Volume II (Spring 2016)

ConjuRings

Creative Writing Magazine Of St. Louis College of Pharmacy

Twenty-fourth Annual Issue, Volume II Spring 2016

Editor: Haseeb Wajid Faculty Advisor: Dr. Marilyn Fontane Front and Back Cover Art: Nicole Eng

My front cover is entitled, "Feeding Ideas" because the one large lightbulb being dragged by the girl represents all of the essays, poems, and stories written by STLCOP's students. The head growing from the ground is supposed to be the reader of the magazine who "digests" the literary works by interpreting the underlying themes within each writing piece. The back cover is representative of this notion as the rays coming out of the head suggests enlightenment and satisfaction from the exchange of students' ideas with each other.

Nicole Eng

Table of Contents Title Author Page Little Red Riding Hood: Afreen Ziauddin 1 Chocolate Afreen Ziauddin 3 My Artistic Brother Afreen Ziauddin 4 Rat Attack Xi Wang 5 Invasion Xi Wang 5 Please Stop Michelle Chicoineau 5 No rest for the Whiskered Michelle Chicoineau 5 An Ode to Creature Samantha Nguyen 6 Kwansaba Justin Xu 6 Good Day Justin Xu 6 Helpful Justin Xu 7 Dramatic Monologue Steffi Thomas 7 Snow Bethany Meyer 8 Accepting my Acceptance to Taylor Win 8 Hogwarts Nature Suzie Chen 10 Wind and Water Suzie Chen 10 The Betrayal Jordan Welch 11 Stride Jessy Hoelscher 12 The Night Jon Weisner 12 A Day for the Ages Jon Weisner 13 All Day Kelly Ko 13 Instant Ramen Ha Ram Jeong 13 Nightmare at the Beach Ha Ram Jeong 14 “Beasts” Trey Weishaar 14 Memory Poem Trey Weishaar 15 “Trouble erupting” Trey Weishaar 15 The Drum Taylor Craig 16 Grand Canyon Jamie Wattananimitgul 16 Beach Jamie Wattananimitgul 16 Love Jamie Wattananimitgul 16 Racecar Casey Moore 16 Derek’s Realization Haseeb Wajid 17 The Seven Stages of STLCOP Bobby Varghese 18 Finito Bobby Varghese 18 Seven John Hunter 18 It Feels Like Yesterday John Hunter 18 Scooby Doo Blake Stigall 19 Fire, man Blake Stigall 19 Home Blake Stigall 20 When the Sun Rises Justin Vadukumcherry 21 Clues Justin Vadukumcherry 22 Haiku Justin Vadukumcherry 21 STLCOP Finals Jessiu Um 22 What a Day Ben Um 22 Plumber Sarah Cohen-Smith 22 Beauty Sarah Cohen-Smith 22 Haiku Sarah Cohen-Smith 22 The Liberating Photo Ryan SooHoo 23 The Marquee Club Ryan SooHoo 24 The Cursed Hand Tyler Giebelhausen 26 Steak Tyler Giebelhausen 27 Elementary Memory Vy Trinh 28 All About Colors Vy Trinh 28 Red High Heel Katrina Trentham 29 I Love Shopping Serah Cyriac 29 The Card Kelsey Toler 30 Twilight Kelsey Toler 30 Poetry Bethany Stallo 30 Cinquain Josh Siu 31 A Poetic Rant Sasha Singh 31 Want RJ Shaw 32 The Lost Jacket RJ Shaw 32 Haiku Kayla Gray 34 Englyn Kayla Gray 34 Finals Nirali Ragha 34 Diamante Sagar Patel 34 Writing Mena Khalid 34 In You Mena Khalid 35 Gratitude Sakina Saaduddin 35 The Hike from Hell Brittney McGlasson 36 River Flows In You Brittan Rosch 36 Comet’s Knowledge Brittan Rosch 36 Iced Tea Steven Phan 38 Ping-Pong Steven Phan 38 The Wedding After Party Andre Harvey 39 The Zoo Ashley Roberts 40 Arrow Ashley Roberts 40 Roses are Red… Sreemathi Palanisamy 41 Silly Love Shin Hyun Park 41 Loneliness Shin Hyun Park 41 Long Time After Shin Hyun Park 42 Love and War Sam Rhee 42 Poetic Justice Sam Rhee 42 Inspired by Whitman Nancy Quan 43 Inspired by Frost Nancy Quan 43 Across the Globe Razan Rajab 44 Faithful Friends Todd Pieper 45 Kong: The Untold Story Steven Pham 47 War has Changed Steven Pham 48 Poetic Justice for a Nazi Steven Pham 49 Starting the Day Drew Pentland 49 Cold Drew Pentland 50 Smiley Face Drew Pentland 50 One in the Same Michelle Albert 50 Layla and Agatha Michelle Albert 51 Cupcake Sam Badwan 52 Raindrops Sam Badwan 52 He Who Must Not Be Named Niveda Baalasubramaniyan 52 The Deathly Hallows Niveda Baalasubramaniyan 52 Memory Niveda Baalasubramaniyan 53 Strange Collin Benbrook 53 Project World Peace Collin Benbrook 54 Guitar Collin Benbrook 54 Aquatic Nymph to Dragonfly Collin Benbrook 55 White but Not Wonderland Caity Blankenship 55 You Say Ellie Breaux 56 The Young Artist Ellie Breaux 56 Muffin Ellie Breaux 56 Childhood Adventures Samantha Bryant 57 The Casino Tyler Giebelhausen, Sheri 57 Chau, Alyssa Farbak, Rachel Ghazarian No. 63 Nana Byun 59 The Magician, Book Nana Byun 60 Wild, Raindrop, Pain Nana Byun 60 Summer Break Jasmine Carpenter 61 After School Adventure Rachel Ghazarian, Tyler 61 Giebelhausen, Sheri Chau, Alyssa Farbak Do Not Count Sheri Chau 64 Spotlight Sheri Chau 64 Titanic Sheri Chau 65 Creative Writing Class Suzie Chen, Serah Cyriac, 65 Taylor Win, Niveda Baalasubramaniyan Deep Talk Jerry Hu 68 Poetic Justice Daniel Hemann 68 Stargaze, Dog’s Bark Alyssa Farbak 69 Filling for the Ill Alyssa Farbak 70 Frank Alyssa Farbak 70 Trapped on a Music Box Steven (V for Victory) Kramer 71 My Verse Kunhee Lee 72 The Tree Abigail Jacobs 72 Fruits of the Spirit Abigail Jacobs 72 Flipping the Script Abigail Jacobs 73 Lily in Candyland Rachel Ghazarian 74 Music Justin Jacob 75 Guitar Justin Jacob 75 Dilemma Justin Jacob 76 Rollercoaster Elizabeth Lemma 77 Summer and School Daniel McGraw 77 Englyn Daniel McGraw 77 Does It Matter? Casey Moore 78 The Wildlife Biologist’s… Kelsi Moua 78 “Silly Sally” Kelsi Moua 79 Lost Veronica Ann LaBoube 80 My Window Brenda Kim 80 Calm after the Storm Brenda Kim 80 Need a Lawnmower? Brenda Kim 81 Layla Richard Ngo-Lam, Nancy 81 Quan, Brenda Kim, Justin Jacob, Drew Pentland My Run Abbey Meers 84 College Jenny Patel 85 Fat Chance at Living Richard Ngo-Lam 85 Harry Potter…Kwansaba Richard Ngo-Lam 85 Barack Obama … Republicans Richard Ngo-Lam 86 Flu shot Steven Pham 86 The Pod Justin Vaducumcherry, Bobby 87 Varghese, Afreen Ziauddin, Blake Stigall, Vi Trinh Memory: 16 Taylor Win 89 You Are… Vruti Patel 90 Best Friend Kushbu Patel 90 Being with You is All I Need Kushbu Patel 90 The Pyramid Mena Kahled, Kunhee Lee, 91 Casey Moore, Kelsey Moua, John Hunter Monster Haseeb Wajid 92

Stories and Poem by Afreen Ziauddin Little Red Riding Hood: The Real Story This is the story of Little Red Riding Hood. Not the cute one many have always heard since they were in diapers. This is the real story, told by me, Robin. I am the true Little Red Riding Hood, though I am anything but little. Here’s what really happened. From my perspective, in other words, the truth. Here it goes. But before I begin, get yourself some popcorn, beef jerky, the leftover soup from last night--whatever it is that you want to eat, because this is going to be an entertaining one indeed. So the starting of the story that you’ve always heard is true. Little girl goes off to her frail and dying grandmother’s house in the middle of No Man’s Woods to deliver some food. Because her old frail and so-called dying grandmother couldn’t use her wrinkly hands and call up Jimmy John’s for some freaky fast delivery. I mean, why do you think there’s a Jimmy John’s to begin with? And mind you, Granny is anything but frail and dying. She is the heart of the devil. Why do you think she’s living in the woods? Because her stubborn and so called “frail”-self had decided to leave against Mama’s pleads. Said she couldn’t stand our house. She wanted more privacy. She hated being bossed around by others telling her what to eat, when to do this, do that. Well, what did she expect? She’s getting old. And that nurse we hired didn’t come cheap. Well, somehow Granny got her things and decided to buy this super creepy cottage (I like to call it the house made of straw since that thing looked like it could break in two seconds). No wonder she got it for less than a hundred bucks. Speaking of which, that woman used my hard earned money from working at the bakery two doors down to buy that stupid house. Who does that? Anyway, Mama (from the goodness that remains in her pure and angelic soul despite the satanic heart of her mother) requested that I deliver a bowl of soup (or was it noodles?) to my frail and dying grandmother for whom my levels of resentment could go as far as the ex-planet Pluto. I reluctantly agreed. I could use a break before I would binge on season two of Game of Thrones on Netflix. I was about to walk right out of the house when Mama stopped me. “Little lady, where do you think you’re going?” I was tempted to tell her I was about to cross over the bridge to Hell and feed the Devil but stopped myself because if I didn’t, I would probably get a huge slap in the face. I composed myself in a polite fashion before I spoke “Off to Granny’s house, Mama.” “Not like that, you’re not.” She said with her hands firmly placed on her hips. Who was I meeting, Obama or Granny? I was wearing sweat pants and a sweatshirt, for Pete’s sake! But Mama insisted that I wear something nicer. She pulled out that hideous red hood poncho thing and handed it to me. It was Mama’s latest invention. She designed clothes in her free time (most of which I didn’t like but pretended to like since she was my mother). I put on that hideous thing and pulled that hood over my head since it was awfully chilly outside. It looked pretty outside, though. The sun was about to set and the sky had shown an eerie orange hue. I walked towards the woods, hoping Granny was asleep so I could drop off that thing and get back to Game of Thrones.

I walked through the woods, blasting my beats, when You-Know-Who decides to show up like he’s The Wiz. I don’t even need to say that stupid thing’s name. Y’all know who it is, the Big Stupid Wolf. He’s more stupid than bad in my book. And so, that stupid thing decides to pop up and thinks he can harass me. Probably saw me wearing that cute poncho and thought let me harass her because she doesn’t look like she could land a gigantic punch on my face. I showed that thing otherwise. And boy, did he deserve it. First of all, you don’t harass a girl. Period. You don’t harass anyone, how about that for gender equality? Second of all, that hairy mutt thought he could bug a human girl and think she wouldn’t do anything about it? His stupid paw things were no match for my fists that had years of kickboxing under their belt. Third, you don’t bug me while I’m listening to my beats. Even Mama knows not to bug me when I’m listening to Drake on Soundcloud. I’m not sure how Soundcloud worked in the woods, but it did and I wasn’t complaining. Until that stupid thing decided to ruin my moment. “Hey sweet thing, how you doin?” he asked, walking out wearing nothing but fur with no shame in the world. I rolled my eyes. I kept walking, my combat boots making crunching sounds against the fallen leaves on the floor of the woods. The last thing I wanted to do was give him more fuel and bother me even more. But the wolf was testing my patience. And it was dwindling away real fast. Pretty soon he was making his way right on over, even walking in front of me! I turned off my music and gave him the bluntest glare I owned. “Now why you gotta give me such a sullen look like that?” he asked in a sneering tone. He was clearly getting a kick out of my ignorance. I kept walking, hoping that I would see Granny’s house real soon. If I wasn’t mistaken, I should have seen the blue ribbon that would lead to her house about two seconds ago. I always marked up the trees leading to Granny’s house in blue ribbon since it was so deep into the woods. But the other ribbon was nowhere to be seen. I was lost. And I was with some stupid wolf at the same time. Game of Thrones was waiting for me at home, and here I was, in the woods, lost and alone with the big think-he’s-bad wolf. Sigh. “Would you happen to know where I could find an old cottage in these parts?” I asked looking bored. I might as well ask the thing for directions if he even had a brain. “I might if you let me eat you.” The wolf replied sneeringly. He was clearly passing my privacy bubble. But surprisingly I wasn’t scared. He was just my height. The only difference was that he had sharp teeth whose number clearly surpassed mine and was a little more built with a ton more hair. Again, no big deal. “How about if I don’t do that and you still tell me?” I retorted back as I was starting to get pretty annoyed. “Oh, really?” he asked in fake surprise. “Are you looking for this?” he pulled out a ripped blue ribbon. That son of a— “Robin. ROBIN!” Granny shouted from a mile away. That woman was so dying and frail yet she had the voice box of a two year old child. I looked around and the wolf was gone. Guess having Granny had benefits, I thought. And I followed her voice back to her cottage. As I let myself in, her constant complaints filled the room. Just what I needed.

“You took so long, dear! Why on earth would you come so late!? Do you want me to die? Is that what everyone wants nowadays?” she wailed. “Of course not, Granny. I wish I could have come sooner.” I said in a soft voice while rolling my eyes. She clearly didn’t understand my sarcasm. Does she ever shut up? I thought. While getting out her soup, I was more than ready to head back. That was, until she decided to speak again. Just when I was tiptoeing out she called out “Robin! Dear why are you leaving so soon? Look at the sky! It’s getting awfully dark and cloudy!” she said. “It is, Granny. Which is why I have to get home.” I said about to shut the door and make it towards home. “Nonsense! Stay with me tonight! I always like company.” She said with excitement from her bed as she drank her soup. “I think I should get home. Mama wants me home--” And then I saw that stupid wolf standing right outside the house. He was back. And from what I could see, he brought some of his friends. If I told Granny, she’d freak. But instead, I had an idea. “I’ll be right back, Granny.” I said. I walked out the door and met up the wolf with all of his friends. They all looked hungry and looked at me like I was cake. But still, I wasn’t scared. “Tell you what. If you let me go, I’ll let you have the woman inside.” I said trying to sound convincing. “And there’s soup if you want that too.” I added. I looked around and they weren’t convinced. “Aww, come on, wolves. What’s more tasty than an old dying lady and a bowl of soup?” I asked around. “Two humans to eat are better than one.” The Stupid Wolf said after a long pause. “You’ve given us no choice.” They were right. They gave me no choice but to beat them all up. At that moment, I used whatever I had learned in Tai Kwon Do and showed it to that wolf and his friends. Needless to say, they looked like lost puppies at the very end. And I made sure to put those puppies to sleep with the help of some of Granny’s kitchen utensils. Ain’t nobody going to eat my dying and frail grandmother, let alone myself. Nobody messes with the Robin and her hood. And that’s how the name stuck. And when I wrote a book, they made me change up the story and make it like a fairytale. So that children could read it, they told me when I refused to do that. But this is the real story and it’s about time someone told it right.

Chocolate Sweet, Comfort Fattening, Killing, Fulfilling Makes me so happy Cocoa

My Artistic Brother Afreen Ziauddin My name is Amira. And I have a twin brother. His name is Amir. He is eight years old just like me. But I’m actually older by twenty minutes. When Amir and I were born, Mama said that Amir wasn’t ready to come to the world just yet. But I was ready to be held in Mama’s arms and eventually take over the world. But that’s not the only thing that makes us different from each other. Mama and Papa taught us how to draw with crayons and pencils. I like drawing stars and can draw shapes like a pro. But Amir just scribbles and says the word “crayon” over and over when he draws. He lazily holds the crayon in his hand. I take my time drawing my stars, making sure to make them perfect and pointy. I make sure the curve of my moon is smooth and soft. I draw in the lines and when I’m finally done, I show my drawing of a crescent moon and a star to Mama and she smiles and tells me “good job!” as she gives me the biggest hug in the world. But Amir doesn’t show his drawing to Mama; instead, he suddenly decides to walk around the house and hums a tune to himself. “Mama,” I say looking at my mother. “Why does Amir do that? Why doesn’t he draw like me?” I asked confused. Mama paused for a moment, thinking of what to say. She held my hand and began to speak. “Your brother is just like you. He’s your brother. But he’s a little different than the other kids.” She tells me. She told me how Amir thinks a little differently than other kids. On the outside, he’s just like everyone else. He just learned differently and has different ways of showing people he loves them. I didn’t understand what she meant when she said that Amir was artistic. I thought you had to be good at drawing to be artistic. Why didn’t she say that I was artistic? Maybe I was wrong when I said that I didn’t think Amir was artistic after all. My art teacher Mrs. Finch told our class once that art wasn’t just about drawing. It could be other things too. Amir always pretended he was in another world. Creating another world and using your imagination is pretty artistic, I thought. Amir was a pretty good singer too now that I thought about it. He could hum a tune just like the people on TV. Sure, he could be a little better at talking to people. But singing was pretty artistic too. Amir is a good listener. Sometimes when he does sit down, he can sit there quietly while I tell him about my day. That’s pretty artistic. So yeah, my brother is pretty artistic. And I love him that way.

Poems by Xi Wang

Rat Attack

I am a mouse. I have found a secret passage to enter through the walls. I scratch and scratch trying to make my way up the wall. Sometimes I fall and a big thump follows. Will the people living in the apartment hear my adventures? YES THEY WILL! I am a mouse. I have brought friends with me to join my adventures. As I continue to play in the walls, my friends are having a party of their own out on the porch. Will the people living in the apartment hear the adventures we are having? YES THEY WILL! Invasion

You’ve finally made your presence known Fear is your only weapon The more I push you away, The stronger you come back each time What will it take for you to be gone forever No more fear No more hiding I want to be free

Poems by Michelle Chicoineau

Please Stop

There’s a sound coming from the inside of the walls It can be heard throughout the apartment, even in the halls I find it hard to ignore you climbing up and up again and again Your ruckus echoes in my head, noises burrowing into my brain It’s difficult to concentrate, you’re distracting from my studies The answer to your question is “No! We will never be best buddies” The creatures active within our walls I now forever banish Please do not return or what a fury I will brandish

No Rest for the Whiskered

Evil mastermind, sinister spy Causing things to go awry Inflicting extreme emotional distress Your existence has created quite the mess Hiding in the deepest, darkest corner of our closet Should I ask for the return of my security deposit? You contaminate our apartment and everything you touch Burrowing through the walls was bad, but this is just too much

An Ode to Creature by Samantha Nguyen

Oh, Creature within our walls— You make us jump with each of your falls. You squeak and scratch, trying to climb with all your might. You’re really just giving my roomies quite a fright. While you may just be looking for a friend, It’s really a request we would much rather contend. You see, we’re not permitted to have “guests” for long-term stay… So you’ll have to be moving on, Much to our “dismay”

Poems by Justin Xu Kwansaba It was a warm and sunny day I went to the kitchen for lunch I had some peanut butter and jelly It was very good and very sweet I grabbed some milk and potato chips I fed my cat some tasty treats After that we went back to sleep. Good day There perched on the tree was a little bird, It sniffed and ate from a pile of seeds. There in the shade lay a little chipmunk, It cracked open a walnut and stuffed it inside its cheeks. There by the river was a deer, It drank and bathed in the water. There was me sitting under the shade of a tree, It was a good day for a hike.

Helpful My mother said, “Go buy some bread,” but this is what I got instead. A half a dozen Nestle’s Crunch. A gallon of milk to drink for lunch. Some Cracker Jacks. A box of Cheerios. Some Hershey’s and a jar of pickles. Reese’s Pieces. Tootsie Pops. Hershey Kisses. Lemon drops. Candy Corn, Milk Duds, and Whoppers. Skittles, Snickers, and Gobstoppers. When mother needs things from the store She never sends me anymore.

Dramatic Monologue by Steffi Thomas I met a boy named James on the first day. We talked for hours about everything Our dreams, our fears – not much more left to say. Until the day that James gave me a ring! I dressed in white and he in black, we stood up in that church and said our vows. Vows are not a possession you can take back. Now it’s been years and I am wondering how I could be so bored and trapped in this home with the same man I once cared so much for. When he returns reeking of liquor, I am all alone. I wonder when this became such a bore. From the first day we met, I believed the love in our eyes would never fade. In retrospect I should not have been upset The love between us was not an equal trade. The moral of my tragic little tale: Do not get married, it will surely fail.

Snow by Bethany Meyer

The snow covered ground Is a beautiful sight Whether a light cover or a big mound It sparkles like diamonds in the moon light

Accepting my Acceptance to Hogwarts by Taylor Win

It came in the mail along with mom and dad’s bills. At the time, I didn’t really care. I was just sitting at the kitchen counter eating a hot pocket. My mom was sifting through the mail and stopped at this little, egg-white envelope with a curious look on her face.

“Cian,” she grinned, “For once, you get mail.”

“Oh, ha, ha,” I said sarcastically. I assumed it was probably something from advertisement. If it was another sports magazine subscription with another worthless football player on the front, I swear I was going to rip it into two and feed it Jerry, my best friend and dog. Why couldn’t they send me baseball cards? Why couldn’t they understand that not everyone was into a sport where you barbarically slam people to the ground?

I whistled for Jerry, to which he came faithfully running. Smiling, I bent down and rustled his hair. It was a potpourri of all these shades of red—like fire. It was the most obvious thing we had in common with each other.

“Want to do me another favor, Jerry?” I said excitedly. “Gobble up that useless junk in mom’s hands, would you?”

Mom gasped, “Cian!” She stumbled back from Jerry, keeping it out of the snapping dog’s teeth. “Cian, just read the letter! You never know, it could be a love note!”

And that’s when I lost my temper. I am not interested footballs and girls are a bore. Whatever was in that envelope was something I was not interested in.

“Mom, no offense but women are a handful. I honestly don’t know why a guy would go through the trouble of being bothered with a woman,” I said in a matter-of-fact way. “If that is a love letter in your hand, the more reason Jerry should eat it.”

“Cian, I didn’t raise you to be so rude,” she scolded me. “If you don’t like girls right now, that’s fine, but be a gentleman and read her feelings. Gently let her down and be kind about it.”

Sighing, I held out my hand and she placed the letter in it. I muttered as I ripped open the seal. Well, it sure wasn’t about football or girls. As I skimmed the letter over, the words “accepted” and “meet” stood out to me. But there was one word in the letter I absolutely could not help reading aloud:

“Hogwarts?”

“What was that, Cian?”

I showed her the letter. “It’s a school acceptance letter. I was accepted to Hogwarts.”

Mom’s perpetual smile suddenly waned, “…Oh my.” She dropped her hand towel and went running for dad.

“Honey! Honey, where are you? Cian was accepted to Hogwarts! We need to get him ready right away!” I heard her yelling from the second floor.

“Hogwarts?!” dad bellowed in disbelief. He too started running about. “When is the train coming?!”

“I don’t know!”

“He needs a luggage!”

“Put his toothbrush inside!”

I stood up from my seat then. Even Jerry was perturbed. His tongue always lolled out. He always had that crazy look in his eyes like he loved you to the point he wanted to eat you or he was about to chew up the couch. But now, his tongue was retracted and his head cocked to one side in confusion.

“What’s the big deal?” I called. “It’s just a school. I have other options. Why does it have to be this one?”

“Oh dear, we might have made a mistake,” my mom mumbled in distress. “We should have told him sooner. We should have taught him more.”

“Susan, we have taught him. It wasn’t out-right training but it’ll be enough.”

“What are you talking about? What training?”

“Oh, Ben!” mom threw herself dramatically into my dad’s arms.

I rolled my eyes. Obviously I was not getting any answers. Bother some women and their soap opera behaviors.

As expected, I was taken to the train station after my mom and dad threw essentially my whole room into one large luggage. I was told nothing and just had to piece together bits of their conversation to get the gist of it all. But it was all gibberish. They were talking about magic and wands and wizards. What were they drinking before this? They shouldn’t have driven me to the station if they were tipsy.

I stood in front of the whistling train. It was to my suspicion that they were trying to get rid of me. Was it because I fed Jerry my Brussel sprouts at dinner? I didn’t clean my room either, even though mom nagged me for months. What did I do so wrong that they wanted me gone this very instant? I’m eleven for Christ’s sake. Parents are supposed to be more patient with their children.

“Come here, Cian,” my mom beckoned me. “Not that train.”

Raising an eyebrow, I approached her. What other train was she talking about?

Mom and dad lead me away to station me in front of this particular brick support structure. They both sighed dreamily, admiring this piece of rubbish. This wasn’t an art show. Why did they drag me out here in the middle of the day to stare at this commodity?

I opened my mouth to complain but my dad brought a finger to his lips. He pointed to this girl that could have been maybe nine years older than me. This girl with short black hair, looked very normal to me, but what she did next was something I’ve never seen. With a cart just like mine, she started to run—right into the pillar we were staring at.

“Wait,” I croaked. She was going to hurt herself. Did she have a death wish? But before I could stop her, she disappeared. Just disappeared. Into the pillar.

“That was Niveda,” my mom said quietly. “She has done this many times already. That’s the proper way to get to the train.”

“We don’t know a Niveda,” I argued.

“You don’t know a Niveda. But eventually you will.” Mom gave me a little nudge forward. It was my turn. They wanted me to do what that girl did and honestly, I really couldn’t. How could I run into a brick wall? It was crazy.

“I know you’re scared, son. But at least this is the right pillar!” dad laughed. “When I was your age, I went straight into the bricks! When I came to, I was sure I was dead!”

I gave him an unamused look, “Thanks, dad.”

Poems by Suzie Chen Red, yellow, orange leaves cover the ground Squirrels scurrying around The trees and branches in the forest. The woodpecker knocks on the trees The deer grazes in the forest Water trickles down a stream Over the rocks that created its pathway.

Wind through the forest Water flowing through the stream Both in unison

The Betrayal by Jordan Welch

Ellen got home from work, late, on a Tuesday night. Another day, another dollar. She and her husband Edward were just trying to make it through the holiday season. Ellen sat down on the couch, whose springs were protruding right through the cushions, and ate her roman noodles while Edward sat in the recliner with a blank stare on his face. This was how they spent most nights. Edward was a fighter pilot in his younger years, and he still had flashbacks to his deployment days. He reenacted battles that he’d been in, often hurting himself and the people around him. This widely effected his ability to keep a job. Their cable had been shut off a few days earlier due to their inability to pay the bill, but neither of them had the energy to fight about whose fault it was and wasn’t. Edward was recently laid off from his job at the local gas mart, which meant that Ellen had to pick up extra shifts at the diner to make up for his pay cut. She was working 12-14 hours a day, and it still wasn’t enough. They were about to sink. They both knew it. Ellen had been searching for a way out for a while now, and one day between rushes, she finally found her light at the end of the tunnel. A man she was waitressing for asked her a simple question, “Do you have life insurance?” That question hatched a plan that, in her mind, could not possibly fail. That afternoon Ellen purchased a life insurance policy. Not for herself, though . . . for Edward. She couldn’t wait to get home to put her plan into action. She thought it through many times during work and while walking home. She knew exactly what she was going to say—how she was going to sell this idea of hers. There was no way that Edward would say no to this, she thought. No way wouldn’t he eventually side with her. For the first time in years, Ellen walked home from work with a smile on her face. When Ellen walked in the door, she found Edward sitting in his recliner, much like how she left him earlier that morning. This was a perfect setting to pitch her perfect idea to him. She started off by talking about how awful her day was and how she couldn’t handle it anymore. She told Edward that she no longer wanted to live this dreadful life anymore. “This world isn’t cut out for people like us,” she said, “We will live the rest of our lives working too much and getting too little in return. I can’t take it anymore.” Edward agreed with her and went on to say, “I’ve thought about this myself, Ellen. I’ve often contemplated . . . taking my own life.” This was all too perfect for Ellen and her plan. He’s going to play right into my trap without putting up a fight, she thought to herself. Without hesitation or a stutter in her voice, Ellen screamed out, “Let’s end it! Let’s just do it now. Let’s jump off the Fischer Building together. Tonight.” There was a long silence until Edward’s raspy voice finally broke it. . . “Okay,” he said. Edward asked for a moment alone while he went upstairs to write his mother a note as to why he had decided to take his life into his own hands. Ellen obliged, for this gave her time

to go over the plan one more time. Part of her felt bad, because she was betraying her husband, but she had to think about her self-preservation as well. When Edward came down the stairs, Ellen noticed a backpack strapped to his back and chest. He said I want my mom to have these things that they will find on my dead body tomorrow morning. Ellen didn’t think anything of it, and they departed out of their small home to head for the Fischer Building. When they arrived at the top, they said their good-byes while exchanging a hug and kiss. They turned to face the bare air, counted to three, and jumped. Only, Ellen didn’t jump. She watched her husband fall down the 31 story building to his death, but to her surprise he pulled the cord for the parachute to explode out of his backpack. She watched him drift through the city, attached to his parachute, shouting absurd things as if he was back in battle. Now, who betrayed who?

Stride by Jessy Hoelscher Muscles ache to stride The golden ribbon in sight Push forward to win

The Night by Jon Weisner

What has happened to this relaxing night? After a long and hard day Jake was left quietly jamming this night. He was careful not to wake up his parents with his music, As he knew that they would be mad. They had had a long day of hiking in which, His mother had tripped and was in much pain. He heard birds chirping outside from their nest, As Jake looked out to see the birds he saw something that made him very attentive. Across the street was a bright light, He could tell something was wrong. The smell of burnt leaves and bark, came through his window, That is when he realized the neighbor’s house was on fire and was quickly spreading. Jake patiently went to grab his parents, All together they strolled outside to see what was wrong. The three hundred year old oak tree was set to flames, It had already tripped over exposing its thick roots.

A Day for the Ages by Jon Weisner

Today was a day for the ages. When you truly think about “a day for the ages” it usually means that you had quite an amazing day, however, today was not that day. I woke up at three am to make it to the airport for my flight at six. It was the most important day of my life as I had a job interview in Dallas with the company I had been following for many years now. I was more nervous for this interview than anything in my whole life. The morning was absolutely crazy with my wife and I as we were stressed as can be. As we raced out the door twenty minutes late, I knew we were in trouble of making our flight. I was driving way over the speed limit, and I of course got pulled over by a police officer. He stalled our trip another twenty minutes as he gave me a lecture on acceptable driving speeds. Not only did he give me a stern lecture, he also gave me massive ticket. As he left and went another direction, I started speeding even more than I previously was. As we were coming to the top of a hill, I quickly realized the cars on the other side of the hill were at a complete stop. I tried to stop as quickly as I could, but I couldn’t stop in time. I rear-ended the car in front of us, and I don’t know what happened between that moment and the moment I woke up in the hospital bed.

I had already had two surgeries before I woke up. I looked over to see my wife who was luckily not hurt as badly as I was. I had suffered multiple injuries, but the doctor said I was going to be alright in time. I then remembered my job interview. I asked my wife if the company had called, and she sadly looked away as she could not bear to tell me the bad news. I was devastated as I knew my hopes and dreams of getting this job were gone. As I sat there sulking, I just happened to look over to my left to see the local newspaper. Not only was the newspaper sitting there, the classified section was already open for me. I had to laugh at this as I quickly picked it up. It was here where I found the job that I would soon work at and love.

All Day by Kelly Ko

All Day All day the rain is standstill All day the trees are standstill All day the mountains are standstill All day the corns are standstill All day I sit in the library standstill Studying for finals All day Instant Ramen by Ha Ram Jeong Instant Ramen Eating instant ramen gives me joy. Add hot water, noodle, and flavored powder. Close the lid, and enjoy the short wait.

Nightmare at the Beach by Ha Ram Jeong

On a hot summer day in Miami Beach, I and a friend of mine decided to have a swim contest to see who could swim the fastest to the ship that was floating in the middle of the water. I was very confident because I competed in swimming for 12 years for my school. My friend, Chris, who also swam for 12 years for his school, was not only my friend, but also a big time rival at the time. I knew this was my best option to show him that I was better than he was. We stood right in front of the water short to get ready to swim, and as we got ready, I yelled, “Three, two, one, go,” and both of us started to run and jumped into the water. As usual I was right in front of Chris, but as I swam and looked back, Chris was swimming his best to catch up. As I was swimming, I yelled, “Come on dude, I am already half way to the ship!” Chris yelled, “You just wait; I am not going to lose this time!” As I swam, I could see the ship more closely. But because I was on full speed the whole time, my arms and legs started to hurt. However, I could not stop because I knew Chris was going to catch up. As I got to the ship, I quickly grabbed the ladder that was hanging on the ship and climbed up to catch my breath. Then I looked out to the water but I could not see any sign of Chris. I looked everywhere but I could not find him. I started to panic and decided to jump to the water to find him. I dived into the water to see if Chris was drowning. But still no sign of him at all. Then I felt something grab hold of my arm from the back. I quickly turned my head to see who or what was holding my arm. Chris was grabbing my arm and he used the force to quickly twist my arm from behind. I panicked and tried to wiggle out from Chris. But he kept twisting my arm tighter and tighter until I heard the sound of snap. Soon I could not feel my arm anymore and pain started to come. I was in so much pain and could not move properly. Chris started to laugh and said, “Now you have only one arm. Let’s see if you can win.” I knew Chris was going to hurt me even more so I tried to go up in the water and swim back. I kicked and moved my other arm, but I could not swim forward with only one arm. I yelled, “Chris please why are you doing this?” Chris replied, “Joe, I always hated seeing you win all the time. If I make you disappear, no one can beat me now!” Then Chris put a thick rope round my neck and started to strangle me. I struggled to get free from him, but with only one arm I could not help myself. He kept strangling me until I no longer moved. He then let go of me and I started to sink down to the bottom of the ocean. As I sank down, I could less clearly see Chris and the smirk on his face. I was desperate to swim back up to get help, but I was hopeless and the more I sank down, I realized my mind was becoming fainter. Chris watched me until my body was completely out of his sight. He then went back up to the top of the water and swam back as if I never existed.

Poems and Story by Trey Weishaar

The roar of the engine. The roar of a lion. The speed of Mustangs. The build of a truck, the build of a gorilla. The colors, details, and life. The beasts

Memory poem

Froze in shock, I stand. The game is in my hands. I gaze towards the pitcher and focus on the ball. In the blink of an eye, I hear a clack. I drop the bat and run. The team just won. “Trouble erupting”

“Walking around on this tour is boring,” I said to my parents. We were in Hawaii, which was cool, but this damn tour thing was just a pain. We walked and walked so far to just get semi-close to the volcano. It was the famous Faleila Volcano, one that hasn’t been active for 50 years. It was kind of neat I guess to see it and walk around it, but that’s about it. Hiking 4 miles into the jungle in order to get closer to it is just ridiculous. It was my parents, my little brother Timmy, and I, and 3 more random persons on this tour. Our guide was full Hawaiian, as his proper English was not the best. He was a big, strong guy. He seemed smart and all I guess. After about 2 hours into the tour, my little brother was driving me crazy. Kept asking us questions and kept complaining about being tired, etc. I kept telling him to shut up and go away. We finally made it to the base of the volcano. “Oh yay! Okay, now let’s turn around and go back,” I sarcastically mumbled. What a waste of time. After a few pictures and a short history lecture from our guide, we turned around. Then my mom yelled out, “where is Timmy!?” I turned around to look and he was not behind me like he was before. We all panicked and searched our perimeter. “Timmy!” I yelled out. Where could he have gone? Then our guide said, “Not worry, Timmy probably lost on trail. Other guide behind will find.” My mom was in a fret. We started to scurry off the base of the volcano to head back into the jungle to find Timmy. Then all of sudden, we felt a strong rumble from beneath our feet. “hmm, that can’t be good,” I thought to myself. “What was that!?” my mom yelled out. Then it happened again, but this time very powerful. So powerful, we all fell to the ground in no control. The earth before us was trembling. That’s when I realized that this volcano could be erupting. “No way,” I thought. “There’s no way this is happening.” We all were very scared at this point. Even the guide had a bad look on his face. He yelled out to us, “Come. We must go now.” “But what about Timmy,” my mom cried. “There is no time. He will find way. He can run from volcano out of jungle and we will see him there.” We all took off running into the woods. One behind the other. Meanwhile, we were yelling for Timmy and trying to search the thick wilderness. After about 20 minutes in, I noticed that the volcano was erupting. Volcanic ash filled the air and stuff started to spew from its top. I had never been so scared in my life. I kept running, and screaming. The adrenaline took over and it was as if I had no control. I shot up in bed from my sleeping position. In a panic, I was sweating and breathing heavily. Holy shit, it was a dream. That was all a dream, I can’t believe it. Such a surreal dream, I was still scared. I got up and walked out of my room of our hotel suite. My parents were awake and getting ready for the day. They then saw me and woke my little brother up. “You guys ready to see a volcano!? We got a free tour today!” my dad said. My jaw dropped as I stared up at him.

The Drum by Taylor Craig

The banging of the loud bass drum, While load and obnoxious to most, Was serene and smooth to others.

Haikus by Jamie Wattananimitgul

Grand Canyon

Extraordinary An astounding place to be Pure precious peaceful

Beach

Palm trees, soft white sand Salty hair and summer air Soothing ocean breeze

Love

Love keeps me going Love is a beautiful thing Love is what I need

Racecar by Casey Moore

A racecar is very loud and fast Zooming around the one mile oval track Pit crew ready for a hot pit gas fumes fill the calm cool air the car already back on the track seven laps to go before it’s done white flag, checkered flag, there’s the end

Derek’s Realization by Haseeb Wajid

Derek Doberman bought a turkey sandwich from the deli mart in the streets of Paris. He was pretty nervous about starting his new teaching career. As a prerequisite to his job, the school wanted him to teach math for the summer session. Many of his colleagues were surprised to find him getting a job so soon out of college; he was only 22! People described him as very handsome with dark, wavy hair and bright blue eyes, and his physique was toughened from years of wrestling. By the time he had finished his breakfast, he finally approached the new building which would be his workplace for the next five years. He looked at the few students walking across the yard. He knew that he shouldn’t be so quick to judge, but he figured that these must be the academically weaker kids. Why else would they be in summer school? He finally reached the door to his classroom and saw 30 students sitting patiently with their notebooks opened up. Derek was generally afraid of public speaking but he used a teaching technique that makes it look as if he’s looking at everyone, but in reality he just looks at their forehead. He taught his lesson with much success, and gave the class their dismissal. He figured since he didn’t have to teach the lesson anymore, he could look at their faces. Many of them seemed like the average dropout. Many of them had tattoos all over the body, weird Goth makeup, hair in Mohawks and other awkward fashions. One girl however stood out amongst the rest. Her name was Sally Henderson. She was very beautiful with shoulder length honey blonde hair and blue-gray eyes. She didn’t seem to fit the crowd, yet she was here, so she must be academically weak like the rest of them. Days passed by, and the students had already taken their exam. Most of the students had done well; however Sally had the lowest score. Derek deciphered that she must be a lazy student and relaxed student who didn’t really care much about school. It was very important for him that every student pass his class so he figured he should talk to her. One day, after class, he approached Sally and told her he would like to personally tutor her. She refused and said she didn’t have time for that. Derek was shocked by this rejection. Here he was taking his own time, offering her with extra help, and she was refusing him! This angered him, and he began to think worse of Sally. Even though he wanted to let her go, he decided that if he wanted to be a better teacher he’d have to try all other options. The next day he arrived at her apartment, ready to speak with her parents on the matter. When he got there, he found out that she wasn’t home. He was surprised to see so many children fit in one apartment. He counted at least 12! Her parents invited him in and offered him some biscuits. They explained to him that Sally worked a 7 hour shift to help pay the bills at home. They had told Sally multiple times to quit and focus more on her education, but if it wasn’t for Sally’s money, they’d probably be out on the street. Sympathy began to fill in the heart of Derek. He realized how much she cared about her family and the lengths she would take to care for them.

Poems by Bobby Varghese The Seven Stages of STLCOP Student life

Study for your 2 lab quizzes Tuesday Consume calorie ridden meals three times daily Sleep for a small amount of time Study for your two exams this week Ponder the meaning of life during breaks Spend excessive amounts of time on twitter Study to make up for lost time. Finito

At the end of the day, I will be in my bed, sleeping to my hearts content. At the end of the day, I will no longer be at school, enjoying 12 hours of freedom. At the end of the day, I will be at home, admiring the beauty of the snow from inside. At the end of the day, I will be exerted from all energy and ready to recharge with some sleep.

Poems by John Hunter

Seven

Seven is a magical number, no doubt Has more power than all the rest Luck, fortune, wealth follow it around Horcrux cannot be beaten without knowing secret Many may try, but none can defeat Only the chosen one can stop him The power of seven is beyond compare

It feels like yesterday

It feels like yesterday. The cool, temperate air of May enveloped us. We were but tranquil floating bodies in an ocean of despair. Completely at peace. Consumed. Overwhelmed with each other. Desperately in love. The perfect day. Now, the winter of years past blows her breath over me. I feel nothing. Empty. As if nothing can fill the void. But hope still remains. It feels like yesterday.

Stories and Poem by Blake Stigall

Scooby Doo

The year was 1960. After years of testing and experimentation, a lab in southern California created the ultimate version of “man’s best friend.” They figured out a way to allow dogs to talk. At first they were using small dogs, as they required fewer resources such as food and space. However, they found that small dogs were sporadic and quite temperamental; not the kind of attributes one would want in such a dog. They began testing their work on larger and larger breeds. One of the researchers, Stacy, happened to have a Great Dane at home that just had a litter of puppies. A rather large breed, much larger than anything they had tested on, they decided she would bring in a pup for testing.

The next week, Stacy brought in the Great Dane puppy that she believed to exhibit the highest level of intelligence, and thus have the best chance at a successful conversion. Upon admittance into the lab, the dog needed to be registered into their system and given a name. The researchers chose to give the dogs names in order to personify them and help in their research. The pup had not yet been named, so they chose to name him after the mother, Scooby, and call him Scooby 2. He underwent many tests and examinations to evaluate his response to their work. Despite his superior development as a puppy, Scooby 2’s results were not as satisfactory as they were looking for.

The week of Scooby 2’s dismissal from the lab was a special one. It was also the week of her son, Norville’s, fifth birthday. She decided she would sneak Scooby 2 out of the facility as a birthday present for her son.

She took him home to her son who was completely surprised by the talking dog. She introduced the two “Scooby 2, this is Norville. But we call him Shaggy.” Fire, man

Walking through this new forest, I came across a lonely ember. Could it be the fire from a recent tourist But to fully extinguish, they did not remember

I hurried quick, the ember was dwindling, I searched nearby To gather some kindling. I found the perfect fuel: grass, bone dry.

On my knees, please ignite. Allow this to die, such a shame. It’s getting dark, please shine bright There it is, a little flame.

Scavenging for fuel, it’s getting warm Sticks are the brush of my art form.

Home by Blake Stigall

I woke up feeling groggy. What had happened last night? At least I’m in my bed. Wait… is this my bed? I think this is my room, it looks right. Where the hell am I? As I’m sitting on the edge of the bed, something doesn’t feel right. Where’s my cell phone? I can hear people, a family perhaps, down stairs. Who’s in my house? Or am I in theirs? I’m so confused. I tried looking around the room for clues of my whereabouts. I feel as though I have no memories. I’m reaching for thoughts, the last thing I remember before falling asleep. I know my name is Andrew, but something didn’t feel right saying it. Maybe I go by Drew. I’ll stick to Andrew, its one less thing to worry about. The bedroom felt like a bed and breakfast. Very old timey, vintage almost. It reminded me of my parents’ house when I was a kid. I decided to lay low until the family left. Would they soon be leaving? And for how long? That’s when I heard it… a holler, commotion, the family was out the door. Car doors slammed. Wheels peeled out.

I found my way around the home rather easily, as if I’d been there before. How did I get here? Why was I here? The living room appeared so genuinely vintage, it couldn’t have been a modern take on the 60s. I look around the house, seeing picture after picture, hanging on the walls and sitting on shelves. Could it be? My parents, my brother, my sister. They’re all here. But so much younger. Where was I? This place didn’t look familiar. I didn’t belong in these pictures or in this house. I left through the front door, ran to the street, and turned around. That’s when I realized it. A faint memory. My child hood home? The yellow house, those white shutters. I remembered my mother’s favorite baby picture. Her, holding me, standing in front of the porch. She took it as soon as she brought me home from the hospital. She missed that home and simpler times. She’d go on about the memories it held, upset that they sold it after my birth for a bigger house the family could grow in to. I remember her tears when they tore it down for the apartment complex.

I needed to explore, figure out what I was doing here. What day was it, what year was it? I didn’t have any personal belongings. I found a corded telephone in the kitchen. Who do I call? I don’t know anybody’s number but my own. I go back to the bedrooms, looking for answers. My siblings were young, I didn’t expect them to have much in the way of answers. Their room looked barren. Parents room, again, useless. An alarm clock, bible, and lamp on the night stand. Nothing in the drawers. Who doesn’t have anything in their drawers? I went room to room searching until finding what could possibly be my father’s office. It seemed empty. Only a desk and bookshelf in occupancy. Papers scattered everywhere, I kept looking. Under the mountain of documents, finally, a calendar. 1963. Could that be right? Did I go back in time? I had to know what day it was. Only the first few days of January were crossed off. It was much too warm for January. It couldn’t have been. I noticed a picture of my newlywed parents on the desk. I had never seen it before. They looked so happy. I notice the bookshelf only has one row full. What made these so special? Photo albums. Pictures my parents never shared with me before. Did they lose them somewhere? Page after page of pictures of my parents’ travels. If only I could get these back to them today. I lost track of time pawing over each individual picture. It must’ve been hours. I heard a car pull up and doors shut. I could hear laugher and shushing. I scurried over to the window in the den, peaking through the curtains. It was my parents, my family. I watched my mom walk to the house, she was carrying something. She stopped at the porch, turned, waiting for my dad. He had a camera. It was me she was carrying.

Poems by Justin Vadukumcherry When the Sun Rises

I will run outside When the sun rises I will swim with my friends When the sun rises I will bike and wrestle When the sun rises I will play sports When the sun rises I will get ice cream When the sun rises I will go to the park When the sun rises I will drive my motorcycle When the sun rises I will take a cold shower When the sun rises I will be happy When the sun rises

Clues

How the earth turns around the sun I know All the gaping clouds all become one How the stars in the cosmos begin to grow The light begins to flicker and run We are but people searching for clues In the black of night and the bright of day Hoping one day to find the answers all blew away The moon comes out to play I whisper in the black of night Hoping to find the first sight of fright

Wind

The wind blows stronger Doors begin to shift away People are shaken

STLCOP Finals by Jessie Um It’s the time of the year Everyone dreads and fears It is creeping in slowly And it will hurt us mostly When it’s time, it will come by quickly Which will make us work like busy bees Trapping us from being free Can’t wait until this is over For this is what every student abhor Keep your head up high It will pass on by

What a Day by Ben Um

Slow down…Sit down…Calm down but don’t let it hit you to the down to the ground Ground up so I stand up Check the time, cause its flower power every hour leaving us crashed with zero brain power Were chemists throwing down the combustion till the clouds come for abduction Picked up soaring through the sky high like Lakitu, you feeling the breeze? Oh yea... me too Breaching the exosphere. Mom, I can do that… just hold my beer. Right before I hit the hay, I teleported close to Philly but then back to LA… Man. what a way to end the day.

Poems by Sarah Cohen-Smith Plumber

Sink, smelly, dirty grimy Spilling over as if a fountain was running, We need a plumber. To work his magic like a pastry chef Making a cupcake.

Beauty

The flowers are everywhere I looked at petals early today I closed my eyes to rest The flowers died today Blue sky reaching out Many doors opening for me Hurry for the wind is close by

Stories by Ryan Soo Hoo The Liberating Photo

“Don’t touch her!” Marcus yelled. He had sworn to protect Diana with his life, just as she had done for him throughout all of these years. The bounty hunters were searching her things, ready to trade her for the generous bounty paid for by the king. While one of the bounty hunters searched her things, another discovered a strange orb. Upon asking Diana what the object was, Diana shouted, “Put that down right now! Before the unthinkable happens.” The bounty hunter scoffed and put the orb in his pocket. To everyone’s surprise, the orb began to glow. A bright, luminescent light shown through his robe, growing brighter and brighter. The bounty hunters stopped in their tracks, letting Diana and Marcus go. Marcus instinctively grabbed onto Diana to protect her from the mysterious magic. The light shown even brighter until both Marcus and Diana couldn’t keep their eyes open any longer. Suddenly, they both were both pulled into a different dimension in time, traveling at unimaginable speeds, about to be spit out into an unfamiliar time period. Kelly, a twenty-five year old woman, aspiring to become a world-famous photographer, was attempting to take pictures of city life in one of the busiest cities in the world, New York. She had traveled all around the world throughout the past year, visiting foreign and exotic locations such as South America, Africa, and even Alaska to take photographs of local animals, scenery, and the natives. Asked to take pictures for the children at the local YMCA in New York, Kelly took a cab to the youth center. Although she didn’t want to take these types of photographs, she needed the money. Her travels had incurred a large debt and her photographs only earned so much money. She was looking for her big break, and hopefully, she thought to herself, that New York was her ticket to success. At the YMCA, it was around three o’clock on a Tuesday. Summer had just begun and the YMCA was busier than usual. There were several opportunities to take novel photographs. She had already planned it in her head. She would try to take action shots of children playing on the basketball courts, candid shots of teenagers studying outside, and also the traffic passing by around the building itself. Then she saw it, the perfect shot. The sunlight was shining down from the West into a tree, illuminating a bird’s nest. In the background, Kelly was able to include the large, dominating Empire State Building. With this picture she was about to capture the perfect image, defined by nature thriving in the “Concrete Jungle.” She slowly pulled her camera out of her bag as to not upset the resting birds. She started to count down softly, “Three, two, and…. one” From what seemed to be out of nowhere, a large black portal appeared right in the middle of her frame, in what looked like a witch and a swordsman from the medieval times, interrupting her picture and scaring the birds away. The witch and the swordsman crashed to the ground. Kelly peered at their faces, but was dumbfounded when she saw relief and happiness in their faces rather than pain or worry. Even more so, she could not understand what just happened. As

23 she stared aimlessly at the two individuals, Kelly heard their names, Diana and Marcus, although somewhat inaudible due to their private conversations. As she viewed her camera, Kelly prepared herself for disappointment, accepting the fact that her timeless photograph was lost forever. However, Kelly, who had graduated nursing school three years ago, thought to herself that she had made the right choice to pursue her passion of photography, now finding that her money-making and life-changing photograph inadvertently captured the unexplainable essence of time travel.

The Marquee Club by Ryan Soo Hoo It was finally Friday, marking the end of the week. After a long week at work, Mike felt a sense of relaxation just to get away from it all for the weekend. Throughout the week he had been dreading work, plagued with insomnia every night due to his wandering thoughts about what would determine his career at the office. His boss had recently assigned him a new project, one that required much more time and help than he was given. Leaving all of his work at his desk, Mike left the office with relief. The weekends were his only escape now. As usual, being that it was a Friday night, Mike would visit John, a long-time friend. John and Mike were normally home-bodies. They enjoyed playing video games, watching college sports on television, or watching their favorite television show, Suits. But today, John saw something different in Mike. Mike seemed much more stressed, deviating from his usual self. Noticing this, John tried to break the norm tonight and told Mike to dress nicely for a quality night on the town. Lethargically, Mike hopped in the shower and got dressed. Grabbing any clean button-up shirt out of his closet and putting on a pair of dark blue jeans, Mike waited for John as John called a cab. Still not sure what the night would bring him, Mike just hoped that he would get back home early, just so that he could crawl into his bed and sleep. After thirty minutes, the cab finally arrived. As Mike and John walked down the stairs of the apartment complex, Mike continually asked John where they were headed. Without any clear answer, Mike was left in a constant state of ambiguity. While the two men entered the cab, the cab driver asked where they were headed. Immediately, John replied, “We are going to the Marquee night club.” Dumbfounded by John’s response, Mike was hesitant. Mike normally didn’t like places like that, fearing the immense crowds of people, the loud noise, and also the large costs that come with the fun. However, today seemed a little different. With all the pressure at work, tonight seemed like the perfect time to change it up and blow off some steam. Throughout the car ride, the two friends talked about how excited they were. Neither had actually been to this particular night club before, but had only heard good things about it.

As the nightclub slowly came into view, the friends were rudely interrupted by the cab driver, who demanded $45 for the drive. Both friends looked at each other in disbelief, both thinking, “did the car ride really take that long?” Regardless, Mike was in a good mood, and offered to pay for the taxi. As they got out, there was a long time of people, all waiting to get into the club. As the two friends slowly reached the front of the line, a sign was displayed with “$20 per person” being bolded and prominently in view for everyone to see. “That’s a little steep, don’t you think?” said Mike. “Yeah… Yeah it is…” said John, “but I’ll pick up both of our entry fees since you paid for the cab.” Entering the night club without any hassle from the bouncer, the two friends were amazed. The lights were stellar, the music was good to listen to, and it wasn’t overly crowded this night. As the course of the night went on, more and more drinks were being poured. Mike had created an open tab, constantly charging more and more drinks onto his debit card. At first, it was just one shot for each of them, Mike and John. After the shot, both friends enjoyed a beer, courtesy of Mike. This would continue until Mike ended up buying the entire bar a round of shots to drink. At that point in time, nothing seemed to worry Mike. The burdens of work were released and the night was still young. Looking down at his watch, Mike realized that it was already almost 3 AM. Feeling tired from the long day at work, Mike approached the bartender to close his tab. When Mike got to the bar, the bartender started to smirk with a slight laugh. Not knowing why, but at the same time too tired to care, Mike waited patiently as his receipt was being printed. As he watched, he began to notice the unusual length of the printout, taking roughly a minute to finish printing. As he peered down at the recently printed receipt, he was shocked to see the items purchased and even more so at the total of the bill - $4300. Not knowing what to do, Mike called John over immediately. Just as amazed as Mike by the damage, John had no idea how they would pay the bill. Regardless, the friends needed to come up with a solution quickly before the situation escalated. Paying the bill was out of the question, being that the bill was several times greater than their combined savings. Suddenly, Mike had an idea, that somehow, Mike and John had to trick the bar tender to erase their bill. Pretending that they were movie stars, Mike attempted to convince the bartender that their agent would be in shortly, and would be willing to completely pay off their debt. Being that Mike and John were moderately attractive, it wasn’t too far of a stretch to believe. As they waited casually by the bar, a man, with a little too much to drink, asked if they wanted a drink. Thinking that this was their chance to get away, both friends told the bartender that the man was their agent, convinced the man to pick up their “small” tab, while they slipped away and went home. Yes, it was a close call, but the men decided that this night was a once in a lifetime experience.

The Cursed Hand by Tyler Giebelhausen

SLAM! The door behind me had just shut sealing off the light from the outside.

“Hold on I have some flares,” said my assistant Charlie.

“Ooh this is not good,” stated Emilio, my Guatemalan colleague who was escorting me on this trip. I had come to Guatemala with Emilio to study Mayan cities when we found this tomb deep in the jungle. Emilio had been studying with me for around 20 years; we had gone on countless trips inside Mayan ruins, and even though we both knew the traps were nothing like you see in Indiana Jones, he had a deep fear that they would be.

“There we go!” stated Charlie after he got a flare lit. He held the flare up to the door that had dropped from above; there were no switches or levers nearby so we couldn’t just open it back up.

“Shine the flare down here” I told Charlie so I could see the bottom of the door. The large stone was wedged into the ground. I reached down and tried to dig my hands under it, but it was no use, the ground was too hard and I couldn’t get a grip. Emilio and Charlie came over to help lift the door but it was no use, the door was too heavy. “Well, I suppose now we find the alternative route.” I turned and said. We stood there and looked down the hallway before us. As much as I knew there probably wouldn’t be any danger ahead, it was very unnerving not knowing what was in store for us. We proceeded down the dark hallway and came to some stairs; I carefully pressed my foot on the stairs to make sure they were stable; they seemed to be put down on the earth so I didn’t have to worry about falling through them. As I proceeded down, we walked into a room that had several coffins in the wall. This must have been the room of the closest people to whoever’s tomb this was, I thought. Emilio and I jotted down notes of the room, but since the coffins were rather plain, we did not record much about them. We continued on to the next staircase; this one was circular. I found this very odd because there was no knowledge of Mayans knowing how to build circular staircases. We began to walk down the staircase only for it to open up to a very large underground room. The room was very deep in the ground and massively wide. It also reeked of rotting flesh.

“Remarkable.” stated Charlie.

“I’ve never seen anything like this,” stated Emilio.

“Indeed, let us get to the bottom of these stairs and see what is here.” I said. We proceeded until we finally came to the bottom of the stairs. When we got to the bottom, I began recording our findings; the walls and ground were made of stone, and off in the distance I noticed something shiny. Charlie held the flare up higher to see what was out there. As we looked out, we noticed what looked like a coffin covered in jewels and ancient artwork. We were unable to get any closer though because there was a deep pit surrounding the entire coffin. Charlie lowered the flare into the pit to see how deep it was but we could not see the bottom. We walked all the way around it looking for a bridge but we could not find one. I was jotting down our findings in my notebook when Emilio let out a harsh scream. I quickly turned his way to see him looking down into the pit. “Emilio what is wrong my friend?” I asked

With his eyes wide he said “We need to get out of here NOW!”

“Emilio, what has gotten into you? We just discovered this tomb; we can’t leave now, and we need to take detailed notes to bring back to camp. I can’t wait until I can get my camera and some better lighting in here”

Emilio with his eyes wide said, “No we go now, there are terrible things in this chamber and I will not be cursed.”

“Emilio what could you have possible seen in that pit that would make you say that you would be cursed?”

He responded, looking deep into the pit, “I saw its hand in there, the damned guard this tomb, we need to leave now or be cursed.”

Before I could respond, a sound echoed in the tomb that sounded like someone’s stomach growling. Although I thought we just discovered this tomb, it wasn’t hard to believe that raiders could have found the tomb as well. Charlie, Emilio, and I all proceeded towards a staircase that was opposite the one we came in. Charlie’s flare was beginning to get dimmer so I knew we only had 30 minutes left before it would go out. “Charlie, how many of those flares do we have?” I asked.

“3 left in the bag sir” He responded.

I looked at my watch under his light; it was 6:00 p.m. current time. If we had to use another flare, we would be in trouble because if we escaped too late, we would have to sleep in the jungle or run the high risk of getting lost in it. If we had to sleep there, we would want at least 2 flares to keep predators at bay. We kept following the path until we saw sunlight at the top of some steps. We walked to the edge of the pathway and saw the jungle in front of us. Upon looking down though it appeared as if there was a 15 foot drop off. We didn’t want to run the risk of breaking a leg so, being 6 feet tall, I lowered myself on the ledge and told Emilio to climb down me. He lowered himself down my shoulders then around my ankles and then dropped the remaining distance safely. I then had Charlie do the same. When they were both at the bottom, I told them to catch me on my way down. Right as I let go of the edge, I could have sworn I heard something growl at me from the bottom of the stairs. When I got to the bottom, I looked back up to see if someone was following us, but alas nothing appeared. Charlie asked what I was looking at and I just said, “Nothing, let’s get back to town before it gets dark.” We made our way back around the tomb to the pathway we came on and eventually made it back to town before nightfall. Emilio proceeded to go to the bar and drink heavily that night. I wanted to ask what a cursed hand looks like, but he did not seem to be in the right mood.

Tyler Giebelhausen

Steak Juicy, Tender Eating, enjoying, digesting I really love steak Meat

Poems by Vy Trinh Elementary Memory First day at my new school, Strange yet familiar A place where my memories last forever I don’t want it to end so soon,

Looking to the left and to the right Small girl in a big place But it just felt so right With many snacks and lots of chase

I friended with my first tablemate, We shared laughers and stories Connecting at a fast rate It was only glories.

My favorite time was lunch break So innocent and carefree “Do I buy soda or fishcake?” All about colors Or go to playground I flee. Why is the sky blue? Too young to realize, Because blue is for hopes and dreams Nothing lasts forever That you aim to pursue When we say our goodbyes My first classmate I see again never. Why is the tree green? Because green is for growth and maturation That I want to see throughout the years

Why is your heart red? Because red is for love and power That last forever

Why is the sun bright yellow? Because yellow is for happiness And that should be your life goal

Why is pumpkin orange? Because orange is for youth and optimism That will make your life blissful

Therefore, everything has its own beauty Besides its shape, size, and color.

Red High Heel by Katrina Trentham

She slacks Ever weak She stomps Anger & passion She strikes the floor Hard, pushing back off She surrounds Red shiny, sparkly She is my sidekick, all I need.

I Love Shopping by Serah Cyriac

Sometimes in life people will go far but others will be stuck in a room and while others are working and making bank some are struggling to write a job resume dun dun dun dundudn I LOVE SHOPPING I LOVE SHOPPING it takes me mind off of things I LOVE SHOPPING I LOVESHOPPING it really really helps me cope with my unemployment status there will be others who will mock you for being unemployed and have no money stuck writing a job resume but what do you say I LOVE SHOPPING I LOVE SHOPPING #shopaholics

Poems by Kelsey Toler

The Card

This feeling I have within my heart I don’t know how to describe. I feel so empty when we are apart You make me feel so alive.

This is all so new and strange to me For I have had others before But, you are different, and I finally see My soul feels as though it can soar.

Not many can say they have this bond A tether, struck so sudden and true Iron protection, for only you I am fond. The only eyes I want to see are blue.

It all seemed so sudden, for I have fallen hard I have given you my ace of hearts, now you hold the cards.

Twilight

Sadness, so profound Enveloping souls like monsters Ragged, beaten, torn.

Poetry by Bethany Stallo

Poems, poems, so hard to write If only I knew if I was doing it right How many words and how many lines Does this make sense, it doesn’t even rhyme? I’ve learned this year that it’s all about sensing Rather than thinking and deciding and picking Poems, poems, they’re not that hard, Much easier than choosing a birthday card I’ve taken away an interesting skill I promise, writing a poem can be quite a thrill!

Cinquain by Josh Siu

Coffee Warm, delightful Alluring, gratifying, stimulating Rejuvenated cloak of comfort Joe

A Poetic Rant by Sasha Singh

One Word Two Letters “If…” A simple Phrase Holding more power over the mind Than the universe itself “What If’s” fill our halls Finding its way into each dream Ever dreamt By Student Teacher Or hopeless romantic I believe the word “If” is toxic

When the time comes That you no longer let it pass your lips Or invade your thoughts Any of the millions of thoughts in your mind You shall conquer any doubt And be dubbed “Fearless”

Imagine knowing you will not fail Asking that one person to dinner Passing that exam Putting a smile on your face, Despite the tears you faced at home I believe in these simple everyday acts of bravery

With these absolute truths I push myself to accomplish my “unrealistic” dreams The dreams that have been poisoned by “If” during late night thoughts No “If” shall hinder my bravery again

Poem and Story by RJ Shaw

Wand

Wand Magical, wooden Casting, waving, cursing Repelling evil to protect Staff

The Lost Jacket

It was moving day, and Jessie was packing up her last minute items. Her mom yelled at her to hurry up because they needed to hit the road. Jessie grabbed everything that she could and piled into the car. Her family drove off towards their new home in Destin, Florida. “Mom! I forgot my jacket! It’s my lucky jacket!” “Oh well, honey. We can’t turn around now.” “Mom!” “Jessie, that’s enough. It’s gone.” Jessie sat in the backseat of that car thinking about how she would never have good luck again. That jacket had given her her first kiss, her best friends, and her amazing boyfriend. How was she going to live without her lucky jacket? A few days later, the McAllin family moved into the house that Jessie moved out of. The McAllin family had a daughter that was the same age as Jessie, nineteen. Her name was Lisa. Lisa went to put her stuff in her new bedroom and found Jessie’s lucky jacket. Lisa put the jacket on and told her parents that she was going to go explore the neighborhood. Lisa strolled the neighborhood in the jacket that she found. Every now and then some boys would stop to check her out. Lisa blushed and kept on walking. Man, this jacket must be magical or something, Lisa thought. Just to test a theory, Lisa took the jacket off and walked a little bit further down the street. No guys even turned their heads. Amazing! After several months of wearing the jacket, Lisa had received her first kiss, gained best friends, and an amazing boyfriend. She was hoping that tonight she could even get a little farther with him. “Daddy, when Johnny comes over, please be polite.” “Honey, I’m always polite, but if he touches my little angel, he is gator food.” “Daddy!” The doorbell rang just in time to save Lisa’s dad from hearing her explode. Lisa answered the door expecting to see Johnny, but she saw a girl standing on her front porch. “Hi, I’m Jessie. I used to live here. My family and I moved away a few months ago. It seems that I left my lucky jacket here while we were rounding everything up. Do you mind if I come in and grab it?” “Uh, hi. How do I know that you aren’t making up an elaborate story to just come into my house and steal stuff?” Lisa’s dad got up from the table and wandered over to the front door. “Lisa, who is this?” “Oh, just some girl claiming she left a jacket here when she moved.” “But Lisa you did find a jacket when we moved in.”

Lisa just stared her father down. How dare he just give her away like that, especially to some random girl that came knocking on their door? “Lisa, is it? Can I see the jacket?” “Oh, all right. What harm can it do?” Lisa walked upstairs to her room and grabbed the jacket that she found and fell in love with. She brought it down stairs so this Jessie girl could see that it was not hers. Lisa let Jessie look at the jacket, but she would not let her hold it out of the fear she would take her beloved lucky jacket away. “This is my lucky jacket. I left it here when I moved away.” “No it’s mine.” “Tell me Lisa, were you wearing this jacket when you got your first kiss, found you best friends, and got your amazing boyfriend?” “Yeah, why?” “That is exactly what happened to me when I wore that jacket. Now no one notices me. I am all alone without my lucky jacket.” The two girls looked at each other for a moment. The doorbell rang again. Lisa went to get it. This time it was Johnny. But because she wasn’t wearing the jacket, he was standing there looking like he had some bad news. “Lisa, I, um, don’t know how to, um, tell you this, but, um, I’m breaking up with you.” Lisa just looked stunned. Lisa’s dad had to get up and escort Johnny off of the porch. Lisa turn to Jessie. “That happened because I wasn’t wearing the jacket?” “Yes.” “How do we solve this problem?” The girls sat thinking for hours. How would they solve their dilemma? The next morning was when an idea hit them. This idea could actually work. “You’ve seen The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants, right?” “Of course!” “Well we could just take turns sharing the jacket. One week would be my week and then next week is yours.” “That’s not a bad idea.” The girls agreed to mail each other the jacket every other week. They figured why they could both share the luck of the jacket. Lisa ran to grab the jacket so they could make their first official send off, even though Jessie was with her. On their way to the post office, a dog spotted the jacket flapping in the wind as they rode their bikes. The dog started chasing after the jacket. The girls didn’t realize what was going on until the dog had caught up to them and started to pull the jacket out of the basket on the bike. The girls stopped pedaling and grabbed ahold of the jacket. They were basically playing tug-of- war with the dog over their lucky jacket. Soon the dog just started shredding the jacket. The girls had no idea what to do. Their luck was ruined. They picked up the dog and took him home. “Well since this little rascal ate our first idea to share the luck, maybe we will just have to share him!”

Poems by Kayla Gray

Haiku Steam rising from a pie Cinnamon swirls fill the air Apple pie is my favorite

Englyn Poem She runs with the wind in her hair---with grace. Wide open space to pare Wild, young, and free from cares She’s living on a prayer.

Finals by Nirali Ragha

Finals The rush the fear Of taking finals is here Oh dear oh my How will I ever survive? This great big scary day.

Diamante by Sagar Patel

Car Fast, Red Swerving, racing, crashing A street racing machine Drifting, falling, gliding Sleek, shiny Vehicle

Poems by Mena Khalid

Writing

Write every word out of an emotion Feel the pain bleed on your paper As you write poems and stories Feel the pain leave your heart Write every letter out of feeling

In You

The battle in your head is not real The pain in your heart doesn’t exist The burn in your chest is cold

The horror in your brain is a lair The poison in your veins is water The anger in your hands is warm

The peace in your mind is pure The happiness in your heart is true The relief in your veins is coming

The love in your artery is warm The madness in your hear is exciting The power in your eyes is inspiring

The strength in your life is present The courage in your spirit is alive The sun in your skies is shining

Do not fight it my friend Just breathe it out And let the sun fill your heart With warmth and joy.

Gratitude by Sakina Saaduddin

For which of the favors of your Lord do you deny? When He makes daylight into night And winter into summer For which of the favors of your Lord do you deny? When He gives sustenance even to the smallest of animals And provides shelter for all living beings For which of the favors of your Lord do you deny? When he brings the dead trees back to life And gives flowers their beautiful fragrance For which of the favors of your Lord do you deny? When he sends rain down as a form of mercy To cleanse our world from all the filth it contains For which of the favors of you Lord do you deny? When He puts love in the heart of mankind In order for us to understand the meaning of his compassion For which of the favors of your Lord do you deny?

The Hike from Hell by Brittney McGlasson

Have to keep moving. Tripping up the stones and roots on The path careful not to fall. Uphill climb towards The end of the hike, a stroll turned into a hell climb. Thought I was ready for this trail. I wasn’t patient enough. Jamming my feet into the ground hoping they don’t slip. Finally See the top. Jogging so I can reach it faster, leaves rustling under my feet. Grasp onto tree trunks for support as I pass. Bark tears off in my grasp. Birds sit Attentive in their nests. Everything gets quiet as I get to the top. Relaxed. Completed.

Poem and Story by Brittan Rosch River Flows in You

Flowing like a gentle stream, Time turns to slow motion. Watching life in pictures, I yearn to reach out to you, But I am surrounded. I feel at peace as I sway, Contemporary and soft. Looking up to the sky, Is it snow or just the stars? Am I alone or will you hold me? I feel your arms around me, But you aren’t there. This melody flows in you. Our souls intertwined In a never ending circuit. I see you in my dreams. I reach out. You aren’t there.

Comet’s Knowledge I’ve been sent to this world to find the one in possession of the star pendent and protect them at all costs. So far my search has been frugal. Hundreds of years have passed to no avail. The only memories I’m left with haunt me every day. No matter how many times I die, they come back. Being Seeker is said to be a blessing. With it, I was gifted with the ability to be reborn after death. The idea is to possess infinite knowledge over many lives while I am searching. I saw this as a curse, for they never told me I would keep all my memories. Watching

36 everyone around me die as I live on is a daunting process. However, once I find the Keeper, the one with the star pendent, the one who my own star aligns with, it will finally end. The year is 1997. Humans are frivolous creatures, but not much surprises me anymore since I have been among them for so long now. I am running out of time. How could the one evade me all this time? Surely she is born by now. She has to be alive. The Seers would not bestow me an impossible task, would they? I just need to find her before Hale-Bopp Comet arrives, but I only have days left. I feel like I am aimlessly wandering the world in search of some object that doesn’t even exist. A fool’s errand. Trying to trust my instincts, I am drawn to a small town surrounded by grassy hills. There are several children running about, weaving around trees. Continuing to walk into town, there are numerous rustic looking shops and cobblestone streets. In the center, there is a fountain with… It looks just like Kivu from back home. This is definitely the right place. My spirits begin to rise as I continue exploring the small town. A few days pass, and I still have not found her. This town isn’t even that big! Feeling my frustration I sit on the hillside. Hale-Bopp is due to arrive tonight! Several of the town’s folk have already began to set up chairs and blankets to watch it go by. I have to find the Keeper today. When I look up, there is a girl leaning against the tree close to me. My hairs stand straight up on my body. It was her! The girl with big blue eyes, and long blonde hair. I get up and make my way over to her. “Hello,” she says. “Are you new here? I don’t recognize you.” “I’m just visiting. You can call me Phoenix.” “Melanie,” she smiled. I feel this poor girl has no idea what is about to happen. I know she will not believe what I’m about to say, but I need to try for my time on this planet is running out. I start from the beginning. First, that I have been looking for her and that I am not from Earth, but the planet Kivu. She looks at me like I’m crazy. I’m probably freaking her out. She hesitates to respond, but after a long minute, she laughs nervously and responds, “What are you talking about?” “You are the other piece of me,” I say. It is at this point that I realize she is slowly backing away from me and nervously looking around. I have to convince her that I am telling the truth! I cannot let her get away or it would mean the end for both of us. Grabbing a leaf from the ground, I walk after her. When I reach her, I gently touch her by her arm to try to get her attention again. I know I’m not supposed to do this around others, but I’m desperate. I hold the leaf in my hand and turn it into a red rose and hold it out to her. Taking the rose, Melanie looks like she is in shock, and awe, but I can still feel a sense of skepticism. However she seems more inclined to listen. “On Kivu, everyone is born destined to be with another forever. When I was born, we were at war with another planet. Several families were able to escape to the safety of other planets like Earth. I have been waiting for my other half for many years now, and I have finally found you,” I say breathlessly with excitement.

She raises an eyebrow and asks, “Why should I believe you?” I ask her, “Whenever you’re alone at night, do you ever look up to the stars in the sky and feel a sense of belonging, yearning, and loneliness at the same time?” The way she looks into my eyes, I know that she does. I tell her it is fate telling her that the one she is destined for is still out there. I know she is still slightly questioning what I am telling her, so I ask her to look at her star pendant necklace, open it, and tell me what she sees. She says it is a picture of a galaxy that she has always assumed to be the Milky Way. I explain to her it’s not, but rather of our home galaxy, Crypta Jewel. I bring out my own necklace and show her it has the same picture. In my final attempt to convince her of who she really is, I pick up a leaf and put it in her hands. “Concentrate. Just believe and you can change it into a rose just like I did.” She looks at me with wide blue eyes, and I can see that she does not believe me. “Just trust in yourself.” As she concentrates, I feel a sense of power. I smile, and when she opens her hands, a beautiful red rose lay where the leaf once had. Tears roll down her cheeks as she hugs me. “It really is true!” She cries. When I look up to the sky, I see the comet flying past us. I carefully look at my hands and see they are not starting to disintegrate. I know I have found my soul mate and she has found hers as well.

Poems by Steven Phan

Ice Tea

Heat up the anger,

Pour some sweetness into it,

Let it calm down.

Then it is in its desired state.

PING-PONG

COMPETITIVE, ENTERTAINING

SERVING, SPINNING, RETURNING

PLAYER VERSUS PLAYER GAME

TABLE TENNIS

The Wedding After Party by Andre Harvey

With the wedding ceremony starting on Thursday and coming to a close on Saturday, the brief vacation for family and friends was coming to a close. The wedding was in San Diego and my sister, some of my cousins, as well as myself wanted to go surfing before we left. It was a party cloudy Sunday with thunderstorms in the evening forecast. We suited up, rented some boards, and drove to the beach at around 2 pm. Before getting in the water I told my sister to stay close to shore. It was fun; the waves were coming in high. The rain started shortly after arriving to the beach and we could see the currents visibly getting stronger. It was a little tiring to swim against the current, but once you caught a good wave it was amazing. The rain started to come down harder and a few of my cousins went to the shore to relax a little under the umbrella concoction usually used to shade people from the sun. It was now only my cousin Femi, my sister, and I out there. From afar we could see more surfers coming. With ours phones in the car to not get wet, we had no idea what was on the news. My mom, aunts, and uncles were calling us to warn us that there were tsunami alerts in southern California. With the waves getting higher the three of us agreed to stay close and swim out together. While swimming out I noticed the current pulling me sideways stronger than it did minutes ago. Before I could finish, my sister was swimming frantically. Knowing that she was probably tired and it was getting hard to swim against the current, I dipped down in the water, letting the water guide me as I went to get her as she was drifting closer to the rocks. With one hand I grabbed her and with the other I grabbed hold of a rock that ripped my hand up pretty badly. I told her to hold on to the rock and catch her breath. We waited for a while before she said she was ready to swim back to the shore. I swam behind her on the outside to make sure she was staying straight and not letting the current cause her to drift sideways too much. My cousin had swum to halfway between the rocks and the shore, trying to wade in the water just in case one of us needed further assistance. I was the last person to reach the shore and I was more exhausted than I thought. While they were giving my sister crap about getting taken out by the currents, I had my hand still in the water washing away the blood. We eventually went back to the car to head home. There were numerous missed calls on each of our phones. My sister spoke to my mom and assured her we were all right. If she had told her what happened, she would have had a fit. We got back to the hotel and there was news that because of tsunami, some surfers were trying to conquer one Ozaki’s 8 forces of nature. The particular trial was to defy a sea wave phenomenon wave extreme ordeal. Surfers from all over the world flew to Hawaii to attempt to surf waves at least 30 feet high. One older surfer was saying that “waves like that suck you in and do not spit you out.” Hometown favorite Makua Rothman was out ready to prove why is he is the number one ranked big wave surfer in the world. As they remembered Eddie Aikau, I watched on the news report for the first surfer to attempt one of these waves.

Poems by Ashley Roberts

The Zoo

Another wonderful day at the zoo Look over there at the bear, My love for him grew and grew

Next was the elephant path that we walked through They stomped around without a care Another wonderful day at the zoo

We went and saw the kangaroo Unfortunately there was only one, not a pair My love for him grew and grew

Thirst set upon us, so we waked to a stand and got a slushie that was blue The sight of my tongue afterwards was quite a scare Another wonderful day at the zoo

Where were the hippos? We hadn’t a clue A child pointed to a map and said “Over there” My love for him grew and grew

The last animal we saw, was my favorite, everyone knows this to be true It is the beautiful lion with wonderful hair Another wonderful day at the zoo My love for him grew and grew.

Arrow Under The dirt lies many arrowheads That each have their own story. Native Americans Survived by using these to hunt buffalo, deer, and many other Animals. One arrowhead could provide food, shelter, clothing, and even Jewelry. These exact kinds of arrowheads Are not used to this day, but the idea still Remains. Hunters buy bow and arrows to Provide their families with food and game.

Roses are Red…by Sreemathi Palanisamy

Roses are Red Violets are Blue Time is up Got Studying to do.

Poems by Shin Hyun Park

Silly Love

Until the day we broke up I did not say I love her On the day we broke up I could not say that I love her Thought we could have eternal romantic love Thought we could have eternal beautiful love If love is over, it is no longer a love If tear is dried, it is no longer a tear I couldn’t say “love” until the last moment I couldn’t say “love” until the last second.

Loneliness

Don’t cry

Loneliness is a feeling of human

Living is a life is overcoming the loneliness

Don’t wait for the love destiny that will not come

If the rain comes, go through it

If the snow comes, go through it

The reasons birds sing a song on the tree is to dispel loneliness

The reason that frogs make noise is to avoid loneliness

Your love will come to you if you wait patiently

Do not hesitate, and do not cry.

Long time after by Shin Hyun Park If you come back to me long time after I would forget the crime that you did

If you are the tree, I would draw you on my heart If you are butterfly, I would let you fly anywhere in my heart

You are the water of my life, you wash my mind You are the light of my life, you brighten the way of my life

I will forget all the memories that we had Please come back to me long time after

Story and Poem by Sam Rhee Love and War All is fair in love and war Structure and rules have no bound. War, war never changes But love always tends to take flight Like a rose growing towards the sunlight War is a destruction Love is a creation

Poetic justice

With every tick of the second hand, her heart started to race a little faster. The room was humid like a tropical forest after it rains on a hot summer’s day. The air was so hot and dense it took extra effort and energy to exhale and inhale. It almost felt as if someone was sitting on her chest. She closed her eyes and tried to imagine her winter vacation at the Colorado ski resort. Snow was glistening and dropping like powdered sugar. Children were running up and down and screaming with laughter. It was definitely one of the most wonderful times of the year. She was almost able to feel the cool mountain breeze, that crisp dry air flowing into her lungs making shivers down her spine.

As she opened her eyes, and slowly turned to her bedside table, she pressed the home key on her phone. The bright blue light irradiated her eyes and she could barely make out the time. It was three thirty in the morning. Checking the time made her heart drop. In three hours her alarm would go off on the tune of “Here Comes the Sun” by the Beatles. She had to wake up early and take the biggest test of

42 her life. The Naplex exam, the board exam in order to be a licensed pharmacist, was at nine in the morning.

Every tick of the clock made her more nervous. She was not going to get enough sleep for the big day. For this very day she had been studying vigorously for six years and had always wanted to be a pharmacist since a child. Her parents were pharmacists and owned a small pharmacy. As her parents got older, she was in charge to take over the family business. She could not fail the Naplex tomorrow. Too much was on the line.

As she moved around in bed, and flipped the pillow around to get the cold side, she tried to get back to her happy place in order to fall asleep. She imagined fishing with her dad in Michigan when she as 10 years old. The sun was shining bright on an autumn day. It was a chilly day but the sun kept them warm. Her dad was teaching her how to put bait on the hook. The bait was small earth worms. As they began to fish, her dad’s phone rang. She could barely make out the sound of it because it was muffled by his pants. It was a very familiar tune. She tried to listen harder and she could make out couple of word “Come” and “Sun.” As the dad finally picked up his phone, the ringing stopped. At this very moment she was finally at peace and went to sleep.

Poems by Nancy Quan

Inspired by Whitman

O CAPTAIN! my Captain! our fun trip is done; The ship has weather'd every rack, the hello kitty prize we sought is won; The end game is near, the bells I hear, the people all exulting, While follow eyes the steady keel, the claw machine grim and daring: But O heart! heart! heart! O the bleeding drops of bankruptcy, Where on the gaming platform my Captain lies, Fallen cold and dead.

Inspired by Frost

I traveled to a place Where there were two roads Why are there two roads diverged? One road was undergrowth And the other was fair The one less traveled by, Looked obviously dangerous I decided to take the one most traveled by, And that really didn’t make a difference.

Across The Globe by Razan Rajab

It was late October 2010. I had just left an important conference not too long ago with fellow international colleagues. After five years of studying business, it felt wonderful to be in London for a large conference. But something was weird. I couldn’t help but notice one man frequently staring at me. He was a good-looking man, brown silky hair, bright blue eyes, and dimples that happened to show up every time he talked. Gosh, those gazes he gave me confused me more than ever. Why was he looking?

During the late evening of the same day, I headed over to the coffee shop next to my apartment. About to pay, an arm randomly reaches over and stops me from giving the worker my money. “Don’t worry, I got it.” It was the man from the conference earlier. YIKES! This is awkward. He asked if he could sit down with me to get to know each other. I couldn’t resist. He led me over to a small table, pulling my chair out and allowing me to sit. What a gentleman. He began by telling me about himself, from working in California to coming to London for this conference, and then I told him my life story in Japan. We talked for what seemed like minutes but were actually three hours. The coffee shop was about to close up, and at that signal, he suddenly grabbed my right hand and kissed it, wishing me a good night as he left.

That night I couldn’t sleep. I sat there, staring at my ceiling, thinking about John. He was someone special, I knew he was.

A few days passed with John and me seeing each other every single morning, afternoon, and evening, whether we’d be grabbing breakfast or heading to the conference building together. After two weeks of continuous meetings and get-togethers, John confronted me one night. We were at the same coffee shop we talked on the first day. “Ayaka, I really like you. I don’t want to leave you after this conference is over” While saying that, he took out of his pocket a long, rectangular box. Inside was a necklace, the most beautiful necklace I had ever seen. He smiled, showing me his dimples, and telling me to come closer so he could put it on for me. I gave him a kiss on the cheek with a smile that couldn’t leave me face. I didn’t want to leave him either, but we both had such different and busy lives that we had to leave.

The next morning was the last day in London; I was heading back home to Tokyo and he to San Diego. Saying goodbye at the airport was painful. I’ve only known this man for two weeks, how could I be so attached? Kissing my forehead, he moved toward his gate and I headed to mine.

Not even an hour after landing, I received a phone call. It was an unknown number, but I answered. “Hello?” “Hi Ayaka, this is John” Chills ran through me. “Ah! John! How did you get my number?” “I asked one of your friends from the conference, I was hoping you and I could stay in touch” “Yes, definitely” I reassured him. We spent hours talking to each other, from the smallest to the biggest things that would happen to us. He would always tell me he loves me and everything that he loves about me, from my small accent to my shiny, black, smooth hair, everything. He was always so sweet. But sometimes he would suddenly act weird and hang up right away, or even act like he was talking to a business man or one of

his friends. I never understood why, but I found it cute and funny. Maybe that was just him messing around with me. Who knows?

We always used to mention when would be the next time we see each other. A year? Such a long time it depressed me every day. It wasn’t until a month later that I told myself that a month was enough being away from him; it was time for me to see him again. I packed my things, called one of his friends asking for his address in San Diego, and planned my surprise trip to his house. I couldn’t wait. I missed his eyes and his touch and the sweet gazes that would make me blush. I hoped he was the one, my special one.

The flight took off, and I was anxious. I kept grabbing on to the necklace around my neck the entire time, I was extremely excited. How will he be when I see him? Happy? Maybe worried because I hadn’t called him that day? Maybe suspicious that I’m coming, haha who knows?

After hours of traveling, I finally made it to San Diego. The weather was beautiful, and the slight breeze was relaxing after traveling. I called for a taxi and gave the driver John’s address. I already fell in love with the city from just the taxi ride.

The car pulled up to a large-sized home, much larger than my home in Tokyo. Beautiful, I thought to myself. Oddly, as I looked at the house, I saw toys and a bike on the grass and two cars parked outside. Maybe he had guests over.

Knocking on the door, a little kid opened up. Staring at me, he obviously didn’t know who I was, neither did I know who he was, but his complexion was so similar to John’s. He had the same bright, blue eyes and cute, little dimples as John. He looked back and shouted, “Mom, dad, there’s a lady at the door.” John and a woman came into sight from the doorway, her belly was large; I assumed she was pregnant and that John was her husband. As they came closer, my heart broke into a million pieces. “Honey, who’s this?” the woman asked John. I looked at John. Disappointment and pain were nothing to describe what I felt. I told him to hold out his hand as I ripped off the necklace around my neck and shoved it towards him, walking away with tears falling down my face.

Faithful Friends by Todd Pieper

“Mary, my beautiful girl, can you come down here please?” asked the lean women in business attire.

“Sure will, momma!” replied back. After a few moments, a little figure came hopping down the staircase. Her hair was in pigtails as she wore her favorite pink nightgown. Her hand stretched above her brown hair to the railing a few inches above. She had a grin on her face and her favorite toy, the cowgirl dolly, in her hand as if she was racing with her to see her mother. She came to a halt in front of her mother and grinned as hard as she could.

Her mother knelt down. “Mary, please be okay while your father and I are out. I know we do not go out that much in case you saw your friend again. I realize that this was a few months ago, but we want to ensure the safety of you.” She caressed her daughter and held her tight. Mary gave her mother

a warm hug back. “I will be back as soon as I can, dear. Once I arrive, we can do anything you want—go on any adventure you like. Or sail the seas if you like, arrrgh.”

The girl laughed as her mother tickled. “I miss you already mom. Will Jamie come over too?”

“Yes my darling,” whispered the mother as she rubbed her daughters head. “She will be over in a few minutes. Unfortunately, I will not be here when she will arrive. Be sure to look out the window and make sure it is her before opening the door.”

Mary wished her mother a safe trip to her business trip and closed the door behind. Some of the best times Mary has are when she has the house all to herself. At this point, she could let her imagination run wild. Just a few days ago, she was sword fighting space pirates on Jupiter. She wondered what brave things she would do today. In no time, she ran across the wooden floors and up the stairs. Jessie followed her every move in the palm of her hand. She was after all Mary’s partner against all of the space invaders, bank robbers, and dangerous animals.

The time she spends to herself has increased ever since her dream. Even with the passing of time, her knowledge and experiences into the closet and into an unimaginable world never changed. She could still see the fur, scales, and colors of her friends, the monsters she met while she was trying to get home. Reciting this tale of adventure to her mother, friends, and occasional counselor never removed her yearning to return to it.

Mother does not like it when Mary brings up the subject about the monsters. She had some idea that somebody stole her away. It was hours before Mary returned while Mrs. Gibbs grew into a panic after noticing the disappearance of her daughter. Mary’s return was short of a pure miracle for Mrs. Gibbs. After all, Mary was her only daughter. Raising Mary on her own for these few years were some of the best that she ever had. Mrs. Gibbs was going to see to it that her daughter was safe and sound. Respectively, Mary was greeted with many men in suits and badges upon the night of her arrival.

Mary hopped onto her bed with a bound. The dreamed of flying high so that none of the daycare bullies could get to her. Jessie could be the copilot and together they fought against the oppressors. Pew pew her guns went as she shot down the enemy planes. “Bwahaha,” she laughed as she covered herself in her sheets. She wished that she could do the things she dreamed of and stop the terrible people in the world. This reminded her of that evil purple lizard that would terrify her in her dreams. She remembered the power she had as well as the bat she used to smack him in the head.

She covered her head with the covers and moved them down swiftly like she was playing a game of peekaboo. “Boo!” She said to the door as she revealed her youthful head. It was no use. She has spent many days up in her room just to see him again. “Kitty?” she inquired as she looked at the door. He could protect her. Without a father, she did not have any other male figure to influence her as much as the blue monster had.

Knock, knock. She heard a knock on a door. She hopped out of her bed and put her socks on. Knock, knock. The pounding became louder the second knock. Strange, she thought, why does the knocking seem to come from my room?

Within a few moments, the door creaked open. Mary jumped into bed and held onto her dolly and covered her head. What if it is a bad monster? She thought.

After another brief moment, she heard the creature say “Boo?”

She recognized that voice and immediately spoke the word “Kitty.” It was him, her lost protector and friend. She ran towards him and gave him a huge hug. Tears welt up in her eyes and she raised her hands up as a child should before she is embraced. Sulley grabbed her by the waist and put her on his shoulders.

They played together very solemnly as if their months apart where only minutes. Mary laughed like she used to. She showed him her many stuffed animals and toys that she got since the last time they played together. Kitty even played with the bear like before and Boo laughed back as much. Soon they heard the sound of another knock. Downstairs Boo flew to open up the door. This time she was accompanied by her best friend.

Stories and Poem by Steven Pham

Kong: The Untold Story

It was July 1947, during the Second World War. The best and brightest scientists in the world have been brought together by the United States for the Manhattan Project. Eager to try out the newly developed atomic bombs, the American military decided to test nuclear devices in Bikini Atoll to find out what they’re capable of. General Weston himself was onboard an aircraft carrier to personally see the results of the test. Also on board was his beautiful, blonde model daughter, Lindsay. She was keen to see just what the US had that would supposedly end the war. All the sailors on the aircraft carrier were preparing for the first bomb test. The bomb was planted underwater several miles away. Everyone sat down, looked at the horizon, and put on protective goggles. A voice was counting down on the speakers. “Five, four, three, two, one.” Then a sudden flash of light lit up the whole sky and a massive boom sounded. A giant mushroom cloud was formed. Lindsay could feel the force of the explosion from so far away. She was horrified at how powerful the weapon was. General Weston on the other hand was pleased with the explosive results. “Excellent,” said General Weston. “We now had the power to defeat the Axis Powers and turn the tide of the war. Let’s test the second bomb tomorrow near that island, with the skull- looking rocks. I want to see what this thing can do against a solid target.” “But Dad! There could be indigenous people living on island.” “What are the chances? And there are plenty of islands around here. They could find another one.” Lindsay knew she couldn’t let innocent people get hurt in the bomb tests. As soon as the sun went down and it was dark, she stole a boat from the aircraft carrier to make her way to the “Skull Island.” If there was anyone there, she would warn them to evacuate. She landed ashore and explored the island. After half-an-hour, she saw smoke coming from behind some trees and went in its direction. She saw tribal people camping around a fire and a gorilla locked in a wooden cage. Lindsay carefully approached the people, but they responded hostilely and surrounded her with spears. They were speaking another language, wondering who she is and where she came from. She tried to warn them that they should leave the island, but they did not understand English. She didn’t think this far ahead and didn’t know what to do. They locked her

in the cage with the gorilla. She was scared and cold; she didn’t know what they were going to do to her. The big gorilla sensed this and hugged her to keep her warm. She could tell that he was a friendly gorilla and shouldn’t be locked up. The next morning, General Weston got ready for the next nuclear bomb test. He didn’t see Lindsay come outside. He just thought to himself “Lindsay probably just doesn’t like watching weapons and bombs explode. She was always a peace-loving person.” Back on the island, the tribal people were discussing what to do with Lindsay to themselves, while she is screaming to them that they need to get off the island. Finally, the tribal leader opened the cage and Lindsay didn’t know what going to happen. As soon as he unlocked the cage, the gorilla came bursting out. He carried Lindsay in one of his arms and ran out of the camp into the jungle. Lindsay knew that the bomb would be detonated near the island soon, so they had to hide somewhere strong. Then Lindsay pointed towards a cave to lead the gorilla to go there. He let her go and they started walk towards the cave. Suddenly, a giant flash of light and loud bang erupted. “Oh no! It’s happening!” shouted Lindsay. She and the gorilla then started running towards the cave. It seemed like they were going to make it, but she tripped on a branch. The gorilla made it to the cave. When he turned around, he saw Lindsay on the ground and a giant shockwave engulfing her. She was instantly vaporized and the cave collapsed, trapping the gorilla underground. It was a miracle that the gorilla survived the nuclear detonation. He was exposed to radiation that reactivated his growth hormone. A few days later, he grew big enough to push the rocks out of the way and leave the cave. He saw that a portion of the island was completely decimated. There were still some indigenous tribes living on the other side on the island. The gorilla continued to grow in size, to the point where all the people lived in fear of him. He isolated himself to the dark mountains where he lived peacefully. A few years later, he would see another young, beautiful woman who would resemble the one who saved his life.

War has Changed (Sonnet)

Weapons and guns have evolved. Private military companies rose As regimes and governments dissolved. Drone armies are difficult to oppose.

Entire remote controlled armies were unmanned And changed how battlefields were fought. Not a single soldier marching on dry land. Military might was now sold and bought.

Combat drones don’t fall under casualties. More human lives are spared But the drone’s ever-growing capacities Are unchecked. We should be scared.

Weapons have no loyalty or judgment in war. Someone will have plenty to answer for.

Poetic Justice for a Nazi Officer by Steven Pham

I’m on patrol in Poland, looking for inferior “humans.” They claim that I’m a murderer; that I’m killing people. I’m not killing people; I’m killing Jews. In the natural state of the world, it is survival of the fittest. The Jews, blacks, homosexuals, and Romani; they are all sorry excuses for human beings. They are racially undesirable elements of German society and must be put into the concentration camps. When the war is over, the Third Reich will have world domination. The pure-blood people of the Aryan master race deserve the world. Although the Italian and Japanese have been helping us, they too shall be destroyed once their usefulness has come to an end. A lower rank soldier gives me a letter, encrypted in our brilliant enigma. The British will never crack the code. The letter tells me that I have clean-up duty at Auschwitz today. I’m assigned to move the bodies out of a gas chamber. Inside I see a dead mother holding her dead daughter. If I was capable of feeling sorry for Jew scrum, I almost would. It’s a dirty job, but seeing all the dead Jews reminds me of the good work we’re doing. As I go in to carry the bodies, the door behind me closes. I run to the door and finds that it’s locked. “Hey! I’m still in here! Open the door!” I start hitting the door but it doesn’t nudge. I hear gun fire outside. The Allied forces must be attacking the camp and have trapped me inside. I hear the gas chamber starting up. As I’m losing consciousness, I’m looking at all the dead people I helped kill.

Poems by Drew Pentland Starting the Day

Wake up: the most difficult part of the day; usually at 6 am. Struggle to stay awake: the second most difficult part of the day. Make breakfast: always the same: eggs with ground beef and veggies. Make Coffee: no breakfast is complete without coffee! Eat while watching YouTube: find something stimulating to learn while I eat: math, physics, an author’s biography. Sit down for some morning schoolwork: the third most difficult part of the day. Shower: let my mind wander as I prep for class. Brush Teeth: I hate to floss, but I begrudgingly do it. Leave for school: let the day begin.

Cold by Drew Pentland

It’s February, Its 70 degrees outside. People comment on the weather When they don’t know what else to talk about. This weather makes those conversations less terrible. But it concerns me. I can remember, When I was young, The ducks swimming in an island of lake surrounded by ice. Now all I feel is warm, And it makes me cold.

Smiley Face by Drew Pentland

When we sit down to share each other’s music, When we send each other internet links of the ridiculous things we find, When we split a sandwich and have a great time doing it, When we cross the street and laugh at how we shouldn’t have crossed, When we talk about God and the meaning of it all, When we drink beer and compete for who can make the other laugh harder, When we are each other’s back up plans for Friday nights or strangers’ weddings, When we are with each other I think only happy thoughts, because you are a true friend. Smiley Face!

Story and Poem by Michelle Albert One in the Same

The love was instantaneous But sometimes love is not enough So identical yet competitive in our ways

The unquenchable thirst for your touch Or the feelings of pure bliss felt The love was instantaneous

We met up at that bar And light did blind our sanity So identical yet competitive in our ways

We loved so hard with passion But we fought in the same way The love was instantaneous

Our souls intertwine And surely we were one So identical yet competitive in our ways

What higher being brings us together Simultaneously pulls us apart The love was instantaneous So identical yet competitive in our ways

Layla and Agatha

The kingdom was quite with not a peeping soul to be seen in the night. Little creatures were even snuggly and asleep in the woods. Witch Agatha appeared at once, in a black cloud of smoke, in a black cloak. She was stirring her brewing pot of green potion snarling with excitement. She would catch princess Layla alone and poison her. This potion would turn Witch Agatha into Princess Layla, and Layla into witch Agatha.

“My, my, my,” she crackled, grazing her fingers against each other. “Bubble and boil mix my tricks. Princess Layla will drink this and Roles will switch!” Boom, and in a flash Witch Agatha sprinkled her last ingredient and vanished.

Little did Witch Agatha know… Prince Christopher from the kingdom across the mountains had wandered far into the other kingdom’s territory and had been watching the witch from behind the trees as she brewed her potion. He had seen everything and was going to save princess Layla.

Princess Layla awoke the next morning, the sun grazing on her face. She got up quickly so she could avoid the palace guards and go to the market place in the early morning to see the sights and smell the smells of the delicious produce.

Prince Christopher had been waiting for her all morning; he was friends with princess Layla and knew that she loved to go to the market place by herself although knowing that it wasn’t safe. Christopher was watching her when all of a sudden a woman in a black cloak was handing a pink bubbly drink to princess Layla. Layla looked excited and amazed; she took the drink and began to open it.

Christopher ran to Layla. “Layla, no! She’s a witch and that’s a potion! Don’t drink it!”

Layla stood there shocked, and the witch could not keep a straight face. “Curse you little boy!” But before witch Agatha could do anything, the market sellers were already on top of her.

Layla turned to Christopher with disbelief and awe, “I can’t believe you saved me like that Christopher; thank you so much”, and she hugged him so very tight.

Poems by Sam Badwan

Cupcake Creamy, pink frosting And tons of rainbow sprinkles Cover a gross cupcake

Raindrops Water Pure, clean Misting, dripping, pouring Down from the sky Rain

Poems by Niveda Baalasubramaniyan

He Who Must Not Be Named

It’s He Who Must Not Be Named

Who is out there looking for me

Ever Since I was a little child

I was hiding behind every big tree

Although people like me and are beguiled

I always wish I can be free

Since he’s out there looking for me

The Deathly Hallows

They are not called the Deathly Hallows without reason

Stealing the scarlet stone is considered a huge treason

The invisibility cloak might come in handy at a particular hour

And He who has the elder wand will thrive on its power

Getting all three pieces is quite the struggle

And even more challenging if you’re an ordinary muggle

Memory

The blistering sun caught my face

Wind trickled its fingers through my hair

My eyes saw in every direction

The endless amount of yellow landscape

As my toes felt the warm sand

A rush of joy and calmness passed through me

I thought to myself this was a peaceful place to land

A view that paralleled a golden sea

Poems by Collin Benbrook

Strange

Isn’t it strange, that lemonade is made with artificial flavoring but furniture cleaner has real lemon juice?

Isn’t it strange, that the sun darkens our skin but makes our hair lighter?

Isn’t it strange, that a dentist talks non-stop while his hands are in your mouth and you can’t even respond?

Isn’t it strange, that drugstores keep the drugs to make you healthy in the back of the drugstore but the cigarettes in the front?

Isn’t it strange, that tear and tier are pronounced the same, but tear and tear are pronounced differently?

Isn’t it strange, that banks leave the vault doors open but chain the pens to the counters?

Isn’t it strange, that people want eternal life but constantly complain of being bored?

Isn’t it strange, that Americans landed on the moon using computers with lower processing power than the computers in our cellphones?

Isn’t it strange, that someone taking a placebo sugar pill can gain the same benefits as someone taking the real drug?

Isn’t it strange that in the vastness of this universe, there hasn’t been known extraterrestrial contact?

Isn’t it strange, that in a free country, I become the most nervous when I see a police officer while I’m walking down the road?

Isn’t it strange, that the same government that prohibits its people from smoking or possessing a harmless plant have bombs capable of destroying the entire Earth?

☮☮☮☮☮☮#ProjectWorldPeace☮☮☮☮☮☮

☮☮☮☮☮☮☮☮☮☮☮☮☮☮☮ ☮ Why kill another man whose fighting ☮ ☮ for a tyrant just like you. That man you killed☮ ☮ has a father, and a mother too. Dont say that fighting ☮ ☮was the only choice that you had. Instead of rushing to war to fill☮ ☮another mans pocketbook; ☮☮☮☮☮☮ Together, we should all☮ ☮stand strong and say ☮ FUCK YOU ☮ I wont fight anymore.☮ ☮ If war should ☮☮☮☮☮☮ be waged against☮ ☮anyone, it shouldnt be against☮ ☮the other common man. let us join☮ ☮together and fight against those in power.☮ ☮Those men who lead us to war.☮ ☮Fuck them. They dont give a shit☮ ☮about you or freedom or any of that☮ ☮bullshit. And do you know why? ☮ ☮Because none of it actually exists.☮ ☮You are fighting a war over imaginary☮ ☮principles. Money!? Religion!?Democracy!? It’s a☮ ☮goddamn scam. And what is sad is that you’re☮ ☮falling for it. Youre slaughtering your☮ ☮brothers. The ones who fell for the scam☮ ☮just like you did. Let us turn our attention☮ ☮to the ones creating the scam. They are the ones☮ ☮who deserve to be dead. Not your fellow men.☮ ☮The poor feed the rich. The rich feed the poor☮ ☮ to the wolves. Why can no one☮ ☮see through the broken system? ☮ ☮I could lay it all out for you. But would you believe me? ☮ ☮ Fuck no, because your’e most likely an ☮ ☮average American who watches the news and questions nothing.☮ ☮I speak the truth, but you only adhere to the bullshit.☮ ☮☮☮☮☮ #Projectworldpeace ☮☮☮☮☮ ☮☮☮☮☮☮☮☮☮☮☮☮☮☮☮☮☮

Guitar (which is) Loud, raw (and it) Shreds, squeals, screams (I will) Melt your face off (with my guitar) Play, Destroy, Conquer (the whole world) ( with my) Super sexy Weapon

Aquatic Nymph to Dragonfly by Collin Benbrook Aquatic nymph to dragonfly. A rainbow coloured acrobat, With diamond facets in each eye.

Feeding on wing, as they terrify, Their prey of wasp, to midge and gnat. Aquatic nymph to dragonfly,

It's changing colours do belie, This natures fearsome autocrat. With diamond facets in each eye,

Diaphanous wings to soar on high, A fearless creature in combat. Aquatic nymph to dragonfly,

It's flights of fancy in the sky, Weaving a rainbow ribboned plait. With diamond facets in each eye,

One final act before they die, Creating life. ensuring that, Aquatic nymph to dragonfly, Yet both are one, to swim, then fly.

White but Not Wonderland by Caity Blankenship

White covers the small square of ground STLCOP students dashing all around To and from classes here they go But yet their emotions stay so low Wait, at the end of the tunnel? A light! Oh yes, Christmas break is in sight

Poems by Ellie Breaux

You Say

The boat sways and rocks among the waves. But amidst the storm you are brave and steady. You say, I will be here for you all of your days.

My heart you hold, my heart you save. Like a little child at night with a teddy. The boat sways and rocks among the waves.

We are on this boat together, two slaves. You ask, you ponder, will you be ready? You say, I will be here for you all of your days.

In my place you went to the grave. Now instead of tears I will be greeted with confetti. The boat sways and rocks among the waves.

When life becomes hard and made out of clay I must remember the battle has been won already. You say, I will be here for you all of your days.

I will be greeted by the son in beaming light rays. Swept into his grace like that of a river eddy. The boat sways and rocks among the waves. You say, I will be here for you all of your days.

The Young Artist Choose one of many colors--- oh too choose! You won’t lose the others. Pursue this for your dollars. Like a novel by authors. Muffin

Muffin Fluffy, sweet Devour, savor, taste A mouthful of goodness Gobble, chew, eat Soft, delicious Cupcake

Childhood Adventures by Samantha Bryant

It seems as though it was just yesterday, Just a mere child at play. I’d dream of grand adventures, And exploring the great outdoors.

Once I believed I was a Native American, Alone, just me, braving the wild. I needed protection from the weather Though it was rather mild.

What better for a Native American, Than a tall standing Teepee? Quickly I gathered sticks and logs, To build a fort for me and my dog.

It seemed like I’d worked days. Before the day had ended, I’d built something tall and strong. A Teepee that would last the whole year long!

The day had been spent, the sun began to set. After a long day of adventure It was time to no longer roam And start making the travel to my warm home.

The Casino By: Tyler (Jeffery) Giebelhausen, Sheri Chau, Alyssa Farbak, Rachel Ghazarian

Las Vegas was a great place to be a gangster in 1960. The city was growing rapidly and it was all thanks to the mafia-owned casinos. Johnny Bartoletti a.k.a. Johnny two fingers was an enforcer for the Sahara casino. Johnny was trusted by the casino boss, Frank Bartolino a.k.a. Big Frank, to handle important affairs such as money deliveries, special guest protection, and roughing up any wise guys. Johnny knew Frank trusted him more than anybody else outside of his family; that’s why he had Johnny handle his important business. Johnny was the head of floor duties for catching any potential cheaters because Johnny knew all the tricks in the book. Johnny had once been a cheater 10 years ago, only problem was he was caught at this same casino where he now worked at. Johnny had been taken into the back where Big Frank’s men were slowly cutting off his pinky fingers until Johnny broke loose. They got his two pinkies, hence the name Johnny two fingers, but when Johnny broke loose, he roughed up Frank’s men pretty good. When Frank heard about this he came down and offered Johnny a proposal he couldn’t refuse: he put a gun up to Johnny’s head and said he could either work for him or be buried somewhere in the desert. Since Johnny is now charge of catching cheaters, you can guess what his choice was.

Tonight, rumor is spreading that a group of people were coming to the Sahara Casino to cause trouble. This group has already taken a major amount of cash from one of the competing casinos. This round, they’re out to catch Big Frank’s. The leaders are said to be Ben and Lydia, a young couple who specializes in stealing from casinos under the disguise of legitimacy. Unfortunately, many do not know their techniques. As a precaution, Big Frank has ordered Johnny to take necessary measures to eliminate the troublers. Groups of enforcers are stationed at each entrance with multiple undercover visitors scattered around the casino. Johnny sits at one of the poker tables as an undercover enforcer. At almost midnight, two couples finally joined the table after watching previous players lose. The dealer deals them in and Johnny watches as the couple began to play. The whole time while playing the couple sit hip to hip always grabbing one another’s hand and making eye contact. Johnny starts to strike up a conversation with them and gets them talking and learns that it is in fact Ben and Lydia

Johnny finds that he and the man he suspects to be Ben have a lot in common. They begin to start talking money and how they made it. The waitress keeps bringing them drink after drink and Johnny makes Ben feel comfortable. Both are getting pretty tipsy when Ben leans over and starts to tell Johnny how easy is to make money off a casino if you knew the right tricks. Playing along, Johnny asks how, and Ben and Lydia begn to show him. They have replica casino cards that they use to give them the upper hand.

Johnny lets them go on like this for about an hour. The couple starts to gather up their winnings, and before anyone could blink Johnny slams Ben on top of the poker table.

“Tricks is tricks, but ya’ gonna’ have to learn who to trust. Me? I work for the house. I got protection and I give protection. And you ain’t got it, Ben.”

“Oh, yes he does,” says Lydia with a gun shoved up to Johnny’s neck. “My man is safe.”

Johnny is worried. He does work for the house. There are other hired guns around, but he also knows he himself is expendable if push comes to shove. How much did Frank trust him? How much would he protect him? And, of course, that immediate question—had any of the other employees noticed yet what had happened? If not, that gun is pretty persuasive. If so, and he doesn’t do what Frank wants, he was a goner! Johnny looks around. No one seems to notice except the few other people at the table, and they are guests who only want to save their own skin. How could he make sure another of Frank’s boys would see and cover him?

He tried slamming his elbow into Lydia’s stomach, ducking, and trying to grab the gun from her hand. Dang, she knew Judo. The gun was against his cheek now. On the other hand, the commotion had alerted others to the scene at the one table. Maybe they would think of something.

“You’re our protection, not Frank’s. You carry the chips and get them cashed out. Come on, honey. Walk out carefully and quietly.”

“Should I go out the door, or to the cashier? You don’t want chips, do you?”

Lydia hesitates. The chips would be of no use, but going to the cashier now would give Frank’s organization time to come up with a plan on their lives. She looks dubiously toward Ben.

In a tense, rushed voice, Ben tells Johnny, “Go to the cashier.” With the chips in hand, Johnny walks as calmly as he can to the cashier, but eyes the room at the same time. He hopes to lock eyes with

another undercover enforcer, but he can’t find anyone. It was like they had all disappeared. Before he knew it, Johnny was at the cashier. He tells Reggie, the man working, that he is escorting this fine couple out and that he needs their chips cashed. Johnny tries to motion to Lydia’s gun, hidden behind her coat, but Reggie doesn’t catch his hint. Quickly, Johnny tries to start a conversation with Reggie to slow things down and give Frank more time to help. Ben catches on real quick.

Ben interrupts stating, “Sir, we really need to get going. My wife doesn’t like staying out late.”

Reggie obliges and smiles to the couple. “See you folks next time.”

Johnny’s mind begins to race. How am I going to get out of this one? I can’t just go with them. I’m a sitting duck. Maybe I could join them? I mean, this life ain’t the greatest. I’m disposable to Frank, he does whatever he wants with me at any time. I could help Lydia and Ben. I know my way around the casinos. I could teach them how to avoid getting caught and we can split the winnings.

“Pow-Pow.” Johnny shifts his attention to the right side of the casino. It is Micky, Frank’s cousin. He must have noticed that something was off. As the situation gets heated, Johnny’s emotions start rushing. Does he really want to spend the rest of his life doing this? Being a henchmen for Big Frank. Lydia takes her gun out and begin shooting. Ben grabs Johnny and pulls him with them as they run for the door. In that moment, Johnny decides he needs to make a change.

Johnny yells to Ben, “Take me with you. I want out of this casino. I can teach you.”

Ben looks at Johnny slyly, almost as if he knew Johnny would do this. As they run out of the casino towards the car, Ben yells at Johnny and winks, “Come along for the ride.”

Poems by Nana Byun No. 63

Mosquito hawks buzzed round the trailer lights And her drowsy eyes as dream-hold began On her soft mind, filling her with the sights Of stormy weather and fine leather man.

Stark white summer doves circle round above And swoop down past his midnight melody Crashing feather to string as he sings love And loss down to bottle of whiskey.

Invasive gray squirrels climb palm spires With the child’s eyes transfixed and watching In awe while father’s house goes to fire, The memories and the futures burning.

Women cry, tom cats lurk and dogs bark, Men laugh, children scream, in the trailer park.

Poems by Nana Byun The Magician Raindrop

Sleight of hand You stole my heart The Pulled a rabbit out your hat tears are crystal Viola! clear dripping You disappeared down my face. So Sawed me right in half hard it hurts in every single way. I hit myself to ease the pain. But nothing helps what will I ever gain? Love, Book hope, trust. That I will never know. Believe. To believe is all I need they Spin my characters, say. What if no human can accept as I wish, anything that goes in a different leading them to places, way. To believe will change I’ve never been before. everything. All you need is an extra punch Not from a lack of wanting of faith. But from the overwhelming presence, of inopportunity. Pain Feel the rigidity

of each chapter; I scrawled your name over my hands the grain of the paper, and they smeared the piano keys with ink the words inkily inscribed As I pounded them on print. until I thought that I could hear your voice The black words stand up at the touch of your finger. When you told me that you loved me Know the price I paid, flowers bloomed with my chest to tell you this tale. Now they’ve grown, their unruly roots are tangling around my ribs and breaking them

Wild The bruises on my knees remind me The mountains bowed before her, of your sweet and beautiful eyes and the rivers kissed her feet, Because they’re the same soft, pale blue she warmed the world around her, and both of them are painful with the touch of her love’s heat, and the tree roots clutched her ankles, wishing her life was theirs to keep, for her love was like an ocean, it was fierce and wild and deep. .

Summer Break by Jasmine Carpenter Oh, how I wish it was July 1st. Final exams, practicums, and term papers are the worst. I can’t wait to be 700 miles away from here.

Hurricanes and margaritas to quench my thirst, As I chill on the beach with my family and friends, Oh, how I wish it was July 1st.

Luke Bryan tunes on the radio are playing in my ear, While the dazzling rays of sunlight beam down on me. I can’t wait to be 700 miles away from here.

In the lines of this novel I am greatly immersed, Not a single thought about school passes through my mind. Oh, how I wish it was July 1st.

The convertible zooms and the miles begin to disappear, My hair is dancing along in the wind, I can’t wait to be 700 miles away from here.

In reality, my lips are pursed, As I sit in the library staring down at my books. Oh, how I wish it was July 1st. I can’t wait to be 700 miles away from here.

After School Adventure by Rachel Ghazarian, Tyler Giebelhausen, Sheri Chau, Alyssa Farbak

I was walking across the parking lot waiting for my dad to pick me up, a car appeared out of nowhere. Whoever was driving was being incredibly reckless. It seemed like he was driving right towards me. I ran towards the curb to get out of the car’s way, but the car was aimed for me like a bullet. In the blink of an eye, the driver spun to the right and stopped.

The door opened immediately and the driver yelled, “Get in Abigail.”

I was so confused. Who is this person and how does he know my name.

“Get in. Now.” He yelled more forcefully this time. “Your family is in serious danger and we need to collect you. Get in now or face far greater fears than a stranger in a car.”

Hesitantly, I pulled my backpack higher up and got into the car. The stranger next to me had dark brown hair and sunglasses on. I couldn’t see his eyes, but I could still feel the intensity of his stair.

“My name is Agent Banks. I have been sent to protect you against a new terrorist threat that is targeting your father.”

Immediately, my mind began racing. “What are you talking about?” I screamed. “Let me out of this car. I don’t know what you’re talking about.”

“Abigail, calm down. Your father hired me to watch and protect you. I’ve been your secret body guard for the last two years.”

“You’re lying. This is crazy. Why would my father hire someone to watch me? Let me out of this car now.”

“Abby, your father is a classified government official. He is the right hand of the President of the United States.”

This was insane; my father was a researcher at a pharmaceutical company. “MY father is just a researcher for Minna, there are no terrorists after him, and I’m calling the police.”

“NO!” he shouted, “these people are in the government’s databases, they are tracking your number, get rid of your phone!”

“I’m not getting rid of my phone! LET ME OUT NOW YOU CREEP!” As I shouted that, the back window of the car shattered as I heard the thud of bullets hitting the back of the car. The driver sped off. I looked back to see if the police were chasing this guy, and I caught the eye of a man in a mask in the front of the vehicle.

“KEEP YOUR HEAD DOWN!” yelled the driver as he pushed me back down more bullets hit the car. “You have to get rid of your phone if you want to live!” he exclaimed. I tossed my phone out the window onto the pavement where I assumed it shattered. I couldn’t believe it, it was like a movie scene right now except these guys were about to kill me. The driver whipped the car into an alleyway and took a sharp turn through somebody’s yard, shattering their fence. The drivers behind us tried to pursue but blew out their tires on the fence. As we got back on the street, we sped off towards the highway. I asked the driver what was going on and why these people were after my dad.

“Your father is an undercover official directly serving the president, researching on chemical warfare. This is unknown to the public but… our city might be under attack in less than 2 months. Threats were received…” claimed Agent Banks, then suddenly interrupted by Abagail.

“You’re lying... my father would never participate in something like that!”

“No! Listen, don’t wrong your father like that. He was a great man who placed people’s lives as his top priority. He vowed to research crowd control weaponry and never did he attempt to develop any lethal chemicals. We were on the verge of completing the last stages of our mission when…”

Before Agent Banks could continue, a large SUV swerved in front of the two’s car as they attempted to exit the highway. To dodge the SUV, Agent Banks had to run over the concrete divider where the stoplights anchored. Unfortunately, the pole fell and came falling directly on top of Agent Banks. I had no idea what to do. My so called body guard is now dead and I am left to defend myself. Thoughts raced through my mind as I tried to figure out what to do next. Where could I go? Who could I trust? I can’t go to the police! I quickly grabbed agent Bank’s phone and started to run into the closest

62 building I could find before the SUV came back. I made it into a little coffee shop and ran to hide into the bathroom. I started to look through Agent Banks’ contacts on his phone. I saw my father’s name so I called, but no answer. I got to a contact that said “Headquarters.” I immediately pressed the call button and a man answered.

“State your agent code and location.” He muffled

“Hello! I’m not an agent. My name is Abigail and Agent Banks was sent to find me but was killed. I need help! I’m hiding in a coffee shop.” Slam! Bang! People started to panic in the coffee shop. I could only assume it was the man in the SUV. “Please I need help!”

“We’re sending help right now. Stay put. An agent by the name of Smith is coming to get you.”

I couldn’t hide in the bathroom with the men out there, I was vulnerable. I darted up from the bathroom floor and headed towards the door. I took a deep breathe before opening it and ran into a closet across the hall. The door had a lock! Thank goodness. I sat in the darkness with the phone in my lap, listening to men yelling at the customers in the shop and people screaming and screeching from being scared.

I also heard sirens. I felt relief; but wait, no. The police weren’t in on this. What were they doing here? I tried listening and soon realized that the police came because of the mayhem caused by the SUV. At least they were after the right person. Now, if I could stay hidden until Smith came, it might turn out all right. I tried to stay quiet. Who would look in a locked closet? Everyone heard the man come in while I didn’t think anyone particularly noticed me. Maybe they would take him away and I could crawl out later.

I waited a long, long time. It was stuffy in the closet, but safer than outside. I tried desperately to listen to what was going on. The police had calmed things somewhat. They had apparently cuffed the SUV driver who was still cursing but was picked up by another squad car and hauled away. They took testimony from every single person in the coffee shop. Who knows what they had to tell them. It took a long time. Finally after what seemed like hours it began to get quiet. I was thinking of peeking out of the closet when someone tried the door! I held my breath. “Jamie, the closet’s locked. How can I clean up this mess?” someone said.

“Don’t worry about it. Let’s just close up and come back tomorrow.”

“Are you sure?”

“Yes, I’m sure. It’s my place, after all. I need a big drink and some time to unwind. We can open an hour early tomorrow and clean then. Just leave it.”

I waited. They left. I came out of the closet to an empty shop. But what now? If Smith came, he didn’t find me. And who knows if he was a good or bad guy? I put Banks’ phone on the counter, and let myself out the back way. To do so, I had to disconnect the alarm, but how likely was it that someone would come in? If Smith (or even his enemies) came in, all they’d find was the phone.

Me? I snuck home taking all the back ways and pretending I was playing hide and seek. Maybe I was. But I got home!

Story and Poems by Sheri Chau

Do Not Count Please do not count my years. Too many things are on my list; Thinking about it just brings me to tears.

Venice or Paris, and so many places I long to go; I wonder what else I have missed… Please do not count my years,

Beaches and lakes that I used to know; It’s been eons since my skin has been sun-kissed. Thinking about it just brings me to tears.

Families and little ones that I wish had seen grow, Watching them ask me which colleges to enlist, Please do not count my years,

I’ve donated but haven’t volunteered though, There’s many people that I can assist, Thinking about it just brings me to tears.

Half empty or half full, time please travel slow, Let me leave a mark on why I too exist… Please do not count my years, Thinking about it just brings me to tears

Spotlight

“Sophia, you will be up next,” the band director warned. Dressed in a long silver dress paired with my flute, I took one last opportunity to practice my solo Concerto in G major. Afterwards, I took part in my routine of disassembling and reassembling my flute into its three components before stepping on stage.

From the dark practice room, I took a deep breath then stepped onto the stage with bright white lights shining down from the high vaulted ceiling. I immediately felt the immense heat warming my body up as I began to lift the head of the flute between my chin and lower lip.

The first part of the music piece, I played with confidence. Just like how the head of the flute supports the rest of the instrument, I made sure to express the music attentively. Guiding each

crescendo and decrescendo appropriately, I knew that I was playing the music, expressing the music based on my interpretation. The execution of the concerto’s first movement depends on me, just as the body of the flute depends on the head of the flute to make audible notes.

Next, I played gently, flowing through the second movement with care. With so many keys on the body of the flute, I need to make sure I carefully select each key to prevent mistakes. Almost as if caring for a baby, my fingers flow across the key ever so smoothly. Ensuring a vivid, spirited expression but with a gentle touch to the soul.

The last movement, I executed the ending with the animation. Just like the last component of the flute, the last few keys make a great difference in changing a note flat or sharp. My pinky finger danced gracefully but also animatedly. Almost like little people jumping up and down on the key of the flute. I ended the concerto just as I began – confidently.

After the ending the concerto, I hesitantly lowered my flute. My fingers felt numb. My face felt red and burning hot. Even worse, I felt sweaty underneath the long, heavy dress. I let out a long sigh while I closed my eyes, raising my head slightly towards the ceiling. Absorbing all the light from the ceiling, I do not think I felt any more proud of myself than this moment, doing something I love.

Titanic

Yesterday MY PAINT… shining like aureate with pride MY NAME… smiling with urgency MY PASSENGERS… anticipating the journey MY MAKERS… wanting a chance to stride Today MY PAINT… using pyrite as a substitute appointment MY NAME… acting as a mere counterfeit MY PASSENGERS…agonizing from the disaster MY MAKERS… crying of disappointment

Creative Writing Class by Suzie Chen, Serah Cyriac, Taylor Win, Niveda Baalasubramaniyan

It was a regular day in Creative Writing. All of the groups were sharing their short stories that they wrote. The others in my group were Neha, Stacy, Samera, and Dr. Fontane. All of our stories were particularly long, so the rest of the students had already left the classroom while Stacy was finishing up with reading her short story. Once she finished her story, we packed up our stuff and we were about to head out of the classroom. Suddenly, the door of the classroom slammed shut. Bam! This gave the five of us quite a fright. While the others were a bit frightened by the possible supernatural implications of how the door was closed without anyone touching it, I was unfazed by it, and I went ahead and opened the door. To my surprise, what I saw in front of me was a closet with rows of winter fur coats. The others were quite surprised as well. I was very interested on how this could have possibly occurred. I

told the others, “I’m going to walk in and see if there’s a way out and I’ll come back if I find something.” I daringly walked into the coats. As I was walking through the rows of coats, amusing myself, I thought, “Hmm, this oddly feels like that scene in the Chronical of Narnia when Lucy walks through the closet of fur coats and finds herself in Narnia. Wouldn’t that be funny if that’s where this leads to?” As I approached the last row of fur coats, I started to feel very cold. “That’s odd,” I thought. I went passed the last row of coats and in amazement and shock I was standing in a winter forest. The trees were bare and there was soft snow covering everything. But what particularly stood out to me was a lamppost. I thought, “I must be dreaming, but I think I’m in Narnia.” In excitement, I ran back through the coats, and I told the others, “You guys have to see this! This closet leads to Narnia!” Samera said, “Tina, did you not get enough sleep last night?” Tina replied, “No, I’m serious! Narnia is through that door! Isn’t the fact that there is a closet of winter coats beyond this door already strange enough? So, it shouldn’t be that strange that this would lead us to Narnia.” The others faced by this logic, agreed that it was a possibility. I went back through the door again as the others followed right behind me. Dr. Fontane, ever the practical one, suggested after a few minutes that first we should all go back and put on nice warm winter coats and then go on to explore. The others rolled their eyes at her practicality in the face of such a fantastic adventure, but reluctantly agreed. After all, it was cold, and maybe if they humored her on this, she would be more willing to try some of their suggestions on what to do next. As soon as we grabbed the last coat, and Stacy turned around, we were faced with a small trembling little rabbit. Dr. Fontane may like warmth, but she also likes animals. “Isn’t that the cutest little thing you ever saw?” she said leaning over to either pick it up or pet it. “Thing! I’m not a thing. I am Percival. And who are you? You don’t look like you belong in our kingdom. Who are you and where did you come from?” “We walked through the door,” said Neha. “We are looking for adventure.” “Hmmm. Do you know Lucy?” asked Percival. “I don’t know. Lucy who?” “I know several Lucy’s,” said Stacy. “Maybe it is one of them.” “If you don’t know which one, it isn’t the right one.” With that Percival turned around and hopped away. “Come back,” said Neha. But Percival was a quick hopper and out of sight. “Don’t worry about it. Let’s just go. We know the book,” said Tina. She went forward and the others followed her. “Tina, where are we going? Do you have any idea how to get out of here?” A worried Neha said. “NO trust me! I navigated this entire place out on my itinerary before coming here!” “Are you sure it was correctly done? I’m nervous that they might be trailing us!” “Who would be trailing us Neha??” Her eyes bulge, she takes a big gasp, and says. “DEMENTORS!” Stacy laughed heartily, “We’re in Narnia now! How many books could have come to life! Hopefully, just one at a time!” She was carefree as usual but her logic did not relieve Neha’s anxiety. Tina looked to Dr. Fontane, who shrugged and smiled. This was an adventure. No one knew for sure what was going to happen and there was no clear-cut map to follow. Any advice at this point wouldn’t have done anyone much good. Everyone took a step forward and walked in the direction of the Percival’s tracks implanted in the snow. As they walked deeper into the frosty woods, the creative writing class was oblivious to the ghostly black figure lagging behind them. It’s curved fingers stretching and reached for the person bringing up the rear.

Samera saw the shadow that was creeping up behind her and turned around to see who (or what) it was. As soon as she caught a glimpse of the dark figure, she shouted, “OMG, guys it’s a Dementor!!! Run!” The crew ran as fast as they could, but it was rather difficult given all the snow on the ground. The Dementor was closing in on them and started to suck the life force from them. They all dropped to their knees, slowly losing all their energy. When they all felt as if they were on the brink of death, they heard a loud voice yelling “Expecto Patronum!!” and a glow of bright blue light engulfing the Dementor until it was gone. The four creative writing students and Dr. Fontane recovered from the life-threatening attack and started to look for who sent the patronus to protect them. When they were looking, Samera let out a high pitched screech, “OMG!!!!!” The rest of them quickly ran to her side to see if she was okay. When they saw what she saw, they were bewildered as well. They were standing face to face with Harry Potter himself. They all took a moment to process this. “But wait…this is supposed to be Narnia! You’re not supposed to be here!” yelled Tina in confusion and shock. “Narnia? What a queer place. I’ve never heard of it.” Replied Harry Potter. “But ...what??! I swear that was the same lamppost that was in Narnia when Lucy first went through the wardrobe!” exclaimed Tina. “Who’s Lucy?” asked Harry. “Oh, she’s this really sweet innocent girl who found herself in Narnia after walking through her closet full of fur coats,” replied Stacy informatively. “Lucy...she sounds nice, but I don’t think I ever spoke to her before.” Replied Harry. “Tina…..were you absolutely sure we were in Narnia?” asked Neha. “Yes!! Omg. This is Narnia! Then how do you explain Percival?” asked Tina. Harry’s face became alert. “Hi…uh sorry I don’t quite know your name, but did you say Percival? The Minister of Magic has been looked for him for months. He escaped from Azkaban 6 months ago. Did you really see him? It must mean that he’s close by.” “Wait…what? Percival is a criminal? Okay…hold up where exactly ARE we?” asked Tina, frustrated. “You’re in Hogsmeade.” Replied Harry. “Hogsmeade!! Oh my god…I’m so stupid. Yeah it HAS to be Narnia since we saw a stupid lamppost. Lampposts can be anywhere! Okay at least we know where we are now.” Dr. Fontane spoke up. “We really should get going. You guys don’t want to be late for your next class.” Everyone knew she was right. They had classes to go to and didn’t have time for an adventure. “Wait but since we’re in Hogsmeade, can we drink butterbeer before we leave! I’ve always wanted to try one!” said Samera, excited. “Ugh, no Samera. C’mon lets go. We have Pharmaceutics lecture to go to. We might have a pop quiz,” said Neha, slightly getting antsy to go back home. “No, time goes slower here, remember?” asked Samera. “But we aren’t in Narnia, Samera, didn’t we just go over this?” asked Tina. “Oh…yeah that’s right. Fine, we don’t have to get butterbeers then,” said Samera with disappointment. “Can we please go now?” asked Neha impatiently. “Yeah. We should go. Nice meeting you Harry,” said Tina. “It was nice to meet you all too!” said Harry enthusiastically.

With that, the four students and Dr. Fontane made their way back the way they came from and located the wardrobe with fur coats and walked through one by one. When they had all made it through, they realized that it was time to go to their next class. They made it back just in time. It seemed as if time in Hogsmeade and STLCOP went by at the same speed. Until next time, they all thought.

Deep Talk by Jerry Hu

Why?

Why not.

Why why not?

Why not why not.

Why why not why not?

Why not why not why not.

Oh.

Why oh?

Poetic Justice by Daniel Hemann

It was the average night of work for me; I was working the metro stops over after the Cardinals game. It was normal to make about 50 dollars in a couple of hours’ work asking people for bus fare. I used multiple stories like I lost my wallet, or I got robbed, or whatever. Usually it wasn’t too hard to find someone who would buy a line. The metro came in and all the college kids got off in their fancy Cards’ gear and I hit a group up. I tried out a new line and said, “Hey guys, I was at the game and my girlfriend got really mad at me and left. She had my wallet too… Can you guys give me 3 dollars so that I can take the bus?” One really tall one grudgingly but generously gave me the money and only asked that I please use it for what I said. Little did he know I was just making a living. I waited for the next train. Heck, I didn’t even have a girlfriend. About three weeks later I was working downtown. I liked to switch up locations so that nobody caught on. I had successfully earned 24 dollars in about 30 minutes. It was a pretty good night so far for sure. I saw a car full of guys pull up and park outside of the Hooters across the street. Time to make it $27 I thought. I walked up to them and started with a story about how I needed bus money to go home. There was one tall guy who looked at me in the most peculiar way with a slight hint of disgust. He shook his head in disappointment and walked away taking his friends with him. I was slightly shocked; normally people at least listen to my story even if they don’t fall for it.

That weekend I took my new girlfriend Kate out to dinner for the first time at a rather nice restaurant. Everything was going well, and we had a great time. We went back to the metro so that I could take her home, but when I reached for my wallet there was nothing there. I patted my rear pocket; it was empty. I must have dropped it. Unfortunately, I had also told my Kate not to waster her time carrying her purse because she wouldn’t need it. We went back to the restaurant and back to the metro with absolutely no luck of finding it. I could tell my date was getting very distressed. I was starting to panic a bit myself. Not only had I lost my wallet, but this girl who I really liked was clearly getting frustrated with me. There was nobody at the metro stop to ask for money as it was getting pretty late now. I recognized the security guard standing at the end of the platform, and I was sure he recognized one of the station’s most frequent visitors so I declined asking him for cash because of the risk that he would give me away in front of Kate. Kate was clearly agitated. The next train came within minutes, and we were still the only ones on the platform. With a glance I noticed the security guard wasn’t looking so I grabbed her arm and we jumped on the train. We were on our way home. At the next station a security guard entered the car in front of us and began walking back. He immediately approached us once he saw us. “Tickets, please?” he asked. I looked at the floor and then back up. “We don’t have any,” I said. The guard took us from the train and asked us to leave the metro premises. We did. Kate called a friend who came and picked her up, and I was left there alone. I walked the next one and a half miles home by myself. In the following days Kate never answered any of my text messages or calls. I couldn’t believe I lost the only girlfriend I’d had in over a year that quickly.

Poems and Story by Alyssa Farbak

Stargaze

I’ve dreamt of this night. To star gaze in the cool breeze on warm grass, And taste summer.

The night of relaxation and peacefulness. Being able to feel the night around you, Like a comforting hug

Yellow and white popping through the dark sea. Looking endlessly into the universe, And eliminating reality.

Dogs’ bark

The dogs bark loudly The door is broken tonight Run fast burglar, run

Filling for the ill

Counting of colorful pills ---a long day Blue, gray, white, pink to fill Call the doctors of the ill Every day is such a thrill Frank by Alyssa Farbak

Frank wakes up at 5 am sharp every morning. He doesn’t need an alarm clock anymore. After 74 years of rolling out of bed every morning to make coffee for his wife, it has become a reflex. It’s 5:07 and Frank waits patiently in his kitchen, staring out the window at the orange sun rising over the South Dakota plains. The coffee slowly begins to trickle into the coffee pot as the minute hand of his watch edges towards the half-hour. Frank pours himself a cup and steps outside to sit on the porch and read the paper as he has done countless mornings before. He knows that what he reads in the pages of the Dakota Tribune isn’t really worth reading, yet he reads them anyway.

Its 5:45 and Frank hears the sound of a car driving by on the gravel road outside his house. Frank suspects it is his son, only to realize it is far too early for him to be arriving. Every Sunday Frank’s son comes by with his children for a family breakfast. This has been a tradition since his first child was born. Frank takes his time reading the paper and heads inside by 6:40.

It is now 6:53 and Frank is preparing breakfast, he cracks 12 eggs and whisks them in a bowl with a splash of milk. Then, Frank begins to cook the bacon. Not too soft, and not too crispy, but just right for his wife, son, and grandchildren. As Frank pours the eggs into a large skillet, he also puts the breakfast rolls in the oven. Frank remembers to feed the dog who has been sitting attentively at Franks feet all the while he has been cooking. Frank whispers to the pup as he places the bowl of food on the floor, “You’re lucky she’s still around little fella because if it weren’t for her, I would’ve given you up a long time ago.”

By the time Frank has prepared breakfast, it is 7:35. His son has arrived and his children are in the front yard playing. “She should wake up soon, let’s go ahead and eat.” Frank says to his son as he helps Frank set the breakfast table.

“Sure, Pop,” Frank’s son says, hoping that Frank will remember, “I’ll call the kids inside.” Frank and his family begin to eat breakfast. Frank asks his grandchildren how their breakfast is and how school is coming along. Frank listens to them but only with one ear as the other is curiously listening for his wife upstairs who should have been down by now.

Once finished with breakfast, Frank and his family clean up the kitchen and begin to say goodbye. “I’m sorry kids, your Grandmother must not be feeling well this morning, when she wakes up I’ll be sure to tell her hello for you!”

As Frank’s son heads to the car with his children, his daughter asks, “Daddy, what was Grandpa talking about?”

It is now 8:02 and Frank is beginning to worry. He rushes upstairs and anxiously opens his bedroom door, only to find that his bed is empty. Frank’s heart drops to the floor as he sits on the edge of the bed. Frank takes a good, long look at the photograph on his nightstand. It is photo of their wedding with some faint scribbles on the back which read,

“July 4th, 1940.”

Frank’s wife, Ruth, had passed away about six months ago now from cancer and since her passing Frank has been denying the death of his wife, hoping every morning she’ll come down for breakfast just like she did every morning of their 52 years of marriage.

Trapped on a Music Box by Steven with a V for Victory Kramer

“What do you see? You people gazing at me? You see a doll on a music box that’s wound by a key. How can you tell I’m under a spell I’m waiting for love’s first kiss. You cannot see how much I long to be free, turning around on this music box that’s wound by a key. Yearning. Yearning. While I’m turning around and around… ” Lyrics to “Doll On a Music Box” in Chitty Chitty Bang Bang (1968)

A quote from the poor doll on a music box that only comes alive when her key is turned. I have always felt for the doll. I feel most alive whenever my sign language key is wound and everything is wonderful and I want to make the world more deaf friendly, but before I know it, my key has unwound and I can no longer move and I am trapped with all the other responsibilities of living. One day, the spell will be broken and I will be able to leave the music box and make a difference in the world. One could easily guess that the music box I am on is school and my past experience. Each time my key is wound, I have an opportunity to practice changing the world on the safety of the box. Eventually, I will leave the box to make a large impact. This leads me to my life goal of becoming a pharmacist who knows American Sign Language. I have said many times that when deaf people go to a pharmacy or hospital, many concerns may be on the patients’ mind; the last should be if they will be understood. My plan of action is completing the sign language certificate program at Southwestern Illinois College while at the same time, working on my Pharm. D from STLCOP. Clearly easier said than done. I will also look for ways that I can meet the Deaf and benefit the Deaf around the world. This goal follows the six characteristics of an effective goal. One, the goal is challenging as it is Pharmacy School after all. Two, the goal is attainable as I have read about an ASL pharmacist on the web, so if she was able to obtain the goal, I can too. Three, the goal is specific. I want to work with the Deaf. Four, the goal is time-limited. The plan is to graduate in seven years. Five, the goal is positive. I will change the world one person at a time until disabled does not mean less than human. Six, the goal is flexible. I have different options to support the Deaf as I could practice communicating as I meet with them or I could take the courses to become sign certified. In life, we have many opportunities to accomplish our dreams. By making goals, we create a plan on how to reach them. Eventually though, we have to take that step off the box.

My Verse by Kunhee Lee

Yeah, ugh, this is my verse. I’m spittin it out better than Wiz Khalifa Eminem has nothing on me 2Chainz can’t even hang Schoolboy Q can go back to school Drake is baked Kanye West named his kid north Lil Wayne is always trippin Kid Cudi isn’t a man I’ll step right over Mac Miller on my way to the top of the rap universe Watch out everyone, Kunhee Lee is coming. So hit this

Poems and Story by Abigail Jacobs

The Tree

My past is a tree. My roots mounted in the ground filled with memories, My bark marked from years of weather, with many more to come. Leaves relaxing on branches, and falling as the seasons change. Occasionally a bird comes, makes a nest, and stays a while, attentive until it is time to go. I see people passing by my tree; Some hiking, some strolling, some jogging or jamming, But they are all headed to my roots, ready to trip. Instead of giving warning, I am quiet, patient and careful, I wait until they come to me, crying like the wind Only then can they understand and reminisce. My tree is not the only tree in the forest.

Fruits of the Spirit

Love: what all people should strive towards Joy: what keeps you striving Peace: what helps you remember to love Patience: when you have peace Kindness: when love is near Goodness: what comes of the others Faith: houses all of them

Flipping the Script

Once there was a prince and he was quite distressed. His parents, the queen and king wanted him to be married immediately. They wanted their son, the next heir to the throne, to have a suitable wife to rule it with him. So his mother sent out invitations inviting all of the fairest princesses from many lands around their castle. One by one the girls came. Some of them short, some of them fat, some of the ugly and some of them very beautiful. Each time that the prince would meet with one of the girls, something would go terribly wrong during their time together. The first princess was a very large woman. They could barely find her a seat in the castle that was big enough to fit her comfortably. The next princess looked like quite the catch. She had on fine clothes, her hair was shiny like the sun in beautiful perfected curls. It was not until he saw the princess eat, that the prince realized she was not a princess but a pig instead. And so the courting went on. Each maiden having something very wrong with her, and the prince was never satisfied.

Late one night, a young woman knocked at the castle door. It seemed as if she had been riding her horse through the countryside, and the horse began spooked and ran and ran through all kinds of weather, and she was in need of shelter for the night. Being the kind man that he was, the prince opened the castle doors to let the young woman in. As she stepped into the light, the prince realized how beautiful this young girl actually was. “Who is this beautiful creature?” the prince asked himself. As she took off her coat, she introduced herself as Princess Ella. “This cannot be true,” the prince thought to himself. “It is fate that we have met here tonight,” declared the prince to the princess. “My mother is looking for a princess to become my bride and help me rule the kingdom someday.”

“Oh, is this so?” replied the princess.

At that moment, the queen entered, questioning who this strange girl was and what she was doing in the castle. As the prince began explaining Princess Ella’s situation, the queen became silent. All she could mutter was “Very well,” while she gave the princess a smug look of disbelief and disapproval, “I will be back,” she stated. With his mother gone, the prince began talking and laughing away with the princess. When the queen returned, she informed the princess that she had prepared a special room for her to sleep in so that she could get a good night’s sleep. As they approached the room, the princess could only see a cloud of white. When they reached the room, the princess peered towards the ceiling in amazement as she witnessed 20 white mattresses stacked on top of each other with a ladder leaning on the side in order to climb onto the top mattress. “I hope you find your sleeping arrangements pleasing,” proclaimed the queen.

“Why yes, thank you again for allowing me to stay,” the princess hesitantly replied.

As the princess climbed the numerous rungs of the ladder to reach the top of her bed, the prince saw what the queen had done and scolded her. “How could you do this to the woman that I love? The woman that I want to marry?” pleaded the prince.

“We will just see what kind of a princess she really is in the morning,” declared the queen. The darkness of night faded and the sun awoke with the sound of the rooster crow. The prince awoke and ran to Ella’s room to see how she was doing. The queen joined her son to see if the princess had noticed the pea that she had placed under the lowest mattress, a true test of royalty in those days.

Ella awoke and complained about how she had a terrible sleep, and she felt like something was protruding into her side all night. At that the princess began to rifle through the mattress to see what was hurting her. While searching blindly with her hand, she felt something and with that pulled out a mouse! “Gus Gus, what are you doing down there?” replied Ella. The queen screamed and the prince gazed in amazement as this princess had a pet mouse that she was talking to. “He must have been hungry; he looks like he ate well!” said the princess. “Everyone I would like you to meet Gus gus; he was a gift from the man I will marry today! He Is a sweet man and likes to call me Cinderella. Thank you again for allowing me to stay here; I must be going though. Before I go, do you happen to have any peas; those are Gus Gus’ favorite!”

Lily in Candyland by Rachel Ghazarian

As Lily made her way into the classroom, she breathed a sigh of sadness at another new school year. She knew it would be a long day of boring school work and it felt like she had hardly had a summer. Lily looked behind her and waved to her mom one last time and continued to enter her classroom. This year she would be a second grader and Mrs. Turner was her new teacher. Lazily she put her backpack in her cubby and carefully scanned the room for the perfect desk. There in the back, left corner was the one. Lily quickly made her way to the desk and took her seat.

Other children soon funneled into the classroom.

“Good morning everyone,” Mrs. Turner exclaimed happily. “How many of you are excited to start second grade?”

Lily watched as countless children raised their hands. To pass the time, she began looking around her desk. As she inspected, she noticed a strange object in the back of the desk. She reached and reached, but she couldn’t grab it. With a second attempt, Lily scooted her chair back so that she could use her entire arm and shoulder to reach the back of the desk. Suddenly, there was a gust of wind and the room went dark. Lily screamed, closed her eyes, and waited for the teacher to help her. Then, everything went quiet. Stunned by whatever had just happened, Lily opened her eyes to find herself not in her classroom, but in a new place that she didn’t recognize. Everywhere she looked there was candy. Giant rainbow lollipops, slides made out of Twizzlers, roads made out of Nerds, there was a candy for everything. Lily blinked and rubbed her eyes and slowly realized what had happened.

“Hello there, friend!”

Lily turned to the strange voice and saw a tall man with a cane and top hat standing to the right of her. He smiled at Lily and told her that she was in Candyland. She could imagine any kind of candy contraption she wanted and it would appear. Lily couldn’t believe where she was; how did she end up here and how could she stay here forever? She ran to the giant candy slide and began to climb to the

top. The ladder was made out of spun sugar and gum. When she got to the top of the ladder, she looked around and was amazed at the size of Candyland.

“I never want to leave here,” Lily shouted!

As Lily was about to sit down to make her decent on the slide, she lost her footing and began to fall backwards. She attempted to scream, but nothing came out. Just as she was about to hit the ground she closed her eyes tightly, praying someone would save her. But she never hit ground.

Lily opened one eye to see that she was back in her classroom. The entire class was looking at her confused and her teacher was rushing over to her side.

“Lily are you okay? Why are you screaming?” Lily tried to process what had just happened, but couldn’t understand. She instantly began to cry. She must have been daydreaming. Mrs. Turner told Lily that she could go to the nurse and call her mom.

Fifteen minutes later, Lily’s mom arrived at school to pick her up. As she got into the car, she realized her shoe had something stuck on the bottom. When she looked, she realized that there was a large piece of gum stuck to her foot with a piece of candy in it. Lily instantly paused and smiled to herself.

Poems and Story by Justin Jacob

Music Headphones in, jamming to my favorite song Oblivious to the quietness of the trail, as I hiked along Strolling over roots and attentive to my steps I looked up to see the birds, singing in their nests The leaves tripped upon one another as they fell It was a scene that I knew well Taking time to relax, as I leaned onto bark I patiently waited for the next song to start Careful not to slip, I jogged back alone I finally found myself back at home Guitar He was in awe as he held it up The cold wooden body against his arm The long scuffed neck that had its charm Tuning the sounds to be in harmony So when he played it, it sounded like sweet honey

Dilemma by Justin Jacob

It was a cold early morning when I woke up to get ready for work. As usual, as I got out of my bed, I took a fresh new towel and went straight into the shower. After I was done taking the shower, I dressed up, put on my white coat and quickly left my apartment and rushed into my car. As I started the engine and drove away from my apartment, I had a feeling that I left something important. However, I did not have time to go back because I had a long way to drive. After about twenty minutes of driving, I realized I was missing my wallet and my phone. I was rushing to go to work and I had forgotten to take them with me. I could not go back since the distance to work from home was far away. I started to freak out a little bit but I knew needed to calm down. I told myself that everything was going to be alright as long as cops do not pull me over. After few minutes of realizing what had happened, I stopped at a red light. While I stopped, I was very nervous about not having a phone and a wallet.

It was the longest red light of my life. The entire time I was waiting, I was fretfully contemplating whether I should go back and get my wallet and phone or get to work on time. After what seemed to be an eternity, the light turned green and I started to drive again. I turned on the radio to calm myself down. The song “Baby Come Back” by Player started playing. It was a sign! I didn’t have to make the decision myself. At the next light I pulled a U-turn and gunned it home. The next song was “Apologize” by One Republic. Then I thought that I couldn’t be late and I pulled another U-turn at stoplight.

After passing a few stoplights, I saw red and blue flashing lights in my rearview mirror. I sunk into my seat as I pulled over. This could not get any worse. The officer walked up to my window as I pulled it down and asked me, “Young man, do you know why I pulled you over?”

“No sir,” I replied.

“You took an illegal u-turn at that light back there.”

“I’m sorry officer. I forgot my phone and name badge at home, and I am going to be late for work,” I said with a sigh, hoping that he would let me off with a warning and not ask for my license.

“Alright son, stay right here, I’ll be right back,” the officer said after a short pause. After a few minutes he came back. “Ok young man, I’m letting you off with a warning. Don’t forget to turn off your turn signal, have a nice day,” he said as he nodded to me and walked away.

Confused at first, I realized that the best outcome of the situation just happened. Getting back on the road, I decided to just go to work since I lost time getting pulled over. 10 minutes late, I walked into work and was about to clock in.

“What are you doing here?”

I turned around to see the pharmacist staring at me. “I’m scheduled for today,” I replied slightly confused.

“No you’re not, you’re scheduled for next weekend,” she said with a laugh.

“Ughhh, all that for nothing,” I said with a big sigh.

Rollercoaster by Elizabeth Lemma

Rollercoasters are nothing but torture devices. I have no idea why anyone would willingly climb into a rectangular-shaped train of death.

My friends are terrible people. Truly. I told them I had no intention of coming anywhere near these death devices, yet they insisted saying, “Don’t be silly. Toughen up and come with us.” They also threatened to end their friendship with me, and I was considering it, but then they also threw in the fact that they could tell everyone about some of the most embarrassing things that have happened to me. After that little piece of blackmail, I caved. I mean, there are some things that should never be shared. Worth risking my life? Maybe.

So we head over to those ancient-looking rollercoasters. I mean, it looked like a wooden prototype of what rollercoasters used to look like before they added safety harnesses and other equipment. I supposed I should start writing my will right then.

Panic started to set in as we got inside this old, creaky, wooden rollercoaster. The worker there pushed a button and the ride began. At first, the ride moved slowly. Okay, I thought to myself, this isn’t so bad. Boy was I an idiot.

The rollercoaster began picking up speed and I held on tightly to my seat. Then, it began to slow down as it edged closer and closer to the top of the hill. Just as it was about to plunge into my worst nightmare, something even worse happened. The rollercoaster stopped moving.

We were stuck. Oh, dear God, we were trapped. I began hyperventilating. My friends did their best to calm me down, but it was no use. I was hysterical and a little dizzy. Before I knew it, I began throwing up on the side of the rollercoaster. It wasn’t a pretty sight.

I NEEDED to calm down, I thought to myself. I am literally making myself sick! After shutting my eyes and taking a few deep breaths, I felt myself relaxing just a little bit.

But then, the ride started again, and we plunged head first down the hill. I screamed my head off and cried and cried. Once the ride ended, I jumped off the rollercoaster and ran straight to the nearest bathroom. Sometimes, I really hate my friends.

Poems by Daniel McGraw Summer and School

Englyn by Dan McGraw When summer starts I will be happy When school starts I will be sad He was dumb enough to fight-----he was small When summer starts I’ll feel free In this hall for what’s right When school starts I’ll feel trapped He fought with all of his might When summer starts I’ll be worry free The bigger boy soon took flight. When school starts I’ll be stressed to the max

Does It Matter? by Casey Moore

Does it matter? The past, present, future What happens after?

Some people try hard to flatter Others slack off without a care Does it matter?

Life is about power How can I be better than everyone else? What happens after?

Some people make it to own a large manor Others struggle day to day Does it matter?

Nobody seems concerned about what happened before It’s not about where we came from, but where we’re going What happens after?

Is there someone to who we must answer? A divine being in the sky? Does it matter What happens after?

Poem and Story by Kelsi (Padaokoula) Moua

The Wildlife Biologist’s Incomplete Project I drive fast out to him I tell him to stop The setting is perfect He says, “It’s harvesting season, The soil is calm So I need to plow my crop” I’m listening for deer We argue for moments With my rifle in my palm I say, “My research is due soon-” My game cam is ready And he yells “- But I need to plant!” The rain is finally gone Then yell, “But deer come out in the I’ve been counting the days for this afternoon!” But then there’s Farmer John This is going no where Binoculars to my face I leave him behind John begins to drive The rain and now this?! He’s starting his tractor I guess I’ll have to shoot next time My truck comes alive

“Silly Sally” Sally was going through the closet and throwing out things she no longer needed. College was starting in two weeks and there was a lot of packing to do. As she sorted, she came across a box marked Sally Preschool- 6th grade. She opened it and at the top of it, was a sparkly heart shaped card with purple flowers on it. At first she was confused as to why this card was in this box, but when she remembered, she started laughing. She suddenly was brought back to her four-year-old days… Sally knew that Mother’s Day was coming up. Or at least that’s what the preschool teacher said anyways. Her classmate Jenny said she and her older brother bought Mother Day cards and flowers for their mother. Sally loved her mother and wanted to do the same. The day before Mother’s Day, Mom, Grandpa, and Sally went to the grocery store. She wanted to surprise Mom but needed help from Grandpa with buying a card. This was going to be tricky since Mom was there too. While Mom was busy looking at vegetables, Sally pulled her grandpa aside. “Grandpa, I want to get a card for mommy but I don’t know how to pay for it”, Sally whispered. “Can you help me?” “Oh? That is so sweet of you, Sally. Yes, of course. We will have to sneak off while your mom is busy though” he winked. As Mom got a phone call, Sally and Grandpa made an escape towards the cards section. There were so many cards and in so many different sizes and colors! Sally didn’t know which one to pick. Suddenly, the sparkly pink card in the shape of a heart caught her eye. It had fancy cursive letters and pretty purple flowers on it. She had no idea what it said but it was such a beautiful card! Mommy would love this, she thought. “Grandpa, I like this one! What about this one?! ” Sally exclaimed. “Mmm… I forgot to bring my glasses… but that sure looks like a pretty card”, grandpa said as he squinted his eyes. Sally giddily picked out a bouquet of roses and drew a picture of her and Mom in the card. After purchasing, she and grandpa snuck out to the car and put the gifts in the trunk. When Mom asked where they went, Sally just smiled. The next day, as soon as Sally woke up, she grabbed the card and flowers and ran off to wake her mother up. She was so excited to surprise Mom and ran down the hall as fast as her little legs could carry her. “MOMMY MOMMY, WAKE UP!! I HAVE SOMETHING FOR YOU!” she shrieked with excitement as she pounced on her parent’s bed. “What’s this?” her mother asked in surprise. “Here! It’s for you! Happy Mother’s Day, Mommy. I picked the card all by myself!” Sally proudly announced as she handed her mother her gifts. “Oh, you are so sweet!” Mom said as she scooped up Sally into her lap. As Mom read it, she began laughing. “What’s so funny? What does it say?” Sally asked in confusion. “Thank you so much!!” Mom chuckled as she kissed Sally’s forehead. Today, Sally understood what her mother was laughing about. The card read “To my Wonderful Wife on our 50th Anniversary”. Silly Sally, she thought to herself as she laughed.

Lost by Veronica Ann LaBoube So much precious time wasted on cruel words. Many nights full of damp cheeks and hatred. You scream loud, more constant than chirping birds. Your charm faded, this is over my head.

When did you become this, fill me with fear. Never wanted to be this, blind with love. I cannot stand watching you disappear. Is this what relationships consist of?

I stay positive, give a second chance. Wishing you would realize how bad this looks. View from my perspective, give us a glance. This story so tragic, won't be in books.

I gave you everything, how is this fair? At least now I can begin to repair.

Poems and Story by Brenda Kim

My Window Calm after the Storm

Staring out the windowsill, I see Full with hope and joy The friendly hands waving out to me No regrets, no looking back Like a dance they sway back and forth Hoping it will last forever Opening the windows, I hear But time doesn’t stop The melody of life floating through my ears It keeps moving on Like a whisper it goes on by Into turbulence and fury It rages on But this too shall pass And serenity will visit Calming the storms And calm will take its place

Need a Lawnmower? Little Bo Peep got her name due to her height of 5’1’’ and weight of 100 pounds. Bo Peep loved her sheep, but often lost them in the overgrown backyard weeks for she was so petite and couldn’t see her beloved sheep. Every night, when her mother expected her home, she would pray that her lost sheep would come home and every morning, she would radiate with joy when her sheep returned to the pasture they were raised on. One day, as Bo Peep was tending to her sheep, she felt sleep dawning on her as the sun kissed her cheeks. She yawned once, twice and then slowly closed her eyes. A little nap wouldn’t hurt she thought before she drifted off to sleep. Opening her eyes, it was dark all around. Oh-no! Bo Peep’s mother would be so worried. Bo Peep couldn’t’ see her sheep in the overgrown backyard weeds and had to trust that her sheep would return as they always did in the morning. Hesitantly, she went home and hoped that her sheep would be okay. Morning came and her sheep weren’t home. Devastated, Bo Peep told her parents that she needed a lawn mower. She needed to take care of those overgrown weeds so that she could see her sheep and never lose them again. Her mother was hesitant to buy her one, but Bo Peep showed her an advertisement in Post Classified for lawn mowers. Her mother was captivated by the sleek design and the efficiency that the advertisement claimed to have. That very day, they went to town to buy a lawn mower and as soon as they returned home, Bo Peep began to mow the weeds down. To her delight, Bo Peep found half of her sheep after mowing down a good portion of the weeds. She led them back home and then went out to find the remaining sheep. She continued to mow until she found the rest and decided that she would always keep good care of the backyard weeds so that they would never be overgrown again. From that day forth, Little Bo Peep never lost her sheep again. Okay, maybe I’m exaggerating. She did lose them when she fell asleep for they ran into the neighbors pasture, but she found them again the next morning.

Layla by Richard Ngo-Lam, Nancy Quan, Brenda Kim, Justin Jacob and Drew Pentland

Long ago, two races ruled the Earth: humans and monsters. A great war broke out between them, with both sides incurring devastating casualties. But the humans vastly outnumbered the monsters, their power too great. The humans emerged victorious and sealed the surrendering monsters underground with a magic spell. Anything could enter this barrier, but nothing could leave. The barrier could only be broken with the combined power of seven human souls. And with so few entrances to this underworld, the odds of a human stumbling into it were infinitesimally small. Over time, the war and the very existence of monsters faded into legend…

Many years later, a young child scaled the rugged peaks of Mount Ebott. It was fabled that those who climbed this treacherous mountain never returned. The child, stumbling about with eyes brimming with tears, saw neither the twisted root at its feet nor the gaping maw in the earth ahead. Its shoe

caught the root and the child fell. Fell for what seemed like miles. The child squeezed its eyes shut, wondering whether this would finally be the end. But the end never came…

The child landed on something soft. Opening its eyes one by one, it observed a bed of golden sunflowers. But it was dark all around. How could flowers grow in a place with no sunlight?

Mount Ebott, it turned out, was an illusion created from the barrier in order to prevent unwelcome souls from entering the barrier. For those who were not ‘chosen,’ Mount Ebott would become a living nightmare and they would forever be stuck walking in circles, never to be seen again. On the other hand, the chosen ones would be led to the land of no sunlight. That is where the heroine of our story landed, and this is where her story begins.

She slowly got up from where she had landed, still mystified by how the flowers flourished and glowed gold despite the seemingly forever darkness. “Layla…,” said a familiar voice. She turned, eyes widening, as she searched left and right for the owner of the voice. She knew that she had heard this voice before. That’s right! It was from the same dream she had for as long as she could remember. The dream always had seven faceless figures, each decorated with golden sunflowers. The voice would then say, “May the seven righteous ones meet at Ebott to bring about harmony between the races.” Then the dream would end abruptly.

“Layla...” the voice said again, softer this time. She started to walk toward the edge of the sunflower bed. Her head hit violently against a wall that curved inward. She was not in a cavern whose flowers extended for an eternity, but rather she was in a very small room. Rubbing her head, she stepped back from the wall and started to grope around. She figured there must be a door of some kind. Layla was clever; she knew that only traps had one way entrances. This couldn’t be a trap because traps didn’t have people who whisper after the prey was already inside. The trap must be a little further.

As she continued to reach for any signs of a door, she came upon a small metal hook that jutted from the sheer stone walls.

“Hmmmm...” Layla thought to herself, “That’s interesting.” The hook felt as if it were only the size of a quarter. It was not smooth either, like most hooks this size were. Layla could feel that this hook had very small and ornate designs carved into it.

Layla looped her finger in the hook and tugged, but nothing happened. After about five minutes of fruitless effort, Layla decided to continue looking around the room.

She found nothing. She even spent upwards of an hour looking around the roots of all the sunflowers but could find nothing.

“Layla...,” the voice continued, “Layla...”

“What!?” Layla screamed back at the voice, “What do you want!?”

Layla’s face was getting hot. She hated when she couldn’t figure something out. Obviously there must be a way out of here.

“Hmmmm,” Layla pondered, “The voice keeps saying my name. Maybe I’m important here.”

She took the voice as a clue to how to solve the puzzle and she returned to the hook. She tried twisting it; it wouldn’t budge. She spit on it; it only got slippery. She plucked a glowing sunflower to try and use the light to see what the markings on it were.

The hook was small and appeared to be the same color as the stone it jutted out from. It appeared to be covered in strange symbols. Layla had no idea what these symbols meant. She could only read her native Icelandic alphabet and a little bit of the English Common Language. These symbols did look familiar, however. Layla had seen once in her library the alphabet of the Burmese people. She didn’t know how to read it, but she did recognize it.

“That’s strange. What would the Burmese alphabet be used for here? I’m in Iceland!”

“Layla...” the voice continued.

“Ugghhh...OK. Maybe I’m a piece of the puzzle. After all, this stupid voice keeps saying my name.”

Layla tried attaching various parts of her clothing to the hook. Her shirt: nothing happened. The belt loop of her pants: nothing happened. Her shoe: nothing happened. She put her mouth around the hook: nothing happened. She plucked a lock of her hair and put it through the hook: a click. She heard what sounded like a stone ball hitting a stone floor and rolling for a bit. Then various mechanical gear movements. The entire floor shifted. Layla was knocked off balance and stumbled. The entire round floor of the small room she was encapsulated in started to move downward. At the base of the round wall she saw a ray of dim blue light shine through. The space widened and she found that she was on a large platform in the middle of huge open chamber hewn entirely from stone. She was moving down on her bed of sunflowers until the platform she was on reached the ground. She heard several more clicks as the platform she was on met flush with the ground. Layla looked around and felt an intense feeling of fear wash over her.

“Layla...” the voice continued, as Layla’s vision faded to white.

Slowly regaining her vision, Layla stood up and brushed herself off. When she looked around herself, Layla was astonished. She was surrounded by light and dark at the same time. There were floating rocks that had a heavenly glow in an empty black space. Each rock was about the size of a football field, and a golden door was etched into each rock. Amazed at the sight of it all, Layla strangely felt at home.

“Layla...” the voice continued.

Layla turned around to see a man in shining armor and holding a golden staff.

“Layla, my daughter, I did not think you would find this place so quickly,” the man said with open arms.

“Daughter? My father died in the last war before I was born. Who are you?” Layla said, confused.

“My name is Aikonus. I am the guardian of Ttobe, but more importantly, I am your father.”

“What? I don’t understand! Where am I? I was just on top of Mount Ebott. And I already told you, my father di—” Layla became speechless as Aikonus showed her his necklace. The pendant was a ring that had a tree with seven branches in the center. It looked exactly like the one she was given by her mother who said it was from her father. Layla touched her necklace as she stared at Aikonus’.

“I told your mother to give that to you, when you were old enough to walk on your own,” Aikonus said.

Aikonus gave Layla a golden stick and she looked at him and said “no...”

“Yes, my daughter. You are a Jedi warrior”

Layla started to train with her father to become a Jedi warrior. They trained for months until she became a master of the Force. She knew that there was a chance she would die against the monsters, but she wanted to take her chances and accept her fate.

“Goodbye, Father.”

Layla walked towards the secret base of the monsters and lit up her lightsaber. She destroyed everything the monsters had and restored harmony and balance to the world. Crowds erupted with applause. She was a hero and she felt like she was on top of the world. Humans made temples and statues in her name. Suddenly, everything started to fade.

“Layla! Wake up!”

Layla woke up as her friends pushed her to wake up.

“Was this all just a dream?”

Yes it was. Everything was just a dream, and she realized she needed to finish her Creative Writing assignment before the end of class.

My Run by Abbey Meers It is a bright beautiful morning this summer day in San Diego. I quietly arise trying not to disturb the sweet, resting eyes of my cousins. I pull tight the laces of my purple running shoes and tip toe out the large brown door. The gentle ocean breeze caresses my face and the sting of salt fills my nostrils. I close my eyes and let the warm sun heat up my cool morning face. Putting one foot in front of the other along the hot pavement, I begin my running expedition. I feel my pounding heart beat quicken and my legs loosening with every step Adrenaline flowing through my veins giving me a surge of radical energy I accelerate forward feeling salty sweat arise and streak down my face. I keep a steady pace with the constant inhale and exhale of my lungs. With the beach just over my shoulder, the sounds of crashing waves Splattering against the delicate shoreline fill my ears and urges me forward. I ran and ran and exhausted all of my energy until I finally made back to their home. Muscles sore and weak, but my mind ever racing to various activities we could Accomplish today. My morning run is the kick start I needed to begin my day.

College by Jenny Patel

Today is the day My life takes a different spin A scary place Away from my family Away from my friends I don’t know if I’m ready Things will change a lot A new environment Strangers everywhere Sometimes it’s good for a change Opportunities arise Obstacles will come I will have to conquer them Buts that’s just college

Poems and Story by Richard Ngo-Lam

Fat Chance at Living His pantry was as clogged as an occluded artery His abdomen as inflated as the bags of salty potato chips lining the shelves His face as round as the pizza leaving grease stains in the oven His limbs as gelatinous as the chocolate pudding wobbling to his thunderous footsteps His breath as fruity as the orange soda sloshing about in his gastric fluids At the prime age of twenty-eight His daily exercise consisted of stumbling to the kitchen And squeezing through the doorway He was already at the beginning of the end But perhaps in his mind Or his heart Or his belly It was better to go down in sweet, caloric splendor Than to stand in dull, tasteless hunger

Harry Potter and the Creative Kwansaba One shall live, the other shall die The two shall wage an epic battle Harry needs three Hallows to cheat Death Life at Number Four Privet Drive stinks He fights off about five Death Eaters Attends magic school for only six years Destroys a Horcrux, but where’s the seventh?

Barack Obama and the Misogynistic Republican by Richard Ngo-Lam

Former United States President Barack Obama hopped off his broomstick and walked across the Quidditch field to meet the ambassador from California. To his surprise, the ambassador was not a witch, wizard, or muggle, but a mop. At Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, enchanted cleaning supplies were not an unusual sight. Upon closer inspection, however, it turned out to be not a mop, but a dog. It appeared to be a Puli, a type of Hungarian Sheepdog. Its thick white locks obscured any indication that it was a living, breathing organism. Obama kneeled down and scratched the dog behind his ears. To his surprise, the dog jumped back and let out an uncannily human bark. “Oi! Watch where you itchin’, bloke!” the dog exclaimed in a husky voice. Startled, Obama whipped out his government-subsidized wand. “Y-you can talk! What is this sorcery?” “Watch where you’re pointing that thing! It ain’t sorcery, bub. It’s technology. The name’s Beast, and I’m here on behalf of Mark Zuckerberg. Y’know, the ambassador from the Golden State, California. Zucks isn’t a fan of magic, politics, or the British, so he sent me instead. What you’re hearing is actually speech-generating device for animals, engineered by Mr. Zuckerberg himself. After achieving near world-domination through Facebook and giving away ninety-nine percent of his shares, the guy doesn’t have anything better to do with his time.” Slowly, Obama lowered his wand. “Well then, Beast. It is a pleasure to meet you. I have nothing but the utmost respect for Mr. Zuckerberg, and surely I ought to show the same respect to his beloved pet. What brings you all the way to Hogwarts this fine afternoon?” “I’ll get straight to the point. The U.S. needs you back, man. Donald Trump got elected and it’s a dystopia. The economy sucks, child vaccinations are banned, and women have been enslaved, including our beloved Priscilla Chan!” Obama surveyed the Quidditch field to ensure that no one was within earshot, then lowered his voice to a whisper. “Look pal, there’s a reason I left that godforsaken country behind as well as you awful muggles. This is exactly why muggles are the worst kind of people. Your folks have done nothing but spread violence and hate. Why would I give up my life here as a wizard? After discovering Quidditch, I could never go back to basketball.” “What if I told you that your ex-wife has been taken prisoner as well?” Tears crept into Obama’s eyes. Michelle. The love of his life. He had left behind beauty and brains in pursuit of the enchanted life, which the muggle-born Mrs. Obama could not take part of. Even though she spurned him for it, he still loved her dearly. “C’mon Beast, let’s go. With magic on our side, we will trump Trump!” The two hopped on Obama’s Nimbus 5000 and took off to Yankee skies.

Flu shot by Steven Pham Sharp syringe draws close The needle pierces the arm Acute pain ensues

The Pod By: Justin Vadukumcherry, Bobby Varghese, Afreen Ziauddin, Blake Stigall, Vy Trinh

The year is 2034 and the United States created a space station on the planet Mars. Every five years an astronaut signs a 5 year contract stating their duties on Mars. They must collect and observe for any traces of life and then send quantitative and qualitative data back to earth for further analysis. The program’s name is SFEL or Search For Extraterrestrial Life. The program began nearly 10 years ago and so far has been extremely successful. The most recent employee to be stationed on Mars is Robert Smith. Smith is a 28 year old astronaut, who has always pursued a dream of going to space. He was a prodigy since the time he was a young boy. He would always look to the stars hoping they could answer the questions that man could never answer for himself . His curiosity for life elsewhere was unstoppable and his determination to study the amazing things in the cosmos led him to choose a career in astronomy. His passion for the subject fueled his unparalleled success, and NASA was eager to recruit such a brilliant mind. The time is June 2, 2034 and Robert has only 2 weeks left of his contract and then he gets to go back home. Robert was deployed in 2029 and has been committed to his work until now. He is growing weary from the effects of space and he is becoming disillusioned with his tasks. He is dying to go home, but there is some work that still needs to be done before he can leave. Robert fixes all technical issues with the space machines and only has one more day left. Finally, the long awaited day has come. Robert is ready to go back home. He has all his items packed and makes contact with home base. They tell him to get in his pod and the pod will automatically be sent to Earth’s coordinates. He agrees and gets in. Suddenly there is a hissing sound and the door rapidly shuts. Gas begins to pour in and Robert is having extreme trouble breathing.

The pod drops immediately before Robert can signal to the captain of his respiratory distress. He couldn’t signal his fellow astronauts because they were all busy mentally preparing for the drop. He starts coughing and breathing but the carbon monoxide was starting to fill the entirety of the pod. Outside the window he could see that Mars was no longer in view. He was completely surrounded by darkness. Robert took a few deep breaths and started feeling lightheaded. He tried to retain as much energy as he could and started taking shallow, less frequent breathes so as to conserve more oxygen. While taking milder breathes, he took a 360 turn around the pod looking for something that might aid his trouble breathing. Finally, he found an ‘in case of emergency’ lever and out came a tank of O2 and a breathing mask. Without hesitation, he pulled the mask over his head and spun the O2 tank to about 95% Sat. Slowly, but surely, Robert regained normal breathing patterns and noticed that below him he was reaching his destination. Just in time! He thought as he was breathing more and more 02. Soon 1000 km turned into 500 km and before he knew it, he had a beautiful view of a tropical island. The sun was finally in his realm of sight as he was lowering into the cumulonimbosphere. He turned off the O2 tank and took off the mask so he could move closer to the window. Robert had never been to an island before, because he’d always either been at school or training to become an astronaut. Leisure time was very scarce for astronauts these days! Being on this island was a truly rewarding experience for him. The pod was starting to shut off as the baseline reached closer and closer to the golden sand beach. About ten minutes later, the pod landed and the door slid open as Robert finally faced the island.

He took a step out on the warm, crunchy sand while wondering if this island had any inhabitants….

Robert took his first steps on the sand, feeling his weight dig into the sand that was so unfamiliar to him now. He took small steps at first, not wanting to get ahead of himself, trying to make sense of the situation. He was home. He was now back on Earth. He took every aspect of his returning to

home one step at a time. Breathing in the fresh air, Robert felt a sense of gratitude for not having to constantly breath though a machine. Walking around under the supervision of gravity, watching the waves go back and forth between the shore as the sun peaked, Robert felt at ease but also felt a sense of accomplishment of what he had just done. As he walked towards shore, Robert didn’t realize that these very last moments would be the ones he would struggle to remember and make sense of later on.

As he walked further towards the shore, hoping to take off his gear and enjoy the sensation of waves and the sand, the next moments happened in slow motion. He remembered walking, taking slow steps in his gear, and all of a sudden he felt himself in the air. It left him confused, as if he was in a dream. Morsels of sand and rocks were afloat around him as he was in the air in those moments. This wasn’t right; his mind wondered. What was going on? In those short moments that played so slowly, he could hear nothing. It was faint, that moment. All he could be sure of was seeing the waves continue to hit the shore back and forth, seeing the sun shining high above the beach, incognizant of what was occurring. After that, all he saw was blackness.

Robert regained his consciousness and still saw blackness around him. His ears felt weird, as if someone had stuffed a whole pack of cotton balls in them. The water from shore had made its way towards where he was laying down, moving back and forth as usual. He struggled to get up. His body felt limp and beat. He noticed tears in his suit, rubble all over along with sand that stuck to his hands and face. He wondered how long he had been this way, and what had happened. Looking behind him, he saw the culprit of the problem. The pod that had taken him to the island was nothing but a million pieces of metal. He wondered how this could be. What had caused it to explode? The real question was: how was he supposed to get back home now? Surely NASA had tracked the location of the pod by now. They would be here any minute, he thought optimistically.

He felt lucky that his pod had not exploded with him in it. He knew he never would have been able to see his family again. Robert remained optimistic the first few days on the island. He just thought that NASA would soon be out to get him. Lucky for Robert, his father was quite the outdoorsman and they had gone on quite a few camping trips in his youth. He had built himself a shelter and had a fire. During the day he burnt as much live foliage as he could in order to produce smoke. The island was quite grown over, it did not seem to be well inhabited. He had yet to find others on the island, and if there were others, they had yet to find him. He tried not to wander too far so he could return to his camp before dark. After a few days, Robert began to worry. “They’ll never find me” he thought. The fruit trees and berries weren’t sustaining him as well as he’d like. He had hardly caught any fish during this time and was ready for a hunt. He thought he would use this opportunity to better explore the island. He wouldn’t return to his camp until he had caught himself a meal fit for a king. After all, he was king of his island. His first day away from camp he set traps, hoping to catch rabbits or if he was lucky, a wild pig. His first night proved to be an unlucky one. Only one trap had been hit, but the animal got away. Each day he moved further away from his original camp towards the other side of the island. On his third night, Robert was startled awake by a terrifying cry for help. It sounded human; he was both terrified and excited. Would the man want to hurt him? He was ecstatic there might be others on this seemingly deserted place. He tracked the cry back towards his camp. He found an unkempt, bearded man caught in one of his traps. He had a pretty nasty cut on his leg and was tangled in vines. It turned out the man was just like Robert. An astronaut, whose pod from space went critical and crash landed on the island. He had been surviving on the island for five years. Robert was devastated to hear the news.

Was this his fate? Would he be stuck here with Dave for the rest of his life? Surely not. His family was expecting his return. They would be searching, asking questions, trying to find him.

Dave had been living on the other side of the island. He had heard Robert’s pod explode. When he saw the billowing smoke of Robert’s fires, he knew he had survived and was determined to reach him.

Robert was still unhappy with the news that Dave had been on the island for five years. He was not ready to accept that same fate. “What do we do!?” Robert exclaimed, thinking there must be some way to facilitate their journeys home.

Dave simply responded, “Just as I did. We survive.”

Memory: 16 by Taylor Win Gifts Thank you for being here Black dress Tall wedges No, what do YOU Dinner with the family Want?

High school girls dreamed of I want to ride on This moment. The carousel They wore pink dresses The ride that spins round That sparkled And round They wore tiaras that Your youth passing you by Crowned them Brats I got a ticket, Black dress Not raised to be Tall wedges Self-righteous Sat in a teacup Not raised to be Spinning Proud Spinning faster and faster Black dress So dizzy Tall wedges So funny Dinner with the family Can’t stop laughing Lightheaded What is one thing Drunk from happiness You want today? In one ride I don’t need I had become Money A child again I don’t need

You Are… by Vruti Patel

On a sunny day You are my sunscreen On a rainy day You are my umbrella On a snowy day You are my jacket When I am sick You are my shot of Nyquil When I am happy That’s because of the sweet morning text messages from you At night You are my bright and shining night light The sweet dreams of you help me fall asleep My mornings are always great Waking up to the thought of you being by my side You have become my everything You are the drug that I am addicted to You are my love, my life, and soul And i would love to give you my hand to hold

Poems by Kushbu Patel

Best Friend Being with you is all I need

You are my best friend Being with you is all I need You never let me down If you aren’t there I get scared Always there for me when I needed you the I feel so lonely without you most Without you this world is nothing Cared about me when nobody cared Your love is the only thing I have in this world The fights we had, but we still were best friends You make me so special The gifts that we gave each other That I always want to be with you The days when we talked about boys The shopping mall when we first met You make my sorrows go away Always solved me problems You make is smile everyday You are my best friend Being with you is all I need

The Pyramid By: Mena Khaled, Kunhee Lee, Casey Moore, Kelsey Moua and John Hunter

In 2004 during a really nice morning in Alexandria Egypt my mother suggested that we go to the pyramids to picnic there. My mother prepared food, drinks and packed what we needed for our trip. I remember my mom cooking chicken and making sandwiches; also we had some oranges, apples, and water. We got a taxi and headed through the suburbs of the city of Alexandria towards Cairo. As we went through the city, a feeling of pride and joy filled my heart because you can see the history of the city drawn in its walls. You see the scars and the evidence of advancement. You see traces of destruction and beauty in the same places. The places of this city reflect humanity in its beauty and intelligence. As we passed through the city and got close to Cairo, the Nile River reflected the sun as the day got hotter. You get to a place where the only setting you saw was a river and farms; it gives you a sense of peace and suddenly you feel at one with nature. Finally we arrived at the pyramids. It was literally the best human creation I have ever seen in my life. Pyramids were much bigger than I thought and they grabbed every single tourist’s attention. Many people were taking pictures of beautiful views in their camera and kids were running around the pyramids. There was one thing that stopped me from all these beautiful scenes. There was a flower growing between the stones on top of pyramids. I just could not believe that there was a plant growing in such a small area.

Someone would have needed to plant the seed. The pyramids are guarded constantly to prevent acts of terrorism. That means someone would have needed to climb the pyramids and plant a seed at the top without being detected. I found it interesting that someone would go through all the trouble just to plant a seed.

As I looked at the pyramids some more, I noticed a faint blinking light. I thought it was just the sun reflecting off something so I didn’t pay much attention. I finished my lunch and got up to stretch out. I thought I remembered packing binoculars in my bag. I searched for them and found them. Using them, I was able to see a blinking red light below the flower.

My mother had already gone in the pyramid, so I was unable to ask her if she saw the flower too. Was it just my imagination? They said that people might have hallucinations in the desert. I still found it hard to believe that there would be a flower up there. Unable to make out what it was since I was standing about 1000 yards away, I assumed it was a security camera to watch over the tourists. I began to pack up and to catch up with my mother. As I turned around to collect our things, I heard a huge explosion and suddenly shrieks of terror from the people standing outside the entry. It turned out that the flower security camera had been a bomb “planted” on top of the pyramid! The tourists were running around frantically as the tip of the pyramid crumbled to the ground. There was a cloud of debris and dust and I couldn’t make out what was happening. After a few seconds of shock, I realized my mother was still in there! I ran at full speed directly towards the collapsing pyramid. Surely, this couldn’t have been a terrorist attack. Why would anyone want to destroy one of the most marvelous creations of the ancient world?

As I approached the perimeter of the pyramid, I surveyed the scene for any possible way into the pyramid. Out of the corner of my eye, I noticed a gap just large enough for a person my size to squeeze through. It appeared to be an entrance that was normally off limits to tourists as it was nearly 30 feet above the ground. I began to climb up the few layers of limestone slabs until I reached this opening. Once at the tunnel, I slowly started to army crawl through the darkness. Inch by inch. Finally, I

reached a larger atrium where I heard nearly a dozen trapped people screaming inside. The chamber was dimly lit by what appeared to be safety lights along the borders of the room.

“Mother!” I screamed. It felt as though I were shouting into a void. I had no idea if she was even there...or even alive. However, my cries were heard by all in the chamber. Within minutes, the trapped civilians all began moving towards me. None of them could speak any English. I heard languages that were completely foreign to me. I simply motioned towards the tunnel from which I came. They all looked excited. I surveyed the room one last time for my mother. There were no other ways I could get deeper into the pyramid. This was the end of the road. My mother was gone. The weight of this thought drove me into despair. I immediately began crying.

Sure enough, as I wept, a woman placed her arms around me and began speaking softly. Although I could not understand her, I was sure that they were words of comfort and reassurance. Empowered by her random act of compassion, I regained my strength.

“Follow me!” I yelled, even though my words were meaningless. I motioned to the tunnel one last time and began to crawl just as I had before. I looked back and saw that everyone was waiting at the tunnel within the chamber ready for their chance to escape. I continued through the blackness until I saw the brightest light cut through the darkness like a warrior’s spear. I was going to survive. I would be ok.

With my help, eleven innocent citizens of the world were able to make it out of the pyramid and escape what would have been a miserable death. Local police with an interpreter questioned me. I told them exactly where I found the entrance to the chamber and described my experiences to them. As I was talking, I heard my name called out from a distance. I immediately turned my head in that direction.

“Mother!” I cried out. To my amazement, I saw my mother running towards me! “But how did you…”

“I wasn’t very far into the pyramid when I heard the blast. Once others felt the explosion, we all immediately high-tailed it out of there! I wasn’t in there for but perhaps thirty seconds.” She explained. “When I got outside, I began searching for you. But no matter where I looked, I couldn’t find you. All I saw was the bag with lunch I had packed earlier.”

“Well, what do you say we go sit down somewhere and eat those sandwiches now? Being a hero sure made me work up an appetite!”

We both laughed, embraced, and walked on to an area where we were able to sit down, knowing that even though this attack was awful, that everything would be alright as long as we had each other.

By Haseeb Wajid Monster Scary, Creepy Shrieking, yelling, scaring Witch, Goblin, Blood, Knife Wailing, frightening, killing Foul, Horrid Goblin