Dear Warren

Warren worked for the army. But one, fateful summer, he took leave and returned home to visit with his mother. That summer was the summer that would change Warren's life forever. That summer he met Taylor Thomas. A beautiful, local girl who lived near the beach.

As the summer went on, Taylor and Warren grew closer and before they knew it was time for Warren to leave and return to the army. But even though they were physically a long way apart, they were closer than ever in their minds, and every night, with out fail, they would appear in each other's dreams.

Over the months the two were apart, they wrote letters to one another as if it were a religion. Before they knew it, they were together at last, and happy than ever.

Tim's Talent

Tim loved to draw. Drawing was his way of expressing himself. Just like some people's ways might be to write or draw or garden. But Tim's way of expression was to draw. He draw everything from portraits to landscapes, cartoons.

One day, on Tim's birthday, some one very important, very special came to his party. The owner of an art gallery. He saw Tim's work, in frames all over the house and decided to speak to Tim about having some of it put up at his gallery. A special exhibit. It would have Tim's story and Tim's works, and the story's of the artworks.

So the gallery owner set off around the house in search of Tim. He found him, mingling in the loungeroom. "Tim?" He tapped at Tim's arm. "Can I have a word?" "Yeah. Sure." Said Tim turning around. "Excuse me a moment." He said to the people he'd been mingling with and followed the gallery owner out into the hall. "My name is Howard Bennet. I'm the owner of the Brookedale Gallery downtown." Howard began. Tim took a deep breath, nervous at what was to come. "I've seen some of your work. I'd like to show it in an exhibition at my gallery." It took a little while for Tim to process exactly what it was Howard was saying. "Oh. Oh Wow!" Tim said slowly, realising what was happening. "Yes! Of course!" Tim agreed.

Two weeks later, the exhibition in Howard's art gallery was opened as Tim's Talent. Hundreds of people went to the grand opening and thousands of people went to see the exhibition itself.

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To my good friend William. Happy 16th.

An Alternative Guide to Family

Erin's first marriage had lasted three months. Eversince then, Erin had wanted one thing. A baby. Eversince Erin was little, all she had wanted was a family. 'Well.' She figured. 'I can't have a husband, but that doesn't mean I can't have a kid.'

So, after 2 years of waiting to see whether it would happen naturally, Erin decided to employ her other option. So, she made an appointment with the local obsterician, and three weeks later, she was inseminated, despite the majority of her family and friends telling her it wasn't a good idea to do it. "You won't look as hot afterwoods." Said one. "Have you seen whst child birth does to your body." Said another one. "Have you seen child birth? It's a darned pain. You go through hell." Her sister told her. But Erin didn't believe a single one of them, nor did she care.

So, a few weeks after she was insaminated, Erin found out the results via a take home pregnancy test. She had been succesful and she was now pregnant. It felt great.

A couple of days later, she met a guy. Derek. He flirted with her, and that night they went out on a date and he ended up spending the night at her place.

As the months passed, Erin grew bigger and bigger. Suprisingly, Derek stayed by her side the whole way through. No matter what, he stuck by Erin the whole time.

Chasing Boys

Isabella was just an ordinary 15 year old. She had a mother, father, a little sister and a pet cat named Ollie. Isabella also had a group of close friends she hung out with at school and out. Emma, Olivia and Sophia. Isabella, or Issie as her friends called her was a normal girl just like any other. Her friends were her world, as was Ollie the cat. Her parents' public displays of affection were annoying, her sister was a bother and being out in public with her parents was plain embarassing.

One Tuesday at noon, Issie and her friends were all sitting down in their usual spot having lunch when who appeared but two boys. Two good looking boys. "Look over there Girls!" Issie whispered, pointing in the direction of the boys. "Ooh!" Emma agreed, following Issie's gaze. "They are cute!" Olivia marveled. "Oh Wow!" Soph druled. "Girls. We have some boy chasing to do!" I announced.

Issie and her friends tried every flirt they knew, every pick up line, every trick. It was only when Issie supposedly lost her cat that she and the younger boy, Jacob. But the only problem is that Jacob is already going out with the mean girl, Ava.

By Issie's birthday, bot Issie and Emma had a boy each as their boyfriend and all was well.

Trapped

Emily was on holidays to Canberra from home, back in the U.K. On this particular day, a fairly miserable, wet day, Emily was visiting Old Parliament. It was around 2 in the afternoon when Emily arrived. She had a keen interest in past politics, parliament and different government methods and such. Emily was 18 and had just left high school and when she finished in Canberra, she would return home and begin studying to be a lawyer.

Emily lingered in each little section of each room, taking in the information, lingering to stare at the pictures and scenes that surrounded her. She was in the Prime Ministers of Australia gallery when it hit five o'clock. Closing time. She was too busy ingesting the information given on Edmond Barton to notice the warning signs and announcments. She had set herself a project. A huge project on the prime ministers of Australia. All the way from Edmond Barton to the current prime minister, Julia Gillard.

By the time Emily thought to check her watch, it was 7:30. She had spent two and a half hours in that galllery alone. She began thinking about where she would go next when it hit her. Old Parliament House had closed for the day.

Emily raced at lighgtning speed down the stairs and to the front doors of the museum. She shook them so hard they rattled and jolted. But they stayed firmly shut. No luck. She was locked in. "Well then." Emily dusted her hands off. Rattling and shaking that door had been hard work. It was definently heavy. "I'll just have to make the most of this." She sighed. "The whole museum to myself and all the time in the world to explore what it holds within it's walls." She cheered up a little and skipped back to the Proime Ministers of Australia gallery.

A while later, Emily was creeping backward through the corridor. It was growing dark now, and Emily was growing scared. The initial excitement of having the museum to herself had long gone and now all poor Emily wanted was to go home. Just as she took another step, further into the deep, dark corridor, she felt something, or rather someone bump against her back. "Argh!" She screamed as she whirled around to face the thing that had hit her. It was screaming too. They both turned to face each other. "I thought I was..." Emily trailed off. "Alone." She and the stranger said, at exactly the same time. The sytranger stepped into the light in the center of the room. It, he was a man. Maybe around her age even. "Hi." He offered, sounding connfused. "Hi." Emily's voice had come out shakier then she had intended. "I'm Bruce." The man offered his hand out to Emily. "Emily." Emily shook Bruce's hand. "Come on." Bruce said. "WE've got to find somewhere to set up camp." "Good idea." Said Emily. Together, the two bounded up the stairs.

A half hour later, Emily and Bruce had set up camp in the chambers of the senate. "So tell me about yourself Emily." Bruce and Emily were lying in sleeping bag arrangments on the floor. They were both lying on their sides to face eachother. "Ok." Said Emily. "Well. I come from London in England, I'm 18 and I'm going to law school next year. My Dad died when I was 6, so now it's just my Mum and 4 sisters. I'm the youngest. The others are Abigail, Belinda, Caroline and Deborah." Emily finished. "Wow. That's quite a past isn't it then." Bruce's mouth, Emily spotted was gaping open. "Now allow me to tell you a little about myself." "Im 19, I live right here in Canberra and I'm studying to be a doctor. Hopefully a personal one for the Prime Minister, opposition leader and their families. You know important people like that?" Emily nodded. Bruce went on. "My Mum lives in Broken Hill, running a farm with my little brother Scott's help. She and Dad are divorced. Dad lives over in Sydney. I visit hinm a bit. Usually go up on weekends." Bruce and Emily talked like this until they fell asleep.

In the morning, at around 9:30, 10 someone came tob open the door. Hearing it, Emily and Bruce ran excitedly toward the door. The elderly lady who had opened the door was shocked at the sight of two people racing toward her like that. "My my!" The lady exclaimed. "We were uh.." Emily trailed off, panting hard. "Locked." Bruce finished for her, panting just as much as Emily was. "Oh dear. Well, I'm terribly sorry about that Dears. Now you can go if you'd like. Or you could stay a while longer." The woman offered. "No." Emily puffed. "Thank you." "We'll just collect our things and go."

New Years Fling

It was New Years Eve and the first year that Maddie had lived on her own, renting an apartment. She was now 19 years old. She was spending her New Years at Sydney Harbour. There were only three hours until 2010. Only three hours left of 2009.

At 9:30, there were the kids fireworks. It was then that Maddie met a guy. "Hi." He greeted her. He was holding someone's hand, Maddie didn't know who. "Hi." Maddie replied. "I'm Maddie." The guy shook her hand. "Elliot." He said. The mystery person tugged at Elliot's coat. "Oh, and this is Rhianna. My sister." "Hello." Maddie bent down to face the small girl. "Hi." She said shyly, turning from side to side. "And how old are you sweet heart?" Maddie asked gently. "I'm 3 and a half." Replied little Rhianna.

Elliot had taken Rhianna back to his parents by 10:30. Maddie and Elliot were alone at last. "Only an hour and a half to go." Elliot commented, looking up at the stars. He reached out for Maddie's hand and she took. They both stood there for a while, holding hands and staring up at the sky, out into the night.

"So, what's your New Years resolution?" Elliot asked after a while, turning to face Maddie. It was very dark now, the night was growing older. "I dont know." Maddie confessed. "I don't know that I have one really. What about you? What's yours?" Maddie asked. "What's mine? What's my what?" Elliot was confused. Maddie was too a little. "Resolution. New Years resolution." Maddie clarryfied. "Oh me? I think I'm the like you in that respect. I don't think I have one." Elliot confessed.

As the twelfth hou hit, the new year hit also. 2009 was now history and there was a new year about town. 2010. And as it hit 11:59, Maddie and Elliot shared a kiss like none neither had ever experienced before.

Neither Maddie or Elliot never saw the other after that fateful night. Both hoped that they would, but neither ever did. It obviously wasn't meant to be. They had swapped phone numbers. Elliot had lost Maddie's, not that she knew. She cried well into the night one night because she thought that Elliot no longer liked her.

To this day, neither Elliot or Maddie have ever seen one another since that New Years Eve.