Boo Radley | Teen Ink

Boo Radley

November 2, 2011
By Loftus GOLD, Ocoee, Florida
Loftus GOLD, Ocoee, Florida
11 articles 1 photo 88 comments

Favorite Quote:
"You have brains in your head. You have feet in your shoes. You can steer yourself any direction you choose. You're on your own, and you know what you know. And you are the one who'll decide where you'll go." -Dr. Seuss


It started a few years back. I got into some trouble, maybe more than I ever had. I hung around the wrong crowd, drank whiskey… Things I thought I was supposed to do. Guess I was wrong. One night my friends and I stole a car, then we resisted arrest. Luckily for me, my dad decided it was best that he lock me up in the house, so I could avoid being sent to the courthouse outhouse, which was the closest thing Maycomb had to a jail. Ever since that day I’ve been sitting here. In the uncanny cold, dark, desolate room that I’ve been trapped in for years. And now, I’m stuck here waiting, listening.

I can hear them as they speak. They may be far but I can practically feel their hearts beat. Those rumors. How dare they! This town is corrupt! The children I can understand why they would make things up, but the adults? For goodness sake, I thought people were a little more humane. Too much has changed in these past years. If they’re looking for a monster that’s what they’ll get!
***
The fire was blazing, the heat making me sweat. But it was done. I didn’t think I could do it, but I gave them what they have been asking for. A monster has taken over Maycomb. I don’t know why I chose Mrs. Maudie’s house; she was the only one who actually understood me. Which, now that I think about it, was the perfect reason to set her house on fire. Any one else’s and they may have thought I had done such a crime. Mrs. Maudie was different however, she was not like them. The thought of myself sneaking out of the house I haven’t left in years, would never cross her mind. When I was back in the safety of my house, that’s when I saw them. Jem and Scout. They were watching the fire, far from the safety of others. They were scared, cold and alone. She was shaking, clearly not accustomed to the random drop in temperature. I went down stairs and grabbed a blanket, deciding whether or not I should give it to her.

In the cold, I draped the blanket around her. She didn’t notice me linger. To smell her scent, to feel the heat of her body-- that was barely there --near mine. She didn’t notice me at all.



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This article has 7 comments.


on Dec. 21 2011 at 8:08 pm
sunny.all.day. GOLD, Potomac, Maryland
15 articles 0 photos 69 comments

Favorite Quote:
"If you live to be a hundred, I want to live to be a hundred minus one day so I never have to live without you."
— A.A. Milne (Winnie-the-Pooh)
"writing is a struggle against silence" carlos fuentos
You miss 100% of the shots you don't take."

This is really good! I especially love the last part where he gives Scout the blanket. I read the book in English and what made me really like it was at the end where Scout talks about walking in Boo Radley's shoes, which is what you did! Great job!!

on Dec. 15 2011 at 8:24 pm
purple0528 SILVER, Bloomington, Illinois
5 articles 1 photo 17 comments
I'm reading this right now, so this really amused me...I havent finished it, but I love how you put yourself in his shoes...I think that's a huge theme of the book...great job :)

on Nov. 26 2011 at 6:13 pm
ReadWriteBreathe PLATINUM, Pocatello, Idaho
24 articles 4 photos 114 comments

Favorite Quote:
"You have to consider the possibility that God does not like you" Tyler Durden Fight Club

I love this! I just read To Kill A Mockingbird in english class and I loved the book. It's very well written but I wish it was longer.

on Nov. 7 2011 at 4:05 pm
born2bewriting BRONZE, Webster, New York
3 articles 0 photos 22 comments

Favorite Quote:
"The sky's the limit!"

loved it! in ELA class we were always discussing what could have happened to boo radley in that house...hahaha we even believed for a while that he really did die and get shoved up the chimney :) really liked it!

on Nov. 7 2011 at 7:31 am
lucygirl26 GOLD, Greensboro, North Carolina
11 articles 0 photos 68 comments

Favorite Quote:
"Life is like a bowl of spaghetti. Every once in a while, you get a meatball." - Sharon Creech

This was good. I liked how you captured what he thought really well and I enjoyed the nice description and what he actually felt like. 

on Nov. 6 2011 at 9:56 pm
TouchOfARose SILVER, Winter Garden, Florida
7 articles 1 photo 118 comments

Favorite Quote:
"We all have ability. The difference is how we use it." -Stevie Wonder

I liked it, very much. This was good, mature and featuring interesting perspective. Perhaps you could continue this?

p.s. this is gracie. so yeh, I started one when i got home. (:


AsIAm PLATINUM said...
on Nov. 6 2011 at 8:31 pm
AsIAm PLATINUM, Somewhere, North Carolina
48 articles 3 photos 606 comments

Favorite Quote:
"According to some, heroic deaths are admirable things. (Generally those who don't have to do it. Politicians and writers spring to mind.) I've never been convinced by this argument, mainly because, no matter how cool, stylish, composed, unflappable, manly, or defiant you are, at the end of the day you're also dead. Which is a little too permanent for my liking." — Jonathan Stroud (Ptolemy's Gate)

It was good, and very well-written, but you should have written a bit more.  I felt like this was just a tad too small of a snap-shot.  Overall, I liked it. :)