Writing Exercise 33: The Alternate Ending

In our last writing exercise, we were given the time to produce our very own alternate ending to Neil Gaiman's Babycakes in 150 words minimum.

Here's my very own continuation to the story.

View also Neil Gaiman reading Babycakes on Youtube

Babycakes
Neil Gaiman

A few years back all the animals went away.

We woke up one morning, and they just weren't there anymore. They didn't even leave us a note, or say good-bye. We never figured out quite where they'd gone.

We missed them.

Some of us thought that the world had ended, but it hadn't. There just weren't any more animals. No cats or rabbits, no dogs or whales, no fish in the seas, no birds in the skies.

We were all alone.

We didn't know what to do.

We wandered around lost, for a time, and then someone pointed out that just because we didn't have any animals anymore, that was no reason to change our lives. No reason to change our diets or to cease testing products that might cause us harm.

After all, there were still babies.

Babies can't talk. They can hardly move. A baby is not a rational thinking creature.

We made babies.

And we used them.

Some of them we ate. Baby flesh is tender and succulent.

We flayed their skin and decorated ourselves in it. Baby leather is soft and comfortable.

Some of them we tested.

We taped open their eyes, dripped detergents and shampoos in, a drop at a time.

We scarred them and scalded them. We burnt them. We clamped them and planted electrodes in their brains. We grafted, and we froze, and we irradiated.

The babies breathed our smoke, and the babies' veins flowed with our medicines and drugs, until they stopped breathing or until their blood ceased to flow.

It was hard, of course, but it was necessary.

No one could deny that.

With the animals gone, what else could we do?

Some people complained, of course. But then, they always do.

And everything went back to normal.

***

In time, this cannibalistic tradition, a by- product of a chaotic mind engulfed and trapped in the obsession for the rival of homo-sapiens' domination; flourished without inquiry.

As if given the power to rule over the Supreme Being’s enigmatic creations, the consumption was with cult following.

It has never come to pass, as in a conspiracy; everyone was destined to follow.

Then that fateful day did came. For in a turmoil of emotion, a youth that was tucked safely away and was forced to slumber under the bowels of our forsaken civilization, stood up.

No more did he say.

At the gathering for the fools feast, to the elders, he did point and raised the QUESTION.

In the shadows of murmurs, praises and protest, he pointed the inevitable.

And in the eyes of the gathering, at the swift hack of the executioner’s blade he was slain.

Sparkling and dripping in filth, his blood reflects an uprising against a rubbish tradition.

I was a part of that unruly crowd that night and I too felt ashamed of what i have become,

I QUESTIONED myself for every drop of innocent blood spilled...

Many years has passed since the last gathering, and everyone lived in peace; everyone figured it would end.

Then as in a swift awakening, the grey clouds of yesterday slowly melted away;

For now, our most shrewd learned to make animals out of babies...

Jasmin Uy

Message in a Bottle

Writing Exercises: Minimalism - The Defense of the Weak

Pirates, munitions running out, sailed in retreat against stout hearts.
The battle raged, whilst no victor can be adjudged
Heaved mightily, to the last drop of blood
Weaklings, yet determined to defend their land
The townsfolk, manned the fortress guns
Fought against panic and fear
The fortress slowly crumbles
Hearts foul intent
Pirate cannons!
Boom!

Writing Exercise: The Integration of Beer drinking into the Educational Curricullum for High school

In a privilege speech at a Division School’s yearly forum with the DEPED secretary, Mr. Jovir Amatong, a high school P.E. instructor from Metropolitan Cebu, said:

Our beloved DEPED secretary Mr. Rolando Piñol, fellow high school teachers, friends, and colleagues, a pleasant good afternoon to you all.

I am very thankful for this opportunity that you have given me, so that I can speak to you and convey the idea that I share perhaps, along with more than a million teachers and parents across the country who finds it a necessity to add beer drinking as a part of our current educational curriculum.

Yes, you may go ahead and laugh at the absurdity of my idea, but let me tell you my point first before you add logic and judge my idea.

With the signs of the times and the ever changing values that our youngsters, the so called hope of the nation go through in life including the many “worldly” happiness, perhaps, it is time to teach them a lesson or two about drinking beer and being drunk.

Why don’t we, like let’s say allocate two hours, one hour for lecture and an hour more for field experience and call the new subject as “Drinking Arts and Body Ergonomics (DABE)” and incorporate Proper ways to drink beer, Proper ways to get drunk, the Best time and the Best beers to drink, Drunken self-management, and the whole lot of possibilities both advantageous and disadvantageous for them while they’re drinking.

With the incorporation of my idea into the curriculum, I tell you, we teachers and parents will be free from the burden of worries as our children go out at night with their friends, because they now know how to handle situations that may arise because of their drinking. Situations, that will lead them to the common good or evil of society.

I’m appealing to you now that with such a small amount of time consumed everyday by this subject, we’re giving only but small sacrifices to our pockets, all for the future of our youths who will someday rule the nation.

We will be giving them the opportunity at such an age, to experience the world and its vital component, one that we haven’t experienced back in our youth when drinking alcoholic beverages was considered evil and a mortal sin.

This way, they will be guided accordingly and therefore lessen the evils and wanton crimes that may surge because of their drinking.

With this in mind, I rest my case and leave all of this not only in the hands of our beloved secretary, but to all of us gathered here today to consider and contemplate for our future leaders.

Thank you very much

Writing Exercise: Never Say Die, Tin Eagle (Fiction)

Capt. Lionel Diz, a fighter plane pilot and 1st Lt. Josephine Stephan his navigator, are well decorated fighters of the Philippine Air force. They flew several dangerous missions together and accomplished them with excellent results hence, several medals and lauds of fame have been accorded to them by their colleagues.

However, ironic as it might seem, this awesome duo used to be the sweetest of lovers whose relationship was shattered only by a wrong turn on the navigational control committed by Lionel, while they were having sex in mid- flight, on a rebel camp bombing run late last year.

Josephine was angered when her head hit the canopy of the plane as Lionel, too high and about to ejaculate accidentally stamped the control stick and their plane went haywire and spiraled downwards with the bomb still on board! Luckily, Josephine was quick enough to regain control of the stick, dropped the bomb and flew the plane out of harms way.

After that unforgettable mission, the couple stayed away from each other, and since then they have not talked about what happened. Josephine asked her superiors for a re-assignment and was given an assignment at Headquarters.

Lionel just stayed silent when asked by his friends and went on to finish more missions.

However one night, the sirens of the base beaconed suddenly with the loudspeakers ordering pilots and their navigators to scramble and be on their battle stations immediately!

The Base Commander called on the two to be back on their plane and briefed them on another dangerous mission.

“Rebels are once again on the prowl, and attacked La Carlota, a small town in Negros Occidental, you’re duty is to conduct close air support for the Marine brigade currently fighting the insurgents. Give them everything you’ve got, from machine guns to hellfire missiles. And lastly Capt. and 1st Lt., fire at will!” These were the last orders that the couple heard, before they scrambled up their plane to conduct the mission.

While they were on their way to the mission site, Lionel then started a conversation after nudging the controls and Josephine started to giggle. He then asked her straight of what happened between them and how their relationship turned sour. Josephine was startled by the question and started to cry, she pointed out to him that his mistake almost left them at the thin line of life and death and why didn’t he just asked apology after what happened between them last year.

“Im starting to think that you don’t care about me, all you wanted all along was my body” she said, teary eyed.

Lionel was stunned on why the thought never entered his mind; he looked for the words to say but stared blankly at Josephine sitting at the back. He found himself a few minutes later snuggled in with Josephine at the back, doing sex together with the plane set on auto pilot!

They arrived at the mission site, much to the awe of the marine brigade who has been wondering on what took them too long to arrive and conduct the bombing run.

Once again, the two made a remarkable job of finishing the rebels, and was on their way back to base when they continued their conversation; Lionel asked Josephine’s forgiveness for his stubborn mistake.

“The reason why I have stayed silent all this time was because I was ashamed of what happened between us, and you know me, I was tagged by my pride all along to not talk about it, not knowing that I have hurt you in the process. I thought that after what happened you don’t want me anymore, but you know that I cannot leave you joc (as he fondly calls her) I love you very much and I care for you”.

Josephine’s lips broke into a smile this time with tears of joy and she calmly placed a finger on her lips gesturing for him to hush and kissed him. Then without a moment’s notice, the two were at it again (doing sex) setting the plane on auto pilot.

As the plane was rounding on top of a valley to get to their base, Lionel caught a glimpse of a column of rebel convoys slowly inching their way in the valley below. Still nude, he caught the bomb controls and managed to drop some of the ordnance that they have left.

The column bellowed up a thick cloud of black smoke, the two though still nude, managed to climb back to their controls and nose the plane for a check on remaining rebels.

After seeing that there was nothing left but smoke of the rebel convoy, the two called on their radio to tell HQ what happened and told them also of their quick return to base.

Just below the ground without their knowledge, a rebel survivor was slowly inching his way to get his anti-aircraft RPG gun and lock on their plane…

View: http://www.yuwie.com/jovir

Writing Exercise: A Forest Walk (Poem)

As I walked past the big green trees;
guarding the skies above me like sentries in the night.

I touched the bark of the one;
I happened to have sat upon,
And stared in awe amazement about how something so great and full of life;
Battle hardened by the weather,
is just sitting so frail and lifeless in the pale-moonlight.

The wind blowed a hefty sum of limp-hot air that lonely summer night,
and I continued my way.
When all of a sudden, a familiar brightness and a warm gust caught my attention,
Then everything behind me was a wall of flame, so huge to mention.

A raging forest fire was fast coming my way! And I couldn’t do anything but run;
Trapped in the brightness, running but tempted like a moth drawn to the flame;
I ran with curiosity for danger; amazed by the warm yellow-orange illuminated wreck

Then a rod, as black as charcoal with a burning coat, suddenly toppled and claim the life off me.

Then everything went back to black; full of nightly creatures,
So dead silent was the night…

Message in a Bottle