Camp Fire - Summer 2021 by The Cabin, a center for readers & writers

CAMP FIRE SUMMER WRITING CAMPS 2021

This is a Log Cabin Book, an imprint of THE CABIN 801 South Capitol Boulevard, Boise, Idaho 83702 (208) 331-8000 www.thecabinidaho.org (c) 2021 The Cabin All rights reserved. Book design by Jocelyn Robertson Printed and bound in the USA in an edition of 200 copies.

Writing Camps and publication of CAMP FIRE are made possible by generous support from: The City of Boise, Idaho Commission on the Arts, National Endowment for the Arts, Idaho Community Foundation, and Union Paciic Foundation.

CONTENTS Introduction • 1 LIVELY POLLEN • 5 LUXURY GUINEA PIGS • 21 SHARK FIN RIVER • 31 WIZARD TURNS PIGEON • 51 DUCKS CAN TALK • 63 TINY SILHOUETTES • 77 BIG CLOAK • 91 UNFAMILIAR MOUNTAINS • 123 LEMON FARMER • 135 Teaching-Writer Biographies • 151 Acknowledgements • 155 Index • 157

INTRODUCTION Now just take a moment to hear all of these spectacular sounds. Truly wonderful things can happen if you listen to the garden. – Amaya Longley, Grade 6 Each summer, Treasure Valley students line up at The Cabin to play with words, but more importantly, to listen, to imagine new possibilities. Through feedback from local writers, they learn that writing is an act of listening, of making space for new worlds to happen or new questions to be asked. They learn that good writing oten occurs by listening to the ambiguity within emotions, that listening can develop your voice, that it gives you a superpower to say the things that only you can say. At parks, classrooms, and gardens, they learn to listen to the imaginative potential around them, in the mysterious eye of a condor, the icy taste of blue, an overheard conversation, or a new enchanted realm. This potential speaks to the sense of curiosity that writing camps help to foster. Each camp I teach, I am continually amazed at my students’ thoughtful, imaginative writing. With an explorer’s eye, I see young writers crat innovative stories, poems, and plays. In them, I see that the vastness outside us cannot match the vast wilderness in ourselves. This was a challenging year, and in this anthology, I see young writers grappling with complicated issues, but I also see a celebration of life’s vibrant possibility. – Hannah Rodabaugh, Teaching-Writer

CAMP FIRE WRITING CAMPS 2021

LIVELY POLLEN

PAINTING ME

Daisy Brewton Grade 3, Boise Paint me as a German shepherd dog But make sure they are a big dirty log Paint big blue butterlies and small green dragonlies Paint the background clear glass blue Or paint the background rainbow, but not too many colors.

ME PIE

Oliver Bullard Grade 4, Boise The Crust: 2 tsp. chocolate syrup 1 pinch of funny spread around neatly. ⅓ cup of curious, but don’t put it in chunks. Another pinch of messy, sprinkled around here and there. The Filling: 1 tsp. of chopped chives 1 cup of creativity and 1 cup of friendly mixed to a cream. Freeze it and add it in later. 1 tsp. caramel, heated for 30 seconds. 1 qt. of calm added to the caramel and heated for an other 30 seconds. The Topping: 1 gal. of raspberries, strawberries, etc. 2 cups of sports, made into little blobs, scattered around here and there. The littlest bit of shy. Put down in the center.

MEEEE A SELF PORTRAIT Aubrey Yang Grade 3, Boise

A big oval, tilted vertical, for the head. A book with faint words spilling out Into a long heavy storm of rain. Smoke and ashes rising gloomily Into lost trailing yarn.

RECIPE FOR ME Yewon Kang Grade 4, Boise

The Crust: 1 gal. of LOVE ¼ cup of bravery 1 gal. of shy to new people ¾ gal. of quiet ½ gal. of kind heart The Filling: ¼ cup of very spicy kimchi 1 cup of caring people 1 tsp. of angry 1 tsp. each of sweet chocolate, skittles, and M&Ms The Topping: 1 tsp. of scars, crisp and gritty 1 tsp. of black and white chicken hair

WHO AM I?

Amelia Winters Grade 5, Boise I am a wolf on a hunt. I am a rabbit in a race, I am a tree standing tall. I am a swing, back and forth. I am a stream forging my way. I am a friend, a sister and a daughter, A kid. I am a book—old to some and new to you. I am an owner, a pet. I am a collector, a traveler, a seeker of stone and glass. I am a watcher in awe of the llama. I am many things, for I am me.

MY NAME

Cecelia Necochea Grade 4, Boise My name is the color of coral in a beautiful vibrant reef. My name is the sot tune of a songbird as it wakes you from your sleep. When I say my name, it is light and sweet, just like cotton candy. If my name was an animal, it would be a tiger: brave, strong, and beautiful. I love my name because I think it’s pretty. If I could change my name, I wouldn’t because I think it represents me.

THE SOUND OF SIYUAN Siyuan Chen Grade 3, Boise

I can shine brighter than the sun And be darker than the moon. I am active as a wildire, and Just as iery. I can be speedier than a sailish. I love the light of the stars. I grow fast as a tree And grow slow as a snail. I love to hear the sound of the lake. I always see the light of the world.

SEPTEMBER 24TH Dahlia Fields Grade 3, Boise

I am the sun bursting out of the Clouds I am a blanket of snow on a snowy Day I am a bursting lame with energy Sometimes I can have my nose tucked In a book like Hugo Cabret I am outgoing like a llama with Spitting and kicking powers I am speedy and cunning Like a leopard

ELINA

Maizey Hume Grade 4, Boise Your color is white With a tint of yellow Your season is spring Blooming and waking up from winter Your instrument is a clarinet Sound booming through the room Your animal would be an elephant Giant but majestic Your taste would be creamy and sweet Like sot serve Your weather would be snowy And white Your bird would be a dove Soaring through the wind Your place would be Rhode Island Small but important You are a rose With so much purpose

ON TO PAPER

Harrison Werre Grade 4, Boise Close your eyes and think. What do you like? It can be anything. From scary monsters to Snow White. I say take those ideas and put it on paper. Close your eyes again and imagine That is on your paper.

THREE HAIKUS YiQing Su Grade 4, Boise

Duck: Thelma, female duck. Sot, furry, happy, lufy. Leathery orange feet. Roses: Sot, smooth, lowery. Royal red, pink, yellow, white. Raspberry lemon. Honey: Tastes like marshmallow. Is very sticky and sweet. Honey comes from plants.

REMEMBER

Chaewon Kang Grade 3, Boise I remember when I caught a ish for the irst time. The ish was gray. I remember when I said the irst word in my life. It was the word, “Hi.” I remember when I saw a ladybug for the irst time. I thought it was a red dot on the leaf. I remember when I made a snowman for the irst time. The snowman was cold. I remember when I made a friend for the irst time. I was happy. I remember when I sat in a car for the irst time. I was nervous. I remember when I jumped rope for the irst time. I was horrible at it. I remember when I saw a girafe for the irst time. I think I wish I can grow that tall. I remember my grandma, she is nice. I remember when I cooked tasteless, tough eggs for the irst time. I was horrible at it. 12

WAGGLE DANCE Janie Routh Grade 5, Boise

Turn let and you will see The delicious pollen in the cottonwood tree! Now—hurry—to the garden below Where the sunlower and clover Like to grow! Buzz over to the lavender bush Near where the little children like To frolic and push! Now there’s no need to mope, but Go to the lower that tastes like Soap! Hurray, you’re done—I hope you Had fun! Go back to your hive And enjoy the sun!

THE DANCE IN WHICH BEES COMMUNICATE Alyssa Day Grade 5, Boise

Come, come, you will see where we get the nutrition From the lively pollen. The queen will be in awe of our days of work. Out from the place we live, and in the plains Go let then right And there we gather for a feast. The taste of zest, the sweet sugar, and let The powerful words ill your head. When we get back, all the bees Will see the good that we have done.

MY BROTHER

Shreyash Tripathi Grade 4, Boise He sounds like a gigantic slippery whale, Moaning in the waves of the blue wavy ocean. He is as velvety and sweet and delicious as cake. He is as eye-catching and soothing as blue. He is as beautiful and bright as a dandelion swaying in the wind.

DAD

Maxwell Floyd Grade 4, Boise Roars like a lion. Sighs like a dog. Feels happy like a playing lab. Feels serious like a monkey. He is an oak tree, hard. He is a pine tree, joyful. He is black when he has no emotions. He is yellow when he is focused. He is green when he is laughing. He is sot bread when he is sot. He is cheesy when he is grateful.

LAKE TAHOE

Sloan Flanigan Grade 5, Boise In this photograph I am four, Bathing in the emerald water Surrounded by family and friends There isn’t much depth to the lake So my little feet can play in the smooth sand While the older ones play Frisbee The oily sunscreen I can smell Is smeared upon my back The feeling of the calm breeze on my face That day I will remember forever

THE SOUND OF HAWAII Chaya Salzman Grade 5, Boise

Hawaii with angry volcanoes With happy banana trees And dancing trees The salty waves The pretty sunset and The hot sand on my sot toes As I ran in the waves I leave a path of footprints I still feel the sand on my feet As it follows right there Behind me

CANDY LAND

Madison Hassoldt Grade 3, Meridian Pink chocolate clifs and loor with a brown chocolate fondue waterfall. Cotton candy sky and peppermint clouds. Gumballs are raindrops in the sky. No worries, no fears, nor nightmares follow me here. I just watch as day turns to night and night turns to day. My safe haven, my home. It’s my prettiest dream, a place to escape.

BLUE

Avery Hull Grade 4, Garden City Blue is the color of the sky Blue is the color of the ocean Blue is the color of a bluebird If I could hear blue, I think it would sound like the blues Or maybe laughing Or cheering at a soccer game. If I could taste blue, it would taste like Kool-Aid or ice Or maybe melting ice cream on a hot summer day. If blue is a feeling It is pufy or doughy or sot-feeling. If blue smelled like something It would be the ocean, or wind Or maybe cotton candy, Flufy and blue.

SAPPHIRE

Kaavya Venigalla Grade 5, Boise Sapphire is many things. Sapphire is jazz. Sapphire is a maple tree sapling, Ready to blossom. Sapphire is the lavor of ice, The blue of the sky. Sapphire is the color I taste in the lake. Sapphire is pure blue.

GOLD AND SILVER Deeya Barman Grade 3, Boise

A silver lion roaring to the sun Take a slice from The moon Gooey honey oozing From a jack-o-lantern Shining metal, gleaming In the light Sweet honeycomb Buzzing with bees The honey confesses Its glow Honey raining From the sky Gold leaves Fluttered on the ground Silver lions running In the wild Golden coins Shining in the sun

PURPLE

Katy Brewton Grade 5, Boise Purple is a jubilant and magical feeling The yummy taste of chocolate melting on my tongue The melody of a beautiful and sot violin playing The sight of orange leaves falling to the ground The purple and pink mixing together in a clover The pretty sound of classical music Purple makes me smell a very powerful lavender Makes me taste delicious grapes in my mouth Makes me see a beautiful rainbow before me Makes me think of my brown and black dogs

RUBY

Prithvi Kannan Grade 5, Boise Ruby is a cool autumn breeze on my face Ruby is the taste of cherries Rubies are the ire that destroy Ruby is the sound of rock ‘n’ roll From an electric guitar Ruby is the smell of roses in the morning Covered in dew Ruby is the sound BOOM Ruby is the sound of falling leaves from a redwood Ruby is the sunset that people wait their whole lives to view

LUXURY GUINEA PIGS

QUAGGA PHOTO Paige Roinas Grade 4, Boise

Man dressed fancy. Quagga walking, Happy like my cat King. Bigger than a zebra. Stripes like a Tasmanian tiger. Coat as sot as a horse’s. Red as the spot of Jupiter. Sounds like a frightened bird. Makes me sad because it Didn’t have a chance at life.

THE AMAZING CONDOR Nikolai Schwartsman Grade 4, Boise

Its wings are loud as thunder. It is as still as a statute. Its face is red as a tomato. Its feathers are black as the night sky. It is as smelly as rotten ish. Its feet are white as snow. The condor is an awesome bird Because it is a big bird.

THE HAWK KING Aubrey Yang Grade 3, Boise

If I were a hawk, I would dive into rabbitbrush, and a bunny would run out. If I were a hawk, I would eat the bunny. If I were a hawk, I would rule the desert loyally and stomp on scorpions. If I were a hawk, I would ride on llamas proudly like a king, then eat the llamas. I wish I were a hawk.

CALIFORNIA CONDOR OBSERVATIONS Agam Pushkin Huang Grade 3, Boise

California condors have a head as red as an apple, wings as big as an airplane, white stripes on black wings like a zebra, red eyes like a devil, a hairy collar like a lion, and talons as sharp as knives. They are as smart as a genius, as curious as a cat. Condors are an awesome species of bird.

A HAWK LIFE

Madison Hassoldt Grade 3, Meridian If I were a hawk, I’d loudly screech like a hoarse whinnying to make the brown hare living in the dark green rabbitbrush timid. If I were a hawk, I’d chase it as it quickly ran away, wind sotly pounding my wings. If I were a hawk, when the brown hare was tired and panting, I’d swoop down, grab it in my giant yellow talons, and eat it, tasting a juicy and tender lavor. If I were a hawk, I’d ly to a large light green sagebrush and rest peacefully. If I were a hawk, I’d dream of a world of giant fat mice that grow on trees for me to eat with my hawk family. If I were a hawk, I’d wake up happy to start the day cycle again.

THE DUCK WAR Albert Hsu Grade 4, Boise

Zap! Little Duck blasted an apple with his wand. It turned into a banana. Wizard Duck sighed, “Little Duck, I told you to turn that apple into some grapes!” But then a voice shouted, “The pigeons are coming!” When they went outside, there were pigeons, squirrels, and geese! Ater a while they saw King Pigeon, the leader of the pigeons. He was running away with the Duck Gem! The duck guards tried to stop him but he was too fast. All the enemies ran away. “King Pigeon has teamed up with the geese and the squirrels,” said Wizard Duck. The next day, Little Duck, Ducky (Little Duck’s best friend), and Wizard Duck joined three duck guards called Big Duck, Tall Duck, and Small Duck to set out on a quest to retrieve the Duck Gem. The next day while they were walking through a forest of blue pine trees, Little Duck heard a rustling sound. “What’s that?” asked Little Duck.

THE OWL AND THE KESTREL Yam Pushkin Huang Grade 5, Boise

In a country of diferent biomes, hot and cold, there lived a kestrel and an owl. Owl stayed up for the day. “I bet I can catch a mouse,” Kestrel bragged to Owl. So, he swooped down and returned with a mouse. “You try!” he yelled to Owl. Owl dove straight at a mouse, but the sun caught in Owl’s eyes. He lipped over and landed in the tall grass. “Owl!” Kestrel yelled. Kestrel dove down and landed right next to Owl. “Told you that you couldn’t catch mice,” he said. “I can!” protested Owl. “Just in the night.” The next day, they met in the night. “Catch a mouse!” Owl told Kestrel. They dived at the same time. Owl came up with a juicy, tender mouse, but Kestrel could not see and returned empty-handed. “Don’t blame me,” Owl said. “I can’t catch a mouse in the day, and you can’t in the night.”

GREAT HORNED OWL’S NIGHTMARE Yewon Kang Grade 4, Boise

One day, the great horned owl woke up and saw all the trees were cut in half and that he was the size of a sparrow. All the other birds were the size of a man! “What happened?” asked the great horned owl. The other birds said, “What do you mean what happened? It’s just a normal day!” The great horned owl didn’t know what to do, so he just went back to sleep. In the morning, everything was normal. The owl said, “That was a nightmare!” But there were some humans under the tree holding guns, sticks, and ire, and they shouted, “We must kill the great horned owls. We must kill them.” “Ahh!” screamed the great horned owl. “Am I still in a nightmare? Maybe if I go to sleep again it might be ine.” So, he went to sleep. When he woke up, the nightmare was done. And if you are wondering what happened to the people who were holding guns, sticks, and ire — they disappeared.

GREAT HORNED OWL’S DREAM Chaewon Kang Grade 3, Boise

One day, a great horned owl was dreaming of catching a song sparrow. In his dream, he was hunting in the night. He was watching the song sparrow, and the song sparrow was feeding its babies. While the song sparrow was feeding its babies, the great horned owl went sweep, catching the song sparrow. The great horned owl went to his home and ate the sparrow. All of a sudden, an alligator appeared, and ate the great horned owl, and the great horned owl disappeared. Then the owl woke up and said, “Oh, I’ll never ever eat a sparrow!”

LEXI THE OWL Abby Jacquot Grade 5, Eagle

I lay asleep in my nest waiting for the morning to arrive. It seemed like no time, but I woke up the next morning, and got up. “Hey Lexi!” Mom said. “Good morning!” I said. I went to the table only to hear my brother’s screams. “NO! I NO EAT!” He yelled. “Oh, yes you will!” My aunt said in an annoyed tone. She was trying to make him eat his food. He was just throwing it back at her. I went outside for some peace and quiet. Unfortunately, my brother’s friends were waiting for him in our backyard. I just wanted some peace! Is it that hard to ask??? The rest of the day lew by, including more little kid talk I didn’t understand. I went to my friend’s house to play, and gave my pet stink bug a bath. At dinner time, my dad barbecued some rats. Yum! Ater dinner, I went to sleep, waiting for the next morning to arrive.

MICE

Theo Hess Grade 5, Boise My mice live in a cage that is very big and fun. They like to eat and sleep. They also like a very clean cage. They also like editing their cage however they want to so it is fun to watch their cage change. Mice can learn their names, so if you call them they will come out to you. There are many things to buy for mice that they enjoy. If you make them a maze, they love puzzles with snacks inside them for a reward. They are very trainable, so you can also teach them to do things like turn of the light switch. They love to get a new cage every six months. Also, make sure the bars on the cage are small enough they cannot escape. Don’t learn the hard way. It is not fun to chase them around your house for a long time. Another thing: do not pick them up by the tail. Just let them crawl in your hand if they want to. Don’t force a mouse to be picked up, you might get bit.

PLANET PIG

Aiden Slavick Grade 4, Boise One day on the Planet Pig, guinea pigs were lowing through the streets on their hogs to get to the beach. In a factory ive minutes away from town, they were testing a new recipe for a cookie. They used Life 2.0. The cookies came to life and spread to the town. They immediately turned of the Life 2.0. The guinea pigs had to eat the cookies to free the Planet Pig. Once they realized they tasted really good, the cookies were running for their lives.

WHERE IS PIG ISLAND? Fynn Van Dommelen Grade 5, Boise

A world of hatred, a world of life, a world of adventure. There once was an island called Pig. There were pigs everywhere. Pig Island is for luxury guinea pigs. They need a lot of money to go to Pig Island. Pig Island is Hawaii on Planet Pig. Planet Pig is in trouble! There are gasses that turn cookies to life, so everyone is lying Pig Island. But only so many are allowed on Pig Island because it is very expensive. It doesn’t have very much room. Joe Pig got kicked of Pig Island for storage reasons. It is also so expensive you can buy a sandwich for $200!

THERE GO THE LIZARDS Katy Brewton Grade 5, Boise

There goes the lizards from the pink candy land where the grass is light blue and the trees are purple. There go the lizards, their tails colored with blood climbing up and down pink hills. There go the lizards, their teeth are white and shiny. There go the lizards running away from the darkness.

RESCUE DOGS Neil Prashant Grade 3, Boise

Chapter 2: Training The next day, it was time to train the dogs. Charlie opened the cages and let the dogs run for a few minutes. He got a ball and played a small game of fetch. Suddenly, Charlie heard a beeping sound. It was his mom calling him. Charlie picked up the phone. His mom said, “Remember, you’re supposed to train the dogs, not play.” Charlie’s eyes opened wide. He rushed to the closet and grabbed the bag of treats. He put treats in his hand. He raised his hand high. The dogs started jumping at irst, but then they sat down quietly. “Good boy,” Charlie said, and gave them the treats. He trained the dogs to do many other things too. In the evening, Charlie took the dogs for a walk. He noticed they walked too far and got lost. Chapter 3: The Plan It was getting very dark. Charlie and the three puppies all got very agitated. Charlie shoved his hand in his pocket. He pulled out a dusty notebook. He blew all the dust of. He read the title: Guide to Puppy Training. He sat down against a tree and lipped to a random page. It mentored him about getting lost with your dog. It said the solution was to make them snif and ind your house. Charlie looked at the sky. He saw the lightning crackle. Then he looked back down at the puppies. He gave a wax jar for a reference smell. He knew his mom had another one. The pups irst snifed the candle wax, then started sniing the loor. The pups led Charlie to a pile of sticks. He looked at the lightning boom. “Oh no,” he said a second later. He heard a yanking sound. He looked at the pile of sticks. He saw the pups pulling out a Post-It note. The dogs dropped it at Charlie’s feet. He picked it up, held it to his face, and started reading. It said: Charlie, where are you? We are going to the city. Sincerely, Mom and Dad. The Post-It note had fallen under the house when the note was on the wall. Then, lightning struck the house, and the note got buried under sticks. 29

THE OLD MAN Saba Musila Grade 5, Boise

There once was an old man that lived up in a tree. He was pretty old, about 73. He has lived in that tree for 50 years; since his father died which brought him great tears. His house in that tree was made from litter and trash. He lives near a pond and there he would slash. He will live in that tree until the day that he dies. One day he will fall asleep and he will stay there forever to lie.

SHARK FIN RIVER

THE SEA GROVE REAPER [EXCERPT] Madison Hassoldt Grade 3, Meridian

Chapter 3: Lavs went into the beach house. There, Quaint Pond (A.K.A. bird boy) was waiting for her. “Hello!” they said at the same time. “I call this meeting to order!” called their leader, Pepper Starless. Quaint had a sly smile as if he knew what Pepper was going to say. “There has been a disturbance in the grove,” she said. Quaint’s grin was a giant sun. “Quaint, Lavs, you have been assigned to the task,” Pepper inished. Lavs felt sick to her stomach. An hour later, she was in a bright-as-the-sun yellow room that smelled musty. Lavs was growing plants for the mission. She remembered her welcoming event, how Pepper had given her the necklace, and how proud she had felt. Chapter 4: As Lavs was swimming into the approaching shadow, her mind worried. What if I can’t do this? What if I prove to be a failure? she thought. Her mind raced back to the memory of her mother growing lumps all over on her eyes, nose, mouth, and all over her skin. The popping sound as chia sprouted all over the spots where the lumps had been. He father yelling every bad name in the universe at her. Running away from all she knew, weeping. Quaint was the last thing she saw before she passed out. Then she woke up. She was in a completely white room. Not even her shadow had followed her here. She was in the chamber of eternity. Just then, she saw something that blew her mind. It was half-Quaint, half-reaper. “I challenge you to a battle,” said Quaint. “On the terms that if I win, you leave the sea grove alone,” said Lavs. “Game on,” he said dramatically. Reaper pulled a knife out and viciously cut her. Blood oozed out of her wounds on her arm, on her leg, and on her chest. Lavs was losing, but she couldn’t let him win. She summoned her core magic. Lavs threw bright laming ivy at Reaper, then imprisoned him in a giant Venus lytrap, turned him into a leaf, teleported him into her hand, and tore him apart. 33

DANGER IN THE FOREST

Leah Wickstrom Grade 3, Boise

Chapter 1: Hidden Sea Glass has teal eyes, and she is a cheetah. Hidden Sea Glass is 8 years old. Hidden Sea Glass lives in the Nashinle Forest! Hidden Sea Glass lives on the planet Good Log. Hidden Sea Glass kills a bird to eat. A person went into the Nashinle Forest. No person had gone to the Nashinle Forest before. So Hidden Sea Glass decided to spy on the person. Chapter 2: Hidden Sea Glass woke up to the green wind in the trees. She kills a squirrel for her breakfast. It is juicy and bloody. She decides to spy on the person. As she’s walking, she sees a couple trees that got cut down. She gets mad because she didn’t want the trees to be cut down. She sees the person cutting little bits of trees to get irewood. She growls at him. The person freezes. Hidden Sea Glass walks around the person. The person has a sot coat around his waist. He smells like rain. His name is Firecracker. He is a lumberjack. He looks scared.

MYSTIC’S ADVENTURE Laina Williams Grade 3, Boise

Chapter 2: Riiing. Mystic wakes up. He gets dressed. He wears jeans and a T-shirt. He walks to the kitchen, grabs breakfast, steps outside, and sits on the wooden swing on the porch. When he’s done with his bowl of cereal, he grabs his ishing pole and sits on the porch swing. He starts ishing. When he feels a tug, he brings it up, but it isn’t a ish. It is a bottle with a note inside. Mystic takes out the note. It’s a treasure map.

Chapter 3: Mystic looks at the map. He sees that the treasure is in Dragon Cave. The treasure map starts at the train station. Mystic walks to the train station. He goes to a hill by the train station so he can take a break. A baby griin walks out of the hill and sits by Mystic. When Mystic gets up, the griin follows him. He takes an apple out of his bag and walks farther. The griin follows. “I think I will call you Beacon,” Mystic says. Beacon and Mystic walk to Wild Waterfall and Shark Fin River. When they get to the river, Mystic gets on Beacon’s back. Beacon lies to The Meadow. They rest there.

COSMIC VERSUS RAIDEN Ronin Guill Grade 3, Boise

Once upon a time, there was a boy named Cosmic. He has blue hair and blue eyes. He has a pet wolf. The wolf has blue streaks of hair, and the wolf howls at the full moon at night. The wolf’s name is Atlantis. There is one secret Cosmic has: an ability at night. The stars tell him the future. Cosmic is 9 years old. He loves to play soccer. It is his favorite game. Cosmic lives on Pluto in an underground cave with a forest inside of it. In the middle of the forest is one big hole on the top of the cave he can see the sky through. The trees there are called Payette trees. They are animal trees. When a Payette tree is born, it walks to a place and sits down. It turns into a Payette tree. The branches are ears and the leaves are fur. Cosmic sleeps under his spirit animal’s tree. The tree’s name is Patreon.

SOLO BLUE

Niko Eder Grade 4, Boise Chapter 1: You may not have thought that Solo Blue would have been anything diferent than a normal human. Solo Blue was the person that saved the world. My name is Alexander Potter. Yes, Harry Potter is my great-grandfather. I am here to tell the world about Solo Blue. I came across his ile. I was amazed, and I desired it should become my duty to tell his story. The story begins in a New York orphanage. It was a beautiful spring day outside. Solo Blue was a 13-year-old boy. He had one older sister and one younger brother. Annie was the girl, and San was the boy. Solo hated his life at the orphanage. His only friend was books. He loved The Chronicles of Narnia. He loved the adventure and action. He was in the middle of The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe when Mrs. Violet came in his room at the orphanage. “Are you reading again?” Mrs. Violet said.

THE CURSED SISTERS Aubrey Yang Grade 3, Boise

Chapter 2: Atlantis’ Perspective We looked inside the vault and saw rollerblades for Amethyst, roller skates for me, and a skateboard for Sapphire. We all said, “WOW!” “Let’s go and use them at the park!” I said. “That’s a good idea. Mom’s at her friend’s house, and Dad’s in a meeting!” Sapphire said. “Let’s go to the park now!” We geared up and went. Sapphire’s skateboard rolled away. It went and stopped at the stop sign. We chased ater it and picked it up. Then, Amethyst said, “Who are you?” to a strange man.

THE CURSED SISTERS Willa Swank Grade 3, Boise

Chapter 3: Amethyst’s Perspective The strange man said, “I’m Mr. Lupin.” He gave us each one note. The note said: You have been invited to come to camp. Meet me at Railroad Crossing tomorrow at 12:00 a.m. You have been invited to train with us. —Mr. Lupin “Wow,” I said. “This is awesome. Our ancestors were the founders of this camp and property! I’m in.” “Me too,” said Atlantis. “Cool, we will see you there,” I said. “Right?” “Yay,” said Sapphire. I go to sleep, and the next morning I eat a big breakfast. I inish packing and inish doing my summer school homework. I eat a small snack. Then I take a nap, and ater my nap, I get a ticket online to get on the subway that will take us to Railroad Crossing. I get on the subway with Sapphire at 11:00 p.m. On the train, we play games like Candyland and Clue and eat food from Fanci Freez. We get there at 12:00 a.m. on the dot. Atlantis gets there two seconds ater us. When we get out of the fast train, Mr. Lupin steps out of the fog.

THE CURSED SISTERS Eloise Wardwell Grade 3, Boise

Chapter 1: Sapphire’s Perspective “Wake up!” my sisters Amethyst and Atlantis yelled. Oh, right. I’m sorry. I forgot to introduce myself. I am Sapphire Black Maylower. My sister is Amethyst Jewel Maylower, and my other sister is Atlantis Wave Maylower. I have black hair that is almost always in a braid and blue eyes. Oh, yes, now where was I? Oh, right! So, should I be evil or good today? I think I want to be evil. So, what should I do? I have to do something evil. Oh, I have an idea. “Let’s go ind our birthday gits and open them,” I told my sisters. I forgot to mention that July 23rd is our birthday. In one week, we are turning eleven. Amethyst said, “I know where Dad keeps them. In his oice in his vault!” Then she said, “We need the code, and I can do that!” I said, “I think you can do that. Let’s go!” So we decided to go in Dad’s oice. We opened the doors and stepped in and closed them. Atlantis said, “It smells like peppermint. Oh, I found the peppermint box.” We headed across the room and stood in front of the vault. Amethyst whispered something in Atlantis’ ear. Atlantis sang, “I love my daughters,” in a French accent. Then the vault door swung open.

HOMEWORLD Jordan King Grade 5, Boise

Chapter 1: Dewlish Days The winds were raging. The yells and screams were adding to the loud noises of the great dragon’s ire. The savage beast roared and swung its claws at the buildings. People ran like rabbits around the ruined city. Nearly no one survived. The captain ran into the room, “Sire,” he said, “Our forces are no use. What can we do against the dragon?” “Let the people run,” said the Dewlish King. “The people need to run away from their inal days. You should too. We will all inevitably die, so die with your family.” “Sire…” Then the castle was destroyed. The great nation of Dewland was destroyed during the Doomsday. It all happened 67 years ago, when the gods let the world. Monsters ran amok in Homeworld. The priests lost their powers as the Holy Magic vanished. The irst 10 years, people were running, afraid of monsters or attacking the monsters. Then Dewland was destroyed. Goblins and giants overtook the ruins, as humans ran and made new settlements. The dwarfs and elves only protected their kingdoms against monsters such as wyrms and dragons, keeping their heavy traditions. The king of Eiland, King Lewiston, found great heroes willing to go across Homeworld to ind out why the gods let. ***** “Hey!” said the guard. There had just been a robbery in someone’s shop. The thief had a dark cloak with a hood over his head. He began to run. The guard switly blew a whistle, as other guards got in position. But suddenly the thief disappeared. The next day an investigator came. She studied the footprints, but they continued from where he had ‘disappeared.’ “Probably some sorta sorcerer guy,” said the detective, Alexandria. “The prints continue to the abandoned inn.” They walked toward the shed and heard an evil plot. “If we get the bows,” said one, “we will shoot it through the window upstairs. Then on the Dewlish memorial we will kill the king.” Alexandria gasped. She ran and told the king and he was ininitely thankful. The king said, “Alexandria, you have solved many crimes with expertise. Do you want to ind the gods?” She was the irst godseeker, or group of people who will 39

ind why the gods let. But she had a secret. She was a criminal herself.

A PORTAL TO MARS Joseph Michaels Grade 4, Boise

Coner and his crew were on an exploration to Mars to ind a portal. Before the crew let Earth, the mission commander told them a portal exists. An asteroid hit their spaceship and they spun out of control. Inside of the spaceship it was rumbling and spinning but Coner and his crew were not injured. Coner was ine because he went on many adventures with his dad. The spaceship was spinning and then they crashed. The big boom could be heard from a mile away. The crew popped open the door and climbed out to search the area where they crashed. They saw the red sand and a tall red mountain looming in the distance. Coner knew that it had the portal and he was excited because he could complete the mission and get back to Earth. They waited until it got dark and attempted to get to the portal. It was pitch black, with no wind or birds. Then they saw the cave. They hid in a crater and waited to get closer to the cave until the guards looked the other way. The black knights had big horses with black armor. Coner knew that the black knights had already found the portal and stayed there because they wanted to have the portal to themselves. There were only two black knight guards and all the crew had to do was to go around and sneak in quietly. They got caught seven times and on the eighth time they snuck past all of the horses that were sleeping and got close to the portal. In the last ive seconds the guards saw them, and all the horses chased them. Coner and his crew just made it and they thought that they would just plop on the ground but they got to Earth.

A STRANGE LAND Eliana Chalom Grade 4, Boise

Chapter 1: How the World Split The enchanted world of Enchantia was once all beautiful. The trees bloomed, the grass was green, and all the creatures got along, even the scary ones. One night the king passed away due to some strange illness. Ater weeks of grief there was one thing to be done: pick the new ruler. The king had twins, one girl and one boy. There was a ight. “I should be king,” said the brother. “I am stronger. I can protect the world with my dragons.” The brother did do dragon riding (their national sport), so he did know a thing or two about dragons. “I am older and wiser,” said the sister. “Only by 20 seconds,” retorted the boy. “I can protect them with my plants,” said the sister, pretending she had not heard him. The ight went on for hours. Finally they agreed on one thing: to split the world in half. The brother took the scarier creatures and went west. The sister took the good creatures and went east. In this way Enchantia split into two realms. Chapter 2: Bella Bella, a normal girl who had no abnormality whatsoever, worked part time at her father’s cofee shop, the Cofee Cottage. It was a small cottage with tables, a bar to order stuf, and food. They lived in a small town in New York State called Ogdensburg. Not a lot of people lived there so they didn’t make a lot of money. Bella, who was turning 11 tomorrow, woke up in a happy mood. She sang, “Happy almost birthday to me” lightly under her breath, crossing of a day on her calendar. She heard a thud downstairs and hastily hurried down the stairs. “Don’t look!” Her father cried. “Why not?” Bella inquired, covering her eyes. “It’s…. It’s… nothing!” Her father said hastily. “If this has anything to do with my birthday…” “No. It does! I mean, doesn’t!” Bella came downstairs and saw a beautiful half-made mirror. 41

“Daddy!” said Bella breathlessly. “It’s from your grandmother,” said her father.

THE DUMP

Oliver Bullard Grade 4, Boise Chapter 1: It was a scorching hot day. Green Bug was baking hot. Then he heard a noise. The noise of a crackling ire. The noise of crunching. The noise of something alive. Green Bug snuck toward it. He brushed two pieces of grass aside to ind a face glaring down at him. “H - h - hello,” Green Bug stammered. “What are you doing?” The face yelled. “Trying to steal my food?” At the mention of food, Green Bug started to drool. “N - n - no, sir.” “Oh, good. M’ name’s Finley. Finley the Adventurer.” All of a sudden, they heard a growl. A Turfmukkin emerged from the tall grass. It snapped at Green Bug. “Quick, over here,” Green Bug yelled, pointing to a patch of dirt. The Turfmukkins struggled, but couldn’t get through the dirt. Then Finley sprayed the rodent with a liquid and it disintegrated the Turfmukkins. “Wow, ya saved me,” Finley said. “I am forever in yer debt.” Chapter 2: It was gradually getting less hot. The two friends had been traveling for WEEKS! “How much longer?” Green Bug moaned. “An estimated 300 acres,” Finley said. “Luckily, no Turfmukkins live here,” he sighed. “Okay, thank goodness,” Green Bug cheered. They pitched their camp and fell asleep almost instantly. In the morning, they packed up and walked away from their site in complete silence. They walked, and walked, and walked. And just kept walking, at least until they heard a wail of gibberish. 42

“Gibbershawnokertzoocvommmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm!” “WHAT IN THE WORLD WAS THAT!!?” Finley yelled (at the top of his lungs). Then, they saw a rainbow ball of luf with oval eyes popping out of the top of its head. He had arms, legs, and a big smile on his face. “Ah! It looks like we’ve arrived,” said Finley. “It smells like garbage and seawater.” Green Bug exclaimed, “Gross!”

Z SCAPES

Nikolai Schwartsman Grade 4, Boise In the year 2000 on the future planet Apocalypse. A lab test to give people superpowers has gone wrong making real zombies. The lab is abandoned and cold, full of broken bottles and powered of monitors. The lab smells of collecting dust. Everyone let, except for three kids who were trampled in the wave of people rushing to the lifeboats. Dirk is strong and muscular, but he isn’t very bright. Then there’s Maria. She’s super smart but she’s scared of a loud pop bang. Finally, their kind, brave leader is James. He’s sporty but he’s really short. Now they must ight the zombies and ind a way to leave. ******* “Dirk, are the plastic fake brains in place?” asks James into the walkie talkie. “Yep,” he replies. “Maria, is the boat ready?” James asks. “Yes,” Maria replies. The trio meets at the old, rusty boat. They have a 30day voyage. Then, when reaching the unknown isle, they ind every single person. But then the island plunged and they were never heard from again.

CHICKEN NUGGET DREAMLAND Aariv Prashant Grade 3, Boise

Chapter 1: The Human Attack “One, two, three!” shouted a thin man with brilliant brown hair and a sky blue tie dangling from his neck. A rocket was about to take of. There were many chairs gathered around the rocket with millions of people sitting in them. “Go!” the same man shouted. Suddenly, loads of ire busted out of the bottom of the rocket. All of a sudden, the rocket darted into the sky and went higher and higher. Everyone clapped and applauded with smiles spread across their faces. Meanwhile, the rocket landed on a gold shiny planet which smelled like chicken nuggets. As the door opened, the irst astronaut stepped out. When he took the irst step, he felt like he had stepped on a water balloon. “Hey, watch where you’re going!” said a squeaky voice behind him. As the astronaut turned around, he saw a real-life living chicken nugget. “Ahh!” the astronaut shouted and quickly ran, grabbing some chicken nuggets along the way. The chicken nuggets made a big scowl. When the other astronauts had heard the irst astronaut scream they thought it was a big danger. They busted out of the spaceship with AK-47s and screamed, “FBI, open up!” The astronauts shouted in random directions. “Ahh!!!” screamed some of the chicken nuggets. Some of the nuggets darted to a red button which had a yellow H on it. This button was no ordinary button. This button was a human alarm. One of the chicken nuggets slapped the button and the chicken nuggets gathered up and pulled out french fry shooters. They started shooting rapidly. The astronauts quickly ran into a nearby cave. In the cave, the astronauts heard a low growling sound. Then they saw glowing beady eyes pop out of the darkness. Suddenly, a giant chicken nugget with razor-sharp teeth, a french fry as his tail, and jagged spikes going down his back appeared. “Oh my Nugget—” whispered one of the astronauts. “—zilla!” said another. 44

SUPER SQUIRREL Cameron Mozes Grade 3, Boise

Once there was a galaxy far away from Earth where kids got shot out of cannons because of one man named Coinsmill, the evilest man in the universe and most feared by a squirrel named Jef. One day, Jef was walking along the road. He fell into a toxic sewer! He came out a Super Squirrel! As he lew through the air, he saw two monster trees with swords attacking the playground. The monster trees loaded the kids into cannons and shot them in the air. As quickly as possible, he lew super-speed to the playground and found a chipmunk killing the trees, kicking and punching them. When the chipmunk was done ighting, they made friends. Joe, which is the name of the chipmunk, had fallen into the same sewer as Jef. “I was walking on the road and I fell in the sewer,” said Joe. “Same!” said Jef. They lew to go and have lunch at Alvin’s Pizzeria. Meanwhile, Coinsmill was making a tree army with upgraded weapons. “Soon, that squirrel will be mine!” said Coinsmill. “I will take his blood and make a Super Squirrel army.” Back at the city, Jef and Joe were eating lunch at Alvin’s Pizzeria when the bank got robbed. Super Squirrel and Super Munk went to the robbers and pounced on them and returned the money. Then, in the middle of the city, giant trees were attacking. This time, it was an army! They were too tired of ighting but they lew to the rescue anyway. They were able to kill half of the army but were too tired to kill the rest. They lew away to get some sleep. When they woke up, the tree army was dead. Coinsmill was mad, and capable of the army’s death.

BARNOS’ ALIAS David Davis Grade 4, Boise

In a universe far, far away lived someone named Barnos who lived in one world and three realms. The irst realm: The Sky Realm. But it’s not what you think it is. It’s like clouds that act as people who blow to move. The second realm: The Crossover. It’s a magic place of land but underwater, illed with Treesquid and Bushish. The third realm: The Land Realm, illed with giant lowers and giant bees. There are tiny cows too. It all started when he was two years old, when he was in his bed. Blast. He came downstairs. His parents were killed. His name was Barnos. As he grew older he was raised by someone who was a close relative named Mrs. Reth. As he got older, he wondered who killed his parents. Mrs. Reth told him it was Gordon. As he listened, he wanted to bring peace to the realms. Since he was the son of Queen Alies and King Katra, he will be crowned king when he is 300 because every 10 years is 100 years in Cranos years. Ten years later. “Charge!” King Barnos said. The battle versus the Sky Realm and the Land Realm had started. The Sky Realm had Cloudarian monsters and the Land Realm had alien warriors. Shing! A sword swiped across his face. He was in the hospital. He had a very big scar across his face. As he was asleep, they did something to him. He woke up. He was half robot! “Ahh!” Barnos exclaimed. “What did you do to me?” “We made you a cyborg,” a nurse replied.

THE WORLD AND THE MIRROR Daisy Brewton Grade 3, Boise

Once upon a time there was a world and a mirror. A scientist lived in a house in the world. The mirror relected the world. The scientist was confused about the mirror because, you see, the scientist thought the mirror was another world, another house, and another scientist. One day, the scientist built a bridge to the mirror that he thought was another world. That’s how he realized the other world was a mirror. He decided to ind a time hole. He did ind a time hole but he also found a monster cave, a dinosaur cave, a pool of lava, and an axe. When he saw the axe, he chopped down some trees and made a sword. The he realized that monsters aren’t real. And dinosaurs weren’t existing. So he thought that whoever is behind this knows his fears. His fears are monsters coming alive and dinosaurs becoming unextinct. He slayed one monster, but the other monsters were too big. Then he said, “Could it be? It is a monster egg!” He took the egg to hatch a monster. “It will be my pet,” said Bob the scientist.

MAY THE AGENT BE WITH YOU Ella Wright Grade 4, Boise

*Sigh* Katara was very bored. She was by the lake all day, and school didn’t start for another hour. “Huh?” Katara suddenly realized there was a wolf on the other side of the lake. At the time there was a project due. Now she inally had an idea for it. A wolf! She walked around the lake to the wolf. She started poking the wolf, seeing what to write down. “Ow!” *Runs* “Well, at least I got some things written down. Right?! 47

Oop! Ten minutes until schools starts!” So Katara went to school, but she had glowing green eyes. *Ring!* Just in time. Katara still had no idea of her glowing green eyes. “Uhh...Katara? Are you okay?” the teacher asked. “Yeah...why?” Katara said nervously. “Your eyes are...glowing.” “Excuse me for a moment please.” Katara went over to the bathroom and looked in the mirror. “Oh my gosh!” *Fills up sink* *Dunks head in water* “Is it okay?” *Opens eyes* “Ah!” *Dunks head one more time* “Ahh! I have EARS?! Wait a minute...The wolf was radioactive, wasn’t it? A tail now, too?” Katara let school with a permission slip. But the color of the world was getting...SUCKED OUT!? *Zoom* “Huh? What’s this?” Katara turned around. “Agent Katara,” a black device said. “Ah! How do you know my name?” “Doesn’t matter. We need you to retrieve this mirror,” the black device said, “to bring the color back and save the world from the Grogs. The Grogs are green, slimy monsters with very thin black legs. They’re trying to take over the world.” “Okay!”

RAY AND NAARI Ruhaan Indukuri Grade 3, Boise

The forest was set ablaze like a torch in the night. All Ray heard was the sound of men yelling over the roar of the wildire. That was all Ray remembered of the day he lost his parents. Suddenly, Ray felt very happy he had Naari, a tall shorthaired girl. The next morning, Ray awoke to the sound of hissing. Ray grabbed his sword and peeked out of his tent. A massive snake loomed overhead. Ray leaped out and lashed of its head. As soon as he did, the snake grew two more. At that point Ray didn’t know what to do. Then Naari jumped out and gently touched it on the head. It turned into vines. Ray thinks her powers are cool. Ray and Naari journeyed on for three days and inally the Castle of Valeria was in sight. A giant castle levitated over their heads. Naari grabbed Ray’s sword and tied a string to it and made a grappling hook. “It was us in the beginning,” Naari said. “It will be us until the end,” Ray replied. Once they were in, Naari yanked the sword out but it wouldn’t come. Then Ray tried. It worked! They ran out the doorway and used the waystone, a small temple, to get back home to their big blue house.

BATTLE OF THE SOLAR SYSTEM, VOL. 1: THE RETURN OF SATURN [EXCERPT] Caleb Mitchell Grade 3, Mountain Home

Jace and Abby ran towards the astronauts. “Who is this, Jace?” the astronaut said. “Abigail,” Jace answered. The astronaut, who had just spoken to Jace, hit the SHOOT button on his machine and shot at D-1997. D-1997 took one more shot at the exoskeleton, and then lew into the distance. A rumble sounded. The astronaut on the land speeder said, “It’s Titan. We built it so it should be good.” When Titan came into view, it looked like a massive war machine. Guns were everywhere. Titan shot at them. “Take cover!” Jace yelled. “I’ll open the hatch.” A small door opened in the moon surface. Jace, Abby, and the astronauts jumped through the hatch. The astronauts ran toward little screens and buttons. The astronaut who had met Jace said, “My name is Percy. Follow me.” Jace followed Percy to a little screen. Percy pressed a button. “Do you want to use this gun?” Percy asked. “Sure,” Jace answered. Percy showed Jace how to use the gun. Looking through the screen, he could see what was happening. Pressing the SHOOT button, he blasted one of Titan’s guns apart. An explosion next to him alerted him that if he shot them, they would shoot him. Blasting two more of Titan’s guns and being nearly shot, Jace was alerted that Titan was about to launch asteroid ships. Titan rumbled. A door opened. A battalion of asteroid ships shot out, and Jace shot at one. A small column of smoke rose. Jace shot at it again, and it blew up. A small plume of smoke was in the air. Jace was alerted that two of Titan’s guns had been destroyed! Jace was also alerted that one of the moon’s guns had been destroyed.

WIZARD TURNS PIGEON

AT THE CABIN Piper Collins Grade 6, Boise Leaves fall from the trees, sirens ring through the air, people chatter and cars race nearby. Squirrels leap through the large trees. Bicycle zip past on the Greenbelt. Sprinklers water the grass across the street. Pencil scribble on pieces of paper.

10 WAYS OF LOOKING AT A LEAF Angelique Musila Grade 6, Meridian

The leaf is like paper. It is thin and fragile and rips just as easily. It is not like metal. On the tree where the leaf grows, there is an army of them, protecting us from the sun and the rain. The leaf is natural, with the veins running through it, like the human body. The leaves fall down from the tree majestically, luttering like a butterly. A leaf changes colors like a person’s moods: rage red, apprehensive orange, and goody golden. The stem of the leaf is lexible yet sturdy. Brown leaves make a crunch. Wild green leaves are silent. Dew drips of of the leaf, like an atershock of the morning rain. The leaf holds the secrets of transforming light into a natural food, natural energy, and oxygen. A leaf has a refreshing smell, sweet and earthy.

NAME POEM Hudson Ayers Grade 5, Boise He has Ugly Diamond Sculptures On Neptune

MY NAME Malakai Wickstrom Grade 6, Boise My name is a volcano. My name is like a lush red apple on a tree about to be picked. My name means angel or messenger. My middle name is my dad’s name, Benjamin. My nickname is Kai. People call me Kai when they’re sick of talking or out of breath. Oh! By the way, My name is Malakai Wickstrom.

OUT OF REALITY Naomi Fields Grade 5, Boise Voices murmuring, water bubbling, trees drooping The scribbling of my pencil All sounds familiar The fuzzy large leaves envelope me Welcoming, I close my eyes for A moment Only to be jolted awake To a city of waste and plastic. I’d rather be elsewhere but, alas, I’ve stopped daydreaming. 54

I AM FEAR Sophie Whitield Grade 5, Boise I am darkness. An empty pit, an endless storm. I am crying, hiding, screaming. I am afraid. Of you, of me, of the world. I am a dagger, a blade inding its way to your heart, an endless wound. I am the blood inside you, your heart, your mind. I am the ruler sitting atop a throne of lies. I am the one at the wheel. I am the mastermind behind everything. I am your creation. Your thoughts are merely a mask. I have other names, too. Deception. Survival instinct. Liar. However, none of them truly capture me. I am a dark smile, a pen, water. Even death. I am everything and anything. I am fear.

A FEMININE LIE Maya Cutchin Grade 6, Boise I see my name, Maya, as a name others would see as wonderful, but I hate it. My name is the color magenta, a very dark pink. Magenta is widely liked, but I hate it. My name means “illusion” in a language from India. My name is an illusion, a lie, a feminine lie, a disgusting feminine lie. Once my grandma called me Mia, but I didn’t care. My last name is Cutchin, so sometimes people call me Cootchin. If I could rename myself, I would choose Lemon or Seven, a name with no amazing meaning, just simple and androgynous. I love it. 55

I AM A PENGUIN Liam Wallace Grade 6, Boise I am a feathery, fuzzy, tuxedo-wearing animal. I am a cold bird that dives in the water deep to get my sardines for me and my wife and chicks. Even if it means getting in a ight with a sea lion or the parking lot gang. I need to feed my family. I AM A PENGUIN.

I AM A COW Anna Merriman Grade 5, Boise I am not from Idaho. I am from Montana. I have sage and baby blue spots. I love to eat grass. I have seven siblings. I have three kids named George, Lily, and Rose. My name is Sage. I like going for walks around the ield I live in. If I could live anywhere, I would live in New York by the beach. I have worn shoes only once and it was very hard. I like the temperature in between cold and hot, kind of in the middle. I have tried ice cream, and my favorite lavor is strawberry. I get washed every week. If I could be another animal, I would be a wood duck. I love people because they feed me. I am 31, and I live in a pack with 30 other cow families. I am a cow.

I AM LOVE Fiona Goellner Grade 6, Boise I am the color of the setting sun on a summer’s night. I am the one who lives in the hearts, the minds, the souls of my victims. I am like happiness in so many ways, but I lead to loss, to pain, to sorrow. I am the one you feel when you kiss, and when you hug. I am small for many victims, but for some, I consume all, am all. I can make you happy and blissful or I can be the cause of your tears, of your death. When I am near, things can be awkward, or they can feel just right. I am a burning passion, a reason to hope. I am the one who hopelessly entwines you. I am the one who makes you lirt and who makes a fool of you. I am responsible for marriage, for life, for death. For heartbreak, for a few ights, a few deaths. I am a dangerous weapon, a powerful weapon. I am love.

COFFEE Liam Wardwell Grade 6, Boise I see traic cones and bricks. The smell of cofee and pines, but cofee, cofee, cofee. I feel a rock, the pencil shatters against it. We walk across the street, there are cars honking and people shouting, but cofee, cofee, cofee.

BRIDGE Yam Pushkin Huang Grade 5, Boise I connect two things. I am a mediator for things to cross. My body is stepped on, run on, skated on. I imagine stepping on something, something like me, crossed, each step a tickle. My legs hold me up. Things are built on me. Weight pushes me down, sinking me. My legs cannot beneit; they crumble beneath me. I’m feeling lost and unstable. I hope nobody is on me at this moment. Good-bye, I am falling, crumbling up. My arms disconnecting, falling into the abyss.

I AM AN OAK TREE Marlies Royer Grade 5, Boise

I am an oak tree, standing tall at 70 feet and living in downtown Boise. I have been rooted where I am for 115 years, watching the town of Boise turn into a city, every day being rebuilt and reimproved. Three families inhabit me: a family of wrens, a family of squirrels, and a family of raccoons. Humans pass by me every day, many pausing under my shade and carrying on. Only one person has climbed me, a tall light-skinned girl with brown hair, wearing glasses. My trunk is brown, birds nest colored, with summer-green leaves. I love summer. It’s my favorite season, with sunny and warm days and viewings of people loating the Boise River. I love to watch people sitting on benches near me. If I were cut down and made into something – ouch! – I would be made into a bench. To be a bench sitting in coastal Oregon – how fun! I hope in Oregon there are no dogs; they scratch my bark! But here I’ll stay, here in Boise, with the girl and dogs and buildings and benches. 58

A WONDERFUL PLACE Isaac Filzen Grade 6, Boise As you come into the world there are many things many things lowers, and dirt cofee, and squirrels it can be overwhelming unfair but there is happiness trampolines, and ice cream, presents, and pets and where there is darkness robbers, and crime there is light gits, and paramedics yes the world is a wonderful place with love and happiness.

A RABBIT’S DREAM Mira Buckley Grade 7, Boise A sot place to call home And somewhere to sleep, The delicate smell of roses As I’m hopping through the trees. Nothing to poke me Like thorns or sharp leaves. People leave me alone. Finally, I can run free. I dip one paw into a stream. The cold bites and nips, Then as I’m hopping through the forest, I feel a sot breeze Rustling my fur And rustling the leaves. The tart taste of berries And the crunch of seeds All as I’m hopping Through the garden and the trees.

SOUNDS OF THE GARDEN Amaya Longley Grade 6, Boise Truly wonderful things can happen if you listen to the garden. Rustling leaves on long, spindly branches and sighing winds passing through the trees. The trickling and gurgling of the water passing over smooth but jagged pond stones. A spiny pinecone rolling down a bumpy slope with an intense crack. Robins that sing high up in the trees and small, untamed squirrels chattering and arguing. The crunching gravel underneath the rabbit hopping. The rabbit would sit and twitch with the chilled breeze. Now just take a moment to hear all of these spectacular sounds. Truly wonderful things can happen if you listen to the garden. 60

THE STORY BEHIND “ADAGIO FOR STRINGS” Penelope Hume Grade 6, Boise waking up pouring cereal rain trickling grabbing umbrella walking outside peaceful rain talking to gazelle stops raining sun comes out clouds disappear birds start lying neighborhood harpist comes out breaks into tune harpist hit by wrecking ball! go to funeral ninjas attack 20 more people die only the harp echo is heard birds carry people to caves wizard appears wizard turns pigeon to phoenix phoenix cries everyone revives back to house fall asleep

DUCKS CAN TALK

THE FAIRIES’ HOPE [EXCERPT] Anya Buckley Grade 5, Boise Mimosa felt a breeze in the air. Instead of the usual sweet-smelling breeze, it was a dense, pulling breeze. Mimosa looked around the garden shed. She didn’t see anyone near. It must be a message from the queen. Hurriedly, she gathered up the rest of her lowers and rushed to Pixie Circle. As she passed Cofee Shack, she noticed the usual crowds weren’t there. Huh, business must be slow today, she thought. But as she got closer, she saw no one on the streets. By the time she got there, she saw every fairy she knew was there! She even saw the animal fairies on their butterlies. Uh-oh, what’s going on? Is something going to happen? she thought, fearing in her mind. “Greetings, all fairies,” the queen said, her voice stopping Mimosa’s thought. “Now, most of you are probably wondering why we’re all here.” Most of the fairies nodded their heads in agreement. “Well, as you know, there is evil in this world, and now evil is threatening us!” she said to the crowd. The crowd gasped in return. “But, as some of you know, there is a hope, a savior, and the only way to save us is by our father up above. He has sent us a fairy to save us. Meet Graceful!” she said. Wow, a new fairy! This is so exciting, but who will be her guide? Mimosa thought excitedly. “Now, to make sure Graceful doesn’t cause any trouble around here, I need a fairy guide,” the queen continued, “I have chosen one of you to guide Graceful.” “Please don’t pick me, please don’t pick me!” Mimosa heard her friend Quaint Rose mutter under her breath. “Mimosa! You will be Graceful’s guide!” the queen exclaimed proudly. What, me?! Mimosa thought as she came up to the queen. Even though she had a smile on her face, inside she was worried. Her mind was going through lots of thoughts. I can’t take her! I have my garden! That’s too much pressure! A few minutes later, Graceful and Mimosa were quietly walking side-by-side down Main Street. “So,” Graceful started to say, “What do you do here?” “I sell lowers,” Mimosa quickly replied. As they started to get closer and closer, Mimosa started having a better perspective 65

on things. Well, once we get home, I can just set her up in the guest room, and she’ll be ine, she thought. As she looked ahead, the familiar sight came into view of her mushroom house and its red door. As Mimosa opened the door, she became relaxed. The usual smell of fresh-cut lowers illed the room. She let out a sigh of relief. “Um, so where can I sleep?” Graceful asked cheerfully, disturbing Mimosa’s moment of relaxation. “Upstairs, second door to the right!” she said. “Okay, tha—,” Graceful started to say as she accidentally knocked down the expensive vase the queen had given Mimosa. The vase shattered. That made Mimosa’s dog Butterscotch frightened, which made him run into the toadstool table and knock down the bread she was saving for dinner. “I’m so sorry!” Graceful exclaimed.

THE SECRETS OF THE FOREST [EXCERPT] Rose Murphy Grade 6, Boise I woke up to the sound of a duck quacking outside of my window. I slowly opened my eyes. I got up and trudged over to the window by my bed. Last night, I had forgotten to close it before I went to bed! I slammed the window shut and walked over to my closet to get dressed. Once I had gotten dressed, I headed down the creaky wood stairs and walked over to the kitchen. Since almost every day by the time I wake up my mom is already gone, I get to eat whatever I want for breakfast. Today, I decided on pancakes. I opened the black cupboard and got out some pancake mix. As I was grabbing the pancake mix, Rocky suddenly burst through his dog door from outside and started barking. It startled me so much I dropped the pancake mix onto the loor, covering Rocky and me. “Rocky!” I screamed in frustration. Rocky looked at me with sad eyes. Instead of forgiving him like I usually do when he does something bad, I grabbed my jacket from the hook by the door and headed into the forest. The crisp cold air hit me right as I stepped outside. I shivered, glad that I had my jacket on. I started walking slowly 66

through the forest, careful not to step on any lizards in my path. Ater I walked for a while, I realized I was in a part of the forest I had never been before. I stopped walking and observed my new surroundings. I was in an enormous green ield illed with many diferent types of lowers and plants. I was so in awe of what I was seeing that I did not hear someone start to talk to me. “Hello?! Are you ignoring me?” I stood as still as a deer in headlights trying to igure out who the unfamiliar voice belonged to. Suddenly, a green and brown duck lew right at me! “Hi, I’m Bob,” the duck said cheerfully. “DUCKS CAN TALK?” I said, not believing what I was saying. “Yep! Well, you are one of the only humans who can hear us,” Bob said. I just stared at him in shock. Neither of us said a word for a while. Finally, Bob explained a little more. “I know this is a bit startling, Rose, but you have to just listen to what I am about to say,” Bob said slowly. I just nodded my head, afraid if I spoke that Bob would stop talking. “Your father was one of the only humans who could talk to us.” Bob paused as if he was about to say something shocking. “Your father is not dead. He never died in a car crash.” Bob stared down at the ground like a sad puppy who did something bad. I could not believe it! My father was alive!

RED PEPPER AND THE FAIRIES [EXCERPT] Rebecca Piva Grade 6, Boise Red Pepper was a small child with bright red hair. She lived in a small house with her parents and three dogs. She was 8 years old during the time I will tell you about. She normally dressed in denim shorts and a light blue T-shirt. Pepper’s three dogs were all Labradors. They were Rocky, the black lab; Chocolate Milk, the brown lab; and Golden Bell, the yellow lab. Pepper enjoyed playing with her dogs. Pepper also had found a baby barren-ground caribou and pleaded with her parents to keep it, until they inally accepted it, and named the creature Canyon Echo. Pepper spent much of her time with her animals, and 67

told them even her darkest secrets and fears. She told them how she was so very frightened that someone would break into the house at night. She told them how she didn’t use utensils at meal times when her parents weren’t looking. She told them she worried people would bully her and call her ugly, even though she knew everyone thought she was the prettiest girl in school, with her red curly hair and emerald green eyes. But the biggest secret of all was that she did not believe in fairies. She worried very much that someone would ind out. Now, that may not seem so bad to you, but not only were her parents oicial fairy researchers, but the whole town practically worshipped fairies. “I just don’t believe it. There’s no proof,” she’d tell Rocky, Chocolate Milk, Golden Bell, and Canyon Echo. Pepper awoke one morning to a small buzzing noise. She looked around her room, but saw nothing. She thought, with a glance at her clock, that she was just tired. She climbed out of bed and walked to the bathroom to get dressed. Pepper soon emerged from the bathroom wearing her old pair of jeans and a light pastel green T-shirt. She looked to the corner of the room where three dog beds and a sleeping bag were lined up. Pepper slept in that sleeping bag. She loved her pets so much that is what she did. Right above the beds was an open window with no screen and her caribou’s head sticking out of it. “Good morning, Canyon,” Pepper would say as she walked over to the hammock swing next to the cabinet in the other corner of the room. Ater about ive seconds she felt her stomach growl, and she walked to the door, pulled it open, and headed for the kitchen. The roaster had just come into view around the corner when Pepper stopped right where she was standing, forgetting all about her hunger. She saw, and this truly amazed her, what she thought to be a fairy. It was a small creature, with gray skin and blue wings. Pepper edged closer, careful not to scare it. She realized it was not, in fact, a fairy. Its face was contorted with anger, and its eyes shimmered iercely. “What are you?” Pepper asked, expecting no reply. “Me?” it said in a low, growling voice. It looked around the room and came to the conclusion Pepper was talking to it. “I’m a ummm . . .” Now, Pepper saw it. There was a tiny earpiece on the 68

creature. Someone was giving it orders. “I’m a fairy,” it inally said, its eyes twinkling proudly. “You are?” Pepper said, unsure whether to believe it or not.

CUCUMBER [EXCERPT] Daphne Pennington Grade 6, Boise Garden Cucumber Smith’s parents were very opinionated when it came to names. Her father, a forensic criminologist, wanted to name her Punctured Lung. Her mother was a cook and sold her fresh-grown produce at the farmers market. She had been leaning toward naming her Kale. Finally, when her parents still couldn’t choose a name, they just agreed to name her ater the fruit they both loved: organic, freshly farm-grown garden cucumbers. People just called her Cue, though Cue didn’t know why. What was wrong with Garden Cucumber? She was 13 years old and loved painting, grass, murder mysteries, and going to the farmers market on Saturdays with her mother. Her father was very proud of her murder mystery knowledge and hoped she would continue the family legacy as a forensic criminologist. Whereas her mother was very, very proud of her skills in the kitchen, and urged her to go start a bed-andbreakfast. Cue herself, though? Mostly, she just wanted to make a line of grass-scented perfume. But she didn’t think that paid very well. If grass-scented perfume didn’t go well, she would become a screenwriter and write Grass the Musical: The Musical, The Series. She knew that would work out. But just in case it didn’t, she’d write murder mystery novels, like Death by Grass. Cue’s mother said that a grass-based career wasn’t good enough for someone with her potential. Cue had no response.

KNIFE LORD Lana Aoulaiche Grade 6, Boise There was a strange Knife Dark Lord that hid a dangerous knife and a fake plastic knife. There was Princess Beatrice otherwise known as Trix. She’s British. Trix’s mother was cursed and fell in love with a bad guy. The Dark Lord is her father secretly. The Dark Lord can control knives in any way. Trix needed to save her mother. In order to save her mom, she needed to ind the Knife Dark Lord. So the journey began. She got a sword, food, and a ton of water. Beatrice stole a horse from a random farm. She got to the irst obstacle course: a pack of wolves. Trix got of the horse and she started talking and ighting with the alpha. Suddenly they stopped. “You are special and may pass,” said the alpha. Trix smiled. “Thank you.” She got back on her horse and kept climbing the mountain. On top of the mountain, Trix and her horse Stella got tired. They found a cave and rested. The next day at 6 p.m. they climbed down the mountain. Now there’s a lake. Full of alligators. The alligators all stared. Slowly they started getting out of the lake. Trix knew to run zigzag when alligators are charging. They all began running. Trix made Stella zigzag. Ater 10 minutes they lost them. Soon ater she found the Dark Lord, her father. Right when they made eye contact they started ighting. Trix swung her sword. She missed. The Dark Lord cut of her inger. Trix and Stella magically lew toward the Dark Lord and cut his mask of. His power transferred to Trix. She lew home on Stella and made her family so proud she became queen.

HUMANS Lauren Wontorcik Grade 6, Boise The way to life is a meaning. There is maybe a reason we souls are here. I was chosen to the human world as 1495g and 3243c told me that I was switched. I loated away from the human portal and went 10 years now. I have not drank blood. In three years I have not had blood. My name is Maria in the vampire world. I can’t have blood because there are no humans.

THE SLENDERMAN Joss Jones Grade 6, Boise The man in a black suit and a lengthy torso was patiently waiting. I asked him in a serious manner, “Why are you always standing here?” In a sudden movement, he jerked his head towards me with an obscure pace. Then, abruptly, he speeds away. My sister, confused as well, looked up with a puzzled face and said, “Is he okay?” I shrugged and said, “I don’t know. He’s probably just another lonely weirdo.” As we watched him walk away, he tripped and fell over his shoelaces. My sister and I accidentally broke out in laughter and began calling him names like, ‘Longester,’ ‘Bozo,’ and ‘Grandpa.’ Ater we got a hold of ourselves we approached him again, ofering our hands for support. His light blue eyes communicated panic, as they searched the surrounding subway area. “No, please hel–” BANG BANG! I fell down and tried to help him stay conscious. “Are you dead? Please talk to me! SIR?!” His body squirms on the loor, ighting for life. With the mission incomplete, the murderer had to inish the job. He emerged from the subway shadows, aimed the gun downwards and said, “Now he’s dead.”

THE NIGHT Malakai Wickstrom Grade 6, Boise I was going home when a storm struck. So I stopped in a church. Ater a few hours a haunting began. So I called the ghost busters and ater a few minutes they were here. They said that no ghosts were here. So I begged them to take me with them. So they shot their ghost-guns at me. I was in the gun when I heard them say, “So I was ighting a ghost when I shot him, and now he’s dead.”

JUST A DREAM Betty Clark Grade 6, Boise A long time ago, there was a little girl they called Mary. People said she was ugly. She had brown eyes with just a hint of gold and black curly hair with dreadlocks. They called her the devil child. Well, she was quite shy but friendly. Mary’s father worked in a barber shop. They called him Phillip. His job was full time, so Mary went to school. The children weren’t kind at all. They teased Mary. Mary saw past that. One aternoon Mary came home with a bucket tipped on her head. “Who dumped your head in this time?” Phillip asked her while chugging his booze. Mary dropped the bucket of her head. “None of your concern, Father.” Phillip glanced at Mary with a frown. “I’m going to wash up,” Mary said. She turned on the sink and soaked her face with a wet towel. “Ahh!” She heard screams from a distance: “Fire!” and “The devil child is showing her true form!” The police ran into her room and lung her onto the mirror. Mary didn’t show any sign of fear. “I guess it’s really the end. Please let me perish in peace.” Phillip ran toward Mary and shoved the police to the side, but he was too late.

TREE Maya Wogan Grade 6, Boise Oakley is a 500-year-old oak tree, the oldest tree in the park. “Good morning,” Sally says. Sally is the mother of three saplings. She’s 450 years old, one of the oldest. “Good morning Sally,” said Oakley. “How are the saplings?” “Ugh. Dakota couldn’t sleep and kept me up until she passed out. And they were playing their favorite game: arguing. I was up until 4 a.m.,” she says with a groan. “Oof, that’s rough,” says Oakley. ***** A class comes to visit. “Children,” says the teacher, “Oakley is the oldest tree in the park.” Many “Oohhs” and “ahhs” followed. One of the children walked up to him. “Hello, I’m Elaine.” He wanted to say hello back, but it wouldn’t work. Humans don’t understand trees. From that day on Elaine always came to see Oakley. He had a friend. She made friends with every tree in the park.

SIGHTSEEING Rehema Sadiki Grade 5, Boise The branches of a nearby tree sprawl out into a leafy canopy. Cars hurtle by, fading in and out of sight. Where are they going in such a hurry? The thick scent of lavender hangs silently in the humid air. Grass bleeds across this all but silent landscape. Looking closely, I see tiny bugs scurry across the thicket of trembling blades. A wasp swoops down, a graceful descent to the colored mats we sit upon. The trickle of the creek, it is a sot and ambient sound, so soothing compared to the ruckus of the road. The roaring of a truck is still heard in the distance. Clear water lows in, while roots and twigs reach forth to feel the cool and refreshing nourishment from the water. A miniscule spider dances across the sand, far from danger. A female mallard glides peacefully afar. The faint scent of muck lows like the creek. 73

THE SAME CALLING Lucca Smith Grade 5, Boise Lucca. It’s a movie, it’s a place, and it’s the name of a 10-year-old girl. My name came from a restaurant my parents dined at together before they had me. My name reminds me of a light spring color with ields of grass on a not so sunny day. My name is exotic, yet the same calling sound yelling: “Lucca, get up and eat breakfast!” or “Lucca, get ready!” I would change my name to “Bo” if I had to. It’s my middle name. Not an unconident name like Lucca. It would be a ierce, bold, orange name! Though “Lucca” suits me. My pale skin, with contrasting freckles and my curious personality. I like my name. It’s like me sitting on a plump white cloud reading a book. I like my name. Once again, it suits me.

SAY GOODBYE Betty Clark Grade 6, Boise As Komotiia walked along a path, she gazed at her feet, as if she were unconscious or in a trance, not caring where her legs took her. Komotiia heard crying from a distance. She tried to follow the sound but couldn’t. Komotiia stopped at a rose garden and kneeled down in front of a rose bush to pick one. Her hand bled from the thorns sinking into her skin. She then walked out of the garden, moving slowly toward a tombstone that read: Komotiia A. Forene Cause of death unknown Age: 23 Soon tears fell from her eyes to her cheeks, leaving water drops on the tombstone. She dropped the rose on the side. Komotiia fell to her knees and clenched her ist as she faded into the lower, the grass, and nature.

TINY SILHOUETTES

THE HOWL Bella Zenecke Grade 9, Boise I grabbed my little brother’s hand as I lead him through a maze. His warm hand pressed against mine. The maze is full of turns: let, right, right, straight, right again. I see a crumbling building. Worn down by age. And torn by them. The things chasing us. Making us isolated, alone. All resistance against them gone. Entire cities gone. Nearly a year earlier. Laughter rang in my ears. Sweet cake smells ill the air. Children run around playing games. Adults stand around talking with each other. My little brother Josh runs with the children, doing what they do. Josh spots me and runs over to me, forgetting about the game. The others keep playing but Josh stands next to me, one foot shorter than me. His blonde hair makes him look like Draco Malfoy from the third year in Harry Potter, but his blue eyes make him look like a male model. I see a lash. I look in that direction. Our two dogs stand there. Our brown and white female pitbull, Millie, stands there with an older black and white male border collie, Connor. They both seem to be listening and talking to each other. I feel something wrong, so I pulled Josh to the house and locked the door. “Callie, what are you doing? What’s wrong?” Josh looks at me, confusion written on his face. My glasses start to fall so I push them up. My long brown hair, pulled in a ponytail, is swinging slightly. I whisper to Josh, “Something’s not right.” Josh laughs at me and I feel heat on my cheeks. My 13-year-old brother is making fun of his two-yearsolder sister. He says, “Stop worrying so much.” I turn around and reach for the handle but hesitate. That’s when the screaming starts.

THE ENDLESS BLACK HOLE Camaron Davis Grade 7, Houston, TX I saw a black hole. The black hole had an orange aura. The orange could be from a solar system it swallowed. It could have swallowed universes or it could be the end of the world. But what would happen if you went inside of it? You could be teleported to a planet with aliens . Then the planet would have wildlife or trees. Or it could be just a desert. Or the black hole could be nothing just your imagination.

THE NECKLACE OF EDGEWOOD Addison Kostelec Grade 8, Boise Rose stands on the beach next to her house, gazing out at the ocean. She tightly holds the necklace her mom gave her. “I wish you were here, Mom.” Rose whispers, letting a tear fall. The tear falls on the necklace, and it glows for barely even a second. Rose ignores the glowing, thinking she’s just imagining things. Rose takes of her lip lops and walks to the ocean. She stops walking as she takes a step into the ocean. Chills go through Rose’s body. The water is cold. Rose sits down. The water gently splashes against her. Ater watching the sunset, Rose walks in her house. On the way to her back bedroom, she hears her dad on the phone. “Yes, I can make it to the conference this weekend.” Rose runs to her bedroom, tears in her eyes. Rose throws herself on her bed, letting the tears out. Had her dad forgotten that her birthday was that weekend? Again, Rose’s necklace began glowing, but it was brighter and it glowed longer. She ignored it, but she couldn’t get to sleep. Her thoughts kept driting back to her necklace.

THE MONSTERS THAT HEAR Cecelia Greene Grade 7, Meridian Everyone has monsters. At least one. My monsters hear, but don’t listen. They speak, but not the truth. My monsters act, but also lie. But my monsters infect. They make more. My monsters give wounds, but not physical. And if you try to stop them, then they’ll eat you alive. My monsters are horrible scavengers, but on the outside, they’re just...shadows. And shadows...come from people.

THE SKEPTIC AND THE DREAMER Griin Pochop Grade 8, Boise Shan’t we go wishing at the well up east? These wishes, you know, will always come true... Long the walk is, and the well is a beast... These wishes, you know, don’t always come true... But for the man who wished for a hero! What for the man who asked for his true love... A cow was the only sweetheart he got. Absurd! The well is in a glade of irs, my dear! As beautiful as thee, I hear... Ridiculous! All we’ll ind there is dead pines and rot. Just like the last wisher was shot! But to say we went, my love... We’d have better luck, wishing on a dove! Shan’t we go wishing at the well up east? These wishes, you know, they always come true... Long the walk is, and the well is a beast... These wishes, you know, don’t always come true...

THE LABRYINTH CURSE Nick Maher Grade 8, Meridian “Faster!” He yelled as he and another person were running down a long corridor. He heard banging on the steel loor behind him. Those creatures were catching up. Suddenly, blood splashed on the walls, meaning he lost his friend. He entered a large and very tall room. He rushed over to the side of the entrance and entered a code he had seen in the previous room. The door shut and was instantly followed with banging and scratching. He took a quick glance around the room. Something immediately caught his eye. A vine descended from the sunlight above. That was his way out. He reached over to the vine. He was about to grab onto it but he saw something that made his heart drop. The vine was covered in thorns. He looked around to see if there were there was anything he could shield his hands with. The room was empty. He didn’t want to climb the vine but the banging and scratching on the metal door behind him reminded him that his life was on the line. He put one hand on the vine and sharp thorns. Pain followed. He put his second hand on the vine and hoisted himself up. The pain was horrible. He started to climb. Tears burned in his eyes. Eventually he reached the end. His hands were bleeding, but all the pain was worth it just to have the warm sunlight cover his whole body. He lited his hands so he could escape this horrible place. Only for his ears to be met with the horrible sound of an object hitting glass. Confusion and fear overwhelmed his body. He looked up. Snap. The vine was he was holding snapped. Time seemed to freeze as he was falling. He hit the ground, breaking his back and killing him instantly. This was the fate of some normal high school students. They were forced into a world where they had to compete to escape traps. People said once you were in that world you could never go back. People also call this the labyrinth curse. Kane woke up excited to start a new day. Although he was unaware that he would be the next victim of the labyrinth curse.

BECOMING Belèn Hoobing Grade 7, Boise Suddenly, the light beams Clank. I can hear the metal grinding brightness all around. Above, the artiicial light is gleaming Pain. Something does not feel right about my surroundings Many faces. People bend over, staring down ALIVE. I sit up and realize what is happening: I am alive.

CLOCK OF SPADES Tani Garrett Grade 7, Boise I spin around with fear The voices are growing near. I want to run. But they tell me I’ll have so much fun I want to scream and shout Should not have taken the time travel route. The roots of evil have begun to grow When they asked I could have said no I feel as my legs collapse If I never found that watch I’d be safe Perhaps I can feel as my world warps Soon I’ll be nothing but a corpse. I wish I had a warning When it’s done I’ll be nothing but a voice by morning As my vision fades Beware the clock of Spades.

LISTENER [EXCERPT] Alana Rowland Grade 8, Eagle The irst thing I saw was ire. It enveloped our garden and our home. Flames lapped at the air, heat distorting the sky above. Smoke lashed at my throat and my two biggest eyes were blinded by ash. My good claw instinctively reached for my spear, only to swoop at empty air. My top fangs pierced my lip as I scowled. How could I have lost it at a time like this? Feeling lost, I turned to Glowspun and followed their gaze. A single igure towered above the lames, as tall as the trees that loomed far above my head. It turned its head. A singular void black eye glared at me and ire danced in its vision. It spread its hety jaws wider than the length of my body and roared. The sound shook my brain and stifened my body with fear. So this was a Bellower. Tiny silhouettes of other Listeners 84

gathered below and jabbed at it with their spears. How could they do anything against a creature of this size? I swallowed. “Wisteria,” Glowspun’s voice shocked me out of my trance. “Evacuate the others. The ire has reached the Underroots.” I looked at Glowspun, ready to protest. “Now, Wisteria,” they commanded. “I’ll handle the Bellower.” They started towards the ire, then turned to me. “Remember, Wisteria. Fighting is not the only job of a Listener. Its true purpose lies in its name. Listen to the forest, Wisteria, listen to the land and ind somewhere safe to take refuge.” They paused. “I’m counting on you.”

H2O CHRONICLES: BOOK 1, HYDRO OMNIPOTENCE ORDER [EXCERPT] Dev Alluri Grade 6, Boise Prickles of cold stabbed through every inch of my body. It was like a million swords lew into my box, but it wasn’t a trick. It was real. At that very moment, all I knew was pain. Yet that sensation started to fade, leaving nothing let but emptiness. Everything around me was blue and murky. Clouding everything. I also knew I was wet. That pain leaving my body let room for me to feel other things. And wonder other questions. Who was I? What was I doing here? What is my purpose? Would I live or die? As everything started to turn hazy, those questions started to fade as well. I guess this was it for....There’s another question — what was my name? My lungs screamed for a breath that I couldn’t give them. Then the reality of the situation began to sink in: I would die a nobody. I began to close my eyes — a hand shattered not only the ice but the darkness on the edge of my vision. I was jerked up and onto land and I gazed up at a cloaked igure shrouded in black. I was so busy staring, I forgot something — to breathe. I wheezed out and started to hyperventilate, taking every breath I could. Everything was turning darker as I was pulled back into the abyss of my mind. No hand reached to pull me out of the darkness. 85

NARA SAYING GOODBYE TO THE GARDEN OF GRAVES Harmony Sigler Grade 8, Boise Nara walked through the cemetery of Warriors. Each grave was surrounded by dozens of colorful lowers and treasure. She wasn’t here to thank the Warriors for the strength they gave her in battle, she was here to ask for strength. She sat down next to a gravestone, her ingers tracing the name carved into the stone. ‘Troy’ was the pattern she touched. “I’m going on my irst mission since the battle at Fourway Bridge,” she told the gravestone. She gave a small smile, pulling her long dirty blond hair back in a ponytail. She continued her conversation with the gravestone. “Guild master Bree says I’m inally allowed out since I snuck out that day.” Her smile widened, her eyes glinting with mischief. “She said I fought well.” Her smile turned into a frown, her eyes illing with sadness. “It’s all thanks to you, thanks…for training me.” She plucked a lower and lited it to her nose. “I’ll miss you, Troy.” She stood and walked towards the gates leading out. She gave the cemetery one last look at the grave surrounded by lowers. It was almost like being in a garden — a Garden of Graves.

ARRANIS [EXCERPT] Matthew Rauer Grade 9, Eagle The story thus far: Nicholas was running from a group of bullies in a red truck, and turned down a dark road with his eyes closed. He saw a light behind his eyelids, and ran toward it. Nicholas continued forward toward the growing light that was there and not there all at once. He stopped running, realizing that his eyes had been closed. Opening them, Nicholas frantically looked around, silently, and a little audibly, hoping that he would not see the bright red truck and those despicable headlights. He didn’t. 86

Letting out a huge sigh of relief, Nicholas glanced around, trying to locate the source of the lights. His eyes landed on a decrepit plot of land. Confused, Nicholas looked closer at the remains as he approached it. It was a fairly large fenced-of area. There was only one entrance, which Nicholas cautiously walked toward. Inside this former garden was a gazebo that looked like it should have been demolished decades ago. Surrounding the gazebo were hundreds of dead and decaying plants. Discarded leaves and lowers lay everywhere, creating an uncomfortable crunching sound as Nicholas walked closer to the gazebo. Somewhere in the distance a clap of thunder went of like an audience of thousands, eagerly applauding the lash of lightning that had preceded it. The hair on the back of Nicholas’s neck stood up from the increased amount of energy that permeated the air. Nicholas hopped up the crumbling steps of the gazebo and saw old benches lining the sides of it. Except for the pristine bench that was stationed in the center of this area, they all looked the same: cold and lifeless. He walked over to it, inquisitively, and sat down in the middle of it. Nicholas let out another sigh, letting all the stress and anxiousness that was building in his shoulders come out through this single breath. Closing his eyes and relaxing for a moment, Nicholas shited on the bench. As his eyelids met, the dying garden turned into a beautiful square of perfect lines of roses, all cut in perfect symmetry with each other. This image was a stark contrast to the desolation seen before. Shocked, Nicholas jumped of the bench and opened his eyes. The dead graveyard of lowers met his gaze. Wary and intrigued, Nicholas closed his eyes as he stood in the gazebo. All he saw was the inky blackness that was the complete absence of light. In puzzlement, Nicholas gazed back at the bench, a slight gleam in his eye. He investigated it, looking at it up and down, bending over to peer underneath, and running his hand along the smooth wooden surface. Ater much deliberation inside his head, Nicholas concluded that it was a perfectly normal bench. Shaking his head, he sat back down on the bench, this time keeping his eyes wide open. If anything happens to change, he 87

thought, I’ll see it right here with my own eyes. Nicholas sat there for 10 minutes, ears perked, eyes wide, ingers twitching, and nostrils sniing, looking for any sign that someone was behind this illusion.

THE BROKEN CLOCK TOWER Rowen Carson Grade 7, Eagle Once there was a 10-year heat wave in a town called Fredona. Fredona’s pride and joy was their clock tower in the center of town square. However the heat wave had stopped the clock in the clock tower from working, and when they tried to ix it none of the workers would work in the tremendous heat. So they began to ask all the animals and creatures in the nearby countryside, and none but the pigs said yes. “But,” said the pigs, “on one condition. You and no one in the town can eat bacon or ham ever again.” “Fine,” they all agreed. “Please just ix our clock tower.” So the pigs did in just under a week. The clock tower was working once more. The town was so very happy and they all kept their promise to the pigs for a long while. But eventually they started eating bacon and ham again so the pigs stormed toward the tower in fury and started tearing it down brick by brick and plank by plank until there was nothing let but a cloud of dust and a pile of rubble. However, the pigs did not stop there. They started tearing down and destroying every house and shop in the town (except the vegans’ houses, all of their houses were ine). The homes of hundreds of people were destroyed and the pigs just kept on tearing down and destroying every building (except the vegans’ houses, those were ine) while the citizens cowered and did nothing. Finally, ater two whole days of the pigs’ rampaging, the entire town lay decimated (except the vegans’ houses) and families were without shelter from the terrible heat. So those families let and travelled to the nearby cities and towns and Fredona became a city of vegans ruled by pigs. The End.

THE LUCKY ONE [EXCERPT] Katie Abercrombie Grade 8, Eagle The air was getting worse, it was rising, and the First City wasn’t getting any taller. People got sicker every day, and the lower levels, well, they were far beyond hope. Some days he wondered why he had been chosen as the lucky one. He was useless in this world, just a rugrat thief looking out on the low rise. He’d been let on his own to survive in this dying world, and he didn’t really spare the time to question it. But standing in this line, waiting his turn to receive the weekly check, he managed to block out the angry protests and ask himself a few things he knew you wouldn’t receive the answer to. “Citizen A-16!” A harsh voice pulled him out of his stupor, and he shuled his way to the front of the crowd. “It’s, uh, it’s Ace but, um, sure, we’ll go with A-16.” He cleared his throat awkwardly at the man’s sharp glare, half of his face hidden behind the white mask he wore. “Your arm please,” he spoke, voice as cold and monotone as ever. “Oh, right here.” Ace pulled his arm from the front pocket of his jacket and presented it to the man. He nodded his approval and reached back to pull out a needle and syringe from the cubby. Ace grimaced at the size and looked away, trying his best not to think about it too much. The sharp pinch lasted a few seconds, leaving behind a numb feeling on the inside of his arm, making his ingers tingle in an unpleasant way. “Alright you’re good, please sign here,” the man tapped his black pen on a dotted line printed across a slip of synthetic iber in tiny inked circles. Ace looked of to the side, rocking on his feet gently, not realizing the man had spoken to him. “A-16, sign here, please,” he repeated, more irmly this time, and with a dangerous edge to his voice. “Huh? Oh yeah, of course, sorry,” he chuckled anxiously, nearly dropping the pen as he scribbled his name hastily on to the dotted line. “Alright, thank you, now move along for questioning,” the monotone voice ordered, shuling through papers and keeping his cold gaze downward and focused. Ace just nodded, unsure, and made his way over to the 89

next table. He didn’t have much time to register anything before they began to bombard him with questions. “Have you been to any of the lower levels recently?” “Uh...” “Have you taken of your mask any time in the last 10 days?” “No?” “Is anyone you know of or are in contact with sufering from or symptomatic of the illness?” “Yes, but–” “Thank you, move along now.” The woman did not lit her gaze from the clipboard in her hands as she ushered him along. Ace went home that night with a tired mind, a worrying thought, and a sore arm

SHIFTING [EXCERPT] Jade Roscheck Grade 7, Boise I remember sitting in a ield. Grass poked up from the dirt. Little lowers dotted the ground as far as the eye could see. A metal statue of a woman stood tall, her outstretched hand giving a little girl an apple, a bucket clasped between her let arm and her waist. I remember writing a story as the clouds shited position in the sky, sometimes blotting out the sun’s oppressive heat, sometimes not. I worked hard on my story, sitting on a bench next to the fountain. I remember setting down my paper, just for a moment, to give my hand a break. I remember the wind increasing, liting my paper up and then leaving it to fall lazily into the fountain, the seeds of my hard work being blotted out of existence. Disappearing beneath the cold blue waves. The lurch I felt in my heart that day reminds me of how I feel now. A few seconds ago, the ground gave a sudden shake and started moving faster. I wouldn’t have noticed except for the fact that the speed at which the ground was now moving was visible in the clouds. It was that fast. I confess that I may have screamed from the sudden movement. I stood there for a while, waiting for the sky to stop moving. Five seconds passed. Then 20, then sixty. It didn’t stop. 90

BIG CLOAK

THE MYSTERY OF THE ALOR MANSION [EXCERPT] Eva Necochea Grade 6, Boise Scene 1 ALLEN sketches out his design for ALEX. ALLEN: I’m thinking of doing a red velvet cake with cream cheese frosting and fondant lowers. A recording of Alex’s voice plays from speakers. ALEX (Voice Over): Today we’re trying to teach Mark and Dylan how to make a fancy birthday cake for Rylie and Robert, who are busy with soccer drills in the backyard. Maria is being really annoying by standing around and texting Casey, who’s on vacation in Mexico. ALEX (to Allen): Okay, I’ll go look for the recipes. They should be in the library. Dylan, you make sure the “Rs” are busy with soccer, and Mark, come with me. Allen, get the ingredients out please. ALLEN: Got it! MARK and Alex run upstairs and race down the hallway. ALEX (V.O.): The library doors are a welcoming sight, although I had seen them a million times before. Their brass handles are on a dark wood with the cracks painted with gold acrylics. The old hinges give a squeak as Mark pulls the doors open. Inside is a desk piled high with books of diferent shapes and sizes. In the corner sits an old armchair in which you could curl up and get lost in a book for hours at a time. MARK (quietly): Umm, Alex? Are you even listening? Mark yells in Alex’s ear. MARK: Where is the book?! 93

ALEX: Oh right. Sorry! It should be at the top of the third pile on the desk, page numbers 33, 127 and 364. MARK: That is very speciic but okay. Alex walks over to the desk and picks up a book called “Secrets.” She turns to the irst page and begins to read. She almost immediately drops the book. ALEX: Whose is this? It is so boring not even Charlie would read it! A letter falls from the book. The audience sees it happen, but not the characters. MARK: Oh, I think Dylan said he got it at a garage sale! ALEX: He has got to explain why he bought it! MARK: He told me he got it from Nancy’s uncle, Zeke. Mark inds the letter. MARK: Hey, what’s this? ALEX: That must be Dad’s. Put it in his study. He might need it. We found the recipes, let’s go. ALEX (V.O): We go back downstairs to ind Mom in the kitchen. MARK: Hi Mom, how was work? MOM: Hi sweetie, it was great. Everything I do is to try to make more opportunity for more people. Now which cake are you four making today? DYLAN: Red velvet with cream cheese frosting and fondant lowers! ALEX/MOM/MARK/ALLEN: Shhh! We don’t want the Rs to hear! 94

DYLAN: Oops. Sorry. Did you get the recipes? End of Excerpt.

THE DOLPHIN GIRL [Excerpt] Fiona Goellner Grade 6, Boise Scene 1: Lab Darkness. Florescent, blinding lights click on. The room we are in is stark white. We smell disinfectant and the room is old. We hear beeps and sobbing. A piercing scream sounds. Suddenly, the loor opens and a table with a claw around it rises. It turns around and we see DESSA is in it, her face streaked with tears. A hidden door opens. Enter MEN IN WHITE SCRUBS. DESSA (whispering): Please don’t hurt me, I don’t know why you’re doing this! I didn’t do anything. MAN 1: I’m sorry but it has to be done. The men start advancing toward Dessa. DESSA (screaming): NO! Please! No, no! You can’t do this! Dessa struggles against her bonds. As the men are nearly upon her, darkness falls. A scream cuts through the silence. Scene 2: Beach We open on a beach scene, with Dessa sitting on a towel, counting seashells. We smell salt and feel the beating sun. Suddenly, a huge wave comes and washes the shells away! Dessa quickly scrambles into the water ater them. We see her dive into the water with a splash. We feel a splash of mist. DOLPHIN: Welcome to my world, dolphin girl. Scene 3: Underwater 95

We are watching Dessa swimming through the bay ater her seashells. Suddenly, we see a dolphin! Dessa’s face shows shock and she reaches out to touch the dolphin as if pulled by a magnet. As her hand connects with the dolphin, everything goes black. Scene 11: Lab NOTE: We come in partway through the scene. Earlier in the scene, DR. NYSE captured Dessa. DR. NYSE: Do you know that for 15 years, I have been waiting for you? Fiteen whole years? Why, you must be thinking, ‘Why waste all your time waiting for one girl?’ And maybe you are wondering why I was waiting for you in particular. Well, the answer to both those questions is because you. Have. Power. Power that I want, that I deserve. And who will care about you when I take it from you and that insuferable dolphin? It will wreck the very balance of the world, but I will get it. I want it. So I will take it. You and the dolphin will be blown of the face of the world, shattering the ocean’s harmony, but at least then I will have more power than anyone in the world! Dr. Nyse cackles and Dessa looks scared. DESSA: But why have you been waiting for me? Why not just take the dolphin? Dr. Nyse rolls her eyes. DR. NYSE: You silly little girl. If I took the power straight from the dolphin, I would die. You only have a small fraction of the dolphin’s power, so I’ll be ine, taking your DNA. DESSA: My DNA? DR. NYSE: Yes. Your DNA has all the power. That’s why your eyes are turning more gray every time you touch the dolphin. You also get another power. Dr. Nyse sits up abruptly. DR. NYSE: Well, bye. I look forward to being able to shapeshit, 96

breathe underwater and dissolve things that aren’t alive. You didn’t kill your parents, you know. DESSA: Really? Wow. Wait, how did you know? Dr. Nyse leaves. End of Excerpt.

THE GREEK GOD TALENT SHOW [EXCERPT] Anna Streif Grade 5, Boise CHARACTERS: Zeus: Male. Athena: Female. Dionysus: Male. Farmer: Male. Announcer: Male. Apollo: Male. ZEUS enters. Sits down. Takes a sip of cofee – clearly not excited to judge again. ANNOUNCER (excited, Voice Over): Welcome to the 200th annual talent show. First up, Athena! ATHENA walks onto stage. ATHENA (normal voice): I will be doing fancy sword tricks. Athena backlips and stabs the dummy, then cartwheels and chops of the dummy’s head. Zeus holds up a seven. ANNOUNCER (excited, V.O.): Thank you, Athena! Next up, Dionysus! Dionysus does not appear. Soon, he comes running through the double doors. 97

ANNOUNCER (V.O.): Ah, there he is! DIONYSUS runs onto the stage, covered in batter. DIONYSUS: Gross. Here is my cake! Zeus takes a bite. ZEUS: Yuck, it’s illed with wine! Zeus barfs into a bucket and holds up a one. ANGRY FARMER comes onto stage and looks at Dionysus. FARMER: You took all my lour and all my sugar! DIONYSUS (defensively): What? It took me a few tries! Farmer looks at Athena. FARMER: And you took all my remaining straw for your dummy. It is late in the season! No more messing with my farm! Farmer grabs Athena and Dionysus and stalks of the stage. ANNOUNCER: Last but not least, Apollo! APOLLO walks onto stage. APOLLO: I will be doing gymnastics. The crowd murmurs. Apollo gets on a beam. He does some fancy moves, and then he goes down into the splits. RIPPP! The audience leaves. The have had enough. APOLLO: Where are you going? What do we do now? ZEUS: There is only one thing let to do: announce the winner! Drum roll please…Me! ATHENA: I got a seven! Zeus walks of the stage. 98

ZEUS: Mission accomplished. End of Excerpt.

IN THE TREES [EXCERPT] Emery Morton Grade 5, Boise CHARACTERS: September: Girl. 12-13. Human. Free spirit. Pomegranate: Boy. A sloth. Can write. Ron: Male. A poacher. Scene 1 It’s raining. Footsteps. A bird chirps. We hear the voice of POMEGRANATE the sloth. POMEGRANATE (Of Screen): A giant tree is in front of you, so large that 20 people holding hands could not it around it. It is more than 400 years old. It is spring. Fruit blossoms are everywhere. Excitement is in the air. SEPTEMBER enters. SEPTEMBER: I am waiting for the moment when fruit is ripe. High in the branches is a platform and the branches and leaves have made a waterproof roof. It is so humid here. Instead of rain, it has started to mist. September climbs in a hole that has been camoulaged. She slides down a hard mudslide into a dark room. She lights a candle made of deer and a turtle shell. Scene 8 SEPTEMBER: Pomegranate, Pomegranate! Where are you? He’s probably at his writing tree… There is a piece of paper on the knot. She picks it up. Stunned, she reads it out loud. 99

SEPTEMBER: They got me. Scene 9 Back at the black market. RON, a poacher, is spray-painting Pomegranate. September enters, disguised as a RICH GIRL. RON (mumbling and spray-painting): Ssss…That’s better. He’ll sell for a hety lot now that he is gold. Rich girl at 10 o’clock. She wants a pet. A girl covered in rare plants and lowers…Come in! September/Rich Girl goes straight toward the jungle animal and says— RICH GIRL: I am here from China. My father will pay you twice as much if I get the sloth now. He is on his private jet now and he will have to sign autographs when he gets to the forest. POMEGRANATE (Voice Over): You can tell the poachers are more muscle than smarts. So September takes Pomegranate home. Scene 10 Pomegranate is writing on a piece of paper with a piece of bark that he uses as a pen. We hear his thoughts. POMEGRANATE (V.O.): Dear readers, I’m Pomegranate. And yes, I can write. This is how I talk to my friend. I am still working on talking so my friend will read it for me. What you just heard was the story of us. Me as a sloth and my friend as a wild girl. She has illed me in on everything I missed before I was found. Life has been good. In the spring I gather fruit, and all year long I have love. End of Excerpt.

100

ESCAPE [EXCERPT] Andrea Jensen Grade 5, Boise CHARACTERS: Panda Family 1: Lili: 13. Oldest sister and leader. Ming Ling: 10. Second oldest, mastermind. Ling Ming: 10. Ming Ling’s twin, younger by three minutes. Spy. Panda Family 2: Mili: 6. Has weird marking on forehead. Molo: 39. Has same marking as Mili. Humans: Ella: 10. Kidnapped girl planner. Billy: 50. Ella’s kidnapper. Mr. Yao: 35. Ella’s pretend father. John: 13. Zookeeper. Other: 7 Turtles: 7-10. Transportation. Popper: 3. Rocker penguin. Poppy: 4. Rocker penguin. Peter: 2. Rocker penguin. Scene 1 Four crates get loaded into a huge truck. As the truck starts moving, the sound of the busy China streets fade away and the sounds of airplanes replace them. The crates get loaded into a plane. The things inside the crates shiver. They have no idea where they are. JOHN talks sotly to the scared creatures. A few hours later, the plane lands in the busy streets of Florida. The animals get released into their quarantine area. Scene 2 ELLA wakes up to the sound of pancakes grilling downstairs. She quickly dresses in her favorite shirt, the blue one with the panda holding 101

a heart. She grabs some shorts and puts them on while racing downstairs. When she gets downstairs, her mother is nowhere to be found, and she sees a plate loaded high with pancakes. But she doesn’t see her mother anywhere. Then she remembers her mother had to help out at the zoo this morning. The giant pandas are coming out of quarantine today. Ella quickly gobbles down her pancakes and rushes to the zoo. Scene 6 Ella is so mad at her father. The words keep coming through her mind. “Dear Billy, I know who I want you to kidnap. Her name is Ella. She is three and her parents leave her alone a lot. She is perfect. She lives in China. Sincerely, Mr. Yao.” Ella cries the rest of the way to the zoo. Scene 7 POPPER, POPPY and PETER, the penguins, singing next door. PETER: I like to rock-rock. POPPY: You like to rock-rock. POPPER: Popper likes to rock-rock. EVERYONE: Party. PETER: But we can’t rock-rock. POPPER AND POPPY: ‘Cause there is no rock-rock. EVERYONE: Party. POPPER: Popper can’t rock-rock. End of Excerpt. 102

FIGURE [EXCERPT] Sophie Whitield Grade 6, Boise CHARACTERS: Lilli Costello: Female. 18. An interdimensional criminal. Jax: Male. 17. Friend of Lilli’s. Figure: Age and gender unknown. Lilli’s enemy. Elle: Another identity of Lilli. King of the Rats: Male. 50 (in human years). An expert kidnapper. Scene 1 Noises lood the stage. There are stands selling trinkets and overpriced jewelry. People are talking, buying trading and shouting, but we are intently focused on a young woman crawling out of the sewers, dragging a sopping wet, trembling man. LILLI: Just stand there and say Elle sent you. Tell them I’ve cancelled the peace. She points to a crumbled brick building tucked away among intact, bright ones. JAX: Lilli… LILLI pulls out her newly sharpened dagger. LILLI: Do. It. Now. You’ll probably live. JAX whimpers in response. Soon enough, FIGURE enters. They notice Jax and stalk over menacingly. Meanwhile, Lilli is hiding behind a food stand, invisible to Figure. FIGURE: Why are you here? JAX (trembling): Elle…? The igure shoves Jax against a wall. Jax gasps for air pitifully. 103

FIGURE: And…? JAX: The deal is over. I think. He glances over to Lilli, who ofers a nod. She jumps up and throws a large capsule. LILLI: Run! You’ve got 10 seconds! Jax looks around and sees that everyone is frozen. The crowd starts counting down. He looks down, his eyes widening before freezing. Lilli runs to look at him. She stares at his face and kisses Jax. She drops into the sewers, everything unfreezing. Noises return and everything is back to normal. Jax touches his lips in shock. The Figure takes advantage of his surprise and hits him with a meaty ist. Jax crumples to the ground. The crowd doesn’t notice this, and those who do don’t care. This happens a lot, the kidnappings. Scene 3 We’re in another sewer, but this time it smells. It smells like expired cheese and rotting meat and spoiled milk. Lilli makes that clear, gagging and choking on her breath. LILLI: TAKE ME TO YOUR KING! A LARGE RAT enters, wearing an almost comical crown of cheese carved into the shape of a hat. KING: Ahhh…Lilli, what dimension is searching for you now? His voice is scratchy and dull. LILLI: It doesn’t matter. I need your insight and— KING: Incredible strength? LILLI: Kidnapping skills. KING: Ooh! My favorite! Step one: Find whoever you want to kidnap. Step two: Take them by surprise and shove them into a sack and hide them here. 104

LILLI: If you were to kidnap a friend of mine— KING (happily clapping his hands): I would keep him— LILLI: Him? KING: Kingly intuition. Anyway, I would leave an obvious trail so you would follow it. Once you found the place I would ambush you. LILLI: So what should I do? KING: This kingly wisdom session is over. Don’t go ater Jax. LILLI: NO! We cut to black. End of Excerpt.

COLD BLOODED [EXCERPT] Abby Sanchez Grade 6, Boise ARTHUR and CONAN step up to the door of an old house and knock. They hear approaching footsteps. The door opens and a man named MARTY SPITZ stands in the dark. We can’t see his face. ARTHUR: Uhm s-s-sir, I’m Arthur, this is my b-b-brother C-CConan. We’re here about your brother, Sven. CONAN: C-c-could you t-t-tell us what happened to him? MARTY: You shouldn’t be asking what happened to him. ARTHUR: W-w-why sir? If I might ask? MARTY: Because bad things happen to those who ask too many questions. Light shines on Marty. We see his bloody face, torn with scrapes, scratches and stab markings.

105

CONAN: Oh! Sir, are y-y-you okay? MARTY: NO. Come – come. They walk over the threshold and he leads them down the steps into a basement. ARTHUR: What can you tell us? MARTY: I was sitting with Mr. Spitz at his restaurant. We were the only people at the counter. The stage spins and we see MARTY sitting at a counter, which SVEN is behind. SVEN: Great turnout. MARTY: Well, I’d better be going home. It’s getting dark outside. The door opens. A PERSON with a big cloak covering their face walks in. They pull out a gun. The 15 people in the restaurant begin to scream and attempt to run, but everyone is shot down. SVEN: Hide behind the counter! SVEN walks up toward the killer but is shot down dead. MARTY: No! Marty ducks behind the counter. The KILLER walks behind the counter. We don’t see what they do to Marty, but we hear police coming. The killer runs from the police into the night. We have no idea what his motivation was. Marty limps out. He looks angry and agitated but relieved. The stage spins back to Arthur, Conan and Marty. Arthur and Conan look shocked. It looks like it’s painful for Marty to relive the memory. Marty begins to speak again. As he talks, Arthur and Conan sit through old newspapers and letters in his basement. MARTY: And so the police arrived and I told them everything I could. About the person in the dark cloak and the murders. 106

Arthur and Conan pause on an article. ARTHUR (whispering): Dorris Prixton and Marty and Sven Spitz were arrested for the murder of Sheila Wallace and were sentenced to 10 years in prison… CONAN (whispering): This is the same Marty and the same Sven! How have we never heard of this before? That was 40 years ago – and look at this newspaper! “Dorris Prixton, Marty and Sven Spitz were arrested for murder 20 years ater Sheila Wallace’s death.” ARTHUR: This was 20 years ago – oh no! CONAN: What if— ARTHUR: They’re murdering somebody every 20 years! NARRATOR: A lot of holes in this story. One question: Why would they kill somebody every 20 years? And why would it only be Dorris Prixton? Was it Dorris Prixton? Who knows? CONAN: No, but the murderers couldn’t be the Spitz brothers. They were there at the restaurant. ARTHUR: It could be… Their eyes bulge, attempting to contain their shock. ARTHUR AND CONAN (whispering): Dorris Prixton! End of Excerpt.

107

MISSING [EXCERPT] Janani Elancheren Grade 6, Boise Scene 1 There’s a detective truck on the side of the street (Brooklyn, New York). Legs hang out of the car. Listening to music in the truck, while eating a McDonald’s hamburger, DETECTIVE whistles quietly. RANDOM MAN in a trench coat runs up to Detective’s truck. RANDOM MAN: Are you a detective? DETECTIVE: Who wants to know? RANDOM MAN: Me. That’s why I asked. Detective pulls of his sunglasses and looks at the man. Detective sighs. DETECTIVE: What can I do for you? RANDOM MAN: I’m Paul. My daughter went out two nights ago and she hasn’t come back, so I alerted the police but they wouldn’t listen. My plan B was to come to the city, crazy man. DETECTIVE: Well, I’m not going to help you if you call me that. I’m E.P. PAUL: Eepey? E.P.: No! E. P! But my friends call me E. Now, where did your daughter say she was going? PAUL: She said that she was going to the climbing wall at the YMCA with her friends. E.P.: Then give the YMCA a call and see if she was there. PAUL: Great idea. E.P.: I know. 108

PAUL (on the phone): Hello. My daughter, Evelyn Sittmans, made an appointment for the climbing wall on Tuesday evening and…I wanted to know how long she stayed. THE YMCA MAN: Why? PAUL: Um…because she always forgets stuf. THE YMCA MAN: Okay, bro. She came here Tuesday and was climbing. She got a call and when it ended she had tears in her eyes, and then she rushed out. All she let was her phone. E.P.: Thanks for the info. Bye. Hangs up phone. E.P.: This is worse than I thought! Your daughter may not be safe! But I know how to get the irst clue. PAUL: How? I’m worried! E.P.: The man on the phone said that your daughter’s phone is there. So we should go get it. PAUL: Okay, let’s go! End of Excerpt.

109

WHAT…? [EXCERPT] Rosa Wilper Grade 7, Boise It started out as just darkness. Me, walking, through darkness. My footsteps echoed as if I was walking upon a hollow surface. The black sky began to split open and it looked as though gray clouds were rolling into what looked like a neighborhood. I hesitantly let the darkness behind, looking back. I was shocked to see the darkness closing behind me like a zipper. For a moment, I considered sprinting back to the safety of the blackness, but I was too late. I slowly continued through the neighborhood. The dark clouds closed in all around me, and it began to pour. Hard drops of water hit me from every direction. As I continued to stroll through the neighborhood, I began to notice the warm yellow buttermilk glow emerging through the windows of the houses. Curious, I peered through a window and saw two round lushed faces looking over what appeared to be a couch. They giggled and grinned while watching the rain pitter and patter onto fallen leaves. Until…there was a loud boom and the children’s faces disappeared behind the couch. I chuckled at the immaturity of their generation and continued on. Ater walking past many closed windows, I saw the same yellow glow as before and decided to have another look, just to see what was going on. At irst, all I saw was a woman hovering over a table covered in food from the corners to the center. I stood on my tiptoes in attempt to have a glance at what kind of meal she was preparing. I gaped at the sight of a large roasted turkey and a gravy boat, a fruit salad piled high, more bread rolls than imaginable, toppings I didn’t even know existed, and a large pile of ribs. The woman shouted something, and then a man appeared along with two little boys. They all sat down, said their prayers and began to dig in. Ater watching them for about three more minutes, I decided to continue down the sidewalk. Ater walking a bit farther, the sky began to split open once more.

110

SKIN, SMOKE AND MIRRORS: A RAFFERTY SOLIS MYSTERY [EXCERPT] Tova Elgethun Grade 7, Boise Scene 2: Nana’s Diner, Petting, WY The scene opens at a crusty diner. The seats are mostly ripped of the booths and it looks like it hasn’t seen a mop in years. A lone plump waitress stands behind the counter as greasy eggs sizzle on a frying pan. RAFFERTY sits at the back of the restaurant, wearing a long trench coat and sipping a small cup of black cofee. He checks his watch, unaware of the stares of others. A young woman in a tight cardigan comes up to him. Her name is SHELLY. Her hair is a plastered, shiny helmet. SHELLY: Hi, you must be Detective Solis, from New York? My name is Shelly Winters, from the Petting Gazette, which is a local newspaper. Could you say a few words for— RAFFERTY (looking up, annoyed): No thanks. Pause. SHELLY: Well, you see, you’re quite famous, even around these parts and it would be great if-RAFFERTY (louder): NO THANKS. Now I would like to enjoy my cofee in peace. Please leave. Shelly walks away, looking lustered and clutching her recording device and notepad close to her chest. PETER walks in, sees Raferty and sits across from him. DARLA the waitress comes over. DARLA: What would you like today, sir? PETER: Raf, you know that old saying — when in Rome…do as the Romans do? RAFFERTY (raises an eyebrow, looking skeptical): Yes. I’m familiar with it. What are you implying? PETER: I’ll take the biggest, most fried and greasiest thing on

111

your menu. And make it a double. DARLA (mumbling and walking away): Out of towners… RAFFERTY: You know I have to keep a specialized diet for combat, right? PETER (laughing): Who said it was for you? Suddenly, Raferty’s expression changes, gritting his teeth. He bows his head down, but he can feel something pounding, glowing. Peter looks at him, confused. PETER: Uh—hey Raf, is everything o— RAFFERTY: I can see one — no — more than one. Raferty slams his hand down on the table, getting up as a muscly MAN with a blonde WOMAN walks in. MAN (looking at Raferty, slowly getting up): Hey there, what’d ya want? The man and woman both come at him, but Raferty is already lying across the restaurant, jumping across the tables, kicking the man squarely in the nose. Everybody is screaming and running around. This is probably the most excitement anyone has seen in this town and they most certainly show it. RAFFERTY: Peter! Evacuate everybody — RIGHT NOW! PETER (curtly nodding): Everyone — follow me — there’s no need to worry. He guides them like a dog herding cattle out the back door. Peter exits. Raferty grabs a salt shaker and two vinaigrette salad dressing bottles. He grabs the knife around his waist, although he probably won’t need it. The man’s facial features slowly change. His canines are larger, his eyes bulging. The same with the woman. WOMAN (pointing at Raferty with one taloned claw): Inferior being! Do not insult us with your games— 112

RAFFERTY: Wanna play Yahtzee? Raferty smashes the salad dressing container on her head. She screams like she’s dying and her face is now scarred on the side. She howls in agony and lees out the door, clutching her face. The man soon follows, running like a spooked horse. Raferty grabs Peter by the shoulder when he peeks his head through the emergency exit door. RAFFERTY: Peter, let’s get out of here. There’s something very wrong here. Where’s our hotel? We have to have a meeting about this. Grab your fried thing and show me where to go. End of Excerpt.

THE COFFEE SHOP [EXCERPT] Matthew Rauer Grade 9, Eagle Scene 2 ANTHONY (27) stands behind the front register of his café. Dozens of people litter the chairs and tables in the room. People are laughing, talking and eating. It is apparent that many people love this restaurant. Anthony turns around and grabs a serving tray loaded with cofee, biscuits, and other breakfast treats. The patrons hungrily eye the tray, hoping that their order is one of them. ANTHONY (handing out the food as he calls the names): Biscuits for David. Cofee for Sheila and Richard. Our famous breakfast sandwich for Amy, Brian, and of course, Nina. Anthony then returns to his counter with a now empty tray. DAVID inishes his biscuits and goes to the counter to pay. ANTHONY (CON’T): That’ll be $9.89 for the biscuits. Anything else I can get for you today? DAVID: No thanks, but how are things going around the shop? ANTHONY (lowers his voice a little): To be honest, we’re not doing well. Despite all the many people you see here, this place is 113

struggling. It feels like every day there is a new problem or… Anthony gets cut of as the MAIL DELIVERY person enters the café. MAIL DELIVERY: Delivery for a Mr. Anthony! Anthony collects numerous letters from the mail person and begins leafing through them as David leaves. He opens one of the envelopes and sees a number on it, his eyes getting huge as he reads it. ANTHONY (to himself): No, no, no. This can’t be right. The A/C guy said it would cost way less than this to ix my air conditioning. This is bad. AMY gets up from her table approaches the front counter, paying for her food with cash. ANTHONY (CON’T): Hey, how’s the grocery store? AMY: It’s going. We’re scheduled to get a new shipment of fruit in the next day or so, which means my store is going to be super hectic. But it’s a living. ANTHONY (slightly sarcastic): Great. I’m happy to hear that work is going well for you. Amy smiles and exits. As she leaves, MARK WILLIS (48) bumps into her on his way into the café. He enters and tries to make his presence known. MARK WILLIS: Make way, make way, for the recipient of the best furniture store in the tri-state area for six consecutive years has arrived. (To Anthony): Have you considered the generous offer I made to you last week? ANTHONY (sighing): My answer is the same as it was at that time. Besides, I don’t even think that you would want this rundown thing. My air conditioning broke and it cost me a fortune to ix. MARK WILLIS: Here, hand me the bill for it. Anthony gives the paper to Mark. Mark takes a pen from his shirt pocket 114

and jots something down on the paper. MARK WILLIS (CON’T): New ofer. Consider it. I’ll be back tomorrow. Mark exits. Anthony sighs and looks at the paper. End of Excerpt.

THE DOORWAY TO ESSAGA Maggie McCormick Grade 10, Boise Scene 1 The warm sunlight and bright blue sky herald the summer. DAWN rushes onstage with a backpack. DAWN: Only ive minutes and 31 seconds until the bus leaves for Camp Dreamcatcher. If I stay on my schedule, I’ll be able to snag a seat next to Christine! Dawn runs around the stage while SAM and CAREY enter. SAM: Hey, Dawn! (Trips.) Oops. Sam’s backpack spills. DAWN: Oh, let me help you. (Helps pick up the mess.) CAREY: You know, you really don’t have to. DAWN: Sam’s my friend, and friends help each other. Besides, I still have four minutes and 53 seconds until the bus to Camp Dreamcatcher leaves. Carey and Sam exit. Dawn keeps running. DAWN (checking her watch): Exactly three minutes and one second to go. If nothing else stops me, I should be on my way soon! SEAN swaggers onstage, followed by LEON and DIJON. 115

DAWN: You jinxed it, Dawn! SEAN: Well, well, well. Bookworm must be a glutton for punishment. (He runs one hand through his tall, sticky-uppy, heavily gelled hair.) Going somewhere, Bookworm? DAWN: M-my name, my name, is Dawn. SEAN: Only my friends can have names that rhyme with mine. Isn’t that right, Leon and Dijon? LEON and DIJON: Right, Sean. DAWN: Please stop bothering me! (Puts her hands on her head in panic.) I have to get to my summer camp. The bus leaves in two minutes and 27 seconds. Sean gives Dawn a brief look, perhaps signifying a feeling of resentment or envy. SEAN: Let me guess: it’s some boring artsy camp where you’ll trade reading recommendations with all your lady friends? Why even bother, Four Eyes? DAWN: I don’t even wear glasses! Now let me get to the bus stop! SEAN: Leon, Dijon, grab her. LEON and DIJON: Yes, Sean. Dijon and Leon circle Dawn and prevent her from moving. DAWN (becoming more frantic): Stop it! Stop it! I have to get to camp! SEAN (mockingly): Aw, boo-hoo. (Laughs.) You can’t always get what you want. (Takes Dawn’s backpack and throws it ofstage.) Good luck having summer fun without your precious backpack! DAWN (on the verge of tears): STOP! Dawn runs from the bullies, who exit, perhaps high-iving each other or something. CAMPERS enter in a group, surrounding CHRISTINE. 116

They represent the bus. CAMPERS: Vroom! Beep! Engine rev! DAWN: The bus! It’s leaving! Dawn makes a mad dash for the bus, but she is too late. The Campers lit up Christine and exit. DAWN: No! (Sits down in defeat.) I lost my backpack, my way to camp and my self-esteem. I wish my life were diferent. Spotlight on a DOOR. There is no building connected to it; it’s just a door with an otherworldly hum emanating from it. DAWN: Hm? (Looks at door.) Now that’s weird. (Walks away from door.) No. This is not happening. I’m…imagining this! Doors don’t just appear. (Turns toward door.) Although it does seem enticing. Wherever it leads must be better than this. (Boldly makes her way to the door.) Bring it on, fantasy adventure stuf! Dawn opens the door and steps into the realm of ESSAGA. End of Excerpt.

SURVIVAL OF THE FITTEST Divya Elancheren Grade 9, Boise Scene 1 An empty school hallway, the silence deafening. A GIRL enters, 15 years old, maybe 16. She opens a locker, humming an eerie tune to herself while yanking books from her locker. As she removes more things, more STUDENTS in uniforms begin to ile in, but still her song is the only thing that can be heard. Then again, silence as the girl freezes, for she realizes that she has been spotted. There, at the end of the hallway, a TEACHER stands. He grins maliciously at her, then pulls a switch. An alarm screams, shocking the students. They look at each other fearfully and rush into one classroom. The girl scrambles to join them. 117

Light shits to the classroom. The girl sets her books down on a table and sits down on the loor. The teacher enters, glaring at each student as he passes. The students await their teacher’s instructions, the anticipation building. TEACHER: Let us go over the rules. Say them with me now. CLASS: Rule one: When the alarm sounds, the challenge must begin within a minute of it. Rule two: If any students speak out of turn during a challenge, it will result in immediate expulsion of that student. Rule three: In order for the semester to end, one must die. The class goes silent as the teacher looks over them, deciding which one will go irst. His eyes rest on the girl, and as he calls out her name, his voice drips with spite and hatred. TEACHER: Alice, please come up to the front of the class. She stands slowly and begins to walk over, worried these steps might be her last. She stands next to the teacher and takes a deep breath. TEACHER: Today’s challenge is…surviving underwater. A woman wheels in a glass box with a black lid, about three feet tall and two feet wide. The box is illed to the brim with water. ALICE visibly starts becoming anxious, iddling with her hands and tugging at her hair. The teacher gestures to a ladder in the corner of the classroom, so Alice retrieves it and sets it next to the box. TEACHER: Today you will be staying underwater for ive minutes. You have been training for this, so there is no reason for distress. Alice, any last words? ALICE: Sir, please, may I try another challenge? Really anything but this, please! TEACHER: Silence! I asked for last words, not begging! This is your inal warning. Speak out of turn again, and things can and will be much worse for you. Do. You. Understand? ALICE: Yes, Mr. Sheller. 118

MR. SHELLER: Now get. Into. The box. Alice climbs up the ladder and lowers herself into the box. She holds her breath and submerges herself into the water. MR. SHELLER closes the box with her inside and starts the timer. End of Excerpt.

INSIDE INSOBLAND [EXCERPT] Ailie Manglos Grade 7, Boise CHARACTERS: Maddie: female, 13, unhappy, brave, kind. Scott: male, 12, pest (to Maddie), mean. Mrs. Scarlett: female, 39, careless, teacher. Kiara: 12, rude, mean. Ella: 13, unkind, rude. Hailey: 13, mean, rude. Bell: 100 years old, rings, evil and nice. Narrators 1, 2, 3. Scene 1 MADDIE in bedroom, alone, near door. The NARRATORS and BELL are nearby. NARRATOR 1: Maddie looked out her window and sighed. She looked at herself in the mirror. Hideous. She had no friends and everyone hated her. Maddie wished she were pretty and popular. Maddie sighed as she headed to school. MADDIE (walking): Why does life suck so much? NARRATOR 2: Maddie kept walking and ran into popular girls. KIARA, HAILEY, ELLA, and Maddie are outside school. MADDIE: Oh, sorry! 119

KIARA: Oh my gosh, what is that? HAILEY: Oh, our bad, it’s just Maddie. ELLA: LOVE your hair today! All of the girls besides Maddie start to giggle. MRS. SCARLETT appears behind them. MRS. SCARLETT: Girls, time for class! SCOTT enters. NARRATOR 3: The class went inside. Scott threw a paper airplane at Maddie’s head. MADDIE (dramatic-ish, hurts a lot): OW! SCOTT (very sarcastic): OOPS, sorry. Scott gives evil grin. Maddie rolls her eyes, and gives annoyed look at Scott. BELL: RRIIING! MRS. SCARLETT: Have a nice day class! All but Maddie and Narrators exit. NARRATOR 1: Maddie goes to her locker and inds “Ugly Girl” written all over it in permanent marker. NARRATOR 2: Maddie started to cry. NARRATOR 3: She walks out of school. A door is in front of her. She opens it, confused, and steps inside. MADDIE: AHHH!!! NARRATOR 1: The world closes and sucks Maddie through a black hole like a vacuum cleaner. The clouds fade into stars and she sees her hair turn blonde, wavy, and untangled. All the scabs and dirt on her legs and arms vanish and her dirty green shirt 120

and red shorts suddenly morph into a beautiful blue sundress. Her eyes change to a sparkly green color, and she smells like perfume. Then the sky opens up, and she lands in front of a mirror. MADDIE: Is that ME!? Maddie looks excited and shocked. Kiara enters. NARRATOR 2: Maddie sees Kiara, then stops. Kiara has purple skin, orange eyes, messy green hair, and a rusty white shirt. Maddie giggles. KIARA: Is that YOU, Maddie!? NARRATOR 3: Maddie beams as she walks down the road. She’s never felt this great in her life. End of Excerpt.

121

UNFAMILIAR MOUNTAINS

DUCKS AND DOUBLE AGENTS Abby Peck Grade 12, Boise

September 20, 2021 The bench was being painted a solid white, and it was very soothing. The sun had pressed its rays down on the wooden planks all day, and while the autumn weather was cool sometimes, at high noon with no breeze the heat was stiling, and the cool coat of paint was most welcome. The bench sat only a few feet from the pond, a nice pond with lots of ducks, lat stones encircling it, and a sidewalk stretching around in a semi-circle. It was a popular place; people were scattered about like pushpins on a map. A man walked down the sidewalk clutching a small, waxy pastry bag, and he momentarily glanced at the worker painting the bench on his way to the next one. He sat, crossed one leg over the other, and unfolded the sharp crease, taking out a small container of cream cheese and a plastic knife. He lattened the bag, took out the bagel, and laid the two halves on top, then removed the cap from the container of cream cheese and began to spread it. A sharp sound made him look up, and he saw a child laughing as her mother showed her how to sprinkle breadcrumbs around for the birds. His leg shited as he moved the knife and the crease in his ironed pants danced back and forth. His lips curled upward as he took a bite and the cream cheese gushed out to meet his teeth. Another man sat next to him and looked almost disapprovingly at the bagel, then turned forward without a word to watch the ducks pick up the specks of dough.

125

YIN AND YANG Tyler Brunkow Boise

The page was smudged with gray eraser marks and disappointment. The words didn’t it, my eraser was worn down to the bone, covered in graphite and sticky palm sweat. Somehow the page looked worse than the pencil. I wrote and re-wrote so many times, the words were indistinguishable from their original meanings. This was my spotlight moment, a time to inally bask in the vast and undeniable future. This was a goodbye to my childhood. Deep breath and go! I was waiting for the magical realization, the master plan to unfold in front of me, but it didn’t. The desk chair made an ugly creaking noise when I leaned back, and I dropped my head backwards in frustration. I gazed up to the ceiling, looking for faces in the texture, hoping it would re-light my valedictorian spark. So, I stared in silence, listening to the electric buzz of my desk lamp. But, paint was just paint. In the case of my ceiling, it had probably been painted and repainted many times over the decades. But that thought only made me wonder what the original paint had looked like, whether it was bright or dark, plain or covered in intricate Renaissance designs depicting the archangel Lucifer and his fall from grace. I leaned even farther back trying to picture myself in front of my graduating class. A sea of strangers, was really what they were; I never took the time to get to know any of them. What did that say about me as a person? My right leg was folded between the edge of my oak desk and the seat of my rolling chair in an uncomfortable, but not unbearable position. I could feel the nerves twitch from the lack of circulation to my foot and readjusted my position, but it didn’t stop the sensation of TV static from invading, and the pins and needles that arrived shortly ater from clouding my train of thought. Children didn’t oten realize that they were diferent from everyone else until their teen years, if they were lucky. As they got older, they learned to be proud of their diferences, and each shade of color of person would realize eventually that they had been beautiful the whole time. That was the irony of beauty: you had to believe it to see it. I was born without color at all. Silvery white hair, pink eyes, and a lack of pigment. I was colorless, and it was obvious. It was called albinism. My mother 126

told me it made me angelic, but my whole kindergarten class thought I was a monster. We even had to have the principal come and do a presentation on my condition because of how much trouble it was causing. But we grew up, and now I had to write a sappy, nostalgic speech on how fun school was and how grateful I was for my teachers even though Google taught me more than they ever could. Then I would shake the staf members’ hands, and they would give me my diploma. Too bad that diploma wouldn’t pay for all the therapy, but such was life. I picked my pencil up and set it on the page. You have to write something, dammit. I scribbled a line before the frantic sound of little footsteps trailed down the hallway towards my door. Thunk! “What the hell?” I sat up in my chair. Outside my door sat my little brother, Anza, who was rubbing his head. His thick, black hair lowed over his head in all directions, masking his face from my vision. He refused to get a haircut because he was in 8th grade and he said haircuts were for elementary school kids. Unfortunately, his hair now covered his eyes when he ran, so it wasn’t uncommon for him to hit walls or knock things over. “Ready for a haircut yet, Ano?” “Haircuts are for babies and teachers’ pets!” he announced, massaging the top of his forehead. “Whatever you say, kid.” I smiled. That was Anza for you. It was typical for siblings to ight, but for some reason, Ano and I just didn’t have a ighting bone in our bodies. We were always at our best when we were around each other. It made me think sometimes that we were two halves of the same soul. “Are you done working yet?” “Yeah, I’m done, Ano. Let’s go play Mario Kart.” The grin that spread across his face was priceless. My speech could wait.

127

OWNER AND DOGGO Cole Reynolds Grade 10, Boise

It has become the norm for Doggo to be let home. Owner has many friends to keep safe while they build. The new base has been completed with things now moving in there. Everything has been moved but one thing … Doggo waits for Owner to come home, but Doggo doesn’t lose hope. Owner has to come back, right? Doggo never loses faith. He knows Owner will come back soon. Over time, Doggo thinks of happy memories he had with Owner. When they defeated a hoard of the undead while only using a wooden axe. When Owner had a blind spot, Doggo would cover for it and protect. They protected each other no matter how hard it was. On nights to celebrate a victory, Doggo would be fed a diferent kind of meat. It would be Mystery Friday. Every Friday, Doggo would be praised for the good work he’s done, while Doggo buries Owner with even more love. When they were on an adventure and Doggo was in trouble, he was fed to keep his health in battle. On the most recent adventure, before the new base, Owner and Doggo were wandering through the vast caves. They were in a new area of the cave system and were looking for something new. Owner was almost out of sticks to make torches, still picking up coal on the way. Owner was always ahead of Doggo, and Doggo was okay with that. There could be an audible gasp, an echo in the wide space. The human was quickening its pace as they both sprinted through the rocks. There it was. The thing Owner had come for all along. Diamonds! Owner immediately looked through their inventory for their iron pickaxe. Only an iron pick could cut through the rough stone and even harder ore. Ater a few minutes, the Owner collected all of the diamonds, instantly looking for more. Doggo followed all of the way and kept Owner safe while they were vulnerable. They were this much closer to getting to the nether and following The End. There are three dimensions: Overworld, where land alive thrived; The Nether, hell, covered with netheract and lava; and The End. You can only get to The End with a special portal at a sacred place called a Stronghold. 128

Owner and Doggo are yet to ind one together. But Doggo knows they’ll always be together to ind one. Or so he thinks …

UNFAMILIAR MEADOW Alyssa Hardman Grade 9, Caldwell The sky brightens as dawn creeps over the horizon. The mountains seem to glow sotly with the light of the rising sun behind them. I open my eyes to this beautiful view; the light of the sun glowing over the golden wheat and Indian paintbrush in the meadow. I sit up in my bed of golden grass, looking around me. The valley stretches on for miles in all directions, ields of wildlowers and a few scarce yet elegant trees, extending until they suddenly meet the tall, unfamiliar mountains. It is cold in the early morning, and I shiver in my summer clothes. Standing, I survey my immediate surroundings. I am under a tree, which is neither tall nor short. Its branches extend far beyond its trunk, shading a wide area. Tucked high in the branches is a bird’s nest made from the tall, golden grass that is all around me. From my position on the ground, I can only glimpse a sot, pink egg resting there. I can’t help but wonder how long it will be until it hatches, and what kind of bird it will be. My second question is answered immediately as two gorgeous, sapphire blue birds lutter up to the nest, one with yellow wings, the other with red. I watch them fondly as they twitter happily to each other, yet a sense of longing washes over me as I do. They are family and they are together. I am alone.

129

THE NIGHTSNAKE [EXCERPT] Logan Harless Grade 10, Boise “What the hell are you doing?” the Leader screamed at me. “You are supposed to repair the wall with Greystone 453, not Greystone 455! You’re such an idiot!” “At least I didn’t use Blackstone.” My voice was low and calm. I was yelled at almost every day. It rang through my ears when I tried to sleep. “I thought it was a nice touch,” I added before he could continue yelling. “Oh shut up, your opinion is as worthless as you are. Now get out! I don’t want to see your face ever again!” That last sentence was a lie. He wanted to see me again so he could yell at me. It deeply bothered him that he could no longer penetrate my mental shield. He couldn’t make me cry anymore. As I walked away, he shouted, “Oh, and good luck.” This was bad. The last time he had said this, I was beat up upon exiting the compound. I walked quickly, although I knew my fate was sealed. Sure enough, the daughter of the Leader as well as two of her friends stepped out of the shadows. “Well, well, well,” the leader’s daughter, Averna, said. “What do you want?” I said, acting like she wasn’t about to beat me up. With that, she lung her ist at my face, striking my cheek. I was now on the ground. Averna held me in place while her two friends, Chandele and Valena, sunk their ists into my face. There was no point in ighting back, as they had me outnumbered. The punching ceased. Averna stood over me. I could feel my face grow hotter than normal. “You like me, don’t you?” she said, disgusted. I made no reply. All I could see was my plan to escape to the enemy clan. I had heard they needed more builders.

130

THE BARRIER Gretchen Falk Grade 9, Eagle The wall between us was hundreds of feet tall. As the thunder shook us and lightning lashed, I knew we had to take cover. The thunder kept booming louder and louder as the storm came closer. I ran to ind a way over, but it was no use. “I can’t get over,” I heard him yell. As the rain came down harder and faster, I didn’t know what to do. I kept running, holding the key from earlier, still not knowing what to do with it or where it was supposed to go. “WAIT!” I yelled as I found a door shape in the wall. “It won’t budge, do you have your key still?” As I kept twisting the key in the door, nothing was happening, and my anger was boiling inside me. It smelled of rain and the only thing I could hear was the rain pouring down and my own occasional yells to James across the wall. The wall was massive and there was no way around. I heard a frustrated scream from James. “Hold one, where’s your key?” I yelled. “Right here, why?” he asked. He ran to door, holding the key in his hand. What if there’s another keyhole, I thought to myself. My hair stuck to my forehead and eyes like plaster. James looked the same. As James came close, he started to speak, but I whispered irst. “James, shut up and hurry, the lights are back on,” I said, terriied. This meant the cameras would be back on soon. I saw fear lash in his eyes as he showed me the key again. “What do you need this for?” he asked. It came out rushed and I could tell from his lower voice that he knew about the cameras, too. “Okay, is there a keyhole on your side?” I asked, trying to calm down so we could get out of here more quickly. “No, but there are black boxes like one all over the place, it could go in one of those,” he said before rushing of to look for them. I was as scared as he was, but when he talked, fear was so prominent in his voice that I knew he wanted no part in this, but the others were in trouble, so he insisted on helping. We had no idea what we were getting into. 131

THE NETHER

Kennedy Johnson and Olivia Potts Grade 5, Boise Part 1: The Nether Pine sat quietly in her den, letting the cold wind from outside rule her fur. Right now she didn’t care, she didn’t even notice. “Pine,” a voice outside barked. “You’re supposed to be on border patrol.” “Sorry,” she sighed, rolling her eyes. Why did Dusty have to be so rude? It was sad he had been voted patrol organizer. He did the job ine, he just never forgave anyone! Also, if you weren’t on top of his ‘favorites’ list, you got the worst jobs, like checking the border where the forceield was. Once a Midnight hound named Brick stepped a half a centimeter too close to the forceield and was turned into a pile of ash. Pine headed to the border between Frightfull’s ield and the black hills (where the Midnight hounds lived) to meet up with the rest of the patrol. Ater border patrol, Pine headed to Frightfull’s ields. She had become good friends with the unicorn when she accidentally crossed into her land while hunting. She liked to go there when she had nothing better to do. Once at the border, Pine checked to make sure no one was watching. She liked to keep her visits with Frightfull a secret. Pine crossed into Frightfull’s land and headed to the unicorn’s den. “I igured you’d come over sometime today,” Frightfull’s voice caught Pine by surprise. She looked behind her to see Frightfull sitting under a big willow tree. “Hi,” Pine said, a little embarrassed she hadn’t noticed her before now. “Want to go down to the river? I know you have something to tell me.” River. Frightfull always called it a river. Pine had never understood why. She didn’t see the point in pretending it didn’t have magic and you couldn’t touch it and everything. But she also didn’t see why not to pretend it was normal, so she went along with it. They walked in silence down to the River Nether and sat down. “So what do you want to tell me?” 132

It took Pine a moment to answer. “Do you ever wonder how the world started? I mean, why do we protect the Nether?” “Because it makes people feel too powerful, and power causes war.” “I just wish we knew more about our past, ourselves,” Pine sighed. “A long time ago someone told me I would have to make a choice. A choice that would help us learn our past, or not,” Frightfull said. Before Pine could respond, Frightfull pushed her into the Nether. Water illed her lungs as she fought her way to the surface but the current was too strong.

THE RAIN

Audrey Falk Grade 11, Eagle I turned from the child and returned to the running woman. “Take him, take him!” she shouted with pathetic desperation. It seemed she had fallen and wounded herself, as she ran with a fresh limp. Her once blonde hair was red with blood and dirt. She ran recklessly, hitting trees and scraping branches as if her intention was to skin herself alive. But she couldn’t run forever, and she didn’t. With a distinct snap, her calf split in two. I walked over to the shrieking woman and looked at what she had done to herself. The red bone stuck out like a tree branch. Then she quieted. All I could hear was the drip of the rain against my skull. I shook it of and grabbed the bone with my jaws. I tugged till I freed the stick and took my spoils back to my den where my children silently slept.

133

LEMON FARMER

GHOST

Kate Jacquot Grade 8, Eagle INT. WOODEN TREEHOUSE - EARLY MORNING Pale gray light is coming in from the windows, THEO asleep sitting up with an open book on his lap, JACOB on his back asleep. Birds chirping. From above, we see a slight breeze make candy wrappers and book pages rustle and skitter across the loor. A lashlight, pushed by the wind, rolls across the loor and bumps into Theo’s hand. Closer now, we see Theo jerk awake and look around before seeing the lashlight and picking it up. Theo turns it over in his hands. From above we watch him reach over and hit Jacob lightly on the head with it. Jacob sits up immediately, a surprised and slightly annoyed expression on his face. He stiles a yawn. JACOB What the heck do you want at – Jacob turns and looks out the window, then back at Theo. JACOB - I don’t know, 6 a.m.? Theo glances at a wristwatch near his sleeping bag. THEO 6:15. Jacob groans and rubs his eyes. JACOB Why, though? 137

THEO Let’s go back to the factory and look for clues about the ghosts. Then I can do internet research. JACOB (through a yawn) You are a true geek, Theo. THEO (grinning) I know. EXT. ABANDONED FACTORY - EARLY MORNING The factory silhouette is as imposing as usual against the plain gray sky. The two boys stand in front of it, each busy in that moment with their own private thoughts. Theo wears a determined expression and hugs a clipboard to his chest. A black backpack is slung over one of his shoulders. Jacob stands with his arms wrapped around himself, big green eyes wide. Theo looks over at him. THEO You look scared. Why? You’ve been in there before. JACOB I’m not scared! I’m just...unsettled. THEO Yeah, ghosts will do that. But they’re nice ghosts, remember? Jacob glances at Theo. JACOB Well, duh, they’ll just do their own thing. Let’s go. Jacob walks ahead and Theo follows, shrugging.

138

INT. ABANDONED FACTORY - MOMENTS LATER Theo and Jacob’s footsteps echo of the walls as they walk into the room with the long tables. Jacob blows some dust of of a table, making Theo cough and give him a warning look. Jacob shrugs, and with a little half-smile, strolls of in a diferent direction. Theo rolls his eyes as Jacob leaves the room. Theo wanders through the tables, treading carefully over the loor scattered with broken glass. His footsteps seem thunderous in the silent space. He stops by a table and pushes some dust into a plastic bag, which he closes tightly and puts in his backpack. Theo stands alone for a moment, and then the GHOSTLY GIRLS shimmer into existence around him. They licker and chat in their sot, whispering voices. They are talking, but their words are indistinguishable from one another. Theo looks around in wonder, and quickly starts sketching one of their watch dials. He tilts his head in concentration. When he inishes, he looks up again in wonder at the scene around him. The girls continue their work, oblivious to Theo’s presence. He jumps and shivers as one of the girls passes straight through him. As he watches, the girls begin to disappear. Their ingertips fade away, but they continue in their work as if they were still there. As they fade from view, Theo still feels them — like they haven’t disappeared, but just that they aren’t visible, but are still there, silent but working.

139

THE BABYSITTER Chloe Bastian Grade 7, Eagle INT. ABANDONED HOUSE - NIGHT AMANDA stares at MINNIE for a few seconds, startled. She’s never seen Minnie like this before. She is frightened by her, so she slowly walks to the room and opens the door. Her gaze pans the room. It belongs to a small child. A dresser sits on the let side of the room, and toys (a teddy bear, a doll, etc.) lay around the room. A crib sits in the middle of the room, the moonlight from an open window shining on it. Amanda stares at all of this for a moment, so focused she doesn’t know Minnie is behind her until she speaks. MINNIE I was so focused on her I didn’t notice the Deathstalker was still there until... She pauses and Amanda trembles. AMANDA Until what? Minnie smiles evilly, and we see her put a hand on Amanda’s back. MINNIE Until it was too late. She shoves Amanda inside, slamming the door behind her. Amanda runs to the door and tries to open it, but it is locked. Ater a moment, Amanda bangs on the door and begins crying in fright. AMANDA (sobbing) Let me out! I don’t want to die! 140

We see her continue to bang on the door through the eyes of an unseen being.

NO MORE ENTRY Presley Moriarity Grade 7, Garden City EXT: VICTORIAN MANSION -- DAY A gravel driveway that seems to stretch quite far. It’s isolated from the world, the trees acting like a cage. Little by little, rain starts to pour down. INT: CAR -- CONTINUOUS A car shielding a DAUGHTER and her MOTHER, shielding them from the outside world. The smell of petrichor seeping in through the cracks creating a humid feel, it was calming and warm to the daughter as she leaned up against the window, her breath creating a white dew on it as her mother drove. She could hear the gravel under the tires crunching as a heavy car drove over them. She noticed, in her tired state, a whole portion of the window had been fogged up. She took her inger and began to trace the thing on the glass as a way to occupy herself.

141

SHIFTING Lucy Brewton Grade 7, Boise INT. PENELOPE’S GARAGE We start seeing the full garage, speciically the car in the background and PENELOPE working on the radio. We slowly zoom in on the radio, and as we zoom in, we see Penelope occasionally writing in the journal. It seems Penelope is taking notes. The journal looks worn down, with lots of bookmarks. When we’re inally zoomed in on the radio, we see wires sticking out, two knobs on it. We also see Penelope’s hands idgeting with the wires and panels on the radio. Close on Pen’s face - she’s deinitely very tired and stressed. Reversing the shot, we see a digital clock, with Pen, the radio, and the car in the background, reading, “12:02 a.m.” We’re back to Pen and the radio, and hear a song from the radio at the same time the screen starts glitching. Pen, excited, starts writing furiously in her journal. As we slowly zoom out, the screen glitches more and more, the last thing we see is the clock, except it’s deinitely not the same one we saw before. Then the screen turns black and we only hear pencils writing.

142

ENDLESS SKIES Nick Maher Grade 8, Meridian Chapter: Rose Ero arrived at the building and noticed that it was all quiet. “Is no one here?” he wondered. He heard charging footsteps behind him. He transformed his arm, sticking it up in the air. A katana cut his arm clean of. Luckily it was his cursed arm, so he regenerated it. He looked at his attacker. “Rose? What is wrong with you?” Ero said. “What do you mean? I’m trying to kill you because I need your power.” Ero pulled out his katana and waited. Rose lunged at him, Ero blocked his attack, and then Rose just went at it. He never hit Ero once, despite a few close calls, and then Rose slashed Ero’s arm. “All that swinging and efort for a gash on my arm. Pathetic.” Ero kicks Rose in the stomach, knocking him down. “You know, maybe I should be called the greatest assassin. This is just sad.” “Shut up,” Rose muttered. Ero heard more footsteps charging at him. He used his katana to block the attack. “Kito, I can explain,” Ero said. “What did you do to Rose?” Kito started talking more and more. “Sorry, Kito, I’ll heal you.” Ero stabbed Kito in the stomach, then slit his throat and pushed him against the wall. He could tell Kito died when he leveled up. Ero turned his attention to Rose, who was mumbling, “Don’t make me do it over,” over and over again. Rose suddenly burst into a psychotic laughter and started mumbling a chant. Ero stood calm and noticed his eyes looked insane. “Is he actually going insane?” Ero thought, then a few words caught his attention. “Rage in my soul where have I...Oh.... This idiot.” Rose’s veins started glowing red irst, and then his eyes. 143

Ero still stood there, calm, before it stopped. He wasn’t glowing anymore. Splash. Ero saw blood everywhere. He heard Rose mumble, “Why...Why isn’t my curse....” He fell to the loor before he could inish. Blood was everywhere. He was covered in it. “Oh, Rose. What have you done?” Chapter: Forever Sufering Ero stood right in front of Rose. Ero started laughing. “You idiot, you were so desperate for power that you used a skill you can’t use and basically killed yourself.” Rose was still alive. “You know, I learned a healing skill, but give me a reason I should heal you,” Ero said with a smirk. “I was your mentor — I gave you a device that has so much power,” Rose said. “I’m willing to make a deal.” Ero knelt so they could be eye-to-eye. “Give me your power and your soul and I’ll happily heal you.” “Never.” “Alrighty, then I’ll heal you if you are being so stubborn.” “Really?” Rose’s expression changed from hopeless to hopeful. “Haha....No.” Ero used a spell on him. “What? This isn’t healing me.” “I know. I basically made you an immortal.” “Huh?” Rose’s face was shocked. “Now you can never die....Unless someone takes your soul. Only the four people who have this curse can do that. And I don’t see the other two here.” Ero smirked and said, “Thanks for everything, but I’m going to go now and I’m taking Kito with me.” Ero grabbed Kito and put him over his shoulder. “I’ll revive him once we get somewhere safe. Goodbye, Rose.” Ero turned around. Despite Rose’s cries for help, he didn’t turn, leaving Rose to sufer forever.

144

THE BOOK REALM Kaiden Howell Grade 8, Boise EXT. DESERT PLAIN - EARLY MORNING From the depths of a pool of water, the head of a BOY standing in a dehydrated tree looks skyward toward the water’s surface. This is the relection looking up at itself. The camera transitions away from the water and onto the actual boy in the tree. He licks his dry lips. He reaches to touch the water, but it only lows around his hand. From a distance we hear a voice booming out. BOOKKEEPER (Of Screen) Sustenance. The boy looks out to a gigantic crowd gathering in the distance. He jumps down from the tree and picks up a leather satchel. He looks in it, there is a small ball dimly glowing. GEORGE Please. Let this be enough. INT. BOOKYARD - MOMENTS LATER The boy squeezes himself into the crowd. He is holding a star. DIERRA (to boy) George, where have you been?! They’re just about to start Bookworming! GEORGE Finding the best perches for star collecting. BOOKKEEPER (to crowd) 145

Beware! We’re nearing the end of this ine book. The BOOKKEEPER gestures to the open book on a pedestal. The pedestal is in the center of the stage that the bookkeeper stands on. BOOKKEEPER (continues) You all know what happens if someone forgets to leave a book before its end? You not only put yourselves in danger, but you also endanger anyone else who might attempt to rescue you! The Bookkeeper pauses, a tear running down his face. BOOKKEEPER You may begin Bookworming. Everyone races to the open book on the pedestal.

SWORD OF THE CONDEMNED Rowan Betts Grade 9, Boise INT. OLD SHACK - DAY GRAY (Of Screen) You want to bring all of them into this? Are you crazy? DEAN stands up from the bucket he’s sitting on. DEAN Well, why not? Sebastian is a warrior. He’s not safe. Port may be a lemon farmer, but we’re not the only ones who know how he did all that ighting the irst 15 years of his life. Calyssa’s an assassin. They’ll come ater her. Samir’s an engineer right now, I’m pretty sure, but we all know he’s a guardian at heart. Why can’t you see how good of an idea this is? Gray heaves a sigh, slumping back on the loor.

146

GRAY We don’t know where any of them are! How are you so sure that they’re not dead? That or leading a prosperous life away from the violence you seek? Gray ends the sentence in a shout, echoing through the trees around them. Dean looks down at Gray. DEAN You know, you’re too cautious for your own good. We’d be saving them! Giving them a life they can’t refuse! A life of peace away from everything else! Gray stands up to look Dean in the eyes. He has to look up a bit, but doesn’t let that deter him. GRAY I will not stand for trying to rip them away from any life they’re living. And if you keep on insisting, then I’m going. Dean looks at Gray in shock. DEAN What? Gray takes a step closer. The light iltering through the planks shines down, casting shadows on his face. GRAY You may want peace, but I am ine with living the way I am! You talk of houses and beds and good company while all I need is a safe spot to lay down in, preferably in the forest! Dean moves sporadically, going away from Gray and slamming the wall with his hand, before stilling. DEAN You’re afraid aren’t you? You’re afraid that you’ll get let in the dust, that you’ll wither away because you don’t care enough to make anything a priority! God, how messed up are you that you don’t want a family? 147

Gray turns around pulling his hair in frustration. GRAY That’s because I’ve never had a family! This sentence ends in a broken cracked, desperate wail. GRAY I just want you to be content with where you are! For you, it’s always what’s next? Where now? You’re so focused on the sequels that you won’t let me or you have a happy, satisfying ending! Gray pushes Dean again, but he maintains his balance this time. DEAN If you’re so insistent, then you can go! Clearly you don’t share my sentiment for wanting some control for once! GRAY I don’t need control. I need consistency! Gray stumbles forward and Dean catches him in a hug. Gray grasps the shirt Dean is wearing like a lifeline. DEAN Here’s the thing – don’t you think control can lead to consistency or consistency can lead to control? Just because we both want diferent things doesn’t mean that we have to go our separate ways. And who’s to say the others don’t feel the same way? They went through the same circumstances we did — let’s at least give them an option. They break apart from the hug. DEAN I won’t force them to come, but I can’t promise that I won’t lose my temper. I just need you to understand that I want what’s best, and I want to do things with you by my side still. You’ve been the one constant thing in my life. And I don’t want to lose that because one of us likes beds and the other likes the ground.

148

They chuckle. GRAY I guess I can live with that for now. Just, the idea of staying in one place is foreign to me... But I can try. DEAN That’s all I ask.

149

TEACHING-WRITER BIOGRAPHIES Cassie Angley is a published and produced playwright, actress, singer, and theatre-maker. She began acting at age ive in San Francisco with Aunt Lolly’s Shoe String Theater, and her journey in the arts has never stopped. She received her BA in Musical Theater from San Francisco State University then promptly moved to the city of New York where she resided for the next 15 years. In New York she wrote, produced, and performed in many original plays and musicals and worked as a teaching artist. Her South Bronx middle-school students introduced her to poetry and spoken word. She spent many years studying poetry in the spoken word scene. Using the Amherst Writing Method Cassie has led many adult writing workshops. Seven years ago she moved to Boise and began working as a teaching writer at The Cabin while attending Boise State University. In 2017 she received her M.A. Ed, Literacy. Her master’s thesis on ‘readers theater’ was so well received that she founded Readers Theater Works!, a nonproit that strengthens underserved youths’ literacy skills through the discipline of theater. Ameerah Bader is a Palestinian-Tlingit poet and artist located in Boise, Idaho. They have been writing poems for ten years and drawing for nine. They have been published a handful of times and nominated for the Pushcart Prize twice. Humor, identity, and tiny moments are at the forefront of Ameerah’s work. They use creativity to learn how to navigate spaces, places, and the sweetness of life. They work within the processes; they appreciate the unseen. Most recently they have been creating stop-motion animations with relief prints, as well as learning sotware development to bring interactivity into their artwork. In 2019 they graduated with two BFAs in printmaking and illustration from Boise State University. Their favorite pastimes are long walks, talks, and drawing all day. 151

Natanya Biskar is an MFA student in iction at Boise State University, where she has taught writing and serves as Associate Editor for The Idaho Review. She is the recipient of a 2021 Alexa Rose Foundation Grant, and the winner of the 2021 Glenn Balch Award for Fiction. Her work has appeared in Subtropics. Before she entered graduate school, she was a teacher for over ten years. Colleen Brennan is a freelance writer, editor, writing coach, and teacher with an MA in linguistics. Her stories appear in Writers in the Attic and A Year in Ink. A native Minnesotan, she has lived and worked in San Diego, Boulder, Paris, Bordeaux, and Boise. She is the recipient of a 2018 literary arts grant from the Alexa Rose Foundation. Natalie Disney recently earned her MFA in creative writing from Boise State University, where she served as Associate Editor of The Idaho Review. Her work has been published in The Florida Review, and has been nominated for the Pushcart Prize and the PEN America Robert J. Dau Short Story Prize for Emerging Writers. She is a recipient of the 2017 Glenn Balch Award for iction. She teaches writing at BSU and is at work on her irst novel. Chris Mathers Jackson is a freelance writer and editor, an aspiring novelist, a teacher, a mom, an artist, and a lover of the natural world. Chris received her MA in English Literature from University of Montana in 2005. She taught English Composition at UM from 2003-2006, both during and following completion of her master’s (as a TA and then an adjunct instructor). She worked in the administration of Missoula International School from 2006-2010 before becoming a full-time freelance writer, editor, and graphic designer. Ater several years, she stopped doing design work professionally to focus on her growing family and her passion for the written word. In 2019 she established a book review website (LitReaderNotes.com). In addition to teaching, writing, and editing, Chris enjoys spending as much time outside as possible, adventuring both near and far, with her husband and two daughters.

152

Playwright, writer and theater maker Heidi Kraay examines the link between brain and body, seeking empathy with fractured characters. Her work pulls myth, metaphor and monsters together to discover connections across diference. Plays include Unwind: Hindsight is 2020, see in the dark, How To Hide Your Monster, New Eden and Kilgore, as well as co-devised plays, one-acts, plays for young audiences and short plays. Her work has been presented where she lives in Boise, Idaho, regionally, in NYC and internationally, recently through The Bechdel Group, West of Lenin Theatre, Spark! Creative Works, Oregon Contemporary Theatre, Women’s Theatre Festival, Fargo Moorhead Community Theatre, Trinity Street Players, HomeGrown Theatre, Tomo Suru Players, Thingamajig Theatre Company, Radio Boise, Boise Contemporary Theater and Seven Devils Playwrights Foundry. Heidi holds an MFA in Creative Inquiry, Interdisciplinary Arts from California Institute of Integral Studies and is a proud member of the Dramatists Guild of America. Hannah Rodabaugh is the author of With Words: Verse in Concordance, We Don’t Bury Our Dead When Our Dead Are Animals, and We Traced The Shape Of Our Loss To See Your Face. She’s been published in Anti-Narrative Journal, Berkeley Poetry Review, ROAR Magazine, Horse Less Review, K’in Literary Journal, and Written River, among others. She’s received grants from the Idaho Commission on the Arts, the Alexa Rose Foundation, and the COVID Cultural Commissioning Fund. She’s been an artist-in-residence for the National Park Service, the Bureau of Land Management, and Surel’s Place. She is a teaching writer for The Cabin. Laura Roghaar is a poet, educator, and arts administrator. She serves as the Poetry Out Loud coordinator for Idaho and teaches writing at The Cabin. She holds an MFA in poetry from Boise State and her chapbook of poems, SISTERHOUSE, is out from dancing girl press.

153

Daniel Stewart is a teaching-writer for The Cabin’s Writers in the Schools program, serving as Writer in Residence at Ada County Juvenile Detention, and Frank Church High, an alternative school, in Boise, ID. The author of the collection The Imaginary World, his poems have appeared in BOAAT, Parentheses, Prairie Schooner, Rattle, Scab, Thrush, Yes Poetry, NightBlock, and Graviton Lit, among others. Tracy Sunderland is a professional writer, director, actor and teacher working in theatre and ilm. She’s written and directed award-winning short ilms and plays for young audiences; her irst feature script was shot in Greece this summer. She is the Artistic Director of the physical art company Migration Theory, and an Associate Artist with Boise Contemporary Theater. She also teaches at Boise State University and The Cabin. Tracy received the 2015 Idaho Commission on the Arts Fellowship in Filmmaking Award and the 2015 Boise State Adjunct Faculty of the Year Award. Tessy Ward is the author of My Head Can Feel the Vibrating of a Full Heartbeat Through a Chest That Is Neither Hollow Nor Dark, a chapbook from Press 254. She has an MFA from Boise State University and was a Sutherland Fellow in poetry at Illinois State University. Her work has recently appeared or is forthcoming in Requited, Rougarou, and Touch The Donkey, among others.

154

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS Summer Writing Camps at The Cabin touch the lives of hundreds of student writers and adults each summer due to the talent of our teaching-writers, the generosity of funders, and the gits of time and support from volunteers, interns, board members, and community partners. Thank you to teaching-writers Cassie Angley, Ameerah Bader, Natanya Biskar, Colleen Brennan, Natalie Disney, Katie Fuller, Chris Mathers Jackson, Heidi Kraay, Hannah Rodabaugh, Laura Roghaar, Daniel Stewart, Tracy Sunderland, Tessy Ward, and CL Young. Many thanks to our 2021 interns, volunteers, and Cabin staf: MJ Norris, Emmy Parton, Madeline Ryan, Abby Peck, Aidan Cahill, Anika Bennett, Avery Gendler, Hunter Levy, Julene Elias, Meredith Higgins, Olivia Jefry, Owen Curtin, Sara Ivey, Taylor Wyllie, Hillary Bilinski, Gen Emerson, Ashley Smith, Joel Wayne, Tyler Weber, Megan Williams, Kurt Zwolfer, and Bean. A special thanks to Elizabeth Dickey, Education and Visitor Engagement Director at Idaho Botanical Gardens; Curtis Evans, Education Coordinator at Peregrine Fund World Center for Birds of Prey; and Tina Mullins, Director of Business at Foothills School of Arts and Sciences. Your generosity allowed us to expand camps when COVID might have kept them too close to The Cabin. Writing Camps and publication of CAMP FIRE are made possible by generous support from the Union Paciic Foundation.

155

INDEX A Abercrombie, Katie • 89 Alluri, Dev • 85 Aoulaiche, Lana • 70 Ayers, Hudson • 54

B Barman, Deeya • 18 Bastian, Chloe • 140 Betts, Rowan • 146 Brewton, Daisy • 7, 47 Brewton, Katy • 19, 28 Brewton, Lucy • 142 Brunkow, Tyler • 126 Buckley, Anya • 65 Buckley, Mira • 60 Bullard, Oliver • 7, 42

Elancheren, Janani • 108 Elancheren, Divya • 117 Elgethun, Tova • 111

F Falk, Audrey • 133 Falk, Gretchen • 131 Fields, Dahlia • 10 Fields, Naomi • 54 Filzen, Isaac • 59 Flanigan, Sloan • 15 Floyd, Maxwell • 14

G Garrett, Tani • 84 Goellner, Fiona • 57, 95 Greene , Cecelia • 81 Guill, Ronin • 35

C Carson, Rowen • 88 Chalom, Eliana • 41 Chen, Siyuan • 10 Clark, Betty • 72, 75 Collins, Piper • 53 Cutchin, Maya • 55

D/E Davis, David • 46 Davis, Camaron • 80 Day, Alyssa • 13 Eder, Niko • 36

H Hardman, Alyssa • 129 Harless, Logan • 130 Hassoldt, Madison • 16, 24, 33 Hess, Theo • 27 Hoobing, Belén • 83 Howell, Kaiden • 145 Hsu, Albert • 25 Hull, Avery • 17 Hume, Maizey • 11 Hume, Penelope • 61 157

I/J Indukuri, Ruhaan • 49 Jacquot, Abby • 27 Jacquot, Kate • 137 Jensen, Andrea • 101 Johnson, Kennedy • 132 Jones, Joss • 71

K/L Kang, Chaewon • 12, 26 Kang, Yewon • 8, 26 Kannan, Prithivi • 19 King, Jordan • 39 Kostelec, Addison • 80 Longley, Amaya • 60

M/N Maher, Nick • 82, 143 Manglos, Ailie • 119 McCormick, Maggie • 115 McMillan, Ian • 16 Merriman, Anna • 56 Michaels, Joseph • 40 Mitchell, Caleb • 50 Moriarity, Presley • 141 Morton, Emery • 99 Mozes, Cameron • 45 Murphy, Rose • 66 Musila, Angelique • 53 Musila, Saba • 30 Necochea, Eva • 93 Necochea, Cecilia • 9

P Peck, Abby • 125 Pennington, Daphne • 69 Piva, Rebecca • 67 Pochop, Griin • 81 Potts, Olivia • 132 Prashant, Neil • 29

158

Prashant, Aariv • 44 Pushkin Huang, Agam • 24 Pushkin Huang, Yam • 25, 58

R Rauer, Matthew • 86, 113 Reynolds, Cole • 128 Roinas, Paige • 23 Roscheck, Jade • 90 Routh, Janie • 13 Rowland, Alana • 84 Royer, Marlies • 58

S/T Sadiki, Rehema • 73 Sanchez, Aberdeen • 105 Salzman, Chaya • 15 Schwartsman, Nikolai • 23, 43 Sigler, Harmony • 86 Slavick, Aiden • 28 Smith, Lucca • 74 Streif, Anna • 97 Su, YiQing • 12 Swank, Willa • 37 Tripathi, Shreyash • 14

V/W/Y/Z Van Dommelen, Fynn • 28 Venigalla, Kaavya • 17 Wallace, Liam • 56 Wardwell, Eloise • 38 Wardwell, Liam • 57 Werre, Harrison • 11 Whitield, Sophie • 55, 103 Wickstrom, Leah • 34 Wickstrom, Malakai • 54, 72 Williams, Laina • 34 Wilper, Rosa • 110 Winters, Amelia • 9 Wogan, Maya • 73

Wontorcik, Lauren • 71 Wright, Ella • 47 Yang, Aubrey • 8, 23, 36 Zenecke, Bella • 79

157

CAMP FIRE SUMMER WRITING CAMPS 2021

MEEEE A SELF PORTRAIT A big oval, tilted vertical, for the head. A book with faint words spilling out Into a long heavy storm of rain. Smoke and ashes rising gloomily Into lost trailing yarn. – Aubrey Yang, Grade 3, Boise The Cabin is a Boise, Idaho literary arts organization. We forge community through the voices of all readers, writers, and learners. Writing Camps nurture the imagination and awaken the senses through creative adventures in the art of writing.

LOG CABIN BOOKS LITERATURE

Camp Fire - Summer 2021

Articles inside

Index

Acknowledgements

Teaching-Writer Biographies