Griffin Review - 1st Edition, May 2021 by Church Farm School

GRIFFIN REVIEW CHURCH FARM SCHOOL'S ARTS AND LITERATURE MAGAZINE 1ST EDITION PUBLISHED MAY 2021 GRIFFIN REVIEW TEAM ADEOLUWA ADEOYE AKINKUNMI PETER-KOYI DYLAN LUMUMBA AMADO ROSENDO FAZEEL KHALID GRAPHIC DESIGN AND TECHNICAL SUPPORT AFIQUR RAHMAN FACULTY ADVISOR MR. FULMER SPECIAL THANKS TO MS. CLAYPOOLE, MS. MCDERMOTT, MS. SCHMIDT, MR. AGOSTO, MR. GREENBLATT, DR. KENNETH RODGERS, AND ALL THE MEMBERS OF THE CFS COMMUNITY THAT SUPPORTED US IN THIS VENTURE. FRONT COVER ART PROVIDED BY CHE DARDEN BACK COVER ART PROVIDED BY KOFI PREMPEH

DEDICATION

THE FIRST EDITION OF THE GRIFFIN REVIEW IS DEDICATED TO MR. GREG THOMPSON MR. THOMPSON HAS SPENT THE LAST 23 YEARS AS A PROUD MEMBER OF THE CFS COMMUNITY ALWAYS LOOKING TO CHEER ON STUDENTS IN ALL THAT THEY DO. AS HE DEPARTS CFS AT THE END OF THIS SCHOOL YEAR, WE HONOR ALL HIS HARD WORK AND DEDICATION TO THE CFS COMMUNITY BY DEDICATING THE FIRST EDITION OF THE GRIFFIN REVIEW TO HIM AND ALL THE GREAT WORK HE HAS DONE AT CFS. ALL THE STUDENTS, FACULTY AND STAFF WILL MISS HIS LEADERSHIP, DEDICATION, MENTORSHIP AND FRIENDSHIP. WE WISH THE BEST OF LUCK TO MR. THOMPSON AND HIS FAMILY IN THEIR NEW ADVENTURES!

TABLE OF CONTENTS: LETTER FROM THE STAFF

PHOTOGRAPHY BY ALAIN HUERTA '23

THE ODYSSEY TRAVEL LOG- MR. WARFEL'S CLASS

PHOTOGRAPHY BY ADEOLUWA ADEOYE '23

INTERVIEW WITH DR. KENNETH RODGERS BY AMADO ROSENDO

10-12

PHOTOGRAPHY BY KLEDIAN MARINAJ '22

A FOREVER MESSAGE BY FAZEEL KHALID '22

A DISCUSSION ON JUDGING THE RACIST BY RAYMOND HUANG '21

ART BY MS. SAUNDERS

INTERVIEW WITH CHE DARDEN '22 BY DYLAN LUMUMBA

PHOTOGRAPHY BY MS. BARR

AMERICAN LIT WRITING- MS. SHIN'S CLASS

#DANGEROUS BY ANONYMOUS

20-21

BLUE PRINT OF THE MODERN MAN BY CONNOR HIRSCH '22

CONVERSING WITH MR. GREENBLATT BY ADEOLUWA ADEOYE '23

23-25

PHOTOGRAPHY BY JONATHAN MOYA '21

POIGNANT MEMORIES BY RAPHAEL TINIO '21

TABLE OF CONTENTS: PHOTOGRAPHY BY ISRAEL ARTHUR '22

SPIDERMAN BY DYLAN LUMUMBA '24

PASSION PROJECT BY ENMANUEL MATOS-REYES '22

PHOTOGRAPHY BY JILORD BAAH '23

PHOTOGRAPHY BY KURREN SINGH '23

LOST BY AFIQUR RAHMAN '21

PHOTOGRAPHY BY OMAR JOBE '23

Photos provided by Mamadou Sissoko '21 (Left) and Ms. Barr (Right)

LETTER FROM THE STAFF: This magazine issue encompasses all the different voices of the Church Farm School community. Reviving the Church Farm School literary and arts magazine has been a true challenge. Not just for the people in school, but also for the people at home. With the craziness and unpredictability of our current world right now, the last thing we would probably want to do is start something as significant as a school magazine. It has been, like any journey, long and tiring, but rewarding as well. It is rewarding to see us restart something that lay dormant for so long. Not only that but it is enriching for us to expand this magazine from just a literary magazine to one that also includes different forms of art. From the Griffin Review team, we want to thank all the students and faculty members who submitted any pieces, whether it was a stunning photograph, a remarkable painting or a poignant short story. We also want to give a big thank you to all the teachers who spread the word about the Griffin Review to their students. We appreciate each and every one of you for your participation in reviving such a beautiful aspect of Church Farm School life. As our theme, “One community, many voices,” states, we are one community with many different ideas and beliefs and values about our world. We are a community of many backgrounds with many different perspectives on the world around us. This is what makes our community very special. And as we strive to give quality education to a wider range of young men, we will continue to share our voices with the world.

GRIFFIN REVIEW STAFF ADE ADEOYE | AKINKUNMI PETER-KOYI | FAZEEL KHALID | AMADO ROSENDO | DYLAN LUMUMBA

Photography by Alain Huerta '23

UNTITLED (ABOVE) LIGHT AT THE END OF THE TUNNEL (LEFT)

THE ODYSSEY TRAVEL LOG AN D O E T T EA RE CR SU AR T O E EB OU S AN E (B SID LL T L A OR EL SIT HE T S AR EB L T EN RE L W AL Y W RS E A G E L PH ZIN ON AL EK E SE RA MA CK R I E E A CL , H LIN S A K N N LI DRE A

DA VE S CA LL E- AR RE VA LO CR EA TE D A TR AV EL BL OG /R EV IE W SIT E TH E ISL AN D RE VI EW

A TED REA ESIGN C D BA UM URE CE H UM C L IEN AN BRO XPER L E Y G E D US -PA LTI SSE MU E ODY TH

T H E STUDENTS I N M R . W A RF E L ’ S E N G L I S H 9 C L A S S W E RE R E C ENTLY ASS I G N E D A C R EA T I V E W R I T I N G P R O J E C T BASED O N T HE TRAVE L S O F O D Y S SE U S , A S D E P I C T E D I N T H E A C C LAIMED RE T E L L I N G T HE W A N D E R I N G S O F O D Y S S EUS BY R O S EMARY SUT C L I F F , W H I CH W E R E C E N T L Y R E A D . T H E PROJECT R E Q U I R E D C HO O S I N G A T L E A S T 4 O F T HE 11 L O C ATIONS OD Y S S E U S L A ND S A N D W R I T I N G A T O N G UE-INC H E EK TRAVEL B L O G O R D ES I G N I N G A T O N G U E - I N - C H EEK T R A VEL BROCH U R E . T H E I DE A W A S T O P R O M O T E O R “ R E VIEW” THE S E L O C A T I O NS A S I F T H E Y W E R E P R O S PECTIVE V A C ATION DES T I N A T I O N S TH A T A D V E N T U R E R S O R T HRILL S E E KERS WOUL D W A N T T O V I S I T . A L M OST EVERY S T U D E N T PU T T H O U G H T A N D C R E A T I VITY IN T O THEIR P R O J E C T S , B U T T H E S U B M I S S I O N S B E L O W R E A LLY STOOD O U T F O R E FF O R T A N D I M A G I N A T I O N A ND WE W A N TED MOR E P E O P L E T O E N J O Y T H E M .

JO NA VE THA RY N R FU IVA N S N DE AD Y TR CRE AT LY AV E E TR AV L BL D A EL OG S

ANGEL ASIAMAH CREATED A VERY FUNNY TRAVEL BLOG BASED ON HIS IMAGINARY TRAVEL COMPANY MOODRU (WHICH IS U R DOOM SPELLED BACKWARDS) MOODRU

D A TE A E ” CR OG I J N BL “ A E A H T AK AR NS M I H Y O C Y FA TO NS T MOR K I O E P TI G M CA N O I L ST LA

Photography by Adeoluwa Adeoye '23

SERENE SUNSET

CAMS

Interview with Dr. Kenneth Rodgers '09 By Amado Rosendo Dr. Kenneth Rodgers is a passionate educator, musician and a proud member of the CFS class of 2009. In his time at CFS, Kenneth was a founding member of the Student Congress, leading member of the band, and founder of the Chapel program "Floetry." He was recently named the Head of School at the Episcopal School of Los Angeles. Where are you from? In the south part of New Jersey; Willingboro next to Trenton.

How was your experience at Church Farm School? I started back in middle school and I entered Church Farm School in 7th grade. I would say my experience was amazing, incredible, there were good days and bad days. I had the opportunity to do music and play sports and I like the experience I had and the friendships I made at CFS. My favorite thing about the school is the makeup of the students. Being around so many Black and Latino kids, especially for me. I live in LA now so it's just not the same as that. Church Farm makes it seem more special to me when I think back on it. Have you visited the school in recent years? Yeah, I’ve been back a few times and my dad used to work there. He had Mr. Seeley’s job before Mr. Seeley was in the job, however, it was a long time ago. I thought about working there, but I took a job here in Los Angeles.

Did you go to school in Los Angeles? And is that why you applied for the Headmaster’s position in Los Angeles? No, I actually went to Berkeley College for Music in Boston. I spent years touring with artists. I played bass for a bunch of artists and produced and wrote songs before I actually started working in schools. Previously, I lived in NYC after college and I moved to LA because I was doing music. I was touring all around the world, then I moved to LA while still touring and making music. And then I decided I wanted to also work in schools and so I went and got my master's from Pepperdine University which is in LA. In education, I went to teach a bit, and then I went to USC to get my doctorate in education which I just finished last year. And I’ve been in schools for not that long actually; this is only my 5th year. Did you get into music at CFS? How did CFS aid you with your interest in music? Hell yeah! It was amazing, honestly. I had a fairly successful music career and there’s no way that would’ve happened without being at CFS because when I was there we used to have so many musicians from Philly, like working professional musicians come in with us and every year we did a big show and they would come to play with us. Some of them started inviting me to play with them in the city, so I would go play gigs on the weekends with them. That experience gave me a taste of playing an instrument outside of the Band. What is your creative writing process like? I take it really seriously. First of all, when I was in school at Church Farm, I liked to read my whole life. And that was even before I went to CFS. I feel like reading and the cool teachers at CFS who gave me amazing books and authors and really exposed me to stuff I wouldn’t have read anywhere else. I remember I took British Literature with Ray Greenblatt, who used to work there, who was also a writer himself. And he used to give me weird books, and say, “Read this,” and I would just read them. I say all that to say, as cheesy as it sounds, the more you read words and read how other people put words together, it kind of gives you a bigger tool kit to draw from. But honestly, the older I get the more I realize that it's all the same, and it's just trying to get the written word and express how you feel, what you think, and get that on paper. It's a very specific art form. I think the most important thing in my process is the authenticity to me. Not being fake, not “capping” in everything that you do or say, but also in what you write, so I think trying to figure out to be real on paper is really hard because that requires you to be vulnerable with yourself. Like knowing yourself and allowing yourself to be imperfect because you’re trying to express something truthful.

And the truth most of the time is not always a pretty, perfect thing, it's not always ugly or nasty either, it's a little bit of both. It’s very messy and I think owning that messiness means to be honest with yourself, your place in the world, the people around you. That requires some internal thinking and real processing inside yourself. And so I think my process is to not lie to myself whenever I want to decide I want to write something. I just want it to be true even if it’s ugly. When did you realize that words have a powerful meaning? I think I have always felt like that and because I like to read and listen to people talk, it always made me always feel a certain way when I can relate to things that just stay in my mind. What do you like to write about? Right now, I write a lot about abolition. A lot about what it means to destroy what we know to be true with the hope of having something better to be built back in place. Which is an intense thing, and that may be abolishing police and it can also be abolishing part of ourselves. Is there any advice that you would like to give to students at CFS? To the students at the Farm, I would say to really try to be open to new things and exposure. I would say being open to engaging, and to at least exposing yourself, you may find some things that you can take away that can really shift you.

Kenneth (2nd from the left) with the members of the Jazz Ensemble in 2008

Photography by Kledian Marinaj '22

NATURES BLOOMING

A Forever Message by Fazeel Khalid '22 The one who taught That the people are equal, That the whites and blacks Are nothing but people, We lost the voice That fought for our rights Now we are left with no choice But to stand and reunite It is the message that lives The voice that never dies The hope that it gives To those that are wise Truly his death impacted us all But it shall not mean That all is gone For his voice and message shall live on

A Discussion on Judging the Racist By Raymond Huang '21 I must first begin with this maxim: that no man should hold the power to determine any act of human behavior as definitively just or immoral. For this would birth a dictatorship under which laws are made biased, to said jurisdiction. It would be of too much responsibility for a single person to be given this job but more importantly, it would eliminate any version of contrasting interpretations of human morals. The beauty of this discussion lies in the infinite amount of varying assessments of human character based on the particular experiences of the person being inquired. It should then also be assumed, that the distinct characteristics pertaining to each human, directly sways their judgement of the ethics. In regards to my sentiment, it is an accumulation of the events and emotions that accumulate to my character and it should not be taken as principle. It was in my youth that I first noticed the distaste that my mother had for the world around her. It took little effort to determine if she was bothered by an event; for I observed that no matter the inconvenience—whether miniscule or of a grander scale—would prompt three sets of wrinkles to gather, closely packed above her eyebrows. I remember clearly, her wrinkles were disproportionate, with two clear crumples above her left eye and a solitary larger crumple above her right eye that would offset her imbalance. I would use this deduction frequently to unearth openings to escape the potential aggravation of my mother as an eight year old. Often these grievances were the result of petty matters that bothered the absolute puniest population of individuals. For I could not conceive the sheer amount of resentment a person could exemplify over arriving at a crosswalk just for the light to immediately flaunt it’s intense neon red. I paid little attention to her shortcomings and was instead, routinely immersed in thoughts of my preferred television show.

Link to full piece

Art by Ms. Saunders BUNNY MEDIUM: WATERCOLOR

FIELD OF BLUE BONNETS MEDIUM: WATERCOLOR

INTERVIEW WITH CHE DARDEN '22 BY DYLAN LUMUMBA

Who are you? I am Che Darden. I was born and raised in New Jersey and I love art. Who is the woman in this piece of art? That is Frida Kahlo What was your inspiration? I made this in honor of women's history month, but also, Frida Kahlo inspires me to keep doing what I love no matter what happens. She got in a bus accident and still did some of her best work when she was injured. How has your 3 years in Church Farm school been? I love Church Farm! Do you have any other hobbies other than painting? Yes, I do. I am part of the Church Farm School choir and I am very passionate about singing. I also run track. I do the 1800 and 1600. What is your take on this special school year? I find this current school year challenging but at the same time rewarding because we have overcome a lot of obstacles and it is nice knowing that we can do that as a community.

PHOTOGRAPHY BY MS BARR

"BEAN" THERE DONE THAT

SAM

AMERICAN LIT WRITING In 11th grade American Literature class, the students began to read poems and short stories about famous authors who were ahead of their time. The first that came to mind was James Baldwin, Harlem-born and bred novelist, activist and poet. He was truly an artist who portrayed how societies' struggles and pressures can affect individuals. Particularly through Sonny's Blues, we see two brothers and their ever-changing relationship compelled by the community that surrounds them. Below are two excerpts of the students’ insightful responses to the text.

Jeisofer Santiago '22

Alex Polanco '22

I enjoyed reading the short story. In a way it was very relatable, sincere and honest with me. It also made me question myself and about the way others feel around me. Specifically, my family as they are going to be the ones that will be with me for the rest of my life. I know things don’t always go your way and the ways one endures this type of pain is not always the same way someone else endures that pain. And, I think this is where a lot of us never understand each other. We don’t always know for sure how things may be going for someone, we always tend to assume, and it's wrong. We may also always feel like we are doing the best thing for that person when in reality we are only hurting them more by forcing them to be something we want them to be. It's not wrong to get them back on track every once in a while but to always be on top of them for every little thing, can be sickening. I have a younger brother and I want the best for him. After reading this short story I come to realize that I’m only hurting him and one day he will get tired of it and not want to hear from me again or that he might actually be paying attention to what I’m saying, just, not expressing it openly as we never were taught to do. Who knows but I hope he is paying attention to me and not expressing it openly. And if he isn’t I will change in a way to better try and understand his way of thinking to get a better understanding of why he does things the way he does and why he acts a certain way.

There are various other things that I love in this novel such as the symbolism, a great example of this is that Baldwin made Sonny’s brother a Math teacher, this was supposed to symbolize his character because math teachers teach rules and formulas and follow them to get their one correct answer, and this is how Sonny’s brother lived like, he follows rules and goes by the formula he thinks will take him on the path he needs to go to get the right answer. This is a part of the reason he takes so long to come around to Sonny because he believed that Sonny didn’t follow the rules and didn’t use the right formula for life and that got him the wrong answer, jail, and drugs. I believe that this story is amazing for the amount of complexity in the characters in such a short story, some authors struggle to get this much complexity in their Novels and he was able to do it in a short story, this speaks to the prowess of James Baldwin’s creativity and the skill of his writing. The story as a whole was amazing, but what really catches my attention is the role music plays in Sonny’s life, his life was falling apart at the time, he was on drugs, getting arrested, trapped in Harlem, and bottled up feelings. Yet, when Sonny played music it was a release and a true expression of himself and who he was. I can relate to this (not to the same extent as Sonny) because when I listen to music all of my anger and stress leaves me and I feel complete, I also played the clarinet and there is nothing more authentic than blowing your emotions, fears, and stress into an instrument and turning it into a beautiful song.

Link to full piece

# Dangerous By: Anonymous Here is the real problem with # Explain to me why we only care about Black lives when one is lost? Explain to me why we only care about Asian lives when one is lost? Explain to me why we only care about women’s rights when they are taken away? Explain to me why we only care about genocide when it affects us personally? Explain to me why we hate war only when it is fought at home? We only care about Blacks Asians Women Genocide War When it happens to us... Because if it isn’t #trendingnow it doesn’t deserve our attention If instead we spread constant #appreciation #support #equality #peace

For all and created #action on these ideas daily Those who are so easily offended by #BLM #stopasianhate #notmypresident #metoo Would see that people who #care about these issues do actually believe #alllivesmatter #stopallhate What we need is #constantsupport #constantawareness #constantunderstanding #constantempathy #constantequality Then, and only then, CAN #alllivesmatter And can we focus on #stopallhate

Blue Print of the Modern Man By: Connor Hirsch '22 For the sake of the argument Let’s say I had the blueprint to the Modern Man Could I take away the issues presented within Or would it be necessary to create another plan? I wonder how I could make a generalization About what it means to be the Modern Man. The blunder of making the wrong decision Leaves the possibility of a slap to the hand. Who is free to make such a profound statement What wills must be bent and contorted Can we believe what the few say? Or is there a way to filter opinions that are assorted? The first issue is the bashing of the man. He wishes to think for himself, a dangerous game. Society sees a used tissue with no use Waste to the future, like an animal that is lame. They tell this boy his ideals are INSANE “What kind of idiot do you think you are?” He sulks, drowns in the sadness and pain “I thought my ideas were on par.” Shunned, silenced, and sent away The boy is another victim of this hivemind. Like many others, he wishes to see his grave. But a thought, a single notion, lets him unwind. Read the rest of this piece here

CONVERSING WITH MR. GREENBLATT BY ADEOLUWA ADEOYE

I interviewed a former Church Farm School teacher, Ray Greenblatt. Mr. Greenblatt was an English and Poetry teacher for 46 years and made significant contributions to the school. He spends his time continuing to write poems, in addition to traveling and listening to classical music. My conversation with him was very interesting, to say the least. A unique fact, though, is that I had to send him emails in order to contact him. He gave very straightforward and intriguing answers. Here is an excerpt: HOW WAS YOUR EXPERIENCE AT CHURCH FARM SCHOOL? Teaching at CFS was the most ideal situation in so many ways, or I wouldn’t have remained [there for] 46 years. We teachers had the freedom to create our own individual courses (for instance, I introduced a “Film & Lit course,” “Literature from Foreign Cultures,” etc.). The faculty and English Dept. were small, so we all got to know each other and became friends. Living in the same community on campus [was fantastic, since our] families and children grew up together.

And all that brings us to the best part—the students of CFS. Small classes are the key to better education and teaching. In that way a teacher gets to know each student and can meet him at his individual level. CFS was not academically credited when I was hired to run the English Dept. in 1965. It was not until 196768 that Black-American students arrived and CFS caught up to the academic community. Having an influx of African American students soon after certainly raised the level of student achievement. Another wave of Korean students enriched our population even more.

WHAT IS YOUR CREATIVE WRITING PROCESS LIKE? WHAT DO YOU LIKE TO WRITE ABOUT? As primarily a poet, I write about anything and everything. Writers have to be nosy. Often an outside happening (a tossed ball, a flowering tree) can trigger the unconscious, which leads to imagery, rhythms, a stanza, etc. It takes many rewrites to achieve a finished form.

If you could tell your younger self anything about writing, what would it be? When was the first time you realized that words have power? I love this question! I won a short story writing contest in 4th grade. I should have told myself to keep going and write more. Also, I would never have wasted a freshman year at The Wharton School. A liberal arts college opens all worlds. What does literary success mean to you? Do you consider yourself a successful writer? I look at literary success in a very personal way. Writing poetry is not going to earn a living. You must love what you write; a well-shaped poem is literary success to me. In 50 years I’ve written 10,000 poems, so that’s a lot of practice and a lot of pleasure. As a writer, what would you choose as your mascot/avatar/spirit animal? At present my spirit animal is the crow. My new book Man in a Crow Suit (Parnilis Media, 2020) is filled with poems about crows, whom I watched and was fascinated by in the fields at CFS for many years.

Photography by Jonathan Moya '21

Typewriter

A Family of Jose's

Poignant Memories by Raphael Tinio '21 “Sir? Mr. Foster, wake up! It’s time for dinner.” Upon hearing “Sir,” Mr. Isaac Foster is already irritated. His eyebrows are partially furled and he takes one long breath before opening his eyes. He stares at nothing in particular, though he avoids looking in Nurse Lila’s direction. “You know, I forget the last time I enjoyed a sunny day.” Silence. “Maybe I’ll start a garden when I can.” Seen from a window, grey skies and pouring rain obscure the sun. Medical equipment, together with a clock, makes recurring ticks and beeps. Often sounds of footsteps and squeaking wheelchairs make it through the door. A familiar scene. In a routine fashion, Nurse Lila moves a chair closer to Mr. Foster’s bed and lowers a table that settles above him. “Clam chowder today Mr. Foster.” Lilia says with a smile “It’s still a bit hot.” Mr. Foster is unfazed by the comment, much less her presence. Spoon in hand, Lilia is ready to assist Mr. Foster to eat. The two slowly fulfill their task for the day. Mr. Foster slowly digests each spoonful, giving Lilia enough to take note of the medical equipment enclosing the bed on either side. Meanwhile, Mr. Foster remains staring. Just before shutting his eyes, Lila begins small talk. “Traffic wasn’t so bad this… …umbrella to get in and out of work In a few…” Annoyed, Mr. Foster does not take in the scoop. He shuts his eyes, takes in a long breath, and sharply exhales. Lilia loses her smile. For a moment the two sit in silence, then he allows a scoop. “We’re trying something new for older patients” She started, “It’s called Memorious, a technology that’d be able to take your back to your past.” Still grumpy, but interested, Mr. Foster opens his eyes. For the first time in months, he lends her his attention. She smiles, “Maybe I shouldn’t say reliving, but reviewing. It’s said that you’re taken to your most influential memories. We can start tonight if you’re interested sir?” Eyes focused, but not at her, he makes weak nods. “Tonight then!” Read the Rest of this Short Story here

Photography by Israel Arthur '22

Nature in CFS (Above) Self Portrait (Below)

Spiderman by Dylan Lumumba '24

Passion Project By Enmanuel Matos Reyes '22 They were wonderers our fathers were And they watched the sky afar And their mind swirled in the ceaseless stir And the freedom of the stars They ley vexed at their narrow ambition They longed to understand their world And they stand in a perilous position Yet from birth, they lay curled And the curiosity And their philosophy What they knew went into books anew For the young to learn from stars Curiosity killed the cat they said And yet, still, here we are And still, we made it far Our minds grew old And strong And Bold The brain became an ambition It’s the growth we sought with intent And wanderers yet in a way are we Our knowledge is still confined And we hear the roar of encircling trees To be crossed in the vessel of the mind And wanderers yet in a way are we Our knowledge is still confined Unknown unconquered yet And our spirits fume and fret For the prize Of the wise

Photography by Jilord Baah '23 Bee's Paradise

Just Me

Photography by Kurren Singh '23 Spring Awaits

Scary Hours

Lost by Afiqur Rahman '21 “The sound of running and panting was muffled by the wild and dense forest. Branches and thorns shredded the frail-looking girl’s body as she ran barefoot, only to be completely healed mere moments later. Pausing to catch her breath, she gazed behind herself, only to see a faint orange light slowly approaching her in the pitch-black forest. A faint glimmer of moonlight shined upon her only to capture her snow-white hair fluttering in the wind. Several hours later, where the sun was in the middle of its rise, three kids around the age of 12 were exploring the abandoned ruin close to the city of Zlever. “Isla, don’t fall behind and get lost. I don’t want your mom to get angry at us for losing you,” shouted a brown-haired, green-eyed boy with tan skin to the girl trailing behind him. Isla cheerfully responded, “Don’t worry Zac! I won’t get lost this time!” as her short black locks of hair shook in the wind which promoted a response from a tan haired, blue-eyed boy murmuring “That’s what you said last time, and we still got in trouble.” “I did say I was sorry Wens,” said the pouting Isla while playing with his short hair. They continued to move throughout the ruin exploring and messing with each other, whether through pulling one’s hair or clothes or receiving a nice hard smack on the face from Isla. They arrived at the heart of the ruin which was a circular room with 4 cylindrical pillars supporting the room and at the center was a ceremonial table that was completely empty. Leaning against the table, was a young frail-looking girl with snowwhite hair in a light lavender summer dress sleeping peacefully. Like glass shattering, the silence was broken by Isla: “It’s a snow fairy,” prompting the girl’s eyes to open abruptly and stare at the intruders with wariness being shown in her light blue eyes. “Great job Isla! You woke her up,” hissed Wens which caused Isla to hide behind Zac.

Read the Rest of this Short Story Here

Photography by Omar Jobe '23

Bloom

Dice