Fathers Katana By Evan Deng
I'm so sorry, sir, (bending down to clean up the shattered glass) I am so clumsy, let me get you another glass of champagne and help you clean it off your suit. Is there a place where I can put this down, your office perhaps? Here let me just dab some club soda on it. My dad always said that you can get any stain off with club soda. (looks around the room sees katana swords) You have great taste sir.
Do you collect for business or pleasure?
I couldn't help but notice you keep your swords uncovered. How come?
May I? (Picks up her father sword) My father was a collector and I swear he had something very similar to this piece. It’s very cold. Strange, my fathers sword used to have a nick on his blade too. (looks closer) Well look at that, just like I remembered. Don’t look so surprised. What did you think, your actions have consequences.
(poisoned he staggers and falls, she props him to sit up)
Ironic isn't it? (raising the sword) How the tables turned, you really are a portrait of pure evil, a face that haunts my every nightmare. This is quite fitting, being slaughtered in your own home, the nostalgia. The same home where you plotted and schemed your way through countless atrocities.
(he tries to make a noise)
Good old club soda, not only great for cleaning stains, but an amazing paralytic solvent. Ohhh don’t cry! (approaching him) You really are an ugly crier, I can feel the fear etched into every crease of your face. I feel nothing but pure hatred towards you. You do remember the little girl whose life you destroyed? (beat) Of course not. To you, it was just another job, another life to end without remorse. You took my father from me! You shaped my entire life with the trauma you inflicted upon me. (beat) And now, it's time for justice to be served. (slowly driving the sword into his chest) It’s over now, you will never harm anyone, ever again. (wiping his blood off against his face).
Cinderella Story By Chloe Ren
I am so tired of people calling me someone who was saved by the prince. Like seriously, do they even understand what I went through? So hi, my name is Cinderella, and I guess you’ve probably heard of me before. You know, the girl who had an abusive stepmom and step sisters? Yep, that’s me. Well, it would be me, if people actually wrote the story correctly. And since they didn’t, I’m here to correct them.
So, to start with, yes. My parents did unfortunately pass away when I was young. However, my stepmom and step-siblings weren’t evil or abusive at all. And I most certainly did not live in an attic. I guess those people just added that part to make it seem more depressing and to include some drama. In reality, my stepmom was super supportive, my sisters were my best friends and my brother often cared for me even when he was busy. Yes, you heard me right, my brother. I have three siblings and one of them is a male. Surprise, right? I was actually quite a sick child—that’s why I didn’t go outside or interact much, not because I was trapped inside the house—and needed constant care. Instead of being forced to do chores all day, I in fact was often constrained to my bed or the house from a lack of energy.
And yes, that’s why I was late to the ball. Not because my sister ripped my dress or my stepmom banned me. We just weren’t sure I should go because of my weak composition. But I managed to convince my brother in the end. The only thing the story actually got right was the fact that I left at midnight (oh, and the fact that I designed my dress), but I definitely did not dance with the prince, lose a shoe and then run out. I left at midnight because I was feeling tired. That’s it. There was no romantic declaration to find the girl with the shoe, or any pumpkins or fairy godmother. I don’t even know where people get those ideas from. Like c’mon, magic? Seriously?
Now, to address the question you guys are all probably—or not—waiting for. Did I actually marry the prince??? Wellllll—dun dun dun—no. Yeah, the most important part of my story didn’t even happen. Like, bro. Anyway, so who did marry the prince? Well, that would be my beautiful eldest sister—Zaliana (for your info, she is super pretty—even objectively—I don't know where all the “Cinderella’s sisters are ugly” came from.) The prince and her are happily married with two beautiful children, meanwhile, I’m blissfully single (with a great job as a dress designer by the way) with no thought of change.
So yeah, that’s my story. Very different, right? It’s probably not what you expected. There was no sob story at all and I didn’t get saved by a prince. I get along great with my family and have an amazing job. The end. Bye.
Expedition Logs By Doyoung Lee
Expedition Log #354: Whoop-de-do. We did it. Pop the champagne I guess, if we even have champagne down here. Anyway, my crew and I have done it. After ‘tireless,’ ‘brave’ efforts, we reached the research base. Won’t daddy be proud. Ugh. We are here to join the crew at the base to see if there are traces of a ‘legendary’ creature rumored to be trapped beneath the ice here. This was a great family obsession for generations, and I, Dr. [redacted], am only here to see the legend through. Why I agreed to this, I do not know. For now, I will do the best I can do and analyze any samples they bring into the lab. I should have just spent my time elsewhere… may not pay as well but sure is warmer…
Expedition Log #992: It has been quite an… eventful week, to say the least. Of the three years I have been at the outpost, there has been nothing quite like this. Sure, we find the occasional unidentified amoeba, but nothing like this. No, this time, we found actual tissue samples. Concrete evidence that something lies beneath the ice… and that my father is right… GOD! The samples we uncovered have DNA unlike anything we’ve seen before. An entirely new species! I was, of course, um… skeptical about the expedition, but this, this proves everything. God I HATE that my father was right! In any case, we shall continue the excavations and see what else we find.
Expedition Log #948: There has been some… startling news. We have recently found out the tissue samples we took weeks ago are actually alive. Alive! That means that whatever it came from, we might be able to recreate it! Better yet, it might still be alive, frozen in ice. If we continue the expeditions, we may find it yet!
Expedition Log #1005: There is nothing quite like it. It is magnificent. One lucky expedition crew had been digging in the right spot, when suddenly, the ice around them gave way. Oh, they were sure they were going to die. But they didn’t. And how lucky they didn’t. The ice uncovered a gargantuan beast trapped in the ice. Shaped like a dragon with three heads perched on long necks. As I arrived to collect samples, I could have sworn one of its eyes turned to stare at me.
Expedition Log #1008: The samples confirm it, they are one and the same. For the lack of a better name, we have dubbed the creature Monster Zero. However, any drilling into the ice has proved futile… There have been suggestions to try to detonate the ice, therefore freeing the creature.
Expedition Log #1013: We made a mistake… You will not hear from me again… *static*
END LOG