The plane descended back to his homeland.

His desert boots touched the tarmac, and he looked up from his sandy brim.

The cold nights with explosions that lit up the sky left him, and the warm nights with the ones he loved were waiting.

Michael D’Aniello is a high school student in New Jersey. His Creative Writing class was assigned 50-word stories and he felt this was his best piece.

Look for more stories from members of Michael’s Creative Writing class in the future!