The Cobalt Review 2015

Selected Writing and Art from Students at Mary Carroll High School in Corpus Christi, Texas

THE COBALT REVIEW CHARACTER BUILDING. PEACE. SOCIAL JUSTICE

June 2015

The Cobalt Review Funded by a grant from the Corpus Christi Education Foundation

Mary Carroll High School Corpus Christi Independent School District Teachers: Tony Armadillo Joanie Nycum

Sophia Garcia Dr. Nancy Vera

Tricia Klucinec

English /Language Arts Department Chair: Suzanne Marshall Administrators: Dr. Kelly Manlove - Principal Cynthia O’Donnell - English/Language Arts Assistant Principal Roberto Arredondo, - Dean of Instruction Laura Miller - Counselor Grant Writer/ Designer/ Editor: Dr. Nancy S. Vera Guest Editor: Dr. Robin Carstensen Creative Writing Director Texas A&M University-Corpus Christi Copyright © 2010 by Mary Carroll High School/Dr. Nancy S. Vera All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, distributed, or transmitted in any form or by any means, including photocopying, recording, or other electronic or mechanical methods, without the prior written permission of the publisher, except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical reviews and certain other noncommercial uses permitted by copyright law. For permission requests, write to the publisher, addressed “Attention: Permissions Coordinator,” at the address below.

Mary Carroll High School c/o Dr. Nancy S. Vera 5301 Weber Road Corpus Christi, Texas 78411 361.878.5140 Printed in the United States of America

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THE

COBALT R E V I E W June 2015 CHARACTER BUILDING. PEACE. SOCIAL JUSTICE

Adria Saldivar (12, Vera) Dove of Peace Pencil on Paper Cobalt Ribbon Winner The Cobalt Review 3

Thank you for your support!

Dr. Robin Carstensen, Al Toth, Christian Cisneros-Guzman, Cecilia Akers, Jim Akers, Judge Hilda Tagle, Rosie Mirabal Garza, Manuel Zepeda Family, Justin Tullius, Melva Perez, Cristian Cantu, Hanna Zimmerman, Libby Averyt, Tim Archuleta, Bro Krift, Mary Ann Cavazos, Rachel Denny Clow, SS David P. Camarillo, Megan Douglas, EMISS Chace Syring, Marine Sgt. Kenneth Anthony, Dr. Ruth Falck, Stacey Barrera, Mercedes Garcia, E.E. Charlton-Trujillo, Octavio Quintanilla, Tina Lintz, Ray McMurrey, Jimmy Vinson, Laura Gonzalez, Paul Hatridge, Judge Inna Klein

About The Cobalt Consortium The Cobalt Consortium is a 2014-2015 school year initiative to fill the need of students to write for purpose, understand the needs of the local and global community, engage themselves in the world in which they live and teach them how to help bridge a creative and cultural gap existing in our community. Students become more civically engaged through exposure to higher education creative writing specialists and graduate students, community organizations and community members.

They enhance their higher level thinking skills and are guided and encouraged to develop their civic awareness through participation in activities that will assist selected nonprofits in the area. Students will become exposed to and more prepared for higher education opportunities while enhancing their resumes and workforce preparedness. Additionally, this project clearly compliments and enhances the Corpus Christi Independent School District's Character First program and anti-bullying program.

The Cobalt Consortium initiative personalizes district goals on our campus in addition to promoting the academic success of our students. Cobalt Review is the literary product of the initiative.

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COBALT CONSORTIUM PARTNERS Child Advocacy Center of the Coastal Bend City of Corpus Christi - Municipal Court Communities in Schools Corpus Christi American Federation of Teachers Corpus Christi Caller-Times Corpus Christi Education Foundation Port A Pizzeria The Dr. Hector P. Garcia Foundation The League of Women Voters Mary Carroll High School FFA and Ag Department Refugee and Immigrant Center for Education and Legal Services Salt Water Seafood Grill Save Our Survivors The South Texas Human Rights Center Texas A & M University—Corpus Christi English Department * Islander Creative Writing Club United States Army United States Marine Corps United States Navy The Women’s Shelter of South Texas

*Principal Partner The Cobalt Review 5

THE COBALT R E VI E W June 2015 TABLE OF CONTENTS

Letter from Dr. Robin Carstensen 10 Letter from Judge Inna Klein 12 Poetry 15 Purple 16 Dark Green 17 Lessons from A Dying Man 18 Black 20 Turquoise 21 Texas Summer Sun 22 Batter Up 23 Matte Black 24 Blue 25 Blue In Motion 26 The Color Pink 27 No One Ever Saw 28 On Our Way to Ocean Drive 29 Life and Death 30 Spring 31 The Dance of Death 32 (Cobalt Blue Ribbon Poetry Award Winner) A Steaming Afternoon 34 Panther Pride 35 Made for Each Other 36 July Memories 38 The Cobalt Review 6

THE COBALT REVIEW June 2015 TABLE OF CONTENTS (Continued)

Guest Author 40 A Sonnet for Smugglers 40

Fairy Tales 45 The Ocean’s Lovers 46 Rebel Soldier 48

The Abandoned Bottle 52 (Cobalt Blue Ribbon Literary Award Winner) More Than A King 58 The Nacho 64 The Little Soldier 68 Vincent Vs. 70 The Ring That Binds Us 74 A Happy Lord 80

Short Stories 85 Soda Can 86 A Life with No Regrets 88 The Battlefield of the Mind 90

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THE COBALT THE COBALT REV IEW R J uE n eV 2 0I1E 5 W June 2015

TABLE OF CONTENTS TABLE OF CONTENTS (Continued) Poetry Artwork Purple ReliefDark 14 Green Love Is… 31 from A Dying Man Lessons Girl 42 Black Girl with Doll 43 Turquoise Animals Being Killed 44 Matte Black Background Blue Noise 51 (Cobalt Blue Ribbon Artistic Award Winner) Blue II My Life InColor LinesPink 63 The Lips 67 No One Ever Saw Live, Love andWay Peace On Our to 83 Ocean Drive

Illustrations Life and Death I. Dove of Peace Title Page Illustration (Cobalt Blue Ribbon Illustration Award Spring Winner)

The Dance of Death II. Shark Rainbow 47 A Steaming Afternoon III. Hedgehog 52 Panther Pride IV. Poison Bottle 57 A Sonnet for Smugglers V. Face in City 72

Fairy Tales

The Ocean’s Lovers Rebel Soldier The Cobalt Review 8

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A Letter from Guest Editor, Dr. Robin Carstensen As an Island Wave partner with Carroll High School English Teachers’ Cobalt Consortium, it was my privilege to bring my Islander Creative Writers from Texas A&M University into Mary Carroll High School’s senior English student community this Spring 2015. We had a great time in poetry workshops with nearly 450 students, creating art from our experience and imagination. Carroll students got a chance to hear from Islander undergraduate, Tina Lentz, and her gorgeous poems, as well as our visiting poet from San Antonio, Octavio Quintanilla, who shared arresting poems from his debut collection, If I Go Missing.

Through such ventures, Carroll students had a chance to connect with living poets in our community and be inspired. The poems and stories that Carroll students created this semester is a testament to the refuge of art, to the faith that we are not so alone as we discover a sense of connection, joy, and healing in this complex global world in which our individual lives and our communities play such an integral part.

As a guest editor of this volume of the Cobalt Review, I have had the privilege and daunting task of selecting work from well over a hundred promising poems and stories from a talented range of students. In poems ranging from the meditative lyric to the political narrative, I found myself most drawn to those with surprising and vivid imagery that evoke our thoughts and emotions through the sense of taste, touch, smell, sight, and sound. This originality and rendering of sensory detail marks an important difference between a rant and a work of The Cobalt Review 10

well-crafted art imbued with the potential to transform our lives. In fiction and personal narratives such as the fairy tale themes, I felt compelled by those tales that utterly surprised me with imaginative leaps into vibrant, three-dimensional characters and complex situations that resonate with the real challenges we all face in our families and communities. The best stories expand our empathy and imagination, disturb us out of complacency, and help us to envision possibilities, such as Kathryn Tamez’s beautifully written story of tragedy, love, diversity and inclusivity, The Abandoned Bottle, the Cobalt Literary Blue Ribbon Award winner.

Again, I feel honored to participate in the Cobalt Review’s theme of peace and social justice, and to be part of presenting this community with such vibrant literary talent that helps all of us become agents of life -affirmation, creating change in the unrepeatable world we inhabit.

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A Letter from Judge Inna Klien I am an immigrant and my story starts with my parents’ choices. I was born in the country in which, because of our religion, my parents and I did not have a choice as to our profession. We were not allowed to practice our religion. We were not allowed to choose where we lived. Because of my religion, which the government also considered to be my ethnicity, the requirements for me to go to college would have been much higher than for everyone else.

My family lived in that country for many generations and for hundreds of years. My parents were born in the years following World War II, and they knew of family members who survived the Holocaust (and of some family members who did not), the death camps, and the combat, the intensity of which the world had never seen.

My parents made a choice to leave everything they ever knew behind in order to give my brother and me a chance at the American Dream. They chose to leave that country, even though it meant giving up everything they had there. They chose to leave their entire family behind. Leaving meant sneaking out without telling anyone else, in the middle of the night. My parents left separately from one another, with my mother taking my brother and me. We left with two suitcases for the entire family and two hundred American dollars. Getting caught meant being sent to prison.

I remember very clearly as our plane landed in New York City.

I spent the next six months watching my toddler brother while my parents tried to find any jobs that would support us. I did not speak a word of English and did not know a single person. I remember starting high school in America, still not knowing English well enough to converse and be social. And I also clearly remember the day when I realized that the only way to honor my parents’ sacrifices and to make a good life for myself would be to work hard, to empower others, and to never stop reaching for the stars. I was to be elected into The Cobalt Review 12

the National Honor Society, went on to an outstanding university while taking out loans and working after school jobs, and then went on to law school.

Along the way, I had met people who empowered me and who strengthened my beliefs and my faith.

After law school I briefly worked for a law firm in Rhode Island and then moved to Corpus Christi, Texas, where I spent years representing the State of Texas in numerous criminal trials. In 2013, I was appointed as a municipal court judge. I have now presided over thousands of cases as a judge in juvenile and adult cases in the municipal court.

I would never be where I am today but for my parents’ sacrifices and but for the people along this long road who reminded me about my goals and dreams. Today, I am a world away from the young girl who fled her home in the middle of the night and came to this country in the nineties not knowing English, with $200 and two suitcases for the entire family. But I am the same person who believed in the American Dream and reached for the stars and refused to accept that she was any less than those who were born wealthy, politically connected or otherwise advantaged. Each one of us has a choice when it comes to writing our destiny. The obstacles along the way create character, personality, and shape our ethics and values. I believe in this country and in its people. I believe that our diversity makes us beautiful and strong. I believe there is no better country and no better justice system in the world than this country. And I am determined to make this country a little better by giving back to my community and I challenge and encourage you to do the same.

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Jacquelynn Cortez (12, Armadillo) Relief (from chemotherapy) Sharpie with White Ballpoint Pen and Prisma Colors

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POETRY

Some of these poems emerge from Ms. Nycum’s prompt on “color.”

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Purple Purple is the color of Geishas’ Kimonos and vibrant tattoos on glossy skin.

Purple is the taste of fresh strawberries and hamburger pizza toppings.

The colors on some sugar skulls and lavender roses look purple.

Purple is the sound of played sad violins and what’s left of a memory of my grandma’s laugh before her passing, paintings in a background, and the scent of lavender perfume.

Purple is dried paint on an artist’s finger tips. My artwork is purple in motion.

By Gabriana Ortiz (10, Nycum) Cobalt Ribbon Winner

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Dark Green Dark green is the sea at dawn and the morning fog Dark green is the taste of salt on a bottle of Perrier and tart aftertaste of a grapefruit The damn moss and washed up seaweed look dark green Dark green is the seagulls by the bay, and background noise, and the smell of incense.

Dark green is the feeling of being content and happy with life My messy hair is dark green in motion.

By Marielle Serna (12, Nycum)

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Lessons From a Dying Man Morrie was not only the favorite professor, But also a teacher of all of life’s lesson.

When he came down with ALS, His old student Mitch was with him ‘til he lay at rest.

They were Tuesday people, Always meeting on that day, Mitch would listen, To all Morrie had to say: It’s important to love, And to be loved too, It’s important to have a family, Watching over you.

It is important to have feelings, Be unafraid to show them, It is important to realize aging is part of life, As natural as breathing, As natural as dying.

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It is important to focus on the good, To not allow self-pity, It is important to know a meaningful life doesn’t involve money, It’s important to know a meaningful life doesn’t involve money, It’s important that society doesn’t make you who you are, It is important to forgive yourself, For what has or has not been done, It is important to make peace with your life, So you may have peace with death.

Though Morrie passed away It is important that his lessons stay, And that his memory always remains Death requires a body, Which Morrie relinquished.

But memories need only a friend, To remain undiminished.

By Jasmine Schilling (10, Garcia) The Cobalt Review 19

Black Black is Fire crackling and Waves of an Ocean Black is the taste of a Cold Soda and Hot wings.

Fancy Writing and Planes Flying look Black.

Black is Crackling Fire and Zippers Unzipping, Finishing a Run, and Cookies Baking.

Black is Clean Sheets.

Silence is Black in motion.

By Anthony Silvas (Nycum, 12)

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Turquoise Turquoise is the moon and stars and older looking books.

Turquoise is the taste of strawberries and hot peppermint tea with honey.

The warm salty water at the beach and my horses’ expression when they see me look Turquoise.

Turquoise is the happiness in my aunt’s voice and the playfulness of my brother’s laugh, reading books to escape from the world, and the scent of sweet pea.

Turquoise is digging into the warm sand.

The soothing sound of music is Turquoise in motion.

By Cailean Fitzgerald (10, Nycum) The Cobalt Review 21

Texas Summer Sun Beating down relentlessly In the violent sea of people stand arm in arm my bestie and I Eager hearts pierce the veil Outbeat the immense frustration The clashing waves of people bring so many bodies in such little space Growing denser and denser as the sweating bodies from the back push forward to get to the front Packed like sardines, you don’t know whose arm is over your shoulder Or whose finger is in your mouth You aren't your own person anymore Engulfed in the crowd, you all become one.

Mary Jane Maldonado (12, Vera)

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Batter Up As I stepped in the box, I felt as if the world stopped.

The pitcher winds up and delivers the ball.

I see a watermelon coming at me, and I release a furious swing.

As the ball hits the bat, I hear dead silence and the sound of the impact is amazing.

Like an angel ringing a bell.

As I run the bases, every step I take is silent and slow. Hearing the dirt crackle under my shoes, I touch homeplate, greet my teammate, then head back to the dugout.

Teammates waiting to greet me.

By TJ Kassner (12, Vera)

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Matte Black Matte Black is a new manicure And Mac Ruby Woo. Matte Black is the taste of karma and revenge.

Success and vanity Look Matte Black.

Matte Black is City life and chopped and screwed music, Bucket hats, and brand new Timbs.

Matte Black is confidence.

Music is Matte Black in motion.

By Chaiyre Miller (12, Nycum)

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Blue Blue is old pictures and sweet memories.

Blue is the taste of minty gum and popcorn, Movies and football games look blue.

Blue is laughing and smiling, spending time together, and the smell of your sweet cologne.

Blue is running my hand through your silky hair.

You know who you are; you is blue in motion.

By Tiara Thomas (10, Nycum)

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Blue Blue is the stars at night, and ocean waves Hitting rocks.

Blue is the taste of blueberry muffins, and a cup of Caramel macchiato coffee.

The city on a cold winter night, and sunsets at the end Of a long summer day look Blue.

Blue is a cello being played, and raindrops Hitting the window, Reading nestled in a corner, and the smell of a Book when it’s first opened.

Blue is my hands gliding up and down the Strings of a cello.

Smiling and laughing with my Best friend is Blue in motion.

By Mialynn Casares (12, Nycum) The Cobalt Review 26

The Color Pink Pink is my mom’s happiness and my sister’s smile.

Pink is the taste of French fries and my mom’s famous Macaroni.

His eyes and his smile look pink.

Pink is my sister’s laugh and the sound of the waves at the beach, Spending time with the people I love and the smell of fresh air.

Pink is the touch of his warm hugs.

My family and friends that surround me every day is pink in motion.

By Celeste Smith (12, Nycum)

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No One Ever Saw One fall afternoon he nudged my leg His nose wet and runny Hair as red as an oak stain He wandered around His new territory Having never felt sand before The barn hid him from the blazing sun No one had ever seen such a sight As everyone watched they “cooed” and “awed” No one had ever seen a pig crawl into a person’s lap.

by Olivia Bush (12, Vera) The Cobalt Review 28

On Our Way to Ocean Drive It must have been 6:47 in the morning. I was dressed with my black shirt and my blue jeans, Getting ready to meet with my best friend and then head out to the park I grabbed my skateboard, feeling the grip tape with my thumb and the smooth scratched up side of the graphic with my four other fingers I told my mother bye then got on my board and left.

My friend was with his mom in their red Toyota SUV, ready for me to get in and make our way to Ocean Drive.

By Brandon Jimenez (12, Vera)

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Life and Death Life Bright, thankful Loving, keeping, laughing Good, happy, sad, dark Sickening, breathtaking, terrifying Painful, scarring Death

Marie Bueno (12, Vera)

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Spring Happiness floats Friends grow new love together Humming birds fly now

Marie Bueno (12, Vera)

Jacquelyn Cortez (12, Armadillo) Love is...

Prism Colors

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The Dance of Death I dreamt of the night I danced with Death; I succumbed into her grasp As she led me into an enormous room, Filled with chimes and bells.

The instruments, They sang with the wind That carried throughout the universe.

And people were scattering, Dancing with their loved ones; Singing symphonies, Humming melodies In trebles and basses.

When I danced with Death, She gave me piercing looks With eyes so cold yet so warm

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Like ice burning through your skin.

I saw my grandparents smiling at me proudly, Kurt Cobain sat beside a series of strings in the corner, And Amy Winehouse sang and sputtered her voice, While Michael Jackson took the spotlight dancing on the balcony.

They looked peaceful, beautiful; Shining stars that Death took to keep for eternity.

And I asked her, "When will I go with you?"

She flashed her hollow eyes As she eerily whispered, "When your body ages And your soul awakens."

And at a star's twinkle, Consciousness sublime.

John Angelo Vergara (10, Garcia)

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A Steaming Afternoon One steaming summer afternoon, Looking down the street, seeing The heat waves disappear as I got Closer. My big brother ran to me, Frantic, like a lion was chasing him, As the words ran out of his mouth I took off like it was a 10K race.

Hearing nothing but my heart, Feeling lost.

I got there just in time to see Him being ripped apart from her arms.

I dropped to my knees screaming As loud as a whistle.

I couldn’t believe it Hearing the silence, Yet nothing was silent.

by Sadie Ruiz (12, Vera)

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Panther Pride The beat of this tune Is to the sound of the crowd.

Fans craving a ring Screaming Panthers out loud.

Boobie Miles touchdown after touchdown Racking up yards after every handoff.

They aren’t the Cowboys but The Panthers never back down from a standoff.

Mike Witchell may have been hated But in the end appreciated.

The outcome unexpected But the season greatly accepted.

Some injuries were life changing The last loss the worst by far.

But in the eyes of Odessa The Panthers were stars.

Some players stayed involved there Others left and never looked behind.

But either way they went‌ Odessa never forgot the legend they left behind.

By Jordan Stone (10, Garcia) The Cobalt Review 35

Made for Each Other One beautiful summer day, my boyfriend took me on my dream date without me asking him.

Somehow, he knew that I would love to take a walk downtown by the water.

He took me by my hand and walked me down the pier toward the middle of the roaring ocean.

Once there, he picked me up and hugged me and made me feel special.

I could still see the cars quickly driving by the busy streets.

We were alone on the pier. Just him and me the exact way that we should be.

I could feel the splash of waves on my arms as they hit the jetties right by us.

My shoes and socks were soaking wet, but I did not care.

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All I could think about was how lucky I was to be here with him How I was the only girl in the world standing this close to this handsome man.

The masculine smell of his expensive cologne and the perfect balance of colors on his shirt lit up his beautiful eyes.

And when I hugged him, I felt like we were made for each other.

by Victoria Gronner (12, Vera)

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July Memories Waves colliding with each other, kissing the coast, reaching lovers’ toes as they explore along the shore.

On a summer morning, waking up next to someone you love. After enjoying the heat of fire, and drugs, and the smell of wood burning slowly with a phosphorescent color that epitomizes happiness.

The reflection of fire in his eyes made the night warmer like heat in mid July.

Ysenia Salgado (12, Vera)

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Sonnet for Human Smugglers First appeared in Alaska Quarterly Review

Take care of them. If they want water, Dump them in the river. If they crave Freedom, let them loose among rattlesnakes.

If they want to breathe, let them breathe dust.

Let the desert mouse nest in their white bones.

Give them shelter with your greed. With your rape.

The road kill is a sign you’re almost home.

Point to it and show them who they are.

Their life’s a documentary, a newscast.

But for you, everything is possible.

You’re the map that leads them astray, Priest leading a funeral procession.

Load this cargo. Shackle them with promises, Backaches that keep them from killing you.

Octavio Quintanilla (Guest Author)

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Octavio Quintanilla read his poetry to Carroll High School students in February 2015 thanks to the partnership between the school and Texas A&M University – Corpus Christi’s English Creative Writing Department’s Dr. Robin Carstensen. Dr. Quintanilla is the author of the poetry collection, If I Go Missing (Slough Press). He teaches in the MA/MFA program at Our Lady of the Lake University.

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Lisa Lynn Reyes (11, Armadillo) Girl Charcoal The Cobalt Review 42

Gabrianna Ortiz(10, Armadillo) Girl with Doll Acrylics The Cobalt Review 43

Crystal Parks (11, Armadillo) Animals Being Killed Mixed Media The Cobalt Review 44

FAIRY TALES

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The Ocean’s Lovers Once Upon A Time, in an ocean far, far away, there lived a community of great white sharks. In the community of sharks were two best friends named Ky and Alex. Ky and Alex did everything together; they hunted together, and they stayed by each other’s side no matter what. But what the community didn’t know was that’s Ky and Alex weren’t just best friends, they were mates. They were in love with each other.

One day, Ky and Alex were by themselves when the most hated shark in the community was spying on them. His name was Paul. Paul saw Alex and Ky kissing and that was not allowed in their community. Paul rushed to the leader of the community right away. Jack and his wife, Rose, were the leaders of this community. Paul told Jack what he saw and Jack looked at Rose in disbelief. Behavior like this was not allowed at all.

Jack went to Ky and Alex and told them they were not allowed to see each other ever again and banished Ky from the community and he locked Alex away. Ky set off into the ocean knowing not where he was going. He cried and cried because he would never see his beloved again.

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Ky swam into another community where he began to realize that there were sharks just like him and Alex. Ky asked the other sharks where he could find the leader, and they took him to the royal cave. The leaders of this community were Alice and Erin. They were lovers who were also banished from their community for not being like everyone else. The whole community was made up of sharks who were banished from their community for not being with a man or woman.

Ky rushed back to rescue Alex from the prison they put him in. He fought off all of the sharks that were guarding Alex’s cage and broke into it and set Alex free. They both traveled back to the community where they were accepted for who they were.

Ky and Alex got married and lived happily ever after. b y A l y ss a G am ez (1 2 , V e r a )

Illustration by Alyssa Gamez (12, Vera)

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Rebel Soldier Once Upon A Time, there was a South American teen named Miguel. Miguel was a teen soldier for Los Tigres, a small rebel army. Los Tigres was notorious for taking over villages and controlling territories around South America. Everyone was a threat to them.

Miguel had been in the rebel army since he was seven years old.

Los Tigres took over his village and ran terror on it. The only people left in the village were the children. They became child soldiers. Up until now, Miguel had been doing badly, since he was brainwashed by Los Tigres. He followed order after order, or he would be killed.

One day, Miguel was ordered to hunt for food in the jungle.

While hunting, Miguel came across a young boy. Miguel was about to shoot him, but the boy yelled, “Please don’t.” Miguel looked into his eyes and for some reason Miguel listened. The boy’s name was Nacho.

Los Tigres had taken over Nacho’s village and Nacho had run away. Ever since, Nacho had been on his own. Nacho asked Miguel, “Why do you have to do this to us.” Miguel had no answer, questioning himself, “Why?” Miguel soon realized he was once a young boy like Nacho, but Los Tigres changed him into a monster.

Miguel told Nacho he was sorry and that he would help him.

For a few weeks, Miguel met Nacho in the jungle and gave him food, and they became good friends.

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One day, Miguel went to go meet Nacho, but for some reason, he wasn’t there. Miguel ran around yelling, “Nacho!” He couldn’t find him. Miguel ran back to the village to get some supplies to search for Nacho. All of a sudden, Miguel stopped. Nacho had been captured, by Los Tigres. They were beating him. Miguel started yelling at them to stop! He ran to Nacho, but a couple of soldiers pushed him to the ground.

Miguel looked into Nacho’s eyes tearing up. Nacho whispered, “Please help me.”

The Rebel commander yelled to everyone, “Take this little boy away for he shall be beheaded. He is too small to be one of us!” Nacho was screaming when a man went to him with a machete covered in fresh blood. Miguel couldn’t take it anymore.

Nacho’s head was in one of those beheading tables with a hole in the center like medieval times.

Miguel started shooting at the man. While shooting, Miguel grabbed Nacho and they started running. While being chased by about one hundred men into the jungle, Miguel was shooting back while Nacho was in the lead. Then, Miguel was shot twice; Miguel was covered in blood, though he was still breathing. Nacho yelled to him “we’re getting out of here!”

(Continued)

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Nacho pulled on Miguel’s collar and Miguel took Nacho’s hand.

Miguel told Nacho, “Go on. I will stay. Go, for I am finally doing something good in my life and you have a whole life to live. Thanks for being such a great friend for you are the only friend I have ever had. Thanks Bud. Now, go and get outta here.”

Nacho stood puzzled, tearing up. “ Nacho, go! “ Nacho ran off in the jungle and made it to a nearby city. Ten minutes later, Miguel was no more.

By Sean Sabala (12, Vera)

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Marielle Serna (12, Nycum) Background Noise Mixed Media

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COBALT LITERARY AWARD WINNER

Illustrations by Kathryn Tamez (12, Vera) The Cobalt Review 52

COBALT LITERARY AWARD WINNER

A sickly hedgehog slumped over a slick silver chunk of rock

in the middle of her freezing, moist burrow. This burrow was hidden in a bush bearing cranberries, and cranberries attracted sweet -seeking insects, so the hedgehog luckily did not have to stray away from her cranberry bush to find prey. For water, she constantly kept a glass bottle outside that was left behind by a human, leaning against a stack of jagged pebbles in order to catch rain to drink, since downpours were common and expected every week.

However, this day the cracked black bottle went uncollected and plump cranberries were not split apart for the helpless bugs feasting on their pulp. Sadly, the normally upbeat little hedgehog had become incredibly morose. Her soft white belly twisted into painful impossible knots, and her tiny heart was beating slower than it should have been.

“The pain,” the hedgehog whined. “I can't move, I can't roll over, and I can barely squeak. Sleeping doesn't help, curling up doesn't help, and I wouldn't dare leave my burrow.”

Silence answered her complaint.

(Continued)

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COBALT LITERARY AWARD WINNER "It's too quiet," she mumbled, forcing herself upright on her four tiny feet.

Shaking the water droplets from her spines, she shoved herself from her miniature cavern up to the surface. The grass underneath her was sopping wet and covered in cranberry juice.

Once she tasted and found out what the deep magenta liquid was, she noticed the sound of fruit flesh being torn into. The intruders were a mother bear and her cubs chewing berries and leaves off of her bush.

“Stop,” she cried. "Those are mine!"

She flared her spines up and all four bears threw themselves back, startled.

“Please don't hurt my cubs,” the mother bear growled plaintively. “We were just so hun-” The motherly bear was interrupted by the hedgehog squealing in pain and collapsing. The bear's maternal instinct switched on in a flash, and she scooped the hedgehog into her soft padded paws.

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COBALT LITERARY AWARD WINNER The hedgehog awoke surrounded by the cubs, who were keeping her warm, and were growling and groaning softly. Their mother picked up the spiny little creature and began feeding her a bitter herb. It tasted absolutely repulsive, but it gradually made her stomach feel less tight and uncomfortable.

“Bleh, foo, yuck,” she cried out, trying to eject the taste from her tongue. “What is this?!”

“I don't know, but I found it around the hole of another little hedgehog. It smelled like medicine, so I tore some from the patch. Did it help? Because if it did, I'll take you there for more.”

“Yes, yes,” the hedgehog squeaked. "It tastes horrid, but it's a gift from nature!"

So the mother bear hauled the hedgehog and her cubs to the patch of herbs and flowers. There was indeed a little hedgehog in the middle of the foliage, but it was not moving and had its head lodged in a black glass bottle. It was obviously dead, possibly from getting itself stuck. However, when the eldest cub gently removed it, a disgusting, acidic stench filled his lungs. He dropped the bottle and it chipped, oozing a sickly green liquid.

“It's poison,” he moaned, trying to get the fumes out of his system.

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COBALT LITERARY AWARD WINNER "That looks like the bottle I use for my water,” the hedgehog chimed in, as an expression of complete terror washed over her face. “If it's made for poison, then...I almost died!”

“It looks like whoever left this here was trying to collect any animal they could,” Mother bear sighed. “A poacher. A sadistic one at that, since this poor little dearie could have saved itself by eating an herb leaf, which is only inches away…”

In a sudden explosion of rage, the mother bear slapped the bottle of poison into a concealed cage, and it loudly clicked shut. Her eyes darted around, spotted the cage in a nearby cranberry bush, and shattered the cage into bits of steel wire with one mighty stomp. The bottle of poison was chucked down a hill, splattering its toxic, nausea-inducing goo across the entire field, including in a human poacher's eyes.

As his eyes were consumed by emerald-green death, his face began to scar and burn horribly. He couldn't smell, nor see, nor hear anything, and he cried for help, or death, whichever came first. He was later rescued by a group of wildlife preservationists and only escaped with blurred vision in his left eye and severe stomach pains. As karma would have it, though, he was taken to prison for hunting innocent forest animals.

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COBALT LITERARY AWARD WINNER The mother bear, her cubs, and the hedgehog had a proper burial for the little one lost to the poacher's poison trap, and at the end of the mother bear's speech about the “evils of man,� she smashed little hedgehog's tainted water bottle into a fine mountain of glass dust and insisted that she take her in as her daughter.

Little hedgehog, instead of deciding to risk life and limb living by herself, agreed to be part of the bears' family, since she was fully aware that she could hurt or kill herself by accident, or could have someone pursue her just for her pelt. It was very depressing to her that death not via nature was a possibility.

Kathryn Tamez (12, Vera)

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More Than A King Once upon a time there was a Prince named Theodore. He lived in the biggest palace in the center of France with his mother and father. Theodore was meant to be king when his 14th birthday arrived; he waited for the day eagerly. He told himself that he would rule just as great as his dad did!

Theodore’s town consisted of many mythological creatures, so walking dwarfs and flying fairies were nothing out of the ordinary for the town’s residents. All the people Theodore came across he would always get along well with. Theodore was never one to judge. These aspects foreshadowed that Theodore would definitely be a great king to his people. Out of many of Theodore’s acquaintances, a fairy named Peach was one that he grew very familiar with. They were best friends.

It was a sunny spring day and the day of Theodore’s 14th birthday. Peach and Theodore had just stopped into town to buy necessities for the crowning of Theodore as king later on that day. Skipping their way back up to the palace, Theodore could not have been happier to become king of the people of which he adored very much. Walking in the entrance of his humble abode, everything seemed still and quiet. “Where is every one?” Peach asked Theodore, even he was confused.

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They walked up to Theodore’s parents’ room to see if maybe if they knew where all the house maids were and why nothing was ready for the inauguration that had yet to begin.

Nearing the room they heard terrible but very faint screams.

Theodore rushed in and could not believe what was before his eyes!

“You are a waste of human flesh! You are merely a servant to man, your opinion is irrelevant for you are a woman and women know nothing! Now go! Be gone and finish your chores!”

King Derek, Theodore’s father, yelled in anger at his wife Aurora.

Derek pushed her to the floor and kicked her side forcing her to go head first to the door at which Theodore was standing watching the events unfold.

“Father how could you!” he says as he dropped to the floor, holding his mother as she gripped her now throbbing side.

“Listen son, I have yet to teach you the most important order in my town... never, I mean NEVER. think of women as equal to us. We are true men, men of power and we are meant to rule over all. Women are uneducated and can never do a job better than a man. We are superior.” Derek furiously told Theodore.

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“What kind of king are you? Someone who undermines women? That will be no king of mine!” Peach yelled at Derek.

Enraged and with the swing of her wand, Peach cast a spell on Derek making him cherish women, and his wife the most, so he would never think that women are any less of what man is again.

The King awoke in a haze.

“What happened?” he asked all in the room. “What am I witnessing, my wife? What has happened to you? Who did this to you?!” as he examined Aurora’s wounds that he forgot he inflicted.

“Be gone fool! You are no husband of mine!” Aurora replied with no remorse and then walked off into the hallway still in pain from the events that just unfolded.

King Derek was left in confusion. All he wanted was to help his wife after Peach’s spell, but he could not for Aurora hated him.

King Derek knew that he was going to need to work to make Aurora love him once again; he swore that he would never do her wrong. With shame and hatred, Theodore scourged his father and was off to help his mother. Peach followed.

Aurora was still in pain, so Theodore and Peach took over of setting up everything for the ceremony. They had an hour to decorate and make gift baskets for their beloved townspeople. Luckily, Theodore was not alone. Peach used her magic to fix the entire ballroom and in only minutes they finished! Theodore went up into his room and began to get dressed.

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Meanwhile, Derek was finally aware of what had happened earlier in the day and felt ashamed to show his face in town and to his wounded wife and son. The ceremony went on without him.

Peach came up to Theodore’s room and said excitedly, “Are you ready my son, to be king?!”

“More than ever!” he replied as he walked out, clothed in the finest clothing in town with handmade, gold-crafted rings.

Theodore could already hear his people outside the main ballroom door. His heart was racing, but, in general, he knew he would do what was best for his town and its citizens.

Theodore finally made his entrance to the hall and everyone cheered as he looked up at all the happy faces and his mother waiting with his crown at the front stage.

“I present to you King Theodore!” Aurora announced as she set the crown upon his head after she gave her speech.

The crowd roared and Theodore approached center stage to present a speech.

“As the king, after today, things will change. No person will ever go unloved, hungry, or will ever be in need of shelter for I will supply any necessity to any one person willing to take my condolences. We will all begin to see dramatic changes for the better of our people and the generations to come. From now on, we are equal as men and women. All will receive the same treatment! Any violation will receive the greatest disappointment from me.

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“In conclusion, so long as the people have me as your king, better days will come for this country, for this community and its people.�

Theodore finished addressing the audience as they all applauded with much gratitude.

Jasmine Gonzalez (12, Vera)

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Carolina Zamora(12, Armadillo) My Life in Lines Ink on Brown Paper Towel The Cobalt Review 63

The Nacho Once upon a time there was a bag of chips. It was a part of the regular generic nacho-chip brand in the pantry of some house. And, as always, these chips had only one dream in mind to become nachos.

“It’s the day of reckoning boys,” says Chief Chip. “The big ladies in the kitchen with the Velveeta, tomatoes, and guacamole make me proud!”

Those were the last words right before the bag was taken from the pantry. But there was one chip in particular, Chippy, who was sitting at the bottom of the bag patiently waiting his turn for the creamy, gooey cheese to surround him. He watched as all his family and friends were taken; Mama Chip, Papa Chip, Chip A, Chip B, Chip Off the old Block. Slowly but surely, Chippy was in the last group waiting to be eaten.

“This isn’t a surprise,” Chippy thought. “I’m at the bottom of the bag. “ Suddenly, a hand reached into the bag, Chippy awaited its warm embrace, but it never came. As he sat alone in the bag except for a couple of crumbs, he shook when the bag was dropped in something that smelled. It was the dreaded trashcan!

A chip’s worst nightmare!

As Chippy felt the move from the trashcan to dumpster and later to the dump, he thought about how lifeless his life would be. He wondered about his future.

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“I’m probably going to just rot away. Or even worse, I’ll end up being food for the rats.”

With this thought, he heard the rats break right into his trash bag. When they had finally reached him, he had a fear unlike any feeling he had experienced.

“Look alive, I found a whole chip,” said a rat. As the rat moved closer, Chippy says his final prayers.

“You’re scared aren’t you,” said the rat.

“How did you know?”

“We find chips like you all the time,” the rat replied. “I’m Roofus.”

“Chippy.”

Just at that moment they were both swarmed by rats until one came out in front.

“I’m the elder of this pack,” he says. “I have dreamed of being in a kitchen with food as far as the eye can see. What about you crunchy one?”

“My name’s Chippy,” he replied. “I had dreams of becoming a nacho chip but that ended up not happening.”

At that moment, all of the rats began to murmur quickly.

Chippy could only make out a couple of words at a time. “…coincidence…the odds…”

Then the elder raised a paw to silence the crowd.

“I think you’re the answer to our prayers,” says the elder.

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And with that, he turned and began to walk away. Roofus picked up Chippy and followed the elder as he walked to an old man with a crown.

“One more chip,” the old man said as he saw the rats.

“One more chip then you can have my food.”

The elder, Roofus, and Chippy came out front.

“We have it sir,” the elder said. “A chip that wants to be a nacho.”

With that, Chippy was put on a plate. The man’s expression changed from one of distress into one of the most ecstatic in a few seconds.

Then the man declared, “Rats! You may have what kitchen has to offer! I’ve got all I wanted.”

With this, he dipped Chippy into the cheese and ate him with delight. And from that moment on, everyone lived happily ever after.

Khalid Hogg (12, Vera)

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Maureen Rivera (12, Klucinec) Lips Acrylic on Canvas

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The Little Soldier Once upon a time there was a man who had a wish to fight for his country. There was only one problem, however. He had only one leg. He lost it in a car wreck a couple years back.

He was incredibly devastated to lose a leg because that is when his dreams of fighting for his country seemed almost impossible. Even getting a prosthetic leg would not help him because there would be things that he would normally do that cannot be done with a fake leg.

As he was on his way to the store one night, he heard a man calling him from a dark alley. He was curious to know why that strange man was calling him, so he approached. When he came close, the strange man in the alley said to him, “Looks like you could use a leg.”

The one-legged man then said, “I would do anything to have my leg back.”

The strange man replied, “I will give you what you wish, but, in return, you must give me your most valued possession.”

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The one-legged man complied with the strange man’s request. After that, the one-legged man went home and to bed.

When he awoke, he saw both of his legs in perfect condition and immediately went to sign up for the military.

He enlisted and fought for his country for two years during World War II. Upon his return, he went insane because his most valued possession had disappeared. He frantically searched the world for his family until the day he died. It’s said that his soul seeks revenge and haunts the dark alley looking for the strange man who granted him his wish.

By Gilbert Perez (12, Vera)

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Vincent Once upon a time in a kingdom far away, there lived a man named King Vincent. He was a very powerful man with the ability to control space and open portals in various ways. His home planet, Grifidian, was a treacherous place where peace had not reigned in over 4,000 years.

As a victim of war because his parents were killed when he was 17 and having no familial guidance, he was trained by an old man that offered this wondering boy an answer he sought.

The gracious old man took him into his home and taught him how to control space with his mind, an ability the old man called Warp.

Vincent and the old man retreated into the ever-falling territory left of Grifidian. Having found a peace-friendly land, the two lived in tranquility for years.

One day, however, the Instalins launched an aggressive takeover of the peaceful nation in only five hours. Before anyone realized what was happening or had the chance to flee, they found themselves without homes and their freedom.

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The soldiers pillaged the homes of their new captives.

They killed the people and burned the homes that remained. Led by the fifth in command of the seven generals of Lavendor, there was little hope of escape. Not even one of the ten heads of Griffidian could shine hope upon the people.

Alliston, the fifth of the generals, took the message and came to Vincent’s. When he knocked down the door, Alliston looked at the old man and commanded the soldiers to take him away. Just before his rapture, the two made eye contact for the last time and the old man gave Vincent a faint smile . The soldiers grabbed the old man and dragged him away.

The soldiers started towards Vincent with serious killing intent and the look in Vincent’s eyes turned from “retreat and survive” to “kill all those who oppose me.” He had found this to be the answer to the old man’s teaching.

He ran outside and picked up a fallen soldier’s sword and with it, slashed the heads of his enemies. Alliston stood atop a building enjoying the chaos, but once his eye caught the boy slaughtering his men one after another, he became enraged.

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He drew his rapier ready to take off Vincent’s head with a single pierce; he readied his lunge with all his might. Off he flew. blazing through the air, flying over two hundred kilometers per hour. Vincent saw him out of the corner of his eye and had a split second to react. He opened a start portal in front of Alliston and an end portal a few inches off the ground.

Going through the portal, Alliston smashed into the floor and broke many bones in his body rendering him paralyzed. Alliston watched as Vincent walked toward him holding the will of his death in hand.

He allowed him his final words and he said, “I knew there was something special about you, but I didn't think it’d kill me.”

The soldiers witnessed the general’s head roll and terror spread among them. With no one to lead them in retreat, they panicked and scurried away in fear.

Vincent took charge of guarding the land and with just one portal, changed the outcome of so many lives for the positive in the eternal city. Because of his heroism, the people in the peaceful nation lived happily ever after.

By DJ Bernard (12, Vera)

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The Ring That Binds Us Once upon a time, in the far future, but strangely different from today, was a young inventor known as Tony Zobotnik.

The boy had lived his whole life in the city with a hover car, high buildings, and most wondrous of all, robots. Robots were everywhere so, to all people, they were seen as nothing but tools to make life for humans easier. However, young Tony saw them as bodies that needed a soul.

Tony found a small cottage in the middle of a clearing in the Peace Forest. He made it a retreat for himself where he contemplated the possibilities and future of bots. He had worked and studied long to create a bot that could help him with his work and be a companion to him. He began this bot trek when he was five, and now, at age seven, the bot body was complete.

All that was needed now was to turn it on.

The robot resembled a girl at his age. She was short with light green hair, pink iris eyes, pale white from skin and a dress and white boots in colors of green and white. Tony flipped the switch and the robot was activated. She looked at the world with little interest until her eyes rested on Tony. “Hello,� said the girl with no emotion.

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Tony smiled and said, “Hello to you. Do you know why you were created?”

Tony then replied. “You were created to have a life that others of your kind do not have. Will you help me continue with my work?”

The girl then said, “ Yes, master.”

Tony did not like being called master so he said, “You can call me Tony.”

Then what shall I be called?” the girl replied.

Tony thought for a minute or two and said, “How about Nicole?”

The girl’s eyes lit up a bit before fading away.

“Yes, Tony,” she said with a ghost of a smile.

The two of them began to work together on projects furthering mankind’s advancements for the future. Tony, after a few years, began to notice that Nicole was experiencing slight periods of emotion that seemed to linger longer with time. His feelings for her grew so much that they became inseparable. Many tried to buy Nicole, but Tony refused all offers.

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Nicole still looked the same as the day she was created, but, as time passed, Tony grew taller and smarter. Together, they constructed friends for Nicole. The first was a girl with shoulder length black hair, violet iris eyes, and flesh colored wearing a light purple shirt, white shorts, and black tennis shoes named Rikua.

Tony also created a bot that wore a red shirt with white sleeves, blue pants and gray running shoes named Chris. The third bot was probably the weirdest one of them all. Rikua and Chris looked as though they were ten years old, but the boy named Snake looked like he was seven years with his short red hair, blue iris eyes, skin the same as Chris’s, but with two little fangs showing in his mouth and ears and a tail that resembled a snake. His outfit consisted of a green sweater with a yellow vest, yellow pants, white gloves and tip-pointed yellow clogs. He always had a little hat with goggles on his head.

Although Nicole was happy with her new friends, Tony was sad that they were still made of metal and wires. Tony had been looking for a way to give his mechanical friends live real human lives—even souls.

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In a book, he read about a legendary crystal ring that held infinite mystical power—The Ring of Gaia—that could grant anyone’s wish. Ancient thieves had stolen the ring for the conquest of the world. This ring was later recovered by the walkers of the cosmos and sealed in a cave. The five walkers were gathering materials for medicine in the great forest, but Tony felt, as he read, that he knew the great truth beyond what the words said in the book.

Tony decided that he and all the bots would set out to find the Ring of Gaia! According to the book, the grass was green, the birds sang, and the trees reached the sky. As Tony and the bots were on their expedition, they were taken by the beauty and the spectacle of the city with all of the tall buildings. As they stumbled about, they happened about a cave door covered in vines with a handprint on it that only a being with pure intentions could open. Tony slowly raised his hand to the door and then a bright light appeared.

Nicole leaned on a rock for rest when suddenly the earth beneath her trembled and a crevice about 6 feet wide opened into the cave. A glaring light blinded her vision for a moment, but when she got her bearings and rubbed her eyes to focus, she beheld the sacredness of the of Ring of Gaia embedded in a rock!

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Tony, who was startled by the earth’s movement, saw the light that shone on Nicole. He looked into the cave and realizing his dream, ran toward the ring as all the bots followed behind.

He reached for the ring slowly and felt the warmth of its power overtake his spirit. He knelt in solemn prayer in gratitude to his maker for, what he considered, a miracle.

“Tony! Are you okay?” Rikua said, but got no response.

Chris and snake looked at each other in worry.

“What’s happening to the ring?” Snake said out of fear as the ring started to glow.

“Don’t worry! Everything will be all right,” Chris said with a knowing smile.

Another bright flash that spread like millions of shooting stars spread throughout the forest. When the forest spectacle was over, Tony, with tears running down his cheeks and walking in deliberate steps of gratitude and amazement walked toward Nicole.

Nicole, feeling somewhat happy yet afraid of the look on Tony’s face, stepped backwards to avoid his reach. She lost her balance, reached out to keep from falling, but found herself in excruciating pain when she took hold of the closest thing to her.

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The thorn bush severed her skin and she cried out and instinctively sucked on her finger to stop the bleeding and alleviate the pain.

Suddenly, in an epiphanic moment, the tears of anguish were diminished by intense feelings of awe and jubilance. Her pain was welcomed because her body came alive by the miracle of the Ring of Gaia! She felt her soul enter what was the cold shell of her body. The other bots also felt different. Happiness!

They felt happiness to be of flesh, bones and soul!

Tony noticed in that instance that Nicole looked as old as he. His wish had been realized! He grabbed Nicole and they danced and hugged each other with joy and laughter. The other bots joined in. Smiles lit the room with their grandeur!

For the rest of their mortal lives, they chose to reside with nature rather than in the crowded city. They lived attuned to and appreciation of the animals, trees and flowers. Occasionally, they revisited their birthplace at the small cottage in the middle of a clearing in the Peace Forest to remember to forget the cold nothingness of what they once were. The Ring of Gaia forever sits upon a pedestal in that small cottage as a symbol of the bots’ birth and freedom. Tony and Nicole married in the wake of the dawn and lived their lives happily ever after.

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A Happy Lord Once Upon A Time, there lived a handsome lord named Stefan whose castle was beyond the beautiful forest. Stefan’s mother and father were the Duke and Duchess of Kiss Land. Marie and Marcos wanted Stefan to marry the loveliest lady of the land, Katherine. Katherine was a unique individual, with long brown hair, hazel eyes, and a tremendous personality. She was everything the duke and duchess desired for their son.

Over a few weeks of Stefan and Katherine getting to know one another, Stefan began to feel that something wasn’t right. He started to question himself and was quite baffled about his lack of attraction toward Katherine.

“I know she’s a gorgeous girl, but why isn’t the attraction there?” Stefan asked himself.

After thinking about it a while, he thought that maybe it wasn’t just Katherine he wasn’t attracted to. Once Stefan realized he was gay, he was petrified to notify his parents of the shocking news.

“Have you gone mad?” asked Marie in a firm voice.

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Both Marie and Marcos were upset with what they had been told. They refused for Stefan to be with anyone but Katherine. Stefan felt indescribably sad knowing he had to marry someone with whom he was uncomfortable and unhappy.

Their wedding day was quickly approaching and Marie became more concerned of Stefan’s change in behavior. The duke and duchess noticed how he always looked troubled and confused. The truth was that he couldn’t possibly understand why his parents were forcing him into a marriage with someone he didn't love.

Careful thought and consideration were put in the duke’s and duchess’s final decision of the lord’s future. The day before the wedding, Marie and Marcos had a sincere conversation with Stefan.

“We’ve put deep thought into this decision , Stefan, and we just want you to be happy. With that said, we have decided you don’t have to go through with marrying Katherine,” Marie and Marcos told Stefan.

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He was overcome with joy. He couldn’t thank his parents enough. The only downside to Stefan’s parents accepting him as gay was Katherine’s broken heart. After all, Marie and Marcos only cared about Stefan’s happiness, and they never did they mentioned Katherine’s.

A few months after Stefan ending things with Katherine, he met a handsome lad named Philip. The two got along so well and had so much in common that Stefan invited Philip over to the castle so Marie and Marcos could meet him. They gathered for dinner, and conversations were natural and spontaneous. By the end of the night, the duke and duchess absolutely loved Philip for Stefan — possibly even more than Katherine.

From then on, Stefan’s parents approved of his relationship with Philip, and they all lived happily ever after.

By Raquel Garza (12, Vera)

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Jordan Garza (12, Klucinec) Live, Love and Peace Acrylic on Canvas

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This is a holding box

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S H O R T S T O R IE S

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Soda Can I asked my dad one time if he ever cried in front of me.

He was always a rock-solid kind of a man - kind who had a heart equivalent to stone.

“Once when you we’re a little kid, “ he said, “I laid a pen, a toy, and a dollar in front of you and asked you to pick one. I wanted to see your aspiration, what you would become to be when you grew up.”

He took a sip from his favorite Coca-Cola can and sat across from where I was sitting.

“The pen symbolized intelligence, the toy for fun, and the dollar was for money, of course,” he said.

I asked, “What did I choose?” and he laughed.

“None, you picked none of them.”

After another sip, he continued.

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“Because thinking I was one of the options, you recklessly moved all the other objects and hugged me, ” he continued after he took another sip of his drink.

“And as you pointed your tiny fingers at me, I shed a tear.”

As he took the final sip from his soda can, he cried.

By Gabrielle Espejo (10, Garcia)

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A Life With No Regrets An old lady sat on a bench feeding the crazed birds in Central Park. She had been accompanied by a younger man, presumably her grandson. The man strolled away because he needed to attend to his private matters. The old lady was very poised dressed in vintage wear with her spectacles hanging over her face.

She fed the birds to pass the time and to wait for her grandson.

I had been jogging in that vicinity only to be interrupted by my exhaustion. I looked over my peripherals and the sight of a scrawny, leathery woman being crowded by a hoard of birds caught my eye. I pitied the woman so I came over to her. I started to converse with her.

In deep details, the lady narrated her perspective on history. The way she described her experiences astounded me. She told me that she saw the progress of the Golden Bridge, and the crash of the economy in the Great Depression while she told me how frightened she was of losing her husband in WWII and in the Vietnam War. She also told me the cultures and countercultures of every decade. I was amazed.

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I started heading back when the sun started to set. I felt the cold breeze from an upcoming cold front. I pondered about the stories the old woman told me. She battled life as a brave soldier. She sought the days she experienced and lived through the best and worst of times. I thought to myself that someday that's going to be me. In the distant future, I was going to share my history of the young generations to come. That means, I have to live the life I want and seize the opportunities that come my way.

And maybe, just maybe, I will live with no regrets.

By John Angelo Vergara (10, Garcia)

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The Battlefield of the Mind I was five years old, or that’s as far back I can remember, and it comes to my mind as a battlefield of screaming, telling, and then reminding me of the sins of my father. Late at night I would wake up at 3 am. As I walked out of my room I saw broken glass, knives on the floor, sometimes I even saw blood. Then, and only then, did I realize what was going on again.

My father had come home from work with demons in his head and a cold beer in his hand. One time I remember the sudden feel of a sort of fear and shock when I walked into my parents’ room and saw my father holding a knife on my mother. I looked in his eyes, but the eyes looking back were not my father’s. Still. I did not look at him with anger. I looked upon him with sorrow because I know the demons lurking in his mind telling him what to do and say. I know this because I use to have the same demons lurking within me, but not anymore.

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When I accepted a higher power into my heart and life, the demons disappeared. The struggle to find peace was still haunting my father. The other was the struggle with alcohol. I had also had problems with alcohol. Once I realized I was falling into the same temptations as my father, I stopped and never drank alcohol again. I have forgiven my father, and he is getting help. I am better by the grace of God.

By Daniel Jeremiah Valdez (10, Garcia)

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