This Is the Story of How I Died

     *dramatic voice*

     My neck ached as I looked down at the pages in my journal. It had been an ordinary day, and I didn't have much to write about. I sat in the top bunk, lost in my deepest thoughts, oblivious to everything around me. Little did I know about the events that would lead me to meet my fate. I looked up at the ceiling to relieve my neck when I heard the screams. Our guest who was staying in the downstairs bedroom shouted my name, and in my confusion I was led to my destiny. As I leaped off the bunk, I prepared my mind for whatever I was about to witness, but nothing could prepare me for what was about to happen. 
     I arrived downstairs, and looked in the direction our guest was pointing. Then I saw it. A big, brown, ugly spider staring up at me from its cozy spot in a suitcase. My first instinct was to freeze. My voluntary muscles seemed to become cement, and my attempts to run were in vain. That was the moment I accepted my impending doom. "Kill it!" our guest yelled. "Kill it!" repeated my little brother. Their faces showed terror, their eyes full of fear. My heart regained its beating, and gears in my mind struggled to assess the situation. A sharp scream escaped from my mouth as the spider scurried onto another article of clothing. By that time I had made up my mind. I was going to kill the spider. "Shoe," I said firmly. Without looking away from the ugly arachnid who had invaded our house, I shoved my hand out to our guest, waiting to grasp my weapon of choice. I received the shoe, which happened to belong to my mother, and proceeded to plan the spiders execution. I began to creep toward it, but was startled when it crept under a shirt. I closed the space between myself and the suitcase and slowly lifted the blouse. The spider again came into view, but retreated from the danger back under all the clothing. I screamed again. Piece by piece, I emptied the suitcase, with a sharp eye watching for any sign of movement. Finally, when nearly the entire stack of clothing was removed, I saw it. This was it. I had a chance. I stood there, contemplating what I was about to do, fearing that it would escape. With a sudden burst of bravery, I lunged forward and slammed the shoe onto the spider, only to see it panic and begin its escape. I frantically smashed again, and again, and again, until all that was left was a squished pile of guts and stringy legs. I smashed it again for good measure. In that moment I realized what I had done, and puffed my chest proudly, waiting to be applauded by the onlookers. I had defeated the undefeatable. I accepted a simple "Thank you." from the victim, though I felt I deserved more. But I did not need praise from our guest, because I had obviously just defeated the undefeatable. 
     This is the story of how I- the scared little girl who would flee at buzz of a bee, scream at the sight of an insect, and cry when there was no one to help- died and became the fearless, bug-slaying warrior I am today. 


     Anyhoozles, I hope you enjoyed that. The subject of today is "S" for Story. This is a true story, and no one was harmed in the making of it (except the spider, of course). This was legitimately a turning point in my life, and since then I have had the bravery to kill weird looking spiders, wasps, and centipedes without out a single scream.



-Dakota