Delta Back to Nature 2026
DELTA Spring 2026
Editorial Staff
James Weidner, ‘26
Brendan Martin, ‘27
Eric Feng, ‘28
Grady Hall, ‘28
Faculty Moderator
Mrs. Christine Connelly
A Letter From The Editors:
The Delta Literary Magazine aims to celebrate the talents of Delbarton’s gifted writers and visual artists and provide a creative outlet for all our students. This worthwhile tradition in the arts can help students and readers discover meaning outside the classroom, stage, or athletic field. Specifically, this year, we invite our readers to journey Back to Nature to rediscover their surroundings, life’s beauty, and take inspiration from their peers’ artistic talents in order to recognize who we are and find our place in nature. This theme is an ever more important concept as the beauty of our life is so fleeting and can feel inconsequential to our shared, busy, and rapidly advancing lives. This theme joins our writers and artists to discover and take inspiration from outside the constraints of technology and celebrate the often unnoticed beauty of the chaotic world we live in. The editors of our magazine (Eric Feng ‘28, Grady Hall ‘28, James Weidner 26’, and Brendan Martin ‘27) are proud to present to you the bountiful talents of our Delbarton community. We hope this edition of the Delta can enlighten both the artist and writers, as well as all readers.
"Look deep into nature, and then you will understand everything better." – Albert Einstein
Table of Contents
Poetry & Prose
Reflections
March 19, 2011
Untitled
The Tree
“Blessed are the Pure of Heart”
The Beginning
Sonnet
Epic Poem
Ode
Photo Finish
Why Me?
Family Tree
The Trees
Untitled
Untitled
The Wind
The Song of Skylaa
New Beginning
A New Chapter
Finalizer
Moment of the 18th
Music
05/02/10
Thriller
It Got Away
Untitled
The Elevator
The Light
Christmas
Untitled Prose
Hiro Momonoi, ‘29
Charles Ucko, ‘29
Reilly McVeigh, ‘29
Michael Simunovich, ‘29
Evan Edwards, ‘29
Cortland Martin, ‘29
John Matter, ‘30
Noah Kneafsey, ‘29
Marco Priore, ‘30
Aaron Castaneda, ‘30
Mr White Patrick Criqui, ‘31
Liam Barber, ‘27
Anonymous
Ryan Shannon, ‘27
A J Saccento, ‘26
Isaiah Muniz, ‘29
Isaiah Muniz, ‘29
Hunter Riley, ‘29
Aaron Pustylnik, ‘29
Sean Curtis, ‘29
William Hofmann, ‘30
Theodore Franchetti, ‘29
Joshua Tham, ‘29
Thomas Morris, ‘29
Colin Hennig, ‘29
Jack Culmone, ‘30
Oliver Yang, ‘29 Samuel Edgar, ‘31 Thomas Abraham, ‘29
Cover Photo Columns
Untitled Leaves
Untitled Sketch Web
Untitled City
Untitled Skull
The Bee
Untitled Untitled Untitled Untitled Untitled Flowers
Untitled Untitled
Neil Gaglani, ‘26
Dillon Byrne, ‘26
Egor Andreev, ‘26
Matthew O’Leary, ‘26
Colton Bienko, ‘26
Alexander Clements, ‘27
Christian Troczynski, ‘26
Luke McLane, ‘26
Gavin Guo, ‘26
Alex Makovsky, ‘26
Ted Grippo, ‘26
Aidan Pasic, ‘26
Finn Maguire, ‘26
Sam Rotolo, ‘26
Matthew Tafuri, ‘26
Palmer Forstner, ‘27
Oliver Lutz, ‘27
Bowen Honeker, ‘27
James Sommer, ‘26
Wes Gabriel, ‘26
Reflections
Hiro Momonoi, 2029
1 lie there dreaming : asking : drowning? in Why why do we li(v)e why is anything, why is?
lie there awake under the empyrean’s gaze dreaming? i look down upon what was once above; heaven and earth re( )versed
i pond-er where those specks of foam floating in the {welkin} come from ,softest green carpet -fluid- beneath me,
Wond-er did those specks
Once belong to galaxies far away
Or? Were those specks of foam always claimed by the calm loch , wind washes over my face - like Neptune passing his hand over me -
As
, a blue-bird for the sun , a crow for the moon form out of water to witness the sibyls of the H o r i z o n - where water and sky re-unite , never meant to be witnessed by man, A wake reaches out a single slim finger to shatter the silent mirror which I conjure from Adam’s Ale , shirt hugging my back; damp w/ mildew
All of this in a moment- lying there prisoner to my own introspections under the black sky, flooded with waves of stars- waves crash unto one another to send-,
A-wake that shatters time in One
Y is everything.
March 19, 2011
Charles Ucko, 2029
Crying, yawning, and screaming
1 month early
Unready
Unexpected
1 week in the incubator
Unready but unwavered
Crying, yawning, screaming
As if the chaos of the world was flooding my mind
As if I knew survival, success, satisfaction was all a grind Wars, disasters, and technology
Also knowing I have to learn biology
Crying, yawning, screaming
Manhunts, earthquakes, and a new country
I’m just trying to get my mind free
I cry out loud they say its normal
But really I’m sending a not so silent plea
Crying, yawning, screaming
Why must I carry this weight
Couldn’t I have come 1 month late?
This thought puts me in an awful state, How can I become so great?
Crying, yawning, screaming
Then it comes to me, Everyone has that first silent plea
But then comes the glee
That feeling of free
That worriless me
Me
Untitled Reilly McVeigh, 2029
He tells his parents he wants it. Doubts creep into their minds, “are you sure this is the right one?” Yes I am sure. Blisters erupted from his hands, like volcanos with no stop. Every shot forms crackles in his skin. But he can't stop. The dopamine floods his head as the rubber biscuit clinks the post Excitement or disappointment with each shot Which is what makes him captivated by it. That ripcore trigger 4, He saw Crosby on tv had finally been his. And it is now glued to his hands and heart. Ever since he went to that blackhawks game with his older cousins. Hockey had been the only thing he desired. Playing whenever he got the chance. The shooting space his dad had built. Became his igloo all winter. Cold nights were fueled with the drive to get better. And were warmed up from the gratification after. This drive required work ethic, that had to meet expectations
Sometimes so dark he felt horrible as if he had been stripped of the ability he strived for But motivation brings uprise.
Uprise in the blood sweat and tears. Poured into getting one percent of perfection. Stability is a hard battle, he has won.
The Tree
Michael Simunovich, 2029
Thunder.
A loud blast that echoes throughout the night sky
Lightning
Illuminating every bush, tree, and cowering animal
All through the jungle Silence.
And then A crackle
A crackle that splits Into many
Until all the silence in that jungle is engulfed By the unforgettable crunch; The spray of fire
And as the citizens of this mighty kingdom
Come out from Their hiding,
Their bodies are bathed in a bright red-orange glow
In the distance they spot the scourge
The Tree
Enveloped in smoldering tongues Of fire
But straight into the inferno
Those gallant animals go To save their dear friend, the Tree
From a scorching hot end
They collect Water
From a river And spray the liquid all over the tree
The flames flicker and Die out
Ending the Tree’s fiery misery And so the animals go home With hearts full Of joy
For they have saved their friend, the Tree
“Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God”
Evan Edwards, 2029
Before I learn to spell my name, I remember the gentle rhythm that once filled my bedroom. The lights were off but the blinds were open, The room lit by starlight as we rocked in our rocking chair,
“A-a-a, kotki dwa, szarobure obydwa, Nic nie będą robiły, tylko ciebie bawiły…” The stars seemed to listen to her as well, Coming out of hiding just to hear.
Her words flowed like candle smoke, like the ones from church on Sunday.
I liked Sunday because after church we would get pancakes from the diner. But we stopped going to a church with candles and communion, Dad is a protestant. I didn’t like his church.
“Sto lat, sto lat, niech zyje zyje nam! Sto lat, sto lat, niech zyje zyje nam!
Jeszcze raz, jeszcze raz, niech zyje, zyje nam! Niech zyje nam!”
My birthday was the first time in awhile I smelt candles, we had ice cream cake and pizza, and warmed up some of Babci’s specialty dishes. We had the whole family together, or at least whoever lived in the tristate area.
We still had Winston, our elderly, 16-year-old dachshund purebred. He was blind and half deaf but he always found whatever scraps were on the floor.
His tail always wagged and he sat by my feet when they sang ‘happy birthday’ then ‘sto lat’.
Winston had black fur or “czarny” in Polish “Czarny” like the “czarny Motka Boze”, the black mother of Christ, Our lady of Częstochowa, a pillar of Polish culture, she was all over Babci’s house and even sprinkled around ours.
I loved going to Babci’s house, but I hated how she dressed me. If I stayed ‘til Sunday we would go to church and she would dress me in itchy sweaters and stiff collar Polos. Every Sunday Babci and Dzadzi drove to Pennsylvania to Częstochowa.
They did Polish mass there and I remember going vividly. I had not understood a single word of the homily, but there were candles.
Candles, an organ, and heavenly Psalms, O how I missed those Psalms. When mass ended Babci and Dzadzi were like celebrities,
they knew everyone It felt like all the men were named Stanislaw And each woman’s purse was a bottomless well of candy
The Beginning
Cortland Martin, 2029
“I think he has what it takes.”
Tom spoke confidently into the phone.
“I will give him a chance, whether he takes it or not, Well that is up to him.”
The boy quietly approached the pitch. His arm, broken. As I set the cones, I began to observe. His style was unique.
When practice began, he made his presence known. I continued to watch in amazement. He began to dominate.
As practice ended, I called him over.
“How long was the drive?”
“About 35 minutes” he responded in a nervous voice. I continued to ask many questions.
To which he responded in short, not confident answers.
The conversation ended.
I told him I would give his parents a call in the days that followed. I did not know this at the time, But that single phone call would change Cortland Martin’s life.
John Matter, 2030 Sonnet
The night beams underneath the boardwalk glow
Music and laughter all throughout the night
The morning calls during the ocean flow
I go fishing sometimes don’t get a bite
Rushing to the beach, no spot in the sand
Feet burn while we are racing on the shore
Calming down as we find a place to land
Sitting down as we watch the ocean roar
Grab my surfboard and race out to the wave
My heart starts to pound once I have caught one
Might wipe out but I decide to stay brave
Standing up and I feel the burning sun
Jersey shore summers, I hope to see you there
But until next summer, you take care.
Epic Poem
Noah Kneafsey, 2029
My father drives down Route 10 with me, while the night changes to day. He begins to think about what things led us to this journey. He says it began one night, Ducks vs. Red Wings. This one game changed our lives.
He says “Ever since my perspective has changed, you seemed more complete and I feel that I’m doing a good job ”
He now talks about the beginning of my career. The lessons, money and challenges. He never spoke about the good, only the flawed.
I didn’t think much of it of the time, never really bothered me. He said I played more,
“One-sided,” that game I played felt different, defense became more important which changed the way I played forever
Untitled Colton Bienko, 2026
Ode
Marco Priore, 2030
Ode
O mother nature, Your beauty shines, Like the hot sun. No matter how hard you try You will always fly. Your many lives of insects, Your many lives of trees, And those remind me, Of a nice cool breeze O mother nature you Won’t Have any failure to me.
Christian Troczynski, 2026
Photo Finish
Aaron Castaneda, 2030
“My last chance to get a 6 minute mile pace,” I thought to myself as I travelled to the meet. On the walkthrough of the course, I prepared and planned.
When we got back, we all said a prayer and united. As I walk up to the starting line, my heart starts to pound. Every one of us stood there nervously, bracing for the gun.
“Ready… Set… Bang!” The gun goes off.
Blood courses through my body like water in a river. I start to find a rhythm as I dart into the luscious, green forest. Seeing my teammates in the distance only motivated me even more As we leave the forest, I push myself up the hill, pumping my arms and legs
Every stride I took was in agonizing pain. My legs burned, but my mind wouldn’t let me stop. The energy from cheering spectators coursed through my body. On the final straightaway, I saw the finish line in the distance.
My feet ached
And I heard someone behind me. I couldn’t let him pass me. I couldn’t slow down. My stomach ached with pain. My vision was blurry.
I did it
I beat him only by a couple milliseconds I didn’t get my 6 minute mile, But I got something better:
VICTORY!
Why me?
Mr. White
I got a call while at work
My son fell off the playground Likely broke his arm. As I drove to the hospital I think to myself “Why Me?”
What did I do to deserve this? What did I do wrong that I am being punished with a son who broke his arm?
When I pull up to the Children’s Hospital and walked through the halls, Through the Leukemia ward Past bald headed children and the parents grieving a child who is no longer with us I think to myself “Why Me?”
What did I do to deserve this?
What did I do right that I am being blessed with a son who has a broken arm?
Family Tree
Patrick Criqui, 2031
You were so still, yet so wide, so strong, and so deep
Your shade gave us peace
Your roots keep our stories safe
Now we sit underneath you, leaves all fallen
Each ring holds memories of happiness and laughter
Your trunk holds our weight
Your words can be seen through your bark
Now we sit beside you, your core all hallowed
Through seasons your leaves change color and fall
They bloom back just like your freckles came out in the sun
Your colors brought life to us
Now we sit with you, your roots instilled in us
The Trees
Liam Barber, 2027
Trees swaying around
Long branches of thick green leaves
Rooted in the Earth
Untitled Anonymous
Fall leaves from the trees, the bright colors fade tog ray, as life fades to death.
Ryan Shannon, 2027
The wind blew swiftly
Whistling in the dark night
The leaves have fallen
The Wind
A.J. Saccento, 2026
The wind hallos through The alleys of N.Y.C.
I must see the tree.
The Song of Skylaa
Isaiah Muniz, 2029
The song of Skylla.
A heartbreaking, breathtaking melody. It invites you in, pulling you closer.
A drive so strong like the dark deep ocean floor.
Creating a need to quench your thirst with poison.
An addiction. A temptation. It takes over a person’s body, filling them with an uncontrollable urge.
Powerless against it, your sensibilities are uncontrolled.
As you try to rush to it an illusion takes over your mind.
Your mind pictures a departure, while your body continues to rush forward
Further and further, faster and faster
There is no point of destination, just an unstoppable magnetism to reach it
Until finally you meet with an inevitable fate
The sound is gone and so are you.
Untitled Alex Makovsky, 2026
Isaiah Muniz, 2029 New Beginning
Old Main, Great Lawn, bus rides at the break of dawn.
Letter days, class blocks, CERs and campus walks.
Pendulum swings, 30 minute Membeans, pony rides at Homecoming?
My head swirls It’s a tornado of new things
Yeah new beginnings, filled with many different mixed up feelings
Excited, overwhelmed, happy all on the same page, a freshmen start, a chrysalis stage.
Time is now a precious commodity; I chase it ‘cause there never seems to be enough for me.
24 hours is the daily limit, I need to squeeze more hours into it.
Even when the work is done, I feel the weight of the next things to come. It shadows me like a blanket of darkness I can’t lift, but I know change comes with time and persistence.
Yeah, new beginnings, the start can be hardest out of the gate, like swimming hard against the current but staying in place.
A sophomore shared words that turned out to be really good advice, He said: “The work at Delbarton doesn’t get easier, it’s not going to change, so you have to figure out how to better operate within the frame.”
Not crystal clear, but I knew what he meant, start to think different
Maybe small shifts stacked together would bring improvement
Third week in I begin to see, cracks of light and better paths of opportunity.
Block out study time for each subject to have its space, build routine to steady my pace.
Stay on task, lock into the moment, laser focused onto what I see.
So now I control time instead of time controlling me. Yeah new beginnings, starting to grow my rhythm, getting a flow. Not an overnight creation, still a work in formation, made with blocks of truth for a solid foundation.
I can’t predict the exact future, but I know progress today will make tomorrow better.
Optimistic and energized I stay challenged for each new endeavor. Thankful for the wisdom that new beginnings don’t last forever.
Ted Grippo, 2026
A New Chapter
Hunter Riley, 2029
“I don't know what he is going to do. He is going to be alone with no brother or sister. Once Johnny leaves, he probably won’t be the same,” I say. I have realised that I am about to start a new chapter in my life. I know it’s going to be different.
As I am in the car driving to the cold and windy Dartmouth. I think about what this Ithaka is going to be like. I listen to my music and try to distract myself from reality.
As I just start to get cosy, the car comes to an utter stop. “We’re here,” my dad says happily. We get out of the car and grab our bags out of the car trunk, and I put my hands up for A big stretch
We enter the hotel called the Hannover Inn and wait in line to check into our room. While we’re waiting, I see doughnuts and warm apple cider. I take my first sip of the Warm apple cider and it brings me back to my first Homecoming game at Dartmouth with My brother and family friends at the same hotel.
Finalizer
Aaron Pustylnik, 2029
I see my white cleats as I lace them up. I look up again and see the Annapolis Hawks.
The line of kids walking to the field crosses my line of sight, and eye contact is made.
My eyes slice through number twelve as he tries to return the favor; he fails.
I shake my head and start walking through the brisk air. My big red bag with the number forty-nine on it is where I go.
I throw my putrid pads on and put my rancid helmet on, loving the terrible smell.
I throw my mouthpiece in my mouth and proceed to field three.
We get to the field, and I warm up with the boys.
The ref asks our coach if we're ready to go.
He says to give us a couple more minutes
We finish the warm-up and do some light footwork and sprints before taking the field
Coach Roy calls us over and lectures us on playing with an edge, to play like we're the best team in the country.
He tells us to be physical.
The deafening whistle cuts off his last point to start the game. Colten, Ryan, and I walk out and fist-bump our goalie, Greydon.
The other Ryan goes to midfield and gets ready for the opening face-off. Parents are breathing heavily, and my heart is out of control.
The ref adjusts the faceoff guy’s sticks.
The whistle is blown. The game is underway.
We lose the opening faceoff
Colton forces a turnover.
Mason is in transition down the field.
He passes it to Matthew.
Matthew scores. 1-0 Leading Edge.
The score bounces around for the next three quarters of the game. The score is all tied as coach Roy calls a timeout during the final minutes of the game.
He puts the starting defense on the field to finish off the game. Including me.
Number twelve grabs the ball from the midline. His coaches are telling him to take his time.
He thinks he has me beat as he starts running for the goal I cut him off and force him to roll back towards the middle of the field
As he rolls, he leaves a sliver of his stick behind him I take advantage of this and throw my stick at it.
I make direct contact with the stick, and his stick goes flying. The ball is loose but not for long, as Mason grabs it once again. He runs down the field as time runs out.
Matthew calls for it, but this time Mason wants to do it himself.
He fakes it to Matthew, and their defense is lost. The sideline shouts the time, “3…2…”
Mason shoots at the last possible second and hits nothing but pure net.
The referees get together to discuss whether or not he shot it before the final whistle
My stomach is in a knot
The referee comes out and holds his two arms up Goal!
We rush towards Graydon, celebrating the victory, but something feels off I limp off the field after we shake hands, knowing I hurt something. I choose to stay silent, not wanting my season to end. This comes back to haunt me as I am unable to sleep the following night.
I twist and turn all night with a ferocious pain in my foot. I wake up and decide my health should come first. I reluctantly decide to tell my Mom, “I couldn't sleep last night either; something in my foot hurt very badly.”
She thinks I'm being petty and asks how bad it is. I explain the pain, and she makes an appointment for an X-ray. The X-ray comes back, and my Sesamoid is broken.
I walk out with a boot and a heart with a hole needing to be filled with sports
This is the story of an athlete
An athlete who spends countless hours perfecting his craft But in one play, one move, one second, all that can crumble down to nothing. This is my story.
Moment of the 18th
Sean Curtis, 2029
The 18th fairway shines so bright, In the brutal, summer light. My body is shaking, my hands clench, The time slows around me, The outcome I quench
80 yards in, ready for action, I swing, the ball near the stick, I have a joyous reaction
40 feet for birdie, and a dream, The crowd goes silent, Then someone lets out a scream, Once my ball rolls supreme. Victory is mine,
Like my Mima always says, “The stars have aligned.”
William Hofmann, 2030
When I put my headphones on I start to drift away The sounds are so loud I forgot what I was going to say I hum along not thinking The melody guides my mind Time moves, but I’m ok with it I hear each beat, each line Everything feels clear and close I could listen forever
05/02/10
Theodore Franchetti, 2029
The drive home through Manhattan, coming from the hospital where and when I was born. The honking of horns and unpleasant stopping and going in the car, the palpable stress affecting me as an infant. I’ve never liked crowded places like the city. There is something about the peace and tranquility of the middle of nowhere, and how you can take a deep breath and not worry about what chemicals you are inhaling that calms me. Like a puppy in an open field with not a worry in the world. .
Thriller
Joshua Tham, 2029
Coach: sitting by the Scores table, he sees, A tall, scrawny kid, Wondering why he looks
So scared He knows Him, he played for His team before and He did well. He
Could smell the fear From him. It was A strange smell to Coach. The piercing buzzer
Sounded and the game was off. He was Playing well, but suddenly His ankle twisted. He
Looked injured, but persevered. He played out the Rest of the game Every step, dribble, shot,
Calculated like a machine. It got down to the Wire. The opposing team Was up by two points.
Nico shot, it rattled The rim. He got The rebound and passed It out. Alex shot.
Coach was frozen, everything Seemed so still. Then A voice said: “We Got this coach”.
The Ball fell through the Net with a swish. Now on to the final.
Untitled Sam Rotolo, 2026
Untitled Matthew Tafuri, 2026
Thomas Morris, 2029 It Got Away
“Are you alright?” Brayden asks. “I’ll survive,” I reply, hopeful that the cool salt water will be able to alleviate some pain I then refocus myself and start making my way to the shoreline.
The sand is damp from the night before, sinking in about three-quarters inch with each step.
The rough waves crash on the shoreline like a gunshot. That sound brings me back
to Arizona Canyons and cowboys An older man with a patchy beard and a wide-brim hat
lived on this ranch. It smelled funny like hay and silage, But I didn’t mind because He gave us drinks and food.
He took us to the back of the ranch after Mom and Dad signed some papers. He handed me
revolver, and I shot the barrels of wheat about 30 feet away with such confidence. It’s a powerful feeling.
I could finally catch a fluke with that confidence. Then Brayden snaps me out of my trance.
“We have to get our line out before the surfers come. It’s our only chance!” I’m more worried about the brewing storm, But I guess our concerns differ.
Unitlited
Colin Hennig, 2029
“Bang!” The shot rang, zipping past his right ear, causing his heart rate to skyrocket into immortal levels. Jack regained his step and took a few deep breaths, trying to focus his mind on the enemy before him, Hassan Hiquimi. Jack ran to the solid brick pillar in the middle of the room and pulled out his glaring knife. He gently moved the knife to his side, using the reflection to gain vision of Hiquimi’s position. He could see the top of his head over the counter as he tried to bandage up his left arm. As Jack saw this, all he could hear inside his head was General Gadsgen's voice, “We need him alive.” Jack, with the veins in his head pulsing, held back his anger over what Hiquimi had done and gently tiptoed his way over to the counter When he got close enough, he yelled out to Hiquimi, “Hands up! Don’t move!” With overwhelming joy, Jack relayed to Gadgen, “Sir, we got him.”
It was 4:00 a.m. when Jack got the call that would change his life forever. He heard over the speaker, “Agent Heaney, the director is asking for you. He says it is a matter of national security and is urgent!” Jack, half awake, sprang out of bed, got dressed, and sprinted into his car to drive to Langley, Virginia, where the CIA is stationed. Where he got there, he saw his good old pal, Garrett, waiting to brief him on the situation. They walked up to the office and in front of them were the President, Director Gadsgen, and Deputy Director Higgins. Gadsgan walked to the front of the room and turned on the projector, showing an abandoned supermarket. Gadgan started, “Ladies and gentlemen, we have reason to believe that Hassan Hiquimi is sheltered in this building. As we all know, he is wanted for the bombing of the Pentagon, which happened one year ago on this upcoming Friday You may be asking yourselves, ‘Why are there only 5 people in this room?’ The answer to that question is that there is evidence that points to there being a mole in the agency For this reason, I have made a close circle of people I can trust. Jack, you are the best agent the CIA has ever seen. That is why I need you to go capture Hiquimi. We need him alive because he must know intelligence that can lead us to others connected to him and maybe lead us to our mole.”
Jack Culmone, 2030 The Elevator
My heart races as I scramble through the streets of the big city Dashing through the blocks to the world’s tallest skyscraper I have no true plan Then I saw it was the tallest of all. I sprint inside, bolt on the first flight of stairs. Then my heart stops. Nothing more to climb but glass, feeling like it will not last. The elevator. My knees are weak, palms are sweaty, and I feel like my stomach is full of butterflies. I step into the elevator. We go up, and up again. As high as the sky. We are almost to the moon. Then the elevator, the building, the whole city drops to nothing.
Untitled Palmer Forstner, 2027
Untitled Oliver Lutz, 2027
The Light
Oliver Yang, 2029
The waves crash violently on the rocky coast. The air’s salty and the water’s rough. The sounds of the people ring in my head, the cries, the fearful cries, the violent shouting. A corner of my eye slides a salty tear, it gets to return back to its family. I look around once more, and find nothing. I climb onto a slippery rock. There I lay, my body aching from it all. I rest my head on a rock, stare into the fortunate clouds. In the same corner of my eye, I see red. All red. I sit up and rub my eye with the back of my hand Still all red I blink twice and see young Lyla, floating in the ocean, drowning in her own blood I gulp a heavy gulp as terror courses through my veins I get down, pick her fragile body up, and delicately place the withering flower down I patch her up well, and heal her Slowly, like a caterpillar, her body sits up and she opens her eyes. I sigh a sigh of relief, knowing her brother will get to see her again. On this hot day, my skin starts getting cold as I get goosebumps as I think more and more about it. This is so unfair. Young, bright, innocent, innocent people like her shouldn’t have to go through the punishments of war. I talk to her. “Lyla, we were marching the streets, protesting for no war. Do you remember? We had signs we made at our crumbling home. We were marching and… things got bad. There was a fight between one of us and a soldier. The soldier was trying to keep the crowd from escalating, but it was too late and I think he panicked. He went crazy and started chasing us and a few others to scare away the crowd. We ran down here, for safety from the water, but I guess you got shot diving in. I’m sorry that happened to you. How bad is it?” “It’s painful, but manageable. I want to go home to my big brother He’s the one that always takes care of me anyways, ever since my parents got killed in that car crash Thanks for doing this, though I know it was hard for you having to go through a similar thing I mean, like the protest and stuff
It must have been brutal being an actual soldier in the battles ” “Yeah, you’re right, but this is why I do this in the first place. To prevent fighting so that other people don’t have to go through my shoes.” We walked and I nodded as I suddenly remembered why I did all of this to start with: her. Bright, hopeful people like her that give dark situations light. Here, this is where real family is made.
Christmas Samuel Edgar, 2031
Christmas eve night was calm. The family was at the dinner table eating a big meal. Suddenly, the Christmas tree jumped up and ran out the door. It ran down the street leaving a trail of pine needles behind. The only person who noticed this was the 4 year old who was at the end of the table. He blurted out, “The tree escaped!” At first, his parents didn’t believe him. When the Christmas tree reached downtown, it met up with the other trees. Back at the house, the parents gave up and went into the living room and saw nothing but a pile of pine needles. Then, the child noticed a line of needles on the floor leading down the road He followed it down the street until he reached downtown When he arrived, he was amazed by what he was seeing Standing right in front of him was the biggest Christmas tree he had ever seen. It seemed as if all the trees came and stacked on top of each other reaching the clouds. Finally the child spoke softly, “Merry Christmas.” Then, the child started to feel a shaking sensation and woke up to his mom saying, “Merry Christmas!” When he walked downstairs, he noticed that the tree looked as if it was missing a large amount of needles.
Untitled Prose
Thomas Abraham, 2029
Carter ran as fast as he could away from them, he knew getting caught would mean interrogation, torture, or worse. He froze as he noticed a security camera to his left, and ran to the right instead. His lack of knowledge of the compound cost him, and he ran right into their tripwire. An anonymous voice demanded, “Hand over the money or else”. When he refused, they tased him until he was unconscious. One week ago, Carter Davis’s best friend, Henry, had been seriously injured in a cycling race, and needed to get surgery to stop internal bleeding. However, it cost $20,000, and he didn’t have health insurance While waiting in the hospital, Carter received a call from an unknown number He answered “We know what has happened to your friend, and we can help. If you promise to do a favor for us, we will pay for your friend’s surgery”. Carter was skeptical and asked, “Who are you, and how do I know I can trust you?” Suddenly, his phone got an alert from his bank , “$20,000 dollars transferred to your account”. He was both in joy and shock. He said “Thank you so much”, and the caller replied “You will receive your assignment at the junkyard at 9:00 AM sharp. Don’t be late.” and then he hung up. Happy that he had gotten what he wanted, he carried on with his day as normal, not realizing what would happen next. The next day, he drove to the junkyard and arrived exactly at 9:00. A masked figure was lurking behind a pile of broken cars. He began walking towards him and whispered to him, “Your assignment is to go to the Wells Fargo headquarters in 4 days at sunset, enter the vault, and steal the diamond”. He was nervous, but he nodded his head in acknowledgement and promptly left. When the day came, he drove to the compound, and posed as a customer wishing to withdraw from the bank, but he got too scared
He began to turn around, when he felt a cold hand on his shoulder, it was the same man in a different mask, and he had a gun in his hand, as well as some henchmen with. Carter began to run. He couldn’t outrun them, and when they caught up to him, they tased him until he passed out. He woke up tied to a chair, in a dark room under a flickering light. His phone was on the other side of the room, and he had no way of getting to it. He didn’t have the money , and he didn’t have any way of escaping. They pulled out their guns, and handed him his phone. The anonymous man said, “Call someone and read what’s on the script”. A henchman handed him a script saying that he was being held hostage and needed money to leave. Right as he was about to call his parents, police stormed the room. Carter’s captors hadn’t turned location off on his phone and his friends, whom he had shared his location with, had called the police, and they were here to rescue him. Carter was extremely happy as he was untied from the chair, and as the captors were taken out in handcuffs, he walked out in joy, as his decision to turn his location on had saved his life and allowed both him and Henry to survive As he went to sleep that night, he could only imagine the reactions of his family at the next gathering when would tell them all about this.
Bowen Honeker, 2027
Untitled James Sommer, 2026
Untitled Wes Gabriel, 2026