The+Rainessy

Raina Saragoza English 1A Dare

"The Rainyssey"

O Muse, speak to me of the girl, a dedicated softball player, who suffered great despair as she made an arduous journey from a softball field in a Western Oahu town of Ewa Beach to her home field of the dry Ala Wai. Obstacles and temptations she had to overcome, with no compannion but herself. A reunion she will have with her team, but another battle she must face against another softball team, the Grizzlies. Start the story, Muse, for our time is short.

Raina's troubles started at the hour of 10:00 on a bright, shiny day as she headed out to her supposed destination the Western Oahu town of Ewa beach with her kindhearted mother. Her kindhearted mother drove a glossy, black Ford F-150 truck whose "vrooming" engine could be heard from a far distance, louder than a lawn mower. When they arrived at the softball field in the Western Oahu town of Ewa Beach, Raina and her considerate mother saw no one on the dry, empty softball field. No one was residing in the bleachers, and no one was playing on the rusted jungle gyms in the same park. Then, her compassionate mother's cellular mobile device, a gift from the gods themselves, rang to the tune of "Buy U A Drank." Instinctively, her kindhearted mother picked up and answered, "Hello?"

And you, Paia, the loyal teammate, answered on the other line of the cellular mobile device, a gift from the gods themselves, "Hello, Aunty Jessica, kindhearted mother of Raina, resident of Kalihi Valley. This is Paia, the loyal teammate. Where you at? All of the Ho'okela Softball Team is waiting for your daughter, here at the home field of the dry Ala Wai. Wise and old Coach Clyde demands the presence of Raina, 'Hawaiian Girl,' immediately." Her kindhearted mother replied, "Hello, Paia, the loyal teammate, but what by golly gee whiz is going on here? I was told the double header was here at the softball field in a Western Oahu town of Ewa Beach. That's where we are right now."

And you, Paia, the loyal teammate replied, "Oh, my Zeus. This is not good. Make haste to the field for these are the last two games of the season! Warm-ups were supposed to start at the hour of 10 and the first battle against the Electrolytes of Hawaii Kai begins at the hour of 12. See you soon!"

With that, her kindhearted mother hung up her cellular mobile device, a gift from the gods themselves, and told her daughter this: "Oh, my daughter. We are at the wrong field. Wise and old Coach Clyde demands your presence at the home field of dry Ala Wai field immediately."

"Ah, mother, what despair I find myself in. You led me to believe my game was here, in this Western Oahu town of Ewa Beach, so far away from my team and home field. It is your fault we are in this predicament, and you owe me this much: give me a speedy journey to the dry Ala Wai, making no stops and not acknowledging speed limits. Let's make haste, for the first game of the double header starts when the digital clock shows 2:00, and the second game starts two hours past that."

"Oh, daughter," her kindhearted mother replied, "how shameless you are for you have the audacity to speak to me with such ill-mannered disrespect. It was not my fault you were misinformed, but rather, your own for not finding out the facts. I will fulfill your wishes and make haste, but once your game is over, a week of grounding you will pay for your insolence." The reigning god of all gods, Zeus, heard her kindhearted mother's reply and decided the young girl needed more punishment than that. He decided Raina's fate, promising her journey would be driven off course by three trials, which she must defeat by herself.

Unaware of the imminent punishment of the reigning god of all gods, Raina and her kindhearted mother started her "vrooming" engines and sailed her glossy, black Ford F-150 truck across the gray-barren, cement sea far into town, nearby Farrington High School. The sailing was smooth, and it seemed the god of the gray-barren cement sea, Poseidon, had blessed them with a good journey. Were they ever wrong…

Suddenly, her kindhearted mother's glossy, black Ford F-150 truck came to a halting stop, as if the ship had hit an iceberg. The brakes had given in and smoke started erupting from the car lid like a furious volcano. Somehow, Zeus had persuaded his favorite son, Hephaestus, god of American-crafted steel and volcanoes, to help him punish this young girl, and cause something to go haywire in their "vrooming" engine.

Her kindhearted mother groaned, stepped out her glossy, black Ford F-150 truck and popped the lid. A mass of smoke came out, and her mother cranked out her cellular mobile device, a gift from the gods themselves, and called her husband to tell him the situation. The young girl, not having a cellular mobile device of her own, was still sitting in the car by herself. She assumed the wait for her father would be a long wait, so instead she jumbled a plan together. She decided she would take the bus. She jammed her cleats on and, grabbing the rest of her softball gear from the back seat of the glossy, black Ford F-150 truck, made haste to the bus stop nearby Farrington High School. Her kindhearted mother yelled after her, but Raina did not stop.

This was Zeus's first trial, to see what she would do. If she actually stopped to listen to her mother, she would have only waited for 15 minutes for her father to arrive, then off again would they sail on the gray-barren, cement sea to her home field of the dry, Ala Wai. But with her fatheaded arrogance, she hastily took a longer route and would have to face two more trials before facing her final battle.

Raina trekked her way to the bus stop, where the gray-barren cement sea met the black-barren asphalt streams. She sat there waiting for the bus, still not knowing which number to take for she had never caught the bus going out that way. She knew exactly which bus would take her home. A battle with herself began. She regretfully wished she hadn't left her mom like that, but she knew, when she arrived home, she would be dead meat. She also knew that if she didn't go to her game, then she would be letting her team and wise and old Coach Clyde down. Cross her boundaries she decided, and ride amongst the public on the bus.

Raina, the young girl, had a fight in her, and Ares, the god of war and victory, acknowledged that and favored her. He saw her plight, and visited her under the disguise of an old Filipino woman. Without letting a word slip passed his godly lips, with his delicate old womanly hands, he shakily placed in the young girl's hands softball gears of the gods. In the left, he handed her a Rocket Tech bat. A bat which did not demand great effort to swing, but gives the ball an especially excellent pop when contact is made. In the right, he handed her a magnetic glove and matching ball. The wearer can command exactly where the ball goes.

Raina didn't understand why this woman gave her these fine gifts, but she knew it would be rude not to accept it. She did not have money or any gift to give her in return, except a hug, and she did. The number eight bus to University finally came to a halt at the bus stop, so Raina, the young girl, approached stealthily approached.

Little did she know that Zeus, the god of lightning and electricity, and his son, Hermes, known for his messaging and transportation skills, ran the bus. Zeus had forewarned all bus drivers of a young girl who would be penniless, and commanded them to have the girl fight the 6 headed python.

Raina stepped onto the bus – and told the bus driver her plight. He pitied her. He saw she was the same age as his own daughter, yet he had orders from Zeus, the god of lightning and electricity, and he wouldn't dare defy Zeus, especially because he had a family at home that he had to think about.

So he told the girl this: "I will give you an alternative rather than paying the dollar: fight the 6 headed python to the death, and I will let you on. I will even give you 3 extra transfer coupons… if you win."

Raina, Coach Clyde's "Hawaiian Girl," was nervous for her life, but she was so egotistical that she couldn't allow herself to let her own team down. She mustered up enough courage to take another step up the stairs as if to say, "I accept your challenge." She opened her softball bag, took out her blue batting helmet, placed it on her head and fastened the chin strap. She snuggly put on her new glove on her left hand, ball inside, and grabbed her new, red Rocket Tech bat by the handle with her right. She said, "I'm down. This thing's going down."

The bus driver was already standing by the cage in the front of the bus. He closed the doors behind her, and the young girl knew the battle was about to start. The cage, previously veiled by a black cape, was now completely visible as the bus driver pulled off the cape. Raina finally saw her opponent, and he finally saw her. He was one giant thing. The python had one body, a dark crimson purple. The heads were swaying, in sync with each other. The split pink tongues in the middle of their open mouths were hissing, drooling, yearning for her fresh blood. In one penetrating bite, they could paralyze an elephant. Their beady black eyes were horrifying, hypnotizing.

Frightened, Raina prayed to Ares, god of war and victory, "Oh, Ares, god of war and victory. I don't know how to use these new weapons. Give me the strength and courage that you have yourself. Help me to be strong and triumphant because in your name, I fight." The god of war and victory heard her prayers and a swell of courage overwhelmed the young girl like the first replenishing rains after a drought.

Once she closed her prayer, the bus driver let the monster out. The python slithered to her, looking ever more ginormous than before, similar to the size of her arrogance. Its tail was shaking in the air near her right arm, so she whacked it with her bat. It stopped shaking and dropped to the floor. All heads looked at their tail, then refocused their gaze on Raina, even stronger and more blood hungry than before.

Two heads tried to snatch at her, but both missed. She tried bopping one on the head also, but missed. She remembered the glove and ball in her hand, so she hastily dropped her bat, grabbed the ball, and threw it. The ball went far from the head furthest to the right, and then she thought to herself, "Oh, man! Damn, how am I gonna get it back?" Right then, she saw the ball turn around, telepathically commanding it to come back towards her, and just so happened, the ball hit a head before landing back in her magical glove. One down and five more to go.

Once she realized that she could command the ball wherever she wanted, repeatedly used the technique until it came to the last head. This head was the most horrifying, especially because its eyes were different. There was a little speck of red in the middle of each pupil and the eyeballs held an intense, fear-striking gaze. But with the courage Ares had thrust upon her, Raina pumped her arm, fooling the head into thinking she was going to use the ball technique again, but instead, with her right hand, she whacked the head as if hitting the homerun ball. Score!

The bus driver was amazed by this fight and allowed her on the bus like he promised. They set off on the black-barren asphalt stream, then shifted onto the main gray-barren sea. They made their way to University, nearby her home field of the dry Ala Wai. She got off the bus and decided to walk the rest.

While she was walking, she thought how of Ares had aided her. She was ever grateful and wanted to thank him somehow. She didn't have any sacrificial animals to slaughter in his name, so she decided she would symbolically slaughter the other team in her final battle in his honor.

Surprisingly, Zeus did not set up any trials on her journey by foot, but instead he set the final task at the actual field. Raina walked and walked until she reached a familiar road, where Waiola Shave Ice was. She was craving to quench her thirst. No, she did not have any money, but she figured she could put it on her father's tab or possibly use her bargaining skills with the owner. There was a long line, and she stood in the back. If she looked south down the road, she could see her home field in the distance. She imagined her team, sitting in the hot dugout, probably tired out from the game. She decided it wouldn't be fair to them, so she got out of the line, and continued to make her way to her home field of the dry Ala Wai. Now, fifteen minutes passed three o'clock.

When she came to the main parking lot, she wasn't greeted by her own team, but rather, an old ex-rival team, the Grizzlies, and this greeting wasn't exactly welcoming. With furious death stares painted on their faces, she knew something was about to go down, but what? Using her common sense, she knew it would be best to avoid confrontation, especially because she was so close to her goal. She decided to walk around them.

Raina tried to walk around but this one bestial girl, Cassie, purposely got in her way and wouldn't let her through. Raina stepped up and asked, "Excuse me, Cassie of the Grizzlies, please let me through. I have no strife with you at the moment, and I don't see why confrontation is necessary." Cassie of the Grizzlies growled back, "I see why it's necessary: because I said so." Her forceful stare locked onto Raina's and an unofficial staring contest went down. Both were especially good at staring, but Raina felt as if she were about to lose it. Then her mind switched to "game mode," blocking everything else out and engage into Cassie's gaze and win. She could see Cassie's eyes starting to swell with water, and she was sure hers were doing the same. Then, by surprise, Cassie flinched and lost her gaze. Raina was triumphant, and was finally able to make her way to the field.

By then, it was already 35 minutes passed the hour of 3. The game was already into the last innings, and the three-run per inning limit was already off. Raina arrived to her team's dugout, and everyone started screaming, "Raina!" Wise and old Coach Clyde was sitting on his white bucket with a shiny gray seat cover atop it. He said, "Raina, 'Hawaiian Girl,' I cannot let you play and participate in the battle. You came late, although I know it's not completely your fault. Yes, your mother called me and told me about your car troubles. But the truth of the matter is that I can't let you play, you didn't warm up and it wouldn't be fair for you to start and not other team members."

Instead of being impatient, she took head to what he said and knew what he meant. She would have to fight this battle on the sidelines, being the support system for her team. She told her whole team about her journey and let them use the god-crafted softball gear Ares gave her as a gift.

Wise and old Coach Clyde didn't expect the young girl to actually be supportive of her team because she was previously known for her arrogant and rude ways. The old man gazed at her with such amazement. He saw a complete change in her attitude; he recognized a team player.

Wise and old Coach Clyde called her over and said, "Raina, 'Hawaiian Girl,' this is our last time up to bat, and you, will be allowed to play in this game, but no exceptions for games to come."

Grateful and appreciative, Raina, the young girl, opened her softball bag, took out her blue batting helmet, placed it on her head and fastened the chin strap. With her red Rocket Tech bat, she stepped into the batter's box, And immediately she realized this is where she was destined to be. Her loyal teammates were out on the field; bases were loaded. And you, Paia, the loyal teammate, were on third-base waiting to come home.

Raina gazed at the pitcher, it was none other than the bestial girl Cassie. Glaring once again with her furious eyes, she jammed the ball into the glove. Raina, brought her bat up and prepared for this pitch. At the immediate release of the ball, Raina, the young girl, the team player, recognized this pitch would be a strike. She waited for the pitch to come, then exploded on it, blasting the ball past the fence. Homerun!

As Raina and her teammates rounded the bases, everyone cheered for they new who the true winners were. Not the Grizzlies, but Ho'okela. They lived happily ever after.

Process Reflection This assignment required me to create my own version of the Odyssey, hence the title, "the Rainessy." Although this epic journey was a little bit more free form, much like Odysseus's epic journey, the assignment was much about finding identity and voice. In my opinion, identity and voice are the most key themes of English IAB, and I think this assignment was a great way to prove the lesson of how to discover voice. Not only did the character discover her identity and her voice, I myself as the writer discovered my writing identity and my writing voice. I didn't quite feel as strongly about the importance of self and voice until I finished this course. I'm really glad I did.