Imaginations
     
    
   
   
    
     
      Halloween
      is
      getting
      closer.
      Wouldn’t
      it
      be
      nice
      to
     
     
      be
      able
      to
      read
      some
      Halloween
      stories?
      If
      you
     
     
      have
      spooky
      tales
      you
      want
      to
      tell,
      you
      are
     
     
      welcome
      to
      submit
      your
      stories
      to
      this
      Magazine.
     
     
      Your
      stories
      should
      approximately
      be
      1000
      words
     
     
      maximum
      in
      length.
      For
      legal
      reasons,
      you
      must
     
     
      tell
      me
      your
      name
      and
      state
      if
      you
      wish
      to
      remain
     
     
      anonymous.
      You
      can
      send
      your
      submissions
     
     
      through
      the
      vax
      account
      to
      GEM,
      or
      you
      can
      drop
     
     
      by
      the
      GEM
      office
      down
      in
      Main
      Building
      and
      give
     
     
      them
      to
      me.
      I
      look
      forward
      to
      reading
      your
      stories.
     
    
   
   
    
     
      Kheng-Wee
     
     
      Fiction
      Editor
     
    
   
   
    
     
      Child
     
     
      By
      Heather
      J.
      Morrison
     
    
   
   
    
     
      His
      name
      is
      Joshua.
      He
      is
      seven
      years
      old.
      His
      life
     
    

    
     
      seems
      so
      easy;
      everything
      is
      an
      adventure.
      When
     
     
      I
      look
      at
      him,
      I
      see
      the
      future
      and
      what
      I
      used
      to
     
     
      be.
      For
      the
      most
      part
      he
      really
      doesn’t
      care
      what
     
     
      I
      think.
      I
      am
      a
      means
      to
      an
      end;
      the
      one
      who
     
     
      breaks
      down
      and
      buys
      him
      a
      treat,
      even
      when
      we
     
     
      both
      know
      he
      doesn’t
      deserve
      it.
      I
      am
      a
      pot
      hole
     
     
      in
      the
      road
      of
      life,
      and
      he
      simply
      looks
      for
      ways
      to
     
     
      drive
      around
      me.
     
    
   
   
    
     
      Joshua
      likes
      to
      spend
      his
      time
      killing
      invisible
     
     
      enemies,
      (the
      kind
      who
      kicks
      you
      in
      the
      "privates"
     
     
      when
      you
      aren’t
      looking),
      or
      wrestling
      on
      the
      lawn
     
     
      with
      his
      comrades,
      who
      are
      also
      looking
      out
      for
     
     
      sneaky
      foe.
      He
      learned
      his
      technique
      from
      the
     
     
      Ninga
      Turtles.
      He
      loves
      those
      turtles
      more
      han
      life
     
     
      itself.
      I
      should
      congratulate
      the
      world’s
      creative
     
     
      geniuses
      on
      being
      so
      good
      at
      marketing
      the
      useless.
     
    
   
   
    
     
      Girls
      are
      only
      essential
      to
      his
      life
      when
      he
      feels
      he
     
     
      has
      to
      protect
      them.
      That
      is,
      when
      they
      fit
      into
      his
     
     
      world
      of
      heroics.
      Mostly
      though,
      they
      are
      a
      threat.
     
     
      If
      he
      speaks
      to
      one,
      his
      pals
      automatically
      say
      he
     
     
      is
      in
      LOVE.
      He
      has
      spent
      the
      better
      part
      of
      his
      life
     
     
      trying
      to
      be
      the
      opposite
      of
      everyone
      else
      in
      our
     
    
   
   
    
     
      house.
      Except
      for
      him,
      we
      are
      all
      females.
      Joshua
     
     
      says
      its
      "not
      easy
      being
      the
      only
      boy!"
     
    
   
   
    
     
      When
      it
      rains,
      most
      people
      think
      "wet".
      He
     
     
      becomes
      excited
      as
      he
      waits
      for
      a
      rainbow
      to
     
     
      appear.
      Humidity
      is
      great
      because
      it’s
      an
      excuse
      to
     
     
      go
      to
      the
      beach.
      The
      first:
      snowfall
      makes
      the
     
     
      world
      so
      soft
      and
      clean
      that
      he
      has
      to
      eat
      pieces
      of
     
     
      it:
      He
      knows
      enough
      not
      to
      eat
      the
      yellow
      stuff
     
     
      but
      just
      to
      be
      funny,
      he
      will
      try
      to
      trick
      you
      into
      it.
     
    
   
   
    
     
      The
      kid
      does
      his
      damnedest
      to
      challenge
      me.
      He
     
     
      questions
      all
      "grown
      ups"
      actions
      and_
      their
     
     
      motivations.
      "They
      should
      put
      traffic
      lights
      a
      the
     
    
   
   
    
     
      _airport
      (intersection).
      Especially
      since
      the
      guy
      on
     
    
   
   
    
     
      the
      radio
      said
      there
      were
      gourteen
      accidents
      there
     
     
      this
      summer.
      They'll
      probably
      wait
      ’till
      98
      people
     
     
      ge
      killed
      before
      they
      do
      anything."
      When
      I
      look
      at
     
     
      him,
      I
      think
      that
      grown-ups
      must
      seem
      pretty
     
     
      stupid
      to
      him.
     
    
   
   
    
     
      Sometimes
      Joshua
      worries.
      He
      worries
      that
      all
      his
     
     
      friends
      will
      die;
      that
      someone
      will
      come
      in
      the
     
    
   
   
    
     
      middle
      of
      the
      night
      and
      steal
      his
      bike;
      that
      he
      will
     
    
   
   
    
     
      grow
      up
      and
      have
      to
      fight
      in
      the
      Persian
      Gulf,
      in
     
     
      a
      war
      he
      didn’t
      start.
      He
      worries
      about
      the
      bike
      in
     
     
      spite
      of
      the
      fact
      that
      he
      seldom
      remembers
      to
      put
     
     
      it
      in
      the
      shed
      where
      it
      belongs.
      Somehow
      that
     
     
      really
      doesn’t
      matter,
      because,
      the
      bottom
      line
      is
     
     
      that
      he
      can’t
      understand
      why
      anyone
      would
     
     
      purposely
      make
      him
      sad.
     
    
   
   
    
     
      Joshua
      knows
      thathis
      bile
      can
      go
      "speedier"
      than
     
     
      any
      car.
      Espially
      on
      hills.
      New
      sneakers
      are
      faster
     
     
      than
      old
      ones.
      Morning
      will
      get-here
      sooner
      if
      you
     
     
      go
      to
      bed
      early.
      He
      also
      knows
      that
      life
      isn’t
     
     
      always
      easy.
      The
      day
      I
      had
      my
      dog
      put
      to
      sleep
     
     
      was
      a
      very
      traumaatic
      experience
      for
      Joshua.
      We
     
     
      held
      a
      funeral
      and
      buried
      the
      dog
      at
      a
      friend’s
     
     
      farm.
      After
      we
      had
      finished
      filling
      in
      the
      grave,
     
     
      Joshua
      sat
      at
      the
      foot
      of
      it,
      crossed
      legged,
      and
     
     
      sobbed
      "this
      is
      the
      worst
      day
      of
      my
      whole,
      hard
     
     
      life".
      This
      may
      sound
      rather
      funny
      coming
      from
      a
     
     
      seven
      year
      old,
      but
      Joshua
      never
      says
      anything
      he
     
    
   
   
    
     
       
     
    
   
   
    
     
      October
      4,
      1990
     
    
   
   
    
     
      Page
      28