The Albemarle 2017

ALBEMARLE 2017

Fessenden Boys Grades 5-9 Dedication and Thanks The 2017 Albemarle is dedicated to the Teachers and Staff of Fessenden in recognition of the enthusiasm for learning they inspire in the boys.

Many thanks to Marjie Hendrick, the English Department Faculty, Richard Gaskell, the Art Department Faculty, and the Parents Association for their help in making the publication of the 2017 Albemarle possible.

Cover Art by​ Teddy Choi, grade 6.

Albemarle

​ Grade 9 ​

2017

Contributors Grade 5 Patrick Albers Aidin Bina Andrew Bittner Carter Blessing Max Brady Grady Brown Alex Carlstrom Luca Ciccolo Noah Ciccolo Ty Ciongoli Kavan Daftary Tyler Derenzo Matthew Flaherty Connor Gandel William Gao Erick Garcia Noah Gomes William Grayken Eric Hadley Angus Harrison Ian Hendrix Ian Herrera Will Hesp Ben Howard Andre Jiang George Leness Logan Long Mikey McGee Connor Mackey Colin Mealey Bharath Palanisamy Hudson Poirier Jack Renaud Calder Reynolds Grant Richmond Alastair Rose Chris Ryan Declan Schweizer Matthew Sliwa

Jaxon Tereau Luke Travaglini Dillon Woods Luke Zermani Grade 6 David Albrechtskirchinger Gannon Austin Aiden Barclay Carter Bartel Chris Bertolini Max Boni Eddie Browne Bennett Carroll Max Casado Teddy Choi Wyatt Doyle Daniel Drucker Ryan Erdos Will Faucett Cameron Fici Ethan Friedberg Yota Fukui Ketan Gardner Max Gelb Nate Gelb Gordy Gibbons Will Gladstone Michael Glazer Ben Gliklich Max Gold Sebastian Goldberg Aaron Green Peter Greenes Charlie Hall Freddy Hoffmann Chase Hornstein Reagan Huber Tommy Hunnewell Will Hutzler

Amir Jamal Ethan Javaheri Bryn Kerslake Jason Kim Ethan Klein Will Lavalle Alex Lo Jonathan Mack Thomas Mackey Brendan McCabe Chase McDivitt Ryan McGauley Ryan D. McGivern Akash Menon Kumar Muniappan Jack Patel Yash Patel Drew Pepi Sid Pradhan Brian Rapp Will Santoro Clement Scott Nate Sins Will Smith Connor Spear Wyatt Stephens Hunter Stofer Lachlan Sutton Sam Tavitian Henry Tweedy Will Vote Douglas Wang Aaron Weiner Spencer Zwick Grade 7 Blake Ankner Charlie Bacon Michael Berman Grady Cole

Albemarle

​ Grade 9 ​

Jack Curtis Fejiro Esievo Getchell Gibbons Brage Golding Jason Greer Max Hall Campbell Hawkins Shep Hearle Charlie Irwin Will Ji Daniel Jing Luis Lee Rhodes Martinez Samuel Matte Shinnosuke Miyamichi Jedidiah Nelson Connor O'Keefe Nikolas Paige Tommy Reynolds Ted Richards Peter Shea Matthew Smalley Trevor Smith Alex Soderling Spencer Vermeule Charles Wang

Alexander Knopp Jake Koeppel JaQ Lai Duwon Lee Zack Leroy Tyler Luzzo Wyatt Lyons Connor Mackenzie Ethan Maura Duncan McCarthy Spencer Metz Lawson Miller James Moukeiber Peyton O'Leary Grant Porter Nick Salerno Christopher Satterwhite Malkie Shamari William Spencer Nate Stewart Nick Thomas Jack Toomey Andre Washington Henry Wilde Adrian Wirth William Zhuang

Grade 8 Emmanuel Aweke Max Clemens Ryan Clements Luke D'Orsi Jack Darwin Christiaan Eikeboom Fernando Grisi Christopher Hostetter Will Jacobs Benning Johnson Sammy Jomaa Rafael Kalach Ian Kaplan

Grade 9 Collins Billhardt Lorenzo Biondo Akeim Clarke Max de Saint-Exupery Alan Du Larkin Flanagan Timmy Kelleher Gabriel Kendja Michael Kwashie Charlie Moore Nick Moran Shane O'Leary Justin Rocha

2017

Max Rudnick Connor Simko Justin Simon Stan Stone Venkat Vellanki Mosi Williams Blane Zhu

Albemarle Grade 5 2017 _____________________________________________________________________________________________________________ One More Mile Logan Long Boston is cold and rugged in the winter, so I will have to adapt to it. I won't be able to get fish in the middle of the winter, so I will have to eat squirrels. My feet have adapted to raptors’ feet, which will help grip things and also could help rip them apart. Also my feathers will have to adapt by turning into down feathers. My beak will have to get sharper to poke into squirrels’ homes. My body has started to adapt to the cold, so I'm going to go hunting in a forest. I’m hunting for squirrel, but I came across a dead turkey, so I ate it. That was the first time I've ever eaten turkey, and it tastes like fish.

The second time comes that I have to hunt. It's going to be harder because I was lucky the first time, but the first two hours in the woods were very hard. I found a couple of nuts, but that was it. I found a suspicious hole in the tree, and I checked it out. It looked like there was nothing in there, but then I looked closer, and I found a squirrel. I used my new long and sharp beak that helped a lot to get the squirrel out of the tree. Scavenging in the city is pretty easy because everybody drops stuff and throws away food that is still good. I don't get humans.

Today I'm going to try to find food on the streets. It's pretty fun to see what humans do and how different they are. I went to a street in Boston, and they are having a parade for sports, and I got to see how crazy they were. The whole team was very happy, but it was hard to find food during the parade. I went to where the parade was before because I think people probably dropped food while they were watching. I went over there to see the mad ornithologists. I couldn't believe what I saw, so I quickly flew away. I ended up at The Fessenden school. It seemed like they weren't going to come here because it is private property.

It is very hard to hunt in the winter here. There was a snowstorm last week, and I almost starved. I am always very hungry because I am a raptor now. I ate a very tasty goose when it was late for migration this week, but today I haven't eaten anything, which is hard because I get hungry every hour now. I'm starting to go hunting for anything that's pretty big. I don't care if it doesn't taste good. Right now I'm in a forest. The forests here are different than forests in Florida. At this moment I’m literally starving to death. I can barely fly. I think I'm going to die, but I've had a great journey so far.

Change Your Shoes Will Hesp In Anne M. Martin’s ​Reign Rain,​ Rose learns to accept her autism by putting other people’s needs in front of hers. Early in her life, Rose was just caring about herself. One example of this is when she wanted to play a game that someone else was using she was screaming, “There it is” (50).

She doesn’t care that someone else wanted to play, she just wanted to make herself happy. Later in the year, she is realizing what it is like to be in other people’s shoes. When she realizes rain isn’t hers she says, “But I don’t feel happiness. Instead, I feel that something is wrong.” (165). She is starting to know that you can’t just make yourself happy to be a nice person. Finally, she fully knows that helping yourself is less important than helping others. After she gives Rain back to the Hendersons she says, “I think the Henderson will take good care of her” (200). She realizes this because the Henderson's are nice people and took care of Rain before. People learn to accept other’s differences by doing the right thing for other people.

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Albemarle Grade 5 2017 _____________________________________________________________________________________________________________ Going up in Flames Andre Jiang What I did: In science class we had to pick a event that has happened or is happening that is some what related to ecosystems. We worked in groups of four, the things that we had to do are make a group project with everybody and when we were done with that we had to split up and do add-on projects.

Reflection: My group included Erick Garcia, Dillon Woods, and William Gao. Our topic was wildfires. We started off finding facts and putting the facts and the URLs on a note taking template. Then we used a website called Easybib to find out different information about the websites that we used and put that on the note taking template. Next we used Coggle a website used for organizing stuff. When you use Coggle a there is a gray box at the center of the page where you make branches to organize ideas. We used Coggle for writing notes from the note taking template and made ripples, like this happened then this happened. The Coggle probably slowed us down the most, when we showed our Coggle to Mr. Banister and Mr. Jackson they said we needed more matching notes/facts and needed more of them. After working hard on the Coggle we finally finished, the next thing we had to do was write our paragraphs. We used our Coggle branches to write paragraphs, which we used to make our scripts for the green screen that we were going to do. After we did the green screen we split into groups to do the add-on projects, Dillon and I made a sculpture of a forest fire out of model magic. I took a lot of painting and gluing, but it worth it, the sculpture looked good, not decent but good. But don't forget about Erick and William they made a game with a website called Scratch. I worked hard on this project, but I also had lots of fun.

The Journey Grady Brown The next day nobody was really talking because of the incident. But as soon as we saw the school everyone was cheering. As we swooped down next to a place called the lunchroom I started to notice all of this commotion. Are there others birds? I thought. Everyone looked tired and hungry so we decided to look for food. As I looked around I had realized that there were no fruit trees.

What am I supposed to eat now? I wondered.

Later I found some seeds to eat and on about my 12th try I did it, but only because my beak had become a small triangular beak. Cool my beak adapted! I thought. Then right when I was leaving I heard more commotion. But this time I knew what it was. It was so obvious. It was an eagle!!! And it was close to me. I finally got out of shock and flew the other direction but it was fast and every second it got closer. I didn't know my way around so I kept flying in the same direction.

Then I realized I had to turn around. I was flying to far away. I took a very risky and tight turn around some building. It was such a tight turn that I heard the eagle crash right into it!

Now that the eagle was far away from me I decided to go find a safe place. I found a nice big tree with plenty of leaves to hide me. I sat there for about 10 minutes and then I fell asleep. When I woke up I realized that there was a bird's nest on the other branch. It definitely was not a species I recognized but then I saw the eagle sleeping next to it. How did this happen!!!! I almost shouted. I tried to quietly fly away but the eagle woke up and he was angry. Right when he was going to grab me a stampede of kids came by. The eagle was scared by this and flew away. I however, was surprised by the kids but now that the eagle was gone, everything was going to be alright.

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Albemarle Grade 5 2017 _____________________________________________________________________________________________________________ Saving Submerged Wonders Andrew Bittner Many of you who are reading this may have heard of coral reefs, but did you know they are significantly important to many animals and even people? Coral reefs can shelter fish and other animals thus, making the fishing industry one of their main sources of income. Coral reefs also make up a large portion of the tourism industry in places with coral reefs. In conclusion, coral reefs play a huge role in the economic part of many countries who own them.

The problem is, that sometimes tourists and locals will mistreat coral reefs. For instance, boats can drop anchors that hit coral reefs, or tourists can touch coral reefs, damaging them. Also, some fishermen use harmful methods to simplify fishing. These things cause Coral reefs to bleach, or release their internal micro-organisms turning them white.

Although I’ve told you that there are many threats to coral reefs and their inhabitants, there are a number of solutions we can utilize to help save them. One solution that could help save coral reefs is for a law to be placed stating that one must have a permit to go within a 50-yard radius of a coral reef. Those who receive this permit must refrain from touching or making contact with a coral reef unless permitted to do so by the local government. This law prevents any tourism where things such as the oils on your hands, boat anchors, and other forms of careless tourism that could potentially harm coral reefs. The law also removes the possibility that locals will use dynamite fishing, poison fishing, overfishing, or coral mining. An alternative solution to this is to urge all countries that own coral reefs to sign an agreement that forces them to have at least 10 other countries consent before any work is to begin on or around a coral reef. The consent of other countries prevents any possibility of a negotiation between a country and citizen where either benefit due to the destruction of coral reefs or the death of their inhabitants. While either of these previous propositions are taking place, a barrier around a reef and an artificial reef can be built.

Artificial reefs and barriers around damaged reefs allow for reefs to regrow and for the organisms inside them to survive safely. Thanks for reading, and if you do get the opportunity to see a coral reef, remember what I told you and help keep them alive!

The Legend Of Stiol Angus Harrison There once was a huge mighty creature by the name of Stiol. Stiol was a huge monster with one eye, a snake tongue that was poisonous, the body of a flying goat, with cheetah legs. He could fly like a reindeer, moving his legs while he flew. His bite was poisonous to all living creatures. Stiol's only weakness was his one eye. Stiol is the greatest and most powerful creature on earth.

He was created by Mars, the god of war when he had gotten into a fight with the minor god Marfa. Marfa was the god of iron and metal. He is also the most powerful minor god. Marfa and Mars had gotten into a fight about who should be the go of weaponry. Mars fought him and fought, but he couldn’t destroy him even as the god of war. So Mars created the most powerful monster, Stiol to help him fight against Marfa. However Mars’ plan backfired and Stiol turned on all of the gods.

Mars had won the battle against Marfa by himself after he destroyed Stiol. He had tried to destroy Stiol and he thought that he had succeeded. Mars hadn’t succeeded at all. Stiol hides away in his caves never seen by anything. However there was one person who still believed Stiol was out there plotting to destroy Olympus. His name was Sargo. Every few weeks Sargo tried to warn Jupiter that he should be preparing for a war against the lost monster Stiol. Jupiter would always say the same thing, “Shut your mouth about this nonsense. Even if that creature is alive we can destroy him. Now get off Olympus before I destroy you!” Jupiter underestimated Stiol and that would come back to bite him.

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Albemarle Grade 5 2017 _____________________________________________________________________________________________________________ So Sargo decided to take matters into his own hands and go on a quest to prove Stiol was still alive. Sargo spent many years searching, crossing many mountains and many seas. It took 14 long years but it was worth it. There stood an island that no one had ever step foot on. Soon that island would be named “sail island”. Sargo was never prepared to meet the creature so he didn’t carry many weapons with him. Sargo, too, didn’t know how powerful Stiol was.

There was a crack of light that lead into a large cave. Sargo was almost positive he had found him. He took a step into the narrow cave. There stood a huge creature, Stiol. He took a picture and ran for his life. He ran to the ship as fast as possible. Stiol didn’t follow. He stood where he was and kept thinking of his plot.

Sargo finally got his proof he needed for Jupiter. After many days he was back at Olympus.

This time Jupiter believed him. Jupiter now believed in Stiol and saw how dangerous he was. So Jupiter warned the gods and set up defense. Jupiter had been lucky because without Sargo, Stiol would control the world. With only one day to prepare the gods were not ready for Stiol’s attack. If Stiol were to delay his advantage would be lost.

When he came the whole world shook. Stiol led his army of minor gods who had turned including Marfa. Marfa hadn’t joined of fear but of not being on Mars’ side. Stiol was a strong as he was fast. All the other gods were ready for the wild beast of horror. Stiol came up right in front of them and basically won the war right there. Diana took a shot at Stiol. It bounced pathetically right off of his leg. As the gods knew it Stiol was invincible. Mars hadn’t even showed up because he knew that no one in the world could destroy him. All the gods fled and ran for their lives even though they were immortal they were still scared.

This time the gods disappeared for a long time. They hid out on a faraway island that Jupiter had named the safe house. Stiol had won the war. If it hadn’t been for the fearless Sargo it would have been the end. Instead it was only a battle that they had lost. Thirty years passed and Stiol got more power. Now the gods would be the one plotting their plan to destroy Stiol.

This time Stiol wasn’t ready. The gods came from everywhere surrounding Stiol. Jupiter came by sky, Neptune came by sea, and all the other gods came from different directions on land.

Jupiter had been right, the gods were more powerful together. It was a war between United power and everyone else. The gods attacked from all angles, Stiol was cornered. The gods attacked with all the power they had, Neptune used his trident, Jupiter launched a lightning bolt and the others did what they could. It did nothing at all.

In the end it was Sargo who had done everything to win the war. He came from behind and struck Stiol in the eye with a minotaur horn. He was eternally blind, and powerless. One arrow shot would end it. Diana shot her arrow into where his stone cold heart and Stiol avaperaded. All monsters never die so on one of those islands Stiol still lives. One day he will strike back at Olympus. The gods are always prepared for anything.

Sargo being the hero was turned immortal by Jupiter and is the minor god of quests and belief. Stiol helped Olympus get stronger even though his intentions were to destroy Olympus.

Marfa and all the others who had fought against the gods were chopped up and put into Tartarus.

That is the story how the world discovered the importance of working together. The world is nothing without others.

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Albemarle Grade 5 2017 _____________________________________________________________________________________________________________ Flying Across the Great Ocean Alex Carlstrom I was flying somewhere over the human land of tennessee when I became really tired. My small wings are not meant for this long range flying I thought out loud.

“Same thing here “ Robby replied. Then we looked around and all around us were human nests, big silent nests reaching for the sky. Not moving, like trees just sitting there.

“Wow, what is this place” I said turning around in wonder. There were silent and unmoving human nests everywhere, and then I heard it.

“Hey guys we got ourselves two newbies here.”

“Who are you” I replied almost shaking.”

“I am Jack” The pigeon said stepping into the light “ And you look like you need some help” “Yes please” I say eager to rest and get food : “ Well you can sleep in the shade of one of the human houses and eat out of the feeder down the street, but good luck because there is a blue jay who keeps the whole thing under his control.

Well I must be leaving, good luck” and with that he flew into the sticky heat of the night.

“He was somewhat helpful” Robby said after he was out of sight.

“Yeah” I agreed “now let's go to that feeder.” We started to fly, and a few roads down we heard; “Get off of my property or I will make you leave” Then a huge blue jay came around the corner screaming at us.

“Ok, ok” Robby and I said at the same time and we flew up onto a ledge and tried to get comfortable in the sticky heat.

The next day I woke to a cool concrete ledge with some of my down feathers on the ground “WHAT!” I thought it was too early for me to get bald spots. But that over with we really need to find food. I was starving and I had almost no strength left. After we fully woke up to the sky bursting with streaks of color, we set off to find some food. We carefully avoided the blue jay’s territory.

Then going down a human street that looks the same as all the others do, we are surprised by a low rumbling sound in the air. It looked like a giant bird, though it was not as graceful. In a few minutes we found a feeder and we were soon full on that.

“Tomorrow we leave” I said with my mouth full to Robby.

When I arrived in the remote island. The first thing I realized was that my body was different, my wings were bigger and my feet were becoming more webbed.

“Robby you are becoming white, is there a problem?”

“No, you have it to” he said with a laugh and then I realized after looking at my wing that I was different. Now after the long flight my stomach was growling like a lion at the other islands I was able to find seeds, but not this one. I was getting more and more hungry by the minute. Then it hit me I will eat the shiny little things in the water. I quickly told Robby.

“Let's go” he said eagerly. We flew out into the wide blue ocean. Then we saw it mass of fish in the water.

“How do we do this” I said to Robby over the call of other birds. “ Hey watch it, on” a bird in dazzling colors said me after he flew into me.

After that Robby said to me “I don’t know just dive” “Ok” I said in reply then I dove the world whistled in my ear going faster and faster . Then, I hit the water the world went silent. Then I got a fish in my mouth “YES” I thought then it slipped these things are slippery I thought trying to swim to the surface my wings are getting heavier, and heavier. Then the world went black.

I woke up to a seagull pumping my chest “ Thank gosh” he said.

“How long have I be out” I said weakly.

“1 hour” he said “ after I pulled you out what were you thinking” “I don’t know, Where’s Robbie” 5

Albemarle Grade 5 2017 _____________________________________________________________________________________________________________ “You mean the other bird with you, I was too late. I’m sorry, son.” I immediately started crying soft wet tears, “Why him not me” I thought . Then I passed out. I had a whole nightmare I dreamed about our last moments then we never landed in the water. Only I landed in a sharks mouth down I snanked down and down the deep dark tunnel. Until I woke, on the ground.

I needed to eat, fast I was getting weaker by the hour. Then I realized I my feathers have felt a little heavier though I quickly forgot this as a hallucination. When I arrived at the fishing spot. I remembered what we did wrong last time and not to dive to deep. Before I hit the surface I remembered my longer beak ”Maybe I could use that to fish” I thought then I hit. Surprisingly I didn't get as wet as the first time. Then I saw it my hard earned meal “This is for you Robby” I said.

Then I grabbed it. Finally I could eat. I turned it around then I ate it, not as good as seeds but good.’Tomorrow I leave, I thought to myself”.

Moving and Changing Bharath Palanisamy Started my journey to go north. I started to get hungry but I knew I had to focus on the task at hand. My stomach was growling like a ferocious lion. I decided it was time for a break. I walked around looking for food I could barely find any fish and crab. I finally found a crab, I took a bite at a chewed. Yuk, It tasted nothing like the crab I was used to. I ran and found a pond and drank water like my life depended on it. I was still hungry. I found some seeds and decided to give it a try, I've seen other animals eat them so why not I eat one. I crunched, crunched, and crunched. I felt like a rock was stuck in my mouth. I bit and I finally swallowed. I tasted fine, but I liked crab much more.

I felt water on my head and shoulders, I felt wet but not wet. I hated this feeling. I saw ahead a giant square on two legs, it said something on it something I didn't understand. I felt that weird feeling again. The water wasn't fresh. It started raining, pouring hard. I found the cover I went under. The same odd creature that destroyed my house before was here. I started to run “Hey, what are you doing in the rain little guy,” she said.

I slowed down, her voice was different. She was kind and gentle unlike the people from before. She signaled me to follow her, so I did. I had nothing to lose. She let me into a big box. Inside it smelled good. I love it here. I’m hungry how do I tell her that. My stomach grumbled like an elephant. She luckily gave me a fried crab. I took a bite. My mouth watered. It was delicious. YUM! I better leave to go north but my life is so great here. Two other creatures walked into our home the had long black sticks, like the people who destroyed my home. I woke up. They were taking her away I ran. When they weren't looking I left. I found a rock and slept under it for the night. I woke up and if felt shorter, meh it was nothing.

I found some seeds and swallowed them of course after a lot of crunching. I found a forest and kept on going because I saw creatures. I kept on walking. I realized that when I swallowed the seeds they went through my throat really quick. I kept on walking north until I found another bird who looked like me but different. He was me but he was short and had many bulges on his beak. I walked forward and asked him who you are. He said with a pause “A family friend”.

What, so many questions in my mind. “You don't understand do you, “ he said “Yeah, what do you mean by family friend” I screamed at him “You’ll figure it out they always do,” He said gently “How can you be part of my family, you look so different,” I said while staring him down, Hard.

He walked away saying nothing. I was outraged. Doesn't this guy want to help me, stay with me? I walk, walk, walk and walk. I see wet white gush falling from the sky.

I run, run, and run. I see him. “STOP, this isn’t the place for you go back,” he said angrily.

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Albemarle Grade 5 2017 _____________________________________________________________________________________________________________ Bird Adaptations Narrative Excerpt Noah Gomes 2/26/2017 After flying for some time, I lost sense of direction, and eventually I found myself in a desert that was very hot. Soon after I arrived, I noticed it was the Arabian Desert. As soon as I found out that it was the Arabian desert, I knew it was going to be tough to survive in this desert.

First, the desert was very hot and it had many predators. So I needed to make some adaptations. One of the adaptations was to avoid flying during the day when the heat was very high.

I decided to rest during the day and fly at night so I had to become nocturnal and fly when the sun wasn't out. Since I had to fly mostly at night, my eyesight had to adapt and became better with time. When I arrived, I found a tree that was good for nesting, and I decided to made home there.

So I made a nest with twigs and papers that were left behind from people. I also mixed water and sand to make mud and used it to build my nest so that it can be sturdy.

Another adaptation I had to make was to produce an oily substance to coat my feathers.

During sandstorms, when the sand is blowing everywhere I use the oily substances to coat my feathers, and this helps the sand slide of my feathers Since I was mostly surrounded by predators, I had to look around to see if I could find any friendly bird that would guide me around for the first couple of days, but I found out that no such bird would help me.

I also, learned to curl into a ball and look like a rock and camouflage with my surroundings to trick the predators that wanted to eat me. It was hard to make friends because there were mostly predators around and competitors.

February 27th ,2017 Once my friend told me “ if you land in a desert you will not survive� which made me very nervous and scared. I did not know to expect in terms of predators, or if there were any birds to make friends with, or if i had to compete with any bird in this desert. So I just slept in my comfortable nest until the next day. My morning routine was gathering food to eat, but after a while my routine started to get boring and tiresome. But on my second day on the island, I left my nest and after flying for a very long time I still could not find anything to eat and I started to feel weak.

When I was about to give up and go to my nest to conserve energy, I spotted some small seeds under a bush and I dashed for it but another bird came from nowhere and snatched the food. I thought that I was going to starve to death and I decided to return to my nest. On the way to my nest, to my surprise, I found a small berry bush with a few berries on them. I must have missed that bush when I was going for the seeds. I flew down to the bush and ate those delicious berries before returning home to rest and waited until night time to go out again. I also realized that since gathering food was such a challenge and it would be a great idea to create a storage system of some sort to store extra food for days when I can not find any food at all, so slowly and over many weeks, I had a few extra seeds stored for when I might need it.

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Albemarle Grade 5 2017 _____________________________________________________________________________________________________________ Bird Adaptations Narrative Excerpt Luke Travaglini “We’re going to be the only Blue Jays in Chitwan National Park”. “Why do we have to leave”?

The strong, powerful oaks have been home to us ever since I was a chick and now we have to leave.”

I say.

“Lil Jay, you know I don’t want to leave, I am going to miss everyone and everything.” Says my middle brother.

I fly back to my oak, cutting my brother off, even the soft, calm chirps of the other birds can’t make me feel better. I get to my house and although humans wouldn't stop to look twice emerged in the vibrant leaves of this tree is my home. I am at the Fells Reservation, in Winchester Massachusetts, and this has been my home ever since I was born. Although I would like to stay, the fox population is growing and it is becoming dangerous so we have to leave.

Although my name is Lil Jay I am not the youngest in my family, I have two older brothers and a younger sister. My brothers and I hunt and fly together but my sister is still dependent on our parents so they hunt for her while she waits in the nest. My brothers and I enjoy beetles, nuts, seeds, acorns, caterpillars, and occasionally we will raid a nest for eggs and young. I am one of the youngest in our party, at the age of two. I’m only nine inches and I only weigh 2.8 ounces. I don’t have kids like many of the others, heck I don’t even have a mate.

I am scared that a falcon, racoon, hawk, or snake can eat me. How am I going to survive living in Nepal? I am nervous about moving to somewhere so far, I have never left the woods, and now I have to fly 11,000 miles without my parents. I am going to have to change so I can survive, I am going to have to be stronger than I am. I feel the rough, hard bark under my feet, I don’t want to do this but I have to. I go to my parents house to say my goodbyes, they tell me they will meet me in about a year, but I think they could be in great danger. When I return to my tree, although I feel uneasy, I pack and we fly.

Reading Can Be Harder Than it Looks Ian Hendrix In Lynda Mullaly Hunt’s ​Fish In A Tree, ​ Ally fights her dyslexia by building up confidence to not turn away and learn to read and write. Ally starts to struggle in Mr. Daniels class when they are given a simple assignment to write anything in their new notebook, not graded, and she doesn’t bother to do the assignment, she just draws a small black cube just to see how Mr. Daniels would react. This is shown when Ally thinks to herself and says “ I think about my drawing, but decide to draw a big three-dimensional cube with dark black sides, he said we could do anything, I want to see if he meant it” (55). The explanation for this quote is that Ally is not comfortable in Mr. Daniels class, nor currently in school. Ally is starting to learn how to read and write with a teacher named Miss Kessler, who tested her and found out that she had dyslexia. The evidence for this is when Ally says this “Two days Later, a lady named Miss Kessler pulls me out of class early in the day to give me some tests, Mr. Daniels is right, They are more like puzzles and games than those awful bubble tests we do” (160). Ally is liking school a little more from the games, playing chess with Mr. Daniels and school is getting easier from the help from Mrs. Kessler. Ally has built up full confidence to read write, comfortable with her dyslexia and has learned to read enough for her to be comfortable. One example to support that is when Ally says “I ask Mr. Daniels if I can renew by book at the library, and he smiles like I gave him cake”(260). The explanation for this quote is that Ally has built up full confidence to read with her dyslexia. At the end of the book Ally has built up full confidence to read and write with ease.

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Albemarle Grade 5 2017 _____________________________________________________________________________________________________________ Hockey Goalie Calder Reynolds I am a goalie I make saves I rob people Im as cold as a cave Try to score It's a bore You can't score Shoot more I am not always good Sometimes I stink But the posts are my friends “Dink, Dink, Dink” Sometimes I love goalie Sometimes I don't But whatever I feel I won't quit, I won't I'm a stone cold killer Or I'm a friend But whatever I am I try to change bend mend My mind

Cutting Down Our Nature Tyler Derenzo Ecosystems are affected majorly by deforestation. Deforestation can endangered many animals.​ Animals may die​ ​because when trees are cut down they may lose cover or trees that protects them from predators. ​Predators can't get food​ because their prey are all dead which leads to predators dying too. 137 species of animals are becoming extinct each day, which adds up to 50,000 species disappearing every year, also allot of plants live in the forest and those can die too of deforestation. How cutting trees can cause allot of problems.​ ​Deforestation is a major cause of global warming and obviously global warming is very bad for our earth.Reason why is because trees have carbon dioxide and if allot of carbon dioxide A tree can produce enough oxygen to support 2 human beings each year which how many trees get cut down that’s allot of oxygen that we need to survive A solution is that there is a group called reforestation were they replant trees.

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Albemarle Grade 5 2017 _____________________________________________________________________________________________________________ The Journey Alastair Rose After a terribly long flight I finally made it somewhere with no people. I arrived on Bolshevik Island, Siberia, Russia. It was freakishly cold there! One hour after I arrived, it started snowing. It kept snowing harder every hour. This was when I noticed that I had grown a lot of down feathers under my regular feathers to keep me warm. I flew to a patch of trees where the wind was not so bad. I settled down there to take a nap. I later awoke to a loud cracking sound. I realized that this patch of trees might not be so safe anymore. I looked around and saw that a tree had fallen two feet away from where I was sleeping.

The storm started settling down around 5:00 in the evening. I went out on the ice where it was very cold and wind and caught a Cisco to eat. After I ate the Cisco I went back to bed.

Apparently I was wrong about the storm settling down. During the night the storm must've picked up the pace because when I woke up there was at least four feet of snow!

I finally encountered my first bird around here that is like me. It was a Siberian Jay that had black legs, black crown/nape, and orange streakings through the wings. Even though it was still snowing really hard, this bird made these conditions look normal. This bird might compete with me for seeds and berries even though I am bigger.

For lunch today I had some berries that I found on a tree. Before I found those berries I was about to eat poison oak berries which could have killed me. Right before I ate them the Siberian Jay shouted, “Don't eat those! They are poisonous!”

There was also another problem. It was still snowing hard. I thought about going to find somewhere else to live because of the weather, but there was probably nowhere else with this little amount of people. Also, I have already fully adapted to living here on Bolshevik Island. Well I better get some sleep, tomorrow could be a big day.

When I woke up and opened my eyes, all I could see was white. I thought I was just really tired and seeing things. But then I realized I was surrounded by snow. It must have kept on snowing hard overnight. I was so scared because if I did not get out I would suffocate. But then I realized that my beak had also grown wider to help dig. I started digging but I did not make a lot of progress. I started using my wings to dig, and I started to make some progress. However, there was still a lot of snow on top of me. For a second, I thought I would not survive and I would not be able to say goodbye to my family. I pushed that thought out of my head, but it was getting harder to breathe.

But then miraculously an Arctic Fox, which is a predator of mine, dug a hole looking for food and found me. I instantly flew away because I did not want to be eaten. That was the worst thing that had ever happened to me. I could have stayed and said thanks but the Arctic Fox was hungry.

Finally I have found a safe place to live. I have adapted and I can survive here.

Fighting to Overcome Kavan Daftary In Lynda Mullaly Hunts’ ​Fish In A Tree,​ Ally has dyslexia and learns to overcome it by gaining more self confidence. When the school year starts, Ally is shy and she is constantly getting in trouble. One day, the teacher Mr. Daniels tells the class to bring in a bag with things that represent them and Ally decides, “I can bring in a full bag of dirt” (43). Ally thinks this because her dyslexia brings her down in every way. Later in the school year, Ally is getting bullied, but tries to overcome it by thinking “I really want to believe” (177) that anything is possible. Now Ally thinks she is not fully affected by dyslexia, but it is still annoying her. When it is time to vote for class president, Ally decides to run. At first, Ally was worried about doing the speech because she has dyslexia, but she does a good job anyways. The end result of the votes was “Congratulations, Madam President Nickerson” (208). Ally has achieved the lead role in her class, which convinces her that her dyslexia is not a roadblock. No matter how hard the disability, you can always overcome it.

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Albemarle Grade 5 2017 _____________________________________________________________________________________________________________ Snowed In Chris Ryan I wake up to the wind slapping against me. I keep my eyes closed for a moment praying that today’s weather will be better than the last. In the distance I hear the long, agonized call of a seal.

Making one more small prayer, I open my eyes. My hope sinks, I see ocean swells up to 20 feet, and it is raining. Now that probably doesn't sound so bad, but it is not just rain. It is freezing, cold, biting rain. I fly out into the ominous gray sky, and wonder if any food will lie in the thousands of miles ahead. I bite my beak and fly on. Miles and miles I fly until I finally see my destination ahead. On the iceberg I feel as if I am on top of the world. I chisel out a small piece of ice and drop it into the water below…. Nothing, I wait and wait, until I finally see bubbles at the surface. A black spot under the water, I seize my chance and dive down. I expect to come face to face with a small minnow, but I am wrong, very wrong. I come face to face with a twenty one foot long great white shark. I gulp and start to swim up and up, but although I have had much practice swimming, I am no match for a animal that has lived in water for its entire life. Suddenly the thrashing behind me stops. I look behind me thinking that the shark is gone, but again I am wrong. Although it has stopped swimming, it has its mouth wide open, until suddenly it chomps.

I close my eyes, but the whole world has gone hazy. I see blood trickling out of my wing. I fight my way to the surface, but realize that there is no way that I will make it. Suddenly my life flashes before my eyes. I see my kids, my kids I think. A rush of adrenaline comes over me, I grit my teeth and power through the surface. Red velvet blood streaks out from below me, like a long string of fire. I lie dazed on the iceberg, dazed, but alive.

I get up and try to fly back to my nest, and I am surprised to find that I can fly almost the same as I could before. I am almost home and am flying over an oil pit, when I start to realize that my wing is giving out. I lean to one side until I am right over the oil pit. I know that I will not be able to fly much farther, so I decide that it will be best to fall into an oil pit. Down and down I fall until I feel an unexplainable pain on my left shoulder. I sink farther into the oil pit, trying to fight my way out. But I am like a fish out of water. My feathers are like sponges soaking in the oil. Finally I let go, not trying to fight the sinking anymore.

I feel my lungs becoming tighter and tighter, until I pass out. I wake up in my nest with for little heads staring at me. They all talk at once; “We saw you fall.”

“We all flew in to try and save you.” “ I jumped in and fished you out.’’

I am the proudest mother alive right now. “Thank you. If not for all of you guys I would most likely be dead.” As a reward I decide that I will try to go get them some food, but as I approach the iceberg the chilling thought of the shark pierces my mind. As I descend, and hit the iceberg I realize that I have more traction on the ice than I usually do. This is most likely because I have gone from the warm oil right back into the cold air which has made my skin very rough. This time I decide to take a new approach to fishing. I know that I can perch very well on the ice, so I stand on the very tip of the iceberg, so that way I can see my prey. I drop my rock, and somehow instantly I see my prey, two small minnows. I dive down, and grab one with my barbed teeth. As I brake the surface of the water I am surprised to find that I am not wet, all of the water just beads up and rolls off of me.

Suddenly it hits me. I had soaked up so much oil in my fall that a permanent coating has covered my feathers. I fly back to my young victoriously, fish in my mouth. As I eat I think about the life that I have left behind, and the new one I have here. I think about how my sister has actually moved and does not live here anymore. And I think about how lucky I am to have four courageous little children. And then I think about how brutally tired I am from today’s arduous journey. Finally I fall asleep.

The next morning I wake to freezing wind and snow. All day I cannot leave my perch for it is too dangerous to fly out into the wild. This goes on for the next five days. Every day I become more and more fatigued until finally I can bear it no more. I tell my kids that I am leaving for the iceberg, “I may come home or I may not, but my spirit will always be with you” I tell them. I fly into the cold, 11

Albemarle Grade 5 2017 _____________________________________________________________________________________________________________ unforgiving wind, not knowing what lies ahead. I know that it will only be a matter of hours before the wind picks up and I will only be able to fly a mere yard or two without being pushed back. I fly on until I can hardly fly any farther, but still, wind in my face, home at my back, I push on. I am about to give up, let my body fall to the ocean, and this time have no one to save me, until I see the iceberg looming ahead.

I lie winded on the iceberg, my wing is stinging, my back is sore, but despite all of it I drag myself to my feet. I drop a rock into the ocean… Nothing. Again and again, I drop the rock and again and again nothing comes to the surface. I know that there is no food here, so I fly on. Blindly I thrash my wings through the air trying to find land, trying to find hope. I see a small iceberg, well more of a tiny dot of ice in the massive gray sea. I know that landing on this ice patch is my only chance to live.

Faster, and faster I descend, my heart is racing, I close my eyes and feel the rough barbs on my feet catch the ice, and again I narrowly escape death. I know that this is my last chance to live. Forget the rock although it has served me well, I can’t waste time. I feel myself on the edge of the ice, the tip of the iceberg I think, and then I jump. I plunge farther and farther into the water below. I know that I will not be able to hold my breath for so long, so I open my eyes. Under the water I a feel almost as if I am in a world of peace, I let the water fold onto me like a blanket. I think of my kids at home cuddled up waiting for me to come up with the one thing that will save their lives, food. I grit my teeth and swim, and suddenly out of the corner of my eye I see a flash of silver. I look over, this is no ordinary minnow- this is a full on atlantic salmon. The chase is on. Weaving through rock after rock, me nipping at his tail, him swimming faster and faster. Suddenly I am catching up. He keeps getting more and more tired, but I know that I cannot. I take one more nip knowing that if I miss I will have to get another sip of air. I feel the soft touch of flesh on my barby teeth. He struggles, but I fight harder. I thrash him with my sharp tooth, until I see his eyes sag shut. I thrash my wings harder and harder trying to escape the unforgiving water. I close my eyes and take one more tired thrash. I feel my head come out of the water, and I take a gasp of air and swim towards the iceberg. I lie on the iceberg exhausted, but victorious.

I fly lopsidedly back to my home in the crook of the iceberg, and think of how proud I would have made my friends back at home. How fortunate I am that I had fallen into the oil pit. I am dry and warm and can fly back to my home without getting hypothermia. I hear my little ones screaming in joy as I descend into my new nest. We all munch happily on the massive salmon that I have just caught. I know that this fish will last us a very long time, and I know that this is my home. I belong here, I can survive.

Perspectives Are Powerful Matthew Flaherty In Ann M. Martin’s ​Rain Reign​, Rose has a lot of challenges with Autism, her dog Rain, and her dad, but the challenges she faces force her out of her comfort zone and to think and act in new ways. Before Rose started thinking in new ways, she couldn’t tolerate somebody breaking a rule.

For instance, one day at school, Rose’s classmate was in the middle of reading a story, and she yelled out “Mrs. Kushel, Josh broke a rule” (41). Rose’s autism caused her to yell out in a way that was disruptive to the class. Another day, when Rose found her dog Rain and realized that Rain belonged to another family, she came to a decision by thinking of others. Instead of thinking of herself, she said, “I try to think about things from the boy’s and the girl’s perspectives” (201). If Rose had only thought of herself and her own feelings, she probably would have kept Rain. A final challenge for Rose was trying to understand why her dad left her. She realizes that it may have actually been a brave decision by her dad, saying “My father and I have something else in common.

We are both brave” (219). By seeing things through her dad’s eyes, Rose realizes that they have something in common. Even when faced with great challenges, people can succeed by remaining open to new ways of thinking and other people’s perspectives.

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Albemarle Grade 5 2017 _____________________________________________________________________________________________________________ How Forest Fires Affect The World Will Hesp, Noah Ciccolo, Declan Schweizer, Eric Hadley While the fire is going on it burns down the trees which could fall down and ​destroy animal nests​ or homes) When animals are sleeping or maybe hibernating they could die in the fire or they wake up to late and overheat or die from the fire). ​The fire could​ destroy the lives of animals, destroy trees, and food for animals which all harm animals. The fires unbalance the population) Herbivores can’t get food because it is burned so they eventually die, and then the predator over populates because they get the food they need but then there is too little food so the population drops) In the north western part of the U.S. if there is a fire some animals go north into a colder area, but there is already deer there so they ​overpopulate​ and then the population drops because there is not enough food. Forest fires aren't good for the environment because they affect the biotic elements and destroy balance in the ecosystem. (William Hesp) Businesses are affected by forest fires​. One example of this is because the people that live near near the business have to evacuate, and no one is their to buy the businesses product. Second of all, sometimes the whole business has to evacuate and then of course they can not get any money and maybe even the whole business has to shut down. The third reason why businesses are affected by forest fires is sometimes people are injured and they can't work anymore. The People near the fire (or in it) are also affected by the fires and here are some ways how they are affected. First, ​the crops​ can be ruined by the fire. This is bad because they don’t have much food to eat. Another reason why the people near the fire are affected is because the fire ​can​ burn down their homes and of course this would be bad. Third, people around or in the fire can be harmed by the smoke and the smoke can cause lung failure. (Noah Ciccolo) The government should take more action to stop forest fires before they spread. The government should spend more time with putting time and energy into fighting forest fires. Not just putting time and energy,but acting sooner to get it under control before it destroys urban areas.

The government also needs to not just put the local firefighters also put elite firefighters so they can control it faster. If you have the people fighting the fires, you also need to give them the equipment for the job like ​fire proof boots, gas masks, headlamps, axes and fire proof gloves​ . How can we stop forest fires from continuously sweeping the nation? By enforcing ​laws​ about where people can have an open flame in a forest. How would you know if someone had an ​open flame​? By giving park rangers the permission to oversee any open flame at our parks. If someone is to have an open flame, he or she should need to get a permit. If all these changes happened, forest fires could become history. (Declan Schweizer) The description of the forest fire ecosystem. What the weather is in the chaparral forest. In the chaparral forest it is ​mild and moist​, but not rainy during the summer so it is very hot and dry, and it gets up to 30 to 100 degrees fahrenheit. ​The boime only gets about 10 to 17 ​inches of rain and most of it comes from the winter. Chapparells can be found from ​30 to 50 degrees fahrenheit and 30 to 40 fahrenheit latitudes​, the climate occurs central and southern coast of California. How do the people affect the forest fires. ​80 % of every forest fires most likely started by​ humans. Lots of forest fires are started by humans because some people leave their fires out when they are done camping and then it makes a big forest fire. There are a lot of things that affects forest fires and some are the weather and the humans. (Eric Hadley)

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Albemarle Grade 5 2017 _____________________________________________________________________________________________________________ The Tree Aidin Bina There was once a festival in a nymph village, it was the festival they held every year. It was to celebrate the gods who were very important to the nymphs. This festival was the biggest festival of the year and everyone was there except for one nymph who was considered an outcast. The outcasted nymph had no parents and was an orphan, which led her to often explore beyond the normal boundaries. On the day of the festival she wanted to venture into the woods, which had long been forbidden by the nymph counsel after the disappearance of a young nymph. This heavily enforced law did not stop the orphan though, who then traveled into the woods not believing the myth.

The myth stated that there was a beautiful young nymph that lived by the golden apple tree, this tree was guarded by a big vicious dragon. The apples that the dragon guarded were said to be so magnificent that with a glance, any mortal would instantaneously give anything to have them.

One day the young nymph decided to take a walk through the mountains where the tree laid. When she was walking she caught sight of the dragon that was guarding the tree and was horrified. This dragon had 100 snakes on it’s back and they were all hissing at her very loudly, so loud that the young nymph ran away to get help. When she came running into her village she was confronted by her best friend Styre, who was a half goat half human, and he asked what is going on? She described what she saw and when she finished explaining they both ran back to the place where the dragon lay, to take another dreadful look at the monster.

When they got there they both caught a glimpse of a golden apple and immediately started walking towards it in a trance. Meanwhile they were being followed unknowingly by a giant cyclops who had followed them to the tree of golden apples. The thing that none of these mortals knew was that Athena had set a spell on the apples, “If two or more are to touch the same apple they shall be made one body and one mind”. As the three of them were walking towards the apples the dragon spoke loudly, “I warn you not to come near, I am the guardian of these apples and I will do anything to stop intruders”. Yet the intruders were still walking, so the dragon started to claw at them viciously.

Then, at once the two nymphs, the dragon, and the cyclops all lunged toward the tree, touching the same apple at the same time. So just as it was stated in the curse, they all molded into one body, bound together by their minds. It had the legs of a goat, the upper body of a human, hair made of snakes, the wings of a dragon, and a big red eye in the middle of it’s forehead. In addition to this appearance this creature now stood over 100 feet tall, and was ferocious to any who laid their eyes upon it. As soon as this happened the creature jumped down the cliff and disappeared into the woods never to be seen again, until one day the day of the festival when the outcast orphan decided to venture into the forbidden forest.

When she was walking through the woods she heard rustling behind some trees. She went over to them and slowly looked behind the trees. She saw a beast, a terrible beast, it was the same creature from the myth she never believed until that moment. She slowly started to walk away but she caught the eye of the beast. Then it was all over, The beast quickly back handed the girl into a tree. The young orphan was dead just like the young girl had died what seemed like ages ago.

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Albemarle Grade 5 2017 _____________________________________________________________________________________________________________ A Fresh Mind Ian Herrera In the book “​Rules​” by Cynthia Lord, Catherine learns to accept her brother David's differences by changing her thinking through an experience with her friend. Catherine meets a boy named Jason who has disabilities like David. Jason can't speak, so Catherine makes cards for him with little pictures, but once, there was a picture of Jason without his wheelchair and he said on pages (165) and (166) “where. Wheelchair” “want. Wheelchair. In. picture.” Jason gets mad at Catherine for not showing who he really is in the picture and rolls away in his wheelchair, but Catherine starts realizing how she must feel about David. Catherine meets friends that aren't nice and put her down. Once when Catherine was feeling down, David came to her and said he wanted her to fix a box but she just took it and threw it in the garbage, but the second she threw it she felt terrible and knelt down for the first time and said on page (163) “I am sorry”. Catherine feels awful knowing that David wasn't trying to do anything wrong and was simply asking for help. Later that night while Catherine was in her room, David came in and said on page (199) “no toys in the fishtank” which is one of Catherine’s rules for David. Usually Catherine won't budge, but instead Catherine got up and took the toy out, then out of nowhere Catherine gave David the biggest hug ever. At that moment Catherine truly accepted David for who he really is and let go of what other people think of him. In conclusion, if someone looks different or sounds different, it doesn't mean they are different inside.

Bird Adaptations Narrative Excerpt Colin Mealey We are coming to where we think we will stay until the flock finds us. Then everything gets hotter than normal. Everything starts to go black slowly and then I could not hear anything, not even my own voice. I don’t feel well. I have to start flying down then suddenly I feel a sharp pain in my back, then I opened my eyes to see the other duck that was flying with me trying to wake me up.

Soon after I woke up I realize that my whole body ached and my head was spinning like a top. I didn’t even know what was up and what was down at this point. I see the other duck and she has white spots on her stomach and then I see if I have them and I do, along with barbed teeth for both of us.

The other duck said, “Come on we need to get to safety.”

I ask, “Why?” She says, “You just fell out of the sky for no apparent reason.”

I think to myself, well that probably explains all the pain.

After a while we decide to find a bush to sleep in, near a lake for food. After I had recovered almost completely I was hungry and I thought that the barbs in my mouth would definitely help to fish because it will give me more grip so fishing will probably be easier. It took a long time to find a fish. When I finally saw a fish that looked pretty ​decent​ I tried to eat it, however this was, for some reason, very hard. The most difficult part was to tear the fish apart small enough to eat it. The other duck helped me pull the fish apart. We did this by each having half of the fish in each of our mouths and pulling the opposite way.

It has been a days since I passed out so unexpectedly and things feel like they have gotten colder than it was when we first came here, I have not passed out again. I guess that means that I was overheated.

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Albemarle Grade 5 2017 _____________________________________________________________________________________________________________ The Astounding Tale of a Free Bird Declan Schweizer We grab a snack and we head off with a storm on our tail. We are fast birds but the storm is faster. We get tired flying so fast across the length of the island we need to rest we perch on top of a oak tree in a human backyard. But we picked the wrong tree at the wrong time with a flash of white we turn around and we were huge. Me my brother and my dad were directly struck so we were the biggest. Now we are big fast strong and powerful we get out of the storm and over open ocean. We realize we can fly higher so we fly above the storm and it is smooth sailing from here. We soar high above the ocean the we see land. It is a place a lot like Nantucket so we know how to find food.

Insects aren't very filling any more so we go after a mouse it is lightning quick i pin it to the ground but he chomps down on my toe and cuts it clean off with the help of a thorn bush. My brother gets the mouse in his beak but he can't bite it he keeps trying until his beak sharpens and he slices through the mouse. We leave this long island and head farther south for a place that suits us. We fly for a few weeks and we reach a place called Charlotte. We reach this weird place and then we take a look at each other with astonishment and confusion. We look around we all have sharp strong beak, three huge talons. Then we find a pond we go to drink water then something dashes out of sight. We fly up we are getting tired of all the circling then we figured out how to hover (Fly in place). We go down to the water and grab it as it it flops right out after many failed attempts we go down to rest.

In the morning we go down for round two. Astonishingly we grasp it and it can't flop out we rip it and swallow it down.

We faintly start turning green and brown when we leave charlotte. Then we get more and more colors but keeping the same color pattern we fly off heading south. Days later we find ourselves over the ocean again we look back with no land in sight. We hove over the over the big blue and then my dad spots it a little tiny piece of land right on the horizon,but it is getting darker.

We fly fast racing the sun. We dive down and barely make it to the island. Ten minutes later it is pitch black. We sleep on a nearby tree waiting for morning. In the morning we find we are on an island called cuba we don't like it here many old rickety cars that give off nasty fumes. We fly north a little and find people boarding a water thing i recognize from nantucket. We carefully rest on top to see where it is headed. It takes of fit stats slow then speeds up we are amazed at how fast it goes.

In a few hours we are in a water thing convention center. We fly off and we fly for an hour and then we see it the place we have been waiting for the cypress forest.

The Destruction of The Astounding Reefs Luke Zermani I wake up to the strong, shining sun. I can hear the noisy visitors nearby. I am going to Siberia and I need to adapt to the new weather and the snow. There is snow here in New England, but in the winter, the temperatures in Siberia can drop to -49 degrees fahrenheit. Because of all of the ice and snow in Siberia, there will be fewer insects, so I may need a new beak in order to catch fish.

There are a few predators here in Boston, including shrikes, owls, and especially Sharp-Shinned Hawks. When seeds from bird feeders fall on the ground, sparrows and Juncos always compete for the seeds. At the feeders, Juncos like me prefer millet rather than sunflower seeds. However, seeds, buckwheat, lamb’s quarters, and sorrel represent about 75% of my annual diet.

Now that I am two years old, I don’t count on my parents to take care of me anymore. I have two younger siblings and four older siblings. I am not married yet, and I have no chicks. My parents had me in Maine, and I have lived here in Boston ever since.

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Albemarle Grade 5 2017 _____________________________________________________________________________________________________________ Going Up in Flames Dillon Woods, Andre Jiang, William Gao, Erick Garcia Forest fires destroy the forest and affect all the plants and animals that live in it. They cause many problems like forcing the animals to move. The burning flames and smoke destroy the animals homes and make it hard for the animals to breath. These forest fires spread very quickly, sometimes too fast for the animals to escape and they die or get injured.The animals that do escape unharmed have to start all over again in their lifestyle. These forest fires can happen in any forest and ​grassland that has plants and animals and where the conditions are ​dry and hot​. ​Evergreens​ and more plants and animals have to adapt to their new habitat after the fire. The biggest fires can happen in the forest because there is lots of dead pines on the ground. Forest fires are devastating and have long lasting effects to the plants and animals that live there.

The smoke from a forest fire affects the ecosystem around it. The smoke is bad for humans and animals, but it also affects non-living things like the water and the air. The smoke ​makes the water dirty​ so it’s bad for animals if they drink it. It also affects older adults it makes them have a greater chance of getting ​lung disease and heart disease.​ It costs a lot water to put out the fire, and if they have​ no water homes might burn, animals might die​, and the forest might be disordered.

Wildfires happen in grasslands and forests like the Chaparral forest. In the chaparral there are oak trees and evergreens. Wildfires happen in the Sclerophyll forests in California, they also happen in Nothofagus forests in central Chile, but they happen in the Coniferous forests around the world.

Smoke can affect humans, other animals, and plants, but also abiotic factors like water.

The major ​stakeholders​ in any state are the government, residents, and ​9-1-1​ departments, are directly affected. When a fire is started in the forest, fire fighters have to go out and stop it before it reaches a city or town. When a fire is serious they will waste more energy trying to dig a fireline to stop the fire. The government then need to pay for the damage which will cost lots of money depending on the fire. If it reaches a city the people must evacuate. Towns nearby might get their taxes raised so the government can pay for the reconstruction. The builders may have to call in more builders to help and they have to get payed that will cost even more money. Hunters may get less money because all the animals might have died in the fire. The government can pay for the reconstruction. The builders may have to call in more builders to help and they have to get payed so that will cost more money. ​Hunters​ may get less money because all the animals might have died in the fire.

Forest fires may be very destructive but, we can always make them less destructive or even prevent them. You can make your home safer from wildfires with these easy steps. Fires need fuel to burn so, if you clear an ​area approximately 30​’ away from you home that is free of anything that will burn like wood piles, dried leaves, newspapers and other brush. Even if the area around your house is safe from fire you might not, so always make a plan in case there is a fire. You can always get help by calling 9-1-1​ or someone else can to, but don't assume that someone else has called. Keeping your house safe from a fire is one thing, preventing them from happening is another. The best way to prevent a wildfire is to make sure that you put out all your campfires outside by, pouring a gallon of water onto the fire then stir the ashes thoroughly. Another way to prevent campfires from going wild is to make them in a fire pit. Everybody can help make a wildfire less destructive and commen.

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Albemarle Grade 5 2017 _____________________________________________________________________________________________________________ Adapt George Leness Fenway park has been my home for 6 months. I can hear the chants of the loud, passionate fans all day. They wake me up in the morning, and don’t let me go to bed in the night. Whenever that game starts, those fans are there. It can be annoying. Really annoying. Even from my perch on one of the metal beams, I can still hear them screaming. But, one of the many perks is that I have no shortage of food. I love having the warm, salty popcorn as a snack. And even sometimes the sweet, sugary, cotton candy, but that can be too sweet for me. I also have so many friends. My best friend is Saturn. He is a European Starling. He is super nice. I met him about 3 months ago. He lives right across from me. He’s flying over right now!

“Hey Tufty. How are you doing? Have you been sleeping lately?” Saturn said.

“Hey Saturn. Sleeping has been horrible, hasn’t it? I think it is because of that playoff thing.

The humans are much more excited.” “ Yeah. Listen, Let's go down to the grass, and play around a bit.” He says.

“Okay! Last one down there is a rotten egg!” I say. Of course, he beats me. He always beats me. I mean, what can I do? I’m like, 3 times smaller than he is.

“What took you too long? Is little tufty too slow?” He taunts, jokingly.

“Shut up. What do you want to play?” I ask.

“Oh, darn it. I just remembered, I got to go home now.” He says.

“Ok. See you later”. I say. I decide to stay on the grass. I love how the prickly, flat grass always tickles my toes. As I lay on the grass, I realize how nice it is just to relax. To take in this place.

I am always so caught up in the hustle and bustle of the human's daily life, I never have a chance to just lay down and think. As I think,I realize that I have already grown as much as I will. I am around 1 ounce, and am 1 and a half years old. My brothers have moved to some crazy places already. They wanted a new adventure. Maybe I do too.

Am I crazy? I have a great life here. I mean, the honking, annoyed cars can bother me, and I am scared of the bright lights, but otherwise, what place would be better? But, then on the other hand, I want something more. I want a different lifestyle. Something where I can do more lying on the ground and relaxing and less running around trying not to be trampled by humans. I got to do it.

But where?

I got it. Siberia. A Lake. What could be better? Relaxing in the lake in the summer, then playing in the snow in the winter. I love the snow. My parents didn’t mind when my brothers left, they won’t mind when I leave.

But maybe Saturn will. I didn’t think about that. When I arrive there, I won’t have any friends. I am leaving so much behind. How much am I gaining? Adventure. That’s what I want. I want something new. But I don’t want to leave so much behind. Here’s an idea. Take some of what is behind, with me. Let’s go talk to Saturn.

“Hey Saturn. Listen, I got to talk to you.” I say.

“I’m listening.” He responds.

“I am going to A lake in Siberia.” I say quietly.

“Did you say you are leaving?” He responds.

“Yes. And I want you to come with me.” I say.

“You do?”

“Yes. You're the best friend I’ve ever had. I want a new adventure, and I want you to come with me.”

“No.” “Did you say no?” I respond, surprised “Yes. I like my life here. Have a good trip.” He says.

“Ok. I didn’t expect you to say that, but I’ll see you.”

“Ok. Thanks for being a good friend!” He says.

“You too.” I respond, and fly away. Now, I’m ready to go.

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Albemarle Grade 5 2017 _____________________________________________________________________________________________________________ Oil Overload Matthew Sliwa The next day I felt pretty miserable from the lack of sleep. That morning I was talking to Jack and he said that they were going to the Gobi Desert too. So about 10:00 am we left and were heading to Guinea, Africa and we arrived about 6:00 pm. From then to 9:00 pm we were eating because we were starving from the long trip. Around 10:00 pm Jack asked me what my favorite food was and I said, “berries” and he said, “sunflower seeds.” That night I got some better sleep, but not great. I had a dream about how famous I would be to be the first Black-Capped Chickadee to survive in the Gobi Desert.

The next day we gathered some mixed nuts and berries for our next part of the journey. We are going to Warsaw, Poland. As we're moving north to Poland the weather is getting cooler and I am almost brownish tan and have some little white spots on my wings. By now my black cap is white to blend in with posable snow and my wings are huge for traveling farther distances. Also, it’s about 2:00 pm and I’m eating on the go because I’m starving right now. On our way to the Gobi Desert, there are many awesome sites that I have seen. About 7 hours later we arrive at Warsaw, Poland. That evening while I was watching the stars I got a funny feeling in my stomach about my parents. Then I decided to write them a letter and tell them what an awesome trip I’m having and I tell them all about Jake and how his parents let me travel with them. After writing the letter I feel asleep.

The next day I woke up feeling relaxed and calm. As we were heading to Mary, Turkmenistan I felt kind of sore from flying but I kept on flapping my huge wings. Around an hour later I felt sore again but this time I ate some to help me get over it. Around 7 hours later we arrive in Mary, Turkmenistan and from there I took a relaxing late afternoon. That night I was watching the stars and saw the big dipper and little dipper too. All night I was dreaming that I could see my parents again but I know it’s probably not going to happen.

The next morning I woke up feeling sad that our journey is almost over and happy because we're accomplishing something that no other Chickadee has over done. After everyone else had woken up around 6:45 am we decided to leave around 7:00 am. During our flight to Urumqi, China I saw some weird citings and one of them looked like a cone with a bunch of circle platforms sticking out of the sides. 12 hours later it was starting to get dark but luckily we just arrived and when we did we went straight to sleep because tomorrow was going to be the big day when we arrive in the Gobi Desert.

The next morning I woke up feeling energized and really excited because this is the last day that we have to travel and after this, we will be in the Gobi Desert. So as soon as I fueled up for the last part of our great journey I woke up Jake and we gathered some food for Jake’s parents. As soon as Jake’s parents fueled up we hit the road. About an hour into the last part I was almost completely changed. Now I have developed white spots on my wings to keep cool from the sun, a white cap to keep cool, tan body to blend in with the sand, thick tan feet to walk on cacti, and long huge wings to shield my body from the blistering heat. About 9 hours later we arrive at our destination and I am so excited. That night we celebrated our arrival and then went to sleep.

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Albemarle Grade 5 2017 _____________________________________________________________________________________________________________ Confusion Jack Renaud In Cynthia Lord's ​Rules​, Catherine is confused on how to juggle friends and family, but she learns to respect people and give second chances which untangles the stress. Catherine doesn't want to help her brother, even though she wants him to be more mature and civil. I can prove this as she writes “Pantless brothers are not my problem” (58). This just shows that her priorities and control over friends and family are not quite right. For Catherine friends top family, which make it hard for her to bond correctly with her parents and brother. Catherine does try to equal it out with her parents but David is much less than friends as she says “I hate it when Mom looks away when she hears a shriek” (15). Catherine needs to think more of David as she really wants to make him a suitable brother. Catherine isn't respecting what is most important on making her happier.

Catherine definitely needs to take more respect for her family as she narrated “ … Mom says no but I throw david in anyway” (88). Although the lack of respect for family, she does start to be less protective of david and treat David like he is a civil person,(which he 75% is) which pays back, making Catherine feel that David is more a friend than a brother. Catherine wants to have a civil brother, and respectful parents. She gets this by treating David as she would like to be treated.

Sometimes in life, If you treat someone as you want to be treated you will be rewarded with respect.

The Adventure Ty Ciongoli “Come on chicks, we have to pack up to go to Death Valley, California”. Hi, I live in an oak tree in Marini’s Farm Stand, in Ipswich, Massachusetts. Because of coldness my mate, my four chicks and I, have to move to Death Valley in California. It was recorded as the highest temperature ever set in the World, at 134 degrees fahrenheit. It will be very hard to adjust to the climate and temperature, but I think my family is tough and will handle it.

An adaptation of mine is that I have a long a curved beak, so I can get my Food and Water source. For Food, most of my prey will be insects, and even something abiotic like seeds. I have been practicing on digging, by finding a specific spot in the Corn Maze, and just digging.

I am planning to live either in Badwater Basin, which is the lowest zone of Death Valley, (And of America) or Telescope Peak which is the highest part of Death Valley. The pro for Badwater Basin is that my family and I have been practicing living under sea level so we are our getting used to it, but a con could be It would be to deep to live near. The pro for Telescope Peak is that we our so high up, our family can see any predators like Common Nighthawks, and Rattlesnakes. The con for Telescope Peak is that the oxygen and air is not that good.

It is good that Death Valley is hot, but I hope it not too hot like 134 degrees fahrenheit. To get there we are going to fly, and I estimate we are going to have 4 or 5 stops, but all of us has good stamina, so I am not worried about that. Finally, I go over to my Parents tree, but they are not there.

So with my long beak, I scratch out on there Oak Tree, “Bye, Guys. Going to move to Death Valley for a while. Be safe!” Sincerely, Dante Michael Bluebirdi. I fly back to my Oak Tree.“Let’s go to Death Valley”, I say to my family.

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Albemarle Grade 5 2017 _____________________________________________________________________________________________________________ Showdown: Bird Style Connor Gandel Remember when I said that if I wanted to go on this journey, I’d have to make some adaptations? I just meant behavioral things like forcing myself to drink out of ponds instead of stealing from leftover Poland Spring bottles. I can’t believe that now I’m a bird with shiny rock gray feathers, eyebrows that can cover my eyes, and a body that doesn’t mind the heat. All this stuff tells me now that I’ve been here in Dubai for a couple of weeks, it’s final, I’m staying. Back in Egypt I was contemplating whether to settle there or not, and Dubai is the same biome as Egypt, but even better! There’s a huge desert that’s great for me, heat doesn’t bother me, dust doesn’t bother me, and even the sun doesn’t bother me! And there’s a gigantic city, too. Fast food, convenience stores, pharmacies, all the good stuff! I’ve already started setting up my new home, a combination of shrubs, desert grass, flowers, dry weeds, and a sign that says something in Arabic. But don’t worry, this is only what I have so far.

Oh No! Scarce has found me again! How! How could he have gotten here!? It’s too late to run now, and I can’t just leave my home.

“Scarce. I thought I told you to get lost.”

“Yeah, but what for? I just wanted to check out these cool features you have!”)

“Wouldn't you understand?”

“How could you know that?”

“You don’t remember me, do you? Am I really that different from before?”

“Excuse me, who are you?”

“I’m that tufted titmouse who’s home and family was destroyed by you.”

“That’s a lie. You can’t possibly be him.”

“Well I am, I’ve just made a couple adaptations.”

“Well,” he said in a way that made me know he was mocking me.

“I don’t believe you, how could we have encountered each other again in a different continent?”

“I came here on an adventure, why are you here?”

“I’m on a vacation with my, uh, family.” He said that last word very softly.

“Please don’t remind me, but that makes sense.”

Now about here was the point where a predator appears, right behind Scarce.

“Scarce, there’s a, a, a-ha-” “So you’re trying to get rid of me, aren’t you” “No, there’s a, a-ha-” “Oh, I’m gonna beat you u-” “Behind you!” I screamed. Then I ran in, tried to throw off the hawk, (Yes, the predator was a hawk) but it was too late. The hawk had grasped Scarce with his talons and flew off. Being just as scared as I was when my home burned down, I hid under a bush. I watched carefully, as the hawk soared, and eventually reached its nest. It probably isn’t worth it to try to fly in and save the guy who killed my family and forced me to relocate. Nevermind, I would be crazy! But then again, it seems like he just wants to get to know me now, like I did years back. If I save him, I could finally have a friend of my own kind! I guess I’m going up to the nest. (Bad move.) I carefully tried to fly up behind the hawk, but a sudden gust of wind jetted sand straight for me. Trying to shake it all off, I realized that sand never actually got on me, it just slid right off my feathers. Don’t worry about my eyes, either, I instinctively lowered my umbrella eyebrows to shield them. But I had made too much noise trying to avoid the dust. The hawk was coming right for me! Think! Think! There’s nothing I can do, my mind is too dull after I lived off of other people for two years. I braced myself, back to the hawk, I didn’t want to see how It would end. I closed my eyes, eyebrows covering, waiting, waiting for the hawk to strike. Something was going on. The hawk was coming straight for me, he would’ve killed me in a millisecond! So I turned around, frightened even more than when my home burned down, the hawk was blinded, little did I know, as I had my back turned, my feathers reflected the 21

Albemarle Grade 5 2017 _____________________________________________________________________________________________________________ sun onto the hawk, blinding it. You know that phrase You-Only-Live-Once, or YOLO. I totally YOLO’d this next part. Flying faster than I ever had before, I took Scarce, and both of us flew down to the ground. By this point, the hawk had recovered. “Shoot!” I yelled. Then I threw Scarce under a bush, but again, I didn’t have enough time to hide. I keep repeatedly risking my life to save Scarce when all he’s done for me is ruin my life. I chickened out again, try to turn my feathers to the hawk, but the sun won’t line up! It’s over. I’ll just curl up into a ball and die. I hear the swooping of the hawk get closer, and closer, and closer... and farther away, and farther away?

“The hawk just swooped over us, wait, is that you, or a rock?” Scarce questioned.

“What? It’s me, Keemstar.”

“You saved my life!” He yelled. I savored that moment because I knew that would be the only time he would give any bit of respect to me.

“How?” “You looked identical to a rock!”

“Really! Cool!”

“Thanks, um, I don’t know what to say.”

“The name is Keemstar, by the way.” And then he took off, confused and amazed at what had just happened.

And that was the last time I’ll probably ever see Scarce. I need to stop for a quick breath.

“Huff!” “Huff!” “Ptoo.” I scanned the area to make sure the hawk wasn’t nearby. I didn’t see anything.

I might as well give myself a reward of a nice air-conditioned convenience store. There’s one right next to this bush I threw Scarce into. A little old, but it will do. So I guess there isn’t much left for me to tell you in this entry. Keemstar, yet again, out.

Overcoming Dyslexia Hudson Poirier In Lynda Mullaly’s book, ​Fish in a Tree, ​Ally’s dyslexia makes her vulnerable, but she overcomes it and gains her self confidence, and now she will speak up for herself. In the beginning of the book, Shay bullies Ally by taunting her about how she can’t read. For example, Shay asks “can you read the ice cream flavors for me on the dessert menu, I’m having trouble pronouncing it” (23-24). That makes her feel even worse about herself, and it can turn a silver dollar day to a wooden nickel one in a second. Towards the middle of the book she gains inner strength when she finds a teacher who believes in her. For example, when Mr. Daniels encourages her to do show and tell (48). Then she stands up and shares for show and tell, this is where she comes out of the dark and into the sun. At the end of the book she is not shy and now will stand up for herself. Shay nominated Ally to run for president and Ally is really shocked and nervous “ No, she did not just do that” Ally said (199). She is against Shay and feels like she is going to lose, but after the class voted Ally won class president and she gained all of the self confidence she needs. Now Ally can speak up for herself and her overcomes all of her obstacles in her way.

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Albemarle Grade 5 2017 _____________________________________________________________________________________________________________ Bird Adaptations Narrative Excerpt Mikey McGee Rachel, Liangelo and I have left the flock, and are preparing for the storm. The days are getting shorter, and we are really close to Rhode Island. Those weird feathers are really starting to come in. Liangelo has some family in Boston, so we might stop there for the storm so we have a nice nest. The wind is starting to pick up again and it's been harder to fly, but we're still happy we left the flock. The wind and the flurries are making really hard to know where we're going. Lianglo said that where almost in the harbor, and his cousins live in the "Sea Port".

We're in the harbor, and the snow is really coming down. It's amazing, it's soft ice, and it's covering the city. White everywhere you look, it's a "whiteout" or at least that's what the humans are calling it. Now the sun's going down, and it's really cold out here, my wings are freezing and it feels numb all around them. We can't stay on the beach, because of these massive waves that are black and so cold that they will make you blue. Liangelo hasn't found his cousins yet, and he is starting to get worried that something has happened to them.

The storm has been going for 4 hours, we are snowed in this alley. We're in a trash barrel and I can't keep my eyes open. It's really dark the top of the barrel fell but I'm too cold to push it back up. We are huddled up trying to stay warm, with feet of snow piling on top of us. Rachel is asleep, and Liangelo is talking nonsense. I can't tell if it's because of the cold or his cousins. My eyes feel heavy, the shivering is making me more tired, but I'm scared to go to sleep because I might not wake up. I don't know why I left nice warm Sydney...

I wake up to the sound of scratching, And fear. Liangelo is attacking the top of the bin. He looks at me, and yells"There is too much snow we're stuck!".

This wakes up Rachel in a flash. "What going on," she says still dazed from is sleep.

"Where stuck" Me, and Liangelo shouts back.

She gets up frantically and springs into the top of the barrel. Thud, she falls.

"We're stuck, we're going to die here," she says. I can't feel my feet I think I might have frostbite, Liangelo has stopped trying to get out and is just sitting in the corner.

"We can go into the trash" Yells Rachel.

She writes I go into the trash, and it's not as cold. I'm starting to get the feeling in my feet, and wings. I'm tired from all the scratching and pushing. I peek my head out, and Liangelo is asleep in the corner, and Rachel is asleep in the trash. I go back under and fall asleep cold, and wet.

I wake up to the hole trash barrel floating. I think I might be dead, then I'm upside down, and the top of the barrel opens. We all fall-through, then everything goes dark... I wake up to a bright light, and my best friend shaking me, saying, "We're okay, we're okay."

The sun warms my body as I notice that where in a dump. Get up, and I say "Let's go"

Nightmares William Grayken Friday, 13th of September 2017 Dawn breaks, the spectacular, orange sun begins to rise. The golden rays of sunshine meet my eyes. Crisp, cool air surrounds me, I begin to climb out of my nest in search of something to eat. I think about berries, those are always a excellent option but I finally settle on going down to the bird feeder. The air is cool, reminding me that the harsh, cold winter is soon approaching. Whilst I fly down to the feeder I am once again reminded of my father. I remember him flying with me away from Weir River Farm, I like Hingham but am certainly more fond of it. “You are not safe here Kiwi,” my father told me in his low, deep voice. All I could manage was a nod. He placed me on this very feeder and told me this was my new home, “Plimoth Plantation,” and so it is. That was before they 23

Albemarle Grade 5 2017 _____________________________________________________________________________________________________________ took him away. He was taken into a lab, so they could do tests on him and learn more about the Black- Capped Chickadee. My father died in the process. I was never close to my mother or my siblings, I know my mother is still alive but don’t know anything about my siblings, they could be dead for all I care.

I only feel sad for that very moment I think about my family, but now I feel cheerful, the past is behind me. After all that was ages ago, now I am five months, fully grown but with no children.

Plimoth Plantation is a beautiful place, the calm, soothing waves overlap onto the rocks, every wave sending me closer to falling asleep. Suddenly my joy is destroyed. Overweight tourists dressed in vibrant, florescent clothes flood in through the gates, like a swarm of bees evacuating their nest to go out into the fresh, cool air, this is the fresh, cool air. I fly up to the tree before anyone can notice me. Failing at trying to ignore the never-ending loud chatter that drifts obnoxiously up to my tree, I peer down past the leaves and glance angrily at the mob of school children pointing and shouting.

“Oh how I long for peace and quiet,” I say quietly. Apparently not quietly enough, a song sparrow perches on the edge of my branch.

“Couldn’t agree more, silly people, always disturbing us.” I just nod my head and bury myself into my cosy nest made of moss and soft leaves. Soon he gets bored and flies away. I hear him whisper to another song sparrow in the tree opposite mine. “ Well she’s not very friendly.”

They snicker. Suddenly my eye catches something, something I have never seen before. My eyes soon become infused with the mesmerizing, golden flames. I start to fly closer but very cautiously, not cautiously enough. I get too close.

Pain strikes me like nothing I’ve ever experienced before, I let out a small shriek. Tears start to run down my face. I try to fly back to the safety of my nest but my wing is burnt too severely. All I can manage is dragging my body across the dirt floor, slowly inching my way to the tree. Each second becomes more agonizingly painful. I finally make it back to the tree. I don’t see anyway I can get up the tree. I finally reach my nest after exhaustingly and painfully climbing up the tree.

Tuesday, 18th of September 2017 Days pass, I become hungrier and thirstier by the second. I taste bitter, sharp salt as it trickles down my face, causing me to be even more thirsty. I manage to half climb half fly down the tree in search of some food and water. Walking along to the bird feeder reminds me how vulnerable I am, Predators could come and snatch me up any second. I will have no way to protect myself or fly away. This sends a shiver down my spine, I start to walk a little bit faster. Thankfully a few seeds have fallen out of the bird feeder and make an excellent lunch for me. I see the bird bath just a twenty five feet away, I could easily drink from it. The water from the bird bath isn't as fresh as I am used to but it is fine. Going back to my tree isn’t as hard as I thought it would be, surprisingly I am able to fly up. Night time is terrible, the wind howls. Even the old oak tree my nest is in seems unstable.

Wednesday, 19th of September 2017 The storm getting even worse. Plimoth Plantation is closed. No more dreadful tourists. What shocks me is why there should be such a storm when it has been a perfectly normal September.

Several trees come crashing to the ground, but not mine. The huts are destroyed and the gates are blown off their hinges. The following night I try to sleep but I am too hungry and it is very hard to sleep in such a massive storm. Suddenly I wake up, the tree starts to wobble and then like so many others, comes crashing to the ground. Scrambling around I fall into a shallow hole, I see my nest, crushed into a million peices. I’ll need to stay here for the night but I have to leave tomorrow, there is no other way.

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Albemarle Grade 6 2017 _____________________________________________________________________________________________________________ Lost In The Wilderness Drew Pepi We read an article in class was about a man named Mike Vilhauer. He was fishing at Lower County Lake in California. The first mistake that he made was when he went to an unpopular spot alone! You should always notify someone where you are going when you are alone or anytime.Then, he was out of bait and wandered into the woods looking for more. His next mistake was when he panicked and went left and right and got lost in the woods. Also, he did not pay attention to his surroundings. Another mistake that he made was when he did not believe in himself. He wanted to give up. Then, he started to drink dirty water with bacteria and dirt. Finally, he wanted to write his last words and he did, but then woods rangers came and found him in the woods. It was a huge relief that they found him.

SRG Essay Alex Lo Frances Temple’s book ​Taste of Salt​ is about a boy named Djo living in 1991 unstable Hati.

Ruthless dictator, François Duvalier is in charge, with his group called the Macoutes who were terrorizing the streets. Meanwhile, Djo had been put in a hospital bed for his injuries. A girl walks in and she say’s she has been sent to record Djo’s life story. He starts with himself being born to a very poor family. During his childhood, Djo was a troublemaker and did what he needed to do to get money. Eventually, he met a church priest named Jean-Bertrand Aristide. Jean lets him live in the church and join his group called the Lafami. During this time, Aristide was preaching the Haitian dream. Consequently, the boys of the Lafami are hunted by the Macoutes because they are part of the church. As a result, many of the boys got hurt and some were killed. Later, Djo gets kidnapped to the Dominican Republic to work in the cane fields, but he finds out he could not return to Haiti. Will Djo survive and escape to see the Haitian dream or find the nation in complete chaos?

The documentary God Grew Tired of Us is about three boys named John, Panthar, and Daniel. During the years before the war, Sudan was a peaceful country with everyone thriving in their areas. As years passed a civil war began. In a matter of months, Sudan went from a peaceful place to a war-torn country. Since boys were being hunted down, they walked hundreds of miles to the Ethiopian refugee camp. As a result, many of them died from the walk. They stayed there for many years and then they were sent back to Sudan to Kenya. Later, when they were in Kenya, the United States of America planned to take a select few of the lost boys to go to America. Among these boys were John, Panther, and Daniel. Once they got on the plane they were going to be transported to a new world. Each of the boys were put in apartments in major cities such as New York city and Pittsburg. The boys were supported by the government for about three months and then they were on their own. Each of them got a job so they could support themselves. In conclusion, these boys had to leave their war-torn country to come to America and they are still doing well.

Since I have read ​Taste of Salt​ and watched the documentary ​God Grew Tired of us,​ I appreciate much more. First, I live in a comfortable and safe house. During the years of the war, the Sudanese boys were hunted and killed. Some of the things the soldiers did to the boys were horrible, even macabre. Instead, every day I can wake up in my house and have no fear that someone is trying to kill me. Where I live only a small number of people have guns and they are the police. They only shoot when there is an emergency. Next, I have almost an infinite source of food and water. In the film, the lost boys walked many miles not knowing when they would receive water or food. On the other hand, I can get food from my fridge or buy it at the Grocery store. I can get clean water from the sink of from my fridge. In Sudan, the boys could probably not get a glass of water when I can take a shower every day. In conclusion, before the film and the book I had not appreciated all the things I have, but now I finally realize how fortunate I am.

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Albemarle Grade 6 2017 _____________________________________________________________________________________________________________ Survival Chase Hornstein The sun seeped in through my eyelids. The trees swayed slightly in the breeze. My neck was aching from the bad sleep. I pried myself up off of my leaf bed. My stomach was growling and my throat was dry. I knew what I needed, but no way to get it. I needed food and water. I was way too tired to build a snare. I would have to fully wake up first. The only source of water near me was some dirty puddles. I got up and started to walk around to warm myself up. I was awake enough now. I drank the last little bit of water out of my nalgene bottle, but saved a bite of my sandwich. I had an idea.

My plan for the day involved a few things. First, I would make a noose snare. I found a large-ish piece of wood. Then, I took a piece of my paracord. I tied it into a noose and hung it around the wood. I piled up sticks and leaves in a path around the trap, so the animal would have to go through. Now, if a small animal stepped into the noose, the cord would tighten. It would leave them being lunch, hopefully for me. Next, I would make a variation on the noose. I found a smaller stick and cut a notch into it. Then, I made an identical notch in another piece of wood. I loosely notched them together and attached a baited noose to it with some fishing line that was in the handle of my knife. Now, if an animal walked into the noose and tried to walk away, it would un-notch the two sticks, sending the animal up, hanging in the noose. As for water, I gathered some in my nalgene bottle. I filtered it through my shirt. Then, I opened up my bleach. I dipped my finger in it and let two little drops drip of my finger into the water. This would kill the germs.

I checked in on my work the next day. The result of my hard work: nothing. Both traps were triggered, bait taken, but no prize. I had no food. I had to accept it. I had water though. That was good, I guess.

I’m now sitting here, middle of the day. The sun is blazing. It’s lunchtime now, without lunch.

Cultural Webquest Will Faucett Papua New Guinea In ​Papua New Guinea there are many different cultural groups. A cultural trait of Papua New Guinea is there language. Although there are over a thousand languages spoken, Melanesian Pidgin is the preferred language. Another one is their tradition of wood carving. There are more languages due to cultural diffusion. One of the cultural normalities in Papua New Guinea is the violence. Another cultural trait is their main sport of football or soccer. The main ethnic groups in Papua New Guinea are Melanesian, Papuan, Negrito, Micronesian, Polynesian.

Mozambique In Mozambique there are many cultural traits. One of them is local dance ceremonies which include the dance of the chopi. Another is that they speak Portuguese but grow up learning a mother language. Mozambique is culturally diverse because their citizens follow many different religions like Christianity and Islam. One of Mozambique cultural regions is there food consisting of spicy stews paired with rice and corn meal dough. Another cultural trait is their art of woodcarving.

Singing is a large cultural trait in Mozambique. Some of the many ethnic groups in Mozambique are Makua, Tsonga, Makonde, Shangaan, Shona, Sena, Ndau, and other indigenous groups.

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Albemarle Grade 6 2017 _____________________________________________________________________________________________________________ The Hike Peter Greenes I walked into Walmart realizing I would need supplies for my hike in case of an emergency. I only had $20. I bought a knife for hunting and cutting to help build a shelter. The knife was expensive; it was $11.58. I got waterproof matches in case I needed to start a fire in the rain. I bought a flashlight in case I would have needed it to see at night. I also got a tarp in case I needed to build a shelter, so I could keep my stuff dry. I also bought a rope so I could tie it around the tree trunk to help build a shelter. With all my purchases, I ended up with six cents left. I drove to the mountain and I started walking up the trail.

When I was around 2 hours into the hike, as I was making my way farther up the trail, the weather started to change. The sky turned black and the rain came falling down. The fog surrounded me and I started to panic. I decided to go back down the mountain. I was alone and lost in the woods, and a storm was starting. I ran through the woods until I realized I was not getting anywhere. I was in a survival situation. I stopped, trying to get back on the trail and decide to build a shelter. I decided it was important to find two sturdy trees where I could build that shelter.

I looked for two trees that will be good supports so I could tie my rope around the trees and the tarp on top. When I found them, I got out my rope and start cutting it with my knife to get the right lengths. My rope was 40 feet long, so I had some left over. I used it to tie branches together for the sides of my shelter. I left small gaps between the branches to let air in and smoke out from my fire. It was hard to start a fire even with the waterproof matches because most of the wood outside was wet. I tried to find birch bark, which is best type to start a fire. It took a long time, but I finally find some dry wood under leaves and under trees. I started a fire and looked through my bag for my sandwich. Unfortunately, when I found it, I discovered that it was soaked. I then put up my tarp to keep my stuff dry and left my sweatshirt by the fire to let it dry off.

I could barely sleep that night because of the constant noise of rain hitting my tarp. Even though I was prepared, I was still alone and scared. When I woke up in the morning, I looked outside and see that it is still pouring rain. I went out to look for more dry birch bark. It was more challenging in the morning because the storm had been going on for a longer time. I finally found some, after hours of searching. When I got back to my shelter, I found my sandwich and it was sort of dry. I cut it into eight equal pieces and ate one piece, saving the rest for later. I managed to survive by making the first day by making a good shelter, and making a fire. I finally started to think I will be okay.

Hulbert Descriptive Writing Alex Lo As I walk up the mountain, the brown path slips down​ ​the hill with rocks trying to keep it up. Crazy crickets chirp in the green grass next to me. As the stray red leaves flutter​ ​through the warm air, I sit down on the brown pine needles​.​ Musty trees sway in the strong wind. Half eaten pinecones crackle under my green shoes. The blazing sun heats me on the hill. A gray bird squawks on a tree near the boathouse​.​ The gleaming pond reflects the trees on the hillside below me.

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Albemarle Grade 6 2017 _____________________________________________________________________________________________________________ Hulbert Descriptive Writing Jack Patel As I looked around the environment, the lively trees swayed above me on the hill. Clear water glistened below me in the bottom of the rolling mountains. Luscious green leaves rustled in the abundant tree. Gritty soil lied next to me near the grassy ground. A high mountain shone in the distance near the town. The grassy lone hill climbed upward in front of the hot fire pit.

Fluffy clouds toppled over the trees next to me. As I left the mountain top, I noticed the tranquil lake houses sitting next to the water below the hill.

Hunger and Thirst Journal Amir Jamal As I woke up, the wind howled in the morning sun. The birds were chirping loudly in the trees. The trees swayed back and forth in the wild wind. Since it was the beginning of the fourth day, and I only had the second half of my PB&J on the morning of day 3, I was beginning to feel hungry and thirsty. All I could think about was food and water. I was beginning to feel hopeless and started to think that I was going to die. Pangs of hunger were coming in, and I was feeling sick.

Despite all of that, I knew I had to find just the littlest inkling of hope and energy, and maybe, just maybe, luck would be on my side. I tried to do some jumping jacks but I was too weak. I felt like I was going to die and I lost all hope. My mind was going back and forth about whether I should get up or not. In the end, I decided I needed to motivate and so I got up and set out to make traps.

My plan for the day involved a few things. First, I would use my rope to make a snare trap. The first thing I considered was the location. I looked for nests in trees, holes in trees and trails that animal may be traveling. This took about 15 minutes. I found an opening of a tree where l set the snare trap. I then grabbed some sticks and removed some of the bark with my knife. Using my knife, I put a point at the end of the stick. This was an aid in pushing it into the ground. I grabbed my paracord and measured out what I thought was about three hand lengths of cord. I pulled out the center strands. I only need to use one strand for this snare. I then got my knife and stake. I made a notch on the opposite end of the point I had just made. That kept the paracord string in place. I was now ready to set my trap. I went the trap site and hammered the stake in the ground at an angle. I then took the paracord end and opened the hole to about a fist's width and made it a hands width off the ground. I used the sticks to support the opening of the noose knot, and then I was done.

It took me four hours in total to set the three traps and I was beginning to feel too tired to function. After all that I thought it will take a long time for an animal to come so I thought: why don’t I find water? So that is what I did. I found a big puddle. I took out my bowl and scooped the water into it then took out some water purification tablets and went back to my fortress. I set the bowl on the mini table and closed the flap door and then set out to set more traps. In all, I set four snares and went back to look at the water. It looked clean and good, but before I could drink it I fell asleep.

When I woke up it was cold and late probably 9:30. The sun was down and I was not a happy camper. I was feeling hopeless and weak. I couldn’t even reach the water bowl and all I could do was a moan, groan, and sleep. When I woke up it was the afternoon of day five and I was even more miserable than yesterday but I still went out to check on the traps. I worked hard but luck just didn’t come to me. I was more miserable and hopeless than ever after checking the trap. I came back to my little fortress and sat there daydreaming and before I knew it I was dozing off in a deep sleep asking only one question: When will this be over?

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Albemarle Grade 6 2017 _____________________________________________________________________________________________________________ My Family’s Story Ben Gliklich My great grandfather on my dad’s side was named Pinkus. Pinkus was a rancher and a butcher. He married and had two children. Their names were Morris and Lucy, and they lived in Nisko, Poland. Pinkus served in the Polish Army and was called up when Germany and Russia both attacked Poland in September, 1939. Pinkus was taken as a prisoner of war by the Russians.

Ultimately, he escaped and found his family who were also captured and sent to Siberia where they lived in Novosibersk. My grandmother’s family on my dad’s side also fled Poland for Russia in WWII and lived there during the war. After the war, they separately made their way to the United States where they met on a blind date in Brooklyn, New York. My dad was one of three children who went on to college and medical school and then met my mother.

My grandfather on my mother’s side is named Arthur. He was born in Brooklyn, New York and was an only child. He lived with his parents in a one room apartment until his father passed away. One year later, his mother passed away too. My grandfather turned to education to help him through his grief and provide stability in his life. He attended City College because it was free.

There he met my grandmother and they married when he was 21. They moved to Cambridge so he could attend graduate school at Harvard University. My mother was one of three children and they grew up in Lexington, MA. My parents met in a restaurant in Brookline village. They married and lived in Boston.

Several years later, they moved to Weston, MA and had three children. I was born on January 29, 2005 and I am the youngest in my family.

D . O . G. Clement Scott One peaceful day, at the Fessenden School, all the students and teachers were working in the classrooms. Suddenly outside there was a commotion. There happened to be unidentified objects circling through the air. Everybody went outside to have a look when strange, eerie, noises started coming from the UFO’s. The UFO’s landed in the middle of the fields sending dust and debris showering over the crowd that had gathered outside. No one dared get close to the spacecraft, except for Reagan Huber. This unfortunate child approached the craft and touched it, but then, just like that, in a second, he completely vanished.

For a moment everyone froze and couldn't believe their eyes. Then, one boy, named Clement, stepped forward. He produced from his pocket, a magic cat pen popper. He beamed it toward the spacecraft which had just left the ground and was getting ever so high. He started chanting “Cat, Cat, Cat”. Soon the whole crowd joined the chant. The chant got louder and louder and by this time the UFO started to wobble and shake when all of a sudden it fell from the sky, once again showering the large crowd with debris. Reagan emerged from the craft obviously shaken up.

He went on to tell reporters how cats would forever be the best and how they saved his life. Reagan then went on to get a cat named “fluffles” and the spacecraft was found to be from the planet d​23x6​o​78i9​G, ​or better known as​ ​D​.​O​.​G​.

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Albemarle Grade 6 2017 _____________________________________________________________________________________________________________ FIRST Michael Glazer The first time it ever happened in front of me it felt like a drill going into my heart.

Taking out the love for him leaving hatred instead.

From that day on kept hating him.

But worry, worry, worrying, Until one day I didn't need to He was gone, gone, gone.

Taste of Salt Essay Gordy Gibbons Frances Temple’s book ​Taste of Salt takes place in Haiti, and it is about a boy named Djo and a girl named Jeremih. In Haiti, there is a dictator named François Duvalier, and he really wants to keep his power. As a result, he made a gang called the Macoutes that kills all people that are a threat to the government. Djo was caught in a firebomb sent by the Macoutes. Thus, he got very hurt. Djo tells his story before he got injured by the bomb to Jeremih. Djo joined Titid boys who were basically a group of men. Then, he goes off to work at a cane field in the Dominican Republic. He doesn't get paid, so he is very poor. Finally, Djo falls into a deep sleep, so Jeremih writes her story.

Jeremih was at a place voting with her Auntie, and then the Macoutes attacked the voting place. Will Djo will survive?

The documentary ​God Grew Tired of Us​ is about 3 Sudanese men named John, Panther, and Daniel that immigrated to the U.S. after a long journey of peril. In 1983 the Civil War in Sudan broke out. Consequently, they ran away from Sudan to survive the war. They traveled 1,000 miles without food or water. As a result, they were very sick and a lot of people died. Those that survived ended up in a refugee camp in Kakuma, Kenya. The documentary begins when some of the men are handed an opportunity to go to America. They all moved to different places. Therefore, the didn’t see each other after the plane ride. They needed to make a living, which was hard at minimum wage. They are still attempting to find their families and are living in America.

There are things that I appreciate more after reading A ​Taste of Salt​ and watching ​God Grew Tired of Us​. One of the things I appreciate mofd is that I am safe and protected well. I can stay with my family and not be worried about getting harassed if I disagree with the government. This occurred in ​Taste of Salt ​when the Macoutes attacked the voting place. Another thing that I am thankful for is fresh water. We don’t think about having water with bad diseases in it. I am not scared of getting giardia or a disease by drinking bad water. In conclusion, reading ​Taste of Salt ​and watching ​God Grew Tired of U​s really opened my eyes, and I appreciate much more now.

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Albemarle Grade 6 2017 _____________________________________________________________________________________________________________ Untitled Ethan Friedberg A Long Walk To Water​ by Linda Sue Park, is a great book to read with a partner. In the beginning of the book, there is a young boy named Salva and he lives in Sudan. Also Salva has wonderful start to his life by meeting his uncle who was a leader and Salva’s “protection” because of a war in Sudan. There is a war called the Sudanese Civil War. The war took place in 1955 to 1972.

His uncle is a congenial man and takes pride in his country. In addition, he is a constructive role model to Salva and teaches Salva good learning habits for life. They work well together even though they just met. Lastly this bond with keep growing through many challenges.

The film “The Lost Boys of Sudan” is a one hour film about a group of five young men who have fled the wars in Sudan. The war has been going on since 1980. The film summarizes how the group has traveled to the United Stated of America and what their experiences have been. They initially went to Syracuse, NY to live, and then flew to Pittsburgh. In both locations they had a asistant living with them to help them experience how to live life as an American. These boys were sad that they had to leave Sudan, but knew it was a good opportunity for them to be safe and have a better life. I am thankful for several things in my life that Sudan doesn’t have. I am fortunate to live in a great house with advantages such as, running water, cable television, and a comfortable bed. I come home to a great cooked dinner. I do not have to think about if i'm going to have food to eat. I love my mother and my dog, and I am having fun meeting new people everywhere I go. Lastly I am thankful for going on the best vacations.

Taste of Salt Essay Max Gelb Taste of Salt is a book by Frances Temple about Djo and his home country Haiti. At the time, Haiti’s government is corrupt and a group called the Macoutes made it dangerous. When he was a young boy, he had to leave his family because his parents couldn’t support him. As a result, he left and had to move with Titid who was a priest who took care of poor children from failing families.

After years of living with Titid and other boys, Djo becomes frustrated one day. As a consequence​, he leaves the security of Titid’s group. That night, he gets captured by the Dominican Republic and is sent there to cut cane with no payment. Will he ever be free back in Haiti again?

God Grew Tired of Us is a documentary about people from Sudan who are eventually forced to leave Sudan due to war there. Meanwhile, they are in a refugee camp in Kenya. Life is different there. They have limited resources. Life is tough for them. Next, some of the “Lost Boys of Sudan” get an opportunity to move to America. There is a selection process to see who gets to go. They have to adapt to a new culture and work all day. It features and shows the hard journey of Panther, John, and Daniel in America. Will they “Lost Boys” be successful and safe in America?

I have learned to appreciate more after watching God Grew Tired of Us and reading Taste of Salt. I never realized how many people couldn’t get clean water in this world. For instance, in this book it is hard for Djo to get clean water. I am lucky that I don’t have this problem in life. Also, in the documentary, Sudan was in war and in the book Haiti had crime often, so I have learned to appreciate how safe and protected my country is. In Haiti and Sudan you have to be worried when you are on the streets. Where we live it is a lot more safe. This shows that we might not know i,t but we should be fortunate for what we have and it is why I am really appreciative now.

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Albemarle Grade 6 2017 _____________________________________________________________________________________________________________ “Memories” Ryan D. McGivern Times, And Times Go By, Like The Birds That Fly, But, All Things Go Away, But, Not Me, Not Today, And The Memories They Stay With Me And You For The Rest Of Our Days.

My Story Ryan McGauley My mom’s parents were both born in Cuba. When they were young adults, a dictator took over the government and my grandparents didn’t want to stay in Cuba. My grandmother could immigrate with her family, but because they weren’t married yet, my grandfather had to stay in Cuba for three years before coming to the United States. They and their families moved to Hartford, Connecticut, where my grandparents finally got married. My mother was born and raised there until she got married to my dad.

My dad’s mother’s family was originally from England and my dad’s father’s family came from Scotland and Ireland. My grandparents both grew up and lived in the Boston area their entire lives. They met in Framingham and lived there for many years. My dad and my uncle were both born in Framingham, but they grew up in Newton, Massachusetts.

My mom and my dad met at Fairfield University. After my mom graduated from law school they got married in lived on Cape Cod in Brewster, Massachusetts. My sister was born at Cape Cod Hospital and two weeks after that my dad got relocated to New Jersey. My family lived in Chatham, New Jersey and I was born in nearby Summit, New Jersey. While we lived in New Jersey, we traveled from New Jersey to Cape Cod almost every weekend. My dad was relocated to Boston, Massachusetts, in January 2009. My family lived in the city of Boston for a year until my parents bought a house in Newton, Massachusetts, where we still live. We still go to Cape Cod on most weekends and in the summer. In fifth grade, I moved schools and I came to Fessenden. That is how I got here.

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Albemarle Grade 6 2017 _____________________________________________________________________________________________________________ SRG Essay Chase McDivitt The Breadwinner, by Deborah Ellis, is a book about a girl named Parvana. Parvana lives in a brutal situation in Kabul, Afghanistan. At the time, the Taliban was in control and women were being mistreated. Specifically, the Taliban had strict Islamic rules that didn’t let women go outside without a burka and they also beat women. The Taliban bombed Parvana’s house and as a result, her family was forced to move into a very small house. The family lost everything and became very poor. Furthermore, the family did not have enough money to afford food or essentials. Then, the Taliban arrested her father. The Taliban is so hostile towards this family that they are forced to go into hiding. Will Parvana eventually find her father? Will her family survive?

The Lost Boys of Sudan were thousands of boys that trudged through brutal landscape to escape the Civil War. The boys village was attacked and as a result many boys and men died. When they were escaping they got split up from the families. After years of walking they found there self in a refugee camp. The boys stayed there for years. After the horrible tragedy some of the boys got to come to America. They had to learn the culture and the ways that people did it. In America, they had to learn how to turn on the lights, and they had to get used to new food, as well as their new jobs .They had minimum wage jobs at factories. The boys schedules did not overlap. As a result​, they became very lonely. Some of the boys went to college to get more education and​ ​still others went to find their families. After a couple years of living in America, the boys were educated with the culture and try and help support their friends back home they sent money and made phone calls. A couple of the boys decided to go to Sudan and make a school to give better education to the boys in Sudan.

After watching about the lost boys of Sudan I have began to notice all the things that I have.

For example, I appreciate water. Water is an everyday essential that The Lost Boys did not have. It’s sad because water is something that you need. I also appreciate security because there were gunshots and bombs in Sudan, and people died every day. I have never heard a gunshot in my life.

The documentary and book has taught me not to take anything for granted. Every day, since I watched the movie, I wake up and try find something to be grateful for.

Blue Footed Booby Will Gladstone Because my feet are blue, and I’m not afraid of you.

I am called Booby.

Thousands come to view me, but now my species could die.

I should have been more shy.

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Albemarle Grade 6 2017 _____________________________________________________________________________________________________________ The Breadwinner Essay Thomas Mackey Deborah Ellis’s book ​The Breadwinner​ is about an 11 year old girl named Parvana. They live in Kabul Afghanistan in the 1990’s. At that time, the Taliban is in control and have very strict rules about their religion. For example, women are not allowed outside the house without a man. As a result, Parvana's father works on a blanket reading to people who can not read. Because of his education that he got in the west, Parvana’s father gets arrested. As a result, Parvana’s family has no way to make money because they do not have a male in their family to make money, which was a rule the Taliban made. Parvana’s mother’s friend has the idea of having Parvana dress up as a boy and make money selling things and reading notes to people that don't know how to read. Will her father turn out ok, or will he die? What will happen to Parvana?

The Documentary ​God Grew Tired Of Us​ is about Daniel, Panther John and 27,000 other Lost Boys from Sudan that had to run away from their homes to survive. Meanwhile, people in their towns are getting killed because of their religion. The people that were killing them were only killing boys that were not muslim. First they leave to get to Ethiopia for a camp, but a short while after they got there, the government in Ethiopia collapsed. After that, the boys flee back into Sudan to get to Kenya. There was also a camp in Kenya for the Lost Boys to stay. The boys stay in the camp for years on top of years. One day a lucky few got to go to America in a program created by the government of the U.S.A. Once the boys get to the U.S., they are totally clueless on what to do. For example, some of them used shaving cream as soap because their lives are so different in the refugee camp. Some of the boys go to school in America, so they can get a nice job, but other have to work with their minimum wage jobs.

There are so many things that I appreciate now that I have seen the movie. For instance, food and water is something that I don't think about but I have every day. Also, my family is the most important thing to me. I would do anything for my family. I am so lucky to have a family that can afford a lot of things. Having house security is also very helpful because it helps me feel safer.

Going to go to school is something that not every kid in the world has either. Therefore, there are so many things that I appreciate more now that I have seen the movie and read the book.

The Taste of Salt Essay Gannon Austin This is the main plot of ​The Taste of Salt​, by Frances Temple. This story takes place in Haiti which in the middle of a political civil war between the government and a priest named Titid. Djo is one of Titid's loyal followers who was seriously hurt in a fire bombing raid by a rival political group.

Djo is now almost dead when Titid brings in someone for Djo to share his story with. Her name is Jeremie and she is a nun at a local church in Port-Au-Prince, Haiti. Djo begins telling Jeremie about how he grew up and how he became one of Titid's most loyal followers. Then he tells her how he got kidnapped and sent to the Dominican Republic to work in the cane fields. As a result of telling Jeremie the story it gets Djo all worked up and he falls into a coma. Jeremie is uncertain if Djo, who she has a newfound respect for, will survive.

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Albemarle Grade 6 2017 _____________________________________________________________________________________________________________ Survival Journal Kumar Muniappan As I woke up the birds chirped in the lush trees above me. The chilly wind blew past my makeshift tent. The sun sent all it’s light towards me. Since it was the beginning of the fourth day, I was getting hungry and thirsty. I had the second half of my PB&J on the morning of day 3, but I knew that water was more important to survive. I was beginning to feel desperate, so I made a plan to collect and boil water. I was desperate, but I was also feeling positive. I was calm because I had learned that I had to save my energy. I did not use the fishing supplies for fishing because what are the chances of finding a lake or stream and then actually catching a fish? I had no idea where to put the snares, but then I remembered a book I read about a woods survivor who looked for animal tracks and scat. I was still holding onto hope because even if I did not catch anything with the snares, I could always eat grub and other insects. I then started getting the materials out of my paracord bracelet. I thought of my family, but I knew I had to keep going.

My plan for the day involved a few things. First, I used my rope and fishing line to make snares, because I felt snares had a better chance of catching a animal. Then I went looking for animal tracks and scat. When I found a few different ones I placed my snares there and went of to collect water. When I found water, it was not raining and it was getting warmer, so I decided to use my poncho to hold the water. Then I put it over the fire for a minute.I let it cool before putting all of the water in my water bottle. After this I went to sleep and woke up again I then went to check the traps but there was nothing. The result of my snares did not pay off like my water. The good news was that I felt fine from the water. I then went to look for some insects to eat. I knew that I did not catch anything, but I knew that luck would hit me eventually. Now I was getting some wood for the fire. It is now midday on day five of my nerve-wracking adventure.

Xenotribe Story Will Vote During math class one day we were learning about fractions when they showed up, the Xenotribes there was a announcement over the intercom telling everyone to evacuate. My friend Nico was in science class at the time. Science was the floor above me and I knew I couldn’t go up there so I pulled out my phone and tolled him to meet me in the dining hall. Before I went to the dining hall I turned off my phone a deleted the message because I didn’t know if the Xenotribes could hack into my phone or something like that. As I approached the dining hall I turned to look through the glass and I saw the Xenotribes and the ship, then I ran to the bathroom. Once I was in there I hid up on the toilet so if they came in they wouldn’t see me, then at that moment the door swung open and I heard whispers Voter are you in there. I was so scared I almost fell off the seat.

We went to the door out front because that is the farthest one away from the dining hall and when I went to push the door the door was locked or something then with closer inspection it was welded shut we ran to another door welded shut. All of the doors were welded shut we were trapped we had to find a pace to hid. We decided to go to the basement where the food was stored. The smell might cover up our smells. Across from the food there was a small room we decided to go in there.

We walked in there and hid on the ground, we waited for 3 hours but then the door opened and I could see them. That's when I woke up.

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Albemarle Grade 6 2017 _____________________________________________________________________________________________________________ A Long Walk to Water Essay Akash Menon Linda Sue Park’s book, ​A Long Walk to Water,​ is about a boy named Salva who lives in Southern Sudan. At the time, there was a civil war between North and South Sudan. This was because the North and South were very different, and they believed in different traditions and religions. The war arrived in Salva’s village while Salva was at school, so Salva ran away. As a result, Salva walked for hours and hours, which eventually led to days and then months. There were also some very hard times. For instance, he crossed a desert, watched many people starve to death, had to avoid wild animals like lions, and he had to cross the Nile river. However, Salva kept on going and made it to a refugee camp in Ethiopia. He didn’t like the refugee camp in Ethiopia, so he ran across the Nile river to a refugee camp in Kenya with many people following him. He stayed there for a long time, but never could find his family. Will Salva ever see his family again?

The documentary, “God Grew Tired of Us,” is about the journey of the lost boys of Sudan.

Three innocent boys, John, Panthar, and Daniel, traveled south, from Southern Sudan, to find a refugee camp. They found one on the border of Sudan and Kenya, and stayed there for a long time, knowing that it was safe. At the camp, many boys were selected to go to America, and John, Panther, and Daniel were among them. They liked the US and their new life after they got there, even though it took a long time to get used to the differences. Eventually, they adapted to it. After a long time in the United States, John found his mother and went to live with her, Panthar went back to Africa to reunite with his family and get married, and Daniel stayed in the US. In conclusion, they are now living their lives very differently from how they used to be, but they love their lives and are very happy.

The documentary, ​God Grew Tired of Us​, and the book, ​A Long Walk to Water, ​made me appreciate my life much more. For instance, I appreciate the good security that our country has. In Sudan, the security is not that good, and there is a lot of violence everywhere. I also appreciate the fresh and clean water that we have whereas many people in Sudan don’t have clean water, and they die because of that. For instance, in both the book and movie, people died from a lack of clean water.

A third thing that I appreciate very much is having electricity. In the documentary and the book, nobody had electricity in Sudan. When people from Sudan came to the US, they had no idea how to use it. In conclusion, I learned to appreciate a lot more than I used to because of one book and one documentary.

Hulbert Descriptive Writing Sam Tavitian As I walk into the forest on the mountain, I look over to the wavy lake. The steep mountains settle under me while white puffy clouds hover above my head. Dripping raindrops scatter on top of my head as I climb onto the slippery mountainside. Leaves crunch under my feet as I run up to the summit. I hear the sounds of woodpeckers thumping in my ears as they create splintery tree holes. As I walk out of the forest, I can see my destination.

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Albemarle Grade 6 2017 _____________________________________________________________________________________________________________ Hunger and Thirst Spencer Zwick As I woke up, the leafy green trees swayed in the cold wind. The birds chirped on the scary trees. The dark clouds covered me on the mountain. The only two words that came to my mind were food and water. I needed to get water especially because I knew that water was more important than food. If I did not get water, I was going to die. I was feeling sick. I did not think I was going to make it off the mountain alive. I should have never gone on this hike, or I should have just told someone I was going. I was not holding out hope. I wasn’t positive anymore, but I needed to do something.

I had a plan, and my plan was to set up some snares to get food and find some water. I used my shoe to put the water in. My plan was to fill my shoes with water and then bring it back to my shelter. Then I made a fire and put two sticks in the fire to balance the shoe on the fire. Then this way the bacteria would be killed and then all I would have to do is purify the water.

My plan to get food was to make snares. I had rope so I felt pretty good about the snares. I was going to find sticks and make it like a stake and stick it into the ground. Then I made a circle shape with my rope. Then I used extra rope to attach it to the stake and another stick to hold it up.

I found a place where I saw rabbits running around. I setup my two snares there. I was feeling good about getting food. I made two snares. I was going to wait till the morning to check my snares. I walked around trying to find a big puddle of water. I was walking and luckily I found a huge puddle of water. I took off my shoes and filled both of them. I kept my socks on for a little bit of protection for my feet. I brought the water back to my shelter. I started a fire and put two sticks on the fire to hold the shoes over the fire. I finished boiling the water and all of the bacteria was gone. I then purified the water. Now the water was clean to drink. I drank my water and then went to bed.

I woke up the next morning and was excited to check my snares, but I was also a little bit nervous. I walked over and there was nothing in my traps!!! I was getting scared and I freaked out.

My heart was pounding. I decided then just to look for food. I walked and walked and luckily found 12 grubs under a rock. I cooked them and ate them. I wanted to get back to my house now! I thought I was going to die. I wondered what was going to happen next.

My Story Teddy Choi My dad was born in Kansas City, Missouri and my mother Rome, New York.

Afterwards, dad’s family lived in Colorado, about ten miles away from a ski area called Winter Park.

And after college he went back for two years. He was a ski racer for some time, but was more serious after college. My mom’s family moved to Bedford, at Hanscom Air Force Base and after that Manchester, New Hampshire on a silly road. My grandfather still lives there, but my grandmother moved out.

My father went to Brown University for college and Phillips Academy Andover for high school. My mother went to Simon's, an all women's college, and got her bachelor’s degree at Simmons and her masters at Wharton, the University of Pennsylvania.

My mother’s first job was a healthcare consultant. My father was an investment banker and then investor. My father invested in portfolios of stock. My mother’s second job was at Children’s Hospital. She developed a program to fix heart problems before the baby was born. My mother and father met by mutual friends and started dating during mom’s job at Children’s Hospital.

They got married in 2000. In 2001 Harry, the oldest came. They lived in an apartment in the North End. Before my other brother, they moved to Newton. They knew they couldn’t raise a family there. And now I’m here writing from 179 Highland Avenue in West Newton.

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Albemarle Grade 6 2017 _____________________________________________________________________________________________________________ The Day the Xenotribes Showed Up Henry Tweedy When the Xenotribes showed up, everything was bright and beautiful. The sun was shining high above the clouds and the grass was waving in the breeze. Everyone was bustling to their classes and being scolded by Ms. Cadman as they ran by her office. Fifth and Sixth graders ran outside for recess. Sprinting to the two tetherball courts and the basketball courts. The sounds of yelling, laughing, and bouncing basketballs filled the air. That was, until The Xenotribes arrived.

About 5 minutes after recess had started the stampede for snack had begun as kids ran to grab gogurts and sun chips out of the cart. About 12 minutes and 43 seconds later seconds later a slight breeze began to blow across the large open fields of The Fessenden School. The happy kids buttoned their blazers as the wind intensified, pressing their khakis to their legs as they strode around campus. Trees swayed as the wind picked up, violently sweeping across the field. Boys huddled next to buildings as an odd shadow began to move across Fessy. Before most of the students could get inside the wind swept them across the fields, somersaulting and rolling to who-knows-where. And that’s when it happened, a goliath of a thing with flames roaring out the bottom descended onto the flag football field. Before the grass could say green it was turned black and burned by the large jet engines about to touch down in the middle of the field. Boys stood gawking looking out the window at the mammoth contraption that had just interrupted their school day. Just then, Mr. Lou ran in claiming that he had seen an alien climbing around inside the ILAB. To be continued...

A Long Walk to Water Essay Wyatt Stephens A Long Walk to Water ​by Linda Sue Park is about a boy named Salva, and how he survived the Sudanese Civil War. This was a war between the north and the south, because the north wanted the south to convert to the muslim religion and the south didn’t want to. At the beginning of the book, Salva hears gunshots, so he has to leave his class along with other boys. He struggles to get to the refugee camp without food. As a result many of the other boys die along the way. Finally, they find the refugee camp, but are forced out. Then, Salva is about 20 years old after living there for 7 years, and is leading a group to Kenya. Will he find the camp in Kenya, and what will he do?

The documentary​ God Grew Tired of Us ​is about Panther Jon, and Daniel who are also Lost Boys of Sudan. The Lost Boys had to travel southeast from Sudan to Kenya, which is thousands of miles away. Finally when they got there, they were skinny and weak. They were there for years until they were offered to go to America to get jobs. When they get to America, they have no idea what's going on. They don't understand our culture, so it causes people to stare. After a few years in America they are living well. Jon decides to start a company that is supporting South Sudan. He does well and he also gets to see his mother for the first time in 13 years. Most of them find family members except for one, but they are living a normal life in America..

The book and the documentary really meant a lot and I appreciate more things. I didn't realize that while I had clean water my whole life when The Lost Boys struggled to even get water.

When I’m in class I just walk to the fountain. Meanwhile, The Lost Boys had to walk many miles without water. I also don't think about if I will die today, and the families in Sudan frequently are worried. I didn't know how much these families struggle but finally now I do. You should also recognize their struggles, and raise awareness.

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Albemarle Grade 6 2017 _____________________________________________________________________________________________________________ Taste of Salt Essay Ben Gliklich The book ​Taste of Salt​ by Frances Temple takes place in Haiti during a corrupt time and is about a boy named Djo and his experiences. At the time, there was a dictator who used a group of terrorist called the Macoutes. The book starts off with Djo in the hospital recovering from an injury from the Macoutes with a girl named Jeremie who was sent to record his experiences. Djo starts talking about how his family left him for money purposes. As a result, he found family elsewhere with a man named Titid and his followers. The story goes on, and one day Djo is kidnapped and sent off to the Dominican Republic where he is told to cut cane. Meanwhile, Djo makes lifelong friends who he will never forget. Jeremie tells her story and it is about how she always was told that education came first. Finally, Jeremie tells of how she loves Djo, even from the first time she saw him. When Djo wakes up many days later she has told all of her story. Will Jeremie stay in Haiti and live with Djo or leave Haiti for a better life?

The documentary ​God Grew Tired of Us ​is about thousands of boys leaving Sudan during its civil war. It all starts off when northern Sudan attacks southern Sudan. Thus, the boys leave their families and join together near Ethiopia. But, when Ethiopia’s government collapses, they must leave and travel past Sudan and to Kenya. During this hardship, they must form make-shift families to have courage to pass through the Nile and kill and cook their own food. A few years later the American government send planes to take three boys to America. These three boys happened to be there leaders, Daniel, Panther, and John Dau. The first few months in America are amazing for them.

That is until it begins to be difficult for them to get used to the culture. Later on, they get used to the culture and many of these boys grow up to get college degrees and some end up going back to Sudan to teach.

Having just read ​Taste of Salt​ and watched the documentary ​God Grew Tired of Us​ I appreciate a lot more. Some of the things I appreciate more now are family, water, shelter, and safety. In particular, I appreciate my family because they comfort me and give me strength.

However, in ​God Grew Tired of Us​, they did not have family with them. Relating to ​Taste of Salt another thing that I appreciate is my safety and that I do not just get kidnapped on the street. I am also lucky to not have to go into the African bush like The Lost Boys to get food, but instead I can go to the supermarket. Furthermore, I am happy to have water, safety, family, and a roof over my head every day. Occasionally, I forget how much I should be thankful, but now after watching the documentary and reading the book I am much more appreciative.

Siberian Survival Story Will Smith Karina Chikitova is a very lucky young girl. She lives in the Sakha region of Siberia Russia.

Four year old Karina Chikitova left her village to look for her father when she got lost. Her mom thought she was with her dad, so they did not know that she was missing until she was gone for four days. The rescuers did not want to go into the woods to search for her because there were so many bears. Karina survived in the remote wilderness where it was very cold and went nearly two weeks with little food and water and just a little clothing, except for water from a river and some berries that she found that could've been poisonous. Another good thing that helped her survive was her puppy. If Karina didn’t have her puppy she probably would not be alive right now because the puppy was the one who went back the village to get the rescuers. In the article the search rescuers said that this was a miracle that she is alive and not severely hurt. Karina was rescued in some long grass sitting there conscious. She left footprints behind on the trail which helped rescuers find her. As soon as Karina was found she immediately asked for food and water. It was good for her because she lost a lot of weight while she was lost in the wilderness. Karina went to the hospital to recover from starvation and dehydration. Karina is now back with her family and wonderful puppy, who is a hero.

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Albemarle Grade 6 2017 _____________________________________________________________________________________________________________ Hike Journal Aiden Barclay While making my way up the mountain, the branches of the tree reached out to me like they were trying to shake my hand. The fog hovered around the rocks on the ground like a blanket. As I was climbing up the mountain, it began to drizzle. My backpack soaked up the rain like a sponge. I did not realize it was going to rain, so I didn’t insulate the inside of my bag. When the drizzle stopped, I thought that I should empty my supplies in the bag under a tree and try to dry them out. I discovered while I was putting the supplies back into my backpack that both of my lighters were still wet. I hoped that they still worked, but couldn’t guarantee it. Once I collected all of my belongings, fog began to rise around me again. The fog and the darkness made it hard for me to see, so I decided to descend the mountain to get as far as I could before the sun set. As I was descending the mountain, the fog became too thick for me to see through it. I tried to keep going down the trail, but I lost my way. I got upset as I wondered how I would survive the night on the mountain. I finally calmed down after 45 minutes and I decided that I should start a plan to survive. My next step was to build a fire, and hopefully assemble a shelter, all before the sun went down. I recalled that my lighters were wet.

I could not start a fire with my lighter, so I had to refer to another method. I remembered that when I was camping with my grandfather, I used a method that involved two sticks and a knife but I could not immediately remember how to do it. I did remember how to make a shelter using the “tarp” method. First, I needed to get the rope I packed. Then, I tied it between two trees. The next step was to get my tarp and hang it over the rope. The last step was to put rocks at the bottom of the tarp to provide support. The most important step was to put the tarp close to the ground to keep the heat near your body. After I built the shelter, I was so sore I decided to have a Kind Bar and some of my water. After hydrating and eating, I thought more about the time with my grandfather and began to remember how to make the fire. I needed a sturdy piece of wood that I could cut into with my knife. I took a stick and rubbed it in between my hands to create friction and eventually embers began to form. I then transferred the embers over onto the tinder. Once the tinder was on fire, I put it on the kindling. I was set for the night.

Siberian Survival Story Ethan Klein A girl was lost in the forest for two weeks with only the help from her puppy. This girl is named ​Karina Chikitova and was in a bear infested forest. Rescuers said it was a miracle that she and her dog survived. She wandered into the forest trying to find her dad who was gone fighting a wildfire. Where she lived had no phone signal and their food was produced by hunting. After four hours of being gone, the girls mother realized that she was missing. The rescuers first sent dogs out to trace down the puppy. When the girl was found, she was laying in grass four miles away from her village. She said that she survived by eating berries and drinking water.

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Albemarle Grade 6 2017 _____________________________________________________________________________________________________________ My Story Lachlan Sutton My Mother's side of the family lived in a small village in Taiwan or Formosa for hundreds of years. When Formosa got overthrown by Japan, my grandparents were forced out of their home.

They decided to move to The United States of America to get a life where they had more rights.

They got there there on a boat that was carrying goods to New York. They were secretly stowed away under the many bags of food and items, and got out at New York . They moved to New York with just 50 US dollars. My grandfather was trained as an Anesthesiologist from a hospital in Taiwan. He got a job at a big hospital which would pay for a small house and food. During the first years of living there, they worked hard, long hours to get by. My grandfather finally got a well paying job, so they could relax more. Years later, they had three kids named Poria, Pauline, and Victoria. My mom Victoria went to Phillips Exeter, then to Brown University, and afterward, she decided to move to Boston, Massachusetts to make a living.

On my dad's side of the family things were much different. My Grandparents on my dad's side were from London, England, and in a average class family. My Grandmother was raised in America and was going to a College at Oxford. My Grandfather, on the other hand, was born in London, England. They met and one year before they got married in London, England. They stayed in London to have my father, Matthew. They moved to America because both of them wanted to raise there kids in a place where they could have more opportunity, and a different lifestyle. After they moved to America, they had John and adopted Millie. Matthew, my dad, was raised in Amherst, Massachusetts until he was seven, and then went to Washington DC until he was nine. He went to UMass Amherst for College, Cornell University and Oxford University. He moved to Boston and found a good paying job at an investment bank.

Soon after that my parents met at a shop and married three years later. They bought a house in Cambridge Massachusetts, and had me, Lachlan Sutton, my brother Clive, and Asher.

The Aliens Who Invaded Fessy Brendan McCabe It was a rainy day at Fessenden. Everyone was inside the building. We were inside for recess when the floors started to shake as if there was an earthquake. The power shut off and a huge light appeared above us. It was coming from the iLab. All the teachers and students rushed down to see what the light was. When the teachers went towards the light there was a huge hole in the iLab ceiling. The teachers walked under the gigantic hole in the roof and looked around the iLab to see what caused the hole. They walked to the Think Tank and saw a small green alien on top of the table walking towards them. All the teachers backed away from the little alien thinking it would be dangerous, but the alien greeted the teachers and students. After the aliens landed in the iLab, they showed the students their technology from their planet. Later the kids at Fessy would use the technology when they needed help on schoolwork, and the aliens, kids and teachers at Fessy created a great school together.

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Albemarle Grade 6 2017 _____________________________________________________________________________________________________________ Literary Essay Carter Bartel A Long Walk to Water ​by Linda Sue Park is a book about a Sudanese boy named Salva Dut and the hardships in his life. Salva is from the village Loun-Ariik in South Sudan, and is in the Dinka tribe during the Second Sudanese Civil War. In the beginning of the book, Salva’s village is burned so he travels with his uncle and other Dinka people to get to the refugee camp, Itang, in Ethiopia. On the journey, Salva’s uncle dies. In addition to his uncle, many others on the trip die too. However, the group still reaches Itang. After living for years with thousands of other refugees, Salva and all the other young men in the camp are kicked out, and have to journey over a year to Kakuma, a refugee camp in Kenya. Will he make it to the next camp alive, or will the harsh terrain and desert take him for their own? Read the book and find out.

The Documentary, ​God Grew Tired of Us,​ is about three men, John Bul, Panther, and Daniel who were some of the Lost Boys of Sudan. First, just like Salva, they ran away from their village when they were young boys to escape the shootings of the Second Sudanese Civil War. Then, they traveled for a long time to reach Kakuma, the refugee camp they stayed at for ten years. After a while, they were chosen, along with other boys, to go America. John Bul went to Syracuse, NY, while on the other hand, Daniel and Panther went to Pittsburgh, PA. Life in America was very different for them. They did get jobs eventually, but as a result of the new life, they struggled at finding their place in America. Even as John Bul struggled, he spent a lot of time trying to help his original country, Sudan. In the end, as the three men slowly adapt to their new culture, they all create new goals for themselves, so they can be more accomplished in their upcoming life.

Now that I have read ​A Long Walk to Water​ and watched ​God Grew Tired of Us,​ I appreciate things much more in my life. Specifically, I appreciate water more, because every day I waste it a lot without caring that much. Salva, John Bul, Panther, and Daniel all had to go through many struggles just to get dirty water, not even to mention clean. Now I realize I should be more careful using water, and remember the hardships that others go through to get it. Furthermore, I appreciate that if I think something in my life is horrible, it probably isn’t that bad. If I do bad on a test, I think it is the end of the world, but the problems that Salva, Daniel, John Bul, and Panther go through are 1,000 times worse than me. This makes me realize the my “bad” problems are just fine and it will be okay. As a result of watching and reading about these young men’s lives, it really makes me appreciate everything I have and can do without much thought, that may not be very easy for everyone.

The Great Depression, Swiss Family Robinson Hunter Stofer The Great Depression was one of the worst times in history and it happened in our United States of America. During the “Roaring 20’s” people were going out to dinner, spending money and borrowing money, but they couldn't pay it back which caused the stock market to crash in 1929.

People lost everything and President Hoover was blamed for this, but he believed that the government should not help or give out money to Americans. After Hoover’s presidency, Franklin D. Roosevelt was elected in 1933 and he created successful programs to help people known as the “New Deal”- or the Three R’s -- Relief, Reform and Recovery. He was paralyzed and in a wheelchair, but Americans did not know this, as he gave “Fireside Chats” on the radio and he always photographed from the waist up. His fireside chats made people think of him as a friend and someone familiar to them.

The Labor Movement, where workers bonded together against their managers to fight for better pay and treatment, happened during The Great Depression. Roosevelt created the National Labor Relations Act to help workers gain more power and fairness. As hope started to grow, “Black Sunday” hit where terrible dust storms killed people in the midwest and they fled to California to find work but there was none.

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Albemarle Grade 6 2017 _____________________________________________________________________________________________________________ Roosevelt promised to end The Great Depression, but couldn’t find a way to end it. World War II began and the Japanese bombed Pearl Harbor and the United States had to declare war. With World War II, new work began and jobs opened and people found work. It was a horrible time. but from an economic perspective, it ended The Great Depression. Roosevelt died in 1944, but created The United Nations, which would make the world safer and more peaceful. Harry Truman was our next president until 1953.

In Swiss Family Robinson, the family includes a mother a father and four boys that are shipwrecked after being hit by a storm and left behind by the crew. The names of the boys are Franz who is the youngest, Ernest and Jack who are the middle children, and Fritz, the oldest. As the family looks around the ship, Fritz notices the boat was stuck on rock, but the ship is somehow in decent condition. The only thing they are troubled by is that the whole crew, including the captain, left them behind.

So, the father began to think of useful ways to build floats to get them to land. They used barrels and other supplies and debris from the boat and created rafts for the family to sail to land.

When they got to land, they built houses big enough to make a village. The family uses remains of the boat, natural materials from the island and learns about what is needed for survival on the island until someone comes and gets them. At last, a noble captain comes and gives them all the chance to go home. Now the mother and father wanted to stay because of all they built and so did Jack and Ernest. So Fritz and Franz go with the captain. Two sailors want to stay on the island because of their interest in what they built. So they all said their goodbyes and the ship set sail.

The book is about a family adventure, and about learning new things in a tough situation and how resourceful they all become. It is also a book about family support, beliefs and love. The family are all strong characters, but the father id the strongest character of all. With everything that he teaches, there is a strong moral and religious lesson included.

Breadwinner Essay Cameron Fici Deborah Ellis’s book ​The Breadwinner​ takes place in Kabul, Afghanistan and is about a girl named Parvana trying to survive with her family. The taliban have taken over Kabul and other parts of Afghanistan. Meanwhile, Parvana's father has gotten an education from England, which he gets arrested for. The taliban want their citizens born and educated there. Also, when Parvana's father gets arrested the mother gets hurt trying to get her husband back. This affects the family next few days. After a couple days pass of Mother being injured, Parvana's family runs out of food. With her family in need of food and water, what will Parvana do to survive the dreadful Taliban?

In the documentary, ​God Grew Tired of Us,​ Panther, Daniel, and John were three of 27,000 young boys of Sudan that fled. These poor boys left southern Sudan because of the north Sudanese muslims were shooting young boys. As a result of these shootings, the boys had no parents due to the immediate evacuation. Since they had no parents, they created their own mini family’s to survive the cruel weather and starvation. When they finally got to Kenya’s border, they settled there, and when America found out about them, they gave some of the boys a shot at America. As these boys live in America, they have to meet the needs of their mini family to ensure they are surviving.

After watching the documentary​ God Grew Tired of Us​ and reading ​The Breadwinner,​ I realized that there are a lot of things I should appreciate more. First off, I immediately put myself in The Lost Boys shoes and realized what it was like to not know if you family survived. Doing so, I had to stop thinking about it because I was too much of a horrible thought. Second, I realized that I also should appreciate my safety more. Like in Parvana’s case, her father was taken right out of her home. In fact, every day I carry on my normal tasks and completely forget about the brave soldiers that are fighting for America's safety. In conclusion, after seeing the documentary ​God Grew Tired of Us​ and reading ​The Breadwinner, ​I realized I should be thankful and savour what I have.

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Albemarle Grade 6 2017 _____________________________________________________________________________________________________________ Hunger & Thirst Diary Max Casado As I woke up the morning breeze blew in my face as I stood up. The soft tweets of birds in the air filled my ears. Since it was the beginning of the fourth day, and I only had the second half of my PB&J on the morning of day three, I was beginning to feel hopeless and tired, but I knew I had to keep staying awake. I felt so stressed out and I had no idea what to do. One of my biggest problems was that I had no food or water and I was still very hungry. I wanted to go out and explore the area because it was so beautiful. I also wanted to leave the camp to find the trail, but my instincts told me to stay put. Now the hunger almost seemed to go away because I was so thirsty and I would not be able to survive much longer without any water. I remembered watching a TV show of how to make a snare trap, which got my hopes up. I also remembered that I still could not drink water.

I first decided to make a snare trap with the supplies I had. Then I realized that I had not brought any rope. I decided to use duct tape as the rope because I knew it would hold together. I decide to make the Grave Bait Stick snare because it would be the most effective trap and the simplest. All I had to do is get three sticks and put a rock on top of them. The animal would have food on the stick for it to eat. The stick would fall after the animal pulled on it to get the food. The rock would drop onto the animal killing it or severely injuring it. I would put the trap by a stream or pond if I find one or next to a burrow.

For water, I had a big problem because I had no pot or pan. I decided to have the chance of finding a stream or if not finding one drinking from one of the pools on the ground and having the chance of getting Giardia. I also had the idea of boiling the water. I had no pot so I thought that maybe we could use the hot rocks to boil the water, but it would take a long time. My last idea was to let some water sit in the bottle all day and let the sun's rays kill the bacteria.

The next morning I felt confident that I had caught something, but when I went to my first snare I found nothing. I went over to the second snare and found nothing. Suddenly my hunger came right back to me. I went over to the water bottle and drank the water. At least I have good water I thought. An hour later my stomach started hurting, not because of hunger but, from Giardia.

Now I was sick and I had no food. My hopes were all the way down‌

Survival Journal Ryan Erdos As I woke up, deer strolled past my shelter through the forest. The fog passed above the woods. House sparrows chirped in the spruce tree behind me. Since it was the beginning of the fourth day, and I only had the second half of my PB&J from the morning of day 3, I was beginning to feel hungry and very tired. My throat was dry and my body was weak. I stayed in my shelter for a bit to just rest because I was feeling sick and exhausted. My body had no energy left, and I did not have the strength to do anything. But I was trying to stay positive, even though there was very little chance that people will find me. I knew that I needed water and food as soon as possible to survive.

Water was most important because your body can go longer without food than water. After a little rest, I was starting to feel a bit better. I knew I must push myself to fight for my survival. I found my inner strength.

I made my plan for the day, which involved a few things. First, I attached my rain suit, which included a rain jacket and pants, to a branch in the open and made a pouch out of it to collect rain water. Then I looked for a wide log to carve a bowl out of it. I figured I could use the bowl for a few things including, collecting rain water, boiling water, to scoop water out of puddles, and to eat my food. Once I was done carving the bowl, I went looking for a puddle of medium size. Since it rained the past few days it was easy to find one. Once I found one, I scooped the water out of the puddle and took it back to my shelter and put it in my only box, the first aid box. The reason I did this is because I had no other container. Also it was clear so I could see how much water is in it.

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Albemarle Grade 6 2017 _____________________________________________________________________________________________________________ After I collected enough water, I laid it by the fire on a rock to boil and eliminate any chances of giardia. I knew I had to do this so I would not get sick and was able to drink the water safely.

Later in the day, I went searching for a lake to see if I could fish. I looked for about 20 minutes until I found a small river. I had a spear on me, which I created while waiting for the water to boil. It came in handy because I used it for spearfishing. It took me a little while but I ended up catching a sunfish!

I went back to my shelter and cleaned the fish and cooked it. I happy that I caught a fish and finally had some food. I knew that I would begin to feel better and gain some of my strength back. It is now the middle of day 5. I sit here now happy and feel better. I finally had some energy to write.

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My Story Daniel Drucker My grandfather, or my Zayde in hebrew, was from Boston, Massachusetts, and my grandma was from Newton. My Zayde did not grow up too wealthy, but he had our family run bank. He thrived through life and worked very hard to get where he is now. My Grandma also had a family run bank, and she thrived as well. My grandparents got married in 1962 and still live a wonderful life.

My Grandmother, or my Safta in hebrew, was born in Linz, Austria. She was born there because her parents were survivors of the Holocaust. Her parents ran in the woods to get away from the Germans. They traveled secretly from Poland to Italy because the Italians were aiding the Jews from the holocaust. Along the way, my great-grandmother and great-grandfather got pregnant with my Safta. When they reached Italy, they gave birth to my Safta. Thus, my Safta was not actually born in Linz, Austria, but she had to claim that she was born there to immigrate to the United States! So, she was born in Italy but they had to change her name and age for her to be able to immigrate into the U.S. Her family also had to get a recommendation from somebody in the US to get them there. My great-great-uncle had sponsored them, so they could get into the U.S. They arrived in New York at Ellis Island where they went through customs. My Safta then grew up in Chicago and lived there until she went to college.

My Dad grew up in Newton, MA and my mom grew up in Miami, Florida. But my mom lived in Chicago until she was three. She had to move because of my Papa’s (my mom’s dad) job. Both of my parents lived at home until college. My parents both went to school at Emory University in Atlanta. When my dad was a sophomore and my mom a freshman, they fell in love and decided to get married two years after college. They both lived for four years in Atlanta after college together.

My parents decided to move to West Roxbury so my dad could get his MBA and work for the family business. My mom was working for IBM about a year after they moved. But she then decided to become a stay at home mom and deal with my older sister! They lived in West Roxbury for two years and then moved to Needham and lived there for ten years and had my brother and me in 2001 and 2005. My family then moved to Newton where I live now because of the commute to schools.

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Albemarle Grade 6 2017 _____________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Taste of Salt Essay Bryn Kerslake A Taste of salt by Frances Temple, is a book about the country of Haiti, and the story of a young boy named Djo in the early 1990’s.Djo is a young boy who lives in Port au Prince, Haiti, in the early 1990’s. During that time, a grim dictator is in control, and allows the use of a group of mercenaries called “Macoutes” to spread violence, and destruction. The Macoutes also scare people into keeping the dictator in power. Djo is a runaway. He left his parents to go live with a priest because his mother and father couldn’t provide for him. The priest, Titid, takes care of him, and a few other boys, in return for helping him run errands, and protect him from the government. Titid doesn’t like the Dictator in control, and the Macoutes try to kill Titid multiple times. Before long though, Djo gets gets frustrated with Titid because he pays more attention to the new younger. Djo, enraged and out of his mind, then leaves Titid to live in the street. Unfortunately, Haiti is not a safe place for children at night, and kidnappers abduct him to work in a canefield in the Dominican Republic. He gets paid in food, so he is basically a slave. He is not allowed to leave, and it is almost impossible to escape. Will he survive? Or will he succumb to the grim, deathly life of a working slave.

God Grew Tired of us is a documentary about a civil war in South Sudan, and how a few boys named Panther, Daniel, and John survived to tell the tale. Panther, Daniel, and John are three boys who escaped the bloody Sudanese civil war. The documentary follows them as they walk over 1,000 miles to a refugee camp, before getting kicked out,​ ​only to find peace at another refugee camp miles away. They then stay there 10 years partly against their own will. Soon thereafter, the three boys are selected to seek refuge in the U.S. They find themselves on a plane headed to the U.S. After they had come to America, the documentary shows how they have started to adapt to the U.S. environment. It is a struggle for them at times. They have to balance their profit from working with the taxes, and price of everyday necessities.

After watching the documentary about South Sudan, I realize now how much I appreciate the many things that I am lucky to have and use every day. The documentary shows the incredibly poor climate that these boys lived in in Africa. There were men with guns trying to kill them, which is something that would’ve never happened in Massachusetts. I am lucky for having safety, something these boys don’t have or feel. It also shows that these boys are sick and diseased with no treatment, and, don’t have access to clean water, quality food or clothes, and only some of them will make it to Europe, or America alive. In America, we have things like healthcare, or insurance that helps us stay healthy, and safe. I feel very sympathetic for these boys, and after watching that documentary, I feel that I am very lucky to be able to get all the things I have now, like getting a good education, and being able to afford good food and water. In conclusion, I feel like I now appreciate the many things I am entitled to everyday, even more, thanks to that book and documentary.

Woody Day Nate Sins As I enter the world, a sharp big stick falls from a tree around the lake. Lumpy dark grey bark sits on a tree near the bird's nest. The light red leaf falls from a tree onto the ground. Quickly the small brown squirrel is carrying an acorn to a big tree. A big black rock lays on top of a mountain in the woods. The big thick bumpy roots stick out of the ground leading to a great tree. As I leave the woods I see clear trees that sway next to the bright blue lake.

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Albemarle Grade 6 2017 _____________________________________________________________________________________________________________ The Hike Journal Carter Bartel and Aaron Green As I made my way farther up the mountain, dense fog started to form around me, growing thicker and thicker by the minute. All around the mountain, warm air started to cool down, chilling my already cold body. Light raindrops fell from the sky on my arm as the fog completely obstructed my view. The sun in the sky, was engulfed by the fog and clouds. Dry trees on the trail became wetter as I moved on.

Before I knew it, I had lost the trail. I decided to turn back in the direction that I walked, but after walking for about 20 minutes, I still couldn’t find the trail. All I could hear for the next hour was my heart racing, pounding in my ears. I started to feel frantic, so I ran around in every direction, going in circles in hopes to find the trail. I was lost, wet, cold, and scared. The fog was so thick I couldn’t see five feet in front of me. By the time that I was finished panicking, it was 4:30 on the dot.

I realized there was only around three hours until the sun went down. At this point I was really scared. I was wondering if I was ever going to find my way home. Next thing I knew, my heart was racing again. Thankfully, I collected myself and thought if I was going to survive and see my family again, I would need to calm down and think. The first thing I thought was that I was in a survival situation. Then, I thought I probably wasn’t going to find the trail again any time soon. Two words popped into my head: shelter and fire.

First I thought to make a fire, but my lighter was wet along with all of the wood. Fortunately, I was a boy scout when I was a kid and knew how to start a fire when wood was wet. I had to keep on cutting big pieces of wood into smaller pieces because the wood is dry on the inner layers. I did this and eventually had enough kindling and tinder for a fire. After that I had to start the fire without a lighter or matches. Thankfully, I had learned how to do this in boy scouts as well. The method that I used is called the hand drill method. First I got a sturdy piece of wood, then I made several notches in it with my knife. After that, I found a stick that was two feet long that could fit into one of the notches. I rolled the stick in it back and forth a lot and smoke started to form and then I fed the tiny embers into the kindling and tinder which eventually started a fire. When I got a fire and got warm by it a little, I decided to make a shelter. I made a fallen tree lean-to shelter. It took a while, but when I finished I lay in it for a few minutes to catch my breath. Lastly, I decided I had to keep warm so I did a few things that I knew would help me keep homeostasis. I made a hat out of the tarp and used the tarp as a coat and blanket.

After I had finished all of this, I was really tired and decided I wanted to go to sleep, so I cuddled up in my tarp inside my shelter and talked myself to sleep, scared and afraid. I got few hours of sleep, but I woke up with new hopes to find my way home.

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The ​s​urvival Newspaper

By Max Boni, Ethan Javaheri, Thomas Mackey

His name was Steve and he was stuck in the woods for nine days with only a small amount of survival materials.

Steve is a 25 year old man who went on a hike on April 29th.

He made a lot of mistakes along the way. He forgot to tell anyone he was leaving and he went to a place where there aren't a lot of people and things.

“On the first day, fog covered the trail and I did not know where I was. I panicked and ran off trail.

When I finally got a hold of myself I knew that I was then in a survival situation,” said Steve.

He said he used a snare and with his luck caught a big, ruffed

3 high fives

grouse. A snare is where a bird or rabbit will eat the food and a loop that will catch the animal and put it into the air. You might also be

wondering how he got clean water?

He said “I carved a rock into the shape of a bowl and boiled the water over the fire. This method of filtering the water was taught to me when I was younger and I was going on a camping trip with my family,” said Steve. Steve said that one of his biggest worries was getting sick or getting hypothermia.

Steve said that he knew what the affect what of getting hypothermia, but had never experienced it himself. Steve explained that hypothermia is when you get so cold that you start to die. This can be cause by not have a fire in the wilderness of not staying warm when it is cold outside. When the

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reports had ask Steve how he was able to maintain not getting hypothermia he answered that he used inside of the birch wood to get the dry wood and flint to get a spark . Birch bark has a special substance that it water resistance so the inside of the birch wood stays dry. Steve was lucky to find a flint rock. He used birch bark from birch wood to put next to the flint, then use his knife to hit the flint hard enough so it would spark and the spark would hit the birch bark and start a flame. Steve also added in that he found a coloring book in his bag and use the markers to mark where he was so if anyone had went looking for him the would see them. When the searchers told Steve how they found him, he was surprised on the mistakes he had made. The searchers said that they had checked his browser history on his computer and found that he looked up where he left. He had no idea what the mountain and area

around it where like. Lucky for Steve, he had stopped at a Walmart store to pick up some supplies just in case if anything went wrong.

Searchers had found a sturdy knife, 100 feet of nylon rope, duct tape, a disposable lighter, all in his bag of equipment. Now he is safely back in his house living a fun and happy life. After this he mainly learned to think of the whole picture instead of just himself and to be prepared.

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$15.00

22 Year Old Man Gets Lost in Northern Woods Of Maine

By Ryan McGauley Tim Parks is a 22 year old who survived in the forest of NorthernMaine for 9 days.. Before the trip, he did not look at the weather report orbring a map.

Luckily, on the way to the trail, he stopped at Walmart to buysome necessary items for the hike. He said that the most useful thing hebought was a pocket knife. He also said he was walking on the trail and thenfog came rolling in.

This fog caused him to lose sight of the trail and get lost.That night, he used his dental floss that he bought at Walmart to make a bowand eventually a bow drill to start a fire. The next morning, he was able to getwater from a puddle and filter it with his shirt. He also made a bowl with theDuct Tape he bought at Walmart. On the fourth day, he finished his last bitof food. To get food, he made a snare and used his slingshot that he bought atWalmart.

Unfortunately, he got no food so he was starving when he wasfound. His shelter was made of sticks leaned on a fallen tree. In the end hewas actually 100 feet from the trail, so the searchers were able to find him. Hewas rushed to the hospital and given food and water. Now, he is healthy andwell and in the comfort of his own home.

Candoresia gathers largest quantity of fish oil- Pg.4 Fish Gold is making money in the Mediterranean- Pg. 5 Fessenden cleans its hallways after a 10 year effort- Pg. 7 Patriots practice update- Pg. 10

`

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Albemarle Grade 6 2017 _____________________________________________________________________________________________________________

The Thief of Always Alternative Endings The Thief of Always ​is a fantasy book​ ​by Clive Barker that begins with the main character, Harvey Swick, bored on a drab, gray day February. On this day, a mysterious man in a black hat arrives in his room by flying through the window. The man offers him a way out of February and into a magical world.

Being a curious twelve year old, he accepts the invitation to what seems to be a wonderful place. In this new world, he can wish for anything and get whatever he wants. Also, four seasons pass every day there; so, every morning is spring and by the nightfall, winter begins. After a few days though, he finds out that the house may not be what it seems. He eventually discovers that for every day that he is at the house, he is losing a year of his life in the real world. If he stays long enough, he could die in the real world and lose his soul to the owner of the magical place, Mr. Hood. Will he be able to escape from this world, and get his time lost back? Will he be able to stop Mr. Hood and his underlings, Jive, Carna, Rictus, and Marr? The following pieces in the Albemarle are alternative endings to this story.

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Albemarle Grade 6 2017 _____________________________________________________________________________________________________________ Thief of Always Alternative Ending Brian Rapp Harvey was standing with Rictus by the late summer sun. Ritus said, “Is there anything you Want?”

Harvey thought about how he could trick Rictus with a wish. Then, a thought came to him.

“Yes! There is one thing! My boat is at the bottom of the lake and I really want it. Can you go get it for me? That is my one gift that reminds me of home. If I am going to stay here, I need some memories from home.”

Rictus took the bait. “Ok, child! I will jump and go get it for you!

Harvey saw Rictus disappear below the murky water. The water started to boil. Steam and dust came rushing out into the air and he knew then that he only had one man left. Harvey felt breathing on his neck. He turned around and there was Hood a mile away. He ran inside the house to try and think of a plan.

“Hood,” Harvey said.

“What do you want child?”

“I want to have peace between us. I was watching you by the lake and I feel bad for what I have done.”

“Ok, child we have to talk first so come upstairs.” Harvey and Hood went upstairs and in the back of the room were pictures.

“These picture are of my family and me when I was a boy and I was taken. Ever since my years were taken, I thought everybody's should be taken so that is why I take kids. I wanted my years back as much as you want yours, but I can't give them to you,” Hood said.

“Why can I not have them back?”

“Harvey, I am your new father.”

Harvey tried to keep his cool but he let loose a little.

“Ok Harvey I will make a deal with you. Stay 10 more years and you can have your years back” “Ok, Hood we have a deal. But first I want my friends back the ones that are now fish” Hood agreed. Harvey and Hood went down to the lake.When they got to the lake, Hood quickly pushed Harvey into the lake. Harvey was about to hit water and then he saw faces, two faces he could never forget: Wendell and Lulu. They quickly got Harvey out of the water before he would become fish. Harvey got up and ran from Hood.

“I see your friends saved you,” Hood said.

Harvey did not know what to do. So he had to get Hood back. He remembered that Hood survived on the globes.

Late that night Harvey snuck into Hood room. Hood was waiting for him. When Harvey saw Hood he had to think fast.

“I came to ask why you pushed me into the lake,” said Harvey.

“I thought you were going to betray me.”

“A deal is a deal. I can not go back on it.”

“Ok then your friends did good to save you” Harvey waited for the perfect moment . Hood turned around thinking Harvey would stay.

He quickly grabbed three jars and ran. Hood saw Harvey and started going after him.

“If you leave the house with those I will die,” he yelled.

Harvey quickly went toward the exit. Hood could not keep up. And then he crossed the border and Harvey blacked out.

Then Harvey woke up in his bed. It was the day he left. THE END……

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Albemarle Grade 6 2017 _____________________________________________________________________________________________________________ Thief of Always Alternative Ending Eddie Browne Harvey was getting tired of Rictus asking him what he wanted. So, he just pretended not to listen. When they finally got to the water, it looked murky, and Harvey couldn't see anything.

“You can't go in there, boy!” Rictus yelled.

“I know. I wasn't planning on going in. I'm going back to Mr. Hood,” he said frantically.

“Are you sure there is nothing you want?” Rictus questioned.

Harvey didn't answer for a little while.

“What do you want?” Come on, boy, this is about you, not me.” Harvey said.

“I don't want anything.”

“Come on! What do you want?” Harvey asked him again.

“I want to be a boy again.”

Harvey could hear Rictus murmur under his breath. His sentence made him think. ​Ah ha​.

Rictus can go out in the world because he is a boy. While walking from the lake to the house neither one spoke. As they reached the porch, Rictus asked if Harvey wanted anything to eat. Harvey denied his offer and went up to the attic. When he got there, Mr. Hood was still there.

“What do you want, boy?” Hood boomed.

“I want to go back in time and say good-bye to my friends,” Harvey said in a clear voice while standing up straight.

“Why should I help you?” Hood questioned.

“Because, if you are going to kill me, the least you can do is give me a final wish,” Harvey stated.

“Fine!!” Hood screamed.

In about 30 seconds, a black and gold time machine appeared.

“Here’s your stupid time machine,” Hood snapped.

Before he got the chance to press some buttons, Mr Hood said it needs someone to power it by pulling three levers. Harvey thought how was he going to do that.

Rictus whispered, “I will pull the levers for you.”

He slowly stepped into the time machine, his heart racing. He could feel my blood flowing into my feet. By the time Harvey arrived at his new destination, the holiday house looked much different. It was smaller, and there was no sign of Mr Hood. Harvey appeared puzzled. ​Oh, no! ​he thought. I went back too far. Before he went back, he could hear a little girl entering the house. She looked and sounded much like Ms. Griffin. He slowly approached her and asked if her last name was Griffin.

“How do you know my name?” she asked.

“I am Harvey. I came back in time to tell you not to ask for a new dad,” he said.

“Why?” she said puzzled.

“Because the one you wish for is evil,” he said.

“Now, goodbye,” Harvey said to her before entering the machine. Harvey pressed the button to go back home. The machine wasn't working. He was scared thinking he was stuck here, but he determined it was just a malfunction and pressed the button again.

“Oh no! Without Mr Hood, the machine doesn't work. What am I going to do?” He asked Ms. Griffin if she knew where she was.

“No, all I know is that I am at the holiday house,” said Ms. Griffin.

“Well, like I said. Do not wish for a new dad. The one you wished for was evil,” Harvey said to her.

All he could think was that he was stuck here until he could find a way out.

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Albemarle Grade 6 2017 _____________________________________________________________________________________________________________ Thief of Always Alternative Ending Yash Patel Harvey ran to the lake with Rictus on his tail. The lake came into view as Harvey slowed down.

“I wish...” he said.

Rictus’ ears piped up.

“What’s that, boy?” Harvey remembered how he had killed Marr and Jive.

“Oh, it’s nothing,” said Harvey, “I just wanted something.”

“What, boy?”

“I want the Ark at the bottom of the lake.”

“At least there are no fish,” thought Harvey. Suddenly Harvey saw a silvery flash.

I spoke too soon, ​thought Harvey. Fish surrounded him as he tried to escape. It was no use. He was trapped. The fish opened their mouths hungrily.

“Wait,” a coarse voice said. There was a hiss and all Harvey could see after that was darkness. When he awoke he was on the shore. Harvey looked back at the lake. There were two fish.

Harvey smiled, and with that they left. Harvey now knew what had to be done. He tore a piece of flaming bark from a tree nearby. He threw it.

“No. NO! NO!” screamed Mr.Hood.

Hood was burning to the ground. He tried using his evil magic, but in his agony stopped the fire surround the lake. Harvey dashed into the house and went up the stairs, up the into attic and grabbed as many globes as he could. He knew they had meant something to Hood, but Harvey didn’t know what.Then he ran back down the stairs onto the grass in front of the house. He went towards the cloud wall and stopped.

“Hello.” Harvey turned around. Harvey, his face full of hope, drained.

“I thought I killed you.”

“No, you turned me to ashes,” whispered Rictus “But, how are you alive?”

“Easy. While Mr. Hood was trying to set out the fire you started, he saved me.”

“That’s why he stopped surrounding the lake with fire,” thought Harvey aloud.

Harvey couldn’t escape. Rictus was in front of him and behind him was the cloudwall.

Harvey jumped into the cloudwall he ran and ran forward, or at least he thought. He looked down at the globes. They seemed to be leading him yet he was ignoring them. He finally decided to follow.

The sweet smell of ​real ​air filled his nose. He looked at the yellow globes. They were shaking.

Oh, no. They are dying,​ thought Harvey. He tried everything to save them. He couldn’t do it.

Frustrated, he threw one of the globes on the ground. It broke and a kid appeared next to him. He couldn’t recognize him.

“Hello, Harvey,” said Wendell.

“Wendell!” Harvey said in disbelief.

“Well, are we going to save those kids or not,” he said with a wink.

Harvey handed him half the globes. Every time one globe smash a year went backward and a kid appeared. When the last one was smashed, Harvey admired the town he lived in. The real town he lived in.

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Albemarle Grade 6 2017 _____________________________________________________________________________________________________________ Alternative Ending ​Aaron Weiner Harvey just kept on walking. He knew that if he was to show interest, then Rictus would probably start controlling him again. Harvey’s walk soon turned into a run. He then sprinted until he got to the lake. Wet and glossy sweat was tearing down his face. The lake seemed cool and refreshing, almost like someone would want him to jump right in. Harvey looked around at the fish and he saw two new fish. Then it hit him. One of the fish was Lulu and the other fish was Wendle. He heard footsteps coming from behind him.

“Boy! You can run really fast. How did you become so quick?” Rictus asked with a mischievous smile on his face.

“My dad is an olympic gold medalist,” Harvey lied, “I can’t wait to see him again when I go back home.”

“Seriously!? You're going back home when you can have anything you want? Anything!”

Rictus said.

Then Harvey came up with a plan. If he was ever going to leave the Holiday House, he would need to have someone helping him. But who? At that moment, he realized that he was going to have to convince Rictus to become his helper in order to take down Mr. Hood. Harvey heard the leaves on the trees shake back and forth. He knew that Mr. Hood must be laughing at him, but then the idea hit him.

“You know Rictus, there is something I really want to tell you,” Harvey began.

“What?” said Rictus, as if he thought his magic was working again.

“Wait, before I tell you, let's go head under a tree,” Harvey said.

Harvey led Rictus towards a tree. He carefully positioned himself so that the house could only see his back and Rictus’ back. Harvey never felt this nervous in his entire life. He knew, though, that it was now or never.

“You saved me,” Harvey continued on, “when I was so lonely and just wishing that this cold, wet, rainy winter could be over. You came along and got me out of the mess that I was in. I am so thankful for all you have done.”

Harvey patted Rictus on the back.

“I think that we should become friends. However, in order to do so I need you to grant me one of my wishes.”

Harvey could see the greedy smile on Rictus’ face. The trees rattled. Birds were singing peacefully. The chimes on the front porch where clinging together. Everything seemed the way it was the day Harvey arrived the second time.

“Whatever you want my friend,” Rictus exclaimed.

“I want you to take orders from me and help me fight Mr. Hood,” Harvey cautiously said.

“Of course, anything for my best friend,” Rictus blurred out without even thinking.

A cloud of dust circled Rictus. It whirled and twirled. Then after about a minute, it stopped and Harvey could see Rictus again.

“Hello master. What can I do for you today?” Rictus said.

Harvey was amazed on what he just accomplished. Now with Rictus on his team, he could take down Mr. Hood for good. However, he was not sure whether the spell worked or not, so he figured he would test it out.

“Hi Rictus. Please smash your head against a tree five times,” Harvey ordered.

Sure enough Rictus did what Harvey said to do. Harvey soon realized that he still had to figure out a way to beat Mr. Hood and free the children in the lake. He came up with a plan that was going to involve the globes. Darkness was creeping over the Holiday House and his stomach was growling, but he knew that if he stayed the night, he might become entranced like Wendal. Then, he realized that he was forgetting about Mrs. Griffin.

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Albemarle Grade 6 2017 _____________________________________________________________________________________________________________ As he walked over to Mrs. Griffin, Rictus was copying everything he did. Every sway of his hand, where he stepped, and he realized that even his outfit had changed. If Mr. Hood was looking, Harvey new that he was in trouble.

“Oh, Harvey! I’m so glad you're okay,” Mrs. Griffin cried.

“I'm….”

“Master is great,” Rictus interrupted.

Mrs. Griffin gave a strange look at Harvey. Then reading her facial expression, Harvey could see that Mrs. Griffin was starting to digest what was happened.

“Mrs. Griffin, I need you to go and make up some poison. We need it to kill a squirrel,” Harvey whispered with a wink attached to it.

“Ok,” Mrs. Griffin winked back.

Mrs. Griffin when into the Holiday House to cook the poison. While she was doing that Harvey had a chat with Rictus.

“Hey Rictus, you know that I am bad at keeping track of time. What year is it?” Harvey asked.

“It is 1919,” Rictus replied.

Wow. Harvey thought. Rictus has been here over 50 years!

“I have a question for you: who got you out of the regular world?” Harvey asked.

“Mr. Hood got me,” Rictus said. “Don’t tell him this but I like the real world better.”

Just then Mrs. Griffin came out. “Harvey, here is your poison to kill that pesky squirrel,” Mrs Griffin spoke cautiously.

“Thanks so much,” Harvey responded. Before I kill the squirrel, let me go use the restroom.

Rictus, why don’t you come to. They started walking towards the house and Harvey turned around to give Mrs. Griffin a wink that meant ​We are going to kill Mr. Hood. Talk soon.

Mrs. Griffin winked back.

Harvey walked up the staircase into the attic with the poison tucked in his pocket. He looked up and there he saw Mr. Hood.

“Well, I see you have come back. Why?” Hood asked mysteriously.

“I considered your offer and I decided that I would like to become your apprentice,” Harvey said.

“Well great! Let me tell you everything I know. Rictus, can you please leave.” After Rictus left, Mr. Hood went on and on about all these magical things. It seemed like he actually trusted Harvey.

After listening to a life time story about Mr. Hood, he realized that Hood still was not dead.

“Is there anything I can help you with right now?” Harvey asked.

“Well yes, there is. My globes stopped coming to me and I need your help getting them to me on a daily basis. I have not had one in a long time, so I need you to give me one,” Mr. Hood said.

“Sure,” Harvey responded. With that he picked one up off the floor. He pretended to drop it, turned his back to Mr. Hood, and put the poison in the globe. Harvey gave the globe to Mr. Hood and he ate it.

“Oh, what is that?” Hood asked. The look on his face had panic written all over it and with that Mr. Hood was dead. There were also a ton of broken globes on the ground.

However, Harvey did hear a loud noise coming from outside. He immediately ran outside and he saw what it was. All the children who had been imprisoned in the lake where now free.

As soon as Harvey ran outside, he was getting hugged from every angle. All the children from the lake had been freed! Wendle came over and piled and tacked him along with all the other kids. But then he saw Lulu. Lulu waited about 10 minutes to thank him because all the other children had been tacking and hugging him. “ How did you do that?” Lulu asked.

“Did what?”

“Free us and kill Mr. Hood. How?” Harvey told Lulu the story about how we killed Mr. Hood. As he spoke a cool sensation crept across him followed by a sense of relief. The birds sang a happy song like the soothing breeze.

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Albemarle Grade 6 2017 _____________________________________________________________________________________________________________ It was very late and they had to come up with a plan in order to get out of the Holiday House. It was too late to do anything so Wendle, Mrs. Griffin, Lulu, the children and Harvey decided to stay the night. Everyone decided that they needed someone to be the leader of all the children and Mrs. Griffin. They chose Harvey by a margin of 61%. All the children slept on the ground and Mrs. Griffin kept watch. In the morning, they decided that they needed to leave.

“Rise and shine everyone. It is time to leave,” Harvey shouted.

Nobody got a good night's sleep, but they all seemed to manage to get up. All of us headed to the wall. No birds were chirping, but the sun was still shining. There was no wind.

“Okay everyone,” Harvey said. “Are we all ready to go back home?”

“Yes,” the children exclaimed.

Mrs. Griffin started to lead them out but she just kept coming back. Then a sudden thought ran through Harvey’s head. What about Rictus? As he was thinking this, Mrs. Griffin walked up to him.

“Harvey, I forgot about this part, but Mr. Hood set up the house so that it is basically impossible for anyone to leave without killing all 4 of his helpers. You have to kill Rictus.” As Mrs. Griffin said this she saw Harvey shaking. “If you can’t do it, I’ll be more than happy to do it for you.”

“No, let me do it,” Harvey groaned. Why did he have to do this? Despite Rictus being evil at times he was actually beginning to like him. Then what Mr. Hood said made sense to him: ​We are both Thieves of Always, I steal time and you steal lives.

When Harvey got to the stairs he found a little note that seamed freshly written. The note said; Dear Harvey, I’m am so glad that you made it out of the Holiday House and the first and only student to do it in history. You did not only do this once but you did it twice. I would like to thank you for all you have done for me and know I think it is time I do something for you. I have decided to end my own life because I want you and the others to live a happy life. I regret all the bad things I have done to you. By the way, aren’t I a good actor. You actually thought I was going to be you slave. No way on Earth that was happening. Anyway, I hope you have a good rest of your life.

Sincerely, Rictus That letter left so many unanswered questions. How did the dust occur? Why did he do this?

He sprinted back to the base camp and showed the letter to Mrs. Griffin. As soon as she read it, she left without saying a word to Harvey.

“Okay everyone, let's try this again,” Mrs. Griffin announced. She walked right through the wall and everyone else followed.

As soon as they got out of the house, there were no goodbye’s. Everyone just started running back to their houses. Harvey knew the way. Left, right, straight, right, left, home.

He knocked on the door and his mom answered.

“Oh, Hi sweetie. how was your sleep overs at Joe’s house?”

“It was good thank you,” Harvey replied. Then he ran to his room and plopped down on his bed.

When he woke up, he put on his clothes and got ready for school. He did not do any of his homework, but he did not care. He knew that his English teacher, Mr. Minehart would be extremely mad at him, but he was used to it. He hopped in his mom’s car and they started the drive to school.

They drove right by where the Holiday House was but all he saw was two graves standing up. One said Mrs. Griffin and the other said Rictus. He remembered Mrs. Griffin saying, “If there is one thing I would welcome more than anything, it would be death.”

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Albemarle Grade 6 2017 _____________________________________________________________________________________________________________ Thief of Always Alternative Ending David Albrechtskirchinger A Happy Day “No,” Harvey said, panic leaking into his voice, ”You're trying to trick me.”

Even as he said these words, he felt the high summer sun beating down on his back and he knew Rictus wasn’t lying. Suddenly, a shadow passed over Rictus smile, and a chill ran down Harvey’s spine. Then, Rictus backed away and vanished around the corner of the house. Harvey was considering whether or not to follow Rictus when he heard a voice behind him.

“I’m sorry,” Ms. Griffin said, “He’s gone.”

“No,” said Harvey, matter of factly, “He’s not.”

“But I need to go back to Hood” “Then know this,” said Ms. Griffin, “ Hood alone can heal the children. Hood alone.”

With a last glance at the setting sun, Harvey shuddered and realized they had already lost half a year since returning to this accursed house. On this happy thought, he turned and walked back up the musty stairs to the attic, where Hood resided, plotting evil.

The Beast The moment Harvey stepped into the attic he knew something was wrong. Hoods face wasn't on the ceiling anymore. The room was unnaturally dark except for a patch of the knotted old wooden floor boards which were illuminated by a dusted up window. Harvey tried to turn around, but his feet were stuck to the floor. Every muscle he prepared to use immediately stopped working.

Then Hood stepped out of the shadows, and Harvey gasped. Hood’s black robes resembled death and evil but that wasn't the worst part. His face was handsome except for his eyes. His eyes were black pools of sorrow, and Harvey thought he could hear children's voices emanating from Hood.

“Ah, how the tables turn,” Hood sighed, his voice a chilling breeze, his face twisting into a cruel smile.“ We could have done so much, accomplished anything; but no, you had to play the hero and try to fight.”

Harvey felt a bead of sweat roll down his face, and his heart started pounding. Hood seemed to sense his fear and seemed to grow more confident every minute that passed.

“You don’t understand, do you? ” Hood asked.

“Understand what?” Harvey asked inquisitively.

“Everything... time.” The entire world revolves around time. Your world's leaders could do so much if they had time. The seasons wouldn’t change if we didn’t have time. Nothing works or lives without time. Time, the one thing you can steal and never give back. Don’t you see? It’s gone.

Except for if you joined me. Think. You could make your parents young again, too.”

“No I’m not a murderer,” Harvey said.

“Oh, really?” Hood exclaimed, “You brought Wendel here. You left him and he’s gone now.”

“No… It’s not like that…” Harvey stammered, unable to find a better response.

The whole house seemed to be watching Harvey and Hood. For a while no one said anything.

Then, Harvey said one word. “No.” It is strange, how much power that one two-letter word can carry. It was no, to time being stolen. It was no, to becoming part of Hood’s illusions. No denied Hood's accusations, and most importantly to Harvey, denied the house’s very existence.

Hood’s End “Very well then,” Hood spat, “You really wish to die” And with that, he flicked his wrist and Harvey felt a tugging in his body and saw his body begin to fade. Harvey could feel the life draining out of him, and his very soul being sucked out. He saw his life flash before his eyes and he fell to his knees in pain. And just when he was about to give up, he saw a great gray beast. It resembled bleakness, and gray, and rain and Harvey felt a sense of boredom sweep over him.

Hood turned, distracted. Then a look of fear came over his face.

“How…” Hood stammered. “No… it can’t be…”

58

Albemarle Grade 6 2017 _____________________________________________________________________________________________________________ Then the beast swept over to Hood and he literally imploded into thousands of tiny globes.

Harvey had never seen something so beautiful. Each globe shimmered in a different color, each a different shade of color.

The World Turned Upside Down “So so so… Hood is dead,” came Rictus’ voice from the hatch. Harvey froze and the smile faded from his face. Slowly, he turned, expecting to see Rictus brandishing a knife. But instead, he saw a man who most definitely wasn’t Rictus. He was dressed in a green tunic and jeans and a bow was slung on his back. He was possibly the most athletic person Harvey had ever seen, but his face was older than his body, a white beard grew from his chin and wrinkles lined his eyes.

“What… Rictus?” Harvey finally managed to stammer.

“Rictus is gone, You freed him,” said the man.

“How are you here?” said Harvey.

“Tis a long tale, a story for another time. But now, we must bring these globes to the lake for they are all the time that was stolen from the victims of Mr. Hood.”

Freedom It took half a day for Harvey and the man, (he introduced himself as the Hunter of the wild,) to move all the globes to the lake’s shore. There, the globes began to stir and soared into the lake, and every time one touched the surface, a fish became a child. Ten of thousands of children laughing and running soon made their way onto the bank of the lake then all the way to the wall of mist, where they vanished into their respective times. Every globe except 35 of them soared into the lake.

Then, when all the globes had gone into the lake, the thirty-five tiny globes started circling over Harvey's head and vanished, and Harvey knew he had gotten what he came for. It felt like a part of Wendell that had been lost for years had returned. Harvey began to scan the lake shore looking for any sign of Harvey or Lulu.

“What are you looking for?” asked the Hunter.

‘Wendel and Lulu,” Harvey replied.

“Don’t. It’s fruitless,” replied the Hunter.

“Why?” asked Harvey.

“Because they don’t remember you,” replied the Hunter. “They have probably left. It’s like waking from a dream for them, they don’t remember it. Maybe if they tried they would remember, but this would take years of someone helping and searching their minds for everything they remembered.”

“Oh,” Harvey said, somewhat disappointed.

Goodbye When all the children had left, Harvey asked, “Will I ever see you again?”

“Hopefully not,” the Hunter replied.

‘Why?” Harvey asked, somewhat confused.

“Because if you do, it will mean that a new dark power has arisen and I cannot defeat him alone.”

“But I’m ten!” Harvey exclaimed.

“Yes,” the Hunter replied, “But you are also now The Thief of Always.”

The Hunter’s Call Ten years later, Harvey was eating dinner when the doorbell rang.

The Hunter had returned and he had brought some old friends. Wendell and lulu.

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Albemarle Grade 6 2017 _____________________________________________________________________________________________________________ Alternative Endings ​Will Santoro The sun gleamed down on the shining path as Rictus and Harvey walked towards the lake while Rictus bugged him with questions.

“I will give you anything you want, if you don't go and try to get the spirits back,” said Rictus. “ I will not just let you take my friends like that.”

“I will give you a puppy.”

“Stop taunting me with your little tricks, Rictus. They won’t work,” said harvey.

They had went to the shining bright blue lake. Harvey was sweating, and he was nervous that he would not get his time back. He knew he had to focus and try and get his friends back before he does anything else. He wanted to trick Rictus into thinking one thing by wishing his time back. It may not work because Rictus was smart. Harvey went up the shiny sunny steps after he thinks he defeated Rictus by pushing him into the lake. He walked up to the attic to try to find Hood. Harvey found Hood in the wet and darkest part of the attic. Hood was waiting there feeding off energy and knowing that harvey is coming.

“What are you doing up here hiding like a coward,” said Harvey. “ I may be a coward but who cares?”

“Fine then I guess I'm going to kill you.”

“You can try.”

They fought to the death. Harvey pushed Mr. Hood off the house and he had turned to nothing. Harvey went home thinking he got his time back and defeated the holiday house. He went home and realized he didn't get his time back and his parents were dead. Now he went back to the Holiday House and find out who did this to him. Right as Harvey went back to the Holiday House he saw the house brand new with Rictus at the front steps.

Thief of Always Alternative Ending Sebastian Goldberg Harvey wiped off his eyes and headed up to the house.

“What are you going to do?” asked Ms. Griffin.

“I'm going to defeat Mr. Hood once and for all. I'm going to get all the live's back from the kids that were killed here years ago. I'm going to get my years back. And yours.”

“And how are you planning on doing that?”

“I have my ways.”

Harvey walked up the stairs of the back porch as he realized that this could be his last day alive, that Mr. Hood could possibly beat him with a snap of his fingers. He blocked all of that out knowing that it wouldn't do him much good in killing him. As he stepped inside he heard his disgusting, clear voice bouncing through the walls.

“Have you decided what you want child?” Mr. Hood asked in a pleasant way.

“Yes, I want a torch.” he said.

He hesitated for a second and then responded, “I don't think so, you would burn me and the house down with it. Or would you use it for something else?”

It took Harvey a second to respond but he had him right where he wanted him.

“I want to see you do tricks with it like a circus clown. My parents used to take me to circuses when I was little, and the person swallowing fire was always my favorite. I just want to remember the times I spent with them,” he said in a cutesy voice.

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Albemarle Grade 6 2017 _____________________________________________________________________________________________________________ After a minute he finally agreed. With a snap of a finger, he brought out the torch. He did some usual things with it, tossing it up and catching it, catching it between the legs, that kind of stuff.

At the end, he finally swallowed it. Harvey saw the walls catching on fire burning the house down into tiny parts.

“No, how could I have been this stupid?” Let a child burn me down so easily!”

Harvey had to get out of the house before it was too late. He ran out just as it was about to collapse. Then he remembered that those orbs might have been old children's souls that came before me. He had to get them.He rushed back in, and they were all stuck under a giant piece of wood that must have fallen on them.

Harvey lifted the wood up and ran back outside with all of them. Once he got outside all the balls started to turn back into children. He saw Wendell and Lucy pop out of the shells of the balls and he gave both of them a hug.

Harvey explained what happened to all the children. There were a lot of mixed emotions from the fact that they are alive but also that everyone they used to know is now dead.

Harvey looked back to try to find Mrs. Griffin. But when he tried to find her she was nowhere in sight. He couldn't find her. Harvey ran around frantically to find her. Then he came across a girl that looked to be my age. She was shorter than him and had two braids, and a pink little dress.

She looked up at him and said, “Thank you, Harvey, you amazing boy, you got my years back.”

It was Mrs. Griffin. Harvey hugged her tightly and moved toward the exit of the burned down house.

Harvey looked into the lake and saw no fish. The children must have got their old bodies back with the same soul. His heart rate was going down slowly knowing that Mr. Hood was finally dead. But something didn't feel right. He felt like he had forgotten something. Something that could make this happen all over again.

As Harvey and all the other children left the house Rictus climbed up the burned porch into the destroyed collapsed house. Rictus, that's who Harvey forgot about.

Rictus took out a tiny necklace under his shirt. It had a little bottle on it with a little note on it read: ​Eternity Life​. He opened up the bottle and poured it on the spot of the house where Mr. Hood's face was.

“Healing thoughts sent in flight bring the brightest of blessings this very right. Send this healing white light from above. Surround my friend new in healing love,” he said while pouring it on him.

Mr. Hood awakened. The piece of the house went up in the air and combined to make the house again.

He spat out the words, “Harvey Swick! We are coming.”

To be continued…

Thief of Always Alternative Ending Sid Pradhan There were a lot of things going through Harvey’s mind. How was he going to get out of the Holiday House? What were the orbs Mr. Hood was eating? What did it mean when Mr. Hood called him a Thief of Always? But the most important thing he needed to know was if Wendell actually went for a swim.

“Did Wendell really go swimming in the lake or are you just tricking me?” Harvey said in a sad voice.

“No Harvey,” said Rictus, “I am being one hundred percent serious.”

61

Albemarle Grade 6 2017 _____________________________________________________________________________________________________________ “Oh, well you know how you were asking me if I wanted anything? When I am feeling sad there was a stuffed teddy bear that I would carry around but I left it at my house. Could you go get it for me?”

Harvey saw Rictus’ face​ ​light up. He was devising a plan and it was almost complete. Now, all he needed was Rictus’ protective jacket.

“Sure Harvey, let me go get it.”

“Oh, and Rictus, could I have your coat please? Wendell and I were always admiring it and if he really is dead I would like to admire it one last time?”

“Um… but I can’t go get your teddy bear without it,” said Rictus to Harvey.

“But it is my wish. Mr. Hood are you listening?” Harvey said.

“No, no, no. Please don’t tell him, I will go get the teddy bear. Here is my jacket,” Rictus said while giving Harvey his jacket.

Rictus then turned and walked away to get the stuffed teddy bear. Now, if Harvey’s theory was correct he should be able to put on the jacket and swim in the lake to find his two missing friends, just like Rictus could go out into the real world and not be harmed. As he turned to walk to the lake he heard a shriek from the other side of the wall which put a wide smile on Harvey’s face.

Rictus was no longer. He walked into the world without the protection of his jacket and met his end.

Four down and one to go, only Mr. Hood was left. Harvey put the jacket on and jumped onto the jagged rocks that overlooked the lake. He noticed how dark and murky it was and realized he couldn’t see anything under the water.

He called out, “Lulu! Wendell! Where are you guys?” When he didn’t get an answer in return, he decided to swim out to the middle of the lake and call their names again. He jumped in and started swimming.

Once in the middle of the lake he called out again, “Lulu! Wendell! Where are you?” Just as he called their names two fish came swimming up from under him.

“Wendell, Lulu, I have missed you guys so much bring me back to the shore and I will help you.”

Harvey couldn’t understand them because they were just flopping around in the water but they could understand him. They swam back down under the water and Harvey put his feet on their backs. Then they started to swim and brought him back to the shore. When he got back to the shore he got up and climbed onto the rocks. He realized that they couldn’t get onto the rocks so he told Wendell to stay in the water. He grabbed Lulu and brought her to the lawn, took off Rictus’ old jacket and put it onto Lulu. In an instant she turned back into a human and could talk again.

“Thank you so much Harvey! I have no clue how you did this all by yourself! What happened to Rictus, Mar, Jive, Carna and Mr. Hood?”

“Well, long story short, Rictus, Mar, Jive, and Carna are all dead. Or well nothing because technically they were never anything. But Mr. Hood is still alive and I need your help to stop him.”

“I’m in! But I think we should turn Wendell back into his human form,” Lulu said.

A few minutes later Harvey turned Wendell back into human form and they started to go over the plan to stop Mr. Hood. They waited a couple of days until it was Christmas and all three of them made a wish. On Christmas morning they woke up and found their wishes waiting under the tree.

“They're here! I guess Hood can’t refuse wishes,” exclaimed Lulu.

“Let’s get to work,” replied Harvey, “we have a lot to do.”

They went over the plan again and again until they were sure that they were ready. Harvey, Wendell, and Lulu snuck into the dingy attic with their new Christmas presents. The attic was crawling with spiders. The floor was all wet and covered in sharp, pointy splinters. Whenever one of the three kids walked it would creak. The wooden roof was moth eaten and rotten. Once they were in the attic they looked for Hood. They found him dozing off in the far left corner with his head lying on a pillar. They split up. Lulu went right, Wendell went left, and Harvey went straight toward Hood. When they all got in arms reach from him they let their Christmas presents loose. Three Great Grey Beasts of February lept out and started eating the yellow orbs. The three kids never actually 62

Albemarle Grade 6 2017 _____________________________________________________________________________________________________________ knew what the Great Grey Beasts of February were because they never had time to get a good look at them, but now, as they were gobbling up the orbs they could get a good look. They were three white wolves. They must have been the one thing that Hood could never stop from eating everything. As the wolves gobbled down the orbs there was a whoosh sound coming from outside.

The three children ran to a crack in the attic wall and saw that for every orb gobbled down one kid popped up outside. As the whoosh sounds grew louder and louder and more kids started popping up, Hood started to wake.

“What are you doing? You are ruining everything! Those orbs are what feed me and I am the only thing keeping this place from collapsing on all of us!” Hood yelled outraged.

Harvey, Wendell, and Lulu exchanged suspicious looks and without speaking ran toward the exit.

On the way down, Harvey said, “We have to get everybody out of here before it collapses.”

“Yeah,” Lulu responded, “Harvey you start rounding up the kids and getting them back to the real world while Wendell and I go get Mrs. Griffin. We will rendezvous at the wall.”

“Got it, but Lulu grab a lot of rope from the house.” Harvey replied.

“Why?” Lulu asked confused.

“Just do it Lulu, you will see why.” Harvey demanded while running toward the kids.

They all went off to do their different jobs and save the kids and Mrs. Griffin from this horrible place. Harvey ran toward where all of the kids were coming back. At first he thought it was crazy how kids were just popping out of random places, but then he snapped back to reality and remembered that nothing in this place wasn’t crazy.

“Everybody, my name is Harvey Swick and I am trying to save you,” Harvey shouted to the group of kids.

Some of them were still dazed from coming back after about twenty years but they all understood.

“You need to follow me back to safety before this place collapses. Once we get back to the real world we will find and reunite you with your families.” said Harvey as all of the kids nodded.

Harvey brought them all to the magical wall and on the way there he met Wendell, Lulu, and Mrs. Griffin.

“Harvey, here is the rope,” said Lulu.

“Thanks, now Wendell remember the first time we tried this and how we tied ourselves together?”

“Yeah, why?” replied Wendell.

“Me and you will start to tie these kids just like we did before. Lulu you and Mrs. Griffin start lining everybody up,” Harvey yelled over the loud noise.

“Okay,” said Lulu and Wendell at the same time.

Once everybody was all tied up together with Wendell in the front and Harvey in the back they started to walk through the wall.

Before they left Mrs. Griffin shouted, “Stew Cat, where are you?”

Just then Stew Cat came running out of the house and jumped into Mrs. Griffin’s arms. She whispered to Stew Cat and then put him on the ground.

“Wendell, Stew Cat will guide you through the wall, make sure you don’t lose sight of him,” said Mrs. Griffin.

Wendell nodded and then looked at Stew Cat as if to give him permission to go first.

As they turned to go through the wall Mr. Hood started yelling from the house, “Don’t go.

You can’t leave me here alone.”

Harvey had enough of Mr. Hood’s illusions, “We just did, Mr. Hood.”

Everybody turned and followed Wendell and in a few minutes they were on the other side of the wall. Once through the wall Wendell started to untie everyone.

On the other side of the wall Harvey and Lulu stood next to each other, Lulu was crying onto Harvey’s shoulder. Harvey was just as sad but didn’t show it. He was holding the rope that 63

Albemarle Grade 6 2017 _____________________________________________________________________________________________________________ connected Lulu to the person in front of her. As the thought hit him he knew that he wasn’t going home today, he was stuck in this terrible place.

Alternative Ending, Thief of Always Jonathan Mack Harvey waited in the garden for a while thinking of a way to defeat Rictus. When it came to him, Rictus was always wearing his jacket, which might mean that the sun could affect him because when Carna went into the real world he nearly died.

Harvey walked up to Rictus who was on the dock attempting to fish, and said, “Rictus, I would be willing to stay if my parents were here, could you go get them?”

Rictus suspiciously replied, “Of course, anything for you.”

Before Rictus left, Harvey said, “I am a little chilly, could I have your jacket while you’re gone?”

Rictus took his jacket off when suddenly his smile instantly faded.

“I know what you’re doing boy. You’re trying to expose me to the sun. You’re trying to kill me!”

Fortunately for Harvey, those were Rictus’ last words. Being the fidgety person that Rictus was, he clumsily tripped over a small twig that was on the dock and fell to certain death straight into the lake. Rictus soon became fish food.

“4 down, 1 to go,” said Harvey.

Now before he took on Mr. Hood he would need his friends’ help. He walked off the dock and back into the kitchen, and asked Ms. Griffin, who was washing the dishes if he could turn fish back into humans.

“Yes, the glowing globes in the attic are souls. If the soul is paired with the right fish they can turn back into humans.” she said.

Harvey was hoping she wouldn’t say that because it meant another possible visit with Mr. Hood. Harvey cautiously walked up each creaking, wooden step, to the floor under the attic. He carefully pulled down the rope ladder from it’s compartment and slowly climbed into the attic, Hood’s lair. As he walked through the attic he could see bones and cobwebs all over the place. Hood was nowhere to be found. And in one corner of the attic he saw the globes! He ran to them in excitement. On each globe was a keyhole and a few random letters. Harvey tried to take a globe, but it wouldn’t move. He began plan B and searched the attic for a key. After a few minutes he found a crate of keys, each had more random letters. After a few trips of examining the keys and globes, he realized that there was a note on the back of the crate it said:​ ​NAMES. Harvey immediately realized what it meant. The letters were the names of each kid. He dug through the box for a few minutes until he found two keys, one with the letters LU, and WEND. He ran over to the globes and found the globes that had the letters LU, and ELL. When he put the key’s in their globes they lit up green with a weird light Harvey had never seen, the letters also merged together to spell their names LULU, and Wendell.

Harvey immediately sprinted out of the attic with the globes down the stairs, past Ms. Griffin, and to the lake. As soon as he walked on the dock two fish started swimming toward him and the globes, as if they were magnets. Harvey knew this must have been Lulu and Wendell, so he tossed the globes to them. As soon as Lulu and Wendell touched the globes, long skinny ghost-looking things came out of the globes, and were sucked right into Lulu and Wendell’s body’s.

They immediately turned back into children.

Wendell said, “Thank you so much Harvey. Now what happened to Rictus, Mar, jive, carna Mr. Hood?”

“Ms. Griffin and I will explain everything when you are inside.”

Harvey helped them out of the water and into the kitchen where Ms. Griffin made them bowls of warm noodles. Lulu and Wendell had so much to say that food was erupting from their 64

Albemarle Grade 6 2017 _____________________________________________________________________________________________________________ mouth when they talked like lava from a volcano. One of the first things they said was something about another world or dimension.

When they calmed down they said, “Yes, there was another world.”

They also said, “When we were still fish we found a hole at the bottom of the lake that connected this world to another.”

They said, “In the other world there are a lot more people that look like Mar, Jive, Rictus, and Carna, and that kids were slaves.”

“That’s what we think Hood is trying to do on earth. We think he is trying to capture all the children and turn them into slaves.”

“We have to stop hood. We should flip the situation on him that’s how we defeated Mar, and Jive,” Harvey said.

Lulu, Wendell and Mrs. Griffin agreed so they started to walk up to the attic, but when they were on the second floor they heard a loud ​HONK HONK HONK​. They looked outside to see a disheveled scrappy boat pulling up to the dock.

“That boat looks really familiar,” said Lulu.

“It does to me too,” said Wendell.

They walked downstairs and aborted the mission for Hood, just for now at least. They wanted to see what this boat was, what it would do, and if it was friend or foe. They walked outside to the lake and examined the boat.

“It just looks like an old fishing boat,” said Wendell.

“Nothing here. It’s just an old fishing boat” Harvey replied.

Ms. Griffin, Harvey, Lulu, Wendell climbed aboard the boat curiously, but cautiously. They found multiple unfamiliar devices and pieces of technology in the boat. The group of kids and a very old woman explored every room in the boat no driver was found or anyone else. Everyone agreed to keep close watch on the boat, but they agreed that Hood was their first priority. The four walked back into the house and up to the third floor, below the attic. Then they all walked one at a time up the rope ladder, and into the attic. Mr. Hood was obviously expecting them because when they all were in the attic they saw him at the far end of the room sitting in a chair, rocking creepily back and forth.

“I’ve been expecting you,” he said “Hood you don’t have lose sleep over this. Just return me the years that belong to me and I will be out of your hair,” Harvey replied.

“That’s the thing Harvey I don’t want you out of my hair I want to work together. We could rule this world and every other!”

“Hood just give it up just go back to your world, go on vacation, be happy.” For a moment it almost looked like Hood was considering this.

“I’m giving you one more chance Harvey, what do you say join me or stay with those weaklings?”

“Staying with these weaklings is a million times better than even being near you.”

“Ok, Harvey you could have had it all, but now Harvey Swick I’m coming for you.”And with that Mr. Hood flew out of the window and into the garden, he ran to the dock and jumped on the boat.

“That’s where I know that boat from. It’s from the other world I remember now,” said Lulu.

And the boat sunk down into the lake, probably to the other world, but we may never know.

Will Hood start another holiday House? Is he coming back? Who knows.

65

Albemarle Grade 6 2017 _____________________________________________________________________________________________________________ Thief of Always Alternative Writing Will Hutzler

Harvey stared over the murky water. Rictus stood near him still begging to give him anything he wanted, but Harvey did not listen. Instead he just stared into the water.

Then an idea came to him.

“I know what I want,” Harvey said still staring at the lake.

“What?! What?! Anything you want I'll get it.”

“I want the pieces of the ark at the bottom of the lake,” Harvey said.

Then all of the sudden Rictus jumped into the lake and started to swim to the bottom to retrieve the ark. Harvey waited until he could see Rictus swimming frantically towards the top.

Harvey looked in awe. Right behind Rictus was the biggest fish Harvey had ever seen. And it was going straight towards him. As its big mouth opened and revealed razor sharp teeth. Its jaws snapped down and Rictus was gone.

“Three down, one to go,” said Harvey.

Back at the house Harvey looked around noticing that it was very quiet without Mar, Jive, and Rictus. He was beginning to think that he had won. But then Harvey remembered that there was still one person left, Mr hood. It was weird to think that Mr Hood was the last person there, except for Mrs. Griffin​ ​and Harvey. Then he remembered that Mr. Hood wasn't even really a person.

He was something else like some sort of magical being or creature. Harvey now felt a little more free now that Rictus jives and mars were gone. But Harvey also remembered that there was always someone watching him, Mr hood. He was always watching you no matter where you went in this magical world.

As Harvey walked up the hill towards the house he looked around and remembered how beautiful hoods world was. The grass, the trees, and even the house all looked beautiful. When Harvey was almost at the top of the hill he remembered how tired he was. Harvey tried to find a quiet place to sit down. When he did he found himself dozing off under a shady tree. And when he did he took one last look at the pretty landscape.

When Harvey woke up he was not under the tree anymore. He was in some sort of room. It was an old room with a wooden door. There were no windows or anything in the room. Then suddenly hoods face appeared on the roof.

“You!” Hood boomed. “ You have got me into great trouble my boy!”.

“What have I done that is so wrong? You are the one who is causing all of this trouble.”

“No! You are the one who ruined my world! Now you shall pay!”

In an instant, magical globes came out of the floor. Harvey knew this meant trouble, so he bolted to the door. He had to push the door hard because there must have been something blocking it.

As Harvey ran he didn't dare to look back or slow down. He just needed to get out of the house. He knew he was in the house but he didn't know what part of the house this was. Every twist or turn he took just led him to another one. As Harvey was running through the halls at the end of one hall there was an old wood door. He tried to open it, but it didn't move. Harvey, knowing that this was his last chance, threw himself against the door. Again and again he pounded the door until it flew open. On the other side of the door was the outside world. He ran into the grass field filled with sunshine. And flopped on the ground in relief.

“I will get you Harvey!” Hood boomed.

As Harvey got up and brushed himself off he thought of what Hood might actually do to him if Hood captures him. Lock him in a cage? Torture? Harvey wondered. Well whatever it was, he wasn't planning to be captured any time soon.

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Albemarle Grade 6 2017 _____________________________________________________________________________________________________________ Once it became night, it started raining. So, Harvey knowing it was probably a bad idea went into the house. He was curled up by the fire when an idea hit him. He could burn the house. Then how would Hood stay alive without the house? It was the perfect idea. Harvey got to work right away. His idea was to put paper and wood in the oven and leave the burners on.

Harvey couldn't go outside to get the wood because it was raining so instead he took apart his bed and used the wood from that. He then gathered paper from around the house. Harvey set up the wood and the paper in oven but didn't turn it on yet. He went up to his old room to check for anything that he had brought from home. He couldn't find anything so he went back downstairs.

Harvey looked around one last time then turned it on. Harvey casually walked out of the house not to raise any attention. He walked into the rain and onto the grass.

“There is nothing you can do now,” Harvey said. “ What?” Hood said.

“You will see soon.” Harvey said “ No, no what did you do?” Hood panicked.

Before Harvey could even say anything the house burst into flames. The fire raised high towards the sky almost like a hand calling for help. As a long yell came from the house Harvey walked down the hill to the magical wall. And step through.

Thief of Always Alternative Ending Tommy Hunnewell Chapter X - “Two birds with one disaster” Harvey, tears running down his face, wet and cold, clouding his eyes, ran towards the lake.

He was soon followed by Rictus, and Ms. Griffin.

“Let them go!” said Harvey, his voice frail and cracking.

“I’m afraid that’s the one thing I can’t do boy,” Rictus said almost sarcastically. Harvey’s tears toned down a little and was somewhat replaced by sweat. He realized that if Rictus was okay with helpless kids getting tortured, then it wouldn’t be that big of a step for him to kill Harvey, even happily, he thought. Then he got an idea.

“Rictus,” Harvey said hopefully, “Do you even want to be Hood’s servant anymore? Is it even worth it? Wouldn’t you rather die, knowing you did the right thing in the end, isn’t ​that ​worth it?”

“You won’t tempt me boy,” Rictus said, “I’m stronger than the rest of them. I won’t die just to give you mercy.”

“But isn’t that what you want?” Rictus was about to say something but was interrupted by a cough, of dust. Rictus froze in shock, but something, something final, slipped through his lips, it was so quiet, that Harvey almost had a hard time hearing it, “We’re not alone.” Then he was gone.

Harvey didn’t know what to think after what he just saw. His head turned to Ms. Griffin, who had been strangely silent for the entire time. Harvey went back to the lawn. There she was. Harvey didn’t quite understand at first what had happened but as he looked around he was sure that something was wrong. All the trees were ten times their normal height. The branches were spread out like a helicopter pad, as if something was going to land there. Giant icicles were hung at the tallest of branches. And the tallest tree, with the widest of branches, the one Ms. Griffin was under, once held the three largest icicles of them all. Harvey ran over to her. She was impaled with two icicles, one in her head, and one in her heart. In her last dying breath, she said something to Harvey, ”Use... you.” Harvey stood in astonishment, wondering what it meant, staring into the dull, lifeless eyes of Ms. Griffin. Then the third icicle fell.

Chapter 2 + X “Death Threats” Harvey’s vision was fuzzy, and he was feeling horrible pain. It felt like something was stabbing his left leg. He clutched his leg. He expected to see cuts and gashes and blood. He dared to look but he didn’t believe himself after what he saw. His leg looked completely healed. He jumped in 67

Albemarle Grade 6 2017 _____________________________________________________________________________________________________________ surprise, though he winced in pain. Although his leg had looked healed, it was still an illusion, and it wasn’t real. ​Crack​. Harvey heard a twig snap.

“Who’s there?!” he half yelled half cried. He franticly looked around. And there he was, still little thinner than the last time Harvey saw him, furs and all. Harvey was staring into the sad eyes of Stew Cat, right before he blacked out.

When Harvey came to, Stew Cat was licking his face. They were still on the lawn, but instead of the danger zone that it was earlier, it was transformed into summer. Cherry blossoms had bloomed on the tips of trees, the flowers had bloomed, the sun was shining, and birds were singing.

It was perfect. The only thing missing was Ms. Griffin. ​I guess she ended up in that coffin after all​, Harvey thought to himself. Hood was smiling down at them. It was as if the roof was turned inside out.

“Harvey!” he said, “I was wondering where you were. I see Ms. Griffin left you that thing,” he said pointing to Stew Cat. He was smiling, as if he just told a funny joke.

“Why didn’t you just kill us already?” Harvey questioned.

“Don’t you see boy? I kept both of you alive so ​you​ can kill him.”

“What!” his voice cracked.

“I can still sense some darkness in you boy,” Hood said, “Now turn it to dust!”

Harvey didn’t know what to think of this. He knew Hood would surely kill him if he defied him again. He just stared ahead. ​Think, Harvey! Think!​ He thought of what Ms. Griffin said before she died, ​Use you. What about me? Harvey wondered what she meant. You. You…. Stew!!! She meant the cat!​ Harvey new what he had to do. He turned to Mr. Hood and said, “The cat dies today.”

Chapter 3+X “Fish Stew” Harvey was staring at Stew Cat, who was being cuffed to the wall, by the wind, or ultimately, Mr. Hood. “He’s ready for you now boy!”

“What should I do?” said Harvey thinking out loud now.

“Use your mind. Use its potential. I know it’s in there. Just picture a beautiful day at the beach, the sun is shining, the the waves are crashing, making a peaceful quiet noise. There’s sand and sand and more sand as far as the eye can see. Picture a cat on the beach playing in the water...”

Harvey pictured this as Hood spoke, though he didn’t feel as if he could help it. For a moment, he felt truly peaceful“ ...and picture the cat turning to dust. Blending with the color of the sand, into a pile of ash.” Harvey didn’t know what to do with this, when suddenly he didn’t have to. Stew Cat was gone, now in the form of dust. “Splendid, my boy, just splendid!” Mr. Hood said happily. Harvey just stared at the ashes.”Now let’s get back down to business. I have big plans for you boy! Very big plans! You could be the new Rictus! Perhaps even better! I’ll let you live here forever, so long as you lead children to the rest of their miserable little lives here. But….” Harvey didn’t care what Mr. Hood was saying. He was think of Stew Cat, who had sacrificed himself to save Harvey, and had turned into ashes. Harvey was contemplating everything in his head. If Ms. Griffin had to die, there had to be a reason: Hood didn’t want her to share some information. It made sense now why Ms. Griffin had the three cats. One cat, Clue Cat, could navigate the house, he died. Another cat, Blue Cat, could navigate through the wall, he died. Harvey was beginning to see the connection. If the other cats could get through the wall and house, then Stew Cat must be able to do something to the lake.

Without thinking Harvey picked up the ashes. While Mr. Hood was monologuing he took his chance, he threw the remains of the cat, who had helped him so much, into the lake. Water started to bubble. The fish were swimming in circles. This lasted for about five seconds. Harvey didn’t even know if this would work, and then it did.

Chapter 4+X “The Passive Area” It was just moments after Harvey dumped the dust, which remained of Stew Cat, in the lake.

The water started to evaporate into thin air. Harvey watched, his mouth wide open. The fish were levitating up to the side of the lake. One by one they transformed into their regular selves. Harvey figured that all the kids were in between the ages of 10 and 13. ​Wendell! Lulu!​ Harvey thought of his missing friends. “Wendell! Lulu!” Harvey shouted.

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Albemarle Grade 6 2017 _____________________________________________________________________________________________________________ “Harvey!” Wendell shouted, “We’re over here!” Harvey ran over there, as fast as he could.

“What happened?!” Lulu asked Harvey.

“Ms. Griffin and Stew Cat sacrificed themselves to save everyone! I’ll explain more later, but now we have Hood to deal with and-” “Excuse me?” It was someone the Harvey had never seen before. He was tall, with messy black hair. “Can you explain what happened?”

“Sure, let’s talk over there,” Harvey said pointing to a spot on the lawn. Harvey and the boy walked over.

“Hello ‘Thief of Always’.”

“What?”

“You’re Hood right?” the boy asked puzzled.

“No, my name is Harvey. Mr. Hood was the one who took all of your years,” Harvey explained. Though there was something in the tone of voice that the boy used in that sentence, like he knew what he was talking about. Harvey’s suspicions were confirmed when he looked up pretending to scan the crowd for Wendell and Lulu, but really looked at the place on the roof where Hood’s face once was. Harvey started to walk away from the boy.

“Hey,” the boy, who thankfully I can now called Mr. Hood, said, calling after Harvey.

Something was clearly off. It looked like things all around Harvey were disappearing, disintegrating.

He looked back and saw that even Mr. Hood looked as though pretty soon, there would be nothing left. Blue orbs were coming out of him, and disappearing in white, fiery, sparks. Harvey broke into a run. “We’re not done!” Hood shouted, then the house was gone.

Harvey woke up on this Tuesday morning like everything was normal. All of the people in the Holiday house had returned to their timelines except for one, I’m sure you can guess who, though not one of them remembered the house, or Mr. Hood. Harvey started going back to school, since his “stomach bug” was over. He sat in his chair, hearing the teacher lecture the class, and the tapp tapp​ of her ruler as she pointed to the board, everyday. He, rode home on the bus, hearing the sounds of children laughing, and throwing spitballs at each other, everyday. Then he got home, everyday. He slept well, with few nightmares, but when he did have one it started out as him in bed, hearing terrible cry dozing him into a friendzy, waking up and screaming, realizing it was all a dream, and that the cries were just wind coming from the window. He closes the window, and sees a smiling, grimacing figure, staring back at him. Everytime he says the same thing, “Hello Harvey, or should I say, ‘Thief of Always’.”

Thief of Always Alternative Ending Charlie Hall “Rictus!” called Harvey.

“Yes?” replied Rictus.

“I have finally thought of a wish,” cheered Harvey.

“What is it?” Rictus asked, growing giddy with his temptation.

“I want you to take Mrs. Griffin to the lake. She wants to see it,” Harvey announced.

“Ok, no problem! That doesn’t even take magic!” Rictus shouted, growing a bit suspicious.

Rictus chased after Mrs. Griffin, who was already heading to the lake. As they made their way through the dense thicket, Mrs. Griffin went through in her head the plan that Harvey and her had devised.

“Why do you want to see the lake?” Rictus asked attentively.

“I haven’t been there in a long time,” Mrs. Griffin lied, “I wanted to see how it has changed since when I was a kid.”

Mrs. Griffin wasted no time. She was done playing Hoods’ game. She was done with life, or this immortal hoax that seemed like it. As soon as they got to the edge of the lake, Mrs. Griffin 69

Albemarle Grade 6 2017 _____________________________________________________________________________________________________________ shoved herself into it, clinging to Rictus as she did. The cold murky water gave a loud splash as the two dropped in. The water bubbled as the figures made of dust evaporated.

“Four down, one to go!” Mrs. Griffin shouted proudly for Harvey to hear, as Rictus and her flew through the air.

Back on the calm, beautiful lawn, Harvey heard her call. He briefly sighed in relief, but then acknowledged that the battle was still far from over. He had a job to do.

It was a beautiful summer day, and Harvey was pondering of what to do in the treehouse.

He jumped down from his perch when he saw the orbs that Hood was eating. They were a light shade of gold, shimmering in the sun. Before Harvey could even start to theorize what they were, he heard a soothing voice in the back of his head. It was Wendell. “Those orbs are the years that are lost from the kids here at the holiday house. If you want any chance of saving us, you need to take them. I hope I see you soon, Harvey.”

The voice was soft, and had absolutely no rush or stress in it. But before Harvey was given a chance to see where it was coming from, it faded away.

Harvey dashed up to the attic. As he did, he grabbed all of the orbs he could.

The attic had somehow become even more disheveled, as if someone in a fit of rage had walked through there, tossing everything in it’s way.

“Hello, disgusting child,” Hood hissed, “I see you have killed my last minion, you filthy thief!”

“It wasn’t me” Harvey came back wisely, “It was Mrs. Griffin. You have lost her, too. You have nothing left except those orbs. You are weak.”

Hood knew well enough not to reply, as that would lead to more chatter. All Hood was focused on at the moment was defeating this child. He dove at him, hoping to catch Harvey off guard. This did not work, however. Harvey had been through too much to be tricked by something like that. He dove to his right and slid across the aged and grimy attic, preparing himself to fight. But then he remembered his fists would do no harm to Hood. Harvey Swick had to think of a plan fast or else not only he, but every kid who had ever and will ever step into the grounds of the Holiday House would be toast.

“Harvey, I have a question for you,” Hood slithered, obviously devising a plan, “Would you like those precious years with your parents back?”

Harvey pulled out the orbs that he had grabbed on his way up, and held them in front of Hood, “No. We both know what years are wanted here. They’re yours.”

“Those are mine! How did you get them?” Hood started to rage. He dove and attempted to snatch them, but as soon as he touched them, he was gone. In place of his body was all of the glorious orbs. For a second, Harvey didn’t believe it. He had finally done it, killed his arch nemesis, Mr. Hood. As Harvey gathered the orbs, he saw Wendells’ orb, and he saw Lulus’ orb, but most importantly, he saw his.

“I will be with you soon, mom,” Harvey whispered to himself, “and you too, Dad.” He started to envision going back and seeing their beaming faces. Careful not to lose himself in thought, Harvey noticed how many orbs there were, and realized that it would take a while to get all of the fish from the lake and turn them back to people. As Harvey started gathering up the gleaming spheres, he caught a glimpse of hundreds of kids walking on the lawn. It was in the middle of a spring day, and the sun glared down on all of them, allowing Harvey to make out many details on the childrens’ faces. He saw many people, but the one that took him by surprise was a girl that strangely had the same face characteristics as someone he knew.

Harvey dashed down the stairs, growing quite excited to welcome the kids. Once he got outside, he called out so everyone could hear, “Everyone, follow me!”

He walked casually back to the attic, making sure no one was left behind. When they reached their destination, he shouted again, “Hello, my name is Harvey Swick. I have defeated Mr. Hood, and I have something to tell you.” Everyone started to listen very attentively. “For every day you all were at the holiday house, a year has gone by in the real world. This means that all of your parents are most likely long gone. But in these orbs are the years that are rightfully yours, and that 70

Albemarle Grade 6 2017 _____________________________________________________________________________________________________________ you can take to the real world and get them back. Now, everyone, you will be able to find your orbs very easily; they will call out to you. Go on, take back what you had and live your lives!”

The crowd gave a loud cheer and everyone started searching for their years. Harvey had nice meet-ups with Lulu and Wendell, who both were very grateful. Once most of the people had taken their years and left the attic, Harvey searched for the girl he saw on the lawn. When he found her, he asked, “Hello, would you mind telling me your name? I think I’ve seen you before.”

“My name is Sarah Griffin. I ran away because my cat died.”

Harvey stood their in shock, knowing that she would have absolutely no memory of him, and after a few moments, as the girl turned away, Harvey said softly, “well, I’m sure your father will be quite glad to see you come home.”

Harvey and Wendell exchanged house numbers. They promised to meet up in a few days. It actually turns out they went to the same school! But when Harvey tried to do the same with Lulu, he found out that in the real world, Lulu lived in a time period hundreds of years before Harvey’s.

“That’s too bad,” Harvey said to Lulu, trying to hide his feelings, “well, I wish you good luck.”

“Thanks,” Lulu beamed, “you too.”

Harvey and his two friends marched into the wall together, knowing that Lulu would break apart from them as they did. When Wendell and Harvey got to the other side, they each took their separate ways and dashed to their houses. When Harvey got to his, he expected a big welcoming home after all the time he had been away, but when he got there, his parents and him had a usual greeting, like coming home from school. Then Harvey acknowledged that no time had gone passed here; he had taken his years all back. Despite all of the happiness that was in Harvey's’ heart to see his parents again, something twisted in his stomach as he heard an evil laugh from far, far away.

One that could only have come from a great, big vampire.

Thief of Always Alternative Ending Reagan Huber and Will Lavalle As Harvey was walking to the lake everything looked different. The trees were gray, the flowers were dead, and all of the grass was gone, and there was only dirt to find.

“What's happening?” asked Harvey.

“Mar, Jive, and Carna helped give life to this place,” Rictus replied.

Harvey felt bad but continued going to the lake. When he got there he took a long look at the lake. All he saw were fish floating upside down on the surface of the water. But when Harvey looked over to the other side of the lake, he saw them. Lulu and Wendell and some other kids lying down on the other side of the lake. As soon as he saw them Harvey rushed over as fast as he could. Going past the spiky pricker bushes and running over the dead flowers. Once have way there he just stared at them.

“What should I do?” Harvey said to himself.

“Hey Lulu, is Harvey across the lake?” Wendell cried.

“I think it is,” Lulu replied.

Harvey could hear them, but not very clearly and knew that he should go over and greet them.

“Hey guys, it's me Harvey,” Harvey yelled across from the lake, so he could be heard.

“What are you doing over there?” Lulu said.

Harvey didn’t really know what to say because he is not really friends but at the same time doesn’t want to be mean.

“You have to run,” Lulu said, “Something evil is coming.”

Then a giant black figure came up and snatched Lulu and Wendell!

“Ahhhhhhhh!” Harvey cried as he was running away from the lake.

“Rictus! Rictus! What was that thing?” Harvey shouted.

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Albemarle Grade 6 2017 _____________________________________________________________________________________________________________ “That was Mr.Hood. He just took your friends to an alternate dimension.” Rictus replied.

“Can you please bring me there?” Harvey asked, “That's the one thing good you can do for me.”

“Yes, I can.” Rictus said, “But it is very risky and you have a chance to mutate.”

“I DON'T CARE!” Harvey shouted, “I WANT MY FRIENDS BACK!” When Harvey and Rictus got to the alternate dimension. They saw Mr. Hood holding Lulu and Wendell by the neck.

“If you want your friends back you'll have to stay with me forever,” Mr. Hood said.

“DON’T DO IT HARVEY!” Lulu cried.

“I’m going to I don’t have anything in to live for on the other side (the real world),” Harvey replied.

“Looks like we have ourselves a pretty smart one here,” Mr. Hood says.

Out of nowhere Carna comes up behind Mr. Hood and shakes Lulu and Wendell out of Mr. Hood's grip.

“I thought Carna was dead!” Harvey asked Rictus.

But when Harvey turns around he sees Rictus in a puddle.

“Thank You, for everything,” Rictus said while instantly disintegrating into the darkness.

Then a bunch of flashing lights happened and Harvey looked over to see Carna and Mr.Hood fighting! .“We have to get out of here!” Harvey shouted.

Suddenly, a giant portal appeared in front of Harvey! Carna made a sound almost like she was telling them to jump in.

Harvey hesitated, then a giant explosion happens behind them, sending them into the portal.

When Harvey got to the other side of the portal he saw himself in front of the holiday house.

“Lulu, Wendell let's get out of here,” Harvey said, “Mr.Hood could come back!”

When Harvey, Lulu, and Wedell finally made it to the real world he found himself in front of a group police investigators.

“Your Harvey right?” The police said.

“Yes, yes I am, and why/how do you know my name?” Harvey replied.

“Sunny, we don’t want to be the bearer of bad news but, we are afraid you have lost your parents on Wednesday.” The police cried.

“What day is it?” Harvey replied.

“It is Saturday.” The police murmured to Harvey's ear because there was starting to form a crowd.

Harvey looked around, he could see many policemen with guns pointing at them. Harvey started to walk with Lulu and Wendell into the police car. Before they did they heard a loud shriek!

Carna was dead.

“We have to get out of here,” Harvey said to the police, “Someone terrible is coming for us!”

Then a giant shadow appeared out of no-where!

“Light it up!”

Then the policeman started shooting at Mr.Hood, but they went right through him!

“You Humans are really stupid aren’t you?” Mr. Hood said.

Harvey, Lulu, Wendell, and an officer hoped into the police car a drove away. Or so they thought, a giant hand had grabbed their car and was pulling them back to Mr. Hood!

“Ahhhhhhh! Lulu yelled. He’s after us!”

At this moment Lulu, Harvey, and Wendell knew that they were going to have to think of a plan. They had to think of something fast as they were approaching Mr. Hood. Mr. Hood is already furious that Lulu, Harvey, and Wendell for escaping let alone escaping for the second time. As they were approaching Mr. Hood Harvey had an idea to jump out of the car right before Mr. Hood got to them and roll into the bushes. After this, they would scuffle away before Mr. Hood could catch up again. As soon as they scuffled away they escaped as did the Police officer. The car hit Mr. Hood and he died. Everyone got back safely and everything was good.

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Albemarle Grade 6 2017 _____________________________________________________________________________________________________________ End of a Dream ​Max Gold

Harvey ran through the brush toward the lake. When he got there, he found Wendell about to dive straight in! “Wait!” Harvey yelled.

“What's wrong?” said Wendell,dreamily.

“Look!” Harvey proclaimed as he pointed down into the deep, murky water. There was a pool of big gray fish, swimming around and around in circles. Suddenly something seemed to snap in Wendell’s mind, almost as if he broke out of a deep trance “Oh my goodness! What happened? Where is Hood?” he questioned. Harvey explained everything.

“I have a plan though,” said Harvey “Good, what is it?” Wendell replied.

Harvey told him that Marr had said that there was not much magic to go around and that if they asked for enough, maybe it could weaken Hood.

“You in?” asked Harvey.

Wendell shrugged, “Sure, it's all we have,” he said.

They quickly headed to find Rictus. He was practically skipping down the stairs as they walked into the house.

“I have changed my mind,” Harvey said.

“As I expected,” Rictus remarked, “Is there anything you two would want?” Suddenly they bombarded him with wishes and Rictus replied by granting them.

“Can I have a motorcycle?” asked Harvey. And right after he asked, a shiny, expensive-looking motorcycle showed up right next to him.

“Can I have a tv?” asked Wendell “A basketball hoop?” asked Harvey “An Xbox?”

“An Iphone?”

“An Ipad?”

“A computer?”

“A puppy?”

This went for an hour and every time they wished, their wish came true, until eventually Rictus said panting, “I think we should stop.”

“But I thought you said we could wish for as much as we wanted,” Harvey replied, “can I have an ice cream machine, with every single flavor ever created?” he asked, and a second later a huge ice cream machine showed up in his room.

Harvey could tell Rictus was weakened by this.

“It’s working,” he whispered in Wendell’s ear. They kept on wishing until Rictus was on the ground begging for mercy. They were outside now, Ms.Griffin (who had even wished a couple times) was with them, and Wendell had just wished for his own personal helicopter.

“Please, stop!” Rictus screamed desperately.

“One more wish,” Harvey whispered to himself, and he wished, “I want a soccer ball.” This seemed to put Rictus over the edge as a new, white and black soccer ball showed up at Harvey’s feet.

“Nooooooooooo!!!” Rictus screeched as he melted down into the ground. A pile of dust sitting where he once stood.

They celebrated with a high five and started towards the house, but before they got there, they heard a loud, booming voice coming from the house, “You haven’t won yet, Harvey Swick!”

“Can we wish for somethings?” asked Harvey.

“Of course, what would you like?” Hood replied.

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Albemarle Grade 6 2017 _____________________________________________________________________________________________________________ “I want to be young again,” said Ms.Griffin. Suddenly she turned into a kid that looked about 10 or 11.

Ms.Griffin gasped, “oh my goodness!”

The house shrank a little bit! “It’s working!” Harvey told them.

“I want my house back,” he said, and a perfect replica of his house showed up next to the Holiday House. The Holiday House kept shrinking.

“I want my sister back, the real one, not a fake,” Ms. Griffin said and a girl, about Ms.Griffin’s age appeared next to her.

They embraced. As she appeared, the house vanished along with all their wishes and an old man stood in the houses place. The old man was white as paper and weak as paper too.

“Good bye, Harvey Swick” Hood said and floated away, up into the sky, forever. They were all standing there in astonishment and Ms.Griffin explained to them that Hood had captured her sister, Nancy, when they came to the Holiday House because she didn’t agree with the never dying deal.

“Me and Mary haven't seen each other in 150 years! I have counted every single day since that day we came here in 1867!” Nancy said.

They embraced again when suddenly, there was a rustling noise from the brush near the lake and out came every single child that had became a fish. They all greeted each other and met each other for a while until it was time to leave through the wall. They all said their farewells to each other and one by one they left into their own time zones. Harvey’s heart sank when he saw Lulu walk through the wall. Eventually it was just Harvey and Wendell alone. They went through the wall together back to their world. The air was cold and crisp. It seemed to be late morning, the same time Harvey entered. Harvey took a deep breath of february, the last time he breathed real febuary air was a long time ago, but not long ago at all. This thought confused Harvey a lot but at this point he didn’t care, he was back.

“See you soon” Harvey said.

“See you soon,” Wendell said.

They parted ways. Harvey’s feet knew exactly which way to lead him. When he got to his street, he sprinted to his door step and rang the doorbell. His heart was racing. His mom opened the door and said “Harvey! Why are you not at school?!”

The Falling of the House Nate Gelb After Rictus tried to make Harvey stay at the Holiday House, Harvey dashed like a cheetah to the lake. Harvey peered into the dark, murky water.

When Harvey got there he yelled, “Wendell are you there?” Harvey got no reply.

Rictus caught up at the lake and told him, “You are one hard kid to please.”

Harvey replied,” There is one thing that will please me .”

Rictus replied, “Tell me, I will make it happen.”

Harvey said, “ Reach in the water and pull out a fish with your hand.”

Rictus replied,”That’s easy.”

Harvey had developed a plan for what was going to happen next. Rictus stretched down and reached deep into the water and all of a sudden Harvey shoved Rictus with all of his might in the water and Rictus almost turned to dust almost immediately. All the fish swam to it like bait and swallowed the dust . Suddenly they swam to shore, and their human features started reappearing.

Harvey saw Lulu, Wendell, and many kids, who could of been hundreds of years old. Harvey informed the kids about his heroic feats and told them his plan to kill Mr. Hood. The kids were happy.

“I believe in you, ”Lulu said She gave him a kiss and walked away to the fields.

Harvey said, “Hi Wendell.”

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Albemarle Grade 6 2017 _____________________________________________________________________________________________________________ “Hi Harvey, good luck with Hood,” Wendell replied.

“Thank you so much.” Harvey said.

Harvey made his way to the holiday house stairs. Harvey sadly departed his friends as he walked with determination in his mind. While he walked up the stairs, he heard in the background, the wind cracking like fall leaves on the ground.

As Harvey walked into the house, he saw Stew Cat perched on a chair. He went to the basement to get his food. On the label, it said DO NOT TOUCH. Harvey’s temptation got the best of him, and Harvey put it in a bowl to see what would happen. Stew cat walked up to the bowl and ate some. He started jumping around like a kid on a trampoline. Harvey was wondering what was happening. Harvey ran and got Ms. Griffin.

Harvey yelled from afar, ”Ms Griffin come here, I need you!”

Ms Griffin replied, “Be there in a minute.”

“It's important,” Harvey said.

Ms. Griffin walked over to the house and she saw Stew Cat jumping around.

Ms Griffin asked Harvey,” What did you give him?”

Harvey with a sad expression showed her the DO NOT TOUCH food bag.

Ms Griffin responded with a sad expression, “He will die at midnight.”

Harvey said, “Is there any way that he can stay alive?”

Ms Griffin responded, “ If you can kill Mr. Hood before midnight he will stay alive.”

Harvey without responding dashed up the stairs and saw the cat spazzing out. He was making a plan to kill Hood. He had a strange thought of breaking the globes and seeing what would happen. He already killed all of Hood’s servants and Hood was on his own. He was thinking of poor Stew Cat who would die at midnight unless he killed Hood. He looked back on all the kids, Ms Griffin and the people he needed to lead to safety. He felt like a superhero helping all of them except he did not know if he would win against the villain. Harvey charged up the stairs calling out Mr. Hood taunting and making fun of him, Harvey knew this could be a huge mistake. He climbed up the stairs to the attic, where no one had been and there staring down at Harvey was the Thief of Always, Mr. Hood. Mr Hood was in his human form. The air seemed scary around him. Harvey could hear a faint wind. Harvey was frightened but didn’t show it. Harvey could see Mr. Hood was also frightened because Harvey had killed Rictus, Jive, Marr, and Carna. Harvey eventually realizes every minute Hood would eat another globe.

Mr Hood yelled, “ Stop that boy.”

Harvey saw Mr. Hood shrink a little bit and Harvey replied, “I will not stop until I get my years back!”

Harvey realized there were 29 globes. Harvey thought it could be one globe equals one year. Harvey broke 4 more. Now there were 25 globes left.

Hood yelled, “Stop it or I will kill you!”

Harvey wasn’t afraid of death and broke five more now. There were now 20 Globes. He grabbed them one by one and slammed it on the ground letting a strange air coming out. Harvey started breaking 2 at a time he did this five times. There were ten left Hood was small and weak and needed help and Harvey, who was the stronger fighter. He broke the final ten and all of a sudden a big BOOM sound went off and in front of Harvey was a pile of dust. Harvey realized he killed the great overpowering Hood. He ran downstairs and saw the food was a pile of dust. The magic was off.

Harvey walked outside to a loud cheer just like the Texas Rangers games his dad brought him too. For Harvey, this was a relief to be done with this mission of killing Hood. He also saw Stew Cat chasing the kids on the field. Harvey went on the field and was congratulated by the kids . Ms. Griffin told all the kids the secrets of the house and what Jive, Marr, Rictus and Hood did to her.

Harvey told everyone what year it was and they saw the river and the kids saying the Lake was terrible. Harvey and the kids walk around becoming friends but the best of friends were no longer Wendell and Harvey because Wendell was too immature for him and Wendell didn’t really care about being saved. Harvey and Lulu became great friends and became boyfriend and girlfriend. The 75

Albemarle Grade 6 2017 _____________________________________________________________________________________________________________ air was a little chilly like the Fall. The wind was crisp blowing through the leaves. The kids turned around and walked to the mist not knowing what would happen next Harvey got paper and got Lulu’s phone number. They said goodbyes to everyone and before they left Harvey said “ Wait everyone I have an Idea.”

Harvey dashed inside like a rainstorm bursted out on a sunny day and got a match and set the Holiday House on fire. They watched it burn down. Then Harvey took Stew Cat because he could keep him because he saved the kids. They jumped 1 by 1 in the mist and then there were three people left Harvey, Lulu, and Wendell. First Wendell said Bye and jumped in.

There were two people left Lulu and Harvey they kissed one more time then Harvey asked Lulu,”How long were you here?”

She replied, “One day longer than you.” Also Lulu lived 15 minutes away from Harvey. They jumped in together and then Harvey felt like he was in a long roller coaster. Zooming through time zones, he felt his body behind him and did not know what would happen later. He landed in his bed on that cold night that Rictus came. It felt strange, but Harvey was back in the Great Beast called February.

Thief of Always Alternative Ending Ketan Gardner XXIII As Rictus and Harvey approached the murky, dark lake, Rictus muttered, “Silly child.”

Harvey ignored him and continued on to find his friend Wendell.

Then, all of a sudden Rictus said, “Hey are you sure that there is nothing I can do for you?”

“Well there is one thing, go down to find my missing ark pieces in the lake.”

Without realizing the trick, Rictus replied, “Sure thing my boy, and he dove into the lake.”

“Ha!” Harvey said aloud, and he walks away from the shore.

“Wendell! Harvey shouted, Where are you?”

“HHEERRE,” came a familiar voice to his right.

“Wow, your a mess. There must be a cure ” said Harvey.

Wendell followed right behind Harvey. As if this was not enough for Harvey to deal with already, Hood made the storm even more intense.

He found Mrs. Griffin and said, “Is there anything you can do to help Wendell?”

After she thought for a moment, she quickly answered,“Yes! There is!”

“Great!” Replied Harvey.

Mrs. Griffin brought him into a secret room in the basement of the house that neither Harvey nor Wendell had seen before. She laid Wendell down on the table and muttered a strange phrase and told Harvey to stand back. He did as he was told. After a big flash of light, Wendell who was a fish a minute ago, was now back to normal.

“Oh, thank you Mrs. Griffin,” Harvey said with a big smile across his face.

“What happened?” said Wendell with a tired voice.

“Never mind about that. What you boys have to focus on is taking down Mr Hood. And I think I know how you can do that.” Then, without another word she walked out onto the front lawn.

XXIV Harvey slowly made his way up to the attic after making sure Wendell was alright. He could hear the storm as he walked up the old creaking staircase. Only a few seconds later he was face to face with Hood.

“What do you want child?” Hood said.

“I want all the years you stole and I know where they are.” Harvey replied.

“Ha ha ha, sure you do.”

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Albemarle Grade 6 2017 _____________________________________________________________________________________________________________ “By taking your magical globes, not only will I be taking my years back, but I will also be taking your only source of power!” Harvey yelled.

“OH BOY YOU HAVE JUST DUG YOUR OWN GRAVE!” Hood replied getting angrier and angrier with every word.

Without anymore conversation, Harvey grabbed three of the globes and ran.

“Get back here with those globes!” Hood screamed But Harvey was already down the stairs and running toward Wendell and Mrs. Griffin.

“Here! Wendell catch!” said Harvey.

“Got it! What are these for?” Wendell asked as he ran behind Harvey.

“Tell you later,” Harvey replied.

Hood’s storm was getting so wild that as soon as Harvey and the others made it to the front yard, the whole roof had been ripped off the house completely. This, Harvey realized, what meant that Hood. Was. Dead.

“Finally! Hood is gone!” Harvey said.

“Really?” Wendell said with a puzzled look on his face.

“Yeah, said Harvey, he lives in the attic and the whole roof just got destroyed.”

As he said this, the whole house started to crumble and fall. Harvey, Wendell, and poor Mrs Griffin ran across the yard and to the giant stone wall.

XXV Mrs. Griffin, Wendell, and Harvey slowly made their way into the mist and popped out the other end in what felt like a second. They started to walk back towards their own houses with the globes tucked under their arms. Then, Harvey remembered Mrs. Griffin.

“Mrs. Griffin, would you like to come stay with my family for a while?” Harvey said with a kind voice.

“Oh that would be wonderful my boy,” Mrs. Griffin replied with a huge smile across her face.

“Alright then, follow me.”

Harvey said goodbye to Wendell and they went their separate ways, each of them carrying globes. Harvey got back to his house with Mrs. Griffin and explained everything to his parents, not leaving out a single detail. After he convinced his parents to let Mrs. Griffin stay, he told them what he had to do. He had no idea if this was going to work or not.

“Mom, Dad, Harvey said with a confident voice, I need your full trust in me. What I’m about to do may not work, but if it does, are lives will be back to normal. Okay?”

“Yes”, Harvey’s parents replied in unison.

Harvey took a few steps back and prepared to throw the globes at his parents. He knew he must have looked very scared because his dad gave him a reassuring look. He brought his arm back and threw. He closed his eyes and after a few seconds, when the cloud of blue dust had disappeared, he got a good look at his parents. They were back to normal!

“Yes!” Harvey exclaimed.

Mrs. Griffin’s mouth was open and she was just staring. Harvey did it. He repeated those words in his head over and over again.

“I did it” he said aloud.

Then, his dad said, “Let's go get some dinner. Mrs. Griffin you are welcome to come.”

“Let's do it!” Harvey and Mrs. Griffin replied at the same time.

Then, she gave him a smile and whispered, “Good job my boy, you have completed your first task.”

And without another word, she followed Mr. and Mrs. Swick out the door.

The End

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Albemarle Grade 6 2017 _____________________________________________________________________________________________________________ Thief of Always Alternative Ending Wyatt Doyle & Yota Fukui

Soon Harvey started to run toward the lake. He used all his power running toward the lake to see how Wendel is doing with his tears falling upon his face. When he reached the lake his eye caught Mr. Hood with Wendel. “Leave Wendel alone shouted!” Harvey. It was her that he realized he had two options. On one hand, he could go home enjoy what was left of his old life and parents, and let hood keep stealing children, or he could stop hood once and for all while his parents grow old and die knowing he was doing the right thing. He knew the right thing to do would be to fight hood, but he wouldn't be able to live with himself knowing that his parents never got to say goodbye. So he conjured up an idea. He asked for a pencil, paper, and string. He wrote a letter saying goodbye tied it to clue cat and told it where to go.

(Dear mom and dad, It's killing me to know that I am doing this in full consciousness, but I have to fight hood and end this place once and for all. From: Harvey.)

Luckily he was far enough ahead that jive didn’t see but hood did!

“After that cat!” hood screamed. Obediently jive dove for the cat but it was too fast it ran into the mist and was gone. While hood wasn’t looking Wendel ran over to Harvey.

“I see now, I I know what's going on!?” Wendel said. He wasn’t sure what was truth and what was a lie anymore.

“All we have to do is to take revenge on Mr.Hood!” said Harvey. Wendel looked confused at first but Wendel started to realize what the Holiday House did to him. Wendel went desperately for a moment because he realized that we lost more than he had fun. “Are you ok?” said Harvey because of the emotion of anger in Wendel’s face. Wendel was full with emotion on his face the emotion of anger, in his eyebrow the Emotion of sadness, in his tears the emotion of depression of losing what he lost. Harvey came up to Wendel and said, “Are you going to fight and take the revenge or are you going to run off and forget everything we lost?” that word stung Wendel, and he was prepared to use that emotion to fight and take revenge on Mr. Hood. It was then that they knew what they had to do. In a blur of dirt and tears, they dove into the depths of the pond. “Haha dumb children they'll stay there and be tortured for the rest of eternity guess he wasn’t as smart as I thought!” said Mr. Hood with glee. As Harvey and Wendel waited at the bottom for the mud to settle and hood to leave the fish started coming up to them. Whispering “Go while you still can, it's too late,” Wendell and Harvey started calling the fish to the surface, and pulling them out of the water and telling them why they should fight, and live.

“No it's not too late you can come back from this,” they said.

“Don’t give up I want to take the revenge of you guys!” cried Harvey with tears. With a shimmer, the fishes turned back into humans as if it was only a dream. Harvey was very surprised with a huge open mouth with his eye wide open. “How… how is this possible!?” Harvey mumbled with a tear dripping off his eye. Even though Harvey was crying he knew he didn’t have enough time and so Harvey and Wendel told them there plan.

“We have to use that built up emotion, it's the only thing that hood can't control,” said Wendel. Harvey tried to find Lulu in the crowd of 30 children.

“Hey Harvey!” said Lulu when Harvey looked back there was Lulu. Harvey was so happy to see her back and so he told everyone that turned back into fish all about the creepy side of the Holiday House. After Harvey and Wendel explained what situation they were in the children had a discussion on how to take revenge on Mr.Hood and the holiday house. The plan they came up with was to use Jive's power of getting whatever they can get, so they got what they needed to fight.But the children knew that they weren't able to kill Mr.Hood by physically attacking him, so they decided to use the earlier plan of using emotion, they went up to Jive and asked for all of their most emotional items. Jive can’t say no to what the children want and so Jive has to give them what they

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Albemarle Grade 6 2017 _____________________________________________________________________________________________________________ ask. Jive sadly gave them their favorite childhood toys some very old, and strange. “Wow what year was it when you came here?” asked Harvey.

“It was 1816 the day I stepped into the fog, what day is it now?” asked a suspicious looking boy.

“2017” replied Harvey. The boy's name is James and he was one of the first children to enter the holiday house. Harvey and the children went to the table and tried to figure what item they can use to take down Mr. Hood. Lulu had an idea of just giving Mr. Hood the item but other didn’t agree because of how simple and how ineffective it would be. Few minute passed and the children didn’t come up with a plan and realize to act something before the time in the real world's past. Harvey went to Mr. Hood and gave all his memory item to him and then Mr. Hood had his eye wide open like he acted like he was able to see something that he would never see. “How did you find this?” asked Mr. Hood like it was like a dream. When Harvey saw Mr. Hood he was sitting crying with happy tears.

“Why is this important to you?” asked Harvey replying Mr. Hood’s question. “I was seven when I had this doll and the mini house was like my dream but one day I was killed in a car accident waking up in this place I realize this was a dream place where everything you wanted was a dream come true!” said Mr.Hood “But one thing was not there in my heart it was the time, time of life, time of fun, I lost time that I was never able to get it back so I decided to create some friend inviting you children to this world so you guys can have the same pain that I had, said Mr. Hood. Harvey was full with anger again because of how he lost his time with his family just because of the stupid foolishness of Mr. Hood. When Mr. Hood looked back a punch came to his face that was from Harvey. Mr.Hood stands up and said you will never take back your time and ran into the house. The children chased Mr.Hood inside the house they looked around the house and finds Mr. Hood in the kitchen. “Why are you there!?” asked Wendel.

“I am here because I will not die the punch you gave me didn't even effect me,” replied Mr. Hood with a glee. Lulu steps up and shows the doll and the mini house and says “We can still ruin your feeling and your past by destroying this. At that moment Mr. Hood realize that he lost because he was in the holiday house making other children feel the same as Mr. Hood because he didn’t have any time to spend with his favorite, Favorite toy, Favorite house, and his Favorite loved ones. He realized how stupid he was and started crying loudly “Please forgive me, children”. The children were so mad with a big No and started to destroy the toy punching, kicking, smashing, burning. Mr. Hood wasn’t able to anything because he was so sad of what he did he was so angry with himself.

“I'M SO SORRY!!!”. Harvey wakes up in a hospital near his mom and dad that looked young. There were tears in Harvey’s parent’s “Oh Harvey you finally woke up we were waiting for you the whole time” said Harvey’s dad. It seemed like Harvey was having a coma for 32 days for no reason. Harvey was so surprised but right next to him was Wendel. Wendel and Harvey remembered everything but the world he was back in time. A few hours later he was out of the hospital in his home his room was all fine and the city looked the same it was the same day when he entered the holiday house.

When he put his hand in the pocket he felt something he took it out and finds that it was a piece of wood that looked like it was from the mini house of Mr. Hood on the back it said “I'm sorry”. Harvey was so surprised because now he realized it wasn't a dream Harvey ended up with a strange feeling.

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Albemarle Grade 6 2017 _____________________________________________________________________________________________________________ Alternate Ending to Thief of Always Bennett Carroll Rictus yelled, ¨What do you want?¨ Harvey replied, ¨I want you to become a fish!¨ That was the only thing to come to Harvey’s mind because he could not stop thinking about saving Wendell from the lake. Suddenly, Rictus started to grow webs in between his hands and his feet started to turn into flippers. His back began to hunch over, his arms shrunk into fins, and his skin started to turn green and scaly. Rictus´ face puffed out like a balloon, his lips curled, and his ears caved into the side of his head leaving holes where they used to be. His legs joined together to make one huge tail. His bones cracked into cartilage. Rictus´ fish-like body smacked all over the ground and gasped for water. Then he was still.

Harvey and Ms. Griffin stepped over Rictus´ dead fish body and started walking to the lake.

“How come you never turned into a fish like the other boys and girls here?” Harvey asked Ms. Griffin.

“Harvey, do you remember when I told you that I wished to live forever? Well, you see, in the Holiday House every day is a year so I have lived too many years to count, but I won’t die. Only people who don’t have immortality will turn into fish,” she replied.

When they arrived at the lake, Harvey peered inside and grabbed one of the silvery fish. The fish started to squirm and then it jumped back into the lake. Left behind by the fish, in Harvey's hand, is a glowing orb. When he looks inside, he sees the memories of a boy running and playing with his family. When he looks closer, he realizes that they are Wendell's memories.

Immediately, Harvey got so mad that Wendell was gone that he crushed the orb in his hand.

All of a sudden Wendell jumped out of the lake. Harvey was startled and punched him in the face.

There on the ground, Wendell was lying groaning and unconscious with a bloody nose. Harvey rushed to Wendell's side to see if he was okay. ¨Harvey?¨ said Wendell softly. ¨Yes,¨ replied Harvey. ¨Where am I?¨ asked Wendell. ¨You're at the base of the lake. You turned into a fish,¨ Harvey told him. ¨How did you save me?¨ asked Wendell. ¨I picked up a fish and it turns out it was you and when you jumped back into the water you left an orb that showed all of your memories. I got mad, so I crushed the orb. Then you jumped out of the water and I punched you in the nose. Sorry about that,¨ said Harvey. ¨Here Wendell, help me with the rest of the fish,¨ said Harvey.

One by one, Harvey and Wendell continued picking up fish and crushing the orbs, which contained the souls of the kids. Each time they crushed an orb, another soul was returned. But, it turned out that Mr. Hood ate the souls to live longer and some of the boys and girls souls had already been eaten. Lulu did not come out of the lake.

Harvey and Wendell led the surviving kids to The Misty Wall. Harvey put his hand out to touch the wall and it shuttered, but he wasn't strong enough alone to break it. Soon the rest of the kids started putting their hands on the wall and the wall shuddered and then shattered. The light came rushing through, but on the other side of the wall instead of finding their hometowns, they saw a glowing beam that was a timeline. It was from the time Hood started taking souls from kids and bringing them to live in The Holiday House. The timeline went back at least 500 years.

Then, out of the Holiday House flew out a shape that looked darker than night, slicker than steel, and faster than light. Harvey soon recognized the face of this creature. It was Mr. Hood. Mr. Hood’s screech sounded like the soul-sucker he was. Harvey wished for a giant wooden spear.

Harvey believed Mr. Hood had to be some sort of vampire. Therefore, if he speared Mr. Hood with the wooden stake he would die. Then out of nowhere a wooden spear just fell out of the sky.

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Albemarle Grade 6 2017 _____________________________________________________________________________________________________________ Harvey waited until Mr. Hood swooped down. Hood picked up Harvey and Harvey jabbed the spear up at Mr. Hood. Harvey heard a scream louder than a gunshot and Mr. Hood fell to the ground.

Harvey said, ¨If I am a thief of always, then I have stolen your life.¨ Hood said softly ¨Harvey you will never win, your years are gone.¨ Then, Hood started to crumble away into dust laughing and a big gust of wind blew him out of existence.

Harvey said, ¨Into the timeline.¨ Harvey and the rest of the boys jumped into the timeline. When they came out they found that they were not with each other and each had gone back to his own time, but Harvey had Wendell. Surprisingly, in Harvey´s hand was the wooden spear. Harvey started walking home with Wendell. He said goodbye for the last time to Wendell. When he got home he saw his parents. They were just as he had left them when he first went to the Holiday House. Harvey ran into his mother's arms. ¨What is wrong Harvey? You were only gone for an hour,¨ said Harvey´s Dad. ¨What? I was only gone for an hour?” said Harvey. ¨Yes¨ said his mother confused.

Harvey said nothing. He just hugged his mom.

10 years later Harvey stood where the misty wall used to be. In his hand was a stone with a name engraved on it, Lulu. Harvey put the stone in front of the wall with the 10 others and then walked home.

Thief of Always Alternative Ending Douglas Wang Harvey continued down the pathway towards the river. The fallen leaves crackled under his feet and birds chirped peacefully. The wind gently blew through the trees, and the grass waved under the breeze, but Harvey knew it was only Hood’s magic.

“What about 10 billion?” continued Rictus, still trying to tempt Harvey, “No? Fine, who cares about money anyway, my bad, my bad! How about 20 billion tons of Diamonds?”

“No!” “I can give you a whole diamond city!” said Rictus, struggling to maintain the smile on his face.

“I don’t want your fake diamonds that’s actually dust. It’s all illusions!”

Harvey walked even faster, eyes looking straight to the direction of the lake.

Harvey finally arrived at the bank of the lake. No sunlight could escape through that giant sheet of grey clouds, and more scum appeared on the black stones. Flies buzzed right above the water. Some even carelessly fell into it, and then disappeared into the deep. ​It’s hard to believe this place could exist right next to the holiday house, ​Harvey thought.. Harvey looked down into the deep water. He didn’t see anything, yet he knew Wendell was somewhere down there in one of the darkest corners.

Harvey clenched his fist hard, his nails poking straight into his palm but he couldn’t bother softening his fist.

He looked at Rictus with fire burning in his eyes, “You turned Wendell into a fish! You turned a wonderful kid into a disgusting looking, bad smelling fish in this horrible lake!”

“Hey kid, calm down. Come on, you know that I wouldn’t lie to you. You're my favorite kid!

That goofy Wendell kid felt too hot this morning and decided to jump in the lake himself! I never turned anyone into a fish and I will never do so in the future…”

He didn’t get to finish. A gigantic fish, bigger than any he had ever seen before, jumped right up from the surface of the lake and pulled Rictus into the water. It dragged Rictus to the center of 81

Albemarle Grade 6 2017 _____________________________________________________________________________________________________________ the lake and made sure there was no way for him to escape. Harvey couldn’t tell why, but a voice deep inside told him that was Lulu.

As Harvey entered the house again, he realized that it has completely changed. Everything looked even better. The walls were painted with all sorts of colors that he loved. There was a huge bed right in the middle of the room. It looked so comfortable with every sort of food he could ever imagine on the table next to it.

Hood is trying to kill me by tempting me. I can avoid it. But how can I beat Hood? He’s got everything he wants in the holiday house, and there is no way he wants to be nothing like Marr. What does he want? How can I possibly win against his Magic?​ Harvey knocked his head against the table in front, struggling to come up with any idea.

Suddenly, a crazy idea popped into Harvey’s mind. He thought about it again, then smiled, “Hood, I will end all these illusion and chaos that you’ve created, and get everyone’s time back from you.” He headed up the stairs with conviction.

After reaching the attic, Harvey kneeled down to Hood, and said, “Dear Mr Hood, I just realized that I don’t want to go outside again. It’s perfect here! Why would anyone want to go out?

Please make me your servant, and I shall serve you till the end of the time.”

“Oh my lovely boy Harvey, you have finally comed to your senses. Come, be my helper, I will make you live forever!” Hood was surprised, and extremely delighted.

“Sure, but before I do so, please could I beg you to prove to me how good you are at magic.

In other words, could you do 3 things for me?”

“What do you with, my fine boy?”

“Could you please make me a big cake, I am hungry.”

“How would you like the cake to be like and taste like? Chocolate or vanilla?”

“Listen, this is what I want,” Harvey cleared his throat, “I want a big cake that is exactly ¾ of the size of ​π, divide that by the 21.477th power of {cos(sin 7/log2)}, with sea salt flavoured sprinkle covered on top. I want 3 layers. The first layer need to be barbeque flavored watermelon mixed with frozen asian ramen noodle ice cream with some balsamic vinegar cooked banana yogurt between. The second layer can be cholula and redhot mixed with marshmallows and meatballs rolled in soy sauce. The last layer on top is the most important one! I want whipped cream made by whale brains for topping covered with monkey guts. I want beer pop flavored extra fat ribs mixed with sour french fries to be the side dish too!” “......Fine kid, here you…go.” Dust drops slipped down the roof as this cake slowly appeared on the dusty floor.

“Secondly… I want....” More dust came down, some of the globes in the air popped.

“Thirdly..” Harvey continued with a hidden smile on his face as he continued. Hood’s face tightened, relaxed, then tightened. Hood looked at Harvey in disbelieve as though he had just heard of the craziest thing in the world though he still managed to make it. However, he was working too hard to realize the changes that started happening in the house. The gorgeous food and beds started shrinking as they turned into dust. Tables and chairs were breaking apart. The good sky started turning greyish, and the walls were starting to crack. The balloons and artwork hung all over the place disappeared, as the cordial paintings on the wall dropped after melting.

“You annoying, crazy, terrible, horrible, dreadful, disturbing, awful, gruesome kid, you are asking way too much! Now become my slave! Give me your soul!”

After realizing what had happened to the house, Hood could no more control his greed. He took a big bit on a yellow globe floating in front of him and said, “I will take your soul, now!” He started drawing a complex spell on Harvey's forehead.

Harvey waited patiently, his legs shimmered, and sweat slow tottered down he face. Hood finished, but nothing happened to him, Harvey realized that he his plan had succeeded. Hood’s power was wasted after doing all the crazy things that he asked for, and now he couldn’t get anyone’s time, or anymore souls.

“You stupid foolish fuzzy dishonest spoiled brat! What have you done to me? Give me your soul!” Hood’s face was now as red as blood.

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Albemarle Grade 6 2017 _____________________________________________________________________________________________________________ After a few breaths, he then smiled hideously.“Harvey swick! What a fool you might think I am, please don’t tell me that you thought all I did in the time I spent here was eating time from you kids! You will never escape this place unless I die, but I am not alive! I am dust! You better be prepared to spend the rest of your life here, like that old mess Ms Griffin!”

Harvey ignored his anger. “For all this time I was thinking, what do you want? What is something that I could use to tempt you, and now, I think that I know the answer,” smiled Harvey confidently, “You want something just like I do, you want to get out. Ain't I right, Hood?” “​Hahaha​, what are you talking about, I’ve got everything here that I could ever imagine, why would I want to go anywhere else?” Hood roared. But a glimpse of fear, real fear in Hood’s eyes, was caught by Harvey, and that made him even more confident about his idea “I really don’t want to get out. I don’t! This place is great! I don’t want to get out.”

“Hood, what-do-you-want?” Harvey asked as he projected he voice even louder, “What-do-you-really-want?”

“I...I want...f-r-e-e-d-o-m?” Hoods voice somehow become robot-like, “Free-dom? Freedom.”

His eye closed, then suddenly opened wide, “I want to get out of here!” he Roared.

Just as he shouted the word out loud, his face on the roof of the attic vanished, as it tried to crawl out into the mist and get out, but soon, turned into dust. The house started breaking down, The bricks and wood in the house slowly evaporated, like there was a invisible fire slowly burning.

Harvey looked back to Hood’s dust, and saw a glimpse of light, so bright that it almost burnt his eyes, slowly wiggled out of the bottom of the dust. As it managed to “escape” that pile of dust, millions strikes of light immediately followed, combining into a big roll of light, strict straight into the mist surrounding the holiday house and destroyed it. In a split second, it then spreaded out back to the direction of the lake.

“The lake...Wendell!”

“Harvey?”

Harvey heard a familiar voice. “Wendell?” As he rushed towards the voice and hugged him hard.

“Where are the other kids?” Harvey asked after he could control his excitement.

“They’ve been turned into a fish for too long…” Wendell replied wistfully.

“Let’s leave this horrible place,” said Harvey as he walked towards the mist was that’s was now as thin as a piece of paper.

The two friends slowly walked down the early morning street as the first glimpse of sun shined gently on their face. No words were said, as no words were needed.

Back in the holiday house, an old lady slowly walked out of the ruins and collected Mr. Hood’s dust. She started drawing something in the air, slowly and precisely. The dust on the floor somehow stood up, grouped itself, and gradually formed the shape of Hood again.

“Lord,” she said as she bowed.

Then, Hood slowly looked up into the empty sky.

“Harvey Swick!”

Thief Of Always Alternate Ending Chris Bertolini Chapter One “Well, now that Wendell is gone we can have some fun. So what do you want?” said Rictus in a high pitched and annoying voice.

“I've always wanted a fish,” Harvey said excitedly.

“Ok then, let's go down to the lake and get one right now,” said Rictus.

Little did Rictus know that Harvey had a plan…

“Which one do you want?” Rictus asked.

“I want that one near the rocks,” said Harvey.

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Albemarle Grade 6 2017 _____________________________________________________________________________________________________________ “I’ll go get it now,” said Rictus.

When Rictus stepped on a rock Harvey pushed him in. Rictus sunk down to the bottom where the fish circled him and ate him. Harvey waited five minutes to make sure that Rictus was dead then he fought his way back through the thick thorns to the Holiday House.

Chapter Two After the long and tiring journey back Harvey laid down on the grass in front of the House.

Harvey woke to Mr. Hood’s thundering voice asking, “where is Rictus? “ “Oh, it’s pretty hot out here, I think he went for a swim,” replied Harvey.

“NOOOOOOOO!” Mr. Hood wailed. “You have defeated my last servant, Now you must Pay!” “What are you going to do. I have killed all of your servants, have I not?” Replied Harvey in a smug voice.

“Well I do have one more beast, it is what you fear most. It is the sole thing that drove you here!” Mr Hood said confidently.

“Oh no, no no, said Harvey.

“Yes, you guessed it, it’s the Great Grey Beast of February!” Replied Mr. Hood with a laugh.

Harvey heard a chant from the house then a crash from the lake. He saw a big hideous looking beast the size of a two story house rise out of the water.

Mr. hood laughed, “HA HA HA HA, now you will die!”

Chapter Three The beast lumbered toward Harvey and the house. The tall, strong trees snapped like toothpicks when the beast step on them.

Harvey heard Mr. Hood yell, “February you have come at last! Now kill that weakling!”

Harvey started to run to the side of the house when he he heard a crash and a wail. The treehouse fell on the beast and the wood pierced it’s mighty scales.

“NO, THE BOY IS THAT WAY!” Mr. Hood yelled at the beast.

Harvey spirited behind the house, out of sight of the beast. The beast went straight through the house almost killing Mrs. Griffin and Stew Cat. “YOU NITWIT,” yelled Mr. Hood, “You are hurting me.”

The beast did not listen and went straight through the house “OUCH, STOP, STOP NOW, YOU ARE KILLING ME!” Screamed Mr. Hood.

Chapter Four Harvey saw The House collapse and the beast die. Without​ ​The House nothing that Mr. Hood conjured could live. The beast collapsed and turned into a giant pile of dust.

“NOOOOOOOO, my last servant is dead!” Mr. Hood yelled.

“I’m … dying… why did you do… thi… this Harvey Swick,” Mr. Hood said in his last strained breath.

“We could have made the best team. ​ ​We could have been thieves of always,” Said Mr. Hood.

“You will never harm another child again,” said Harvey That was the last thing that Mr. Hood ever heard before he was plunged into eternity, never to be seen or heard again.

Chapter Five Once Mr. Hood died the whole world changed back to normal. The lake dried up, all of the trees fell down and the house disappeared.

“Harvey, you did it,” said Mrs. Griffin.

“Let's go see the lake,” replied Harvey.

The two ran towards the lake.

“Oh my gosh!” Mrs. Griffin exclaimed.

The lake was now a dry slab of dirt with a lot of fish flipping around on it.

“Look, something's happening!” Said Harvey.

“They look sort of like the kids I met,” replied Mrs. Griffin.

One by one the ugly fish started to change back into humans. The glowing spheres disappeared above their heads when they got up.

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Albemarle Grade 6 2017 _____________________________________________________________________________________________________________ “The spheres that Mr. Hood was eating must have been the children’s souls!” Said Harvey.

Mrs. Griffin said, “everyone follow me, we are going home!”

The wall seemed to disappear when they got closer. Once almost everyone went through Harvey saw Wendel.

“Wendel!” Harvey cried.

“Harvey!” Wendel responded!

“It’s good to see you again,” said Harvey.

“You to,” replied Wendel.

“I have to go back but we may see each other again,” said Harvey.

With that Harvey went back through the wall, found his way back to his house and knocked on the door.

“Harvey, we were starting to worry about you,” replied his mom.

“I must have gotten my years back,” muttered Harvey.

“What was that?” His mom asked.

“Oh, nothing,” replied Harvey.

“It’s time to go to bed,” said his mom.

“Ok,” said Harvey.

With that he drifted off into a deep sleep.

The End

Thief of Always Alternative Ending Connor Spear Chapter 23 The Escape Harvey looked at Rictus in horror. He was shocked of what he had just heard. Harvey looked at Mrs. Griffin. Mrs. Griffin looked at Rictus and then back at Harvey. Mrs. Griffin knew what she had to do. She looked at Harvey and mouthed “Run!” He knew what to do. Harvey started to run.

“Wait, wait child!” Rictus hollered, but Harvey didn’t stop running.

The more Rictus said wait, the faster Harvey ran. Rictus knew he had no use of stopping Harvey, so he started to chase after Harvey. It was no use in running. Harvey was faster than Rictus.

Rictus knew he had one last chance to win Harvey over, or else he would never be able to win him over.

“Wait, wait!” Rictus shouted, “What do you want? You want a football stadium? I can give you ten!”

“Too big!” Harvey replied, as he dashed down the back yard.

“How about one million dollars?” Rictus shouted.

“I don’t need any more money!” Harvey shouted back.

“How about a nobel prize?” Rictus asked.

“I already have enough trophies!” Harvey hollered back at Rictus. Harvey was now long in the distance and could hardly even hear Rictus, but Rictus kept trying.

“You want your own candy store? I can give you that! How about your very own country? I can see it Harveyville!”

At this point, Harvey didn’t even hear Rictus anymore. Harvey was only a few feet away from the pond and when Harvey finally looked in he was shocked in how many fish were in the pond. Harvey looked again and saw the same fish. He had forgotten how many fish were in the pond. He didn’t remember there would be thousands of fish. He only remembered a few hundred.

Hood was up to something. The fish had multiplied at least seven times and he knew that Hood was behind this. Harvey thought for a minute and started to think of any clues Hood gave Harvey.

Harvey thought of two. The first being, ​we are both thieves of always​.​ I am the thief of time, and you are the thief of lives.​ The second clue was ​the golden globes Hood was eating​. Harvey thought for a 85

Albemarle Grade 6 2017 _____________________________________________________________________________________________________________ minute and thought the globes could be all of the lives and souls of kids who came here before he did. Before Harvey knew it, Rictus was a few feet away from the pond, but Harvey had a plan.

“Child, wait!” Rictus hollered. He was out of breath and was panting very loudly. He sounded like a dog who just took a ten mile run without drinking any water.

“Boy you are a fast runner!” Rictus complemented Harvey.

“Thanks, my dad is a fast runner,” Harvey replied.

“I was thinking,” Harvey said “that the two of us could become friends and we can take over the Holiday House together. As buddies,” Harvey suggested.

Rictus looked at Harvey in a smirking way. He thought that perhaps his magical charm was working on Harvey once again. But little did Rictus know that Harvey had a trick up his sleeve.

“Sure anything for you my pal!” Rictus replied with a slight evil look in his eyes.

“Okay then, I wish that all of the fish in the pond were free!” Harvey said casustily.

“No can do, anything but that,’ Rictus replied.

“Alright then, I want you to get a fish for me,” Harvey said casually, but firmly.

Rictus looked at Harvey and then at the pond.

“Okay,” Rictus said cheerfully.

Rictus jumped in the cold murky pond and began to dive down under the water. The second he put his head under the water, Rictus turned to a pile of dust! Harvey started to sprint up the back lawn to the front door where Mrs. Griffin was standing.

“Well boy, did you do it?” Mrs. Griffin asked Harvey. Harvey nodded his head. A smile came over Mrs. Griffins face.

“Now I just got to take down Hood,” Harvey whispered.

He was worried Hood would hear what he just said, so he tried to stay as quiet as he possibly could. He than began to tiptoe to the front of the house and walked inside. Harvey quietly ran up the stairs. One, two at a time, Harvey ran. He finally made it to the top he could hear Hood’s growl. It sounded like a big bear mixed with a lion's roar. It sounded hungry, hungry for Harvey.

Harvey slipped around the corner and saw the open attic. It was time he thought. Harvey slowly walked forward, and he looked at the old rusting latter. He put one hand on the ladder. It felt old and extermley fitlhy. He put his other hand on the ladder and began to climb up the old rickety ladder. One by one he moved up the latter and before Harvey knew it he was in the old attic. He looked up at the ceiling to see Hood. Harvey knew he had to figure out where the golden globes were coming from. He looked around for a sign or a clue, but all he saw were boxes, old pieces of furniture, and, of course, Hood. Then, he looked again. This time he saw the golden globes and they were coming from the floor. Harvey watched one of the shiny balloon like globes come from the floor and up into Hood’s mouth. Harvey noticed that every time Hood ate one of the globes he would inhale and exhale air. That was it!

“You’re back, you foolish child!” Hood shouted.

“Yes, I am, but I’m here to accept your offer to be your apprentice,” Harvey explained. A smile came across Hood’s face.

“Okay, you can be my apprentice, but I will have to teach you how to...” Hood replied. Hood started to talk about magic and how he created the Holiday House and even more info Harvey didn’t want to know about. After about 2 hours, Hood finally stopped talking.

“You got all of that?” Hood asked Harvey.

“Yup!” Harvey said very cheerfully. Now that Hood trusted Harvey, it was the perfect time to attack.

“So, Mr. Hood,” Harvey started, “I gotta ask, how can you live for ever?” Harvey asked.

“Well every time a kid comes here and they become a fish, their soles turn into these golden globes, which I use to survive,” Hood explained.

“Very interesting,” Harvey responded. “So what would happen if you did not eat the golden globes?” Harvey asked.

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Albemarle Grade 6 2017 _____________________________________________________________________________________________________________ “Well I would die!” Hood shouted.

It was time for Harvey to make his move. Harvey ran over to the golden globes and began to eat them. One by, one Harvey at the globes. Everytime Harvey ate a globe a kid was freed from the lake.

“What are you doing?” Hood shouted.

“My job!” Harvey replied.

“Stop, stop child!” Hood shouted “Please have mercy!” It was no use though Harvey kept on eating the globes. A few seconds later Hood was dead and all of the fish were free!

“I did it!” Harvey shouted. A second later the Holiday House was gone.

“Illusions,” Harvey murmured.

A minute later Harvey could see all of the kids who were fish were running towards Harvey.

Harvey spotted Lulu and Wendel in the crowd of kids. Harvey ran towards Wendel and Lulu.

“Wendel, Lulu!” Harvey shouted. “I thought you were gone!” Harvey said.

“How did you do it Harvey?” Lulu asked.

“It’s a long story,” Harvey explained.

“You can tell me later,” Lulu suggested.

“Come on, let’s go home,” Wendel said. The kids started to walk towards the wall with Mrs. Griffin, but when they got to the wall, it was gone!

“Illusions,” Harvey murmured. In fact, the wall was one of Hood’s many illusions. Harvey, Lulu, Wendel and all of the kids in the pond stepped forward. A cloud of dust came around them and a second later they were in the real world. All of the kids from the pond started to run back to there houses including Harvey, Lulu, and Wendel, but before they left, they said goodbye to Mrs. Griffin.

Harvey turned around to find Mrs. Griffin had disappeared, but there was a note in her place.

“What happened?” Lulu asked.

“I know,” Harvey replied, as he picked up the note. He opened it and read the note to Lulu and Wendal.

Dear Harvey, Thank you so much for saving me from the Holiday House and giving me my dream of no longer living forever. I’m thankful for all you have done for me. You are a smart kid and don’t you ever forget that. I’m also sorry for not telling you what the Holiday House was and how much of a trap it was. Again, thank you Harvey! I will never forget you!

Sincerely, Mrs. Griffin Harvey put the note in his pocket and started to tear up. He was sad, but happy at the same time for Mrs. Griffin “Good bye Harvey,” Wendell said.

“Yeah, see ya. Keep in touch.” Harvey said.

“I will,” Wendel replied.

“Bye, Lulu,” Harvey said.

“Bye Harvey, and thanks for what you did back there,” Lulu replied.

“It was nothing,” Harvey said.

The kids waved and they started to run off to there houses. Harvey knew the way to his house. Right, left, left, straight, and then left. Harvey ran up to the door and knocked. His mom opened the door.

“Hi mom!” Harvey shouted.

“Hi Harvey, how was your sleepover at Thomas’?” Harvey’s mom asked.

“It was fun,” Harvey replied, as he ran inside and jumped into his bed. He was happy to be home, and he defeated Mr. Hood. Everything was fixed, for now...

The End 87

Albemarle Grade 6 2017 _____________________________________________________________________________________________________________ Thief of Always Alternative Ending Max Boni Harvey raced to the lake with Rictus still on his trail. Tears slowly fell down his face.

“Wendell, can you hear me!” screamed Harvey, but no reply came, only a bubble or two floating up from the depths.

“I know what!” Harvey announced turning to look at Rictus “I want I want all the fish to be free.”

“Why should I do that?” Rictus protested.

“Because I told you to,” Harvey said making the evilest face he could.

Harvey could see fear in Rictuses eyes now, “Ok, if that is really what you want,” Rictus replied.

A tower of blackness shot from his outstretched hands and looped back hitting the lake. The water around the impact started to ripple and blacken, then it exploded. Water flew every where blinding Harvey.

When the water cleared, Harvey could see huge fish laying on the rocks wiggling and squirming. There scales started sinking into there skin, there eyes shrinking.

They started forming arms and legs and faces. He looked around for Rictus, he was laying on the rocks as well and looked to be sick. He was coughing and his skin was turning green. Then Harvey realized what was happening, he was turning into a fish.

He ran over to Rictus, “This is your last chance, just let go of everything and you won't have to go through this.”

“Never,” Rictus croaked as he slipped into the water and swam away.

Then Harvey saw Wendell, he ran over to him “Are you ok Wendell?” he asked. Wendell was breathing heavily but managed to reply with a croak.

Mrs. Griffin came over and stepped back in shock. She had known all these kids from some time and the sight of them brought back bad memories of seeing them go. She stepped back and slipped on a rock and hitting her head.

A pool of blood formed around her head and her eyes were glossy. With her last breath she said “Thank you,” Harvey knelt next to her smiling and crying at the same time “I know this is what you wanted,” he said then walked away to survey the area.

Kids had started to stand up and had looks of confusion on there faces. Then there was a cloud of questions “Where are we,” “Who are you” “Everybody settle down,” announced Harvey.

“Hello my name is Harvey,” Harvey said “I freed you from this prison in this tempting world because we all have something in common, we were all tempted into this world by Mr. Hood and now we will all try to bring him down together,” It took a moment for people to remember their past but when they did they agreed to join him. Lulu and Wendell where the first to come to there senses and help him.

After a well deserved half hour rest Harvey explained to everyone what was going on.

“Does anyone have any ideas of how we can do this?” Harvey asked “I know,” announced Lulu after a long silent two minutes “what if we go into the house asking for everything we ever wanted, because Mr. Hood can’t proudly use that much magic at once, it would overwhelm him,” “Great idea, anyone else have one?” Harvey asked but no one answered.

“Ok then let's get going, everyone think of the biggest and hardest thing to replicate,” The kids filled the front lawn and poured through the front door, they flew up the stairs and filled the rooms begging for Mr. Hood to give them what they wanted. They covered all four floors 88

Albemarle Grade 6 2017 _____________________________________________________________________________________________________________ finding what ever space they could. Bikes and dolls and animals started to appear out of thin air and fall into the arms of the waiting kids.

Then the house started to shake.

“Stop asking me for things,” a thundering voice said, “get out of me.”

“Everybody run,” Harvey screamed.

When they got outside they saw the roof had popped off and Mr. Hood’s face was floating over the house. Then the house stood up and started bulging.

“PPOOPP,” The house flew into a million pieces.

All that was left was a crater of where to house had once stood.

“Yay,” everyone said.

Then something no one expected to happen happened. Small shining orbs of light started flying out of the crater and towards the kids. They flew right into their mouths and the kids seemed to be shining. They where getting there years back.

Harvey looked around, everything was falling to dust, the wall, the trees, the children even where going back to when they came here. The world of illusions was falling apart.

Then he was left by himself on the street with nowhere to go but home. He started walking and everything seemed somewhat familiar he remembered the same shop he had walked by, the same square he had passed trough and the same streets he had walked down, but the only way to tell if he was really back was to knock on his door.

He walked up the steps and knocked. He heard the shuffle of feet and the creak of the door as it opened. Then there in front of him was his mother.

“Hi Harvey, how was school?”...

Thief of Always Ending Freddy Hoffmann & Jason Kim Harvey wipes away the tears and starts to march down to the lake. He sees a fishy hand pop out of the lake and then starts to sprint realizing this could be Wendell's final moment.

“Wendell!” Harvey shouts desperately.

“You're here,” Wendell says, “I’m so glad you’re here Harvey…”

“You look different, you're not a fish but… are you becoming one?” Harvey says, trying to understand what was going on.

“You're too late!” Rictus shouts from behind.

Harvey spins around and falls to see Rictus falling apart but still has a massive grin on his face.

“What do you mean?” Harvey says.

“Join us at any time, but if you don’t, m’boy, you’ll perish to your fishy friends!”

Harvey sees Lulu and other kids creeping out of the river and they start to come at him.

“What is this madness?! What have you done to Lulu, to Wendell?! What is this?!” Harvey exclaims horrified.

“Join Hood, m’boy. You’ll die if you don’t,” he says with his grin widening every second.

Harvey runs past Rictus and dashes to Mrs. Griffin to tell her what happened.

“Mrs. Griffin, the children at the lake. They…..!” Harvey couldn’t say the last few words so instead he just pointed to the lake.

Mrs. Griffin stared horrified at the lake. She started whispering some children's names under her breath in horror.

“Mrs. Griffin,” Harvey says panicking, “Mrs Griffin!?”

“She’s in shock, m’boy!” Rictus says behind Harvey.

Wendell gets closer to Harvey and starts to say things like, “Harvey, let’s go to the treehouse…” and “Harvey, let’s go trick-or-treating…”

Harvey stands still in horror.

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Albemarle Grade 6 2017 _____________________________________________________________________________________________________________ “I…,” Harvey stutters. “Wendell, where’s Lulu?”

“She’s gone, if you join Hood you could see her…,” Wendell says, creeping out Harvey.

“Wait a minute, you’re just one of Hood’s. Aren't you?!” Harvey says shouting.

Harvey runs into the Holiday House to go to the attic.

“I’ve been waiting for you…,” Hood says. “So, have you decided to join me? If you do, you will get Wendell and Lulu back. In fact, all of them can come back and everything will be fine.”

“You think this is going to work on me! I’ll never get tricked by you!” Harvey shouts in anger.

“Oh, I can see your bravery depleting. I could destroy all of them if I wanted to,” Hood says.

Harvey wanted to say, “No, please don’t!” but he knew that’d just be playing into Hood’s plan.

Harvey thought of a quick plan.

“All right Hood, I’ll think about your bargain, but first, could you turn Wendell back to normal? Or at least into a fish?” Harvey says trying to act calm and ready for the situation.

“Hmm,” Hood replies, “Fine, your friend, Wilson, can go back to normal.”

“Wendell,” Harvey corrects.

“Right. Find Wendell and Lulu. They will also need to verify my magic to disguise them into my new assistants,” Hood says with a faint smile showing that he believed Harvey.

Harvey begins to climb down the attic and march outside to find an army of zombie-like children.

He sees Wendell and Lulu leading the crowd to the house as they were the most recent to die.

Suddenly the crowd stops moving except for Lulu and Wendell who continue but are confused.

“Wendell! Lulu!” Harvey yells happily.

“Harvey? What are you doing here? I thought you and Wendell escaped?” Lulu says.

“Harvey… you know I love pancakes? We should eat some soon?” Wendell says.

“Alright, let’s go to Hood.” Harvey says.

“Who’s Hood?” Lulu says.

“Yeah, who’s Hood? Is he a professional pancake maker?!” Wendell says with some froth appearing from his mouth.

Harvey shakes his head and replies, “Hood is the master of this house… He--” “--Is a wonderful man who plans to allow your stay to continue forever!” Rictus says cutting off Harvey.

“Rictus!” Lulu says. “I haven’t seen you in so long! Where are Jive and Mar!” she says getting a little more eager as she spoke.

“They are uh… unfortunately going traveling, which is why you, Harvey, and Wendell can all permanently replace them!” Rictus says with an especially wide grin.

Harvey noticed that Rictus was repairing himself, almost like Hood. He could use his magic on Rictus now instead of pleasing Harvey. Harvey realized that this could be his real friends and not illusions. As he glimpsed at them, he saw Rictus with a tray of pancakes while catching up with Lulu and he nodded a little. He thought of a plan and tested Wendell immediately to see if he wasn’t part of Hood’s world.

“Hey, maybe you could bring your family, Wendell?” Harvey asks, approaching Wendell nonchalantly.

“Oh yeah that’s a good idea!” Wendell says with his mouth stuffed with pancakes “Too bad they're divorced… hard to find both of them.”

Harvey celebrates in his head. This was the real Wendell! Hood couldn’t possibly know about that!

He looks over at Lulu.

“Hey Lulu!” Harvey says getting giddy. “Where’d you find those things that you gave me?”

“Oh the things from the ark? I actually found a few more!” Lulu says handing Harvey a few miniature giraffes and zebras.

Harvey grinned knowing that this was really Wendell and Lulu and immediately hatched a plan.

“Hood, I’ve been thinking,” Harvey says a couple days later when him , Wendell, and Lulu had caught up, “We really need to get some new, fresh magic.”

“What do you mean?” Hood says.

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Albemarle Grade 6 2017 _____________________________________________________________________________________________________________ “I mean… the kids we have now, they’re getting old, sucked of their magical abilities! What we need to do is let them go free and capture and suck some new children.” Harvey says.

“Hmmmm… how do I know you're not tricking me?” Hood says.

“What?!” Harvey says absolutely taken aback “Well, I guess I’ll try to escape and this whole thing can be called off-” “No, no, no! Fine, I’ll cut you this bargain, this is the ​last ​thing, and you can’t request anything else.” Hood says.

“Alright fine.” Harvey replies.

Harvey felt a sort of earthquake tremble through the ground. He ran down stairs and looked out a window, which seemed not to be there before, and there were hundreds of children crawling out of the lake and entering a door which seemed to let them go free. Harvey smiled with joy. Hood was falling right into his game and soon it would all be over. There was just one more problem… his time. Then something struck his mind. The same thing would happen! These kids would return to the present and almost all of their family would be over four hundred years dead. He sprinted up to the attic.

“Hood this was an awful deal! You tricked me yet again! Put those kids in their correct time!” Harvey said devastated.

“Not part of our deal. Which is why I can decline freely.”

“Alright… I’ll make a different deal,” Harvey says calmer than he felt, “Until we collect more humans, you can feed off of my soul. Just let them go back to their own time… please.” Harvey says desperately.

“Fine. Until more children come.” Hood says.

“Alright, I’m gonna go draw what I look like. You know, probably like a vampire.” Harvey says.

Then, Harvey goes into a room and writes a message to Wendell and Lulu about his plan. Harvey tells them that they have to convince Rictus to come to their side as they kind of did to Carna. Then, Harvey goes to Rictus to persuade him. Just before he hands the note to Lulu and Wendell who are playing with the cats.

“Hey Rictus.” Says Harvey.

“Hey m’boy!” Says Rictus.

“Rictus, I need to really talk to you. I think you don’t understand that children are dying because of you! You had a life you can relate and just stop this madness that Hood’s doing!”

“Oh great you're trying to do what you did to them. Let me be clear, I never had a life.”

Rictus says glaring at Harvey.

“You must have had some sort of life before you were…” Harvey says wondering, what happened to Rictus?

“I was created by Hood. He is my reason for existence.” Rictus says.

“Question, if you were a gun, would you like it?” Harvey says.

“What kind of question is that? No.” Ricus replies.

“Why not?” Harvey persists.

“Because… it is just used for killing I guess.” Rictus replies.

“You are the bullets of the gun. You are shooting it at children and ruining their life. They’ll be a fish and probably will never, ​ever, ​return to their respective time and society.” Harvey says. “... That’s just a metaphor. I am made to serve Mr. Hood and I will obey him.” Rictus says.

“You didn’t decide to be made! Do you want to be a slave?” Harvey says.

“I am made to obey Mr. Ho-” Rictus says.

‘You're dodging the question! Answer!” Harvey says building momentum.

“I… no. That doesn’t mean I should betray my creator…” Rictus says with a tear appearing in his eye.

“You don’t have too. Just bring us back to our time and accept the consequences!” Harvey says.

“What does that mean?” Rictus says quietly.

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Albemarle Grade 6 2017 _____________________________________________________________________________________________________________ “I think you know…” Harvey says.

There is utter silence.

“What time do you live in? I can return you if needed.” Rictus says.

Before Harvey could reply Lulu and Wendell approached him and he needed to explain what happened to them.

“Listen, it’ll be best to do this at night.” Rictus says.

Before Harvey could argue he had disappeared and Harvey had to explain what had happened to Lulu and Wendell.

“Rictus will help us get rid of Hood, Rictus says the best time to do it is at night so we will meet at night.” Harvey says to Wendell and Lulu.

Wendell and Lulu agree and they separate to get Hood not to think that they are up to something.

At night, Harvey goes to bed faking to sleep and waiting for Rictus to come, but Rictus doesn’t show up for a long time so Harvey decides to go to sleep.

Harvey wakes up and feels that something is different, he rubs his eyes and looks around.

He can’t believe it, he is back in his house!

“What? How am I back to my house?!” Harvey says in shock.

Then he finally realizes that Rictus was the one that has brought him back into this time. Right then, Harvey’s mom comes in.

“Harvey, that was a long nap, did you stay up late last night?” Harvey’s mom says.

“No mom, I was just sleepy.” Harvey says.

“Well, come downstairs for breakfast when you're ready, I’ll be down there!” Harvey’s mom says.

“Ok, mom!” Harvey replies.

When Harvey’s mom left the room, Harvey notices a note beside his pillow, it was from Rictus.

Dear Harvey, Well I guess it’s goodbye Harvey. I hope you are back in your house, don’t worry that wasn’t a dream. I put you back at night and you are going to re-live a of couple hours. This is Wendell’s and Lulu’s number if you want to contact them. They might be a few years older than you. Well, that’s it for me! Bye! Best, Rictus Harvey realizes what Rictus had done to him and his two friends, a self-sacrifice. Years later Harvey never forgot about Rictus and he kept in touch with Wendell and Lulu. This was the most exciting part of his life and will probably continue to be so forever…

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Eric Hadley - Grade 5

Max Rudnick - Grade 9

Ian Kaplan - Grade 8

Daniel Drucker - Grade 6

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Aidin Bina - Grade 5

Rafael Kalach - Grade 8

Zack Leroy - Grade 8 Carter Blessing - Grade 5 97

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Connor Mackey - Grade 5

Luke Travaglini - Grade 5

Henry Wilde - Grade 8

Malkie Shamari - Grade 8

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Grant Richmond - Grade 5

Gabriel Kendja - Grade 9

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Albemarle Grade 7 2017 _____________________________________________________________________________________________________________ Snow Thoughts Matthew Smalley The snow is crisp and white. It falls in all different shapes. It is unique in its own way. The more it snows the better chance we have at a snowday tomorrow. During snowdays I like to get hot chocolate and watch a movie. Everything is completely glazed over in the brightness of snow. It looks as if everything is made out of snow. The best part about snow is the feeling of being warm and cold at the same time. Bundled up in the most warm clothing I have but the air pierces through.

Personally I like summer better than winter because there is more opportunity to get outside and play. But sledding down a huge hill, nothing can beat that. When you walk on it the snow makes a crunching sound, almost like when you grind your teeth. If you are outside all by yourself, it is very, very peaceful. When my dog goes outside she likes to jump around and run as fast as possible. It’s is even better when you run and jump into a huge pile of snow. Finally, the worst part about snow, is that you always have to shovel some part of your area, but the feeling of doing something good for someone else, without being asked, is better than getting a reward.

Ha’s Bully Letter Spencer Vermeule Dear Bullies, I know that you weren’t ready for someone like Ha to come to your school. I want to say that I don’t blame every single one of you for what you have done, but I do. Just because she looks different and talks differently is no excuse for bullying her relentlessly. You guys made her feel like no person ever should. You made her have problems with the very people she had loved since the beginning, and gone through many ordeals with. The reason I had hope in you was because I know, deep down, you guys can do the right thing. Please step up and help the community one person at a time. Ha is new to the community, and you should make her feel special and welcomed. Think about what you did differently. You made Ha feel like an alien and in an emotional place where she didn’t belong. If you guys could, show some empathy to understand how she feels. Think how you would want to be treated in her situation. Would you want to be teased, hassled and shamed? I certainly wouldn’t.

Here is some advice for the next time you are in a similar predicament. First you should treat the other person like you would want to be treated. It really isn’t that hard to do. I know it was a shock to suddenly see someone different from you at this stage in your life. Still, you should treat them with respect and kindness. Second, try getting to know them. Things would have gone a lot differently if you had given Ha a chance. She might have grown on you, but I guess we will never find out. If you had made a small effort to become friends, she might not seem so different at all.

Sadly, you chose the wrong path at the start, but you can always choose a better one. If you are kind to Ha and everyone else, it might change your life. I hope what I said made an impact.

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Albemarle Grade 7 2017 _____________________________________________________________________________________________________________ Being Thirteen Alex Soderling Being thirteen is a good time, but it can also be hard at times. When you’re thirteen, you have more privileges, and you can do some things when you want and where you want. Sports start getting better because they get more competitive. When you were younger, you weren't allowed to press in basketball, but now you can. You also know how to do more things, and your parents don’t say no to you as much. It feels like when you are younger, people are always saying don't do this and that is too dangerous. Thirteen is when you start growing up because you are soon in high school.

Cherry’s point of view from, “ The Outsiders.”

Nikolas Paige Dear Diary, I thought it would be fun to go watch a movie with Marcia and our boyfriends at the drive-in, but things turned out very differently. We went to the drive-in with Bob and Randy and everything was just fine until the boys found out that their friends had some booze. They left us to go get drunk and have a fun time, which really made me angry. After that, it was just Marcia and me in the drive-in, without a car and without anybody else. Next, a few greasers came to the movie and sat down away from us which was a bit unsettling. I’m don’t really like Greasers because I’ve heard that they were very disorderly and rude. Suddenly, the oldest one came up to us and started talking in unacceptable language. I had heard of him before as the infamous Dallas Winston, and I wanted him to leave.

Dally was a pretty frightening person and not one to mess with, and he was standing right there trying to flirt with me. Then, I couldn’t take it and told him to get lost, and he did so. He was very rude, to be quite frank, but a part of me admired him. I don’t understand why, but I already had a boyfriend, so I needed to stay away from him. A lot of people try to flirt with me because they think I am pretty, but I usually just try to be polite about it and turn them down. After that, he came back and was talking dirty again, so the other two greasers told him to knock it off. I found that really brave and wanted them to sit up front with us. I got to know them better and found out that their names were Ponyboy Curtis and Johnny Cade. I wouldn’t tell anybody this, but deep down I felt that if I ever saw Dallas Winston again, I would fall in love with him right then and there.

That night was a very eventful night and a lot of emotions went through me. First, I was excited to go to the drive-in with my best friend and our boyfriends, but that emotion quickly changed. Next, I was very angry that our boyfriends decided to ditch us and get drunk. Things like this were the things that made me want to break up with Bob. After that, I was scared and angry at Dallas when he decided to talk dirty, but at the same time I admired him for some odd reason.

Finally, I felt very comfortable with the other two greasers, Ponyboy and Johnny. However, I was nervous that Bob and Randy might find out about it and beat them up. Even though Ponyboy was cute I wouldn’t want to date him. In all, it was a slightly crazy night that seemed to work out in the end.

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Albemarle Grade 7 2017 _____________________________________________________________________________________________________________ Reflection on “ Inside Out and back Again” Campbell Hawkins In the book. “Inside Out and Back Again,” Ha has to leave her home without a warning. She has to leave everything behind, except she can only take one thing. In the book she chooses her doll. If this were me, I would have no idea what to do. I would have felt very scared for what was coming next, and very sad to leave my home, and everything in it, and around it. If I had to take one thing it would be my old blanket, from when I was a little kid, to remind me of my home and of my childhood. I also think it would be very hard to be on a crowded boat for as long as Ha and her family had to be. In the video that we watched about a dad who escaped from Vietnam, he said that he had to be in an uncomfortable position for two days straight. I could not even imagine doing this.

In conclusion, I think that it is amazing that Ha and her family are doing this, and I really hope they make it to America.

Christmas Memory ​Jason Greer Jonas walked into the Annex and sat down on the bed. The Giver came up from behind him and said, “Are you ready for a good memory?”

Jonas replied, “Of course I'm ready.”

Jonas lay down on the bed while the Giver put his cold hands on Jonas's back. Jonas was transported into another memory. He looked around the room, there were people talking, and little kids running around. He noticed that warmth was emanating from the hearth. He didn't understand why there was a fire in the house. Fires were banned in the dwellings, where he lived, because they were hazardous. He watched people talk, children run around and several people eating. There were young people and older ones. Jonas later learned the older ones were called grandparents. He noticed a candle on the window sill. The flickering light seemed bright and happy. “​He could see through a window that outside it was snowing​.” ​The kids and adults all laughing made Jonas feel good inside. He felt warmth in his heart seeing families chatting at the table. “There were colored lights red and green and yellow twinkling from a tree which was oddly inside the room​.” ​Jo ​ nas was having a great time, and he thought about what it would be like if his own dwelling could be this happy and fun. Suddenly he felt a chill, and the memory dissolved in front of him. ​“​Jonas opened his eyes and lay contentedly on the bed, still luxuriating in the warm and comforting memory.”

Twelve Daniel Jing Once you are twelve, you would have to do many things. For example, you would have to iron your shirts, take out the trash, do your chores overall, and go to school. You have to make sure that all of your daily tasks are done. Finally, when the day is over, you accept the reward that you get at the end of every day, sleep.

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Albemarle Grade 7 2017 _____________________________________________________________________________________________________________ ME Samuel Matte My name is Samuel Matte, and I am 13 years old.

I’m the oldest child in my family, but I’m the second Samuel I love to play soccer and basketball.

And biking through the neighborhood on my wonderful bike.

I love to eat scrumptious Indian sweets, snacks like pani puri and gulab jamon.

I’m not very fond of venomous snakes or lethal spiders.

I have been in a caged bus driven around a lion and tiger den and Nearly been clawed by a Siberian tiger.

These are only some of the parts that make me!

A Biased Judgement Max Hall Last summer I went on a hiking trip in California. During my trip, another boy named Nathan would constantly make fun of my Tourettes, and make everyone think that I was always wrong, even if he knew that I was right. It started when someone asked me about the computer that I had built. I was in the middle of explaining it to them when Nathan cut me off and just kept saying that I was wrong. He wouldn’t even let me speak. Later that day he was mocking my eye ticks. When I tried to ask him to stop I started to stuttered, he then started to mock my stutter and again wouldn't let me even say anything.

The next day while we were hiking we had leftover food from lunch, so I ate some of it knowing that it would give me some needed extra energy later while hiking. Nathan then convinced a group of people that I was taking too much and that we had limited food, even though we didn’t.

Because of this, every time that we ate, even though they would usually eat more than me, that group of people would get angry at me for taking too much. In the end, we had enough leftover food for 5 more full meals. In the end, everyone realized what was happening, and stopped being friends with Nathan. This taught me that some people just don't treat you fairly, for almost no reason at all, but you just half to still continue to be as nice as possible, and everything will turn out better.

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Albemarle Grade 7 2017 _____________________________________________________________________________________________________________ David’s Point of View From ​The Outsiders Peter Shea The point of view I chose is the view of David. David is the Soc who drowned Ponyboy at the park where Johnny killed Bob. I pictured David as a Soc who just goes with the gang and is a follower, not a leader.

“I can’t believe you were even talking to those Greasers,” Bob said to Cherry Valance and Marcia. Cherry hastily fired back “I’m sorry Bob but you were drunk and they weren’t, they actually knew how to treat a girl.” I hated the way Bob talked to such a gorgeous girl like Cherry.

Cherry and I used to go out in eighth grade. People used to call us DnC, David and Cherry. Randy who was sitting in the front passenger seat was more of an accepting person. He told Bob to calm down, and that they were the ones who made the mistake. Bob listened to his best friend, and then apologized for lashing out at the girls. After we dropped the girls off at Marcia’s house, we quickly did a u-turn and started back towards the Greasers territory. All of us knew why we were going back, and none of us needed to ask. Bob stopped the car and grabbed a bottle of whiskey out of the glove compartment, and almost drank it all. He shared some with us. I only drank a little because I didn’t feel like getting drunk. Bob then told us to get our switchblades ready in a very ​le​ thargic way because he was drunk again. We continued driving around the Greaser territory.

We eventually found two out of the three boys who picked up Bob and Randy’s girls. Bob stumbled out of the car, and then we all followed him. We started walking towards them, till they saw us. They stayed where they were and waited for us to come closer to them. I recognized them, the little one who we jumped a while back was Johnny and the one with him was Ponyboy who we jumped a few days ago. When we got right up close to them Bob said “ Hey whatya know here's the tiny Greasers that picked up our girls”. I started dazing off until I heard Bob say “ Give the kid a bath David”. I started walking toward Pony, but he ducked around me. I grabbed him, and pressed his head down him into the fountain until I heard a shriek. I looked behind me to see Johnny’s switchblade in Bob’s stomach. I immediately started running away towards the car to see the rest of the gang in it. We started driving away. Finally we reached Randy’s house. We didn’t know what to do. We were all freaking out. Randy kept insisting that we should calm down, but how? I left and started walking home. When I was halfway home, I began to cry again, but I never thought this was real. I always thought Bob would come back. When I got home I went into my bedroom and tried to fall asleep but my stomach kept churning, and I got up and threw up in my toilet, and I then finally fell asleep as a Soc in title, but a mourner in heart.

Computers Connor O’Keefe Computers are a need in my everyday life, considering the fact that I am using one right now. Not only do I use them during my free time, but I also need them for school. Computers are also used in the military. They are a big help, and without them, our military would not be where it is today. In addition, society itself would not be where it is today without computers. Another thing about computers is communication. It could be family who live far away trying to book a plane ticket online to visit other family. Although the internet and technology looks like it can’t get any better, the future holds plenty of surprises and inventions. A lot of times, the word computer means more than just a desktop. It could mean your phone or any electronic device. Thus, using computers takes up a lot of our lives. If you’re doing productive work, you can still be on your mobile device, or it could be used for non-productive stuff like gaming. Computers haven't been around for a very long time, but they are evolving.

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Albemarle Grade 7 2017 _____________________________________________________________________________________________________________ Technology Generation Charlie Irwin As for someone my age, it is different than what my parents and their parents were used to.

For me it is more of a technologically advanced time. I know that most people in the world are ok with technology. For people my age, technology is just a second language. I feel that our generation can help affect the future. The effect of our generation will be forever lasting. We are the new generation. Where our generation will go is only our job.

Poem About Me Tommy Reynolds My name is Tommy Reynolds I am an achiever When it comes to the Patriots I am a believer I have cousins in Rhode Island And out in the West Getting to see them Is really the best I like to bike and go hiking And pickup basketball My favorite is skiing Just above all When we go on airplanes I nervously hold by breath Because during the takeoff I get scared to death When it is dinner My mom cooks up a storm Pots pans and placemats Always served warm My dad coaches my sports teams Soccer basketball and baseball He is always encouraging Even when we might fall My sister loves music Piano violin and singing Whenever she’s happy She will start ringing We don’t always agree And sometimes we fight But at the end of the day Our bond is still tight 116

Albemarle Grade 7 2017 _____________________________________________________________________________________________________________ Computers Brage Golding Computers, what are they good for? Why do we have them in our lives? Why do we use them? Some pros about computers are that you can use them to look up any facts. They are a great resource if you want to have fun like playing video games or listening to music. Some computers are portable, and you can easily take them anywhere. Email on a computer is a good thing to have although some people prefer to use their phones. A few bad things about computers are that you have to charge them, and they can become addictive. Even though they are great, computers cost a lot of money to buy and can break easily. Also, you might tend to waste time being on computers, but, all in all, if you focus and use them well you can get a lot done.

The Caterpillar Ted Richards Being a preeteen or teenager could be one of the hardest, unfamiliar, and strange experiences in your life. Being a preeteen or teenager means that you grow and step outside your comfort zone. You take on challenges that make you more ready and experienced for other experiences later in life. You’re probably going to have some struggles and fights, too (hopefully not physically). It is your job to keep at it and build character. It may affect your current behaviors, manners, hobbies or more. Also, the effects of being 12-13 can change things later on in your life.

You may want to pursue a different job, work for a nonprofit organization, or even just help out at a food shelter. Maybe you could get a change of heart from it. First of all, I’ve found at my age I’ve had to take more responsibilities and have had to be more mature in my everyday life. Also, I’ve actually grown a lot, and my body has been changing a lot. I’ve also had to take on many challenges at school, whether it is making or interacting with friends, being on the court or field, or anything else.

You also have to start to learn from issues that have to be addressed, like bullying, peer pressure, cheating and other important things. Being around my age is a really tough thing to do, and I hope I’ll learn to face and deal with more challenges, and grow up. Basically, being my age reminds me of a caterpillar turning into a butterfly, and I’m just starting my transformation.

Computers Are Great Jedidiah Nelson Computers are great, and they have many uses. They have lots of complex parts. It takes a long time for people to put them together, and then they have to program them. Some computers charge more easily than others, and some are best at certain tasks. Nowadays, the world can’t run without computers. The technology of computers has evolved so much. They’re even pocket sized now. Because of this, a lot of people are always on their phones. This causes many problems though.

People don’t pay attention when walking across the streets and can become anti-social. Overall, there are many pros and cons to computers.

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Albemarle Grade 7 2017 _____________________________________________________________________________________________________________ Hà’s Bully Letter Charlie Bacon Dear Bullies, Give Ha a chance. You don’t have to be friends with her. What you do have to do is be kind to her. You should respect her because her life has been a lot more complicated than yours. If teasing her and making fun of her proves anything, it’s that you have no respect for her or yourselves. Even though I don't know why you tease her, I strongly encourage you to stop. One example that was very unacceptable was when you mocked her religion. I think you can understand why this is wrong and why you shouldn't have done it. After you chased her around yelling at her and pushing her, how do you think she felt?

She came here from Vietnam and doesn't fully understand how we do things in America. Ha is very smart. I think you can learn a thing or two from her, and it wouldn't hurt if you asked her a few questions about her life in Vietnam. Do you think it was easy for her? Making fun of the way she looks is even worse. Did you choose how you look to other people? No. Making fun of simply who she is is not fair at all.

Have you ever found what she has to say interesting? Try to accept her, and try to understand. Chasing her is ridiculous. Don't you have places to be and better things to do? If I see any more teasing, you will be on your final warning. Finally, the school will be forced to expel you if the bullying does not stop.

Generation Z Trevor Smith What is it like to be a member of Generation Z? One thing you need to know is there’s always pressure with schools and other aspects of life getting more competitive. Our generation will affect the future of the world, and the effect of pressure can change us in our personality. In school, teachers are keeping us to a high standard, and they show this by always criticizing us like saying how you’re late for class. At home it is the same deal, but things can be more about hygienics, like your breath is really bad, and go brush your teeth. Both of these things are mild examples of these standards. We know adults help keep us in line, but sometimes being criticized or chastised can be stressful. These things can cause us to change or act out at times. Along with being the new generation, comes some perks as well, like technology and having information at our fingertips.

Older people knew what it felt like to find a book and then have to look in the book for what they were searching for, but we can learn digitally in a fast and much easier way. This is just a short overview of what a life in Gen Z is.

Computers Can Do Everything Fejiro Esievo Computers are amazing machines that can be used to do a huge amount of jobs. They are man made tools that help us in our everyday life. I particularly use my computer to play games, watch videos, search things up, do my homework, and email people. Although computers can do all these things and more, they can also make each of these activities easier. I mainly use my computer for doing homework because it is a fun and relaxing way to get my work done. I can write out my essays in a short amount of time, and make corrections. In my spare time, I might use my computer to play games or search things up. I love my computer because I have everything that is going on in the world at my fingertips. Computers also save things that I have deleted. This helps because I will be able to restore old work that I have deleted, like game data, or photos. That is why I think computers are amazing tools.

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Albemarle Grade 7 2017 _____________________________________________________________________________________________________________ Major Priya Michael Berman We have an exchange teacher from the Lawrence School, Sanawar. She was raised in Simla which is in the Himalayas. She went to the Tara Hall school. She was never a normal girl. She was a tomboy and hung out with her brother’s friends most of the time. Sometimes this included climbing trees, running, or other varieties of playing. She recalls at her school one day, the governor came and beside him was a handsome aide de camp. Nobody was paying much attention to the governor, as everyone was looking at the stunning ADC. Her school was an all-girls school after all.

Afterwards, she made a goal for herself to become an officer instead of marrying one like the other girls wanted. She took action. She sent the Chief of Staff a letter about how she and other women should be accepted in the army. The general replied and said he would attempt to do something.

She eventually decided to try and become an entrant, but the limit was twenty-five years and she couldn’t make it. Still she kept on trying and kept being persistent and eventually an article in the newspaper appeared stating that women were welcome she had so many genuine emotions. When she saw, “Women, the army beckons you!” I felt very happy for her because all of her hard work was finally about to be rewarded. Her sister supported her very much. After Priya had just told her how women were beckoned to the army. Two advocates had been selected. Her sister said, “Who will the second be?” This shows how she encouraged Priya and was a great sister. Major Priya then sent her application to receive an interview. The interview would be held in Allahabad and would be for an entire five days! The interview consisted of both how she worked mentally and physically. The physical portion of the interview she found quite easy. This was because of all her years climbing trees with her brother and his friends and the​ i​ ntense​ t​ raining that was just for fun when growing up. When it was over, she went home and waited for the letter stating if she was in the army or out.

Her letter didn’t come for awhile and when a girl who had to go back to Delhi, asked if she could see if she was in, Major Priya said yes. When the girl came home she called, “Guess what! You’re on top of the list.” Major Priya couldn’t believe that out of the 25,000 who had applied she had been at the top and was astounded. When news spread the town celebrated. Priya remembers her friend’s father saying as she walked in, “Look at history walking,” meaning, she was one of the first women in the army making history.

When she went to the training camp, she felt a indescribable pain in her abdomen. She couldn’t bear the intense pain and went to the doctor’s where she was diagnosed with kidney stones. Nevertheless, she was persistent and the doctor discharged her. The doctor’s last words to her were “Make sure to drink lots of water.” After the events, Major Priya went back to the camp and on her first day back they began going on a run every morning. Even with her kidney stones she was far ahead of everyone else. This gave her a boost of confidence and raised her mood. I learned that no matter what, if you are persistent, you will be success.

Thirteen Luis Lee When you become thirteen, you have to accept some realities. Some of them are that now you are more grown up. You have to learn to take care of yourself, except you still can’t do everything by yourself. If you have siblings, your actions affect their behavior. Also, your parents have a great effect on you, depending on their behavior. When you become thirteen you lose a lot of things, especially me. I lose my school bags everyday. It is very hard to find them again. Also, I become loose. I just become kind of lazy about anything. When you become thirteen, a lot of things happen to you.

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Albemarle Grade 7 2017 _____________________________________________________________________________________________________________ Inside Out and Back Again​ Reflection Charles Wang The book ​Inside Out and Back Again​ is about a ten year old girl named Ha from Vietnam. She loves the bustling markets, the sweet snacks that pop up from every corner, and most of all, her papaya tree. However, Ha and her family are forced out of Vietnam because of the war, and fleeing to the United States is their only way of survival. They face many obstacles such as starvation, being captured, or losing their way when they are living in terrible conditions in a little boat packed with refugees. Miraculously, they make it to America, but they soon realize that their path to peace is still far away, and a missing father still dwells in their mind everyday. Bullying, being different, and being in an unknown place makes life very difficult for Ha and her family.

Inside Out and Back Again​ is a fictional book, but many parts and aspects are very realistic, and it was based on a true story. The book has taught me so much more about the refugee crisis in the world and the different wars that changed history. When I first heard about wars and refugees, I kept asking why can’t they just leave and settle in another country? Yes, I was extremely stubborn and naive at the time, and now I realize that fleeing from your own country because of a war is not only physically hard, but it is also mentally difficult and heartbreaking. The book just gives me one specific fictional example of hardships a family has to go through to refuge somewhere else, but I can picture in my mind millions of people trying to accomplish that, and I can’t help but be angry and resentful. “Our ships creeps along the river route, without lights, without cooking, without bathrooms. We are told to sip water only when we must so our bodies can stop needing.” The book has also taught me about the Vietnam War, how it was fought, tactics used, the opposing sides, and what citizens had to endure were just some important aspects of the war that I learned when reading this book. “We pretend the monsoon has come early. In the distance bombs explode like thunder, slashes lighten the sky, gunfire falls like rain. Distant yet within ears, within eyes. Not that far away after all.”

Without doubt, ​Inside Out and Back Again​ was a great experience that has opened me up to new perspectives and has taught me about history.

Hà’s Bully Letter Rhodes Martinez Dear Bullies, Why do you bully? Do you have no joy in life? If you pick on Hà, does that ​really ​make you feel better? Hà barely knows how to speak English, and all you do is criticize her. When she said that she knew the Buddha, you started to make fun of the word, but actually you were making fun of her religion, Buddhism. You are the most racist people to her, saying Ching-Chong and asking her if she ate dog meat. You make fun of her face, calling her pancake-face just because it is flatter than yours. Have you ever talked to her? She has so much knowledge, and you choose to ignore that. You should apologize to her because you have no idea of what she went through to get to America. She lived in Saigon, the capital of South Vietnam, and was bombed out of her only home. Hà spent weeks on a tiny boat with lots of other families and was only allowed 1 cup of water a DAY. After that obstacle, she spent MONTHS at a refugee camp, only to be put on another boat and taken to another camp in America, the south. She waited there for more months. Finally, a nice man sponsored Hà and her family. By the way, she is the only girl of 3 brothers, and she lost her father in the war. Her sponsor’s wife hated Hà and her family, and almost had them kicked out of her house. Now she is here, and all you do is antagonize her for not being white and just like you. Pulling her ARM hair, I mean, COME ON. You chase her down the street and make her cry. You guys should think about your people skills and ways to be more inclusive.

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Albemarle Grade 7 2017 _____________________________________________________________________________________________________________ A Good Connection Grady Cole I think that computers are a great tool in today's world, but they can also be a distraction.

Technology affects everyone's lives whether that's directly or indirectly. Personally, I use electronics everyday, and I am glad that I have the opportunity to use it. Although our phones and computers are good, they can be a big interruption in our world. Back before we had all these things, the world seemed more tight-knit. While I wasn’t alive I have heard and can imagine that if you’re not constantly checking snapchat and other other social media, you would spend much more time hanging out with other people. This doesn’t mean that I think that our systems today are all bad. In fact they're very important. Before now, everybody would read the newspaper. It was the way people got information, and now we use our phones. While you can still get newspapers, they are dying out, and if we didn’t have the technology that we do, we wouldn’t be connected with the world. Computers may be getting rid of the tight-knit society we used to have, but in a way it's connecting us way more than we could be without it.

​I Am A Taxi Shep Hearle The book I read was named, ​I Am a Taxi​ it was about a boy whose parents were both put in jail for something they did not do. Now he and his little sister are staying with his mother in her prison, but they can also go over and see their dad in the men’s prison. When he is in the prison with his mom. The son does errands for people and he is called a taxi. This is why the book got its title. I think this is a good name and it suits the book for many reasons. One of them is that it is one way their family makes money by his running errands. In this prison they have to rent out their cells because there are so many women there. Another reason it is a good title is that he leaves his job to get a better one, that earns more money. Then he realizes that he is working for people who makes drugs and he wants out, but he knows too many details about what they are doing so he wants to be a taxi again and be with his family. I think that the book’s title is a really appropriate one.

The Complex Computers Blake Ankner If you have come here to learn about how computers are made and all that, then you have come to the wrong place. I want to talk about how computers are the here and now of our century.

In my house, we use more than one device. These devices range from i-phones to gaming laptops.

The problem is that as we acquire more electronics, there are more problems. The computer is very useful these days, especially when writing papers. When I go to write a story, I have over 20,000 sources or more to pick from. As many have said, we have the key to the world at our fingertips. As a master in technology said, “The computer was born to solve problems that did not exist before.”(Bill Gates) Now that this quote was shared, we can understand that when one might be gaming or studying, it helps the next generation. Finally, computers are useful for many reasons which will help advance our community as a whole.

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Albemarle Grade 8 2017 _____________________________________________________________________________________________________________ Romeo’s Rap JaQ Lai T’was a ​dark​ and stormy ​night​ when we ​all​ ​rolled up, on a ​lark​, to the ​site​ of a Capulet ​ball​, ​hold up​!

Now you’re ​all​ asking why a gang of Monta​gues​, would have the ​gall​ to seek the other house and spark a ​feudal fuse​, but​ the boys weren’t out for a riot that night, I ​swear​, my pals were just trying to make me feel alright.

I was still feeling pretty ​lame​ from the memory of the cupid-proof ​dame​ who said no to me, to get Rosaline off my mind, my friends brought me out to have a good time.

So us ​Mon​tagues ​moved​ to the tunes and surely, soon…

I spotted a really pretty girl, lighting up the room, shining bright as the moon. ​Nay​, that ​dame​ was so in​sane, hey, it’s verily a ​cr​ime to ​c​ompare her to a rock so mun​dane​, mate.

If ever she met Diane, that hag would straight ​faint​! Aphrodite cries with ​shame at the fairness of this dame’s skin, it’s been my life’s greatest ​sin to try to cram her radiance ​into a verbal can, for, this beauty ​rich​, which​ made my heart beat like a ​drum​ cannot be ​summed up​ in the mere confines of a set of ​lines​.

She blew my mind and I was like “Hey, Imma be your pilgrim, you be my holy shrine.

Can I ask you for a dance before we start to wine and dine?”

“Madam, your mother craves a word with you.” but not a moment later her servant arrived, stole her away, surely a ruse contrived; There was so much we had said, but so much yet to say.

Felt like I’ve known her forever but I didn’t get her name!

I asked the maid and her answer was a rapier ripping through my heart like a sabre made of lasers My life’s greatest love, this fateful object of mine eye, was the progeny of enemies of my bloodline!

Prodigious birth of love it is to me That I must love a loathed enemy.

What’s tis? What’s tis?

I’ll never ​get​ old Lord Capu​let​ to ​let​ me ​get​ this girl to ​wed​!

In the midst of my despair, my bored and tired “friends” ripped me from my my fair, my true, my love, my Juliet!

I ripped myself from them, and swiftly stole away to a quiet little garden where I could meditate.

Lo, behold! What wonder lies yonder there?

I catch a mystic glimpse of my maiden’s fair hair, hey, I rush on over in time to catch a snippet of her innermost thoughts and her thoughts, they be trippin Yo, this Juliet girl can drop a sick rhyme and this time 122

Albemarle Grade 8 2017 _____________________________________________________________________________________________________________ it was our love to which she testified!

I called out, and we talked through the night, I was ready to live my life by this Capulet’s side!

She swore to love me and to send her nurse by nine, I told her it’ll be fine, I know a guy, a friar, a father, a friend He’ll get us wed, and soon we’ll be together till the end, I said “ until we meet again,” and at that with haste I fled.

The Rollercoaster of the Ocean Adrian Wirth In the southernmost point of Costa Rica lies my favorite spot on earth. Surfing on Playa Tamarindo has taught me many life lessons. Through surfing, I have learned to be humble and respectful. Even though it is not a living thing, you need to have respect for the ocean or else it will knock you down, hard.

The first lesson it taught me was how to try new things and meet new people all around the world. When I travel around the world, I love to see new people and try enticing foods that the country has to offer. Having such great exposure has helped me have a very diverse and interesting life. In my experience, traveling for a vacation is different than just traveling. When you travel just for traveling, you experience the realness that the place has to offer instead of just the good things you get on a vacation. It’s like seeing an animal in its natural habitat opposed to seeing it in a cage in a zoo. During my time surfing in Costa Rica, I made life long friendships that I will always remember.

I learned how to be humble the hard way while surfing. Last summer I was surfing in a huge storm. The swell was huge and the waves were 6-8 feet. The huge waves would form, looking like monsters in the ocean. As I was paddling out, I would get knocked back and go under multiple times. When I went out into the open water, I was surfing by myself, and I saw a huge set coming.

The look on my face was like a kid in a candy store. I got ready to paddle into the monstrous wave and got up onto the face of the wave. Two or so seconds into the ride, a smaller wave formed in the face and I crashed. My chest slapped on the water and the wind was knocked out of me. When I tried to get back up, I got slapped again by the second wave in the set. I ragdolled and had no control over my body and just had to stay calm. It felt like I was being pinned like I was in a wrestling match. After the set was over, I floated to the top of the water and swam to the beach. I just laid on the sand thinking how scary it was. All I tasted was a mixture of salt and blood which was not very enjoyable. In total, I was under the water for a good 40 seconds. This has taught me to respect the ocean every time I go into the water.

To be the best surfer possible, you need to be wise, respectful, humble and have lots of experience. Experience helps you be able to respect everything you see and be humble when you surf. To me, the older you get, the better surfer you become because you have experienced all that surfing can offer. Another reason I like surfing is because you can never say you have learned everything about surfing. There is always more to learn.

You can’t just walk onto a beach with no experience and think that you are going to be great. You have to work very hard to be a good surfer and you have to work even harder to have all the best qualities of a good surfer. If you are going to try surfing, (which I highly advise) don’t expect to get it right away. Be patient and eventually it will come to you, so will the respect and wisdom needed to be a great surfer. Surfing Playa Tamarindo has made me respect everything in life and to be humble instead of ignorant.

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Albemarle Grade 8 2017 _____________________________________________________________________________________________________________ Summers of Joy Jake Koeppel Crack, thud, thump. When I hear those familiar sounds and feel my car beginning to sway left and right, I know exactly where I am. I step out of the car, my feet touch the ground, my arms stretch out towards the sky, and I yawn like a lion being released out of its cage. I take a deep breath, gulping in the ocean air. The sound of the waves smashing against the breakwater and the cheerful screams of little children playing in the water are the usual noises of summer.

Looking around I see the sun blaring down on the vast lawn full of sharp green grass a old two storied weathered house, the entrance covered with tangled green vines, welcomes me back to Maine. Going to my grandparents’ house has not only allowed me to spend time with older family members, but also to relax and experience a different way of life. I know I will have a good time with my extended family.

In an hour and twenty minutes I had fled from a busy, crowded, noisy, city full of cars to a small, quiet, peaceful town on the coastline of Maine. In Boston I am surrounded by tall buildings made of glass and brick, but in Maine I notice small cottages with driveways and gardens full of beautiful and colorful flowers. Sometimes you will even come across a yard with endless rows of raspberry bushes. While birds, rats, and squirrels are the only animals that you will ever see in Boston, foxes, rabbits, and deer are common animals in Maine. Living in Boston I can bike or walk everywhere, but in Maine we have to drive or ride a bike a far distance away. Boston beaches are covered in trash and seaweed, there are no kids to play with, and the view is not as gorgeous as in Maine. Maine beaches are very scenic with a rocky coastline, flat sand and big waves ideal for boogie boarding and surfing. However, there is a downside; the water can be quite chilly. Being in these different aspects of life gave me a totally different look on how it is to live outside the city.

My extended family, whom I only see in the summer, consists of my grandparents (G'Ma and G’Pa) and my two paternal aunts, Jody and Robin, who combined have three boys, Sam, Ross, and AJ. Some of my most memorable days start out with G’Pa rousing the cousins, who hop into his Jeep and scoot off with him to breakfast at the hospital where he volunteers. Often after we eat breakfast, we stop by his “junk store” to work and play with all of his antiques and collectibles.

Some days we help my G’Pa with his auctions. Afternoons are spent with G’Ma, playing her favorite board game, Scrabble; talking to her about how my day was; and helping prep food to feed eleven people. In between helping my grandparents I go to the beach with my aunts and cousins. At the beach we play wiffle ball, football, bocce ball, basically anything with a ball. I have learn how to body surf, boogie board and skim board. Frequently, when I was younger, after the beach, my cousins and I would roll out the go-kart from a broken down old shed, full of bees and spiders. I always hopped into the passenger seat of the go-kart because I was “too young and couldn’t reach the pedals” at the time. The go-kart was painted blue, but the paint had been chipped away from the many years and miles. It had two black cushions for us to sit on, and the growling engine in the back took years to start up. We would take the go-kart around the corner to York High School and drive it around the empty parking lot. Once we got bored of driving the cart around, we would head home and pull out my favorite thing, a bb-gun. Like everything in my grandparents’ house, these guns were old relics from days gone by. My cousin AJ would go into the recycling bin and pull out old milk cartons, fill them up with water and put them on a stand out on the lawn. We would shoot them until there was nothing left to shoot. After a long day of working, having fun and building up a huge appetite, it was time to have a big meal outside on a faded glass table. One night a year we have our annual family feast which consists of lobster and steak. By the end of the meal there will not be a crumb of food left on the table. Sometimes after we have a long day, we spend the next day relaxing.

In Maine I feel comfort with my family and what we do or how we relax. Family is not people that you are just related to, family is people that you can be forgive and tolerate, no matter what their features are or what they believe or think. Even though people think when you put a group of friends or family members in a room it will be crazy, with my cousins it is a relaxing time.

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Albemarle Grade 8 2017 _____________________________________________________________________________________________________________ At night, when all of my cousins are in the room, we talk about stuff in our lives or play video games.

When we talk, we can talk about anything on our mind, positive or negative, and not be judged for what we have done or thought. I feel my cousins and I are not like other cousins because we are close. I go to the ocean, jump into the water, let myself float, and feel all of my stress and extra weight float away.

Looking forward to this summer, I hope to get out of the city, spend time with my family, and return once again to the coastline of Maine.

THE Q Benning Johnson Seven years ago my family bought a house in arguably the best place on planet earth, Quechee, Vermont. Growing up in Quechee during the winter weekends and bright summer day has led to amazing memories with family and friends. ​Quechee has changed me for the better. Learning to ski, competitively swim, getting a cow named after me, and building friendships are just a few of the amazing experiences I have had at what my family calls the “Q.” Every morning in the summer I would awake up to my mom singing “Wake up, Wake up, Wake up you silly heads”. I would arrive at the pristine club pool, smelling chlorine and being greeted by wonderful coaches. An hour or so later of flip turns, build drills and the refreshing water on my skin I would get ready for the day ahead. Seeing that it would have only been 9:15. Usually I would hang out with friends, go to camp, play golf or sometimes even go help out at the local farm.

Swimming has changed my life in many ways. Building relationships, not only with friends but also with coaches. I have recently taken up swimming year round with another team in the winter, yet I still prefer the Quechee Swim Team. The pool is where I can always feel at home. I have a continuous love for swimming and I hope I never stop.

Three summers ago I went to my first year of Large Animal Veterinary Camp. When I returned home smelling like cows, I could not stop talking about how much I loved Vet Camp. I went on and on about every thing we did through the course of the day. After that first year of Vet Camp I was able to get in touch with the Vet and told her how I was working on a project describing Veterinary Medicine. During this same time I was able to follow a pregnant cow until she gave birth.

She named the calf Benning. After Vet camp the next year Dr. Heather invited me up to Essex Junction, Vermont to the Champlain Valley exposition to Show Sugar and Milly, both calfs. After a lot of practice and patience, I was able to show them like a pro. This past summer I also got involved with the farm by washing, training and cleaning up after cows. Veterinary Camp has changed my perspective on life and influenced what I want to do when I am an adult.

After some runny eggs and salty bacon in the morning I would hop on my bike. Riding with my sister Delia and my friend Ell, to swim team and then camp was my favorite activity in the mornings. Watching the dust spit out from under Ell’s bike as we raced down the hill. As we arrived at camp I was as happy as a clam. We never knew what we would be doing that day at camp, but it didn’t matter, because no matter what we always enjoyed it. Whether it was racing Hannah to the dock on the lake, or trying to beat Connor and Sam at soccer. The camp is tucked away on lake Pinneo next to the peaceful sounds of birds on the golf course. Unfortunately I have aged out of day camp, but hopefully can become a counselor. My counselors have nothing but amazing. Not only did I have amazing camp counselors but also some pretty great friends. Even though I am vastly outnumbered in terms of boy to girl ratios I still have many friends.

If Quechee was a person it would be kind, peaceful, loud, quiet, natural, and a little bit crazy.

Whether I was splashing around under the bridge or hiking to the top of Mt. Tom, Quechee is a never ending mystery and a place to be cherished for eternity.

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Albemarle Grade 8 2017 _____________________________________________________________________________________________________________ The Cruel Game Connor Mackenzie War, a cruel game of chess where the pieces are players.

Every day an uphill battle.

Inching, inching forward without a purpose.

War, a cruel game of cards.

Always more losers than winners.

War a game of tic tac toe.

Impossible to win against an equally matched foe.

The best for which you can hope, The board fills up without three in a row.

Both of you walk without knowing loss.

Learning the Hard Way Spencer Metz We are going to war.

John, Paul, and me.

We are excited to serve our country As we enter the front line we are greeted by the sounds of gunshots and bombs This wasn’t what we expected.

People dying right in front of us “Get Out!” yelled the driver of the military truck.

We hadn't realized we have been sitting there in shock.

As we get out Paul takes a bullet to the stomach He falls to the ground in agonizing pain.

His screeches get the attention of John and myself.

We try lifting him, but we are unable to because our commander is calling for us to retreat I can only imagine how scared he must have been there dying, without anyone.

Paul, you were lied to.

Dying for your country isn’t great You won’t be remembered very well, Your body is still most likely there.

What did you die for?

Your country, freedom, or just a stupid conflict.

Well, it doesn’t matter now.

You are just one of the many stories of people dying at war.

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Albemarle Grade 8 2017 _____________________________________________________________________________________________________________ The Final Days Andre Washington Please let these days fly I can bare no longer Red mud, loud bombs, they say being American makes you stronger Germany, its seems like every day here is dim rotten horses and fields of limbs.

Guns bark the violent victories Me and my team know every second is a mystery On our road to death but somehow we made it We don’t talk about the outcome Letters from my friends back home saying they miss me I soothe the pain with a bottle of whiskey Sleep doesn't exist anymore Guns barking, bombs bursting, men yelling These are just three of many sounds of war They say do whats right and fight for your country Oh Heaven how lovely

Romeo and Juliet Poetry Song Nick Salerno “It is my lady, O it is my love.” She is fragile and sweet just like a dove.

“O speak again bright angel,” Just like a vine, our love will tangle.

I can hear her calling lovely and slow, “Wherefore art thou Romeo.”

Our families stay separate, full of hate, it’s like we’re trapped behind a gate.

Rosaline’s rejection made me cry, But“Now old desire doth in his deathbed lie.”

I’m over her, her passion was a hoax, and I’m sick of Mercutio’s nagging jokes No longer do my “tears augment on the morning dew”,I now perk up cheerily, thinking of you Marriage will combine us as one, a magical couple, like the moon and the sun “For stony limits cannot hold love out,” I am the fisherman, you’re my trout When I heard you call my name from the balcony, you talked about how change had come so rapidly Time changes from fast to slow, just like a flower our love will grow “My heart’s dear love is set,” I am without worry and I will not fret Because we will married at the hour of nine, and our bond will be completely divine Oh what is chance, what is choice, all I want to hear is your lovely voice I already miss you very much, when you showed up on balcony it was quite clutch Oh I wish our time together was longer, it will only make our connection stronger I’ll protect you down to the very last day, through all catastrophes that make our world sway I hope this song has shown, the heights that our love has already flown When I see you again, you will be my wife, taking away all of life’s previous pain and strife!

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Albemarle Grade 8 2017 _____________________________________________________________________________________________________________ Sticky Situation William Spencer It was a warm summer day in Chatham, Cape Cod, and I was having a blast. I played games with my sister all morning. In the evening I was going to the Orleans baseball game with my friend Johnny. We had planned this day out for weeks. Johnny had already put lawn chairs on the slope leading to the baseball diamond for us to view the game. I was so looking forward to the game with Johnny.

When I was little I figured out that my parents stored spare change in a small drawer in a arts and craft stand. We were just about to go to town to grab some candy for the baseball game. I decided that it would be a good idea to see if there was any remaining change in the drawer. I peaked into the drawer looking to see if there was any change, little knowing that my sisters had left an open bottle of superglue in that drawer. I felt something hardening around my eye. After I blinked my eye, I was not able to open it again. I reached at it with my fingers and felt a layer of hardened glue stuck to my eyelashes. I was so panicked, as I kept rubbing my eye, but the glue wouldn't come off. I tried to keep it a secret for as long as I could because I thought that I would not be allowed to go watch the baseball game if I showed anyone. Sadly, my mom quickly noticed that one of my eyes was sealed shut. She immediately handed me a warm towel, and told everyone that we were going to the hospital.

Then she delivered the worst news of all. She said we would miss the baseball game. To me that was just not an option, so I thought of a plan. I found the end of the glue blob at the corner of my eye and decided to give it a hard tug. The glue came off with all of my eye lashes. You could say it was a success because I could finally see, but it felt the same as ripping off a bandaid. However, the pain was not over in one second. Nevertheless, I was convinced that I could still make the baseball game. I triumphantly strutted over to my mom and showed her what I had just accomplished. “Mom we can go to the game now. I ripped the super glue off my eye.” The look of horror on my mom's face was priceless when she saw that I was missing all the eyelashes in my left eye. She started to yell at me while driving at the same time. I am still surprised that we did not get in a accident.

We finally arrived at the hospital, and I was devastated because the game had already started. We were quickly ushered to a doctor, who told us the rundown on what happened. I had ripped off the glue but also took off all of my eyelashes and two layers of skin. In addition, the doctor informed me that my eyelashes were going to grow back. My mom was really excited about that news. The doctors were baffled that I did not damage my eye, and they said that I was lucky. I really didn't feel lucky considering at this point that the game was already over. There was one positive that came from this mishap. I now had a sick story to tell all of my friends. Although I never did make it to that baseball game, I feel I learned a valuable lesson. “Don't poke your head in places it does not belong.”

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Albemarle Grade 8 2017 _____________________________________________________________________________________________________________ “The Star Spangled Banner” Duwon Lee My right hand shivers violently as the beach appears.

The tiny higgins boat rocks side to side, making me throw up.

The puke spills on the shoulder of a new recruit.

He quickly flinches back, with sweat and tears on his face.

He glances at me with soulless eyes.

Just staring without any emotion.

I struggle to take out the cross from my green, leather vest, And gently kiss the metal.

I follow my sergeant, jump into the water.

The water is freezing as ice.

My backpack is a giant piece of lead, keeps pulling me down to the deep ocean.

The machine gun starts firing over our heads.

Bullet shells dive into the sea, Quickly splash and fade away.

The ocean of bloodbath.

One of them strikes my sarge’s helmet.

The tiny bullet penetrate his face, And just pops like a balloon.

Showing me a bloody stump.

Millions of mangled bodies cover the beach of Normandy.

The red blood of men colors the yellow sand.

All I hear is screaming and crying.

A soldier with his body covered with red flame jumps into the water.

I frantically crawl towards a soldier lying on a rock.

The distortion of his face is like a piece of dried sponge Bullets tear up his forehead into shreds.

His nose barely hangs on his face.

I take out a bottle of ethanol And open the cap with my shivering hands.

As I pour it all over his face, he starts shirek with pain.

I inject insulin into his right thigh and wrap his head with the bandage.

Suddenly, someone grabs my right ankle.

I turn my head and astonies.

The young soldier swears and cries, Holding his hand no longer connected to his body.

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Albemarle Grade 8 2017 _____________________________________________________________________________________________________________ A Childhood Memory Malkie Shamari It was a few weeks before winter break, and my siblings, along with me, were curious if we were going anywhere for this winter break. I was in the fourth grade at the time, and I had been begging my mother and my father to take us to Hawaii. My siblings also wanted to go to Hawaii, but we had a feeling that our parents would never take us. A few days later, our mother asked us to all meet at the dining table. Immediately, we abided to her request because we knew that she would be telling us where we were going for the break. Once we all sat down, she told us that we would be going to Hawaii. The feeling of excitement overwhelmed us, and for the next two weeks until vacation, I could not think of anything else. I imagined the warm weather, and how it would feel much better than the harsh cold weather we currently had. I couldn’t wait to go snorkeling in the ocean and see all the exotic fish that Hawaii’s waters held. At the time, I even believed that I would be able to see a shark. Although this sounded like a perfect vacation, it was not going to end the way I planned.

As the weeks went by, we began to prepare for the trip. I brought my snorkeling gear and a few books for the flight. I also carefully selected clothes for the trip. I tried to bring dark clothes, so I could absorb the warm heat of the sun more. Several swimsuits were also necessary for the amount of swimming I planned to do. My parents told me that we would have to wake up early the next morning in order to catch the plane. I woke up an hour before my parents told me to because I wanted to get there as soon as possible. I spent the next hour bringing the suitcases downstairs, and then waking everybody in the house. My parents were glad that I was already up, and tasked me with getting everybody in the car. Once I completed my mission, we began to drive to the airport.

When we arrived, we checked in our bags, went through security, and began to board the plane. I was sure to pick a window seat because I wanted to see the beautiful islands of Hawaii from the height of the plane. I do not remember much of the plane trip, but I know that I slept the latter of it.

I woke up near the end of the flight because of the turbulence. After about a half hour, I was able to see Hawaii. It looked amazing, and I could not wait to get off of the plane.

Once we landed, I waited patiently for our turn to exit the plane. Once our turn arrived, I began to pack my bag and put the books I was reading away. After I finished I began to walk out of the plane, but I could not see my family. I assumed that they already exited the plane. After realizing this, I began to walk with haste to exit the plane. I was sure to thank the pilot and took my steps from the plane to the walkway. As I was about to step off the plane, I did not realize that the walkway was slowly moving away. Once I took my step, there was nothing to step on! I fell through the gap. It felt as if it were slow motion. I remember seeing the other passengers, totally unaware of what happened, then all of a sudden I hit the floor. The area where I fell was covered in rubber mats, which took most of the force of the impact, then men who were working on the runway were running towards me. I got up, with the help of the men, but I did not feel that any part of my body was broken. It hurt to walk, but other than that, I seemed fine. The men took me to my parents, who were wondering where I was. The men told them what happened, and they were in shock. They kept asking me if I was ok and insisted that I get a wheelchair. I told them that since I landed on mats, It was not an extreme injury. The rest of my trip was not as enjoyable as I planned it to be because of the pain from walking. I still was happy that I was able to go.

Because of this incident, I have always had a fear of leaving airplanes, and I make sure to exit carefully. The next time I visited Hawaii, which was a few years ago, I was reminded of the past event. As we were exiting the plane, there was no walkway, but instead, there were stairs. Since then, I have always wondered if that was because of me.

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Albemarle Grade 8 2017 _____________________________________________________________________________________________________________ A Soldier's Diary Christopher​ ​Hostetter I’m eighteen today.

I am going to fight for my country.

France needs me. Verdun needs me.

Will I make them proud?

Training is demanding, the food is atrocious.

Days go by like years. So much pressure to keep up.

I have made some friends, but who knows if we will all make it.

I wonder if all this madness is worth it?

I reached the front lines today. It is horrific.

Gunfire, bombs and men screaming is all I hear now.

It gets colder everyday... Disease spreads like fire. We use the dead as pillows.

Why did I come here?

I can’t feel my body from the frost and our commander was shelled, he’s a goner.

Food is scarce and we are practically living with rats.

Tomorrow we are attacking the German front line.

Will I survive?

Olivier Antoine January 10 1898 - Feb 25 1916

“The Secret Life of Walter Mitty” Alexander Knopp “I’m back,” Mitty’s wife exclaimed. “Hope you did not cause too much trouble!” Mitty and his wife proceeded to walk back to their car. They eventually got home after Mitty’s wife had been keeping a tight leash on him during the car ride home. They settled into their house. Mitty was sitting on the porch, listening to the waves of sound coming from the birds perched on the roof.

“Let’s see if everything is normal now, Mitty.” Mitty’s wife stuck a thermometer in his ear.

“Everything is normal,” she exclaimed in a confused state.

“I just have a wild imagination!” Walter exclaimed!

The next morning, Walter and his wife woke up at the same time. Always early in the morning, and walked down their old stairs that were desperate for a carpet change from their old 1900’s beige rug. Walter’s wife instructed him to go outside to grab today’s paper, so they could keep up to date with the world. The two shared the paper at their old creaky wooden dining table, while they silently chowed down on some old Muesli and a cup of black coffee.

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Albemarle Grade 8 2017 _____________________________________________________________________________________________________________ The Secret Life Of Walter Mitty Will Jacobs ...Walter Mitty threw the carriage of the typewriter with force, pocketa-pocketa-pocketa, crazily typing as fast as he could. He rips the sheet from the typewriter and runs down the hall.

Mitty comes flying into the editor’s office clutching a bunch of papers. “Sir, I have to get you to review this evidence. The informant is the killer, we have to get to press immediately if we are going to put a stop to all of these horrible murders of women in our city.” Steven, the editor throws his hands up in desperation “I can’t just go on your word Walter!” “Trust me on this one, the police aren’t going to listen, but I have the facts that everyone has overlooked. I am willing to risk my reputation as the best reporter in the state, but we have to go to print!”

Walter Mitty got up to his wife nagging him to grab the morning paper. “ Walter, it’s Tuesday, you shouldn’t be sleeping in till ten, you’ll be groggy all day.” Walter got up very slowly, just to annoy his wife, then went down to grab the paper. To let her know, he slammed the door shut. He headed to his favorite leather chair in the den As he opened the paper, he sank into the sofa and read the headlines, “MAN SURVIVES BEAR ATTACK WITH ONLY KNIFE …”

Walter Mitty finishes easing into his hunting garb. He heads out, in the dark early morning.

Soundlessly, he creeps up the familiar trail, but something is different. He hears an odd crying sound in the distance, feels the danger in his bones. He moves faster now, disregarding his usual caution. Bursting into an opening in the woods, he comes upon the giant hulking shape of a bear towering over a group of children. They tremble and Walter realizes he has almost lost the element of surprise. Walter’s heart is pounding pocketa-pocketa-pocketa. He is now back to creeping. As the bear slowly extends his hand up to come down on the children, Walter grabs his bowie knife and plunges it into the bear's back. The bear swings his claw left and right trying to swipe at Walter but he hangs on to the knife with all his strength... ”WALTER,” his wife yells from the kitchen. She looks as if she is going to swipe at him.

“You’re doing it again you know, spacing off,” she says. Walter rolled his eyes, and gets up from the chair. “You know, you should get out more,” she states. “Maybe that will help you stop those daydreams,” she grumbles.

Sea Of Dead, Out There Ethan Maura New recruits are ready and plow into a truck.

Scared of what’s ahead, testing their luck.

Young and tender heading into battle.

Thinking of home, over the trucks rattle.

The battle has begun throughout the land.

The sounds of gunfire like a band.

Fighting for their country, and their mothers.

Once the sound of guns arrive, they fight alongside with brothers.

When the end of the day arrives, they start to feast Then they rest like a well fed beast.

It’s nothing but a sea of dead out there.

Everyday is a hard day not one is fair.

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Albemarle Grade 8 2017 _____________________________________________________________________________________________________________ Traumatized Peyton O’Leary My father went off to war today.

As I was hugging him goodbye I was crying tears of joy and sadness, I was proud to have a father in the army But then again thinking about the danger my dad is going to go through scares me so so much.

His first tour was in ​Iraq.

My family was so terrified and scared of that battle field, With all the trauma and bad things over there.

My dad would have to try to do all things he can to help our country.

At the end of some days he would Skype me and my family.

He would tell us all about things he has done, He would ask to talk to mom, I sat in the corner trying to hear what he was saying and I heard things I didn't want hear.

I heard fright in his voice, Saying things like I killed a person I can't do this anymore, And I have to stop I want to be with you.

I knew my dad couldn't go through this and he needed help.

The tour ended and my dad was still in safety.

I’m so happy to be with my father for the rest of my life.

His first tour was his last tour.

He came home and never wanted to go back for more.

When I’m Gone Fernando Gris​i My last two days with you, is like the first day I saw you.

As if I fell in love with you again, And now, I’m going to fight for you.

But still, it feels like I’m going to abandon you.

By now, I’m gone.

The 72 other recruits sitting shoulder by shoulder next to me.

We all left our wives.

In front, 200 vietnamese coming from everywhere.

Suddenly, a 12 mm bullet drives through my head.

And then I’m back, but I’m gone.

It is like a dark night without moon inside the coffin.

A dead body odor fills my nose.

I hear a knock and your voice feels sweat in my ears.

“I’m sorry, but he's gone.”

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Albemarle Grade 8 2017 _____________________________________________________________________________________________________________ Silent Death Max Clemens Our footsteps are silent like the winds breeze The men are are cold and shivering there kneese, The sounds of German come from there mouths A fire upon them making them warm, people cry out in behind the flesh filled gates of next door.

We sneak upon them ever so slightly, I talk to my mother and say “I love you” one last time.

We are six feet behind them backs towards us, A sound of a twig cracking fills the ears around And one last cry of my innocent, young men fills the forest Death has a sound It's voice shouts to all The names of the innocent are inconspicuous by death The men who hides them will never end their endless call The soldiers are silent but sends death to all Their finger is the deciding factor to destroy them all.

The tall men shout, the small men shoot Foot after foot trampling the dead, their mud covered faces are filled with innocence No man's-land is filled with extinction The lifeless bodies are pounded with bullets By the devil's soldiers I speak to my mother silent one last time, telling her I heard the call the endless chime.

Waking up to War Luke D’Orsi My head raises from the cushion that supports me while I sleep.

My dog is making noise in the backyard, it triggers me, and I suddenly remember when my soldiers And I were attacked by a hungry animal.

I lie in the bed wondering if the dog will come and attack me.

During the war, my soldiers, marching in the forest, and suddenly were shot at.

We would lie on the ground, and our clothing camouflaging us with the forest.

Every week, body bags would fill the airplanes.

The people in those body bags, were my friends.

That's the reason why I have PTSD. Before the war, I was able to watch tv without hearing gunshots in the background.

Now I do.

I use to be able to go to sleep without waking up in the middle of the night.

Now I wake up thinking that we are being attacked.

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Albemarle Grade 8 2017 _____________________________________________________________________________________________________________ My Omi Christiaan Eikeboom The screech of tires woke me up from what seemed like an eternal sleep, but it was the swishing sounds of gusts of wind that brought me to my senses. I had just landed at Long Beach airport at 5 am. I dragged myself off the airplane and tramped towards the exit. I was feeling terrible, as I had had little sleep on the flight, and as always, I was hungry. However, as I saw the sight of my grandparents waiting at the curb, my once sad and exhausted face transformed into a vivid smile. I had just traveled across the country, and it all seemed worth it as I embraced my Omi. My grandma grew up in a miniscule farming village in Germany. As a child, she was extremely poor. Her father was sent to be a soldier in WWII, and her mother had to work as a nurse to provide for her and her siblings. As my Omi grew up, she faced extreme hardship in Germany.

There were insufficient amounts of food, constant fear of bombings, and rarely an abundance of clothing and shoes. Her mom had to cut the front of the shoes open when they grew too small for her children. My Omi went to school and worked really hard and eventually became a school teacher. She put her best foot forward regardless of the situation. Luck was on her side when she met a soldier serving in the American military. They fell in love, and my grandpa brought her back to California where they still live happily today. They recently celebrated their 53rd wedding anniversary.

Omi has taught me so much and has undeniably made me into a better person. She has taught me to be a hard worker. Even if I don’t necessarily have natural ability, with her influence, I work really hard and that makes me attain my goals. For example, right now I am studying for the SSAT. She makes me write her one story a day that has ten new vocabulary words. She will then write me back a story, using the same words. This has been helping me expand my vocabulary, and I hope to get a perfect score. Omi is also adamant that I learn German since Germany was such a huge part of her life. She sends all of her grandchildren to German school, where I have learned to speak fluent German. Omi has taught me to try my best and is constantly pushing me to achieve my goals.

As my grandmother lived through World War II, she has felt the pangs of hunger. As a consequence, she never wastes food. She has also taught me to be frugal and never wasteful. When I was in elementary school, I always brought my lunch to school with me. If I didn’t finish my lunch, I would never throw the rest in the trash. I would bring it home and have it later in the afternoon.

It was also very important to take care of her belongings since she had so little. From her example, I appreciate what I have, and I don’t carelessly neglect my possessions. This is true of the Fessenden chromebook. I have had it for four years, and only once did it need a repair. That was because someone else broke the hinge. I treat it carefully and respectfully just like my Omi did with her things.

As she says to me all the time, “I’m your number 1 senior cheerleader!” My Omi has been there for me and is always pushing me to do my best. From studying for the SSAT, to working hard in school, to teaching me many valuable lessons, my Omi is always there for me.

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Albemarle Grade 8 2017 _____________________________________________________________________________________________________________ Nature’s Congregation Ian Kaplan

My backyard is a majestic sanctuary that welcomes all animals. It has five bird feeders, lots of shrubs, three tall trees, one broken water fountain, three chairs, an umbrella and a coffee table. In addition, there are several holes in which chipmunks scurry in and out. Most importantly, the myriad of birds and other animals and people who gravitate towards this special habitat make it what it is today.

When I first moved into my new house more than four years ago, I despised my backyard. It was small, narrow, and didn’t look like a very happy place to hang out. About a year and a half later, I discovered a new passion for birds through my science class. From then on, I needed not only be able to see birds at school, but also at home. It was then that I realized the potential of my backyard.

It went from a boring v-shaped space to a safe haven for hundreds of mystical birds, most of which visit the spacious tray feeder, with room for all birds. I created this sanctuary because of my sincere love and passion for birds. Spending hours of time each week refilling the feeders with seed and the birdbath with water is one of my favorite activities to do.

The backyard consists of two narrow and long lanes, one of which houses all five of the bird feeders, and the other lane has none. The grass constantly remains healthy, a vibrant shade of light green, soft and silky. It is typically littered with small shells of peanuts that are like broken eggshells lying on the ground. Both lanes are lined on the outermost side with smaller, yellow, green, and occasionally purple plants that act as a food source for fluffy rabbits and red and gray squirrels. The squirrels are usually more interested in jumping onto the feeders to steal all the food for themselves. On the innermost part are smaller, dark green shrubs, that act as a cover for the chipmunks who seek shelter and live below. Next to these shrubs is a much larger bush, where the branches are spread from the trunk. They have only thick, dark green leaves growing on the ends, leaving the bush naked without them covering it. In the middle of the backyard is a turquoise, broken fountain, with a rusty metal tube in the middle and thin, maple leaves that ponder below.

The leaves have been forgotten by their tree and now lie in the murky water as if they are slowly sinking into loneliness. Behind what was the centerpiece of the backyard, but now worthless, is a joyful, lighthearted patio with a happy environment which hosts the boring child looking for a comfy place to read on a sunny summer afternoon.

Almost everyday, there is a steady, loud humming sound from the lawnmower across the street, along with the sound of stopping and going of cars rushing to their destination. Occasionally, you can hear the drumming of the Downy, Hairy, and sometimes Red Bellied woodpeckers high up in the oak trees, looking for worms, insects, and other animals to feed to their precious younglings constantly squawking for more. The constant chirping, flapping, and feeding of the birds seems to be ever present in every nook and cranny of the yard. These noises are occasionally hushed by the sharp screech of the lurking Red-Tailed Hawk circling above, carefully choosing the best target to devour.

In the summer and spring, the backyard is always filled with the strong scent of pollen that is a nightmare to my brother, as he is extremely allergic to this soft, sweet powder. It seems to float throughout the environment. It is also hidden in the density of the air for the majority of the time, except for when the golden bars of smooth sunlight work their way through the rough-leaved trees to reveal the little particles of powder.

In the corner of the yard is a small tree called a Japanese Maple that is no taller than 4 feet.

It acts as the mother to the yard, helping several squirrels get a better angle to jump onto the tall, metal pole that has feeders hanging along its sides. Sometimes, in the soft orange leaves that provide no cover to the main branch, little bugs crawl along the thin pale arm, like a sloth hanging under a tree, trusting the branch with its life to hold on. With little to no attention received everyday, this tree has little, frail looking branches that curl inward, as if there is a baby being cradled with the mother standing over it, looking down at the future in her very own arms. This

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Albemarle Grade 8 2017 _____________________________________________________________________________________________________________ mother also acts as a covering ground of a hole very special to Bruno, (my puppy) that holds rocks, toys, and leaves from other nooks and crannies of the yard.

Just standing in my backyard gives me a true sense of meaning, and it lets me enjoy nature as it is touched by human hands but healthy for animals in search of a resting habitat. I created this yard and made it what it is today. I provided the human hands, gently fixing the problems and putting something in their place in order to make a more enjoyable habitat for the animals. My backyard is important to me because I have a sense of joy and freedom when walking around, filling the feeders, and playing in it. This is a sensation that I don’t receive when indoors. My backyard has been my middle-school/teenage playspace during the past couple of years, as it has given me room to run around freely, escape the stresses of my life, and most importantly, grow and pursue my new passions. Also, it truly lets me connect with nature in such a realistic fashion, as most natural environments are in danger of shrinking because of the rapid urbanization of the world. This space is all my own.

War Lawson Miller I went in blind Ignorant and naive The war was unkind What could it achieve?

Jumping out of the guns The bullets fly Like beating drums Bombs booming The war was rough Blood oozing Adrenaline rush How could I miss it?

Why didn’t I take advantage?

Now I quit I can no longer manage.

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Albemarle Grade 8 2017 _____________________________________________________________________________________________________________ Wonder William Zhuang Sounds, I hear the tearing sounds again.

Smoke rises from the gray, cracked ground, Dissolving, and painting the pure, blue sky.

Huge vehicles chew frantically on the convex dirt, The wheels covered with mud rubbing against the rocks.

As I glide a bit closer, I begin to see a world full of frustration and confusion.

Threatening flame is rising from the ground eagerly, People are running towards the land with ash all over their body.

I don’t know what goods are waiting for them there, But it does not seem so friendly to me.

Screaming, guns shooting, horses yell with fear.

Green things flying across the sky, landing in the trenches, Destroying themselves into pieces.

Blood spills out of the green fabric on people’s bodies, Dying the color into something different, Dries, and stays there.

People run against the other side with constant hesitations, Shouting out random words with unreasonable braveness.

Then bullets from the other side go straight in and out of their body, Bringing the souls out of them, dropping them onto the ground.

The person standing next to them, Looks at them for less than a second, Before turning away, continuing on the same process.

Blood, smoke and dead bodies, Lying on the ground like a luxury carpet.

Little mice casually walk out, looking like kings.

Drinking their blood, nibbling their flesh, Blurting out words of joy.

Making me wonder rights and wrongs.

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Albemarle Grade 8 2017 _____________________________________________________________________________________________________________ Romeo Poetry Rap Nate Stewart Now, this is a story all about how My life got flipped-turned upside down And I'd like to take a minute Just sit right there I'll tell how I am dead right now “In fair Verona” born​ and raised In Juliet's Orchard is where I spend most of my days Creepin, Peepin acting all cool And crushin’ some red wine outside my pool When a guy named Tybalt who was up to no good Started making trouble in my livelyhood I got in one little fight and my cousin got scared He said you’re not fighting him over a stupid dare I begged and pleaded with him all day But he wouldn’t listen and he sent me on my way He gave me a visor for visor and then a ticket.

I put my tunic on and said, 'I might as well kick it'.

Capulets House, yo this is bad Crushin some wine out of a champagne glass.

Is this what the people of the Capulets living like?

Hmmmmm this might be alright.

But wait I hear they're prissy, bourgeois, all that Is this the type of place that they just send this cool cat?

I don't think so I'll see when I get there I hope they're prepared for the Creep of verona Well, the party ended and when I came out There was a dude who looked like a Capulet standing there calling my name out I ain't trying to get killed yet I just got here I sprang with the quickness like lightning, disappeared I whistled for a carriage and when it came near The licence plate said Creep and had eagles mere in the mirror If anything I could say that this carriage was rare But I thought 'Nah, forget it' - 'Yo, holmes to the orchard' I pulled up to the orchard about 10 or 12 And I yelled to the cabbie 'Yo holmes smell ya later' I looked at the orchard I was finally there To sit on my throne as the Creep of Verona

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Albemarle Grade 8 2017 _____________________________________________________________________________________________________________ It’ll Be OK Nick Thomas I’ll see you when I come back, You better come back, I will A son can’t grow up without a father Don’t worry, I’ll be back for our toddler (July 28, 1914 Private Owen Konnors goes to Iraq) Owen get the hell outta there Watchout grenades in the air Bullets flying I start crying I get hit No-one there to help me, but Schmidt Loud siren noises blaring like a bell on top of a church My fellow soldiers still out on the battlefield on search Bright lights flash past my eyes, And lay near me, are my fellow guys Searching for my family, Realizing my fellow soldiers are my family.

Machines beeping, Utensils falling, People talking, Lights in my face All of this going on, And I’m unconscious White clouds Huge crowds Gates opening And now I’m noticing I’m in Heaven (September 19,1914 2:34 a m Soldier Owen Konnors dead) Never going to hold my newborn, If I only I could take a u-turn My baby boy has no father (September 19,1914, 3:45 am Owen Konnor’s son is born)

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Albemarle Grade 8 2017 _____________________________________________________________________________________________________________ My Grandfather Emmanuel Aweke The game was intense. There were two people playing, a young boy and an old man. It was chess, and there were two pieces left on the board for each team. The air smelled spicy, and both the man and the boy felt like they were being boiled under the sun. Both the boy and the man were sweating bullets, but they didn’t care, the game was too interesting. The old man moved a piece in attack, and so the king was in check. The boy moved the king back and then the opposing queen attacked. Checkmate, game over.

This story is about my grandfather, Tsegaye Garade, and me from the summer of 2016. This man has had such an influence on my life. From the constant storytelling to the history and math lessons he teaches, he is a role model, always dresses like he is going to a wedding, and is constantly doodling on any piece of paper he can find. My grandfather has taught me how to play chess, taught me some Amharic (Ethiopian language), and patiently helps me work through problems that I don’t understand. He is optimistic, always looking on the bright side of things, and has more than earned my respect and love. Although I didn’t know it until recently, he had come to America as a scientist.

He is truly an amazing man.

Whenever he shuffles down the hallway coming up to my bedroom door, you can always hear his feet dragging on the floor as the ancient wooden floor slowly creaks under him. His voice is like listening to cream. It is soft and silky, though not quite raspy, as many voices get with old age.

Sometimes I just get lost listening to his sound while ignoring what he is saying. Although he is not from this country and sometimes needs to hear things repeated in his native tongue, he always speaks with precision. Ababa Tsegaye understands his body's limitations in his age, but he still is as sharp as a knife. He often tells stories of when he was younger and could do a hundred chin-ups, or quickly run for many kilometers at a time. He is almost as addicted to chocolate as he is to a quick smoke, and he loves to talk with us kids. He has surprised me again and again from the time that I found out his hair has been as black as midnight for eighty years, to the time I found out he had come to America as a scientist. As a person, Ababa Tsegaye has done and lived through many things that I could only dream of, like being smart enough to come to this country and work with top scientists. In the future I truly hope that I can do some of the things he has.

Greatness aside, he has made me a human being. Every time I’m home with him he checks on me, and even though I don’t show it, I appreciate his love and his care. He has been there for me for my entire life, and has always tried to keep me happy, balanced, and smart. Ababa has taught me to follow my dreams, while working all the way till I get there. He frequently tells me his opinions and theories about the world. Every day he tells me about how I was when I was younger. I would explain how I understood how things worked, even if I really didn’t know. He shared about how I loved and still love to build things, and how I used to be able to differentiate and name similar looking animals. Simply by remembering these things, he has humbled me in day to day activities.

My grandfather has done things that some people only dream of. He has traveled most of the world and understands and has points on world issues currently and from the past. He has so many stories and is a very positive person. Sometimes he makes false promises as he understands his limits, but I know his intentions are true. He doesn’t seem to have any regrets, and he wants the best for me, my sister, my brother, my mother, my father, and all of our extended family. I sincerely consider him someone to look up to and as a person who has influenced my life.

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Albemarle Grade 8 2017 _____________________________________________________________________________________________________________ A Childhood Memory James Moukeiber As a kid, and still today, my family spends almost every summer in a small town called Bonnieux. It is a little village in the south of France that my dad visited as a child. My father grew up in Beit Mery, Lebanon, and moved to the south of France due to the Lebanese Civil War. He often visited Bonnieux and loved everything about it, such as the sprawling grape farms, the cozy cafÊ’s, and even the scorching sun during even the hottest of summers. Due to this love, my father would rent a small house in Bonnieux every summer to share his memories with us. To him, it was pure heaven. After spending year after year there, I came to appreciate it as much as my father. Every morning, we would energetically bike to a hilltop cafe with cracked twenty foot walls beneath us to collect our breakfast. Bonnieux is an extremely old and historic town, and they had been under multiple sieges and attacks in their history. Due to this, they built soaring walls around their village to improve defenses. Now, the walls are more of a museum artifact than any type of defense mechanism. Most of the cafes are placed directly above the ramparts, which adds a beautiful view to the great food. Bonnieux is, and will always be, a place I will cherish and never forget.

It was a balmy sunny day, and I was devouring a fantastic Sain Sacristain with my family.

San Sacristain is this light and airy baked good with an inside of custard or chocolate and a spray of powdered sugar on top. After this great breakfast, we crammed our family of five into a small Volvo to go visit one of my dad's old friends. His name is Guy, and he owned a small home and a small grape & olive farm. As my dad and Guy conversed about their time as kids, my sister, my brother, and I went outside onto the cobblestone porch to watch the World Cup. We ate incredibly good heirloom tomatoes and mozzarella caprese for lunch. I very well remember spending the rest of the afternoon there. We had played tag in the fields for hours and hours until our chests were heaving and we could no longer drag our feet to chase one another. These were the times of my family I cherish the most. We were all under the age of ten, and nothing could have separated us. As we walked back inside, dragging our feet one after the other, my parents beckoned us into the car for our long ride back home. Guy walked us out and presented my dad with a fantastic bottle of home-grown and made olive oil. My dad was ecstatic, he loves to cook, and years and years after he still has that bottle of olive oil. As we made our way home, one of the most memorable things happened. The car came to an abrupt stop, due to the fact that a mother wild boar and her many children were crossing the road. It was fascinating to see a food I just ate living and well.

One morning, I found out that there was a cherry tree strategically placed under my bedroom window, so I could pick the cherries from my room. Fresh fruit is one of the tastiest things you can eat in warm areas of the world, and I intended to enjoy them. Bonnieux is one of my favorite places to go and will always be an area where I have childhood memories. No matter where I am, or where I’ll be, Bonnieux will still be there with me.

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Albemarle Grade 8 2017 _____________________________________________________________________________________________________________ The Verona Times Sammy Jomaa As the sun kissed the horizon Verona awoke to tragedy today as news of a devastating double suicide and murder in the former foes, the Montagues and Capulets unfolded just days after the suicide of Lady Montague. The suicide victims were none other than the young lovers, the controversially exiled Romeo, and the secretly married soon-to-be-bride Juliet. The murder victim was the would be second husband of Juliet, Paris. The location of these acts lacking in valor was ironically in the Capulet Tomb.

The exact hour when Paris and his page arrived at the scene is unknown, but sources can confirm it was nighttime and they came before Romeo did. Romeo arrived at the Tomb with Balthasar, his manservant. It is unknown whether Romeo and Paris exchanged words, but what is known is that there was a mortal arbitrament between Romeo and Paris, with Romeo being victorious. After this Romeo, most likely believing Juliet was lying dead and not just asleep, took his life. Sources told the Verona Times that he used a poison that he illegally bought in Mantua. Then Friar Lawrence, the man who secretly wed Romeo and Juliet, entered the scene and conversed with Balthaser. During this conversation, Juliet rose from her slumber, and upon seeing her beloved Romeo lying lifeless on the floor, the lady stabbed herself, taking her own life.

Sources tell the Verona Times that this was part of a larger conspiracy led by none other than Friar Lawrence. The Friar gave her a vial that would make her seem dead. He claims he did this to help the young couple and that he would notify Romeo that she was not really dead. A Verona Times exclusive, here are his full words from his interrogation: Interrogator: “Why did you give Juliet the vial?”

Friar Lawrence “So she could avoid the unholy marriage and would be brought to the Capulet’s Tomb where I could reunite her with her beloved Romeo.”

Interrogator: “Did you attempt to notify Romeo that Juliet wasn’t really dead?”

Friar Lawrence: “I sent a friend, Friar John, to notify him, but he was stopped from entering Mantua for fear of carrying the plague.”

The Verona Times cannot confirm whether Friar Lawrence will be punished or not, but what we can confirm is that what Friar Lawrence claimed about Friar John is true. The Verona Times will continue to monitor the investigation into this event.

Grand Canyon Adventure Duncan McCarthy I sit on a stump looking up at the stars. I can see all of them from here. In the distance I can hear the roar of the river as it crashes over the rocks. The chirps of crickets come from all around me. The canyon walls tower above me. The air is cool and dry. This is a peaceful moment, but the experience that I endured to get to this moment was like no other.

My family and I came to explore the Grand Canyon and ride a mule train to the bottom. It was evening and the sun was setting over the Grand Canyon. I looked out for the first time, and I saw the reds, oranges, blues, blacks, greens, and yellows of the canyon. It was the most tranquil sight I had ever seen. The shadows cast by the fading sun seemed to put the canyon to bed. Huge condors soared over the canyon letting out loud shrieks. It was hard to believe that tomorrow I would be at the bottom of this seemingly endless area.

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Albemarle Grade 8 2017 _____________________________________________________________________________________________________________ Next morning, I rose before the sun. Once again, it was quiet and peaceful at the rim of the canyon. We met our skinners at the mule lot. I was shown to my mule. It was a big white beast that looked nothing like I had imagined it would. Before we could begin our trip, the skinners called our attention for a discussion about the journey. At the end of the speech, they said, as a side note, that if we were to die during the journey, it would not be the company's responsibility. They added there had been thirteen deaths in the past. This information sent chills through my body. They asked if anyone wanted to withdraw from the ride. There were no takers. At various points in the next two days, I would regret my decision of not withdrawing. Nonetheless, I started the journey.

Early in the ride, I discovered that mules walk extremely close to the edge of the trail. There was a sheer drop-off next to me and nothing but a small pile of rocks to keep anyone from falling off the edge. The switchbacks make sharp turns in the trail, and mules must extend their necks over the canyon to turn. Each time my mule and I turned a corner, I was forced to stare down into the depths of the canyon. Being scared of heights, I was petrified. The mules skipped over sharp rocks and powdery dirt as they made their way down the trail. As the animals descended, it dipped its front side bouncing me up in the air. It was almost like riding one of those mechanical bull rides at a fair. I imagined the mule tripping sending me down into the canyon. I soon realized that my fate was controlled by the mule. Hikers had to press up against the walls of the canyon as our group rode by.

If a hiker did not do this, they were barked at by our strict skinners.The layered salmon rocks began to tower above us as we got deeper down into the canyon. I noticed a formation in the rocks that looked like a face. The face seemed to be laughing at my circumstance.

The dry heat began to increase as we went. The summer heat was trapped between the walls of the canyon turning it into a heated caldron. Even though I had tried to cover most of my skin to protect it from the scorching sun, I could feel it starting to bake. Dust rose from the dirt that the mules kicked up and settled on our bare faces and in our mouths. I used my canteen filled with water to wash out the crunchy dust in my parched mouth. We came to a part of the trail called “Oh Jesus Drop”. “Oh Jesus Drop” is a six hundred foot drop that has desert plants growing out of cracks in the sides of the cliff. It was named “Oh Jesus Drop” because of the comments that are often made when people look down at the drop. The trail that circles around “Oh Jesus Drop” is about as narrow as a small hallway. My heart was racing. I held onto my saddle for dear life as we descended slowly down this section of the canyon.

We finally made it to the Colorado River. A wave of relief washed over me upon beholding the river. I knew that we were finally at the bottom. The river, full of eroding dirt and rocks from the canyon, made it look like water in a New York City sewage pipe. This was surprising to me because I had thought of the Colorado River as a perfect blue. To cross the river we had to go over a long, narrow, rickety bridge in single file. The wind blasting across the river almost took my hat with it, but it cooled me off after the long five and a half hour ride. The bridge swayed from side to side as the mules walked across it. We were almost at our destination, Phantom Ranch.

Phantom Ranch is a series of cabins that house hikers and mule riders. Soon after arriving, my sister and I found a cool rocky stream to sit in. The brown water flowed around me, washing away the dust caked on my body and cooling me down. When night fell, I found a tree stump to sit on and stared at the vast sky. With no lights for miles, I could see every star. As I sat there in a moment of tranquillity, I knew I would be back on my mule at daybreak for the long climb out of the canyon.

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Albemarle Grade 8 2017 _____________________________________________________________________________________________________________ Walter Mitty Writing Piece Jack Darwin “She’s going down!” The co-pilot boomed when the plane begun to blaze with red and yellow. Leaping out of the Jet-Blue logo sat infernos of the monstrous disaster, busting windows open and splitting the fuselage from the plane like a can opener. Passengers cried in panic as bodies fled toward, some tossed back from the sharp angle of the incline. Pilots made their way to the radios to request help. Patterns of the “pocketa-pocketa-pocketa” ringed before the yelp of the attendants attempted to sooth the clients who were all but ready to meet their horrendous fate. A few rows back from the cockpit, Walter Mitty rushed through the chaos of the helpless mobs of civilians, retrieving a parachute to escape the tragic anarchy. Making his final stride through the body gangs, Walter peaked over a ripped open fraction of the plane, ready to dive into the land below. Seconds before his feet were going to leap over the edge, a pilot blocked his freedom. “You aren’t going anywhere! These parachutes are reserved for the staff!” The man yelled over screams.

He reached his hand over to the straps of the device, flailing his arms desperately. Mitty evaded past the pilot, jumping over the side. The last words of the man faded, “Sir! Come back! We will have you arrested for your actions! Sir! Sir …”

“Sir. Sir, would you like something to drink?” Walter hesitated as he woke from his intense tale. “Yes, ma'am. Coke is fine.” Squeaks of the wheels died-down as the cart pushed farther down the lane. “What's wrong with you?” Walter's wife questioned, handing down his order of Coke. “Its nothing” he responded, “just zoned out again, the usual.” “Well, then you better stop, ‘cause people are gettin’ weirded out towards this whole ‘day dreaming’ stuff.” She sighed and went back to her laptop, resuming her film. Walter spun his head to the window, viewing the white, soft clouds and the baby blue sky above the green surface, everything acting as if it was too calm. … This peaceful setting did not last to long, for the nose of the plane blew up into tiny metal pieces that blew past Jet-Blue. Making his way to the cockpit, Walter sprinted towards the injured pilots affected by the burst. Dragging the men to the first aid, he was assisted by the ladies working on board, delivering bandages to the wounds, stopping the blood …

“Sir, why are you in the front. This is for staff only. “ The pilots informed Mitty. “Sorry, just checking out the plane,” he replied.

S ​ oldiers Worst Fear Grant Porter Get down!

A grenade whistles by my head into the trench.

I try to get up from the trench, but I can’t.

I reach for my gun and start firing back.

All I hear are explosions everyday.

To the right of me I see dead bodies.

To the left of me I see dead bodies.

Behind me I see rats bigger than a cat fly out from hole in the ground.

When I look forward again I see our trench getting ambushed.

I coward in fear.

I feel agonizing pain now.

The adrenaline is wearing off.

I look back my legs are gone, then another grenade flies into our trench.

Boom! We have lost the battle.

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Albemarle Grade 8 2017 _____________________________________________________________________________________________________________ A Place to Think JaQ Lai I know not whether it is by virtue of any inherent property or simply by my own upbringing that Hong Kong is the perfect place for me to think. The pattering of constant, heavy rain envelops all but vapid sounds of the city, and opaque fog turns the world into a blank canvas for my thoughts to roam. A good portion of my time is spent in a car, behind the shield of a steel door that scissors me from the outside world, transforming me from active agent to passive observer as I flit between the happenings beyond the window and my own train of thought, sometimes touching both simultaneously. Just as the metallic shell of a car once distanced me from the outside however, 12,000 kilometers and an ocean have distanced me from my old way of life. My radius of movement has shrivelled, and there are no blank canvasses, only cluttered classrooms and overpacked dorms.

That is, except for one.

Unintelligible babble permeates the soundscape of the dining hall. A wave of students crashes and recedes from the wall, slowly draining through the single door. I am surrounded by chaos, but there is a certain serenity within me as I calmly sit whilst surrounded by my scrambling peers, a rock staunchly standing against a river. I wait patiently, and once the final remnants of a hectic, busy existence have filtered through the exit, I step up, step out, and step into the crisp air.

Strolling calmly down the hill and around the bend, I leave a trail of mundane and trivial worries behind me with every footfall. Though I am not facing Memorial Hall, I feel it shrinking out of sight, and mind. As the cacophony of voices sinks into silence, I slip into the shed, select a bike, and strap on a helmet.

Bumping onto the street with a satisfying thud, all thoughts of my overflowing to-do list are dislodged from my consciousness, and left on the road as I cycle down the path. I don a jacket from out of my backpack as I turn onto grass, and the strangely harmonious chatter of nature finds its way into earshot. Up the hill I climb, and into the beckoning trees. All around me the campus disappears and soon I’m among the trunks, riding not on cement but a soft floor of leaves and dirt. I have arrived.

The wind finds its way into the clearing and brushes past me, tickling the treetops and invigorating the scampering shadows they cast, causing the shade to dance playfully along the ground. Autumn’s touch has transformed the canopy into a spectacular symphony of warm hues, giving the impression of a cozy fire-lit den. The clean, processed air of the indoors has been replaced by a subtle aroma of leaves and bark, of twigs and wildlife, unlike any place else on campus and on the whole alien to my city-born nostrils. Gracefully, the trees shift as if inviting me in, and I meander towards a particularly sturdy-looking tree. Lowing my tired body to the ground, the tree’s strength becomes my own. I relax my shoulders for the first time this week, and let my soul sink to the earth. Then, I begin to think.

Thrusting myself into not only a new school, but a new home and new country has been a frantic and messy transition. Consequently, the respite a quiet place to think provides is incalculable. Sitting amongst not walls and roofs, but open air and shifting branches, my mind is left free to wander, and ponder issues too big to contain in the habitat of a cluttered mindspace, ranging from what format to use for a history project to how I can lead a meaningful life. Leaves fall all around me; In Hong Kong, there were few trees to observe, much less time to watch leaves fall from their branches. Here, time and space provide what a sheet of steel did back home. Especially hard-to-digest books can easily be devoured, and concentration flows easily when I need to get something done. (Although a wi-fi signal does not flow in nearly as easily.) In all of these ways, this space has been an enormous influence and an integral component of my transition process.

This place has no name, and it does nothing for me but exist, but it has been a solid trunk to rest my heavy shoulders on, a slab of bedrock to support me as I gain my footing. It has been a home-away-from-home in the a most paradoxical manner, and I am grateful for the reprieve that even journeying to it provides. Sometimes, we can find comfort in the most unexpected places.

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Albemarle Grade 8 2017 _____________________________________________________________________________________________________________ Son and Lead Henry Wilde I watch him Grown so tall, so mighty I couldn’t stand to see him fall.

Lead rushes through the air Muskets crack, barrels flare.

I look to my right, Where has he gone?

He sits there, weeping, crying, “Mother?”

My eyes detract Painful and aching.

Crack! I’m hit But I have not a care, For my son has perished And I am now solitaire.

I close my reddened eyes, Heart no longer beating.

From my wound?

Or from grief?

I have not a care.

Lead seeps in my blood, My breath has ceased.

I don’t want to wake up, My son has been taken.

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Albemarle Grade 9 2017 _____________________________________________________________________________________________________________ Question Akeim Clarke Bewilderment Perplexity Question Confusion Uncertainty Puzzlement Assumptions Wonderment Wonders Interrogation Thoughts Perturbation Information Suspicion Anxiety Concern Inquiry Dispute Quiry Daze Topic Ask

Keys to the Kingdom Connor Simko “I think you are ready for these, son.”

In that instance, something changed.

The ancient Lexus car keys jingled as they fell into my palm. The sound permeated throughout the silent room. For a few seconds I was frozen, my feet glued to the floor. The expression on my father’s face was contorted, as if unsure what he felt. In one instance I could almost read worry, but quickly following that it was easy to tell the confidence he had in his decision. Whether he had made the right decision or not, one thing was sure, he was proud.

“Go on, try it!” My dad exclaimed.

So I did. I walked into the garage. The jalopy was sitting there. The vibrance of the original color was diminished, invaded by countless paint scrapes and scratches. A thin veil of dust wrapped the car. The door opened with a creek, revealing the caramel color of the inside. The worn cushion of the seat molded as I sat down. My fingers rolled along the suede steering wheel, with threads of string pouring out from holes in the beaten-down stitches. The crack in the middle of the front windshield had slowly spread, looking like a half-finished spiderweb. I twisted the keys, turning the car on, and I sat there. As I backed out of the garage, I could see my father standing there, wearing nothing but pride on his face.

I slowly pressed down on the gas pedal. The car descended down the street I had practically grown up on. Images of my childhood flashed through my mind. I could see the first time I had ever ridden a bike, when my dad guided me down the road, with his hand on my back as I gained speed.

All the way to when I sat on his lap in this very seat, and he made me feel as if I was driving. I kept on driving, glancing occasionally in the rear view mirror. My father’s figure was slowly getting smaller and smaller, until I flipped my blinker, took a right turn, and I could no longer see him.

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Albemarle Grade 9 2017 _____________________________________________________________________________________________________________ 4th of July Larkin Flanagan The sand crinkles in between toes The tide just starts to roll in And the show is about to begin My friends and I grab our drinks and food This show puts us in the greatest mood We are so excited for it to start Different colors and designs shooting in the air like a dart Colors splash into the smoky midnight sky You hear what sounds like a cannon blasting as they fly We are sitting around the towel having a great time Not realizing how time flies We are all upset that it is over However, we are glad we had the time while it lasted

Boston Timmy Kelleher The massive bridge The Garden on the left the harbor on the right Buildings, not big nor small The big boats Are all great The smell is really weird It is a mix of Cigarettes and crazy food And also gas But all great The scruffy ground Scrapes against my feet Ruining my new shoes But all is great The loud sounds of People Cars And boats horns Everything is great

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Albemarle Grade 9 2017 _____________________________________________________________________________________________________________ A Flash of Silver Charlie Moore My lungs burn, but not with the kind of pain that you get from touching a stove. This deep, warm burn starts in your stomach and slowly makes its way up your body. Being underwater for a minute and a half waiting for a striped bass to swim by, my chest feels anything but pleasant.

However, the rest of my body remains completely motionless, which brings a sense of tranquility.

This serene state comes from the sensation of floating, as weight vanishes underwater. To conserve energy and breath time, I lay on the bottom completely stagnant. I sense a slight pressure on my stomach from the rock I have descended on, but this sensation parallels the weight of a pillow. I wear a thick wetsuit, which keeps most of my body thoroughly warm. However, the part of my face which is not protected by my mask reddens in the cold water.

I observe mostly green. I can’t see more than ten feet in front of me until everything dissipates into a green haze. Large, dark, rocks of all shapes and sizes litter the ground. Instinctively I peer down the barrel of my gun in case a fish swims by. That’s all I see… until a dark shadow materializes out of the green obscurity. A lone striped bass. As it comes closer, I render its behemoth size. For a few seconds I watch nothing but a dark outline effortlessly drift along, but when it gets closer I can see the distinct “waddle” only fat fish strut.

Despite my trying to suppress it, I can feel my heart rate spike as a shot of adrenaline surges through my system. I raise my loaded speargun and aim for a spot right behind the gills. With a single motion, I pull the trigger. The recoil of the gun jolts my hand. Then I hear the distinct “zing” of the gun firing closely followed by the satisfying “thump” of the spear hitting it’s mark.

Immediately, I see a flash of silver as the fish takes off for the fight of its life. Even underwater, I hear it thumping the ground with its strong tail. However, the striped bass barely makes it twenty feet before I see a swirling red cloud seep from its wound. The fight expires and the fish flips upside down exposing its bleach white belly which starkly contrasts its green and grey surroundings. I’m so mesmerized by the moment that I almost forgot that my burning lungs scream with pain as if to tell me to breath.

Boston Shane O’Leary I walk through the tall city The roads are crowded with people I am struggling and lost in pity Walking past the quarter with an eagle My parents scrambling to look They are trying to figure where I was last They eventually find the map book Starting to remember the past I see the blonde hair My parents give me a huge hug She’s over by the fair Between the warm arm it's nice and snug.

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Albemarle Grade 9 2017 _____________________________________________________________________________________________________________ The Bright Silhouette Max de Saint-Exupery A dull winter sky draped overhead, a flawless gray shroud with no boundaries. The once gorgeous yellow sun was now white, its colorful light sapped by the forces of winter, the gray clouds, the chilly wind and the colourless snowstorm. Even the Pine-and-Oaks forest of the Great Smoky Mountains below, once home to many songbirds and plants, was completely changed by the winter season. The chickadees had migrated to the south, taking with them their beautiful songs.

The oak trees were dead, the only memory of their former beauty lying at their trunks as pale cracked leaves. What remained of them were mere skeletons bleached by snowfall. Only a small fire, crafted by man’s intellect, broke the absolute stillness of the woods.

The beautiful red and yellow flames lashed out as far as they could within the restriction of the shallow dirt pit. The fire burned on top of scorched logs, their energy drained from being continuously burned for hours. Soon, they would give out and the flames would die with them.

As somber gray clouds rolled slowly towards the woods, they settled into their new position and began dropping tiny ice crystals, each one a frozen shard of cold beauty. Soon, snow covered the wasted woods below. Dried soil and gnarled roots disappeared from the face of the forest floor.

The littered ground was now veiled by a few inches of frosty, pure snow, topped off with a spotless sheet.

In its rage, the fire melted itself a hole. It was now a burning oasis in a desert of snow and ice. Yet, the cold prevailed. Thin clear shards of ice slowly appeared within the boundaries of the hole. Snow began covering the hole, drowning the flames in frozen powder. Even while the heat melted the snow into shallow puddles, the fire couldn’t withstand all the cold. The flames met their end. Soon, all that remained of them were the previously burning logs, unseen and buried under snow. For the first time in hours, a deathly silence blanketed the forest with an unbreakable stillness. And for a long time, no sound or movement would breach it again.

Fenway Justin Rocha Walking into the ballpark smelling the roasted nuts Seeing the freshly cut field Watching my favorite baseball team Constantly chanting “let's go Red Sox” Is one of my favorite times Hearing the sound of the ball hit the wooden bat CRACK!!!!

Just like that The ball is gone and won’t come back And hopefully it doesn’t hit one of the food shacks It’s the bottom of the ninth now And here comes Kimbrel If all goes well, the outfield will mingel And hopefully the other team doesn’t get a single Bye bye other team while the Red Sox mingle.

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Albemarle Grade 9 2017 _____________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Music Michael Kwashie Music is enjoyable Music is cool Music at home Music at school Play with your trombone Play with your clarinet Play with your saxophone Play with your trumpet Play solos or Play with your fellows Play on Spotify Even without wifi Music for one, Music for all Music is timely Music is lively Music makes you dance Music makes you cry Music is relatable To every girl and guy.

Crystallised Wonderland Justin Simon

I know the pristine crystallised wonderland.

I see a spectacular ice topped with a sugar coating of snow.

I smell clean air with the hint of peppermint reminding me of the holidays.

I hear the pitter patter of claws tapping on the ice as they move.

I taste a fresh untampered popsicle.

I feel reborn into a dream.

I know the pristine crystallised wonderland.

I remember how untouchable it was.

I wish I were to remain here forever.

I dreamed of nothing keeping my mind clear.

I know the pristine crystallised wonderland.

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Albemarle Grade 9 2017 _____________________________________________________________________________________________________________ The Great Bay Nick Moran Waves monotonously crashed against the barnacle coated wooden stilts that support the two story structure. The greenish-clear water reached for the first story as high tide set in, coming ever so close to touching it. The sun peeked over the horizon. To the west, the great shoreline of Miami became visible as rays of sun glinted off the skyscrapers that dominate downtown. To the east, a sandbar immediately laid, its sea grass blades and sea urchins becoming more distorted under the rising water. Beyond the abrupt sandbar, the vast uncharted and unknown ocean roamed. The bustling sounds of Miami did not reach here, only the tranquil tone of Biscayne Bay. The sun continued to rise as the house welcomed the daily visit of seabirds. Soon it was painted in a layer of white, runny paint. The birds strolled free and unchallenged, only startled by passing boats.

The bay became hectic. Boats sped by, utilizing the great protective waters in which they trotted. The clatter of the shoreline became visible from the house, reminding those of its great proximity to the coast. All was quiet.

Suddenly, water rained down from the heavens. A great wall of salty liquid scattered, clearing the deck. The birds fled in chaos, quickly forgetting their paradise. The water cleansed the deck of the fresh paint, allowing for another presence. Motors screeched, returning to their usual position in the water.

A boat pulled up, filled with children and adults alike. They explored the structure, traveling through its upper and lower portions. Upstairs, the single room was opened, driving out the darkness and dry stench that dominated the rigid couches and aging tables. Now, only the salty smell of sea and rays of sun filled the room.

The sun continued to ascend. The tide had lowered, making the wonders of the ocean floor below visible. Beer bottles glistened and Lobster carcusses swayed with the current. The dark grass of the sandbar flirted with surface, making it easily walkable. More boats came to the stilts, docking along the sides of the house and other vessels. They formed a mosaic of beautifully colored hulls and tarps, creating a breathtaking scene from above. Children and adults cluttered the deck, packing in like sardines. This did not limit the enjoyment. Children jumped off the second story and swam as they inspected the shallow sea floor. The adults partied, relishing the time spent in tranquil bliss.

The sun advanced on it’s path, nearing the escape over the horizon. With the sun's progression, the festivities came to an end. One by one, the vivid patchwork of boats disassembled, leaving the house alone in the pristine Miami evening.

The day reset. The tide was high again, reaching for the dock, coming ever so close. The wonders that lay on the floor were again obscured. To the west, the sun kissed the skyscrapers with pink beams, making a marvelous last view. To the east, the sandbar was enveloped. It’s debilitated blades of grass floundered like branches in the wind. It would soon be night, leaving the sound of the waves against the stilts as the only remnant of the day.

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Albemarle Grade 9 2017 _____________________________________________________________________________________________________________ The Bonfire Shane O’Leary Sitting in a circle staring into the flames Turning my eyes orange Friends gathered eating marshmallows Wood crackling and burning.

I find the perfect stick to roast the mellow Roasting to a yellow and gold color Twisting and turning through the hot flames Friends telling me it is all good to eat.

The mellow resting in between two graham crackers The melted hot chocolate dripping down the marshmallow The graham crackers nicely toasted The bite was the best taste in my life.

The Tide and the Sun Collins Billhardt The seagulls chirped overhead as they soared above the Pacific Ocean looking for a morning snack. ​There was a white cloud of mist, which made it nearly impossible to see 100 feet in front of myself.​ All I could see was the sandbar stretched out in both directions, as well as the rolling waves that crashed on t​he rocks revealed by the receding ocean. Wind blew softly, creating a light whistling sound that filled my ears. Gray clouds covered the sun, producing a sense of peace and calm throughout my body.

The clouds finally dispersed, as the golden sun shone brightly directly overhead, causing the grains of sand to sting beneath my feet. Waves of royal blue crept towards me, inching up the beach towards my chair. I had not realized the water had risen up so much. The cold water almost reached the edges of my towel, as I walked over to a tall palm tree near some rocks that prevented myself from getting wet. The long green leaves of the palm tree shaded me from the scorching hot sand and bright sun. The waves crashing upon the rocks produced a calming sound which filled by red burnt ears.

The sun gave way to the moon as it said its final goodbye, creating an alluring arrangement of colors in the evening sky. Oranges and yellow filled my eyes, which reflected onto the water leading up the grainy sand. Tourists rushed towards the beach hoping to take a perfect picture. The tide was now receding into the darkness along with the sun. The rocks were exposed by the dark sea, which reflected the golden light from the sunset. As the sun departed below the horizon, I walked slowly back towards the beach-side hotel. The seagulls chirped overhead as they flew over the ocean, disappearing into the night sky.

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Albemarle Grade 9 2017 _____________________________________________________________________________________________________________ Bob Michael Kwashie Bob, Riding his bike on the tricycle seat Was picked up by a street gang on the street Gave him bullets, called him sweet Gave him a gun, he said “that’s neat!”

Bob, Riding down the street with a gun Took a few shots, said “this is fun!”

All the people in his town yell “run!”

The sun was setting, day was almost done.

Bob, With a cop came face to face Cop took his gun out of his case Bob took out the gun, like it was a game But he falls to the ground dead, and nothing was the same The world isn’t all evil and a total gloomer But is does have a sick sense of humor

Home Larkin Flanagan The buildings reach the clouds The streets are as busy as highways When you walk out your apartment It is like you are in a movie set There is so much action People say it is too busy Or too loud They are overwhelmed by the sounds And the skyscrapers standing tall above them However, I find the noise somewhat comforting Knowing that there are people out there Makes me feel safe

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Albemarle Grade 9 2017 _____________________________________________________________________________________________________________

The Lake Max Rudnick Orange light cast over the still water as the sun crept up behind the rolling hills. Light brought life to the vivid color of sails. Sunfish sailboats were dormant, just feet from the A dock, rocked back and forth. Ripples had spread over the tinted water from tiny boats to the white wooden dock. Bubbles appeared on the surface, sporadically popping and floating wherever the current decided to flow. Minos sped back and forth, every disruption, every ripple startled the tiny fish. Soft taps could be heard as small waves hit peaks of rocks poking above the surface. Speed boats made their way across the water, their wake disrupting the peaceful, smoothness that was the surface. Gasoline stained waves rushed towards the shore, the crest dieing out just halfway to the shore. Almost completing the long journey from a boat to the warm, sandy beach.

The sun later found its way to the center of the sky, beating down on the world below.

Moorings were left empty as sunfish glided off into the distance. The once abandoned A dock had been filled with people. The sound waves crashing against the shore were drowned out by the screams and splashes of children. Windsurf boards, kayaks, and canoes floated over the water to and from the small square docks separate from the A dock. Dragonflies fluttered, zig zagging back and forth, the blue, green, and red just blurs until the insects settled on a wooden plank. Spider webs infested the rusted metal ladder, as a home to the brown spotted spiders as big as a small fist.

Boats still cruised by at a relaxing pace just as they had been doing at dawn.

As the sun began to set, the spider webs started to glow and the water shimmered with patterns of light, changing with every ripple. The trees across the glittering lake got darker as the sun began its journey down below the horizon. Everything was still with the exception of water. The sunfish were frozen in place, moored to the giant white bubbles that were buoys. The buzz of a propeller grew louder and louder, as a seaplane that had been flying above us all day decided to come in for a landing. It flew out from behind the trees and touched down on the water, which was still glowing from the dwindling supply of light the sun was still providing. Water sprayed out on either side as the plane slowed. The red and green lights on the wings ceased to flash after the plane came to a halt. Then there was silence as the last bit of the sun sunk below the horizon, bringing darkness to the once bright, vivid sails.

Society is Cursed!

Lorenzo Biondo Society is cursed!

Racist and prejudice Many provoked two steps back No steps forward How will we respond We will crumble Or shall we rise The decision is up to us Nobody else can help You can not escape The past that has haunted The generations to come So we must patch up the wound Or it shall worsen Society is cursed 156

Albemarle Grade 9 2017 _____________________________________________________________________________________________________________ The Ocean’s Gift to the Beach Justin Simon No one sees how I obtain the gifts I give.

Starry night skies, my neighbor Constantly trespassing on my propertyEvery so often.

I do not let it go without a cost.

Pearly whites, orange like the horizon.

Different verity of these strange colored gifts, When day breaks, cheers of excitement As strange creatures spend entire days, Laying Playing Eating Sleeping On me.

One by one my gifts disappear from my grasp.

Eyes glisten in the sun's light as they take my gifts.

The starry night sky is the time Where I replenish my treasured jules.

No one sees how I obtain the gifts I give.

Bloods and Crips Stan Stone Bloods are red Crips are blue I went to the shed To get my shoe I laid the hat on my head I didn’t have a clue.

I went to the store I knew who I was becoming body was feeling bigger I wasn’t ready for the gunning Then I hit trigger I felt real cunning Raced to the alley Now I am forever running.

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Albemarle Grade 9 2017 _____________________________________________________________________________________________________________ Untitled Blane Zhu Amber is staring at me across the table. Her glance travels through the candles, which are dimly lit and dripping with wax. I chew down on the food and feel it as it goes down the metal tube inserted in my throat. My eyes are glued to the asparagus on my plate. My plastic teeth keep chewing. My highly-developed AI brain keeps sending me the information that Amber’s stare is still glued upon me.

“Want some wine?” Her hand appears with a bottle of wine.

“No thanks, I have work tomorrow.” I manage to keep my head down.

The sound of her heels gives me the knowledge that she is back at her side of the table. She is not happy, I can tell. The tenderness of the asparagus welcomes my mouth. Without thinking, I chew it down. Somehow, I feel obligated to give her a compliment for her whole day of cooking.

“The asparagus is very tender.” I remark.

“Oh, yes dear.” There is coldness in her voice. It is surprising how fast my brain can process emotions.

“They say it’s healthier that way,” her voice suddenly bears a scent of invitation, just barely enough for my brain to detect.

“Who does?” I look up to her. The candles are burning even lower now, and wax is building up on the sides.

“I don’t know. That’s just what people say.” The cordial warmth disappears and she stops staring at me. The only noise remaining in the room is the mechanical sound of chewing.

Today is our anniversary. Amber wants me to have the “romantic night”, but I am just not in the mood. Tomorrow will be the first day after my promotion. The robots will immediately notice even the slightest deviations. But I can understand her effort. She wants this to feel special, and I don’t want to let her down. I summon up all of my courage to look her in the eye.

“So dear, how is your day?”

“Just shut up and drink your damn wine!”

My face is suddenly drenched in liquid. Through my watery eyes I can see the burning candles on the table. Behind them, Amber is standing up and the fierce look in her eyes is making me shiver.

“You are a computer analyst, not a goddamn surgeon! Why can’t you just, I don’t know, relax for one second in your goddamn life?!”

“I...”

“Oh that’s right, you have the busiest job in the world that you can’t spare one single moment for anything else! You don’t understand how much I care, do you?!”

I cannot stop shivering. My internals are heating up too quickly. With my pulsating hands I take a cigarette out of my pocket and put it in my mouth.

“DON’T YOU DARE SMOKE IN MY HOUSE!” The heels furiously stomp on the floor. She plucks the unlit cigarette out of my mouth and stabs it down in the cigarette tray. My hands fumble in my pocket for another one. I light up the second cigarette immediately and puffs of smoke emanate from my mouth.

“Right.” Amber sits heavily on the seat. “A house full of goddamn smoke. That’s exactly the anniversary I wanted.”

The cigarette slowly calms me down. My brain stops spinning frantically and my muscles release their tenseness. Slouching down on my seat, I stare mindlessly into the permeating smoke.

It slowly blocks my view of the table, the burning candles and Amber.

“Followed by some stilted conversation...” Her voice still manages to get into my ears. With blatant defiance, I keep smoking.

“If I’m really lucky,” she adds with a coy laugh, “some horseback riding as well...”

“Say what?”

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Albemarle Grade 9 2017 _____________________________________________________________________________________________________________ My hand loses control and I drop the cigarette. My body stiffens into lead. As the smoke clears up, the candles dwindle into a pool of oil and wax. I stare directly into Amber’s eyes. Is this what she wanted all along? Am I just a toy at her disposal, being played with however she desires? I hold my vicious glare, demanding an answer: No longer does fear take over my vision. As I study the emotions in her eyes, I can tell that Amber is losing the battle. Her expression softens as she attempts to avoid my piercing eyes.

“I’m sorry.” She slowly rises out of her seat. The expression is much more forgiving now.

“I didn’t mean it that way.” I can tell that these words embody emotion. She starts walking gingerly towards me. My eyes are glued to her, as she moves around the table. She stops behind my chair. The metal tube produces a chilling sensation as the saliva trickles down my throat. My skin senses a rise in temperature. She is whispering into my ear.

“Happy anniversary.”

She reaches down my neck and flips a switch. The dinner table starts to blur before my eyes.

A bright flicker; is it fire? But before I can tell, everything fades into darkness.

Global Heating Stan Stone Green grass Being destroyed by gas Big trees, Chopped down by companies Snow melting quicker and quicker, this was never our endeavour Summer will now last forever.

Animals falling This is not our calling A forest fire Things are becoming very dire Earth is turning black There's no going back.

Temperatures are through the roof The world was never shatterproof Now it's all gone And now there is no dawn The world is lifeless we’re all in a crisis Now the world is dead and we are yet without a bed.

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Albemarle Grade 9 2017 _____________________________________________________________________________________________________________ What am I? Michael Kwashie I am what everyone wants to see when they wake up.

But the one thing everyone doesn’t want to see in their nightmares.

I am protected deep inside your mind, Yet sometimes you think you can touch me.

I arrive when you’re young, and disappear when you’re old But the older you get, the more you want me.

I was back then, now, and when, but I was never and will never be.

I am not Here, nor There, nor Anywhere But where?

You can feel me But I am not touchable.

You can see me But I am not visible.

What am I?

“Bend it like Beckham” Akeim Clarke I take a peek around the wall Looking for my target as I set down the ball The goalie shouts forcing the wall in the correct section But that won’t help the ball's direction I take five steps back and two to the left Like a thieves routine of practicing theft Three soothing breaths that’s all I need To feel calm cool and collected in this time of need Blocking out the ruckus and noise I am focused and ready to go Not forgetting that we are playing soccer in the snow I begin to run the snow crunching under my cleats Soaking through wetting my feet I hit the ball with great precision and watch it soar through the air Everyone is still and quiet as they all stare The ball hits the net with a great swoosh as the net ripples Thanks to that last minute goal our points in this tournament have now surely been tripled I play for the name on the front so those will remember the one on the back “I Bend it like Beckham.”

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Albemarle Grade 9 2017 _____________________________________________________________________________________________________________ A Small Battery Alan Du On a wooden chair I rigidly sit, in my bright room illuminated by the powerful fluorescent lights suspended above my desk. Silence, like an anchor, keeps my brain clear and undisturbed.

Chilling air from the winter night blows gently through the window behind me and against my back.

In front of me a Smartphone, with its screws all taken out and put aside, lays motionlessly on the neat, white table. My trembling hands approach the phone as my eyes strain to focus on the intricate details. Concentration shuts me from accessing any sensation except for those of the phone’s. As soon as my fingers connect with the cold, glossy screen, they start to remove it from the phone’s body. Soon, the interior of the phone entered my sight.

Sporadically, an ominous, sizzling sound starts to erupt from the device, interrupting the absolute silence in the room. The phone’s battery bulges up to almost twice its normal size and squeezes the other components relentlessly. I swallow uneasily, the tasteless sensation of saliva in my mouth now becoming bitter. As my mind tries to make sense of the situation, a fireball, brighter than the Sun, emerges from the battery. My head turns away to escape the blinding light, but from the fire an unpleasant, chemical odor that reminds me of burning plastic invades my nostrils, triggering me to cough miserably like a bedridden child.

A burning sensation from my fingers makes them jerk away from the burning phone, which gets swept down to the ground by this sudden movement. My head turns to the source of the pain, only to find patches of burned, swelling wounds spread across my hands. Propelled by the terror and shock from the bizarre moments that have taken place in the past few seconds, I tug my chair back violently to escape from the burning blur on the carpet ahead of me. Sweat starts streaming down my back like a cascade as my heart speeds up to its maximum rate.

The orange flames, resembling a burned out candle, start to cease. The battery, still stuck within the phone’s chassis, gradually returns to ebony like a quenching piece of metal. Nonetheless, the pungent vapor continues its dissipation to occupy every inch of space and soon engulfs the smoke detector. Almost immediately, thunderous beepings blurt out from the fire alarms, deafening everyone in the dormitory. Through the obstreperous noises, the commotion produced from my peers and the evacuation orders dictated by the teachers persist vaguely in the background. My body, as if altered by the accident, starts to heat up despite the cool temperature in the room.

On a wooden chair I rigidly sit, in my smoky room made unpleasant by nothing but a tiny block of lithium battery. The bitterness in my mouth worsens with every second. My body tries to move itself up and out of the room but fails with every attempt. I shake my head fiercely, but the dizziness that follows indicates reality instead of a dream. At last, my legs start to support my body, and I stumble out of the building as fast as possible.

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Albemarle Grade 9 2017 _____________________________________________________________________________________________________________ Knuckles and Melvin Stan Stone One is big One is small One likes to dig One likes the ball One likes to walk One likes to prance One hears the birds talk One starts to advance One sits to stalk One sees his chance One is off, with a lot of pace One waited and stood One trips over a lace One leaps into the basswood Knuckles and Melvin Two great dogs

Marathon Timmy Kelleher It's is Patriots day weekend It is that time of year again For the boston marathon Where thousands run And millions watch But this year, it was different Near the finish line A bomb went off Killed 3 and injured hundreds It was devastating Families we upset And didn't know what to do But we all stayed together And never gave up And made Boston Stronger

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Albemarle Grade 9 2017 _____________________________________________________________________________________________________________ DESTINY Akeim Clarke I was chosen to be great Not a king but something more iconic Hit the scene so fast I was speedin’ just like sonic Just a youngster built up with excess energy Along with a paper, pencil, and a couple of decent beats I remember how I used to walk around with bad feets Now I walk around in A1’s My Grandpa tells me Grandson you’ve done well Thanks Grandpa but there were times I failed Times were hard Playing out in mama's yard Mamma’s cooking oh man mamma’s cooking Something’s emerging Something's stewing beneath the surface It’s urgent that i’m fulfilling my purpose Important that I keep grindin’ and always staying open-minded These words may not be rhymin’ but sometimes that’s how it goes But you never know once the alliteration starts to go my words blow Like leaves in wind all my life trying not to sin drinkin gin like Babe Ruth down in the pin Down in the dust yeah man down in the rust that’s where I thrive yeah that’s where I feel alive (Pause) Brushing of my knees if i’ve ever been knocked down But no I won’t have that, let it let me down I get back up Right of the ground and give a smile because all my life no i’ve never frowned although it’s funny how These fools are acting like clowns But sometimes I guess that’s how it goes I’m a man on a mission who also just likes to vibe and flow The words I speak the things I see at the end of the day trying to seek my DESTINY

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Albemarle Grade 9 2017 _____________________________________________________________________________________________________________ Dear Crooked…

Mosi Williams What's your fear, sir?

Snakes, spiders, heights?

That’s cool and all but what's your real fear?

Mine…. Mine is what I can leave behind after the blinds of my eyes have shut.

And my body lays to rest like a dark green lily pad floating across a river in the sunset.

My fear…. Is the song that I leave behind.

In these times of injustice I have 2 options on how I can live my life.

Live free or Die Possibly behind bars plummeting into sorrow and despair.

You spew out poisonous gas into my ​soul… my “hood” Clogging up my mind with evil abusing your rights Even when you're wrong Changing me into another statistic.

However, I see the antidote for your poison But you.. YOU will find every way to silence my voice.

“What crazy is that I have the choi”...Bang! Plus 1 As I fall on the floor with a hole in my stomach A spec of my blood falls upon your badge The blood of an innocent boy falling to enforcement once again You Won. My eyes go into a blur and the gates of heaven open up At this moment everything is all white No! I my ancestors fought this fight And I know... someday everything will be alright Why? Because I know my song, SIR! The song of an educated black teen.

The song of someone who showed no fear in the eyes of his opponent The song of someone who would die in order for this injustice to be seen.

Cuz in reality death is the key to internal peace How you die and what knowledge and experiences you leave behind Will be the song that carries the seed.

The seed of a better life.

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Albemarle Grade 9 2017 _____________________________________________________________________________________________________________ ​March Larkin Flanagan For some, it is amazing just be a part of it However, for most 1``1 just being a part of it isn’t enough They want To cut the nets They work so hard for this moment They don't want to see it end March Underdogs emerge Legends fall Heroes Born Some cry Some jump for joy Some walk out with heads held high Some walk out With tears But Memories live on

Fessenden Spring Shane O’Leary The flowers begin to sprout and grow The days become so much more hot The sun begins to set really low Eating the outdoor dinners the chefs brought.

Lacrosse begins to start There is nothing better than the warm sun It truly warms all our hearts Everyone having so much fun Fessenden spring really is special The experiences here are sweet Although sometimes can be stressful It is all going to end with an amazing treat

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INDEX Patrick Albers 105 David Albrechtskirchinger 58-59, 109 Blake Ankner 121 Gannon Austin 34, 93 Emmanuel Aweke 102, 104, 141 Charlie Bacon 118 Aiden Barclay 40, 102 Carter Bartel 42, 47 Michael Berman 119 Chris Bertolini 83-85 Collins Billhardt 154 Aidin Bina 14, 93, 97 Lorenzo Biondo 156 Andrew Bittner 3, 105 Carter Blessing 97 Max Boni 88-89, 100 Max Brady 109, 110 Grady Brown 2 Eddie Browne 53 Alex Carlstrom 5, 6 Bennett Carroll 80-81, 102 Max Casado 44 Teddy Choi 37, Cover Luca Ciccolo 101 Noah Ciccolo 13 Ty Ciongoli 20 Akeim Clarke 148,160, 163 Max Clemens 134 Ryan Clements 95 Grady Cole 121 Jack Curtis 104 Luke D'Orsi 96, 134 Kavan Daftary 10 Jack Darwin 145 Max de Saint-Exupery 151 Tyler Derenzo 9 Wyatt Doyle 78-79 Daniel Drucker 45, 94 Alan Du 161 Christiaan Eikeboom 135 Ryan Erdos 44-45 Fejiro Esievo 118 Will Faucett 26 Cameron Fici 43 Matthew Flaherty 12 Larkin Flanagan 149, 155, 165 Ethan Friedberg 31 Yota Fukui 78-79 Connor Gandel 21-22 William Gao 17 Erick Garcia 17 Ketan Gardner 76-77, 100 Max Gelb 31, 95 Nate Gelb 74-76 Getchell Gibbons 105 Gordy Gibbons 30 Will Gladstone 33 Michael Glazer 30 Ben Gliklich 29, 39, 93 Max Gold 73, 74 Sebastian Goldberg 60-61 Brage Golding 117 Noah Gomes 7 William Grayken 23-24 Aaron Green 47 Peter Greenes 27 Jason Greer 113

Fernando Grisi 133 Eric Hadley 13, 94 Charlie Hall 69-71 Max Hall 114 Angus Harrison 3, 4 Campbell Hawkins 113 Shep Hearle 121 Ian Hendrix 8 Ian Herrera 15, 100 Will Hesp 1, 13, 99 Freddy Hoffmann 89-92, 104 Chase Hornstein 26 Christopher Hostetter 131 Ben Howard 95 Reagan Huber 71-72 Tommy Hunnewell 67-69 Will Hutzler 66-67 Charlie Irwin 116 Will Jacobs 101, 103, 132 Amir Jamal 28 Ethan Javaheri 48, 49 Will Ji 96 Andre Jiang 2, 17 Daniel Jing 113 Benning Johnson 125 Sammy Jomaa 143 Rafael Kalach 97, 104 Ian Kaplan 94, 96, 136-137 Timmy Kelleher 149, 162 Gabriel Kendja 103, 108 Bryn Kerslake 46 Jason Kim 89-92 Ethan Klein 40, 98 Alexander Knopp 131 Jake Koeppel 124-125 Michael Kwashie 152, 155, 160 JaQ Lai 122-123, 146 Will Lavalle 71-72 Duwon Lee 129 Luis Lee 119 George Leness 18, 93 Zack Leroy 97 Alex Lo 25, 27 Logan Long 1 Tyler Luzzo 103 Wyatt Lyons 109 Jonathan Mack 64-65 Connor Mackenzie126 Connor Mackey 107 Thomas Mackey 34 Rhodes Martinez 120 Samuel Matte 114 Ethan Maura 132 Brendan McCabe 41 Duncan McCarthy 143-144 Chase McDivitt 33 Ryan McGauley 32, 50 Mikey McGee 23, 106 Ryan D. McGivern 32 Colin Mealey 15, 101 Akash Menon 36 Spencer Metz 106, 108, 126 Lawson Miller 137 Shinnosuke Miyamichi 103, 105 Charlie Moore 99, 150 Nick Moran 153 James Moukeiber 142

Kumar Muniappan 35, 96 Jedidiah Nelson 117 Connor O'Keefe 115 Peyton O'Leary 133 Shane O'Leary 150, 154, 165 Nikolas Paige 112 Bharath Palanisamy 6 Jack Patel 28 Yash Patel 54 Drew Pepi 25 Hudson Poirier 22 Grant Porter 145 Sid Pradhan 61-64, 99 Brian Rapp 52 Jack Renaud 20 Calder Reynolds 9 Tommy Reynolds 116 Ted Richards 108, 117 Grant Richmond 108 Justin Rocha 151 Alastair Rose 10, 95 Max Rudnick 94, 101, 156 Chris Ryan 11-12, 110 Nick Salerno 127 Will Santoro 60 Christopher Satterwhite 106 Declan Schweizer 13, 16 Clement Scott 29 Malkie Shamari 107, 130 Peter Shea 115 Connor Simko 148 Justin Simon 152, 157 Nate Sins 46, 98 Matthew Sliwa 19 Matthew Smalley 111 Trevor Smith 118 Will Smith 39 Alex Soderling 100, 112 Connor Spear 85-87 William Spencer 98, 128 Wyatt Stephens 38 Nate Stewart 139 Hunter Stofer 42, 43 Stan Stone 157, 159, 162 Lachlan Sutton 41 Sam Tavitian 36, 109 Jaxon Tereau 96 Nick Thomas 140 Jack Toomey 98, 110 Luke Travaglini 8, 102, 107 Henry Tweedy 38 Venkat Vellanki 99 Spencer Vermeule 111 Will Vote 35 Charles Wang 120 Douglas Wang 81-83 Andre Washington 127 Aaron Weiner 55-57, 98 Henry Wilde 107, 147 Mosi Williams 164 Adrian Wirth 123 Dillon Woods 17 Luke Zermani 16 William Zhuang 138 Blane Zhu 106, 110, 158-159 Spencer Zwick 37