Young Wordsmiths, 1st issue 2021

YOUNG WORDSMITHS Young Wordsmiths is the online magazine of Lekha Writing Center.

It is dedicated to publishing writing BY and FOR children.

FOUNDER: JYOTI YELAGALAWADI

Text Copyright by Lekha students as noted in the Lekha Anthologies published by Lekha Publishers LLC. Material in this magazine are drawn from student writings’ from Lekha Anthologies published over the years as well as from current student writings’ from Lekha Writing Center classes and camps.

Images Used are Copyright Free and Royalty Free.

Fonts Used: Segoe Print, Adobe Devanagari.

FOUNDER’S NOTE Dear friends of Lekha, We are at a crossroads in time when hope is knocking at the door. Vaccinations are here! A new diverse leadership is here! We are also gaining the knowledge that it is not okay for certain groups to dominate another. Yes, hope persists!

The young wordsmiths of Lekha have always been thinkers. They learn to journal their thoughts as they deal with the reality of life.

This issue of Young Wordsmiths has writings by young writers of Lekha, both past and present. They span a decade and yet, you can see that their thoughts are pretty much what you would see in a writer who was writing just today.

Youngsters still see the need for role models looking like them to show the way. This need can be seen in the essay about a person from the South Asian Diaspora, showing us the stars during the Mars Mission. Climate change and the need to take care of Mother Earth and themes like the importance of reading and learning is still relevant in today’s generation as it was a decade back. We know that today’s world has seen the issue of bullying, and dignity of life, and humanity taking center stage as in the case of George Floyd. Read what our young children think about what is just.

The collection of stories and essays in this issue highlights the hope of all ages throughout time. It is their hope that things will always get better.

Hope you all enjoy reading this issue!

Love, Jyoti Yelagalawadi.

Founder of Lekha Ink, Corp.

YOUNG WORDSMITHS is a quarterly magazine.

ONLINE ISSN: 2691-7912 Vol 4. No 1 Price: $2.99

MYSTERY SCI-FICTION COMICS

If you love to write and love telling stories, then please send your submissions to the following email address: submissions@lekhaink.com

Inside this issue…..

Thank you, Swati Mohan

...Page 6-7

Free Verse

….Page 8

Time to Smile

…Page 9

The Teapot and the little Teacup

...Page 10

I Dreamed

...Page 11

The benefits of reading

…Page 12-13

Let’s save tress

...Page 14-15

Dolphins

...Page 16

Going green

….Page 17

Competitive Diving

…Page 18

Awesome Rollercoaster

…Page 19

Freewriting

...Page 20-21

A Magical Adventure

...Page 22-23

Lily’s way

...Page 24-25

Pawprints

....Page 26-28

Oregon

….Page 29

The impacts and benefits of foreign aid

….Page 30-31

Crossword

….Page 32

Connect the dots

....Page 33

What is a Bully

…..Page 34-35

Vampire’s Galore

…..Page 36-39

PARKER’S LOOK UP CHILDREN’S ESSAY CONTEST-2021 GRADES 1 to 5

ANANYA BHAI Our Young Wordsmiths make us proud!!!!

THANK YOU, SWATI MOHAN

WRITTEN BY ANANYA BHAI, AGE 9 IN 2021

As she walked the world through the steps of slowing down a spacecraft soaring at 12,000 mph to land in an ancient crater, Swati Mohan’s story began to

sparkle. Swati immigrated from India to the United States when she was a year old. Now, she’s the lead of the GN&C (Guidance, Navigation, and Controls) Nasa team. During the Perseverance Mars Rover’s landing, Swati provided much of the commentary and was even the one who said the magic words: “Successful Landing Confirmed”.

At the age of 9, after having watched 'Star Trek' for the first time, Swati was inspired by the thrilling descriptions of the never-discovered-before planets.

That shed new light on the thought of space exploration, so when she had the chance, Swati made that dream a reality.

The first thing you’ll notice if you look at an image of Swati Mohan is her blooming black-red bindi. That’s right, a bindi. Most of the other commentators had a formal attire, and nothing else. Swati, on the other hand, had a purple dyed braid in her hair. She didn’t think twice about being creative. She didn’t care that her style was different.

As I examined my TV on Feb 18, waiting excitedly for the NASA launch, I was amazed at how calmly Swati spoke. This was the moment in which she would find out if 8 ½ years of work would pay or explode, however Swati was still patiently guiding 15,000+ people into Perseverance’s exciting path. As the lead, Swati Mohan spoke quite often, and each word was clear, filled with detail.

I was astonished, but that wasn’t just it. I was… inspired. When you think

of a role model, who pops into your mind? Albert Einstein? Francis Drake? John Hawkins? All these are amazing role model, but I don’t see myself in them, I don’t connect with them. It’s different with Swati. She wasn’t afraid to be in a place where people are different, where she stood out. That is truly inspiring for a brown girl like me, with immigrant parents, growing up in America!

Look at where Swati is now. It all happened because she herself was inspired. And now, she is inspiring a new generation of immigrant children. Ones who go on to become scientists, astronauts, heroes. Heroes who will, in time, change the world.

REFERENCES:

https://mars.nasa.gov/mars2020/timeline/landing/watchonline/ https://mars.nasa.gov/people/profile/index.cfm?id=22937 https://news.cornell.edu/stories/2021/02/touchdown-confirmedswati-mohan-04- called-mars-landing

FREE VERSE These poems do not follow any rules.

They have no rhyme or rhythm. Some of these poems follow natural speech patterns, while others use shortened or extended lines to convey thoughts and emotions. It can be about any topic, but free verses are usually very emotionally driven pieces.

Time to Smile Free Verse by Alexandra Saii, Age 12

In the dimly lit room, there is a jar.

A jar full of little pieces of paper.

Letters are scrawled on these pieces, spelling out things she loves.

When she is sad, her hand hovers over the little pieces, and, she picks one.

Her lips curl into a small smile.

THE TEAPOT AND THE LITTLE CUP Written by Noor Abugharieh The teapot saw a little cup and asked if he would like some tea.

But, the little cup did not answer.

The teapot tried to play a game with the cup, but it still did not answer. Then the teapot screamed, but it did not work a bit.

The teapot tried to whisper, but the little cup did not wake up.

The teapot gave up and said good-bye, but then the little cup woke up.

The teapot, once again, asked if you would like to have some tea.

The little cup said, "Sure.''

USE YOUR IMAGINATION !!

I DREAMED Written by Allison in 2012.

I dreamed of the black and yellow monarchs in the milkweed fields.

I dreamed of the purple flowers at the nursery.

I dreamed of the blue flowers of Paris, France.

I dreamed of the green palm trees of Hawaii.

I dreamed of the yellow sunflowers of Nebraska.

I dreamed of the color of the plants in Nevada.

I dreamed of the bright pink roses of London, England.

I dreamed of the orange carrots of California.

I dreamed of the red strawberries of Chile.

I dreamed of the green pines of Maine.

I dreamed of yellow-orange leaves in the autumn forest.

I dreamed of Sacramento and the color of the bridge and the plants.

THE BENEFITS OF READING Written by Erin Graham, Age 13 in 2014 “I find television very educating. Every time somebody turns on the set, I go into the other room and read a book,” commented Groucho Marx, an American comedian.

Most adults and children today will probably call video games or television their favorite pastimes. Not as many people would choose reading, even though it is an educational and fun activity. The amount of reading in the U.S. is decreasing as technology increases. 80% of U.S. families didn’t buy a book last year.

There are so many benefits to reading, and if everyone knew these benefits, our country would be a lot smarter. To begin with, a great reason to read is to learn.

A reader can expand their knowledge or writing and vocabulary so much just by reading a book. For example, if there are unknown words in a book, the reader could look up the unknown words and add new words to his or her vocabulary.

A reader could also improve their writing skills from picking up on the way an author writes. Just like an artist’s painting could influence and inspire an aspiring artist, one author’s work could inspire an aspiring writer.

Learning may not always be fun, but it is an important benefit of reading.

Additionally everyone should read to prepare for his or her future.

Studies show that children who read and are reading at least 20 minutes a day have a greater chance of staying in school longer than those who don’t read. School may not seem that important to some, but high school dropouts are four times more likely to be unemployed later in life. If people are unemployed, they probably don’t make enough money to buy what they need. Unemployed people may turn to crime. About 75% of Americans state prison inmates, 59% of federal inmates, and 69% of local jail inmates dropped out of high school. Reading may seem unimportant, but it could really affect your future.

One last reason why everyone should read is because there are so many people in our world who do not know how to read. The least literate country in our world is Burkina Faso, who has literacy rate of 21.8%! The people in Burkina Faso don’t have the opportunity to learn to read. So, we should take every chance we get to read a good book.

Lots of countries can’t even afford to buy books or build libraries for their people, so why should those who can read ignore those luxuries? Our country shouldn’t take what we have for granted, and we should really think of the people who would gladly take our opportunities.

Young writers expressing their passion for NATURE AND CONSERVATION.

Let's Save Trees A Persuasive Essay by Esha Junankar, Age 11 Have you ever imagined the world without trees? Trees are an important part of the world. Think about it. If we didn't have trees we wouldn't have clean air and we would have problems with the environment. Trees give us oxygen and help us breathe. Trees give people shade when we are hot. Trees prevent mudslides and erosion because the roots hold the dirt down.

Trees take in carbon dioxide and breathe out oxygen. Although we help them by breathing out carbon dioxide, we also treat them very badly. We

shouldn't cut down trees because that means that there will be less oxygen for us to breathe. However, we still have to cut down some trees, since we use many wood and paper products. So, we just have to make sure we don't cut down more than we can plant.

Trees also give people shade when we are hot. Suppose we cut down all the trees. In summer, we wouldn't have any shade to

sit under. People have air conditioners too, but personally I think we should try to use natural shade.

If we didn't have any trees we also would have many more mudslides. Mudslides are mud and dirt rolling downhill because of rain. Mudslides can damage property and destroy homes.

Trees have roots and hold down the dirt, preventing damage to people's property.

Trees are a very important part of our environment. If we don't conserve trees we will face dealing with more mudslides, having less clean air, and having less shade. When we cut down a tree, we should plant a new one every time. If we kept that going, we could have a great improvement in our environment.

We won’t have a society if we destroy the environment.

-Margaret Mead American Anthropologist.

DOLPHINS

BY MAIA LWIN, AGE 7 Dolphins Dolphins make me glad They cheer me up when I am sad.

Just one look will make you smile You’ll be playing in a while.

A dolphin’s skin is smooth and gray Dolphins will take your fears away.

After you play you will find That dolphins are one of a kind.

Some mammals are big and some are small But dolphins are the best of all.

GOING GREEN POEM BY ANOOHYA PANIDAPU, AGE 6 YEARS Going green is a wonderful thing to do.

Save the earth and the atmosphere too.

What can we do to go green?

The answer is simple and as easy as learning 1, 2, 3...

Come on let's do it, step by step­ Recycle and reuse, it'll make a big difference.

Clean, Clean, Clean to go green­ Clean up the cans, paper, plastic and don't litter.

Earth is home for people, animals and plants, so keep it clean.

Save, Save, Save, water when you are not using it.

Plant, Plant, Plant, trees in your garden and go green.

Save, Save, Save, the energy and power.

Here are some tips-walk and carpool, turn off the lights, TV, computer when not in use.

There are more ways to go green.

You have the power to change the world, go green, make the difference.

Take the pledge to go green and save the planet Earth.

I love going green and spreading the word to go green.

GO GREEN!!!

COMPETITIVE DIVING Written by Adam Tieu, Age 8 in 2013 I get on the diving block. I feel scared. There is only one person I am swimming against. I think he’s very good because he’s taller and bigger than me.

Then the speaker blares out, “Take your marks!” and I stand on the diving block with the warm air scorching my back.

Then, “Beep!” goes the speaker and I plunge into the water.

Suddenly my body feels cold. I am in the water. I am doing a breaststroke. I do my best. Then I reach the end of the pool. I still have another lap to go. I look to the side of me out of the corner of my eye. I don’t see the other kid. I think he has passed me. I keep on going. I feel embarrassed. I think everyone is looking at me.

When I arrive at the wall I find to my astonishment that the other swimmer is about seven yards away. I find out that

whenever you are one-on-one it’s easier to beat someone. It’s because if there are a lot of people against you it’s harder to beat them all.

AWESOME ROLLERCOASTER Written by Aria Trivedi, Age 9 in 2014 “Are we going to get there soon?” I asked.

My family was at Disneyland when I was in 3rd grade. Looking up at the roller coaster I saw fast loopy-loops and I got frightened. My parents told me to go on the ride. They checked my height and told me I could go. Feeling a little bit better, but not at my best, I joined a long line.

Soon, I was at the front of the long line. Stepping onto the roller coaster I was frightened and got terrified again and felt butterflies popping into my stomach. I told my brother that I don’t want to go on this ride anymore, but the ride started to move forward, super fast.

The roller coaster started to go up and I started screaming my heart out. The roller coaster started doing loopy-loops. It was kind of fun. When I got off the ride, I had the most fun ever. I wanted to

go again, but my parents said, “No.” I learned that if something may seem scary in the beginning, it could sometimes be fun at the end.

Freewriting is the practice of writing down all your thoughts without stopping, and without regard for spelling, grammar, or any of the usual rules for writing.

The purpose of the exercise is to generate ideas and to clear out distracting thoughts. This process helps silence the inner critic that stifles the flow of ideas and can also help with writer’s block.

Freewriting helps young writer’s to remain focused and encourages the flow of ideas and creativity.

Young writer’s use this method with the character’s in their stories, as Faith did in her story about A Homeless Puppy.

A HOMELESS PUPPY

By Faith Once there was a puppy that didn’t have a family.

But, one of the puppy’s favorite things was free-writing.

One day he wrote a story that went like this:

Right now, I am at home. I want to have a friend.

He talked to the girl he liked, but decided he didn’t like her.

So, he went and talked to a boy who had a sister, but the sister didn’t want a puppy.

So, the puppy went to a girl and YAY! The girl wanted him.

When the girl got married, the boy also liked the puppy, so they were happy. What a happy family!

A MAGICAL ADVENTURE STORY AND ARTWORK BY EMMA LUEY, AGE 9– 2018

Once upon a magical time there was a butterfly named Bella. Bella had pink wings and a yellow body. When she was little there was a thunderstorm and Bella got hit by lightning, but it was only her wing. Ever since then, she couldn’t fly.

Today was Bella’s first day of school. When she got there everyone

laughed at her because of her wing. Then, the most wonderful thing happened.

A unicorn came up to Bella and said, “Do you want to be friends with me? My name is Unna!”

The unicorn was all white with sparkles. Her mane and tail were so colorful that they looked like rainbows. She also had a sparkly horn.

Bella was so happy. “Sure!” she said.

Then a fairy came over and said, “Can I be friends with you too? My name is Cora.”

The fairy was wearing a pink sparkly tutu and a pink short-sleeve shirt that was covered with flowers. Her shoes were glittery white. She wore a purple headband and she had long golden curls in her hair. Her fairy wings were maroon in color.

Bella just smiled, “Of course you can,” she said. Bella was so happy she actually had friends now.

One day Bella told her friends that she wished she could

fly. Unna, Bella, and Cora searched for something that could refill the hole in Bella’s wing. First, they found a ribbon. That did not help Bella because it was too long and not wide enough. Then they found a fossil. That too, did not help Bella because it was too heavy and it would just pull her down.

Finally, they found a perfect-sized leaf. They put it on Bella’s wing and it worked! It was not too heavy and not too thin. It was wide and light. Now that the hole on the wing was patched with the leaf, her wing was as good as new! Now she could fly!

She thanked her friends and realized that it didn’t matter how you look, friendship is what makes being with each other special. And of course, they lived happily ever after!

THE END

LILY’S WAY Written by Jessica Louie, Age 9 in 2014 Once upon a time there was school called Fun School. Fun School was the best school in the whole world. Inside there was a golden water fountain that shot out water, lemonade, soda, and other beverages. There were snack machines, a game room, a food court with McDonald’s, Burger King, Little Caesar’s, and a market.

There were also malls, silver restrooms, a hotel, restaurants, ATMs, pet stores, a museum, and a computer room. Fun School was 20 stories high. It had elevators and escalators.

There were swimming pools, locker rooms, changing rooms, and a humongous animal center. Fun School had a forest, a jungle, a beach, and a playground. There were bookstores, electronics stores, and a giant library. But, there was no learning at all!

Lily was a young middle school penguin. She had light blue fur and a yellow beak. She liked to eat tuna and Lily was really very interested in other animals. Her goal was to succeed her

dream to help all animals. Her weakness was dealing with people getting angry. She had a fear of dangerous penguin eating animals. She was friendly, caring, hardworking, smart, funny, brave, and polite.

She went to Fun School even though she didn’t like going there. She thought there should be some learning at that school. She also had a pet

Husky Dog named Emily that lived in an igloo near Fun School.

Lily loved learning. But at Fun School, there was playing 24/7. She wished there was some learning going on at the school. In August, Principal Ty asked if anyone wanted to be President of the Penguin Council. Lily raised her hand and talked to the Principal about learning. She wanted to make the school a better place. After Lily got elected President, she talked to Principal Ty. She said she would talk to the teachers and tell them to teach. Then Fun School would still be fun because some penguins liked learning things.

Soon at Fun School, there was teaching every day. At lunch and recess,

penguins were allowed to go anywhere. Later, Lily created the Penguin Olympics.

Then she created games, contests, math, reading, and swimming contests.

On the last day of school, everyone admired Lily. They didn’t care if there was learning at Fun School anymore. The penguins kept asking Lily to create things. Soon, Fun School became the most popular school ever.

THE END.

PAWPRINTS Written by Katherine He, Age 10 in 2014 One warm sunny day, Kay and her twin brother Kai were wandering

in the forest looking for a mystery. They were detectives and solving mysteries was their hobby.

Suddenly Kai saw something, footprints! Kai and Kay followed them.

Both were getting excited.

Looking at each other Kai and Kai said together, “This is going to be very interesting.”

They ran along the trail of footprints when Kay noticed something.

“Wait, something’s wrong,” she said to her brother.

“What kind of animal only has three feet? Look.”

The twins stared at the ground examining the pawprints. They kept on following it when they saw a smudge on the ground. It looked like an animal fell there. They thought they were going to find out who those footprints belonged to.

They followed the footprints but it stopped near the smudge.

Next to it was a big bush. Kai and Kay slowly and carefully went behind it.

They thought the case was going to be solved when suddenly Kay’s phone rang. It was their parents calling them to go home. They hurried back speedily. Running from the bush to their house was a long distance. So, when they reached their

house they were both panting.

Kai asked their parents, “Can we please go outside to play again tomorrow?”

The parents gave each other a look and said, “Okay, but no dangerous activities.”

“Sure,” the kids said together.

They high fived each other and then finished their dinner.

Kay woke up very early the next morning and climbed down from their bunk bed after getting dressed. She shook her twin

while whispering, “Wake up Kai, we’ve got a mystery to solve.”

Kai quickly got up and changed while Kay wore her sneakers and waited. Kai put on his sneakers and the followed the trail from the day before.

They found the bush, and once again went behind the bush, but this time they found a baby jaguar.

Kai carefully carried the baby jaguar when he noticed that the jaguar had a broken paw.

Kai and Kay brought him home and took care of him. Kai and Kay wanted to find out how he broke a paw. They brought him back to the place where they had found him when his paw healed.

Kai brought along some research books to help them. Then, they saw a sign which said hunting was allowed. Behind the bush they also saw a trap. When the jaguar, which they named KK, growled, they were sure that was what hurt him.

After a long time, they saw a gate and a sign that said “NO HUNTING.” They knew KK was safe there, and best of all, KK found his mother.

Even if it was a painful goodbye they felt happy for KK.

OREGON Written and Illustrated by Karolina Swedek, Age 11 in 2014 Every vacation we go to Bend, Sunriver, Oregon. It is so beautiful. We often bike along a lake. I feel like a bird as I bike with my family. I feel the wind blowing into my face. I hear all those birds chirping their song.

I smell the beautiful evergreen trees. I hear my dad cracking a joke. In the wind, the trees are rustling. We pass the lake and wave to people in kayaks. I feel so relaxed and happy.

We stop at a horse stable. We feed the horse crunchy, juicy

carrots. The horses neigh as we leave. We get back to our rented house. I feel as if I might die from hunger. I jump into the town pool. The water is like ice. I look around and I see trees. Oregon is beautiful !!

THE IMPACTS AND BENEFITS OF FOREIGN AID Written by Manit Sripadam, Age 12 in 2014 In countries across the globe, some countries need a little help so they can have stability. This is known as foreign aid where international countries give relief to other areas in times of need. Foreign aid helps rebuild countries like Belgium, Germany, and Japan. Foreign Aid

helps provides countries with assistance for the future so they can help support their own country and millions of lives each and every day.

Foreign aid provides many positive outlooks for countries. Additional capital can lift societies above subsistence and out of the “poverty trap” making the countries go the extra mile.

Economic and other forms of support can have tremendous spillover effects in the long run that multiply the effects of the original aid.

Execution of projects builds national competence and results in highly proficient local specialists such as building institutions. Aid programs

have been refined over the years to best meet the needs of developing countries; electronic banking is one notable example. Scientific tools and knowledge are disseminated and form the base of a long-term application of new technologies.

Education and health aid build self-sufficient societies, transforming future generations. Aid enhances diplomatic relationships among countries and long-term world stability.

Some people say that foreign assistance inhibits domestic initiative, but by giving foreign assistance it gives the extra hand needed to take initiative and lift countries out of poverty. Some people believe that developing countries lack the necessary institutional capacity to execute development programs funded by international resources.

But, by building institutions developing countries are able to execute development programs and creating highly proficient specialists who are local.

All in all, foreign aid helps countries go the extra mile so they can start developing, which will improve their domestic infrastructure

and can help their people.

A symbol of peace,

a symbol of love.

Who is this bird??

It is a Dove!!

“When someone is cruel or acts like a bully, you do not stoop to their level. Our motto is when they go low, you go high.” ― Former First Lady Michelle Obama.

WHAT IS A BULLY Written by Jeevan Gosal, Age 10, in 2014 What is a bully? A bully is someone mean who physically and emotionally hurts other kids or teens. I think bullies should be kicked out of school for a long time. If they stay in school, they will continue bullying.

I think they should stay out of school for at least one month. You might think one month is a long time, but bullies should feel how sad it is for the innocent kids who are getting bullied. Kids who are bullied should have school time off for three days.

Another reason bullies should be kicked out of school is the kids who are bullied should have school without the bullies. I also think we need more allies to stick up for the kids who are being bullied.

We need more allies. What is an ally? An ally is a friend, or someone who sticks up for you. If we had more allies, bullying could stop.

How can allies help? Allies can help when they see a friend or a kid being bullied; they can tell them to stop!

The allies who stick up for the kids being bullied should be rewarded.

I have seen lots of bullying, and I have stuck up for those kids. It feels very good.

Lastly, I think bullying is horrible and it should stop. Think about all of the innocent kids or teens that probably come home from school every day and just cry and never want to go to school. With allies, we can make the bullies stop bullying innocent kids.

To top it off, I don’t like bullying, and with the help of allies, we can

stop bullying. Those are my thoughts and reasons about bullying and why it should stop.

VAMPIRES GALORE Written by Niharika Agarwal, Age 11 in 2014

Chapter 1: Hard Homework “OMG! I can’t believe Mikayla said that Clarissa looked like a trash can in her green braces!” 12-year-old Katie Konya said to her best friend Julienne Sandi.

“I know. She practically rules 7th grade at Nantopa Middle School,” Julienne answered with a flick of her long blonde hair.

Katie and Julienne had been best friends since preschool and lived next door to each other.

While Julienne had blonde hair with blue highlights, green eyes, and freckles, Katie had short black hair with purple highlights, blue eyes, and an amazing fashion sense. Today, she was wearing a blue tank top with lace and a short pink skirt that went well with her blue high top sneakers.

Julienne had a horrible fashion sense, so Katie told her what to wear and shopped with her. Julienne was wearing red glittery dress and black high heels.

“Let us get started on homework, shall we?” Katie asked.

Julienne replied, “Sure. What do you want to do first?”

“Math.”

“Okay. What is the Pythagoras Theorem?”

“A squared plu-. What is that noise?” Katie asked.

“It sounds like Mikayla!” Julienne answered.

Mikayla’s high, false voice sounded in the living room in Katie’s house.

“I’ll go find Katie.” said Mikayla.

Chapter 2: An Unexpected Visitor There was a knock on the door to Katie’s playroom and it opened.

Mikayla stood there resplendent in a black shirt and a short black skirt with black leggings and long black hair that matched her black high heels.

“Hey.” Mikayla said with a sneer.

“What do you need?” Julienne replied icily.

“Let me get this over with. Thanks to Principal Weston, I have first period for three months with you twerps. Later.”

Mikayla sauntered out with a little mean laugh.

As soon as she was gone, Katie yelled, “Nooooooooooooooo! We have to have first period with Mikayla Wallabanger till May. We hate her.”

“I know. She always thinks that she is better than other people because her parents are famous and she has a lot of money.” Julienne ranted,

“Oh no! I have to go home. Bye!” Julienne went home and had dinner. She slept peacefully, but Katie had a rough night.

Chapter 3: The Mean Girl is a Vampire That night, after a dinner of spaghetti and meatballs, Katie changed into her pink and black pajamas and went to bed. She woke up at midnight and saw …

Mikayla! … only … not Mikayla. She had bat ears and bat wings, and her skin was white. As soon as Mikayla saw Katie, she turned into a bat and flew into the night sky.

Katie was stunned by what she had seen. After some research on her laptop, she realized that Mikayla was a vampire!

Chapter 4: Vampire Protection Katie went back to bed thinking one thing: My parents won’t believe me. The next morning, Katie woke up tired. She wore a ruffly green top and a short green skirt with green high heels.

She decided to set up protection for herself. She decided to put some garlic in her lunch box and carry mint water with her. She would tell Julienne, too. She found Julienne in a blue shirt and a green skirt with white heels talking to her crush, Mathew, and walked over.

“Bye, Mathew.” Julienne replied. “What do you need Katie?”

“Julienne, Mikayla is a vampire. Here, put this garlic in your bag and water in your hand.”

She told Julienne what happened last night and Julienne gasped.

“Now, here is the plan. We will lure Mikayla into the bathroom and throw our water on her so she dies. Then, we will say she

died of a heart attack.” Katie whispered.

The two of them went up to Mikayla and told her that there was a fashionista in the bathroom who wanted to see her alone and Mikayla went, black dress and high heels swishing.

Chapter 5: She is Gone!

Mikayla went into the bathroom, followed by Julienne and Katie. As soon as they were all in, Katie locked the door and told Mikayla, “We know you are a vampire.”

Mikayla turned around, and Julienne and Katie splashed all their water on her. Mikayla suddenly yelled, and then fell down dead.

Katie and Julienne walked out saying that Mikayla had a heart attack and died, and everyone believed them.

They had a funeral, and Julienne and Mikayla inherited all of Mikayla’s clothes.

The End

BUILDING CREATIVE YOUNG MINDS Young Wordsmiths is the online magazine of the Lekha Writing Center.

Lekha Writing Center is committed to developing a generation of children who think beyond the book! We do this by teaching them to write creatively, using a blend of time-tested and newly-developed methods that stir one’s IMAGINATION.

write4joy This app will help children and adults to learn the art of writing creatively.

Writing stories, poems, plays, and essays will become a joy.

Use the write4joy app and become the writer you wish to be.