6TH GRADE GOLDEN APPLES PAGINATED by Jennifer Raterman

6th Grade Golden Apples 2011

Contents John By Danny K. Page 6 My Mother By Sara C. Page 7 March 16 2010 By Sarah B. Page 8 Anna Dalassena By Ethan O. Page 10 Codie By Bethany G. Page 11 Ricardo By Greer W. Page 18 Summer By Becca N. Page 23 Demelza By Zach M. Page 25

Springtime By Casey V. Page 27 ร slรถg By Mac G. Page 28 Asa By David J. Page 32 Beached By Matt O. Page 34 John By Myles W. Page 37 Veronica By George-Henry W. Page 38 Carsten By Anna G. Page 42 Fiona By Derek F. Page 48 Chewonki Story By Phil A. Page 50

Emma By Ryan Q. Page 52 Anna Comnena by Derek B. Page 55 Canoeing and Swimming Experience By Delaney F. Page 56 Chewonki Experience By Megan C. Page 60

The Window Washers of Pain By Anna.T Page 63

Antonio By Julia H. Page 65

Canoeing By Sarah D. Page 69

Antheia By Andrew M. Page 75 Clarisa By Andrew E. Page 79

John By Danny K. Anna's not the heir! YES.

I love my dad. He needs to listen to

Grandma more often. "Thank you, Grandma, you’re the best!" “I can’t believe I'm heir,” I said with the slightest bit of sarcasm.

I’ve been setting this up for years. John, the next emperor, the

head honcho. I'm so sly like a fox, spying on my sister like that. I have to do that more often. it.

Good stuff will happen.

I just can't get caught doing

Everybody will know who I am. They'll say John Porphyrogenita

Comnenus, the great emperor. HAHAHAHA.

When I'm emperor Anna will be banished,

I still can't believe that she didn't know that I was listening

to her telling Simon that she tried to kill me. Ha! She's so stupid.

When

I'm emperor I will have luxury and she will have nothing. I will be the one wearing purple robes, not her. One thing I don't like about thinking about being emperor is all the responsibilities.

That will be a total drag. Plus they’re probably going to

have Simon teach me how to read.

UHHH!

the events that are held. "I swear I will be a good ruler, Dad'.

I will also have to go to all

My Mother By Sara C.

My My My My My My My My My My My My My My

mother is the best. mother is kind. mother needs a rest. mother is mine. mother does not like to shop. mother loves her mother. mother really rocks. mother loves her brother. mother is never blue. mother is sweet. mother does not stink up the loo. mother likes meat. motherâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s day is full of run. mother is number ONE!

March 16 2010 By Sarah B. March 16, the day everything changed for me. My mom, brother, and I were up skiing in North Conway for 2010 spring vacation. On a clear, beautiful day at Wildcat Mountain, across from the beautiful Mt. Washington, I was having trouble breathing and getting to the chairlift and had a sharp pain in my chest. My mother took me to the walk-in clinic at Memorial Hospital in North Conway, thinking I had walking pneumonia. No. It was much worse. I had aplastic anemia. Aplastic anemia is when your bone marrow isn’t producing the blood cells your body needs in order to survive. The cure to this disease is very much like the cure for leukemia: chemotherapy and a bone marrow transplant. My family had to have blood tests to see if their bone marrow was a match for me. Well happily, my big brother Steven was a perfect match. He was going to be my donor. But before I could have the transplant, I had to go to DartmouthHitchcock Hospital weekly for blood transfusions and blood tests. Then the time came. I went to Children’s Hospital Boston for the transplant. But I didn’t get the transplant that very day. First, a week of chemotherapy, then a day of rest, and then the day, May 27 had come. My brother Steven was under anesthesia having bone marrow taken out of him at 5 AM. Don’t worry, it’s harmless! You’re just sore for a couple of days. And I didn’t feel anything either. It was like a normal blood transfusion. I was in the hospital for a couple of weeks after that for recovery. And I had to take a lot of pills, when I was in and out of the hospital.

I can’t say I hated it there. I liked my nurses and CA’s (clinical assistants). And I got to meet the winner of American Idol, Kris Allen. I’m fine now, and so is Steven. I’m so glad everything is back to normal. I couldn’t have made it through without my family.

Anna Dalassena By Ethan O. I feel slight remorse after getting rid of Anna. She was smart and learned quickly, although she had it coming thinking she could outsmart me in front of my own son. John has learned well and is a useful tool to help reach my goal. Maybe I will let him have the joy of becoming emperor if he stays this easy to manipulate. The look on that filthy Ducas Irene was priceless when she found out that her little daughter Anna was not becoming empress. Things are going great and I should easily slide into control as I did with my ambitious, but not very bright, son. I am a bit worried that Irene and Anna are beginning to see through all the lies I have told. Though I doubt their empty Ducas heads recognize my real intentions. Sending John to the library to get the â&#x20AC;&#x153;informationâ&#x20AC;? I needed was easy with his parrot-like skills. Look, here comes Alexius with tears welling in his red eyes. I will pretend to care while he spills his problems to me.

Codie By Bethany G. Five years ago. . . It was a nice spring day, actually the best we've had this whole year. My mother was working in the garden, my older brother, William, was working on his homework, and my younger sister, Abbi, was having a tea party outside with her dolls and teddy bear. I was inside and sick with a cold. I was hungry. My mother scolded me yesterday for getting out of bed. She said if I did it again, she would make me stay in my room for one whole day. My feet touched the cold floor. I began to stand up when I heard her coming up the steps. With no time to think, I got back into bed and acted asleep. "I saw you stand up, Codie. Mothers can see anything," yelled my mother, taking the laundry into her room. "I'll let you get up and get your clothes." My feet touched the cold floor again. Every step was a creak. I was making a mental map of where not to step if I needed something. "Codie, I need you fold these clothes and put them in your brother and sisterâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s room. I have to get some vegetables out of the garden. You can turn on the telly if you would like," said my mother. When I saw her leave the room, I clicked the power button on my motherâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s telly. The news came on. My father always said that I could learn a lot with just watching the news. They were talking about an old woman who got locked in her car. Nothing really happens in Dover, England. We are a good community and everyone knows everyone. Now they were talking about a new shop that just opened. They were interviewing the owner when an emergency broadcast interrupted.

"Warning! Warning! Deadly floods about to happen in Dover. Please use sand bags to block out important areas. Also board up windows and put mini-sand bags near doors. Please evacuate if you live close to the ocean," said a computerized voice. I ran downstairs and fled towards the phone. My father was out sailing and testing his new sailboat he just made. I looked through piles of paper near the phone. Finally, I found my father's "emergency onlyâ&#x20AC;? phone number. I pressed in the number. It rang three times before I heard my father's voice. "Bridget, whatâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s wrong?" yelled my father. I could hear wind in the background. "Father? It's me, Codie," I replied to him. "Codie, what are you doing out of bed? What does mother think of this? If I were you, I'd go back to bed before she comes back inside." "Father? Mother let me watch some telly and I watched the news. Then an emergen-" My father started to cut me off. "You can learn a lot by watching the news." "What I was saying is that an emergency broadcast popped up and said that floods are going to happen in Dover!" I yelled into the phone. "They're probably not that bad. Did they say Minor or Deadly?" "DEADLY!!" I screamed into phone. My mother turned and looked into the kitchen. I waved and smiled to her. She looked very angry. "You should've told me that! Tell Mother to get the spare sandbags in the woodshed and the eight in the back of my truck. Also, tell her about the wood that can be used to board up the windows. Love you, and tell Mother I'll be home as fast as possible!" He hung up. At the same time my mother walked into the kitchen.

"What are you doing out of bed?! And you’re even using the phone!! Oh, oh, oh, you will be in your room for two days! Two days, I tell you!!" My mother walked over to me and was cleaning up the mess I made out of the papers. "Mother! I was watching the news and they said deadly floods were about to happen in Dover. Dad said to use the sandbags in the woodshed and the ones in the back of his truck. Also that there is some wood to board up windows." My mother stood up and hugged me. She said sorry and told me to help my little sister pack up. When we got to her room, I had to help her pack stuffed animals and clothes. I clipped it shut when mother said it's almost time to evacuate. I sprinted to my room and took out a suitcase. I packed five pairs of clothes, one toy car, a toothbrush, and one pair of shoes. My mother yelled my name and we all loaded into my father’s truck. Our cottage looked ugly with everything boarded up. My sister had to sit on my mother’s lap because there were only two seats in the back. My brother only brought one pair of clothes and two books. My father finally got home when we were about to give up on him. He rushed in and we sped away. I fell asleep and woke up getting off a plane in America. Now. . . For the first time in my life I was crying. My younger sister, Abbi, was crossing the street when a truck came speeding by. My mother was crying her eyes out and my father was too. When her coffin went into the ground, I threw roses on top. My mother, father, brother, and I lined up and people hugged us or said they were very sorry. Next in line was Abbi's best friend. I always forgot his name. "I'm so sorry," said his mom giving my Mother a hug.

"Thank you, Maricela," said my mother. "Codie, I feel so bad for you too. My name is Maricela," she said, giving me a hug. I avoided her hug. My mother started crying again. "Time for lunch," said my father pulling us into a car.

The ride to the restaurant was long and boring. Everyone was quiet, until my mother started bawling her eyes out. My father said that it's okay. When we got to the restaurant, Maricela and her son were sitting at the table. "Italian?" I said to my mother. She knew I hated Italian food. "Your sister loved Italian," said Mother, drying up her tears. I ordered some soda and ate some breadsticks. The lunch was long and boring, just like the car ride. My mother clinked her wine glass. "I would like to propose a toast to the best daughter in the world," said my mother, standing up. "To Abbi," everyone said, sipping their drink. I started tearing up again. This time my mother noticed. "Excuse me," I said, running to the bathroom. I splashed water on my face and took a deep breath. "It's okay to cry, you know" said my brother William, coming through the bathroom door. I walked over and gave him a hug. "I know. I just miss her, you know?" I said to William. "I do too. Everyone does, even our cleaning lady," said William laughing. I splashed some more water on my face and went back to the table. When we got home, I went into my sisterâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s room. I lay on her bed and hugged her teddy bear.

"You beat me to it," said my mother, smiling in the doorway. She walked over and sat down on the bed with me. "We'll all miss her." "I miss her already!" I yelled and started crying, again. My mother gave me a hug. "You can sleep here tonight if you want," said Mother. I knew it was only the afternoon, but I wanted to sleep and have sweet dreams about my sister. When my mother left, I turned off the lights, closed the curtains, and cried myself to sleep. When I got out of bed, Father told me that Maricela and Mother went for a run around town. I got some breakfast and watched TV. All of a sudden, there was a knock on the door. I unlocked the door and swung it open. There right in front of me was a man wearing all black. I tried to close the door, but he was stronger than me. The door flew open and made me fall over. I was crawling to the phone for help, but it was no use. He pushed me back and I felt a big tingly feeling in my left wrist. "WHERE'S THE MONEY?!!" the man yelled. "I don't know" I said in a whisper. I could hear my father running towards me. "GET AWAY!!" he yelled at my father. When he came closer the man pulled out a gun. No, no please help! I thought in my mind. This time, my mother was really crying. A lot of people were at the funeral. I knew what my mother was thinking. Two deaths in one week? Worst possible thing that could happen. When we got home, I decided to plant some flowers in honor of Abbi and Father. I walked a few blocks down to a garden. The garden was full of happy and good people. I found a shady spot and marked it off. "You, boy, I've heard about your sister and dad. So sorry," a woman

said, giving me a hug. I tried to avoid this one, especially from a stranger. "Who are you?" I asked the woman. She looked Korean. She was wearing a navy blue long sleeve shirt and jeans. "Name is Sae Young," she said. "Here, this is called Chocolate Mint. Supposed to be good," she said to me handing me a pot of chocolate mint. "Must put in shady area like that. This is already grown, so it will be easier for you to take care of." Sae Young walked away. I was going to start planting, when I realized I needed a shovel. I saw a perfect one sitting there, but I knew it belonged to someone. I thought that it was Sae Young's. Now I knew Sae Young had black hair, but this one was brown and short. "Excuse me? May I borrow your shovel?" I asked the woman. "Finally, someone else around here that is British. My name is Nora, yours is?" she asked me. I never thought of that before, being almost the only British people here in Cleveland. "Codie, and may I?" Nora handed me the shovel. I walked over to where I was going to plant the chocolate mint, when I saw my mother walking through the garden with Maricela. "What are you doing here?" I asked Mother. "Just here with Maricela. Planting gets things off of my mind," said Mother. I dug a nice sized hole and plopped the chocolate mint in there. Soon I realized that this plant needed water so it can grow. I stood up and walked over to the closest garden store and bought a watering can, but then it occurred to me that no one had watering cans. Instead of buying one watering can, I bought a dozen. Everyone thanked me and asked if I needed anything. I said I was fine and said to have a nice growing season. My mother said that we

should get something saying that the chocolate mint was in honor of Father and Abbi. I think some people overheard us that day. The next day when I came back, people said “Surprise!” to Mother and I. "What is this?" asked Mother. Everyone pitched in and ordered a plate in honor of Father and Abbi. Maricela told them the name of Father, Hardy. "Thanks" I said to everyone. The plate said, “In honor of Abbi and Hardy, the best sister and father in the world.”

Ricardo By Greer W. I'm Spanish, but I was born in America. My family would like to return to Spain someday to visit there, but right now we do not have enough saved. My parents moved to America about a year before I was born. My father's brothers were already here and asked my father to join them. They had a job lined up for him in Cleveland. The job was as a froster in Iggy's Cupcake Factory. It was very different from the farming life he had been a part of in Spain, but it was a start. He and Mom figured that he could work and they could both go to school here, learn English and then find better jobs later on. They thought it would be an improvement over the constant struggle of surviving as farmers in Spain. Don't get me wrong, from what I hear Spain is beautiful and the weather is great and all, but not if you are trying to survive as a farmer. The weather was either really hot or really cold in inland Spain where they were from. And the now and then droughts were not helpful either. Still I hear them at night or on weekends mostly when we get together for Sunday dinners with my uncles' families reminiscing about the "old country" as they call it. Me, I don't know anything about farming. I could tell that they were dreamy about it like it was the good old days. But I thought it sounded awful. Like drudgery from medieval times. I picture serfs and wandering lords overseeing the poor farmers. It couldn't possibly have been like that. After all, this is the modern age, but stillâ&#x20AC;Ś My mother meets me at the bus stop in the afternoons and we walk home together. The city bus that she takes to and from work each day is near where my school bus stops. On the way home we pass a plaza that has a few stores in it. We often stop if we have an errand. One day, she

said we needed to run into Amir's Fabric Store. She had a shirt with a tear in it and she heard at work that Amir's had a good tailor there. I didn't want to go, but it was not like I had any choice. Once inside, Mom went to ask about the shirt being repaired. I wandered around, bored. I overheard a conversation about what sounded like farming. Normally, I tune that kind of thing out now. But I saw that it was between a pretty girl and a man. They were talking about a garden and discussing the best way to plant the things they were growing. The girl talked with an accent that I knew must be Spanish. The man called her Maricela. I was going to say something; after all, I do know about farming and it must be kind of the same as gardening even though I have never done either one. Just as I was going to say something, I noticed my Mom walking up to the man. Apparently, he was the owner, Amir, as well as the tailor Mom had heard about. I didn't want to look like an idiot in front of Maricela, hanging out with my Mom in a fabric store, so I walked backward a bit to not be seen. Mom wasn't too happy about that. "Where were you?!" Mom asked. "I was looking all over the store for you. Let's go. I have to get dinner started before your father gets home." "OK," I mumbled. "What do you keep looking back for?" Mom asked, as she also turned. "Um, um. . . " Thinking fast. "I heard the owner talking about a garden not far from our house. Maybe I could go there and see if I could help or maybe plant something." "Really?!," Mom said, pleased. "That would be wonderful. Your

father would like to get involved with something like that too." Oh, no. Just what I needed. My father hanging around when I want to try and talk with that Maricela. "Uh, sure, Mom," I said, as we started to walk home. That weekend I went out to find the garden. It was only about a block and a half from our house. When I got there I saw a few people already busy at work. They seemed to be enjoying what they were doing. Working and talking at the same time. Maricela was there and so was Amir. I also saw a young boy kneeling by what looked like a dying lettuce. He looked like he wasn't sure what to do. I was walking over to him when a man ran right past me with a bucket of water and splashed the plant. When the man left I knelt down by where the boy was and said, "Hi, I'm Ricardo. What are you planting here?" "Hi, I'm Virgil. I'm helping my father with his baby lettuce plants. My job is to help watch them while he gets the water. They don't seem to be doing too well. I'm hoping they will grow though because my father said if they sell then he'll use some of the money to get me a bike!" "That sounds great, Virgil," I said while looking over his shoulder. "Hey, do you know who that girl is?" "Yes, that's Maricela. She is growing things here too. She is very nice. Do you want to meet her?" "Um...no. I can go over. Thanks, though," I said. On my way to talk with Maricela, I noticed all the other plantings in the garden. I noticed how the people planting were working hard at it but were liking it. They seemed friends. I could see how they were trying so hard to get the plantings just right and working together on each other's plantings. I could see how this must be what my uncles and father were

talking about when they were remembering their farming days. I was getting closer to Maricela, but must not have been paying attention to where I was walking as I heard, "Hey! Watch out, there!" It was Amir. "I'm sorry. Did I ruin anything?" "No, no. But you almost stepped on my carrots. I'm Amir." "I'm Ricardo. I have seen you before. In your store with my mom." "Are you here to plant?" Amir asked. "Um . . .um . . . Sure," I said. "I like carrots. I could help you." Laughing, Amir said, "You can plant your own right near me, if you like. And we can help each other. OK?" "OK," I said. Each day after school and homework, I'd run down to the garden to tend to my plants and talk with Amir and whoever else was there working. I found that I really looked forward to this time in my day. It was hard work. My uncles and father were right. But it was great to feel a part of something big and alive. It was even better to be with so many different people. Each day someone different may be there working on their piece of the garden. There were even people who came just to clean up or watch or help in other ways. I was actually enjoying this gardening thing. As everyone was cleaning up one night to head home, I noticed that Maricela was having trouble with her area in the garden. I could hear her muttering under her breath and sighing a lot. It looked like her job was to pick up the gardening tools and she was having difficulty picking them up. I looked around and noticed that I was the only one noticing her struggle. So I walked over to her; took a deep breath and said, "Hey. You need some help?" Maricela looked up at me with big beautiful eyes.

"Yes, thank you."

Summer By Becca N. The sweet summer breeze made the grass leaves shiver around my ankles. The sky was filled with a milky blue that smoothed over the landscape; its soothing lines softening ones made sharp by the harsh glow of the sun. The sun’s pulsing light rang over the water like a song. The sand that caressed the waters edge billowed and swirled in the wind. This is summer. As I woke that morning my aqua drapes let in a cool blue light that turned my room into an underwater landscape. The sun’s heat warmed me in the morning when I pulled my blinds away, and my room transformed into just a room again, or was it… I looked at the green walls and it turned into a tropical forest. Now this was summer. The cold was banished by the glare of a wanted sun. The same sun we had hoped for since the fall. I slowly walked onto my balcony with my t-shirt and shorts rumpled and my hair askew. I gazed down on the green grass, newly planted flowers, and grape vines winding up the tall terrace. Making a canopy of bright foliage, the plants gave shade on the bent back of my mother as she bent over the new granite planting beds. I smiled at my mother’s work; she took pride and care in everything she did. I walked down the grand staircase that opened up to the foyer. I shuffled down, combing out the knots in my hair as I moved. I ran into the office where my dad was working on the computer, and gave him a great big bear hug. I love my dad; when I was small I used to curl up next to him and he would tell me over and over again about the day he and my mom

got married. He also told me about pranks he used to play as a kid with his friends. I then walked briskly over to the kitchen. My sister sat at the booth, her face staring at the cold cereal in the bowl. I smiled as I walked past her and poured myself some cereal. On the counter near the island, a box of doughnuts from the bakery a few minutes away sat beckoning. I quickly gulped down my food and descended on the doughnuts! Which one did I take? Boston cream, of course! Let me tell you, it was amazing. After finishing my doughnut I went upstairs and pulled out my bathing suit, some old jean shorts, and an old t-shirt. I quickly slipped all of this on, and zoomed down the stairs and out the door, stopping at the mailbox to check if I had any mail. Then I continued to walk across the street to my friends’ house. I knocked on the door, and Peter’s head popped into the door way. Peter is shorter than I am, but a year older. He opened the door and said, “I’ll get the others.” By “others” he meant his older sister, Ingrid, and younger brother, Ben. After the gang had assembled we took off to my yard. It was a race-- last one there would have to do push-ups. It was usually Ben. Poor Ben. After playing in my yard for a while, we all went over and swam in their pool. It was so funny! All three of them were raised in England and the way they talk to one another makes me smile. I love their accent-- it is so awesome. Afterward was dinner and that would be the closer to this perfect summer day.

Demelza By Zach M. In the year 1990 there was a giant storm that flooded my hometown (Cornville) in Cornwall. Instead of rebuilding our house we moved to Cleveland, Ohio for more or less one reason: the death of my mother in the flood. My father says it was his fault, but I wouldn’t know because I was only one at the time and don’t remember what happened. My dad told me all about the storm, but it doesn’t matter anymore. What does matter is that it’s now July 8, 2008 and I’m about to go into my first year of college. My friend Royce can’t go to college because he was kicked out of his house, but I’m still friends with him. Limeade is my favorite drink.

I go to the supermarket all the time

to get the ingredients for it. All you need is a few limes, sugar, and some cold water, then refrigerate. So, once every two weeks, I go to get the ingredients for it. Well, one day as I was walking to the supermarket Royce came up and said, “Follow me, I know a shortcut to the supermarket,” he said. “Ok,” I said. So I followed him through an alleyway and there, right before my eyes, is a garden full of people. There was a young man running with lettuce, giving them to his father to put into a cab, and a man who looked very strong (probably in his twenties) standing next to a bunch of tomatoes. There was also a sign that said “Lateesha’s tomatoes”. “Who’s Lateesha?” I asked. “She is Curtis’ ex-girlfriend. He’s trying to be unselfish to win her back,” Royce said. “Oh, that makes sense,” I said.

I glanced over my shoulder and saw my old janitor from high school was there. I waved to him and he waved back. Later that night I told my dad all about the garden and how I wanted to grow lime for the limeade and he thought it was a great idea. The next morning me and my dad rushed outside, found Royce, and started building the greenhouse. We used glass instead of solar panels -the entire house is made of glass. It took us a good three hours to finish it with finesse. We built it right next to this little Asian girl’s lima beans. When we were about to plant the lime seeds, Royce said, “I have to go guard Curtis’ tomatoes.” “K,” my dad and I said simultaneously. My dad and I planted twenty-four lime seeds in four rows of six. Then out of nowhere my dad asked, “Why are you doing this?” “I’m doing this for Mom and to get some limeade,” I said. “That’s my girl,” my father said.

Springtime By Casey V.

The birds start singing. The flowers begin to bloom. Springtime is now here.

Åslög By Mac G. I still sometimes lie awake at night, wishing that I could go back to Iceland. Why don't I? The same reason that I don't have my own house, and live with my dog, Björg, in an old, abandoned shed. The same reason that I have to go digging in dumpsters in the back of restaurants and can't get my own food. I can't afford it. Björg and I are among the poor here in Cleveland, Ohio. How did I end up living in this crummy old town, in this ratty old shack? It all started when I married a man named Fenrisúlfur. Fenrisúlfur means "wolf from hell", and the name completely fits my ex-husband. Not just because he's a complete jerk, but also because he tried to hurt me. Sarcastically, Åslög means "god-betrothed woman", and Fenrisúlfur was anything but a god to me. I haven't always been in this state though. Fenrisúlfur and I lived in a grand house in Reykjavik, as my ex-husband had a good job and a lot of money. I was expecting a baby. We were going to name it Bjartur if it was a boy, and Sunneva if it was a girl. For a while I was happy. Then the Eyjafjallajokull volcano erupted. My country was devastated. The ash was so thick in the air that I couldn't see five feet in front of me, just breathing the air made me choke, and the black sky shunned the light from my formerly beautiful home country of Iceland. I was worried for my baby's life. Fenrisúlfur and I were forced to move from our wonderful house in Reykjavik, Iceland to an apartment in Cleveland, Ohio. After that, our lives were miserable. Fenrisúlfur started drinking too much, neither of us had any job, and the baby was overdue. I would say to myself that we just had to keep holding on, that things would get better eventually. My only ray of hope and happiness was my baby, who would surely come and

bring joy to our family. One night, Fenrisúlfur was out late drinking with his friends. When he came home he was acting very violently. I was scared. "Hvar hefur ú veri? (Where have you been?)" I asked. "Ha? Bjór... Dans... Mér finnst ofbeldi! (Huh? Beer... Dancing... I feel violent!)" Then he hit me with his halfway filled beer bottle. The glass broke, giving me cuts, then he hit me with his hand. He hit me again and again until I was bloody and bruised. Then the police came. They found me lying curled up on the ground, cradling Björg with Fenrisúlfur holding a fist above me, ready to hit again. They arrested Fenrisúlfur and brought me to a hospital where I was nursed back to health and later found out that Fenrisúlfur was sentenced to a lifetime in prison. My roommate, a nice Mexican woman named Maricela who had just had a baby herself made me feel jealous, for the nurses had told me the day before that I had had a miscarriage, that I would not be having my baby, my only anticipation and only happiness. I still didn't know what to do about my financial state, and the nurses said that I could leave the hospital in a few days. I hated the thought of going back to my small, vermin-ridden shack; I didn't want to leave. Maricela and I would have conversations with each other during our time at the hospital. Even though she couldn't understand my Icelandic and I couldn't understand English, we could still communicate using hand signals. Maricela told me about a garden on Gibb Street where people could plant beautiful things to eat without spending a dime. It sounded amazing. *

There I was, in the Gibb Street Garden holding a handful of broccoli

seeds. When I was little, my mother and I would plant broccoli in Iceland; I felt like I had some sort of connection to the plant. My neighbors were all around me, digging, planting, watering, or facilitating their plants. I felt good while I was planting my broccoli seeds. I felt like I was a little girl again back in Iceland, planting with my mother. That was before this nightmare started. Before I married FenrisĂşlfur. Before I had any thoughts of a baby. Before I had to leave my beloved country and move into a hut in the woods. I wanted my baby back. I wanted Iceland back. I wanted my old life back. The next few weeks, however took a turn for the better. I found a friend in an African-American woman named Leona. She introduced me to the rest of the people in the garden and soon I felt like I knew and was connected to my neighbors. I told Leona my story, how my husband almost killed me, how my baby wasn't coming, how I didn't have any money. Leona felt sympathy for me, and soon I was living with her. She was quite happy to take me in, she said that her husband left her, and her son had gone off to college. Every morning I would come down to the garden to check on my broccoli. Once I saw a little girl crying in front of some brown, shriveld broccoli plants. Over the next few days I helped her bring her broccoli back. After her broccoli was lush again, we shared lunch and ate our broccoli. We didn't speak to each other, as I spoke Icelandic and she, English, but I could see in her eyes that she was grateful. A man named Wendell, who was an expert farmer, taught me better ways to take care of my magnificent plants. I felt attached to my broccoli. As for BjĂśrg, he became friends with Leona's dog, Anyim. I figured that I was happier then than I had been in a long time.

Maybe I can't bring things back to the way they were.

Maybe I

can't get my own house, but Leona and I are quite happy together. Maybe I can't make FenrisĂşlfur good, but I have all the company I need. Maybe I can't have a baby, but my beautiful plants are the next best thing. Maybe I'm starting to wake up from the nightmare.

Asa By David J. I always loved gardening. I even liked it when we still lived in Sweden. I used to garden with my grandma when I was a little girl. She taught me how to grow carrots, potatoes, and sweet beets. Every spring we would plant, every summer we would tend, and every autumn we would harvest. Then, at every Saint Lucia's Day, we would cook a big dinner with all of our vegetables and Swedish meatballs with gravy on the side. That is a typical Swedish meal. So, when we moved for my dad's engineering job this winter, that is exactly what I started to do. It was my third month of school in America, but I still did not have any friends yet. We had moved into a house right down the street from a community garden, and our next door neighbor Sam, went to the garden almost every day. One day, after school, I went to check it out. When I got there, there were only a few people. One of them looked about ten years old, so I headed over towards her. I said, "Hi, I am Asa." She responded by saying,"Hi, I'm Kim. I have never seen you around here before. Are you new?" We had a big conversation about what we were both interested in planting this season. I told her about all of the things I wanted to plant, and she told me she was growing lima beans. I did not know what lima beans were, so I asked her. She just laughed. Then I said, "Okay then, I guess I will see you tomorrow." "Okay, bye," said Kim. The next day, I went to the garden again very early on Saturday, except this time I had seed packets and a small spade. Kim was there again, so I went over to make a plot next to hers. I started planting my

vegetables. While I was planting my vegetables, I looked over at Kim and asked her if she wanted me to teach her how to grow my vegetables. We ended up making an agreement that we would teach each other how to grow our own plants. So I learned how to grow lima beans! To grow lima beans, you just plant them in the ground, dig a trench around them for water, and stick a rod in the center for the lima beans to grow on. Then I taught her how to plant all of my vegetables. I also taught her all of the tricks I learned from my grandma. One of them was to put wood ashes over the carrot beds to make them taste sweeter. Our plants started appearing very soon. Occasionally, an old man with a big straw hat would come over and try to talk to us, but the language he spoke did not sound familiar. I think he was trying to tell us something about our plants, but he stopped coming over after a while. School ended, and summer went by in a flash. Autumn came, and before I knew I knew it, it was time to harvest. Kim had already picked all of her beans, so she helped me dig up all of my vegetables, and put them in a big red wagon to take back to my house for Saint Lucia's Day. They tasted great at the dinner!

Beached By Matt O. "Ugh, I can't believe I have to do this right now," I thought to myself as Evan and I were struggling to carry our back-breaking canoe down the steep dock. When we set the canoe down and Mrs. Gregson and Ashley finally took it from us, we walked up the dock feeling like new men. Lucky for us, after we sauntered up the dock, we had to help Zach and Phil carry their canoe down the dock. I groaned loudly, but at least since we had four people helping it wasn't too heavy. After we trudged up the dock for a second time, we were treated with some G.O.R.P. G.O.R.P stands for good old raisins and pretzels, but those aren't the only ingredients in G.O.R.P. G.O.R.P is filled with raisins and pretzels, but it is also filled with cheerios and chocolate chips. I ate my G.O.R.P as slowly as possible to try to fill my hungry stomach, but before I could finish our instructor Ashley announced that we were going canoeing right now. I shoved the rest of my G.O.R.P in my mouth and bolted down the dock. My adventure was about to begin. We were at Camp Chewonki in Wiscasset, Maine. I had been longing to go canoeing for the whole week. "When you are getting in your canoe you must have three points on the canoe at all times," Ashley directed. I assumed that meant that we had to have at least three arms or legs on the canoe, but I wasn't too sure. I went on a field trip in fourth grade to the Nashua River and we went canoeing. I was really good at it, so I figured I should do fine this time, too. Lucky for me when I entered the canoe I heard my teacher Mrs. Gregson say, "Nice job, Matt." I was watching Evan enter from up front

and he entered the canoe perfectly. He was in the back steering the canoe, so I knew he had done this before. We started paddling and we were off. Right when we started you could already tell who had been canoeing before and who hadn't. Evan and I were way ahead of everyone else along with Ashley and Phil. I looked down into the murky water and dug my paddle into the squishy ground. A small cloud of brown sand appeared under the water to my right. For the most part, our group wasn't too bad, but a few kids were completely clueless. I felt kind of bad because their experience would not have been as enjoyable as everyone else's. Ashley told Evan and I to wait for everyone to catch up. Ashley explained that this area is called a salt marsh. I looked around and was pretty flabbergasted. To my right was an area of thick mud inhabited by sandpipers waddling around searching for little bugs to consume. To my left I saw sandy dunes covered with tall burnt-green grass.There was a rock in the middle of the water covered with cormorants spreading out their wings to be dried by the sun. Despite the nasty smell, I thought I could probably live in this place! When the rest of the kids caught up with us, we canoed a little further up the salt marsh. I looked up at the sky and saw a sea of the delicate light blue color that fills the sky every day. I also saw the fluffy, white marshmallow-like clouds and a soaring osprey. I wished that I could fly and look down on the Earth like a bird, but right after I pondered, we started to head back. Since on the way out Mrs. Gregson, Andrew and Zach had to stay in the back, they came up to the front and Ashley and Phil acted as the caboose. Suddenly, the wind started up and everything started to go downhill.

Don't ask me how Mrs. Gregson and her group made it to the dock. Evan and I were really tired. Our arms were hurting so badly that we felt like they were going to fall off, and we really just wanted to end this excursion. The wind kept pushing us toward the mud, and before we could say "Chewonki," we were beached. It was an epic battle of kids versus wind. Evan and I were trying to push off the sticky ground, but the wind was too strong, shoving us farther on to the beach. Then we fought back. We pushed off the mud using all of our strength, and finally defeated the powerful breeze. We paddled to the middle of the salt marsh and the wind started up again. Our canoe was twirled around and around in circles, but at the same time we were being pushed towards the dock, which was much closer than we had expected it to be. "Ugh," Evan complained. I could tell he wasn't happy about the wind at all. I heard his stomach growl a few times and it roared as loud as a thunderstorm. I was pretty hungry too, and was hoping we would be allowed to devour some G.O.R.P. when we ended our canoeing voyage. We paddled hard and finally reached the dock. Zach was assisting Evan and I out of of the canoe. We took our life jackets off and felt like we had lost about forty pounds. When the rest of the group got out of their canoes, we had to carry the canoes back up the dock. We still weren't too happy about doing this again, but some of us were relieved that our canoeing experience was finally over. I glanced back at the gorgeous salt marsh and wished I could do it all over again.

John By Myles W. Dear Diary, Father has decided to make me the next emperor. After hearing Anna's plans to kill me, he realized how mean a creature she really is. I will send her out the second I become emperor. Everyone believed that that bird really bit me. HA! And now that Constantine is dead, the only person between my father and me. Now the Comnenas will regain complete control of the empire. With mother and Maria as my servants, and Anna dead, Grandmother will advise me in the arts of leadership and Byzantium will be the most powerful empire. That stupid old man Simon will be gone as well. The Ducas family will no longer share the rule of Byzantium, and Father will realize how foolish he has been to believe me. I have gained his trust and he will believe whatever I say. We will have the strongest army in the world. I will never have to study again, no more history, reading, and writing. I will be the fiercest warrior and I will be known as John the Great, while Anna struggles for survival moving from place to place, and eating once a week. I can't wait!

Veronica By George-Henry W. I love tea, especially peppermint tea. For as long as I can remember I've had a cup of it every morning with my mom. Then she would have to go help Mr. Myles and watch and tend to their flowers in the garden. One day as we drank our tea she said that we were going to visit England. My mom was excited because she grew up in London. I couldn't wait because London is full of wonderful tasting tea! The day before we left for London, I got really sick with strep throat. My mom couldn't cancel the tickets. She was heartbroken. So I said that I would be ok if I stayed with Uncle Hooker. We called him, and he said that I could stay with him for two weeks till he went off on business. Our trip was supposed to end in one and a half weeks. I spent the rest of the day with my mom doing our favorite things together and talking about the trip. The next day when mom had to go, my uncle Hooker came to drive me and my mom to the airport. We went as far as security let us, all the way to the gate. We said our goodbyes and I told her to bring back lots of peppermint tea. She got on the plane and waved when they were taxiing onto the runway. We stayed to watch the plane disappear into the distance. By then it was nine o'clock and my mom said that I needed rest, so we went straight home after that. The next day I felt better so I went to the garden that was two blocks down the street. I found it very peaceful so I stayed for the rest of the day. One of the older people told me that maybe I should plant something like potatoes. That was the first time I thought about planting peppermint to make tea.

When I got home my uncle was still at work so I

made myself a cup of tea and went upstairs to watch videos of dancing

chipmunks. After I watched one I went back downstairs to get a chocolate chip cookie when my uncle came home. He said that I should have some of my icky purple medicine like my mom had said to him before she left. Right then the phone rang. I ran to the phone, it was who I hoped it would be, Mom. "Hi, Mom." "Hi honey, how are you feeling?" "I'm feeling great. How was your flight?" "It was ok, but the air plane food was dry. Sorry, I have to go now because it costs two dollars for a minute on an international call." "Ok. Bye mom." That was the last time I ever talked to my mom. That's because my mom's cellphone broke the day after my mom called. The last thing I knew about my mom was that Delta Airlines lost contact with flight 391 on route to Cleveland, Ohio at six forty-three, in sector 6 of Lake Erie, sixteen miles from the airport. Her plane was never found. After that I lived with my uncle. The day after she died, Uncle Hooker and I went to Mr. Myles's apartment and told him the news. That was the first time I ever saw a grown man cry. After we visited, we went down to the airport and asked them if they had found anything and if they did to notify us. Then we went home to prepare for a memorial service. The next few days went without surprises. On Wednesday I got a call from Mr. Myles' new helper asking if I could come over tomorrow. I said I would try to, but if we had something to do with the funeral then it would have to wait. The next day my uncle had to go into work so I could do whatever I wanted to do. So I decided to go over to see what Mr. Myles wanted to do. When I got there, there was a note on the door that

said "Veronica, please meet us at the garden." At the garden I found all the gardeners watching as Mr. Myles laid a engraved stone with my mom's name and date of death. After the ceremony everybody gave me a hug, some money, or a vegetable from their garden. I invited everybody there to my mom's funeral. My uncle got me a guidance counselor. Monday at ten o'clock.

My first session was on

She asked me questions like "what have you

been dreaming about?" or "where do you find it most peaceful?" After the session was over the lady talked to my uncle for a long time. When they finally came out my uncle asked me if I wanted to grow peppermint in the garden. I said that I'd like to because then I could make homemade peppermint tea. We went straight over to Walmart to buy a shovel, watering can, and seeds. When we were looking at the seeds my uncle thought that I could grow more than one herb so that I could make more than one kind of tea. I agreed with him so I bought peppermint, chives, and parsley. We drove home and filled our watering can before going to the garden. When we got there we found a spot in full sun, and right next to Mr. Myles barrel. When my uncle went to get the seeds I started to turn over the soil. In the soil I found a lot of shards of glass and plastic, but once I dug down a few inches the soil became dark and moist. By the time my uncle got back I had turned a six foot square, the perfect size for my herb garden. My uncle and I planted two rows of each herb spaced about one foot apart. When we finished planting I covered each seed carefully and lightly packed down the soil. I put a circular trench around the seeds so the water would soak in gradually. When I was finished my uncle watered the seeds. Every day I would go and water them. Whenever a weed came

up I would pull it up. Then after one month the first plant came up. Then over the next week all my seeds started to peek out of their burrows. After that they slowly grew till I could start to harvest the peppermint. At first I just put the leaves straight into the water, but the only problem was that then I would have to pick the leaves out with a spoon and the flavor was not very strong. Then my uncle bought this mesh tea bag that I could put stuff into to brew. My uncle also said to chop up the pieces so the juice would come out. I also tried all my other herbs alone, but they didn't taste very good. One day when I was making tea after I came home from the garden, my uncle suggested I try all of my herbs together. I decided to try it and it tasted amazing. It was so good I can't even begin to explain it. My uncle said that if it was that good that it needed a proper name. I decided to call it Nora's Blend. Now I'm twenty-four and living in my own house two blocks away from the garden. The garden has grown a lot since my mom first entered the place. Now half the buildings have been knocked down to make room for more people to garden. The government installed water pumps every fifty feet. Mr. Myles's and my mom's barrels are still there in her honor. Every year everybody gets together and chooses which kind of flowers to plant. Then the oldest member of the garden (Sam) who knew my mom helps me plant them. The garden was named the Nora F. Bruner Community Garden. I still have that small plot there for some reason, maybe to symbolize my mom or to remind me of Nora's Blend. That first idea has grown a lot since it was first planted. Now it is Bruner Blends, the largest and most successful tea company in North America. Our most popular tea has always been Nora's Blend. Today I'm at the garden to lay another stone next to my mom's. For Mr. Myles had his last stroke.

Carsten By Anna G. I was in between dreams when my dad came. "Get up, Son," my dad Curtis said. I sort of ignored him, trying to act like I really didn't hear him, so maybe he'd leave me alone. Nope. "I just went to the garden. Raccoons got to a few of your stalks, Son," he said casually. That got me to sit up like he had just doused cold water on me. "Wh-at!" I almost screamed, but stifled it to a whisper because of Royce still sleeping right above me on the bunkbed. "I'm sorry, Son, they came at night when no one was there," he whispered gently and left humming "Good Vibrations". I slid out of bed and got on a basketball tee and jeans. I opened my dresser, picked up my wallet and put it in my pocket. I went to the kitchen and grabbed a banana, a gallon of fertilizer, a watering can and I was out the door. Once I got to the garden I said hi to everybody and ran in between rows to my corn. I swore under my breath seeing the damage the raccoons had done. I went to the the trash cans that held water and poured some of the fertilizer in each. When Gonzalo's great uncle came up he was able to spit out a few words of English. "Follow me," he saidhe had been learning to speak English. He moved through the rows till he got to my row and murmured, "Put a mutt down here and no raccoons will come. If you don't, they will tear down every stalk till there's no more. They're like a thief, goes where the jewels are." I looked at him and slowly nodded. I walked over to Virgil and said, "I'm going to the pound, want to come?"

"Yeah sure, we can take my bike!" Virgil passed me a helmet which I just snapped on. Then we were off, crusing down Charles and left on Iron. I saw a little girl on the street holding her mother's hand. My eyes started to blur thinking about my sister Ally still at the orphanage. I quickly rubbed my eyes, hoping Virgil wouldn't notice. He turned the corner and she was gone. He slowed down and pulled into the parking lot. When we were getting off he said, "What are you doing here anyway?" "I'm here to pick up a mutt, that's all." "Oh, alright." I knew we were in a city, but the amount of dogs in the pound was alarming. As I walked through, the dogs howled; they were like prisoners behind bars except they did nothing wrong. It's what we do to them. There was a black and gray dog with dark eyes that caught my eye. But looking towards the back of the enclosure there was a small red, black, and white dog with soft blue eyes. The dog didn't bark, but his or her blue eyes watched my every move. I asked the man showing me the dogs, "What about that one?" "Oh yeah, found on the street about a month ago. He's about two years old and real quiet." "Must be a mix of a Collie and a Australian Shepherd," Virgil said quietly. "I'll take him. What's his name?" "Camo. I'll bring him round front. Wait for me there." We walked back through the narrow alley and into the small brick building. Finally a man came out leading Camo. He put the leash on a hook so the dog would stay, then walked to the counter and pulled out a sheet and said, "I need you to fill this out." He passed me a pen and the sheet and walked back

behind the door. I filled out the sheet which was just a few basic questions of how I was going to take care of the dog. We waited a few minutes till the man came out he took back the pen and paper. I opened my wallet and gave the man my donation, which was twenty dollars. "Thanks," he said. "Welcome." I got Camo's leash and we left the building. "Get on. Put Camo in the side car." "K." I picked up Camo and strapped him into the little car connected to the motorbike. "We'll have to go by a pet store." "Alright." Camo let his tongue hang out down Main Street, clearly enjoying the ride. When we got to the pet store I brought Camo in with me while Virgil waited outside. Inside, a man behind a cash register dealt with a few custumers. I moved toward the back where the dog food was and grabbed a small bag. Then I went to an aisle with collars and so on and decided on a brown leather leash and matching collar. I was walking toward the cash register when I saw a machine that made dog tags and trotted to it. I liked the feeling of owning a pet, so I might as well put a tag on the little guy. The tag was silver and the shape of a bone with the words CAMO 603-233-5683 on it. I went to the cash register and placed the leash and collar down. "How much?" I asked impatiently. "Let me ring it up, kid." As he did, Camo barked and began to tug on the leash toward a dog that had just come in the store. "Shhh," I strained to say. I pulled back on the leash, lightly snatching his muzzle so he was looking straight at me. "No," and that was the end of it. The dog

seemed to know the limits already. Limits I didn't even know myself. "$11.23." I handed him the money and left. Virgil was sitting on his bike. "What did you get?" "Leash, collar, and tag for it." I attached the tag to the collar, snapped the collar around his neck and put the leash on. "How does he look?" I asked. "Real fine." "Good." We hopped on the bike and drove back to the garden. As I got Camo out of the side car Royce came beside me. "What did you get?" "Got a dog to protect my corn at night." "What is his name?" "Camo" "Nice name, and he looks good in that leather rig you have on him." I laughed. "Rig? Who are you, a fisherman?" "Whatever, our mom is looking for you." "Okay, thanks." I went through the garden getting various questions from the children and women. I stopped at my mom's pea row. While she was tending to them, Camo nugged up against her, and she squeaked, frightened by Camo. "Carsten, who's your friend here?" "Camo." I went through all the questions again that by the end of the the day I was sure to have answered to about a billion people. "Where's Maricela?" I asked urgently. "By her plants with Ben."

"Thanks, bye! Come on boy." He yelped in excitement as we ran to the back of the garden. There I saw her, the girl who was the only one able to convince me to go in the garden in the first place. "Hi umm uh. How's Ben?" "Good." "Good." "How's Camo?" Flustered by the question, I asked, "How do you know his name?" She winked at me."News travel fast in the garden." It was true, when Royce broke his ankle down the street ten minutes later I was by his side. I smiled at her. "Carsty! Wow, doggy!" Ben screeched. "You rascal," I giggled. "His name is Camo," Maricela said. I let Camo off the leash and he bounded forward toward Ben, but slid past. We played and talked through the rest of the afternoon, till I noticed how hungry I was. All day I had just had a banana! "I got to go, bye." "Why?" "I just have to go." I posted Camo at my corn with a bowl of food and ran back to my house and shot up into the kitchen. When I was ready to go to bed and Royce and I had finished our conversation, I started to laugh at the events that had occurred that day. I thought them over slowly, but stopped, remembering all the dogs I saw in just one pound. "How could there be so many?" I asked myself silently. I have to do something about it. An idea sprouted in my head and grew just like my corn. Till I drifted asleep.

I woke the next day to Royce shaking me. "What?" I moaned. "Let's go to the garden!" "What time is it?" "Eight" "Fine. I'm getting up. Now get out!" I took a shower and changed. Royce was waiting for me outside. "Hi, grumpy head." "Back off," I growled, confused and frustrated by the dogs. Royce recoiled by the remark. "Oh uh, sorry man. I'm just wondering what to do about all those dogs in the pound. There's too many." "It's okay." A silence fell over us till Royce said, "We could get some dogs and let them live freely around the garden!" "Yes, that's true, but what about during the winter, and what if they run away?" "We could have people volunteer to take care of them and umm, and we could get donations to buy electric collars for the dogs!" "Wow! That's smart!" Once we got to garden, I announced my plan to everyone. I got back all yes, which made me very happy. That day I collected donations, went to the pound, and got ten dogs, making the man behind the counter very happy. I bought 200 pounds of dog food and electric collars for each dog. I layed down the electric fence with many helping hands. Once everything was set, I had many children at my feet asking questions about the dogs. All I said was, "Camo's the one behind it, I'm just a mask."

Fiona By Derek F. My ancestors suffered in the Great Potato Famine of Ireland in the 1800's, so I have a special passion for potatoes. When my best friend Jo (Joanne) said that her dad wanted her to grow these stinkin' green thingies (which had a suspicious similarity to peppers) in this stinkin', "community garden," I asked Jo if we could mark out a plot and grow peppers and potatoes together. I would sell the potatoes to restaurants for $1.00 a potato. By the sheer number of potato eyes I had, I would be rich in no time. After school, we went to this "garden." But when I saw it, it happened to look more like a town dump than a garden. There were people old and young. A woman was helping a man in a wheelchair plant some flowers. We also met this guy named Curtis. He was growing tomatoes. "Hey Curtis, are these things peppers?" "Yes," was his reply. We saw a little girl and her friend trying to plant money. I went down the street to Zea's Garden. It was a garden store. I found the owner Zea in the back room. Jo and I bought a hoe and a trowel. "That will be $2.00 for the trowel and $5.00 for the hoe." "Thanks Zea." " You're welcome, Fiona." 2 Months later... My potatoes were finally ready to harvest. I got an old laundry basket and dragged it down to the garden. I harvested about 250 potatoes! When I got home, I called a restaurant and sold all the potatoes!

I have already planted two more crops. Jo and I run the business. Soon I will be the richest kid in Cleveland!

Chewonki Story By Phil A. We sauntered a long and dreary distance. The air was cool. The only thing I could make out was everybody's feet crushing the twigs and leaves and the mumble of chatter. After a while our feet and legs were sore ( well, some of us) and we wanted to take a seat and loosen our limbs . We did, but then we had to stand up again and pay attentoin to what our instuctor was talking about. I volunteered first, so Ashley (our instuctor) showed us some of the equipment that we were going to be using, like the carabiners, chest harnesses, leg harnesses, helmet, Saint Bernard, and gloves. The activity we were doing was "The Gulch." It's a thirty foot drop to the bottom of an almost never-ending hole to hell. On my left was the path to go to the other side of the gulch, and on my right was a view of the lake and other parts of Chewonki. Looking down, I could see lake water, but a light brown mucky dirt color. The position I was in when I crossed is like laying on a bed looking at the ceiling, and when I looked across, I could see the other side of "The Gulch," which looked almost like a view from the bottom of a Grammy award statue but covered with layers of dirt, leaves and twigs. There were a lot of green mossy rocks and boulders and I could see my advisor, Mrs. Gregson, standing on the forest floor waiting for us to cross. Well, I'm kind of a Dare Devil because once when I was little I tried sliding down the stairs in a box over a piece of meat loaf and next thing I know, my sight is foggy and my mom is driving l00 mph to the hospital yelling, "Wake up! Wake up!" to me. Then we got to the hospital and I ended up getting seven stitches. So I'm the one who would obviously choose to go first and I wasn't

really scared at all. I just went with it and went zipping across a very big, big, big, drop to the bottom. I just went across, stopped in the middle, took a pose where I let go of the cable and dropped my arms to hang there, and then I pulled myself across to the other side. Then I held on to a rope called the "Saint Bernard". It's attached to the metal cable I went across on, and my job was to hold it when other people went crossing and also hold on to while equipment was coming back and forth to each side of the gulch. After a couple of turns holding the Bernard I worked on my Chewonki Journal. It was kind of boring in a way, but didn't take very long. I had a little help from my friend Evan who gave me some ideas and then I wrote them down. After that, when everybody came across ,we all gave Mrs.Gregson our Chewonki journals and started walking back to camp.

Emma By Ryan Q. It's been almost a year since we moved to America. And I still strongly dislike it. I would have used H-A-T-E if my mommy didn't say it was a harsh word. Everyone in Australia is so much NICER than in Cleveland. The worst part is Pre-school. That's where I am right now, though I would rather be just about anywhere else. I only have one friend, Nissa. She's the only one as smart as me in the whole school. Everybody thinks I'm weird because I say words like "billabong". Nissa and I have a playdate right after school where we're gonna get some tucker and go to the "community garden." The bell rings, and I'm out in the blink of an eye. We ate Mcionies (McDonald's) and went to the garden. Right when I walked in, it became my favorite place in Cleveland. The smells were really nice, and everywhere you looked there was some kind of really happy color. There were conversations going on all around me, and everyone was so pleasant. We walked over to Nissa's and her mom's patch, where they were growing a really small little apple tree. It was kinda cute. Nissa's mom told us to go and play while she did whatever you do to maintain an apple tree. I decided that I had to get a patch here with my mommy. Nissa asked me something then. "Hey Emma, if you were to get a patch here, what would you plant?" "I don't really know." Nissa introduced me to quite a few of the people that were really nice, and we had some conversations. I made friends with a nice girl named Kim. Whoever was sad I would try to cheer them up as well as I could. For example, a man was kind of despairing about his stinky lettuce.

I told him he would have a better crop next year and helped him load his lettuce into his taxi really fast. There was a friendly woman named Leona. "Yup. I'm the one who got all the trash out of here." When I looked around,it was hard to believe this had once been a dump. Then Nissa's mom took me home, and I told Mommy everything. "Mommy, can we go, please?" She said, "Honey,face it! We hardly know anybody! What if bad people go there?" "Pretty please with a cherry on top?" "Oh fine. We'll go this Saturday." "YIPPEEEE!" I ran up to the phone to call Nissa and tell her the good news. The rest of the week went as slowly as my old pet platypus did, but eventually Saturday came. My mom and I headed to the garden and claimed a spot. She immediately planted spinach, and inside I wanted to throw up. Spinach goes horribly with prawns, which we have at least twice a week. I took out my allowance and dug a small hole. I put the dollar bill in the ground and re-buried it. Hopefully, it would grow into a beautiful money tree. I would use the money to buy a new pet platypus. I could tell my mommy was giving me awkward glances, but I didn't care. As I was leaving, I saw the old Guatemalan man put something near my patch. I didn't worry though. He was nice. I'm surprised nobody else had thought of this before. We started going across the street every day to care for our plants, and Nissa and I had playdates there often. Eventually a little sprout came up where I had planted my allowance. It was getting closer to winter now,and I was kind of sad because it had never come up full force.

ONE YEAR LATER I went back late next spring to find my spot. There was a tiny tree sapling there that I hadn't noticed before. It was a pine tree-looking thing. I went to get a closer look, and it had a ten dollar bill on it. Then I realized,this was MY tree! I was so happy. I plucked the bill off and later that day, my mom took me to the pet store to buy a new mouse. I named him Stevey, and he and I went on many fabulous adventures together.

Anna Comnena by Derek B. I can't believe that little brat! He couldn't have been studying, he can't even read! He never would even stay in the classroom for a few minutes, never mind learn anything! He was spying on me, I just know it. He is so annoying! My grandmother probably taught him to do that. He is so easy to control. She just wants to rule the empire. She wants to have all the control and she is doing it through him! John is going to be a bad ruler to have. He is selfish and will make sure he gets what he wants. Grandmother will have all of the power eventually because my father sees no wrong in her. He trusts her too much. That monkey is just a puppet. A pawn in her game. He is so young that he doesn't understand what she is doing to him. I wish he could understand. He doesnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t and is now the heir to the throne and now he is doomed. Once she is done with him Grandmother will probably seize the throne. She tried the same on me, but I found what she was doing. Now she is trying on a much younger subject that is like clay that she shapes and molds to her liking. I can't believe this! I lost my chance to sit on the throne. I will probably never get the chance to again. I might as well give up. What will John do when he has the throne? What will he do to me now that he knows I tried to kill him and want to kill him still?

Canoeing and Swimming Experience By Delaney F. Splash! Kaboom! I fall into the water and I am mangled and twisted by roots and water plants. I hear people yelling above me and I shoot out of the water to the call of my aghast classmates. I suddenly feel myself getting yanked underwater and for a second I think some creature is pulling me to my death at the bottom of the ocean, but I had only been sucked underwater because I was trying to untangle my leg from gnarly water roots and plants. Then, I finally make it to the top of the water for the last time. I land in my own canoe right behind Casey Voyer, my bewildered friend, who screams in agony as she falls into the water........... HOLD ON! This is the wrong interpretation of my Chewonki experience. Who wrote this piece of writing? This is the wrong way to write about my Chewonki experience! So please erase all this nonsense from your mind and focus on the real story. So here we go, the true story of my Chewonki experience:.......... I am standing on the dock at Chewonki, half listening to my Chewonki instructor, Chad, explaining the different hand positions I should use while operating a canoe. My classmates and I are gazing out at the water slide, the floating dock, and the beautiful water with diamonds reflecting in our eyes. I am shocked about how beautiful everything is up on the coast of Maine. I hear Chad raise his voice explaining that we would be heading down to the dock very soon so I snap out of my daydream as fast as you can say "jackrabbit," and pop back into the real world. Chad finishes up his demonstration and asks us to pair up with someone because a canoe requires two people. I pair up with my friend Casey Voyer, and we saunter down to the platform, where the canoes are tied

up. I get in the back because Casey had never been in, or maneuvered a canoe. Chad is in a canoe with my other friend Anna Titcomb and she yells out, "Let's go everybody!" Casey hops in the front of the canoe and grasps her paddle with slippery hands. I quickly go over the motions of the canoe paddle once more so both Casey and I would know how to work together and then announce it is about time to head out on the beautiful coastal Maine waters to enjoy our time canoeing. I use all my strength to swing the bow of the canoe out into the sunlight and blink in astonishment at the sights I see. I see outlines of birds that I can't quite distinguish that are reflected in the clear blue water, and water rushing. I see bushes and trees swaying in the fragrant and light breeze with their heads held high. Casey and I finally make it out into the bay where the rest of the canoes are waiting. Our advising group consists of eight people with one advisor and one counselor. Ms. Caldwell is in a canoe with Ryan Quinlan, Chad our Chewonki instructor is in a canoe with Anna Titcomb, Myles Wilcox is in a canoe with Andrew Ewald, Mac Galinson is in a canoe with David Janoschek, and Casey Voyer and I are in a canoe together. There are many collisions on our canoe trip when the canoes get blown into outcrops and crevices. There is much yelling and bellowing from my fellow classmates as their canoes are sharply blown into long grass that repeatedly flicks water at them. "This is so annoying!" yells out Mac. I turn around in my canoe and yell, "I agree with you, Mac." When a canoe blows away, it is a hassle to bring it back to its course. Unfortunately, that's what happens to Myles and Andrew as they are fighting the current. Ms. Caldwell, Ryan, Chad and Anna are the heroic rescue team as Myles and Andrew sit patiently waiting for help to come. Chad has Mac, David, Casey and me wait in a

rocky outcrop hanging onto seaweed as he goes to help Ms. Caldwell and Ryan get Myles and Andrew. Soon we see a train consisting of three canoes slowly rising and flowing along the horizon. When they make it close enough to Mac, David, Casey and me, Myles and Andrew start explaining their experience of how they lost control of their canoe. Andrew said, "It was so hard because I was in the back of the canoe." "I was trying to maneuver the canoe but it kept fighting against me," Myles said. We ask them if they are okay and they give us satisfied nods of their heads. Chad asks our advising group if we would like to see the the "Gulch", a large gorge with a steel cable running the entire way across on which someone scooches across, and we all reply yes. Chad rapidly swings his canoe in the other direction and we glide toward the "Gulch". On our way over to the "Gulch", we pass through more tall water grasses, and we are soaked by long thin tentacles of green matter flicking water droplets on us repeatedly. Instead of going into the crevice of the "Gulch", we passed it. I am amazed at the height of the long thin gorge. Chad then announces that it is about time to head back to the dock, but even though I am disappointed, we have other plans on our agenda.............. swimming in the freezing, bone numbing Maine coastal waters! On our way back, we make it swiftly to shore where everybody pitches in to help move canoes and luggage. Then the most awesome thing happens. Chad tells us that we will have twenty minutes to go swimming. Everybody strips off their clothing and races down to the dock except Myles, who explains that he will watch us go swimming instead of freezing. Chad grabs a life float and waits on the dock in case anybody has a

problem. Then, he splashes water on a water slide that is nearby. Ryan Quinlan climbs to the top of the water slide and slips to the icy depths below. He shoots out of the water like a rocket and with gasping breaths explains that the water is very cold. Then the horrid time for my friend Anna came. Anna sure was brave and I have to give her lots of credit! Then Mac gets up the courage to fly into the freezing water. David goes in. Finally, it was my turn. I sat at the top of the water slide contemplating whether or not to go in. I finally gave myself a little push and next thing I knew I was fumbling around underwater trying to make my way to the surface as fast as I could. Last but not least, Casey and Andrew plunged in. We all stumbled on the ladder scattered with algae and stood shivering and pitching to and fro because of the cold. Anna came over and annouced that she was not going in again. But for me, that was a different story. I flew off the water slide at least four more times. Than Andrew, Casey, Mac, Ryan, and David swam to the dock further out in the water and scrambled up on it. Then, Casey noticed that I hadn't swum out with the group. She started up a chant and I began hemming and hawing on whether to go out to the dock. Finally, I got my courage up one last time and pushed my body to make my way out to the dock. Everybody cheered as Casey helped me up on the dock. We played around on the dock for about five minutes and then Chad called out that it was time to change and go back to our campsite for dinner. Everybody swam back to the first dock and slowly climbed up the algae covered ladder. Everybody let out a cheer at the great day that we had. It was a great experience!

Chewonki Experience By Megan C. Twenty feet high on one small board, my mind darting back and forth with the fear of falling............ I was at Camp Chewonki and was with my camp group; there were about eleven of us. We were all heading down to the barn, but this wasn't just any barn, it was a barn filled with rope climbs, plank walks, rock walls and much more! We were all very excited, talking loudly and running; the sooner we got there the more climbs we could do! When we did get there we saw a huge barn with eleven climbs in it. They were amazing! They were scattered throughout the barn just waiting for us to climb them! I had a sudden outburst and raced to a climb. To my dismay I heard that our camp counselor, Ashley, had to give a safety talk to us first. I almost screamed! I had been so excited but now my sudden hopes were gone in the blink of an eye! I shuffled my feet over to the chairs set up for us where she would give us her talk. I plopped down and slumped in my chair. Ashley began to talk to us about all the different equipment we had to wear; there was a lot! There was a chest harness, lower harness, helmet, carabiners, lobster claws, and a nose knot. Finally her talk was done and we were free to go! I rushed to my feet and ran over to my two partners, Greer and Andrew. We all had to take turns climbing, only one of us could go at a time, so I went first and chose three climbs, "The Wobbly Beam", "Window Washers" and lastly " The Cormorant's Walk." I completed the wobbly beam in a flash, but the next climb was much more challenging. Window washers was a hard climb which involved walking in midair on ĂŠtriers. After completing it, my legs were shaking so much I could hardly

stand up! I was about to head up to the Cormorant's Walk when I heard Ashley say we could do these climbs blindfolded! I quickly made a beeline towards her, snatched the blindfold up and began to head up. Since the Cormorant's Walk was the highest climb in the barn, I had to climb up some stairs to the loft. The Cormorant's Walk was basically a large plank crossing in midair from one side of the barn to the other- plus the plank got skinnier and skinnier the farther I got away from my starting point. I had never done anything like this before! I got up on the loft and could see the eyes of my classmates twenty-seven feet below me staring up. Everyone looked like little bugs! I was beginning to rethink this idea! I was getting very scared! Eventually the cheering and encouragement pushed me onwards! I hooked myself onto a rope by clipping my carabiner into its carabiner. This would help because if I fell it would catch me. After doing that I grasped a rope for me to hold on to for support, then I took the now-dreaded blindfold and tied it around my head. The barn was silent except for the faint whispers of "wow!" and "gee....how does she do it!?" Well, "now or never", I told myself! I stumbled around and slowly placed my foot on the plank then took a few small nervous baby steps- one wrong move and I'd fall! I clutched the rope, my hands dripping with sweat! I blindly fumbled around with my feet. "You can do it!" I told myself! With my "veil of blackness" I kept going, my legs shaking so much I was afraid I would fall. In fact, I almost did! One of my feet blindly stepped into midair, though I quickly caught myself! Yikes! I heard a gasp from below me; my classmates had seen me almost fall. A sudden shout of encouragement from my partners pushed me onwards

though! I kept stumbling around when all of a sudden I heard someone shout, "Look, she's on the smallest plank!" I froze. Wait a second.... This plank was the smallest one! Oh great! It was only the width of my shoe- This was the most terrifying part of the climb, the biggest test of courage! "Okay! Get ahold of yourself, Megan," I thought. I shuffled my feet forward so I wouldn't fall- I found this helped a lot! Finally I made it to the end! I ripped the blindfold from my face and looked back at the climb to see what I had accomplished.... I couldn't believe my eyes! Had I really made it? Wow!!! I unhooked myself from the carabiners and then leapt off the plank onto the loft! I ran down the stairs to the cheering of my classmates! They all ran over to me and I heard one of them say," Wow! you're the bravest of us all, Megan!" I skipped over to Ashley and returned the blindfold. She took it and congratulated me-then she told me that I was one of the few people who had ever done The Cormorant's Walk blindfolded before. I was frozen in shock. I was so proud of myself and still am. Yay for me!

The Window Washers of Pain By Anna.T The second I stepped on the wide, splintery post I knew this climb was going to be a challenge. There were about eight exotic neon orange foot hoops, which didn't seem so high until I got on, which I will continue later. There were very few little wooden blocks to step on to be able to climb up the post. By the time I got to the top of the beam, my right leg was shaking uncontrollably, and my arms were hugging the post. I then had to wait and stand only on my right leg until Chad gave me permission to transfer, which involves having two clips that I had to lock on to my harness. Once I got permission to climb, I clipped the foot steps onto the hoop. Once I stepped on, I thought I was going to fall backwards because I was spinning in circles and I couldn't move my foot. My foot was stuck in the loop. Luckily I had my partner Casey Voyer to hold the step for me so I wouldn't spin in circles. What a good friend! Once Casey handed me the other etrier I thought for sure I was going to die. I didn't have the strength to hold my body up, not fall down, and clip the steps to the hoops. It was a lot to think about. Even if I were to let go, I would just dangle there like a spider, since I had two harnesses, a helmet, lobster claws, etriers and I was locked on the climb. There were about eight hoops to complete. "Casey!?" I screeched. Casey sighed. "Yeah?" said Casey. Her voice sounded annoyed because I kept screaming her name when I was freaked out! "Can you hold the hoop for me? PLEASE, I'M GONNA FALL!! HURRY!" I screamed. "Alright, alright!! I'm coming!" Casey said as she started walking

over to where the Window Washers and I were. I was thinking about waffles while I was scared because my friend Andrew Macdonald had once said that if you are on a rollercoaster think of waffles, then you won't be as scared if your mind is distracted. Even though the window washers weren't really a coaster, I thought it would apply here nicely. *Waffles waffles waffles* Immediately I had to transfer the steps, which interrupted my waffles! I just thought of getting the Window Washers done for good. It's amazing that I was in so much pain, when I was only on my second step. Which means six more to. It also means I need to work out more! *Snap* There was then a bright flash. I thought I was going crazy, but it turned out to just be a picture that Mrs.Hager took. That picture was probably bad; the last thing I was thinking of is smiling and making sure I looked good. For I was in yo-yo-panico! The next few steps were quick, not that big of a deal. "Casey!!!" I said, as I was sweating like mad! "Yeah," Casey talked softly. "I'm thirsty!!!" I said, while my voice cracked. "Well, you can't drink water up there!" Casey said, then started drinking her water bottle. My throat was burning as if it were a hot summer day. I started to look around just to see where everyone else was out through the barn. The partners were Delaney Foresman and David Janochek, Mac Galinson and Ryan Quinlan, and Andrew Ewald with Myles Wilcox. I was surprised to see when I first got on the Window Washers that everyone was on different climbs by the time I looked while I was already finished, everyone had completed at least one climb. I felt slow. Ugh, just get me off of this, I thought. I hurried through the last few steps. Of course, another transfer. I was so relieved that I was practically

done with this torture. "Permission to transfer?" Casey and I said to Chad, almost at the exact same time. "One sec," Chad answered back quickly. We had to wait a few minutes, for he was watching someone else transfer... of course, more time I have to spend standing on the step, on my shaking right leg. Eventually Chad came around to us and said we could transfer. Phew! I jumped on that post faster than a blink of an eye! I skipped from woodblock to woodblock, just to get off. Once I thought I reached the ground, I was still dangling. I was so close to the ground! "What's wrong with this?!" I said while spinning and while getting a really bad wedgie. Casey pulled down the rope. I then tumbled to the ground. I got up really fast and felt like screaming with joy! My hands were knotted up trying to get those harnesses off of me. Practically throwing the harnesses to the ground and feeling like stomping on them, I went over to my water bottle and quenched my thirst which I regretted because I had to go see-faring a lot later that night. My muscles were so tight, and it didn't help by getting that last wedgie!! Casey and I looked around, thinking of the next climb to go on. I honestly didn't want to do anymore climbs after that experience. But I did. I didn't want to hurt Casey's feelings, especially since my climb had taken so long. No other climb that I did in the barn was as challenging as the Window Washers. I was happy that I actually finished the Window Washers of Pain!

Antonio By Julia H. My mom lost her job, forcing my family to live in America. My mom believed that it was easier to find jobs in America than anywhere else in the world. But I thought differently about that. My grandparents, uncles, aunts, and my cousins all lived in the same house back home. Since we moved, well, my whole family had to come, too. My beautiful home back home that I had loved starts to fade away in my memories. It is getting harder to remember family, friends, and what my old house looked like. Rome was where my whole family was born. I am the only one in my family that is not a girl. My Dad had died from cancer two years before my mom lost her job. I was just about to get a job at a spaghetti place down the street from my house and I had just gotten my license for my new car. Now my family and I are living in Cleveland, Ohio in the freezing cold weather. It's winter here now and there are no jobs to get around here. Everybody we see is in some bad mood, too. We don't know if it is us moving there and they're unhappy about it or what. The other day my family and I were going out to the store and I accidentally bumped into this little girl running out of a vacant lot crying really hard. I tried talking to her. "What's the matter?" I said. "Since it is winter the cold harsh winds have killed my lima beans that I started to grow in the spring," the little girl said sobbing. "It's OK, how would you like to help me plant some parsley in the spring?" I said. "That would be great," the little girl said. Eventually the cold months had passed, and the spring had just

started bringing the new sprouting flowers. I saw the little girl that I had talked to in the winter running from the elevator in my apartment building and out the door into the new fresh air of spring. I knew I had promised her that we would plant parsley together in the spring. So I ran after her down the street and onto Gibb Street. I saw the little girl run into the vacant lot that I saw her running out of in the winter. When I got to the lot I saw tons of people gardening. "Did everybody think of gardening at the same time as me?" I thought in my head. Then I heard someone talking to me. It was the little girl that was talking to me. I was so surprised that she had remembered that we would plant flowers together, but it was good so we could get right to work on the parsley. "Hello," I said to her. "Are we still going to plant flowers?" I said to her. "Right here in this lot," she said. "Right here?" I said, surprised. "Ya," she said. "OK, let's go find a spot that is not taken up by other people's plants." I said. We found our spot to plant the plants. It was a nice shady spot, perfect for the parsley because parsley likes shade and not as much sun as other plants. We started shoveling small holes in the ground. I put the seeds in the ground and covered the seeds back up. The little girl then watered the plants and said to put little rings around the plant so the water would drain down in the ground around the plant so they would get more water. I asked her where she had learned that from and she said that one man was watering her plants and he left a ring on the ground around the plant so she did the same with the rest of her plants. It

worked well. I was very happy to learn a new thing from the little girl. I looked around the garden and how their plants were coming along and noticed that there was not a lot of dirt on the ground and that my plants could use a little more soil around them. So, later that same afternoon I went to the store and bought four big bags of new fresh soil. It would be perfect if everybody had some more soil around their plants. When I got back from the store, people were amazed at all the new soil. They thanked me very much and I met a guy that was growing lettuce and I told him some tips about watering and gardening. I also was admiring someone's beautiful pumpkins. I found that the pumpkins were some older man's named Sam. He was very kind and got me talking to some really nice people. I had never had so much fun talking to people in my life. I heard so many great stories.

Canoeing By Sarah D. "Wow, that was hard," I said to myself as I unsteadily got out of the canoe. Megan was helping me because I was so shaky from all of the paddling I (we) had to do. The reason I was so shaky and tired was that I went on an extraordinary experience in a canoe.............. I trotted down to the waterfront with my friends. I was ready to go canoeing, but first we had to carry the heavy canoes to the dock which meant we had to carry the canoes down about fifteen stairs, down a steep ramp, and then gently place them into the water. So, it was my turn to carry a heavy canoe down to the dock. Becca and I carried the canoe down. The canoe constantly kept hitting my leg because I was carrying the back of the canoe which kept whip-lashing me on my right leg. After we finished carrying the five canoes, we put on our life jackets and grabbed our paddles to go practice paddling strokes. Then we got assorted into our canoeing groups. I got into the canoe as Megan (my partner) put our paddles and rain coats in the canoe. There was a certain way we got into a canoe: we sat down on the dock, placed our legs into the canoe, and then we moved our butts off of the dock and placed them in the canoe seats. When we both got into the canoe, we were already condemned because we were heading for seaweed, and we were right next to the dock. So we quickly used our stroking skills that we had just learned and managed to get out of our first panic attack. We didn't know what was on the menu for us next. Then, when everybody was in their canoes and all set to go, we knew we were in for a long and tiring day of canoeing.

We started to see rocks. Slimy seaweed with barnacles on rocks glossy from the hot sun. Next thing you know, we both started yelling for Mrs.Gregson to help us get with the rest of the group. She came over to us so fast, it seemed like she just took two strokes and she was over to us in a blink of an eye. When she came over she give us a brief tutorial on how to get out of a situation like what we were in. We did what she instructed us to do and we got back on track. Then, we were off in the other direction that we just had come from; it was very annoying. When we got to the other side of the bay, we took our paddles and with all our might, we pushed off of big boulders and then I spun the canoe around and we were headed straight again. I looked up, and we were so far behind the others. We were about sixty feet away from the dock, and not even close to the others. Megan lifted her head up and she realized that we were very behind too. I then asked Megan if we could pick up the pace a little bit more. She agreed with me and so we did exactly that. We were on an awesome stride and going so much faster than we were before. Oh no, we started turning again! I quickly turned the canoe around, and then we started to go the other direction. I was confuzzeled and I didn't know why the canoe was going the other direction. The problem was Megan was padding too hard and she turned us back around the other way. I told her what she was doing that made us go the other direction, and then came Mrs. Gregson in her canoe to come rescue us. She asked Megan and me if we needed help, and we both said that we could manage the struggle by ourselves. We were now facing a new trouble: we were beached on the soggy, gooey, mushy mud, and Megan started to call Mrs. Gregson back for the

rescue. I told Megan that we didn't need help, but before we knew it, she was already over to us asking what was the problem. Megan immediately shouted, ''Mrs. Gregson! Help!" We were beached and we needed her to pull us out with a rope that was in the canoe. I really didn't want to get pulled by her; I wanted to be on an adventure and not go the easy way out. But Megan got her way and we started to get pulled out of the gushy mud. Mrs. Gregon said that we could take a drink of water from our water bottles, and sit back and relax while we got towed to the rest of the group. I took a sip of water, looking at the sunny sky with a few faint clouds floating in the air like a thin piece of cotton candy. I was so dazed from looking at the sky, my paddle slipped out of my lap and plunged down into the water. I was so startled that I yelled to Mrs. Gregson that I had dropped my paddle. Good thing the paddle floated because I would have felt so sorry if I had lost the paddle! Then, Mrs. Gregson gave a sigh and handed me Andrew McDonald's paddle (Andrew was in Mrs. Gregon's canoe and Andrew got my paddle when Mrs. Gregson rescued it). Then she let go of the rope that she was dragging us with and we were on our own again. We started off at a good pace and I noticed that we were only about fifteen feet away from the others and that we (Megan and I) were almost there. I'm pretty sure that we were going a little too fast because we were swerving the canoe back and forth! We really just wanted to get to the others before the current changed. We then saw Mrs. Gregson and her fleet going past us, like they were trained professionals at canoeing. They were so efficient that we lost our stride and we began to turn in a circle again. The minute the canoe started turning in a circle, I swirled the canoe back around and we were paddling. Then we were with the other

groups. "Whahoooo" and "oh ya" I (we) did it. Of course, I said all of that silly nonsense to myself in my head. If I had said those things out loud I would have looked and sounded like a fool. So then, Ashley (our instructor) began giving us a tour about the mud domes that we could see at low tide and then she began to talk to us about these special kinds of birds that did something; I was zoning out and was watching the fishes under the water because it was low tide. They were playing tag or something, chasing each other back and forth, and then they would take a break, and do it all over again. I wanted to be one of those fishes playing tag, but no, I had to go canoeing. Before we knew it, the wind was picking up again and it was getting really rough on the water so we had to go back before one of the canoes tipped over. "Oh jolly-two-shoes," I said sarcastically to myself as I began to turn the canoe back around. I knew that we were in for a big challenge. We began to lead the group back, and I felt like, "OK we got this". But just then the wind started to pick up and all of the canoes started turning and swerving; it was pure canoeing madness! The only people not getting out of control were Ashley and her group, and Mrs.Gregson and her group. Greer Woolley and Becca Nikerson were slowly coming our way, while Even Benham and Matt O'Donnell were going the complete other direction and they were just about beached. Greer and Becca started to get back in control again and met back up with Mrs. Gregson and her group. Ashley was behind us to make sure we didn't die or anything, and Evan and Matt were really beached. I thought to myself that we were so lucky that we weren't beached. But why did I say that?! I basically just cursed us because we were turning around and we were also going to be beached! I quickly turned the canoe back around, and it just kept going

straight. I then realized that Megan was trying to turn the canoe around when she is not supposed to because it was the back person's job ( I was the back person). She was the person in the front that was only supposed to paddle straight and do nothing else. Then Mrs. Gregson was right next to us to help us get pulled out of the mud. Mrs. Gregson then lowered her brow and put her a hand her chin like professional thinker would do. She was thinking about how she was going to get us out of the oozy and gooey mud. But then, with my mad skills, I just pushed my paddle as hard as I could into the mud and then quickly pulled my paddle back out and our canoe was moving again. I was so thrilled that I had thought of a plan before the brilliant Mrs. Gregson! Megan saw what I was doing and we were sort of in a pattern, sticking our paddles in and out of the mud. Soon we were on a great stride and we were almost caught up with Greer and Becca. Then we were on an awesome lead with Greer and Becca. "Oh no you don't," I said to myself, as the wind was picking up again and our canoe started to turn. With all my might, I kept the canoe straight by turning it. Every time the wind picked up, I turned it and we never had a problem canoeing. "Is that what I think I see? The dock! Yes, it's the dock!!" When all the canoes got to the dock, Ashley got out of the canoe first to help other people get out. Megan was helping me get out of the canoe because I was so shaky; I felt like a ninety-year-old woman that just walked up ten flights of stairs. When we got to the soild land, I went to get some gorp. Yes, I said gorp, it is the most amazing snack in the world. What goes in gorp is plain cheerios, pretzels, raisins and chocolate chips. As I was eating my snack, I was thinking about all the troubles we had had today. "Wow," I said to myself, "that was an awesome experience

canoeing at Chewonki."

Antheia By Andrew M. The earth was shaking. My mom was screaming, “ADRIAN! ADRIAN, WHERE ARE YOU?” She was running all over our small villa, arms flailing above her head. I was five years old when the earthquake hit. Adrian was my dad. He had died in the earthquake and left me for good. I will never forget what God did to him that destructive day. After my mother Mia found my dad crushed by a mammoth boulder, she got so paranoid that she made me leave Athens and Greece itself for the only place we could afford, Cleveland, Ohio. I practically begged her to change her mind about leaving, but she was so scared about losing me in another earthquake, she refused. After my father’s funeral we took a cheap plane to Cleveland. We could only afford a tiny, disgusting apartment there. I have spent the last twelve years living in that horrible, small apartment. I still miss Athens, the sway of the flowers, the light breezes, and the beautiful Mediterranean. I looked down on the rotten wood floor of my apartment. I got up from the old, patched-up couch. I almost ripped my dusty jeans on one of the loose springs. I walked over to the only window in my apartment, making sure that I didn’t stub one of my toes on one of the many loose nails. Once I was there I saw a little black-haired girl planting lima beans. She was in a clean lot, with nothing to plant with but a plastic spoon. Then I spotted an old African-American woman taking a walk, stopping and then staring at the lima beans the little girl had planted a couple of seconds ago. I was curious because this had never happened before in all of my years of being in Cleveland, that I knew of. I walked down the stairs

of the apartment building and onto the lot. The little girl was still there. She reached into her backpack and was drawing out a small jar of water when I said suddenly, “Hi,” in a smaller voice than I expected. There was an awkward pause, like when someone walks into a party they were not invited to. “Um, hi?” she replied. I half expected her to shout: GO AWAY! But she didn’t. She looked up at me with wide, brown eyes. She wasn’t scared of me; she seemed somewhat confused. “What are you doing?” I asked her. “I’m planting lima beans. Why?” “I don’t know, I’m curious about it. Have you ever planted before?” “Yeah. You weren’t here last year, were you?” “Oh, yes, I was. Why?” “There was a garden. You didn’t see everyone planting here?” she said under her breath. Soon she had to leave for her dinner. I lay awake in my bed that night, and wondered what the garden had been like. The next day I saw more people. There was a man with a big, bushy white beard planting pumpkins, a big, muscular African-American man planting tomatoes, and also a Mexican woman holding a small baby. This pattern continued for a long time, from corn to goldenrod, sweet peppers to hot peppers. People and their plants kept coming out of their apartments, mobile homes, or houses. I kept thinking about the garden. Then one day I saw a beautiful flower on display in a small little shop. I remembered my mother and I taking a walk one day so long ago in Athens. She had said to me, “You are my flower. You are my Antheia.” And I realized ‘Antheia’ means ‘flower’ in Greek. I had never found it important until now. I bought that flower. On the tag it read: Hibiscus,

disco bell pink, 6-8 weeks, loves lots of sun, summer/spring, $12.99. There was a woman in the shop. She seemed to be about forty or fifty. She had brown hair like dark chocolate. Her skin was the color of fresh pine. She shifted in her seat a little, like she was excited about something. Then she said, “You wanna buy something? Because I have the best selection of plants and tools you will ever find in the whole wide world!” Her voice was giddy and happy, like a puppy meeting new people. “Umm, yeah. This flower,” I said in a surprised voice. “Huh,” she said, obviously disappointed on how little I was buying. She paused. Then she said, “Hibiscus, huh? Well, you sure that’s all you want? Cause I have a big selection of tools you might be interested in!!” “You know what? I will buy some. . . “ I never finished my sentence. In about two seconds, she had me on a tour of her various planting appliances. “And these are tiger trowels. They’re great for planting and nice and handy,” she said after about twenty minutes of touring. “They’re perfect.” And I meant every word of it. “I’ll take. . . ten.” Instantly her face lit up like a firecracker. “Great!” She then led me over to the cash register and said, “$20.00 Cash or check?” “Cash. Thank you,” I said. I actually felt sad about leaving the small store. “No, thank you. You’re the best first customer I could’ve asked for. Good bye!” she exclaimed contentedly. I then left the store, excited to plant my flower. When I got to the garden I found a spot that got great sun, and gave me a great view of my

flower from my apartment. I drew out a “tiger” trowel from the bag the woman had given me to carry the flower and trowels. I got down on my knees and began to dig. The soil was smooth and firm. Once I was sure that the hole was deep enough, I took the flower from its cardboard holder, gently tapped the soil it came with until the roots were free, and slowly put the roots into the hole. I firmly patted down the soil around the flower. I then stood up and ran up to my apartment. I walked over to my rusty fridge. I grabbed the handle and thrust the fridge open. Inside were some three-day-old steaks, some near-rotting carrots, some water, and little more food and drink. I grabbed a water bottle and ran back down to the garden. I opened the bottle and poured the water on the soil surrounding the hibiscus. I got up and started handing out the trowels to the other planters around me. I was thanked by all of the people in the garden for my gifts of the tiger trowels. I left the garden content and happy with myself. The next day, I went to the market and bought about twelve pounds of ground beef. When I got home I cooked beef into patties and put them onto hamburger buns. Then I put them in a bag and ran down the stairs. I handed them out to everyone. While I handed them out, I met a boy named Curtis. He had just broken up with his girlfriend who he had won back just a month ago. . . I’m now looking out my window about a month and half later. I am so happy now. I have a new friend, Curtis, and a new life, almost as good as the one I had once in Greece. I look down at the people in the garden and I whisper to myself, “They are my family. They are my seedfolks.”

Clarisa By Andrew E. Costa Rica was amazing, it had everything I ever wanted as a child. Even when I was seventeen, it still had everything. What I miss the most are my friends, especially my friend Sara. We grew up together, running through the forest, picking the fruit, swimming in the ocean, and playing with the animals in my dad's wildlife refuge. He had birds and sloths and my favorite, the monkeys. They were so sweet, they would let you pick them up, and they were so playful. The only bad thing about them was that they would steal a lot of things. But that did not bother me ever. Just last year my family moved to Cleveland, Ohio because my mother and my father got a job offer for a lot of money. When they told me, I smashed a plate and I ran away to my friend's house for three days. When I finally came back I was still really mad at them, but I decided not to show it. They said that we were going to move at the begining of the winter, which was in three months. I spent the next three months hanging out with my friends as much as I could, and my dad spent his time dealing with the animals in his wildlife refuge. When we finally had to say goodbye, I said goodbye to my friends at least a hundred times and told them to call me a lot. When we got on the plane, it felt like it went forever until we finally landed in Columbus, Ohio and we spent the night in a hotel there. The next day we got up really early and we started to drive to Cleveland. All I remember was stopping at a gas station and then we kept on driving, but I don't know what happened next because I fell asleep. When I woke up, we were stopped and my parents were starting to unload our things into an apartment building on the edge of a street. Everything looked

different here. The only thing I recognized were little run-down shacks that some people lived in, because in Costa Rica lots of people lived in those. I got up and unloaded my things into the new apartment. Our apartment room was about four stories up and was facing the street so you could see a vacant lot across the street. I spent the next few weeks trying to get used to everything, but it was so hard because of the cold. Also, there was lots of white, fluffy stuff coming down from the sky and everyone said it was called snow. When it first started to snow, I thought the sky was falling because I had no idea what snowflakes were. I got a job working at a clothing store called Macy's. When the snow started to clear, I saw lots of people starting to go into the vacant lot across the street. I could see it really clearly from my work. I got really suspicious of what they were doing, so I went down there one day to see what was going on. When I entered the lot, I noticed that there were lots of plants in the ground and raised beds. I saw an elderly black man leaning down and planting something. I asked him what this place was, but he said something in another language that I didn't understand. Since nobody else was around, I went home and decided to go back the next day. The next day I went down to the lot and saw a few more people there. This time I saw a Mexican girl who looked about my age and she was planting something. I went up to her and said: "What is this place?" "It's a garden," she said. "Why is it in this lot then?" I asked her. "Because it's the only place we could plant something," she said.

Then she asked me if I was from around here. I said no and told her I was from Costa Rica. Then we started talking about places where we had been and what we had seen. From our conversation I figured out that her name was Maricela and that she was from Mexico and she was going to have a baby in the summer. I also figured out that she was my age, which is eighteen. She said that she was going to be at the garden tomorrow and she wanted me to go also. The next day I went back to the garden and decided to plant something because it seemed like everybody from the whole block was there planting something. I wanted to plant something that was a fruit because they had so many fruits in Costa Rica. I went to the flower shop next door and I picked out a fruit called strawberries. I wasn't quite sure what they were, but I decided to try them. Then I went back to the garden and picked out a spot which was right next to Maricela and an African-American man with really big muscles. In the bed that I picked out I dug a few holes and put seeds in, then I carefully filled in the holes with dirt and watered them. I had no idea how to plant strawberries, or for that matter, how to plant anything. So I asked a man in the garden. I introduced myself to him, and he said his name was Wendell. I told him that I wasn't from around here, and I didn't know how to plant anything. Then he took me over to my plant bed and he told me all about strawberries and how to plant them. He said you have to water them a lot, and they will come up in June. He also said that they have lots of pests such as root weevils that feed on their roots or strawberry leafrollers that eat the leaves. As soon as he told me about these I got really scared and I didn't know until now how much work I would have to put into growing them. But I said to myself that I would do

it no matter how hard it is. When I went home that evening, I told my parents all about the garden. I ran up to my room and I called my friend Sara from Costa Rica and told her that I was doing good and I was going to have my own garden. We couldn't stay on the phone that long because it cost a lot of money to call, so we said goodbye and I went to bed. The next day I decided to go back to the garden and water my plants again. This time I asked the African-American man what he was planting. "Tomatoes," he said. "I love tomatoes," I said. "What are you planting?" he asked. "Strawberries," I said, "but I'm not quite sure what they are." "Strawberries?" he said. "How come you don't know what they are?" Then I told him all about where I was from, and how I came here. He said his name was Curtis, and he had lived here for a while. We talked a little bit more, and then I went home. Curtis and I became good friends during the spring. He gave me a lot of tips about gardening, and when my strawberries came up, he showed me how to pick them. Also, he told me what they were best with. The first day that the berries turned red I was so excited. I picked the biggest one there and I ate it. It tasted so amazing! Every time I ate one it gave me a feeling of home in Costa Rica. During the strawberry season, I had so many berries I didn't know what to do with them. I shared a lot with Curtis, and I also gave them to other people in the garden. You can tell that that got me a lot of friends! One person even made me a pie out

of them! When the strawberry season was over I was really sad. Everybody told me to leave the plants in, because they would grow again next year. I hope next year I will get just as many berries, and maybe I will try to plant something else that grows after strawberries, in the later part of the summer. That way I can be in the garden all summer long, because I love it so much, and it reminds me of home!