ASB Musings Issue 12 Winter 2024

ASB MUSINGS

ISSUE NO. 12 | WINTER 2024

ASB Musings

American School of Bombay Issue 12 | Winter 2024

A Reflection of the World Through Our Eyes

From the Editorial Desk A Reflection of the ASB Spirit: Creativity, Community, and Change As the year ends, the pages of ASB Musings capture the vibrant voices of our community—students, parents, faculty and staff—celebrating the diversity and passion that define life at the American School of Bombay (ASB).

This Winter 2024 edition showcases students’ contributions that reflect their imagination and eagerness to explore. Heartfelt reflections on family and their creative works inspire and connect us. The visual arts and thoughtprovoking advocacy pieces highlight their creativity and global awareness.

A Community of Changemakers

ASB continues to be a hub for innovation and social responsibility. Faculty and staff also contribute meaningfully, with pieces reflecting on peace and exploration of Mumbai’s Worli Fishing Village, offering local insights.

Building Bridges Across Cultures

Celebrating ASB’s rich diversity, this issue showcases the cross-cultural experiences that shape our global community. They remind us of the importance of empathy and understanding in building a connected world.

Looking Ahead with Hope

ASB Musings reflects our collective growth, resilience, and aspirations.

These stories, poems, and artworks are a testament to our shared values of curiosity, compassion, and excellence. We hope this edition inspires you to continue nurturing creativity and fostering inclusivity as we look to the future.

Happy Reading!

Table of Contents Alaska by Mahi Valdria

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Anyeong by Yuna Song

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ASB by Sihu Kim

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Cinder's Flight by Isa-Delphine Raiter

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Don't Worry Bee Happy by Sulmaz Kabul

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Donuts are the Best! by Natalia Parra

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Elephants of Amboseli by Pranati Mehta

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Everyone Should Be Thankful to Their Family by Arya Adhikary

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Get Rid of Plastic Bags by Louisa Taouati

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Homework should be banned! by Vasundhara Mutreja

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My World of Art by Navya Pandya

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Name and the Magic Pond by Ayira Kashyap

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Origami by Nalini Sorensen

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Panda by Mauricio Parra

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Photographic Wonders by Ronan Pinto

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Sewol Ferry Sinking Accident by Bithana Bae

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Shalom….Shanti….Salām by Branca Teixeira

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The Crocodile by Vasundhara Mutreja

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The Fabulous Flight by Aryaveer Mittal

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The Forgotten Rickshaw by Amir Zegarra

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The Series - Famous People by Reya Narang

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The Worli Fishing Village by Tina Richards

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Tiny Sandy Fingers by Aaron Hamm

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Turn Turn Turn by Suchitra Kaushiva

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Twists and Turns by Octavio Zegarra

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Why You Should Not Harm Animals by Mira Shetty

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Wonders of Istanbul by Mayra Gharzeddine Singh

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You Should Travel by Anfel Salmi

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High School Artwork

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Alaska

Mahi Valdria | Grade 6

Alaska Port

Alaska Glaciers ASB Musings | Issue 12, Winter 2024

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안녕 安寧 Yuna Song | Grade 6

안녕이라는 말

The word Anyeong

너무나도 아름다운 말

Such a beautiful word

때로는 가시같은 말

Sometimes, a thorny word

안녕이라는 말

The word Anyeong

만남의 즐거움과

Gives the joy of meeting

이별의 상처도 주는 말

Gives the sadness of a breakup

안녕이라는 말

The word Anyeong

때로는 너무 반가운 말

Sometimes, such a welcoming

때로는 외면하게 되는 말

word Sometimes, an overlooked word

안녕이라는 말 무엇으로 대신 할 수 있을까? 행복과, 슬픔을 모두 담아냈기에 아름다운 말 안녕.

The word Anyeong What can we replace it with?

Because it contains both happiness and sadness, It becomes a beautiful word Anyeong.

*The word Anyeong is a Korean word which defines “Hello”. Koreans use Anyeong with their friends as ‘hello’ and ‘bye’ when they both meet and leave,

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ASB

Sihu Kim | Grade 5 Do you see that wonderful place? 저 멋진 곳이 보이시나요?

That place where people are laughing. 사람들이 웃고 있는 곳.

The place where people are engaging. 사람들이 참여하는 곳.

The place where a community comes together. 공동체가 함께 모이는 곳.

Do you see that amazing place called ASB? ASB라는 멋진 곳이 보이시나요?

ASB is the place where people come together.

ASB는 사람들이 모이는 곳입니다.

Where everyone cares for one another. 모두가 서로를 배려하는 곳.

That is the place where we go. 그곳이 우리가 가는 곳입니다.

Where we are a community. 모두가 같이 있는 곳.

ASB.

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Cinder’s Flight

Isa-Delphine Raiter | Grade 6

Beyond the Clouds Cinder had emerald-green eyes and tabby orange fur, but more importantly, she had fluffy white wings. As the feline soared through the air, her friend Crystal, an arctic fox, with a bluish-white coat and bright blue eyes teleported quickly, racing Cinder to a new destination—not anywhere specific, but at least to the next landmass.

One day, Cinder saw a sparkle in the distance. As they approached, they realized it was a city—but it was in the clouds! There were tall, shining buildings and pristine rivers and pools. The inhabitants of the city were cats and foxes. A few had wings, and some had teleportation powers, but there were many others with different abilities too. Suddenly, they saw that most of the inhabitants were standing around a giant, beautiful, crystalline, gazebo-like structure with many levels. On the top was a gorgeous pale blue fox with nine tails. She was covered with crystals and diamonds. They were all watching Cinder and Crystal. As they swooped down, they realized that everyone was wearing the necklaces. “What are those for?” Cinder wondered.

Suddenly, the nine-tail fox spoke, “Hello, I am Queen Aurelia. I am the queen of Aetheris. We are the Aetherians. Who are you?”

A New Beginning After introductions, they were introduced to the city and met with some of the council and other important people, and they were soon escorted to their new house. The house was gigantic, with many rooms. There was a room for Cinder to fly, and the bedrooms had floating beds high in the air because Cinder could fly to her bed, and Crystal could teleport to hers.

The kitchen was huge, with plants growing everywhere that looked different from the ones they knew, but there were also cookbooks and all the ingredients they could need. The fridge was already full of mouthwatering desserts and food. There were many other rooms. Later, when they saw all the rooms, the queen had a box levitating before her.

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“What's that?” asked Crytal curiously.

These necklaces enhance your powers, occasionally give you new powers, and generally look nice.” Queen Aurelia said. “Any other questions?”

“Why do you have nine tails?” Crystal asked intrigued.

“Oh! I forgot to tell you that with the foxes here, your number of tails shows how powerful you are. Most kids have one, teens two or three, adults four or five, elders anywhere from six to nine, and leaders have nine.” Queen Aurelia said informativly, “The necklaces can help you get your next tail.

Crystal soon put on her necklace, and suddenly, a new tail appeared.

“I HAVE TWO TAILS. TWO!!!!!!!!” Crystal exclaimed with excitement.

“I’m assuming that’s not happening to me? Cinder inquired.

“No, but with the cats, you will get swirls that show your power. Unlike most, you already have one.” The Queen spoke, pointing to a swirl on Cinder's forehead. “I believe that you can improve your power with this necklace.”

Awakening Powers It was wonderful. Cinder felt a surge of power. It was electrifying, and she could feel the magic swirling to her flank.

This is AMAZING!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!.” Cinder cied jumping around with Crystal.

The Queen smiled calmly at them and said, “I’m glad you like them. I will see you later, but now I have other royal duties to attend to.”

After a few days, they settled in and even made some friends. Mira and Vix: Mira was a fluffy white cat with blue eyes, blue jewelry, white fluffy wings, and could control the water. Vix was a sleek red fox with pale jewelry, sleek red wings, and he could make illusions.

Friends and Foes One day, as all of them were playing, they heard lightning and saw dark swirling clouds.

Ember heard Mira gasp, “It cannot be!”

“What is it?” Cinder and Crystal asked, confused.

Mira responded darkly, “There is only one Aetherian who can control the weather, Vespera.”

“Who?” Crystal asked, genuinely confused.

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“An evil hybrid who was once on the council but was caught conspiring against the queen. She was exiled and swore revenge, biding her time by “plotting her revenge.” Mira explained.

Suddenly, a booming voice echoed through Aetheris, “VESPERA HAS RETURNED, AND I WILL DESTROY YOU ALL! Or you could just surrender the throne. Either way would work.”

Suddenly, everyone was screaming things like, “ I don’t wanna die!” “I’m too pretty to die!” “I’m too young to die!” “Kill them instead!”.

All of a sudden, Cinder realized that they had to fight because everyone else was scared, useless, or was a risky option.

“We need to fight,” Cinder firmly told her friends and started flying up to face Vespera with Crystal.

“You can do that. We’ll be cheering you on.” Mira said nervously, “No, we have to help them,” Vix said, flying up behind Cinder and Crystal.

“Ugh,” groaned Mira as she followed, riding a floating blob of water.

They soon stopped at a cliff to discover what Cinder’s plan was, and Vix drew it in the dirt.

“Ok, so Mira will control the water in the clouds and will be in a cloud with Vix. Me and Crystal will be in another. Vix will make an illusion of the queen and her guards to distract her, and then we will all attack as one.”

They quickly flew to the closest armory and collected all the necessary weapons.

A Plan in the Storm They were all in position, ready for the plan. Vix was with Mira in a cloud, inconspicuously moving towards Vespera. All of a sudden, the illusion queen and the guards approached.

“WHAT ARE YOU DOING, VESPERA, DESTROYING AND REEKING HAVOC ON MY KINGDOM.” The Fake Queen boomed.

“IT’S TOO LATE TO STOP ME.”Vespera boomed back.

Both kept yelling at each other in booming voices. This was the time to strike. Cinder quickly swooped down, shooting sharp darts with a blowgun.

One grazed Vespera’s neck, and another hit her leg.

She turned around, barking sharply, “ YOU’LL PAY FOR THAT!!!”

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A lightning bolt flashed so close that the feathers in her wings almost fell out with surprise. But then Cinder realized she had felt something else, like a magical burst of energy and a shove. Looking now, Cinder realized she had a third swirl and had more of a connection with the air around her as if it was waiting for her command. She decided to try it out. Sure enough, the wind pushed Vesperafor a small distance. She had wind powers!!!

Then she noticed that Crystal was now a pale blue-white line circling, diving, and attacking Vespera. And then she was panting beside Cinder with three tails. THREE TAILS!!!

“You have another tail!” Cinder shouted “YEEESSSSS!!!!!”Crystal Celebrated Both attacked vigorously, and Mira and Vix soon joined them. Vix made multiple versions of them, distracting Vespera, and Mira was moving the clouds and water around. Slowly, Cinder noticed that the water sometimes had ice particles, making the attack more effective, and some illusions were making physical contact. Then, in a bright glow of light, Mira had a swirl, and Vix had another tail. They both were shocked and fought stronger. The illusions now were physical, not just projections, and the water could turn to ice.

Then Cinder made a powerful gust of wind, sending Vespera down onto a cliff, and then Mira trapped her there in ice but with her head out.

Clear Skies Suddenly, the Real Queen arrived. “Congratulations, I saw everything. I was going to step in if I was needed, but it looked like you handled it. Vix, can you put her in a cage?”

“Yes, Your Majesty,” Vix said, a cage now surrounding Vespera.

Mira melted the Ice, and then the guards carried her away.

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Don’t Worry Bee Happy Sulmaz Kabul | Grade 12

Don’t Worry Bee Happy, Ink on Paper

This block print was created by sketching the design on the block and then using ink to transfer it onto paper. It was inspired by several wildlife magazines. Bees are often feared, but I wanted to highlight their positive impact on our environment and lives, especially considering how little we give back in return.

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Donuts are the Best!

Natalia Parra | Grade 3

Have you ever really thought about how good and yummy donuts are?

Then take a bite of a delicious frosted donut! Now go back to the question.

If yes, then eat a donut right now. If no, then read on!

Firstly, they are really good. Everyone knows donuts are sweet, scrumptious, and very delicious. For example, if you take a bite of a donut, you will think about donuts as good things. Every single time you eat one, you will want to eat more and more donuts every single day! And trust me, they are the best! Here’s something you might not know: almost everyone on planet Earth likes or loves donuts!

Next comes the reason that they are easy to eat. Believe me, they are really easy to eat! You don’t even need utensils! How surprising! Guess what? They don’t take long to eat either! For example, you don’t need a knife or fork. And honestly, if you don’t want to get messy, you can just use a napkin.

Finally, there are so many flavors. There’s chocolate, vanilla, Oreo, filled, strawberry, and more. They are all very yummy. They’re so, so, so sweet that you can’t even imagine how good they are! If you don’t believe me, you should try one for yourself! Most flavors have the real ingredient in the donut, like chocolate donuts, which might have real chocolate.

To summarize, donuts are super sweet and easy to eat! There are so many flavors and toppings to choose from too! Since you don’t need utensils, you can enjoy them anytime. When you take a big, delicious bite, it will be really, really good!

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Elephants of Amboseli Pranati Mehta | Faculty

Elephants of Amboseli, Acrylic on canvas 8" x 10"

The wise elephants, with their ancient wisdom, watched over by the mighty Kilimanjaro. This painting was created from a photograph taken at the Selenkay Conservancy near the Amboseli National Park, Kenya in July, 2024.

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Everyone Should be thankful to Their Family Arya Adhikary | Grade 3

Imagine an empty house, completely silent, with no one around. Just you, sitting alone in a chair, crying and pleading for everyone to come back.

Doesn’t that image feel heartbreaking? A world with more family, love, and togetherness is always better. Did you know that 50 out of 99 kids don’t have families? This is why I firmly believe everyone deserves a caring and peaceful family.

Firstly, families work so hard for us. Think back to when you were little. Can you picture it? Your parents did so much for you—they helped you shower, brushed your teeth, changed your clothes, fed you, and countless other things. Now, imagine how exhausting it must be to do all that while also taking care of yourself and your responsibilities. On top of that, your mom endured the pain of giving birth to you, often through a difficult and sometimes risky surgery. Your dad and other family members had to take time off work to support her and care for you. All of this shows the love and dedication families give, even when it’s hard.

Secondly, families stand by you, even in challenging situations. Has anything dangerous or difficult ever happened to you? Think about it. Your family, especially your parents, have likely faced tough or even perilous situations for your sake. Maybe you don’t always notice, but their love gives them the energy to keep going, even when they’re tired or have other important things to do. Whether it’s taking you somewhere urgently, helping you through a crisis, or just being there when you need support, your family stands by you no matter what.

Lastly, families make sacrifices to give you what you need—and more.

Have you noticed that some people on the streets don’t have as much as you do? Let’s do a scavenger hunt in your house! Count how many things you can find. Done? Have you realized how many items your family has bought for you alone? Some of these things are very expensive, and some may not even be that important, yet your family still gets them for you because they want to make you happy. While friends might give you gifts, most of what you have comes from your family’s effort and love.

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In conclusion, your family does so much hard work for you. They stand by you in difficult times, make sacrifices, and spend money just to make your life better. I believe everyone should be thankful to their family and work to spread kindness and love in the world. Family is the foundation of everything good!

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Get Rid of Plastic Bags Louisa Taouati | Grade 3

Did you know that half of the world has plastic in seas, homes, and so many other places? It is so bad for nature. Some seas have so much plastic that you can’t even swim in them! Our world is getting dirtier and dirtier almost every day. Stand out more. Make our world cleaner!

Everyone knows it is not okay to waste. The animals might get hurt or injured. Some creatures lose their way home, and some body parts don’t work because they got hurt. When some fish or other animals get home, it is full of rubbish, and it is broken. Some animals need to search for months to find a new home. Some turtles have a compass to know which way to go.

Sometimes, it goes wrong, and they don’t know which way to go. Can you imagine taking months to find a new home?

Goldfish, rainbow fish, flying fish, white fish, black fish, and so many other animals go home, and it is broken, crushed, and damaged because it is so dirty in the sea. Without a doubt, underwater life is dying. You might be thinking, “Such a tiny thing like that?” Well, yes, it can cause a lot of damage.

Let me tell you more. Did you know that some baby animals sacrifice their lives? Like 61/100 don’t make it, and they die! Now you see why we should not injure animals.

It affects the coral by making it lose its life, and other sea animals can’t find a home. The coral is really important to undersea life. Change it! It goes into the water. Birds, whales, turtles, and many other animals get hurt, choked, and even tangled, and some sadly die! They get stuck, and nobody helps them. They stay without food or water for so long. Some plastics get stuck in their throat, belly, paws, and many other places in their body. I know that you know that it is such a bad thing because that means our world is getting dirtier. If 2.5 trillion of our earth is getting full of rubbish, we NEED TO STOP IT! They think that it is food, so they eat it. But unlike us, they don’t know when to eat it and when not to, and they also don’t know if it is plastic or not. So, you see why we should help them if you see them?

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The colour of the sea will die, and the coral will lose its life. My personal view is that animals lose their homes, and it takes months to find a new one. There will be no more fish, and all the sea creatures won’t be available until we stop using plastic!

The world will look so grey and black and so many other colours. In some countries, you cannot even swim because it is dangerous and not safe.

We should make it exactly the opposite if we want to play, eat, and have fun. None of this will happen if we keep wasting! Now you see why we should stop wasting?

As you can see, stopping waste would be fabulous. It is not okay that sea creatures are getting hurt. It affects the whole world. It ends up in the water, and birds, whales, and many other animals get choked, tangled, and some even die! The colours of the sea will die!

Clearly, you can see why we should stop hurting, wasting, and trashing our earth. If half of the earth is full of rubbish, you wouldn’t want to make it the whole world. It would look so dirty. Now you know why we should clean our earth.

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Homework Should Be Banned Vasundhara Mutreja | Grade 3

Do you know that 9 out of 10 people wish that homework gets banned or struggle with doing homework?

If you do a lot of studying in school and have to do it again at home, how is that fair? All you grown-ups might be thinking, They need to study more! or In my day, we did all of that stuff! But just imagine you’re a kid and want to play a game or read a book or play a video game. But no! Because somebody says, Go do your homework! That would be miserable!

Also, if you keep doing homework, just imagine how boring that would be!

Once, I was doing homework, and I had so much to do. My neighbor called our house so we could play, but we couldn’t because I had homework!

Now you can see that homework is really boring!

I believe it is not necessary! Now, I know that all you grown-ups will say, How can they get sick? There are no germs and all that stuff! But scientists and doctors have proven that if you don’t exercise, you can fall ill because your body doesn’t get enough movement.

Do you really want to sacrifice your health just for some homework?

Imagine you miss your football game or can’t play, go outside, etc. Oh, and then you have to eat that yucky medicine! You could get depressed because you can’t do anything fun. And because you are depressed, you could fall even more ill!

Now do you finally agree that homework should be banned? Come on, it clearly should! Like, come on, it’s not healthy, it’s boring, and it’s not fair.

Like, come on!

This is an opinion piece on why homework should be banned. I hope you enjoy it and maybe agree with me!

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My World of Art

Navya Pandya | Grade 5

Life Under the Sea

Diamond Art

My version of a Camper Van

3D Butterfly Pop Up Art

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Art is a passion of mine, and having my first art gallery exhibition displaying my artwork was such a special moment for me! A big thank you to my grandparents and The Native Art Gallery at Growel’s Mall (Kandivli, Mumbai) for giving me this wonderful platform to display my art.

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Name and the Magic Pond Ayira Kashyap | Grade 6

Name is a girl who lives an average life in America. She attends a public school and lives in a plain neighbourhood where everyone knows everyone. But Name wanted more. So she wrote comics describing her perfect life, a life with action and adventure. She had kept on writing for the past few years. The ideas were fun at first, but then she thought they were too boring.

Name was lonely in school; she wasn't bullied but felt invisible. People would walk by and not even look at her. Sometimes, people would run into her, but no one ever apologized afterwards. So, Name drew and drew worlds where she was the most famous person; everyone would admire her and want to be friends. Then, she would make comics about superheroes, dragons, and magic.

She enjoyed making comics. In fact, most of her day was spent making comics during school breaks and free time at home; at night, she dreamed of her next comic.

One day, Name went to the local park where her parents were meeting up with some friends. She rested by a tree near a pond and started drawing her latest comic about a haunted school. Then, a huge gust of wind blew her comics out of her hand. Name had brought a lot of comics with her for inspiration for her latest one. The comics flew away and landed in the pond. She rushed to the pond to get the comics, and while trying to get them, she dropped her pen into the water, too. With tears flowing down her eyes, she managed to get everything out of the pond. She went through all the comics, but to her surprise, all the comics were fine; even her pen still worked. She breathed a sigh of relief and realized she had to get home. With her comics in hand, she ran back to her parents, and they headed home.

She woke up early for school the next day, completely forgetting about what happened yesterday. She got her pen and some paper and rushed to school. When Name went to school, something weird happened: people started running up to her and asking to be friends, and some people even brought gifts! Name thought that this was some prank, so she ignored everyone and continued the rest of the school

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day. Her parents came to pick her up today, which was weird since she normally walks home. What was weirder was that they came in a luxury car!

She asked them what was happening, but they responded with a laugh.

She got in the car and drove to the city where she had not gone in a long time. She was shocked and a bit bored since she hadn't written at all since the beginning of the day. When she got out of the car, there was a long line of people waiting on the sides and security blocking them; when she looked up, she saw her face on a giant billboard. Name started to realize that this wasn't a prank.

She walked into a giant building, looking around at all the cool things and remembered that this was exactly what happened in one of her comics; there was everything that she had written there, - Everyone asking her to be friends - Her face on giant billboards - Her dream house She ran her hands on the smooth walls while admiring the house. She remembered that in the comic many other things happened, so she started digging through her backpack to find the comic she was looking for. After a few minutes of searching, she finally found the one she was looking for. She took the comic, sat on her couch and began to skim through the comic. She had left a sticky note on any page with something interesting and then looked back to see what to check out first. Name looked at all the sticky notes, finding secret rooms filled with puppies or a giant kitchen with all her favorite snacks and candies. She was living her dream, or so she thought. Name woke up later the following day still in her giant mansion. She started an average morning eating her favorite cereal, but then she wondered how this all happened in the first place.

Nothing was out of the ordinary except when her comics didn't get wet in the pond, but she wondered how the pond could make her comic come to life. She ran to her parents, asking them to return there, but they said no.

Name walked back to her room; she needed to go back to the pond, so she would do anything to do it. She grabbed some clothes from her closet and put an oversized hoodie on top so people wouldn't recognize her. She took out a piece of paper and began to write her plan to tell her parents that she was going to the library to get something for school. She took a ASB Musings | Issue 12, Winter 2024

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photo of some notes and books she already had for backup. Her plan was ready to start, she told her parents, and everything was working out so far.

Once out of her house, she realized a big flaw: she didn't know her way around the city. She took her phone out and looked for some sort of map to find the subway, but she didn't have any Wi-Fi. She looked around, feeling hopeless. An old lady walked up to Name and asked her what was wrong; Name told her she was looking for the subway. The old lady smiled and told her the directions. Name thanked the lady and ran off.

The subway ride was weird to Name; adults were towering above her, it was too crowded for Name, and everyone was squished up together, leaving Name stuck in the corner next to the door. Since she had lived in the suburbs her entire life, the city was difficult for her to get around; it was also very different from what she imagined. She thought it would be cool and modern, but looking at how the city looks outside of the internet, she was scared. Many stops went by until Name was the only one left on the subway. She only had two stops before she reached her old town. She sat on one of the chairs, gazing out the window and looking at the sun shining through the trees and the lush grass. She realized that the life she had previously hated didn't sound that bad anymore.

Her stop came, and the station was empty. She walked outside and felt the fresh breeze flow through her hair. She remembered that the park was close from here so she started walking towards it. Once she made it to the park, she sat down near the pond; it was calming to sit there again. She put her hands down on the rough grass, feeling the sunshine on her skin. Name opened her bag and took out her pen and some paper. She had a theory so that she would put it to the test. She drew herself near the pond with an apple in her hand, then she dropped the paper into the water, picked it up and sat on the place from the drawing. Then, an apple fell out of nowhere and landed on her head. She grabbed her head in pain and then realized that her thoughts were right. This pond was magic.

Name realized it was getting late, so she returned to her new home. A few days passed, and Name was still thinking about the magic pond until she

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saw a box of her comics lying on her bedroom floor. Suddenly, Name remembered the day her comics fell into the pond. She began to think about which ones fell because she wanted to know which ones came to life. She remembered she wanted to take inspiration for her comic about a haunted school. Name realized that this was not good news; she had dropped the haunted school comic and all her other comics about the school, which would only create a worse situation. She took out her laptop and began searching for things that happened in her comics. Name stared in shock at the screen because, at the top of the page, it showed that everything in the comics was happening to her old school. Name didn't know what to do; her comics were bringing harm to something. She thought bringing things to life with her drawings was cool, but now, it feels wrong. Name needed to fix this. Otherwise, her small world would come crashing down.

Name hesitated before walking down the stairs to the living room, where her parents were sitting and chatting. She approached them and told them she was getting bored and wanted to return to school. Her parents quickly agreed and told her that they would be enrolling her into a new school, and she would be going tomorrow. This was not the answer she was hoping for, but there was no way she could change her parent's mind.

Name remembered her plan when she went to the pond. She figured that that would be an easy plan. But it would take a long time. She suggested that she could go to boarding school. Her parents were unsure, but they agreed after a long time of convincing. Names plan was simple but well thought out; she would again take the subway to the town instead and then go to her old school, where she would find a way to bring the school back to normal. Name went to bed that night, already excited for the next day.

The following day came slower than Name had wanted, but as soon as the clock hit six, Name was standing at the door, ready to go. She had a suitcase packed with comics and a few other things she needed. The drive to the boarding school was quite long, but she quickly made it to the subway once she got there. The boarding school was close to her old school, so the subway ride was faster and less crowded. Once she got out

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of the station, Name noticed something. The city felt much more empty and dull than the last time she saw it. Name knew that the school had done something to the city. So she started quickly walking towards the school.

Name reached the school after a brief walk. She stood in front of the door while observing the building. Name noticed a few things: the windows were dark and dusty, and some otherworldly-looking vines were creeping along the walls of the building. And the weirdest of all, the school was silent.

Name hesitated before opening the door but slowly peered inside the building. The school was very dark and seemed like it hadn’t been touched in ages; tiny spiders were crawling across the floor, and a lot of classroom furniture had been thrown outside. One by one, Name looked through each classroom; she didn’t know what was different because even though she had been in this school since kindergarten, she hadn’t been inside all the classrooms. The school was large and old since all the elementary and middle school kids in the whole town went there. Name’s parents even went there when they were kids. Seeing such an old school destroyed like this made Name feel sad.

Name started to get hungry; she realized that she had forgotten one thing while packing: food. She would usually go to a cafe or restaurant, but they were closed because the school became haunted. Name walked towards the cafeteria, watching her carefully every step. She made it into the cafeteria and found it suspiciously clean. Name almost jumped when she heard a sound coming from the kitchen. She picked up a book that was lying on the floor and carefully walked towards the kitchen. When she got in, she was shocked to find out there was not a ghost inside but a person.

The guy turned towards Name, shrugged, and returned to continue working on whatever he was cooking. The boy looked around Name’s age, if not younger. He had black hair and dull eyes. Name asked him what he was doing here. The boy responded, saying that he needed to go to school.

Name was still confused and told him about how the school was haunted.

However, the boy didn’t seem to care and continued to work on cooking.

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with blonde hair and brown eyes walked in and picked up what the boy was cooking. She took a bite of it and quickly spit it out. The girl was definitely older than Name, and very tall. She greeted Name and explained what was happening. She told her that they were forced to go to school since their parents thought it was just a rumor but they ended up staying in the school and trying to fix the problem. Name also found out that the ghosts only come out at night which was helpful for Names plan. The girl also mentioned that her name was Sophy and the boy's name was Max. Name realized it was almost nighttime and the ghosts would come out.

She went through her suitcase and found her pen and paper. Sophy questioned Name about it, so Name explained the situation. How she created comics and how they were coming to life.

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Origami

Nalini Sorensen | Parent I’m a paper boat, folded neat and tight, gushing fast through the rain water, in the gutters, during a Bombay monsoon.

But with no children excitedly squealing encouragement alongside.

It’s not the speed of the current in the water that’s taken its toll, it’s being IN the water too long that’s affected me.

I’m soggy, and can feel my insides fold into a thick, pulpy mush.

I wish they’d folded me into an elephant at that origami class.

Stable, lumbering, solid.

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Panda

Mauricio Parra | Grade 7

I was inspired to create a panda painting because it's my absolute favorite animal. I asked ChatGPT to generate images of pandas in a bamboo forest and looked through them until I found one I wanted to paint. It was beautiful. I practiced by sketching rough drafts until I was able to draw it well. The painting process was long and challenging, but I pushed through and finished it. In the end, I loved how it turned out, and now it’s hanging in my house as one of my many paintings. I never expected I could paint something so amazing as this..

This experience taught me that you can overcome challenges to create something truly beautiful.

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Photographic Wonders Ronan Pinto | Grade 6

This photograph of Big Ben was taken when my family visited London.

Big Ben, London

This photo was taken on my phone and actually shows Niagara Falls. The picture from the tour under the falls is also edited—I love the lighting in this one, especially the beautiful blue tones. These were all really special moments for me, and capturing them was an unforgettable experience.

Niagara Falls

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Sewol-Ferry Sinking Accident Bithana Bae | Grade 7

It was a bright evening. Soo-Jin walked into the class. The classroom looked emptier than before. The sunshine came in the window. The desk was full of flowers and funeral portraits. Some other students were also there by the desk. But no students sat on the chair. No students talking or laughing or crying. Soo-Jin sat by Ji-eun's desk. It was where Soo-Jin used to sit when it was a break to speak to Ji-eun. But now she was gone. A few minutes later, a few parents came into the classroom and found their kid's desks crying. The silence suddenly broke, and it became chaos. Ji-eun's mom also came in with flowers. She put one flower on Ji-eun's desk and one on the teacher's desk. She starts to cry, touching the portrait of Jieun. Her eyeshadow spread all over her face. Her careful makeup is erasing. This all happened a few days ago.

"Line up!!!!" Teacher shouted. The gym was full of students. Loudly talking and slowly lining up. They looked excited. Everyone is holding a heavylooking bag. Soo-Jin held onto Ji-eun's bag while she was in the bathroom.

Her bag was super heavy. After every student came out of the bathroom, the school bus drove into the driveway in front of the school. I sat down next to Ji-eun. We kept on talking about the Field Trip. A week ago, the teacher told us that we would go to a place called Jeju. Jeju is an island in South Korea. It's located below South Korea. Outside is dark. It's 8'o clock. The passenger ferry will depart. It is April 15, 2024. I looked out the window. I see the Incheon International Passenger Ferry terminal.

It was glowing in the dark. While teachers were taking care of the students and looking for a place for the passenger ferry, I started talking with Jieun. "What should we do when we get there?" She asked. "What if we eat famous oranges in Jeju?" "I love it!!" The teacher asked us to go to the shop and buy anything we needed on the ferry. After I bought snacks, I ran over to the ferry. I hope to go into the room directly and eat snacks or sleep. But the ferry departed 2 hours late. It was because of the thick fog.

After a few hours, the teachers shouted. "Everyone, one by one!" The

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passenger ferry was bigger than I expected. I ran to the deck of the passenger ferry, bouncing up and down. "Stop," Ji-eun said quietly. She was a good student. In school, she was the favorite student of teachers.

The passenger ferry suddenly made a loud sound while we drank juice and snacks from our bags. The ferry splashed the water on the deck. The teacher told the students to enter the room as the ferry roared. I was a roommate with Ji-eun. We got into the room and went to bed. It was ninethirty. I would usually be up for the homework. But now, I don't have any books to study with, and if I want to play more tomorrow, I must sleep.

There was a big bunk bed in the middle of the room. I took the upper bunk, and Ji-eun took the bottom bunk. I was sleeping to make up for the sleep I lost during the exam period. It was quiet. The water splashed on the ferry.

It felt like everybody was sleeping.

While she was sleeping, the ferry sped up. Suddenly, the ferry turned to the left without slowing down the speed. Suddenly, I heard a loud booming sound outside the deck. I heard something crashing and screaming. I went out to the deck with Ji-eun. Her eyes were big and round. And her face was red. Teachers assemble us onto the chair on the deck and let us sit there. The freight was broken, and some were missing. I still wasn't sure what was going on. And as I sat on the chair, I felt that strange feeling coming from the belly to my head. Now, I struggled to sit down. The ferry was tilting to the left. And the freight moved to the left, making the ferry tilt more! The captain shouted. "모두들 선실로 들어가세요!! 지금 당장!!- Everyone, into the cabin!! Now!!" We all ran into the cabin. Everyone was shocked. As the time went on, the boat tilted more and more. The captain said. "I will call the marine rescue team; they should be here soon." As we waited for the rescue team, the ferry was now almost turned over. After 5 minutes from the SOS call, I felt I was flying for a second; when I felt I was on the ground again, I noticed that I was beside the lamp. I was on the ceiling!

And I couldn't breathe. The salty Pacific Ocean water came into my mouth as I struggled to breathe. Now, everyone was trying to open the cabin door. But it doesn't work. The water came into the cabin from the small gap under the door. When the water was right under my head, I took a deep breath and sank under the water. Everyone was like a rat chased by a cat and needed to survive. Everyone will do everything to survive. Some of

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them push others under to make themselves breathe. Now, the water was filling up the cabin. There was no way I could breathe. Most of the students were lying down unconscious. The room turned blurry and went dark. For the last time, I saw the teachers and the captain struggle to breathe and sink deep and deep.

'Where am I?' I saw a white room and the bright light facing me. I try to stand up. But I was dizzy. I saw Mom and Dad. I saw people wearing white robes. I guess they are a doctor. "Mom?" 'Why am I here?' 'Shouldn't I be in the Jeju with Ji-eun?' 'Where is Ji-eun?' All the questions spinned in her head. "Soo-Jin!!!" Mom shouted. "Mom?" 'I was just wondering.' Why am I in the hospital-looking room, and why am I with Mom instead of Ji-eun and teachers?' I try to think. And suddenly, I remembered. Sewol ferry sank into the water, and I was rescued, luckily. "Where is Ji-eun?" "Is she in the next room?" "Where is she?" I asked fearfully. "I don't know." "I'm worried," Mom said, worrying. 'Mom doesn't know where she is.' 'Does that mean she is……… dead?'

Sadly, it was true. After a few days, the accident happened, and I found out why the ferry sank and what happened to Ji-eun. I found out that 172 people were rescued, five people were missing, and 299 people died from this accident, which included Ji-eun, unfortunately. I cried a lot when I found out that Ji-eun was one of the students who died in this accident.

It was a day for the group photo. I was in the High school's second room, Which had 37 people, and now 19 people survived. One of the survivors was me. Two homeroom teachers survived. The principal survived but he later committed suicide. When we were setting up the stage, teachers told us to bring portraits of other students. I was confused. Still, I walked in the hallway to get to my classroom. When I saw my classroom outside the window, I felt it was a quiet place where nobody existed. It's just a calm, sad, and moody place. I don't feel like going in because I will be so miserable if I go in there. I grabbed Ji-eun's portrait and walked out of the classroom. I thought, 'I want to get out of this place now'. In the scene before the ferry sank, the student's shocked face and Ji-eun's pale face were too realistic to me. After everyone brought one portrait, we sat on

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the chair. There was a long silence. Teachers are looking at us sadly. Since there were not enough students to hold each portrait, we needed to put one of them on the chair. So we did so. And then the cameraman said….

"Cheese!!" "Come on, guys, smile!" But no one smiled. Because he knew we couldn't smile, because he knew we didn't have to smile, he didn't repeat it.

After the photos, we came back to that sady, moody classroom. I put Jieun's portrait silently on the desk. After a silence, students started crying.

Because they don't want to leave, they don't want to leave them in here forever. After a few minutes, parents came in and changed the flowers on their desks, silently crying. Ji-eun's mom did the same thing. As the security pushed us out of the classroom before it got too chaotic, I looked back.

Blurry, Ji-eun looked at me. I looked at her. My eyes filled up with tears. But I barely cried. I didn't want to show Ji-eun that I an crying. I don't want to worry her. I will never forget this event, even though I want to ignore it because I will never forget Ji-eun. And if I think of Ji-eun, it will quickly remind me of this 'Sewol ferry sinking accident.'

*Retelling of the ferry sinking incident that occurred in South Korea on April 16, 2014

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Shalom….Shanti….Salām Branca Teixeira | Faculty

Shalom….Shanti….Salām…my peace I give to you.

The peace I found while gazing into the clear blue sky, The peace in my mind, in my heart, in my soul, As the birds fly across this sky, I wish I could fly to a land untold.

Shalom….Shanti….Salām….my peace I give to you, The peace I found while swimming across the ocean waves, The splash of water mixed with salt, The sand in my hair…oh, I didn’t really care!

Oh, how I wish I could swim my worries away…

Shalom….Shanti….Salām….my peace I give to you, The peace I found while sipping coffee at the end of a tiring day, The peace solitude’s presence gave me The peace we shared…

Shalom….Shanti…. Salām….my ‘piece’ I give to you Take this piece of peace and share it as you please!

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The Crocodile

Vasundhara Mutreja | Grade 3

My name is Vasundhara Mohit Mutreja. The artwork I made is called The Crocodile. One day, I thought, "Let me try a new kind of art." So, I looked up some stippling artwork on the web. Once I understood how to do stippling, I decided to draw a crocodile. For some of the shading, I chose to use stippling.

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The Fabulous Flight

Aryaveer Mittal | Grade 5

I chose this artwork because I am very passionate about airplanes. My favorite airline is Singapore Airlines, and my favorite aircraft is the Airbus 380. I visualized this plane to be landing at Singapore Changi Airport during the evening twilight hours. I feel proud of my artwork as I worked hard for it. I used different art mediums, such as chalk and paint, to make this masterpiece. It was a little challenging to make the plane look symmetrical. Next time, I will complete my work more meticulously by adding more details. I love doing art as it makes me feel very happy and calm.

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The Forgotten Rickshaw Amir Zegarra | Grade 6

Kane sat on the edge of his bed, staring at the empty corner of his room where a lump of fur should have been. It had been six months since Wink had died, and it now seemed that life was meant to be lived absentmindedly. As he struggled to shake off the pain, Kane tried not to listen to the silence that now filled his room, the silence that felt louder than ever.

The room, once filled with the comforting presence of Wink’s wagging tail and warm, furry body, now felt stale and unwelcoming.

School days were a blur for Kane, with memories of Wink disrupting every class. When Kane arrived home from school every day, and Wink did not rush down the stairs to meet him, the blow was devastating. This cycle of sadness had gone on and on; until now.

Every day, before going to bed, Kane would walk out on the streets and look up to the sky to wish, to yearn, that someday, Wink would come back.

Kane was 12 and knew things could not magically come back to life. So he did this– not for his beloved dog to return– but to alleviate himself of the pain he had.

With this routine, every night had been the same for Kane- going out onto the road, willing Wink to come back, and then crying himself to sleep with tears that seemed to have appeared out of nowhere. But today was different.

After a very mundane day, Kane reluctantly walked to his spot on the road in front of his house and, looking up to the sky, repeated what he had been saying every night for six months. “Please, Wink, come back.” As he returned, Kane noticed a slimmer of yellow out of the corner of his eye.

Turning to see, Kane saw an old three-wheeled vehicle in a somewhat hidden alley. Its once-lustrous paint had now faded to dull colors. The metal frame was rusty and peeling, with rough edges that showed years of exposure to the weather. The wheels were covered in dust and wobbled a bit, suggesting they had been through many rides. Inside, the cushions were old and sagging, their fabric worn thin, hinting at many passengers over the years.

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Kane found the rickshaw fascinating, and as he inspected the vehicle, a feeling of comfort seemed to envelop the boy. Suddenly, all worries about Wink faded away. The rickshaw was just a machine, but Kane felt as if it was alive. As he looked around, searching for any possible owner of the rickshaw, Kane almost couldn’t hear his mother’s voice calling out to him.

“Kane! What’re you doing? Dinner’s ready!” Kane looked up from the rickshaw– “Don’t worry, Mom, I’m coming!” His gaze returned to the rickshaw once more, making a silent promise to return to it the next day.

The next morning, as the day unfolded, Kane felt a strange pull to the rickshaw as if it were calling him. As classes flew by, Kane started to subconsciously replace his grief for Wink with anticipation for the rickshaw. Racing home after school, Kane said a quick hello to his mom and then ran out to the alley from the day before, his heart pounding with excitement. When he arrived, he found the old vehicle just as he had left it, standing like a forgotten invention. Kane once again saw the rough edges in the metal, the dusty cushions of the vehicle, and he couldn’t stand it.

After running back home, Kane reached under the kitchen sink and pulled out a cloth. He ran it over lukewarm water and then jogged back to the alley.

Wiping the rickshaw, Kane felt a tranquil sensation. The rickshaw had no owner for a long time, and Kane thought it was meant for him, or maybe vice versa. As he finished wiping the exterior, Kane cleaned the cushions and handle of the rickshaw.

Climbing inside, a sudden feeling of belonging filled him, and he couldn’t shake the feeling that this was more than just metal and fabric—it was a portal to something extraordinary, and Kane was meant to pass through it.

As he settled into the sagging cushions, he noticed a shimmer of light peeking from beneath the seat. Curiosity sparked, and Kane reached down and pulled out a small, elaborate key that shined in the sunlight. Its presence filled him with a mix of excitement and unknowingness. What could it unlock?

Kane’s eyes shifted towards the keyhole, the word IGNITION almost yelling at him to insert the key. As if possessed, Kane’s hand glided ASB Musings | Issue 12, Winter 2024

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towards the keyhole, the key in a perfect position to enter. As it slipped through the keyhole, the key gave a satisfying “click!”. Suddenly, Kane started to rise into the air, obscured with a sense of liberty.

As the rickshaw lifted off the ground, a jolt of anxiousness coursed through Kane. The world below shrank rapidly, big buses becoming tiny ants and humongous trees becoming mere saplings. He gazed out in amazement, the wind rushing past him as the rickshaw soared higher, breaking through the night sky that had once seemed so lonely.

With each passing minute, Kane felt lighter, as if someone had suddenly lifted off the weight on his shoulders from Wink’s passing. The sky stretched endlessly around him, a dark blue canvas full of possibilities. An emerald-green gleam twinkled in the moonlight as the rickshaw navigated through cotton-like clouds. The glow grew brighter, revealing an island floating above the world below as if it had always been there. The island was luscious and vibrant, with trees sprinkled across it, swaying serenely in a gentle breeze, and colorful flowers that seemed plucked from a fairy tale. The island beckoned to him, inviting Kane to explore its mysteries and find peace in its beauty.

Kane’s body pulsed with anticipation, a newfound feeling filling up inside of him. As he stepped off the rickshaw, he looked around at the majestic nature around him. Closing his eyes, Kane heard the slight chirping of birds.

A calming sense wrapped around him, and Kane experienced a strange thought. Hundreds of feet in the air, much farther from home than he ever thought he would ever get; Kane felt that down below, at home, everything was fine. Mom wouldn’t start to worry about him as long as he was up there. Due dates wouldn’t approach as long as he was up there. The burden of Wink’s death wouldn’t weigh him down as long as he was up there.

Kane was at peace. This island is mine, he thought. And as long as I’m up here, everything is fine. “Hope Island,” Kane said softly. “That is what I will call you.” And suddenly, the island’s presence inspired him, and Kane felt something he had not felt for a long time.

Hope.

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The Series: Famous People Reya Narang | Grade 4

Valentina Swift lived in New York in a huge mansion on Cornelia Street.

One day, Valentina was relaxing on the couch near the big glass window. It was a sunny day.

Ding ding, she saw a message popping up on her phone.

She got invited to a Stanley pop-up event.

As fast as a cheetah, she grabbed her phone and dialled her makeup artist.

Ring ring.

“Call failed,” her phone says.

“Ugh,” she whispers under her breath.

After what seemed like forever of calling, she gave up, did her makeup herself, and went to the event. Valentina had so much fun getting Olivia Rodrigo Stanley and taking a picture for her followers.

When she got home, exhausted, she collapsed onto her bed, sank her face into her pillow, and crashed for the night, forgetting everything.

When she woke up the following day, she was greeted by her cat, Mia and asked her chef, Leyli, for breakfast.

After breakfast, she hurried to get ready and got a call from her makeup artist.

She picked it up and what she heard shocked her….

“HELP.” A voice screamed.

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Valentina thought of losing her makeup artist and quickly got up to search the streets. She called a search team, but nobody could find her.

One day, Valentina was walking to work and heard a voice coming from underground. “Help.” the voice said.

She called the police, and they searched underground, but the makeup artist wasn’t found. To this day, nobody knows where she is….

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The Worli Fishing Village

Tina Richards | Community Member

The Worli fishing village is the visible cluster of colorful buildings off to the left, and you pass over the Sea Link going south. I've been twice with the ASB photography club and each visit is an insight into a quiet, colorful, and beautifully maintained community that is 800 years old!

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Tiny Sandy Fingers Aaron Hamm | Faculty

your son led you to the water like a moth to a flame tiny fistfuls of sand thrown for the sake of throwing playfully poignant posed in time throwing poised pieces of joy or pieces of love what was in your mind's eye as the mind of your flesh and blood was so mindfully in the moment? were you watching in wonder as he was working wonders of the world through his tiny sandy fingers? were you brought back to simpler times? or simply enjoying?

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as for your boy...

I wonder where his mind wandered was it to and fro like the sand sifting skywards from his tiny paws? or perhaps he too, was just enjoying the moment of magic as mom looked on making him feel safe soundly sleeping at night no nightmares, new horizons neatly tucked under closed eyelids easy living easy like the breeze I loved it when you joined him in the shoreline waters subtly at first but giving way to the playful moment as it played with your attention and soon it was mom, dad, and son joined together these sifting silhouettes started from a playful moment perhaps the sand smiled this evening it knew what it was guilty of

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Turn Turn Turn

Such Kaushiva | Parent One day when my little girl is grown up and gone, I lean on the rusty rails of a once-loved balcony; I see mother looking down at the nothingness below One day when all the cupboards are for me to organise as I please, I hang a little longer onto one open door; I see mother missing that disapproving look to find empty shelves One day when I pick up a cube of potato with my fork, I feel crushed, soft and buttery on the inside; I see mother go unabashedly for potato refills on my plate One day when I’m brave enough to look at decades old black & white albums, My fingers pan faces loved, smiles shared, and a million moments forgotten Every day now (since you’ve flown), I relive your childhood and mine, perhaps hers too all entwined in one

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Twists and Turns

Octavio Zegarra | Grade 8 BAM! 9.21. Decent time, I thought, considering I don’t usually get times under 10 seconds. I had been solving Rubik’s cubes for 2 years, and there was nothing I had more passion for. Something about the complexity of cubing within its simplicity filled me with joy. On the one hand, you simply must repeat the same four steps repeatedly and solve after solve. Yet, to become faster, you must think creatively about every possible way to save time. How can I solve in fewer moves, how can I turn faster, how can I be more efficient? I enjoyed how widespread and competitive it was globally, with around 240,000 competitors. I could solve a Rubik’s cube faster than anyone I knew, and I spent hours diving into my favorite books or racing through Mario Kart tracks. The school was calm yet engaging, and I had friends who shared my interests and cared for me. Everything just felt right.

But then we moved to Mumbai, and suddenly, everything turned upside down. The city is vast, noisy, and so different from what I’m used to. On one side, there are towering skyscrapers. On the other, low-lying slums with blue roofs. The honking could not seem to stop. I could hear at least one of the blasting noises every two seconds. “Must be a cultural thing.”

What’s more, the driving seemed so disorganized. There would be “faceoffs,” where two vehicles are headed directly for each other, and at the last second, they veer off. I always panicked in these situations, whether or not I was involved.

The jet lag wouldn’t stop messing up my sleep schedule, and every day became more tiring. I couldn’t keep up with the classes at school—they moved so fast, and the homework piled up every night. I felt incompetent compared to everyone else because I wasn’t used to being the kid who didn’t understand schoolwork. Everyone seemed to get it except me.

By the third day, I couldn’t stand it. During a particularly hard math class, the teacher explained something I didn’t understand, and I could feel everyone’s eyes on me when I couldn’t answer a question. My chest felt tight, and I just wanted to disappear. As soon as the class ended, I rushed to the bathroom and broke down. I couldn’t hold back the tears

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anymore. My chest ached, longing for Buenos Aires, Argentina, desperately wanting to leave this wretched place.

“Why! Why! I CAN’T ANYMORE!” I screamed as I pounded on the bathroom door. I crumpled into a little ball in the corner, becoming just as small as I felt I was. “I miss my friends, I miss my old life, I miss being good at something. Everything here is so hard,” I whimpered.

I came home with red, bloodshot eyes due to my breakdown earlier in the day. I tried to hide it, but my parents knew me too well. I sometimes wish they didn’t.

“What’s wrong, Alex?” asked Mom. “Nothing,” I lied. I looked away, feeling annoyed and guilty at the same time.

“Honey, you can tell me. Did you have a bad day at school? What happened?”

No, Mom, I had a great day! I loved what happened today, especially because everyone saw me dash out of the classroom CRYING! Like I said, my parents knew me too well.

“You’re overwhelmed, aren’t you? Sweetheart, this is normal. You’ve never experienced culture shock before, so you might not understand how you truly feel. Plus, Mumbai has so many strong stimuli, and you know how those affect autistic people: the neverending sounds, the disorganized driving, the strong and unknown smells, all of it. You are not the adaptive, flexible type, so these changes are especially hard on you. Tell me, how can I help you?”

Mom had got me, and there was nothing I could do now. Being such an extrovert, my mom could genuinely empathize with practically anyone; she always found the right words to comfort someone. I love that about her, usually. Sometimes, it can come off as nosy because I, like most people, avoid sharing emotions as readily as she deciphers them.

My eyes teared up, and I looked away. I melted into Mom’s arms.

“I love you so, so much. You know that, right?”

“I know, Mom,” I sighed.

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The next day, I felt a strange feeling I had not experienced in a long time— excitement for my second day at school. I would not have expected this considering my “incident” yesterday, but I felt, no, I knew, that today would be different.

As I entered the school, the counselor pulled me to the side. She had a worried expression on her face. Why? Am I in trouble? No, what did I do?!

Her tone washed the fear from my body.

“Hi, Alex. I just wanted to ask how you’re doing. How was your first day?

Believe me, I know how stressful it is to move to another country, to another school, and to another house. Anyway, I want you to know that if something happens or you simply want to talk, I’m always here to help you.”

Something about her words warmed my heart. It felt good to know that someone cared for me at school apart from my family. But I stopped myself before telling her about my first day.

“Yeah, yesterday was okay,” I lied.

“Oh, okay,” said the counselor.

The worst time had arrived: lunch. The daunting task of joining someone’s table seemed impossible—no shot, I’m doing that. Hey, well, I guess I can sit alone. No problem with that at all! I went to an empty table, sat down, and opened my lunch box. As I was about to take my first bite, I looked up and was immediately disheartened. The inspecting, scrutinizing eyes of the middle schoolers fell upon me. I could feel the blood rushing into my head, making it red like a tomato. Who am I kidding? I HAVE to sit with someone. If not, I’ll be miserable for the rest of my life. I decided I would sit, or at least try to sit, with the “cool kids.” Being with the “nerds” would not help my rep. How could I say that? I’m such a nerd myself. I regretted using labels to describe these kids. Correction: I would sit with the kids on the green marble bleachers. Much better.

I took a deep breath and walked to the bleachers. I thought of a million different things they could say to me on the way. But I pushed those aside and asked: ASB Musings | Issue 12, Winter 2024

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“Hi, um, could I sit here?” To my surprise, the kid eagerly said: “Yeah, sure! Also, my name’s James and you don’t have to worry about asking if you want to sit. You can just, you know, sit.”

“Oh, ok. Thanks. Name’s Alex.”

“Nice! Where are you from?”

“California. And you?”

“Pennsylvania. Also, what part of California are you from?”

“The Bay Area. Practically in San Francisco.”

“Cool. Have you seen the Golden Gate Bridge?”

“Yeah! It isn’t golden, that’s for sure, but it still looks pretty amazing.”

“I can imagine!”

We went on like this for around ten more minutes. It warmed my heart to feel that someone would listen to me like that. It made me feel recognized.

The rest of the day went great. Hey, at least it went better than yesterday.

Somehow, I understood more in class because I felt more focused and less nervous. When I arrived home, my mom rushed to the door and embraced me.

“Hey, Alex! How are you? How was your second day? Did anything happen? Is anyone mean? How are your classes? Do you have–” “Don’t worry, Mom, everything was great. I understood my classes and socialized with some other 8th graders. Everyone is nice, and I was able to talk with this kid called James.”

“Son, tell me the truth.”

“Mom, I’m serious. Today was great!” I chuckled as I reassured her.

My mom squeezed me with the strength of a bear.

“Oh, thank goodness,” she said, sobbing on my shoulder.

Although it was a good day, the feeling of being embraced by my mom was so comforting. I could not have been more grateful for that hug. But the bear’s strength was not necessary.

“Ok, Mom, I get it,” I groaned.

“I love you, Alex. I love you so much.”

“Me too, Mom.” The days flew by. Then weeks, and finally months. Before I knew it, the end ASB Musings | Issue 12, Winter 2024

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of our time in Mumbai had arrived. I left home for the last time, knowing I would never forget it. While there, I discovered all of Mumbai’s beautiful, extraordinary things. I also learned about the not-so-good ones and taught myself to live with them. I was now moving to Amman, Jordan, because of my Mom’s job. But unlike my last move, I would be excited to explore and learn about Amman. I would be excited to hear a different language, eager to learn about the good and bad aspects, and prepared (at least somewhat) for the experience. So I stood, with my head held high and my mind set on embarking on the journey that was now laid ahead of me.

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Why You Should Not Harm Animals Mira Shetty | Grade 3

Have you ever seen chickens in cages or people fishing? Does it make you feel sad? It makes me very sad. I believe nobody should ever harm animals. Keep reading to find out why—there are many more reasons to believe this.

Can you imagine a world without animals? It wouldn’t be a good world at all. Without animals, there would be no puppies barking, no rats being chased by cats, no milk from cows, and no wool from sheep. Trust me, life would be very boring without animals.

Most importantly, when animals die, it harms the food chain, leading to the death of other animals.

Have you ever thought about what happens when plastic reaches the sea? Turtles mistake it for food and eat it. And if many animals go extinct, other animals won’t have enough to eat. Have you ever considered that animals also have families they love and care about? Well, you’re absolutely right!

Animals do have families they love. When you see a small animal all alone, doesn’t it make you feel as sad as when someone shouts at you?

Once, I saw a tiny kitten in the park, looking as scared as someone being chased by a tiger, desperately searching for its mom.

In conclusion, nobody should harm animals because animals have families they love. Harming animals disrupts the food chain, and a world without animals would be a sad and lonely place. Now it’s clear why nobody should harm animals.

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Wonders of Istanbul

Mayra Gharzeddine Singh | Grade 6 The sun would rise, and so did we. Taking in all the sights as much as we possibly could. The tram would rush by, ringing its bell for people to move, A certain rest point would be where all the tourists would click away, telling them to smile for the camera. Taking photos till the bell rang, ordering others to leave, Young children would hang on at the back of the tram, squealing and laughing, while watching their parents run after them and take even more pictures.

Isteklal was 1.4 kilometers long. There was so much to see and explore. We would wake up at the crack of dawn, and we would walk till the very end of the street, watching as trucks would pass by, unloading all the new clothes, new ingredients, and more supplies, enjoying the cold breeze in the morning and how satisfied you would feel when you reached the end.

The street was known for all the shopping you could do, all the fantastic food you could get there, the majestic tram, and the Galata Tower, one of the most famous and exceptionally tall towers in Istanbul, which was quite a big tourist attraction with all sorts of fascinating things in the tower.

As tourists pass by, they take selfies at the very top and read all the interesting facts that would be displayed there.

We would eat Turkish breakfasts, try new cuisines, and chit-chat away every morning. We snapped pictures of almost every special thing we could see, stopped at every small corner shop we passed by, drank Turkish tea, and took a ferry between two continents. Istanbul is the only city in the world that straddles two continents.

I'm trying out samples of the different baklawas and seeing my favorite brand of shoes, CONVERSE!!!!! (THEY ARE THE BEST).

We went to the Grand Bazaar, built in 1455, and it’s been standing there 568 years, five months, and 17 days (and counting)! Could you believe it’s been there for such a long time? The Grand Bazaar has over 4,000 shops, and according to some sources, the bazaar can attract between 100,000

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and 400,000 visitors on any given day! The whole day we couldn’t find the exit! Have you ever seen such a big market?

Near the Grand Bazaar, you could buy all different types of knockoffs for much lower prices, and surprisingly, they were reasonably good quality.

The crowd would grow until it became pretty impossible to see anything.

Sephora was always bustling with people making their way in and out, holding their kids' hands and all their shopping bags.

Our time at Istiklal Street was quite fascinating and fun. The most shopping I had ever done was there, and the most food I had ever tried was all at Isteklal Street.

Will I go to Istkelal again? You bet!

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You Should Travel Anfel Salmi | Grade 3

Have you traveled before? If you haven’t, read this to learn all about how to have fun while traveling. You can learn so much while traveling! When you travel, you get to see nature, taste new food, and learn new languages.

First of all, everyone gets to see nature. We can see animals, plants, and feel the fresh air. Do you know that I see many plants and trees while traveling? Sometimes, the air is so cold! Nature means trees, plants, and all the beautiful things around us. Plants and trees give us air and help the environment. Nature is the most fun part of traveling. It’s so relaxing, like lying in bed!

Secondly, not only do we get to see nature when we travel, but we also get to taste new food. You can try food from different countries and even taste drinks like Coca-Cola, Pepsi, and others. In the airplane, it might be a little cold, but the food makes you feel good, and there’s a table where you can put your food.

Did you know that in Emirates, they serve baklava and some delicious Middle Eastern food? Some foods smell so good, you can smell them from far away. They taste as yummy as jelly!

Most importantly, everyone can learn new languages. You can learn how to say new words, speak with people, and even teach others what you’ve learned. Did you know that when you learn a language, you feel free and rich in knowledge? You can talk with people from all over the world.

Learning languages is the best!

In conclusion, everyone should travel. Kids get to see nature, taste new food, and learn new languages. So, when your school has holidays, go travel and have fun with your family. If you have traveled, you’re lucky!

Everyone knows that traveling is the best. Many people agree that traveling helps you learn. Can you imagine flying all the way up into the sky!

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HS Arts

Kyra Bhagat | Grade 10

Amaira Chauhan | Grade 9 ASB Musings | Issue 12, Winter 2024

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HS Arts

August Rajakumar | Grade 10

Hyeonseung Lee | Grade 10 ASB Musings | Issue 12, Winter 2024

Harua Senoo | Grade 9

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HS Arts

Ayesha Choksi | Grade 9

Masan Otmar | Grade 10 ASB Musings | Issue 12, Winter 2024

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Creative Layout of Magazine: Maleka Merchant Cover Design Advisor: Sulmaz Kabul Cover Page Artwork: Amaira Chauhan Editorial Team: Gizelle Rodrigues and Heeru Bhojwani.

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