Window to a New Place

Poetry and prose by the young writers from Katherine L. Albiani Middle School in conjunctionW with 916 Ink INDOW TO A NEW PLACE

Window to a New Place Poetry and prose by the young writers from Katherine L. Albiani Middle School in conjunction with 916 Ink

About 916 Ink 916 Ink is the only arts-based literacy nonprofit in the greater Sacramento region dedicated to providing creative writing workshops for youth, ages 5-25, to transform them into confident writers. We empower students to become the authors of their own lives, one published story at a time. Since 2011, we have served over 3,000 kids in the Sacramento Region, and published more than 100 publications. Our mission is to empower children and youth through creative writing. We envision a Sacramento region where every child and teen is given access to a creative writing program that leads them to believe in themselves and to understand the power of the written word. Learn more about us at www.916ink.org, or send an email to info@916ink.org to learn how to become involved.

DISCLAIMER

This is a work of fiction and poetry. Any resemblance of characters to actual persons, living or dead, is purely coincidental. The author and publisher hold exclusive rights to this work. Unauthorized duplication is prohibited. Copyright 2021.Â

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Dear Reader, What you hold in your hands is the hard work and dedication of a community of youth and adult writers working together to tell stories that inspire, entertain, and heal. At 916 Ink, we teach young people how to write, listen, and support each other in the pursuit of creating literary art.

The words in these pages are carefully chosen and crafted to reflect their unique voice.

This book is a celebration of “taking the yes,” which is a motto of 916 Ink students. “Taking the yes” means that students are unafraid to collaborate with each other and themselves. It might sound weird—how does one “collaborate” with his or her own self? By shutting down the inner critics in our head that tell us that we aren’t good enough, our stories don’t matter, or what we might say is stupid or unnecessary. Stories are how we create meaning and make sense of the world. What’s better than to teach young people how to tell stories, create meaning out of their lives, and understand the world?

Creative writing carves a path to a better life. Writers know this, but maybe the rest of the world doesn’t. A writer is someone who truly gets to live twice—once through their senses and once through the page. Everyone needs writers. Favorite television shows? Go thank a writer. News articles?

Thank a writer. Education? Writers wrote the curriculum. Business? Can’t happen without writers creating marketing tools and business plans. Writers make the world go around.

By reading this book you’ve supported the growth of a writer. Thanks. Please consider making a donation to this great cause on our website at www.916ink. org if you’d like to further our mission of populating the planet with youth who can “take the yes,” and lead a happy life.

Ink-tastically yours,

The 916 Ink staff, the Board of Dreamers, volunteers, and youth writers

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From the Wordslinger Dear Reader, Contained in these pages are the works of sixteen brilliant young writers from Katherine Albiani Middle School who dedicated their time and energy to coming together, creating, and sharing their creations with their peers and their once-future, now-present readers.

To say that this semester presented new challenges to our writers may be redundant in a year full of dramatic shifts, social upheavals, and personal hardship, but to omit mentioning this would be a grave disservice to them and to the work they did in order to make this anthology.

In a world that now demands physical distance between strangers and loved ones alike, for these young writers to come together, even just once a week, stands as a triumphant symbol of their spirit and resilience. As is typical in many of 916 Ink’s workshops, some of the writers in the group started out reluctant to share their work. Given the remote nature of the program this semester, conducted entirely online, it would have been all too easy for this portion of our group to turn off their video, mute their mics, and hide themselves away for 90 minutes (or to simply not join us at all). I want to applaud these writers for their courage, for choosing to share with us instead of allowing the pressure of the moment to push them further into the isolation that has been thrust upon all of us. Those writers who had their hands raised, ready to read their work on day one, deserve recognition for their bravery as well. Every one of the writers from Katherine Albiani Middle School made themselves vulnerable, putting pieces of themselves into the world that they may have otherwise kept inside. This anthology contains stories and poems detailing the intimate fears and anxieties, joys and comforts, and hopes and dreams of these young folks.

As you enjoy the privilege of reading these stories, consider them for what they are: acts of love and care. By choosing to express themselves through their words instead of choosing silence, these young authors provided love and care for themselves; by choosing to publish their stories instead of keeping them hidden in text files or in notebooks, they are providing love and care to all of us.

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Looking to the new year, a year which will undoubtedly be even more challenging and unpredictable than the last, I hope you take pleasure in these poems and stories, taking from them inspiration to move through this uncertain future with a greater sense of love and care for yourself, your family, and your community.

Warm regards and much love,

Damon P.

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Acknowledgments Damon Plant

Wordslinger

Jay Oatis

Wordslinger

Michael Geminder

Guest Editor

Cindy Domasky

Eagle Eye

Katie McCleary

Founding Executive Director

Michael Spurgeon

Founding Board President

DJ Waldow

Board of Dreamers, President

Dr. Beatrice Tetteh

Board of Dreamers, Vice President

Shelley Blanton-Stroud Board of Dreamers, Secretary Kathy Flynn

Board of Dreamers, Treasurer

Chris Worden

Board of Dreamers

Daniel Kaufman

Board of Dreamers

Lynn Lizarraga

Board of Dreamers

Rekha Tejpal

Board of Dreamers

Vince Wong

Board of Dreamers

Xenia Schutt

Board of Dreamers

Ian Hadley

Executive Director

Angela Tannehill

Creative Director

Allison Stelly

Director of Development

Nikki Cardoza

Director of Programming

Paulette Greenhouse

Program Manager

Jay Oatis

Program Coordinator

Emma Hoppough

Production Coordinator

Maria Gavia

Office Manager

Christina Nelson

ReadOn! Program Manager

Tory Scott

Bookslinger

Will Evans

Outreach and Development Associate,

AmeriCorps VISTA

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Contents Araya Garcia . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1 Untitled. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2 Untitled. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2

Bethany Bonilla . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3 Untitled . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4

Caleb Miller. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5 Untitled . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6 Untitled. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6 Untitled. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6

Colin Vogt. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7 The Evil Phone . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8 The Haunted House . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8 My Dog Experience . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9 Revenge . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9 Florida and Its Disasters . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10

Garrett Moon. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11 Condors in Their Habitat . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12 Past Me . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12 Truckee . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12

Giancarlo Manangan . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13 The Key to the Mansion . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14 The Window . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14 Untitled . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15

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Isaiah Benson. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17 My New and Improved Phone . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 18 The Ultimate Shoes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 18

Jared Chambers. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 19 Baseball . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20 New Mini Earth . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20 Secret Door . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 21

Kavon Lloyd. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 23 The Runaway . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 24 Take and Leave . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 24 Untitled . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 25 Untitled. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 25

Kyle Henderson . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 27 My Favorite Food. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 28 What Will Happen on December 9, 2020. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 28 When I Got My First Phone. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 29 When I Had Two Dogs. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 29 When I Was a Baby . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 30 Why I Woke Up Early. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 30

Liam Monick . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 31 The Cat Who Wanted to Get a Job . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 32 The Cute Panda . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 32

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London Rushing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 33 The Glass of The Sea . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 34 My Favorite Meal . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 34 My Favorite Room . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 35 Two Crazy French Bulldogs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 35 Untitled . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 35

Mariana Castro. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 37 A Lucky Day . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 38 Untitled . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 38 The Weird Portal . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 39 The Hard Truth . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 39 Unknown Mystery . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 40

Sophia Armendariz. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 41 Untitled. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 42 Untitled. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 42 Untitled. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 43 Things That Make Me Sad . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 44

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Araya Garcia

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Untitled Araya Garcia

I see a beach house. I smell the saltwater and sand. I hear the waves and seagulls in the sky. See the decorations: coral, sea stars, and sand dollars. I love the water, and you can do so many things.

Untitled Araya Garcia

Eve, an elf, when dragons roam free, a floating island, she is a moon elf.

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Bethany Bonilla

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Untitled Bethany Bonilla

I see a colorful house, and I smell a pie cooking in an oven. I hear someone screaming at the neighbor’s house, and I remember all the memories at my old house because this was the same thing that happened.

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Caleb Miller

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Untitled Caleb Miller

COVID is ugly and fires; they are not beautiful. Maybe, after the pandemic is over, it will be beautiful.

Untitled Caleb Miller

Fires are bad and sad. When it touches a house, it goes to flames. There is nothing to blame, and that is a shame.

Untitled Caleb Miller

I like to go to Disneyland because me and my mom would always go there every year, except for this year because of COVID, and my friends would know where I’m going to vacation, and they would get a little jealous.

I loveeee Splash Mountain.

I would go with Goofy. I’m like him ‘cause I’m always goofy.

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Colin Vogt

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The Evil Phone Colin Vogt

There were three boys, and they found a phone. But if you called a number, they would die because there was an evil man’s spirit in the phone, and they called the number, and the boys disappeared, and the mothers of the boys were scared in the end.

The Haunted House Colin Vogt

Me and my friend went into a haunted house. There were spiders, and the door automatically closed. Well, heck. We checked it out. We heard the wall banging and muffled screams. We were horrified.

3:00 a.m.

Let’s try to sleep. Then we saw James get dragged down the hall.

“Help,” he said. We went looking for him. We saw nothing. I was super scared.

We had to pull an all-nighter. Someone tried to call someone. No reception.

Well, heck. We tried to sleep, but nothing. We had been missing for three days.

Something fell, and then we were never seen again.

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My Dog Experience Colin Vogt

My dog was a vizsla, and her name was Sadie. I don’t know how old she was when we got her, but she was a good dog. She was cute and lazy and kind of fat. We had her in our old house before we moved, and we would just lie down with her. When It was Christmas, it was so fun. We got presents, and when it was time for Sadie to open her presents, she always got bones. But we had to give her away because our landlord said, “No big dogs.” So, we had to give her away. We were sad, and that was the story of my dog, Sadie.

Revenge Colin Vogt

1970; Berlin, Germany.

I’m Jack, and I’m poor. My dad is rich, but he never gives me money. But I know what he did. He was a con artist, and I told my dad’s boss, and my dad lost his job, and he got shot, and I got all of his money, and I’m rich, and I’m nice and not a narcistic butthead, and I give money to people and other nice rich person stuff, and I got more money, and I became the richest person in the world. I was sad that my dad died, so I didn’t know what to do to calm myself.

1971 I was going to watch the new movie, and then I got stabbed by a dude. Then I wrote my will to my son. Then I died.

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Florida and Its Disasters Colin Vogt

Florida, June 5, 1978, 7:00 p.m.

Roses are red; violets are blue; poetry is boring; gray clouds are forming; the rain is pouring; winds are getting strong, but people are staying outside, but that’s wrong; the siren is frightening.

I think I saw lightning; there is a tornado in the sky; the young kids are playing I Spy, and there are floods, and there are thunderous thuds, and you can’t see the sun. This day is not fun, but there are rafts to bring people to safety, but people are going crazy. Then it stops; that was horrifying.

Ten years later, we are still playing; there are many years ahead. I, Colin, will stay in Florida ‘til the day I die. Then I see a six-foot-tall person that looks like me. Like his mole on his neck.

“It’s future me,” he says. “Come to Hawaii,” he says.

“Why?” I say back to him.

“Just do it,” he says.

“OK,” I say.

The End?

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Garrett Moon

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Condors in Their Habitat Garrett Moon

The California Condor is ugly, and people didn’t like it, so they almost drove it to extinction by destroying its homes. But people in a few years learned that its beauty came from the inside. Now they protect it.

Past Me Garett Moon

Dear Past Me, I wish I was in your shoes again because I want it to be easy again; the golden years in my life. I wish I was you still. But it is OK here. Besides, there is a PS16, and God came down from Heaven, and I have a job, but I can’t tell you yet because you are the past; that is history. Tomorrow is a mystery for me.

But today is a gift. That is why they call it “the present.”

Truckee Garrett Moon

I imagine that there are deer at night in the cold. But I am at the fireplace becoming warm and telling scary stories. Then I wake up and I go to hunt the deer who live in these mountains. Three days to hunt the deer but so little time. When I see one, I will take the perfect shot, and then Mother Nature will decide if I get the deer or not.

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Giancarlo Manangan

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The Key to the Mansion Giancarlo Manangan

This key was kept and guarded by soldiers because it was by the King of Italy’s home. The guards would protect every side of it. If someone got in, they would be in jail for 1,000 years.

One day, some person got in the mansion and didn’t make it out alive. It was confirmed that he was shot in the stomach by a sniper guard. This is why no one will go in the King of Italy’s home.

The Window Giancarlo Manangan

One day, I went to my friend Adrian’s house when my mom was in another country. He lived in the next neighborhood that’s far from mine. I went there because I had nothing to do. My dad was also at work. We went in his room and played Among Us, Fortnite, and Roblox. We always were having fun.

After, I saw a window that was very suspicious. I told him that that window is not in good shape right now. I wouldn’t open it if I was him, but he did. It took us to the Sahara Desert. Why did he open the window? I wonder why.

My mom is going to freak out when she knows where we are! I hated when the desert was so hot!

Then, we found something great: we found another window. I opened it, and then all of a sudden, we got back to his room. I wanted to go home. His mom took me home, and then I took a nap. I said in my head, What was that all about??? I’ll never touch his windows again. I wonder how my window will be if that happens to me again...

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Untitled Giancarlo Manangan

Ring, Ring. The Bay Area Has been struck. If I die The police don’t know my phone doesn’t have an answering machine. BEEP BEEP. Here Comes the Emergency Warning System. BOOP BOOP. And then It is all silence. I am now safe. Goodbye, goodbye!

Thunder. Be gone, thunder!

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Isaiah Benson

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My New and Improved Phone Isaiah Benson

Once I owned an old phone. I knew how to use it well, but one day, I talked to some people on it. I got made fun of, so then I thought it was time to upgrade to an iPhone 11 Pro Max, and people started to respect my choices. This phone was wireless. Everyone uses one nowadays.

The Ultimate Shoes Isaiah Benson

One day I owned a pair of magic shoes called Vans. They were so cool. They protected me from falling off my skateboard. They also made me run faster, and they felt great. I think they were given to me by my sister, seeing as she always sends me shoes. I have a lot to thank her for.

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Jared Chambers

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Baseball Jared Chambers

When I was in a baseball game, I hit the ball for the first time in a while. When I hit the ball, it went over a 260-foot fence, but it wouldn’t fall, so I was mad a little. Then I hit the ball again, but it wanted to fail, so the pitcher threw the ball out of the batter’s box and I got walked. So, for the future, I know that I have the power to hit home runs, so hopefully I get on the high school baseball team and college team.

New Mini Earth Jared Chambers

There was a new planet where people could live but had to spend a million dollars to go to. They said it smelled like roses and the ground was made of fluffy stuff and the sky looked like a purple color. It had lots of exotic animals and lots of pigs. It had the best food ever and a beautiful house with a pool.

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Secret Door Jared Chambers

Once, Jimmy was moving, and he found a door. It was glowing, so he opened it, and there was a dark hallway. It had random pictures of stuff. Then there was another door. It led back to his room, and he asked what he was doing in my room. The people replied and said, “We are from the future.”

Jimmy went outside, and it was sunny out, and it was nice out. It smelled like roses, and the people that were there looked normal, but they had big feet and didn’t have good taste in clothing. So, the captain of the world’s point of view of Jimmy was that he had small feet and cool-looking shoes and nicelooking stuff.

It was in 2007. It was a day out. When he moved there, there was paint over the door so he couldn’t see it, and the paint got old, and he saw the door, so he decided to go through it, and he found some interesting people.

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Kavon Lloyd

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The Runaway Kavon Lloyd

I was walking home with my friend when a car pulled over. He said he was friends with our mother, and he was going to bring us there. At first, I said, “Hey, who are you? I think you have the wrong people.”

He started saying, “Hey, I know you too, my friend.” He started to walk away, so I walked with him.

I said, “Who was he??”

He said, “It’s a kidnapper, probably.”

We walked back to the school and called our parents to pick us up. Then we went on and called the police once we were home. Thankfully, we got the car number, and they were caught.

Take and Leave Kavon Lloyd

There once was a man who could take powers from others. His power was to go into other people’s bodies and to take their powers, but if they got out of the body, they lost the power. As the man got more powers, he got stronger, and one day he couldn’t handle the powers that he had, and he died.

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Untitled Kavon Lloyd

I was riding my bike on my birthday when I hit a rock. When the rock hit me, I lost my balance. After I lost my balance, I fell, and so I was always more careful than I was before.

Untitled Kavon Lloyd

I have always wanted to study Egypt. When I went into sixth grade, I had to do a presentation about Egypt. I was nervous at first, knowing that I had to present it and that I had to know all the questions and answers, but with a little bit of help, I could get it done. I was the Egyptian character Narmer.

Narmer was the person who united Lower and Upper Egypt for the first time, peacefully. He united them because Upper Egypt had the Nile River and Lower Egypt wasn’t doing very good, so he united them, hoping they would have peace, and they did.

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Kyle Henderson

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My Favorite Food Kyle Henderson

My favorite food is my grandma’s mac and cheese that she makes from scratch. It is so good because it has real cheese and has a lot of butter. It is not good for you, but it’s a good treat to have once in a while.

What Will Happen on December 9, 2020 Kyle Henderson

Later today, we will be getting tested for COVID-19. We are having to do this so we can see our family for Christmas, because we went out and went to Vegas and Arizona. I am excited to be able to see my cousins and play with them. I have not been able to play with my cousins for two months now. It has been such a long time. I have missed them and regret doing this. I wish I could have stayed behind and been able to see my cousins, but I didn’t really have a choice. I’m excited because I will get to see them this weekend sometime.

And that is the story of why I am having to get tested for COVID-19.

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When I Got My First Phone Kyle Henderson

I got my first phone when COVID-19 started, and then my sister got one too.

My parents stole my sister’s phone and used it to control our phones, and it sucks.

When I Had Two Dogs Kyle Henderson

I used to have two dogs. One of my dogs died when I was two, and my second dog died when I was five or six. Every time after school, I would come home and play with my dog in the backyard, and I would throw a tennis ball with him. I had a lot of fun with my dog. When the dog died, my mom basically just locked herself in her room and was crying all day because she had that dog since she got out of college. And that is what happened to my dogs.

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When I Was a Baby Kyle Henderson

Life changes.

I used to be a baby, and now I am a teenager, and my life has changed.

You were a baby, and now you are a teenager, and your life has changed.

Why I Woke Up Early Kyle Henderson

One day, I woke up extremely early so I could play baseball. That morning, I had to wake up at 5:35 a.m. I then started warming up for baseball at 6:55 am., and that game was at 7:45 a.m. We ended up losing that game, so we went on to the consolation game, and during the first game, I did not get to play. In the second game (consolation game), I got to play the whole game and got a hit. And after that, I came home and had lunch with my grandparents. That’s what my day was like on Sunday.

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Liam Monick

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The Cat Who Wanted to Get a Job Liam Monick

One day, a cat wanted a job. He got into his suit, and then he went to Catopia.

He got a job. He was hired as a police officer, and he lived a happy life.

The Cute Panda Liam Monick

I was a cute panda named Pandy. That’s how it all began. And I had powers.

And I hunted, and I lived happily ever after.

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London Rushing

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The Glass of The Sea London Rushing

Sea glass is made of sea salt that cuts normal glass, and that looks different and feels softer. It also won’t cut you when it washes up on the shore, in my best friend Hailey’s view. One day I was walking on the beach, and I stepped on a piece of glass; it hurt. My foot started to bleed, and a part of it stuck in my foot. I kept walking, but my best friend London came up to me, and we started to walk down the beach. The ocean waves made a calming noise when they crashed down. She found a piece of sea glass, not normal glass. She started to want to pick up more and more sea glass. Why was she doing this? But I joined her, and that is what we did the rest of the day.

My Favorite Meal London Rushing

My favorite meal is mac and cheese because my mom makes it different. She puts turkey meat in it. It makes me feel like eating at a five-star restaurant.

My best friend gets jealous of me eating it and then wants to come over.

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My Favorite Room London Rushing

Why is my favorite room my bedroom? When I am in my room, where I dream and believe, I dream of becoming a terrific book writer. I write about my hopes, dreams, and beliefs. Also about books and about escaping reality.

Two Crazy French Bulldogs London Rushing

My dogs are French bulldogs, and their names are Bubbles and Winter. They have different color fur; Bubbles has blueish gray. Winter is a chocolate brown.

They get annoying by jumping on me and giving me kisses. Bubbles is lazy, and Winter is always trying to play with Bubbles. I had another dog, but she died, and her name was Bamboo.

Untitled London Rushing

Dear Future Me, If you are reading this, then it has been two years. So how has going back to school been? Have you been to a horseback competition yet? How are the dogs, and does Winter still have hip problems? Have you got your braces yet?

Have you been to see my great grandma yet? Well, it was fun writing to you.

I hope you have a good life.

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Mariana Castro

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A Lucky Day Mariana Castro

There was once a man who wasn’t wealthy and was poor and couldn’t afford much. He mostly spent his money on stuff he needed like food and water, not being able to get any. But everything changed after January 16 of 2009. A random person came up to him and offered him a deal. She had given him a choice of 10,000 dollars or a random box. He chose the box, being curious what it had inside. It was a huge box, and the item inside was a note saying that he was getting a house, and he wouldn’t have to pay rent for two years, and he would get a free car and 5,000 dollars for anything else he wanted to get, and that’s the story of how he became quite wealthy. Also, he became famous because of his story, and he had written it in a book, and a lot of people were in love with his story and thought it was a touching story.

Untitled Mariana Castro

Dear Future Self, How have you been doing in life? Did anything life-changing happen, or did something change you? Are you smarter, more responsible, and maybe, have you made more friends?

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The Weird Portal Mariana Castro

I was just playing around and trying to open every locker at school to see if one would open, and then I came across a locker that looked abandoned, almost like it wasn’t being used by anyone. I then got curious and opened it to see what would happen, like if there was money or something interesting, like in the movies. So there I was, about to open it, and I saw a glowing purple portal.

I decided to go inside to see where it would send me. At first, I was confused because nothing looked different, but that was until I noticed something. I was in a different area and recognized someone there. She looked like my mom, but younger. Was I in the past?!?!?

The Hard Truth Mariana Castro

Everything was normal when we were in elementary school, but then when middle school came, we never talked anymore and didn’t have any classes together. She had new friends and of course a new best friend. It all started on the first day of middle school. We were both excited, but day by day, we started to get distant and didn’t talk anymore. Things changed. I started to notice her behavior changing. She always said no when I asked to hang out and always acted differently toward me, almost as if she didn’t want to be friends anymore. So, I decided that I couldn’t be friends with her. So I told her, and after that day, I never saw her anymore.

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Unknown Mystery Mariana Castro

I was sleeping until I heard a knock on the door. I got up and opened the door. There was no one, but then I looked and saw a key. At first I was going to leave, but then I thought of the possibilities of what it would unlock. I then remembered that the other day I found a little box in front of my doorstep, but I didn’t get a chance to open it because it needed a key. I then got the key I found, it opened and there were old photos of my family that I had lost a long time ago. There was also gold. Just as I was going to put it away, I saw another object. It was a note. It wasn’t meant for me, but for someone else. But who could it be? All my family members died in a fire, and I was the only survivor.

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Sophia Armendariz

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Untitled Sophia Armendariz

Sophia and the Beast is about not judging a book by its cover, because the beast was this handsome prince, but he was rude and stubborn. One day, Anne came along and asked him if he wanted this beautiful rose. He said no, so the witch turned into this beautiful fairy and turned him into an ugly beast.

“I was a King, and one time this old lady came up to my door and asked if I wanted this rose, and I said no and pushed her away multiple times, and then she turned into this beautiful, beautiful woman, and she turned me into an ugly beast.”

There was only one way to break the spell. That was to find true love. But who would ever want to love a beast?

“There was this rose that the old lady handed me, and before the last petal fell, I had to find true love or else I would be a beast forever.”

Untitled Sophia Armendariz

When I close my eyes, I see my grandma’s house on Thanksgiving and all of my family sitting around the table saying our prayers and thanking God for the food he put on our table. I can smell the turkey that my grandpa made.

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Untitled Sophia Armendariz

Imagine a bad day at school. Maybe you got to class and heard muffled giggling.

Maybe you heard buzzing whispers in the hall. Maybe later, at home, you wept blinding tears. Students often worry about studying and sports at school.

But for many students, something is more worrisome: bullying. Bullying is “unwanted or aggressive behavior.” It can happen face-to-face. Or it can happen through digital platforms such as texting and social media. In 2014, almost 30 percent of students said they’d been bullied. Many don’t report the bullying. More than 60 percent stay silent. They endure the sickening fear of being bullied. They feel as though no one can help. Bullying has costs. Bullied students are more likely to have health problems like depression and anxiety.

They are more likely to struggle in school. Some become bullies themselves.

Isabella Petrini knows about bullying. In fifth grade, she was a bully. She and her friends said mean things about others. But in seventh grade, Petrini saw bullying differently.

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Things That Make Me Sad Sophia Armendariz

Dear future self, You are ugly You are fat You are not worthy You will never be loved You will never find your true love You are the most hated person ever You are always going to be a slut You will always be depressed!

STOP! DON’T EVER TELL YOURSELF THAT! Those are things you are scared of Those are things that you are scared of being called Because you are beautiful You are not fat You will always be worthy You will always be loved You will find love one day You will find your true love You will be the most loved person in school You will never be a slut And anxiety will never take over, because you are stronger than that These are just some things that girls have to go through on a daily basis

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THIS BOOK WAS PRODUCED IN PARTNERSHIP WITH

WITH MAJOR SUPPORT FROM

AND FUNDED IN PART BY

The Albert and Elaine Borchard Foundation

The Sacramento Office of Arts and Culture, with support from the City of Sacramento.

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