Tuesday • March 13, 2012 — D1
The Sentinel at www.cumberlink.com Megan bollinger Copy Editor Phone 240-7111
Kids World
Fax 243-3121 Email mbollinger@cumberlink.com
When kids speak out, The Sentinel listens
Kids Speak Out
Tell Me A Story
I was eating lunch with my friends when.... I was eating lunch with my friends when a whale crashed through the brick wall! All of the girls screamed and a couple of boys screamed, too. The whale said that he met a ship of pirates and the pirates saw him and, “they shot me in the eye and they loaded me into the oversized cannon and launched me!” I said, “Why did they launch you?” “Well,” said the whale. “I accidently made a little hole in their ship. And they got mad at me.” “So, that’s why they launched you,” I said. “Yep,” said the whale. Joe Ritchie, 7 (WINNER) Shaull Elementary I was eating lunch with my friends when my sandwich came to life and attacked my friends by punching them in the face. Then he jumped on the table and shook my soda bottle. He put it on his back and flew on the lunch lady’s face. He bit her jumped off her and ran out the door. Then the sandwich pulled TNT from his pocket and lit it with hi match. Then he put it on a car the car blew up. So we played dodge ball instead of eating lunch. The sandwich came back and crashed in the window with a jet pack. The jet pack blew up because it got clogged with a bug so he fell on the ground. One of the dogs from the class came in because it was ‘bring your pet to school’ day. The dog ate the sandwich so we ate lunch again, but, I didn’t have a sandwich. Jackson Borowitz, 8 (WINNER) Hillside Elementary Second grade I was eating lunch with my friends when somebody dropped their pretzel bite. One of the lunch aides kicked it, trying to get it under the table. And another lunch aide blocked it with a ketchup bottle. A different lunch aide tried to kick it under the table on the other side of the cafeteria. The whole cafeteria roared with excitement. Right then two of the lunch aides thought they had it and out of no where another one popped up and kicked it into their goal. The two other ones won and then all the kids gave them a round of applause. And then we kept eating lunch normally again. Lilly Sellers, 9 (WINNER) W.G. Rice Elementary School Third grade I was eating lunch with my friends when all of a sudden my friend Maddie found a coat. And, she didn’t know whose it was. So she went on the stage and said into the microphone, “Did someone lose a coat with dog hairs and fruit salad on it? Because I found it.” And then it was completely silent and then we all broke out laughing. And then she said, “Just kidding!” But then she said, “But still, did anyone lose a coat with dog hairs?” And then again we broke out laughing. Laura Ann Lucas, 10 (WINNER) Mt. Holly Springs Elementary Third grade I was eating lunch with my friends when a lunch lady came by and she said, “One of you are allowed to eat with the teachers.” Everyone else was scared except for me. So I went over. It was scary! I ran back to the lunchroom and was safe! Sydney Gray, 6 Elmwood Elementary I was eating lunch with my friends when a boy I like wanted to eat with us, and his friends of course, so he did. We ate on my front porch. I was having a party, too. We ate a plate of veggies and pizza with chips. Alexis Rhine, 8 Mooreland Elementary Third grade I was eating lunch with my friends when I looked out the window and I saw a pig in the pool! I looked away and when I looked back the pool was a mud pool! I told my friends what happened. They thought I was lying. When I showed them they fell to the ground. Chloe Wagner, 7 Hillside Elementary Second grade I was eating lunch with my friends when a fish jumped out of my milk! I caught the fish and put it in water. The fish jumped out of the water and in my milk again, but suddenly the principal came in. I didn’t want her to see, so I kept him for a pet. Landon Ishman, 7 Red Mill Elementary First grade I was eating lunch with my friends when my friend Sophia was trying to open her crackers when...BOOM! Cracker crumbs went everywhere. It was soooo funny. I will never forget that. Ella Beshore, 8 Highland Elementary Third grade
I was eating lunch with my friends when I was five. I ate at Burger King. It was so good that we got another plate of food! The french fries were curly and they made me feel like a curly french fry. I ate so many that I turned into one! Cody Anderson, 6 Red Mill Elementary First grade I was eating lunch with my friends when one of my best friends was eating her apple with a spoon. The one piece of the apple flew right across the table and almost hit me in the face. Morgan Ickler, 9 Highland Elementary Third grade I was eating lunch with my friends when Elvis came from the dead. I said, “I love you!” And we started dancing to “Blue Suede Shoes.” Reagan Newbury, 8 St. Patrick School Grade 2B I was eating lunch with my friends when Gabriel took my cake heart. At least I have my other one. Ryan took the other one. At least I have my sandwich. Zaida took my sandwich. Monkeys! I don’t have anything left for lunch. Logan Haberman, 8 St. Patrick School Grade 2B I was eating lunch with my friends when I accidentally pulled the fire alarm bell! I was screaming. Then I said, “I have to eat my lunch!” The fire fighters came. They searched and searched, but they never knew it was me. John Robert Long, 8 St. Patrick School Grade 2A I was eating lunch with my friends when our lunched were floating in the air! Then they dropped on the floor! We had to clean it all up. It took twenty minutes to clean it up. After school we went home, and we took a nap because we were exhausted. Katlynn Thorn, 8 St. Patrick School Grade 2A I was eating lunch with my friends when my yogurt burst into a pink gooey monster. But one of my friend’s meatball subs turned into a meatball sub monster. And the meatball sub monster ate the pink gooey monster. I was happy, and sad, because it ate my lunch. But, it was still awesome. Brayden Poff, 9 Fishing Creek Elementary Fourth grade I was eating lunch with my friends when one of them said, “Look a giant plane!” Then he stole all of our sandwiches. That’s what I get for looking for planes in the cafeteria. Everest Robinson, 9 Fishing Creek Elementary Fourth grade I was eating lunch with my friends when I saw a bowl of ice cream sitting at a table all by itself. I said to myself that looks so delicious. I’m going to go get that bowl of ice cream and run. Then it got up and ran by itself. We were all so freaked out. Finally, it stopped and said, “Run, run fast as you can you can’t catch me I’m ice cream.” I said, “Whatever, just go.” Then it came back and said, “sorry.” Then it said, “Eat me.” I said, “OK! Mmmmmmm.” Ravyn Byers, 10 Mt. Holly Springs Elementary Fourth grade I was eating lunch with my friends when...BANG, CRASH...err! A giant airplane hit the school and I was very scared. My friend slammed her head down but instead of hitting the table she hit her head in her potatoes. Even though it was funny, I still wanted to know who or what was in that airplane. So when we were dismissed I ran outside, opened the door and...BAM! A leprechaun jumped out. I jumped and screamed. He said, “Hello! I came to deliver a pot of gold.” I said, “Well, who is it to?” And the leprechaun said, “You!” I grabbed the pot and ran all of a sudden I heard the airplane go off. The pot was sooooo small I could fit it in my pocket. I really hope the Leprechaun will come back soon. Mikayla Lowery Third Grade Newville Elementary
How you can get involved with Kids Speak Out Want To See Your Name Here?
Hey, kids! How would you like to get your story published in Kids Speak Out? Just write a short story on one of our prompts and send it to The Sentinel. You can also draw a picture to go with your story. Each week, The Sentinel will publish some of the stories we receive in KidsWorld and on www.cumberlink.com. Only the top three essay writers, published on this page, will receive KidsWorld T-shirts. To claim T-shirts, visit The Sentinel during normal business hours. You must be 5 to 13 years old to enter. Stories must be 150 words or less. Be sure to include your full name, age, address, school and grade. Mail your entry to “Kids Speak Out,” The Sentinel, 457 E. North St., Carlisle, PA 17013, drop it off at either Sentinel office or mail it to frontdoor@cumberlink.com with the subject “KidsWorld.”
Upcoming Topics Due March 16 The snow was beginning to melt so I .... Due March 23 My least favorite chore is... Due March 30 The best April Fool’s prank I pulled was... Due April 6 I woke up and saw a dinosaur in my back yard...
Connla and the fairy maiden A Celtic tale
adapted by Amy Friedman illustrated by Jillian Gilliland
Connla was son of the brave King Conn of the Hundred Fights. He was a handsome man, with flowing red hair, but he was more than handsome. Connla was courageous, and his many deeds had made him worthy of the king’s proud name. One fine spring day Connla and his father were walking together, and as they reached a hilltop, Connla saw a maiden ahead. She was approaching them, wearing a long white dress, and her skin was as white as the finest cream. Her blond hair flowed like waving wheat, and Connla stared in wonder. He had never seen such a beautiful vision. But only Connla could see the maiden. Before he could think, he asked, “Who are you? Where are you from?” The king turned and looked at his son. “Who do you speak to?” he asked. Just as these words left King Conn’s mouth, the maiden spoke. Her voice was as soothing as a stream, and the king could hear this. “I come from the Plains of Pleasure. From Tir Na N’og, where no one grows old. In my world there is no strife. In my world everyone lives forever in joy, and I come to take fair Connla to be my love. Our home will be in the round green hills.” “Who speaks?” the king asked his son. But it was not Connla who answered. It was the maiden who said, “Connla speaks to a woman who will not grow old and will never die. King Conn, I love your son. I call him to come with me to Tir Na N’og, where Baodag is king.” She smiled at Connla, taking in the beauty of his ruddy hair and golden skin. Then she repeated her request: “Come with me and you will always be the strong young man you are today. You will be handsome and happy forever; this I promise.” The king shuddered at these words. He could not bear the thought of losing his beloved son, and to a face he could not see. She seemed not to exist at all, but King Conn had heard the words, and so he called to his men who marched behind them. “Coran,” he summoned his druid. “Come quickly!” Coran was a man of cunning magic who knew many spells. The king was confident he would untangle this mystery as he had so many others. Coran was soon at his side. “Coran,” the king said, “there is a task upon me that is too great even for a king as skilled as I. Never have I had such a burden. An invisible maiden wishes to take away my dear son.” The druid’s magic was very strong, and in that very moment the maiden vanished, even from Connla’s sight. But as she disappeared, she tossed an apple at Connla’s feet, and so he knew she was still there. He could not forget her. From that day on, for one whole month, Connla refused to eat or drink anything but that apple. Each day he ate it; each night it grew whole again. And with every passing day, his longing to see the maiden grew in his heart. He could not bear the thought of never seeing her again. At the end of the month Connla stood beside his father, the king, on the Plain of Arcomin, and once again the maiden came toward them. Once again only Connla saw her. And once again that beautiful voice filled the air all around them. “It is a glorious place Connla holds among the mortals,” the maiden said, “but here in your land, he awaits only death.” When the king heard this, he quickly called again to his druid, Coran. “She has the power of speech again! Come quickly!” But the maiden was still talking. “The folk of life, the everliving, beg thee, Connla, to come to Tir Na N’og, the Plain of Pleasure. They know you. They have seen you among them. They desire that you live forever.” “Call the druid!” the king shouted over her voice, but now the maiden spoke to him. “Oh mighty Conn, Fighter of the Hundred Fights. The druid has little power in our land that is filled with so many good men and women. In our land the Law of Goodness prevails.” As she spoke, the king saw that ever since the maiden had appeared, his son would speak to no one else. He turned and looked into his son’s eyes. “What are your thoughts, my son?” he asked. Connla looked with love at his father. “I love my folk above all things, father, but this woman has won a place in my heart. I long for her.” When the young woman heard this, she said, “The ocean is not as strong as the waves of your longing, Connla. Come with me in my gleaming, straight-gliding crystal canoe. The sun is setting, but we can reach our land before dark, and there we will live forever in happiness.” The moment she stopped speaking, Connla of the Fiery Hair rushed from his father’s side and sprang into the curragh, the gleaming canoe. It seemed the druid’s power had vanished, so the king and all his court could only watch in silence as that crystal canoe glided over the sea toward the setting sun. Away, away it floated until they could see it no longer. No one ever saw Connla or the Fairy Maiden again, so no one ever knew where they had gone.