short stories by marie helene fasquel

2012-13

LYCEE GIRAUX SANNIER

SHORT STORIES

The environment |

Loveâ&#x20AC;Ś The beginning of their love story had been amazing. When they first met, they immediately felt they needed each other. They knew that their relationship would be difficult because they were different. She was weak and he was strong, he was selfish and she was generous. But they loved each other and that was all that mattered. He took care of her and she felt protected by him. For years, they had lived an almost perfect relationship in which they had both felt really happy. But time had passed and he got bored sometimes, so he

found other occupations. He left her alone more often without realizing that it bothered and hurt her. She said nothing at first but it seemed that he cared less and less about her. If only he could understand her they could live together forever… For her it was too much, she no longer understood him. He had been so thoughtful with her and now he was living her alone. She cried constantly. He was spoiling her life. His only purpose was to keep her under his authority. He wanted her to do what he expected without complaining. He didn’t listen to her any more. When she grew terribly angry and swept everything on her way, he did everything he could to pick up the pieces but she never forgot anything and never forgave him. And very soon his original personality got the upper hand. His dominating side hit her all the time. She was forced to assert herself and to show him she existed. He was selfish at her expense but without her, he was nothing. The fights grew worse and the only thing that maintained them together was love. If only he understood her needs, he would meet her expectations, they could stay together forever. He was too demanding and needed love and understanding. He had to understand that if he stopped caring about her, she would definitely leave him permanently. And he already knew that he couldn’t live without her. So if he didn’t react, they would both be lost forever. That would be stupid because, despite everything, they loved each other and they could fix things. This is a true story, now, imagine that «He» stands for us, human beings and that «She» is our planet. It’s exactly what is happening now. We have to stop polluting our environment. We have to take care of nature because if we destroy her, then we will destroy ourselves in the process.

Alice, Justine et Justine.

Mike

«Breaking news! A forest was burnt around London, causing the death of 19 persons. Moreover, 40 people were injured. England is still in shock. The fire is thought to be of criminal origin, which worries Scotland Yard: Mike Baxter, The Terror, is the n°1 suspect. “We haven't got any additional information about his appearance, however, the criminal uses a mask.”

Tim Xakeber, exasperated, turned his TV off and went to work. Tim was a journalist for the ecologic newspaper GreenTimes. He had wall eyes and a little scar on his neck. It had happened 5 years before. Tim, his wife and his son had been parked in a motorway rest area, he had gone out alone to pay the breakfast. Meanwhile, he had heard a violent explosion, he had turned round and seen his car burning. He could hear screams and wails. He had run to his car, then, there had been a second explosion. That time, broken glasses had been projected everywhere around the car and had reached his eyes, which explained their different colour. He was also burnt seriously on his neck, which accounted for his scar. Tim took his stuff, his coat, and went out to work very quickly. In the stairs, he met his neighbour across the hall. He was a very strange man, who was intimidating and daunting. He was gloomy, and his snake's eyes were bloodcurdling. He was always withdrawn into himself, his windows were closed every day, and he had no friends. Everybody dodged him. Tim didn't linger, and left the building without saying hello to him. That encounter was a bad omen for the rest of his day. Indeed, the day went badly because of the shortage of information about Mike Baxter. The boss of The Green Times threatened to fire him, if he didn't find a good trail before the weekend. When Tim came home, he went to bed, desperate, trying to forget that horrible day. He slept very badly that night. The following day, everybody talked about a strange attack from Mike Baxter. Mike Baxter had gone to an ecologist meeting, and poisoned everyone with dangerous chemicals and even with nerve gas. The mayor and the Environment Minister were transported to the

mergency ward of the closest hospital. They were quite badly hurt. Tim Xakeber went to see his colleagues and friends at Scotland Yard, to try to get some information about that heinous crime. He went to Victoria Street, and went to see his friend Inspector Georges Lestrade. In Georges' office, Sherlock Holmes, Mr. Watson, Hercule Poirot, Franck Columbo and other famous detectives were discussing the case. After having greeted all the detectives, Xakeber asked: “Well, do you have any news about Mike Baxter, please?” Sherlock, smoking his pipe, answered sharply: “No, we have nothing yet, which is quite unbelievable!” Right at that time, Jane Marpple bursted into the room: “Quick! Inspector Japp and I managed to find numerous witnesses, and a lot of them saw Mike Baxter's face! They are hire, in the Identikit Picture Room!” Quickly, the detectives went to the projection room, taking along the journalist. The session had already begun, they sat down at the bottom of the room. Lestrade said discreetly: “You’re lucky! You will be the first journalist to discover Mike Baxter's face!” Xakeber seemed not to hear him, and was intently looking at the screen. He was anxious to discover the head of the man who terrorized the population, and relieved to know that he'd not be fired. In the room, there was his strange neighbour. He was also nervous. Inspector Japp projected a tuft of dark hair, causing a lot of protests: “No, no, that’s not it!” “He had shorter hair!” “And he was less dark too!” “SILENCE”; shouted Japp; “Resume from the beginning!”. He projected beautiful blond hair, lightly flat on the temples. The witnesses were satisfied “Ah, that’s him!!” Japp projected a nose, with big nostrils. New protests from the

audience: “Oh no, he had a thinner nose, and a longer one too.” He changed the nose, and projected a thin mouth, logical with the rest of the face. The public approved of the choice, and an old man shouted: “That’s it, a most cruel mouth!” “And those eyes, do you recognize those eyes?” Japp asked... After numerous changes, Mike Baxter's face appeared. The old man explaimed: “That is precisely the expression of a degenerate brute!” Around him, people began to move, uneasy, and confirmed that the projected face was Mike Baxter's face. The session was finishing as Poirot stood up, turned the room lights on, and asked people to go out. Tim’s neighbour was sweating, and he watched the screen with terror. The room was almost empty when a woman cried and stammered, pointing at Xakeber: “Oh... my God... that’'s Him... Mmm... Mike... Mike Baxter!!!!!!!!” Immediately, everyone turned round towards the journalist and everyone cried: “He has different eyes, one is blue and one is brown! And a long scar on the cheek too! He's Baxter!” Lagarde, alarmed, unhappily handcuffed his friend, who didn’t seem to understand what was happening to him. He struggled. Lots of policemen came to restrain him. Holmes looked at Lestrade severely and told him: “My dear, if we had listened to your advice, we would have never caught your guy! Lestrade retaliated “You had not guessed that Xakeber and Baxter were one man either!!” And Sherlock, leaving the room, answered: “ But of course, I had! Elementary, my dear Lestrade!” The policemen took Branson along to a psychiatric cell. Behind them, the door closed heavily. «Breaking news! Scotland Yard announces that Mike Baxter was arrested yesterday, after an identikit picture session. We can say that our police has been very successful, and it is quite a relief for the population. Mike Baxter was the famous journalist from the Green Times: Tim Xakeber. The journalist suffered greatly from an accident during his past, which caused his wife's and his daughter's

death. It caused a grave trauma, that no doctor had detected until now. This matter is the end of his career. Xakeber is now in a confined to a psychiatric hospital “The Belthem Royal Hospital” in Beckenham. His eyes may represent his double personality...» CLICK!! THE END

Marie, Antoine et Clément B.

The tree There was once a little girl named Lola who had always lived with her grandmother. One day the old woman fetched a box in the attic in which she had carefully kept many souvenirs during her life: a letter, yellowed by time, a matchbox with mysterious inscriptions, some coins that Lola had never seen before, a ribbon the color of faded roses that grandmother sometimes kissed in silence, the black and white photograph of a girl with curly hair ... and many other treasures.

At some point, the grandmother dipped her hand in a pile of postcards, searched the bottom of the box and came out with her fist clenched.

She turned her hand to the sky and slowly opened her fingers, revealing to the eyes of the little girl, a kind of gold nugget that shone with a thousand lights. "My little Lola, this is the seed of a magical tree. You only have to plant it a few inches deep in the soil in the garden where you like, provided it is in the sun and sheltered from the wind …” “Oops!” Lola interrupted. “A magic tree? But why are you talking about magic grandmother?” “You'll know if you cherish and protect that seed and the tree that will grow. Indeed, it holds a secret. Now go, my dear.”

Lola did not ask anything else and dashed out of the room at full speed. She knew where she would plant this magic nugget, at the bottom of the garden, between the old apple tree and the hut where she would often hide to tell secrets to her doll and where nobody came to disturb her. She dug a hole cautiously to put the seed while repeating her grandmother’s words. "... a few centimeters deep, in the sun ... and sheltered from the wind.” Once done, she went to fill her watering can with fresh water and watered the earth generously. She also drew a circle around the buried nugget and decorated it with pretty stones taken from the garden path. Then she stepped a few feet back to admire her work and waited a few moments, hoping to see a small green sprout emerge from the ground. But nothing happened.

She remembered that plants, flowers and trees need time to grow and so she returned home, resigned to wait overnight. Soon awake, Lola jumped out of bed, ran down the stairs, through the kitchen, like a flying rocket. She rushed to the door of the old house and galloped to the bottom of the garden. Near her hut and her favorite apple tree, she remained speechless. Standing before her there was the most beautiful tree that her eyes had ever seen: it was a few meters high, being neither too large nor too small. Its outline made a curve in the sky and its heart-shaped leaves were large, bright and green.

Lola approached hesitantly, as if she could not believe what she saw. She brushed the trunk with her hand to make sure that the tree was real. Lola jumped back. Then she changed her mind, came forth again and this time touched the tree to feel it again. However, she asked: “Thou art a magic tree, are you not?” “Shhhh ... Shhhh …” “Then you should be able to talk to me, right?” The tree remained silent. “What is your purpose then?” Nothing happened. Lola watched the tree, perplexed; trying to decipher its secret, but eventually grew tired and felt her stomach rumble. “Listen, she said, I will see you later, because I’m starving.”

She headed back towards the house, but at the same time she heard a strange rustling noise behind her. Lola turned round and saw the tree shaking its leaves which were swirling around themselves like weathervanes. When order was restored, the tree branches were covered by a multitude of chocolate buns.

Lola looked at the magic tree and decided to pick a chocolate bun that was within easy reach. Hum ... It was delicious: still warm, as at the bakery in the morning, and so soft! Lola savored every bite, while a faint idea crossed her mind: “What if the magic tree could meet other desires?!”

When she had finished her unexpected breakfast in the garden, she turned to her new companion: "Will you play the air Mom used to sing to me when I was a baby, please?” Not a sound could be heard. A bit sad, Lola thought with melancholy of the song that she loved. And once again the tree was thrilled and leaves started to whirl very fast. Then it slowed its movements and musical notes were flying in the air. "The...” She recognized the melody and they began to sing together. She also understood that the tree could actually grant her wishes by reading her thoughts.

Then she focused on Christmas lights that illuminate streets and house windows. The tree shook again, and then reappeared before Lola’s puzzled eyes wearing Christmas garlands and coloured lights.

The little girl spent a long time playing with the tree and saw all her desires come true.

But gradually as Lola kept asking for new things to the tree, its leaves started turning more quickly. Eddies whirled and a thick cloud of dust completely hid the tree from its roots to the top of its branches.

Then, gradually, the air currents slowed their crazy races, whirlpools lost their forces and the fog began to dissipate. When calm finally returned, the tree was gone. Lola remained in shock. It took a long time for the little girl to realize that she had betrayed the secret of her grandmother and the magic tree. She realized that you can turn selfish and demanding when you are able to have everything you want and that we canâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t play with nature, we need to respect her. Sometimes life is by nature ephemeral. Greed and boasting are usually very destructive. Marianne & Estelle.

A Forbidden Love story It was dark. The fireplace had lit the room up. The children were sitting near their grandmaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s old armchair. They were waiting for her

to begin telling her story. â&#x20AC;&#x153;This evening, I'm going to tell you a story which is important to me. It's the story of a friend whom I knew very well. Listen carefully my sweethearts...â&#x20AC;? grandma said to her grandchildren who were teenagers now. And the story could begin... Eve was walking in a clearing. The sun beams hit her beautiful blond hair. She adored spending time there, it was her secret garden. The young girl was walking when she stopped in front of a signpost which forbade her to venture away. But this time, the teenager continued to walk. As Eve had moved forward, she could see the landscape deteriorating. Death had weighed on the environment, she could see dead trees. There wasnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t much vegetation. The young woman was getting close to the forbidden border between the two worlds. Because, yes, there was another world. A world completely destroyed and devastated, where people tried to survive. Years ago, the two worlds had formed only one: Hantania. Hantania was ravaged by pollution and by modern technology creating a conflict between two groups. The first group wanted everybody to stop using modern technology and nuclear power. The second one didn't want Hantania to become two worlds and they did not want peace not to prevail on this planet anymore. Silence had reigned in that place. Eve was cold. In front of her, there was a huge stone wall. She had felt alone and observed. She heard a cry. An old owl was sitting on the branch of a tree behind her. The majestic animal looked in her eyes with Persian eyes, which did not destabilize the teenager.

“What are you doing all alone, old owl? Are you not afraid of this place?”

Eve didn't know if she was speaking to the animal or to herself. “You know that owls don’t speak ... You really have to feel quite alone to speak to an animal!” Eve turned abruptly towards the person who had talked to her. The girl blushed from head to foot when she saw the handsome young man leaning against the tree. You could see his blue eyes staring at her, the black messy hair covering his forehead. He had a big smile on his face. The man was charming and very attractive. His boots were worn, his hands were slipping into the back pockets of his old jeans and he was wearing a white stained top. “Oh ... I ... well ... I walk talking to it to pass the time ... Yes, that was to pass the time!” The boy looked down and grinned like a Cheshire cat. “Oh, yeah? Tell me, what is a fragile little girl like you doing alone in this desert place?” “I...I don't… »

She began her sentence but stopped because she didn't know either why she was so away from her world. Eve’s silence made the young man move away from the trunk and he walked towards her, dominating her with his large body. The man gently took her hand in order to escort the woman to the border so she could go back to her world. Once at the limit, she thanked him with a shy smile for having accompanied her and the young man replied: “The pleasure was all mine, beautiful girl. I'm Tristan.” Eve was charmed. She had never met a boy like him before. “And I'm Eve”, the girl answered, turning away. From this moment, the two young people kept meeting and soon they fell in love with each other. It was a big and strong love but it was also a forbidden love. Well, Tristan lived in the other world and was a member from a gang which was fighting against a gang from Eve's world. There were a lot of issues between these two gangs which always ended up in fights. People were hurt but nobody had been killed yet. So, yes, Tristan was a part of this and it was dangerous for him to love Eve. Nobody could accept this love. Because of that, Tristan and Eve were hiding. One day, their happiness came to an end. The young couple was hugging against a tree when they heard voices. They were the men of Tristan's gang’s. The secret that the couple had tried to hide was discovered. The leader of the gang became furious to see one of his members with a woman from the enemies. He began attacking Tristan and a fight broke out. The other members of the gang came to help their leader to beat Tristan who was a traitor to them. Eve couldn't do anything. Two men were holding her, preventing her from helping Tristan. She was crying and screaming. Every scream from Tristan echoed in her head. He was exhausted and he had

difficulties staying awake. Suddenly he raised his head and stared at Eve. She could see all his love for her. She had the impression that he was saying goodbye to her. His look became glassy and he collapsed on the ground. Eve cried louder. She knew it, Tristan would never get up. It was over. The man she loved was dead. She knew it. There could never be any peace in those two worlds.

...From this moment on, Eve grew up and she became a strong woman. She married and had children but she never forgot Tristan, her first love. “That's all my sweethearts! I hope that the story didn't scare you. I just wanted you to know this story because this is something very important to me. “Grandma, can I ask you about something, please? You said that the girl in the story was called Eve but your name is Eve. “Yes darling, I'm Eve.” Audrey, Delphine et Désirée.

Giny In 2118, after a Z-type natural disaster, half of the population, about 750 000 persons, were still alive. However half of them woke up as vampires whereas the second half, scared, tried to escape from them by any available means, without knowing they might die if they tried to. Ginny, a mortal who didn’t want to follow her family and leave her native town, ran away in the middle of the night towards the unknown… Ten minutes after leaving, her father realized she was not home. He went outside, looking for his daughter, and saw her running about 50 meters away. He ran to catch her up, but she didn’t want to follow him and, as a result she started to scream… Tyler, a young vampire, heard the young lady’s screams, and decided to rescue her. As a vampire, he had the ability to teleport himself. Therefore, he was quickly there. He jumped on the father, struck him, and took Ginny far away. They learnt to know each other, and became quickly quite close in spite of their differences. Because he had seen his assailant’s face, Ginny’s father decided to chase him, followed by all the mortals he knew. During this time, Tyler was introducing his “world” to Ginny, who found it completely fascinating. Julian, Ginny’s father, living in Chicago, was moving heaven and earth to find his daughter, without knowing she was in Boston with Tyler and his family. More and more disasters appeared in the South West of their country. Unfortunately, Julian wasn’t aware of them.

Then Ginny had a feeling that there was something wrong, and decided to look for her father with Tyler, who, thanks to one of his abilities, quickly detected the man. He went to meet him. But, before they had got to Boston, Julian and the others had been caught in a tornado... Julian ended up on a car and his body was lying on the windshield. Ginny, distraught, begged Tyler to do everything he could to save her father. He took him to his home and made him drink a cocktail which cured his injuries. Julian needed two days to wake up, and he thanked Tyler for saving him. He understood vampires werenâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t dangerous, so they signed a treaty of peace, and, crazy about each other, Ginny and Tyler got married. The End AnaĂŻs, Estelle & Axelle

The werewolf Tim was walking in the forest. A little jog could only be relaxing after an argument with his father. He often found refuge where he felt safe, in the little forest about ten minutes away from home. It would always give him a feeling of comfort. Usually he ran to unwind in the morning before going to Court, before spending the whole day in a room, which made him dizzy. Nothing seemed strange until he saw a long-haired animal, a wolf, a dog? He did not know which of them and, soon, he panicked. He was silenced by fear. He could not utter a single word. He could not move. He was paralyzed. Lots of stories and legends were told in these parts of the world, strange stories Tim had never believed, but at that exact moment, he was not sensible. He only had a very bad feeling. It was hard to see the animal behind the shrub. Only a tiny part of his shaggy gray fur glittered in the sun. And at that moment, Tim knew: it was a werewolf. His instinct was to scream and flee, but nothing worked, he was paralyzed. Frozen, his heart was pounding. Cold sweat was rolling along his back. The silence was interrupted by a long howl, Tim’s imagination mingled with reality. He could see the fangs of the monster planted in his legs. There was no sound, just his blood flowing in his veins. He was lost, he knew it. He had to run, run away, far away but he could not move his legs. The wolf was standing still, ready to jump out and attack. Would it attack him? He began to relax a little bit, and suddenly, the ground collapsed under his feet, he lost eye contact with the animal. A huge mass hit him. He could do nothing but endure it and shout as loudly as he could. The huge tongue of the disgusting monster came to lick his face. The wolf came to free the boy, who had found it hard to catch his breath but finally laughed when he realized that this was not a werewolf, but just Touf, the neighbours’ German Shepherd. Eléonore

The Hand Seattle. It was a day like any other day. At least, that was what everybody thought... Everything happened at Washington Lake. It was polluted by the surrounding factories. On that day, “the waste” was not usual. As the lake was being cleaned, a really special bit of rubbish was found. As he was checking the water, an employee discovered... a hand! He thought it was only a branch, but he was wrong. In that kind of situation, the first thing you to have to do is to call the police or something like that. However, that’s not what he did. Stricken by fear, he threw the hand back in the water, and he went back home. He locked himself into his room, and for more than an hour thought about what had happened, wondering if it was a nightmare. In shock, his body was paralyzed when he imagined that the hand was real. It drove him crazy. He had dreamt about this hand before, he was sure about that. Was it paranoia or was it real. After hesitating for a while, he called the police. Three hours later the police arrived on the scene. After having secured the perimeter, forbidden access to the lake and to its surroundings, the investigation could begin. The inspector in charge of this investigation, first ordered a thorough search of the lake, but after several hours the divers had found nothing. He ordered them to search every hidden recess, to lift every rock. After many hours of work, the case had not moved forward. Not a clue, not a single thing which would allow anyone to understand how and why this hand had been there. There was nothing they could do - the hand definitively stayed without its owner. And as if that was not enough, the only clue had disappeared. The hand had vanished, without trace. During ten years of a brilliant career, not once had the inspector experienced defeat, and a chopped hand was not going to make a fool of him!

The next day, a policeman was missing. An unjustified absence would be considered as normal if it had not been followed by two more during the following days... No more clue, no more Policemen; the inspector didn't know what to do anymore. Two days after the disappearance of the first policeman, at around 8 P.M., someone knocked at the inspector's door. As the inspector opened the door, he found himself face to face with the first policeman who had disappeared. He looked exhausted, his hair was uncombed. His look was blank. His eyes were bloodshot. Then the inspector decided to let him in and to tell him off for failing in his mission. But when the inspector mentioned « the hand from the lake », the policeman had a strange reaction: his body started to tremble slightly, and his fists tightened until his nails cut his skin, and he screamed « No! Be careful! It is much stronger than you think! You don't know, you don't know... ». His face was deformed by terror, his eyes rolled in their sockets. He looked possessed. It was a terrifying scene. The following days, the same scenario was repeated with the other policemen. The same reaction, the same strange words… The inspector didn't know what to think. A small detail had caught his attention: on their left hand, each of the policemen had a red trace, like a scar, always exactly the same shape... What could be inferred from that? He didn’t have a clue. He decided to proceed with the questions. Everyone ended up being questioned: The employee who had discovered the hand a few days earlier. He didn’t learn any additional piece of information from the employee. Astonishingly, he met his colleagues in a rather ordinary mood, except for the fact that none of them had the slightest memory of what had happened and even denied having vanished for a few days. Even the mark on their hand had disappeared. Afterwards, all the employees and people living nearby were interrogated as well. Everyone, except for one: me. The one we always forget, ignored by everyone, the one people mistreat, or the one nobody cares about, who never gets a glare, a smile, a “thank you” or even a “Hi”. The one people look through and are totally oblivious

to. Over the years, the weight of this pain born out of this lack of interest amplified and drove me crazy. The fact that the police didn’t find the body makes sense. Did they wonder even once” what if the person who got his hand cut off was still alive?” No, they didn’t. They’d never think about me; that old creepy janitor who struggles to be noticed. 22

Today? I’m still unknown, just the way it was before. Only kids seem to recognize me. I have become some kind of myth, just like bloody Mary or the Loch Ness monster. They call me “The old man with the missing hand”. Eva & Marie

The Indignant “Today is a big day! The rebirth is near,” shouted Starck, the humans leader. “Are you with me?” The indignant answered together while they put their fist up.

“Yes!”

The group was gathering on the last ground, on the tallest tower of the ravaged city. The air conditioning of the building allowed them to take off the gas masks that they always had to wear not to die of asphyxia because of the pollution. “Nature is our own and single hope of survival. When we are over there, we will be able to lead a “normal” life once again, far from that awful pollution.”

A thick mist had buried the city in an eternal night. Rare were the survivors, only the fittest had survived, not the hungry, the sick, the old... Moreover, pollution had caused many new diseases to emerge and numerous fights to develop. Only a tiny part of the forest had escaped from that horrible darkness. The animals lived in this part. To preserve it, they didn’t allow human beings to go into the forest. They were helped by Mother Nature. Nature was captivating. She was beautiful thanks to her colours, her greenery, her gigantic trees and the grace that the presence of animals brings. A lot of human beings only knew the asphalt and the skyscrapers of the city. The forest’s cleanliness tempted them. The human beings were determined to take it over in order to lead a better life. So they had created an army, they called themselves “The Indignant”.

It was 2 p.m. Human beings were on their way towards the area where the forest and the town met. It was a vast clearing: the ideal battlefield. Human beings had the advantage of being prepared. They had a plan, contrary to the animals which would be caught off their guard. Nevertheless, lookout trees, squirrels and birds informed the other animals of the arrival

of the indignant. They started their “alert plan” and waited for the invaders in the clearing. When they arrived, the human beings were surprised that the forest was defended so well and was so well organized and well equipped. The animals had guessed the ill intentions of the indignant and had attacked them first. The battle raged. Shouts and crashing and banging of the swords rang out. The noise was deafening. Suddenly, the ground shook and a majestic voice resounded. Everyone kept quiet. “I received life billions of years ago. At the beginning, all the species lived in harmony but, you, the human beings, decided you were better than all the other breeds. Firstly, you venerated me. Then you exploited, enslaved, hurt me and finally practically destroyed me. Indeed, in this day and age, I could only preserve a tiny part of my resources. The situation is serious because my nature is threatened. I have to preserve what remains. My fate is in your hands but you haven’t understood it yet…” The animal leader recovered and declared: “We have observed them for decades, they destroy our planet and we are here today in order to defend her... Today, we’re going to make them pay for their lack of conscience. We are ready to fight; the time had arrived for human beings to pay their debt to “Mother Nature” said Robbins, the animal leader.

“If you fight, you’re going to destroy me completely. I ask you to respect each other and not to forget your past, to avoid doing the same errors. Keep in your mind that I’m absolutely necessary for your survival”, answered the Earth. “We understand our mistakes, the hell that we lived during the last years made us understand that we need nature.” Starck turned towards Robbins and told him: “We are ready to cohabit together, what about you?” “We can try”, answered Robbins, skeptically.” Guillaume, Lucie & Clémentine

The terrible poacher Once upon a time, Mickael and Perrie were fighting global warming and the disappearance of polar bears in Antartica. Mickael is blond-haired and brown-eyed. He is a great person and a crazy nature lover He is very charming. Perrie is a short woman with blond hair and green eyes. She is very quiet and nice. They live in Alaska, in a town called Fairbanks. They are accustomed to extreme cold in winter. They belong to a large organization which struggles against the warming of the ice caps and the protection of polar bears. They fulfilled their dream by being part of this great association. Perrie and Michael have been very close since childhood. They have always got on very well. With their association, they are going to Antarctica to protect polar bears from poachers. They took the plane in Fairbanks, they chatted all along the way. When they arrived in Antarctica, they took a shared room. They

visited the base where they had landed, Dome C. The following day, Mickael and Perrie arrived and decided to get rid of some of the traps set up by the poachers. Meanwhile, the poachers gathered. John really loved poaching, especially polar bears because it was forbidden, difficult and dangerous. Kevin mostly enjoyed the money he made thanks to his “trade”. Louis did not enjoy that at all but he had no diplomas, no training. He had not liked school and now he needed to work and earn money. So they gathered and started getting ready. Louis was tall with green eyes, Kevin was short and plump with brown eyes, and John was medium-sized with brown eyes. All of a sudden, Mickael and Perrie ran into poachers, the poachers got scared of the guards and escaped. Mickael and Perrie were quite afraid because they were armed. During the same evening, Perrie entered a bar to relax in Dome C. She met Louis the poacher, she was paralyzed. Louis came to talk to her and told her why he was forced to do this job and Perrie felt sorry for him. Afterwards, they spoke all night, and they decided to meet again the next day. Louis and Perrie became great friends, and they saw each other every night. But one day, Mickael, Perrie and all the members of the association surprised the poachers who were trying to kill polar bears. When Louis saw Perrie, he froze on the spot, and regretted at once what he had done. He left the poachers and he headed down to Dome C. He needed some space and he did not feel like going back home, so he decided to go to the bar where he had met Perrie. She was already there when he came in. He hesitated a moment and went to sit next to her. He had been rehearsing what he was going to tell her on his way to the bar, he could feel that his hands were shaking but he could not go back, he had to tell her how he felt. She looked at him straight in the eyes and started to say something when he stopped her: “I know you are mad at me and you might not want to see me again, but let me tell you this before. Before I met you, I did not care

about what I was doing, I just considered it as a job but now everything is different. I love you. I am not proud of myself, but I want to change. I want to be a better person. I would like to join your association, if you and your friends accept me on your side, and if you can forgive me.â&#x20AC;? The next day, Louis was not a better person yet, but he was on his way. He had given back his weapons and was ready to work with Perrie and Michael. Manon & Alexis

A new life 2145. The Earth is on the edge of a natural disaster. Derek, an astronaut, works in Cap Canaveral with Mia. Mia is a beautiful 30-year-old young woman. She is also an excellent astronaut. Riley is a computer science engineer. They are very good friends. They met during their childhood. They used to live in Arizona, U.S.A.

For some years, the NASA has set up a big city on the moon, because the Earth was too polluted. Two million people have already settled in Mourn city on the Moon. These people were the first settlers so it was very difficult for them: they had to leave their countries, their planet, their families, their friends, their jobs, and their life! Moreover they had to get used to their new environment and last but not least they had to build a new city on a planet which was bare, with no life, no facilities and a terrible environment. There was no oxygen so they had to wear masks all the time. However, that was 50 years ago and nowadays things have greatly changed. Indeed, the human race has grown accustomed to the Moonâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s atmosphere, little by little. Thanks to a shot once a year, they can survive in spite of the lack of oxygen. On the Earth, life is now impossible: waste is everywhere, and the air is unbreathable and irritating. Human beings have to constantly wear masks, chemical suits, and boots on the earth. Houses on the Earth are confined to specific areas and need to be regularly decontaminated. Human beings are taking a lot of medicine to survive. Many people want to take the space shuttle to go to the Moon. The team made up of Riley, Derek, and Mia has tried to create a new system to inhale without a mask. Within a month, the totality of the population should be in Mourn city. Indeed, researchers were unable to find a solution to clean up the Earth. Twenty five years later, the Earth is still a wasteland, because the level of pollution has now become critical. Meanwhile Mourn city got polluted little by little just like the Earth. Human beings are believed to be the ones who polluted the moon too. So everyone had to start from scratch once again. They had to find a solution and to try and make it a long-lived one. Marie & Charles

The Rainbow Claude has got a dog whose name is Chanel. Claude is ten years old, has got blue eyes and blond hair. He is very curious and he is very mature for his age. He hates the persons who throw out papers or cans on the floor. He can’t understand why people don’t respect the planet. Today, Claude and his best friend Rémy, are walking their dogs in the park. The sun is shining and the park is full of people. Chanel jumps everywhere today, she is very happy. Claude looks at everybody. He wants to check if people are respecting Nature, so he doesn't worry about his best friend or his dog. Suddenly, Chanel sees a rainbow. This rainbow is so big, so beautiful and so colourful. The dog runs towards it. Rémy sees this rainbow too. He decides to move. Claude talks to them but nobody answers. He is alone. Then, he sees the rainbow. He moves. There is a golden door. Curious, he opens the door... Behind, he sees a beautiful landscape. Claude moves forward, looks and he understands. It's a world where pollution doesn't exist and where people respect and protect the environment. He looks at his best friend and their dogs. Claude is very happy and he doesn't want to leave such a beautiful and peaceful place. But he can't stay because this world is empty, there is nobody and there aren't any factories so life there is impossible. Suddenly, he sees a man with a white coat, white shoes and white trousers. He looks like an angel. « Please? » The man stops and looks at the little boy. « Hello, I'm Claude. Can you help me, please? » « Yes, how can I help you? » « What is this world? Why it is here? » « This world is the opposite of your world. » « I don't know who you are or why you’re here, but you’re right. Our world is very different from this world. Nobody respects the planet, everybody pollutes the earth and nothing changes. How can we manage? » « You must change it. I must leave now. I count on you Claude. » The man disappears.

« I must talk to my mom. » the little boy says. Claude and his best friend return to the real world. Claude explains to everybody who is in the park what happened behind the rainbow. People look at the rainbow but they can't see the door. They just think that he has too much imagination because a perfect world doesn't exist. Claude, sadly, goes back home and speaks to his parents. His mum tells him: “Tomorrow, we will go and see this rainbow but now, you must sleep.” The next morning, Claude wakes up early. He wants to show the rainbow to his mom. They leave for the park at 11A.M. On the spot, Claude can’t find the rainbow any longer. « There is no rainbow here. We must come home now. » Claude’s mum says. « NO! I saw a rainbow yesterday, I’m sure about it! Wait a minute, please mom. » « Listen, I’ll wait for 10 minutes. If nothing happens, we will go home. “One, two... nine minutes. But there isn't any rainbow. In the afternoon, Claude returns to the park with his dog. Suddenly, Chanel runs away. Claude tries to catch up with her but it’s too late. At night, Claude still can't understand what happened. There was a rainbow and there is a perfect world. He falls asleep. He dreams about the man who was in the perfect world. Claude says: « A world without pollution is impossible. » «Why? » « There isn't any rainbow and nobody respects our planet! » « What do you want, Claude? » « I want people to respect the environment, I want a better world! » After these words, a light invades Claude's bedroom. The next day, Claude wakes up, a little sad and he doesn't know if it was a dream or mere reality. His mom looks at him with a smile and says: « Look outside! » He looks and he sees many people who throw papers, cans, wrappings... into bins. There are persons who hand out flyers for the

protection of the environment. Claude sees a rainbow in the sky and it's written: « Your wish is granted. » Marion & Amélie

The Earth People have lived on Earth for several million years. The Earth is one of the rare planets to be livable in the whole Universe. The Earth is a peaceful place except for a few conflicts in particular between the most important world nations. This conflict has taken the form of a nuclear and chemical war between the United States of America and Japan for numerous reasons such as the attack on Pearl Harbor's American naval base in 1942 during the Second World War. To get revenge the Americans threw two nuclear bombs on Hiroshima and

Nagasaki which caused several million deaths. One year before the revenge of the Japanese in 1991, an American man named Barack Obama lived in Los Angeles. He was the governor of California. He decided to go on holidays in Hawai with his family to have fun. During his holidays Obama went to the beach and then had a walk in a nearby forest. He observed magnificent flowers with multitudes of colours but during its holidays his secretary sent him a message saying that the Japanese were preparing an attack on the USA. Thus he decided to leave his homeland not to be affected by the radioactivity of the bomb. He took refuge in France with his family in a hotel right in the heart of Paris. A fortnight later nothing had happened yet. Barack Obama hesitated to go back to the United States because he began to think that the Japanese would send no bomb and that it was only a rumour to frighten the Americans. But the following day, the Japanese sent twenty nuclear high-powered bombs on the United States in a very short lapse of time creating enormous seismic shocks being felt on all the Earth. This earthquake was so powerful that it was described as the most powerful one in the history of humankind. It obtained the strongest note on the Richter scale, and included a gigantic tsunami which gobbled up most of the countries, in particular countries at the level of the sea. Barack Obama felt multiple explosions striking the United States and their consequences such as the high-powered earthquake as well as the tsunami which had struck the French coasts, invading even the famous city of Paris. Because of the mega earthquake and of the very powerful tsunami, almost everybody died of overheating and it even made nuclear power plants burst. It created atomic clouds crossing the globe. Because of the rain, radioactivity affected the whole earth. This radioactivity affected the world flora and fauna killing all the animals and plants, destroying the environment. All the people protected themselves the best they could not to die. As the men did not have food anymore, they went out of their shelters. The most sensitive persons died. Little by little, humanity disappeared from the Earth.

Twenty years later, extraterrestrials landed on the Earth because they didn't suffer from radioactivity, they repopulated the Earth. The former planet of men... Théo, Maxence & Corentin

"Breaking news!” “Good morning! Today, Wednesday, April 1, 2453, the Chinese army threatens to bomb Europe with nuclear warheads. Do not panic, the emergency plan has been announced, the authorities are going to inform you about the instructions to follow. Good luck to all!”

John, who had heard this piece of information on television hurried up to alert his friend Peter. Both friends grew worried about the fate of their planet and about the inability of the authorities to manage the problem. Peter, the brave, wanted his friend and himself to try everything they could to stop it. He decided to provide himself with weapons and counter the attack. He suggested John should follow him. John hesitated for a long time and eventually accepted. The following day, they hurried to go to the airport to try and buy weapons. They got acquainted with an old man of the excommanding secret forces who had been transferred for disclosure of information. He taught them that a secret base of the army was near Hong-Kong where they would land. In that base, they had fair chances of finding these nuclear bombs. The old commander gave them the address of an illegal weapon dealer. They came out of his house armed to the teeth. That evening, in their hotel room, they made the last preparations, polished up their plan. At 5 A.M., they brought their weapons with them and took a cab which brought them to an isolated region of the South of the antique hunting. They walked for 2 hours and found the secret base of the

former army, now independent from china. They decided to go down the sewers, crawled up to a shed and discovered only small fish on the ground. Surprised, John asked Peter what he thought it meant. After a while, Peter realized that he had actually heard those pieces of news on the first of April. Maxime, Alexis-Paul & Thomas 35

Eternal Love Franรงoise lived in a beautiful house surrounded by trees and a beautiful garden. She liked to grow her own vegetables and fruit. Ben, her husband, had left two days ago for the Vietnam War. She was terribly worried about him and kept thinking about him all day long. However, Ben was actually at home, but Franรงoise could not see him. Ben talked to her, asked her why she did not answer, he wondered why she ignored him, and if she was seeing someone else. He expected a warmer welcome. Ben went for a walk in the forest. He liked nature so much and had been an outspoken and active environmentalist when he was young. When having guests at home so

he hurried up to his room without being noticed. He wanted to watch TV but he did not manage to switch it on so he went to bed. During the same evening, he came down and asked Françoise: “Are you still mad at me?” Françoise sat, ate, her eyes filled with tears. Ben did not know what to do and went back to bed. The next morning, he saw a death announcement on the table. The burial was to take place in three days but he did not have time to see the name of the dead person. Three days later, he went to the funeral, he noticed that there were many of his friends. He approached the grave and he froze for a moment. He left as soon as he saw the name of the person. Ben walked straight into the woods, with his head down and his eyes filled with tears. He sat on the bench where he and Françoise had met for the first time. Then he remembered all the wonderful years they had spent together and went to the church where they had got married. He sat on the same bench and remembered the day when he had proposed, and after a while he saw the light that would lead him to a better world, where he would wait for Françoise. Reynald, Guillaume & Clémentin.

Platypus Gilbert was walking in a forest. He was dazzled by the beauty of this beautiful landscape. He had never seen such a green place. The rabbits were jumping about the valley and the birds were flying in the sky. The trees were gorgeous, with bright flowers and green leaves, and the flowers were the most beautiful ones in the world. But where was he? He didn’t know.

After several hours, he met a bear with a beer, and the bear asked Gilbert if he wanted a drink as well. Gilbert asked: “Where are we?” The bear answered: “Hey guy, have you ever seen a talking or a drinking bear?” Gilbert finished his beer and pursued his way.

Gilbert arrived in a clearing with a pond. In the pond a platypus and a pink duck were competing in the water. “Hey what are you doing?” asked Gilbert to the strange animals. After a very good dive, the platypus answered “You don’t get it Gilbert?” Amazed, Gilbert replied: “How do you know my name?” “You know me, think about it.”

Gilbert left the clearing, he was disturbed by this strange meeting and he couldn't stop thinking about how that platypus knew his name. Gilbert carried on walking...

After a while, he ended up face to face with a lamasticot, a mixture between a lama and a worm. This animal had been created by a French mad inventor whose name was Asticot. The lamasticot was chatting with a blobfish and his mother the alpaga. They were talking about a plan in order to dominate the world and reduce the platypus into slavery and making them work in a nuclear plant. But Gilbert didn't want that, he didn't know where he was but he was a member of Green Peace, he couldn't just let it go.

He kept going and came back to the clearing where the platypus was diving. Berny brought Gilbert in his brotherhood where Gillbert was

able to explain the Machiavellian plan of the blobfish species to them. The brotherhood taught him their art of fighting. Because of his human condition, he became the strongest follower of the brotherhood and became Platypus-Man!

He came back to the lair of the blobfish and fought them to death. The platypus species was now safe and so was the environment.

Gilbert woke up in his old people's home, he had slept well, the sleeping drugs were strong. Gilbert could be proud of himself. During the short end of his life, he had fought for the platypus cause. Simon, Thomas & Thomas.

Tibou One day, in the savannah, an elephant was walking. His name was Marius. He was looking for food when he heard a suspicious noise. He went to see what was going on. It was big Jacky, the lion. Jacky was starving and he wanted to eat Marius! Tibou, a gibbon, heard Jacky's roaring. Tibou heard Mariusâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s trumpeting! Suddenly, Tibou embarked in an unrestrained race to help his friend. When he arrived on the spot, Tibou saw Marius followed by Jacky. Not far away from there, the hyena, Katarina, observed the scene and decided to chase the elephant too. After a while, Marius felt exhausted and stopped. He was surrounded by his pursuers. Tibou arrived when the lion, the hyena and the elephant had joined the battle! Tibou was speechless. He invented a plan to help his friend. Meanwhile, Marius had fought a bloody fight against Jacky and Katarina. The gibbon went to the jungle and made a weapon with brambles and stones. When he came back, the elephant was on the floor, ready to be eaten. Tibou, summoning all the bravery he could, attacked his opponents with weapons. Jacky and Katarina looked straight into his eyes, intimidated by this terrible club that might terribly hurt them. They knew that if they attacked Tibou, the Gibbon, they would not win and would be hurt to top it all. But in the savannah, fighting to eat and survive is necessary ... It is called the survival of the fittest. They decided to attack the gibbon. That would make a good dessert after the elephant. Their decision was motivated by the fact that gibbon meat was said to be delicious, tasty, juicy, exactly what meat was supposed to be like!

A bloody battle followed during which the monkey gave critically hit the hyena several times. The lion retreated quietly and climbed into trees while the monkey kept fighting the hyena. When Tibou had finished, he went to the tree where the lion had taken refuge. But suddenly a lightning fell on the lion. In a second, the monkey took shelter in a cave, dragging his friend Marius. The tree Jacky was on got into fire and the entire savannah heard his screams of pain. Then rain fell on the savannah, putting out the fire. Tibou left and went to see what had happened to Jacky. His body was the color of a cooked steak. The monkey brought the warm body of a lion and the cut it out. He shared bits with his friend Marius and had a good feast. The lion meat lasted for a week, until Marius had recovered from his injuries. Tibou was not proud of what they had done, but they had to save their dearest friend.

And in the process they had invented the barbecue!!!!! Moral: It serves no purpose to be the strongest when nature is above us all!

That is why we must preserve nature so that the world can survive â&#x20AC;Ś Thibault, Ryan & Valentin.

Archemides Nothing is perfect in this world, this is not new, but it is reality. In fact, if everything was perfect, life would be dreadfully monotonous. For years, the world was ruled by an infamous and cruel dictator... Not worried at all by anyone but himself, he let the planet go down. As a result, the future generations are now suffering from an imminent apocalypse. Three young people were spotted by the NASA to resist make the dictator by going back in time. These three

persons who are called Spyke, Arka and Elea took tests at the NASA to check their physical abilities as well as their moral strength to know if they're capable to go back in time and to act against Archimedes, the terrible dictator. Spyke is a young man of five lunar years, which corresponds to 25 years in our galaxy. He is very big and very muscular. He is of a very impressive stature and is an excellent fighter. He has blues eyes and brown hair, the very opposite of Arka who is the brain of this group. His fair hair falls on his glasses and his dark brown eyes doesn’t make his handsome. However, this little genius can understand any riddle in a few seconds. Last but not least, Elea, the only girl of the group. She is very useful for her agility, her discretion and her presence of mind. All the warriors are aware that the future of their planet is in their hands. In spite of the operation which is difficult, they are ready to address the challenges of the three warriors for ecology. While the operation had to happen on the day of the summer solstice, it was moved forward by two weeks because of a mistake. They wouldn't like to stay back in time especially at the time of their grandparents. They arrived all together in the lab and discovered the machine. Although it wasn't very big, it was impressive and gave shivers to our heroes. They went inside and electric shocks were formed around them and they were engulfed in an intergalactic portal. The travel lasted no more than two seconds. When they arrived, they found the same lab but two centuries later. It hadn’t really changed except for the colour of the walls. The idea of not being at home terrified Spyke. The sound of footsteps frightened the three friends. They escaped. Hidden behind the door, they saw the guards of Archimedes. They went out, in the street. Without weapons, they decided to attack a van of the imperial army. Spyke knocked down three guards. He went into the van and distributed weapons. They started fighting to fight for the fortress. To go unnoticed, Arka, Spyke and Elea put on the guards’ uniforms. They could be discreet now.

Once in front of the fortress, they discovered that the door could be opened only with a special badge that our heroes did not possess. Then Arka thought about what could be done. He added complicated figures and managed to open one part of the fortress: a small hatch like a ventilation duct. Elea sacrificed herself and got into it. She crept in easily. This measured several meters long and was around all the parts of the fortress. After several minutes, Elea located the office of the dictator. And she heard Archimedesâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; projects: he planned to contaminate the planet for it to be self-destructed. And then he would return to his native planet as a hero and become their leader. Elea, shocked by such reasons and such cruelty, sobbed. But she quickly resumed and continued her mission with more motivation. She finally arrived at the door, down the pipe and opened the door for her friends. They ran up to the computer room. In a few minutes, the dictator's speech would start, and technicians were working on the retransmission of the speech to all the provinces and on the giant screen in the city center. Arka had an idea. He decided to share their speech instead of that of Archimedes, to start a revolution. Spyke knocked the technicians out and he went in front of the webcam and recorded his speech. Arka programmed it and they went to the place where Archimedes was getting ready for his own speech. They hid behind the desk while Archimedes was on his way to the balcony expecting a crowd and several cameras. The crowd was impatient when suddenly Spykeâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s face appeared on the big screen and he began his speech: â&#x20AC;&#x153;Hello! My name is Spyke and I'm from the future. I'm here to send you a message. Archimedes wants to destroy this planet. He will kill our father, our brother, our family and our friends! Too much blood has been spilled. Did you ever believe he would be a good leader? Were you ever a dreamer? This is a call to arms, gather soldiers. This is a battle song, brothers and sisters. Time to go to war! Ever want to be free? Do you even remember? Do you want to surrender or fight for your planet? Here we are at the start of a new era. I can feel the beating of our hearts. This is time to end it all: the blood and the destruction. Far, far away, in a land that time can't change. Long, long ago, in a place

of ghosts. You can act now. Or you can destroy your descendants if you do nothing now. This is a call to help from the future. ” In the crowd chants of revolution and insults could be heard. Archimedes, terrified, shouted that they were powerless behind the walls of this fortress. Arka went out of his hiding place and told him: "You are right.” “You're in safety while they are behind these walls,” Spyke said. “You!” cried Archimedes, completely panicked, it is your fault! “You do not have any more time to worry!" Elea said and she attacked from behind. With Arka and Spyke and herself, they threw him into the crowd where he was beaten. The three friends took him near a polluted lake and threw him into it. He died because of a plastic bag. They came back into the lab and retriggered the time machine. They returned to their era and discovered their planet, orderly and unpolluted. They were decorated by the army. And they were considered as heroes and ended up with city names. Eloïse, Marion & Tom

Contents Alice, Justine et Justine........................................................................................................................ 3 Marie, Antoine et Clément B. .............................................................................................................. 8 Marianne & Estelle. ........................................................................................................................... 12 Audrey, Delphine et Désirée. ..................................................................................................... 16 Anaïs, Estelle & Axelle ....................................................................................................................... 18 Eléonore ............................................................................................................................................ 19 Eva & Marie ....................................................................................................................................... 22 Guillaume, Lucie & Clémentine ......................................................................................................... 26 Manon & Alexis ................................................................................................................................. 28 Marie & Charles ................................................................................................................................. 29 Marion & Amélie ............................................................................................................................... 32 Théo, Maxence & Corentin................................................................................................................ 34 Maxime, Alexis-Paul & Thomas ......................................................................................................... 35 Simon, Thomas & Thomas. ................................................................................................................ 38 Thibault, Ryan & Valentin. ................................................................................................................. 41 Eloïse, Marion & Tom ........................................................................................................................ 44