FIFTH GRADE

550 THE SWIRL OF EMOTIONS Morgan Dollander Ashamed Ice burning the skin and freezing the heart Feeling trapped in a loop that breaks the heart Every tear brings deep pain Like a knife stabbing every vein Sinking down, down in a sea of hate Where everything is a competition of who is great Ghosts of hurt and shame Haunt the blood in my veins People laugh like it’s no big deal When deep inside, the pain is real Proud Beaming smile spreads ear to ear I did it! I made it here From the swirl of emotion all around I am proud Like winning a championship game Or scoring with perfect aim Eating my favorite food Because I did so well Having the satisfaction of one small thing Makes my heart zing

TWO MOODS Rhyse Wilks

Secure a mother’s loving hug wraps you like a blanket protects you from the pain

a friend’s helping hands pull you through the storm not ever letting go

a sister’s playful laugh brightens your day brighter than the sun

Alone is like being stranded in a desert

not knowing where to go, or where to hide from the monsters inside

being alone is losing someone you love without warning

Maggie Zhu

OPPOSITES Logan Steelberg

Restless It’s like a fogged glass You always wonder what’s behind it It is a heavy chain Slowly hurting the mind It leaves you awake and feeling alone at night What happened Why is it like that, you wonder Because you are frightened by the results and the future Joy It’s like a rainbow after a storm A way out of a maze A golden medal after a marathon A bow after a show It’s a light in a hole It’s like holding a cloud It is never-ending paradise

THE BEST TRIP I HAVE EVER HAD Colton Mossman

Is this worth it? I thought. I mean, you don’t get to ride on the water this way every day. Also, what if a shark attacked me? I could die in one bite!

I woke up early. I knew that today would be fun. I could barely gobble down my food, I was so excited. When we got outside, I remembered the mosquitoes. I thought they wanted to torture me. I looked over at Caden, and I saw that none of the mosquitoes were bugging him. I figured he is not sweet enough. Dad stopped the golf cart, and I knew we were there. I started sweating on the short walk to the beach. Why does it have to be so hot in North Carolina? I took a quick dip in the water and instantly cooled down. Dad called me over. I had to sign a waiver that allowed me to go on the boat. The time had nearly come for me to go tubing!

We got on the boat. Dad drove for a few minutes, and then we finally got to the clearest water I had ever seen! Dad put the tube down in the water. He told Caden and me to go first because we had come up with the idea to go tubing. As I hopped on, I realized that this was one of the “sit down” tubes that I had seen in commercials. We got settled. Dad started up the engine. It was surprisingly comfortable until Caden yelled at me, “Let go of the tube’s handles!”

I looked over, and his hands were over his head. The next thing I knew, he was flying in the air behind me. I laughed so hard that I went flying off after him.

After tubing, we all jumped in the water and swam with the dolphins in the bay. One brushed up against my mom’s leg, and she screamed! We laughed so hard, we started crying. When we got back on the boat, the sun instantly warmed us. I watched Dad try to shake Drake off the tube. Finally, Dad got him off by driving in a circle, then driving over the boat’s wake.

The boat drive back to shore felt a lot shorter than the trip out.

I am not sure why I was so afraid to go tubing in the ocean. It didn’t hurt when I fell in the water, it just felt like falling into a beanbag. The only things that got close to us were dolphins. Feeling the air whooshing by me as I flew over the water was one of the best feelings in the world. This was the best trip to North Carolina ever.

CHRISTMAS EVE ADVENTURE Cameron Alagband

It was the evening before Christmas, and the first flakes of snow had just started to fall. A Black Labrador named Randy stood beside a tall, dark fern as he watched his owners’ children sled down the hillside. Meanwhile, another Labrador Retriever came toward him.

“Whoa,” declared Randy. “I’ve never seen another one of me before!”

“Like you’ve never seen another dog in your life,” smirked the other dog. “I’m sure you’ve at least seen a couple.”

“No, I’ve lived my whole life,” replied Randy.

“Oh, that’s too bad.” The other dog’s eyes were on the giant Christmas tree beside them. “Hey, why is there a giant tree right over there?”

“Over wh-- oh! That’s a Christmas tree! At least, that’s what my owner and his kids say. Please tell me you’ve seen a Christmas tree before. Please!”

“I don’t think I have. I’m sorry.” Reed McCardle “Oh, that’s fine.” said Randy. “What’s your name?” “Teddy. Wait! You see that ball on top of the Christmas tree?” Randy glanced at the top of the Christmas tree, where he saw a lime green, fuzzy sphere.

“Yeah, it looks like it would be fun to play with,” Randy replied. “I’m thinking that we should try to get it, to celebrate our new friendship.”

“Okay!”

As the dogs’ conversation continued, their thoughts about the Christmas tree also grew. After some time, Teddy had completely forgotten about his conversation with Randy. He thought only about the Christmas tree and the tennis ball on top. He asked Randy, “Do you want to get the ball now? Because I’ve kind of been waiting.”

“Oh yeah. It’s go time!”

Teddy got up on his hind legs and jumped. With ease, he hit the tennis ball, knocking it down. The dogs took turns, one by one, sniffing the tennis ball.

“You know,” exclaimed Randy, “on Christmas, everyone gets presents!” “Oh golly! That’s so awesome!” “I know, right?!”

“Well, I’m thinking that I should give this tennis ball to you! For Christmas! I’m sure my owners wouldn’t mind too much anyway because they have loads of those balls in their garage.”

“How sweet of you!” sang Teddy, his mouth watering at the sight of the lime green fuzz in the snow. “No problemo,” replied Randy. ”This was an awesome Christmas Eve adventure!”