More stories in two languages by Stories in two languages / Cuentos en dos lenguas 2015

Mﾃ｡s historias en dos lenguas//More stories in two languages 2014

1ER

Aﾃ前//LEVEL

Más historias están por contarse, esperamos que las disfruten….

More stories are to be told, we hope you like themâ&#x20AC;Ś.

ÍNDICE/INDEX THE MYSTERIOUS WOODS

EL ORIGEN DE LA LUNA

EL MISTERIOSO LIBRO DE CUENTOS IF ONLY I HAD KNOWN THE TRUTH THE MYSTERIOUS WOODS

12 14 16

LA VERDADERA HISTORIA DE BRUNO RODRÍGUEZ

IF ONLY I HAD KNOWN THE TRUTH LA HISTORIA DE CONNOR KENWAY A PRESENT FROM THE GODS

19 20 23

7 DÍAS EN EL BOSQUE

IF ONLY I HAD KNOWN THE TRUTH LA MUÑECA DE LA JUGUETERÍA

27 28

THE MYSTERIOUS WOODS

EL CENTRO DEL MAR

WELCOME TO HELL

LA DIFÍCIL TAREA DE MILOU

BATTLE OF GODS

LA ESPERANZA

37 4

WHY DO HYENAS LAUGH WHEN THEY HOWL?

A DAY TO REMEMBER

THE FOREST

THE BUTTERFLY AND THE TURTLE Y TENÍA RAZÓN

43 44

THE ORIGIN OF THE SILK FLOSS TREE ONCE UPON A TIME…

45 46

SAVING ORDONIA

THE WORST EXPERIENCE IN MY LIFE PICKY THE HORSE

49 51

A PRESENT FROM THE GODS

BE PART OF STREET ART

FIORENZO, THE WORST KING OF THE WORLD

Prefacio El lenguaje es el objeto de estudio a lo largo de nuestras vidas. Es por ello que la creatividad nos brinda ese lugar y/o espacio para imaginarnos un mundo propio. Las posibilidades son infinitas como las manifestaciones del lenguaje. Ingresar a un mundo ficcional y escritural es lo que lleva a continuar con el proyecto

realizado

exitosamente el año pasado.

Más historias en dos lenguas siguen esperamos

contándose que

así

y siga

siendo.

Teresita Otero y Diego Ortega

Preface “Stories in Two Languages” is a Project originated in 2013. The students’ response was so rewarding that it encouraged us to go for a second round this year. Again, we were presented with stories filled with enthusiasm

and

creativity,

reflecting the skills they acquired throughout the year. We hope readers will appreciate the outcome of this wonderful experience as much as we have.

Samanta Ludueña, Pat Parra, Vicky Smith and Jackie Sotomayor.

The Mysterious Woods I could hear the wind howling beneath my ear. The stars shone bright in the sky, but still the darkness covered most of the surroundings. I set off to the woods, encouraged by the hope that I had lost. As I entered, a creaking noise under my weight rumbled unceasingly, as if the ground was going to fall any minute. But surprisingly it didnÂ´t. I leaped over the river that flowed swiftly below me. But as I landed, I tripped over a log and fell. I was badly injured. The palm of my hand and the tip of my fingers were completely numb. I raised my sight, and I glanced skeptically at my little and spongy bunny, jumping high and happy, as if he was in heaven. I tried to clutch it, but it slipped from my hands. We arrived at a little tree. It didn't seem such a great deal. Truly, it was disappointing. Moments later, I saw that I was badly mistaken. Suddenly, the bunny stepped near the tree, and the bark of the tree was replaced by a minute door. I managed to fit in and I entered. I set my eyes on the most amusing thing I had ever seen. There was a city of bunnies that lurked around in their fatuous cars. There were buildings that rose high, higher than the skies, which seemed not to be from real life. They had futuristic screen lights and features I don't even know their names. It made me feel proud that my bunny had been part of this. I went dumb in these thoughts, which drove me to sleep deeply< I was woken by the howling of the wind. All of a sudden, the environment of the incredible cities with lights and screens, changed abruptly. The lights of the buildings became the light of the night table, and the pavement transformed into the wooden floor of my bedroom. The only thing that didn't change was my little and spongy bunny, who cuddled next to me. I realized then what had happened. It had all been a dream. At first I had thought that making the story a dream would be great. I wanted to make a story inspired in my little cat. I chose the Mysterious Woods as a title because it seemed appealing and intriguing.

Juan Pablo CĂlfone Argibay

El origen de la luna Hace mucho, mucho tiempo en un pueblo llamado Nizke en China había un emperador que se llamaba Chang, tenia secuestrada a la mujer más hermosa del reino. Se decía que era hija de un dios pero el emperador no creía en rumores. Solo creía lo que veía. Ella rezaba cada día y le rogaba a su padre que la ayudara. Ella odiaba al emperador, le deseaba la muerte. Su padre era el dios de la luz, para los ciudadanos

era

uno

los

más

importantes dioses, él era el sol, las velas, todo lo que daba luz. Ella se llamaba Lee, luz en chino. Todos le decían al emperador que la liberara pero el pensaba que si la liberaba la gente empezaría a creer en ella y se quedaría sin poder sobre el reino. Lee aparte de ser hermosa era inteligente y pensaba las soluciones bastante rápido, ella estaba siempre atenta a las llaves del guardia pero nunca servía de nada.

El dios que era muy generoso y compasivo trataba de clamarle la atención al emperador para negociar, pero siempre que el emperador veía alguna luz rara lo relacionaba a algo como velas y reflejos. Un día Lee estaba golpeando la reja y se cayó un pedazo de metal oxidado, muy afilado, y tuvo una idea maligna: consistía en cuando el guardia le trajera la comida, ella le clavaría la estaca y lo dormiría de una patada. Ese día era martes y todos los martes el mismo emperador le traía la comida. Ella se lo explicó a su padre y él se enfadó, le dijo que le ofreciera lo que quisiera “poder, dinero, joyas etc. “ Ella ya lo había pensado y estaba decidida a hacerlo. Ese día una hora antes de la cena vino una mujer alta, con un vestido lujoso de seda, apareció ante la puerta del emperador y le dijo que había tenido una visión. En esa visión ella veía a Lee, clavándole una estaca de metal y el pueblo enloqueciendo. El emperador le cerró la puerta en su cara diciéndose así mismo que era mentira. Al cabo de una hora, el emperador estaba bajando a los calabozos con la comida para Lee, al bajar el último escalón la escuchó riéndose acompañada por 9

algunos ruidos metálicos. El se asustó, al pensar en lo que le había dicho aquella mujer. Al instante una voces empezaron a retumbar en su cabeza y escapó corriendo y le dijo al guardia, que le entregara la comida a Lee. El la vio y Lee ni se daba cuenta de que estaba ahí. Cuando vio la comida en el suelo se decepcionó pensando en que había perdido su oportunidad dorada de matar al emperador. El martes siguiente ella ya estaba preparada y cuando llego el momento el emperador paso y se abalanzo pero el dios se apareció y dijo (te lo advertí) y un circulo brillante se apareció alrededor de ella lee se asusto y quiso correr pero se dio cuenta que se empezaba a poner redonda y gris y se fue alejando, flotando y el dios le dijo(tú te quedaras allá arriba pensando en lo que ibas a hacer hasta que tu ira se enfrié) Y lee sigue allá arriba esperando y mirando cómo vivía antes.

Rafael Cuartielles

EL MISTERIOSO LIBRO DE CUENTOS - Chicas, es la hora de tomar el té – dijo Helena, la madre de Ana y Emilia. Ana y Emilia eran gemelas, tenían 12 años, pelo rubio y eran de baja estatura. Su madre biológica las había abandonado por causas desconocidas y hacia siete años, Helena, una señora muy generosa y cariñosa, las había adoptado. Para su sorpresa nadie respondió a su llamado. - Chicas – repitió Helena, aún sin escuchar ninguna respuesta. Un poco alarmada entró al cuarto de las chicas, miró a su alrededor, pero todo estaba completamente desierto. Lo único que llamo su atención fue ver un libro abierto en el suelo. Pero no era cualquier libro, era el único recuerdo que Ana y Emilia tenían de su madre. Helena nunca lo hubiese imaginado pero de alguna manera, como por un portal mágico, las chicas habían saltado dentro del libro y así aparecieron en un nuevo mundo. Un mundo que de cierto modo les parecía familiar. - ¡Ana! - dijo Emilia desesperada - ¿Dónde estamos? - ¿Por qué piensas que yo sé? - dijo Ana un poco preocupada. Curiosamente las chicas empezaron a recorrer el lugar siempre manteniendo ese pensamiento de ya haber estado allí antes. Se encontraban en un lugar maravilloso lleno de árboles, flores y animales. A lo lejos se vio representada la silueta de una dama. De repente la luz del sol alumbró su rostro, rápidamente la reconocieron, era Melina su madre! Sin pensarlo corrieron lo más rápido que pudieron a abrazarla. Habían soñado con ese momento durante toda su vida, no podían creer que realmente estaba sucediendo. Pero su madre luego de abrazarlas las miró seriamente, tratando de explicarles algo. 11

Primero que nada quiero que sepan que nunca quise abandonarlas- comenzó Melina – Aún así, en cierto modo, siempre estuve comunicada con ustedes gracias a este libro que me regaló mi padre, su abuelo, cuando tenía su misma edad. Pude escuchar lo que decían y sentir lo que sentían, probablemente este lugar les resulte muy conocido, se preguntaran por qué, y yo les daré una respuesta. Cuando ustedes eran muy pequeñas, cada noche les leía este mismo cuento y de alguna manera saltábamos dentro de él y vivíamos nuestra propia historia. Pero una noche decidí leerlo por mi cuenta y así fue como quedé encerrada en él. Pasaron los días y yo seguía sin poder escapar. Pero lo más trágico fue enterarme que su vida continuaba pero sin mí. Así que, me dediqué a protegerlas desde aquí esperando con ansias este día en el cuál las volvería a ver.

Carmela González

If Only I Had known The Truth If only I had known the truth, everything would have been different. Lisa, my sister, Joanie, my best friend and Pablo, one of my classmates played an awful joke on me. It was hard for me to understand that they could do such a horrible thing to me. It all started some days ago, at the Elementary School of South Dakota. We were in the math lesson. Pablo came to me with a sad expression on his face. He was in a bad mood. When he is uncomfortable, angry or sad with someone, he always comes to me for advice. This time, he was depressed because Joanie had played a joke on him. She was great at that, but I was the best. Whenever someone was a victim of her jokes, I helped them to take revenge. Although we were always competing, she was my best friend. Going back to Pablo, I had the best joke in town. The joke that would be remembered forever. I told the plan to Pablo twice, until he understood it completely. At night, when the school was empty, my sister, Pablo and I entered. We tiptoed along the corridor. It was the third time that I tried to play this joke on someone. This time, I deactivated the alarms since they are always a threat. When we arrived at the lockers, I looked for Joanie's. I didn't know which of the two lockers in front of me was hers. So I took some green paint and applied it on both lockers. When they opened it, they would be green. But whose locker was the second one? It would remain a mystery until Monday morning. After we had prepared the joke, a guard appeared. How did anybody know we were on the premises? Suddenly, Pablo took a step forward and said: "Joanie didn't do anything to me. I have planned this so my joke would be the best of all. But I didn't do it alone." Suddenly, Joanie appeared. She laughed and said, "Ha ha. Who is the best joker now? But, didn't you know that three heads think better than two? She said it so ironically that I didn't understand. Suddenly, my own sister, Lisa, took a step forward. She looked at me and said,"Living under the shadow of your little sister is not fun. What happened? Has your own joke gone wrong?" Suddenly, I saw Mr. Mark, the principal, walking along the corridor. He came closer to me and said,"I can't believe it! How dare you! You will not be expelled, because you need to pay

for what you have done to the school all these years. You will do community service the rest of the year."

After all that, I returned home. My sister was by my side trying to make me feel bad. When I arrived, I went to my bedroom and thought, "This competition has gone too far. I can't handle it anymore" I stopped for a second and then thought, "If only I had known the truth..."

Clara Sisto

The Mysterious Woods “No, don't go in!” I told Michael. That was the last time I saw him. He didn't come back that day, nor the second or third day. He was gone for a whole week, a month<., a year. I haven't seen him since then. I miss him so much! He was my best friend, and now he is gone, I will never get to know what happened to him. He disappeared on Friday, October12, when one of our classmates told us about Rosewoods, also known as “The Mysterious Woods”. He told us that every person who went in never came back.

Although Michael was very scared, he wanted to know the real truth about the place. Apparently it wasn't a very good idea. I was very scared, my teeth gritted. Scary noises could be heard coming from the forest, I swear, I saw the trees move, not because of the wind, because it was very warm, but they really swayed. That ´s when I ran away. That was the moment when I told him not to go in because he would never return. But he did, he did go in, and all of a sudden, I heard someone scream. It was Michel, and after that he never came back. I should have gone with him, but I didn’t so now he is gone, and that day I couldn’t do anything for him but I will someday .I will go back to that forest and look for him.

Mia Braun

La verdadera historia de Bruno Rodríguez Hace algunos años, vivía en un humilde pueblo cercano a la Ciudad de Neuquén, un chico llamado Bruno. Todos los días, Toto, como le decían sus amigos, recorría poblados cercanos en bicicleta, vendiendo tortas fritas que preparaba su abuela con mucho empeño. Bruno disfrutaba muchísimo jugar al básquet. Todas las tardes, apenas terminaba su trabajo, corría ansioso a encestar en el improvisado aro del fondo de su casa. La pelota naranja, poco a poco, comenzó a transformarse en una obsesión, hasta que unos meses más tarde, con la ayuda de su abuela y algunos vecinos, pudo asociarse al único club de básquet de su pueblo: El Deportivo Neuquino. A pesar de su entusiasmo, el hecho de no ser alto, lo desmotivaba, ya que era una cualidad sumamente necesaria para este deporte. Aún así, Toto tenía mucha perseverancia y determinación. El sólo pensar en poder jugar algún día en primera, se convirtió rápidamente en 0el sueño de su vida. Los días pasaron y era el mes de agosto cuando Bruno decidió que para cumplir su sueño, debía partir hacia Buenos Aires. Allí, tal vez, con un poco de suerte, se vincularía con algún club de básquet. No tenía mucho dinero, ya que sólo contaba con el sustento de su abuela, pero en el Deportivo Neuquino, todos estaban de acuerdo en ayudarlo, ya que veían su gran dedicación y esmero. Organizaron peñas, rifas, vendieron tortas y pastelitos. A pesar de todo el esfuerzo, el dinero recaudado, no resultaba suficiente y el deseo de viajar, debió prolongarse por dos largos años, en los que Bruno trabajó arduamente para ahorrar lo suficiente. Fue hasta entonces, que un frío día de invierno pudo emprender su viaje hacia la gran ciudad. Ese día, muchos de sus compañeros y vecinos que lo habían ayudado, lo acompañaron a la estación del tren y antes que partiera, su abuela en un inmenso abrazo, le murmuró al oído: - Ten paciencia hijo, si lo puedes soñar, se puede lograr. No lo olvides....Y Toto partió. Después de un largo viaje de dieciséis horas, llegó a Retiro. Sin dudarlo, se dirigió a Obras Sanitarias, uno de los mejores y más prestigiosos clubes de Buenos Aires. Desgraciadamente, no tuvo éxito. Argumentaron que no les faltaban jugadores de esa posición. Toto, todavía mantenía sus esperanzas intactas. Se dirigió entonces a 16

Gimnasia y Esgrima, donde ocurrió exactamente lo mismo: lamentablemente no podían darle una oportunidad. Bruno desahuciado, falto de optimismo e ilusión, se dirigió hacia el barrio de Caballito. Había escuchado hablar del Club Ferrocarril Oeste. Esta vez, sí lo acompañó la suerte. A pocos días de presentarse, lo llamaron y con lo justo, logró quedarse en las inferiores. Estaba feliz. No veía la hora de contarle a la gente de su pueblo la noticia. Sin embargo, no todo resultaba fácil en su vida: la distanciaal club desde su humilde pensión de Benavidez, era enorme. Durante el día, trabajaba en un bar como ayudante de cocina, de modo que su trabajo era bastante duro. Debía levantarse muy temprano, tomar el tren, y varios colectivos para llegar a su trabajo. Luego de lavar

pisos y decenas de platos partía a Ferrocarril Oeste para su

entrenamiento de cuatro horas. Durante tres largos años, Toto debió realizar esta dura rutina. Transcurrieron días, noches, semanas, meses, y el cansancio y la añoranza de su pueblo, hacía quelos días se volvieran más largos. Pero Toto no se rendía nunca, seguía esforzándose al máximo, hasta que llegó el gran día. Su entrenador lo sacó del banco de suplentes y lo puso en la cancha. Apenas entró y DOOOBLEEE!!! y

luego TRIPLEEE!!!! Todos preguntaban quién era aquel

muchachito que había ingresado. Poco a poco, fue ganando cada vez más minutos y con ellos, confianza y buen juego. Al cabo de siete meses, se transformó en el capitán indiscutible de su equipo. Ganó tres ligas con Ferrocarril Oeste, y fue premiado como el mejor jugador de la Liga Nacional de Basquetbol. Le esperaba un gran futuro por delante< Aquel día, Toto estaba emocionado, sus lágrimas asomaban de sus ojos, las palabras no podían salir de su boca. Cientos de periodistas a su alrededor sacaban fotos, la gente ovacionaba su nombre, todo era como lo había soñado. Al entregarle el premio, un periodista, en medio del inmenso estadio y ante el silencio de la multitud, le preguntó: - ¿Qué es lo que piensas en este momento, Bruno? Fue allí, que sin dudarlo, pronunció las sabias palabras de su querida abuela: “Si se puede soñar, se puede lograr.”- Hoy cumplí el sueño de mi vida. Hoy, pude lograrlo.

Juan Pablo Cílfone Argibay 17

IF ONLY I HAD KNOWN THE TRUTH My father was a good man and he didn’t deserve what happened to him. He was a policeman, who respected his job. But one day something terrible happened. It was January 8th at 9:00 o’clock. My father was patrolling “Stones” street, when suddenly the alarm of a shop went off. My father ran to that place and the thieves who were about to break into the shop. They swore to my father that if he said a word they would kill him. My father tried to run away but they killed him. I was only five years old when my father died and three months later my mom died too. I was an only child with no relatives so I was sent to an orphanage. My childhood without my father was ruined. The only thing I could think of was REVENGE !!!!!!!!!! When I turned twenty I started investigating how my father had died. The killers were Scott Ruddy and Mary Mahone and they were going to pay. These two people had two sons so I started planning. I would become a friend of Mary’s son she would invite me to her house and I would kill both of her sons. Mary went to yoga every Sunday and that would give me the opportunity to become her friend. The first Sunday we met she already invited me to go with her to yoga. The second Sunday I invited her to my house. Our relationship was improving, but she never invited me to her house. Finally she did. It was my victorious night. I got dressed .I put on a pair of jeans, a white t shirt and a bulletproof vest that was as dark as the night. I was carrying two guns. I had some black gloves so as not to leave any fingerprints and I tied my hair in a bun so as not to leave any evidence. I was prepared to attack. I arrived at Mary’s house and took out one of the guns. I aimed the gun at them. Their faces were red. They were crying and my hand was trembling. I wasn’t sure about what I was doing. I thought for a moment but my father didn’t deserve what had happened to him. He would have been alive if he hadn’t been shot. They were all shouting and saying they hadn’t done anything.wrong. But without thinking I killed Mark and Sam. The sound of the gun exploded in my ears and the siren of the police car terrified me so I ran an away. The next day the case of my father was solved. Scott and Mary hadn’t killed him ! Felipe and Mateo had. But why didn’t t they tell me the truth? I had destroyed that poor family; Felipe and Mateo are going to pay.

Ma. Sol Parrilla 18

La Historia de Connor Kenway Parte 1 Hace mucho tiempo, en 1753, un hombre llamado Edward Kenway navegaba por el Océano Atlántico hacia Boston, América del Norte. Edward era un hombre alto, audaz, ágil y elegante. Él necesitaba contratar a unos hombres de Boston para así formar el grupo de los Templarios. Cuando por fin llegó, un hombre lo estaba esperando al frente de un bar. Ese hombre era Charles Lee, uno de las personas que Edward buscaba. Charles Lee y Edward juntos fueron a buscar a la siguiente persona, Thomas Hickey. Cuando arribaron al lugar, se dieron cuenta de que estaban en la academia militar. A Thomas lo encontraron entrenando. Charles y Edward se acercaron a él y le pidieron que se uniera a la causa. Thomas Hickey aceptó y al día siguiente partieron a su próximo destino, La Frontera. Una vez allí, decidieron subirse a unos caballos que encontraron e ir hacia el norte. Y allí lo encontraron, en una casa de campo, a Nicholas Johnson. Le contaron la propuesta y el, como los demás, aceptó. Así, todos los miembros de los Templarios se unieron y empezaron con su trabajo. Pero antes de irse de La Frontera, Edward se quedó un tiempo más para explorar. Mientras caminaba por el bosque, se encontró con una aldea que por su apariencia parecía indígena. Se acercó y vio que una mujer atractiva salía de ella. Rápidamente se enamoraron

tuvieron

hijo

llamado

Connor. Parte 2 Durante

muchos

años

los

Templarios

gobernaron varios estados pero no eran los mejores gobernando. Mucha gente murió en este periodo y muchos desaparecieron. Edward como estaba muy ocupado con su trabajo se olvidó de su esposa y de Connor. Nunca los volvió a ver. Connor estaba en la aldea cuando su mejor amigo lo llamó para jugar a las escondidas. Connor se acerca y sale corriendo para esconderse. Cuando se estaba por esconder, un hombre lo agarra del hombro. Charles Lee que agarraba a Connor, lo levanta y lo tira contra un árbol. 19

-“Dile a tus familiares y amigos de tu aldea que si no nos entregan sus valores, le quemaremos todo.” En eso Connor se desmaya y despierta unos momentos después. Se para y recuerda lo que Charles Lee dijo. Levanto la mirada y vio humo saliendo de los árboles. Corriendo y gritando se dirigió a la aldea. Pero cuando llego, todo ya estaba quemado. Fue en busca de su madre pero ella estaba atrapada debajo de unos escombros. Su madre lo miro y de pronto la estructura entera cayo. Su madre falleció y Connor juro su venganza contra Charles Lee. Connor cumplió 17 años y decidió ir a explorar el bosque por su cuenta. Pero cuando estaba saliendo de la aldea, la jefa de la aldea lo llama y le dice que si quiere su venganza, va a tener que entrenar mucho. Le dice que hay una casa en el bosque donde vive un viejo hombre que era considerado un héroe en su época. De allí, Connor parte al bosque. Una casa enorme de paredes rojas y techo blanco que parecía muy vieja. Connor toca la puerta y el hombre salió. -“Buenas tardes, me contaron que usted me podría entrenar.” -“Yo no tengo tiempo para<” -“Quiero vengarme de Charles Lee.” El hombre dudó por un momento y lo dejó pasar a su casa. Su nombre era Achilles, uno de los Asesinos de esa época. Él antes había oído de Charles Lee y su mala personalidad. Y así, Achilles decidió entrenar a Connor hasta que sea suficientemente fuerte para derrotar a Charles Lee. Después de muchos años de entrenamiento, Connor con 22 años, se une a los Asesinos y se dirige al bosque para eliminar a los Templarios. La primera víctima: Nicholas Johnson. Achilles le contó que Johnson estaba en una reunión en La Frontera. Y allí estaba, en una reunión con algunos guardias. Connor se trepó a la casa que estaba al lado de ellos y de un segundo a otro, Connor salto de ahí y cayó sobre Johnson, matándolo con su daga. Connor escapo y se fue a Boston, a una de sus plazas. Allí estaría Thomas Hickey, su próxima víctima. Cuando llego, Connor vio que la plaza estaba repleta de gente lo que había difícil de encontrar a Hickey. Por suerte Hickey tenía un sombrero bastante llamativo. Connor se escabulló entre la gente y con su daga apuñaló a Hickey por la espalda. Para Connor no fue tan difícil de escapar ya que había mucha gente cubriendo el cuerpo. De allí, Connor se dirigió al puerto de Boston para por fin asesinar a Charles Lee. Pero mientras Connor iba al puerto Edward aparece frente a él. Los dos se reconocieron pero a pesar de que eran familiares, Edward era un templario. De repente, ambos hombre comienzan a luchar. Un espadazo tras otro, se empezaron a dañar pero finalmente 20

Connor clava su daga en Edward. Edward Kenway muere pero todavía Connor no ha terminado su trabajo. Él debía asesinar a Charles Lee para así vengar a sus

familiares y amigos. En eso, vio que alguien corría a lo lejos. Era Charles Lee. Connor lo empezó a seguir. Se trepo a una iglesia y continúo persiguiéndolo por los techos. Cuando ya no le llevaba casi nada de ventaja, Connor decidió saltar sobre Charles. Y otra vez, con su daga, asesinó a otro templario. Connor se sintió satisfecho pero no solo lo satisfizo a él sino que también a un pueblo americano que sufrió mucho. Connor volvió a su aldea y nunca olvido las palabras: JUSTICIA, LIBERTAD y VENGANZA.

Ignacio Guastavino

A Present From The Gods Once upon a time there was a Little Princess called Amanda. She was four years old when her mother died in a car accident. From that day on, she lived in Tamada Palace with her father, King Rupert. He was the only one that could fly. Amanda was a very nice girl. She was a very funny person and she laughed all the time. There was a big fountain surrounded by Amanda’s mother’s favorite flowers in the garden of the palace. She always ran around the fountain and played with the water and with the flowers. Amanda’s birthday was coming and her father asked her what she wanted for her birthday. Amanda didn’t know yet so she kept thinking for two days. Three days before her birthday, she was in the garden when she saw a flower flying near her. Just then she thought about something she wanted and ran to her father. When she saw him she said that for her birthday she wanted to fly. Her father told her that he couldn’t give her that power because the power of flying he had, had been a present from the Gods. Amanda went to the garden in tears. That night before Rupert went to sleep, he prayed to the Gods to give wings to his lovely daughter. After that, he went to sleep. It was Amanda’s birthday, and everyone was excited. When she woke up she had something on her back. She looked at herself in the mirror and she saw two long, transparent and shiny wings. She couldn’t believe her eyes. She ran to her father’s bedroom and thanked him. Her father said “Don’t thank me. You should thank the Gods that have given you the power to fly.” Amanda thanked the gods and went to have breakfast. That day was exciting for everybody, especially for Amanda who learnt to fly and who enjoyed living with her father ever after.

Felicitas Quintana 22

7 días en el bosque Mientras que Thomas dormía, aproveché para ir al baño ya que éramos los únicos en el pequeño avión. Al salir note que habíamos descendido un poco, cuando yo creí que estábamos por llegar una luz roja empezó a titilar. Una azafata salió pidiendo que me siente y me ponga el cinturón. Aun con todo el ruido, Thomas no se despertó y me pareció que no debía despertarlo por un poco de turbulencia, solamente me parecía innecesario y no quería asustarlo. Poco después el avión entro en picada, el piloto logro estabilizar un poco el avión pero de todas formas se estrelló y se partió en dos. Una enorme caja me golpeo en la cabeza desmayándome. Al despertar solo vi a mi hijo sangrando en frente mío desmayado y al piloto y las azafatas muertas. Sin fuerzas me quede en el piso. Luego de unos minutos empecé a oír aullidos y vi a una manada de lobos acercándose. Uno subió a los restos del avión y tomo a Thomas por la remera. Mientras yo no podía hacer nada, vi como los lobos se alejaban en la luz naranja del atardecer. Luego de un rato, después de recuperar energía, busque comida en los restos del avión. Solo encontré una pequeña caja que contenía un martillo pesado y la comida que sirven en el avión. Cuando salí del avión, parecía que estaba en una isla cubierta en árboles y montañas. Al salir también encontré un pequeño libro de supervivencia y unas vendas dentro de una valija. Mire detenidamente al libro, la tierra tapaba unas partes de las paginas. En el libro decía que primero debía buscar refugio cerca de una fuente sustentable de comida. Sin pensarlo más, busqué refugio. Lo único que encontré fue una cueva junto a unos arbustos con moras que parecían venenosas. Después fui a buscar madera para iniciar una fogata, era lo tercero que había que hacer según el libro. Tome piedras, ramas y troncos que se encontraban partidos en el piso lo cual me resultaba muy peculiar. ¿Ya habían mas personas en la isla?, ¿serán hostiles o solo salvajes? Aunque lo que más me preocupaba eran los lobos, durante la noche debía cuidarme de ellos y sus dientes filosos y garras afiladas. Mire en el libro si decía algo sobre comida o defensa. Lo primero que encontré como defensa era afilar troncos y clavarlos diagonalmente en la tierra. No pude afilarlos pero logre enterrarlos un poco en la tierra que yacía debajo de la cueva. 23

Después de unas horas la noche había llegado y aullidos se escuchaban por toda la isla, haciendo hecho por todas partes. Aun con todo lo que debía hacer, me tome el tiempo de planear como buscar a Thomas. Como no tenía ninguna arma tomé la piedra y el martillo, y me quedé toda la noche afilando el martillo que tomo más de una piedra, no fue fácil pero lo logré. En la mañana salí a cazar, afortunadamente encontré unos conejos que tomaron un rato en cocinarse. Luego pensé al rescatar a Thomas, ¿qué haría?. Entonces tome ramas y hojas y empecé a construir un bote improvisado. La noche cayó rápidamente y los aullidos se escucharon nuevamente. Escuche unos pasos en las afueras de la cueva. Tome el martillo y salí a explorar. Escuche el ruido de metal golpeando madera, arboles cayendo y pequeñas pisadas sigilosas y rápidas. Al salir encontré a un hombre cubierto en hojas y jugo de moras o algo parecido, no lo podía distinguir bien pero estaba seguro de que era humano. El hombre se acercó y extendió su mano, yo asustado tome un paso hacia atrás levantando mi martillo en el aire. El hombre intento decir algo, “ser bueno” decía sigilosamente “no lastimar<..”. Yo extendí mi mano y el hombre la tomo con cuidado, como si se fuera a romper. El hombre empezó a repetir “ encontrar niño.. Encontrar niño y escapar”. Yo lo mire asombrado, ¿cómo sabia eso? El hombre me tomo la mano nuevamente y me arrastro hacia un charco y apunto a la luna con su dedo. “Seguir dirección de luna y encontrar niño, luego escapar” el hombre tomo una pausa para agarrar una rama del piso “yo terminar bote, tu escapar, confiar en mí”. Me acerque al hombre para agradecerlo y al acercarme note una placa enganchada a su remera cubierta de jugo de moras que decía “Max” dije. El hombre se fue en la dirección del bote mientras que yo caminaba en dirección hacia la luna. Luego de dos días de caminar, cazar y descansar frene y note una manada de lobos acercarse. Corrí en la misma dirección y frene, estaba sorprendido e inmóvil. Allí en frente mío yacía Thomas entre unos pastos. Lo tome de los pies y brazos y corrí en dirección contraria a la anterior. Dos días corriendo, caminando sin comer ni descansar, tenía un musculo desgarrado y mi pierna sangraba de las lastimaduras de los pastos, ramas árboles y arbustos. Al llegar al bote vi que Max estaba herido por lo que parecía una mordida. Deje a Thomas en el bote y al hombre también, al mirar a la mano del hombre note que sostenía una bolsa con frutos. Yo comí un poco y 24

también le di a Thomas y a Max. Tome unas ramas grandes que se encontraban al costado del bote, luego empuje con toda mi fuerza el bote hacia el mar, aunque luego de unos minutos pereció y se hundió. Debajo del agua tome a Thomas y lo abrace, aunque no encontré a Max. Cuando alce la mirada vi a una red rodearnos y levantarnos. Al salir a la superficie caímos en un barco pesquero, lo habíamos logrado, habíamos sobrevivido, pero esto no era el final, esto era apenas el principio.

Tobías Grati

If only I had known the truth My name is Jane and I am 16 years old. Two months ago my dad passed away. Now I live with my mother and my baby sister Riley. When my father died my house was really depressing, my mom still could not accept the fact that my dad was gone so she was really quiet and didn't talk much, but it all changed the day I discovered the box. One day I went to the basement because I wanted to clean it and while I was sweeping the floor I found a small box in a corner.I tried to open it, but it was locked so I grabbed one of my hair pins and opened it. Inside it I found 100,000 dollars, four plane tickets and a gun. I immediately went upstairs to tell my mother, but when I told her, she turned pale as if she had seen a ghost. "Where did you find that?" She said angrily. "I found it in the basement". I replied. "You shouldn't have been there!" She screamed at me "I haven't been completely honest with you but I can't keep lying to you, you deserve to know the truth"."About what?" I asked. "About your father´s murder". She said, her voice was shaking as if she was about to cry. "The day your father died we had a big fight, he wanted to move to Washington, but I told him that we wouldn´t move. The fight got bigger and I grabbed the gun. I wasn't going to kill him, I wanted to scare him and I accidently shot him. I can't believe what I have done! I´m a murderer!" She confessed. "I can't believe this mom! You killed dad! I'm shocked!" I replied and after a moment I went on and asked "Why is that amount of money in the box?"."It was your father´s, he wanted to use it to buy a house at Washington." She replied "Lying is like a ripple", my Grandma used to say, "once you start lying your lies start affecting the people that surround you." My Grandma was right. All this time I was wondering what had happened to my father and now that I finally know I feel like if I was a part of it too. But by when I turned 18 the cops found the gun. I t had my mother´s fingerprints all over it and the bullets were the same found in my dad's body. My mother went to jail and I bought a small apartment with the money I had found and took Riley with me. My Grandma also used to say "You can't get away with murder". Inspired by: My Grandmother who always told me mystery stories

Clara Berraz 26

LA MUÑECA DE LA JUGUETERÍA Era una noche lluviosa y fría, cuando a Metery Tonks, un niño de 12 años de edad, alto, cuerpo delgado y con ojos verdosos, se le ocurrió ir a la juguetería de la sucia esquina del edificio donde vivía con su familia. Ese lugar era enorme y tenía diversos juguetes, desde peluches para bebés, hasta armas de mentira para adolescentes. Él había llegado a la tienda acompañado por su padre y su pequeño hermano que acababa de cumplir tres años, el día anterior. Cuando Met estaba mirando los muchos estantes de artefactos para mujeres, ya que pensaba regalarle una a su hermanita, una horrible muñeca tomó vida y giró su pequeña cabeza hasta mirarlo a los ojos. Metery no la vio y siguió caminando. Fue en ese momento cuando él se dio cuenta que de algún lugar lo estaban observando. Luego de mirar con sorpresa hacía todos sus alrededores, pudo darse cuenta que si alguien lo estaba mirando era ese juguete espantoso que estaba arrojado en el piso. Reaccionando, la levantó y la apoyó donde solía estar, pero cuando la estaba dando vuelta, vio escrito en sangre espesa una oración que decía, “Vas a morir Metery Tonks”. Desesperado arrojó la muñeca al suelo y salió corriendo. Fue rápidamente en busca de sus familiares, pero cuando llegó a donde estaban, ambos y la vendedora yacían muertos. Adem{s, en sus cuerpos aparecía escrito, “Yo te avisé”. Fue entonces, mientras él se lamentaba a los pies de los cuerpos asesinados, que la muñeca sangrienta llena de cicatrices en la cara, se le apareció en frente sosteniendo un cuchillo en la mano derecha. Llorando y sin fuerzas como para hablar, se levantó y alzó los brazos buscando pelear, pero inmediatamente se cortó la luz. Al prenderse de nuevo, había otro cuerpo en el piso. Todo estaba terminado. Inesperadamente, el cuerpo era el de la asesina, que ahora estaba sin cabeza porque Met había logrado sacarle la navaja y clavársela en el cuello. Triste y lleno de ira, dejó el cuerpo de la vendedora ahí y se llevó arrastrando a su papá y su hermanito hasta el hospital Italiano, que estaba a tres cuadras. Para ese momento ya caían truenos. Pero<, quien dice que una muñeca sin cabeza no puede seguir matando. Y dicho y hecho, cuando él había llegado a la clínica, se le apareció ella con vida y el mismo cuchillo, otra vez, con ganas de matarlo<

Bautista Migliore 27

The Mysterious Woods Have you ever been in a forest? But I do not mean an ordinary forest, an extraordinary forest? I have. Let me tell you my story. It was a hot day in a place north of London. The sun was shining, the birds were singing harmonious melodies, I heard the pleasant noise of kids playing and laughing. I was a curious person, well, I still am. That summer we went to grandpa Toto´s farm, near the woods. It was a big blue house with an enormous garden, an orchard and plenty of different animals like horses, dogs, sheep, rabbits, cows... It was always fun to be in grandpa's house. My two little twin brothers were playing with the dogs, chasing them, when I decided to go exploring the woods that were near the house. I told my grandpa that I would be going to explore the woods and that I would return for supper. At midday I got my hiking equipment and went into the woods. It was dark in there although the sun was shining brightly. Once in the forest I saw little birds flying, all in the same direction, but they weren't ordinary birds, they shone in the darkness. They were the size of my hand, shining in a light-blue colour with plenty of feathers and big wings. These shining birds were showing me a path with their wings. I was amazed, I had never seen anything like that before, and I obviously followed the path. When the road finished I was shocked. At the end of the trail I found fantastic creatures, it seemed they had been taken from a fairy tale. There were: dragons, fairies, elves, and strange magical creatures. It was beautiful. It was dark. However, everything there reflected light and happiness. I would have stayed there all day but I realized it was almost evening. It had taken me a long time to get there. When I realized what time it was I had to run to grandpa's house and forget about that world of magic. Luckily when I got to the house they hadn’t started eating yet. When we sat at the table, grandpa asked me what I had done. I answered “Nothing interesting”. Sometime ago I read a story and one part of it inspired me to write my story. That story was called El Tunel. Also a movie inspired me for the description of the house. The movie is called “The Odd Life of Timothy Green”

Ana de Tomaso

EL CENTRO DEL MAR Había una vez tres aventureros llamados Mason, Nicklas y Zurt . Ellos iban de lugar en lugar descubriendo y explorando cosas nuevas. Dos de ellos eran de Australia y uno era de Holanda. Eran muy unidos. Todo reto de aventura era fácil para ellos hasta que decidieron ir al centro del mar y todo cambió. Prepararon todo: municiones, armas, comida, ropa, etcétera. Partieron un día soleado a bordo de un velero. Viajaron durante seis horas mar adentro hasta que el hermoso día se convirtió en una tormenta horrible. El velero comenzó a sacudirse. Se podía ver una isla con una luz que brillaba en el centro de ella. La isla estaba rodeada por pirañas, cocodrilos marinos, un calamar gigante y una anguila eléctrica de de treinta y cinco metros. Debían averiguar qué era esa luz, y para ello tenían que pasar por esas criaturas. A medida que avanzaban el miedo los consumía, Zurt pudo observar un remolino que se acercaba cada vez más. El calamar golpeó el velero y logró dañar un poco el palo de la vela. Estaban a diez metros de la isla cuando un tentáculo del calamar golpeó a Mason, cayó al agua y un cocodrilo lo devoró. Pudieron llegar a la isla pero eran ya solo dos hombres. Cruzaron algunos obstáculos: plantas carnívoras, lobos, etcétera. Y al fin llegaron a la luz que brillaba. Era pequeña como un huevo y redonda como tal. Al volver hacia el velero Zurt se torció el pie y Nicklas lo ayudó a llegar al velero. Cuando llegaron vieron que el remolino estaba cerca y las criaturas aún más cerca . Nicklas corrió el velero para intentar evitar a las criaturas y al peligroso remolino pero la anguila y algunos cocodrilos los siguieron. Al ver eso, Nicklas comenzó a dispararle a la anguila y la enfureció más. La anguila golpeó y electrocutó a Zurt. Nicklas, lleno de dolor, sacó su ballesta y le disparó a la anguila. El animal murió y los cocodrilos golpearon el bote. El aventurero los mató con su machete y fue rumbo hacia Australia para mostrar la perla, la perla del centro del mar.

Bautista Sanjurjo 29

Welcome to Hell My brother, Jake Lots, and I, Tom, were arguing “to death”. He’d killed our mother while she was sleeping. EARTH

“HOW CAN

ON SON

KILL HIS MOTHER?” I cried. “Because

she

punished

me, I didn’t really want to kill her, I was just trying to threaten her. An accident< Really? I shouted at him as hard as I could. I wanted to kick him, and so I did. A strange feeling came over me. The ground was shaking! And right under us, an enormous crack started opening through the earth. In a blink of an eye we’re falling to the centre of the Earth< “Tom, where are we?” Jake woke me up. An enormous dark place filled with people dressed in red, with long dresses. Far away, I could see two big doors. I wondered what was at the other side of it. “Welcome to hell”, someone said from behind us. “Who are you?” I asked “I’m Max and this is Paul,” pointing to a tall redheaded boy at his side “Hey!” Paul greeted us “Would you like me to show you around?” Jake and I agreed. “These are the doors, every 2 days they open up and deadly monsters enter. Our job is to beat them and if we cross the doors we could get to heaven... well that’s what some people say, no one could ever cross them”. “And those buildings up there? What are they for?” asked Jake pointing to three little and like everything in this place, red buildings. Max and Paul explained to us one was for armoury, the one on the left, a medical centre and the one on the right, for training.

“They’re all very useful to us, and so right now you are going to get some training”. Jake and I wondered why, but without wasting a moment Paul answered, “Tomorrow they’ll come,” he said turning his back towards us, “and you should be ready.” The training was very hard. Jake and I practised with holograms of creepy monsters. They recommended us to sleep well because tomorrow was going to be a tough day, and maybe we could die< “Do you think we’re going to make it, pass through the doors?” Jake said with a trembling voice. I really didn’t know what to answer. I wasn’t sure we would. Without realizing, the dream hit us. “GET UP, GET UP! THEY ARE ALREADY HERE!” Jake was already with his armour on and all the people were shouting. I should go to the armoury house to be prepared to fight but there wasn’t any time. They were already here. Everybody running from here to there, the place was a whole mess. I had to do it; I had to get my armoury. I went running to it. While I was running all I could see around was disgusting monsters destroying people. People tried to defend themselves, but these creatures were just stronger than them. We’ll never win. So I ran as fast as I could, and I got there. I put my armoury on and I went out. All of a sudden, a monster attacked me. Luckily Jake appeared and beat the monster. My eyes just couldn’t believe what they were seeing. My brother, my dearest brother fell to the floor. One of those monsters had just killed my brother. He lay on the floor for minutes. The monster stuck its ugly claws into Jake’s body. And now it was coming for me. In tears I got up and tried to defeat it. I stuck my sword into its body but it wasn’t enough. Thank God, Max appeared and killed the monster. I was badly hurt so as the monsters left, I went to the medical centre. It was full with injured people. As soon as I left the hospital I went to see Paul, to tell him about Jake but I couldn’t find him. I just couldn’t tell myself he had died. That I wouldn’t talk to him anymore, or even see him. I couldn’t believe how people die from one second to the other, and then they are no longer with you anymore. But it hadn't been worthless. He had saved me< My brother died helping me. The next day everything went fine. I trained again. I told the boys about Jake. “ Tomorrow we’ll make it, we will do it for him!” And with that very phrase a sound of metal against metal, crossed over the room. The doors were opening<

“Wasn’t it they opened every two days?” I asked myself. We all ran to get ready for fight. We defeated some monsters, but there were more. All I wanted was to leave this place. And to achieve that, we should fight. People lying on the floor, some other fighting like us. A monster approached me. I stuck my sword into its head while he died. There was a free way to the doors! This was our time! I started running towards them. “C’mon Max, come!” I shouted He refused to come without Paul, but I kept on running. I had to do it, with or without them. I could see Paul from here. He was lying on the floor, I guess dead, “ MAX! We’ve got to do it without him. The doors are already closing” I ran through the doors. All there was was darkness. I could barely see Max coming. THE DOORS WERE ALMOST CLOSED. Max jumped and passed through them. We were so glad we had made it. We walked to the doors. Brightness appeared from under the door. The door opened blinding our eyes. Then I saw Paul and Jake’s faces. They were here! “Welcome to heaven”, someone said<

Franco Valerga

La difícil tarea de Milou Había una vez un hada llamada Milou. Ella iba a una academia especializada en desarrollar las habilidades de un hada. Era un hada principiante y, además, no era una estudiante ejemplar. Algunas de sus materias eran: Hechicería, Literatura inversa, Quimijería, Cocina hechizos, Gramateurs, Historia hadistica y Aerocación. La que más le costaba a Milou era Historia hadística y si no la aprobaba no pasaría de ser una “hadita” y convertirse en un “hada”. Entonces le pidió a su profesora de la materia, Sonia Quelch, que le diera alguna tarea especial, para aprobar. Sonia le asignó a Milou una tarea súper especial, era muy importante, entrar en la academia de brujas. Ahí enseñaban a hacer hechizos, maldiciones, conjuros, bromas, a volar en la escoba y actuar malvadamente. Era todo lo contrario de lo que enseñaban en la Academia para hadas. Ahí te enseñaban a ser educada, a revertir maldiciones, conjuros, hechizos, o a cocinar curas para estos. Para que Milou aprobara Historia hadística tenía que infiltrarse en la Academia de Brujas. Era una locura. Pero ella haría todo para ser un hada. A la mañana siguiente, preparada para su viaje, partió a la Academia. Allí tendría que averiguar cómo se hacia la poción que habría envenenado a la directora de la Academia para revertirla y curar a Hanna Solveig, la directora. Cuando Milou llegó, vestida de bruja, parecía una más de ellas. Tenía un vestido negro hasta los tobillos, zapatos negros con punta, un sombrero negro triangular, unos guantes también negros y su escoba de paja. Ya equipada, fue directamente a la clase de cómo hacer pociones y revertirlas. Cuando llegó le tocó sentarse en el último banco. Ahí novela nada. Una brujita alta se sentó adelante de ella, la bruja alta más su sombrero de punta, le impedía ver a la profesora. En esa clase enseñaron otra poción, no la que ella necesitaba, por suerte. Tendría que venir otra vez a la Academia. El día siguiente fue la primera en llegar a la clase de pociones y se sentó en el primer banco, tuvo suerte que esa era la clase, la clase en que le enseñarían la poción. Cuando la profesora empezó a explicar cómo hacerla, contó que a esta poción la habían utilizado para envenenar a la directora Hanna Solveig. Todas las brujitas se reían y lloraban de felicidad, Milou ignoró ese comentario y al final del día, ya con su poción escrita, volvió a la Academia de Hadas. Habrían sido los dos peores días en la vida de Milou, ella estaba halagada de volver a donde pertenecía. Cuando tocó la puerta de la oficina de la profesora Quelch, Sonia rápidamente fue a recibirla. Feliz por completar su tarea, Milou le entregó a su profesora la receta para hacer y deshacer la poción que había afectado a la directora. Rápidamente Sonia, acompañada de Milou, corrió hacia el laboratorio a entregarle la receta a la profesora de Quimijería. Unos minutos más tarde, ¡tenía la poción para curar a Hanna! Sonia le agradeció y agarró la poción y voló a darle la poción a la señora Solveig, y ella se la tomó. De repente Hanna se sentía como nueva, todo gracias a Milou. Sonia le dio lo que le habrá prometido a Milou y ella pasó de ser una “hadita” a ser una “HADA”.

Ana Josefina De Tomasso 33

Battle of Gods There was once a hundred thousand years ago a huge wolf who strength was immense and uncomparable. Odin, father of gods, had to chain him three times because the wolf would break the chains. Odin asked the elves to make an indestructible chain. The elves made a chain so strong that Fenrir couldn’t break. When Fenrir was tied up, Odin threw him into a lake, but the chains wouldn’t last forever, they will soon brake. As a little girl named Ayra walked through the tiny forest she bumped into a lake. She struggle to get back to the shore but she started sinking and started to see something at the bottom of the lake, something strong and big that was struggling to be free from something. Ayra thought that it was just a plant, but when she reached bottom, she saw a big wolf. Ayra couldn’t leave it there. She grabbed it by the chain and hooked the chain to an outside rock. When she came out she pulled until the chain broke. The wolf came out but it couldn’t do anything, it was wet and weak. Ayra took it home; she feed him, and raised it.

As the time the wolf was healed, it revealed himself and told Ayra he was Fenrir. Ayra almost tried to run but Fenrir told her she doesn’t needs to be afraid. Fenrir said that he must stop Hades, god of hell, of killing the “good gods”. Hades had a plan, an army and an evil porpoise for all of it. Fenrir runed to Mount Olympus, to Asgard and to Egypt to warn every god of the attack, then he realised, the elves didn’t made the chain for Odin, they did it for Hades. Zeus made an assembly for all the “good gods”. Although the gods didn’t believe in the attack, it was still a possibility. Zeus told the gods to go to hell, and to end Hades madness once and for all. And all the gods walked down Mount Olympus and entered hell, Fenrir ran as fast as he can. Fenrir then stopped and went to the elf’s’ house. He was so angry he didn’t even mind knocking the door, he pierce through it, millions of pieces of wood flew through the air. Fenrir took an elf by his coat and hang it to a wall. “Why did you obey Hades?!” yelled Fenrir. The elf was confused; he didn't know what Fenrir was talking about. In that instant an elder elf came in. “I know” he 34

said “ and I will be happy to tell you”. Fenrir took a chair and sat in front of the old elf. “What do you know, why did you made the chain for Hades?” Fenrir asked as he tried to calm down. “ Because a hundred and twenty five years ago, Hades came here with one purpose, to destroy everything” the old elf coughed “ He said something about a portal, that he needed our help, but he didn’t begged, he told us that if we didn’t helped him, he would kill us also not to say anything, so we fixed the portal and after that, he wanted us to go to hell, with no other hope I came in front of him and asked him for a deal, he wouldn’t take us to hell and us in exchange would serve for him until death”. Fenrir wasn’t astonished to hear that, he was worried about the gods. Fenrir started running while those words echoed through his head, “a portal”, “a portal”. Then he stopped and said to himself“ a portal, the portal that connects earth and hell, I must warn the gods. Fenrir was running

fast

could.

Meanwhile the gods stood alone in hell, seeing nothing but hot molten lava flowing, after a minute the “good gods” walked back to earth when suddenly a portal of fire appeared on their side and all the “bad gods” opened fire. It was too late for the “good gods”, they were surrounded by a storm of fire that ripped their clothes off. When Fenrir arrived there he saw it was too late. With no hope he raised his head and saw Hades at the back, vulnerable, unprotected. Then he thought “an army without a leader isn’t an army”. So Fenrir runned through the back and jumped on Hades back, then he ripped out his throat. Then all the gods stared at Hades fall dripping blood out of his neck, they were all amazed, then with no hope the “bad gods” surrendered and were locked down forever, forever and ever.

Tobias Grati

La Esperanza Había una vez, en la ciudad de Berlín había una pequeña llamada Julia. Tenía 10 años no era tan alta y era rubia. Era hija única, y vivía en los pueblos más pobres de Berlín. No tenía muchos amigos, era muy solitaria. Le gustaba la jardinería. Todos los años cuando es Navidad, le regalaban una semilla para plantar una hermosa flor, ella sabía cuánto le costaba a sus padres comprarla y estaba muy agradecida. Su padre trabajaba para el rey, y su madre era ama de casa. Los pájaros cantaban, el hermoso sol estaba saliendo, la joven Julia se despertó para ir a la escuela. Ella la odiaba mucho, pero le encantaba estudiar, solo no le gustaba la gente y sus actitudes. Julia ya con su ropa para ir a la escuela, no podía pagar por ropa apropiada. Cuando bajo escucho a sus padres hablar, pero no de que. Parecían muy preocupados, pero subió al auto de su padre, que no era gran cosa, era un auto de hace 50 años. Andaban tranquilos, escuchando música en la radio, los dos sonriendo. Llegaron a la escuela, todo el mundo de su escuela eran ricos. Julia se dirigió a su clase, todo el mundo mirando y riéndose de su ropa, a ella no le importaba porque sabía que “la gente no era mejor por lo que tenía, solo por lo que era”. En la clase de Matemáticas, todo el mundo la molestaba y ella no les prestaba atención, aunque le dolía un poco. Estaba resolviendo algunos problemas, y tocó el timbre. Su padre vino y la recogió. El viaje fue muy divertido. Cuando llegaron a su casa, estaba su mamá llorando, pero Julia no pudo ver, entonces no supo nada< Ella los vio a los dos con cara triste, decidió ir al mercado y hacerle una gran cena mientras dormían la siesta, y obviamente lo iba a pagar con sus ahorros. Había comprado verduras y pan, ya había planeado la cena perfecta para animarlos. La pobre Julia se enfermó, no podían pagar por abrigos. Empezó a llover, estaba todo muy oscuro, se escuchaban los aullidos de los lobos, pero llego bien a su casa, no había luz, y no tenían muchas velas. Julia preparo la cena y uso la única vela de su cuarto para alumbrar. Sus padres se habían quedado dormidos. 36

Julia les acaricio la cabeza, y su pelo grasoso y sucio, hace demasiado tiempo que no se bañaban porque no tenían plata para pagarla. Su padre lentamente se levantó, bostezando y estirándose. El vio la maravillosa cena que Julia había preparado. Su madre no despertaba, la trataron de despertar, pensaron que estaba muy cansada. Julia la abrazo y se tiro arriba de ella y no escuchaba su corazón latir. Las lágrimas caían lentamente de su cara, empezó a gritar, romper todo, su corazón latía muy fuerte. Fueron al hospital, se escuchaban truenos, las gotas de lluvia caían muy fuertemente. Fueron los últimos en atender, no le prestaron atención porque eran pobres y no les ofrecían mucho dinero. La mama de Julia tenía cáncer de pulmón hace 5 años, el papa de Julia sabía pero nunca le dijo. No tenían el dinero suficiente para pagar la operación y no querían que Julia se preocupe. 5 años pasaron, Julia ya tenía 15 años, y seguía recordando esa noche. Ella ya no era simpática, dejo de plantar y la escuela, porque no le gustaba estudiar. Desde que su mama murió todo cambio. Ya no era feliz. Julia trabajaba para el rey, como su padre. Un día a la noche, Julia y su padre comiendo en su casa, le comento que se iba a la guerra y para siempre. La mañana, que Julia se despertó, su padre no estaba, se fue al reino con una cara triste, pensando en suicidarse. Le tocaba limpiar la fuente de la torre, estaba limpiando, acordándose de su papa. Paro de limpiar, pensó en su mama. Ya no podía vivir más así. Escuchaba una voz, a la que reconocía, pero no sabía de quien era. Se dio vuelta, con una cara de asombrada, paro de llorar y se quedó sin palabras. Era su madre, como un ángel. Julia pensaba que estaba imaginando pero no era así. Su madre le dijo que lleve la frente arriba, que vuelva a hacer la niña que era, y que no deje de hacer lo que le gusta, por alguien.

Y que siempre estará en su lado, y desapareció. 5 años pasaron, Julia se había convertido en la mejor jardinera de la ciudad, era millonaria, pero la plata no era lo que la hacía feliz, los pétalos de las flores que plantaba todos los minutos del día, los 365 días del año. Y la historia nunca se la contó a nadie, excepto a sus hermosas flores.

Federico De Tomaso

WHY DO HYENAS LAUGH WHEN THEY HOWL? There was a time when hyenas didn’t laugh and only howled. Hyenas were always in groups so none would be lost, but there was one of them, who teased the other animals and was never in the herd. One day she was looking for someone to laugh at, and she found Elephant and she knew he was terrified of mice, so she went to look for one to the cave. She made her way to the mice’s cave to pick one and laugh at Elephant. It was a long trip, but she thought this one would be the perfect joke so she didn’t stop for any reason. When she arrived at the cave, she felt lots of tiny yellow eyes staring at her. It was really difficult for her to catch one for, because of her sharp teeth, all the mice she caught were killed. She was there for a long time, trying to catch the perfect mouse and she did. When she could control her strength with her teeth she finally caught a spongy, fat and with a playful nose mouse. She knew, that that mouse would be the one that would make Elephant turn as white as a sheet. Once back, she went to Elephant’s house where she quietly put the mouse into his house and waited until the moment Elephant would see the mouse. But suddenly, she thought, “If I stay here hiding without watching, I would not be able to see when Elephant scares so it won’t be funny for me”.

So she quickly hid in a place where she could see Elephant and suddenly she saw Elephant saw the spongy, fat with a playful nose mouse and he turned as white as a sheet. Hyena bust out of laughter almost crying her head off. She run to her heard and told them all the funny joke she had played on Elephant and all of them laughed as she did. And from that day on, hyenas howl and laugh at the same time, remembering the joke they made to Elephant.

Agustina Gomez Cisterna 39

A Day To Remember On October 22th, my family and I were travelling to Jamaica on vacations. My parents had been planning this trip for almost two years. My siblings, John, Lisa, Elliott, Kate, Mary and I, were very excited about going to Jamaica. It was our first time abroad. We had been waiting for a long time, until finally the day arrived. Our plane was leaving at 9:00am. We woke up at 5:00 am and we went to the airport. The plane took off at 9:05 am. We were flying over Mexico when suddenly the pilot told us to fasten our seatbelts because of the turbulence. All the passengers woke up, because the turbulence was getting stronger and stronger. Oxygen masks popped down. People started to cry and others to shout. My brother Elliott, the youngest, was crying desperately. The pilot told us to stay calm, but all the passengers were terrified. Suddenly the airplane lost contact with the control tower and we were flying in another direction. The light of the plane turned off. I looked through the window and something was coming towards us. I closed my eyes and when I opened them I was on an island. I tried to stand up but I was seriously injured so I couldnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t. I tried once again and with the little strength I had left, I stood up. To my surprise, I saw my mother with all my siblings looking for other people on the island. I ran to them and hugged them. My father appeared from the middle of the island with some big logs. He told us that we would build a raft. We worked hard for five days until finally we finished it. I couldnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t believe it. We had survived the accident, we were on an island in the middle of nowhere and now all together we had built this raft. After almost two weeks we arrived at a harbour. We were safe and all together. By making an effort and doing our best we managed to survive.

MIcaela Paladini 40

The Forest There once lived a god called Zeus that was the most powerful of all gods. As he stared at the Earth from Mount Olympus he realized Earth was just a desert filled with water. He was concerned that the species life animals were going to die for lack of life, so Zeus didnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t have any choice more than to create a Titan, Gea. Gea was the creator and god of the forest. Gea did like the idea, but she said that to create more life on Earth, Cronos, god of destruction should be kept away from Earth and from her. Cronos denied the proposal of Zeus making him angrier. Cronos promised he would go to Earth to cause more destruction and death. As Cronos destroyed and killed everything that was on his way, Zeus had no other choice than to give Gea more power to stop Cronos. Gea walked to Earth and started to fight with Cronos. It was the greatest battle ever, but Cronos was powerful too. Finally Zeus granted some extra power to make Gea powerful, Gea could make Cronos surrender and make him go back to hell. Gea, with the power Zeus had conceded her, restored Earth and created forests, jungles and swamps.

Ignacio Lugrin

The Butterfly and the Turtle Once upon a time in the jungle there was a turtle called Ella. Ella was a very good animal and good friend because she helped the others when they needed. One day in the jungle there was a beauty contest where all the animals could participate. All of them were very excited about it and as soon as it was announced, all the animals were searching for clothes to put on it. The day before the contest a butterfly asked defiantly the turtle “Are you going to the contest?”And the turtle said “yes”. Then butterfly ask “Why? You are ugly and we all know that I am the most beautiful animal in the jungle”. Then the turtle replied “If it is like that, we will see it tomorrow”. And the butterfly flew away. The next day all the animals in the jungle went to the contest. All were wearing colorful dresses and nice clothes. They also were wearing make-up except Ella. Although she didn't wear makeup, she was as beautiful as the others. The butterfly was as beautiful as the others. The butterfly was beautiful too. When it was time to vote, the most of the votes were given to the butterfly and the turtle with the same number to the two of them. So when it was time to re-vote, the butterfly started saying bad things about the turtle to the others animals because she was afraid the turtle would beat her. But the animals didn't listen to the butterfly because they all knew that Ella was a good animal and a good friend. So this time all the votes were for Ella and none for the butterfly. After that the butterfly asked the animals “Why did you vote Ella? If I am more beautiful than her!”Then an elephant replied “Because the inner beauty is that count the most”. Finally Ella told the butterfly “If I had been you, I would have shut my mouth and been more respectful and honest with the others because all the actions have their consequences.”

Fiorella De Gaudenzi

Y tenía razón La familia Mohamed planeaba sus vacaciones. Sara quería ir a la playa, sus padres no estaban decididos. La abuela estaba convencida que quería ir al desierto. Como todos los días cambiaba de gustos nadie le hacía demasiado caso. Ella era de pocas palabras y suficientemente misteriosa. Eso hacía dudar de su elección. Esa mañana la abuela se levantó comunicativa, se la veía segura de sus decisiones; -“me queda poco tiempo, tengo que aprovecharlo, iré al desierto!!”- dijo la abuela. Esa noche, cuando se durmió la familia se reunió para tomar una decisión. El pap{ dice: “Iremos al desierto, démosle el gusto a la abuela”. Al llegar al aeropuerto, no fue fácil con la abuela. Se quería poner a toda costa el pañuelo en la cabeza para que la arena no la toque. No la podía convencer que el avión no había arena. No la convencieron, pero no terminó todo ahí. EL cinturón de seguridad era un problema. “No voy a viajar atada”- dijo. Solo la nieta pudo convencerla. Se sentó a su lado y le tomó la mano. Se preparó para escuchar las historias de lugares milagrosos que solo conocían los árabes y sus camellos. Llegó el momento tan esperado. Frente a ellos estaba el desierto. Se organizaron las excursiones. Cada grupo tenía un guía. Le llegó el turno a los Mohamed. La abuela no quería cualquier camello para el paseo. Quería elegirlo, y tardó. Todos ya estaban nerviosos. “Ya abuela!” dijo Sara. La abuela lo encontró. Era igual a los otros pero tenía una mancha entre los ojos. “Es éste!” dijo la abuela. Se necesitaron cinco personas para subirla. Por fin partieron. El camello tomó un camino distinto. La abuela lo dejó. Sabía que iba a volver. Se hizo de noche. Ella se bajó del camello. Se sacó los zapatos, hundió los pies en la arena fría, no le dolieron. Acarició el camello, las manos ya no le dolían. Su cuello estaba flojo. Se sentía aliviada. Se sorprendió con la facilidad que tuvo para subirse al animal. Se sentía igual que en su infancia. Caminando en el desierto con su mamá; hasta ganas de cantar le dieron. Cantó canciones que la cantaba su mamá. Era Lía Mohamed. Cuando volvió nadie la reconoció. Todos estaban nerviosos buscando a la abuela. El milagro se produjo y tenía razón.

María Martire 43

The origin of the Silk Floss Tree Once upon a time, there was a happy couple. They adored each other, they were Queen Elizabeth and King Felipe II. They were the Queen and King of the great Spain.

But one day the misery came. Early in the morning, a telegram arrived from London. It was a letter with very bad news. It said that while Queen Elizabeth was on the road to visit her sister, a tornado came. The King couldn't keep reading the letter. He loved her so much, he would give his life for her. He was so depressed that, everyday he went outside with the letter and cried and cried.

When a week had passed, he started to drink alcohol he was very lonely so he drank it in order to drink away the sad feelings. As he became addicted to alcohol, he had problems in his head and body so the inevitable day came; he was dead. His tomb, a strange tree grew up. It was green, it had a curved shape and it had spikes all over the trunk. There in Spain they call this tree the â&#x20AC;&#x153;Palo Borrachoâ&#x20AC;?, because of the king. The spikes are because of the pain, the shape and color are because of the alcohol. Some people say that, in the season when the Queen Elizabeth died, the silk floss tree scatters all over the ground white cotton, in memory for the letter.

Constanza Benini 44

Once Upon A Time… Once upon a time, that’s how stories usually start, but in this one it’s the end. Louisa is a special girl. She is clever. She is twelve years old. Her parents died on an accident when she was four years old, and from that very moment, the only way where she expresses herself is through the stories she writes. She lives with her grandmother. Every day, she goes to school by bus, but she returns walking. She adores stopping for a while at the park and writing stories. One day, when she was at the park, she noticed Ralph, the boy who bothered her at school. She wanted to avoid him so she left quickly. Unfortunately she forgot one page of her stories on the bench. Ralph took it and kept it for himself. The next morning, Daniel Humphrey went to Louisa’s school. She was very excited because Daniel was her favorite writer. The teacher asked the class to write a story and she added –“The best story will be published on Daniel’s books”. Part of the class started writing right away, the others were only yawning. Of course Louisa started writing, but the teacher noticed something strange on Ralph, he was also writing. When the lesson finished, there were two stories selected, Ralph’s and Louisa’s. They read both stories aloud. To Louisa’s surprise, she realized that both stories were hers. She went towards Ralph and reclaimed her story. The teacher heard what was happening. Ralph said he wanted to have a good mark for once in his life. Louisa told him that she could help him if he wouldn’t steal her stories. Ralph accepted, and went to tell the truth. Finally, Louisa won the prize, and got her own book by Daniel. She became a famous writer. Ralph went every day after school to the park and took lessons with Louisa. In conclusion, Ralph learned that lying is never the right solution.

Josefina Lucero

SAVING ORDONIA

I am the God of Heaven and my name is Hedsen. I will tell you the story when I was high in the sky the moment many devils attacked the people of Ordonia. Every time there was a war, I took side with the people of Ordonia. The God of Hell was called Hyruz. He was big, his body was red, and his eyes were green. Also he had a horn in the middle of the forehead, which was long and black. He had a powerful trident. He had sent the horrific and evil devils to attack and behead, kill, slay and murder all the people who lived in Ordonia. If he won, he got the land, and he was going to use it to revive all the ones that were in Hell and send them to live there. That was his cruel objective, a goal that would ruin all the people living in Ordonia. The war had started and Ordonian people could not defend themselves as they did not have any powers, so I stepped in to save them. Each devil had to kill one person to get his place on the land. For Ordonia to win, they had to kill all the devils, which was virtually impossible without the GodsÂ´ strength and power. That is why I decided to help those innocent people who were about to lose their land. With my help we killed many devils but the worst part was that most Ordonians died and I could not do it alone. So I called my family. My mother was the Goddess of Sun; my brother, the God of Water and my sister the Goddess of Nature. I was really hoping my plan would work to save Ordonia. My whole family was ready and willing to do whatever we had to do. The moment they arrived, I smelled the fresh aroma of roses. The gods were glowing in the sky while they were slowly going down to land to help us. The fist one to arrive was my mother, the Goddess of Sun, who was bright, all dressed in gold clothes. She was blonde and her eyes were red like fire. My brother arrived next; the God of Water. He was always over a little wave of water. His skin was white like snow, his eyes were blue and his hair was light blue, like the sky. He had a stain on his right shoulder that represented his power in the water. And finally, my sister, the Goddess of Nature came down. She was an outstanding lady. She had brown eyes like the ground. She always wore a long green dress and all around her hands, she had green climbing plants with little white flowers that represented all the times that she had helped someone. She was full of them. As soon as they arrived we, got ready for war. Ordonians were frightened and shocked. Their faces were pale, they looked lost in such a situation and did not know how to act, so they remained paralyzed. I remember I could sense their fear at the distance. 46

After the devils had arrived on land, it smelled like blood. They had formed a twister of red dust. Some people started to run to different places to escape the twister, others climbed up the trees because they thought they would be safe there. The war had started again, it was a new battle. The battlefield was a deathly arena, and the smell of rotting corpses. Each devil was fighting with a human. We managed to kill some devils that were attacking a herd of terrified people. We killed all the devils that were left. Soon, all the devilsÂ´corpses were taken by the suffocating darkness of death.

Fortunately, some families and people had hidden in a little shelter house made of plants that my sister had made for them so that they would be safe. Moreover, people in Ordonia left the little shelter knowing that the war had already finished. They were relieved, joyful and elated. Right after they had been allowed to leave their shelter, the survivors were disappointed to see that many of their relatives had died, but I promised them I would revive them because they did not deserve to die at the hands of such evil devils. We had won the war and Ordonia was free from danger. Some hours later, the people who had died, were brought back to life; they had revived and they could understand how now they were alive. Everyone was very thankful to me. Finally, all the Gods went back to Heaven feeling proud of having won and helped Ordonia.

DELFINA MELHEM.

The Worst Experience in My Life I was once in my friend’s house having a lot of fun playing joyfully outside. Thomas is my best friend since 1st grade. We always play together. Slowly the sky became dark. As the night grew late, we decided to get inside the house before we got ill. When we got inside, I follow Thomas as he ran up the stairs. He is faster than me, a lot faster. Once we were in his bedroom, we realized that his parents weren’t at home anymore. I supposed that they might have left to buy some food for us. We stayed in his bedroom until midnight playing poker. It was strange. His parents hadn´t arrived yet. I felt a little worried, but I didn’t pay attention. We were hungry. My stomach cried for food. But his parents weren’t at home. We were alone. We were worried so we started calling them with my phone, but unfortunately I had no signal. I stared for a moment at the window. I could see a rusty van coming towards us. I looked closely at it. There were three men in the van, one driving and two at the back. I also saw that they had weapons. I started panicking. I didn’t know what to do. I felt frightened and confused. Why do they want to rob Thomas’ house? I didn’t understand. “What do we do?”, Thomas said. “Ahh< I don’t know< ehh< we have to hide”, I said. While we were trying to hide, I could hear the thieves entering the house. Thomas hid in the closet. I ran to his parents bedroom searching for a telephone. I found one behind the sofa. I heard them coming closer and closer. Carefully, I lay under the bed and tried to stay as quiet as possible. Moments after, I looked to my left side and then the right side; no one was in the room. I thought for a moment that they had already left. Slowly, I tried to dial the numbers <9<1<1. Then, I heard the voice of a woman. “911, What is your emergency?”. “There are thieves in my house and they have guns”, I said. “Don’t worry, stay where you are and<”. Suddenly I lost contact with her. “Hello, d’you hear me? Hello?”, I said. I heard the sound of someone picking up the phone. “<I wouldn’t call the police if I were you”. I felt the steps of someone in the room. Then, the face of one of the thieves appeared in front of me. I forced myself to stay back but it was too late, he already grabbed my arm. He grabbed me out of the bed and then he hit me with the gun. I felt unconscious on the floor. 48

I woke up, alone in the darkness. Then, I realized I was inside another closet. I pushed the closet door just enough to peep. No one was there except for Thomas. He was tied to a chair. I opened the closet and slowly moved towards him. Seconds after, I took off the rope that tied him and let him free. “Okay, we need to jump off the window”. I suggested. So we did. We moved to the window and jumped off it. Then we ran to a police station nearby. We told them everything. We were safe now, but then I thought carefully. “Where are his parents?”.

Ignacio Gustavino

PICKY THE HORSE

Picky was a white and adventurous horse who never did what he was supposed to do. His father, called Herchuck, was grumpy and the leader of the group of horses.Those horses lived in the wild. Herchuck and Picky were always arguing because Picky was always doing wrong things. One day, Herchuck was ready to go to look for food. Picky’s dream was to kill a big tiger so he would be admired by the rest of the horses. But of course, that was impossible, because his father would never let Picky go to the centre of the wild. It was very dangerous. He didn’t care what his father said to him, so one day, silently, without his father realizing, Picky followed Herchuck. That is why Picky was always doing wrong things. After some hours of galloping in the wild, Herchuck found himself surrounded by tall grass and ancient trees, and suddenly, he saw it. He had found a tiger. He hid, but the tiger realized there was someone there. Picky moved as quietly as he could to one side, until he felt something on his hoof. He turned around slowly. Right after Herchuck had heard a noise, he made a sudden movement to see what was following him and immediately after this, the tiger found him. Herchuck and the tiger fought fiercely. The horse hit him with his rear legs, but the tiger´s jaw was stronger and bit hard. He understood now why his father had told Picky that going after a tiger was dangerous. During

the

fight,

Picky

realized

Herchuck was going to lose the battle and that his father would probably be killed, so he ran away. Days went by, and Picky was like in a different world. He did not know where he was or how long it had been since he had last seen his father. There was no sign of Herchuck. He felt he was in the middle of the jungle because it was all damp and wet, but he was not sure. 50

Picky walked, and wandered in the jungle in all directions. He was lost in a big world full of dangers and adventure, but he was alone.

After some hours of walking, he realized that something was wrong. Abruptly, a huge lion with an gigantic mane appeared. Picky had no way of defending himself. He had never attended a defense class as the older horses had. The lion was brown, as the colour of Pickyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s terrified eyes. Also, he had a huge jaw waiting to eat him and tear his flesh with his sharp teeth. Pickyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s heart beated at an incredible fast pace. All Picky could do was run. He ran and ran until he lost the lion. He was lucky to be alive. Finally, after some hours of running to get rid of the lion, Picky came across a big and familiar tree. He recognized it at once. He noticed that the tree was the tree where he used to play in his childhood. He was very excited and amazed because finally he was back in his place. Happily, he saw his mother and the rest of the horses. He ran towards them and transmitted all his joy by embracing the horses in a hug. However, there was still no news of Herchuck, nothing had been heard about him. Picky spent the rest of his life feeling sorry and depressed. Although Picky and Herchuck were always arguing, he missed him, and every time the hunting season arrived, he could not help but remember his companion and father, Herchuck.

Camila Abella

A Present From The Gods It was a rainy morning, when I woke up at ten oâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;clock. It was a rainy day; the wind was so strong that everything would fly away, even myself. I could see from my windows hail and rain. As the time passed, my garden became more and more flooded. I was really bored, so I turned on the tv. I used to watch news reports, I was an inquirer girl. The news reported that an earthquake was about to happen. I was more intrigued than afraid. I went to look for the computer as I was really interested in the topic. I was searching for the earthquake when suddenly all the lights went out and electronic machines stopped working. I was looking for my mother when all of a sudden I felt that the stairs were moving, I lost my balance and in a split second I was lying on the floor. Finally, I managed to stand up, it took me some time to realize the situation. I was a bit lost. Luckily, I could get away from the stairs. I understood perfectly well what was going on, there was an earthquake. Suddenly, I felt a shake, it caused a mess in my house. All the chairs fell, even some table fell. All the electronic machines were broken. All the glass objects were broken too. Everything in the house was dangerous! You could cut yourself with a piece of glass. My house was really noisy, I could hear my father asking for help and my mother screaming. Unluckily, I couldnÂ´t go upstairs to help them because the stairs had collapsed. As I had learnt at school, I went outside to look for a safe place. Suddenly, a quick movement of the ground destroyed my house completely. I was breathless, I lost my family, and I was alone in the middle of an earthquake. I was sad because of my family, but if I looked at the bright side I was alive. All of a sudden all the trees that surrounded my garden fell. Luckily, they 52

didnÂ´t fall on me. I was not only living an earthquake, I was also terrified because of the storm. Three hours later the earthquake was over, but the rain continued. I went to look for my neighbours. They were nowhere. They went to prey to the church but I found nobody. What surprised me a lot was that the church was the only building that was in perfect conditions. I decided to stay there, I was sure that there I would be safe, god would protect me. And thatÂ´s what I did, I stayed there praying and later I looked for shelter in a building that some people had built for the people who had survived. What I always repeat to myself is that I was able to overcome this horrible situation because I always look at the bright side of things. Source of inspiration: a video we recorded in geography on natural disasters.

Chabela Riveiro

Be part of Street Art Once upon a time there was a boy named Manuel, who was poor. He had no family, lived in the street and begged for money or food. Manuel was around 12 years old, with brown wavy hair, and he was quite small for his age. Manuel had a great interest in art, especially in painting. Unfortunately, he had no money to promote his art, so as he lived in the streets of New York, he expressed himself on the walls in buildings and parks. He was really gifted but no one ever noticed him or his talent, until something, or someone, changed his life. Manuel lived just across the street an art museum, he had always dreamed of being a famous artist and exhibit his paintings in that museum, and what he also wanted the most was to be well known in that museum. He thought of that while he was just making a sketch of one of his pieces on a wall. It was only just a dream for him and he knew it. His clothes and his lack of importance allowed him to remember that. Days went by and he continued with his painting on the same wall. It was huge, colorful, it had a huge aerosol can that he thought represented him, his way of painting and something really special for him: he was confident and had hope of becoming an artist. He wanted to be the only one to paint with aerosol. After some months, Manuel went by the museum and realized a competition was being held, a competition in which Manuel wanted to participate. However, he knew it was impossible, as he had no money to enroll. He considered talking to the owner and explaining him the situation, but he always saw an attractive middle aged woman in expensive clothes coming out of the museum. She looked really famous, and tall, and was very fashionable. That sight disappointed Manuel as it intimidated him. Manuel always watched her but gave no importance to her; and of course, she gave no importance to him.

One sunny day in spring, Manuel felt tired of wandering around trying to get some food. He had roamed through the streets for hours and he was exhausted. As he walked back to his spot to finish the painting he had started months ago, he came across that woman he always saw. Unexpectedly, he realized she was looking closely at his drawing, showing interest in it. Manuel came closer and noticed she was staring at the painting, as if examining his work. Manuel stared at her, and then the woman noticed him. She immediately approached Manuel and told him she had no words for his production; she just couldn’t describe how wonderful Manuel’s drawing was. She told Manuel she wanted him to present his paintings in the museum. He was speechless. Manuel had a feeling he couldn’t express; he smelled the smell of Heaven, he heard people clap at him, he tasted food in his mouth, all this that he wanted to express was the feeling of fame, which was coming. It is not necessary to explain that Manuel accepted the offer and showed pictures of his work at the museum, as it is not necessary to say that Manuel became a famous artist. That woman he used to watch fearfully was the owner of the museum and she adopted him after she saw his first graffiti and got to know him on the street. Now Manuel and his mom own the museum, as he had always dreamed.

Serena Gonzalez

Fiorenzo, the Worst King of the world

Millions of years ago, in Spain, there was a king called Rafael. He was a very good person as he was generous and kind to people. One day, he met a woman called Ana Maria, who was an evil person. She put a curse on King Rafael, so that he would fall in love with her. It worked; Rafael fell in love with her. Years passed and they got married, and they had a child, whose name was Fiorenzo. Unfortunately, Fiorenzo was raised by his mother, Ana Maria, who taught him to be the worst person ever. One July morning, Rafael and Ana Maria died. They were coming to a masquerade ball when suddenly one of the wheels of the chariot broke and the chariot started to fall through the woods. The next day, a kind farmer was walking through the woods and saw them both dead under the carriage. The poor farmer quickly went to the town to look for help. That same day Rafael and Ana Maria were buried in the gardens of the palace of Ostia. Fiorenzo was down-hearted as he had never imagined life without his parents. The next day Fiorenzo became King of Ostia. Fiorenzo was a terrible King, he followed

Ana

MariaÂ´s

steps.

Everybody in the village hated him. While the village was suffering he was in the palace, wasting money on parties and expensive things that were not important. Pope Leon lived in the village and realized he had to go and talk to King Rafael about the economic problems the village was having. He said there were people who had no clothes and some had no food to eat. There were some people who had not eaten in days. Pope Leon helped but that was not enough. The King did not care about anything he said, he continued with his daily life. 56

The Pope got very angry. He did not know what to do to get FiorenzoÂ´s attention. Leon called the King for meetings, but the king did not attend. The days passed and everyday there was more smell of rotten egg. There was no fresh air. This smell showed that all the people were dirty and could not have a bath. Days went by and they could not even have a shower, they did not have water, so a lot of them smelled of rotten eggs. And also because all their clothes were dirty and they lived in the street because they did not have money to pay taxes, or to take care of the house so the royalty took their homes from them. People suffered more than anyone could imagine. Meanwhile, if there had to be a good part, it was that they did not even feel the smell because they had already got used to it. At Christmas, the King was made to go to town. Fiorenzo did not want to go. He was sure that if he went, he would feel awful because although he was raised by his mother, he also had some good aspects that his father had before he was cursed by his evil wife. When he went to town and saw all the people crying and looking sad, he started to cry. Fiorenzo could not believe the smell of the town. He got to a point when he did not know if he was crying for the people or for the smell! That minute, Fiorenzo decided that something had to be done. Fiorenzo went to talk to the Pope. He felt sorry because he had not listened to the Pope. So he offered the Pope to give money and food for the people in town every month. The Pope agreed. They had a deal, and it worked wonderfully. Every month, the King gave money to the people, who could go back to their homes and enjoy their lives. Fiorenzo had learned a lesson: a King is responsible for the people in his kingdom. And everybody, including Fiorenzo, lived happily ever after.

Luisa Bengolea

Que las historias se sigan contandoâ&#x20AC;Ś

Let the stories go further..

Mﾃ｡s historias en dos lenguas//More stories in two languages 2014

1ER

Aﾃ前//LEVEL