Response to "The Hundredth Dove"
Loyalty is one of the most superior things that someone can have for you. With loyalty comes their life, their honesty, and their determination to make sure what you asked can be accomplished time after time. Can you be blinded in your loyalty, that you don't realize what is going on and what's the right thing to do? You can be loyal to someone, but should you put them before yourself?
In the short story "The Hundredth Dove" by Jane Yolen, there is a fowler named Hugh, who serves the king, and is very loyal. The word "Servo"(I serve) is sewn over his heart to show his loyalty to the king. With such great loyalty, he shall never betray the king. Even if it meant having the most beautiful girl in the world, possessing gold and silver, and all the fame and fortune, he would never betray the king.
Hugh was promised many things, but turned them down to be loyal. This is where Hugh went wrong. He had 99 doves, and the final white dove symbolized the wife of the king, with even the ring that the wife had on her hand to prove it. But with one twist of its fragile tiny neck, the dove was dead. The fowler brought all 100 doves to the king, to find out there was no wedding. 100 doves, for nothing. His promised fame and fortune, his promised wealth, his promised beautiful wife, had all disapeared by then.
So should you be loyal? Yes you should, but there comes a point where you need to put yourself before others. Sometimes being loyal, means paying a price. You need to make sure you want what you want, and not the other person.
Pitching
The umpire yells the count, as I stand impatiently on the mound waiting for the batter to take his steps into the batters box. I can feel the sweat in my hair, my breathing and heart pumping. I grip the ball, waiting for the catcher to give me the sign. Seeing the sign that was given by my catcher, i shake my head not once, not twice, but three times until he gives me the sign I want. Fiddling with the ball in my glove until I feel the seems up against my fingers, the rough feel of the ball that is gritty with dirt. Taking a step back I wind up, and then comes my high leg kick, with my knee almost coming up into my chest. With my long stride towards the plate, I feel my metal spikes secure themselves into the dirt, like a dog sinking its teeth into a bone. Feeling my arm whip as I let go of the ball, letting the ball fly towards the plate and a soaring 73 mph. As my back leg comes up almost as high as the sky, I see the batter swing and misses, yet again. Trotting back to the dugout, I feel the aching of my arm from pitching so much. Yet, I don't mind the pain as much anymore, because the pride of knowing that I can dominate any batter outweighs the pain, the struggle, and whatever errors we may make along the way.
Random
Lindsay stood there in the descending rain like a cookie getting dunked in milk. Waiting impatiently for that car to pull into her drive way. Not just any car, the big truck of Will Olewinski. Finally, she saw the headlights of his Ford truck, with the red neck music blaring out the sides. However, tailing close behind was another car, the car of Nick Knoke and his gang. Will had stolen Lindsay from Nick back in the 8th grade, 10 years ago. Now it was time for Nicks revenge. While Will drove his car over the bump to get into the driveway and got out, Nick was nearly leaning halfway out the side of the car window, and fired a Uzi at him rapidly, and hit him 14 times, leaving no room for life. Will collapsed to the wet, lifeless sidewalk, while Lindsay stood in shock and fear as Nick and his gang hopped out of their car and snatched Lindsay, and threw her struggling body in the trunk. She screamed and kicked, but to no avail. Nick would take her back to his house, where he would do the worst, and most torturing of things…..a tea party. The 3 of them. Him. Lindsay, and his stuffed bear, Harry.
