Exploring Emotions

This is part of our Creative Writing: Finding Your Voice series, where kids were encouraged to free write and let whatever snippets/scenarios come alive on the page. ​

by ​Meredith DeLong
​

Three short scenes, three different emotions.

​1) "It's a bird!" someone shouted.
"It's a plane!" another person yelled. 
She snickered nervously. "It's Superman," she muttered under her breath, trying to calm her nerves. 
But this object in the sky was no living thing. Actually, the idea of a plane was probably closer to being right. It was shaped differently, though, more round. And planes didn't make a whole crowd of people scared. 
It was strange; above her own fear, her own trembling hands and racing heart, it wasn't hard to tell that the people around her were frightened as well. Her friend beside her, whom she used to think was unshakeable, had his hands balled into fists, the light in his eyes gone, replaced with this new feeling of fear.
Suddenly, a green light shot from the bottom of the thing in the sky. 
She was sure the absurd realization of what it was, what was causing so much fear, came to her at the same moment it did everyone else. 
With complete certainty, she said, "It's a UFO."

2) The sheets of rain pounding on the car sort of accompanied his emotions, he decided, but did not help.
He had been very close to his grandmother. She had died on Tuesday from a heart attack, and now, two days later and after the funeral, he wasn't sure exactly how he felt. How to feel. Sad, yes, unbelievably sad, but almost, perhaps, something beyond sad.
Sitting in the backseat, his mom driving and dad in the passenger, he thought. He thought long and hard about, How do I feel?
Aloud he said, "I think I feel frustrated."
His parents looked up, surprised; he hadn't spoken much in days.
"I think," he said slowly, "I feel like I could have done something."
Somehow, it made him feel the smallest bit better to state himself.

3) It was joy, I finally decided, that I was feeling. It took me a while to pinpoint it, but I knew it was joy, the sensation that started in my chest, slowly spread throughout my bones, put a true smile on my face. It was nice to finally be happy.