Nicole Samoylovich, Period 7, 5/27/22

 Blog #4: Creativity & Fiction

• Craft a piece of fiction that addresses one or more of the following: 

• Literary elements (i.e. structure, tone, diction, mood, irony, and figurative language) to craft a narrative and/or poetry.

• Structural features of drama (stage directions, character attributions/tags, dialogue, monologues, and/or soliloquies) to craft a script

• Multidimensional characters to develop themes and create socio-political metaphors.

*Note: This isn't directly autobiographical; the protagonist is telling the story in first person*

~

          I woke up today at midnight and could not go back to sleep. The moonlight peaked through my curtains and landed on my eyes, and I just lied there staring at that tiny little crescent in the sky for hours and hours and hours. The rest of my room was pitch black; anything the moonlight did not touch wasn’t visible. Wasn't real. There was only me, unwilling or unable to move - I don't know which one - hypnotized by the enchanting spell which that beautiful floating rock cast on my racing mind. I thought about so many things as the night flowed on. The moon pervaded all these thoughts. I thought about how powerful it was, how mysterious, how feminine. How it's managed to hold humanity's unwavering attention across bounds of time, bounds of different cultures, even bounds of science. I thought about how, even though we have scientific explanations for what the moon is and why it's there and how old it is, none of it has made it any less beautiful. I find it sort of similar to looking into a fire. Mesmerizing, in a very timelessly primitive way. I've been called a night owl before. It's the only time of day I feel calm. It allows me to feel comfortable with silence, with darkness, with my own thoughts. The day is hectic and irritating and monotonous, but the night is spiritual and liberating and exciting. 

          Before I knew it, the sun was beginning to rise. Now, although I prefer the nighttime, I can definitely still appreciate a good sunrise. That was what finally stirred me out of bed. I shuffled into my slippers, put on a cup of tea, and quietly snuck downstairs, slipping outside to sit on my front steps and watch the bright hues of orange and yellow gradually peak over the horizon. I actually quite enjoy this part of the night: the ending. It’s still so quiet. Still so tranquil. Still so beautiful. And everyone's still asleep and I can still feel comfortable alone. But when it ends, I just spend the next 16 hours waiting for the next sunset. To me, everything that occurs between dawn and dusk is boring, but everything that occurs from dusk till dawn is simply wonderful. If I could, I would choose to spend forever watching a sunset on a beach.

          It makes sense to me, how ancient civilizations thought up all their gods and monsters and tales and legends of the universe. If I was an ancient human looking up at the sky and seeing the stars and moon every night, I would assume that some higher power was at work too. Because the world is truly unbelievably beautiful and it doesn't make any sense at all that we're lucky enough to be alive to witness it.

          It's summer right now. I don't have school. I have an opportunity to actually relax for some time. So, once I realized the sun was now fully hanging in the sky, and the day had begun, I decided to do something relaxing and take a walk on the beach. The sand scraped against my feet, the smell of salt flooded my nostrils. I spontaneously entered the water, wearing a tank top and some loose jogging shorts. I just floated there, suspended in the softly beating waves, hearing nothing but the ocean as I stared up at the now blue sky. I had never felt more humbled and at peace. To me, moments like that are the peak of the human experience, and I wished I had had more moments like that. 

          I'm going to start college in a month. That's going to introduce a lot of new changes to my life: lots of stress and problems, but also hopefully lots of fun and excitement. But still, this summer is my last one as a child. It's like a skipping stone. This time next year, I’ll be living on my own, working on my own, getting to know what actual independence is like. I’ll still get to watch the sunrise and go swimming, but I think it will feel different because I'll be a different person. My life will be different. I'll miss this summer because I don't think my head will ever be as clear as it is now, as free as it is now. I'm done with high school and now I'm starting a new chapter, but I'm not dreading it. I'm not holding onto any of my problems from the past 4 years, because I made it. I'm looking forward to college and I'm just going to enjoy this transitional period while it lasts.  I'm going to let go of my childhood and walk forward. And I'm going to appreciate the world around me each step of the way.