Rundle Academy Writing Anthology 2013-2014 by Rundle Academy

Loren Andreychuk, Grade 12

Rundle Academy Writing Anthology

2013-2014

A word after a word after a word is power. Margaret Atwood

This anthology recognizes exemplary writing from students in all grades at Rundle Academy. This year, we saw the creation of our first school newspaper, The Rundle Rebirth, and so a number of pieces originally published there have been included here as well. A special thank you goes out to Mrs. Guy-Macdonald and her high school art students who contributed many of the images incorporated throughout the anthology. Of course, credit is due to all the teachers who continuously push, coax, and inspire their students to reach new heights in their writing throughout the year. Above all, the students should be congratulated. They continue to surprise, delight, and impress us with their efforts, skills, and creativity. Keep up the great writing! Ms. Prest

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Table of Contents Elementary

Page 3

Junior High

Page 34

Senior High

Page 121

Johanna Jurok, Grade 11

Elementary

Mia Berloni, Grade 11

Hamsters Jessie Stewart, Grade 5 Hamsters, Hamsters, Hamsters, Big hamsters, Small hamsters, Cute, fuzzy, adorable hamsters, Frisky, sleepy, silly hamsters. Those are just a few. Happy hamsters, Angry hamsters, Running, eating, climbing hamsters, Speedy, lazy, crazy hamsters, Messy hamsters, too. Clean hamsters, Snugly hamsters, Hyper hamsters, Loving hamsters, Don't forget spotted hamsters Last of all-best of allI like fluffy hamsters.

HI-TEC Liam Pickles, Grade 5 If you ever ran into HI-TEC, which I doubt, he would look rather peculiar. You might think he’s a bunny or a snake, but he’s more like a phantom than any of those things. Some people think he does not exist, but I know he does. This monster’s looks are so hideous he might be able to turn you into stone, but that is just a myth because I know what he looks like. His long silky dark grey, ghostly, see-through body has a gigantic emerald in his chest which is covered in dark purple glowing crystal slivers. His red eyes glow in a misty screen of fog and send a chill through your spine. His rib cage shows and his face is still covered in flesh. His enormous blood sucking fangs are rainbow coloured, and his eyes are slightly tilted. Nothing you ever see will be more frightening. Beyond the Rocky Mountains, HI-TEC has his secret hideaway. The red, magenta golden rusted colour of the sun gleams over a hill covered in red limestone rocks. Covered in a thick moldy green moss up above, the rocks are the location of a swirled reddish purple portal that is almost always open. That portal belongs to the famous super villain monster whose name is HI-TEC. The powers of this monster are magnificent. Zapping people with his mighty strikes of lightning he can turn small to Goliath, but then slash you with his sharp bladed claws. The emerald inside his bone-cracking darkboned chest is the source of all his power. If you touch it, you will shrivel up as if you were a leaf in the Sahara desert, so don't touch it. If you heard him flying, it would sound like a swarm of bees buzzing and swarming around you. Shining in the sun, his unbreakable shell would look like a mirror on a hot beach day. One of his best powers is his form-changing ability. He can change into whatever he wants to. One of his favorite forms is a flesh-eating jaw-breaking lion. This monster also has a special ability where he can harness the power of the moon or sun. When he does, they form on his hands. On his left, the moon floats above his hand and on the other side he has the sun. The sun can shoot enormous balls of fire and the moon shoots out bulk lightning blasts. If you were to defeat HI-TEC, this is a list of things you might need: a map, a paint brush, gloves, a wizard’s magic kit, and a mirror. The map would lead you to his entrance while inside the magic kit there would be a wand. With the wand would be a piece of paper attached to it. On the paper it would say a magic word, EFREAONTIPUOUSTATUS, and after saying this word the portal would open. If you stepped in it, you would find yourself in the monster’s home, but this monster’s home is the home of the future. It’s as clean as it gets. Lights burn as if it’s the sun. The floor would be a mix of gold and diamond. If you look at the wall, you would discover that there are computers all over the wall. On one of those computers there is a red emerald. If you took out your glove and poked it, it would blow up into a million smallicules, which are smaller than a molecule and then the monster would blow up. The second way of defeating him is once you're in the monster’s lair, wait until he has a nap at 6:00 pm. If you go in after that, you will find him sleeping on his bed. If you take out a paint brush and paint this on him, he will turn into a lizard and can do no harm. If you saw him in the city, a quick way to defeat him is to throw water at him, because his soul is made out of the hottest lava in the world and he will turn into a stone statue and you will have defeated HI-TEC.

The Mad Pumpkin Fatima Mehdi, Grade 5 If you see the Mad Pumpkin, run away from her because she can eat you up. She can be as small as a little pumpkin in a pumpkin patch. Her pink hair is like strawberries glowing in the sun. If you have ever seen cat's eyes, you would know what super Mad Pumpkin's eyes look like. Her eyes are green like a kitten's glowing in the night. She is ten years old and she can be mad and angry. Her nose is sparkling and small in size. Her mouth is straight. She has straight teeth. Glitter sprays out of her mouth. She feels happy, excited, and wonderful. The Mad Pumpkin’s home is in the forest. In the middle of the night it was snowing so badly it was like a crashing thunderstorm. It was a really spooky night. Her house has roses around it which are pink and as tall as trees. The air is always cool and crisp. Lions, zebras, and cats crawl all night to protect her house. Her house smells like rotten leaves on the grass. She has a large twisting waterslide in the backyard. Mad Pumpkin can be scared at times with her knees shaking and her teeth chattering. Mad Pumpkin's superpowers make her a good super villian and a good criminal. She has a really good sense of smell. She can shoot sticky spider webs from her mouth to catch people. If Mad Pumpkin points at you, you will freeze like a statue. She can run and jump high like a tornado. She will always be able to catch you. She can be a bad criminal and really scary so, watch out for her! At any time she can turn back into a pumpkin so that no one can notice her. If mad pumpkin eats one candy, she shrinks. If she eats two candies, she gets bigger. If she eats 3 candies, she goes back to normal size. Someone who wants to defeat the Mad Pumpkin will have an easy time. You can make her laugh by tickling her or telling her a joke. She can laugh like a black monkey. If you touch her, she can be gone. If you put roses on her feet, she can go away. If you say please to her, she can disappear. Trick her into your home to make her go flying.

Mini Man Jill Stephen, Grade 5

If you ever see Mini Man, you will notice that he has some pretty cool looks. He is 10 cm tall, and he has a long gray old beard that reeks of moldy blue cheese and burnt popcorn. He has two mega-big shiny silver feet that are like two claws that glimmer in his dark gloomy lair. He also has matching hands but they are pitch black and much sharper. Mini Man's wings are soooooooo fast you can barely tell that they are moving. He can flap his wings 100,000,000,000,000 times in a second. He can also smell 100,000,000,000 miles away! His mouth is full of multi-colored teeth which are rather sharp and his lips are frosty blue, So watch out!! Far, far away past hills and through valleys is this villain's home, a dark gloomy cave. It is super wet and moist, while the floor is smooth. The walls stretch up as far as you can see with jagged rocks staggering up the towering walls. It seems that the roof is caving in on you with all of the spiky rocks coming down. There are bones scattered all over the slimy floor from his last unlucky visitor. So if you ever come across the characteristics of this cave, RUN!! Mini Man has soooooooooooooooooooo many evil powers.

He can fly over the tallest

skyscrapers in the blink of an eye. Also, he can fly around the world in 30 minutes. Don't let him blow on you, because he will turn you into one solid brick of ice.

And, don't make him

mad, or he will make red hot flames burst out of his ears. Don't go near his tail or he could whip it around and grab you, squeezing you to death. Try to avoid looking into his eyes or you will dissolve to dust. Use these tips wisely!! If you want to know how to defeat Mini Man, read on. Mini Man is really ticklish, so you could tickle him which is going to make him go out of control and bash into walls and kill himself. Also he has a long tail and if you pull it with all your might, you might just be strong enough to make him shrivel up to his doom! There is one more way to defeat him: You must give him a hot dog. He loves human food but it is poisonous to him so he will shrivel up and die. So good luck defeating him!!

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The Octopus Woman Amanda Petti, Grade 5 If you see the Octopus Woman, you will know immediately because she is easy to recognize. She is bluishpurple, slimy, and scaly with bright bold miniature spots all over her body. She has at least 80 on each five meter long thick tentacle to be exact, not to mention the millions of horrifying suction cups. Matching the exact same color as her bold miniature spots are her evil eyes. She has long, distinctive, dark blue wavy hair with little bits of seaweed interwoven in the immense tangles of her "lovely" hair. Snaking from her body, she has a long adjustable neck which extends her height to six feet tall and she is 143 lbs. She has arms, but no legs, and smells like a mix of tartar sauce and sea salt. If she calls you over, her voice will sound like a high shriek. If you are in the South Atlantic Ocean, sights the Southern Ocean as well, come across her lair. If you away. Her lair is cold and of seaweed and kelp very spooky and there are everywhere. Scaly, pale bright whitish-gold light the extensive lair making it smells like a mix of raw fish were to catch a glimpse of substantial and unusual and colors of fish environment she calls a lair, around the structure.

dark deep waters of the of her have been reported in watch out because you may see anything like this, swim the entrance is like a curtain flowing everywhere. It is bloody body parts ancient lantern fish with a shine in every direction of incredibly brilliant, and it and aging plants. If you her lair, you would see a amount of all different types surrounding this weird almost making a force field

You don't want to run into the octopus woman because............ she has terrifying, repugnant suction cups that can suck you down through the chilly dark South Atlantic. Putting you into the most horrible spiky chair in her evil lair, she will release a poison gas from her suction cups to kill you. If you're not already dead, you probably would have drowned by then. Remember, if you try to escape, it will be hopeless and you will fail because her fish minions would form an inescapable wall. If you try to hurt her, she has shark bodyguards, so if she catches, you you're done. To defeat the Octopus Women, which is almost impossible, you have a few options. You would have to get all the seaweed from the Atlantic Ocean without getting caught or getting attacked by her, because she needs it to breathe. You could also talk to her fish minions and make her think there's a person coming, and she would release all or most of her poisonous ink, which needs 5 hours to replenish, and become too weak and float up to the top and harshly and brutally die slowly and painfully. If that doesn't work, you could try to squeeze her tentacle right off, and it would be so painful she would eventually suffer and die. GOOD LUCK DEFEATING HER!!!!!

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Snake Man Juan Asin Berti, Grade 5

The Snake Man looks like a Basilisk and he is size of a desk. Everywhere on his body there are green purple spots on his scaly skin. Inside his mouth there are medium sharp teeth on the Basilisk. The sound of a death scream is so loud that it scares campers everywhere. If you smell a stinky bug you could be being watched by the Snake Man. The Snake Man slithers in the long green grass to look around. If you touch his scales, you will feel sticky and hot. The Snake Man lives in a big hole of the tree in the forest. There is a dead grass nest in the middle of the tree. On the wall there is a dead skeleton the colour of snow. In the hole there is a frozen guy to have for dinner. If you see dead leaves, the Basilisk is nearby in the forest. His home smells like burnt popcorn. If look on the Snake Man’s eyes, you will be frozen and ready to be eaten. He has a sharp tail which he hits people with. If he bites you, he will take you to his home. He can swallow a whole human in just one bite. The Snake Man is faster than a police car, and he could catch a human easily.

Before I tell you everything, I have to tell you this … In 1956 there was a creature the size of a normal man. Covering his entire body was a blackened robe, like a bloodied body that was hit by a car. He also looks like a mysterious shadow or a ghost. He sounds like the whistling wind, and he feels really cold like snow

THE DARK

and ice combined. From thousands of miles, you could smell his hideous, disgusting odor. Now children, I must tell you where his secret lair or

ONE

fortress is located. His lair is on the dark side of the moon. Inside of his fortress are racks of bones hanging where his victims’ blood wets the walls. Also there is blood drooping off the cracked roof.

Antonio Tiberio, Grade 5

How cold it is in there? Well, it’s about - 30 degrees. You can hear children squealing to their death and the feel of rough, damp air with a bit of draft. Now, I must tell you what his superpowers are. For starters, he can fly like a bird or a jet soaring through the air. Unbelievably he can go through thick steel walls. But how can he do it? He does it by absorbing molecules to pass through the walls. This power that I'm going to be telling you about next is one of my favorites. He can take over peoples’ shadows and use them to rip their own cold flesh off. But that’s not all. There are two more powers I must tell. He can take over peoples’ bodies to disguise himself from others. Oh, you're going to love this last power, which is totally my favorite one for sure. He can make terrifying spirits come alive from the dangerous graveyards or the ferocious tombstones. Now, I should tell you how to destroy this mysterious shadow. You have to obtain a machine called the particle destroyer. He is made out particles, too, you know, and this machine will take all the particles away from his body and make him weaker. Next, you have to use a special dagger or sword which you can jab through his cold dead body. Then he will start to disappear. Then you use sunlight to destroy him. And that’s how to destroy THE DARK ONE.

Autumn Is Fatima Mehdi, Grade 5 Kids jumping in large piles of crunchy yellow leaves. Fresh warm pumpkin pie right out of the oven. Howling wind strongly blowing yellow leaves off the trees. Fresh juicy, red apples picked off the large apple tree. Cool, fresh breezes making my face cold and my nose red.

Excited children, happily running from house to house yelling "Trick or treat!!" Piping hot, hot chocolate with large fluffy marshmallows. Flying Canadian geese flapping their wings, speedily flying south. Sharing children going trick or treating to get sweet, delicious candy to munch. Spooky Halloween nights with scary faces on orange pumpkins.

Autumn Is Jill Stephen, Grade 5 Chilly, frosty ice trickled down the blue windowsill. Fresh cool wind scatters the orange, red and yellow leaves along the colourful winding path. Early in the morning soft chirps of awakening birds filled the frosty air. The sweet smell of apple cider fills the aged house with joy. A cold breeze blows in the small town rushing all of the leaves off the trees, and gives the chills to all of the kids walking to school. Grimy gray clouds fill the gloomy sky with despair. Pumpkin pie sits on the windowsill cooling readying for the Thanksgiving feast. Leaves crackle under my feet as I walk along the narrow, long path. The odor of rotten leaves and trees spread through the huge park. Cozy fur-lined jackets hung in a row on the hooks at school.

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Autumn Is … Juan Asin Berti, Grade 5

Trick or treating outside of the house on Halloween night, I see a Luke Skywalker costume. Fresh pumpkin pie in the kitchen is filling my nose with a fresh smell. I hear the gentle wind blowing outside through the trees. Eating the delicious turkey with my parents on Thanksgiving. Playing grounders with my friends at recess, I have a cold red nose because it is getting cold. Outside I see the leaves are falling down from the tree. I smell the smoke from the beautiful fire in the house. I hear werewolves howling on the hill at night when the moon comes out. Drinking hot chocolate during the winter on the sofa. A nice warm toque keeping my head warm when it’s winter outside.

Goblin Liam Pickles, Grade 5

In the dense forest of Hawaii I was looking for a souvenir because my family had been on this trip for 2 weeks. All of a sudden I heard a muffled grunting noise sort of like a pig, but more like the pitch of a witch howling.

I turned around

swinging my head like a slingshot. My muscles tightened, but there was no sign of who or what was making the noise, so just kept walking. The next thing I knew, I heard a Ramy Abdel‐Keriem, Grade 11

mysterious clicking noise that seemed like metal

pans being hit with a pile of pebbles. It just didn’t make sense, I thought. So I raised my shoulders, shook my hands, and kept on dragging my shoes against the jagged ground in the middle of fall. Without warning a squeaky little voice seemed to pop out of nowhere saying, “I know who you are. I know where you live. I know your family. I know all your secrets. I've seen your future. I've seen your past. I’ve seen things no one has seen. I've experienced life. I've experienced death.’’ Wondering about what I just heard, I felt a wrinkled, dirty, dust-covered, green-tinged hand on my shoulder. In another hand I saw some kind of fabric dripping red and green-bluish colored dust. I turned around and saw a goblin!!

Headless Horseman Antonio Tiberio, Grade 5

It was September of 1924 when a young

kid

named

Harold

was

walking home from school.

The

only way to get back home was going through the deep dark forest. This was the first time Harold had ever gone through the scariest forest in his town. He heard about the last person who went in there never to return, but he had the guts to go in there all by himself. While Harold was walking in the forest, he began hearing noises that he had never heard before. In a blink of an eye something moved right behind him. There was rustling of the trees; he could hear hooves kicking the ground. His reaction to all of this was that his knees were wobbling and sweat was racing down his face. He looked around and there was nothing to be seen. After that he just kept on moving towards his house. He got a bit closer to his home, but Harold was still terrified by the rustling of the trees.

The thought of his mother's cooking

calmed him slightly. Without warning he heard a vicious sound of laughter and he could hear more movement. While he walked closer and closer, he scratched his head and looked over in the bushes and then looked into the trees. To him nothing was making sense. All of a sudden he saw a shadowy creature coming right towards him. His teeth chattered and he started to run as the figure started to chase him. His heart raced with fear and sweat ran down his face and he found himself cornered. The black figure was walking right towards him. He started to see a horse with a rider on it, and the next thing he knew was that he was face to no face with the Headless Horseman!! 14Â Â

hÇ|vÉÜÇ Amanda Petti, Grade 5

It was mid-morning and I was sitting on a swing tied to a tree, reading a book in a vast meadow with gorgeous white daisies and beautiful lush green grass up to my knees. The golden sun beamed down on me. To my surprise I heard a whinny-ish sound coming from behind a shrub. My eyes widened, was I alone? I spun around trying to find what made the noise, but after about three seconds the noise stopped, so I continued on reading my book with the sunlight beaming down on me between the birch leaves. Suddenly I saw glitter of all different colours fly through the bright blue sky. My heart started racing and I chewed my fingernails, but the glitter fell on the grass and everything was still once again. So I put my book down and I swung gently back and forth on my swing trying to calm down. My knees shook like a Chihuahua without a coat in -40 degree weather. To my surprise I felt a gust of brisk air on my face and I leaped to my feet. No one would believe what I saw flying through the bright blue sky filled with little dabs of puffy white clouds and a marvelous bold rainbow. It had long white hair and one horn bursting from the top of its head with goldish-white fur. Gasping, I smiled from ear to ear because I was so hysterical to see a legitimate Unicorn!!

King Kong Cameron Gilmour, Grade 5 "I can’t believe it is in front of us now!" Bob exclaimed. "Yay, now we can ride it," I answered. King Kong stood before us. The green track that went straight up seemed to never end. “Aaaagh!!!!” We heard the screams from the top. Bob started to back away. "Oh no you don't. We came this far and we are not turning back now," I said. "B-B-But that was before we heard the screams from the top," he stammered. With that I grabbed him by the arm and walked towards King Kong. When we finally made it to the end of the line I shoved Bob into the cart and locked us in. The ride lurched forward, Bob started to scream even though we were only going 1 mile per hour. The cold, metal cart stopped at the very top. I could see the entire park from it. Suddenly, the wind seemed to peel my face off. The boardwalk air tasted very salty as it whizzed past my face. Bob's face was as white as a ghost. For once, I knew how he felt. Just then, we stopped, so did my heart. After that we decided to let ourselves calm down before we went on another time. It was even scarier than I expected so I was glad to take the time.

The Ride Chloe Brimacombe, Grade 5

Vroom! ''We're here!" I said as we drove into the parking lot. It was a sunny, beautiful day, great for going to the Amusement park. Lilly and Lexi were going to the roller coaster. Lots of people were there today. We got in the long line and waited to get inside. I said to myself, “I wonder how long I will have to wait?” Looking up, the bright green monster looped and turned like a humungous, angry snake! As I got into line of the roller coaster I could see people smiling as they got off the ride. They must have liked the ride, I thought. I saw kids wanting to go on again. The kids were screaming as they were going up the bumps. My hands were getting sweaty. I felt nervous to go on. I felt my mouth getting dry. I could taste butterflies in my belly. I could smell buttery popcorn as it rose through the hot, burning air. I was next in line for the Roller coaster. My mom and my sister wanted to go on the small roller coaster so we stayed in line and I was going on right now!! As the people on the ride got off, I got on. As everyone got on we buckled our headrest and the man came to make sure we were safe. As the ride started to move I got the butterflies in my belly again. As the cart started to go up it made a clicking sound and I went down the hill and did a sharp turn. I wished this ride would be over and I hoped we wouldn't go on again!!! We did loops and turns! I thought I was going to be sick!!!! But it was so much fun! 16

Ferris Wheel Soleil Huck, Grade 6 Molly and I were waiting in line to go on the Ferris wheel. It took about 30 minutes because there was a big mob in line. Soon it was our turn and a man opened the gate. He was very, very creepy. He had pimples on his face, he had blood dripping down his mouth, and one of his eyes was missing. He spoke in a childish voice like he was possessed or something. Creak went the door as he opened the door slowly. We got on the ride the seats were filled with fake puddles of blood and it had seaweed dripping down the bar handle. Molly had pale hands, she didn’t make a sound, and her face was frozen. We slowly made our way to the top and then swish. We went so fast around and around and around, then we heard a creepy laugh coming from below. Our mouths dropped and we started to scream. It spun so fast that the bolts were coming loose, but the ride kept going and going. We felt sick and Molly almost threw up. The ferris wheel jolted to a stop. Finally as we got off the ferris wheel, it broke down. We'll never forget the feeling we had when we were spinning on the ferris wheel. We decided then that we were never ever going to ride on a ferris wheel again and hoped to never see one.

Happy Wheels Matt Hopkins, Grade 6 Ding Ding Ding Ding Ding went the alarm when the train jumped the rails. "It is not a bad day to be outside," said dad. "Dad, it is raining cats and dogs," answered Timmy. "Son we might not be able to ride the wheel." As soon as dad said that Timmy got up and ran in a circle spitting dust everywhere yelling "Wheel, here I come." Suddenly a lightning bolt hit the tent pole to the right "Wheel, I am not coming," whimpered Timmy. Dad had to drag Timmy all the way to the other side of this flooded park. All the mud in the park was being collected up by Timmy’s shoes and there were trenches from it. Finally after crossing puddles and spending money on pink cotton candy and other junk they made it to the wheel. The beams on the wheel were big, old, rusted steel bars. Dad hopped in line while Timmy was buying soggy apples with sugar. When he got back there where people yelling at the lift runner. One of them looked like an engineer that built the wheel. "That is worrying," Timmy said to himself. Bang went the gate swinging open to let them in. The lift runner looked at them funny like they were pigs because they had brown chocolate smeared all over their faces. The seats were made of white leather. A bar came down on them and they were swung forward. They climbed up and up until the wheel stopped all together. As they looked down they could see the line that stretched for miles and miles. "Looks like they are loading more people on" said Dad looking down to the line. All most down to the landing dock. Then the wheel started to move again and the bar lifted up and they got off. "Time to get more cotton candy," said Dad with a smile.

Calaway Park Shea Campbell, Grade 5 I walked through the gate and stared at all the things in the amusement park. It was so loud that I could barely hear my mom talking to me because of the crying babies, yelling grownups, and kids screaming. I bet I was the quietest one there, not including my parents. When I looked up, I saw the biggest roller coaster I have ever seen in my life. I ran to get in the lineup but my mom said that the line was way too long, and that it would waste time. “Please, Mom!” “No, your sister wants to go to the swings!” exclaimed my mom. “I don't want to go on the swings, I want to go on the roller coaster. It looks so epic!” “Fine, but meet me at the ferris wheel!” “Ok!” I said happily. We are going as a family on it. I ran to the snaky line and started to tap my foot, moving an inch every minute. I felt like moving to a different ride but it was close to being my turn. Ten minutes later, it was my turn. I stepped on the huge roller coaster and my heart began to pound in my chest. When I sat down, a guy came and strapped and buckled me in. It was so tight, it felt like I could not breathe. Then the guy told me to hold on tight. That kind of scared me, then I heard the engine start and we started to move up a huge hill. I could see the whole park from up here, it was so pretty, but that ended when all of a sudden we blasted down the hill and looped and looped and we got spun all over the place. We were going so fast that I could not stick my head out the side of the cart so that meant that I could not see anything out there. When the ride stopped, I walked off I felt like I was going to be sick . After that I ran to my mom to tell her about the ride. She thought that I would fall off. But nope the guy strapped me in tight in the cart, but it was crazy. Then my sister pulled my arm and told me it was time to go on the ferris wheel. “Before we do that can we eat something?” I asked. “Yes,” my mom said, so we went to a food area. My sister had a hot dog with lots of mustard and ketchup, I had cotton candy that looked like a fluffy pink cloud, and my mom had some chicken noodle soup. The food area smelled so good. It smelled like sweet cotton candy and warm coffee and chicken noodle soup. “Yummy!” I loved it. On the way to the ferris wheel I saw a giant teddy bear in a colorful booth. It looked so soft that my sister got mad at my mom for not letting her get it. When we got there, the line was not crowded with people. We stepped into the cart and we went up way higher than the roller coaster. It was so cool and beautiful. You could see all of the lights, booths, rides, and all kinds of things that were in the amusement park. When we got off, we had to leave. I was sad because I had so much fun there. But my mom said that we had to go. “Sigh.” She promised that we can come another time. That made me smile. So that was my trip. Maybe I might have that much fun next time! 18

The Untold Story of the Ferris Wheel Sarah Hoffinger, Grade 6

I slowly walked up to the admission line, dragging my feet. I am going to do this, I motivated myself. As the line shrank, my heart raced. As I moved up, old fashioned carnival music filled my ears tears ran down my face. I was next. I could hear the faint noise of the creaking of the old leather seats. I had heard rumours about ghosts and other things that were said to happen with anyone who rode it. "Taaake aaa seeeat" murmured the ferris wheel attendant. She had long pointy teeth and sharp green eyes. I reluctantly sat down. As I sat down, the seat glided back and forth. The ferris wheel took off slowly but fairly with a slight creek. It whooshed through the wind. It was beautiful; I could see the tops of the trees as it sored through the sky. This isn’t too bad I thought to myself. Suddenly the ride came to a complete stop. I looked down and my heart sank right down to my stomach. The ride attendant told us to all remain calm. She smiled quite mysteriously. "Remain calm or else." She was cut off by a muffled a voice. Out of nowhere, bright green lights on the ferris wheel flickered. Not a movement could be recognized." Hellooo, anyone out there?" I yelled frantically. I felt something slimy on the metal bars. "Evacute rrright now! Something has gone completely wrong," hissed a robotic voice. "Remain calm, stay seated.” I really didn’t know which command to obey, honestly. There were so many different voices. Suddenly a light turned on. The metal bars slowly lifted up . I knew I needed to take a risk. I will not remain seated I thought to myself. I jumped frantically, not paying attention to what others were doing. I ended up landing on my back on the concrete floor. I frantically sat up, my back in severe pain. I could feel the bones in my back creak as I was trying to move. As the ride began to reevaluate itself, the ride manager or what I thought was the manager tried to make a formal apology to me as I tried to scamper off quietly. I was so frightened . I scampered off back home. The incident was never forgotten, forever haunting me. And that was the last time I ever rode a ferris wheel. This story would be forever shared as a funny mishap, not at the time, but years from now. I`d never go to this theme park ever again. The memory of the fear of the stopped ferris wheel made my heart sink.

Amusement Park Chloe Schotanus, Grade 5 I walked through the gate and gazed around the amusement park. I saw a gigantic colourful ferris wheel with all kinds of people on it screaming because it had stopped. The scent of oily fried dough filtered to my taste buds. I could not wait to have some. It was crowded with people of all sizes and ages. The sound of the award-winning roller coaster, The Mind Blower, filled with screams made me get butterflies in my stomach. My eyes widened when I saw the game where I could win a prize. I could not wait to play the game. I smelled all types of smells like sweet cotton candy, buttery, salty popcorn and mouth-watering ice cream. I felt overwhelmed about being there because there were so many people and there was so much to do. I can't wait for my whole day of excitement at Mind Space, the amusement park in Calgary.

Christmas Wonderland Charlotte Warme, Grade 5 The small, pretty girl ran into the woods and knew adventure awaited. As she ran, rolled, pranced and marched for hours she finally reached the old woodman's house. He definitely decorated his house for Christmas, Tiena thought. "Wait a minute," she gasped, "This house is made of soft, delicious, creamy, dark, moist gingerbread. Unfortunately, this cannot be the old woodman's home," she whispered to herself. On top of all of that a huge rusty, gold menorah sat in front of the candy house. An evergreen tree was decorated with small red and pink bulbs and a star on top. A fuzzy, gray, jolly reindeer ran past me. Small busy men with big pointy ears and green suits also ran from the candy building. Everything was covered in frost and beautiful white snow. Looking to her right, Tiena, to her surprise saw an old man with his big bum just barely peeking out of a beautiful red brick chimney planted on the ground. She slowly walked up to the man as he jumped out of the chimney. "Ahhh!" Tiena yelled. The man had a red, floppy, jolly nose and pink, chubby cheeks. He wore a red, fuzzy, soft and cozy suit. "Ho, ho, ho," he pronounced and laughed as he skipped into the home. The home was covered in lollipops, pink and red ones, they were gorgeous and giant. Candy canes and other sweets lined the chocolate covered roof (and made the house look stunning, may I add). Tiena was so overwhelmed she ran all the way home!

Winter Marco Proverbs, Grade 5 Beep! Beep! Beep!Mark slowly woke up. He stretched his arms and legs, and as he looked out his window a big smile crept on his face. “It SNOWED!!!” Mark yelled. He threw on his pants and a shirt. As he scampered downstairs he grabbed his soft blue jacket and his brown boots and ran outside. White powder tapped Mark’s nose. Puffy cotton-ball clouds filled the sky, the sun just poking through the clouds. The ground was full of rabbit tracks. He could see frozen particles gathering on the snowman’s hat. The smoke coming out of the red brick chimney caught his now red nose. He heard the crunchy snow under his boots. Mark followed the small stream. He dipped his white hand into the ice cold blue stream, and he saw little minnows scatter left and right and everywhere. “Mark, time to have breakfast. It’s pancakes, “ called out his mom. Then, in a flash, Mark was inside.

Winter Logan Read, Grade 5 Wistfully, the tree tumbled over him like he was not moving. The frosty stars were falling like bombs in the sky. The tree had the scent of the forest. The sounds of the birds chirping in the trees made me feel like I was in a fairy tale. The peace in the woodland made me feel safe. The natural beauty of the forest was breathtaking. Then I thought "I'm going to make a snowman." A snowman with a carrot nose, three black buttons and a scarf. I love winter!

My Winter Break Jared Herman, Grade 6 On Christmas Eve, one of my cousins came over to go sledding. He was six years old, with brown hair, and he had blue eyes. He had a helmet on because the hill we were going on was really steep. When we got to the hill we went down on a very steep part of the hill with a bunch of small jumps and bumps. He was riding a snow scooter and I was riding a GT Snowracer. After going down that, his mom said that we should move to a different part of the hill, because she thought it was too steep in that exact spot, and she did not want anybody to get hurt. After we were done sledding, My dad and I went home. Later that day we went to church for our Christmas Eve service. I enjoyed the service because there was sort of a play in the service at the same time. At the Christmas service we saw some of our friends, and also saw our family. I thought the service was a little dangerous at first, because we were holding lit candles, but then my mom told me that it was what they did in the olden days, and some churches still do. After church was over we drove over to a community by Cochrane. There, we went to my aunt’s and uncle’s house. When we got to see all our family which would be my uncle, who is from Africa, and his hair is very thin, and he has dark eyes. Then there was my aunt who has brownish hair, and has glasses, and has brown eyes. Then there was my mom and dad. My mom has blond, brownish hair, and has brown eyes. My dad has very dark hair that looks black, and has blue eyes. Then there was my little cousin Isabella, who has an afro in her hair, and has brown eyes, and my grandpa and grandma both have glasses. After dinner I opened one of my gifts and that was a Miami Heat jersey with LeBron James’s number and name on it. On Christmas Day I was the first one up and my mom got up with me. I was opening my stocking and I got books and all sorts of things. But at the very bottom of my stocking I saw a dog name collar tag, and for a second I am looking at my mom but then my dad comes up holding a puppy, and I am just like, you got me a dog!!!!!!!!!

My Sundae Danielle Khousakoun, Grade 5 Happily, as I walked into the ice-cream store, I could smell the chocolate filling the room. I saw all the different kinds of ice cream in the freezer! Surprised, I saw birthday cake, chocolate, and then I saw Vanilla! As I saw the lady get my ice-cream I said, "Can I have it with chocolate smothered on it, extra whipped cream, and finally with a cherry on top?” YUM! YUM! YUM! I took a spoonful in my mouth. Amazed, it taste so yummy, I could feel my taste buds go crazy! A shiver ran down my back it was so cold! The ice cream slid down my throat as I took another bite. The last part was the juicy, plump red cherry. As I put the cherry in my mouth the cherry burst with juice and lots of flavour! It was very messy! I needed 5 NAPKINS! It was so good I started humming! I was so happy, I skipped out of the store with a big grin!

The Caribbean Ben Walters, Grade 5 Michael gazed over the Caribbean Ocean and saw many schools of fish in the light teal water. As his boat went side to side, he adjusted the sail as he drifted north and east. As the moist warm air blew past his ship, it sent his ship further down east. He thought he should go get some calypso music as he smelled the nice fresh ocean air. He saw soft swimming dolphins while smooth waves splashed against his boat. As he sat down with some smooth calypso island music he approached the east side of Jamaica. As he docked his boat he had been greeted by many people. He was greeted with many languages like French, English and Spanish. Michael could not wait to explore Jamaica. 23

The Pirate I Saw Before Me Eden Lynch, Grade 6 She had long gross hair that had blood in it. Her eyes were bloodshot but when you looked longer you could see frightening eyes. Her nose was covered in mud and blood. It was an unpleasant sight. She had a mouth that had cuts and scars all over it. She was as plump as a grandfather tree. She had blood all over herself and scars: one was all along her face. She wore a ragged long coat with a blue, red and green deathdefying parrot and jagged short pants. They were black and she moved like she had been walking for miles. She had a distinguishing peg leg was covered in blue gross slime. She was caring a long rusty gun that smelled like death. Her hat was covered in blood.

THE CAVE Tom Stephen, Grade 6 The water streamed in behind me. I started to run as fast as I could. It was like a beast, rushing in behind me. My legs were exhausted. It looked as if the rock walls where caving in behind me. Then I saw a rock wall at the end. "It was a dead end," I thought to myself. My heart sank to my feet. I started to run back against the current, the water was up to my knees now. The water felt chilling to the bone. The water started to rise quickly. Panicking, I start to wonder if I will make it out alive. Suddenly, I saw some light from the roof of the cave. I started to swim now because the water was up to my neck. My head was scraping on the top of the cave. I started to swim faster to the light. I got there and it was a hole out of the cave. I started to swim up out of the hole. When I stuck my head out of the water, the sun blinded me because it was so bright.

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The Troll Charlie De Land, Grade 6 I walked a little bit closer toward the shifting grey rock thing. As I got closer, I hid behind the red toadstool. I peered my head around the toadstool, and saw three tremendous creatures. Their skin was dry like a desert, cracked, bumpy and ripped. They’re sitting around a tiny fire. I think it was from last night because it was a wee one and it was almost just ashes. I heard a grunting noise. The first creature was constantly snoring, and the other one was nonstop moving and sucking its thumb. The third troll was on the examining duty and he screamed some word! I have no idea what he said! The others woke up and got some sticks shaped like a fork and knife. They were ready for some food. They started heading in my direction, so I hid behind the toadstool quietly until they walked off. They checked all the toadstools and they walked by me and looked at me but somehow they didn’t see me, maybe they’re blind? I must’ve made some noise but they headed back to their fire. I snuck to another toadstool. The massive beasts didn’t hear me so I tried to walk slowly on my tippy toes as quiet as a door mouse. I almost got past them but I must’ve made some noise. They stared at me and they reached toward me. I tried to run away but they caught me. I started to sweat and my heart raced quickly. Luckily I had a pocket stick in my hand. I thought, ‘Where should I hit him with my stick?’ He doesn’t have any eyes, so I quickly threw it up his nose. It was a tiny stick that made him sneeze. He dropped me to sneeze into his hands. I bolted for the mushroom and stayed there for a while. I got some of their marshmallows before I ran out toward the bushes. ‘What a weird animal,’ I thought to myself: no eyes, no tongue, only three fingers. I shouted, “Over here you hairless beast!” The trolls came over toward me. I dashed into the bushes and I almost peed my pants. Once I got far away from the camp site, I got tired so I ate my three marshmallows climbed the tree and went to sleep. I woke up the next day, I walked through the bushes and got past the troll camp site and walked toward the horizon.

The Troll Nicholas D’Onofrio, Grade 6

I chased it through the fungus; the troll looked all wrinkly and gruesome. The troll smelled like its own bathroom! It was all grey, its foot - the size of a door, the creature - all bald and very strong. The thing had old dry skin. My feet carried me away from the troll. I heard boom after boom! Out of the blue I felt myself flying into a mushroom. Bam! I saw black, and when I woke up, I saw him leaning over me. His wrinkled and his raging eyeballs stared at me. A fist came for me, but I dodged it. I punched the beast, but there was no effect. I looked closer at the troll, it had a rocky back. He had spines on his head and feet. I thought of all those poor saps he had killed. I ran, my feet clabbered against the forest floor. In alarm I sprinted for a mushroom. I closed the door of the mushroom house. Suddenly I heard two gargantuan feet come through the roof of the mushroom house, and as I was soaring away from the explosion the troll was right on my tail. We landed. I hid behind a nearby tree. I was sweating heavily. Right at that moment, two enormous hands popped out from behind that tree. I jumped! The abomination grabbed the tree and up rooted it. It started to use the tree to swat at me, he swished the tree and I grabbed hold of it. I broke a branch off. Right then I climbed up the tree and jumped onto the creature’s body, stick in hand. Then I ran up its face took the sharp stick and into the troll’s eye it went. I had killed the troll. I jumped off it and the immense monster fell to the ground with a large spine shaking boom.

Wild Ride J.T. Hironaka, Grade 6 It was a sunny day out. It came to me that I needed a new carpet. As I entered the carpet store, I felt the air conditioner brush against my body. It was an unpleasant smell when I got in, it smelt like dirty clothes. As I was walking around I came across a carpet that was different than the other ones, this one seemed have more designs. Some of the designs looked like plants and it had some stripes. I walked up to it and felt it, the carpet seemed to be softer than the other ones too. Something inside me told me to buy this one. In the blink of eye, I grabbed it and rushed to the cashier. I didn't seem to care what the price was. I looked like a child that just bought a whole bunch of candy. When got home I was carefree and all I cared about was the carpet. I unfolded it and sat on it, then turned on the T.V. After I unrolled it was about 5ft long and 3 ft wide. All of sudden I saw a little glare in my eyes. I looked down and saw the carpet shining at me, and my jaw dropped. Suddenly it was floating," It's a magic carpet!'' I yelled. My back door opened automatically. Out of the blue it launched out. I felt the warm breeze brush through my hair and across my body. I flew through my neighborhood. Then I was flying through town. When I looked down the people looked like ants, then I felt something drop on my head. I thought it was a rain drop, but when I put my hand on top of my head, it turned out to be bird poop. I thought to myself, '' I need to take a big shower when I get home.'' I stopped for lunch then continued my journey. Then I turned around and headed back. As I was flying I hit a bird, BY ACCIDENT! I could see my house from here, and flew gently into my house. I said to myself, '' What a wild ride...''

The Magic Carpet Will de Paiva, Grade 6 Crash! Bang! The tunnel behind me was crumbling down as I ran through the Egyptian pyramid. I got to the tomb, and I knew that there is was little hole in the top in case someone was stuck while building the pyramid. I tried to climb out, but it was hopeless. I saw a little patterned carpet in the corner and I went closer. “It could be used for a rope to get out,” I said to myself. I tried to take it apart but it was impossible. I couldn’t give up. The room I was in was very small and it was at the top of the pyramid. The walls were covered with a blanket of dust. The air was so thick with dust I could feel the dry and dusty air in my hands. Suddenly something colourful flashed by my eyes. “What? I’m seeing things,” I thought. I was trying to get the pharaoh’s coffin open to see if there was gold or something to get out with. Out of the blue, the carpet fell. "'What?" I came to the carpet to see how it fell, but it was floating an inch off the floor. “Oh my god!” I unrolled it carefully and sat on it. I tried to make it fly. About 15 minutes later, I figured out how to fly the carpet. I zoomed out of the hole and went home. I never forgot about the moment I was stuck in the pyramid. With my carpet in my basement sometimes I will fly around and have a wild ride.

Magic Bird Jaxon DeJager, Grade 6

Snap! Crack! Max heard tree branches breaking. Max and Sophie were walking in midafternoon, in their backyard. They could feel the cold snow on their faces. The snow was cold and fluffy like clouds. Max and Sophie were playing in the backyard. When they threw the ball close to the tree, they saw a sparkle in the tree. They looked up in the tree and they couldn't believe their eyes. There was a blue feathery creature. Max wondered what kind of bird or thing it could be. It was the size of an eagle. All of a sudden some kind of gold egg fell out of the tree, it landed on the soft, fluffy snow. The shiny egg was heavy like a weight. It must be solid gold, they thought. Sophie and Max examined the bird, and it looked like it might be able to fly. Max quickly got a soft bag so he could carry the shiny egg to a bank, so he could save the egg. Max thought, let's hope no one will steal the egg or find out about it. The bank was tall and was green. Inside the bank, the people kept looking at him. Max thought, "They might be looking at me because I’m too young." After Max put the egg in the bank he looked around to see if anyone saw the egg. Later, after Max put the egg in the bank, Max thought about the bird and wondered if the colourful creature was still there.

Summer James Mullback, Grade 5 My ideal summer vacation would be to go to the beach and go into the lake and swim and run into the water. My best friend and I would go on a boat and jump off the side of the boat into the water. Then we would go back to the dock and go to our spot and have a water fight. We would run through the trees and spray ourselves. We would go back to our spot and go to my house and play on the slip and slide. Then we would go back inside my house and have a nerf war and we would have dinner at my table and we would sleep in and then have breakfast. In the afternoon we would go to the beach or go on a boat and jump off the back of it.

Cold Woods Sawyer Figol, Grade 6

"Tag!" "What the -- Lily!" "You’re it Denver!" Lily dashed out into the cold woods. Denver got to his feet and ran after her. Just as he started running, a ball of hair tripped him on his side. When he got up he saw his border collie, Echo. "Hey, boy. Sorry about that." Denver reached into his pocket and pulled out a brown biscuit. "Here boy," the dog’s red tail wagged as Echo bit the treat in mid-air. "Aaaahhhhh," Denver spun around. "Lily!" Denver hollered. Denver woke up in a frantic panic and he grasped his knife. Denver whimpered. He laid the stainless knife back on the frozen ground. His tent didn’t give him much warmth so he trotted out to start a fire but Lily was still fresh in his mind. Lily was only 9 yet they- Denver stopped. He was so bewildered by his dream even though it was two years ago, the images were still vivid. He pulled a match from his pocket and scraped it on the side of a rock. He quickly threw the match into the pit of logs. Just outside his tent, the woods were calm and quiet. Denver liked it this way. He grew up with the woods so he seemed to always be a relative to the woods. Denver looked up at the sky, but just as he started to lie back, he jumped up. Smoke not from his fire was just up north from where Denver was. He rushed, he kicked and stomped out the fire and folded the tent as fast as he could. When he had all his stuff he ran towards the thick brush. The pack was heavy, but he knew he could not go slow. 28

Animal News Jaylah Lawson, Grade 5 Psycho:

Hello, and welcome to Animal News.

Bobo:

Today, this afternoon, on May 22nd we are watching a race.

Psycho:

Scooter is on the case.

Scooter:

Thank you, Psycho. The first racer is Turbo the Snail and then Shelly the Turtle and the last one is Sleepy the Sloth. The race will be starting in a couple of minutes.

Psycho:

Thank you Scooter the Penguin. We both start with P because I am a pig.

Bobo:

And I am a Panda. We will be back after this message

Simba:

.....Buy my fish at Fujomoto's Fine Fish and Sushi. Call 403-DIE-FISH and also I know who you are Ben, and I’m coming to get you.

Psycho:

And we’re back! It looks like the race is going to start soon, but not yet.

Bobo:

While we wait we will be looking at a talented person named Ben who drew an awesome picture of greely but soon he is going to get killed by a cat named Simba.

Psycho:

Thank you Bobo. Now we will be looking at the prizes for the racers. Scooter is on the case.

Scooter:

Ok so for first place, the animal will win a cruise, one million dollars and one million cabbages. For second place, the animal will win a truck load of cabbages and for third place, the animal will win a cozy bed.

Bobo:

Thank you Scooter. Now we will be back after this message.

Bentley:

Try our new shampoo. It will make you really shiny! Try it now - buy one get one free.

Psycho:

And we’re back. The race will start, and Scooter is on the case.

Scooter:

Ok, the race will start in 3-2-1 go! And there is Sleepy climbing into the lead, but wait, Shelly is swimming really fast, and what’s this, Turbo is flying from a canon. Turbo wins in first place, Shelly comes in second place and Sleepy comes in third place. That was awesome.

Bobo:

So that’s all for this news but we will be back tomorrow, so stay tuned.

The Door Jaxson Rogers, Grade 6 I was walking on the beach looking for clam shells for dinner, when I saw something in the distance. I bolted straight at it. It was a door with 3 windows. I opened it. The door was in some kind of dome under water. Bam, the door shut. “Help! Help!” I screamed. Sh sh sh sh someone said in a whisper.” Who was that?” I asked. No one answered. I sat down crying, I thought why did I open the door, just why? “Don’t cry, no need to cry,” said a deep voice. I looked up. “Aaaah, don’t hurt me!” “No, I won’t. I’m Cloy. What’s your name?” “I’m Mary, I’m 16 years old.” Cloy had dark green skin he was 3 feet tall, with blue eyes, gray hair and a big gray beard. “Where am I?” Mary asked. “You’re on the planet Blue,” Cloy answered. “Where is that? There’s no such thing! Is it by Earth?” “Yes there is, and it’s really far away from Earth” “Can you help me get back?” Cloy said, “No, that door that you came in only comes to earth once a year and the only way to get back without the door is to get enough energy to bring the door back. “So where can we get the energy from?” “From the center of the city.” So we went to the center at 10 p.m. Cloy pulled a switch beside the town hall and bam, all of a sudden the door appeared in the center. People were everywhere standing around, then lights out. “Bye Cloy.” I opened the door and walked slowly through. I turned around and gave Cloy a big kiss on the cheek and walked straight through. I ran all the way home and gave a big hug to my mom.

Vampire Forest Amy Vertanness, Grade 6 I opened my eyes and everything was black. In the air it smelled like death and vanilla. Where was I? I looked around out of the corner of my eye and I saw a glimpse of vampires. I thought to myself "Is it just a dream?" So I just kept on walking. As I was walking I saw a red and black sky and cobwebs and bats on the trees. As I looked down at my feet I saw puddles of blood. I stood back up and then all of a sudden, I heard growls and screams coming from behind me. Then it became silent. I could smell dark smoke coming from behind. I heard creaks and cracks and whispers from all around. All of a sudden I got a taste of blood in my mouth. 30

Amanda Wheatley, Grade 11

Crackalin Zander Clay, Grade 6

"Do you remember how terrified we were when we had to stay out here for our first night" whispered Boby. "Yes" I exclaimed. I looked into Boby’s baby blue eyes and I saw his mud covered dirty face and his hair that used to be blonde locks that flowed in the wind like water. When out of the blue we heard a growl, it sounded like it was coming from north west. Boby thrust his robust tan arm at his makeshift machete. Its blade was a piece of metal from their bus wreck and the handle was a piece of wood with oily tire rubber for grip. I reached for my spear. The tip was a piece of obsidian and a stick from the few trees in the area and Boby carved beautifully magnificent carvings in it. When suddenly we both saw a furry tail, Boby grabbed a stick from our fire and it was burning hot like sticking your hand in an oven. Moving around, chattering his teeth, he tried to scare whatever it was away. Just then ROOOOAAAAR we saw a Monkey-like creature with blood stained teeth and black fur on his head, back, and tail. It looked like a monkey. The head was shaped like a crocodile though with a colossal, thick, deep, bloody mark all the way down his chest. We both screamed in terror. We yelled “It’s the CRACKALIN!” Charging with full power, Boby ran and lodged his machete in its arm. The monkey like creature pounded Boby to the ground. On the crackalin’s fist there was a turtle shell on each knuckle. And then he simply jumped on Boby and killed him. Screaming, I charged at it, but then it was gone. All I did was stay up all night and cry, so I planned that I would bury him the next day at the bus wreck with all the others. So the next morning, I grabbed his body and walked to the wreck. Walking through a gorgeous canyon, the sandstone colour was so beautiful and at the other end I saw a bus with light shining on it. So I grabbed the shovel and started to dig his grave. After 10 hours I had dug his grave put him in it and covered it up. Crying, I started talking to his grave. “Boby, you were my best friend we have been through so much together. I will dearly miss you and the amazing friend you were.” ROOOOAAAAR I heard from inside the bus. It was the crackalin. It threw a punch at me but I dodged it and then charging at it, I stabbed it in the heart. It fell down screaming in agony and then died. I didn’t want to live anymore now that my best friend was gone so I jumped into the rapids nearby. 31

Monsters I was running through the forest when suddenly a huge monster came out of the bush. My heart was pounding. I saw that he had a big purple mouth. He was tall and round like a plum. He had big, short teeth, big pupils, black googly eyes and a small purple nose. His orange and yellow body had small hands like yellow sticks, with small claws on both sides of his body. There were two huge hands on the top and one on the bottom. His feet are like a bird’s feet, bushy and grey and he has big, bushy eyebrows. Isabella Lupi, Grade 6

“What’s that snapping noise?” I questioned myself. As I looked up I saw this ugly monster staring up at me with his one large eye. This eye was white but it was much different from his small deep purple pupil. The Cyclops looking eye was at the top and centre of his head. A bushy dark blue eyebrow was a contrast to his bright yellow circle body. When you looked close, you could see six pale yellow dots, one big and two small, on each side and top of his body. The monster walked on six long tentacles with two light blue suction cups on the bottom of his tentacles. Unusually, he had ten vertical light purple squiggly lines on his tentacles. His mouth was shaped as an upside down red check mark facing my left. There were teeth like three triangle pyramids and were as white as fresh snow. The shining teeth were on his right. He had skinny arms that were just below his mouth. Although his short yellow arms looked weak, his orange claws were big a sharp. Leah Sutton, Grade 6 32

Breathing hard, I was sprinting through the woods. Twigs were snapping underneath my feet when suddenly a tiny blue phenomenal thing jumped in my way. The thing had two giant eyes, one on each of its two heads. Both heads were smiling. The head on my right had one tooth and the other had none. It has two orange antenna. It had 8 light blue waves on its body, four on each side. One on each side was above the arms. The body was plump. The head on my left had its tongue sticking out. There were three puny triangles on the side of each head. The left head had two green antenna. It has two nearly subatomic arms with very short fingers on each hand, and on every finger it has one large purple fingernail. Its hands were facing inwards. The feet looked precisely like the hands. I could have spent hours watching the creature. Liam Morrow, Grade 6

I was taking a job through the woods when all of a sudden I stumbled and hit something big, green, and slimy. I looked up and saw a monster! The monster had a blob shaped body which was green and slimy. The monster had yellow bubbles smeared all over him. He also has six eyes above his head. Each eye was attached to a slimy green tentacle. The monster’s eyes were shiny white and each eye had a small black pupil looking in different directions. Right under his eyes was a crooked smile. On each side of his body he has a green slimy hand with no arms. Underneath the mauve monster, there is a pool of green slime. Scott Franklin, Grade 6

Junior High

Joey Gardner, Grade 11

An excerpt from:

The Great Cheese Heist Ari Bouma, Grade 7 On the 3rd of October, 1926, in the small Region of Walechondohakevich, the cheese drought began. Weeks earlier, the few cheese mines closed down because of some awful fungus. Because all the mines were connected, it quickly spread throughout. Walechondohakevich had never been good allies with its neighboring region of Pulondareztomashkach, which was also the main cheese provider of the whole continent of Huxventov. They had been in two civil wars in the past, one of which ended only three years earlier. Because of this, Pulondareztomashkach refused to transport any cheese to Walechondohakevich, and stocks of cheese throughout the region quickly dwindled. The only place that still had a large stock of cheese was the Gentlemen’s Cheese Club, an organization of rich and important business men and politicians. They had spent years stocking up cheese for just such an occasion. However when the time came they refused to distribute the cheese to the people, they claimed that they would not have enough cheese to feed even a quarter of Walechondohakevich, and that they did not want to choose who to feed and who would starve, because of this, everyone starved. “Copernicus! Come see this,” Bartholomew yelled into the next room. Copernicus stood up and walked out the door of his study. Bartholomew was sitting in his dark leather chair with the wooden table in front of him in the living room, and a newspaper that was dated October 21, 1936, in hand. “Three more towns have fallen into anarchy and more people have left to go to Pulondareztomashkach,” “Do you think this will ever end?” asked Copernicus. “Who could say?” he responded. Bartholomew flipped to the next page of the newspaper. On it was an article titled: “Latest attempt of killing the cheese mine fungus has failed” “Well it looks like not for quite some time.” “Has the Gentleman’s cheese club said anything about this whole ordeal? Anything at all?” “No, the GCC has been quiet. Avoiding as many interviews and questions as they can. I’m starting to think they might be lying about not having enough cheese to feed the region,” replied Bartholomew. “Is that what they’ve started calling it now?” said Copernicus, “The GCC?” “Yes, with so much media attention towards them they’re calling it that to save breath.” Just then, Cornelius and Xavier came through the door on the other side of the room. Cornelius put his hat on the hat rack to the left of the door, and sat down in the old sofa across from Bartholomew as Xavier went into the kitchen and put the kettle on for tea. “Have you seen the protest?” Cornelius said after seeing the newspaper in his hand. Bartholomew had a puzzled look on his face; Copernicus could tell he hadn’t heard. “Well, you see, there is a protest down by the GCC.”

Beating Back Bonenuggets David Samuels, Grade 7 Once upon a time, in the flying kingdom of Bamboozleberryland, everyone lived peaceful lives, producing a bountiful harvest each year, from their farms. Every day, there was good weather, everyone had full bellies, and they thought nothing could go wrong, but they were harshly mistaken. Archmage Bonenuggets, who controlled the wizard council that guarded over Bamboozleberryland became corrupted after he started to hear strange voices in his head. He turned on the wizard council, and conjured an ice palace in the south. He took almost all of the food that the Bamboozleberrylandish farmers produced, and hid it away in his immense castle of doom. Finally, the king of Bamboozleberryland could not take it anymore, so he, in conjunction with the remaining wizard council, called an emergency meeting, for all to attend, and hopefully share an idea or two about how to defeat Bonenuggets. Among the people that attended the meeting, there was a kindly old duck, who was a widely known dairy farmer in the kingdom, and his three sons: Quacky, Quicky, and Paul. The meeting had gone on for several hours now, so people were feeling rather irked about the whole thing, and before you knew it, an enraged melon farmer yelled out something, which caused a full-scale argument, table-flipping, papers thrown in the air, and one guy even gave the king the finger. You know which one I’m talking about. Anyways, the dairy farmer couldn't take the noise anymore, so he burst out of his miniscule duck-sized chair, flew figure eights around the tables, his feathers flying out in his frantic flap. “I have a solution!” he screamed, in his gruff voice: “I have a solution!” As soon as the king saw this frantic public display, he yelled out at the patrons of the meeting. “Silence!” he bellowed. After the king spoke, everyone sheepishly began to take their seats. “Thank you.” the king uttered, a lingering hint of frustration in his voice. “Speak, waterfowl.” The dairy farmer cleared his throat. “I’ve been talking with my sons, and, well,” the dairy farmer’s voice slowly got softer, “they’re willing to save the kingdom.” The king’s eyes widened. “Oh, joyous day!” He exclaimed, and got up from his chair to speak. “If you do succeed, you can have half of my kingdom, and a lifetime supply of chocolatecovered raisins.” He pointed to a regal-looking woman sitting to the right of him. “And you can have my daughter’s hand in marriage! The king continued. “She’s also my sister. Might be my grandmother, too.” “Your grandmother?” The eldest son asked, a puzzled look on his face. “Time travel stuff. Don’t worry about it.” Replied the king. “Anyhow, the government of Bamboozleberryland shall give you temporary human form.” He gestured at the wizard sitting next to him. “Pearstraw, do the thing!” Several bolts of lightning flew out of the wizard’s hands, and before you knew it, the three sons were turned into humans. A shrill scream came from the

table behind them. “Although,” Said the king, “We should probably get you guys some clothes first.” After the duck-men had been appropriately attired, and armed with gigantic swords and the magic cheese of caging,they rented some fast-flying pegasi and began to make their way to the castle in the south. As Bonenuggets’s castle was surrounded by a dark forest of poison ivy and bushes of stinging nettles, the three sons had to ride their pegasi right to the gate of the castle. After they had got off their pegasi, they hid behind a hedge. “You guys stay here,” said Quacky, the eldest son. “I’ll handle this.” Quacky was not the most modest of people, was definitely one to boast of himself, and thought he was the greatest thing since raspberry marmalade. He bragged about himself to his friends; he even went up to complete strangers and told them how great he was. Sure, he got pepper spray in the eyes a few times, but that was just how he rolled. With his chest puffed up, and a macho look on his face, he sashayed down the castle path, whistling to himself, and swinging his massive sword around in circles, with his eyes closed. Unfortunately, Bonenuggets was a clever type, and before Quacky even got to the door, Bonenuggets used his crystal ball to fire a slow-traveling orb of magic, and turned Quacky into a water goblet. Quicky and Paul decided to play a hand of rock-paper-scissors, and Quicky lost, so he had to go knock on Bonenuggets’s door. The Problem with Quicky was that he had absolutely no ego whatsoever. The only reason he came on this trip was that his brothers kept nagging him to, telling him he could be a hero, that he could do it. Quicky knew in his heart that he couldn’t, but he just went so that his brothers would stop annoying him. Paul nudged Quicky out from the hedge. It was his time to shine. Shaking, Quicky slowly walked up the path, but only after he had walked a single step, he dropped to the ground and started crying. That was good for the wizard, who fired a bolt of lightning from his magic turret mounted on his castle, and turned Quicky into a hand mirror. Paul gasped. He was the last duck-man standing. I can do this. He thought to himself. Then, with a fierce battle cry, ran towards the door, dodged all the magic the wizard threw at him, broke down the door to the castle, went upstairs, and captured the wizard with his magic cheese. After the spells of Bonenuggets wore off from Quacky and Quicky, they returned to the king, to collect their reward, and they took the cheese-captured Bonenuggets to the captain of the guard, so he could be put an insane asylum. Quacky thought the princess would like him, so he took her hand in marriage. (probably only for a bit) Quicky took the half of the kingdom, and I think you can guess what Paul picked. That night, Paul munched on his raisins in satisfaction at the fact that Bamboozleberryland was saved from the wrath of Bonenuggets, and the fact that his raisins tasted good too.

Befuddled Nicole Menard, Grade 7

As I remember it, the class started as normal as ever. Scott was loudly discussing the really weird story he read about a pun-telling walrus. Well I tried to pay attention to the low drone of Mr.Quntoplufreed as he explained the link between dark matter and the chicken sandwich he had for lunch. But all I heard was, “And then Shaquille O'Neal, was the walrus and the Irish guy was controlling it all.” After about 5 minutes I couldn't take it anymore, I slowly turned my head towards Scott and sighed, “Where did you hear this story?” Confidently, he rambled on and on, I just stared at him waiting for him to realize I wasn't listening to a word he said. Eventually he stopped and we started talking about how cool British accents were. When suddenly, out of nowhere I heard a sharp female voice say, “Nicole, stop being a quiddler!” “Whats a quiddler?” I asked, Gertrude rolled her eyes and tauntingly replayed “Figure it out.” And as always I took that as a challenge, I knew that I would have to look it up. Careful not to attract the attention of Mr. Quntoplufreed, I slowly reached for my computer bag, pulling it onto my lap. Hands shaking, I pulled my computer out and pressed the power button, flinching as the low ding signaling my computers success in turning on filled the class. I looked at our teacher, but he seemed to be wrapped in describing his mayonnaise to notice. I opened Google and started typing, qiddler, qiidler, qider, qidler, none of my attempts to spell the strange word were successful. As I leaned back in my seat, I tried to think of anything else I could do to figure out the meaning of the word. But in my mind there came no other solution. I was just confused, I had no idea what this word meant and I knew that Gertrude meant for me this bewildered. Defeated, I flopped my body onto my binder and watched Scott silently drool onto his textbook. After about 10 minutes, Mr. Quntoplufreed concluded his lesson, “So as we now know, dark matter is something that we don't understand. Much like the mayonnaise in my chicken sandwich. Please take out your agendas.” Across the room I saw everyone swarm our teacher with their outstretched hands waving agendas in his face. Lazily I pulled my schedule out and scrawled NHW on the crisp white page. I was the last person out of class, as I handed Mr. Quntoplufreed my agenda he looked up at me and recounted “I think that you're becoming quite the quiddler, Nicole.” I looked at him, thinking, then quickly instituted, “What does quiddler mean?” But my teacher only shook his head and chuckled. Irritated, I trudged through the hall trying to remember my next class. I couldn't believe not even a teacher wouldn’t tell me the meaning of the strange word. Up ahead, Scott was dragging his binder looking as tired as ever. I ran up to him and asked, “What do we have next?” “ELA.”

GONE Kai Yadev, Grade 7 One rainy spring night, Jack was awakened by the sound of his sister being taken somehow. “Jack!” Jill exclaimed angrily. “Please save me!” Immediately, Jack ran to a window overlooking the front street. To his surprise, Jill was being held in the arms of a dark figure. Bravely, Jack walked to the dark mansion where his sister was taken. “Creek, creek, creek!” the old stairs went as Jack walked up them. Jack reached out his trembling hand to press the doorbell. Without a warning, the doorbell boomed from the inside of the house, “Go away, and never return!” With determination to save his sister, Jack barged through the wooden door and into the house. Standing on the frail door lying on the ground, Jack took in his gloomy surroundings. To the left of him, there was a closet containing dusty grey coats. Jack looked up to see a hanging chandelier with unlit candles instead of light bulbs. A chill shot down Jack’s spine as he looked at his available paths. There seemed to be a collapsed staircase leading down to what he thought was the basement. Beside it, there was a staircase leading up one floor. “I guess that is my only way further in,” Jack sighed, walking cautiously up the stairs. Upon arriving on the main floor, Jack searched around to look for any signs of his sister. For some reason Jack felt as if someone was watching him with cold, undead eyes. Scanning around the room, he managed to find a hallway with antique tapestry hung excessively along the worn walls. “Cling! Clang! Clong!” something stepped along the floor. “Umm, that was the floor, right?” Jack mumbled to himself. In pure fear of it, he ran into a tree that grew through the smashed window at the end of the hall, and broke off a branch for a makeshift weapon. Then, out of the corner of Jack’s eye, he saw the white thing pass by. “I-I-I’m not s-s-scared of you.” Jack stuttered while pointing the tree branch in the direction of the sound. Suddenly, the thing jumped from where it was hiding and tackled Jack! With the white figure relentlessly holding onto Jack, he threw the attacker away from him, into a room and ran down the hallway from which he came. Arriving back in the large room, he noticed a door that seemed to lead to the basement! But before he could go through it, Jack spun around to see that the relentless thing was a skeleton, a walking, tackling skeleton! “Really, why does it have to be a skeleton?” Jack thought to himself. Exhausted because of the time, he picked up the oh-so dangerous tree branch and swung it at the skeleton. To his surprise, the skeleton shattered upon impact from the makeshift weapon. Soon after, the skeleton formed back together! Angrily, Jack dashed toward the skeleton that was now only leaving the long hallway, and thrust his iron fist into the torso of the staggered foe. The skeleton flew back and landed down the stairs, by the door from which Jack had previously entered the house. With that, the persevering attacker finally fell to Jack’s rage filled blow, and shattered once and for all. With that final blow, Jack continued down the hidden steps to the basement where his sister was presumably being held. As Jack submerged into the depths of the never ending darkness that was the mansion where his beloved sister Jill was presumably being held, he heard the not-so familiar sound of a dog panting. When Jack felt his foot touch the cold pavement that was the basement floor, he couldn’t help but squint because of natural reaction lights. Before Jack’s eyes could fully adjust to the dramatic brightness change, he heard a soothing, but familiar voice call to him. “Jack, is that you Jack?” The voice asked softly. Jack yawned gratefully, “Yep, it’s a me, Jack… not Mario.” “Hehe, I found this dog here without an owner. Let’s take it home, and keep it, it does not have an owner.” Jill told happily. And with that, Jack and Jill walked home to give the dog an amazing new home. Although, on the way home, Jack wondered whether Jill encountered the guardian skeleton of tackling or not. On the other hand, he hoped that no one would ever have to deal with the obstacles that he had overcame. “Why were you asking for help, and what were you taken by?” Jack asked wondrously. Jill replied, “I was asking for help because I heard the dog howling, and I was holding a bag, not being taken.” With that, the two walked home in wonder of what really happened at night.

The Scream Brock Fisher, Grade 7

When I walked into the room there were no desks, no blackboards, no papers or books. The big room was empty except for a platform at one end raised 8 feet above the shiny hardwood floor . At the other end of the room there were mirrors- a whole wall full so that you had to see yourself every time you looked up. I hate this classroom and when the teacher walked in I thought it was the end of the world .She was mean and she told us to dance and march like kings and queens and yelled at us. The worst part is Todd Zutter is the meanest kid in the world. Once he pushed me down 5 stairs and he always calls me lizard skin. The teacher sat us down in a circle and told us all to scream. I was sooooooo nervous. I never knew what it was like to scream. I’ve done it in my head a million times but never out loud. I knew what it was like to scream out loud first was Todd Zutter when he screamed. It was like Tarzan so the teacher told him to get out. The teacher made other kids scream and scream until it was my turn. It was like the world had passed and I was the only one moving. It was so scary when she said my name I thought I was going to faint. “So here it goes” I thought to myself, “this is the moment”. So I burst out a SCREAMMMMMM. The feeling was like a flame came up and burst out of my mouth then into the atmosphere. The teacher stood for a couple of seconds. “Wow” she said “that was amazing! Students, when I tell you something, think of that scream.” After that I have never felt so good in my whole inner life.

Trying To Fly Thrissa Bortl, Grade 7 Summer was sitting in the park and was watching to see if anyone was watching her. When she saw that no one was there other than her, she unfolded her wings and started to flap them. FLAP FLAP FLAP. She still couldn’t get more than a foot off of the ground. “Oh well,” sighed Summer. Then she heard the sound of two sets of retreating footsteps. “Oh no,” thought Summer “what if they saw me trying to fly?” Then she saw them. “Are they also magical?” she thought. “Hi. Are you Summer?” the girl with purple hair said. Summer nodded. “We’re here to help you learn to fly. Queen Celestia sent us,” she replied. 2 Days Later “I did it!!!!!!!!!!!!! I DID IT!!!!” Summer shouted. Luna was above Summer, but barely by an inch. “This is as high as I can go without turning into the moon,” said Luna. “What’s that Luna?” asked Summer. “HIDE!!!!” screamed Luna and Twilight at the same time. Twilight was on the ground because she couldn’t fly, but she could float. She shot five blasts of purple fire at the intruder. He dodged all of them. He handed Twilight a slip of paper and then bolted before Luna could blast him with white hot moon rays from her perch on the moon. Then she saw the real threat. But she couldn’t see Summer and Twilight. “Where are they?” she thought. “Be quiet and be still,” Twilight ordered Summer. Summer rolled her eyes. She was used to being treated like a kid. An army of animals was descending upon them and they were approximately ten minutes away. Summer was secretly scared of animals. Not all of them but of the animals in the army she was. 2 Hours Later Summer was glad that the battle was over but was upset that she had to get blood on her sword that was from her grandmother. She was glad that she could return home and say that she flew and that felt good. Kennedy Huntley, Grade 10

The Beginning of the End Andrew Valentine, Grade 7

I finish reloading my mini gun and unload another round on the approaching horde of ravenous zombies. Mowing down half the zombies, they just keep on coming. The mini gun was chewing up ammo fast and furious. From the corner of my eye, I saw the helicopter approaching. Just as the helicopter lowered its ladder, I released the final round of ammo. Ditching the mini gun and grabbing the ladder, I held on tight, watching the ground move away until the crazy zombies begin to look like small hungry ants. For now, I am safe. From the safety of the helicopter, I reached into my backpack and pull out my journal. Flipping to my earliest entry I begin to read. May 6, 2015 - The beginning of the end Got a call from a remote testing facility in Guadalupe. The scientists there advised they had created a bacteria in their lab that could control your brain and force you to feed on other humans spreading the disease to another host. Don’t feel like I have the time to cover this story and ask that they speak with my coworker Zach Hopper to see if he wants to cover it. May 9, 2015 Received a call from Zach asking that I come check things out in Guadalupe. The situation has become dire. He tells me the scientists at the lab were injecting some kind of bacteria into cows and something or someone has taken the cows that were infected. Zach’s call is interrupted by intense screaming. My fear is that the screaming is coming from Zach. The phone line goes dead. I need to book a flight and get there a.s.a.p. Immediately, I ask my boss Earl if I can investigate Zach’s story. He gives me the green light. May 10, 2015 Arriving in Guadalupe, I see a TV monitor in the airport advising the citizens to remain indoors avoiding contact as much as they can. I fear this might have something to do with what Zach was looking into at the laboratory. Starting to wonder if coming to Guadalupe was the best idea. Very few cars are on the street. My taxi driver speaks rough English, but tells me, “Wherever you are staying, you better stay indoors.” I ask him why and he looks scared but he doesn’t want to speak any more about what is going on. Arrive at the lab. The gate is not locked and from what I can tell there are 42

windows and doors wide open. Glass, paper and blood cover the ground. Make my way into the test room which has been torn apart and a man in a white lab coat identifies himself as Dr. Litvin. He tells me the experiment has gone terribly wrong. He says the infected cows have attacked most of the scientists and people at the lab turning these people into some kind of walking dead. I feel dizzy and i instantly call the airport to tell them to shut down all airlines travelling out of Guadalupe. We need to isolate this area and quick. May 11, 2015 With the airport secure I decide to call the docks and advise them to stop any outside transportation by water. Cannot reach anyone there. I can only fear the worst. Called back home to speak with my boss and ask that he arrange to have a helicopter sent to the lab to pick me and Dr. Litvin up. Worried about our safety now. Starting to get dark. Dr. Litvin takes me to a storage base which has several guns. I take a mini gun and a backpack full of ammo. Dr. Litvin takes a pocket full of grenades and a machine gun. Encountered our first group of zombies on our way out of the storage lab. The zombies seem to have some type of fungus growing on their head. Their skin is extremely pale and veiny. Purple spots all over their skin looking like a serious bacterial infection. They seem to be drawn to sound as when Dr. Litvin fired a grenade their way they rushed us. We found shelter in an old car. We are safe for now. May 12, 2015 Not much sleep last night. Dr. Litvin and I took turns watching. We finally decide to hotwire the car and try to find survivors. I was still hopeful I would locate Zach. We drove around the deserted streets not seeing any lights or people. I called the airport again and no answer. Dr. Litvin begs me to drive him to his home and see if there any survivors. I tell him it’s not a good idea as we need to get to the dock and wait for the helicopter. He begs me to take him home first. We arrive at his house and it looks quiet. Only one light on upstairs. We both decide to go into the house with our guns. Dr. Litvin goes up the stairs to the bedroom with the light on. I follow him up and I notice the closet door start to open slowly. I try to stop the zombie but it’s too quick. It is probably around 5 years old. I think it may even be his daughter. The child, or whatever it is, attacked Dr. Litvin and bites his face repeatedly. I leave my mini gun on his bed and I dive for the assault rifle. I pick up the gun and I try as hard as I can to avoid hitting the Doctor, but at this point I fear it doesn’t matter. I shoot both of them and quickly get out of the house. I have never killed anything or anyone and definitely not a zombie. I decide to set the house on fire. I am alone now. I need to find the dock if I have any chance of getting out alive. The Present I drive down to the dock and it is eerily quiet, I know one thing and that is to get to the pier, find the helicopter and out of this nightmare. I creep by the docks. It is so quiet. I start to feel good about getting to the pier on account that I have seen no zombies. Jolted by the sound, I hear the upbeat jingle of my cell phone. The ringing is so loud and within seconds I hear the sound of feet scraping along the paved road. As my phone rings and rings the sound of feet get louder and louder. I break into a jog and go as fast as I can with a mini gun in my arms. I turn around and see the zombies running behind me, there must be fifty or more of them. My only choice is to stop running and turn my gun on them. Firing what seems like a million bullets I realize I am getting low on ammo. I finish reloading and resume shooting at the oncoming ravenous zombies. Mowing down half the zombies, they just keep on coming. The mini gun was chewing up ammo fast and furious. From the corner of my eye, I see the helicopter approaching. Just as the helicopter lowers its ladder, I release my final round of ammo. Ditching the mini gun and grabbing the ladder, I hold on tight, watching the ground move away until the crazy zombies began to look like small hungry ants. Once again I am safe. Guadalupe is a lost cause. The pilot asks me if I am ok. I don’t know how to put what I have just experienced into words. I only know the world is not safe right now. I hold my journal close to me as we head back home. 43

The Red Queen Anthony Martopullo, Grade 7 Long ago, in the Kingdom of Knight, Malane Jolie and her twin siblings (Arthur and Jane Jolie) were poor orphan children who never had an idea on how to live by themselves. When Malane was just a baby and Arthur and Jane were still 8, Queen Esmeralda XII executed their parents in front of everyone. The only question that always crossed through their minds, each day of their lives, was why? Each day, Malane tried her best to survive. It was not long until she turned to crime, stealing precious jewelry from the kingdom’s treasury. She did that to show the Queen how much she hated her. When Jane Jolie saw a person in the act of stealing, she screamed, “The thief's here!” Right in that instant, Malane ran, but not before her sister ripped a piece of her clothing. Malane knew that Jane was a loyalist to the Queen and hoped she had not recognized her. Malane was unaware that Jane was still holding a piece of her clothing. When Malane got home, Arthur grabbed her and locked them in his room. “Malane stay here,” he whispered. “Okay, but what’s going on?” she asked. “Your sister Jane, she betrayed us to the queen!” “But why would she….?” Arthur interrupted, “Jane’s coming! Out of the window! Quick! Hurry!” Malane got out of the window and ran away from the kingdom. On her way out, she saw knights of the queen take her brother away. Malane was stranded alone in the Forest of Fire, without water and hope. Three weeks had passed and she could not figure out a way to gather an army and kill the queen. When night dawned, Malane saw a glimmering light, and a black darkness, overlapping one another. “What is this? Dark magic? Yin and Yang?” Malane questioned herself. “Your third guess is right, young lady,” replied a man from the shadows. To her eyes of disbelief, it was someone whom she thought was dead. “YOU!!!!!!! I was told that you had perished during the war against Queen Esmeralda X when I was just 3 years old!” shouted Malane. “Oh no, not dead, merely scarred,” the stranger spoke. It was Emperor Damian I, the one who ruled the kingdom 20 years before Arthur and Jane were born. When Queen Esmerelda the X came, she raged war on Emperor Damian. The emperor lost and Esmerelda X took over. Malane ran to him and asked what was with the overlapping colors. “Your 3rd guess was Yin and Yang and that is exactly what it is, what you see here is pure power found only here, in the Forest of Fire,” explained the former emperor. “What should I do to defeat the queen?” asked Malane. “Everyone in the kingdom has become too afraid of her.” “From Esmerelda I to XI they were each called the black queen because they wielded great black magic to rule the kingdom in tyranny, a power so great even I could not withstand it.” “When Esmerelda the XII became the queen, she was known as the red queen, because she used her mystical prowess for bloodshed. Any action she took was a sin. The first time she used her power was the war in the Islands of the Winds.” “She cast a curse on the islands, the curse was too great for the four most powerful wizards in existence. Each island belonged to one of those wizards,” the former emperor continued. “I too was told about them, according to one legend the wizard of the North Wind Island was the only survivor,” said Malene. “Apparently he was,” replied the former emperor. They decided to go to the Island of the North Wind. They had to take a portion of Yin and Yang and used it to fly to North Wind Island. When they had reached the island, they hoped they would find the wizard. The tower of the North Wind was unbelievably tall. Out from the top of the tower, a man in white and black robes came, and asked for their names. “Who shall identify themselves to the great wizard of the North Wind!!!!!!!!!!!!” exclaimed the wizard. “My name is Malane Jolie of the Kindom of Knight, I am with the former emperor, Damian I,” replied Malane.

“The Kingdom of Knight?! KILL THEM!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!” Right in an instant, an army of invincible ice warriors came out of nowhere and charged at Malane and the former emperor. “We come for help!” cried Malane. Right in a second, the warriors stopped, and the wizard came down. “What do you require from me?” asked the wizard. “We require your help to defeat Queen Esmerelda XII,” replied the former emperor. Malane and the former emperor explained to the North Wind wizard, that they needed an army to defeat Queen Esmerelda XII. The North Wind took a deep breath and shouted, “The ice warriors are the more skilled and powerful than the knights of the queen! They can never melt when the sun rises or when they cast fire spells!” That was it. Malane, the former emperor, and the ice warriors were up to the challenge and had accepted and charged at the kingdom. The wizard also taught them new spells that could overpower any of the queen’s. Upon their return to the kingdom, cries of war were the only things that anyone could hear. Almost all the knights of the queen had fallen until Queen Esmerelda XII showed herself. “Oh! It’s you! The white fool who I crushed long ago. And you, Malane Jolie, I’ll have to kill you the same way I had kill you brother and parents!!!!!!” shouted the queen. “You defeated me and my brothers once, but this time YOU WILL FALL!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!” exclaimed the wizard. “YOUR TYRANNY ENDS HERE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!” shouted Malane. “We shall see,” replied the queen. The queen cast a tremendous spell (the spell she used as a penalty for treason and to end wars), but the spell was suddenly blocked. It was blocked by Malane who always wanted revenge against the queen. Malane now charged against the queen, but not before she was blocked by her sister Jane. “Why would you side with the queen Jane, how could you betray me and Arthur?!” cried Malane. “You brought this on yourself, the queen offered us protection, food and shelter,” replied Jane. “Have you forgotten what happened to mother and father??!!” “Foolish little sister, I was the one who ratted out mother and father to the queen,” “WHAT!!!!!!!” “That’s right! I told the queen that mother and father were plotting a revolution against her,” “I WILL MAKE YOU PAY FOR THAT!!!!!!!!!!!!” In a second, Malane killed Jane then faced the Queen in a mortal combat. They each cast very powerful and unforgivable spells, dueled each other with swords, and then fought with their own bare hands. When they had tired each other out, the Queen started to become weaker and weaker by the second. “My powers???!!! My strength????!!!!! Gone!!!!!!! IMPOSSIBLE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!” shouted the Queen. “My latest spell worked! You will slowly be destroyed!” exclaimed Malane. “WHAT HAVE YOU DONE?????????!!!!!!!!!” “I simply cast a spell that destroys you in fifteen seconds” “Goodbye!” “NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!” And so ends the tyranny of Queen Esmerelda XII, and her foremothers before her. Damian I returned as emperor of the Kingdom of Knight, Malane has now become the chief of the castle knights, and the wizard returned to his island and created a kingdom of ice warriors. Everyone in the Kingdom of Knight now finally had a place free of tyranny, and there was peace throughout the land.

What Does the Bunny Do? Juliana Bruyn, Grade 7 What does the bunny do, hop, hop, hop, hop, I’m Santa’s little helper, I’m a bunny with attitude Delivering presents, To all the little bunnies That is what I do! Hop, hop, hop, Sniffle, sniffle, sniffle Is what I do, Cause I'm a bunny, With attitude.

Modern Nursery Rhyme Jared Hamilton, Grade 7 Scrubba-dub-dub, three rappers in a hot tub ‘n Who you thinks they was? 50 Cent, Jay-Z ‘n Ice-T Alls dem sailed out to sea, Was ‘nuff ta make 46 a guy stare

The Cay Song Lyrics Nathan Litvinchuk, Grade 7 Why you gotta be like this all night long? I’m trying to save you, open up the blinds--And you will realize---That you miss Timothy------. Why did you have to go, leave me and Stew----. Why didn't you take me too---? I only wanted to stay with you---, And now I’m so blue---. And I miss you---. Why did you have to die, I only wanted to make you pie---, And you realize that have to take in advice, But you remember me, in a distant memory---.

Transformation in The Cay Sam Toews, Grade 7 Phillip goes through a big transformation over the course of the book. At the start of the book, Philip Enright is a lot like a child who runs around with his friend playing war games. When the war came, he and his friends wanted to see the German subs. His mother would protest and say that war was horrible and for Philip to stay inside and help prepare. Phillip did not know why his mom thought that war was so bad, and so he would sneak down to the bridge to watch for them. The soldiers would protest and send him home. This shows us that Philip was immature. On the raft, Philip was not doing much to help, he would just get mad. When they were to the island Timothy wanted Phillip to do more to help out. Phillip slowly started to mature and at the end of the book he was a completely different person. When he got home he did not hang out with his old friend. He felt closer to the older black guys that work on the boats, he was not the same child that he was at the beginning. In conclusion Philip had matured a lot over the course of the story.

Demeter’s Journal Nathan Retzer, Grade 8 Today as always I was in awe of Persephone’s beauty. And I was terrified as always that bad would come to her. I am devastated to the point of eternal grief. Even though all is dying I can no longer bless the earth. I am so bent with grief that I have nearly turned to dust. All nature grieves with me as we all search for Persephone. We constantly dream of her dancing and bringing everything back to life. It’s possible Hades took her and if I ever find out that he did such a thing I will make sure that he burns alive for all eternity. I am so angry that I will seek out help from Zeus. I will tell him that I will never make the earth green again. I will wither and die before I bless anything. Surely he will help me. He longs for the beauty of earth the way it used to be. Now that I understand that Hades kidnapped my daughter I have hope that I can get her back. I am elated and I could probably bring back all the nature i’m so happy. Now that I have done that there will be trees and flowers for her to dance in.

Stickaphis Olivia Leaver, Grade 8

Stickaphis was a beautiful goddess almost as pretty as Aphrodite. She had brown hair and beautiful icy blue eyes. She was the goddess of trees and nature beauty, Zeus’ daughter. One day she was walking in the forest and she saw a beautiful butterfly. She was fascinated by them and their wonderful wings. She thought the wings so beautiful because of all the colors and the pretty patterns, the butterfly had a lot of different colors and they were all different. There were blue butterflies and red. Her favorite butterflies were the orange and black ones. She thought everything should be as beautiful as butterfly wings. In the forest she was looking around to find things that were ugly and needed to be pretty. Everything in the forest was beautiful. There were beautiful trees everywhere and the water sparkled from the sun reflecting off the water. She looked around and couldn’t find anything. She suddenly stumbled and fell to the ground she looked at her feet, she tripped on a pair of scissors. She looked at them in disgust, as she thought they were the ugliest thing she has ever seen. The scissors were so dull, boring and didn’t have any color at all. They were just a black color with rust stains. The scissors were as ugly as the face of Pan. Then she had a light bulb moment. She raced to her father, Zeus. She asked him if she could put butterfly wings on scissors. Zeus denied her request and sent her off. He thought her idea would be a disaster and get people hurt. When she left, she thought it was a good idea and she wanted to show Zeus that it was. In secret she went to the darkest part of the forest and put butterfly wings on every pair of scissors in Greece to make them pretty. When she saw one flutter by her face she knew Zeus was wrong and she was right, because it wasn’t a disaster like Zeus thought it would be. She felt so much smarter and wiser that her father. She turned around to see the others but one was racing and cutting the trees apart. Then the other ones that were good started doing the same thing as the one that was racing around. She told them to stop. But they weren’t listening to her, the forest was getting destroyed, the beautiful trees were falling down, and the sparkly water was brown and muddy. She couldn’t do anything about it. She ran to Zeus and begged him for help. Zeus was furious and very disappointed in his daughter. Zeus sent Hermes to cut all the wings off on the scissors. Soon all the scissors were back to normal. Stickaphis was punished by Zeus and her punishment was to pick up all the sticks each year and when she was done or close to picking up all the sticks they would each slowly start falling again. She had learned from her mistake and never made that mistake again.

The Creation of ADHD Ryan Holan, Grade 8 It was a sunny day in the skies near Mount Olympus. Webster is a god that is very crazy and funny. What did he look like? He had stripes all across his face and he had bright blue eyes. Sitting in his throne in the heavens, he looked down at the mortals below and realized that nothing exciting ever happened. The mortal people had no creativity, they always did the same thing every day. In the field farming, there were people standing equal distance apart going at the same pace planting the same amount of seeds in a straight line. When they were farming they were all like robots doing the same things. All the people in the city had no creativity, and repeated the same thing every day and focused and never got carried away. Hera never wanted the city to change. So it was one day when the god Webster wanted to change something in the city because everyone was considered boring and because the mortal people couldn't take a joke. The other gods got bored too, but there was one goddess named Hera that didn't want anything to change on earth and the mortal people. It was this day when Webster was going to change the way people look at things and learn things differently on Earth. But there was one problem: Hera didnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t want anything on Earth to change. She likes how everyone is perfect, and doing things the same way and not doing things differently. She wanted to have no changes and no variations. Hera loved order. That day Webster decided to create something called ADHD. All he had to do to make this substance was to add sugar to water and this solution was to change the way people learned and to do things differently. But there was one problem. Hera wanted nothing to change so somehow Webster had to change the people without Hera knowing that the people have changed and he made some of them more hyper.

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Volcano Gannon Willson, Grade 8 Ryan and Isaac were sitting still under a tree in front of one of the greatest castles in the world, waiting. After a few hours, the most beautiful damsel came out the door for her routine walk through the village. She had some of the best jewelry in the world, worth hundreds of dollars. Nobody ever tried to steal them because her husband is the meanest man in of all Greece and has the most power. That day, Isaac got up and pushed her into the alley and killed her with a rusty old dagger. After stealing the rubies, they got onto their horses and ran off. As they were running off, Zeus told Hades to kill them, but when they died to send them up to his palace. Hades took their lives and sent them to Olympus. Then when they came, Zeus announced that Ryan would go to Tartarus because he was very forgiving, but Isaac was sent to live in a mountain where he would be hanging by chains in the middle of the mountain. Shackled to the chains, Isaac waited, angry that Ryan was spared to Tartarus. At first, the metal pierced his wrists, the sharp pain shot through his body. Eventually, his hands started to numb as though he had just been to the dentist and the pain disappeared until he moved again. The rubies were sparkling like the night sky. He would move to reach them but the sharp pain went through his body. He loved the rubies so much that when he was a kid he would steal them and eat them, and when he got home he would barf them out to look at them. He was as jealous as Hera was when she figured out what Zeus was doing with the nymphs. Isaac was so jealous that he could only think of Ryan, not the diamonds, not death, just Ryan and how he had been sent to Tartarus. Isaac was so hot headed, steam came out of his head. The steam was so dark, that you could mistake it for night. Isaac could not help himself any longer. He decided he had nothing to lose and he would find Ryan and make his life more miserable. Isaac broke a chain: it wasn’t hard but it hurt like nothing he thought of and he was hanging from only one arm. It was so excruciating that Hades heard him scream. Hades knew what Isaac was doing so Hades shot up lava which was so painful that Isaac pleaded, “Stop, stop!” Hades stopped, but when Isaac opened his eyes, the other chain was back on his wrist. Hades re-attached the chain each time Isaac tried to escape. Isaac knew Hades was watching him, he knew he would be stuck in pain for ever.

Why the Rabbit Changes Its Coat Nathan Archibald, Grade 8 It was a sunny fall day. Zeus was busy playing with the nymphs in Olympus. Hera looked down from the balcony off her bedroom in the palace and noticed what Zeus was doing. Angrily, she stomped out of her bedroom. Slamming her door shut, and ran down to stop Zeus from playing with the nymphs. Hera asked in an angry voice; “What are you doing!” Zeus was taken by surprise because he did not realize that Hera was watching him. “I was just wanted to have fun!” Replied Zeus in a happy voice. “Then I have something fun for you to do. You are going to have a lot of fun painting all the doors in the palace, to get them ready for the winter.” Zeus said “OK” in a sad voice. He walked away with his head down. Zeus went and gathered all the materials he needed to start painting. He walked out to the front door, and started painting. The sun was still warm, even though it was a fall day. Zeus became very thirsty. He went inside to get something to drink. When he returned, Zeus noticed that something was moving inside of his paint bucket. After looking closer, he noticed that there was a rabbit inside. Slowly, Zeus pulled the dripping rabbit out of the bucket. It was completely drenched in white paint. The rabbit squirmed away from Zeus’s large hands and ran away into the forest. Zeus ran after the rabbit. He wanted to help take the paint off of him. The rabbit spent most of the winter hiding in the forest. He tried day and night to get the paint off his fur. He did not have any luck. One day, Zeus and Hera went on a walk. Zeus was hoping he would be able to see the rabbit while he was walking. In the distance, he saw two black eyes in a pile of snow. After a closer look, Zeus realized it was the rabbit that had fallen into his paint bucket. Zeus was surprised at how well the rabbit blended in with the snow around him. Zeus thought to himself, “Maybe it was a good thing that the rabbit fell into the bucket of paint after all. He is able to blend into his surroundings.” The snow was melting, and spring was arriving in Olympus. Aphrodite was going for her daily walk when she came upon a white rabbit. She was surprised to see a rabbit of that color. Quietly, Aphrodite crouched down to offer the rabbit a carrot. Carefully, the rabbit approached Aphrodite. After looking closely, she noticed that the rabbit had white paint all over its fur. Aphrodite always carried a bottle of holy water with her. She took it out of her bag, and began washing the rabbit. Almost instantly, the paint began to come off, and the rabbit’s fur was brown again. The rabbit hopped off into the forest. Later that afternoon Zeus was out looking for the nymphs again. In the distance he saw two eyes. He thought it might be a nymph. It turned out it was the rabbit again. The only difference was that the rabbit was brown. Again, he was very hard to see, and blended in with his surroundings. From that day on, whenever winter came the rabbit always turned white, and in the spring he would turn brown. The rabbit learned how to camouflage in the winter and spring to protect itself from enemies.

The Jasmine Flower Jasmine Mancuso, Grade 8 She jumped and fell. Her eyes opened to the feeling of a soft gust of wind. After a few seconds she blacked out from the pounding pain in her head. She awakened to find herself in a different place; the coolness from the floor cooled the wounds on her back for she was lying down. A lady with white togas helped her up and escorted the girl to a room. Her nerves kicked in and started to panic. The girl didn't realize how much pain she was in until they got her to get on her feet. All the blood drained from her head as she got on her feet and off the support of the gods and goddesses. The goddesses laid her down on the operating table and she was out within seconds. When the goddesses were done they dressed her in a toga with a hint of yellow at the waist line. She was still weary but managed to get up and walk. After the girl had been walking a while she found herself pacing in the woods. She heard a tree branch crack coming from behind her. Out popped a girl. The girl kicked the twig away and shuffled towards the white clothed girl and blurted out, “Hi I’m Pansy!” Pansy had purple hair and wore only cute yellow clothing. “What's your name?” Pansy questioned. “M-my name?” the girl answered. “Yes!” Pansy giggled. She responded unsurely “I don’t remember my name.” Pansy frowned and sat down on a mossy tree stump. All of sudden there was a noise, the noise of thunder. Pansy shivered. “AHHHHH!!” she screeched. Without saying anything else Pansy grabbed the girl’s hand and sprinted towards the end of the wild forest. A dark cloud gathered around pansy’s friend and struck her with a single thunderbolt. “AHHHH!!”She fell to the ground. Pansy grabbed the girl’s frail cheek and cried “I know what your name should be!” “What?” the girl managed to answer. “Jasmine, because it’s the most amazing name I've ever heard.” Pansy gritted through her tears. She touched the broken girl’s forehead where the lightning had struck and touched then touched the ground with the blood of the girl. A tiny white flower had appeared throw the musty mud. Pansy checked back on the girl to find that she was gone. Pansy lay down on the ground and waited for the lighting to take her away. But before she was struck she screamed out “This is the jasmine flower.,” And carefully stroked the white petals of the jasmine flower. She was sobbing with fear. Before she could go she needed to do one more thing. She reached in her pocket of her yellow dress and sprinkled some flower dust on top of the newly created flower “You need to smell like a flower.” Pansy spirited. The lightning had struck pansy right on her nose. All she could do was cry. The big tears from her eyes dribbled down her tear stained cheeks and dropped to the ground. Pansy had slowly disappeared completely. The tear sprouted out a beautiful pansy flower with its pretty yellow and purple petals but with an indent on the middle of the nose of the flower. Both of them lay side by side. The Pansy and The Jasmine flower. 53

My Journey to the Underworld Mitch Kloss Gr. 8 It was just an ordinary Wednesday morning, or so it seemed. I woke up, had breakfast and then was on my way to work. It was a summer job at the ice cream shop. I drove there in my dad’s car. I was coming up to the railway track--maybe I could try to make before the train comes... The engine roared at full speed I sped down the street. Ding, Ding, Ding, Ding. There were blinking lights going on and off. The wooden arm came down to block passing people, the train was coming. I tried to slow down, squeezing the brakes as hard as I could. The car wouldn't slow down. Thinking too much I smashed through the wood arm, and crashed into the train. Crushing the metal, wires flying around, sparks, screams and blood. I couldn't move. I just sat there and stared. I didn't think I’d be alright. There were people staring at me, they must have been so curious, but I couldn't even yell for help. I was paralyzed. All I could do was stare straight ahead of me. My attention was drawn from looking at the people to another sound. It was a drizzle. I started to get scared; maybe it was a fuel line. Aaaaaaaaaaaaa! A woman screamed. Fire, Fire! I could smell the unnatural flames of gas. The heat singed my back. I could feel the sweat singeing off my back. I screamed in agony, and suddenly everything was engulfed in flames, and it all went black. When I awoke I was falling out of the night sky. Faster and faster. I tried to slow down but it’s like the wind went right through me. Coming down hard I was able to see a giant mountain. I closed my eyes and slammed against the top of it. I felt a huge shock wave made up of dirt and gravel, but I also had no pain. Opening my eyes there was no blood, I had no broken bones. Not even any cuts. I was feeling pretty wobbly though. Planted two feet on the ground, and stood up. The ground below me started to rumble. At my feet the rocks and pebbles were shaking and trembling, the ground started to crack. I fell through the thick stone into a dark damp cavern. It had water dripping out of the sidling, And in front of me a big lake. I heard a deep voice say hello. When I turned around there was another person standing there,” What’s your name” I asked, “Walter” “Well do you know where we are, “Not a clue”. I heard a faint splashing. Slowly, scared of what I might see, I turned around. What saw was a small boat paddled by a vulgar man? I could almost see bone because his skin was all tearing away and even melting. In a creepy voice he said, “Climb aboard!” One foot after the other in boat, “Payment please.” Sarcastically, Walter said, “I don’t have any cash on me right now, Like a check? “ The creepy man just stared into his eyes, even though I couldn’t even see any eyes on the creepy man. Suddenly he swiftly lifted the pedal out of the water, which quickly transformed into a dreadful spear, and he rammed right through the water. On the side of him where the blade exited out of his back, I saw bloody red heart hanging of the tip of the blade, and still beating. Walters’s dead corps slid off the blade and splashed into the water. Then he pointed the spear at me,” payment?” Tried not to stare directly at his face. While doing that I noticed a bag of silver spheres, “ You... you mean the….those things” Pointing at the bag, “Smart, I will give you one last chance. Leaning the blade closer he put it up to my chest. Dark music emanated from its core, and drifted into my body. It flowed into veins. Before I knew it I was instantaneously transported to somewhere else. There was a coffin, and my family and 54

friends. This was my funeral. No one could see me. I watched intently as tears ran down my cheeks. After everyone left, my dad came back. His eyes were blank He placed one of those silver spears in my mouth. Again transported back to the creepy abyss. I couldn't see straight. It was harder to breath, I felt an irritating pain in my throat. When I put my hand up to feel it, there was a smooth bulge. I up-chucked copious amounts of blood. In the puddle of my fluids in the bottom of the boat, I saw something shiny. As I picked it up I realized this was what He wants. Quickly handing it to him he said, “Payment accepted, we may proceed.” He rode me out into the misty fog. There was no land in site and the ferryman was not a chatty guy. About an hour or so later, we came across a giant gate. Looked like they were made of solid metal. Meters thick at the most. There were giant chains draped from the center lock of the gate to the outside, and there was a statue of three-headed dog. Looked like it had been sculpted out of a dark shade of marble. As we drew nearer, the stone stared to crack Pieces and chuck dropping into the water. It revealed a real 3 headed dog that started walking toward the boat. It was huge. Creating giant waves as it charged through the water. I stopped in front of the boat. The water calmed down. He bent his 3 heads down, and all at one directed at me it road. The sound wave almost capsized the boat and knocked me over. Eventually, it let us pass. The center of the gate turned until, a click was heard, the chains dropped. Then the gate opened. We reached land. The creepy man pushed me off the boat. I wondered into a dense forest. It was dark and lots of shadows. Very quiet though, and that’s what worried me. Know it was very quiet until I stopped to take a break. I thought I heard crying coming from the tree. Putting my ear up to the tree I realized the trees were somewhat alive, because I heard the branches weeping. Continuing on I was wondering anxiously for so long, getting so agitated. Reaching the end of the forest I spotted a green meadow with a pond. It was so beautiful apart from everything else. Running as fast as I could toward it. When I finally got to the pond I knelt down on my knees, and with my grimy hands I drank so much water. Gulp after gulp, so cold and tasty, wait wh….who am I, who am I?

How Crows Turned Black Aiden Voit, Grade 8 “What I want is Ares’ big fat head on a platter at my doorstep now,” Hephaestus screamed at the top of his lungs. “Ok I will go get him and bring him to your feet,” said the servant trying to please Hephaestus. The servant ran out of the big open room on his two small feet and closed the brown wood door behind him slowly trying not to make any noise. Hephaestus leaned back into his comfortable chair with a red face looking like his head was about to pop. “This is the 5th time I have caught him with my wife Aphrodite, that cheater, and now I want him to pay!” Hephaestus said, while starting to cool down. Two days passed and Ares was brought to Hephaestus. Hephaestus was still mad at him and Aphrodite. Hephaestus summoned Zeus the almighty leader of the gods to come and solve the problem. Zeus came down from Mount Olympus and knocked on the door of Hephaestus’ blacksmith shop. A 6 foot man walked over to the door and you could hear his steps on the other side. It sounded like bigfoot running at full speed. He pulled it open and an ugly face was appeared. He had grey hair, old bad yellow and black teeth they were crooked and smelled like rotten saliva and a mean looking face and body. It was Hephaestus he invited them in. Hephaestus told Zeus what happened and said to ban Ares to the underworld. Zeus explained that that’s is no reason to ban someone, all I can do is make sure that areas and your wife NEVER see each other again. Area smirked in the back corner of the room. Aphrodite walked into the room, who was in the back room listening to the Ryan Scott, Grade 12 conversation. She tried to say sorry but Hephaestus did not listen. Zeus told Aphrodite and Ares that they can NEVER see each other again. They both nodded. Then Zeus told Hephaestus that he could do no more to them. Hephaestus face grew red and then in rage he opened his chest and lifted his arms and started to shake. Being in so much rage because of the lame punishment he blew up a nearby volcano. The lava started to bubble up and move down the side of the volcano! Ash and lava spread through the sky like snow. The black ash was so thick you could not even see through it. Some white beautiful crows from a nearby hill got scared and started to fly away honking and squealing but they could not race with the ash. The frightened white crows flew as fast as they could but they could not get away from the ash and the smoke fast enough! The crows got caught in the ash and could not see where they were going they started to fly down then up, all over the place. The crows flew straight up trying to reach the blue sky again. As the crows started to get closer, they could see the bright yellow fiery sun! The birds poked their beaks through the smoke and got out of all the black ash. They returned to the blue sky once again but this time they were different, very different. All the white beautiful crows become black from the ash, and that’s how crows became BLACK. 56

Steel Heart Lachlan Gordon, Grade 8

Rubble surrounded me as I desperately scrambled away from the explosions. Debris pelted me from all sides pausing only when the bombs ran out but soon replaced with more. I ran as pain shot through my body to the nearest shelter that could withstand the bombs. Once I was in, I assessed the damage I sustained while in the open. My injuries were nothing too serious compared to the start of the robot invasion when my arm was sliced open. “I should stay in here for a while,” I thought to myself solemnly. So to entertain myself, I threw rocks across the room. The room was one of the those thrift shops that sold everything but since the robots invaded people have been raiding stores all over the city and at the same time I hoped a robot track unit would pop the tags in the thrift shop. Enemy track units were the size of a golden retriever and had metal tracks instead of legs. But that wasn't the most threatening thing about it. Each track unit was equipped with a motion sensor that was connected to a chain gun that was positioned on the side of the machine which was covered by armour. I kept thinking about the details of this machine and before I could stop myself, I fell asleep... “C'mon Alec let’s go and get lunch.” My mother was sitting in the driver’s seat and I was in the passenger seat. I could say nothing. I only watched as my mother drove on. We were pulling toward the restaurant when an explosion happened in the distance. My mother was out of the car in the parking lot looking onward in the distance. A plane was drawing closer to us by diving, yet my mother stood still frozen in terror. A machine gun rattled from the plane making a clear path towards my mother. The next scene happened slowly: the bullets hit my mother’s legs continuing until the bullets made direct contact with her head. Blood sprayed across the hood of the car. I woke up with tears flowing down my face. Sadness consumed my thoughts as I stood up and wandered outside not caring what I ran into. I kept walking until I found a track unit unaware of my presence. I picked up a rock and hurled it at the unit. It made a loud clang that echoed throughout the empty streets. The machine slowly turned around and aimed the gun at me. “Go ahead take your best shot,” I said. I collapsed to my knees and raised my arms out wide. A deafening sound emerged from the track unit. Metal punctured my body as a mist of blood squirted out of multiple bullet holes but for some reason it didn't hurt as I fell to the ground it felt relieving. Soon enough my life would be care free and I wouldn't need to worry about my life. Blood drops flew past my eyes as I was falling but instead of fear I saw beauty in life for the last time. I savored each breath as I fell to the ground not knowing which is going to be my last. Finally I hit the pavement with a thud but still no pain was felt. My mind was becoming numb as I started to lose conscience but as fast as it started it was over.

The Prophecy of the A.I. Computers Noah Kane, Grade 8

To this day the A.I. are all that have power. They brutally oppress the people and show no respect to them. The A.I.’s control the boundaries of where a human is allowed to travel, trapping us in a castle-like city. As they make little to no mistakes, and have the intelligence to outsmart the average person, we now live in fear of those over-powered machines. The only problem is they know how to program more computers and mass produce them. There's one constant program flaw that no computer can fix, and we can only hope the A.I. will be overrun with this weakness. As the robot controlled computers can get stuck and paralyzed in their tracks momentarily, they become vulnerable to hackers during those seconds. The next mankind generation will have the best chance of starting a successful rebellion. Not only do the A.I. rule the world, but they make a mess of everything in the area. Since the A.I’s are computers, they don't feel guilt or feel that people should be respected. For example, if someone were to get arrested, the A.I. would have no problem trashing their house to find them. The old wise man’s estimate is that the earth will have another 50 years before the A.I. will extinguish the human race. A recent prophecy from the old wise man on his death bed is that,” some human of special descent will find a way to defeat these terrible machines, besides the millennium is in twenty years. There must be someone in the near future to support this prophecy.” Everyone looks at me like a superhero. I'm not and I know that. It’s most likely that people suggest that am because I have blood of the original programmer, but he is so far down the line I don't count it. Another possible reason people may think I’m the ultimate rescuer, is because I am the only person to be born in the year of 3000, the millennium is supposed to be a special day. The A.I. only allows one person born a day because they think too many people are a threat. When I look in the mirror I see an unsatisfied Canadian individual, small in size compared to the average Gr. 9. I am unsatisfied because the A.I. control everything. Unlike most kids, I seem to think in a different way. Everyone knows I think “outside the box”. People call it creativity. Not too many people are creative these days, it's extremely rare. Scientists say one in ten thousand people are creative. People are not creative these days because the A.I. have all the control and people are oppressed to think they have no chance to rebel. Only when I discovered I was creative did people relate me to the prophecy. As the A.I.’s are teachers in school I don't care to do well. I often zone out with not one worry. At home I developed a revolutionary bomb against my teacher and all other A.I.’s. Since all I did in school was do math to perfect this bomb, it is a work of art. I call it the electromagnetic pulse grenade, E.M.P for short. I would try to produce them more if I could find more parts to make it. Buying parts is sadly not an option, because everything is run on bitcoin and computers can track what you have bought and become suspicious. I started an under the radar organization which scouts out for dumpsters where the A.I.’s get rid of outdated computers. After six years my organization was about to produce three E.M.P’s. One of the E.M.P’s we product is large enough to wipe out approximately half the computers in the area. We will soon begin a rebellion with the launch of the E.M.P.

As we collect the rebellion led by able to overthrow E.M.P was city was wiped out fought for their independence. As backup and contain start to die by the and firepower the secret organization usual place and talk we invented. I stay mainframe but will take my

people to help with me, we should be the A.I.’s. After the launched and half the people charged and lives and for the A.I.’s call in the violence. People powerful artillery A.I. can produce. My will regroup in the in the code language back to look in to the computer, it’s risky chances.

I was able to recover a weakness in the programing so we could tap in and change a few things now and then, just so they don't find out about us. A new software update for all AI’s shuts down the town for a solid five minutes every month. As the A.I.’s keep the Battery operated defences up and automatic turrets up the people have little chance of escaping. My research shows that the battery operated electronic army is positioned so well that no E.M.P and get to them. After we disrupted the software update we should be able to re-upload the program we created based on preservation of human life. If there was one thing I didn't look out for, it would be the defender wall that goes up during software update time. That small weakness in our plan cost us our whole program and mainframe computer. As it looks, we are forever doomed. Unless we come up with a way of outsmarting the A.I., maybe the A.I.’s get us to think they are our superiors and are smarter than us, but they're actually not. At this point I will not let this rebellion idea outlive me, I am going to see it happen! After two brick solid attempts of a rebellion we finally have an unbreakable plan. We seek everyone’s strength/talent and use it to fit in to our next rebellion. They never see it coming. I used my creativity to make E.M.P stun guns and increase the power and range of the E.M.P. I hope this works. With everyone discovering different new talents and strengths we just might squeak out a win. With one hundred percent will power behind creativity I truly believe this rebellion more than the others. As the first group starts a riot to distract the A.I.’s all the other groups sneak up and destroy the A.I. controlled robots. Everyone gives everything they have at this point one cares to die for the freedom of others. It feels better to lead a rebellion that everyone can contribute in their own special way. After approximately 3 days the A.I.’s were completely overthrown. I know everyone has something special about them, that’s why I knew I was not a superhero, because I wasn't alone I just discovered it sooner than others. Sometimes you gotta be different to be the same. After reinventing the world the human race decided to go completely green. I can just remember the surrounding applause and cheers of victory from the people. Life would be ok without the oppression of the robotic A.I. controlled computers. After a bunch of people and me gather the supplies we have a statue of me holding my ever so famous E.M.P grenade, underneath it was a plaque that had the prophecy written on it. 59

My Best Friend Annette Berry, Grade 8

Beep, beep my alarm clock had woke me up! This was going to be the worst day of my life. I was going to the doctor to pick up my scoliosis back brace which was called a (Boston brace). Scoliosis is a curve in the spine that tends to Accor around ten to fourteen years of age. The symptoms of it are when your back is in tremendous pain which mine is. Also when there is a hump on one side of your back. I jumped out of my bed and slipped my clothes on. I walked to the kitchen and got myself two Eggo waffles and a glass of milk. As I put the Eggo waffles in the toaster, my mother walked towards me and gave me a big hug. She was wearing her bright red shirt and her grey work pants. She looked stunning. She had a bright cheery face on her and was not even the slightest bit mad about getting the brace. My mother is never mad when it comes to these things. She turns every negative thing into a positive thing. That’s what I love about my mom. Once I finished my breakfast we headed our way to the Alberta’s Children’s Hospital. I was getting nervous and wondering what the brace would look like. Errrrk, the car stopped. We got out of the car and headed our way to the first floor. This was where all of the braces were made. When we got there the front desk lady told me and my mother to take a seat. As I watched people around the room my heart began to race faster and faster. The room smelled like medicine, everyone in the room began to stare at me. I was getting some nervous. I didn’t like it when people stared at me. “Eden?” An old lady called “Yes?” “Doctor Parson is ready to fit you in your new brace!” “Follow me this way.” I got up and followed the old lady to the room. The lady opened the door up wide and there it was.....My worst nightmare! Sitting on a bench was an ugly, Wight Boston brace. My mother saw my jaw drop and new that I was feeling sad. She put her hand on my head. She knew that this was hard for me. “The doctor will be with you in a moment.” “Okay thank you,” my mother replied. Knock, knock, knock the doctor was finally here. “Come in,” my mother said.

“Hello there Eden I am Dr. Parson and I am going to fit you in you knew back brace.” He handed me the brace and told me to put it on. Dr. Parson was extremely tall for his age. He had grey hair and looked about sixty years old. I felt very uncomfortable when I stretched the brace onto my upper body. The brace was very hot and I had no idea how I was going to wear it jurying the summer! It felt like I couldn’t breathe it was so tight. I’m so angry that it had to be me of all people to wear this stupid thing. I told him were the brace was hurting me. He grabbed a pen and marked the spots were I said it hurt. Twenty minutes later....... The doctor walked in the room with my brace that was all fixed up.

Rajan Bhullar, Grade 11

To me it looked the exact same. He explained to me that I have to wear this brace for twenty two hours a day. Until your spine stops growing. Nothing less and nothing more. I nodded my head “You’re free to go.” I left the room slouching like a sloth. As we made our way to the car my mother said to me that it wasn’t that big of a deal and she told me that she will always be there for me. “Mom you are my best friend” “I love you so much sweetie!” She replied. “Now you can turn this brace into a positive thing or a negative thing. You can either embrace your brace or be disappointed about your brace?” “I will embrace it!” I laughed My mom is one of my best friends in my life because she brings me happiness, joy and warmth into my life. Whenever I’m feeling sad she cheers me up by her positive attitude. I will no longer worry about what other people think about me. I will be just like my mom! “A best friend is someone who knows all about you and loves you anyway.”-Elbert Hubbard 61

Isaac Towsley, Grade 8

Found Poetry Oliver Petti, Grade 8 The redhead bit Baby Dally then Merely shrugged. I wished she was Sodapop!

Untitled Penn Poutanen, Grade 8 As he explored the long hallways of his new house for the first time, the floorboards creaked, revealing their age and deteriorated state. Old Theodore wandered from room to room, examining the disrepair resulting from years of neglect. Dust covered every surface including the large lump on the floor. “Hmm, that shouldn’t be here,” he said to himself. He walked over to the strange lump on the floor and pulled the sheet off of it and he saw something that changed his life… “... and that’s where the story ends.” “Awww, come on Dad!” Tory said. “There’s gotta be more!” “Sorry little fella, that’s where Grandpa always stopped. Well it’s off to sleep for you little man.” “No!” I lifted Tory onto my shoulders, brought him upstairs, and tucked him in. Then I went back downstairs and thought to myself, I wonder if that house I keep passing is for sale? Rebecca is getting mad at me for not repairing this old thing. Knock on wood. Knock! A loose piece of wood from the ceiling came and knocked me out. Then all I saw was the dark. I woke up in a black room with a large bump on my head. A disembodied voice said, “Hello, mortal. Welcome to the Land of the Dead! HAHAHAHAHAH!” Then the lights turned on and I saw Rebecca and Tory laughing their faces off. “Ah, come on guys, it’s like 12 at night,” I pleaded. “Nope, you slept through the night,” Rebecca explained. “How did I get here?” “We saw you on the floor and noticed that you were still alive, we decided to play this little joke.” “Ok, but can you help me up?” “Yes,” I got up and after I had breakfast, Rebecca and I started talking. “So how did you get knocked out? “Well, I knocked on the wall and a piece of wood hit me on the head.” “Wow, we need a new house.” “Shall I go house hunting again?” “Yeah, go do that, take Tory with you. I have to get ready for work.” I strapped Tory in, started the car and turned on the radio. Hmmmm, I keep seeing that old house on my way to work. Maybe it’s for sale? I remember the address: 242 Maple Street. A few hours later, I was at the old house and it had a for sale sign in the lawn! I called the realtor and bought it right on the spot! As we crept into the old house there was a slight creaking in the floor and I thought I heard something moving. 64

“It’s probably just a rat,” I reassured Tory. A few hours later… “We still have to check the basement,” I said to Tory. We went down to the basement but the only thing we saw was a white cloth sheet covering a... lump on the floor. The first thing I thought was this is the house Dad went to! I hastily grabbed a shovel and pulled the cloth of the lump… It was a skeleton! I jumped back and hit it with the shovel, knocking its head off I ran outside and called the police. By the time they got there I had calmed down and tried to rationalize what I had just seen. A police officer asked me some questions, then I went inside to show them the body but it was… gone. After that the police left without another word, so I decided to investigate on my own. I went back down to that horrid place with Tory close behind. I went over to the spot the body had been and tripped over a rock opening a secret passage! Down, down, down we went into the depths of the earth, finding a wooden structure a chicken coop and a tiny patch of over grown farm land among other things. We looked into the structure and found lots of bodies including one that seemed to be the one who killed all of these people. We found him in a chair, a name tag on his body that said “Hello, my name is Justice” with the “Justice” written in blood. After a few hours of looking around we went back upstairs and closed the passage. We went back to our old house and told Rebecca what we had seen but asked her not to call the police. In a few months we moved into the house and we never talked about it again. But we still don't know what moved the skeleton out of the basement. Maybe that’s a story for another time.

Anna Emma Jacob, Grade 8 The waves rolled in onto the golden shores, flowing around the rocks and up the banks. It paused for a moment and then cautiously retreated, hiding, waiting. I watched it, this endless cycle, from the cliff just above the shores were it was hiding. Sitting down, I dangled my feet of the edge as the tide came in again. The sun was setting, and the light reflected off the water in a way that made the sea sparkle. I stared at it, enviously, hating how no matter what you did to it, it still remained beautiful. Turning around, I made my way down the steep slope and to the shore below. I stood there, glaring at it, hating it for what it was. This is the place where Anna was, swimming in the water, and walking along the shores, this was her favorite place to be, where she could relax and do what she wanted. This is the place were Anna was. The place where she was, when she was murdered. I stood there now, her best friend, standing on the shores which were still stained with blood. Even though I was quiet and refused to talk to anybody, Anna could still see right through me. She loved being my friend, and didn’t push me too hard to talk to her. She understood me, and accepted me for what I was. If I had any problem, I could talk to her. She was always there for me, and now that she was gone, I had no one. Bending down, I picked up a rock and hurled it, at the water in front of me. It wasn’t fair. None of it was fair. The wind rustled through my blonde hair, tangling and twisting it together. I dug my feet deep in the sand, watching as water surged up and around them. The sky was losing light, and It would soon be dark. But I didn’t move. I stayed there, just as Anna had, as the world grew darker and the air chilled. It was quiet, only the waves moved, crashing silently against the black rocks behind me. Walking forward, I let the sea rise around me until only my head was above the water. I floated backwards and hovered in the water on my back, gazing up at the black sky above me. My hair trailed around me, drifting along the water, pulling away, but never being able to go anywhere. I turned my head back up to the sky, as new flecks of white appeared upon the black canvas above. I reached my hand out towards the canvas, running my hand along its smooth surface. Letting my hand fall back down I took a deep breath and pulled my body downwards, sinking below the surface, falling away from the canvas. I swam deeper, through the darkness, searching, but not knowing what I was searching for. I stopped and let the current pull me farther away from shore, underneath the world above. As I ran out of air to hold, I swam forward, towards the light above me. My head broke the surface of the water and I looked around searching for the shore. I spotted it, a tiny speck in the distance, barely recognizable as the town where I live. Sighing, I swam towards it, in no hurry as I knew that no one would care if I came home or not. I finally reached land, dragging myself back onto the banks and spreading myself across the sand, catching my breath. I closed my eyes. I could still remember when Anna first dragged me to this place... “Come on!!” Anna cried, pulling me forward towards the cliff face. “Wa-it!” I stuttered. Anna rolled her eyes and tugged me forwards again. “It will be fun!” she promised. I looked up into her eyes, trying to release my hand from her grip.

“Bu-but!” I started. “I don’t think we are allowed to come here..” I pointed out, gesturing to the “Keep Out” sign dug into the sand below. Anna shook her head and dragged me forward again. Giving up, I let her guide me down the slope to the banks below. “Look!” she chirped. Anna pointed to the ocean in front of them. The waves crashed recklessly against the shore and the temperature was sweltering hot, burning the sand from underneath their feet. “Shouldn’t we come back another time?” I whispered. Anna didn’t notice as she ran forward towards the sea and jumped into the water. I had never seen her happier then when she was at that beach. Her face showed complete happiness, complete joy whenever she was at that beach. “Anna..” I started. “Come on!” she laughed. She yanked me forward and giggled as I splashed into the water beside her. Spitting out water, I glared at her. “That wasn’t funny.” I growled. Anna laughed. “Then why are you smiling?” she countered, pointing at my face. “I’m smiling?” I wondered. “Ya!” Anna nodded. “Can’t you te…” she screamed as I reached down and splashed her with water. “You little!” she shrieked. I laughed as she splashed me back, as if a weight had been lifted off my shoulders, like it would never come back.... ...but it was back. I never really lost it, not really. I always felt that way, I just couldn’t notice it as much when Anna was around. Opening my eyes, I got up and wandered down the shore, letting the water drip down my face and smudge my mascara, creating dark rings underneath my eyes. I rubbed the black away, as I pulled my feet forward, kicking the damp sand across the shoreline. I felt as if she was there with me, pushing me forward, telling me not to give up. But I couldn’t hear her voice anymore. Her face, along with her happiness was gone from my memory. My memories were foggy and slipping away from me. I could feel them flutter around me, taunting me, just beyond my reach. I reached out to them, trying to grasp them but they slipped between my fingers. I watched uselessly as they flew away, disappearing into the night sky. They were leaving me, each one of them, one happy memory replaced with a new one. I could feel them being pulled out of me, a hand, reaching through my heart, yanking them out of me, losing hope. My vision was blurring, I couldn’t see and I fell forward on my knees. My heart was being ripped apart. Then I realized as my few memories were being stripped away, that it was Anna, it was Anna, reaching through me and pulling them out. I could barely see her anymore, but as she took away the memories of her, she replaced them with new ones, of hope and courage. I could feel hope, more hope than I ever had. I held onto that, as I stood up and walked away from the shores. Making my way up the slope, I turned for the last time towards the beach and smiled. I walked away from the ocean, onto the road and towards my house. Sometimes I went back to that beach, always searching for something, never knowing what it was. I never made any other friends, not that I wanted to, but if anyone ever asked me if I had a best friend, I would always say I never had one. But I could always feel someone watching over me, I never knew who it was, but they were always there, just like a best friend would be.

Hard to Get Cassandra Petropoulos, Grade 8

She was a human but had one unique thing about her, she could read the future. Very often she would go into town and tell people their future for money of course but, it was something she always enjoyed. One day an old man came to the back of a store to have his future told to him. Cassandra told him and the old man left paying her little and she was a little sad at the amount of money. The man came back the next day and sat down on the rotted away chair that Cassandra had. Cassandra told him his future again wondering why he came a second time to have his future told to him. This time he paid more but he didn't get up and leave. Instead he asked her, “I love you dearly Cassandra, would you please be my wife,” he bitterly asked and Cassandra rejected his request. The old man looked at her in fury and slammed his hand down on the desk. “Then you shall have a curse placed upon you! No one will believe you and you future telling!” he laughed and disappeared. Cassandra smiled to herself not believing in the old man and kept sitting at her little desk waiting for people to come. A young woman came and sat down at the chair. Cassandra told her future and the woman glared at her “That will never happen you fraud!” she yelled and stormed away. Cassandra frowned but she knows this happens often but, as the day went on the same thing kept happening. She left for the day in her little house outside of the city. The next day she didn't go to her normal spot but instead wandered around the streets. As she walked on the dirt path she had bumped into someone by accident as they dropped their stuff. It was a tall man. She helped pick up his stuff and gave it to him. Then the man asked “do you have a mate? Or….anyone?’ he said looking up and down at her and she glared at him. “No but i don't plan on being yours.” she said coldly and walked away. This started to happen to her all day nonstop. Guys asking her to be theirs and her always turned them down. She was starting to like this attention and started to play around. She would turn the men down on purpose then taunted them as she walked away. She was now simply playing hard to get. A couple of days later Cassandra was once again walking down the street attracting men again. She walked out of the city then her eyes narrowed and she a big snake half man. She backed away from him and he hissed his bright yellow eyes glared at her. He grabbed his as she started to turn she little dust particle. “There shall never be a day when you deceive men ever again!” he hissed and she was soon completely gone but she was still in the air as the mischief of love. 68

Day of the Mutuus Penn Poutanen, Grade 8 So I have this cat-thing. We think it was genetically modified from a normal cat to live on the moon. It has patches of purple-black fur and fish scales all over its body, a fish for a head and a normal cat body. It can even talk AND it eats its own flesh for nutrients! We have no idea where it came from only that it was in the crater where the first moon colony ship landed. I called it Mr Fluffers… The moon colony was a beautiful place. When its inhabitants would awake, they were greeted by the brightness of the sun and the blue pearl Planet Earth. The year was 2100, the beginning of a new decade on this rocky outcrop we call the moon. Things were peaceful for years. People lived in the colony in their pods worry free, growing organic produce and using solar power and generators that recycled oxygen to all compartments. There were main buildings, schools, shopping districts and of course the farms. The colony was self-sufficient and even exported some of its local produce back to earth, in fact the moon’s butter lettuce was world renown. All was quiet until….. The Day of the Mutuus. So I woke up. My eyes opened and I could see the wires sparking all of our power away. There were fires burning their short lives away out in the vacuum of space. I tried to move but found that I was tied up. I heard a faint *meow* and then all went black. I regained consciousness about an hour later. I looked out the window and saw the most insane thing I had ever seen. The entire colony had exited their homes and trying to fix all kinds of crises and at that eat moment I heard the siren that signaled that the air recycler was offline. I ran over to the emergency binder I had for my todo list for cat-astrophes: IT’S LIST TIME! As i read the list I couldn’t remember writing it but this information passed me by at the time. All I could think about was restarting the generators and stabilizing the moon colony air supply. I just made it outside my house when I saw the broken generator sparking out its last reserves of energy. I grabbed my tools and ran to the generator it was easier to fix than expected. I was called by the moon council on my hand-comp they said they had been notified that there was a bomb deep in the moon's crust and I was the only tech! *Originally published in the Rundle Rebirth

The Never Ending Nightmare Lachlan Gordon, Grade 8 “Billy…” I hear a faint voice. “Billy!” I snap back to reality, not knowing that a string of drool was suspended from my jaw. I quickly swatted it away only to achieve attaching it to my hand, “Yes”, I say, giving my full attention to my mother who was handing me the peas and giving me look that suggested, “ Really? Here at the table?” My father quickly said, “Billy you should go wash up and hit the hay.” Once that was said, I replied with, “No problem…. Warden” and with those last words I bolted up stairs dodging a hand full of peas that were thrown at me. I lay in my bed wearing bright yellow Joe Boxer pajamas reading a MAD magazine. I put the magazine down on my bed side table and slip deep into my covers not knowing what lay ahead in my dreams. Restless, I can never go to sleep no matter what I do even when I count sheep the number of them keeps accumulating and by the time you know it you're in the thousands but tonight were different once my head hit the pillow I was out cold. “ BILLY!” A voice boomed, “You have entered the dream world and the only way to wake up is to make it through three of your darkest nightmares!” I was shocked and admittedly shaking uncontrollably due to the sudden loud voice that sounded an awfully lot like my grade 7 teacher. I would describe the room in detail but it seemed I was in a white box. Suddenly the voice boomed again, “Prepare to swim!” Without any cue the floor dropped from under me and I was sent to the bottom of the sea. Somehow, chains had formed around me and they were attached to an anvil that was plunging me to my doom. My ears started to pop. I tried to scream but water flooded my mouth reminding me I was in an ocean. A scraping noise sounded I look to where it came from the chain had caught on a coral reef! With no hesitation I slid both hands out of the tangled chains and immediately after I yanked my legs out. I was free I just had to tread water and make it to any piece of land. The voice boomed creating little ripples in the water, “Congratulations! Your first nightmare is complete but your next nightmare involves people who bite off more than they can chew!” The water started to drain away revealing an old structure. By the looks of it the structure seemed to be the roman coliseum and I was going to be placed right in the middle. The last of the water was drained only leaving behind small puddles. I appeared in a traditional roman uniform which consisted of bright red cloth and gleaming plates of armor. The coliseum was collapsed and worn away but the walls that kept the gladiators in the arena were still standing. An ear drum bursting screech sounded as the metal gate opened releasing all hell upon me. Demons crawled out of the gate followed by creatures with the most deformed and terrifying bodies. The creatures all carried some kind of weapon that would certainly kill me with one swing. I started to pace backward not able to look away from the demons they had reached me in no seconds flat. They swarmed around me hissing constantly and the odd one would give me a swift scratch but other than that they kept their distance. Why I said out loud and with no hesitation the demons scattered away from me only to stop at the walls and cower in group waiting but waiting for what. Seconds after that thought a giant lumbered over the coliseum yelling two words: “Kill Billy!” I sprint not looking back at the hoard of disfigured creatures. 70

There was no point in running the giant only took two steps and made one swift movement to grab me. Before I knew it the giant was giving me a glare as he held me to his face. I tried to pry his fingers off me but his meaty fingers wouldn't budge. When I thought I breathed my last breath a devastating shake terrorized the land and knocked the giants head into the mountain. Soon after a voice sounded, “Billy wake you'll miss the bus Billy!” Yes it was my mom. I’m saved! My mom’s voice sounded again, “Fine. I’ll leave you alone all day but if you know what's good for you you'll get dressed and go to school.” Give me a break! “I’m having a nightmare,” I thought to myself. After, I crawled out of the giant’s stinking body. That terrifying voice boomed across the sky and he said, “Lucky boy. Let’s just say you passed this one...the only reason I’m giving you this is because you certainly will not pass the next nightmare,” and with those final words, a tornado appeared in the distance making its way to me and in no time flat the tornado engulfed me. Five or six agonizing minutes passed before the tornado spat me out into an empty circus. The booming voice echoed throughout the circus reaching me while it busted my ear drums. The voice said only six words, “Hope you have a good laugh.” DING! DING! DING! “What the heck was that?” I thought to myself. The noise continued but eventually became the catchy jingle that circuses used. But why would that be in a nightmare? Suddenly, one word that frightened me to death popped into my head. Clowns! Honk! Honk! A car smaller than a house cat drove slowly towards me--the driver honking its horn madly. The car screeched to a stop and all power was drained from it as a clown the size of the average man climbed out of the car giggling uncontrollably. Horrifying is the only word I can use to describe the situation because as the clown giggled, his teeth began to morph into a sharper and more terrifying form. Each second that passed I kept getting weaker and weaker until I had no energy to stand or sit. I resorted to curling up on the ground bawling. The clown stood above me mocking me. Any movement or sound I made was an excuse for mockery. There was no hope, for hours had passed as I cried on the ground in front of the clown. It was interrupted by the booming voice that said, “So close, yet so far, Billy. You have lost and for losing you must live every day of your life living your darkest nightmare! that is all I have to say. Good bye Billy.” Suddenly, I sat up straight in my bed dripping in a pool of sweat. I looked around. Everything was back to the way it was--thank God. My mom opens the door swearing. I look at her with a petrified look of horror and then I let out a blood curdling scream as I look at the clown she has become.

Santa vs. Evil Amy Heise, Grade 8 Santa Claus marched down the hallway to the Christmas Control room. All around him elves zoomed, trying to get to where they were supposed to be. As he entered the room he met a bouncy elf with lava-like curly hair and pink cat’s eye glasses. “Is the sleigh ready Peppermint?” he asked. “Yes, of course,” she said. “Here’s your radio. This way you can talk to us all night long.” She handed him a small silver cylinder with a little antenna on the end. Santa turned to a small elf with big blue eyes and the same lava-like curly hair. “Are all the toys ready, Pound-Cake?” Asked Santa. “They most certainly are,” he replied. Peppermint and Pound-Cake were the elves in charge of Santa’s sleigh and toy making. Both of them had had their jobs for ninety-three years. He walked toward the main controls, which showed the location of Santa. Seated at the controls were Mary Claus and a five foot tall gingerbread man wearing a chef’s hat. “I have finished all the Christmas baking, Mr. Claus,” reported Sweet Tooth, the gingerbread man. Sweet Tooth was in charge of the Christmas baking. Santa had hired him at the start of last year, when the elf who was previously in charge of baking retired. “I’ve checked all the systems, honey,” Mary told her husband. “You can leave any time you want.” Santa kissed Mrs. Claus goodbye and headed out to his sleigh. “I've went over the route with the other reindeer. They’re very excited to get going,” explained Rudolf. He seemed to be correct, as Santa Claus had barely climbed in before the sleigh took off. Rudolf didn’t even get the chance to tell everyone it was time to leave Santa’s workshop on Svalbard. “First stop, Kristiansund, Norway!” shouted Rudolf, over the roaring wind. Before they even landed in Kristiansund, Santa knew there was a problem. The problem was a frost giant, standing like a wall of ice in front of them, his large nose like a boulder and his eyes like fire. Boom! He took a step forward and reached for the sleigh. “Raaaaarrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr!!!” bellowed the frost giant. “Evasive maneuvers!” screamed Rudolf, as the sleigh dodged to the left. The frost giant tripped over a house and went flying, falling into the ice covered ground. “How about we go somewhere else now, and come back to Kristiansund later?” suggested Santa. “Good plan,” replied Rudolf. “Let’s go to Castletown, Scotland.” Santa Clause agreed with Rudolf, but something worried him. He knew this frost giant. His name was Humongous, and he lived in the Verkhoyansk mountain range, in Russia. Humongous was a long way from home. The word Ambush! rang in Santa’s mind. Santa pulled out his tiny radio, and explained the problem to Mrs. Claus and the others at Christmas Control. “Don’t worry,” Mrs. Claus assured him. “I’ll look into it. Besides, he doesn't know where you're going next. His conversation with his wife had cheered up Santa, so he felt very relaxed as he flew above the puffy, white clouds. Everything will be fine, he thought. Little did he know that beneath the clouds the frost giant Humongous was swimming through the ocean. The sleigh came up to Castletown, Scotland faster than a bullet train traveling between stations. The Reindeer landed the sleigh on a snow covered roof of a cozy little house. Santa reached back into the compartment containing the presents and grabbed the gift for the child that lived here, a three year old girl named Anabla McLean. Santa Claus checked with Christmas control and made sure Anabla was asleep, and began to crawl down the chimney. Before he was even half way down, he heard loud shouts from outside. Bam, smash! It was the sound of a window breaking. Santa crawled up the chimney faster than ever before. When he got out on the roof, he noticed several horrifying things in 72

a few seconds. First of all, the sleigh had been thrown through the window of a nearby mall. Secondly, Rudolf was unconscious, with a nasty cut on his forehead. Lastly, Humongous the frost giant was standing a few short feet in front of him, his mouth open, waterfalls of drool coming from it. Suddenly, Santa realized what he must do. Months ago, in June, Peppermint had installed a giant proof net that he could operate at close range. Santa ran faster than a cheetah across the road toward the mall. Humongous’ foot came down centimetres from his head. The frost giant reached out to grab him. Santa ducked and hit the ground. Wham! He could feel the hard pavement below him, and the pain was dizzying. He rolled to the left to avoid the giant’s enormous polar- bear-like hand. Santa Claus jumped up and raced to the sleigh. When he got there he was out of breath and breathing hard. “Is Rudolf alright?” Santa asked Prancer. “He'll be fine,” he answered. “He just won’t be able to fly for a while.” Without another word Santa jumped into the sleigh and put his finger on the button that released the giant proof net. He took a deep breath. Looking toward Humongous, he realized that he would have to wait until the giant was almost on top of him before releasing the net. The giant came closer and closer and closer, until he was less than two metres away. “Take that, you rotten refrigerator!” shouted Santa as he pressed the button. The net closed around Humongous, stopping him from going anywhere. Santa checked the net, and it was undamaged. He then reported the situation to Mrs. Claus through the radio. “I’ll send some elves to go and get Rudolf and Humongous,” his wife told him. “Leave one of the reindeer there to look after him and continue delivering presents.” “Mary,” Santa began. “How did the frost giant know where we were going? We flew above the clouds the entire time!” “Well,” Mrs. Claus whispered. “First I thought one of the elves accidently put something about your first stop online, until you went to Castletown. The only ones who knew about the change of plans were the Christmas council. Someone can’t be trusted.” Santa continued delivering presents until Christmas morning. When he came back to the workshop, Mrs. Claus was standing in the doorway. “I did some research,” she explained. “You know Sweet Tooth, that gingerbread man? Well, it turns out that Humongous was his baker. I took Sweet Tooth’s phone, and found that he had texted the information to the giant.” “Have you apprehended him?” inquired Santa. “Yes” answered Mary. “Him and Humongous are in the workshop jail.” Together the two of them walked over to the jail and had a discussion with Sweet Tooth. “How could you have betrayed me?” demanded Santa. “I was never on your side to begin with,” explained Sweet Tooth. “The only reason you didn’t even research me is because I’m a cute little gingerbread man. No one ever suspects gingerbread men.” Santa wanted to argue, but Sweet Tooth had a point. When he had hired the gingerbread man, he had thought more about the fact that he was a cute, sweet looking gingerbread man than anything else. From that point on, Santa Claus was extra careful about who he hired and always took a giant proof net when delivering presents. Withholding information was used when the reader didn’t know who was giving information to the frost giant. Onomatopoeia. Action causing suspense.

The Yule Lads Phoenix Shomody, Grade 8 Lots of people do fascinating things for Christmas but this one takes the cake. This tradition is done in Iceland. But they don’t have a Santa in Iceland. What they do have is the Yule Lads. The half troll, half human Yule lads can go from pranksters to homicidal monsters that eat children. Originating from folklore, the Yule Lads have become very popular in Iceland. There are 13 Yule Lads that are celebrated. Each Yule Lads are celebrated for 13 days and nights. Starting from December 12, the first Yule Lad to arrive is the Sheep-Coat Clod. He likes to annoy sheep but is impaired by his stiff peg-legs. Next Yule Lad is Gully Gawk who arrives on the 13th. He hides in gully’s waiting for an opportunity to sneak into a cowshed and steal milk. The next Yule Lad is known as Stubby. He arrives on the 14th and is unusually short and steals frying pans to eat the crust left on them. This one arrives on the 15th he likes to steal wooden spoons and licks what’s left on it he is extremely skinny do to the amount of nutrition his name is Spoon-Licker. The next Yule lad is called PotScraper. He has a simple job and that’s to steal the leftovers in pots he comes on the 16th. The next is called Bowl-Licker he hides under beds and waits for someone to put down their “askur” (A type of bowl with a lid mostly used instead of dishes) and then he steals it he comes on the 17th. This one is my favorite his name is Door-Slammer he likes to slam doors especially at night. Just a guy who slams doors he arrives on the 18th. The next Yule-Lad is named SkyrGobbler with an affinity for skyr (A type of yogurt) He comes on the 19th. Next one is called Sausage-Swiper he likes to hide in the rafters and steals sausages being smoked. He arrives on the 20th. This one is rather creepy. He likes to look through your window and steal anything he can get his hands on. He comes on the 21st. This one is rather odd. He is named Doorway-Sniffer he has an abnormally large nose to and a keen sense of smell to sniff out laufabrauo (A type of bread) he arrives on the 22nd. This one is also creepy his name is Meat-Hook he has a metal hook he uses to steal meat. He arrives on the 23rd. This one is the worst. His name is Candle-Stealer he follows children to steal their candles (in those days the candles were made out of mutton fat and edible). He is the last and arrives on the 24th. Most people in Iceland still believe in them and celebrate them each year and happy holidays. 74

The Easter Cat-astrophe Amy Heise, Grade 8 Today is a perfectly wonderful day, thought Puff the bunny, pulling on the edge of his ear. Nothing could possibly go wrong today. Suddenly, his peaceful thoughts were interrupted by a loud noise. RRRRRING! RRRRRING! RRRRRING! That was the telephone. Puff ran to answer it. “Hello, Puff” said the voice on the other side. “This is your dad speaking. I broke my leg earlier today and I need you to do me a small favor.” “What?” asked Puff. “Well son,” continued Puffs father. “I need you to deliver the eggs for me at Easter.” “What!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!?????” screamed Puff. “How could you do this to me?” “Easters in a week, so you’ll have time to read my notes first,” replied his dad. I didn’t have time to call anyone else. I’m e-mailing the notes to you now.” Puff relaxed again. He’d have time to read the notes later. A few days went by and Puff forgot about the notes. When he finally remembered them it was the day before Easter. Puff had just enough time to skim over the notes, but not enough time to read them in detail. At the first houses he delivered to everything went fine. However, when he reached the last house in Northern Calgary, which just so happens to be Penn’s house, it would have been handy to have read the notes. He walked through the door, which seemed very large to a small rabbit. Using Ester magic, he opened the door and hopped through. Two cats stood on the other side. This isn’t a problem, thought Puff. I’ve dealt with cats before. The cats pounced on him, and Puff leaped in the air over there head. he ran really fast until he got to the kitchen and closed the door behind him. Panting, Puff turned to face the kitchen. Standing in the middle of the kitchen floor were two more ferocious looking cats. Four cats? thought Puff. That’s impossible! The cats leaped at him. Puff dodged and jumped onto the counter. He saw two lovely, sparkly vases directly in front of him. Thinking quickly, he hid a bright green egg in one vase, and knocked the other off the counter, scaring the cats away. I have to get out of here! thought the bunny. He raced for the door, thinking that he could probably hide the rest of the eggs outside. Without warning, a giant wall of fur blocked his path. The giant of a cat hissed, sending a chill through Puff’s bones. Standing next to the large feline, was a thin cat, with ring-like stripes. Both were coming closer. Puff leaped. Before he was even a foot in the air, he was knocked to the ground by the thin cat. Less than a second later, Puff hoped to his feet and ran for the door, faster than he’d ever ran before. He zoomed past the large cat. I’m finally safe! Puff thought, overjoyed at the sight of the door, only a meter away. He had spoken to soon. Mid hop, he heard a rip, and felt serious pain in his tail. Or where it should be. The pain almost made him pass out. When he looked back what he saw made him feel sick. He saw the cat, with a triumphant look on her face, and in her mouth was his tail, covered in blood. Knowing that he would bleed to death if he didn’t get out, puff continued to run for the door. He used the last of the Easter magic he had left to get out of the house. Once out of the house his screams for help could be heard by the other bunnies, and he came to his aid. Though Puff never had a tail again, he had learned that it is not a good idea to leave things to last minute, and never did so again. *Originally published in the Rundle Rebirth

Ontario Memories Sarah Reeder, Grade 9

“Ready. Set. Go!” yelled Jim Duncan. Off went Jim and Anne Weaver running through the wheat fields in the dim dusk light. The wheat slipping through Anne’s hands like water as you swim in a lake on a hot summers day and the wheat straws brushing against her legs as she ran as fast as she could toward the rusty old tractor. “I won!” shouted Anne as she jumped up and down. She and Jim had a race every night from the horse stable to the tractor to see who had to help their two families with the dishes that night. “Come on Anne, I always have to do the dishes can you please just help me tonight?” Asked Jim. “It’s not my fault that you aren't as good at running as I am,” said Anne with a smirk “But just for you I will help, but only tonight,” and the two twelve year old lovebirds held hands as they walked toward the sunset to the farm house. “Anne, wake up, it’s almost six o'clock and we need to start moving!” Jim told his wife sternly. “I am about to get the children up, we have a long day of traveling,” As Andrew got up, he looked out at the pale blue Manitoba morning sky. Ontario was long gone and out of reach. He walked over to Cole and Jane to give them their breakfast. They both looked tired, yesterday was a long and hot day going over the border of Ontario. Andrew rubbed his hand over Jane’s mane. Her neck was already damp, as you could see her veins from the blazing hot summer sun. He fed them their daily carrots and then jogged over to the carriage where his six other siblings were getting ready for the day. “Mom, I’m not feeling well,” said little Rebecca the youngest of the seven children. “My tummy really, really hurts mommy” “That’s really weird that you say that Becca, because my stomach hurts too,” Jim and Anne’s oldest son Joey told them. “Me too!” Jack and Tyler yelled in sync. “Really?” Anne said, concerned, “All of you?” “Yes!” shouted the four kids. “What could it be Jim?” questioned Anne. “I honestly have no clue,” Jim told his loving wife. For the next twelve hours the four children were sick as dogs as the family traveled through Manitoba. The scorching hot sun did not help the fact the kids were throwing up. It actually made it a lot worse. The family had to stop in Winnipeg and stay for the night. “I’m sorry mommy,” Tyler said “I’m really excited to get to Alberta and this just ruins it for everyone,” “Oh honey this isn’t your fault at all, you can’t help being sick,” Anne said “We will get to Alberta soon enough, don’t be sad sweetie, it just might take us a little longer ” 76

The next day the Duncan family woke up to the pouring rain. It was going to be a rough day of traveling. As Andrew went to feed Cole and Jane he noticed something. He walked over to it. It was puzzling. He hadn’t noticed before. As he stumbled over to the unknown object Katherine yelled him over. Andrew ran over looking back at it a couple times. “What could it be?” Andrew asked himself out loud. “What?” Katherine questioned. “Nothing, just look at that thing by the wheel of the carriage,” Andrew told his sister. “Oh I see it, what is that?” said Katherine. “I have no clue what it is, but I am going to go tell dad right now” He exclaimed Katherine forgot what she was going to ask her big brother and she stayed and watched whatever was under the wheel of the carriage. It moved just so slightly, and just like that Katherine ran as fast as she could away from the unknown object. “Mom, Dad, where are you?” called Andrew. “We are in here son, in the carriage. What’s wrong?” “There is something by the wheel of the carriage. Katherine and I found it, we have no clue what it is but it kind of scaring us,” Andrew told them. They headed over to the mysterious object slowly. As they walked over to it, they noticed that the wheel of the carriage looked different in some way. Jim moved closer to the wheel, then quickly jogged back to the group. “Okay, I think we will be here for a couple more days,” Jim told them. “Why, what’s wrong daddy?” Katherine asked. Jim sighed, “It’s a gopher and it’s eating the wheel of the carriage” Jim said, “I am going to have to fix it, but I think it will take a couple of days.” “Dad I was so excited to get to Alberta!” Katherine complained. “I know honey, I was too but there is nothing that we can do about this other than fix it,” Anne said. It took Jim, Joey and Andrew five days to fix the wheel on the carriage. In no time they were back on the road to beautiful Alberta. After that it took them one week to get to Medicine Hat. When the Duncans got to their land it was a big sigh of relief they had just traveled across the country from Ontario. “What’s wrong Mom? You seem sad, we’re finally here!” Bobby asked his mom. “That’s the problem, Bobby, I don’t want to be here in Alberta. I want to be with my family back in Ontario,” She said. “What are you talking about?” Jack questioned. “Remember when you guys got sick in Manitoba? And when the wheel broke in Saskatchewan? That was me, I don’t want to be here,” She said quietly with tears rushing down her face. And just like that the memory of Jim Duncan and Anne Weaver running through the wheat fields came to her mind and she collapsed on the dry Alberta soil. 77

The Flight Sneh Yadav, Grade 9

Tyler West, Grade 10

Molly’s driver slowly pulled up to the airport’s front entrance. People were coming in and out like worker bees. Her driver helped her out of the car and delicately placed her bags on the cart for them to be taken into the airport. “I will see you when I get back. Thank you for driving me so early this morning.” Molly smiled sweetly as she started off with her cart to the automatic opening doors. “You're welcome. See you when you get back,” he called back. But Molly could barely hear the response, she was halfway through the door and on her way to the check in. Once she was in, it was as if she went through doors that brought her to a different world with people coming from all different corners of the room. She could smell the coffee and food that was being prepared for another day at the airport. The smell that was lingering in the air made her mouth water and your head have a mindset about food. She could hear chatter and voices she knew that today would be busy. The room was full. It was very packed and cramped to Molly. It reminded her of a mall except worse. Optimistically, Molly walked to the check in to wait in the line. 78

“Next!” a checker called to Molly. “That’s you dear. Booth 4,” a white hat volunteer smiled and waved his hand directing Molly where she needed to go. “Oh thank you!” Molly answered. Her steps strode as she went towards the booth. “Please put your bag in the cubby and I will check you in,” the booth lady haphazardly smiled at Molly as she threw her heavy baggage in the cubby. “Thank you, here are my papers.” Bang,Bang. Bang Bang. Click,click. “Here you go thank you for flying with Air Alexander.” “Thanks!” she snatched the papers from the woman’s hands and flew to security to get out of waiting in a long line because of all the people. While she was running, out of the corner of her eye she saw a new line open. Molly jump stopped, then jogged over to the new line to make sure she was one of the first to get through the security. Shoes, bag, iPhone. Molly made sure that she had her few items she bought to go on the plane with her. She threw them in a the little box that was presented before her so that to be scanned. Boop,boop. “Ok, you are good to walk through.” Molly sauntered through the arch and collects her items on the other side. Molly glanced at her 1900 style watch. 6:02. 6:02, jerking, she peered over to look again. Molly started sprinting zigzagedly to her gate. With six minutes to go, she would miss her flight. Dodging carts, strollers, kids and luggage, she finally made it to her gate with one minute to spare. Molly slapped her tickets and passports on the counter. She took in oxygen from the air around her to steady herself. Her tickets were ripped and then given back. “Thanks!", Molly grabbed the tickets then walked down the long, cool hallway before getting on the plane. “C1.” she repeated in her head while saying hello to everyone she passed before sitting at her seat. Neatly, she placed the items she brought under the seat in front of her, then settled in her seat. She lightly closed her eyes, as if to end the day. Thinking back in her head, going to the airport felt like a dream: getting her driver to drop her off, going through security. It was surreal for her, when you are little you do not think that you are going to do all of these adult things. *

Fluttering, her eyes to opened and widened to adjust to the fluorescent sun. Her eyes zoomed around the area. Her stomach started to drop. Molly's heart started to race she could not hear anything around but high pitched screams that were drowning her in her seat. You practically saw the hairs that stand up on her pale, white arms. Her face was motionless and blank. Molly curled up trying to make the feeling go away that was lingering in her entire body. Her quivering fingers clenched around the arm rest. “Alexander, you are not supposed to crash the plane; you are supposed to fly it!” Molly yelled halfway across the kindergarten classroom. “Why, I am the captain you are just a passenger,” Alexander smugly replied. “Alexander, you will never make a good pilot if you do whatever you want.” The both children inched closer as if eyeing one another in a fighting arena. “Hey, hey, hey you two! There is no fighting here. Molly please come with me, your dad is here to pick you up.” The daycare lady walked Molly to the baby gate that divided the room. “Come on Molly, we need to get to the airport to meet your mom. She’s coming home from her business trip.” “Daddy, let’s pretend you are my driver again like we did this morning. Then I will come with you,” she whined while making her eyes go very big. “Ok, I’ll play pretend with you. Thanks again for taking her for a half day, Pat. Well we better get going, Molly. 79

YOU’RE FOR DINNER Tyler Robertson, Grade 9 Slam! Slam! Crash! A black figure kicked open the door to Cam and Emily’s camp area for the night. It was a hideous monster! It was giant and purple with a tint of black. Blood shot eyes with a black center peered around for the adventurous duo. The colossal, short hair beast searched the room and stared at Cam. Cam slowly raised his head and adjusted his baseball cap to face the rear. Emily, Cam’s sister squinted her eyes and screamed, “Run!” The monster began to giggle in a deep booming tone. At this point Cam and Emily were deep in the Crystal Caverns. Ice hung from the man sized bookshelves. Books thick enough to cower in lined the shelves in infinite numbers. A chandelier made of clear, blue, crystal hung from the unreachable ceiling. The frightened, pair ran to the further most wall to draw the mammoth away from the only entrance, which now became the only exit. The thick body of the thing was slouched over. It stretched up and straightened its spine. Crack! Pop! Snap! It lunged forwards like a dart straight to the back. Cam and Emily had planned for this and ran one to the left and one to the right. They then began to run forward once they reached each corner. Eventually they reached the crystal door. “What’s this?” asked Emily looking at the slim bag the monster had dropped. It had a few pockets, sealed with zippers and papers hanging askew from the open creases. “Doesn’t matter right now, he’s coming this way,” responded Cam. Emily was only in a white with pink polka dot sundress, with matching ankle socks. She was not prepared for this. Cam was in faded blue jeans, a blue plaid button up, and a New York Jets baseball cap. Neither was ready for a monster, it had arrived earlier than expected. Normally the monster found them during or after the dinner hour; there was still a while until then. “Run to the boulder field!” commanded Cam. “No way, it’s far too out in the open. That’s prairie land,” retorted Emily. “We’ll pelt him with rocks,” Cam informed her. They ran through the exit into an open area with some hills and rocks. The ground was a reddish brown with no grass. The hills were oddly shaped, some long and a fair distance up and others were not nearly as thick but just as tall. They ran to one of the hills and looked back to the door which had teleported them. They crouched down and awaited the creature. Time seemed to have slowed down. Each of them could swear they heard the tick of a clock in their head. Tick tock tick tock. Nothing came through. “So, uh, Monster?” Emily spoke out curiously. The monster was taking forever to chase them. Boom! A new animal came flying through the door. It came straight forward like a paragon falcon diving at its prey. The new challenger was a wolf sprinting on two legs, up right. There were three giant claws on its feet and five on each of its fierce, bulging arms. Black and grey hair covered the atrocity, the thick coat

covered everything. Everything but its terrorizing, yellow teeth and glowing orange eyes. The ears of it were skinny and pointed upward. Both froze in a fear of the creature, then in a split second it was in front of them. Slash Woosh Sloosh. The man-wolf walked forward at Emily slashing its arms alternately. Steadily Emily dip, ducked, and dodged each ferocious swing at her. Emily knew she was getting closer and closer to the mound behind her at an angle too steep to keep back pedaling. Dink! The beast roared and turned to see Cam chucking rocks at it. The rocks exploded into feathers. Just in time because Emily had slipped on a black blazer. Too big to be Cameron’s and way too large for her. Whose was it? Why was it here? Emily shrugged and looked for the new, magical exit. One of the hills had an old, round wooden door. It was covered in moss, definitely not from the dry terrain of the boulder plains. Emily looked back to her other adventurer and yelled, “Cam, come here. I found the door.” Now the monster wolf was standing triumphantly in front of Cam. Suddenly, Cam remembered his baseball practice, where they learned how to slide into base. He sprinted at the wolf just as the wolf began to reach at him, he slid through its legs. Like a knife through butter, Cam glazed through the opening. Cam instantly got up and ran to the hobbit door. Click. Cam grabbed Emily by the arm as he flew by and yanked her through the door with him, and locked it behind him. Clink. They both raised their head slowly to see where they were now. A gingerbread house! The ground was tile made of Oreo with licorice as grout. The walls were classic brown tinted gingerbread cookies. A chest and a table made of candy canes and mint were the only things in the room along with chairs. The delicious table had four chairs made of toffee. “Hey, how come the chairs aren’t melting?” they asked in unison. Then they saw their breath. It was bitter cold in the house. They were not dressed for this. Then they heard an old lady giggling. They looked at each other with having to say anything they knew what it was. Witch. At that point they decided to round the corner to see: two monsters! A green bodied witch, with a long apron for cooking. In a pot, a hand was hanging out. The witch had boils all over and her companion had a hilariously huge hump on his back. The hunchback was the same height as Emily but his head wall long and narrow with white coated eyes from cataracts. It was at that point a third creature came around behind them and picked Cam up, scooping him under his arms. The unknown person held Cam up with one arm under his arm then going around his chest. The other reached towards his head. “He’s going to scalp me!” cried Cam, “AAAAHHHHH!” The morbid arm grabbed his hard as boulders pressing on his chest. Arm was absolutely freezing. The hand reached up and his head and said, “No hats in the house.” “Alright kids, game over, we win. Come say hi to grandpa,” said Cam and Emily’s mother. “Why is so cold in here and the library Abby?” asked David, the children’s father. “Your mom likes it cold in the house,” answered Abby. “Grandma's here too?” the children said in an excited duo of joy. “Yes, yes, yes. Go pick up the pillows you through at dad,” commanded the mom. 81

Always Moving Tal Preston, Grade 9 It’s tough to move all over the place Once you get comfortable in one place You’re going to move to another place in the world or country Always moving When you make new friends in one place You are going to have to make new friends in another place Always moving Once you move to a new place you can play on new teams, meet new people Go to new schools Always moving Leaving friends making friends keeping friends Always moving

I’m not a Poet, Don’t Make Me Dominic Petti, Grade 9 All through Elementary whenever we read poems we would read over dull sentences that rhymed with each other in a stupid childish way Sentences chalk full of similes and metaphors that made no sense we would be asked for a meaning and condemned for our answers I wasn’t a poet before but I sure as hell didn’t want to after being told How I can’t scratch the surface of the meaning of a poem that barely meant anything 400 years ago. Even in Grade 9 writing this now no matter how many times you say “Stop complaining and do it” Your incessant reassessing cannot make me like poetry in the least Even the shortest Shel Silverstein poem leaves me in utter disgust I'm not a poet, don’t make me

Growing Up Amy Major, Grade 9 When you were younger, nothing mattered When everyone thought it was cute when you have food on your face You could sing in front of everyone without worrying about what they say You could play forever and everyone was your friend When you were scared of the monsters hiding in your closet and under your bed And the only way to scare them away was to have a night light Then everything changed You have homework You have enemies You have to study everyday You're always busy and your schedule is never free Worries are overwhelming you The main thought is school And you know that these worries will never go away They will only get worse You're not ready to take the responsibility of an adult Worrying about high school What it will be like Will you fail to graduate It feels as though you're in a trap If you take a wrong move it will affect your life Wondering about what you will do for a living Wondering if you’d change your mind Not sure if you will make it or not What if is the big question We all hope to get into a good university, college or school Still blind of the future What we will become What we will look like Unaware of what’s ahead of us

Mirrors Lara Smith, Grade 9 She looks at the reflection and sees the girl that hides from the crowds, the girl who keeps her hood from her sweater tucked up around her face trying to stay in the dark. The girl has no idea of how beautiful she really is. In this reflection I see a girl that wants to be confident but can't because of the monsters at school. They mess with her and tease her in the halls. A fifteen year old girl that wants to break free from her socially awkward strings of life and just start over. I see the girl that sits in the back corner of the 9th grade classroom, hunched over her old school desk. This reflection of a girl has next to no friends. Every day she leaves school with gum and spit balls stringed to the back of her head. People point and laugh but some few just look with dread on their face. She gets home to her reflection in the bathroom and looks deep into what she really is. She looked into the mirror and thought to herself, and saw the good in her. The girl in the mirror is giving and forgiving, kind and sweet, this girl is smart and funny, amazing and now she knows that she is pretty on the inside. She is beautiful not ugly. She now goes to school with her head held high. She now wears no hoodie on her back. The monsters have backed off and so many people confront her in the hallway. The reflection sits at the front of the room, not a piece of gum or spitball to be seen in her hair. Now she knows she’s beautiful. She is the light in a dark tunnel, she is the sun that rises every morning, she is amazing art in a museum, she is beautiful.

Spring Aia Davis, Grade 9 Before it’s too hot and after it’s cold, there’s the perfect season Something we look forward to during the icy moths Finally the sun makes its appearance daily The snow melts and the grass begins to grow After nights of staying up counting the seconds between lightning And letting the raindrops rock you to sleep Then tulips start to push out of the ground Then start to open up Like colorful fireworks Soon baby birds can be spotted flying across the bright blue sky Singing the same song their mother sang last year Slowly everything starts turning a deep shade of green Buds begin to form on trees Bright pink and blood red apple blossoms are everywhere The petals falling on you like snow Everything is suddenly happier Everything has potential This is spring

Kaitie Magee, Grade 11

The Beautiful Man in the Mirror Liam Cronin, Grade 9 I walk into the class wearing my black tee and sweat grey pants I look at all my groveling minions. Each pipes up at times begging for my attention I am the sun and they the planets circling The planets may joke about the radiance of the sun but they know of its true glory they try to deceive the sun so it thinks they don't have a shrine dedicated to it but the natives always praise what's glorious, above their understanding. Of course the natives are afraid that the sun will leave and that they will die Even the natives divide amongst themselves. They are just close enough to notice each other and not care, but losing the sun is another matter. They fear it and try to stop it but they cannot as the sun goes out and leaves the natives. The planets lose their orbit of the sun and move on to another. And I walk out of the class in my black tee and grey pants and do not return.

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Untitled Aia Davis, Grade 9 Today I got here so early that the gate was still closed. Dropped off early because the creator had to go to her day job. Even though it turns into a night job almost every day. I waited alone for a while to see if anyone would decide to open the gate for me. The snowflakes melting on my warm skin. My freshly straightened hair starting to wave back to its curly reality. Barely awake from a sleepless night of studying. I try and find an entrance. Stumbling around in the cold. I hear a car come. The teacher opens the door for me. So I enter the place. She tells me to sit in the lunch room. I sit. She goes to her class. I check the clock, I am exactly 1½ hours early. I sit for exactly 15 before I can't sit any longer. I decide not to study because I studied all night. So I sneak around the school, not really knowing what to do but just needing somewhere to go. I walk past the math hall and the science hall until I find the social hall. Part of me knows why I’m here but the other parts ignoring it. Mr. Granger’s class is right there. I check the door. It’s open. I go in without thinking about what I’m really doing. I turn the light on. It doesn't take me long to find the answers. They were in the cabinet I see him always go in I right the answers down and shove it in my jean pocket. Then turn off the light and shut the door and sprint back to the lunch room. I sit again. This time not able to sit still at all. Soon some of the students start to arrive. I talk to my friends but can't focus on what they're saying. The next day I’m early again, so is Mr. granger. This time he opens the gate but before opening the gate he stops to say something. I get scared really scared I start to practice my I checked. “Annabel good work on your test. You got 95% I’m proud.” “Thanks” I say pretending to smile I say but on the inside I burn with guiltiness.

The Scares of Growing Up Teanna Markle, Grade 9 Growing up, it puts a label on your head. Drawing the lines of maturity in cryptic lead marking. It lays out your rights and wrongs, imprinting your responsibility out on your future timeline. Age laughs in your face, as you grow older and start feeling smaller. Trapping you in a box, cramping you, forcing you to make choices and work harder. From your ninth birthday to your sixteenth birthday. From Barbie dolls to high school exam diplomas. Soon college, marriage and children will make their way into your life spinning your head in a web of insecurities and stress. Making you feel like you're walking on the edge of insanity. Getting closer to falling the more mistakes you make. Intimidating parents fill your head with the knowledge of their mistakes and the opportunities that they didn't have. But always pushing their incoherent ideas into the spinning axis of your conflicting idled mind. Growing up pushes you toward a branch of new opportunities. Tell you see the reflection of who you want to be. Your mind spins like a compass leading you one way then spinning you towards another. Constantly changing its direction leading you closer to new choices and opportunities that float behind translucent glass. You reach for the glass trying to grasp the expanding mass of reality. When your hand finally intertwines with realities sinuous silks it gently cocoons you into an atmosphere of promise and peril. Showing you the fluorescents of growing up.

Taylor Evans, Grade 11

Dexedream Nick Larmour, Grade 9 Though he could change the way he thought, He could not change the way he felt, like Valentine in Enders game… It was hopeless. He was investing in dehydrated water, Like a Bre-X investor. Not knowing that the little pills produced a prison pushing people away, The poison that “fixed” the way he thought but… It did quite the pounding bombarding thoughts That could not settle in the battlefield that was his mind. Without reason, The pills separated him from what he really was. It was made to fix him, It was worse than a steroid but only because it was not to enhance but to Fix. Sadly, Nothing we have ever made is perfect So who are you to try to fix something you can’t understand in the first place! Ha, what doesn't kill you makes you stronger RIGHT!? No, it does not make you stronger, It creates scar tissue, Makes you robotic, Less malleable and boom you are an outcast… No not because of the drugs, Not because you are strange, Or different, distanced or dissembled, But because of the way that you look at yourself in the mirror.

No Man’s Land Brice O’Brien, Grade 9 “Bring. Bring, Bring” as I walk through the battle ground, I pass by army after army. The slurs are hurled like bullets. Friends drop like flies; but I still managed to keep going in spite of all the asinine things that people said! But I am here to tell you the war eventually ends. You will find peace and all the mean things they called you: like four eyes, fatso, and spaz; will not matter. If you are going to make it, you have to see the good in yourself. You will probably also need a friend. Sometimes when you go to high school, you get told to go to a class. The class that you are assigned is the lowest academic one. Normally you have a difficult time paying attention and sometimes you don’t get things the first time around. You are the only one that knows that you are capable of more, but they say you don’t listen. YOU ARE BETTER THAN THEY SAY. Maybe they will be working for you someday. It doesn’t feel that way when you are paired with them in class. Your ideas are dismissed and they feel they have right to call you stupid. Their directions are for you to shut up. You do keep talking; your ideas are important and you want to show them they can’t keep you down. You keep talking to show that they cannot hurt you. The more you react negatively, they more ammo they have. You must think the world would be a worse place without you and it would be. You can fight this battle and others when you finally find a true friend. You may try many different cliques before you find a person who understands you and may someday be your best friend. He or she will not mock you behind your back. They will stand up for you even if you are wrong. He or she will help you fight these battles. You won’t be in no man’s land anymore. If you are one of these kids, stop and stand up for a kid that is being bullied. You might not think it is happening, but take a longer look from a different angle and you might be surprised at what you see! Matt Shideler, Grade 12

A Muddled Mind Clara Hall, Grade 9

Her thoughts are like an alarm clock, Loud and irritating with no off button to silence the noise. She has a to-do list the size of a dictionary, So many things to get done that will soon be forgotten when something more important comes to mind. Songs playing in her head, conversations rehashed, A jumble of jargon jammed full of juicy gossip. Meanwhile she tries to concentrate on that overdue assignment. But the morning will be the same routine, in an order she will never understand. Her thoughts will continue to be like a messy book shelf, with many novels scattered everywhere, but not in alphabetical order.

Alycia Udy, Grade 10

Will she ever get this circus out of her head, or does she even want to? Accepting her traits, her wandering thoughts and unfocused ways almost brought a strange kind of peace. Because boredom is never an issue for someone who has endless things to think about, So she starts to enjoy the comfort of her chaotic thoughts. Her creative mind that never sleeps, only crashes after it has a long, and tiring marathon.

Day By Day Quintin Millions, Grade 9

The agenda controls our life. With time and dates of places we need to be in neat, tidy rows. Our life is planned out day by day doing the same stupid things. Our lives are so planned we have times to eat, when we sleep, even when we can go to the bathroom. We are trapped in this silent cage that no one can be set free from. No one can escape. We are all doing a life sentence. This cage controls the moves we make, our way of speaking, and even the people we have relationships with. When I say that, I don’t mean the people we date, I mean the people we see and talk to, day to day. This happens not because we like them, but because our agenda dictates us to be there and so does theirs. The real reason we die for the weekend is because there are different plans than throughout the week. No agenda is necessary for these plans. We still have plans on the weekend, but they are less rigid. There is less structure; it’s less like the prison of the weekday. Day by day, we are trapped in an invisible box like a mime. We have no way to change what happens. There is no way to change the future, unless with a pencil and eraser. In this prison we are trapped for life. Or so it seems… “Ding, ding,” I must go now because it is the next class or at least that’s what my agenda says day by day. 92

Why Are We Afraid of Death? Ross Geiger, Grade 9

Why are we afraid of death? Why is it a scary thing? I don’t think we should be afraid of such a thing. Why isn’t anyone afraid of never living in the first place? Isn’t that worse? Isn’t never doing anything fun worse? Perhaps it’s the idea of losing something you’ve worked hard for, Or maybe it’s leaving something behind. When it’s my time to go, I want to be with the ones I love. What is death like? Is death fast? What happens to me after? I think this is where the real fear lies for people. Maybe because it is the unknown. Why do we ask such questions? Should we not spend our time reflecting on our accomplishments and our successes, Rather than dwell on something that is inevitable? Why is it that death such a horrible thing? I really don’t think it is. The loss of a loved one is the only horrible thing about it But for the person actually dying it’s not. How can they feel anything? As long as it’s at a good age, I believe it’s like the ending of a great sports game You either won, or you lost What’s a win? Ending a life that you are proud of Or that you have done something that has made the world better What’s a loss? Maybe doing hard time for making bad decisions

What we have done for ourselves alone dies with us; what we do for others and the world remain and is immortal. –Albert Pike 93

Son, it’s Saturday Rowan Edy, Grade 9 In a family, busy, loud, yet… alone. A fifteen-year-old boy Walking home After long lectures Spending the day, see blurry projectors The opening of a door The boy arrived His face looks poor And sleep deprived Slumping in, dropping his bags. The parents turn, to see him pass “Oh, hi sweetie, how was class?” He grumbles to himself unaware That his parents are even there Walking upstairs to his room… Crashing down into bed A tired, moody piece of lead “Wait… what had Mum said?” Asked about school, I need to reply Mother was asking why? Walking downstairs “Sorry, Mum, what did you say?” “Oh, did you have a nice day?” I nodded yes But I was stressed Because of a tiring test “Uh, hey Mum, Dad, can you set the clock?” “Why son?” “I have to walk” “To school?” “Yes, I have practice that day” And they laughed “Son, it’s Saturday” And I sighed with relief… the week was over Smiling, “Thanks Mum, Dad” 94

Battle Field Sadie Matus, Grade 9

Are they right? Am I wrong? Should I tell my parents? These were the questions running through her head. She shall sit there in pain, like she’s the one in the spotlight in an otherwise dark room. Like the one in the middle of a circle with everyone pointing and chanting names we all wish never to be called. Then she closes her eyes, and within a second the chants stop. With the sound of her weeps remaining, all that fills the room. With the questions still remaining, should I tell my parents? Something tells her no. Like the people who tell her no when she asks to eat with them. Sharp, dismissive and curt. Even though at the same time she’s shot down like a soldier fighting for her country and their freedom. She raises again like the soldier that is strong enough to push herself to see her son grow up; and hopefully then see him with his own son. While standing with shots fired at her, she stays standing, watching the people around her falling down like trees being chopped. Eventually though, she lies there in pain, lying in a bed she’s never been in before. People gather around, and her mother is crying at the foot of the bed. She lies there with people that love her, watching over he hurt soul. But they all ask what made her try and take her life in her own hands? She opens her eyes more, eyeing her father crying, but she stills sees the rage in her father’s eyes. She lies there like a piece of glass is placed sharp point up on her bed. The thoughts racing through her head – Should I tell? Should I not? NO! That thought yells at her like the teacher that held her back after class. Then she was in that dark corner again after she left that classroom that felt so wrong. But this wasn’t just a shot, it was a blow to the head, that no soldier would be able to recover from. But this soldier wasn’t like most. This soldier was the one who could fight through anything, but why? Ask the little boy this soldier wants to see grow up. Then that soldier shall close her eyes and find herself in a dark, black room with the spotlight on her. Why her? Why should that spotlight be on her? Asks one girl that was in the spotlight once. But she shall sit there in the spotlight till her time’s up. But that tiny voice in the back of her head yells. Don’t let then hurt you when they haven’t seen your heart The heart that would give to the ones that have hurt it before. The heart that is broken, but still falls in love with the one it really loves. The heart that shall keep hurting, but won’t remember who caused the hurt. The heart that will forgive and forget. That voice wasn’t so tiny anymore. It was the loud booming voice that was heard from a mile away. That voice shall not be ignored, that turned her heart and soul into something people couldn’t destroy.

RUNDLE ACADEMY GOES ONE TO ONE Every Student Receives a Computer Noah Kane, Grade 8 At Rundle Academy this year the junior high and senior high students received their very own computers! The program is called One to One Learning and it’s a pretty big deal. Computers were given after orientation camp in early September. To most of the kids the computers are an exciting force of entertainment. As a learning tool computers can be used for tests, assignments, homework and research. The One to One learning makes school easier, because of all the opportunities a computer can provide. With a computer you can also watch videos and access Moodle easily. On the other side of the parking lot the Elementary students received iPads. Mr.Rogers, Principal of Rundle Academy, said, “I think we have done the One to One program better than anyone else I know, and so to that end, it’s an absolutely perfect model.” My own experience with One to One Learning is that it's great. We no longer have the trouble of worrying about our technology and losing our work. We have access to technology whenever we need it. Also I have been able to personalize my computer to my likings.

*Originally published in the Rundle Rebirth

Business Letter Archie Sarro, Grade 9 3098 67th Street Calgary Alberta T2P 1J8 November 13, 2013 Colonel Graff, Commander The Canadian Space Agency 3701 Carling Avenue Ottawa Ontario K2H 8S2 Dear Colonel Graff: I am Nick Robertson I am currently eight years of age I am commander of Bear Army. I have been in Battle School for five years now. I think I would be a good fit for command school because I learn quickly, and I know what is good punishment is. I was taken away from my home in Calgary five years ago. I am writing this letter because I think you should consider me for Command School. I would not be writing you if I thought I wasn't ready but I am and I know I am. At battle school, everyone knows me and likes me, I feel like royalty here at Battle School. Before I was commander, we would lose every battle we fought, but now we are 17-0. We would only play one game a day now we are playing three or four some days. My soldiers can maneuver out of tough situation with strategy I have taught them. Even though I was put into Bear Army at a young age, I became a commander three years before the regular age. I was not allowed any trades, and the rules of the game were being thrown away just for them to see if they could find a way to break me. They have not found one yet, and they will not. They have isolated me, and made me believe that no adult, or anyone else, will ever come to save or help me. In Battle School I think I can have a perfect battle score. Even though I’m young, I fight like a 15 year old. I think what makes me a good commander is that I have no emotions for my soldiers. I don’t see them as my friends, I see them as my soldiers and I am their leader. Before I was a commander of Bear Army my soldiers told me I would never be in command. Now look at me. All of my soldiers praise me .Every day they tell me they thank god for having me in command of Bear Army. Everybody would laugh at us before I was in charge. I remember there was this one fight I was going to have and it was against Snake Army. Their commander came to me and said that they didn't want to fight me because my army was too good. I feel as though if I was scary in Battle School you won't believe how intimidating I will be in Command School. Colonel Graff, please consider me for commander if you need to contact me my army is Bear Army. Our colour pattern yellow, blue, blue. Also, I have my last battle at 12 noon, if you are free please try to come and watch me. I would love that. Sincerely, Nick Robertson 97

Ender’s Game: Isolation Adam Miller, Grade 9 Ender was isolated as a student, “To make him struggle. To make him prove, not that he was competent, but that he was better than everyone else.” Ender was isolated as a student because they needed him to come up with ideas that nobody else could think of on his own and they also needed someone who didn’t have to rely on anybody ranked higher than him. Isolation led to benefits for Ender’s battle skill and intellect, but there were many drawbacks in his mental health and social skills. This type of isolation can be seen in real life as well as in the book. Ender was isolated at Battle School and Command School by the teachers, Mazer Rackham, and Colonel Graff to make him the best soldier possible. Ender felt alone and scared by the isolation at Battle School at first, but he quickly learned how to deal with his own problems and look out for himself. Colonel Graff isolates Ender to make him “A better soldier than he ever would have been otherwise,” Graff needs Ender to be the best soldier possible so he can eventually become the best commander possible to beat the Buggers in the third invasion. He also fast-tracks Ender to Command School so he can fight the Buggers by the time the ships get to the Bugger homeworlds. At command school, Ender is isolated by having his own battle simulator to practice on and sleeping in his own room without contact from anyone else other than Mazer and Graff. At Command School, Ender was very used to being isolated from everything, so it didn’t hurt him at all, it only made him stronger. Ender isolated certain soldiers and toon leaders in his army, he also isolated himself from the rest of his army. Ender isolated Bean the most out of all of his soldiers by doing exactly what Graff did to him, saying that he was the only one that was smart and the others were stupid. This made the others despise Bean because he made them feel stupid, leaving him with little to no friends. Ender isolated himself from his army by having the toon leaders deliver most messages to the army and rarely, if ever, talking with the soldiers outside of practice and battle situations. The toon leaders were isolated from Ender by letting them make a lot of decisions for their toon, but providing the overall strategy himself. He also had them deliver most of the notifications to his soldiers unless there was an unexpected battle. All of Dragon Army was isolated from Ender because all Ender knew was isolation, he also knew that isolating his army from him and the rest of the Battle School the soldiers would become better and would help them think for themselves. This meant that the soldiers wouldn’t learn any of the techniques the Battle School taught them, only what Ender taught them. The soldiers in Ender’s army were isolated to make them the best soldiers they could ever be. Isolation can produce amazing results for what you are trying to get better at, but it can produce some negative results in other areas of your life. Heavily isolating yourself because of studying produces amazing test results and amazing marks, but it can and will have a negative effect on your social life. Having little to no social life has a negative effect on your social skills, which 98

leads to not knowing how to deal with people in work, school and other situations. Others isolate themselves because of an individual sport. Focusing on an individual sport, such as cycling, and spending all of your time on a bike will send your marks to rock bottom. This is because you have isolated yourself from everything (friends, school, family etc.) to focus on becoming the best cyclist ever. This is exactly what happened to Ender, except he had to become the best battle commander ever. Some people choose to isolate themselves to get better at their instrument; this happens a lot with violinists and pianists. Isolating yourself to get Alex Moumdjian, Grade 11 better at an instrument has positive and negative effects as well. You become amazing at playing the instrument of your choice, however lots of kids that are isolated end up lacking social skills, school skills and end up losing opportunities to get a job or go on trips with friends and family. Most kids today are isolated by either one of these three things, or more commonly, the internet. The internet can give an illusion of being connected to someone when you are talking to them through Facebook, texting a buddy, tweeting to your favourite celebrity or liking an Instagram post. However, most kids fail to realize that they are probably in a room, alone and basically talking to a screen while the “communication” is being monitored by the government. There is rarely any actual human contact involved in internet communication, unless it is a video call using Facetime or Skype. Most people in the world are being isolated without knowing it; the internet provides an illusion of connectivity for some people; virtuoso musicians and amazing individual athletes are often isolated to keep them focused on their sport/instrument. These types of isolation carry the risk of having people that can’t contribute to society because they can’t deal with people face to face. All in all, Ender’s isolation made him the best commander that the world had ever seen. However, his isolation lead to mental health issues, a lack of social skills and becoming unable to trust anybody. This type of isolation is shown in real life when children become the best at a sport, an instrument or school, but this isolation and result is not usually self-motivated. The isolation is usually brought on by the parents, which leads to mental health problems and a lack of social skills, just like Ender at the end of the book. Isolation must be done in moderation and be motivated by the person being isolated to have the desired effect without all the negatives that could come with being alone for so long. 99

Arctic Monkeys’ “AM” Album is Admirable Arctic Monkeys Album Review Adam Miller, Grade 9 Rundle Rebirth Music Critic The Arctic Monkeys’ new album, “AM” hit shelves on September 9th, 2013 on Domino Records. The British four-piece Indie group’s new album experiments with hiphop bass-lines and drum beats with guitars that sound like anything from The Black Keys to Black Sabbath to U2. Alex Turner’s vocals are in good form, delivering his lyrics beautifully, with a small element of edginess. The record opens with the downtempo track “Do I Wanna Know,” which bears heavy influence from modern bands like The Black Keys and The White Stripes as well as Desert Rock legends Queens of the Stone Age. This track highlights the booming bassline complemented by slow, yet moving drums. I would have liked to hear Turner put some more rawness into the vocals during the last chorus. This song has the perfect setup for a loud, stage setting guitar solo at the end, however they chose not to seize this perfect opportunity. The track is followed by the first single “R U Mine” is an uptempo Alternative Rock song with a guitar riff that sounds like Jimmy Page himself wrote it. Turner’s vocals are in top form on this track, one of the standouts on the record. “One For The Road” is the kind of song that you would listen to while cruising around in a limo at night. This song is a classy way to settle you into the tracks you haven’t heard yet after hearing the singles. This song is very bass heavy with quiet guitars and a simple drumbeat, leaving plenty of room for Turner and the other members’ vocals to shine. “One For The Road” is one of the songs on the record to feature a vocal performance by Queens of the Stone Age mastermind Josh Homme. “Arabella” starts out slow and sleek, but then evolves into a loud garage rock song that keeps on building up to the final chorus, which ends like the edge of a cliff and leaves you in suspense for what is going to come next. “I Want It All” features some interesting keyboard and slide guitar experiments that seem a little bit over the top at times , but are interesting to hear on a rock record like this. “No. 1 Party Anthem” has the one of the most misleading titles ever. The song is a slow rocker that sounds like something you’d put over a slideshow for your girlfriend than something you’d play at a party. Nevertheless, the song is solid with layered acoustic guitars, piano and faint strings that give an eerie element to this song. “No. 1 Party Anthem” is followed by another slower song “Mad Sounds.” This song is bass heavy with a simplistic drumbeat that is all held together by an organ. The song could use a more interesting drumbeat, more interesting backing vocals and it could build up to something bigger in the end.

“Fireside” is an upbeat, almost campfire-like acoustic song that sounds almost generic at times, until the horns and almost psychedelic keyboards come in and the song starts to sound like something that could’ve gone on “Sgt. Peppers’ Lonely Hearts Club Band.” But the song doesn’t get so experimental that it’s cheesy. “Why’d You Only Call Me When You’re High?” gets the album back into the “after midnight” vibe. The song incorporates some old school rap bass and drum styles with some slick, quiet guitar lines that hold the song together and keep the groove going. “Snap Out Of It” is a happy, poppy song that is carried by a piano. This song is enjoyable, but not quite as good quality as songs like “Do I Wanna Know” or “One For The Road.” If it were up to me, I wouldn’t have put this song on the record. “Knee Socks” is a light, airy song that features Queens of the Stone Age frontman Josh Homme. This track features a strong bass performance and echo heavy U2-esque guitars that create a spacious vibe that sounds like it would be a good song to drive a fast, vintage car, alone, down a prairie or desert highway to. The record closes with the slow, yearning ballad that sounds almost like it’s trying too hard to be a love song, “I Wanna Be Yours.” It walks that tightrope between cheesy and passionate perfectly. The high pitched backing vocals on this song are a little forced and overdone, but overall this is a solid way to close the record. All in all, this is a solid record that is going to sell a lot; however, there are a few tracks where the laid back sound they were trying to create sounds a little bit forced. This record is one of the better albums being released at this point in time. When you look at the majority of the other albums that are topping “rock” charts right now, this album stands out as one of the better ones that has been released in the past year. 7.5/10

*Originally published in the Rundle Rebirth

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World Sees Evil Worst disgrace to Canada since Justin Bieber and Celine Dion Adam Miller, Grade 9 Rundle Rebirth Music Critic It’s official. The apocalypse has begun. Chad Kroeger and Avril Lavigne have released a song together. The Canadian wannabe pop “punk” singer Avril Lavigne and husband, wannabe “grunge” singer Chad Kroeger of Nickelback (don’t even get me started) have collaborated on Avril’s new single “Let Me Go.” This publicity stunt of a song is trying too hard to be a song between two people so madly in love that they have to merge their careers. There is cheesy piano with acoustic guitars that I don’t think either of them played, with drums that the touring drummer will fall asleep playing live combined with the annoying voices of the Canadian posers. The “woahs” after the chorus are extremely overdone, forced and quite self-indulgent. The verses’ “call and answer” format is corny and has been done far too many times in male/female duets. Much like both of the singers’ separate careers, there is nothing unique or remotely interesting about this song. This song shouldn’t have even made the charts in the first place; however, it peaked at number 12 on the Canadian pop charts. In conclusion, this song is nothing more than a publicity stunt to draw attention to their fading fame and to gain money for their record companies. RATE: 0.5/10 To stop these disgraces to Canada and the world, please DO NOT buy this song or request this song on the radio. If you insist on listening to it, illegally download it so their record company drops them.

*Originally published in the Rundle Rebirth

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Girls Forget Bear Spray Versus Grizzlies Tyler Robertson, Grade 9

On Tuesday, October 15th, the grade nine girls volleyball team fought very hard, but eventually were defeated by the grizzlies, from Bears Paw Christian School. The battle took place in the Rundle gym. The grade nine girls were leading the first set, which started with excellent consecutive serve points from Sierra, totaling seven in a row. Ultimately the Rockies had a near miss of winning in the first set, with points 26 to 24 for Bears Paw. Soren all the while was documenting the event with photos. Heavy out of the gate the Grizzlies rose straight up to an early fourteen, nothing points for them. At first the girls returned nothing from the opposition, it was a total run away. After the first stomp, the Rockies rose up to fight back. When asked what the Rockies could have done better Sarah stated, “We weren’t on the balls of our feet.” After the many painful spikes, the stunning sets and extraordinary bumps, the Grizzlies came out on top. The final score was a close 25-18. Through the defeat the girls stayed positive and have all season. *Originally published in the Rundle Rebirth

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The Getaway Ellie Hardock and Sierra Adamow-Boudreau, Grade 9 During October 16-18, 2013, the grade eight and nine Outdoor Ed students of Rundle Academy had a getaway at Alford Lake Camp Ground. Mr. Palmer and Mrs. Scott drove the group of four grade nines and two grade eights to the campsite. It was a long and arduous journey to get there but it was well worth it. On the first day we did some archery and studied animals of the Canadian wilderness. During the camp on the second day the teachers Mr. Palmer and Ms. Scott, dropped off the students in the wilderness far away from any contact from any other people. Although it was cold each group had a lot of fun setting up the shelters, cooking their own food and fire. It was a fly infested, intensely hot night but freezing during the mornings In the cabins each day it was the same thing, for example after the group got dressed and went down for breakfast and then went down to the archery range every morning they were there. Keegan Janson, who was on the OEE trip said “I had so much fun at the archery range was one of my favourite thing that we did out there as a group!’’ They had a getaway they won’t forget. ____________________

Sierra Adamow-Boudreau is a grade nine student who is great at all sports as well excels in her Women's Competitive Artistic Gymnastics, is in love with Starbucks and hopes to grow up to become a dentist in Asia. Ellie Hardock is a grade nine student who loves to sing in the shower, is highly obsessed with sparkles and aspires to become a tattoo artist in Ireland. *Originally published in the Rundle Rebirth

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Movie vs. Book The City of Bones Trilogy Series – Book One Emily Smith, Grade 9 Which one would you choose, the book or movie? I personally chose the book. The novel was full of juicy details and chances for your mind to create characters and scenes. Now I understand a movie is almost never as good as the book, but this movie barely represented the book. In the movie the actor who played Clary didn’t have red hair, instead they just put red highlights in her dark brown hair. The actor who played Jace wasn't cute which was a huge disappointment, but not all actors can look as how I pictured them in my mind, but I just thought he would look cuter. Also the movie left out crucial points in the story line which ruined the film for me. The producers changed a lot of the big parts that they actually put in the movie. The part that irritated me the most was when Valentine went into the institute and made the portal. Valentine had also captured Jocelyn and in the movie he took her with him to the institute. That was not how it was supposed to happen. Clary was supposed to figure out where Valentine was by his clues and then she would find her mother in a room at Valentines secret hideaway. As you know in the first book Valentine tells Clary and Jace that they are brother and sister. So Jace follows his father to his hideout because it’s hard to defy your parents. And then when Clary-Jocelyn and Valentines daughterinfiltrated her father’s hideout she did not only find her mother but she found Jace who was loyal to his father. Now in the movie Jocelyn-Clary’s mom was in the institute at the same time as Valentine-Clary’s father and Jocelyn’s exhusband-, and JaceClary’s brother- never went with Valentine and wasn’t loyal to him. Also Jace in the movie did fight with Valentine and Clary helped Jace. Jace protected Valentine a little in the film but in the book it happened differently. In the book Jace goes with Valentine and protects him from Clary and is loyal to him it hard to fight and go against what you’ve been brought up with. The book and movie are very different and that was disappointing. I interviewed some people and this is what they said: 104

Georgia: Do you like the book or movie the better? Book because it has way more detail and it gives your mind a really good image through detail or words. Do the characters in the movie look how you pictured them? NOO! because Jace has no six pack. Do like how Jace looked? NOO! because he was unattractive! Do you think the movie followed the book? No because there is the demon dog and they had to shorten the movie and cut scenes out. Important scenes. Would you recommend the book or movie for a christmas present? I would recommend the book series because it’s a good overall book and creates a lot of imagery Lara: Do you like the book or movie the better? I like the book better because there's a lot more description and its more interesting. Do the characters in the movie look how you pictured them? No i thought they would look a lot different. Do like how Jace looked? NO! he was ugly! Do you think the movie followed the book? Yes but they missed out on a lot of important parts. Would you recommend the book or movie for a Christmas present? I would recommend the book for a Christmas present because it amazing and you won't be able to put it down. Teanna: Do you like the book or movie the better? I like the book. Do the characters in the movie look how you pictured them? NO! Simon did Isabelle didn't Clary did a little and Jace just NO! Do like how Jace looked? NOOOOO!!!!! Do you think the movie followed the book? Not really it was really off it. Would you recommend the book or movie for a Christmas present? The book.

*Originally published in the Rundle Rebirth

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Top 9 Burgers in Calgary Liam Cronin, Grade 9 #9 Five Guys Burgers and Fries. Five Guys’ Burgers and Fries has a delicious burger where they really focus on quality. Food at Five Guys is absolutely delicious with well-prepared burgers and fantastic fries covered in peanut oil. The atmosphere is incredible at five guys with several critical reviews peppering the walls and a nice clean setting where you can easily see the burgers cooking. Though delicious and fantastic quality the major downfall of the burger is that it’s just too plain with not enough of something that jumps out for it to compete with the other burgers on the list. #8 Clive Burger. Clive Burger is absolutely fantastic in every way and easily will make your taste buds rumble. The burger is definitely the highlight of this with absolute fantastic quality making it a place you don't want to miss. The fries are also very fantastic as they give you tons of them to eat. The Clive Burger is a very odd restaurant with everything there being compatible the cups the wrapping all of it compostable making for a very interesting atmosphere to soak up. The problem with Clive Burger that puts it to low is that is has way too much salt on it stealing the taste from the burger and making this experience lack what it could have. #7 Cb’s Burger. Cb’s was a shock to me for how good it was the term more than meets the eye definitely applies to this burger. The burger is your average flat patty and to the naked eye it looks just like your average McDonalds or burger king burger but it tastes much better. The average burger usually adds a ton of preservatives and the like but with this burger all you can taste is the full nothing added meat. The atmosphere of the restaurant is fantastic having been there for more than 40 years and adding some very weird stuff in the restaurant I won’t spoil it myself but it is an experience to behold. The only thing that brings this burger down is the lack of meat on the burger with a very thin patty otherwise I would definitely suggest this restaurant. #6 Earls. Now I went to earls many times in my lifetime but never felt the need to buy the earls smashed burger. Smashing the burger is a style I have seen in a burger before but I didn't expect earls to do this and the result of the burger is one of the juiciest burgers I have ever had. The smash style of burger is where the smash the meat into the grill and sear the side of the burger making it deliciously crisp. The burger in my opinion wasn't very well smashed as the sides were not very crisp but it was a fantastic burger being so juicy that in a single bite you are overwhelmed with flavor. Earls is a bit of an upscale place with a very nice atmosphere with interesting sculptures and dimmed lights adding to the atmosphere this restaurant produces. At this point it is no longer about why the burger is so low on the list but why it isn't higher this burger I find is miles and miles away from the next burger and just could not compete. #5 Rocky Burger Bus. Definitely one of the more interesting burger on this list Rocky’s Burger Bus has delicious burger and great atmosphere. The Rocky Burger Bus was very shocking when I first saw it as

the patty was bigger than my fist. The Rocky’s Burger Bus is very aptly named as the joint is literally just a bus you can't even eat in it though they are chairs on the hill near it which is where you can eat the burger. now this burger is more meaty than anything I have ever ate with top notch quality Irish ground beef having only one other restaurant in Calgary using the same meat and it shows with a beautiful consistency and delicious taste while still managing to be one of the least expensive burgers on the least and one of the highest quality ones. The atmosphere of this area is pretty fantastic with the bus being stuck in the ground and on a hill with picnic tables just up the hill where you can eat the burger. #4 Glencoe Patio Burger. This burger is 8 ounces of absolute heaven in a perfect spot with a perfect burger. The 8 ounces burger at the Glencoe is absolutely delicious cooked so well that you can see griddle lines in the burger and with so much meat on it that it looks like its several burgers stitched together. It’s called the patio burger as it’s on a patio with a very upscale atmosphere. the taste of this burger and the amount you have is the best part its very spread out and gives you the most room out of all the other burger instead of trying to make a large burger but a wide one but that by no means makes it thin. Sadly this place is member only and you will have to invite somebody or be a member but I could not lie and not put this burger on the list because of it another reason is it does not server fries and instead opts for potato chips normally I would be pretty mad but with this burger place it works very well keeping the upscale atmosphere. #3 The Lorea Lounge. The Lorea Lounge is a little place that’s burger draws quite a crowd having mike Holmes say it’s his favorite in the world. The aptly named Mike Holmes Burger is what made me look for good burgers in Calgary with top notch meat and a delicious bun. The burger is absolutely delicious with a very distinct taste that I can barely describe with a perfect mix between the meat and the bun. The Lorea has very high quality goods for all their food not just the burger that being said this is definitely the highest quality burger on the list with a very meaty taste blending seamlessly with the bun. That being said, the fries and the bun absolutely compete with the burger with a seared bun making for a fabulous crunchy feeling with every bite and the fries also extremely crunchy with a delicious spice making them even better. Only problem with this burger is the next 2 are just unbelievably delicious. #2 Buchanan’s. Definitely a treat to eat Buchanan’s easily sweeps into second place. The burger here is fantastic adding some very special stuff to it by not using traditional cooking but instead by cooking a steak and then turning that into the Patti. the burger at Buchanan’s is very similar to the burger at the Lorea but just better it has better fries it has a better bun it has better meat it’s just better not by much but still enough to put it over. Atmosphere is very important at this place giving a vibe I can't quite pinpoint but its seems to be 60,s to 90,s even dimming the lights for the sake of making the personality of the place pop out at you much more. The bun is extremely average for this burger but it does help making the other aspects of the meal pop out much more then it would have normally. The fries are very delicious on this burger being really fatty and spiced with the perfect amount not drawing attention away from the main course but nailing the support role that it should have in this meal .burger has zero problems and is fantastic but it just can't beat number one. #1 Smashburger. This easily takes the top burger with no competition having every single thing about it is superior to the rest of the burgers. The meat is what this restaurant brags about with a very cool way of cooking it by smashing the patty giving it deliciously crispy edges and extremely good taste. You can choose between four different types of bun I just choose the one they usually give which does exactly what a bun should do by adding to the experience but not taking away attention from the main part of the burger. Fries are definitely a high priority with such an extremely distinct and delicious taste you can't stop shoving them in your mouth at any point. The atmosphere is in every bit clean having the entire restaurant look incredible with a very nice feel to it. In conclusion everything about this place you can't put down and you want more and more of it. 107

I breathe in the cold dry air. All I hear are the hooves of two horses. Attempting to walk over to see the horses, my leg is encased in the grasp of the cold winter’s hands. I pull my boot out of the bitter snow only to find a clump of snow in my boot. It feels as if needles are attacking my leg. Untying the boot took about two minutes. I turned it upside down and shook the snow back on. This time I make my way up the hill with seemed to go on forever. Finally I reached the top, but only to see houses that make you want to vomit. The colours on the houses are just plain old disgusting. They all have green on pink and on yellow. My lunch came back up a bit but I swallowed it down. The snow seems to reflect the light of the sun. It was blinding so I had to squint. Looking around at the top of the hill was beautiful. The trees were lime green with snow piled on the branches. Mountains surrounded the tiny town. Alas the horse turns the corner but to reveal an old man riding a horse carrying firewood with a old red toboggan. He nodded and went on his way. A chill goes down my spine. The howls of the wind picks up. It is getting very cold up here. I make my way down to my home make a fire and just relax Will Berry, Grade 9

The glossy water reflected the wandering people. Tall umbrellas shield the burning rays of the sun. Grass like carpet covered the shore, fishing poles hung down from an elegantly dressed lady waiting for a fish to have a bite to eat. Children danced through the staggered trees laughing and playing. Under these guardians of the park, people were resting and men with very tall hats were having chats. Dogs interrupted some couples picnic as they smelly the delights of the delectable treats. Wind tossed the long hair of the willow trees. Wight small sail boats with long sails road the water gracefully. Laughter sang through the enormous park. Ellie Hardock, Grade 9

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A cafe in Paris, was on the near left side of the ancient, and worn cobblestone street. You could observe that the deep holes and hills of the corroded and trampled stone were causing people to trip and stumble as they walked along. The cafe cast a warm and comforting yellow hue from its sizable front windows, making it visible from a mile away in the pleasantly warm may night. The crystal like stars shone down through a clear sky-like strobe lights winking and twinkling at anyone who looked at them. Fragrances of fresh baked goodies and beverages would follow anyone that left and would welcome anyone who came within a 2 block radius. Lazily the electrifying aroma would envelope and entrance people beckoning them to enter the premises, resistance is futile. People stride into the humble and comfy cafe gravitating towards the translucent glass case brimming with delectable delicacies. Eyeing the massive rainbow of flavours and colours, picking and choosing is constantly a challenge. Each new treat posing as a door to a world of flavour. Finding a seat is tough on a bustling spring night especially outside on the street side tables. Seats seem to only be available for the quick and lucky. But if you time it just right you could find yourself sitting enjoying the night with delicious treats and a waiter coming to ask for your refreshment order. Sipping a smoothie with a book and delightful treat as your company, it is the common scene in this cafe even at night. With a faint whiff of pine wafting in the direction of the cafe carried by the wind, can have a calming effect on people. Three rows of tables about three feet long sit and wait outside for people to come and rest on them and enjoy their surroundings. As the night goes on, the laughter gets boisterous as strangers get acquainted. The atmosphere holds a joyous and friendly air. What a night to be out in the café. Emily Smith, Grade 9

My eyes glanced hastily, as I walked by the well-lit cafe. I could smell the raw, scrumptious espresso. As I looked through the dim windows I could see a man with his sweetheart. They frequently laughed liked a comedian had hit the room. I ambled through the dark oak door; I wiped my feet spotless, as the shop owner pronounced “how do you do sir?” I gathered around the glass counter that deliberately hid the cooking instruments. Unexpectedly, it looked like they had over a thousand of different flavors listed one by one; I noticed one that surely wedged my eye, it was the tangerine tint espresso. I politely ordered and strolled outside to sit down. As soon as I sat down I inhaled a vile smell, It was no longer the sweet, smooth, rich aroma of espresso, but it was a dark, thick smell of the pizza place across the street. I sat there as my nose melted with integrity, wondering how food can take your mind of one thousand different thoughts, and leave you with just one. Avery Rogers, Grade 9 Stars shimmering in the deep blue sky. Walking down the cold cobblestone smelling the fresh croissants and strong espresso. The taste of the baguettes lingered in the air. The smell was so strong you could taste all of the bakery good as the cool air swished through the night. Pushing and shoving as the people in the streets ran into the cafe to claim the fresh goods. Quickly, the waitresses sat down the people coming to eat in the yellow, enchanted cafe. Upstairs the lights were off, windows sitting still with the moonlight shining into the room. The cobblestone pathway started to die down with less people on them and more lights turning on in the tall, old buildings. Sierra Adamow Boudreau, Grade 9

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The Lone Pine Georgia Needham, Grade 9

The lone survivor stood alone in the fading face of the sun, waving its final farewell to the passing day with waning branches, the last remaining wisps of golden light belonging to the vast globe of life burrowing into the depths of the unknown twilight, a sterling beacon of flame, slowly being extinguished. Longingly the pine looked out towards the stony faces of the mighty gray mountains silhouetted against the ever darkening sky, a vast lake of fine glinting glass stretched between them, forcing them apart. Isolated and alone, the sickly plant shuddered and shivered in the frigid breeze of the cold hearted October night, innocent and vulnerable, much like a fawn experiencing its first winter snow. For the once burdened frame of the youthful sapling was left bare and bent from years of duration, the only remaining clumps of sickly green needles dangling uselessly from where the unfortunate producer needed them most. An intricate mosaic of roots threading a map over the cold, frigid rock, digging into every crevice and crook, anchoring the tree to the ground, sustaining its frail line of life in the ever fading light. Finally, as the last bit of guiding light faded, the pines tiny island was plunged into a thick shroud of black. The only sound that could be heard for miles was the rustling of the tiny pine, watching and waiting patiently for the coming of a new day.

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As my dirty brown eyes peered out from the long grass, I spot the Cutthroat Trout swirling down the mayfly dunes as they land on the crystal clear water of the Elk River, in the Elk Valley. As I take my G-loomis fly rod, made of carbon fibre out of the case and crouch at the edge of the slowly flowing river. My hands feel the box of homemade flies, in my well, worn vest. As easy as tying a shoe, I tie on the adult mayfly pattern. With ease I cast out my fly and I see the Cutthroat’s pointy nose tap the water. I set the hook, zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz! The trout runs wild down the twisting river. It stops under Indian Ghost Mountain, the Indian on the horse in the shadow of the mountain stare down at me. I watch my triple triangle tapered hot orange line disappeared into the water as my backing started. Suddenly there was slack on the line. As I started reeling in the line, I noticed the line coming up the river rapidly. I reeled faster and faster till, the fish was on the line again. It had been running backup the river at me. I see the Cutthroat’s Orange belly glimmering in the water. Getting my hands wet for the fish, I gently pull the fish in closer. I feel the soft, slimy, scaly, cold, 21 inch Cutthroat wriggling in my hands. Michael Savilow, Grade 9 111

Gemini Soren Bradley, Grade 9 My eyes gleamed over the light that ever so passionately blinded me as I walked by. The cups of tea laid heavily in the hands of the life-like beings grazing in their natural habitat. Gated in, the animals were not able to be set free; for they were happy in their setting of arranged chairs, umbrellas, and tables. Candle light feathered the moon scape with a soothing essence as the disruptive cobblestone road threw punches in the swagger of my step. Wafting over the scent of maple, it coated the thick heavy night air that made my un-adapted lungs heave in silence. Dried with a sugary residue, my eyes were blinded. I kept my pace: aware of my setting, passing slowly, and content with the very moment. My eyes blinked, taking pictures in my mind like a camera. I could imagine the shutter articulating as the figure popped out, angel like with grace in every swift movement the creature took. I was mesmerized by the very sight of this unearthly being. Gold flowed abundantly, loosely swinging back and forth with every movement. Soon my gaze was interrupted by the neanderthals surrounding the statue like figure that stood goddess like in the corral. My walks were never long. Only three or four minutes. Or were they? I had never really pondered at how long I'm out for. I start a steady pace and lose myself in the midst of the story that was my life. A release from the stressful job I obtained from my father. Working in the only funeral home in the tri state area isn’t easy. I find myself always having to update licenses, plan for intricate funerals that are barely worth the money. Life for me was unlivable without the release of my stresses. Further, having all those poisonous chemicals around at the funeral home made my lungs small and weak. Walking up the stairs is always met by a severe cough or a dry heave. For some reason I can't seem to remember if I even cough outside? The thought always eludes me. This made my beloved walks just a bit better. My days at the “shop” were strung out and without the use of multitasking they would be 112

impossible. My parents had passed years before and help was in a low supply. Jack, a young neighbor boy would stop by every once and a while to help clean and listen to my sorrows. Sadly, business was booming lately and my funeral home was almost full to the brim. Coffins lined the narrow condo like halls that intertwined through the contorted house. Rooms were blanketed in the lacquered oak boxes that housed the dead. Why is no one picking up their coffins? This drove me crazy. I have no room to house all of these “novelties.” What can I do? The idea of housing other people’s loved ones made me sick and in a rage I started looking through all the coffins trying to find anyone I might know. One after another I flipped open the coffin doors; this was the only boundary between me and the dead. CRACK, KLANG, CLUSH. A casket tips over and pounds the floor, letting sounds reminiscent of the titanic meeting an iceberg, echo through the house. Terror fills my bones as my cheeks start weigh down. GOLD!!!!!!!!! GOLD!!!!!!!! I had seen it before. I couldn’t remember just where it was from. My eyes turned back in my head. The gold purred into my brain, filling my head with nothing but the flowing gold. I must go for a walk……….. * * * * Clank!!!! The barred door shut immediately, a narrow beam of light broke open my gaze as a man peered through the window that laid between bars. He screams,” He's up!!!! Sir he’s up!!!!” I was unaffected by the loud thunderous cry, by this time I was used to the screaming. Moments later another body stood outside of the door. This one bigger than the other. His jacket pronounced an emblem, embroidered into the fabrics the emblem wrote (POLICE). Warmth surrounded me as a blanket covered my shoulders loosely. I sat on the frigid steel bench that sprawled from one side of the room to the other, chained by a cuff, staring attentively at the P-O-L-I-C-E man. Seconds later the men opened the door, scanning the room for my presence. They stood in front of me looking down as if I was in trouble? Why? The POLICE man knelt towards me and put out his hand, implying I’d get up. Frozen in place the less professional man trembled in his shoes looking deep in to my eyes. Energy sporadically flowed through my body as I started to lunge forward trying to gain proper footing. Interrupted by yeti hands clutching my shoulders, the man instantaneously slid the cuff off the bench and on to my opposite wrist, creating a harmonious bond of impaired appendages. They lead me into a nearby hall way with the policeman's hand firmly wrapped around my cuffs, I wasn't going anywhere. Turn after turn we walked endlessly down the hall till a giant armored door popped out of the blue. It seemed to be opening an inch for every step I took because by the time I was there the door was fully open, showing a poorly made metal table that barely stood on its own and a man waiting there. freshly shaved, suited up, and patiently waiting; finally his ogling eye caught wind of my person and he raced to stand up to get a closer look at his specimen……..me….. * * * * “I presume you're the culprit,” the words rang in my ears. What was I the culprit of? Culprit of what? Being on a nice stroll after a good day of work? Something interior was about but what is it? Walking through the door the suit stood up, sliding the chair parallel to him out from under the table. Cuffs hung from the overpowering bar that was loosely attached to the flimsy table with a couple of coffin screws. In seconds my cuff had already been joined to the bar and I was being persuaded to take a seat. Lonely hands pushed a manila duo-tang in my vicinity and out of the corner of my eye ………...GOLD!!!!!! GOLD!!!!!! But this time it was different…… they were pictures……….pictures of a familiar background…….. My floor, my house, and my bodies. 113

Mirrors Ellie Hardock, Grade 9 There she is. I quickened my pace though the long hallway that led to are lockers. Some boys were expressing how much this Monday afternoon was so tiring. Other voices called out to each other asking what class do we have? Or don’t we have a test next? I ignored the comments and proceeded to my target. “Hey wait up Jasmine,” she paused to recognize me. Then she looked around then back at me. “Do you have the money?” Her eyes lit up as she exclaimed this tossing her red hair behind her. I rummaged through my backpack, shoving some lonely book aside, pencils and papers. Where was it? “I’m sorry I can’t find my wallet, I must have forgotten it in Mr. Nelson’s class,” she said. Racing back to my last class, I began to panic. Studying the open door I saw Mr. Nelson casually sipping his afternoon coffee while sitting in his over paper packed desk. Scanning the room I found no trace of my wallet. I stepped into the classroom and asked Mr. Nelson if had seen my beloved change purse, and he had no such time for looking for a lost wallet. This made me furious, I had more than $250 in there and it was designer too. I stomped out feeling grim from the situation. Next stop my locker, I passed by a friend that commented how nice my chocolate brown hair was. Minutes later I shifted my gears back to the situation not how amazing my hair was today. Jasmine was already waiting at my locker for me. “Any luck?’’ she questioned while I opened up my glam locker. It was usually filled with pink decorations and pink and white wallpaper lining the inside. but to my astonishment nothing was there. looking from top to bottom I could not believe that someone had gone through my entire locker and stolen everything. I shrieked and steps back. Jasmine looked at the empty locker to. She had a frightened look was on her face. the bell rang to go home. * * * “Hey Josie I found a way for you to get some money.” I could hear the muffled sound of my sweet mom’s voice from outside of my room as the pitter patter of rain drops began to knock on my window. Fortunately the song that I was listening to on my laptop had just ended. “One sec, I'm coming,” I sang being happy that I could make some extra cash. My feet raced like I was in a marathon, down the stairs. Finding where my mother was she told me about the people that had moved in to the house 3 houses down from us. “They would like you to babysit there two little girls tonight?” she told me while washing are dinner plate. I was focused on the spaghetti still clinging to the plate that my mother was scrubbing when I answered, “Yeah that would be great,” knowing that it would be easy, and that I have baby sat for many different people before. I retraced my steps back to my room to study for a test I had tomorrow. One piece of white thin paper was slid under my door from my mom to me. Purple ink read The Graystones : 489 202 1740. Wholeheartedly I sprung to grab my phone that was laying on my bed, and quickly typed in the numbers. I asked them what time to come over, they told me around 7:30. Glancing at my clock and I saw that I only had one hour till I had to be there. Because there was not much time left I got to studying right away. Minutes passed and it seemed like forever until I had to go. Opening my laptop, I went to the first question that my 114

teacher had sent to me. This was about the Charter of Rights and Freedoms. I have never understood it before. All of the rights that we have it is too many to remember. After a little while I decided to just be done, it was going throw one of my ears and out the other. My eye searched to the top of my computer, it was finally time to go. Rushing downstairs again I frantically grabbed my new leather jacket and matching boots and called out to my mom that I was leaving. Rain drops trampled my leather jacket as they spring from the clouds above. Boom! Thunder hit the sky like a rock cracking in half, and along came the lighting. Racing down the sidewalk trying to escape this miserable storm i reached the darkly painted house that stood at the end of our street. passing it a thousand times I have never that this house was very unappealing to someone’s eye. It shook the angle in me leaving me dark spirited. with all of the strength I had and climbed the enormous stairs and stabbed the doorbell with my finger. Creek the wooden door opened, I could see a well-dressed lady in the doorway with two small girls standing on either side on her. a warm glow came from the inside and a scent of freshly baked cookies found its way to my nose. The lady let me in and introduced me to her daughters, then showed me their house but not the downstairs which was a little odd. Once I saw the inside it seemed to open up to me and i felt more relaxed and less creepy out. The two little girls were twins with little difference to them. The taller one that was holding a delicious chocolate chip cookie was named lisa. Dena the other twin was sitting at their wooden table. After about five minutes the parents left, leaving me in charge of the two four year olds. I still was a little frightened of the place as it stared down at me like an angry father leaning down to look at his disgraceful child. About an hour past and the storm kept getting worse, it was time for me to put them to bed. We all climbed the spiraling staircase and went down the hallway to their rooms. once inside the twins room I felt happy again seeing the familiar pink color that always greeted me in my room. Roses, paintings and pictures of the family hung on their brilliant pink wall. Dina looked around frantically as if she had lost something. “Josie can you get my purple voodoo dolly from down stairs?” she asked in the cutest voice I have ever heard. I answered yes and told them I will be right back. Walking carefully as I went through the house in search for the dolly, every door had a mystery of its own. A tall black door stood in my way, there was a threatening present about it. Flash boom! Lightning shook the house. My hand reached for the nob, I could feel someone watching me as I opened the black wooden door. It swung alarmingly open and immediately chills ran up my spine. My heart pounded louder and louder. I steps forward into the pit of darkness running my hand agents railing I could not see. Flash boom, at that very second my head started to spin i could not help but to look state in front of me. Deciding that this was enough terror for me I turned quickly up the dark stairs. Something shiny caught my eye. It seemed to be moving back and forth. Flash! There was a silhouette of a man outside of the window with is arm raised up in the air. It took me a split second to realize that the shiny moving object that had caught my eyes was in fact the gleaming blade of a knife. The threatening tension of the last few moments burst out of me in a blood curdling scream. I tried to run but my body would not let me, as I broke out into a cold sweat. Gathering my frayed nerves I lunged forward tripping on the last step. Scrambling to my feet with raw fear clinging to me like suffocating tentacles, I managed to climb out of that script. Racing as fast as my feet could carry me I snatched the phone that had been on the black granite countertop and dialed the number that the parents had left for me in an emergency. My heart still racing as the other long rang. Finally there mom pick up her phone, and asked me why I had disturbed them. I uncontrollably started to cry as I tried to explain to her that there was a figure with a night out side of the downstairs window. There was a long pause before she answered, “We don’t have windows in the basement only big mirror.” Click! The line went dead. 115

The Light World Emily Smith, Grade 9

Snap! The sweet feel of muscles pulsing and stretching enveloped me, as I leaped towards the glowing ginger buck. Catching it of guard it flinched, but I had locked my jaw as the luscious feel of red coursed through me. Soon after his heart slowed, and the color drained leaking into my system, filling me with the exhilarating high of a kill. Straightening up I saw the black lifeless body seep into the earth to be used again. Hunting was my favorite activity but seeing the animals I killed find peace helps. Curious of my appearance, I strode over to the nearby lake and peered down. Staring back at me was a fiery golden face filled with light and newly found red streaks. Finally my colors were coming in and I could wear them proudly. Satisfied I strolled off through the forest, these were the kind of days I lived for. As I walked I gaped at my surroundings, my beautiful forest of light. Trees oozing green light that smelt of pine, and the damp dirt staring back at me with a dull brown glow. Grass the color of limes let out a bright hue of happiness for it was spring and spring is a time for life. Every animal flashed their colors proudly, showing the light and pigments that shone off all living things here. I'm a tiger, top of the food chain with my family. No one challenges me or my family, because we have dominance. This is the tiger forest; it’s where my family made their home and kingdom. Over the years that we have lived here we have gained full control. Escaping my wandering thoughts, I walked into the clearing where my home was, it was calm and peaceful. I spent most of my time in my forest but I was the daughter of the leader. I had to make appearances, because my father was grooming us to lead one day. And certain things were expected of the leaders and their families. “Tiish where have you been? Your father is having a conniption!” my mother’s worried voice carried out from the mouth of the cave. My mom Zaahida is the alpha female of our pride, people say I get my looks from my dad but I definitely have my mom’s fire and loyalty. She has sunflower yellow eyes that can be kind and fierce all at once. Also she has a red, purple, white, orange, yellow, green and brown coat that glowed in a dull annoyance. Having a multi colored coat showed off how long she’s lived and what's she's done, It’s the ultimate pelt. It’s what I want to have, when I become the leading female. “I see your red is coming in excellent! Just in time for your father’s announcement,” brightening up she led me into the cave. Completely ignoring my sassy comment was her usual defense, and this was nothing if not a usual day. As we entered the cave I looked around to see who was here, as usual I was the last one here. My father stood in the corner, looking scary with his vast main and blazing orange and white glow. Males didn’t usually get many colors, it’s was only the females. He always stood tall, strong, and ready, he had to be. He was the leading male the pride leader, he had to be ready for anything. Ignoring his death glare, I strutted over to my brother and sister to show off my new color. “Wow you got a color!” Labhras eyes lit up as she checked out my newly earned pigment. Labhras is my little sister; she is so gentle and kind. With crystal blue eyes, and a coat of white light, that always let of a gentle happy air even if she was angry, which is rare. She is as gentle as a snowflake, and probably won't get many colors. Because being able to fight and kill are some of the requirements for a variety of pigments. “Impressive,” admitted Taajwar. He has dark brown and white glow light in his coat. He’s in line with me to be our dad’s heir.

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Looking around I saw my dad and mom striding proudly toward the mouth of the cave, and we all followed in unison. Our faces became serious, we had to look business like because dad had an announcement and all animals came to see. Emerging from the cave, we saw that there was no one in the clearing, just one big lion poised for attack. This was a dominance challenge and everyone hated to see these kinds of fights. This tiger was well known for his violence, sinister, cold and apathetic ways, his name is Zaakir. He has challenged my father’s dominance before, but now it seemed different he looked strong and out for blood. I fought the urge to leap down to be my father’s back up but I couldn’t, because dominance fights were a one on one only. Crouched low they circled each other, getting kicks and bites in. Suddenly Zaakir struck and latched on to my father's neck and snapped it. The snap of the neck bone whipped through the clearing, as a dead hollow feeling filled me. Realizing my dad Zaanannim was dead. Mom pushed us back into the cave and stood in front of us she looked strong and fierce. Knowing her I could see the slight shake in her rib cage, she was fighting back tears to. Labhras didn't hold back, she just started crying she always showed her emotion. Giving in I sat down next to Labhras and whispered comforting words to her as we waited for Zaakir to leave. He was a sick and twisted tiger, so he’d let us run off then he’d chase us and kill us. Because you had to kill off the blood line if you wanted to truly rule. Early in the morning mom woke us up, she looked scare, worried, and determined. “Go! Take your brother and sister, and run far away, head east in the forest. I’ll hold off Zaakir, you guys will be next and I can’t bear to see you die.” A tear slipped out and ran across her cheek. I stood up and gave her a hug goodbye, I understood and there was no point in fighting fate. Slipping into the early morning darkness, with stealth like the night air we ran through the forest. Daylight is our safest time and distance that much safer. We ran till the sun rose above the distant horizon, and that’s when he struck. Leaping forward from the tree he grabbed Labhras, I stopped instantly, recoiled and attacked. I latched onto his leg and locked my jaw, as Taajwar locked on his neck. SNAP! the sickening sound of bones breaking filled the air, letting go both Taajwar and I backed up to see Labhras lifeless body sweep of color and get sucked into the ground. This time, there was no peace there was no calm, my light and emotions flared with red, white, and gold so bright that even I could see it. This caused Zaakir to run, off he knew i'd kill him and he was badly injured, I didn't go after him I knew it was pointless. Instead I laid down and cried, slipping in and out of sleep as the waking and dreaming world collided. Eventually Taajwar got me up and we walked in silence all day. Silence filled my mind then wandered to fantasy worlds. Worlds where everyone lived, where there was no threats and we didn't need food. A world where we were free, that was the one word my mind stuck to like glue, FREEDOM! As we walked through the forest which I no longer loved. We hunted and kept each other well fed, but neither of us had any fun. The fun was over, life and surviving came to fill its place. Suddenly we came to a line of trees that were blocking our view of what was behind them. As we consciously stepped out from behind the trees we came face to face with these big black sticks. They were very hard as I slammed my body up against hem to see if they would break. They were unbreakable and ugly, they had no light they were dead to core. They ran as far as the eye could see we were trapped, and behind the black sticks were these funny looking creatures. They stood on two legs and used their other two legs to hold things. There was no light, the creatures moved and communicated and pointed there dead lifeless legs at us. Everything was dead; no light existed anywhere on the other side of the dead sticks. These creatures had a pale coat stretched across their body, with long fur on their heads and bone white teeth. Their dead bodies moved as if they were living, but how could they be living without light. They wore other animal’s skins of all shapes and colors over theirs, as if they were ashamed of their skin. They carried around big round things on their shoulders and held these weird square rocks that looked dead, but shot off light so the creatures could see them. This was no world for us living among the dead that never die, no light no happiness. Squeak! A death creature opened the stick bars and herded in 5 deer’s, 5 bucks, 6 wolfs, and 2 bunnies. Slowly and carefully i walked towards the opening that the creature closed as I came close, as if to keep me in. As if to keep me in! This was all made up, this is a way to keep you trapped contained this was a cage! And those dead creatures where feeding us and taking care of us, they let us live or die. We were never free, just simple pets of a dead world. Muscles pulsing, tendons stretching, heart racing, and Taajwar by my side as we raced away. Away from the sight of the awful world, away from the knowledge we just gained, free is no longer an option but death sounds like a good replacement.

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The Little One Lost Georgia Needham, Grade 9 The tiny child crouched in the midst of chaos in the pitch black dungeon buried deep in the damp levels of soil, rusty iron links digging into her wrists and binding her to the sturdy cobble wall. Tense, the girl’s emaciated frame shuddered beneath the thin folds of clothing, which were torn to ribbons and caked heavily with debris and grime from years of abuse and suffering. Just then, a faint sound was heard outside the dungeon’s perimeters, like chalk being roughly scraped about on an oldschool blackboard. Someone was coming. The youth could feel that horrific emotion arising in her body, filling her to the brim, an emotion so fierce you could almost see the sparks of anticipation crackle throughout the atmosphere. The little child had always been waiting for this emotion, patiently, so patiently, knowing it would come back to haunt her, to slog at her heart in an alarming way to notify her of what was to come. Agonized wails of disembodied voices belonging to unidentified beings echoed throughout the room, like lost phantoms, knowing the end was near. Feelings leapt up and blazed in a sudden colossal wave as the noise came again, the miniscule clap of a steel boot making contact with a worn cobble path. It was coming from the village street, just outside of one of the dungeons four tall frigid stone walls, which happened to bare a tiny open window, bars burdened and caked with dirt and debris. The heaping wave of fiery feelings of the inmates slowly diminished to make way for an uneasy silence, not a whisper of urgency to be heard. Now the girl and the others were waiting. Patience resounded throughout the area like poison, an eerie hush. Mangled rats scattered across the floor, much like a hazardous brigade retreating, aiming for the holes of safety with scarce morsels stuffed into their vile cheek pouches. The tiny sound, yet again: the clink of armor as the enemy ambled towards the prison. The cramped and dank space erupted into a series of shrieks and cries of terrified women and men, like death himself was knocking on each of their doors. Rather alarmingly did the girl’s stormy blue eyes widen, tucking in her dainty head and curling into an effortless and complex fetal position, plugging her ears to block out the terrible racket of moans and unearthly noises she could not explain. Feverishly the girl then began to look back on her life, she began to remember…….. It had all started when that war came, the war full of blood lust and fierce rage. The stars themselves could not have been sighted that dreadful night the rogues had seeped out of the forest like a plague, downing every man they enveloped in their sheet of wickedness. The girl’s father had been in that war, fighting to protect his little village, his birthplace and greatest keepsake. The girl had hid in the cellar that night, the conflicts of war tearing over her like waves, crashing down over and over, never showing the slightest hint at stopping. Finally, when the turmoil had ended, and the ravages of war ceased, the little slave searched for the man she cared for oh so much. However, her constant findings of gear and countless weapons that could have been claimed by her father were fruitless, leading to nothing but fierce mourning and destruction. Not even a body could be sighted among the remains of war. Fat tears built up and dotted the girls face, making a faint pat as they hit the prison floor, clearing away dirt and grime. She could hear the gate to her little hell draw open as she cried, the armored rebels letting loose their vile laughter as they stepped through, the sound of supposed joy dripping with greed and menace. Innocent whimpers escaped from the mouths of the slaves; there was nothing they could do, the people’s consistent rebellions were useless in the hands of their enemy….. Fear seized the little one in an iron fist yet again. Images of dread flashed about in her mind, a series of vague silhouettes. One of these pictures showed her looking out over a battered field just outside the village walls, fire and weapons strewn about the burnt grass, dead and dying men captured in middle of their last breaths. The final time the girl saw her father. The next picture was of the youth’s mother, later on in time, face captured in a twisted fit, somewhat resembling that of a frenzied beast. A whip was raised in the woman's hand, coiled and prepared to strike. The innocent girl was bent over in front of her, applying pressure her bruised and battered knees, completely at the ruthless women’s mercy. This event was before her mother sold her to slavery. The voice of revenge beat like a living thing in the young female’s mind, handing her the picture of her back, which still bore the harsh red marks of the overused whip, slashed across her narrow back in brutal streaks. A tremor spiked up the child’s spine, causing her little hands to clench in tight fists from the rage that mixed with her bitter tears. Almost as soon as she entered it, the girl was suddenly ripped out of her captivating trance when an unexpected clamor rattled throughout the dungeon. The rogues had entered the premises, currently occupying their foul selves with the unhooking of the heavy linked chains that bound the slaves. Dragging them out of their captivity like trash was hooked on the end of the brutal leads.

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Now it happened that particularly grizzled rouge approached the girl, belly spilling over his pant line, face covered in whiskers and a wild mess of unruly hair. “Get up!” the big man rasped, tone commanding. The girl did not move, frigid panic coursing through her veins. “I said move!” the stranger’s face was as red as fire now, eyes giving off an awful gleam. He raised the whip. Managing to move her limbs, the girl bolted, hurtling for the door in an uncontrollable panic, but was retched violently back by the chains that bound her to the burly man, like a dog wanting to be free of the leash. The girl cried out in pain as the metal cut into her wrists, the rouge dragging her back. “Try that again”, the man hissed in the girl’s ear, breath rancid and sour, hands trembling with anger, “and I will not hesitate to put you in the arms of death.” Then, with a spin on the heels, the man marched out the door, the girl helplessly being tugged along. The girl did not remember the last time she had been exposed to the sun, or how long she had been away from it, but it’s touch burned her skin, and it’s radiant glow made her cry out from being kept in the shadows of misery for so long. As her eyes adjusted, like a camera lens, the young one could make out the fuzzy outline of swarms of people as she was lead along, all lords and ladies the enemy savages had spared and cruel land keepers, not a common villager to be seen. Suddenly, the crowd parted, their rambunctious chat was silenced by the appearance of a dark figure, so obnoxiously large and round that it could blot out the sun itself. The grostique figure belonged to the most hideous man the girl had ever come to know, the king of rogues. The girl’s unwelcomed anger swelled up inside her as her matted dirty blond hair spilled in waterfalls around her, caused by her constant tremors of terror. How she despised that man. The hierarchy whose rule was so cruel and cold hearted, as he let others starve while he gorged himself silly on fine feasts of roast fowl and exotic fruits and fine, flakey baked goods with flask upon flask of blood red wine to wash it all down. The people on the levels below him were starved. Suddenly, the king let out a booming chuckle at the sight of the parade of miserable individuals being lead in front of him. Oh how silly the nags looked. Eventually, after a time, the girl and her other fellow cellmates where lead to a rather new raised wooden platform placed directly in front of the fat newt the rogues called their king, the melted chunks of gold supposed to be a royal crown set upon his head, burnishing in the sunlit tin throne in which was coated in a wash of copper rust and a vile black liquid, seeping down from the dump’s hinges in pools. Located in the middle of this platform, two heavy wooden posts whittled down to nearly stumps stood erect in the middle of the measly stage, burdened with heavy iron loops in which ropes were tied in heavy knots. Slowly, the girl was lead up the podium, the frail oak steps creaking their wooden complaints through the sound of splintering. Realization glazed the child's eyes. She had remembered the tales her father told her about slavery, on how they were sold, in a clear out, they called it. Clear out. The girl recognized that name of one associated with dread and loathing. All the slaves put up for market were sold for gold pieces to cruel masters, ensured a future full of whips and wounds. The slaves not sold were taken away, never to be seen again. It was in the little girl’s knowledge that at the end of a clear out, not one slave was left standing on that wooden podium. A shearing agony interrupted the young child’s train of thought, setting her olds wounds on her back afire. The enemy was behind her, sneering, whip snaking out from his grasp. The young slave had been struck with a wipe yet again. The girl realized her mistake as soon as she let out a gasp due to the pain plastered to her back. The little one had paused on the stairs for too long a term, she looked about, confused and panicked, others yelling for her own sake to get up on her feet and run. The harsh looking guard raised the whip again, prepared to deliver yet another blow. “Get up those steps now young lass.” A sudden kindly voice sounded from behind the young lady, a hand gently pushing her up onto the platform. The guard lowered the hideous black streak of leather to the ground, having lost his chance. The girl turned to acknowledge her rescuer, catching a glimpse of a thick wool cloak that shrouded the gentleman's face just before the biting chains were loosened and peeled from where they had imbedded in her wrists, the cuts raw and scarlet blood flowing freely, painful to the touch. The girl was then led and tied in the middle of the hardy wooden posts I have spoken of earlier, each thick rope tied to a wrist, so tight it forced the girl to adopt a temporary straddle- like position. The young laborer gazed down at the line of slaves at the foot of the podiums stairs, each awaiting the bid that would determine their unavoidable fate. A fine young lady dressed in an exquisite ivory white gown lightly tread on the frail oak platform towards the little slave girl, little circlets of delicate blond hair bouncing as the women turned towards the crowd and beamed, blindingly white teeth peeking out from between her lips as she casually started to announce the traits of the girl that made her a fine specimen for work, obedient, would do anything under the wipe, do the tasks she was asked to do…… A invoking sudden flash of reflective light burned in the widened eyes of the girl. Wincing at the sudden illumination, the youth snatched a fleeting glance to the line of frail slaves, where the shine had revealed itself. Her breath caught in her throat. Unbeknownst to the various individuals gathered in front of the girl, the thickly cloaked man was working away at the brown coiled rope wrapped thickly around his wrists, attaching him to the others in line, the guards stood at their post near the front of the measly line, bewitched by the stunning beauty of the elegant women solemnly speaking of starting

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price of the young child behind her. A lord in the crowd raised his hand, requesting the price of the girl be raised to five hundred notes, ten dollars off her initial starting price, slowly the bidding picked up speed. “Six hundred notes, six twenty, seven hundred seven eighty…..” The girl glanced at the line of slaves yet again; the man had vanished, dissipating into the crowd. A knife started slicing the strands of twine the bound the girl’s wrists behind her back. “Nine hundred, nine ninety…..” the elegant lady trailed off, her eyes widening as she stared at the king. He had raised his hand, plushy palm facing outwards. “Ten thousand notes!” The king cried, “For the pretty maid!” The thick voice belonging to the man she despised slide out of the crowd, echoing in the girl’s mind, a finely woven blanket of fear enveloping her. The girl felt the biting rope loosen around her wrists. The crowd voiced their horror as the tiny frame of the child was plucked up and thrown over the shoulder of a cloaked slave, as if she weighed nothing and was whisked away into the winding maze of cobble streets located throughout the village. The king stood erect and screamed his fury at the sight of his prize being swept away from his grasp, sending the hoard of people clustered around his makeshift throne scrambling for cover, as if the king himself was the carrier of a deadly plague. The girl was weak and frail, her structure shuddering in the male slaves arms as he sprinted, breath shallow and forced. Streets whisked by, grey smears and blurs in the stormy blue eyes of the young girl, much shaped like wide swirling opals, tinged with blue. The hooded gentlemen slowed his pace to a brisk pace, not too fast but not slow enough to be caught by unexpected rouges. A wisp of a breeze blew throughout the little town, howling as it was caught up in narrow alleys and pipes, dancing at a frenzied pace along the long main stone street in which the man walked upon, various tiny mazes of winding trails and graveled streets branching off and snaking around spacious cottages, smoke spouting out from the little brick chimneys protruding from the clay tiled roofs. Rough mountains and vast plains of baked and dried grass could be sighted through the gray haze of smoke, beyond the horizon of the endless cobble path and houses which clustered and pressed in on its sides. The wind whistled yet again and blew bits of discarded material across the panel of stone, not a citizen to be sighted. The gentleman let loose a piercing whistle, smooth and sweet, drawing out over the roads and seeping into every crook and crevice, echoing out into eternity, sounding both gentle and powerful to the ear, much like the gentle breeze, always present, but as soft as a mother’s hand, brushing over her newborns untouched skin, pink and chubby, not yet exposed to the unyielding demands of the harsh world. The girl stared up at the gentlemen's concealed face, perplexed, brow furrowing, expression weak and forlorn. Had he gone mad? Whistling out in the open, exposed at every side? Had he gone to all that effort to steal her away only to give her up again? It was not until a second voice sounded that she realized it was a homing call. The child could identify the human edge to the supposed crow call, guiding the man toward the unknown. The girl hung her head over the man's arm, lolling from side to side, back and forth, exhausted and in shock from her deprived body and burdened day, limbs and joints taunt and stiff with exposure to cold, her frame useless and inaccessible. The young ones vision began to blur and haze yet again, eyelids threatening to shut. The breeze shifted uneasily, whispering unearthly songs in the young girl’s ears, resounding with a comforting coolness through her head, enveloping her with an invisible softness, encasing the youth in a sea of untold tales in which the wind only knew, where it came from. How it came to be. “Look up.” A single voice rose above the others, leaving a wake of silence as it was swept away. The girl looked. A hollow black void was staring right back, full of mystery and an eerie wisdom, a hood covering the truth, everything familiar and known to the girls mind, the feelings of constant pain and agony being just a few…… Than that darkness vanished, pulled back to reveal a man’s face, kinked here and there with crow’s feet around his eyes, and upturned wrinkles around the corners of his mouth, suggesting he was a happy being, and he had smiled a lot during his day, face worn and gentle, storm grey eyes, just like hers. The man gently smiled at her then, all warm and glowing, eyes echoing the strong love and kindness he expressed just for her. The man began to sing to her then, a soft lullaby, cradling her close to his muscled chest, his heart. Dull realization echoed in the girl’s eyes, knowing who was holding her, the lost one she had been searching for all this time, “My sweet one, my darling.” The man murmured, voice sweet and soft, rocking her back and forth in his mighty, protective arms. “Dad” croaked the girl. “Father…..” unconsciousness encased the young girl, rippling around her like a fine silk, delicate folds creasing the suspended space, brushing skin with a smooth touch, as soft as feather down. The girl felt the compelling urge to cry out for her long lost parent, but she knew in her mental state that she was watched over, held protectively in her father’s arms, never letting go, never succumbing to the wretched’ feelings of exhaustion and the feeling of overuse. And with that feeling the girl fell, tumbling into a soft blackness without resistance or a care. The youth was loved with a heart other than hers. The little on who was lost had found home.

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Senior High

Lucas Sampson, Grade 12

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The Great Gatsby Play Review Alix Stephen, Grade 10

On October 23, 2013 I went to watch The Great Gatsby put on by Theater Calgary. It was written by F. Scott Fitzgerald and was adapted for the stage by Simon Levy. Kim Collier was the director of this play. The actors did an amazing job and the costumes, props and sets were done really well. All the actors spoke loudly and clearly. The actors fit their roles really well. When they spoke they made themselves sound convincing and interesting to listen to. When Amy Rutherford in the role of Daisy spoke, she really convinced me of her role and what she was trying to portray. When I read the book she was the same as I pictured her in my mind. The parties that Gatsby had at his house were my favourite scenes. All the characters were the same way as I had pictured them. One thing that I felt was missing was the scene at the end, when Gatsby dies, they don’t have a funeral for him. When the actors spoke you could hear the emotion in their voices. You could also really understand what message they were trying to get across. The most convincing was probably Amy Rutherford in the role of Daisy or Celine Stubel in the role of Myrtle because you could really hear and see the pain that they were going through. You could hear the tones in the voices making the scene more convincing. I think that the least convincing was probably Christopher Hunt in the role of Wolfsheim because, he wasn’t really as important in the play as in the book. When he was speaking you couldn’t really tell right away that it was him talking. For example Wolfsheim is played by the same person as the butler so it made it hard to tell when he was Wolfsheim or the butler. This play was set in the 1920s and the costumes, props and sets that they used really reinforced the feeling of it being set in this time period. The set and props that they used looked real and convincing. The only prop that was weird was when they were drinking, only sometimes did they use a liquid and sometimes, they would just pretend. The dresses that the girls were wearing to the parties were amazing. The time and effort that goes into something like that I can’t even begin to imagine. When they change the sets and props they did it smoothly. Also when they changed the props or sets you knew exactly where they were and what was going on. When Gatsby gets shot there was a gunshot noise,which I thought was interesting. I felt that it really added to the scene. Jordan was wearing a wig and I felt that it really enhanced her character. I think the by her wearing the wig it shows her wanting to be part of the women’s rights movement; it shows her “I can do what I want” attitude. Daisy’s costumes fit her character well. With her dresses they show the money and wealth that and that she gets what she wants. I also felt that Myrtle’s costumes really fit with her character. She wore longer dresses and they seemed to be older, showing that she didn’t come from tons of money. I thought that this play was really well done. All the actors fit well into their positions, the costumes and set was well done. I could understand and hear what the actors were saying. I enjoyed this play. I would give it 4.5 out of 5.

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The Great Gatsby Play Review Alycia Udy, Grade 10 The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald was adapted into a play by Simon Levy. Levy did a good job of making sure that the story was not lost in its transformation into a play. Theater Calgary’s performance directed by Kim Collier on October 23, 2013 was a great representation of The Great Gatsby, from the performances, set design and the costumes they used for all of the characters. Most of the elements of the acting were put together pretty well. While watching the play I heard no problems with volume. All of the things that the actors said were clear, and you were able to hear everything. Nothing was missed because of the volume. The characters stayed true to their background, and all of the actors had a little bit of an accent to make their characters more realistic and believable. Sometimes in the play the actors’ emotions seemed a little too pushed. Some emotions seemed over acted and slightly fake. For example, when Gatsby and Tom were fighting about Daisy, it didn't feel like they were really fighting, and those were their real feelings. It was a little bit of an overdone scene and the feelings were not real. I think that Amy Rutherford’s performance as Daisy was one of the least convincing. In some scenes her work seemed a very pushed and fake. When she was acting, you didn’t really feel her emotions and so you couldn’t connect with her character in the way that she acted. In the scene when she was with Gatsby and looking at his shirts, you didn’t really understand how she was feeling. It came across more as she was upset about being there than amazed by everything that he has, it was overdone a little more than was needed. Julian Arnold in the role of George Wilson did a very good job in portraying his character. When he was yelling at Myrtle for cheating on him and then the mood suddenly changes as she dies his emotions came across very well. The way he acted seemed real not like he was just being a character. For the most part the actors did a good job getting the story across to the audience. They set this play in 1922 like the author Fitzgerald made it in his book. The set for The Great Gatsby designed by Judith Bowden was a simple structure with a walkway across the top and then you just could just add on to it so it could become different places. With this set they did a good job of making the props look real, like with Gatsby's house it looked like it really could have been a home not just a play set. All of the sets and props that they put together seemed really realistic and made you think that these were real rooms that they were in. However throughout the play there were way too many set changes but they were all smooth so they didn't distract from what was happening in the story. They did a very good job of making the changes fit in with everything else that was happening on the stage. The lighting designed by Alan Brodie and music designed by Jonathan Lewis did a lot to add to the mood of the play. The scenes when they were at Gatsby's parties the lighting was darker and it had more upbeat jazz music this helped make it feel more casual and fun. The costumes that Judith Bowden designed fit perfectly with the time period and the characters. The Flappers at the parties were wearing shorter dresses that had fringe on them and someone like Daisy had something a little more simple and elegant on. One other thing they did a good job with the costumes was making Gatsby look at little better than everyone else he always has something on that was just a little nicer, they made the costumes connect with the characters. I would give the play a rating of 4-5, there were some very good elements but also some things that could have been changed to make the play better. The acting from some of the characters could have just seemed a little bit more natural and not just like they were on stage acting. But the costumes, set, music and lights all came together to make the play fit with the setting and time. This would be a great play to go out and see, it was very well worth it. The best audience for this play would be young adult and adults because the events in this play will connect with them and be understandable. This was a very well put together play and was very enjoyable.

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The Lady or the Snake Alternative Ending for “The Lady or the Tiger?” by Frank R. Stockton Madison Hillstead, Grade 10

He walked towards the door on the right. He lifted his muscular arm to the right, presenting his choice. With great power, the wooden door lifted off the ground. The red soundproof curtain moved from the force of the opening door. He stood at the ready, waiting for the worst. But nothing came out. Slowly, he moved towards the open door. He pulled the heavy curtain back and revealed to himself and the crowd a beautiful maiden. Her hair was pinned up into a wonderful heap of blond curls. She wore a lavish, white pearl dress. She turned gracefully and with a heartwarming smile stepped out into the arena. She looked up at the princess with lighting sliver eyes, that gave the message, “Now he is mine.” The beautiful princess got to her feet and nodded in their direction. She then turned on her heels. This was all part of her master plan; she couldn’t lose faith in him. She was his only true love. He had to be. Or could that be the other way around? Was he the only man on the face of the earth that she would love with such compassion? For that reason alone she had to stay strong to her plans. The wedding was bigger and grander than any other the kingdom ever had. It seemed like the whole city turned up to watch the two be joined together. As usual, the royal family had a front row seat to the event. She sat there with a pained look on her face. The glowing smile on his face sickened her stomach. The look in the maiden’s eyes made her head spin. The beauty of the whole event disgusted her to bitter ends. But she kept strong, with the fake smiles and small talk. After the feast, she couldn’t stop herself. She found her feet gliding across the room towards him. As she approached him, it was like he could feel her heavy stare resting on his shoulders. When she reached the table, he stood and bowed at her presence, followed by his new wife. She still had victory smeared across her face. After a friendly chat, she took her lover to a more quiet spot where they wouldn’t be bothered by the fun. The plan was running smoothly, she just had to keep her cool. She proposed an idea to him, an idea that could be so simple and joyous for the both of them. All he had to do was run away with her. It didn’t matter which corner of the world, anywhere would do. He gave a sigh and just looked at her. He pushed a soft curl of her hair behind her ear and with so much warmth in his voice told her, no. No? How could it be no? This wasn’t how it was supposed to go. He was supposed to follow her out the wedding and ride off to their new lives together. But he said no? The tears fell down her face and made water drop stains on her dress. He lifted her chin and told her the truth.

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“Not everything is about you. It’s not you I want to spend my life with. It was never you, and it will never be you,” he whispered in her ear, and left her. She was shocked. The last bit of light she had in her chest was blown out. Nothing but hatred and madness was left in her. She would get her revenge on him, on her, on them. Her childhood fairytales always ended on a high note, but this one would be different. She couldn’t just run and hide, she had to show him that she was stronger than him. No one would ever disobey her rule again. She returned to the royal family’s table and sat with a devilish look in her eyes. She summoned her maiden in waiting and gave her specific orders. She knew that her maiden would deliver. For if not, there would be harsh consequences. Her maiden had arrived right on time and delivered in hand, a box. The princess took the box and held it up to her ear. She shook it slightly, and within it roused a hiss. She smiled with satisfaction and sent her maiden away. She slid the box under her arm and left the grand wedding. That night while the city was asleep she snuck into the newlyweds’ home. With the box under her arm, she entered their bedroom. They were both sleeping as hard as a rocks; nothing would ever wake them up after the night they just had. As she approached the heel of the bed, she opened the box. Inside lay a scald viper. She knew that this snake would do the trick, for it was one of the most deadly snakes in the world. She knew that once the fangs of the viper pierced the skin of the two humans, there wasn’t anything anyone could do to save them. Very slowly she lifted the covers of the bed and placed the viper down on the bed. As silent as the night itself, she left the premises. As she walked backed to her temple, something interrupted her midnight stroll. It was the sound of victory. With smile that stretched from ear to ear, she laughed at the blood curdling screams that filled the air. She knew her plan was complete: she had killed the lovers, and nothing could make her happier.

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Following Dreams A creative response to “The Orchid Thief” by Susan Orlean Emily Matlo, Grade 12 Timmy yawned and stared out the window, completely lost in his own thoughts and thinking about the beauty that lay before him. The leaves were starting to fall to the ground and made large piles around the whole school yard. Normally, Timmy couldn’t wait for lunch where he could go outside and jump in the large, orange and yellow leaf piles; however, all he could think about were the questions for his teacher that were nagging heavily on him. Timmy’s teacher entered the bright cheerful classroom that had posters covering the walls and the bright sunlight shining in. This was Timmy’s favourite classroom, for the sole reason that it had the most natural sunlight all throughout the day. “Timmy? If you're finished reading you may go for lunch now.” “Thank you, I have finished. But I would like to ask you some questions about The Orchid Thief? When John Laroche says he probably should have chosen a more conventional lifestyle rather than following his dreams what would be the right thing to do?” “Well I strongly believe that you should follow your dreams, because if you look at John, he was very happy with the life he was leading. It’s not always the smartest idea to just choose a career that will bring in lots of money for you. You're in this career for the rest of your life, you may as well be happy while doing it.” “Ok well yes that makes sense but what does that have to do with The Orchid Thief? I don’t understand.” “Well look at John Laroche, he was constantly changing his own interests, at one point he loved turtles and wanted to have one of every species. Then soon after he wanted nothing to do with turtles and only thought about ice age fossils. Do you think a job as a brain surgeon would be a fit for John?” “Well, if his interests keep switching around I guess not. Maybe is that why he seems to be best suited for following his own personal interests?” “If you think about it seems as though he either would be switching from job to job, just because nothing can hold his interest. Or he would be very unhappy in his career. At least now everything he does has a way that it will help those around him, and he is always happy with whatever he’s doing. So why did you have so many questions about the book?” Timmy stared off thoughtfully for a moment as he thought about the best way to phrase his reason. “Well you see, I see a little bit of myself when I read this. It has been my lifelong ambition to become a kangaroo farmer, and I just have never thought it would work. When I read this story, I saw how John was able to follow his dreams, and things worked out alright for him! So it got me thinking about what I wanted to do with my life.” “Wow! That is quite a unique goal that you have. But tell me didn’t you always want to become a lawyer too?” 126

“No, I had just chosen that career because I was afraid my kangaroo idea was to farfetched to work and a lawyer would pay fairly well. I really enjoy being outside which is what I would be doing if I were to go with my kangaroo idea, but if I become a lawyer I will be indoors and wishing I could be doing something outdoors. Being a lawyer means constantly feeling claustrophobic with the plain white walls closing in on me, and having the bright fluorescent lights beaming down on me. Being outside is the complete opposite, I will be out in the natural sunlight shining down on me, the green grass underneath my feet, the colourful flowers all around me, and the bright blue sky above me.” “See this is like the book: John was not suited to becoming a surgeon because he couldn’t remain interested in one job for long. You like being outside and cannot stand the idea of being inside. I think you should go follow your desire to become a kangaroo farmer, and forget about becoming a lawyer. Just because a lawyer is thought of as more of a conventional job, that doesn’t mean a kangaroo farm will be less rewarding.” Timmy stood up, and walked towards the class room door. 30 years later and Timmy is a very successful kangaroo farmer, and known all over the country. This was not an easy feat: it took years and years of hard work for Timmy to become the man he had always wanted to become. He had to learn that his days were not always full of sunshine and green grass, there were days that rained on end, or their were at times snow covering the ground for weeks. But Timmy kept at it and didn’t quit because he knew he would be way happier enduring the snow and rain than being in a miserable office setting. For Timmy the best way to live his life was to go against the typical conventional lifestyle, and follow his personal goals and dreams, as this was what made him happy.

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Extended Metaphors Linda is a home warm, welcoming, strong, and sturdy filled with the memories, and traditions of a family who loves and grieves, and fights and cries, inside and outside. The great wood house. They live their lives and come home to the same adoring walls, never wondering what life would be with those sturdy walls, but the home does not mind, it warms, shelters, feeds and clothes, never expecting anything in return. Mia Berloni, Grade 11

My parents are a beacon of hope a path to guide me and a star to follow however, they can also be a slamming door and a vast forest to which I have no map. But mostly, they are my gravity that I rely on to keep me safe, grounded and on earth dreaming of what is achievable in space. Kaitlyn Magee, Grade 11

She is a healing force, a magical power. The individuals who know her, have nothing but praise and positivity to relay. Her techniques are god-like, yet mysterious. I know for a fact that she is the essential medicine. Stephanie Berry, Grade 11

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Don’t Judge a Book by its Cover Mia Berloni, Carley Louw, and Cristi Louw, Grade 11

Nothing on a cover tells us the book There is more to life than what we label Sometimes you have to take a closer look Sometimes what’s in the book is overlooked This is real life, it’s not a fable Nothing on a cover tells us the book People who decide to judge are the crooks It’s the person inside who makes the choice Sometimes you have to take a closer look You need to look closer within the nooks What matters the most is the inner voice Nothing in a cover tells us the book False appearances draw us with a hook Live your life freely, at the end, rejoice Sometimes you have to take a closer look Your identity cannot be mistook You must keep believing while you're able Nothing in a cover tells us the book: Sometimes you have to take a closer look

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Hasty Decisions Madison Hillstead, Grade 10 The decisions we make shape the path of our life. Often people make quick and hasty decisions depending on what is happening in the present and forget can about the long term effects, which ends up making the decision detrimental. This behavior can be found in the play Romeo and Juliet by William Shakespeare. You will find that characters like Romeo, Juliet, and Paris make some hasty decision that lead to their death, and the death of others. A character from Romeo and Juliet that makes hasty decisions is the young and beautiful Juliet. This beautiful maiden is the daughter of the Capulets, which are the enemies of the Montagues. Juliet tends to overthink and confuse herself. She often knows something bad will happen but talks herself into doing it anyways. For example, when Romeo attends her family’s house party, she becomes flooded with emotions for Romeo. She tells herself, “My only love sprung from my only hate”(I.vi). This quote proves that she knew that loving Romeo might be bad for her. Yet she does nothing to stop her feelings toward him. Another thing Juliet tends to do under pressure, is make very poor and quick decisions. For example, when Juliet finds Romeo dead in her monument, she hears voices and decides to kill herself because she doesn’t want people to find her. When she says “ O happy dagger! This is thy sheath, there rust and let me die” (V,iii), she doesn’t even give it a second thought. She made a very quick, lousy decision that costs her life. Not once did she stop and think, is this a good idea? Would Romeo want this? And what about her parents? She never once asked herself those questions. Although she had a lot of pressure on her, that didn’t give her a reason to stop and think about how her decisions would affect her and the people around her, causing immense tragedy.

Slowly Killing Me Johanna Jurok, Grade 11 In the story “The Rocking Horse Winner,” the author conveyed through the narrator that the parents selfishly put their need and own desires before the needs of the family. The son, Paul, recognizes that his mother does not truly love him and is extremely self-centered, so he tries to win her affection by feeding her desire for money. In the first paragraph, Hester admits that she feels that her children were thrust upon here and are a burden. Hester’s main focus in life is to live stylishly, and this desire to live beyond their financial needs has soured the mother and father's marriage and has infected the house with greed of the desire for money. The author, D.H. Lawrence illustrates this atmosphere with personification. He describes the house thusly: “and yet the voices in the house…. Simply trilled and screamed in a sort of ecstasy: ‘There must be more money.’” This atmosphere created by Paul’s mother affects him because he feels empathetic to her and takes the duty to get more money through betting in horse races to receive money to acquire the wanted love from his mother that Paul longs for. But the yearning of Paul’s doesn't fade; he becomes obsessed with money and luck. His mother’s sickness has passed onto Paul the greed for more money and luck that his father lacks and mother desires. In this mad endeavor for money, Paul is killing himself in his own struggled desire for his mother’s love.

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Prospero’s Control Tristan Maybee, Grade 12

Prospero has an immense amount of control over the characters in The Tempest, he uses his magical powers and logical thought to gain more power over the island. When it comes to the character Miranda, not only does he use his magic to control her, but also his fatherly authority that he possesses. Early in the play, he puts Miranda to sleep: “Thou art inclined to sleep...” (I.ii.220). This is significant because he feels the need to control every aspect of her life. This stems from being an only parent and needing to protect his daughter. More of Prospero’s overwhelming control of his daughter can be seen when he becomes involved with controlling her marriage by testing Ferdinand, who is a possible contender. He makes Ferdinand carry logs as part of a test to prove his devotion to Miranda. Prospero’s fatherly figure then begins to impose more on Miranda by controlling her virginity by threatening Ferdinand. This control is important to the story’s main theme of power and control as Prospero is trying to make everything go the way he wants. Not only does magic play a large role is keeping things in check but also Prospero’s logic and planning. He possesses the ability to reason and not act in violence and temptation. Although he seeks revenge, he doesn’t get right to it. Instead, he toys with the people on the island. This coincides with the desire for control. If Prospero really wanted quick revenge they would already be dead with the first tempest. This reinforces the belief that not only does Prospero seek revenge but more importantly, he needs to control how it happens. This large theme in the book is what drives characters other than Prospero to do the things they do, such as trying to kill others to benefit themselves. Prospero sees this and uses it to his advantage. Overall power is the main driving force behind Prospero’s beliefs, values, and motives in The Tempest. Prospero uses magic throughout the story for control but it is only possible with the magical slave of Ariel. He rescued the heavenly being from a tree to only force Ariel to become a slave to him. From the tempest at the beginning to a visit from a Harpy, Ariel is the common factor that makes it all happen. The reason Ariel does his bidding is because he promises to set him free after it’s all over. This is significant because Prospero uses a variety of techniques to control people on the island, and freedom as an incentive works well with Ariel. The other slave that Prospero controls is Caliban, who is very disrespectful. This earns him the task of fetching wood like Ferdinand was asked to do. With almost all characters falling under Prospero’s control, we can see a bit of irony with his past. Prospero was originally supposed to be a duke but then got cast away. Just like a duke, he assumed control over the island which ultimately fulfilled his original role. The need to be in control was taken away from him and is now why he feels the need to be in charge. This significant character trait however is not just in Prospero, in fact almost all characters have the same idea, but Prospero has the ability, knowledge, and recourses to execute dominance. Another piece of evidence of control stems from Prospero’s name which is a derivative of the word prosper. At this time period of the story, the people who would prosper would be kings and authority figures. This shows that his name is fitting of how he acts and what he needs to accomplish. Through magic, power, and slaves, Prospero is able to become his own “Duke” of the island which fulfill his desires for power.

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DON’T GIVE UP Madison Hillstead, Grade 10 I lie here on the ground There are no more gun shots There is no more sound This battle is over But there are more to come It will soon be over So don’t worry now I won’t be coming home dear No, not today But please remember what I have to say I love you dear With all my heart Since the moment I laid eyes on you And every moment we have been apart It’s getting blurry dear I’m growing cold There’s one last thing you must know Be happy my love And don’t you cry After everything I fought for After everyone who has died Your freedom will be won my love So be strong And live the happy life Laugh and love This is it dear I must say good bye I’ll be waiting at heaven’s gate With the other guys. I’ll be waiting for you dear And no one else But please take your time.

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Tainted Lauren Reynolds, Grade 12 The water is cold against my skin, Each droplet trickling down my already soaked face. My stomach twinges with emotions, all of which I try so hard not to let consume me. I stand there motionless, as the ground takes possession of someone I once loved. Deeper and deeper into the mud, at once gone. I still stand there waiting for the earth to give her back to me, yet nothing happens. All I can seem to notice is the droplets of water becoming one with the earth all around me. No longer are they pure or sparkling like crystals, but as soon as they touch the earth they become impure and dirty, losing the shine they once had, tainted...

Nature's War Struan Wood, Grade 12 Hungry fire, Burning bright, Flies from guns to eat all in sight, In its embrace it makes men scream, Sparing none in its raging stream, Impatient water, Changing form, Dragging a boy into the raging storm, Falling from heaven in the form of rain, God’s spilt tears for those who are slain, Solid earth, Standing strong, A war its channels help prolong,

Darian Halwas, Grade 12

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The Wars

Journal Entry Lucas Sampson, Grade 12 I was lying in the damp, cold earth as it soaked into my clothing, chilling me to the bone while I laid there waiting for my death to happen. The sky had gained a yellowish tint to it from the gas spreading over the top of the crater. As the gas slowly started to drift throughout the crater, I started to save my Lucas Sampson, Grade 12 oxygen on every inhale I took in order to save my gas mask for longer. I took these actions due to the unknown time frame that I would spend acting dead within the crater. I remember for every slow inhalation I took, I could hear someone’s choking cough as they had inhaled toxic gas due to their lack of gas mask, or their urine soaked cloth was failing to save them. With the unknown waiting to happen, the seconds went by like minutes and the minutes went by like hours. Performing the task of laying a gun bed was going to be risky, but I didn’t expect a gas attack to happen when it did. The thought of dying through suffocation scared me because I knew I would feel myself dying without the ability to prevent it. As I lay there with my thoughts of death, I thought to lift my head quickly to make sure that none of the other soldiers were standing or sitting up at this point in time. I had noticed that one of our men was dead, as his body lay by the edge of the water that pooled at the bottom of the crater. His skin had already started to turn pale and the blood that had spilled from his lip had started to dry and scab over. Once I saw the sight of one of our dead soldiers, I knew that it could be me at any moment in time. The thought of me being dead and looking like the soldier below me struck fear throughout my body. I told Bates that I was rolling over to my stomach in order to gain some kind of feeling in my backside again. Midway through my roll, I realized that my back would be covered in mud and not snow like everyone else. If any Germans were to come along and see my back covered in mud, they would then realize that that someone was alive in the crater. I thought to myself “if no one has shot me yet, what could happen now?” By rolling over, I was giving the Germans a free chance to kill me when they came along. I knew that no matter what, my death was most likely going to happen inside this crater. Once I was on my stomach I took a quick glance upward to the top of the crater and noticed a German soldier lying on his stomach at the edge of the crater with his binoculars to his eyes. As soon as I spotted him my whole body had become numb with fear and stiff without any movement; like my body had already been dead before he started to watch us. At the site of the German soldier I began to curse captain Leathers for sending me to lay gun beds, providing me my death. I knew the other soldiers and I wouldn’t have a chance of survival due to the unknown weaponry that the German could have at the top of the crater. The thought of death scared me enough as it was, but the thought of dying by a bullet wasn’t giving me any light at the end of the tunnel. This was possibly where I was going to lay and die with the last little bit of life that I have. Why did I ever think that joining the war was the best way to rid myself of the guilt for Rowena’s death? I had always pictured my death to be more peaceful then this and if anything, have the chance to say goodbye to my loved ones before I died. 134

Robert’s Journal Nicholas Hansen, Grade 11 The following is an entry found in a journal that was recovered from the trenches near Ypres. The owner appears to be one Robert Ross, a Canadian officer stationed in the area in 1916.

Monday, February 28th, 1916

I know I don’t write much, but this morning, as I sit here in one of our forward trenches, waiting for equipment to be brought forward for our next assignment, I felt a need to record the morning’s plentiful and horrific events. It started this morning, sometime after 4. I was woken from a fitful sleep by a sound so loud I was sure my ears would burst, and not a second later, found myself unable to see, and utterly crushed by what I soon found out was Captain Rodwell, his bed, and half the earth in the bloody dugout! After laying there in complete shock for what seemed to be ages, we managed to( with some help from Levitt, who looking back, appears to be in shock) dig ourselves out of that mudden heap of dirt and rotted wood, and began to search for the other occupant of our dugout, Poole. After a minute or two of frantic digging, I heard a voice ask “who are we digging for?” I fell backwards in shock, Poole, that sly bastard was standing right there, he had gone out to relive himself and got caught outside the dugout as the chaos began, managed to hide in a heap of dirt and not get knocked around too much. Lucky bastard. Well, thinking about it, all four of us can count ourselves lucky to have been in the dugout, as opposed to the trench, for when we ventured outside to look at the damage there was naught but a massive hole where our trench once stood( if the term “stood” can apply to a glorified ditch). The smoke, still rising from that crater filled our lungs, and caused me to stumble, and 135

my eyes to tear up. We walked, or stumbled rather, to the edge of the massive hole that was the trench, and began to look for survivors. There were none. Soon after I decided to stumble my way to Battalion Signals Command, hoping that any who lived would be drawn there. A walk that would normally take me less than 10 minutes, took me over an hour due to the damage done to the ground. One the way there, the only other living thing I found was a rat, stuck in a hole. I freed it, something I may regret later, though in the moment, I was caught up in the wonder of encountering another living being, something disturbingly lacking in this dead and ruined landscape.

Maryn Wright, Grade 12

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excerpt from

The Vietnam War and Canada’s Role Kristian Thomsen, Grade 11

In the year 1945, Vietnamese revolutionary Ho Chi Minh, began a war to remove the influence of France from their country and to gain independence. This war would last nearly a decade and end in 1954 when the French agreed to a peace deal giving the Vietnamese control of their country again, and splitting the country in two. When elections came to reunite the country, the United States tampered with the voting. This was done to prevent North Vietnam, then communist, from winning the election. This would later result in a civil war between north and south. This war would later be remembered as one of the greatest American defeats ever, and while only two countries were officially involved, others would help in secret, like Canada. This war would also gather an outcry of disapproval from millions across the US, and other countries making the most unpopular war of the 20th century and one of the most unpopular ever (Rosenberg).

This war between North Vietnam and America would last 14 years until the U.S. removed their soldiers in 1973. Fighting in the country would last another two years and would end when the northern forces took the southern capital (Rosenberg). Throughout the 14 years of American involvement, 58 220 American soldiers would die (Statistical Information). The reason for all of these American casualties in some foreign war is directly related to the Cold War. The Cold War is the name given to the arms race between the USA and the USSR. While there was never any official fighting in the Cold War, there was open fighting between the U.S. and Russian allies. The reason for America attacking Russia's allies is because the Cold War was, in reality, a war between the ideology of communism and the ideology of capitalism. As a result. when North Vietnam declared itself a communist nation, it was dragged into a war with America.

The Vietnam War still remains one of the most unpopular wars in living memory and perhaps still one of America’s greatest defeats. In the end, the war had failed to achieve its goals and went on longer than anyone felt it should have. It created a clear example of one country, Canada, supporting another’s war in secret, and created distain of the administration for their war practices, conscription and their response to protests that would eventually lead to the impeachment of Nixon.

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Bibliography Barringer, Mark. "The Anti-War Movement in the United States." Welcome to English « Department of English, College of LAS, University of Illinois. N.p., n.d. Web. 1 Nov. 2013. Clarke, Ted. "Canada played active role in Vietnam war | Local News." Prince George Citizen. N.p., 12 Nov. 2012. Web. 5 Nov. 2013. Kifner, John. "4 Kent State Students Killed by Troops." New York Times 4 May 1970: n. page. Print. Kindig, Thomas. "The Boston Massacre." US History. N.p., n.d. Web. 1 Nov. 2013.

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Government Control Struan Wood, Grade 12 Source The government must take decisive action to protect citizens during times of crisis. During periods of stability, however, citizens must have freedom from unnecessary government control. To what extent should we embrace the ideological perspective(s) reflected in the source?

Ever since liberalism was first created we have had to ponder a certain question. To what extent should we give power to our governments in order to acquire security under certain circumstances? In liberal democracies, it is possible to increase security in several ways. Mainly these methods take the form of an emergency powers act, something that allows the government to make certain suspensions of constitutional rights. Usually these are only created in response to some kind of conflict, and cease to exist once the crisis is dealt with. Some think that the creation of such acts are good as they allow the government to make decisions faster and deal with conflicts better. Others disagree with their use, claiming that they are in violation of many liberal principles and permanently upset the balance of power between the people and the government. It is this same question asked earlier that the presented source forces us to ask ourselves. The source also offers its own answer to this question by stating that it is during times of conflict that we must allow our governments to make quick and decisive action, but during times of peace and stability, this power should be greatly limited. So to what extent is this true? Is this the extent to which we should give emergency power to our governments? Although one cannot say for certain if this is the answer to the long debated question, to a large extent this can be said to be a good way of handling democracy in times of crisis. Of course, there are limitations to how far we can go with this idea. In the past, there have been countless example of societies losing their liberal values as a result of giving too much power to their governments for too long during a time of crisis, resulting in the creation of an authoritarian state, just as there have been many examples of societies failing to give powers to their governments and thus losing liberalism as a result. In other words, a society must be very careful when deciding how much power to give their government and how long they should have it for. As a rule of thumb, if liberalism wants to prevail, then certain rights can never be taken away, even for just a second. Rights like freedom of speech and social equality are examples of freedoms that should always be inalienable as they are some of the most fundamental principles of liberalism and democracy. Also, a society should remove emergency powers from the government immediately after the crisis is dealt with, or else the government will likely hold onto it forever and all values of liberalism will vanish. If a liberal democracy follows these rules, then it is very likely to prevail through a crisis with most, if not all its values and principles intact. A good example of leaning government power to the right extent can be found in the history of Canada during the FLQ crisis. The crisis, taking place in Quebec, was caused when a group of Quebec separatists demanded that Quebec be separated from the rest of Canada. When the government refused them this, they treated it like an act of war and began to damage Canadian society in any way they could. There were riots in the streets, public buildings being destroyed or desecrated, people being attacked. At the height of the crisis, the FLQ went so far as to actually kidnap two politicians and hold the Canadian government to ransom for their release. Before the conflict was over, one of these politicians was executed. Because things were so chaotic, the police were unable to do anything to prevent conflict with the power they currently wielded. To solve this, the government instituted the War Measures Act, an act that gave a substantial degree of increased power to the

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government and police force. To ensure that the effects of the act did not last forever, it was created with a sunset clause that demanded that the act dissolve after a certain period of time. With the newfound powers they were given, the police and government cracked down on the FLQ and managed to arrest many members of the organization during a short period of time. This greatly helped to end the conflict and made the streets much safer for many people. Many complained that the creation of this act was illiberal, as it allowed police to arrest people without fair trial and violated the rule of law. What these people forget is illiberalism is also at work when there is little to no limits on dissent, like there were before the creation of the act. If it comes between having a few people arrested for suspicion and a city being torn apart by a terrorist group, the first outcome would be a lot more agreeable to most people. At the time, preventing dissent was more important to the survival of liberalism than the full presence of the rule of law and thus the Canadian government was justified in making its decision to suspend these constitutional rights. The use of the War Measures Act is a good example of the extent to which we should follow the philosophy presented in the source as it ensured that the most important liberal values remained intact and was also successful in ending the crisis. Another good example of crisis management in a liberal democracy was the conflict that occurred many years ago in Seattle during a city wide protest. This event was portrayed in the film Battle in Seattle. The government’s management of this conflict has long been controversial, though if one weighs the pros and cons, it would likely have been much worse if they had chosen not to do anything. The crisis started peacefully enough with people protesting in the streets of Seattle Carmen Farmer, Grade 11 against the World Trade Organization and the concept of free trade. They believed that the current system of international trade was unfair to many countries and people and they demanded change. Things only started to turn sour when anarchists joined the protest. Unlike the rest of the protestors, they believed that violence was needed in order to get people's attention for the issue. With their large numbers and destructive philosophy, they turned the city into a war ground. Bombs were set of, windows were smashed, and people were beaten. Seattle was a mess. The government hoped that the conflict could be solved without the use of emergency powers but in the end the police were powerless on their own. Eventually, the American government was forced into using emergency powers in order to protect the city. If they did nothing, the riot could have gone on for weeks, maybe months, and many people would have lost their lives. These powers allowed police to use more brutal methods of keeping the peace, like using tear gas and dot gear to destabilize riots. They were also allowed to arrest or detain anyone who looked suspicious or involved with the protest, something that ignored the rule of law. These actions allowed the conflict to end much more quickly, and once it was over the new powers given to the police were instantly removed. Like the FLQ crisis, the government was not given so much power that it could violate the more essential rights and it was taken away before it could be used for illiberal purposes. Also like the FLQ crisis, this is an event that illustrates the need to sacrifice certain liberal values in order to preserve more important ones, like limiting the rule of law in order to prevent city-wide dissent.

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As stated before, there are boundaries that must never be crossed when embracing the philosophy presented in the source. When these rules are violated, the damage brought they bring to liberalism is almost always greater than the damage they prevent. Take for instance Canada's management of domestic problems during World War I and World War II. During these periods of time, people of certain ethnic groups and heritages were rounded up and shipped to concentration camps in the name of national security. Not only were they imprisoned and treated like animals, but the Canadian Government also took all of their land and possessions and sold them. During the first war, it was the Italian Canadian, during the second, the Japanese and German Canadians. At the time, Canada was at war with the countries these people had ancestry in and thus thought it reasonable to imprison all of them. These were people who had full Canadian citizenship, had grown up in the country and embraced its values. They had little to no incentive to hurt Canada and yet they were treated like enemies, just because of their heritage. This action crossed the line because it violated some of the most important liberal values. Social equality, equality before the law, minority rights, the absence of collective responsibility and the right to stand trial were all completely thrown out the window without just cause. When someone is stripped of their rights to such an extent that they are practically no longer considered human liberalism fails to the greatest extent that it can. No matter what the crisis, for a liberal democracy to exist, the individual must always be seen as something of worth and deserving of certain rights. It was bad enough that such a wound to liberalism was allowed to be made in the first place, but it is even worse when you consider that it was done in the name of such impractical logic. Motivation behind this illiberal action was nothing but paranoia and xenophobia with little practical reasoning supporting it. Whenever we give power to our governments we are taking a risk. So many times in the past we’ve seen how being too gracious with our obedience to the government has led to the end of a liberal democracy and the establishment of an authoritarian dictatorship, like with Hitler in Germany during the interwar years. But there are times when it is necessary to take a leap of faith and trust that our government will do the right thing. Like the philosophy presented in our source states, as long as the balance of power returns to normal after the crisis has ended, all will be fine. We cannot forget that it is sometimes demanded of us to make sacrifices, but we must always make sure that these sacrifices will prevent more damage than they cause. All in all, the perspective presented in the source is a very reasonable way to look at how power should be managed in a liberal democracy.

Miraan Patel, Grade 12

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