Welcome to the Wondrous World of Writing

Welcome to the Wondrous World of Writing Poetry and prose by the young writers from 916 Ink’s Virtual Word Squad

Welcome to the Wondrous World of Writing Poetry and prose by the young writers from 916 Ink’s Virtual Word Squad

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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WELCOME TO THE WONDROUS WORLD OF WRITING

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, This publication you are about to read emerged from pure joy. The young writers in the virtual Word Squad program embodied undying positivity.

Through their endless energy and laughter, they proved that you can make the best of even the most extraordinary challenges.

I really cannot express how much I enjoyed Word Squad this year. Whether it was quippy remarks about Thanksgiving or the plethora of movie recommendations, these students poured life into every call we had. We held sessions on Tuesday evenings for three hours, and they would stay on for the whole call, often asking to stay longer—just one more prompt!

Many things stand out to me about this compilation of writing, but the first is the plethora of spooky stories. Seriously, there is another Stephen King among this group. Whether it is mysterious packages, killer clowns, or cursed tickets, there is something creepy for everyone to enjoy.

The second thing that stands out is the inspiration the students took from the class favorite game, Mafia. For those of you who haven’t played, Mafia is a role-playing game in which a narrator assigns the characters of Investigator, Townsperson, Nurse, and the titular Mafia. The game is run by the Narrator and follows a town as they try to figure out who the killer Mafia plaguing their town is. Students connected with this game immediately, especially with the popularity of the mobile game Among Us, following a very similar concept. Dozens of stories spawned from this, which you will see throughout the compilation.

I am so delighted to present this anthology. These students’ energy and personality shines through all of their writing. They invited you into the world of the weird and creepy, and they ultimately shine with how humorous and quick-witted they are. I hope you will allow the words of these young people to make you smile as much as I have.

Best,

Zuzu

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Acknowledgments Zuzu Schmitke

Wordslinger

Nena Larieze

Wordslinger

Logan Fritz

Guest Editor

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 Group Work. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1 Help! I’m Trapped in a Video Game . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2 Three-Toed Dragon. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8

Anh Tran. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9 Dear iPhone. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10 Stray Kitty. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10 Lemongrass Spray. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11 Midnight Mistake: Could Somebody Be Here At Midnight?. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11 Mysterious Package . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12

Blu Clark . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13 What I Heard. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14 916 Ink Lesson. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15 A Mysterious Package. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16

Jayden Siu. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17 The Adventure of Mr. Nut. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 18 Supercar. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 18 I Am Monster. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 18 The Dream That Was in a Warehouse . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 19 What da Heck . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 19

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Justin Siu . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 21 Strange Skyscraper . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 22 Preparing to Kill . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 22

Michelle Castillo . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 23 Midnight Clown. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 24 The Story of the Crazy Sister. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 25 Dear Diary . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 26

Sofia Sarinana. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 27 Thirteen. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 28 You’ll Always be my Little Princess . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 29 The Killer Clown . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 29 Her. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 30 Watch Out for the People in the Cloak. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 31

Wordslingers and Inspirators . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 33 As Long as We Create. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 34 Sandbar . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 35

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vi i i W E L C O M E T O T H E W O N D E R O U S W O R L D O F W R I T I N G

Group Work

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Help! I’m Trapped in a Video Game Group Story

My name is Elijah, and I have a twin sister. She is really, really annoying, but I still love her.

“Jump!” I scream at her. “JUMP!” Eliana ignores me and purposely dies. I elbow her, and she does the same back.

“Life is so bland, Elijah,” sighs Eliana. “I wish we could actually be in the game.”

She looks down at her phone.

“Pshhh, like that’ll ever happen,” I say, drinking a root beer float. She slaps me and seems impressed with the red mark on my cheek…talk about anger issues! I scream in pain and drop the root beer float. Eliana and I gasp. It’s all over our PlayStation 3!

The room starts to spin. Then I realize we’re the ones spinning!

“What is happening?!” I scream, making overdramatic hand movements.

Eliana shrugs but almost throws up while doing so. The spinning gets faster and faster until we get completely sucked out of our living room and into the game…

Welcome to the Maraschino Brothers A light beams from where we are falling. A loud thud travels across the whole Maraschinoverse. The Maraschino Brothers game was both spectacular and eerie in all of its toadstool glory. The piranha plants are friendly, and the flying alligators, called Snoopas Boopas, aren’t even that bad of guys.

I stand up first, but my wobbly legs drop me back down. As I’m lying on the floor, I see golden sparkly hooves and a pink dress. I hear Eliana shriek and get up like she just didn’t just fall from the sky.

“OMG!” she screams, jumping up and down.

“What is it—” I start to say, but my face screws up. I see a unicorn. A unicorn.

“Who are you?! What are you?!” I scream even though I know it’s a unicorn.

Before the unicorn gets a chance to speak, Eliana interrupts them.

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“Why, she’s the Unicorn Princess Dress-Up,” she says, like the unicorn is the most recognizable person in the world.

“You are correct, I guess. I’m the Rebel Unicorn, Uni,” says Uni, flipping her rebel hair. “I hate my dress color.” Uni grabs a paint bucket and paints her dress and heels red and black. “You guys are not supposed to be here.”

Rebel Unicorn holds my and Eliana’s hands like we are paired on a field trip, and she leans in to whisper something. “You have to find the glitch. This game cannot be updated while there is a glitch. Do you know what that means?”

We both shook our heads no.

“We’ll all be DELETED forever. No clouds, no USB drives. We’ll be invalidated.

This is the worst fate to befall any game. If we hurry, we can use the next glitch to transport us to Minecraft, which has a somewhat longer future.”

The rebel unicorn lets go of our hands and disappears. Eliana and I are left alone on a soft orange toadstool.

“We have to find that glitch,” I say.

“And fix it, too!” Eliana adds. For once, we actually agree on something. She grabs my hand and we run furiously to find “the glitch,” whatever that means.

 We die like a million times trying to find the glitch. But it is nowhere to be found.

“What if it’s not here?” I say.

“What do you mean?” asks Eliana.

“I mean, we are in our PS3, right?”

“Yeah,” she responds, “but why does that matter?”

“It matters because there’s another game in here,” I explain.

Continued on next page

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“That’s right!” she says. “Minecraft!”

“Exactly!” I say, “The glitch might be in there.”

All of a sudden, the rebel unicorn poofs into existence in front of us.

“You figured it out!” she says triumphantly. “I’ll make you a portal!”

So, the unicorn makes a portal, and we go to Minecraft.

“Thank you,” Eliana says before jumping into the Minecraft portal.

Uni shrugs. “No big deal, I can create portals on demand. Call it a hidden talent.”

We wave goodbye and jump into Minecraft.

Welcome to Minecraft We spawn into Minecraft in the Marshland biome. I look over to Eliana and see that she is decked out in diamond armor and is carrying a reinforced diamond sword as well as a super pogo stick that can parkour to space. I look down at myself and see that I have the same set of armor and weapons.

Suddenly, on the bottom of my screen I see, MISSION: FIND PRESTONPLAYZ. I am hyped! PrestonPlayz is my favorite Minecraft Youtuber.

“Who is PrestonPlayz?” Eliana asks.

“No time to explain,” I say, grabbing her hand. We start wandering around the server looking everywhere in the marsh, but we cannot find PrestonPlayz.

The sun is beginning to set.

“Hurry,” I say, “mobs are spawning!”

Suddenly, a stranger named Devilhacker1234 (aka Kevin) appears out of nowhere with a gigantic monster truck spawner and defeats all of the mobs. Once the mobs are gone, Devilhacker1234 turns to us and invites us to his fortress.

Devilhackers1234’s base is incredible! My jaw drops in amazement. The place is a floating bedrock fortress (which is impossible to break into survival mode).

We go inside and Noob1234 is sitting inside doing nothing. Devilhacker1234, Noob1234, Eliana, and I eat and get some rest.

We wake up. Devilhack1234 tells us that to find PrestonPlayz, we must find a portal to the rainbow Nether where PrestonPlayz is trapped.

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We find a portal to the Rainbow Nether out in the marshlands. After hours of searching, we find the portal and jump through.

We arrive in the rainbow Nether and begin our search for PrestonPlayz. After hours of looking, we stumble upon an almost invisible mansion that looks like a giant Herobrine. Inside, PrestonPlayz is trapped alongside Blue Steve, Redstone Steve, Noob Steve, Wizard Steve, Giant Steve, Tiny Steve, Weapon Lord Steve, Diamond Steve, Rainbow Steve, and Hacker Steve. They are all being forced to be slaves to the rainbow Herobrine.

Eliana splashes a poison of blindness onto the rainbow Herobrine. We manage to free PrestonPlayz and all the Steves. We run and go into a room filled with minecarts. We all hop into one that I think will lead outside. Instead, it takes us to the real rainbow Herobrine—because the one they threw the potion of blindness onto was a robot imposter—who is riding a rainbow Ender dragon.

PrestonPlayz knows exactly what to do. He takes out an enchanted shovel that digs a ton of holes that makes the Ender dragon and Herobrine fall into the ground. Unfortunately, that makes the Ender dragon furious! The rainbow Herobrine hacked the game and gave the Ender dragon the ability to spawn wither storms. It rises out of the ground and spawns a rainbow wither storm. We start throwing donuts to distract the wither storm. The wither storm eats ALL the donuts and gets so fat it explodes poisonous rainbow donut guts everywhere. We manage to hide in the minecarts, but the rainbow Ender dragon sacrifices itself by protecting the rainbow Herobrine with its body. The herobrine enchants what’s lefts of the ground and starts a giant earthquake. That is when the rainbow Herobrine disappears.

We grab the Steves and PrestonPlayz and get us all out of the Herobrine mansion and out of the rainbow Nether to DevilHacker1234’s citadel. When they get there, the Steves reveal that they are all famous YouTubers who concealed their identities to protect themselves from the rainbow Herobrine (it did not work very well).

After the YouTubers are free and leaving the citadel, Devilhacker1234 puts the place on lockdown and traps me and Eliana inside. He laughs evilly and reveals that he is the rainbow Herobrine and that he is a virus that is infecting the whole game. HE IS THE GLITCH. “I will infect this entire PS3!” he says, laughing evilly. “And once I infect the core code, this PS3 will shut down forever!”

Continued on next page

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“No!” Eliana and I scream, but we are helpless to try and stop him.

Suddenly, Rebel Unicorn bursts through the door of the citadel with a bottle of Coca-Cola and a familiar phone. Rebel Unicorn offers the Coca-Cola to me through the cage. I am so confused.

“What is this for?” I ask. “This is not the soda that got us in this mess.”

Rebel Unicorn laughs. “Root beer got you in, but only Coca-Cola can get you out. Very different, those two sodas are!”

She then turns to Eliana. “I believe that you have something you want to wish for.”

Rebel Unicorn hands the phone to Eliana. We laugh, and I dump the Coca-Cola onto the phone while Eliana wishes that we can leave the game.

Back to the Real World On his way to Goodwill, their father, Valentino, takes one last look at the PS3.

“I don’t have what it takes to let go.”

As Valentino drops off the bags at the donation center, he walks away. It takes everything in him to do so. He really loved those games. Suddenly, he hears something.

“Wait, DAD,” the familiar voices say, “don’t forget about us!”

Valentino turns around and sees his two kids drenched in sticky soda next to the consoles. Elijah holds an empty soda bottle and Eliana holds a stuffed unicorn.

“What are you two doing here?” he cries out and then falls to the ground.

“Oh no!” cries Eliana, “he fainted!”

Now she clings to the unicorn stuffed animal in her hands and hopes that her father gets up. What she does not know is that the stuffed unicorn (Rebel Unicorn) is a little magical, and her wish is granted. Valentino opens his eyes and gets up from the ground. At that point, he realizes that his childhood love of gaming does not have to diminish.

“Let’s get this PS3 home,” he says to his kids. “Let’s try to salvage it and play together.”

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“We’ve had enough gaming for today,” they say in unison. Everyone is surprised by this, especially their father.

NOT OFFICIAL MINECRAFT PRODUCT. NOT APPROVED BY OR ASSOCIATED WITH MOJANG

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Three-Toed Dragon Anh Tran, Blu Clark, Michelle Castillo, and Sofia Sarinana

The dragon counted her toes. She figured she only had three toes. And then she tripped, fell, and lost one. When she lost her toe, she could not walk anymore. She lived with unicorns, and they laughed at her. Until she learned to walk on her hands. They lived in a kingdom with lots of kings and queens and princesses. The princesses, kings, and queens admired the dragon’s ability to walk on her hands. The dragon told them that she learned to walk on her hand because she was doing gymnastics. Then she started a circus called The Amazing Dragon, and people from all over the world came to watch it.

And that is what you call resilience.

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Anh Tran

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Dear iPhone Anh Tran

Dear iPhone, even though you are an iPhone 6, even though you are laggy, you have always been there for me.

Though I only see you at weekends, and I always hope it’ll come, you entertain me.

You are the reason I get to communicate with my friends, and you’ll always be someone like them.

Stray Kitty Anh Tran

I was walking with my mom, my brother, and my friend to the park. Then, I saw a small orange kitten beneath a small tree. It was so cute! It had shiny eyes, and it was fluffy. I told my mom, my friend, and my brother about the cat, and they also came to see it. I wish I could just take it home. It was shy and scared of us, but I don’t think I was ready for a kitten yet, so we didn’t take it home.

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Lemongrass Spray Anh Tran

The bitter smell of lemongrass, a spray for bad shoe, and it lasts.

My brother sprays the kitchen wall, it gives me headache, makes me want to fall.

Midnight Mistake: Could Somebody Be Here At Midnight?

Anh Tran

When I woke up at 6:00 a.m., I heard a noise like a broken lamp. I was so scared because it could be anybody. I didn’t move. It was pitch black. I didn’t see anything, too. When that guy went in the bathroom, I realized it was just my dad! (Phew!)

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Mysterious Package Anh Tran

There was a knock at my door. When I opened the door, there was no one.

When I looked down, there was a package. I picked it up, then turned around and saw someone at the window staring at me. The guy wore a black hoodie so I couldn’t see his face. After I blinked, he was gone. When I opened the package, there was nothing.

Creeeeeeeek. That was the sound of my door opening.

When I turned around to see who was at the door— Boom! I was sho— (He died.)

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Blu Clark

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What I Heard Blu Clark

Birds chirping, trees brushing, turkeys screaming! My gosh, I was up! I’m up!

But was I really? It was still dark! I heard the birds chirping still. I decided to look out the window. It was dark! Suddenly, I only heard owls hooting. No birds, no trees brushing, no turkeys. I stepped back and peered out the window again. It was bright! When I took steps forward, it turned dark! I just assumed it was a dream and tried to go back to bed when I looked in the mirror. Flesh and bone, I saw. I was shocked. I had no skin, no hair, no nothing except bone!

I know what happened, I said to myself. I’m not dreaming! I’m dead!

Last night I was in my bed when I heard something chatter! I crept into my hallway and stared at the broken window. It was a big ball shaped like a broken glass. Scattered pieces were on the floor. I went back to my room when I saw a 50-pound watermelon! It was large and dark red. It said “Hi! My name is Khloe, and I eat people!” I was confused when suddenly the giant watermelon started on me! I fell over and slowly, instead of a nice juicy watermelon I got to eat, the watermelon ate me.

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916 Ink Lesson Blu Clark

One totally normal Tuesday, Blu was heading onto her 916 Ink class. When she got on, everyone was playing Among Us. I got the game code and went into the game. Michelle was the host, so she started the game just in time for me to get my favorite color skin. It was cyan. I was a crewmate. I was doing my tasks and decided to go look at the security cameras looking for either sus people or the imposter. Suddenly, I saw Ms. Nena chasing Anh. Ms. Nena caught up, and Anh died. I got off the cameras and started running for my little Among Us life. Then I stopped. I heard the doorbell ring. I got it. It was Ms. Nena and Ms. Zuzu! The two imposters! They were going to kill me! I had to do something! I ran upstairs and called an emergency meeting. Me, Michelle, and Sofia voted both imposters out as soon as we could. We won! How I love that victory sign. I was waiting. The screen finally said “Shh!� Then, I saw it.

I was the imposter. Time to sabotage and kill!

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A Mysterious Package Blu Clark

(Yawn.) “Morning, Doug!” Doug was my six-year-old dog. It was a normal day, and so I walked to the kitchen. I was getting ready to make breakfast when my Ring doorbell rang. I walked over to the front door with toast in my hand.

No one was there. All there was a box. It was black and looked like a case for a gun or pistol. There was also a note that read:

Dearest Blu, I have unfortunate news for you. Someone will try to kill you tomorrow at 12:00 at lunch. I can’t stop him, I mean them, but I can give you this item to protect yourself. Please greatly use this item.

Sincerely, ?

That’s when I stopped. Before I could even open the box, I knew it was a gun.

I opened the box, and sure enough, it was what I thought it would be. A gun.

The next morning, I could barely breathe. I was going to die today if I didn’t use that gun correctly. I went to Taco Bell for lunch and sat at an empty table.

Someone else sat next to me. That was the person. The person who would kill me. While he was introducing himself, he quickly pulled out an AK-47. I quickly pulled out the pistol out of the case and shot him before he could even load his gun. I went home with a cheesy taco on my hand. When I stepped into my house, I saw Doug lying on the floor with a bullet hole shape stuck in his side. I reread the note, looking for a P.S. or something else that explained what happened. All I found was the D in “dearest,” the O in “for,” the U in “you,” and the G in “greatly,” all bolder than the other letters. The note was from Doug.

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WELCOME TO THE WONDROUS WORLD OF WRITING

Jayden Siu

WELCOME TO THE WONDEROUS WORLD OF WRITING

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The Adventure of Mr. Nut Jayden Siu

Sorry. There is no adventure of Mr. Nut. Sorry for the inconvenience.

Supercar Jayden Siu

Today, when I was walking on the streets, I saw a billboard that said: “Sign up if you want to win a Lamborghini Terzo Millennio.”

I signed up. The rest of the day was the same. Then, I got a call.

The person said, “Come get your new Lamborghini.”

I went there and got it.

I Am Monster Jayden Siu

Me am monster. I eat trees. I punch houses. I kick schools.

I cause crime. I steal money. I go to a school that I thought was a bank. I go to the top. A child tells me this is school.

He gives me a book. Me say, “I will be a scientist.”

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WELCOME TO THE WONDROUS WORLD OF WRITING

The Dream That Was in a Warehouse Jayden Siu

One night, I was at an abandoned warehouse. I found a devil. He was holding a laser gun and a chainsaw. I bolted, trying to dodge him. Suddenly, the warehouse turned into my bedroom. The devil disappeared. It was a dream, or was it...?

What da Heck Jayden Siu

What da heck? Giant monkey is eating Detroit. He doesn’t know. I don’t know.

My friends don’t know. Smart noobs don’t know. Noob 1234 knows.

WELCOME TO THE WONDROUS WORLD OF WRITING

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Justin Siu

WELCOME TO THE WONDEROUS WORLD OF WRITING

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Strange Skyscraper Justin Siu

I am looking at a skyscraper and scratching my head. Looks like all the sides are the same and it’s built in an odd dome filled with lights. Well, it’s just a ball.

Preparing to Kill Justin Siu

There was a box in front of my door. There was a letter on the box that said, “I will kill you.” Then a human-sized brain appeared and tried to kill me with a revolver (it’s a long gun that is strong). I looked in the box and there was an RPG (a long rocket launcher that shoots smoking bombs that explode when they hit). Then I blew up the brain.

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WELCOME TO THE WONDROUS WORLD OF WRITING

Michelle Castillo

WELCOME TO THE WONDEROUS WORLD OF WRITING

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Midnight Clown Michelle Castillo

One day I was in bed, peacefully sleeping in my bedroom, when I heard the window SMASH. In the middle of the night, I ran out of bed. I’m not kidding.

I BOLTED. I saw a killer clown! I almost fainted. I kind of wish I did. Then I ran. But another clown jumped in front of me with a KNIFE. They were both covered in blood, and their heads were chopped off. I saw a Siren Head on their backs covered in blood. They told me I was one of their victims. They both chanted, “We want to eat you,” in a singsong voice. Then I fainted. I woke up in bed. It turns out it was a dream. OR WAS IT? DUN, DUN, DUN. Two Years Later...

It had been two years since I saw the clowns. I had been going to a therapist.

Solving my fear of clowns. When one day, I heard a smash. AGAIN. It sounded like the one from two years ago when the clowns came. “Oh no!” I said. The clown came running into my room. He said that they put his clown friend in jail for murder and kidnapping.

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WELCOME TO THE WONDROUS WORLD OF WRITING

The Story of the Crazy Sister Michelle Castillo

I heard the doorbell. I opened the door. There was a box. The box came with a note that said, “Dear Emily, your dad and I are going to be gone for two months.

But listen carefully, your sister is planning to kill you next month on your birthday.” The box was bloody and creepy. And full of giant tarantulas. But the tarantulas scattered away and revealed the weapon. It was a MACHETE. I didn’t know what to do with it. I normally know what to do when I need to.

One Month Later...

OK, I was at the party my friend planned for me. I was thinking about what to do, but it was too late. My sister came to my party, and she was all covered in blood. She was holding my parents in her arms. And then…

To be continued...

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Dear Diary Michelle Castillo

Dear Diary, It has been one week since my 30-year-old parents went to see my 60-yearold grandma; they haven’t come home yet. They said they would be gone a day. But they haven’t called or anything. I wonder what is up.

Two Weeks Later...

OK, pink fluffy diary, my parents finally got home. They told me why they were gone. So here’s the weird story. Turns out “Grandma” was an evil but pretty and stylish sorceress who kidnapped my real grandma. My parents went through weird adventures to find her. They met a small pink gorilla, a large blue crocodile, and a ginormous rainbow elephant who are now their friends.

They saved Grandma, but I wonder what happened to the evil sorceress.

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WELCOME TO THE WONDROUS WORLD OF WRITING

Sofia Sarinana

WELCOME TO THE WONDEROUS WORLD OF WRITING

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Thirteen Sofia Sarinana

“Here is your ticket, miss,” said the ticket seller opening the door to the carnival. I grabbed the ticket and excitedly entered it.

“Dang it, I only have one ride ticket!” I said, looking at my ticket. “Ooh, it’s a lucky number one!”

I searched around for about a minute and found a haunted house. I decided to go in.

“Ticket, please,” said the worker. I gave them my ticket and they screamed, looking at it and deciding to let me enter for free.

“Geez,” I said, “guess some people just can’t take my luck.” I walked into the room and held my ticket loud and proud. Everybody looked at my ticket as I was standing in the entrance. They all screamed and pointed at my ticket and left the haunted house.

“Wow, these people have major problems,” I said, looking at my ticket again.

“WHAT?!” I screamed. “My ticket isn’t a lucky one, it’s an unlucky thirteen!”

Right as I said it, a clown grabbed me and dragged me into a brick room, locking the door.

No wonder everybody was screaming.

To this day, everybody thinks I’m dead. But I am still here, waiting for someone, anyone, to be my hero.

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WELCOME TO THE WONDROUS WORLD OF WRITING

You’ll Always be my Little Princess Sofia Sarinana

“I’m so excited!” I say, looking at the big, beautiful sky. I open my window and smell the fresh air. My hand reaches for the tree, and I feel a warm feeling in my body just like how my mom touched me. My mom is gone. She died in a crash, and I remember the last thing she said to me was, “You’ll always be my little princess,” and she held my hand so tight I could barely move. She was my very own life teacher. She made me hot chocolate on the days I would come home crying. My dad smiles at me from the front. He holds my hand tight, just like how my mom did.

The Killer Clown Sofia Sarinana

Crk, crk, I hear on the stairs.

“Not a killer clown; not a killer clown,” I say, putting on my Minnie Mouse slippers and my Hello Kitty blanket. “It’s probably just my cat, Coco,” I say, getting out of my room and heading downstairs. My blanket drags across the floor as I hear more cracks and noises...

I hear snores covering the sounds of footsteps.

“I’m overreacting! I’m the one walking!” I say. I’m starting to relax. But the moment I stop, I hear tiny footsteps across the downstairs floor.

“C-coco?” I ask, shaking.

“No, it’s not your beloved cat Coco. It’s me,” the voice says. As soon as I try to run away, a bone-chilling hand grabs me by the shoulder...I gulp down my fear and look up to see a clown staring down at me with a knife in their hand.

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Her Sofia Sarinana

Her skin milk chocolate.

Her hair is dark.

Her teeth a pearly white.

Her eyes black like the night sky.

Her size is petite.

Her skin milk chocolate.

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WELCOME TO THE WONDROUS WORLD OF WRITING

Watch Out for the People in the Cloak Sofia Sarinana

I sit on the dirty basement floor as the box shakes even more. I grab the box and touch it; it feels like a spider and looks exactly like a skeleton bone. I touch the lace that is keeping the box from opening. I grab it and untie it slowly. The shaking gets louder and louder as I open the box. I fully open it, but I see no beast roaring inside. Instead, all I see is a note...

It says: “Get out of your house! They will come to get you soon! Just run and leave everything behind! They are going to get you soon! Just watch out for the people in the cloa—” It ends right there, with a horrifying blood stain splattered next to it. I stand right up and run as fast as I can out of the basement. But it’s too late; the cloaked people grab me by the neck and end my life right then and there.

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Wordslingers and Inspirators

WELCOME TO THE WONDEROUS WORLD OF WRITING

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As Long as We Create Zuzu Schmitke

I am walking through the halls of a thousand misplaced dreams. Scrawled on the walls in the finest graffiti style are a million untold stories. Ten thousand voices waiting to be heard. It is a real shame how unappreciated street art is. The art of the people. Communication among the masses. Proof that no matter what circumstances you put people in, we will find a way to create.

We always find a way to express. No amount of pain or suppression can take that from us. As long as we create, we live.

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WELCOME TO THE WONDROUS WORLD OF WRITING

Sandbar Nena Larieze

Give me a cool breeze with an ocean comprised of bathwater, seagulls as pirates, summer as timeless.

Give me the clarity precipitating in the aftermath of a tropical downpour, pour into me patience, wisdom, enlightenment.

Allow me to submerge myself, knee-high in writing wading in wonder, in awe of the possibility.

WELCOME TO THE WONDROUS WORLD OF WRITING

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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.