creative+writing

**5 positive concequences of Fountain of Youth**

 * 1) The person who drinks from the Fountain of Youth gets to expereince more things that normal people wouldn't be able to experience.
 * 2) Just the fact that one would never grow and always stay healthy!
 * 3) People with normal lives sometimes never get to have their second chance; however if one drinks from the Fountain of Youth, one can have a second chance and would be able to change what they weren't able to do before.
 * 4) One would become wise with all the unlimited experience and would be able to help out new generations of young people by one's wiseness.
 * 5) Some people die, never having been able to achieve their goals. When one drinks from the fountain, one would never have to worry about achieving goals and desires for, one would have unlimited time to achieve those.

**5 negative concequences of Fountain of Youth**

 * 1) One would have to watch all the people who one loves, die and leave one by himself.
 * 2) One would never be able to have marriage and love somebody, for the lover would grow old and eventually die while one stays healthy and young.
 * 3) One would have a hard time fitting into the society, because others would think one is weird, for he is too wise for his age. Others would think one is a "smart-ass" who tries to look smart and wise when one is not.
 * 4) The person who drinks from the Fountain of Youth would have keep moving around to different places every few years, for others might find out that he is not aging and infer that he is hiding something very mysterious.
 * 5) There might be conflict between people who all want to drink from the Fountain of Youth and they might start hurting each other for their own benefit.

**Describe the Setting**
This story takes place around 1940's. This is evident in the fact that Carlos, the main character travels by ship for 3 months. The setting of the story is very melancholy overall. While his adventure to get the water from the Fountain of youth is very exciting and tense, the feeling of his hometown is very melancholy and pitiful.

The main conflict of the story is himself v.s. his own fears. He fears making mistakes and he tries to overcome this negaive quality. Because he fears making mistakes, he hates taking on challenges. He fights himself to not fear mistakes anymore because he wants to please his father, who hates him. He wants to show his father that he is not a useless son who was born for nothing.
 * What is the main conflict**


 * Plot Outline**
 * 1) Carlos Kepler is standing on a bridge about to commit suicide when a guy grabs him from behind and pulls him back
 * 2) Kepler notices that this guys who saved him is guy who he had met long time ago and decides to tell his personal story to him before he dies.
 * 3) Kepler starts, "Do you know anything about the Fountain of Youth? Fountain of Youth has destroyed my life and forced me to do things that I have regreted my whole life. The fountain has filled my life with sorrow and disasters.
 * 4) Starts the story of his life
 * 5) Kepler's dad had hated him because Kepler's mother had died giving birth to him and Kepler tries to do everything to make his dad proud of him but fails to do so every time.
 * 6) Kepler's dad falls ill and when he hears about the Fountain of Youth, he goes to the southern part of the Floridian peninsulain for the search of the water
 * 7) Because it is his last chance of saving his father, he takes on the challenge despite his fear of failing.
 * 8) He searches the fountain with his friend but when they reach the fountain, they find out that the fountain is dried up with humans bones all around it. They start digging and end up with only a bit of the water for one person.
 * 9) For his dad, Kepler ends up murdering his beloved friend.
 * 10) When he comes back, he finds out that his father is in a serious condition. He runs to his father to save him, but as he pours the water in to his father's mouth, he realizes that it is too late.
 * 11) He becomes very depressed and decides that he has nothing more to live for and that he had done too much wrong in this world. He regrets for the murder of his beloved friend but he knows that everything is too late and decides to leave this world.
 * 12) His story ends there.
 * 13) Kepler thanks the person who had saved him and before he can do anything Kepler plunges toward the water to his death.
 * 14) As he falls down, he notices a beam of light in the water down below. Just as he hits the water, he sees a hand that reaches out to him; however, he can not reach in time.
 * 15) End of the story.

In the beginning, Carlos Kepler, the main character is an innocent person who is scared to do anything. However, as the story goes on, Carlos becomes more and more determined to acheive his goals and becomes much more brave. He even murders his beloved friend in order to achieve what he is truly looking for. He gets rid of his fear and starts to face the reality more over the course of the story.
 * How does the main character change over the course of the story?**

The Fountain of Youth is dried out. This is ironic because the Fountain of Youth is meant to symbolize youth and healthiness, but is is dried out, which symbolizes death and illness.
 * Describe the use of Irony in your story.**

"...we came upon a dried out pond that was covered with human skeletons." This symbolizes that the people have fought over this pond so much in the past that everybody had died and the pond has become dry and useless.
 * Why symbols are present in your story?**

There are two theme of //Ultmate Decision//: choices and mistakes&regrets. As for choices, Carlos Kepler has to contantly keep making decisions in order to achieve what he truly longs for, water from the Fountain of Youth. He does not always make the right choices; therefore, his life ends as a disaster. As for mistakes&regrets, Carlos makes mistakes by making all the wrong choices and regrets; however, everything is too late to turn back.
 * What is the theme of your story?**

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 Ultimate Decision  Tom Lee  As my vision lowered to the raging water down below, I vaguely felt a sense of fear and anxiety. The luminous moonlight shined upon me and a light breeze gently tickled my face like a mother’s hand. “The stars are unusually bright tonight,” I said to myself, “as if they are trying to speak words of farewell to me before my ultimate death. I wonder if God would pity me and send me to heaven rather than to hell.”  As I was finishing these last thoughts, I suddenly noticed a slight motion behind me. I swiftly turned around as a hand grabbed my shoulder and pulled it back with unbelievable strength. As I slowly got up from the ground, I noticed a man of gigantic stature with eyes that shined like a baby’s. The stranger said, “You should not make this choice. You must endure the pain in your life and live yours fully. Do not give up like this!”  I was astonished at what he had to say and instantly replied, “If you were to know the story of my life, I guarantee you that you would also realize that death is my final, and the only choice I have. My tale would silent you instantly.”  He immediately showed signs of interest and his eyes shined more than ever. He exclaimed, “Reveal this tale of such misfortunes to me. If such tale makes me silent and I start to pity you, I will no longer interfere with your intentions.”  I decided to reveal my personal story to this stranger and realized that telling the story would become the last act I would commit before my death. As the stranger listened intensely, I began my story of misery and misfortunes. // “Do you know anything about the Fountain of Youth? The Fountain of Youth has destroyed my life and has forced me to do things that I have regretted my whole life. The fountain has filled my life with sorrow and disaster. My name is Carlos Kepler, the son of two well-respected persons in our society. I am, by birth an Englishman and have lived in London for the most part of my life. My mother lost her life while giving birth to me and my father became depressed and sorrowful after; he even started called me a murderer. He believed that if I weren’t born, she would not have lost her life so early in her prosperous life. He disagreed with everything I had to say and as he became more and more addicted to alcohol, he turned to violence. Despite his actions and hatred toward me, I loved him dearly and admired him as a person. However, because he considered all my actions to be a failure, I developed a fear of failing, which made me afraid to take any sort of challenge. He even said to me, ‘You are just a useless piece of garbage who was born for nothing!’ // // Despite these harsh comments, when my father fell ill three years ago, I became desperate to find a cure to heal him; however, I had no success at all. Then one day, my dearest friend, Adam, suggested that I go to seek the Fountain of Youth. I instantly became quite convinced and agreed to go with him on this adventure. After getting equipped, we started on the third day of April, just as the spring came alive. Adam had read a book and was fully determined to find the fountain. Although Adam’s goal to find the fountain was neither convincing nor logical, for he had just read about it in a book, I was ready for anything for this was my last and only chance. I had decided to take the challenge despite my horrible fear. However, as soon as the view of my hometown was gone, I started to feel fear and anxiety, for I had never been outside the city. // // The journey to America was not so bad, but we hadn’t realized that the real trouble would start when we reached America. The first major problem we faced was that we didn’t know where exactly it was. We had just left for the southern part of Floridian Peninsula, not knowing the exact location at all. I actually hadn’t really believed that the Fountain of Youth actually existed in reality; therefore, when we actually found it, my eyes almost popped out. // // The whole discovery was a complete luck; we had gotten lost in a forest and while we were trudging through the thick bushes, we came upon a dried out pond that was covered with human skeletons. The pond produced some mysterious air which enabled us to instantly realize that this was the pond we had been longing to find. We were not disappointed at all at finding the pond dry; we grabbed the bones and started madly shovelling the dirt, as if we were having a race. The pond let out some magical feelings which made me despise my dearest friend for no reason. When our eyes met once, I saw in his eyes that he was feeling the same; his eyes were burning with hatred. By the time the darkness started to loom over us, we had only achieved one cup of the water. Soon it was evident that there was no more water left in the dried pond. I begged to my dearest friend, ‘Adam, we have tried but have only achieved a portion of water from the Fountain of Youth, only enough for one person. I have a dying father back at home, yet there is hatred in your eyes. Can you pity me and let me take the water to my ailing father?’ // // ‘No!’ he instantly replied, ‘I have started this whole journey to get the water and have worked my hardest to achieve it. I cannot pity you, my friend. I am sorry for this misfortune.’ // // After he said this, I felt my body burning with anger. I instantly grabbed a sharp bone and stabbed my dearest friend in the neck. Then, I grabbed the water and dashed away. For some reason, I did not feel anything about my dying friend until I reached the end of the forest. When I stepped out of the forest, I felt dizzy right away and suddenly realized what I had done. I turned back, but the image of my ailing father lingered before my eyes. I had to choose between my father and my dearest friend. I reluctantly chose my father and started my journey back home with the cure for my father’s illness. During the three months on the ship, I became seriously ill. Sometimes, when I looked at the water from the Fountain of Youth, I desired to pour it into my own mouth to relieve myself from the pain of the illness, but the image of my father just didn’t leave me. I eventually got over the illness before the end of my journey. // // When the ship reached the mainland, I went to my hometown as fast as I could. When I reached the town, I longed for a day of rest, but I knew I had to save my father before death loomed over him. When I sprinted into our house, I saw that there were dozen people there. The doctor was beside the bed of my father. He said, ‘Carlos, your father is in a critical condition because nobody cared for him while you were gone. Where have you been?’ // // I completely ignored him and rushed to my father’s bedside. I instantly took out the water and started to pour it in my father’s mouth; however, just before I poured it in, his hand suddenly seemed to turn cold and go limp and his chest stopped its up and down motion. I waited the magical affect to take place, but noting changed. The doctor felt my father’s pulse and quietly said, ‘I am so sorry Carlos.’ // // I felt a deep pain in my stomach and rushed outside. The images of the horrid past rushed through my head and I felt a pang of pain in my head. Images of my beloved friend and my father lingered before my eyes and seemed to appear whereever I looked. I knew that I no longer had anything more to live for and that I have done too much wrong in this world. I regretted the murder of my dearest friend, but I knew that it was too late. I realized that my only choice left for me was death. I came to this bridge to face my decision.” // <span style="display: block; line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 10pt; margin-left: 0cm; margin-right: 0cm; margin-top: 0cm; text-align: justify; text-indent: 36pt;"> The stranger sat silently before me even after the story was done and I realized that he was no longer going to interfere with my actions. I walked up to the side of the bridge and looked down. “Those waves are waiting for me. I must leave now.” I said to myself. <span style="display: block; line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 10pt; margin-left: 0cm; margin-right: 0cm; margin-top: 0cm; text-align: justify; text-indent: 36pt;"> I turned around to the stranger to say thank you, then leaned back and fell towards the water. As I was falling down, I saw a beam of light coming from the water down below. It seemed as if God was waiting for me to come to him now to rest forever peacefully. Just as I was about to hit the water, I saw a hand reach out to me, but I could not reach it before my ultimate death.