Another paper for English, and it's allegorical again.

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True Satisfaction

Manny Abano was nostalgic for the days of his youth—a time that seemed light-years away to him. He had been a blithe child, living his life day-by-day with little care about the future. He saw no reason to care; his life had always been good and devoid of hardship and he expected that to continue for the rest of his life.

Unfortunately, he was wrong. He became friends with a group of duplicitous and rebellious boys and soon after, committed burglary, which got him sent to prison for a couple decades. He was finally out of prison, but his life was a mess. He was homeless, and he was often miserably hungry and thirsty, both literally and figuratively. As his stomach ached for food and water, his soul ached for some purpose in his life.

One night he had a dream. He was walking down a seemingly never-ending hallway. On each side of the hallway there were doors, each with a sign with messages such as, “Come here and you will be satisfied” and “Come here and your life will be fixed.” But he saw something sinister about these doors, so as much as he wanted to see what was within them, he walked forward. Eventually, he realized that there was a luminous door at the end of the hallway. He was curious and not so sure that he should check it out at first, but as he walked toward it, he felt as if he was being drawn to it and he found it impossible to avoid.

Thus, he approached the door, turned the knob, and walked into the room cautiously. What he saw absolutely blew him away. There was a huge fountain of water in the center of the room with a great variety of food all around it. For a moment, he thought that he should not eat or drink any of it because it could have been poisoned, but in his desperation, he ran to the fountain and began to drink it frantically. Instantly, his thirst was quenched. He went over to the food, began to eat some bread, and instantly he no longer felt hungry either. He was so absorbed in eating and drinking that he failed to notice a man sitting on the edge of the room, watching him intently.

“Welcome to the Room of True Satisfaction,” the man said.

Startled, Manny said, “True Satisfaction? That is what I’ve been searching for all my life. Please tell me how I can receive it.”

The man replied, “This room is only a message to you; the True Satisfaction is not to be found here, but you will be able to find it when you awake, only if you follow my instructions. The very moment you awake, walk down the street you are sleeping on. Once you have walked for three blocks, enter the first building you see on the right. I guarantee you that you will find True Satisfaction within that building.”

Before he could say thanks to the man, Manny awoke. Remembering the man’s instructions, he began to walk down the street. After three blocks, he saw the building the man had mentioned and decided to approach it. As he turned the knob on the door, he hoped that he had left his empty life behind on the street corner and that he would find the key to beginning his life anew within the mysterious building.

Here's a little something I had to write for A.P. English 11.  If you notice some symbolism and allegory in this piece, it's because I intended for it to be entirely symbolic.

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The Maze of Darkness

            Esperanza’s dream had been especially lucid.  She felt as if it was all real—the seemingly never-ending maze with its immeasurable amount of dead-ends, its inescapable darkness, and its many obstacles awaiting her at every turn.  She had simply been living life and searching for pleasure when her dream world’s light began to vanish.  The darkness augmented and, at once, she found herself at the beginning of a maze.  She turned around and there was a wall behind her.  There was only one way to go.  “How bizarre,” she thought.

            She began to walk forward through the maze, turning randomly and hoping for the best.  After a while, she met a man, dressed in all black, who said, “I can show you the way out, if you only will follow me.”  She had never been a fastidious person so, instead of contemplating her choices, she blindly followed the man.

            They walked for what seemed like hours until finally they stopped at a dead end.  Before Esperanza could ask what they were to do, the man had vanished and she was all alone, weary from the long walk and frightened that she would never find the way out.  As she sat down to cry, she thought, “Why do I have to be such a gullible person?”

            As her tears fell to the rocky ground, another man approached.  This man was adorned in all white garments.  He said, “I can show you the way out of this darkness and bring you back to the light.  Just take my hand and I will lead you.”  Even though the offer seemed good, Esperanza did not want to accept.  She feared a repeat of what had just happened to her.  “But this man seems different from the other one," she thought.  "He seems sublime, while that other man seemed suspicious.”

            “All right, I guess,” she said as she rose to her feet and took his hand.  At once, the darkness dissipated and she saw the exit before her.  The man smiled and said, “I will be there whenever you need me.”  Just then, she awoke from her sleep.  She whispered the word “wow” and began the day anew.

The Door Pt. II

By Srta. Justicia 

            This is a continuation of the blog called “The Door” that I wrote back on November 3, 2006.  I wrote that in the present tense, but it was actually more of a flashback of when I opened the door.  This blog is about looking back at that time and also looking toward the future and what you and I should do with it.

            Looking back at when I opened the door, I have one regret.  I wish I would have opened it sooner.  However, I had no idea what the door led to because it was not open.  If someone had been there holding it open, maybe I would have realized that I would be better off walking through the door.

            This brings me to my point.  How many other people would be able to go through the door if they knew what going through the door would bring?  I am sure that there are many people like I was at one time in the world.  People like to know the benefits and consequences of their actions before they take those actions.  Perhaps all of us who have opened that door should go back and hold it open for others.  We did not deserve what we found on the other side so the least we could do is hold the door open for others.  Then hopefully those people will do the same and a sort of chain reaction would occur.

            Don’t you wish someone held the door open for you?  If someone did than you should thank them with all of your heart.  If you had to find your way through the door by yourself then would it not be right to make it so others do not have that same trouble that you had?

            I have decided to hold the door open for others.  Have you?

The Door

By Srta. Justicia

            The door is closed, but it is not locked.  I could open it, but I am afraid of the consequences it could potentially bring.  However, I cannot stay in this room any longer.  It is dark and I need light.  It is cold and I need warmth.  It has no food and I need nourishment.  Most of all, I feel trapped and I need to be free.  I said to myself out loud, "Maybe I can just open the door and peek through it."

            I decided to wait a few hours to think my situation through.  I am afraid.  I am freezing.  I am starving.  Most of all, I feel trapped like a bird in a cage.  This bird wants to be free.  This bird wants to fly.  I spoke out loud again and said, "I've had enough.  The other side of this door can be no worse than being in here.  Well, I guess it is time.  I approached the door with great caution.  I opened the door as slow as I could, thinking that would be the thing to do.

            Suddenly, I saw light.  My goose bumps disappeared and I felt warmth all around me.  My stomach is no longer growling with hunger.  Most of all, I am now free.  I am grateful for this door, but I feel almost unworthy of escaping that room and receiving this wonderful gift.  I am finally not afraid.  I am extremely glad that I opened the door.

            Have you opened the door?  If so, are you thankful?  Do you think you deserve what you found at the other side of the door?  Are you glad you opened it?  Do you want to go back to that dark, scary, and cold room or stay on the other side of the door?