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. Shutterstock images have been used in this issue. Fonts Used: Segoe Print
FOUNDER’S NOTE Dear friends of Lekha, A writer's Influence A writer's responsibility... I am what my pen is It cuts through paper It cuts through clouds It cuts through hearts and minds. Do I write to make a name or do I write for fame??? Is it the world that I care for or is it just for me - the writer? Words from the mouth just stays for a moment leaving footprints on the heads and hearts of the listener. It stays with them for a lifetime causing generations to remember. Words on paper live many lifetimes leaving impressions on the mind and soul of readers living with many generations as stories to tell causing more generations to remember. Measured words filled with fact can take the world to a better place The writer's responsibility is to measure the influence of the pen. Praying for peace as we write4joy! Love, Jyoti Yelagalawadi. Founder of Lekha Ink, Corp.
YOUNG WORDSMITHS is a quarterly magazine. ONLINE ISSN: 2691-7912 Vol 6. No 4 Price: $2.99 EDITOR: Radhika Rajesh Raikar
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… My world
...Page 6-7
The ghost ship
….Page 8-9
Tutu’s amazing musical failure
…Page 10-13
Dolphin splash
...Page 14-15
The blue adventure
...Page 16-17
Cutie, the koala
…Page 18-19
A magical adventure
...Page 20-21
The long wait
...Page 22-27
The best hot chocolate in the world
…Page 28-29
Word Games
…Page 30-31
An ode to Dr. King
...Page 33-36
At the Helm
...Page 37
MY WORLD BY RADHIKA JHAVERI, AGE 12, 2023 If you could make your own world what would it have? I would say… Vines that creep upward, not in a stalking way,
but in a majestic, magical way. Pinecones that make a crisp satisfying crunch when you step on them. Tall, towering emerald trees that touch the azure blue sky. Rushing rivers and sluggish streams
that tumble down cliffs creating a soothing, rhythmic sound. Fluffy clouds that you can flop on after a long, tiring day. Hard golden amber clinging to the trees. Ripe juicy fruits hanging from branches. Birds whose songs you can hear from a mile away, and whose silhouettes soar against the setting sun flying around the treetops.
Forests that have large canopy leaves with golden light spilling through gaps. A cozy, comfy, cottage that has a warm, welcoming fire. Tiny fireflies, like stars, enchanting the rapidly darkening forests. A mug of hot chocolate and a book on a rocking chair
A warm comfortable bed that you can slide in, just as the sun dips down. Rays of light disappearing over the horizon, like a painting tinted with beautiful colors for everyone to enjoy. Now I leave on that happy note
to let you create your majestic, magical world.
THE GHOST SHIP BY ARIA LELE, AGE 12, 2023 Ghastly, hollow scary, senile. Intricate carvings, yet unknown what they are and what they mean! Beware of the crown which belongs to the king. He is gone but still you can hear him wailing in the wind !
The ship is sinking alert the crew though no one is onboard Not one single soul ! And the tiny ship
probably deployed with all of the crew It is still sinking and everyone gone ! Yet you can still hear them wailing in the wind
along with the king They are all gone ! The sails torn in a unusual way. But all sails
torn the same. Beware, beware Of the ghost ship Beware, beware Of the voices !
TUTU’S AMAZING MUSICAL FAILURE BY ARIANNA CHEN, AGE 12, 2023 Tutu is a dragon. He loves recitals. “O-okay, you guys. Listen up. Listen up guys!”
All eyes turned to Tutu, and conversations receded. “Alright guys! What time is it?” Tutu put a hand to his ear. Silence. “Tutu, don’t you have a watch?” “No, that’s not what I meant! Haven’t I said this last recital?” The audience looked at each other, then someone said at last, “No.”
“Okay. Well. It’s SHOWTIME!” Tutu exclaimed. The audience looked exasperated. “Anyways, I am doing a drum recital. The song is called Baa Baa black sheep!” Somebody in the audience raised their hand and asked tentatively, “Didn’t you play that last time, with the cello?”
Tutu didn’t answer. “Now let the show begin!” He raised his mallet to play , and it actually sounded okay. To everyone’s surprise, nothing surprising happened during
the song… until, of course, it did. Tutu had reached the fortissimo part of the song and he accidentally slammed his drumstick onto the drum fabric a little too hard. The fabric shattered and cracked. Tutu smiled up at the audience, who were staring at him horrified. He said, “Just joking guys! Um, the name of the song was, um, Break the Drum Fabric!” He bowed to the audience, and waited for applause. There was some tentative clapping as people exited the auditorium. Tutu sighed. This was his seventeenth instrument that he had tried and failed to play. Well, he sighed, I guess tomorrow is another trip to the music store! FAST FORWARD 2 WEEKS AFTER HIS TRIP TO THE MUSIC STORE.
Tutu had already had 14 guitar sessions with his private guitar teacher, and was ready for a recital. People entered the auditorium, chatting absentmindedly.
Silence spread over the crowd as Tutu walked onstage.
“Welcome to my guitar recital! Welcome! Welcome! Now… what time is it?” “Showtime.” The audience muttered. “Yay! You guys got it! But more enthusiasm next time, please! Anyways. For my recital, I am playing Baa Baa Black Sheep!” Tutu put his finger on the string to strum the first note. But what came out was a low pitched squeak. “Oops! Sorry, my string is out of tune!” So he turned the knob on the peg to tune it. Unfortunately, he used a little
too much force while turning it, so the string snapped. Tutu frowned, then said to the audience: “Sorry ‘bout that, guys! The recital is canceled today. You are dismissed! FAST FORWARD 2 WEEKS AND 1 DAY.
Tutu had chosen the piano after his extreme failure to learn the guitar properly. Tutu was ready for his recital! His private teacher was quite pleased with his ability to play Baa Baa black sheep, but suggested he cut his fingernails. At the end, Tutu surprisingly mastered Twinkle Twinkle Little Stars by the child prodigy,
Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart. He was so excited for his next recital!
Tutu put on a tie over a very small suit, Even though his mom picked out the biggest size that Target had. He even remembered to clip his nails. He stepped onstage, where a grand piano was already waiting. The audience, as usual, filed in with some chatter. “Okay y’all! I am determined not to mess up this time!”
“About time, huh?” Some people in the audience muttered, but Tutu ignored them. “I decided to change it up a bit. This time, I’m playing Twinkle Twinkle little Star!” Tutu announced. “What time is it?” He asked. “Showtime.” moaned the audience.
So Tutu sat down on the piano seat and played his notes carefully. When he was done, he bowed. At last, the crowd clapped and cheered! Tutu practices the piano with all the time he could. At the next recital, he clipped his nails extra short and said, “Welcome! This is my 2nd piano recital.”
Silence. “What time is it?” Tutu asked. “SHOWTIME!” The audience cheered.
DOLPHIN SPLASH AMARIS BARRING, AGE 11, 2015 In a beautiful sea, full of colorful sea animals, there lived a dolphin named Splash. Splash was always nice and helpful to others. Splash the smallest of his brothers, Shine and Sparkle. Splash had one amazing dream and that was to find old man Hickinbottom’s gold treasure. The only thing was that no one believed in Splash. But he didn’t listen to anyone. The next day, Splash decided to go look for that treasure that he dreamed of finding. He came to a whirlpool. It took him away, and Splash was spinning and spinning. Splash saw some long seaweed and he reached for it and tied it around a rock and himself. Splash then reached out and pulled himself in. He was free and so was a crab that was grabbing the long seaweed as well, so Splash made a friend. The crab’s name was Claws. Splash and Claws went to look for the
Soon Splash and Claws found an old, creaky boat full of water-spider webs. Splash and Claws thought it might be Old Hickinbottom’s boat, and it was. Splash found a box that was very shiny. He had found the gold treasure. Splash and Claws made it home safely.
Splash’s parents were happy that he was home. They were happy about the gold too. After that journey, nobody ever doubted Splash ever again.
THE ‘’BLUE’’ ADVENTURE WRITTEN BY ADYA APPASWAMY , AGE 7 IN 2020 Blue takes me on a adventure…….
to the ocean with beautiful skies and on a hill with blue bonnets planted in a row. Blue smells like the scent of spring and I feel leaves touching my eyebrow.
Blue sounds like the calm water in a lake while I lie down on a boat. Blue tastes like blueberries and I feel the juice trickling down my throat.
Blue makes me feel cool and wet like dipping into an ocean wave. The blue sky wraps me like a blanket and gives me the warmth that I crave.
Blue in nature is such a delight. Blue jays flutter past day and night Fluttering royally spreading their feathers, peacocks are beautiful no matter what the weather.
So, don't feel the blues when you see the color blue. Sometimes, a blue scab, is as beautiful as you.
CUTIE, THE KOALA
BY SOPHIA LU, AGE 8, 2015
Cutie was a koala. She was three years old. She was short and cute. Her fur was really puffy and gray. Her family had a mom, a grandpa, a grandma, and a sister. She just didn’t have a dad. Her friends were Jenny and Benny. She lived in
the great eucalyptus forest in Australia where the trees were green and the flowers were blooming. In the oaks, there were lots of green leaves and moss growing wildly. This is what happened one summer in Australia. Cutie was the worst tennis player; but she wanted to be the world’s best koala tennis player. She practiced every
day in the summer from noon until nighttime. After practicing, she went in and ate dinner. After dinner, she started to play tennis again. She practiced every day. She got better and better. In two years’ time, she had become the best tennis player in her class. She wanted to become better, so she went to
take private lessons.
Then, one day, her private teacher told her to play against one of his other good students. The tournament began. The teacher’s other student was really, really good. He beat Cutie by eight points. Cutie realized she still wasn’t the best player, so she kept practicing every day, without stopping. Finally, it was
time for another tournament with the good student. This time, Cutie beat the other student by two points. Now Cutie was the best tennis player in the private lesson besides her teacher. Cutie wanted to have a tournament with her teacher to see who was better. The big day came. They played. Cutie beat him just by one point!
Later that year, Cutie went to play in a big tournament with the world’s best koala tennis players. She played the tournament and she won by two points. Now, she was the world’s best koala tennis player. Her dream had finally come true. She went home tired and happy. She planned to play tennis for the rest of her life.
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 LONG WAIT BY KAVYA MUNNANGI, AGE 12 YRS, 2015 In the time of butter and her friends, nature rose to power and all animals could talk. This period was called the period of nature. In this period, there was no such thing as pollution or
cutting trees. This period was very peaceful and calm. Here is how the story goes… Hi, my name is Butter. I am a butterfly. I am usually quiet cheery. But, just a few days ago, I started noticing that everyone was prettier than me. Things that I didn't care about before are started to make me feel queasy.
Then it hit me. I didn't fit into the crowd. Everybody wore clothes from expensive stores, every-body wore pretty jewelry, and everybody was better than me at things I used to be best at. Everybody that is, but me. I tried so hard to make myself fit in, but, as usual, nothing worked. I wondered what beauty was. Why were some more beautiful than others, especially me? One day, I decided to go find my beauty. I left around midnight, because it was supposed to be an auspicious hour and to my pleasure I was accompanied by lots of crickets and a few owls.
I wandered around for about a mile before getting tired, so I
decided to take a nap. That night, I had a funky dream. It seemed as if I got to talk to God. He didn't actually say anything, but his eyes said a lot. He told me to not give up and showed me a picture of me with some extraordinary colors. I couldn't believe it. I mean it was too good to believe. I wished I hadn't woken up from that dream, but I had to. When I did, I looked at myself and found that nothing had changed. I thought of the beautiful picture that God showed me. I looked at it very thoroughly. As it started fading away, I noticed an old lady with a hunch, carrying a cane in one hand and a blanket in the other. I
made up my mind to search for that woman no matter how long it took. I knew that she would help me in some way or the other. God must have put her purposefully in the picture. I was getting excited because I found a part of the answer to my questions. Now all I had to do is to find the old woman. I knew I was on the right track, but I wished that a miracle
could happen. With high hopes, I started on my way. I could hear a faint hymn of music coming from the west. As the sun went lower and lower, the music faded away into the cool fall breeze. My expedition was going well. I made lots of new friends along the way, who liked me for who I was, not how I was. The sad thing was that as I continued on my way, I had to leave them.
As I was walking on the river side, I saw the most popular birds in school. They were twin flamingoes. Their names were Flame and Flami (pronounced flomy). Everybody liked the two hot pink, attractive, and snobby siblings. If they didn't like the looks of someone, they would completely ignore them. I thought they were really mean because of how
they treated animals. I wondered how they got to be so mean. I remember my mom telling me that people who are mean, are mean because when they were little, people hurt their feelings and now they want to show people how it feels. The weird thing was that when they are around parents, they act as if they have never been mean in their whole life.
As usual, they were looking at themselves in the mirror that they always carried around with them. Apparently, they couldn't live without it. Since they were alone, I decided to say hi. That was my first, big mistake. If I never went their way, I would have been fine. But being the little miss know it all that I am, I had to go and be friendly. They were like, "Who are you?" "And like we don't like know you, like ya and like why are you like talking to us?" I was kind of surprised because I thought they knew me from school, but I guess not. Anyway, I asked them how they came to be so pretty.
They said in unison, "When we were like umm... little, ya little, our parents did this ceremony and we like got so attractive.” "Also, our friends gave us many awesome presents.” “And ever since then, we keep ourselves clean and beautiful, unlike some others." I was kind of embarrassed because I wasn't that clean myself.
I guessed their culture was different than mine because my parents didn't do any ceremony for me. I went on through the forest, stopping often for water. In my mind, I was wondering how long it would take to find the old women. Would I just give up and go home? Would I ever find her? And if I found her, what would I say? Would she understand my feelings? I was so confused. It was like diving into a pool with no water, how was I supposed to swim? Maybe I should just give in and go home. With somewhat strange thoughts crowding my muddled mind, I drifted to sleep on a fluffy bed I made. As the last bird left,
everything was quiet. The next morning, it was quite gloomy. It made me feel really lazy and feverish, so I went and took a shower in the warm waters of the bubbling lake. When I got out, I felt so much better and the rest of the day, I slept in my cozy bed.
I woke feeling very happy. I loved the feeling of being able to do anything that I wanted and nobody stopping me from doing it. I wandered around until I found a cozy Italian shack. I asked one of the worker bees if they saw an old woman with a kind face, a rolled up blanket in one arm and a stick in the other. Fortunately, one of the bees has seen her. She had stopped at the shack yesterday night. He also told me that she didn't have a home. Whenever she was tired she would build a little house and rest in there. After ordering a nice, warm hot berry drink and some food for the future, I took the trail into the forest. It was kind of spooky. The trees looked like ghosts and the wind gave the ghost affect. It gave me goose bumps. It was starting to feel sort of hopeless about my mission, because I had been away from home for a month and I missed my parents. And after a while, the food I had been saving was completely gone and I was starting to become extremely tired. I slept next to the lake for a while. I was nearly unconscious. I didn't want
to get up but once again, I did. I saw a light reflect in the lake. I turned around with excitement. I saw an old lady walking up to me, and her face looked somewhat familiar. IT WAS HER!!!
The woman from the picture. Oh my gosh, how could it be? Lots and lots of questions popped up into my head. But the first thing I asked her was if she had anything that I could eat. Luckily, she did and I gobbled it up. I was so happy. I didn't know what to say. Since I wasn't saying anything, she introduced herself. Her
name was Winta. She asked me my name and why I was so far from home. So, I spilled out everything, from why I came to why I was looking for her. She was speechless. Then I asked her the question that I had been holding in for so long. I asked her why I was so ugly and why everything was
changing. She told me that I was being very kiddish. But I was a kid so what else was I supposed to do. She told me that if I didn't believe that I was pretty, I would never be pretty. I didn't understand what she meant. I guess my face showed what I felt, so she told me that all I had to do was believe that I was beautiful. That was that. The magic then came to life. I was prettier than I ever thought I would be. Not only that, but I was pretty from the inside too.
THE BEST HOT CHOCOLATE IN THE WORLD A RECIPE ESSAY BY ANISHA MENON, AGE 11, 2022 ARTWORK BY ANISHA MENON
In this essay, you will learn how to make the world’s best hot chocolate. You will surely love it and I have been making this midnight snack for a long time. If you love hot chocolate you will love this recipe. If you don’t like hot chocolate, I am sure this recipe will change your mind. Let’s get started!!!
First, you need a mug or a cup. Then pour milk into it. After all, milk is the most important ingredient in this recipe. You can use any type of milk like almond milk, cow’s milk, oat milk, soy milk and so on. Pour as much milk as you want. When you are done, next step is to warm the milk. Use anything
that you want like a pot or even the microwave. Now you will have to use chocolate powder. Use two tablespoons of chocolate powder into the warm milk and mix vigorously!!!! The next step is to put two tablespoons of cinnamon. Shh, that’s the secret ingredient!! Stir for about a minute or two. Then, you should add two tablespoons of sugar and mix well till the sugar is dissolved. Then, put whipped cream on top ( optional). Also, you can add marshmallows as a topping ( optional but recommended!).
This is the best hot chocolate ever!! Don’t you think so?? I hope you do ! Remember the toppings are optional. You can use any topping you want. You can customize it the way you like. Enjoy! Don’t forget to have fun!!
Darkness cannot drive out darkness; only light can do that. Hate cannot drive out hate; only love can do that.
- Martin Luther King Jr
AN ODE TO DR. KING BY RITHVIK IYER, AGE 12, 2022 Who’s that man there standing tall, Awakening our nation with his call. Why, it is none other than Dr. King Does that give your brain a ring? He showed everyone rich and poor, that he used peace and words to win the war. He showed that separating black and white, was just absolutely not right. “Today we no longer have a choice between violence and
nonviolence; it is either nonviolence or nonexistence,” he said. Day and night as he pled,
That segregation would be dead. And that his country would be led where everyone is treated fair instead.
“All people should be judged not by the color of their skin, but by the content of their character,” he stated. A new amendment to be legislated, which a few people hated, But soon their opinions converted. Day and night walking miles, over hills, over boulders, over tiles. To change the constitution and its files, Delivering his speech very crisp and clean, saying “I have a dream.”
“I’ve been over the mountain top” he states on the date. The date before his sad fate. His legacy will live on, for future generations to carry on. The future is in our hands, to the jungle and across the sands,
to protect and preserve our lands, and not let equality disband.
52 years later…….. The state of racial justice in the United States today, isn't something to smile about and shout hooray, Though a lot of challenges have we overcome, the future of equality is still not fully done.
2020 The killing of George Floyd, sent racial justice through a void, which once again, proved equality destroyed,
When a group had to rise, built with stone, flesh, and thighs. Black lives matter flies, and refuses to deny, with their eyes on the prize,
FIGHT AGAINST RACIAL INEQUALITY TILL IT DIES
Dr. King's hope, relies on us and our rope. Our rope of equality and trust, to not bust into pieces of glass and dust. What I can do to help racial justice now for the community,
is to support causes of racial awareness to prevent disunity. Now quick! I’m running out of words to say, So remember, we have each other to depend. As Dr. King said, we have civil rights to defend Have a nice day, this is my poem’s end.
Young Lekha author Rithvik Iyer is an avid reader, writer, martial artist and a budding cricketer. He has been very interested in the history of the United States and the lives of Presidents ever since he started reading. After four years of extensive research, the twelve-year-old trivia buff decided to share facts about the presidents of this country with children like him through his book, “At the Helm”.
In a representative democracy, your vote is your voice. One of the most important choices any citizen can be involved in is the choice of who should be the president. Read all about the presidents of the USA, as you flip through the pages of "At the Helm," by Rithvik Iyer. You will discover more about their positions, idiosyncrasies, legacies, and much more.
WWW.RITHVIKIYER.COM
War is so unjust and ugly that all who wage it must try to stifle the voice of conscience within themselves. - Leo Tolstoy
Change happens by listening and then starting a dialogue with the people who are doing something you don't believe is right. -Jane Goodall
All we are saying is give peace a chance. - John Lennon
Wish everyone peace and joy!
HAPPY NEW YEAR