Color Short Story

Colin Harper

Color Short Story

She was surrounded by shades of blue. The sky above her, and the blanket beneath her reflected each other. The pavement to her left reminded her of an ocean. The garden to her right was filled with clustered bellflowers. She felt peaceful, as if she was on the beach, with an umbrella and a cocktail.

The forest was a deep green, and he lost himself within it. He looked up, and saw the leaves above him forming into a circle, creating what seemed like a portal into the sky. The overgrown grass around his ankles encompassed him, and he wished it would root him into the ground so that he would not have to leave.

The carnival gave him a vibrant pink feeling as he walked through the turnstile. Children ate cotton candy while holding their parents hands. The ferris wheel was adorned with bright flashing lights. Vendors called to children and parents with promises of them winning a flamingo doll from their game stalls. Children ate strawberry ice cream cones that were just a little too tall for them to handle. He grabbed onto a railing, and felt a piece of gum that someone had left earlier in the day. Fireworks went off above him as he walked back to his vehicle.

He awoke with a start, and saw the red blood trickling down his leg. He hopped up, and saw the sign of the Chinese restaurant he was dining at engulfed in flames. Smoke rolled through the air. He desperately tried to escape, but the door below the exit sign was blocked off by what seemed like certain death. He reached for the fire extinguisher on the wall, and used it to clear off the doorway. He hastily grabbed the doorknob, and searing pain moved through his hand. It was badly burnt, and very discolored. He realized he there was no escape.

Color Inspired Poems

Colin Harper

Color Inspired Poems

Early morning sky

The Earth begins to awake

New days, new stories

The boy with balloons

Loves his blue one most of all

It won't fly away

Dark as the night sky

His emotions are scary

He now feels nothing

Evening breeze

Arriving in the morning

Ready to take on the day.

Leaves are falling

Yellow comes from green.

Birds are singing.

Lovely songs

Oscillating through the air.

Songs of hope

Songs of tomorrow

Only tomorrow knows what tomorrow

May bring

The night held a blue tone. It was reminiscent of the situation. The recent talk was of a major scandal. It ended with the arrest of a noteable official. The smuggling of funds was his downfall. His family was devastated. He left them feeling indigo inside. If only he could do it over.

The young boy wrote his wishes on his Christmas list. One item was specifically underlined. A red rocket ship was his hearts desire. One Christmas morning, the boy rushed down the stairs. He opened his present, but the rocket ship wasn't there. The boy looked down in sadness. "Check your stocking" his mother said. Inside was the toy he was hoping for. He lived the next year is amusement.

Object Inspired

Colin Harper
KHS Creative Writing
Mayhemharper152@gmail.com
4 March 2016

Sparring Gloves

        

              I held my black and red gloves as I walked through the front doors of Hybrid MMA. There had been recent talk of a fighter returning that had been asked to leave months before I had joined. His name was Michael, and I had never met him before. My friends had all said he had a big mouth, and was very over-confident. I never knew that this mysterious person would turn out to be one of my best friends.

As I came through the doors, I saw all of the familiar faces I was accustomed to seeing at practice. However, there was one person I had never seen before. A kid, no more than 5'6" was walking around the room as if he owned the place. He looked to be about nineteen years old. As soon as he saw me, I could tell he was sizing me up. He had his jaw outstretched, with the intention of looking extra tough.

It was obvious that the kid was a fighter, as he wore apparel from all of the top brands in the business. I practiced with him some that day, and he went very hard, all the time. I don't know when it was, but at some point within the next few weeks that we were training together, he began to take a liking to me. Soon we were discussing his high school wrestling days, and talking about our favorite fighters.

We became good friends, training every day together and helping each other towards our ultimate goals. He helped me establish a strong striking game, and pushed me to become a better fighter. Whenever I would lose my confidence, he would always help give me some back, because it was obvious he had way too much.

For the better part of a year, him and me, along with our other partners, trained in the cage and on the mats, and supported each other in our fights. I remember driving to Branson to watch Michael fight, only to have his opponent be a no-show. Michael was devastated. The fight promotion tried to give him the belt he was fighting for to honor his commitment, but he declined it since he didn’t earn it. Michael was a big talker, but he never said anything he didn’t truly believe that he could back up. He had a 6-0 record in the cage, and never let anyone get away with saying that they could beat him.

I remember him telling me that I always needed to believe that I was the best ever.

“TBE. The Best Ever. That has to be your mindset.” Were his exact words. Whenever we would train, we would remind each other that we were TBE.

I still think back to that now before my wrestling matches. I remember all of the pep-talks on confidence that he gave me. Michael moved to Oregon to expand his training, as he is now hoping to become a pro fighter. We still keep in touch, and tell each other about our fighting and wrestling. Whenever I see my red and black boxing gloves, it reminds me of the time I first saw that short kid with his jaw outstretched, and his confidence a little too high.

         

I am- Colin Harper

I Am

I am an infant child, born upside down and with a black eye.

I am a young boy, eating cereal while watching Saturday morning cartoons.

I am a teenager, finding his place in the world.

I am a pair of all black wrestling shoes, stepping up onto a soft mat.

I am the sound of a jump rope, methodically smacking the ground.

I am a pair of boxing gloves, hitting their target.

I am an acoustic guitar, making sounds of inspiration.

I am a songwriter, writing words I cannot create around others.

I am loud music, blaring far past the doors of my room.

I am afraid, always nervous of my performances.

I am a thinker, both logically and creatively.

I am different, different than both my family and my friends.

I am unique, I fall under no stereotypes.

I am an enigma, and I plan to stay that way.

I am a backyard guitar session under the stars, pondering existence and all that it means.

I am myself, and no one else.

I am Colin Harper.