A Series Of Sorrowful Stories by Duane Harvey (summer reading list .TXT) 📕

get your attention?"

Sampson said, "Yell for us. That's what everyone does over here. Wait, where are you from?"

Gregory looked at Romeo and said, "It looks like he came from Mr. M's side. You know...on the other side of the wooden wall?"

Peter and Sampson nodded their heads. Romeo said, "May I come in and speak to my mom?"

Peter said, "You disobeyed rule four. Rule four is: Thou shalt not ask to come in. That means you can only be invited in."

Romeo said, "I don't like your rules."

Sampson said, "You broke rule eight! Rule eight is: Thou shalt like everything."
Romeo pushed the three servants away. He walked into the house and walked into the dinning room, where his mother, Juliet, and Capulet were eating and talking.
Romeo said, "Hello."

Capulet looked at Romeo and almosted choked on a piece of chicken. Romeo's mom looked at Romeo and said, "Son? Why are you here?"

Juliet looked at Romeo and blushed. Capulet said, "Why are you in my house, you unwanted child!"

Romeo's mom looked at Capulet and said, "That is no way to talk to guests. You should be burned at the stake, tonight!" Burned at the stake is where a person is tied to a pole and caught on fire. It isn't very pleasant.

Capulet said, "No! I am sorry. I can't be burned at the stake!"

Juliet said, "Who is going to be burned at the stake tonight, anyways?"

Capulet said, "I don't know. Hey, kid, what is that in your pocket?"

Romeo said, "Something An Apothecary sold me."

Capulet said, "That witch sold you something! What did the witch sell this time?"
Romeo pulled out a blue bottle. Capulet said, "That's...a bottle of...poison! He is trying to poison us!"

Romeo said, "No. You don't understand!"

Capulet said, "There is only one punishment for this. Romeo, you will be burned at the stake tonight."

Juliet stood up and yelled, "Stop all of this non-sense! I love Romeo and you can't do anything about it!"

Capulet frowned and yelled, "Angelica, come in here, right now!" Angelica is Juliet's personal servant ever since Juliet was born.

She rushed into the room and said, "What is wrong?"

Capulet said, "Do you know anything about this new character that my daughter loves? His name is Romeo."

Angelica said, "Juliet in love with an outsider? I have never heard about this. Not once." That sentence was a lie. Juliet told Angelica about Romeo when she was in the tub.

Capulet looked at Juliet and said, "Your lover will be burned at the stake."
Romeo's mom looked at Capulet and then at Juliet and lastly at Romeo. She said, "You can't love an outsider, Romeo. And, why were you going to poison someone?"

Romeo said, "I am not going to poison anyone. I already did. Last night."
Romeo's mom looked shocked and said, "W-Who did you kill?"

Romeo frowned and said, "I killed, Tybalt."

Juliet cried, "How could you! That's my cousin!"

Capulet smiled and looked at Juliet. He said, "Your boy friend is a murderer. How outstanding is that?"

Juliet yelled, "Shut up! I love Rom..." She didn't say the rest of the sentence. She said, "Why did you kill him?" Tears ran down her pale cheek.

Romeo bowed his head and said, "He killed my best friend, Mercutio, two days ago." Mercutio was indeed Romeo's best friend. He was also the son of Prince Escalus. Prince Escalus was the prince of Verona. He had two kinsmen, Mercutio and Count Paris.
Capulet said, "I am going to have a talk with your father. He should be very pleased at what you have done." Capulet got up from the table and grabbed Romeo's hand. Capulet and Romeo walked out of the house, down a narrow path, in a hole in the wooden wall, over a bridge, through the forest, and into Romeo's house.

Capulet's wife looked at Romeo then at her husband. She said, "What are you doing?"

Capulet said, "Montague's son, Romeo, killed one of Prince Escalus's kinsmen."
Montague looked at Capulet and yelled, "Don't blame things on my son!"

Capulet said, "Don't let your boy fall in love with my daughter! He should be burned at the stake!"

Suddenly the front door swung opened and Prince Escalus walked in, frowning. He said, "I have found two bodies. Tybalt's body and sadly, Mercutio's body. Who did such a horrible thing?"

Romeo said, "I killed Tybalt because he killed Mercutio."

Prince Escalus said, "An outsider killed an insider because the insider killed one of my kinsmen. One person from each inside and outside group will be burned at the stake. The two fathers get to pick one person from each side."

Chapter 21 * Romeo's Story

Capulet pointed and said, "I pick Romeo. I want him to get burned at the stake so he will never date my daughter."

Montague said, "I pick...Juliet."

Romeo's eyes filled with tears. Capulet frowned and said, "That's fair."
Romeo ran out of his house, through the woods, across the bridge, in the hole in the wooden wall, and into Juliet's house.
He said, "There are going to be two people being burned at the stake tonight. Me and her." He pointed to Juliet. Juliet couldn't believe her ears nor eyes. She looked out of the window and saw Capulet, Montague, and Prince Escalus carrying torches toward them.
Juliet looked at Romeo and said, "What do we do?"

Romeo frown and said, "We have to kill ourselves unless you want your body to be ashes."
Romeo and Juliet walked to the kitchen. They both picked up a knife. Romeo bent forward and so did Juliet. They kissed. Romeo stabbed himself and fell to the ground. Juliet dropped the knife.
She hugged Romeo and whispered, "I love you."

Romeo had a tiny smile on his face. He said, "I love you, too." He gently closed his eyes. His heavy breathing stopped and so did his heart. Moments later, when the three men walked into the kitchen, they saw two dead bodies laying next to each other. The first body was Romeo's and the other body was Juliet's.

When Count Paris saw Juliet's body he started to cry. Count Paris looked at the three men and said, "We were supposed to get married, tomorrow. I can't believe she died." The next day Romeo and Juliet were buried side by side.

Chapter 22 * Jonra's Story

Duane walked along a dirt trail for six hours. When the trail ended, Duane noticed that he was in a town filled with Native Americans. One of those Native Americans were, Jonra.
Jonra was known for being an Native American that enjoyed doing work. He walked past Duane and was headed to a feild to help his poor mother pick cotton, to put up for sale at the market. To Jonra, being a Native American was a gift. He loved picking cotton and cleaning trash off of the dirt road. When he got to the feild, he didn't see his mother. He yelled, "Yo, Ma. Where shall thee be?"

There was a small high pitch screaming, coming from in the feild. Jonra knew that the screaming was coming from his mother. He ran through the feild. His feet started to hurt. He had never ran as fast as he did. He was used to walking. He lost control to his feet, and fell to the ground. He got back up and looked around the feild. He still didn't see his mother. He screamed, "Ma, where shall thy find wou?"

There was a strong breeze that made the cotton feild dance as though it were human. Jonra sniffed at the breeze and...and smelled the terrible smell of blood. He stood there without an answer from his mother. He walked in straight path until he saw something white on the dirt. He bent down and picked it up. He realized that it was a strip of his mother's dress. He then saw three red dots printed on it. It was his mother's...blood.

He then heard a soft sneezing coming from ahead. He continued to walk down the path until he saw...saw his mother chained to a huge pole, naked. His mother's hands were nailed together, one hand on top of the other. There were three enormous cuts on her belly, which blood poured out of. Jonra ran to his poor sixty-year-old mother. He said, "Wat has happened to wou? Wat ded this to wou?"

His poor old mother held up her head so she could stare at him while she was talking. She said, "The men in armor ded this to me. I have come to the age, which thee shalt be killed."
Jonra then saw a tear run down his mother's face. It made him feel sick..sick with anger and sadness.

How could someone kill a person as nice and sweet as Jonra's mother? Jonra, himself, didn't even know the possible answer to the question. In my opinion, I think the murder, or in Jonra's case: murderers, killed that poor old lady for no reason at all. Sometimes good things happen to good people, but sometimes bad things may happen to good people. To this very day, I think that death is a wonderful thing. I had witnessed two deaths this year. The two people that have dead were my grandfather and my aunt. I believe that they are in Heaven right this moment, watching me as I type this story.
Jonra then started to licked the red blood off of his mother's belly. I understand that was just disgusting, but in Jonra's cutlure, people lick other people's blood to respect them. In the United States of America (USA), people show their respect by treating other people good, and in the Chinese culture, people show their respect by not looking at the other person directly in the eyes.

After Jonra was done licking his mother's blood, he looked up at his mother's face. It was still and calm like a lake in the summer. Jonra smiled and said with his bloody mouth, "Rest in peace, ma, we shalt meet again, soon." When he says 'soon' he means when he dies and goes to the light, where his new life will begin.
Suddenly Jonra heard someone yell, "Hey, there is another one, over there in the feild!"

Jonra heard metal boots smashing against the ground. He knew that the men in armor were running towards him. He ran farther in feild, leaving his dead mother behind. Ten minutes later he was out of breath, but still running...running to nowhere. He heard a gun fire. He suddenly saw a light. That light was his only way out...out of the feild and alive. He dashed into the light and noticed that he was indeed, in nowhere. There were no trees, no houses, no people, no grass, nothing, except for dry dirt. Jonra fell to the ground and started to breathe heavier and heavier until he had no more air. He heard the men in armor rushing towards him. He gently closed his eyes.
A day later, Jonra opened his eyes and noticed that he...he was in a metal cage. He looked around and saw many more cages with people in them. They were all crying. Jonra stood up and stared at a man in armor.
The man in armor stood in front of Jonra and said with a wicked smile,