By Edel Byrne

It was a bitter, chilly, December morning, when I was awakened by my younger sister, Lisa who was cheering loudly and dancing around the sitting room furniture. I slowly dragged myself down the stairs with my eyes in a dazey sleep. I brightened up when the radio informed us that there was "NO SCHOOL'' as the weather was too dangerous to go out in. My parents arrived home from work in the evening with very sorrowful faces. My neighbour, Jack Murphy had died of a heart attack. That night, I was left alone to baby-sit Lisa.

I was cleaning out the closet in the kitchen when I came across my mother's old skating boots. It dawned on me that the lake down by the forest had frozen over. This was my perfect chance as my parents were out and Lisa fell asleep. I hurried down to the lake and was amazed to discover how peaceful it was, the moon was out and the sky was covered with stars. I walked to the fringe of the lake and gently lifted my right foot onto the ice. I worked up enough courage to take bigger steps. I got over confidant and kept on going. Before I knew it I was in the middle of the lake. I became aware of my surroundings and I knew that it was too risky to stay so I swivelled back into the direction that I came from.

As I began to move, I heard a crackling noise. I didn't want to turn around because I feared the worst. At the blink of an eye, I felt my feet go from under me. The coldness of the water sent electrical chills through my bones. The water was swallowing me and I screamed in terror. My whole life flashed before my eyes. Just as I had given up hope, a firm grip caught me in time. When I came to my senses, I found myself lying on the boundary of the lake. A woman out walking discovered me and ran for help.

That evening, as I lay in bed, I told my mother that somebody pulled me out. But she said, " There wasn't a sinner around". I learned that two years ago, Mr.Johnson was out in his boat fishing, he got into trouble and he drowned. I couldn't think about anything else that night. I believed that he saved me from drowning. I will never forget him because he spared me my life ­ a precious gift.

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Memories

By Karina Forde

She sat, numbly tracing her finger along the crystal of her ring as she stared transfixed at the light from the cars outside, circling and illuminating the doorway before enveloping her in darkness again. She crouched in misery wondering why.why? A sudden rage overcame her as she ripped the offending ring, the link that haunted her about her past, from her finger and flung it against the wall. She tore tufts of hair from her head until she felt the cool, soothing trickle of blood.
"I'm bleeding!' She giggled hysterically, "bleeding!' Tilting her head back, she roared with psychotic laughter until she heard the quick approach of footsteps down the corridor. "Now, now Rose, what's going on?" enquired the man in the white coat.

"Go away!' she roared, "I mean it GO AWAY!"

"Ah now, Rose, have you been a bold girl again?"

Sighing in exasperation, he surreptitiously uncovered the long, slender needle and injected its soothing juices into her veins. He listened as her roars steadily grew quieter as she fell into a fitful sleep. 'Such a waste', he thought to himself as he stared at the young woman. Her hair grew in patches and congealed blood was encrusted on her scalp and head. Her fits of masochism ensured that her face was never without ugly scars and marks and he could see her torment easily as he watched her sleeping face writhing in pain as the night-mares invaded her head.

Her drug induced sleep meant that Rose couldn't escape from the horrific memories that constantly haunted her. Channels shifted in her head as she was brought back reluctantly to the first time she met him ...

She stood self-consciously at he edge of the room as the beat of the music pulsated around her. She never felt comfortable at these parties but her friends had insisted on her coming to celebrate their graduation from college. But then, through the swathes of smoke, she spotted him. She had never seen anyone like him before. Jet-black hair adorned his head, and the shadows of the relatively dim room emphasised his strong jawbone. Suddenly, he looked up and caught her stare. She blushed with embarrassment and dipped her head as she realised he was walking over towards her. Unbelievably he seemed even better looking up close. His eyes twinkled as he spoke, and when he laughed, he displayed a set of even, white teeth. She couldn't believe her luck when she realised it was she he had come over to meet. Throughout the course of the night, she found herself captivated by his charming manner and the ease with which their conversation flowed.

Channels changed suddenly in her buzzing sub-consciousness as another vision came to the fore. She and Mike were celebrating their one-year anniversary. They had travelled to the cliff point, a favourite of theirs. The majestic hills soared in the azure sky and the recently harvested fields rolled lazily underneath them. It was a glorious day, and the sun shone brilliantly, illuminating the picturesque landscape. It was here, in these amazing surroundings that he had proposed to her and proffered the beautiful crystal ring.

The easy smile, which had spread across her sleeping face, vanished suddenly to be replaced by a tortured grimace as the unforgiving channels shifted in her brain again. A new scene forced it's way vividly to the front of her mind. She wrenched violently in the bed, desperately trying to halt the harrowing memory, which was about to unfold. She saw a couple in a kitchen, each one arguing belligerently. She was chopping vegetables for the dinner; he was pacing the room furiously. A blazing row entailed as both of them stubbornly failed to back down, ignoring all chances of compromise. They ranted and raved, each of them gradually getting louder in a supreme effort to drown the other out. Both getting increasingly agitated and frustrated as they screamed at each other. Out of rage, she became aware of a glint out of the corner of her eye, and in a sudden fit, without thinking, she plunged the knife into his heart. She stood in shock as he cried out in pain, before falling over with a sickening lurch. His eyes remained bulging from the sockets, unveiling the naked shock that lurked there. Blood flowed from his wound as she bent over his body with sheer disbelief.

Faces flashed before her traumatised mind as she saw her mother staring at her in shock, and then gently leading her towards the men with the white coats.
"Nooooooooooo!!!!!' The wails of the deranged patient echoed eerily along the walls of the mental asylum.

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Danny Did you ever love someone And they did not love you Did you ever feel the pain? But hide it all the same Did you ever feel the tears on your face? Wishing you had someone to hold But he was one you love and could not replace Did you ever wonder why you cared? Why you wished he'd say I love you But he was never really there By Sarah Dixon

Gloria Land Have you ever dreamt about , A little elf who can jump and shout Or a little bumble bee Flying around an acorn tree Or how about a fish with toes Or a worm with a hairy nose Perhaps scoring the winning goal In a match against an evil troll Or maybe a friendly teddy bear Who sits in a floating bubble chair Have you ever dreamt your flying in the sky On a super duper rhubarb pie My dreams are very weird indeed So they're here for you to read. By Sarah Dixon

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