Natura | Pompano Pages 2024

Pompano pages

[Front cover]

| HAILEY HUYNH ‘26

Green Sky

Natura

Pompano Pages

Editor-in-Chief

Huiling Zhang

Editors

Hailey Huynh

Kaliya Dennisor

Patrick Gohl

63 Falling | Hailey Huynh ‘26

63 Little House | Hailey Huynh ‘26

64 Following | Hailey Huynh ‘26

65 Rememberance | Huiling Zhang ‘25

66 Pink Fish | Hailey Huynh ‘26

67 Blizzard Blues | Md Haque ‘25

70 Gallery of the World

71 Escape | Rowana Simpson ‘25

71 Connected | Hailey Huynh ‘26

71 End | Rowana Simpson ‘25

72 Cave | Diana Mayfatova ‘25

72 Feed | Hailey Huynh ‘26

72 Upstate | Huiling Zhang ‘25

73 Sought | Rowana Simpson ‘25

73 Rolling Down | Huiling Zhang ‘25

74 To Dare | Diana Mayfatova ‘25

74 Hello | Diana Mayfatova ‘25

Editor’s Note

I am pleased to welcome you to the 2024 edition of the annual Pompano Pages literary magazine. This year we had a late start as responsibility for the literary magazine transferred and the publication struggled to find its place among the numerous amount of changes happening at PBHS. However, I knew that the literary and visual arts had a strong community here even in a STEM-focused environment and I wanted to continue to foster that through a revival of the magazine.

In this publication we embraced a theme of duality, one our students embody. The natural world inherently has friction between its internal elements, and yet it flows together as a whole. From the youthful romance of “Graduation Day” to the grief of “Tuesday,” or the melancholy of “Greener?” to the tenacity of “Blizzard Blues,” I hope you are reminded of the contradicting forces that work together within ourselves and embrace them.

Since a lot of our submissions were centered on nature and the environment, we decided to make the “Gallery of the World.” We hope to inspire you through seeing the many different forms our planet takes. I believe this section embodies our theme wholeheartedly. I am reminded of the relationship between mankind and nature—the compromise we strike with towering cities and the stubborn landscape that weaves through. This publication confronts this relationship and challenges the reader to evaluate the “natural” and “man-made” elements in their life.

This would not have been possible without the support and guidance of our advisor, Ms. Edwards, and the eagerness of the PBHS community. We thank you for all your contributions. I thank the team, whom were all new to the publication—all your hard work paid off and I am so proud of what we have created together. I cannot wait to see what we do next year. On behalf of the editorial team, we are honored to present Pompano Pages’ newest edition: Natura.

To the readers, enjoy.

Huiling Zhang ‘25

natura artis magistra

nature is the teacher of art

Geometric Bloom

HUILING ZHANG ‘25

Graduation Day

CHRIS

WINTER ‘26

It was graduation day at the Royal Academy. Vex Morne – eldest son of the noble family Morne, heir to the Morne Fortune, and heir to the title of Head of House Morne – and Anastagia Maryll – an orphan who had worked her butt off to get where she was on that day – were both graduating from Phoenix Dorm at the Royal Academy. Both Vex and Anastagia were both fifteen years old. They were best friends, and they had been inseparable during their two years at the Royal Academy.

Vex had been considered a prodigy from the moment he set foot in the Royal Academy. Gifted with strength, intellect, instincts and a myriad of other natural talents superior to those of his peers, Vex easily excelled in all of his classes. He had mastered swordsmanship after just a few Combat Training classes, and he was exceptionally skilled at the use of martial arts. Vex also had strong affinities for all eight magic types, and he had a mana pool equal in size to that of forty magic users combined – both culminating in the fact that Vex was wonderfully prosperous at using magic. Not to mention: Vex was handsome, popular, charming, charismatic, polite, kind, loyal, chivalrous, honest and selfless. Another attribute of Vex’s that was less prominent but was still noticed by Anastagia nonetheless was that he, at only fifteen years old, was a political genius – she had witnessed, just months prior to that day, Vex help his father solve a problem with the Adventurers’ Guilds in his father’s rather vast domain. Anastagia remembered sitting there next to Vex and just feeling stupid as Vex, Vex’s father, and some of the lesser nobles who Vex’s father lorded over discussed the issue, using terms half of which Anastagia hadn’t the slightest clue of what they meant. On top of all that, Vex was a pure-blooded Demon, which granted Vex a plethora of abilities including a powerful resistance to all the natural elements, strong resistance to all types of magic, natural immunity to poisons and venoms and toxins, a powerful immune system with natural immunities to most (and likely all) illnesses, boosted strength of his magic, enhanced senses, powerful healing capabilities, and even more than those. To finish this all off, Vex was a descendant of the War God Valgaroth the Destroyer –the strongest of the Gods – and because of this, the Morne family had a Bloodline Ability called Indomitable Might, which allowed the user to bend lesser beings to their will. Vex had, of course, mastered Indomitable Might. Vex had everything he could ever want: wealth, power, social status, popularity,

loyal friends, a loving family, good looks, and a personality that would make any woman hot between the legs. Vex had been born into the world with every conceivable advantage a person could have.

In short: Vex – at just the age of fifteen – was what some people would consider a perfect being. And this would only increase as he got older.

And on the other hand, there was Anastagia. Her grades were slightly above average at best. The only two subjects she excelled at were Magical Studies, and Beast Studies and Creature Care. She was subpar compared to Vex in nearly every way imaginable. And yet, she followed him around like a loyal dog, aiding him in his endeavors and fulfilling his every request. The truth of the matter was that she was no more than his lackey. It perplexed Anastagia how Vex continued to make time for her, let alone treat her like his equal. And it was because of this relationship that Anastagia fell madly in love with Vex.

Anastagia knew that her love was in vain. Vex could have anyone his age he wanted – and pretty much every girl in their year at the Royal Academy had practically thrown themselves at Vex seeking for him to claim their hand in marriage – and Anastagia didn’t doubt that he would choose anyone except her. She didn’t even have the kind of body he liked. But still, she suspected that this day would be the last time she saw Vex, so she planned to profess her feelings to Vex at the end of the day.

Then, of course, there was Dominus Mackrov – eldest son of the noble family Mackrov, heir to Mackrov Fortune and heir to the title of Head of House Mackrov. Like the Mornes, the Mackrovs were an old noble family that spanned nearly a millennia and half. The Mackrovs also had a well-known Bloodline Ability called Blood Control. Blood Control was pretty straightforward and was exactly as it sounded: it allowed the user to control various aspects of their blood like its shape and hardness to suit a variety of purposes.

Dominus Mackrov had been in Dragon Dorm. He was the same year as Vex and Anastagia, and he was Vex’s rival at the Royal Academy. Vex easily surpassed Dominus in most aspects of life at the Royal Academy, and because of this, he rarely took the rivalry seriously. Dominus, on the other hand, took the rivalry all but too seriously. By the end of their first year at the Royal Academy, Dominus had become completely consumed with the idea of beating Vex. For Dominus, it grew from a simple rivalry to a fixating obsession that Dominus would drag with him to the grave. And no matter how hard Dominus tried, he was continually second place to Vex’s first place in everything. Plus, it didn’t help Dominus that the House of Morne and the House of Mackrov had a habit of being on opposing footing.

Dominus Mackrov had been in Dragon Dorm. He was the same year as Vex and Anastagia, and he was Vex’s rival at the Royal Academy. Vex easily surpassed Dominus in most aspects of life at the Royal Academy, and because of this, he rarely took the rivalry seriously. Dominus, on the other hand, took the rivalry all but too seriously. By the end of their first year at the Royal Academy, Dominus had become completely consumed with the idea of beating Vex. For Dominus, it grew from a simple rivalry to a fixating obsession that Dominus would drag with him to the grave. And no matter how hard Dominus tried, he was continually second place to Vex’s first place in everything. Plus, it didn’t help Dominus that the House of Morne and the House of Mackrov had a habit of being on opposing footing.

Then, there were times when the rivalry grew to just plain hostility and animosity. At these rare but eventful times, Vex and Dominus were viciously at each other’s throats like wild animals trying to go for the other’s jugular. At these times, Vex and Dominus were forced to remain as far apart from each other as possible. This was because they had nearly destroyed the mess hall half way through their first year with a brawl that saw both of them injured in the infirmary.

On the day of the Graduation Ceremony, all the students were preparing to say their final goodbyes to their friends and professors. Vex’s familiar, Latharius, was helping Vex and Anastagia get ready.

As Latharius tried to pin some medals Vex had received onto Vex’s suit, Vex squirmed in his hands. “Hold still…you little twerp,” Latharius said as he tried to pin the medals onto Vex’s breast. “Trust me, Vex. I hate wearing fancy suits as much as you do. But you’re the top of your class. It will look bad on you if all you wear on your final day at the Royal Academy is a shirt and slacks.”

Suddenly, Anastagia grabbed Vex from behind and tried to hold him still. Anastagia locked her arms around Vex and did her best to keep him steady.

“Unhand me!” Vex said and Anastagia giggled in his ear.

“Just hold still for a couple minutes, Vex. Please,” Anastagia said gently. Vex sighed and stopped struggling. Latharius finished pinning the medals on Vex’s suit, and Anastagia let go of him.

“See? Was that so hard?” Anastagia asked as Vex turned to her. Vex sneered at her, and she giggled again. “How do I look, Vex?’ Anastagia asked.

She was wearing a beautiful red dress that loosely flowed past her knees. Her hair was tied up in a neat bun. Her eyes had a joyous sparkle to them, and she was smiling pleasantly. The leather satchel Vex had bought for her to hold the Grimoire of Mana was slung over her shoulder.

“You look good,” Vex said. He patted the top of her head. She glared up at him. She hated when he did that, but she knew it was meant to be a form of endearment.

“Vex, where is your family? Shouldn’t they be helping you with your outfit?” Anastagia asked.

“They’re running a bit late,” Latharius said as he slicked back Vex’s hair from behind. “Said they had some kind of surprise they were putting together to mark the special day.”

“C’mon, Vex. We should go join the others. The ceremony will be starting soon,” Anastagia said. She grabbed his hand and led him over to the other graduating students.

The ceremony began and the Headmaster took the stage. He called Vex onto the stage and Vex gave a small speech. One by one, graduating students were called onto the stage and given various awards. As expected, Vex received a great many awards. Finally came the last award – the Magical Excellence award. Of course, Vex was one of the three winners of the award. Anastagia – gifted at magic as she was with a large mana pool and an affinity for all eight types of magic, like Vex – was the second winner of the award.

Anastagia took the stage next to Vex and something immediately caught her eye. Right there, in the front row of the stands, of all the thousand people who came to witness the ceremony, sitting next to Vex’s family and cheering their lungs out, was the woman who raised Anastagia at the orphanage – Ms Stams – and all the children from the orphanage she grew up in.

Anastagia looked up at Vex and saw him trying not to smile. However, Vex’s resolve failed him and he grinned a large grin. Anastagia shook the headmaster’s hand, and he pinned a small medal on her dress. Anastagia took her place next to Vex and smiled up at him

It was a grateful smile that caused Vex to feel good inside.

When Vex, Anastagia and the third girl who had won the Magical Excellence award – a girl from Hydra Dorm – exited the stage, Anastagia turned to Vex. She had an excited look in her eye and she was wearing a giddy smile.

“How long have you been planning this?” Anastagia asked Vex.

“Three months,” Vex said. “You were saying how you wanted Ms Stams and all the kids from your orphanage to be here when you graduate, and you’ve been saying how you wanted to bring the kids on a tour of the city so you can treat them. So I sent a letter to my father. He in turn got in contact with Ms Stams, and they began planning their trip. In short, Ms Stams and all the kids have a two-day, all-expensepaid trip in the city on my family’s behalf.”

Anastagia pulled Vex into a rib-crushing hug. “Vex, you’re the best!” Anastagia exclaimed cheerfully. “You’re the best, you’re the best, you’re the best!”

“You’re welcome,” Vex said.

When Anastagia released her hug, she looked up at Vex again to see he was blushing. He patted her head, and she smiled at him. She hated that endearing gesture, but she supposed it wasn’t so bad.

The ceremony came to its conclusion, and when it did, Vex and Anastagia went to meet their families. Ms Stams and all the children pulled Anastagia into a tight group hug. As this was happening, Vex’s father placed a firm but gentle hand on Vex’s shoulder.

“See here, boy. You did something good for that girl by orchestrating this reunion,” Vex’s father said. “Don’t let it be the last good thing you do for her. And don’t let go of her unless you really want to, because if she slips through your fingers, you will be haunted by what could have been for the rest of your life ”

“We’re all so proud of you, Anastagia,”

Ms Stams said. “You’ve done great things others in your position could never hope to accomplish. And you’ve inspired the other kids to grow and better themselves just so they can be like their favorite big sister ”

They released the group hug, and the Mornes now addressed Anastagia. “Anastagia, honey, we’re all proud of you as well. We’ve already told Vex how proud we are of him, so there’s no point in praising him,” Vex’s mother said. “You did very well, Anastagia. I know Vex is especially proud of you.’

Vex blushed a deep shade of red, and Anastagia smiled at him. “Lord Morne, we can’t thank you enough for this,” Ms Stams said, bowing to Vex’s father. “The children are so grateful for this rare opportunity.”

“Please, it’s my pleasure. And Vex is the one you should be thanking. He’s the one who planned all of this,” Vex’s father said.

“No thanks necessary. It’s the least I could do for Anastagia. After all, she’s been my best friend since the moment we met,” Vex said.

“Boy, me and the others are going to take Ms Stams and the orphanage kids around town,” Vex’s father said. “We’ll see you back at our estate in two days. A carriage will be here first thing in the morning the day after tomorrow.”

“Okay. I’ll see you guys in two days,” Vex said. He hugged his parents and siblings, and Vex and Anastagia went off towards their Dorm House, while Vex’s family and Anastagia’s orphanage family went off towards the city.

Vex and Anastagia changed out of their formal clothes. Vex put on a black pair of casual slacks, and a simple long sleeve collared shirt. Anastagia changed into a light blue blouse and a comfortable gray skirt. She had let her hair down, and it flowed freely over her left shoulder.

When Vex and Anastagia regrouped, Latharius was nowhere in sight. “Anastagia, what say you we take our own small trip into the city?” Vex asked. “There’s a couple of things I want to get for you.”

“Okay,” Anastagia said. She hugged Vex tightly and buried her face in his chest. “I really can’t thank you enough for what you did.”

“Then don’t. It’s enough knowing you’re happy,” Vex said as he patted Anastagia on the head. “Besides, I have my own personal motivations. Anyways, my sweet tooth has been acting up since last night, and I want to get some sweets to have for the carriage ride back to my father’s estate.”

“You really should lay off the sugar. You’re going to get fat,” Anastagia said.

“Am not,” Vex protested. “I have the chiseled physique of a God.”

Anastagia poked his stomach and giggled when the small amount of fat yielded to her finger. Anastagia continued poking Vex’s stomach and giggling, and after a few more pokes, Vex lightly swatted her hand away.

“Let’s get going,” Vex said with a smile. “We’re burning daylight.”

So Vex and Anastagia set out. The first thing they did was go into a candy store – the biggest in the city – where Vex stocked up on sweets. After that, they went to a couple other shops. One of the shops they went to was a jewelry shop. Vex told Anastagia she could pick out anything she wanted. Vex picked out a small brass pocket watch for himself. While Vex waited for Anastagia to pick something, he placed his hand on the counter and tapped his finger patiently. As Anastagia perused the shop’s wares, she noticed the jeweler slip something to Vex out of the corner of her eye, but Anastagia didn’t pay this much mind.

Finally, Anastagia selected a simple golden necklace. One of the things that Vex enjoyed about Anastagia was that she was a modest girl. Despite his insisting that she could get anything she wanted for herself whenever the two were in the city, she never asked for much. And whenever Vex tried to buy something like expensive clothes or jewelry for her, she usually politely declined. There were, however, rare occasions where Anastagia would let Vex spoil her.

Once Anastagia selected her necklace, the jewel brought out a small mirror. Vex took the necklace and got behind Anastagia. Vex gently placed the necklace around Anastagia’s neck, and she examined herself in the small mirror.

“What do you think, Vex?” Anastagia asked.

“I think it suits you perfectly: beautiful but modest,” Vex said. Anastagia blushed heavily, and turned away from Vex so he wouldn’t see.

After Vex paid for his pocket watch and Anastagia’s necklace, they decided to get a late lunch. As Vex and Anastagia were walking to a small restaurant, they were stopped in the middle of the street by a group of four vandals.

All of them looked to be in their early twenties. One of them was really burly, the second rather thin, and the other two were very lanky. All four of them were tall, and all four of them were dressed in black long-sleeve clothes despite the earlysummer heat.

“Look-ee what we have here boys,” the main vandal – the really thin one – said “It’s a pair of those brats from the Royal Academy. How much you guys wanna bet these two are loaded?”

The vandal grabbed Vex by the front of the shirt with one of his hands. Anastagia knew this was a mistake on their part, but of course they didn’t. “Let’s just make this simple: give us everything valuable you two have and we won’t kill you,” the vandal said.

“You have three seconds to unhand me before I walk my left foot across the right side of your face,” Vex growled.

“Looks like someone needs to teach you manners, you spoiled little piece of crap,” the vandal said. He closed his free hand into a fist and raised it to strike.

What happened next happened in a flash. In the blink of an eye, Vex had flipped the vandal onto the ground, was standing on his back, and was holding his arm by the wrist in an arm-lock. This had happened at a speed faster than any of their eyes could perceive.

“You talk about teaching others manners but have none yourself,” Vex said softly to the vandal. “Allow me to fix that.”

One by one, Vex easily broke the vandal’s fingers. Then he snapped his wrist, reversed the way in which his elbow bent, popped his shoulder out of its socket, and snapped both the forearm and the humerus bone in the arm. In short, with the damage Vex had done, it would be a miracle for the vandal if his arm would ever be usable again. The vandal shrieked in agony as Vex broke his bones. A few passersby stopped to see what the commotion was, but when they saw the vandals, they just returned to their business. The vandal passed out from the pain, and Vex let go of his sickeningly noodle-like arm.

“We’re gonna kill you, brat!” the burly vandal said. The three remaining vandals lunged at Vex, but he knocked all of them out cold with a single well-placed roundhouse kick.

“Well, that solves that,” Vex sighed.

“Shouldn’t we turn them in to someone of authority?” Anastagia asked Vex as the two of them continued on their way.

“No need. They won’t be doing anything like that anytime soon,” Vex said dismissively as he put his arm around Anastagia’s shoulders.

“What makes you so sure?” she asked.

“It’s simple,” he replied. “I didn’t just break them physically. I shattered their pride. Those four have probably been mugging people for years. They probably think they’re tough. But having their butts handed to them by a fifteen year old they thought was going to be an easy target for money will make them reevaluate all their life choices up to that point. Not to mention, that one guy will be lucky if that arm becomes usable ever again.”

Anastagia looked up at Vex, and there was a sparkle of admiration in her eyes. Her resolve to tell Vex how she felt about – no matter how likely her love was to be unrequited – grew by the minute.

The afternoon wore on. Vex bought various other gifts for Anastagia, one of which was a hat. This hat was a large witch’s hat, with a floppy brim, and the top was cone with the tip loosely hanging down. Anastagia had seemed oddly fascinated with the hat, and it fit her head snuggly when he bought it for her.

Finally, the sun was beginning to set. The last place Vex and Anastagia went before returning to the Royal Academy to finish packing their bags was a small wooden bridge. This bridge overlooked a canal that sparkled beautifully during the sunset. It was Anastagia’s favorite place to be with Vex. This is where Anastagia planned to tell Vex her feelings.

Vex and Anastagia stood there silently for a couple minutes as they looked at the water. “Vex?” Anastagia asked and Vex looked up. “Can I tell you something?”

Vex nodded silently. “Vex, I…” Anastagia said, but she trailed off. She wanted to find the right words, but she supposed the right words were the exact ones she was thinking. “Vex, I love you. I’m in love with you. I have been for a while. You’re truly wonderful, and amazing, and so many other things. Even if you don’t feel the same way as me, I had to tell you now because I might never get to do it again.”

Vex remained silent for a minute longer. “Anastagia…may I have your hand in marriage?” Vex asked finally.

“This isn’t a joke, Vex. These are my true emotions – my heart – that we’re talking about here,” Anastagia said.

Vex turned to her, and she saw in his eyes and the expression on his face and knew he was dead serious. Vex smiled gently at her, and that smile caused a pleasant sensation to spread throughout Anastagia’s body.

“I’m not joking,” Vex said. “I want your hand in marriage, Anastagia.” He turned back to the water. “I could have any girl our age I choose. So why haven’t I chosen, do you think? Are they not pretty enough? Do they not have enough social status or money?” Vex sighed and paused. “Or is it because they don’t see me as Vex?” Vex turned back to Anastagia again. “What do you think?”

He sighed again and scratched his chin. “The reason I stuck with you for so long is because you didn’t just see me as wealth and social status. Hell, you didn’t know who I was until I told you – you just thought I was a kind boy who decided to sit next to you in the mess hall,” Vex said. He offered his hand to Anastagia. “You are the woman for me, Anastagia. So I ask again: may I have your hand in marriage?” He smiled gently at her once more. “Please.”

Anastagia took Vex’s hand and he pulled her closer to him. Vex placed a gentle hand on the side of her face before pulling her into a kiss. Anastagia did not resist Vex –he was being gentle with her, and this was what she wanted after all – and he even felt her body slacken in his arms.

When Vex separated his lips from Anastagia’s, he saw she was such a deep shade of red that he was worried the rest of her body wasn’t getting enough blood. Anastagia turned away from Vex so that he wouldn’t see her in this state.

“Are you okay?” Vex asked gently. She nodded. “Did I overstep my boundaries?” This time, she shook her head.

Once the red had subsided from Anastagia’s face, she turned back around. “I’m sorry I reacted like that,” Anastagia said quietly. “I just wasn’t expecting that.”

“Can I see your hand, please?” Vex asked gently, and Anastagia showed him her hand.

Vex gently took Anastagia’s hand in both his own and slipped a ring on her finger. The ring was simple but beautiful: golden with a small diamond embedded in it.

Anastagia understood, now. Earlier, when Vex was tapping his finger on the counter at the jeweler’s shop, he was signaling which ring he wanted. And this ring must’ve been what the jeweler slipped to Vex.

Vex kissed Anastagia’s hand before he eased it back down. “There. Now it’s official,” Vex said.

“Anastagia, I swear to you – on my honor and on the honor of the House Morne –that I will make you as happy as you’ve made me these past two years.”

“You already have,” Anastagia said quietly as she rested her head on Vex’s shoulder. The two remained there a little longer before returning to the Royal Academy.

Fragrance ROWANA SIMPSON ‘25

Anemone HAILEY HUYNH ‘26

YRIMIR

CADEN CARLISLE ‘25

September 12th, 2006

“Are you sure you want to make this trip? I seriously don’t want to venture that far out into the ocean ”

I turn around with a smirk on my face, “What? You scared?” Liam, my younger brother, replied fearfully “Obviously! We’ve never gone out that far before, even with dad! You don’t know what’s out there.” I turn back around towards the front door. “It’ll be completely fine. I’ve looked it up, there’s only reef sharks in this part of the state Aren’t you up for a lil’ adventure?” I glance over my shoulder to see my brother crossing his arms in a fit.

Liam is a nimble kid only a month away from turning 15, so he’s not much younger than I am. Despite being terrified of open water, he’s an excellent swimmer. It’s no surprise that dad likes taking him along on these trips, since he’s especially helpful when spear fishing A part of me also believes its because of his striking similarity to our late mother; dad’s old fishing partner. When I released the doorknob, I noticed him glancing back towards me as he half-begrudgingly, half-enthusiastically agreed to go. Just as a smirk began to stretch across my face, he quickly averted his gaze, but the rolling of his eyes was palpable. Regardless of his timidness, he grabbed our diving gear, which hung from an improvised coat rack, and we headed out the door for the beach.

Dad was still away on a trip with one of his friends from high school, but that didn’t hinder my growing excitement to explore this remote area we’ve discussed together in the past. I clutched the keys of his Chevy pickup truck in my palm tighter just daydreaming of what could be hiding out there

Once at the beach, Liam helped me unhitch our motorboat as we dragged it down toward the deep ocean. Even with its small size, we planned on using it to ride out into the deeper waters, way past the buoys. Feeling the warm sand between my toes as we trekked down the sand bank, I gazed upon the horizon; illuminated by the sun that still wasn’t due to set upon the water for a few hours. The sparkling blue ocean was a sight like no other to me. It reminds me of all of the fishing trips I went on with dad when I was younger. Of my

first catch Of mother’s blue eyes Liam caught me lost in thought when he pointed out a massive yacht in the distance, nicknamed “The Mariana.” “What a generic name for a boat,” Liam scoffed. I chuckled back as I couldn’t help but agree.

It was a serene day on the water. It didn’t matter if it was a lake, the ocean, or a river; something about a body of water always soothed me As we sailed, the waves suddenly grew heavy, rocking our dinghy along the water when we noticed a massive tidal wave heading our direction. I began to panic, scrambling to start back up the engine and head away from impending doom, but the wave caught up to us before we realized it. As the torrent cascaded, the boat completely capsized, plunging my brother and I underwater.

When the tide passed, I came back up to surface, searching frantically for my younger brother. In that moment, I felt a light tap on my shoulder from behind me. It was Liam, smiling ear to ear once he realized he scared the life out of me. “We’re here!” he exclaimed. Little runt always was a good swimmer. Guess he made it to surface before me no problem; I still seem to have trouble opening my eyes under the water We flipped back over the boat once the waves died down, grabbed our diving gear, I put on my Go-Pro, and we swam down into the depths. I still had one question lingering in my head; where did that wave suddenly come from?

It was like nothing I’ve ever seen before. As we descended deeper, I noticed so many types of weirdly shaped fish, swimming above what seemed to be a limitless coral reef. Truthfully, I was a bit nervous. It was my first actual expedition without dad, and I bore the responsibility of supervising my younger brother. I wished to stay confident as to avoid spoiling the experience for him; I recognized I dragged him out here in the first place. I signaled with my hands to continue going deeper. The expansiveness of our surroundings gave a freeing feeling I’d never felt At this point, I lost all remaining sense of fear as I was left astonished by the vibrant flora and fauna all around us. I peered over to my side and was confident that Liam was loving what he was seeing, based on how still his body remained as he surveyed his surroundings. However, that feeling of confidence didn’t last long. In that moment, he pointed to something far beneath me.

I swam to where he pointed; an area where the sun struggled to reach, with breaches of sunlight twinkling on the ocean floor. I came up upon a sunken ship. The brief moment of excitement I felt quickly dissipated as soon as I observed it closer. The ship appeared to be brand new, but I was astonished to find it buried in the rocky debris. I dove deeper, out of view of my brother, where I read “The Mariana” along the side of the hull, accompanied by giant puncture holes My entire body shot up with goosebumps and a chill ran up my spine. Wasn’t The Mariana the yacht Liam pointed out a couple of hours ago when we first arrived at the beach? With the dumb unoriginal name? “It can’t be. It’s not possible.” That was all I could mutter out in my standstill moment of unbridled fear. I didn’t bother to pay much attention when we first saw it, but I was bewildered to think how such a large vessel could have been sunk so suddenly without either of us noticing Even if it did, by what? What sunk this boat? My daze of utter confusion prevented me from hearing Liam’s muffled screaming until I noticed a spear-bolt whiz past my head with a stream of bubbles accompanying it. After I recognized what I saw, I rushed to the other side of boat to warn him.

It was too late I found myself face to face with the jaws of some prodigious monster. It was a creature unlike any shark. It was more grotesque than any myth or legend; any nautical folklore told by a drunken fisherman. It was truly nothing I had ever seen.

Its appearance was reminiscent of that of a prehistoric leviathan, with the necrotic face of a dinosaur and pectoral fins like the wings of a dragon It possessed the body of an eel; slim but gargantuan in size, with sharp fins along its back that were red in color, radiating a slight bioluminescence against the pale rays of light. The teeth were razor-sharp and jagged, as if it were able to tear through flesh with minimal issue. It stared at me with four cold black eyes, devoid of any light, like something from a Lovecraftian horror If the eyes and teeth weren’t enough to strike fear into any man, the creature was equipped with four maroon mandibles protruding from its face patterned with spots of shale blue and red; and on the end of the top left appendage was my brother, Liam, impaled in his hip by this horrible monstrosity. As I made eye contact with the monster, it let out a deafening roar and charged towards me to finish me off along with my brother.

I quickly dove downwards along the seafloor in a desperate attempt to save my life. The near miss from above was too close for comfort, but just far enough to remain intact. Hastily, I scanned my eyes around the vast cave systems around me, all too small to fit me in a short amount of time. I had to settle behind a huge boulder near the front end of the ship. The creature once again let out a ground-shaking roar, darting towards my position without hesitation The initial shock of the creature slamming the brunt of its head onto the rock slipped my brother loose from the mandible’s hook. Repeatedly it slammed, and slammed, and slammed against the chunk of rock protecting me.

Just before it crumbled to pieces on top of my brother and I, I took his limp body in my arms and rushed to a large coral tube, out of the creature’s sight

Distraught, I searched for something to protect myself. Snatching the harpoon off my back, I laid my eyes on my now, hopefully unconscious, brother on the ocean floor. The guilt began to set in as I saw the hole torn through his left side. Not fatal, but definitely not good. My thoughts scrambled as I struggled to think of a proper plan out of this, and started to beat myself up over what has occurred. None of this would have happened if I didn’t drag him out here. None of this would have happened if I waited for dad. None of thi- I stopped myself. I had one objective at this very moment; save Liam. I understood what my brother tried to accomplish when that harpoon bolt that shot past my head beforehand. If I were to get the two of us out of the situation, I would have to do the same Swimming 70 meters back to the surface with him in my arms and that monster on my tail wasn’t going to happen; meaning I had to stop that creature.

My brother was a smart kid. Despite his skill at swimming, he was never that into exploring the ocean or fishing like dad and I were, yet we still managed to drag him into all our adventures He was more of a homebody, like our mom. Her and dad met on a beach trip, so they used to go out to the ocean and surf when they were our age, but she still was the type to stay home and read.

Just before it crumbled to pieces on top of my brother and I, I took his limp body in my arms and rushed to a large coral tube, out of the creature’s sight

Distraught, I searched for something to protect myself Snatching the harpoon off my back, I laid my eyes on my now, hopefully unconscious, brother on the ocean floor. The guilt began to set in as I saw the hole torn through his left side. Not fatal, but definitely not good. My thoughts scrambled as I struggled to think of a proper plan out of this, and started to beat myself up over what has occurred. None of this would have happened if I didn’t drag him out here None of this would have happened if I waited for dad. None of thi- I stopped myself. I had one objective at this very moment; save Liam. I understood what my brother tried to accomplish when that harpoon bolt that shot past my head beforehand. If I were to get the two of us out of the situation, I would have to do the same. Swimming 70 meters back to the surface with him in my arms and that monster on my tail wasn’t going to happen; meaning I had to stop that creature

My brother was a smart kid. Despite his skill at swimming, he was never that into exploring the ocean or fishing like dad and I were, yet we still managed to drag him into all our adventures. He was more of a homebody, like our mom. Her and dad met on a beach trip, so they used to go out to the ocean and surf when they were our age, but she still was the type to stay home and read.

When it comes to my younger brother, he’s more technologically oriented, less tough and tumble-y like dad and I. It was this moment of deep thought, like if my life were flashing before my eyes, when I remembered our saving grace

“The floatation devices!” I silently exclaimed. My brother had researched and prototyped this compact floatation device for a marine project in 9th grade. When activated, it inflates and brings the user to the surface of the water as a last resort in a matter of seconds, but still slowly enough in its ascent to prevent the Bends He always was embarrassed of it after his teacher called him out in front of his class, not believing he actually made it due to how advanced it was and used him as an example of what not to do. The nerve of some people. After that, my dad and I asked him to make two more copies for us to carry around in case of emergency, but truthfully just to make him feel better. I could tell he was proud of being able to involve himself with our expeditions

I frantically checked his waist to see if his was still intact but couldn’t find it; the creature must have snapped it off his waist during the initial attack.

Thankfully, I still had mine, but the mechanism wouldn’t be able to support two people.

I took a deep breath and proceeded to click mine off my waist. It was the only way I would be able to get him out. I check around the corner to see, to my surprise, the creature’s mandibles were still stuck in the boulder, but were wiggling looser by the second

Praying I don’t fail, in a moment of courage I whispered to myself, “Now.” I quickly swam out of the coral tube, clutching Liam in my arms, and made sure he was unobstructed by any rocks or coral. I strapped the device to his waist, activated the built in air inflator, and watched as he shot up to the surface, leaving a trail of bubbles behind him; probably a bit faster than he should be, but it was a prototype after all.

The rock finally broke apart, revealing both of our locations to the now freed and enraged leviathan. The speed of my brother’s ascent must have caught its eye, as it immediately dashed towards him instead of me, despite the distance between us being much shorter

However, I wasn’t going to let that happen. I closed the gap between the creature and I, placing myself directly in its path as I equip my speargun as a final attempt to stop the monster,

Bullseye The bolt directly penetrates the creature’s top right eye, causing it to let out a final blood-curdling shriek. However, actions are not without consequence. In a final attempt to secure its prey, it dashes towards me and tore part of my left thigh clean off with its saw-blade jaws as I attempted escaping. The sharp burst of pain resulting from this gave me enough adrenaline rush to continue my venture upwards. Struggling to remove the spear-bolt from its eye, the creature writhed in pain This single moment allowed me the opportunity to swim the remaining 50 meters up to the surface, where I could spot my brother waiting for me.

I breached the water and used the remaining rush of adrenaline to quickly swim towards my brother floating on the surface. I proceed to throw him atop the boat with all my effort and hop on alongside him I turned the engine over on the end of the dinghy and drove as fast as possible back to safety. As the shore was almost in sight, I slowly blacked out, with the fading image of the sun setting upon the water.

September 13th, 2006

I wake in the hospital to see Liam in a bed to my left, and our father to my right, with a stern but relieved look as he exhales. With a blurred memory of what had occurred the previous day, I turned to ask him how I arrived at the hospital. “The coast guard went to save the survivors of The Mariana, when they found you two on the motorboat. Mateo, what were you two doing out ther-” My father stopped mid-sentence, and I felt too ashamed to even try and explain myself. Despite my poor recollection, I knew that I was thankful to be alive. Likely my father more so than me. I doubted he could bare to lose anyone else to the ocean.

Not again.

October 5th, 2006

A few weeks have passed, and Liam and I are finally discharged from the hospital. Arriving at the driveway of our home, I spot the mailbox overflowing with letters, probably all regarding what happened during the incident from local small town news stations. I recall they were trying to interview us while in the hospital, but were not allowed in, thank goodness. When I got inside, I noticed the state of the home; hardly anything was different than we left it Dad must have been worried sick about the two of us; it seems like he was at the hospital checking up on us every moment he could get, I never woke up without him at our sides.

I notice my bag of scuba-gear that the hospital sent home with us, and rushed upstairs to my room and checked for my Go-Pro I had it strapped on my head for the entire incident. Frantically checking through the footage, I hope to myself that I would be fortunate enough to find just a single frame of that monster we encountered in the depths.

Thunder roars outside of my window; rain softly pattering on the glass. I feel a gut-wrenching sickness churn inside of my stomach, as I lay my eyes on one picture-perfect frame of the footage. I can feel my heartrate spike as my hands tremble in fear, staring in horror at the beast for a final time. Its eyes once again peer into my soul like they did that day. I contemplate whether I should turn this in as evidence, to prove to my dad I’m not crazy, to prove to everyone. Despite this, I felt deep down that it would be wise of me to keep quiet, dreading the possibility of sending others to meet a worser fate; I hardly escaped with my life that day. Rather than tempting fate, I decided to hide my Go-Pro in my safe, taking this dark reality to my grave.

Guess the speed of Liam’s device still had some kinks to work out; his memory appears to be hazy. Whenever I ask Liam what he recalls of that day, he tells me that he can’t really remember anything

Maybe that’s for the better.

Footage from Mateo’s Go-Pro

natura nihil frustra facit

nature does nothing in vain

Combustion

HUILING ZHANG ‘25

Tuesday

HUILING ZHANG ‘25

It was a Tuesday and my squad had been assigned a new position to supervise.

Our superiors took us to the sea. Tortured wind howled past our ears at the pinnacle of a high cliff and I could see the waves coming down against the broken, cracked rock at the base with a crazed fervor. It seemed a storm was coming soon; the sky was murky and the water was almost an obsidian black–but maybe that was from the oil. Someone swore as a gust of wind penetrated to the very whites of our bones.

There we were led into a blocky, unassuming building. We descended into the ground, rock and soil surrounding us like we were in a mining zone. Down a flight of stairs there was another, and then another, all twisting and circling around each other. Still, our superiors kept the same invigorated pace. Only the clatter of footsteps against metal echoed throughout that narrow cylindrical space, our guns bouncing against our backs.

After a few minutes, as I was on the verge of asking how many more stairs could the Earth fit, we abruptly stopped in front of a steel door inlaid into the wall. I realized the walls we walked by weren’t stone anymore, but cold steel the same as the door. Our superiors pressed a keycard to a scanner close by and pushed it open after a green light and a buzz came on.

Inside, I could barely stop myself from gaping. The room stretched a basketball court’s length above our heads and it continued further, eventually tapering off and

Down here, the water was not liquid ink from the factories that rumbled along the shores, but a deep, rich blue that illuminated the entirety of the room, ripples of water reflecting onto the cool steel wall.

We were instructed to position ourselves along the back wall with another steel door used as the reference point. Half of us would be on the left side, the other half would be on the right side. I took up the spot right next to the door.

Do not inquire or try to look into the circumstances of the operation.

Do not stray from your positions unless in times of emergency.

Go straight back to base when the next squad comes to replace you.

Those were the three instructions we were given before our superiors left. We assumed our positions and waited for the next eight hours to pass. Although we were to guard the door, or the room, or this entire place (instructions did not include what exactly we were guarding, or from), not a single soul came into that room aside from us and the team that we switched with. For seven days and seven nights that room was so silent sometimes I thought I knew what it felt like to be deaf.

Until, I heard the deep whine of the sea.

My whole squad must have heard it. It came in random intervals, there was nothing predictable about it. In the early hours of the day, right after we would get back to base from the job, some of the guys would whisper that it was the ocean crying. The entire ride back from the station was silent, all of us lost in our thoughts as we looked outside at the sparse rocky desert. Our familiar camp felt like a “safe area” where the soldiers could try to make sense of the doom they felt inside that building. They didn’t mean any, but as the squad leader I would give them a hard look to stop talking and get to bed. Our superiors had told us not to question what went down there and sometimes knowledge in these parts could kill.

My dissuasion of discussion didn’t mean I wasn’t curious. I was curious–deeply curious. The grip of curiosity had overtaken my mind and was determined to never let go. A kind of hunger grew in me and nothing could satiate it. When I woke up I would think of that whine and when I would try to fall asleep on that same cot, it would appear in my dreams. Every day at my station next to that door only grew this curiosity that gnawed deep at my gut.

It sounded similar to a yawn, like some thing had extended its entire jaw and

bellowed the rawest part of its soul. It was like a longing moan that you could feel vibrating in your chest, reaching to every space inside your body. It was a great weeping and I strangely felt like weeping along with it whenever it would come and envelop the room in its sound. But, of course, it would go as swiftly as it came and nothing would change other than a few side glances at each other, questioning if we were having hallucinations.

It was a Tuesday and the lights went out.

It was April 21, 3062 at 0100 hours, two hours until the end of our shift. The water behind the glass was churning–there must have been strong weather. Then it happened without much of a warning.

Bam, kaplowy. Something blew out and we were suddenly sent into complete darkness aside from the limited moonlight that managed to reach us through the disturbed water, hundreds of feet below sea level. There was a moment of silence where everybody seemed to wait for the lights to turn back on–until they didn’t and everybody started yelling to each other. was supposed to regroup everybody as the squad leader.

I wasn’t supposed to inquire.

I wasn’t supposed to stray from our given positions.

My fingers grasped empty air until they brushed the cool, steel of the handle. Without another thought, I scanned my keycard and with a soft beep I pushed into the room that lay behind the door.

When I saw what was in front of me, I knew it was the source of the whine we heard every day.

It was a creamy white color with a pinkish hue. Smooth, shiny shell covered the majority of it with a multitude of legs on either side. I think I counted fourteen in total. Two antennae rose from the front of what I assumed was the head. The entire thing was massive and encased in an ovular glass tank in the middle of the room.

Glowing from the many tubes and blinking devices attached to its sides, it was an isopod the size of a school bus.

Isopods look like ocean bugs and many find resemblance to the cockroach, one of the few remaining insects that could be found in cities, and for some, in great multitudes. However, the isopod is a crustacean like how crabs and lobsters of the past are. I remembered seeing a double-page layout of photographs of crabs and lobsters in my Marine Life History class and they were a flaming red. Isopods are much calmer and less pinchier. At least, from what I’ve read. I’ve never seen one in person…until now.

I walked towards the glass slowly. The giant isopod shifted slightly and I froze, my heart in my throat. After it settled and didn’t seem to be a threat, I advanced closer, one hand outstretched. The water had an almost fluorescent glow from the small ground lights that surrounded the tank, which I assumed were emergency lights. Even with the power outage, the dozens of boxy machines in the room hooked up to the isopod kept beeping and running.

My clammy palm attached to the cool glass and I bent down slightly to be level with the isopod’s head.

“Hello,” I whispered, even though I knew rationally the isopod couldn’t understand me–but something about the way it stayed still made me want to believe it knew what I was, what it was on a larger plane.

A low, overwhelming whine warmed my core and sent shivers down my spine. My heart started to ache with that now familiar pain and I knew it came from the isopod.

“Can you hear me?” I whispered again, louder.

Another mournful groan echoed throughout my blood and I was sure I was talking to the giant isopod.

In that moment I was filled with a sense of immense sadness, close to how I felt when I heard the isopod’s cries from outside the door but amplified a hundred times over. This melancholy was an ache for a time I hadn’t known of, of a time that I didn’t live, and of one that the isopod did. I brought my head to rest on the glass and I realized I had started crying at some point, fresh wet trails dripping down my face.

The isopod moved all fourteen of its great legs and bumped the glass where my head lay. Even though there was a barrier between us, I felt connected to this terrible, wondrous creature in an indescribable manner. It let another cry, shriller this time, and for once I could truly see.

I was a small thing, crawling on the sandy sea floor. Dozens of my kin crowded around me, keeping each other safe and compact. Every moment spent alive was the tiniest of satisfaction and every moment of food harvested was the tiniest of joys.

I saw the blue, blue ocean above a blue, blue sky. I saw the moonlit nights when baby turtles would hatch and crawl slowly, oh so slowly–painstakingly slow–, down to the water. I saw the fish move like one entire being through colorful, breathing coral reefs in their playful manner, playing hide and seek with predators where the stakes were their lives.

I saw a clam’s first opening, revealing its pearly treasure to the world. I saw the horrifying, empowering nature of a shark feeding on its prey. I saw the sulfuric eruptions creating an oceanic soup all the way down at the bottom of the sea. I saw the forests upon forests of sea kelp sway in the sea’s breeze.

I saw the gift of life as a mother whale carried and birthed her son. I saw the tiny zooplankton riding along ocean currents, spinning in dizzying circles. I saw the end and beginning of brilliant, mindless jellyfish. I saw seahorses, sponges, manatees, krill, eels, stingrays, urchins, swordfish, octopus, flying fish, snails, dolphins, sea snakes, walruses, shrimps, crabs, lobsters, and isopods.

I saw the world turn from an aquamarine haven to a poisoned, barren landscape.

I grew colder and lonelier as our colony’s numbers dwindled down.

I grew colder and lonelier as my mother’s and her mother’s promised land turned into humankind’s greatest sin and my waking world.

It was a Tuesday and I saw them all and I cried with that giant isopod because I knew they were gone and we were what was left.

Artist Statement

This painting depicts a rare close encounter with a deep-sea octopus, revealing the fragile beauty of this elusive creature while serving as a reminder of the mysteries that lie beneath the sea's surface.

Richardson ‘25

Alanna

Face of Conflict: Mask of War

JOSEPH CALDERON ‘25

What value is there in living a life you’ll regret?” Collin Grench, a 19-year-old soldier of the small island of Mullox, thinks to himself. Gunshots ring and explosions are heard crawling up to the door Collin finds himself behind. “Those devils are looking for me.” He considers running, but hearing his comrades in the carnage, in an impulsive act that may be deemed foolish by many, Collin gets up, slams the door open in such a deafening thud that it could be heard even over the shooting, and runs outside. Once there, he springs into action, quickly shooting three opposing soldiers and discreetly throwing a smoke grenade to give his allies an opening to run away, Collin running right behind them. His plan went off without a hitch. While returning to base, the hate-filled Collin spitefully thinks to himself, “You monsters who took away our home, I’ll come back. I’ll come back and kill you all! Your time is coming, Tralva, and I’ll have front row seats to your demise.” Once back, the Mullox soldiers regroup. The military leader, “Thunder” Wilson, addresses them all in a booming roar. “We have long awaited this moment. The moment of our triumph. The moment in which we turn the tides of battle. Today, we have claimed our first victory over Tralva, the hand which threatens our livelihood. Tomorrow, we claim victory again!”, Wilson proclaims, followed by booming cheers. Satisfied with the response, Wilson sends the militia off to their slumber in preparation for the grueling, yet hopeful day ahead.

“Here on daily news, a war broke out two weeks ago between our Tralvan military and the forces of Mullox. Death counts are immense on both sides, with ten-thousand casualties out of the three-hundred thousand Tralvan forces at the island, and fourthousand casualties out of a force of unknown size from the Mullox militia. Here’s hoping our superior size and greater technology can come out on top. Now, onto the weather-.” A man sitting by himself in a room blankly stares at the television. The room is in a library, explaining why each side of the room is stacked with books. A lamp in the corner dimly lights the room, but not enough to leisurely read the boundless literature in the room. “In other words,” the man ponders, “this room exists as a living contradiction”. At that moment, the librarian walks into the room. She was of average height and had very short, straight hair.” “Are you Thousi Bolles?” she asks. Bolles blankly stares at her, eventually replying “Indeed, I am”, in a sarcastic tone that clearly irritated the new visitor. The librarian, in a monotone, responds, “I have you down as an applicant for the job of library aide, and your application has been accepted. You’ll be working for me now starting next week.” Following this statement, she takes her leave, leaving Bolles by himself again in the dimly lit room. Bolles didn’t feel any particular way about the new job, it was simply another way of wasting some time. But one thing he did feel strongly about is the news, the news of the war that broke out between Tralva and Mullox. Annoyed at the fighting, he begins to leave and thinks to himself, “These fools…What value is there in living if you’re simply going to throw your life away.”

Artist Statement

This painting, rendered solely in the contrasting hues of blue and red, encompasses reluctance and the unwavering battle between inner feelings and outward actions. Blue, with its cool and calming presence, symbolizes the concealed emotions of sadness and fear, while in stark contrast, the vibrant and fiery red embodies the external release of overwhelming feelings of passion and anger.

Alanna Richardson ‘25

un·make

/ ˌ

ən ˈmāk/ verb

past tense: unmade; past participle: unmade ruin; destroy. "human beings make cities and unmake them"

Do you know, what it is like, to— To be lost, to lose oneself so clearly, that the mirror’s mirage is but a demented stranger ?

It’s a dark cloud, at the start. You wouldn’t even notice, because what was strange about a little rain? Light is never permanent, and with bright must come dark. Rain with sun, clouds with clear.

It’s nothing.

It’s nothing, until you realize the cloud doesn’t leave.

Slow and slow, a transformation so that bleeds like poison unrevealed and ever-subtle until at the heart’s last beat

Do you know what it’s like—

The storm never leaves and never ceases, ever-growing. Your vision is permanently locked into a visor of grey, of numbed monotone— the color you so revere, overtaking like fungi. Every part of you, taken over, slow and slow, never too quick, never too merciful, bit and bit, little and little. You wonder what the point is.

The mirror’s mirage a sight unknown, eyes like extinguished fire, a spark unlit, a face drooped like empty slopes, hanging limbs like rope, And a smile of a thousand Lies

Do you know what—

Your body doesn’t feel right anymore, energy sapped like blood itself extracted, like carbon leaving your lungs. The oxygen entering has never felt so toxic. Your body doesn’t feel right, motions too sluggish, eyes too slow, mind too dimmed like a dulled blade. You’re not who you used to be and it’s as clear as a blizzard in a desert, like stars shooting in the night sky, just as unattainable. You’re not who you used to be, and like those stars untouched, you never will be.

A boulder of the sky, a weight so great that you must be Atlas himself a burden so mighty that you wonder will it ever end, but you are not Atlas and your weight is not but paper, and your strength is nothing like Fire

Do you know—

Tasks, once so easy, now so mountainous. An emptied pen, waiting to be inked, once a thoughtless finish now a greater trial than that of Heracles himself. A dozen soulful connections now nothing more than withered farces.

The world has grown a thousandfold stronger, and you a millionfold weaker. No, the world has not grown, you have shrunk, like a heeled ant to be crushed.

A porcelain veil, a mask so worn indistinguishable from reality. Beneath lay a scarred, forgotten husk.

Traded porcelain, dealed like cards changed and swapped like a magician’s folly. An expert, you have Be come

Do you—

Living is hard, pretending is hard. But you ’ ve become an expert because what other choice was there? Is there? A professional you are, but painless it is not. Ever crooked smile, every forced laugh, every. posed. step. Happiness and Grey flow like entwined rivers, water and water, oil and oil, and you wonder if there was ever a difference at all. when. was. your. last. grin.

A broken glass, shattered beyond repair, your mind does not heal, dreams thoughts hopes fears ruined and warped, each digging into the lifeblood of your mind, Like shards unraveling the crimson of your palms, you are not who You used to be Do—

It’s like your psyche shattered under the force of those thunderclouds, never a match for the unyielding force of thunder, of Grey. It gets better but it doesn’t, every healed wound infected like browned blood on flesh, every saving grace turned to killing curses. You can’t do what you used to, be what you used to. You have grown, warped and demented, and the shoes will no longer fit, will never fit again. The robes too thin, the crown to dulled. You are not who you claim to be. Not now, never again.

Do you—

You try, you try and try and try, for what? It’s a wound that never heals, a pain that never dulls, a life that never ends. Tearing you at the seams, breaking you down until there is nothing and will be nothing and will never again be anything again.

You don’t understand, they don’t understand. You don’t deserve, and they certainly don’t. Bridges up aflame, threads torn, conversation withered. Academics reddened, a shade you vowed never to see, a shade becoming more familiar than your own palm.

Failure is an intimate feeling

It’s the best word to describe you, after all.

It’s the only word.

Do you know—

Promises made under drenched papyrus, torn like threads of the spider’s home in the eagle’s talons, your words mean nothing, your efforts mean less still. Grasping is like holding onto slime and sludge, coal and fire, ice and steel.

The stars shine on you never again and you will never be as you wish to be. Never as great as the greats, never as awe-inspiring as you dream. You have nothing and will have nothing and you will live and you will die like a dirtied fire, extinguished and forgotten. The stars have abandoned you

Do you know, what—

The light that burns in your soul, the fire that defined you ever since, no longer ablaze. Like the cry of a phoenix, an ornate starlight shattered and made dull, Unmade and torn, defieri, you are but stripped of who you used to be. Those infected by darkness are never meant to rise.

Chasing after a memory, reaching for a dream, the threads of fate have been since cut, the curtains to your story.

Evergreen turned everblack, you reach for but a corpse.

The prince’s first hamartia The final hamartia

Do you know, what it’s like—

The heart’s rhythm, forever silenced, a beatless nexus. Eyes that do not shine, a mouth that does not preach truth, hands that do not flow, a soul that does breathe. You are but a husk, drenched and drowned, rain too pure to cleanse the likes of you, there is not fire but charred bark.

You have become what you swore never to be. You are, who you have hated.

Do you know, what it’s like to—

There’s so much to do, always more and more and more and always enough time and never enough soul, why why why. Like a rollercoaster, like fishing bait it looks better but never truly, always worse and worse, why does it never end

Please just let it stop

Ḏ ọ ẏ o û k ñ o w

h ḁ t i t ' s ļ i k ě

b é u n m ä d e ?

natura non contristatur

nature is not saddened

Home HUILING ZHANG ‘25

he shadows

LAILA JOHNSON ‘27

s rise

I introduce the gift given prize

A sunken feeling as I take the stage

The crowd follows me with their gaze they hang off their sets to my every word

this is something they’ve never heard they like my mold the shape of the story they follow it in awe of its glory

Millions of eyes follow the star to it tomb

Now I must face sudden doom

Applause echoes as I take my final bow

What shall I do now?

The curtains draw

As I fall to my knees, with tears streaming

The safety of the mask is gone I am myself

To the stage I am drawn

By God I need help I cannot be myself

The agony

The phantom, the Shadow I am

When I wish to be the star

People will follow with care

The gleam of light

Will show them I am there

They will not overlook such brightness. T’was a dream to be so bold

Now I must return to the shadows fold

Till we meet again on the stage

And you too will gaze Upon me The Star.

星 星

HUILING ZHANG ‘25

Midnight walk at the beach

Night Life

HUILING ZHANG '25

Greener?

LAILA JOHNSON ‘27

I find myself looking over the fence.

If the grass was

Why does it look so dull?

Memories… it holds none

No family picnics

No First kiss

No tears

No laughter

No joy

Just sharp shards that could kill

A Vibrant green that poisons the eyes

And no life to be had

Dull, dead, and hard to look at

Greener, Greener, Greener

They say…

But, Is it better from a far

Closer I see the life that will never be

The pain it holds

the life untold

Crying out to me

My dull grass is so much richer

In ways other than the vibrancy.

GRna·ture

/ˈ nāCHər/ noun

1. the phenomena of the physical world collectively, including plants, animals, the landscape, and other features and products of the earth, as opposed to humans or human creations.

| HAILEY HUYNH ‘26 Falling

| HAILEY HUYNH ‘26

Little House

A generous plea, with a word of meaning,

Every soul woven with a sight to behold,

Yet admist this tapestry of beauty, I remain as the verse untold,

Harsh blades of green under my left sole, With concrete gray beneath my right, I wander and I stand alone,

Waiting for your brush of words to call my name,

As your melodies echo through my ear,

My soles matching yours, I am patent and I hear,

Following each step without leaving one behind,

Yet when words leave my mouth, I am called annoying, you push me away,

But when nothing is heard,

You ask me if I’m okay,

I am yet just following, following, following,

Rememberance

BLIZZARD BLUES

MD HAQUE ‘25

The cold winter breeze flew beside him and he shivered. It was colder, so much colder, without his signature jacket. He almost didn’t know how to go on without it.

Yet, that’s part of the problem. He knew, now not before, not before when he was so blind—that it was simply holding him back and that he would never progress if held on so tightly to the fabric.

The wind blew harder as if mocking his thoughts and he shivered even more. If onl no, no I cannot. If not for himself, but for others. Ever since the fabric lay dusted in the old, forgotten room, he had finally been able to see more clearly. Sharper, better.

Yet, despite the added vibrance to the atmosphere, it was equally matched with the monochrome. It was not new, but he simply was not able to move past it as effectively without the fabric. How he wanted to jus No. Stop. You can’t.

He stretched forward, fighting against the biting winter blizzard, an endless onslaught but he steeled his feet and held his ground. Thunder shook the skies above, ominous grey clouds gathering as if a sign of foreboding for what was to come but yet he stopped for nothing.

Despite the wind’s whistles, all he heard was silence. Silence that both comforted and unnerved him. The dichotomy of human needs, it seemed. Cognitive dissonance, he believed it was called?

Thunder roared, winds whistled and the blizzard burned, but he never stopped moving. It was getting harder to move, so much harder as if he was swimming in a sea of tar, every joint movement feeling like it was weighed down by a mountain but he forced himself to keep moving.

It’s not over yet. It’s only just getting started.

The silence prevailed, leaving him with only his own thoughts. In a crowd of a hundred, yet in the company of a one. Cruel irony indeed.

The oceans of stars glittered above, their gleaming lights like the glistening tears of the sky tearing through the storm clouds and he would have to halt.

His last step taken, he breathed deeply, frost flooding his lungs.

He knelt down, vision swaying as he struggled to remain conscious. The stars grew brighter. How I could use a blaze right now… but, he had none left, his own long since turned to plain embers and ashes. He slipped, eyes frozen shut and head slamming onto soft snow like a bed of cotton.

Consciousness returned as he grabbed a fistful of snow, get up, get up, geT UP—

Light filled his vision as he looked forward, seeing the blazing embers ahead. Fires of lavender and jade, of purple and royal blue, of silver and springtime yellow, of pink and snowish blue, all spinning together like a firestorm of chaos.

There was not a hint of red to be seen.

The warmth spread and his strength renewed, he forced himself up, lips quirking tiredly. In a crowd of a hundred, in the company of one…

The journey continued, as all journeys do, for none are concluded until the last breath is drawn and the star’s tears dry.

Gallery of the World

| ROWANA SIMPSON ‘25

| HAILEY HUYNH ‘26

| ROWANA SIMPSON ‘25

| HUILING ZHANG ‘25

| DIANA MAYFATOVA ‘25

Cave | HAILEY HUYNH ‘26

Feed

HUILING

Sought

| ROWANA SIMPSON ‘25

ZHANG ‘25

Rolling Down

| DIANA MAYFATOVA ‘25

| DIANA MAYFATOVA ‘25

Meet the

staff

Editor-in-Chief | Huiling Zhang

Huiling Zhang is a junior that is passionate about giving the creative arts a proper spotlight. When she is not thinking of bigger plans for Pompano Pages, she can be found reading a good book, humming a catchy tune, or crying to a k-drama.

Editor | Hailey Huynh ‘26

Hailey Huynh, a sophomore and Pompano Pages editor, shows herself through her graphic design and literature. She always struggles with having too much time in her hands and is found to be always lost in her thoughts. With her expertise in overthinking, she sees the deeper meaning behind all forms of art.

Editor | Kaliya Dennisor ‘25

Kaliya Dennisor, a junior and editor of the Pompano Pages, has a passion for designing and putting her creative skills to work. She frequently writes and reads privately for her own personal interests. She decided to take a chance and work on a project among other peers here at Pompano High to procure a collective work that encompasses the interests, passions, and art of other students to reflect the potential of Pompano High and its talented students in writing, photography, and artistry.

Editor | Patrick Gohl ‘26

Patrick Gohl is a sophomore and first time editor on the Pompano Pages. He is managing editor of the school newspaper, and enjoyed applying the editing and design skills he learned there to the Pompano Pages. As someone who loves to read and write in his free time, he greatly appreciated the opportunity to help give his fellow students a chance to share their creative work.