Creative Writing Magazine, August 2015 ("I'll Call it ... 'Circle'")

7/24/2019 Creative Writing Magazine, August 2015 ("I'll Call it ... 'Circle'")

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Ill Call It ... CIRCLE

strange, funny, sad, thought-provoking, challenging,

shocking, emotional, joyful, beautiful writing

from Charles River Creative Arts Program

August 2015


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1

Ill Call It Circle

Creative Writing from Charles River Creative Arts Program

August 2015

Three poems by Jocelyn Sabin, Maddie Vanech, and Izzy Lockhart (Poetry Plus). . . . . . .Train Journeyby Nina Kahn (Stories, Scribbles, and Spirit Animals). . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Memoir pieces by Christina Falkowski (Story of my Life) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Poems by Izzy Lockhart (Poetry Plus) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Stories by Rachel Alpert-Wisnia (One-a-Day Writeamin) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Stories by Roxanne Glassenberg, Serena Almy, and Katherine Lambert (S/S/S) . . . . . . . .An Excerpt fromLeela and Charlies Squid-tastic, Dog-lled Play of CompleteAmazementby Nicholas Chiasson and Roxanne Glassenberg (Playwriting) . . . . . . . . . . .Poems by Nyaja Childs (Poetry Plus) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

A Pantheon of New Gods (S/S/S) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .A Nonsense Play andBean Cassarole Busby Leah Koritz (One-a-Day Writeamin) . . . . .My Table by Maddie Vanech (Poetry Plus) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Your Ever-Fragile Life and Something Important by Jocelyn Sabin (Poetry Plus) . . .Memoir pieces by Joshua Rosenberg (Story of My Life) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Kindness/Identity Crisis/The Click Momentby Shmilly McIntyre (Apprentice Program) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Ode to the Swing by Maddie Vanech (Poetry Plus) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .How My Rocket Work Now?by Maia Kahn andDuck Partyby Chloe Pratt (S/S/S) . . . .Journalby Leah Koritz (One-a-Day Writeamin) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .An Excerpt fromAutomaton Bandicootsby Nicholas Chiasson (Playwriting) . . . . . . . . . .Assorted stories and drawings (S/S/S) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Excerpts from two plays by Roxanne Glassenberg (Playwriting) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Thou Mayestby Maddie Vanech (Independent Advanced Creative Writing Project) . . . .Walters Very Complicated Discovery (And the Events That Go Along With It, IncludingThe Loss of Feeling in a Certain Girls Leg)by Leah Koritz (S/S/S) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Two stories by Serena Almy and Roxanne Glassenberg (S/S/S) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .About the Classes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Back Cover: Stone by Snow Boyd Vigil (S/S/S)

Writing Department FacultyWalker AndersonLauren BlackLaurel Durning-HammondAnna OehlkersSimenesh Semine

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After Virginia Oldoini, Countess de CastiglioneA Portrait Study

Shell place the lens on the mahogany vanity

Her almond-shaped ngernails will trace its intricate carvings

Shell remove the chunky diamond from her small nger-

Letting it rattle to a resting place

Shell unwrap the smooth pearls from her neck-

Draping them over the ornate edge of her mirror

Shell nd a soft scrap of cloth-

Wiping the rouge from her cheeks and shine from her lips

Shell remove each carefully placed pin,

From her soft spiraling hair

Slipping into a dress without frills and lace,

Shell become part of the scene

With the shy bowing of her head,

Shell walk the streets alone

And none shall notice the openness of her Eyes

-Maddie Vanech

Of Life and Death

The rafters creak under weight

The dingy rope threatens to break

Last breaths sputter out

Accompanied by the sour taste

Of regret

Last tears fall to the oor

Mixing with the dustOf listless

Days on end

Last thoughts spiral to the stars

Singing sadly in solitude

The Morose cry

Of maybe

- Jocelyn Sabin

An Uncomfortable Diamante

Itchunbearable, needy, invisible

scratch, restrain, scratch

becoming a rash, developing into trees

tumbling, resting, sprouting

seedy, eye-catching, monotonous

Acorn

-Izzy Lockhart2


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Train Journeyby Nina Kahn

She is on a train, taking a ride home from her day job. Her hands grip a cup ofcoffee, some of which has spilled onto her overcoat. Her head is leaning against thecold glass of the window, her hair spilling out of its braid. The woman is in her earlytwenties, wearing wine-red lipstick and thick black lines on her eyelids. She doesnt caremuch for makeup, but she put it on that day anyway.

The coffee cup is half empty now and she has taken off her coat, revealing awhite button-down shirt and jeans. Its the shirt she found on a riverbank, a blood stainspreading on the front, but strangely, no puncture in the fabric could be found. Itsnow her favorite shirt. A pale woman sitting in the row next to her is wearing an almostidentical one. This one has a deep slash on the left. The two smile at each other almostas if they were old friends.

A round-faced young woman with twinkling blue eyes and red hair pushes atrolley down the aisle, full of chips, drinks, and snacks. The woman with the coffeeselects a bag of avorless crackers, but only eats a few before looking back out thewindow. A small town is nestled on a hill. The houses are small, arranged in a circlewith white roofs, each one a different color than the next. Some house lights are on,some arent, but she cant see any silhouettes or hints of inhabitants. How curious.

Munching once again on the crackers, she takes her cellphone out of her jeanspocket. She turns on the power to see her background; herself sitting on a mountain,overlooking a pink and orange sunset while another girl drapes her arm around hershoulders. Shes an old girlfriend, but the wallpaper is still there, even though theybroke up years ago. She still loves her. She types in her password (2483) and clicks on the camera setting. She takes apicture of the town passing by and puts the phone back in her pocket. This has been aparticularly long train ride, and shes getting bored.

Taking another sip of coffee, she observes her fellow passengers; an elderlywoman, squabbling away at nothing, the pale woman, a group of schoolchildren, anda teenage girl who keeps looking over her shoulder. Now that she has observed, takenpictures, slept, and eaten, shes irritated and tired. Not even her coffee is perking her up.A strange shadow passes just inside her periphery, startling her slightly, but just enoughfor her to notice the other oddities aboard. A stain on the carpet, still wet, a nest of birdssuspended in thin air above the trolley womans head, a raccoon hiding under the seats.Perhaps she is delirious from sleep deprivation. Its denitely that, she thinks. Drumming her ngers on her thigh, she looks at her empty cup of coffee,acknowledging the overwhelming taste of menthol in her mouth. Its most likelybecause of the many cleaning products used to spiff up the train interior.

Now its midnight, and she has been on the train for longer than usual. Shesstarting to get annoyed. Suddenly, the old woman stops her babbling. Her withered old head coated inwhite hair moves slowly, almost mechanically, behind her. The gaggle of children

look back at her and mumble something unintelligible that sounds like Russian. Whatfollows is a high pitched, hollow scream. The two parties turn away from each other.

Her mouth is agape. She looks down, her cup now lled with black tea. Just as sheis about to drink it, the liquid and the plastic cup became scorching hot, and the teaturns a murky wine red and foams. She shrieks, dropping the monstrosity to the oor. Looking around for help, she notices that no one is left on the train but her, not eventhe trolley lady. The most recent stop was a half hour ago.

But perhaps the strangest thing so far is that she hasnt ordered tea this night. Shell denitely be back for tomorrows ride home.

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Communicate With Animals

by Christina Falkowski

If I could communicate with animals,

I would talk to my dog rst because I want

to know what Daisy, my dog, wants from

me, if she wants a treat or her food. And I

would ask animals what do you want, what

can I help to do, do you want a treat? Do

you want to play? And lots more. I would

love to have that power. Would you like

that power? It would feel magical and lots

more. What would you feel like if you had

that type of power? I would also take a nap

with animals, including my dog. If theres

something about to happen I would knowbecause of the animals. They would tell me

because they wouldnt want me to get hurt.

They are like my best friends. I trust them

and they trust me. That is why I would love

to communicate with animals.

First Day of School


One day, it was a school day and I

was putting my backpack down in the line.

But then, I saw the mokey bars. I was so

scared I would not go near them at all. It was

like thunder and lightning, thats how scared

I was. But the next day, I tried to do the

monkey bars, but I cried because I could not

do it. I was sad, upset and mad at the same

time. So then, it was two days later and I still

could not do it. But then, the next day, I did it!

It was an awesome feeling to do somethingyouve never done before and face your fear.

So then I liked the monkey bars and I was not

scared anymore. I was brave, and powerful

and awesome at the same time.

THE END

If I Had a Power


If I wanted a power, I would freeze

people and stop time. I could have fun and

cut people in line for lunch. I would love it a

lot and I could unfreeze my friends so we can

play together. We would do pranks and lots

more like drawing moustaches on peoples

faces. I would also unfreeze them when we

cut lines and ate our lunch. Would you like

that power too? I know I would of course.

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Bing

It appears to be an ordinary

window

though all the bright colors

phase been wrapped tightly

in a gray lm of grime.

Plants peer precariously

over the window sill,

the prospect of tumbling over

undeniable.

Behind a sheer

pane of glass, an invisible handhas swept aside a curtain

like the tresses of a genteel

ladys ball gown.

There should be a face

cautiously peeking

out the blemished glass

but only black consumes

the slice of open.

The self of the portraitis hanging off the draped cloth

with her mysterious doppelganger.

Mere reections

but

they seem so much more.

Freezing

Stars

are like

falling into ice water.

Cold and distant

until feet replace headand you are rushing towards them.

A moment of suspension

allows for pondering

the bright dots.

They evolve

into hot spheres of gas

burning into luminescence.

Then esh meets frigid

water becomes liquid skythe stars are once more

shards of ice.

3 A.M.

At 3 A.M., Awake dragged me

to the surface of my restless slumber

and my eyes burst open

with a small gasp of air.

Darkness sat at the foot of my bed

conducting the orchestra of cicadas,

his inky ngers grasping

a shadow baton

until the humid breaths of Dawn

rolled me over into sleep

the second time that night.

Poems by Izzy Lockhart

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7/38

Tim the Turtle

Hello! I am Tim the Turtle. Today I started making a snowman. I rolled a small, tiny snowball in thesnow until it became the size of 5 soccerballs. I put it on the ground and made another snow sphere, this time abit smaller. I then SLOOOOWLLLLYYY brought them into my house so I could keep an eye on them when Iwent to nd my engagement ring. I was going to propose to my girlfriend! Shes a human. All of the sudden, Ispotted one of the balls rolling toward me. I dropped the ring and the diamond fell off! I shouted as it bounced

onto the giant snowball. Right when I was about to grab it, my girlfriend walked in. Baby! I screamed. Ineed to talk to you! I sat her down on our bed and got down on one knee. Tears of joy dropped from her eyes.Hagetha Witchy Witch Witch, will your marry me? I asked her.

YES! OF COURSE! She screamed happily. She put out her hand, waiting for the ring. I gulped.Uuuhh. I said.WHERE IS MY RING?!?! She screamed.R-r-right over here honey. Ill go get it, I said, pointing to the hallway. The snowballs and diamond

were gone! I glanced outside and noticed a snowman wearing a ring. I ran over to take the ring when thesnowman dashed away from me. I chased him. But I had no luck, Im a turtle. I cant chase him. He snickeredand ran into an underground house. The gate closed as I pouted and walked home. My girlfriend was waiting forme at the door. She scowled.

WHERE IS MY RING??!! She screamed.

I dont have it. I replied.OMG WE ARE THA-ROUGH! She slapped me and slammed the door.Honey, you forgot your coat! I called after her. She walked back in and grabbed her coat.Thank you. And DONT call me honey. She slammed the door and I knew I was doomed to die alone.

She was the only one who would accept me for who I was. A slow, small, green turtle. And now she was gone. Icried until I drowned in my own tears.

Practical PoemAuthors Note: I walked around campus asking campers questions. I then scrambled the questions up into apoem.

Donald Trump is making us eat those squishy brains.That guy with a beard will ascend to a higher being.Not Santa, not Mike Haas, but God.Cake hates Santa in your mouth.You will die at peace nowhere. Yet you will never die.After you die, Mirandas around campus will steal your wallet.

Cavity Con

Hello. My name is Walker Anderson and I am obsessed with fruit. I went to Cavity Con in hopes of there

being fruit in the stands. When I arrived at the convention, I went straight to the snack bar. There was no fruit! Al

they had was toothpaste and oss! So, I walked over to the intercom. I punched the man working the intercom. I

sat down.Fellow Dentists. If you have any apples, please bring them to the intercom, I announced. I had dentists

all over complaining.

I dont have any apples! Why would I have a fruit that keeps doctors away? I like doctors! One man

said. I punched that man.

Another man walked up. Apples get stuck in your teeth and cause cavities! Let me check if you have any,

he said as he pulled out a pair of tweezers. I backed away and punched his face. I walked away, angry. I collected

fruit till I was literally swimming in apples. By the end I had 3,553,27 apples and 300 tubes of toothpaste. P.S

Only two men gave me apples.

Rachel Alpert-Wisnia

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ComplaintsBy Roxanne Glassenberg

Im in a cage next to the oven. Im in a cage next to the oven and it smells like pie. Im in a cage nextto the oven and it smells like pie and I think I have a wart on my foot. Im in a cage next to the ovenand it smells like pie and I think I have a wart on my foot and theres food on my shirt. Im in a cagenext to the oven and it smells like pie and I think I have a wart on my foot and theres food on my shirtand I have an itch I cant scratch. Im in a cage next to the oven and it smells like pie and I think I

have a wart on my foot and theres food on my shirt and I have an itch I cant scratch and I cant stopthinking about unicorns and my hair feels too oily. Im in a cage next to the oven and it smells like pieand I think I have a wart on my foot and theres food on my shirt and I have an itch I cant scratchand I cant stop thinking about unicorns and my hair feels too oily and my pen broke and sprayedink everywhere and when I sleep I have nightmares and I think I have a booger hanging out of mynose and my anklet is poking me and Pusheen scares me and I have an ingrown toenail and I thinkI missed the season nale of Gravity Falls and I think that I being possessed and my legs hurt and Ithink Im getting the u and I have a song stuck in my head and I feel like someone is breathing onmy neck and Im getting sick of complaining!

By Serena Almy

The GlumpfBy Katherine Lambert

In the year 1 million, a scientist crossed the DNA of a pig, a salamander, a tarantula, and a cat. The result wasa pig/salamander/leg-messed-up/cat thing, or Glumpf, as the scientist called it. The scientist, Dr. Bob, lovedhis creation, even when it broke loose of the high-security laboratory and destroyed everything in its path.Fortunately, it escaped into a barbed wire enclosure. Also, it was only 2 high, so all it destroyed was 3 bladesof grass. Eventually somebody accidentally stepped on it.

THE END 7


9/38

An Excerpt fromLeela and Charlies Squid-tastic, Dog-lled Play of Complete Amazement

A Play by Nicholas Chiasson and Roxanne Glassenberg

Leela and Charlie are two unlikely friends who meet in a magic shop and immediately hit it off. This is a scene

that takes place in their science class.

MR. TREPIDATION: Okay class, today well be dissecting squids. Youll be working in groups of four. Have

some gut-tastic fun.

LEELA: Hey, Charlie, can you pass me the tweezers for removing the tentacles?CHARLIE: I dont think that were supposed to remove the tentacles.

LEELA: Um, like, we denitely are. Pass me the tweezers.

CHARLIE: Im almost positive that we dont remove the tentacles.

LEELA: We most denitely do. She picks up a squid and holds it out menacingly.

CHARLIE: What the heck are you doing?

LEELA: Im telling you that youre supposed to remove the tentacles! Have some squid, I dont care what you

do with it.LEELA throws the squid at him.

CHARLIE: Okay, what? This is really ticking me off.

LEELA: It should be! Youre just being stupid!

CHARLIE: Wait, this seems weird. I feel like this happened before.LEELA: You know, I actually agree. But that doesnt mean that Im wrong.

CHARLIE: Okay...chill.

LEELA: How can I chill when youre telling me not to remove the tentacles? The tentacles get removed!

CHARLIE: Wait, rst can we just gure this out? Because if we both think that this is deja vu, then this is like,

weird.

LEELA: Weirder than how peoples feet can be? Because peoples feet can be weird. Trust me, I know about

this kind of thing.

CHARLIE: Wait, did you go to Tiny Babys Kindergarten Science Buddies camp?

LEELA: Uh, yeah I did. But I remember that I got expelled for some reason. My mom doesnt really mention it

that much.

CHARLIE: Okay, I think that we got in this same argument twelve years ago.LEELA: Yeah, we started throwing squids at each other and ended up being expelled from the camp!

CHARLIE: What the heck? This is crazy.

LEELA: Oh my gosh, I was so little. I cant believe were having the same ght again! This is absolutely the

weirdest thing that has ever happened to me. And Im an aspiring foot doctor. Ive seen a lot of weird stuff. You

can trust me on this.

CHARLIE: Well, that was a longish time ago. So wanna just like, chill?

LEELA: Yeah, I think its ne. Lets ask Mr. Trepidation if were supposed to remove the tentacles or not.

CHARLIE: Ok, sure. Whoever is wrong has to buy the other person an ice cream after school.

LEELA: Mr. Trepidation, are we supposed to remove the tentacles or not?

MR. TREPIDATION: Yes, of course you are. Continue working.

LEELA: Ha! I told you so. Now, I like my ice cream with chocolate sauce and marshmallow uff and caramel

sauce and sprinkles

CHARLIE: Aw, ne.

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10/38

TODAY IS LIKE.

Today is like fresh paint.

Fresh paint is like a new car just bought.

The cars engine roaring like a lion waking

up from a wonderful nap. Today is like the bright colors of

the rainbow. Today is like fresh paint, GREY, BLACK, PINK.

Fresh paint is feelings of gloominess, depression, and ecstasy

Poems by Nyaja Childs

Feelings!!!!

Feelings have a mind of their own.

Feelings can make you sad, mad, happy, scared, or even hurt.

Feelings can make you laugh, cry, or maybe even both.

Feelings can be outspoken or shy and scared at times.

Feelings so enthusiastically introducing themselves to random strangers.Feelings hiding and nowhere to be seen

PLATE

SO shiny showing your sparkles so vividly when cleaned.

Scrape, Scrape taking food remnants from your surface.

You are a very important part of my life. You allow my food to be on you.

You allow yourself to be dirty even though sometimes you disagree with some things I do

to you. So thin and so fragile.

PLATE!!

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CHALTA, ANIMAL GODBy Brigid Traub

Chalta, Son of Summer/Rivera, twin of Carrona.His cat is named Skye. He is the animal God of

Loika. He is a Cat/Human/Fairy/Goat hybrid.

God of ClocksBy Chloe Pratt

The God of clocks gives the gift of a free pocket watch and theability to know the time whenever you want to! This god does

have punishments too, though. One of them is: whenever youclose your eyes, you see a clock counting down to your death.

By JuliaFitzgerald

God of Clogged toiletsBy Roxanne Glassenberg

Powers: To clog or unclog your toilet at will andto suddenly heighten your sense of smell.Why you pray: If you dont, you toilet will beforever.clogged. Bum bum bum.Preferred sacrices: Your time, energy, andappetite.

A Pantheon of New Gods

Created by Stories, Scribbles, and Spirit Animals Class

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12/38

By Roxanne Glassenberg

Goddess of all-around fabulousness.Powers: Mind control, conjuring an army of zombie poets,bent on world domination. (But thats another story foranother day.)Why you pray: OR ELSE!Preferred sacrices: Lots and lots and lots of printed

dresses!

By Maia Kahn

The God of Comfort Food has the power to make anyyummy, simple food appear from thin air and bringsdeliciousness to all who worship him. If dishonored, hewill curse you with eternal health food.

Denise, Shane, Jeff, Herman, and Lucy

Entity of Bat Mitzvah PartiesCreated by Nina Kahn

By Maia Kahn

Georg

God of Bad Puns

Created by Nina Kahn

Todd

God of No Air Conditioning


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13/38

Goddess Of Internet Celebrity Cats, TartarCreated by Katherine Lambert

Whenever Tartar feels a cat is worthy of internet-tionalcelebration, she instantly causes an event that makes the cat aninternet celebrity. Every time you post an internet celebrity catjoke, she welcomes it as a sacrice to her. Unless you are makinga mean joke about the cat. Then, she hates you, and will makeyou think every internet celebrity cat joke is mocking you, so youslowly go crazy from thinking the whole world is against you.

Febreeza

Goddess of Air Conditioning


Created by Boyd Snow Vigil

By Maia Kahn

This is the God of DIYs. It is agiant oating mason jar with pipecleaner arms and button eyes,wrapped in a string of holidaylights. It is frequently totingnumerous DIY supplies at once.It rewards its followers with Etsymemberships, yarn, glitter in everycolor, and an in-home Michaelscraft store for the truly committed.It takes offerings of homemadepaper banners, chalkboard-painteditems, and many more crafts.

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14/38

A Nonsense Play by the One-a-Day Writeamin Class

Scene One

Sherbert: Its real, I swear! I heard about it at Bingo Night!

Clyde: Well okay. Youre my best friend, Sherbert.

Sherbert: Clyde, Im in a really weird situation. I really need your help on this buddy. I - Im wearing a dress!

Clyde: So you have a singing mushroom. Its a little weird at rst but once you get used to it, its about as weird

as showering with your tomatoes.

Sherbert: What? That doesnt even make sense!

Clyde: You mean the vegetable?

Sherbert: Anyway my real dilemma is that I really want to eat the mushroom, but how can you eat a

mushroom that sings?

Scene Two

Sherbert: We used to be friends, Clyde. What happened?

Clyde: Its the hot dog situation. You remember, right? Now I know what a true hero is.

Sherbert: Happy birthday, Clydie!

Clyde: You know I hate it when you call me Clydie! My name is Clyde, remember?

Sherbert: Of course I do, Clydie! Were twins! And, arent you going to wish me a happy birthday?

Clyde: Dont eat it. You can go back to the store and just buy more, bring the mushroom to the local high

school, set up all the hurdles in the gym, and put on a show!

Sherbert: Why not? They respect me andlove Christmas!

Bean Casserole BusLeah Koritz

Worst Invention In the World: Bus Made of Bean Casserole. There have been countless accidents in the BeanBus, since there are no windows, and no window shields. It is like blind driving. It is like driving a car withblack paper all over every window. Just today, a Bean Bus knocked down three buildings, but then again, it is3015, and everything is made of carboard/plastic. Stupid plastic! Horrible cardboard!

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15/38

My Table

My house is eggshell yellow

white trim graces the window sills and door

a white picket fence encircles the articially

green grass

In my housethe tables legs reach for the glistening chandelier

above

we dont have chairs, we just sit on the smooth

wood oor

At my table

the blue and white porcelain dishes, piled high

with food

balance on the four unwavering legs

My family

serves themselves slowly, no one dares disrupt the

balance

none want to send dishes and food tumbling down

and crashing over us

We dont talk at mealtime

our words could cause the porcelain to shatter

change in the silent stillness means something

will break

It is comfortable

and natural

the silence and balance calm us

Our table has always been like this

I cant imagine using a table in a different way

Last night I had a sleepover

Her house is robins egg blue

white trim dances round the window sills and door

a white picket fence encircles the sweetly green grass

In her house

the table stands rmly upon its four legs

six sturdy chairs surround it

At her table

the pink and white porcelain dishes, piled high with

food

dont need to balance, they sit comfortably on the

tabletop

Her family

laughs while they serve themselves

their dishes dont need to balance

They talk at mealtime

stories of the day are shared, the food is

complemented

laughter through full mouths wraps the room in

warmth

It is comfortable

and natural for them

they delight in the clumsy chatter

I asked her why their table was upside down

She was confused

she told me her table was right side up

she cant imagine using a table in a different way

-Maddie Vanech14


16/38

Your Ever-Fragile Life

I couldnt live without you

I just dont know what Id do

If you were eaten by a tiger

On our next trip to the zoo

And if you someday soon

Drove a golf cart off a cliff

Id likely go there too

And quite discretely slip

If on your trip to Turkey

The plane was going down

Id die right there and then

If you began to drown

For our lives are quite connected

For better or for worse

To be completely honest

It really is a curse

I live in constant fear

Of your ever-fragile life

I cant feed my echidna

Instead I live in strife

Still I couldnt live without you

I dont know how Id die

If suddenly a baby grand

Fell on you from the sky

Something Important

The back of my hand is covered with skin

Stretched over long splintery ngersThe light blue tint that surrounds it

Makes the pulsing pink veins pop

Three spindly ngers with three sticky joints

End at long deadly nails sharpened to an edge

Perfect for pointing

I remember the back of my hand absolutely

Though what one forgets is hard to pinpoint

Poems by Jocelyn Sabin

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17/38

A Trip to the Basement

by Joshua Rosenberg

I was walking down the stairs to the old

building basement. The stairs were making creaking

sounds when you walked on them. The rst thing I

saw was the stone wall covered in spider webs. Thelights were ickering. I walked left. I saw a wall lined

with old lockers. Then I saw a room and it turned out

to be an ofce. I saw that there was a room full of

tables. Then I walked into a room full of power tools.

Then I went back up the stairs. The end.

Letter to My Future Self

by Joshua Rosenberg

Dear future self,

Me again! First off do you have to wear those odd

white strips over your teeth because you arent

brushing them? Ok, enough of personal hygeine. I

really like crcap, oh, I mean remember how muchyouliked it! Anyways did you get into a good college?

Oh, and you probably rememberM_____ she was

so anoying. Oh, but Jane and Sarah :)#@%$#&^**(

See you not later,

Joshua

Sand Box

by Joshua Rosenberg

I was in preschool and I was building a sand

castle and then this kid kicked it and the sand got in

my eyes so I went to the emergency room. Then they

washed it out and it was ne.

16


18/38

1. Kindness

Before my 10th birthday, I didnt understand kindness

I mean, I knew giving my last piece of dark chocolate cake to my brother was kindness, or letting myparents choose the movie, but I never really understood how one simple act of kindness could changesomeones life.

I remember that day like it was yesterday,

Only yesterday had sticky ice cream and a raging band lled with counselors,

But not really all counselors because soon enough I was invited up onto the vibrating stage

To sing a happy birthday song to me with a voice that was stronger and more powerful than my own

Except the words happy birthday were replaced with Born This Way and everyone on stage movedtogether not as individuals but like one machine

And the singer dressed in all black with colorful tattoos sang with me telling me to be who I am andthat different is okay

I looked down at the camp that I love dancing and singing words I didnt know but knew were true asif they would follow me over a cliff

And in that moment I forgot about all the people compelling me to change, all the people that mademe want to be someone who was not me

And I looked at this singer dressed in black and realized that one small act of compassion changed mylife

And I hope that kindness will touch your life the way it did mine.

The following are three moments from my camp experience that changed my identity and who Iam, rewritten as a collection of poems. Without these specic memories at camp, I would not be theperson I am today.

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19/38

2. Identity Crisis

Funny isnt itI took a class describing how I felt about myself,

Hoping that maybe trying on different identities would help me nd my ownAnd yet stillI was the daisy in a eld of tall, beautiful, long haired, pretty eyed, rosesRoses that wore long ball gown dresses covered inSequence that sparkled like stars,Perfect owing wigs,and spotless makeupWhile I modeled a fat suit and a beard.I know being Santa Claus isnt the most graceful, beautiful, amazing thing to be, but truthfully I amnone of those things.

But walking onstage into the blaring light and hearing youI forgot all about how I hated different and I forgot all about the sounds in my head telling me to bejust like everybody elseAnd I listened to the sounds of the camp that I love laughing and cheering me onAnd you told me to accept myself and to love my individuality

18


20/38

3. The Click MomentMagic ows through Production every year,The group becomes linked together like magnets,But thats not why this time was different.

The lights blinded me as I stood onstage in my lavender dress with light pink butteries that looked asif they wanted to y away they were so uncomfortable

The audience clapped like seals as a character in the play discovered that she shouldnt have to hideher family to her new friends, and that she shouldnt be scared of peoples opinions

because she has two moms.

And time froze.

Looking around at the rest of the cast dressed as if they were going to a ball,Looking around at the audience, anxious for their next chance to applaud,Looking at the band smiling and laughing as if it wasnt the end of summer,Looking at the lights as if they shown for only me,

Looking at the camp that I love

I became that girl,

I became the girl who would no longer let tall dark shadows push her family around.the girl who would not let voices on the news makes her feel ashamedthe girl who would ght until her loved ones were accepted.

I became the girl who was proud of her family.

And time unfroze.The bands blasting music resumed as the audience continued to applaud the closing number

And only I knew that my life would be changed forever.

-Shmilly McIntyre

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21/38

Ode to the Swing

my childhood

is made of wood

it creaks and it sings

as it swoops and swings

My Fatherhad cut a long splintering board

from a fallen oak

his rough, stained hands sanded the plank

to a gentle understanding of the world around it

Hed coated it in shellac - a thick skin

to take pounding rain

heavy snowfall

scorching heat

and screaming lightning

If I had a Mother

she mightve insisted

in covering the smooth pure surface with thick reserved paint

but my father was happy to let the board remain itself

Using coiled rope

that would never snap

my father suspended the board

from the sturdiest branch overlooking the lush grass

that tumbled down from our backyard to the valley

The breeze

would tickle my bare, pink feet

as I looked over the world beneath

With a pump through the sticky summer air

I could kiss the clouds

while looking over

The owers

that shouted blue and yellow and pinkThe trees

that held up the pale blue sky

And the birds nests they held

carefully crafted cradles

of smooth delicate eggs

brushed in creamy colors

Bugs and Frogs and Birds

created a chorus

and the sound of rushing water

echoed through the serenity

though I never found its source

For my whole life

Ive been happy to add the creak

Of the soft wood and tightly twistedfraying rope

to the symphony below

But until now

Id forgotten to thank my Father

For the Swing

-Maddie Vanech

20


22/38

Duck Party

Okay, so Im going to tell you about a duck party. Every year, there is an annual duck party, but one year theduck party went seriously wrong. A goose came to the party.

So it was the year 1371, when annual duck parties became a thing. They were started by a duck namedDuckie D. Ducker. He sent a message to all the ducks that there was a duck party taking place during the nextweek. He even sent a message to the Ugly Ducklings family. But the party got delayed 1001 times, so it tookplace in the year 1999 on New Years Eve. By this time, most of the ducks who were invited to the party hadpassed away, and the Ugly Ducklings mom was very old, so she sent the Ugly Duckling and his 2000 siblingsto the party by themselves. But, the Ugly Duckling was now a goose, so technically the Ugly Goose was sentto the party with his 2000 siblings by themselves. When the Ugly Goose walked in, all the ducks shoutedMurder that bird! Kill him! and the Ugly Goose got hung on the disco ball until he starved.

-Chloe Pratt

How My Rocket Work Now?a story inspired by picture telephone

by Maia Kahn

Jeremy the robot sat down on his work stool, defeated. Another dud. This was his 57th time testingout his rocket ship, and he still had no luck. Jeremy had changed the engines, taken the ship apart and putit back together, and done everything he possibly could to make it work, but even after weeks and weeks ofexcruciating, frustration-fuelling tedium, he was unsuccessful.

Everyone said Jeremy would never build a functional rocket all by himself, and they also taunted himbecause of his awed speech programming, which prevented him from using proper grammar when he spoke.Why this unfair? he sighed. I work hard on my rocket but my rocket no work! He felt hopeless.

Just then, his friend Jessica came around the corner. Hello, Jeremy, she said. How is progress comingalong on your rocket ship? I hope it is going well. Jessica had perfect speech programming. Jeremy hated that.

Nothing happen! he cried. I try and change rocket so many time, but it not work!Well, maybe you havent tried everything yet. You could---Yes, I have! I try no more. Is pointless. Jeremy began to cry (he cried robot tears, which are made of a

special mixture of chemical uids that doesnt make the robot rust). He was sad that his rocket would never be asuccess. Now he would continue to be that one robot who cant talk right or do anything.

As Jeremy wept, Jessica took pity on his sorrow and tried to console him. Well, I think we should try to

make it work one more time. Just to see.Jeremy was certain it was hopeless. Why, after 57 tries, would his rocket ship suddenly function? But heobliged solely for the purpose of amusing his friend. All right, he mumbled as he stood up. But probably wilnot work. I try for you. Jeremy stepped inside the rocket and approached its control pad. There were rows androws of buttons, which operated hundreds of commands that, time after time, failed to do their jobs. Jeremysrobot hands passed over the many buttons, which included Fire Missiles, Activate Articial Gravity, andSwitch into Suspension Mode, Engulng the Vehicle and Everything Inside it in Suspended Animation for aPreviously Set Amount of Time... until he reached the most difcult and complicated operation of all:

On.For the 58th time, his nger came down on the button. There was silence.Dejected, Jeremy turned to face his friend. Me right, the robot spoke solemnly. It no work--He was interrupted by a deafening roar. Fire and exhaust blasted from the rockets engines, and the

vessel began to rise. Jeremy was elated. HOW MY ROCKET WORK NOW??!?!??!!?!!!!?! he shouted,running around and frantically pushing buttons. The ship dipped and twirled gracefully.

Congratulations, you did a good job, exclaimed Jessica.But Jeremy was so proud that her superior grammar skills had no effect on him.

EL FIN

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Journal

Leah Koritz

June 9, 2099

Im supposed to leave on an expedition tomorrow, June 10 at 4 AM. Im going on a journey with six

other people to nd out more about the island. We dont know what to call it. Nobody that we know of has

been there. For all we know, it could be another world. The six other people have been gathered from around

the world. We need the best of the best to explore the island. Max Snow is the only other American explorerwho will be accompanying us on the journey besides me. There is also Sherbert Jacobson-Merca. What an

interesting-sounding name! Also, Margaret Baymark is an explorer from France. The rest are from places not

more than a few hours away from Costa Rica.

For all I know, this island were going to could have nine-winged unicorns. It could have narwhals that

jump out of trees. The island seemed to have popped onto the map. Before, it was just many, many miles of

deep blue water. But, a year ago, when Martha Winke saw the place from a stunt airplane, we knew wed be

going from the beginning.

_____________________________________________________________________________

June 10, 2099The car will pick me up in six minutes. Now, Im waiting on the front step of the tiny, rat-infested

apartment Ive rented for the summer. I will be writing in this to keep notes of what Ive found - if anything.

The car is here. I take my backpack (lled with the bare necessities: toothbrush, clothes). There will be

everything else we will need for the trip at the station. The station/airplane will hold out food until its time to

exit the plane, and get onto the island.

______________________________________________________________________________

June 10, 2099

Were on the plane. We took off six hours ago. The ight is about sixteen hours. The plane is tiny,

somewhat like a ghter jet. Im sitting next to Jorge Benson, a talkative man with dark brown hair. He seems

nice. Hes a very young man. This was probably his rst real expedition, which makes me wonder why hesgoing on a mission that only the best of the best can go on. Ill keep you updated.

To be continued ...

One of the projects that we did was to make our very own continent. It could have anything

we wanted on it. After we made the continent, we were supposed to write anything we wanted

about the continent. I chose to do a journal by someone named Aaron Dune.

22


24/38

An Excerpt fromAutomaton Bandicoots

A Play by Nicholas Chiasson

This is the rst scene of a play about Robot Koalas and evil people.

In the beginning:

!#@$$%^%$%(*?4)%%**_--

(Robot koala ancient language)

Koala Town Mayor: KOALAS! Ourleaders cousins best friends shs past owners ex-wifes brother-in-laws

kid would like to say something!

Leaders cousins best friends shs past owners ex wifes brother-in-laws kid: Fellow oalas with a K at the

beginning! Us folks in Koala Town ARE THE ONLY ROBOT KOALAS LEFT!!!

All Koalas: NNNNNNNNNNNN OOOO OOOO OOOO

Koarnold Schwarzenegger: HASTA LA VISTA, BABY!!!

News man: Fellow koalas, we are all going to die so stop wasting your time watching TV and GO DO

SOMETHING FUN!

Narrator: Koalas were rioting, becoming cannibals, and protesting Earth. Also, the world is being destroyed by

Je- AhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhNarrator 2: He just got eaten by Je-

Mariachi Saratchi: HOLA, ITS TIME FOR YOUR BUDDY MARIACHI SARATCHI-

Narrator 2: Shut up, dude. Anyway to reiterate, the killer is Je- Wait a sec, I have got an itch on face. Okay, the

killer is Je-

Camera Man Of Koala News: AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAND Thats a

wrap, people. I think that Narrator 2 did a good job of telling the koalas EVERTHING they needed to know.

Je- (and because the news reporter never said his name the rest of Je- remains a mystery.) I will rain down on

Koala Town and later the universe FOR MY NAME IS JE- ring ding ding ring ding ding- Wait, Im getting a

call.

Random caller: Who is this?

Je- (and because the news reporter never said his name the rest of Je- remains a mystery.) This is Je- wait Imgetting another call.

Random caller: Hello, can I speak to Dork Face Stupidious Maximous?

Je- (and because the news reporter never said his name the rest of Je- remains a mystery.) Stop prank calling

me you !#@$$%^%$%(*?4)%%**. Sorry, those were some prank callers. Anyway, I am the president of the

DTWF or the Destroy the World Foundation. Anyways, what do you want?!

Random caller: I am the Robot Koala Leader! And anyways is WRONG GRAMMAR! You see, all I want is

for you to not destroy Koala Town, you !#@$$%^%$%(*?4)%%**_-- !

Je- (and because the news reporter never said his name the rest of Je- remains a mystery.) How do you know my

number?!

Robot koala leader: You know, that girl that is Karcellus Wallaces wife, who is going to take you to the Jack

Koala Slims Annual Dance Contest. Well, she is a koala in disguise as a human.

Je- (and because the news reporter never said his name the rest of Je- remains a mystery.) NOOOOOOOOOOO

OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO

OOOOOOOOO.

Narrator: And because Je- was preoccupied by saying NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO, the koalas enslaved every

human including Je-. Until this

23


25/38

Cat from Horror Movie

By Julia Fitzgerald

By Leah Koritz

My ZombieBy Brigid Traub

My zombie is in bedBecause he broke his head,and when he gets back up again,he shall be undead

Bunny

By Brigid Traub

Armadillo StoryBy Nina Kahn and Snow Boyd Vigil

Once there was an armadillo that was sad. She was tiny and lived in the cave where the dinosaurs lived.

Her cave was the best! One day, she went to the forest to get food, berries, and saw a pterodactyl. Ohwow! she said. She watched the pterodactyl eat some meat and then kill another pterodactyl. Eek! saidthe armadillo, running away quickly. She went to her cave. A dinosaur said, Hi, are you okay? Yes,snifed Hilda (the armadillo). But she wasnt. The dinosaur ate a leaf and then hugged Hilda. Itll be okay,the dinosaur said. The pterodactyl was looming in the distance, ready to strike again. I am Jasper and ImHUUUNNNGGRRRYYYY!! said the pterodactyl. Hilda ran, but it was too late for the other dinosaur.NOOOOOOO!!!!! she screamed and the pterodactyl ripped into her esh. Luckily, the armadillo got away.

R. I. P., Dinosaur Friend.

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26/38

The Hamburger who Hated Earth

By Julia Fitzgerald

Once, there was a hamburger named Hammyburg. Hammyburg was

born at McDonalds (in real life I hate fast food, so obviously I hate

McDonalds). Hammyburg was ordered by a little boy. Hammyburg,

then, was taken to a table to be eaten. As he was being lifted into the

boys mouth, Hammyburg jumped onto the table, grew arms and legs

and ran out the door. Hammyburg kept running until he reached amouse hole. The mice just stared in shock and fear as Hammyburg

stepped in. The mice pooped in fear and ran away. Hammyburg sat

inside the mouse hole and plotted his revenge on the burger-eating-

people-lled-world.

Five Years Later: Hammyburg had nally nished plotting his revenge.

He had a whole board of evil plots.

EVIL PLOTS TO KILL HUMAN KIND

1. Break into a science lab and steal their growing-chemical juice.2.Drink it and eat all the humans to show them what its like to be a hamburger.

3. Pollute the Earth

4. Stab the humans

5. Go to McDonalds, kick the door down, and shout, EVERYBODY FREEZE THIS IS A RAID!

Hammyburg walked to McDonalds and tried to kick the door down. Unfortunately, Hammyburg is a poopy-

weak-head. So, he just opened the door and shouted EVERYBODY FREEZE THIS IS A RAID!

*Cricket Sounds*

UGH, Hammyburg thought. He walked to a chair, sat in it, and plotted Something Different. Then,

Hammyburg realized that it was getting darker. He turned around. A big butt was leaning down on him.

SQUISH.

MuseumBy Brigid Traub and Maia Kahn

Once upon a time in a museum, there was a ghost. It was nighttime and some kids had wandered in. Thekids didnt realize, but they were not alone. Suddenly, the ghost started screaming and running around like a pigThe kids were confused.

Why is this ghost acting like a pig? one asked.I dont know.Is he crazy?

AHHHHHHHHHHHHHH - IM NOT CRAZY! he shrieked. I JUST DONT KNOW HOW TO ACTAROUND HUMANS! The kids started to turn into ghosts.

Why are we turning into ghosts? the kids exclaimed. Well, now that we are ghosts, we can hauntthe museum together. They had a great time haunting the museum, especially in 34001, when rebirth wasinvented.

WalkerBy Chloe Pratt

One day, Walker was running. Then he had a migraine and bumped into a telephone pole, but he kept running.All of the sudden he lost his whole upper body. So anyway, Walkers legs were running, and then the pants onthe legs ripped which made the legs trip. That led to a horrible and embarrassing scene for the legs.And the moral is: NEVER RUN WHEN YOUR NAME IS WALKER!!!!!!!! 25


27/38

An Excerpt fromHoarfrost and Kate


Hoarfrost Equinox is a frost spirit who falls, with no warning, into the life of one Katherine Gonzalez. Their friendship

develops and blossoms into something that is more like sisterhood. The following is the opening poetry and scene from

their rst adventure.

Kate: On a cool, fall eve she walks, treading softly through harvested elds and dried-up meadows. Her hair is as long as

the coming winter nights and the same color as the falling chestnuts. It is woven with the last of summers green creepers.

Her dress is green like a cool, still pond, and she wears bracelets of ushed ivy. She moves with such grace that the reeds

of the eld barely shift when she steps. For a moment, she stops and surveys a farmers plot. The remains of the last

pumpkins appear eerily luminous in the night-time. She raises her steadfast gaze upward. Up, up, up to the glassy sky.

Then, she thrusts her arms skyward towards the heavens. A single shaft of moonlight catches her eyes. She begins to oat.

She drifts on towards the town, gaining height as she goes. Soon, she is soaring, ying, gliding so high up in the autumnal

sky. The stars part ways for her as she moves steadily on. In the morning, the pond has a thin sheet of ice over it. The

grass in the town has a slight crunch to its usual lushness. And the meadow is covered in still, pale frost.

Kate: Okay, who are you?

Hoarfrost: I am Hoarfrost Equinox, bringer of yuletide, giver of light. All hail my-

Katherine: No, really. Who are you? Im Katherine Gonzalez. But never call me Katherine. Its Kate, and nothing else.

Hoarfrost: Im a season-bringer. A frost fairy. Basically, Im awesome! Oh, and you can call me Hoarfrost.Kate: Hoarfrost, season-bringer, whatever. What are you doing here? You look pale. Its the weekend; I dont want to get

sick...

Hoarfrost: No, I just fell yesterday when I was spreading frost and stuff...I guess Ive just been kind of stressed out lately.

Kate: Cheer up! Maybe I could help you?

Hoarfrost: I dont know if thats a good idea

Kate: Pretty please? Just one night?

Hoarfrost: Fine. Youre cute and funny. I like you. Grab hold of my hand

An Excerpt fromParadise


In the next and nal step of Kate and Hoarfrosts journey, the two go to visit Hoarfrosts mother in the magical kingdom

of Paradise. But while visiting the notorious Horizontal Equinox (Hoarfrosts mumsy), Hoarfrosts past sorrows are

unearthed. Kate steps in and helps Hoarfrost regain her mothers trust and her own self-condence. This the second scene

in the play.

Kate: Are you okay?

Hoarfrost: Im ne, sweetie. But being with my mom brings back some bad memories.

Kate: Like what? I mean, you dont have to tell me...Im just curious

Hoarfrost: No, no...its ne. See, I wasnt always the model child.Kate: Not hard to believe.

Hoarfrost: Dont interrupt, this my life here! Anyways, I was always asking questions and exploring the area of Paradise,

which was ne for awhile. But when my questions became rude, and stupid daydreams about exploring started to

get in the way of my school work, Mother was very mad. She had been a graduate of Firwood School on the other side

of Paradise and held education as a high priority. But you see...well I had to drop out of school. It just wasnt right for

me! But I knew I couldnt go back home, to this. Gestures around. So I hid for awhile until I got my nerve up and crossed

the River Fine. I didnt know my way around. Finally, I got a job in the human world spreading the frost. But on my rst

night, I fell from the sky and into your yard. And I just...begins to cry.

Kate: Oh, Hoarfrost! Dont worry, well get you through this.Falls on her and hugs her. Shhhitll be alright

26


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Thou Mayest

By Maddie Vanech

The Fairkeep Public Library was one of the most underappreciated establishments in the town. From the

outside, it blended perfectly into the faade. It was composed of rusted bricks, crumbling cement and chipping

white trim. The paint on the sign was dulling in the sun but Fairkeep Public Library could still be made

out in what once was bold red on forest green. The sign hung crookedly above the heavy brass double doors.

The librarian was a gentle old man, who licked the tip of his nger before turning the page of whatever dusty

volume he was currently working on. He peered over the dilapidated cover ofEast of Edenat the whoosh of thedoors opening.

Ah, James, here to returnMockingbird?

Not yet, Mr. Cromshell, I want to read the trial scene again.

Oh, yes of course you would. He cleared his throat with a deep rumbling sound, pushed his glasses

back to the bridge of his nose and resumed his reading.

James pivoted to the right, and expertly navigated through the bookshelves and desk tables, making his

way to the very back of the building. Upon reaching the last table, he heaved his backpack off his left shoulder

and pulled out a notepad and pen. He glanced at his wrist and the face ashed 4:17. He was early. School had

ended at four and James had stopped at home to grab a snack. His father was still at work and Stephanie had

went out to get groceries. James had no desire to join the Friday night hanging out of his classmates, so he wentto the library to meet his partner for the end of the year group project. He sighed, pushed his dark hair back

from his forehead and began scrawling out ideas for the endangered species group project, concentrating on the

possible animals instead of the conversation he was going to need to endure.

James looked up when he heard the front doors bang closed. He turned his head to hear better.

Allison Booker! Why, its been a long time!

Yes-um, sorry, Im looking for James Thompson? Her speech was sweet but rushed, echoing the rapid

state of her frenzied mind.

Are you a friend of his-

Oh no, were just partners for a school project, is he here?

Sure, dear - hes in the back, just past-

Philosophy Section?Yes-

Thank you!

She urried through the aisles and James put his head down, pretending to work on the endangered

species project.

Sorry Im late She tossed a blonde lock over her shoulder and plopped down on the chair opposite

James. Unzipping her backpack and pulling out a laptop laden with stickers, she said I had to talk to my dad

about something.

For half an hour? James mumbled without looking at her.

Yes, sorry, it was important.

Important? Like money? He scowled at his paper.

Allison glared at him.

Jamess writing sped up with his voice. Because not everyones rich, Alli, money is important to some

people. Not everyone gets their life handed to them in a banknote. He ended his sentence with a period that

became a passive aggressive ourish of his pen.

His words were harsh, and forced Allison to take a deep breath before she spoke.

He didnt do it.

Then who did? James said, meeting her pained brown eyes for the rst time.

How am I supposed to know?!

Well you seem pretty convinced that your dad hasnt been draining my dads bank account!

The two were silent. 27


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Whatever. We need to work on this project. You said you had to go at six, right? Meaning we only have

an hour?

She opened her mouth to plead her fathers case, then closed it again. Ya.

James showed her the list of endangered animals hed been compiling, and they briskly agreed on one,

and to make a poster. They divided the labor, then resided to their silent work on opposite sides of the tables

invisible wall.

The teacher had announced partners for the long-awaited 7th grade endangered species project the day

before, and the entire classroom had gone silent when James Thompson and Allison Booker were announcedas partners. Twenty-four sets of eyes had bounced between Allison and James and one could already hear the

gossip whispering around the school.

Did you hear that James Thompson and Allison Booker got put together?

Does the teacher know what Allis dad did?

She must! The whole town does! And I swear I saw her at the bank run.

You did not! It was crazy that day! I could barely see my mom in front of me!

I know! But I just feel like she was there, you know?

You should stop feeling and start thinking or were gonna fail this project for sure.

And the bell rang.

Allisons mom, Marilyn Lane Booker, ran the only hair salon in town. Upon opening the door to

Marilyns, a womans senses were bombarded with the jingling of bells, whirring of hairdryers and relentless

clucking chatter. The aroma was the tingling scent of hairspray, alluringly feminine shampoo and a unique

cocktail of various mousses and gels and dyes. The smell never seeped from the building and could never be

bottled and sold, though many women agreed that if it were a perfume it would surely break the bank. A man

was a foreign creature at Marilyns, and the town liked it that way.

Mr. Richard Booker, Allisons father, was currently Public Enemy Number One in Fairkeep, but it hadnt

always been that way. Mr. Booker ran the only bank in town, as his father had, and he had never once been out

of Fairkeep. He had met Marilyn Lane when she was fresh out of beauty school and exploring the many small

towns the Midwest had to offer. She was bubbly and kind. Her hair smelled of product and she was constantly

chewing pink bubble gum that matched her lipstick. With time, money, and a growing family, his tall stoic buildwould wilt under the layer of pudge that would spill over his shining belt buckle. His sugar-coated vocabulary

was still there, but it came out more slowly and grufy than it did in his youth, and his large strides had been

clipped with the hint of a limp. Hed captured Marilyns heart with the sweet tone that hed later pass on to their

daughter. But Richard Booker had been a sturdy, dedicated young businessman with blue eyes that danced with

motivation and long legs that took steps matching the speed of his thoughts when the two had met, and Marilyn

held the former him close. The eight Bookers had always been known as good, upstanding people, and model

citizens of Fairkeep. He was liked, respected and trusted, until the police chiefs bank account began to drain

with no explanation or record of withdrawals.

Shoot. Allison broke the librarys silence.

Jamess head snapped up What?

I just lost the paragraph I was working on.

James smirked, You cant just lose a paragraph, its either here, there, or gone. Like money.

She looked at him blankly.

It was supposed to be a clever jab.

Allison pretended she hadnt found him funny and rolled her eyes. Then she began to rewrite her

paragraph.

Jamess father, Ofcer Michael James Thompson, was new to town. Hed once been high in the ranks

28


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of the Detroit Police Department, but a bullet through his foot forced him into a prosthetic and retirement in a

far off suburb. But his love of the police force didnt keep him house-ridden for long. As soon as he got himself

used to walking and into spritely shape for 45, he applied for a job in Fairkeeps police department. He quickly

made his way up through the stations hierarchy, eventually taking over for the chief when he chose to retire.

The old chiefs right hand man, Brian Gussman, became Michaels trusted advisor, despite how much Brian

detested the sound of his superiors scraping metal foot.

Ofcer Thompson had once been married to a black-haired, blue-eyed woman named Sarah Jane. Sarah

Jane was like the summer breeze: she never settled and warmly provided comfort to all around her. She was

small and slight with tiny feet that seemed to dance. Their many friends in Detroit said it was like Michael hadcaptured a fairy in a glass jar, and just as Sarah Jane was under his spell, Michael was under hers. The two lived

in a hypnotic love story that seemed to suspend them both in eternal youth and happiness. Their toddler, James,

would stick his tongue out at them when he witnessed the whirlwind of his parents infatuation. Because of the

sickeningly sweet status of his parents, James never quite knew sadness in his earlier years. Everything was so

steady and calm to him. He had no siblings, but plenty of friends about the city, and his parents had minimal

house rules. Neither parent was home while James earned straight As, his father was busy climbing the ranks of

the D.P.D., and Sarah Jane was attending medical school with the money she made from modeling locally.

But now it pained James to recall this life. He could no longer remember the way his mother swept her

hair out of her face to kiss him on the forehead before he trotted to the bus stop each morning. He could only

remember how his mother had seemed to y, and one day she just fell. She had to drop out of medical schooland spend her time hopping between the hospital and her own bed. James wasnt told about her cancer, he just

stood by her bedside and told his mother what he had learned in school that day. But he gured it out when his

mothers sleek black hair began to fall from her head. The depression that fell over James made it seem that he,

too had lost his ability to y. His grades dropped, as he refused his assignments if he even showed up to school.

He began getting involved in things he knew were wrong, but he couldnt help himself, he just didnt care

anymore.

When Sarah Jane died, Michael wasnt sure that his son even noticed, for James was just as absent as

before. Without each other to lean on, both men resorted to coping mechanisms that wouldve made Sarah Jane

furious.

Aww!! Allison Booker cooed.What is it?

I didnt know the red panda was this cute! She turned her laptop around to show James the small

foxlike creature that looked nothing like a panda to him.

Cool.

Cool? Thats it? Come on James Thompson, she said mock seriously, lighten up.

James looked at her blankly, but smirked at his notebook when she went back to her work.

One morning, at around 3, the wind had howled coldly through Detroit and blown Michael into yet

another bar. He had to venture further and further from his home each night, as hed been kicked out of many of

the pubs in his area. He sauntered up to the blonde bartender, ordered a whiskey and winked at her, then took a

seat.

Stephanie Stenson was shaking a mixed drink when she noticed a new customer stumbling toward her.

She turned away to pour the drink, as she hated the sympathy she had for the struggling men that came in after

midnight. After popping a pink umbrella into the orange liquid with a shaking hand, she delivered the drink to a

shriveled ex-model crying over the beauty shed once possessed. Stephanie then turned to the new man slumped

over her mahogany counter. Despite the dark circles under his eyes and the saliva gathered dryly at the corners

of his mouth, he seemed attractive to her. His silvering brown hair was mussed but she could see it gelled into a

professional side swept style and he was sturdy, with long limbs and smooth features.

What can I get for you? Stephanie asked through peach lip gloss.

The man yawned and Stephanie could smell the booze dripping from his breath. 29


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Whiskey. The good stuff. He stared at her and blinked forcefully, as if trying to tell her something. He

was trying to look at her eyes only, and Stephanie wondered if he noticed the bruising that shed tried to conceal

beneath her eyeshadow and foundation. He blinked at her again, then stumbled backwards, trying to sit on a

barstool, nearly missing it and grabbing the edge of the bar for support before easing himself on.

Stephanie cringed and got Michael a large mug of water. Her hands shook slightly as she carried it to

him On the house, she said as she set it in front of him. He glanced down at it; the deep brown color of the

mug made the liquid look murky, so he shrugged at it and the bottom of the mug smiled at the ceiling.

Michael refused to leave, despite the bar closing at four, and Stephanie didnt want him to, as their

half drunken conversations had lled a void for both of them. Michael had just lost his wife, Stephanie hadjust gotten out of an abusive relationship. He was trying to be the head of the D.P.D. and she was trying to get

through beauty school, getting the money for it from moonlighting. That chilly night was the start of many more

late night conversations, and the absence of liquor from Michaels life. Conversations turned into dates and soon

enough the two were happily together, despite the almost 20 years between them.

James knew of his fathers relationship, but he was too absent to care, yet Stephanie was convinced of

her maternal instincts, even though she had no siblings and barely spent time with children, and she took an

interest in James. He had no opinion on her whatsoever, to him she was just another stranger walking past him

on the street. But when Stephanie and Michael got married, James was forced to acknowledge the woman who

had been living in his house for almost a year. He decided that he didnt hate her, didnt love her, and didnt

know her well enough to trust her or not, but she made his father happy again, which rubbed off on James andslowly pulled him out of the hole hed fallen into.

Balance had just returned to the familys life when Michael was shot. He and Stephanie decided that

the city wasnt the spot for them anymore. Since Michael couldnt be a police ofcer and Stephanie had just

graduated beauty school, they needed jobs. James wasnt happy about it- he had just readjusted and was content

once more, but he wasnt consulted and the family moved to the far off suburb of Fairkeep.

So, James broke the silence, I made a list of supplies for our poster.

Allison sat back in her chair, Lay it on me.

James read his list and realized that he didnt hate the girl across from him.

Cool, said Alli. Im free later tonight, we can go shopping then?

Okay, James said cautiously, Meet you at 8?See you then.

And they packed up their bags and parted ways.

On his walk home, James lost himself in his thoughts, as he often did. He knew he was an outcast at

school, but he didnt mind. None of the kids in this lame town would understand him anyway, so why bother

associating with them? He missed his friends in the city, and how if he wanted to go for a midnight walk the

locals wouldnt look at him like hed grown another arm. He planned to go to College for Creative Studies as

soon as he could. It would get him back home and on track to being a designer like he wanted. Everything that

wasnt part of his plan was irrelevant.

Though nobody knew of his plan, James peers acted as if they did. So no one approached James and

James approached no one. This included the once-popular Allison Booker. But now that Mr. Richard Booker

was the only suspect when Ofcer Michael Thompsons bank account was suddenly missing thousands of

dollars, Allison was an outcast as well, and seemed to have no problem associating with James.

James reached the front door of his small cream-colored house. He opened the front door, dropped his

backpack and called out, Dad, Stephanie, Im home!

But there was no reply.

Dad? James walked cautiously down the hall, noting that the bathroom was empty.

Stephanie? He turned into the kitchen.

His father spilled over the edges of a white stool at the counter. Despite his stature and dominance, over

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the chair he seemed small. His elbows rested on the polished countertop and one large hand covered his neck,

the other, his eyes.

Dad whats wrong? James was immediately at his side.

Ofcer Thompson inhaled sharply but didnt respond.

Wheres Stephanie? James awkwardly rested his hand on his fathers shoulder.

I dont know. He managed.

What do you mean you- It was then that James noticed a balled up piece of paper a few inches from

his fathers elbows.

James picked up the crumbled page of innocuous type and smoothed it out.$10,000 a week, and she lives. First payment Monday by Midnight. Leave the cash behind the dumpster

at Marilyns. Try anything funny, and you wont see her again.

***

(To Be Continued... xoxo, The Author)

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Walters Very Complicated Discovery (And The Events

That Go Along With It, Including The Loss of Feeling

in a Certain Girls Leg)

By Leah Koritz

Walters family was a prodigy. His father had

not won but invented the Nobel Prize. His mother had

won ten gold medals in the Olympics for swimming in

the 3090 Olympics and was planning to be in the 3094

Olympics, again. Walters grandmother had invented

the MediaWatch: The newest, fastest, watch that worked

as a phone, its face as thin as a piece of lined paper,

its touch as smooth as silk, its ability to work better

than the new car: the 2017 Flier: the rst car that could

y. Along with that, Walters grandmother had also

invented the Live200: a device that made you live up

to one hundred years longer than the average lifespan.

Thats how Walters grandmother had lived up to age two

hundred three. Walters grandfather had invented the Time

Travel 365: the rst, only, and best time machine. Hed

started working on it at age thirteen, but the problem was,nobody could recreate it because at age thirteen, he was

too naive to know to write everything he had done, and

every mistake he made. The Time Travel 365 had helped

countless numbers of scientists go back to the Ice Age and

to the time of the dinosaurs. Thanks to the time machine,

scientists found dinosaurs that had nine legs, a dinosaur

with only one arm, and many dinosaurs that were bigger

than any dinosaur on record. Unfortunately, when using

the time machine, Walters grandfather got stuck inside

and hasnt been found to this day.

Walter had thirty-two brothers, and one sister,

his oldest brother named Willard. Now, Willard was

rounding his thirtieth year, the last of being a teenager.

Willard was about to graduate college though he had

an offer from one of the most prestigious college in the

state ten years back. If he went then, he would have been

the second youngest person ever to go to college in the

Winterbottom family, after his father, Wilbert. Willard

had made one of the most important- and useful machines

that had ever been made in the past hundred years (said

by a doctor). The Time Predictor could tell what youd

look like in ve, ten, twenty, thirty, sixty, eighty, and one

hundred years. It had already been used countless timesin hospitals to detect cancer in thousands of patients,

and because of that, it had saved a countless number of

peoples lives. The machine had already been tested many

times and had always proved to work. Many people had

said that the way Willard was inventing things, hed win a

Nobel Prize by the time he was fty!

Walters other siblings had invented many

machines and thought of many new innovative ideas:

some that could predict the weather (it was one hundred

percent accurate), a special kind of water that could

change your mood It went on and on. The list seemed

to never end. But, Walter was different. He never enjoyed

science, he never could think of anything important to

invent, and even if he did, Walter didnt know if hed

have the courage to show it to anyone, being scared

his invention wouldnt live up to his sister and brothers

machines.

Walters whole family seemed to tune him out,

including his parents, who would never speak to him at

dinner, or ask him how his day was. They tuned him out

because they always wanted him to use the inventions, but

he never would. It isnt right. Is all he would say. One of

the only days of the year that they would try to engage him

in a conversation was his birthday, where they would make

him a special cake, and his favorite thing to eat: spaghetti.

But, Walter dreaded the time where he would get a present.

It would always be one of the inventions his brothers

or sister made. Sure, theyd be interesting, and sure, the

machines would work without faltering, but, Walter hated

those presents because he always had a bad feeling about

them. His parents always told him to use them after he got

them, and that was the time Walter would laugh nervouslybefore squeezing his eyes shut, and pressing the button to

turn the machine/invention on. Last year, his brother, Watt,

had given him the Mood Changer. The Mood Changer

was a series of twelve bottles: every bottle was a different

mood: happy, sad, scared, surprised, relaxed, and so on.

It made no sense to Walter why someone would want to

feel scared or sad. When his parents had told him to drink

the potion-like concoction, Walter had closed his eyes and

dumped the drink into his mouth. He hoped for the best and

tried not to think of the worst: the water-like drink would

poison him. When he tried the concoction, it had tasted like

a mix of baking soda and water, with too much salt added.

But, because Walter wanted to get over with the Presents

part of the day, he hadnt looked at the scrawny lettering on

the bottle: scared. Before the drink kicked in, he thought

What could I be afraid of? Its my birthday! It turned out

there were many things he could be scared of. Suddenly,

he was scared of his parents, his sister, and brothers, his

birthday He seemed to be scared of everything. He

didnt turn back to normal for three days.

Walter was a short boy for his age: around ve

feet, his eyes a deep shade of green, his face the shape

of an oval. His hair was a shady brown color, differentfrom the rest of his familys bright blond hair. The rest of

Walters family was tall, with dark brown- almost black

eyes, their hair such a bright color blond it seemed as if it

had been dyed. Walter was an outcast in almost every way,

including his looks, and it started to bother him, especially

the fact that nobody could see that there was a dark side to

these new inventions.

A few days ago, Walters third youngest brother,

Wilson, had used the Time Traveler, and once he came

back, he seemed different. Wilson seemed to be taller, and

he had refused his favorite dinner: frise salad. A few days

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ago, Wilhelmina, Walters sister, came up to him and said

Somethings wrong, Walter. You were right. It was only

then when he looked up at her. A wheelchair was where

she was sitting, her usually bright blond hair fried into

a black bob. Her eyes- usually brown, were a white-ish

color. The light and spunk that used to make her who she

was seemed to be gone; drained out of her.

Okay, was all Walter could say. He just

stared at her. What had happened to his younger sister?

Wilhelmina was the youngest of everyone in the family,

and Walter felt it was his job to take care of her. He was

the only one that ever paid attention to her, even if she

didnt pay much attention back. He was the one that

stayed up late watching movies with her when she wanted

to have a sleepover.

I was using the time machine to see grandma

and grandpa, Wilhelmina took slow and heavy breaths

between each word, and, I got stuck in between the two

realms. Thats what happened to my legs. When I was

stuck between the realms, my legs wouldnt work, so I had

to use my hands instead of my legs to walk. The rest of itis from the MediaWatch. It zapped me when I was about

to take it off. I think youre right, Walter. I think everyone

else is crazy. We need to do something. Wilhelmina

closed her eyes briey and wheeled off to her room.

Walter followed. He couldnt let her in there by herself,

being in the condition she was in.

We need a plan. To stop all of this. Said

Walter, as his sister managed to get onto her bed without

falling.

Okay. We need a plan. Wilhelmina closed her

eyes, this time to sleep for ten hours straight. She woke

up at four in the morning. She wheeled over to Walters

room.

Walter. We need to look in the basement.

Theres a room in the basement thats locked. I dont

think anyones been there for a long time. Lets go. But

Ill need to slide down the stairs, or you can carry me

down. Wilhelmina said. She looked tired though shed

been asleep just a few minutes ago. Walter was tired,

and he wanted to stay in bed, but he knew he had to

help Wilhelmina. Walter slowly got out of bed, and they

walked down the stairs into the basement.

Walter hadnt been in the basement for whatseemed like ages, so what was down there surprised him:

a series of six doors, all on the left side of the room. The

last time Walter had been in the basement, there were only

two rooms, one locked, and one room with couches and a

television. Now, as Walter opened up each and every door,

most were lled to the top with storage. One was a tiny

room with a couch, but nothing else was inside. As Walter

tried to open the last of the six doors, he found that the

door was locked. This had to be the one Wilhelmina was

talking about. He looked around. Where was Wilhelmina?

Wilhelmina? Where was she? He scanned the

hallway. One of the doors was open, despite the fact that

hed closed every one of them. The one with the couch.

There was a slight noise coming from the room. Walter

tiptoed over to the room, careful not to wake the rest of his

family.

Wilhelmina? Are you there? He peered inside.

There she was, on the ground, using all her might to move

the couch.

Yes. Can you help me? Walter realized what

she was doing. There must be something behind the couch.

What are you doing? Youre crazy! Walter

tried to pick his sister up, but while doing so, she managed

to hold onto the couch, and behind the couch was a door.

I knew it! I knew there was something behind

there! We have to go in! Come on, Walter. Wilhelmina

was like a little kid, begging for ice cream, except, Walter

wouldnt give in, unlike when you wanted ice cream. He

wasnt going in. It was simple as that. He just wasnt

taking any chances.

No. Its not safe. We cant. Im not letting you.

He wasnt going to let his younger sister get hurt again.Maybe the time machine was just the beginning. Maybe the

worse was yet to come.

Come on, Walter. Youve always been the

one trying to stop everybody from using the inventions.

Now, all of a sudden, you dont even seem to care. Its like

we switched places. Come on, Walter. Are you scared or

something? Walter considered this for a minute. No, he

wasnt scared that he would get hurt. He was scared that

she would get hurt.

Im not scared. I just dont want you to get

more hurt than you already. I mean, look at you. You can

hardly move! You shouldnt be doing this now. You should

be asleep, I mean, youre twelve years old, and its four

thirty in the morning. Seriously! Walter said. He stared at

her.

No. Im going in. I dont care if youre not, but

I am. And, by the way, I can move. Im not stuck in this

chair. I can move. And with that, Wilhelmina crawled into

the small space. Reluctantly, Walter followed.

Books. Books. So, so many books. Books of

all shapes and sizes. Books of all different weights. Books

with widths of a foot long, and some as small as yourhand. Books with covers so gory they shouldnt be allowed

for children to see, and books with just a rainbow. Books

with words, books with just pictures. Poems, thrillers,

romances, and so many more. But, what Walter found was

a bit weird was a whole side of the large room lled with

books that had to do with one thing: technology overtaking

humans, and the world. But, it seemed the books were from

long ago, from the two thousand. There were DVDs of

documentaries about the new technology, which was the

iPhone.

Why? Thought Walter. it seemed so strange that

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there would be a whole wall lled to the brim with books

like these. Walter examined a large couch that seemed to

have been sitting in a corner for decades while Wilhelmina

scrounged around the bookcases.

Look, Walter. Wilhelmina motioned for

Walter to come over, her voice barely over a whisper.

Walter came over, and she pulled out a disc from a case.

On it read, The Problem: Erased.

What does it mean? Walter asked Wilhelmina.

His heart was pounding, his hands were sweating so much

he thought hed drop the disc. Walter gave the disc to

Wilhelmina, and she inserted it into the tv across from the

couch. The tv was old, maybe one of the rst atscreens.

Now, they had air screens that worked so much more

efcient that the old atscreen. Air screens were invented

about fty years ago and oated in the plain air. They

didnt have to be held up by a stand or stand on the wall.

The movie started. A picture of a human, asleep stood

behind the words The Problem: Erased. A Documentary.

The movie started, and what Walter and Wilhelmina saw

for the next hour seemed horrible, and not at all possible.The summary was that in 2090, technology was

getting more advanced than ever. People were developing

new ways to do things, so much as even live. Their whole

lifestyle was changing, way too fast for their bodies

to adapt, so scientists adapted their bodies for them,

adding mechanical parts that made the way they walked

differently, the way they consumed food different, and

even the way they breathed differently. Walter had never

known that his body was mechanically altered, and he

was taken aback by it. He never knew that people used

to get tired when they ran a long distance and that people

actually had to exercise to be t, not just press a button.

One day, the circuit controlling all the mechanically

altered parts blew a fuse, and everybody who had the

parts put into them (which was 99.9% of the population

in the world) couldnt remember a thing. Everything

was reinvented, and new things were too, like the time

machine. But, every hundred years, there would be a

problem, a gap in the way people lived, but just a few

hundred. After about a thousand years, things would start

to go wrong, and what happened back then would happen

again.

This must have been the thousand year mark.Walter remem

Documents

Creative Writing Magazine, August 2015 ("I'll Call it ... 'Circle'")