Morpheus‘10 A Heidelberg University Publication Picture: Edward G. Robinson from Turner Classic Movies The Morpheus: A Heidelberg University Publication 1 Table of Contents Moroheus Writing Contest P. 3 Contest Winner Biographies p. 4 Fiction p. 6 ‘Patching the Cracks’ by Liz Kurtzman (7 - 13) ‘The Train and the Yard’ by Brent Holmes (14 - 22) ‘Richard’s Samurai’ by Natty Berry (23 - 26) Non-Fiction P. 27 ‘These Treelimbs Bend’ by Brent Holmes (28) ‘Illegal Drag Racing...’ by Natty Berry (29 - 30) ‘The Face of News’ by Brittany Green (31 - 35) Literary P. 36 ‘Akira Kurosawa...’ by Natty Berry (37 - 43) ‘Sniping Nazis...’ by Matt Echelberry (44 - 48) ‘From Abigail to McCarthy...’ By Ray Ouellette (49 - 63) Poetry P. 64 ‘Family Recipe’ by Barbara Purviance (65 - 66) ‘Home Comfort’ By Ray Ouellette (67 - 68) ‘Seafood Is Allergic to Me’ by Laura Van Valkenburgh’ (69) Visual Arts P. 70 2 The Morpheus: A Heidelberg University Publication Morpheus Writing Contest The Morpheus: A Heidelberg University Publication 3 Contest Winner Biographies Ishara Henry Placed 3rd in Visual Arts. I am a sophomore this year, I am a member of the Aurora staff , the computer science club, and the black student union. I never thought I would actually place in one of these kinds of contests but someone always encouraged me to do so. Barbara Purviance Placed 1st in Poetry I'm a junior chemistry major, and I work here on campus in the Water Quality Lab. The poem that I submitted was inspired by my own family and the genealogy research that I do in my free time. Brent Holmes Placed 1st in Non Fiction Placed 2nd in Fiction Brent Holmes once had a pet fish named Goldie. He was such a good little fish that he decided to help it out a little more, and being a young man unsure of the workings of life, attempted to bring the little fish out of his bowl, "for leg-room". Unfortunately, the fish became a terrible room-mate for Brent, leaving clothing on the floor, keeping the room "occupied" for long spaces of time, and setting fire to Brent's bed on multiple occasions. One night in a fit of passion Brent did what he thought was right at the time: He flushed Goldie down the toilet. Now he's a senior in college and he wonders about the wisdom of his action: shouldn't he have at least tried to talk to the fish, make things better? To remedy this lack of communication, he became a Communication major at Heidelberg University, hoping that the next fish he got would have a better chance to stave off his fury. He also likes David Bowie. A lot. Laurie Van Valkenburgh Placed 3rd in Poetry Laura Van Valkenburgh is a sophomore majoring in AYA Language Arts Education and minoring in Spanish. She is the president of 'Berg Allies and a clarinetist in the Symphonic Band. 4 The Morpheus: A Heidelberg University Publication Natty Berry Place 1st in Academic Literature Placed 2nd in Non Fiction, Placed 3rd in Fiction My name is Natty Berry, I am a Junior English Major. I'm super excited to be included in the illustrious Morpheus publication. This has all brought me one step closer to world domination. Oh, I'll show them all. AHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA. Ray Ouellette Placed 2nd in Poetry Placed 3rd in Academic Literature Ray Ouellette is a senior majoring in English (Writing Emphasis) and Theatre. Ray is a member of Rho Eta Delta and Alpha Psi Omega, and other things that he's forgotten when he wrote this. Ray is both a great athlete and a true humanitarian. Liz Kurtzman Placed 1st in Fiction Placed 1st and 2nd in Visual Arts Liz is a senior in the illustrious English department here at Heidelberg. Besides editing the Morpheus, she also is an editor and columnist for the Kilikilik and a DJ for WHEI. She recently wrote a play that was performed onstage at Gundlach to limited acclaim. She's looking forward to graduating and going on to...more school. Darn. Matt Echelberry Placed 2nd in Academic Literature Matt Echelberry, better known as “Mclovin” throughout campus, is an English Writing Major/Film Studies Minor from Bucyrus, Ohio. A junior this year, he is very involved on campus as Co-Editor in Chief of The Kilikilik and a member of Sigma Tau Nu fraternity. When he’s not writing articles or class papers, Matt also writes short stories, poetry, and song lyrics. The Morpheus: A Heidelberg University Publication 5 Fiction 6 The Morpheus: A Heidelberg University Publication Patching the Cracks Morpheus ‘10 by: Liz Kurtzman Callie wasn’t very impressed by Michael’s new house. “It’s not very big,” she pointed out. “And it’s boring.” He knelt down so they were face to face. “Well,” he said with as big a smile as he could muster, “It’s big enough for you and me. And I was hoping you could help me decorate.” Her face lit up. “Really?” “Yep. We can go to the store today to buy stuff for your room. Then we’ll start on the rest of the house next time you come over.” It worked like a charm. She talked enthusiastically about how she was going to decorate the whole way. Most of her descriptions featured a great deal of pink and glitter. By the time they left the store, there was hardy room to fit the curtains, pillows, wall stickers, and stuff ed animals into the car. He looked at the receipt and winced. Veronica would probably say that this was bribery. She would probably be right. Surprisingly, it only took about an hour to put the room in some order, though his shoulder ached fiercely when they finished. It still looked empty, but Callie gravely promised him that she would bring some of her things next time. To fill the rest of the evening, they went on a walk around the neighborhood. It was a blustery day in March, on the tail end of winter, and dirty heaps of partially melted snow hid the crumbling yellow curbs. They picked their way over the glacial chunks to the street, leaving the house behind them. The street looked gray, like the house, and the sky, and the sidewalk, and the snow. There wasn’t much to see in the neighborhood, so they circled the block. Callie skipped over to the corner lot and peered through the warped fence. “What’s in here?” Michael followed slowly. “It’s probably just an old parking lot, honey.” “Nu-uh. It’s green.” The fence was rusty and bowed, as if the weight of the gray sky had become too much for it to sup- port. Cracks meandered through the asphalt like lines on a highway map. He removed his hands from his pockets and linked his fingers through the fence. His voice, when he spoke, sounded as flat as the green cracked surface before them. “It’s a tennis court.” “Tennis?”She repeated, nose wrinkled in confusion. “Like on the Wii?” He smiled slightly. “Well, it’s a little diff erent in real life.” “How?” The Morpheus: A Heidelberg University Publication 7 “It’s much harder.” He placed a hand on her back and gently steered her to face the house. “C’mon, let’s go make some hot cocoa.” This was enough to distract her. “With marshmallows?” “Is there any other way to drink it?” He teased. She ran on ahead and he followed at a more leisure- ly pace, casting one last lingering glance at the corner lot. ~*~*~*~ He couldn’t recall, now, when he had started to hate tennis. Was it the first time he got shin splints and had to stand in that barrel of ice until his skin burned? Or maybe the year he’d had to play varsity, when the team had won the championship, but he hardly won a game. Then there was the time he had to miss the formal dance in order to compete at Nationals. He didn’t know when it started, but he remembered the day it ended with incredibly clarity. It was the final stone that broke the scale. ~*~*~*~ The next weekend that Callie came, it was a little warmer and the sun was making a gallant eff ort to shine. They focused on decorating the kitchen this time, with sunflowers and cheerful greens and yel- lows. When she was satisfied with the result, they decided to walk again. For some strange reason, Callie seemed to be drawn to that tennis court. She flounced back to its derelict cage and without hesitation, slipped through the open door. The door looked as if it had stood ajar for years and its hinges were no doubt as immovable as stone. Michael was much more reluctant to step through the rusty barrier. The sight of the abandoned and decayed court troubled him more than he would have guessed. The green surface was pebbled, like the scales of some great beast, and the corpses of shriveled plants struggled to escape through the splits in the pavement. Crooked poles leaned toward each other, as foreboding as gravestones, and one bedrag- gled net was strung across the court like the ancient web of some great spider. Callie had none of her father’s trepidation. She spun in a circle on the court and fell to the ground dramatically. She lay there, spread-eagled, and studied the sky. After a moment, she raised her head to find her father and saw him standing at the door, immobile.