Bloom Vol 1 2022

The Literary Magazine of E. H. Bryan School

Fall By Janie Jekal

Best Part of Me Haikus

My beautiful eyes. Greenish brown and so pretty. Those nice hazel eyes - Leonie Shore

My amazing mouth. I love eating with my mouth. My mouth is helpful. - Hailey Kim

My two eyes are brown. My eyes help me to see well They help me to read - Janie Jekal

I love my fingers Because they help me to write I love them so much - Chelsea Park

My hands are useful. They help me do anythings.

I LOVE my two hands. - Katarina Guarrera

My hand grasps a pen As I write a mystery I love good stories - Arbel Gabai

My legs are my fave They exercise me too a lot And they dances with me - Leina Han

I have dark brown eyes I see dino-bones with them I love my two eyes. - Lucas Paola

Influenced by the book Best Part of Me by Wendy Ewald

My legs are the best They take me from place to place It is like a ride - Ellie Chang I love my two hands I try playing the piano I love Aerosmith - Daniel Bord

My eyes are pearl black They help me explore the world They are shinin too

My skull is the best It always protects your brain From getting too hurt - Edward Yan

My eyes are the best My eyes are good at reading I love my great eyes - Noga Arzi

I love my fingers Because they help me to write I love them so much

I love my green eyes. They are so green like the grass The color is light. - Leah Barlev

Chelsea Park My hands are the best They help me play Nintendo That’s why I like them

Dungeons & Dragons is the Best Game Ever

By Daniel Bord

There are a lot of good games like Monopoly, Trouble, or bingo. Playing board games with family and friends is a great way to spend the day. But Dungeons & Dragons is the best game ever made!!! Dungeons & Dragons is the best game ever because it’s full of adventure, it makes you think, and it’s really fun and entertaining!!!

One reason Dungeons & Dragons is the best game ever is because of the amazing adventures. In the adventures there are monsters like giants and dragons. You get to use swords and spheres. Also, the fights make the adventures even better!!! I remember the adventure when I had to fight 2 quarter dragon, a quarter lion, a quarter snake and a quarter goat, a fire dragon, a five headed water dragon, and Chaos. The quarter dragon goat snake and lion is called a Chimera. The dragon, the goat, the snake, and the lion use the same soul and they think the same things. They split up into pieces. Chaos was mind controlling all of them!!! Also, there is a lot of excitement in this game because of the strong monsters and the tension. There is a bunch of action from the big fights and what you do in your turn affects the outcome of the game. If you decide to do something complicated you get big rolls with the dice. If you don’t get the roll you want, you might get a lot

of damage to your health. When you run out of health you will die and you will need to get healed in order to continue the game. All of this makes a lot of action. It makes me feel really tense! The adventures in this game are really, really exciting! Another reason why Dungeons & Dragons is the best game ever is because it makes you think. It makes you think because this game is very, very complicated and it has a lot of rules. There are tons of rulebooks filled with rules. Here are some rules you must follow: you can walk 4 spaces and do an action or run 8 spaces and not do an action. There has to be a dungeon master (DM) to tell the story, and with experience points you can go up by levels. Also, it makes you think because you need to find strategies. Some strategies are how to win in a fight or to get into a place that has guards in it. Another thing that makes you think is you need to find solutions to problems. You need to be creative. One thing you need to be creative about is to make your own characters. Finally you need to think of what magic is the best magic to use in a fight. That’s why it’s a great thinking game to play.

What Are Emotions?

By Omer Barkay

A way to reflect on actions

Varied differences, from me to you Occasional Similarities that bring people together

Anger and fear But also Hope and Happiness

No machine can replicate it, Because it comes from the heart and soul One of the most complex systems Yet so simple Emotions make us who we are

Leaf

Fall

byLucasPaola

BOOK REVIEW

by Janie Jekal

Author: Liz Kessler

Plot: Three riends in the time when the Nazis attaked the Jews.

⊂◉‿◉つ (✧ω✧)

My review: I love how this story has so much emotion and eelin to it. This book will make everybody want the Nazis to be destroyed even thou h it had already happened. Three riends, Elsa, Max and Leo are best riends that are oin throu h this hard time durin World War II. Elsa and Leo are Jews while Max is a Christian. So when the Nazis attack, they move to other places to hide. Max joined the army when he was old enou h, so he betrayed his best riends. A ter a lon time, Elsa and Max meets a ain while Leo is in someplace else. Max is with the soldiers, and Elsa was a prisoner. Somethin horrible happens to both o them. But in order to find out, you need to read the whole book! Rating: ★~(◠‿◕✿)

Crazy Pets

By Neta Albek

One day the cat woke up. He saw the little yellow bird sitting in her cage. He wanted to eat her because he was hungry. He went up to the cage and opened the lock. The bird zoomed out, smacked the cat in the butt making the cat fly right into the cage. Quickly, the bird flew towards the cage and slammed it shut.

“Meow! Get me out of here, you bird!”

“OK! But only if you play chess with me,” replied the bird.

The cat answered, “Fine! But I am warning you…I am good at chess.”

The bird said, “Give me your best shot.” She opened the cage and the let the cat out.

The two started to play chess on the living room rug. Both were so focused to win. The cat was losing and when he finally lost, he said, “I can’t believe I am losing to a bird!”

The bird just shook her butt and sang, “Nah, nah, nah, nah, nah.”

The cat said, “Do you want me to eat you or not?”

“Nope,” said the bird.

Then she flew back into her cage and the cat learned never to try to eat her again.

Bob and the Bone

By Tomer Shahar

“It’s only me. You can come down, and I will chew you,” said Bob, trying to get the bone down from the tree. “AHH! COME DOWN NOW!” Bob shouted. “Huh?” Bob gasped. “Oh no, it’s Poop!” Then Bob looked up in the sky and saw a banana trap falling on him from Poop. “Why, you mean dog!” Bob yelled. Poop shouted back, “How do you think I will help you? Muuuaahhaahaa!” “Help!” shouted Bob. “NEVER!” replied Poop. “Wait, yay! It’s Mommy to the rescue!” sang Bob happily. “Wait, me?” asked Mom. “Yes, you!” Bob answered. “NO!!!” Mommy said. “Wait! What? Why not?” Bob asked. “Because I don’t want to,” answered Mom. Then Bob begged, “Please! I am stuck in here.” After that, Mommy finally said, alright. Mommy helped Bob get out of the banana trap and said, “Can you get that bone out of the tree?” Bob said they needed a plan! Then Bob made a plan that he would get on the swings and swing to the tree and get the bone. But Bob remembered about Poop. So Bob quietly climbed up to the swing and instead of aiming for the bone, he aimed for Poop. Next, Bob flew and hit Poop. Poop fell on the ground and made a big BUMP noise. Then Bob went on the swings again and aimed himself towards the tree. Bob made it to the top of the tree where the bone was. Then he noticed that he didn’t plan how to get down and he was now stuck up in the tree. Next he asked, “Can you help me get down from the tree?” Bob’s mom answered, “Fine.” Next, she climbed up the tree and saved Bob. They both ate the bone and lived happily ever after….until Poop came back. Poop didn’t have a plan anymore. So he just said, “I will be back.” but actually he never came back so Bob and his mom did live happily ever after.

Korea vs. USA

By Ellie Chang

I was born in America, but my parents and grandparents were born in Korea. I have visited Korea multiple times to visit my family there. Korea and the USA mean a lot to me because I live in the USA and my family lives in Korea. They have things that are the same but they are also two very different countries. They are different because of their weather, language, and holidays.

The first reason they are different is the weather. In the winter season, Korea is mostly cold and dry while the summer is mostly hot and humid with a lot of rainfall. Spring and autumn are mostly dry and clear. In America, winters are way more cold and we get more snow too. The summer is hot and humid but not so rainy like Korea. Spring and autumn are pretty much the same, but Korea has more sunny days.

Another reason that Korea and the USA are different is the language that is used. Korea has a language named Korean. An emperor made the language over 1,000 years ago. In Korea they use symbols instead of letters for their writing called Hangul.

The last reason that Korea and the USA are different is that they celebrate different holidays and traditions. For example, Korea celebrates New Years but not on January 1. In Korea, they celebrate the Lunar New Year which is usually in February. This is a big holiday and we eat special foods and wear special clothes. In America, we celebrate Halloween, Valentine’s Day and July 4th. Christmas is celebrated in both countries.

So, you can see that both countries have things the same and different. I am lucky that I am able to enjoy both because I live here and get to visit my family in Korea. I love both and am proud to be American-Korean!

To the Future

By Hailey Kim

By Chelsea Park

ByTomer Sahar

Peace

By Leonie Shore

"We live in a world where not everything is fair. People die because of their skin color, animals die because "they have no feelings" which is not true, trees get cut down for no reason, and sometimes we kill animals for no reason whatsoever. It isn't fair. We should all get a chance to live happily! We should live in peace, not in fear. So please, please,pleasedo something. Change the world!" I bow as my school burst into applause.

I stare at the people in front of me. They are all waiting for the next kid to do his speech. Ifonlytheywouldlisten!My life kinda depended on it. Grown ups never took us kids seriously. Ohpleaselisten. Mylifeliterallydependsonit!I sighed. They listened to Martin Luther King Jr, so why not me? If they don't change the world, then the Earth will explode and we will all die. Except I could not tell them that for multiple reasons. Here are the reasons:

1. They would think I am crazy.

2. They would panic.

3. They would not believe me.

4. I would be banned from the organization of P.E.A.C.E.

5. Those are all the reasons we could think of but there are probably more and we just did not think of them yet. Those are all our reasons. Anyway, as you can see, we cannot tell them.

I look into the audience trying to find Isla Macvass. I find her in the very last row in the very farthest corner in the very darkest spot. Good old Isla. Despite everything I have to smile. Classic Isla in the very darkest, farthest, lastest corner. Lastest is not a word, is it? Anywayyy. The young agent winks at me from her seat. I tap my earpiece, “They'renotlistening.Again!What shouldIdo?” Her sweet sugary voice answers in my head, “Ohcome on…useyourteacher'spetvoiceandthensayyou’re serious.Duh.” Ugh! What is it with her and her teacher's pet voice? “DropthevoiceIs.”I yell in my head. She glares at me. “Theendoftheworldisliterally happeninginanhourduetohateandallyou'retalkingabout ismyvoice!Whatiswrongwithyou,Skeleton!” I know what comes next but we don't have time. “We don’thavetime!”I remind her.

connection just got off. “Younowhave4minutes.Makeus proud.Alsoyouhavetherestoftheworldleft.Keep yours-”His voice glitches.

We hear a loud BOOM and the connections go out. I stare at Isla. Her wide eyes confirm what I just heard. Do something! She's so nervous she forgot to put on her teacher's pet voice and I hear her normal Scottish accent, “Di-didyoujusthearthat!”

“Ye-Yeah!Wecan’tkeepgoingfrombuildingto building!Wehavetodosomething!Fast!” I shudder, thinking about the dark form of the hate we saw on the way to the Academy.

“Yeah!So,whatdowedo!You'retheleaderofthe mission!“Isla reminds me.

“Idon’tkn-” Suddenly we hear a boom and the building starts to collapse.

As debris starts to rain around us, the people start to panic, running around like crazy. Suddenly, I see a black shadow coming towards me. Shadow! I start to run but it quickly catches up. I hear a Thwap! I see Isla running towards me shouting, “Lia!” and feel immense pain on the back of my head. And then all goes black.

Fall Cat

by Katarina Guarrera

The Chicken’s Adventure

By Leah Barlev

One day a chicken entered a barn. “Bock, Bock!” it cried. The chicken was scared and hungry. He hadn't eaten for days. The chicken cried, but still, no one answered. Snort, Snort! There was a pig. The chicken was saved! He danced and danced till the chicken figured out that the pig was useless! The chicken ran and ran until he came to New York City. That is when the chicken saw a million more chickens! Bock! Bock! Bock! It became louder and louder. The chicken fainted from the noise for a while. When he came to… it was Super Mario! “I came here to see if any chickens were sad,” said Super Mario. The chicken was so happy! “Let's play a game of bock bock!” Super Mario said. And so then the chicken and Super Mario bocked all the way to Super Mario’s house.

Stellaluna

By Tomer Shahar

Ima ine bein attacked by an owl with your mom. Stellaluna dropped on a branch and held the branch as ti ht as she could. In the book Stellaluna, Stellaluna had been attacked by an owl with her mother. And Stellaluna dropped rom the sky and rate ully landed on a branch. Then she slipped off o the branch and landed ace first on a bird nest. Stellaluna believed that she was a bird so she tried to act like one. In this story, Stellaluna is ear ul,brave and adventurous.

Stellaluna was very ear ul throu hout the story. She showed this to the readers in a couple o ways. Once she ell rom flyin because she ot attacked by an owl with her mom. Stellaluna slipped on a bird nest and the bird’s mom made Stellaluna think that she was a bird. So Stellaluna was treated like a bird. She acted like a bird. Stellaluna couldn’t land correctly like the other birds which embarrassed her. The bird's mother shouted to the birds, “Get back up here this instant!”

Stellaluna was a little brave throu hout the story. When she was allin , she held on a branch to not all. She was alone han in rom a tree. And she flew in a bird way even thou h she is a bat. Also she was alone with a different amily/bird amily.

Stellaluna is pretty adventurous throu hout the story. Stellaluna acted like a bird even thou h she is a bat. Stellaluna tried to fit in with the bird amily. Stellaluna elt worried about her lost mother.

In the book, Stellaluna showed us many ways in which she was ear ul, brave, and adventurous. Stellaluna is ear ul because she was flyin alone without her mother. She was brave because she was alone han in rom the tree and survived. Lastly, she was adventurous because she tried to fit in with the bird amily. Could you ima ine livin with a different amily than yours?

1

) Tell me things that you think are important about yourself.

Health, being a good parent, and a good friend.

2) How many years have you worked in Bryan School?

I have worked for 6 years so far.

With Mr. Patrick

By Janie Jekal

3

) How many more years are you planning to work?

2 more years.

4) Do you like your job as a custodian?

Why or why not?

Yes, I do like my job. I like to spend time with students.

5) Who is your favorite teacher in this school?

My favorite teacher is… Patty Auger. She’s my favorite because she’s here early and she’s here at night. We follow the same sport teams: Yankees, Giants, Rangers and the Mets.

6) If you didn’t like your job and replaced it, what would it be?

I would like to be a professional soccer player.

7) What is your favorite part of this school?

I like the whole building.

8) If you could teach one subject, what would it be?

I would like to teach history.

9) What is your favorite sport?

Gaelic football, Liverpool

10) Where were you born?

I was born in Ireland, in the county Roscommon.

11) What are 3 things you like to do outside of your job?

I like to play soccer, cook, and work on my house.

12) What is your favorite meal?

I like Shepherd’s pie. It’s from Ireland.

13) Do you have any children? If yes, how many and how old are they?

I have 3 boys. One is 26, one is 21, and the other is 20.

14) What is the hardest part of your job?

The hardest part is summer cleaning. Getting ready for a new year is hard.

15) What is one word that describes you?

Kind

TheTaleofSquirrelyandAbe

By LucasPaula

Squirrelysaid,“Cometopapa,littleacorn.Ineedtoeatyou!”But theacornhadnochancefromthatsquirreleatinghimsotheacorndid notletgofromthetwigitwason.Later,Squirrelycameupwithmore ideastogetthatacornfromthattree.Hetriedmakingaladder from leavesandpebblesbutforsomereasontheladderskeptfallingdown. Afterawhile,SquirrelygothisfriendAbetohelphimgetthatacorn forhimselftoeat.Theytriedandtriedbutcouldnotgetthatacorn! Thenanhourlater,AbeandSquirrelyhadonelastideatogetthe acornfromthetreeitwashangingon.TheirideawasSquirrelywould standonAbe’sshoulders.Squirrelywheezed,“Ialmostgottheacorn justforme.”Abereplied,“Remembertoshareapieceofitwhenyou getit.”Squirrelymumbledback,“Okay.I’llshare.”(Squirrelyactually didn'twantto.)Abegroaned,“Squirrely,I’mgettingtiredofcarrying you.MyshouldersneedaBREAAAK!”Squirrelyreplied,“Don’t worry,Abe.I’malmostattheacorn…wait…uh…wha…IUHfine.I’ll giveyouabreak.”Abereplied,“YAY!Ifinallygota break!”Then Squirrelystrangelylookedatthe treeandsaid withaquestion,“Wait!Isthatthe acornfalling androllingmilesandmilesandmilesintothe sunset?Wait…ITISROLLINGAWAY!''So thentheyranandran.Andthat’sthetaleof SquirrelyandAbe.

By Omer Barkay

A Puppy Fora Pet

By Neta Albek

As I was walking in the park, I saw the trees turning red, orange, brown, and yellow. Then I saw a ginormous rock. I wanted to climb it so badly. So finally I climbed it. I climbed all the way up. It was so high that I could smell the fresh air as it filled my nose and I saw the city I live in. I found a lollipop in my bag. I ate it slowly as I enjoyed my view. I went back down when there before me I found a puppy. He looked hungry and sad. I gave him some bread that I had in my bag. He looked happier. I finished my lollipop but it tasted sweeter this time. I kept on going on the trail. He followed me this time! Then he came closer to me and I could smell him!!! I smelled MUD...andallthe peoplethatSTEPPEDinit!“UGH that smell is disgusting!” I thought. Then I said to myself, “ Ihavealwayswantedapetdog,andhedoes seemtolikeme. Buthe’sfilthy!”I thought and thought about what I should do. “Maybe Icouldtakehimhomeandgivehimashower?” Then I went home, and of course he followed me. I gave him a nice hot shower. Then I had an idea: I’ll take him to the pet store to buy him a collar! So I did. I asked the lady if I could get a red one. She asked, “What name should I print on his collar?” Umm… I thought for a moment… “Cliff!!!” I said. Then I bought it along with a leash. I walked home and he came along. We both walked. Just Me+Cliff. When we got home, I went to the fridge and grabbed a bone and gave it to Cliff. I went to sleep. I have a dog!

ByIrisChang

A irl named Mia was takin a walk when she saw our tiny color ul thin s movin . With curiosity, she walked over to see what it was. She fi ured out the thin s were animals. They were a cat, a do , a bird, and a bunny. Suddenly,the animals started walkin away. “Wait!’’ Mia shouted. The animals kept walkin . Mia ollowed behind. The animals stopped at a bi rocket. On the ront o the rocket in bi letters it said: ColorWorld.

What does that mean? Mia thou ht. Then the animals jumped in the rocket so Mia went too. The rocket started flyin and a ter a minute, they were in space. Mia could see a color ul planet floatin in space. The rocket started headin towards the planet. Finally, they landed. When Mia went out, the planet was just like earth but more color ul. Mia ollowed the animals to a color ul arch. On the arch, it said: The Most Color ul World. Mia ollowed the animals to a color ul city called Color City. The animals went into a nice buildin . The animals started typin in a code that said: red,oran e,yellow, reen, that

ismosto thethin syouneed. The animals went in and Mia ollowed them in. Once Mia went inside, the animals ave Mia a present that was almost as color ul as the city with an extra color ul ribbon that looked like splatters o paint. ‘’Thank you,’’ Mia said, very excitedly. A ter one hour that Mia spent in Color City, she had to o home or dinner. The animals led Mia to the rocket, and Mia jumped in. A ter she said bye, Mia went back to Earth. Once Mia went home, she opened her present. Inside the present was somethin oran e. From inside the present Mia could see the oran e thin movin and sayin , “Meow”’ Mia fi ured out that the thin was an adorable kitten. “Mom, can I keep it?” Mia asked. “Sure Mia,” Mia’s mom said. ‘’I’ll name you Gin er,’’ Mia announced to the kitten. The next day, Mia brou ht Gin er outside to play. Then she saw the same our animals standin next to the rocket. Mia ran to the rocket and hopped in. She was excited to o to Color World a ain and this time, Gin er would be able to o there too.

Should Robots Replace Teachers?

By: Arbel Gabai

“Okay class, today we will be learning about the American Revolutioooo” *Powers Down*. Many people are considering robots to replace teachers. most certainly do not. They have no control over students, they lose people their jobs, and they can get hacked.

For starters, robots have no control over students. When a student miss behaves, a teacher can send the student to go to the principal’s office or give him/her an extra homework assignment but when the teacher is a robot, students might not listen to the teacher because they are “just” a robot.

Also, they lose people and their jobs. According to the World Socialist Web Site (wsws.com), 2.6 million people lost their jobs just because of COVID-19!! Also, when people lose their jobs to a robot, they lose their self-confidence. People might think, I’m not good enough for this job or I worked so hard! How could some robot take over my job?

Finally, robots can get hacked. According to us.norton.com, there are around 2,200 cyberattacks every day and as technology gets better, there will be more & more. Artificial teachers might not be ready and may need more time to be programmed and safe.

If a robotic teacher gets hacked, kids can get hurt, hackers can get private information, and the teacher an damage school property.

In conclusion, artificial teachers aren’t ready to educate the public. I hope that by reading this I’ve persuaded you into thinking that robotic teachers are definitely not ready to teach the public. Let’s stick with the great human teachers we already have.

BOOKREVIEW

ByLucasNicholasPaula

Title:TheFenwayFoul-up

Author:DavidA.Kelly

Plot:TheBostonRedSoxstar,RaphaelDever’sbaseballbatgoes missing.Twocharacters,MikeWalshandKateHopkinstrytohelpto findthemissingbat. Myreview:Thisbookwasreallyinterestingandgreat,thatis, unless youlikethebaseballteamTheBostonRedSox:] Ilikedthisbook becausebaseballismyfavoritesport.Italsofeaturesmyfavorite team,theBostonRedSox,andBigD.,oneofmyfavoriteplayers.This bookwasgreatbecauseitwasentertaining.Somepartsofthebook arefunnytoo.Anexampleiswhentheteammascot’sbellywas jigglingwhenhewasfallingoverinthedugout.Ithadsuspenseful partsandreallysurprisingsectionswhereyouaredyingtoknowwhat happensnext. Ialsolikedthenicelittleendingtothestory. Ifyouwantfindouttheending,Iwould suggestyoureadthewholebook.Youwill notbedisappointed!

Rating:*****

I am …..

By Neta Albek

I am Jewish and can speak Hebrew

I wonder if in the future people will have a transformation into another animal like monkeys to humans

I hear the music coming from heaven

I want to go back to my old life in Israel

I am Jewish and can speak Hebrew

I enjoy playing with friends

I feel like it’s good to be new

I worry about nothing

I cry when I think about my old friends

I am Jewish and can speak Hebrew

I say that my brother is annoying

I dream about a fantasy world

I try to be funny

I hope it will be a good year

I am Jewish and can speak Hebrew

The Ducks on the Rocky Road

By Omer Barkay

Hello! I am here to tell you, intelligent reader, about the exciting path that two of my friends took involving a quite mystical creature. Before we begin, I would like to tell you a bit about myself. I am one of the five-hundred existing rare Magnolia cats, and I just happened to be walking along the G.W. Bridge when I encountered our heroes.

One day, on a fall afternoon Rocky Lendon, a very messy and energetic boy, and Lorenzo Rondonzinio, quite the opposite, who liked to stay on the safe side of things while also helping others in need, were at the G.W. Bridge in Fort Lee. They were walking on the smooth, colorful path that made up the crease between the enormous bridge and the brownish, blue river passing by underneath. It was a path with an endless stream of tan, gray, and dark blue.

On the path that the two were walking on, some mere feet away from them, cruising in the river beside them was a group of light blue feathered, sunbeam orange-beaked, and gray-eyed ducks. There were around seven of them, and the one in the front of the paddling was always changing depending on who was energetic enough to lead the group. There was one who was always in the back of the line, a particularly small one that seemed to be helping the rest of the group from behind. Rocky named her Lori, after his best friend (two feet away from him), Lorenzo. Rocky told Lorenzo what he had thought because Rocky was the kind of person that always popped their thought bubble. “Hey, Lorenzo. Look at the ducks! The one in front is the one I named after you,” Rocky exclaimed while shifting his vision towards the special duck, trying not to lose who it was (since they all looked pretty similar). After that, he added, “I named her Lori.”

“Cool! The one in the front is named Roxanne,” Lorenzo answered, pointing at one who always seemed to be in line to be the leader in the

front. Lorenzo later tells Rocky, “I named her after you. She's a messy feather stick, likes to be in the front, and is super jumpy.”

Quick warning! It’s me again, Magnolia. And if you are as intelligent as you seem, you would already be aware that this part of the story is a good indicator of the fact that you like this story. If you don’t, then why are you reading these words right now? Think of that while you continue reading.

After Lorenzo had said that, Rocky blushed. They now had duck twins which were unusual and were a bit more similar to ducks themselves (No offense.). Lorenzo kept walking with a smile on his face. He kept thinking, how did I ever become best friends with this crazy guy? Rocky was thinking the same way; with a grin, how did I get to be friends with this textbook?

The ducks were swimming in the opposite direction as Rocky and Lorenzo were walking, and the ducks were swimming toward the parking lot where their bikes were laying on an elephant of an old steel beam. However, the river under the bridge did not reach that point. So if the paddling continued, they would have bumped into the rocks at the beginning of the path.

Rocky, curiously, wanted to follow the ducks, and yet at the same time wanted to enjoy the marvelous sight with Lorenzo. So he decided not to look at the river now because the ducks won’t always be there, and the sunset (in the river, the most beautiful part) is probably going to occur after the ducks fly away. Finally, after deciding, he asked Lorenzo, “Can I go look at the ducks and continue with you later? I don’t want to miss the creatures swimming. I want to feed them bread.” Rocky was pointing at the birds once again. (he did not have bread.)

“Okay, though come back in time for the sunset, I heard it is going to be amazing!” Lorenzo answered.

“Sure,” Rocky replied. He set his round green-opal eyes on the navy ducks while following the ducks with his sweaty legs. Rocky did not know that he was walking toward the rock wall because he failed to look at anything other than the ducks, who were aware of the rocks and were planning on flying last minute away from them. Because the ducks already knew that the rocks were close and what to do when they approached them, and Rocky’s attention was shifted towards the ducks when the time came, the ducks flew away and Rocky crashed into the strong, hard-worked rocks (ironically) and cut his knee.

Fortunately, Lorenzo had not gotten farther than a couple of meters away, so he immediately noticed and started to panic and shouted to Rocky, “Are you okay?! Don’t worry, I'm coming! It will be okay.” When Lorenzo finally got to Rocky after running like an ostrich, Rocky was bleeding, Lorenzo was sweating, and the ideas started to rush onto his head at the same speed that the sweat did!

Lorenzo had found it! Therefore, he told Rocky, “Don’t worry. I've got an idea!”

“Darn you, Lori and Roxanne,” Rocky shouted angrily with his face getting the color of a ripe apple.

“Calm down,” Lorenzo whispered. So Rocky did. And thus, Lorenzo rushed to the stream, took a soft cotton ball out of his pocket, and placed it in the water. This made it like a wet sponge. Lorenzo placed the cotton ball on the spot where Rocky was bleeding on his ankle, and the blood started to build up in his body, eventually making it rush and run back in. Lorenzo had done an act that may look like a tiny mouse, but on the other hand, it was a hippo to help Rocky. Rocky let out a sighs of relief because he was feeling energetic again!

Around ten minutes later, Rocky and Lorenzo sat on a nearby bench and watched the beautiful sunset into the amazing lake under the large bridge. It was a kingdom of light.

5, breathe, 4, sigh, 3, wink, 2, twitch, 1, calm. And finally, it

vanished into the large, distant, forever river. The trip was over and the two friends went back on their bikes with their flashlights on to head home.

“What a day! What a day!” Rocky stated to Lorenzo. Well, I guess all three of us ended out happy. Why was I happy? you ask? Well, let’s just say that my little Magnolia kittens are going to go to sleep well, full of rat stew. YUM!

Fall by Ellie Chang

Working for Choco

By Hailey Kim

"Thank you, Mr. Kim!" I exclaimed as I stepped off the school bus. "You're welcome, Lila," Mr. Kim said, his bushy beard bobbing. My black and brown braided hair swung in the air as I skipped to my house. As I knocked on the door, a smile appeared on my face. I rang the doorbell because no one had arrived. Ding, ding, ding. I'm curious: where is everyone? I was thinking to myself. Ding dong. Nobody came, so I decided to open the door myself.

"IS ANYBODY HOME?" I stomped into the house, hands on my hips. Nobody answered, so I ran down the stairs and saw my mom working with her earpods on. I ran over

"Hi honey, you'll be back so soon!" yelled my mother, Patricia.

"What do you mean?" I asked. "I always arrive at this hour; in any case, I'm going to do my homework now."

"Mom, I adore you!" I dashed up the stairs and grabbed a bag of chips. I went with my personal favorite, spicy nacho Doritos. I'm going to start with my math homework. I turned to page 56 of my math book.

"There are six dogs in each cage," I read. There are a total of 30 dogs. "How many dog cages do you have?" As I was about to eat the last chip, an idea struck me: "I want a dog, I want a dog, I want a dog!" "Dad, can I please have a dog?" I begged as I ran up the stairs on my knees. "I'm eight years old; I'm mature enough." "Go ask your mother," my father, Nick, replied. "Why?" I inquired.

"Because I am busy!" said Dad angrily. I screamed, "Ahh!’ Sir, yes." I took a step down the stairs. I felt like a mouse being pursued by a cat. "How am I going to persuade mom?" I wondered as I walked to my mother's house. I dashed to my mother, forgetting to think of what to say because I was afraid she would say yes. "Can I get a dog, Mom?" I inquired. "Please," I said. "Perhaps," Mom replied, "but dogs are expensive and difficult to train." "But mom, I'm responsible enough, and I've been watching dog training videos on YouTube," I explained. "Then you have to earn your own money and buy a dog," Mom replied. "I'm so grateful, Mom!" I exclaimed.

I raced up to my room, grabbed my piggy bank, and checked if I had enough money. I thought, "Uh oh, I don't have enough money to get dog food, a dog bed, and a dog." This is a problem. But I could do a lemonade stand. But I never tried to do a lemonade stand. But I am going to try it anyway. "Mom, can I go to the store with you, please?" I asked as I approached her. Mom responded as she turned, her brown hair flapping in the breeze. "Sure, honey, just give me a minute." "I'm a little preoccupied." "Yes, mom," I exclaimed joyfully. I was getting into the car a few minutes later. Mom started the car, and the car went brum, brum. We were on our way to Michael's in a matter of seconds. I opened the window and inhaled the fresh air. "Ahhh, fresh air is so fresh," I said quietly.

With a grin on my face, I unbuckled my seatbelt and dashed to Michael's. Mom tried to catch up to me by running as fast as she could. I explored every alley. "No, no, not here," I thought, but ah ha, I found it. "Mom, I found the kit for making a lemonade stand, as well as a lemonade maker and some paint!" I burst out laughing.

"Good job, Lila," Mom said, yawning. Beep, beep, beep "That'll be 34 dollars and 35 cents, ma'am," the cashier said. Mom took out her credit card. Cha-Ching. This item has been successfully purchased by you. "Thank you, Mom!" With a big smile on my face, I thanked her. You're very welcome, darling!" Mom replied with a smile. With the kit in my arms, I skipped into the car. "Yippie!" I exploded. As we drove home, I examined the back and front of the box. I was jumping up and down in my seat because I was so excited.

I removed my seatbelt before the car came to a complete stop in the driveway. I flung open the door and washed my hands. "Mom, I'm going to get the kit right now!" I exclaimed. "OK, honey, just don't make a mess," Mom said. "All right," I said. I began by constructing the lemonade stand and then began painting the banner. It had some lemons on it before I added some stars. Finally, I added some text: "Ice Cold Lemonade." I finished by making the lemonade. "Can you drop me off at the park to set up my lemonade stand, Mom?" I asked. "Sure, darling," Mom said. I got into my car. I fastened my seatbelt, and we drove to the park with my lemonade stand in the trunk. When we got to the park, I hopped off and set up my lemonade stand. I put it down. "Fresh lemonade, only $5!" I exclaimed. I was panting like a dog a few minutes later. My cheeks were the color of a ripe apple. "What is the degree today, Mom?" I asked Mom as I wiped away my sweat with my bare hands. "It's 87 degrees today," Mom replied. "How are you not sweating, Mom, it's SO HOT?" I burst out laughing. "This is a typical summer temperature," Mom explained. "Mom," I mumbled, "I just noticed nobody is coming." I tried shouting, "Fresh lemonade, only $5 each." "What should I do, Mom?" "No one's coming," I sobbed. "Don't cry, darling; you'll figure it out," mom advised. On Mom's phone, I

looked up what to do if no one comes to your lemonade stand. I tried the first price-cutting strategy. "Now 25 cents for each cup!" I yelled. People began to congregate and purchase lemonade.

I needed more customers, so I tried the next idea, which was to give away a free item. I did: Buy 2 and get five candies. When I said that, I was surrounded by a crowd. I still hadn't even finished half the line when I ran out of lemonade. "Wait a minute, inline people, I'm making more lemonade," I said, my hands cuffed over my mouth. "Fortunately, I have a lemonade maker," I reasoned. I started serving more lemonade after I made it. I went home and counted my money after the line was cleared. I had 240 dollars on hand. "Wow, I served a large number of people!" I exclaimed. "Can I accompany you to Petco, Mom?" "I received 240 dollars!" I burst out laughing as I was putting money in my wallet. "Sure," Mom said.

We arrived a few minutes later, and all I could hear in my ears were ruffs, meows, and chirps. My heart was racing. I was clapping and jumping around like a seal. My eyes were wide open, and I was smiling broadly. I dashed to Petco as quickly as I could. "Be careful!" yelled Mom. "OK, mom," I replied. I went to the cart area when I entered Petco. I grabbed a cart to assist Mom. I went to find my dog after selecting some items for him. I found the shelter and looked around. I found the ideal dog! The chocolate labradoodle was adorable, with silky brown fur, puffy ears, and black eyes. I bought her with my own money and some I borrowed from my mother. Choco is the name I gave her. I took her home, fed her dog food, and put her to sleep. I was yawning uncontrollably. I went to bed after brushing my teeth.

Hannah's Birthday Puppy

By Noga Arzi

(Told through emotion-representing backgrounds)

Scene 1:

The sun shone into the room as Hannah woke up and opened her eyes. Her long beautiful black hair fell down on her shoulders as she sat up in bed. She still had a flower in her hair from yesterday. Her black hair was as dark as night! Yawn! Hannah stretched out her arms and got out of bed. Then she remembered her birthday was tomorrow! So she brushed her teeth, put on a beautiful pink dress, and walked downstairs to the kitchen calmly. “Happy early birthday honey!” her mom yelled while doing the dishes. Her mom was wearing a party hat and playing birthday music. Then they sat at the kitchen table to eat breakfast. As she ate her oatmeal, Hannah thought, Hmmm, maybe I want a pet. Maybe I want a dog or a cat or a chimpanzee. What kind of pet should I choose?

“Mom,” she finally yelled, “I want a dog for my birthday!” She felt like she was on cloud 9.

“Sorry honey! A dog is too much money and you asked for a dog 3 years ago,” she explained.

“But mom,” she whined unhappily, “Please can I have a dog? I will take it on walks and I'll clean up his poop! I will do anything for a dog!”

Her mom responded, “Sorry, I am really sorry, but a dog is too

much money and we can't afford it. We still have to pay for our house and the pool!”

“What if we got one from the shelter? It wouldn’t cost us anything,” Hannah begged.

“Honey, a dog is too much money. You need to buy food, a crate, and pay for vet bills. I said no already and no is no, and that's final!” Her mom yelled angrily.

Scene 2: A few minutes later, “Wait! What if I pay for all of that? Then I can get these things, and I can pay for everything!” begged Hannah. “Ok! But only if you pay for the dog!” replied her mom. “I will pay for the dog! I love dogs!” Hannah screamed. “Ok!” her mom replied happily. “Yay!” she shouted excitedly. “But then you know you have to earn the money for the dog. You know that, right?” She asked. “Yes, I know that!” She answered. After that, she put up a lemonade stand in her front yard and thought about the dog. It was already night and she only got $24! So she cleaned people’s houses, made her family's bed and she hoped she would have enough money. Her sweat fell like a waterfall. Sigh! So she skipped school, went to work with her dad and hoped to get more money. Then she thought to herself, Sigh! I hope I get enough money. This is soooo hard! Please get enough money. Please get enough money! Please! She hoped to get enough. Then she counted how much money she had. This time she got $300. Tears then started falling down her face.

A few minutes later on that same day, she saw that she only had $5,900. She only needed $100 more! She was hoping for $6,000! Her hands dropped as she forced herself up the stairs and she tried to keep her eyes open. The door creaked as she opened it with tears. When she got to her room, salty tears and a dark cloud rose above her as she smudged herself in her bed with a mind so tired. She flopped onto her bed. She sobbed like crazy then went to sleep. Soon her mom came in and sat next to her on the bed.

“I know you are disappointed, but look at the bright side. You made so much money.'' She continued, ''You became responsible, and you worked hard to get this dog, and that means you care, and you are amazing. I can see that you are upset. You know what? Let me tell you a story. Once upon a time when I was 7, almost turning 8, I wanted a cat, but my mom said it was too much money. So I worked hard to get a cat and I never gave up! I kept on working and working and I finally got what I wanted. I had made enough money and I never gave up too. Work hard to get what you want and never give up!” Her mom told her this hoping to get her confidence back. Quietly, she left the room. Then she thought, Maybe I won't give up, like my mother said.

Scene 4: The next day. the sun woke Hannah up as her hair swung sideways as she put on a dress and put on her slippers. A frown appeared in her face as she remembered that she didn't have enough money to buy a dog. Then she also remembered it was her birthday today! So she got out of bed, brushed her teeth and ran downstairs to the kitchen.

“Happy Birthday honey!” her mom shouted. Her mouth flung open, her hands were over her mouth, her eyes popped, and her brain exploded! Yesterday nothing was decorated and now, everything was decorated. There were presents and streamers and banners and cake! Presents were on the table. She opened her mouth surprised and amazed!

“ Wow! When did you have time to do all this?” she shouted. Her mom replied to her, “We woke up at 5:00 and set up the decorations!” Then they started partying, eating cake, and playing games and parting on and on and on. Soon it was time to open the presents. The presents were as pretty as a rainbow. She opened the pretty pink one first and she got a phone! Next she opened the one with dog pictures and money signs on it and inside was…$100! She screamed like crazy!

“EEEEEEEEE! Thank you mommy and daddy!” She hugged them with joy. She continued to scream. “EEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE!!” she sang with no stop! So now she is thinking about what dog to get.

Scene 5: A few hours later. when she got to the adoption center, she stepped outside and she could hear barking in the distance. Hmmmmmmmmmmm?

“Tough choice? MOM! Look, over here!” she shouted excitedly. “ I want this dog!” she screamed!

“Ok honey! Do you have enough money for everything?” her mom asked “Yes I do!” she shouted. The tiny puppy was brown with smooth and fluffy fur! Its fur was as soft as a cloud. “What should I name her?” she asked.

“How about Lucky!” she responded to her daughter. “Yes, that’s an amazing name! Yay! Hi, Lucky! You are coming home with us. Are you as happy as I am?”

When they got home she thought to herself about how much she already loved her dog. They setted up a bed for Lucky right next to her bed and she didn't stop playing with Lucky until it was time for bed. She had a huge smile across her face and she couldn't wait till tomorrow!

Ice Cream Playdate!

By Iris Chang

After school I went onto a playdate with my friend, Avigail. Abigail's mom asked us if we wanted to go somewhere. She named a place I did not know.Then she asked us if we wanted to go to BY&Y.Avigail wanted to go to BYYright away. So we went there to BYYinAbigail's mom’s cool convertible.When we got there, we got our ice cream. I chose the flavor I would usually choose, I chose mango.Avigail chose mango and cotton candy. For the toppings,Avigail chose sour gummy worms, strawberry pearls and sprinkles. I chose sour gummy worms,sprinkles, and cookie crumbs.Then we went outside and ate our ice cream. Being withAvigail and having our ice cream made me smile. I will never forget the time I went to my favorite ice cream store with my friend,Avigail.

Camping

By Chelsea Kim

I was waiting for so long to go camping and it was my lucky day. “I get to go camping!” I said excitedly. I was so happy. I was going there with my best friend, Ember! But I had to go to school first. I was so happy the whole day in school just thinking about going camping later. When I came home, I was smiling at my mom and dad. I said “I’m so happy because we are going today!” We were going in the car, and we also took our dog, Goldie! My friend was also bringing a dog! It took a long time waiting in the car as we drove there. But after many hours in the car, we finally arrived! We were the first ones here! I was waiting with my mom and dad. I was so so excited!

Then I saw my friend Ethan and his brother coming but I did not see Ember. “Where is Ember, mommy?” I said to mom. But then I saw Ember and her brother Ethan coming! I got very excited to see her. Ember was very happy to see me. Our parents made the fire for all of us. Ember and I warmed ourselves up by the fire. We got bark from a big log! It was finally time to go to bed. It was very late at night. I went in Embers tent instead of ours because I wanted to sleep with Ember instead. My mom came to sleep with me to. Will I have a good day the next day?

The Day I Met Pincher

by Edward Yan

I will never forget when I met Pincher the lobster. One sunny day, I went to the lake. It was SO HOT! I saw a water playground and ran there with my family. I saw fish by the shore and ran across the sand trying to catch them. Then, I went into the water. I found a bug! I took a cage and put the bug into the cage. Then, I stumbled across something blurry. It was pinchy and red. I asked my dad, “Dad, what is this?” He said, “It is a lobster! We have to save him from the polluted water!” We took Pincher home. He was happy with the fish we put in his tank, and I was happy watching him swim. The next morning I went to see him and said, “WHHHATTT?” Pincher ate all the fish! He was hungry! We were so surprised! So we went to the pet store to get more fish for him.

Snail, Woven art by Katarina Guarrera

TheGemQuest

By Leah Barlev

TheNatureAdventure

ByDanielBord

Once there was a boy named Zack. he was with his mom and dad on a flight to Florida to see his cousin. “Mom, when will we be there? I can’t wait to see cousin Jim!” Zack said. “Two hours son,” mom answered. 30 minutes later, “AAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!!! The plane is going to crash!!!!!!!!!” the pilot exclaimed, “Crash!!!!!!!!!!” “Don’t worry pilot, I'm going to help you!!!” Zack shouted. “Everybody, everything is going to be okay!!!” Zack shouted. “I’m losing control of the plane, we'll have to land on water!!!” the pilot said. “emergency, emergency! everybody evacuate! we’re landing on water!!!” “AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAa hHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!” Everyone screamed. The airplane shook so hard that Zack could feel it. Then, a thunderstorm formed and Then, CRASH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! A lightning bolt struck the plane and the plane fell into the water.

Five days later, “ah, what happened?” Zack asked himself, “Mom, dad, where are you?”. “Let’s go.” Then, when Zack went out of the plane he saw that all the people were dead. He took the pilot’s Walkie- Talkie and swam to an island. While he swam he saw a GREAT WHITE SHARK!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Zack screamed.

Then, a dolphin came to Zack and Zach rode on the dolphin’s back to the island. “Mom, dad!!!” Zack shouted, “where are you?” All he saw was just water, sand,

and trees. Then, Zack decided to go into the woods. All of a sudden, he heard someone.

“Ooh Ooh, Ah Ah!” he heard. It was a monkey!

“AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA HHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!” Zack cried. Then, because the monkey was scared he bit Zack!.

“AAAAAAAAAA OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!” Zack screamed from the bite. Then, the monkey walked away. Zack heard footsteps. He saw it was a human!!! “What’s your name?” Zack asked.

“Rusty. what’s your name?” Rusty answered.

“I’m Zack. nice to meet you,” Zack said.

“Nice to meet you too,” Rusty replied.

“I was supposed to get to Florida but my plane crashed,” Zack explained. “I can help you survive here if you want to,” Rusty said.

“Of course,” Zack answered, “but can you also help me find my mom and dad? And can you also maybe help us get off this island and back to Florida?”

“Of course I’ll help you, let's make a plan,” Rusty explained. “The plan is that we are going to find your parents, call another plane and get you to Florida,” RUsty said.

“My parents like waterfalls. Does that help?” Zack said.

“Yes, of course,” Rusty answered. “ I have a map that can take us to the waterfalls,” Rusty said.

“Okay, that can help us,” Zack answered. After that in the waterfalls….“The waterfalls,” Rusty said.. “Here they are!” Zack said, “My parents!”. Oh no an anaconda is going to

attack them,” Rusty shouted.

“Zack!!! Help us!” Mom and Dad cried.

“Don’t worry! I’m going to help you,” Zack shouted. “Rusty, go to the right. I’ll go to the left,” Zack told Rusty. “Kill the anaconda Rusty!!!” Zack shouted.

“As you wish, friend,” Rusty replied.

“You did it!!!” Zack beamed, “Good for me. I have a walkie talkie So I can call to another plane. Hello? Our plane crashed and I’m the only one who survived. Can you come help me please?” Zack asked.

“Yes, of course,” the captain of the place answered, “Where are you?”

“The Baribbeans,” Zack explained.

“Okay I’ll be there in one hour,” The captain said, “Make a fire so I can see you.”

“Rusty, do you have any flares?” Zack asked.

“Yes, I have everything we need to survive.”

“So we can use a flare!!!” Zack exclaimed.

One hour later…Zack, Rusty, Mom, and Dad saw a plane. “Help!!!” they all yelled. After that, the plane landed.

“Thank you for coming to rescue us,” Zack said to the captain. “Oh mom and dad. this is Rusty. He helped me survive here,” Zack said. Mom dad and Zack hugged each other. “I missed you!” Zack said. “We missed you too, so much” mom and dad answered.

“Okay, let’s go to Florida,” they all said. “I hope we will not have to do something like that again!” they all said together. They all couldn’t wait to see cousin Jim!

ShouldSchoolshaveUniforms? vs.

I love school uniforms, and I want our school to have them. They are cute and stylish. You don’t have to fuss about what to wear, because you wear them everyday at school. If it is too itchy, then you can wear comfortable clothes underneath your uniform. It will let you focus on your lesson and not distract you from your clothes. It also represents school spirit. Finally, if an intruder tried to disguise him or herself as a student at your school, they will not have uniforms and will easily be spotted. This is why your school should wear school uniforms.

I don’t like the idea of school uniforms.I am so happy that Edward H.Bryan school has no uniforms! School uniforms restrict students'freedom of expression.Kids should feel like they can be their own person.They shouldn't have to match.During school hours,they should also be comfortable.If they're in scratchy shirts and uncomfortable dress pants, they're not going to focus very well.

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Katarina Guarrera

Leina Han

That Time in Bermuda…

By Lucas Nicholas Paula

Parrot fish are supposed to be beautiful, but I was scared of one because I mistook it for a tiger shark. I was on what I thought would be a fantastic vacation in Bermuda. When I saw it, I was swimming in deep water. It appeared to be a tiger shark because it was colored like one and the water was murky and damp. To make matters worse, I was hit in the face by a JAWS (a type of wave that curves and crashes into the ocean itself). I felt lost.

Just then, I almost felt like crushing the tiger-shark-looking-parrot fish. It opened its mouth and I saw white, kind of zig-zag lines filled in, which were the teeth. Frantically, I swam as fast as I could to the shore. As I sat there catching my breath, I wondered how could a parrot fish look like a tiger shark? Finally, I decided to put the past behind me and I scrambled back into the water. I was having fun, and nothing could ruin that moment. :)

Magic (Book One)

By Leonie Shore

The Howl of Pain

By Ellie Chang

Tag was supposed to be enjoyable. I thought it was amusing. until I twisted my ankle! If you're really curious, I was playing tag with my entire family, and my mother was "it." I dashed down the stairs as quickly as I could. I slipped and twisted my ankle at the last stair, banged it on the hard edge, and fell to the floor. I was sobbing uncontrollably. It hurt so much!

"OOOOOOOO WWWWWWWW!" I yelled. I froze when I heard my mother say, "Hospital." Uh oh! I despise painful situations! What if they decided to give me a chance? My heart was thumping so loudly when I arrived that I'm sure the doctors could hear it. When I went to the emergency room, they told me, "Everything will be fine." "Simply apply the medication on a daily basis." They put an ace bandage (a small cast) on my ankle, but it also got on my foot. That was a moment I'll never forget. Since then, I've been terrified of spraining or twisting any part of my body. I'm not going to the hospital!

Love Birds

By Leah Barlev

The birds come to the tree

The birds fell in love

They’re all the way above People said, “Shoo!”

But the birds were too blue

The birds were so good They danced where they stood

Notes

A story of identity, mystery, and secrets

By Omer Barkay

Pt.1

PROLOGUE.

Friday, November 13th, 1998, Maryland's custody and identification center for orphaned children "CICOC":

A long leather jacket and a sleek bowler’s hat were thrown onto a wooden desk as office head Dr. Phillips walked into his darkened facility. Next to him was secretary Wilma Sanders, dropping some paperwork into a cabinet.

A couple, composed of a well-dressed, plump man and a tall, dark-haired woman, walked inside. Turning on the light, the man leaned on the wall and slid forward.

"Mr. and Mrs. Elmeiher, we weren’t ready for such an early arrival, but I got back from lunch a couple of minutes ago, so we might as well begin." Dr. Phillips placed "Okay." Mr. Elmeiher spoke sternly.

"I will start with why you two were brought here. As you may know,

most of Mrs. Elmeiher’s stepfamily has passed on in a tragic event.

"I will start with why you two were brought here. As you may know, most of Mrs. Elmeiher’s stepfamily has passed on in a tragic event.

"Yes, we are aware, but how does that relate to the children at CICOC and, well, us?" Mrs. Elmeiher interrupted.

"All will be explained later." First, I have bittersweet news. The family may have died, but one was only slightly injured. "The child is alive."

Survivor.

Shadows seemed to embed in the room as the sun started to set. The air got tense and dry. Ms. Sanders pulled out two sheets of information from the drawer. This included a birth certificate and an envelope with a red dot of paint to seal.

"All the information you need is here." Mrs. Sanders said, "You have access, but the boy must only find out when he comes of age."

Before turning and reading, Mrs. Elmeiher asked Dr. Phillips, "Why do we need this kind of information on a baby that we have never seen before?"

Dr. Phillips answered, "You will foster him; that is the safest option."

"By God, no way are we taking an orphan at this stage of our

relationship!" Mr. Elmeihers spat.

"The child will be put in the lowest rank of custody that we give due to the brain injury it sustained in the accident." Ms. Sanders insisted.

"Oh, so now it is also freaking disabled!" Mr. Elmeiher barked in disbelief.

"It is all in the document." Dr. Phillips said, coming back into the conversation.

"I don’t care about the bloody document!" Mr. Elmeiher smacked his fists on the table.

"Joe, don’t you think we should talk about this outside?" Mrs. Elmeiher half-mouthed him and pointed to the door.

"Fine," he mouthed back. "Could you excuse us for a second?" asked Mrs. Elmeiher

"Go on ahead. You're our last case of the day, so no one’s waiting for you to finish. You know what? Give it a day. "The child is still in medical care right now."

Mrs. Elmeiher grabbed her bag while thinking about what horrors the baby must go through. The thought of having to take care of a child that can’t function alone and isn’t even hers! Guess who’s not sleeping tonight?

After a long (and I mean long) back-and-forth discussion about how they can’t leave the baby in CICOC and how it wouldn’t be able to take care of itself with whatever brain injury it has, the Elmeihers decided to at least see and interact with the child before deciding whether or not to leave it. The two sides both had pros and cons, but Mrs. Elmeiher stood up and convinced Mr. Elmeiher that leaving the injured boy for a better quality of life is selfish. After a long night of thoughts and doubts, Barbara and Joe called up the office and asked if they could come and see the nursery and their soon-to-be child.

Chapter 1: Home

Entry24.1: HaroldElmeiher(BirthName:RobertSnow).9/4/2009

That was probably a lot to take in. Let’s start simple and explain where I have taken you. This is the notebook, and you are reading entry one. Easy enough? Good. I am Harold Elmeiher, but you might know me as "Survivor" from the chapters I have written for you. Speaking of chapters, the story above is my interpretation of my story, or at least what I hope it is. I pieced it all together with the information I got after Mr. Elmeiher had too many beers. You see, I’m 11, and next week is when I "come of age" and am allowed to hear my real story of what happened to my family and my placement with the

Elmeihers. You might be wondering why I am writing all this in entries instead of narrations, and that is the embarrassing part. My injury disables my brain’s ability to convert thoughts into speech. When I try to talk, it sounds like a goat is both coughing and giving birth at the same time. It was really hard to learn to read and write, so the Elmeihers got me a private tutor. Her company even gave me a text-to-speech tablet to communicate through writing. My hair is orange or brown, and my eyes are a faint blue. I’m not very tall for my age, but with the limited communication skills that I possess, I was defined as "smart." I don’t believe it. The other day, I put an eggplant on a cooking pan, waiting for an omelet.

*This Version of “Notes” was formatted to fit “Bloom Magazine” for EHB.

The Attic Adventure

By Janie Jekal

Scene 1:

“So what happened, Dad? So what happened?” Steve asked. Steve had messy blond hair and liked to wear the color red. Also, he loved hearing the adventures of his dad. “Tell me about when you explored the creepy old attic when you were a kid.”

“So, I found pictures of your grandma and your grandpa when they were young. I also found great treasures like my test that I got a 40 on. I was too scared to show it to my mom. There were also old books from the 60’s. I read the book that interested me, and grandma found me up in the attic with the book in my nose. But also, son, if I keep going on and tell you the whole story, I would write a whole book!” explained his dad. “Then, write one, Dad! Write one! And then, read me the whole book. I would be the first person to read it,” Steve paused. He put his arms in front of him and slowly moved his right arm to his right while saying, “The Great Adventures of Jake McFinney.”

“Oh, ho ho ho ho. No, Steve. But you sure do have a wild imagination. If you want, you can explore the attic yourself,” laughed his dad. Ah. Such a funny kid.

“I will! Starting tomorrow!” shouted Steve, as he pumped his fist into the air. Woosh! It went.

Scene 2

The next day, Steve’s dad continued to tell Steve a little bit more of the story. “Whenever it was a rainy/snowy/stormy day, I would go up the ladder to the attic and still explore. Once, I found an empty cereal box! Who knew that would be there?” he chatted.

While his dad talked, Steve listened with glowing eyes and big ears. Maybe when I go up in the attic later today, I will find the exact same cereal box. Maybe I will find the pictures of grandma and grandpa!

Finally, after lunch and after Steve had built up enough courage, he marched upstairs with dad and asked him to open up the ladder that led up to the ceiling. When Steve’s dad did, he left him alone. You can do this! He thought. You can do it, Steve! Steve looked up at the dark, old, creaky ladder. He put one foot on the ladder.

Creeeek! The ladder went. Steve looked beyond the ladder and to the attic. It looked like a dark cave that a ghost lived in. Steve could not do it. He didn’t want to.

Steve ran to his room, leaving the ladder alone. He picked up his phone and called his friend, Paige Carden.

Paige was a cool, confident girl with silk-white hair. She had pale blue eyes and was very tall. She also liked challenges and adventures. So when she picked up the phone, she immediately said yes to go on a mysterious adventure that Steve wouldn’t say until Paige came over to his house. Ring! Ring!

Paige answered her pretty, cloud filled sunset phone. “Paige, would you like to have a sleepover? I have a challenge for us to do.”

“Oh sure! I would love to!” she replied bubbly as she smiled hugely.

Scene 3

After Steve and Paige’s call ended, Paige prepared to go to Steve’s house. Her mom packed her pajamas and a toothbrush in a sky blue bag. When she was ready, Paige put the bag in the basket hanging onto her bike, and hopped on the bike’s seat. She rode over in minutes.

I love challenges! This is going to be awesome! Thought Paige. When she arrived at Steve’s house, she parked her bike in the McFinney’s driveway and went to ring the doorbell.

But, right after she rang it, and only a Ding! had rung, Steve opened the door and welcomed her warmly. “You came!” Steve grinned.

“I did! You said to come over minutes ago.”

“Anyway, the challenge/adventure I told you about was… Exploring our attic!!!”

“Awesome! Let’s get to it!” Paige yelled.

“Well, the thing is Paige,” stammered Steve, “I don’t want to go right now. I’m… I’m…hungry! Yeah, hungry! Let’s go eat first.”

“Come on, Steve. Are you a scaredy cat?”

“No, I’m not,” he answered firmly. “Let’s just go to the kitchen. I’m starving.”

“Okay. Come to think about it, I am kind of hungry,” Paige’s stomach growled. It growled like a dinosaur. “I didn’t eat lunch.”

So, they went into the kitchen. Steve’s mom prepared mac and cheese. Steve and Paige digged in as if they were hungry lions. The mac and cheese tasted so cheesy. It was fresh and hot.

When they finished eating, Paige said, “Let’s go to the attic now! We can’t waste anymore time.”

Still, Steve said no. He said that he needed to digest his food first. Paige didn’t understand. Why does digesting matter with exploring? She thought. She scrunched her face. Steve stalled some more until Paige lost her temper.

“Steve, I had enough of this!” Paige snapped. She also stomped her feet. “Why are you trying to stall all the time? You said to come because we will explore! But right now, all the things you are doing are nonsense! We should be in your attic by now!”

“I’m so sorry, Paige! I didn’t mean to. I’m…I’m just scared,” Steve said. “So, the reason why I want to go up the attic is because I want to see what my dad saw. I want to read the book that dad read, an old cereal box, and pictures of our family.”

“Whoa, whoa whoa. Slow down for a sec. You want to see a cereal box?” she blurted. He’s crazy!

“Yeah, I do. It’s special. Dad said, ‘In order to read the book that I read, you need to find the cereal box’. He said it is in there,” Steve explained.

“Okay, I understand.” Paige said. That's what she said outside. But in her mind, her brain was screaming, What the heck?! Why did Steve’s dad hide the book in the cereal box?

Still, Paige didn’t forget to stay calm on the outside. She said to Steve, “So, Steve, I might have found a plan. It is… I’ll go up that brown ladder first. Then, you can carefully follow while talking to me about what you want to see. We won’t focus on the shadows and the creepy dim light.”

Just like Paige said, Paige went first. Then, Steve followed. Steve first thought about what he was going to say. I’m going to find the book, look at the pictures and find other great things in the attic. Then, I will show my friends and family! They will be so impressed. I can make a whole book out of it! Just like my dad. The Adventures of Steve McFinney. I might even get it published!

Steve told Paige what he thought. Paige thought it was great. In the middle of the long ladder, Paige glanced past her shoulder down at Steve to make sure her friend was fine. Finally, Paige and Steve reached the top of the ladder! Steve was so confused. He scratched his head. He didn’t even hear the creaky ladder. Maybe it was because he concentrated so hard on his thoughts.

Paige turned on the light. It was really dark. They looked around the attic quietly. “Oh, my God, Steve. I never knew you had so much stuff in here!” Paige marveled. There were so many posters and boxes and books. Steve grabbed a dark brown box while Paige grabbed a light brown box. They ripped them open. Steve found old clothes. The clothes were Steve’s size! He planned to wash them and wear them to school.

Paige found old books. There were hardcovers, story books, and really colorful books. Paige took a colorful titled Santa’s World and sat on a wooden chair. She read the back and started to read the inside.

While Paige was reading, Steve went deeper into the attic. He went closer to a box that looked like it used to hold cereal. He picked it up and shook the cereal box. Sure enough, a thump! sound came from it!

“Look Paige, I think I found the book!” Steve squealed. “Let’s open it together!”

“Awesome! Come here!” Paige told Steve.

Slowly, they took the top of the cereal box apart. Steve and Paige’s heart thumped. There was a reddish brownish colored book. It was titled, A Pirate’s Life. Immediately, they raced down the ladder to show Steve’s dad.

Thump, thump thump!

“Whoa! You found the book, Steve. Read it! It’s the best book ever,” Steve’s dad looked at Steve.

Paige and Steve went to Steve’s room to read. Both books that they were reading were awesome. After they were done reading, they found their eyes drooping down. So, they slept. They needed some rest because of all the adventure they did.

Thor

By Leonie Shore

“I see my mom,” I told Mrs. Malki. “Okay,” She smiled. I hugged her and raced down into Mommy’s hands. She laughs and we get into the car to go home. When we got inside, me and Mommy did my homework. I noticed my brother came home early. “Why’s Tani home?” I ask.

“We're gonna find another dog,” Daddy smiled. My heart leaped but sank just as quickly. “But what if we have to get rid of it as soon as we did Brookly!” I ask. Suddenly a burst of anger comes in. “Why did we have to get rid of him anyway?” I asked angrily. Daddy sighed.,“We will tell you on the way.”

“Do you really want that to get in the way?” Mommy adds. “No,” I stare at my shoes embarrassed.

We walk into the car and buckle up. I let a wave of excitement wash over me. When we got there that excitement had vanished but as soon as I stepped foot on the grass I felt the excitement leap onto my chest with such force it could have knocked me over if it had been an actual object. I felt excitement’s invisible hands push me forward. I started running but stopped at the sound of barking. That's when I saw the dog. He was barking at me and pulling at his leash. I run toward the dog but stop short at the woman holding him. I felt nervousness pull me back to Mommy. I hid behind Mommy as we walked toward the women and the dog. The woman explained about the dog. The only thing that seemed important was that the dog was a boy. He was a Golden Retriever. And most importantly… his name was Thor.

By Katarina Guarrera

By Janie Jekal

Independence

Over Hardship:

An Essay on the American Revolution

By Omer Barkay

When you go outside today, look around. What do you see? Here’s a better question: What could you have seen? If the French and Indian War had not happened, you could’ve seen the British roaming the streets, barking at you and your friends to leave the area, and billboards promoting King Charles III in the New Jersey COLONY. If the American Revolution against the British had not occurred, life in the U.S. would be a lot different. It’s important to note that the French and Indian War was a major cause of the American Revolution. Great Britain wanted to let Redcoats invade colonists’ privacy through the housing for troops, new taxations corrupted the colonies, and “NO TAXATION WITHOUT REPRESENTATION” protests and boycotts were caused.

First, it made Britain let British troops invade colonists’ homes and privacy thus angering them. The Quartering Act was the law that allowed Redcoats to come into the colonies by boat. It also allowed the British to get food and accommodation from the colonists as well as the ability to monitor sellers of wine and smugglers. This was not only for the bad cause of overrunning colonists though. The act made sure that Boston and its surrounding colonies had protection after the French and Indian War. This was not what the British wanted it to be in the end. The colonists did not see protection. They saw invaders.

People did not treat the troops like they were supposed to, and they got beaten and shot. In summary, British troops called Redcoats legally came into people's homes and used their food and beds. Another big reason is that the British had debts from the war so they invaded the colonial system through taxation. For debt, many of the equipment like uniforms, weapons, food, horses, battleships, etc. used from both France’s war and a coinciding Seven Years’ War (that took place in Europe) cost a lot of money for Great Britain, so they taxed the colonies to get extra cash.

These were called: the Stamp Act (which taxed colonists on their pages and other official papers bought from England), the Sugar Act (which let taxes change on sugar and molasses), the Townshend Act (which initiated taxes on glass, lead, paint, paper, and tea), the Tea Act (which made buying tea from other countries like Denmark illegal), and the Intolerable Acts (which changed government and common laws in Boston to better suit the British). With honor, groups were made to rebel against this. The more common groups included the sons and Daughters of Liberty. These people fought for independence through conferences and hall meetings, sabotaged ships with British goods inside, and created goods so that they didn’t need to buy from Great Britain. Briefly, colonial taxes were jacked negatively to pay for expenses in England.

The final reason for the conflict was that a new “NO TAXATION (taxes) WITHOUT REPRESENTATION (letting colonists choose) '' marked plea protests started. This did not stay with the colonists. Leaders like Patrick Henry, George Washington, John & Samuel Adams, and John Dickinson held the First Continental Congress in Philadelphia on October 14th, 1774. The Congress's goal was to coordinate the colonies' resistance to King George III's harsh acts, and it didn’t work as planned. Their declaration described the causes of the king's overthrow, including unacceptable deeds and taxes without representation. The delegates adopted the final draft of the accord in later October of that same year. The Congress intended to meet again in early May 1775 if the assembly failed to abolish the oppressive measures. When the Continental Congress received no response from the British, the war was “a’comim.” In conclusion, many protests encouraged the idea that the British were unfair to the colonies.

In essence, before/assuring the events of the American Revolt, the Quartering/privacy invading acts, unfair taxation, and the over-exaggeration against Great Britain, the American Revolution, and America that we live in today, wouldn’t have formed. The pre-revolution wars lost lives but shaped new ones.

By Leah Barlev

TheNewSuperHero

ByNetaAlbek

By Janie Jekal

Arcades

By Tomer Shahar

Arcades are supposed to be fun. Well, I thought so but I was wrong. Why? Because I got lost! I remember being in tears. I was sobbing! Without anyone to hug! I was all alone in the arcade, all sad and alone. It all started like this. I was just playing a game in the arcade having fun when I turned around expecting my mommy. BUT I did not see my mom. I started walking around looking for her and then running. I couldn’t find her! That’s when I started to panic! Then, I finally the snack bar and the bathroom. Some hope, I thought. And that is when I heard my mom come into the arcade with excitement. I ran to her as fast as I could. Then I fell into happy tears and hugged my mom as hard as I could. I was ready to go home and so we did.

Favorite Pets

By Leonie Shore

If you are in 4th or 5th grade you may remember this. For the ones who don’t, this poll is about what is your favorite pet. As you can see from the chart above, dogs have won f1rst place with over 60% of votes and cats come in 2nd with almost 20%. Students mentioned also birds, hamsters and other pets.

To honor the dog, I will tell you some facts about them.

A dog’s nose print is unique, much like a person’s fingerprint. Forty-five percent of U.S. dogs sleep in their owner’s bed. Speaking of sleeping … all dogs dream, but puppies and senior dogs dream more frequently than adult dogs. A dog’s sense of smell is legendary, but did you know that his nose has as many as 300 million receptors? In comparison, a human nose has about 5 million. Dogs’ noses can sense heat/thermal radiation, which explains why blind or deaf dogs can still hunt. Yawning is contagious—even for dogs. Research shows that the sound of a human yawn can trigger one from your dog. And it’s four times as likely to happen when it’s the yawn of a person he knows. Dogs curl up in a ball when sleeping to protect their organs—a hold over from their days in the wild, when they were vulnerable to predator attacks. I guess this shows that dogs really are man’s best friend! Congratulations doggies!

My First Dog

By Lila Mastropasqua

One morning my mom told me I was getting a dog. I was so excited. I hopped in the car. It was a long car ride. When we got there I saw 2 dogs. They were so cute. One of them laid on my lap, the other licked me on my cheek. “That's the one.” I said. “What are you gonna name him?“ Mom asked. “How about Lucky?” I replied. “Perfect.” Mom said. We picked up Lucky and put him in the car. He was black and white. He started to whine. ‘’He’s so cute!’ I squealed. When we got home, my brother was so excited. My grandpa on the other hand wasn't that happy because it would be a lot of work which it is but Lucky was part of the family now. We put him in his playpen. It was big, so big that I went inside too and my dad threw me a ball. I threw it to Lucky. He chased it. We gave him a treat. ”Good boy,” I said, “Life is going to be interesting,”dad’’ said. Then we went to bed, and I dreamed of how much fun I would have with my first ever doggie.

By Arbel Gabai

As we crossed 10th Avenue, we walked through the shiny revolving doors of a tall glass and steel building. Looking around, I asked my mom “Which way do we go?”

“I’m not sure,” she answered, scanning the lobby. “Oh, look there’s the sign.” My mom pointed towards an escalator with a sign that read, EDGE THIS WAY ⮝.

We continued following the signs until finally, we got to the elevator. While waiting for the elevator, I asked, “How high are we going?”

“One hundred floors,” my mom announced. “I heard there was a great view from the balcony.” Finally, when the screen on the wall said LOBBY, the elevator doors opened, we walked in, and then they closed.

Inside, the elevator was large with a tiny screen that showed the floor we were on. Every time we got to a different floor it would make a beeping noise. Slowly, the numbers on the screen started changing. 11, 12, 13, 14, My stomach churned and my ears were popping from the altitude. 40, 51, 59, 63, 75, The little screen quickly changed numbers, 89, 91, 93, 96, 97, 99, and finally, we reached the 100th floor. Bing! The elevator doors slid open and we walked out.

“Wow,” I gasped, stepping out of the elevator. I took a moment to observe the spacious room. There was quiet jazz music playing. To the

right were stairs leading to a restaurant, and to the left was a door leading to the balcony. The light was streaming through the oversized windows. And people were excitedly chatting about City Climb, where you would get hooked onto ropes, climb to the very top of the building and lean as if you are about to fall off of the 1,200-foot skyscraper. I walked over to the window and took a peek. Buildings looked like rods coming out of the earth and cars were the size of ants. I shivered at the thought of falling off as I continued walking again with my mom and sister to the balcony.

When we got outside, we all gasped. I ran to the railing and stared in awe, I saw all of New York City from here! The Chrysler building, The Empire State building, and even the Statue of Liberty! But then, I saw something else, the glass floor.

Carefully, I walked towards a triangular glass part of the floor and put my leg on it. And then the other one. “Don’t look down, don’t look down,” I thought, and then I looked down. “AAAAA,” I thought as I leaped off of the glass and ran to my sister, “The glass floor is TERRIFYING,” I stated, pointing at the glass,

“I know, I did it too,” she replied

“Do you want to do it together?”

“Sure,” she answered. And off we went.

TheBestFrozenYogurtEver

By Daniel Bord

Vroom… Vroom… I was in the car pickin up Arbel to head to BYY. It was a beauti ul day. I could picture in my mind the rozen yo urt. A smile spread across my ace. My eyes were wide open. I thou ht about all the flavors and toppin s. I could already smell the rozen yo urt in my mind and taste it. Then, I arrived at Arbel’s and we started our BYY journey. We quickly reached our destination… BYY. The place was pink and white. It had a pink si n the said “BYY.” “This is oin to be yummy,” I told Arbel in a happy voice. “ Yeah, this is oin to be the best!” he replied. We went in with happy smiles. The first thin we saw were the toppin s. There were so many options. There was Sour Patch, Swedish Fish, little pieces o chocolate ud e brownie and more. My mom let me choose 3 different toppin s and a sauce. I thou ht to mysel , how am I oin to choose only 3 toppin s? We blasted to the back to et our cups. A ter that, we looked at the flavors. There were so many. For example, chocolate, peanut butter, and more. I chose chocolate and Arbel picked strawberry. Then, we selected the toppin s. I picked brownies, chocolate, and chocolate sprinkles. Arbel picked Sour Patch and Skittles. Finally, we ate. It was literally the best rozen yo urt ever!!!

Spring Break in Florida

By Leina Han

I loved my trip to Florida. It wasn’t awesome. It was SPECTACULAR!!! This is a time I will NEVER EVER FORGET. It all started like this……. “Leina, wake up. Time to go to the airport.” said my mom. I mumbled and got up to check the time. OMG. It was 4 AM. We had to go to Florida early so I put on my clothes and packed some last minute stuff. Then I helped my dad and mom, and got in the car with Jake, my younger brother, and we drove to Newark, NJ. Since it was 4 in the morning, it was dark and we saw the beautiful sights at night. We went to Florida and we took a bus, rented a car, and drove to our hotel. The hotel was amazing with so much to do. There was a door that separated 2 rooms. There was a couch and 2 beds per room. We swam in the pool, played tennis, and went to the best dinner place ever in Florida called The Marketplace. The next day, we went to the beach and went canoeing. On Tuesday, we went to Universal Studios. We rode a lot of roller coasters and had this HUGE cotton candy that was delicious.It tasted like a cloud that was drizzled with sugar. On our last day, we did everything there was to do to have fun except for canoeing.We returned home a bit sad about leaving sunny Florida but we were happy to come home. I will never forget Florida and can’t wait to go there again.

The Day I Went to Kalahari

By Noga Arzi

“Yay!” I was going to a waterpark called Kalahari. When I got there, I wanted to ride the biggest slide in the park (no parents allowed). But when I got to the slide and saw how big it was, I was too terrified! So instead, I went to the wave pool. Then my dad said “It's OK to feel scared sometimes. Everyone is scared of something.” So I finally got the courage to ride the slide. I slowly pushed myself up the ladder. At the top,the water gushed on the plastic slide. I took a deep breath and then I went down in a scream. “Aaaaaaggghhhhhh!” When I got to the bottom I yelled, “THAT WAS AMAZING!” I loved the slide!. When I got back home, I lay on my soft fluffy bed thinking about the slide and when I could go back to Kalahari to ride the slide again. Oh, how I wondered what Kalahari would be like next time.

Which Pet is Better? A Cat or a dog?

I think cats are better than dogs because they are cute and cuddly, they make good companions, and they are easier to take care of than dogs. Cats are a lot of fun and so cute and cuddly! For example, you can play catch the mouse with your cat! Also you can sleep with your cat, and you can also watch TV with your cat. Another example of why a cat is cute and cuddly is that it will jump up and down and it's so cute!

I think a dog is better than a cat because a dog is more playful than a cat and a dog is cuddly and cute. Also dogs have the best sense of smell. Cats are lazier. Cats are more selfish and cats scratch and hiss. Dogs are always happy to see their owners.

vs.

Another reasons is that cats make good companion because you can play with them ,and you can hug your cat and go to sleep with it.

Last, cats are independent because they can always land on their feet and they can get their own food and water. Also if cats ever get lost, they can survive by themselves until they find their way back to you.

Noga Arzi

Dogs make you happy. You can play fetch with your dog. Did you know that dogs help blind people across the street? A dog is a good companion because you can play with them outside. You can give them walks to get healthy.

Lila Mastropasqua

By Lila Mastropasqua

Harbor Rising

By Omer Barkay

"Rrrrring!" from the dock. My younger brother ran up the walkway's side and jumped off. He lost his balance. "You constantly trip over those handrails!" I chuckled. “Why do you always have the guts to try even though you'll fail?” "I like it." He stamped his foot. “Also, I want to get a better view to see the fishies!” He said. “Are you alright?” My mom queried. "You appear upset." “I'm FINE!" He spoke not rudely, but not very calmly. “I’m a big boy.”

We had reserved a seat on a marine animal-watching boat for that bright Saturday morning in Bar Harbor, Maine. The bell rang once more as we continued. ’ The driver introduced himself and his assistant, Jeff, so that we could set sail. The air was humid like steam from a boiler as the mountaintops lined up with the tip of the sun.“

“Caw! Caw!” Rung my ears as I tried to listen to Jeff. Not too many clouds blocked the light, but some were present. WOOSH!” The wind swept my face; my hair ran back. We moved pretty fast for a boat of this size. I looked outside. The sun hit the tip of the mountains in the distance, and the clouds lined up with the lighthouse far away. I imagined fish rummaging through the murky water looking for food. I snapped back to the narration. Jeff started talking.

“

“These are the so-and-so mountains, …”, “We like to fish around here,” -“Does anyone wanna see some of the animals?” There was silence. His eyes had purple bags of skin curled up under them. The voice he spoke with did not seem cheery; his tone was dry and it seemed as if he’d done this routine a

thousand times. The rough accent he spoke with made it hard to understand what he was saying, but a good fifteen seconds of thinking got “Animals.” into my brother’s head.

Ariel jumped up, almost hitting the roof of the boat. “Me! Me! I wanna see!” As he said that, all the younger kids on the ship started running around asking their mothers and fathers if they could come up to the front of the boat. “Lobsters are our most common catch, but there are many kinds. Some are orange, some are bright red, and once, we even caught a blue lobster!” The assistant got excited as everybody clapped.

We got closer to our destination, the island with the seals. I got seasick after some time and stood up to tell my parents. My head was dreary and swaying.

“Mom, my head’s spinning,” I informed. “I think we might need to head back to shore.” I sat there waiting for my mother’s response. I didn’t want to go back, but also could not stand my headache.

“Sorry, but I don’t control the boat; and besides, other people here are having a great time. Maybe this’ll do you justice.” My mother answered as she pulled something from her bag.

It was a piece of gum. I put it in my mouth and tried to chew as fast as I could and watched the seals to take my mind off it. I started to drift into a daydream. The sky was dark and the mountains grew bigger. My family was next to me, but it felt like we were miles apart. The plastic on the seats turned to seaweed, and the hill moved closer to us. The walls of the boat became crawling with insects, and the ship flew into the air as my mind raced. I fell off the boat and into the water. The sun was gone; the rocks got closer. I felt a hand on my head, but couldn’t see it. I woke up. My father saw in front of me,

and the walls had gone back to normal. I breathed heavily.

“You fell asleep,” he whispered as his hand moved from my head to my shoulder. “I saw your face scared, and I didn’t want you to keep sitting there.” He helped. “Look outside and take a breath of air. You’ll feel better in no time.”

As I looked outside, my eyes took all the focus from my headache. These magnificent animals were almost running on the water. It was very derpy, but also cool in a fun way. I watched the seals’ behaviors and their excellent swimming for the next couple of hours, I felt relieved, and my family was there to comfort me once I told them about my “day nightmare.” I looked outside and noticed that we were getting closer to our destination. My brother mistook a seal for a shark. “Shaaark!” He repeated what he had seen in a movie; thatwas funny. The gray blob almost ran on the water, switching directions and sliding, as if were trying to tell us something. Probably not. My surroundings soothed my headache as I struggled to heal. “Ugggh,” I groaned. I could enjoy the rest of the ride now; but not like my brother seemed to. The sun had gotten lower, the hills had gotten higher as the tide shifted, and everything felt calmer because the noisy birds were nowhere to be seen. My head felt normal again. The various ways that animals and fishermen live their lives were interesting to me. In an effort to switch to Hebrew, my father spoke to me with an Israeli accent. He could give the best explanation of why I had this thought because his vocabulary is much wider in the other language. I was unable to fully enjoy this experience because I worried too much. I think that nature was merely attempting to assist me when it both influenced and solved my issue. You never know when nature will surprise you.

Fall by Iris Chang

By Janie Jekal

When we borrowed our car in Idaho, we started our five-hour trip to Yellowstone, Wyomin . It was exhaustin . But my brother and I ot to watch Netflix and play ames. “Look! I won the ame in Fish io.!” exclaimed my little brother. “I’m watchin Netflix,” “Stop watchin . Look outside. You looked at screens too much,” yelled my mom. I was lookin out the window when we arrived. We saw animals on the way. We also saw reat views o mountains, lakes, and landscapes. We went to see many eysers. One o them we saw was the Old Faith ul. It has a scheduled eruptin time. We saw it erupt 2 times, and it was awesome. My amily and I also saw hot sprin s and other eysers. We hiked down the trail and saw crickets too. There were tons o them. One o the eysers I saw in the Norris place was my avorite. I don’t remember the name, but steam was burstin like a volcano. I was so ascinated by the eyser, but the bad thin about all the eysers was that they smelled really really stinky. It smelled like rotten e s with a hint o poop.

But one o the eysers was kind o scary. On a si n, it said that one person ot neared the eyser. He wasn’t supposed to. As a result, he ell into the eyser and melted. That is how hot these thin s are. But that accident happened 5 years a o.

My avorite memory was when our car stopped in the middle o the road. We stopped because the car in ront o us stopped. My brother and I saw rom the roo o the car and ound out that there was a herd o bison. A police car was makin a witch-screechin sound and tryin to move was such an amazin moment. A ter that, I wanted to see more animals oin around our car. My amily and I talked about it the whole way to our hotel. This was the best moment o our 1 week's vacation.

the bison out o the way. So a ter about 15 minutes, the herd ran past our car. Some o them were ri ht next to my seat in the car. It was like I could touch them, but I couldn’t. I couldn’t believe this had happened to us. This

Fall Wreath by Hailey Kim