, I wouldn't need someone else! WOMAN Excuse me! I'm not around as much because of my job. I've been working for this promotion for months.
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MAN You're just making my point. WOMAN Fuck you! You're so irrational, all
the time...you don't appreciate me. MAN (scoffs) I don't appreciate you?? WOMAN (stands up to face the
man) Yes. You don't appreciate me. You know what, I don't deserve this; I'm a hard-working, independent woman. The woman storms out of the apartment, slamming the door behind her.
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FADE TO:
EXT. APARTMENT BUILDING - DAY
The woman sprints down the stairs of the apartment building, tears quickly forming and rolling down her face. She unlocks her car and gets inside. CUT TO:
THE WOMAN'S CAR The woman bangs her fists on her steering wheel, screaming inside her car. Tears run down her face and her mascara smears. She eventually leans back in her seat, crying silently. CUT TO:
INT. APARTMENT - DAY The man, frustrated with the woman's reaction, begins to
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throw things. Plates, glasses, laptops - anything breakable ends up on the floor. We hear the sound of objects shattering violently on the hardwood floor. Once the destruction is over, the man curls up in a ball on
the one clean spot of floor and breaks down softly crying. FADE TO BLACK.
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Film Review: You Get Me Alex Bandong On my quest for interesting Netflix movies, I found You Get Me. Within the first few seconds, I knew this would be a bad movie. It was made by Awesomeness Films. It also seemed like a bit of a cliché plotline - a guy with a girlfriend, good friends, a job, etc. The girl changes him! Wow. Intense. I'm in love. And then he meets a girl at a party and she's cool because his girlfriend just broke up with him. So naturally, he gets into a stranger’s car and, instead of freaking out like a normal person, just seems quite relaxed. And then she takes his phone from him. If it were me, I would've made her stop the car and gotten out a while before all of this weird stuff happened. Alas, he did not do that. This movie is just weird stuff after weird stuff. He gets in a car with a stranger, goes to a party with a stranger, does drugs with a stranger, doesn't freak out that much when he wakes up in the house of a stranger, I. could. go. on. For your sake, I won't. Anyways, enough summarizing, and time for my opinion of this movie. You Get Me arrested. That was my first thought of this movie. Well, it was my brother's, as he was watching from afar, but that's not the point. This chick just brings this random guy to her house and then tells him she broke into this huge expensive house and steals wine, which she calls a "federal offense". Therefore, you get me arrested. You Get Me to feel bad for you. Holly (aforementioned girl) makes the guy feel bad because her dad is dead and because she was also dumped by a guy at the party. She also has a bad stepmom and makes him feel bad for that. The thing is, he also made her feel bad for him - just not as badly. Okay he did - about his girlfriend. On another note, I don't understand why I kept watching this movie. So cliché.
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You Get Me to move to LA. Technically, this one isn't true. He didn't get her to move to LA. She just‌did. Since she's a stalker. So‌ that's creepy enough. This movie just got WEIRD. You Get Me killed. As the movie went on, it was so bad that I couldn't get myself to turn it off. It ended with Holly basically murdering her mother, trying to murder Ali, and trying to murder the guy. Overall, I would give this movie a 2/5. Would not recommend to a friend unless they're up for a real weird, cringey movie.
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Film Review: Love Actually Alex Bandong On my quest for interesting Netflix movies, I found Love Actually. I'd wanted to see this movie for a while and didn't realize it was on Netflix. This is one of my favorite movies. I love the concept of love in movies, so it makes sense. The beginning of this movie is beautiful to me. It makes me happy to see so many happy loving people. It makes me tear up. I admire how it describes love. I also adore how it sneaks the movie title into the introduction and then transitions to a beautiful scene of a man somewhat badly singing. Lovely. I love the different couples in this movie. I also love all the curse words in this movie, they just make the movie. I adore how funny the movie is and all the dumb, weird jokes that are made. It's great how it deals with many different forms of love - love between husband and wife, young love, love between a prime minister and someone who works with him, cheating on others, love between a man and his best friends’ wife, etc. One of my favorite things about this movie is that it is Christmas themed. It's about such a happy time of year while also being about loooooooove. Another one of my favorite things is that they're BRITISH. That just makes it 100x better. I adore how they introduce all of the characters. It's funny and cute and quite weird. I really admire how well this movie fits the different relationships
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between everyone together and connects everyone together in the end. Overall, I would give this movie a 6/5 and recommend it to a friend.
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Untitled Sanjana Chillarege
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Reckless Lindsey LaSasso i text while driving not everyone, just you you see, i know it’s you because you have a very specific ringtone, sort of a mix between chimes and an air-horn awakening me from my high-way hypnosis the only thing i love more than your ringtone at 3:43 in the afternoon is the sound of your laugh when i say something unexpected so situationally inappropriate that it shocks you into that belly laugh the one you only do around me or so i've been told. you didn’t laugh when i told you that those texts you get from me every day at 3:44 were from the middle of route 40 instead of laughing, you nodded; the understanding washing over you and you sighed. "i love you too".
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Trouble in Paradise Jack Noland
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Quarter Past Midnight Jack Noland
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But That’s None of My Business Jillian Rokuskie
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Masks Sasha Kostenko
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How to Leave a Home Sasha Kostenko I thought I knew this place for what it was, The hallmark of a childhood spent afraid Of how my world insists on spinning round it When against all good reason it should end. The spidery web of terse anticipation Corner memories, above all else Nonexistent where it feels I aught To place a filial domesticity To those yellow homely kitchen walls, Those imprints of a recurring daydream Every child seems to yearn to tell. To cross the threshold's just a common matter; Where does the story end but starts another? Meandering down halls of memory And leaving cobwebs swaying as I go, Still loathe to cut them down when fact remains That soon they're all that's left when I'll be gone.
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Days in the Meadow Madison Swyers The child runs in the Meadow. Little daisies sway in the warm breeze. The sun smiles down sending its warmth everywhere. The little girl dances through the field, rainbows swirling in her eyes. Her hair moves as the breeze dances through it. Her laughter peals through the air like the ringing of bells. Her happiness seems to force the flowers to bloom. She hums a tune as she moves through the Meadow playing with her little doll. She dances and plays throughout the day until her mother comes to collect her for dinner. It was at that time that the little girl went away from the Meadow. A few days pass and she does not return. The months turn to summer whose hot gaze scorches the Meadow dry. The months turn to fall, and still the Meadow waits. It waits for the young girl to come play again. The daisies all disappear from the Meadow now, lost to the cold. Soon Winter comes as the freezing snow sets in. Ice and silver frost cover the Meadow. Winter’s fangs have sunk their teeth into the poor Meadow. The Winter came and went, and spring began to bloom again. And still the Meadow could not hear the joyous cries of any children near. The daisies hid. They shelter themselves, ground their roots, and last through storms and winds to see the next year. Many years pass over the Meadow. Slowly the years soften and so does the Meadow. The Meadow no longer blooms. One day a Woman appears towing a young girl. She leads the child into the Meadow to play. The young girl’s smile shows her delight. The Woman starts to hum a tune. She watches as the child dances with a doll in her arms. The Woman’s lips twitch up in a grin. Daisies start to awaken and stretch their faces to the sun as they smile for the first time greeting this new child. The Meadow watches as the Woman kneels at its edge. Turning, the Woman watches the little girl dance. But now she will not get up and play. Her bones creak even in the soft spring breeze. Instead she watches the young girl dance among the flowers. “It’s nice while it lasts, but is there ever a right time to truly leave?” She asks herself. Slowly she gets up. Calling out to the little
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girl she walks over to her. The daisies hide as they see her approach. The little girl smiles at her mother. “Can’t we stay Mama? The flowers are happy,” asks the child. Relenting the Woman sits. Slowly she falls asleep. The young girl continues to play. She plays till after the sun sets. She continues to play without a care in the world. The woman sleeps on as the Meadow watches the little girl. A bittersweet smile plays over the Woman’s lips. She dreams of the simpler times in life. They stay in the Meadow.
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1920s Rolls Royce Luke Johnson
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Wonton Soup Sasha Kostenko
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Fatigue Sasha Kostenko Sleep is the enemy, The design of a limitless universe Intent on limiting
A thick cotton-filled mind With pressure on its fringes— Two hands pressing at your temples Staring unseeing Unreading unworking Waiting For words to appear and the Knot In your chest to dispel 5 more minutes and you'll grab at its loose ends But for now the hands themselves Are tied Too warm Too comfortable— Seems like high cognitive musings Must have their breakfast first.
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Wandering Mind Luke Johnson
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Stirfly Noodles Luke Johnson
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Literary Magazine Team Editors-in-Chief
Cover and Design Team
Sasha Kostenko 12
Sam Dietrich 11
Madison Swyers 12
Hannah Owens 11 Madeline Kopf 11
Editing Team
Savannah Lu 11
Cate Pitterle 11 Christina Polge 9
Format Team
Grace Jaeger-Sandruck 9
Ashley Grubstein 9
Dina Etkin 9
Sasha Kostenko 12
JR Cobb 9
Nica Kostenko 10
Leah Bezuayehu 9
Hannah Gordon 10
Simran Saini 9
Faculty Leader: German Urioste Cover art by Sam Dietrich Design Graphics Source: Medieval archives
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