Adventure of Zeplogria by 916InkWriters

Adventure of Zeplogria

Poetry and prose by the young writers from 916 Ink’s Virtual Word Squad

Adventure of Zeplogria Poetry and prose by the young writers from 916 Ink’s Virtual Word Squad

About 916 Ink We are 916 Ink, Sacramento’s only art-based literacy nonprofit that transforms Sacramento youth into published authors. Why? Because empowered students equipped with amazing literacy skills lead healthier lives. 916 Ink dispatches teams of trained volunteers and staff to work in schools, libraries, nonprofits, and detention facilities. We make students, ages 4-18, active agents of their own change through creative writing. Since 2011, 916 Ink has transformed over 4,000 young people into published authors in our quest to lead the literacy revolution. Keep your eyes peeled for our name and good deeds. Better yet? 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.

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Dear Reader, What you see 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, The nature of Word Squad always brings a unique collection of Inkers. This semester, in particular, we saw students from as far as Arizona to as close as South Sacramento brought together for a high-energy and creatively diverse experience. The pages to come are filled with alternate universes, secret underwater portals, musings of the future, and humble truths about the beauty of the ordinary. In addition, the group story “An Adventure in Zeplogria” is a true testament to the amazing young minds that gave this program life. Standing at nearly 4,500 words, it is a master class of wild world building, vivid characters, and crazy plots. Truly, there is something for everyone to enjoy. Before I end, I want to thank Miranda—the co-Wordslinger of Word Squad this semester—for being an amazing partner. I cannot thank you enough for your connection to the students, boundless energy, and complete flexibility in the face of my chaotic teaching style. You are deeply appreciated. One last shout-out to all the Inkers who made Word Squad happen: YOU ARE AMAZING! Keep writing. You are so unique and precious. The seeds of your creativity are growing and, in many ways, are already blossoming. Keep with it. The world needs your voices.

Sincerely,

Zuzu Schmitke

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Acknowledgments Zuzu Schmitke

Wordslinger

Miranda Williams

Wordslinger

Lynn Belzer

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

Dr. JaNay Brown-Wood

Board of Dreamers

Lynn Lizarraga

Board of Dreamers

Michelle Warshaw

Board of Dreamers

Patrick Harbison

Board of Dreamers

Tigh Rickman

Board of Dreamers

Vince Wong

Board of Dreamers

Ian Hadley

Executive Director

Angela Tannehill

Creative Director

Allison Stelly

Director of Development

Nikki Cardoza

Director of Programming

Paulette Greenhouse

Find Your Voice Program Manager

Brenda Nguyen

Program Coordinator

Jay Oatis

Program Coordinator

Nena Larieze

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 An Adventure in Zeplogria . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2

Anh Tran. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17 Curry. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 18 Crunchy Crackers. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 18 Haiku About Spring. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 19 ‘Nother Haiku. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 19 Winter Haiku. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 19

Blu Clark . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 21 Untitled. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 22

Jayden Siu. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 27 The Prank. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 28 Nerf War. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 28

Justin Siu. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 29 Crazy Pet . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 30

Martin Venegas . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 31 Strange Thing? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 32 Imma Fly?!. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 32 Something Is Wrong With Me Today . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 33 Weird Alternate Universe. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 33

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Meridian Creath . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 35 Owls . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 36

Michelle Castillo. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 41 Future Self Note. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 42

Nia James. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 43 One Crazy Story. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 44

Sofia Sarinana . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 47 The Chubby Cat . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 48 Writing is Magic. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 48 I’m Bored. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 49

Zavier Montes. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 51 The Parallel Universe. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 52

Wordslingers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 55 To Be Creative. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 56

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Group Work

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An Adventure in Zeplogria Group Story

Deep in the wild jungles of Zeplogria lived the PowerBirds. The PowerBirds all possessed unique abilities that allowed them to control various elements of the world around them. They were a nomadic group, living in different parts of the jungles during different times of the year. One cold winter evening, the younger PowerBirds were gathered around a fire, roasting marshmallows. The most flamboyant of the group was a stunning red and orange PowerBird named Flame. She was telling an old tale of the ancient trees who used to be alive and talk! She got so into it that her feathers burst into flame. The others all backed away except for a bright yellow bird named Bolt, who was too busy trying to eat his marshmallow. Flame, not realizing she was indeed on fire, flicked her tail and set fire to poor Bolt’s marshmallow. A single tear dripped down Bolt’s beak as his treat disintegrated into ash. “Oh my gosh!” Flame gasped when she realized what was happening. “I’m on fire!” “And so is my marshmallow,” sobbed Bolt. “I am so sorry!” Flame said and ran to comfort the yellow bird. “Wait!” Bolt shouted before Flame could wrap her wings around him. “You’re on FIRE!” Flame looked over at her wings, which were definitely still burning, and brought them back to her sides. “Whoops,” she said, a little embarrassed. “Sorry about that. And about your marshmallow.” “It’s fine,” Bolt sighed. (It was not fine—he really wanted that marshmallow.) “My name is Flame,” Flame said. “What’s yours?” “Bolt,” he replied. “Once again, Bolt, I am really sorry about that marshmallow.” “You already said sorry.”

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“But I don’t think it’s fine. Can I make it up to you?” Flame asked. “How?” Bolt replied. “Maybe by being friends?” Flame suggested. “Fine,” Bolt agreed, “but you better be a good friend. That marshmallow meant a lot to me.” “I’ll be the best friend ever!” Flame said. Bolt smiled. And from that moment on, they were inseparable.

A couple seasons later, the PowerBirds were migrating again. Bolt and Flame often sneaked off from the rest of the flock to explore. And this day, they found themselves in a part of the jungle they had never seen before. “Whoa!” Flame gasped as the two landed on the jungle floor. All around them was what looked like an abandoned village, but not a PowerBird village. Nope, this was something entirely different. In fact, it was a human village. Neither Flame nor Bolt had ever seen a human up close. PowerBird chicks were always told to stay far, far away from the humans. Too many a good bird had been lost to capture by the human tribes. “We should get out of here,” Bolt said as an ominous feeling crept over him. “Why? It doesn’t look like there are any humans here?” Flame said. “This place gives me the creeps. Humans or not,” Bolt replied. “Well, you can stay here and be a scaredy bird, I’m going to see what’s up!” Flame said and leaped into the village. “Ugh!” Bolt groaned and followed after her. Flame may have been his best friend, but she did not have one lick of common sense. Flame dashed into one of the houses. It was so different from the nests she had grown up in. There were glass bottles and weird contraptions everywhere. Continued on next page

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The whole place had a very unique smell that Flame couldn’t quite figure out. Humans are so weird, she thought as she opened the door to a back room. She walked inside and heard a whimper from underneath her. Flame gasped. “Bolt, come here!” she shouted. Flame felt around the floor until she found a suspiciously wide crack. She used her sharp talons to pull up the board, revealing a secret underground room. The whimpering got louder. “I found something!” Flame called again. Bolt begrudgingly followed her inside and saw the secret room. “Flame!” Bolt warned. “Don’t go in there! It could be a trap.” “I think someone’s down here,” Flame said. “All the more reason to LEAVE!” Bolt tried to reason. But Flame wasn’t much for reasoning and dived into the room. She lit the tips of her wing on fire to see what was in the room. That’s when she screamed. “FLAME!” Bolt shrieked and dove into the room. Flame’s wing illuminated the face of a human girl, but something was wrong. Very, very wrong. Humans weren’t supposed to be half wooden or have leaves growing out of them. Bolt screamed. The two birds backed into the opposite corner and clamored on top of each other, trying to get out. “Wait!” the human girl shouted, reaching her normal hand toward them. “Don’t leave!” Tears streaked down her face. She looked like she was in pain or just plain old scared. Bolt and Flame stopped screaming and trying to escape. “You can understand us?” Bolt asked. “She’s half tree and the first thing that comes out of your beak is ‘she can speak our language?’” Flame squawked. The tree-human hybrid girl giggled. “It’s a valid question!” Bolt defended himself. “I’m wondering, how are you half tree? And where is everyone else?” Flame asked. The smile disappeared from the girl’s face. She let out a deep sigh. “It’s a long story.” “We got time,” Flame replied. Bolt gave Flame an annoyed nudge. “No, we don’t.”

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“We can catch up with the flock later,” Flame assured. “Yeah, and get in trouble,” Bolt grumbled under his breath. “Well,” the tree girl started, “it all started...” “Wait!” Flame interrupted. “Names! I’m Flame. Grumpy here is Bolt. What’s yours?” “Flora,” she replied. “How fitting,” Bolt muttered, still annoyed with Flame. “Can I start my story now?” “Yup,” Flame said, making herself comfortable on the floor. Bolt sighed. “So, it all started with my parents. They were brilliant alchemists! Like seriously, super smart. They were trying to replicate the ancient talking trees to figure out what made them work. They developed a potion that would turn a normal tree into one of the ancient talking trees. But while it was still in the testing phase, I accidently drank it. My parents didn’t keep things very neat. So, that’s how this half tree thing happened.” “Yikes,” Flame said. “Pretty much, but I’m only halfway done. A couple of days ago, my village was attacked. My parents hid me in this room, and until you came, I’ve been too scared to come out.” “Who attacked?” Bolt asked. “I don’t know. As soon as my parents got word of the attack, they hid me in here,” Flora explained. “That’s awful!” Flame said. “Yeah...” Flora said. “We should help you find your parents!” Flame burst out. “Really?” Flora’s green eye sparkled with a renewed hope. “And how are we gonna do that?” Bolt asked. “Haven’t gotten that far yet,” Flame said, a smile bright on her beak. Bolt rubbed his wings against the side of his head. Continued on next page

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“I mean, I am a pretty good tracker. And since both of you can fly, we might be able to find some clues of where my village went,” Flora suggested. “Sounds like a plan!” Flame agreed. Bolt let out an exasperated sigh. He had a bad feeling about this. The trio pulled themselves out of the hidden room. Flora kicked the door shut and they all stepped outside of the house. The jungle was eerily quiet. It was midday. The jungle wasn’t supposed to be quiet. Flora, Bolt, and Flame looked above. The flock of PowerBirds was flying overhead. But something was wrong. The birds were flying in a scattered panic. Something was shooting at them from the jungle floor. A massive beam of strange blue light overtook part of the flock. The birds screeched as if they were in pain. “OUR FLOCK!” Flame yelled as she prepared her body for takeoff. “Wait,” Bolt said before she bolted into the air, “the beam is coming from the jungle floor.” “So?” Flame shot back. “Your friend is trying to say that we are closer to whatever is causing that down here,” Flora interjected, “on the jungle floor.” “Ohhhh....” Flame realized. “Follow me,” Flora said. “I know this place like the back of my hand. Branch? Whatever it is now...” Flora took off running, and the pair of PowerBirds followed. Flora dashed through the jungle with the grace and ferocity of a jaguar. She was so fast that even the flying Bolt and Flame struggled to keep up. The trio dodged through the thick brush, vines, and trees that populated the jungle floor until they came upon the source of the blue beam attacking the PowerBird flock. Flora ground to a sudden halt and motioned for Flame and Bolt to do the same. She crept low to the ground, and the birds landed by her side. “Over there,” Flora whispered as she pointed over a bush. In the clearing there was a pair of human women and a massive gun shooting the blue beam. It was hooked up to metal tanks. The taller of the two wore a black cat suit and was handling the metal tanks. The buffer one held the giant gun. It was so loud that Flame, Flora, and Bolt couldn’t make out what the women were saying.

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Bolt and Flame were furious. Whatever these monsters were doing was hurting their flock and their families. Flame burst from the bushes with a horrible screech and launched a fireball at the pair. Bolt, in a moment of ill-thought bravery, leaped after Flame. With a flick of his tail, a massive lightning bolt was hurdled at the hunters. The buffer woman dropped the gun and dodged the attacks. The woman in the catsuit leaped onto Bolt’s back only to be met with a horrible shock. She screamed and collapsed onto the ground. Bolt flicked his tail, reading the final blow. Meanwhile, Flame leaped on top of the buffer woman and was about to hurl a fireball in her face when Flora screamed, “STOP!” Flame and Bolt froze. “Don’t you want to know what they’re doing?” Flora said. The two birds looked at each other and nodded. “What are you doing!?” snarled Flame to the buff woman beneath her talons. Bolt face-palmed. “I was about to ask you the same thing?” the woman replied. “Stopping you from hurting our family!” Flame shot back, digging her talons into the woman’s abs (she was like 99 percent muscle). “That’s your flock?” the woman in the catsuit said from beneath Bolt. “Yes.” Flame was annoyed. “We had no idea you birds could talk or even think,” the buff woman said. “We never would have attacked if we had known you were, like, actual people.” “What?” Flora, Flame, and Bolt said collectively. “If you get off of me, I can explain,” she said, pushing Flame off her body. Bolt leaped away from the lady in the catsuit. The buff woman sat up. “First off, my name is Ray. This is my partner in crime, Sauna, and we are poachers.” “POACHERS,” Bolt growled. “You monsters!” “Hold your tail feathers, Sparky,” Sauna said. “My name is not Sparky!!!!! IT’S BOLT,” he shot back. “All right, all right. Bolt. Let us explain,” Ray said. Continued on next page

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“Yeah, Bolt, let them explain,” Flame teased, thoroughly amused that she wasn’t the hothead for once. Bolt glared at her before sitting back to listen. “Both of you, cut it out!” Flora snapped. “Anyways,” Ray continued, “Sauna and I really only did poaching after we lost our families when we were young. We also hunted with my younger brother, Nerf. It was never too bad. Just a few rare animals here and there, but everything changed when this man named Roberts approached us. He signed us onto this deal to take out a flock of the PowerBirds with this new gun of his. We initially said no, but then he captured Nerf and held him for ransom. So, Sauna and I went out to use his weird gun and save my brother, but we had NO IDEA you could talk.” “Seriously?” Bolt asked. “Every human knows we can talk.” “We’re not from around here. We come from way up north, where the birds CAN’T talk,” Sauna explained. “Weird,” Flame said. “So, do you even know what the gun does besides hurt the birds?” Flora asked. “Roberts said something about taking away power and turning it into energy, but honestly I kinda dozed off when he was explaining all the science stuff,” Ray admitted. “Same here,” Sauna said. “Great. Real helpful, ladies,” Bolt muttered under his breath. “Oh, can it, Sparkplug,” Sauna shot back. “The guy could talk you to death. You would have zoned out too.” “MY NAME IS BOLT!” he fumed. Flame giggled. It was so funny to see him mad. “ALL OF YOU!” Flora screamed. “STOP IT! We have a real problem to deal with. And that is this Roberts guy. He’s got your brother and he’s harming YOUR flock, and for all I care, he might be why my village disappeared! So can you all grow up and FOCUS!” The other four hung their heads in shame and nodded. “Now let’s go find this Roberts and stop him once and for all!” Flora said.

P 8

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The five walked through the forest, following the guidance of Ray and Sauna, who were trying their best to remember where Roberts’s lair was. Everything was going fine until they heard a rustling in the foliage behind them. They froze, fearing the worst. Out popped a rather nerdy looking cat man dressed in a quirky blue suit with a monocle, staring intently into a data pad. “Hello?” Flame said. The cat man looked up from his data pad and immediately dropped it with a yowl. “Who are you!?” he exclaimed. “Uh, you first,” Ray said, “weird cat dude.” “First off,” the suited cat said as he bent to pick up his data pad, “’cat dude’ is extremely offensive. Call me that again and I will scratch you. Second off, I have a name. It’s Dr. Sharpwhiskers. But you lot can just call me Doctor.” “OK, Doctor,” Ray continued, “what are you doing here?” “Nope, I answered your question, now you answer mine,” the Doctor said. Ray groaned. “I’m Flame,” Flame cut in. “Yellowhead over here is named Bolt. Tree girl is Flora. Buff gal is Ray. And catsuit’s name is Sauna. Now! You answer the second question.” “Righto, I am looking for my dictionary.” “Dictionary?” “Yes, you know, index of all great languages.” “I am familiar.” “Sorry, I just assumed....” “That because I’m a bird I am stupid?” Flame countered. “The word ‘birdbrain’ does come to mind,” Sharpwhiskers said with a tease in his voice. “Well, cat dude,” Flame emphasized, “that’s offensive.” “Touché,” Sharpwhiskers conceded. “But now you must answer my question. What are you doing here?” Continued on next page

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“Looking for Roberts.” “ROBERTS!” “You know him?” “Know him—I was lab partners with him fifteen years ago! About the same time my dictionary went missing...” Dr. Sharpwhiskers trailed off. “OH MY CATNIP! Roberts has my dictionary!!!” “What?” “If you are on your way to find Roberts, I must come with you!” “Great,” Bolt muttered, “another misfit to slow us down.” Flora punched his wing. “Why is this dictionary so important to you? Like, you could just go to any library and find another one,” Flame butted in. Dr. Sharpwhiskers gasped. “My dictionary is no ordinary book! It cannot be picked up at a library. No. This dictionary is how I translated the language of the very workings of our world! In it lies the key to the mystic powers of the birds, the sentience of all animals, and the secrets of the ancient talking trees!” “Seriously?” Flame exclaimed. “Why didn’t you start with that?” Flora said. “It’s not information I give out willy-nilly,” Dr. Sharpwhiskers said, crossing his arms. “Well, if your dictionary really holds the secrets to Zeplogria and is in the hands of Roberts, then we could be in some major trouble,” Flora said. “Yeah, we need to get it from Roberts, like, NOW!” Flame said. “Agreed,” everyone chimed in at once. And the crew of misfits took off into the jungle.

It was only about three hours later when they stumbled upon a massive metal fortress rising from the jungle floor. They’d arrived. Ray and Sauna busted down the front door, leading everyone behind. “You all go ahead of me,” Dr. Sharpwhiskers whispered. “I am going to find my

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dictionary while you take out Roberts.” “Fine,” Ray said, “But be quick and stay out of sight.” Dr. Sharpwhiskers took off down another hallway, but to everyone’s surprise, Flora took off with him. “Wait!” Flame called. “I need to find out what happened to my village, and the dictionary is my best shot. Go take care of Roberts,” Flora responded. Flame and Bolt hung their heads but knew she was right. Flora deserved to know what happened, and the two birds knew they had the best shot at taking down Roberts. “Hurry up.” Ray and Sauna motioned to the PowerBirds. They hurried after the two women and stumbled into the heart of the metal fortress. Inside was a giant tank very similar to the one that Ray and Sauna were using with their gun, but like a thousand times bigger. It was glowing bright and pulsing with an eerie blue color. “What is that?” asked Flame. “That’s the stuff that gives you birds power,” Sauna whispered. “Roberts may be boring, but I understood that much.” “It looks like magic,” Flame said. “And how would you know what that looks like?” Bolt muttered. Flame glared at him. “Stop bickering. Roberts is over there looking at data, and look over there,” Ray pointed to a big glass tube with a young man trapped inside. “There’s my brother.” “OK, quick plan,” Flame said. “Wow, you’re actually thinking before rushing into things?” Bolt mocked. “I’m serious. If we don’t win this, our flock and PowerBirds altogether might be wiped out,” Flame pleaded. “You’re right,” Bolt said. “So, this plan...” “Ray and Sauna,” Flame continued, “you get Nerf out of there. Bolt and I will attack Roberts from behind. He won’t see it coming. Once you free Nerf and Continued on next page

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we stop Roberts, we blow up whatever the big glowing blue stuff is, find Flora and Dr. Sharpwhiskers, and get the heck out of here. All right?” “Aside from the blowing the blue stuff up, sounds great,” Ray said. “Yeah, let’s not blow up the blue stuff,” Bolt agreed. “No! I really want to see what it looks like when it goes kaboom!” Flame said. “NO!” Ray, Sauna, and Bolt said in unison. “Amendment to the plan,” Sauna said. “We stop Flame from trying to blow up the blue stuff at all costs.” “Sounds good,” Bolt and Ray said. “Awww...” Flame said, defeated. “Let’s do this!” Ray said and charged toward the glass cylinder holding her brother. Sauna followed after her. Bolt and Flame leaped into action and charged Roberts. They launched a lightning-charged fireball at the man, only for him to dodge it. The attack still hit his computer and colored the whole room red with alarms. “You fools!” he screamed. Flame launched at him but was suddenly caught in a strange blue ray emanating from Roberts’s robot arm. It looked very similar to the one they saw in the sky aimed at their flock. Flame screamed in pain. It felt like her life was being sucked out of her. “FLAME!” Bolt screamed. He started at the mad scientist but was caught in another ray from the man’s other robot arm. “Idiot birds,” he cackled. “You have no idea the power you possess. But do not fear. It will all be mine soon enough!” Bolt and Flame writhed in pain as both of their powers and lives were being sucked from them. On the other side of the room, Ray and Sauna managed to break Nerf out of his glass cage. “Hurry,” he said, “Roberts is getting power from the birds and from this tank. We have to destroy it.” “We just said we wouldn’t blow it up!” Ray and Sauna said together.

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“It’s how Roberts is powering all of the machinery and his zappy, powersucking robot arms. LOOK!” Nerf pointed to Bolt and Flame. Ray and Sauna gasped. “If we blow this thing up,” Nerf continued, “Roberts doesn’t have any more power, and your bird friends will be safe.” “OK,” Ray agreed, “how do we blow it up?” “Every bad guy puts a self-destruct button on their stuff, right?” Nerf said. “It is true,” Sauna said. “Self-destruct buttons are very convenient.” “Then all we need to do is find it and end this once and for all. They are usually big and red. So, any big red button—just push it,” Nerf said. “You mean like this one?” Ray said, pointing to the big red button on the base of the blue tank. “Yup,” Nerf said. “Imma press it,” Ray said as she slammed her fist into the button. “SELF DESTRUCT INITIATED IN TEN...NINE…” A robot voice said over the intercom. “NOOOOOOOOOO!” Roberts screamed, releasing the two PowerBirds. They crumbled to the ground, completely knocked out. “WE GOTTA GET OUTTA HERE!” Nerf screamed above the blaring alarms. “SEVEN…SIX…FIVE…” Ray and Sauna snatched up the birds and followed Nerf out of the laboratory just before the blue tank exploded. They just kept running and running, and the metal fortress started to come down around them. They managed to leap out of the door just before the metal melted into the ground. Near the former entrance stood Flora and Dr. Sharpwhiskers, dictionary in hand. Behind them, the metal heap glowed with bright blue magic as it floated back into the sky. A couple strands of the strange blue light drifted toward Bolt and Flame, restoring their life and magic. The two PowerBirds bolted back to life. “We did it!” they all said together. “And look, we even got the dictionary back!” Dr. Sharpwhiskers said. Continued on next page

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“Did you find out where your village went?” Bolt asked Flora. “Not yet, but Dr. Sharpwhiskers and I are going to keep searching. With his dictionary, I am sure that we can do anything.” “Nerf, Sauna, and I are all retiring from poaching PERMANENTLY. We’d love to help you find your village,” Ray said. “Bolt and I would love to come too,” Flame said, “but we need to head back to our flock and make sure they are all OK.” “I understand,” Flora said, putting a hand on Flame’s wing. “I am so glad I met you. Both of you.” Bolt, Flame, and Flora wrapped each other in a big embrace. Ray, Sauna, Nerf, and yes, even Dr. Sharpwhiskers all joined. They may have been heading their separate ways for now, but there was no doubt that they would all meet again in the future. One Year Later Flame was flying. She was searching for Bolt. Suddenly, she spotted something. “Bolt!” she screamed, and she flew like a missile toward him. “Whoa!” He got out of the way just in time. Flame stopped herself before she hit the ground. “Where were you?” she said, half angrily, half relieved. “Getting bird-napped,” he said sarcastically. Then he called out, “Hey, it’s OK! It’s only Flame.” Figures walked toward them. Flame’s muscles grew taught, ready to defend herself. But it was OK. “Nerf? Sauna? Ray? Dr. Sharpwhiskers?” she asked, and then she saw her favorite tree in the whole world. “FLORA?” Except, she wasn’t a tree. Flora was walking toward Flame, a tall, beautiful human with skin the color of bark and eyes the color of lush grass. Flame was speechless. “Hi!” Flora said. “How did you find out how to be a human?” Flame asked. “Yeah, I was wondering that too. All I could do before this maniac flier,” Bolt nodded at Flame, who scowled, “was to tell you to get into hiding, no explanation whatsoever!” Bolt grumbled. Flora smiled.

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“Well, I was wandering around with Cat Dude over there when I remembered that my parents were alchemists, so they probably brewed some kind of potion or had ingredients for a changing potion. Well, they had a changing potion, so I drank it, and poof! I was a human. Well, I can shape-shift now!” Flame and Bolt both had wide eyes and open mouths. “Well, did you find out what happened to your village?” Flame asked. “Oh, yeah!” Flora said. “Well, they left a note.” Dear Flora, If you ever come to read this letter, then let me tell you this. First, you must know why our village got smashed. Dr. Roberts was destroying it to find hidden powers or PowerBirds. Next, I must tell you NEVER to walk to his lair. He has a nefarious sidekick, Dr. Sharpwhiskers. Please make alliances with the PowerBirds, and if you ever come across a big red button, press it! Father ♥ “Well, I think we know or have done all of it,” Nerf said. “We’ve been traveling with her ever since we saw her coming out of the ruins.” Sauna said. “Well, do you wanna come and help us?” Flame asked. “With what?” Ray questioned. “Well, we’re trying to find something very important...” Flame said. Bolt interrupted. “What she means is we are trying to find buried treasure.” “I told you not to tell them yet!” Flame said, half exasperated, half angry, half amused. “We’ll help!” they all said (except for Dr. Sharpwhiskers). “Yes, I think I will,” Dr. Sharpwhiskers said, “and I might be able to find some francium, calcium, petrolite...”

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Anh Tran

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Curry Anh Tran

Curry. They are spicy. GOOD spicy. Goes good with rice. Love its spice. And it’s sure be nice to eat it the rest of my life.

Crunchy Crackers Anh Tran

Crunchy crackers with cream cheese, a tasty sweet disease, with salty crackers and sour cheese, goes good together like pieces and kisses.

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Haiku About Spring Anh Tran

Spring is in the air Plants blooming from small seeds, wind is blown gracefully.

‘Nother Haiku Anh Tran

Shiny nice dewdrops on bright green leaves, spring is coming with happiness.

Winter Haiku Anh Tran

Aesthetic winter, snow falling down on our home. Winter shining, bright sky.

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Blu Clark

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Untitled Blu Clark

Part I: The Water Deep Below I was on a beautiful nature walk when I came across a large, glimmering pond shining and reflecting off the sun. Then the water started to bubble like it was boiling from the hot summer day, and a few seconds later, it stopped. All the activity stopped, and I was so very curious, I checked in my camouflage backpack to see if I had anything that would help me if I jumped in. I found a pair of goggles and a dirty water suit. I quickly changed and put a waterproof case over my bag so I could take it in the water with me. Suddenly, I heard it. I was terrified, and I thought I was trespassing. Footsteps were coming toward me. I couldn’t move a muscle, so I had no choice but to jump in. The lake was very big, beautiful, and a little cold under my swimsuit. The person behind me suspiciously didn’t see me under water. But they were looking right at me! I thought for a brief second and decided it wasn’t a big deal. So I swam on until a tsunami came? “This is a lake! There are definitely not supposed to be tsunamis in a lake!” I said to myself. Now I knew there was something wrong. I was pulled deep under water, and I was losing breath until I heard a splash. After that, I was completely unconscious, and by the time I woke up, it was the next day and I was in the house of my friend who (I heard) saved my life. She said I was getting sucked into a different dimension, but she saved me in time. Part II: Into the Deep I was shocked after the incident and was now more curious than ever! I wanted to explore more. For me. It’s like when people discovered more bones of past dinosaurs and now want to search even further. That’s what I felt, just a bit more deadly. The day I got home from my friend’s house, I put on old scuba gear and prepared with weapons like stocks and binoculars because you never know what you might come across.

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My friend told me I was being sucked into a different dimension. Only one person has accidently gone in. I’m 90 percent sure my friend got that info from the person who really saved me. I kinda created this theory, and don’t laugh at me. That the person who actually saved me had a friend, and that’s who actually saved me. That’s just my theory, and I could be wrong, so first, I’m going in the portal! I went on the same nature walk and down the same old crooked path even more prepared now with scuba gear and the wetproof cover for my backpack and all. I was set walking down the dim path with trees blocking the sun. Now I was a couple steps away from discovering a new dimension separated from our own. I walked past the same tree, which now had sticky sap on it. I turned, and what was more amazing was that I saw flat ground for miles? No lake; no boiling pot; nothing but flat ground with grass all over like a lake never existed. I walked around a bit and saw a lever. A wooden lever that I just knew would renew the lake and open the mysterious portal. I switched it and dove in. I was ready. Part III: A Different Dimension I jumped in, and with no surprise, another tsunami came. “Still a lake though,” I said. I survived and dived deeper into the water. As I went, I saw a beautiful blue fish looking at me as if it had known me for centuries. It winked at me and swam away. I was too distracted, so I knocked myself out of the trance and went deeper. It was getting darker, and I was getting closer to the ground of the lake. So I pulled out the waterproof flashlight and looked around. I saw the weird pentagon-shaped portal. It was made of orange goo and was a pentagon shape with a blue middle, which I knew was the entrance and would lead me to destiny. I started to swim near as the current got stronger, and it was hard to go closer, and I was struggling a lot now. My eyesight was getting blurry, and yet I still pushed through. I finally got through. Continued on next page

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Now I was inside the dimension. It seemed very peaceful and beautiful, but all those feelings stopped when a bunch of big-headed but small-bodied things came running past me as a superspeed wall. They said, “Run for your life!” I was so confused. I felt like I was a moth getting bullied by bulls, then flew up when they were all out of my way. There were hundreds of them and all different colors and sometimes shapes. “What is going on?” I asked to the last tiny, left-behind creature. It said, “She is coming.” Part IV: Lili and the Witch “What do you mean?!” I screamed. “Who is coming?!” I yelled again. The tiny-like things, which I now realized were trolls, didn’t answer me. I headed to follow them. I ran so hard, desperate to know more about this magical place. “Who!?!?” I screamed at the top of my lungs as I caught up. “Launda the Witch! She is here to make us her puppets of slime; now run!” said a troll who failed to keep up. She had a blue, dirty hat with small shorts that had holes in them. I still had so many questions, so I said to the troll the only thing I could think of. “Come back here, or I will...EAT YOU!” I spoke. “AHHH! OK! FINE!” the troll quickly blurted. “Now, I got a couple questions. One, who the heck is Launda the Witch? Two, why does she want to ‘turn people into slime’? And three, why are you guys running when I don’t see the witch? Speaking of that, when is she coming?” I said, as understandably as I could. “Holey baloney! That’s a lot of questions, and thoughtfully, I have answers! Please don’t eat me, though. I still have a life to live,” said the troll. “My name is Lili. I’m a part of...well...the Troll Survival Team. We protect our land and are the only living things besides the witch in Makutu. By the way, Makutu is where we live; here! Anyway, answer to question number one...” Lili was talking so much, I didn’t get to say anything but was still sucking in information. Well, at least important information.

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She went on. “Launda the Witch comes to Makutu every ten years, and we have to stop her from using her magic to keep turning us into slime! She is super-duper evil.” Lili went on and on. “Answer to question number two: the witch loves slime and keeps it all in certain jars, and apparently slime gives her more power, and by the way, sorry if we came in a little too loud,” said Lili. “OK, good to know!” I responded. As she went on, I could tell Lili was little from what I read about fairy tales very young. “OK, answer to question number three: we was running to our base to get ready for the witch’s arrival tomorrow. And there are all the questions answered!” Lili said. “You guys must be in danger! I’ve always wanted to save a mythical world from peril! Can I help you guys defeat her? How do you do it? Do you guys have a magic staff you use!?!? That would be awesome!” I said in a little too excited tone. “Yes, we in danger, and yes, please help. No, WE DON’T HAVE A MAGIC WAND! DO YOU THINK WE’RE PRINCESSES AND PRINCES?!” Lili said in a funny and annoyed voice. “For a little bit, yes. Yes, I did. Anyway, it looks like you’re waaaaay behind the club. Can I go with you to your home?” I asked in a pleading voice. “OK, fine, but stay hidden until I tell the others about you,” Lili said. Part V: The Fight Against Launda the Witch When we got there, it was just what I wanted it to be, a beautiful mushroom forest with at least a hundred trolls and leaf houses, but the thing that was different was that they all were preparing for war against who I already knew: Launda the Witch. Surprisingly, a second or two after I saw the beautiful village, Lili was already trying to get every troll’s attention. “Come about, trolls! I have brought you a human from...where did you come from?” She turned to me and I had to respond with the most obvious answer. “Um, Earth?” I said. “Earth! She is here to help us defeat Launda the Witch! I have met her, and yes, she allows hugs!” Lili said. I was confused until every troll darted toward me and gave me a calming hug. Lili was smiling at me, and it was rude to tell Continued on next page

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her I wouldn’t actually allow this, so instead I smiled back. We had already made friendship within each other. It was now the next day, and battle was coming to our sturdy hands. Or for the trolls, little paw-like hands. “We go up together and back down if we shall!” said the leader of the trolls. “For the human, my name is Kungu, and your name is?” said the old troll. “My name is, well...Ella,” I spoke. We came to the battlefield prepared, and Launda came out of the shadows. She was a troll too!? I did not expect it at all! How come they didn’t just throw her in a jar? Then I remembered she could turn things into slime and the others were trolls too. “Let us...” She started wall-waving her wand. I came over and scooped it up, threw it backward, and drop-kicked the little troll. There was a second of silence, but then every troll started cheering and throwing their beanies in the air. I had done it. I had saved a mythical world from danger, and now it was time to go home.

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Jayden Siu

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The Prank Jayden Siu

One day I was playing hide and seek with my friends, and I was a hider. I was behind a bush and saw the seeker. He did not find me because he walked right past me. I ran to my room and got my water gun. After that, I got my snorkel and got in the water. Then my friend saw the snorkel, and then I jumped up and shot my friend with my water gun. He got so mad that I ran to my room and locked the door.

Nerf War Jayden Siu

One day I was going to Jack in the Box to get a burger for lunch. What I did not know is that my bro was about to prank me. When I got home, I sat down. Then he got one of my strong Nerf guns and shot my soda, and my soda knocked down. Then he put fart spray on my burger. I said, “Nerf war.” He ran to his room, and I ran to my room. I got my Nerf scar and some extra magazines while he got his Nerf pistol. I went downstairs and hid at a good place. Then he came to defeat me, but I shot at him. My gun rapid fired. He shot his pistol, but he missed me. He got one of the Nerf bullets lying around and reloaded his gun. I ran out of bullets and crawled to the cabinets because there was a Nerf mini gun in it. I got it and started to fire it on my brother. The bullets hit my brother, and I won. Then I used his money to get a new burger, and I ate it in peace.

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Justin Siu

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Crazy Pet Justin Siu

I have a pet black monkey...with red eyes. It’s a monkey that came from a different dimension that is approximately 9,999,999,999,999,999,999,999,99 9,999,999,999,999,999,999,999,999,999,999,999,999,999,999,999 miles away from Earth. I freaked out when I first saw it. It was called a zrtyhgh monkey. I don’t know how to pronounce it, but it is weird. It does not attack people... but it annoys people. It always squirts mustard in my shirts and hides in the closet. It lives under my house. Every day I feed it some bananas before I go to school, and I feed it when get back from school.

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Martin Venegas

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Strange Thing? Martin Venegas

I found a thing. It said, “Hi.” I said, “What the!” Then he was shy. I was wondering, What the heck is going on!? Then he turned around and said, “You wanna be friends?” And was like, “Sure???” Then we were friends from then and on.

Imma Fly?! Martin Venegas

One day I woke up, and then I was a fly. The first thing I thought was to not get swatted, so I flew where I could hide and not make a sound, ‘cause the last thing I needed was DEATH! Then my mom called ‘cause it was school, so I panicked. Then she came to my room. Then she thought I hid, and then I suddenly turned back. Then I was all ready for school somehow.

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Something Is Wrong With Me Today Martin Venegas

One day I walked and walked and walked even more, and then I walked a whole bunch more. I decided to walk back home. When I got back home, I slept for an hour, and then I woke up. Then I slept for another hour, and then it kept on going. Then it was 8:00 p.m. It was the weekend. Something was wrong. Very wrong. So then I tried to put my body into it. Then somehow my problems were then fixed. When I set my mind to it, I finally fixed my problem.

Weird Alternate Universe Martin Venegas

I woke up one day and then I felt this strange feeling, and it was school? I told my mom it was the weekend. She said it was school, and I was like OK... After a weird day of school, my sister came and said, “Like usual, tomorrow is already Sunday.” Then I said back, “Yeah, the weekend, right...?” “No,” she said, “it is the day before the weekend.” “Uhhhhh...OK!” In my mind I thought, Ooooooo. I sort of like universes. You can think deeeeeeep. Hhhhuummm, what should I do??

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Meridian Creath

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Owls Meridian Creath

I woke up suddenly as if somebody had slapped me in the face. I looked up and saw an owl flapping up above me. I couldn’t believe my eyes. “Wake up. We’re going to school.” I fainted. When I woke up, I saw the owl again. So it wasn’t a dream, I thought. “Shoo,” I said weakly. The owl said, “Come on. We are going to be late. And by the way, my name is Artemis.” We flew to a school. Well, Artemis said that my true nature was a bird, blah, blah, blah, and she showered some dust over me so I turned into a bird. OK, where was I? Oh yeah. We flew to a place called the Zeplogria School of Birds. I saw it, but I don’t want to go because one, I wasn’t a bird, and two, because I had just finished school. But Artemis just said to “never mind the sign,” and we swooped down to the school. It was not like any school I had ever seen; there were birds everywhere, from tiny hummingbirds to penguins to a gigantic ostrich who was just walking. The school was odd. It seemed to have flying staircases, moving classrooms, and continuously changing landscapes outside the windows! Even though it seemed like the school would just collapse because of all the movement, the Zeplogria School of Birds didn’t seem to be that crowded. I felt a rustle of wings behind me and started. I had almost forgotten about Artemis. She flapped her wings and clicked her beak irritably. “What?” I asked. Artemis nudged me over to a severe looking falcon perching on the highest beam on the ceiling. I flapped up to him (I had gotten oddly comfortable with flying) and landed on a perch close to him. “Another one, eh?” he asked. “Yes, Headwing,” said Artemis. I looked at myself for the first time while I was still a bird and realized that I was a fiery red DRAGON! I swooped around and then realized that I was not

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as big as the dragons I read about. Actually, I was smaller than most of the birds there (except for the sparrows and hummingbirds) and I had half-footlong wings with a pattern of diamonds across my back and tail. Actually, I would have thought I was a dinosaur if I hadn’t felt a great gust of air in my stomach and then seen a spurt of flames from my mouth. Artemis hurried me away from the headwing before he could comment. I go to my dorm room and found that it was beautiful and spacious. It had gold-painted floors, silver-coated walls, and red, gold, blue, and silver furniture. The room had armchairs that actually looked more like poufs with backrests and cupholders (cupholders?) and two wardrobes. The one closest to the window was humongous and had red wood and little gold designs all over the outside. The other wardrobe was as big as the other one and had blue wood and silver designs. There were two beds; they had silver and blue blankets and pillows and were made out of red wood and gold swirls. As I walked in, I wondered who my roommate was. I saw a horse head peeking out from behind one of the wardrobes. I looked behind the wardrobe and saw a Pegasus. She seemed to be very shy and waited for me to speak. “Hi,” I said uncertainly. “Hi.” It took me a few seconds to realize that the Pegasus had made the sound. She was a beautiful golden color and had wings that looked more scaly than feathery. She was as small as a bush. “What’s your name?” I asked tentatively. “Amphithere,” she said. “Where are you from?” “Canada.” “How old are you?” Continued on next page

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“I don’t know.” This answer seemed to scare her as much as it puzzled me. “But I know how old I am.” “Do you?” Amphithere asked. But thinking back, I couldn’t remember how old I was. “That’s weird.” Suddenly, our dormitory door burst open. A tall falcon and an eagle stood (What am I talking about? They were flying, of course!) in the doorway. “Well, look at the runts they’ve brought in this time,” jeered the falcon. “You’re going down, whoever you are,” he said, like he didn’t bother knowing our names. I felt Amphithere move a little closer to me. “What’s wrong?” the falcon asked mockingly. “Oh yeah, your mother said you weren’t a dragon, so she booted you out. Some people have actual families here.” “Stop it!” I yelled, and a small flame shot from my mouth. The falcon looked offended (on my part, I didn’t feel that sorry for him) and he quickly departed with the eagle, leaving nothing but a few feathers behind. “Really, who was that?” I ask. “That was Briar, the stuck-up son of the headwing,” Amphithere said. “I hope all that stuff he said about you was made up,” I said. Amphithere hung her head. “No, I come from a dragon family, but my mom threw me out when she realized I was a Pegasus. Or,” she looked at her scaly wings in shame, “more like a Pegasus.” I put my wing around her. “You are unique, and that’s what matters.”

We went down to dinner, and I found GREAT food! Raw meat! Looking back, I could remember a time when I didn’t like raw meat, but I couldn’t remember exactly. Well, it was very good. I had blazing hot milk for dinner. I was wishing that I could have some dessert, and suddenly a medium-big chocolate bar appeared in front of me. “How did that happen?” I asked.

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“This place is powered by wish-power,” Amphithere muttered. She seemed to be a little less shy to me after I had defended her. I snarfed down the chocolate, then waited, thinking that I wanted a banana split sundae. But nothing happened. “You only get one helping of dessert,” said Amphithere. “Aw,” I said. Then, for the first time, I looked around the kitchen. There were no seats; everybody was just spreading their wings out and flying (except for the table closest to the wall, whose birds were just standing). There were four tables, and judging by the birds/other flying things gliding near them, they were split up into flying birds; flightless birds; flying creatures; and the longest table, the staff table. The flying birds table was the biggest; Briar was there, talking to his eagle crony. He seemed very happy about something, but I didn’t really care. Well, what was I talking about? Yeah, OK, so the flying birds table was in the middle, the flightless birds table was pushed to the side, and our table (the flying creatures table) was closest to the staff table. The staff table itself was the longest, and by that I mean LONG! It had about ten teachers, and by the look of it, the teachers were hypnotized. I know! They all seemed to be dozing off, then snapping back up again, then dozing off…except for the one in the middle, the headwing. He was quite impassive, eating his dinner and chatting to a small professor who kept smashing headfirst into his plate of chocolate pudding. Once we finished dinner, we went to bed. Amphithere (who I was starting to call Ami) snuggled into her blankets that seemed to close around her, warming her. I got into my own bed. The moment my scales touched the bed, the indigo blankets wrapped around me. I struggled, and the blankets loosened. “Just tell it what to do...” Ami said sleepily. I glanced at her incredulously, then whispered, “I want it to be like a warm burrito.” The blankets instantly wrapped around me in the exact shape I was hoping for! Continued on next page

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I woke up the next day feeling warm and comfortable. Me and Ami went to the hall. I had bacon and pancakes and, deciding to save my wish, I did not think about dessert. “Here,” Ami said, shoving a few Sour Patch Kids packages into my claw just before our first lesson and blushing. Well, it turned out that we were not allowed to have food in the classroom. The moment I crossed the threshold, the Sour Patch Kids vaporized. “Wha..?” I said in confusion. Ami giggled. “I forgot! We’re not allowed to have edible things during classes!” She burst into laughter. “Settle down, settle down,” said the tiny professor I had noticed last night. “Today we are going to be talking about dodo birds. Now, they were there in the...” I listened interestedly, but soon I was distracted by a noise…

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Michelle Castillo

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Future Self Note Michelle Castillo

Dear future self, Are you a successful pastry chef like you wanted to be? Do you have better handwriting? Did you get into Harvard? Did you get good grades? How are your parents doing? Did you marry your crush? If you didn’t, did you ever tell him you liked him? Does he like you? If so, do you have a child? Is it a boy or girl? Is she or he adorable? What is his/her name?

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Nia James

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One Crazy Story Nia James

My hero is Ariana Grande. She is my hero because she sings very good, and she is an actress.

Well, that was all I got for my homework. It looked all scribbled, and the paper was wrinkly. I could hear it whispering to me, “Save me, fix me, and do more of me.” I responded with a, “No, no, nooooooooooo.” Then my mom said, “Did you do your homework?” I hid my paper and said, “Yes, Mom.” I lied. I was breathing very heavily because I did not know what to write, and when I breathed in, I smelled something very bad. I looked down and saw that I was writing on a dirty sock. “Oh, brother.” I decided to go down in the basement for more focus. I was doing really good, and then I heard something move in the pile of blankets. I took the blankets off, and there was a robot. I said, “Hey, little guy,” and I put my hand out to pet it, and it bit me. “Bad boy,” I said, and it scooted back. “Oh, I am sorry,” it said. I was so surprised it could talk that I almost fainted. “Mom,” I called. The robot said, “Stop calling your mother, little baby, or bad things will happen to you.” “Aaaahhhhh!” I screamed, and then I woke up. I was still in the basement, and I checked in the blankets. There was nothing. But remember when that robot said bad things would happen? Well, wouldn’t you know, bad things started happening to me! When I was riding my bike to school, it broke down. When I was at school, a bully ate my lunch, and I was surprised because I’m the popular one—why was he picking on me? Uuuuuhhhhhhh, what is wrong

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with them? I’d never believe I would ever say this, but why does there have to be just even one B.U.L.L.Y in the world? (If you don’t know what B.U.L.L.Y. stands for, then it stands for Bad Unacceptable Little Logic Youngness.) Wanna see me do my dance in these thousand-dollar pants—sorry, I got distracted and started singing in class straight to detention. Oh, gosh! Can this day get any worse? Well, I should have known that was a baaaaad choice of words because, guess what, things got worse! I got into a fight, and I got a bloody nose. I didn’t even touch the guy, and I was the only one who got suspended. Well, I learned my lesson. Wait, what? No, I didn’t, because I did not do anything, but I guess this is how this story ends. Wait! No, this not how this story ends because, guess what, the teacher said if I can write one more paragraph, I can turn this into my essay! First, I would like to say thank you to my mother and, oh, hold on a second—I say that at the end. Hehehe. Well, I’ve written three sentences including this one, so I guess I’ve only got one more to go, right? Because four sentences is a paragraph. This is my time to shine. I’d like to thank my dad for supporting me in this story and my nana for putting me in this writing class so that I would be able to type this story and my brother for giving me ideas and my mom for repeatedly telling me that it was great and all my other people who helped me. OK, now I’m sure this is the end. Oh! Wait, I still have a lot more. Nah, nah, I was just kidding, but bye!

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Sofia Sarinana

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The Chubby Cat Sofia Sarinana

One hot summer day, a cat followed me home. Obviously my parents wouldn’t let me keep it, so every day I put out plastic bowls with food and water. One day the cat didn’t want to leave me. It followed me home and went into my backyard. My parents tried to kick it out, but it was too chubby to move. (Go chubby cats!)

Writing is Magic Sofia Sarinana

My school is basic, but this year they announced a writing class. In the description, it says, “Writing class! Only for the most magical students!” I know what it means, and I race into the writing class. “Hello,” says the person guarding the door. They look like the FBI, and suddenly I feel like wetting my pants. “Demonstration, please!” I show them my wings and make a rainbow in the sky. “You may come in,” says the person and opens the door. I rush inside and see a bunch of fairies in the room. The fairies’ clothes look like a rainbow threw up on them. They are so bright and colorful, I think I might go blind. “I knew it! I knew there was something amazing about this school!” I say and accidentally make it rain marshmallows in the classroom.

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I’m Bored Sofia Sarinana

I’m bored. Are you bored? I’m bored because I’m not doing anything. Wait, I’m writing. Never mind; if you’re bored, then that’s your problem.

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Zavier Montes

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The Parallel Universe Zavier Montes

Date and Time: May 11, 2029, 2:30 p.m. Hello, my name is Zavier R. Montes, and I will tell you a story about a parallel universe. On this day, it was another ordinary day. I was going to work (lab). It was raining. Everywhere I looked, the big gray clouds were in front of the nice blue sky. “I’m about to test something that might help the entire world,” I said. As I said that, I had just gotten to work. Why is there never any parking? I had asked to myself. I had parked a mile away from the building, so I ran. Once I had just got into the building, my boss came up to me. My boss told me, “You’re late again. Hurry up back there so we can do this thing already.” “I ran as fast as I could; I barely made it. This is it?” I asked. It looked kinda small, almost smaller than my height. It looked brand new. Looked like they just finished it. I’m kinda glad I came at this time; I didn’t want to wait ten minutes just for it to be finished. And it was time for testing. As I walked into the machine, I saw one of the workers smiling. They never smile. Why are they smiling? I said in my head. I thought they were happy for something that would help the future of the world. I was wrong, As the thing started, he laughed like a madman. I realized that he was a fake. He had put a parallel universe device thing in the machine. I blinked, and I was on a building, a high one. It looked like I was still in my planet, but there were a few changes. I picked up my phone and called one of my friends. He answered. “I—” he had cut me off when I had started to talk. He said, “Hello? Who are you?” I was in shock. He was one of my closest friends. He didn’t even know me or know what my name was. I told him my name. “Hello, my name is Zavier. We are close friends.”

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He didn’t believe me. He thought I was a madman. I thought I was going mad too. Then he said these words: “Are you from another universe or something?” I said, “Wait, how do you know?” Then he hung up. My battery was on one percent. Crazy talk with a friend, right? I said to myself. “So, what else has changed?” I said. I looked at my apps on my phone. Nothing was in any app. “Weird... How come nothing is in any app? All the apps I have are in the app store. Instagram has at least one million downloads,” I said. No signal was near, or Wi-Fi; probably that’s why. I also had my wallet, which was a different color. “Why is my wallet a different color; wasn’t it supposed to be black?” I asked. “And how come he knew where we were? I thought that that place was secret,” I also asked. “How am I going to get down?” I also also asked. “I’ll just call a rescue team,” I said. Ten Minutes Later “Finally, the rescue team is here. I’ll wave my hands so they can see me.” They saw me and flew over to me. I was saved from this tall building. Once they landed, one of them asked me a question. “Sir, how did you get up here? There’s no ladder or anything.” I thought about what he said. I told him, “It’s just magic.” There was no way to go back into my universe, so I lived the rest of my life there. THEN—wait—how am I saying this at my universe? Well, like I said, I lived the rest of my life there. So, I am in heaven at my universe. You go back to your universe when you pass. There’s no way to go back while you are still alive. There! This is just a post-credits scene, like in the Marvel movies or something.

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Wordslingers

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To Be Creative Zuzu Schmitke

My brain runs at a million miles per hour. I have a thousand thoughts and voices all vying for my attention at the same time. It’s chaos. I try to sort through the mess, but it feels like I am herding cats. It’s hard to be creative when all your ideas have become a demon of distraction. You can’t follow one without unraveling the rest. And to unravel the beast is to risk complete loss. Imagine that, a creator getting killed by their ideas. It’s definitely happened before. It’ll probably happen again. But it certainly begs the question: Is there such thing as being too creative? It feels like a truth—no—a curse. Cursed to have so many ideas that you can never finish one at all.

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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