CREATIVE

WRITING

E-PORTFOLIO
Modjeska Esteinne Sarte
Grade 12 – HUMSS
 UNIT I :

DRABBLE
 HOURGLASS

Nothing is more dangerous than a beautiful thing. It captivates

you and dares you to obtain it. I love beautiful things, so when I saw
an Arabian oryx in the distance, I didn’t hesitate to chase it.

It’s been a day since then. My head is pounding from the heat,
my mouth dryer than this desert. I still have my camera, but the subject
of my vlog long forgotten. I’ve been wandering aimlessly in the hopes
to find an oasis, but with no luck. If this place was a giant hourglass,
then I’m sure I was running out of time.
 UNIT II :

FREEVERSE
POEM
Things That Make Me Smile

When the sun is bright

And the sky is clear
I smile in delight
My heart full of cheer.

When I eat a meal,

The satisfaction is real.
Or when I am with my friends,
Our laughter never ends.

These things lift me up

Whenever I feel down.
You should spend your day
Doing things that make you smile.
 UNIT III :

VILLANELLE
 FULL MOON
Tonight, nothing is amiss
The moon is shining its light
Can you see how bright it is?
The silent streets fill me with ease
It does not bring about any plight
Tonight, nothing is amiss
Like a glimmer in the middle of an
abyss
A ball of reflected sunlight
Can you see how bright it is?
When we shared a midnight’s kiss
It gave my heart delight
Tonight, nothing is amiss
The quiet night makes me reminisce
Of savory dinners in glowing
candlelight
Can you see how bright it is?
Drawing parallels to a night in Paris
Living the life of a traipsing
socialite
Tonight, nothing is amiss
Can you see how bright it is?
 UNIT IV :

FLASH
FICTION
 DEVOLUTION

High rates of killing or other forms of violence are not inevitable, and there is much variation among
societies and over time. But overall tendencies are clear: compared with other primates, we practice
exceptionally low levels of violence in our day-to-day lives, yet we achieve exceptionally high rates of
death from violence in our wars. That discrepancy is the goodness paradox. pg 30

“Steph, it’s almost 7:00 am! Stop reading that book and start getting ready!” my mom shouted.

I sighed and put down Richard Wrangham’s The Goodness Paradox, my latest addiction. I lumbered
down the stairs as the morning news blared from the radio.

“…near Barangay Taloto last night. The victim had scratch marks all over his body and a huge rip in
the stomach, as if he was bitten by something. The police says that it could only be the doing of a wild animal,
such as a wolf…”

“How could it be a wolf? There are no wolves here,” my mom pondered absentmindedly, busy
ironing her clothes.

“It was probably just a stray dog,” my dad replied while sipping his morning coffee.

Wolves are different from dogs. However much you tame a wolf, it will not become domesticated.
After years of behaving well, a wolf can suddenly and unpredictably forget its training. You should
not trust wild animals, because they are all too reactively aggressive. pg 55

“And that ends our discussion for today, you are all dismissed.” Professor Gallo closed his laptop
and a chorus of goodbye professor!’s sound in the room. My classmates shouldered their bags and left the
room one by one.

Professor Gallo taught anthropology— my favorite subject, therefore by extension, making him my
favorite professor. I’m pretty sure that I was his favorite student, too. I fixed my things and hurriedly
approached him before he goes. “Professor!”

He looked up from his work and greeted me with a smile. “Hello, Ms. Vega. What can I do for you
today?”

Aside from being the professor of my favorite subject, Professor Gallo was also kindhearted,
approachable, and intelligent. I’ve learned so much from him from the short time he’s been teaching our
class.

“I’ve been reading the book you lent me, and it mentioned how humans were similar to dogs in the
way that they’re both domesticated compared to other primates and canines respectively… but what if we
humans become undomesticated?” I asked curiously.

“Well, there would be a mass killing, for sure,” he chuckled. “You see, Ms. Vega, wolves are agressive
no matter what. If humans devolved to that mental capacity, then I’m sure you’re smart enough to know what
will happen.”

“Do you think that would ever happen, though? A devolution?” I asked again.

“Do you?” He countered, eyes glinting.

I went home even more confused than I was when I left.

When I arrived, I saw my dad sitting on the couch watching the news.

“Another death similar to the one last night occured in Tubigon this morning. The victim, a 27 year
old woman who was on her way to work, was discovered with similar wounds and bite marks.” The reporter
said.

“Another one?” I sat next to my dad in astonishment. He nodded.

 “It might be the same dog but how could it have reached Tubigon that quickly?” My dad wondered.

“It could be a different dog. Maybe it’s some sort of seasonal thing?” I suggested.

“Maybe,”

But in any mammal’s life, there is a predictable change as it grows older, more mobile, and less likely
to be protected by its mother. It becomes more easily frightened and then, as a response, more
aggressive. At an age that varies across species, a fear response kicks in. pg 182

It’s been a few weeks and the killings have gotten worse. It makes the dark streets even more chilling.
At least I have the streetlights to keep me company tonight.

From the distance, I see a silhouette of a man near a tree. I felt fear momentarily until the figure
crouched down and I was filled with concern instead.

I walked closer to him. “Excuse me, are you okay?” I asked softly so I wouldn’t scare him. He
remained in his position.

Seconds passed and the man hasn’t moved an inch. I placed a hand on his shoulder. “Hey—,”

He whipped his head to my direction and let out a thunderous growl. I stumbled back in shock.

“I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to—,” I was silenced when his face was made clearer by the streetlight. The
man had a face full of hair, a pair of canines, and bright, yellow eyes. He stood up. He was at least 3 feet taller
than me and had sharp, claw-like nails.

I stalked backwards and tripped on a rock. I picked it up and threw it at the man. It hit his head but
that only made him angrier.

He let out another growl and barreled towards me. I was too stunned to make any other move than
flinch and clutch my book closer to my chest.

I waited but the pain never came. I slowly opened my eyes and saw him standing still, his eyes on the
book I was holding.

The man suddenly ran in the opposite direction. My eyes could only follow his retreating figure and
I averted them towards the book.

The Goodness Paradox: The Strange Relationship Between Virtue and Violence in Human
Evolution.

My body moved on its own. Before I knew it, I was standing in front of Professor Gallo’s office.

I banged the door and it opened to his haggard appearance. “Ms.—,”

I cut him off and explained what happened earlier. His face went grave.

“We must burn the book.”

Thick and grey smoke wafted to the sky that night and hopefully, it brings with it the devolution of
humankind.

A year , and everyone has recovered. Those who have lost their loved ones are still grieving, but the
threat is gone at last.
 UNIT V :

ONE-ACT
PLAY SCRIPT
 Percy Jackson: The Race Against Time

CHARACTERS:
PERCY JACKSON - A Science geek, clumsy, and overly ambitious. He wants to prove that
time-travelling is real.

ANUBIS - The Egyptian God of Death

SPHINX - The guardian of the tomb

MARY JOY AND JANNA - Friends of Percy Jackson

SETTINGS:
MODERN WORLD

ANCIENT EGYPT

ACT I
SCENE 1:

[Right after class, Percy’s two friends wait for him in the hallway. Upon his arrival, Percy
overheard his two friends talking about how he's obsessed with Science and proving that
time-travelling is actually real.]

Mary Joy: [crossing her arms, leaning on the wall] Aren’t you sick and tired of him
blabbering about Science? As if that’s like the only subject we have for this semester?

Janna: [scoffs, rolling her eyes] Yeah, tell me about it. We have like 8 subjects per day and
that’s the only subject he talks about. No wonder why he’s failing all the other subjects.

Mary Joy: [laughs] I know, right? I’m pretty sure he’s got our Science teacher annoyed with
the whole “time-travelling is actually real and I’m going to prove it one day”. Like, who is he
fooling with?

Percy: Well, I’m not fooling anyone. And time-travelling is actually real, I just need to prove
it. I’ve been doing the calculations for the past five months, and I’m getting really close.

Mary Joy and Janna: [turns their head around in unison] SHUT UP!

Mary Joy: God, will we ever have a day where you don’t talk about time-travelling?

Janna: It’s not real. No one has proven it’s real and neither can you, so let’s just talk about
something else or we all go home.

Percy: Let’s go home. I don’t care about what you think. I know that I can tamper with space
and time if I finish and do my calculations.

[Mary Joy and Janna roll their eyes at Percy as they walk away from him. Percy then gives
them a mischievous smile while waving goodbye.]

SCENE 2:
[Percy arrives home, and starts finishing his calculations. When he has everything figured
out, he starts rebuilding this tiny machine that’s capable of ripping a hole through time and
space, distorting the stability of spacetime. Due to unfortunate circumstances, everything
goes the wrong way and Percy dies from it.]

Percy: I’m no fool, I shall prove to them that I’m right; that time traveling does exist.

Percy: [sounds of the machine working and glowing] YES! It’s finally working. Now I can
tell them that time-travell— [the machine explodes and Percy dies]

SCENE 3:

[Percy wakes up and realizes he’s in the underworld. As he makes his way through the
underworld, he meets Anubis, the Egyptian God of Death.]

Percy: [jaw drops] WOAH! WHO ARE YOU?! YOU LOOK SO COOL!

Anubis: [confused] You find the God of Death cool? Well, that’s a bit absurd.

Percy: [gets shocked, frantically looking around] Wait, I’m dead? I thought I was dreaming.
This is actually the Underworld? Like, I’m actually in hell with all the other dead souls?

Anubis: [holds out a scroll] Yeah, you got that all right. You’re a smart kid. But you died too
early due to being a Science geek? Tampering with space and time, huh?

Percy: So, the one thing that I loved actually killed me? That’s ironic.

Anubis: Which is why I’m here to offer you a second-chance at life. But you have to retrieve
one of my prized possessions from the Sphinx in order for me to bring you back to life.

Percy: And what is that? A cane?

Anubis: Yeah, something like that, it’s called an ankh. You have to retrieve it before your
friends find your dead body and you’ll be officially pronounced dead.

Percy: [holds his hand out to Anubis to shake hands] Alright, challenge accepted. So
where’s the way to the Sphinx?

Anubis: I’ll transport you to Ancient Egypt. I can’t come with you; you have to do this on
your own. The answer to the Sphinx’s riddle lies in what you always see.

Percy: Huh? What riddle? You didn’t say— [gets transported to Ancient Egypt]

SCENE 4:

[Percy has been transported to Ancient Egypt. He then goes through all the traps and
puzzles until he has come face to face with the Sphinx. On his way to the Sphinx, maps,
compass, and directions were always present.]

Percy: Oh, so you’re the Sphinx. Well, Anubis sent me here and told me that what you’re
holding right there is his, so can you give it back?

Sphinx: [raises the ankh] I don’t give things up so easily. I see you made your way through
here pretty fast than most other challengers did.

Percy: [smiles to himself] It was quite easy. You didn’t have any guards or minions to attack
me, so, it was like going through a maze minus the near-death experience.

Sphinx: Hm, that’s true. You’re smart, strategically. But I don’t know if you’re smart when it
comes to paying close attention to your surroundings. So, here’s a riddle for you; if you get
this right, you get to leave with this cane and if you don’t, you’re stuck with me for all
eternity.

Percy: [challenges Sphinx] Alright, then. Bring it on.

Sphinx: I have cities, but no houses. I have mountains, but no trees. I have water, but no
fish. What am I?

Percy: [smiles sheepishly and panics a little] Okay, that is actually hard. I should’ve paid
attention to English class this year; we tackled riddles. Come on, brain, work.

Sphinx: [grew tired of waiting for Percy] You have to give me your answer in 5. 4, 3—

Percy: [realizes and remembers the key to finding the answer] The answer to the riddle lies
in what I always saw on my way here. I saw compasses, directions. Oh, the answer’s a map!
It’s a map, that’s what the riddle is about.

Sphinx: [Irritated] Kind of a slowpoke, but you got it right. Here’s the cane. Tell Anubis to
not leave it unattended again, I have a thing for shiny things.

Percy: [gives out a victorious smile] Thank you! Now I can finally get out of here, see you
around!

SCENE 5:

[Percy gets transported back to Anubis. He looks so proud of himself and seems excited to
come back and start again what ended him]

Anubis: Ah, so you got my cane back. I thought the Sphinx got a hold of you.

Percy: Nope, I’m all in one piece. Is everything settled, can I actually leave now?

Anubis: [pats him on the back] Yeah, but promise me one thing: please don’t die in a silly
way again. Find another thing to prove. You’ve proven this one. Time-travelling is real, kid.
It’s real to those who believe.

Percy: Aw, thanks. Bye, Mr. Death! Don’t come for me, it’s too soon.

[Percy is resurrected. He wakes up in the same place where he died; everything is a mess.
But luckily, all the horrendous blood that must’ve scattered, magically cleaned itself; but
the important thing is that he was alive again.]

Percy: Alright, time to rebuild this machine again.

THE END