King Connor and The Great Ozzie Monster A Fairytale By: Jennifer Cerceo part 1
Long, long ago, deep in the Enchanted Forest, lived the Great Ozzie Monster. He was fierce with piercing brown eyes and daggers for teeth. Many years before, the Great Ozzie Monster had stolen the magical stone that brought summer to the Enchanted Forest. He guarded the magical stone with his mystical powers that kept the magical stone’s rescuers away.
King Connor and his knights had trudged through the mountains of snow and suffered through the cold for too many years. They were ready for summer’s return. The Friendly Giant who lived in the lonely cave at the edge of the Enchanted Forest was the only being who knew the Great Ozzie Monster’s weakness.
One day King Connor and his knights decided that enough was enough and they embarked on a great journey to reclaim the magical stone from the Great Ozzie Monster. “We must first befriend the Friendly Giant who knows the Great Ozzie Monster’s weakness,” declared King Connor. “Here, here!” agreed his knights. “We must bring the Friendly Giant his favorite charmed fruity pebbles to gain his trust,” declared King Connor.
Early the next morning, King Connor and his knights began their journey to conquer the Great Ozzie Monster. Dressed in their warmest cloaks, they started their climb across the Enchanted Forest to the top of the Mighty Mountain where the Great Ozzie Monster’s lair sat. Along the way they would stop to learn the Great Ozzie Monster’s weakness.
King Connor and his knights were weary and famished after days of, hiking through the Enchanted Forest, but they had finally arrived at their first destination.
KNOCK, KNOCK, KNOCK! King Connor pounded on the Friendly Giant’s large wooden door. “Who knocks upon my door?” snarled the Friendly Giant. “It is I, King Connor and my knights. We come bearing gifts of charmed fruity pebbles.” “Charmed fruity pebbles you say?” The Friendly Giant opened his door the slightest bit and peeked out with one eye. King Connor held the Charmed Fruity Pebbles within his sight and flashed a charming smile. The Friendly Giant pushed open the heavy door, gave a wave, and King Connor and his knights entered his cave.
“We come to learn the Great Ozzie Monster’s weakness,” King Connor said to the Friendly Giant. “Winter has been upon us for far too long. We dream of toasty summer days, frolicking in the warm sun.” “You want summer, do you?” the Friendly Giant said cunningly. “I can tell you the Great Ozzie Monster’s weakness only if you promise me payment.” “What kind of payment do you request?” King Connor asked. “If you agree to pay me 100 years of charmed fruity pebbles, I will disclose the Great Ozzie Monster’s weakness,” said the Friendly Giant. “100 years?” King Connor confirmed. “Yes.” declared the Friendly Giant. “Well, we are cold, and we long for hot summer days,” said King Connor. “We agree to pay you 100 years of Charmed Fruity Pebbles.” The Friendly Giant and King Connor shook hands and the Friendly Giant revealed the Great Ozzie Monster’s weakness. “The Great Ozzie Monster loves treats-o-meats. They grow in the Lava Cave. The warmest spot on the Mighty Mountain.” Luckily for King Connor, the Lava Cave was just up the Mighty Mountain. King Connor and his knights thanked the Friendly Giant and continued on their journey.
Up, up, up they hiked to the Lava Cave. When they arrived, King Connor was the first to enter. The warmth of the Lava Cave felt lovely after hiking in the cold snow. On the walls of the Lava Cave grew the treats-o-meats that would bring the end to the Great Ozzie Monster. King Connor and his knights gathered as many treats-o-meats as they could; peeling them off of the walls of the Lava Cave in bunches. They enjoyed their last few moments of warmth before continuing on the remainder of their journey.
They lumbered up the Mighty Mountain, lugging the sack of treats-o-meats that they had collected. Finally, they reached the top of the Mighty Mountain and the Great Ozzie Monster’s lair.
From a distance, King Connor and his knights could see the Great Ozzie Monster curled up atop of the magical stone.
King Connor opened up the sack that held the treats-o-meats and grabbed a handful. He threw them into the snow that surrounded the Great Ozzie Monster. The Great Ozzie Monster gobbled up the treats-o-meats and began walking towards King Connor and his knights. They trembled in their boots. “Treats-o-meats! Treats-o-meats!” bellowed the Great Ozzie Monster. Cleverly, King Connor threw another handful of the treats-o-meats away from the magical stone. When the Great Ozzie Monster lunged for the treats-o-meats, King Connor’s knights ran and rescued the magical stone.
In an instant, the cold snow melted, revealing bright green grass underneath. The sun rose in the sky and flowers began blooming at their feet. Summer had returned. As he munched on his beloved treats-o-meats, the Great Ozzie Monster began to sob.
Feeling braver than ever, King Connor approached the Great Ozzie Monster. “Why are you crying?” he asked. “I only wanted company. I expected you to rescue the magical stone sooner.” the Great Ozzie Monster blubbered.
“We endured winter for many, many years!” shouted King Connor. “I thought that if I took your magical stone, that you would come visit me,” admitted the Great Ozzie Monster. “You did not have to steal the magical stone and summer along with it to have company,” King Connor said. With that, King Connor and his knights played a grand game of fetch with the Great Ozzie Monster. They indulged in treats-o-meats and relished in the warmth of the sun.
Upon their return to the Enchanted Forest, King Connor, his knights and the Great Ozzie Monster were celebrated for returning the magical stone, and along with it, summer.
It was their very first day at Monsterville High, and Grolf and Narby were filled with nervous butterflies. They were going to be in HIGH SCHOOL. Grolf was nervous, because he wanted so badly to leave behind the kid he was in eighth grade—the kid who never got to play with the “cool kids.” High school was his chance for a new beginning. So, to prepare, Grolf spent his night practicing how he would introduce himself to the other high schoolers. He noticed in all the movies that the cool kids would slap paws, link index claws for a second, and then release with a low growl and a “Yo!” So he practiced with his little brother until he got it down. He spent hours going through his wardrobe, settling on a simple pair of jeans and a “Fuzzeroos” t-shirt. He practiced styling his sapphire blue fur after the lead singer of The Fuzzeroos, because he noticed other kids older than him sporting that look. After all of this work, the morning of his first day, he felt ready to leave middle school behind. Narby was nervous, too, but only because he always loved middle school lunch. He was afraid that Monsterville High would have a far less delicious lunch, and he would have to be hungry all day. He didn’t care about being cool. High school was nothing special to Narby. When Narby picked Grolf up in the morning, Grolf was shocked to see Narby looking exactly the same as he did when they were in eighth grade. “You look the same! This is high school! You can’t wear that!” Grolf said, pointing one paw at Narby’s outfit with disgust. “ I don’t really care,” said Narby. “School is school. What’s the big deal now?” “The big deal is… this is HIGH SCHOOL. If we are smart, we could be COOL here!” Grolf tried hard to explain. “My brother told me about the Fluffers—they’re the coolest group in Mosterville High. If we are smart, we could hang out with them.” “That seems like too much work,” expressed Narby. “I just want to go to school and see what the lunches look like—maybe they will served crushed worm soup like they did in middle school!” Grolf and Narby had been friends for many years, since they were baby balls of fluff, but this morning, Grolf didn’t even recognize him. Who was this monster that didn’t care about being cool in high school?!? The whole day at school was a blur. Narby and Grolf only shared one class together: The History of the Boogie Monster. Two important members of The Fluffers were in this class as well, and those two members, Percival and Growlington, were paying attention to the two new monsters in school. They liked Grolf’s hair and his shirt and were impressed when he knew how to greet them properly. So, at the end of class, they approached Grolf. “Hey,” said Percival to Grolf, “hang back for a second.” “Yea,” said Growlington, “we want to talk to you.” Narby was waiting for Grolf, but Grolf insisted he leave and head to lunch. “What’s up?” said Grolf, trying so hard to seem calm even though he was freaking out inside. “We like your look,” said Percival. “Yes, and so we would like you to hang out with us and the other Fluffers,” continued Growlington. “That would be awesome!” said Grolf. Then he remembered he was supposed to be cool… “Um.. I mean, yeah, sure, that’s fine, whatever.” “There is an initiation process, though,” said Percival. “What is it?” “You have to pull a prank on someone,” replied Percival. “Okay, I guess I can do that. I’ll pull one on my older brother.” “No, no, no,” said Growlington. “We get to choose. And we choose that nerd you walked into class with—Narby.” Grolf felt a pit in the biggest of his six stomachs. Pull a prank on Narby? His best friend? He couldn’t. He shouldn’t. He wouldn’t. But. This was his chance to be a new person. This was his chance to reinvent himself. Maybe he should just do it. “Okay,” said Grolf, reluctantly. “What do you want me to do?”
The next day, Grolf was even more nervous about school than he had been the day before, because he was going to do something he never thought he’d do. He was going to betray his best friend. Poor, unsuspecting Narby picked Grolf up and asked him, “Why do you look so nervous? It’s day two—aren’t you over your first day jitters?” “Oh. Yeah. It’s just that…um…I ate some bad tube grubs,” Grolf lied. They walked to school together, just like usual, but this time Grolf had to work hard to keep talking. All he kept thinking about was the conversation he had with the Fluffers that previous day. Could he really betray Narby? Was it worth getting into the Fluffers? Once they got to school, they went their separate ways, promising to see each other at lunch. It was at lunch that Grolf was going to do it. He was going to switch out Narby’s usual chair with a broken one, so when he sat down, he would fall straight to the ground and everyone would laugh at him. The thought of his friend getting laughed at made Grolf sad, but his need to be a part of the Fluffers was greater than his sadness. He had to do it.
With sweaty paws, Grolf snuck into the cafeteria a few minutes before lunchtime and switched Narby’s usual chair with the broken one. Then, when the other monsters started to enter the cafeteria for lunch, he got in line and tried to act as cool as possible. From across the room, Narby saw Growlington and gave him a paws up. Growlington then positioned himself near the table with his cell phone out, ready to film. Grolf felt ickier and ickier about his decision as the cafeteria worker piled two scoops of neon green colored phlegmball stew onto his plate. He hadn’t seen Narby in the cafeteria yet, and he began to hope that his friend decided to leave early, give up lunch, or grow wings and fly away… but then he saw him. Narby was walking toward the table, laughing, waving at others, shoveling forkfuls of food into his mouth. Grolf saw everything in slow motion. Narby set down his tray. Then he saw Grolf and waved. Then he pulled the chair out from the table…and before Grolf could speak up and tell him, “NOOOOOOOO!!!!!!” he sat down. Grolf closed his eyes, waiting to hear the inevitable growls and snorts of the other monsters around him… but he heard nothing but the normal cafeteria buzz. Nothing happened. When Grolf opened his eyes he saw Narby sitting and eating without a care in the world. Feeling confused, he gestured to Growlington as if to say, “I don’t know what happened” and walked toward the table, looking outwardly disappointed but feeling relieved on the inside. He set down his tray, pulled out his chair, sat down and...CRACK! Grolf felt himself hit the ground hard. In his fall, he hit his tray of food and found himself covered in green, slimy stew, and he heard the laughter and the growling and he couldn’t believe any of it. He felt someone grab his paw and pull him up, and as he scrambled to his paws, he saw that his helper was Narby. “Stop laughing at him!” Narby growled. He bared his teeth, and the people around them stopped laughing and started to walk away. “You guys are terrible!” Grolf, wiping the slime from his eyes, saw Growlington push a button on his phone and put it in his pocket. “Thanks for that, man,” he said to Grolf. “Percival and I were supposed to pull a prank on someone to get into the Fluffers. You totally made it happen for us.” Laughing, he walked away. Grolf felt like an idiot.
On their walk home, Grolf felt awful. Not only did he get mocked at school, but he almost betrayed his best friend and the only person who stood by him when everyone else was so cruel. He had to say something. “I am so lucky to have a friend like you,” Grolf began. “I promise to be a better friend to you from now on, Narby.” “What do you mean?” replied Narby. “You’re my best friend! You are a great friend!” Grolf took a deep breath. He needed to tell the truth. “I put that broken chair in there,” he explained. “I thought I was leaving it there for you to sit on so that I could get into the Fluffers. I think Growlington switched it when I wasn’t looking, though, and he pulled the prank on me instead.” Narby said nothing. “I’m so so so so so sorry,” said Grolf. “I wanted to be cool so badly that I was willing to hurt you. I feel terrible and I promise to never betray you again. You showed me what true friendship is today, and I will always be grateful.” Narby looked hurt, but then he turned to Grolf and said, “It’s okay. I understand. Sometimes we make mistakes, but the important thing is to learn from them. I forgive you.” Grolf was so happy he almost cried. He realized how dumb it was for him to risk his friendship over a silly club, and he vowed to never let anything come between them again.
It was the first warm day of spring and finally nice enough for Cassie to meet up with her closest friends Ellie, Noa, and Tess at the neighborhood park after school. As her school bus pulled up to drop her off home, Cassie darted out, ran into her house, dropped off her schoolbooks, and was back out the door within moments. She could hardly conceal her excitement. It had seemed like FOREVER since she had been able to meet up with her friends at the park.
As Cassie arrived, she saw that Ellie, Noa, and Tess were already waiting for her by the bleachers. “Hey guys! Hope you weren’t waiting long.” “Not at all,” replied Ellie. “I just got this new jump rope from my aunt. I thought maybe we could play with it today.” “Sure,” the girls replied. Cassie and her friends had a system. Each day they took turns deciding who chose the game for the day. Today it was going to be Ellie’s turn. While in the middle of a delightful game of helicopter, Cassie noticed a girl she had never seen before walking towards her and her friends. “Hi! I’m Regina,” said the girl. “My family and I just moved to the neighborhood. Can I play with you guys?” “Of course!” said Ellie. “We’re just testing out this new jump rope my aunt sent me.” As Ellie began showing Regina the cool tricks she had learned, Regina grabbed the rope out of Ellie’s hand and stammered, “Not like that, like this!” While shocked that their new “friend” would grab a toy out of another person’s hand, no one said a word, including Ellie. They just watched as Regina completely took control of the game.
The next day Cassie rushed to the park to meet up with her friends once again. As she approached, she noticed Noa, Tess, and their new “friend” Regina, waiting by the slide. However, Ellie was missing. While unusual for Ellie to not show up without an explanation, the friends did not think much about it. Perhaps she just had a lot of homework to finish. Plus, there was always tomorrow. Today it was Noa’s turn to pick the game. “I just bought this really cool chalk set with my birthday money. We can use it to set up a hopscotch board,” Noa offered. “Awesome!” shouted Tess. “Great!” replied Cassie. “Ugh!” groaned Regina. Even though startled by Regina’s response, the three girls once again remained quiet as they drew the hopscotch board. Since it was Noa’s pick for the day, she went first. As she was mid hop, Regina pushed her aside and blurted, “Not like that, like this!” as she took over control of the game. Once again, no one said a word.
The following day as Cassie walked to the park to meet her friends, she thought about Regina and how she wished she would not be there. Cassie really wanted things to just go back to normal. As she approached, the group had become noticeably smaller. Now it was just Tess and Regina waiting. Both Ellie and Noa were nowhere to be seen, and Cassie was beginning to suspect that homework was not the cause of their absence. Not wanting to give Regina control, Cassie quickly said, “Tess, you pick today. I think it’s your turn.” Apprehensive that Regina would object, Tess hesitantly chose the monkey bars. As they walked over, Cassie sensed that things were changing. She was no longer excited to be at the park with her fried, but rather felt anxious and irritated by Regina’s presence. However, she still did not bother to say anything. She simply followed along. As Tess started to go, Regina jumped in front and began to cross the monkey bars while chanting, “Not like that, like this!” Cassie and Tess let Regina finish her turn before Tess announced she had to go home to help her parents prepare dinner. Not wanting to confront Regina as to why the game really was ending, Cassie agreed with Tess, and the two left the park feeling disappointed and defeated. Yet again, no one said a thing to Regina about the real problem.
The next day as Cassie uneasily approached the park she noticed that none of her friends were there. The only person she saw was Regina waiting by the baseball field. Not wanting to be ridiculed, Cassie turned around and walked home. She had never been more frustrated with herself. She should have said something sooner. She should have stood up for her and her friends. But it was too late now. She was all alone.
Nina Moss is no ordinary 3 year old. Many people think it’s strange that she loves to listen to jazz music. She likes blues too, but jazz is her favorite. Watch her dance while jazz is playing and you’ll see why everyone calls her a jazzhead.
Tap! Tap! Tap! Her feet lightly pat the ground. Her fingers dance in and out as she plays the air saxophone. With her eyes closed, she sways her head from side to side with rhythm and grace.
Nina lives through music and music lives through Nina. Her parents can always tell Nina’s mood by the music she chooses to listen to, especially now that she is potty training.
When Nina wakes up in the morning or from a nap, if she chooses a jazz record then she stayed dry. If she chooses a blues record, then she wet the bed.
Nina learns about jazz and blues music from watching her parents. When her dad comes home from a long day at work, he sits in his brown wooden chair, listening to blues music and humming along. Other times, he comes home from work, grabs her mother by the hand, put on a jazz record and dance until dinnertime.
Nina thinks this way about potty training. Wetting the bed gives Nina the blues. The soft music relaxes and calms her frustration. On the other hand, Nina feels jazzy when she doesn’t wet the bed. Each time she stays dry is a time for celebration.
Lately, Nina has been feeling jazzy more often. She’s been on a jazz streak, until this afternoon.
After her nap, Nina awakes to a puddle beneath her. When her mom sees this, she gives Nina a wash up and dresses her.
At the table, Nina slowly eats her snack, while resting her head in her hand.
Her mom sees that Nina is feeling the blues. She asks Nina, “What do you want to listen to today?”
Nina replies, “The blue, Mama.”
Nina’s mom surprises her by playing a jazz record.
Her mom grabs Nina’s hand, pulling her into the living room. They dance and sing to Nina Simone’s “Feelin’ Good.”
Nina forgets all about wetting the bed.
She lightly pats her feet on the ground. Tap! Tap! Tap! Her head sways gracefully from side to side in rhythm as her fingers flow in and out on the air saxophone.
Nina learns that she will make mistakes, but she can choose to dance anyway.
The crack of the bat sounds as the first hit of the game goes soaring through the air and into the green grass of the outfield. Ally sits in the stands with her too-big baseball cap shielding her eyes from the blinding midday sun. It is her turn to attend opening day with her dad and, despite the jeers from her brothers that girls aren’t allowed to like baseball, Ally can’t remember ever being this happy.
The smell of hot dogs and Italian sausage wafts through the air making Ally’s stomach rumble with hunger. She hears the hot dog vender down below belting out, “hot dogs! Get your hot dogs!” and she looks pleadingly at her dad. His hand shoots into the air as he calls out for two hot dogs- mustard only. It’s rare that she gets to spend this much alone time with her dad while eating hot dogs at Wrigley is her idea of perfection.
Ally is eight years old and has wanted to play baseball ever since she was three. She would sit on the sidelines, a spectator at her brother’s t-ball games. Wishing with every bit of her soul that she could be the one out there. She sees herself with the heavy metal bat in her trembling hands as she walks on shaky knees up to the tee. She lifts the bat slowly and stares the ball down. With one motion, she swings and sends the ball soaring over the infielders head as the crowd erupts in cheers.
Ally is jolted back to the present by her dad tapping her hat. Of course this was just another daydream. Every year she has chickened out right before signups after weeks of her brothers taunting her and saying that girls can’t play ball and that she should just go play with her dolls. If her brothers were this relentless, she could just imagine the teasing that would come from the boys that were on her team.
She scans the bleachers at Wrigley trying to count all of the girls that are cheering on the Cubs today. It is too many to count and with that realization, She feels a pang of pride for being part of that group. If all of these women can like baseball, then why can’t she?
The rest of the game flies by and before she knows it, it is the bottom of the ninth. The Cubs have the bases loaded with two outs. This is their chance. If they can hit a homerun right now, they win the game! Ally leans forward in her seat. The anticipation is almost too much to handle! The first pitch comes so fast she can barely see it. Steeerrriiiiiiikkkkkeeee one! Pitch number two comes soaring out of the pitchers hand. It’s a ball. Holy cow, this is stressful! The third pitch leaves the pitchers hand and from where they are sitting in the outfield, Ally knew this was the pitch. The pitcher swung. The bat connected to the ball. The ball soared.
The ball soared so far that it was still thirty feet in the air as it passed the middle of the outfield. The ball looked like it was headed straight for Ally. The ball WAS headed straight for her. It was a little high so she stood up and took a little leap off the ground. The ball landed right in her glove! The crowd went wild. A grand slam to end the game with a W for the Cubs and Ally caught the ball. Everybody around her was patting her on the back and congratulating her on such a fantastic catch. Her confidence soared! She couldn’t wait to show her brothers. Ally decided right then and there that she could play baseball and she could play just as well as any of those silly boys. This was the start of a brand new girl and she couldn’t wait.
Nora's twelfth birthday was on a Monday. Her parents planned a surprise birthday for her including family and friends along their beach front home. It was a beautiful day--the kind of day where the sun blankets your skin and the sea offers a cooling breeze of relief. All the guests hid outside, underneath the sun porch, invisible from plain view. Guests held balloons and confetti waiting to release the decorations for the birthday surprise. Nora would be home any minute now.
As Nora walked into the house with her parents, she didn't notice anything unusual. She took off her muddy shoes and set down her gym bag and walked to the kitchen. After soccer, Nora was always starved. As she scanned items in the fridge, her parents suggested they order lunch. To maintain her appetite, she decided to drink a glass of orange juice until the pizza arrived. She closed the refrigerator door and walked to the sun porch where she had left A Wrinkle in Time, the book she was currently reading. The porch was her favorite place to read. At the right time of day, the sun offered wonderful warmth and the right amount of light. Nora was about to sit down until…"Surprise!!" She nearly lost her balance and fell to the floor as her friends and family jumped up, like a jack-in-the-box, exposing their faces just above the porch window sill. Nora was pleasantly surprised to see everyone but especially happy to see her best friend Sisi and ran to give her a hug.
"Sisi! You travelled all the way from Madison to be here?!"
"I wouldn't miss it!" said Sisi. Sisi's family moved away last year since her father's position was transferred to another city. Nora hadn't seen her since then.
As Nora finished saying hello to everyone and thanking them for such a wonderful surprise, the door bell rang. The pizza was here! As everyone gathering into the family room, which was attached to the open porch, a soft warm sea breeze swept the room, scattering the birthday balloons randomly across the room. Nora and Sisi talked with one another as best friends do. They had so much to tell one another. As everyone began eating and visiting with one another, Nora was shocked that she hadn't noticed the mountain of presents placed against the fireplace when she first walked in from soccer practice. Nora felt so loved in that moment—not because of the presents but how could her family keep this a secret?
"Nora, are you ready to open your presents?" asked Nora's mother.
"Mm-hmm!" said Nora, gobbling her favorite pizza. Nora hurried over to where the mountain of presents lay and opened present after present. New soccer cleats, a writing journal, and a puzzle were just some of Nora's favorites. Once the last present was opened, Nora thanked everyone.
"Wait!" Nora's father said. "You forgot one!" There was a small box wrapped in a beautifully textured orange and pink paper with a gold-glitter ribbon. The small gift almost glowed. Nora sat staring at it for a few moments mesmerized and she hadn't even opened it yet.
"Nora, what are you waiting for, open it!" urged Sisi. Nora picked up the small package and carefully untied the ribbon and set it aside. She then cautiously unwrapped the paper. With such precision, she managed to keep the beautiful paper intact. She stared at the small black box for a moment. As she flipped open the top, what appeared was beyond her imagination. Her parents had gifted her a sapphire pendant necklace. The pendant was in the shape of a horse, not bigger than a thumbnail. Sapphire represented her birthstone and the horse represented her animal sign in the Chinese New Year calendar. Nora was lost in the beauty of her birthstone. The guests anxiously waited for Nora to showcase what was in the little box, unsure if she liked or disliked the gift.
"Nora?" said her parents simultaneously. Her silence made them nervous. Did she like the gift?
"Yes? Oh, this is the most special birthday, Mom and Dad. I love it!" As Nora showcased the gift to the guests, ooohs and aaaahs filled the silence. What it represented was far more beautiful than what it was.
Over the next few months, Nora wore her pendant every day. She hadn't taken it off since her birthday. It became a frequent habit of hers to rotate the sapphire around the chain with her fingers. She treasured it and wanted it near her at all times, including soccer practice.
One day, she was playing along the beach; she loved building sand castles and searching for sea shells. She was running to the tide for moist sand to make a strong sand castle. With the help of her pail, shovel and her creative nature, she created a beautiful sand castle. Nora had built three towers of equal height and equal distance apart with a keep balancing the fourth corner. Battlements connected the four towers and keep. The entrance included a gatehouse. She had leveled the ward, the interior grounds of the castle walls. She built the sand castle away from the high tide to ensure it would last for at least a couple days. Nora was very proud of her accomplishment. She ran back to the house. She wanted to show her parents the beautiful sand castle she had built. As she ran through the porch door, she made her way to the kitchen where she knew parents would be preparing dinner.
"Mom, Dad! You have to see the castle I built! It has the works!"
"Really?!" Her mother smiled knowing her daughter all too well.
"We'll just throw the roast in the oven and take a field trip to the castle." said her father.
Nora was so thrilled she could hardly wait. With all the excitement, her habit kicked in--she reached for her necklace. Nora gasped, "it's gone!”
Chapter 2 Another world
A sea horse made his way away from the shoreline deep into the sea. His beautiful blue color glistened as the sun made him sparkle like one hundred tiny sapphires. Aron made his way to the dazzling city that awaited him. He hadn’t been gone for long but to him it felt like a lifetime.
He awoke in the middle of the desert alone. His caravan had stopped for the night on their return trip to Djenne along the salt route. This was his first caravan and his brothers had promised to look after him. His father had never intended for him to be a trader, he was supposed to go to the great universities of Timbuktu and be a scholar. Yet, bad luck had befallen his father and his lost fortune forced Maji to join his brothers along the salt routes through the desert. It wasn’t the first time that his brothers had promised to protect him only to do the exact opposite. He remembered once when he was 5 his brothers took him to market on their fathers’ orders and had tried to sell him to slavers heading towards Morocco, luckily the slavers said that he was too puny to make them any money. His brothers hated him because he was their father’s favorite and made no attempts to hide his feelings. He would always talk about how he can’t wait for Maji to grow up so that he could give him all of his money and keep the family name great. He always talked about how much smarter and better looking Maji was compared to his stupid, ugly brothers. He even lavished Maji with tons of gifts and jewels, giving his brothers nothing. This all ended however, when his father ran into bad fortune and all of his hopes and dreams for Maji were crushed. His brothers willingly let Maji come with them on their trading expedition knowing full well that they could be rid of him forever. He knew as soon as he woke up he was in trouble. Lying beside him was his necklace dangling from his brother’s dagger which was also piercing a note that read, “You should be dead, but let’s see how far your brains and good looks helps you this time get ahead.” Besides those three things there was nothing but miles and miles of sun and sand. As he put on his necklace and tucked the dagger into his belt he felt nothing but despair. All he could do was walk north, towards his father, and hope for the best. He had walked nearly 5 miles when he started to hear a tiny sound like sand disappearing through an hour glass. This sound didn’t stop however and soon the fear of a sand trap prevented him from moving. He was frozen with fear. All of a sudden he heard the words, “Use your logic, use your logic,” coming from the desert floor. “I have none left,” he thought to himself. Not only was his brain totally absorbed in fear, but he was now hearing voices. “Your logic isn’t gone, you just are uncomfortable right now. You’re out of your league and that feeling is preventing you some using the brains you were blessed with,” said the voice. “Who is that?” responded Maji. “It’s your travel companion,” said the voice. “Who’s that?” asked Maji. “All the brains in the world, but you can’t look beyond yourself.” As he looked down he noticed a scorpion walking next to him. It was him who was making the noises in the sand. “Why are you here?” asked Maji. “I noticed you were without a companion in the desert and that is a very dangerous predicament to be in,” replied the scorpion. “What can you possibly do for me?” “See there, that’s the problem, too absorbed in yourself to see help when it’s there.” “How can you possibly help me?” Maji angrily retorted. “Well, you my friend are stuck in the desert without a friend, water, or food, perhaps you…” “What are you going to let me eat you?” “Believe me, you’d be dead if you tried. Again, too conceited to let help find you. How far do you think you’ll go on your own there Maji?” “It’s all my brothers fault anyway! They hate that I’m better at everything then them!” “Well, you’re not better at being a part of a caravan that’s for sure,” the scorpion snickered. “Do you know where we are going?” Maji asked changing the subject. “There’s some water and a little shade 5 miles this way.” “That’s in the total opposite direction though!” “You must go back to go home.”
Exhausted, tired, and dehydrated Maji practically crawled towards the small water that encompassed the oasis. As he bent down thinking only about the cool water he jumped back horrified. “What was that?” “It’s water that not only quenches your thirst, but reveals you soul,” replied the scorpion. Maji bent low again and saw the image in the water. It looked like his reflection, but it was torturously ugly. The face looked like it had been hacked with a machete, full of sores and blisters, without a nose. Maji looked on in agony. “That can’t be what my soul looks like,” Maji desperately asked. “Your reflection never lies.” Maji was no longer thirsty. Head hung low he shuffled over to a tree and fell against it. After a few minutes the scorpion wandered towards Maji. “The convenient thing about truly seeing yourself is being able to truly change yourself.” “That can’t be me though. My soul can’t be that terrible,” bemoaned Maji. “It may seem crazy, but your family hates you, and you have no friends because you have this lofty position of yourself.” “I’m talented and gifted is all.” “True, but who made you obligated to let everyone know?” Maji thought for a few minutes. Suddenly he got up, looked closely at the water forced his face into it and drank heavily. After a few minutes of drinking it all in he got up and headed north. “Where you going?” asked the scorpion. “I’m on my way to Timbuktu. I have to remake myself. You coming?” “Let’s go.”
Gustavo The Grumpy Goat By: Molly Ostergaard Children’s Story
Gustavo was a grumpy goat. He rarely giggled. Some might say that Gustavo woke up on the wrong side of the bed every single day.
Each morning it was the same. Gustavo would hear the birds chirping, and he would see the sun shining - he thought the birds were too loud; he thought the sun was too bright. When afternoon would arrive, with the sun straight above him in the sky, Gustavo would find a cold, dark room in the barn to sit in, alone. When other goats would approach Gustavo and ask him how he was doing, Gustavo always replied the same way - with his head hung low, and in a soft voice: “I’m grumpy.”
All the other goats nearby enjoyed their mornings and afternoons together - in the fields, eating grass, and giggling with their friends. Each evening, the goats played a game of ghost in the graveyard. Usually, the goats refrained from asking Gustavo to play because they already knew the answer. But today, something was going to be different.
In his corner in the barn, Gustavo sat on the ground in his grumpy state of mind and waited for the sun to go away. He listened to the goats gathering outside. He grimaced at their giggles. Then, he growled at their gaiety. He grumbled about their game, too. He was feeling just plain grumpy.
Across the field, in the grass among the other goats, Christof noticed Gustavo’s shadow through a window in the barn. Christof thought he’d invite Gustavo to play again. He had asked Gustavo to play many times before, as had the other goats, but today, Christof was optimistic. So, he thought he’d try asking Gustavo again.
Creeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeek. The barn door slowly opened. Rays of light slithered off of the walls as the sun climbed in. Christof walked through the door and crept to the back corner, where Gustavo sat.
“Hey dude,” said Christof.
“Hmph,” groaned Gustavo. “Why aren’t you outside playing with your friends?”
“I have a hard time playing with the others when you’re sitting in here alone.”
“Wow,” Gustavo thought to himself, “I didn’t know anyone ever noticed me in here.”
“I don’t want to play,” Gustavo grumpily said.
“I don’t understand why,” replied Christoff.
Gustavo mumbled back, “It’s silly and embarrassing really.”
“Well, let me hear it. I promise I won’t laugh at you.”
“When I was a young goat, I played with the others every day, but one day, I slipped in the mud and fell. I broke my front leg, and now, I have a bad limp.”
“So, you don’t play with us because you’re embarrassed about your limp?”
“Yes. You would be embarrassed too.”
“Gustavo, you aren’t perfect, but guess what? I am not perfect either. I am a super slow runner! And Arnold, he is afraid to hide alone, so someone always hides with him. And Enrique! Enrique doesn’t understand the rules; he just likes to play for fun. He is always running around wondering what’s going on. My point is that nobody is perfect, and nobody expects you to be. We just want to have fun and be your friend - laugh with you, not at you. We don’t want to embarrass you.”
Gustavo thought about this proposition. He decided he’d giving playing with the other goats a try. And, when the games began, he was having a great time.
When the clock strikes 11:30, “FREEEEEDOM!!!!!” thinks the class as we walk out to recess. I always felt like recess was at a good point in the day. We’ve just finished fine arts, had snack time, did our math lesson, I think it’s time for a break. I walk over to the swings where I usually meet my friend Isaac and Johnson. We walk past the basketball court. We don’t play basketball. Basketball players are usually the kids who think they are cool. We don’t think we are cool, we know we are cool. We go right to the jungle gym and we hang out at the top like we always do. We don’t do much. We don’t even talk with each other. We just stand up there, bounce a bit and sing the songs that we know. Ms. Jones teaches the best songs, and they are always so catchy and get stuck in our heads.
Oh no, it’s 11:50, the worst part of the day. It’s lunchtime. Don’t get me wrong, I love to eat, but lunch is just so stressful! I know I sound absolutely cuckoo right night. When you think about lunch in an elementary, you have kids sharing food and smiling at each other while eating their lunch and having fun conversation. Yeah right, I wish! Lunch is so stressful, because I feel like it’s a war zone! I constantly have to pick a strategic place to sit so I can dodge any food being thrown around today. The poor lunch supervisors. They are super nice and they mean well, but they just don’t know how to discipline the kids that really deserve it. Instead, they always watch when the victim kids try to defend themselves. The supervisors just sees defense as trouble. Geez, they really need to watch the whole thing!
Oh phew, just 3 more minutes of this chaos! Ms. Krane should be coming to pick us up for silent reading time. Finally some peace and quiet. I better go throw my garbage away and wait for her to come.
Just as I walk over to the garbage can, I see a flash and hand on the ground. Next thing I know, I am face first to the ground. I’ve slipped on a banana peel. I know it wasn’t there when I started walking over. I turn around and everyone points to Jake. Oh know…my arch nemesis. He smirks at me, flip is hair back and walks away. That’s it, that was the last straw! I charge at him but he moves out the way. Ugh, just my luck! I charge into the principal. Ughhhh…will this ever end?!
Until next time, lunchroom diary. That is if I ever make it out of the principal’s office….
King Connor and The Great Ozzie Monster
ReplyDeleteA Fairytale
By: Jennifer Cerceo
part 1
Long, long ago, deep in the Enchanted Forest, lived the Great Ozzie Monster. He was fierce with piercing brown eyes and daggers for teeth. Many years before, the Great Ozzie Monster had stolen the magical stone that brought summer to the Enchanted Forest. He guarded the magical stone with his mystical powers that kept the magical stone’s rescuers away.
King Connor and his knights had trudged through the mountains of snow and suffered through the cold for too many years. They were ready for summer’s return. The Friendly Giant who lived in the lonely cave at the edge of the Enchanted Forest was the only being who knew the Great Ozzie Monster’s weakness.
One day King Connor and his knights decided that enough was enough and they embarked on a great journey to reclaim the magical stone from the Great Ozzie Monster. “We must first befriend the Friendly Giant who knows the Great Ozzie Monster’s weakness,” declared King Connor. “Here, here!” agreed his knights. “We must bring the Friendly Giant his favorite charmed fruity pebbles to gain his trust,” declared King Connor.
Early the next morning, King Connor and his knights began their journey to conquer the Great Ozzie Monster. Dressed in their warmest cloaks, they started their climb across the Enchanted Forest to the top of the Mighty Mountain where the Great Ozzie Monster’s lair sat. Along the way they would stop to learn the Great Ozzie Monster’s weakness.
King Connor and his knights were weary and famished after days of, hiking through the Enchanted Forest, but they had finally arrived at their first destination.
KNOCK, KNOCK, KNOCK! King Connor pounded on the Friendly Giant’s large wooden door. “Who knocks upon my door?” snarled the Friendly Giant. “It is I, King Connor and my knights. We come bearing gifts of charmed fruity pebbles.” “Charmed fruity pebbles you say?” The Friendly Giant opened his door the slightest bit and peeked out with one eye. King Connor held the Charmed Fruity Pebbles within his sight and flashed a charming smile. The Friendly Giant pushed open the heavy door, gave a wave, and King Connor and his knights entered his cave.
“We come to learn the Great Ozzie Monster’s weakness,” King Connor said to the Friendly Giant. “Winter has been upon us for far too long. We dream of toasty summer days, frolicking in the warm sun.” “You want summer, do you?” the Friendly Giant said cunningly. “I can tell you the Great Ozzie Monster’s weakness only if you promise me payment.” “What kind of payment do you request?” King Connor asked. “If you agree to pay me 100 years of charmed fruity pebbles, I will disclose the Great Ozzie Monster’s weakness,” said the Friendly Giant. “100 years?” King Connor confirmed. “Yes.” declared the Friendly Giant. “Well, we are cold, and we long for hot summer days,” said King Connor. “We agree to pay you 100 years of Charmed Fruity Pebbles.” The Friendly Giant and King Connor shook hands and the Friendly Giant revealed the Great Ozzie Monster’s weakness. “The Great Ozzie Monster loves treats-o-meats. They grow in the Lava Cave. The warmest spot on the Mighty Mountain.” Luckily for King Connor, the Lava Cave was just up the Mighty Mountain. King Connor and his knights thanked the Friendly Giant and continued on their journey.
part 2
DeleteUp, up, up they hiked to the Lava Cave. When they arrived, King Connor was the first to enter. The warmth of the Lava Cave felt lovely after hiking in the cold snow. On the walls of the Lava Cave grew the treats-o-meats that would bring the end to the Great Ozzie Monster. King Connor and his knights gathered as many treats-o-meats as they could; peeling them off of the walls of the Lava Cave in bunches. They enjoyed their last few moments of warmth before continuing on the remainder of their journey.
They lumbered up the Mighty Mountain, lugging the sack of treats-o-meats that they had collected. Finally, they reached the top of the Mighty Mountain and the Great Ozzie Monster’s lair.
From a distance, King Connor and his knights could see the Great Ozzie Monster curled up atop of the magical stone.
King Connor opened up the sack that held the treats-o-meats and grabbed a handful. He threw them into the snow that surrounded the Great Ozzie Monster. The Great Ozzie Monster gobbled up the treats-o-meats and began walking towards King Connor and his knights. They trembled in their boots. “Treats-o-meats! Treats-o-meats!” bellowed the Great Ozzie Monster. Cleverly, King Connor threw another handful of the treats-o-meats away from the magical stone. When the Great Ozzie Monster lunged for the treats-o-meats, King Connor’s knights ran and rescued the magical stone.
In an instant, the cold snow melted, revealing bright green grass underneath. The sun rose in the sky and flowers began blooming at their feet. Summer had returned. As he munched on his beloved treats-o-meats, the Great Ozzie Monster began to sob.
Feeling braver than ever, King Connor approached the Great Ozzie Monster. “Why are you crying?” he asked. “I only wanted company. I expected you to rescue the magical stone sooner.” the Great Ozzie Monster blubbered.
“We endured winter for many, many years!” shouted King Connor. “I thought that if I took your magical stone, that you would come visit me,” admitted the Great Ozzie Monster. “You did not have to steal the magical stone and summer along with it to have company,” King Connor said. With that, King Connor and his knights played a grand game of fetch with the Great Ozzie Monster. They indulged in treats-o-meats and relished in the warmth of the sun.
Upon their return to the Enchanted Forest, King Connor, his knights and the Great Ozzie Monster were celebrated for returning the magical stone, and along with it, summer.
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ReplyDeleteGrolf and the Fluffers by Dana Comiskey
ReplyDeleteIt was their very first day at Monsterville High, and Grolf and Narby were filled with nervous butterflies. They were going to be in HIGH SCHOOL.
Grolf was nervous, because he wanted so badly to leave behind the kid he was in eighth grade—the kid who never got to play with the “cool kids.” High school was his chance for a new beginning. So, to prepare, Grolf spent his night practicing how he would introduce himself to the other high schoolers. He noticed in all the movies that the cool kids would slap paws, link index claws for a second, and then release with a low growl and a “Yo!” So he practiced with his little brother until he got it down. He spent hours going through his wardrobe, settling on a simple pair of jeans and a “Fuzzeroos” t-shirt. He practiced styling his sapphire blue fur after the lead singer of The Fuzzeroos, because he noticed other kids older than him sporting that look. After all of this work, the morning of his first day, he felt ready to leave middle school behind.
Narby was nervous, too, but only because he always loved middle school lunch. He was afraid that Monsterville High would have a far less delicious lunch, and he would have to be hungry all day. He didn’t care about being cool. High school was nothing special to Narby.
When Narby picked Grolf up in the morning, Grolf was shocked to see Narby looking exactly the same as he did when they were in eighth grade. “You look the same! This is high school! You can’t wear that!” Grolf said, pointing one paw at Narby’s outfit with disgust.
“ I don’t really care,” said Narby. “School is school. What’s the big deal now?”
“The big deal is… this is HIGH SCHOOL. If we are smart, we could be COOL here!” Grolf tried hard to explain. “My brother told me about the Fluffers—they’re the coolest group in Mosterville High. If we are smart, we could hang out with them.”
“That seems like too much work,” expressed Narby. “I just want to go to school and see what the lunches look like—maybe they will served crushed worm soup like they did in middle school!”
Grolf and Narby had been friends for many years, since they were baby balls of fluff, but this morning, Grolf didn’t even recognize him. Who was this monster that didn’t care about being cool in high school?!?
The whole day at school was a blur. Narby and Grolf only shared one class together: The History of the Boogie Monster. Two important members of The Fluffers were in this class as well, and those two members, Percival and Growlington, were paying attention to the two new monsters in school. They liked Grolf’s hair and his shirt and were impressed when he knew how to greet them properly. So, at the end of class, they approached Grolf.
“Hey,” said Percival to Grolf, “hang back for a second.”
“Yea,” said Growlington, “we want to talk to you.”
Narby was waiting for Grolf, but Grolf insisted he leave and head to lunch. “What’s up?” said Grolf, trying so hard to seem calm even though he was freaking out inside.
“We like your look,” said Percival.
“Yes, and so we would like you to hang out with us and the other Fluffers,” continued Growlington.
“That would be awesome!” said Grolf. Then he remembered he was supposed to be cool… “Um.. I mean, yeah, sure, that’s fine, whatever.”
“There is an initiation process, though,” said Percival.
“What is it?”
“You have to pull a prank on someone,” replied Percival.
“Okay, I guess I can do that. I’ll pull one on my older brother.”
“No, no, no,” said Growlington. “We get to choose. And we choose that nerd you walked into class with—Narby.”
Grolf felt a pit in the biggest of his six stomachs. Pull a prank on Narby? His best friend? He couldn’t. He shouldn’t. He wouldn’t.
But.
This was his chance to be a new person. This was his chance to reinvent himself. Maybe he should just do it.
“Okay,” said Grolf, reluctantly. “What do you want me to do?”
The next day, Grolf was even more nervous about school than he had been the day before, because he was going to do something he never thought he’d do. He was going to betray his best friend.
DeletePoor, unsuspecting Narby picked Grolf up and asked him, “Why do you look so nervous? It’s day two—aren’t you over your first day jitters?”
“Oh. Yeah. It’s just that…um…I ate some bad tube grubs,” Grolf lied.
They walked to school together, just like usual, but this time Grolf had to work hard to keep talking. All he kept thinking about was the conversation he had with the Fluffers that previous day. Could he really betray Narby? Was it worth getting into the Fluffers?
Once they got to school, they went their separate ways, promising to see each other at lunch. It was at lunch that Grolf was going to do it. He was going to switch out Narby’s usual chair with a broken one, so when he sat down, he would fall straight to the ground and everyone would laugh at him. The thought of his friend getting laughed at made Grolf sad, but his need to be a part of the Fluffers was greater than his sadness. He had to do it.
With sweaty paws, Grolf snuck into the cafeteria a few minutes before lunchtime and switched Narby’s usual chair with the broken one. Then, when the other monsters started to enter the cafeteria for lunch, he got in line and tried to act as cool as possible. From across the room, Narby saw Growlington and gave him a paws up. Growlington then positioned himself near the table with his cell phone out, ready to film. Grolf felt ickier and ickier about his decision as the cafeteria worker piled two scoops of neon green colored phlegmball stew onto his plate. He hadn’t seen Narby in the cafeteria yet, and he began to hope that his friend decided to leave early, give up lunch, or grow wings and fly away… but then he saw him.
Narby was walking toward the table, laughing, waving at others, shoveling forkfuls of food into his mouth. Grolf saw everything in slow motion.
Narby set down his tray. Then he saw Grolf and waved. Then he pulled the chair out from the table…and before Grolf could speak up and tell him, “NOOOOOOOO!!!!!!” he sat down.
Grolf closed his eyes, waiting to hear the inevitable growls and snorts of the other monsters around him… but he heard nothing but the normal cafeteria buzz. Nothing happened. When Grolf opened his eyes he saw Narby sitting and eating without a care in the world. Feeling confused, he gestured to Growlington as if to say, “I don’t know what happened” and walked toward the table, looking outwardly disappointed but feeling relieved on the inside. He set down his tray, pulled out his chair, sat down and...CRACK!
Grolf felt himself hit the ground hard. In his fall, he hit his tray of food and found himself covered in green, slimy stew, and he heard the laughter and the growling and he couldn’t believe any of it. He felt someone grab his paw and pull him up, and as he scrambled to his paws, he saw that his helper was Narby.
“Stop laughing at him!” Narby growled. He bared his teeth, and the people around them stopped laughing and started to walk away. “You guys are terrible!”
Grolf, wiping the slime from his eyes, saw Growlington push a button on his phone and put it in his pocket. “Thanks for that, man,” he said to Grolf. “Percival and I were supposed to pull a prank on someone to get into the Fluffers. You totally made it happen for us.” Laughing, he walked away. Grolf felt like an idiot.
On their walk home, Grolf felt awful. Not only did he get mocked at school, but he almost betrayed his best friend and the only person who stood by him when everyone else was so cruel. He had to say something.
Delete“I am so lucky to have a friend like you,” Grolf began. “I promise to be a better friend to you from now on, Narby.”
“What do you mean?” replied Narby. “You’re my best friend! You are a great friend!”
Grolf took a deep breath. He needed to tell the truth. “I put that broken chair in there,” he explained. “I thought I was leaving it there for you to sit on so that I could get into the Fluffers. I think Growlington switched it when I wasn’t looking, though, and he pulled the prank on me instead.”
Narby said nothing.
“I’m so so so so so sorry,” said Grolf. “I wanted to be cool so badly that I was willing to hurt you. I feel terrible and I promise to never betray you again. You showed me what true friendship is today, and I will always be grateful.”
Narby looked hurt, but then he turned to Grolf and said, “It’s okay. I understand. Sometimes we make mistakes, but the important thing is to learn from them. I forgive you.”
Grolf was so happy he almost cried. He realized how dumb it was for him to risk his friendship over a silly club, and he vowed to never let anything come between them again.
It was the first warm day of spring and finally nice enough for Cassie to meet up with her closest friends Ellie, Noa, and Tess at the neighborhood park after school. As her school bus pulled up to drop her off home, Cassie darted out, ran into her house, dropped off her schoolbooks, and was back out the door within moments. She could hardly conceal her excitement. It had seemed like FOREVER since she had been able to meet up with her friends at the park.
ReplyDeleteAs Cassie arrived, she saw that Ellie, Noa, and Tess were already waiting for her by the bleachers. “Hey guys! Hope you weren’t waiting long.”
“Not at all,” replied Ellie. “I just got this new jump rope from my aunt. I thought maybe we could play with it today.”
“Sure,” the girls replied. Cassie and her friends had a system. Each day they took turns deciding who chose the game for the day. Today it was going to be Ellie’s turn. While in the middle of a delightful game of helicopter, Cassie noticed a girl she had never seen before walking towards her and her friends.
“Hi! I’m Regina,” said the girl. “My family and I just moved to the neighborhood. Can I play with you guys?”
“Of course!” said Ellie. “We’re just testing out this new jump rope my aunt sent me.” As Ellie began showing Regina the cool tricks she had learned, Regina grabbed the rope out of Ellie’s hand and stammered, “Not like that, like this!” While shocked that their new “friend” would grab a toy out of another person’s hand, no one said a word, including Ellie. They just watched as Regina completely took control of the game.
The next day Cassie rushed to the park to meet up with her friends once again. As she approached, she noticed Noa, Tess, and their new “friend” Regina, waiting by the slide. However, Ellie was missing. While unusual for Ellie to not show up without an explanation, the friends did not think much about it. Perhaps she just had a lot of homework to finish. Plus, there was always tomorrow. Today it was Noa’s turn to pick the game. “I just bought this really cool chalk set with my birthday money. We can use it to set up a hopscotch board,” Noa offered.
“Awesome!” shouted Tess.
“Great!” replied Cassie.
“Ugh!” groaned Regina.
Even though startled by Regina’s response, the three girls once again remained quiet as they drew the hopscotch board. Since it was Noa’s pick for the day, she went first. As she was mid hop, Regina pushed her aside and blurted, “Not like that, like this!” as she took over control of the game. Once again, no one said a word.
The following day as Cassie walked to the park to meet her friends, she thought about Regina and how she wished she would not be there. Cassie really wanted things to just go back to normal. As she approached, the group had become noticeably smaller. Now it was just Tess and Regina waiting. Both Ellie and Noa were nowhere to be seen, and Cassie was beginning to suspect that homework was not the cause of their absence.
DeleteNot wanting to give Regina control, Cassie quickly said, “Tess, you pick today. I think it’s your turn.” Apprehensive that Regina would object, Tess hesitantly chose the monkey bars. As they walked over, Cassie sensed that things were changing. She was no longer excited to be at the park with her fried, but rather felt anxious and irritated by Regina’s presence. However, she still did not bother to say anything. She simply followed along. As Tess started to go, Regina jumped in front and began to cross the monkey bars while chanting, “Not like that, like this!” Cassie and Tess let Regina finish her turn before Tess announced she had to go home to help her parents prepare dinner. Not wanting to confront Regina as to why the game really was ending, Cassie agreed with Tess, and the two left the park feeling disappointed and defeated. Yet again, no one said a thing to Regina about the real problem.
The next day as Cassie uneasily approached the park she noticed that none of her friends were there. The only person she saw was Regina waiting by the baseball field. Not wanting to be ridiculed, Cassie turned around and walked home. She had never been more frustrated with herself. She should have said something sooner. She should have stood up for her and her friends. But it was too late now. She was all alone.
The Potty Blues
ReplyDeleteNina Moss is no ordinary 3 year old. Many people think it’s strange that she loves to listen to jazz music. She likes blues too, but jazz is her favorite. Watch her dance while jazz is playing and you’ll see why everyone calls her a jazzhead.
Tap! Tap! Tap! Her feet lightly pat the ground. Her fingers dance in and out as she plays the air saxophone. With her eyes closed, she sways her head from side to side with rhythm and grace.
Nina lives through music and music lives through Nina. Her parents can always tell Nina’s mood by the music she chooses to listen to, especially now that she is potty training.
When Nina wakes up in the morning or from a nap, if she chooses a jazz record then she stayed dry. If she chooses a blues record, then she wet the bed.
Nina learns about jazz and blues music from watching her parents. When her dad comes home from a long day at work, he sits in his brown wooden chair, listening to blues music and humming along. Other times, he comes home from work, grabs her mother by the hand, put on a jazz record and dance until dinnertime.
Nina thinks this way about potty training. Wetting the bed gives Nina the blues. The soft music relaxes and calms her frustration. On the other hand, Nina feels jazzy when she doesn’t wet the bed. Each time she stays dry is a time for celebration.
Lately, Nina has been feeling jazzy more often. She’s been on a jazz streak, until this afternoon.
After her nap, Nina awakes to a puddle beneath her. When her mom sees this, she gives Nina a wash up and dresses her.
At the table, Nina slowly eats her snack, while resting her head in her hand.
Her mom sees that Nina is feeling the blues. She asks Nina, “What do you want to listen to today?”
Nina replies, “The blue, Mama.”
Nina’s mom surprises her by playing a jazz record.
Her mom grabs Nina’s hand, pulling her into the living room. They dance and sing to Nina Simone’s “Feelin’ Good.”
Nina forgets all about wetting the bed.
She lightly pats her feet on the ground. Tap! Tap! Tap! Her head sways gracefully from side to side in rhythm as her fingers flow in and out on the air saxophone.
Nina learns that she will make mistakes, but she can choose to dance anyway.
Baseball and Hairbows
ReplyDeleteThe crack of the bat sounds as the first hit of the game goes soaring through the air and into the green grass of the outfield. Ally sits in the stands with her too-big baseball cap shielding her eyes from the blinding midday sun. It is her turn to attend opening day with her dad and, despite the jeers from her brothers that girls aren’t allowed to like baseball, Ally can’t remember ever being this happy.
The smell of hot dogs and Italian sausage wafts through the air making Ally’s stomach rumble with hunger. She hears the hot dog vender down below belting out, “hot dogs! Get your hot dogs!” and she looks pleadingly at her dad. His hand shoots into the air as he calls out for two hot dogs- mustard only. It’s rare that she gets to spend this much alone time with her dad while eating hot dogs at Wrigley is her idea of perfection.
Ally is eight years old and has wanted to play baseball ever since she was three. She would sit on the sidelines, a spectator at her brother’s t-ball games. Wishing with every bit of her soul that she could be the one out there. She sees herself with the heavy metal bat in her trembling hands as she walks on shaky knees up to the tee. She lifts the bat slowly and stares the ball down. With one motion, she swings and sends the ball soaring over the infielders head as the crowd erupts in cheers.
Ally is jolted back to the present by her dad tapping her hat. Of course this was just another daydream. Every year she has chickened out right before signups after weeks of her brothers taunting her and saying that girls can’t play ball and that she should just go play with her dolls. If her brothers were this relentless, she could just imagine the teasing that would come from the boys that were on her team.
She scans the bleachers at Wrigley trying to count all of the girls that are cheering on the Cubs today. It is too many to count and with that realization, She feels a pang of pride for being part of that group. If all of these women can like baseball, then why can’t she?
The rest of the game flies by and before she knows it, it is the bottom of the ninth. The Cubs have the bases loaded with two outs. This is their chance. If they can hit a homerun right now, they win the game! Ally leans forward in her seat. The anticipation is almost too much to handle! The first pitch comes so fast she can barely see it. Steeerrriiiiiiikkkkkeeee one! Pitch number two comes soaring out of the pitchers hand. It’s a ball. Holy cow, this is stressful! The third pitch leaves the pitchers hand and from where they are sitting in the outfield, Ally knew this was the pitch. The pitcher swung. The bat connected to the ball. The ball soared.
The ball soared so far that it was still thirty feet in the air as it passed the middle of the outfield. The ball looked like it was headed straight for Ally. The ball WAS headed straight for her. It was a little high so she stood up and took a little leap off the ground. The ball landed right in her glove! The crowd went wild. A grand slam to end the game with a W for the Cubs and Ally caught the ball. Everybody around her was patting her on the back and congratulating her on such a fantastic catch. Her confidence soared! She couldn’t wait to show her brothers. Ally decided right then and there that she could play baseball and she could play just as well as any of those silly boys. This was the start of a brand new girl and she couldn’t wait.
Twelve
ReplyDeletePart 1
Surprise
Nora's twelfth birthday was on a Monday. Her parents planned a surprise birthday for her including family and friends along their beach front home. It was a beautiful day--the kind of day where the sun blankets your skin and the sea offers a cooling breeze of relief. All the guests hid outside, underneath the sun porch, invisible from plain view. Guests held balloons and confetti waiting to release the decorations for the birthday surprise. Nora would be home any minute now.
As Nora walked into the house with her parents, she didn't notice anything unusual. She took off her muddy shoes and set down her gym bag and walked to the kitchen. After soccer, Nora was always starved. As she scanned items in the fridge, her parents suggested they order lunch. To maintain her appetite, she decided to drink a glass of orange juice until the pizza arrived. She closed the refrigerator door and walked to the sun porch where she had left A Wrinkle in Time, the book she was currently reading. The porch was her favorite place to read. At the right time of day, the sun offered wonderful warmth and the right amount of light. Nora was about to sit down until…"Surprise!!" She nearly lost her balance and fell to the floor as her friends and family jumped up, like a jack-in-the-box, exposing their faces just above the porch window sill. Nora was pleasantly surprised to see everyone but especially happy to see her best friend Sisi and ran to give her a hug.
"Sisi! You travelled all the way from Madison to be here?!"
"I wouldn't miss it!" said Sisi. Sisi's family moved away last year since her father's position was transferred to another city. Nora hadn't seen her since then.
As Nora finished saying hello to everyone and thanking them for such a wonderful surprise, the door bell rang. The pizza was here! As everyone gathering into the family room, which was attached to the open porch, a soft warm sea breeze swept the room, scattering the birthday balloons randomly across the room. Nora and Sisi talked with one another as best friends do. They had so much to tell one another. As everyone began eating and visiting with one another, Nora was shocked that she hadn't noticed the mountain of presents placed against the fireplace when she first walked in from soccer practice. Nora felt so loved in that moment—not because of the presents but how could her family keep this a secret?
"Nora, are you ready to open your presents?" asked Nora's mother.
"Mm-hmm!" said Nora, gobbling her favorite pizza. Nora hurried over to where the mountain of presents lay and opened present after present. New soccer cleats, a writing journal, and a puzzle were just some of Nora's favorites. Once the last present was opened, Nora thanked everyone.
"Wait!" Nora's father said. "You forgot one!" There was a small box wrapped in a beautifully textured orange and pink paper with a gold-glitter ribbon. The small gift almost glowed. Nora sat staring at it for a few moments mesmerized and she hadn't even opened it yet.
"Nora, what are you waiting for, open it!" urged Sisi. Nora picked up the small package and carefully untied the ribbon and set it aside. She then cautiously unwrapped the paper. With such precision, she managed to keep the beautiful paper intact. She stared at the small black box for a moment. As she flipped open the top, what appeared was beyond her imagination. Her parents had gifted her a sapphire pendant necklace. The pendant was in the shape of a horse, not bigger than a thumbnail. Sapphire represented her birthstone and the horse represented her animal sign in the Chinese New Year calendar. Nora was lost in the beauty of her birthstone. The guests anxiously waited for Nora to showcase what was in the little box, unsure if she liked or disliked the gift.
"Nora?" said her parents simultaneously. Her silence made them nervous. Did she like the gift?
Delete"Yes? Oh, this is the most special birthday, Mom and Dad. I love it!" As Nora showcased the gift to the guests, ooohs and aaaahs filled the silence. What it represented was far more beautiful than what it was.
Over the next few months, Nora wore her pendant every day. She hadn't taken it off since her birthday. It became a frequent habit of hers to rotate the sapphire around the chain with her fingers. She treasured it and wanted it near her at all times, including soccer practice.
One day, she was playing along the beach; she loved building sand castles and searching for sea shells. She was running to the tide for moist sand to make a strong sand castle. With the help of her pail, shovel and her creative nature, she created a beautiful sand castle. Nora had built three towers of equal height and equal distance apart with a keep balancing the fourth corner. Battlements connected the four towers and keep. The entrance included a gatehouse. She had leveled the ward, the interior grounds of the castle walls. She built the sand castle away from the high tide to ensure it would last for at least a couple days. Nora was very proud of her accomplishment. She ran back to the house. She wanted to show her parents the beautiful sand castle she had built. As she ran through the porch door, she made her way to the kitchen where she knew parents would be preparing dinner.
"Mom, Dad! You have to see the castle I built! It has the works!"
"Really?!" Her mother smiled knowing her daughter all too well.
"We'll just throw the roast in the oven and take a field trip to the castle." said her father.
Nora was so thrilled she could hardly wait. With all the excitement, her habit kicked in--she reached for her necklace. Nora gasped, "it's gone!”
Chapter 2
Another world
A sea horse made his way away from the shoreline deep into the sea. His beautiful blue color glistened as the sun made him sparkle like one hundred tiny sapphires. Aron made his way to the dazzling city that awaited him. He hadn’t been gone for long but to him it felt like a lifetime.
To be continued…
He awoke in the middle of the desert alone. His caravan had stopped for the night on their return trip to Djenne along the salt route. This was his first caravan and his brothers had promised to look after him. His father had never intended for him to be a trader, he was supposed to go to the great universities of Timbuktu and be a scholar. Yet, bad luck had befallen his father and his lost fortune forced Maji to join his brothers along the salt routes through the desert.
ReplyDeleteIt wasn’t the first time that his brothers had promised to protect him only to do the exact opposite. He remembered once when he was 5 his brothers took him to market on their fathers’ orders and had tried to sell him to slavers heading towards Morocco, luckily the slavers said that he was too puny to make them any money. His brothers hated him because he was their father’s favorite and made no attempts to hide his feelings. He would always talk about how he can’t wait for Maji to grow up so that he could give him all of his money and keep the family name great. He always talked about how much smarter and better looking Maji was compared to his stupid, ugly brothers. He even lavished Maji with tons of gifts and jewels, giving his brothers nothing. This all ended however, when his father ran into bad fortune and all of his hopes and dreams for Maji were crushed. His brothers willingly let Maji come with them on their trading expedition knowing full well that they could be rid of him forever.
He knew as soon as he woke up he was in trouble. Lying beside him was his necklace dangling from his brother’s dagger which was also piercing a note that read, “You should be dead, but let’s see how far your brains and good looks helps you this time get ahead.” Besides those three things there was nothing but miles and miles of sun and sand. As he put on his necklace and tucked the dagger into his belt he felt nothing but despair. All he could do was walk north, towards his father, and hope for the best.
He had walked nearly 5 miles when he started to hear a tiny sound like sand disappearing through an hour glass. This sound didn’t stop however and soon the fear of a sand trap prevented him from moving. He was frozen with fear. All of a sudden he heard the words, “Use your logic, use your logic,” coming from the desert floor. “I have none left,” he thought to himself. Not only was his brain totally absorbed in fear, but he was now hearing voices. “Your logic isn’t gone, you just are uncomfortable right now. You’re out of your league and that feeling is preventing you some using the brains you were blessed with,” said the voice. “Who is that?” responded Maji. “It’s your travel companion,” said the voice. “Who’s that?” asked Maji. “All the brains in the world, but you can’t look beyond yourself.” As he looked down he noticed a scorpion walking next to him. It was him who was making the noises in the sand.
“Why are you here?” asked Maji. “I noticed you were without a companion in the desert and that is a very dangerous predicament to be in,” replied the scorpion.
“What can you possibly do for me?”
“See there, that’s the problem, too absorbed in yourself to see help when it’s there.”
“How can you possibly help me?” Maji angrily retorted.
“Well, you my friend are stuck in the desert without a friend, water, or food, perhaps you…”
“What are you going to let me eat you?”
“Believe me, you’d be dead if you tried. Again, too conceited to let help find you. How far do you think you’ll go on your own there Maji?”
“It’s all my brothers fault anyway! They hate that I’m better at everything then them!”
“Well, you’re not better at being a part of a caravan that’s for sure,” the scorpion snickered.
“Do you know where we are going?” Maji asked changing the subject.
“There’s some water and a little shade 5 miles this way.”
“That’s in the total opposite direction though!”
“You must go back to go home.”
Exhausted, tired, and dehydrated Maji practically crawled towards the small water that encompassed the oasis. As he bent down thinking only about the cool water he jumped back horrified.
ReplyDelete“What was that?”
“It’s water that not only quenches your thirst, but reveals you soul,” replied the scorpion.
Maji bent low again and saw the image in the water. It looked like his reflection, but it was torturously ugly. The face looked like it had been hacked with a machete, full of sores and blisters, without a nose. Maji looked on in agony.
“That can’t be what my soul looks like,” Maji desperately asked.
“Your reflection never lies.”
Maji was no longer thirsty. Head hung low he shuffled over to a tree and fell against it.
After a few minutes the scorpion wandered towards Maji.
“The convenient thing about truly seeing yourself is being able to truly change yourself.”
“That can’t be me though. My soul can’t be that terrible,” bemoaned Maji.
“It may seem crazy, but your family hates you, and you have no friends because you have this lofty position of yourself.”
“I’m talented and gifted is all.”
“True, but who made you obligated to let everyone know?”
Maji thought for a few minutes. Suddenly he got up, looked closely at the water forced his face into it and drank heavily. After a few minutes of drinking it all in he got up and headed north.
“Where you going?” asked the scorpion.
“I’m on my way to Timbuktu. I have to remake myself. You coming?”
“Let’s go.”
Gustavo The Grumpy Goat
ReplyDeleteBy: Molly Ostergaard
Children’s Story
Gustavo was a grumpy goat. He rarely giggled. Some might say that Gustavo woke up on the wrong side of the bed every single day.
Each morning it was the same. Gustavo would hear the birds chirping, and he would see the sun shining - he thought the birds were too loud; he thought the sun was too bright. When afternoon would arrive, with the sun straight above him in the sky, Gustavo would find a cold, dark room in the barn to sit in, alone. When other goats would approach Gustavo and ask him how he was doing, Gustavo always replied the same way - with his head hung low, and in a soft voice: “I’m grumpy.”
All the other goats nearby enjoyed their mornings and afternoons together - in the fields, eating grass, and giggling with their friends. Each evening, the goats played a game of ghost in the graveyard. Usually, the goats refrained from asking Gustavo to play because they already knew the answer. But today, something was going to be different.
In his corner in the barn, Gustavo sat on the ground in his grumpy state of mind and waited for the sun to go away. He listened to the goats gathering outside. He grimaced at their giggles. Then, he growled at their gaiety. He grumbled about their game, too. He was feeling just plain grumpy.
Across the field, in the grass among the other goats, Christof noticed Gustavo’s shadow through a window in the barn. Christof thought he’d invite Gustavo to play again. He had asked Gustavo to play many times before, as had the other goats, but today, Christof was optimistic. So, he thought he’d try asking Gustavo again.
Creeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeek. The barn door slowly opened. Rays of light slithered off of the walls as the sun climbed in. Christof walked through the door and crept to the back corner, where Gustavo sat.
“Hey dude,” said Christof.
“Hmph,” groaned Gustavo. “Why aren’t you outside playing with your friends?”
“I have a hard time playing with the others when you’re sitting in here alone.”
“Wow,” Gustavo thought to himself, “I didn’t know anyone ever noticed me in here.”
“I don’t want to play,” Gustavo grumpily said.
“I don’t understand why,” replied Christoff.
Gustavo mumbled back, “It’s silly and embarrassing really.”
“Well, let me hear it. I promise I won’t laugh at you.”
“When I was a young goat, I played with the others every day, but one day, I slipped in the mud and fell. I broke my front leg, and now, I have a bad limp.”
“So, you don’t play with us because you’re embarrassed about your limp?”
“Yes. You would be embarrassed too.”
“Gustavo, you aren’t perfect, but guess what? I am not perfect either. I am a super slow runner! And Arnold, he is afraid to hide alone, so someone always hides with him. And Enrique! Enrique doesn’t understand the rules; he just likes to play for fun. He is always running around wondering what’s going on. My point is that nobody is perfect, and nobody expects you to be. We just want to have fun and be your friend - laugh with you, not at you. We don’t want to embarrass you.”
Gustavo thought about this proposition. He decided he’d giving playing with the other goats a try. And, when the games began, he was having a great time.
Dear Lunchroom Diary
ReplyDeleteBy: Helen C.
When the clock strikes 11:30, “FREEEEEDOM!!!!!” thinks the class as we walk out to recess. I always felt like recess was at a good point in the day. We’ve just finished fine arts, had snack time, did our math lesson, I think it’s time for a break. I walk over to the swings where I usually meet my friend Isaac and Johnson. We walk past the basketball court. We don’t play basketball. Basketball players are usually the kids who think they are cool. We don’t think we are cool, we know we are cool. We go right to the jungle gym and we hang out at the top like we always do. We don’t do much. We don’t even talk with each other. We just stand up there, bounce a bit and sing the songs that we know. Ms. Jones teaches the best songs, and they are always so catchy and get stuck in our heads.
Oh no, it’s 11:50, the worst part of the day. It’s lunchtime. Don’t get me wrong, I love to eat, but lunch is just so stressful! I know I sound absolutely cuckoo right night. When you think about lunch in an elementary, you have kids sharing food and smiling at each other while eating their lunch and having fun conversation. Yeah right, I wish! Lunch is so stressful, because I feel like it’s a war zone! I constantly have to pick a strategic place to sit so I can dodge any food being thrown around today. The poor lunch supervisors. They are super nice and they mean well, but they just don’t know how to discipline the kids that really deserve it. Instead, they always watch when the victim kids try to defend themselves. The supervisors just sees defense as trouble. Geez, they really need to watch the whole thing!
Oh phew, just 3 more minutes of this chaos! Ms. Krane should be coming to pick us up for silent reading time. Finally some peace and quiet. I better go throw my garbage away and wait for her to come.
Just as I walk over to the garbage can, I see a flash and hand on the ground. Next thing I know, I am face first to the ground. I’ve slipped on a banana peel. I know it wasn’t there when I started walking over. I turn around and everyone points to Jake. Oh know…my arch nemesis. He smirks at me, flip is hair back and walks away. That’s it, that was the last straw! I charge at him but he moves out the way. Ugh, just my luck! I charge into the principal. Ughhhh…will this ever end?!
Until next time, lunchroom diary. That is if I ever make it out of the principal’s office….