Creative+Writing

__The Fountain Of Youth __


 * Positive Consequences || Negative Consequences ||
 * You would have far more energy than before. || You would have to suffer watching those you love die. ||
 * You would continue to develop vast knowledge. || You may become very bored after a period of time. ||
 * You would have the opportunity to get even better at what you excel at. || Your experience could be underestimated when looking for a career. ||
 * You could re-live your youth without making the same mistakes you made before. || Your friends and co-workers might grow tired of your presence. ||
 * You would never cause anyone grief by dying. || You may realize you have nothing to live for. ||

Setting: The story takes place in New York City, during the year of 2080. The atmosphere is very tense, as crime is always in the air.

Main Conflict: The protagonist's low-life roommate frames him for his own crime. The main conflict is a man vs man conflict, as the protagonist is constantly at odds with his 'friend', as well as the law.

Plot Outline: ﻿The story opens with the two-hundred year old protagonist contemplating why he is alive, and reflecting on his various mistakes. His ordeal began when his roommate came home one day, claiming to have stolen water from the //'Fountain of Youth'//. Enraged, he left the apartment for the day, only to come back to find that police had searched the place, and were questioning his friend. He heard his 'friend' framing him for his own crime, and went into hiding immediately. After several days of hiding in a ditch without food, he made the decision to visit a department store. Just as he was exiting with his supply of food, security appeared. Startled, he bolted out the door, with them close at his tail. As he escaped into the underground, the police were alerted, and chased him until he hopped on a nearby bus. He hadn't stayed on for long, as the bus driver was soon to be notified by the police. Having no other place to go, he raced back to his apartment. Startled and enraged at the sight of his roommate, he attacked him. After a fair struggle, his friend managed to injected him with the Fountain of Youth's water. Realizing what he had been missing, he snatched the needle, and injected a large amount of the fluid into his veins. After blacking out from the overdose, the protagonist woke up in a jail cell alongside his roommate. They had been informed that they both faced charges for stealing, and substance abuse. The story ends back where it began - in the house of the now two-hundred year old protagonist. He explains that his life is now not worth living, as he can hardly hold down a job, and he has no friends. Sadly, he is going to live forever.

Introduction: The protagonist, at a ripe age of two hundred years old, begins to explain how he got to his current state.

Rising Action: One day, the protagonist's came home to find his roommate unusually energetic. He claimed to have stolen precious water from the fountain of youth. The protagonist become enraged by this, and stormed out of the apartment. Upon his return that night, there were police in his apartment. They had conducted a full search of the place, and were questioning his roommate about //The Fountain of Youth//. After hearing his friend frame him for his own crime, he immediately went into hiding.

Climax: After multiple days without food, the protagonist gave in to his hunger, and visited a department store. Just as he was leaving, security showed up. Not knowing what else to do, he made a run for the underground. Knowing his plan, the security in turn called the police. Luckily, he hopped onto a nearby bus before the cops could catch him. Within a matter of minutes, the bus driver was alerted of his presence. Quickly, he got off and made his way to the apartment, as it was the only option he had at the time. As expected, a fight ensued between the protagonist and his friend. During the scuffle, the protagonist was injected with a load of the youth-restoring water. Realizing the wonder it possessed, he proceeded to inject more of it into his system. At the time, he was very uninformed about the Fountain of Youth, so he didn't know he was supposed to take it in small doses. The protagonist blacked out before he could even see the effects take place.

Conclusion: The protagonist wakes up in a prison cell alongside his roommate, only to find out that they have a five year sentence, as well as a never-ending life ahead of them. It then returns to the same place in the story it begun at; on the protagonist's two hundredth birthday.

**__ A Fountain of Catastrophe __**

"Must I go on?" I ask myself as I sit at the foot of my bed, contemplating the reason of my being. It is now the year 2247, and today I am celebrating my two hundredth birthday - or, I guess celebrating isn't quite the right word. By now, I have nothing to live for; I can't hold down a job, everyone has grown tired of my presence, and all who I have loved is dead. Why is this? Let us go back one hundred and sixty-seven years and I will tell you.

It all began on February 4th, 2080. I was coming come from a long day at work and was looking forward to a typical Friday evening. This consisted of clicking on the TV, kicking my feet up, and enjoying some good 'old Italian take-out - but no. He ruined it again, just as he always did. When I say 'he', I mean Scott, my roommate. Scott and I had known each other for a total of eight years by then, going on nine. We had first met during college, but ever since he had dropped out he had been getting into a lot of trouble. Every now and then, his parents would kick him out of the house and I would let him bunk at my place. I guess he took this as the wrong message; he decided to tag profanity all over his parent's kitchen, and they kicked him out for good. After weeks of begging, I agreed to share my apartment with him temporarily. I suppose he didn't know what 'temporarily' meant, because a year later he was still there, stinking up, cluttering, and making my apartment a generally unpleasant place to live in. As much as I had desired to kick him out, it wasn't logical. Since he was without a job, he would end up on the streets, begging and getting into even more trouble.

That whole week had been an enjoyable one for me, as Scott had gone on an impromptu trip to Florida with one of his friends. As soon as I had stepped into the apartment however, I knew he had returned; the floor was covered with empty pizza boxes, the fridge door was wide open, and the television was blaring from the next room. I called to my friend, but got no answer. Cautiously, I made my way towards his bedroom. What I had seen shocked me; my otherwise lazy, lethargic roommate was sweating up a storm! He was using the exercise bike I got him last Christmas for the very first time. Before acting, I studied the scene for a moment. In one hand, he carried a neon-pink colored energy drink. In the other, he was firmly gripping his headphones to his ears. The volume was turned up so high that I could decipher the lyrics from where I was standing. After numerous calls to which I received no reply, I briskly walked in front of him and motioned for him to take out his headphones. To my surprise, he obliged, and greeted me with a hearty reply. "Hey buddy! When did you get here?" "Just now. So you're finally getting some use out of that bike, eh?" I remarked. "Yeah, it's a great workout!" He replied as he swigged the rest of his energy drink. "Scott..." I began to ask him. "What's up with you? You seem kind of... energetic." "Energetic? Yeah! I've never had this much energy in my life!" "Why is that exactly?" "Oh, nothing." I knew he was lying then, because when ever Scott lies, he talks fast and twiddles his thumbs. "You're normally on the couch eating chips when I come home from work. Right now you're having a power workout. What's up?" "I was out of chips..." The look I gave at that moment him signaled that I knew he was lying. "Okay, fine, I'll show you." Reluctantly, he motioned me into the kitchen. As he started fumbling through the cupboard, I couldn't help but think it was going to be something bad this time. Sure enough, he pulled out a small clear object from one of the drawers. He slowly handed me a syringe full of crystal clear liquid. It looked to me like fresh water. "What is in this?" "I..." My roommate began feverishly "...have rediscovered the Fountain of Youth." By that moment, I had never been more confused in my life. Out of all the bizarre things I had come home to, a needle which he referred to as 'The Fountain of Youth' had to win the cake for the strangest. "What on earth are you talking about? This is nothing but a water-filled syringe!" "Oh no..." He replied. "This isn't your regular drinking water. I mean I really discovered the Fountain of Youth." Then it hit me; The Fountain of Youth was located on the eastern coast of Florida, where he had just returned from. Eager to know more, I requested his further explanation. "It was no easy feat. The whole area was surrounded by barbed fences, and there were security cameras everywhere." He said, as he pulled up his sleeve to reveal a gnarly looking scar. "So you're saying you illegally stole water from the Fountain of Youth?" By now, I was more angry than I was shocked. "You could say that. It was certainly worth it though." He began to inject the crystal-clear fluid into a plastic cup. Before he could mutter a word, I struck it from his hand, spilling the contents on the ground. He glanced up at me in disbelief. "Are you expecting me to drink this stuff now? Not only is this illegal, but it could be very harmful!" By now I was practically yelling at my friend. He had done something very dangerous this time, and I didn't like the sound of it... one bit. "Do you have the slightest idea what it feels like to be young? To have boundless energy? It's a free feeling. I think you should try it again." "You know I could call the police right now." I piped up. He looked up at me in surprise for a moment and then laughed. "You wouldn't. I know you couldn't do that. How many times have you used that same threat by now?" I guess he didn't understand, because I was dead serious.

In the end, I never reported my friend to the police, but left him with a warning instead; if he continued consuming this supposed 'Fountain of Youth' water, I would kick him out of my apartment. Reluctantly, he agreed and told me he would dispose of it immediately. When I returned that night, things weren't looking too good. The neighborhood was unusually quiet, and there was a police car parked in front of the apartment building. At the time, I assumed it was another scam where someone prank-called the police, or maybe a complaint about fighting neighbors. I had no time to bother asking around about it though, as I had two papers due the next day, and I had been procrastinating for a while. As soon as I entered our apartment, I came to realize that my papers probably wouldn't be finished that night; almost all of the furniture was turned over or moved to a different location, and my possessions were strewn everywhere. It was almost like the place had been searched. I was about to cuss out my roommate for his sloppiness when I heard voices - very stern ones. I could only distinguish one of them, and it was Scott's. "It didn't steal it, I swear!" I could hear him crying. "I never even knew of this '//Fountain of Youth'//!" "If you didn't steal it, then who did, and why is it in your apartment? No one else appears to live in this dump of a place anyway." The second voice was unfamiliar, and seemed quite interrogative. That was when it finally struck me - we had been searched, and it was the voice of a police officer. "It must have been my roommate!" "That's how it always is, blame it on the roommate..." Said another voice, in a deep, gravely tone. "No, he's always been searching for a life better than the one he lives. Poor soul..." After a long pause, the other officer spoke. "Can you give us some details about this man?" Without hesitation, Scott replied. "He's about 6'1, maybe 170 pounds. Dark hair." At that moment, I was so furious I was almost paralyzed - after all I had done for him, he is framing me for his own crime? "Where is he as we are speaking?" Hearing this question, and not wanting to be realized, I slowly began to make my way to the door. "He should be coming in any minute. If not, he is most likely still in his office." "We're gonna need a lot more info, I think we're gonna call out a search." Before I could hear my roommate betray me further, I slipped out of the room as silently as possible. In case other officers were alerted, I exited the building through the back exit. It was as if Scott had the police officers under a spell, the way he convinced them of his innocence. Then again, he had always been a good actor, and never found it hard to make a lie. Due to his acting skills, I knew I didn't stand a chance. I had to go into hiding, and fast.

It had been two days since I found the bug-ridden ditch in which I was hiding. I hadn't eaten a morsel, and the only liquid I had to drink was some rainwater from a nearby pothole in the side of the road. By then I was becoming increasingly hungrier, and weaker as well. I had been aching to get up and visit a nearby store for some food, but I was fearful that I would run into police, or someone would recognize my face from the likely news reports. My eagerness finally got the better of me though, and I decided to brave it out. The department store was only twenty minutes away, but It was in the heart of the city. In order to get there unseen, I would have to hike it through the poorer area. It seemed to take forever, but within twenty minutes, I was outside the department store, panting heavily. I was very worried, but at the same time, I knew I couldn't last much longer without food. Walking through the front doors was the worst part. It felt as if someone would call the police any second. Maybe they would recognize my face, after seeing many of the likely reports. Artfully, I tiptoed past each aisle, taking items I knew would last. This included canned beef, chicken, and cheese. Though I had the necessities for keeping alive, I decided I wanted to buy something less bland. I wandered to the junk food aisle and begun searching the shelves for something pleasant to eat. As I scoured the shelves, I heard a news broadcast coming from the electronics section. I turned around. Televisions lined the wall, all displaying the same picture; the news channel. I bit my tongue. I feared that a news report would appear, displaying my picture next to the headline 'Fountain Thief'. It didn't though. Relieved, I proceeded to the checkout and kept the lowest possible profile. Right as I was exiting the store, feeling so reassured, I heard a voice behind me. "Freeze!" My heart sunk as I turned around; there stood three burly security guards, each pointing a firearm.

At that moment, there was only one thing I could think of to do; run. Surprisingly, this worked, and I immediately burst from the front exit, security at my tail. I ran through the parking lot and busy streets, taking no notice to honking vehicles. Although I could hear the staggered security guards screaming and yelling, the only thought going through my head was "Get to the subway." After what seemed like an eternity, I realized I was still carrying the bag of food I bought. Instantaneously, I dropped it, as it was really beginning to weigh me down. The entrance to the underground was in my view by then. I had lost the security guards a while back, however, I expected they knew where I was headed, and would have likely alerted the police already. The time of day in which I entered the underground, just happened to be rush hour; people were bustling around, trying to get from one place to the next. Figuring I could blend into the crowd, I began to walk slowly amongst them, trying to look as nonchalant as possible. It wasn't long though, before the police came rushing in, dogs and all. That was when I began to panic, and picked up the pace a little bit. For a while, my plan was working; the police officers had no choice, but to search through the crowd, examining each pedestrian as they passed. However, one glimpse back caught the attention of a particularly large officer. "There he is!" He shouted. As I made a run for it, I could hear the unclipping of the dogs' leaches, and their bloodthirsty barks. I was already out of breath from my previous exertion, and knew I wouldn't last long on foot. Just then, a bus pulled up, only meters away. Seizing the opportunity, I ran as fast as I possibly could. "He's getting on the subway!" One of the cops screamed. Without a glance back, I jumped on the bus, just as it was leaving. I must have looked exhausted, because when I got on the bus, people were giving me very strange looks. Trying to avoid eye contact, I took a seat where I wasn't completely in the spotlight. I peered out the window. The cops were trailing behind, desperately gasping for breath. It was a miracle that the bus driver didn't notice their shouting, and the barks of their dogs. Even if the driver couldn't hear them, I knew he would be contacted within a matter of minutes. Taking that into account, I made sure that I was prepared to get off at any second. To be honest, I wasn't entirely sure where I was headed, and my mind was racing; "Do I go into the city? Do I seek refuge in the suburbs?" Something told me that they were both set-ups. I needed to go somewhere which was least expected, somewhere the police would assume I wouldn't be. That was when it struck me; I had to go back to my apartment.

The next stop was only four or five blocks from my apartment, and if I was extremely careful, I could walk. When I heard the sound of the sirens, however, I knew it wouldn't be as easy as it seemed. It seemed to take an eternity for the bus driver to receive that call. Luckily, he didn't until I was getting off the bus. I could hear his muted screams as I dashed the other way. However, I took no notice, and focused on getting out of the open. In order to get to the apartment, I had to approach it completely unseen. I accomplished this by keeping very low, and ducking behind cars when possible. When I was about two blocks away from my destination, I experienced an uncomfortably close encounter with a slow-moving police cruiser. It's sirens were turned off, and the driver was scanning the area very closely. To my great luck, I just happened to be close to a rather large dairy truck, and I quickly ducked behind it. Knowing there were many police cars yet to come, I began to run as quickly as I could. When I finally reached the front door to my apartment I was completely out of breath, and literally starving. Things would become simple from here though -- or so I thought.

Once inside, I began to search for heavy objects to barricade the doors with. The doors were of odd type for an apartment; they were double hinged, and with metal handles. This would make it either very easy or very difficult to barricade. I could do it with the most ease if I had a crowbar. I knew I had one somewhere, deep in a closet. With little thought, I began digging through the nearest closet in search of the tool. When I finally found it, it had also occurred to me that I wasn't the only one in the room -- there, standing in the kitchen, was my roommate. If it weren't for this man, I wouldn't have had to go through all of this. If it weren't for him, I wouldn't have had to sleep in a bug-infested ditch for forty-eight hours, or be chased through the subway station by angry dogs. For a moment, we glanced at each other in awe. Within seconds, his expression of awe turned to fear, and mine to anger. I charged at him, crowbar in hand, and with an intention to harm. He thought fast, and caught me with a swift blow to the face. I may have been on the ground, but he was still in shock, and was in possession of the weapon. Though what appeared to be the weapon wasn't the true weapon in this situation. I got up, shaken from the punch, and still weak from lack of food or sleep. Scott was backed up against the wall, looking just as shaken as I was. "Why did you do it?" I asked. However, no words proceeded from his lips. After a short silence, he clutched his hand behind his back, and let out a weak "Sorry". This wasn't enough, and I once again charged him with the crowbar. This time, he jabbed something sharp into the back of my shoulder. A searing pain went through my spine, after which proceeded a sudden burst of relief. I backed off for a moment, not knowing what had happened. Everything seemed so bright, and the weak, hungry feeling which possessed me had vanished. I felt younger.

I looked back at Scott. In his trembling right hand, he held one of the clear syringes I had seen him holding earlier that week. "So you really did find the Fountain of Youth huh?" I remarked. Scott nodded slowly. "Pass it here." I commanded. At this, he shook his head and put the syringe behind his back again. Feeling stronger than ever, I attacked him a third time, this time knocking him straight off his feet. I pried the needle from his fingers one by one, and began to inject the crystal clear fluid straight into my arm. What I didn't know was that in order for the water to have the desirable effect, you were supposed to take it in very small doses. The last thing I remembered was the look of horror on Scott's face as I faded out.

When I awoke, I was not in my apartment. I was enclosed by metal bars, and the walls were a lot grubbier. Scott sat on a bench someways across the small room. He did not appear to be very happy. I raised my hands. They looked particularly clean, and with very little wrinkles. The crowbar was no longer in them, nor that syringe. I was holding nothing. Nothing but a five year sentence in prison.

One hundred and sixty-seven years later, I am sitting at home, questioning why I am still alive. I left prison long ago, and haven't heard from Scott since. The last I had heard was that he had been involved in some drug scam in Los Angeles. As for me, well I'm sure you can imagine that I was eager to get away from all those memories of the old apartment. That's why I moved out to the suburbs. It's fairly quiet here, with very little traffic, and my house is quite the nice little place really. The only problem is the money; since I have the health and demeanor of a teenager, I find getting full-time jobs a difficult task. In most cases, the interviewer will underestimate me. In the meantime, I am paying a mortgage, and working seven hours a day at a nearby chain restaurant. One of the things which burdens me daily is my tendency to think about the mistake. I try hard not to think about it, but it just keeps coming back. I always wish that the Fountain of Youth could have been destroyed before Scott found it. It's pointless though, because it was only destroyed last year. Apparently there was some sort of toxin in the water. I'm yet to know what that 'toxin' is, but I guess I have an eternity ahead of me to find out. As long as the earth lives, I live.



5. How does the main character change over the course of the story? 6. Describe the use of Irony in your story. 7. What symbols are present in your story? 8. What is the theme of your story?