RUNNER-UP THE SOLO SNEAKY SNAKE

BY NICOLE MANEATIS, 9

Earlier today, I had left a trick unfinished, and I could still feel the sting of the whip that the tall instructor had beat me with as punishment. The throbbing pain started on my middle back, but has now spread like rough ocean waves to every corner of my body. Even when I was lying down, I could feel the tremors vibrate down every vertebrae of my spine like an earthquake. There I was, staring blankly at the blood stained wall––the only home I knew––but then I pushed myself to look a little farther to the edge of the open animal garage, which allowed my perception of that area to change from the impossibility of escape to the possibility of freedom and the hope of a better life. At that moment, something sparked in the empty abyss inside of me, something I didn’t know existed. I felt like something important was missing from my life––and the empty space needed to be filled. My longing for freedom started earlier this year, and it took the full duration of restless nights, undoubtable pain, and incredible loneliness for me to realize I needed to leave!

I looked at my small food dish, which had been lacking in rodents for some time now, and only containing a disappointing amount of washed out grain in an unkept, berry-stained, fly-infested dish. If my brain truly were the size of a walnut, like many of my instructors said, then explain to me how I figured out how to open my cage. That was all I could think about when

I plucked the lock from the bolt by using a stick I produced from the bottom of the cage. It all happened so fast; the stick only dangled from my mouth for half a minute while I sorted out my positioning. The actual action only took ten seconds. They chime of the lock disconnecting from my cage sounded like my heart actually starting after all this time. I was finally going to have a life. I slithered out of the animal garage, pushing my way through the cold metal bars of the shady area. I broke free with a beeline for the forest, pushing my head up and thrusting my body forward, to unmarked territory through the damp soil, spotting the occasional mouse and losing it in the approaching night. I snapped at the fifth vole I saw only to discover him beneath my head, a couple inches under the soft soil, and then he was gone.

I flicked my tongue in defeat only to smell the precise pheromones my instincts have trained me to crave, from my Jacobson’s organ. The taste of the wilderness was so incredibly intoxicating and superior to anything I have ever tasted before, that I slithered on even after that calamity. I felt the fire of my ancestors when they hunted their own voles and mice, fearlessly running into the sunset; I was finally unchained and unlimited in my potential! I slithered and slithered, reaching my top speed, and chasing mice to oblivion, until I reached the end of the sunlight, and I was fully emerged in the eerie night. I still did not have a meal, and all the rackets of nocturnal birds and ground dwellers sent alternating shivers across my spine. Would I make it in this new world?

Sophia Cheng ’24

Sophia Cheng is an energetic seventh grader who is thrilled to be featured in this issue of Tabula Rasa. When she is not stressing over math homework, Sophia enjoys re-reading Harry Potter an alarming number of times, playing basketball, watching Grey’s Anatomy on Netflix (and sobbing), and listening to country music. She also enjoys being the only seventh grader on The Perennial.

Bridget Rees ’24

Bridget Rees is a seventh grader who loves cartoons and anime and is still procrastinating on starting animation. In her free time, she likes to play video games, draw, read manga and comics, watch cartoons, play four-stringed instruments, and be sarcastic. Scratch that, she always likes to be sarcastic.

Florencia Rodriguez Steube ’24

Florencia Rodriguez Steube, a current seventh grader, submitted to Tabula Rasa for the first time this year. She loves to write both in school and in her free time. When not putting pen to paper, Flo can be found reading, singing in the shower, or spending time with her dogs, Mimo and Hamilton.

Sahana Arnikar ’23

Sahana Arnikar is an eighth grader. She enjoys drawing, annoying her dog and friends, making mediocre puns, and binging Netflix. She is perpetually on a hunt for food, whether it be chips, candies, or boba.

Natasha Moretti ’23

Natasha is an eighth grader who likes playing the clarinet, figure skating, chocolate, and binging Netflix. She also enjoys spending time with her friends and reading. She is excited for her work to be published in Tabula Rasa for the first time!

Yonu Oh ’23

Yonu Oh, an eighth grader, is delighted to be part of this year’s Tabula Rasa community. Other than being a prolific writer and an aggressive reader, Yonu loves to exercise whenever some time is given. Through Pilates, she hopes to spread the importance of body maintenance in her society.

Hailey Alexander ’22

Hailey Alexander is a freshman at Pinewood, and she is stoked to be featured in this year’s Tabula Rasa. Hailey loves watching sunsets, writing, taking pictures, exploring the outdoors, and wakeboarding.

Will Ahrens ’22

Will Ahrens is a freshman who is excited to be part of Tabula Rasa for the first time. He enjoys drawing, dogs, and stage managing the high school plays. He absolutely loves the TV show Friends.

Alea Budge ’22

Alea Budge is a Freshman and loves to write. She has been writing since she was in kindergarten and is super excited about Tabula Rasa. She can’t wait to continue to excel in the arts.

Marco Calia ’22

Marco Calia, a freshman, is psyched to have been chosen for this year’s Tabula Rasa. He enjoys writing in his [private] blog, where he has written about everything from escape room tips and tricks to delicious açaí bowl recipes. Marco’s hobbies include playing tennis, acting, and hanging out with his four goofy dogs and two companionable horses (and his awesome friends, of course)!

Michelle Chen ’22

Xiaotong (Michelle) Chen is a freshman originally from Beijing, China, but most recently from Hong Kong. She has one adorable three-year-old brother and a really annoying fourthgrade brother. She started her art journey at the age of five when her parents needed a break from her and enrolled her in art class. Fortunately, she took to it. In her spare time, she loves listening to depression rock, reading, hanging out with friends, and watching detective movies.

Peyton Chui ’22

Peyton Chui is a freshman who doesn’t like to write biographies, especially about himself.

Lulu Diffenbaugh ’22

Lulu Diffenbaugh is so excited for her work to be shared in this year’s Tabula Rasa! She loves all reading, writing, and art classes and can’t wait for more throughout high school!

Sean King ’22

Sean King is a freshman at Pinewood who is excited to be featured for the first time in Tabula Rasa. He has been at Pinewood since kindergarten, and as a result, has been writing since he can remember. He is also a copy editor for The Perennial. At any given moment, he can be found getting tricked into eating a spicy pepper by his friends. In his free time, he enjoys mountain biking the mountains of the American West or playing tennis.

Magnolia Lemmon ’22

Magnolia Lemmon, a freshman, is so excited to be part of Tabula Rasa. In her free time she loves to sing, dance, bake anything sugary, and hang out with her best pal, Arthur (her dog).

Janet Liu ’22

Janet Liu is a ninth grader who loves spending her time drawing. She has been going to art class since she was 4 years old. She has also become a TA for art. Besides art, Janet Liu loves to listen to Taylor Swift music, travel and hang out with friends.

Nicole Maneatis ’22

Nicole Maneatis is a freshman who owns way too many geckos. If they could talk, they would say she is often out of the house running track, playing tennis, or staring up at the sky, thousands of light years, away wishing she was there. She additionally enjoys painting, studying astronomy, skiing, reading and designing in her free time. Last year, she was published twice in Stanford Anthology for Youth.

Emily Takara ’22

Emily Takara is a freshman who enjoys drawing, sleeping, and eating. In her free time, she likes to draw, sleep, and eat.

Maya Zhan ’22

Maya Zhan is a freshman who loves playing instruments, singing, and finding inspiration through music. She also enjoys exploring different types of art. In her free time, she enjoys watching Family Guy and switching between the same five apps on her phone.

Tasha Epstein ’21

Tasha Epstein is a current sophomore who loves writing and runs a cat sitting business. She thinks everyone can make peace with their mental issues and aspires to be a psychologist. By writing about her own experience with mental illness, she hopes to decrease the stigma around mental health. In her copious free time, she listens to pop and Broadway music and plays with her four cats.

Sam Kavich ’21

Sam Kavich is currently a sophomore and is overjoyed to be featured in this year’s Tabula Rasa. Outside of reading and writing, you can find her onstage or behind a camera making short films for fun. Sam is a huge fantasy/sci-fi/superhero nerd and aspires to be a screenwriter for those genres someday.

Eva Liu ’21

Eva Liu is a sophomore and is thrilled to be part of Tabula Rasa again. When she is not writing poems at midnight, Eva spends her time playing tennis, watching political TV shows, and investing her money in buying more vanilla lattes at Starbucks.

Micaela Rodriguez Steube ’21

Micaela Rodriguez Steube is a current sophomore and is thrilled to be a part of Tabula Rasa for the second year in a row. When not on stage, she loves to write and does so in her free time. Micaela is the biggest chemistry nerd and hopes to pursue forensic science.

Srinivas Balagopal ’20

Srinivas Balagopal has a variety of interests, including developing science projects, prepping for Lincoln-Douglas debates, regularly practicing competitive Kung Fu, contributing to The Perennial, and watching political TV shows. Srinivas believes in the power of being receptive to new perspectives and situations. He is grateful to be featured in Tabula Rasa!

Carter Brady ’20

Junior Carter Brady is honored to be featured in Tabula Rasa this year. Other than reading and occasionally writing, Carter enjoys theatre, participating in the a cappella group Take Note, running cross-country and track, and playing soccer. He is also the News section editor for The Perennial.

Annika Duan ’20

Annika Duan is a junior who enjoys photography and art as hobbies. Her inspiration comes from a variety of music genres, and her favorite artist at the moment is gnash. In her free time, Annika enjoys the ever-so-soothing experience of wasting her life away on Netflix.

Austin Fahoudi ’20

Austin Farhoudi is a junior who enjoys making art sometimes. He is also an aspiring entrepreneur that is looking to take his affinity for design and build a clothing brand in the future. He is excited to be featured in Tabula Rasa this year!

Bella Fuller ’20

Junior Bella Fuller is excited to be featured in Tabula Rasa this year. She loves art and is currently enrolled in the AP Studio Art: Drawing and Painting class. In her free time, Bella enjoys painting with watercolors and sketching with charcoals.

Kiley Haberkorn ’20

Kiley Haberkorn is a junior who enjoys creating art. She encourages her viewers to push their own imagination to new limits, and she focuses on surreal and minimalistic artwork in hopes of sparking thoughts in her viewers’ minds.

Katherine Han ’20

Katherine Han is a junior who enjoys filming and listening to music in her free time. She has a bunny, Skip, whom she absolutely adores. Katherine is a very talkative and energetic person, and she is the Media Director for The Perennial. Katherine also has an unhealthy obsession with the TV show Jane the Virgin.

Peirong Li ’20

Peirong Li is a junior who enjoys writing and reading. She is also interested in the STEM field, especially biology, and strives to be a well-rounded scholar. Finally, her de-stressing activities mainly consist of web-surfing on Youtube and binging C-dramas.

Ellery Mitchell ’20

Ellery Mitchell is a junior who uses writing as a creative outlet and as a way to reflect on experiences. She is very excited to be featured in the Tabula Rasa for her first time this year! She is a passionate softball player with a goal of playing in college as well as studying American Literature in college.

Olivia Page ’20

Olivia Page is a current junior who has taken to developing her artistic skills over the last few years. Her favorite mediums include charcoal, paint, and graphite. See one of her works on display at the Los Altos Rotary Fine Arts Show. Olivia also enjoys being an editor on The Perennial and playing club and high school soccer.

Ela Diffenbaugh ’19

Ela Diffenbaugh is a senior that enjoys stargazing, pumpkin muffins, mitosis, and cats. She is so excited to try something new by being published in Tabula Rasa this year!

Elizabeth Peters ’19

Elizabeth Peters is a current senior and mac and cheese enthusiast. In their free time, they like to pet their cat, play video games, and draw. At Pinewood, Elizabeth participates in technical theatre for plays, musicals, and showcases.

Cecile Smith ’19

Cecile Smith is a senior who likes programming, playing piano and guitar, drawing, painting, and doing backstage for the musical. In the fall, she will be attending the University of St. Andrews in Scotland. She is excited to be featured in Tabula Rasa one last time!