A creative story by Gauri (The Fortune Cookie)

The Fortune Cookie

Prologue:

It all started like this~

"Your life is in danger. Say nothing to anyone. You must leave the city immediately and never return."  That’s what the fortune cookie said. My heart skipped a beat!

The letters were written in black ink on blood red paper. I glanced around looking for some eyes that would answer my questions but none did. Then suddenly I saw a black smother in the front glass panes near the restaurant’s entrance. My eyes soon recognized the black smother, as it re-appeared slightly peeking from the glass pane. It was the man in black! The one who always kept his eyes on me whenever I was out of my house. I had wondered why that man was always there? A few times I even mustered the courage to go talk to him, but he, as always, would wander away before I could catch up to him. It was a secret that I was not willing to share with my parents or close friends. “The man in black” as I had nicknamed him because he was always wearing a pitch black blazer and lead black trousers. Only his desolated grey eyes where not the color of licorice. I quickly got up from my seat my blinded from reasoning by the blindfold of curiosity. I sprinted towards the door leading me out of the Chinese restaurant.

I followed him through the bustling crowd. Making sure he did not notice me. I was so close now shuffling through the crowd fast but silently. Suddenly, his head turned and his eyes met mine. I saw my pale reflection in them, my brown long hair scattered on my face, my green eyes alert, my mouth wide open. He turned and ran, ran straight out of my sight. I quickly regained my senses hurdling through the crowd out of the door.

I saw him running towards the next block, he was way swifter than I imagined. He was not as grizzled as I imagined either his grey eyes made me think that he was old and lonely but I had never seen his face because it was always covered with his mouth high collar. The only things that I ever saw were his eyes, sorrowful and strained. I ran straight towards him zigzagging through the pedestrians on the sidewalk. I turned to the next block where the “Man in black” had run, but I saw no sign of him. I had lost him again. My curiosity flattered and my mouth became a frown against my face. Without warning two hands stretched across my face covering my eyes and mouth. A slight scream escaped my mouth, but it was too muted that nobody could have heard it. After that I remembered nothing!

My eyes slowly opened, my vision blurry from tears. Sweat was dripping from my pale white forehead. My eyes were bulging painfully against my skull. I was sitting in a faded brown chair, my arms resting carefully on the arm rests.

“Where am I?” I inquired, my voice shaky from the crying.

From the darkness a figure formed. He was about 18 years old, no… 16. He was dressed in a moss T-Shirt and Dark blue jeans. His brown hair brushed slightly against his tan skin. He seemed unfamiliar, except those light grey eyes, still as empty.

“It…It’s you," I slight murmured under my breath.

The man in black! It can’t be him; he seemed so old and fragile. But, those eyes they are unforgettable the rare grey shade the same emptiness.

“Hi, I am Titus, Welcome Tyesha!” he said with a faint smile

“Where am I? ” I thrashed with an amazingly collected voice.

“You… well aren’t you going to introduce yourself? But I already know you, " he slightly smiled.

“First tell me where I am and why are you here?” I rashly asked, my curiosity unable to be controlled.

“Umm…. Okay so you are here to save the world from domination!” He said abruptly

“What kind of a joke is this!”?  My voice rising, my breaths shallow.

And then, there was an empty silence…

Persuasive Essay by Gauri Kaushik

Cellphones should not be allowed in International School of Beijing

             These days almost all of ISB students have some sort of technology, apart from the MacBook Pro issued by the school. Having cellphones in school is a very bad idea and will affect the students' academics and can also affect their health.

             My first point is distraction caused by cellphones. As a teacher or student, we all know how distracting cellphones can be. Texting, video chatting, Facebook and all these things distract students from paying attention in class. The study from the University of Nebraska-Lincoln shows that more than 80% of the students admit that their cellphones distract their learning. Also in a 15-week management surveillance program conducted by the California University, it is found that students are on non-school related websites 42% of the time in class. Not only will this result in unsatisfactory grades but the ability to concentrate and learn will also be decrease.

Talking about school behaviour let’s to refer to the point of cheating. When teachers allow students to bring cellphones into the class, they expect them to manage it with responsibility and usually trust the student, but what if this is not the case? What if the student actually cheats in tests and the teacher does not know about this? By eliminating cellphones in school we are not only ensuring that the student is not cheating it will also help in gaining your teachers trust and less dishonesty. After all, when you cheat on the test you are cheating on yourself by not knowing your true capability.

Another issue that is raised in most schools is the use of cellphones to cyber-bully someone. According to the i-safe foundation more that 1 in 3 teens in the United States have experienced cyber threats on the phone. Apart from the MacBook that is issued by the school, students can use their cellphones to either bully someone else or get bullied. As a result teens and pre-teens have increasing rates in depression in the past few years.

I think cellphones are a bad idea, they don’t only affect a students' academics but can also affect their lifestyle and health in various negative ways. To prevent this from happening we can ban cellphones in school. This will prevent bullying, distraction and cheating in school.

 

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Citations:

 

"Students Think They Can Multitask. Here’s Proof They Can’t." Faculty Focus Students Think They Can Multitask Heres Proof They Cant Comments. N.p., n.d. Web. 08 Apr. 2014.

 

"UNL Study Shows College Students Are Digitally Distracted in Class." UNL. N.p., n.d. Web. 07 Apr. 2014.

 

"The Age of Distraction: Getting Students to Put Away Their Phones and Focus on Learning." Faculty Focus The Age of Distraction Getting Students to Put Away Their Phones and Focus on Learning Comments. N.p., n.d. Web. 08 Apr. 2014.

 

Hunter, Nick. Cyber Bullying. Chicago, IL: Heinemann Library, 2012. Print.

 

Business letter By: Gauri Kaushik 7-7

May 10^th 2014

10 Anhua St, Shunyi, Beijing, China

Dear James Lee:

All these years Eurest has significantly taken the responsibility of providing food to the ISB community. The food is well provided and the presentation is also of high standard, but what concerns me most is the high rates of fat and sugar in these foods.

 

According to the World Health Organization, worldwide obesity has doubled since 1980. The reason is fat filled foods. For example, I looked at Eurest’s online menu. Almost ¾ of the menu are oily and fried. Pizza, burger, brownies, cookies and much more, are examples of fat and sugar found in our daily menus. This fat filled menu does not just stop on the main dishes. The soft drinks and slushes are also filled with sugar.

 

Due to these huge sugar intakes, effects other than obesity may take place. Toothache and strokes are just some of them. If you look at the average middle school class in ISB, almost every student has had one cavity.

 

Even though there are some choices in the daily menu for healthier alternatives, there is still room for improvement. For instance, the pizza counter can rotate with healthier choices such as ham and cheese pitas with carrots on the side, a balance of grain, meat, protein and vegetables.

 

I hope these few suggestions will help our community with healthier food. Thank you for considering this letter.

 

Sincerely,

 

 

Gauri Kaushik