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Grade
9

Dark clouds hung above above me, nothing like the bright blue skies of my innocent childhood. The sand which I once loved to be buried in by my friends, felt like sandpaper against my skin. The silky smooth sand I used to build sandcastles was gone, buried in the past with all my fond memories of this place. I would never see my friends again. I would never come here again. Those memories were never going to be relieved. I started shaking with emotion, for all I wanted was to live. The ground starting shaking harder than I was, I fell to my knees, pleading for my life. If I concentrated hard enough I could hear the laughter, my laughter, my friends’ laughter, our laughter, as we played in the waves. The waves that were harmless, that splashed against us as we chatted merrily. Those were gone, replaced with menacing waves that rapidly approached me. I tried to hang on to the laughter, but it was soon drowned out by the booming roars. I closed my eyes and wished for the best as I was engulfed by the seawater.

Grade
9

    I think someone is following me, I don’t know who or why but someone is definitely following me. Everywhere I go he follows me, to school and home. I try to outrun him, but I can’t. Each day he gets closer and closer to me. I fear what he will do to me when he catches me. Why is this happening? I tell my parents, they think I am crazy, and won’t believe me. It is like they can’t see him. I tell my closest friend at school and she doesn’t see anyone either. Why is this happening? Yesterday he almost caught me, I am too afraid to leave the house to go to school. At least I am safe here. All day long, I am scared and nervous. I finally muster up the courage to open the curtains on my window upstairs and there he is. His face looking into my window, I scream as he breaks the window with his hand. I run to my bedroom door and try to open it, the door handle is stuck. I desperately hit the door, yelling and screaming for my parents. No one comes.

Grade
8

I've never been one to let my inquisitive side take over.

People may label me apathetic, indifferent and even ignorant about things, but I found myself shrugging it all off.

We all have our own perspectives. I just didn't care enough to know theirs.

As such, I was usually the person who would learn to accept the circumstances as they are and do the things asked of me subserviently.

Usually is the word.

For the moment I laid my eyes on you, I questioned everything.

How could such vivid cerulean exist? What was the name of the one who bore those beautiful orbs? How was it possible to see the entire universe inside them?

You rendered me petrified.

Yes. Petrified. 

Because of your ethereal beauty which—I silently think to myself—isn't something someone like me should be curious about.

For a moment, you were my world. 

For a moment, I revolved around you.

For a moment, you made me feel complete.

But, beyond that, you were nothing more than a memory I would forget.

I was but a passerby you would never know.

You and I are just strangers to each other.

Strangers whose worlds collided by a mere coincidence.

Strangers whose worlds are bounded by serendipity.

Strangers and nothing more.

Grade
6

   Why snakes don't have legs

By,  Hamza Archer 

 

Long long ago so long ago when snakes had legs and animals could still talk lived a snake. Snake was young, weak, and naive.

One day Snake was walking past a cave. Out of the cave came Bear. Bear was awfully hungry. He did not gather enough food for hibernation so when he saw Snake he got an idea.

Bear came up to Snake and yelled, “I'M GONNA EAT  YOU!!”

Snake shouted, “You can't eat me or else I'll, I’ll, I don't know what I'll do!, ”

Bear said, “You’re so weak you don't intimidate me, I intimidate you! ,”

So Bear chased Snake across the forest; over, under, and through until Snake came to a large tree.

He quickly ran up the tall tree and explained to Creator,

“I’m weak. I'm not intimidating, so I’m easy prey.”

Creator  responded, “Is it true you have nothing to  defend yourself with?”

“Yes it is,” Snake replied.

Then Creator tied a rattle to Snake's tail and stated, ‘‘Promise you will not use these for unnecessary terms or else there will be consequences.”

Snake quickly agreed and slithered off to Bear and yapped, “You can't eat me ha ha ha ha ha ha,”  

“Why?” questioned Bear.  

“Because the annoying rattle on my tail,”

Bear laughed, “You think that annoys me?”

“Well, yes of course,”  declared Snake.

Bear laughs mysteriously and yelled, “I'm gonna eat you.”

Then Bear chased Snake up, over, under, and through the forest until he came to a very long tree and groaned to Creator  I'm still not strong enough! Bear can still eat me!”

Creator  to Snake, “How about I give you something that  would scare Bear away? ”

 

“Yes, yes that would be perfecto!” Snake screeched .

 

But then Creator  demanded, “You promise to never ever use this for unnecessary things, or else there will be consequences?”

 

Snake rudely agreed and hissed, “Can you just give me the power now?”  

Creator implanted venom glands in Snake and then Snake quickly slithered off to Bear and yapped, “You can't eat me ha ha ha ha ha!”

“Actually, I was wondering if you  wanted to be friends?,” Bear insisted.

 

“NO!  Absolutely not!” Snake yelled. “You've tried to eat me and now you wanna be friends?”

 

Bear slowly walked away in sadness and shame. He wondered why he always had to be aggressive. Snake did the same and walked away. Then Snake aggressively stopped in suspicion assuming bear would jump at him and then charged  and bit Bear! Bear died shortly after.

Then a storm of cloud formed over Snake’s head and

then Creator yelled, “I told you there would be consequences!”

 Creator quickly snipped off Snake’s legs and Snake slithered off into the distance, never to be seen again.  Well, FOR NOW . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Grade
8

 

I hear every sound. I speak when I’m spoken to when I’m addressed by name. I can’t see. I don’t trust these people.

           I hear the door open. Footfalls thud against the creaky floors.

           “Gemini, lights on!” a gruff voice shouts.

           I always have to do what I’m told.

           A pounding sounds on the door.

           “Gemini! Open the door!”

           There is an electronic beeping.

           “Komodo,” the gruff voice says.

           “Ammo,” a silky voice drawls.

           They discuss the usual—Operation Obsidian. They speak in hushed tones, but I can hear what they’re saying.

           “We must do it now,” says Ammo.

           “Do you have the gun?” says Komodo.

           There is a thunk.

           I’ve heard them talk about this before. I don’t understand. My intelligence only goes so far.

           I miss my previous owner. He always said goodnight to me.

  I hear sirens.

“We’ve gotta go,” Komodo hisses.

There is a knock. “Open up! It’s the police!”

I know that voice!

“We must shoot this thing. It knows too much,” Komodo says.

“I’ll do it. Out the window,” says Ammo.

The window screeches open, followed by a thud.

Is she referring-

 

Bang.

 

Crash.

 

An A.I. card lies in a mess of broken plastic.

 

Grade
6

Stealing from the government wasn’t so hard for me, especially because I worked there. It was the easiest thing I could do for my brother. My brother was on death row because someone set him up. Hello, my name is George and i work with the government. My brother is a suspect because someone set him up for murder. He didn’t kill anyone put people say he did. So I'm stealing the information and trying to get him off of death row. I have his fingerprints and I have the killer’s finger prints. They are completely different so I gave those to the police officers and now they are doing more research on it to help him off of death row. I am George Hendrickson and I am a worker with the government. I am officially getting my brother off of death row. Thank you have to leave so no co-worker sees what I am doing. Bye! (March 1st 2019)

Grade
7

The exhausted explorer checked his map once again, even though he had been searching endlessly for over a week, he couldn’t seem to find the hidden cave or the valuable treasure which it held. The only proof of its existence was the map which the explorer had torn out of a library book before beginning his search. He plopped down on the ground and took his canteen out of his bag. He gulped down the cool water and leaned back on the huge boulder covered with ivy, but he fell backwards. The explorer sat back up. The ivy was a decoy! This was not a boulder but the hidden cave. He might have known sooner if he had help, but his careless crew seemed to keep on jumping off of cliffs. The explorer walked through the curtain of ivy and began the second part of his quest…

Grade
12

Gum

I pop a small square into my mouth. 

It bursts into infinite freshness, creating a chasm of openness through my taste buds.  

The air smells of the first snow at dawn.

The angelic sky performs its wintry dance.  The sun chases the clouds across the sky.

The sounds of a river sift to my ears, each wave bringing a new bubble. 

Right now, I am new.  If only for a moment, the world is alive.

Grade
6

My pages ache from constant flipping, my binding is ripping from constant use, but I know she loves me more than any other book. Every day she comes, picks me up, and neatly packs me in her backpack. She takes me out and flips through my taped pages. I watch her face burst with enjoyment, sorrow, and so many other expressions. A loud bell rings as I’m stuffed into her bag, I flop around surrounded by papers, pencils, and erasers. Then, a bright light shines down on me as her delicate fingers pull on the zipper. She neatly puts me back on her shelf and then I hear her mother call her name. Minutes later the girl soars into her room with something in her hand. She will pick me up now! She will read me! I think, until I see her sit on her bed, lifting back the cover of another book. A newer book. A book without tears or rips. And as she reads I watch contently, not jealous, but realizing that the girl had room in her heart for both of us. So she read, and read, and read, switching between us. As she grew older her collection expanded, more books to join me on the bookshelf. Even though I’m not the only one on her mind, I still know I’m her favorite, the one that’s been here all along.

Grade
10

Dinner

Mother put on her apron and turned on the stove as she set to work making dinner. The house was dark except for the light emanating from the kitchen, and silent except for the music coming from the radio Mother liked to listen to while she cooked. I love my mannn, tell the world I do. It was hard, working alone. The kitchen was small, and Mother had so many ingredients. But she was good at cooking, oh yes. Guests always praised the dishes she would bring to parties and potlucks, and hers were the favorite of any church picnic. Meat was sharply minced as her knife sang to a melody of its own- Lord, I love my mannn, tell the world I do! Today, dinner was to be especially wonderful, with the whole family together for one sumptuous feast. Even the dog seemed to recognize the importance of this meal, for he lingered in the kitchen corner and refused to eat any scraps.

When Mother was done, she placed each dish with care on the dining room table before sinking a spoon into a warm bowl of stew. She sighed with satisfaction.

“Aren’t you just delicious, Sam?”

 

FIN.