GAZEBO STAFF STUDENT OFFICERS

Patrick Ryan '23 Editorial Director

Teddy Harrison '22 Creative Director

Kevin Pritchett '22 Art Director

Ethan Tran '23 Art Editor

Editor Andrew Luckey '25

Faculty Moderator

Mr. John Mills '12

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Page 8 Michael Robles

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Page 14-19 Harrison Glover

LITERATURE ART & PHOTOGRAPHY

Front Kevin Pritchett

Alarms ring throughout the barracks

The votes have been cast

The men are at the ready

And stand tall behind a podium

Crimson bayonets drawn upon the enemy

A new leader

We unite Alas, the nation loathes itself

Under one flag

History

Streets, Empty Covered in leaves, Adrift in an endless cycle.

A creek of flowing reds and yellows. Misunderstood,

Pulled along by mother nature’s invisible force. Miscellaneous,

Left vacant in the hands of death, Mislaid, with no search party.

June 11, 2XXX

I, Pius Greeve, renowned cryptozoologist, have been tracking, recording, and discussing mythological beasts for my entire life My first encounter with the great myths was when I was seven in my home of Norway. I was on a trip into the wilderness with my family when I witnessed a Rotund Gulon wedging itself between two trees I knew the story of the Gulon, and my parents couldn’t believe that what they had been told as children was true. Of course, we all got away quickly as the Gulon is carnivorous, but my finding took the world by storm Recently I’ve tracked down and recorded a deadly Yowie, resisted the chimes of an Eloko after I stumbled into its forest, and even managed to outmaneuver a Ahuizotl by Lake Texcoco However, I always knew I could do better than the monsters around the world I’ve spent the last five years collecting information on some of the most famous lost worlds: Atlantis, Shangri-La, and El Dorado. The media says my most recent inability to uncover beasts is due to “losing his lucky touch”, but it’s because I’ve been on the brink of rediscovering a whole city! I’m on the doorstep of the golden city of El Dorado and my journal is about to have my greatest records inked into its pages June 25, 2XXX

I simply can’t believe it! I, Pius Greeve, wasn’t the first to find the land of El Dorado What’s worse is that it’s the Syndicate company logo plastered across every truck If you don’t know what Syndicate is (and I assume you don’t as you ’ re probably reading my journal in a museum far into the future) they are a gluttonous corporation that’s been in more environmental scandals than I have teeth I haven’t the foggiest idea of how they found this city, but I’m sure they are here for capital and nothing else. The press would drag me through the mud if a corporate CEO found a legendary city before I did, and on top of that the damage Syndicate could inflict on this ancient civilization would be irreversible. I will continue with my research and remain distant from Syndicate for now. If I catch them in the act of defilement, I will need to come up with a plan to get them out of here.

July 2, 2XXX

Syndicate is bringing in more than just manpower They’re here for treasure and nothing else They don’t care how much they break down this glorious city I’ve already watched four brilliant buildings barged into and ransacked for all their commodities and luxuries. I’m sure Syndicate will find someone to pay a pretty price for such artifacts or they will manage to make some museum of stolen goods My plan to scare the Syndicate out of El Dorado involves the El Hombre Caimán; a beast I’ve studied on the Caribbean and Colombian coast With body of an alligator and the head of a man I might be able to replicate their mannerisms and startle the thieves away for a short while This is no doubt a risky quest, but it’s the best I can manage with such limited resources at my disposal

July 5, 2XXX

The El Hombre Caimán ruse was a success! A few claw marks on the ground, unusual patterns around the Syndicate campsite boundary, and a nightmarish replica of the beasts hunting cry allowed me to scare the Syndicate crooks into their shelters for a short while. I had wished they would choose to relocate after the horror went on for a third night, but they seemed to muster the guts to run into the woods with rifles in hand to hunt the “beast”. Fruitless efforts of course, but I can’t risk impersonating local creatures anymore. I was blessed on the second night with the chance to swipe some “artifacts” from an unlocked storage truck. However, and I’m not sure why this is, but what I took back from the Syndicate is definitely not from an ancient untouched city Anyone worth their salt could tell that this pot in front of me now, while a perfect replica of what would have been used as decoration during El Dorado’s glorious days, was made no more than fifty years ago There is some kind of foul play at hand in the city of El Dorado and I am determined to get to the bottom of it Is there a third party who beat me to the city decades earlier? I refuse to leave El Dorado until I find out.

July 10, 2XXX

Syndicate found I’m here I’ve spent the last four days relocating myself through the city and found myself near El Dorados central temple However, I didn’t just wander up to the temple. I’ve concluded that, because I’ve heard nothing about El Dorado before now, that whoever was making replicas of ancient household items, is still somewhere in the city The central temple is the only spot so far that I know of that the Syndicate hasn’t approached. Tomorrow I plan to explore the temple before Syndicate can get their hands on it or me July 11, 2XXX

Pure beauty. This temple is unlike anything I’ve, no, anyone has studied before. The inscriptions on the walls, the real artifacts lining the halls, and the sheer amount of history etched into every stone is enough to make me more jiggery than a young boy on his birthday And that’s not all! I think I’ve also uncovered the mystery of the fake pottery wedged in my backpack The El Dorado I have walked around all this time, the one the Syndicate has been trampling across, is just a husk! A molted shell left behind from the original El Dorado which I believe is tucked far away below the earth Who cares what the Syndicate takes from the outside? Everything they’ve touched is worthless, simple ploys made to fool mindless criminals like those Syndicate hounds. I’ve truly been living on the doorstep of El Dorado for the past month, and if I find evidence of the city then I can not only take credit for finding a lost world but incriminate the Syndicate and slander their name for good

July 12, 2XXX

The citizens of El Dorado were simply genius They knew that the story of their city would pass through the generations and so they took precautions to keep their beloved kingdom safe. El Dorado is (as I believed) a city now far underground. For the safety of El I will hold my tongue and never speak of the city’s true location The most I will do is expose Syndicate for their despicable action and hopefully discourage them from ever attempting to get at ancient treasures again. I’m still not sure how they found out, but that will be research for a later date For now, I plan to lay low until nightfall and escape the city. I should be able to sufficiently disguise myself to blend in with the darkness. If I fail to escape and am caught, then I bid my journal farewell

July 13, 2XXX

I’ve escaped I’m heading home with my findings

September 1, 2XXX

I may not have been the first to discover El Dorado, but I did break the record for longest time on the front page The backlash Syndicate received for defiling an “ancient” city was so immense that they had to either board up their windows or have them being smashed open All of the resources they spent trying to find the golden city and they didn’t get a penny out of it. Although, this whole fiasco has led me to make the P.G. Corporation. It’s a company, started up by my own wealth, whose main purpose is to protect and defend beasts and cities who fall victim to greedy and dangerous people The P G Corporation will take credit for new findings as my new exploration and study team will work with me to track and record beasts quicker than I ever could alone Why, I already have an expedition bound for India to study the behavior of the Bhainsasura (Bane-sa-sure-a) The creature itself has the head of a bull, the torso of a man, and the limbs of an elephant. My assistant has already worked out that the beast might be living near Lake Barewa This will be my first exploration with my own full team and quite frankly I’m looking forward to it My recordings will continue once I’ve reached Lake Barewa

Rising crafts, Marks of pain past, Triggering youthful memories. Slowly fading. Filled with air, Stir both bad memories And happiness, And foolish mistakes. And dreams.

Everlasting reminders.

I begin to laugh

As her eyes open

As I see the sun The tears rush out I talk with friends

Like a waterfall in the mountains

My lips form a smile

Following the bend of her nose

And I live

Down to her jaw

My Poppop dropped the first of two lobsters into the pot of boiling water Just moments before, its brown and black spotted body had been shimmying on the counter I asked him why we put them in alive. He chuckled and said, "It just tastes better that way."

He opened a creaky old drawer and pulled out two large plaid napkins like a magician, and handed them to me, his lovely assistant. The heavy fabric of the napkins wafted the scent of the boiled lobster my direction before it was even out of the water, and I could almost taste it in the back of my nose: an unfamiliar salty, yet sweet smell.

Then out of the water came what looked to be a completely different animal, the brown and black mottle of their shells replaced by a cherry red patina. He placed first lobster on his plate and the second on mine, and we sat at the table together, napkins tucked into shirt collars

He patiently taught me how to properly use the complex assortment of tools needed to extract the meat; they looked to me more like torture devices than kitchen utensils.

After several minutes of snapping, cracking, and pulling at the shell, the first piece I successfully removed was from the claw. Finally, out slid the slimy pink meat! Using the tiny fork, I dipped the chunk of meat in the butter, coating it in gold, then placed it in my mouth. It was the most delicious thing I’d ever tasted: sweet, warm, and buttery.