Some Short Stories... (standard:Creative non-fiction, 35261 words)
Author: The St. John Lady	Added: Nov 24 2010	Views/Reads: 4632/3923	Story vote: 0.00 (0 votes)
After taking a creative writing course, I thought I would add them here. Some are from the actual course, others are ones I have had hanging about for ages.

Beauty vs. Devastation. 

This assignment was hard for me, I have seen many beautiful places; but
thankfully no devastation. I have been to places that have also seen 
much devastation, France; New York to name but a few. 

One place that has certainly ticked the beauty box is Montserrat in
Spain, also known as the Serrated Mountain. It is a working monastery 
carved into the mountainside, and somewhere I visited many moons ago. 
Many will know that I am not religious in the slightest, but do love 
the often stunning buildings; be they Church or Cathedral. 

And while this particular monastery is no different, it is the outside
that I was more interested in. The surrounding areas had many walks, 
roads and paths carved into the rocks of the mountains so travellers 
could explore and experience what many a local had. It was also my 
plan, bored of the fact that my folks wanted to sit around and go 
shopping. 

So off I went along this path no clue of where it would lead or even how
long it would take, but of course as was my way I never follow the 
crowd. About two minutes from the start of my walk I became curious, 
looking around me there was nothing but rocks and hillsides around me. 
As I climb a hill to my right I have no idea what I will find over the 
top, I was expecting to see a sheer drop. What I got was the most 
peaceful and tranquil scene I have ever known. 

Sitting upon the hillside looking out over sprawling mountains and
nothingness, I felt a calmness wash over me. There was no sounds, no 
noises from where I had just come from; nothing. No cars going by, no 
screaming kids; just peace. And time, time to think... much too much 
time for me to think, but somewhere I would highly recommend people 
going at least once in their lives! 

France is another place I have spent many a happy holiday, from the
first time with my parents camping to the school trip when I was at 
middle school; all have been memorable for one reason or another. 
Personally one of my favourite places is Normandy, here you can find 
both beauty and devastation. 

The coastal towns are just as quaint as you can imagine, and just as
breezy! The countryside as green and lush as anything we have over 
here, the wildlife seems to be richer though! Once you go off the 
beaten track you find yourself almost in the middle of nowhere at most 
turns, but even nowhere looks hospitable! 

But then when you think you have missed it, you begin to see the signs
of devastation around you; a few bullet holes here or a pillbox there. 
Once you get further away from the beauty of the rolling green fields 
and inland jewels, you start to see the scars of war; once you reach 
many costal towns and villages you see the with increasing regularity. 

There are monuments, museums and many stories to be heard. Some scream
at you to be heard, others need seeking out; all as important as each 
other... as is the lessons it teaches us. 

Another place I enjoy going, (or places) are the Italian Lakes; a
country that holds a special place in my heart for various reason. Of 
course they lakes are stunningly beautiful, they also have links to the 
war and Il' Duce; but by far these lakes hold a place in my heart 
because of the links to my own family name... no matter what anyone 
says, my fathers side of the family came from Italy and that's the end 
of it. 

I think I have always had a love of the place and its culture before I
became interested in where I came from and the history of my family, 
like I always say; you cannot know where you are going until you know 
where you have been! But in truth nothing could have prepared me for 
the feelings that hit me as I climbed in the boat that was to take me 
to Venice for the first time, I had heard the stories, but none of them 
mattered; I was about to see Venice in my line of vision... 

And there before me was that most famous skyline ~ this would not be the
last time I thought those words; but more on that later! The dome of 
St. Mark's, the tower of the Campanile; the Doge's Palace ~ all there 


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