English 9 D

Untitled by Evan M.

2008-09-08T10:14:00.001-05:00

It was a sunny, cloudless, hot day in New York City . And Alfred Brooks a tall slender black young man was on his way to work at the Mini Mart that he now owns. He walks to work not because he doesn’t have enough money but because it reminds him of when he was younger. As he had done since he was 15 years old. He had co me a long way, when he started working at the mini mart he was just a box boy. He now owns the store. The Mini Mart is right in the middle of New York City on Broadway and is across the street from the ESPN restaurant. It is a very busy place with thousands of people walking and shopping. Alfred has greatly improved the store’s outer appearance as well as it’s inner appearance. He put advertise me nts in the windows about concerts, music festivals and up coming sports events and he made the inside neat and clean. It was a store that welco me d it’s customers Becca was walking down the street when she saw the Mini Mart that her old friend used to work at and she thought she would check it out and see if he still worked there. Her old friend’s na me was Alfred Brooks.. She hadn’t seen her for many years. She was a little nervous about seeing him because the last ti me they had seen each other they had gotten into a fight about his views on the holocaust. She was mad about his lack of knowledge about the holocaust. She saw how afraid her grandmother was of even talking about the horrible things that she had seen and experienced. So seeing Alfred talking sofreely and openly about the holocaust made her very upset. She put all of their past disagreements aside and walked in the door. Alfred looked around when she walked in the door to see who had co me into the store and he was astonished and pleased when hesaw who it was. Alfred yelled out “Hey Becca” and ran over to give her a hug. With agasp of surprise at his warm hug she said hello quietly . She didn’t quite know what to say so she just said” hay” back Alfred was so shocked to see her he was at a loss for words the only thing he could think of was their last meeting and the fight they had so before she could say anything else he said “ im so sorry for what I said the last time we saw each other I was wrong to think I know more than I do about the holocaust” Becca said “it is ok we were young and we didn’t know better but now u can see why I Was so upset” “yes” said Albert after that short conversation the air got lighter around them and all the tension was gone . They started reminiscing about old memories of when they were younger. And then suddenly Becca said “ oh my gosh look at the time? Im supposed to be meeting one of my friends in five minuets! Albert said “well than I guess you better go ,it was so nice to see u. “it was nice to see u to, well goodbye” “goodbye” said Alfred and Becca walked out the door ..

The Family Secret by Mia S

2008-09-07T18:18:00.000-05:00

As Rebecca was in her perfect vacation spot, a Californian town for her yearly visit she sensed that something was different about this trip. It wasn’t as special as her past trips had been, like meeting all of her old friends, it was a special feeling that she couldn’t quite put her finger on. As she was taking her normal walk on the beach shore she saw a boy quite younger than her by himself crying on the rock that she normally rested at. Rebecca was not a person to go off schedule or ruin her routine. She quietly sat at the rock next to the completely distraught boy. Once the boy noticed that Becca was sitting there he pulled his head high and tried to stop the tears by his occasional sniffling.

Out of kindness and curiosity she asked, “Is there any way I can help?” There was a long pause before his answer but the light waves split the silence.

“Not really,” sniffled the boy. His blue eyes were red with the intense crying, his brown hair was in desperate need of a cut and besides some small scars on his face he was quite a handsome young man.

“Well, may I at least ask what is wrong?”

“Family problems,” the boy said. He seemed to be staring out into the open Pacific Ocean like there was an answer to all his problems.

“Well I know a lot about those,” said Becca “I have had quite a few, I would say more a mystery than a problem, I may be able to help you.”

“I doubt it. I have been troubled for a long time and mine problem isn’t any mystery.” He paused and brought his voice down to a low whimper. “It’s a crime.” When he said that he stared at Becca, her blue eyes and her long brown hair with the most intense feeling in his eyes they both looked like they were on the edge of tears.

“Well than, you couldn’t have done anything that bad now.” Becca was looking down at the boy who couldn’t have been more than twelve.

“Oh no, it wasn’t me, it was,” the boy stammered.” It was my my mother. She is an alcoholic and abused me”

“Oh little little boy…”

“My name is David, David Pelzer.” He interrupted.

“Pelzer, Pelzer is that really your last name?”

“Yes as far as I know. Why?”

“Well I spent time in Poland, more like family time. While I was there I looked through my family files to see if I could find any information about some lost ancestors and Pelzer was one of the key names in my family.”

“Really? Do you think we could be related?”

“I wouldn’t doubt it!” Becca and David had both beamed at the thought of having some kind of lost relative.

“That would be the best thing that has ever happened to me. My mother stopped talking to the people on her side of the family and the same for my father’s side. “

“So we might be related some how.” David said with a smile

“What is your father’s name?” Becca asked just as intrigued at the thought as David.

“Stephen Pelzer,” David said with some hope in his eyes.

“Well that would be valuable information. Where are you parents?” Becca asked, suddenly noticing that David had been alone for some time and no one had come looking for him.

“My foster parents are over there but they don’t care about me and I don’t care about them,” David said very crossly.

“Maybe I should have a talk with them. I could bring my copies of the family history to them and to social services and maybe we could work something out.”
ONE MONTH LATER 

“Okay Becca, he’s all yours!” the social worker said.

“Finally!” Becca and David said in unison.

After a month from there first meeting David and Becca had finally become a family. It turned out that Becca and David had been second cousins. Since the families had never spoken neither one had known they were related. David was removed from foster care and was now in the custody of Becca. David had been through so much abuse that he was finally happy that a family member would actually treat him right. Becca was glad to be with David and have some one to take care of. All in all they both had gotten what they needed and were happy.

Summer Reading Essay By Allie B

2008-09-07T18:17:00.000-05:00

It was a quiet day in Daly City, California and Dave Peltzer was walking along the streets of his childhood. On that same day, Dave’s long lost friend Rebecca was on her way home from her trip to Poland where she was searching for her deceased grandmother’s past. Dave was walking on the sidewalk, head down, watching his feet glide across the pavement, as he had always done ever since he was a little boy. Coming in the opposite direction was Rebecca, who was day dreaming, once again, about all the new information she had just learned about her grandmother, Briar Rose.

As Dave inhailed the mouthwatering aroma from the Pizza Palace, he was once again reminded of the day that he first met Rebecca ten or so years ago at the Pizza Palace. Dave glanced up to check his watch to see how much longer he had until it was time for him to return to his family two towns away. Just as he looked up, there stood the same face he had seen ten years ago that belonged to Rebecca. Rebecca was immediately snapped out of her daydream and stood dumbstruck staring at Dave. They both stood there in total silence until Dave spoke up.
“Rebecca, is that you?”
“Dave?” replied Rebecca.
“Wow! I haven’t seen you since that day we first met ten years ago! How have you been? Tell me everything that has happened since then? Does your Gemma still tell those fantastic stories about the prince and princess?!” exclaimed Dave.
“Slow down! Slow down! You are still the same excited little boy that I remember from long ago. One question at a time!” smiled Rebecca
“Oh alright, but would you like to talk over some pizza? I’m starving!” replied Dave. They both walked across the street and into the small Pizza Palace. It was still bright yellow with red trim, just as it had been ten years ago. The waitress sat them down at a booth in the corner of the restaurant, next to the gumball machine that had been there since they were little.
“I bet those gumballs will still crack your teeth, Becca,” Dave said with a big grin on his face. Rebecca remembered that day clearly, as if it were just yesterday.

The two friends sat down in the red leather booth seats with a “plop” as the air escaped from the cushions. The waitress came and took their orders. Rebecca ordered cheese pizza, still plain and simple as she had ordered ten years ago, and Dave ordered Hawaiian, his new favorite. Rebecca started their conversation with Dave’s child abuse past. They talked about almost everything that happened to him from his starvation as a child and torturous chores, to his rescue and numerous foster homes. All the memories from Dave’s dark past came flooding back and brought tears to his eyes. By the time their pizza was ready, Dave had gone through Rebecca’s entire supply of tissues she had in her purse, and more than a dozen napkins from the table’s dispenser.
Their mouths watered, as each pizza was placed in front of them. Rebecca pulled back her dark brown, shoulder length hair into a ponytail and watched Dave’s blue eyes gaze over his pizza. “To my long lost friend, Dave, who has survived more than a child ever should have to experience,” toasted Rebecca.
“Cheers!.” replied Dave. Clunk. Their plastic glasses hit together and they both took a big gulp of their sodas.
“So, Becca, what were you doing in town?” questioned Dave.
“Well, I was on my way back from Poland, and decided to take a detour and walk through Daly City,” replied Rebecca.
“You picked a beautiful day to do so. Just look at the sunset, it’s gorgeous!” said Dave. The sun was just above the treetops and its golden glow filled the sky with mesmerizing pinks and oranges.
“What were you doing in Poland?” asked Dave.
“Well, I was searching for Gemma’s past because no one knew that much about her. So, right before she passed away, I made a promise to her that I would look for her past and find the truth behind her Briar Rose stories. The clues she left me in a little box, lead me to Poland and the sights of The Holocaust camps. There I met a man who ended up to be an old friend of my Gemma’s, who witnessed all the things that happened to her. I was lucky to talk with him. His stories and what he told me were unbelievable! He told me how he and another man rescued my Gemma from a concentration camp, after she survived being gassed in a truck and thrown in a pit to die, along with thousands of other people. She was the only woman to ever escape from a concentration camp! I never would have learned so much about her past if I hadn’t met him.”
“I’m so sorry about your Gemma.” Dave interrupted. “I know how much you loved her.” “Thanks Dave, but it was her time to go, she was getting old,” Rebecca replied.
By the time they finished their conversation and their plates were licked clean, it was dark. Reluctantly, they paid the check and walked out of the restaurant arm in arm. The night was clear with only the twinkle of stars and the sliver of the moon in the sky. The streets were empty and the only noises heard were the cricket’s cricket and an owl’s hoot far off in the distance. All the houses were dark and only the street lights lit up the sidewalk. Rebecca and Dave said their good-byes with great sorrow in their voices.
“I’m really going to miss you.” said Dave.
“Me too.” said Rebeca.
“When are we going to see each other again?” questioned Dave.
“I don’t know, but I am only a phone call away. Lets not wait too long to meet again. We still have a lot more catching up to do,” smiled Rebecca. They embraced in a hug that felt like magic. For a moment time stopped. Neither friend wanting to let go. However, they both knew they had to return to their homes and families. One last hug and they parted in opposite directions. Rebecca and Dave both walked into the moonlight with a single tear running down their cheeks.

A Child Called It Gets A Visit From Ender by Desiree T

2008-09-07T18:12:00.002-05:00

Dave made his way over to the kitchen table to eat dinner when he remembered that he wasn’t getting dinner tonight. He had just made his way to the table and as he turned around to leave mother called him. "Yes mother", Dave replied. "Your cousin Ender is coming to pay us a visit tonight so I want you to be on your best behavior. He just got his chip removed and he is feeling a little weird so please don’t bother or be a pest to him", mother said. Dave just thought to himself how much he hated Ender. He always got his way but yet the kids at school always picked on him so Dave would be nice to him. "Not this time", Dave said to himself. Mother then removed Dave from the kitchen table immediately and told him to go clean out a room for Ender so he would have a nice place to stay. Dave let out a huge sigh as he walked away. Mother heard it but she was way too hungry to have to deal with him now so she decided to wait till later to give that little kid a beating and really make him let out his breath. Before they Dave knew it, it was already 8:00pm and Ender was going to be coming over any minute now and Dave was dreading each second. When the knock at the door came Dave jumped like a jackrabbit and fell off the little chair that he had been resting on. Mother yelled from her room as she was smearing and pasting on her makeup in the mirror, "Dave!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Get off your lazy butt and go open the door for your cousin!" "Yes Mother", replied Dave as he very slowly, like a snail, made his way to open the door.
"Cousin!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! How has it been going?" cried Ender as he made his way through the door and practically tackled Dave to the ground. "It’s been going good Ender. Almost died a couple times though from mother’s games…. But I’m ok," said Dave. "Ah, good old auntie", Ender replied. Dave just stared at Ender and he could feel his anger raging and rising, but he had to keep it under control because if he blew his top who knows what would come out of it. Mother came out of her room and she looked like a clown. Dave sucked in his breathe trying so hard not to laugh and he managed to keep himself under control. Mother went over to Ender and hugged him so tightly it reminded Dave of a stress ball and Dave knew mother was stressed. Dave slowly started to walk away because he wasn’t needed anymore here and he knew it. "Cousin wait! You have to see my neck! The plate chip thing isn’t there anymore! It hurt like heck when they took it out, but that’s ok its all good now", yelled Ender. Dave became fascinated and decided to go over and see Enders neck. He figured why not? He asked him to didn’t he? It would be wrong to refuse that right? So Dave went to Ender and Ender bent over so that way Dave would get an amazing view of the space that was empty of plate now. "That Must feel weird", said Dave. "You have no idea", Ender replied. "Come on boys were going to get ice cream", mother said. "Ice cream", said Dave to himself, "I never have ice cream! I love Ender more now! Woo hoo!" Ender then hit Dave waking him up from is spaced out moment of talking to himself, and they left for ice cream.
We all walked into the ice cream parlor as we made our way up to the counter mother stopped me and told me that I wasn’t getting any. I knew it was too good to be true. As Ender got his ice cream Dave watched wishing that he had gotten an amazing ice cream like Ender did. " Hey cousin, why didn’t you get an ice cream?" Ender asked Dave. "Mother didn’t allow me to get one", Dave replied. Ender gave Dave an uncertain look and then decided he was going to be nice. Ender walked over to mother and told her to buy Dave an ice cream because he deserves one with all the dirt he deals with he deserves to be rewarded with something. Mother, in shock, made her way to the ice cream parlor counter and ordered Dave an ice cream then brought it over to him. "Here you go Dave", mother said trying to force a smile that Dave knew had absolutely no feeling that went with it. Ender and Dave then became pretty good friends and relatives and now that Ender had changed he had finally noticed the way that Dave gets treated and he didn’t like it one bit. Ender ended up staying for a couple days and then he had to return to his family because he hadn’t seen them for a while since he has been in the game for a long period of time. Dave will never forget the day that Ender, his cousin and new best friend, got mother to buy him an ice cream.

Summer Reading Essay by Allyson G

2008-09-07T18:11:00.000-05:00

Damien had arrived in Memphis only a week before today. He remembered the first day. Junice and her sister were welcomed into a good foster family, which was hard to come around in these times. For that, he was grateful. He had a hard time finding a place to stay for the amount of money he had, and it had to be near Junice’s house, because she was the whole reason for coming here.

Sitting on the stoop of his apartment complex in his old, dark purple hoodie and baggy jeans, Damien remembered the long bus ride and the trouble it took him to find his new home. It had taken almost all of the money he had saved to get the apartment. He had paid the rent for the apartment two months in advance and in that amount of time, he would have to conjure up more money to pay for the next two months and this was why he got up and started to walk down the main street, looking for help wanted signs.

Soon, he was amongst the crowd that filled the street during everyone’s lunch hour. He observed the different people swarming about, trying to get into their favorite café. There were so many different people. They were all sorts of shapes and sizes and ethnicities.

There was one family that caught his attention. It was a family of six. There was a mother a father, and four boys, but one of the boys looked unhappy. Damien assumed that the boy was simply not getting his way and being sour about it, but then he looked closer and, Damien couldn’t tell what it was, but there was something different about him. The boy looked more than unhappy; it seemed that he was scared.

Damien also noted how the family was dressed. They were definitely tourists by their ball caps and cameras, but something was strange. The family was dressed nicely, but this one boy looked like he was wearing rags.

Noticing all of these strange things about this boy, Damien decided to follow him and his family to wherever they were going, forgetting all about his job hunt. They lead him to a nearby hotel and Damien stopped following them once they reached the lobby.

Leaning against the outer wall of the hotel, Damien thought. Why was he chasing these people around town? So, the little boy made him interested in them, but that was no reason to be following their family.

Damien was startled when his thoughts were interrupted by the door opening. Out walked two men that were wearing maroon bellhop uniforms. One man had curly blonde hair and the other had straight black hair. They were talking to one another.

“Sam, I’m not sure if we’re going to find anyone in time. We’ll never get that raise if we can’t find someone to fill Harriet’s spot. Mister Collins will assign the job to one of his daughters, and then we’ll be bossed around even more than we are now,” the man with curly, blonde hair said to the other bellhop walking beside him.

“Well, Barry, We’ve still got time. Tom said we have another two days. Who knows, we might find someone,” the other said reassuringly.

“Hey, you need someone to work here?” Damien asked, standing up straight. The two men spun around, surprised by Damien’s sudden interjection. Sam nodded his head vigorously.

“Yeah, we’re in desperate need,” Barry said with a smile. All you need to do is ask Tom Collins, but make sure you say Barry and Sam found you. His office is right next to the desk in the lobby. Ask the girl who‘s sitting at it.”

Damien nodded and said a quick thank you as he turned around and entered the hotel. After speaking to the girl named Candy sitting at the desk at the end of the lobby, Damien was allowed into Mister Collins’ office. Damien didn’t need to knock because Tom Collins had already opened the door to let him enter. He was asked to sit in a cushioned chair in front of Mister Collins’ desk.

Within thirty minutes, Damien walked out of the hotel with a smile on his face. He would start his new job tomorrow, and he would have enough money to pay rent within the first month.

On the next day, Damien arrived early for work in the morning. He walked down the stairs of the hotel to the basement, where the laundry mat was. He would be bringing fresh towels to people’s rooms while they were out.

He grabbed a white rolling bin that was filled with warm towels. A man named Carl had showed him how to do his job yesterday, so he already knew what to do. Damien pushed the bin up a ramp and into the elevator.

He took the clipboard off of the side of the bin and read it, going down the list of people who hadn’t had their towels restocked in a while. The first number was two hundred and seven, which was on floor six. He pressed the six button on the elevator and he felt it start going up. Damien scanned the rest of the list to see if there were any more rooms on that floor that needed towels. There were seven.

Once the elevator stopped and the doors opened, Damien quickly pushed the rolling bin out of it and went to the closest room, which was two hundred and three. He knocked on the door. Since there was no answer, he swiped his card through the lock and it opened.
He soon began throwing old towels into laundry bags and replacing them with new ones.

Then, as Damien left the bathroom, he heard something. It sounded like a quiet mumbling. It was coming from the bathtub. He thought it was strange and assumed he was just hearing things. He still had to see what was making the noise, if it was anything at all.

Damien slowly and quietly stepped towards the bathtub, his heart beat growing faster. Once he was standing right next to the bathtub, he yanked the shower curtain open and was startled. There was actually someone sitting in the bathtub. It was the boy he had seen yesterday. He was sitting on his hands and staring up at the ceiling, which made Damien crinkle his brow.

The boy brought his gaze to meet Damien’s eyes, instantly saying, “I’m sorry, mother.” He then looked in almost disbelief to see Damien in her place. “What?” he asked, puzzled. “Who are you?”

“I’m Damien. I brought clean towels up. I work here,” he told him.

The boy nodded and took his hands out from under him. “I’m David,” he replied.

“Well, why are you here?” Damien asked him. “Why isn’t there anyone else here with you? Where’s the rest of your family?”

David’s eyes seemed to look panicky the moment Damien asked him. “Well, I,” David stammered, trying to think of a sensible excuse. After a while of thinking, David just couldn’t find an answer. With a sigh, he said, “Mother made me. They‘re out getting breakfast.”

After Damien cocked his head in uncertainty, David told Damien the story of how his mother was once a nice person, and then she changed.

Damien, who was now sitting on a chair that he had brought into the bathroom, looked at David in shock. He had never heard of any mother abusing her child without being completely out of her mind, and David’s mother looked pretty sane to him.

“So, she does horrible things to you everyday, and doesn’t even treat you like a human being?” Damien asked David when he was done.

David nodded his head. “It’s not all that bad,” David said with a crooked smile. “Sometimes, when I’m sitting like I was when you came in, I pretend that I am Superman. I fly over the town and I rescue people. It’s loads of fun,” he told him, his smile increasing in size.

Damien then remembered the mumbling that he heard coming from the shower. That’s what it was. David was pretending he was Superman. Damien smiled weakly back at him, feeling an immense amount of pity for the child.

Damien’s eyes grew serious. “David, you need to get out of here. You need to get away from your mother. You can’t live with her beating you all the time. Why don’t you come home with me? I promise, everything will be better if you do that,” Damien told him, thinking of a fast solution.

“Come home with you? Is that possible?” David asked him in awe. Was he really going to get rid of his mother that easily? Could he go home with his new friend? There would be no more beatings, no more feeling like he was nothing. David couldn’t believe it. He was finally going to be free of her!

Damien nodded. “Come on, if we go now, they wouldn’t know what hit them. You’ll be free,” he said with a reassuring smile.

David was so happy, he couldn’t contain himself. He stood up and hugged Damien with all his might and they both laughed.

Damien’s eyes grew wide as he heard the doorknob jingle as a key card was swiped through the lock on the door. “Oh, no,” he said, breaking their hug.

David’s eyes filled with fear. He looked up at David for help. “What’re we going to do?” he asked, panicking.

“Quick, get back in the shower. I’ll come back tomorrow after they leave, I promise,” Damien quickly whispered into David’s ear.

He shut the shower curtain and took a deep breath. He then continued to pick up dirty towels and replace them, trying to make it look like he had been doing this the whole time.

David’s family then came in, talking in happy tones and laughing. They all stopped once they saw Damien. David’s mother looked at him in pure horror, hoping he didn’t find David in the shower.

“Sorry to scare you,” Damien said with a pleasant smile. “I was just restocking your towels. I’ll be going, now.” He pushed the bin out of the door after David’s family had moved out of the way.

Once the door was shut behind him, Damien let out the breath that he was holding in the whole time. He could hear David’s family start to talk again, but they were quieter this time. David’s mother could be heard over all of them.

“I never trust those people,” she said loudly. “They could take something of ours, you know. That man could’ve taken all of our belongings!”

The next day, the first thing Damien did was go up to number two hundred and three to see if David’s family were out. He didn’t even bother to go down and get his towel bin.

He knocked on the door. Once again, there was no answer. So, Damien entered with a smile. All of this was going to work out! He was so proud of himself.

He went directly to the bathroom and opened the shower. David wasn’t there. That was strange. Damien went out into the bedroom and called his name. There was no answer. He looked around the room. It seemed more bare than it was last time.

Something must have clicked in his mind because he knew what had happened. There was no luggage, which meant no David. Damien ran out of the room, not having time to close the door behind him. He then got onto the elevator and pressed the lobby button.

The time it took to get down to the lrobby seemed like forever. Then the elevator stopped and Damien ran out of it, almost bumping into two people. He ran to the front desk, cutting in front of everyone in line and said, “Number two hundred and three. When did they leave?” he asked quickly.

Candy looked up at him and looked through a stack of papers. “Oh, here it is. They left last night at eleven o’clock,” she said with a smile.

Damien stared at Candy in disbelief. “Alright, thanks,” he said gloomily as he walked away. He then felt this pang of determination run though him. No, he wouldn’t just leave David to live through this anymore. He had to be out there somewhere. No matter how much it would take, Damien would save David, even if it took him years!

The Unforgettable War by Katelyn

2008-09-07T18:10:00.000-05:00

Daisy had always wanted to meet her family that lived in Europe so her father and stepmother thought it would be a perfect time for her to go since her stepmother was pregnant. When she got off the plane she met them all and they spent a lot of time together and learned a lot about each other in the few days that Daisy had been there. The house she stayed in was on a farm and it was far away from town. There was a wide rolling field and a lot of animals. It had only been a couple days since she was there but her aunt had to leave for on a business trip and wouldn’t be back for a week. The day after she left a train station was bombed and a war started to break out. Over the next couple of days everything seemed to be fine until a doctor showed up at the farm where she was living. He looked around and said that this was a perfect spot and it would be the headquarters for the army. Daisy and one of her cousin Piper were relocated to a house in Poland.

She meet Rebecca another American who was there trying to find out what happened during her grandmothers lifetime.

“ My grand mother Gemma always used to tell me about the story of Briar Rose and while she was sick in the hospital she always told me it was her.” Rebecca said

“What was it about?” Daisy asked.

“ It was about a princess who lived in a castle where everyone there fell asleep from poisonous fumes and only the princess was kissed awake by her prince.” Rebecca told.
“I wonder if your grandmother was the princess in the story?” Daisy asked.

“ That’s what I came here to find out.” Rebecca answered.

Daisy and piper got the few things that they had brought with them unpacked and looked around. It looked like Daisy and Piper where staying in Mrs. McEvoy’s sons bedroom. While Daisy and Piper where staying at the McEvoy’s they learned a lot about the war since Mr. McEvoy was a major in the war. They also learned a lot about Rebecca’s grandmother and what she already had been through trying to figure out what her grandmothers past was like. The war was getting worse so the McEvoy family, Rebecca, Daisy and Piper were relocated to an army base where they met some other families and people going through the same thing. While they were there they met a couple of people of interesting people.

“ Yeah I remember the war I escaped from a prison and hid out with other people. We hid out and traveled all over Poland and looked for other people who had escaped and were in hiding.” Joseph told.
“Do you remember any of the people that you met?” Rebecca said.

“ I wonder if one of them was your grandma.” Daisy piped in.

“ Was your grandma captured during the war?” Joseph asked.

“ Yeah, she was captured by the Nazis and taken to a camp, I came to Poland to figure out what happened in her past.” Rebecca replied.

“ What was her name?” Joseph said.

“ I am not sure, she had many. One was Ksiezniczka…” Rebecca said.

“ I knew a girl with her name, she had orange hair and pale skin, we called her that because she forgot her name and she told us she came from a castle.” Joseph interrupted.

“ That was in the story my grandma told me, that was my Gemma, how did you know her?” Rebecca excitedly said.

Daisy, Piper, and Rebecca sat quietly while Joseph told the story of how he meet Gemma and who Rebecca’s grandfather was. He had meet her when a fellow friend that was in hiding dug through dead bodies and pulled out a girl that was still moving. They kissed her alive and she told them how she was trapped in a castle and fumes knocked everyone out. Daisy Rebecca, and Piper realized that this was Gemma’s story and she was really Briar Rose. She had been taken to a concentration camp located in an abandon castle and been poisoned by car fumes as the Nazis brought to burry her and many others.

It had been many weeks since the war had begun. It was in the middle of the night when Daisy, Rebecca and Piper were woken up by people screaming and gunshots. The war had reached them. They grabbed all the things they could carry and ran into the woods. They walked until sunrise and then rested. They took the compass Daisy had taken from the McEvoy’s house and followed that. They weren’t sure where to go until they got to a river and Piper realized this river went by her farm. They followed it for many miles until they got to the town by the farm. They were so excited to see something familiar they ran to their farm. When they got there it was trashed from the soldiers but they cleaned it up to the best that they could.

Weeks past and Piper and Daisy were reunited with their cousins. Rebecca was happy with the information that she found and went back to America a couple days after the cousins were reunited. Rebecca told her story to her sisters and nephews and nieces Daisy eventually left and went home to live with her father, stepmother, and new stepbrother. Years past but Daisy went back to Europe and lived with her cousins since her aunt had died in the war trying to get home to her kids. Daisy and Rebecca kept in touch and stayed good friends and never forgot the days that they spent together.

Summer Reading Essay by Thomas S.

2008-09-07T17:45:00.000-05:00

It’s 6:05 in the morning, Alfred steps off his front porch and starts his jog down the street toward the park. The ground is wet and leaves are scattered everywhere. Alfred gets to the park, but out of nowhere something rams into him and he falls over.
“Watch it!” screams Alfred as he jumps off the ground and brushes the dirt off is pants. He extends a hand down to the smaller boy on the ground.
“Snifel, snifel, sorry I didn’t see you” the boy seemed to be on the verge of tears. Alfred helps him up and soon discovers that the little boys name is David.
“What are you doing out by yourself this early in the morning?” Alfred questions.
“I’m running away from my mother” David solemnly replies.
“Why would you run away from your mother?” asked Alfred
“My mother is very mean to me” replied David, “she often beats me and makes me do all the chores, and she rarely feeds me.” sobs David
“I can’t take it anymore, I just had to leave.” David is now heavily crying.
“Where are you going to go?” David asked. Do you have a relative or something where you can stay?”
“No I don’t, but anywhere is better than that my mothers house.” replied David
“Umm, well if you have nowhere to go than you can come to my house we can get you some food and you can stay for a little bit until you figure out where you’re going to go.” Alfred says
“Really, I mean I don’t want to impose, these are my problems I don’t want to make them yours!” shoots David
“No, my aunt pearl helps lost and hurt kids all the time it would be no problem.” Says David
“Well……., ok thank you so much!”
“Come on lets go back to my house, but first I have to go somewhere.”
“That’s fine with me.” replied David
Alfred and David walked side by side silently until they reached a small beat up building.
“What is this place?” questioned David “I’ve never seen it before.”
“This is the place where I spend most of my time.” replied Alfred“It’s the boxing arena” “I’m sorry but I have to do my morning workout.” “Is that okay?”
“Yeah diffidently, I’ll wait, besides I could learn a thing or two.”
After Alfred did some crunches, hit the peanut bag, and shadow boxed, he decided he could end his workout.
“Ok we can go know.” said Alfred On the way to Alfred’s house David did not stop talking about how much fun boxing looked, and how he wished that he could box too. Alfred said he would try to talk to Mr.Donatelli if David could try. When they got to Alfred’s house Alfred went in first to clarify everything that had happened to David. Aunt pearl came out and properly greeted David and assured him that he would not be treated like his mother treated him anymore. The next day Aunt pearl went to court to get custody of David and she got it. David never saw his mother again, and was very happy about it. David later went on to write about his experience, but how it was all turned around when he met Alfred and his aunt Pearl.

Summer Reading Essay Shane W.

2008-09-07T17:40:00.002-05:00

“It’s time for me to go; I can’t live in this house any longer!” David says to himself. “That’s it I’m leaving.” David took a towel from the laundry basket, maybe it somewhat keep him warm, and quietly to creep up the stairs. “Mother should still be asleep from her nasty hangover, but I shouldn’t wake her.” As he walked each step creaked ever so slightly, but David was afraid maybe his brothers would hear, they were already awake, they would tell mother for sure and he would get the worst beating ever.

When he finally made it up the stairs, he wrapped himself in his towel, and quietly opened the front door. Down the red steps he went, and there was no stopping him, David ran to the nearest bus station. “One ticket to New York City please.”

It was a very cold day in New York City, Damian walked to school everyday, so he was used to it. The wind blowing fierce, the car horns loud and obnoxious, the usual. Then Damian young boy sitting on a park bench, wrapped din a towel, chattering his teeth. He couldn’t just walk by so he went and sat down next to this stranger.

“Hey kid, where are your parents?”

“Well…they are,” remembering he didn’t have to lie anymore, “they don’t want me I ran away.”

“Oh, so you have no place to go?”

“No.”

“Aren’t you scared?”

“I’ve been through worse.”

“Oh.” there was a long pause, “Well come on.”

“Where are you going?”

“To get you some hot chocolate, you look like you’re thirsty.”

Hesitating for a minute David looked at Damian, “he doesn’t even know my name, and he wants to get me something to drink?”

“Are you coming or not?”

Quickly, David got off the bench and followed Damian across the street into a coffee house. Damian ordered two hot chocolates and a blueberry muffin.

“Here you go.”

“Thank you.” Said David like the hot chocolate was the best thing in the world.

“Would like some blueberry muffin?”

“Yes please,” said David, I’ve never had one but it smells really good!”

“What do you mean; you’ve never had a blueberry muffin before?”

“I’m rarely fed at my house, and when I do get food, it’s because I steal it, or sometimes my mom gives me leftover cereal or something small like that.” David took a big bite of his muffin, “it’s very good, thank you.” There was a long pause of chewing and sipping.

“My name is Damien, what’s yours?”

“My names David.” He said, swallowing his muffin.

“So what am I supposed to do with you? I can’t just leave you out in the cold.”

“It’s okay, I’m not your problem, I ran away and the cold is much better then my mother, I’ll be all right, thank you mister for the hot chocolate and the muffin, I better get going now, bye.”

“Oh I don’t think so. I have met some kids whose parents don’t want them, actually a lot, see kid; around here that kind of thing happens a lot.”

“So there are more kids like me? Really?”

“Yeah, and there’s kids with a lot worse problems too. See around here there’s a lot of bad stuff, like drugs and gangs, believe me I would know.” Damian and David picked up their hot chocolates and whatever was left of their muffins and headed for the door. “You’re coming home with me.”

“Really? You’re parents wouldn’t mind?”

“Nope they’ll be cool, they might be a little mad I skipped school but that’s ok.”

And as they stared to walk away, David look up at this tall strong boy, and he felt safe, like no one would ever hurt him again.

By Kara G

2008-09-07T17:39:00.000-05:00

The day started as any other. David woke up from my little room down in the garage shivering cold and went upstairs to precede the chores his mother was going to make him do. First was to make breakfast for everyone in the house, though he could not eat it himself. David had to watch everyone have delicious food while he just sat there starving. Next David had to clean the whole bathroom while his mother yelled at him and stuffed him in the bathroom barely allowing him to breath with a sickening mixture of ammonia and Clorox filling the room. He couldn't stand the thought of living there anymore. Five years David's torture had been going on, his whole childhood taken away from him. Everyday as he would do his chores he'd have a flashback of the good old times where everyone in his family got along. He didn't know why, but that day all he could think of is enough was enough; he had to get out of that house. As David was thinking of his plan to escape, he could hear mother walking down the hall.
"Get up!" mother screamed.
Without saying anything he did as he was told. David followed her into the kitchen where he was to scrub every single tile with a simple toothbrush while his mother was yelling at the top of her lungs screaming about how worthless he was, nothing but an it. Davis had not finished scrubbing the floor on time so his mother had an extra punishment. She took him to the stove already burning hot and grabbed his arm.
“What are you doing?” David screamed.
“You’ve been a bad boy David.” His mother said in a harsh tone.
David just kept struggling and pulling away to keep his mother from burning him knowing that someone was going to be home soon and the torture would stop. After five minutes of trying to save his skin his brother Kevin walked in and his mother quickly let go of his arm.
After his long day he was forced to go down to the garage until the next morning. Sitting in the basement he knew that tonight was the night he would escape. One of the windows of the garage was already broken and had a large piece out of it. David would break off every piece of the window in order to escape, making sure he was as quiet as possible. Piece by piece David was closer to freedom until he heard his mother coming. David ran to the cot and sat there. She stared at him and went away.
"That was close," he thought to himself.
David wanted to get out of there as fast as he could; he needed to get out of there as fast as he could. Finally, the last piece was gone. The window was big enough for him to fit through since he was so frail and had nothing but scraps to eat for five days. David just ran and ran for four days straight until he found himself in Cape Cod, Massachusetts. Everyone just stared at him looking at his ripped clothing with stains all over it looking nothing more then a homeless boy. He was at the harbor when he saw that there was a boat on its way to France. David had snuck on underneath the boat where the entire luggage was. After three days of being cramped up and hiding on the boat, it had finally made its stop and he took a train to Poland. He had no idea where in Poland he was, but what a disaster it was there. The streets were all mud, filth was everywhere. Houses were broken down; trees were burned to the ground. Men were walking everywhere in these green suits with some kind of star he could not make clear of. They had guns with them and many carts would roll by the streets and David did not know where they were going but just heard deafening screams of people which made a shiver down his spine. He walked down the road until he was stopped by a man in a green uniform.
"What is your name?" the man asked David.
"My name is David." he had told him.
"Where are you from?" the man wondered.
"I come from America." he answered him.
"So do I. I am just making sure you are not Jewish." He said in a harsh tone, "Just keep on walking. Oh, kid, be careful."
David had not known why the man wondered if he was Jewish or not, he didn't think it mattered. David came across a big white house with miles of woods in the back. There was a little dirt path he took to find a shelter of some sort where he could stay. David was looking down walking through the woods when the next thing he knew he was down on the ground. David arose from the hard fall and a woman about the age of twenty-two was sanding in front of him.
"Who are you?" the woman asked.
"My name is David, David Pelzer." "What is your name?" he responded.
"Well, my name is Ksiezniczka, which means princess in polish, so I am called Princess for codename.
"Why would you have a code name?" he questioned.
" Well, right now there is a time where a man named Hitler is going against all Jewish people and he is trying to demolish our population, he doesn't feel we fit into the population, he doesn't think we belong. A war called War World I is going on right now about these issues. I escaped from my camp and have been running away trying to save myself. Unfortunately I have lost my group and I am now on my own." she said sadly.
“That’s terrible, but what camp are you talking about" David had said.
“A concentration camp is where we are brought in a small cart and have to suffer and do work. They treat us like slaves, even worse. We are beaten and forced to do labor and have to freeze during the winter. I don't think anyone will make it out alive
“I thought I had it bad." he told her.
“Why would you say that?" she asked him.
David told Ksiezniczka about the abuse he had gone through for five years. He told her about the stove incident nearly burning his arm, how he could barely breath in a bathroom and suffocating from horrible gases and the chores he was made to do just so his mother could see him work and be unhappy.
“Oh my, I am so sorry.” Princess said.
David and Princess had been on the run for quite some time. They were trying to get to another country to be away from all of the madness. They had taken a train in Lithuania to Estonia. They could not believe the change in scenery. It was beautiful there. The trees were tall and green and the air was fresh and crisp. They walked on the road just to get away and came across a little cottage. It was empty and showed no one had been in it for years.
David and Princess lived in Estonia for about a year. They were at the store one day when they heard someone on the radio. I’d like to announce that War World I is officially over! Everyone cheered and screamed at the great news. David and Princess walked back to their new home and lived there for the rest of the lives.

Summer Reading Essay by Hannah P

2008-09-07T17:38:00.002-05:00

That’s it! David thought. I can’t take this anymore. David’s mother just finished one of her “games” with him. This time she fed him a spoonful of bleach to calm his hunger. Mother is a monster. She plays these horrible games and never lets up! I’m starving half the time and tortured the rest. I’m deprived of nice clothes and locked in the cellar to stand alone in the dark. No one can help me. Mother blames her bad relationship with Dad on me. Everything’s my fault! I’m “The Boy” to her, not even her son! Tonight I’m leaving.
David looked around the desolate cellar. He spied a window barely the size of a shoe box for him to escape out of. He had thought about this before. He thought about running away and never looking back but how could he? He always thought mother would come around and stop but this will never happen. He needed to get out. That’s what I’ll do .I’ll run away. But I have to be fast, but what will I do after that? I have no where to go. David thought about this for a second. It never occurred to him what he would do after he broke out of this prison cell. He had distant family over seas but this was pure imagination. There was no way he could travel to Europe and have his relatives take him in. But he had no other choice that was his last hope of being rescued. This won’t be like other failed attempts to eat food. He promised himself. I’ll have to do it quickly and quietly.
He thought about climbing out through the miniscule window. Mother’s probably passed out on the couch drunk out of her mind again so she won’t hear. David tip toed to the dirty window dusted with cobwebs. The window was too tall for him. He couldn’t reach. Ugh! He thought. How am I going to reach this! He looked around surveying the room for any small box or sturdy item to stand on. Nothing. His mother knew sooner or later David would try to escape and so she cut off all his resources. There was nothing he could do the only way to get out would be to run out the back door. This idea seemed almost impossible for an innocent young boy to cross paths with a hideous monster. I have to do it. He thought. He stared up the intimidating stairs and took a step closer reluctantly.
Becca looked out the airplane window awaiting liftoff from the tarmac. She was anxious to learn about her grandmother’s secret past. Becca was flying to Poland to find the city that was written in black ink on a wrinkly, old paper. Chelmo was its name. Becca never heard of this place before. Gemma never mentioned it to her. But Becca knew this was a clue to unlocking Gemma’s past. Becca repeatedly asked herself the same question in her head who was she? She always knew that she was her Gemma, her grandmother, who she knew and loved. She was the one who would tell her the famous story of Briar Rose at night. The only thing on her priority list was to finally understand Gemma’s life.
When the plane finally reached its target height in the sky, all Becca could do was relax. She closed her eye lids slowly and drifted off into a deep slumber.
Yes! David thought I made it! David just snuck through the long hallway after successfully creeping up the stairs soundlessly. He leaped out the front door and bolted towards the nearest pay phone. He had fifty cents that he found at school a day ago. He hoped to save it up for some food at lunch but only collected a small amount so far. He popped in the change and dialed the number. He called his step aunt on his Dad’s side. She has lived in Poland her whole life. When her Dad got remarried and moved to the U.S.A. she decided to stay and make a family of her own.
David’s hand shook on the receiver. Many thoughts ran through his mind in seconds. What if she doesn’t remember me? What if she moved and I have the wrong number? What if she doesn’t accept me and I have to go back to my terrible home? What if I can never get out of this place? He heard a thick voice on the other of the line when his heart stopped.
“Hello?” She said
“Hi, uh, Auntie Wanda, this is David, your nephew…who lives in America,” He said.
“David? Oh yes, I know now, what’s wrong?”
David explained his whole situation and when he finished there was a moment of silence on the other line. He hesitated.
“I know it’s too much to ask you but please! I need to get out of my house! I need help! Can I please stay with you? You’re the only family I have.” He pleaded
“Yes David of course you can stay with us.” She said in a comforting voice. “We’ll work things out don’t worry.”
They discussed their plans on the phone and planned out everything. Aunt Wanda’s friend would order a passport for David and in a two weeks David would be on a plane to Poland to live with his aunt. Everything was taken care of. David would be free for now. He was relieved of the situation. He could finally relax when he boarded that plane to Poland. No one was going to hunt him down and drag him back to the dungeon.
Becca’s plane arrived on time in Poland. Their, waiting for her, was a women named Magda. Magda showed her around the country taking her to the places she requested. They uncovered more and more of her Grandmother’s secret past. She traveled to a quiet city of Chelmo with citizens more than ashamed and scarred from the horrible past of the city. They interviewed and priest who led them to another informative person, Potocki. Potocki told them the full story of Becca’s grandmother. The scary details haunted Becca but yet she was satisfied with the information she received. In the end there were still some details unresolved. She didn’t know where Gemma’s name changed to Gilt. Although some questions were left unsaid she found out that the story of Briar Rose, which was told to her for so many years, was Gemma’s life story. Magda and Becca left Potocki’s house and went back to the apartment the next day.
They arrived at the apartment that day and found a surprising guest there.
David sat in the corner of room on the couch and stared doe-eyed up into the new coming faces. He was timid and quiet. He sat by himself watching Polish T.V. He obviously couldn’t understand it.
“This is David, girls,” Auntie Wanda explained to them. Wanda was Magda’s aunt too. She lived with Wanda in the apartment. “He has come to visit for a few months. He’s had some family issues and needed a place to stay. Magda this is your distant cousin. He’s your step uncle’s son. You know the one that lives in America.” Magda nodded her head.
“Hello David. I am Magda.” She said nicely.
“Hello I’m Becca. I’m from the states too.” Becca said to him. He looked up and smiled. They had something in common. David was really lost being in a new culture and all. It was a relief to have someone there with him who could relate to him in that way.
It was a cozy apartment all small and humble. They ate gingerbreads and drank tea after supper. David couldn’t remember the last time he had such a good dessert, or even the last time he had dessert. He was happy there in Poland. He liked the distance between his mother and him. He felt free for the first time.
After dinner David proceeded back into the living room and watched some more television. Although he still couldn’t understand what he was watching.
“Girls, why don’t you go and talk to him. He’s come so far from his home and has no one to talk to. His mother is cruel to him and he needs some comfort. Becca why don’t you go and talk since you are both from America.” Wanda said. Becca looked at Wanda smiled, and nodded in agreement.
“Okay.” She said and walked into the room. She strolled by and sat down on the couch. “Hi David, what are you watching?” she asked trying to start a conversation with him.
“I don’t know actually.” He said flipping the channels with the remote. Becca and David chatted about Poland and how they liked it. They both were very kind to each other. David was still quiet and shy even as the conversation progressed. He didn’t open up to people that well. But he got up the courage to ask Becca a question.
“Where are you from again?” He asked. He was curious and wondered why she was here.
“I’m from Massachusetts. It’s along the eastern coast” She explained.
“I know where it is,” He stated without any tone in his voice. “Why are you all the way out here if you live in Massachusetts?”
“Well it’s complicated. See I came over here to get some answers about my grandmother. No one really knows about her past or life before my mom. I made a promise to her that I would find out who she was and know for myself.”
“So did you find it….What you were looking for? Whatever it was” He asked in an interested tone. He was fascinated by her quest. He wanted to know more about it.
“Yes and no. I found out the main secrets but not all. I also was told about a story of her life and found out something more. But there are still some things left unfinished. I just don’t know what to do about it.” Becca sighed. Even though she accomplished a lot she still wanted to know more. I guess her information would have to do for now.
“Sounds interesting, I wish I could remember my grandmother. I don’t see my relatives very much.” David said.
“Why not? Don’t your parents ever let you visit them?” Becca asked
“No never. My mother isn’t a family kind of person.” Becca cocked her head to the side in questioning position.
“She doesn’t like having company over or going out. All she does is drink and fight with my dad. Things are different at my house. I’m the one treated differently. I’m the one that’s just ‘The Boy’.” He said in a depressing voice. Becca could see by the expression on his face that something big was going on. She judged the bruises on his arms and head and assessed the situation briefly.
“How long are you staying here?” Becca asked.
“Hopefully I’m staying here a long time. I have no intentions to go back any time soon.” He said and yawned. Becca looked at her watch and it was late. She said good night to David and packed her things. She was leaving to go back home tomorrow.
The next morning Becca woke up and packed the car up. She said her goodbyes to Aunt Wanda and David and Magda escorted her to the airport. She checked in her baggage and was off to board the plane. This time her airplane flight was different. There was a sadness inside that wasn’t there before. She thought about David and wondered if he’d be okay. He didn’t say it aloud but Becca had a feeling that his mother was not the nicest person in the world to him. She wondered if he’d stay with Wanda and Magda forever or until things are worked out at home. She knew he was in good hands because he was with them. She took out her book and read to pass the time. She didn’t get very far until she totally fell asleep.
Becca made her way home safely and met Stan at the airport. They walked backed to the car and discussed the new article she’d be writing about her grandmother’s fairy tale.

Summer Reading Essay by Edward M

2008-09-07T17:38:00.001-05:00

In the old, hot, dark gym of Mr. Donatelli there is an African American 17 year old high school drop out named Alfred is getting ready to practice boxing. When a 10 year old boy Dave wearing torn and old beet up clothes comes running in screaming at the top of his lunges. There is a moment of silence as they stare each other down in shock. Dave who has been beaten several times and is like a slave boy to his abusive mother has never seen an African American boy.
To break the silence Alfred asks “what are you doing here and why are your clothes all torn?”
“I’m Dave and I am hiding from my mother.”
Why are u hiding from your mother and I’m Alfred?”
“My mother has hit me and beaten me all my life and I finally got the courage to run away and she is chasing me so I need to hide.”
“Do you need a doctor or the police?”
They hear the front door slam shut then a ear piercing scream
“David I know your hear!”
As she walks into the gym she sees David and another older boy she yells
“Back away from my child or else!”
“No you have no right to this boy because you have broken the law you child abuser!” says Alfred
“What did you call me you boxing little brat?”
“I called you a child abuser and do you want to settle this in the ring?”
“O no you didn’t call me that so now I’m going to slug you in the ring.”
They entered the ring in boxing gloves no mouth guards no head protectors to settle weather she keeps the kid and he never tells any one or If Alfred wins David is free! The battle starts and vicious mother gives everything she has and the unprepared Alfred who had no idea that the mother could hit so hard so has to battle back. The battle was hard and well fought but finally with one last mighty left hook Alfred knocked out the mother. As Alfred slumped out of the ring David was both happy sad and scared.
“What’s wrong you’re free?” says Alfred
“I’m sad because even though she beats me she still is my mother.”
“But your free you can go live with some one nice and caring.”
“That’s true I can now live with my dad but I’m also scared because what if she finds me my dad was always a push over to her.”
“I will take care of that for you.” in about ten minutes a cop car and a brand new 89 Honda pulled up and a scruffy man that smelled like old spice got out of the Honda and yelled “David my boy were moving back to my new house in California and your going to be safe.” Then the unconscious mother was dragged into the police car.
“Good luck David I hope your happy.” said Alfred then the Father gave Alfred 500 dollars for saving his son and as they parted ways Alfred turned into the gym were his boxing manager Mr. Donatelli said “I think your ready.”

The End to Abuse by Chris A

2008-09-07T17:37:00.002-05:00

David, get out of this house your worthless and no one loves you,” screamed David’s mother, as she chased him out of the house with a baseball bat.

David limped away for his leg was severely bruised from being pushed down the stairs. He left “home” and hopped on a shuttle flight out to the battle training school. There he planned to meet his friend Ender who he had met in school. They had only known each other for a year when Ender got the chip removed from his head, and he was called to go to the battle training school.

When David arrived at the training school he went to the battle simulator where he found Ender about to enter a battle with the rest of his team. He called out to Ender.

“Hey Ender,” and Ender turned around quickly, and saw David walking towards him.
“I’ll be in in a minute,” Ender said to his team captain. Who glanced back and signaled that was alright.
He ran up to David and was about to give him a big hug when he realized he didn’t want to get made fun of by the older boys. He stopped in front of David, and shook his hand.

“Hello,” Ender said.

“Hello,” said David.

“How have things at home been?” asked Ender.

“There not the best, the abuse has still been going on but school is good and I like my teacher, Ms. Snicker-doodle, and how are things here at the battle training school going?” asked David.

“They are going pretty good,” replied Ender, “I’ve already been boosted up to the next army, right now I am in salamander army,” replied Ender.

As They were talking David glanced around at the room he was in, it was a long hallway with different colored light strips all over the floor, some of which were going the same direction while other turned and went down a separate hall way.

“You’re not really supposed to be here,” Ender said.
“I’ll quickly go back to my room and grab you my spare battle suit.” said Ender.

David pulled on the battle suit and they both quickly ran into the battle room just as the battle was starting.

David had never been in a battle room before so he wasn’t really sure what to do. After a few minutes he realized that he needed to shoot the other team. They had run in so quickly that David had not noticed the shape of the battle area; it was like being inside a big ball. The best part was he was floating. They were all wearing what looked to be blue jumpsuits with weird shaped helmets. David started shooting away and he fired off twelve shots before he finally hit someone, and by that time one arm and one leg were already frozen.
Ender came floating over to him and they hid behind a wall for a little while and talked about what had gone on since the last time they had seen each other. Ender talked about what his experience at battle training school had been like and how much better he had gotten at battle training than he had been when he first started.

“Its really hard not having seen my family in over a year now,” said Ender

“Sometimes I dream about my sister and my mother,” Ender said gloomily.

David started talking about how the abuse at home was still the same and how much he needed to leave that place. He also explained why he had come.

“I decided to leave my house after the last incident, I was at home doing my math homework when my mother got a phone call from my teacher, before she even found out the reason she was calling, she immediately thought I got in trouble, she came over to me slapped me and brought me to the top of the stairs where she called me names and then pushed me making me fall down the stairs,” said David with his head down. Ender was shocked the expression on his face showed that he felt much sorrow for David. “I couldn’t take it anymore so I left and I didn’t really have any place to go so I came to see you,” said David.
“I don’t want you to go back there,” Ender said. “I’m going to go to the commander of the training school and ask him if you can stay.”
After the battle Ender went to the head of the battle training school and pleaded for the commander to let David stay. The commander finally gave in when Ender mentioned how much abuse David had gone through. David was relieved that he wouldn’t have to go back to his home, and was glad he could help in the fight in the future war against the buggers.

Summer Reading Essay by Andrew P

2008-09-07T17:37:00.001-05:00

It was a dark night in harlem and I was walking down the street. There was trash everywhere cause it was just after new years eve. I was thinking about wat mr.Donatelli had told me. Alfred your last fight is going to be in march. But little did I know it would in a battle school 60 years in the future in space.
Then out of the corner of my eye I saw something fal down to earth. I started to run to it. As I aproached the massive glowing hole I slowed down and waited. Furin g my wait the glowing became much less intense. I could now make out the shape of a small like rocket ship thing in the whole. Then all went dark and a small boy pobably like 9 or 10 years old came out. I just stood there staring at him.
“Are you Alfred brooks?”. Questioned ender
“ Yes , I am alfred brooks who are you?” alfred asked nervously
“ my name is ender wiggin and I am from 60 years in thte future you are wanted in the battle school. You have to come with me now.”ender told him
“Why?” alfred asked
“the reason has to be kept a secret untill you are evalutated, now don’t make me take you by force.” Ender said fiercly
“ fine I’ll come just tell me where it is” alfred said angrilly
“Good, and you will find out soon” ender told alfred.
Ender took me to his little rocket ship and strapped me into the baackseat. As we started to take off I started seeing plaid stripes everywhere. I saw in movies that this means we gouing at the speed of light. I also strated seeing really important inventions wiz by us as we were flying.
“How do you like time travel alfred?” ender asked me
“It’s alittle bit different but it is cool.” I answered
Then there was silence. For a long time. What seemed like hours was days days were week and weeks were years. We traveled 60 years at the speed of light. Then finally we saw the battle school. The batle school was dark place with walls that rounded up as you walked to keep the gravity on. Ender and alfred were in the same army ender was the comander and alfred began to get jealous of enders power after a couple of months. So he then went to general graff and requested a switch. When he got back to the armys baracks…
“where have you been?” asked ender in strict tone
“why do you care?” alfred retaliated
“I care because I’m the comander of your army” ender holared back at alfred.
“whatever I don’t care im switching armys anyway.” Alfred yelled
Later that night alfred was named the comander of rat army. He found out that he was facing enders army tomorwo he planned for revenge on ender so he could have some power.
The next morning they fought… ender won. Not very surprising but they didn’t have there war they fought in the shower room. Alfred beign mucvh bigger and stronger than ender wrapped him up in a headlock. Then ender countered with a really hard headbut to alfreds chin it made him bite his tounge off and die. Enders went on to win the whole bugger war with this guilt on him.-

Summer Reading Essay by Allyson G

2008-09-07T17:28:00.000-05:00

A child called it meets Junice by Brittany V

2008-09-07T17:27:00.002-05:00

David was at home, hiding from his mother who was more enraged than usual that night. Little David was sneaking away tonight, getting away from all the harm that he experienced at home. He gathered his few things from his dank cube of a room down in the basement. Quickly, he shoved them into a teeny knapsack, and threw it over his shoulder. Pacing around quietly Dave argued himself.
Do it. No, don’t you do that. You’ll be severely punished for it. No, follow through with it, you need to get away. You’re near death! David pondered and paced. He wasn’t supposed to be standing. He ate out of the trash earlier, and Mama told him he wasn’t allowed to eat at all for 3 weeks. David was actually expected to be sitting in the “military position.” This would be sitting on the cold hard stairs and his hands under his butt. He sighed and continued to pace and finally reassured himself that he could do it.
Silently, little skinny Dave clutched the window crank to unlock the window. Slowly, it whirled around and the window cracked open. Dave bit his bottom lip and smirked a little. He knew that this was it. Bringing himself up, David crawled across the damp grass of the front lawn. Rolling past his mother’s window, he laid flat against the fence. Did he hear something? No, couldn’t have. He made his way to the sidewalk. Here he was, alone, in the city.
Junice was a clever girl, but was caught in the wrong aspects of life. She also wandered the streets just as most teenagers in her generation did. Some people would consider her a thug. But truly, she wasn’t. Junice was just so concentrated on fitting in, on being like everyone else, that really, common decency wasn’t a problem to her. She knew what she was doing was wrong, unjust some would even say. But she didn’t care. Junice’s mother was a nice woman, she was. But, she was also caught up in a difficult life. She did drugs, to make her feel like she belonged. She knew she was in the slums and she wasn’t making a real good life for her kids. So that was the solution. Horrible, terrible, Drugs.
Junice was pretty. Beautiful hair, long and silky, if it was up kept. She had big brown eyes that would glimmer when she spoke. And she had perfect plump lips that shined when she flashed a grin. Though in her hard life, somehow Junice came to be quite stunning. Unfortunately, she hid it. Under baggy clothes, and stains on her torn and patched jeans. Under giant sweat shirts that the sleeves were notoriously long. Under bruises and scratches of fights she would get into. She hid her beauty. As great as it was, Junice didn’t want others seeing her looking so nicely. She felt ashamed, like her looks didn’t belong to her.
So there she was, in Memphis. Wandering aimlessly with her hands driven into her pockets and her head slouched downward. She listened to the sound of her footsteps make way through the empty town. The pavement was wet; it must’ve rained earlier in the night. Junice really didn’t know why she was out this time of night. Maybe just because it was unreal compared to the normal life she led. She was ready to pick a fight, or defend herself. Whatever was needed, she was prepared to wind up and go. She felt her stomach flip when she would see another person, whether they were walking the opposite way as her, or coming directly to her. Junice wasn’t sure that they were minding their business not intending harm.
David was walking down the sidewalk, nervous as could be, looking around the town. Every so often he would get self conscious and feel as if some one was watching him, and he was doing a bad thing. He shoved his hand into his pocket to feel his money. Dave had been hiding it since he was only 3. The total was not much more than 80 dollars. This was enough for a subway ticket or two, food and clothing. But he was going to make it last. He kept one hand in his pocket, just for the security of feeling the money between his fingers.
Arriving at the subway station, David pulled out his wad of cash. The attendant smiled down at him and remarked, “Aren’t you out late little buddy?”
David, in response, nodded sheepishly and tugged his backpack strap on his shoulder. He retrieved his money and smirked as he made his way to his ride. Sitting down on the sticky subway seat, David dropped his bag next to him and started to sleep.
Morning came. David was now in Memphis. It was so away from his home. Junice was back at home, babysitting her little sister and was getting ready to take her out to the park. David was heading to the park too, just so hopefully he could find a family to tag along with. He stopped at the swings and sat down. Junice noticed David at the swings, looking all rugged and such. Junice was concerned with his well-being. She noticed that Dave had many bruises and things up and down his showing body. She made her way to the swings.
“Hello?” she stammered, a little nervous of David, not knowing his personality.
He was startled, not expecting anyone to pay attention to him. “Hi,” he replied standing up, “I’m David.”
“Junice,” She answered pointing to herself, and then motioning to her sister she added, “Melissa.”
“It’s nice to meet you both. But if you don’t mind me asking you, why are you talking to me?”
“We want to help you. You seem, lost or something.” Junice smiled.
“Oh, okay. Thank you.” David said trying to be both mature and polite. “Come with me, I think you should follow me to the orphanage.”
“How did you know I was an orphan… or looking for a family?” Dave was in a slight awe as he asked Junice his questions.
“I really have a sense about those kinds of things.” She said knowingly.
“Junice, I don’t know you really. I’m not sure how to trust you.”
“You can. I’ll tell you my story and you can tell me yours.” Junice held out her hand to him.
“Okay!” David was the most enthusiastic he had ever been. Junice wasn’t friend. She was more like a savior.
So this is the end. Our two friends Junice and David walked off into Memphis city together, into the sunset telling their tales. David did find a great family. Junice and him are still friends, and visit all the time. Dave is happily living in Memphis city.

The Boy Who Found His Way by Tom A

2008-09-07T17:27:00.001-05:00

When little David finally got away from his drunken mother he went to New York, because he wanted to be as far away as he could, and he always wanted to go to New York.. When he was finally adopted by Alfred it was the happiest day of his life. David was in 6th grade, and only had the rags for clothes that his mother had given to him. John was an amateur boxer and was tall and thin.

“Hello David, I am Alfred,” John said when he met David.

“Hello Alfred,” David said and smiled.

“I am here to take you home with me,” Alfred replied.

David didn’t say anything he just looked up and smile.

When they got back to Alfred’s house in queens Alfred said to David, “Why were you put up for adoption?”

David replied with a saddened look on his face, “When I was little my mother used to beat me. If I ever said anything about it she beat me more and no one believed me other than my teachers. One time when she was drunk she was threatening to kill me, which she always did, and the knife that she was holding in her hand fell out and hit me in the gut. I didn’t even get food that night because it took me more than 30 minutes to do my chores.”

“That’s awful,” replied Alfred with a disgusted look on his face.

“What about you though, what do u do?” asked David to change the subject.

“I am an amateur boxer down at the gym, I have fights every Saturday, and I work down at the food store. I started fighting when some kids tried to rob the food store but I didn’t tell them about the silent alarm and some of them got caught. I mean I didn’t mean to not tell them I just forgot, but they blamed me and they were after me so I had no choice, at the time I was skinny and didn’t know how to fight. Let me show you around the house and the area. Here is the kitchen not much,” Alfred brings David from the living room through the doorway into the kitchen which had a table and on one wall there was a row of cabinets with a sink in the middle and a stove, on the other side there was the fridge, “down the hallway is where our rooms are,” first door on the right is where David’s room is, it has a bed and a desk for him to do homework, “ and this is my room” he points to the room on the other side with his bed and bureau.”

“I like my room; I used to have to sleep in the garage on a cot,” said David.

“You get a bed here, and later we’ll get you some clothes too,” replied Alfred, “Ok now for the city, nothing much,” said Alfred as he walks out the front door with David, “ basically just some buildings, down there is the food store and the park, and up the other was is the gym where I train. Ok now we should go get you some clothes, unless you want to eat first?”

“I would rather eat first,” replied David quickly.

“Ok I have chicken or pork, mashed potatoes and green beans,” said Alfred

“Can we have chicken?” asked David

“Sure we can,” answered Alfred.

So Alfred and David when back inside the house and into the kitchen, Alfred started to cook the chicken, mashed potatoes and the green beans, he made extras for David. They then ate the food, and like what Alfred had thought David was going to have extras. Later after dinner Alfred took David and bought him some new clothes that actually fit, today was the happiest day of David’s life.

By Sarah B

2008-09-07T17:26:00.001-05:00

Today was like any other day. I awoke to my alarm clock, slipped my sneakers on, and headed out the door for my morning run. I’m usually the only person out this early, with the exception of a few other runners, and police that are on patrol. I run to escape my thoughts. My thoughts of my last fight tonight. As I turned down the corner to cut through an alley, I heard a loud groan. I was startled at first as I paused and looked around. Lying there in a pile of trash was a boy about 8 years old. I looked around to see if there was an adult around but I didn’t see anybody. “Hello?” I said walking closer to the boy. He didn’t show any kind of sign that he was alive, so I gently shook him with my hands. He jolted up, eyes wide and filled with fear. “Wh-what do you want?” he asked me.
“I’m Alfred Brooks,” I said “I was out running, and I saw you, what are you doing out here?”
“I’m David, I uhm must have fell, when I brought out the trash last night.”
I could tell David was lying. He smelled of sewer, and urine. And even though he was sleeping in a pile of trash, there was no way one night of garbage could make a child smell that bad. The boy also had scratches, bruises, and cuts all over him. He was shaking and fidgeting, and every time I got close to him he flinched.
“Hmm.” I said, “Where do you live? Why aren’t your parents lookin’ for you?”
“My parents care! They do! They really do!” he stammered.
“I believe you, I believe you. Just I want to help you. Where do you live?”
“NO! I can’t go back there. I can’t go home.”
There was something about this boy that made me think I couldn’t just leave him. I was going to be late to the gym if I stayed here all day, and Mr. Donatelli was going to be upset, but this boy needed help. He had something about him that I needed to find out.
“Ok, if you don’t want to go home I won’t make you.” I assured him, “you just need to tell me about yourself, and why you don’t want to go home.”
The boy sat looking up at me with a blank look in his eyes.
“I-I can’t tell you.” He whimpered as tears began to pour out his eyes.
“How about this, I’ll take you back to my house, get you all cleaned up, and then I’ll take you out to a breakfast spot that is right around the corner from my house? Hows that sound buddy?” The boy sat looking at my straight in the eye. I knew that he wanted to, and I knew that I could probably talk to him and help him if we talked. After a long while of silence, he finally cleared his throat and said, “As long as you don’t tell anybody..”
“I won’t don’t worry.” I assured him, even though chances were that I was going to have to tell somebody to get this boy some help. We were still a good half mile away from the apartment, and this boy looked like he wouldn’t be able to take four steps without collapsing, so I lifted him up and put him on my back, and started walking home.
When we arrived home I put him down in my room on my bed because he was sleeping. Even though his stench got wrapped up in my sheets, I didn’t mind. I jumped in the shower, washed up, and then walked back in my bedroom to find David still sleeping. I decided to wake him, that way he could shower before he stunk up my whole apartment.
When he got out of the shower I gave him some of my old clothes that were from about 6 or 7 years ago. They were a little big on him but anything was better than the rags full of holes he was wearing before. He asked to get on my back to go to the diner, I didn’t have a problem with that.
We sat down at a little booth with red vinyl seats. Our waiter came over and I ordered us both two chocolate milks. When the waiter placed our waters down with our silver wear David grasped his and clutched it tightly that he has white knuckles, and in a matter of seconds he was slurping it down, and coughing. It was apparent that he was mistreated at home. I started to make small talk.
“David, remember everything you tell me is a secret. I won’t tell anyone, I promise.”
He waited and helplessly looked at me, like a little abandoned puppy crying for help. David was crying inside for help and attention. After a while of thinking he cleared his throat.
“My mother abuses me.”
I wasn’t very surprised when he told me, but I asked him to tell me more. “Yesterday she put me in the bathroom with ammonia, and bleach. She barley feeds me, and when she does it’s the scrapings from my family’s plate. I live in the garage, it’s cold and dark. Everyone at school makes fun of me and I have to lie to my teachers saying my mother is a great woman.”
I knew that the child’s mother abused him, but this is just wrong! I decided not to make it apparent I felt sorry for him, because I couldn’t do anything. I decided to tell him about my friend James who used to be my best friend but is now doing drugs, drinking, and getting in a lot of trouble. I told David that I could have followed David down a path of bad choices, but I decided to get involved in boxing and work hard at the grocery store I work at, to make sure I can be the best person I can, and hopefully help my friend out.
“How do you do it all?” David asked wiping the tears from his eyes.
“You gotta have dreams for yourself David.” I answered.
I then got up and left $30.00 on the table, and left the gym’s number on a napkin for him. I had to be at Mr. Donatelli’s Gym, because I had a fight tonight.
“What’s all this?” questioned David.
“Order yourself a big meal, once your done; use the change that’s left over to make a phone call on one of them phones over there.”
“Whose phone is that?” he asked.
“I told you a little about how I am a boxer, but I have my last fight tonight, and I need to be at the gym right now to meet with my trainer. When you call, I’ll have one of my friends from the gym come down and pick you up, you can come check out the gym for today, and come to my fight at night.” I said.
“What about my mother?” he asked.
“I’ll take care of her, just come out for one night.” I said. I winked and then walked out the door on my way to the gym. As I walked by David had a big grin on his face, and was waving at me.

Summer Reading Essay By Brei R

2008-09-07T17:01:00.000-05:00

While walking around one day, David stumbled upon what looked to be an ordinary cardboard box on the side of the road. At first he thought nothing of it, until he saw the words, “time machine” scribbled across the side in black marker. He figured it was nothing, maybe something a small child was using for a game one day, but still, he couldn’t help but wonder. He decided to try it, because he was so tired of his mother, and everything else around him, he was desperate to go somewhere, anywhere, as long as it was far from here. He crawled into the box, and made himself into a small ball. There was words on the inside as well that read: past, present, future.
David decided he wanted to go back to the past, to see what things were like. He didn’t want to spoil the future, for he loved surprises. He wasn’t exactly sure how he was going to work this so called time machine. He finally decided that he would say where he wanted to go aloud. He closed his eyes, and whispered, “past. I want to go to the past.” He had no specific time in mind, just anywhere was fine with him, he loved adventures. For a time, nothing happened. He was about to give up when he felt a jolt, and got a free-falling sensation that made him feel nauseous, and then he felt himself hit the floor of the box. All was still, so he snuck a peek outside of the box. Everything looked so dark and bleak, and there was not a soul to be seen. He seemed to be a little ways into a forest, but not too deep into it that it was all he could see. In the distance, he spotted a small house. He was getting hungry, and thought maybe the owner of this house would be kind enough to give him something to eat. He slowly climbed out of the box, being careful not to rip it, and started walking towards the house.
It seemed like just seconds when he was out of the forest, and right in front of the house. It was a cozy looking house, not too large, not too small. The lights were on, and dimmed to a warm yellow color. He could hear voices from inside, there was more than one person home, he assumed. He could hear some little, excited voices, and one older voice, that sounded wise and patient. He knocked on the door lightly, trying not to disturb what was going on inside. Moments later, an old woman came to the door. “may I help you?” she asked in a very kind voice. David looked at her, debating what he should say.
“Hello, um, I am from the future, and I’m lost and hungry and-”
“slow down child.” She interrupted him, putting up a hand to silence him. “come inside, and tell me the whole story.” David nodded and followed her inside. The house smelled like ham, and it made his mouth water. As if she could read his mind, she got a plate and put a generous helping of ham on it, and held it out to David. “thank you ma’am.” He said, and she smiled. She lead him into a room, where three little girls sat on the floor, looking irritated that their story time had been interrupted. “sorry girls, we have an unexpected visitor. I’m going to have to cut snow white short for tonight. Remember where I left off, and we’ll continue tomorrow, deal?” she questioned.
“Gemma!” all three complained in unison. She silenced them with just a look, and walked into another room that had a few old chairs, and a table in the middle. David had already cleaned his plate by the time they sat down.
“so, I think we should start off formally. My name is Rose, and you?”
“David.”
“Well that’s a handsome name. I certainly like it. So, David, you say you’re from the future? How exactly does this work.”
“well Rose, I was going for a walk, and I found a box on the side of the road that said time machine. I didn’t think it was actually going to work, but I gave it a try. All I had to do was say I wanted to go to the past, and it brought me here.”
“that’s rather interesting. Why did you want to time travel?”
“that’s a long story”
“well, we have time.” Rose said, glancing at the clock. It was only 4 pm. They sat there for a few moments in silence, until David finally spoke.
“well, my mother, she isn’t very nice to me. She beats me and does very cruel things to me, and I just wanted to get away. You wouldn’t understand.”
“I might understand more than you think.” She looked at him, and he raised his eyebrows. He was curious to know how this old woman could have anything in common with him.
“You’re lucky your little time machine didn’t land you somewhere 50 years before now. I was in a concentration camp. It was torture beyond anything I could have ever imagined. I was the only woman to survive.” She said, and you could see her eyes starting to get shiny, she was struggling to hold in tears. David could tell it must have been hell, for her to remember so many years later.
They continued to talk about how horrible the conditions were, and David explained how he was abused by his mother, and they compared the two. Surprisingly, Rose and David had a lot in common.
“It’s getting pretty late, I think it’s about time you head back to your time period.” Rose suggested. David got up and walked towards the door, and waved goodbye as he departed. He got back into the time machine, and told it to take him back to the present. He was happy that he was able to make this journey, and learn so much more about that past, and also see that he was not alone, and he could also survive the harsh beatings of his mother. He was able to go to bed that night and sleep very peacefully, for what seemed like the first time in his life.

Summer reading essay by Mike C

2008-09-07T17:00:00.002-05:00

I am scared. The people that took me away from my mother are sending me to live with my father’s sister in New York City. I’ve never met my aunt. The stewardess has buckled my thin, frightened body into my seat for the long flight. After the plane takes off I fall asleep. I hope she treats me better than my mother did.

I get off the plane and find my aunt holding a sign that says DAVE PELZER so I can find her. She seems nice but should I trust her? We take a couple buses to reach her apartment in Harlem. On the trip she explains to me that she is a nurse and she enjoys painting in her spare time. She also told me where I will be going to school.

Harlem is nothing like my old home in San Francisco. In San Francisco it’s very clean with lots of very nice houses. Harlem is full of poorly kept apartment buildings, including the one my aunt lives in, with many people living on the streets. Many of the people we see on the street are begging for money, food, and clothing, similar to me when I had to live with mother.

As we make our way into her apartment she sees one of her neighbors.

“Hello, Miss Pelzer,” he said.

“Hello, Alfred. This is my nephew David. David this is a nice boy that lives right down the hall named Alfred Brooks,” she replied.

“Nice to meet you David,” he said. I hid behind my aunt.

“It’s okay. Alfred is a nice boy. He won’t hurt you,” she said reassuringly. Alfred is a black, late teenager that is well built. We shook hands and he went down the stairs while we went up to her apartment.
While we were putting my belongings away in the apartment, my aunt’s phone rang.
“I’m very sorry David, that was the hospital. They need me to come in to work now,” she said with a frown. She changed and hurried down the stairs. She came up a few minutes later with Alfred, the boy we met in the stairway. “Alfred is going to stay here and watch you until I get back. Bye David!” as she rushed out of the apartment.

“Why are you here living with your aunt, David?” Alfred asked curiously.

“My mother abused me for several years and they just took me away from her yesterday,” I said.

“That’s terrible! What would she do to you?” he asked.
“She hurt me a lot. She wouldn’t feed me, she made me sit on the bottom of the basement stairs while the rest of my family was eating, she choked me, and she smacked my face into a mirror. One day she stabbed me in the chest and didn’t take me to the hospital. Her favorite way of hurting me was making me sit in the bathtub in freezing cold water for an hour or so. I was also made fun of a lot at school because I stole lunches from the other kids because I never got food at home,” I told him.

“That’s awful!” Alfred exclaimed.

“I’m glad to be away from that now. When I was in school yesterday they called me to the principal’s office. I told them what my mother was doing to me. They decided that the best place for me would be here with my aunt. Do you live with your mother and father?” I asked.

“No. My mother died and my father left when I was young,” Alfred explains.

“Sorry,” David replies. “My dad left us, too.”

“Now I live with my aunt and my three cousins. I dropped out of high school. I was doing drugs and getting in a lot of trouble. Now I’m working at a grocery store down the street. I work at after school programs for kids when I can. I like to go to the gym to see some of the up and coming fighters. I used to box because I needed to prove to myself that I could be somebody. Now I’m going to night school to get my high school diploma,” Alfred said.

Wow! Alfred and I aren’t really that different from each other. The problems we’ve had in our lives are different but we were both strong enough to fight through our troubles. At least now I know I’m not the only one that has lived a hard life. Maybe I’ll be a teacher someday so I can help kids with problems like mine.

A Day in England with David and Daisy by Megan P

2008-09-07T17:00:00.001-05:00

Dave Pelzer, who is now free from his mother and with a family of his own, looked at his caller ID and saw that he was receiving a long distance call. He answered the phone, very unsure of who might be on the other end.

"Hello?" Dave asked.

"Hello. Is this David Pelzer?" the voice questioned.

"Yes, this is him," Dave answered.

"Hi Dave, my name is Daisy."

Daisy talked to him on the phone for a brief amount of time. She told him that she had learned from her father and wicked step mother about his troubles in his childhood with his mother. She explained how she had also been in a difficult situation as a child, and wanted to know more about what he went through. He agreed to meet her and talk about his past. She told him to meet her at her old farm house in England to refresh her memory.

At first, Dave was startled. He didn't know if he wanted to go to England. But
Daisy sounded like she really wanted to discuss their problems, so he agreed to go. He got tickets in the mail a couple days later and the next morning he was on his way to England to meet Daisy, his unknown admirer. Before he left, he said good-bye to his own family and on the plane he tried to think of every single one of the horrible things his mother put him through.
Once Dave arrived in England at the old farm house, it looked really beat up. The siding was falling off, the roof was caving in, and it all together looked like a mess. He was now really nervous to know what happened here. He walked up and knocked on the door and almost instantly a girl answered the door.

"David?" she asked unsteadily.

"Yes, are you Daisy?" Dave replied.

"Yes, please come in!" Daisy beamed.

Inside wasn't much nicer. There were shelves missing and glass in the kitchen and everything was so dirty. Dave could not believe it. But then he walked into the next room and saw two people out in the garden. He asked Daisy who they were, and she told him he was better off meeting them.

When he got closer, he saw that they all looked the same: skinny, pale, dark hair, and sullen faces. It looked as though they haven't eaten or cared for themselves in weeks. But Dave was not one to start troubles, so he put that past him and he met them with a smile. There was a girl and a boy, Piper and Edmund. Piper walked straight up to him and gave him a hug, and Edmund gave him a very weak handshake, but that was fine with him.

Daisy then took him inside and gave him a cup of tea. Anyone who looked at Dave could tell about his troubled past. He had many scars and he looked beat up here and there. Daisy also looked into his eyes like she used to with Edmund and she could see that Dave was a strong man. After the life he had growing up, he found good in every day that kept him strong and alive. She was so curious to know this good, it just blurted out of her mouth.

"Dave, what was your drive to stay living?" Daisy quickly covered her mouth thinking she wasn't supposed to ask, but Dave answered right away.

"I wanted to defeat my mother," he said. "I wanted to get past the abuse and act like it never hurt me, just to make her cringe. Then one day, I did defeat her. They day I was free from her wrath for good. It was the best day of my life."

Daisy then questioned what exactly she did to him and why she did it. Dave told her about his father. He told her how her father was hard working and worked long hours and how his mother would then turn to alcohol to make her feel better. That's when she started getting out of control. When he explained to Daisy about the times she made him swallow ammonia and all the nights she made him sit in the bathroom either freezing in the tub being laughed at or choking on her cleaning gasses, she was in complete shock and utter amazement of how horrible someone could be.

David could see the horror on her face and asked what she was thinking.

She simply replied, "That is the worst thing to ever happen to a child."

David then asked her what she had gone through. She explained about how she was sent to England by her father and evil step-mother. Then when she got there, there was a war and she got separated from her cousin, and true love, Edmund. She started explaining about the friendships that started and ended for numerous reasons between her and Piper and the generals they stayed with. Daisy also talked about the war sights they saw, her most vivid memory on that farm where she thought she was meeting Edmund, but when she got there all she saw were dead people and animals.

While Daisy was explaining her vivid memories, David was taking it all in and following along. He then got curious and wanted to ask more questions, so he asked a few.

"Daisy," David wondered. "How did you find Edmund and how did you know you loved him even though he was your cousin?"

"Well," Daisy started to answer. "I found him because if I looked deep into my own soul and dreams, I saw Edmund there with me. He would direct me where to go, and it was all the help I needed to find him. And I knew I loved him because of that. Even before I could look into his eyes, and I knew we were meant to be. There was some disagreement when we saw each other for the first time after the war, but we fixed it up, and now we are perfect. How are your family, and your mother?"

"My family is amazing. I love my wife very much and I have a son. And I look back on my past every day and I make sure I don't see the signs of my mom in my wife or me, because I don't want my child to have a life like I did, it was horrible. And my mother was doing okay last time I saw her. The last time we visited was the Christmas after my son was born about 7 years ago. All she wanted was to see her grandson."

"That's good. I hope everything works out." Daisy exclaimed.

"I hope the same for you and Edmund, too." David smiled.

And with that, they looked at the clock and they had been talking for hours. It was time for bed for both of them. The next morning, David said his goodbyes to everyone and he headed back to home. When he got home, he saw Daisy's email address on the table, and they have kept in touch ever since.

Time to be free by Juliette C

2008-09-07T16:59:00.001-05:00

David Pelzer was a young boy who didn’t deserve living such a hard life. With an abusive mother and a never home father, David never had a childhood like normal kids. On days when his father never came home, Dave’s mother would turn to alcohal and beat him until walking was a huge task for him. Most days he wouldn’t get meals to eat and instead he would be left to eat the scraps off plates or none at all. During dinner, he was told to sit on te back steps until the family was done.

During an evening of being outisde, David noticed his neighbor bringing his trash to his barrels. Almost the whole neighborhood knew about David’s beatings but no one ever reported it. Hoawever, his neighbor, Joseph, kept a close eye on him since he was little.

Since before his mother beat him, David and his brothers used to go over Joseph’s house to hear stories about the war and what it was like for him being in Polond during the Holocaust. Joseph was always an interesting old man, but David knew there was something hiding about him in his personality. He was a single man but from what the boys knew, there was once a woman in his life but joseph never went in depth about her.

As David secretly waved to him, Joseph motioned for David to go over to him to talk.
“Should I go over to him?” David thought, “It’d be a risky move and I couldn’t go in and ask mother if it was okay.”

He noticed that his family was only about halfway through their meal from what he saw through the window. David decided to not go over to him since he knew if he got caught he’d get a severe beating for leaving without permission. David shook his head “no” to Joseph who was waiting at the fence. The old man just shrugged his shoulders and walked back inside.

The next day as David was on his usual step outisde, Joseph was there again. This time, he walked up to the fence separating yards and talked to the boy.

“How are you doing David?” Joseph asked in a low voice.

“Okay I guess.” He replied. David kept checking in the windows in case anyone was watching.

“Are you being fed lately?”

The last time I had a piece of food was from lunch two days ago.” David had to think about that answer since he hadn’t had a meal in awhile.

“How about you and I get out of here? We both need something better in life.” Joseph asked.
David was taken aback by this question. He looked quickly at the window. By this time, from the looks of the plates, dinner was getting close to an end. He knew his mother wouldn’t see Joe but didn’t want to know what would happen if she found out.

“I would love to, but I can’t just leave my family.” David said nervously.

“Of course you can david! I know how that so-called family of yours treats you and I don’t know if you’ve noticed, but you havent lived a life like a boy like you should have. That’s why you and I deserve to be exploring. We’ll travel the world! Go on adventures! What do you say?”

David knew his mother was going to be at the door to let him back in any second. “I don’t know. But you better leave before I get in trouble.” David knew it was a harsh thing to say but he wasn’t in the mood for a beating tonight (or any night).

Joseph didn’t need to be told twice so he said bye to David and told him to think again on that offer. Thankfully, the neighbor left just before his mother started opening the door.

“Get in here.” The boy’s mother said harshly.

“Yes mother.” He obeyed the order immediately and walked to the kitchen to start his chores. As he washed the dishes and cleaned the kitchen, David thought about what his old friend has asked him. He coulnt mimagine what his mother would do or what life would like without his mother. However, he knew in his heart that he needed to get out of that house before his life might end.

It was three days after the talk with Joseph that David decided he wanted to get out of his house. He hadn’t eaten much besides the leftover pieces of dinner from two nights ago andhis mother decided to move his sleeping arrangements to the garage.

As usual, Dave was sitting on his little stairs waiting for Joseph to come outside. It wasn’t until late that he showed up. He stated that he wanted to leave and soon. Joseph was thrilled. Over the next couple of nights, they had quick conversations about planning the escape. The two males decided that the upcoming Tuesday would be the day that david left.

There were four hours to go until the time came for the boy to leave. That night, his mother threatened to kill him if he didn’t finish his chores on time. The family slave, as he was called, rushed through his dishes and cleaning just seconds before the time was up.

David couldn’t wait to get out. His mother seemed like she was in one of her “moods” and could strike at amny moment. Dinnertime was ust seconds away that meant the hurt boy would never have to see his family again. He was happy to get out but he thought about the old days where everything was right. However, he knew those days were over and he’d never be happy if he stayed.

Around 6 o’clock, David Pelzer was put outside for one last time. Just like planned, the boy was to crawl to the neighbors yard where Joseph would be waiting for him ready to go wherever they wanted. uHowever, before leaving to start his new life, David took one last look at his family he lost connection with so long ago and gently smiled knowing he was free.

Summer reading essay by Jill B

2008-09-07T16:58:00.000-05:00

“I have to get out of this house!” Screamed David in frustration. David Pelzer is a young boy. His father was a fireman and, according to David, his mother was once a loving, kind, and wonderful person that would do anything for her family. But it turned out, later in his life, that when his father gave up on him, so did his, now, alcoholic mother. And he found out that she was abusive toward him. It was even at a point where she began to make him go without food for exstensive periods of time. So his only way of getting something to eat, was to steal from the kids at school.

One day, David was on his way to school. His mother made him run sometimes in order to get there faster, because she didn’t feel like driving him. When he got there, he noticed it was a little too late because all of the kids were already inside and had there lunches with them. “No food today.” Sighed David. As he was on his way into his classroom, he saw another kid playing on the swings. He had looked a little worn out, so he decided to go into school late and see what was up. David ran up to him and gave him a quick hello.
“Hi, what’s your name?” he asked.
“Alfred. But you can call me Al for short. You?”
“My name is David, and you can call me Dave if you want.”
“So where are you doing here?” asked David.
“Oh, I’m just trying to get away from my old town.”
“I’ll tell you right now that this isn’t a town to come to, too get away.”
“Right now for me it doesn’t matter.”

David asked Alfred about himself. To start off, he said that his full name was Alfred Brooks. He told David that he has to go through many changes, both physical and emotional. He told him how he was growing up in a dangerous neighborhood, has financial struggles, drug and crime temptations, lack of education and lack of confidence. He told him about his best friend, James, who was into all the drugs and crime. Last, he told him about his job in the grocery store and how he is training to be a boxer. David immediately thought about how alike they were. So even though he wasn’t supposed to, he told Alfred about his abusive mother and all the awful things that he does to her, Alfred felt terrible after David told him everything.
“Why don’t you move out of that house?” asked Alfred.
“Because I don’t want to get in trouble with my mother.”
“You should come with me.”
“I can’t.”
“Why not? Even though I don’t have a wonderful life, it is better then being abused.”
“Look Alfred, I just can’t.”
“But, I didn’t mean for you to…” and before he could say anymore, David ran off.

In the distance, Alfred could hear David screaming not to tell anyone about what he told him. He was going to scream back ok I promise I won’t, but it was too late.

When David got to his house, he quietly sneaked in, knowing he was a little late to the time he was supposed to be getting home. He was lucky today, his mom wasn’t waiting for him at the door like usual. So he just went into his room in the dark, musty cellar. He heard his mother calling him upstairs. He was scared, but he obeyed her and slowly went up the steps one by one until he reached the devil on the top. She pulled him by the ear and went into the bathroom to do her routine of putting him into a bathtub full off ice cold water. He was petrified of her, and there was nothing he could do about it.

Meanwhile, Alfred met up with James at his clubhouse cave they went to. Alfred told him about how he met David. But he didn’t tell him about his abusive mother, obeeying his promise. James was just worried about stealing stuff from the grocery store that Alfred had worked at. And Alfred was trying to get him to stop. Alfred had to accomplish many situations with James to stay friends with him. He wanted to help him. And that is the reason why he also wanted to help David with his mother’s problem. Soon after, Alfred remembered his appointment at the gym he had with his coach, Mr. Donatelli, so he had to leave.

The next day of school came, and again, Alfred was there on the swings. David tried to not let Alfred see him going into the classroom. But it was too late, and he saw him. So he decided to skip school again today.
“Hi.” David said quietly
“Dave, I am going to do something about it.”
“About what?”
“You’re mother’s problem”
“Please don’t Al. I don’t want to get in any more trouble with her.”
“You won’t get in trouble if I help you. You can live with me!”

Soon afterwards, Alfred finally convinced David to take him home with him. David was still very scared of his mother and didn’t no what she would do to him if she found out were he was. When they got to his house, Alfred introduced his Aunt Pearl to David.
“Well it’s nice to meet you David.” Said Aunt Pearl.
“You too.” Replied David.
“So what brought you here to day?”
“Oh, he’s just…”
“It’s ok Al, I think it’s best to tell an adult.” Said David.
“Tell an adult what?” Aunt Pearl started getting worried.

When David told Alfred’s aunt, she immediately called D.S.S and told them the situation. She decided to adopt David so he could live a normal life. David told Alfred how much he appreciated him to convincing him to come to his house.
“You don’t need to thank me Dave.”
“Yes I do! If it wasn’t for you to convince me to come to your house, I would have never had the guts to do anything about it.”
“Well, I never thought of it that way”

So everything turned out alright and pretty soon, Alfred and David became “brothers”.

Summer reading essay by Betty C

2008-09-07T16:57:00.000-05:00

The nurse wrapped her arms tightly around me, after I showed her the mark from where mother stabbed me. I sighed in her embrace. Please don’t let go, I thought. I held on to her so tight that my gash started to hurt. But I ignored it, focusing on the fruity smell of her hair. I squeezed her once more and then reluctantly let go. I didn’t want to go home. I didn’t want to go anywhere but where Mrs. Norse was going. I have to say something I decided.
“Ms. N?” I squeaked.
“Yes David?
Oh no. I was shaking already.
“Well I….I was wondering if…there would be any chance that I could spend the afternoon with you. Wherever you’re going is fine. I just….no one will be home and I finished my chores and…”
“David,” she cut me off. I knew it. No. “I’m volunteering at a local Nursing home today. I would love it if you came, but ill be working with the residents mostly and …”
“That’s ok!” I blurted. Oops. “I’d love to come”
She paused to think.” Will your mother be all right with that?”
Mother. I flinched. Then the questions came, hard and fast. What would mother do when I was out? Call the police? Come search for me? Will she even notice? I prayed mother would stay drunk, laying on the couch today.
“Yes. I….I mentioned to her that I might not be home right after school today.” I lied. I was instantly thankful that she had no knowledge of my life at home.
“Well then, let me pack up my things, and we’ll get out of here!” She smiled her broad, inviting smile that I loved, and then hurried to get her briefcase. I followed her into her office.
“I’m sorry if I get caught up with the volunteer work, I don’t want you to think I don’t care that you’re here!”
She cares, I thought. She truly cares. We were out of the school and in Mrs. N car in less than 10 minutes. The drive took a very short amount of time, and I liked not listening to the usual screaming and bickering of my family. I daydreamed the whole ride and was brought out of my daze with Mrs. Norse’s sweet voice when we arrived at the nursing home on Cabot Street. It was a long, rectangular white building with trimmed hedges and a walkway lined with red and white roses. When we entered the square entry hall, there was a musicale being led by a man with almost no hair holding a banjo. Oh Susanna I thought. That use to be one of mothers favorites. I sighed and listened to the familiar melody, trying to remember the good old days.
Mrs. N had to drag me away from the performance to the elevator. She caught the door just as it was closing. The two chatty dark haired girls, who looked like twins and a younger red-head already in the elevator, eyed us as we walked in and found a place to stand in the opposite corner. The red-head smiled at me, and I shyly returned the smile, and then hid behind Mrs. N. For the short ride up, the redhead never took her concerned eyes off of me. I look down and notice my bruises and holey shirt. What’s not to look at I thought.
We got out on the third floor, and Mrs. N found out that the first room she was volunteering in was the grandmother of the three girls. We turned into her room, number 310, and on her bed, tucked in a bear claw quilt was the grandmother. The brittle skinned woman had faded blue eyes and red hair, which must have once been beautiful, I thought. She awoke and started reciting some fairytale I didn’t recognize. I spent my time looking at the redhead. After 20 silent minutes of watching the old woman, who fell asleep again, the two identical sisters left, and the redhead sat on the edge of her bed. Then she woke with a start and raised her voice at the redhead.
“I am briar rose!” she repeated.
Who’s briar rose? I thought. I heard her telling the redhead to find her castle, and that it was all she had left. She’s making no sense! She must be crazy I reasoned. But there was something in the tone of her voice that was very, very serious. The woman was soon back on her bed, asleep, and my nerves calmed. I walked over to the redhead, who was now crying, and put my hand on her shaking shoulder. She turned and smiled at me again, and I returned the smile more confident this time.
“Wh…” I couldn’t find my words, “Who is Briar Rosey?” I asked.
I offered her what was left of my sleeve to dry her eyes.
“Briar rose,” she finally said, “was the princess in the old story she use to tell us. It was a version of sleeping beauty. It was my favorite” a single tear rolled down her cheek.
“Do you remember the story?” I asked.
“Word for word. I used to recite some parts with gemma, that’s my grandmother. I’m Rebecca,”
“Dave Pelzer,” she shook my right hand. I flinched and pulled it back. She looked at me, with those same concerned eyes.
“Where did you get all of those bruises? And cuts? Are you ok?” she asked, suddenly panicked.
Oh no! I thought. A skeptic. She started circling me, pulling up my sleeves, and feeling the top of my head. She became more frantic as she searched me. I bit my lip.
And then, I don’t know what to call it, but something came over me….something that had to let someone, somewhere know what I was really going through. I was then tempted to tell her my life story. About mother, and father, and what my life use to be like. To a complete stranger! I tried arguing with myself, but it didn’t work. No, I said to myself, I have to protect mother. No matter how much she tortures me…I can’t. I just can’t!
And it all came pouring out.
I sobbed as I told her about how our life used to be perfect, the “Brady bunch” family, we were called. About how mother began drinking, and became angrier, and almost crazy, and how it scared and worried me. About how my father tried to protect me, but gave up, and started spending more time away from home. About how I was fed the scraps of my brothers lucky charms and I was lucky if I got a piece of bacon. I told her of the horrible games mother played with me, and how she beat me regularly. And most of all, how I wanted to be loved. By someone, somewhere.
Becca kept her eyes on me the whole time. Concerned, intense, and worried. After I finished I just sat there and cried. I cried for mother, for father and my brothers, for becca and her grandmother, and for myself. Becca ran up and hugged me, and she started crying too.
I let go of her sometime later, and wiped my eyes.
“I’m sorry, for throwing all of this at you,” I finally said.
She hugged me again and told me that she didn’t mind, and that she wanted to help me. Whatever I needed, that she would help me find it. A home, a family, and love.
“And what about you?” I asked, my eyes finally drying, “What is your family like?”
“Well,” she said, reluctant to change the subject to herself,” My Sisters are oblivious to life, and Gemma, but I still love them. I have to. They each have husbands, and children, so I guess I’m the odd one out in my family, I always have been. And I work for a local newspaper. ” She sighed, “and now I have to go search for a castle!”
I chuckled, and she did too.
“I suppose I could help you…with your search. But you’d have to tell me the story first, you know so I would have some background information.”
Then she looked at me, and smiled.
“Once upon a time,” she started, “which is all times and no times but not the very best of times, there was a castle and in it lived a king who wanted nothing more in the world than a child………

That Day Changed The World Forever by Nicole C.

2007-04-12T10:22:00.000-05:00

I was in fourth grade at school
The September weather was cool
The leaves were about to sever
That day changed the World forever

The towers were under attack
All the while we were having snack
Kids all in a clump together
That day changed the World forever

Teachers didn’t want to tell us
I had to find out on the bus
No one expected this ever
That day changed the World forever

The Cliffs of Moher by Kieran B.

2007-04-12T10:21:00.000-05:00

Green, high, long everywhere you look.
In every nook.
You look up high,
They fill the sky.

People say they are beautiful.
Not at all dull.
They give you back
The trust you lack.

Oh Cliffs of Moher, why o why,
Can’t you just try?
To make us smile
For every mile.

Downhill by Wylee M.

2007-04-12T10:20:00.000-05:00

I sit and cry and weep all day,
and twist and turn the night away.

I look around for a pill,
while the tears in my eyes start to fill.

And as I cry people just stare,
but look at me without a care.

They have seen it happened time after time,
the person who crosses that safety line.

The line that tells you when to stop,
before you head down that bid drop.

The drop that makes you start to fall,
the drop that begins to end it all.
I regretted doing it the very first day,
and because I did it, I had to pay.

Anti Ode by Alyssa M.

2007-04-12T10:12:00.000-05:00

Let’s begin
I hate you.
You leave your marks
Across my body,
With your sharp edges
And make me live in regret.
Glorify? You?
You are not glorious.
You are a secret.
A feeling.
A nothing.
A pest on my skin
Running down my fingertips.
And there’s nothing glorious about that.

Mista Devlin by Rachel P.

2007-04-12T10:11:00.002-05:00

His long, flowing hair blew in the breeze
He always ate bagels with cream cheese
He had a hairy chest
He always looked his best
He’s Mr. Devlin, or Mr. D

Twilight by Kylie L.

2007-04-12T10:11:00.001-05:00

Tranquil,
Wispy clouds making an
Intense sight that
‘Luminates and compliments this
Incomprehensible and
Gorgeously
Harmonious moment in
Time

Chase & Tackle by Matt R.

2007-04-12T09:25:00.001-05:00

I search the field for the running back
Knowing that he has the football
Eyes moving from side to side
I spot him running left
I sprint towards him
Hard collision
He whimpers
Fumble!
Win.

Haiku of Forest by Jake P.

2007-04-12T07:08:00.000-05:00

Essence of Grandeur
Natural Soliloquy
Ominous Eyes

Ode to Elephants by Katie S.

2007-04-12T07:07:00.000-05:00

You intimidate most people,
But not I.
There being 4000 muscles in your trunk
Compared with a measly 650 in me.
You are truly an inspiration
You have a soul,
And are so trusting even
Nevertheless poached for the mineral
You carry with you.
In Africa, the parks and the people,
They work tirelessly to save you,
But their resources are slim
There is only so much they are capable of
Why can’t the rest of the world step in?
You are a giant that needs to be around
For longer than long.
I wish there were more
I could do,
Alas, I’m just a kid.
Who will help you?

Ode to Steven by Tim P.

2007-04-12T07:06:00.000-05:00

I have a cousin named Steven,
He always helps me out.
Sometimes things are uneven,
But we always find a rout.

He always tells me what’s right,
And what is wrong.
He and I never fight,
We will always stay strong.

Steven is very kind and funny.
He always gives me things
Such as money.
Steven is my wings.

The Pact by Yong K.

2007-04-12T07:04:00.000-05:00

Together we made a pact
Helping each other succeed
Enjoying our lives

Peter became a doctor
Adrian a technician
Conclude me, I became a doctor
Together our pact has been accomplished.

The Eternal City by Morgan D.

2007-04-12T07:03:00.000-05:00

The temperature was perfect,
The shopping was a dream.
The streets were stone,
And the buildings beautiful.

Painted sunsets
Upon gleaming fountains,
With food to die for,
And the desserts of a life time.

Crowds of people
With amazing accents and
Tall dark men
Playing futbol on every curb.

Mopeds and small vehicles,
Swerving through the traffic
With clubs and restaurants on every sidewalks end.

Homes of marble
And architectural design
Sleek and jaw dropping
Way of life.

This is the best city in all the world,
Theres never a dull moment
On the vacation that
Will force you to move …
Rome

The Cat by Parker K.

2007-04-12T07:02:00.002-05:00

The cat sat on the porch
While listening to the birds
He picked up his torch
He used many words

The cat jumped off the rail
While thinking about fish
He ran from the house trying to bail
Hoping for his wish

The cat chased the mouse
He tripped and fell on the ground
While he chewed on his owners blouse
He had to stomp and pound

The cat breaks his hand
And then he becomes a man

Beware of Dog by Max H.

2007-04-12T07:02:00.001-05:00

I walked up to the fence to see him.
he lay there in his wooden home.
Today he didn’t look so bad.
I tossed him a small stick.
‘Click…’ his ears perked up.
There’s that mean look.
And there goes
My pants.
Mutt.

The Umpire by James M.

2007-04-12T06:53:00.000-05:00

The umpire was blind in one eye
On bad calls all we could do was sigh
He messed up the game
Every game is the same
I almost wish he would just go die.

9/11 by Jake B.

2007-04-12T06:52:00.000-05:00

For a few days everything stopped
As the days went on the sky turned grey
Even the ones who didn’t care were shocked
Even the president didn’t know what to say

Finally all the smoke cleared
Revenge was obviously needed
Maybe the end was near
Who ever did this was quite conceded

It is one of those moments
That you remember where you were
Everyone had a comment
Now we needed a cure

For this disaster that occurred
On our own soil

Swallow Some Sand by Hillary L.

2007-04-12T06:48:00.000-05:00

Sun shivers from cold winters

Crimson water spills from fingers

Ripped in pieces; I say I’m dead.

I don’t exist; I’m in your head.

Owls hoot in the dead of night,

I grasp your instrument and fight.

Skin peels off your bones. I said,

“I don’t exist; I’m in your head.”

Misery, how fancy is she.

A look in the mirror. Not me.

I lick the wound from which I bled.

I don’t exist; I’m in your head.

Ode to Milk by Connie F.

2007-04-12T06:42:00.000-05:00

When I first saw milk I was a tiny bit scared.
I won’t lie, it seemed a bit strange.
But I didn’t know what I was missing.
Thank goodness I went through this change.

Milk started showing up at my house,
Making me smile upon opening the door.
My parents were a bit skeptical at first,
But not after seeing what milk is good for.

Off to the kitchen we would go
Trying to figure out what to make
Most often our end product was
A slightly soggy chocolate cake.

Milk never spoils or sours for me
And everything’s better when it is around.
Whether it’s gushing its contents for me to hear
Or not emitting a single sound.

Milk makes me stronger and it’s good for me too,
But what it boils down to in the end
Is one of the greatest things in my life;
It’s the initials of my friends.

The Pets by Patrick D.

2007-04-10T10:44:00.002-05:00

What a motley group of teens

(And of course two pets)

Some look like their patience weans

With the animals I met

The one on the right is Foximus!

The left: well I forget his name…

But he was one who said, “I am Spartacus!”

And I guess that’s a shame…

With my pets on my shoulder

And my fellow comrades by my side

I will ride out like a soldier!

Be wary of my tide!

Having pets on my shoulder may be sketchy

But I am proud for my everlasting Chi!

Spring by Zach G.

2007-04-10T10:44:00.001-05:00

The sun is shinning
Bright in the sky, it is time
To play golf again.

By Rachel P.

2007-03-07T10:25:00.002-05:00

In Ernest Hemingway’s novella, The Old Man and the Sea, the key factor that motivated Santiago to work for his catches and not give up was his determination and pride. Santiago went through a lot of difficulties while he was attempting to catch the marlin; difficulties that were physically painful and mentally strenuous. He was at a point where he was starving, had bleeding cuts on his hands from the pulling of the fishing cord, and the constant reminders that if he didn’t catch the marlin, or any fish at all, then he would never prove to his apprentice Manolin, Manolin’s parents, the other fishermen, and especially himself, that he could still catch like he did in his younger days. In The Old Man and the Sea, a possible theme of Hemingway’s, referring back to the determination and pride of Santiago, is: Pride and determination can help you through your struggles.

One of the main reasons he really wanted to go out fishing was because he hadn’t caught anything for 84 days! Now, for an experienced, previously successful fisherman, that is shameful. “… he had gone eighty-four days now without taking a fish” (9). The fact that he had gone so long without anything motivated him to catch something. That something was the marlin. People will always go through certain situations and decide they want to improve. That is a great thing to do because it can bring a lot of success to your life.

Santiago gained confidence and the feelings of prestige and greatness in one particular way. Santiago would often think back to the day when he became “el campeon”, or “the champion”, when he beat a great negro man in arm wrestling. It was a memory Santiago would never forget and always enjoy. “As the sun set he remembered, to give himself more confidence, the time in the tavern at Casablanca when he had played the hand game with the great Negro from Cienfuegos who was the strongest man on the docks” (69). There will always be something you can think back to and become confident and prideful. This can be something simple such as getting a good grade or something like what Santiago accomplished. Being confident, proud, and having high self esteem (pride) can ease your way through struggles, whether they are physical or mental challenges.

Santiago really showed his determination to catch a fish when he was injured and kept fighting to catch it. When “he felt the line carefully with his right hand and noticed his hand was bleeding” (180), he ignored the pain and continued to pull the line. It takes not only a strong person to handle that setback, but a brave and courageous character also. A person without serious determination would stop and tend to their wounds. But Santiago, who had so much determination in him to catch that fish and prove to himself that he could at least get one, didn’t do anything even though he was seriously hurt. That shows a lot of what kind of feelings and emotions were running through Santiago to get him through such an event.

If Santiago hadn’t been determined or prideful, then he would never have gone on the journey in the first place. He was determined to prove to the people around him that he was better than they thought. If he wasn’t determined, he wouldn’t have began anything. If he wasn’t prideful, he wouldn’t have wanted to try to prove anything. As you can see from what Santiago went through those few days with the marlin, pride and determination can help you through your struggles.

By Parker K.

2007-03-07T10:25:00.001-05:00

In the deep sea adventure about an old man named Santiago, risking his life as he goes out onto the sea with no one but himself and his fishing pole. He waits so long just to catch his first fish. Santiago sets his heart on what he wants and doesn't give up until he succeeds. Santiago will get far in life if he lives up to this. Santiago could have had much worse consequences for his actions but he battled and didn't give up. On this journey Santiago could have died and that would have been a big price to pay.

One consequence Santiago was facing when he was out on the sea was that he went out there to catch a fish. Santiago waited and waited but he didn't get a fish and it took a long time before he finally got a fish. He was rewarded for how long he waited too because the fish he caught was so big. The fish he caught was a marlin and that was what he was hoping to catch. The consequence he took from going out was that he had to wait so long just to caught this fish. He waited eighty four days. Santiago really had a passion for fishing.

Another consequence that Santiago went through was when the sharks attacked his boat. Santiago got what he wanted when he went out to sea and that was to catch that marlin but he had to pay for not letting it go when it was dragging him out to sea. He didn't let it go until he got the fish and when he got i the blood from it went into the sea and attracted sharks. At first only one shark came and he battled that one off by spearing it in the head with a harpoon. After a when two more sharks came and he battled them off with a broken ore but the sharks dismembered the carcass off the marlin. This took a lot out of Santiago and makes him very weak.

One last consequence that he got for going out to sea was he almost died when he was out at sea and that is the biggest risk of all. Somehow he battled to stay alive and he succeeded. When he got back to shore after battling the sharks he just laid in his boat. The carcass of the marlin was next to the boat and his friend Manolin saw the carcass and thought it was Santiago. That is a nothing consequence that he did he put his friend Manolin through fear that his friend Santiago was dead.

This story about Santiago and his love for fishing is a life lesson. The lesson that this story teaches is that if you have a passion and love for something risk anything just to have the fun you want to have, just like Santiago did in this story. Santiago risked his live just to go fish and do what he loves to do. There are fishermen today that do the same this Santiago does but don't make it and get lost out at sea and die.

By Nicole C.

2007-03-07T10:18:00.000-05:00

In the novella The Old Man and the Sea by Ernest Hemingway, the main character, an old fisherman named Santiago faces many external conflicts while trying to prove to himself and everyone else that even though he’s old, he can still fish. When he is faced with the great challenge of catching a great marlin, he must come to the harsh truth that he may, in fact, be too old to still fish.

One main thing that Santiago struggled with was his constant tiredness, which made him weaker than ever before. Santiago realizes that going without sleep could endanger his chances of catching the great fish, and make him seem like more of a failure. ‘“You must devise a way so that you sleep a little if he is quiet and steady. If you do not sleep you might become unclear in the head”’ (77). The old man understood the importance of sleep, and without it, it would cloud his brain, but since he hadn’t been sleeping, he was weak, and it was hard for him to fully use all of his strength.

Secondly, Santiago also struggled with a horrible hand cramp that temporarily paralyzed his ability to hold the fishing line to the best of his ability. Without the hand cramp, he could have easily killed the fish a little more quickly than he did. With his tiredness, and his hand cramp, he began talking to his hand, and trying to eat food to regain its strength. ‘“How do you feel hand?…I’ll eat some more for you”’ (59). Without the strength of his hand, he couldn’t fully handle the fish’s full force, and he was desperately trying to be able to gain back the power in his hand, so that he didn’t have to let go his fish. ‘“God help me to have the cramp go, because I do not know what the fish is going do to”’ (60).

A third thing that Santiago encountered on his trip was sharks attacking his fish. After he defeated all of his other problems and other people’s doubts, he finally killed his fish, which restored the pride in himself. ‘“My head is not that clear. But I think the great DiMaggio would be proud of me today”’ (97). Killing this fish gave him a sense of pride again, but this pride was soon replaced with anger and defeat again when some sharks came and proceeded to attack and tear apart at the fish. ‘“The old man’s head was clear and good now and he was full of resolution but he had little hope. It was too good to last, he thought”’ (101). The old man finally had caught a fish, and a good one at that, and he could finally be glad about it, and then, just like that, it gets taken away form him.

Santiago endured many struggles during his time fishing, and some of those were less serious than others, but overall, he trumped over them. Out of his cramped hand and tiredness, and got a nice fish out of it, and out of the sharks, he still got the respect of the other fishermen who had since lost faith in him. ‘“Many fisherman were around the skiff looking at what was lashed beside it and one was in the water, his trousers rolled up, measuring the skeleton with a length of line”’ (122). This shows that even though the old man endured some major setbacks, he could still come out of it okay, and with his pride back in check.

By Morgan D.

2007-03-07T10:14:00.000-05:00

In the Old Man and the Sea, Santiago struggles against powerful forces and obstacles affecting the makeup of his character and capture of the giant marlin. His struggle to capture the fish shapes the story’s central conflict and plot. Santiago physically struggles with his strength. He struggles mainly with food shortage, old age, and cut hands.

Santiago struggles through fatigue while trying to catch the marlin. He knows that he needs to eat food and drink water in order to be strong enough to continue out into the sea. “He was thirsty too and he got down on his knees and, being careful not to jerk on the line, moved as far into the bow as he could get and reached the water bottle with one hand”(46), and “You’re feeling it now fish, and so god knows, am I.” (56) The first quote shows how tired he is and needed water for thirst. The second quote shows the fish suffering alongside of Santiago and himself suffering as well. The old man is in need of food and water to get enough strength to carry out with the marlin.

A second struggle Santiago faces is his trouble with his hands. He has to hold onto the fish line to get a feel for the fish’s position. “It was only a line burn that had cut his flesh. But it was in the working part of his hand.”(57) “What kind of hand is that? Cramp then if you want. Make yourself into a claw. It will do you no good.”(58) Santiago struggles with his hands because of the fishing line wearing them out. The old man holds tightly with all his strength to have control over the marlin. His hands have a large impact on catching the marlin, and could have changed the outcome. He needs to have strong hands to hold onto the heavy fish.

A final thing Santiago struggles with is his loss of strength because of his old age. Santiago is known as the old man in the book based on the fact that he is so aged. Even without struggling through lack of food, the old man’s body greatly hinders his attempts to catch the fish. “For an hour the old man had been seeing black spots before his eyes and the sweat salted his eyes and salted the cut over his eye and on his forehead. They were normal at the tension that he was pulling on the line.” (87) This quote shows that the old man cannot pull as hard as he probably used to and that he got tired faster because of his age. His old age has enabled him to tire faster and black out.

Santiago’s struggles with his strength affected his battle with the fish and his life. With the strength of food, physical shape, and younger age, he would have caught the marlin quickly and with much more ease. His struggles came as a disadvantage to his voyage. The old man was unable to bring the marlin to shore based on his struggles. The lack of food, cut hands, and old age changed the plot and built up conflict in the story, destroying both his life and the marlin.

By Cory W.

2007-03-07T10:10:00.000-05:00

In Ernest Hemingway’s novella, The Old Man and the Sea, Santiago, the main character, has to make many difficult choices in his life as a fisherman. Some of those choices in this case are, how far to go out to sea, how much food to bring along, and how long to wait for the fish without giving up. These choices can be very critical to a fisherman’s life when he’s out at sea.

In The Old Man and the Sea, Santiago has been having some really unfortunate luck with catching fish, it has been eighty-five days since he has caught a fish but he still has faith, “eighty-five is a lucky number,”(16). This shows that even though Santiago hasn’t caught a fish in eighty-five days he still feels that he could catch one any day now. “Far out to come in when the wind shifts. I want to be out for it is light,”(14). Santiago feels that if he goes out really far into the sea that he can catch a very large fish.

This decision for Santiago turns out to be a good and bad decision. This is a good decision because the farther out you travel the deeper the ocean gets and the deeper the ocean gets the bigger the fish get. So if Santiago hooks a fish out here it will probably be a big fish. It is also good because he finally does catch a fish, the biggest fish that he has ever seen, “he is two feet longer than the skiff,”(63). If Santiago had been able to bring in this fish it would have changed his life forever. Manolin’s father would probably let him go with the old man again, the men in town would show him more respect, and he would have been able to sell the fish for a lot of money and have been able to buy plenty of the supplies he needs. But the problem is he doesn’t bring in the fish successfully and that is the bad part of this.

When Santiago decided to go out really far he probably didn’t expect to catch a fish so large that it didn’t fit on the boat. Now he has caught this amazing fish that is too large for the boat, and the only way to bring him back to land is to tie him to the side of the boat. Santiago let the fish drag him so far out to sea that it takes him a really long time to get back to shore. While Santiago is bringing in the fish, it gets attacked by hungry sharks. Santiago kills a few of them but they are eventually too much for him and he gives up. The fish is eaten right down to the bone and when he finally gets it into shore there is absolutely nothing left to it. Santiago feels defeated.

In the end Santiago comes in tired, hungry, hurt, and with the scraps of an amazing fish. Santiago’s choice to go out really far got him an amazing fish, but left him with pain, not just physically but mentally too. He had to see and hear this amazing fish he caught get ripped to shreds by bloodthirsty sharks. Santiago’s choice to go out really far had a lot of consequences, some good but also some bad.

By Jamie M.

2007-03-05T15:17:00.000-05:00

In Ernest Hemingway’s novella the old man and the sea, the main character is an old fisherman who hasn’t caught a fish (marlin) in 84 days. Santiago, the old man, tells his little fishing buddy Manolin that he will go very far out on his next journey. Santiago decides to go out alone rather than take Manolin with him like he usually does. Santiago uses old school fishing technics and a tiny skiff which might account for his recent failure. Santiago also chooses not to bring his own food but instead let the sea supply him. Not only was his idea not to bring food a bad one it could have been his downfall.

Santiago hooks the biggest fish of his career and finds himself in a three-day struggle with the mighty marlin. During which Santiago has no food. He rests when the fish is resting and is always scavenging for food. Santiago wishes "I wish a flying fish would come on board tonight."(66) just about every night he is on the water struggling with the fish. The weird thing is that Santiago talks to the fish as though it was his brother. Santiago knows that he must catch this fish yet he respects it and treats it almost as he would treat another human.

Santiago is no stranger to the sea. He knows how to survive and how to stay somewhat healthy. His understanding of the sea and its organisms are demonstrated in his words "with so much flying fish there should be a dolphin."(71). Sure enough before night fell a dolphin had hooked by the old man. The old man knew this was not only great because he can eat the dolphin but because of his knowledge of the sea he also knew there could easily be flying fish in the stomach. Santiago also knows that the great marlin must be getting tired because it has pulled for about 2 days strait now.

Santiago knows that when the marlin dies it may be easy prey for sharks and other predators. The old man realizes that if a substantial amount of blood is spilled into the water then sharks will undoubtedly come. After the first shark attack the old man sees the negitive and positive if getting his fish bitten. "Every minuet now you are closer to home. You sail lighter for the loss of forty pounds."(104) The sharks do come again and eventually eat away all of Santiago’s fish. When he gets back to his home all the people see the skeleton and they respect the old man once again.

In an adventure or in life in general your survival depends on food. If you don’t have enough then your in trouble. I believe that if Santiago had brought enough food for at least 2 days then he would have got the fish home and eat it. Many other factors could have hlped santiago bring the fish home but I strongly believed that extra food from home would have done him some extreme good.

By Jake B.

2007-03-05T15:16:00.000-05:00

In the novel, The Old Man and the Sea by Ernest Hemingway, one of the main characters, Santiago, encounters many obstacles that impede his goal of catching fish. These obstacles are both physical and mental. All of these obstacles disable him from fulfilling his potential in catching fish.

One of first obstacles is poor equipment. He has a very small wooden skiff. This hinders him from doing any really intense fishing, as the skiff is not sturdy enough. With a sturdier skiff, it would be easier for Santiago to reel in larger and stronger fish. Also, Santiago does not have a fishing rod. Instead, he uses his hands and a string. The string batters Santiago’s hands. If he had a correct fishing rod, it would not scrape is hands. Non scraped hands would give Santiago more endurance while fishing. Better equipment would help Santiago’s fishing experience. Quote-“He felt the line carefully with his right hand and noticed his hand was bleeding.”PG.55-56-This quote explains the pain Santiago experiences while out at sea. With better equipment, this would not be an issue.

The next obstacle that Santiago endures is a mental issue. First, he is alone on all of his fishing trips. He used to have a boy that he fished with, but the boys parents stopped allowing him to fish with Santiago. If Santiago had a fishing partner it would boost his confidence nd he would have had more fun. Also, a fishing partner would help him physically as he would not have to do as much work. With rest on the fishing trips, he would have more energy to catch fish during the day. Quote-“He was an old man who fished alone in a skiff in the Gulf Stream and he had gone eighty-four days now without taking a fish.” PG.9- This quote explains that Santiago spends long endless days at sea alone.

The last obstacle Santiago encounters is fatigue. Santiago is at sea much to long. It is hard for Santiago to change this as he stays out at sea for weeks alone. He needs to stay out at sea to survive. Although everyone is generous to Santiago by giving him food and drinks, it is still hard for him to make a living. If Santiago had a somewhat bigger boat, like the size of today’s modern boats, it would be much easier for him to fish. He could leave a line out at sea while he sleeps. This would reduce his fatigue. Quote-“I wish he’d sleep and I could sleep and dream like the lions.”PG.66- This quote explains that Santiago needs a break. He wanted the fish to sleep so he could sleep. If the fish sleep then Santiago can let go and not worry about catching the fish.

If all Santiago’s obstacles were overcome, he would be a much better fisherman and a happier person. There are solutions to Santiago’s obstacles but it will take hard work, determination and knowledge.

By Yong K.

2007-03-05T08:50:00.000-05:00

The novella, The Old Man and the Sea is a book that Ernest Hemingway wrote about a old man who goes out to the sea where there are many sharks because he went far out to the sea that no fisherman had gone. His adventure was stunning because he goes through many disasters in a not so commodious boat. In the book The Old Man and the Sea, Santiago, the fisherman initiates his journey to the sea and he is struck with calamity to catch a giant marlin that no human saw. Santiago sometimes has conversation with the marlin about his suffering and when he goes out fishing, his hand couldn’t ambidextrously use his hands.

The pain that Santiago went through was really disastrous because he had no fishing rack because Santiago was poor and in indigence. Santiago has a conversation with the fish.” Fish, the old man said.” Fish, you are going to have to die anyway, do you have to kill me too?”(92). The quote that is provided above explains that he is going through a lot of pain such as getting his hand cut, sick, and fainting in order to just catch a marlin out in the sea and also to ostentatious to everyone when he goes back to the shore. The quote clearly explains that he is suffering during his far-off journey.

As his journey continues, he suddenly sees sharks smelling the blood of the marlin and are trying to get a piece of the marlin. [Santiago] kills the shark with the knife to keep away from the marlin. The sharks comes and comes and Santiago fights. “ Now they have beaten me, he thought. I am too old to club sharks to death. But I’ll try it as long as I have the oars and the short club and the tiller”(112). Santiago gradually gets weaken because of killing many sharks, it showed on the passage that he coughed up blood and fainted. Santiago struggled against powerful force which was the sharks which led him to be sick and it was a calamity and Santiago capitulated. The quote showed that Santiago was struggled with a force that affected him.

As Santiago comes back from a long and tiring journey, he felt weakened and was talking to himself. “He was stiff and sore now and wounds all of the strained parts of his body hurt with the cold of the night. I hope I do not have to fight again he thought, I hope so much I do not have to fight again”(117). Santiago states this quote because he had suffered a lot and he struggled a lot with sharks and his condition because he was old and many obstacles came after him. Santiago knew it was a harsh journey and he said I wish the boy [Manolin] was with him because he cares for Santiago and it wouldn’t have been a long journey if he had taken the boy with him. It was a long and tiring journey for Santiago.

The Cuban fisherman, Santiago started his journey to the sea and he has nothing with him except for his suffering and powerful forces and obstacles that affected him throughout his journey. It was clearly a calamity in the sea with sharks which he couldn’t surmount. Santiago is the fisherman that went through many disaster things in the sea which he will not forget in his life.

By Wylee M.

2007-03-05T08:47:00.000-05:00

Santiago and Manolin are back, for a whirlwind adventure, in the book An Old Man, a Young Man, and the Seaizzle. The two fishermen are working together full time, and are a big success. They become the best of friends, one that seems that will last forever. But with success, comes downfall, and unfortunately bad luck is around the corner. During a celebrating fishing trip, consisting of the old man and the boy, a terrible hurricane strikes and endangers them. Although they are in physical harm, their friendship is the only thing that will save them.

It started off as a celebration boat ride, just Santiago and Manolin. They were celebrating breaking their record of 50 fish in just one week! They were having a great time until a hurricane came and wrecked their boat. When they woke up they were on a mysterious island. At the start of there adventure on the island, Santiago and Manolin’s friendship started strong, but slowly degraded, as their savage instincts kicked in. Not too long after, paranoia began to wiggle in Manolins mind: "Manolin sat on the ground and shakes, softly saying he’s going to kill me, there all going to kill me."(Page 76)As days progressed, Manolins paranoia only got worse and so did their friendship.

They went from enemies to obsessive enemies who watched the other persons every move. Since there friendship was disintegrated and all they could think about was what the other person was doing, and did nothing to try to improve there chance of rescue or any prepare for the future. "The food is running low. In 4 days there will be nothing left thought Santiago" (Page 134). Santiago turns mad (mentally) and when Manolins back is turned, uses a sharp rock and almost slashes Manolin. He realizes what a savage he becomes and realizes he needs to be friends with Manolin if they ever want to get off the island.

After things cooled down, slowly but steadily their friendship strengthened, and in time, it became greater than ever! Since they were best friends, When Manolin and Santiago started acting like friends, hope finally saw the light of day. They stopped hating each other, and started to work off the island. “It’s good that the monsters have left us, and that we can finally unite to get out of here." (Page 178) Every night they started a fire so that maybe a search team would find them. But that didn’t work. With teamwork though, they found more food to last them awhile! One day on the island, there is a terrible storm. Santiago and Manolin hide from it, and survive. When they walk back to the beach they see a dead seaizzle. They come up with an idea to use its skin to make a raft. After many hours of work, and with a strong friendship they made one and sailed off.

Friendship; Friendship is something that we take for granted, and as we saw their friendship is the only thing that mattered for survival on the island, and when it got restored again, Manolin and Santiago finally had a chance to get.

By Tim P.

2007-03-05T08:46:00.000-05:00

Ernest Hemingway’s novella, The Old Man and the Sea, talks about a very interesting character. It’s the old man named Santiago who faces many struggles and powerful forces throughout the story. He had a very hard time catching the humongous marlin which was larger than his own skiff. Santiago eventually catches it but he goes through many scrambles before he actually gets to see the fishes shiny, purple back.

As Santiago starts his battle with the marlin, he realizes right away that it’s an unusually big fish. It’s a fish of great size and Santiago never had a fish this strong. “Never have I had such a strong fish nor one who acted so strangely” (48). The man is really old and there were times when he thought he wouldn’t be able to pull the large marlin out. There were many times when Santiago wished the boy, Manolin, would be there to help him out and see the giant fish.

Another struggle Santiago faced during his journey was when he got pains and cramps in his body. I don’t know how someone of that age could possibly withstand so much strain on their back holding a fish of that size. Also the old man must’ve experienced a lot of bad cramps on his hands before because he asked his hand how it feels, knowing that it will soon uncramp. ‘“How do you feel, hand?” he asked the cramped hand that was almost as stiff as rigor mortis’ (58-59). Another thing Santiago experienced was when the line holding the big fish cut his hand and it started to bleed. You can also tell that the old man went through many pains because when he got back home, he went straight to his house and slept for a very long time. The boy understood that the old man went through many struggles and that’s why he left him alone until he slept.

A third struggle the old man went through is the sharks attacking. “It was an hour before the first shark hit him” (100). The sharks came because of the scent of the blood from the huge marlin. Because sharks attack anything and try to eat anything where there’s blood, about ten sharks attacked the marlin, since it was bleeding. Santiago killed about seven or eight of them. To do that, he used a spear, a knife, the till of his boat, a club, and any other weapon he could find in his boat. There was no meat left on the marlin except the bones and the head. Although the people at the village saw that there was no meat on the fish and that it wasn’t worth anything, they still knew that this truly was the biggest fish they’ve seen and that the old man is a very good fisherman.

As you can see, the old man had many physical struggles throughout the story during his journey. He also had mental struggles such as his age and he is always alone so he talks to himself. But because of his fishing experience, he was able to catch the big marlin and bring at least the remains of the biggest fish caught. Those were some examples of Santiago’s struggles.

By Raheem M.

2007-03-05T08:45:00.000-05:00

Life is filled with choices. In The Old Man and the Sea Santiago is faced with many difficult ones. Santiago Is a very knowledgeable man but, he made some bad choices while fishing which caused his eighty-five day drought. He usually thinks things through and makes the right decision but when he started having trouble catching fish he began to feel nervous and makes bad decisions. One decision that Santiago made which affected his trip a lot was when he decided to go very far out from shore to attempt to catch a fish. “The old man stared at his lines going straight down into water that was a mile deep” (40).

Santiago impulsively went deeper into the ocean. He felt as though he could not turn back. He told the boy that he was confident that he would catch a fish. I think that the old man was motivated to go out partly because he is Manolin’s role model and he did not want to let the boy down by not catching a fish. He also believes that there will be a lot of fish deep in the sea because it is September, the best fishing month of the year. “[September] The month when they great fish come, anyone can be a fisherman in May” (18).

Another reason the old man made the decision to keep going deeper into the sea was a decision he made because he was desperate for a fish. It was a good idea because he could catch larger fish than those which were close to shore. He was in need of money so he went very far out. The old man should have gone far out, but he had traveled too far. “He looked behind him and saw that no land was visible” (46).

Many bad things came from Santiago’s decision to go out. He was able to hook the marlin but he had to struggle with it for a very long time. He grew tired and weak. Santiago began to loose hope when the marlin was being taken by the sharks. The old man began to doubt himself. “You’re tired old man, you’re tired inside” (112). Also, if Santiago had not gone out so far he would probably still have been able to catch a large fish without as much risk of being attacked by the sharks. If Santiago did stay closer to the shore and was having trouble catching his fish he could have received assistance from a nearby fisherman.

Santiago was faced with many difficult choices in The Old Man and the Sea. One that had a very large impact on him was the decision to go deep into the sea. Santiago’s trip could have been less dangerous and painful if he had stayed closer to shore. His decision put a great deal of physical and mental strain on him However, Santiago was courageous and decided that he had to go far out to catch the perfect fish. His choice was bold but perilous and he returned from his journey weaker, but he was proud of himself for persevering.

By Patrick D.

2007-03-05T08:44:00.000-05:00

In the classic story by Ernest Hemingway, The Old Man and the Sea, Santiago is faced with many struggles in his ongoing battle with the giant marlin. Obviously the largest and main obstacle Santiago must overcome is defeating the giant marlin. While doing this, he must battle with demons within himself. Not only these, but Santiago must return home through the shark infested bay area.

For three days and nights, Santiago battles the greatest marlin the world has ever seen. The battle is torture: Santiago must fight with mangled hands, an insurmountable hunger, thirst, unimaginable narcolepsy, and the constant turmoil within himself of whether or not to let the fish. Throughout the struggle, Santiago’s hands become wounded and morph into nothing more than bloody stubs desperately clinging to a sharp fishing wire. Santiago knows he must defeat the marlin, however; the fish is the only thing that may keep Santiago from death. The money and food it would bring him would keep him healthy for months. His will of iron is the only thing that keeps him alive during this agonizing battle: “A man can be destroyed but not defeated.” (103) The man’s pride is what wins him the fish; once Santiago has caught a fish, especially at this point in his life, he will not let it free: “You did not kill the fish only to sell or keep for food, he thought. You killed him for pride and because you are a fisherman.”(54)

Santiago has many inner feelings and demons inside himself, including his affection for the local boy, Manolin. Santiago chose not to bring the boy on this day’s trip, and he began to regret it shortly thereafter. “I wish I had the boy” (45) is obviously quite a blunt quote, showing his need for Manolin, but there are other references within the book that Santiago needs or wants the boy. The old man, hence the title given to him by the author, is getting very old, and perhaps is losing a bit of sanity. “Why haven’t I ever realized I talk to myself?” is showing how Santiago talks to himself out of pure loneliness. "He no longer dreamed of storms, nor of women, nor of great occurrences, nor of great fish, nor fights, nor contests of strength, nor of his wife. He only dreamed of places now and of the lions on the beach." (25) The lion referenced obviously represents something inside of Santiago that is calling to him, but this quote does suggest that he may be a little tweaked in his head.

After Santiago conquers the great marlin, he must return to his home through the shark-infested bay. The marlin has pulled him out far, and he must let the fish hang from the side of his skiff, letting off a trail any shark within 100 miles could track. Santiago knows this and is prepared to defend his fish mentally, if not with proper weapons. For over a day, dozens of sharks attack his fish, each taking a large chunk from his prize. Santiago boldly defends it with what little he has, but by the time he returns, the fish is nothing more than a skeleton. “’They beat me, Manolin,’ he said. ‘They truly beat me’” (124) is the quote that shows Santiago knows he has lost, and is finally able to admit it after the great fights with the sharks.

Santiago faces many perils and struggles throughout Ernest Hemingway’s novel, The Old Man and the Sea. He battles the greatest marlin ever seen for three straight days, defends it from dozens of sharks, and battles turmoil within himself. His struggles were great, but the profit nothing. For Santiago, “It’s not about the destination, but the journey” is taken to an all time high.

By Max H.

2007-03-05T08:42:00.000-05:00

In The Old Man and the Sea, there are many choices that Santiago must make that affect the outcome of his battle with the great marlin and ultimately his life. When Santiago chooses to stay with the fish and continue deep into the sea he is weakened and clearly out of his league, being so ill supplied. After making his decision, Santiago soon runs short of food and must catch multiple smaller fish to stay alive and competing with the marlin. The old man becomes weak and tired from so many days out on the sea, and fears the possibility that he’ll fall into a state of madness. Santiago is also physically disadvantaged after staying out on the sea for so long when he is cut by the fishing line and his hands betray him by “no longer working”.

Santiago is first affected by his choice to stay with the fish when his food is all eaten. Knowing he will become incredibly weak, loose his amazing fish, and eventually die of starvation, Santiago looks to catch smaller fish to eat. The old man clearly shows his desperation for food and his incredible tiredness when he says aloud to the marlin, “You’re feeling it now fish, and so, God knows, am I” (56). This quote explains in as little words as possible that Santiago is being run down in his incessant battle with the fish, and needs as much energy as he can acquire.

Evidently, the old man faces great weakness and mental instability after his time on the sea. Santiago is aware of his critical state but knows he must continue if he wishes to live. Santiago explains his need for sleep and to overcome some of his weakness when he says to the fish “Now let me get through the eating of this s dolphin and get some rest and a little sleep” (79). This quote perfectly describes how the old man is literally asking the marlin for a small break, so he can later continue to fight the fish for his life.

One of the old man’s biggest problems after continuing out on the sea is the physical issues with his hands. Santiago has somewhat of a relationship with his hands in that he keeps them healthy and they stay strong and don’t betray him. His relation with his hands is shown in the quotes “Be patient hand, I do this for you” (59) and also, “How do you feel hand, I’ll eat some more for you” (58, 59). Santiago explains how he will soon eat so his hands can benefit from the food and keep themselves strong. Soon after the old man’s hand is cut by the fishing line, it also deceives him by cramping. He responds by scolding his hand in the quote, “What kind of hand is that, cramp then if you want. Make yourself into a claw. It will do you no good” (58).

Incontestably, Santiago’s decision to stay with the great marlin and travel far out into the sea affected his battle with the fish and his life. A shortage of food, weakness on the verge of madness, and physical disadvantages followed Santiago’s decision. The old man soon realized the consequences of his actions but had a ceaseless drive to beat the marlin in an unimaginable battle for life.

By Kylie L.

2007-03-05T08:41:00.002-05:00

Everyone makes choices that could have good or bad consequences. In Ernest Hemingway’s novella, The Old Man and the Sea, Santiago, the old man, makes many choices that could have turned out much differently had he made other decisions. The biggest mistakes that Santiago made was not bringing the boy, Manolin, along with him, letting the fish drag him too far out to sea, and expecting to much of his good luck.

One big mistake in his choices was to not bring Manolin along with him out to sea. If he did Santiago wouldn’t be tired all the time because of the hassle of trying to hold on to the marlin all day and night. With the boy along with him, Santiago wouldn’t be as tired as he was alone because they could take turns holding the fishing line: “I [Santiago] wish I had the boy. To help me and to see this” (48). I think that with Manolin’s help Santiago could have brought the fish in a lot sooner and he wouldn’t have lost the marlin to the malicious sharks. Or if they couldn’t have brought the fish in in less time then the old man did alone, Manolin still could have helped catch the little fish so that Santiago wouldn’t have had to catch little fish while holding onto the marlin.

Another blunder Santiago made was letting the marlin tow him too far out to sea. Santiago knew what he was getting into by going far out and then having to travel all the way back to land with a dead fish. The chances of hungry sharks after his fish were high after the blood of its killing. After the first shark came he knew right away that “there would be others” (103) and that his chances of getting home with a good amount of tuna were slim.

The biggest mistake Santiago made was having too much confidence. He kept thinking that because he was on an unlucky streak that he would catch a big fish and finally get his luck back to normal. At one point he even got carried away of how much good fortune the fish would bring him: “He’s over fifteen hundred pounds the way he is, he thought. Maybe much more. If he dresses out two-thirds of that at thirty cents a pound? ‘I need a pencil for that,’ he said” (97). And once the first shark came he knew that all his hard work was for nothing.

If Santiago took some different actions throughout the book he probably could have caught the marlin within less time and a lot less effort than it took for him to do it alone. If he brought the boy he could have caught the fish sooner and wouldn’t have been as tired, if he did let the fish drag him out to sea he could have made it back to land before sharks came, and if he didn’t have so much confidence he wouldn’t have been expecting as much from his efforts. Every choice has good or bad consequences and Santiago made some bad choices that caused him a great deal of effort, his marlin, and almost his life.

By Kieran B.

2007-03-05T08:41:00.001-05:00

In the novella The Old Man and the Sea by Ernest Hemingway, Santiago, the main character makes many choices that all lead to different consequences. Santiago sets out on a trip to catch some fish but it ends up being a long battle with a marlin. Santiago takes some very serious risks while he is out at sea. While he is out there he is punished cruelly for his actions. Hemingway fully describes Santiago’s choices and how afterwards he lives with the consequences.

Santiago made many choices while at sea and before he went to sea. A few examples of choices that he made are: deciding to bring food on the trip, to even go fishing, to hook the marlin and to even love to fish in the first place. After every one of these events, Santiago paid in some way. It is just like cause and effect. The cause is the action (choice) and the effect is the consequence. One really big choice for Santiago was if he should or shouldn’t bring Manolin (a young friend of his) on the fishing trip with him. Manolin’s father ends up not letting him go.

The biggest and greatest decision of all that is posed in The Old Man and the Sea is: Should Santiago even have hooked the marlin in the first place? “It was noon when I hooked him, “he said. “And I have never seen him”(47). This quote proves that Santiago has been fishing a while with no luck because in previous pages Hemingway states it had been 84 days since his last catch. So, I think this is why he went through the trouble (consequences) of trying to catch the marlin because he really didn’t want to go home empty handed. Nevertheless, when he did arrive home, he didn’t have anything other than a fish carcass. The reason is because on his way back home the marlin was bleeding so badly that every shark that smelled it took a chunk of marlin only to be killed by Santiago himself.

As the author clearly states, Santiago has never seen the fish he has hooked. Hemingway describes the marlin’s beauty and such on pages 90-94. “No,” he said. “He can’t be that big”(90). Santiago is shocked at the size of the fish he has hooked. He is not sure what he has gotten himself into. This is the consequence for Santiago’s action earlier on. If Santiago had never caught the marlin in the first place than he would never have to deal with all the consequences afterwards.

In the end Santiago returns home to meet Manolin who assists the old man to recovery. “I’ll bring food and the papers, “the boy said. “Rest well, old man. I will bring stuff from the drugstore for your hands”(126).This proves that the old man went through some serous consequences just to come back home empty handed. Santiago’s hands were badly injured from holding the line the fish was on which was one of many consequences that the old man received on the trip.

By Katie S.

2007-03-05T07:55:00.000-05:00

Often in works of writing, an individual struggles against powerful obstacles that affect him significantly. Such is the case in the compelling novella The Old Man and the Sea by Ernest Hemingway. Manolin, the boy in the story, comes face to face with difficult impediments. He is torn between his duty to his parents, his love for Santiago, the main protagonist in the novella, and his unwillingness to believe that Santiago must be dead after three days at sea. Being a boy of a young age, he has difficulty juggling all of his mixed feelings and ideas.

Manolin wants to fish with Santiago, but his parents have forbidden it. After 40 days without a fish, his parents were convinced, "that the old man was now definitely and finally salao" (9). They put him on another boat that caught three fish in the first week. He even tells the old man, "I could go with you again. We’ve made some money" (10) showing his desire to fish with the man who taught him how to fish. I think this might also have something to do with the way the old man feels about the sea. Most of the younger fishermen think of it as el mar, something masculine to compete against. Santiago thinks of the sea as la mar, as a woman. He believes that she is, "something that gave or withheld great favors" (30). This might affect Manolin because he believes one thing while his superiors believe another. He doesn’t know what to do. He knows the old man is right, but he can’t disagree with the men he is fishing with.

The boy has been with Santiago since he was five. When they fish, they probably spend a large amount of their time talking. It must get boring out there with nothing to do but wait. They know each other very well. The boy is "sad to see the old man come in each day with his skiff empty" (9), he wishes that there were more he could do for him. As it is, Manolin is feeding him and buying him bait to try and help him get that fish. The boy understands that Santiago does still have some pride and allows "this fiction every day. There was no pot of yellow rice and fish and the boy knew this too"(16). After a long day fishing, they talk baseball. The boy has unrelenting faith in the old man: "There are many good fishermen and some great ones. But there is only one you" (23), he gets the way the old man fishes. Hardly anyone fishes the old fashioned way anymore. They have buoys and motorboats. The old man uses his skill and strength and that iswhy Manolin loves and admires him.

After Santiago has been gone for three days at sea, everyone has given up. It is common knowledge that a fisherman’s life is dangerous. The boy, however, refuses to give up. Every evening "he waits and watches for an old man rowing a dilapidated skiff towing the biggest marlin ever seen" (131). His faith in Santiago never wavers for a second. His parents, on the other hand, are trying to brace him for the inevitable; when the time comes that the Coast Guard does bring in a piece of skiff or the man’s body. This causes a rift in their relationship "Manolin couldn’t understand his parents’ doubt. Didn’t they know that Santiago was the greatest fisherman ever?" (148). This point in the story could be considered a second climax. It is the point where Manolin’s duty and love head-butt each other and he has to choose between them.

It is strenuous for a youth such as Manolin to keep all of his mingled consciousness and concepts straight. He knows that his obligation is to his parents, but at the same time he feels that Santiago is a shrewd grandfather figure who deserves just as much respect as his parents. Manolin also keeps faith that Santiago will return alive, unlike everyone else who writes him off as deceased. Manolin’s internal conflicts can be felt throughout the story. Ernest Hemingway did a marvelous job finding a way to give Manolin a voice, no matter how small the voice.

By Jacob P.

2007-03-05T07:50:00.000-05:00

In the captivating novella, The Old Man and the Sea, author Ernest Hemingway creates an astute character by the name of Santiago. Santiago is what most people call and old man, and thus is referred to as one, hence the books title. Like all protagonists however, Santiago faces different obstacles throughout the book. They cast a strenuous task on his physical abilities, as well as his mental. Santiago’s challenges include; coming to terms with his old age, keeping his sanity while at sea alone, and surviving under harsh conditions of a fisherman. Thus you could say since these problems derive from the sea, that the sea is Santiago's biggest obstacle.

Santiago was and always will be a man of the sea. In his youth he was a respected man, with a plethora of energy. He had once been in an arm wrestling contest for two days straight. However, time has taken a toll on his body and he is not quite what he used to be. This is a serious problem for Santiago as must fish to make a living. Throughout his days at sea he physically becomes weaker and he must eventually accept his dilemma. He is an old man who has been weakened by time and his fishing will never be as successful as it once was, as long as he does it alone. One of the biggest problems he faces is that his left hand, which is vital for fishing, becomes cramped. "...his left hand was cramped...' "What kind of hand is that, cramp then, if you want to." ' " (58) Santiago, despite the truth, brushes it off until he goes without sleep and realizes the threat of his old body at sea.

Another obstacle Santiago must obliterate is that he must maintain his sanity out at sea. Every day his is out there with that one fish, his mind grows wearier. Santiago is constantly forced to substitute inanimate objects for real beings to shadow his loneliness. For instance he talks to his cramped hand often, ' " Be patient hand, I do this for you." ' (59) As well as his hand Santiago also talks to himself in the "second person", where he replaces the word "I" for "You". ' "You better be fearless and confident in yourself old man," ' (84) However unhealthy it may seem, it does good for him, as he does not have to be completely alone at sea. Doing things such as these help him forget that he is the only one out there, and he has no help at all. Santiago is forced to do such things to keep sane. For if he had lack of sanity, his fishing would be more dangerous than it is. He would become unclear in the head, and maybe make devastating mistakes that could cost him his life.

Santiago's other big problem is that he is in a small skiff alone, with minimal supplies, and he must survive the sea. Foolishly he has taken few foodstuffs and water and becomes malnourished. Santiago has enough nourishment to keep alive, but his health decreases as he just has the bare minimum of food, and is running out. He has also not packed any form of first-aid, and faces a lacerated and cramped hand due for possible infection. Of course when under these conditions you must stay alert to protect yourself. However, Santiago says, “If [I] do not sleep [I] might become unclear in the head.” (77) Santiago has it bad enough, but the fact that he devises a way to sleep vastly increases the threat to his life. While asleep, the marlin he hooked could do any number of things such as change directions in the night, and Santiago might not know which way to turn back home.

Santiago faces all of these challenges from one source, the sea. Thus you could reason that Santiago’s obstacle is the Sea, and within it are sub-obstacles that he faces. All of the difficulties except for his age however, are derived from the sea. (His hand cramps and lacerations, his sanity and malnourishment.) Santiago faces difficulties like all characters but because the thing which torments him is also the same thing he needs to live, it makes his dilemma rather original.

By Connie F.

2007-03-05T07:47:00.000-05:00

The Old Man and the Sea by Ernest Hemingway is one of those books that have more than one central idea. It contains many messages it tries to get across through the main character, an old man named Santiago. Themes of courage, pride, and defeat are woven throughout the novella. However, the theme from the novella that I thought was strongest was that man can be destroyed but not defeated. In other words, a person can be ruined or spoiled, but not beaten. Examples of this occur in the very beginning, when the sharks devour the marlin, and when the man comes home at the end.

This theme is introduced at the very beginning of The Old Man and the Sea. In the very first sentence of the book Hemingway tells us “[Santiago] had gone eighty-four days now without taking a fish” (9). This allows us to infer that his luck has been ruined. We are further assured of this fact when we are told, “many made fun of the old man…others, of the older fishermen, looked at him and were sad” (11). Many men would be extremely discouraged by this and would just give up hope altogether. They wouldn’t even try to fish any longer. However, Santiago will not accept the fact that he has been destroyed and is determined to continue trying to make a catch. ‘The boy’ who encourages him to believe in himself and continue fishing also helps him along. Because Santiago continues fishing he is not defeated; he still loves to fish and has a passion. He has not been beaten.

Another example of this theme is when the sharks begin to eat his great marlin. In fact, this is the part of the story when the theme is quoted. The sharks slowly steal the profit of Santiago’s suffering with each bite they take out of the marlin. They spoiled Santiago’s three days and endless effort put into catching the fish. Yet, he continues home and busies himself with thoughts of baseball. He refuses to stop, and always looks on the bright side of things. Indeed he convinces himself that at least “she’s [the fish] much lighter now” (111). He’s not defeated; he musters up the courage and determination to return home. His determination and courage keeps him from being beaten or conquered.

Upon arriving home the harsh reality of daylight reveals the fact that nothing of the fish is left except the head, the tail, and the spine. The loss of his fish destroys the old man; all the effort he’s put into the fish is worthless. The great marlin that was such a catch had been completely demolished by the sharks and was not fit to be eaten or sold. At this point the old man loses all hope. He would have been defeated, but upon arriving home he is consoled by the boy, who still has faith in him: “He didn’t beat you, not the fish” (125), the boy says. Because a person still looks up to him he cannot truly have been defeated. He still has a purpose and a will to live.

This theme can easily tie into any life. You may seem destroyed in the eyes of some, but you will never be defeated unless you feel so. The many messages of the book all tie into the main theme; man can be destroyed but not defeated. This is demonstrated by the example at the beginning of the book, when the sharks eat the fish, and when the man returns home. We know pride can be slashed and courage can waiver, but defeat will never come if there is still a tiny spark of hope or will to continue living and fighting.

As Simple as Untitled by Alyssa M.

2007-01-19T15:09:00.000-05:00

She put her makeup on and looked at herself closer in the mirror.

Her face was still a little bruised, just on the cheekbones that stuck out in
her flesh. She smiled, and, with a slow graceful movement, pushed aside all
that was on her dresser, and sat on it.

Her frail figure didn't have any impact on the furniture, and sometimes she had wished it would. Regan counted the seconds until she would hear her father hustle up the stairs, and slam his fist into her door, demanding to be let in.

It happened every morning before she went to school. She could almost set a clock by it. The only time that she was left alone to prepare herself for high school, were the mornings where her father had blacked out from drinking. Some days he was sleeping until she got home from school. But that rarely ever happened, and it caused Regan great anxiety.

It was the middle of April, warm weather, but yet, it was so dark that
she needed the light of her room on, at 7:00 a.m. Her figure rested gently on the dresser, with her long legs hanging down almost on the floor. Regan closed her eyes.

'Thump thump thump.'

"Oh sh*t" Regan said to herself, as her father stormed in the room,
with boots on and a flannel tank top. He was no more than 5 feet and 9
inches, but he was all muscle. Even Regan, who stood 6 feet and 2 inches had no chance against him. Her bone structure was small, and she might have weighed 130 lbs.

Regan's father grabbed Regans short black hair, and pulled. She
spiraled to the floor, legs spread out under her, arms folded in close. It reminded her father of a broken baby deer. It hurt him to see her in pain and discomfort, but he brushed the sorrow away, and kept harassing his daughter.

He was mad that she never stuck up for herself. She had always just let him push her around. Ever since Regan's mother died, she just kept to herself, and never tried to help herself. Her father noticed the marks and scars on her rms and hips, but never said anything. He was just confused as to what was going on.

Regan didn't cry. She just stared back up at the man who had loved her
for all her life, but yet beat her and made her bleed. Her brown eyes
looked black against her white skin, and her lips took the shape of a heart,
small and pink and faded. The black hair that hung just above her shoulders looked frizzy and broken, although she had just straightened it. Her collar bones stuck out on her chest, and the small patter of her breathing seemed to get faster and deeper. The look in her fathers eyes was fierce, a strong passion of confusion and hatred and loss. Time seemed to get slower, and the lights still glowed a deep red like at an opera. It was Thursday, and Regan would be late for school if she didn't hurry.

'I love you' her father said.

He closed his eyes, and walked away. She just sat there. Not looking.
Not thinking. Not seeing. Not hearing. She couldn't taste any blood in her
mouth. Nor see any on her body, although she had felt like she had just
been stabbed. It felt scratchy in her throat, and she could feel every
movement that occurred between her ribs. She got up and got her car keys and put on her boots and walked out the door. She didn't say goodbye to her father. Just walked out and locked the door behind her.

She was a senior in high school. She had a job at the local restaurant,
a great group of friends, many scholarships, and she was someone that
people wanted to know. Regan put the key in the truck ignition and pressed the gas pedal. She sped off to school, arriving just in time for the second
bell. She went to the bathroom before first class to fix her makeup and make sure she had no apparent bruises at the moment.

She lifted up the corner of her shirt, making sure no one was around,
to look at the cuts on her hips that had been put there the the previous
night. In a second, a freshmen walked in. She noticed the marks on Regan's
body, snickered, and walked away. Regan felt herself turn red, and she walked into a stall and waited for the girl to leave. It took a while, but
eventually the girl left, and Regan walked out into the middle of the bathroom. By now, she was late for class and decided to just leave school. She could use a drive, and missing one day of school wouldn't hurt her record. She waited until the bell rang, and while everyone was in their routine, she walked out the door.

Feeling excited, she skipped to her car, smiling, laughing, breathing
heavily and nervous like she had just robbed a bank. She got in the
truck and put her seatbelt on. That was a first for her, since she always
hoped that she would get ejected through the windshield if she had gotten
into an accident. Not today. Her father couldn't could ruin any other day but today. She got onto the highway, as if to go to the ocean. She turned up the radio, and sung to her current favorite pop song.

She noticed a small blue car weaving on either side of the road. It was
quite a way ahead of her, so she payed no attention, and there were no
cars near it. She picked up her chapstick, and just as she applied it, she
noticed the blue car stop. And turn around. And head straight for her.
She was scared, but there was another lane, and she decided she would just
head into the other lane and get off at an exit.

The car got closer, it seemed to be picking up speed, and then, nothing
happened.Time stopped. The sky of 9 a.m. got dark. Wait, no, that wasn't the sky. That was just the fear of dying.

She looked at herself in the hospital. Old, worn, frail, slender. She
ate so much, why was her body so small? Her feet hung off the hospital bed.

Her friends were there. Looking at her. Holding her hands. Crying. They all
had balloons for her, tied around the bed rail. She knew she was dying. She
watched the doctors take her body into another room. She just walked
alongnext to her physical self. Her father was there, in the room. He was in
handcuffs. He held his head down and Regan thought she saw him crying.

No.

It couldn't be. Her father was crying over Regan.
Her fingers now had small clamps on them. They didn't look painful,
just annoying, and loose-fitting.

Her body felt uncomfortable. She felt like she was shrinking. She
climbed back in her body and folded her hands across her stomach. She didn't want to die this way. She didn't want to die at all.

Arriving Somewhere, But Not Here by Hillary L.

2007-01-10T14:14:00.000-05:00

I stood in the intensive care unit, looking at my lifeless body lying on the stretcher in the white room. The doctors and their nurses were moving about the room, stuck in fast forward, as they went from evaluations, to tests, to medications to keep me breathing. Inhale. Exhale. The heart monitor thumped slowly, and after every thump, I was sure it would stop. Where I stood in obscurity, they seemed to not see me, as if I was a figment of my own imagination, and I was. I walked out of the unit, and went to the waiting room. There, I saw my family; they were lifeless as I was, with their clouded eyes, and sorrowful expressions. My mother was weeping silently into my father’s shoulder.

The heavy rain beat down on my new car; I thought the rain was going to dent its new frame. The sky was black, and I could see the moon straining to shine behind the ominous rain clouds. I pulled over on the side of the road, because my thoughts were intoxicating me, making my driving ability impaired. Arriving somewhere, but not here. I felt outraged towards my mother all the times we fought over little nothings. She was my reason for leaving. I just needed to let go of my breath I’ve been holding for so long. Exhale. My resting body jumped out of the driver’s seat, and I felt a violent pain shoot through my bones. I was hit.

My life flashed before me. I saw everything I loved, or had cherished throughout my years. It was as though all the old home movies we took at all the important occasions were playing back in my mind. I knew then that I was scared that I was going to die, but I wasn’t ready. My mind screamed for help, but my mouth couldn’t omit a sound. I struggled to hold onto my place on this earth, but got increasingly tired, and lost my consciousness.

My body was drawn to the site of the accident. Police cars lined up at the crash site and were looking over the wreckage. My skin sent a message to my body asking, ‘ever have the feeling you’ve been here before?’ The ground was glittered with a thousand pieces of broken glass. I saw a crimson color stain the grass and pavement underneath my feet, and I felt weak and cold. Another pull on my invisible bones dragged me back to the dreary white hospital. I was ready to come back. I opened up my eyes and sat up, I didn’t want these doctors poking me with their instruments, I wanted to be left alone, I wanted to sleep, I wanted to go home.

The last thing I knew before I faded out was a song. It was quiet and consistently grew louder. Instrumental pieces calming me, warming my deathly cold body, and I knew I was where I belonged, and I had arrived just on time.

The Perfect Match by Morgan D.

2007-01-09T11:32:00.002-05:00

Today was a big day for both Lisa and Marc. Neither Marc nor Lisa knew anything about each other or have ever met. They had two main similarities; each were leaving their European soccer clubs to go home for Christmas with their families. They were rushing through the London airport expecting to make their flights to Boston.

Marc was a 23 year-old professional soccer player from North Boston. He left his college and family when he was 19 to go to England, where he was given a spot on the New Castle United FC. This was his second consecutive year as a strong force of the offensive line. There was more to Marc’s life then his soccer career. He was highly intelligent and had a great sense of humor. He was very family oriented and blessed with the good looks of his parents. He was a dark tan, in shape, and an eligible bachelor.

Lisa lived in Portsmouth, New Hampshire. She too was a professional player in Europe that was given the opportunity of a life time to play there. She was playing for a newly developed New Castle woman’s team. This was her first year playing and her first year away from home. Lisa lived with her father and her two older brothers in a tightly nit family on the shore. Lisa was 5”7” with dark brown hair and a models body. She was 20 years-old, and smarter than most. She had an outgoing personality that no one could turn down.

It was already 9:00am and her 9:10 flight was boarding. Her taxi was late to pick her up so she carried her luggage along running down through the airport. She knew that this flight was the only flight home for the next month. She was anxious to get home to spend the holidays with her family. As she got to the gate, the door was closing. She ran down the hallway and made it on the plane. Now she looked stressed and tired, ready to collapse. She rambled through the plane to find her seat. When she sat down she passed out.

It was the squeaky noise of the food cart strolling by that woke her. The guy in the next seat over helped her figure out what was going on. She didn’t care about what he was saying. All she could do was stare into his dark blue eyes and wander. He was beautiful. He was even wearing a New Castle warm up, just like hers. Conversation started and never stopped.

When the flight landed both Lisa and Marc walked out into the airport terminal. When Lisa saw the board saying that rt. 95 was closed due to a snowy blizzard, she was startled. She had nowhere to go and it was Christmas Eve. She wouldn’t be able to go home for 2 days and she had nowhere to stay. Hand in hand, Lisa looked up to Marc. Marc smiled and was happy to offer her a place to stay with his family. After all they got to know each other quite well over a 12 hour plane flight.

Marc got a taxi and Lisa got in. Together they cruised the streets of Boston to Marc’s house. After one night with his family, everything seemed so right. His family was just like hers and very comforting. She felt at home. Lisa and Marc had identical personalities and loving families. After Christmas, Lisa invited Marc to meet her dad and brother. Her family loved him. They loved who she was with him and they loved seeing them together.

After realizing their living situations, they both flew back to England and continued playing soccer for New Castle. The next Christmas, their families went to England. During conversation, Lisa’s brother brought up the fact that Marc and Lisa were so close to each other at New Castle and yet they had never met. The fact that it took a 12-hour plane ride home to Boston and an unexpected blizzard to find each other made everyone laugh.

When Marc found the rare connection between the two of them, and looked back on the past year and how everything evolved, he asked her to marry him. Together everything worked out. They were both soccer players living in England playing for the same club, their families meshed well, and together they were happy.

The Ordnance by Patrick D.

2007-01-09T11:20:00.000-05:00

Date: January 15, 2036
I will be keeping a log of the next year; it will be short and to the point. I am Jansen, leader of The Ordnance. It has been 1 month after the apocalypse, more commonly, The Judgment. World War III destroyed nearly half the population, and major civilizations. Waste from the war has turned the climate deathly hot, and the sky has been turned a dim, hazel red. During The Judgment, I and a few dozen of my… group managed to escape to London from our jail cells. We are strong, smart and merciless; we were soon able to form one of the three Factions, The Ordnance, made up of a few hundred former strong willed citizens. The Drudge, the barbarous, vigilant group of rogues, by far the largest and most destructive, The Ascendancy, the smallest of the three, and lesser known, and try to stay away from the constant anarchy and battle, and stay to the surrounding cities, and finally us, The Ordnance, just trying to stay alive, which can be hard based on the lack of resources and constant murderous raids of Drudgies, as we call them.

Date: January 29, 2036
Constant skirmishes are now beginning to grow into conflicts with The Drudge. The Drudge is beginning to grow in power and people, but so are we, as Ascendants are drifting to our side.

Date: March 4, 2036
One of my former inmates was executed for suspicion to helping The Drudge today. I did it myself, and sent shockwaves through the hundreds of onlookers in the area. I will not have a possible revolt against me at all costs. The Drudge is becoming more ruthless; stories are coming in from Ascendants that Drudgies are taking up cannibalism.

Date: April 22, 2036
Two days ago marked the first major battle with two other factions. A food supply was found in the center of London, and naturally all wanted in. Supplies were done to less than a month, and we could not survive without food. It was a bloody scene, dozens were slain, but we managed to take control of the center of London. The Catholic Church was destroyed after months of abuse from skirmishes. Only one brass Cross managed to survive, and we are now keeping it in one the office buildings The Ordnance’s newfound headquarters.

Date: April 25, 2036
We have built a huge wall around about 6 miles of area. Order is being restored, at least in our faction; things seem to have become worse outside the walls.

Date: April 27, 2036
I cannot stay long; Ascendants are beginning to pour into the streets. The Drudge and Ascendancy seemed to have joined together to destroy us, but we are holding strong for now. Two of our new council leaders were killed in a suicide bombing. We seem to outnumber them by far, which is a surprise, based on the sheer amounts they must have when combined. God pray they are not planning something larger.

Date: July 5, 2036
It is unmorally hot now that summer has rolled in, but spirits have been raised because of the sudden peace within the walls. Raids on the wall have been minimal, and the response last month by the two factions was quickly eliminated, but it is still jarring to know those two joined to destroy us… The people of The Ordnance try not to the think of it anymore. We try to maintain high morale by placing the Cross outside our headquarters, our new symbol of hope.

Date: July 20, 2036
We have made a scout team of elite former marines of the Queen; they are being sent out of the walls as I speak. No one has set foot out of the walls since they were built, and the people are becoming restless.

Date: July 22, 2036
Hundreds now pray at our huge cross. It has become the Ordnance’s new emblem. Most of the people have settled down, and a tailoring factory was found, which is currently making uniforms for our small militia, which will bear the brass cross. Skirmishes are coming closer to the wall, and the last thing I want is for us to be quite unaware.

Date: August 19, 2036
The scout team has come back with only 8 of the original 12 after about a month of staying out of the wall. They have reported scenes of death and chaos. Ascendants have come back into the city, and are now fighting a small war with Drudgies. The last thing they told us was how they lost the four men. They were caught spying on a group of higher Drudgies making plans to set a hellish raid on us, and the messages are becoming more violent.

Date: September 9, 2036
I write with pace, The Drudge has attacked with over a thousand; I can hear dozens outside our headquarters as I write. Our little militia could not fight this army; Drudgies have just been killing with no thought of self-protection. They have killed nearly all our civilians, and some militia men are taking a last stand in the headquarters.
The walls have been turned down, and I can see flames everywhere outside my window. Our brass cross was viciously torn down by a tank the Drudgies have decorated with human skulls. The messages are now depicting victory for the Drudge. Indeed, it seems like the end of The Ordnance. I can hear Drudgies storming the building a few floors below. Gunfire is echoing through the building. I cannot write much longer, they have gotten to the second floor.
I look outside to where our cross was, to where our hope of a new life, where our dreams, hope and future were. Drudgies are banging on the door to my room. I will fight to molest moments. They have broken through. Good-bye.

Running Short of Irish Luck by Max H.

2007-01-08T11:47:00.000-05:00

“Upsurge ahead!” screamed Jack McFarland.

A rugged sea captain around fifty years old, McFarland was an easy man to understand. Dedicated but stubborn were his biggest traits. Irish born, McFarland often fished off the Irish coast.

He gazed into the experienced eyes of his crew. Four men clenched their ships protrusions as a monstrous wave engulfed them and the ‘Old Maid’.

“All men accounted for!” first mate Scott Shimson yelled as the waves quieted and the ship began to settle. Grunts came from the three other crew members, Steve Shirley, and Matt and Jon Rider.

“Get used to it boys, there’s more trouble brewing once we near the coast.” McFarland chuckled.

Each crew member wondered why the skip would take the chance of nearing Ireland with such unlucky weather and the rocky reputation Ireland’s coast held. Becoming uneasy about his captains decision to continue on just so the crew wouldn’t lose some of their catch, first mate Shimson brought up the topic in the late hours of the day.

“Skip, I’m worried this idea of yours can lead us to bad outcomes. The coast can be very untrustworthy with weather like this and its deadly rocks.”

“It’s no secret Scotty, the ‘Old Maid’ isn’t in her prime anymore. I did the figuring and this catch could give us just enough money to hold ourselves up ‘til we find our bearings and get the Maid fixed up good.

The captain raised his head and looked dead into Shimson’s eyes.

“If we lose any of our catch, the price of our fish goes down and we won’t have enough money for the ship. It’s that simple.”

Getting up from his seat and raising his voice just enough for his crew on deck to hear, the captain said aloud, “We’ll sail to the Irish coast with no worries about the storm. The ‘Old Maid’ will live on if I have any Irish luck left in me!”

As night came the sea became choppy. All five men prepared themselves for the worst possibilities as the ship passed the first few indomitable rocks off the coast. The rain seemed to be as thick as glue and waves crashed along the ship, teasing its tired body from years of use.

Members of the crew began questioning where the coast actually was, when from the nest, Jon Rider was heard clear, “Light ahead! Light ahead! Due north Skipper! Right in front o’ our eyes!

The men on ship cheered and jumped, all seeing the lighthouse clearly, some four hundred yards away.

Dangerously sidetracked from the excitement, the crew paid no attention to the disaster they had placed themselves in. Steve Shirley was the first to notice but it was much too late. A cry was heard above the waves as the ‘Old Maid’ was treacherously smashed against an enormous coastal rock.

“Man over board!” Shimson barely finished while the right side of the ships hull was destroyed, sending the crew and debris to the sea.

By early morning the two Rider brothers and first mate Scott Shimson found their way onto the high point of the rock. Captain McFarland and Steve Shirley weren’t seen by day break.

Realizing they wouldn’t have much time before another storm and ultimately their death, the three men began to think up possibilities of how they would make it to the shore. Sitting close to the water, Matt Rider noticed the Maid’s anchor was wedged between a few rocks very close by, the rope still attached. He gathered the rope and brought it to the others who had quickly thought up a plan.

One man would have the rope tied around his waist and swim to the closest rock. The other two would hold the ropes end and make sure the man made it across. Once arriving at the rock, the order would reverse as the two men swam to him.

With the water relatively clam, this idea worked phenomenally. In a mere four hours of work, the men made it to Ireland’s shore. Scott Shimson, Jon Rider and Matt Rider lay on the cold beach of Ireland, remembering never again to test their Irish luck.

An Ice Cream Sunday by Connie F.

2007-01-08T11:45:00.000-05:00

The sun bore down on the pavement surrounding the pool. Bare feet pounded on the cement and chased each other in circles. The town park was always busy on summer Sundays. Kids splashed in the pool, and a pick-up baseball game was going on in the field. A group of young ten-year-old girls sat in the shade of an umbrella, chattering away.

“My daddy’s getting me a doll for my birthday,” Christy bragged to her friends. “That’s better than any of your presents,” she said smugly. Her perfect golden ringlets bounced as she swung her head over to her father.

“Right Daddy? My present’s the best, right?”

Tracy watched the girls from the water. Usually being in the water and swimming alleviated all her worries, but right now she just wished she was back home and had never moved to a new town. Her plain features and southern accent didn’t fit in with these fancy girls and their rich clothing.

Tracy never wanted to move to begin with. Her parents had decided that farming was no longer a profitable business, and it was time to try their luck elsewhere. However, Tracy had had plenty of friends back home, but up here she couldn’t get these girls to like her. Christy and her cohorts refused to speak to her. Tracy had tried befriending them at the beginning of the summer, when they had first encountered each other at the town pool. She had greeted them with a wave and a huge grin on her face, and they just laughed and walked away. Their cruel nature had deterred Tracy from trying to make friends with anyone else at the pool. Now she just came to swim. Well, to swim and to see Charlie.

Right now Charlie was having a conversation with Christy. Actually, Christy was talking, and Charlie was looking longingly at the baseball field.

Charlie was only ten, but he knew he was going to play baseball for the New York Yankees someday. There was absolutely no question about it. He practiced every day of the summer, and right now Christy was cutting into his practice time. He didn’t care about what doll Christy was going to get for her eleventh birthday. Now, if Tracey was talking to him it might be a different story. Charlie thought she was really interesting. She was unique, coming from some place far away. Plus, she actually seemed to really care about swimming, just how he cared about baseball. The best part; she wasn’t obsessed with a stupid doll. However, she didn’t seem even the slightest bit interested being friends with him. In fact, every time Charlie went over to talk to her she ducked underwater and swam away.

“My dolly’s going to have a lacy skirt and a red dress over it, and her hair will be tied up with a bow. It’ll be a pink bow. Actually, pink and white. Pink with white polka dots. Oh, and her hair is blonde just like mine…” Christy said, while batting her eyes at Charlie.
“Charlie,” she whined. “Are you even listening?”

“I think that your doll is very, um, interesting,” Charlie said, while staring over his shoulder into the pool where Tracy was treading water. “I have to go now,” he said, and walked as fast as he could over to the edge of the pool nearest to Tracy. As he approached she dove underwater and swam away. Slightly disappointed, Charlie decided to return to his baseball game.

Tracy wished Charlie wouldn’t come over. He was obviously good friends with Christy and her buddies, and it was clear that they were planning something. I mean, who couldn’t tell, with the amount of time he spent glancing over at her, and the speed at which Christy was talking. Those girls should just leave her alone. Tracy wasn’t going to let them make fun of her again.
The crack of a bat, the yell of ‘CANNONBALL!’ and the laughs of children made up the song of summer. An ice cream truck’s jingle added to the composition. Kids flocked to the truck, hoping for something to lessen the heat of the day. The baseball game was broken up, and even Christy and her friends raised themselves from their shady spot to go get some ice cream.

Tracy realized it was an opportunity to get out of the pool undisturbed and go home. She dried herself off and pulled on shorts and a t-shirt, swung one leg over her bike, and began to pedal. She stopped at the sidewalk to wait for the ice cream truck to leave and for the flock of kids to diffuse. As soon as she stopped she realized it was a mistake. Christy and her friends menacingly approached her with their ice creams and vicious smiles.

“Oh, is the new girl too poor to buy an ice cream?” one of Christy’s friends teased.
“The farmer girl makes her own ice cream.” Christy replied. “She’s too good for our ice cream truck.’

“How does she make the ice cream?” Christy’s friend asked, playing along.

“From the cows.” Christy answered. “She’s good friends with the cows.”

Moos and giggles came from the group of girls.
“I think she is a cow!” called out one of the girls. “A big, ugly cow! Moooo!”
They walked back to the pool laughing, and left Tracy sitting on her bike, with tears in her eyes. This wasn’t fair! Tracy never did anything to hurt them; she had been as nice as possible. Why did they feel the need to be so nasty? And Charlie was coming over too. As if they hadn’t made enough fun of her for one day. Tracy hopped on the bike and pedaled as fast as she could.

“No, Tracy, wait!” Charlie called after her. “Tracy!” he yelled, and ran after her.
She stopped pedaling, and hopped off her bike.

“What do you want?” she said, with more coldness in her voice than she had meant.
“I, I mean I-,” Charlie faltered for a second, and then continued. “I just wanted to say that I think that it’s horrible how those girls are treating you, and that I don’t think you’re a cow at all. Actually, I think cows are kinda pretty. So I do think you’re a cow, because I think you’re really pretty. I mean, I don’t- oh, never mind.”

Tracy smiled in spite of herself. Encouraged, Charlie continued.

“Anyways, I like you a lot, and I want you to have this.” He offered his ice cream to Tracy. Now she was really smiling. Charlie actually meant what he was saying. Tracy took the ice cream.

“Thanks,” she said softly, and kissed him on the cheek. He blushed a vibrant shade of red.

“Ew, Charlie’s got cooties!” Charlie’s friends from the baseball team called from the sidewalk.

“Do not!” he said defiantly, and chased after his friends.

Tracy stayed by her bike and licked her ice cream cone. Maybe it wasn’t that bad living here. Maybe some people did like her enough to be her friend. She didn’t need everyone to love her, especially not Christy and her crowd. Tracy had a friend who liked her enough to buy her ice cream, and that was really all anyone could ask for.

Commenting on your colleagues' stories

2007-01-08T07:54:00.000-05:00

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Creating an original short story for web publication

2006-12-21T15:05:00.001-05:00

I would like to thank Sean M. for telling me about Google Docs and Spreadsheets. I had been looking for a way to upload documents to the web and create URLs. Through Google Docs, I am able to create an individual link for any document I would like! Here, for example, is the link to the short story assignment: Short story blog assignment . This is much better than posting a blog entry containing the entire text. I may even have students upload their stories to Google Docs, and then post the links on the blog. We shall soon see.