2011-2012
This I Believe to Take Care Each Time
By: Amy Roche It is very important to read the directions with anything you do, even if you think you know what to do. One spring day, I was so hungry after my lacrosse game that I decided to have a snack. I was searching through the cabinet, and decided that I would have “A Cup o’ Noodles.” Now I was very tired after that hard lacrosse game against Annandale, so I wasn’t really thinking. I put the “Cup of Noodles” in the microwave, and set the time for the usual 2:07 (I have tested this many times, and I have realized two minutes and seven seconds is the perfect time). I let the noodles cook, and went to watch the Caps game that was on. Every now and then I heard a snap or a pop, but I was too engaged in the game, that I didn’t look to see what the sound was. An incredible odor advanced through the whole house. Slumping into the kitchen, sad that Caps lost, I saw the smoke seeping out of the microwave. The smoke was like a dark curtain covering the room. I just then realized that I did not put the water in the cup! How could this have happened? I thought. I have done this a million times! The smell of the smoke was extremely revolting and started spreading through the whole house very fast. I quickly darted to the microwave to take the burnt cup from it, and put it outside. I didn’t think it would be hot. It was very hot. I dropped it on the ground, and ran to the sink to wash off my hands, and sooth the heat. I removed the cup with oven mittens, and placed it outside. Luckily, there was no mark on the floor. The microwave was destroyed and smelled like smoke. The house still smells like smoke, and my family is microwave-less. I believe it is important to read the directions to everything you do, even if you have done it a million times.
Allergies My nose is a doublebarreled hose, like a fleshy, snotty pipe. My nasal nautical, notorious nose A big mixed bag of all my woes which is OUT OF THE WAY THE DOOR SHALL CLOSE! Illustration by Stephanie DeHart
SLAM YOOOOW! By Rigel Date
THIS I BELIEVE By Cindy Lay
I believe that all young children should keep their feet planted firmly on the ground. Unfortunately, I learned this lesson the hard way. When I was young, I watched the magnificent circus on TV and saw talented tightrope walkers prancing across a rope! I told my parents that I wanted to be a tight rope walker in the circus! While my mom was helping my sister practice piano in the living room, I attempted to achieve my dream. I crept across the room like a mouse and made my way to the couch. I placed both my feet on the arm rest and stood up. I walked back and forth on the thing arm rest, one foot in front of the other. It was the most amazing thing! I felt like a genuine tight rope walker. I was prancing to the music that my sister was playing, but then I slipped! I plummeted down two feet to the ground. The back of my head was split open and my back was stabbed dangerously by the sharp point on a nearby table. I cried rivers of tears as my parents rushed me to a hospital in a taxi. When I got to the hospital, the doctor said I would need stitches in the back of my head but it wouldn’t hurt. Well, the doctor could not have been more wrong! It hurt like knives where going through the back of my head! To make me feel better though, my mom gave me chocolate, so it was all good! I believe that all young children should keep their feet planted firmly on the ground so that there will be no further cases on lying doctors.
Sharks
Swimming through the water As dangerous as a torpedo Even the water jumps away from me in horror I decide what my meal will be and stalk my prey Then I charge forward and grab hold of it With my vicious white teeth I swallow it whole and repeat Again And again And again And again Until I am full
This I believe By Nathan Sperry I believe that it is not wise to attempt to sled down the stairs on a sofa cushion. I discovered this when my 8-year old self decided he wanted an indoor sledding resort. He borrowed a sofa cushion from the sofa and walked to the top of the stairs. He placed it at the top of the steps, half on, half off the top step. Then he took a few steps back and ran at the cushion. He went whizzing down the wood steps. Now, wood steps are very slippery, so you can go very fast, but they are also very hard, so it hurts when you fall on them. Unfortunately, both of these things happened. While my younger self went sliding down the steps like a penguin, he also spun 180 degrees and when he reached the bottom his chin cracked against a step. He spent the rest of the day holding a tissue up to his chipped tooth and later had to get a filling. From this experience I learned to never attempt to sled down the steps.
Being I am not your tool You will never catch me I am not a part of you Do not try to reach me I will not come Lecture me about authority Lecture me about courage Lecture me about patriotism I am not yours Nor will I ever be yours The honor is coming home Knowing you fought For your country Is deafened By the screams Of ideas Opinions Viewpoints Beings Being ‐
Siana Hinsz
By Kaitlyn Bruno
Diary of a Super Evil French Cupcake Diary Info if lost, please contact: Name: Super Evil French Cupcake Address: 132 South Cupcake Avenue Paris, France Phone Number: 313-729-8864 Favorite Phrase: “Evil never tasted so good!” Favorite Color: Pink…Duh!! Favorite Thing to Do: Be Evil! Goal(s): Defeat Super Good American Cupcake People in Life: Super Good American Cupcake is BAD and Hershey’s Air Delight well, he’s okay Favorite Food(s): Cherries and Chocolate Comment(s): All I want is to defeat Super Good American Cupcake. He is the only person to defend the world. Once I defeat him, I can rule the world. I keep inventing things to defeat him, but nothing works. If only the inventions could work once…then I could overthrow the humans of the world and the cupcakes (and other pastries) will rule the universe!!
10-1-12 Dear Diary, Today I tried to defeat Super Good American Cupcake. I failed miserably, though. It all started this afternoon. I had just finished my latest invention… Cherry minions! They were very hard to make, but this is how I made them… 1. Buy a silicon mold in the shapes of cherries. (you can buy them at the hardware store) 2. Put the electronic chip that makes them do whatever you say into the mold. 3. Fill up silicon mold with cherry juice. (freshly squeezed) 4. Freeze until solid. 5. Turn each of them on. I had just finished making them when all of a sudden there was a loud boom. It was, of course, Super Good American Cupcake. I ordered my cherry minions to go defeat him. Let’s just say that when
the battle was over, there were red splotches everywhere. I had to think fast so I grabbed my shrink ray and attempted to shrink him down. He quickly took down the mirror near him and pointed it at my shrink ray shot. It bounced back towards me, and then I shrunk down. “My work here is done” said Super Good American Cupcake. “I’ll get you next time!” I yelled back. “Good luck with that” he replied. So, it was pretty much a fail of a day.
10-13-12 Dear Diary, I made a new invention today to defeat Super Good American Cupcake. It was a heat ray that cooks your opponent(s) 2 degrees over the normal temperature. I had just finished, and Super Good American Cupcake busted in. (Apparently he has a special bowl of sprinkles that tell him exactly where I am.) “I’ve been waiting for you” I told him. Then I dropped my electrocuting trap on him. When I went to get my heat ray, I heard a loud bang. Somehow he had gotten out of my trap! I had my heat ray, and I shot him with it. He quickly got out his freeze ray and intercepted my shot. (He has a special pocket in his cape that holds almost every ray he owns.) He then calmly walked out. I couldn’t believe it. He had beaten me… Again! Someday, I thought I will beat him. Then I went back to the drawing board.
10-21-12 Dear Diary, Today I had a battle against Super Good American Cupcake. Unfortunately, I lost. I made an invention that turns doughnuts into bagels so no one will want to eat them. To test it out, I walked into Don’s Doughnut Delights and bought a doughnut (with fake money…OH YEAH!) I walked outside, shot the doughnut and it turned into a bagel! For the first time, my invention worked! But then, it started growing. It grew, and grew, until finally it was as tall as a tree! It then turned into a living, breathing, bagel…AHHH! Super Good American Cupcake came to save the day and we had a shootout through the bagel hole. Super Good American Cupcake’s ray worked better than mine, so he ended up winning. But this time it was in public. Now I’m in cupcake prison for a little while. Oh well, time to start thinking about my next invention.
11-1-12 Dear Diary, I broke out of jail using a mini-emergency shrink ray I found in the secret pocket in my cape! It was very funny to see the fat cupcake officers try to catch me. I also got a sidekick today. His name is Hershey’s Milk Chocolate, but I call him Hershey’s. He is going to help me overthrow the humans and rule the world. Hershey’s came up with a brilliant idea to make a cookie-cutter boomerang. He told me that when Super Good American Cupcake busts in, to pretend that I’m not doing anything. When he goes to leave, throw it at him and it will cut a huge hole in him. Then, HE WILL DIE!!! In the afternoon, Super Good American Cupcake walked in. I was lying on the couch doing nothing, and he asked me what I was doing “nothing.” I said. “Can’t a guy just have some chips, drink a coke, and chill out?” I asked. “Well okay, then.” He replied. When he reached for the door, I threw the boomerang, but he was too quick. It missed him. The thing I forgot
about boomerangs though is that THEY COME BACK!! Now I’ve got a big hole in my stomach.
11-12-12 Dear Diary, Last night was the best night of my life so far!!! I finally defeated Super Good American Cupcake! Here’s how it happened: It was about 10:30 at night and I was about to go to sleep after a long day of inventing muffins that blow up in your face when I heard someone or something bang through the window. I quickly grabbed the pan of muffins and walked towards the window. And there standing in front of a cracked window, was Super Good American Cupcake. I didn’t know what to do so I threw a bunch of the muffins at him. They all exploded in his face and for the first time he looked like he was going to die. Then, I threw the rest of them at him and to my surprise he either fainted or died! (It must have helped that they were burning hot) I checked his pulse and his heart and I heard nothing. “YES!!” I yelled. I had finally defeated Super Good American Cupcake!! “Evil never tasted so good!” I screamed. And so that’s
the end of Super Good American Cupcake!! YAHOOO!!!
11-18-12 Dear Diary, When I woke up this morning, I went downstairs to get a bowl of cupcake charms…but to my surprise, I found a note written in the extra letters from my cereal (you know, the actual cereal part that no one eats…everyone eats the marshmallows) It read as follows-
Hey cupcake, I ate all of your food in the fridge and all the marshmallows in your cereal…they were yummy!! Anyway, I’ll be back for more later, and you better come prepared because I am going to take you down!! -the subterranean meatloaf p.s. ever wonder how meatloaves get so fat? That’s right, from stealing other pastries’ foods!! When I finished reading that, the first thing I thought was great, another hero to take down. But then I thought, wait… he’s just a big fat meatloaf!!
I’ll defeat him in no time! Now I have to make a cupcake launcher that launches cupcakes so I can defeat him… after all meatloaves HATE cupcakes!!
11-20-12 Dear Diary, I did it!!! I defeated the subterranean meatloaf!!! Two wins in one week!!… Evil never tasted so good!!! It all started when he walked in the door. I was waiting for him with my cupcake launcher. Right when he walked in, I was on a roll. I shot him right in the face!! When he tried to shoot me back, his launcher didn’t have anything to launch in it, so I launched more and more cupcakes in his face. But the best was yet to come. When I made more cupcakes to launch when he was still recovering from the first batch, I put bombs in two of them. “You can’t keep this up forever!” the subterranean meatloaf yelled. “You want to bet?” I replied. Then I launched the two cupcakes with the bombs at him. BOOOMMM! He blew up in a fiery explosion! “Evil never tasted so good!!” I screamed at the top of my lungs. This is the last page in my diary, so until I get a new diary… I love being evil!
THE T E EN ND
SEF FC
The Adventures of Nanna Franna the Ninja Gramma By Meghan Murphy Yes, the day was sunny and bright. Yes, her country, Kelly Land, was still a gorgeous place and the buildings were completely made out of gingerbread and candy canes. And yes, her friends were fun and always there for her. But today was NOT a good day for Nanna Franna. The white-haired old woman sat down on her faded paisley couch and thought back on the day’s events. That morning, Nanna Franna was taking a casual and well-deserved walk with her poodle Ben. The small but very fit senior citizen had just gotten back from her latest ninja mission – yes, that’s right, ninja mission. Nanna Franna – the ninja gramma – belonged to the SNSKL (Secret Ninja Society of Kelly Land) and was one of the most skilled members. Anyway, she was walking with her candy-floss-colored poodle named Ben around her neighborhood when The Incident occurred. As Nanna Franna rounded the corner to her house, she saw the unthinkable. “Holy apple strudel,” she breathed. Her gingerbread cottage was covered from top to bottom with toilet paper. Nanna Franna was shocked. How did this happen? Who did it? Why? But even more horrors would await her inside. When she finally got herself inside, she found that all her toilet paper was gone, her bookshelf had been emptied onto the floor, and – NO! – The cherry pie she had baked and left to cool before her walk was gone! Nanna Franna started to wonder, who would have done this? But she didn’t wonder for long. Out of the corner of her eye, she spied a bright yellow post-it on the floor. She walked over and picked it up. It read as follows: Ha-Ha! I had fun messing up your house! It’s been a while since we last saw each other, but I will never forget how you beat me in the Battle of Cornucopia, and when you destroyed my lair. We will meet again… Your Arch Enemy, Dr. Willis p.s. I loved that cherry pie!!! Nanna Franna gasped. Of course it had been her archenemy, Dr. Willis, the evil mushroom that Nanna Franna had been fighting against since she had first become a licensed ninja. He, unlike most mushrooms, was born with evil triangles all over him. Nanna Franna narrowed her eyes. The mushroom had gone too far this time. This. Meant. WAR!!!
A half-an-hour later… “Thank you all for coming,” Nanna Franna announced to the Character Clan. “You know what has happened here, for you all have read the note and seen the damage.” Nanna Franna was holding a meeting to decide what to do about Dr. Willis. For those that don’t already know, the Character Clan is a group of amazing and very talented people, creatures and pastries, who all live by Nanna Franna in Kelly Land. The Clan originated 15 years ago, when they all met at the Short Story Characters Convention in Cupcake Town. So anyway, back to the story. They were all there: The Evil Cupcake from Paris, Toodles the Leprechaun, Pepe the Ninja, Quacky the Spy Duck, and even some other guy whose name I always forget. Nanna Franna’s apprentice Sasha was there too, taking notes in the back corner. “Does anyone have an idea about how to stop this vicious toadstool?” asked Nanna Franna. Toodles, a short and fat leprechaun who is not exactly the sharpest knife in the shed, raised his hand. “How about you trap him in a rainbow?” Sasha burst out laughing. “What?” cried Toodles, “It’s a very good idea!” “Yes, I’m sure it is, but it’s not good for our situation.” Nanna Franna said to Toodles and gave him a pat on the head. “But thank you for the idea anyway.” Toodles sadly bowed his head. “Does anybody else have an idea?” Silence. “Anyone?” “Ooh, ooh, I ‘ave ‘een idea!” yelled the Evil Cupcake from Paris, who is a bit evil, but is still a loyal friend. “You should turn ‘eem into soup!” Murmurs rippled through the crowd of characters. “Yes, yes, that would be a wonderful idea,” muttered Pepe, Nanna Franna’s BNF (best ninja friend). “Excellent idea, Evil Cupcake,” said that guy whose name I always forget. “Attention, attention, please,” said Nanna Franna. She was looking rather pale at the thought of turning her arch nemesis into soup. It was horrible to think of such a thing. “Are you guys sure that … murder is the right idea?” “Well, if you didn’t want murder, you could just make up and become friends,” Quacky, the sweeter friend in the bunch, said shyly. Everybody laughed. “That will NEVER happen,” said Pepe. “Anyway, killing ‘im will be perfect,” said the Evil Cupcake. “One enemy gone, and many of our ‘ungry belliz full.” “You can do it, Nanna Franna!” Shouted Quacky the Spy Duck. Nanna Franna turned away from her friends. Could she do it? Could she kill and then eat another living being? Although many ninjas had performed this task, Nanna Franna had never been one of them. And she had no idea if she ever could.
Five Hours Later … Nanna Franna reached the dark shadow of Dr. Willis’ evil lair. It was a dark cave high in the Mountains of Yonder. The cave was sealed with a giant rock, and Nanna Franna could see no way in. She walked over to the boulder and tried to roll it. It wouldn’t budge. She looked around to see if there were any cracks she could slip through. There were none. She even tried saying “Open Sesame.” Nada. Zip. Zilch. Then there was a noise. Nanna Franna jumped back into the forest that surrounded the lair to see where the noise came from. A small minion-mushroom that resembled Dr. Willis, but was smaller, went up to the rock. “Evil Mushrooms Forever!” chirped his high voice. Magically, the rock rolled aside. The mushroom went into the cave and the rock rolled back into place behind him. Nanna Franna went up to the rock and said “Evil Mushrooms Forever!” – though it pained her to do so – and the rock rolled aside for her. Yes! She was in. Nanna Franna crept silently along the hallway leading to Dr. Willis’ main lair. The hallway was dimly lit and smelled slightly like a sewer. The dark halls were covered with portraits of Dr. Willis sitting on is royal throne. Right as Nanna Franna got close to the main lair, she heard voices coming from within. “Holy peach cobbler” breathed Nanna Franna. One of the voices was Dr. Willis. “…Sure she’ll be coming soon,” his raspy voice came surprisingly clearly through the door. “Why I believe this is rather late for her.” Nanna Franna’s body was frozen with terror. How could the mushroom know that she was coming? There must be a spy that told him! Nanna Franna peeked through the crack in the door and saw … Ben, her beloved poodle? She was shocked! She’d had him since he was just a puppy. Had that vile beast told the evil mushroom all her secrets? Then Nanna Franna heard Dr. Willis start talking again. “Thank you, Ben,” he said. “Your work here is done.” She heard a door open and close. “You can come in now, Nanna Franna,” rasped Dr. Willis. “I know you are out there.” Nanna Franna bravely walked into the lair. The mushroom smiled. “So we meet again Nanna Franna … It’s been a long time since Cornucopia. By the way, Ben the Poodle told me all of your deep, dark, secrets and I’m sure I will beat you this time. You are late, and it seems that you haven’t washed your hair recently… And seriously? You still dress in all black? Really, I have to say that red is the new black.” The mushroom smirked. “Tsk, tsk, tsk. It looks like I will be winning this one today.”
Nanna Franna scowled. “But you must know what my plan is! By the end of today, you will be made into soup,” she said. “Ha, ha, as if!” the mushroom said. Nanna Franna bared her teeth. In one leap she crossed the room and jumped on the mushroom. She thought she saw fear flicker in his eyes, but then it was gone. She wondered if it had really been there or not. “You know you can’t hurt me! You couldn’t hurt a fly!” the mushroom nervously squeaked out. Nanna Franna seethed. Who did this toadstool think he was? She was a ninja. She knew many, many ways to make him feel pain! Why, she could squash him like a bug, rip him into little pieces, or even kick his head clean off his body (to be more technical, kick his cap clean off his stem)! But could she really kill the mushroom? The doubts came pouring back in. Could she do it? Would she? But she had to. There was no going back now. She pulled out her killer knitting needles. She heard the mushroom give a tiny whimper, but Nanna Franna seemed not to hear. This was it. Now or never. Nanna Franna raised the knitting needles. Her stomach felt like it was going to burst into a million pieces. Nanna Franna slowly lowered the needles and … “And what?” Katherine asked. “Please, please tell us!” Nanna Franna’s granddaughter Katherine was seated with Sasha and the rest of the Character Clan, listening to Nanna Franna tell the story. The elderly lady sipped her tea. “What do you think happened, Dearie?” “You killed him?” gasped Katherine. “See for yourself, love,” Nanna Franna said. “When I was about to …” Nanna Franna paused to shudder, “… kill him, I realized that I was doing the wrong thing. Killing someone is never a good idea, and even though I realized this late, I still realized in time, so Willis’ life has been spared. We have become the best of friends ever since we had our little fight in the lair. We were talking on the way to my house, and it turns out that we both share a great love for rock music.” “It is true,” added Willis. “I particularly like the Rolling Stones.” Nanna Franna smiled and started talking again. “You see, it turns out that Willis was once an ordinary human, but was turned into a mushroom by a very evil piece of cheese. In a couple of weeks, Willis and I will be setting off on a new journey to track down the cheese and make her turn Willis back into a human. Then, well, that cheese will be very sorry for what she did to Willis.” Nanna Franna turned to the Character Clan. “And you can help us on our journey to bring justice to this evil block of dairy.” “We will, we will!” yelled the Clan. “And so will I, Nanna Franna,” said Katherine. “I’m so glad everything worked out.” “It really did, my love,” said Nanna Franna. “It really did.”
My world is round, my life is a box by Tony Gomez When I’m in the box I’m alone, Scared, Sad, When I’m outside of the box, I’m free and I can be happy! When I’m out of the box I don’t know what will happen to me. Once something happens, I won’t find the box. I was in my whole life, Know it feels like I’m in a box. Sad Alone Scared And that is why my world is round, My life is a box.
Jones: how he saved an old friend, made a new one, and left his basement after twelve long years.
By Eliza Bonilla As Old Man Jones slept he remembered when he discovered the basement, just a three year old climbing down the stairs. As young as he was he saw something in the place, and the age of five he made his choice. He packed up all his prized possessions and laid them out on the many dusty tables. His dog trotted down after him. He stared into the eyes of his parents and hugged them one last time. Jones is now seventeen years old and still living in the same basement. The year is 4600. This is the story of his adventures as he saves an old friend, makes a new one, and finally enters the real world. Old Man Jones stared into space like a creepy person, because he was one. He wasn’t just in lalaland; he was literally staring into space. He watched, wide- eyed, as the floor slowly melted away to form a big hole in the floor of the basement. His parents were so going to kill him. He looked from the fallen beaker to the gaping black hole and back. He grabbed his dog and squeezed it tightly like it was a
teddy bear, but remembered he was scared of his dog and quickly let go. Why did it have to follow him into the basement? As he quickly ran away he bumped into the table on which his best friend, Planty the cactus, was resting. He watched, frozen in utter horror, as Planty fell into the hole to Outer Space. The hole was slowly closing up. Jones quickly shoved a table in the mouth of the hole to stop it from closing up… temporarily. Crying, Jones went into the corner, feeling the loneliest he had ever felt in his whole entire life. What was he going to do! He had just lost his best friend! His stomach rumbled and he sniffed loudly. There wasn’t any food left in the basement. He felt hopeless. If he wanted to he could just go upstairs and everything would be fine and back to normal. But he couldn’t bring himself to do it. He’d been down there to long. A few days later he still hadn’t gotten the courage and was very weak and dying of hunger. He had been living off the small supply of food he had brought when he made his move into the basement so many years ago. When that ran out he caught rats and cooked them. He didn’t have the energy to chase after the speedy animals anymore.
Then he had an idea. He used the spare parts lying around and worked all night on it until it was done, A machine that made food out of a piece of dog fur! First he had to get close to his dog without freaking out. His parents had bought him when Jones was born. The dog licked him on the face all the time and he hated it. When he moved into the basement, the dog followed him and he couldn’t get it to go back up. Now was the time to face his fears. He practiced. He took two steps towards the dog, then three, then four, until at last he was close enough to reach out his hand and pet it cautiously. Pretty soon they were the best of friends, but now to put his idea to the test! He took a piece of his dog’s fur and placed it in his machine. It made a whirring sound, then a squeak, and then a low purr. Suddenly, out popped a piece of toast, then a glass of orange juice, and some eggs! He gobbled them up in seconds and even made some bacon to give to his dog. When he had enough energy, he decided it was time to get Planty back from outer space. He wanted to create something that would allow him to breathe in outer space, but he didn’t have the tools and parts he needed. To get them he would have to go into town, but that was a last resort. He hadn’t been outside of his basement for more then twelve years and hadn’t seen his parents for that long either. If he wanted to save his friend he would have
to go into the outside world for the very first time! He called up the stairs for his mother. She unlocked the door to the basement with an astonished look on her face and hugged him for around five hours. His father arrived early form work and froze at the sight of his son. Pretty soon his dad joined in with the hugging. He told his parents that he had to go outside and his mom fainted of surprise. Jones had only seen the outdoors on T.V or through the window. This was going to be interesting. He slowly unlocked the front door and creaked it open. The fresh air hit him in the face and he laughed! The air tasted so sweet and light compared to the thick dusty air in the basement. He slowly took one step then another‌ and ran back inside. He tried again and this time made it to the fence before running back in. This went on for a few hours and it didn’t help that the people walking down the street thought he was some kind of roadside attraction and gathered around, watching him eagerly and laughing. Gathering up all his courage, he opened the gate and stepped into the mob of people. They scattered and Jones could breathe again. He set out to look for a store that would sell all the things he needed to go down into space. He asked around and no one had an
answer. Most of them just looked at him like he was crazy and walked away. He made his way through the whole city, walking through side streets, and forests. All at once he was on an abandoned dirt road. He walked for a mile or so until he found an abandoned cabin. Jones was hyperventilating and scared on the inside, but on the outside he tried to look brave. “The creepy monsters lurking in the dark smell fear”, he told himself. He slowly walked up the creaking steps onto the old porch. When he was about to knock on the door something grabbed his shoulders from behind. He screamed a long piercing scream that could be heard on the moon. Then everything went black. Colors danced in front of his eyes like fireworks and he slowly opened them. The light stabbed his eyeballs, blinding him for a couple of seconds before they adjusted. Leaning over him was a frightful sight. It was a man, maybe in his 70’s, who’s breath smelled of cabbage and moldy cheese. He had only two teeth, but that was all he needed because they were both as sharp as steak knives. His eyes were wide and there were purple rings under them. One of them was almost closed all the way and yellow puss surrounded it. His grayish skin was pulled tight around his skull. He had hardly any hair, but what he did have was a silvery gray.
“AH!” Jones shouted and quickly stood up. He began to slowly back away. “Yep, everyone has the same reaction when they see my face. It’s nots my fault.” The strange man said. “ You, sir, are not using proper grammar, though I suppose there is no such thing as grammar in the jungle,” Jones replied, being as polite as he could, though he couldn’t stand the mans gruesome face. The man seemed to pick up on that. “ You’re not much of a looka either young man, just looks at ya, your hair is green for goodness sakes,” he spat, “and what is up with your eyes? Them is red! Are you some sort of vampire, or a mummy come back to life?” Jones looked away, embarrassed. There wasn’t a mirror in the basement, so how was he supposed to know that he looked like some kind of freak? Come to think of it, no wonder all those people were crowded around him when he left his house. They had never seen anything like him! He decided that this strange man could help him on his quest to save Planty. “What is your name, kind sir?” he asked the man. “Me name is Scotty Joe Kenneth. You can call me Scotty, Scott, Joe, Joe bob, Kenneth, Kent…” he said.
“ Okay, I’ll call you Scotty” Jones decided “ My name is Jones”. Scotty invited him into his cabin. Jones explained his strange predicament over a cup of tea. Scotty nodded thoughtfully and chewed on a stick he had picked up from the ground. “Why are you chewing on a stick?” Jones asked when his story was done. “Because this them there stick is covered with them pesky ants that live in them wilderness and I eats them cause they are high in them there protein that is good for you!” he said. Jones tried not to throw up. “So can you help me with my problem?” he asked. Scotty thought for a little. “Sure I can!” he said after a while, “Climb into my them there truck and I’ll drive you to the Air and Space Museum!” he said. Scotty led Jones to the garage and he opened it with a clap of his hands. Inside was a truck. It was shiny and new and was floating a couple of feet off the ground like all cars did in 4,600. “The Honda Hovercar 607, red. Just came out yesterday, me was the first to buy it.” Scotty told him. They climbed in and Scotty started it up by
just pressing a small button. “You know how to drive, boy?” Scotty asked. “No, I was never taught,” Jones answered. Scotty looked at him with a strange smile on his face. “Now’s a good time to learn, dontcha think?” Scotty pushed Jones into the driver’s seat. “I have no clue what to do!” Jones said. He was scared to death. “What if I crash?! I’ll kill the both of us! I won’t be able to get there and we’ll be stuck in the middle of nowhere” he yelled “Don’t worry, it’s easy! Press the button that says right to go right, the one that says left to go left, the one that says straight to go straight, and so on!” Scotty reassured him, leaning over to press the START button. The car roared to life and Jones began to feel sick. He pressed the straight button, then left, then straight again. Pretty soon he was totally relaxed and pressing buttons with ease. Scotty belted out directions and Jones followed them, easy. They drove out of the country and into the city until they reached what used to be Washington D.C.
“Here’s we are,” Scotty said as they pulled up in front of an old abandoned building. They hopped out of the car and Scotty led Jones to the back of the collapsing structure. “The back door is always open,” he said. They quietly slipped inside. It was pitch black. Scotty flicked the switch and the light flickered on. Jones gasped. All around him were piles of spaceships, spacesuits, spacefood, and space posters. “Take what you like”, Scotty said, “I’ll be over at the gift shop. They have tons of pennies for my collection!” Jones ran around trying on spacesuits until he found one that fit him. He threw ten packs of astronaut ice cream into a bag and grabbed anything else that seemed helpful, like some rope and a handbook on how to survive in Outer Space. Scotty emerged from the gift shop carrying a huge bag of collectable coins. “How am I going to take one of these huge spaceships home?” Jones asked him. “Easy,” Scotty said, “first you have to find one of a reasonable size then we tie it to this thing over here then tie it to the hovercar and viola!” He dragged a platform out from underneath a pile of space yogurt. It seemed big enough to fit the spaceship Jones had found. The platform had wheels so it could easily be dragged behind the hovercar. The two of them somehow managed to drag the
spaceship onto the platform and tie it down with strong ropes. using all of their might, they tugged it through the huge double doors over to the hovercar. Then they attached the rolling platform to the back of the hovercar then they set off for Jones’s house. When they arrived, his mother was standing in the yard to greet them. “Honey, we have a problem”, she said with a worried expression, “there seems to be a portal to space in the basement.” “I know, I know, I’ve got it covered” Jones reassured her. They dragged everything down into the basement. Scotty helped Jones get the space suit on and get in the spaceship. Jones waved goodbye as the spaceship flew into the unknown. The view from the spaceship windows was astounding. It was a vast black space, going on as far as the eye can see, and even further. Lights from stars sprinkled the empty canvas. Distant planets stood, big and round. All of a sudden, a green prickly plant in a brown pot floated past the window. Jones quickly turned off the engine and attached a rope to his spacesuit and the side of the spaceship. He looked around in awe as he exited. He did a couple of experimental flips and spins before he took off after Planty.
He reached out and grabbed Planty then floated slowly back over to the spaceship, enjoying this once in a lifetime experience. He returned to the controls and turned the ship around, which blasted back through the portal, breaking the table in half and sending it flying. The ship landed on his potion table. He opened the door and jumped out. The spaceship teetered as it balanced on top of a cauldron. They watched as the portal closed up forever. “Well, I’d better go” Scotty said sadly. “Nice meeting you! Visit me, will ya?!” “Of course I will! Thank you so much, Scott!” said Jones as he ran to hug him. Jones and his mother stood side by side waving to Scotty as he drove away. Jones now visits Scotty very often and they are the best of friends. He moved back up stairs into the room that he had before he discovered the basement. He waters Planty just the right amount and cares for him. He and his dog have been taking daily trips to the park to play fetch and tug-of-war. Also, he is now making a living off money he’s made doing tricks in his front yard. Would you pay to see a kid with green hair and red eyes balancing on the head of two- toothed man eating ants? Exactly.
Secret A whisper in my ear, Something no one else can hear. I want to keep it, I want to tell it. But I can’t. Because you trust me. And I think I can trust you. So I won’t say it. Even though the whisper is the truth. But maybe it’s alright, Because the truth Is uglier Than me Keeping your secret. Whisper I whisper in your ear I think I can trust you But I’m not sure You always say that secrets are ugly But I can’t tell the world the truth Because if I did It would be uglier Than if you just didn’t tell My secret
The Flaming Pen Needs
YOU! Showcase your undiscovered masterpieces! It’s simple and easy- just hand in your best work to Mr. Kelly (6th grade) or Ms. Hamilton (7th grade). We accept short stories, non-fiction, poetry, artwork, photos, and almost anything else. Amazing Writers: WE KNOW YOU ARE OUT THERE!
Credits Estelle Timar-Wilcox Annie Parnell Yael Cohen Lucy Hoak Valentina Anfinogenova Claire Boyle Emma Plosser Mina Nowroozi Olivia Owen Audy Lebovitz Naomi Dang
Sean Swick Erik Donnelly Vishakha Kumar Maggie Hicks Mary Klemic Christian Autor
SPECIAL THANKS TO OUR TEACHERS Mr. Kelly Mrs. Hamilton