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Celeste Newbury

Celeste's creativity and beautiful writing style captured all of our panel's attention immediately. The deep connection that she feels with the written word is made evident through the fictional experiences of a third party; her attention to details make her story palpable. We wish Celeste all the best in her (very bright) future!

CAREER GOALS: Veterinarian
EDUCATION PLANS: University of the Fraser Valley
STUDENT PROFILE: "A" Honours Student, Active member of the Chilliwack Players Guild

Worn Pages

My heart sunk when I discovered that my worthless car wouldn’t start after my eleven hour shift. I looked through the fogged up windshield and listened to the beat of the drops as they collided with the roof of my hatchback while I came to the conclusion that I would have to walk home. With a sigh thick with loathing I threw my weight into the immovable object that was my door, which creaked as it gave way. I didn’t bother locking it; even the lowliest of criminals would turn their noses up at my scratched up piece of metal. With one backwards glance at the waste of space that caused me so much trouble, I began my ten block shower.

I threw my apartment door open with such ferocity that it rebounded and cleanly slammed shut in my face. The door stopper I bought last week was proving itself a wise investment; it protected the wall from me and at the same time, me from my superintendant. My cat greeted me by streaking into the next room and upon looking up I realized why. The mirror across from me revealed the swamp monster I had become. Everything about my appearance looked stretched downwards, like gravity had increased. My hair hung in long, soaked tendrils that covered my face which was nicely accented by my running mascara and limp, weighed down clothing. I sluggishly walked over to the bathroom and commenced peeling off each water-logged article, toweled my hair dry, and removed the black substance that was presently residing at chin level. Instinctively, I longed from the only think I new would give me comfort. I made my way over to my bookshelf and stood in front of it for almost a minute. Whose world would I visit? What adventures would I partake in? Which characters would I greet again? I would ask myself these questions and more, as is customary in my reading ritual. Over the years books have become my teachers and time machines, my friends and my foes, even my teleporter to an alternate world full of the mystical and wonderful. As this thought crossed my mind I knew where I was headed next. I reached out an brushed my fingers along the spine of my favourite fantasy novel and gently slid it from between “Jane Eyre” and “The DaVinci Code”. I curled up in a cocoon of blankets at which point my cat, grateful to see the swamp monster vanquished, nestled in the nape of my knees. I opened the cover and the smell of the pale yellow pages wafted into my nose. I knew I would finally be transported to where I so deseperately wanted to be.

I was standing in the middle of a majestic rain forest just a few steps away from a pool the same colour as a crystal blue glacier. It was night time but it was not dark, the pool illuminated all of my surroundings and threw a surreal veil of colour over the dark greens of the trees. I heard melodic singing in a language that reminded me of a breeze, a bubbling stream, and a quartet of violins. My curiosity peaked as I glided through the waist high ferns. When I broke through the greenery I beheld four shimmering water nyphms; one was purple, on green, one blue, and one red. Their colours were muted to pastels but all were under the same surreal veil that the forest was cast under. They turned their black eyes up at me, and I was mesmerized by their intense beauty. The red one took my hand, she was quite hot to the touch, and guided me toward the water but I stopped when I felt a hand on my shoulder. My foot was hovering just above the surface of the pool and I watched as she let go of me with her hand first and then finally, her eyes as she floated to the bottom of the pool with her sisters. I stumbled back drunkenly and nearly fell, but I was caught by a dashing young rogue with tick brown hair and eyes as earthly green as meadow grass. I shrunk away from the stranger and nearly fell into the pool when he grabbed my wrist and flung me in the opposite direction where I landed, rather painfully, on the shore of the pool.

“Don’t touch the water or else your soul will belong to them.” He said. It was then that I realized my hands, which were stuck out to break my fall, were touching not what I thought were pebbles, but teeth; millions upon millions of human teeth – molars, incisors, all bloody and all horrifying. My breath sucked in as I realized this stranger had saved my life. From that point on I knew I could trust this man, and followed him on his journey to free his people from their oppressor.

To be continued in book two.

The end came too quickly for me. I had completely lost myself in a daze of fantasy and adventure, which was of course my intent all along. My eyes wandered to the clock, it was 4:00 am, then migrated from my knees to my feet without my knowledge, and then slowly across to the book shelf where I knew the second volume was beckoning to me. My eyes quickly snapped back to the clock, it was 4:01. I wasn’t working the next day and I wouldn’t be able to do any errands due to my car being obsolete, ten blocks away in a parking lot. I peeled back my cocoon and slowly dislodged myself trying not to disturb my cat who I know would give a disapproving look; I tip-toed over to the bookshelf, returned the first volume, and snatched up the second and soundlessly and quickly as possible. I re-encased myself in the blankets, satisfied that my crime had gone unnoticed, and lost myself yet again between those worn, printed pages.

Her thank you note arrived shortly after the awards ceremony:

Thank you very much for selecting my piece out of all the other competitors. It fills me with joy to hear such praise as yours when I work my hardest to complete a goal. My gratitude towards you and the rest of the judges is overwhelming and sincere. I assure you that the award will be put to good use.

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Celeste Newbury