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…

Shootout Victory

I had never before felt more anxious, nervous, excited, and energetic at the same time. Soccer had always been my favorite sport. Not only did soccer unite nations and symbolize friendship for millions around the globe, but it was also truly the beautiful game. A game packed with skill, excitement, strategy, and emotion. All of those ideas were streaming through me right now like a roaring river.

My soccer league had recently introduced an end-of-season tournament to crown a season champion. This was only the first round of the tournament, but if this was going to be the last game I played this season, it had to be the best.

I felt the wet grass brush against my ankles, still wet from the early morning dew, soaking my long soccer socks, as I waited in the center circle for the kickoff. When the whistle finally blew, it barely registered anything in my head.

Thirty minutes later, the whistle blew again for the game to stop. The score was 0-0, a frustrating and meaningless score. Now we would go in to the penalty shootout round to determine a winner. Each team would take 5 shots from the penalty spot; the team with the most goals would advance to the next round. The losing team would walk out, defeated. A go big or go home situation, my stomach seemed to be crammed to the brim with panicking butterflies.

We got off to an early lead; scoring our first two shots while our opponents had only scored one. Our next shot sailed over the goal, keeping the score at 2-1. Fortunately, they missed their shot as well, leaving me to score and set up my teammate Ricky for a game winning penalty shot.

I felt my heart pumping like a machine inside my ribcage as I walked up to the penalty spot. I took several deep breaths before striding forward to strike the ball. I did what any right-footed striker my age would do; I aimed it to the top right corner. I watched the ball sail perilously close to the goalkeeper’s fingertips, barely finding the top right corner of the net. I felt a rush of joy run through me, and I pumped my fist in the air with excitement. Now all I could do was wait.

The other team scored their next shot, but it didn’t matter as long as Ricky scored this next goal. He was the best striker on the team, he had a deadly combination of power and accuracy. I watched with my heart in my mouth as Ricky’s shot boomed into the back of the net. 4-2. Game over.

A shout of triumph lurched through me, as if I had been waiting all day to let it out. I stuck my hand out and high fived anyone I walked past, teammate, coach, parent, ref, or opponent. I was having the time of my life.

 

 

MVP Performance

3-2. Not a good situation to be in if you’re losing the national varsity soccer championship with five minutes left in the game. Rain was coming down in sheets, drenching every person on the field, winning or not. Every player on our team was playing his hearts out, giving it all they had, but nothing seemed to give. I knew it had to happen. All I needed was the tiniest of faults in the defensive line, but the other team held steady, playing possession since they were in the lead, not giving us any daylight. Yet, I knew it had to happen.

Then I noticed it. A pass, from the opposition’s left back, that just didn’t have enough power on it to propel it all the way to the target. I jumped on the mistake, taking the ball under control and barreling past a defender. I found myself breaking free on the left wing. I saw the center forward charging into the box, expecting a cross to knock into the goal. I drove through the ball with my foot, sending it swirling through the air in a curling arc. The forward met the ball with his head, tapping it past the keeper and tying the game at three.

Two minutes later, the referee blew his whistle, bringing regular time to an end, but it was still a long way from over. During the short intermission before golden goal time started, our coach gave us a pep talk, telling us how we were supposed to win the game. I felt utterly terrified. The other team was evidently better than us; they just hadn’t turned on their afterburners yet. It was only a matter of time before they broke through. I felt myself trembling like I was caught in a winter storm without a coat frozen body. Maybe in some other dimension, I heard the whistle blow, signaling the restart of play. Immediately things went wrong. After the kickoff, their midfielder got it, and drove it up field with a powerful lofted pass.

Their forward received the ball and foxed our center back. He was in the clear, nobody between him and the goal. But then he faltered, tripping over the ball. He didn’t fall completely, but it gave me the chance to take the ball from him.

Since I had dropped back to defend, I charged forward as he was recovering, and then slide tackled him, and regained possession of the ball. Slowly but surely we moved the ball up the field, pass by pass. One of my teammates had been causing their defense problems all game long, and therefore he dragged a second defender over to the sideline, leaving me open in the middle. He passed me the ball and I noticed there were only twenty-five yards between the goal and me, and for a fraction of a second, nobody was in my way. I took my chances and put as much energy into that shot as I had left in me. I had aimed it perfectly, drilling it past the goalkeeper’s outstretched hands and into the top corner. My goal had turned us from underdogs to champions.

Afterward in the locker room, our coach said he had a few awards to give out. He ran through the list, until he came to the last one, team MVP. I was the last person I expected to win it. After all, I wasn’t even the team captain, or the assistant captain, or the top goal scorer, or the top assister. “And the MVP award goes to: Adrian Wells.” I couldn’t believe my ears, who was I to be the MVP. But the coach answered that. “He was chosen for several reasons,” the coach said. “Leadership, determination, effort, but above all, the best team player I have ever seen.”

The Choking Game By: Eileen Lee

The Choking Game

By: Eileen Lee

 

For the past few days, I have read a book called ‘Choke’ by Diana Lopez. ‘Choke’ is a touching and a meaningful book. This book talks about a typical 8^th grade student, Windy, who wants to get in the ‘in-crowd’ group, not GP (General Public) or ‘out-crowd’ group. Windy is GP, neither a loner nor popular. But then the coolest kid in school, Nina, starts hanging out with Windy and plays this really dangerous game called ‘the choking game’. Windy is going through a big dilemma deciding if she should keep hanging out with Nina and get in the ‘in-crowd’ group or just stay in GP and not play the choking game.

 

There is a really important message in this book. The Choking game is a dangerous game between teens in which they self-strangulate in order to achieve a brief high. The high is the result of oxygen rushing back to the brain after it’s cut off by the practice of strangulation. This game is actually happening between teens in real life. The author of this book was once a teacher. One day, she noticed that her students were coming in with blood shot eyes. At first, she thought they were doing drugs, but later, she learned that they were involved in a game known by many names, mostly, the choking game. The choking game can kill many people because no air goes into their brains. So this is the reason why she wrote this book.

 

My favorite character is Windy Soto who is the main character of this book, because even though she had a hard time deciding if she should keep hanging out with Nina, abandon her best friend, Elena and play the dangerous choking game or stay in GP, but don’t play the choking game, she made the right choice. I think that could have been a hard decision because everyone would want to be a friend with the ‘cool’ guys. I also thought Nina was an interesting character. I always wore a scarf to hide the red mark on her neck from the choking game.

 

I like how the author started the book by explaining that there are groups of people in the main character’s school. People in ‘In-crowd’ group are very popular, GPs are students who are just normal and like invisible, and people in Out-crowd’ group are people who get bullied and have no friends. I also like how the author plotted this story. The plot is full of excitement and suspense.

 

The book ‘choke’ is very interesting and has been read by many people all over the world. The author wrote her message on the book very well, and as a student, there are some parts I can totally understand.

 

 

 

 

 

 

The Journey of Finding My Glasses By: Eileen Lee

The Journey of Finding My Glasses

Eileen Lee 7-7

I can’t walk properly.

All I can see are blurry things that are on my way.

I wave my arms not to bump into things.

I have lost the way to see.

I looked under the sofa.

All I can see is dust and my long lost pencils and erasers.

I looked at the side of my bed,

All I can see is half eaten bread.

I looked at the bathroom behind the towels,

All I can see is a BUG!?!? Ugh. Wait, no. It is a pair of lost earrings.

I am doomed.

What will my mother say to me?

Scold me?  Shout at me?

I saw the reflection of my terrified face on the mirror.

I notice something.

                                  My glasses were on my head the whole time!

Our Valuable Friendship by Sunny Lee

Oh what a joy it is,
to have a friend like you.
For giving me strength,
the way you do.

For lifting me up like an elevator,
when I’m feeling down.
Putting a smile on my face,
when I’m wearing a frown.

Thanks for being there,
and helping me grow.
Your friendship means a lot,
and I’d like you to know.

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

The True Teddy by: Louisa Song

The True Teddy

By: Louisa Song

Teddy fished out a dollar from his pocket. Huh, that’s weird. Where did that come from?  Teddy thought with a confused frown. Still, he clutched onto the flimsy bill tightly, because money was the only way he could get a chance for a job. Even if it was strange he found money, he still needed the money, so he was satisfied. Still holding the dirty old bill, Teddy came to a stop. On his right was a unique shop with interesting designs.

On the whiteboard decorated with Christmas lights that were way out of season, it said: SHOP CLEARANCE! 90% off all costumes!

Oh, it was a costume shop? I should get one! What a perfect way to spend my dollar! Teddy thought to himself, with his mind wondering about the different opportunities a costume held for him. He skipped over to the animal section and chose the bear costume, because people called him “Teddy Bear” because he looked like a bear. His soft brown hair, his round beady eyes; even the look of his round face made people think of a bear when they saw him.

“Where are the changing rooms?” Teddy politely asked the shop owner,

“It’s right over there by the corner. Are you trying out that bear costume?” The shop owner replied with a mysterious smile,

“Yes, I hope it fits me.” Teddy wished with a giggle,

“I hope so too, it fits you so well!” The shop owner grinned, staring at Teddy the whole time.

After Teddy made sure that the costume fit, he paid the shop owner his dollar and headed out the door. Teddy didn’t hear, but behind his counter, the shop owner whispered a word. “Transform”

Teddy continued to walk down the streets, hoping maybe a circus missing a clown might spot him and ask him to join. Teddy went through all kinds of trouble just for a job, and getting this costume was just one of his risky money-wasters.

The day went by fine, but as he took the costume off at night, he felt a burning pain, as if something had just been ripped from his skin. He put the costume back on, and it all felt better, as if he had just been shielded from a layer of thick cream to soothe his skin.

The next morning, Teddy wanted to take a shower, and also get into a new set of clean clothes. To his surprise, when he tried to take the costume off, the burning pain got stronger, and he didn’t even bother to try any more. He just kept the costume on.

That evening, Teddy thought it was too much. He ran to the costume shop to get help. He thought maybe there was a specific procedure that had to be followed to take the costume off. He ran and ran and ran. By late evening, Teddy was huffing and puffing, but he had no luck. The location of the store was perfectly clear in his mind, but he just couldn’t get there. The roads were endless and Teddy was starting to be tossed around between his nervous thoughts. Go home, or not? He slapped his face, trying to recreate the place he was at yesterday. Yes, the shop next to the electricity pole, next to the mall. When Teddy looked around, he saw the bright mall, and also the tall, buzzing electricity pole. He was in the right spot, but the shop was nowhere to be seen.

Teddy had no other option but to live with it. The pain to remove the costume was too painful for Teddy. As he struggled to adapt to his new life, he found that his voice got deeper and he didn’t like going outside. One, because he didn’t like how he had to wear the same thing everyday, but also because over the week or two in his “bear life” he realized he didn’t like socializing with people. His eating habits became more and more barbaric, and his movements became more aggressive.

At first he didn’t know, he didn’t want to admit, he was afraid to admit, but now, he had to understand. He was now a bear. There was nothing Teddy could do about his life now. All he could do was live his life until he died. Before Teddy died three years ago, he would have never imagined how much his life would influence children. He didn’t imagine how famous he would become.

Teddy’s story was widely known across the world, and people started to make “Teddy Bears” in honor of his curiosity to try new things. Companies hoped that customers would be influenced positively, and also think that “Teddy Bears” were linked tightly to humans, although they were just dolls. Some children still think “Teddy Bears” are just stuffed toys, but after they know the true story, no child will look at their old “Teddy Bear” the same way.

The Point of No Return

It seemed suicidal at first, to jump off a cliff, but it wasn’t. I could hear young adults behind me, whispering of my eight-meter cliff jump. I already impressed many people. I did not need to go any higher, but the urge clung to me like a magnet, refusing to let go. It was the thrill of jumping off a cliff. It sounds really stupid. You might say I was losing my mind, or even drunk. But I was just being myself.

My family and I traveled to Boracay at the end of 2013, during winter break. While there, we decided to take a lively daylong excursion to one of Boracay’s main attractions, Aerial’s Point. Our jaunt kicked off with a forty-five minute scenic boat ride from Boracay Island. The majestic mountains and the shimmering ocean water made the ride even more relaxing and refreshing. The college students on the boat already started to dull their senses by drinking the inclusive and unlimited beer. All I could drink was coke. Aerial’s point’s crew even had a slogan: “The more you drink, the higher you jump!” After the short forty-five minute period, we arrived at our breathtaking eco-adventure destination.

Our adventure commenced as we departed the boat, headed up the cliff side-whitewashed staircase and settled down at a shaded table. “Why don’t you go and make your first jump?” my mother asked me, as I was taking off my shirt. I aimed toward the wooden plank for the eight-meter jump, not knowing whether I should be excited or nervous. Several people were already lined up. “Why don’t you go ahead of me?” a stranger immediately offered. “Go in front of me instead,” another stranger insisted. They were obviously horrified, and attempted to use kindness to hide their fear.

My strategy was to jump, without hesitation, straight into the ocean. By executing this plan, I would not have time to be pessimistic and think about how high I was jumping from. I walked off the plank and plummeted down into the abyss.

I felt the water gushing into my ears and up my nose. It was a bit painful but it did not daunt me because of my previous swim team practices. I quickly kicked my way back to the surface for a gulp of air. “No harm done!” I yelled to my parents as I climbed out of the water and up a ladder. The moment of triumph was ephemeral because I knew waiting for me was another challenge, the ten-meter jump.

The fire within me extinguished after a few minutes of rest. Even though my energy was dampened, the anticipation of an adrenaline rush enticed me to the wooded plank that stretched out to Poseidon, the wooden plank for the ten-meter jump. I hesitantly walked across the beam. Uh oh. Big mistake. Pessimistic thoughts started zipping through my head like pesky mosquitoes. I wanted to forsake my mission, but visceral feeling prompted me to proceed. Physically, I was a nervous wreck. My legs were trembling, my hands were sweating, and my toes were fidgeting. Emotionally, I was in a battle. Should I jump? Or should I not? It was the thrill of jumping off a cliff. It sounds really stupid. You might say I was losing my mind, or even drunk. But I was just being myself.

"The Rebellion Strikes"

CITS Video by Jared and others

[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=erT51Jv7AZw&w=420&h=315]

Eileen's Poetry Collection

Here is my tumblr for my 10 poem collection:)

 

 

http://poetryisosm.tumblr.com

Our Valuable Friendship by Sunny Lee

Oh what a joy it is,

to have a friend like you.

For giving me strength,

the way you do.

For lifting me up like an elevator,

when I’m feeling down.

Putting a smile on my face,

when I’m wearing a frown.

Thanks for being there,

and helping me grow.

Your friendship means a lot,

and I’d like you to know.

The Book Hunter - Book Review of I Am Number Four by Sunny Lee

I Am Number Four by Pittacus Lore is a science fiction novel. The main character named John Smith is a Garde (or an alien) from the planet called Lorien. He was sent to earth when he was a child with eight other Gardes to escape from the invading Mogadorians who destroyed the planet Lorien. They all never had real names, so they were each assigned a number (John was given number four). John was very young when he was sent to earth so his guardian Henri protected him up until now. John is beginning to develop legacies, in his case: telekinesis (ability to move objects at a distance by mental power) and power to transmit plasma through his hands. Earth was meant to be a safe place for training and for getting ready to fight back the Mogadorians because of what they did to Lorien back in history. But the Mogadorians followed them and are killing the Gardes one by one. ”They killed Number One in Malaysia. Number Two in England. And Number Three in Kenya.” Will John make it? This might be the end of his life.

In this dangerous yet frightening story, John, a young alien boy struggles to survive from the Mogadorians on the planet earth and activates two important messages. The first one is don’t trust others, no matter how close you are with them; rather, trust yourself. In the story, some Mogadorians are disguised as humans that pretend to help John until one night John sneaks into this house and finds out that they were in disguise. The second one is to never give up on yourself, don’t stop, in fact sometimes help will come to you. When John went in that house and started fighting the disguised Mogadorians, he ended up being cornered when suddenly his guardian Henri came to rescue. The author captures the reader’s attention by putting some great humor and detail in helping us visualize each moment in the story. Also, after parts of big climaxes, he always puts in another big conflict that we would have never thought of, but keeps the story going smoothly. The story is very straightforward, it gives many visualizing details but never puts any unnecessary text.

I Am Number Four is full of action and danger. It is a wonderful novel to read for those who enjoy action, danger, fighting and maybe even those who love mystery! I Am Number Four shows feelings of a boy that has been wanted and has been chased ever since he was a child. I think this book is good for ages 11 and up. This book is exciting and worth reading.

If I Had a Time Machine

If I had a time machine,

I’d fly to the Jurassic Period.

I would steal an egg of a brachiosaurus.

If I had a time machine,

I’d fly to the 28^th century.

I would get myself x-ray goggles.

If I had a time machine,

I’d fly to the Roman Empire.

I would sell a flashlight for a chunk of gold.

But most of all,

If I had a time machine,

I’d fly to yesterday.

I would finish my math homework due this morning!

Tears of My Broken Arm by Sunny lee

“Gotta hurry, gotta hurry,” I said to myself as my fingers were flying through the pile of puzzle pieces. I tried to make my right hand move as fast as I could but at the same time, my left arm was suffering in great pain.

Oh hey, are you wondering what happened to my left arm? Sorry, let me scroll back and show you how it happened from the beginning.

‘Ding ding!’ the school bell rang. “Students it’s recess time! Have fun and remember our class rule number one, be safe!” announced my teacher, Ms. McCawley, as we dashed out the door like angry elephants. My friends and I were always the first to get on the old squeaky swings. “Let’s see who can swing the highest!” my friend Lucy said.

“I bet I could beat you down easily,” I shouted back as we both started swinging.

I kicked hard off the ground. I swung my legs back and forth powerfully as I tried to reach as high as I could on my swing. But suddenly, a wind started blowing hard like a tornado was nearby. It suddenly felt like the wind was controlling my body on the swing. I started swinging out of control. My hands were starting to sweat and I started losing my grip on the swing’s rope. I felt myself slowly sliding off my swing. I swung up really high and ‘BAM!’ I flew off my swing and landed straight on the cold concrete ground with my arm first and face second.

“Ohh… I feel sore,” I groaned, as I nearly passed out. The TA (teacher assistant) came and took me to the nurse office. The nurse checked my crooked arm and called my mom. “Hello? Sunny’s Mother? Your daughter has been injured and I’m afraid she will have to be taken to the hospital.”

She paused as I heard my mom reply on the phone. “What? Injured? Hospital Okay I’ll be there in 10 minutes!” The nurse hung up on the phone as I slowly fell asleep in the clinic’s bed.

“What did you do to your arm? How bad did you hurt it that now you have to go check in the hospital?” my mom shouted, jolting me awake. She was angrier than worried when she took me to our car and drove me to the hospital. After the doctor checked my arm, I was shocked because of the four terrifying words he said, “Your arm is broken.”

For a minute my mom and I stared at each other, until for some reason that reminded me of something. “Mom! What about the puzzle competition? It’s in 3 days!” I was ready to burst into tears now. I regretted getting on those swings. I hated the wind that blew me off my swing. I also hated my friend that just had to get me competitive in something as stupid as just a little swing contest. And I suddenly recalled what my teacher said before we went to recess, “Student it’s recess time! Have fun and remember our class rule number one, be safe!”

“Be safe…” I whispered to myself. I started feeling so mad and angry and wanted to give up on everything. The doctor said he had to put a cast on my arm, because if he didn't then later on I wouldn’t even be able to move my arm and the bone would get dislocated badly. I had to listen to the doctor, what choice did I have?

The next day I was depressed. My mood went straight down, like a roller coaster. Whenever I went out of my house I felt like everyone was staring at my arm. By the time I got into the school area, everyone was gathered to ask questions about it.

That day was bad enough, but it got worse when I came home. My mom had just finished a phone call and looked at me frozen. “What happened?” I asked.

“Your friends were talking about it and the news spread to the people who organized the puzzle competition. And they said that you couldn’t join anymore. They said according to the rules of the competition, it stated that each contestant must be a condition where they are able to compete fairly with the other contestants, which includes being able to use both of your arms.” She slowed down towards the end. By the time she finished speaking I was already on the floor crying.

When my mom called me down for dinner, she was all happy and jumpy. I asked her why and she said, “I almost forgot to tell you! After you went up to your room I felt sad because I knew you were really excited for the competition. So, I called the competition judges and talked to them, a very long time actually, and they said that they would allow you back in the competition.” That made my ears twitch. Did I hear her wrong? In a moment I was out of my chair dancing around. I dashed into my room and started timing myself doing different piece puzzles because I never knew how many piece puzzles they might give me to do. I started from 2000, then 5000, then 10,000 and so on.

The 3 days passed and now I was in the puzzle stadium, shaking hands with the other players. My heart was beating at the speed of light. All the other player’s hands and fingers were all big and long. Everyone was at least 12 years old. And I looked at my hands, all short and small. And I was only 6 years old. I only had one comfortable hand to use, and it wasn’t even my dominant hand. When I was just calming myself down, the whistle blew and the competition started. Everyone threw open the 10,000 puzzle piece box and started matching the pieces. I started to think “Oh my gosh I think I should just get out of here.” But my fingers became more and more comfortable and flexible. My fingers were flying through the pile of puzzle pieces and my work. In about 15-20 minutes I was done and I raised my hand. The judges came and made sure my pieces were all in the right place. I sat, more confident then ever: I knew I was the winner. I looked up and around myself with a big smile. But when I turned my head back, I started thinking something was wrong.

The judges looked frozen and were slowly shaking their heads at each other while the other contestants, and the whole audience, focused on the judges and me. There was a large pause until one of the judges finally made a sudden movement. They held my arm up and blew the whistle. I made it. Even with a broken arm. I beat everyone. I was overjoyed when the judges handed me my trophy. I waved at the audience and held up the trophy with both arms, feeling confident. My left arm felt a sharp pain when I lifted the trophy, but come on. I won this. Did it really matter anymore?

Never Ever Give Up

One False Note is a Fantasy and Adventure book written by Gordan Korman. This enthralling story maps out the life of young orphans Amy and Dan Cahill as they venture to find the 39 clues left behind from their dead grandmother in order to attain an unknown prize. Deciding that there was nothing left to lose in their life, the two orphans compete against their own family relatives in order to find all the clues, but will they be able to withstand the brutal attacks of their cousin competitors?

The message of this book teaches me a very valuable lesson, to never give up. Sometimes the character’s determination starts to diminish but the last inspiring words of their grandmother keep their spirits up. The author’s story map is thrilling. One moment they are safe the other they are trapped in their competitor’s ship, threatened to be killed!

The story mountain is a wiggly path filled with invigoration, excitement and suspense. “They were cornered, from the floor Dan pulled up a hockey stick wrapped in brown paper. At that moment, Eisenhower Holt took a running leap at the door. With a teeth-jarring crash, the hatch splintered loose and slammed into Dan. The boy went down hard. The stick clattered to the floor. Blinded by rage, Amy snatched the stick and broke it over Eisenhower’s head. The big man absorbed the blow, wobbled, and collapsed on a mailbag. The victory was short-lived. Holts stormed the car. Madison Holt grabbed Amy by the collar. Reagan Holt yanked Dan upright. They were caught.” This paragraph clearly shows the breathtaking events of this story and rapid action. This part of this story also describes the scene in detail marking that this story is well written.

The only weakness Korman has is his lack of use of good and vivid vocabulary; he should use more specific dialogue and vocabulary that would enhance the picture in the reader’s mind.

My favorite character in this book is Amy Cahill. She is a sweet and shy yet very intelligent girl. Her affection and understanding for her brother and friends is my most admirable part of her personality. I like how the author gave a loving character to an action filled story.

By- Gauri Kaushik 7-7

Autumn by Eileen Lee

Autumn

Season after summer, before winter,
I feel wind gushing on my face,
Disappearing warmth, appearing breeze,
I hear people sneeze with red noses,
Breeze making people shiver like vibrating phones,
Feels like autumn is welcoming me to winter.

Season of the warm colors,
Full of red, orange, yellow,
Path covered with maple leaves,
As people walk, I hear crumpling sound of crispy leaves,
Feels like autumn is making me comfortable from the sound and colors.

Season of fruits,
I see fruits hanging on trees,
Apples, grapes, pears,
About to fall,
Feels like autumn is tempting me to overeat.

One of the four seasons, autumn,
Autumn passes again leaving the cold air and color orange,
Then we will have to wait for autumn to come again.

At the Brink: A Seatbelt Story

At the Brink: A Seatbelt Story
By: Gauri Kaushik

“Shock” was the word that occurred to me when I tried to summarize being at the brink of danger; the terror almost stopped my heart that day. That memory was so fresh in my mind as it was only yesterday when it occurred.

It was a cold and fragile, January afternoon. It was about 3 o’clock and the sun was a few hours away from setting. My dad picked my sister and I up from school and we were heading of to our house in our sleek black car. I was only seven at that time, but that day I learned a very important safety lesson, always wear you’re seatbelt!

When I was young I always thought that it was pointless to wear a seatbelt. Seatbelts were the annoying and strappy barriers that kept me from wriggling in my seat. They had always been the negative point of a wonderful drive. But, that day I realized what an important part it played in road safety.

“Put you’re seatbelt on!” Commanded my father as he started the silent engine.

I felt a diminutive jerk and I knew the car had started. The low rumble of the car’s engine was starting to diminish as I shifted closer to the door peering down at the vacant and ice sheeted roads of Baku, Azerbaijan. My heart skipped a beat as I felt the car jerk to the left. The blood pounded in my eyes, and temporarily, all I heard was my heart beating thunderously. Suddenly, everything came back in slow motion. The only sound that I could discern was my sister yelling her lungs out, my dad trying to control the car. I felt my body yanked from my seat from the momentum of the car, as my body crashed against the front. The car stopped abruptly! The car front was inches away from an electricity pole.

“Everything is alright” I comforted myself softly under my breath when I realized nothing had happened.

We were miles away from our house. The car wheel was stuck in the deep snow. The only thing that could drive us back was broken. We were officially stranded. 20 minutes had somehow passed; my dad was trying to fix the tire with no outcome. Soon, mom would be calling. Suddenly out of the blue two men came running in our direction. Although we could not speak Azeri, the men helped my dad pick the car’s wheel from the deep snow. The chilly wind was howling in my ears. Finally, on the third attempt, the wheel came out. My dad, my sister and I were shortly heading home.

Happiness Is

Happiness is 11, from a scale of one to ten,

playing with a farm animal, in a rusty old pen.

Happiness is an ice cream cone, with lots and lots of sprinkles,

staring up in the night sky, with galaxy stars that twinkle.

 

Happiness is a smile, on a dark rainy day,

you caring to listen, to every word I say.

Happiness is dining, on a very special night,

at a very special place, where it’s colorful and bright.

 

Happiness is all of this, and much much more.

Happiness is all around, I’m sure you’ve experienced before.

Summer Camp by Sung

Over the summer vacation I attended a tremendously enjoyable camp where I learned about leadership, teamwork, friendship, cultural differences, and human rights called the Children’s International Summer Village, also known as CISV. The camp takes place in various countries all over the world. This year Korea had the chance to participate in seven different camps. Four children that are 11 to 12 years of age are chosen from each country to attend a camp. It is generally two boys and two girls. For our safety there is also a leader that assists us throughout the entire month we are at the campsite. Luckily, I was selected to go to Denmark with three other kids representing the Korean delegation. Our leader was a woman named Amy who has taken part in this camp at the Netherlands. She was a responsible 21 years old and was enthusiastic to help us spend a wonderful time at Denmark.

Even though it was already my second time staying away from my parents the feeling of sadness and nervousness overwhelmed me. Also, the unfortunate part was that we were restricted to bring any sort of electronic to the camp. This may have been a hard job for me, despite that, I believe I did a good job of cutting down myself from electronics. In total the camp was four weeks. During the four weeks we have two “home-stay” sessions when you do all the laundry and alleviate your hyper mind after participating in all those exciting activities in the campsite. Usually you get to go with a good friend of yours you have made in camp. The first home-stay was before the camp, and in general, most people that volunteer for hosting kids are parents that have sent their child to the camp or have been associated with CISV. The parents take us on tours in Denmark and just chill out at home or the beach. As a result to these homestays I had a chance to tour around Central Copenhagen, the capital of Denmark, and visit a lake in the town.

The area of the campsite was in a town called Vaerlose close to Copenhagen in a school. We slept in classrooms on mattresses with approximately 10 kids in each room and ate in the art classroom of the school. We were provided with pillows and sheets as well. At the camp there were a total of 13 delegations. It was interesting that only two delegations came from Asia, Korea (Seoul) and China (Guang Zhou). The rest of the people were mostly from Europe and America: Norway, Great Britain, The Netherlands, France, Germany, USA, Brazil, Peru, Italy, and two teams from Denmark.

Even though CISV is an education program, the camp does not contain much studying, instead we learn through activities and friendship. Most of the activities require co-operation, communication, teamwork, and trust. For example, we had an activity session where all of us lie down in a long line side by side. Sooner or later we lift our arm up and have to cooperate and pass down every one of us along the long line.

During the camp every single country had to prepare for something called a National Night. Each country is assigned a whole activity session to share their culture and some basic facts about their home country. Our delegation performed and shared lots of unique possessions of Korea and ourselves in person. In the beginning, we wore our traditional costume that a lot of people said looked gorgeous and taught everyone our cultural bow. Our martial art, Taekwondo, was nicely demonstrated to the camp as well and our highlight was of course ‘Gangnam Style’. As soon as we started to dance to the music, everyone stood up and jumped about struggling to mimic our correct, original way of dancing. The National Night was so much fun and the entire camp had a wonderful night.

My most memorable activity was handicapped day. This may sound uncomfortable and frustrating, however it was a great experience for me. In the morning, all of us received a certain handicap we had to struggle with, for the entire day. Some people were blind, armless, unable to talk, deaf, had a broken arm or leg. I received a handicap to walk on one leg; luckily I could still eat freely and communicate without much trouble. Unfortunately, we had a soccer match scheduled that day. I was extremely shocked after I heard that since soccer is all about your two legs, and I lacked one leg, that made it impossible for me to kick or run fast. By the end, I guided a blind friend and became his eyes while he replaced my legs. Even though I was not running a lot, since I had to balance myself on one leg the pain was really bad. I had to admit it was the worst soccer game I have ever played in my life. Even though, it was a little frustrating and distracting to be handicapped for the whole day but I did certainly learn a lesson about human rights. Through experience I could reflect that disabled people still have the right to live and be a useful person making a difference towards the world.

As a result to these four weeks of camp I might not have gained the knowledge of academics, but I am definitely sure it was a great chance for me to develop into a better person. Through this camp I also did make marvelous friends all over the world. I dare say these memories will always be a part of my life.