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Cindy Dong

Ms. Shrader

English G11 Eta

The Sand

Monday at 6 AM. Pressing off the alarm clock in the darkness, Sandy woke up.

Tuesday at 7 AM. Being push out of the subway, Sandy murmured, "As usual."

Wednesday at 8 AM. Looking throughout the double reflexive window, Sandy smiled to

exact blurry self-portrait.

Thursday at AM. Sitting in the classroom and waiting for another class to start.

Friday at 10 AM. Still waiting for another class.

......

Sandy took off her black glass, threw her school bag to the floor. After daring at the monitor

several times and making sure the blue light is not shining, she quietly searched for her phone in

each corner of her home. She felt the coldness of the floor with a tiny pair of socks.

Tick-Tock, Tick-tock. Time is passing. Sandy felt the knock of the door is coming soon. I

am so afraid of hearing the knock of her, she said to herself, It is the only moment I can play

with my phone.

Knock, knock...
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From the eye hole, Sandy can see her enlarged body with a tiny twisty face.

Oh, that is her! She thinks I did not even finish searching for my phone yet.

“Oh, Sandy. How is the day?”

She took off her fluffy UGG boots and that pink and grey pattern scarf. Her face is white and

pale, like someone who is lack of sleep for a long time. The double eyelid is so thin with

inflamed

crows-feet extended from her eye to the infinite world. She looked so sincere and

intensively to Sandy's eye. She is eager for a response to her daughter.

Sandy just looked back to her with the emptiness and hollowness of her eye.

“Yeah, just as normal.” Sand answered with no response in her eye.

"What about your homework, your quiz, and other kinds of stuff?" Her fake smile makes

Sandy thinks of hilarious jokes about the evil queen.

She put down the plastic bag and brought several Perry's bottles out. Both of the two

containers have two cracks in the middle. Her eyeballs stopped on the exact break in the middle

of the two green bottles.

"I am wondering why you are still thinking of those irrelevant details of your god damn

life?" She noticed her daughters' strange look on her face.

"All right." Sandy's mouth moves a little bit as she murmured. It had been three years since

she has moved to this house with her family. The walls are no longer white, like a brand new

canvas for infinite imagination. Instead, the oil stain and little bit of leftover spread all over the
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fence. The further relief of wallpaper is so hard to be replaced and covered with those stains.

Who remembers why that furniture is there. The showcase is all arranged by Sandy's mother

neatly. She glimpsed all the souvenirs, some from an exotic country and other from those place

out of imaginations.

"Northern part is already snowing." Sandy's mother said, looking down at her phone and

browsing the Moment on Wechat, "Oh, how about tomorrow, I will make you a marshmallow

toast with chocolate."

"Oh, whatever you want," Sandy said without looking at her and pulling the door handle of

her bedroom fiercely as the calendar on the wall shacked and nearly fell on to the floor. The

MacBook slipped out of the bag pack smoothly......The door is closing slowing, leaves a short

sound of "Bump."

Sandy unfastened her hair brand and rubbed disorderly at her hair. She closely stick to the

door and slowly slipped down to the floor. In the corner, she cried intensively, being repentant of

being rude to her mum. The white shirt has been moistening with a sip of the tear.

It has been over two months. Sandy felt disappointed with her current life, kept shouting

with her parents in the morning, and cried in the quilt, trying to slow down the volume of her

shallow breath.

She picked the fragile mac book up and opened it gently, knowing that the cycle of everyday

life will never end. She hit the keyboard with one single finger behind a surge of great fury, and

the screen lighted up suddenly. Oh, no messages or notifications at all. Wait! There are still so

many works that have not been done yet, but what's the point of doing, though—either learning
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the things that I can never understand, or doing and thinking about the same messy and tedious

ideas everyday. I will doubt the weakness in my brain constructions?! Or am I gradually

becoming a living body without clear consciousness.

Knock! Knock...

“6:30! Dinner is ready!” The hilarious voice seems distantly and continuously.

Nobody answers.

"Hey, are you there, my darling!" The voice became bright, with a little bit of concern.

The steps became quickly and clearer for Sandy to hear. She knew that the sound came from

outside the door, but just refused to answer.

Sandy put her head into her arms and cried profoundly and intensively. The subtle feeling

she felt made her more confused. I just want to get rid of the boundary and my comfort zone.

Why it is so difficult for me, Sandy thinks.

“Sandy! Come out quickly. The fish is getting cold. You know the fishy smell. Nobody

loves that!”

"Okay, but..." Sandy hesitated for several moments and said nothing. She stretched her arm

to lay a finger on the light switch. The light went out. Through the interval of the door, her mum

saw the quick switch of the light and sighed with her eyelid closed for several seconds. She

walked away from the door, knowing that it would never open as she deeply desires.

Two Airpods scattered on the pure white sheets with blood stains left spontaneously. Slow

and romantic R&B music flew out from Sandy's phone. Sandy cuddles in her big teddy bear,
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gradually lay on her pillow, trying to escape from the fleeting time but keeping always stay in

her world.

The burgundy red mixed with orange sprays on the canvas, creating a blood harmony on the

infinite sky. The black window frames limit the sky's imaginations, just like the internal mortal

of life. The fine line joins together with the brutality of the outlook of mountains, forming a

perfect ratio. Sandy lay on her bed, lazily browsing the photos in her photo booth. Seventy-four

thousand five hundred sixty-one photos vanished and disappeared as it supposed to be her

precious memory from her primary school to her age. She just signed without any other tears.

She knew that it was Jade, her mum, who did that to her. In every nightmare, she could see face

written down with the emaciation of sallow complexion and elusiveness of a dull looking.

Give me, give me the shelter. Give me, give me shelter from the storm. Give me, give me

shelter from the storm......

The song lyric with the sweet melody made Sandy sleepy and fell into her dream, pretending

not to hear her mother's anxiously pace.

The night gradually comes. The drizzle fell like curtains gently cut Sandy and her mum's

connection. The dinner outside is still there. Nobody ate them. The fishy smell mixed from the

fresh rain smell stimulates her nose. Glancing around, Jade tore the paper off from the calendar.

It is the 20th wedding anniversary for Jade and her husband. Seeing the family picture above on

the wall, Jade felt the excellent old-time pass so quickly.

“Happy anniversary! I am still in Chicago, take care. Miss Sandy and you so much.”
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The single text keeps wondering in Jade's mind, like a drizzling wind surrounds her with

sincere care.

Her eyes turned to that grand door of her little girl. The mottled door was adorned with

different cartoon characters, which Sandy used to like.

"Good night, my daring. I will always love you." She put her hands on the door, quietly

saying like what she used to do when Sandy is a child, cuddling in her bosom... She knew time

would never pass back. Sandy will never become a happy child and laughed unscrupulously,

while her lover will never dance with her like an amorous couple.

The night came as the light went dark. Sandy and her mother all went to sleep. They used to

share the same room, enjoyed each others' tipsy dream, but recently, they became more separated

from each other... The loneliness has beaten both of Sandy and Jade's soft heart. That is so

difficult to bring them back to life. The darkness may blow out the candle off both of their

animated hearts......

The bird's singing spread the horizon. Sandy could feel that the morning is coming. She lied

on her bed like a dying body because of the hunger, which stoles her passion and initiatives. She

crooked in her bed with two arms, clutched her legs intensely. The postures made her safe. It is

just like a fetus in her mum's womb, waiting for the outsiders to drag her out. She was so sure

that the door was not locked and her mum will arrive in front of her bed, waking her

up......Another day will finally start.

Sandy is sober now, but she was just reluctant to wake until the smell of breakfast awakens

her and brought her some sort of energetic force to wake up.
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"Are you sleeping well last night? Last night I came back to you to check whether you are

asleep or not. Your even breath shows you fell in asleep for sure." Jade smiled in front of Sandy's

bed, trying to wake her up gently.

"Oh, please. I want to sleep. For one minute!"

"Nope. You should wake up. Breakfast is already prepared." Sandy's mum saw Sandy's

slender body; her tears were revolving in her eye socket.

Sandy rubbed her eyes, full of laziness but still saw through her mother's eye expression.

She hoped one day she could change the situation.

The bright sunshine comes into the window, casting a bunch of light onto the floor. The W-

shape bookshelves are all around the tiny little space. The white ladders and cylinders support

from the floor to the cylinder. Various people pass through each alleyway and quickly scan

around, finding the books they want to fetch. The alleyways are infinite without even a glance of

look. Every emerald lamp is shining except the one in the corner with the shadow of a girl with a

tiny ponytail.

Through her thick glass, she felt overwhelmed by the crowd and abundant categories of the

book The Brave New World, The Great Gatsby...... Through the lens of the spectacle frame, a

different view of the whole world shines. You can try a thick glass spectacle shines. People

passed through her. For her, it seems like nobody ever exists. The book is the only source she

can ever grab. Picking out a piece of the book and open it, the whole colorful picture appears in

front of her. Walking along the alleyway, Sandy lower her head and grab the rubber ban gently.

Long black hair moves swiftly in front of her, leaving a sense of vagueness. Everything seems to
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be dull, and a massive stone slowly dragged her deep down into the ocean as the light in the

alleyway quickly went out.

'' What happens to you？,'' said Sandy in her deep soul, '' Are you trapped by yourself？.''

'' No, there is a whole bunch of pieces of stuff you can manage to do and help you grow up.''

She looked up to the sky while the person with a sharp-eye looked down on to the feet.

She is so confused and even could not stop thinking about other kinds of stuff.

Sandy walked in the lonely dark alleyway and shouted to herself that, '' Be strong and not

afraid and try something new and exciting every day. ''

Sandy then met a policewoman. She said to me whether you have a dream or not. The

policewomen then took out a pair of teddy bears, wearing a police officer's suit. The white and

brown fur seems very fluffy, and both of the eyes are shinning, trying to communicate with that

little girl.

‘’Close your eyes and take a breath.‘’ The policewomen said to Sandy.

The teddy bear is extremely warm, and Sandy feels the clouds and wind are floating beside

her, and little breeze whipped.

Sandy closed her eyes and slowly sent it to another strange world. In the other world, Sandy

met a series of exciting friends. It used to be our playground where we are kicking the football

and having night exercises—mottled shadows and trees beside her. Once the great sunshine

brings her different feelings, and little creepers climb all over the north tower. Once the Boston

ivy was grown by herself, and now it grows all over a green wall. Another wall becomes flos
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albizia, which full of newborn buds. Seeing through those new-born livings, they have a dream

and ambition.

‘’ Hi, Sandy！ Stop dreaming those dark and unrealistic things. I can take you to a magical

place. Let's go.''

‘’What？......I am not quite sure.‘’ Sandy said

''I think you will be interested in that place.'' Sandy and the policewoman slowly went

through the teaching buildings. They arrive at another modern building.

"Is it a place for people to enjoy reading or doing other homework？," Sandy thinks.

''This is your library, both bright and modern.'' the policewomen smiled.

Sandy walked towards another computer and found out different ranges of an electronic

book, and you can be able to find the book extremely quickly. Once I was a bookkeeper, these

things are not automatic, which takes lots of time and energy to research.

''Changes are happening all over the world. It is not that difficult to change your mind and

behavior. Look through the window. Everything is so beautiful. You can have your mental state

and keep in touch with different people.''

.......

Sandy was brought back away from her dream again. She felt the gentle breeze after the

raining day as well as the sunshine. Sandy quickly ran back to her house and hung her mom. She

felt like life is so beautiful to cherish. Although every day seems to be so boring and normal as

she used to think. Monday to Friday, but there were way more exciting things for her to discover
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This story seems unfinished. It is less than the minimum word count and there are a

number of issues that could have been cleared up through proofreading or peer review that don’t

seem to have been addressed, including a significant number of grammatical issues, formatting

issues, and a lack of clarity to the characters. Most of the experience of reading this story is

confusion. It’s not clear how dialogue connects to itself or what the storyline is intended to be. It

seems to be a story about an internal conflict, but there doesn’t seem to be a basis for this conflict

or the information necessary for the reader to understand what is going on.