The School Trip in Space

be angry. She's with Caiden in Illi, talking about finding me. I had hoped that she changed, hoped that she finally cared. I was wrong. I sob. I sob for Zehra, who I couldn't save, for my people, who wanted more from me, for my dad, who fought for me. And I sob until I fall into a sea of gold. This time when the land calls for me to fall deeper into its energy, I do.

When I was born I was bathed in Emeren’s golden river. My name is Zemira, a song. My father was a fighter and my mother was a deceiver. But I’m not. I’m nothing and everything, all at once. I'm the flower that bloomed, but also the quiet in the air. I onced wondered if I was the villain or the hero. If I would have a happy or sad ending. But now I know.

I create and I bloom bright green flowers all over Shantei, Zehra’s favorite. I destroy the empty buildings and states, and create mountains and valleys. I call to those I know would treat Emeren well. I forgive and offer my assurance to those who would need it. I watch and I wait.

The land constantly urges me to lose myself completely in it. But still I stay. Because I’m not sure if I'm ready. Because I'm still not sure if I want to leave at all.

The Great Quest

G.O. DOLIBER • AGE 10

WRITTEN IN A WRITE AWAY WORKSHOP

One small robin sat atop a high branch upon a great old tree. The small robin whistled and chirped through its small beak, singing a loud, happy tune. The first rays of golden sunlight poured through the trees and hit a small cabin. She heaved a great sigh and stirred the pot with a hand-carved spoon. As the sun rose higher the golden rays of light hit the small cabin. Like most things in the woods, the cabin was old and worn-down, with moss and ivy growing on its walls. As the sunlight crept through the windows, the bird sang louder. It woke the elf, fast asleep in her cabin. She yawned and stretched, then got out of bed.

She opened the front door to her cabin and took a long, deep breath of morning air. She took a step outside and looked around for some berries. All of the sudden, all of the beautiful, warm light vanished and was replaced with shadow. She gasped with surprise and looked up and saw something that made her want to scream: the sun was black. Everything was as dark as night.

The wood elf jumped up and then the black sun slowly fell and was replaced once again by the normal sun. She heaved a sigh of relief.

“I must go see the father tree, he will know what to do,” she said to the robin that had been watching her.

The robin looked at her, then flew off. When it came back it brought her a big black wolf. It was the elf’s friend

and companion, and had been a present from her mother and father when she was young. They had grown up together and therefore were very close.

The elf jumped on her wolf and stroked his fur and said, “Take me to the oldest tree alive.”

The wolf nodded and began to run swiftly through the forest.

The leaves crunched beneath the wolf’s feet as he ran with her on his back. They ran deeper and deeper into the forest and finally to a parting in the trees, where stood a great old tree. It had wrinkles in its bark. The elf hopped off the back of her wolf. She sat at the edge of the tree and bowed. The tree opened its mouth and said in a weary old voice, “Hello child, why have you come?”

The elf kept her head bowed and said respectfully, “A few moments ago the sun set and was replaced by a black sun. What does it–”

The tree interrupted and mumbled, “No, no, this cannot be, not again.”

“What is it?” she asked.

“Ash, my child, when the black sun rises it shall bring a thousand years of darkness,” the tree said.

Ash gasped.

“What can we do to stop it?” Ash asked.

“We cannot. I have been feeling it in my roots. But there may be a way to slow it,” he said thoughtfully.

“How can I?” Ash asked desperately.

“Well, I am not sure, but I can help,” he said.

He held out a small but beautifully-carved bow with

arrows. Then he handed Ash three arrows that look different from the rest.

“These three arrows all have different powers. One is ice, the second is fire, and the third is ice,” he said.

“Wow, thank you, great old tree.“

“I have one more thing to give you,” the tree said. “You can now talk to all living things on this planet, including plants.”

“Wow, thank you so much,” Ash said. She could hear all of the plants and bugs and critters of the forest all speaking to her, telling her that she could do it. Ash bowed once more and walked away.

“Good luck my child,” the tree said.

Ash walked over to her wolf and rode back to her cabin. She knew how to shoot bows and arrows. She had learned as a young, small, elf. She hopped off of her wolf.

“I’m sorry but you cannot come. It's too dangerous,” she told her wolf unhappily. “But if I call, please come.”

The wolf bowed its head sadly and slumped over to its bed and laid down.

Ash sighed and took all of her arrows and her bow and started to walk toward the place where a kind woodsman lived. She walked deeper and deeper, her feet crunching on the dry leaves below her. She jumped onto a tree, hopping from branch to branch, from tree to tree. Finally she found a large cabin alone in the woods. This is where the human woodsman lived.

A gruff voice asked, “Who goes there?”

Ash said, “I come in peace.”

“What would I want with a wood elf?” asked the woodsman, stepping out of the shadows. He had a long beard and was tall and was wearing a cloak.

“I want to join forces,” said Ash. “The black sun will come and when it rises it will bring a thousand years of darkness.” Ash's short, red hair bounced up and down as she jumped down from the tree.

The woodsman looked at her and put away his hatchets.

“I was about to go up to the great old tree to ask him about that,” he said.

“I just came back from him. He gave me gifts and hope,” said Ash.

“I must visit the king,” said the woodsman.

“May I accompany you?” Ash asked.

“Yes, I suppose so,” said the woodsman. “But any funny business . . . ”

They traveled far and wide until finally reaching the kingdom. Ash walked up to the front gate. It was gold and it was so tall it seemed to touch the sky. There were two armed soldiers holding silver spears and wearing gold armor.

“What do you want with our kingdom?” one guard demanded.

“Me and this wood elf merely wish to speak to the king,” said the woodsman.

“The king is busy. I suggest you leave and come later or make an appointment,” said the other guard.

“But . . .” Ash said, but one of the soldiers cut her off.

“No buts! Now be gone of this place, GO!” he said.

“Now what shall we do?” asked the woodsman angrily.

Ash smiled and jumped the castle wall with ease.

“Are you coming?” she asked with a smile.

After the woodsman had climbed the wall (with great difficulty), they snuck across the roof. They were surprised when they looked through the window and saw a dungeon that led right to the throne room. There was a hooded man sitting and looking at his gear.

“Thief,” grumbled the woodsman.

“Look at his lockpick,” said Ash. “He could help us.”

“Look at his sword. He could also hurt us” said the woodsman impatiently.

“Look at his heart. He could help. Just trust me. Please trust me and therefore, trust him,” said Ash desperately.

Looking at Ash’s desperate face, the woodsman said “Fine, fine, fine.”

Ash jumped silently to the dungeon floor.

The School Trip in Space

ELLA HOLLAND • AGE 9

WRITTEN IN A WRITE AWAY WORKSHOP

Venus had just got home from school, and her parents' faces had huge smiles. “Will you go on a school trip in space?” they asked.

“Wait, did you just say ‘school trip in space?’” Venus asked in excitement.

They nodded. They were so excited because they worked at NASA headquarters.

“Our boss thought that it would be nice to let kids in space for the first time,” said her mom.

“And he picked your school to go to space,” her dad said.

“What do you think?” asked Venus.

“Hardy-har,” said her sister Luna, who had just got in from work. “She would never go. What if she got the Swimming Planet?”

Luna was right. Ever since Venus was little, she had hated swimming.

The school got everything ready. Venus got to pick her design on the small spaceship and she got to pick her buddy to go with to the planet. She picked Mars, her best friend. Venus got into the bus.

“Can you believe that we are going to space in a school bus?“ she asked her best friend, Mars.

“Yeah, and that it’s a school trip,” Mars replied.

Mars was right: it was a school trip, and the bus that they were riding in was about to go into orbit.

10 . . . 9 . . . 8 . . . 7 . . . 6 . . . 5 . . . 4 . . . 3 . . . 2 . . . 1 . . . BLAST OFF!

And in seconds, they were in orbit. The bus stopped on the Glitter Moon. In their stylish space suits, they walked out of the special space hatch on the bus. The Glitter Moon was the coolest thing they had ever seen.

“Settle down, class,” said Ms. Pluto.

Ms. Pluto was handing out scavenger hunts and planet cards. Venus and Mars were a pair, and they got the Candy Planet. They hopped in their spaceship that they made in art class, and they were off.

Once they were there, they parked the spaceship in a free-parking space, because they were all full. Then they jumped out of the spaceship, and they started to jump.

“Yes, this is so fun!” Mars said.

“Yeah, and imagine if we got the Rock Planet. Like, that would be so funny,” yelled Venus.

They saw so many aliens. They checked that off the scavenger list and went to collect a water source. They started to skip. Then they looked back and they didn’t see anything.

CRUNCH!

They turned around and saw a big shape. They ran as far as they could and hid behind a giant gumdrop.

“Mars, do you think that that thing ate our spaceship?” Venus whispered.

“What do you think . . . YES!” Mars said, mad and annoyed.

“Sorry,” said Venus.

They started to pick up all the sleeping aliens and then they darted away.

“Yes!” said Venus.

“What is it now?” Mars asked.

“We got another thing to put on are scavenger list,” Venus said, checking off giant monsters that want to eat. The aliens finally started to wake up and were rolling down Tootsie Roll Mountain.

“Do you think we should roll, too?” asked Mars in a better mood now.

“What do you think?” Venus replied with a smile. They started to roll down the soft mountain that was like a pillow. They stopped at the bottom of the mountain and there was an ice cream sidewalk. They pressed a button on their space suits, and they were licking and skating at the same time.

“Wow, this is so fun!” Mars yelled excitedly.

Then they saw a big river of hot cocoa, and Luna's voice started replaying in her head: Hardy-har. What if she got the Swimming Planet?

Oh no—Luna was right, thought Venus.

“Venus . . . Venus, come on, we have to swim across the river!” Mars shouted.

“No, no, NO! I will not swim! I will never swim, ever!” replied Venus.

“Come on, we have to swim!” Mars said. “The monster will melt in the hot cocoa.”

A star and a black hole came and sat on Venus's shoulder. The star had a pool tube and a rubber duckie in one hand, and the black hole had a tracksuit and running shoes and looked like he was about to go on a run.