Zoe Pierce

Tory thought he had let everybody down. He thought he was the most revolting thing in the world and didn’t get to have people like him. So he just stayed out of the way. He lives in an old house close to a pier. Every night he goes out with his lantern and watches for a schooner that delivers people from allover the world-legally or not. He feels that if it makes people happy that it will make up for not staying in touch with his family, not having friends, dropping out of school.

Tonight Tory went out again to let the schooner on the pier. He brought his lantern but didn’t light it yet. Soon, he got to the farthest point people were aloud to go. Then, Tory waved his lantern three times and waited. About, four minutes later, the schooner was seen in a distance. It silently came to the pier and its passengers got off and then disappeared into the darkness. There were many types of people. 6 big strong looking people, 2 couples one of them with what looked like a new born baby and the other just a teenage couple, 6 little boys, 7 little girls, and 5 families. Tory watched them leave in grief.

Tory walked back to his home in the damp night. He had put out his lantern and walked up the steps of his front porch. His hand slipped into the pocket of his coat and brought big, load, rusty key chain out. The man opened the door, got ready for bed and went to sleep.

That very next day Tory awoke at the sound of a moving truck. The unpleasant house next door had been abandoned for years, no one really knew what happened to the people who lived there, but it was more that they didn’t care. Now Tory wasn’t a short-tempered person, only when something interrupted his sleep. He decided he would have nothing to do with his neighbors (since they interrupted his sleep pattern, but he would have had nothing to do with them anyway)-although it was hard not to spy on them from his bathroom window.

After finding out that his neighbors was a family of three, a little boy about 5,6, or 7, a young mother with another kid coming, and a well groomed father maybe a couple years older than his wife, he went and got dressed and started his way downstairs. His doorbell rang. Once he got to his front door, he opened it to see that the little boy was standing there with a tray of food. “Hi! My daddies said to give this to you!” said the boy. “Daddies?” pondered Tory.
“Yes”
“But I saw your mom.”
“No, that was Auntie Linda”
“Oh, um, thanks.”
“I’m Paul.”
“That’s lovely.”
Tory pushed passed him and headed to his car. He thought to himself how much he was embarrassed for judging so fast.

“Don’t you want your food sir?” asked the boy. Tory hurriedly came back, grabbed the mushy food from Paul, put it on the table and went out and slammed the door behind. “Sir, it has to be refrigerated.” Tory’s anger started to boil, but he went back inside to put it in the refrigerator. “What’s your name?” asked Paul, but before Tory could answer a different man that Tory didn’t see before came out. “Paul, didn’t I tell you just to give him the food?” “Sorry” said Paul turning his head down to the ground. “Hello, I’m John,” he said holding his hand to Tory. Tory shook it. “My mate, George, is in there,” John said pointing to the house. Tory nodded. “Well, I or Paul, didn’t mean to keep you waiting, see you around neighbor.” “It’s Tory.” John smiled and nodded. Tory walked off to his car and soon drove away.

After many more days, Tory became good friends with Paul, John, Linda, and George. He found out more about them. Like, the reason Linda was living there. One, she thought that they needed a woman in the house, and two, George and John worked full time jobs and needed someone to watch Paul after school. Paul had started to call Tory Captain Tory now because of what Tory would wear (what a captain of a ship would wear) and where he lived (by the water). On one night he invited the family to his house. After dinner he and Paul went out for a walk.

Captain Tory grabbed his lantern. “Where are we going?” asked Paul. “You will see,” said Captain Tory. It was a foggy night. Captain Tory was worried if they would see the signal. They went to the farthest spot they could go. He swung his lantern 3 times and slowly the schooner appeared. “Whoa!” said Paul. Captain Tory kneeled down so he was eye to eye with Paul. “Now Paulie, you have to listen to me, I’m going to leave you here just for a second, you are not to go anywhere, okay?” commanded Captain. “Yes captain!” said with a big smile on his face. Tory smiled back.

Tory walked toward the pier and people started to scramble off the schooner like they did every night. This time Tory went on the boat. He went to the captain’s cabin. Captain Tory opened the door. A scruffy old guy sat in there. “Hello Tory,” he said. “Hello Captain Richard,” said Tory. “What’s up?” he asked. “Well, I can’t do this job anymore,” said Captain Tory. Richard said, “But you know it’s very helpful.” “I know, it’s just I have a life now,” said Captain Tory.

“Hi Captain!” said Paul. “Hey Paul, you ready to go back?” asked Tory. “Yep.”

Day 2: So today I went out sledding. Seriously, these kids are fat. I’m going to crack under pressure. Now I don’t know what to do because I overheard what the weather is going to be like. MORE snow. Heavier too.

Day 3: Is there such thing as snow burn? Well you know like rope burn and rug burn? If you were a sled you would know what snow burn feels like. It happens every single year. I guess the people wax me sometimes and that feels good. That doesn’t happen too much. Want to know what else is horrid? A sanding. Sometimes my wood frays, but how is that my fault? Well they take out this paper that looks pretty flimsy. Right? It is made out of sand. But they rub it all over me. This freaking hurts! What the heck???? Some people just got some issues…

Day 4: Not today, not ever. I know I am going to break. There is a huge crack in me, so I don’t get why they don’t throw me away.

Day 5: I’m so jealous. Yeah I know it’s not good to be jealous, but still. They got a new sled! It’s plastic! Who would want a plastic sled anyway? It is bright pink. Who wants a bright pink plastic sled? That’s surely going to break faster than me. This family has had me for 6 years! They can’t just throw me away! After all we have been through! Seriously. Maybe it was all that complaining I did? I TAKE IT ALL BACK!

Day 6: Depression. Now I know what it feels like. I overheard the humans that they are going to throw me out. I guess I will never talk to you again. Diary, you’re my best friend. Well goodbye…

-John Lennon