The Inferno 2015-2016 Allen Community College Online Literary Magazine Editorial Board Erin O’Keefe . English Instructor Creative Writing Club Sponsor Inferno Sponsor Contest Review Board Cynthia Jacobson . Vice President of Student Affairs Erik Griffith . English/Geography Instructor Doug Joseph . Math Instructor Elizabeth Martell . English Instructor Laura Neeley . Administrative Assistant to the Dean for the Burlingame Campus Front Cover Artwork Creative Writing Club Member: Felesha Bonnell Piece: untitled (oil on canvas) PAGE 1 Table of Contents I. Contest Winning Submissions Poetry Contest First Place Winner Brave Little Lovenaut Isaac Bird 3 Poetry Contest Second Place Winner The Moment Vanessa Dredger 4 Poetry Contest Third Place Winner I Saw You Walk by Today Cherida DeWitt 5 Short Story Contest First Place Winner Hycordia: Rise of the Forgotten Andrew Foreman 6 Short Story Contest Second Place Winner The Last Epoch Nick Reynolds 11 Short Story Contest Third Place Winner Caribbean in G Dylan Van Sickle 13 Short Story Contest Third Place Winner The Honeysuckle: The Bittersweet Mary Ann Richardson 15 Aroma of My Torment Open Form Contest First Place Winner Upgrades Christopher Boner 19 Open Form Contest Second Place Winner Precious Time Heather Woods 21 II. Additional Writing Submissions Always Amy Medierios 22 Beaten Angel Spenser 23 Who Am I? Hunter Layman 24 Alone Trent Colter 25 PAGE 2 1st Place Creative Writing Club Poetry Contest Brave Little Lovenaut By Isaac Bird Little black hole, why is it so cold where you are You used to be the brightest of stars You tried to make this lonely piece of space A better place and gave all your light away Little black hole, somewhere along the road You forgot to keep a glow of your own to hold So I am boarding, a ship of my own making And bringing you something you forgot A soft fragment of light, to keep you warm at night Pilots log, 10-23, the brave little lovenaut Beautiful black hole, do you know All you need is everything you are That’s all you have to be, I mean look at me! It’s gotten me this far Kind black hole, this just goes to show How strange life can really be Somewhere on this journey across the galaxy I realized you’re what means the most to me So I keep sailing, in this ship of my own making I’ll be there in no time flat But for all my perseverance, there’s been some interference I’m not sure there will be a trip back Black hole, I didn’t know You’d look so wonderful up close Black hole, here is your gift Once I flip this switch You will have your little light But self-destruct will spell the end of this Isaac Bird is an 18 year old artist and musician in his third semester at Allen lovenaut County. He writes and plays songs for guitar and piano, sKetches often (asK his pilots log, teachers) and generally loves life. He can be found reading, attempting to tame signing off his hair to no prevail, using the worst picKup lines of all time on his girlfriend, Dear Black hole and occasionally studying. His entry into the contest is one of his more recent Goodnight verses, The Brave Little Lovenaut. He thanKs all the contributors and judges and hopes you enjoy his worK! PAGE 3 PAGE 4 2nd Place Creative Writing Club Poetry Contest The Moment By Vanessa Dredger Feet of stone, Eyes seeing not but Backwards towards the window. A wish, A flash of yellow. Screeching breaks and laughter – floating, and an old bonnet holding tightly. A heart of hearts turning cold – but a tear of memory… Curls soft, Caresses – but fleeting…. Towards another stone. About me: I am a mom of seven with a full time job who has been attending school off and on my whole life: all 37 years of it. I aspire to do more always. My job is in education as a registrar at a private school, but I’ve always loved the life experiences that have brought me a deep understanding of people and life in general that inspire me to write a few things now and then. A few years ago when I thought I was on a degree path for sure, I tooK a very insightful course with Professor RecKling at K-State. I wrote a poem for my final after which she encouraged me to write more in the future. Sadly, I had to withdraw from the college due to poor health. I didn’t write anymore, but when I got the email from Allen’s writing club, I thought it was about time I did. I hope you enjoy. PAGE 5 3rd Place Creative Writing Club Poetry Contest I Saw You Walk By Today By Cherida DeWitt I saw you walk by today. While I started your way. I stopped and waited. Why is this complicated? My mind raced back. To the day of my attack. When I heard the news. That gave me the blues. The shock felt in the heart. Knowing that we are apart. The day you gained your wings. Memories of you it brings. My mind is in a daze. Is this some kind of phase? Am I awake in a dream? Lord, I may scream. I gather my thoughts, My stomach in knots. I have an angel at bay. As I saw you walk by today. I have 3 children and 9 grandchildren. My oldest is a granddaughter she is 19, we have taKen a couple of college courses together. My youngest is a grandson he is three. This is my fourth semester at Allen Community College. In January I am transferring to Washburn. I am seeKing a masters degree in Sociology. It is my passion to be an advocate for our seniors living in poverty. My poem was written after I noticed a woman that looKed exactly liKe my best friend. It tooK my breath away because she had passed three years earlier. I returned home and wrote this about my feelings after I seen my friend walK by today. PAGE 6 1st Place Creative Writing Club Short Story Contest Hycordia: Rise of the Forgotten By Andrew Foreman It was a warm day in the Valley of Hadvender, where the village of Takunonseen rested beside the waters of Tsadun. All was calm in the early morning, and the valley was receiving the pleasant weather its natives enjoyed. So it was that Taksun, a boy on his way to becoming a man, was quite happy to be hunting the Kateros among the green hills of his home country. Kateros are a massive species of wild bovine native to the Plains of Hadvender, not unlike our Buffalo, yet far larger. Hunting a great beast was the final part of his rite of passage. Taksun thought of the ritual, and how one day it would end, not just for him, but for his whole village. Though the elders preferred not to talk about it, there was a sense that one day, his people would lose their ways, drafted into the folds of the Empire. Taksun continued in this thought process until he stumbled upon the injured Kateros-De. He had been following the bull for days after wounding it in its shoulder. If he could single-handedly take down the mammoth of a beast, he could almost guarantee a spot at the Warrior Table. Taksun bent low as he eyed the bull where it rested. It had been on a steady march west for days. He had considered the possibility it was fleeing something, but ambition had dismissed the notion. He pulled out his bow, grabbing the luckiest arrow he owned, his fathers. The shaft was made of Hadraywood; it was the most flexible and sturdy tree that grew on the plain. The feather had come from a Bald Galdil, the running birds of the plains. Taksun breathed deeply as he aligned his shot. He couldn’t afford to miss, not again. This was not the first time he had been given the opportunity to land a kill worthy of warrior status. Last time it had been a Branun Tiger, and the time before that it had been a Chirping Halx. Taksun thought to himself, this time, I won’t miss. This time, I can’t miss. Taksun prayed to Father Elim of the Blue Sky Realm, Make my shot find her mark and I will give you whatever you ask. He accepted the old gods along with the rest of the village. He paused. Every time I have put my faith in Elim, I have failed. Perhaps it is time to look elsewhere. Taksun remembered hearing an old monk from the Southern monastery talk of a god who was all-powerful. He called him Adonai. Wondering if that God could be powerful enough, he quickly made a second prayer to Adonai, offering the same as before. Taksun felt better about his chances; he closed one eye, pulled the string to his cheek, exhaled, and released. The shot rang true striking the Kateros-De in its neck. Taksun saw the blood spurt out and knew it would not be long, as the bull, writhing in pain, made a break for a dense grove of trees on a hilltop not too far away. Taksun gave chase, worried that some animal might be lurking nearby and damage his prize. He followed at a good pace, never allowing the beast to leave his sight. PAGE 7 He suddenly noticed something in the distance.