It was a dark and stormy night,
And the bats were well in flight.
The air was cold with wintry winds,
And the demons of Sanville were hot with sins.
Beasts walked through the corridors of what seemed like hell,
Groaning and whining as they listened to the repetitive bell
That informed the community of just another human kill.
These monsters were ugly and had minds that would thrill
The lives of any who weren’t so evil and wicked.
There was one beast thought that wasn’t as sicked
As the rest of the blood thirsty group. He had
A brain that wasn’t quite right if you had
The brain of a Sanville beast. He sat atop
His tower with is a lump o’er his back.
Dreaming of the day when he could run away
From this town and escape the everday
Strife of the like in Sanville. His job was of simplicity
But the violence of it was as complicated as the city
Of Paris. He was what they called the skinner, that
Name nearly explains the job of this lad.
He took care of the bodies, all of the remains,
All parts to the same place. He claimed to his brains,
If my life is to sustain the way that is it today,
I will end my journey on this earth of clay
And rejoice and praise when I escape this wretched place.
So the hermit made a deal with the crab down the way.
the little crab will kill the hermit, partially though,
because hermit would not be deceased, no,
he would still be alive and well,
He would just be dead to the town of Sanville.
So the two of them developed I skeem
That would trick every devil, hound and fiend
That moped the streets of that dreadful dungeon town.
The two sneaky fellows constructed a plan bound
For success. The crab would simply claim insanity
And kill the hermit in the biggest calamity
That Sanville will ever see. Or so they hoped
For the did not know that behind the weeds and rope
a mole was listening to their plot. He was from
the inside where the biggest killers stayed.
His job was to detect misbehavior for he had
A nose for that type of thing. He would stand
And loiter the street of Sanville until he
Caught a group up to no good, then he
Would run the castle at the top of the hill
Where he would tell his masters then they would kill.
So the kings Sanville grabbed their clubs, there forks
And shovels. And they traveled to the tower to dispose
of the traitor at the top. So they made it to the post
and there sat the crab and hermit describing their plan.
So the kings did their deed and got rid of the man
That wanted no more to be involved in this mess.
So in the end, everyone got their wish, and says
The hermit as he sits in heavens halls, my plan went great
Exactly as I had expected.
Wednesday, October 14, 2009
Wednesday, October 7, 2009
The Lion's Pride
Deep in the heart of Africa lived a pride of lions who ruled the plains of the Sahara with their strength and wisdom. The leader of this Pride was Jamal, a young fierce warrior. His father had been a wise and caring leader but sadly, had died a few months earlier. Jamal took his place as leader.
Being young and inexperienced, the young leader used his position to show off. Every day he would wake up before the sun and spend a couple hours looking at his reflection, making sure every hair of his mane was in place. Then he ran up the tallest mountain and just as the sun peeked up over the horizon, roared as loud as he could, announcing the start of a new day. All of the animals in the valley would wake up and bow down to their leader. After this ritual, Jamal would spend the rest of his day “patrolling his territory.” This could also be called showing off for the ladies. The new king needed a queen to help him run his kingdom, but he was having a hard time getting the attention of the girl he wanted.
Sierra was the most beautiful lioness in all of the land. With this beauty also came intelligence, and she knew just how proud and arrogant Jamal was. Because of this she refused to marry him. Each time that Jamal approached her with the question, she cut him off.
“Sierra, will you mar…?”
“No.” So much for love at first sight. With every rejection, Jamal got more and more frustrated. He couldn’t understand why Sierra didn’t want to marry him. After all, who wouldn’t want to be the queen alongside the handsomest, strongest, most influential lion of the pride? Finally, he got fed up. He went to Sierra.
“I don’t understand why you won’t marry me. I’m the king of the Pride! What more could you possibly want?” Sierra decided to take this opportunity to teach Jamal a lesson.
“In order to prove that you are strong enough to be my husband, I want you to fight another lion, and win. I don’t care who you fight, but you have to win by sundown.” As soon as Jamal heard this, he raced off to find somebody to fight. He chose the wimpiest, weakest lion he could find- Toby. Then he gathered all the animals to the center of the valley.
“Today I am going to win the love of my life with my awesome strength!” Jamal strutted around Toby in a circle, making a big show. However, in the past few months, the king hadn’t been building up his strength. Instead, he had been proudly preoccupied with his appearance. When Jamal tried to pounce on Toby, the smaller lion quickly leapt out of the way. This was the pattern of the fight for a good two hours, and Jamal began to get tired. Toby sensed that his opponent was nearing exhaustion, and at the right moment, jumped on him pinning him to the ground! Everyone was shocked that their leader had lost, but soon the crowd began to laugh.
“Look at Jamal now! For all his pride he sure isn’t very strong- even Toby can beat him!” Jamal was humiliated and hung his head as he walked back to his den. He realized that pride was causing all of the problems in his life. The next day he didn’t wake up hours before dawn, he didn’t run up the biggest mountain and roar, and he didn’t make all of the animals bow down to him. For days after that, Jamal swallowed his pride and simply did his job as king, making sure everyone was protected. Finally, after almost a year had gone by, Jamal got up the courage to ask Sierra to marry him and this time she said yes! As the two walked off into the sunset Jamal thought of the great lesson he learned.
Being young and inexperienced, the young leader used his position to show off. Every day he would wake up before the sun and spend a couple hours looking at his reflection, making sure every hair of his mane was in place. Then he ran up the tallest mountain and just as the sun peeked up over the horizon, roared as loud as he could, announcing the start of a new day. All of the animals in the valley would wake up and bow down to their leader. After this ritual, Jamal would spend the rest of his day “patrolling his territory.” This could also be called showing off for the ladies. The new king needed a queen to help him run his kingdom, but he was having a hard time getting the attention of the girl he wanted.
Sierra was the most beautiful lioness in all of the land. With this beauty also came intelligence, and she knew just how proud and arrogant Jamal was. Because of this she refused to marry him. Each time that Jamal approached her with the question, she cut him off.
“Sierra, will you mar…?”
“No.” So much for love at first sight. With every rejection, Jamal got more and more frustrated. He couldn’t understand why Sierra didn’t want to marry him. After all, who wouldn’t want to be the queen alongside the handsomest, strongest, most influential lion of the pride? Finally, he got fed up. He went to Sierra.
“I don’t understand why you won’t marry me. I’m the king of the Pride! What more could you possibly want?” Sierra decided to take this opportunity to teach Jamal a lesson.
“In order to prove that you are strong enough to be my husband, I want you to fight another lion, and win. I don’t care who you fight, but you have to win by sundown.” As soon as Jamal heard this, he raced off to find somebody to fight. He chose the wimpiest, weakest lion he could find- Toby. Then he gathered all the animals to the center of the valley.
“Today I am going to win the love of my life with my awesome strength!” Jamal strutted around Toby in a circle, making a big show. However, in the past few months, the king hadn’t been building up his strength. Instead, he had been proudly preoccupied with his appearance. When Jamal tried to pounce on Toby, the smaller lion quickly leapt out of the way. This was the pattern of the fight for a good two hours, and Jamal began to get tired. Toby sensed that his opponent was nearing exhaustion, and at the right moment, jumped on him pinning him to the ground! Everyone was shocked that their leader had lost, but soon the crowd began to laugh.
“Look at Jamal now! For all his pride he sure isn’t very strong- even Toby can beat him!” Jamal was humiliated and hung his head as he walked back to his den. He realized that pride was causing all of the problems in his life. The next day he didn’t wake up hours before dawn, he didn’t run up the biggest mountain and roar, and he didn’t make all of the animals bow down to him. For days after that, Jamal swallowed his pride and simply did his job as king, making sure everyone was protected. Finally, after almost a year had gone by, Jamal got up the courage to ask Sierra to marry him and this time she said yes! As the two walked off into the sunset Jamal thought of the great lesson he learned.
Monday, October 5, 2009
The Fox and the Foolish Poultry
Once upon a time, there was a fox that lived in a cave. His cave was located close to a farm
The fox had always been a problem for the barnyard animals and they never got along.
The fox was always up to some kind of mischief and was either tricking the animals out of their food, or he was stealing it. Once he stole food while the hens were taking care of their chicks. Another time he tricked the horse out of his meal by closing the gate and letting the pigs have the food.
The fox always thought he was smarter than all the other animals on the farm. One day while the chickens were pecking the dirt around the barnyard the fox told them that he didn’t feel good and was going to go to his cave. He asked the chickens to come and check on him to make sure he was okay. He said that he felt he might be too sick to take care of himself.
After the fox had left, the chickens were talking (peeping) to each other and wondered what to do.
“I think it is a trick,” said Paula Pullet. “That fox has always been trouble for us and I don’t see this as any different.”
“I agree,” peeped in Frieda Fryer. “He only looks out for himself.”
Donna Drumstick said that she felt he was telling the truth this time and felt the right thing to do would be to go and check on the fox.
After three days the chickens hadn’t seen the fox around the barnyard. They were talking about this one day while they were in the barnyard visiting their peeps.
“I think we should go up to the cave and see if he is okay,” said Donna. “We haven’t seen him for over three days. He has never been gone that long before.”
“I’m starting to agree,” clucked in Freida. “I thought he was trying to trick us, but now I don’t know.”
Paula too said she thought it was odd that the fox hadn’t been around for so long and that he must be getting hungry and it would be the right thing to do.
Donna said that she would go up to the cave and check on the fox. When she didn’t come back Freida said that she must have gotten lost and that she would go check on her.
The next day when neither hide nor feather of either chicken had been seen, Paula went out to check on her friends.
After a week, the fox came to the barnyard and asked Ralph the Rooster why he hadn’t come to his cave to check on him when he said that he was sick.
Ralph replied that, “I saw a lot of chicken tracks going into your cave, but I didn’t see any coming out.”
The moral of the story is: “Don’t just follow the crowd.”
The fox had always been a problem for the barnyard animals and they never got along.
The fox was always up to some kind of mischief and was either tricking the animals out of their food, or he was stealing it. Once he stole food while the hens were taking care of their chicks. Another time he tricked the horse out of his meal by closing the gate and letting the pigs have the food.
The fox always thought he was smarter than all the other animals on the farm. One day while the chickens were pecking the dirt around the barnyard the fox told them that he didn’t feel good and was going to go to his cave. He asked the chickens to come and check on him to make sure he was okay. He said that he felt he might be too sick to take care of himself.
After the fox had left, the chickens were talking (peeping) to each other and wondered what to do.
“I think it is a trick,” said Paula Pullet. “That fox has always been trouble for us and I don’t see this as any different.”
“I agree,” peeped in Frieda Fryer. “He only looks out for himself.”
Donna Drumstick said that she felt he was telling the truth this time and felt the right thing to do would be to go and check on the fox.
After three days the chickens hadn’t seen the fox around the barnyard. They were talking about this one day while they were in the barnyard visiting their peeps.
“I think we should go up to the cave and see if he is okay,” said Donna. “We haven’t seen him for over three days. He has never been gone that long before.”
“I’m starting to agree,” clucked in Freida. “I thought he was trying to trick us, but now I don’t know.”
Paula too said she thought it was odd that the fox hadn’t been around for so long and that he must be getting hungry and it would be the right thing to do.
Donna said that she would go up to the cave and check on the fox. When she didn’t come back Freida said that she must have gotten lost and that she would go check on her.
The next day when neither hide nor feather of either chicken had been seen, Paula went out to check on her friends.
After a week, the fox came to the barnyard and asked Ralph the Rooster why he hadn’t come to his cave to check on him when he said that he was sick.
Ralph replied that, “I saw a lot of chicken tracks going into your cave, but I didn’t see any coming out.”
The moral of the story is: “Don’t just follow the crowd.”
A Dove’s relationship
Jennifer Haywood
5th hour C.P.
In ancient times there lived a woman named Evelyn but everyone called her Eve. She lived in a large stone castle over looking a wide green forest. Everyday when the sun would set a female dove would sit on her window pane and keep her company. The dove was sleek and slender. She had the best voice in the entire kingdom. In fact, many of the male dove’s would fly from hundred’s of miles just to see her. Eve grew very fond of this dove and named the dove Belle because their sounds were similar.
Eve admired the dove. When ever Eve had suitors come to call, she would get so excited that the suitors would soon run for the hills. Belle had many callers but no matter what they sang to her she never spoke a word. Her only emotion was flirtation. She would bat her eyelashes and coo softly, but no matter how hard the male doves tried they couldn’t get Belle to speak. One male from across the sea heard of the now wide spread challenge to win Belle’s heart. When this handsome bird called to Eve’s window late one night Belle had a feeling this was a bird of a different feather. He was very polite and had a song that harmonized hers perfectly. By the next morning Belle knew everything about her new companion, but he knew nothing about her. He was so curious to just know her name that he asked her to marry him. Belle knew she would never get a chance like this again, so she softly sang, “I do.”
Wedding arrangements were made very quickly in ancient times and it wasn’t two days before the two love birds were married. Eve was Belle’s maid of honor. There were flowers everywhere and the two doves were released as soon as the preacher pronounced them. It had taken a little while for Belle’s left wing band to come in, so the ring was not present for the wedding. When Belle’s husband finally presented her with the ring she spoke her first words to him.
In a high pitched nasally voice she said, “I thought you were from a wealthy family?! This is so plain! Where is the pizzazz?!”
Her husband was shocked to her the voice of his beloved. Where had his sweet song bird gone? For the next ten years Belle’s husband heard constant complaining accompanied by a horrible voice. After their wedding he never heard her lovely song again. He was a strong dove, though, and stuck by Belle. In ancient times there was no such thing as divorce, but Belle’s husband regretted marrying her everyday.
He once said, “The only good thing that came from my marriage was my three children.”
Day in and Day out her nasally voice would nag him. Until one day she got the flu and lost her voice. Shortly after that Belle’s husband died a happy man…in silence.
5th hour C.P.
In ancient times there lived a woman named Evelyn but everyone called her Eve. She lived in a large stone castle over looking a wide green forest. Everyday when the sun would set a female dove would sit on her window pane and keep her company. The dove was sleek and slender. She had the best voice in the entire kingdom. In fact, many of the male dove’s would fly from hundred’s of miles just to see her. Eve grew very fond of this dove and named the dove Belle because their sounds were similar.
Eve admired the dove. When ever Eve had suitors come to call, she would get so excited that the suitors would soon run for the hills. Belle had many callers but no matter what they sang to her she never spoke a word. Her only emotion was flirtation. She would bat her eyelashes and coo softly, but no matter how hard the male doves tried they couldn’t get Belle to speak. One male from across the sea heard of the now wide spread challenge to win Belle’s heart. When this handsome bird called to Eve’s window late one night Belle had a feeling this was a bird of a different feather. He was very polite and had a song that harmonized hers perfectly. By the next morning Belle knew everything about her new companion, but he knew nothing about her. He was so curious to just know her name that he asked her to marry him. Belle knew she would never get a chance like this again, so she softly sang, “I do.”
Wedding arrangements were made very quickly in ancient times and it wasn’t two days before the two love birds were married. Eve was Belle’s maid of honor. There were flowers everywhere and the two doves were released as soon as the preacher pronounced them. It had taken a little while for Belle’s left wing band to come in, so the ring was not present for the wedding. When Belle’s husband finally presented her with the ring she spoke her first words to him.
In a high pitched nasally voice she said, “I thought you were from a wealthy family?! This is so plain! Where is the pizzazz?!”
Her husband was shocked to her the voice of his beloved. Where had his sweet song bird gone? For the next ten years Belle’s husband heard constant complaining accompanied by a horrible voice. After their wedding he never heard her lovely song again. He was a strong dove, though, and stuck by Belle. In ancient times there was no such thing as divorce, but Belle’s husband regretted marrying her everyday.
He once said, “The only good thing that came from my marriage was my three children.”
Day in and Day out her nasally voice would nag him. Until one day she got the flu and lost her voice. Shortly after that Belle’s husband died a happy man…in silence.
Bee Yourself
The music flowed inside her head as she sat in her room. Her wings fluttered and her legs unconsciously moved to the beat. Crystal looked at her clock with a start and realized she was late. As she flew down the hallway, two other bees sidled up to join her.
“Dancing again Crystal? You know, if you spent a little more time on your make-up or wore jewelry or something…you could be so much cooler.” One of the bees said as she flipped her antennae imperiously.
“Well, it’s just that I don’t…I…” Crystal didn’t know what to say. Music was a part of her but she still yearned to be accepted by the other teenagers. She reached the main cavern of the hive and, after a brief lecture on punctuality, was sent outside to The Gardens. The Gardens were beautiful and Crystal loved them. She could picture the blooming flowers of reds, oranges, golds, and every color in between. The honey they held was the hive’s source of food and the core of their society. As Crystal went to gather her normal quota of honey, she came upon a terrible realization: the honey was gone.
Crystal flew desperately from flower to flower searching for the liquid gold of her people. She found nothing. Back at the hive, everyone was in an uproar. Arguments over the loss of the honey and what to do along with whispers of hopelessness echoed down the hallways. Crystal went back to her room and tried not to hear the voices of the hive. She attempted to draw on the music so she could dance away her troubles. She heard nothing.
She couldn’t find her music.
The voice of the other bees mocking her echoed in her mind. Quietly she slipped on a bracelet, then two. A touch of make-up and Crystal could see nothing but a stranger in the mirror. But without her music, why shouldn’t she just fit in with everyone else?
Later that day, Crystal and the other bees set out to find another source of honey. The other bees no longer teased her, but she still felt on the outside of the group. She longed to dance to her music again. The make-up and jewelry and fake laughter was not her. Torn between the longing and desire to be accepted, Crystal could only remain silent. That is, until one of the other bees began talking about music and about how weird people that like it are. Then she could take it no longer.
“You should all be ashamed of yourselves. You fight over having no food instead of rationally figuring out a way to over come it. You look down upon things that you do not understand. Music is a part of me, dancing is my life! Your make-up and jewelry are shields against getting knocked down for who you really are. Well, I’m not afraid anymore!”
She flew away from the other bees and left The Gardens far behind. The music flowed through her veins as she went, released as she accepted herself. As she flew, Crystal noticed the beautiful colors underneath her. What beautiful reds, and oranges and golds...she thought to herself. Such beautiful flowers…Flowers! Crystal had unknowingly come across a new patch of flowers. The hive would have honey and food again! She rushed back to the hive, her wings beating so fast they were nearly a blur.
Crystal told the hive what she had seen, but did not know how to describe where the flowers were at. Then an inspiration hit her. She began to dance on the floor in the pattern that she had flown, using the music and dance steps as directions for the rest of the hive. Never again was she mocked for her music or her dancing. Crystal had saved her hive because she was brave enough to be herself no matter what everyone else thought of her.
“Dancing again Crystal? You know, if you spent a little more time on your make-up or wore jewelry or something…you could be so much cooler.” One of the bees said as she flipped her antennae imperiously.
“Well, it’s just that I don’t…I…” Crystal didn’t know what to say. Music was a part of her but she still yearned to be accepted by the other teenagers. She reached the main cavern of the hive and, after a brief lecture on punctuality, was sent outside to The Gardens. The Gardens were beautiful and Crystal loved them. She could picture the blooming flowers of reds, oranges, golds, and every color in between. The honey they held was the hive’s source of food and the core of their society. As Crystal went to gather her normal quota of honey, she came upon a terrible realization: the honey was gone.
Crystal flew desperately from flower to flower searching for the liquid gold of her people. She found nothing. Back at the hive, everyone was in an uproar. Arguments over the loss of the honey and what to do along with whispers of hopelessness echoed down the hallways. Crystal went back to her room and tried not to hear the voices of the hive. She attempted to draw on the music so she could dance away her troubles. She heard nothing.
She couldn’t find her music.
The voice of the other bees mocking her echoed in her mind. Quietly she slipped on a bracelet, then two. A touch of make-up and Crystal could see nothing but a stranger in the mirror. But without her music, why shouldn’t she just fit in with everyone else?
Later that day, Crystal and the other bees set out to find another source of honey. The other bees no longer teased her, but she still felt on the outside of the group. She longed to dance to her music again. The make-up and jewelry and fake laughter was not her. Torn between the longing and desire to be accepted, Crystal could only remain silent. That is, until one of the other bees began talking about music and about how weird people that like it are. Then she could take it no longer.
“You should all be ashamed of yourselves. You fight over having no food instead of rationally figuring out a way to over come it. You look down upon things that you do not understand. Music is a part of me, dancing is my life! Your make-up and jewelry are shields against getting knocked down for who you really are. Well, I’m not afraid anymore!”
She flew away from the other bees and left The Gardens far behind. The music flowed through her veins as she went, released as she accepted herself. As she flew, Crystal noticed the beautiful colors underneath her. What beautiful reds, and oranges and golds...she thought to herself. Such beautiful flowers…Flowers! Crystal had unknowingly come across a new patch of flowers. The hive would have honey and food again! She rushed back to the hive, her wings beating so fast they were nearly a blur.
Crystal told the hive what she had seen, but did not know how to describe where the flowers were at. Then an inspiration hit her. She began to dance on the floor in the pattern that she had flown, using the music and dance steps as directions for the rest of the hive. Never again was she mocked for her music or her dancing. Crystal had saved her hive because she was brave enough to be herself no matter what everyone else thought of her.
Squirrel Procrastinates
The town elder, a wizened old goat, looked scornfully at the slight trickle coming down the falls where the stream that fed the lakebed the town resided on had once flowed. However, lately, the creek had dried up, and the level of fresh water the lake had was dwindling, as it was carried downstream and used by the townspeople. The goat heard footsteps behind him, and turned about to see a small rabbit walking towards him.
“Elder, why did the water stop?” The small bunny boy asked. The goat shook his head regretfully, indicating that he knew not the cause.
“Maybe the water god has been angered. We may have to leave this place and find a new area to live if this goes on for much longer.”
“Could it be because of that?” The rabbit asked, pointing to the top of the dry waterfall. The elder craned his neck far back, and, after squinting to block out the sun’s harsh rays, was able to see that atop the falls sat a large boulder, obviously damming the stream and preventing the water from spilling over.
“That may be it.” Elder Goat replied. “Now, if we could find someone to climb up the falls and dislodge it for us…” he trailed off.
“Maybe we should ask Squirrel!” Rabbit reasoned. Goat thought for a second.
“Yes, he is the best climber in this town. Perhaps we should ask him to climb up the waterfall and loosen the rock.” So Elder Goat and Rabbit made their way to the small hut where Squirrel, champion climber of the town resided. Outside the straw building, they could see Squirrel shooting marbles with his friend Chipmunk.
“Squirrel.” Elder Goat said as he approached. “We have found that a large boulder blocks the flow of water to our village. Would you climb to the top and dislodge it, the town would be in your debt.”
“Eh, maybe in a bit.” Squirrel said, shooting a marble and knocking a few of Chipmunk’s marbles from the ring etched in the dirt. “I’m right in the middle of a game. Besides, we’ve still got water left, right?”
“Well, you had best make haste.” Elder Goat replied.
A day and night passed. The next morning, Elder Goat headed to the waterfall and found it still trickling, and the water in the lake was now stagnant and muddy. Soon, it would be unsafe to drink. Quickly, he strode towards Squirrel’s house, with Rabbit and Chipmunk in tow.
“Squirrel, why have you not yet unblocked the falls?” he asked. Squirrel was sprawled out in his hammock outside his hut, waving himself with a leaf fan.
“Eh, maybe in a bit.” Squirrel said, pulling a book from underneath him and flipping through the pages. “It’s too hot right now. Besides, we’ve still got water left, right?”
“Well, you had best make haste.” Elder goat replied.
A day and night passed. The next morning, Elder goat headed to the waterfall and found that there was now no water coming down the cliffs, and the lake was almost empty. Quickly, he strode towards Squirrel’s house, with Rabbit, Chipmunk, and the rest of the town behind him.
“Squirrel, why have you not yet unblocked the falls?” he asked. Squirrel was sitting inside his hut, snacking on some fruit.
“Eh, maybe in a bit.” Squirrel said, selecting a prime apple and biting into it. “I’m really hungry right now. Besides, we’ve still got water left, right?”
“Well, you had best make haste.” Elder goat replied.
This went on for a week. One by one, the villagers began to leave town. Rabbit left with his family. Chipmunk struck out on his own. Eventually, only Elder Goat and Squirrel were left in the village. The lake was now bare-bones dry. The two animals stood in the lakebed and stared up at the falls.
“I would do it, but I’m just so thirsty.” Squirrel moaned.
“The only way we will get water is if you climb up the falls and unblock the stream.” Elder Goat said. Squirrel sighed, but sprang into action. As fast as lightning, he shimmied up the cliff and reached the boulder. He quickly worked it loose, and a river of gushing water poured out. Hopping down the rocks, he stood next to Elder Goat as he watched the lake fill up. The water was sluggish and brown. Squirrel took a drink of it, but spit it back out immediately.
“This water is disgusting!”
“That is because it is mixing with the dried dirt from the lakebed. It will be several weeks, if not months, before it returns to normal.” Elder Goat scooped up a jar of the dirty water and headed back to his hut, leaving Squirrel alone. The champion town climber sat by the lakebed and sighed. All of his friends were gone, and the water that he wanted to drink was yucky.
“If I only hadn’t been so lazy.”
“Elder, why did the water stop?” The small bunny boy asked. The goat shook his head regretfully, indicating that he knew not the cause.
“Maybe the water god has been angered. We may have to leave this place and find a new area to live if this goes on for much longer.”
“Could it be because of that?” The rabbit asked, pointing to the top of the dry waterfall. The elder craned his neck far back, and, after squinting to block out the sun’s harsh rays, was able to see that atop the falls sat a large boulder, obviously damming the stream and preventing the water from spilling over.
“That may be it.” Elder Goat replied. “Now, if we could find someone to climb up the falls and dislodge it for us…” he trailed off.
“Maybe we should ask Squirrel!” Rabbit reasoned. Goat thought for a second.
“Yes, he is the best climber in this town. Perhaps we should ask him to climb up the waterfall and loosen the rock.” So Elder Goat and Rabbit made their way to the small hut where Squirrel, champion climber of the town resided. Outside the straw building, they could see Squirrel shooting marbles with his friend Chipmunk.
“Squirrel.” Elder Goat said as he approached. “We have found that a large boulder blocks the flow of water to our village. Would you climb to the top and dislodge it, the town would be in your debt.”
“Eh, maybe in a bit.” Squirrel said, shooting a marble and knocking a few of Chipmunk’s marbles from the ring etched in the dirt. “I’m right in the middle of a game. Besides, we’ve still got water left, right?”
“Well, you had best make haste.” Elder Goat replied.
A day and night passed. The next morning, Elder Goat headed to the waterfall and found it still trickling, and the water in the lake was now stagnant and muddy. Soon, it would be unsafe to drink. Quickly, he strode towards Squirrel’s house, with Rabbit and Chipmunk in tow.
“Squirrel, why have you not yet unblocked the falls?” he asked. Squirrel was sprawled out in his hammock outside his hut, waving himself with a leaf fan.
“Eh, maybe in a bit.” Squirrel said, pulling a book from underneath him and flipping through the pages. “It’s too hot right now. Besides, we’ve still got water left, right?”
“Well, you had best make haste.” Elder goat replied.
A day and night passed. The next morning, Elder goat headed to the waterfall and found that there was now no water coming down the cliffs, and the lake was almost empty. Quickly, he strode towards Squirrel’s house, with Rabbit, Chipmunk, and the rest of the town behind him.
“Squirrel, why have you not yet unblocked the falls?” he asked. Squirrel was sitting inside his hut, snacking on some fruit.
“Eh, maybe in a bit.” Squirrel said, selecting a prime apple and biting into it. “I’m really hungry right now. Besides, we’ve still got water left, right?”
“Well, you had best make haste.” Elder goat replied.
This went on for a week. One by one, the villagers began to leave town. Rabbit left with his family. Chipmunk struck out on his own. Eventually, only Elder Goat and Squirrel were left in the village. The lake was now bare-bones dry. The two animals stood in the lakebed and stared up at the falls.
“I would do it, but I’m just so thirsty.” Squirrel moaned.
“The only way we will get water is if you climb up the falls and unblock the stream.” Elder Goat said. Squirrel sighed, but sprang into action. As fast as lightning, he shimmied up the cliff and reached the boulder. He quickly worked it loose, and a river of gushing water poured out. Hopping down the rocks, he stood next to Elder Goat as he watched the lake fill up. The water was sluggish and brown. Squirrel took a drink of it, but spit it back out immediately.
“This water is disgusting!”
“That is because it is mixing with the dried dirt from the lakebed. It will be several weeks, if not months, before it returns to normal.” Elder Goat scooped up a jar of the dirty water and headed back to his hut, leaving Squirrel alone. The champion town climber sat by the lakebed and sighed. All of his friends were gone, and the water that he wanted to drink was yucky.
“If I only hadn’t been so lazy.”
Georges Close Call!
Kaylene Wiegand (5th hour CP)
As the sky lightened and the cool north wind blew, Gary the goose stirs in his sleep. His eyelids slowly flitter as he wakes up. He lifted his smooth silky neck high in the air, looking at his family nestled around him. As he adjusted his feathers, he thought about the long journey they would soon be embarking on. Looking up, he caught his wife Gertrude’s eye. She too seemed to be pondering the trek. She was a great wife and mother, but she worried so much, she was already turning gray. Their five goslings all seemed to be wanderers, and once they are on their way south, it is very important that they stay with their family in the V.
Just then a splash startled the flock, causing the little geese to wake up in confusion. Gary did a quick 360-degree look, and noticed ripples in the water. He said, “Hush little ones; it is just another fish who needed oxygen.” As the goslings began waking up, Gary reminded them to go back to sleep, because soon they will need to be rested for the big trip. Gus, the youngest of the five, asked, “Daddy, will you please, please tell us a story?” Deciding that telling a story will be the best way to get his children to sleep, Gary began thinking of a story.
“Honey,” Gertrude, said, “Why don’t you tell them about their great-great-grandfather George’s close call.”
“Children, listen closely to this story. It is important for you to learn the valuable lesson that your great-great-grandfather experienced first hand,” said Gary. As he began to tell the story the family snuggled closer and Gertrude straightened the goslings ruffled feathers.
Gary first told them that great-great-grandfather George was one of ten. His parents struggled keeping an eye on all their children. Out of all of his siblings, George was the one who wandered the most. It was the night before their big fly south, and George wanted once more to swim in his favorite lake.
Leaving his family, who were sound asleep, George waddled the short distance to the lake. As he slipped into the water quietly, he was surprised at how cold the water felt. Remembering the warmth of the water in the summer, George wandered why it had to get cold. As he slowly went in small circles in the middle of the lake, all the memories of the summer flooded over him. Just then he remembered that he had not told Freddy, his frog friend that he was leaving tomorrow. George quickly swam over to Freddy’s Lilly pad. He quietly woke up his friend, who was surprised to see him. When Freddy was told that George was leaving in the morning, he wanted to go one last time to their favorite log, where the best fish and bugs are and where they race each other. This log was on the other side of the lake, but George was hungry. After they made their way over there, they ate and ate until they were stuffed. Then they raced until neither of them could feel their legs. They climbed out of the water and fell asleep on the bank.
George’s parents woke up, and realized that they only had 9 goslings instead of 10. They spent an hour looking for him and honking his name until they finally decided that they would have to leave with out him. They had waited as long as they could and they needed to get as far as they could that day. Everyone was lining up ready for take off, when they heard a faint noise. They looked back at the lake one more time, and saw George swimming as fast as he could toward them. “Wait, wait, please wait for me,” he called over and over
“So goslings, your great-great-grandfather almost didn’t make it south and he probably would’ve died,” said Gary as he finished the story. Looking up, he saw that everyone had fallen asleep, including Gertrude. As he drifted of to sleep, he thought about the fly south felling that they would all make it okay.
As the sky lightened and the cool north wind blew, Gary the goose stirs in his sleep. His eyelids slowly flitter as he wakes up. He lifted his smooth silky neck high in the air, looking at his family nestled around him. As he adjusted his feathers, he thought about the long journey they would soon be embarking on. Looking up, he caught his wife Gertrude’s eye. She too seemed to be pondering the trek. She was a great wife and mother, but she worried so much, she was already turning gray. Their five goslings all seemed to be wanderers, and once they are on their way south, it is very important that they stay with their family in the V.
Just then a splash startled the flock, causing the little geese to wake up in confusion. Gary did a quick 360-degree look, and noticed ripples in the water. He said, “Hush little ones; it is just another fish who needed oxygen.” As the goslings began waking up, Gary reminded them to go back to sleep, because soon they will need to be rested for the big trip. Gus, the youngest of the five, asked, “Daddy, will you please, please tell us a story?” Deciding that telling a story will be the best way to get his children to sleep, Gary began thinking of a story.
“Honey,” Gertrude, said, “Why don’t you tell them about their great-great-grandfather George’s close call.”
“Children, listen closely to this story. It is important for you to learn the valuable lesson that your great-great-grandfather experienced first hand,” said Gary. As he began to tell the story the family snuggled closer and Gertrude straightened the goslings ruffled feathers.
Gary first told them that great-great-grandfather George was one of ten. His parents struggled keeping an eye on all their children. Out of all of his siblings, George was the one who wandered the most. It was the night before their big fly south, and George wanted once more to swim in his favorite lake.
Leaving his family, who were sound asleep, George waddled the short distance to the lake. As he slipped into the water quietly, he was surprised at how cold the water felt. Remembering the warmth of the water in the summer, George wandered why it had to get cold. As he slowly went in small circles in the middle of the lake, all the memories of the summer flooded over him. Just then he remembered that he had not told Freddy, his frog friend that he was leaving tomorrow. George quickly swam over to Freddy’s Lilly pad. He quietly woke up his friend, who was surprised to see him. When Freddy was told that George was leaving in the morning, he wanted to go one last time to their favorite log, where the best fish and bugs are and where they race each other. This log was on the other side of the lake, but George was hungry. After they made their way over there, they ate and ate until they were stuffed. Then they raced until neither of them could feel their legs. They climbed out of the water and fell asleep on the bank.
George’s parents woke up, and realized that they only had 9 goslings instead of 10. They spent an hour looking for him and honking his name until they finally decided that they would have to leave with out him. They had waited as long as they could and they needed to get as far as they could that day. Everyone was lining up ready for take off, when they heard a faint noise. They looked back at the lake one more time, and saw George swimming as fast as he could toward them. “Wait, wait, please wait for me,” he called over and over
“So goslings, your great-great-grandfather almost didn’t make it south and he probably would’ve died,” said Gary as he finished the story. Looking up, he saw that everyone had fallen asleep, including Gertrude. As he drifted of to sleep, he thought about the fly south felling that they would all make it okay.
With Every Adventure Comes Consequences
Kyla Edelman (5th hour CP)
It was hot, humid, and dry in the middle of Africa. Summer was here and all the young animal friends were getting excited about the upcoming fun. The elephant, rhinoceros, and the cheetah were sitting around making messes while the mothers were working hard to get supper on the table. The fathers were out working on the farm. The elephant, rhinoceros, and the cheetah were really looking forward to exploring the countryside during all of their time off school. There was only one thing that was going to slow their fun down. Their mothers had warned them to make sure they do not go past the line of trees on the north side of their houses. There was an escaped criminal that the ostrich police had yet to catch and put back in the Somalian Jail.
After the fathers came home, families ate supper, and the three friends got an okay from their mothers to go exploring until dark, they decided to meet at the cheetah’s house and were going to cook up a plan. They were very curious about what was behind this line of trees and could hardly wait to find out.
“I think we should start out and get as close to the trees as possible. Mom just said we can’t go past but she didn’t say we couldn’t go right up to it. We should figure out what is beyond and help out the police by catching it,” said the Rhinoceros.
“Great idea! I could even practice my running by chasing it down if I happen to see it,” replied the Cheetah.
“I don’t think this is a good idea at all. Our mothers warned us and if something happened to us and we ended up getting hurt our family would be very disappointed in us,” exclaimed the Elephant.
“Oh don’t be such a baby, why do you always have to be the one to try and spoil our fun. Fine! If you don’t what to have fun then whatever, you can just stay behind but we are going,” muttered the Rhinoceros.
“Yah,” agreed the Cheetah.
“No, I think I will come. In case you guy get into trouble maybe I can help you get out of it. I am coming,” explained the Elephant.
After much more bickering and arguing, the three friends set out toward the trees. They traveled fast because they were in a hurry, to get there and back before dark set in. About one hour later, the three friends arrived to the line of trees. They didn’t see anything so they decided to go just a little bit past, so if they did see something it would be easy for them to jump back on their side. All of the sudden they heard a loud noise.
“What was that,” asked the Rhinoceros.
“I don’t know! Maybe it’s the criminal,” replied the Cheetah
“It doesn’t sound good that’s for sure,” lectured the Elephant.
After a little more debate, the Cheetah decided to walk crouched down slowly toward it. Slowly the Cheetah made his way closer and closer to the noise. He got to it and saw a man already wounded lying on the ground. He took advantage of it! He pounced and about five minutes later he picked up the dead man with him mouth victoriously.
“I told you I could get it,” mocked the Cheetah
“Good Job,” congratulated the Rhinoceros.
“I guess you were right,” admitted the Elephant. “Let’s head back.”
The walk back to their houses seemed a lot shorter than on the way there. They were so happy to have accomplished something that even the police couldn’t and could hardly wait to tell everyone that would listen. When they arrived back at the houses, their mother did not like what they did what so ever. She scolded them very sternly and called the police to let them now that the criminal was caught. One morning, approximately three days later, the three friends woke up with some red bumpy rashes. It itched like crazy but whenever they itched it yellow oozy stuff would come out and it seemed to spread like crazy. They were in great fear of what they had developed and couldn’t figure out what it would be from. The mothers begin worried like normal, took them to the doctor. After some examination the doctor asked if they had been near some trees. They reflected the past couple of days and remembered their victorious trip to the line of trees beyond their houses. When the friends replied that yes they had been near trees the doctor automatically pronounced they had come down with a serious case of poison ivy.
All in all, the Cheetah, Elephant, and the Rhinoceros were sad little friends for the next couple of days. They decided together that they would from now on listen to what their parents had to say even if it meant missing out on some fun they thought they could have.
It was hot, humid, and dry in the middle of Africa. Summer was here and all the young animal friends were getting excited about the upcoming fun. The elephant, rhinoceros, and the cheetah were sitting around making messes while the mothers were working hard to get supper on the table. The fathers were out working on the farm. The elephant, rhinoceros, and the cheetah were really looking forward to exploring the countryside during all of their time off school. There was only one thing that was going to slow their fun down. Their mothers had warned them to make sure they do not go past the line of trees on the north side of their houses. There was an escaped criminal that the ostrich police had yet to catch and put back in the Somalian Jail.
After the fathers came home, families ate supper, and the three friends got an okay from their mothers to go exploring until dark, they decided to meet at the cheetah’s house and were going to cook up a plan. They were very curious about what was behind this line of trees and could hardly wait to find out.
“I think we should start out and get as close to the trees as possible. Mom just said we can’t go past but she didn’t say we couldn’t go right up to it. We should figure out what is beyond and help out the police by catching it,” said the Rhinoceros.
“Great idea! I could even practice my running by chasing it down if I happen to see it,” replied the Cheetah.
“I don’t think this is a good idea at all. Our mothers warned us and if something happened to us and we ended up getting hurt our family would be very disappointed in us,” exclaimed the Elephant.
“Oh don’t be such a baby, why do you always have to be the one to try and spoil our fun. Fine! If you don’t what to have fun then whatever, you can just stay behind but we are going,” muttered the Rhinoceros.
“Yah,” agreed the Cheetah.
“No, I think I will come. In case you guy get into trouble maybe I can help you get out of it. I am coming,” explained the Elephant.
After much more bickering and arguing, the three friends set out toward the trees. They traveled fast because they were in a hurry, to get there and back before dark set in. About one hour later, the three friends arrived to the line of trees. They didn’t see anything so they decided to go just a little bit past, so if they did see something it would be easy for them to jump back on their side. All of the sudden they heard a loud noise.
“What was that,” asked the Rhinoceros.
“I don’t know! Maybe it’s the criminal,” replied the Cheetah
“It doesn’t sound good that’s for sure,” lectured the Elephant.
After a little more debate, the Cheetah decided to walk crouched down slowly toward it. Slowly the Cheetah made his way closer and closer to the noise. He got to it and saw a man already wounded lying on the ground. He took advantage of it! He pounced and about five minutes later he picked up the dead man with him mouth victoriously.
“I told you I could get it,” mocked the Cheetah
“Good Job,” congratulated the Rhinoceros.
“I guess you were right,” admitted the Elephant. “Let’s head back.”
The walk back to their houses seemed a lot shorter than on the way there. They were so happy to have accomplished something that even the police couldn’t and could hardly wait to tell everyone that would listen. When they arrived back at the houses, their mother did not like what they did what so ever. She scolded them very sternly and called the police to let them now that the criminal was caught. One morning, approximately three days later, the three friends woke up with some red bumpy rashes. It itched like crazy but whenever they itched it yellow oozy stuff would come out and it seemed to spread like crazy. They were in great fear of what they had developed and couldn’t figure out what it would be from. The mothers begin worried like normal, took them to the doctor. After some examination the doctor asked if they had been near some trees. They reflected the past couple of days and remembered their victorious trip to the line of trees beyond their houses. When the friends replied that yes they had been near trees the doctor automatically pronounced they had come down with a serious case of poison ivy.
All in all, the Cheetah, Elephant, and the Rhinoceros were sad little friends for the next couple of days. They decided together that they would from now on listen to what their parents had to say even if it meant missing out on some fun they thought they could have.
Sammy the Snail
Captian Higgins ran a ship-shape sail-boat.
Though he didn’t know how to do it fair, for sure.
He slapped on a hat and knew that was that, so what ever he wanted was done.
In some good time he found everyone in line, down to the very last son.
Every insect and animal followed his feature and knew that there was no escape.
But they didn’t see the flaw that could be when someone agreed with his take.
Sammy the snail loved to sail: but he was the worst kind out at sea.
Two shipmates have passed in just one week flat, and even mice did flee.
For Sammy does not like what he sees. He took rule of the creatures, in command of all those even leeches, demanding as though he was king.
“Ah! Rats! Not again,” cried Sammy, in cringe. “Me nose has been washed of ye makeup that’s been!” Sammy declared to the hen.
“Well ya see sir, green’s not a bad color. It goes well with your pink antennae.”
“Arrghhh! What’d ya say! These are the best shade a’ salmon I say”
It is easy to see that dear Sammy’s angry. For he wishes himself unseen. He wears a big hat, and screams angry spats, unable to control evil laughs. Only a cover for deep wither in other for none was a custom to fear. Fear of himself, an utter despair for a crisis of himself.
After much despair, raising up every hair he slid to mid of the the ship. He sat and he cried until to his great suprise; Lenny the crab came to aid. At first he refused the generous prelude. But then he gave in and his did not know how to begin. And then. He got up the courage to learn how to be a friend. And now he has found his happy end. :)
Though he didn’t know how to do it fair, for sure.
He slapped on a hat and knew that was that, so what ever he wanted was done.
In some good time he found everyone in line, down to the very last son.
Every insect and animal followed his feature and knew that there was no escape.
But they didn’t see the flaw that could be when someone agreed with his take.
Sammy the snail loved to sail: but he was the worst kind out at sea.
Two shipmates have passed in just one week flat, and even mice did flee.
For Sammy does not like what he sees. He took rule of the creatures, in command of all those even leeches, demanding as though he was king.
“Ah! Rats! Not again,” cried Sammy, in cringe. “Me nose has been washed of ye makeup that’s been!” Sammy declared to the hen.
“Well ya see sir, green’s not a bad color. It goes well with your pink antennae.”
“Arrghhh! What’d ya say! These are the best shade a’ salmon I say”
It is easy to see that dear Sammy’s angry. For he wishes himself unseen. He wears a big hat, and screams angry spats, unable to control evil laughs. Only a cover for deep wither in other for none was a custom to fear. Fear of himself, an utter despair for a crisis of himself.
After much despair, raising up every hair he slid to mid of the the ship. He sat and he cried until to his great suprise; Lenny the crab came to aid. At first he refused the generous prelude. But then he gave in and his did not know how to begin. And then. He got up the courage to learn how to be a friend. And now he has found his happy end. :)
The Penguin and the Hen
Grace Watson6th hr CPBeast Fable
The Penguin and the Hen
How peculiar was it to see, that here in California there lived a dear penguin in the tallest tree,
as fat as can be.
How did he last, you all might ask?
He went down every day to swim in the ocean.
It was exercise that was his living potion.
Even though he worked so hard, he stayed plump and full of lard.
He had a friend that he thought was ken.
It was no penguin it was a hen.
The hen, named Len, sat and talked with the penguin, Ben.
They combed there feathers and talked about having chicks.
How did they know they were so different, they even had similar kicks.
So that was how it went, the penguin fell in love with the hen.
One day the hen got lost, and for the hen, Ben sent.
Ben looked and looked all day for Len.
And Len he did not find.
Towards the end of his day of searching, he ran into a snake that was lurching.
"Hiss, Hello," said the snake.
Then Ben's heart rapidly sank, "Hi," said Ben, trying not to descend, to the floor, for Ben was deathly afraid of snakes.
"How doessss your health hold, sssir?" slyly the snake said, as he slithered closer.
"Well, I, I am trying to find my dear friend, Len the hen. Have you heard of her," Ben withered himself to say.
"I have not heard of her till now, but delicious she sounds. I will try to find her I think," the snake slunk down from the tree full of apples and shooted right under a gate.
"Oh no, oh no! What can I do? Now, not only is Len lost, the snake making her his next meal could be the cost!"
Ben ran past the gate and down the next path.
"Hen! Hen!" he shouted, long after he needed a bath.
"Len, Len!" He called, until he was so tired, that on the forest floor he sprawled.
Meanwhile, Len the Hen was so starved she was as skinny as a pen.
She hoped Ben would find her, but until then, she cuddled up in a little den.
Little did she know that this den belonged to a sly snake that waited for her to sin.
Ben came her way, and found her that very day.
His penguin beak smiled, with no teeth.
He could find no food to fight her hunger, so he gave her a leaf.
They knew that the snake would be back soon, so they ran right home, into their tree and next to the loon.
Ben was the happiest penguin he had ever been with Len.
The End.
The Penguin and the Hen
How peculiar was it to see, that here in California there lived a dear penguin in the tallest tree,
as fat as can be.
How did he last, you all might ask?
He went down every day to swim in the ocean.
It was exercise that was his living potion.
Even though he worked so hard, he stayed plump and full of lard.
He had a friend that he thought was ken.
It was no penguin it was a hen.
The hen, named Len, sat and talked with the penguin, Ben.
They combed there feathers and talked about having chicks.
How did they know they were so different, they even had similar kicks.
So that was how it went, the penguin fell in love with the hen.
One day the hen got lost, and for the hen, Ben sent.
Ben looked and looked all day for Len.
And Len he did not find.
Towards the end of his day of searching, he ran into a snake that was lurching.
"Hiss, Hello," said the snake.
Then Ben's heart rapidly sank, "Hi," said Ben, trying not to descend, to the floor, for Ben was deathly afraid of snakes.
"How doessss your health hold, sssir?" slyly the snake said, as he slithered closer.
"Well, I, I am trying to find my dear friend, Len the hen. Have you heard of her," Ben withered himself to say.
"I have not heard of her till now, but delicious she sounds. I will try to find her I think," the snake slunk down from the tree full of apples and shooted right under a gate.
"Oh no, oh no! What can I do? Now, not only is Len lost, the snake making her his next meal could be the cost!"
Ben ran past the gate and down the next path.
"Hen! Hen!" he shouted, long after he needed a bath.
"Len, Len!" He called, until he was so tired, that on the forest floor he sprawled.
Meanwhile, Len the Hen was so starved she was as skinny as a pen.
She hoped Ben would find her, but until then, she cuddled up in a little den.
Little did she know that this den belonged to a sly snake that waited for her to sin.
Ben came her way, and found her that very day.
His penguin beak smiled, with no teeth.
He could find no food to fight her hunger, so he gave her a leaf.
They knew that the snake would be back soon, so they ran right home, into their tree and next to the loon.
Ben was the happiest penguin he had ever been with Len.
The End.
Sunday, October 4, 2009
Cattle Love
It was early in the morning. The boy got up without warning.
This boys name would be Frank. For his mind would sometimes go blank.
He had short blonde hair. He would never swear.
This boy was very nice. He never thought about anything twice.
Never was he in style, but he did have a nice smile.
His job was to milk the cow. If he did it, play time they will allow.
Most of the time he would like to hide. He always had pride.
It was time for him to do his job, for he was not a slob.
He ran up to the cow hoping this time it will be quick. He sat down next to him on a nearby brick.
It was time for him to get ready. He held his hands out steady.
He started to milk the cow as he said he would. Doing it as fast as he possibly could.
"Oww don't do it so fast, that makes it hurt. Do it again and you will be in the dirt." said the cow angrily.
He was so startled, he ran away really confused. Once he got up he fell down to get bruised.
Getting back up to run, for he was done.
The cow stopped him in his tracks, to give him the facts.
"Wait right there, you do not have to scurry. Come closer to me for there is no worry.
I love her so much, but i don't think she notices me, every time she passes I am filled with glee." said the cow.
"If you like this girl, why not give it a whirl." said the boy as he sat back down.
"Please you must explain this to me. Have no worry my advice is free."
He sat down to give the cow time to explain, showing that he wasn't vain.
"Well her eyes are so pretty. She is also quite witty.
She doesn't speak much, but has the gentlest touch.
She has really long hair. It must take a lot of care.
This girl was a horse. So the relationship might be coarse." said the cow sadly.
The boy said he would help the cow. The time would need to be now.
He ran to the horse and asked if she liked the cow. She said yes and to tell him this moment and it must be now.
The boy ran to the cow and told him the news. The cow was soon cured of his blues.
The cow and the horse were now together. The boy finally went to play in the sunny weather.
This boys name would be Frank. For his mind would sometimes go blank.
He had short blonde hair. He would never swear.
This boy was very nice. He never thought about anything twice.
Never was he in style, but he did have a nice smile.
His job was to milk the cow. If he did it, play time they will allow.
Most of the time he would like to hide. He always had pride.
It was time for him to do his job, for he was not a slob.
He ran up to the cow hoping this time it will be quick. He sat down next to him on a nearby brick.
It was time for him to get ready. He held his hands out steady.
He started to milk the cow as he said he would. Doing it as fast as he possibly could.
"Oww don't do it so fast, that makes it hurt. Do it again and you will be in the dirt." said the cow angrily.
He was so startled, he ran away really confused. Once he got up he fell down to get bruised.
Getting back up to run, for he was done.
The cow stopped him in his tracks, to give him the facts.
"Wait right there, you do not have to scurry. Come closer to me for there is no worry.
I love her so much, but i don't think she notices me, every time she passes I am filled with glee." said the cow.
"If you like this girl, why not give it a whirl." said the boy as he sat back down.
"Please you must explain this to me. Have no worry my advice is free."
He sat down to give the cow time to explain, showing that he wasn't vain.
"Well her eyes are so pretty. She is also quite witty.
She doesn't speak much, but has the gentlest touch.
She has really long hair. It must take a lot of care.
This girl was a horse. So the relationship might be coarse." said the cow sadly.
The boy said he would help the cow. The time would need to be now.
He ran to the horse and asked if she liked the cow. She said yes and to tell him this moment and it must be now.
The boy ran to the cow and told him the news. The cow was soon cured of his blues.
The cow and the horse were now together. The boy finally went to play in the sunny weather.
The Frog That Needed a Friend
In the little village of Sweetberry lives an even littler boy with the name of Tommy. Tommy’s size may be small but this boy has a heart as big as the Pacific. His hopes and dreams soar higher than Everest and his passion for fishing consumes him from the tips of his bleach blond hair to the tips of his tiny little toes. One morning, Tommy was walking down to Gooseberry Creek to spend the day fishing for supper. As he sat down, he opened the can of worms and began to bait his hook to cast out his reel. He left the can open just enough for a little worm to crawl out and into freedom. This worm’s name was Willy.
Willy, who was very scared to be the next meal to some hungry fish, happily crawled away and continued on to the water where he saw the largest bullfrog he’d ever seen. This frog had spots all over and eyes that looked as big as the sun! His tongue stretched out for what seemed like miles, and he had little hairs all over his face and pads. Willy quickly turned away and ran right into a snail.
“Ouch man, watch where you’re goin!” said the snail.
“I-I-I-I’m sorry mister, I was just trying to run away!” stammered Willy.
The snail quickly forgave Willy and introduced himself as Sam. He was then joined by all his friends who also introduced themselves. There was Chirpy the cricket, a spunky girl with lots of energy,
Tyler the turtle, the wild rebel, and Mary the mouse, the mom of the gang.
“So why were you running away?” Sam asked Willy.
“Well I saw this big, huge frog and I got scared,” Willy replied with tears in his eyes.
Mary took Willy in her arms and said, “Oh you poor thing, did Bob the bullfrog hurt you?”
“Tell me what he did, I’ll knock him out for you!” said Tyler.
“No, no he never hurt me!” cried Willy, “I was just scared of him because he was so big! Who IS he?
Chirpy then piped in and told the story of Bob….”Bob used to have a best friend named Melvin the mosquito. They grew up together and played every day in their backyards until they were old enough to go out on their own and when they did they built their own house and lived in it together. They were inseparable. Even though we were an oddly couple, everyone knew they would be best friends forever. That is until the last day they ever saw Melvin. Him and Bob went down to the lake to play and have a picnic and by some events that are not known for sure, Melvin never came back. Ever since that day, Bob hasn’t spoken a word and no one goes near him because they are scared.
“Everyone knows that Bob didn’t go down to the lake that day to have Melvin as the main course for the picnic, “ said Mary.
“Yeah, so it’s a good thing you ran into Sam and not Bob or else you might have been the next meal!” said Tyler.
As frightened as Willy was by that story, he couldn’t help by look back at the once mean, but now sad, looking bullfrog sitting on the lily pad.
That night, after the gang went to sleep, Willy snuck out and crawled to the lake. He peeked through the grass to see Bob laying on his lily pad looking up at the stars. Next thing you know, Bob noticed the grass moving and quickly sat up to see what caused it.
“Hey! Who’s there?!” he bellowed in his deep booming voice.
“E-E-E-Exuse, mister, I was just t-t-trying t-t-t-to get a drink.” Said Willy.
“No you weren’t, you were looking at me! What do you want?” said Bob.
“I just wanted to see if you were in a better mood,” said Willy. “You looked so sad when I saw you earlier. Please don’t hurt me.”
All the sudden the frog jumped off of his lily pad and hopped right up to Willy. Willy was quickly taken by his neck and thrust into the chest of the frog and while he thought he was drying, he soon realized the frog was hugging him. And he was crying!
“It has been so long since someone has said they wanted to talk to me,” said Bob.
Willy was still shocked that he wasn’t dead yet, but decided to take advantage of the situation by asking the frog why he was crying. Bob explained how no one ever wanted to talk to him because he was so big and scary looking, when really all he wanted was a friend.
“But you had a friend, and you killed him.” Said Willy.
That made Bob cry even harder and with the falling tears came a story filled with deep regret.
“The day that Melvin died was the saddest day of my life. I didn’t kill him, I would never have done such a thing, but it is my fault he died. We were playing in the water and I was jumping from one lily pad to the next and Melvin was flying above me. We were racing so I was very caught up in the excitement so I didn’t realize when he wasn’t racing anymore. As I crossed the finish line I started to brag but then I realized Melvin wasn’t there. That’s when I heard him cry for help. He said that his wing had a tear in it and he so he fell into the creek and couldn’t fly out. I tried swimming in the water to save him, but the current was so strong and he was floating away faster than I could swim to catch him. If I wouldn’t have been so worried about winning I would’ve seen Melvin fall and would have caught him before he was washed in the current.” Said Bob.
“Oh Mr. Bob that’s not your fault! You tried to save him, but you couldn’t! “ said Willy.
Bob has been living in grief ever since and tried to scare away anyone who came near him because he didn’t want his passion for winning to get in the way of someone else’s life like it did for his friend Melvin. Willy and Bob continued talking as the night went on and Willy helped Bob see that it really wasn’t his fault at all and fate was just taking it’s course. As the sun came up, Willy’s new friends came to the lake to a very peculiar scene.
“Oh no!” cried Mary. “Bob has taken Willy captive!”
“Quick, everyone attack Bob and save Willy!” said Sam.
“No worries, I’ll punch out his eyes!” hollered Tyler.
“Wait, guys! No, don’t hurt him!” Willy quickly yelled.
All his friends were confused and wondered why Willy was defending this murdering bullfrog they all knew. Willy then explained the story, the REAL story to the gang and introduced his new friend Bob the bullfrog. The frog who was once a large, spotty, long-tongued, scary beast, but was now a loving, hurting, and caring frog who missed his best friend.
“Wow, I’m sorry I never came up to you and figured out was the real story was ,” said Sam.
“Oh you poor baby, come here, let me give you a hug!” Mary said.
“I’m sorry too,” added Tyler and Chirpy.
Bob accepted all the apologies and smiled for the first time in awhile because he realized he had just made friends. Willy decided that they needed to play a game, and despite past events, Bob joined in and decided that he would play for fun, not for winning.
“Life is too short to live out of fear,” he said. “I’m going to stop living with guilt and live every day like it’s my last so I can make the most of every opportunity.”
These are wise words that hold much truth in the lives of turtles, frogs, crickets, snails, mice, and little boys with hearts as good as gold.
Willy, who was very scared to be the next meal to some hungry fish, happily crawled away and continued on to the water where he saw the largest bullfrog he’d ever seen. This frog had spots all over and eyes that looked as big as the sun! His tongue stretched out for what seemed like miles, and he had little hairs all over his face and pads. Willy quickly turned away and ran right into a snail.
“Ouch man, watch where you’re goin!” said the snail.
“I-I-I-I’m sorry mister, I was just trying to run away!” stammered Willy.
The snail quickly forgave Willy and introduced himself as Sam. He was then joined by all his friends who also introduced themselves. There was Chirpy the cricket, a spunky girl with lots of energy,
Tyler the turtle, the wild rebel, and Mary the mouse, the mom of the gang.
“So why were you running away?” Sam asked Willy.
“Well I saw this big, huge frog and I got scared,” Willy replied with tears in his eyes.
Mary took Willy in her arms and said, “Oh you poor thing, did Bob the bullfrog hurt you?”
“Tell me what he did, I’ll knock him out for you!” said Tyler.
“No, no he never hurt me!” cried Willy, “I was just scared of him because he was so big! Who IS he?
Chirpy then piped in and told the story of Bob….”Bob used to have a best friend named Melvin the mosquito. They grew up together and played every day in their backyards until they were old enough to go out on their own and when they did they built their own house and lived in it together. They were inseparable. Even though we were an oddly couple, everyone knew they would be best friends forever. That is until the last day they ever saw Melvin. Him and Bob went down to the lake to play and have a picnic and by some events that are not known for sure, Melvin never came back. Ever since that day, Bob hasn’t spoken a word and no one goes near him because they are scared.
“Everyone knows that Bob didn’t go down to the lake that day to have Melvin as the main course for the picnic, “ said Mary.
“Yeah, so it’s a good thing you ran into Sam and not Bob or else you might have been the next meal!” said Tyler.
As frightened as Willy was by that story, he couldn’t help by look back at the once mean, but now sad, looking bullfrog sitting on the lily pad.
That night, after the gang went to sleep, Willy snuck out and crawled to the lake. He peeked through the grass to see Bob laying on his lily pad looking up at the stars. Next thing you know, Bob noticed the grass moving and quickly sat up to see what caused it.
“Hey! Who’s there?!” he bellowed in his deep booming voice.
“E-E-E-Exuse, mister, I was just t-t-trying t-t-t-to get a drink.” Said Willy.
“No you weren’t, you were looking at me! What do you want?” said Bob.
“I just wanted to see if you were in a better mood,” said Willy. “You looked so sad when I saw you earlier. Please don’t hurt me.”
All the sudden the frog jumped off of his lily pad and hopped right up to Willy. Willy was quickly taken by his neck and thrust into the chest of the frog and while he thought he was drying, he soon realized the frog was hugging him. And he was crying!
“It has been so long since someone has said they wanted to talk to me,” said Bob.
Willy was still shocked that he wasn’t dead yet, but decided to take advantage of the situation by asking the frog why he was crying. Bob explained how no one ever wanted to talk to him because he was so big and scary looking, when really all he wanted was a friend.
“But you had a friend, and you killed him.” Said Willy.
That made Bob cry even harder and with the falling tears came a story filled with deep regret.
“The day that Melvin died was the saddest day of my life. I didn’t kill him, I would never have done such a thing, but it is my fault he died. We were playing in the water and I was jumping from one lily pad to the next and Melvin was flying above me. We were racing so I was very caught up in the excitement so I didn’t realize when he wasn’t racing anymore. As I crossed the finish line I started to brag but then I realized Melvin wasn’t there. That’s when I heard him cry for help. He said that his wing had a tear in it and he so he fell into the creek and couldn’t fly out. I tried swimming in the water to save him, but the current was so strong and he was floating away faster than I could swim to catch him. If I wouldn’t have been so worried about winning I would’ve seen Melvin fall and would have caught him before he was washed in the current.” Said Bob.
“Oh Mr. Bob that’s not your fault! You tried to save him, but you couldn’t! “ said Willy.
Bob has been living in grief ever since and tried to scare away anyone who came near him because he didn’t want his passion for winning to get in the way of someone else’s life like it did for his friend Melvin. Willy and Bob continued talking as the night went on and Willy helped Bob see that it really wasn’t his fault at all and fate was just taking it’s course. As the sun came up, Willy’s new friends came to the lake to a very peculiar scene.
“Oh no!” cried Mary. “Bob has taken Willy captive!”
“Quick, everyone attack Bob and save Willy!” said Sam.
“No worries, I’ll punch out his eyes!” hollered Tyler.
“Wait, guys! No, don’t hurt him!” Willy quickly yelled.
All his friends were confused and wondered why Willy was defending this murdering bullfrog they all knew. Willy then explained the story, the REAL story to the gang and introduced his new friend Bob the bullfrog. The frog who was once a large, spotty, long-tongued, scary beast, but was now a loving, hurting, and caring frog who missed his best friend.
“Wow, I’m sorry I never came up to you and figured out was the real story was ,” said Sam.
“Oh you poor baby, come here, let me give you a hug!” Mary said.
“I’m sorry too,” added Tyler and Chirpy.
Bob accepted all the apologies and smiled for the first time in awhile because he realized he had just made friends. Willy decided that they needed to play a game, and despite past events, Bob joined in and decided that he would play for fun, not for winning.
“Life is too short to live out of fear,” he said. “I’m going to stop living with guilt and live every day like it’s my last so I can make the most of every opportunity.”
These are wise words that hold much truth in the lives of turtles, frogs, crickets, snails, mice, and little boys with hearts as good as gold.
The Daring Rescue
Brooke Remmert
Oct. 5, 2009
College Prep- 6th hour
The Daring Rescue
This is an epic tale of how two mice and a mole decided to embark on a courageous journey to find the secret that lied outside the cellar doors, and to save their best friend.
Once upon time, in a place not far away, there lived three mice and a wise, old mole. Together they lived in a wine cellar below a restaurant. It was an old cellar of about sixty years, and was surprisingly strong, stable and in very good condition. It was a wonderful place for any rodent to live, all except for the owner of the restaurant. Rumor had it, that he had a strong dislike for mice, or rodents of any kind. If he ever came across a rodent, it was said that he would kill them dead on the spot. No rodent, no matter how brave, would ever dare to cross his path.
One day, when the three mice were sitting down at their table for breakfast, the wise old mole came up and asked, “May I join you?”
The mice welcomed him with open arms, and they sat down to have a lovely morning feast together. While enjoying their meal, the three mice asked the wise old mole, “What is beyond the cellar doors?”
Now the wise old mole had been around for years and had seen many accidents occur outside the doors. The wise old mole then replied, “Outside those cellar doors is a whole different world, filled with anger and menace! The rodents are swept away and never seen again.”
This frightened the mice, but at the same time made them very curious as to whether the mole was telling the truth or not. One brave mouse by the name of Ernie doubted the mole and proceeded to make his way to the cellar doors. “I’m gonna see this world all for myself,” Ernie announced. Ernie, although very brave, was very unintelligent. As soon as he crawled out that door, he was swept up by an unknown object of death, filled with big straw bristles and a long wooden shaft. The two other mice, Juanita and Francis, were in shock that they had just lost one of their best friends.
“Oh no!” cried Juanita.
“He’s gone!” Francis yelled.
Juanita and Francis had now been warned, and knew that if the ever walked out those doors, they would never come back, but they had to save their friend. The mole went on to tell them many more stories of all the friends that he had lost over the years, but Juanita and Francis didn’t care. They were going to do whatever it took to get their friend back.
Juanita and Francis were horrified when they heard this news. “Where will we go?” Juanita asked. “We’ll be killed if we don’t escape!” So after hearing of this tragedy, the mice and the mole started brainstorming on how to save Ernie. The first plan was to begin digging to tunnel their way through the walls and floor, to retrieve Ernie. This soon came to a halt when they ran into three feet of concrete. After many other attempts and many more failures, they knew that the only place to reach him was through the cellar doors. After the mole had drawn up a very detailed and elaborate sketch, the mice had very little faith in the mole and knew that this was probably the end for Ernie… and possibly them.
So the day finally arrived. The mice and mole were going to put their plan into action. After one more review of the rescue plan, they knew that it was “go time”. The mice and mole made a mad dash for the door, and as soon as it opened all three were swept up and placed in a box. Still alive, they had no idea what was going to happen next. They were scared and had little hope left.“Oh my goodness! Where are we? How will we get out?” Francis panicked.
Suddenly, the box was then emptied into a large metal container. Here, Juanita and Francis were greeted by a familiar face. It was Ernie! It turned out that all the rodents that had ever been captured by the restaurant owner had been saved for his eight-year-old grandson, who would keep them as pets. He was very responsible and would make sure that they always had food, water, and the other necessities of life.
This story may sound “cheesy”, but it’s an easy way to remind you to keep your friends close, no matter how tough it gets.
Oct. 5, 2009
College Prep- 6th hour
The Daring Rescue
This is an epic tale of how two mice and a mole decided to embark on a courageous journey to find the secret that lied outside the cellar doors, and to save their best friend.
Once upon time, in a place not far away, there lived three mice and a wise, old mole. Together they lived in a wine cellar below a restaurant. It was an old cellar of about sixty years, and was surprisingly strong, stable and in very good condition. It was a wonderful place for any rodent to live, all except for the owner of the restaurant. Rumor had it, that he had a strong dislike for mice, or rodents of any kind. If he ever came across a rodent, it was said that he would kill them dead on the spot. No rodent, no matter how brave, would ever dare to cross his path.
One day, when the three mice were sitting down at their table for breakfast, the wise old mole came up and asked, “May I join you?”
The mice welcomed him with open arms, and they sat down to have a lovely morning feast together. While enjoying their meal, the three mice asked the wise old mole, “What is beyond the cellar doors?”
Now the wise old mole had been around for years and had seen many accidents occur outside the doors. The wise old mole then replied, “Outside those cellar doors is a whole different world, filled with anger and menace! The rodents are swept away and never seen again.”
This frightened the mice, but at the same time made them very curious as to whether the mole was telling the truth or not. One brave mouse by the name of Ernie doubted the mole and proceeded to make his way to the cellar doors. “I’m gonna see this world all for myself,” Ernie announced. Ernie, although very brave, was very unintelligent. As soon as he crawled out that door, he was swept up by an unknown object of death, filled with big straw bristles and a long wooden shaft. The two other mice, Juanita and Francis, were in shock that they had just lost one of their best friends.
“Oh no!” cried Juanita.
“He’s gone!” Francis yelled.
Juanita and Francis had now been warned, and knew that if the ever walked out those doors, they would never come back, but they had to save their friend. The mole went on to tell them many more stories of all the friends that he had lost over the years, but Juanita and Francis didn’t care. They were going to do whatever it took to get their friend back.
Juanita and Francis were horrified when they heard this news. “Where will we go?” Juanita asked. “We’ll be killed if we don’t escape!” So after hearing of this tragedy, the mice and the mole started brainstorming on how to save Ernie. The first plan was to begin digging to tunnel their way through the walls and floor, to retrieve Ernie. This soon came to a halt when they ran into three feet of concrete. After many other attempts and many more failures, they knew that the only place to reach him was through the cellar doors. After the mole had drawn up a very detailed and elaborate sketch, the mice had very little faith in the mole and knew that this was probably the end for Ernie… and possibly them.
So the day finally arrived. The mice and mole were going to put their plan into action. After one more review of the rescue plan, they knew that it was “go time”. The mice and mole made a mad dash for the door, and as soon as it opened all three were swept up and placed in a box. Still alive, they had no idea what was going to happen next. They were scared and had little hope left.“Oh my goodness! Where are we? How will we get out?” Francis panicked.
Suddenly, the box was then emptied into a large metal container. Here, Juanita and Francis were greeted by a familiar face. It was Ernie! It turned out that all the rodents that had ever been captured by the restaurant owner had been saved for his eight-year-old grandson, who would keep them as pets. He was very responsible and would make sure that they always had food, water, and the other necessities of life.
This story may sound “cheesy”, but it’s an easy way to remind you to keep your friends close, no matter how tough it gets.
Flies Don’t Catch Themselves
Chelsea Lolley College Prep10/03/09
Flies Don’t Catch Themselves
Far back in the woods behind Farmer Joe’s barn, past the dandelion patch where the wildflowers would sing to the sun all day, there was a swamp. Many different animals called this swamp home. It was a pleasant place where all inhabitants, with the exception of Dixie the Alligator, got along splendidly and would go out of their way to help a neighbor. On any occasion one would find the swamp busy with the bustling animals going about their daily errands or finishing up their work for the day before heading home. Everyone always seemed to be doing something except for Hopper. Hopper was a frog that lived on the east side of the swamp. It wasn’t that Hopper wasn’t a good critter, for he was very amiable and liked by many in the bayou. The thing about Hopper was that he was downright lazy. While all the other animals were busy at work he would lay all day on his favorite lily pad dozing in the warm sunshine. One day while Hopper was sprawled out lazily lapping at flies, Big Ed the local grouch, as snapping turtles usually are, came swimming by in a hurry carrying a bundle of twigs in his jaws. “Hey Hopper,” Big Ed said huskily, “Do you think you can run this over to Mrs. Rabbit Reynold’s house? I’m in a dreadful hurry and I promised to bring it by for her, but I have an appointment to get my shell waxed and she lives on the other edge of town.” “Sorry, I don’t think I’ll be able to do that, Ed,” Hopper relied sluggishly. “Well why not!? You are obviously doing nothing!” “I have ummm, a bad knee! Yes a bad knee. Dumb thing’s been bothering me all day. Sorry.” Big Ed swam away irately and Hopper continued his sun bathing. A little while later Mrs. Field Mouse and her eight children filed by on the bank. “O Hopper! Hello! Hopper!” Mrs. Field Mouse squeaked, “ would you mind watching my darling children while I go pick berries for dinner? I‘ll even pick extra for you!” “ No I don’t think that I’ll be able to do that. See, I’m awfully tied up all afternoon and I‘m allergic to berries. Sorry that I can‘t help you. I really would love to,” Hopper idly stated as he watched the clouds drift past. With that, Mrs. Field Mouse scurried along, herding her brood as she went. Lastly there came along a chipmunk named Gus. Gus seemed very worried and was scampering along hastily when he saw Hopper and said, “Hopper!! I’m so glad I found you. I can’t seem to find my wife and it’s getting dark. I think she is lost. Can you help me find her?” “ I’m sorry my friend. I haven’t seen her. I can’t really help you right now I ’m afraid I’ve got to be getting home myself soon. If I see her I’ll be sure to let her know you were looking for her,” Hopper replied. With this being said, Gus ran off searching frantically. The sun was saying its goodbyes and the birds were all chirping to their babies. The swamp was beginning to grow dark and quiet and Hopper slid off into the water to go home. Suddenly without warning he got a sharp pain in his leg. Thankfully he managed to get back onto the lily pad but he could not make it to shore and it was getting dangerously dark. “ Ow!” he yelled, “Somebody help me! I’ve gotten a cramp in my leg.” He continued yelling but it was no use. There was no one listening. Everyone was going about their own business not heeding his cries. Finally Hooter the owl swooped down to a tree limb above the water and patronizingly spoke to Hopper. “I’ve been watching you Hopper. What makes you think you deserve help from any of these fine animals? You have done nothing all day but lie and refuse to help them. In my opinion, you deserve what comes to you.” With that, he flew off to his warm hole. Hopper was alone save for the crickets, but even they stayed a safe distance from him. His leg was throbbing and he was getting cold. Across the swamp he then saw two eyes emerge. They glistened in the moonlight and began coming toward him. They reached the edge of the lily pad and then out of the water rose Dixie, the most feared animal in the whole swamp. “Hello friend,” he slyly rasped, “you seem to be in a bit of trouble. Can I offer you a hand?” “O thank goodness! Finally! I’ve been sitting here for hours and no one will help me. I just need to get to the bank so I can get home before something bad happens to me,” Hopper replied joyously. “Well today is your lucky day. Just hop into my mouth and I’ll take you home, my friend.” Hopper ignorantly obliged and sprung into Dixie’s open jaws. That was the last anyone ever saw of Hopper. To this day, Hopper is remembered only in bedtime stories told to children in the swamp to care them into being helpful, diligent, and smart in who they trust.
Flies Don’t Catch Themselves
Far back in the woods behind Farmer Joe’s barn, past the dandelion patch where the wildflowers would sing to the sun all day, there was a swamp. Many different animals called this swamp home. It was a pleasant place where all inhabitants, with the exception of Dixie the Alligator, got along splendidly and would go out of their way to help a neighbor. On any occasion one would find the swamp busy with the bustling animals going about their daily errands or finishing up their work for the day before heading home. Everyone always seemed to be doing something except for Hopper. Hopper was a frog that lived on the east side of the swamp. It wasn’t that Hopper wasn’t a good critter, for he was very amiable and liked by many in the bayou. The thing about Hopper was that he was downright lazy. While all the other animals were busy at work he would lay all day on his favorite lily pad dozing in the warm sunshine. One day while Hopper was sprawled out lazily lapping at flies, Big Ed the local grouch, as snapping turtles usually are, came swimming by in a hurry carrying a bundle of twigs in his jaws. “Hey Hopper,” Big Ed said huskily, “Do you think you can run this over to Mrs. Rabbit Reynold’s house? I’m in a dreadful hurry and I promised to bring it by for her, but I have an appointment to get my shell waxed and she lives on the other edge of town.” “Sorry, I don’t think I’ll be able to do that, Ed,” Hopper relied sluggishly. “Well why not!? You are obviously doing nothing!” “I have ummm, a bad knee! Yes a bad knee. Dumb thing’s been bothering me all day. Sorry.” Big Ed swam away irately and Hopper continued his sun bathing. A little while later Mrs. Field Mouse and her eight children filed by on the bank. “O Hopper! Hello! Hopper!” Mrs. Field Mouse squeaked, “ would you mind watching my darling children while I go pick berries for dinner? I‘ll even pick extra for you!” “ No I don’t think that I’ll be able to do that. See, I’m awfully tied up all afternoon and I‘m allergic to berries. Sorry that I can‘t help you. I really would love to,” Hopper idly stated as he watched the clouds drift past. With that, Mrs. Field Mouse scurried along, herding her brood as she went. Lastly there came along a chipmunk named Gus. Gus seemed very worried and was scampering along hastily when he saw Hopper and said, “Hopper!! I’m so glad I found you. I can’t seem to find my wife and it’s getting dark. I think she is lost. Can you help me find her?” “ I’m sorry my friend. I haven’t seen her. I can’t really help you right now I ’m afraid I’ve got to be getting home myself soon. If I see her I’ll be sure to let her know you were looking for her,” Hopper replied. With this being said, Gus ran off searching frantically. The sun was saying its goodbyes and the birds were all chirping to their babies. The swamp was beginning to grow dark and quiet and Hopper slid off into the water to go home. Suddenly without warning he got a sharp pain in his leg. Thankfully he managed to get back onto the lily pad but he could not make it to shore and it was getting dangerously dark. “ Ow!” he yelled, “Somebody help me! I’ve gotten a cramp in my leg.” He continued yelling but it was no use. There was no one listening. Everyone was going about their own business not heeding his cries. Finally Hooter the owl swooped down to a tree limb above the water and patronizingly spoke to Hopper. “I’ve been watching you Hopper. What makes you think you deserve help from any of these fine animals? You have done nothing all day but lie and refuse to help them. In my opinion, you deserve what comes to you.” With that, he flew off to his warm hole. Hopper was alone save for the crickets, but even they stayed a safe distance from him. His leg was throbbing and he was getting cold. Across the swamp he then saw two eyes emerge. They glistened in the moonlight and began coming toward him. They reached the edge of the lily pad and then out of the water rose Dixie, the most feared animal in the whole swamp. “Hello friend,” he slyly rasped, “you seem to be in a bit of trouble. Can I offer you a hand?” “O thank goodness! Finally! I’ve been sitting here for hours and no one will help me. I just need to get to the bank so I can get home before something bad happens to me,” Hopper replied joyously. “Well today is your lucky day. Just hop into my mouth and I’ll take you home, my friend.” Hopper ignorantly obliged and sprung into Dixie’s open jaws. That was the last anyone ever saw of Hopper. To this day, Hopper is remembered only in bedtime stories told to children in the swamp to care them into being helpful, diligent, and smart in who they trust.
A Giraffe Called Harley
It was a crisp and clear morning. Fog hung in the knolls and glens of the land, blanketing the hillsides with a sheet of white. The dew hung off the leaves, dripping with a soft plip, plip, plip. Deep in the forest at the foot of the mountains, the sun penetrated into a small clearing. Flecks of dust, bathed in the golden glow of the rays, floated lazily around the glen. One caught an upward draft of wind and spiraled up, up, up, and eventually into the nostril of a large giraffe. Eyes widening at the irritation, the animal reared back his head and gave a mighty sneeze.
This giraffe, Harley by name, was quite the pleasant fellow. He felt terrible for the disturbance he had made, but he unfortunately woke the entire neighborhood. One by one, the animals from the surrounding cottages came out of their homes to see where the great ruckus had come from.
The first to appear before Harley was his beloved and best friend. It was Martin, a tiny hedgehog, but the two of them were inseparable. After Martin came a lamb named Penelope, a rooster called Samuel, and a grumpy old badger known as Frederick. Although Frederick was not the sweetest of all the creatures in the world, these five animals were all the best of friends and they would be lost without one another.
“Well what’s the big idea?” came the voice of Frederick, cutting through the once silent winter morning.
Harley was the type of animal that was not a fan of confrontation. “I am awfully sorry, Frederick, and everyone, for waking you all up. I know it was very wrong of me to keep you from your beauty sleep,” he added with a grin.
Penelope chimed in, “Aaactually, Harley, this was not the first time your noises have ruined things in our little village. Your size and strength are not easy to control.”
“Yes it’s true.”
“You know, you’re right.”
“It is slightly annoying sometimes, Harley,” were the responses from the rest of their little group.
“Wow, do you all really feel that my existence is only an annoyance to you all? I am immensely sorry for all of the trouble that I cause. Maybe it would be best if I was not around you to make your lives so miserable.”
Sadly, there were no objections from the group. With his head hanging low, Harley walked slowly away from the animals he once called his best friends.
With Harley gone, the area was quiet and calm with no great disturbances from anyone, except for the bickering between Frederick and all of the other creatures.
“Why would you think you can just walk right into my house like that?” the badger would ask one of the others.
“I’m very sorry, Frederick. It was an accident,“ they would respond. The arguing became so great that they all realized exactly what it was that they were missing from their assembly. It was Harley, the peacemaker, the happy and easy going giraffe friend that they realized they all missed dearly.
The four friends went on a massive search for poor Harley. They knew that they needed him, and without him, they were not complete. After miles and miles of searching for him, they finally found their friend. He was alone, in a quiet valley, sitting under a tree.
They ran up to him and gave him the biggest hugs they could manage, although he was so much larger that them. They confessed to Harley how they were wrong to let him go and how much they needed him back in their lives.
Of course, Harley agreed to return home with them, and he was so relieved to be back with his beloved companions. Throughout the rest of their lives, the five of them stuck together, through thick and thin, and even through the mighty sneezes from their favorite giraffe, Harley.
This giraffe, Harley by name, was quite the pleasant fellow. He felt terrible for the disturbance he had made, but he unfortunately woke the entire neighborhood. One by one, the animals from the surrounding cottages came out of their homes to see where the great ruckus had come from.
The first to appear before Harley was his beloved and best friend. It was Martin, a tiny hedgehog, but the two of them were inseparable. After Martin came a lamb named Penelope, a rooster called Samuel, and a grumpy old badger known as Frederick. Although Frederick was not the sweetest of all the creatures in the world, these five animals were all the best of friends and they would be lost without one another.
“Well what’s the big idea?” came the voice of Frederick, cutting through the once silent winter morning.
Harley was the type of animal that was not a fan of confrontation. “I am awfully sorry, Frederick, and everyone, for waking you all up. I know it was very wrong of me to keep you from your beauty sleep,” he added with a grin.
Penelope chimed in, “Aaactually, Harley, this was not the first time your noises have ruined things in our little village. Your size and strength are not easy to control.”
“Yes it’s true.”
“You know, you’re right.”
“It is slightly annoying sometimes, Harley,” were the responses from the rest of their little group.
“Wow, do you all really feel that my existence is only an annoyance to you all? I am immensely sorry for all of the trouble that I cause. Maybe it would be best if I was not around you to make your lives so miserable.”
Sadly, there were no objections from the group. With his head hanging low, Harley walked slowly away from the animals he once called his best friends.
With Harley gone, the area was quiet and calm with no great disturbances from anyone, except for the bickering between Frederick and all of the other creatures.
“Why would you think you can just walk right into my house like that?” the badger would ask one of the others.
“I’m very sorry, Frederick. It was an accident,“ they would respond. The arguing became so great that they all realized exactly what it was that they were missing from their assembly. It was Harley, the peacemaker, the happy and easy going giraffe friend that they realized they all missed dearly.
The four friends went on a massive search for poor Harley. They knew that they needed him, and without him, they were not complete. After miles and miles of searching for him, they finally found their friend. He was alone, in a quiet valley, sitting under a tree.
They ran up to him and gave him the biggest hugs they could manage, although he was so much larger that them. They confessed to Harley how they were wrong to let him go and how much they needed him back in their lives.
Of course, Harley agreed to return home with them, and he was so relieved to be back with his beloved companions. Throughout the rest of their lives, the five of them stuck together, through thick and thin, and even through the mighty sneezes from their favorite giraffe, Harley.
Josh's Jumbled Day
As Josh was stepping off the big yellow school bus, it started to rain. The rain fell down in one giant continuous sheet of ice-cold water. Josh slung his Transformer backpack over his shoulders and sprinted towards his house. The house he lived in was at the very end of the street, and today it seemed a million miles away. As he ran home, he didn’t realize that his backpack was wide open. All of his papers, folders, and other school supplies littered the wet street. When Josh finally arrived home, he looked back and saw his entire backpack on the street. Josh looked down into his backpack, and the only thing that survived was his book. His mother stepped outside and saw what happened. She looked at her son’s face and saw one tear escape from his eyes. She bent down to give him a hug, and Josh shoved her away. He was nine years old and nine year olds don’t need hugs from mom. He put his backpack back on his shoulder and trudged inside to change out of his rain-soaked clothes. His mother sighed, went inside, and fixed Josh a snack. Josh walked into the kitchen, slumped in the chair, and quietly nibbled on apples and peanut butter.
“How was school Josh? Did you do anything fun?” his mother inquired
“No.” Josh replied sullen
“Well… How is your book? How far along are you?”
“Good. I just finished chapter 6.” Josh said shortly
“That is far! You are a faster reader! Would you like a cookie Josh?”
“No. I’m going to my room.”
As Josh was leaving the kitchen he heard his mother say something about going outside, but he kept walking to his room. He just wanted to be left alone. After he closed his door, he got under his covers and started reading his book by flashlight. A few minutes later, he heard a soft knock, followed by the rustle of a skirt and the clunk-ding-plop combo of a plate and glass being set down on his nightstand. He waited till he heard his door close and for the television to turn on.
He slowly removed the covers and saw that there was a plate of cookies, a glass of milk, and a note laying on his nightstand. The cookies were warm and delicious, the milk was cold and refreshing, and the note read “As you munch on the cookies and drink the milk, remember to not get crumbs on your bed. Also, come see me when you finished, I need to talk to you. Love, Mom”
He sighed. Josh didn’t want to talk to his mom. He finished the cookies and milk, and decided to finish his book and then go talk to mom. He was deep into chapter 9 when he heard footsteps. He quickly got under the covers. If he couldn’t see her, she couldn’t see him. Josh quickly realized this was a bad idea, and sat up straight in bed right when his mother walked in.
“How where the cookies Josh? Good?”
“They were yummy mom…”
“Good, I glad Josh, now that you have some food in your belly, how about we go out pick up all of the things that fell out of your backpack? It’s done raining and you shouldn’t leave all that stuff on the street Joshie.”
“Don’t call me Joshie” Josh replied
“Sorry. How about it?
“I guess… But I want to do it by myself; I don’t need your help.”
“Whatever you say Josh. I will stay inside and start cooking dinner. What would you like?”
“Mac and Cheese please!!!”
Josh the sauntered out of his room. He was going to pick up all his papers, finish his book and get some yummy Mac and Cheese. He walked outside and started picking the papers at the fastest speed he could muster. Two minutes later, Josh looked expectantly at the house. He wanted his mom to come help, but he had already told her no. Josh let out a giant sigh and trudged through the rest of the stuff on the street. As he neared the end, a pug dog came trotting along. Inside his mouth was Josh’s favorite folder. It was his brand-new Transformer folder that had Bumblebee on the front.
“Gimme my folder dog!” Shouted Josh
“Noooph” said the dog
“What? Did you just talk?”
The dog carefully set the folder down beside him and said “Yes and I was trying to help you pick up, but now I think I will take the folder since you yelled at me.” And then the pug dog started to trot away.
“WAIT!!!!! You can help me! I said wait!!!! Please stop!”
The pug dog turned around and started to walk back to Josh.
“You want me to help you? I will… but only if you say the magic words.” Replied the dog.
“Pleeeeeeeeeeaaaasssseeeeeee? I will give you a doggie treat!” Josh begged.
“I guess I can help, but only if don’t yell at me. Oh, by the way, the name is Moose.”
“Hi moose… my name is Josh”
The two started to finish picking up the rest of Josh’s stuff that was scattered down the street. After they were finished, Josh ran home to tell his mom what had happened. After he told he the story, Josh dragged his mom and looked down the empty street. There was no pug dog in sight.
“MOOOOOOOOOOSE!!!! Come here boy, I have a treat for ya. MOOOOOSE!!!!” Josh yelled
“Honey, he isn’t there.” Said his mom.
“But he WAS” exclaimed Josh
“Josh, we will search for him after dinner.”
Josh ate his Mac and Cheese, but just started out the window, down the street, looking for the pug dog. Right after dinner he searched high and low for Moose, but he was nowhere to be seen. Josh trudged back home and went straight to his room and fell asleep.
The next morning he woke up and looked around. He didn’t remember falling asleep in his room. Josh walked groggily to the kitchen to find a pug dog sitting in the middle of the room.
“MOOSE! You’re here!”
Josh ran to the dog and gave him a giant hug. He was so happy! He turned to his mom and asked if he could keep him, and she said yes. Josh was the happiest boy in the world. He would have never thought that his best friend would turn out to be a dog. The next day at school, Josh turned to one of the kids in his class that no one ever talked to, and asked if he wanted to come to his house sometime. The kid’s face was in total shock. He nodded his up and down, and a smile slowly spread on his face. He might have a friend. Josh smiled to himself, he realized that anyone can be your friend, and that means even a dog.
“How was school Josh? Did you do anything fun?” his mother inquired
“No.” Josh replied sullen
“Well… How is your book? How far along are you?”
“Good. I just finished chapter 6.” Josh said shortly
“That is far! You are a faster reader! Would you like a cookie Josh?”
“No. I’m going to my room.”
As Josh was leaving the kitchen he heard his mother say something about going outside, but he kept walking to his room. He just wanted to be left alone. After he closed his door, he got under his covers and started reading his book by flashlight. A few minutes later, he heard a soft knock, followed by the rustle of a skirt and the clunk-ding-plop combo of a plate and glass being set down on his nightstand. He waited till he heard his door close and for the television to turn on.
He slowly removed the covers and saw that there was a plate of cookies, a glass of milk, and a note laying on his nightstand. The cookies were warm and delicious, the milk was cold and refreshing, and the note read “As you munch on the cookies and drink the milk, remember to not get crumbs on your bed. Also, come see me when you finished, I need to talk to you. Love, Mom”
He sighed. Josh didn’t want to talk to his mom. He finished the cookies and milk, and decided to finish his book and then go talk to mom. He was deep into chapter 9 when he heard footsteps. He quickly got under the covers. If he couldn’t see her, she couldn’t see him. Josh quickly realized this was a bad idea, and sat up straight in bed right when his mother walked in.
“How where the cookies Josh? Good?”
“They were yummy mom…”
“Good, I glad Josh, now that you have some food in your belly, how about we go out pick up all of the things that fell out of your backpack? It’s done raining and you shouldn’t leave all that stuff on the street Joshie.”
“Don’t call me Joshie” Josh replied
“Sorry. How about it?
“I guess… But I want to do it by myself; I don’t need your help.”
“Whatever you say Josh. I will stay inside and start cooking dinner. What would you like?”
“Mac and Cheese please!!!”
Josh the sauntered out of his room. He was going to pick up all his papers, finish his book and get some yummy Mac and Cheese. He walked outside and started picking the papers at the fastest speed he could muster. Two minutes later, Josh looked expectantly at the house. He wanted his mom to come help, but he had already told her no. Josh let out a giant sigh and trudged through the rest of the stuff on the street. As he neared the end, a pug dog came trotting along. Inside his mouth was Josh’s favorite folder. It was his brand-new Transformer folder that had Bumblebee on the front.
“Gimme my folder dog!” Shouted Josh
“Noooph” said the dog
“What? Did you just talk?”
The dog carefully set the folder down beside him and said “Yes and I was trying to help you pick up, but now I think I will take the folder since you yelled at me.” And then the pug dog started to trot away.
“WAIT!!!!! You can help me! I said wait!!!! Please stop!”
The pug dog turned around and started to walk back to Josh.
“You want me to help you? I will… but only if you say the magic words.” Replied the dog.
“Pleeeeeeeeeeaaaasssseeeeeee? I will give you a doggie treat!” Josh begged.
“I guess I can help, but only if don’t yell at me. Oh, by the way, the name is Moose.”
“Hi moose… my name is Josh”
The two started to finish picking up the rest of Josh’s stuff that was scattered down the street. After they were finished, Josh ran home to tell his mom what had happened. After he told he the story, Josh dragged his mom and looked down the empty street. There was no pug dog in sight.
“MOOOOOOOOOOSE!!!! Come here boy, I have a treat for ya. MOOOOOSE!!!!” Josh yelled
“Honey, he isn’t there.” Said his mom.
“But he WAS” exclaimed Josh
“Josh, we will search for him after dinner.”
Josh ate his Mac and Cheese, but just started out the window, down the street, looking for the pug dog. Right after dinner he searched high and low for Moose, but he was nowhere to be seen. Josh trudged back home and went straight to his room and fell asleep.
The next morning he woke up and looked around. He didn’t remember falling asleep in his room. Josh walked groggily to the kitchen to find a pug dog sitting in the middle of the room.
“MOOSE! You’re here!”
Josh ran to the dog and gave him a giant hug. He was so happy! He turned to his mom and asked if he could keep him, and she said yes. Josh was the happiest boy in the world. He would have never thought that his best friend would turn out to be a dog. The next day at school, Josh turned to one of the kids in his class that no one ever talked to, and asked if he wanted to come to his house sometime. The kid’s face was in total shock. He nodded his up and down, and a smile slowly spread on his face. He might have a friend. Josh smiled to himself, he realized that anyone can be your friend, and that means even a dog.
The Cold War
Three weeks.
It had been three weeks since the first of the bombs had been dropped. Three weeks since the beginning of the Penguin-Polar Bear War. As each earth-shattering explosion rocked the fallout shelter, Ellie’s wizened beak twitched with fear. The two children at her side wrapped their flippers around her torso. She knew she must keep them occupied, to ease the fear in their hearts. She must tell them a story. The only story she knew. The story of how history repeated itself with world-ending consequences.
In the year 2033, international tensions were at their breaking point. Around the world, small conflicts escalated into all-out war.
Left alone for hundreds of years, both Polar Bears and Penguins began learning exponentially. By Polar Year 625, the Penguins had developed both a written and spoken language. By Polar Year 834, the Polar Bears unearthed the first remnant of human technology, a 2005 Jeep Wrangler. By Polar Year 923, both Polar Bears and Penguins had begun repopulating the rest of the planet. Thanks to human technology, the Polar Bears were able to develop primitive boats, engineered by the brightest Beargineers. The educated Penguins had retrofitted leftover submarines to be Penguin-Capable. Both species had also developed fish farms, to more efficiently harvest their one and only food source. As they congregated farther from their homelands, they began utilizing radio technology left over from their human benefactors to communicate over long distances.
In Polar Year 1213, Penguin Outpost #23, located in present day Rio De Janeiro,
Everything was peaceful until the Polar Bears, who ate vastly more fish than the Penguins, over-populated their half of the world. The first conflict would occur during Polar Year 1342, when the Polar Bears, who were running desperately short on food, decided to attack a Penguin fishery in present day
After 30 years of war, the Polar Bears were all but beaten. They had little food, were slowly being pushed back despite their aggressive pushes foreword. They were forced to unleash weapons which they had no understanding of. The weapons were large missiles which they had salvaged from left-over nuclear silos in the
Ellie’s voice trailed off as she looked down at the two young penguins, who were sound asleep. She herself realized she had not slept in a long time. The explosions had decreased in magnitude, and reached an uneventful finale. The bombings were done. Ellie could finally sleep. As she closed her eyes, she could only laugh bitterly at the irony of the situation. There was an old Human saying she knew that said “Those who cannot learn from history are doomed to repeat it.” She could not think of a greater example of this insight. A single tear rolled down her beak as she drifted to sleep, knowing she was most likely one of the last living things on Earth.
A Great Gust of Stillness
Nestled in the deep purple mountains of southern Peru, two figures could be seen; their hair and clothing rustling and twisting this way and that. “Viento,” whispered the small child who was perched in his mother’s caring arms. “Sí, niño,” she whispered back, “wind…” The boy reached out to feel the force of the air. He was thrilled by the strength that pushed his delicate hand back to the safety of his mother’s embrace.
Far out on the Atlantic, a small sailing vessel swayed to the rhythm provided by the waves. “How far until we hit the next plotted direction change?” someone smartly inquired.
“Not far now, chap… We’ll be there soon enough.”
“If the wind keeps up, that is,” someone else chimed in. The crew exchanged wary looks.
On a coffee farm in Congo, a man, renowned in the community for his character and wisdom, kneeled to inspect the parched, cracked ground. There had not been rain in weeks, and all were worried for the safety of their crops. “Vent,” he whispered to himself in French as he glanced at the sky. “All we can do is pray for wind to carry the rains our way,”
A small Island in the Philippines bustled with activity. Everyone seemed to be outdoors nailing boards over their windows, chatting with their neighbors, and bringing potted plants inside. They spoke of the hurricane that was coming their way. Everyone hoped that the hit would not be too strong.
As all of this occurred, the wind simply remained unrelenting in its cycle, not partial to anyone, simply continuing its duties. A day passed, and, of course, the wind changed its course slightly.
The mother and child awoke to a new morning. The child gave out a cry, for during the night, he had become sick. His mother lifted him into her arms, and tried to sooth his discomfort by rocking him from side to side. “Viento,” cried the boy after a while, remembering his new-found source of happiness from the day before. The two went outside, for the mother hoped as much as the child that the wind would bring a smile to her son’s face once again… but all was still.
The crew of the sailing ship stood in a circle on the deck, facing each other, speaking in low tones. The wind had been steadily decreasing its strength until it stopped altogether. This was not what the crew had been hoping for.
Similarly, villagers in Congo were conferencing about rationing food and water. Although a small breeze blew, it only seemed to swirl the dust into the air, and only two pure white clouds stood stagnant in the sky. Rain was a necessity, but it seemed like it wouldn’t come for a long time.
Finally, the Philippine islanders took refuge in their homes. The streets did not bustle any more. Instead, there was a calm that only comes before a storm.
“¡Viento!” cried the child.
“Wind, won’t you return?” demanded one of sailors.
“Please,” pleaded someone at the meeting, “Let the wind bring the rain.”
“Great wind!” Prayed the people locked in their houses, “Do not hurt us with your violent gusts.”
In other corners of the world as well, people pleaded with the wind to either come or go. Everyone said that they had the greatest need. Each cry came from the heart.
It was hard for the wind to cope with this. In fact, it seemed like everywhere it blew, it was turned away, and every place that it left behind called for it to return. When the wind blew through the trees, it sounded sad, and when it blew for long miles along the ground, it was fast and wild, as if it was running from itself and the fact that it could not please the world.
Suddenly, the wind simply stopped. It was as if exerting itself was no longer worthwhile, and as if the pain that it caused outweighed the good because of the few who it could not satisfy. At first, some of those who had been discontented with the wind were elated, but soon, the air around the earth became heavy and thick with stillness. Before long, not only the villagers in Congo were praying for rain, and not only the Philippine islanders pleaded for it to stop. Pockets of rain dumped every drop of water they held on the same bit of land, while neighboring communities remained as dry as the moon. The hurricane that was no longer fueled by twisting skies drenched the island that it hovered above. Eventually, a mass chaos ensued as people panicked in the motionless air.
It is true that the wind returned, but it was only after a period of immense hardship on the part of those who had to live without it. A small child cried, a ship sat stubbornly out at sea as its crew became homesick and hungry, an island struggled with the effects of a flood, and a community wished that they were graced with some of that precious water.
Finally, as breezes began to stir the air once again, the wind had to tell itself that it’s impossible to please everyone. In fact, more often than not, it’s the people who have something to complain about who speak up… not those who are content with what is being done. To announce its presence, the wind blew with a mighty gust that touched every spot on Earth. The complaints began again, but this time, with images like the young boy who felt such love for el viento in mind, the wind just blew harder.
Katy Crenshaw 5th Hour
Far out on the Atlantic, a small sailing vessel swayed to the rhythm provided by the waves. “How far until we hit the next plotted direction change?” someone smartly inquired.
“Not far now, chap… We’ll be there soon enough.”
“If the wind keeps up, that is,” someone else chimed in. The crew exchanged wary looks.
On a coffee farm in Congo, a man, renowned in the community for his character and wisdom, kneeled to inspect the parched, cracked ground. There had not been rain in weeks, and all were worried for the safety of their crops. “Vent,” he whispered to himself in French as he glanced at the sky. “All we can do is pray for wind to carry the rains our way,”
A small Island in the Philippines bustled with activity. Everyone seemed to be outdoors nailing boards over their windows, chatting with their neighbors, and bringing potted plants inside. They spoke of the hurricane that was coming their way. Everyone hoped that the hit would not be too strong.
As all of this occurred, the wind simply remained unrelenting in its cycle, not partial to anyone, simply continuing its duties. A day passed, and, of course, the wind changed its course slightly.
The mother and child awoke to a new morning. The child gave out a cry, for during the night, he had become sick. His mother lifted him into her arms, and tried to sooth his discomfort by rocking him from side to side. “Viento,” cried the boy after a while, remembering his new-found source of happiness from the day before. The two went outside, for the mother hoped as much as the child that the wind would bring a smile to her son’s face once again… but all was still.
The crew of the sailing ship stood in a circle on the deck, facing each other, speaking in low tones. The wind had been steadily decreasing its strength until it stopped altogether. This was not what the crew had been hoping for.
Similarly, villagers in Congo were conferencing about rationing food and water. Although a small breeze blew, it only seemed to swirl the dust into the air, and only two pure white clouds stood stagnant in the sky. Rain was a necessity, but it seemed like it wouldn’t come for a long time.
Finally, the Philippine islanders took refuge in their homes. The streets did not bustle any more. Instead, there was a calm that only comes before a storm.
“¡Viento!” cried the child.
“Wind, won’t you return?” demanded one of sailors.
“Please,” pleaded someone at the meeting, “Let the wind bring the rain.”
“Great wind!” Prayed the people locked in their houses, “Do not hurt us with your violent gusts.”
In other corners of the world as well, people pleaded with the wind to either come or go. Everyone said that they had the greatest need. Each cry came from the heart.
It was hard for the wind to cope with this. In fact, it seemed like everywhere it blew, it was turned away, and every place that it left behind called for it to return. When the wind blew through the trees, it sounded sad, and when it blew for long miles along the ground, it was fast and wild, as if it was running from itself and the fact that it could not please the world.
Suddenly, the wind simply stopped. It was as if exerting itself was no longer worthwhile, and as if the pain that it caused outweighed the good because of the few who it could not satisfy. At first, some of those who had been discontented with the wind were elated, but soon, the air around the earth became heavy and thick with stillness. Before long, not only the villagers in Congo were praying for rain, and not only the Philippine islanders pleaded for it to stop. Pockets of rain dumped every drop of water they held on the same bit of land, while neighboring communities remained as dry as the moon. The hurricane that was no longer fueled by twisting skies drenched the island that it hovered above. Eventually, a mass chaos ensued as people panicked in the motionless air.
It is true that the wind returned, but it was only after a period of immense hardship on the part of those who had to live without it. A small child cried, a ship sat stubbornly out at sea as its crew became homesick and hungry, an island struggled with the effects of a flood, and a community wished that they were graced with some of that precious water.
Finally, as breezes began to stir the air once again, the wind had to tell itself that it’s impossible to please everyone. In fact, more often than not, it’s the people who have something to complain about who speak up… not those who are content with what is being done. To announce its presence, the wind blew with a mighty gust that touched every spot on Earth. The complaints began again, but this time, with images like the young boy who felt such love for el viento in mind, the wind just blew harder.
Katy Crenshaw 5th Hour
Only a Smurf Would Do That!
Now let me tell you about these smurf’s who did whatever they wanted. It all started before my time. This story was past down between five generations. It is a pretty exciting story, and that is why I want to share it with all of you readers.
Just imagine the world covered in small, very small blue people, who had the weirdest hats in the world. They only had a population of six hundred, but those six hundred smurf’s were able to do anything. I don’t know if it relevant, but these smurf’s had a body of government. The eldest one of them ruled over everything and anyone is the eldest one’s family would get a greater role in there society. The weirdest part of their society is that they only had one female. You wonder how they have so many people in their population, but only have one female. Well anyways that is the background you might want to know before you hear what goes on.
“Papa smurf what should we do today?” said John, the son of the eldest man.
“I don’t know…go make up a game outside or something,” said Quincy, the eldest man.
“Can I go and play whatever…,” said John.
“Yes! Just stop bothering me son,”
John goes outside and gets all of his friends, which was only five other people, to come over, so that they can make up a game. The game they make up would not go over well with everyone. Once they all agree on what they are going to play, they make up the rules. The only rule to this game is that you are not allowed to stop playing. It was a continuous, never-ending game that would make the people in their society mad, and annoyed.
John said, “Alright guys it is time to play. Does everyone know what they are going to do?”
Herbert replies, “Yes sir!”
John yells, “YES YOU DO!!! Now start playing”
Sniffle-gus said, “What were the rules again?”
John answers with a hint of madness, “You can never stop playing this game!”
Sniffle-gus replies, “I mean what do we have to do?”
John yells again, “YOU MUST CAUSE MAYHEM AND CHAOS TO MY FATHER AND EVERYONE ELSE!”
Toby yawns, “Sounds really boring, also won’t we get in trouble?”
John is annoyed now, “NO WE WILL NOT! I HAVE PERMISSION TO DO WHAT EVER I WANT!”
Ben, the shy one, “You don’t have to yell at us. We are just trying to stay out of trouble, and see what we need to do”
John, “I’M NOT YELLING! I’m just making sure everyone can hear me! Now just start the game and do not stop.”
Everyone yells, “ALRIGHT LET’S DO IT!”
The six people that took part in this game split up in three groups. There were three groups of two. Ben and Toby split up together; Sniffle-gus and
Sniffle-gus and
Now the last group, which was John and Herbert, went out to destroy the town. John convinced Herbert that everything they were going to do was necessary, and had to be done or the town would be destroyed.
It is ironic that they want to destroy the town so the town won’t be destroyed. It doesn’t make sense, but let’s figure out what happens.
John convinced Herbert to go and torch every house that was twenty feet from his fathers’ house. After Herbert torched all of the houses that were near John’s house, he waited for instructions to do anything else. While Herbert torched the houses, John went around taking anything valuable from the fleeing smurf’s. John’s father did not notice anything going on for some reason, maybe it was because he was to busy with work, who knows the exact reason. John then ran over to his house and dropped off the valuables, and got his dads attention when he did this.
“Son what are you doing?”
“I’m playing a game dad!” John screamed.
“You will stop this nonsense now!”
“You said I could play whatever I wanted!” John said.
“Well if I’m going to be in trouble so are; Herbert, Ben,
“What? You had them help you with all of this? Just because you’re my son doesn’t mean I won’t kick you out of this town!”
“You wouldn’t even dare do that!” John furiously yelled.
“GET OUT OF MY TOWN AND TAKE YOUR FRIENDS!”
“FINE! I’ll never come back!” John said while running out of the door.
Now you think of little blue people, you think of nice people who wouldn’t hurt anyone. Well these smurf’s were different, they didn’t want to listen to anyone, well John didn’t. Basically this story wants to tell you that you should listen to your elders, because they have lived life and have seen most things. They know what they are talking about, so listen to them, and do not get into trouble.
Baseball in the Savanna
As I lead my safari tour-group its way across the vast savanna of Africa in our long, open aired jeep, we began to feel a faint rumble. Off in the distance was a pack of zebras sprinting through the planes with a few lions close behind.
“This reminds me of a tale,” I told my sightseers, “about the King of the Savanna and a cunning zebra.”
Andre the lion had just woken up from an afternoon nap and he had hankering for a snack. There were plants here and there, but ever since he was a cub Andre refused to eat his vegetables. He took pleasure in eating a freshly cut steak; cooking it would make the meat lose its flavor. Andre lived alone in the savanna; a wife and kids would only prove to get in his way. After looking around, he finally caught a glimpse of a herd of zebras grazing to the north, oblivious to Andre’s presence.
“This is too easy,” thought Andre. “I might as well get my wine out of the cellar now.”
Lightly stepping through the tall grasses, Andre picked out the most succulent looking zebra, which happened to be quite a ways away from his companions. With a big grin on his face, Andre crouched down then quickly exploded into the air, landing on top of the zebra, pinning him to the ground.
There was a reason this certain zebra was alone. He went by the name Cornelius and he was educated in all subjects ranging from animal psychology to African mathematics. Cornelius dropped out of school the year before at the age of three. He claimed he became bored with his studies since his educators weren’t able to teach him anything new. Therefore, Cornelius spent most of his time on the outskirts of the herd, reading books and grazing. However, on this day his studies could prove to be his downfall.
“Sir Lion, you don’t want to kill me,” Cornelius calmly explained while Andre held each of his legs flush to the ground.
Andre was in a good mood so he played along. “Oh? And why is that?”
“Where’s the sport seizing me and slicing your claws across my neck? A reasonable lion would make it a fair fight.”
“And how do you propose I make this a fair fight?” laughed Andre. “You are but a weak zebra, and I am a brawny, fearless lion.”
“Let’s play a game,” proposed Cornelius. “Anything you want.”
Andre pondered for a moment. It had been a while since he had been in a competition. Back in high school, he was the star player for the Zambia Zippers baseball team. “Ok, we’ll play a game of baseball; one-on-one. If you somehow win, I let you go free and I’ll never bother you or your herd again. But when I win, I’ll be having a candlelight dinner, with you as my main course.”
With a nervous gulp Cornelius agreed. “How hard could baseball be?” thought Cornelius. “It’s just physics, right?”
So the game began with Cornelius on the mound and Andre at bat. Cornelius picked up the ball and threw it towards the plate. Gearing back his bat made of the finest Baobab wood, Andre smashed the ball so much force that Cornelius knew it was useless to chase after it. Realizing he needed to adjust his game-plan, Cornelius picked up a new ball a studied it. He looked at the horseshoe shape of the seams and reasoned throwing the ball with more backspin would achieve greater velocity and throwing it with a sideways spin would move air around the ball in such a way that the ball would curve as it got towards the plate. So Cornelius tried his fastball. The ball zoomed through the air with such a velocity that any cheetah would be impressed. Andre swung his bat, but the lack of contact with the ball forced him to spin around in circles. Flustered for the rest of the inning, Cornelius made three outs, only allowing the one run to Andre.
Being the first time Cornelius has swung a bat, he wasn’t sure of the proper technique. He swung and made contact with the first pitch. It went ten feet into the air and landed in Andre’s giant paws, allowing him to not move an inch. The same thing happened on the next pitch. Considering every aspect he could, Cornelius rationalized that if he rotated his lower and upper bodies at different times he could get much more power. So his next at bat, right before he made contact he rotated his legs and hips, then while making contact he turned his arms and torso. The combination looked like someone let go of a twisted spring. All of the power that was stored up was released and the baseball went sailing over Andres head. He was in shock as Cornelius ran around the bases for a homerun.
Snapping back to reality, Andre got the third out by making a spectacular over-the-shoulder catch some 400 feet away from home plate. Andre’s once confident ego was hardly bruised or battered by Cornelius’ use of intelligence to keep him in the game. Andre still believed he was the better brute by far. Over the next 8 innings the game was neck and neck; neither beast had the advantage.
It was the top of the ninth inning with the score tied 37 – 37 and even though Cornelius refused to give up Andre was still confident he would win. With two outs one strike left for
Andre, he said, “You think you’re so smart don’t you zebra? But do you want to know how I became the four-time MVP on my high school team? It’s because of moments like these. Just watch”
Cornelius knew he had to come up with something special at this point. Instead of throwing his fastball or curveball, he dug into his arsenal and decided to go with the knuckleball. He reared back and let the ball go. It floated through the air rotationless. Andre’s eyes got big. Licking his lips, he threw his bat at the baseball. At the last moment the knuckleball dropped almost straight down and Andre missed it by a good foot and a half. Three outs.
Fueled by his frustration, Andre went to the mound and started throwing BBs. “You ignorant zebra, do you honestly think you can beat me? You’re weak. Not even your own herd likes you; your only friends are those books you read.”
This hit Cornelius hard. He was fed up with others making fun of him. Cornelius tightened his grip on his bat, squinted his eyes and said, “Pitch…the ball.” Andre let the ball go with tremendous speed, but the ball came off of Cornelius’ bat even faster. The ball went high and far. Andre sprinted to catch it. The ball kept going and going. As a last stitch effort Andre dove straight out, fully extending his body. However, it wasn’t enough. The ball landed and rolled away. All the while, Cornelius raced around the bases and scored the winning run.
Andre was true to his word. He let Cornelius go home. Cornelius believed he would just go back to his books, still lonely, but what Cornelius didn’t know was that his entire herd had been watching him and admired his courage.
“And there you have it folks,” I told my safari group, “Andre’s overconfidence was his weakness. Cornelius returned turned to his herd with new friends that raved of his heroicness, and Andre went home, lonely and hungry.”
Misinterpretation of a True Beauty
Once upon a time on a far away tree branch lived a caterpillar named Layla. She lived with her mom, dad, and baby sister underneath their leaf home. Layla went to school at Caterpillar High which was several leafs down from her home. She was several weeks from graduating and going on to the next phase of her life, so she tried not letting anything get in the way.
Layla wasn’t the normal teen. She was a big girl, and she wasn’t the prettiest at her school. However, she was the most beautiful girl on the inside and didn’t try to be anyone else. She was always happy-go-lucky in the morning, but by the time she got home from school, she was torn to shreds by her peers and couldn’t stop crying.
“Why me?!” Layla cried out to her mom. “You, Dad, and Baby Sister are all so tiny and pretty! Why am I the complete opposite?” Her mom held her tight, and Layla just couldn’t stop crying. Soon enough her mom’s whole shirt was soaked with tears.
“Honey, it’s not about what’s on the outside. It’s about what’s on the inside, and that’s why you are a beautiful person,” her mom explained.
“No Mom! The others don’t see that. They see me as an obese caterpillar that they can just make fun of all day long.” Layla didn’t like her appearance, but her mother was right, it’s not about that. She knew that she wanted to be herself, and didn’t want to be someone she wasn’t. She believed that true friends are the ones that like you for who you are on the inside, so she didn’t consider any of those who gave her such a hard time, her friend.
Graduation was a week away, and Layla just couldn’t wait. She was still without any friends, but she always had her family by her side. She didn’t care what others thought about her anymore because she figured karma would come around.
“Mom, I just want to thank you for giving me the talk about how beautiful of a girl I really am. True beauty is hard to find these days because no one can just be themselves. It seems like they are always trying impress others, and I’m not that kind of a caterpillar,” Layla said.
“Well, I’m so glad you listened to me because I don’t want you to change anything about yourself. Good will come your way eventually, sweetie!” Mom responded.
Graduation day finally came. Layla was ready to become an adult and just couldn’t wait much longer, like normal teens these days. She graduated at the top of her class and received many awards.
After graduation, she was so tired and went straight home. She got in her nice, cozy cocoon, and stayed in there for several days. Her parents and her baby sister waited for her to come out. “Crack! Pop!” All of a sudden this big, beautiful butterfly came out of the cocoon. Mom and Dad were in awe and no words came out of their mouths at first.
“Mom, Dad, Baby Sister! How do I look?” she asked with great enthusiasm.
“Oh baby, you are the prettiest girl I have ever seen!” her mom yelled out with a big smile one her face. Layla looked at herself in the mirror and saw just how beautiful she really looked. She was very pleased and knew that who she is now was what she was before. The only difference was the outside appearance. She was true to herself the whole time which created a beautiful outside appearance.
She went outside to show the world her new self. She didn’t recognize any of the kids who went to her school. They were all dull colored and just plain ugly. She realized it was because they were all ugly caterpillars on the inside, and now it is showing on the outside which turned them into moths and not butterflies. Layla learned that true beauty is what is on the inside and not what is necessarily on the outside. Beauty is often misinterpreted, but remember to look what’s on the inside to see what beauty lies within.
Layla wasn’t the normal teen. She was a big girl, and she wasn’t the prettiest at her school. However, she was the most beautiful girl on the inside and didn’t try to be anyone else. She was always happy-go-lucky in the morning, but by the time she got home from school, she was torn to shreds by her peers and couldn’t stop crying.
“Why me?!” Layla cried out to her mom. “You, Dad, and Baby Sister are all so tiny and pretty! Why am I the complete opposite?” Her mom held her tight, and Layla just couldn’t stop crying. Soon enough her mom’s whole shirt was soaked with tears.
“Honey, it’s not about what’s on the outside. It’s about what’s on the inside, and that’s why you are a beautiful person,” her mom explained.
“No Mom! The others don’t see that. They see me as an obese caterpillar that they can just make fun of all day long.” Layla didn’t like her appearance, but her mother was right, it’s not about that. She knew that she wanted to be herself, and didn’t want to be someone she wasn’t. She believed that true friends are the ones that like you for who you are on the inside, so she didn’t consider any of those who gave her such a hard time, her friend.
Graduation was a week away, and Layla just couldn’t wait. She was still without any friends, but she always had her family by her side. She didn’t care what others thought about her anymore because she figured karma would come around.
“Mom, I just want to thank you for giving me the talk about how beautiful of a girl I really am. True beauty is hard to find these days because no one can just be themselves. It seems like they are always trying impress others, and I’m not that kind of a caterpillar,” Layla said.
“Well, I’m so glad you listened to me because I don’t want you to change anything about yourself. Good will come your way eventually, sweetie!” Mom responded.
Graduation day finally came. Layla was ready to become an adult and just couldn’t wait much longer, like normal teens these days. She graduated at the top of her class and received many awards.
After graduation, she was so tired and went straight home. She got in her nice, cozy cocoon, and stayed in there for several days. Her parents and her baby sister waited for her to come out. “Crack! Pop!” All of a sudden this big, beautiful butterfly came out of the cocoon. Mom and Dad were in awe and no words came out of their mouths at first.
“Mom, Dad, Baby Sister! How do I look?” she asked with great enthusiasm.
“Oh baby, you are the prettiest girl I have ever seen!” her mom yelled out with a big smile one her face. Layla looked at herself in the mirror and saw just how beautiful she really looked. She was very pleased and knew that who she is now was what she was before. The only difference was the outside appearance. She was true to herself the whole time which created a beautiful outside appearance.
She went outside to show the world her new self. She didn’t recognize any of the kids who went to her school. They were all dull colored and just plain ugly. She realized it was because they were all ugly caterpillars on the inside, and now it is showing on the outside which turned them into moths and not butterflies. Layla learned that true beauty is what is on the inside and not what is necessarily on the outside. Beauty is often misinterpreted, but remember to look what’s on the inside to see what beauty lies within.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)