Teen-Adult Fiction, Narrative Script 

Excerpts from:

Afterlife

By April Dukes

             "The only other interactionbeing the time that the dad their drove up in his truck drunk, had some wordswith my step-dad and left. Their house was not much more than a double widetrailer. Though, it was hard to tell if it was actually a trailer or a house, asit was covered in junk. Toys, trampolines, basketball hoops, animal cages,kudzu. I never actually saw a child there, they probably just stayed in andwatched TV. Isuggested we bring them a bottle of Jack Daniels and see if we could swap forsome chickens"

              "We once lived on a nicely wooded dirt road onseveral acres of land. In recent years, the rain came less and less. When itdid rain, the storms were devastating, plucking the already struggling treesright out of that poor dry soil. As John and I walked up the road I wondered ifeverything that happened would actually make a difference, if I would ever seethe forest and the birds truly come back. We crossed the paved road where ourneighbors lived and made our way up to the door. It was so quiet there though,I knew something was wrong. It was in the hot dusty air, the buzzing flies, andthen the door was just sitting there half open. I started to tell John toforget about it, but he opened the screen door making the most painful creakingclacking sound I’d ever heard. That sound might have been a comforting oneonce, reminding me of my grannies house, with sweet tea on the back porch, butnow it sounded like a death call."

               "Her smile at that moment brought meback to the week before when we had finally given in to her insistence. Mygrandmother did not say much, but when she did it was because she felt it wasreally worth saying. So when she urgently started to babble about needing to goto the cave again and again, we thought perhaps she had finally lost it. Shewas 105, so it should not be surprising if she finally started to slip. When wethought about it more though, she was still sharp about everything else, therewas no decline to speak of. My father came home from work on the third day ofher increasingly urgent nagging. He told us that we should pack our things andgo to the cave as ma had wanted. Ma grinned bigger than I had seen in a longtime, showing her toothless but infectious smile. “I knew you married a smartboy” she said to my mother. "

Children's Fiction

Excerpt from:

GhostGet Away!

By April Dukes

Isyour Ghost getting on your lastnerve?                

(Ghostsurprising kid next to his bed)

Deprivingyou most of the sleep you deserve?

Doeshe rattle his chains a little tooloud?                

(ghostdoing conga with chains)

Doeshe want to play games when its notallowed?         

(ghostin closet dressed up in silly clothes)

Well,If your ghost has extended his stay,

don’tbe afraid to say “Ghost Get Away!” 

(kidslooking annoyed at Ghost and pointing to open window and yelling)

Excerpt from:

Obecker's Toy

By April Dukes

              "but his father could see this was something special, “it’s ok, we can keep it next to you here” and set the box next to where he was sitting. (family at table, box on bench next to Obecker, maybe his brothers/sisters are curious or jeaalous). 

Obecker took his box everywhere with him while he was thinking of what to make. (spot illustrations watching soccer game with box on lap, fishing with it next to him, feeding horse, etc) "