Emory R. Frie

Neither of us could stay within an enclosed cage for long.

Brave, impossible Alice. Stop being so sensible.

A monster, some called her. But in the shadows, only said in whispers, she was an angel in red.

Even the bravest of us loath war, and those who long for it are the most dangerous.

I may forget myself, but you I could never forget.

She finally understood why the monsters in the Forest always seemed to smile. Beasts only bared their teeth as a warning before they attack.

I was going to make him proud of the man I would become. I was finally going to chart my own course, rattle the stars, and then_ Then I would deserve it.___eserve what?___he way he used to look at me, like I was a hero, or something close to one.

But home did not seem the right word for it. It hadn__ quite been home for years. Not like it used to be.

Stories help us remember what we never want to forget.

Don__ ever lose your smile. Don__ ever let anything take away the joy from your laugh. You never know when the taste of laughter on the tongue or the scent of happiness in the air might save one__ life.