The Prestwick Review #1

Published by Prestwick Academy books Copyright © 2022 by Chris Kelso Cover Design: Matthew Revert

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced in any form or by any electronic or mechanical means including information storage and retrieval systems, without permission in writing from the author. The only exception is by a reviewer, who may quote short excerpts in a review. Printed in the United Kingdom First Print Edition ISBN 978-0-9934099-7-4

‘

As an American author of French extraction who now lives in Denmark I have never been to Prestwick Academy, or Scotland for that matter - but I can tell, even from the small sample of stories within this issue, that they must be a talented and creative bunch Poe would have been proud!’

- Seb Doubinsky, author of The Babylon Trilogy

- It doesn’t seem like all that long ago that I was sitting in class in a High School like this one, doodling extensively in the margins of my jotter, wondering what I was going to be when I left school. If you’d said that fifteen years later I’d have my first graphic novel out, selling in bookshops across the world, I’d tell you that you had the wrong guy.

At that time, I thought I was going to be a film director. It was all I wanted - the dream job that I just hoped could come true. After school, I went off to study film at University, and then the plan was to start making films. Except when I sat down to start writing my first film script, I just wasn’t getting anywhere. It was boring. I was bored. And I wasn’t getting anywhere.

It was about that time that I started to write and draw my own comics. I could tell the difference immediately - I was excited about what I was doing, I was creating new stuff all the time, and I was connecting with a whole community of cool people making comics like I was. Meanwhile, my movie script was moldering in a folder somewhere on my computer, forgotten and unloved.

Before long I was self-publishing my comics, getting them out to people through shops and at comic conventions. A few years down the line, and after pitching my book around for a good long while, I got a book deal from a publisher. Two years after that, my first book was finally out!

And then, I look back to fifteen-year-old me, doodling in the margins of my jotter, and it all makes sense. I had convinced myself that I wanted to make films, when I just didn’t know what I wanted to do yet. I had set myself along a path without knowing what other options were out there. And I had ignored one of my longest

running passions (drawing), while focussing fully on my passion for making films.

If I could offer some advice from my experience, it would be this… if you want to be creative, just do it. Make things and show them to people. Sell them or give them away for free. Don’t be afraid to experiment and try something new, because you never know when you’re going to find an art form, be it music, comics, video games, movies or whatever, that really inspires your creativity.

The wonderful collection of stories and writing in this issue are a perfect example of this. The writers in this volume have sat down and created something new and interesting, offering us unique visions of the world only they can offer. They’ve taken that crucial leap of not only being creative, but of getting it out there. I salute them for this, and it makes me happy to see so many young writers sharing their unique stories and opinions.

- Edward Ross (graphic novelist)

Little Girl cover up be quiet sit still be ladylike stay small I am drowning in the weight of expectations. sinking under the unending fear the constant burden of failure casts a shadow in my mind forever looming near Young woman It’s not your place Don’t be so bossy Have some modesty You’re letting yourself go Is it that time of the month? You’re too sensitive my heart strains against the constant pull of self hate holding onto the love that I

know to be raw and true holding onto the love that my mother taught me to have for there is no one else like me woman stand tall be brave be loud be unapologetic be fearless with love and hope I can break free from the box that society sent me labeled one size fits all shatter it and label each broken piece I survived build it up again, but not the same, just as I am not the same only then, when all that I have left is tempered glass and the love that fills my heart and fuels my mind can I look society in the eyes and whisper ‘you lose’

The “Teenage Dream”

We’ve all heard of catcalling and the pitiless actions inflicted upon women

But we never talk about the thing we can’t escape, The torture that is the electrically connected ranking system, We call social media.

In society it appears to be classed under the ‘oh we don’t talk about it’, Blissful ignorance, Not so blissful when you live it every day. ‘Girls supporting girls’, yet still can’t support myself,

I can’t help but think that its my fault for examining all these faultless lives.

The likes, the comments, the addiction.

The addiction to scrolling, comparison, self-destruction.

Built up internal hatred, I will never be them, I will never be one of those girls who have done nothing to me, the ones I hate for living my ideal life.

It’s not that I want to do this to myself, I know ill regret it when I’ve aged, but it seems I have an unbelievable hatred and jealousy of the personified perfect.

I can’t go outside without looking in car windows to see if my hair is out of place, knowing it will never be exact enough for me, I do it anyway.

I think myself vain and conceited but really its just my unmeasurable desire of being without flaws, breaking down my self-esteem with every step, I can’t help it.

I do want to love myself, I want to be free of the suffocating standards I have been set, And though I might not be capable of it now, I know I am smart and worthy so one day I will be.

Fiction -

The Boat that Still Sails

Eilidh Mackay

Charlotte was desperate to get a head start on her history project on the Titanic. Impressing her teacher and doing well in school was important. As she pulled up to the library, Charlotte’s eyes widened with joy. A near-infinite world of literature lay before her - colourful dustjackets and pages Charlotte described books as though they were her best friends – the characters made her laugh when no one ese could. They consoled her when she was sad and encourage her when her confidence was low. During

lockdown, the books became a bigger comfort than she could imagine. She knew exactly where to go to find the historical books and not just the rubbishy picture ones. There were a select few that were about the Titanic but that was all she needed.

Charlotte opened the book with her porcelain hands and began to read. Charlotte found something unusual about this book - weird connection that she had never felt before. Suddenly, Charlotte began o feel nauseous, as if the room was spinning and would never stop. All Charlotte could see was a swarm of words surrounding her like a whirlpool. The spinning was slowing down but it wasn’t the same. Charlotte was speechless once she realised she was on the Titanic.

Charlotte felt numb, could she really be inside the book? She tapped the nearest person she could find. It was a tall man who looked like cabin crew.

“What day is it?”, aske Charlotte.

“It’s the 12th, the man said.

“But what year is it?”

“It’s the 12th”, the man replied as if charlotte were dumb or insane.

The realisation was starting to kick in and with it the realisation that Charlotte had an opportunity to change history.

Once a Dream Brooke Pettigrew

Once on a bed under his favourite spaceship blanket. He had a dream…. It was about a kingdom except it was made of chocolate and he was king. He would wake up and tell his mum and she’d greet him with a big smile from ear to ear and say, “I love your imagination son.” He’d then stay with her all day because that’s all he had in his small flat near the beach. This was the year his father was out on deployment, and he’d eventually be starting primary school. His mum would hum and tap along to the radio songs and remind him of his manners and always end with an “I love you buddy” and ruffle his hair; just like his dad does. He would play at school, rush to yell out the answers first in class and watch the clock like it was a ticking time bomb, waiting for it to hit 3 o’clock and he could go home and have an afternoon snack with his mum. Every night his mum tucked him into bed, he’d always ask for a story because it helped him have dreams. He’d ask for her to stay until he was sound asleep because he loved the feeling of being loved…

Once on a bed under the unusual Glasgow heat, he had a dream. It was about his friends because that’s who he was always with. He’d wake up, tell his mum and she’d say how glad she is he has friends. Then she’d drive him to school and continue to hum and tap along to the radio, it was kind of tradition at this point. She would tell him to have a good day. This was the year his dad was home, but he

didn’t know how to talk to him. When his friends were busy, he’d ask his dad to play football with him, but he never did. This year at school he didn’t rush out to yell out the first answer but instead be the first to yell out the first joke to make the class erupt with laughter, yet his teachers would still give him an A. He’d come home and his mum would make him a snack. She’d ask how his day was and she would either get a shrug or a mere “good”. Then he’d take it up to his room and turn on his PlayStation. When it gets late his mum would come into his room and tell him to go to sleep and to set his alarm for school for the next day, because he’d always oversleep. He’d always wish it was his dad coming into his room instead, because he didn’t like the feeling of not being loved… Once on a bed with a navy blue blanket with white stripes, he had a dream. And it was a nightmare of him not being good enough for his actual dreams because that’s all the world would ever tell him. He’d wake up and he wouldn’t tell his mum because he felt misunderstood. Then she’d drive him to school in a quiet car and ask him if he’s studying and keeping up with homework. He’d nod and put his earphones in. This was the year he was doing his best, he had friends, a girlfriend, and was a well known athlete at his school. This was the year he had a surgery and left school for weeks and in the first week people would check up on him. He felt loved. He’d eventually go back to school wrapped in bandages and have crutches and try to ignore the pain. But every day he felt pain and everyday he felt lost. So, every day when he came home, he’d skip his mum’s lunch and go to his room food only hurt him more and talking to his mum only used more energy and nothing else

made him feel happy. This was the year a rumour went around he got caught going in his friend’s medicine cupboards and was labelled “the school junkie”. And of course, people at school called him disgusting and an addict. His “friends” were embarrassed to be seen with him over a rumour. This was the year his girlfriend would leave him, and he’d watch her kiss his friend after school by the bus. He would skip school, fail classes and fight with his parents. His surgery had healed by now but the pain it caused on his heart hadn’t and at night he’d take a blue tablet to help him forget about the fun life and amazing people that slipped away from him. He’d place a bet on whether or not he’d wake up the next day because he hated the feeling of not being loved….

Once on a brown couch under a thin throw blanket, he tried to have a dream. But he couldn’t fall asleep. When the sun came up, he’d get up and thank his friend for the roof over his head then go into town looking for a job. He’d call his mum and she’d pick up with a weary voice. He said he just needed a little bit of money for some clean clothes and an address to put down for a job application, but she didn’t believe him because of what happened during the academy. This was the year he got kicked out of his home for almost overdosing in front of both his parents. He would stay at different houses and always found a way to find a couch to sleep on. This year was his father’s funeral. He was out on deployment and only a few months into the deployment he had been killed in action. After he received the news about his dad, he felt more lost. His heart hurt, he lost one of his heroes. He bought a charity shop suit and watch. He felt overwhelmed about his dad, it was heart-

breaking to watch his mum watch the only last good thing in her life come crumbling down in front of her. She cried the entire time. He felt lost, the one person who believed in him most was gone, what would he do with his life? Though he’d eventually find a place to sleep, and he’d take a number of blue, yellow, and white pills. The end of yet another day being alone and failing his father hurt him more than the last. Then he’d tuck himself into bed and wonder when anyone would come help him out of his hole, because he hated the feeling of being absolutely alone even more than the feeling of not being loved by somebody…

Once on a pavement on Ayr High Street under a heavy snow jacket with holes and stains on it he finally had a dream. He dreamed of his childhood and his mum’s snacks, how he loved school, his talents in football, his great friends, and the only girl he ever fell in love with. He saw his whole life before his eyes, the person he was still to be. But then he’d wake up. This was the year he couldn’t find friends to stay with anymore. It was the year his mum changed her phone number and address. It was the year he gave up on a job and focused only on a stronger high. He woke to the noises of the busy town. The loud traffic and footsteps aways made him angry, everything made him angry now. He would lay there on the pavement and wonder what his mum was doing, what it’s like up in heaven because he knew his dad made it there. This time he did nothing with his days, there was no point to it anymore, nothing would help. Occasionally he’d look up at passers-by and reach out for anything, change, food, a conversation, something to make him feel human again. But everyone walked over him, looked away, like he was rubbish nobody

wanted to take responsibility for and pick up. He had to fend for himself and do things he was ashamed of. That’s all the world ever made him to feel like since the day he found out he was struggling with a pill addiction. So, he’d stay in the same spot still high and numb wondering how many more days his body could last. It didn’t matter to him because he hated the feeling of being rubbish….

Once on a starry night under a bridge laying on top of a couple bin bags, he wrote a letter. The title was his name because that’s all he had left anymore. On the crumpled piece of newspaper, he wrote about his dreams he never accomplished. He just wanted someone to find it so that they’d know who he was and who he wished to be. He’d write that this was the year he had given up and he’d write about how he hated the pills, but they were the only thing always there for him. He’d write about how this was the year he finally got in contact with his mum, and she called him a disgusting junkie. He’d write out all his apologies and regrets with tears on the paper. And as he clutches the crinkled newspaper piece, he’d pray someone would find him in the morning and read his story because he hated the feeling of not being loved, and feeling worthless, he thought maybe putting himself to sleep and dreaming forever would make someone, even anyone, finally care about him as a person…

Once on a bed of concrete under the light of the moon, he had a dream. This was the night he used every pill he had left and looked up at the stars with tears

going down his face. As he faded away into his final dream he gazed up at the sky and called out to his father, asking for that missing football match and he called out to his mum, asking for one more bedtime story, because that made him feel loved.

Anguish Painting

Brogan MacLean

A sheep mother bleating into the glacial domain encasing her bestride the body of her lifeless lamb, the murder of surrounding crows leering.

‘Anguish’ -by August Friedrich Schenck-has a great display of detail, emotion and symbolism with the crows, the blood seeping from the lambs mouth and the footprints in the snow from the mother so inconsolably trying to protect the

lamb from even worse defacement.

To me, the ewe is the focal point of this painting being stoically determined while tragically distressed, her sorrow palpable.

The overall painting is very monochrome with contrasting lights and darks, the winter terrain combatting the audience of crows admiring their banquet prodding their desire closer and closer to the ewe.

Crows are tricksters with a dynamic presence, a vanishing mediator with worse intentions.

Although it could be seen that the crows have slaughtered the lamb they patiently wait for their feast, allowing the mother to grieve and lash out towards them due to the grim predicament she’s in.

fragility and a mother’s bond. With the crows representing the grief the lamb fragility and the ewe a mother’s bond.

The murder gives her this empathy with malicious intent. They know that the mother will be forced to part with the lamb eventually handing them triumph.

Overall, I believe that this painting is a symbol of grief,

A mother’s bond is the maternal emphatic bias and has a deep evolutionary underpinning at the neural level to be selective and protective of her own offspring promoting empathy. Loss is a daily occurrence of which a crow will invite themselves in with a welcoming torment causing a battle with grief before any peace can be sought.

NOTE: BE CAREFUL OF WHAT MUG YOU’RE USING. CHECK UNDERNEATH OR ASK AN ADULT IF THE MUG YOU WANT TO USE IS SAFE TO BE MICROWAVED!!

I’D ALSO RECOMMEND USING A FAIRLY BIG MUG

INGREDIENTS:

• 2 TABLESPOONS OF BUTTER

• ¼ CUP (30g) OF SELF RAISING FLOWER

• 3 TABLESPOONS (35g) SUGAR

• 2 TABLESPOONS (13g) OF COCOA POWDER

• 3 TABLESPOONS (44ml) OF MILK

• OPTIONAL: PINCH OF SALT, CINAMMON OR 1/8 TEASPOONS OF VANILLA EXTRACT

METHOD

1. FIRSTLY, BRIEFLY MELT THE BUTTER IN THE MICROWAVE AND KEEP CHECKING UNTIL FULLY MELTED

2. SECONDLY, COMBINE ALL THE DRY INGREDIENTS IN A MICROWAVE SAFE MUG UNTIL THERE ARE NO CLUMPS.

3. ADD THE WET INGREDIENTS (THE BUTTER AND MILK) AND STIR UNTIL A SMOOTH BATTER IS FORMED.

4. NEXT, MICROWAVE, EVERY NOW AND AGAIN CHECK ON THE BROWNIE AND TAKE OUT WHEN FAIRLY SOLID (ITS OKAY IF THE BROWNIE IS STILL SLIGHTLY MOIST IT’LL SET AS THE BROWNIE RESTS.

5. ONCE THE BROWNIE HAS FINISHED COOKING IN THE MICROWAVE LEAVE IT TO REST FOR 4 MINUTES MAX.

6. LASTLY, ENJOY! YOU CAN SERVE THE BROWNIE WITH CREAM, ICECREAM OR JUST BY ITSELF.

Brain Teasers

Please try to solve the problems below. Let your mind go and use your creative thinking skills! Good Luck!

1. You are a cyclist in a cross-country race. Just before the crossing finish line you overtake the person in second place! What place did you finish in?

2. In a year there are 12 months. 7 months have 31 days. How many months have 28 days?

3. I do not have any special powers, but I can predict the score of any football game before it begins. How can I do this?

4. You are on the bank of a river. You have to get a fox, a hen, and corn to the other side of the river. If left alone, the fox will eat the hen, and the hen will eat the corn if left alone. The boat is only big enough to take you and one other three to the other side.

How do you get all 3 across intact?

5. Please add the following numbers in your head.

Start with 1000. Add 40 Add 1000 Add 30 Add 1000 Add 20 Add 1000 Add 10 Write down your answer.

6. What are the next 3 letters in the following sequence?

J, F, M, A, M, J, J, A, __, __, __

7. You are in a room that has 3 switches and a closed door. The switches control 3 light bulbs on the other side of the door. Once you open the door, you may never touch the switches again.

How can you definitively tell which switch is connected to each of the light bulbs?

8. I left my campsite and hiked south for 3 miles. Turned east and hiked for 3 miles. Then turned north and hiked for 3 miles, at which time I came upon a bear inside my tent eating my food!

What color was the bear?

9. A man lives on the fifteenth floor of an apartment building. Every morning he takes the elevator down to the lobby and leaves the building. In the evening, he gets into the elevator, and, if there is someone else in the elevator, or if it was raining that day, he goes back to his floor directly. Otherwise, he goes to the tenth floor and walks up five flights of stairs to his apartment. Can you explain why he does this?

10. Alex wants to go home but can't, because the man in the mask is waiting for him. What is going on?

11. Your sock drawer contains 24 white socks and 30 black socks. The lights in your room are off, so you cannot see the color of the socks. How many socks must you grab to ensure to have at least one matching pair?

12. You are in a cookie factory and need to make a huge batch of chocolate chip cookies. The recipe calls for exactly 4 cups of sugar. Problem is that you have two buckets. One is 5 cups, the other is 3 cups. Using these buckets, can you measure exactly 4 cups of sugar? How?

13. A man is on a game show. He is presented with two doors, one on the left, and one on the right. Behind one is 2 million dollars, and behind the other is a donkey. Choose the correct door to win the prize. There are also two men in front of the doors, and they know which door leads to the millions. One wears a black hat, the other wears a white hat.

The host explains that one of the men is a liar, and will always lie, and the other man will always tell the truth - but you don't know which is which.

You can ask only one of the men only one question. What is the question and which man do you ask to ensure you win the money?

football game before it begins. How can I do this?

Brain Teasers

Please try to solve the problems below. Let your mind go and use your creative thinking skills! Good Luck!

1. You are a cyclist in a crosscountry race. Just before the crossing finish line you overtake the person in second place! What place did you finish in?

Answer: Second Place. If you pass the person in second, you take second place, and they become third.

2. In a year there are 12 months. 7 months have 31 days. How many months have 28 days?

Answer: They all do.

3. I do not have any special powers, but I can predict the score of any

Answer: I can predict the score BEFORE it begins. Well, the score before any football game is always zero to zero!

4. You are on the bank of a river. You have to get a fox, a hen, and corn to the other side of the river. If left alone, the fox will eat the hen, and the hen will eat the corn if left alone. The boat is only big enough to take you and one other three to the other side.

How do you get all 3 across intact?

Answer: First take the hen across. Leave the hen. Go back and get the fox. Take the fox to the other side. Leave the fox there, but take the hen with you back to get the corn. Leave the hen and take the corn to the other side.

Drop the corn off with the fox, then go back to get the hen. Bring the hen to the other side. All 3 make it fully intact!

5. Please add the following numbers in your head. Start with 1000. Add 40 Add 1000 Add 30 Add 1000 Add 20 Add 1000 Add 10 Write down your answer. Answer: Many will get 5000. But the actual answer is 4100!

6. What are the next 3 letters in the following sequence?

J, F, M, A, M, J, J, A, __, __, __ Answer: S, O, N

The sequence is first letter of the months of the year. September, October and November are the next in the sequence.

7. You are in a room that has 3 switches and a closed door. The switches control 3 light bulbs on the other side of the door. Once you open the door, you may never touch the switches again.

How can you definitively tell which switch is connected to each of the light bulbs?

Answer: Turn on the first 2 switches. Leave them on for 5 minutes. Once 5 minutes has passed, turn off the second switch, leaving one switch on. Now go through the door. The light that is still on is connected to the first switch, whichever of the other two is warm to the touch is connected to the second switch. The bulb that is cold is connected to the switch that was never turned on!!

8. I left my campsite and hiked south for 3 miles. Turned east and hiked

for 3 miles. Then turned north and hiked for 3 miles, at which time I came upon a bear inside my tent eating my food!

What color was the bear?

Answer: White. The only place you can hike 3 miles south, then east for 3 miles, then north for 3 miles and end up back at your starting point is the North Pole. There are only polar bears in the north pole, and they are white!

9. A man lives on the fifteenth floor of an apartment building. Every morning he takes the elevator down to the lobby and leaves the building. In the evening, he gets into the elevator, and, if there is someone else in the elevator, or if it was raining that day, he goes back to his floor directly. Otherwise, he goes to the tenth floor and walks up five flights of stairs to his apartment. Can you explain why he does this?

Answer: The man is a dwarf. He can't reach the upper elevator buttons, but he can ask people to push them for him. He can also push them with his umbrella.

10. Alex wants to go home but can't, because the man in the mask is waiting for him. What is going on?

Answer: A baseball game is going on. The base-runner sees the catcher waiting at home plate with the ball, so decides to stay at third base to avoid being tagged out.

11. Your sock drawer contains 24 white socks and 30 black socks. The lights in your room are off, so you cannot see the color of the socks. How many socks must you grab to ensure to have at least one matching pair?

Answer: Three. In the worst case, the first two socks you take out will consist of one black sock and one white sock. The next

sock you take out is guaranteed to match one or the other.

12. You are in a cookie factory, and need to make a huge batch of chocolate chip cookies. The recipe calls for exactly 4 cups of sugar. Problem is that you have two buckets. One is 5 cups, the other is 3 cups. Using these buckets, can you measure exactly 4 cups of sugar? How?

Answer: This is possible, and there are 2 ways to do it: Solution 1: Fill the 3 cup bucket, pour it into the 5 cup bucket. Fill the 3 cup bucket again, and pour it into the 5 cup bucket until the 5 cup bucket is full. That will leave exactly 1 cup of sugar in the 3 cup bucket. Dump out the 5 cup bucket, and dump the 1 cup from the 3 cup bucket into the empty 5 cup bucket. This leaves 1 cup in the 5 cup bucket. Now fill the 3 cup again and add it to the 5 cup bucket. Now you have exactly 4 cups of sugar in the 5 cup bucket! Solution 2: Fill the 5 cup bucket. Pour it into the 3 cup bucket. This leaves 2 cups in the 5 cup bucket. Dump out the 3 cup bucket. Now pour the 2 cups from the 5 cup into the 3 cup. Refill the 5 cup. Now pour the 5 cup into the 3 cup until the 3 cup is full. That will leave exactly 4 cups in the 5 cup bucket!

13. A man is on a game show. He is presented with two doors, one on the left, and one on the right. Behind one is 2 million dollars, and behind the other is a donkey. Choose the correct door to win the prize. There are also two men in front of the doors, and they know which door leads to the millions. One wears a black hat, the other wears a white hat.

The host explains that one of the men is a liar, and will always lie, and the other man will always tell the truth - but you don't know which is which.

You can ask only one of the men only one question. What is the question, and which man do you ask to ensure you win the money?

Answer: You ask either man the following question: "If I asked the other guy which door has the money, what would he say?", then choose the opposite door.

Work it out: If you ask the question to the liar, he will lie about the 'correct' answer, so you must choose the opposite door. If you ask the truth teller, he will tell the truth about the lie, so you can choose the opposite door as well.