August Taylor moves to rainy Willow Creek to take a teaching job. A place where death looms in dark corners and wolves roam at night. The young teacher questions himself when a student takes a liking to him. And the more time he spends in the town...
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nov. 14
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The Saturday after Halloween I woke up in my bed. Not that it wasn't what I expected. The moment acted as more of a conformation that my experience was a dream. Everything was as I left it. An half-empty bottle of whiskey sat near the couch, the sliding glass door was locked, and three cinnamon rolls were tucked neatly in the fridge. Despite that, I couldn't put my finger on what it all meant. The oversized wolf that often appeared in my dreams. My first theory would be that my fear of what happened to Mr. Stuart affected my dreams. But the wolf never hurt me, instead it seemed attached to me in a way.
Two weeks had passed since Halloween. The weather was getting progressively colder as the days creeped towards fall and winter break. The grass lightly frosted in the mornings and your breath made small puffs of fog in the air. I thought I'd be used to this weather for the most part, but the lack of sun made it even more difficult to bear. If my quickly forming depression was anything to go by, I needed to get used to it.
The students began to act different too. Half of them gained an odd burst of energy as the breaks came closer. The other half became more tired. Despite that, their writing had improved as a whole. I couldn't help but be surprised at the quality they were turning in, it made me proud.
We had just finished a unit on writing dynamic stories to get them ready for their mid-term projects. Remember the ending, was voted the most important part of the section. To write in such a way that your story is more of a circle than a line.
"Thats not how that works." Sierra said from her seat at the table.
"Actually, that is how it works." Alex retorted,
We were currently in the break room for our lunch break. Sierra and Alex were arguing about if it was acceptable to start watching Christmas movies in November.
I met Alex formally for the first time a week ago. I had seen the teacher from afar but it seemed we never really crossed paths. When I met him he apologized for not greeting me sooner. Alex or as the students called him Mr. Harrison, was the science teacher. He taught everything from life science to physics.
I had already learned a lot about him as the three of us got closer. For one, he was a germaphobe, constantly disinfecting his utensils and his classroom. And two, his mind was like no other I had seen before. It was like an encyclopedia. Alex was older than both Sierra and I, having turned twenty-eight before the school year started.
"How are you gonna start watching Christmas movies when Thanksgiving hasn't even happened yet." Sierra gestured with her hands like there was an imaginary calendar in front of her.
"It's like pre-gaming, you have to get in the spirit before Christmas season even starts. It's efficient." He disputed.
Sierra laughed loudly at his passion and continued to eat her food.
