Story 2) The house at the end of the road…

Here is another short story!

This was inspired by one of the houses on my road. Its eeriness and uncertainty was ghastly.

Hope you enjoy!

The house at the end of the road…

It was a fairly usual day, on a fairly usual street in a fairly usual town. I walked gently by the house. It was a large semi-detached house, placed on a turning. I always went past it on my way to school, or when I was walking my dogs.

One fateful day I walked past this house . I studied it for a while, “Have I ever seen anyone enter this place?” . The blinds were always closed, what you could see in the house if you really peeped was its empty interior. It always looked clean, but nobody was there. 

I wanted to get a closer look, so I peered mischievously into the blind; only to be met with the sudden rustle of the blinds. “If there is nobody there, then how did they rustle?”. 

I decided to come back in the evening, to see if there was any lights on. To my surprise, there was a light on; the living room where I had peeped in earlier. I gathered the courage to peer through the blinds once again. I was astonished to see what looked like to be someone lying  on the floor. Adrenaline rushed to my veins, I banged loudly on the door; harder and faster after each.

It went silent. No birds chirping, owls singing or cars roaring. The door began to open, it was an elderly lady with a hunched back as her main distinction. 

“What brings you to my doorstep?” She asked softly. 

I explained how I thought something was on the floor through the windows, but she assured me that there was nothing to worry about. I apologised again and walked home. 

I was kept up all night thinking about her. There was something odd about her. She didn’t show me much when she opened the door, but from what I could identify the living room was vastly different to what you could see in the window. The interior was more rugged, with mould appearing on the furniture   and fungi growing on the ageing carpet. The stench was something I had never experienced. All I knew is I had to get back there. 

There is negative stigma around 3 AM, being the devil’s hour. Ignorantly, I hung outside my window and dropped out of it onto the damp silent grass. Misplacing my step; catching it on a window below had damaged my leg. I found it strenuous to walk, but I didn’t give up.

I made it to the house. The ferocious wind was ominous; shrouding the building. I entered through the back gate that was oddly left open. The garden was desolate; overgrown to my shoulder. Being 6ft 1, this shocked me. As I scoured through the unkept garden I stumbled towards the door, upon which I found a rusty handle. To my surprise, once I grabbed it the entire door frame came off. 

Entering the house was like fighting the spiders from the lord of the rings. The cobwebs were as thick as walls. After slaying through these miscellaneous webs, I found the area where I had once looked through into. It feels like centuries ago. There were screens in front of the window, to give the illusion of a clean house. I felt like running, there was something to hide here.

*STOMP*

I crept towards the entrance of the house, towards the exit. I had already lost sense of where I had come in. How could it be that easy to get lost in a 3 bedroom home.

*STOMP*. *STOMP*

These noises are getting closer. I tried with all my might to open the door, but it would not budge. “Shit” I said to myself.

“Have you tried unlocking the hatch on the door?” 

I froze. The hunched lady who I had met only today had transformed into a disfigured, spider-like monster that I see before myself. 

“I haven’t had a visitor in years, I can finally have dinner!” She exclaimed excittaly. 

Adrenaline boosted its intensity. My leg was miraculously healed. I dashed to the fake windows, aiming to jump through onto the road. 

“Leaving so soon?” The satantic beast roared.

With no hesitation I charged through the window frame, glass covering me like a blanket. Feeling the blood voyaging from my body, I screamed in agony. 

I opened my eyes; nothing. There was no road, only a platform to stand on. I turned to my nightmare, she had become a computer-like code. “Is this a simulation?” I asked to the universe. Hands grabbed me, yet I could not see them. Shouting and wailing for my parents to hear me, nobody did. I was suffering alone in this fake life.

Hours went by. Days. Years. My sense of time was unbalanced. 

Then,I finally got an answer. “Yes”. The headset was finally taken off my head. 

I was in a futuristic setting, with all kinds of beings around me; out of my imagination. A being walked towards me, holding similarities with my father.

“Dad?” I silently said.

“Daniel, welcome to reality, we have a lot to do”.

Story 1)

Here is a story which I made a couple months ago. It is about a character that I used to draw a lot when I was younger.

Hope you enjoy!

How could you betray me like that?” I yelled at the killer of my mother, who stood moments in front of me on top of a New York skylight. He was powerful, wearing a dark black suit with blue lighting dashing off of it. The locals had referred to him as ‘Zoom’ but I knew who he was, and what he had become. 

Zoom was holding my sister captive, grabbing onto her shoulder as she was hanging in the sky. Her eyes streaming with tears and her hair like an old broomstick. 

“Last chance, Boy!” Zoom exclaimed to me, his voice booming in the city’s empty sky.

He was going to drop her, I needed to make a call. You see, zoom has been killing people for years now; innocent people with one thing in common. They are all one family. 

“The slaughterings must end Zoom. You would even kill your own daughter?” I questioned the madman.

He maniacally said “They all betrayed me! They supported you and left me to rot. But I, I can fix it to make the world better” 

And then, he dropped her. She fell like an angel for a few seconds and then landed on a safety net that I had pre-installed. “Bolt” I said out aloud, which caused 2 dozen soldiers to come out of hiding. They collectively shot Zoom, blood splattering everywhere on the roof. White turned to red.

“You’re finished for Toby” I told the shell of a man

“You think this will stop me?” He said rhetorically.

As the sun began to rise, Zoom was detained. My sister, connie was okay but shaken up. 

We went home after this, neither of us could sleep. There was one question shrouding my mind, why was it so easy to capture him? It was almost as if he wanted to be caught by us.

This thought woke me up. This was the plan all along. Zoom wanted us to feel safe, because it was the perfect time to strike. 

I ran about my house like lightning. My sister, gone. All that was left was a carpet burn. Zoom has superhuman speed. When he runs, he moves like lightning. It was a scientific accident, which went wrong and created this monster. He does not know this, but these powers are genetic.

My name is Jacob Daniels, son of zoom, I am Bolt Boy.

What I have learned from Quarantine so far…

I thought I would put a list together so far upon what I have learned during the time of quarantine in the UK.

  • The News can be detrimental to your health
    • This one is pretty obvious. In the times of the coronavirus pandemic, the news has been the go to source of information. Whilst this has been good for the public to be informed, the rates of depression are on the rise. I remember at the start of the pandemic, I use to google the death rates of the virus in the UK DAILY. Granted, my parents hold a pessimistic view about the situation ( they still read the news) and this impacts how I start the day. However, by starting the day, not reading the news; has made me more of a positive individual. This has made me stronger.
  • Meditation, and staying present is important
    • I have consistently been meditating throughout this time of quarantine. This is the most important time of my daily routine, where I just sit with my thoughts; counting the breaths . This had a tremendous impact on my levels of stress. Being more aware of my emotions has allowed me to control these to be churned into positivity. Ferris Bueller once said “Life moves pretty fast, if you don’t stop and look around once in a while, you might miss it”. Meditation has given me access to staying present.
  • I love my dogs so much
    • Going on dog walks everyday has broken my day up. Both of my dogs have kept me going. From making me angry due to running off into a field, to rolling around in a muddy puddle; which made me laugh.
  • I am so grateful for this time
  • I am very grateful to be alive, with my family and friends being healthy and safe. I am grateful to be living in a nice home; not struggling with my financial side, to be able to focus on my own projects.
  • My aggression
    • I still have a lot of built up anger inside of me; since I was younger. It is a everyday work in progress to improve my state of mind, so I may be happier and healthy for the forthcoming times.
  • My beliefs
    • What I believe that I am capable of, is in pandemonium. I can do anything I want; no limits. I am able to do something new, and believe in myself.

Stories

To branch out my literary skills, I am also going to be writing some short stories on this site. Hope you enjoy!

Hesitation

I am writing this whilst I listen to the Gary Vee experience on my phone. Just thought I would give it a shoutout, because it is a very good podcast.

Hesitation, this is something we all have to deal with. It is the back of your brain which activates when you undertake an action, which you may not usually do. It is the feeling of “nnaech” if you can imagine; in your head. It is the feeling of uncomfortableness.

This topic has cropped up in my mind recently as I have began speaking to new people. Going to university is something I am nervous about; what I am going to do and who I am going to meet. SO, I have started speaking to new people, to close the gap of my nerves.

There is this one person that I really enjoy talking with. But, I cannot fully enjoy this to the amount I intend to because I am nervous. I am nervous that the way I live ( which has been structured throughout my life) is going to be unpredictable. Getting close, In a relationship scenario is unpredictable; and it is beautiful. Certainty is what I have subjected myself to, for the past 17 years.

Conversely, I am excited for this new experience. Indulging in a new type of life is choosing more off the menu of life. I have never let myself try to do new things, by doing this, my life will change, and that is okay.

So, what advice do I give to myself and everyone reading this? When you get the hestistation feeling; in the back of your head, and you feel the urge to stay way you are. Embrace the feeling, this is what you should be doing. Whatever gives you the twitch, is the next step to get the life you want.

Keep picking off the menu of life, the price does not matter. Only then will you get the best desert.

Google’s best ever purchase, YouTube

I have written about this topic before, but I was in love with this website for over 10 years of my life. That is over half of it as of this moment!

YouTube was special to me. When I was first introduced to it, I was shown a ForestFire101 video of Lego Batman. It contained very vulgar language and, being my 9 year old self, I turned it off in case my mother overheard. The recommended tab had the same temptation as it does now; easily I was shipped into a heavy stream of consuming content.

But, this never seemed to stop.

In 2013, I was watching a vlog of a couple that I liked to watch. One of them was from Smosh, which was an amazing channel to me as I grew up ( I still listen to their podcast). They were lying in bed together, sheets covering them, and they were saying their goodbyes to the camera and thanking the viewer for watching. At this moment, was when someone walked in the room, and told me off for watching this. When this happened, I did not understand why this was a bad thing; it is just a vlog. Then, as I got older I realised what pornography was. Ouch.

It was then that a content restriction was placed on the internet. Like someone is with their phones nowadays, I was distraught, and annoyed. Luckily, I found a way to bypass this, and I used an app which had no age restriction to watch YouTube videos ( a fake app using affiliate links). This made me very happy.

From 2010 to 2020, I never took a serious break from the website.

I think I understand why alcoholics and smokers get so addicted to their products. Psychologically, it becomes a necessity, a need for comfort in their lives through a familiar substance. YouTube was my cigarette; one that would not blow out.

I had tried to quit many times in the past. An abundance of New Years resolutions were to “Quit YouTube”. I didn’t believe I could do it. Even when it was necessary, around the times of my exams, I couldn’t bring myself to do it.

I yearned for it, I needed it.

So, from my last blog, it will be apparent that I have successfully stopped watching YouTube. This was due to me wanting to pursue change in my life; to make it better. This was the first step.

There have been times where I wanted to go back on it. I miss it dearly. The videos made me laugh, cry and discover things about myself that I didn’t know. Conglomerately, I was just consuming it too much. Who knows?, maybe I will go back on it soon, but with a disciplinary approach. I know for now at least, I don’t need it to function. I am happy and healthy that I can do this.

Social Media Addiction

Everything was always said to be in moderation. Don’t have too much caffeine, or you will be up all night, don’t have too many bananas or you will die. Social media, does not seem to hold this similar essence.

With the introduction of the iPhone in 2007 by the late Steve Jobs, there was no ‘social media’ accessibility. Facebook didn’t exist yet. Now, everybody has Facebook, Instagram and Snapchat; all on their phones, but no control over what they may consume.

After being inspired by the Goal Guys video, where one of the members quit social media for a month, I was inspired to give it a try.

I blocked all social media apps; including YouTube which was especially difficult to me. I am only 10 days into this experience, but already I am starting to notice an abundance of changes in my life.

For one, I used to have the excuse of not having enough time in my life to do what I want. Granted, quarantine has given me some of the time back, but still it was not enough. Abandoning these apps made me realise the amount of time I had lost.

This has allowed me to pursue new projects, such as studying language, or read more books.

I have already finished 2 books in the past 10 days. Recursion, by Blake Crouch and Atomic Habits, By James Clear.

I should mention that I am not perfect. There have been many times throughout this where I have wanted to quit, and return to where I was. I was comfortable. But, I am reminded to constantly seek discomfort in my life; this challenge is perfect for this.

I will keep this updated as I progress through the challenge.

inspiration

I recently read an article on a self-help website. It was talking about the inspiration, which you have apparently lost. So maybe this will help you.

This is how to find your inspiration

Finding inspiration is not that hard, with the right mindset, when you can see things clearly. You’ll be able to separate and see par the crowding thoughts inside your head and find that golden idea. Here are the 8 ways to help you find your inspiration and make things a little easy for you.

1. Exercise your mind

Read, exercise your mind by seeing the words painting a picture to you. I would suggest you not to pick a fiction and read mostly the self-improvement book that will help you make a positive change in your life. However books the “Fountainhead” by Ayn Rand, is one of my favorite books that inspires me a lot.

Make it a practice, read essays or self-improved books before you start your day. As you progress with the reading, end your day with reading as well. Trust me you’ll be surprised to see the changes that you’ll see in yourself withing a month.

2. Spending time alone attracts inspiration

Well not literally but spending time away from any distraction is when we get the best ideas. Sit in your room or maybe on the roof, stare at the close sealing or never-ending blue sky and ask yourself “what’s next.” After that be an audience to the show your mind and unconscious self going to present. Allow your thoughts to run, make them do the magic, let your thought find you the inspiration.

At the start, your head will become more crowded, but soon you’ll have enough stats presented by your mind that will tell you what’s next.

3. Listen to music

Music is very powerful, it’s a way for an artist to express himself. Being able to see the story behind the lyric, is counted as a good inspiration. And it’s a common practice too, though people don’t usually look for inspiration while listing to the music.

Luckily, music left inspiration on our conscious too. No matter if we are trying to find inspiration while listing to music or not. It comes to us easily when we are grooving.

There is even research that tested a person for his intelligence after listing to Mozart and the results showed that his intelligence (creativity) went up by 10 points.

4. Start doing some exercise

Start with a morning walk or a jog, breath in the fresh air and see how your surrounding looks in the bright light of sunrise. This will not just give you some good lighting to take beautiful Instagram pictures. But exercising also helps to relieve stress and anxiety.

It helps your mind to clear up, you can see the inspiration coming your way easily when your body and mind are less stressed. The pumped feel of your body after exercising will be enough to put you in a grove to create your thing.

5. Set your goals and follow them

Set a goal if you haven’t already. Do all the things that you need to do to reach your goal. If you have to learn new skills, do it, learn them and then apply them to reach closer to your goal. If you are struggling to create your masterpiece, follow a pattern that will put your brain into practice and sooner or later the inspiration will strike you and you’ll have the masterpiece.

6. Socialize, listen to other peoples stores

You are not the only one having a hard life. There are many others like you, some of them have even gone through hard things that you can’t even imagine. This will make you feel how privileged and the fact they are standing right in front of you even after all the bad that they had been through, will certainly inspire you in your life.

7. Give back, help others

Last but the most simplest way to get inspired is by helping others. If you have found your inspiration, you certainly don’t want to lose it. Helping people with the money and the wisdom you have earned so far gives you the sense of happiness that inspires you to do more good not just for yourself but for others too.

The language of the french!

You probably don’t know this, but i am part french. I know that doesn’t entitle me to boast about my herirage, but it does influence my passions. 

I really like to learn french. This is because it is fun and interesting to learn. When i say learn, I don’t just mean learning generic phases such as i like dogs. Learning french is learning conversations and culture.

There are members of my family that i do not get to speak to; even though i have all the time in the world at the moment. I need to learn the language , so i can communicate with them.

Duolingo does scare me though. The owl is always watching me do my work. I think he is tracking me. Welp, guess I’m toast.

Have a good day

🙂

Change

I use this blog as a personal journal; on what is happening in my life, so i will talk about this. 

I am going to university later this year, i am really looking forward to it. I have talked to my flatmates (they all seem nice), and i am looking forward to having some freedom. But, i have conflict within myself. How do i stop myself from creating a fake image of myself? I like to drink, but not that much, will i br judged because of that. I will have to do my own shopping and cooking as well, i hope i am not judged for that too. 

Do you see the trend? These are all hypothetical scenarios that won’t happen. If people are to judge you, who cares? 

With university, it is like i am starting from scratch again. I have the opportunity to change my future and lifestyle, but on my terms. Quarantine has shown me that i do like other’s company, as much as i discredit it. 

I will have to assure i have other drives other than uni. For one, i have to keep working on my writing, if i ever want to write a book. I am doing a few courses online about fictional writing; it is cool and interesting to study it. Expanding my vocabulary and maintaining consistency with my practice will lead my on the right path.

Have an awesome day

🙂