Descriptive Essay

Pounding footsteps erupt in a looming forest of darkness. I remain numb to the freezing wind and branches that scorch my skin and I become fearful again. Winter bites into my flesh like shattered glass in a kaleidoscope of horror while its white crystals plunge from the dark sky, shining brightly against the shadows of the tall evergreens. My footsteps drown all of them out, leaving only a vague blur—the remains of my world underneath the weight of indifference. The monster is behind me,…

I’m bathed in neon, green spilling through the leaves above my head. The color comes not from lights or signs but from sunlight pouring its hot rays down upon the Canadian forest. I’m sweating, beads of liquid streaking down my dirty face. Every other second I hear the buzz of incoming mosquitos like tiny fighter jets preparing for an airstrike, thrumming. The trail beneath my damp sneakers is compact despite the previous days’ rains. My watch beeps, and I fish it out of my breast pocket…

The monotonous sound of the saw echoes through the crisp morning air. The sweet scent of soil, combined with sawdust, overwhelms me. I breathe out, igniting the sawdust into dance. The macrocarpa sleeper lays up on its side, now missing a limb. A blur of brown and green clouds my field of vision only halted by the freshly cut sleeper. The sound of the drill now has taken over from the saw, wounding the sleeper further. I look up into the grey, misty clouds for a moment, their grey faces furious,…

A Cheerleading Performer: Before the music starts your blood rushes through your veins like a shark about to catch its prey. The anticipation to hit the routine is like no other feeling. The voices of your opponents racing through your head telling you “you aren’t good enough’ and to “quit while your ahead.” This is it all or nothing. Leave it all on the floor. The music starts, back handspring step out round off back layout twist. Nailed it. Quickly dart across the mat to get to left panel…

When you are swimming, it is much harder to remember and do all of these things without getting exhausted, and divisions is where it is really put to the test. With each movement I can feel the water flowing around and through my body, its coldness causing goosebumps to form on my arms and legs. While swimming, I get kicked by other swimmers on accident, and sometimes these kicks leave bright red splotches on my thighs. My skin tightens in the water as it dries up, creating raisin-like…

Itching for adventure before temperatures plummet, days darken, and vibrant leaves vanish to grey? We’ve got you covered - Quench the upcoming cabin fever by hitting one of these five fall-tastic spots. 1.) Asheville Visitors journey from around the globe to glimpse at Asheville’s lovely changing foliage, and its natural beauty clarifies why. Hazed in early morning fog, then enriched by dusk’s glow, the nature found in Asheville mystifies trekkers’ hearts autumn after autumn. Depending on…

As massive as the ocean is, seemingly incomparable in power to any other natural force, it dwindled in authority this evening. At the command of a deep, hearty, quaking thunder, a powerful concussion I felt through my legs milliseconds before the deafening roar commanded the attention of every beach goer in attendance that evening. The puffy white, cumulus clouds that formed giant pillows in the clear, sapphire blue skies, seemed to flee to find shelter, moving out hastily to provide space…

This is Ryan writing from the trenches of WWI. We are occupied daily with the harsh conditions that we have to call our homes. Head lice in this place is spreading quickly. Everyone I know has a case of serious itch and are crawling with lice. The weather has been variable the last few weeks. The grayness of the clouds and the monotony of the sky perfectly exemplify our attitude to keep fighting. The humidity in the air lets you know to prepare for the rain storm in the near future. The rain is…

Pitching a tent without poles is a difficult task; sleeping in one for a week is even harder. The wind blows at the feeble attempt of shelter, constantly swaying the loose tarp scrappily tied between two trees. The rain seeps down through ill-positioned window flaps to create a permeating dankness. The supposed place of refuge from wilderness becomes a suffocating box as the canvas slowly collapses and sinks to the ground. Of course, prior preparation and remembering to bring along the poles can…

As I watch the foreboding clouds approach and the wind whipping the tops of the towering pines, I huddled beneath a sturdy bush. The celerity of the currents increased rapidly and it looked as if the smallest of the waves were topped with white caps. The thick bush did not shield me from the thrashing sprays of the river. As the winds accelerated, I heard a sudden crash and the ground beneath my wet paws rumbled. I was overcome with a wave of fear and curiosity as I went to see what had made the…