Samantha's Gift

Samantha’s Gift
By: Annie Thompson

Samantha holds the box. She turns it this way and that looking at the intricate detail in the design cut into the ornate wooden box. She takes a deep breath allowing the feeling to sink in that she is opening up a part of her families’ history that has been handed down for centuries. She sets it down on the table, slowly turns the key in the lock and lifts the lid. The moment seems to last forever because somewhere inside her there is fear and part of her is turning into a little girl, kicking and screaming that she does not want to know what is inside and she does not want to look at it, but she knows she must. She had held her breath and closed her eyes and now, she opens them and looks down into the wooden, black felt lined box and gazes upon the beautiful magic that lay inside. It is an emerald ruby. Red as blood and large enough to fit in the palm of a persons hand. She lets her fingers slide over the surface and to her astonishment, she thought that she seen the ruby glow. She stopped moving; held in place by shock. She wonders if that really happened. Within a couple of seconds her fear subsides and she lets her fingers slide across the surface again and gently picked up the ruby. It had glowed, as it is glowing now. And she knows, as if it was magic, the history behind her families’ secrets, the ruby and the gift she has been blessed with. It was very faint, like a movie in her head but very translucent. In the seventeenth century there was an English man, named Benjamin, who as a child had been captured by Indians. He was held captive until his heroic escape at eighteen and later became a spy for the United States, spying on the Indians to discourage their frequent attacks. He found a young English girl whose family had been murdered by the Indians. Her name was Victoria.



Victoria had been held as a white captive. In a battle Benjamin rescued Victoria and he fell in love with her. He married her and then after his service with the United States found himself fairly wealthy. Out of his incredible love he held for his wife, Benjamin built a huge mansion and created an empire in her name. Victoria, though, held a secret. A secret that, in that time, would have resulted in her death, to be hung by a noose and labeled a witch. It was however, on the contrary, a gift that Victoria vowed to keep hidden forever out of her desperate love and fear of losing her wonderful husband who had saved her life. Hiding it was easy for who would have ever known, for who she really was, after losing her family and being rescued from the Indians? She loved her husband so much that she never revealed or ever used her powers until one fateful night. Benjamin had returned from work one evening and swooping her up took her out on the town and treated her like a princess. Beautiful and romantic the evening ended in dancing and a beautiful walk in the park beneath the moon. That night, she knew would be a magical night, so Victoria had already decided to tell Benjamin that she was due to have a child, their child, when walking in the park, he stops and turns to face her, taking her hands he kisses her and when she opened her eyes, in her hands lie the most beautiful thing she had ever seen. It was a red ruby, the one that Samantha now holds in her hand, hanging from an ornate gold chain. She decided to wait until they were at home and comfortable in their bed to tell him about the baby. That night, returning home, Benjamin was shot and killed by thieves. Her despair and heartbroken agony was so unbearable that she drug his body into their home and using the beautiful red ruby, she cast a spell on the ruby giving it the power to bestow upon herself and any of her descendents to be able to see into the future and, foresee any danger that may cause them to lose love and to see



into the past so that they may remember and never feel the agony that she felt that night over the loss of her true love.

Samantha, standing in the attic, holding this beautiful red ruby is suddenly weak by the episode sits and pray’s that she will never need the gift or the magic inside the ruby.

Voters, Eat Your Government Spinach.

Voters, Eat Your Government Spinach.

According to one political reporter, people are not getting the education they need about who is controlling their lives and how they are doing it. Dave Helling, who works as a multimedia political reporter for the Kansas City Star say’s that voters need to vote and be educated in the matters of our government or our politicians, will hold all of the power was the advice given to the University of Central Missouri Tuesday.

Helling spoke about issues in generation trends concerning voting and educating voters on politics and government. Helling says that there are not enough voters are speaking out and therefore allowing themselves to be ignored. Helling said that we have an angry government and that America has a history of having an angry government. Helling said that politics were getting ugly and there are not enough people looking at the long view, having any foresight. For examples of this angry government Helling brought up incidents in our History such as Joe McCarthy, stating that lives were ruined and communism ran rampant due the ignorance of the people. In 1968 there was also the national convention that could have been different had the people been better educated in the standing of the government. In 1970 there was an impeachment of a president. The 9/11 attacks were also used as an example. Helling said that there is also mistrust in American politics.” Hating the government is the American way” Helling said. One unique facet to this anger is political polarization. The political class features the political elite and reflects on Americans actions that are not representing “the people”. The political class of today is an uncompromising one. Instead, it is my way or the highway. Helling said that to politicians, compromise is surrendering to another political party. Exercise in political strategy is an issue in this country. Politics is a means to government. Is our government our government or the politician’s government? Who is representing Americans if Americans are not speaking up, if Americans are accepting being ignored and dismissed? The government is doing their own thing thinking that Americans are not paying attention. Heller spoke about the Jim Crow movement in reference to an angry government and the comparison of the advance in our generational society and the compromises that have been made and what has been achieved. Both sides would rather lose than compromise and someone win something.” No compromise equals a stalemate” said Helling. The results are that people do not attend to the government, then people tune out and end up dropping out of the system of government. People end up not voting and those votes could change things. “You have to eat your government spinach.” Helling said. Don’t be ignored and turned off. It is our duty to be educated in the actions of our government. Not enough votes equal a stalemate, which is tragedy in immense proportions. Our politicians are driving people out due to the anger in government. People resist because political matters are not easy. “If it was easy, everyone would be doing it.”Heller quoted from the movie A League of their Own. Voters need to vote or the politicians will hold all of the power. The government is holding the power of decision because people are not voting and the government is hoping that we are not paying attention. What we need to do is get more involved in our government while they are still hoping that we do not understand. We need to be more committed to expose government actions to the people. Reporters are about getting the information to the people. Americans need to get together into groups and start educating and being educated in the actions of our government. “Read the newspaper.” Heller said. As Americans, can we bring back unity and awareness by getting back on the soapboxes and grandstands of the sixties and seventies? Heller said that those days have been overrun by political messages in the media. Heller said that we have been polarized by activist. Parties have been pulled apart. When asked about the financial state of our economy Heller said that the baby boomers, economically, need to get out of the way and let the young take over.
Do you agree?

My Swan Dive into Short Fiction

Memory of a Miracle Long Past


By: Anne Thompson

 In the winter of 1970 life was a white magic wonderland. Christmas was right around the corner and with the fresh fallen snow, everything glistened and sparkled in the city streets. Shoppers were bustling and children were laughing, playing in the snow since school had let out for Christmas. Such was not so for one family, the Murphy family. After just having moved to the southwestern part of Missouri from sunny and hot California where the children, Tom, then five, Jenna, then seven and Maggie, at that time four years old, had never even seen snow let alone ever had to trudge in it, were not liking the cold or the snow at all.

Since school had let out, Maggie had gotten to go with their Dad, who drove a big truck. And, unlike Tom and Jenna, who were probably lounging in front of the television and the fireplace or watching the sun dance on the snow, Maggie was scared and caught in a blustery, blinding winter storm with her dad. He was working hard to see the road and was also more than likely pretty anxious to get home. The storm kept coming and Maggie’s dad kept struggling. All through the day the wind blew and the snow and ice pelted the truck. Maggie slept a lot. Curled up in a ball in the sleeper, Maggie would listen to her Dad try to sing songs to make her feel better until finally, she would fall asleep.

As the day went on and the night drove in along with the storm, Maggie's dad kept trying to drive through the forceful storm and so were all of the other people out on the road trying to get home. It was a horrible night to be out, so many cars on the road were making things treacherous for everyone. Soon my Maggie’s dad had to get off of the big interstate and had to go it alone on a two lane highway. It was a skinny two-lane highway that had not been plowed very much, but my Maggie’s dad kept driving. The night wore on and Maggie’s dad was growing weak. There were headlights coming at them from what seemed like all directions running in and out of the snow. It looked like they were headed right for them and then Maggie’s dad saw an overpass leering ahead. The lights, they were so bright and Maggie could feel her dad tense up and suddenly he grabbed her hand and said, “Hold on baby!” and then it happened. The car that was coming at them lost control. They could see it as it hit them and then Maggie felt it hit them and then Maggie felt the window hit her head. After that, all went black for Maggie for a while.

Back at her home Maggie’s mother was trying to get everyone settled in with supper and wood for the stove when the phone rang. Tom, and her sister were watching their mother and noticed when her eyes went big and she began to cry. A voice on the other end of the phone had asked my mother how long it had been since she had heard from her their dad, who periodically would stop and call her throughout the day. It had been since this morning she said. He was due to be home by now but, she figured the weather had him held up. The voice on the other end of the phone advised their mother that her husband had not arrived at his point of destination and that there was no sign of him. They had issued a search by the highway patrol and county police departments. Maggie’s mother’s sharp intake of air, held for the longest moment according to her sister and then she just fainted.

Long into the night everyone waited and prayed. Those that were searching were taking an awful long time to call with any news and Maggie’s mother was sinking deeper and deeper into the fear of losing her husband and a child.

Finally, after what seemed like an eternity, the phone rang. It was miraculous news about their father and Maggie. They had been found and we were alive. The police said that after finding the truck wrecked and completely totaled, they searched for Maggie and her father and found their father leaning sitting against a phone pole with Maggie cradled in his arms and his coat draped over them both. The police said that they could not imagine how they survived without a scratch or how Maggie’s dad had gotten them to that telephone pole, keeping them alive and warm in the cold as long as he had. It was a miracle. A real miracle.