Sunday, August 30, 2009

"The Leval-Shelay Devices", Part 5

(The fifth and final installment. Part 1, Part 2, Part 3, Part 4)


In History class, they had once had a lesson about a war that had taken place in ancient times. Long ago, Turner Hills and Shale Valley had been rival villages. After Shale Valley attempted to invade, a war broke out between them and Turner Hills. All anyone knows about what happened next is that Turner Hills won and that the people of Shale Valley were never seen again.


Devin ran into the building, yelling that Shale Valley had returned and that they were, in fact, far more technologically advanced than Turner Hills. He went on and on about how they had all been tricked and that they needed to get out of the building while they still could. To Devin’s frustration, no one seemed to be paying any attention. He kept on yelling, but then, with every single citizen of Turner Hills trapped inside, the doors slid shut.

Now it was apparent to everyone what had been happening. That Shale Valley had sent them the devices, and Turner Hills had played exactly into their hands. The voice announced to everyone what they had already figured out. “Shale Valley reigns supreme!”

The metal chamber started slowly moving out of the village until it reached a place in the middle of nowhere. “Welcome to the site of the new Shale Valley” the voice spoke. Devin, who was standing by a window, was one of the first to notice the giant hole in the ground that was just the right size for the prison chamber. The moving chamber reached the hole and started sinking into the ground. As the earth on the other side of the windows rose, the screams died down to stunned silence. Everyone felt guilty or responsible somehow.

Devin stood solemnly by the window, aware of the layers of earth on the other side. In the pitch black, he heard a voice calling his name. It was Julienne. She was begging for forgiveness. Devin coldly told her that sorry was just a word. It wasn’t just words that had led to this, and it was too late for words or anything to save them. In the darkness, he imagined the look on her face and hoped she’d understood. Then, just when things seemed to be at the bitter end, a thought occurred to Devin that brought a smile to his face and a twinkle to his brown eyes, even in the suffocating darkness. For the first time in as long as he could remember, he was equal to everyone else. Just another doomed prisoner.



Erica stared out the window as her ninth grade history teacher taught the lesson that Erica and most everyone else in her village knew by heart. As Mr. Selvin explained how Shale Valley had won the Great Battle, Erica knew she wasn’t going to learn anything she really wanted to know. Erica believed that there was much more to the story, if it was even true, than was taught in the schools of Shale Valley. Despite her skepticism, she had a feeling deep down that the answers were out there, and that she needed to find them.

Saturday, August 29, 2009

Wishing Aaron Boone Well

I don't hate Aaron Boone. Maybe it's because he played for my NL team, the Nats last year. But it's probably because I was just an innocent eight-year-old who didn't follow sports back in October of 2003. At the time, I wasn't even aware of what had happened. Now, I'm a die-hard Sox fan. I understand how heartbreaking that walkoff was to Red Sox Nation (Joffrey Lupul, anyone?), but nothing can give me the experience of having lived through it. (Though that also means that I'll never feel the full joy of those who were Sox fans in '04).

I've always felt that Boone was a guy who was in the right place at the right time (or wrong place, from the perspective of the Sox). Not a superstar, but just some player on the Yanks who made a name for himself in baseball history with his walk-off homer. And on the positive side, he helped make the '04 World Series win all the more sweeter. (Okay, that was bad grammar, but I don't have school until Monday. Cut me some slack.) Aaron Boone had no control over the events that led up to his home run, and anyone else (on either team) could have won the game. He was just a baseball player doing his job.

And now, despite many odds against him, he's coming back. He's been on a minor league rehab stint, and he'll join the Astros when rosters expand. Boone had open-heart surgery before the season because of a condition he had that had gotten to the point where it was too risky to not operate. His overcoming of obstacles should be an inspiration to us all. Walkoffs aside, he's a guy from a great baseball family whose love of the game keeps him coming back, and he's had a pretty decent career (with more to come, if all goes well). Red Sox fans, Yankees fans, Astros fans, and baseball fans and people in general should respect his determination. Love him or hate him, he's back. Again. Good luck, Aaron.

(MLB.com- Boone excited for return to big leagues)

Linky Goodness 8/29

  • Do you think Pete Rose has suffered enough and should be reinstated? Or do you think he deserves more punishment and should be reinstated? (Deadspin
  • It's official- Kazmir to the Angels. (MLB)
  • Remember Matt Joyce? You know, the guy the Rays traded for in the Edwin Jackson deal? Well, he had a big game, and is having a pretty good season. (MiLB)
  • I can't believe it took me so long to find this! (MLB)
  • And last, ever wonder about the commentary in sports video games? (Kotaku via Deadspin)
Okay, that's not much. But expect a post about an, ummm...., old friend sometime soon.

"The Leval-Shelay Devices", Part 4

(Part 1, Part 2, Part 3)


Over the next four weeks that led up to the start of school, it was becoming more and more apparent that the devices were now a way of life in Turner Hills. Devin and Julienne persisted in trying to get the devices back, but to no avail.


By the first day of school, Devin had pretty much given up hope of convincing his parents to change their minds. They were adamant in their decision. At the Turner Hills School, Devin was starting 8th grade and Julienne was starting 10th. Julienne fit in well enough, but Devin had few friends. He was usually an introverted outcast who was tormented by other kids. Because he was already the only one who didn’t seem to have life easy, everyone knowing he didn’t have a device only made things worse. He walked through the hallway while some stared, others laughed, and many whispered. Devin had grown used to this treatment and didn’t react. As he scanned the crowd of the same hostile faces in a new grade, he saw Nick. The look on Nick’s face seemed to say, “I wish I could help.” Devin went over to Nick and told him that there was no way to help and that everything was fine. Neither of them believed that for a second.

Life went on as usual until one day in the middle of October. At about noon, when Devin was in school, all the devices suddenly deactivated. The citizens of Turner Hills had become so accustomed to the devices that people freaked out and society came to a standstill. A booming male voice announced that everyone needed to gather in the center of town right away. The first thing Devin saw when he Zapped over to Town Center was a large, mysterious building that had not been there before. It was a very plain, metal building with windows, a door, and a sign reading, “Leval-Shelay.” The voice announced that for the devices to be reactivated, everyone would have to crowd inside the building.

For some reason, Julienne went in too while Julien and Thelma chased after her, trying to get her out. Devin just stood outside the building staring at the Leval-Shelay sign. And then it happened- it was just for a moment, but his mind had rearranged the letters in Leval-Shelay to spell “Shale Valley.” Upon this realization, Devin knew that everyone was in extreme danger.

(Part 5 tomorrow)

Friday, August 28, 2009

"The Leval-Shelay Devices", Part 3

(The third installment of the story. Part 1, Part 2.)


Devin pressed the features icon and what popped up was a typepad and a blank list. He wasn’t sure what to do, so he typed “camera” on the first line and selected what he had written. Devin realized that he had turned the device into a camera. He was intrigued, so he typed “X-ray” into the second box and selected it. Amazingly, the device started taking detailed photos of the bones in his hands.


Later, while still testing the capabilities of the device (they were literally infinite), his sister Julienne walked into the room and demanded to know what was going on. He angrily told her that she’d find out by looking in her mail pile. She found her device and was immediately as captivated by it as Devin. Devin realized that for the moment, Julienne’s love of the device was overriding her hatred of him. For an instant, Devin had a glimmer of hope that maybe everything would work out in the end.

Devin and Julienne stayed up late to show their parents the devices. As expected, Julien and Thelma Rayburn were exhausted and angry that their kids weren’t in bed. What the kids didn’t expect was their parents’ reaction: snatching up all four devices and locking them away in the safe in their room.

A stunned Devin asked his father why he had done that, and Julien’s answer was surprising, yet somehow not. “Devin, I’m sorry, but something just doesn’t seem right. Your mother and I have a bad feeling about those devices. Now you and Julienne need to get to bed. It’s late.”

And just like that, Devin’s faint hopes of a normal life were extinguished. Things were back to the way they were before. Devin’s sister still blamed everything (including this) on him. Devin’s paranoid parents were still ruining his life. And Devin was still miserable.

(part 4 tomorrow)

Thursday, August 27, 2009

"The Leval-Shelay Devices", Part 2

(The second installment of the science fiction story I wrote in 8th grade English class. Part 1 here)


Devin thought nothing of this message because in the very modern village of Turner Hills, pretty much anything was possible. Maybe except for Devin’s life being normal. However, the phrase would turn out to have significance. On the screen now were two icons. One was contacts and the other was features. Under contacts was a list of everyone in Turner Hills. Some names were in blue while others were grey. He scrolled down to his family and saw that only his name was blue. He (correctly) assumed that the people whose names were in blue had activated their devices. He looked through the list, found a friend’s name in blue, and selected it. The screened flashed the word “connecting…” for a few seconds, and then Devin saw the face of his friend Nick.


Nick was one of the few people who wasn’t a jerk to Devin, and greeted him with an excited, “What’s up, Dev?”

Devin answered with “Nothin’ much. Except for these things that came in the mail!”

“Yeah, I was gonna ask you if you got one, but you called me before I could call you. I guess everyone got one.”

“That’s what I kinda thought. So Nick, what do you think Leval-Shelay means?”

“I’m not sure. It’s probably just peoples’ last names. I’m gonna see what this thing can do. Bye, Dev.”

“Bye, Nick.”

Devin held the device in his hand with a feeling that it was something truly special that would change his and others’ lives forever. He just didn’t know how.

(part 3 tomorrow)

Wednesday, August 26, 2009

Linky Goodness 8/26

  • If you're gonna paint a poodle, would it killya to paint it with the uniform of a team I don't completely despise? Gosh. (KSK)
  • A look into the future? (Peerless)
  • Red Sox minor leaguers Ryan Kalish, Luis Exposito, Dustin Richardson, and Chris Province are on the roster of the AFL (that's Arizona Fall League, not the Arena Fallen League) 's Mesa Solar Sox. (MLB)
  • I guess I'm too young to understand why everyone thinks this is so unbelievably terrible. I mean, it's a bit overboard, but I kinda like it. By which I mean I'd get it if it was really cheap, which it probably isn't. (Lids)
  • An ongoing look at the best Caps vanity plates. (Simply Sensational
  • Obviously, Ted is proud that the Caps now are ranked as a Top-10 fanbase. At least in the opinion of some Wild blogger. (Ted's Take)
  • And lastly, I, as a Sox fan, am glad we don't need these anymore. (breakthecursecookie)

"The Leval-Shelay Devices", Part 1

(OK, let's get this thing started off with a bang. In English class last year, we had an assignment where we wrote a sci-fi story. Naturally, I procrastinated until the weekend before it was due, but here it is. Though it's a short story, it's too long for one post, so I'll break it up into sections.)


It was the dog days of early August in Turner Hills, and Devin Rayburn had just Zapped home from the pool. He was still dripping wet because he hadn’t had a chance to dry off and change out of his hydrodynamic SwimSkin. He would have preferred to stay at the pool with some of his few friends longer, but unfortunately, it was his week to sort the mail.

Devin was the younger of Julien and Thelma Rayburn’s two children. To afford to live in the affluent, picturesque village of Turner Hills, Devin’s parents had to work long hours. They cared deeply for their children’s well-being, but weren’t able to be home enough to prove it. To their children, they came off as unloving and paranoid. They only had time to worry about whether their kids stayed out of trouble and did their chores.

Devin could have stayed at the pool if not for his parents’ insistence that the mail be sorted as soon as it arrives, which is always at 3 pm. When Devin saw the time, he had to run to one of the Zap public transport stations and teleport home. If Devin’s family hadn’t been so torn apart, his sister, who was already at home, could have sorted the mail. However, she was never willing to help Devin, and he was never willing to help her.

Her name was Julienne. Named for her father Julien, she always tried to make Devin feel bad. She’d tell him that she got most of their parents’ limited attention and that he was an unwanted burden who was to blame for their family’s struggles. It goes without saying that Devin tried to avoid her at all costs. So between his parents’ paranoid requirement that the mail get looked at as soon as it beams in so really urgent items could be found and his sister’s hatred of him, he had to hurry home to get the mail.

As he ran in the door, Devin heard the clock strike three and the buzz of the mail beaming in. He saw the mail appear on the kitchen table as always, but something was different. There were four small white boxes among the mail on the table. Each had a label reading “Leval-Shelay Enterprises” and was addressed to a different member of the Rayburn household. After Devin sorted the mail, careful not to get it wet, and changed into regular clothes, he opened the box addressed to “Mr. Devin Rayburn.” In it was a small metallic device with a screen. On the back were the words “Leval-Shelay Enterprises” and a fancy LS logo. Devin pressed the on button and a message appeared on the screen that read, “Free to the people of Turner Hills.” He pressed the icon that read “proceed” (because most devices had touchscreens now) and the next screen read “Anything is possible.”

(part 2 tomorrow)

Welcome to Chowdah Chatter!

Welcome to my blog. There isn't exactly a subject, even though many of the posts will be about sports. Some of my favorite writings (most of which from school) will also be on here.

(update: apparently the timestamps are Pacific time. I'll see what I can do about that)
(2nd update: Another purpose is to improve my writing/blogging skills)