TECA Times: Issue 1 (September)

TecaTimes

el primer periódico

A Bit of Gratitude

Thanksforsupportingusinour newventure!TheTECAMiddle SchoolNewsteamhasbeen workinghardtowriteourfirst issue,andlookforwardtomany more!

I’mhavingfunworkingwiththis crewofcreativestudents!Iam gratefultheyhavechosenthis elective,andIgettospendpartof mydaywiththem.

Ifyouhaveanyfeedback,ideasfor articlesyou’dliketoread,wordsof encouragementforthestudents, orperhapsaletterorarticleyou’ve written,pleaseemailmeat drothermel@teca-sf.org.

Ilookforwardtohearingfromyou!

¡Gracias por apoyarnos en nuestra nueva aventura! El equipo de TECA Middle School News ha estado trabajando arduamente para escribir nuestro primer número y ¡esperamos publicar muchos más!

¡Me estoy divirtiendo trabajando con este equipo de estudiantes creativos!

Agradezco que hayan elegido esta materia optativa y puedo pasar parte de mi día con ellos.

Si tiene comentarios, ideas para artículos que le gustaría leer, palabras de aliento para los estudiantes o tal vez una carta o artículo que haya escrito, envíeme un correo electrónico a drothermel@teca-sf.org.

¡Espero escuchar de usted!

DANA ROTHERMEL TEACHER LIBRARIAN DROTHERMEL@TECA-SF.ORG

E V E N T S

OCTOBER4

OCTOBER9-10

SPECIALSASSEMBLYFAMILIESWELCOME!

NOSCHOOL ENJOYTHELONG WEEKEND!

OCTOBER14 FALLFIESTA!!!

OCTOBER14-20

LITERATIBOOK FAIR

OCTOBER30 HALLOWEEN

NOVEMBER1

DIADELOS MUERTOS

NOVEMBER3

NOVEMBER15-17 T E C A

ENDOF TRIMESTER1

Scan for information on Literati Book Fair, book boxes, and gift cards.

NOVEMBER10

NOSCHOOL

PARENTTEACHER CONFERENCES

MOREDETAILEDINFORMATIONWILL COMEINBRIGHTARROWEMAILS

WHAT

IS

Sports

HAPPENING TO MANCHESTER UNITED?!?

BY CHRISTIAN

Expectations?

Some Manchester United fans do have hope for United this season, considering that Erik Ten Hag has a history of starting seasons out really poorly but ending strong the extraordinary talents of Marcus Rahsford and Rasumus Houijland will help tremendously Marcus Rashford has finally returned to his senses and was one of the best players for England in the World Cup The dude scores goals for fun Houjland has been on everyone ’ s radar as the Danish superstar has been killing it in the Serie A for Atalanta and Manchester United has snatched him up before anyone else can get to him. These two players will certainly make a difference for United Along with others of course

An overflow of dissapointment.

Manchester United have an incredible history, but the glory days where they won back to back Premier Leagues is gone now With the departure of David De Gea their very excellent and underrated goalkeeper and a scramble to find a manager that can fill in the shoes of Sir Alex Ferguson (The most infamous and well known managers in history), Manchester United have been in a downward spiral that sent

them in their worst performance in a premier league ever coming in 6th place

However they have qualified for champions league football this season in a not so bad 3rd place

However, looking at this game against Tottenham, it’s very easy to see why Manchester United lost. They were dominant in the first half with the best chance for the Red Devils going to Bruno Fernandes but not being able to lock it home. After that miss, Tottenham was completely unguarded and looked completely free to roam around the field, which was weird considering the fact that they were making everything difficult for Spurs, and as the clock striked 90, Spurs scored two goals that made them win, a humiliating loss for United. The defense was seen as a joke by the fans, completely unbelievable performance.

How Erik Ten Hag (their new manager) is going to hold up to all of these expectations is beyond me, but so far he has not been looking too bad for the Red Devils. With his more attack-minded approach that has more control over the middle, it’s hard not to get excited for a manger like Ten Hag.I believe he is a very good value for Manchester United this season.

“Manchester United are not ready to talk about winning the premier league because they haven’t yet earned the right to be considered challengers,” says Erik Ten Hag, regarding them winning the league

By Abbigail Tome Diaz English

..Doyouknowwhere Halloweencamefrom?

What is the real meaning of Halloween?

On October 31st, Halloween is on the evening of All Saints or All Hallows day; its name is a contraction of All Hallows Eve. The day of celebration marks the day before the western Christian feast of All Saints and initiates the season of Allhallowtide, which lasts three days and ends on Souls Day, November 2.All Saints day is on November 1.

Halloweencomesfromthe ancientCelticfestivalof Samhain (aGaelicword pronounced“SAH-win”),a paganreligiouscelebrationto welcometheharvestattheend ofsummerwherepeoplewould lightbonfiresanddressupto wardoffspirits.¨

H O W D I D

H A L L O W E E N

C O M E T O T H E

U N I T E D S T A T E S ?

I N T H E 1 8 4 0 S

A M E R I C A N

C O L O N I S T S W E R E

R E S P O N S I B L E

F O R B R I N G I N G

H A L L O W E E N

( A L S O K N O W N A S

C E L T I C F E S T I V A L )

T O T H E P U R I T A N S

T H A T C A M E F R O M

E N G L A N D . T H E Y

T R A D I T I O N A L L Y

C E L E B R A T E D

S A M H A I N W H E N

T H E C E L T S L I V E D

I N E N

G L A N D .

H A L L O W E E N W A S

T H E M O S T

P O P U L A R D U R I N G

T H E 1 9 5 0 S

H O W E V E R ,

H A L L O W E E N I S N ' T

A N O F F I C I A L

H O L I D A Y A N D H

Halloween

By Abbigail Tome Diaz Spanish

..¿Sabes de dónde vino Halloween?

Halloween proviene del antiguo festival celta de Samhain (una palabra gaélica que se pronuncia “SAH-win”), una celebración religiosa pagana para dar la bienvenida a la cosecha al final del verano donde la gente encendía hogueras y se disfrazaba para ahuyentar a los espíritus.

¿CuáleselverdaderosignificadodeHalloween?

El31deoctubre,HalloweeneslanochedeldíadeTodoslos

SantosoTodoslosSantos;sunombreesunacontracciónde

AllHallowsEve.Eldíadecelebraciónmarcaeldíaanteriora lafiestacristianaoccidentaldeTodoslosSantoseiniciala temporadadeAllhallowtide,queduratresdíasyfinalizael

DíadelosDifuntos,el2denoviembre.EldíadeTodoslos Santosesel1denoviembre.

Halloween

La gente reparte dulces porque proviene de una antigua tradición llamada ¨going-a-souling¨. La gente comenzó a repartir dulces a los niños para celebrar el festival de Samhain. Por eso los niños iban de puerta en puerta ofreciendo una oración por las almas de sus familiares a cambio de regalos y dulces.

¿Cómo llegó n a idos? da de onos enses p nsables de llevar Halloween (también conocido como festival celta) a los puritanos que venían de Inglaterra. Tradicionalmente celebraban Samhain cuando los celtas vivían en Inglaterra. Halloween fue el más popular durante la década de 1950; sin embargo, Halloween no es un feriado oficial y nunca se ha convertido en un feriado federal.

LGBTQ+ INFO/FLAG

BY LIZ JADE CHAVEZ

The Lgbtq+ flags have quite a history. Regarding the current flag, the original flag, and what the colors mean. So I suggest you sit back and get a snack because this is going to be a long one.

(Fun fact LGBTQIA2S means: Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, Queer/Questioning, Intersex, Asexual, or anything that starts with an a, and Two-Spirited.)

How the original pride flag came to be is one historical event in the LGBTQ+ community that is quite memorable. It was made by Gilbert Baker, an artist who was called upon by San Francisco’s supervisor, none other than Harvey Milk, the first gay elected person in California. The flag was represented in San Francisco’s gay freedom day parade on June 25, 1978, which is also pride month, that happened after the tragedy of the murder of San Francisco’s supervisor Harvey Milk in November, and with that, the demand for the flag highly increased, which Baker did release eventually with a few changes to it as well in the end.

Each color of the flag has a different meaning. Hot pink means your sexuality, red means life, orange means healing, yellow means sunlight, green means nature, turquoise means magic and art, indigo means serenity, and violet means spirit which is what the colors of the original flag mean. However, after some time, Gilbert Baker left out the pink stripe from the pride flag. In 1979, he changed it back to the six-stripe rainbow flag that is used today (but with a few adjustments to include more of the LGBTQ+ community).

Lastly, the current pride flags we use as a display for the LGBTQ+ community are the progress: pride flag reboot which is just an addon to make it more inclusive, the Intersex Inclusive pride progress flag, and the classic 6colored stripe one. To explain this in one go, the Intersex Inclusive flag was made in 2018 by Valentino Vecchietti which was add on of the progress pride flag. The color red means life, orange means healing, yellow equals sunlight, green means nature, blue means harmony/serenity, and lastly, the violet purplish color means spirit from the classic 6 stripe flag

but the white, light pink, and blue is the representation of people who are under the trans umbrella, the black and brown stripe means people of color, and the yellow color with the purple circle stands for Intersex individuals. These are the most common pride flags used currently, but there are many other flags to represent the community. There will probably be more colors added in the next few years.

ew TECA ctions

Our time to bake

Nutella tart

by Scarlett Gisell Mejia Galdamez

Do you want to know how to make a Nutella tart ?

Well, here you will learn how to make them. It's actually simple to make. :)

Ingredients : What you need for the crust

One stick of butter

One large egg

One cup of flour

For the filling in tart

Nutleta (Fruit is optional )

Utensils needed for his:

Muffin pan

Doesn’t matter how many it can make or size

Oven

Measuring cups

English

-4.)Now, put them in the oven and heat it to 350 degrees. Bake for 17-16 minutes .

5. )Take them out of the oven and let them cool down then spread the nutella in the shell. When you ’ re ready, put the fruit inside.

Steps:

1.)Heat the oven for 10 minutes at 350 degrees

2.)Grab a bowl ,put 3 cups of flour, 2 large eggs or 3 small eggs, and half a stick of butter (make sure it is room temperature too easily) Mix till dough .

3.)Get your muffin pan and add olive oil in the pan and spread, then take some dough and put it only around the edge of the muffin mold. -

I love making them because there fun to make .:)

Our time to bake

Nutella tart

by Scarlett Gisell Mejia Galdamez Spanish

¿Quieres saber cómo hacer una tarta de Nutella?

Pues aquí aprenderás cómo hacerlos. En realidad es sencillo de hacer.

Ingredientes

Una barra de mantequilla un huevo grande

Una taza de harina

Para el relleno de tarta:

Nutleta (La fruta es opcional)

Utensilios necesarios para el suyo:

Molde para muffins

No importa cuántos pueda hacer o el tamaño

Horno

Tazas medidoras

4.)Ahora enciende el horno y caliéntalo a 350 grados y luego a el tiempo 17-16 minutos poner el molde para muffins a cocinar

5. ) Sácalos del horno y luego déjalos enfriar, coge la nutella y cuando estés listo ponles la nutella (fruta opcional) y disfruta

Pasos:

1.) Calentar el horno durante 10 minutos a 350 grados

2.)Coge un bol, pon 3 tazas de harina, 2 huevos grandes o 3 huevos pequeños Media barra de mantequilla asegúrate también de que esté a temperatura ambiente. mezclar fácilmente hasta obtener una masa.

3.) Luego, toma el molde para muffins y agrega aceite de oliva en el molde para untar.un poco de masa y ponerla sólo por el borde del molde para muffins.

I love making them because there fun to make .:)

OutofTheBlue: Trolleybuses

*OutofTheBluewillexplaintoyouinfulldetailaboutsomethingcompletelyrandom! ByOscar

Howmanytimeshaveyougottenonandoffthesepeculiarformsof publictransportation?

Thenumberisprobablyincrediblyhighifyou’rearesidentofSan Francisco,buthaveyoueverwondered:Whydothesebusseshave twopolesintheback?

Andifyou’veeverpaidcloseattentiontothesetwopoles,thenyou havemorethanlikelyseentheyareconnectedtotwoskinnywires floatinginthesky.Butwhatdothesetwoslimwiresdo?Whyorhow arethepolesconnectedtothem?How’dtheygetthere? Theseandmorequestionsanswered;Keeponreading!

TrolleybusesOvertheYears

April29th,1882-TheBeginning

InBerlin,Germany,anewinterestingvehicle roamsthestreetsofasuburb

Manypeopleexittheirhomesthatmorningto headtowork,butthey’recaughtinaweasthey seeanew,unfamiliar“car”comingdownthe road.

It’slikeanyotherordinarycaratthetime, havingfourwheels,seatingforpassengers, andaconductordrivingit.Howeverthereis somethingaboutthiscarthatis differentfromtherest:awire

Acatenarywirefloatinginthesky,witha circularbox-shapeditemseeminglyattachedto it

Thisboxisalsoattachedtoacord,andthiscord isattachedtoastick,andfinally,thisstick attachedtothecenterofthevehicle

Thiscontraption,orwhatmostcalled,amalgam ofwiresandsticks,wasthefirsttrolleybusever

Thecreator?Dr ErnstWernervonSiemens:a Germanscientist,andfanaticofelectricalwires Thisshowsbecause,otherthanthetrolleybus, hemadeplentyofotherprototypeswhichused wires,suchastheelectricaltram(whichwealso haveinSanFrancisco),andtheelectrical locomotive.

Adepictionofthe“unfamiliar”vehicle. Inreality,this prototypeofSiemen’swascalledTheElektromote

1935-SanFrancisco’sFirstTrolleybuses

ThatsamemorninginGermanyisrelivedinSan Francisco PeoplearoundtheFerryBuildingexit theirabodestoheadtowork

Wireinstallershadbeenintheneighborhoodall oflastweek,placingtwowiresparallelfromeachother Manywonderedwhattheirpurposewas,sincetheworkers hadinstalledthemandsimplyleft,perhapshaving forgottenthem

Infact,theengineershadnotforgottenthem They’dbeen busychargingthemwithelectricity,andso,whenthose sameengineerscamebacktotheneighborhood,itwas thenwhenpeoplerealizedwhathadbeengoingon: TrolleybuseswerecomingtoSanFrancisco Andyes,they wereright

NinetrolleybuseswereboughtbytheMarketStreet Railway(anothertransportcompanydifferentbutallied withMuni)andbuiltbytheJ G Brillcompany,a manufacturingindustryforpublictransportvehicles. Theseninebuseswerethebuses#51-59

IfyouhavepaidcloseattentiontoMuni’svehicles,you mayhaveseentheyhaveanumber,suchas6002,7198, etc Thesearethedigitswhichsaywhatnumber the vehicleisinMuni’sfleet Thatmeansthatthefirst trolleybuses’wereMuni’s51stand59thbusestheyhad

operatingThecurrenttrolleybusmodel inSanFrancisco:theXT40.Itusesthe“Red&Silver”livery.

companiesOneofthethreebusesbuiltbyoneofthree whichMuniorderedtheirtrolleybuses in1947.ThisonewasbuiltbytheTwinCoach company.

1977-NewFlyerFliesintoSanFrancisco

Munihadonceagainswitchedmanufacturer This timetheywentwithNewFlyerIndustries,a Canadiancompanywhichatthetimewastheonly onewhohadacceptedbuildingtrolleycoaches forSanFrancisco Everymanufacturerinsidethe UnitedStatesrefutedtoconstructtrolleybuses forMuni,sothiswastheonlychoice

Anorderofover300FlyerE800trolleybuseswas placedbyMuni(keepinmindFlyerE800issolely thenamefortheproduct.)Also,amongtheE’s therewerealsoD’s.

EwasshortforElectric.DwasshortforDiesel. MuniorderedbothoftheproductsforSan Francisco,meaningMuniboughtelectricaltrolley coachesanddieselbuses

Boththedieselandelectricalbuseswereatotal success Unfortunately,thatwouldonlylastfora fewyears Eventuallyhundredsofmalfunctions wouldoccurwiththevehicles,including breakdowns,non-respondingdoors,crashesdue tobrakemalfunction,andevenonereportofa trolleybuscatchingonfire Thatunlucky trolleybuswas#5204,anditwasalsothelast strawforMuni

Butbeforewegoontothenextmanufacturer Muniwenttoforbettertrolleybuses,wemustalso mentionsomethingveryimportantinMuni history:thefirstevertrolleybusarticulatedfleet.

1939-Expansion

MunisawwhatMarketStreetRailwayhaddone. Theywantedtotryouttrolleybusesaswell,so theyorderedninetrolleycoaches(anothername fortrolleybuses)forthemselvesintheyear1939 Theywerenumbered501-509

TheywerebuiltbytheSt LouisCarCompany, anothermanufacturerofvehicles,suchas trolleybuses TheyweresenttoSanFranciscoin thesameyeartheyhadbeenordered,butthey’d onlybeenputintoservicetwoyearslater,in1941 Thetwo-yeargapwasduetowireinstallment Sixyearslater,in1947,Munimakesasecondorder forsixteentrolleybuses Intotal,withthisorder, theywouldnowhavetwenty-fivetrolleycoaches.

1947-ReplacementandIncrease

ThisisthetimeframeinwhichMunistartsto realizethepotentialoftrolleybusesinSan Francisco.Therefore,theygoaheadandpurchase approximately255trolleybusesinjust1947,with anadditionalninetyandfortytrolleycoaches, leadingtoanequivalentof385trolleybuses boughtinthesameyear!

Threemanufacturershadbuiltthebuses Among themwasstilltheSt LouisCarCompany,butthere werealsotheMarmon-HarringtonandTwinCoach companieswhobuiltthetrolleybuses

Theword“articulated”isnotsooftenused,soit’s probableyoudonotknowthedefinition Whentalkingaboutanarticulatedvehicle,you’re mentioningthese:

Dotheylookfamiliar?Probablyso,andinmultipleways Oneof itsfeaturesyoumayrecognizeisitscolor.Thistrolleybus’color isthesameoneusedinbetween 2001to2015 It’siconicfor manycitizensofSanFrancisco,beforeMuniturnedtothe“Red andSilver”livery

BothofthevehiclesshownintheimagesareNewFlyerE60's TheywerethefirstarticulatedtrolleybusesEVERusedinMuni’s history

Still,thembeingrevolutionarydidnotpreventthemfromalso malfunctioning MultipleE60scrashed,brokedown,andeven attackedcitizens Howso?Well,wheneverthepolesdisconnect fromthewires,theyflyaround Whiletheydosotheycan accidentallyslapapedestrianwalkingnear-by. Withalltheseanomalies,Muniwasreadytoswitchfromthe 1990stowelcomethenew(andsafer)century:2000.

Oneofthethreebusesbuiltbyoneofthethree companieswhichMuniorderedtrolleybusesfrom,and alsowhatmanyconsideralivingrelic:trolley coach#506ItisthesinglesurvivorsinceMuniordered theirfirsttrolleybusesBuiltbyStLouisCompany

Oneofthreebusesbuiltbyoneofthethree trolleybusescompanieswhichMuniorderedtheirin1947.ThistrolleycoachwasbuiltbyMarmon-Harrington.

ANewFlyerE60turninga corner.

ANewFlyerE60drivingon theroute49Van-Ness.

Functioning

LiketheoriginalElektromotebySiemens,moderntrolleybusesrequire “tobeattached“tofloatingwiresinthesky Thesewiresareactually knownasoverheadwires

They‘renameisfitting.Theyaretwosuspendedwireswhichare overheadoftrolleybuses,whichusebothoftheirpolesto“attach“to them Inreality,theyarenotnecessarilyattachedtothesewires They areonlybeingstoppedfromflyingintotheskybythem

Atrolleybus‘polesare constantlypushingupward tothesky,duetothepoles havingaspringwhich impulsesthem Thatis, unlessitmakescontact withsomethinginitsway Andthatsomethingisthe overheadwire Butontop ofservingasawaytostop poles,itisabsolutely packedwithelectricity

Justlikein1935,whenSanFranciscowasinstallingitsfirst trolleybusoverheadwires,theyhadtoleaveforafewdaystofill thewireswithelectricity.

Thissameprocedureisusedtoday.Thewiresareinstalled,then filledwithelectricity,whichthetrolleybusgrabstopoweritsown motor,NOTbattery.Manypeoplethinkthesetrolleybuseshavea battery.Inreality,itdoesnotneedonetocreatepowerthrougha battery Itcreatesitsownpower,usingtheoverheadwires Moderntrolleybusesareactuallyequippedwithbatteries,though Buttheyarealsochargedbytheelectricityprovidedbythe overheadwires,andtheyaren‘tasreliableasacar‘s Theycanonly provideenoughpowertomoveatrolleybusforuptotwomiles

2017-ThePresentandReturnofNewFlyer

Munihadfortunatelypreparedback-upplans

Theyknewsomethingwouldgowrongsoon,and sincetheSkoda15TrSF’sseemedtobetheones withmostmalfunctions,theydecidedtohavea new,moreefficientmodelwaitingtoback-upthe Skodaonceitcompletelyfailed

ThatmodelwastheNewFlyerXT60 Whenafire endedoneofthefewSkoda15TrSF’swhichwere stilloperable(upuntilthatpoint),that’swhenthe XT60rolledintotaketheplaceofSkoda15TrSF.

ThistimeMunimadeanorderfromElectric Transit,Inc Theyhadorderedthepopularmodels (whichwerenotjustpopularintheUnitedStates, butalsooutsidethecountry,suchasinEurope) Skoda14TrSFandSkoda15TrSF.

TheywerespecialmodelsbuiltspecificallyforSan Francisco,thusthereasonyouseetheinitialsfor SanFrancisco,SF,attheendofthemodel’sname Munihadordered273trolleybusesintotal 240of themwereSkoda14TrSF’s,whichwere40feet long,andtheremaining33wereSkoda15TrSF’s, whichwerethearticulatedversionsoftheSkoda 14's,cominginat60feetlong

Thesearethetrolleybusesthatpeople(including students)bornbeforetheyear2015-2016surely remember Lookattheirimages:

ThesetrolleybusreplacedNewFlyer’svehicles

SomeofNewFlyer’strolleybuseswerestillingood shapethough,sosomewereseenstillinservice Eventuallytheyweretakenawaybyage,andonly theSkodaswereleftoperatinginSanFrancisco. Unfortunately,agewasalsogaininguponthem. By2014and2015alotofmalfunctionswere reportedonthesevehicles,rangingfrombrake malfunctionstofull-onfiresbecausetheywere forcedwaytoomuchtoclimbsteephills,whichare veryrelevantinSanFrancisco

Beforetheswitchtothenextmanufacturer,itwas reportedthatinthe“goldenage”ofMuni’s trolleybusfleet,therehadbeen313operable trolleycoaches 240ofthemweretheverysame Skoda14TrSF’sthatMunihadorderedinitially,73 wereSkoda15TrSF’s,includingtheinitial33 trolleybusesandanother40trolleycoacheswhich hadbeenorderedrecently,and40NewFlyer E60'swhichhadstillsurvived

Themalfunctionskeptoncoming.Muniknewit wastimetochangeonceagain.

Most Skoda 14TrSF’s at the time were still good, with almost no reports of malfunctions Even then, eventually they began to fall as well Muni also had back-up plans ready too, though. The vehicle model that came to replace the remaining Skodas was the XT40, a standard, nonarticulated version of the XT60's.

The most recent count indicates that we have 93 New Flyer XT60's, and 185 New Flyer XT40's In total, there are 278 trolleybus models operating

WireParts

Notalloverheadwiresarethesame Therearethreetypesof wires,whichyoucanfindinSanFrancisco’soverheadwire system.

They’renamed:Switches,Crossings,andJunctions.Lookatthe tablestothesidetolearninformationaboutthesetypesofwires.

Therealsowire-addons.Lookatthetablesbelowtolearn informationaboutsomeofthemostpopularadd-onswhichare attachedtooverheadwires

Isolators

Anisolatorisa“deadzone,”inwhichnopower canbegiventothetrolleybus.Thismeansthat ifthedrivereverstopsintheisolator,theywill notbeabletomove.

Theyareshapedlikerectangles,andareoften coloredblacktomatchwiththewire. Isolatorsarepresentinswitchesandjunctions, aswellasincrossings.Canyouspotthemin thepicturesbelowofwireparts?

Rewiring Roof

These M-shaped objects placed on top of the overhead wires serve an important, time-saving purpose (for the driver).

Seeing them on the wires can indicate two things:

The driver must lower the poles and continue driving without them Another replacement for this is simply a cone

The driver must put their poles back on, if they had them off Additionally, these roofs will make this task much easier since the driver will not require much precision If the poles are placed inside the roof, they will automatically slide onto the wires.

Switches

Thesepartsareoneof,ifnot,themost importantwirepartsinanyoverheadwire system

They’reresponsibleforswitchingthepolesof atrolleybustooneoftwodirections:leftor right.

Therearemanywaysitcandothis.InSan Francisco,thetrolleybusisequippedwitha leverinsidethedriver’scabin Thedrivercan pullthelevertoemitapositivesignal,neutral signal,ornegativesignal.

Ifthedriverpullstheleverforward,theyemit apositivesignal.Iftheydon’tpullit,theysend nosignals,oranegativeone.Finally,ifthe leverispulledbackward,thenanegativesignal isemitted

Positivesignalstellswitchestoswitchleft. Negativesignalstellswitchestoswitchright.

Crossings

Crossingsareusedtoallowfourseparate overheadwires(comingfromtwodifferent directions)tocrosseachotherwithouthaving thepolesfallofthewire.Whenpolespass through,theyareincapableofprovidingpower tothetrolleybus.It’sthereasonwhy,when ridingatrolleybus,thevehicleyou’reinmay randomlystopacceleratingsuddenly,andnot becausethedriverreleasedtheacceleration pedal,butratherbecausethepowercutoff. Thiscanalsohappenintrams,especiallyin oldermodels.

Junctions Ajunction,howthenameimplies,isapoint wheretwothingsjoinintoone Introlleybus overheadwires,itiswhenfourseparate overheadwiresjoinandmergeintojusttwo Theyareverysimilartoswitchesinappearance

Atrolleybusoverheadwire crossingwithatramsoverhead wire

Thistrolleybusdriverusesa RewiringRooftoplacehispolesup

Challenge Day from a Parent’s Perspective

written by Dana Rothermel/photos by Dana Rothermel

Parents, I’m not sure if you ’ ve had the same experience as me after Challenge Day, but when I asked my daughter about it, I got very few details Fortunately, I was able to volunteer for our Challenge Day, and I know its impact on me will be long lasting

On August 28th, TECA had our first Challenge Day for the 8th graders. This day-long event was organized by our Wellness Team, and run by the outside organziation, Challenge Day. The intent behind the event is to make connections, find commonalities, better understand each other, and ultimately build a stronger school community

The day started with a lot of cheering and welcoming, making students feel comfortable “I was shocked when people were cheering us on because I’m not really used to it It made me feel happy I was happy because people were cheering us on for just coming in,” said student JR

After the introduction, small groups were formed. These random groups, facilitated by volunteers, built on to the work down in whole groups “Being in a small group felt nice, but also strange. One of the people I’ve never even talked to before,” said LC.

There were may different activities, but one of the most impactful was “Cross the Line.” This is where students literally crossed a line if they connected to a topic, for example, I love music or I like myself “When they all crossed the line, we got to know them by the things they suffer from ” Students agreed this was the most impactful part of the day. “It made me understand certain behaviors of other people better,” said JP “‘Crossing the line’ was everyone ’ s most impactful moment because it helped a lot of people confront painful memories,” said CD.

While the details remain confidential, the event was powerful and had a clear impact on relationships in the 8th grade. I look forward to it next year!

Comics!!!

By: Adriana Velasco

BY:TODD

BREAKINGNEWS

SURVIVOR: PATTYPATRICIA OPENSUP ABOUTTODD ENCOUNTER

HEREANDBLOODTHIRSTY

THE ARMY, AIR FORCE, MARINES, NATIONAL GUARD AND THE SECRET SERVICE CAN'T CAPTURE HIM TODD IS VIOLENT, YOU MUSTRUNTHEOTHERWAYIFYOUSEEHIM.HEWILLPOKEYOU TO DEATH AND STARE AT YOU WHILST YOU SLEEP. HE IS BLOODTHIRSTY.HEHASALREADYKILLED333CHILDRENAND3333 ADULTS TODDKNOWS438WAYSTOKILLSOMEONE 127OFTHEM INVOLVEHIMBLOWINGYOUUP.HEISFASTERTHENTHESPEED OFLIGHT.IFYOUSTAREHIMINTHEEYESYOUWILLTURNINTOA FOOT.BEWARE.HEISWATCHINGYOU.RUNTODDWILLCOMEFOR YOU.HEISWANTEDIN72STATES.HEISABOUTTHESIZEOFYOUR HAND. HE CAN SELF DESTRUCT. HE IS IMMORTAL AND CAN SUMMONFLIESTOEATYOUALIVE.IFYOUSEEHIMACCEPTYOUR FATEANDOFFERHIMCHICKENNUGGETSSOHECANMAKEYOUR DEATHSWIFT.IFYOUDON'THEWILLTORTUREYOUBEFOREYOU DIE.DOINGTHECHICKENDANCEWILLWARDHIMOFFFORABIT BUTYOURDEATHISIMMINENT.HEISBULLETPROOFANDCAN DEFLECTPUNCHESHEEATSKNIVESBESCAREDBAIIIIII<3

Q: HOW DID YOU ESCAPE?

PP:IDIDTHECHICKEN DANCEWHILERUNNING AWAY.

Q:WHATWASITLIKE?

PP: IT WAS SUPER SCARY, HE KEPT ON SHOOTING ME WITH HIS EYEBALLS AND HE HAS 13 GUNS. IT WAS TERRIFYINGANDIWILL NEVERRECOVER

WE ADVISE CITIZENS FROM THE U. S. TO CHINA TO LOCK YOUR DOORS. TODD CAN FIND YOU WITH HIS KEEN SENSE OF SMELL. THIS IS HIS REVENGE FOR BEING LICKED AT NATIONAL PARKS. TODD HAS NO WEAKNESS.

"FEAR TODD MORE THAN COVID-19" SAID A WITNESS OF A TODD MURDER, PATTY PATRICIA. OH, AND HE CAN RUN ON WATER

Short Stories, Book Reviews & More!!!

Short Stories

In the Short Stories section of The Book Nook, this is were you can check out some student original stories.

The writers in this section include:

Amelia Crothers

Liz Jade Chavez

Adriana Velasco

Dayana May-Martinez

Julie Rodriguez

Student Stories this Issue:

The Story Traveler By Adriana Velasco: Pg.37-43

Book Reviews

The book review section of The Book Nook, readers review and recommend books to other students.

Books being reviewed in this issue:

The Percy Jackson Universe

A Good Girls Guide to Murder

Lunar Chronicles

Prisoner B- 3087

The Inheritance Games

The Land of Stories

Hunger Games

Wonder Cat Kyuu-Chan

La Llorona

With Julie - Pg. 44

Wonder Cat Kyuu Chan: Pg. 35 & 36

With Snack Girl/Abril Morales

PERCY JACKSON UNIVERSE REVIEW

BY Liz Jade Chavez

The Percy Jackson series, the leading sequel, and in total the universe of those books are great and amazingly written. If you like adventure, romance, mythology, wars, gods, heartbreak, hardship, growth and character development, humor, magic, powers, etc., then I suggest you read Percy Jackson and the Olympians, which is about Percy Jackson, a demigod who has no choice but to accept quests from the Greek gods in hopes of not putting the world to end by the great war that has yet to come. This shall lead you to read The Hero of Olympians, the sequel series with 9 characters' perspectives in hopes of stopping a war between camps.

Next is The Trials of Apollo, which takes place after the heroes of the Olympians. This story is about the sun god turning into a human because of Zeus. Now he must free five oracles and defeat his biggest enemy to become his godly self again which takes on amazing character devolvement. And I say is quite underrated along with the Krane Chronicles, and the threebook story Magnues Chase which are great books that make you forget what’s going on in the outside world and make you feel their story which is quite entertaining which is why it just got me lost in their books. So may I just say Rick Riordan is such a great author and personally my favorite with new books he added like The Sun and the Star and his new book coming out on September 26 plus with the Percy Jackson series coming to Disney as a TV show series. this is I highly recommend you to give it a shot and read one of his books because gods are amazing.

A GOOD GIRL’S GUIDE TO MURDER SERIES REVIEW

BY LIZ JADE CHAVEZ

A Good Girl’s Guide to Murder is a great series and has quite a plot twister that will get you guessing and thinking about who’s the true killer and what motives they could have The first book is about Pip FitzAmobi trying to figure out the truth of the case of a girl named Andie Bell a homicide murdered by her boyfriend Sal Singh But something doesn’t seem right and with the help of Ravi Singh the brother of Sal Singh, they shall seek the truth of this closed case Do you think they can figure it out? Will she be able to figure out the actual killers of this story with her partner in crime Ravi Singh?

The second book is about her friend randomly going missing with no police to help out she has no choice but to figure it out on her own yet again with the help of Ravi Singh The next is about a Mysterious killer on the loose who was supposed to be in jail and targeting none other than Pip with no police to help her Even after everything she must figure out the killer before they kill her a girl who wants to get away from this unhealthy obsession with cases and discoveries of more of her town’s darkest secrets.

In conclusion, these books are just intriguing and inducing storytelling especially if you have a liking to the murder mysteries genre, so I suggest you at least give it a shot from Holly Jackson’s beautiful book series or any other of her books. Do you think she'll survive the traumatic cases of Sal Singh and Andiebell, her friend Jamie Reynoldson going missing on their memorial of 6 years of being dead, and a killer out to get her?

Prisoner B-3087 Book Review

By: Dayana May- Martinez

Prisoner B-3087 is a book about a Jewish boy named Yanek Gruener who was living in Poland when the Nazis invaded in the 1930s, World War II. He and his family were not allowed to do things that other families could Eventually all his loved ones get taken away by the Nazis to a concentration camp. Soon after, Yanek gets taken, too. When he was there he got a tattoo, it stated “Prisoner B3087” He was locked up like if he was a criminal when he was completely innocent. The Nazis continued moving him from Concentration Camp to Concentration Camp. To get there, they would either have to walk several miles or take trains where they were all squished together. The prisoners would go days with scarce water and food. Will Yanek be able to survive through all the hardships he must face? Will he make it through the life threatening situations the Nazis put him through?

Prisoner B-3087 was an extremely sad book that talks about a very hard time for the Jewish community. However, it was well written and I still enjoyed reading it. Alan Gratz (the author) made this book based on a true story by Ruth and Jack Gruener who experienced lots of similar and or the same situations as Yanek Gruener. The book was engrossing and I hope anyone who decides to read it enjoys it as much as I did. Reading this book was surprising and more heart touching since it is written in the perspective of a boy who was taken away by the Nazis at age of 10. He was terrified since all he was thinking of was having fun at school with his friends, but instead he had to spend years in concentration camps mostly alone, trying to survive. Overall this book was really attention grabbing and entertaining, I would recommend it.

Maturity Rate: 11-12+

Genre: Historical/Biographical fiction

Author: Alan Gratz

Prisoner B-3087 Reseña de Libro

Por: Dayana May- Martinez

Prisoner B-3087 es un libro sobre un niño judío llamado Yanek Gruener que vivía en Polonia cuando los nazis invadieron en la década de 1930, en la Segunda Guerra Mundial A él y a su familia no se les permitía hacer cosas que otras familias podían hacer. Finalmente, los nazis se llevan a todos sus seres queridos a un campo de concentración. Poco después, también se llevan a Yanek Cuando estuvo allí, se hizo un tatuaje que decía “Prisionero B-3087”. Lo encerraron como si fuera un criminal cuando era completamente inocente. Los nazis continuaron trasladándose de campo de concentración en campo de concentración Para llegar allí, tendrían que caminar varios kilómetros o tomar trenes donde quedarían todos aplastados. Los prisioneros pasaban días con escasez de agua y comida. ¿Podrá Yanek sobrevivir a todas las dificultades que deberá afrontar? ¿Podrá superar las situaciones que amenazan su vida por las que le hicieron pasar los Nanzi?

Prisionero B-3087 fue un libro extremadamente triste que habla de un momento muy difícil para la comunidad judía. Sin embargo, estaba bien escrito y todavía disfruté leyéndolo. Alan Gratz (el autor) hizo este libro basado en una historia real de Ruth y Jack Gruener, quienes experimentaron muchas situaciones similares o iguales a las de Yanek Gruener. El libro fue apasionante y espero que cualquiera que decida leerlo lo disfrute tanto como yo. Leer este libro fue sorprendente y más conmovedor ya que está escrito desde la perspectiva de un niño que fue secuestrado por los nazis cuando tenía 10 años. Estaba aterrorizado ya que lo único que pensaba era en divertirse en la escuela con sus amigos, pero en cambio, tuvo que pasar años en campos de concentración, mayormente solo, tratando de sobrevivir. En general, este libro llamó mucho la atención y fue entretenido, lo recomendaría.

Tasa de madurez: 11-12+

Género: Ficción histórica/biográfica

Autor: Alan Gratz

THE INHERITANCE GAMES BOOK REVIEW

The Inheritance Games by Jennifer Lynn Barnes is a book where Avery Kylie Grambs was just a regular high school student with a plan for a better life One day she is told that the late billionaire, Tobias Hawthorne, had mentioned her in his will At the will reading, Tobias Hawthorne disinherited his family and gave Avery virtually his entire fortune Some of the members of the Hawthorne family think that Avery planned it while one of the four Hawthorne grandson’s think that it was a puzzle left by his grandfather

This book was very suspenseful I liked all the mysteries and secrets. However, I wish I knew the answer to them all sooner It was really entertaining and the chapters always ended with a surprise There were a lot of surprises and I really liked this book

If you like books with twists, thrills and suspense, I would definitely recommend The Inheritance Games and I would check out the other books in the series as well

EN JUEGO RESENA DE LIBRO

The Inheritance Games de Jennifer Lynn

Barnes es un libro en el que Avery Kylie Grambs era solo una estudiante normal de secundaria con un plan para una vida mejor Un día le dicen que el difunto multimillonario Tobias Hawthorne la había mencionado en su testamento En la lectura del testamento, Tobias Hawthorne desheredó a su familia y le dio a Avery prácticamente toda su fortuna. Algunos de los miembros de la familia Hawthorne piensan que Avery lo planeó, mientras que uno de los cuatro nietos de Hawthorne piensa que fue un rompecabezas dejado por su abuelo

Este libro fue muy suspenso Me gustaron todos los misterios y secretos Sin embargo, desearía saber la respuesta a todas ellas antes Fue realmente entretenido y los capítulos siempre terminaban con una sorpresa Hubo muchas sorpresas y realmente me gustó este libro

Si te gustan los libros con giros, emoción y suspenso, definitivamente recomendaría The Inheritance Games y también revisará los otros libros de la serie

The Land Of Stories Series Review

By Adriana Velasco

The Land of Stories is a series written by author Chris Colfer. It is about twins Alex and Connor and their voyage into a fairytale world. They were given a fairytale storybook from their grandmother for their birthday. Soon they find out that it is a portal to a world where the fairytales are merged into one world, one story, The Land of Stories. After falling into the book they make unexpected friends like Froggy and Goldilocks. They travel through

the

kingdoms trying to find a way

back

to their world. The series consists of their exciting adventures in the Land of Stories. If you love fairy tales, fantasy, adventure and magic, I would definitely recommend it. The series is amazing and I would say it is good for ages 7 and up. If this sounds interesting, the library has the series for you to check it out!

Reseña de la serie La tierra de las historias Por

Adriana Velasco

La tierra de las historias es una serie escrita por el actor Chris Colfer. Se trata de los gemelos Alex y Connor y su viaje a un mundo de cuento de hadas. Para su cumpleaños, su abuela les regaló un libro de cuentos de hadas. Pronto descubren que es un portal a un mundo donde los cuentos de hadas se fusionan en un mundo, una historia, La Tierra de las Historias. Después de caer en el libro, hacen amigos inesperados como Froggy y Ricitos de Oro. Viajan por los reinos tratando de encontrar un camino de regreso a su mundo. La serie consta de sus emocionantes aventuras en la Tierra de las Historias. Si te encantan los cuentos de hadas, la fantasía, la aventura y la magia, definitivamente te lo recomendaría. La serie es increíble y yo diría que es buena para mayores de 7 años. Si esto te parece interesante, ¡la biblioteca tiene la serie para que puedas verla!

The Hunger Games Series REVIEW

By Adriana Velasco

The Hunger Games is a trilogy written by Suzanne Collins. The series is set in the dystopian world of Panem. There are 12 districts which Capitol controls, the districts are poor and have to supply the capitol with stuff like coal and weapons. Each child living there from the ages 12 through 18 sends their names once every year to get put in a bowl. Every year two children from each district (one male one female) get chosen to go to the Capitol and fight to the death in an arena for the entertainment of its citizens. It is a way to show their power over the districts and triumph in the war. When Katniss’s younger sister, Primrose gets reaped to be the female tribute from district 12, Katniss volunteers to take her sister's place in the arena. She must fight and kill to survive and get back to her family. The series is very exciting and you will be itching to read the next installment. The plot is rich and the characters are well written. Suzanne Collins did such an amazing job building the world of Panem. It is an engrossing dystopian science fiction. Some trigger warnings are death, alcohol, hallucinations, loss of family, kidnapping and war. I would say that the age rating is 12+. If you enjoyed reading the series there is a prequel, The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes which is written from the perspective of President Snow. If these book interest you our library here has copies so you can check them out!

Por Adriana Velasco

RESEÑA de la serie Los juegos del hambre

Los juegos del hambre es una trilogía escrita por Suzanne Collins. La serie está ambientada en el mundo distópico de Panem. Hay 12 distritos que controla el Capitolio, los distritos son pobres y tienen que suministrar al Capitolio cosas como carbón y armas. Cada niño que vive allí, entre 12 y 18 años, envía sus nombres una vez al año para que los pongan en un recipiente. Cada año, se elige a dos niños de cada distrito (un hombre y una mujer) para ir al Capitolio y luchar hasta la muerte en una arena para el entretenimiento de sus ciudadanos. Es una forma de mostrar su poder sobre los distritos y triunfar en la guerra. Cuando la hermana menor de Katniss, Primrose, es elegida para ser el tributo femenino del distrito 12, Katniss se ofrece como voluntaria para ocupar el lugar de su hermana en la arena. Debe luchar y matar para sobrevivir y volver con su familia. La serie es muy emocionante y querrás leer la próxima entrega. La trama es rica y los personajes están bien escritos. Suzanne Collins hizo un trabajo increíble al construir el mundo de Panem. Es una ciencia ficción distópica fascinante. Algunas advertencias desencadenantes son la muerte, el alcohol, las alucinaciones, la pérdida de la familia, el secuestro y la guerra. Yo diría que la clasificación por edades es 12+. Si disfrutó leyendo la serie, hay una precuela, La balada de pájaros cantores y serpientes, escrita desde la perspectiva del presidente Snow. Si estos libros le interesan, nuestra biblioteca aquí tiene copias para que pueda consultarlos.

Manga book Review with

Snack girl <TheSnackgirlis AbrilMorales>

Candy 1. Wonder Cat Kyuu-Chan:

This story is about a friendship between a young man named Hinata and a cat that he adopted from the streets which he named Kyuu-Chan. His story starts with Hinata taking a walk and he finds Kyuu-Chan in a box that says, “Pleaze take me home.”

Hinata quickly called a taxi and took the cat to his house. As the day passed, Hinata noticed that his cat wasn’t like a normal cat, he was

a WONDER CAT!!!

If you want to find out why Kyuu-Chan is a Wonder Cat, then read the book Wonder Cat Kyuu-Chan.

Why I recommend this manga book

I recommend this book because it is super adorable and it’s full of cat wonders. This book is super adorable not only for the plot, but it’s also adorable because of the characters. I recommend that you read this book if you want to see what Kyuu-Chan brings up.

The Lunar The Lunar Chronicles Chronicles rreview eview

The Lunar Chronicles is a great series written by Merissa Meyer turning fairy tales into science fiction dystopian books. These amazingly written books contain hardship, preservation, bravery, romance, courage, a rollercoaster of unexpected things, new characters, and a queen of the moon trying to conquer the earth with her powerful army.

BY LIZ BY LIZJADE

JADE CHAVEZ CHAVEZ

The main characters are Cinder who is secretly supposed to be dead and now a cyborg mechanic who lives in a dystopian city of Beijing with stepsisters, Scarlet a girl who just wants to live peacefully with her grandmother on a farm, Cress a girl stuck in a tower most of her life because of the queen and a great hacker for them. Lastly, Princess Winter is a girl admired for her grace, kindness, and beauty, and a girl who is in love with her childhood friend. That has been going against her stepmother/Queen Levana’s wishes for so long with all having an important part to play to stop this war. So by working together with the help of Cinder and new friends she’s encountered including Captain Thorn, Wolf, Jacin Clay, Emperor Kai, Cress, Scarlet, and her best friend Iko, they might have the power to start a revolution to end a war that has been going on for far too long. They might have not signed up for this but it’s either that or they let the world crumble into pieces in the hands of Queen Levana’s fury on Earth. Do you think they can end her rain of power and get their happily ever after’s in the end?

STORY TRAVELER

By Adriana Velasco

Flashes of colors filled the room. Objects of every shape and color flew around in my wake. Where is it? I frantically looked in every crevice, nook and corner I could find. My hands flew across the room, searching. I felt around, desperately wanting to find the smooth surface of the jar. I couldn’t seem to remember where I left it. After all the worlds, the stories, memories blurred together. Some faint, some vivid and some I was not sure whether I had dreamt of them or not. I had to get out of here before they caught me again. I had turned the room upside down yet it still hadn’t turned up. I sat in the middle of the room, frustrated and defeated. I took a deep breath. Where is it? I seemed to have asked for the millionth time. I tried and tried to remember but it's no use, my brain refused.

I need to take a break. I've been at this for who knows how long? I stood and walked towards the cottage door. My hand closed around the brass door-knob and I pushed the door open. It let out a high pitched creek as it swung. As I stepped outside the warm and welcoming sun hit my skin. I made my way towards the lake and sat on the dirt. The trees around me provided a kind shade. The birds and crickets serenaded with the most beautiful of songs I let myself close my eyes and enjoy the music. The animals sang a bittersweet tune. Calm moments like these were so hard to come by now. Nowadays I am on high alert all the time. When my eyes finally peeled open I gazed at the water It was co clean and shiny I stared at my reflection, what I saw was a girl with dark skin and curly, short black hair. Of course I could be anyone or anything. I am a shapeshifter. A handy trick for my chosen career path. Running away from the law But they always found me

I dipped my fingers into the water. It was cool against the skin of my fingertips. This world was like many others I had seen before. But the story is the true difference. No matter how similar the worlds may be, it is the stories, the people that made them special I had traveled to many worlds, dystopian from magical. Every genre of story from mystery to fairytales. That happened to be what I was in right now, a fairytale. Hansel and Gretel to be specific. The forest here was one of the most beautiful and secluded I had seen. I had come here to hide when they found me again.

“They” being the story-watchers. I was a story traveler. Few people do it or know of it. It's because people say it is dangerous. The story-watchers make sure people stay in their world and their story. But I love watching stories play out. Traveling to the books I have read and meeting the characters, seeing the sights and experiencing the spectacles.

It's so much better than movies Why is it so bad? This is how I have chosen to live my life, reading books and traveling to their worlds, it was wonderful. It was exciting and brought me joy beyond words seeing all of my favorite books actually playing out before me. It was the happiness that I wish others could have. I had formed friendships and learned so much. Being deemed a fugitive was a small price to pay for it.

In my world, my story, I was an outcast, I had no place, No job and no destiny. All I had were stories. And now with the jar, I could actually visit them! But I couldn’t find the jar and the story-watchers are bound to find me. Last time it took me a month to lose them. It wouldn't be long until they found my hiding spot. No matter how many times I shifted to someone else, they would always find me. So now I just use my actual face because what's the point of hiding now? My mind snapped back to my problem at hand. I had to find that jar.

I stood once more and swiveled to face the cottage and started walking. Find that jar Edith. I told myself I walked up the steps on the porch and swung the front door open. The house was a mess, every room scoured during the time I scavenged for the jar. I moved about the threshold doing a once over before I started digging in again.

I looked around the den, kitchen and bedroom, nothing. I walked to the center of the house and did a full 360°. Something caught my eye. Something shiny in the kitchen. I stalked towards it. Between the floor and stove there was a crack. It was small and my hand wouldn’t be able to fit in. I lowered my body to the floor until I lay on my stomach.

I squinted to see inside. There was something purple and shiny, the jar. The space was about two fingers wide. And inside lay the jar. How did it get there? I looked up. It must have rolled off the countertop and landed there. There was only one way to get it out.

I sat cross legged and straightened my spine. My eyes shut as I envisioned what I wanted to be. Mouse. I thought. WOOSH. I opened my eyes and I was down on the floor again but this time as a mouse. There was the smallest space that I had to get into to lodge the jar out. I crawled over on my tiny mouse feet. I wedged myself in there, half of my body in and half out. I pushed against the jar with my tiny hands and it moved ever so slightly and let out an exhale. Being a mouse had its perks. Strength was not one of them.

I kept on pushing with all my might and it moved a little more. This tired me quickly, I was panting and in need of water. I crawled back out and shifted back to my normal form. The gap was now slightly wider I used my pinkie finger to move it out but the surface was too smooth and it slipped out of my grasp.

I had to shrink down again. I closed my eyes and when I opened them I was a mouse again. I scurried over to the jar and wedged myself in the gap I pushed the jar again It moved once more,

I kept on pushing and pushing until POP! The bottom of the jar had popped out of the crevice. I scuttled out and shifted back to my normal form.

It was out enough for me to grab it. I pulled it out. It was about as thick as my thumb and as long as my middle finger. Inside it held a glossy liquid that was many shades of purple. That liquid was the substance my life relied on. How I stayed away from the story-watchers. That liquid was how I traveled through books.

A wave of relief washed over me. My heart beat slowed. It wasn’t doomed, I could escape. A grin stretched across my face. I reached up to the countertop. My hand grabbed my water pouch. I took a few sips of the refreshing water. The jar was safe with me again, what a relief. Now I just had to decide where I would venture next.

A rapping on the front door snapped me out of my thoughts. My stomach tied into knots. They had found me I shoved the jar into my pants pocket and tossed the pouch onto the ground

Cautiously tiptoed over the window next to the door. I slightly moved the curtain and peered out the window. There stood a little boy and girl. The girl wore a yellow sun dress, her hair was chestnut colored and a pink bow was daintily tied in it. The boy had the same hair but he wore a white button up shirt with suspenders and beige trousers. Hansel and Gretel. They shouldn’t be here, that's not how the story goes. I had to set it back on track, to the proper storyline. I took a moment to think, they must have found this cottage instead of the house of the witch.

I didn’t make a move for the door. They would leave eventually right? They were bound to tire of knocking and waiting. Then the knob turned. My heart sank. I left the door unlocked, I remembered. I retreated into the bedroom to hide. What should I do? What should I do? What should I do? That was the only thing raging in my mind. Without thinking I shifted into a small woman in an eyelet dress. I walked out of the room to see the children in the kitchen. After a beat, their eyes made their way to meet mine. I greeted them with a scowl.

“Shame on you children! Breaking into a poor woman's cottage!” I exclaimed. I hoped my tone conveyed more anger and annoyance than I felt.

Hansel and Gretel ducked their heads and stared at the floor.

“We are sorry ma’am. We got lost in the woods and stumbled across this cottage. We hoped to find help”. Hansel confessed.

I felt bad for these children, truly I did. But I had to send them to the witch’s house for the sake of their story. And so I wouldn't get caught.

“Well you won't find help here,” I said “I have too many problems as it is”. And gestured around at the house which was a complete mess.

“Please ma’am, we desperately need help”. Gretel pleaded, looking up at me with her big round doe eyes. I wanted to help, but the only way I could was to correct the storyline. I would have to fool these children.

“I know a place you can go”. I sighed. “A… acquaintance lives north of here, she has much more food than I can provide for you. She will help you. It's a big colorful house, you can't miss it”. The children's eyes lit up with hope. I bit my cheek. This is what I need to do to help them. I told myself.

“Oh thank you ma’am! We are so gracious for your help”. Gretel thanked me.

“Well hurry on, you must catch her before her nap”. I told the children, shooing them off. The siblings scurried to the door and left, but not before they could wave goodbye. They hurried north with haste. And I watched them from the window. They’ll be ok, their story is back on track. I told myself. I picked up my water pouch and shimmied over to a rocking chair in the den and took a seat. I shifted back to my normal body. I couldn’t help feeling at least a little guilty for sending those darling children off.

But harming the storyline came at a great cost for the characters and myself. My hand traveled to my pocket and pulled out the jar. Where to next? I asked myself, taking another sip of water. There were so many stories to choose from. I could travel to one I had seen before and visit old friends, or I could go somewhere new.

Thoughts merged in my mind as I considered. Centering my mind again I remembered how I would need to find a library in order to travel. I rose from my seat and grabbed my satchel from the floor. I shoved my water pouch in there. Trying to remember my voyage to this cottage, what I had seen. It took me a moment to recall but then it hit me. I was certain there was a town up the river that would be my best shot at finding a library. I scanned the room for anything I might want to take on my next journey. A memento perhaps. Money would be of no use, each story had unique currency. My gaze fell to a smooth stone I had found earlier. It was small and blue That would be perfect I grabbed it and turned to walk to the door Turning the knob, I pushed open the door and ventured outside. I got to the river and took the opportunity to fill my water pouch. I walked along the riverbank admiring the scenery. The trees swayed in the soft breeze, the light shone through the leaves, constantly flickering, the river trickled down, the various plant species I even saw a jackalope. I walked slowly upstream and saw fish swimming around in the water. After several miles, the forest started to clear, less trees and it got hotter without them to provide shade. Finally I got to a cluster of small houses. They were all of similar build but the color was where they differed. Some were yellow with purple polka dots, blue and orange stripes and some looked like an abstract painting. For a small town, the houses were loud. The sun beat down on me, I felt a bead of sweat trailing down my neck. Very few people were out of their homes, there was an old woman washing clothes, a little boy was bouncing a ball against the wall and there was a tired looking man sitting on the shade of his front porch, staring off into space.

After a bit more walking I got to a group of stores. There was a general store, a market, a cafe, clothing store, pet store and a library. Excitement crawled up my spine. I sauntered my way over there. I peered through the windows. The space was small and there were very few, old and rickety shelves and scarce amounts of books on the shelves. Not much variety I thought to myself. I turned the knob and the door swung inwards. There was a musty carpet on the floor. The flowered wallpaper was peeling. The room smelled strongly of cinnamon, there was an old librarian. He was sitting on a rocking chair behind the counter reading a newspaper.

I wasn't even sure that he had noticed me entering. I ignored him and went to a particularly rickety shelf. I reached for a wobbly book, Narnia. I had read it before, it was an option. I reached for another book, Anne of Green Gables, I had heard of it, never read it though. Frankenstein, a classic. And then Alice in Wonderland. I loved that fairytale.

I heard the door open again, I didn’t mind it and continued my search, Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone. I was reaching for another book when I suddenly felt a hand on my shoulder. A cold shiver ran down my spine. I turned my head to face who was behind me. The familiar white, black and navy story-watcher uniform greeted me.

“You are under arrest, no running.” Said the man. His dusty blonde hair was shaved close to his head. He held a police baton in his other hand.

Cautiously, I placed the books on the shelf. The old man behind the counter had lowered his paper and stared at us. He seemed confused but not concerned about the arrest. I slowly turned and held out my wrists, preparing to be cuffed. The story-watcher dug in his pocket looking for them. I took advantage of the moment and grabbed one of the books and kicked him in the stomach. I made a beeline for the door, shoving the book into my satchel.

The story-watcher yelled at me to stop. But I kept running, making it out the door. Outside I was greeted by two other story-watchers. They held pouches full of dust, sleeping dust. I held my hands up high. The story-watcher from the store walked out and began to cuff me. Then he walked me to the other story-watchers. A brown-haired woman on my right confiscated my satchel. My mind began to form a plan to escape. If I hit one of them, I would surely be greeted with sleeping dust to the face. I would have to hold my breath. The man locked the cuffs around my wrists and led me in the direction of the woods. I walked a few feet before I took a deep breath and kicked the storywatcher on my left in the shins. The brunette story-watcher threw her dust bag on the floor. A puff of dust engulfed me. I paid it no attention and lunged at the brown haired woman. She hit me in the stomach with her foot, knocking the wind out of me and trusting me back into the cloud of dust. I did my best not to breathe any in. Although I'm sure at least a little got into my lungs because I started to feel a little slow. At the full dose I would be out cold. All Three of my captors surrounded me but didn't dare go too close to the puff of dust. I looked around, It was hard to define who was who through the dust.

My lungs started to burn, begging for air, eyes stinging from the dust. I panicked and ran to the nearest figure. I toppled over a blonde haired woman. Throwing her to the floor, her head hit the floor so hard she passed out. To the left stood the brown-haired woman, grasping my satchel in one hand. She had a police baton in the other.

Simultaneously, we tackled each other. She hit me with the baton in the arm. She prepared for another swing but grabbed the stick in my hands, stopping her from delivering another blow. The male story-watcher from the library lunged at me. I released the police baton and stumbled back and he ended up ramming into the brunette girl. I looked over my shoulder and the blonde woman was regaining consciousness.

Panicking, I grabbed the satchel from the brunette woman, tugging it as hard as I could. It slipped out of her grasp.

Without wasting a second I turned on my heel and ran straight ahead as fast as I could, my arms cuffed in front of me. The other people in the town stood watching as I ran away from a bunch of story-watchers.

I ran as fast as I could to the woods. I heard footsteps behind me, I didn’t look back. The footfalls followed me after every turn. I was panting and sweaty. The heat of the sun was no help and I started feeling parched, my legs like boiled spaghetti. I dared to take a glance behind and was greeted with the image of some very pissed story-watchers. I looked around to see if there was anything I could use to lose them. My cuffs were still on my hands. I needed them off if I were to climb up a tree. I looked for something hard to bash them against and hopefully break them on. All the rocks were much too small to bang the cuffs against.

I was getting tired and the story-watchers were gaining on me. I couldn't shapeshift. The cuffs dampened my powers. I could just travel into the book and find out how to take the cuffs off later.

It seemed to be my only option. I dug into my satchel. Alice in Wonderland. That was the book I had grabbed. I would be traveling to Lewis Caroll’s wacky world of Wonderland. I had to make a stop to set this up. I could try to knock the story-watchers out. That would take a lot of effort but it seemed to be my only option. I scoured the ground and found a decently thick stick. I picked it up and turned to face them. They didn't stop running until they reached me. I held the stick like a sword.

The blonde woman still had some sleeping powder. I could try to take it and throw it at them. Once again I took a deep breath and hit the pouch of dust out of the hand of the blonde woman with the stick. When it fell to the ground the pouch burst, sending the dust flying everywhere.

The story-watchers started coughing and fell to the ground, instants after they inhaled the powder. I swatted the dust away with my hands, trying not to inhale it.

I stepped back, far enough for the dust not to reach me.

I would have to act fast, sleeping powder does not last long. I looked at my cuffed hands, the story-watchers would have to have the key.

I impatiently waited for the dust to clear and crept towards them. I checked their pockets but nothing. I nudged the man with my foot and I saw that around his neck there was a chain, and on it, a key. My hands reached for it. I inserted the tip of it into the cuff keyhole and turned it. Click. My cuffs popped off.

Once free, I grabbed the jar from my pocket. I stood and walked towards a big tree. I sat behind it and laid out the things I would need. The book, the jar, matches and a pile of leaves. I opened the book to the first page and lit the leaves with a match. This would burn the book after I left so they wouldn’t know where I traveled to. It was fun to make their job harder. I picked up the jar and took a moment to stare at the shifting liquid inside. It reminded me of a starry night sky. I popped off the cork and dropped a tiny bit of the liquid onto the page. Slowly the words started merging together and swirling around the drop. They continued swirling until they had merged completely into a spiral of purple, a portal. I stuck my hand through it, trying to make sense of where exactly I would land.

As soon as my hand passed through the portal I felt dewy grass. I brought my hand back and wiped the water off on my pants. The fire started approaching the book.

Time to go on another adventure. I told myself. I slid my feet in first, they fell onto the grass then I stood. Then I lowered the rest of my body through the portal. I stumbled onto the grass and saw the portal close above me. I looked around and there was a riverbank a few feet from me.

I saw a girl reading a book up in a tree, Alice. I was in England, before Alice fell down the rabbit hole. I fell onto my back and took a deep breath. It was time for a new adventure.

Tiempo de Cuentos

by Julie English español

La Llorona

It is a legend about a beautiful woman who had two children. Her husband mistreated her. Then one day she disappeared. She decided to take her children to a lake, where she drowned them and then reacted, but it was too late. When she returned home, her husband arrived and beat her because she drowned their kids. he lost her mind from the beatings she got from her husband, and then she went out every night looking for her children.she go to every lake to find them for the cold and the pain and mentol health she died. They say that she could be heard looking for her children. People who have seen her say that she is a woman in white who floats and screams looking for her children.

La Llorona

Es una leyenda, donde se cuenta que era una mujer muy bonita, el cual tenia dos hijos, su esposo la maltrataba y un dia se desespero, toma la desicion de llevar a sus hijos a un lago, ahi ella los ahogo y despues reacciono, pero fue demasiado tarde. Al regresar a su casa el esposo llego y la golpeo, entonces ella de los golpes quedo mal de la mente, el cual toda las noches sale buscando a sus hijos, y de tanto bagar en las calles fallecio y a un dicen que se escucha buscando a sus hijos, las personas que la han visto dicen que es una mujer de blanco que flota y que grita buscando a sus hijos.