Camp Fire 2018

CABIN

CAMP FIRE WRITING CAMPS 2018

CAMP FIRE WRITING CAMPS 2018

CAMP FIRE WRITING CAMPS 2018

This is a Log Cabin Book, an imprint of THE CABIN 801 South Capitol Boulevard, Boise, Idaho 83702 (208) 331-8000 www.thecabinidaho.org (c) 2018 The Cabin All rights reserved.

Book design by Jocelyn Robertson Printed and bound in the USA in an edition of 250 copies.

Writing Camps and publication of CAMP FIRE are made possible by generous support from: The City of Boise, Idaho Commission on the Arts, National Endowment for the Arts, Amberjack Publishing and the Idaho Community Foundation.

CONTENTS Introduction • 1 IMAGINATION TREE • 5 FROZEN TIDES • 31 LONELY HOUSE • 59 MIDNIGHT DREAMS • 93 FORGOTTEN BALLOON • 125 RED SKY • 149 Teaching-Writer Biographies • 157 Acknowledgements • 161 Index • 163

INTRODUCTION Writing and summer are a perfect pair.

For young minds, both are essential to exploration.

Both are liberating and illed with ininite possibility. But what’s most exciting to see during The Cabin’s Summer Writing Camps is the dynamic connection between the two. The full Boise River rushes into the imagination, the senses are awakened by the sticky-sweet blooms in the Julia Davis rose garden, and the City of Trees buzzes to life in our poems, stories, essays, comics, and plays.

At Summer Writing Camps, great local artists reconnect to a childlike wonder, while young campers create great works of art.

In these pages, you’ll ind summer’s song—a coming together of practiced voices and those being heard for the irst time. To me, it sounds like footsteps on the mountain path, chalk on the sidewalk, the splash of cool water. And at last, I hear the roar of the mighty campire.

– Natalie Disney, Teaching-Writer

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CAMP FIRE WRITING CAMPS 2018

IMAGINATION TREE

JOURNEY

Laurelyn Ditlefsen Grade 4, Twin Falls I go up a mountain (the stairs) I cross a valley (the landing) I ind a town (my sister’s room) I go through the alley (a tiny hall to my room) I open a door to a lonesome house …

I ind a room it’s pitch black there’s a light switch to my let.

I turn it on and ind my room.

WACKY ADVENTURES Ethan Halling Grade 6, Twin Falls He plays a plane She plays a pilot They ly away He plays king She plays a queen They rule a castle He plays a Dad She plays a Mom They have a family He plays an astronaut She plays a spaceship They tour the universe

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DOLPHIN

Brynlee Warr Grade 3, Burley I prefer the cold water.

Trying to ind treasure and swimming to ind a new home when a storm comes.

Swimming around having fun where little dolphins and then we move on when we get old.

THINGS TO DO IN A KINGDOM Angela Norrod Grade 4, Boise

Shut your eyes and dream about a big, glorious kingdom ly on an alicorn, so beautiful and walk beside colorful horses to ride My kingdom is pink and turquoise enemies are eaten by a ferocious, large Venus ly trap (You’ll want to be early to a place like this) Fly on a human-sized, rainbow-colored butterly it’s a wonder! the gold sun is on your body so sunny, so warm

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THE WATER IS COLD Naomi Clysdale Grade 3, Twin Falls

When I went to McCall I stayed at a hotel with my family. I was in a summer camp. I paddle a six year old to town by myself.

The six year old’s name was Kate. Kate lipped over the paddle board on purpose over and over again. I told her to stop, then she pushed me of and she made me swim the rest of the way.

LIKE A JAGUAR IN ITS IMAGINATION TREE Ivy Halling Grade 5, Twin Falls

High in the sky leaves swirl me aloof as a cat I control the world around me.

I feel like I could come and go as I please.

Jumping twisting climbing higher in my tree. As real as it is it feels tough be my tree is special, diferent calm. It will be the jaguar tree, the tree of my imagination, sitting on the canopy.

Up high on the branches sleeping peacefully.

In my tree purring with pride. Imagination poring through its roots.

Bringing on the scent of summer, up high in my tree.

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THE BOND

Audrey Ditlefsen Grade 6, Twin Falls The trees I see tell me I’m here.

As I step out I smell the hay and feel the heat I see her the one horse I run up pet her nose feel her breath. but I have to wait irst to do some chores.

I clean the stalls.

It’s mucky and stinks, and seems like it’s taking forever I’m inally done but I still have to clean water.

I’m careful but still work fast.

Once I’m done I’m so excited.

Time to saddle up and ride.

JO AND COLE AND THE HEDGEHOG Jordan Eley Grade 3, Boise

It was a warm day. Jo and Cole were on a walk. Cole is like a cheetah. Jo is like the gazelle. Cole fast stamina no. Jo slow stamina yes.

A brown hedgehog was in the middle of the road. By a beaten up willow.

“Aw,” said Jo. Jo is the sun, Cole is the moon. Jo ran switly to the hedgehog. He picked up the hedgehog and brought it home.

When he got home a bear used all his honey on toast.

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MY HAPPINESS Abby Keith Grade 6, Boise

My happiness is like a sunshine-yellow dafodil in the middle of an open plain.

My happiness is like the rainbow that comes ater the glinting rain.

It is as sweet as the honey in a hardworking bees’ hive.

My happiness is from my friends, who are like a car in nonstop drive.

My happiness is like a year that passes slowly by.

It is like a sweet drink that can eventually run dry.

My happiness is like a cure to a complex disease.

My happiness is like my bed, a safe place just for me.

GOING TO BASS LAKE Thel Ostyn Grade 5, Twin Falls

I usually get to do fun things, but going to Bass Lake is the most fun of them all. It’s like a dog getting extra food for me to go there. We usually wrestle under water. I mean, there are some bloody noses here and there. We swim to the dock and see who can touch the bottom. I can do it, but it hurts the ears like a snakebite. We also play basketball, volleyball, soccer, and we paddleboard. Now do you see why it’s so much fun?

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THE KEEPER

McKinley Reynolds Grade 4, Twin Falls Today’s the opening of the museum everyone comes barging in to see great sights but they all say “Where’s the owner?”

Where could he be?”

Well the truth is I’m the owner that lizard in the cage at night I come out and make sure that nothing got stolen If something did I’d call the cops and leave them a letter then hurry back into my cage until they go bye-bye and then I’ll continue my search until the night is through And that’s the truth I’m not lying So next time you come again You’ll know my small secret

MILKY OWL DREAMS Piper Collins Grade 3, Boise

A milky owl dreams of laying eggs. She hears a squirrel climbing up a tree. She feels the eggs hatch. She smells a dead squirrel.

She swoops down and eats the squirrel. She shares it with her babies. She wakes up and actually has babies.

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ODE TO THE CONDORS Thor Black Grade 5, Boise

A condor hops like a slow kangaroo Like an oversized frog Or a sleepwalking cheetah.

It lies like a hyperactive pigeon Or a crow with a growth hormone.

In the morning it sunbathes Like a 21-year-old cat.

They are tagged like the number On an NBA player’s jersey.

Its eyes are the size of a Crabapple without worms.

Its head is the color of a Robin’s breast.

Its feathers soak up the sun like A ield of solar panels And it perches like a Siamese cat on a rock.

IF I WERE A HAWK Lili Wiebe Grade 4, Boise

If I were a hawk I would ly high in the sky. If I were a hawk I would ly to a sagebrush and listen to the wind. If I were a hawk I would go to the ield for mice. If I were a hawk I would ly to the moon and stars. If I were a hawk I would land on a bush and catch a rabbit. If I were a hawk I would ly to the summer to get more mice. If I were a hawk I would go to the winter for plants.

If I were a hawk I would lap my mighty wings. If I were a hawk I would hear the cars go by. If I were a hawk I would perch on a tree for a little break. If I were a hawk I would play hide and ind with the rabbits.

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ODE TO KESTRELS Sophie Whitield Grade 3, Boise

Oh, my pretty kestrel, Hovering like a leaf frozen in midair.

Oh, my amazing kestrel, Takes of like a gunshot.

Oh, my awesome kestrel, As tiny as a brick.

Oh, my ierce kestrel, Brown as Home Depot’s dirt.

Oh, my strong kestrel, With stripes black as midnight.

Oh my mini kestrel, With talons sharp as a spear.

Oh, my calm kestrel, His beak, Captain Hook’s hook pulling Apart prey.

Oh, my lovely kestrel, Sot as a newborn kitten.

Oh, my pretty kestrel.

HARPY EAGLE’S DREAM Penelope Hume Grade 3, Boise

The harpy eagle dreams of dead Monkeys and sloths waiting to be eaten.

He smiles and licks his lips, And starts to begin his meal.

Sometimes he’s scared like When he dreams of someone 14

Trying to capture him And actually screams and lies away!

But sometimes his dreams are good like People going extinct.

That would be bad for people But harpy eagles do!

Most times he dreams Of meat and more Just because he’s a carnivore.

He loves it. He thinks it’s very good!

He has good dreams And bad dreams.

Sometimes he’s happy and sometimes not.

The harpy eagle’s dreams!

PEREGRINE FALCON DREAMS Jasper Caferty Grade 3, Boise

The peregrine is sort of Small and sleek and powerful.

It is as powerful as a tank.

It dreams of more Power and more power.

It dreams of having babies And being a human.

It is as fast as a bullet.

It is like a rile Firing every second.

It is calm and ierce, Fast and intelligent.

It dreams of peace.

No violence, but power.

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THE DREAM OF AN OWL Pacience Gordon Grade 4, Kuna Good Dreams The owl dreams about Little mice running in the woods His silent wings lying in the wind While his eyes and ears are looking for prey.

He will also dream about Waiting for the perfect moment to catch his prey When nothing can hear him While the mice are alone and afraid.

Nightmares He will have nightmares about Mice hearing his wings Accidentally whooing in the wind Making a noise when he twitches his ear And . . .

Making a swooshing noise while catching prey Never laying eggs Starving to death.

THE MAGICAL FLOWER! Santina Hunt Grade 3, Boise

Once upon a time there lived a rose. But something was magical about it. When it was sad it would wilt. When it was happy, then it would bloom. It’s like it’s got feelings. Which it did. It was the most powerful lower there ever lived. Some people tried to pull it but it wouldn’t budge. They tried to pull it because it was worth a lot of money. The magical lower.

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THE BABY BUNNY Madeline Pyle Grade 3, Boise

Once upon a time, there was a little bunny. His fur was as sot as the one and only polar bear. His skin was warm and sot in my soul. His heart was as warm as the sun. He loves me so. I love him so, as the pitter-patter of rain clouds. He gives me my magic. And he gives me luck with pleasure. The baby bunny!

The Baby Bunny: I think they’re sweet I think they’re funny They tell me jokes inside my honey I love them so They love me so The lowers they bring The heart that they string And they give Me luck with Pleasure.

PLAYTIME

Emma Grace Brunick Grade 6, Twin Falls He plays a shark.

She plays a dolphin They ight.

He plays thunder.

She plays lightning.

They storm.

He plays a taxi.

She plays an old lady.

They drive home.

He plays a teacher.

She plays a student.

They learn.

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HERE WE LIE

Francesca Hunt Grade 5, Boise What place were we on?

Did we stand on Mars or lie on the Moon?

Did we breathe water or air. did we know who we were.

I grew tall like a tree, and you grew short like a rose.

Was I a ish Did I talk, or did I spark the water when I would swim.

Were we just energy watching over the world.

Was I thunder and you were lightning?

Tell me who I am and what should I do and give to you.

GREEN

Colin Keith Grade 3, Boise Green leaves Swaying in the wind Green stems Of a rose Green pebbles Shining on the ground Green grass Being stepped on by a playing child Green houses Towering over your head Green is the color of my face When I am on a boat Green is the color of my bike When I’m riding it Fast and free 18

ORANGE

Shiloh Van Bussum Grade 3, Boise Orange reminds me of bright times and hard times.

When I see orange, I also see school.

In orange, I see beauty.

In orange, I see healthiness and happiness.

Orange is the fun that I can make in everything.

Orange reminds me of parks and fall.

Orange reminds me of other things, like the word “shade.”

Orange is like sun beams shining and making my long arms shimmer in the sparkling sunlight.

BLACK

Avi Rajbhandari Grade 5, Boise Black is a monster Angrier than ever, Terrorizing, Diseases and death, A dark night, War for countless souls, The battle cries, A scream of anger, Piercing a heart, The devil’s laugh, Darkness spreading, A tiny patch of lowers Disappearing in the night, Black will take over Until all are bowing to his evil feet, Black is a power which none can overcome

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THINGS TO DO IN A SINK Jay Hunter Grade 3, Boise

When the sink turns on, drink the disgusting water.

Then, swim in the water you drank.

Fish for dishes.

Watch the water turn into a powerful geyser, and get sucked inside.

Make a fun playground with dirty dishes, then slide on silverware, jump on plates, and more.

P.S. Climb the spout and get out.

THE TREE GROWING INSIDE OF ME! Lily Patterson Grade 5, Boise

There was a seed in my heart, Growing and growing until it stopped, Now my heart is as big as a tree, helping me show kindness to all the world around me, Now winter has come, I’m losing my leaves, Now I feel bare and hope for spring and summer again!

But now I feel its roots expanding in my stomach and then my legs, then to my feet making them bigger day by day, But they are still growing, What am I going to do?

But then I hear a voice in my heart, The roots connecting to the other trees, So now I can’t move!

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MY BROTHER

Elise Batterton Grade 4, Boise My brother is like a piece of glass, he will easily crack.

My brother is like a bird gliding through the air and catching every wind.

My brother is like a plump pumpkin, huge and at the same time small.

He is like a puppy, hyperactive and mostly happy.

My brother is like a strawberry, very sweet but tart.

My brother is like a tiny tree, small and with lots to grow.

He is like a squealing pig, loud and tiny.

My brother is like a leaf, loating on a breeze and trying to ind his way.

My brother is like a stick bumpy and about to break.

My brother is like a cave with treasure deep inside.

He is like a warm cookie baking in the oven.

My brother is like a happiness, he always cheers me up.

My brother is like a sapling, one day he will be a beautiful oak.

My brother is like a popsicle on a hot day.

SNOW LEOPARD Nadia Kouskov Grade 3, Boise

Snow leopard Snow leopard It’s such a pretty cat.

Its colors are white and black.

Just like a panda’s back.

That’s why We thank you For all of the Reasons why Besides there’s A hundred more Reasons.

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THE WAYS (EXCERPT) Oscar Fields Grade 3, Boise

Chapter 1 One day, Jack had an idea. He wanted to go on a trip.

His dog Rit was sleeping. He was a golden retriever and walked funny but they were still friends.

Chapter 2 That day, Jack wanted to go to the Island of Madagascar.

“It is too expensive to go on a plane, so let’s make a boat. Let’s go to the junkyard.”

“All right.”

Chapter 3 Once they got to the junk yard, they found old bottles for the bottom and wood for the walls and roof and loor…

“And we can buy a boat motor and sail of.”

“Okay.”

“So let’s go to the boat store.”

Chapter 4 When they got to the boat store, they bought a motor and started building.

Chapter 5 They built the boat and started sailing. They were halfway there but then they saw a in.

“AHHHHHHHHHAAHHH!...”

Chapter 6 The shark bit of the side of the boat and it started sinking. Luckily, Jack brought a lare and set it of. The shark was scared of it, so it swam away. They were in the water and swimming. Then Jack set of another lare and then a huge boat came.

Chapter 7 Just then, Jack realized it was a pirate ship. The pirates captured them and put them in a jail cell. “I don’t deserve this!”

Jack yelled.

“Too bad!” said one of the pirates.

Then Jack found a clip in the cell and waited. It was 22

night. He picked the lock and swam away with Rit and saw the island and swam there and they partied.

MY HOME OF PEACE Finn Eschen Grade 5, Boise

The silent humming of the small bird’s wings lapping so quickly and silently it seemed they were not there.

The slow and steady gurgling of a merry creek, and the singing of the wind whipping through the trees.

The ields are illed with wild lowers, and butterlies.

It leads to a peaceful happy place some get to call home.

You are running like a deer quick, and graceful with speed like a lowing river.

The air hits your face hard like diving into a cold pool.

You run down a dusty road past ields of wheat to an old train track.

You sprint across it to a place of peace where everything bad disappears until the day is done.

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THE TREE THAT GAVE EVERYTHING Jane McKeon Grade 6, Boise

Based on The Giving Tree by Shel Silverstein.

One beautiful summer day, there was a tree. The air smelled of a beautiful fresh air forest. She was a weeping willow.

She felt of new gloves and her leaves of silk. and this little boy always came and sat under her. His name was Austin. Here he was only around eight and he came to the tree to talk and never stopped. This made her happy and she would always love him.

Then, he grew up. He was now 16. He had a girlfriend named Ashlyn. The tree was like the sun and he was her moon, she thought. They were split when someone else came in. All he talked about was her. The tree got sad, but he didn’t care. He gave the tree pain by carving “A+A” and the tree was mad! She saw his girlfriend and how beautiful she was and how he chose her over the tree.

He was now 24. He had made the tree even more mad by just taking some leaves from the tree to make a wreath for his girlfriend for Christmas. She felt sad and mad and she couldn’t believe what had just happened.

Then, he was 32, married, had kids and a job. But since they didn’t have cars and his job was across the water, he chopped the tree down and all that was let was a stump. The tree would have lived longer, but she was cut to be a boat. She was very, very mad, but she let him take it. She thought now she was just a stump. She was sad and she couldn’t even understand what just happened. She couldn’t possibly do anything. She sat and sat and sat.

Then, the little boy came when he was 80. He realized he should go back to the tree and talk to her one more time.

He did. He told her how very, very sorry he was and he was forgiven, but the tree couldn’t speak because she had no mouth and she was in much pain. She was as mad as an angry lion. The man used her as a seat now and imagined when he was a little boy and how he was so nice.

The tree thought, “I hope your wife is good, your children are great and you are better. Thank you and I love you!”

The tree’s anger came from being in pain and being 24

hurt physically and mentally. She was sad as well because of the boy. She always loved him. She forgave him because she realized that the boy was her only human friend and she was sad. She didn’t want to just leave her only friend to be happy without her, so she forgave him to make him more happy with her tree magic—which is another story.

THE OLD OAK Lydia Eley Grade 5, Boise

Once upon a time there was an old oak tree. He was sad and lonely; nobody came to visit. But all that changed one day.

One day, a little girl named Jovie was walking near when she saw the tree crying.

She asked what was wrong. The tree answered with a sorrowful look.

“No white or brown bunnies will visit. No red fox will talk and no blue birds will sing to me. So that is why I am so glum.”

So then the girl said, “I will visit you. I will talk to you and I will sing to you.”

The little girl ran of. The tree wondered, where is she going? Then the tree saw the little girl running back.

When the girl reached the tree, the tree said, “What is that smell, Jovie?”

She answered, “They are cookies. You want to try one?”

“Yes please,” said the tree.

Then as the girl was getting the two of them a cookie, the tree heard a sly fox coming.

Then the tree said, “Come closer sly fox.”

“Would you like a cookie?” the girl said.

“Yes, please,” exclaimed the fox.

So then the little girl gave the fox a cookie. Then the girl saw white and brown bunnies and blue birds. And then the girl had to leave.

She hugged the tree and said, “I’ll be back tomorrow but…look at all your new friends.”

So then they promised to see each other the next day.

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TOGETHER ACROSS THE OCEAN (EXCERPT) Isabella Pyle Grade 6, Boise

Chapter 1: seeing the blue “I have never seen a beautiful place like this before,” said Raleo. He has lived in the poorest part of Mexico since he was a little boy. He has never seen the ocean but this was his irst.

“I see the ocean beautiful and blue,” he said to himself.

“I have gone across the land to see you and now I want to only see you because I am going to cross the blue.

Chapter 2: me at an orphanage Far away from Raleo was an orphanage on the outskirts of Paris, where a little girl was eating her breakfast in an orphanage full of girls and boys. All the little girl wanted was a home, but alas, she was not that lucky. Her name was Omeley.

She did not feel pretty or special in any way. She felt sad but alas, Omeley did not feel beautiful in all the ways she could.

Chapter 3: the ocean in front Raleo was making a rat to sail. He did not have anything but the rat and the ocean that was in front of him. He needed to go across. He wanted to leave, but why?

Chapter 4: surviving Omeley was busy cleaning the loor in her room. Really it was not her room. She shared it with 20 girls. Each of them was mean. They made her clean the loors. Made her make all the beds. She felt alone. The only one surviving. Then she got an idea!

Chapter 5: running away Raleo had a hard life. He had no mom, only a dad, who made him do everything and made Raleo cook. But Raleo did not know how to cook. Whatever he could ind to cook he would use. Anything he would use. He needed out, so he ran away, out into the plains. Then he found the ocean. He knew his father would try to ind him. So he decided to cross the Atlantic Ocean.

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THE RACE JUMPER Zoë Britton Grade 3, Boise

There were two girls named Alex and Morgen. They were sisters. One had a horse named Penny and one didn’t but she loved to ride horses. The horse loved to jump so she set up jumps in between ten old and fragile trees. They were really high.

One day, the other sister got work at a jumping school and ater a week, there was a not-so-pretty horse, and he was still dirty, but the girls weren’t rich. She had 100 dollars on her.

The horse was going to the slaughterhouse.

She said, “I’ve got 100 dollars. Can I please have the horse?”

It was more than he would get at the slaughterhouse.

So he said, “Yes.” She got her sister to bring the horse trailer. She cleaned him up and fattened him up and rode him a week later. She started jumps. She laid logs down and rode over them but every time he would trip. She named him Austin, and Morgen signed him up so the students could ride on him. She worked at a riding camp.

One day, she was riding on Austin and one of the cleaning people dared her to jump a really high jump.

She said, “Okay,” so she made Austin jump and he lew over the jump and the cleaner was amazed.

Ater that, she signed him up for a jumping race. When she arrived, everybody was laughing. But when it was her turn to race, they were amazed! And in every race everybody was amazed and surprised.

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NATURE’S TRUTH Karina Bjorkman Grade 6, Boise

I am like a rose You’re like a buzzing honeybee stealing my nectar spreading my pollen I am like an aspen tree standing tall and still You are like wind shaking my branches shaking my leaves onto the frozen ground A carpet of yellow against an icy background We listen to the whisper of the squirrels and the singing of the bluebirds Until all is still The sun has set And we sleep A beautiful, motionless sleep

THE GOLDEN SLAYER (EXCERPT) Ciana Amerello Grade 6, Boise

There was a big, big creature right in front of me, and an explorer who was taking me on a tour of the jungle. The explorer and I tried to train the big creature by saying, “Sit! Lay down! And stand!”

The creature would not listen to us.

“It is a beast!” cried the explorer.

“The creature?” I replied.

“Yes! The creature! It is a beast!” said the explorer.

The beast started chasing us.

“Quick! Hide in the door room!” said the explorer.

We both got in the door room.

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“Close the doors!” said the explorer.

I did. We sat there for a long time. Then, the beast went by a tree branch and ripped it apart. The door room wasn’t safe enough. There were places we could bump our head, there were traps and it wasn’t spacious. But I knew what door room would be good. So I told the explorer that we should climb up the mountain to get to the jungle temple.

“No, the jungle temple isn’t safe. The beast likes the jungle temple,” said the explorer.

“Oh,” I said.

“We must go to the second door room. Follow me,” said the explorer.

As soon as we got there, we closed all the doors. Inside the second door room, there was tons of stuf like old tapes, rubix cubes, books, all kinds of stuf. Out of curiosity, I asked the explorer what kind of creature was the beast.

She replied, “It is unknown what kind of creature it is. Some people of the jungle call it a golden slayer, but I don’t know if that’s the real name,” said the explorer.

I nodded my head to show that I understood.

“Whoa! Check this out!” I said.

“What is it?” said the explorer.

“Check out this paper that shows how the door room was discovered,” I said.

“Wow,” said the explorer.

Here is the paper: “The Daily News Flash, November, 1922: The Door Room Discovery. In 1809, scientist Joshua Hale discovered a secret room. The room was located in a spot near the mountain in the jungle. Joshua Hale also discovered another secret room too. This one was located in a diferent part of the jungle. Joshua never told anyone about his discovery.”

“Continue to the next page of the paper!” said the explorer.

Here is the next page of the paper: “Joshua named the secret room. It was named “the door room”. Why did he name it this? He named it the door room because it had several doors.

Each one locked. The door room is used for hiding from wild animals that are attacking. Joshua named one of the door rooms the irst door room, and he named the other one the second door room.”

“Let’s read the next page,” said the explorer.

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THE SIAMANG

Aberdeen Sanchez Grade 3, Boise All the creatures who share this place with me teach me about how big the history of animals is Which ends up at me to think so much is up above this And most people don’t mind this but the people who say this don’t know That the long line of animals is like a bead chain ending at the submicroscopic creatures hidden in the depths of air.

In this world, I am the farthest star and the others are the cold of the air In the heart of the world there once was a beginning to the jungles I live in now.

In the beginning was it spring or summer autumn or winter.

I was like the ire evolving from the water.

When most of mine died, most residents of the jungle were relieved.

But few, myself among them had other thoughts Poachers come around at dawn, I hear tales and stories.

I feel scared every time I drop one eyelid.

I see that some jungle families feel safe or perhaps it is only the young ones who are more active here, but I always know the chain ends at me.

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FROZEN TIDES

AMAZING ROCKS Paige Gallegos Grade 6, Meridian

Feels as sot as a baby turtle shell Tastes like crunching the earth Sounds like rocks dancing and clanging together I see rocks doing yoga.

LATE NIGHT FISHING Sophia Ray Grade 6, Boise

This summer, I was ishing with my uncle, brother, and cousins, it was about 6:30 PM, and I was planning to eat dinner and get ready for bed, but my uncle wanted to go ishing. I had gone with him about two years ago, and had caught one ish, probably my irst ever. Ater, I had been constantly nagging him to take me ishing again.

So, we took the ishing gear and put it in the back of the truck. The truck roared to life, and gravel crunched under the tires. When we inally reached a small area of sand and rocks looking out at the reservoir, my uncle lurched the truck to a halt. We climbed out and started baiting our hooks. A chilly breeze blew my line, making a sot whooshing sound.

I lipped my bale over and cast. I saw little ish jumping up and out of the water. I jumped every time my line moved. I could hear the rusty voices of sand hill cranes on the other side of the lake.

“I’ve got something!” My brother yelled. It was a little hard for him to real in, but he didn’t give up until the ish was lopping on the shore.

I was now watching my line. “I think I have a bite,” I said.

“You have to wait for your line to go straight,” Mary said.

“But I can literally see its ins!”

“You literally have to wait for your line to go straight.”

Eventually, I got a bite. I could feel the ish’s weight on the line. I saw a lash of silvery ins. As I reeled it in, my uncle praised me.

Later, we went home, beaming at the four ish we had all caught. Smiling was limited though. We were really late, we missed dinner, and we might be in big trouble.

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CHANGES

Gus Goldman Grade 5, Boise Where I live in the cold room I see the king from star fall.

Then blooms the last of wars.

People begin to go missing.

Then the sea of silence.

Brings back the miserable memories.

THE CALLING Jack Scripps Grade 6, Boise

The cold I room where I live.

I see the horizon in the whispering town.

From scratch a human mask.

The perilous sea’s frozen tides.

They call my name.

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MY FRIEND RUBY Ayva Gradhandt Grade 4, Boise

Ruby, Blue eyes, silky hair, good personality, Friend of Ayva, Who loves enchiladas, Mexican food, and volleyball, Who is afraid of invisible sounds, bees, and death, Who wants to see Disney World, Paris, and Japan, Swartz.

FRIENDS FOREVER Scarlet Fields Grade 4, Boise

A crisp morning smell Buttery white roses Calm leaves blowing Doves overhead Everything quiet Fuchsia petals on the ground Green everywhere Hidden ierceness under the rose In paradise Just a slight breeze Keen fragrant smells Leaning against a tree Moist dew still on the grass Nature and I Oh so Peaceful Questioning Roses all around us Spikey thorns Together we are one Unbreakable Very colorful We hold hands eXtremly serene You and I Zest and happiness everywhere

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TWO TOGETHER TWO APART Keren “KK” Patterson Grade 5, Boise Stay we shall be a team two halves make a whole Life goes in diferent ways times change I am a trumpet and you a piano you can visit Come and never leave lives can braid together We have diferent ideas diferent glows times change ways change Leave and I shall feel lonely in a crowd dying alone, forgotten moldering away till death Visit and refresh like a sip of cold lemonade and you won’t be alone

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When I’m not there lonely like a lower alone in a desert waiting till you are back Never are you alone There’s always cactus in the desert None are the same as me the cactus are diferent from the lower Gone I will miss you.

THE HOME OF SPACE Lili Wiebe Grade 4, Boise

It is as rough as lava rock with bubbles of joy, It leaves with no trace but leaves behind stars, It comes with many names but no real sense, Its golden touch is no diferent to the sun, with white surrounding its open feel, It belongs to the white ring of Saturn.

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I HAD A DREAM Jacob Pense Grade 5, Boise

Once I had a dream, a dream that humanity would stand before us, a dream that time was at our back, a dream that we could roam freely, a dream that all living creatures could live together.

Once I had a dream.

And that dream can become reality.

LOST ISLAND

Abijeet Mohan Grade 5, Boise Hiram was so excited since he was going to see his grandparent. They lived all the way at a diferent island, which meant they had to go on a ship.

“Get all your luggage on the ship,” Hiram’s mom yelled to him. “I will,” he yelled back.

Soon, they got on the ship and it started. The ride was supposed to take ive hours so he had plenty of time. He was playing on his Nintendo and it had been two and a half hours when he heard a beeping. Hiram looked out of the window and gasped. The bottom level was illed with water! Suddenly the captain burst into the room and told everyone to get on the lifeboats. He realized what was happening. The ship was sinking!

Luckily, Hiram was fast. He raced to the lifeboats. When he went near, he realized everything. The captain was a fraud. There was only one lifeboat and the captain did not know how to drive the boat. The captain quickly got on the lifeboat and went down.

He watched the ship. Ater half an hour everyone died except him. He was starved for three days and was so sad. He was close to dead when he found and island. There were so many fruits he ate until he was full. He searched the island but there were no people. This island must be lost in the middle of the ocean,” he thought. He started building a wood shelter. But, it kept on falling since he did not have nails. He was ine until the day a tiger came. Luckily, he climbed a tree. But, the next week a jaguar came. They can climb trees so what can he do?

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MAN’S BEST FRIEND Magda Wilper Grade 6, Boise

You play.

Your furry ears and tail perk up with glee as you happily chase the ball.

You beg with your big puppy eyes.

You scamper to trapped food.

You protect at the sight of another dog, clench your teeth and growl.

You hear a knock at the door and uncontrollably howl.

You love your stinking breath. It goes in my face as we snuggle.

You uncontrollably jump up and kiss.

You leave.

Your crate disappears.

Your hair still covers the couch.

CHINESE ART Eva Necochea Grade 3, Boise

How are you so beautiful?

Your colors are green, blue, red, and black You remind me of spring The arriving leaves and lowers You sound like a lute Chiming and ringing in the air Your neighborhoods Are like snow Leopards With your spots black and white

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WHAT AM I? Ruby Swartz Grade 5, Boise

Smooth as sanded wood, Hard as a paved road, As elegant as painted glass, Smells like a lilac in the sun, Sounds like a ball being dropped, Tastes like unwashed dirt.

The Lilac Rock

LIVING IN THE SEA Kacianne Rieber Grade 4, Boise

My name is Kaci, and I am water.

I splash, and even sometimes live in a wave.

I loat and sit. Sometimes there’s a shark in the water, and he slurps me up like nothing. As me as water, it is cold like an ice cube.

Sometimes I get to see vicious sea creatures too. I love being water.

Right when a wave crashes, the undertow pulls me out to sea. Sometimes I see humans surf way way way out and into me.

In the ocean water It smells salty, like a clam. Sometimes It smells bad, but I ignore it.

In the water, it tastes very salty, delightful, and it also tastes like normal water. It tastes weird, but I got used to it. Once you do, it tastes like sugar.

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LAVENDER

Addy Van Anne Grade 4, Boise Fuzzy as a blanket Feels like a rocky road, The leaves are like honey It smells like a candle, Purple like violets Tastes like sugar, People like to make candles and soap from it.

THE QUILL

Anay Surthi Grade 3, Boise The quill is as sot as the sotest paper It makes the lightest sound when you drop it.

It’s also good for writing with if you get some ink.

It’s also good for decorating at a party.

WHY ARE YOU SO UNIQUE Kaderick Kuecks Grade 3, Boise

Why are you so unique?

You’re the most unique art seen Red, blue, black and tan The colors that make you stand out I could wear you as a jacket on a jet plane Spiders crawling up me As I taste the saltiness you hide.

Your striking appearance amazes me.

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MY NAME

Juniper Sherburne Grade 3, Boise My name is a tree A bush spiny and sot My name is a marigold In full bloom A river, a sunset, A velvety horse My name…my name…

Juniper.

MR. MAC

Gabe Johnson Grade 4, Boise Mr. Mac You are heavy You’re like 100 years old Your shell is hard Your skin is thick You’re the tallest turtle And the heaviest turtle In the zoo You may be slow But everyone loves you

THE ULTIMATE SWORD Henry Bailey Grade 4, Boise Hi, I’m Tom and I’m thirty. I live on Mars. I was raised

by Zombies, but I am a robot. My job is being a stealthy ninja. I like to dye my hair green. It is my hobby. I live with no one but I am not alone because I have a robot dog named Steel. I have fun with Steel. I play fetch, go on runs, and play chess and checkers.

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I built my dog Steel. He’s a brassy green color and he’s a very lazy dog because I built him that way.

One day I was looking for the ultimate sword, because my sword broke and I needed a new one for work. Then I saw a door. Well, how do I open this door? SO I set of to ind a key. I searched everywhere. But couldn’t ind it. These are the places I found…I found some stairs that led to the door of light, but the key wasn’t there. So I went to the door of death, but it wasn’t easy.

THE ROSE GARDEN Rosa Wilper Grade 4, Boise

The petals are sot and lufy The rocks smooth and round Asleep in the ground The roses smell like sweet lavender shortbread fresh from grandma’s kitchen.

Thorns and spikes Petals and leaves The rose garden can be both Good and evil Like a leafy green salad The trees around The rose garden glow The rose bushes are damp Making water droplets Switly fall from the stems The fountain water is so blue It reminds me of the ocean.

The grass is thin And smooth, Pointy and green The rose garden Can make everyone’s day.

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FIVE WAYS OF LOOKING AT A TORTOISE Ginger Goldman Grade 3, Boise

1.

2.

3.

4.

5.

A big rough creature When it makes a sound It sounds as if you gave a dog a lemon Looks like a rock but not little head pokes out then arms then legs Shell feels like a rock Cold or hot Cold as an ice cube Hot as the sun On Monday she’s so lazy On other days she’s so crazy Smells like an elephant ater a workout Good to me, but bad to other people

SIX WAYS OF LOOKING AT A CHAMELEON Carsten Manning Grade 4, Boise

1.

2.

3.

4.

5.

6.

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A chameleon Is a peaceful animal, peaceful as a ish That destroys good and bad bugs Just to survive.

An animal that can move its eyes in any direction To look at insects.

A creature that can change colors And change to colorful patterns.

A rough reptile That can climb silently in the trees.

A lizard that shoots out a tongue Towards insects Twice the length of its body.

It has a coiled-up tail that can hold branches With no hands or legs Holding onto branches.

FIVE WAYS OF LOOKING AT A PENGUIN Hayoung Lee Grade 3, Boise

1.

2.

3.

4.

5.

6.

They smell really stinky Like ish and old water They feel so so sot like a Wood Pecker They sound like a squeak, like a whistle They might taste like a rotten ish, like a salmon They look so lufy, like a deer

FIVE WAYS OF LOOKING AT A PENGUIN Colin Keith Grade 3, Boise

1.

2.

3.

4.

5.

In the penguin exhibit it smells like chlorine.

A penguin feels as wet and smooth as a salmon.

They would taste salty and hairy.

Like a hairbrush sprinkled with salt.

If you go to the zoo or see a penguin anywhere. it would have black and white with orange on its beak.

They sound like a screeching dolphin.

FIVE WAYS TO LOOK AT A PEGUIN Ella Larsen Grade 6, Boise

1.

2.

3.

4.

5.

Smells like dirty water on a hot summer day Tastes like fresh Seaweed from the ocean Looks like a cute little Motor boat when swimming Feels like a rock when you stroke your hand across its back one way Feels like ish scales When you stroke your hand across its back the other way.

Sounds like a quiet tiny waterfall When splashing into their dirty water 45

THE AMAZING ZOO Amelia Thomas Grade 4, Meridian

1.

The penguin glides Through the water Like as lufy boat Their ins are like a built-in paddle And if they had a taste they would taste like a cool refreshing strawberry soda.

2.

Butterlies are beautiful in every way They stay in the sun all day They love fruit and leaves as much as I do.

I thank the Lord, he has sent butterlies to me and you Their pretty colors shine bright in the sun And the beautiful colors will never be gone

I COULD ACCOMPLISH A THOUSAND THINGS Charles Liu Grade 5, Boise

I could sail a tiny boat From the South Pole to the North Pole.

I could travel around the amazing world In exactly an hour.

I could climb the most enormous tree in the world To reach the endless sky full of clouds.

I could ly through the vast sky By gliding from the Empire State building.

I could do anything in the skin-burning summer day.

Anything I dreamed to accomplish.

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THIS MORNING I CAN DO A THOUSAND THINGS Eddie Hwang Grade 3, Boise

I can watch TV all day.

I could go to anywhere I want Like Hawaii I can live in the white house Even though I’m not president.

I can play video games all day long Even though I’m not allowed to I can get a hover board that doesn’t run out of energy I can do anything I want.

MY MOM

Abby Keith Grade 6, Boise My mom is like a catchy tune Stuck in my head all day She is like the color green Small but has a lot to say Like a silky yellow rose Basking in the light rays of sun She is like a cold lemonade Ater a day of hard work is done She is like a momma bear And doesn’t stop until she’s ahead.

She is my perfect dream When I am lying in my bed.

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ART IS IN YOUR HEART Chloe Yong Grade 3, Boise

I see history, Stone, earth, water, ice, And structure.

THE FRAGRANT CLOUD Ruby Twiliger Grade 6, Boise

The clouds are soaring The water is laughing The bees are buzzing The roses are singing The grass is calling The air is freshly minty The clouds are soaring

AS BLUE AS CAN BE Liam Sweeney Grade 4, Boise

Fading, splashing, Violent but peaceful.

Like a liquid diamond, But more of a song.

The way it moves is like A tornado, But something is wrong.

It hits the pool.

It sprinkles on my face.

It’s not like the rest.

It holds a unique beauty.

As blue as can be, It’s a marvelous, Shimmering Fountain 48

THE SALMON RIVER Carmen Dudley Grade 5, Boise

I smell the strong, earthy scent of pine trees I hear birds squawking in the distance I see the most breathtaking view I have ever seen I feel the pointy pine needles of many trees I taste the fabulous fresh fog that comes from the Salmon River below

ROSES

Natalie Rinaldi Grade 4, Meridian The watery texture Of this mysterious liquid Fills the pond.

As it loudly splashes This water is as blue as Kool-Aid And as satisfying as slime.

The lovely colored lowers Smell fragile As grace.

All of the colors can be as beautiful As a butterscotch yellow Or a shade of pretty dark red.

All scents are unique And diferent.

A lot of them smell like The taste of cider And as elegant as Belle.

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FAMILY TREE

Uliana Rancher Grade 3, Eagle Roots together When we’re hurt We send help to one another Like a hug We hold each other With branches Unlike humans The mad breezes Go right past When we fall We spread new growth around We are big and small But not like you We give breath to the world

NATURE IS PART OF ME Ivory Smith Grade 3, Boise

I was formed by the nature Of our beautiful world.

Both pretty lowers and ugly weeds are Part of my precious life.

I can feel the wind slam Against my cheek as pieces of Cotton ly in the air.

I hear birds chirping, their musical Sound echoing around the planet.

I was formed by the sun, the moon, 50

And the stars. Each one helps me Grow to have a stronger mind.

Weeping willows spread their arms Out like they’re about to give me A tight hug.

I was formed by the irst crack Of daylight and the last. I was formed By the nature of Boise, Idaho.

Nature is the beauty of this world.

THE BEAUTY WITHIN Haedyn Asmussen Grade 3, Eagle

Its beauty is powerful.

I smell strong lemon cake.

Its color shines brightly.

It’s tight and loose.

Its color is like a glimmering sunset.

It feels like a hard cookie, Very thick, too.

It has pink and yellow light shining Pink, bright, loving Yellow light, white, shining.

The stems are dark green Like grass.

The new lower Feels soter And like beauty within.

The stem is hard and pokey.

Its leaves are velvety sot And shiny.

The colors bring it to life.

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EDDIE

Mingi Lee Grade 3, Boise Annoying as a loud parrot Loud as a bomb explosion in Chicago Sweet as a mango lavored sucker He is bright as the sun in summer at 12:00PM without rain He is smooth as grass

MY SPIRIT ANIMAL Grace Hickerson Grade 4, Eagle

My spirit animal is a dog. If you had a dog you would have to get dog food. But wait a minute – we’re talking about dogs not dog food! OMG I got so sidetracked. I’m sorry so as I was saying, my dog is little.

ROBO DUDE

Vince Vuturo Grade 4, Boise In the head spaceship of the Zobonien empire a modern sized robot was inside controlling it. His name was Robo Dude. Any person would get confused trying to do Robo Dude’s job. There were so many blinking buttons and moving dials that you would faint just looking at them. It took ten light years just for Robo Dude’s programming to be completed.

He had three mother boards inside of him, one controlled his programming. The other controlled his circuits. One wasn’t enough to control all of the circuits without overheating.

Covering all his circuits and motherboards was an aluminum body. Hi chest plate was ive inches thick and weighed a stunning 500 pounds. His arms and legs were each four feet tall. Without counting feet and hands they weighed 200 pounds each. His head is 300 pounds with nothing inside it.

“68 degrees to the right!” a Zombonien commander yelled.

Robo Dude pressed buttons, twisted knobs, and pulled levers up and down. Being a robot who controlled the entire ship by himself would be horrible. The bridge on the ship was huge. It took 150 robots just to control the head ship of the Zombonien empire.

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LOST IN MIDNIGHT

Evangeline McInerney Grade 6, Boise Burning above me.

Butterlies feel my heart.

We know how to ly.

How it falls way down.

Sky of storms Be of the things.

I have a burning heart.

THE DARKEST NIGHT Luna Li Grade 7, Beijing

Even the bright burning becomes shadows the darkest night part of the forest.

Dark will stars. Day becomes night Night cloaked beastly.

Quiet night and quiet stars.

Don’t have anyone cry of day.

Oh. Holy night!

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THE HUMAN INSIDE OF ME Anneka Nelson Grade 5, Boise

everyone says I will soon be gone that I will leave this zoo but people who think this never know that by hearing the blowing wind carrying leaves they’re listening to my spirit within you that by observing the pattern of my fur they’re noticing who they truly are that by smelling the fresh mangos next to me they’re sensing what they need to survive that I am now and always will be part of the human inside of me

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HORIZON

Ivan Kouskov Grade 5, Boise Where it began the wandering star, gone The raven searches illusional wall, what you let behind.

Imagination is no curse, the return of wonder A cold white sun horizon

CAGED HORNBILL Griin Pochop Grade 5, Boise

A caged spirit I do not want to live this way My happiness is shrouded in darkness This incomprehensible sludge is nothing compared to the crunch of beetles But I stay caged only free dreams

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THE FLAME OF WAR Avery Allen Grade 6, Boise

lame the story mist the clock leer mr. shadow blood of war upside my ire cross be brave the rouge crow enchanted the queen in cave lost hour to feel it ly queen to darkness how red lost the heir siren trashing the tree Harry’s silver planet call star’s shadow storm of blood the falling conspiracy what knight I shovel

BATTLE IN THE NIGHT Chloe Graepel Grade 6, Boise

The trials between light and darkness Silver shadow of icy stars burn like ire, Apollo beats the drum of time, Crystals spark the ire, My blade of siege falls to ly, It feels out of time, This ire, how the impossible, the wish, The hushed.

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THE WORLD AROUND ME Katelyn Gifen Grade 5, Boise

a lot of people say I act like a human I live in the rainforest with a canopy over my head my favorite things to eat are bananas the sweet taste of it is what gets me I like to climb and swing on trees with my tiny hands and tail my hands swing on branches like hands of little kids I see a human with a saw coming toward me in my forest tree that’s when I decided it was time to ind a new home

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THE CASE Kessler Weaver Grade 5, Boise Jonathan looked up and saw the case on the brick wall.

Missing December 5, 2018 Bob Walker. This was just the thing he was looking for. He grabbed the paper and let. He stayed up all night. He had learned a lot. The last place he was seen was in a car going into a building of the coast of Texas. The car had crashed and he was found in a ditch. He was rushed to the ER and the next day he was gone.

Ring ring ring! “Jonathan, is that you?”

“Yes.” “We heard you were looking for Bob Walker. We want to tell you that he was not brought to the hospital.”

“Who are you?” They didn’t answer. He went to the car crash and there were footprints of blood leaving the road to the forest. Ater a mile he found a sign that said “NO trespassing.”

The bloody footprints didn’t stop, neither did he. Another mile he found a shed. In it was a diary. It said: “Bob Walker.” He opened up to pg. 96. It was smeared but he could read: “we got hit but my friend and I lived I told him to _____and ran away there was a door in the shed I’m going through that. This is the end. I’m leaving this_______.”

NO CURE FOR DEATH Caulder Weaver Grade 5, Boise

Bong! Bong! Bong! Zack wakes up to the bell. 12:00.

Zack yells, “I’m late!” He gets up and heads to school.

“Oh there you are Zack, his teacher says as he sits down by his two friends, Jonathan and Eberdean. “Late again,” he whispers in Zack’s ear. That’s three days in a row. That’s a new record. And for you that’s not surprising.”

At school the three played together, and they played their favorite game called Fall Out. That night Zack dreamed that a fall out happened. The next day he wakes up to crying and saying, “There’s no cure for death.”

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LONELY HOUSE

SOMEDAY

Max Newman Grade 9, Hagerman Some days, Over most, My Everyday Depression Advances, Yearning for anger.

I Will never learn, I can’t Love.

Love is important to most.

Feeling Love is what I Yearn for.

THE GRAPEVINE Lorelei Nichols Grade 8, Twin Falls

I am like the grapevine, scattered and messy, hiding away many secrets.

I try to keep growing even when I hit a wall to get over it.

There are no boundaries to how far I’ll travel away from where I began.

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THE TYPES OF DRAGONS PART 1 Vincent Williams Grade 7, Twin Falls

Hello my name is Bucky Dream. Today I will teach you all seven types of dragons, but irst I must tell you: do not hurt these wonderful animals. Sure they may burn your homes down and eat your cows, sheep and chickens, but do not harm them.

They have feelings too, you know. And with that, let’s see the seven types of dragons. No. 1: the quiet killer. The name says it all. This ire breather is so silent no one can hear it coming.

Shoot, the time ran out, so tune in tomorrow so we can inish.

This is Bucky Dream. Talk to you tomorrow, bye.

BONDS

Alex Gibson Keller Grade 8, Jerome Volunteering is a lot a fun. Especially when you volunteer with animals. I met a girl who got to volunteer with wolves. She helped heal and raise wolf pups. They help full grown wolves but they don’t get as many grown wolves as pups.

Her name was Opal. Opal had this connection with one wolf.

The wolf came into the center skinny and sick.

The wolves name was Juniper. As soon as Juniper came into the center Opal fell in love with her. Juniper was unconscious when she came into the center, but when Opal entered the room, she woke up. Juniper wouldn’t eat, sleep, or do anything if Opal wasn’t there. Opal brought joy and life into Juniper.

Sadly three years ater Juniper was diagnosed with a clean bill of health, Opal noticed a mass on Juniper’s chest. They took her to the vet and found out she had cancer. Opal tried to save her but she knew deep down inside that she wouldn’t last. The day she got put down all Opal would do was cuddle Juniper. She couldn’t stand seeing her Juniper die.

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ABANDONED FEELINGS Katherine Sand Grade 8, Boise

The rusty colored fence that makes no one allowed to explore me. My shingles have been weathered, giving me a ghetto look. My windows have been cracked and covered over, and all day I hear the sounds of the city. A city that I will never be part of again. People pass me, not knowing how I feel, but some pass me and wonder. But most of the time the wonder goes away when they see my sorrow-illed, rusty colored fence that makes me unable to leave. I have creatures living inside me, stepping on my creaking loors trying to eat the spoiled food sitting on the kitchen shelves. There is green growing around me and on top of me. I watch as a class of girls look up at me and then back down at their paper to write something down. I wish they could help me. Save me from festering into the ground. The wallpaper of the roses, crumbling, the fabric furniture ripped and molding. I was once just a house, a part of something, a family. I was a home until they slammed the door one last time and was never opened again.

LOST TO TIME

Sophie Cichomska Grade 7, Boise Lost to time, I am.

Smothered, by the green of still alive.

Washed out, by wind and rain.

Dismantled by the greedy hands of eternity.

Forgotten by those who chose to forget.

Here I will wait, For the creeping vines, Of a harsh storm, Or the cruelty of forever To end my days.

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HINDSIGHT

Porter Barr Grade 7, Boise My mom has eyes on the back of her head at least that’s just what she said.

I noticed her hindsight is unnaturally clear so I think she also has eyes on her rear.

RAGE OF FREAK ALLEY Penelope Wilson Grade 7, Boise

Rage as mighty as wolf.

Inconvenient at times, But strong and protective, And here to help you.

Take care of this wolf, For it could be hurt.

It’s not always strong, But it’s never weak.

This wolf is tough, So you might think.

It’s not here to stop you.

It’s here to help you.

The wolf might leave.

It’s not your fault, Its time was up.

And it was time to go.

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FREAK ALLEY Paige Porter Grade 6, Boise

Pictures upon pictures, Of bizarre worlds and creatures.

Over another, Under another, All get covered up.

Hidden, Buried, Replaced.

Not good enough.

Good… but not good enough.

The graiti glistens in the sun, The image still beautiful, The bricks are visible.

Everyone’s diferent, In this world, In this realm, Of an old weathered alley.

WRITERS BLOCK

Elizabeth Montgomery Grade 7, Boise Sometimes I get writer’s block and don’t know what to do I sit there staring at the page wondering what to do I try purple grape juice bouncing up and down spraying water up my nose Ouch!

That’s really cold!

I sit there as bored as ever and want to go to bed then I realize tired is the way in, to go and simply write a story about a sleepyhead.

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COURAGE

Katie Robinson Grade 5, Boise Can, no can’t Observing others’ strengths U got this!

Recognizing your accomplishments Accepting others’ diferences Getting over your fears Exciting performances

FALLING

Kaisa Nilsson Grade 8, Boise trees are awful conversationalists, but i speak to them because they have known grief that is equal – or greater than mine. they have watched their own fall as wood and stone and worse (dead) things grow in place of their numbers, and watched as I fall for my owners – or my owners fall from me, for they are one and the same. ( Joey who plunged from the roof ixing my tiles, and Katherine sweet Katherine who let to grieve with her sunlowers) and I judged them not by their skin, their features, but by their character; or their care of me; or the places they could imagine behind my door, which now leads to the space between earth and the sky.

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FALLING

Anthony Donegan Grade 7, Boise The edge of life, of a clif, below me is death and above me life, I have to make a choice, put an end to pain and misery, or live, knowing I could have ended it all, with one step. I fall, and decide that I do not want it to end. I want to be the master of my self, and I hang on.

DRAMA

Arianna Davis Grade 7, Boise People separate things in life into neat categories such as light and dark, peace and conlict. People do the same for drama.

From every perspective, each other person is an enemy or a friend, or somewhere in between. Each person only sees the surface. In this dark miserable world, every other person is just a part of the vicious battle that is drama.

Drama can start in a second from a quiet mutter, a hand held behind backs, ights and lights and impulse decisions. Or it can start from years of conlict, bitterness, and spite. It is one of the bloodiest battles, fought on the front lines, with supporters and allies and those in the background. Claws extended, rumors spread, blood and tears shed in equal measure.

Drama is like a lasso, dragging people in no matter how bad they wish to stay out. Drama is the cause of sleepless nights, the black fog that consumes everything greedily. If resolution is the white dog settling down to sleep at the end of a long day, drama is the shadowy wolf lurking in the shadows, claws tearing hearts and relationships apart, its evil growl goading the ighters on.

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FEAR

Paige Bauer Grade 7, Boise Balancing of wheels, With helmet and without.

A place made for collision, Breaking something without a doubt.

Danger they don’t care.

The parents, they don’t understand.

This place is made to break your bones And hurt both your hands.

Fear they do not see, The opposite of me.

When they fall down, They get back up.

Without a tear, And still, no existing doubt.

ANGER

James Gifen Grade 9, Boise When anger washes over, you are powerless. The only ireighter trapped in a cage, while a wildire burns. Whatever horrible thoughts that sat in your head are released, fuel burning, adding to the already massive ire. It attacks the people around you, burning trees to the ground. When the lame is diminished, the ire all gone, and you are released, you step out of your cage only to see the ashes loating through the air and the people hurt by the thoughts once stored in your head.

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ANGER

Tess Gute Grade 7, Boise Anger is a charging bull that is always coming for you you don’t see it but you know that it’s there when it comes do not tempt it let it go in your fridge let it sleep in your bed let it watch tv if you do tempt it you will become a Spanish bullighter in a giant arena with thousands of people cheering your name but alas you have too little training and the bull is charging at its greatest speed you try to run but the bull is too fast and in these frantic moments you see your life lash before your eyes.

GRIEF

Dylan Wood Grade 7, Boise Do you see the burning tree or the igure right behind you. Dressed all in black is the igure right behind you. Behind his cloak he has no face the igure right behind you. He whispers lies into your ear.

So he can feast upon your grief. He waits and waits for you to go and die.

If you wait and don’t ight back, he will come and break your neck.

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GUILT Marcus DeVera Grade 7, Boise When guilt strikes It may not show itself the guilt may not come and chant guilty because the eyes do the talking they have advice yet they don’t the beady blue eyes stare and stare closing and opening those light-blue eyelids quickly or steadily just to stare at you the eyelids’ blue holding back the tears we all turn away but get greeted by the same sight they stare you down in their ominous way you run, and refuse to face it, but again are greeted by the same pupils purple from sadness the swirling surroundings change ever so slightly but you see something’s of it’s another eve diferent from any other evening an eye on the one you did wrong to appears you cannot bear the guilt anymore you try to let it go but your job has not inished you admit your wrongdoing letting it go as all those eyes turn, to the next victim.

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FREEDOM

Austin Gifen Grade 7, Boise I reach out to the greatness of escape from this judgmental world and to a new path of hope and freedom, but as soon as I do fear bites at my hands like a venomous snake.

Criticism drags me down into the dirt with the force of a fullgrown bull. Hate stabs me in the heart and tramples me with the billions it brings with it.

When you stand up to do the right thing, the pressure others put on you will push you back down. When you try to make a diference others’ fear of change will stop you in your tracks. When you try to be yourself others will laugh at you and beat you up with their words sometimes leaving permanent marks or scars.

Very few people have experienced true freedom.

Many will bear a chain of worry which fear, hatred, selishness, criticism, and the millions of other dark forces can latch onto and pull you down from the free skies you were meant to live in.

DETAILS

Brooklyn McLarin Grade 8, Boise The blue sky is absent of any life, while the space underneath is teeming with it.

Center stage are three misshapen, not-quite-humans with inlated foreheads and pale yellow skin, smoothed to perfection. Something only ghouls could achieve.

The object they are surrounding seems abstract; indescribable with words but heaps of emotion lood out of it like a powerful unpublished notebook.

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SADNESS

Erin Spohr Grade 7, Boise Sadness is pain and fear and longing.

It is a black hole working its way through your chest.

Always there, burning away your happy memories, replacing them with the sad ones.

Craving more of your happiness.

When sadness takes you as his brother, you feel hopeless unloved misunderstood.

What you don’t understand is that there is someone who loves you, who understands you, who hopes for you, and is sadness’ brother too.

Sadness is always there, threatening to to surface, to show you become exhausted pushing sadness down, covering up your pain and fear and longing, until the day 72

when the box you lock sadness in gets too full, and you close it.

You’re forced to deal with it, and you take sadness as your brother.

Then, you can move on.

Sadness is a raging war for some, and a short-term battle for others.

STAR STRUCK

Ayla Kaltanecker Grade 7, Boise Sometimes I look up at the stars, I feel a sense of freedom.

The stars speak to me, Their words engulf me, Fear engulfs me in myself.

As I stare at the stars all my worries fade away, But never do they fully leave the ground.

My relection is a broken mirror, Shatter, broken, or torn.

Sometimes they speak to me, Sometimes they don’t.

But they always end up leaving me star struck.

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THE UNNOTICED HOUSE McKya Galloway Grade 7, Boise

I go unnoticed, unseen. I watch people go by during the day.

I remember when people entered and let my door. They saw the world outside my now old, rugged windows. My door now creaks as it opens. My gate rusty, closed. They all let, and now I’m empty. Unnoticed and Abandoned. The abandoned house.

A LONELY HOUSE Maggie Avey Grade 8, Eagle

A lonely house.

That is all I am.

My only residents Are the ghosts in my presence.

I was much more, A long time ago.

I brought protection And happiness.

Now, all I bring is sorrow.

My broken windows, And aging walls Are all I have let at all I had a family Long ago.

We both aged, but they had to go.

Kind neighbors kept the grass groomed, But only out of pity.

Not even they Will ever visit me.

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POEM

Manjari Mohan Grade 7, Boise Boise is looded with trees Flowers, birds, and bees And a river running by the greenbelt Which is made by snowmelt The river is very clean More clean than you may have seen But Boise’s population is increasing 100 more houses, apartments, jobs, and one big building Now, Boise’s downtown is small Hopefully, we would have one big mall Will school and education change?

Would it be in high or low range?

Rating is one of the good things in Boise Except when you fall out it, you’ll see

THE HOUSE OF WEST LEE STREET Claire Cichomska Grade 7, Boise

My windows are dusty and clouded, My wooden exterior beaten and bleached.

My door no longer opens to anyone.

No one bothers to look at me, Only seeing the faded green roof, The splintered wood, And the cracked glass.

But there is more inside.

A place where a family laughed, And cried.

A place where life was celebrated.

Now my ireplace is empty and cold, Choked with ashes.

Light no longer shines through my windows.

Sot voices cannot be heard through my door.

I have closed my eyes, And I have fallen asleep.

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THE LITTLE HOUSE ON LEE STREET Ella Meier Grade 8, Boise

Cotton drits by like a never-ending stream of water.

The sun slowly dips behind the houses and the sky bursts into color.

The smell of freshly cut grass mixes into the light breeze blowing through.

So many memories have grown in my rooms.

So many families have entered these walls.

But no one seems to stay.

Rocks have broken my glass.

Trees have covered my entry.

But still the smell of freshly cut grass ills the dim light air.

I’ve gone through the storms, snow, rain, shine just to provide the comfort you seek.

The brave ones who enter usually leave.

They take their love and their light and head out, not even bothering to shut the gate behind them.

Fog seemingly endless, rolls down through the valley.

It seems to wash away the worry, the pain.

And as the sun inally disappears, drenching us in darkness, does a igure appear.

Adorned with a bag and a hat, they enter the gate, carefully closing it behind them.

Maybe this could be the start of something new. Maybe I could be their forever home.

MAN ON THE STREET Cassie Navarrette Grade 9, Boise

One morning, two young boys walked past me several times laughing hysterically. I had been playing my music all day, and had only made a few dollars. At the end of the night I started to pack my things up when those two boys came up behind me.

They kicked me in the head, punched me in the gut, spit in my face, took my money, and ran of. They let me crying on the cold concrete while blood slowly poured out of my whole life.

I sing in the same place, and hoped someone would know this, 76

and come ind me.

A few days have passed since I was beaten up and nothing had changed.

“Hello,” an old friend of my parents said as he approached, inally.

“Hi …” I responded.

“Wanna talk about life, and where you’ve ended up?”

“Um, sure okay. I’ve thought about my life these last days, and how it could have turned out so diferently. What if I’d stayed home? What if I inished high school? What would have happened to me if I’d followed my dreams?”

“Man, Tom, you were a good guy back in the day. Good grades, an athlete, kind, and now you can’t seem to ind anything positive. I’ll give you some advice. Follow your dreams, it’s not too late, it’s never too late.”

With that, he walked of before I even had the chance to respond.

THE EARTHQUAKE Audrey Sechler Grade 8, Boise

I know Antarctica’s solidiied ocean is all ice, but that did not stop my mom from moving here. She loves the cold; thus, I do, too.

I walk out of our little cabin and I step onto the ice. My husky, Oreo, trailing behind me. Before I shut the door I yell to Mom. “Bye! I’m going for a hike!” A moment later she replies, “Okay, love you, be safe!” I roll my eyes then say, “I will, love you, too!”

I shut the door and pull my hoodie up, and Oreo darts ahead of me knowing the way. I impulsively follow her, watching the mountains as we walk along.

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By the time Oreo and I make it to the mountain’s peak it is sun high. I pat Oreo’s back as I look out at the view, feeling just how puny we are compared to these huge mountains.

Suddenly, I feel a barrage of vibrations under my feet.

I slip from my rigid position and start falling down the steep mountains. I yelp and Oreo whines.

I tumble down, down, down the mountain. And at the bottom I get immersed in cold, arctic water. I curl myself into a ball, trying to contain my heat.

I feel tugging on my hoodie. Ater what feels like an eternity Oreo pulls me out. It was almost nightfall. I groan as Oreo licks my cheeks.

I get up and Oreo and I start digging a hole to sleep in for the night.

OUR DARK SOULS Gracie Bagley Grade 9, Boise

The eyes are a window to your soul. They show so many emotions – love, joy, anger, even fear. I always remember them.

Each victim’s eyes leave an impression. They stare into mine, their eyes see through my disguise, through all the lies and into my soul. And as theirs slips away into the void we call death, a part of them stay to haunt me. To remind me of who I have killed. Many of the spirits still haunt me every day, but none more than Leroy Jacobs.

Leroy was the irst contract I had ever gotten on my own. I had hidden in a dark alleyway behind his work in the snow. The day was December 21st, 2010, his son’s birthday.

He had let early that night to pick up a git. I followed him all the way to the shop waiting for the perfect time to strike. I was getting impatient as I was slowly freezing waiting outside as the snow loated down on the silent streets. A bell chimed as Leroy stepped into the cold.

“Goodnight, Joe!” he called back to the clerk and walked to his car parked in the alley. The perfect time. Careful to not make the snow crunch under my feet I slowly pulled my 78

knife out of my pocket. It made a slight clicking noise as the blade lipped out. He fumbled with his keys, but opened the passenger-side door and put a git on the leather seat. He got up to close it, and I lunged at him, plunging my knife into his neck.

Blood started pouring out as he fell to the ground, but before his heart stopped he looked at me with pain in his eyes, and in an instant they went cold and emotionless as he slipped away‌ (to be continued)

ODE TO BOISE Abigail Jenkins Grade 8, Boise

Short introduction: When we went to JUMP, and I looked down over the city, I was inspired by the history of Boise, so I wrote this piece‌ Barren, dry desert landscapes Full of sagebrush and rock Sand Dust A strip of fertile land Lush, green, and cool Birds sing By a river The Boise River A paradise Made only by a few trees Cotton woods, perhaps It became an area dominated by agriculture The New York Canal is built In a century It will become a place full of art The green and brown mush into foothills Table Rock, A new monument has formed.

Horse-drawn carriages Turn to Subarus, Toyotas, Hyundais, Fords Still a gentle untouched place But changing forever Boise, the City of Trees 79

WATER PARK Jesse Hill Grade 8, Twin Falls Tumbling down a snowy mountain, soaked and dying, only to ind the police waiting at the bottom to arrest me for stealing his skis.

Earlier, I mapped this forest, climbing the tallest tree for the inale of my reality TV show.

The escalator went up to glory, but screeched to a stop, and brought me down to school.

But my teacher will give me a retake for my test.

I open the door and walk into the scary world.

Only to dive back into bed and play video games.

The boss gives me one last chance.

One. He writes a presentation for everyone, and the audience of swans applaud for him.

Zeus stole my thunder and gave it to my Dad. A mischievous goblin steals my magic wand, when I inally got the guts to save Belgium.

Never mind the ignorant child in the crib rushing the door 80

to the outside world, I have another key.

The swans sigh when the badger falls down irst, to indicate the show’s over.

No. The escalator goes upward.

I’m on the solid stairs of lightning going up while falling down.

I notice the danger of the forest, so I strap on my helmet.

The waterfall was a kiddie slide.

The police oicer awaits at the bottom, but he wasn’t mad.

He was proud.

“Skiing down that mountain was hard.

No wonder it took you three tries.”

SPACE

Lily Free Grade 9, Boise I pointed at myself, then making a grabbing motion with both hands, point to the stars in the night sky. Ending it with the thumb of my open hand to my forehead. Signing “I want to go to space, Papa.” It may not have been perfect but this was pretty big for a ive year old such as myself. My dad turned away from me, to the sky, and chuckled.

“Alright, mijo, if that’s what you want to do, me and Mama will support you,” Papa told me in with the heavy Spanish accent both my parents shared. My parents are trying to speak English as much as they can as to become luent quicker.

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“But remember, do your homework. The spacemen aren’t going to let in a dropout.” He ruled my short light-brown hair.

Images of lying in a rocket ship into the cosmos got me excited.

I started nodding very aggressively while smiling like it was only going to be an hour before I let for the stars. I was frantically signing my hands trying to make it to the telescope which sat on the concrete next to the old wooden bench we sat on. Mama was going to call us in for dinner soon, and I really wanted to see my star sign, Gemini.

Sadly, I wasn’t able to ind it before Mama rang the dinner bell from the second story of the barely afordable crappy apartments we lived in. I sat and pouted, crossing my arms, puing my cheeks and furrowing my eyebrows.

Papa grunted and sat up warily, turning to me with a big bright smile, and holding out his hand.

THE UNIVERSE SPINS Hallie Delaney Grade 9, Boise

One should never forget their own mind. When you have seen all and known all, it is jarring to simply to care. For what is the point, to care for these mortals, if in the end they will perish at the hands of time.

We must never interfere, so I have been told. I have learned that to do so we must not look too closely at the state of the universe.

This feeling of longing is unnatural, although it has become a constant familiarity. Mortals will love who they love, I suppose, and love will sink its hooks into your heart despite the fact that you are in ininite, ethereal, intangible concept with no form or heart to grasp.

I was hailed by this lover, mine only once. Beyond that I came unprompted. They called me down from the heavens with a voice of purpose and great need. A world that had shunned them was starving and they told me to help. A village of gospel and wealth had let them to die and they insisted that I use my 82

power to save them.

I asked them why.

They could not give me an answer.

So I made crops sprout from the earth in droves and a sot rain fall from the sky. This village cried of my mercy for the next century, but not once did they mention the outcasted fool who summoned me. However, my existence had been altered by that meeting. Mortals are fascinatingly selless, and I was intrigued. It was half a millennium later when I felt them again, and I appeared to a world at war with itself. It was there I learned what could only have been fear when my person was nearly gutted with a dull blade. I told myself that I could not step in. I told myself that it is the way of these humans to kill and be killed. And I told myself how Verona had not listened when I told her I could not save that selish village from its end, and I heard her pleading, her tears, for those who hated her for what she wasn’t And my eyes were glowing a hot white when site returned to me, and what sight I had created. Nothing but a shadow of ash remained where an assailant had torn a gash in my person with a crude knife, and my person’s shaking hand was clutched in mine as he clawed at an injury that was no longer there.

ACCEPTANCE

Brooklyn McLarin Grade 8, Boise To her mom she seemed like a cry for help The edgy teen who brought her vape to school And complained loudly when it was dead or out of juice She was the double-dutch braided ripped-jean rebel Complete with her whatever state of mind To her friends she seemed like an idol The pretty girl that everyone wanted to meet But was too intimidating to even consider looking at She was the ultimate standard for her classmates And she launted it with all she had because it was all she had 83

To her teachers she seemed like a failure The problem child who never brought home more than a B But always had time to socialize rather than study She was the pencil-tapping self-destructive bother Intending on ruining her education instead of improving it To herself she seemed like a law The constant imperfection that needed to be corrected And she vowed to correct it every time She was the black-and-white yes-or-no schoolgirl Hiding her true face behind a mask of popularity To herself she seemed unwanted The one that no one smiled at Or laughed with when she told a joke She was a normal teenager yearning for validation Seemingly alone, but, in reality, everyone wants just what she wanted Because we, as a species, want only one thing Acceptance.

MEMORIES

Paola Trapani Grade 7, Boise I remember my watermelon-themed birthday.

I remember when we go to cute baby chicks.

I remember the irst time I got stung by a wasp.

I remember when I used to play with thirty rubber ducks in Mary Ann’s pool.

I remember the third grade.

I remember my old house where I was born.

I remember the dead ish we dissected in class. One kid passed out and my friend had a panic attack.

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I remember getting a trampoline.

I remember getting a thorn in my eye.

I remember having a hairline fracture in my let arm.

I remember visiting my best friends in Idaho Falls.

I REMEMBER

Mercy Roberts Grade 9, Emmett I remember becoming a Christian, feeling nervous and excited.

I remember dancing with my sisters listening to Imagine Dragons.

I remember twirling in the kitchen on my brother’s graduation day and accidentally swiping my ingers through the icing on his cake.

I remember driving from Idaho to Washington every month for four years.

I remember Hannah Banana Lee. I remember painting backdrops to my sister’s play with Melody while listening to Mamma Mia. I remember listening to Michael Buble while jumping on the trampoline and making lasagna.

I remember bright yellow and orange Krat Mac and Cheese.

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I REMEMBER

Annabelle Thomas Grade 7, Boise I remember my irst day on jump rope team.

I remember that when I walked in there was this awful smell of sweaty socks.

I remember thinking I wouldn’t it in, but ater a few months I basically had another family.

I remember going to regionals and everyone said I did really well for my irst year.

I remember at nationals we went to Orlando, Florida. It was pretty cool meeting people from other teams from around the world.

I remember I got second place in the top ten and there were over twenty teams to compete against.

I remember during the years that I was on the team how I watched people leave and join the team, but then I had to say goodbye to my jump rope team. It was really hard, but I knew I would be back.

I REMEMBER

Samantha Severson Grade 7, Boise I remember when I was ive and I looded the bathroom. My dad was so mad.

I remember the irst time I threw up. It was on my mom’s bedroom loor. I cried because I felt so bad.

I remember when I thought cold lunch had to be cold like ice cream, and hot lunch had be hot like soup.

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I remember on the irst day of kindergarten in a new school when a boy asked me if I wanted to do a puzzle. I said no.

I remember running into my dad’s belly and bouncing back of.

I thought it was fun.

I remember hugging some random Chinese guy who I thought was my dad in line at the grocery. It was really embarrassing.

I remember when I was in a diferent third grade class than my best friend. I never knew when she was coming out to recess.

I remember Mom’s old house with an old fence. One day one piece of fence came out and a nail was sticking out. My brother wanted to try out stepping on the nail. I guess he didn’t think it was going to go through his foot.

I remember the irst time I saw my dad cry. It was weird. I never thought parents cried. I guess I was wrong.

I remember loving to go to the library. But not for the books, for the movies.

I remember when my dad almost drove of without me. I was so freaked out I started yelling his name out until he inally heard me.

I remember doing bunny hops on the beam thinking, “What if I fell of on the last hop” and of course I fell of on the last hop and had to get staples in my head.

I remember going to Five Guys to meet my mom’s boyfriend Rob’s kids. I thought they would be brown hair like their dad, but they had blonde. We didn’t say a word to each other the whole time.

I remember the second time I met Rob’s kids. They came over to our house and my brother asked them if they wanted to play Minecrat and within ive minutes we were best friends. Now we all look back and laugh at the irst day we met.

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THE END OF TRUMP Kyle Johnson Grade 4, Boise

Once a bufalo spawned in Trump’s backyard. A few minutes later, then the bufalo ate all of Trump’s vegetables. A few hours later, Trump came home and found a bufalo in his house, and vegetable scraps were all over the loor.

Then Trump tried to scare of the bufalo. The bufalo was going outside, back into the backyard. Then Trump came out and tried to scare him out of his backyard, but it didn’t work. So the bufalo charged at him, grabbed him with his horns and threw him to Mexico.

Then the bufalo broke out of his house and a bunch of people saw him. They called animal patrol. But when the animal patrol came, the bufalo charged the truck and threw it into Trump’s backyard, upside down.

TIGER

Amaya Longley Grade 3, Boise I, the one and only, Katrina.

The city is where I live.

I crawl under the shade of a tree.

People say that I’m stronger than steel.

The great tiger with gited talent.

When little kids walk by, they say they’re strong tigers but they’re not.

I’m not a little kitty.

I’m Katrina.

As the eggs hatch above me, I know that I’m Katrina.

When night falls I shall shut my eyes and go to sleep.

When dawn breaks, I’m on the prowl, to hunt for peace.

And when I have my little snack, I say, I’m the one and only Katrina.

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THE LITTLE BUTTERFLY Annika Buisman Grade 4, Meridian

Once there was a beautiful monarch butterly colony.

The butterlies lived in the movie theater! Not a single person knew, but that was about to change.

“I want to explore!” said the littlest butterly.

“You’re too small!” all the butterlies said.

The small butterly was sad, so she decided to explore by herself.

“This place is huge!” she said.

The little butterly was eager to explore.

“Look Mom, a butterly!” A little girl said.

“Sweetheart no butterlies would be inside,” her mom said.

The little girl was ignored by her older brothers. Just like the butterly.

“Ha ha!” said the girl’s brothers.

The little butterly saw the girl head into a theater.

“Wait!” said the butterly.

She lew into the theater. Then the little girl saw the butterly and told her mom that she had to use the restroom.

“Hello!” piped the butterly.

“Wow, I knew I wasn’t crazy,” said the girl. “How did you get in here?”

“I live here,” said the butterly.

“YOU LIVE HERE!!!?” shouted the girl.

“Yes?” said the butterly, “With my whole colony.

Everyone says I’m too small to explore.”

“My brothers say I’m stupid for thinking you’re real,” said the girl.

Then they walked back into the theater.

“That was a great movie,” the girl’s family said.

When they let the butterly said goodbye to the girl and lew back home to her colony.

The End.

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GOOSE

Vanessa Schliep Grade 4, Boise goose oh goose how beautiful you are with black and white, brown all over with small black eyes and feathers all over you black beak that eats grass. goose oh goose

THE DOG AND THE LION Charlie Bolinder Grade 3, Boise

“Mom, the dog could run away,” a kid said.

“We have a leash,” the mom said.

So the mom and the kid went to see the lion. Then the mom let go of the leash. The dog ran into the lion’s exhibit. The zoo was closed till the dog was found.

“Hi,” the dog said.

“Hi,” said the lion.

The dog and the lion shook paws and the other animals were jealous of their friendship. They cuddled through the night. They woke up and again no one was there. They wondered why but they knew they had each other and that’s all they needed.

“Good morning,” the dog said.

“Morning,” the lion said.

They ate together, played together. They slept together.

They were the dog and the lion.

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CHEETAH

Kristen Besinga Grade 4, Boise I am a cheetah.

I can be a vicious kitty sometimes.

As I walk through my home, I look at everything as if I were looking at it for the irst time.

The trees, rocks, grass, my paws moving up and down on the ground.

I found a shady spot under a tree and laid down.

I felt the breeze brush up against my fur.

I started to chase this gazelle running around.

Ater I caught it, I ate it and licked my lips and tasted the lesh of gazelle.

I watched my friends as they played around wildly.

I stayed at the tree.

My new favorite spot.

Some people say I was born to run, which I was and do.

We cheetah are the fastest mammal ever.

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FIRE AND WATER Harrison Hoyne Grade 3, Boise

You are fast like ire I am gushy like water We are all diferent Sometimes I am water We both are diferent and I don’t care Wind and ire water and air I don’t care we are diferent and diferent we will be, you’re like ire, I’m like water or animals in the wind Skunks in the air we don’t care we are both diferent in sage brush wind blows Fire water air earth we are all diferent people in the air Some are hot they are ire Some are wet they are water We are diferent people.

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MIDNIGHT DREAMS

3045 (EXCERPT) Tabitha Zeiler Grade 5, Boise

Scene 1 Hazel and Charles walk down the streets of Auckland. The silver-cooled bricks shine in the sun. They see lower beds and lower pots, as well as the Auckland sky tower sparkling in the light.

Suddenly, they see a door.

HAZEL: Charles?

CHARLES: Yes, Hazel?

HAZEL: Was that door there yesterday?

She points at the mysterious black door with ornate designs and a brass handle.

CHARLES (curious): I don’t think so.

HAZEL: Wait. Look through the eyehole. Is that light?

CHARLES: I have no idea. But I think we should ind out.

HAZEL: I agree.

Hazel opens the door, hand shaking.

A glowing white-green light from within.

Everything starts to spin.

A tunnel of light.

Then everything goes black.

Scene 2 Charles and Hazel arrive, disoriented, in some sort of lab.

HAZEL: Whoa.

CHARLES: It looks like we’re in some sort of lab.

VOICE: Correct you are.

Hazel and Charles lip around to see a Mad Scientist.

HAZEL: Who are you? Where are we?

MAD SCIENTIST: I am a mad scientist. But you can call me Earl. You are in the dimension La Shaiand. It is currently 1:45 pm, Saturday, 3045.

CHARLES: Hazel, we’re 1,027 years in the future!

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HAZEL: Whoa. (screaming) Aah! What is that?!

EARL: Oh. That is just Stardust. He looks ierce, but he’s just protective.

CHARLES: How did you get a dragon?

EARL: That’s a secret of mine.

HAZEL: More importantly, how do we get out of here?

EARL: Well, about that. I have a story. A true story. And ater that, a question.

A NEW WORLD (EXCERPT) Hope Smith Grade 6, Boise

Scene 4 Lights lash on, then of.

SBW: Ugg...where am I? Why? Whaa?

Confused, Sarah gets up. At least tries to.

SBW: It hurts...Ugg. What am I to do?

Lights lash on.

SBW: (opens eyes) Wow. She’s amazed but not happy. She scrambles up, linches in pain.

SBW: This, this is it. This is the end...the end of the world.

Sarah, if you haven’t guessed, is in a new world…..it’s not necessarily a good one. It is Earth, she is sure of that, but there was no life. No people, animals, plants, no nothing. Just...craters.

SBW: Just craters...craters from what?

BOOM! A nuclear bomb explodes about 902 miles away.

SBW: Oh, that’s what.

Sarah climbs down a two-story crater, almost slips the whole way down. When she gets to the bottom, there is a steep bluf.

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SBW: It’s a great view, but it’s just all so...gray.

It is, the sky, ground, the lasting trees.

There is a building. It is gray, too. People are walking down the hill bluf.

Sarah walks down and follows.

SBW(whispers): Hello?! Hey! PRISONER #1: Hello?

He turns around.

PRISONER #1: Did you hear tha-SBW: Over here!

Lights.

ALEX ASTEN (EXCERPT) Meadow Friscopp Grade 5, Boise

The story thus far….we’re keeping it a mystery.

Scene 11 Meredith walks over to the phone box, where Grandpa is.

MEREDITH: Grandpa? What’re you doing? My story wasn’t inished!

GRANDPA: If you really did all that, someone needs to know!

MEREDITH: Who? GRANDPA: The police! I love you, granddaughter, but you have done bad things.

MEREDITH: My story wasn’t inished!

Grandpa keeps dialing.

GRANDPA: Well, then, I’ll give you an honorable ending. Prison.

MEREDITH: What about your daughter? She wouldn’t want this!

GRANDPA: You killed her!

The police answer the phone.

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POLICE: Hello?

MEREDITH: Grandpa! Don’t do this!

GRANDPA: Hello. I would like to report a wanted criminal. Alex Asten or Meredith Besmen, as she likes to go by.

POLICE: Address?

GRANDPA: What?

POLICE: Where are you located?

GRANDPA: Oh. 2430 Amber Road!

POLICE: We’re coming immediately!

The police arrive, lights lashing.

POLICE: Alex Asten, you’re under arrest!

Meredith willingly sits in the car, she frowns, they drive away.

BDA (EXCERPT) Naomi Foster Grade 7, Boise

Act 1, Scene 4 The girls are backstage ready to perform.

KIMMI: I am so excited! What is your order, Grace?

GRACE: Ballet group dance, Ballet solo, Hip-Hop group dance.

How about you?

KIMMI: Mine is Ballet group dance, Ballet solo, Hip-Hop group dance, Hip-Hop solo.

GRACE: Cool!

JUDGE 1: Now, welcome to the stage from the BDA...Midnight Dreams!

The girls spin and leap their way through the dance.

20 minutes pass and Kimmi performs her ballet solo.

30 minutes pass and they perform the hip-hop group dance.

40 minutes pass and Kimmi performs her hip-hop solo.

MIA: Why don’t you just leave now, Kimmi, you don’t belong here. You will be lucky if you even place in the top 50.

GRACE: Be quiet, Mia. Kimmi can out dance you any day.

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Mia rolls her eyes.

MIA: Whatever.

15 minutes later. The girls are back on stage and ready to perform.

JUDGE 1: Now for irst place in the 17-18 ballet group it is BDA with Midnight Dreams!

Claps, claps, claps.

JUDGE 2: For irst place in 17-18 ballet solo category...Kimmi Haron!!

Kimmi comes up and receives her award.

JUDGE 3: First place in 17-18 hip-hop group...the BDA in ‘Don’t Mess with Me’!

JUDGE 4: And now, irst place 17-18 hip-hop solo...KIMMI HARON!!

GRACE: See, Mia, she can out dance you any day.

Kimmi and Grace walk of stage.

Lights.

End of play

MANSION (EXCERPT) Ella Larsen Grade 6, Boise

Scene 1 Lights.

Today, in New York City, 2015.

Edgar Channing’s granddaughter, Emma, is visiting him at his mansion.

Emma stands on the doorstep. She rings the doorbell, the door opens.

Mr. Channing’s kind assistant, Veronica, answers it.

EMMA: Is Mr. Channing here?

VERONICA: Oh, and are you his granddaughter?

EMMA: Yes, who are you?

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VERONICA: I’m your grandfather’s assistant, Veronica Winfrey.

Veronica leads Emma into the lobby of the mansion. Emma is in shock at how big it is.

EMMA: My grandpa really lives here!

VERONICA: Why, yes, he does!

EMMA: Speaking of which, where is my grandpa?

VERONICA: He is upstairs in his oice next to the factory.

EMMA: There is a factory here?

Scene 2 Emma follows Veronica up the stairs to see her grandfather.

They overhear him talking to one of his workers.

EDGAR: Thank you, Mr. Shens, that will be quite enough.

MR. SHENS: But, sir, I--EDGAR: I said that will be quite enough. Now leave or I will call in security!

Mr. Shens leaves, and Veronica and Emma step into the room.

VERONICA: Excuse me, sir, your granddaughter is here.

EDGAR: She is?

VERONICA: Yes, remember she came here to visit you today.

Edgar is getting older and doesn’t have a memory as good as he used to.

EDGAR: Oh, yes, send Emma in.

Scene 3 Emma walks into the oice with her hands behind her back and a very small smile.

EDGAR: Hello, Emma!

EMMA: Wow, grandpa, I have never been here before!

EDGAR: Do you like it here?

Emma smiles her small smile, but says nothing.

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PRINCESS POWERS (EXCERPT) Andie Nickels Grade 6, Boise

Scene 6 Setting: enchanted forest.

J: This so cool! My birthday is in the Enchanted Forest!

O: Let’s make sure we brought everything.

F: Okay. Sodas?

O: Check.

F: Water?

O: Check.

F: Buns?

O: Check.

F: Potato salad?

O: Check.

F: Condiments?

O: Check.

F: Burgers?

O: Check.

F: Hot dogs?

O: Uhhh….no.

F: Why didn’t you bring hot dogs?

O: I forgot.

F: Uh-oh….

J: Why did you think a 17 year old would want hot dogs?

O: I dunno.

J sighs. Festivities continue.

O: Why don’t Eva and Finn go play?

F: Do you think we’re three?

O: (sighs) Go play.

F and M lay on the loor.

B: Maybe you should send Finn somewhere for a while, he won’t be king for some time.

M perks up.

B: He is just a lazy hunk otherwise. Just look at Gertie.

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UG glares. M stands up, gets angry.

B: But he isn’t as lazy as Minerva, that girl is gonna be the death of us.

K: I strongly agree.

B: That lazy little brat thinks she is too good for this family.

M clenches and unclenches her hand, vigorously.

M: SHUT UP. She thrusts out her hand, powers aimed at B. B: Ahhh!!!

B puts a plate in front of him to stop the powers, they bounce of narrowly missing K. M: Don’t come back!

B: Witch!

SACRIFICE (EXCERPT) Magda Wilper Grade 6, Boise

Scene 1 Kingdom square. In a kingdom a long time ago. Lyra enters.

JOAN: Lyra! I have missed you my dear friend! How has school been?

LYRA: Oh, I have missed you much, too! School is well.

JOAN: You have missed much since you let.

LYRA: What has happened?

JOAN: Our poor king is one month dead. Trampled to death by his horse.

LYRA: (gasp) This is horrible!

JOAN: That’s not all, Killeth the neighboring kingdom’s king, has seized the throne while we were still in grief.

LYRA: My, I have missed much!

JOAN: Yes, the kingdom has been a sad and dreary place.

LYRA: How is mother, Joan?

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JOAN: She was a servant to the old king and now she works for Killeth. Trust me, Killeth is quite the tyrant.

LYRA: This is horrible!

Scene 2 Joan and Lily’s cottage. Evening.

JOAN: Mother, how are you?

LILY: (crying) Killeth killed my good friend just because she forgot the sugar in his tea.

JOAN: (gasp) What a tyrant! I am sorry, Mother.

LILY: What happens if I make a mistake? I’ll be dead. Someone needs to stop him.

JOAN: Yes, it is madness.

A knock on the door.

LILY: Come in!

Lyra enters.

LILY: How are you, Lyra?

LYRA: Good, how about you, Lily?

LILY: Not the best.

Lily explains.

LYRA: Aye, we have got to do something.

SO MY BROTHER’S A GHOST (EXCERPT) Ella Cornett Grade 6, Boise

Scene 1 A nice cozy room. A roaring ire.

CHILD 1: Pappa, pappa, tell us a story!

CHILD 2: Pleeease?

FATHER (1): Now? CHILDREN: Yes, yes!

CHILD 1: Tell us!

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FATHER (1): I could tell you the story of your Uncle Joe. CHILD 2: We have no Uncle Joe, Father.

FATHER: That is only what you think….

Scene 2 FATHER (1): Long ago, your Uncle Joe and I were out in a ield playing tag when he fell. I heard a rattling noise and then Joe screamed in pain.

JOE (1) (in the story): Help, Brother! A rattler snake bit me, oh; it hurts. Help. Pleeease!

Joe screams in pain.

FATHER (1): I ran to check on Joe...

Joe is on the ground, wailing.

JOE (1): Oh, Brother, the pain! I think I may die.

FATHER (2) (in story): I cannot run back to tell Mum you are hurt, I am sorry, brother, it is just too far.

JOE (1): I understand.

FATHER (2): To ease your pain, I will sit with you until you breathe your inal breath, dear brother.

JOE (1): No, leave me, brother, go tell Mum and Dad what *gasp* - happened!

FATHER (2): No, Joe...I can’t (his voice breaks) I can’t leave you like this.

JOE (1): Brother *gasp* - be strong, you have to do this…

FATHER: Alright, (dramatic pause) I love you, Joe! JOE: Me, too, brother, *gasp* GO! FATHER (1) (telling story): I - I let him - alone and dying. I feel so bad.

CHILD 1: That’s terrible, Dad. FATHER (1): I know, and when your mum dies and you all get old and move out...I’ll die alone, too.

CHILD 1: Dad, you won’t die sad and alone CHILD 2: Yeah, Charles is NEVER leaving.

CHILD 1: What - *splutter* - HEY! FATHER (1): I suppose you’re right.

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THE ANNEX (EXCERPT) Eloisa Harper Grade 5, Boise

Scene 1 Lights.

ELOISA: I walked in and saw the past. I was visiting Amsterdam.

I decided to take a tour of the Secret Annex. There was no one there that day.

I went into the kitchen because I thought I heard someone yelling in German. Then, I saw Mr. and Mrs. Van Pel. I tried to touch them, but went right through them. They were...

GHOSTS! I went into the sitting room and found Dussel working on Mrs. Frank’s teeth.

Scene 2 Lights.

ELOISA: As I walked near Anne’s room, I could hear my heartbeat. I saw the posters of the celebrities. Her bed with the thin sheets. Her desk. It was her desk that made me think about how strong she had to be. She had to be strong to not go outside for two years. To survive World War II. To put up with all other seven people around her. To eat rationed and gross food.

As I looked around the room, I saw something sticking out of her pillow. Her original diary!

I scanned the pages. It was in German, but I could understand the openings, “Dearest Kitty.” It quoted. She inspired me. She inspired us all.

As I walked into Mr. and Mrs. Frank’s bedroom, I wondered what Margaret’s feelings were? Had she been so quiet because she was scared? Had she been angry? Had she been sad? Maybe she was claustrophobic? Who knows?

When I looked around the room, I saw her.

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MARGARET: Can you see us?

ELOISA: Y...yes.

MARGARET: This has never happened.

ELOISA: Yeah, that kind of makes sense.

MARGARET: You need to make change in the world just like Anne did.

ELOISA: Okay, tell me everything I need to know.

THE KID NAMED YELLOW (EXCERPT) Yaroslava Belova Grade 5, Boise

Scene 1 Lights up.

NARRATOR: Yellow was at school in the morning on a Sunday for a science fair experiment. He was walking through the hall to the lab when he suddenly saw the science teacher and all the science fair participants running as fast as they could (which was pretty fast for nerds) down the hall to the ire exit! So Yellow joined in. He ran so fast he thought he’d lose his legs on the way there. And woosh! Everyone made it. So there everyone was, standing outside. Then Yellow said: YELLOW: What hap--NARRATOR: BOOM! The school exploded into tiny pieces!

Scene 2 YELLOW: I was at home wondering what happened to the school. Why did it explode? I told Mom about what happened.

She said, “who know?” Aterwards, I went to bed and just lied there wondering what I would do at school tomorrow.

Scene 3 YELLOW: When I got to school today, my teacher, Mrs. Neckpain, took the whole class outside, it was kinda hard to see where the school was ater it blew up. Well anyway, Mrs. Neckpain said that we’ll be going to have our class in the Egyptian Theater. I wasn’t excited but Gingin was.

GINGIN: I’m so excited! I’ve never been to the the Egyptian Theater.

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YELLOW: Meh. I’m not very excited.

GINGIN: Why not?

YELLOW: I don’t know. I’m just sad because I was so excited for the science fair...and now we can’t have it.

GINGIN: Who said we can’t have it?

YELLOW: You know what? You’re right! We can all go to the chemical store and get all the ingredients we need. But it did take two weeks to inish the project, now there’s only 3 days ‘til the last day of school! What are we gonna do?

GINGIN: I guess we’ll just have to do!

BOTH: Ya! Scene 4 YELLOW: There’s only two days let to have our science fair!

Hopefully, we’ll have enough time to do it.

GINGIN: I know we can, we just have to work hard.

YELLOW: Ok! Let’s get working or else we’ll run out of time.

GINGIN: You’re right, let’s get on it.

NARRATOR: Then Yellow and Gingin worked as hard as they possibly could at Yellow’s house. And may you ask why Yellow’s house? Because he has a giant science lab in a medium-sized room in his house. Yellow has also invited his sister Zany and his brother Mikeee. Zany helped Gingin with her Egyptian pyramid that if you add the right chemicals the pyramid will break apart to look like a cat. Then Mikeee helped Yellow with his 3D earth example that will spin when you pour water on it.

THE PURPLE COTTAGE (EXCERPT) Erica Langdon Grade 7, Boise

Scene 1 An abandoned kitchen.

Winnefred scampers to center stage and sighs: lights up.

WINNEFRED: I wish that this place wasn’t so lonely.

The sound of her voice echoes across the stage.

WINNEFRED: Wait a sec...I’ve never been in this part of the kitchen before.

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A loud thud echoes from stage let.

WINNEFRED: (gasps) H-h-hello? Who is it?

She walks closer to the sound.

WINNEFRED: Whoever you are, come out!!

Long pause.

WINNEFRED: Ok then, if you want to do it the hard way!!

Winnefred scampers of stage.

Scene 2 A small abandoned bedroom with scratches on the furniture and curtains. Winnefred crawls through a small hole in the wall to reveal the musty old bedroom, as the lights turn on.

WINNEFRED: I’ve never been here before either. How many rooms could a skin walker have in their house?

RAVEN: Plenty. Plenty indeed.

WINNEFRED: Ha! I knew there was someone else living here!

RAVEN: Bird brain, of course there is! Where are you anyway?

Winnefred walks to the middle of the room.

WINNEFRED: I’m right here on the rug!

RAVEN: (chuckles) Purrrfect!

Winnefred stares in horror as a huge cat comes out from the dresser with sharp claws and teeth.

WINNEFRED: Aaaaahhhhh!

Raven leaps towards Winnefred but she scampers out of the way causing the cat to crash into the vanity.

RAVEN: You won’t get away that easily again!

Raven crashes into a wall as Winnefred climbs onto the bed.

WINNEFRED: I just did.

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Winnefred jumps on the window sill and all of a sudden hears the lapping of wings as a small bird scoops her up and carries her to a hole in the ceiling.

WINNEFRED: What are you doing!!?

CHRISTOPHER: Saving your life!!

Lights out.

THE WAY TO TELLINGTON HALL (EXCERPT) Ruby Kile Grade 6, Boise Scene 1 The party.

EVA: (walking in) Ahh. Popularity here I come! (looks back) Uggh! Bella, I don’t want to say this but…

Ella grabs Bella.

EVA: Don’t be yourself.

BELLA: Eva, I don’t like the idea that we are barging into Katie Bennett’s party. We could be caught and arrested. Maybe even worse! We could-EVA: I wonder what kind of cake Katie has.

She grabs Bella and runs of.

BELLA: Uggh!

Scene 2 Downtown.

EVA: I think I ate too much cake.

BELLA: I told you to take the carrot cake. That has the less germs. Since no one really takes it...Eva! EVA: What?

BELLA: What about your…

EVA: I don’t have my hives. How could I even get them?

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BELLA: Well, science shows that…

EVA: I don’t wanna know about science! I think I wanna go through that door!

Eva goes through the door, slams it behind her.

BELLA: Eva! What are you...Uggh. I can’t believe I’m doing this but…

Bella walks through the door.

BELLA: Eva! Eva, where are you?

A strange light glows. It speaks to Bella.

ALYSON: Touch me. It’s where it all is. I need your help.

BELLA: I am not touching a light. Do you know how many lies go up there and die? Approximately 400 per day. Thank you very much, but I prefer to know where my sister is. Along with staying right where I am.

ALYSON: I need your help. Eva has ofered and I hope you will, too. It’s the way to Tellington Hall.

BELLA: What do you mean?

ALYSON: What do you like?

BELLA: Science.

ALYSON: Heh-heh. Well, you’re in luck! It’s exactly what they have.

BELLA: Okay, I guess I will touch you. Are you sure that Eva is-ALYSON: Yeah, yeah, she’s there now. Go ahead, feel my warmth.

BELLA: Okay.

She touches the light.

BELLA: Here I go.

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TIME CAPSULE (EXCERPT) Gwyneth Schroder Grade 5, Boise

Scene 1 Trees wave back and forth, revealing a shack. Two girls approach it.

TEÁ: I don’t know about this….

NEPTUNE: Oh, come on, it’s just a house that was once lived in by a lady and now she’s dead and no one remembers here…

Pause.

NEPTUNE: Okay, I admit it, it sounds a bit freaky, but no house can hurt you.

TEÁ: But things inside the house can.

NEPTUNE: Stop being such a wimp.

Neptune reaches for the handle. The door creaks as she slowly opens it.

The forest seems to get darker.

Neptune screams.

TEÁ: What?! What?!

NEPTUNE: I’m just kidding.

Neptune steps into the house, as soon as she does she vanishes.

TEÁ: Neptune!

Scene 2 Still in the forest. Teá stands looking inside the house.

TEÁ: (mumbling to herself) What am I supposed to do?

Neptune was the one who made the decisions. Stupid Teá!

Teá slaps her forehead.

TEÁ: I guess the only thing to do is go in.

Teá steps into the pitch black door. A hand pulls her in all the way.

NEPTUNE: What took you so long?

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Neptune, instead of being a 14-year-old girl like Teá, is now taller, but obviously still a teenager.

NEPTUNE: I swear, I’ve been in here for 3 years.

TEÁ: Don’t be ridiculous. It’s only been like, two minutes.

The room they’re in is all white. It seems to go on forever.

NEPTUNE: Look out!

Neptune yanks Teá out of the way just as a giant white spike comes out of nowhere.

TEÁ: Let’s get out of here!

Teá turns to where she thinks the door is.

TEÁ: The door, it’s gone!

NEPTUNE: Don’t you think I’ve tried that? There’s no getting out!

TRICK OR TREAT (EXCERPT) Annalise Robinson Grade 5, Boise

Prologue Brittney and Victoria put on their costumes -- a dead cheerleader and a dead ballerina. They put on makeup: Brittney puts on black eyeshadow, fake scars, dark red lipstick, and mascara. Victoria also puts on black eyeshadow, fake blood, mascara, black lipstick with tiny drops of “blood” and blush.

VICTORIA: OMG. We look amazing!

BRITTNEY: I can’t wait to scare all the little kids.

VICTORIA: Me neither.

Victoria and Brittney walk down the stairs.

Scene 1 A doorbell rings. A door creaks open. Footsteps on the stairs.

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Victoria at Brittney talk, their footsteps clack going down the stairs.

A woman in a witch costume (NORA) talks to the girls. Brittney rolls her eyes. The girls run out the door.

Scene 2 Fast footsteps. Footsteps slow. Candy falling into a plastic bucket. A little girl cries. Witch laughs from the distance. A woman in a Wonder Woman costume sits on a chair with a big bowl of candy on her lap.

WONDER WOMAN: Only two.

Brittney and Victoria take a handful. They run away.

Scene 3 Brittney and Victoria run into the forest, not noticing where they are going. They end up in front of a big mansion with a purple door with lions carved in iron. Brittney knocks on the door.

No answer.

They see an open window. They peak inside. No one.

Victoria opens the window more and both slip inside.

Scene 4 The lights are of. The window suddenly goes down with a big noise.

Pitch black. The girls feel around the walls. Looking for a switch. *click* Dim lights appear on the ceiling. The girls sigh with relief. The girls see stairs. No lights there. They go up the windy staircase anyway.

One dim light is on in a room that looks like an oice. It’s cold. It feels like it just rained.

A foggy igure in the corner.

VICTORIA: What is that?

BRITTNEY: I don’t know.

The room shakes. The girls look up. Daggers on the ceiling. One falls.

They scream. The girls are about to die.

They run down the stairs and try to get out. The door is locked on both sides. The windows don’t open.

The foggy igure appears on the stairs, holding a knife.

The girls scream. The ghost’s red eyes glare at them.

Now they are on the other side of the door, still screaming. They open their eyes.

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They’re still alive, sitting on the porch of that same mansion.

They run to a big tree and hide behind it.

MS. HEAVEN (EXCERPT) Samantha Carrington Grade 5, Boise

Lights and Nevaeh starts narrating NEVAEH: Hello, right now I am talking in the school hall which probably looks pretty weird, y’know, because of mean kids and stuf.

Lynn, Nevaeh’s bully, comes on stage LYNN: Well, well, well, look who it is, girls, the kid who always talks to nobody.

Lynn’s friends snicker and laugh.

NEVAEH: I know something they don’t know and sometimes I am known as Ms. Heaven. Now I need to deal with my next call bye-bye!!

End of irst scene

VACATION IN PROGRESS (EXCERPT) Cody Conner Grade 8, Boise

Scene 2 DAD: You still aren’t inished packing?!!

CALVIN: Cool your jets, Dad. All I need to do is decide which book of facts to bring. ‘Fact Travel Atlas’ or ‘The Ultimate Weird but True?’.

DAD: Just pick one and load your stuf in the car. Eli, how are you doing?

ELI: (shaking rapidly) I still need to pack a dozen more two-liter bottles of Mountain Dew! DAD: Eli, anymore and that suitcase won’t close.

ELI: I know. That’s why I’m drinking half of the bottles in my suitcase so they’ll all it.

Eli lets out a burp so loud that Dad and Calvin cover their ears.

ELI: I also still need to pack eighteen packs of licorice and eleven Milky Way bars.

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DAD: Eli….

MOM: (ofstage) We’re home!

DAD: Alright, boys, pack your things into the car. Melissa, come on!

MELISSA: (ofstage) Just need to apply four more layers of lipstick!

DAD: Ah, inally. We’re on our vacation!

Scene 3 Lights, curtain. The Jackson family is piling into their minivan, getting ready to leave.

MOM: Come on, Grandma, you can do it!

GRANDMA: I’m trying! I’m moving as fast as these old bones will allow!

MELISSA: Geez, get a move on, Grandma! At this point, I’ll probably need to apply more lipstick!

She grabs her makeup bag.

CALVIN: Do you think of anything else other than makeup?

MELISSA: FYI, loser, when you’re someone as beautiful as me, makeup and life are the same thing!

CALVIN: Oh, brother….

MELISSA: Someday, dweebazoid, you’ll start to care about how you look and wear makeup, too!

CALVIN: Uh, I’m a boy…

DAD: Alright, Grandma’s in the car, let’s get going!

THE PLAY WITH NO TITLE (EXCERPT) Ava Hrubec Grade 6, Boise

Lila and her baby sister, Ann, must go to live with their aunt as their mother is really ill and can’t take care of them….

Scene 3 Auntie Marie leads Lila and baby Ann to their room.

AUNTIE MARIE: Make sure to freshen up before you go to bed.

Your room is equipped with clothes and your alarm is set for six.

In the morning, prepare breakfast for me.

She starts to walk away.

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AUNTIE MARIE: Oh, yes. I nearly forgot. Lila, your mother said you have a problem with your imagination getting the best of you. Don’t disrupt me or there will be consequences! You are not to use your imagination! Do you understand me?

LILA: Yes, Auntie Marie.

AUNTIE MARIE: Good!

She exits stage let. Lila and Ann walk into their room. Lila puts out candles and puts baby Ann in her cradle.

LILA: I’m too tired to get us ready for bed tonight.

She gets into bed with her clothes on.

Lila’s conscience walks out.

LILA’S CONSCIENCE: Okay, okay. There is nothing to be scared about. Unless someone comes in here and stabs me and Ann to death! They could come any second! It’s okay. We’re safe…..From the wind! What if we’re kidnapped! What if mama dies in her sleep! Whoa, whoa, whoa. We’re safe. Mama is in the hospital safe and sound. Just close your eyes and go to sleep.

Lila closes her eyes.

Scene 4 Lila enters into the kitchen along with Auntie Marie.

AUNTIE MARIE: The oatmeal is in the cabinet closest to the window. I have to go. Give the landscaper his money.

Auntie Marie walks into the garden.

AUNTIE MARIE: Ahhh!

Lila rushes outside. There’s a dead body in the garden.

LILA: Oh my God! He’s dead! Just out of nowhere!

AUNTIE MARIE: Do not use the lord’s name in vain!

LILA: I’m sorry, but there’s a dead man on your lawn! What am I supposed to say?

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THE CASE OF THE MISSING CASE BUM BUM BUM! (EXCERPT) Maggie McCormick Grade 7, Boise

Scene 1 A door. The door reads “611. Oices of I. Ketchum-Alle, P.I.”Light on the door.

KETCHUM (O.S): This is my door.

Rhythmic inger snaps. Door opens to reveal Ketchum. He wears a trench coat and fedora.

KETCHUM: There has never been a case that I couldn’t crack.

For those in need, my door doesn’t just say 611. It says salvation.

For ne’er-do-wells, it says retribution.

Door slides away to reveal oice.

KETCHUM: I solved every mystery that came my way. And I did it alone. Until one fateful day…

Film noir saxophone sound. Ketchum sits down at his desk.

KETCHUM: It started like any other day. I was reading the news, just browsing the headlines, when the most beautiful blonde stepped into my oice.

Lima Green enters. She holds a banjo. A concerned look on her face.

LIMA: Excuse me? My name is Lima, and my banjo case was stolen.

KETCHUM: Now, why would anyone steal a banjo case? I’ve heard of stolen banjos, but banjo cases?

LIMA: Well, maybe the thief assumed that that banjo was in its case.

KETCHUM: Quiet! I don’t need your help.

LIMA: I get it; you work alone.

KETCHUM: So, where did you last see the case?

LIMA: I remember it perfectly. It was this morning. I was performing at the opera house. The doors were lavender. They looked like gates. Instead of door knobs, they have carved lion’s heads. I walked in and stood up on the stage. My banjo case was 117

backstage.

KETCHUM: Was anybody watching the play?

LIMA: Just a dark-haired lady in a big hat and a bald guy in a blue bow tie. They both let to get water at...hmm...10:04. Ater the performance, I went to get my case, and it was gone!

KETCHUM: Well, we know our suspects -- Gerald and Ilupa.

IT AND THE RUBBER DUCK (EXCERPT) Spencer Jeran Grade 5, Garden City

Chapter 2 IT races through the jungle. He gets chased by the National Guard.

IT: (panting) Hu hu hu hu hu hu hu hu Suddenly, he falls into a room. There is a phone, a bookcase, and a fridge with food inside.

PHONE: Brring...Brring...Brring...Brring IT picks up the phone and answers it. No one answers back.

IT: Huh, that’s weird.

IT opens the fridge. He sees a kid hiding.

IT: (eating) Omnomnom yummy.

IT eats the kid.

BOOM. IT: What was that.

The National Guard is bombing the forest. Boom!

PHONE: Brring...Brring...Brring...Brring IT: Yes. PHONE: We are watching you.

IT: What?

PHONE: Zzt. The phone goes dead. IT looks around some more. He sees a camera. It 118

seems to be watching him.

IT: Hello.

CAMERA: Hi. IT: Where am I? CAMERA: I cannot tell you. Zzzt.

The camera shuts of. IT wonders if the camera is for the National Guard. IT writes a note.

It says: “You will not ind us. You will not track us.” From ????

IT sees a rubber duck RUBBER DUCK: Hi. IT: Hello.

RD: Can I have a kid to eat?

IT spots a swirling circle in the air.

IT: What is that?

RD: What do you think? It’s a portal.

THE WARLOCK MORTICIAN (EXCERPT) Seiya Thompson Grade 7, Boise Characters: Luther, M, 53 Christina Heart, F 35 Ghouls 1 - 3 Werewolf Doctor

a warlock mortician that checks on monster death cases a harpy hit by a plane clean up crew dead from an anvil to the stomach a doctor

Scene 1 Opens on Doctor with gloves, putting on mask, waiting to operate on patient.

Doctor looks at the patient and pulls out bones and organs and closely examines them. Ater a while, he picks up a phone and dials a number and the other end picks up. It’s Luther, the warlock mortician.

LUTHER: I got a broken harpy over here, can you come clean it up?

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DOCTOR: (licking lips) Sure, we’ll be over immediately. Yum yum.

3 ghouls appear onstage.

GHOULS: (singing) We ghouls are summoned To clean up the bodies of the dead We don’t leave a mess of anything And we will eat a yeti or any hairy thing We clean up when we’re done We bring one bottle of sauce, yes, we bring one We even eat lesh that’s rotted or burned We eat out of sight so your stomach won’t churn They drag the body and extras ofstage and make lip-smacking and food-eating sounds. The doctor brings out a dead werewolf with an anvil on its stomach. The ghouls poke their heads out, with red on their faces -- one has a bone in his mouth.

GHOULS: Yum, yum.

The door closes.

End scene.

THE GREEN-EYED GHOST (EXCERPT) Hailey Wilson Grade 7, Boise

Scene 1 Fana tossing and turning in bed. She wakes up screaming.

FANA: Noooo!

Fana’s elder sister, Emily, bursts in.

EMILY: What?! What?! Oh, Fana, did you have another nightmare?

FANA: (sobbing) Oh, Em...Oh, Em, they were right there, but they were….

EMILY: Ohhh...It’s okay now. I miss mom and dad as much as you do, but they aren’t coming back.

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FANA: Em, he was there…

Fana’s panic increases.

FANA: He stood over their bodies and turned to me.

EMILY: Who was there?

FANA: I don’t know. Oh, Em, who killed our parents?

Scene 2 The next morning. Fanna’s bedroom, she and Emily are asleep when there is a knock on the door.

MICHAEL: Emily, Fana, wake up! Michael comes in.

MICHAEL: Geez, I’ve been knocking for the last ive minutes.

It’s time for school! And Emily you have work. Emily groans.

FANA: (sleepily) Michael, just a few more minutes. Please.

MICHAEL: No. As your temporary guardian, it is my duty to-EMILY: Protect...blah blah...Educate...blah blah…Help…

MICHAEL: Why, yes, Emily, I have to do all that and more. Now out of bed. Out. Michael herds the girls out of bed.

FANA: Michael, how did you even know Emily was in my room?

MICHAEL: Well, it was quiet, and I know that Emily only sleeps well with you.

EMILY: (playfully) Oh, shove of, Michael, us ladies have to get ready. Now go and get us some breakfast.

MICHAEL: (cheeky) One step ahead of you girls, I already have some toast cooking.

FANA: (giggling) Don’t you mean you have some toast burning.

Michael smiles, falls as he runs ofstage.

MICHAEL: Oh nooooo….

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EVERYTHING GOES DOWNHILL (EXCERPT) Piper Britton Grade 7, Boise

Scene 1 3 people running away -- Mia, Lunar, Nightmare MIA: It’s going to get us.

LUNAR: Just run.

NIGHTMARE: I can’t run forever. They all stop.

MIA: Maybe we just need to help it or something.

NIGHTMARE: Well, it wants to kill us--LUNAR: Then we ight.

A dragon comes running in ALL: AHH! LUNAR: Quick, freeze it!

All three freeze the dragon.

MIA and NIGHTMARE: Now what?

Everyone freezes.

LUNAR: Wait, wait, wait, let’s start at the beginning where this all started…

Scene 2 LUNAR: It started on my way to my new school.

On a highway a car is broken down where there is only forest.

LUNAR: Why did the car break down?

DRIVER: I don’t know. Why don’t you go walk around the forest while I ix this.

LUNAR: (gives a weird look) Ok? Lunar goes to look around and starts to go into the forest.

About 30-45 minutes later.

LUNAR: I think I’m lost…

Lunar hears something coming from the branches.

LUNAR: Hello?

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Before Lunar can do anything, something jumps on her, knocking her out.

Lunar wakes up in a cave.

LUNAR: What? Where am I? She looks around and sees someone’s shadow.

LUNAR: Who’s there?

The person moves from the shadows and shows himself. He looks around 17, but something isn’t right, he had two furry things on his head. He comes closer, hitting her again! Lunar wakes up in pain everywhere.

She couldn’t move. Lunar looks up seeing cracks in the rock, then it starts getting bigger, then someone picks her up and runs out of the cave, the cave crashes, but the person will not stop running.

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FORGOTTEN BALLOON

KILLERS OF THE SEA Sydney Farris Grade 7, Meridian

Another sailor dies As the turquoise ocean lies Their song kills While you are doing your drills As you hear them You cannot hide from them Their smooth song Makes everything wrong These are the sirens The mythical environs Of the sea When you see Their true nature You will not venture Farther and sleep At the bottom of the steep Ocean loor The door To the living will close And you will lose Joining the millions Of sailors and civilians Dead in the ocean Trying to ind a solution To the water in their lungs As the sirens sung Killers of the sea.

BLACK HOLE

Natalie Dagostino Grade 9, Boise It’s like I’m in a dark room no one can hear me, no one can see me.

I am lost in my thoughts, lost in a world that I made for myself.

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It’s hard to open that door but the light coming out of the outside of the door tempts me.

I am now closer to the door than I have ever been. I feel the doorknob and ind myself turning it.

When I have turned it all it could go my heart started to beat faster and faster.

My hands are Shaking. I give the door a pull and there it is – my fear, my light.

Do you see it?

FALLING

Carter McMasters Grade 8, Boise Falling through the sky not knowing which way is which Falling toward the ground at terminal velocity hope I don’t splat I pull the cord on my parachute it’s jammed!

I spiral closer toward the cold hard ground unfeeling 128

uncaring unknowing The ground doesn’t care what hits it what splats on it It stares up at me cold, gray, neutral blank, and vaguely threatening.

I REMEMBER

Quinn Valenzuela Grade 7, Boise I remember going to Disneyland.

I remember being in the hospital to get heart surgery. I had to ly to a hospital in Portland, Oregon.

I remember moving to a new house. I also had to move to a new school district.

I remember when my grandpa drove his car into the wall, twice.

We had to redo their kitchen.

I remember watching a commercial being ilmed. The director was a jerk but the actors were cool.

I remember going to my irst wedding in San Diego.

I remember school choir.

I remember being on stage in the Shakespeare Festival. The lights and costumes were a once-in-a-lifetime experience.

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SPIRALS

Kai Theil-Takata Grade 7, Boise All he sees are spirals now.

In his father’s picture, his sister’s wedding ring spirals.

He ignores them, pretends they aren’t there.

His lask and pipe are the only things that make the spirals disappear.

He drinks until his ingers are numb.

He injects until his mind is numb.

But when he wakes up there are only more spirals.

He’s scared of them, he hides inside his shitty apartment watching reruns to escape them, but he can’t.

He tries to avoid it, but his relection is becoming a spiral.

He hates them.

He hates his fear of them.

He hates hiding, but he can’t admit that he is.

He hates his father for giving him the Spirals He hates himself for avoiding them.

He hates the spirals, but he can’t escape.

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6:46

Emily Gard Grade 10, Boise It’s 6:46 and your mind wanders. You looked away from the clicking clock and scan over the blank computer screen.

Nothing was interesting, you’ve been bored for a long while.

You still had another two hours and fourteen minutes ater this and that itself sounded hellish. Why did you decide to take that stupid night shit? Oh, right. The pay was good and you had to help pay for your sister’s medicine since your older brother was of playing the pimp and having sex with the Gregory triplets again. You stood up from your cubicle to see the darkened room, the only source of light was your small desk lamp and even that didn’t give of much. Flopping back down onto your rolling chair, you almost fell over as it tilted back from impact, quickly grabbing your desk and pulling yourself enough to gain balance. You gave a small swear and took a deep breath to calm your racing heart. You looked over everything that you had in the small thin-walled prison. The lamp, a small digital clock, the big computer that seemed like it should’ve been condemned years ago. A trash bin and three small drawers. Sitting back in your chair, you looked at your wrist to see the tiny tattoo you got with your mom on your iteenth birthday. You kept staring at the tattoo before something made a bump in the dark. You stood up and shouted a small hello and gained no response.

Quickly turning of your lamp and sneaking out of your cubicle, it was much darker than before. Creak, creak, creak. That’s the sound your shoes made. Six more creaks and then you met with another pair of shoes. Looking up, you felt something sharp. It was 7:02 and your mind didn’t wander.

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BEING BILLY Olivia Moreno Grade 10, Meridian “Wha yo name?”

“Billy…,” “Ha! I had a cousin named Billy once, good ol piece o’ work!”

“That’s nice, now if you can just let me get you a cab!”

“Cabza fo wusses!” the man cried out, jerking his way out of Billy’s grasp.

“Ge me nother round barkeep,” he demanded, barely staying on two feet Billy sighed, rubbing his eyes, “I cut you of for a reason and we closed ive minutes ago!”

“Make an exception!” he declared and fell onto a nearby stool.

Billy relaxed his shoulders before reluctantly pouring him another glass of tequila severely watered down.

“Ya know, you’re just like my Billy…he was a kind soul as well…,” he muttered, a dumb grin on his face.

“I thought he was a piece of work?”

“I just said that to make myself feel better!” he spat.

“Really?” Billy leaned in, suddenly curious.

“Yeah! Brat did everything right! Got good grades, met a nice gal he was gonna marry, kid was gonna go far!”

“What happened?”

“I happened,” he slurred.

The man seemed to doze of for a second, smelling rotten of alcohol. Billy knew this was his chance but found he didn’t have the heart to kick him out just yet.

“Alright old man…if we’re confessing then how about this, I’m tired. I’m tired of life stepping on my foot every chance it gets. My iancé let me for my brother, my job at a nice company laid me of for no reason, and now I might go to jail simply because I unknowingly got into a istight with a cop, but I keep smiling at the family dinners and say life’s great for no reason…,” he stopped and stared at the boozer in front of him.

“Crybaby,” the man suddenly blurted.

Billy looked at him, surprised, “What?”

“Boohoo princess, your life’s crap. You feel bad becuz people step on ya like some dumb ly fwum an infomercial. But do ya know what it’s like for the people doin the steppin? I stole Billy’s gal, destroyed the schmuk, I had his wife, his kids, and his dream life he rightfully earned. Now look a’ me. No wife, no 132

kids, barely have a life…,” “And your Billy?”

“Bottom of the East River ive years ago today,” “Oh,” “He gav up *hic* I’m a shot away from givin up, but you…,” he grabbed Billy’s shirt with not much strength but still the young bartender leaned over, eyes tearing up from the stench.

“Do’ hav ta give up,” the drunk said, taking Billy’s face in his hands and looked at him with a look so lucid it was almost psychotic, “You can keep goin and when life is being a dirt bag… kick it in the balls.”

“What if it kicks me back?”

“Kick it harder,” “What if I don’t want to?”

The man licked his ear.

“Ow! The hell?”

“Dumbass! Alwayz want to! Do’ be my Billy…do’ give up pleeaze,” he swayed.

“Whoa! Whoa! Whoa!” Billy cried out, catching the guy as his body gave out.

“Dom be Billy. Dom be Billy…,” he mumbled, not even conscious at this point.

“Okay, let’s get you out of here,” the bartender said, hoisting the man up and sent him out of his life.

MONSTER

Joel Mata Grade 10, Boise “Hello there.”

The man looked up from behind the bar to see a disheveled woman in her mid-twenties standing in front of him.

“What?” he asked.

“I’d like to buy a drink,” she said, standing tall.

He smirked. “That so? And here I was thinkin’ you’d waltzed into my ol’ tavern here lookin’ to buy yourself a new bracelet.”

She sighed, and all her conidence disappeared. She looked awful. “I’ll tell ya what,” he said, “Ya look like yer doin’ poorly. How ‘bout I pay for yer drink?”

Her face brightened. “Really?”

“Yea. It won’t cost ya any money, but ya still gotta pay.”

She looked concerned. “Pay how?”

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He smiled. “I ain’t gonna hurt ya, kid. Ya just gotta tell me somethin’ ya ain’t told nobody before.”

“You’re joking.”

“Course I ain’t jokin’! I’ll even do it too!”

He leaned forward, making sure no one else was listening. “When I was a lad, I wanted to grow up and be a painter,” he whispered.

“Really?”

“Yea! Ya think I wanted to work in a dump like this one?

That’s bloody rubbish, kid.” He exhaled sharply. “Now, what can I get ya?”

She smiled, and then coughed. “I’ll take a bourbon.”

He laughed, and then said “And yer story?”

“Right. Well, when I was a little girl, I saw a dog when I was wandering in the woods. The poor thing was bleeding out its side, and I had a hoodie tied around my waist, so I could have stopped the blood, but for some reason I didn’t. Maybe I was afraid, or maybe I’m just a monster.”

Her eyes had the beginnings of tears in them. “And ya ain’t never told nobody that story before?”

She shook her head. “Let me give ya a word of advice kid, free of charge. Ya think that makes ya a monster. But yer guilt is what proves otherwise. Ya gotta remember that one act don’t deine ya. If it did, the world would be full of monsters, eh?”

He watched as a smile slowly crept across her face, and she said “Eh.” The bartender chuckled, and handed her the bourbon.

“Thank you,” she said.

“Anytime, kid,” he said with a grin. “Anytime.

WAITING

Victoria Crosthwaite Grade 12, Boise Its 6:46 and your mind wonders. The old motel clock you’ve been sitting by and staring at lips from a 6 to a faded 7.

You put down a tally mark on your notepad.

“11…12…13,” You count the tallys. It’s been 13 minutes since your mom hurried you into this motel room.

“I’ll be back soon baby. Don’t make any trouble.” She’d said before rushing across the parking lot. Taking a moment to ix her hair she knocked on another room’s door. A man older 134

than your father opened the door and let your mom in.

You are used to this. You asked your mom once what she did with the strange men and she said that she is having meetings with them. She said that they help pay for the house.

Getting up from the dusty bed you walk over to the window and look outside. Counting the minutes has gotten too boring for you. You start passing the time by looking at a bird on the parking lot that’s eating an old half-eaten apple. You groan in frustration and try not to think about the cartoons you would usually be watching at home right now. Instead you think about this morning when your mom and dad were ighting. Feeling a bit anxious you unconsciously start biting your nails. You hate when they ight.

Your dad had gotten upset at your mom for buying you a stufed animal. It was a pink rabbit that you had been begging her for a long time to get.

“You know we don’t have the money for that.” He had shouted.

Your mom had started to laugh. “We would have the money if you didn’t spend everything on your stupid booze!”

They had yelled and shouted at each other all morning.

Only ater they had calmed down did they realize that they hadn’t taken you to school.

Your belly hurts thinking about it. You don’t care for math that much but you were already behind in a lot of things.

You seem to constantly be stuck at home. Either from your mom having already let for work or because dad was passed out on the bed and wouldn’t wake up. You shouldn’t be missing any more days of school.

A grass hopper catches your attention as it hops across your window sill. The door opens and your mom walks out of the room and starts to cross the parking lot.

It feels like you’ve been waiting for hours. You turn around to check the clock. The clock reads 6:48.

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THE CLOCK

Anastasia Crosthwaite Grade 12, Boise It’s 6:46 and your mind wanders. Your bed is damp from sweat, it’s so hot in this room. Your throat is dry so you decide to go get a drink. When you come into the bathroom you look in the mirror and scowl with disgust. You look pathetic with large dark eye bags. It’s been hard for you to sleep these last few nights. Maybe from the heat, maybe from your anxiety, both are likely. When you lay back down you try to recall what you were thinking of before you got up. Something about ducks. You think of how last week a crowd of ducks swarmed you at the park. It made you smile, they were so cute. The memory turns sour as you remember jealously how you weren’t anxious. You sickeningly remember now how anxious you truly are and how you have been on the daily for weeks, exuding that one moment with the ducks. You’ve thought about seeing a doctor but you don’t have the money. You’ve tried yoga but that was just a bunch of hippie bull. Maybe you need a total change in lifestyle. No. What you need is more time to study and more money. You work long shits at the factory and study most nights. You are failing classes and the factory’s pay is unjust. You just long for a peaceful life where you enjoy your job, where you eat more than just ramen and where you pass your classes. You want life to stop treating you so shitty.

Buzz buzz. It’s 7:00 and your alarm is going off. Time for you to shower and go to work.

BRIEFCASE

Anna Price Grade 10, Boise A note from Rook I’ve always been told the truth is subjective, that it changes depending on how you approach it. I was told truth is luid, falling in and out of hands and slipping through ingers until it’s a muddled, black mess. I always agreed with that point of view. I wasn’t smart enough to argue, at least, until now. I’ve discovered a few hard and fast traits of the truth, and they are the following.

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1.

It always comes in a briefcase, or in a large box with no return address 2.

It never arrives where or when you want it, but it will arrive and will not stop haunting you until you face it.

3.

There must be at least one blurry and seemingly fake photo. If the truth you receive does not have this it is a government decoy and must be destroyed immediately.

It is September 12, 20XX. Welcome to KS news at 10, I’m Bernadette Tanner. This morning 53-year-old Thomas Blunt was found by his daughter, dead on his bedroom loor.

Initial reports by irst responders at the scene say that the man died from a heart attack, but will undergo autopsy to conirm.

He will be missed.

In other news, a ranger’s station along Deep Dark Woods was burglarized sometime last night. The Sherif’s department and the Forest Service agree that the burglar entered through magical means, citing scans that turned up magical radiation at the scene. There was one witness to the crime, Old Carl. The following is an excerpt from his witness statement: “Saw some scrawny kid standing out on the front lawn around 11 pm. They were looking through a window on the let side of the building. Suddenly, the kid shited into a bird and lew right up to the window, stuck their little bird head under the latch, and opened it! Just like that! Never saw anything like it.”

Among the items stolen was a locked briefcase, which Forest Service oicials say contained very sensitive documents.

The key, they admitted, has also been missing for quite some time. It is possible the two items could’ve been stolen by the same individual. Sherif Douglas says, and I quote; “We’ve got this under control. The kid was like what, twelve? No way a middle schooler can best the entire Police Force and Forest Service.”

The suspect is about 5’4, 97 pounds, tan, last seen wearing a black hoodie and running shorts. If y’all have any information or have seen this suspect, call ###-512-2007.

A phone call, from Rook to Thomas Blunt, dated 12:31 AM September 12, 20XX Rook: This is Rook. Why weren’t you at our meeting spot? I waited all day for you. I had to buy a burner phone just 137

to call you! Do you know what time it is Tom? It’s 12:30. I waited until 12:30 for you! You better show up tomorrow with extra cash for wasting my time. Goodnight, you conspiracy douchebag. *click* A conversation between Rook and Eddie Eddie: Careful. The Spaghetti O’s are hot. So what’s up?

Rook: ABSOFLUTELY AWLFUL! Dom nehver sowedEddie: Rook. Don’t talk with your mouth full. It’s disgusting.

Rook: Finf- Gah, anyways, Tom never showed! I waited at our spot at the drugstore all day, missed lunch, almost got caught— and the guy doesn’t even call!

Eddie: You don’t have a phone.

Rook: IT’S THE THOUGHT THAT COUNTS. Besides, I actually do have a phone now, I bought a burner so I could call him and guess what? He didn’t pick up! I let a message and told him to bring extra cash tomorrow for making me wait.

Eddie: That’s your emergency? You showed up at my house at 1 am and demanded Spaghetti O’s just so you could rant about being stood up?

Rook: Don’t act all surprised, I do this like every Saturday.

Eddie: Yeah, well I don’t have to go to work the next morning— wait, remind me which Tom this is?

Rook: Tom Blunt. Old, looks like a hippie, works at the drugstore. Rants and raves about government coverups to anyone in earshot.

Eddie:… He died this morning, Rook. Heart attack.

Rook: You’re kidding.

Eddie: No— it was on the 10 pm news. Your little escapade was right ater.

Rook: Tom? No way! He was too young to have a heart attack!

Eddie: He was really stressed out all the time from looking over his shoulder. Stress can increase your risk of having one.

Rook: I still don’t thinkEddie: You should go to bed. My couch is open— let me go get some blankets-“ Rook: I can just rent a place at the Midnight Moon.

Eddie: Just stay hereRook: Gotta blast, brother dearest. See you around!

The door slams and Eddie is let alone with a half-eaten bowl of Spaghetti O’s.

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SOMETHING HAS CHANGED Eddie Wang Grade 10, Boise

It’s 6:46, your mind wonders. The same faces in your oice and the same crowd in the subway station occur in your head. You feel exhausted and bored to live in Shanghai.

‘Nothing’s gonna change.’ You said to yourself with a little disappointment.

Then you ix your eyes on an album which is placed on an untidy table with some empty bottles on it. It was made ater a trip with your ex-girlfriend.

‘Something has changed.’ You said to yourself.

You can still recall the scene that you were talking about getting married seriously. Thinking of this and her new life in Milan, where she went to a musical academy, the Milan Conservatory. You feel regret for not going with her, meanwhile, however, you comfort yourself by saying it is not worthy, but deep in your heart you know it is not the truth.

It reminds you of your irst encounter, at a concert venue, where you organized your band there later. However, unfortunately, the band did not last for a long time, three months or even less.

All of a sudden, you realized that how many diiculties, namely, failures you have been through this year. Including being late for work three times which almost got yourself ired, dismissed a band which you valued not long ater you built it and, of course, broke up with your girlfriend because you are not willing to embrace a new life in another city. You feel frantically uneasy. But the ringing interrupts you. It’s 7 o’clock, you need to get to work.

‘Nothing’s gonna change today at least.’ You said to yourself.

NOT DRUNK

Brianna Shetler Grade 10, Boise Drunk was the wrong word. I was not drunk, jus… very slightly inebriated.

Which of course was still enough to justify the fact that I had been keeping an eye on the pretty brunette a few stools down. It was certainly not because I would ever be worried about her sober, or that I was worried about her at all. Morals, 139

empathy, kindness, all things that explicitly describe losers. And I was by no means a loser. Just slightly inebriated.

Besides, the girl was intriguing. And If I had to guess I’d say three. Three broken ribs, at the least, just by the slight hesitation in her swagger. One that I was pretty sure wouldn’t have been noticeable if not for those damned three inch heels on her feet. A fact that had me both impressed by and weary of her. But it wasn’t just the injury that peaked my interest. I knew she had seen all the overly friendly glances being shot at her, and knew she was smart enough to know what kind of men most of her admirers where, in fact when she walked in I’d watched her mark several men, but despite her awareness she just, kept sipping her drink. The girl, who my only slightly inebriated self, decided should be dubbed Stilettos, hadn’t made a single move to ward of the men or put herself in better situation. Probably the biggest reason Stilettos hadn’t been swarmed by clowns was because of my hovering. Which I’d been doing since she came in here and sat herself down like she owned the place.

God help naïve feminists, they were the best at getting themselves in to trouble.

Because even with me playing guard dog, some of the larger men ater her were getting antsy. They all looked like men who probably hadn’t been touched by a woman in a long, long while, and for good reasons.

My shoulders drooped, this girl would be more trouble than she was worth no doubt, but I ordered the most expensive drink money could buy in this rundown cesspit and continued my slightly inebriated vigil.

Stilettos ordered another drink too, irking me further. I had never met anyone who could give me a run for my money as far as drinking, but here I was just trying to keep up.

I slammed my new drink at the thought, watching as she set her own down, empty already.

This freaking girl, was not playing fair. I knew I was pouting now, put didn’t bother to hide it, even when she turned to me. Stilettos gave me a smile that said she knew I’d been watching her this whole time, I was fairly certain she didn’t appreciate it.

My pout became a scowl. But Stilettos was un-phased, the girl kept right on smiling as she paid her tab, and then she had the audacity to wink at me before she sashayed out. I don’t admit to turning around to watch her leave. But I do admit to coincidently having been facing the right direction to watch her three largest “suitors” give chase the second the door closed behind her.

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PETRICHOR

Ana Rodriguez Orellana Grade 10, Boise The village was dying.

The dirt streets became cracked and dry, crevices mapping issures in the earth where the mules would stumble.

The drought sapped the crops dry of water, leaving gray and barren farming plots illed with shriveled cadavers; hunched beneath the weight of the sun’s blistering rays. The heat drove the people inside, leaving the town empty and bare of activity save for the dust that blew from the east.

This infernal heat lasted for months. The water ran dry, and the sky was naked of clouds as the sun hanged red and swollen above. People began to despair, wailing as their children became weakened by the lack of nourishment. Men grew furious, cursing the gods and raiding the shrines they had placed around the village to honor them.

On the thirty-fourth night, a traveler came to village.

When he approached them and asked for nourishment, they told him “there is no water nor food we can share.”

“Why is that?”

“The gods have abandoned us. We have destroyed their shrines and temples for this. You cannot stay here.

“If only there was rain,” they lamented.

The traveler asked them, “do you wish for rain?”

“Of course we do.”

“If it rained now, would you rebuild your temples?”

The villagers answered “when our children are cured, our tongues no longer swollen with thirst, and our livestock strong and thriving, then we will rebuild our temples.”

And so he told them to wait six days. On the seventh, they will have their rain.

THE ORIGIN OF MONSTROSITY Chloe Belfer Grade 10, Boise

My mother was of the opinion that monsters were made, not born, so she would have blamed me for you. She would have watched you light your barbie doll on ire and told me you shouldn’t be watching so much TV. Too violent for a young child. When you shot at the policeman out of the trailer 141

window, she would have blamed me for encouraging your hatred of them. But I knew that you were born violent, and that you hate police oicers because it was their life’s work to deter you.

I knew that you got it from the sour-faced woman, who stood over your mother’s body and wiped away a single tear before declaring the dead woman an idiot and me a drunk.

I always knew that it came from her, the aunt I neglected to mention. I didn’t want you to know you had been abandoned not just by your grandfather, but also by her. Now I think you would have completely understood your aunt Cecilia, and that you might have taken comfort in knowing the origin of your monstrosity.

I recall Cecilia as I watch you stomping on ants. She was wearing a Nirvana t-shirt and a trench coat, which I took ofence at because I like Nirvana and hated her. She glared at me with such hatred when I told her my father had cut me of, that I was no longer rich. If you can’t pay my tuition, you can keep the baby, she said, looking directly at you. But she’s your niece!

I said, shocked. And she’s your daughter, Cecilia pointed out.

You got drunk and made her, not me. I have bills to pay, and now that Danielle is dead I won’t be able to aford the apartment anymore. She thrust the birth certiicate at me and let.

If my mother was alive, if she could actually observe your lack of empathy and inability to accept basic social norms, I would have explained all this to her.

POP

Ishaan Guha Grade 10, Boise Some horriic, tragic memories of sadness Lying down on the ground; hopeless Scared to death if you’ll even survive A mass incident to think about Making a ix to the issue and make... this Picking at random, Making false insigniicant acquisitions Forgetting them so quick As a forgotten balloon, up alone in the sky

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THE BRINK

London Montalbano Grade 10, Boise Fallen within the lush forest Intricate snowlakes fall to my ingertips The cold winter air brushes against my pink cheeks As I travel over snapping sticks I can spot the cabin Its sheer rustic elegance Instantly recalls memories The skeletal trees surround me I gasp for warmth For ire That crackles like sizzling bacon On Sunday morning The wind swirls around me And the winter brings a soothing peace I reach the end The brink of freedom and reality

THE NOTEBOOK Tanner Inman Grade 11, Boise

The notebook took all my emotions and wrote itself into an ink-to-paper reality. Day by day the paper folded itself more and more in despair. Splotchy ink, more wrinkles. Each day his words grew larger in the mirror looking through the magnifying glass, his ink illed with sorrowful horrors of despair and hatred.

The notebook’s poem began to thin day by day. His ink grew darker until the ink ran dry. The notebook’s pen began to have thicker ink. Day by day his ink grew darker leaving inksplotched tears on the notebook’s ripped seams. If only the notebook would let someone read him.

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ORACLE BONES Kodi Shepard Grade 12, Boise

We all have unique ingerprints Consciousness of sensations We are overly emotional, self-absorbed We are melancholy Confronted with demons We welcome them in With warm-hearted willingness Shielding culprits Of our anger Buried deep within The oracle bones Whisper to us We are better than this Stop feeding the demons Or they will bleed us dry

THE GIRL WHO MADE THE STARS DANCE Olivia Moreno Grade 10, Boise

I loved the girl who made the stars dance She opened her heart to all and closed it to none I loved her when I irst saw her dance She shined to make others prance Her smile made the darkness run I loved the girl who made the stars dance Her wit was sharper than a lance Nothing she did could be undone I loved her when I irst saw her dance In spite of it all, she stayed in her stance And always knew how to make things fun I loved the girl who made the stars dance 144

She was always the one willing to dance and wasn’t afraid of jumping the gun I loved her when I irst saw her dance She sparkled, she glowed, so did I Her essence touched those around I loved the girl who made the universe dance when it irst saw her dance.

JUICEBOX

Brayden Paslay Grade 11, Boise Just wanna pass this As a passive static addict Stab it in the attic Of my head, I won’t get ahead Even though I’m well read Gotta savor slow simple sips, silly juicebox Your drink sure ain’t for little kids, sly jive talk I won’t move down and out the older attic stairs Stumbling down in the cellar, I won’t belong there I’m not just guessing No pensive, defensive questions Defective are your lessons If you’re my teacher, rather have a preacher Make tomorrow clearer Cork and glass temples to praise Dionysus Upper-class underground parties aren’t the nicest Sipping here, sitting still, to loorboards cemented You my friend are down and out choking fermented Children’s refusal No approval of drooling fueling Using, no, you’re abusing Proper drinks, it makes me think That you are past the brink Your party has been badly bewitched and betrayed Outwitted by a big-grinning sommelier I’ll sit still with my juicebox atop the attic stairs Once you’re in the cellar you can never leave there 145

RAGE SPACE

Camden Mullens Grade 11, Boise Curse words written on tree bark trying and failing to blend in a ine layer of chalk dust coating my hands I stand in the river staring up as my stick loats away I wanna scream soundlessly at the void yell into the air: I know I’m an immature ******* but at least I’m aware of it!

I don’t, ’cause I’m not sure if my awareness makes it worse or not.

The curse words are crossed out jagged lines let behind just like the leaf guts I’ve strewn at water’s edge.

Trees warp skyward with colorful chalk lining their veins and they don’t quiver as I bury the stone in the torn up lesh of their friend they stand still as if they are ininite and trembling is beneath them better let for us senseless mortals.

To the immortal trees we are but ants but ants don’t ight against you when you crush their hill they simply rebuild uncaring of their companion’s bodies.

I gather them up and release the corpses in the gutter washed away with sprinkler water.

I am their god but they refuse to worship me the way we humans worship 146

the impossible perfect bodies on TV. So I become vengeful and kill them all with a boiling pot of water.

It is my own scorched earth policy this ant hill; my Hiroshima.

I am not a forgiving creature nor a kind one and I won’t let a green monster rule me.

No, instead I’ll become one a terrifying monster bent on destruction ’cause I read the tags wrong and found no value in human life.

Ater all, my teachers were those curse word-covered trees.

BEANS

Alexa Porter Grade 11, Boise apathy is a small bean fed to hungry children by hungry parents who ate small beans when they were young or a bean tossed out of a bag into ine, wet dirt or a bean in a cofee pot poured into a newscaster’s cup before the next breaking news of bean spreading or the bean sprouting or the bean in the big chair or the bean on the next street over or the bean in the white house and there are beans coming out of your phone beans coming out of their mouths because there is only one way to spread beans and it is a bean in the mouth or it is a bean in your ear or a bean in your eye or a bean on a billboard 147

or a bean on a lat screen tv and the beans are gross or are they delicious or are they tasteless and slip onto your tongue and into you like a tiny particle of sand, can’t you feel it or are there not enough small beans for you to understand yet or maybe it’s not a bean but a pill

SCULPTED HORSE, I FELT THE TEARS ON YOUR FACE Elijah Keck Grade 11, Boise

Cease your prancing, Horse of the Wild With muscles like churning oceans And a mane full of violence I must contort your freeness into something Human Never fear, Horse of Spines and Iron Soon your frame will rust away And you will be free to tear Through the fabric Of abstract landscapes Soon sweat and drunken tears Will erode your stilted limbs But as of now You can run, transparent, through minds Wisping cotton Cradled by the wind

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RED SKY

SHE RUNS

Shayla Burlington Grade 8, Boise Intro: She reaches out to touch the starts and gathers them in her ingertips She weaves a blanket of golden dreams Across the river of tears and ish that don’t swim anywhere with seashells that are made of foil Chorus: She runs ‘cuz she know no-one catch her no-one can pin her down no-one can boss her ‘round She run ‘cuz she don’t know where she going she don’t know where she been she don’t know where she livin’ Past the broken glass guards with tears of blood and stone souls she runs Through the forest without love or thoughts of even feelings she runs

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OVER AND OVER

The Girl in the Garden – Katie Plaisted Grade 10, Boise Verse 1: These long nights, no sleep I can’t seem to break free This house is not a home I have nightmares to matter where I go Last week, my momma let me my papa says that she won’t miss me and if there’s less tears, there’s less scars only time I’m alone is when he’s at the bar Chorus: Over and over and over …

Over and over and over …

I’m on the loor, trying to ignore, the pain I’m always sure, it hurts and it stings Verse 2: ‘Cuz there’s no one around I’m not lost and I’m not found I’m broken and I’m bruised but I’m scared to tell the truth He tells me I’m clumsy for fallin’ that’s how I got these marks and if they see right through it still no one ever asks how I’m doin’ (Chorus) Bridge: And it haunts me that he wants to break down in tears he says he loves me, he doesn’t love me he says it out of fear 152

(Chorus) Exit: This house is not a home I have nightmares no matter where I go last week my momma let me my papa says she won’t miss me

BLACKBIRDZ

Jaylani Perez, Tegan Ryan, Francesca Hunt Grades 9, 11, 5; Boise, Boise, Irvine, California Crash n’ burn, it don’t feel right, my Body’s aching and I can barely breathe. I’m Closing up, my head’s illed with thoughts, I Just can’t ignore what’s going on. Flying above The clouds. I got so many doubts, always on The prowl. Gonna snatch that snake of The ground. Swooping without a sound.

People are looking but I’m nowhere to Be found.

Chorus: Set me free, set me free. I Wanna feel like a bird, spread my Wings and set me free, set me Free.

Here she hands it down as she passes Me the drugs, I’m getting’ messed up but I don’t wanna think. Saw my therapist Today and she thinks I’m insane. She’s Right because I’m not ok. I’ve been Down on myself lately but people don’t See the pain.

(Chorus) Now I’m breathing, I’m alright, let This time pass me by. I don’t want To think, why does it have to be Me. Set me free, set me free.

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DECIMATION

The Animalz – Heng Cai, Ciana Amarello, Elani Waight, Olivia Gonzales, Francesca Hunt Grades 7, 6, 9, 9, 5; Boise, Boise, Boise, Meridian, Irvine, California I tried to help you You didn’t like the cards I dealt you I tried to help you win the game But your stubbornness can’t be tamed Everything I say is wrong Everything I do is wrong You’re bettin’ all our love on her I hope you know how much it hurts To you, it’s just a game To me, we are at stake You’ve caused my heart to break Now I hope you feel the same You’re just a white cloud in a burning red sky.

An apocalyptic sign Because when everything turns back to normal I can see right through your perfect lies Everything I said was wrong Everything I did was wrong You’re leaving trails of broken lies Fire fallin’ from the skies.

My friends were right about you I’m better of without you I’m sick of all your games Now you’ve got no one to blame.

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LOST

The French Baguettes – Lily Simmonds, Aiden Simmonds, Tigerlily Pate Grades 6, 8, 6; Boise, and Amsterdam Verse 1: Heading to work today Don’t know where I am Just walking down the sidewalk Cross the street oh Na na na na na (repeat) oh Pre-Chorus: Slide my shoes on all over the place Running down the street Crazily Chorus: Wake up to the sound of the sound To the sound to the sound Of no place to be, no things to see Wake up to the sound to the sound To the sound to the sound Of know where to go, No things to know, things to know Things to know, things to know Verse 2: I am bored of not being able to Stand up for the ight of a new journey (Chorus 2x) (Pre-Chorus) (Chorus) Bridge: I come upon this woman with a huge Smile on her face, she says Oh my my oh oh my my just be yourself Wipe the frown of your face and be yourself, be yourself 155

Verse 3: Escape, escape your thoughts have been Taking over escape escape oh oh oh Escape your shell (3x) New Chorus: Woke up to the sound (4x) of freedom And opportunity Woke up to the sound (4x) Of knowing who I am and who I love Who I love, who I love.

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TEACHING-WRITER BIOGRAPHIES Cassie Angley is a published and produced playwright, actress, singer, and theatre-maker. She began acting at age 5 in San Francisco with Aunt Lolly’s Shoe String Theater, and her journey in the arts has never stopped. She performed, trained, and wrote in New York City for 15 years where she wrote, produced, and performed in more than 12 original plays and musicals. While in New York City she began integrating arts and education by teaching designing and managing Literacy and Multi-Arts programs with students in the South Bronx.

Four years ago she began researching Readers Theater, which combines her loves of theater, reading, and teaching. She went on to complete a M.A. Education Literacy and a Teaching Certiicate in Theater from BSU, so she can use Readers Theater as a tool to help struggling readers reach their full potential.

Catherine Kyle is the author of the poetry collection Parallel (Another New Calligraphy, 2017); the poetry chapbooks Gamer: A Role-Playing Poem (dancing girl press, 2015), Flotsam (Etched Press, 2015), and Saint: A Post-Dystopian Hagiography (dancing girl press, forthcoming); and the hybrid-genre collection Feral Domesticity (Robocup Press, 2014). Her writing has been honored by the Idaho Commission on the Arts, the Alexa Rose Foundation, and other organizations. She holds a Ph.D. in English from Western Michigan University and is pursuing an MFA in Poetry through New England College’s low-residency program. She teaches literature and creative writing at the College of Western Idaho. Catherine’s website is catherinebaileykyle.com.

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Christian Winn, the 2016-2019 Idaho Writer in Residence, is a iction writer, poet, journalist, and teacher of creative writing.

His iction has appeared in McSweeney’s, Ploughshares, The Chicago Tribune’s Printers Row Journal, TriQuarterly Hayden’s Ferry Review, Greensboro Review, Chattahoochee Review, Gulf Coast, Bat City Review, Every Day Fiction, The Pinch, Santa Monica Review, Handful of Dust, The Strip, Story Houston, The Masters Review, Revolver, and elsewhere. His short story collections of, NAKED ME and What’s Wrong With You is What’s Wrong With Me are out from Dock Street Press. He teaches iction and poetry with The Cabin.

He has written for The Boise Weekly, Thrive, The Idaho Statesman, and Idaho Magazine. He is the founder of the Writers Write iction workshop series, co-founder of Storyfort, and curator of Modern Campire Stories and the Couch Surfer Artist Series.

Colleen Brennan is a freelance writer, editor, writing coach, and teacher with an MA in linguistics. Her stories appear in Writers in the Attic and A Year in Ink. A native Minnesotan, she has lived and worked in San Diego, Seattle, Boulder, Paris, Bordeaux, and Boise. She is the recipient of a 2018 literary arts grant from the Alexa Rose Foundation.

Daniel Stewart has taught in the Writers in the Schools program since 1999, and serves as Writer-in-Residence at Ada County Juvenile Detention, and Frank Church High, an alternative school, in Boise, ID. He is the author of a book of poems, The Imaginary World (Wolf Peach Press, 2003). His poems have appeared in Puerto Del Sol, Rattle, Prairie Schooner, Educe, A Journal of Queer Literature, Sixfold, Thrush Poetry Journal, and YesPoetry, among others.

Hannah Rodabaugh received an MA in literature from Miami University and an MFA in poetry from Naropa University. Her poetry has been published in magazines like Berkeley Poetry Review, ROAR Magazine, Horse Less Review, Written River, Rat’s Ass Review, Nerve Lantern, and others. She has a chapbook of poems titled With Words: Verse in Concordance modeled ater dictionary entries out from Dancing Girl Press. She also has poetry in Flim Forum Press’ anthology A Sing Economy and Nerve Lantern’s Yoko Ono: A Tribute to Yoko Ono, a collection of writing in response to Yoko Ono’s performance art. She recently received grants from the Idaho Commission on the Arts, and the Alexa Rose

Foundation, and she is a 2017 Artist in Residence for Craters of the Moon National Monument & Preserve. She works as a teaching writer at The Cabin Idaho and as a co-curator for Ghosts & Projectors, a Boise-based poetry reading series.  Playwright Heidi Kraay examines the connection between brain and body, seeking empathy with fractured characters. Plays include How to Hide Your Monster, New Eden, Kilgore, Rajpurr: Tale of a Tiger and Slap! A Beaver Tale. Co-devised work includes small matters, SuperSecretSiteSpeciicSomething (Migration Theory) and DIRT (HomeGrown Theatre). Her work has been presented in Boise, regionally and in NYC. Heidi holds an MFA in Creative Inquiry, Interdisciplinary Arts from California Institute of Integral Studies. Member of the Dramatists Guild. www. heidikraay.com Laura Roghaar is a poet, educator, and arts administrator.

She serves as the Poetry Out Loud coordinator for Idaho and teaches writing at The Cabin. She holds an MFA in poetry from Boise State and her chapbook of poems, SISTERHOUSE, is out from dancing girl press.

Natalie Disney is a iction writer entering her third year of MFA candidacy at Boise State University, where she teaches iction and is an assistant editor for The Idaho Review. She taught ESL to refugee families in Colorado before making her home on this side of the Rockies. Most days, you can ind her exploring the foothills behind her house while listening to westerns on audiobook.

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ACKNOWLEDGMENTS Cabin Writing Camps touch the lives of hundreds of young people and adults each summer due to the talent of our teaching writers, the generosity of funders, and the gits of time and support from volunteers, interns, board members and community partners.

Thank you to teaching-writers Ashley Miller, Cassie Angley, Catherine Kyle, Christian Winn, Colleen Brennan, Danny Stewart, Hannah Rodabaugh, Heidi Kraay, Laura Roghaar, Natalie Disney, Nicole LeFavour, Ruth Salter, Torii Grabowski, and Tracy Sunderland.

Many thanks to our 2018 interns, volunteers, and Cabin staf: Kelsey Hall, Shanyn Park, Paige Thomas, Hillary Colton, Areebah Hargan, Ashlee Vanliew, Aubrie Davis, August McKernan, Bethany Nitz-Maile, Brianna Campbell, Brock Bonnell, Candyce Utter, Cierra Bryant, Elise Adams, Emilee Harris, Haadiya Tariq, Hannah Clay, Humzza Hargan, India Roper-Moyes, Izzy Foxcrot, James Sorenson, Jason Hayhurst, Josephine Miller, Kaitlyn Schweitzer, Kendall Byers, Kylie Chappel, Lea Gombert, Lisa Chesnut, Madeline Ryan, Michael Vessel, Rachel Block, Cassie Angley, Hillary Bilinski, Gen Emerson, Katie Fuller, Megan Ramey, Tyler Weber, Megan Williams, Kurt Zwolfer, and Bean.

A big thank you to our friends from the following organizations throughout the state who provided venues, learning opportunities, and ield trip locations to our campers: Boise Rock School, Boise Weekly, City of Boise Parks and Recreation, Flying M Cofee, Idaho Botanical Garden, The Discovery Center, The Sun Valley Center for the Arts in Hailey, the Boise Art Museum, The Fine Arts Center at the College of Southern Idaho in Twin Falls, The Foothills Learning Center in Boise, The Record Exchange, The Timbee Hall Recreation Center in the Fort Hall Shoshone and Bannock Reservation, 161

Zoo Boise, the World Center for Birds of Prey, The Boise Bicycle Project, BSU’s Service-Learning Program, The Morrison Center for Performing Arts, JUMP!, The Egyptian Theatre, and Quality Art.

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INDEX A Amarello, Ciana • 28, 154 Asmussen, Haedyn • 51 Avey, Maggie • 74

B Bagley, Gracie • 78 Bailey, Henry • 42 Barr, Porter • 64 Batterton, Elise • 21 Bauer, Paige • 68 Belfer, Chloe • 141 Belova, Yaroslava • 106 Besinga, Kristen • 91 Bjorkman, Karina • 28 Black, Thor • 13 Bolinder, Charlie • 90 Britton, Zoe • 27 Britton, Piper • 122 Buisman, Annika • 89 Burlington, Shayla • 151

C Caferty, Jasper • 15 Cai, Heng • 154 Carrington, Samantha • 114 Cichomska, Claire • 75 Cichomska, Sophie • 63 Clysdale, Naomi • 9 Collins, Piper • 12 Conner, Cody • 114 Cornett, Ella • 103

Crosthwaite, Anastasia • 136 Crosthwaite, Victoria • 134

D Dagostino, Natalie • 127 Davis, Arianna • 67 Delaney, Hallie • 82 DeVera, Marcus • 70 Ditlefsen, Laurelyn • 7 Ditlefsen, Audrey • 10 Donegan, Anthony • 67 Dudley, Carmen • 49

E Eley, Jordan • 10 Eley, Lydia • 25 Eschen, Finn • 23

F Farris, Sydney • 127 Fields, Oscar • 22 Fields, Scarlet • 35 Free, Lily • 81 Friscopp, Meadow • 97 Foster, Naomi • 98

G Gallegos, Paige • 33 Galloway, McKya • 74 Gard, Emily • 131 Gifen, Austin • 71 Gifen, James • 68 163

Goldman, Ginger • 44 Goldman, Gus • 34 Gonzales, Olivia • 154 Gordon, Pacience • 16 Gradhandt, Ayva • 35 Guha, Ishaan • 142 Gute, Tess • 69

H Halling, Ethan • 7 Halling, Ivy • 9 Harper, Eloisa • 105 Hickerson, Grace • 52 Hill, Jesse • 80 Hoyne, Harrison • 92 Hrubec, Ava • 115 Hunt, Francesca • 18, 153, 154 Hunt, Santina • 16 Hunter, Jay • 20 Hwang, Eddie • 47

I/J Inman, Tanner • 143 Jenkins, Abigail • 79 Jeran, Spencer • 118 Johnson, Gabe • 42 Johnson, Kyle • 88

K Kaltanecker, Ayla • 73 Keck, Elijah • 148 Keith, Abby • 11, 47 Keith, Colin • 18, 45 Kile, Ruby • 109 Keller, Alex Gibson • 62 Kouskov, Ivan • 55 Kouskov, Nadia • 21 Kuecks, Kaderick • 41

L Langdon, Erica • 107 Larsen, Ella • 45, 99 Lee, Hayoung • 45

Lee, Mingi • 52 Longley, Amaya • 88 Liu, Charles • 46

M Manning, Carsten • 44 Mata, Joel • 133 McCormick, Maggie • 117 McKeon, Jane • 24 McInerney, Evangeline • 53 McLarin, Brooklyn • 71, 83 McMasters, Carter • 128 Meier, Ella • 76 Mohan, Abijeet • 38 Mohan, Manjari • 75 Montalbano, London • 143 Montgomery, Elizabeth • 65 Moreno, Olivia • 132, 144 Mullens, Camden • 146

N Navarrette, Cassie • 76 Necochea, Eva • 39 Newman, Max • 61 Nichols, Lorelai • 61 Nickels, Andie • 101 Nilsson, Kaisa • 66 Norrod, Angela • 8

O/P Ostyn, Thel • 11 Paslay, Brayden • 145 Pate, Tigerlily • 155 Patterson, Lily • 20 Patterson, Keren • 36 Pense, Jacob • 38 Perez, Jaylani • 153 Plaisted, Kate • 152 Porter, Alexa • 147 Porter, Paige • 65 Price, Anna • 136 Pyle, Isabella • 26

Pyle, Madeline • 17

R Rajbhandari, Avi • 19 Rancher, Uliana • 50 Ray, Sophia • 33 Reynolds, McKinley• 12 Rieber, Kacianne • 40 Rinaldi, Natalie • 49 Roberts, Mercy • 85 Robinson, Katie • 66 Robinson, Annalise • 112 Rodriguez Orellana, Ana • 141 Ryan, Tegan • 153

S Sanchez, Aberdeen • 30 Sand, Katherine • 63 Schliep, Vanessa • 90 Schroder, Gwyneth • 111 Scripps, Jack • 34 Sechler, Audrey • 77 Severson, Samantha • 86 Shepard, Kodi • 144 Shetler, Brianna • 139 Sherburne, Juniper • 42 Simmonds, Aidan • 155 Simmonds, Lily • 155 Smith, Hope • 96 Smith, Ivory • 50 Spohr, Erin • 72 Surthi, Anay • 41 Swartz, Ruby • 40 Sweeney, Liam • 48

T Thiel-Takata, Kai • 130 Thomas, Amelia • 46 Thomas, Annabelle • 86 Thompson, Seiya • 119 Trapani, Paola • 84

Twiliger, Ruby • 48

V Valenzuela, Quinn • 129 Van Anne, Addy • 41 Van Bussum, Shiloh • 19 Vuturo, Vince • 52

W/Y/Z Waight, Elani • 154 Wang, Eddie • 139 Warr, Brynlee • 8 Whitield, Sophie • 14 Wiebe, Lili • 13, 37 Williams, Vincent • 62 Wilper, Magda • 39, 102 Wilper, Rosa • 43 Wilson, Hailey • 120 Wilson, Penelope • 64 Wood, Dylan • 69 Yong, Chloe • 48 Zeiler, Tabitha • 95

CAMP FIRE WRITING CAMPS 2018 The trials between light and darkness Silver shadow of icy stars burn like fire, Apollo beats the drum of time, Crystals spark the fire, My blade of siege falls to fly, It feels out of time, This fire, how the impossible, the wish, The hushed.

– CHLOE GRAEPEL

The Cabin is a Boise, Idaho literary arts organization. We forge community through the voices of all readers, writers, and learners. Writing Camps nurture the imagination and awaken the senses through creative adventures in the art of writing.

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