[Jennifer Sears]

This discussion board post should be at least 3-4 paragraphs following instructions for Brainstorming Plot listed on the To-Do List for Session 13:
https://openlab.citytech.cuny.edu/searseng1141ol05-fall-2021/2021/10/14/eng-1141-to-do-list-session-13-thursday-oct-14/

[Odvens]

I remember on my 17th birthday my mom did a speech about how she left me the day I turned 7 to come to the United States.
On March 11 he was born but seven years later I left. I had no other choice but he had his dad with him. I looked into his eyes and saw tears as they were dropping me at the airport. As I was leaving he said “see you later for dinner mommy” and that broke me instantly I felt as if the river of happiness I had in my heart just disappeared.
After 5 years of seeing my mom every 6 months, I asked her for me to be brought to the United States because I wanted to be with her every day. Yes, I’m a mama’s boy. It was a very long process going through immigration but I can assure you I was willing to wait. After going back and forth with the immigration they decided to close my case saying I can make it to the United States.
That broke my heart months later, the day I turned 12 years old I heard a very familiar voice in my house. At the time I was still in Haiti and suddenly my phone rang. That same voice that woke me up is the same person over the phone. For some reason, she called on an unknown number and screamed “Happy birthday kiddo”. It took me a minute then I realized that it was my mom. She walked into my room with tears in her eyes and said you and your father are coming with me. I don’t know what she did or how she managed to go past by the immigration to get both me and my father here. All I knew was that I had the best happy birthday ever that year knowing my family would be one once again. I feel like my mom Ms Innocent was my hero, it felt like I was being saved by superman. Her nickname should be super mom.

[Nathaly Morocho]

Mystery that occurred:
A mother and her family lived in a beautiful apartment in a beautiful house. That mother was my mom. Their neighbors lived in the same house but in their parts of the apartment. My dad was working. I was in school. I was in the 6th or 7th grade. Things were disappearing in my apartment.

My little brother Cristian just got home from school. He was doing homework. My mom was doing her job. When my mom was putting products in a bag, she was doing a receipt. When she was going to put the receipt in the bag, it was gone.

My mom asked if he put the bag somewhere else. He responded “he didn’t touch it”. When my mom came back, the bag reappeared. Other things started to disappear then reappear. I found it weird because things were missing and then appeared out of thin air.

I was thinking it was my younger brother because he gets home first between the both of us. But knowing him, he was either watching tv or playing. Things going missing was happening a lot. We had no clue what was going on.

My mom thought it was Cristian who was doing it because he was disappearing within the apartment. My mom thought my younger brother was in the kitchen. My mom saw a shadow and thought it was my brother Cristian. She heard things moving in the kitchen.

So she asked my older sister to see what he was doing. But my sister said that he wasn’t in the kitchen. So my mom and sister were looking for my brother and they found him in our mom’s room. We think it was a friendly ghost that was doing all this.

[Showmik K. Chowdhury]

This story takes place a few years back during the summer season in 2015. I was kind of new to this country. I went to a picnic with my family and we were so happy. We went to this picnic with an origination by bus. There were like 250 people who went to this picnic and everyone was enjoying and talking to each other. Some people were singing songs insider the bus and some people were singing in the background. While listening to the song I was looking outside and enjoying the beauty of nature. It took us like an hour and a half to reach the picnic spot. When we reach there our breakfast was ready and we start eating.
After our breakfast, we all start spreading out and start looking around to this place. so, in this picnic three of my cousin was with me and was older than all four of us. We start to look around ourselves and reach a beach area and there were few branches where we sit and start chilling. At that time suddenly I feel like drinking water. So I took my younger cousin’s bicycle for going to the picnic area. This bicycle was small based on my age but I still stat riding the bike without thinking and get into a big accident.
So, the accident was like I lose control of my bike while riding the bike standing. I was fooling that I was not thinking about my body I was like how I can save my younger cousin’s bike. I tried to save the bike and put down my knew to stop the bike and got big cut on my both knew that I need to go to hospital emergency room. When I fall one of the guys came to me and ask if I am fine and put some water on my leg and wash the cut area. When my mom saw me she start crying. Later this night my uncle took me to the emergency room and I was there for around six hours.

[Showmik K. Chowdhury]

In this story writer was calming that the stuff was disappearing from her house. at first writer describe her housing setting like who she live with and then introduce the reader with her story characters. Then in the story she told us at first they used to thing her younger brother is the one who massing up will the stuff. then one day the show a shadow of something and the sound from the room . when they went to check who was their they saw no one was their. so, they was thinking a small ghost was massing up with their stuff.

[Faisal]

It was a sunny day, my family and friends planned to go to six flags on a Muslim day. You guys would be wondering what’s happens on this occasion it is pretty much the same thing in six flags but with stalls inside it where all Muslim people gather and are selling their stuff. For example, Perfume clothes etc. etc. when we entered my friends were excited but not me because I don’t like rides. It just makes me sick and nauseated which I hate the feeling. I was just there for shopping and was interested in checking out all the stores even though my friend hated me for not going into the rides.
Since I was done with shopping I went back to my car and sat down to rest while at that moment I hear a little girl crying behind my car I asked her where are your parents and she didn’t reply to me back. She was just crying and didn’t know what to do. So, I called the security guy from the six flags and told him if he can make an announcement so their parents could come for her but sadly the person said he don’t have any kind of announcement to make but he said there is lost and found so eventually their parents might come. The security guy also told me that almost every month 300 children’s gets lost, and their parents are not even aware of them after few minutes of them being not around them. In that time being one of the parents came rushing down the pavement and screaming her child’s name which was Ayesha. He yelled Ayesha!! Ayesha!! While screaming I look into his eyes. His eyes were screaming for help but thank God I stopped, and I told him that your daughter is safe.

[Faisal]

The writer was talking about how he went to the picnic with his family he was describing what he saw when he was taking the bus. He also was describing how he was enjoying himself with his cousins. Then the writer describes how he got into the accident while riding the bike then someone came and help him and wash his knees. He also said in his writing that how he had to go to the hospital emergency room and he was there for six hours. he talked about how they were exploring the picnic spot and they went close by the beach and enjoyed it.

[kevinvargas24]

Our story takes place in the Bronx new york. Kevin and his brother Kedwin enter a local McDonalds and were stopped by a random man after finishing their order. The man was limping, had beady red eyes, and seemed full of rage but also looked confused. The man says to the two “this is a stickup!” and “don’t fight your way outta this”.All the pair could do was stand there awkwardly but with a smirk on their face, trying to resist laughing at the man. The man had a cane in his hand as well, after a while of bothering other people he came back to the two. “This is a stickup,” said the man again, followed by him taking his cane and pointing the end of it at Kedwins’s chest. “What do you want from me man,” says Kedwin. The man screams “I don’t know”. The McDonald’s gets quieter and phones are taken out to record the scene and call authorities. As he calms down kevin approaches. “do you have a family sir ?’”. The man looks at him and his eyes widen as if he just pictured his family in his head, the word family continuously echoing over and over and suddenly he snaps right back into himself. He says “where am I? and who are you?”. It’s as if the man were under a spell that suddenly was broken. “Your in a Mcdonald’s and the police were called on you,” says kevin. Kevin then explains to the man what he did and it all connected for him. “oh … I’m sorry I was here to get my daughter some food. You see im a former criminal who suffers from this rare form of PTSD in which i get caught in a trance usually related to my past. I was struggling back then to put food on the table and so I guess it kicked in and made me reenact the things I used to do, I’m…. I’m so sorry again.” As everyone watches the police can be seen coming through the door. It seems the video has caught some attention on Facebook and due to what is shown the police interrogate the man on the spot. The man explained what happened and the two boys chimed in as well. “officer the man suffers from PTSD and he didn’t know what he was doing” Kedwin says. As time passes more reports are done and due to a previous criminal history the police don’t believe the three of them and decide to arrest the man anyway. worker s get back what they were doing as everyone watch The man crying and yelling “ please no you can’t do this”. Kevin and Kedwin stand there, sweat coming down their heads and butterflies in their stomachs. The two look at each other and all of a sudden a bell. *Ding* “order number 32” yells the worker, Kevin reaches for the food and as he is about to grab it he suddenly appears in his bed. Confused, kevin looks for his brother and tells him that he thinks he had this weird dream. Kedwin follows up by saying he experienced something similar. Clueless of what happened The two get ready to start the day and later enter a Mcdonald’s since they dreamed about it and thought it’d be funny if they went. The pair arrive and as they walk in they see the man they recognize a face. It was the man in their so-called dream. The two get the same feeling again, sweat rushing down their head and butterflies in their stomach, the day had restarted as if they were stuck in a time loop.

[kevinvargas24]

Faisal’s story is about a trip to six flags. A little girl was found in the parking lot crying. Faisla then ask security for help but is denied to do an announcement and instead sent to lost and found. This is where the girl’s names is revealed, Ayesha, and her parents come to get her

[Kevin Ho]

My name is Jacob, seven years old and have a five years old sister, named Mary. My parents are under a great debt of half a million dollars. They need to pay back their debt by working, but we, the kids are in the way. So, my parents brought me and my sister to my aunt in one of the city of China. I do not know where I am, but I do my parent is about to leave without me and my sister. As I see the car leave, I ran after it, but trip and hurt my knee. I felt emptied. The ice-cream shop boss saw, and pity me with a ice-cream in wrapper. I thought the ice-cream was a ice pack, so I put it on my bleeding knee. Once, I think I have enough of the ice, I went back to the boss and give back the bloody pack. The boss said to me, “why would I want that, take it and eat it!” That is when I realize, this ice pack is actually ice cream.

My aunt didn’t want to take care of us, so she sent us to mean caretaker. The caretaker was strict, I would get yelled out for little things. Things can be simple as drinking an extra juice box. I learned to lied out of fear because of her terrifying sound and would say, “no, I did drink it.”

I went to elementary school in the area where the caretaker would bring me and my sister. Again I do not know where I am. I made friends who are not my age and I assume they are teenagers. They would come to my house and play with me. Everything seems good. I stay in China for six month , then one of my parents decide to pick me and my sister up because they have pay back their debt. The parent will come at night time. I was betrayed before I was picked up. That day was hot, I was in a room with air conditioner. My sister came to the room with a light and ask, “how to use this thing.” I show her how and she left the room. An hour pass after she left the room, I smell something strange in the air. I went out of the room and saw that the whole living room is all on fire. I got out of the house and saw my sister talking to the caretaker. The caretaker came then slapped me in the face and said “why did you burned the whole place down!” I deny but the caretaker do not believe me. My four friend who meant to sent me off, but instead all I got in the end was disappointing eyes looking at me. I was betrayed.

[Kevin Ho]

Kevin Vargas introduce a story of Kevin and is brother in Mc Donald, but was threaten by a man with a stick. The man was a former criminal and suffered from PTSD. The man was arrested, Kedwin the brother of Kevin tried to explain that the man suffered from PTSD, but the police arrested the man anyway. The brothers were uncomfortable as the man was being arrested, but was disrupted by the ring of a bell. The brothers realize that they were in a dream and they confirm with each other that they had the same dream. The next day, they went to Mc Donald but saw that the man from their dream was there. They got nervous thinking that they are stuck in an infinite loop.

[Shayanna Nicholls]

I remember bright lights and a soft warm wind, colors bouncing through the thin children’s print curtains that parted to allow the wind some way. It’s always hazy this memory, but I always remember the bright print of the shone on curtains and the way they parted as I lay in the child care unit of a small hospital. I remember my father’s back busy fixing something on my grandma’s porch on the 2nd floor of her light aqua painted house. On that sunny day when the breeze was perfect and my tricycle was new and I wanted to try drifting in the movies. There as I fell and turned to him I remember his back and then I go back to the curtains. I remember how he said I should’ve been with my mother and the four years after I was lacking front teeth. I remember how he forgot this story and told me it was my fault my youngest sister fell off of his bed when he was right beside her.

My aunt who was there said it wasn’t my fault and she who wasn’t there remembered how he was there when I fell and remembered how my younger sister was no where near me when she fell instead she was right behind his back. And at that time a thought hit me, both my aunt and my mother had caught me when I’ve fallen, I’ve caught my younger sisters time upon time from when they first wobbled to when they ran to fast and they were never caught with the silhouette of my back but with the warmth of my embrace. My aunt eventually left and when she did a debate over an occurrence witnessed by 4 was quickly summarized with the thought of 1.

My mother says that he was negligent, he says that I should’ve known better but, I remember his missing front tooth and he forgot mine were missing because they grew back. In the end I think my father is right, it took me a long time to realize that when I’d call for him he’d only show me his back I should’ve known better.

In Kevin Ho’s story the protagonist Jacob and his little sister Mary were left in the care of his aunt in China by his parents who had to pay a debt of $500,000, the separation was so hard on him that he was pitied by spectating ice cream man. The man gave Jacob an ice cream cone but Jacob so stricken with a feeling of emptiness misidentifies it as a cold pack. His aunt then, not wanting to take care of the two children leave them with a caretaker. The caretaker is mean: yelling at Jacob for drinking an extra juice box so Jacob learned to lie, luckily it’s not all bad as he makes some teenage friends when he goes to school and they come to his home and play with him. After 6 months his parents announce they would come back for the two children and Jacob’s friends arrange to see him off. When the day comes his sister comes to his lodging and asks how to use a lighter ( I assumed that this is what Kevin meant by “light”) and he shows her how. Jacob is then left to himself when he notices that it was getting hotter and hotter inside of the house, he goes to check and finds that the living room is on fire. He exits the house where he sees that both the caretaker and his sister are safe and talking to each other. Walking over to them the caretaker suddenly slaps him and accuses him of burning the house down , he denies the claim but he is not believed. His send off day which was originally supposed to be a happy day, ended with him getting slapped, yelled at and betrayed.

[Carolyn Cruz]

My dad had a trip planned to the Dominican Republic, where he has to go because of business. The following Sunday night, around 9 pm my sister and I were out front of our apartment. Our neighbor named Ivan, who lives about 5 houses down, came to us and asked “Dónde está su padre? Which means where is your dad. We lied and said that he was on his way home because we didn’t want him to know that my sister and I were in the apartment alone. Ivan then proceeded to ask if we had space in our backyard for some of his belongings. We didn’t want to answer so we told him to wait for my dad. After a few days, we see that there are a few suitcases out front by the stairs on a corner. My first thought was that they were my dad’s old ones which he was throwing out. After a week, my father came back and he asked who those were, my response was “aren’t they yours?” he goes “ No”. After Ivan sees my dad he tells him “ I hope you don’t mind that I put my stuff there”. At first, my father let it slide and said “Okay but you have until tomorrow to get them out of there”. Tomorrow comes and they are still there Ivans excuse was “Yeah I’ll do it tomorrow” days will pass and it’s still there. My father brings them out and says “That’s it, take them”.

After a few days, Ivan comes back and puts his suitcases by the apartment’s garbage bins inside the gate. The place was more to a corner, right below the first floor AC. Since the AC will leak water he placed an umbrella on top so his four suitcases will not get wet. My dad told him a few times that our landlord will not allow that there but Ivan will not listen. I would question why he could not just keep this in his apartment. About 2 weeks go by and his belongings are still there. On Monday night my father told Ivan “ You have until 7 am tomorrow to take these out”. The following day, I’m heading to the gym after class around 1:30 pm and his stuff is still there. My dad called me and asked if Ivan’s stuff was still there as I walked out and I said “Yeah”. My father told me to take them out to the sidewalk to where the garbage is placed to be taken by the garbage truck. I felt so bad but I understood that Ivan was taking my dad for granted. I placed them out on the sidewalk. When I return home from the gym around 3:30 pm I see that they are gone. As I am walking in I see that my upstairs neighbor took out a big mat to the garbage which wasn’t weird at all.

The next morning I am heading to work around 10 am and I see that the mat has been moved to the complete other side but I didn’t put any mind to it. I arrive from work around 7 pm and I decide to just go and see why it was placed where it was and I see that behind this mat were Ivans suitcases. There was nothing I could have done but laugh. I go to my house and I check the cameras which show that Ivan brought them back around midnight that night. It was so funny I called my dad and he looked pissed off but he laughed as well. He was so tired of Ivan doing this that he took the suitcases and put them out in the garbage again but this time was different. He only took two out of the four and put them outside, the other two he put in his car and drove to another garbage bin to throw them out. I felt so bad, I told him not to do that but he told me “ If Ivan came to me personally and asked I could’ve put them in our yard, but he decided to do what he wants and when I asked him to remove them he always said yeah tomorrow. He saw me as if I was stupid and would let anything pass” his explanation made complete sense. Now this story is told and all we can do is laugh and think how brave this man is to do whatever he wants in another person’s home.

[Carolyn Cruz]

My dad had a trip planned to the Dominican Republic, where he has to go because of business. The following Sunday night, around 9 pm my sister and I were out front of our apartment. Our neighbor named Ivan, who lives about 5 houses down, came to us and asked “Dónde está su padre? Which means where is your dad. We lied and said that he was on his way home because we didn’t want him to know that my sister and I were in the apartment alone. Ivan then proceeded to ask if we had space in our backyard for some of his belongings. We didn’t want to answer so we told him to wait for my dad. After a few days, we see that there are a few suitcases out front by the stairs on a corner. My first thought was that they were my dad’s old ones which he was throwing out. After a week, my father came back and he asked who those were, my response was “aren’t they yours?” he goes “ No”. After Ivan sees my dad he tells him “ I hope you don’t mind that I put my stuff there”. At first, my father let it slide and said “Okay but you have until tomorrow to get them out of there”. Tomorrow comes and they are still there Ivans excuse was “Yeah I’ll do it tomorrow” days will pass and it’s still there. My father brings them out and says “That’s it, take them”.

After a few days, Ivan comes back and puts his suitcases by the apartment’s garbage bins inside the gate. The place was more to a corner, right below the first floor AC. Since the AC will leak water he placed an umbrella on top so his four suitcases will not get wet. My dad told him a few times that our landlord will not allow that there but Ivan will not listen. I would question why he could not just keep this in his apartment. About 2 weeks go by and his belongings are still there. On Monday night my father told Ivan “ You have until 7 am tomorrow to take these out”. The following day, I’m heading to the gym after class around 1:30 pm and his stuff is still there. My dad called me and asked if Ivan’s stuff was still there as I walked out and I said “Yeah”. My father told me to take them out to the sidewalk to where the garbage is placed to be taken by the garbage truck. I felt so bad but I understood that Ivan was taking my dad for granted. I placed them out on the sidewalk. When I return home from the gym around 3:30 pm I see that they are gone. As I am walking in I see that my upstairs neighbor took out a big mat to the garbage which wasn’t weird at all.

The next morning I am heading to work around 10 am and I see that the mat has been moved to the complete other side but I didn’t put any mind to it. I arrive from work around 7 pm and I decide to just go and see why it was placed where it was and I see that behind this mat were Ivans suitcases. There was nothing I could have done but laugh. I go to my house and I check the cameras which show that Ivan brought them back around midnight that night. It was so funny I called my dad and he looked pissed off but he laughed as well. He was so tired of Ivan doing this that he took the suitcases and put them out in the garbage again but this time was different. He only took two out of the four and put them outside, the other two he put in his car and drove to another garbage bin to throw them out. I felt so bad, I told him not to do that but he told me “ If Ivan came to me personally and asked I could’ve put them in our yard, but he decided to do what he wants and when I asked him to remove them he always said yeah tomorrow. He saw me as if I was stupid and would let anything pass” his explanation made complete sense. Now this story is told and all we can do is laugh and think how brave this man is to do whatever he wants in another person’s home.

[Carolyn Cruz]

As reading Kevin Ho’s story he tells us about a sacrifice that his parents had to make to be financially stable. Even though it was the best for the parents It was not so well for Kevin, He did not have any friends and did not know where he was at. He spent those 6 months with a caretaker who was very strict and will yell at him for everything. After showing his sister how to work a lighter he did not expect to have that outcome which was blamed on him.