My cozy bedroom is located on the third floor of my parent’s modern mansion. You have to climb a total of forty steps on winding stairs between floors to get to my nest. Upon entering, the first thing you see is my wall to wall action packed poster of David Beckham. There is a bay window at the far end of the room which overlooks the lake. If you hurdle briskly over my hockey skates, metallic skateboard, and wooden rocking horse, you could view my rock, hip hop and heavy metal collection of CDs and DVDs at the foot of my queen size bed. In another tight corner you can rustle through a pile of Hot Rod and Fuel magazines, displayed haphazardly on the floor and on my mahogany night table. Underneath some of the steep mountains of paper on my pine desk, you could see my red alarm clock peeping sheepishly through the litter. Beneath my orange down filled duvet, is a pile of dirty clothes which I lazily threw on the bed and hid under the cover. There are two beautiful fish mobiles hanging from the ceiling. They seem to float across the piles beneath, closely viewing the winding pathways between the mounds of clothes, sports equipment and furniture. My Mum calls my room a labyrinth.

My cozy bedroom is located on the third floor of my parent’s modern mansion.

You have to climb a total of forty steps on winding stairs between floors to get to my nest.

Upon entering, the first thing you see is my wall to wall action packed poster of David Beckham.

There is a bay window at the far end of the room which overlooks the lake.

If you hurdle briskly over my hockey skates, metallic skateboard and wooden rocking horse, you could view my rock, hip hop and heavy metal collection of CDs and DVDs at the foot of my queen size bed.

In another tight corner you can rustle through a pile of Hot Rod and Fuel magazines, displayed haphazardly on the floor and on my mahogany night table.

Underneath some of the steep mountains of paper on my pine desk, you could see my red alarm clock peeping sheepishly through the litter.

Beneath my orange down filled duvet, is a pile of dirty clothes which I lazily threw on the bed and hid under the cover.

There are two beautiful fish mobiles hanging from the ceiling.

They seem to float across the piles beneath, closely viewing the winding pathways between the mounds of clothes, sport equipment and furniture.

My Mum calls my room a labyrinth.

My cozy bedroom is located on the third floor of my parent’s modern mansion.

You have to climb a total of forty steps on winding stairs between floors to get to my nest.

Upon entering, the first thing you see is my wall to wall action packed poster of David Beckham.

There is a bay window at the far end of the room which overlooks the lake.

If you hurdle briskly over my hockey skates, metallic skateboard and wooden rocking horse, you could view my rock, hip hop and heavy metal collection of CDs and DVDs at the foot of my queen size bed.

In another tight corner you can rustle through a pile of Hot Rod and Fuel magazines, displayed haphazardly on the floor and on my mahogany night table.

Underneath some of the steep mountains of paper on my pine desk, you could see my red alarm clock peeping sheepishly through the litter.

Beneath my orange down filled duvet, is a pile of dirty clothes which I lazily scattered on the bed and hidden under the cover.

There are two beautiful fish mobiles hanging from the ceiling.

They seem to float across the piles beneath, closely viewing the winding pathways between the mounds of clothes, sport equipment and furniture.

My Mum calls my room a labyrinth.

My cozy bedroom // located on the third floor of my parent’s modern mansion

You have to climb a total of forty steps // winding stairs between floors to my nest

Upon entering // my wall to wall action packed poster of David Beckham.

a bay window at the far end of the room // overlooks the lake

If you hurdle briskly over my hockey skates // metallic skateboard and wooden rocking horse // you could view my rock // hip hop and heavy metal collection of CDs and DVDs // at the foot of my queen size bed

rustle through a pile of Hot Rod and Fuel magazines // displayed haphazardly on the floor // and on my mahogany night table

Underneath the steep mountains of paper on my pine desk // my red alarm clock// peeping sheepishly through the litter

Beneath my orange down filled duvet // a pile of dirty clothes // lazily scattered on the bed // under the cover.

two beautiful fish mobiles // hanging from the ceiling.

float across the piles beneath // viewing the winding pathways between the mounds of clothes // sport equipment and furniture.

my room // a labyrinth.

My cozy bedroom

located on the third floor of my parent’s modern mansion

You have to climb a total of forty steps

winding stairs between floors to my nest

Upon entering

my wall to wall action packed poster of David Beckham

a bay window at the far end of the room

overlooks the lake

If you hurdle briskly over my hockey skates

metallic skateboard and wooden rocking horse

you could view my rock

hip hop and heavy metal collection of CDs and DVDs

at the foot of my queen size bed

rustle through a pile of Hot Rod and Fuel magazines

displayed haphazardly on the floor

and on my mahogany night table

Underneath the steep mountains of paper on my pine desk

my red alarm clock

peeping sheepishly through the litter

Beneath my orange down filled duvet

a pile of dirty clothes

lazily scattered on the bed

under the cover.

two beautiful fish mobiles

hanging from the ceiling.

float across the piles beneath

viewing the winding pathways between the mounds of clothes

sport equipment and furniture

my room

a labyrinth

#4

Short Story

(The words and phrases underlined will be used in one of your assignments in this activity)
“There’s no way she can come with us to lunch! Look at her,” sneered Jan as he stormed out of English class.

Drew looked away with a light blush crossing   his face like the rising sun of a summer morning. He knew that Jan had difficulty being seen with someone who wasn’t quite like them. But Drew liked their classmate, Melissa. She laughed at their jokes even when they weren’t that funny. Hersmile was real, not phony like some of the other girls in the class.

Jan spun around in the crowded hallway as the buzz of students changing classes became louder and louder. “She’s a third wheel, Drew – she makes us unbalanced!” shouted Jan over the swell of voices swimming around him.

Drew just shook his head at this response and hurried off to period 2 – Civics class. Drew sat beside Melissa in Civics and he knew that she would be asking him what he and Jan were doing for lunch. What would he say?

As Drew approached Room 101, he saw Melissa and her assistant making their way toward the classroom from the opposite direction. He admired how Melissa was able to move through those pushing and shoving students in the crowded hallways. Her white cane seemed to part the crowds the same way the school’s star fullback made opposing defences split in two. She never seemed to trip even when kids were sitting in the halls with their books and legs spread everywhere. Drew was thinking how this skill would come in handy when he tried to bring the puck end to end in hockey! He could move like the wind and never find himself checked into the boards by the other team.

Slowly, Drew lowered himself in his seat and waited for Melissa to enter the room. She sailed in with a smile on her face that brightened the classroom and went directly to her own desk.

“Hi Drew, how are ya today?”

“Excellent, Melissa,” smiled Drew, “How about you?”

” I’m out of this world! Didn’t you hear?” beamed Melissa. Not even waiting for a reply, she continued, “My name was selected by the radio station to spend a day with two of my friends at MuchMusic Studios in Toronto. Can you believe it? I don’t know all the details, but I was hoping you and Jan could come with me. What do you think?”

Drew couldn’t believe it.

I was seven years old. It was an unusual snowy day in May. Outside was as white as milk. I remember it well, not because of the fact that we had mountains of snow in May, but because of what happened that day.

****

My Mum called me downstairs that morning. “Mandy,” she shouted, “It is almost noon. We are going to McDonald’s today for lunch.” When we got there, she bought me everything I wanted. Even the mother of my best friend Beth was surprised.

“Mrs. Philips,” she said, “do you want Mandy to have the chocolate chip cookies as well as the chocolate sundae and a chocolate milkshake?”

Of course, my mother didn’t reply as she seemed to be in another world. For me, this was just great, even though I thought it a bit weird. However, I knew something was wrong. She had an icy glaze in her eyes. She told me to get my food and wait for her in the car. When she came to the car, she had tears in her eyes. Suddenly, it was like a waterfall cascading down her face. She gave me a weak smile. But not a happy one. After a few minutes, she started talking.

“Honey. Listen to me closely. There’s no easy way to tell you this because you’re so young. You’re my baby. And I love you so.”
She stopped and watched me eat my fries. Then she continued, “Your dad is going to sell our house. You and I are going to Grandma’s place. Your Dad is buying a condominium of his own.”

I was too young to know what to say to this. All I remember saying was, “Will I see him again?” My Mum smiled. “Of course, honey. He can come visit you whenever he wants to.”

Inside, I was crushed. I had the same feeling as the time when my hamster died. I looked at my Mum only to see a tear trickling down her red cheeks.

***

I am now fifteen. I haven’t seen my father since that day.