Flesh, And Lies, With A Side Of Bluffing

Lying is something most people do on a regular basis and Liam from Gail Helgason’s short story “Bluffing”  is no exception. He thinks he can win Gabrielle's trust back after "running away as fast as he could" during an encounter with a grizzly bear. He puts his girlfriends life in danger by not following her calls to "[back] off slowly.... [and] bluff [the bear]". Gabrielle knows what to do in this situation because "she [is] the biology teacher" where as Liam is just an aspiring hiker who wishes that "one day he would have his photo in... magazines for... outdoor gear".  In order to try to regain her trust he says that "he wasn't trying to run away" and "meant [for] the bear to come after [him]". This blatant lie and the fact that he tells another couple he saw "an elk carcass by the lake" shows how cowardly and self centred Liam is. Gabrielle tries to be happy that Liam wakes up in the hospital three weeks later; but she can see through his lies and resorts to "Bluffing". She "can manage [that] way" for now but she knows that his whole life is based on lies.

Forgotten By All

Light shines brightly from above just like any normal day. People can be seen commuting along Alta Street to their regular old jobs as if nothing is out of the ordinary. However, underneath this seemingly uneventful overpass is an entirely different universe. Light ever so slightly seeps in around rough concrete pillars which are cool to the touch. Smoke bellows from steel containers and rises to the barricaded sky, giving the air a hazy, clouded look. Graffiti, dirt, and grime line the walls. Concrete floors have become littered with waste. This floor is where she sits. A tattered hat goes well with her worn clothing and bony figure. Her skin, stained grey from years of struggle and hardship has been eroded into many deep creases. Her hair starved of moisture, aged jewelry lost, now found, and cheek bones as high as mountains. It would be a marvel to see her stand on such weak legs let alone become erect. The only joint that appears to work would be her elbow which allows her to accelerate her time to death. In her hand she grips a cigarette, inhales, and feels the fumes stream down to her lungs, poisoned from years upon years of constant abuse. She exhales and the process is reversed. The smoke pours over her cracked lips, and cascades down her carcass before colliding with the ground and growing into a wide, creeping ring. She is one of many under Alta Street, under society, to be forgotten by all, and have her niche filled by another unlucky soul.

Some Say...

Some say his brain is a sponge that absorbs an unfathomable amount of knowledge and wisdom. This tall, somewhat awkward young man is Rylan Potter. Rylan obsesses over his dreams and will work for hours on end to learn, grow, and become something more than he ever imagined. He has been observed to only accept absolute greatness, perfection is the benchmark for this hard working, intelligent, and athletic student.

Dreams of racing, hitting the apex just right, going faster and faster fly through his mind. Jeff Gordon, Michael Schumacher, and Sebastien Loeb are his idols, his holy grail. Oil and grease flow through his veins with his desire to drive, to race. One summer it is believed that he spent days at a time researching every component that made a car move. Although Rylan loves cars he also has other hobbies and talents.

Music flows off his fingers as smoothly as water drains down a calm river, if you challenge him to a post game, you will lose. He also has a strange yet quiet interest in the universe, and one day hopes to become a world renowned engineer.

His family life is relatively quiet, apart from his brother who contributes heavily to noise output within the house. Going to the tropical beaches of the Mayan Rivera is a good change of pace where he can sit back and take a break from his life often buried beneath mountains of responsibilities. Some say he's just a normal high school student, but others see past the common fallacy and observe greatness in the making.