Kolejną edycę konkursu piśmienniczego w języku angielksim Creative writing zalała fala opowiadań stworzonych przez uczniów naszej szkoły.
Spśród prac wyłoniono i nagrodzono dwie prace zwycięskie oraz przyznano jedno wyróżnienie!
Zwycięskie opowiadania w wykonaniu Karoliny Bak z klasy 3me oraz Dominika Kozimora z klasy 4Gin można przeczytać poniżej.
Wyróznienie wędruje do Artura Nowaka z klasy 2pr.
Wszytskim uczestnikom należą się ogromne brawa!
Kolejna edycja i nowe tematy juz wkrótce 🙂
Cheers!
Karolina Bak, klasa 3me
Inside of their brain
A murder.
What does it involve? A weapon, victim, and perpetrator. Well, it is not always that straightforward. It includes a lot more than some people think. Sometimes the number of things that it is comprised of is incomprehensible for the human brain, or very so often people do not want to try to wrap their heads around it.
I am a simple man. A beautiful wife, children, a nice house, and a well-paid job. What more do I need? To be honest, there is something. I was never a normal child. Well, saying that I was abnormal is a bit of an exaggeration, but saying that my interests were just different from others’ is a bit of an understatement. I have always been curious to know what is going on inside somebody’s head when they decide to take another’s life. I know that some of the people who resolved to make this move can be excused for doing so, because they were saving their own life, somebody’s else life, or they were in a terrible accident like car crash in a snowstorm. Of course, there are some people whose motives were as cruel as the act they had committed, but still – they HAD a motive, no matter how bad it was. There are a lot of explanations why some parts of our society decide to do it but since I can remember my thoughts have always been focused on for these individuals who had no reason or ground to do it. I could never understand how something like this could be done. As I delve into each case, I always perceive disgust for the person or persons who have committed such a thing. At all times I feel the need to find out what drove the perpetrator. I must always find out. It is not just a thing that keeps me awake at night. It is something a lot, lot deeper than that. I really do not care if a case is completely solved, but I care tremendously care what was on the mind of the psycho.
Psycho is in effect a good term for murderers. Many studies have proven that a lot of murderers are mentally ill. Well, despite of my previous comment that I am a simple man I am not really into calling people with psychosomatic diseases psychos, but I hope you get my point.
In fact, murder has been with us since the dawn of time. It’s around us even when we don’t realise it. I bet you if you did a bit of searching, you would find more than one case from your city, unless of course you live on colourful Sesame Street where all the neighbours say hello, and everyone is too kind to each other, and the word crime gives everyone a heart attack. But I would rather not advise you to do such a search as you must go out late in the evening and the route would consist of dark alleys. Okay, I am losing my point. Let’s get back to it.
Often, when I read about various cases, I try to put myself in the criminals’ shoes and try to understand why they really did it. But sometimes, it is beyond my mind. Have you heard about the Italian soap maker? If you are wondering what taking people’s lives and making soap have in common, this case shows that they can be perfectly intertwined after all. This woman had a terrifying childhood, she lived through the war, she lost her children. But let’s look at it with a moral eye. Did anything that happened in her life give her permission to commit such cruel murders? Seriously, do not read her diary while eating.
Despite the enormous disgust I feel for these people, I must admit one thing. Sometimes I cannot help but admire their intelligence. At times they can have everything so perfectly planned, it is almost impossible how they manage to think everything through. Often, literally, a slight nudge, millimetres of error get them caught. You also cannot deny that some of them have otherworldly interpersonal skills. People who form sects that force people to commit suicide are also killers. Yet somehow, they manage to persuade people to join their cults.
I wish I was as smart as some of them. Maybe that would keep my own child from catching me? What drove me crazy to do it when I was not even home alone? I wanted so badly to know what is going on in these people’s heads. I wanted to FEEL what is in their minds. I said that I am disgusted by murderers, but I have never said that I am not disgusted by myself.
Why does the blood have to dry so quickly? I wet this pen every five seconds and I cannot even write two words with it. It does not even look the way I wanted it to. No ‘wow’ effect. Great. That metallic smell makes me sick.
I can hear sirens. So, she did call the police. That is not nice of her. Well, what could I expect from her reaction, when she went into the basement, saw this and me covered in blood, started screaming and ran away? Maybe at least I will find out what is in the mind of the murderers from my colleagues behind bars. Although, I can say now that I wonder what is in the mind of OURS. That is a good mindset right here, isn’t it? Psycho is in effect a good term for me.
Dominik Kozimor, klasa 4Gin
Collision Course
To have a job offer from the North American Space Agency is a dream of many – but what about helping to save the world while at it?
It has been almost a year since the media got all worked up over the Goliath asteroid. Although most citizens at first dismissed it as another tabloid-ridden media sham, it turned out to be a real deal. Denialists, conspiracists and bizarre doomsday cults sprung up like mushrooms after rain. Jason believed he was not among the people who would get into that kind of nonsense. It was known that a vast amount of effort had been undertaken by the scientific community to develop a solution. Despite the threat, work was hardly unified – the world superpowers raced to become the saviour of the whole of humanity. It was a daring endeavour by all of them. The goal? Create a high-velocity space probe and detract the asteroid from its deadly course.
How could Jason refuse to work with the greats, especially during such a crucial project? An internship in the middle of an undergraduate degree is always a breath of fresh air. At worst it is a break from being squeezed between habitually unrehearsed bachelor students and eternally tiresome professors, nit-picking every little detail in your thesis. It would be a lie to say he didn’t want a little vacay from the somewhat tedious studies. Still, he could not have predicted how renowned his temporary workplace would be before the offer.
He was amazed by the glorious prospects made possible thanks to this job. A new age for the space industry – of course, it helped that the vision of a strikingly cosmic apocalypse finally motivated the political think tanks to fuel the Agency with some funds, the first time since the Space Race. Perhaps, a little bit too dismissively he rarely worried or even thought about the threat. He knew about the previous test missions that managed to change the course of similar space objects – why would humanity fail to repeat that success?
“Ironically, the asteroid scare helped so many young people headstart a career” – he was thinking on his way to the job.
Even though the internship could be a major step in his career, he wasn’t going to get a Nobel Prize overnight just for helping the eggheads save the Earth –despite his major degree he got a dirty tech-maintenance job. There was a striking benefit to that seemingly boring task – he had a chance to meet the qualified engineers at the Probe Control Centre room, looking like straight out of a sci-fi Hollywood blockbuster.
In spite of fatalistic media constantly bombarding people with worrying news, they didn’t have much work right now. Since the launch of the saviour probe, rarely did they have more stressful moments at work. They were sharing casual remarks at the space centre’s cafeteria.
– You know, Steve was never the most tech-savvy out of our flight controllers, but when it comes to IT stuff, he is clueless… It is unthinkable but he somehow fell for one of these “You won an iPhone!” ads, and managed to get his laptop infected by malware!
– You are joking, right? – Caroline widened her eyes open in disbelief
The internship wasn’t his last stroke of luck. As a part of the mentorship program, he happened to work directly under Dr Caroline, the acting director of the launch site. She was only fifteen years older than him, but still managed to advance her career as fast as lightning. Thanks to her soft skills, soft, outspoken voice and perhaps more importantly, charming and idealistic attitude to science she managed to get along with the higher-ups and the science team under her management.
– I am being frank with you! Steve then begged me to help him with repairing the computer, so I told him we would have to hard reset the machine. Then, my colleague demanded to reinstall the whole operating system in half an hour, can you believe it? – they talked like old friends, despite the rank difference.
– So you’re serious? These guys at the CC are sometimes really hopeless! – she said with a cheering smile.
“No wonder she is so popular with your average Joe outside of NASA, she’s quite charming for a PhD.” And popular with the common people she was – although she wasn’t the highest administrator at the Space Agency, she most certainly was the most popular, often acting as a spokeswoman for the media and tabloids. She became a kind of pop science star, but more importantly the PR representative for the whole DAVID probe mission.
Their talk was disturbed by an urgent phone call from the main centre. She apologized politely to Jason and left the room. She didn’t look stressed at all when picking up the phone – everyone at NASA knew that the mission has been going exceptionally well ever since the launch a few days ago. It was not known to the public, due to public safety concerns but the government knew that they have vastly outpaced Chinese efforts. Their project – Hou Yi, was named after the legendary archer known for his inch-perfect accuracy. Ironically, they missed the deadline – there was no chance in the world they would keep up with the quick American effort. Theoretically, only the directors were supposed to know that, but it was an open secret. Saving humanity seemed to be at USA’s firm grasp.
Caroline came back looking fresh as ever.
– You know Jason, even though I’ve been the leader of this division for the last two years I still find it a little stressful that tomorrow is the big day… Mission finales are always like this but this time it feels… More significant. – she emphasized the last word greatly. – Do you find it relatable?
– Ah, of course, I feel it’s going to be stressful, but knowing you – I am more than sure you’re going to do it! – he comforted his manager – Being seen by thousands and millions of people, broadcast on the national TV seems like it fits you well. You have been built for this!
They talked for a bit about the speech she was going to give out to the public after the mission (hopefully) succeeds. Jason empathized with her, but he also felt a little bit anxious about being at work without her, especially on the last day of the mission. He was not responsible for any crucial technicalities, but that didn’t ease his discomfort for some reason. He used to be less pessimistic, but a scientific career disturbed made his worldview a little more dimmed and shady.
The next day, yet, he felt a little bit more energetic and positive. Perhaps, the atmosphere around the workplace has finally spread to him – everyone was excited about DAVID impacting Goliath. Most people were proud to see how the project they have worked on for so long has, at last, come to fruition, some of them were happier about the prospect of being allowed to take a few days off at last.
The centre felt like a small bustling town that day – people carrying important documents, talking to each other, shouting. Some engineers even took a bottle of champagne to celebrate – the last people who had to do their part in the mission were in the cramped Probe Control room, with Jason being their slightly disregarded helper.
Everything there was ahead without a hitch – mostly thanks to professional help done by the intern. Despite job rules, they planned to make the control centre room a little bit cosier than usual – they prepared Steve’s laptop so they could watch the historical speech of Dr Caroline online. After preparing the room for the big moment, Steve asked the intern for a favour.
– Hey Jason, I know it’s a little bit against the rules, but this is going to be huge, you know. Like, being-remembered-by-history books huge.
– Oh, of course, isn’t that great? What’s on your mind though? – Steve asked, a little bit concerned
– Well, about that… I don’t want to remember the most important moment of my life as being hungry as hell. Could you fetch me some snacks from the cafeteria while we still have a few minutes going?
Jason was speechless. How could he demand such a ridiculous thing? He just gazed disappointedly at his co-worker, who hesitated for a bit but eventually left for the cafeteria by himself. Surprisingly, it meant leaving the undergraduate alone.
The sleazy colleague didn’t come back soon, even though it was almost the moment when the optical camera on the probe was activated.
The probe was supposed to be steered a little bit before crashing into the asteroid, so the control panel was about to be unlocked. Jason walked in circles, stressed about the situation, when he noticed something wrong with the laptop he tried to fix it the day before.
The flashy, neon-red caption on the screen read “COMPROMISED BY THE HARBRINGERS”. That name faintly rang a bell in his head. “It was one of these doomsday crackpot theorist groups, wasn’t it? Oh my god, why now?” – he was shocked, nervously trying to think up a reasonable solution.
Dashing to the room’s metal door, he tried to get out but…
The door wouldn’t move a tiny bit! Was the virus from yesterday somehow remaining on the machine? He noticed the notebook was connected to the control panel. Why would he connect his PC by cable to the station’s computers? The man really should not be let within one-meter range of anything besides his control pad. “Who the hell gave Steve an engineer’s degree?” – Jason thought, frustrated at his own colleague’s doings.
He tried to open it repeatedly without any effect. Banging on the door repeatedly was futile – he was left alone in the room, soon to learn that it never rains but it pours. He heard the large LED screen behind him turning on and saw what shocked him the most.
Of course, the probe’s camera showed the humongous asteroid slowly becoming bigger and bigger, as the probe approached it with great velocity. What was seen closer to it… Another asteroid? “No, it’s impossible, it looks too… metallic? No… it couldn’t be” He was taken aback for a moment.
The American probe was rushing, but on its collision course, you could see Hou Yi, the Chinese probe striving to save humanity, at the same time…
Both probes were supposed to redirect the asteroid thanks to their high velocity, but that meant that even a little touch could throw them both off course, and probably destroy them. It was the direst situation he has ever been in.
He rubbed his eyes and tried to pinch himself but it was no use – this wasn’t a bad dream. He was left alone in the control centre, with a decision that could shape humanity’s history and worse – his future career. And all of this because Steve went for a snack… He walked towards the control panel scratching his head – what ought he do at this very moment? He wished he could contact Caroline and ask her for help.
It was impossible. He felt stuck, like a rat in a cage. Watching as the probes get closer and closer to each other he felt overpowered by this whole situation – did humanity’s fate sit in his hands? Of course, he could redirect the American probe, but then… He was pretty sure the President would not be glad to hear about the man who helped the Chinese save the world, to say it lightly. What if they would have thought that he sabotaged the effort? He was sweating more and more. It was a real nightmare.
What would have Caroline done in this situation? Think Jason, think!
Risking his career, no, his life seemed like the right thing to do – what if these probes would fail and doom all of them to die? He didn’t want to lose everything he has so stopping the probe seemed like the safer option in the long run, but was it? And how is he even going to do it? The last question seemed easier to answer than all the previous ones – there was a button labelled conveniently as “BRAKE THRUSTERS”.
The clock was ticking and the need to make a decision was more and more overbearing for him. Despite how heavy his hand felt, he knew he just had to do it. This is what Caroline would have done.
He pushed it. He has done it. The camera showed a lot of exhaust fumes coming from the brake thrusters and then a few moments later just the Goliath asteroid, with a small object impacting the surface. A cloud of dust shot up into outer space, like fumes from a smoky chimney.
He did it, he saved the world. But did he doom himself in the process?
Artur Nowak, klasa 2pr
Internet went wrong
Jimmy was an ordinary boy with unordinary inner wealth. He wasn’t good at making friends though – he was shy and introverted, always felt left out of social events – he preferred spending time alone. Little did he know that everything would change after discovering the world of Discord.
It was a typical winter evening; Jimmy wanted to broaden his social circle, therefore perused various Discord servers in search of intriguing communities to join. He started a conversation with a user called “Olivia”. Jim wasn’t used to conversing with girls, but she was an exception – he felt at home. They discussed for hours and about everything – from their favorite music and video games to the pets they own. It was obvious they’d quickly evolve towards being close friends. So did they – they talked to each other for countless days. Isn’t it awesome?
Despite them being so close and having loads of trust in each other, Jimmy hesitated a lot to meet Olivia in person. It wasn’t unanticipated – the boy heard many horror stories about online predators. Putting himself at risk wasn’t something he’d ever want to do. He could either meet his best person or lose his best people. It was one of the toughest decisions in his entire life. But eventually, Olivia managed to persuade him – she sent him pictures of herself, and they even had video chats – what could go wrong?
After Jimmy arranged to meet in a park near his house, despite rethinking his decisions every 5 seconds, he went over it and decided to lie to his parents. He told them he was going out with his school friends; he was so nervous and left the house at 4:12 PM, being late. It’s just indescribable how Jim felt after seeing a girl sitting on a bench who looked exactly like Olivia. He immediately ran towards her. He even nearly kissed her on the spur of the moment. It was just like meeting an old fellow – even though they had known each other for less than a year, it felt like they were here for their lives.
After they talked for some minutes, they decided to get some ice cream. Suddenly, everything went dark. Jimmy felt something hit the back of his head and fell. Later, after he woke up, it came out he was tied to a chair in a dark, musty room. The teenager could hear someone moving around in the shadows but couldn’t see who it was. The way he felt that day is something none of us would ever want to relish.
Jimmy was crying for hours. All he knew was that his life was over and found it inconceivable that he was so stupid to trust someone he met online. Young boy wished he had never come to the park, but now it was too late…
Unexpectedly something weird happened. The door opened, two people walked in. Then Jimmy’s heart stopped. He would’ve never expected to see what he saw… his parents walked in! It was rocket science for him – what happened? His mom ran towards him, feeling so happy but angry at once.
His dad untied him from the chair. Jimmy was still dreading that the predator could attack his parents. But that was not the case. His dad explained what happened. Jimmy couldn’t believe his ears. It was such a plot twist for him.
The parents were monitoring Jimmy’s online activity and saw his conversations with Olivia. They were quite worried that she might be a predator, so they decided to do something unusual. They set up a fake meeting to kind of test her intentions and see if Jimmy would fall for the trap, and so he did. They even hired professional actors to play the roles of Olivia and the kidnapper – it was all part of an elaborate plan to keep Jimmy safe, which was mind-blowing for him. It was a sign of love, but Jimmy didn’t get it at first – he was irritated that his parents could trick him like this and even lost trust in them. But after some time, he realized how much they cared about him.
Over the following weeks, Jimmy and his parents talked about staying safe online. They promised to be always honest with each other, no matter what. In the end, Jimmy learned a valuable lesson – even though he knew meeting online friends in real life is always risky, he ignored it. Now he realized it was such a big mistake. Of course, meeting internet friends can lead you to some amazing experiences (and that happens most of the time), well, sometimes the people who were strangers can turn out to be the ones who love you the most. But we need some precaution, always, remember.
But what about Olivia? Well, it turned out that she was real and lived in a town next to Jimmy’s. She was too shy to meet in person though. After finding out about the plan that Jimmy’s parents came up with, she was shocked and hurt. But eventually, she got convinced it was all done out of love. Shortly after that, they met in person, and even though it was awkward at first, they immediately became friends, and… a couple! After all the life-stressing events Jimmy went through, he now admits that the whole plan was the smartest and most precious thing that has ever happened to him.
