NEW EDITION- AND IT'S A DOUBLE! HIP HIP HURRAY!

Magazine

A magazine by 9 and 10 year olds. Written by Samantha DoLitle, Rohan Silvdurso, Poppy Winfield, Rose Rham, Jacki Davis, and Eliza Newport with reporters Ara Makani and Clare Makani. Edited by Eliza Newport.

Welcome to the new edition! Hope you like it! We'll start it off with an article about tigers by reporter Clare Makani.

Tigers

Wild tiger numbers are at an all-time low. We have lost 97% of wild tigers in just over a century. Tigers may be one of the most revered animals, but they are also vulnerable to extinction. As few as 3,200 exist in the wild today.

         THEIR HABITAT

Tigers live in tropical rainforests, evergreen forests, mangrove swamps, grasslands, savannas, and temperate forests.

The largest of all the Asian big cats, tigers rely primarily on sight and sound rather than smell. They typically hunt alone and stalk prey. A tiger can consume up to 88 pounds of meat at one time. On average, tigers give birth to 2-3 cubs every 2-2.5 years. If all the cubs in one litter die, a second litter may be produced within 5 months.

Tigers generally gain independence at two years of age and attain sexual maturity at 3-4 years for females and at 4-5 years for males. Juvenile mortality is high however—about half of all cubs do not survive more than two years. Tigers have been known to reach the age of 26 years in the wild.

Males of the largest subspecies, the Amur (Siberian) tiger, may weigh up to 660 pounds. For males of the smallest subspecies—the Sumatran tiger—upper range is at around 310 pounds. Within each subspecies, males are heavier than females. Tigers are mostly solitary, apart from associations between mother and offspring. Individual tigers have a large territory and the size is determined mostly by the availability of prey. Although individuals do not patrol their territories, they visit over a period of days or weeks and mark their territory with urine and feces.

Across their range, tigers face unrelenting pressure from poaching, retaliatory killings and habitat loss. They are forced to compete for space with dense and often growing human populations.

Basic Fact About Tigers:

The tiger is the largest member of the felid (cat) family. The sport long, thick reddish coats with white bellies and white and black tails. Their heads, bodies, tails, and limbs have narrow black, brown, or gray stripes. There were once nine subspecies of tigers: Bengal, Siberian, Indochinese, South Chinese, Sumatran, Malayan, Caspian, Javan, and Bali. Of these, the last three are extinct, one is extinct in the wild, and the rest are endangered. 

Diet:

Tigers mainly eat amber deer, wild pigs, water buffalo and antelope. Tigers are also known to hunt sloth bears, dogs, leopards, crocodiles and pythons as well as monkeys and hares. Old and injured tigers have been known to attack humans and domestic cattle.

Population:

In the early 1900s there were around 100,00 tigers throughout their range. Today, an estimated total of about 3,000 to 4,500 tigers exist in the wild. Below is a break down of tiger numbers by subspecies.

Bengal Tiger: Less than 2,000

Indochinese Tiger: 750 to 1,300

Malayan Tiger: 600 to 800

Sumatran Tiger: 400 to 500

Siberian Tiger: Around 450

South Chinese Tiger: Extinct in the wild

Caspian Tiger: Extinct

Bali Tiger: Extinct

Javan Tiger: Extinct

Range:

Historic Tiger range ran through Turkey to South and Southeast Asia to the far eastern shores of the continent. Today, they are only found in South and Southeast Asia, China and the Russian Far East.

Behavior:

Tigers occupy a variety of habitats from tropical forests, evergreen forests, woodlands and mangrove swamps to grasslands, savannah and rocky country. They are mostly nocturnal (more active at night) and are ambush predators that rely on the camouflage their stripes provide. Tigers use their body weight to knock prey to the ground and kills with a bite to the neck. They are also very good swimmers and have been known to kill prey while swimming.

Tigers essentially live solitary lives, except during mating season and when females bear young. They are usually fiercely territorial and have and mark their large home ranges.

Reproduction:

Mating Season: In tropical climates, mostly from around November to April; during the winter months in temperate regions.

Gestation: 103 days

Litter Size: 3 to 4 cubs

Cubs follow their mother out of the den at around 8 weeks and become independent at around 18 months of age. They leave their mothers at about 2 ½ years. Mothers guard their young from wandering males that may kill the cubs to make the female receptive to mating.

Fast Facts:

Height: 3/3 ½ feet (.9 - 1.1m) at shoulders.Length: Head and body length 4.6 - 9.2 (1.4 - 2.8m) feet (tail length 2-3 feet (.6 - .9m).Weight: The Siberian tiger is the largest subspecies and males weigh from around 400-675 lbs (181-306 kg), while the Sumatran tiger, the smallest living subspecies, weighs in from around 220-310 lbs (100-136 kg).
Females of all tiger subspecies are smaller than males.Lifespan 10-15 years

Sound Clip:

• tiger.mp3

Range Map

this map shows you where tigers live today and before. 

Help us save these adorable animals!

Interview with Julia D

Topic: Dancing

Q: When did you start dancing?

A: I started dancing when I was two. They were offering a dance at my preschool and my mom signed me up. Every week we would walk to the dance class with one of the teachers. I loved it.

Q: Why did you start? What made you want to do it?

A: I wanted to try some thing new. Although it never felt new to me; it was like it was always there.

Q: What did you like most about dance class when you were little?

A: The music, the movement- I loved it all, and another thing that made it fun was that my friends were in it too.

Q: Now what do you like most about it?

A: Same thing as I said before!

Q: Do you think you'll continue doing it it in middle school, high school, maybe even collage?

A: Yes.

Q: Do you think when your an adult you might want to start dancing professionally?

A: One of my friend who's in high school was an amazing dancer. She got all the lead roles at my school. But she got injured so many times. She quit dancing to start looking for other opportunities and collages. On the other hand, my friend Melony is an amazing dancer (she's older too) and she goes almost every single day so yes.

Q: Where do you dance?

A: I dance with Mrs Kottely.

Thank you, Julia!

A Writer's Story

Interview with Beth Soltzberg, social worker and writer

Q: How old were you, where were you, and how did you decide to  write your first creative writing piece?

A: Well, I enjoyed writing when I was in elementary school.   But I spent most of my free time drawing and painting.  I wanted to be an artist when I grew up, not a writer!

And then, when my kids were very young, it was too difficult to get my art supplies out when I felt creative.  I was afraid that they'd get a hold of my paints and start painting the walls!  It was much easier to take out a piece of paper and do some writing.  This was in my mid-30s, and suddenly I felt I had a lot to say.  Writing helped me to sort out my thoughts, and it was just as creative and exciting as drawing or painting.

Q: Have you gotten any pieces published?

A: I've had two essays published.  One was one of the first I ever wrote, and I wrote it on my laptop plugged into the bathroom outlet at my friend's house, where I was babysitting for her children.  (The bathroom outlet was the only one that I could find!  I balanced my laptop on the sink.)  That piece was published in the Boston Globe.  And I had a piece published on www.mothering.com, the website of Mothering Magazine.  I've also had many articles in the Arlington Advocate.  I've written a novel that I hope to have published one day.

Q: What is your favorite piece you've ever written?

A: I loved writing a four-part series for the Advocate about amazing people whom I met in Teosinte, El Salvador, Arlington's sister city.  These people were very inspiring, and I enjoyed figuring out how to write about them in a lively way so that readers would feel they knew them.

Q: What kind of writing do you like? Do you like realistic fiction, fiction, sci-fi, or Fantasy? Do you like sad but meaningful pieces, or bright, funny, happy pieces?

A: I really liked sci-fi and fantasy when I was kid, but now I prefer writing that's about real people or realistic characters.  I like sad but meaningful stories, and funny stories.

Q: When writing, have you ever come to a point in your story or essay where you just don't know what to say next? What do you do then?

A: Yes!  I often get stuck. And then I know that it's time to put the writing aside and go for a walk, or wash the dishes – just to do something that takes my mind someplace else for a while.  Often I'll be doing something else, and suddenly a solution pops into my mind!  The most important step in good writing is revision, revision, revision.  I said “revision” three times, because really, it's something you have to do again and again!  It's really helpful to take a break and come back to your writing with a fresh perspective, both to help you figure out a way through these stuck places, and to spot ways to sharpen your writing.

Q: Who is your favorite author, and why?

A:  I have more than one!  I love Alice Munro's short stories.  They are about everyday kinds of things that happen between people, but somehow she makes them very suspenseful.  She is a master of dialogue – every word counts, so that if her characters have a conversation about the weather, you learn about their passions and fears, and you pick up on how they feel about each other.  I love Cormac McCarthy's writing – it's like poetry, although his plots are pretty depressing!  I love Virginia Woolf and James Joyce, who were writing about 100 years ago.  They were both interested in trying to convey how it feels to experience something in the present moment, even very subtle things, like being a child listening to adults having a conversation about something you don't understand, or biting into a piece of ripe fruit.  Their writing is so beautiful.

Q: What is your favorite book, and why?

A:  It's hard to pick just one, but I love “The Waves” by Virginia Woolf.  It's a very unusual book.  The whole thing is a series of thoughts expressed by a group of characters who are followed from early childhood through old age.  When I finished reading it the first time, I felt like I'd just lived a whole life!

Q: Do you have any writing tips for any young writers?

A: This would be my advice for those who enjoy writing, drawing, music, dancing or any other art form.  Don't worry about the finished product, or making a good impression!  I know that sounds strange, but you have to let yourself experiment and take chances.  The great writers that I mentioned, like Virginia Woolf, James Joyce, Cormac McCarthy and Alice Munro, are great because they never stopped pushing themselves to try new things.  You have to be willing to have some pieces flop!  And then, when you have a kernel of something that seems really alive to you, keep revising until whatever you like about it shines through.  Usually the key is to figure out what you really want to say.  If it's something that matters to you very much, then the reader will be excited to read it.

Thank you, Beth!

Questions With No Answers

Topic: Nothing

Question: Nothing is not there, yet it must be. Nothing is something, for something is everything, even though nothing cannot be anything.

How is this possible?

Answer: Nobody knows the answer, not even me

Question: If air and oxygen weren’t in the air, what would there be in the air? It must be something, because there cannot simply be nothing.

How is this possible?

Answer: Nobody knows the answer, not even me

Question: Is nothing a liquid or solid? Is it clear or a solid color?

How is this possible?

Answer: Nobody knows, not even me

Once there was a young girl named Leziana. She lived with her brother Kaladen and her parents, Ria and Sholen, in the Rimaat forest. One day she was out walking and she came upon a middle-aged man who was walking in the same direction she was going. The man's name was Hayahret, but Leziana did not know this.

"Pardon me," Leziana began, "But are you going to Jallitz just like me? Perhaps we could walk together." When Leziana spoke, the old man started, but when he saw Leziana, he jumped back even farther. But then he quickly recovered himself.

"I am going to Jallitz, soman-geneye."  " 'Soman-geneye,'  " Leziana thought, "He must be Bærtauren! 'Soman-geneye is Bærtauren for 'small girl', I'm sure of it!" Now, Leziana knew it was good luck to have met a Bærtaure. But the luck only came if you know his or her name. Leziana had always been nervous on the journey to Jallitz, fearing that a stranger would suddenly leap out at her, and Leziana was glad he had consented to walking with her. "Well, if we're going to be walking together, maybe we should introduce ourselves! I'm Leziana, the daughter of Ria and Sholen. What's your name?"

"When we are at Jallitz I will tell you. Now, we do not have enough time. We must set off soon. But may I call you Lell-ine-zet? It is an abbreviation of Lell-ine-zet-eye-ah-nahn-ah, which is your name in your language." The Bærtauren man replied. Leziana ignored the disappointment that swept through her. She had not expected the Bærtaure to give away his name, the Bærtaure's could be tricky at times.

"Lell-ine-zet." She echoed softly. The words felt new and slippery on her tongue. "Lell-ine-zet." Leziana repeated, louder this time. "Yes, I would love for you to call me Lell-ine-zet." So Leziana and Hayahret set off towards the city Jallitz, together.

If you had traveled from where Leziana is about two million miles, you would find a small village called Tiniysa. There lived Farax, the apprentice of the baker Piniat. Now, Piniat's breads and pastries were known far and wide. Everyday many people from miles around would come to his shop, The Tiniysia Terrace, to sample Piniat's delicious desserts. Farax was very lucky to be Piniat's apprentice. One day, a stranger from Jallitz came to The Tiniysia Terrace. He needed a baker to come back to Jallitz with him and stay there for one week to bake goods for a large party he was having to celebrate his daughter, Alaetsa's,  birthday. The stranger bargained with Piniat until they settled upon a price. So the next day Farax and Piniat packed up there things and began the three day long journey to Jallitz.

Meanwhile, as the sun sank lower in the velvet sky, Leziana and Hayahret set up camp beside the road. They still had another days journey ahead of them to Jallitz and they had to be up with the sun the next day. Leziana settled right into her bedroll in her tent and quickly fell asleep, but the Bærtaure sat outside his small tent and stared up at the sky. He could hear the soft whisper of the trees and he could hear the animals who had not yet fallen asleep prowl around. The wind whistled past him, headed where Hayahret did not know. Slowly, gradually, the sound of the animals lessened; the world was falling asleep. Hayahret slipped into the shadows of night, ducked under a low hanging branch, and stepped into the forest. There, he began his transformation. Hayahret's body bent forward, stabilized by his new extra two feet. His back tingled as gray, scaled wings formed on his back. He felt his tail swish around his back legs. He ran his hand over where his waist would be, now the place where his animal skin and human skin morphed. The wind swished around his bare torso as he straightened up. Twisting around slightly, Hayahret surveyed his new form with satisfaction. His wings molded right into his back, his four legs were strong and steadfast, and animal skin felt smooth and well groomed as always. He was now part Horse, part Bird, part Human. He was a Bærtaure.

That same night, Farax, Piniat, and the stranger who's name turned out to be Garadian sat around the campfire underneath the stars in the Deepshohn Wood, a forest that lay in between the Rimaat forest and Tiniysa, telling stories. Piniat told one about a legendary Bærtaure.

"Once, deep in the mountains of Haydin, there lived a Bærtaure named Low-Lind. Well, in her language, her name was Lellohwi-Lelleyenahndu. Quite a long name, if you ask me. But all Bærtauren words are long like that, but Bærtaure talk fast, so they need not worry about not finishing their long-worded sentences in time!

"But anyhow, Low-Lind had a young daughter named Fern, or Fayineretnahn. Her husband is named Hayahret, Har in our language. One foggy morning Low-Lind was walking in the Rimaat forest with Fern. Just then Fern saw a small movement in the bush besides her. Fern was a very adventurous Bærtaure, and she wanted to find out what it was. So she gently parted the bushes. There lay a small human child. Fern had never seen anything like it! She took it up and cradled it in her arms. Then she cantered back to her mother who was lagging behind.
" 'Widu!' Fern had cried to her mother. You see, Bærtauren children call there parents by the last two parts of their names, or if the parent has two main parts in there names like Low-lind, they call there parent by the last letter of each part. I know, quite confusing. But they all work it out. But anyway, where was I… Ah, yes. She had called out to her mother." Then, before Piniat could continue speaking, Farax broke in.

"Excuse me, but I've just been wondering… what do Bærtaure look like? Or is this maybe not a good time for this question."

"Son, that's a perfectly good question, and this is a perfectly good time for it. Let me see… They have long, slender horse backs, that are usually a honey-brown color or black. They have lovely, huge, silvery maroon scaled wings. They have a dark yellow tail. They usually are wearing something called Wind Silk, or Wieyenahndu-Soeyelellkef in their speech. They have long, long brown or dark blonde hair. Low-Lind had brown. They have black eyes, very pale skin, and rosy red cheeks. And let me tell you something about their Wind Silk- it changes temperature to keep them warm enough or cool enough, and it protects their whole body, even though it only covers their torso and is short-sleeved. Isn't that miraculous?"

"It is." Says Garadian, who has taken a liking to Farax like he were his own son. "And I think it's time for the boy to get to bed?"

"Oh, please just let Piniat finish his story!" begs Farax.

"It's not much longer." Piniat assures Garadian, and the latter consents to Farax listening to the end of the story. "So Fern just cantered over to her mother, yes?" Farax nodded vigorously. "'Widu!' Fern said, 'Lellohkef! Look! See what I found! It's a human girl! Can we keep her?'

" 'Well, duahret, darling,' Began Low-Lind, 'We must make sure she doesn't already have parents.' So Low-Lind and her daughter spread there huge wings and flew up over the tree tops, casting their eyes around, looking for anyone who might be related to the small human. You may ask, how is it that no one saw them up in the blue sky. You see, Bærtaures are only visible to children, unless the Bærtaure shows itself to an adult. At that time of day, all the children were at school farther away, so they were not a worry. Anyhow, back to the story.

'Widu, I don't see anyone! May we keep her? Pallelline-ahso? Please?' And so Low-Lind agreed to 'keeping' the small girl. She was named Lellinezeteye-ahnahnha, Lellinezet for short. In the human language, her name was Leziana.

"One day maybe 10 months later, Fern was taking Leziana for a canter, her first one. Fern held Leziana tight, so he wouldn't fall. Then she picked up a walk, a trot, and then canter! The wind whipped in Fern's long blond hair and Leziana gurgled with delight. Suddenly Low-Lind swooped down from above.

'Fayineretnahn! Fern! Slow down.' She said, and Fern slowed to a slow walk. 'I'm sorry, but I saw a women in the village today who looked almost exactly like Lellinezet, Leziana. I'm sure she is the girl's mother. We must take her back. Hand me the child and I shall do it.' But Fern pulled away.

"'No! Please. If we have to give her up, I will be the one to do it. I'm sure I can. Please?'
"'Very well. Leziana's mother comes into the forest about this time everyday. Go and meet her.' Low-Lind said. So Fern hastened over to the spot her mother had indicated and waited. Soon, a young woman who did indeed look a lot like Leziana stepped into the forest. Fern appeared to her.

"'Please don't be frightened! I only came to give you your child.' Fern said when the woman stepped back.

"'We found her in the woods and took her in. She's a very nice girl. We- we named her Lellinezeteyeahnahnha, or Lellinezet. In your language, Leziana.' Fern said quietly, holding Leziana out to her mother.

"'Thank you… so much for taking care of my baby girl for me!' The woman said, holding her daughter close. 'I'll keep her name Leziana. It's beautiful. I must go. Again, thank you…'

"'Fayineretnahn. I mean Fern.' Fern said. 'Fern.' The woman repeated. 'Please don't tell anyone of us. I mean me. Please!' Fern said quickly. Leziana's mother promised she wouldn't. They exchanged farewells an the woman turned away. Fern watched the woman walk away, tenderly cradling her daughter. Fern was sad, but she knew she had done the right thing." Piniat finished off his tale with a swig of wine. "And now, good night to y'all." He added, walking away Garadian and Farax followed him and then curled up in their individual bedrolls. They all fell fast asleep.

Hayahret galloped through the forest. The trees closed in on him, and each mile seemed the same as the rest, but the Bærtaure knew where he was going; it was a path he had rode many, many times. He galloped over countless acres of forest. Suddenly, he halted in front of a tree that looked just like the rest, all though if you looked closer you would see a small notch in the tree trunk. Hayahret opened a pouch he had brought with him and pulled out a long, gray, Bærtaure wing scale-feather. He carefully inserted it into the notch. Then, he drew a thick, maybe a yard long piece of silvery cord. Hayahret gently knotted it around the part of the scale-feather that was protruding from the bark and tugged. The Bærtauren scale-feather stuck fast in the bark. His test was successful. Then, Hayahret took the scale-feather, still in the notch, and turned it towards the right. It turned smoothly; somehow the bark was not stopping it, yet it left no dent in the tree. With a soft, whispering sound, a glowing outline of a door appeared on the tree. Hayahret pried it open, stepped into the door, and - was gone.

Leziana woke with a fast beating heart. She pulled on a bathrobe and hurried towards her companion's tent.

"I just had the worst dream," she said, pulling away the tent flap and ducking in, "Some people were plotting to-" Leziana suddenly realized that she was the only one in the tent. "Where are you? It's only me, Leziana- I mean Lell-ine-zet! Where are you?" Leziana's heart beat even faster. But her parents had taught her to keep a cool head at situations like this. Leziana rushed back to her tent and yanked on some clothes over her pajamas. She pulled on boots, grabbed a flashlight, and cautiously stepped into the shade of the forest. She shone her flashlight on the pine needle covered ground. And it looked like luck was hers tonight! Leziana gazed at the fresh hoof print trail that stood in front of her, leading in the forest. She took a shaky breath and ran off, following the tracks. left, right, Left, left, left, right, stop and look for more tracks, right, left, right again… Leziana developed a rhythm in the track. It sometimes changed, but it mostly was the same. In what seemed like hours, Leziana arrived at the notched tree. She didn't notice the notch, but she did notice how the hoof prints stopped right there. Leziana decided he must have flown up to the top of the tree, for she knew that Bærtaures had powerful wings, so she began to climb up. It wasn't that hard to climb it, the branches lay close together, but many were thin and she had to chose her branches carefully. In not long at all, Leziana had reached the top of the tree. (It wasn't very tall, and Leziana was a fast climber.) She scanned around her, but she saw nothing but leaves, branches, and trees. She sadly began climbing back down, thinking her Bærtaure friend might have flown somewhere else and he would just come back in the morning. One branch from the ground, she saw a large bird flying over the landscape below. It was very much a bird, however Leziana thought she had seen Hayahret! In her excitement, she lost her balance, and-crash! Came tumbling down. Suddenly, a hidden door in the trunk of the tree glowed gold.

"What in Bærtaure history was that sound?" Leziana heard a woman murmur. The tree door opened, and there stood a Bærtaure with long, brown hair, blue eyes, and a very surprised expression.

Hayahret stuck his head around Low-Lind's figure and stared, openmouthed, at Leziana.

"Lell-ine-zet, what are you doing here?" He cried.

"What did you call her, Hayahret? Lell-ine-zet? Is she our own little girl?" Low-Lind said quietly. The Bærtaure blocking the door, Leziana observed, always speaks quietly. I wonder why? A teenage Bærtaure came up behind Hayahret.

"Widu, my Wieyenahndu Soeyelellkef, my Wind Silk, it's getting so old. May I have a new silk?" She says. "Wait, who's that? She looks kind of familiar…"

"Fern, it's Lell-ine-zet, do you remember? The woods, in a bush, we flew to the treetops…?"

"Lell-ine-zet? I recognize her! If it isn't her, I swear Bærtaures are just a myth." Leziana's eyes grew wide. So many Bærtaures! And how did everyone know her Bærtaureian name? As Fern spoke, Leziana decided that that was it. She had to know what was going on.

"Wait, wait, wait. Will someone tell me what's going on here? Who are these… Bærtaures, and why does everyone know my name?"

"You don't remember us?" Low-Lind whispered.

"Why would I remember you? I never met you!" Leziana cried, backing away. Low-Lind had a dreamy expression on her face. Then she started talking. She was talking so fast Leziana could barely understand her.

"One day, I was going for a walk, with Fayineretnahn, with Fern. She found you lying in the bushes… We looked around to see if anyone looked to be your pallahretinenahntlas, your parents. But there was no one with such soft yellow hair, with such beautiful green eyes… So we raised you in the Bærtaure wiohretlelldu, the Bærtaure world. The months passed, and you grew to a delightful, adorable child. Everyone cooed over you, there were no other humans, let alone babies, in our Bærtaure clan. But one day, a woman with blond hair and beautiful green eyes came into the forest. We knew that she had to be your mayohtlahayineret. She had to be your mother. So Fern bravely handed you over. It was a sad time for all of us. We had lost the joy of our lives! But let us forget that. You are here now! Let us enjoy the time we have. You are here, Leziana, and here you can stay forever." Leziana stumbled back. Oh, how she wanted to go with the Bærtaure and stay with them, having the time of her life! But then she thought of Ria and Sholen, her parents. Then she thought of her brother, Kaladen, and she knew that she couldn't.

"I can't. I need to go back. I'm sorry. I can't!" But then Low-Lind reached her slender arms out to Leziana, pulling her to the tree-door. THe latter tried to break away, but Low-Lind was strong. Leziana went through the door, and suddenly rainbows of color were racing past her, and wind rushed in her ears. She twisted around, fighting to go back, but the wind pulled her back. Just before the tree door closed, Leziana caught a glimpse of a curious animal staring at her. Blue wings sprouted from a fish's back, and two big owl eyes looked out at her from a human face. But Leziana didn't get to see more; the door closed with a hiss and hundreds of colors surrounded her.

Two days later in Jallitz, Garadian showed Piniat and Farax around his home. After the tour, Piniat started baking in Garadian's kitchen while Farax went on an adventure with Alaetsa, Garadian's daughter, who had offered to bring him to a spot in the forest that she liked. When they got to the large tree, they climbed up it's thick branches and sat on the top of the tree, gazing at the birds flying over their heads.

"Farax, look at that one!" Alaetsa said excitedly. "It's so big!" Farax looked where Alaetsa was pointing. There indeed was a huge bird, with silver wings and chestnut feathers. But were those horse legs? Was there a human torso coming out from a horse body?

"Alaetsa, do you know of the Bærtaure? I think that bird's not a bird- it's a Bærtaure!"

"A Bærtaure? Yes, I know what they are but how can we see them? Aren't they invisible?" Alaetsa answered. "Hold on, isn't there a rhyme about Bærtaures that goes like this- Part human, part horse, part bird, the wonderful and mythical Bærtaure, is visable to children aged less than sixteen, but no, not a year more. And I'm eleven! So that would make sense! I think you're right!" Alaetsa and Farax gazed up at the Bærtaure in awe. It was so beautiful how the wings stroked the air, moving powerfully up and down, and how the wind swished through the Bærtaure man's shoulder length hair. It was quite a sight!

Hayahret soared through the air, relishing the feeling of flying. He shot over a tall tree, where to birds where perched. They were rather large birds, one with pink and purple feathers and the other green in the tree. But wait-is there such thing as pink and purple bird? Hayahret doubled back over the tree and looked down. Two human faces stared back up at him. He had been spotted! Hayahret knew that the children would tell everyone about him, and the Bærtaures would be caught and put in zoos. So the Bærtaure alighted on a branch next to the children. He forced his lips to form a smile.

"Care for a ride?" He cheerfully asked them and the boy and girl eagerly clambered onto his back. As Hayahret took off, he thought, these children really are clueless. I suppose they'll have fun with Leziana in the Bærtaure world. But they'll always be there.

Find out what happens to Leziana, Alaetsa, and Farax NEXT EDITION!

The Carrots of Winter

The Snowshoe Hare loved winter. Winter days were quiet, the sky was blue, and the ground was covered with SNOW - nice, white snow that made the Snowshoe Hare quite invisible. That meant the Snowshoe Hare could not be seen by predators. Not that anyone would want to eat the Snowshoe Hare, because she was SO TOTALLY CUTE. Except, perhaps, the Tyrannosaurus Rex. But dinosaurs were extinct by this time, so that really wasn’t an issue.

There was a downside to winter, however, for the Snowshoe Hare. The snow covered the vegetables. Snow covered the lettuce, covered the spinach and the kale, covered the broccoli, covered the… well, you get the picture. So it was hard for the Snowshoe Hare to find a good lunch during the winter.

One fine, snow-covered day, the Snowshoe Hare went out looking for something to eat. She visited a garden where, in the summer, she knew she had found delicious lettuce, spinach, kale, broccoli… well, you get the picture. After scratching about in the snow for a while, the Snowshoe Hare was becoming discouraged. And then, she noticed something orange, barely visible in a low spot in the snow. She hopped over and moved some snow out of the way. There, poking up a little bit from the earth, was something overtly orange, tantalizingly tempting, lusciously lunch-like, deliciously delightful, and she took a bite. Wow! CARROTS.

CARROTS, overlooked by the gardener and growing bigger and better in the snow-covered garden. CARROTS, perfectly preserved in the ground by the cold winter weather. CARROTS, bursting with beta-carotene (bright orange because of its conjugated carbon-carbon double bonds, and very nutritious). CARROTS, good for the eyes and SO DELICIOUS.

So the Snowshoe Hare, invisible against the snowy background, pigged out (to coin a phrase) on carrots. And after that, whenever she was hungry in the winter, she hopped over to the garden and looked for the bright orange hint of CARROTS.

Racing Coconuts

"Truth or Dare?" my best friend Jackson challenges me.  I glance around at my circle of friends like they might have an answer.

"Dare." I say confidently.  My friends and I always get together Saturday evenings.  We're gathered around a campfire eating marshmallows on a beach in Florida.  Just then, Jackson grins at a tall palm tree with four coconuts cradled under it's huge green leaves, and then back at me.

"Simon-I dare you to a coconut race with me. Take it or leave it."

"I'll take it." I say, feeling my face turn red like it always does when I'm excited.  Jackson and I know the drill.  We each jog over to separate palm trees and shake them vigorously.  When the tree gives up a coconut, I catch it as it falls.  Jackson also gets a coconut.  Then we drag our feet in the sand, creating one wide race track going for maybe twenty five feet down a hill.  The hill is steep enough to give the coconuts momentum.  Jackson and I go to the start line and bend down, the coconuts almost touching the ground.  "On your mark, get set-" Jackson starts, then everyone cries, "GO!" Our coconuts tumble out of our hands and down the track, picking up sand.  Then our friends start choosing sides.  They break away from the circle and form two clumps, one cheering, "Go… Jackson! Go… Jackson! Let's hear it for Jackson!" and another group yells, "SIMON! SIMON! SIMON!" I feel the thrill of the moment as my coconut whips past me, no more than a brown streak.  Our audience crane their necks and squint to see the coconuts through the rapidly falling night.

Now the coconuts are nearing the end of the track, where Jackson and I made a heap of sand to stop the coconuts from rolling on and into the water.  Mine's in front-or is it Jackson's? Oh, darn it, we forgot to mark the coconuts so we could tell who's is who's! But it's too late-one of the coconuts has hit the barrier of sand.

"I WON!" Jackson shrieks, sticking his index fingers in the air.

"Uh-uh, I won!" I argue, glueing my fists to my hips.

"Did not!"

"Did too!"

"Did not!"

"Did too!" The two of us go on like this for a while more, the onlooker's heads swiveling from one person to the other.  Eventually we get tired of our argument and collapse on the ground, laughing.  Once we quiet down, all the kids lie on their back and look at the stars.  I gaze at one that looks particularly like a coconut.

This is a story that Eliza Newport wrote when she was eight and a half.

The Journey

Chapter 1 The Story

Once upon a time, there lived a little girl named Isabelle. Her parents were divorced, but they loved her very much. Isabelle had pretty blond hair that was wavy and went down to her waist. She had brown eyes and freckles.

Isabelle lived in a cottage in the woods, and she loved to visit her animal

friends, the birds, bees, squirrels, and chipmunks,   

fish, beaver, and the woodchucks. Every day Isabelle gets  up early to milk the cow and feed the chickens.

She always has-for breakfast, lunch, and dinner-bread, butter, and milk.

One time Isabelle had been walking in the woods for a long time and she found that she had never been there. She thought she should turn back-but no, she would keep going. And wait! What was that? A chirping sound! A bird! But where was it? There! A very interesting bird. It saw her. She froze.

It wasn't scared! It made a little motion with it's wing, as if it wanted her to follow him. She hesitated. Should she? Yes. She took a step forward. It didn't move. She kept walking. It went ahead. She stopped it stopped. She kept walking it kept flying. Finally it stopped in front of a path. Isabelle walked up to it. She saw smoke! A house! She ran and waved goodbye to the bird. Bye! She called. It seemed  to say bye back. She knocked on the door. No sound. She knocked again. Knocketty knock! Knocketty knock! The door opened a crack. “Who is it?” She heard a voice!

“I don't mean to trouble you” said Isabelle. “My name is Isabelle. Do you have a bed where I could spend the night Miss?”

“Yes and don't call me Miss”

“But I don't know your name!” Isabelle cried.

“fine, that's true my name is Hannah.”

“I guess I'll have to go tomorrow. Sighed Isabelle.

“Oh! Oh no! Please stay,” Hannah said.

“But -”

“I beg you.”  

“Why?”

“Company.”

“Company?”

“Yes, company.”

“Don't you have anyone to keep you company?”

“No, I live by myself,” said Hannah.  

“Oh, how sad!” Isabelle said.  “Sure it would be okay?”

“Come in and I'll show you around,” said Hannah.

“Um...all right.”

“Sure you're sure?”

“Yes.” She walked in.  “Oh,” she cried.  “Where is your bed?” Hannah pointed to a rolled-up thing.

“That does not look like a bed at all,” said Isabelle.  

“Let me tell you a secret.  Promise you won't tell?” said Hannah, looking around to make sure nobody was listening.  

“Of course I won't,” laughed Isabelle.  “I don't have anyone to tell it to.”

Hannah blushed.  “All right, I'll tell it to you.” Isabelle leaned down to hear.  (She was a little taller than Hannah.)  

Then Hannah whispered, “I'm poor.  I don't have a regular bed.”

“Oh,” said Isabelle in a shaky voice, “That's sad.  But don't worry.  I'll stay with you.”

“But you don't understand,” cried Hannah.

Chapter 2 The Whistle

“What don't I understand?”

Hannah and Isabelle were leaning against the bed like a couch.  “What exactly don't I understand?  I think I understand everything,” said Isabelle.

“We're not staying here.”

“B-b-b-but, I thought we were!” quivered Isabelle.

“But, listen to this.  There's a tornado coming,” said Hannah.

“Huh, a tornado?” Isabelle's eyes were wide with fear.  “But all my things!  My parents!” Hannah sighed.  

“Go and get your special things and tell your parents.” Isabelle looked out the door.  

“The bird!  It's gone!”

“Huh?  What bird?  What's gone?” asked Hannah.  Isabelle explained the whole story.  When she finished, for a second Hannah was speechless.  Then she laughed.  “Of course not.  There's  no such thing as a magic bird.  And I'm not going to listen to any more.  Nonsense.  And you should be getting to bed now.”

“But -” Isabelle started to argue, and Hannah shot back: no ifs, and's or buts.

“Would you at least help me find my way home?” asked Isabelle.

“Oh, all right.  I'll do it.”  Hannah growled.  “I'll come with you.”  They stepped outside.  They walked a little, then Hannah tripped on something.  “Whoa!”

“Oh, are you all okay?”

“Yeah, I'm fine,” said Hannah, struggling.  Then Isabelle asked curiously, “What did you trip on?”

“Um, this.”  Hannah held up what looked like a stick.  Then Isabelle noticed it had a hole at both ends and about five holes on the top.  “Look, it's a whistle!” Isabelle shouted.  

“Well then.”  Hannah looked as though she didn't believe that.  “If you think so, then blow it.” Isabelle brought the whistle to her lips.  She blew.  It let out a long, sad sound.  It sounded as if someone was singing.  Then the trees began to rustle.  Then a big gust of wind.  Hannah and Isabelle closed their eyes.  Then, they opened their eyes, and what a sight!  Almost fourteen flocks of birds were there!  

Two of them, at the front, turned to the other hundreds, maybe even thousands of birds.  They squawked to the others, or talked, or so Hannah thought, but she didn't tell Isabelle.  The two birds who had been talking to the others (who looked pretty scary), turned back to them.  Hannah and Isabelle took a step back.  The two scary birds turned to them and waved their wings exactly like how the bird did with Isabelle when he wanted her to follow him.  Then they both patted their backs.  It seemed like Hannah understood, because she got on the bird, the one that pointed at her, and it flew back with the others.  Then Isabelle hesitated.  Then she did the same.  The girls found the backs of the birds were slippery so they held on tight.  Then all the birds turned around at once.  They flew high into the treetops and Hannah thought, “Maybe magic birds are real.  Maybe Isabelle was telling me the truth.”   They flew higher and higher with every second.  And then, as if reading each others mind, they both shouted to each other the same thing, “Do you think we'll get there on time?  What about the tornado?”  And then, seeing what they did, giggled softly.  As they rode, they looked down and saw foxes, birds, rabbits, all kinds of animal scurrying out of sight.

Chapter 3 The Magic Birds Story

Now Hannah was beginning to believe in the magic birds.  And one day she found out the truth.  As they were flying over the treetops suddenly, as if the magic birds had planned on it, they all said together in a high, robotic voice: “We are the magic birds.  You summoned us using the Songson Whistle.  Now we have come to you, you are our master until you die.”  Then the one that Isabelle was riding on spoke.  “I am Songson.  I became the leader of the Songson Tribe when my ancestors were put under a terrible curse by the River God.  We once were Men and Women, Boys and Girls, but when we were foolish there was a terrible drought.  The trees and the birds and the flowers nearly ceased existing.  At that time in heaven there was a great war.  All because of the deeds of the townsfolk of the village Warnong.  They wanted to make a magical teleport to Heaven.  Now the God of Life was a very powerful god.  In my opinion he was too powerful.  For he often would act daftly.”

“How powerful was he?” interrupted Hannah.  

“Could he do everything?” asked Isabelle.

“He was very, very, very powerful, but he could not do everything.  For example, he could not control Saturn, Neptune or Uranus.  He could only control Earth.  If he tried to control Neptune or Uranus, which other Life Gods have tried and failed, he would burst into thousands of chunks of light.  And he would probably silence everybody on Earth.”  Hannah and Isabelle shivered.

“Now, on with the story.  The Life God decided to send a terrible drought.  He wiped out the seven great rivers with a wave of his hand.  And he made sure that Warnong had the worst of it.  He slashed a giant hole in the Earth, sending all the population of Warnong into the underworld.  Then with a wave of a handkerchief he healed up the giant cut.  But this was only the least of his fury.  I still believe we wouldn't be here if it wasn't for that tree spirit named Anog.  Anog sacrificed his own life for the life of others.  His roots were bursting with water, and he let down the water, but the Life God didn't think it a good deed at all.  My ancestors quickly grabbed for the water.  In fact, they did more than grab.  They literally dug deep trenches and made a giant hole in the ground.  And the water, well, it poured in.  How dare you steal my water, said the River God!  And he quickly set a spell.  The spell goes like this.”  He attempted to say it, but just as he began, he stopped in mid air.  “I can't,” he said.  “I can't.”

“It's okay, we understand,” soothed Hannah.  “Go on.”

“All right.  Back to the story for the second time.  So the River God turned us all into birds.  But this River God was very inexperienced and young as far as river gods go, and he made one mistake.  He accidentally created a whistle from the stick that lay under him.  

Now in the heavens, everything was under chaos.  The Life God had been killed by a mysterious assassin.  So, quickly his son took up the post.  Now his son was very kindhearted and gentle, unlike his father, and quickly put a stop to the terrible, terrible drought.  And of course, the Life God sees everything, so he took pity on us birds.  He summoned us to his castle and we talked to him as well as birds could.  Tweet, tweet, tweet, tweet.  But luckily, the Life God understood every language, even Bird.  And he knew we were asking him: can you turn us into humans again?  “No,” he replied, “I'm sorry.  I don't have skill at turning things back.  But I can do something else for you.  I can give you the power to speak.”  And he touched us each on the tail.  And suddenly we could speak.  It was wonderful.  And here we are, magic birds, the Songson Tribe.”

“Thank you,” breathed Hannah and Isabelle.  “Well, we better get on, then.”

Chapter 4 The Fairies

Hannah was still thinking about the story.  In fact, she was doing nothing except thinking about the story.  Her hands had loosened their grip on Selia's (which turned out to be her bird's name) back.  She wasn't thinking about what she was doing at all.  Then, suddenly, she absentmindedly let go of her bird's back.  And well, you guessed, she fell.  Down she went, mile after mile down, down, down, with Seilia swooping after her.  Then Isabelle turned to look at Hannah, and well, Isabelle was so surprised, she almost did the same!  Thoughts were racing through her mind; was Hannah hurt?  But still, she had to do this.  Without a moment's hesitation, she pushed firmly down on Songson's back, guiding him down.  Finally they landed.  Isabelle glanced quickly around.  They had no time to lose.  There!  “Hannah!” she gasped.  Her left arm was bleeding badly.  She was covered with bruises.  

“Music,” whispered Hannah, as she winced in pain.  “The flute?”  She turned to Songson.  “Do you have it?”  He turned to a bird.  “Samer.” he said.  “The whistle.”  Samer took the whistle out of a pouch and gave it to Songson.  He passed it to Isabelle.  She began to finger it.  Somehow as if by magic, it created a song.  It sounded like bells!  Songson and Seilia began to lead in a song.  “I love this one,” breathed a bird called Sormer.  All the birds began to sing:

“Fairies, fairies come with thee,

bless the heart of the hurt one please.

Fairies, fairies, come and heal.

Come and heal while pray and kneel.

Fairies, fairies, come and lift.

Lift the hurt one and  get the gift.

Fairies, fairies, come with thee.”

While they sang it for the second time, little silvery voices joined in.  They finished then stopped.  Then they all chanted, every one except Isabelle.  Even Hannah joined in.  They said this:

“Fairies, fairies, come now, come now.

Fairies, fairies, fairies, come now, come now, come now.

The hurt one, the hurt one, we have here.

Now HEAL!  Now HEAL!”  Then, sang:

“Healers, healers, come with thee!”

Then thousands of little fairies all in silk, purple clothes came out of the bushes.  They sang a little song:

“Eashema, Oh healer lot.  

Eashema ohle.

Oh, felix ome aton lo.  Fe embolee.”

And slowly, slowly, Hannah got up, kissed every fairy, and then one fairy, a child, stepped up.  “Here, you forgot this,” he said.  Hannah took it.  “Oh!  My gown!”  She put it on.  It was so beautiful!

Chapter 5 Hannah's story

“Thank you, Mettan! I totally forgot about this!” Hannah said as she fastened a necklace with a purple

diamond on it around here neck. Than she said: “Oh fairies, I feel so much younger now!”

Now you might of guessed that Isabelle was very confused. She definitely was! She was sitting in a corner of the opening watching all this. Suddenly Hannah remembered her friend. She turned to Isabelle and said: “Sorry Isabelle, I forgot you didn't know anything about ,I'll tell you the story;”

“So-” “The story about what?” Asked Isabelle. Than Hannah explained, “The story about how I became  a Healer Fairy.” Isabelle's hand flew to her mouth. Than Hannah glanced sideways at her and she listened intently. Hannah began again; “So when I was young-well, I'll start it with a different beginning. So you know that every year the healers travel around the world and chose two people to train with them and become healers right?” Isabelle nodded even though she didn't. Hannah went on. “So they went strait to my house because they knew-”

“No we didn't! Squeaked a fairy. We went to someone else's first! “Fine.” Hannah agreed, “your right.” Than she said: “Now don't interrupt again or I'll cast a spell on you. So they went to another house and then mine, and they actually asked  my parents-as only fairies would do-but they didn't want to let me go, but boy did the fairies want me so they- so they froze them and left with me!” Hannah finished rather quickly. By this time the fairies were hanging their heads and muttering things like: go on now. And hurry up! But Hannah went on. “Now here's the funny part.” The fairies and Isabelle looked up. Than Hannah said: “My parents gave me a really weird name, it was, Gimiwoto-” before she could finish everyone was laughing. She tried again,” Gimiwotowo- “she tried again and succeeded. “Gimiwotowolewa.”

“Now of course we changed it to Hannah” Spoke up a fairy. “Whats that got to do with Giminoto or whatever it is?” Isabelle joked, and she got everyone laughing all over again.

Chapter 6. They Get Home

On the rest of the trip everyone was still laughing about Hannah's name when suddenly Isabelle gasped. “Gosh! Look at Hannah!” Everyone turned to look and gasped. Hannah seemed uncomfortable. She knew what they saw. She was growing lavender colored wings on her back! Than Mettan said: “But that only happens on a full moon!” “Than I'm guessing it will be one.” Said a Magic Bird grandly, otherwise it would be impossible!” “I see my house!” Cried Isabelle while her friends scanned the forest. There eyes were wide with exitment.  “where?” Seilia  wanted to know. Isabelle tolled Songson to steady then cautiously lifted a hand up and pointed. Than Sormer chirped exitedly “I see smoke, a chimney!” Than all the birds chirped: “TOUCH DOWN!” And they landed. Everyone took a minute to stretch their legs, and than they began walking toward the house. Through the window they could see Isabelle's parents arguing and they could hear words like “You did it” and “No, she went out by herself!” Than, they stopped and stared. “Mom, Dad!” Cried Isabelle. “Isabelle!” They cried.  After they had embraced each other, Mom asked, “Who's that?”    “That's Hannah.” Isabelle said. “Where are her  parents?”                                                                                                                                              

“Doesn’t have any.” Isabelle replied.  “Then we'll be them!” Dad announced. “And we could use a pet or two,”He said, grinning at the Magic Birds. “Seilia!” Hannah said. “Sure.” Said Seilia. “But we don't have room for two children and a bird.” Said  Mom. “Then we'll move,” Isabelle's dad said, “It's the only way.” “Yay!” Said Isabelle. “Pack up first.” Mom reminded them as she went in with dad. Isabelle called back to Hannah, “Come on Gimiwotowolewa!” “That's not my name!” Said Hannah. “It used to be!” Laughed Isabelle. They raced in after Isabelle's parents. They stopped dead and stared. Then they both smiled. Isabelle's mom and dad were kissing. Than, they hugged her.

The   End

Chapter 1

    Once upon a time, a girl named Goldie Locks was walking towards her Aunt Cinderella's house when she heard a crack of a twig and two bears in very ugly, frilly dresses leaped out from behind the trees.

“Hello dear.” said one in a falsely sweet voice, a sickly smile producing from under a mustache.  “Just so you know, Cinderella, she's gone.”  Goldie stared at them.

“Where is she?” she demanded of the two bears.

“Oh, brother. Let's go,” said the second bear.  The first bear said, “The prince said not to dawdle- come on! Oh, and by the way, I'm Agatha, and this is my sister, Aunt Milly.” The two bears each grabbed one of  Goldie's arms and marched her into the forest.  After awhile Agatha spoke.

“There you go, there's your darling aunt's house.  Now, do you think you could, oh I dunno, maybe, get inside it?” Aunt Milly tittered.  There indeed was her aunt's house,  but there was also about a dozen bears in royal uniforms surrounding it. Agatha and Aunt Milly let go of Goldie and when she turned to run away,she realized that she had no idea where she was so if she tried to go back she would just get lost. So Goldie took a deep breath and walked forward.  If these two bears can talk, maybe all of them could.  She inquired of the nearest bear, “Where is my aunt and what have you done to her?” The bear stared at her.

Chapter 2

Goldie said again, “I said, where is my aunt and what have you done with her?” The bear was still staring at her with a confused expression on his face.  Another bear stepped up.

“'Scuse me miss, but he don't speak English.”

Goldie looked up. She said, “Who are you?”

“Sorry for not introducin' mesel', Miss, but I'm Cap'in Harry Bear.”

Goldie said to Harry, “Then you answer my question. Where is my aunt and what have you done with her?”

“Nothin', Missie, she chose hersel' tha' she wanted to work in the kitchens.  An' I must say mesel' she's mighty good a' it.”

Goldie said quickly, “What kitchens, whose kitchens?”

“Why the Prince's, o'course, who else would own 'em?” the bear said.

“The – the Prince?  Prince who?” asked Goldie, gaping at Harry.

“Prince Charming!” the bear exclaimed, “Who doesn't know Prince Charming? Nobody, that's who!” He walked off  rubbing his head and muttering, “Prince Charming, by golly, the little lassie don't know about Prince Charming!” Just then, Goldie heard a rustling, and whipped around to see Agatha and Aunt Milly carrying a stretcher with a little red headed girl in a little red dress wearing a little red riding hood on it. Goldie ran towards the little girl to help. The girl was laid in a little bed, and her leg, which appeared broken, was wrapped up. Goldie pulled up a chair, and sat waiting for the red head to come to her senses. After about ten minutes, the girl opened her eyes sleepily and blinked them once or twice.

“Who are you?” she asked in  a tired voice.

“I'm Goldie.  Goldie Locks.  I've come to see how you are.” Goldie answered gently.

“Oh.” the girl paused for a moment then went on.

“I'm Lindy Ret Ridin Sood or Little red riding hood but you can call me Lindy. This is how I got hurt.  I was walking through the woods to visit my grandmother, when a bear sized wolf jumped out of the trees blocking my way.  I turned around to find a slightly smaller wolf.  The wolves pulled off their heads to reveal two bears.  Then, they took off their costumes.  I saw that they were wearing ugly, frilly dresses.  One of them said in a voice sweet as honey, 'I'm Aunt Milly dear, and this is my sister Agatha.'  I started to run away but Agatha grabbed me.  I hooked my foot around a tree trying to get away but Agatha was stronger.  With a horrible crack my leg broke. Then-well I don't really remember anything else.”

Goldie said to Lindy,  “ Um...You wanna be best friends? Yeah? Well than  I'll come back every day to check on you.  I'm sorry but I have to go now.  I really, really, really hope you get better.  Well then...Bye.” Goldie walked over to Captain Harry Bear and asked where she should sleep.

“I see,” He said, nodding suspiciously. “My son Thomas hasn't told you where as I asked 'im... Son! There you are, come an' tell the little miss where to sleep like I told you to. Come on!” Then Harry added in an undertone, “I would of told yeh mesel' but I mus' say I-well I actually don't know.” A little bear in overalls came running up to Goldie and said, “yeh can sleep over there, the firs' cabin miss, see? An' be sure to close an' bolt the door 'cause Hatey, Agatha's daughter, wanders in the cabins at night an' can give yeh quite a scare.”

Thomas scurried away again and Goldie started to walk towards her cabin.  She opened the door of the huge cabin, found mammoth pajamas in the gigantic drawers, put on the pjs, got under the covers of the gargantuan bed, put her head down on the colossal pillows, and tried to fall asleep.

Chapter 3

After about half a month, Goldie had developed a solid routine: she would get up at about eight o'clock, brush her teeth, and get dressed.  Then she would have breakfast in her cabin.

After, Goldie would visit Lindy and stay for about an hour to talk.  She would then take a walk, and then read under a weeping willow, which was a favorite spot of hers because the branches hid her from view, and because sometimes she could see a gnarled face peering out at her from the bark, and she felt good inside when she saw the face's warm smile.

Then it would be time for lunch.  Goldie would go to the bear dining hall for this, which made her feel a tiny bit uncomfortable because she was surrounded by all the bears and no humans.

After lunch Goldie would go back to reading under the willow.  Then she would have dinner in the dining hall, go home, have a glass of milk, brush her teeth, and then go to bed.  During one of Goldie's after-lunch-reading-times, Goldie thought she heard the face in the bark speak. It said, “Be brave Goldie. Harder times are yet to come.” Goldie immediately jumped to her feet and scoured the bark for the face, but the bark stubbornly remained smooth. Confused,Goldie turned back to her book,  Fairytale,  and told herself firmly that she imagined it, but from then on, Goldie was wary of the face.  

After about a month more of this routine, Lindy was perfectly fine. The next morning after Lindy got better she met Goldie and the two girls dressed and washed up to go to The Prince's kitchens to see Cinderella, Goldie's aunt, whom Goldie had told Lindy all about.  But when they asked Harry Bear where to go he said, “yeh can't go there! Don' yeh know tha' on'y bears an' people who work there can go?”

“No,”Answered Goldie and Lindy together.

“Hang on!” said Lindy, and the other two looked at her. “Then, um, maybe Captain Harry would take us,and we could wait outside.”

“Yeah!”said Goldie nodding.

“Please?” Added Lindy.

“No.” Said Harry,turning back to his gardening.

“Oh come on!” Said Goldie. Both of the girls turned down their lower lip and batted their  eyelashes.

“Well when you put it that way-no!” Said Harry.

“It'll just take a second!” The girls begged.

“Can' cha see I'm working?Do yeh have eyes?Or ears?I've said no two times,an' your still down on your knees beggin'.Or do yeh want me to say no a third time?If yeh do, well then I will.  No! There yeh have it.  Now will yeh two finally leave me alone?” Lindy said, fighting to keep her voice steady, said, “I have three things to tell you. One, yes we do have eyes.  But can your eyes see that we need you? Two, yes we do have ears. But can your ears hear us asking for you?  Three, I am not down on my knees begging!”

“Though it's a very good idea, I thank you.”said Goldie, grinning from ear to ear.

“Goldie,”said Lindy. “no joking right now, 'kay?”

“Well excuse me if I didn't know that!”

“Goldie!”said Lindy with a 'stop talking now' look.

“Sorry!”said Goldie, looking alarmed.

“Well?” Demanded Lindy to Captain Harry Bear.

“Um, come on, w – we're going, a – aren't we?” Answered the Captain.  Goldie looked funnily at Lindy and quickly fell into step beside her and behind Harry.

Chapter 4

“Okay,what did you do to him?And why didn't you tell me - tell me you were a – a you-know-what?”  said Goldie.  Lindy looked confused, and asked Goldie, “What in the world do you mean?  No, seriously, I have no clue what you're talking about!”

“Oh, please. A witch!”

“I'm – I'm not witch! For one thing, I don't have black hair - or – or a black cat, and, um, I don't wear a black cape or a black hat!  I don't ride on a broomstick and I don't know magic!  A – and I do not have green skin! Right?”

“You don't have green skin,” Answered Goldie soothingly.  “But anyway,what did you do to Harry?”

“Wha..?  Oh! I – I have my my ways.”

“You are a witch!” Said Goldie suspiciously.  Lindy smiled.

“We're here!” Harry stepped up to a big wood door.  He knocked once, twice, three times.  A bear who looked like a maid opened the door.  Harry told the two girls to wait outside the door.

He had a hurried discussion with the maid and she directed him through a corridor.  About fifteen minutes later Captain Harry came out, followed by Goldie's aunt. After Goldie and Cinderella affectionately embraced and Goldie introduced Cinderella to Lindy, Goldie and Lindy led Cinderella back to Goldie's cabin.  

Captain Harry Bear went back to his gardening and the other three, Goldie, Lindy, and Cinderella, sat on the bed inside Goldie's cabin, discussing ways to escape.

“Okay, maybe we should get your aunt out of the kitchens, Goldie, and  then she'll be able to stay with us for ever and ever.” said Lindy wearily, who was sprawled across the floor painting her nails with berry juice from berries that Goldie had collected while Lindy's leg was still healing.

“Yes, I really would like to get out of that prison.”Agreed Cinderella.

“Why did you want to go there in the first place anyway? You really hate it, I can tell!” said Goldie curiously.

“Me wanting to work there? Never.  As soon as they captured me, they lugged me over to the kitchens and told me to wipe dishes.  I expect the bears all told you that I wanted to go. They must have been ordered to by the prince.” Goldie's aunt said with a twisted smile.

“Well anyway, if we are going to get me out of that horrible place, how?”She added.

“Well...Who's behind all this?” said Lindy, wiping a bit of nail polish off her big toe.

“I think it's the king.” said Cinderella.

“I've never seen him, where has he been all this time?” asked Lindy.

“Well, you've only not seen him because you've been in the bear hospi-” Cinderella started to say but she was cut off by Goldie.

“Yeah, but I haven't seen him either and I was out and about, unlike Lindy. So I would of seen him but I didn't. Where do you think he is, anyway?”  

“Well,” said Goldie's aunt heatedly, “The  prince says he's in the library so I suppose that's where he is.” She was talking loudly and slowly with the air of someone talking to a child who just totally didn't understand something even though the older person had explained the concept before more than once.

“Okay then,” Said Goldie, “Um, let's just...uh... get a job there...and...pop up in the library? Sometime?”

“Goldie,” Lindy said to her friend, “We could do that but there’s just one little problem.  The maid has already seen us.”

“So?” said Goldie.

“So, wouldn't she be a bit suspicious?”

“She's always suspicious.” said Cinderella dismissively.  “So, Goldie, I think that's a great idea.” Goldie glowed.

“So, Lindy, what do you say?” Cinderella said.

“I – I guess I'm fine with doing it.”   

Chapter 5

“Great!” Said Cinderella briskly. “I think we should go down to the castle and get you the jobs right now, so then you can start your jobs tomorrow morning.  Come on, let's go!” She got up from the bed and held the door open for Goldie and Lindy who nervously filed out the door.

The three females went down to the castle. (Down a hill, into a large valley which held a town, and off to the left in a small passage way.) Cinderella knocked three times and the maid opened the door.

“We wish to see the prince.” Goldie's aunt told the bear pompously.

“Why do you wish to see the prince?” She asked them. (Suspiciously.)

“We wish to get these two jobs.”

“Turn out your pockets, and take your shoes off!” The three people did as she told  and finally the maid told them-with a very disappointed look on her furry face, “You may go. I'll get you a guide. Natalie!” The maid called.

 “Come show these – these people to the prince's chamber!” A stout bear came hurrying up to Goldie, Cinderella, and Lindy.

 “Would you please  come this way, madam and misses?” She said, bowing.  As the 'madam and misses' hurried off behind Natalie, Lindy heard the maid mutter,  “Show offs.” When Lindy told Goldie what she had heard, Goldie only grinned and said, “Witches have good hearing.”

“Here you are, madam and misses.” Natalie said suddenly, panting.  “The prince's waiting room. When he is ready to see you, he will send a butler to get you.” Natalie hurried off.

    After about fifteen minutes, a butler came over to the three people and led them into what Goldie could only guess was Prince Charming's throne room.

    The throne room was a spacious, circular room covered in wall to wall red carpet.  In the back of the room on a raised platform there sat two magnificent golden thrones, covered in dazzling gems.

On the first of the two thrones there sat a handsome young man who was talking to a bear in armor.  The man was wearing a silver jumpsuit and a red cape.  He wore an exquisite  crown incrusted with jewels and had a fierce, challenging look on his face.

On the throne next to him was a young woman with long, wavy, brown hair. She was wearing a gold and red gown with a scooped neck and an empire waist and a matching gold necklace with a ruby set into it. She also wore a crown shaped like a ring, with ceramic flowers twisted around it.  

When the Prince saw Goldie, Cinderella, and Lindy, he said to the bear he had just been conversing with, “You may go.”

“Your highness,” said Goldie's aunt, curtsying deeply, “I am Cinderella Rebecca Locks, and I work in the kitchens.  I have brought Goldie Susan Locks, my niece, ( she nodded her head at Goldie who curtseyed,) and her friend Lindy Ret Ridin Sood, (now Cinderella indicated Lindy, who also curtseyed, her face red as a beet,) who both wish to work in the kitchens in the dish-washing-and-wiping station, with me.  We have come to ask for your permission.” She curtseyed again.

   

While Cinderella spoke, The Prince had been sitting slumped over, his head leaning on his hand. Cinderella had not noticed this non-attentive look while her aunt talked: she had had been taking in her surroundings.  But now she stared eagerly at The Prince, waiting for a response.  Then, finally, the Prince spoke.

“Certainly these – these little children may work in my kitchens, but why with you, my-dear lady?” Cinderella considered his question before beginning slowly,

    “Well, Your Highness, these two girls - are exceptionally good at dish-washing-and-wiping! I mean, why not let them share their talent?”

“Alright children,” The Prince said very sweetly, “you may work in my kitchens.  I hope you're happy.  If you're not, you're not getting any sweeties.  NOW GET OUT OF MY SIGHT!”

     

    Goldie, Cinderella, and Lindy hurried quickly out of the Prince's Chamber's and out of his castle.

“Whew! Charming indeed!” Goldie said, wiping her hot forehead, “That Prince sure does have a hot temper!” The other two of here companions looked a her grimly.

“What?” Goldie said, “It's only true!”

    

                       

Chapter 6

When Goldie, Cinderella, and Lindy were almost back at their cabins they spotted a boy of about 15 coming towards the three people. Goldie stared at him rudely.

“Hi, I'm Joey,” he began, “um, have any of you seen Aunt Milly or Agatha? I – I mean if you know them, of course.

“No, I'm afraid we haven't seen them.” answered Cinderella.  Anyway, I'm Cinderella Locks.  Here, the red head, is Lindy Ridin Loob and this - for goodness sakes, stop staring, Goldie - is Goldie Locks, my niece.”

“Oh...” Said Joey, now starting to stare at Goldie himself, “Uh... n – nice to meet you...” Both Joey's and Goldie's faces looked like two furiously ripe tomatoes.

“So, when should it be?” Joey asked as he, Goldie, Lindy, and Cinderella walked towards the small cluster of cabins surrounding Cinderella's house.

    “Well, I mean, I guess it should be, well, I guess it should be as soon as possible! I – I  mean if that's fine with you, of course.” Goldie answered, hardly believing her luck in finding Joey.

“No, no that sounds great! So... you free tomorrow?”

“Oh my g- I mean OMG I am!”

“Then it's a date! But where should go for it... I mean there just aren't any, like, cute, tiny, little pubs around here...”

“Phew! Am I glad about that!”

“What -”

“Oh, I just think they're just- well that they're just kinda' lovey dovey. You know, a couple gets a soft dr- I mean a coke with two straws and then throw popcorn into each others  mouths...”

“Yeah, I really do know what you mean, I didn't want to do something like that anyway, but then, where...”

“ How 'bout somewhere called the forest?”

“Sorry, but I haven't heard about anywhere called The For... Oh...!”

“Well?”

“Sounds good to me!”

“Okay! Then it's settl-”

“GOLDIE!” Lindy screamed, “I'VE BEEN TRYING TO TALK TO YOU FOR THIS PAST HOUR!”

“Wait, you were trying to talk to me in the Prince's Throne Room?”

“NO! THIS PAST HOUR HAS BEEN YOU TALKING KISSY TALK TO YOUR DARLING JOEY WHO YOU JUST MET TODAY!”

“Alright alright, calm dow - chillax!”

“TOMORROW-”

“Lindy!”

“Okay! Tomorrow we both work in the kitchens you Tiny Brained Newt, and, oh, you're giving our  whole plan up just for a – a – a – a   STUPID BOY! Oh, how could you desert us like that, how could you abandon us for a stupid DATE?” Lindy wailed, already almost standing in a pile of her own tears.

“Lindy d – don't talk to me like th – that! J – just tell the stupid prince that I, that I QUIT!!!” Goldie rushed into her cabin, and then after a moment rushed out again and bellowed at Lindy, “AND D – DON'T YOU EVER EVEN THINK ABOUT CALLING JOEY STUPID!” Goldie ran back into her cabin, threw herself down on her bed, and sobbed as though her heart might break.

See more at the beginning of the next edition!

Who's That Magazine

Continuing the story from last edition:

Chapter 7

The next morning Goldie went to the cabin across the way from her's and rapped on the door. A red eyed Lindy opened the door.  When she saw who it was, she made to close the door but Goldie put a firm hand out and stopped her.  At this Lindy turned away and sat on her bed, back facing Goldie.  

“What do you want?” said a slightly muffled voice.

“We-ell, I want to sound emotional so, how's this: I want – I want you! As my friend.  My very, very best friend. Will you forgive me, my precious Lady Lindy? Will you forgive my horrid mistake? May we throw away our bad times and turn to the good? Oh come on My Dear Lady Lindy, just laugh! Look, I'm Shakespeare! 'To be or not to be, that is the question!”

“I'm not going to laugh.”

“Oh come on. Here, 'funny or not funny, that is the question!'

“I think I'll go for not funny.”

“Lindy, cheer up!” Goldie said.  Then she concluded, “Well, we better get going to the castle, it's half-past nine and my watch's been slow ever since I wandered into Bearvilla!”

“You really want to go to the castle with me?” Asked Lindy tentatively.

“Uh, duh! I thought we had already established that fact!” Answered Goldie. After a quick after thought, she added, “Oh, and change into something black - don't you think mad scientist Charming will just maybe notice if you're wearing an, um, hot pink tee with a picture of an ultra fluffy teddy bear on it and the words 'I love my teddy!' splashed across your chest?”

“Hi girls!” said Goldie's aunt when she had opened the door of her house after Goldie and Lindy knocked on it. “You two ready for our little jaunt up to the library?” Goldie and Lindy cast nervous glances at each other then nodded in unison.

“I guess.” Said Goldie.

“Well you better because we're doing it today, no ifs, ands or buts.” said Cinderella cheerfully.

“Um, we've been wondering, how are we getting up to the library? I mean, isn't it supposed to be at the very top of the castle?” said ever practical Lindy.

“Already thought of that! I've hidden a ladder in the bushes outside the library window! All we have to-” Cinderella started to say.

“No!” interrupted Lindy.

“Yes!” cried Cinderella, “Yes!”

“Well, here's the castle!” announced Cinderella. “C'mon, follow me, and don't get lost!” She led the rest of her party down a corridor in the castle. She took a left, then a right, then a left again.  Eventually the tight corridor walls opened up into a spacious room, in which many women were hurrying around, washing, stacking, wiping, and drying dishes (and cooking meals) with a remarkable pace.  Cinderella directed her two companions to the dish-washing-and-wiping station and the trio began to work. At first Goldie and Lindy were confused about the order of the work but eventually fell into the rhythm of the kitchen. An hour went by, two hours, three. Then suddenly, a yell came from the front of the room.

“LUUUUUUUUUNCH!” Goldie and Lindy curiously peered around a tall woman with bright red hair to see better.  A short, portly man with a trim handlebar mustache was strutting purposely toward the door.  Then, suddenly, he was overcome by a huge wave of woman competing for the door.  Goldie, Lindy, and Cinderella burst           outside, and Cinderella hurried them to a particular side of the castle with no windows except one teeny tiny one at the very tippy top of a turret.

“That it?” asked Goldie nervously, glancing up at it.

“Yep.” said Cinderella, her cheery smile faltering.  Lindy was 'gathering up her confidence'  by staring uneasily  at the rough, uneven ground where only a couple of brave little sprigs of dry brown grass were peeking up out of the ground.

“Well, I'll get the ladder.” Cinderella bravely rolled up her sleeves, squeezed her eyes shut, and plunged her hands into a nearby berry bush.

“Ah ha!” cried Goldie's aunt triumphantly. “I've got it!” She drew a large, scratched,weather beaten collapsible ladder from the bottom of the thorny bush. Cinderella looked around expectantly.

“Well who's going first? Oh, are you scared? Well I'm not scared! Well, then, I'll go first, just to prove to you that I'm not scared! Okay? Now I'm going to go now, right now, you got that? Now I'm go-”

“Just go will you?” Lindy pushed Cinderella toward the ladder that was now leaned up against the castle wall.

“Oh, well, I guess I do have to do it.” said Cinderella meekly.  She positioned her hands on the ladder and slowly climbed up onto the first rung. Suddenly there came the sound of millions of feet running.  The trio spun around, and Goldie lost her balance and fell to the ground with a thud.

“What do think you're doing?” A fully armored man yelled, clanking to the front of his army.  Goldie, Lindy, and Cinderella were panic stricken.  Then came the shout. “Get them!”

    Suddenly a mass of  armed bodies came streaming towards the three companions. Lindy sprinted away from the castle, tripped, and was heaved up again by a soldier who then held her captive.  

Cinderella took out her kitchen knife and began to fight valiantly until another soldier twisted her arm with his own hands and she was forced to drop her knife.  

Then, Lindy vigorously bit down hard on her attacker's arm and ran away.  A soldier who had cast off his helmet to reveal bright blond hair and barely visible eyebrows rushed forward to take the challenge of Lindy.  But Lindy brought her fist up and it came down again upon the poor soldier's head and he fell back, cross eyed.  Just then, another soldier rushed forward from behind, bowled Lindy over, and pinioned her to the ground.  

Goldie had sorrowfully watched this all from her position of behind the 'ladder bush': she had stayed fallen over and scooted herself toward the berry bush as fast as she could while the others fought.

Eventually the two captives were dragged to their feet and into the mass of perspiring soldiers.  Goldie suddenly wanted to do something, but she didn't know what. She picked up a rock and threw it as hard as she could at her enemy.  But it landed a few feet away from Goldie.  Not yet discouraged, she noticed a fallen sword and ran over to pick it up. But she staggered under its weight.

“I always wondered if I should of taken weight-lifting at school.” Goldie said aloud as she dropped the sword. The young girl flopped down upon the grass, panting. She stared up at the sky, wondering what she should - could do.

Chapter 8

     Just then, a thought occurred to her.  She scrambled up and jogged away from the castle, fumbling in her pocket as she did so. Finally she pulled out a slip of paper on which a collection of words were written in thin, scrawling script:

My house:

From big old rock facing north

forward 30 small paces

left, forward 10 paces

left,5 paces, right, left again

up staircase ' till you reach a door

ring doorbell under mailbox,

next to hammock

    Goldie quickly found the mossy rock and pulled out her compass on a chain.  She turned until she was facing north.  Then she walked briskly forward thirty steps.  She checked her slip of paper and turned left onto a small uninhabited dirt road and went forward ten paces.  

Goldie was beginning to see a thin, towering staircase rising up in the fog.  She nervously turned left and almost ran ten steps.  She turned left, went forward until she could see a passage going right, and turned into the passage.  The staircase was getting nearer.

Goldie turned left and saw a very thin, crooked staircase with no railings towering over Goldie and casting a shadow on everything close to it.  Goldie cautiously stepped onto the rickety staircase.  It creaked and groaned under her.  Goldie drew in her breath, horrified.  She had always been afraid of heights.

Come on Goldie, you can do it! said a voice inside her head. Goldie gritted her teeth and ran up the staircase.  Up, up, and up, she ran.  It seemed like the stairs would never stop.

But suddenly, Goldie ran straight into a door.  She lost her balance and almost fell off the staircase but steadied herself just in time. “I'm here,” Goldie stated aloud, astonished, “I did it!” Goldie stared at the royal blue door of the royal blue house behind the door for a few seconds and than quickly pulled the slip of paper out of her pocket and read the last two lines of the paragraph on the paper to herself:

ring doorbell under mailbox,

next to hammock

Goldie promptly found the hammock (which was royal blue) and next to the hammock was a royal blue mailbox, and next to the mailbox was a royal blue and gold doorbell, which Goldie rang.  Approximately two seconds after, the door opened and, much to Goldie's surprise, a butler (dressed in royal blue, of course) appeared and said,

“Can I help you, miss?”

“Where's Joey?” answered Goldie a bit rudely.

“Prince Joey is away.”

“Joey's a prince?”

“Yes, that's just what I said.

“Oh!”

“Who are you and why are you here?”

“My name is Goldie Locks and I wanna see Joey!” Goldie was starting to whine.

“Ladies should not whine, it is improper!”

“I'm not a lady, I never want to be a lady, and who are you?”

“I am – I am Sir Francis Elijah Allagoston.”

“How do I know you're not lying?”

“You have sharp senses, Miss Docks. I am Drew Matthews.”

“ It's Locks, and where is Joey?”

“I'm afraid that's none of your beeswax, Mrs. Lakes.”

“It's Locks and this is an emergency.

“Very well.” Drew Matthews sighed. He then called into the house, “Miss Genevieve! There is a Miss Leafs -”

“It's Locks!

“-at the door who would like to see your brother.  Please escort her in the carriage to him.”

“Coming Drew!” answered a voice coming from inside the depths of the royal blue house. Seconds later, a young girl, maybe nine years old skipped out the door. She had black hair and huge green eyes. Her skin was the color of coffee. She was wearing a knee - length sky blue dress with a royal blue sash. The girl stopped short at the sight of Goldie and than hurriedly curtsied and said  politely, “Miss Leafs?”

“Just call me Goldie,” answered Goldie, “And you must be Genevieve?”

“Yep!” shouted Genevieve. And then she added, much more quietly, “I mean, yes, I'm Genevieve.  But pleeeease call me Jenny. Well, come this way, Miss Le - I mean, Goldie.  Jenny took Goldie's hand in hers and led her down the staircase - quite quickly- and down a path to a royal blue carriage where  two white horses were hitched to it. Goldie and Jenny both got in - Jenny in the drivers seat - and  the latter cracked the whips and in a flash they were off.  Soon they spotted Joey aboutgetting on to a horse.

“Joey!” Goldie called to him.  Joey turned around and when he spotted Goldie ran towards her.

“What's up?” Joey asked anxiously.

“Lindy and my aunt were captured by soldiers and I have no clue what do do!”

“What?” said Joey cluelessly.

“Lindy and my aunt are being held hostage at the castle!” Goldie quickly summarized.

“We're going to the castle.” Joey said calmly. “Oh, and thanks, Jenny.” He added toward his sister as he helped  Goldie onto his horse and sprang on himself.

“No problemo, bro!” Jenny called after the retreating Joey and Goldie. At the castle Joey and Goldie dismounted.  Then Joey fished something from his pocket and  shoved it into Goldie's hand.

“Stay here,” said he, “I'm going in.”

In Goldie's hand was a diamond ring.

Chapter 9

Joey hurried into the castle and into his father-the Prince's chamber.  When Joey arrived, the Prince had Lindy pinioned against the stone wall of the room, and Cinderella was being held by two of the many dozens of soldiers.

“Please, Gabriel, don’t!” pleaded Joey’s mother, the queen, who was sitting in her throne, leaning forward apprehensively, her face white.

“Be quiet, Asha. You keep your mouth shut.” snapped her husband.  Nobody noticed Joey.  That is, until he spoke.

“Father, let them go.” Joey’s voice was carved with fury.  Joey’s father looked up in nervous surprise and Joey's mother looked relieved.

“Joey, m’boy, what are you doing here?”

“Me? Well, I am here for the same reason I was the last time I was in here.  To stop you from committing murder.” answered Joey in a deadly low voice. “And I think it's time that the world knows the truth -” At this time he raised his voice to a shout and yelled, “PRINCE CHARMING TRIED TO KILL HIS FATHER BUT FAILED.  THE PRINCE'S FATHER, AFTER SPENDING THREE YEARS IN A HOSPITAL, BECAME A BUTLER BY THE NAME OF DREW MATTHEWS.”

Joey's voice echoed  through the corridors of the castle. Then the the castle was filled with whispers. After that came a yell:

“How DARE Prince Charming try to kill his father.  How DARE he!” Joey knew what was coming next and drew his sword along with his father.  The door burst open and bears and men alike flooded into the room, holding weapons and farming tools aloft. Joey hurriedly sheathed his sword and yelled,

“Lindy! Cinderella! We have to get outside!” Lindy, Cinderella, and Joey sprinted toward the door.  When they got outside, Goldie ran forward to embrace them.  And as Goldie looked around at all of them, she knew in her heart that they would never, ever stop being her friends.

And they all lived Happily Ever After.

27 Years Later

Goldie Locks sat in an old wooden rocking chair with her youngest daughter, Violet Pansy Locks, on her lap.  Goldie's son, Sean, and older daughter, Asha, were in the room next to this room (the sitting room, which had mint green wallpaper.) They were practicing the violin, with Goldie's husband, Joey, on the piano as an accompaniment.  Goldie's sister-in-law, Genevieve, nicknamed Jenny, was sitting in an armchair next to Goldie with her husband Daniel, who rarely spoke, at her side.

Presently, Jenny spoke.

“How are the twins? They must be very busy - you know, with both of them starting middle school.”

“Yes, and little Violet starting kindergarten!” Goldie added, giving her youngest daughter a squeeze.

Just then, Joey poked his head around the door of the music room.

“Hey guys,” He said, “Wanna come in and listen? We've prepared a concert for you.” His head disappeared from  behind the door.

“You really should come,” said Goldie, getting up, carrying her daughter. “They're very good.” Daniel and Jenny got up and followed Goldie to the Music Room.  The Music Room was a spacious royal blue room. Music stands covered the room and shelves holding violin and piano books crowded the walls of the Music Room.  

Goldie, Daniel, and Jenny filed into the room and sat down on the huge purple couch.  Violet squirmed out of her mother's arms and trotted out of the room.  Seconds later, she came back dragging her tiny, pink chair that had Disney princesses on it. Violet set it on the floor next to the couch and sat  in her chair as primly as she could, back ram rod straight, hands folded, and lips pursed tightly together.  

Sean and Asha raised their violins and waited while Joey played a cue on the piano.  Then the two twins raised their bows and began to play 'Somewhere Over the Rainbow.'  Joey's deep bass voice and Goldie and her sister-in-law's sweet sopranos harmonized together as they sang,

Somewhere over the rainbow

Way up high

There's a land that I heard of

Once in a lullaby.

Then Goldie's daughter got up and began to dance.  She was a picture of prettiness, with her golden locks flouncing about and her royal blue dress twirling around her.

After two more songs, Peter and the Wolf (to which Violet danced quite energetically) and the Nutcracker (to which Violet tried to do ballet and had a good few wipe outs,) Goldie announced that she was going to bed.

That night, Goldie dreamed good dreams.

1933

It was the day before Christmas Vacation, eight days before Raz Kalunski’s 10th birthday. She was at Herdsman Elementary School, and her class was talking about what everyone’s name meant. This subject came up when a girl asked what Mary meant and what Joseph meant.

“Rosalie Kulsk,” Ms. Hornbacher says to Raz, calling her by her German name that everyone except her family knew her by. “Why don’t you come up and tell us about your name?” Raz gives a quick nod and stands up, her chair scraping the rough wood floor. She scurries nervously up to the front of the classroom, her leather school shoes tapping. Click clack, click, clack. Once at the front of the room, Ms. Hornbacher gives her a smile, indicating that Raz should start. Raz forces a smile and takes a shaky breath.

“My name is Rosalie… Uh, I mean, of course you all already know that…” She falters, her heart beating quickly in her chest. Raz’s best friend Karsten gives her an encouraging smile from the sea of desks. She nods in return, and begins again. “My name, Rosalie, means-“ Karsten grins at her, giving her renewed strength. “My name, Rosalie, means Sec- I mean Raz.” I almost said secret! But that’s the meaning of Raz, not Rosalie. Raz thought. Then she continued. “My parents, uh, Emil and Charlotte, gave it to be because…” Raz glances around the room, looking for an explanation, prickly flush creeping up her neck. Then she sees Felicitas Vogelstein slip Felix Fleischmann a note with a rose printed on it. “Uh, they gave it to me because my parents met, uh, when my father gave her a rose at his flower stand.” A few snickers escape from the crowd of watchers at the word “Flower Stand.” Raz’s face flushed scarlet as she hurries back to her seat. As she sits down, Dana Anderle pulls her chair out from under her and the class erupts in laughter again.

“We know your secret, Raz.” She hisses in Raz’s ear when she is about to sit down. Raz is shocked for a moment, but then she composes herself and glares stonily at Karsten. How could he do this to me? She wonders angrily, glancing away when he looks at her. She glances back at Karsten, who looked just as shocked as she felt. “Fake.” Raz mutters under her breath. “Complete fake.” For the rest of the day Raz endured snickers and whispers of “Hey, Raz.”  

At recess Karsten rushes over to her and opens his mouth to speak, but Raz just swivels on her heel and stalks away. Felicitas Vogelstein jogs over to her and whispers, “Raz” in her ear. Raz’s face turns red and she curls her hands into fists, resisting punching Felicitas in her big mouth that let out her secret name. But she just sticks her chin high in the air and strides away, whispering her mother’s favorite proverb to herself. “Sticks and stones can break my bones but words will never hurt me.” Especially if the word’s just my name. She adds under her breath.

At the end of the school day Raz rushes straight home, instead of stopping at Karsten’s house for milk and cookies as usual. So when she gets to her apartment twenty minutes early her mom immediately knows something is wrong.

“Honey, you’re early! Didn’t you stop at Mrs. Corcillious’? Your friend, Karsten’s house, I mean?” Raz turns towards her room, preparing to storm in and slam the door behind her. But something makes her turn around. Without thinking she blurts out, “Karsten told the whole school about my Jewish name. Now everyone knows. What’s going to happen to us?” For all she knows, Raz’s mom could be exploding inside, because she keeps such a straight and calm expression. She scoops Raz up in her arms and plops down on the sofa. “Well, maybe our apartment will explode and we’ll be trapped inside it.” Raz gives a small smile. “Wait-no, no. A huge monster will come and tear us apart.” A giggle escapes from Raz. “No, no, no! I keep getting it wrong. We’re going to disappear and go to a land of monsters where we get eaten up.” Raz laughs and squeezed her mother tight, whispering a prayer of thanks for giving her such a good mother. “See, darling! It’s not quite so bad after all.”

As the rest of the day flew quickly by, it really didn’t seem too bad. Once, when her mother was tucking her in, she forgot about the incident at school completely. But the memories of the past hours pushed to the front of her mind when she heard her mother and father talking in worried tones across the hall.

“Chesed,” Her father was saying, “We must talk to Edith Corcillious immediately! We cannot have her child running about telling important secrets! It is simply unacceptable! I knew Raz should not have told that boy in the first place.”

“Emil, Emil.” Raz’s mother soothed. Loud repeating thumps from outside told Raz that her father was pacing back and forth, an old habit that he often slipped into when he was upset “Karsten might not have done it! Before we go jumping to any conclusions, let’s find the facts.” Raz’s mother was always very practical and never panicked, but Raz could hear a bit of stress and worriment in her voice.

The next morning Raz’s 14-year-old brother Gavriel rouses her early in the morning - by jumping on her bed. “Wake up!” He shrieks in her ear, “Shimmel’s coming soon! Uncle Shimmel! He’s staying for ALL of vacation! Wake up already, you lazy sister, or else I’m going to eat your breakfast before you even open your eyes!” Gavriel yells. From his usual loud, annoying personality Raz guesses he hadn’t heard the news about the Incident at School. “Gavriel, shush!” Raz scolds, glancing over at her little sister Libi who slept in the same room as her. Her second older brother Hiller roomed with Gavriel. The latter gives a final hop on his sister’s bed and then leaps off. He thumps out of her room and slams the door behind him. Raz knows he isn't actually going to eat her breakfast; he just wants her to get up. Raz knows what is coming next and she counts silently to herself, three, two, one, zero.

Gavriel sticks his head back into the room and sighs exasperatedly, “Come on, sis! Why can’t you just get up already?” Raz smiles and snuggles back into her covers.

“Hmm, let me guess. Eema won’t let you eat until I come down.” Gavriel grins sheepishly.

“Weeeelllll… yes.” He admits. Raz’s smile widens.

“Oh, fine, I’ll be right down.” Gavriel pumps his fist into the air. “Yes!” He exclaims. Gavriel grins at Raz and then is off like a shot. He flings open Raz’s bedroom door and then galumphs into the kitchen. “Raz - hurry up!” He calls over his shoulder. In return, Raz pretends to go back to sleep. Gavriel just shakes his head and begins to gobble down his breakfast.

Later in the day, when all relatives have settled in to the Kalunski-Kulsk household and Raz and her siblings are playing outside, Raz’s mother, Chesed, sits everyone down in the living room. Then she addresses the two pairs of grandparents and Raz’s uncle Shimmel, who come every year for Christmas Vacation.

“Yesterday,” She begins, “Raz told me that her best friend Karsten Corcillious told the whole school that she was Jewish.”

“What does it matter?” Grandpa Niklaus brakes in. “Now is the perfect time for you to convert to the Christian religion. And I do not know why you dabble in all this- Jewish stuff, Emil.” He adds in the direction of his son, Raz’s father. The latter places a hand on his father’s knee. “Vater, lassen meine frau sprechen.” Emil says in German to Grandpa Niklaus. Father, let my wife speak. Raz’s grandpa obeys unhappily.

“Thank you, Emil.” Chesed continues. “As I was saying, everyone knows that we are Jewish now.”

“You are Jewish, not I.” Niklaus mutters.

“Vater!” Emil whispers to his father, who falls silent.

“And this is obviously not good.” Chesed resumes the story for the second time, ignoring the interruption.

“Chesed…?” Raz’s uncle Shimmel hesitantly breaks in. “I’m… rather hungry. Could we maybe have some sup before you continue?”

“Oh, yes, of course!” Grandma Agnes hops up. “Why don’t I get some of my Special Strawberry Shortcake and some tea for everyone!” She bustles off to our small kitchen, her long flowered dress swishing about her plump figure as she walks. A moment later she reappears, carrying a tea tray and a plate of shortcake. Shimmel dives towards the food, but everyone else sits stiffly in his or her seats.

“Everyone, “ Chesed says, obviously irritated, “May I speak without an interruption? Please?” She looks pointedly at Grandpa Niklaus and Shimmel. The former bristles, and Shimmel blushes turnip red. Chesed ignores their discomfort and resumes her lecture. “We need to do something about this. I have spoke to Edith Corcillious about this, Carsten’s mother, and she well, interrogated him on the subject. He claims he did nothing. Edith says he is usually very truthful, and she believes he did not do it. “ Emil shakes his head and says quietly, “Complete pish-posh.” His wife does not seem to notice. “But we need to find out who did this. Raz has not told anyone other than Carsten. She says she told him in his room, which is very thinly separated from his sister's room, Gabriella…” Chesed trails off as recognition dawns on her face. “Gabriella.” She whispers. “I think it must've been her. She gossips plenty, and I can easily imagine her listening through the wall. But there's nothing we can do. We're already in enough trouble, and we shouldn't go looking for even more.” She sighs and rests her chin in her hands.

“Gavriel, boost me higher! I can’t see.” Raz struggles to stay onto her brother’s shoulders and look inside the small window of her house. “I can’t see!” She repeats. Just then Raz hears a whisp of a sentence float through the window. “Gabriella. I think it must've been her.”

Gavriel attempts to straighten up but loses his balance when Hiller’s dog, Ira catapults into him. “Hiller!” Gavriel moans. “Call of your dog!” Ira bounds over to his master when Hiller whistles. Raz rolls onto her side, thinking about what she just heard. She jumps up, taking hold of the window sill and hangs there for a moment. She holds on just long enough to hear her mother say, “But there's nothing we can do.”

“Gavriel! Hiller! I just heard something.” Raz excitedly says, “Eema said that she thinks it was Gabriella, Carsten's sister. But she also said that there was nothing she could do!”

“And your point is?” Gavriel says.

“What does she mean, there's nothing she can do? We think we know who it is, we need to find out more!” Raz declares. “Hurry up, we're going to talk to Eema about this and get her to do something. It's disgraceful to just sit there drinking tea!”

“Sheesh, Sis.” Gavriel grumbles as they run off. “Don’t you think someone’s getting bossy?”

The children burst through the door, panting.

“Eema,” Raz gasps, “We're going to the Corcillious'! We have an accusation to make! And you're coming with us! Gabriella did it, I'm sure of it!”

“Raz!” Says Chesed, “Calm down. There's nothing we can do!”

“Oh, there you go again. There's nothing we can do! There is something we can do! We can go question her. We can't redo what she's already done, but we can make her sorry for it! Come on, Eema, let's go!”

“But Raz-”

“No buts, Eema. We're going!” All this time the relatives have been staring at Raz, who had never been like this, not sweet, quiet Raz! No one had ever seen her like this before, but Chesed was to busy arguing to notice.

“Raz. Let me speak. I will go with you. But I want you to understand that it won't do any good. Okay?”

“O.K., Eema! Get on your coat – or better yet, just come on out!” Raz drags Chesed outside, leaving Gavriel and Hiller to hand Libi over to there father, yank on their coats, put a leash on Ira, and run after Raz.

The party of six (including Ira) quickly arrived at the Corcillious’ house and marched up to their door. They were a strange parade, with an adult in the lead, three children tramping behind, and an over-excited golden retriever yipping at their heels.

A couple moments after ringing the doorbell Edith Corcillious answers the door.

“Oh! I didn’t expect visitors today!” She says. Raz looks at her expectantly. “But come in, come in!” Edith hurriedly adds. Raz, her brothers, Ira, and Chesed step into the Corcillious household and begin unbuttoning their coats.

“We’d like to speak to Gabriella. May we?” Chesed says.

“Oh, did she do something wrong? I can pay for any damage!” Edith cries.

“No. May we speak to her?”

“Yes, yes. Of course. Let me just go fetch her…” Edith Corcillious turns towards the stairs and yells, “Gabriella!” a girl of about 13 clatters down the stairs. A brief look of alarm flits across her face when she sees them, but then Gabriella masks it, replacing it with a kind, slightly surprised expression.

“Can we go out to the garden? It’s very nice out!” Raz fibs, pretending that it wasn’t very cold out and not nice at all.

“Of course.”  Carsten and Gabriella’s mother herds them out the door. Once on the porch and seated in bright green lawn chairs (that did not match the winter scene) Raz turns to face Gabriella.

“Why did you tell everyone that we are Jewish?” She says, getting straight to the point. Gabriella’s eyebrows knit together; creating the illusion that she doesn’t know what Raz is talking about. But Raz notices the shock of being found out on her deep blue eyes.

“Why would I tell anybody that? You trusted me with your secret, and I shall keep it.” But then Gabriella realizes what she said and covers her mouth. Nobody ever told her the secret. But the words have already been spoken. “I-I mean, you’re Jewish? Uh… I didn’t know that? But I won’t-I won’t tell anyone. You can trust me. Um, trust me.” She blabs. Another of Chesed’s proverbs comes to Raz’s mind.

“Gabriella needs to hear that.” Raz mutters.

“I need to hear what?” Gabriella questions.

“Um, you need to hear a proverb that Eema likes. It goes like this: Words are like birds; they cannot just fly away; they must know where they are going.”

Chesed looks at Raz with a queer look on her face. “I’ve never heard that. But I know almost every proverb in the history of the world. You- you must have made it up! You’ll follow in my footsteps yet.” Chesed wraps her arms around Raz and squeezes her tight. It was only when Gabriella said indignantly, “Hello! Your not the only ones on this porch!” that Raz was able to emerge, gasping, from the folds of her mother’s blouse.

After a lot of questions and no answers Gabriella finally confesses. Chesed gets Edith Corcillious’ permission to take Gabriella back to the Kulsk’s (or now, since everyone knows they’re Jewish, the Kalunski’s) apartment, where Gabriella apologizes to the whole Kalunski family. (Although Raz sees her grandfather secretly take Gabriella aside and dis-accept her apology. “Good job.” He says, “They’ll convert soon, I’ll make sure of it.”)

Once Gabriella had confessed, Raz thought everything would be fine. But then she remembered that everyone still knew that they were Jewish.

The next morning, Raz is awakened by the sound of the radio in the kitchen. The news reporter is saying,

“Adolf Hitler has given many, many inspiring speeches. This is an exclusive excerpt from one of these speeches on January 30.” The reporter’s voice was replaced with a deeper, crackly voice.

“If the international Jewish financiers in and outside Europe should succeed in plunging nations once more into a world war, then the result will not be the bolshevization of the earth and this the victory of Jewry, but the annihilation of the Jewish race in Europe!” The reporters voice came back on. “Here are more exclusive excerpts from other speeches!” Various phrases from some speeches jump out at Raz.

“…If world Jewry launches another war in order to destroy the Aryan nations of Europe, it will not be the Aryan nations that will be destroyed, but the Jews...”

…This criminal race has the two million dead of the (First) World War on their conscience, and now hundreds of thousands. Let no one say to me: we cannot send them into the mire. Who concerns themselves about our men? It is good if preceding us is the terror that we are exterminating the Jews. The attempt to found a Jewish state will fail.”

...The sole German objective in the region will be to liquidate all Jews who live in Arab countried under the patronage of Great Britain.”

The voice of Adolf Hitler eventually fades out and stops. But the house isn’t silent. Raz hears her mother and her father talking worriedly together.

“Chesed, we need to go somewhere where no one knows our secret. We must move!”

“But Emil, the children's friends are here. They would heart broken if we moved. We must stay and just figure out a solution, here!” Their voices grow louder and louder, and soon they are shouting. Raz hurries into the kitchen, stepped between her parents, and says,

“Arguing has never solved anyone’s problem. It only twists about you like ivy, squeezing the rest of your life out of you until your sole purpose is getting your way. It doesn’t work. Emil and Chesed stop arguing and look down at their child.

“Thank you, Raz. I definitely don’t want my argument to turn into poison ivy.” Says Chesed, who is flushed in the face. Emil gives a small nod. Then Raz says,

“Let’s figure this out step by step, all together. It won’t do any good if we work all by ourselves.”

Emil and Chesed hug Raz tight, and at this moment, everything is perfect.

Opposites Attract

“Come on Marylynn! We'll miss the bus, for goodness sakes!” My older cousin Summer Thompson hurries over to me, her bright blue eyes flashing and her long blonde hair struggling to keep up with her.  Summer and I are both going to Camp Wohitila (which means “to be brave” in Native American) for part of summer vacation.  The camp would go on for one whole month, and I really didn't want to go.  I mean, one long month away from my mom and my dad-just not possible.  But my super-annoying-fourteen-year-old-cousin-Summer called me a wimp when I said I didn't want to go, and there's nothing more I hate then being called a wimp, so here I am, at Jansen park, which is where the bus to Camp Wohitila will pick us up.

“Summer, I keep telling you not to call me Marylynn!” I say reproachfully, “The name's Icy!” I like my last name, Ice, and I hate my first name, Marylynn, so much that I switched their places in my name.  I'm now Icy Marylynn.

“Icy's a stupid nickname, Marylynn, and you're stupid too; we're going to miss the bus!”

“Summer's a stupid name,” I retort, “I can't believe you changed it from Lucy to Summer!”

“Oh, you shut up.” Summer says exasperatedly, grabbing my arm and yanking me towards the electric blue bus.

“Bye Mom! Bye Dad!” I yell over my shoulder. They wave back to me and shout, “Bye honey! Have a good time at camp!” Finally Summer lets go of my wrist and pushes me onto the bus.  The wheels of my dark blue suitcase whirr and I hear Summer's flip-flops flippity flopping right behind me.  I quickly find an empty seat and gratefully slip into it, rubbing my still sore wrist.

After a couple of long minutes, a girl with glasses and a base ball cap perched precariously on her black birds nest hair plops down on the seat facing me. She turns to me, spits on her hand,  and sticks it out to me.

“I'm Tera,” she says, “But everybody call me Pitch.”

“Hi...” I answer, gingerly shaking her disgusting wet hand, “I'm Icy.”

“Cool name. Why ya' here?”

“What do you mean... Pitch?”

“Everybody's here for a reason, so why ya' here?” She pronounces “everybody” every-body, instead how most people say it, like everybuddy.

“Uh... My older cousin, Summer, said I was a wimp if I didn't go.”

'Mmmm, I know what ya' sayin'. Girl cousins can be such a pain in the butt.”

“Tell me about it.”

“Ya' know, I got a cousin called Sonia who call me “Ginormo” every time I eat a rib. She think I'm fat.”

'Pitch' and I start trading stories about times when our cousins were very annoying. Even though she and I aren't alike at all, it'll be nice to have a friend at Camp Wohitila. This month long camp might not not be too bad after all.

Sochi 2014

  “Let the games begin!” This year’s Olympics was an amazing event. On the shores of the Black Sea, the 22nd Winter Olympics got underway. Sochi, Russia is a summer resort area and the temperature on the day of the opening ceremony was about forty degrees Fahrenheit, ten degrees celcius. With 9 gold medals, 7 silver, and 12 bronze, the USA came in fourth by medal standards.

              SNOWBOARDING

Snowboarding made its Olympic debut in 1998 at the Nagano Winter Olympics. Also featured in the program were the giant slalom and the halfpipe. The parallel giant slalom first appeared on the Olympic program at the 2002 Salt Lake City Games. Snowboard cross was first included in the Olympics in 2006 in Turin.  

There are ten snowboarding events in the Olympic Games: men’s and women’s events in the halfpipe, parallel giant slalom, snowboard cross, slopestyle, and parallel slalom.

The first Olympic competitions in the parallel slalom and slopestyle will be held in Sochi in 2014.

The halfpipe competition is held on a special halfpipe-shaped course. Using the speed gained on the slope, snowboarders come up over the rim on the other side of the pipe and perform acrobatic aerial tricks.

In the parallel giant slalom events, two athletes engage in a head-to-head competition on parallel courses. The athletes with the best results in the qualifying round advance to the finals, and then compete on an elimination basis. The snowboarder who wins all the races wins the competition.

The snowboard cross event takes place on a course made up of various moguls, obstacles, banks, and jumps. Athletes are subject to elimination in qualifying runs. Results in the qualifying round determine snowboarders’ places in the final groups (the athlete with the best qualifying result gets starting number 1, and so on). In this stage, two groups of leaders run the course simultaneously, in an exciting battle over the right to advance to the final. The final group run determines who the medal winners are.

Slopestyle. Athletes perform on a slope featuring various forms of obstacles (rails, quarterpipes, and jumps). The technical characteristics of the course are dictated by the rules of the International Ski Federation. The competition is formatted in an elimination system with semifinals and finals, with two runs in each round. The snowboarder with the best results wins.

Parallel slalom. Two athletes descend parallel courses marked with blue and red flags. The athlete who covers the distance the fastest while following the course rules (about trajectories, fines, etc.) wins. The courses must match each other as much as possible in terms of relief, snow cover, number of turns, and other factors.

              ALPINE SKIING

Alpine skiing first became part of the Olympic program in 1936 at the Olympic Winter Games in Garmisch-Partenkirchen, Germany. Prior to this, only the slalom and the downhill were part of the Olympic sport program. At the 1952 Olympic Winter Games in Oslo, medals were awarded in three events — the slalom, giant slalom, and downhill. It was not until the Calgary Olympic Winter Games in 1988 that the super giant slalom was added to the alpine skiing program.

Ten events make up the Olympic alpine skiing program, five for men and five for ladies. These include the downhill, slalom, giant slalom, super giant, and super combined races. Different courses are prepared for the different events. A total of ten sets of medals are awarded.

The downhill event features the longest courses and the highest speeds in alpine skiing, with athletes achieving speeds up to 120 km/h. Skiers cover the distance one at a time. The fastest skier wins the competition.

In the slalom, athletes must ski a course marked with flags and gates that are spaced much closer together than in the downhill event, giant slalom, or super giant slalom. In this competition, athletes must ski two courses, and the sum of their results makes up their total time.

In the giant slalom, the gates are placed farther apart than in the slalom, but not as far apart as in the super-G. Men’s races have 56 to 70 gates, while ladies’ have 46 to 58. The result is the sum of the skier’s times on two different courses.

The super giant (Super-G) incorporates aspects of both the downhill and the giant slalom. In the super giant, athletes achieve speeds just as high as in the downhill, but the course trajectory is similar to the course trajectory in the slalom. Athletes ski a course on which the gates are placed at about the same distance apart as in the giant slalom. Each skier gets only one attempt at the course.

The super combination incorporates aspects of both the downhill and the slalom. The downhill is sometimes replaced by the super giant.

              NORDIC COMBINED

Nordic Combined individual events have been part of the Olympic program since the first Olympic Winter Games in Chamonix in 1924. The team competition was introduced at the Calgary Olympic Winter Games in 1988 with each team made up of three skiers. By the 1998 Nagano Olympics, this was increased to four skiers on each team.

Nordic Combined events include a ski jumping competition (1 jump) and a 10 km cross-country ski race. There are three men’s events in the Olympic program in Nordic Combined: the individual event with a normal hill (NH) ski jump, the individual event with a large hill (LH) ski jump, and the team event, with two jumps from the large hill for each team member and a 4×5 km relay.

The individual event, also known as the Gundersen race, takes place in two stages. The first stage is a jump from the normal or large hill, with each participant making one attempt. The second stage is a 10 km race. Points are scored for distance and style in the ski jumping section. The skiers with the most ski jumping points start first in the cross-country section, followed by the next best jumper after a gap that reflects the difference in their jumping scores, and so on. The first cross-country skier to cross the finish line wins the event.

The team event is similar to the individual event, except that teams of 4 people compete. In the first part of the event, each skier has one jump on a large hill. Points for all jumps count towards the team total. A difference of forty-five points translates to a one minute advantage in the second event, the 4×5 km cross-country relay. The Nordic Combined winner is the team whose skier crosses the finish line first.

              FIGURE SKATING

Figure skating is the oldest discipline in the Olympic Winter Games. As far back as 1908, figure skating competitions were included in the Olympics in London, and in 1920 at the Antwerp Games. Since the 1924 Olympic Games in Paris, singles and pairs skating have been a key fixture of the Olympic Games.

The first Russian Olympic champion in figure skating was Nikolai Panin-Kolomenkin. He won a gold medal at the London 1908 Olympic Games in an individual program called «Special Figures».

In 1976 ice dancing was included in the Olympic program; prior to this (in 1972) it was the only part of the Olympics as a demonstration sport. The first Olympic champions in ice dancing in 1976 were the Soviet figure skaters Lyudmila Pakhomova and Alexander Gorshkov

The Olympic Games program includes the following figure skating competitions: individual men’s and women’s events, pairs events, ice dancing and also team events. At the present time, only 5 sets of medals are contested in the Olympic figure skating program.

                 

HOCKEY

While the origins of ice hockey are still hotly debated, it is thought that the modern form of the game was taken to North America by the English. The first game of ice hockey was played between soldiers stationed in the Canadian province of Nova Scotia. In 1879 students at McGill University established the first rules for the game and organized ice hockey competitions.

The first official men’s international ice hockey tournament at the Olympic Games was held in 1920.

Women's ice hockey has been included in the Olympic Games program since 1998.

Ice hockey games take place on an ice rink. A puck made of vulcanized rubber is used. Before top level matches, the puck is frozen in order to reduce friction on the ice surface, therefore increasing its speed.

The game is a competition between two teams attempting to hit the puck into their opponent's goal using sticks, while preventing the puck from entering their own goal. The winning team is the one that hits more pucks into their opponent's goal.

There must be six players on the ice from each team: two defenders, three forwards (left, right and center) and one goaltender. A player committing a penalty is removed from the pitch for a period of time. The goaltender may be replaced with a sixth outfield player.

There must be six players on the ice from each team: two defenders, three forwards (left, right and center) and one goaltender. A player committing a penalty is removed from the pitch for a period of time. The goaltender may be replaced with a sixth outfield player.

In the Olympic Winter Games program, there are separate ice hockey competitions for men and women. Two sets of medals are contested.

              SPEEDSKATING

              SKI JUMPING

                CURLING

                BOBSLED

                 LUGE

                SKELETON

                

  Everyone has their eyes set on Rio, 2016 and Pyeyongchang, 2014 but stay tuned for the Sochi Paralympic games, 2014.

Here are some recommended books. I have read them all. Some of these books will be up on the list in August which for us is Book Month

Amelia Bedelia

by Peggy Parish, illustrated by Fritz Siebel (1963)
The queen of idioms makes her grand appearance on the page!

Because of Winn-Dixie

by Kate DiCamillo (2000)
India Opa Buloni describes her first summer in a small Florida town and how an ugly stray dog who adopts her at the supermarket effects people’s lives and changes hers.

The Borrowers             

by Mary Norton, illustrated by Beth Krush and Joe Krush (1953)
A small world is perfectly created in this fantasy about the miniature people who live beneath the floors of a quite old house.

Brown Bear, Brown Bear, What Do You See?

by Bill Martin, Jr., illustrated by Eric Carle (1967)
A gentle rhyming delight in a storytime classic.

Caps for Sale

by Esphyr Slobodkina (1938)
Naughty monkeys prove a challenge for an innocent cap seller.

The Cat in the Hat

by Dr. Seuss (1957)
An unexpected guest turns a rainy day into a heart-pounding adventure.

Charlotte’s Web

by E.B. White, illustrated by Garth Williams (1952)
A story of true friendship between Wilbur the pig and Charlotte A. Cavatica, his spider savior.

Chicka Chicka Boom Boom

by Bill Martin, Jr., and John Archambault; illustrated by Lois Ehlert (1989)
The letters of the alphabet climb a coconut tree with riotous results.  A rollicking introduction to the ABC’s.

Curious George

by H.A. Rey (1941)
One cheeky monkey plus one man in a yellow hat equals a whole lot of trouble.

Don’t Let the Pigeon Drive the Bus!

by Mo Willems (2003)
He’ll try to talk you into it, but whatever you do don’t give in to this snarky city fowl’s demands.

Frog and Toad Are Friends

by Arnold Lobel (1970)
Toad’s a worrier and Frog’s laid back, but no matter what their differences, these two friends are there for one another.

From the Mixed-Up Files of Mrs. Basil E. Frankweiler 

by E.L. Konigsburg (1967)
Claudia chooses the Metropolitan Museum in New York City as the elegant hiding place for herself and her little brother when they run away from home. 

George and Martha

by James Marshall (1972)
A pair of hippopotami navigate the highs and lows of a perfect friendship.

Go, Dog. Go!

by P.D. Eastman (1961)
A strange little Zen easy reader with a madcap energy entirely of its own.

Goodnight Moon

by Margaret Wise Brown, illustrated by Clement Hurd (1947)
A beloved bedtime classic, both lovely and soothing.

Green Eggs and Ham

by Dr. Seuss (1960)
Methinks Sam’s friend doth protest too much.

Harold and the Purple Crayon

by Crockett Johnson (1955)
With crayon firmly in hand Harold creates whole worlds for himself and his readers.

Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone

by J.K. Rowling (1998)
A down-trodden orphan is summoned to an elite academy of wizards to fulfill his destiny.

The Hobbit

by J.R.R. Tolkien (1937)
A rich imaginative tale of dragons, dwarves and the ageless search for gold.  Rooted in authentic Saxon lore, but written and illustrated with humor and charm.

Lilly’s Purple Plastic Purse

by Kevin Henkes (1996)
The beloved mouse adores her teacher until the terrible day when he confiscates her wonderful new fashion accessories. 

The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe

by C.S. Lewis (1950)
The old theme of good against evil is restated in a tale that creates its own world of magic.

Madeline

by Ludwig Bemelmans (1939)
Sometimes when you’re the smallest you also have to be the bravest.

Make Way for Ducklings 

by Robert McCloskey (1941)
Mother duck has to keep her babies, Jack, Kack, Lack, Mack, Nack, Ouack, Pack, and Quack in line.  And it’s certainly nice to have a friend in your corner when trying to cross a busy Boston street.

Matilda

by Roald Dahl, illustrated by Quentin Blake (1988)
She may have the worst parents in the world and a truly terrifying headmistress, but thanks to her loving teacher Miss Honey, Matilda finds ways to outsmart all the villains in her life.

Miss Nelson is Missing!

by Harry Allard, illustrated by James Marshall (1977)
The truly terrible children of Room 207 are about to meet their match in the odious Miss Viola Swamp!

Mr. Popper's Penguins

by Richard and Florence Atwater; illustrated by Robert Lawson (1938)
Take one ordinary house painter, add in some kooky penguins, and watch as the results get a little crazy!

Mrs. Frisby and the Rats of NIMH

by Robert C. O’Brien (1971)
A group of tech savvy rats come to the rescue of a widowed mouse and her children.

Olivia

by Ian Falconer (2000)
An amusing portrait of a precocious little pig with artistic sensibilities and a flair for fashion.

The Phantom Tollbooth

by Norton Juster, illustrated by Jules Feiffer (1961)
Complaining of boredom, Milo travels through a tollbooth to a ridiculous land where Rhyme and Reason are lost.

Pippi Longstocking

by Astrid Lindgren (1950)
Outlandish fun is sure to follow the girl who lives on her own with a monkey, a horse, and a fortune in gold coins.

 Ramona the Pest

by Beverly Cleary (1968)
The year Ramona Quimby becomes a kindergarten dropout.

Rumpelstiltskin

by Paul O. Zelinsky (1986)
Can you guess his name?  Stunning paintings in the late medieval style take a classic fairy tale to new heights.

Sylvester and the Magic Pebble

by William Steig (1969)
Sometimes wishes come true . . . even the bad ones.

The True Story of the Three Little Pigs

by Jon Scieszka, illustrated by Lane Smith (1989)
All he was doing was trying to borrow some sugar.  Alexander T. Wolf tells his side of the story.

The Very Hungry Caterpillar

by Eric Carle (1969)
It’s a counting book, a days of the week story, a tale of colors, a die-cut wonder, and a memorable read-aloud rolled up in one!

Where the Wild Things Are

by Maurice Sendak (1963)
Sometimes when you’re having a bad day you need to go to a place where you can be a monster.

Winnie-the-Pooh

by A.A. Milne, illustrated by Ernest H. Shepard (1926)
There is nothing like having a group of friends who are always there for you. Lovable quirks and all.

Nelson Mandela

BY: Samantha Dolitle

Nelson Mandela was a wonderful man. A lot of people had just heard about his death and that he was “a wonderful leader” but I am here to tell you about just how wonderful he is.

                                       

Nelson Rolihlahla Mandela was born on July 18, 1918 to his delighted parents, Nosekeni Fanny and Gadla Henry Mphakanyiswa. Mandela had 13 brothers and sisters. He had three full sisters, three half-brothers and six half-sisters. Nelson Mandela was born at Mvezo, a tiny village on the banks of a tiny village on the banks of the Mbashe River in the district of Umtata, South Africa. Nelson was the president from 1994 to 1999. He was a hero and great leader. When he got out of jail and became president, instead of punishing his guards in jail, he forgave them. He was a great example to people.

                       

  Each day was the same. I rose with the sun and headed to market. There I set up my desk and inkwell and my stack of paper. Then, I waited. Hours later, the town or Arden began to wake up. Lights flicked on, lighting up windows, and people began coming out of their houses. Soon, the market place was packed and you couldn’t move a muscle without bumping into at least 10 people. I wasn’t having very good business. More and more people were buying type writers and they didn’t need people with good handwriting to write for them. Night was soon upon us, and the town square was less packed, an                                          d I was starting to pack up. But then a middle aged man hurried over to me.

“Wait! Wait, I need you.” I stopped. He put a piece of paper with beautiful pictures or butterflies and roses on it on my desk along with a bottle of red ink.

“I need you to right for me.” The man put a slip of paper with a name or word on it. Aradietta. “Write this one word on this paper with the red ink. Write it 69 times. That’s very important. Each time you write it, make the first letter, A, bigger, much bigger, then the rest of the word. I will collect the sheet tomorrow when the sun is directly over this exact place. It’s urgent. Please do it.” With that, the man hurried away and vanished through the trees.

The next morning I got up extra early, went to my area in the market,  and set the special paper and the red ink on my desk. Then I began my task.

Aradietta… Aradietta… Over and over, one word. When I had gotten to about 20 Aredietta’s I began to feel drowsy. Aradietta… Aradietta… Aradietta…

When I woke I was in a candle-lit cave. The candle light cast dark shadows on the walls. A shelf of glass spheres was on the left side of the door. The door seemed to be incased in a dark, dark red. I turned to look at the shelf of spheres again. One of them was filled with a white, milky substance. Another had blue, literally blue waterish stuff in it. I stepped closer to look. Suddenly a thump echoed in the cave. Then came another. Right behind me.

I spun around. The man I had seen last night was in front of me. The darkness made him look tall, very tall. I took a couple steps back.

“I see you have discovered my collection of thoughts,” He said. So that’s what was in the glass spheres. “They’re beautiful, aren’t they.” He could sense my fear. But I was determined I wouldn’t act like a scardy cat, even though I felt like one.

“Sir, if I may ask… What is this place?”

“Here? This is my home. You’re going to be living here with me for a rather long time so I might as well know your name. Tell me, won’t you.”

“Very well,” I began. I remembered my mother once telling me to never tell a stranger my real name. So I would think up another name, and he would never know I was named after my mother… Turial. “My name is Sairette Greta.”

“Named after the queen of Regina, are you. Are you… quite sure, I do believe I remember that you were named after dear Turial, but, of course, I could be wrong.” How did this man know so much about me? The man took a sudden step forward. I stumbled back and tripped over a thin cord on the ground. I flew sprawling into a chair. “So, Turial… we have a great deal to talk about. Why don’t we begin with… you.”

“Your name is Turial Elleese Gertins. You have a birthmark the shape of a perfect circle on your left elbow. You’ve always wanted an eagle for a pet. What else do I need to tell you? There’s one more thing. Once, when you were in third grade, Rylin Soccell called you teacher’s pet. I was the only one you told.” This was just to much for me. I stood up, my chair scraping the floor.

“Okay. Who are you, why do you know so much about me, why are you acting like my father? Do you have him held hostage somewhere where you tortured this information out of him?”

“No.” The man looked sad. “I am him.” I didn’t want to believe him. I really, really didn’t want to believe him. But I knew he was telling the truth. You should be happy, I told myself. You should be so so happy; you’ve finally found your father. Why aren’t you happy? Because this man can’t be my father. Because this isn’t the man I dreamed of. This isn’t the moment I played over and over in my head. How could it have gone so wrong?

The man who called himself my father was angry at me. He, too, had dreamed of a moment. But that moment had gone wrong. Just like mine. I sat in the chair, my head down. Furious thoughts swirled around in my head. What’s wrong with you, Turial? Why did you ever let him leave you and your mom? This is all your fault. You trusted that he would come back. And now you found him- in the worst possible way. This is all your fault. All your fault.

In the next hour I remembered the previous night, and this morning. I wanted to figure out who, or what, Aradietta was. I pulled together my courage and stalked up to “my father”.

“If your going to keep me here, you might as well tell me the whole story. First of all, Aradietta.” I folded my arms and waited for him to sigh and sit down. But he laughed. Laughed!

“Ah… Turial. You’re just like your mother. Sairette was always sticking her nose into other peoples businesses.” What? I was not sticking my nose in his business. It was defiantly mine, too.

The man, still smiling, gestured for me to sit down. Then he pulled up a chair. Then he told me the story of Aradietta- if it was the true story I do not know.

There once was a fair maiden called Aradietta. She lived with her two sisters, Sofiana and Pomathia, and her mother, Keirtia. One day, the god of the sky, Shondas, looked-“

“I thought the god of the skies was Zeus.” I interrupted.

“Is that so? Well, I’m sure there can be more then one god of the skies.” I said nothing my father needed to study his roman mythology.

“Anyway, Shondas looked down from his perch on a cloud and saw Aradietta picking flowers. Now, he instantly fell in love with her and decided to take her back to his kingdom in the sky.”

“This sounds a lot like the story Demeter and Persephone.” I broke in.

“Is that so? Well, I’m sure there’s room enough for both stories.” Huh? My father should try to make more sense when he’s talking to people.

“Anyway, Shondas decided to take Aradietta back to his kingdom in the sky. So the following night, Shondas swooped down to their cottage on a pure white eagle and pulled Aradietta out of her bed and onto the eagle. At his kingdom, Aradietta was sad and yearned for her mother and sister. Shondas became tired of her crying and took the thoughts of her family out of her head and placed them in glass balls.”

“Mmm, like you do?” I inquired.

“Shh! Do you want me to tell you about Aradietta or not? In two years, Shondas and Aradietta got married. He ordered all of the peasants from the world of the gods to give them a marriage gift. But many of the peasants were poor and couldn’t afford to give a gift. Aradietta saw this and secretly gave the peasants magic scraps of paper with which, if a person’s name was written on it 69 times, that person would be made immortal.”

“Wait, hold on a second. You told me to write Aredietta on that paper 69 times.”

“Well-uh- you’ll understand. Just listen.” I closed my mouth, but there were still many things I wanted to say. “So Aredietta gave the peasants the magic paper. That paper would be the gift. Shondas was satisfied with the gifts and did not suspect Aradietta of anything. The next year, on Aradietta and Shondas’s anniversary, Shondas ordered the peasants to again give them a gift. But many of the peasants were poor and could not offord a gift for Shondas. Aradietta saw this and gave each of the peasants a bottle of magic red ink.” I opened my mouth to speak but my father held up a finger and I stayed quiet. “The ink’s special property was that if you wrote one word with the ink 69 times that one word would come alive. Like for example, if you wrote “elephant”, there would suddenly be an elephant. Shondas was satisfied with the gifts and still did not suspect anything. The next year, Shondas ordered the peasants to give a present to him. And Aradietta gave each of the peasants a bolt of magic red cloth. If the cloth was spread over something, that something and anything touching the something would become invisible.” Ah. The door, I thought. “But on the day Aradietta was going to give the cloth to the peasants, Shondas came looking for Aradietta. He wanted her to pose for a painting of her. He asked the guard at the gate of his castle where she had gone and the gaured said that she had gone into the peasant’s village. Curious, Shondas followed her. He went into the first villagers house just as Aradietta was giving the cloth to the peasant. He saw and understood what she was doing. He was very, very angry and ordered for her to be killed exactly a year from then.” My father paused. “So, that’s the story.”

“And?” I said.

“And that story was written a year ago. Aradietta and Shondas’s anniversary is supposed to be March 1st. That’s two weeks from now.”

“Mmm.” I got it. “So you wanted me to make her come true and then make her live forever.”

“Yes.”

“So you were trying to interfear with the true story of Aradietta.”

“Well- yes.”

“And maybe you also wanted to see her because she’s obviously very beautiful.”

“I suppose so. Yes.”

“You are so guilty.”

“I am? I am, aren’t I.” I nodded.

“But there’s still one thing that I don’t understand. Why me?”

“Ah. I left out that part, didn’t I. Uh, well, um. Your mother’s middle name is, uh, Aradietta. And she fits the description of Aradietta almost perfectly. And in the real story, Aradietta has a baby, a little girl with brown hair and bright blue eyes.”

“Like me.” I say, beginning to understand.

“And her name is Ellee.”

“Like Elleese.”

“Yes.”

“So you wanted me, the girl most like her child because…”

“When she appears here, she’s going to miss her own world. So we can at least have her daughter here to comfort her.”

“No. No, I’m not doing it. Wait- but couldn’t you write it?”

“I can’t. There’s something I’ve never told you. I can’t write. I never learned how to.”

“Really? Well, I’m NOT teaching you. I’m not going to write the rest for you and I’m not going to be Ellee. I’m also not staying here.”

“Come on, Turial! I can’t make you stay, but please…” Oh, the look on him, my father’s face…

“Fine. But at some point we’re going to visit my mom. And it’s true, you can’t make me stay- or write.”

To be continued…

Topic: What do you think it is like to be an elf?

              What would it be like to be an elf? Let's see if I can answer that question. I

think it would be...

              Fun. It would be fun to be an elf, right? I mean, you'd make presents for

children, and you'd be tiny, but tall to people your size. Although being an elf would

also be...

              Hard work. If you worked for Santa Claus, he might tell you that presents

you make had to be perfect. It would be hard to make presents perfect, yes? And

being an elf could also be...

              Dangerous. So you'd be real tiny, am I correct? So, couldn't someone step

on you? It's disturbing just to think about. And also, if a human saw you, that might

be bad. I mean, if the human was mean, he might capture you, and ever torture you!

Well anyway, let's just stop talking about  bad things. How else would it feel, to be

an elf? Ooh, here's something. I think you'd feel, kind of...

              Proud. Yeah, I said proud. Really proud. Like, you might work for Santa

Claus! He might have hired you! You'd be proud. I'm wrong, right? No, I'm never

wrong. So I must be right!

              I can't think of anything else an elf might feel, so I have to end this writing

piece. Well, anyway, since this story is short, now you have time to think about how

you think it would be like to be an elf.

              Go on, do it! You're not doing it! There, now stay, stay, no stay! There you

go. Now don't you move from that spot for even half a second! No, I said stay!

Literally. Now goodbye.

Picture:

The arrow pointing to the elf says soon to be
smushed elf if she doesn't run for it NOW.

Topic: Describe a candy cane. How does it look, feel, smell, and taste?

              GUESS WHAT? I got a candy cane to eat! I've never had one in my life! (not

really) Okay, now, I'm finally going to try it. Here, I'll describe it to you. How does it

look?

              Delicious... It's the shape of a walking stick, only the hook is a bit longer

and curves a bit more. The candy cane has thick, red and white stripes winding

round and round the stick and hook. It looks smooth  and tasty. Now, how does it

feel?

              Sticky. The candy cane is very sticky. It's also kind of smooth. I mean, it's

not bumpy up and down, up and down like. A candy cane smells like...?

              Well, it has a unik, unick, iunique, how do you spell it? Ah, here, unique

spell. It smells:

sweet

fresh

very, very good.

All mixed into one flavor. Now how does a candy cane taste? Here's a list.

CRUNCH! Sorry, that was just me tasting this  this dreamlike wonderful perfect

candy  cany candcane  candycandy cane thing! It's sweet, very sweet, and delicious,

and wonderful, and, and...

              Come on, get back to earth! You have to taste the candy cane!  Where is it?

Why is my hand all sticky? Why am I lying on the sofa? Why do I have that feeling

of just being cross eyed? Oh… I ate it again. You see, every time I taste a candy

cane I go cross eyed, lie down (don’t ask me why) temporarily lose my memory,

forget the taste of the candy cane, and if I had a candy cane. Well, I better go to the

supermarket to buy a candy cane and try one for the first time in my life! Oh, la, la,

la, la, la, la…

Picture:

This is the narrator after she ate a candy cane.
Not what you'd expect from a candy cane, is it.

Topic: Pretend you are a worker bee on the first day of spring. Tell me about your

day.

              Ahh, morning. Let’s see, where’s me ‘To Do’ list… Ah, here it is.

              #1. Wake up. Check!

              #2. Find my ‘To Do’ list. Check!

              #3. Pick up up my ‘To Do’ list. Check  ok, let me just skip ahead a bit.

              #20. Look at #21 on the ‘To Do’ List. Um, let me just do that… Check! So

it says,

              #21. Feed the babies. Okey Dokey. So to the children’s chambers it is. Let’s

see, left, right left again. Here we are! Morning kids, it’s wakey wakey time! Come

on, Honey, time to wake up, Buzz. Yes, you have to wake up, Pollen. Here’s your

food, Petal. Come on over, Stamen. Come on, you have to get to flying lessons,

Stigma. It’s the first day of Spring, get moving! That’s your teacher, Mrs. Bumble.

Bye bye, now!

              Okay, what’s next. But where’s my ‘To Do’ list? Oh, here it is, right in my

hand! Silly bee, me! Anybuzz, I have to… work on the hive. A nice, buzzalishious

yellow would be good for the Queen’s chamber. Oh! Here’s the queen now! Good

afternoon, Your Wingy Majesty, Your Hairy Highness, Your Leggy Madam! Yes, it

is a nice day today, perfect for pollen collecting. Well, I must be going now.

Anyuzz, here’s my hammer! That little cell needs some work! And some painting!

There we go. Now it looks nice and new.

              Now I have to… Gather Pollen. Well here I go! Oh! There’s a bee dancing.

She’s going to the right, so I’ll go to the right too. Ah, this is a nice flower! Well, I

believe I’ve gathered enough pollen now. So it’s back to the hive with me! Today

was very nice. Well, it’s time to turn of the light! Click! Ah… hey, wait! Why is the

light still in my eyes? Oh, I actually didn’t turn off the light. Whoops! Click! There

we go.

Picture:

Here's the worker bee turning out the light-
for the second time.Click!

Topic: Free Write

              I swung my legs back and forth and fidgeted where I sat  on the edge of 

the stage. My hands twisted my short black skirt into a ball and my eyes scanned 

the huge room over and over again.

 

I was waiting for my results. I had tried out to be Hermione Granger in

Harry Potter and Lilly Grace Lopez in Rush of the Wind.* 

              ‘Lizzy, don’t think about it!’ I told myself sternly when my stomach 

started doing jumping jacks. Just then, Mr. Kendoe, my acting instructor came in 

the room.

His steps echoed hollowly in the almost empty room. I froze and drew in my 

breath.

              “Elizabeth Rae: Your results." Mr. Kendoe handed me a sheet of paper. I

squeezed my eyes shut and then opened them to stare at the paper.

  When I read that I hadn’t gotten the Harry Potter part, I let my breath 

out. I dropped my head and bit my lip.

              “Keep reading. There’s more.” The voice of Mr. Kendoe had said. I had

shifted my gaze back to my results and continued reading.

              When I finished reading and found out I was Lilly Grace Lopez, I felt 

like I could do anything. Be on Broadway, turn invisible, fly. I wanted to jump up 

and down and hug Mr. Kendoe. It took all of my self control not to restrain 

myself from doing that. Instead, I asked Mr. Kendoe,

              “When do rehearsals start?”

              “Now,” He answered simply. I ran to the rehearsal room and almost

whooped out loud. In the r.r. (rehearsal room) I nearly bumped into Emma 

Watson.

              “Oh, hi. Congrats on getting the part. You too, Daniel, Rupert.” (Daniel

Radcliffe and Rupert Grint had gotten the parts for Harry Potter and Ron 

Weasley)

              “Thanks!” Emma said, “You too!” Daniel and Rupert grinned. I smiled 

and nodded. Then, a ‘Mrs. Land’ brought me outside so I could meet the horse I 

would ride for Rush of the Wind.

              Later, I would become famous as Lilly Grace Lopez in Rush of the 

Wind with Emmy, the horse who was Lulu in the movie. We became known as 

E&E.

              Back when I got the part, I had no idea what an awesome instructor Mr.

Kendoe was. But now, I am truly grateful for him. I couldn’t have done it without

you, Mr. Kendoe,

Thank You!

Picture:

Elizabeth Rae's Results show that she did not get the
Harry Potter part but the Rush of the Wind part.  

Makenna walked across the soccer field toward the park swings, digging a pack of

bubble gum out of her pocket. I’ll bet I can blow a REALLY big bubble if I chew the

whole pack at once, she thought. A few minutes later she crammed the last piece into

her mouth.

              As soon as the gum was soft enough, she positioned it just right and started

to blow. One breath: It was as big as an apple. Two breaths: It was nearly as big as

her head. Three breaths: Wow! A new personal record! She kept going. Four breaths.

Five. Six!

              Just then, a gust of wind blew throught the park and tugged at her bubble.

Makenna held on. She inhaled and blew again. It was enormous! Another strongergust of wind took hold of it and pulled. Makenna clamped her lips on the gum. No way! I won’t give up this bubble! The wind pulled harder, lifting Makenna off her feet. She held on with her teeth as she swiftly rose up and up and up. Looking down,

she saw the swing set, then the whole playing field next to it. How could she call for help with her teeth clenched on the bubble gum? All she could manage was a pathetic sound through her nose, “NNNNNNNNN!” And then…                                                              

She fell asleep! When Makenna woke up she was drifting past Uranus. She sigh contentedly with her eyes still closed. She absentmindedly yawned. POP! The gum splattered all over Makenna's face. Startled, she opened her eyes. Suddenly she was in her bed with her big brother Kyle and her little brother Choo Choo (his real name was Charles but everyone called him Choo Choo because he loved trains) standing over her, and pink gum splattered all over her face.

It had all been a dream! Just then, Makenna noticed that Kyle was holding a red and white gum wrapper.

"What is going on in here?" Makenna exploded angrily. Kyle and Choo Choo burst into laughter. When Kyle had caught his breath, he explained that he had put a pack of gum into Makenna's mouth while she was sleeping, she blew a bubble, and then she yawned and the bubble popped. Makenna tried not to look angry but she couldn't help it- she smiled. Her smile grew wider and wider and Makenna started to giggle. Her giggle became a chuckle which became wild, uncontrolled laughter. The laughter caused the gum all over Makenna's face to spray around the room.

"Oops," Makenna said.

Picture:

Here's the very beginning of the story... and then... she fell asleep!

The Family of the Stars

I lie on my back

The dark, velvety sky

Stares down at me.

Millions of stars

For each one of our

Ancestors.

Will I someday

Fly to the heavens

Above the world

And become one of the

Hundreds

Thousands

Millions

Of stars?

Will a child someday point out to his mother

My Star?

The End