My Week in Review

A recollection of my week

“So much is buried in our lives that we forget what we have learned.”
― Harley King

When I glanced over the assignment for the narrative paragraph, I thought it would be a breeze. I decided to start it after Friday, because that’s when my week ended, and I was supposed to do an overview of the week. Well Friday came and went, and Saturday, and Sunday. I did my other homework, but didn’t really want to spend the hour or so working on a big writing piece. On Monday, I realize that I should probably get started. Then I realized my problem, I had no memory of the week that I just experienced. I racked my brain for any tiny bit of information that I had stored on the five days that I had just spent at school. 

From what I know, it started on Monday last week, that’s when school normally starts. I dragged myself to Global Studies, all the way across campus from my advisor. I sat down in my chair in the oval table and started to work on my Middle East essay. It wasn’t a terrible start to my week, our class was relaxed and I got to get enough work done. 

The next few classes went by like a blur, but I remember liking them, Latin, Bio, Geometry, not a terrible schedule. Overall the day went pretty well, even though everything seems hazy in my memory.

The next day was Tuesday. I had YIP and I realized I forgot my iPad, great. I was tired from waking up earlier than usual, and forgetting the thing I needed to participate didn’t help either. We were supposed to do independent research on charities, but without anyway to do that, it wasn’t great. Eventually the class ended and I hurried from advisor to English. Still without an iPad, I spent my time waiting at the round, wooden table for my mom to come and drop it off. With the class scattered about the room, it was weird just sitting idling in the middle of the room. Finally I just decide to wait at the front office. I make my way through the halls and out onto the chilly field. After about five minutes, my mom showed up and I rushed back to the classroom. 

Once I got back, my memory gets hazy. I might have submitted a assignment or two, then started working on Book X of the Odyssey. I sat on the sofa, trying my best to concentrate on the story while the people around me talked, I along side them. I don’t think I finished Book X in class, so I had to finish it for homework. 

The rest of the day I bounced around from class to class, happy because it was a half day. When we finally got out, I felt kind of hungry p, do I went to go get pizza, knowing I hadn’t signed up. From there, I hung around, not really sure of what to do. 

Wednesday was the day I remember most, because I wasn’t at school. I went to tour and interview at a secondary school. The tour and interview were pretty normal, we walked through the school then I sat down and talked with someone for twenty-ish minutes. When it was over I went back to the car with my Mom, and headed home.

On Thursday I didn’t have English. I had two periods, Latin and Global, then a double Bio. I remember the double Bio period being pretty fun, we learned a lot more stuff about genetics, and didn’t spend too long in one place. We had three different labs going on at the same time, so it didn’t feel like two hours of nothing. After that school was pretty much over, I had lunch then an art period then, nothing. Sports was over now, no more staying until five, running miles around the campus. It was nice, not having to stay for so long, but also weird. The whole school was still here, with us. I ended up hanging out in Mrs. Wei’s room with my friend Harrison and a few others. We watched the lower school do their work, something I had never seen before. Their day ended with a story and a game, which we ninth graders got to participate in. Soon after, I got picked up, and my day was over.

Then came Friday, the final day of the week before the long weekend. It started with English. I wasn’t sure at first what we were going to do, so I just sat down, finding a drum to wrap on while I waited. Soon I realized what I wanted to do, read Book XI; Fitz said we don’t have to read it, but my curiosity got the better of me. I tried at first to read with everyone around me, but soon realized that it wasn’t going to go very well. A couple of shouts across the room later, I dragged my stuff to the stairs, just outside the classroom. I could still hear the occasional chatter, but I did well at just keeping on reading. By the end of the period I had finished my work, and realized that maybe I didn’t have to read it. We all filed out of the room, and went to our next classes. 

A few hours later, it was over, I was free to go home and enjoy the long weekend. 

When I was writing this I realized that I didn’t remember too much of the week. But, that’s okay, because I know I learned a great bit.

It was dark. It was always dark. The bright moon shone through the trees, giving the illusion that there might be a sun that would eventually come up. 

“Watcha doin?” my younger brother, John asks. 

“Nothing, just thinking.” I say 

“Okay” John responds, disappointed

We haven’t talked much the last few days. We haven’t done much either. Just trekking through the cold woods, lost in the abyss of trees. I don’t remember how we got here, part of me feels like we have always been here, but that can’t be true. 

“Where are we going again?” he asks 

“I told you, I don’t know. We just have to find some sort of civilization and we’ll be fine.”

“But how will we get home, we don’t even know where it is?”

“I don’t know- We’ll worry about it when we get there.”

John lets out a sigh

Silence followed. We walked along, always walking. Leaves crunched under our worn boots. Then we heard it again. It was different every time. It was just loud and close. Grunts, howls, snarls, they surrounded us. It felt like they were everywhere, but we couldn’t quite see them. 

“It’s back again.” my little brother quivered 

“Let’s walk faster, it didn’t hurt us last time.” I responded, as calmly as possible.

Then, something happened that I didn’t think could. I...saw them. They ran on all fours but were unlike something I had ever seen. The darkness covered them well but you could see their skin. That was the worst part of them. Their skin was splotches of fur, scales, and human skin. I grew sick to my stomach. 

“Climb the trees,” I said urgently

“What?” 

“Climb the tree.” 

We scamper up a large oak, branches high enough that I have to stretch to reach them. The beasts circle in, their silhouettes blocking out the trees behind them. 

“Come on, get up!” I yell down.

I grab my brothers arm and hoist him the the lowest branch. We keep climbing until we’re halfway up the tree. Their grunts becomes clearer. It almost seems like a language. They speak back to each other, and talk in sentences. It still sounds completely animal, yet there’s something that makes it seem like more. I can also see their figures outlined now. They have long snouts like wolves, yet it sticks out more. Their teeth are sharp and pointed, but extremely long, probably about the length of a pencil. They have arms, yet walk on all fours. There is a difference between their hands and feet, but it’s hard to make out. Their skin still is a mess of parts of other animals that have been mashed together. The only thing that I can’t make out is the face. It seems foreign and familiar at the same time. 

“What are they?” John whimpered

“I...I don’t know.” I said

We stayed there for hours backs to the trunk. There was nothing we could really say. After an eternity, they left without a sound. We waited, then slowly climbed down. 

We kept walking in silence, there was nothing else to do but keep walking. John walked about 50 feet in front of me, hoping to get a glimpse of something. Suddenly he started running. 

“Come on! I see something!” he shouted

“Wait up! I say back, picking up my pace.

But as I kept going faster, the further away he got. 

“Hey! Slow down!” I say urgently, John almost being gone from my view now. 

Sprinting, I try my best to keep up with him, but he’s gone. I’m panicking, I’m alone now, trapped in the woods. I keep running towards where he went, but there’s nothing. Whatever he saw is gone now, along with him. 

Hours pass, the creatures are back now, louder than ever. I go back to the tree, but this time I see something. One of them is looking at me, like directly at me. The others are just scratching at the tree or looking up-ish. Now I see it’s eyes, what was once invisible is now all too clear. Even from dozens of feet up it’s black abyss pulls me in. I feel myself leaning forward, unable to stop myself. Just as I’m about to fall off, I catch myself. And in an instant, they’re gone. 

I slowly make my way down the tree, rattled by what just happened. It’s getting much colder now, it seems to be shifting from fall to winter, the once colorful leaves on the ground are changing from vibrant to brown. My coat isn’t enough to keep the freezing air out anymore. My legs are growing stiff, and just as I’m about to sit to take a break, I see a light. It was small, but the first light I had seen in days; I ran towards it as fast as I could, running faster than I ever had in my life, yet barely feeling tired. 

I know I have to get there, yet I don’t know why. I no longer care about the woods or my brother. I just keep running.