Stratford Middle School - The Plume, Issue 2 by Stratford School

The Plume STRATFORD MIDDLE SCHOOL CREATIVE ARTS

Magazine January 2011 Issue 2

We wish to dedicate this issue of the Stratford Creative Arts Magazine to the new Stratford Middle School campus in Santa Clara, California. Our thanks for making this magazine possible go to Mrs. Castagna who oversees the Creative Writing Club on the Santa Clara campus and to Mr. Wong who is in charge of the Creative Writing Club on the San Jose campus. We also wish to thank all of the fourth and fifth grade teachers who sent in work their students have done.

Stratford Middle Schools 1718 Andover Lane, San Jose, CA 95124 890 Pomeroy Ave., Santa Clara, CA 95051

TABLE OF CONTENTS POETRY . . . . . . . . .

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .pages 1—3

List of People I don‘t Like by Sonali Kondapalli Spring‘s Coming to Town by Athira Pratap Life by Snigdha Banda Ritwik‘s Clerihews by Ritwik Dutta Take Heart by Anna Tseselsky Time by Ira Advani The Phoenix by Janani Rangaranjan Bergerac by Shane Tartagalia It by Anirvin Sikha Obvious by Anna Tseselesky Yosemite‘s Legacy by Arjun Soni Gracie by Ira Advani Books by Alexander Elledge Winter by Alexander Elledge Faith by Snigdha Banda Thanksgiving by Priyanka Pabari Hope by Alexander Elledge The Game by Ira Advani SHORT STORIES . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

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pages 4—8

Jack of Black Ops by Ritwik Dutta The Dew Drops by Athira Patrap The Antelope by Sonali Kondapalli Bluebird Alexander Elledge Ima fool and the Aliens by Priyanka Pabari & Aishwarya Natrajan Mutant Bacon by Sarah Mendenhall CRAZY COMICS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . ESSAYS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

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back page

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The Unprivileged by Snigdha Banda Harry Potter and the Deathly Hollow by Riya Dange Cell Phones Can Be Annoying by Sonali Konapalli JUMBO JOKES, RIDDLES, & PUZZLES . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . page 10 ART GALLERY . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . page. 11

POETRY CORNER Spring ’ s Coming to Town By Athira Pratap 6th grade SCMS

HOPE By Alexander Elledge SJMS

Hope is like a flower A most delicate one, at that; If you’re discouraged, A petal from that amazing flower breaks off And flutters to the floor, That means you have lost hope, And you should never lose hope, Because you can always change What is going to happen.

Flowers are peeping out through the snow, Soon the snow melts and we can see the grass below, The sun peeps out from the clouds, Eager to see the earth shine, As I step out of my house with my jacket on, I find out that spring is coming to town! Take Heart Anna Tseselesky 6A SCMS

LIFE Sugar candy

FAITH By Snigdha Banda 7th grade

It gives you hope It gives you joy It brings you merriment in times of sorrow It cannot be demolished And it cannot be polished This is faith It forever a part Of you and me And it abides in everyone’s heart.

WINTER By Alexander Elledge SJMS

As fall ends, winter begins, And so does the fun, With plenty of snow and slush. And it can abide, With plenty of pride, When kids give it shape.

By Snigdha Banda 7th grade SJMS

Life is hard Life is easy Life may be puzzling But everyday as you grow, You will see something new Don‘t give up And you will see That life gives you Many expectations

TIME By Ira Advani SJMS

Tick – tock, tick – tock Sixty more seconds to go The time is going slow As this world rotates And makes its way.

I wondered through the endless maze, So spiteful and full of regret. I will never find where my lost soul lays, Or the people I had once met. I don‘t know how I got here, Or why I wander this dreaded place. My consequences could have been mere, But now my hard sentence I must face. I thought I could outrun my fears, And put away my vicious lies, But that broke out in tears, As I watched my loved ones die. And now I walk this endless trail, Thinking of my deadly fate, And I know my judgments sometimes fail, But I will improve my character trait. Actions will speak louder than words, But another chance I really need. Let my spirit fly like a flock of birds, And my soul grow like a flowering seed. But in me no one believes or trusts For I have a fearful past. Yes, I can change, I will, I must, But away my pleases are cast. You believe that I can change, Don‘t you see that glimpse of hope? I will break out of this stereotypical cage. I won‘t make people weep or mope. I see the looming light, On the oh so gloomy horizon. I will prove and I will fight, And show that I have reason. Although my soul is no longer innocent, I will show what I had meant To change and become purifies, In everyone‘s disapproving eyes. If I have hurt you in the past, Then please forgive the sin I impart. For I am changing very fast. And taking up a new heart.

POETRY CORNER

Bergerac Shane Tartaglia 7B (May, 2010)

The Phoenix Janani 8Q SCMS

My different colored feathers cover me, And rarely do they come off. People think that all there is to see Is my plumage held aloft. But there is more than colors, There is something deeper. Something that stirs inside, That occasionally discolors my feathers. When I am around other birds, I fly. But when I am alone, My feathers die, Of being over-flown A bird has many layers, But sometimes the innermost flair Burst out the rest, And the phoenix comes to the air. Once in a way, After the phoenix is in flames, The same bird is reborn, Its‘ feathers different from before. Every time the phoenix burns, A new personality engulfs my concerns. Since the phoenix is ―imaginary,‖ My ―unreal‖ inner self wonders daily What it would be Like to set my phoenix free. To make itself known with quakes, In a world where it‘s supposedly fake.

Obvious

IT By Anirvin Sikha SJMS

The light cannot shine on it The dark cannot surround it The mountains are smaller than it The leaf is longer than it Fire cannot burn it Water cannot wet it Science cannot solve it History cannot find it Eyes cannot see it Ears cannot smell it Air cannot circle it

Anna Tseselesky 6A SCMS

Could it be that what I had been looking for all along Had been in front of my eyes, So clear and good and strong, Could it be that the answer had been so easy to find? It seems so simple now, It was there but covered with lies, Could it be that the conflict had just been Right around the corner? I couldn’t see it then, But now it has discriminated people as loners, I should have looked and seen and tried, To fix what had been broken, Clear as glass before my eyes, But now even after the many triumphs and years, Nothing can be fixed or changed, Because of course change has been affected by fears, And altered by peoples rage.

Hercule-Savinen de Cyrano de Bergerac, philosopher, poet, and warrior. Panache at its fullest, Represented by his plume. The whimsical white plume, which holds Honor, celibacy, courage, panache, flamboyance, character; His soul, a singular, sleek one, Visible like an overt setting. Flamboyance, with a ferocious feeling, That it gives off, while bringing Him to do such things, as fighting off One-hundred men. His character, Hyper sensitive and high-mounded, ashamed of His nose, a blob more offending than bile, Deemed-not-appropriate for society, Causer of self-mockery, nose That stops confession of love Through letters, ―Letter written one-hundred Times by heartit‘s ready enough, Why not start?‖ a love-driven letter Originating from a love-sick heart –pitter-patterUsed by a fool- an amiable, stupid manLike all of his works, used by others, His letters, his scenes, his plays, Stolen by another; a man who, Like a predator, waits for wordy prey. None other than Moliere, a ―genius‖ from His wit, using a scene written by another. But children, ―Write this down In your commonplace bookMoliere is a genius, Christian has Good looks.‖ So remember thee-the last Words of Hercule-Savinen De Cyrano de Bergerac!

Yosemite’s Legacy Arjun Soni 7th grade SCMS

To the wide world, Yosemite is nature— To me, Yosemite means much more than that: To me, Yosemite is the black bear, Foraging food. To me, Yosemite is the dancing deer, So fascinating to man. Seeing Yosemite is like a roaring waterfall, Unpredictable, undeniably dangerous. Gazing upon a million stars, Twinkling high in their impenetrable haven. Yosemite represents more than just nature—It represents more than life—Yosemite represents this planet, One little safe stronghold in a universe torn by war and strife.

POETRY CORNER Bergerac

GRACIE By Ira Advani SJMS

By ShaneTartaglia

(Dedicated to her passed away bunny)

The number one girl in my heart Has left our green earth Probably to find a better start But why does it have to hurt my heart? The way she used to hop to the gate Trying to stand up on her own two feet; She’d stay and wait For me to come To feed her on the steep hill, Then she would get upset Refuse to come to the gate But hide inside the wall Where no one could see her pain. All these things will never leave me; Ask me about it in the next six years and you will see.

THANKSGIVING By Priyanka Pabari SJMS

The wind has begun to rock the leaves Shaking them from the tree The sky has turned dark and gray Autumn is turning to winter, there is no doubt at all It is warm and cozy in the house The delicious meal is almost ready The turkey with stuffing is in the oven Pumpkin pie, ice cream, and cookies Oh, so yummy! The family is thankful for many things Toys for kids and siblings Mom and dad for the holidays they get from work Aunts and uncles for food, shelter, and family Now that the festive meal is over The atmosphere is filled with bliss Everyone is talking and laughing The holiday is ending, but no one wants to leave Thanksgiving was fun, but now we can‘t wait for Christmas Break!

BOOKS By Alexander Elledge SJMS

HerculeSavinen Books are like portals de To different dimensions Cyrano Where you can fight a fire-breathing dragon, de Or battle aliens in a spaceship. Bergerac, Or just majestically ride a unicorn into the sunphilososet pher, Well, whatever book you read, poet, and It always is a portal into adventure. warrior. Panache at its fullest, Represented by his plume. The whimsical white plume, which holds List of People I Don’t Like Honor, celibacy, courage, panache, flamboyance, characSonali Kondapalli ter; 6thagrade SCMS His soul, singular, sleek one, Visible like an overt setting. I don’t like of my feeling, friends, Flamboyance, witha alot ferocious I That can make listwhile that bringing will never end. it givesa off, hasthings, reallyassmelly feet, Him toSuzy do such fighting off Don’t even get me started One-hundred men. His character,on Pete. Jason has a very big pimple, Hyper sensitive and high-mounded, ashamed of Lauren has humongous dimples. His nose, aMimi blob more offending than wood, bile, chews her pencil Deemed-not-appropriate for society, Wally is obsessed with food. CauserIfofyou self-mockery, nose fat, ask me, Lela’s ThatPamela’s stops confession lovelike Pat. yucky, of just Mira―Letter has a written grudgeone-hundred against me, Through letters, Carl needs his glasses times by heartit‘s ready enough,to see. Britney’s always checking letter her nails. Why not start?‖ a love-driven I think Samantha’s growing a tail. Originating from a love-sick heart –pitter-patterSky is making such a fuss, Used by a fool- an amiable, stupid manI think she has a crush on Gus. Like all of his works, used Sara thinks she is by so others, smart, His letters, his scenes, his Carey likes to sit plays, apart. Stolen byalways another;wants a manto who, Ana sing, Like a predator, waits for prey. Robert thinks hewordy is a king. None otherAs thanyou Moliere, a ―genius‖ can clearly see,from be perfect to another. please me. HisYou wit,need usingto a scene written by But children, ―Write this down In your commonplace bookMoliere is a genius, Christian has THE GAME Good looks.‖ So remember thee-the last By Ira Advaniof Hercule-Savinien Words SJMS De Cyrano Bergerac! The scoreboard changedde 4 -3

One more score And it‘s over for the team The intensity increases For both the players and the spectators.

SHORT STORIES Jungle Wars

by Riya Dange (SCMS) For once, the Jakarta Jungle seemed completely silent. The leaves of the trees swayed gently in the soft breeze. The crocodiles and alligators resembled oddly shaped logs in the river. The lion, tiger, and jaguar slept in their separate dens, each fanned by the tails of two peacocks. The monkeys dozed while holding the tree trunks like their teddy bears. On the other side of the Ciliwung River, the foxes had disappeared. The night was absolutely… calm? Think again. Wymer - the bloodthirsty wolf, the Ruthless One – had called a last-minute meeting of his forces. All foxes and crocodiles were expected to drop everything else and scurry to the place they dreaded the most – Wymer‘s den, more commonly known as ―The Jaw.‖ Wymer, an average-sized, grey, seemingly unremarkable wolf, paced around his den in impatience. His fiery black eyes glittered with anger. What in the name of Leopold’s twisted paw is taking them so long? he fumed. Ah… at last! They kept me waiting long enough! The foxes peered fearfully into the depths of the dark den. When they spotted Wymer glaring at them with a scowl, some of them shrank away; others took a deep breath as if steadying themselves. ―Come in, fools!‖ spat Wymer. ―Don‘t stand out there dithering all night!‖ He growled murderously at them all, and then turned quickly away. Keep your temper, he reminded himself. There’s no use in scaring them off. Slowly but surely, the foxes stepped into the den as if they were stepping up to the guillotine (if there even is one in the jungle). They stood in a dense group toward one side of the den. The crocodiles thumped in more quickly and plopped themselves down on the other side of the den. Once Wymer had decided that none of them were thinking of leaving, he began to speak. ―Foxes and crocs, I see you have finally decided to stop wasting my time. Good. Now, to business. One of you foxes–‖ (All of the foxes winced and tried to look insignificant.) ―-came to me with an idea today.‖ The foxes let out a collective sigh of relief. ―You!‖ he barked suddenly at the foxes, causing them all to jump. ―Whoever you are, come up here and say what you have to say – now.‖ Wymer glared expectantly at the foxes. After a moment‘s hesitation, a young fox approached Wymer, trembling from his ears to his paws. ―Your name?‖ Wymer asked the fox roughly. ―S-Swain,‖ answered the young fox, his voice quavering. ―Well?‖ demanded an irritated Wymer. ―Are you going to speak, or what?‖ Swain nodded nervously, gulped, and turned to face

the other foxes and the crocodiles. ―I… I… I have a plan… to… to… trap L-Leopold, Th-Thorpe, and J-J-Jarvis, all at once,‖ he stuttered. ―Is that all?‖ sneered Wymer derisively. Swain nodded uncertainly. Wymer grimaced. ―Very well. Return to your place.‖ Swain seemed only too happy to oblige. ―I will consider your suggestion.‖ Wymer turned away to think for a moment. The wolf bared his teeth in what a human would call an evil grin. Perhaps the young fox wasn‘t entirely worthless… What a marvelous feat it would be, to take out Leopold, Thorpe, and Jarvis all at once! No more competition or sweet talking – just power. ―Very well,‖ he snarled, turning back to his army. ―I am appointing you my general. Bring me their heads, or else…‖ Swain looked like he was about to faint. ―Th-th-thank you, Your Wolfishness. I-I-I will.‖ Wymer nodded in approval. ―Good. About time you were a little assertive, kit. Now go. Dismissed!‖ He shouted the last word to the entire crowd. They all rose from their positions slowly and respectfully. When Wymer nodded to them brusquely and turned away, they all dashed out of the den, each fighting to exit first. *** At the crack of dawn, the glorious golden sun rose over the pink horizon. A beautiful morning, Leopold thought to himself. What an auspicious beginning to an important day! Leopold the lion stood outside of his den, flanked by his two peacocks. He was a magnificent lion with a regal coat of golden fur and a thick, dark gold mane streaked with grey. He glanced down at his twisted paw – his only weakness, he reflected sadly; he had simply been born like that. Other than his useless paw, however, Leopold had everything. He was the King of the Beasts and highly respected by all of the other animals, including Thorpe the tiger and Jarvis the jaguar; why, even Wymer the wolf thought of him as a worthy enemy! Wymer… He had so much potential, but he chose to waste it all because he was too hungry for power and unwilling to compromise. Leopold sighed dramatically. What a waste! But I must not give him sympathy now. He has made too many wrong choices. He is the enemy now. Which reminds me – I must head to my hammock hangout now, or I will be late for the meeting with Thorpe and Jarvis. ―Come! We must not delay, for I fear the worst if we do.‖ Leopold beckoned imperiously to his peacocks, who hurried to fan him as he walked dramatically slow with a regal stance.

Soon enough, he had reached his favorite place in the jungle – his hammock hangout. It was a lush, gorgeously green clearing surrounded by a ring of palm trees; between each palm tree stretched a soft, white hammock for relaxing on. Leopold surveyed the hangout proudly, taking in the rays of golden sunlight that filtered in through the gaps between the trees; Jarvis and Thorpe would surely be impressed. ―Hark! ‗Ere my comrades approach!‖ Leopold called to his peacocks, using his favorite theatrical quote. Sure enough, a sleek, powerful, striped orange tiger and a muscular, impressive, spotted yellow jaguar could be seen entering the magnificent clearing, each flanked by his two peacocks. Leopold, head held high and chest out, approached them. ―Thorpe – lord of the birds and bats, general of the skies – welcome. Jarvis – lord of the cats, general of the earth – I welcome you to my humble hammock hangout.‖ Thorpe nodded politely, his whiskers perking up in a smile. Jarvis nodded, too, but scowled at being acknowledged last. ―Leopold, King of the Beasts and Keeper of the Secret Weapon… It has been too long, old friend,‖ Thorpe remarked. Leopold nodded in agreement. Thorpe gestured toward the hammocks. ―Shall we begin?‖ ―Indeed,‖ replied Leopold. He and Thorpe turned to glance at Jarvis, as if inviting him to speak. However, the latter - who was still sulking - said nothing, so The Three Big Cats headed to adjacent hammocks. There they lounged comfortably, each fanned by his two peacocks. Leopold, head held high and chest out, approached them. ―Thorpe – lord of the birds and bats, general of the skies – welcome. Jarvis – lord of the cats, general of the earth – I welcome you to my humble hammock hangout.‖ Thorpe nodded politely, his whiskers perking up in a smile. Jarvis nodded, too, but scowled at being acknowledged last. ―Leopold, King of the Beasts and Keeper of the Secret Weapon… It has been too long, old friend,‖ Thorpe remarked. Leopold nodded in agreement. Thorpe gestured toward the hammocks. ―Shall we begin?‖ ―Indeed,‖ replied Leopold. He and Thorpe turned to glance at Jarvis, as if inviting him to speak. However, the latter - who was still sulking - said nothing, so The Three Big Cats headed to adjacent hammocks. There they lounged comfortably, each fanned by his two peacocks. ―Why‘d ya call us here taday, Leopold? I mean, I‘m honored to be here ‗n‘ all, but there are some serious issues goin‘ on at home, and – well – I can‘t leave ‗em unattended for long.‖ Jarvis – the feared, iron-fisted general – spoke first in the accent that was both foreign to and feared by all of the animals of the Jakarta Jungle. ―Ah… yes. I see. We will not keep you long, Jarvis. As a matter of curiosity, however, how are your… ah… 5

problems back home?‖ Leopold responded courteously. ―The usual,‖ Jarvis replied quickly. ―Ya know… The cheetahs boastin‘ ‗bout their speediness. The leopards get annoyed and feel compelled ta show off their stealth. Squabbles all ova the place…‖ Jarvis sighed and shrugged. ―Anyway… I am stayin‘ ‗cause you can‘t make any major decisions without me, can ya?‖ Jarvis glared particularly at Thorpe, as if daring him to disagree. ―Of course not, Jarvis.‖ Leopold stepped in quickly to avert a quarrel. ―Now – to business, generals! Wymer grows more powerful by the day. He has now succeeded in recruiting, not only all the foxes, but also every single crocodile in the Jakarta. This poses a crucial problem – how to defeat him? Certainly, my alligators have more powerful jaws than his crocodiles, but the enemy‘s numbers are quite overwhelming.‖ ―I agree,‖ Thorpe put in. ―My sources inform me that last night, at precisely ten minutes past midnight, Wymer held a secret meeting of all his forces. However, my source could not discover the topic of the meeting. The fact remains, however, that Wymer now poses more of a threat than ever.‖ ―A secret meeting… Indeed…‖ Leopold mused. ―Ya never make any sense, Leopold. An‘ I mean that in the most constructive way. But if Wymer‘s gatherin‘ his forces like that, it definitely is not good,‖ Jarvis let that statement sink in for a moment before continuing. ―He may even be threatenin‘ our very lives. I say, let me an‘ my cats sort this one out. We‘ll make fox stew out of all of ‗em before they have a chance to realize what happened.‖ ―There is absolutely no need of that until we find out exactly what Wymer is up to,‖ replied Thorpe firmly and promptly. ―I will dispatch some of my bats as spies. Perhaps they can find out something.‖ He turned to the peacock beside his head, whispered some instructions to it, and then turned back to Leopold and Jarvis. ―That sounds like a good plan for now,‖ Leopold told Thorpe. ―You both must be extremely thirsty. Juice boy!‖ A plump monkey with light brown fur waddled into the clearing, precariously balancing three carved coconuts (each with its own tiny, colorful umbrella) on his hands and head. He handed one to each Big Cat, bowed to Leopold, and then stood there waiting for further orders. ―Juice boy? What is your name?‖ Leopold asked the young monkey sternly. ―Marvin, Your Honor,‖ replied the Juice Boy respectfully. ―Ya forgot again! I want a blue umbrella, not a pink one!‖ Jarvis complained loudly. ―Take it back and fix it, will ya?‖

―Yes, Sir.‖ Marvin bowed, took Jarvis‘s coconut, and scampered away. ―So, Leopold,‖ said Thorpe calmly, turning to the lion, ―how is that secret weapon of yours coming along?‖ ―I have had it inspected,‖ Leopold replied, stirring his juice nonchalantly with his umbrella, ―and we have reason to believe that it may be a dinosaur egg, left over from the prehistoric era.‖ ―Fascinating!‖ remarked Thorpe, sipping his juice. ―The juice is delectable, by the way.‖ ―Yeah, yeah, but not without the right color umbrella,‖ Jarvis scowled, irritated. ―Will you please give it a rest with the umbrella?‖ Thorpe growled. Once again, Leopold distracted them just in the nick of time. ―The point is,‖ he stated firmly, now sitting upright in his hammock, ―what are we going to do about Wymer? What exactly is his plan? Who is in charge of it? Where do we come in? Those are the most important questions we have to deal with right now, my fellow generals. We can deal with the umbrella issue later.‖ Thorpe nodded and grimaced in shame, while Jarvis scowled his agreement. Marvin chose that moment to appear with Jarvis‘s coconut, which now had a blue umbrella in it. ―Ah! At last!‖ Jarvis exclaimed, smacking his lips. ―I was getting thirsty!‖ He snatched it from Marvin and took a deep gulp. ―Better. Much better. You may go now, Juice Boy.‖ Marvin scampered off with much to think about. Leopold, Thorpe, and Jarvis seemed worried, and that was never a good sign, to say the least… Maybe, just maybe, he could help… But how? *** Swain could not believe his luck. Not only had Wymer been enthusiastic about his big idea (as enthusiastic as Wymer could get, anyway), he had also been appointed General of the Foxes! His shocked and delighted thoughts swirled around and around in his mind during the rest of the night. He rose quite early the next morning – as a general should, he thought. Immediately, he began the preparations for the trap. He relished his great power over the other foxes – a general’s power; he could boss them around or, more properly put, organize them for ―Operation Pounce,‖ as Wymer had decided to name the trap. Everything had to be perfect – the knots tied just so, the traps set at a precise latitude and longitude, and the timing rehearsed down to the split second. At long last, Swain decided that he deserved a short break for all of his hard work. He was making his way down to the Ciliwung River to quench his thirst and refresh himself when he spotted three of his fox soldiers already there. One of them, a tall,

tawny fox, spotted him. ―Look, kits! It‘s the General! Ooooh! I‘m sooo scared!‖ the older fox jeered. The other two elapsed into flagrant laughter. Swain glared at them the way he had seen Wymer do many times before, as if to say, Respect me, or else! However, the lower-ranked foxes simply laughed harder and ran away. Swain blinked the tears of hurt out of his eyes. It would not do for a general to cry or show weakness, he reminded himself. He took a deep, calming breath and a sip of the cool water from the river. It was then that he noticed the reflection of a monkey in the river. Cocking his head to one side in confusion, he glanced toward the opposite bank of the river – the Big Cat side. The monkey swung down from the tree branch he had been hanging from. He noticed Swain staring at him and grinned in a friendly way, then cupped his hands and scooped up some water from the river. Marvin was elated; the plan was working perfectly! He dropped the water back into the river, and then reached for his tail, which was curled around a human child‘s picture book that had been dropped in the jungle long ago. He leafed through the book until he found the correct page. Then, Marvin flipped the book around and showed Swain the picture. Instantly, Swain‘s eyes widened to the size of lamps, and a foolish grin spread over his face. ―Chicken!‖ he yelled. Certainly, Swain admired Wymer and his power, but he had always hated Wymer‘s miniscule food rations. ―Chicken!‖ he screamed in joy, his tongue lolling out of his mouth in hunger. Marvin wiggled the book in a tantalizing way. Crazed with hunger, Swain did not stop to even think before he leaped across the river – onto the Big Cat side of the jungle. Immediately, Swain felt four pairs of hands clamp down on his forelegs and hind legs. More monkeys jumped down from the surrounding trees to subdue him. Marvin grinned in triumph and brought the book closer to Swain‘s nose so that the fox could see the picture of the chicken clearly but could not touch it – in short, pure torture for any hungry fox. Swain was no exception. ―What is your name?‖ Marvin asked the fox slowly and firmly. ―Swain,‖ the ravenous fox replied. ―Why did Wymer hold a secret meeting of his forces last night?‖ ―Can‘t tell,‖ Swain groaned. When Marvin waved the book in front of his nose, he relented. ―Okay, okay… I came up with an idea to trap a-all th-three Big Cats.‖ He winced, but Marvin‘s triumphant grin widened. Marvin sat down in front of Swain, still holding the book. ―Tell me all about it. Don‘t leave out any details.‖ Will Swain tell all? To be continued . . .

THE ANTELOPE By Sonolia Kondapalli 6th grade SCMS

A cross the woods, across the vast plains, there stood the door of Glenwood. Glistening in the light of the sun and moon, it stands upright, nothing behind it, nothing in front. Or at least that was what the animals and tribal men thought when they came upon the door. The great golden lion sniffed, then left to look for a prey. The chief of the tribe flung his spear straight into the door, but it did not give way. A swift antelope stood contemplating the door, every day, hoping for a miracle. Every day, through the simmering desert heat and its ice-cold nights, the door stood stanchly without budging. The wind blew and twisters formed, reaching incredible speeds, but still the door stood firm. No one, no one in this world knew how this could be; yet, the antelope stayed by the door, hoping, waiting, watching for the phenomenon of his lifetime. Days passed. The antelope only paused his vigil long enough to crop the moorland grass around the door, then would crouch down on its haunches, next to the door watching the grass sway in the wind. After awhile, the antelope was ready to give up.

Just as it got up to walk away, it spied a cloud of dust on the horizon, coming rapidly his way. Faster and faster it approached until he could clearly see the heads and antlers of thousands and thousands of antelope stampeding towards the door. The tribal antelope gave a loud bray that reached to the skies, stopping the herd in its tracks. Seeing the tribal antelope in front of a door, they calmly walked toward the it. Hearing the plight of the tribal The tribal antelope, they decided to wait with him. They waited and waited. The antelope grew old and their children carried on the wait after the parents died. For hundreds of generations, the antelope waited for their miracle. Finally, one day, thousands of years later, the door creaked open. There they watched the spirits of their fathers, grandfathers, and more glide by, from the beginnings of the earth. The spirits galloped gracefully across the plain, their antlers high in the air. They came one after another and disappeared through the door of solid Glenwood. Awestruck, they watched this miracle, rejoicing jubilantly at the spectacle. The antelopes looked at the door in awe as the last of the spirits disappeared into the woodwork. Then slowly it clicked shut .

BLUEBIRD By Alexander Elledge SJMS

Princess

Lief, the heir to the throne of Monepse, was bored. Absolutely, positively bored. There was nothing more. She was so bored that she would do anything that would keep her going including chores. But she didn’t do chores. She was a princess, after all. She walked through the garden five times, wandered through the castle six, and shot bows and arrows with her favorite butler, George, seven. She couldn’t think of anything to do which in her opinion was the worst thing that could ever happen. But, still with hope, she got out of her chair, and walked through the corridor and out to the front of the castle. She had been to the front so many times that she didn’t even think as she walked through the winding corridors. “Maybe I could walk to the garden again,” she thought. As she walked, pondering on her thoughts, her guard, Aigin came up to her and 7

grinned, “Hello! Princess! I was just wondering where you were!” "Hello, Aigin, I was just taking my 6th walk around the garden,” Princess Lief said. "Wow, you must be seriously bored,” he snickered. “Yeah, no kidding,” she replied. “Well, hope you have a great time!” he joked with a hint of sarcasm. As she walked away, she wondered where Aigin would be in the near future. He always told her he wanted to be a knight, but he was always too nice for that. He never even killed a fly, and he never would. As she walked, she saw a bird, a bluebird, to be exact. Really rare in that area, she followed it, and when she was turning a corner, she saw the bird flying into a hole, just big enough for her to fit in. She grinned, ”This is going to be fun.”

IMA FOOL AND THE ALIENS By Priyanka Pabari & Aishwarya Natrajan SJMS

A couple of years ago, Ima Fool went missing under the circumstances of abduction by aliens. “Those aliens had antennae sticking out of their heads, a big eye in the middle, and ears the size of elephants,” Ima later said once she was found. “They said, “Oooooga!” explained Ima. “I think it means can we have a soda?” she explained to the eager crowd waiting for the story of Ima’s abduction by aliens. “It all started when I was on top of Stratford Hill clutching a book called Snigdha, Meera, and

Priya’s Days of Wrath which I had found in a hamper

full of sharks and Cheetos,” explained the pre-teen who could never find her book again. The question is, where is Ima’s book now? Did the book bring her luck or did it curse her for a lifetime? As of today, Ima’s story and life experience has turned into a play that has been awarded four Oscar Awards. Right now, no one has an idea of her absence. However, she was spotted at McDonalds eating a Big Mac, extra large fries, and Coke two weeks ago at 2:30 sharp. Is she really a fool? The world will never know…

MUTANT BACON By Sarah Mendenhall SJMS

Poof!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! “Another experiment gone wrong!” explained the evil scientist, Prahlad. He had been trying to make himself bagels for the past two hours, but the only results were pieces of bacon. Why bacon? Abruptly, an idea rang in his mind. He would pour his monster elixir on the bacon. Genius! He tried it and from the start things went terribly wrong. The bacon grew six feet in height and actual feet. They produced wings and eleven tongues on their back. But worst of all, the only thing th at th ey w o u ld s ay w as “Aaaaaaaaaaaaaaimmmmmmmmmmmmiiiiiiiieeeeee ee!!!!!!!!!”

Luckily, Prahlad spoke the Aime language very well. After a few minutes of listening to the bacon, he gasped: if he had heard correctly, the bacons were going to Mars or going to eat llamas in Peru. Suddenly, Prahlad knew his life lesson in a flash back to the past when he had trained at military school. He would go buy bagels instead of making them. Good plan Prahlad! Well that is it…..What? Wait! You want to know what happened to the mutant bacon? Well they went on a long trip to Peru to eat corn. Moral: Prahlad should study the Amie language a bit more.

The Dew Drops By Athira Pratap

There was once a king who had a beautiful daughter named Amber. The King, in fact, was the god of air and wind. His daughter was a small nymph who brought dull things to life. She would walk around, cheering things up a bit. One day, as Amber was walking around her garden, she saw a goose, who walking gloomily along. As she touched it sympathetically, she suddenly found herself in a splendid palace! She wandered around until she found a young man sitting in a royal chair. He said , “I have been amazed by your beauty and talents. Would you please marry me.” The nymph didn’t want to and she tried to escape, but everywhere she turned, something would stop her. Back at her father’s palace, the god was gloomy and never ate anything. Soon the wind and

the air stopped. All the creatures started to perish and the gods came pleading for him to keep the wind and air going. The air god then replied, “ I will bring back the air and the wind only if my daughter, Amber, is brought back.” The gods then went to the palace of the young man and asked him to return Amber . “Okay,” he said calmly, “ on one condition. At each sunset, she must come back to me.” So, Amber was indeed returned to her father, but not until the next morning. Then every day at sunset she would suddenly appear at the young man’s palace. There, she would lay down on the grass and weep until morning. That’s why, each morning, we see dew drops on the grass. They are the tears of Amber.

ESSAYS The Unprivileged By Snigdha Banda

How many of you have a phone, a computer, or a television set in your house? Well, to start off with, you should cherish the fact that you live in a comfortable home with a loving family that provides protection. There are many people in this world that are not as blessed and privileged as us. Everyday is a struggle for them-to find food, to fight with a sickness and not even know that they are diagnosed, to live on the streets, and be unaware of their surroundings is possibly the worst thing one could experience. Poverty, a lack of having shelter, protection, and food, is dominant in the nations of Africa and Asia. Most suffer from diseases such as AIDS, pneumonia, tuberculosis, diarrhea, malaria, and measles. These diseases are caused by a lack of sanitation in one‘s surroundings. These impoverished people need

Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows

help, and it is only justice if we help them. There are several fundraisers and charities that try and help these unlucky people, but not very many get down to the bottom of the problem and fix the issue. However, we have a chance to help these people. The right way to start is by finding the source of the problem. The problem is mainly that these people have no guidance and no help. Well, we can help them by building houses, starting jobs, teaching them, enlightening them, and leading them into a new beginning and refreshing start. So let us have a big, warm heart and lend our hands to these people. Let us help them evolve into one strong united community and world where everyone has equal privileges.

Cell Phones Can Be Annoying! By Sonali Kandapalli—SCMS

By Riya Dange—SCMS

Buckle up, Harry potter fans, and prepare yourselves for the ride of your life! This is the one we‘ve all been waiting for . . Of course, despair is present as the worldwide phenomenon that has become a part of our lives over the years draws to a close. However, the final movies –packed with action, mysteries, fugitives, battles, and (most prominently) deaths—will definitely not disappoint. The final novel of the epic Harry Potter saga will be split into two movies in order to ensure the inclusion of maximum details. The first part—which will be released on November 19, 2010—will finish at Chapter 24, just after Voldemort (the antagonist, for those who aren‘t very familiar with the world of harry Potter) obtains the Elder Wand, a legendary, unbeatable weapon. The second part—which will be revealed on July 15, 2011—will pick up from there. According to director David Yates, part one will be more realistic, so that the viewer believes that Harry, Ron, and Hermione (the protagonists) are actually fugitives. However, part two will focus more on the fantasy aspect, what with the Battle of Hogwarts (Harry combats Voldemort for the final time). All the same, both movies will carry a predominantly dark theme. As legions of Harry Potter fans breathlessly await the first part, a dark sense of foreboding lurks—has the world of Harry Potter truly ended at last? 9

As the train passed across the moorland, I heard the ring of a cell phone behind me. I peeked in the crevice between the train seats, and I saw a woman pulling out her phone. She flipped the top of the phone, and she started talking…….loudly. ―Hey!‖ she shouted to the person at the other end of the line. I winced as she talked yet louder while she checked her nails. She shouted, and her squeaky voice rang in my ears. Ugh. I tried to ignore the lady, but her loud voice was just too hard to forget. At last, the girl bade her friend goodbye. I felt relieved. Well, maybe not. The person at the other end must have started a new conversation because she started talking in a louder and more obnoxious tone, obviously engaged in a new discussion. I leaned back in the seat determined to ignore her voice. Out the window, I watched the beautiful plains and farmland speed by. Then I heard the girl put down her phone. ―Finally!‖ I mumbled under my breath and closed my eyes, falling into a silent slumber. It couldn‘t have been more than three minutes later that I heard it again. That phone! Her phone! I felt my spine stiffen, my heart skipped a beat, and I heard that obnoxious, loud voice spout into the air. Oh boy. Not again! That‘s why it‘s important to step away from others when using your cell phone.

Jumbo Jokes, Riddles, & Puzzles

Two people go to a bird shop. One is named Joe. The other is named Nas.

JOKE

Joe: Do you have any budgies? Shop Owner: Sure… how many? Joe: Two… any gender… any color. Two hours later, Nas and Joe each take a bird to a cliff. Joe jumped off the cliff and almost died. Then Nas said, “Boy! This budgie jumping is a FAILURE!!!” -????

? Q: Wh at is o ne plu one? s A: A w indow !

RIDDLES

Q: Which creature first uses four limbs for support, then two limbs for support, and then three limbs for support? A: A human!

PUZZLE A Q

M N

X F

V Y

B W O

Q L

W I

M A

O N

M S

S -Knock, knock -Who’s there? -Hahaheeheehoho -Hahaheehoowho? -Hahaheehoowho, I just made you sound like a monkey -????

Q: W h perfe at‘s horri bl ct for two, e for one, for th and t ree? errib A: A le secre t

? is E+3? Q: What e! A: Infinit

-The search engine most of us use. -The holiday on October 31. -Public transport system of Silicon Valley. -Name of this magazine. -Abbreviation of only president who served three terms. -Abbreviation of “Have a Great Summer”. -Most populated country in the world. -Google Mail. -Last word of the popular video game “Super Smash Bros Brawl”. -Our school animal. GO _____!

BMX.

By Maxwell 10

ART GALLERY CAT by E.J. Brass SJMS

SEAWEED By Emma V. 5th grade DeAnza

DRAGON by E.J. Bra ss SJMS

THE FACE by Justin Tsin

WISE OWL By Rianna SJMS

Sunshin Tree by Deven SJMS SAILING By Abishek SJMS LILLY By Keiko SJMS

TWO-FACED By Meera

PARADISE By Markus SJMS PAQUERETTE By Mia SJMS

Send in your stories, essays, poetry and artwork to Mr. Wong at— bwong@stratfordschools.com Or Mrs. Castagna— kcastagna@stratfordschools.com

Back row: Arjun Soni, Justin Tsai, Nadya Khan, Abhay Varmaraja, Keshav Kundassery Middle row: Mrs. Castagna, Caroline Luong, Allison Yuan, Athira Pratap, Sonali Kondapalli, Anna Tseselsky, ,Avinash Ganesh, Johnny Liu Front Row: Editors in Chief— Janani Rangarajan and Ritwik Dutta

CRAZY COMICS

By Johnny Liu—6th grade SCMS

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