Volume 2: Stories of Survival by the students in Mr. Ellis’ 4th grade class at Roosevelt Elementary 2016-2017 

25 Senses

Volume 2: Stories of Survival by the students in Mr. Ellis’ 4th grade class at Roosevelt Elementary 2016-2017

Title by Trey Harris Cover art by Danika Haggett

Contents Owen Bolick............................. 4 Sophia Bronner......................... 6 Shaylee Brown ......................... 8 Lyla Carmony ......................... 10 Elizabeth Carraway ................12 Jillian Carter ........................... 14 Syndall Creek ......................... 16 Julian Dooley..........................20 Abigail Ellis............................21 Cecilia Erickson ..................... 23 William Fahnstrom ................. 25 Dane Feider ............................26 Conner Gage........................... 28 Rowan Gardner....................... 29 Danika Haggett ....................... 30 Trey Harris..............................31 Caroline Henry ....................... 32 Lukas Kapuscinski ................. 36 Asher Klinker ......................... 39 Spencer Kreipl ........................40 Evan McCall........................... 41 Sadie Sherman ........................43 Elizabeth Thornton ................. 44 Gabriella Zachos..................... 46

Surviving the Water and Wind Owen Bolick Today was a rather busy day for Jim. He just finished a good sketch and he felt rather proud of himself as he strutted down the street. He had a pencil in his hand and a smirk on his face. He was looking for a new item to sketch, his key jingling from his neck. “Today will be a good day!” he said to himself. It seemed like hours had passed but he still had nothing. He walked gloomily down the street with his clipboard and paper down at his side. “Well, at least it can’t get any worse,” he thought to himself. But right at that moment a gray cloud poured on top of him like ocean waves. There was so much rain. Jim sprinted to the nearest umbrella and watched as the small droplets of water exploded on contact with the ground. Then with a deafening sound like a real explosion hit the buildings of New York. Jim looked up and saw it. The flash of light. It was perfect. At that moment he knew what to sketch. Lightning he began with the dark gray clouds and the rain. Then he made the roads and street lamps. Soon he was on the lightning. He needed it to be perfect.He drew a thin bolt then made sparks of electricity flake off of it. This was by far his greatest creation. He noticed the storm was getting wore. The clouds became a very dark gray. The wind whipped he birds left and right. The rain drenched the ground. There were now inches of water flooding down the street.

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For some reason it smelled like fish. Then the streets went dark. It was a blackout. Several days later there was still no power and there was enough water to wash a squirrel straight off the ground. Now there were only a handful of people that remained under the colorless sky and they were all moaning and complaining. Then a trashcan wiped by Jim. He watched it fly through the air. Then a ginormous black cloud suddenly whirled around a massive cyclone. How could anyone miss it? It was the size of North America. The Jim was torn off the ground heading straight for the eye of the storm. The wind whipped him around just in time to see tsunamis crashing on his hometown. He knew at that moment his hometown was done for. Then he was tossed out of the hurricane into a nearby pond. Everything went dark. He woke up spewing water out of his mouth. He had washed up on a sandy beach very close to the ocean. He reached for his key but it wasn’t there. He scoured the area with no luck. Must have snapped off the chain in the wind. Wait. it was actually on his desk at home. Jim had to get back home before the hurricane struck. It was one of the farthest homes from where the hurricane was but it was miles away. He had to get past it without getting swept. His best bet was the long train tunnel that went to his town. It was about a mile away but first he had to get a vehicle. He remembered coming here with his dad. They went to a bike shop to look at the collection. He had seen a kid motorcycle that the employee said went twenty miles an hour but could go for about three 5

hours straight before it needed more gas. He arrived at the shop in about twenty minutes. The workers had fled so he didn’t have to pay. He grabbed the bike which already had fuel. He walked outside and crashed down on the scooter. He had a bad taste in his mouth. He felt like something would go terribly wrong.

Tsunami Sophia Bronner In a backyard in Texas, a girl plays with her dogs in her bright green grass. “Max, get over here!” shouted Rosie. A loud barking sound fills the whole neighborhood. “What’s that barking all about?” shouted Mr. Elm, one of Rosie’s neighbors. “It’s just a dog of mine, Mr. Elm!” giggled Rosie. Lots of giggling was filling the backyard. Rosie was running after her black and white shepherd on the loose. After a little while, Rosie stared at the clouds. She walked slowly to her hammock and was talking to her dog Max. Suddenly a dark cloud is devouring Texas. Thunder eating everything in its path. Soon lightning flickered like a lighter. “Mr. Elm!” cried Rosie. Rosie was running to get into her house until,

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“Rosie, are you OK?” Rosie knew that familiar voice. It was Mr. Elm! “Mr. Elm, where are you?” said Rosie, tense. The wind was raking against Rosie’s face. Soon the wind would be picking Rosie up like someone being clumsy with a doll. But Rosie was waiting for an answer from Mr. Elm. “Max, where are you?” screamed Rosie. Rosie was frightened with a faint howl. Rosie saw Max get stabbed with a stick. Blood was flinging everywhere. Rosie did not want to pull out the stick or else Max might DIE. Rosie carefully brought Max up to her shoulders. Howling now filled the whole neighborhood. “Max, it’s going to be okay,” whispered Rosie. But soon she heard a siren. “Come on, Max! We need to get inside, now!!!” yelled Rosie. “Miss Rosie, come in the house, NOW!” yelled a voice. It was Rosie’s mother. In the corner of Rosie’s eye she saw a flash, more like a blinking light. “R-O-S-I-EEEEEE,” Mr. Elm tried to yell. “O-my, Mr. Elm!” yelled Rosie. Rosie couldn’t decide between saving herself or saving Mr. Elm. “Mr. Elm,” Rosie said faintly. Rosie ran to her house as fast as she could but she was still getting picked up by the wind. Once she got to the house to set down Max she was sprinting as fast as she could to save Mr. Elm. 7

“Tsunami!” yelled a stranger. Behind Rosie was a giant wave of buildings, cars, people, and lots of dark oil. But Rosie suddenly looked back and gazed at the tsunami. Rosie fell to the cold muddy ground. She was out cold. Max lifted his sore body and trotted out to Rosie. Out of the distance Mr. Elm came running and screaming. He picked up Rosie and ran for her house. Rosie woke up faintly and saw Max on the ground. Rosie felt cold inside. They made it inside and Max was crushed by the tsunami.

Journey Through Fire Shaylee Brown One hot summer day like any other, Alisha was headed out to go to her friend Gwen’s house. She grabbed her bike and started for her house. On the way there she stopped and saw a lost kitten. The kitten had no collar but seemed to respond to the name Clara. Clara was the name of the cat Alisha had before. Alisha put the kitten in the basket of her bike which luckily had a soft blanket in it. They rode along back to the house as it got hotter by the minute. By the time Alisha got home she was dripping sweat and could tell the cat was very warm as well. They went inside and went to the cool basement. Alisha turned on the T.V. and plopped on the couch. Alisha then realized Clara was still upstairs. 8

Alisha went upstairs to see the kitten was meowing in fear as though she knew something was going to happen. Alisha could see fear in the kitten’s eyes. It was warmer now and she saw blazing red and orange fire out the window. Alisha was terrified. She looked all over the house for her parents but she couldn’t find them. Alisha grabbed a bid backpack and very quickly grabbed her wallet, giant water bottle, extra emergency money, blanket, and her phone. Alisha had just managed to fit everything in her bag. She hurried over to her bike with the kitten in her arms. She put in the kitten in the basket of the bike, grabbed her bag, and rode off away from the fire. She was off to find a place where she would be safe with Clara, the kitten’s new name. After hours of nonstop biking, she and the kitten had found a soft warm grass bed a little way from a narrow dirt road. Alisha whipped out her blanket and laid it by a tree. Alisha snuggled up with Clara and they both fell asleep like a soft feather floating to the ground. Alisha woke to think she was safe at home but she really was still at the tree with Clara. “Good morning, Clara!” Alisha said sleepily. “It seems you’re an early riser.” Alisha was thinking about where her parents were and why they had left. She opened up her phone about to text her mom to ask questions but before she could she had a feeling that something was not right. She then got everything packed up and started for the road again. She had no clue where she was going or where she would end up. She 9

felt a tear run down her face. She missed her home and friends and mostly her family but somehow she pushed on. She rode until she reached a store. She bought another backpack, only larger, a large sandwich, food for Clara and more water bottles. She had just managed to fit everything on her bike and back. She couldn’t bike that fast but it was better than nothing at all. She stopped again in a flower field. She could smell the sweet honey like smell of the flowers. After smelling the flowers for awhile she noticed something was different. She could smell smoke and fire.

Hard Lyla Carmony Diary Entry 1: July 14, 2017, 5:30 pm Today my mom Charlotte got diagnosed with cancer. I have been crying since I heard a few hours ago. She has a 5% chance of staying alove. It just hit me how important she is to me. She has always been there for me. I can’t have her go. She told me, “Don’t worry, I will always be there for you in my heart.” I thought at that moment she was always gonna be in my heart. I won’t know what to do without her. My life won’t be complete. Well I am getting sad talking about it. I better go. Bye. I love you Mom.

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Diary Entry 2: July 15, 2017, 2:30 pm Today has not been good. My mom lost the fight to cancer! I am crying so bad! We found out she has had it for 3 years but she never told us her symptoms. She tried to be strong but couldn’t quite be strong anymore. She fell asleep at the table and told Dad to take her to the ER. He woke her up of course before she told him. He had known but she had held it off. He told her to go to the hospital a long, long time. He would try, try, try all the time but she would not go. When we arrived at the hospital ER she gave me a special charm. She got it when she was a baby and it is very special. Diary Entry 3: July 16, 2017, 5:55 pm It is very depressing for me right now. I have just got a counselor to help me deal with depression. I am seeing her tomorrow at 10:00 pm. I’m hopeful me and my family (sorta but not fully complete) went to Baskin Robbins to cheer us up. It helped barely. I have not done much except Baskin Robbins. I have been working on school too. I have a 1,000 page essay to finish Friday. Diary Entry 4: July 17, 2017, 10:00 am I had a thought that I could make an awareness for cancer just because my mom just passed away from it. I thought that some other people would like to raise some money for cancer because a lot of people want to raise awareness for it to raise money. Wait, I smell a ton of burning. 11

“DAD!” I yelled! This was in the newspaper: CHICAGO FIRE FRIDAY On Friday, a fire broke out…

At School Elizabeth Carraway On a Monday, Ashley got up and out of bed. She grabbed her new pink backpack, put her book of trees in it, and walked to school. She was having a happy day but the weather was not having its best day. The weather was wet and cold. “Ashley!” boomed in the hall. All the boys and girls looked at me. “Ashley, Ashley, wet pants Ashley!” they said. Wow, rude. My face was so red. They stopped and someone came up to me. I was looking shy. “Sorry…” said a small voice. “Lily?” I said, hoping it was. “Yas yes it’s me,” Lily said. My face went to a pink. “Lily, walk up to me next time, OK?” “OK!“ Lily said, walking by my side. The day was gone and wet and cold in Mississippi. Home. Yes, it’s home. The kids were playing and Dad just got home too. 12

“DADDY!” yelled my brothers. “Kids, get off the wood.” We are having the floor get out because my mom wants carpet. The clock hit 9:45 PM. Bed. Yes, it’s time. I got my PJs and went to bed. I woke up. There was a storm last night. All three of my brothers ran in my room. “NO SCHOOL TODAY!” said Ben. I slapped my face as if I was in a dream. “The rain last ni—” said Jack. “You mean, there is no school because of the r—” I said. “YES!” all three of my brothers said. I watched T.V. most of the day but I had that feeling this day is not a day with cupcakes and rainbows. Ben is a pro. He is in sports. DING DONG! Yes! Lily is here. I wrote a paper that said “Go to my window” and I slipped it under the door. She got it because she was at my window. “Hey Lily,” I said. “Hey! Why am I at your window?” said Lily. “Well, my brothers are not with mom soooo they are home with us,” I said. “OK,” she said like she was OK with it. I grabbed her hands to help her get in my room through the window. “Did you tell your dad?” she said. “Yes,” I said.

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Two hours passed. Lily was gone. It was raining hard. Lily had a tooth thing. “Wow, I was happy to see my angel. Happy and going to pass out,” said Dad. “Ummm…why did you say ‘happy I will pass out’? That’s mean?” I said. Dad left. Pshhhhh! “Oh, my cookie!“ I said “Flood!!!” Dad said. I got Ben, Jack and Owen. I got to the roof. “Wow, it’s like a lake,” I said. “A lake of death,” dad said. The flood for to the river and it was over. But wow, our house. “Dad, our house,” I said. “Uh-oh, well I said it’s a move,” Dad said. “Honey, it’s what will help us,” dad said. “DAD! Don’t talk that way,” I said.

The Crashing Jillian Carter Hello, I’m Morgan May. I’m your average journalist that works at TayCo. It’s the most popular journalism company in the world. I’m going to tell you about me on a day I didn’t expect. I woke up and put my bracelet and some ponytail holders on my wrist. Then I put on my 14

glasses. I threw on a T-shirt and jeans. I was mostly ready so I put on my lucky basketball jacket. I put some high tops on then I grabbed my backpack. In my backpack I had gum, the pen my dad gave me, my wallet, loose change, a notebook, my I.D. saying I’m over 21, keys, and my phone. I walk to my silver Toyota and drive to TayCo. My desk is next to my boss who is also my best friend. Her name is Taylor Tay. She’s also the creator of the company. I walk to my desk and Taylor always says “Good morning Miss Pennysworth.” Apparently I only buy stuff that is as great as the price is. But today she doesn’t. She looks worried, and she’s being really silent. I walk over to my desk and look out the window. The waves are larger than they usually are. I don't get too worried about the waves. I’m more worried about my friend. I look out the window one more time. One of the waves is larger than the others by a lot. The wave looked like a blue giant. It keeps coming nearer and nearer. I screamed at Taylor, “A tsunami is coming! We need to get everyone to the emergency basement!” She looked shocked, her mouth hung open for a little bit. But it felt like hours considering a tsunami was coming. She finally replied with “OK, but after we are going to save people.” “Fine, but we need oxygen tanks so we don’t, um, die,” I replied.

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She screamed into the loudspeaker. “Everyone go to the emergency basement!” The head of security rushed everyone into the basement. It was stocked with food, water, oxygen, extra clothes, a radio, a phone, and games. What? They shouldn’t be bored when they die. Nevermind. Taylor and I got oxygen tanks from the building emergency supply closet. And Taylor got her waterproof microphone. She is a very smart thinker, that one. We ran out of the building. “The wave is coming closer and it’s getting bigger!” I screamed to Taylor as if she were a mile away. Oh, did I mention she’s sassy? “No duh, I’m not blind!” she yelled back with sass. The wave crashed over our bodies. Buildings were falling everywhere!

The Way OFF the Island Syndall Creek Chapter One One day Lania found a boat. She told Rufas to get in the boat, but the motor didn’t work of course. She thought it was because of that big tsunami but then she had an idea. She went home, grabbed her motor from her dad’s boat and replaced it with the other one then tada it turned on. 16

Then she tried to steer it to Boston but it didn’t work. Then all of a sudden she heard a think think BOOM. It worked. She heard Rufas bark. He was drifting away in the water. She took off her coat and dived in with a huge splash with a tiny ache on her leg but she kept swimming and finally she had Rufas in her hands. He was swimming after his original owner that was floating (he drowned). Lania was crying. But she grabbed the boat with her calloused fingers and saw a boy on the island and he was alive! Yes! “What are you doing here, Ki?” she said. “Oh, I’m alive and looking for a way to get off the island,” Ki said. “But but but…” Lania stammered. “I know that everybody died, but,” he paused. “Rufas! Oh boy, I missed you! Sorry I can’t adopt you anymore boy. Lania stole you!!” Ki glared at Lania. Lania started to burst out with laughter. “Haha, you are the weirdest boy on the island and you think I’m going to bring you with me?” Rufas barked. “And Rufas,” Lania added. “Ya beacause you’re ni…ni…nice,” Ki struggled to say. “That’s mean,” Lania said under her breath. Ki stood there with anger in his eyes. Lania rowed her boat away but she heard a thud. She turned and saw Ki standing there. “Get OFF,” Lania screamed. “Easy now,” Ki said. “You’re going to wake the dead,” he giggled. Then Lania looked up at the sky and said, “Looks like a storm. We better get to the rock.” Crash! Boom! 17

A tree hit the boat and they lost a paddle. Rufas barked. He saw a thing. It looked like a shark. But then it came up and it looked like a piranha. It bit Rufas. He yipped but it only tore open his ear. They could fix it. He ran to the other end of the boat and hid. Lania grabbed her gold necklace and held it tight. “Rufas, come here!” yelled Lania. Rufas padded over to her. He took a little swim. As soon as Rufas got into the boat they heard a rumble. “Please tell me that was your stomach?” asked Ki. “Nope,” Lania whimpered. Then they heard it again. “The tsunami!” they screached. Bam! The waves crashed against their boat. It was like an evil wizard was controlling it. Lania held on to Rufas and her locket as Ki clutched them both. They went over a huge wave. “Wow!” shouted Ki. “I can’t see the island anymore. We’re gone! Yipeeee!” shouted Ki. “Shhhhhhhhhhh,” Lania said. “You might wake up the great goddess of the sea, UniLi.” “Mroro,” UniLi said. “Thanks a lot, Ki,” Lania whispered. Ki smirked. Chapter 2 “No!” screamed Lania. She opened her eyes and saw that they were on land in a city! Ki murmured “What?” and Rufas barked. 18

“What!” screamed Ki. “We’re…we’re…In a city,” Ki stammered. “Yep, we sure are. I think it’s called New Yurk,” said Lania. Ki started to lose it. He started screaming, making a dirt angel. “Lania,” said Ki. “MMM,” said Lania. “Thank you for everything you…you…so…so…” stammered Ki. “I’m so what? Use your words,” blushed Lania then punched him on the arm. “PRETTY!” shouted Ki feeling the impact of Lania’s punch. “Thank you, you are very handsome,” Lania said, sweetly and shyly. “Ya I always thought that about you Ki said, manly. “HAHA,” Lania smiled. Schsch. A car passed by very loudly, blasting its radio. “Oww,” Lania said. “I think that car just broke my eardrums,” she shouted. “Oh no, it’s ringing my ear. God, is that you?” Ki said. Lania cracked up and started to laugh so hard that she fell over. “Hey Lania, where is Rufas?” “Oh! I thought he was with you,” Lania said, freaking out. “Rufas, where are you boy?” they both screeched. “Owrowro,” Rufas barked. They took off running toward the sound of him. He was in the boat under a shovel. “Hey, never do that again,” Lania said calmly. “Let’s go to a restaurant. I am starving,” barked Ki. 19

“Wait, there is a thing moving in the boat and it’s not a fish I have ever seen before,” yelled Lania. “That’s a kitten,” said Ki. “Awww,” said Lania. “Come here you cute little kitty,” Lania said sweetly. “Ya, why do you love kittens so much is my question,” Ki mumbled. “Because they are cute and this little girl is so lost. Can we keep her please?” Lania screeched. “Um let me think about that. NO,” he said flatly. “You are so mean,” she said clutching the kitten. “HAHA,” they heard from the road. They hiked up the hill and saw a poor man that had a bullet shot in his chest. “We need to get you to a hospital,” said Lania, worried. As they rushed the man quickly to the hospital, Lania had something to tell Ki.

The End Times Julian Dooley Jake Harby is riding on his new motorcycle when the ground rumbles and stops soon but he doesn’t care. He has just won a lottery ticket and is going to cash it in when his dog Peter shows up from behind an alley with his bone. 20

The two wait for their Mexican friend, Qisal Adoby. But when Qisal arrives, he forgets about cashing the ticket. They get into Qisal’s car and put the motorcycle in the back of the car. “Wow!” Jake says as the ground rocks hard. Later, they watch on the news and California is gone! Literally. As they are watching a huge crack appears in the floor. So does another. They get ready to pack up and leave their home. Jake packed Peter’s food bowl and bed. He also packed his collection of things. Qisal packed water bottles, food and other items. Since most fit in Qisal’s car it was easy to fit the rest on Jake’s motorcycle. The neighborhood was deserted. Everyone had left. “Uh-oh,” says Qisal. They grab most of their stuff and pack up. Jake is concerned though.

The Striking Winds Abigail Ellis One day, on a rainy thundery day, Katie was looking out the window and suddenly a big flash of lightning zoomed to the ground. She rushed to her parents who were singing opera in the kitchen. “Mom. Dad. Did you see that?” Katie said, surprised. “No,” her parents answered.

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Katie explained how she saw a big flash of lighting zooming through the gray sky. Suddenly it happened again. “Now we did,” said her parents. “Call 9-1-1,” Mom said. “No, Mom,” Katie replied. Suddenly a big gush of wind was heading right toward them! “GO TO THE BASEMENT!” Mom shouted. Katie was filled with nervousness. She rushed to the basement. “Mom, what’s going to happen to us?” Katie shouted. “I don’t know, honey,” Mom replied. “All I know is that we stay here to be safe.” “OK,” Katie answered, despite needing to see what was going to happen. Suddenly it happened again and again! Flashes zooming through the air constantly. The tremendous wind was getting closer and closer by the minute! Katie had so many questions! 1) Was she going to die?! Katie was wandering around in circles for almost a half hour, asking the same thing in her head. I’m scared. But she ignored it. She finally noticed she left her guinea pig in her room! She zoomed upstairs to her room not caring to tell her parents. Suddenly, the window shattered! Katie clutched in fear! But she didn’t let that get in her way. Katie took a few more steps to her guinea pig and yanked it right into her arms hoping nothing would happen, but then Boom! Bang! Katie didn’t want to look back! But, she couldn’t help it. She noticed her chimney was falling down! She wanted to scream and run!

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But she stayed put! Personally Katie thought it was weird, but she had a feeling inside that she had to stay there. Katie’s parents? Just noticed she was gone! Her parents shouted her name. “Katie!!” Katie reached out for an iron pan and held it above her head. Bang! Bang! She heard on the pan. After the banging stopped then Katie zoomed out the door with her guinea pig. Katie looked around. Her beautiful city falling to the ground!

April 5, Las Vegas Cecilia Erickson 10:00 am It was a warm day in April which is odd but to Cally it was perfect. She was going to ride her bike and visit dad. She woke up, put on wornout jeans and her white shirt that said Keeping It Real in bold black letters. She put on her rubber jacket in case it rains. She did not put on her gold necklace. She lost it once when she was riding her bike and was not risking to lose it again. She put the lab key in her pocket. She ate breakfast, kissed Mom goodbye and went to find Thunder. That’s what she named her bike. Even though she hates rain, lightning, and thunder, she liked the name. When she rode to the lab she stopped and saw the red sirens beeping. Most of the scientists ran out. Cally asked one what happened. 23

“Nuclear spill,” they said. 13 hours earlier Cally’s dad comes home for dinner. He sits down and the expression on his face tells it was not a good day. “I have to go back in a few hours.” Cally whispers “How was it?” “Well, another fight about the new guy. He always acts nervous. Or he’s up to something.” “What do you mean, he’s up to something?” 10:30 am People screamed as they raced down the roads. Everywhere you step burned because the hotness of the spill on your feet would feel like people would be burned for all eternity. Weird people wearing weird clothes came out of big vans. They used things that looked like big mops that you would see at your school cafeteria when they would clean up. They pushed the spill into the lab. Cally thought of all the relief they put into the people as they got off something high above ground. And then something hit Call right in the gut. Anger stirred up in her. As they closed the door she ran and ran and heard people shouting behind her. “Are you crazy? They’re here to help.” Cally did not listen. As she jumped on one of the people and started strangling them and said, “My dad is in there!” 24

She jumped off just in time because people were surrounding Cally and trying to get her off. She jumped on one of the mop things. It felt like rubber. She took out the key and unlocked the door. Nope, did not open. The lab was on lockdown.

Radiation William Fahnstrom He was riding on his motorcycle, going to his job at the power plant. He got there in ten minutes. He put on his suit but suddenly liquid was flooding. He got out his phone and called a hazmat crew. He started running and crying at the same time because he will have to move. He will lose his job. He might even die from radiation of the toxic waste. He grabbed a Geiger counter. He was already overradiated. He heeded a hazmat suit or else he will die! But then the hazmat crew came. He got in and put on a hazmat suit. He was now safe. “Phew.�

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Shaking Dane Feider Luke sat in his garage putting on his rollerblades. He took a breath through his inhaler. His asthma was a real problem and he was glad it was wearing off. He opened his garage door, went out, and closed it. He was zooming into town in an instant. He soon arrived in town. he sat down and had something to eat. He got up and went around the corner. His friend Jason was there. “It took you long enough. I even had time to get my skateboard,” he said. “Sorry,” Luke replied. “My mom suddenly burnt the brownies!” “You got all your food? Because I have noodles,” Jason said, elbowing Luke. “Haha,” Luke said, looking around. The sun was starting to rise and people were bustling all over the place. Jason put a jar on the table but as soon as he did the earth lurched forward. Luke jumped and saved the jar. “Man, we have some hungry customers,” he said with a nervous smile. When the market started the sun was almost up. By the time it was over they got $127.68, a bit more than usual. They split the money and went home for lunch. The next day Luke and Jason were at the pool. Luke was on the diving board when it happened again. 26

When he came up to the surface Jason said “Wow, I can't do a cartwheel on the ground,” with a worried face. “We have to get out of here,” said Luke. They changed and came out of the pool in a run. Luke sat on a bench and called his mom. “Hello,” she said. “Hi, uh, have you felt that rumble?” he asked. “Yeah. I’m worried,” she said. “Well, we’ll be at the skate park.” He hung up. “Well let’s go,” Luke said to Jason. “Grab your skateboard. Later at the skatepark Jason turned a sharp corner and the earth started to shake. Only for a bit, but for a bit longer than usual. “Did it happen again, or am I just bad at sharp turns?” Jason said, still on the ground. “Both,” Luke replied. “Well, who votes not going to the skate park and not getting a concussion?” Jason said. They both put their hands up. Then the ground rumbled. “That makes three,” he said, still on the ground. They skated to the hills. Once they reached the hills he took off his roller blades and Jason held his skateboard. “Oh, come on,” complained Jason. “I forgot there was an ocean here. What a wonderful spot to be when there’s an earthquake.” “Well, let’s hope for no tsunamis.” “And no falling buildings,” Jason said as one fell into another one.

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The rumbling was annoying and also the fact that he had watched a building miss his mom by only a bit. “Mom!” Luke cried. He took a breath through his inhaler and ran. A building was about to fall on his mom. When he got there he held his hands up to the building, his inhaler in hand. Crack! went his inhaler. Just then his thought cleared. He felt like the weight of the sky was lifted off his shoulders. He pushed up. His mom started to run. He did also. When they were safe, it stopped. Then a car came up. Luke’s dad came out. “What the heck?” he said. “What happened here?” Then a giant wave swept over him and brought him into the water.

The Cool People Conner Gage One day Owen was going to post sunglasses on. And see how he looks. He thought he looked so cool. So he went to his neighbors and said, “I look better than you!” Then Owen ran to every house saying, “I’m better than you!” “In your dreams!” all the neighbors said. Then he saw a big black hole in the sky and he went to his secret cannon and it shot him to the middle of the earth. He went in the secret triangle and it shot him in the air to the black hole. And with his shades he saw someone else. 28

His name was Spencer. He went to the middle of the earth and shot him in the air also. They said they were going to make a goal to find Doritos in space with the black hole. So in 10 minutes they will die. So they looked in the house that the black hole is sucking in and 5 minutes later they found Doritos. So they ate the Doritos together. So in 10 seconds they would die. So they put their cool sunglasses on and died awesome while feeling really cool.

Fred Walks to School Rowan Gardner One day Fred was walking to school. He went to his desk and he realized he had left his backpack at home which was all the way across the country. So he brought a plane ticket to Maine and he got on the plane. Halfway through the flight the plane got struck by lightning and started free-falling to Earth. When he woke up he was in the middle of the wreckage. 

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What I Do Danika Haggett “Jade, get up it’s time for school!” said my mom impatiently. “OK mom,” I said. Today’s Monday, the worst day of the week. Everyone’s so tired from partying on the weekend. Oh, my name is Jade Baybook. I live in Fresno, California. My house is a trailer on Morninglane Road. I live with my mom and dad but my dad works a lot so I never really see him. “Jade, please!” said my mom again. “OK!” I yelled back. I hate when my mom says my name! I don’t know why, I just do. After five more minutes of laying in bed I jump out of bed and put on my polkadot shirt and matching pants, threw on my shoes, and gave my bunny a wave goodbye. I ran downstairs and saw my mother cooking bacon and cereal. That was my favorite! Lucky Charms, and warm bacon. “OK, Jade, you have 15 minutes to finish your food. Oh, and here’s some money for emergencies,” said my mom, very serious. Once I finished my Lucky Charms and bacon, I grabbed my emergency money off the counter, shoved it in my backpack, and ran out the front door. Before I could get off my property my mom yelled, “Only emergencies!” “I know mom!” I yelled back.

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I wish my mom would not treat me like a baby! She’s so worried about me all the time, I thought to myself. Then I walked two blocks more until I reached my best friend Barbara’s house. Barbara and I walk to school together every morning. I walked up her porch steps and rand her doorbell. Then I heard footsteps. It was Barbara. She opened the door and started running toward the school. There is this thing Barbara and I do. We race all the way to school. Whoever wins gets to tell the other person what to do. And of course she wins every time! When I caught up with her she dared me to eat the grass. I of course did it… It was disgusting!!

Magnets Trey Harris

May 1, 1869 Yorkshire, England Evie Emmer was just getting out of a train from London. She took

a breath of the Yorkshire air. “Why did it have to be Yorkshire?” she said with a sigh. Then she realized her father’s handgun had unstrapped from her holster and seemed to be floating away. Then a gust of wind struck and the handgun that her father gave her dropped violently. But somehow the cold steel flint lock did not bend nor shatter. The seemingly brittle pistol was fine. As for her knife, it was in the middle of the railroad along with her glasses! 31

She ran as fast as she could and reached the glasses and knife. Then she heard a loud noise. “The train!” she thought. She knew from the noise there was nothing she could do. So she just stood there waiting. Then after a minutes she said “Interesting. I’m not dead.” She looked around. All she saw was despair and misery. It seemed the train was disappeared along with all the passengers! So she went to the police to report. As soon as she reported, he started to sweat. “Is everything fine?” Evie said. “People falling apart,” he sighed. Then all of a sudden he pulled a gun from the desk, but Evie was faster. As she grasped her pistol she saw fear in his eyes but it did not stop her from pulling the trigger.

The Grand Jump Caroline Henry As the sun rises from the dusk, Ella hears a noise. Her alarm clock is loud and it wakes up Ella every morning. She rolls and rolls and moans. Ella is very tired but determined to get to her job in time. Ella rolls one last time and gets on her feet. She runs to her old wood dresser and opens it. Ella looks and sees a new shirt and some new

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shorts. Ella really enjoys them. Ella puts them on in a snap. She grabs some white old socks and also puts them on. She runs into her bathroom and starts brushing her teeth with her automatic toothbrush. Ella hears the vibrating every morning so she just gets used to using it. After she is finished with that she grabs her backpack and packs it all up. Ella puts on her shoes and races to her car. She started up her car and all the rumbling starts. She drives off. Ella parks the car at a parking spot next to her shop called Nothing Bundt Cakes. Ella looks in her bag and sees the key for the shop right on top of all her stuff. She grabs the cold sharpish key and runs up to the door of the shop. She slightly puts the key int he door and opens the door. Ella realizes she came way too early. Ella calls her mom but she does not answer. Ella looks around and sees there are not very many sample cakes. Ella heads over to the backside of the shop and sees the crops all dry and yellow. Ella ensures the danger of the crops and unlocks the backdoor. Ella was too early. She decided to go on a little walk. All around was all dry and looked bad. Still Ella ignored the dangers and walked on. “Maybe I should head over to the city,” says Ella happily. Ella ran back as fast as she could and got in the soft black seats of her car. She turns the key and goes off.. When Ella gets to the city her car is out of gas. Ella looks around and looks in hr backpack. She grabs her phone and remembers she did not charge it last night. It is dead. “What?” Ella says confused.

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She smelled the bad stench of smoke. Ella looked around and saw it. Red, orange, yellow flickers of light came from the tall buildings. The fire that Ella say spread quick. Ella felt herself get hit with something. Ella got knocked out. When she woke up, she saw the one of the worst nightmares. The fire was all around her. Ella got up with sweat down her face. Ella really really did not want to take a risk with the hot fiery earth all around her. “Aaa aa aaa,” screamed Ella. Ella saw a boy from her class. “Jackson! Jackson!” screamed Ella. Jackson opened his eye looking tired and instantly jumped to his feet. “Ella! Why are you here?” Jackson said surprisedly. “Long story,” said Ella. “Jackson, we have to get out of here. Now!” yelled Ella. “How?” said Jackson. Ella went down on a knee and held a charm. A charm with real power. It was tied onto Ella’s neck. It was a locket. Ella held this locket hard. She opened it slowly. “Ella, don’t hurt yourself by looking in there. It will make you sad,” said Jackson kindly. Ella got to the point where the locket was open. Ella took a glimpse and cried. “Ella, we have to get through this. We can, and we will. We have to work together. Trust me here or we will both die,” said Jackson quietly.

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“Jackson, save yourself. Get out of here without me. You must. I will go,” said Ella sadly. “Ella, no. I will not let you die!” yelled Jackson. Ella was silent. Jackson grabbed Ella’s hand and picked her up. “OK. Let’s get out of here then,” said Ella. “Well if we are going to get out you have to stand up at least,” scowled Jackson. “OK, OK I’ll get up,” whined Ella. Jackson jumped onto a wood log from a store. “Come on, Ella,” Jackson said. “I can’t get up,” said Ella sadly. “I will help you. Here!” said Jackson happily. “OK, but it has to be fast because the fire is getting closer!” yelled Ella. “OK, OK but you have to hold on to my hand,” scowled Jackson. “Fine,” said Ella. Ella grabs on and Jackson pulls her up with power. “Hold my hands and I will pull you up onto the roof,” said Jackson. “Jackson, just leave. I am slowing you down completely. You shall be the one to survive. Just go,” Ella said sadly. “ELLA STOP WE ARE GETTING OUT OF THIS NOW GRAB ON TO MY HAND NOW,” yelled Jackson. Ella saw he was angry. Ella stood for a second and grabbed the hot hand. Ella got pulled up with the power of a hippo. “Thanks Jackson,” Ella said calmly. 35

“Welcome,” Jackson said calmly with joy. “Let’s get somewhere safe,” pointed out Jackson. “Somewhere far away,” said Ella. “I-I-I—,” Ella said slowly, fainting. “clowsse—.” Ella had a big thud on the hot ground. Ella fell off the rood and landed straight in the fire’s range. “Ella!” yelled Jackson getting balanced for his grand jump to save Ella. Jackson didn't bother to talk because Ella could not hear him. “AAH!” yelled Jackson coming closer to the flames. “Thud.” Jackson made his ground landing and grabbed Ella.

The Sunken World Lukas Kapuscinski

Chapter 1 Jack was walking home from school when he saw the paperboy,

Ben, who was also the class bully, riding down the street. As Ben zipped past, he threw a newspaper at Jack. “You can take a look at that, Nerd!” Ben loved to call Jack a nerd, and Jack never replied. He didn’t care. Jack looked at the headline: May 5, 2043 The Daily Baloney MONSTERS CLIMB OUT OF SIINKHOLE! Jack silently resolved not to read the newspaper. There was no way that could happen. “Monsters don’t exist!” Jack said to himself. 36

When he got home, his mom and dad both weren’t home, as usual. His dad was a scientist slash inventor, so he was usually at his lab. Jack fingered his bag. Except that it wasn’t just a bag. It was his dad’s invention, the Transmorgrifire. It could become anything except for a sentient being or food. His mom was on a work trip to Australia that only lasted for another month. In his “bag” he also had a journal, pencil. and a bag of trail mix. “I’m home!” Jack called. Chichi, his Yorkshire terrier, came scrambling around the corner. he picked up Chichi, right as he noticed a note on the table. He set Chichi down and immediately she started barking and jumping. Jack picked her up one more and read the note: Here is the Transmorgrifire 2.0. Now it came become a bigger thing like a small house or something. —Dr. Jacob Pitt Confused, Jack looked around for the original version of the Transmorgrifire, a small white tablet. He found it at the end of the table. Jack picked up the tablet and immediately noticed its weight and darker color. He imagined it as an exact replica as the bag on his shoulder and then found himself holding two of the same bag. Jack smiled and said to Chichi, “I’ma eat dinner, take my shower, and go to bed. OK?” Chichi barked once and then ran to her bed. Chichi had a way of running everywhere which Jack thought was cute. Later that night Jack thought about the headline in the news. Could that really happen? No, of course not, thought Jack. 37

Or could it? The next day Jack didn’t feel like getting up. But he had to. He promised to go on a date wth Jayden, a girl who liked him. He looked out his window at the sky. It was very gray and cloudy. Jack got up from his bed reluctantly and put on a pair of jeans and an orange T-shirt with a blue hoodie that zipped up. His clatter from putting on his clothes awoke Chichi, who scrambled into the room. Jack decided to take Chichi with him. As Jack neared the park where he would meet Jayden, he saw her waiting on a bench. She was wearing a long-sleeve shirt and jeans with her dirty blond hair up in a ponytail. Jack smiled and waved. He blinked and she was gone. The bench was also gone. Jack stared and ran over to the hole but didn’t get there in time. The ground under him started to give way and he fell into the rapidly enlarging hole. Chapter 2 Splash. Just splash. No bones broken, no sprains, just splash. Jack had fallen into a very shallow puddle, somehow not killing himself. He looked to his right. Tunnels. He looked to his left and screamed. Jayden was there. She was soaked. Soaked with blood. She had landed on a stalagmite. Her guts were spilling out the hole in her abdomen. Jack hurried over to Jayden’s dead body, reaching in for his first Transmorgrifire. His hand brushed against a warm furry surface. “Chichi!” Jack set his bag on the ground, pulling her out of it. Chichi barked twice. Then Jack smiled and proceeded to burn Jayden’s body. Sitting next to the fire Jack realized how hot it was. He

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was closer to the core, after all. Then splashes started echoing through the cave.

The Trump Tornado Asher Klinker Jake’s waking to school. He has his backpack with him and his phone in his pocket. He takes a sip of soda and goes into school thinking, “I wonder what our surprise is?” It was very cloudy and it was drizzling like the beginning of a storm. The air felt damp and the wind was picking up. *** Later, Jake’s walking in the halls of Trump Tower. It’s mostly just pictures and achievements of Trump. Now they’re going in rooms. Jake and his best friend Cutler were in the same room. The whole class is staying there for three days. Once they get settled in the room they look out at the dark and rainy sky from their window. The rain outside had begun to hail cold wet ice shards. Once the teachers had checked in Cutler and Jake made plans for the night. When it was night they would sneak out and grab Mountain Dews and Cheetos so they could stay up all night and party. Jake brought his phone so they could watch T.V. “Hey, Jake, what should we do?” said Cutler. Jake was lost in thought so he didn’t hear it until the end.


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The Sinkhole Spencer Kreipl Jason was walking down the street with James and Jack. They were heading to the pond to go fishing. “What’s the biggest fish you’ve caught?” questioned Jack. “I caught a ten pound bass before,” James said proudly. “He. That’s pathetic,” joked Jack. “What’s the biggest fish you’ve caught?” “Half pound perch,” said James annoyingly. “What are you talking about? I caught a 300 pound shark before,” demanded Jack. “Oh, shut up Ja—” said James, being cut off. “Both of you please stop. You’re so annoying,” said Jason, annoyed. “Hey, talk to mister big mouth over here. He started—” said Jack. “What chu talking about?” James demanded. The three of them walked out onto the dock. The pond was surrounded by trees covered in moss and tall grass. “Would both of you stop? You’re gonna scare the fish away,” said Jason, giggling. “Does the pond seem lower than usual today?” James said, casting his line. “Or maybe you lobbed off half your head,” Jack said, trying not to laugh.

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“No, James is right. It does seem lower today,” Jason said curiously. “Ha,” James said proudly. They fished ’til dusk and caught lots of fish. Jason walked home and ate his food slowly, wondering why the pond was lower. “How was fishing?” his mom asked. “Good,” Jason mumbled. He went upstairs and plopped himself onto his bed watching his lava lamp. He was restless and could not stop thinking about the pond. He finally closed his eyes and went to sleep. The next day they went to the pond and it was only a few inches deep. It had rained, and they felt the warm damp air. “I told you it was lower than n—” James said, being cut off. The ground opened in front of them. Water poured in it as it got wider and wider. The three of them sprinted off the dock. “Whaaaat’s haaaaaaapeniing?” James yelled as the dock crumbled behind them. “This is how it ends,” Jason thought through this.

The Alley Evan McCall As the cold bitter wind blows in my face I feel cold and uneasy. It is 12:00 and I am just walking home. I hear a voice, “HELP,” in a ghostlike whisper. 41

I start to run. I hear “SHE WILL TRAP YOU.” At this point I am horrified. I start to sprint. I come to a dark alleyway. I trip on a storm drain and face plant into the ground. I get up. I see a ghostlike figure in front of me. Its eyes are closed. Then they open. I hear a high-pitched scream. It's dark. A face appears in front of me. It has a smile. A smile that no one else could have. It starts melting into a dreary face. I start running. It’s everywhere I look. I can't get away. Allof a sudden I am in a house. It's like my house but grey. I see my parents. They repeat a message: “YDAL EHT MORF YAWA YATS.” I lock myself in my room. It's my brother? He says something: “SU NIOJ.” Then everyone in my family goes to a circle surrounded by candles. They quickly say some kind of spell: “EGASSEM SDRAWKCAB" a bunch of times. Suddenly everything disappears. I am home but somethings…off. My dad has not watched that show in…years. Is that grandpa Chuck? He died about three years ago… Wait a minute. I check in my room. It's me? I’m on my bed playing Kindle. Then my family starts screaming “Fire!” I try to get out but I can’t open the door. I pass right through it then I am back in the weird house. I know what I have to do. “SEYE YM EKAT!” 42

I am back at my house in the normal world. I’m blind. Did you get the backwards messages? ▢ yes ▢ no

The Flood Sadie Sherman One ordinary day Serena was driving to the market from Yale, her college. It was 5 pm and she had just finished her last class of the day. Her friends Betsy and Alisha were going to meet her at the market. Once she got to the market she parked her car and walked a block to the market. While walking she looked up at the sky and saw that it was very cloudy. Serena felt a drop of rain. She taught of how many times it had rained that past month. Once Serena got to the market it started pouring rain. Serena, Betsy, and Alisha rushed into a restaurant. Serena looked out the window at the rain. Something was in the corner of her eye. It was water gushing down the street. “Flood!” yelled Serena. “Run!” cried Alisha. “Up the stairs!” screamed Betsy. The three girls ran up the stairs, each thinking if they would make it. The three girls made it up five flights of stairs. They were all on top of the building looking down at the flood. 43

Serena was thinking of all the people still in the restaurant. Serena was just about to go back down for them. “Do you hear that?” yelled Alisha. “It’s voices,” screamed Betsy. People came bursting through the door. Children were screaming. Alisha started ripping her dress to patch up people’s scratches. “Is there a doctor?” a voice yelled. “Over here!” screamed Alisha. Serena was helping people catch their breath. Betsy was looking over the edge, watching blood flow down it. The flood was getting higher and higher.

HOPE Elizabeth Thornton Ester was at the market with Mama. Papa was at the house working with the boys. *** I carry my teddy Grandpa gave me when I was 2 or 3. Mama and I got a loaf of bread and some salad for dinner. We walked home. By then it was about seven or eight A.M. We are preparing dinner. We threw the meat in. It will take a while to cook. I invited some friends over to play with my new doll. They loved it. I let Aliza borrow it for a few days. *** 44

One Hebrew went missing. There was no-one at the market. It just got worse. People started to disappear. I mean more and more every week. Mama started to pack. We had to leave. “Dangerous people are coming and we have a place to stay in Northern Germany,” she said. “What place?” I said. A few days later we got all packed. It was a beautiful night and all of the sudden, Boom! Crash! Mom said, “We have to go. The bad people are here.” We snuck out the back with masks on. We hid in the shadows and watched people get shot on the spot. “Besuche in diesem Gebäude,” the men in masks kept saying. Then they would come out with a family. Mama would shut my eyes. I heard boom, boom, boom, boom, then it was over. Still, we walked in the shadows. It was light. Everything seemed dark in my head. I saw the men. We passed more. They kept saying, “da drüben und in diesem Haus.” I started to cry because they started walking toward us. My dad threw us in a car. They started to shoot. *** We are back on our journey to the north. We stopped in Frankfurt, then Leipzig. We finally stopped to stay in Lübeck. It was an underground bunker thing. Dad stayed out. He did not come back that night. Mama stayed up all night. Morning came. The smell of bacon filled the air. Me and my brother jumped up and ran into the dining 45

room. We heard Dad’ voice. We ran even faster. It was the man that went with him. “Where is Pa? Is Pa home?” I asked. Mama came out crying. “He’s gone,” she said. She dropped down on her knees and cried harder. Crrrrrch. The door opened. “HerunterKommen!” and Bang! Bang! He was going down the row.

The Huge Disaster Gabriella Zachos June 16, 1986 There were a lot of people at a lot of cities. “What’s that?” Alex asked. Alex is a boy that is a good scientist for a long time. “It’s an earthquake!” Alex’s dad yelled. Everyone was running, hiding and worrying. “How are we going to get rid of the earthquake?” a woman asked. Alex said, “I have no idea!” “Wait, I think I know how!” Alex said when he had an idea. Everyone was hearing the earthquake when it came to the city. Everyone was grabbing everything they needed to get rid of the storm. “Let’s go!” Alex yelled. Everyone was getting rid of the earthquake. 46

And when they saw the earthquake, Alex said. “We did it! We got rid of the earthquake!” Alex yelled happily. So everyone was safe!

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