Reading Reflection #7

Date; October 29 2012
Book: Cell by Stephen King
- read all-

These past 4 days I’ve been reading Cell by Stephen King. It was the first Stephen King book I have ever read and needless to say, I now see why everyone reads his books. The detail he puts into every sentence is truly amazing. Although I enjoyed the book, I had many questions. I think it may be because I read entirely too fast.

One question I had was “What happened to Alice?” In the book, it says that Alice arrives all bloody and teary. I understood the tearing up part but I did not get why she was bloody. While wondering that, I had made the prediction that Alice was not who she really was and that she would turn against Tom and Clay near the end. It’s revealed later in the book that Alice had to fight against the phoners who were trying to attack her thus making her bloody. She was scared and she had to fight against her own mother. The prediction I had made about her before had not come true. Alice stays true to everyone to her last breath.

While reading, I had made the prediction that Clay’s son and wife had died and attacked by a phoner. Surprisingly, this prediction did come true. Just… not in the way you’d expect it to. It caught me off guard that Sharon had become a phoner and almost attacked Johnny. So I suppose, in a way she is dead but a different kind of death. This was very different to me. A lot of books I have read would’ve killed her off but I suppose Stephen King is a different kind of author. He puts a lot of thought into his book and I was surprised by how good I could picture the scene in my head.

My last question about this book was How does it all end?! The ending really left me wanting more. I know he probably won’t create a follow up book but if there’s anything I hate more than a badly written book, it’s a cliff hanger. The ending really left me wondering what happened to Johnny. The way it worked was the virus had everyone turning into zombies but like the way computers work, there was a worm in it. Johnny got a less insane version of the worm and is basically broken. Clay tries to reverse the process by putting the cell phone to his ear and then we do not know what happens afterwards. I really enjoyed this book. The detail is really well thought out and it’s the perfect mix of gore and suspense/mystery. I’d love to read a follow up novel but I suppose the purpose of a cliff hanger is to leave you in thought for a bit.

Thank you for reading!

Personal Addition; Somewhere In Neverland

Recently, I've been listening to A LOT of All Time low. This song is by far my favourite. It's all about how Alex Gaskarth feels that he grew up too fast and he'd give anything just to be a kid again and just relive everything he had to miss. In reality, I feel a lot of people feel that way. We all grew up too fast and now we're just clawing back to get our childhood back and experience things we missed. 

Blackout Poetry.

Personal Addition; Time.

I have been told way too many times that I act older than I should. That I should learn to grow down a little because I'm concerned about my future. That I should stop and let the future happen and stop trying to control it.

Why is wanting to look forward such a bad thing? I've always been a bit ... mature for my age, If that's the word. I mean, It's always good to plan forward... Right? Right? Some people think otherwise. I'm scared for my future and I'm not even a senior yet. I don't know where I want to go or what I want to do and It's stressing me out to no end.

But I do understand why others would like me to appreciate my youth. I know there are things that I could do now that I'd just look ridiculous doing while older. It’s like… I don’t want to grow up. But I don’t want to stay young too, you know? I don’t know the balance of the two. I wish I did. I think I think too much of the future and not enough of what I could be doing now. I graduate next year, and I still don’t know what to do. I have no idea what I want to do. The idea of University scares me. I don’t want to have to worry about it, But 10-15 years from now I won’t be living here. I won’t be on my way to school every morning, bleary eyed and tired. I may be married, Hell, I may even have a few kids of my own. I’m going to be called “mom” or Mrs.(insert last name here). I won’t ever be addressed to again as “Ms. Jasmine Villanueva”. It scares me so much. I could be working in an office or as a teacher. I have no control over my future and whats in it. All the decisions I make at this time could affect and change my lifestyle in the future forever. I get scared because what if I make the wrong choice? What if I end up lonely and sad? What if I’m all alone in the world because of a single decision I make now?

I just … wish I could stop the world for a bit. Just … simply sit alone for a while and just think. 

But the clock doesn’t stop ticking. Every second goes by like a grain of sand and the only thing we can do now is move forward. ... And that's what scares me most.

Personal Addition; If These Sheets Were The States

I'm lost in empty pillow talk again

This bed's an island made of feather down, and I'm stuck here alone
With little else but memories of you, on memory foam

Visions of a brighter love, I'd kill for one more day
To pool my thoughts, and find the words to say

If these sheets were the states, and you were miles away,
I'd fold them end over end to bring you closer to me.
Because I don't sleep at all without you pressed up against me.
I settle for long distance calls, I'm lost in empty pillow talk again.

I'm lost in empty pillow talk again

This room's become a mausoleum, filled with relics of regret
Paying dues to every moment wasted, on words left unsaid
Collisions of a finer love, I'd kill for one more way
To tell you how you make me better every day

If these sheets were the states, and you were miles away,
I'd fold them end over end to bring you closer to me.
Because I don't sleep at all without you pressed up against me.
I settle for long distance calls, I'm lost in empty pillow talk again.

(Lost in empty pillow talk again)
(Lost in empty pillow talk again)

If these sheets were the states, and you were miles away,
I'd fold them end over end to bring you closer to me.
Because I don't sleep at all without you pressed up against me.
I settle for long distance calls, I'm lost in empty pillow talk

I settle for long distance calls, I'm lost in empty pillow talk again.
I'm lost in empty pillow talk again.

This is a song written and performed by Alex Gaskarth, Leader of All Time Low. 

I really like the way this song was written. I mean, Wow! Who knew you could compare bedsheets to a long distance relationship? That's what really got me. I don't think I know anyone who could do that. My favourite line in this song is ; "If these sheets were the states and you were miles away, I'd fold them end over end to bring you closer to me". It shows that although your significant other is far, they're never too far in your heart. 

Random thought; Why can't this be a thing? Like, bed sheets that actually have the lyrics printed out on them? I'd be first in line to buy them. 

Personal addition; Short Story (Fog)

Under a lone street light I stand. Shadows are cast, distorting my short frame into a long lanky figure under the light as the yellow hue of it dances across my ratty, beat up sneakers. I stand and breath in the stale cold air as I gaze into the sea of grey that cornered me; suffocating myself with the fog as thick as pea soup. There’s no way to go without guaranteeing myself the safety, or even light. The only light I have as of now is the street light and the unpromising black night with only a speckle of stars to keep me company. 

I’ve got no idea what the hell called me here, or even what possessed me to listen to the voices that haunted me. Voices would whisper empty promises into my head while alone at night when I tossed and turned; trying to drown them out. I should’ve told someone. I should’ve told them about the demonic whispers that took over me. But I didn’t. I didn’t because I knew they’d lock me up in an asylum. An asylum of the insane and damned, of people like me who heard voices and went insane. 

I didn’t tell anyone and here I am. Under a damn streetlight in the middle of only God knows where. I dare not move, or even flinch from my only source of light in fear that I’d walk around with a sense of direction or sight in this city of fog. I try to think back to the last time I did anything but my mind turns up blank. Great. No memory or thought. I wish someone would wake me up from this insane nightmare. Why is it that I can’t remember anything? This is driving me absolutely crazy. From the distance, I hear voices taunting me into the fog. 

Suddenly, I see an outline of a person emerging from the fog. Finally, a person.  But… What if it’s not a person? I’ve never been big on horror movies but I never really got scared easily. I probably should feel something. Alarmed or confusion surely, but right now, all I can feel is a sense of warmth. Like I’m being approached by someone I know. My heart beats faster as it gets closer and I feel a grin beginning to tug at the corner of my mouth. I feel like a puppet; controlled by its master, Unable to voice its opinion, with strings attached by every limb, telling it where its loyalty should lie. 

I get the strangest sensation of excitement as I can hear its footsteps lingering closer. Finally, it emerges, waving away the fog and coughing. My mouth drops as it steps under the streetlight and I’m able to see it under the glowing yellow hue. 

It’s me. Faces identical, and complexion the same with every single freckle placed with extreme care and precision. Emerald green eyes gaze into their twin as its mouth curves into a wide smile. From the messy, sandy brown hair to the ratty converse shoes laced upon my feet; the person in front of me is best mirror I could ask for. There’s something quite off about it him but I can’t put a finger on it. 

Green eyes. Check
Brown shaggy hair. Check. 
Freckles with a dimple in the chee- Suddenly, I know what’s off. 

The dimple on my right cheek is on the left. Soon, I examine “myself” closely and realize that a lot of things are in reverse. Dimple in the right cheek instead of left, Hair parted to the right instead of left and the one crooked tooth on the left side instead of right. I start to feel a sense of dread washing over my relief from earlier. 

“Er- Um… You really have no idea where you are… do you?” his voice interrupts my train of thought. 
“I’m afraid not… I can’t remember anything I’ve done at all” I say, in a voice just above a whisper. This was just too creepy for my liking. I can’t believe there was another world, with another me. 

He laughs and starts to explain. “This is where you go when you drift off to sleep. Very few people stay here and remember it because it’s just so boring and uneventful. Usually, people go off and make their own dreams. We call this world “The Mirror”, It’s also known as a second life. After you drift off to sleep, this is where you go. Another life. Another chance, and a completely different fate. As you go to school and live in your first life, I live here” he says, closing his mouth and waits for me to react. 

This is trippy. Way too trippy for my liking. It’s really all I can say. 

“Okay… but can you please tell me how to get out? This is really starting to scare me” I say, as a huge wave of dread washes over me. “I’m really happy to meet you and all, but I’m getting freaked out” I say, with a quiver in my voice as my pulse sky rockets. 

My clone’s eyes widen and fires in the emerald green eyes take over. He’s angry but he’s trying to keep himself together. He puts his arm around me and points my face to the black night sky. 

“That’s how you get out. You have to climb that streetlight and jump” he says with a mischievous smile imprinted on his face. Before I could thank him, he envelopes me into a rib crushing hug. I hugged this stranger back. “I’ve been stuck here… Much too long…” he says in a hoarse whisper. “Free me…” he says, as he starts to chuckle darkly. Before I knew it, I could feel a sharp object being thrust into my stomach. I gasp for breath as my own blood covers the ground and my twin throws me to the ground and grins evilly. 

The last thing I could remember seeing before losing consciousness was a knife stuck into my stomach and my twin climbing up the pole as he screamed; 

“You’ve had your turn at life. It’s my turn to live now” 

Personal Addition #5 ; All Time Low

I love love LOVE All Time Low so I was completely ecstatic when their new album came out. It's called Don't Panic and I feel that it is the best album they've released so far. I think they really found themselves compared to their older music. I could honestly just listen to it over and over again. Their melodies and the way the music melds together perfectly is ... basically just amazing to me. That, and Alex Gaskarth (band leader) writes all their music, so it's completely original. I really think it lives up and raises my expectations of them. My favourite song on the album is "So Long Soldier".