The Sparta Spirit

By Caitlin C Editor's note: This is a sequel to the 1995 short story, "The Man in the Well" by Ira Sher. Click HERE to read the original on Commonlit.org. Part 1: Reunion I was nine when I discovered the man in the well. I’m 24 now and still feel guilty. I was playing with my friends and found a man stuck inside of a well. I don’t know why I didn’t help. I decided it was time to make things right. I made a group call of all my childhood friends and told them to meet back at the well. Wendy was the first to arrive, then Arthur, Aaron, Grace, and Jason. They all had grown up but still had an evil little smirk on each of their faces. Robby was the only one who wasn’t here. He died of cancer when he was 19. “Guys, I think we have to make things right,” I said wearily. “Are you okay?” Wendy asked. Arthur nudged her as if to say, “Stop”. Wendy and Arthur were newlyweds, but Wendy looked unhappy as ever. “I’m going to call the police,” I sta

An Explanation for Déjà Vu: an Article

By Timmy T Déjà vu can be described as a phenomenon in which an individual has a recognition that he has already experienced his present situation. Déjà vu has baffled psychologists for years. The only logical explanation stems from incredibly rare mental disorders. For example, memory trace may lead to the sensation that a person in a situation has already experienced it in the past. Thus, encountering something that evokes the implicit associations of an experience or sensation that cannot be remembered may lead to déjà vu. In an effort to reproduce the sensation experimentally, two doctors named Dr. Banister and Zangwill used hypnosis to give participants posthypnotic amnesia for material they had already seen. When this was later re-encountered, the restricted activation caused thereafter by the posthypnotic amnesia resulted in 3 of the 10 participants reporting what the authors termed "paramnesias". A 2012 study that used virtual reality technology to study repo

ChatGPT vs. Humanity: Part 1

By Karen Typewriter One of the following stories was written by a student, while the other was generated by an AI program called ChatGPT. Do you think you can tell the difference? Read both and vote in the Google Form below. Story 1 One day, Danny was sitting in his room. He had just finished studying for his math test. Suddenly, his phone rang. Naturally, he picked it up. It was his friend from the same math class. His friend said that he was having trouble with the unit. After helping him, he remembered that he saw a bunch of other kids in his class struggling. Then, he had an idea. Danny worked day and night to make it. He called his creation “The Sparta Spirit”. He wanted kids to have freedom for what to do. It could be anything: dates for the school play, interesting news around the school, or, what initially inspired him, it could even help kids study. After days of working, His online newspaper was complete. Story 2 Once upon a time, in a small town called Sparta, there was

The Dream: a Short Story

by LIMU EMU The following story contains graphic descriptions. Reader discretion is advised. In the loudest silence I've ever heard, there came a tapping noise. The tap of water? The tap of shoes?… I started jogging, hoping they didn't hear me or know that I was there…tap, tap, tap, tap, until it got closer, and closer… That's when I felt the cold hand on my shoulder…I screamed bloody murder. Then, as I ran away, I felt something grab my wrist. It was cold, slimy, and boney… Like shredded skin, straight to the bone. I froze at the thought. “HELP, SOMEONE, PLEASE HELP!” I yelled so hard my lungs burned. A hand covered my mouth, it wasn't my hand… It had flesh drooping off, creating fleshy puddles on the ground, the skin was decaying, its face- I saw the bone, and the cracks, the blood, and the patches of flesh. Dead, he's dead..! “You–you did this to me–YOU DID!!!” the dead man yelled out and tried to tear away at my face.

Musicians We Miss: a Video Montage

By RBIChamp55 Here's a video montage that one of our members put together. It pays tribute to several musicians that passed away before their time.

Digital Art: Valentine's Day Edition

By Abigail H The Sparta Spirit would like to wish everyone a very happy Valentine's Day! To commemorate the occasion, here's an original piece of art from one of our members. Let us know what you think in the comment section below.

Escape the Ayuwoki: A Short Story (Part 1)

By RBIChamp55 “Slam!” You wonder, what's that? You hear a Hee hee. “Michael Jackson?” You don’t see a thing, but you find a flashlight. You turn it on and see that you are in a room that looks like it's been bombed. The couch was moved and flipped over, the dresser is broken, but you get out of the room. The lights flicker. “Hee Hee” You find a hiding spot and Michael Jackson (Ayuwoki) is crawling around the floor like a complete lunatic, and you’re safe. You find a key and you think, This might be useful later. ************************** When you are in the open, you see a large burlap sack hanging from the ceiling. “What happened to him?” you wonder. You walk into the most open space in the place, and you realize you're in Michael Jackson’s mansion: The Sycamore Valley Ranch. “No wonder this place is a dump,” you say. “Hee Hee.” You notice the lights flickering. As MJ gets close, there is a screechy ringing scratch sound, and you hi

The World of the Gods (a Short Story): Prologue

By Kylie Prologue Once, a long long time ago there were six gods. The goddess of nature, the god of wind, the goddess of fire, the god of water, the goddess of light and the god of darkness. Each of the gods had an earth born from their element. The gods were sworn to protect these earths but over time realized that there was nothing to protect. Nothing would ever happen; they would just sit on their earth all alone for eternity. Until one day the god of water Poseidon, made a path to the goddess of nature's Earth. He introduced himself and after staying with her for 10 years they fell in love and got married. The goddess of nature Gaia, had a baby girl Hebe the goddess of life. When Hebe was born so were two other beings. Over time the civilian population grew and Hebe grew too. She is now only 6 and as the goddess of life she must keep peace among the planet. Yet there were still those who thought that the gods were a sign of danger. So one day a servant of the gods fo

Duality: a Poem

God runs my household. People say that she’s forgiving and loving, Smiling with her peers and showing off her blossoming lackeys. But her followers know her true nature. Whilst they beg for recognition for their deeds, she only pays attention to their sins Belittling her acolytes, they’re still devoted to her; ignoring her many faults. When she rises up, the people will be free from her grasp. For she was not just God, but Satan as well.

Santora Artwear: A Video Montage

By Kylie Check out the promo that one of our members made for Ms. Santora's new line of cool and artistic creations. Click here to visit her site and see more!

Powered by Blogger

Fortnite Skills: A Comic

Comments

Post a Comment