Misc_Cardboard

I'm bored, so here's something I wrote a while back titled Constellations (above is the front cover art I made on Canva) :

“And that's Orion; He’s the hunter, and that’s Ursa Major, and over there is Ursa Minor; the bears, or the big dipper and little dipper. Oh! And over there is Pisces, that’s my star sign, according to astrology, and it means the fishes in Latin!” Stone rambles on passionately about the constellations and space in general, an obvious smile on his face pressing dimples into his cheeks as he lays in the grass beside Ryan, the two nineteen year olds stargazing on a cool, cloudless autumn night. A small, shy smile rested subconsciously on Ryan’s face, finding Stone’s child-like glee and adorable smile slightly infectious as his golden brown eyes trace distractedly over Stone’s features. Stone then turns his head to look at Ryan. His large, almost goofy grin is still resting gleefully on his face as he speaks. “What’s your star sign?” Stone asks curiously, tilting his head a bit as he does so.

Ryan clears his throat a bit, filling the space to hide the fact that his brain needs a moment to register the question. “Ah, uhm . . . I don’t really know, sorry.” Ryan murmured in a barely audible stammer. “Oh, don't worry! That’s totally fine! What’s your birthday then?” Stone asks, his smile unwavering. Ryan hesitates a moment, fiddling a bit with the half moon pendant made of light blue glass hanging from his silver necklace, considering if it’s safe to tell Stone something like that. Seeing Stone’s patient, cheery, innocent smile, he relaxes a bit. “Oh, uhm . . . July 8th . . .” Ryan says cautiously, his voice quiet. “So you’re a Cancer! See that constellation over there?” Stone points to a cluster of stars in the sky. “That’s the Cancer constellation. It means the crab!” Stone explains with a smile. Cancer, huh? Ironic. Ryan thought. Noticing Ryan’s distracted look, Stone’s brows furrow with curiosity. “You seem a bit . . . distracted. Everything okay?” Stone asks.

Ryan subconsciously clutches his necklace a bit tighter, running his thumb over the cool, smooth surface of the pendant. “Yeah... I’m... fine. I was just... thinking... “ Ryan murmurs dismissively. Stone becomes a bit... confused. And concerned. “You’re lying. You always get that look on your face when you lie.” Stone states bluntly. Ryan could feel his throat grow a bit dry from the accusation, his heart starting to pound from nerves. When did he get so perceptive? Ryan thought. He then clears his throat. “Sorry…” Ryan muttered practically inaudibly. Stone sits up a bit from concern. “Hey... You know you can trust me with any problems you have, right? ... You haven’t told me much about yourself... I’m guessing you struggle to trust people?” Stone asks gently. Ryan fell silent, the cool night air falling palpably tense between the two young men. The full moon lit up the scene just enough for the boys to comfortably see each other, though being able to see Stone’s stormy gray-blue eyes, sandy blonde hair, and gentle, friendly expression didn’t make Ryan any less hesitant to answer. He doesn’t trust people easily. Not anymore. Stone’s gentle smile softens a bit further, his stormcloud-colored eyes tracing over Ryan’s lightly freckled face in thought. Maybe he’d be more willing to trust me if I shared a bit about myself? Stone thought. So, he asked, his soft, gentle smile still resting on his face. “Hey... Would it make you more comfortable if I shared a bit about myself? We could both get to know each other.” Stone offers. Ryan relaxes slightly as he thinks over Stone’s words. Something about him was different. Trustworthy. Ryan nods hesitantly.

Stone’s smile widens a bit. “Okay.” Stone then hums a bit, thinking of something personal to share. “Well, a little fact about me is that I am extremely afraid of birds.” Stone says. Ryan can’t help but chuckle a bit at this. “Birds?” Ryan questions in slight disbelief. Stone nods. “Mhm.” Stone then shudders a bit. “Birds are scary. When I was like... two, a pigeon swooped down from the sky, straight out of the blue, and attacked me for no reason! I don’t trust those feathered monstrosities anymore.” Stone declares. “Evil birds.” Stone then mutters. A small, slightly amused smile pulls onto Ryan’s face, the other’s general cadence lifting that instinct to shut himself away, to hide himself so that he can’t be hurt. Though the idea that he shouldn’t let his guard down still buzzes in the back of his head, Ryan shoves it down so he can enjoy the moment and actually have a friend for once. Stone smiles a bit wider, seeing Ryan relax a bit. “If it’s not too personal, Do you have any fears?” Stone asks curiously. Ryan hesitates a moment, fidgeting with his necklace again, but sensing that Stone won’t judge him for it, Ryan speaks, his golden brown eyes turning to the sky above, a strand of his chocolate brown hair falling over his face as he does so. “Uhm... Well, I guess my worst fear is... having people truly know me... so many people I thought I could trust to know me have used it to taunt and tease me. ... Not that people didn’t still tease me using things they could see, like my freckles…” Ryan then pauses, realizing that he might have overshared a bit. “Sorry... you probably didn’t want to hear that…” Ryan mumbles near inaudibly. “No, no! It’s fine!” Stone exclaims frantically. He smiles gently. “You can share as much or as little as you want. I’m here to listen.” Stone says. After a brief pause, he then adds in a soft whisper. “And, for the record, I think your freckles are handsome. I think they were just jealous.” Stone smiles gently, his dimples still a prominent feature in it, framed by the moonlight from the clear night sky above. Ryan could feel his face grow a bit warm from the compliment, and he cursed himself internally for it. Okay, that was cute. And did he just compliment me on my freckles? No one’s done that before. Am I blushing? God, I hope not. That would be so embarrassing. Ryan thought, unable to keep a small smile from creeping onto his face. Stone’s smile widens a bit, noticing the shy glee in Ryan’s expression from the compliment. “You know, I also like your necklace, a lot.” Stone says. Ryan chuckles a bit. “Yeah, you said that. When we first met.” Ryan says, thinking back to the moment when the two had met.

Ryan had been working that night, manning the cash register at a fast food restaurant. Stone strutted up to the counter cheerfully, leaning against it as he spoke with an extroverted glee. “Hi! Lovely day today isn’t it?” Stone chatted. Ryan nodded, just going along with the small talk out of politeness. Stone smiled a bit wider. “I’m glad you agree! May I please have a ten piece chicken nugget with a small side of fries and one large rootbeer, please?” Stone asks. “Mhm. One order of ten chicken nuggets, a small french fry, and a large rootbeer, right? Will that be all?” Ryan had droned out tiredly with faux joy, as if reciting from a script. Stone nods with a smile. “Mhm! That’s all!” “Alright. Take an order number from the stack to your right and your order will be out shortly.” “Okie dokie!” Stone exclaimed cheerfully, unable to keep from chuckling a bit at himself as he went over to the stack of numbered table toppers and took the top one off, heading to a nearby table. In spite of his drained mood, Ryan couldn’t help but find a small smile of amusement creeping onto his expression at the other’s joyful demeanor. It was a slow day, but the place was a bit understaffed, so Ryan headed into the back to quickly prepare the order, before bringing it out to Stone’s table. Stone beamed a bit as Ryan sat the tray onto the table in front of him. “Thank you. I noticed you were working the cash register too, what’s that about?” Stone asked curiously. “It’s a bit understaffed today, so I’m working all of the jobs.” Ryan explained politely. “Oh! Well that’s no fun. Sounds stressful, actually.” Stone mused sympathetically. Ryan nodded. Just then, the half-moon necklace hung around Ryan’s neck caught Stone’s eye. “I like your necklace.” Stone complimented genuinely. Ryan’s hand traveled subconsciously to the pendant hung over his chest. “Oh. Thanks...“ Ryan had murmured. “Well, anyways, you should probably get back to work now.” Stone commented with a slight chuckle. The words had brought Ryan out of his thoughts back then. “Right. Enjoy your meal, sir.” Ryan said politely. Stone smiled, chuckling a bit. “Please, Call me Stone. I’m only 19, after all.” Stone informed. Ryan nodded. “Well, Enjoy your meal, then, Stone.” Ryan corrected. “Thanks! I hope you have a calm workday.” Stone wished cheerfully. Ryan couldn’t help but find himself smiling smally yet again. “Thanks.” Ryan murmured gratefully, before heading back to his work. Later, he brought Stone the bill and immediately got back to work yet again. When Ryan heard the sound of the door closing, he made his way over to collect the money. Stone had paid in cash and left an amazing thirty percent tip, which had almost flustered Ryan at the time, not expecting it. But, low and behold, on the bill, there was a little message written at the bottom of the bill. ‘The extra money is for you. You deserve it. Also, feel free to call me if you ever want to chat :)’ He left a phone number at the bottom of the message, the number still seared into Ryan’s brain from how long he had stared at it. 667-882-3969.

“I did?” Stone asks, a slight chuckle sticking to his tone. The other’s words snaps Ryan out of his thoughts. “Oh, uhm. Yeah. You complimented my necklace when I brought your food out to you.” Ryan murmurs, still a bit distracted from the memories. It’s been a few months since then, but he still remembers the interaction so vividly. “Oh. Well, it’s still true. It’s a very pretty necklace.” Stone says with a gentle, genuine smile. Ryan smiles smally from the compliment. The necklace meant a lot to the boy. “Where’d you get it, if you don’t mind me asking?” Stone asks, though his voice is gentle, knowing that he’s risking asking a pretty personal question. Ryan pauses for a moment, his eyes turning back up to the stars. He lets out a small sigh, letting himself trust Stone fully. “Uhm... My mother gave it to me just before she died of cancer. I was thirteen then. My grandmother had given it to her on her thirteenth. ... It’s a half moon because her name was Luna.” Ryan murmured solemnly. Stone gives Ryan a sympathetic look, gently placing a hand on Ryan’s shoulder comfortingly. Ryan relaxed a bit at seeing Stone’s genuinely sympathetic look. His last so-called friends used to tease him about that. A comfortable silence hangs in the air for a moment, before Ryan continues a bit, needing the opportunity to get things off of his chest. “My father... He became depressed after my mother died. I think he resented me a bit for reminding him of her. He stopped taking care of me, and started drinking pretty much every day. He yelled a lot, too. Constantly screaming at me for every little mistake. ... It was hard, especially without my mother there to comfort me. And with kids at school jumping at any opportunity to bully me. Even those I thought I could trust with this kind of thing. . . . Trust is hard, Stone.” Ryan confesses, tears starting to well involuntarily in his eyes. Seeing the tears in Ryan’s eyes, Stone immediately pulls Ryan into a hug. “I can’t even imagine. ... I’m proud of you, Ryan. Telling me that? It must have taken a lot of courage with that kind of past. ... I can tell you one thing though, I’ll never be like the kids at school. That was just cruel of them, and they should feel ashamed of themselves. You’re an amazing human being, Ryan. Flaws and all.” Stone declares resolutely, his tone sympathetic. Tears begin to stream down Ryan’s cheeks at Stone’s words, his hold on Stone tightening almost desperately, as if afraid that he’d blow away in the wind, his entire body shaking with emotion. “Thank you, Stone…” Ryan murmurs quietly, his voice almost cracking a bit from emotion, his tone wavering more than a ship on the sea. Stone tightens his embrace in turn. “It’s the truth.” Stone replies softly.

A beat of silence passes between the two young men, the only sound to accompany the intimate, vulnerable moment being the brush of the wind through the fallen leaves. Then, Stone leans back a bit to look Ryan in the eyes. “Did you know that the north star, polaris,” Stone moves a hand to point at the north star. “ located in the constellation Ursa Minor, or the little dipper, is actually a star system, not just one star? The one that’s visible is Polaris AA. The other two are Polaris Ab and Polaris B. It’s also not always the north star, because of the wobble in Earth’s axis.” Stone shares, breaking the slight tension that had begun to build. Ryan can’t help but chuckle a bit at the random fun fact, wiping away his tears. “Really?” Ryan asks in slight disbelief, a small smile pulling onto his face in spite of everything. “Mhm.” Stone hums, an almost proud smile on his face. “That’s really neat, Stone.” Ryan says, his voice holding an affectionate quality to it. He’s adorable Ryan thought. With the full moon and the stars above them, a beat passed, giving the boys a moment to breathe.

“Thanks, Stone.” Ryan murmurs, more to himself than anything.

“No problem.” Stone replies at an equal volume.

Ember [Last Name]

May 12th, 2026

An In-depth Study of The Intricacies of The Human Experience

These are words. Bla bla bla bla bla bla bla bla. Bla Bla Bla Bla, Bla bla. Bla Bla Bla Bla Bla. Bla Bla. Bla. These are some more words. Professional science-y words. Bla bla bla bla bla. The Mitochondria is the power house of the cell or something. Bla bla bla, Bla bla bla. Bla. Bla bla bla blah bla bla blah, bla bla bla blah. Words. Word word words word word words word. More random nonsense. Bla bla bla bla bla bla blah. This is all hand-typed words, no copy paste. Blah bla bla bla blah. Charles Darwin and the Theory of Evolution by Natural Selection, or something like that. Bla Blah Bla Bla Blaaaaah. Gregor Mendel. Blah Bla Bla Blah. Carl Lineaus. Zucchini is a berry. Bla Bla Blah. Ababababababa. Bab abab aba babababa dababa. Goopba las baba. Woooooordsss. These. Are. Definitely. Words. The taco in the salad is the words in the word salad of briefcase; banana briefcase. Pencil case. Yes, these are very important words. Very. Very important. Remember! Banana briefcase in the pencil case word salad taco sky rain. Yes. Banana briefcase in the pencil case word salad taco sky rain. Ablahbaba Bababar. Alakazam! Weewoo, burgers sword. Blah Bla blah. Do you ever think about the meaning of life? What about the meaning of taco cat cheese burger pizza clown? I always wonder about the meaning of taco cat cheese burger pizza clown. My favorite food is word salad.

In the begin. In the beginning. There were… words. And then more words. And then some more words. And more words. And more words. And I’m getting bored, taco cat burger clown pizza clown burger with cheese on the onion bun. Boredom is an important factor in I’m being asleep right now, night night. We like words. Word words word word words. Word. Blah bla Bla bla bah blah ba baba ba blah. Ababa baba babaa ababah. Weerbes. Blargh. Words. I like words. I like trains. Train burger pizza taco pineapple sauce. This is a very important scientific study paper. That is why it is in MLA format, as all good and reliable research papers are in MLA format. Here is a quote: “According to all known laws of aviation, a burger is the most aerodynamic thing in existence.” (Trust). Trust stands for Trust Me Bro University. Very credible source according to trustmebrouniversity.blog . Bla blah bla bla bla. That isn’t a real website, by dah way. The way. Who knows. Words. I like the words. The words are fun to write. Bla blah bla blah. Detritus. Worms. Foods. Like, burger. Life. It has a meaning, maybe. Not. probably not. Who knows? Box burger water hole. Mud. Bla blah bla. Bla baba blah. Blah, bla bla bla blah. Bla blah bla; bla bla bla blah. Bla bla bla bla bla. Blab blabber blab. Blah bla bla blah bla. I have no clue what the heck I’m saying but this is very important and should be studied in schools across the globe. It’s very important that the human race knows this information. As a whole. Indeed, taco cat gato the dog in the market place of pizza burger cheese cats in the basket case of mental health medications in the world cup series. There isn’t any sentence complete on a chromebook, I did just write that entire sentence by hand. Steak. Boing! Bla blah bla blahaj. Sharks. Sharkie boys. Sea puppies. The Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder is kicking in hard. Word association! Words. Words words words word words words word words. Wrong. Correct. Incorrect. Why? Because. I can.

When the words are not doing the thing that the words do sometimes when the words read the words in the words and the words word the words in the words incorrectly, then you should read the words in the words in the word salad because I told you to. Have you ever written the words in the word words word in the word salad words in the moon on a summer day in the middle of the night in the afternoon with your pet rock cat thing in the day time in the night time when the narwhal bacons at midnight when the ravens crow at the caws and the crows raven at the croaks? Yes or no? Why? When the words in the words do the thing with the words where the words do word stuff correctly, you should celebrate because words do the word things or they do the thing where and I don’t remember. If the words don’t do the word thing where the words do the words and they do it correctly, but instead do it incorrectly, you may have dyslexia. When the words are words but not words but words but they do make sense but not actually but in reality they are numbers but you are drunk with the words cause they don’t make sense but they do make sense because they are words but you can read them but you can’t read them but they’re actually numbers in algebraic notation, then you should probably see a psychiatrist because I have no clue what that means. Words are words and words are hard and hard means difficult but sometimes it doesn’t. Welcome to the English language. Enlightenment. When the words in the words when the words in the salad in the taco cat burger cheese beans in the salad in the words when the words when the markers in the pencil case in the brief case in the bananas in the bandanas in the bahamas in the words when the words when they finally make sense but not actually because you read it wrong but you didn’t actually read it wrong when the bahamas is actually Jamaica. Hi, Christopher Columbus, Welcome to India. Would you like some bananas? Maybe some textiles or fur coats? When the world is flat but actually round in the words that make sense but don’t make sense in the surrealist painting movement by Vincent van Gogh and Donatello from the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles. Salvador Dali invented Mars.

Bla Blah bla Bla blas. Beep ba beep boop be. To be nor not to be, that is not a question, that is an answer. Hi. Goodbye. When the fire is cold but the ice is burning hot and gives you blisters on your hands because the ice was fire and the fire was ice and you’re in Antarctica but actually you’re in Australia, that’s amore. Pixie dust fairies in the pizza place. What in Kentucky Fried Tarnation? Brain Blast! Copy Right infringement was invented in 1817 by Robert Gair. Wait, no, that was cardboard boxes. When the laughing gaggle of geese dance in the moonlight and eat pizza by sunrise in the darkness of midnight with mumbling, bumbling mice with bumbles of bees in the hive of the sun, it’s probably best to run. My brain has melted into mush and the words that make the sentences that give meaning to the words do not make the sense of the brain in my head. I have heatstroke. When the stroke of the heat the fried the brain of the fries in the bag in the basket in the egg of the outside in the oven in the cold food of out the hot food. In the beginning, there was Garfield in the field of lasagna in the bologna. The human mind is an enigma of complete gibberish when the meaning is in the salad of words through which meaning is given but not actually because a broken clock is right all of the time. Time does not exist in the madman’s world, but in reality, only the sane are free of time because time is an illusion and the dinosaurs were made up by NASA. Robot steak in the swimming pool dancing to What’s Going On by Elio Mei in the square of the circle in the summer cold and the winter heat in the frostbitten infernos of purgatory when the bacon pancakes. Bla blah blag bla bla bla. Beep boop beep ba. I am an alien. Morgebe. Bablescap. Meepo Bap. Beepbo papa da. Ra Ra Ra. Bad Romance. When the cupid in the sky of the ocean in the pizza sauce in the pineapple. Pineapple on pizza? That’s a felony. Mini mumbling mice making midnight music in the moonlight, mighty nice. Seven slimy sailors sailed the seven salty seas. Betty Botter bought some butter, but, she said “The butter’s bitter. If I put it in my batter, it’ll make my batter bitter, but a bit of better butter will make my batter better.” So it was better Betty Botter bought a bit of better butter. Alligators riding motorcycles in the Bahamas. No, crocodiles riding unicycles in Jamaica. Same difference.

Frogs in the toads on the toad stools in the winter of summer and the summer of winter in the fall in spring of june and july and march and april and may and june and july and august and september and october and november and december and january and february and march and april and may and june and july and august and september. Do you remember? Dancing in March and April in the clouds of the cold in the heat of September and the blistering summers of December in the northern hemisphere? Bacon Bacon Bacon Bacon Bacon Bacon Bacon Bacon. The white walls of the puffy white cloud room of the luney toons luney bin in the walls. I’m a rat. Crazy? I was crazy once. We all were. I still am! Weeeeeeeeee. Wee woo wee woo. Bla bla blah blagh. Eepers Maup. Weepsies Bogs. Lollipop. Hkmakabap. Skbidopbido. Lofty markers in the rain. Wee woo, ambulance. Trendsetter by Connor Price at two times speed. Bla Bla Blah Bla. I’m getting bored. Boredom baba ba baba ba bah. So, Do I look productive? I feel like I look productive. I am very focused right now. My brian is a monkey in a pool of jello on the opposite side of the moon in the daytime. In conclusion, Blah blah blah blargh baf bla bla bla bla blah bla. Bla bla bla blah bla bla blat var block blast bla da bab abab ba baba ba bal bla bah ba. Words word words words. These are words.

Cited of The Sources: