The words you are searching are inside this book. To get more targeted content, please make full-text search by clicking here.
Discover the best professional documents and content resources in AnyFlip Document Base.
Search
Published by Zane Porter, 2018-04-21 23:33:49

Writing Competition Winners Book

Writing Competition Winners Book

3

Dear Reader:

Thank you to everyone who submitted to the Spectrum and Inspire
Writing Competitions. There were many wonderful submissions that
illustrated sophistication and creativity.

The New Tech High @ Coppell AP English Literature and Composition
classes were tasked with creating, implementing, and judging a writing
competition for growing poets and authors. We intended for students to
create thoughtful works, either through freestyle or following a theme, in
order to incite passion for writing.

We received over 350 outstanding submissions that made it difficult for
us to select just one piece of literature as a winner. For the Inspire
Writing Competition (grades 4-7), we would like to congratulate our first-
place winner, Jessica Zorto Milla, and our second-place winner,
Makeez Naimi, for their truly outstanding submissions that showcased
thought, creativity, and singularity. There were also several honorable
mentions, including Tejomai Buyyanapragada, Saniya Koppikar,
Tanmai Buyyanapragada, Nidhi Patel, Grace Hennessy, Emily
Chang, and Akshita Yadavalli. For the Spectrum Writing Competition
(grades 8-12), we would like to congratulate our poetry category first
place winner, Meer Mahfuz, and our second-place winner, Sathvika
Pallela, for their notable use of creativity while following well with the
given theme. Along with our first and second place winners, we also
included several honorable mentions, including Nupoor Shah, Aayush
Sharma, and Jennifer Back. For our prose category, we would like to
congratulate our first-place winner, Jaxson Shealy, and our second-
place winner, Jeongju Lee, who took the time to write wonderful,
imaginative narratives.

Thank you once again to everyone who submitted and you for reading
their work. Enjoy the poetry and prose! We reproduced the entries
exactly as they were submitted.

Sincerely,
Zane G. Porter’s AP English Literature and Composition Classes
New Tech High @ Coppell, Coppell, TX

Sponsoring Editor
Zane G. Porter

Competition Committee and Readers
Alex DeMasters
Alishah Ahmed
Amulya Pilla
Ardi Saunders
Arianna Tejada
Audrey Helm
Aun-Ali Zaidi
Brendon Wu
Brianna Lee
Brooke Sherrell
Darian Gutierrez
Dariana Gutierrez
Elijah Di Ciolli
Eva Fox
Kameron Flynn
Katrina Fisher
Kendall Coburn
Kendall Dunn
Maria Benavides
Nikhil Godiyal
Nimisha Jain
Rebecca Carroll
Rebekah Penton
Zoe Georgulas

5

Table of Contents

Inspire Writing Competition (4th-7th Grades)
First Place: Jessica Zorto Milla.............................................................................. 7
Second Place: Makeez Naimi ............................................................................... 8
Honorable Mention: Tejomai Buyyanapragada ..................................................... 9
Honorable Mention: Saniya Koppikar .................................................................. 10
Honorable Mention: Tanmai Buyyanapragada .................................................... 11
Honorable Mention: Nidhi Patel........................................................................... 12
Honorable Mention: Grace Hennessy ................................................................. 13
Honorable Mention: Emily Chang........................................................................ 14
Honorable Mention: Akshita Yadavalli................................................................. 15

Spectrum Writing Competition (8th-12th Grades)
Poetry
First Place: Meer Mahfuz .................................................................................... 16
Second Period: Sathvika Pallela ......................................................................... 17
Honorable Mention: Nupoor Shah ....................................................................... 18
Honorable Mention: Aayush Sharma .................................................................. 19
Honorable Mention: Jennifer Back ...................................................................... 20
Prose
First Place: Jaxson Shealy .................................................................................. 21
Second Place: Jeongju Lee................................................................................. 28



7

Inspire Writing Competition
4th-7th Grades
Spring 2018

Jessica Zorto Milla

Seventh Grade
Unspoken words

When happiness found me for the first time I remember that you were there. You
were my happiness. I knew nothing back then. I was naive. I was a fool for you,
I was a fool for love. I thought I knew you back then but I didn’t even know
myself. In your eyes I saw a future with you but it seems that you saw yours in
his.

You were like a drug to me, I was addicted to you. I wanted to keep tasting your
lips. I craved your touch like I crave your all. The way you move has me sucking
for more, I’m addicted to you, you are my addiction. You are my addiction and I
can’t seem to be able to stop myself from looking at you, from thinking about you.

You are what I want, your love, touch, taste, smile, your everything. But I know,
like any other addiction I need help, I need to stop myself from this, I need to stop
being an addict of things that can kill me. I loved being addicted to you, even
when I knew I will crave you. I knew that I won’t be able to taste you. You were
my addiction. And I let you kill me like any other.

With tears in my eyes I stare at you. You held me captive. you were sitting here
by me we were both appreciating the beauty of the dawn in front of us. well you
were, I was staring at the beauty I had in front of me.

When I look in your eyes I see the dawn of our love. I wanted your dawn to
grow, so I let you go. You were free at that moment, I realized you were the best
thing that I will ever wish for, your love was amazing but I knew I had to let you
go.

I love you, you were brave enough to pick the rose
with thousands of thorns. You made me realize that anyone can love me. You
showed me I could take anything because you are and will always will be the
most hurtful thing, memory that I will always love and keep. Nothing can hurt
more than you leaving me.

You are and always will be the best memory I will ever remember, even when it
hurts. The memory of you once was the only thing that made me happy.

Makeez Naimi

Seventh Grade
Kabul Girl

Her painful eyes search the crowd,
All the memories fogged by a cloud.
She had hopes and dreams,
She could not seem to ease.

But how can she escape this Kabul breeze?

Her father unable to fulfill his children’s needs,
Her mother lying beneath the weeds.

In this unpromising world,
All she was is a young Kabul girl.

She lost her colors,
She lost her wonders.

She seems so happy,
Yet she hurts so badly.
When will things turn around?
When will she get off the ground?
She hides the little hope that is left.

Lost from the mystery of life to the philosophy of death.
Lost beneath her own thoughts.

Yet she tells herself the storm will pass,
She gets up and smiles, with endless trials.
She will enjoy the gift of life, cherish it as a pearl.

She is just a young Kabul girl.

9

Tejomai Buyyanapragada

Seventh Grade
My friend, the moon

I talk to my friend,
My celestial friend,
It’s reflection dances in the water,
As it shines on me,
When I’m alone,
It’s always there for me,
When the world gets dark,
It’s a torch that helps me see,
When I’ve given up and lost all hope,
You tell me to persevere and not to mope,
Though the moon and I are miles apart,
The moon will always stay in my heart,
You never stop your luminous glow,
I always know you’re watching me below,
I talk to my friend,
My celestial friend
It’s reflection dances in the water,
As if shines on me.

Saniya Koppikar

Seventh Grade
The Room

It began when she broke free.
In a bright pink room is where she started to sleep

Her parents were reluctant for
The little girl grew up a little more.

That first night was a big step.
On my bunk bed is where she slept.
Her parents came in, but she said “go away!”
The little girl grew up a little more each day

All through her life, I was there for her
Every bit the silent observer for,
Every day when she came home,

The little girl grew up a little more.

When her best friend moved away
She sat on my carpet (I think it used to be grey).

I soaked up her feelings up in every way.
Oh, that little girl grew up a little more every day.

8 years were the best,
It might be time to rest
The moving truck arrives,
But I wish I could say b
y
e.

11

Tanmai Buyyanapragada

Seventh Grade
My Loving Tree

I stand still, everyday of the year.
I feel lonely, but I never fear.
Though people think that we can’t see,
We can see, and we can breathe!

Trees are to humans as gravity is to Earth.
We need each other, so don’t forget our worth!

Remember that time you tripped and fell?
I tried to help. Couldn’t you tell?
I watched you cry, all day long.
It made me feel like I did something wrong!

Trees are to humans as gravity is to Earth,
We need each other, so don’t forget our worth!

You built a house on my huge trunk,
So you could come and play.
I used to wait for you to come,
Every single day.

Trees are to humans as gravity is to Earth.
We need each other, so don’t forget our worth!

People think,
Trees grow with water,
But the truth is,
To us, love matters!

Nidhi Patel

Seventh Grade
This blanket is made of cloth and thread

This blanket is made of cloth and thread
To place upon your little bed.
It not heirloom just to keep
But to lie upon as you count the sheep
I had a blanket that I got when I was a baby it was blue
The blue baby blanket perhaps is the perfect place to put it on the floor
For a doll and a teddy picnic place
This blanket can be anything you dream
From Superman’s cape to the robe of a queen
Pretend it’s a raft adrift at sea,
Or just cuddle up when you watch tv
So use it up and wear it out,
I promise I won’t yell or pout
Just tell me when it’s days are through
And I’ll make another one just for you

13

Grace Hennessy

Seventh Grade
A purple painted binder stands before me

A purple painted binder stands before me
I scribble doodles on the front, and designs on the back
I pick up pens filled with ink and write out things that happened to me
Things that happened to me and added to the weight on my back
Soon it filled with harsh dark colors, soon it filled with choppy sentences

and anger
Oh my dear My VIOLET violent thoughts, you mean so much to me,
My violet VIOLENT thoughts you are a safe haven for me,
I pour my bleeding broken heart on paper, I rain down the pain that oozes

from my chest to the page
After pages, and chapters, and sequels a miracle happens
Sunshine dries up the sadness of the paper. It dries up most of the pain

from this part.
My violet VIOLENT thoughts are stricken away from me. They are

replaced with gold, replaced with light, replaced with happiness
I doodle on the front, smiley faces and hearts not broken
I doodle on the front, happy people with happy faces, happy eyes
My violet VIOLENT thoughts, you helped me get by, you helped me get

here
My violet VIOLENT thoughts you saved me from a well, you helped me see

clear
I pick up pens filled with ink and write out happy things, that happened to

me
A purple painted treasure stands before me

Emily Chang

Seventh Grade
Ocean Storm

An endless sea of crystal blue
Where some stay and others pass through
Peaceful and Quiet the water is serene
It really is quite a scene

Gray clouds gather in the sky
And thunder starts to intensify
Raindrops fall with a splash
And lightning strikes, with a flash
Bigger and bigger, the storm rages on
Clear blue water already Gone
Waves are crashing upon the shore
Water and Rock, go to war

Soon the storm begins to cease
As Water and Rock, declare peace
Unrelenting rain turns into a drizzle
And waves go back to being little
A rainbow breaks, through the air
The sky and sea are Calm and Fair
Gray clouds part, the sun starts to shine
Until the storm hasn’t left a sign

15

Akshita Yadavalli

Seventh Grade
The Light That Guides You

When you find a hidden door
Throw away your conscience
Go ahead and walk through
To find the light that guides you

When someone has you under their control
Bullying counts, too
Stand up to them, and bring a friend
To find the light that guides you

Hard decision to make
Will you be right or wrong
Go ahead and take a risk
To find the light that guides you

You have done your best
You have earned your privileges
You have conquered yourself
And found the light that guides you

Spectrum Writing Competition
8th-12th Grades
Spring 2018


Meer Mahfuz

Eighth Grade
Color Blue

Colorless and yet so colorful.
Such depth you hold, boldly you stand out. You reside in the skies and the

deep seas, without you they seize to exist.
Such royalty you are, you linger peace and serenity visible within a cobalt
glass. Indigo plants spit you out on the wings of lycaenidae and let them

stand out with such radiance feeling so blue,
how you strike me with calmness.
You bring life to the lifeless.
Without you there is darkness .
Blue you give me life.
Blue is also a
Representative of the Ocean;
The underside of galaxies

Depths that man will never come to know,
But will foolishly never cease to search to for.

The tips of waves
Caressing the shore line to meet man once again,

Though it draws its feeble hand back often. T
he color blue is

The moment after grieving,
The emptying of great seas.

Temporary peace.
The color blue gives me life.

17

Sathvika Pallela

Tenth Grade
Mankind’s Flora

Clement cries from the dulcet eyes
Kindred divines designed for lies
Beauty flies whilst ethics defy
Hesitant dismay one may portray
Subdues the day welcoming the nights parade
Quiet breaths for deceased grays
Glitter gallery gallops
As the mist of winter drops
The restless youths giggly hops
Impetuous actions heedlessly play
Never seizing the cold day
May aspire and pray away
Jealousy and despair
Pretentious, with absence of care
Alluring lavender skin, overt hair
White wind washed
Clear seconds tossed
Yearning the beauty unappreciated and judged flawed
Only sought to fought
Tremulous knees, miles apart
The culprit to blame, our selfish brains and hollow hearts
Daffodils will bloom
Mary may too soon
Feed from us apathetic prunes
From then till now
The queens, kings and their crowns
Shall all at once drown
Nevertheless disguise your frown
From the shallow realms of the eye
The mystically radiant and glistening aurora
Of the omniscient spirits in the sky
From the everlasting of Mankind’s flora

Nupoor Shah

Tenth Grade
the things you didn't know.

how i fell in love with your eyes, you hadn't a clue.
how the smell of your hair was something i'd always love
about you.
how your smile was worth living for,
and how your love in my heart caused an uproar,
how i wish you'd fall in love with the smallest things about me,
just love enough for me to see.
oh how i wish i could've been bold about the
feelings i held,
the things i felt,
the way i'd melt,
every time my eyes crossed yours.
your words played tricks,
but my feelings, they like to play.
now, im runnin out of words to say.
but these are the things you didn’t know.
and the things i couldn’t show

*Reader’s Note: We really enjoyed this poem but could not consider it for first or second because it did
not meet the requirements of the prompt.

19

Aayush Sharma

Eighth Grade
Brown

Out of all the colors on the rainbow, choosing one would be difficult.
I favor all the colors, none are simply the best.

To mix all the colors would produce the best out of them all, one would
assume.

When all of them are mixed, one color prevails.
Brown.

Brown, the color of earthly soil, the type that gives life to small earthworm.
Brown, the color of freshly ground cocoa beans.

Brown, the color of a harmless ant crawling upon its hill.
Brown, the color of rich chocolate.

Brown is the only color that holds all the colors inside its grasp.
Brown has the ability to neutralize any artwork

Brown is the only color that can be a darkening presence,
And in the next are become an airy color without changing its hue.

Brown is an amazing color I tell you, a super color almost.
It is the cream of the crop in terms of hues.

The best out of the spectrum came together to make this color.
It is the only color that is as rich as a pirate and as light as a cloud.

Brown.

Jennifer Back

Eighth Grade
Gamut of Hues

The fire in their eyes
Shows burning passion
The red shining through

The tears that have been shed
Through heartbreaking moments
The soft blue tears dropping

The smile on ones face
Shines bright like the sun
Illuminating yellow behind them
Touching the hearts of the ones around them

I see darkness
I see black
Reminding me of those horrendous times
When the world was corrupt

How pale ones face becomes
The fear on it distinct
The white blank sheet
The white void
Slowly filling up
With nightmares that i've seen

21

Jaxson Shealy

Tenth Grade
Old Major Tomas


Amidst the placid, natural darkness that comprised
the ever expanding reaches of the universe, was a colossal
space vessel housing several hundred families under the ship name of ‘Linkage’.
The immense, cavernous spacecraft was a transport ship for the local galactic
administration. Other than housing millions of pounds of raw building material for
a developing planet, accompanying was a vast population of scientists of all fields,
from biology to Nuclear astrophysics. They settled on this ship to embark on the
exploration of the developing planet and to assist its growth. One of the residents
of this craft was an elderly geezer who took the role of the Commanding Scouting
Pilot. The old flyer was quiet, but thoughtful. He usually had nothing to say to the
complex exchange of words from scientists to each other. The only person on the
whole ship he enjoyed speaking to was his son. Although to everyone else, his son
was the captain of the ship.

‘Linkage’ had been meandering towards the destination for around three
weeks and were almost halfway. Occasionally, a scouting pilot would spend
several hours flying around in a small, one-seater ship to confirm that no
marauder ships were occupying the path of the mothership. The old pilot very
much enjoyed flying around the encompassing blackness of space and he felt
most at home in his dilapidated but reliable astro-pod flyer.

The old pilot was associated with the title, Major Tomas Hawkstein and he
was perched up in an isolated corner of the scientist-teeming cafeteria, eating his
trust-worthy ham sandwich and chips. Soon, despite being in the solitary corner,
he was enclosed by scientists, finding their own dinner spots. He overheard many
interesting conversations he couldn’t relate to and kept to himself. Although
there was one gabfest that intrigued him to his very core: “The thought of
spectrum flight is inconceivable. I can’t explain what happens, but neither can the
creator of the very fuel it takes to enter it.”

“Haemmerling wasn’t even a scientist, he just scrapped things together to
see if he could make his spaceship faster and after thirty-seven years and found
it.”

“I’ve heard that it's also incredibly explosive, which is also why it’s not
conventional. ” “Too bad the fuel cost so much. This ship has some spectrum fuel
in one of the fuel bays. Kind of useless if you ask me since we can’t even use it. ”

“To imagine what the spectrum looks like. A blend of all colors conceivable
to make up the most beautiful view from a spaceship. Reminiscent of
hallucinogenic substances. I’ve heard that spectrum flight creates a new color that

is too magnificent not to cry for. ”
“Before I die, I wish to see the spectrum...”

After finishing his ham sandwich and chips he listened a little more to their
discussion. Tom had known little of spectrum flight but he heard that something
about the fuel and going so fast alters the visible spectrum and you are able to

see a new blend of colors, a new spectrum. As a pilot he dreamed of spectrum
flight, but alas, as a doddery man with wrinkles covering his face like drapes, he
couldn’t make a high enough income his whole life to cover the cost for spectrum
fuel. After the scientists tired out the conversation and moved to a topic that Tom
couldn’t wrap his head around, he soon found himself to be drowsy and decided

to leave the cafeteria and to head to his small cabin to rest his eyes. Although as
he was vacating the bustling cafeteria, the thought of spectrum flight still filled
him with a child-like excitement. So, he decided to head down to the navigation
sector, where his son was residing.

As Tom examined the automatic upward door that was the entrance to the
Head Navigation Room, he saw a chamber of high-tech screens, vibrant buttons,
perceptive people tending to the screens and buttons, and an immense oriel that
was their view into the depths of space all supported by the minimalist style of
the room. To refrain from disturbing the placid tranquility of this potentially high

stress room, Tom walked meticulously to knock on his sons bedroom gate. With
the admission of a faint “Come in.” Tom wriggled the doorknob. His son was in his
captains quarters reading some book titled ‘Paying Spaceship Debt and You!’. The
captain lay on his bed, partially veiled by a white blanket and intricately reading
the ways of avoiding space captain debt.

“Oh hey, what are you doing up here?” The prestigious leader asked.
“I just overheard some science mumbo-jumbo about spectrum flight and
was wondering if this ship really does have spectrum fuel.”
“Oh yea, the ship has enough for a small astropod. Not enough for this
whole ship though, that would cost a fortune. Some super wealthy hunk of cash

on our planet ordered some, as well as some priceless materials for an
extravagant mansion.”

At the instant loss of conversation between the two aged beings and the
desire to keep it going, Tom tried, in vain, to continue it.
“So… when's my next flight?”

23

“Oh um, I’m not too sure, If it’s not your usual time then I would check up
with Isaac, the Scouting Overseer.”

“Well… rest well kid… love yah’” Tomas added as he shut the door and
walked off. Depressing it seemed, a total lack of correspondence to his own son.
When had the years, passed him by? He walked off with a complete loss of the
excitement he had and now felt older than ever. He traversed the ship back to his
cabin, dispirited. He looked at his hands and saw only the product of not taking
life slow enough. His hands were wrinkled, disheveled, and pale. It seemed like
only yesterday that he held the captain of the ship in his arms and they were each
others worlds. That once playful and robust father was now a balding, white-
haired, man surfaced by creases and spots to further express his deprivation of
youth. Simply an old forgettable man with nothing to stain his legacy.

He reached his room and perceived his mirror doppelganger. He looked and
it seemed that all the thousands of intergalactic religions seemed meaningless to
a man who felt older than all of them combined. He felt that all of this was too
much on his mind and laid down to rest his bustling brain and soon was dreaming
of whatever perception he had of the experience of spectrum flight.

“CRITICAL DAMAGE TO FUEL BAY 3.” was the first thing that shattered
Tom’s dreaming experience and brought him back to reality. The deafening,
repetition of a high-pitched alarm was complemented by consistent reminders
that fuel-bay 3 had blown up by something. Every few minutes an overseer would
remind everyone to stay in their rooms and to remain calm.

In response to the disruptive ear-splitting alarm, Tom was rudely awoken.
He steadily lifted himself up from his bed and equipped his astropod gear. In
times like this, it was crucial for scouting pilots to see what the problem was.
Although when Tom sprinted from his room, or more of fast-walking pace from
his cabin, it was obvious what had happened to Fuel-Bay 3 when he passed an
opening to the galactic void. A smaller spaceship was shooting immense laser
projectiles towards the ship, specifically aiming for the fuel bays. He followed the
maze-like hallways of the ship where scientists and pilots were terrified and
making collections of their scientific progress to send if they were killed. He ran to
the Head Navigation Room and found the once serene, clean room ridden with
fast-talking peoples preparing transmissions for numerous things like galactic
protection, information tapes, and pleads to the commanders of the laser-
projecting ships. People were not only not sitting calmly in their chairs but pacing
the room, standing as if to express tension and dominance, and even one of the
Radio technicians having a mental breakdown in a corner.

For some odd reason, Tom didn’t feel stressed. He felt that he had a duty
and no longer cared about his well-being. Soon after watching the mayhem
unfold, one of the Radio Translators yelled “Everybody shut up! They sent a

broadcast!”. Most of the room did exactly as requested and those that didn’t
were mumbling horrible thoughts of the future. The Radio Translator opened a
video on the biggest screen in the room with a dimly-lit figure in a foreign outfit
spoke in a distorted voice. “We now have more fuel than you. We can go faster
than you. If you don’t stop the ship now, we will blow up all the fuel-bays and

ravage your ship of life. ”
Nobody in the room knew what to do next. They didn’t know if the invaders

ships really did have more fuel and were faster but then the Radio Translator
spoke into an intercom stating, “We… will do as you say. No more firing. No one
gets hurt.” After observing all the fretfulness in the room, Tom remembered his

goal and went to talk to the captain.
His son was sedentary in his room, contemplating ways to avoid death and

to avoid losing his ship and as a captain mainly the latter. With Tom’s arrival, he
looked up and felt ever more stressed that he was also having to take into

account his only living parents life in his decision. “Not right now father. I really
need to think. Those invaders are all the same. They’re going to kill us no matter
what, I know it!” his son released the last phrase with intense fury as he smashed
his fist on his desk. “I mean, what's the point of supporting an empire that doesn’t
even watch delivery routes or accept any transmissions!” His son sheltered his

brain from reality with his hands and was left with a single comment from his
father. “I’ll see what I can do… Captain.”

Tom made his way from the Navigation sector to the small astropod hangar
in the bottom of the ship. He entered the uniform room and made what he
thought might be his last sight of it in his life before his encroaching death. He

differentiated the slots for the pilot uniforms until he found his own and sported
his piloting outfit and and before he hung his helmet on his ancient head, he what
was embroidered on the neck-region, “Major Tomas Hawkstein”. The name that
had been sacrificed on his birth. Barely ever mentioned and never associated with
any prideful remarks. He felt that now was his only chance to even attempt to do

anything worth remembering.
He trudged on in the empty hangar to his old dilapidated ship as if

returning home and flipped the switches that processed his astro-pods engines
and watched as the opening glass window sealed, locking him into his vessel. He
wasn’t too sure he knew the magnitude of what he was doing or its worth, but he

25

was going to try to attempt to put fuel into the ship by delivering the excess
astropod fuel.

He surged out of the hangar into the enveloping reaches of the galaxy and
was embraced by remnants and scraps of the exploded fuel-bay. He guided
through the scrap dimensions until he met with the fuel bay pipe that was the
intake of fuel to the engines. He directed his ship to attach to the fuel intake and
let it drain his fuel until he had just enough to fly back to the hangar to retrieve
more. Although as he watched his fuel gauge unload to around five-percent, a
sudden burst of the main ship completely detached and threw Tom’s ship into
space. Caught off guard, he tried desperately to recover after being hurled back
by the spontaneous initiation of the ship's main engine. His ship was spinning and
discombobulated, as well as out of fuel.

After refraining from gagging, Tom hopelessly tried to contact the
navigation sector of the ship to get an explanation. “This is Major Tom. I was
under the belief that the ship would remain without the use of the fuel as to not
jeopardize the safety of its residents. I was putting fuel into the ships engines and
was left behind.”

“Major Tom! What in the hell are you doing in the craft! We advised
everyone to stay in their rooms! Make your way back to the hangar immediately!”
“I asked a question and I want an answer. Why did you surge the main fuel!”

“We are attempting to trick the invaders by making subtle use of what
remains of our fuel to convince them that we are still faster than them in hopes
that they will give up.”

“Whos idea was that! Did no one relise the invaders could just shoot
another of our fuel bays or they will notice and just kill us all? For a ship of
scientists, that was a pretty juvenile idea.”

Tom ended his heated argument by muting his intercom and felt saddened
that his only idea to save the ship was left unaccounted for. He decided to return
to the ship with the flick of his engine switch… With the flick of his engine switch…
two-percent fuel left. Horrified by the realization that he didn’t have enough fuel
to get back to ship, Tom was left, unattended and drifting through space.

He panicked as his ship gyrated with a spiraling view of the universe. He
knew he shouldn’t have gone to his ship. He was told to stay in his room and the
only way someone could help him would be for someone else to come get him
which would make them break the rules as well. Sometimes he could get a view
of the mothership in the distance while he revolved out of control. Soon his ship
ceased its endless spin and he was now left the torrential rain of debris of the fuel

bay. He pondered if he should just ask for some help, but he felt that he could
probably find some fuel in the wreckage of the old fuel bay and use that to get
back to the ship.

He saw something in the distance near a large scaffold scrap that appeared
to be the shape of a fuel canister. He used what miniscule small fuel he had in
short bursts to reach the swiveling barrel-like container. He didn’t recognize the
surface of the container as a familiar brand but it didn’t matter. Soon, he reached
it and as it did a very slow swivel the brand-name was revealed. In a

magnificently-decorated square presented the resplendent title, “Xorvak’s
Spectrum Fuel”.

Did his eyes deceive him? Had his frayed eyes been so space-worn that they
were beginning to hallucinate? He read it over and over and everytime read out
the lavish type of fuel and soon it was pouring from his mouth like butter. He

rotated his ship and used an internal camera to watch the intake of the canister
into his ship and watched without blinking to make sure nothing could happen to
it. He felt a fool in the presence of a decaying ship with such stupendous fuel.
When he unmuted his intercom he was verbally engulfed by the repetitive calling

of his name from one of the navigationists.
“I have no clue who I am speaking to but I have splendiferous news. While

floating
around the leftover scraps of the fuel bay I found spectrum fuel and can

now return to the ship.”

On this note he remembered that the raiding ships were going to take
everything and that would mean priceless spectrum fuel as well… Melancholic. He
thought that he would’ve just saved someone a fortune and in thought was
interrupted.

“It doesn’t even matter! They caught on immediately to our idea and have

sent a transmission stating that they are going to plunder our ship! We must
escape! We must see if anyone can hear our pleas!”

On this note, everything seemed unavailing. Not only was his little
excursion for absolutely nothing, but the heavy knowledge that the chances that
his son and everyone on his ship was going to die was like a sledgehammer to his

chest. A deep anger boiled in his heart. He wanted to throw his helmet off and rip
out the remaining hairs on his scalp. All he could find himself to do was to cover
his face as it fell back on his seat. His hands covering his eyes resembled the
darkness that was reality as he currently felt it. Although the loss of sense led to a

27

gain in brainpower and out of some corner of his shriveled head an innovation
had appeared.

Determination had been set in his eyes and his hands slowly fell from his
face. He remembered the scientists conversations. Something about spectrum
fuel being incredibly explosive. He let his right hand fall to the button-filled
command center to activate his intercom.

“Listen. I grant all the money in my name to my son and my house to his
children. Sometimes a captain must go down with his ship, but not my son. Tell
him I love him on your way to the new planet, I’m going to see the spectrum,
goodbye.”

He gripped his tiller and instead of facing his astropod to his sons ship, he
flipped it towards the direction of the invading ship. He raised his wrist and he
knew that this would be his last flick and flicked the engine switch. It seemed as if
the faster he started to go, the slower time started to feel and moments before
he could hear… “Major Tom! Can you hear me Major Tom! Can you hear me
Major Tom!”

Unlike anything he had ever known was the spurt of his ship which was
going inconceivably fast but felt slow at the same time. He felt the universal
feeling of joy and pure childlike excitement that could occur in the purest of
beings. He was no longer an old man going fast, he was simply a mind exhibiting
an aged body while at blistering speed. The view created the unimaginable
coalescence of tints and hues. He reached for it to grasp this unthinkable beauty.
The last thing he wanted to experience that he never thought he’d be able to was
now being unraveled before him in magnificent manor. The allure of spectrum
flight was being seen by the old eyes of Major Tom in what he imagined as his
final moments. In pure bliss, he felt the rapid engines dominate the speed of light
and soon he felt his old dilapidated astropod flyer slow down in the presence of
the enemy ship and with one shot of a luminescent laser, his ship was now a
hurling atomic bomb that had enough power to encapsulate everything in the
area in a prepossessing sphere of fire and destruction. For some reason, the
threatening transmissions were no more and the tension that held hundreds of
spaceship dwellers on leashes was lost all thanks to Major Tom’s last Voyage.

Jeongju Lee

Ninth Grade
The Fading Purple

As the sun draws its curtains, it recedes along the
horizon to repose for yet another morning. It kissesthe day
goodbye, radiating a glow among the blushing stars. A heavy wash of violet is
brushed across the sky as the darkness swallows the world tonight. A dash of red,
a streak of blue, and a hint of white are impeccably arranged to concoct a hue that
makes my heart flutter in this breezy night.

My world was not this way from the beginning. The skies were obscured by
the contaminated clouds that choked the beauty of the stars. Everything I had
asked for was in my hands at the very next second, for my purple dress, flowing
gracefully to the floor, revealed the royalty that came with my marriage to Prince
Charming.All eyes were hypnotized at the sight of my husband, Prince Taikah,
who was the epitome of beauty. His hair, raised just above his gleaming brown
eyes, stood complementary to his definitive cheekbones, polished with a natural
blush. He had the heart of gold, collapsing every woman who witnessed his
heartwarming actions. Life was at its peak, but I could feel the jealousy of others
paralyze the life within me.

It was coronation day when I received a threat mail sent to me via my
assistant. A pristine white envelope sealed with the promise of bloody death lied in
my hands as I walked up to the ball. My smiling face was just the facade of my
inner fear.

Sooner or later, the inevitable occurred. A small flame lit on the corner of
my bedroom window grew into a monster that overtook the castle.

“RUN! RUN!” yelled Taikah, “Whatever happens, I want you to know
how much I love you. Your life is worth more than the most precious of
diamonds and I treasured every single day with you. I love you!”

Scorching tears trickled down my eyes, blurring the sight of the fire into a
violet purple. After a long embrace, I fled through the outpost in the back of the
castle and waited for an eternity to reunite with Taikah once again, but there was
no sign of him coming back. As a princess in the public eye, it was imperative to
keep a calm demeanor while my heart was shattering into a million pieces. The
soldiers had rushed out of the fire with a soulless body covered in a purple
blanket to show his bravery. My heart was rushing with blood as I watched the
castle on fire succumb to the power of the water.

I, too, was the castle. I had too many enemies to stay in this hopeless place;
I would only end up succumbing to the powers of evil. As if on cue, my advisor

29

stuttered, “Your Highness. Your Highness.You must leave immediately. There
are jealous women roaring with torches. A carriage has been made available for
you out in the back. Follow me, miss.”

Quickly, our feet shifted in irregular rhythms, rushing to safety. “ WE
WANT LAI EY! WE WANT LAI EY!” the crowd yelled. Beads of sweat rolled
down my forehead while I complained to my advisor as to what I did to deserve
any of this. “Taikah is one charming man. It is no wonder why every female in this
country will give their life just to marry him. Women arouse with envy; it is in
their blood. It was these women that set the fire in your room. As much as it hurts
to say this, the fire was meant for you, not for Taikah; but now that he’s gone, it is
no wonder why they are furious,” he answered. My head could not comprehend
this information with my death hanging right above me.

“GO! GO! GO!” the advisor yelled to the coachman. The carriage took up
its speed as we crossed the dense woods that slowly began to catch on fire
throughout the night. Today was my last day...or so I thought.

The sunrise greeted me the next morning after a catastrophic night
before. I woke up trembling from what I had hoped was a nightmare but was
sadly the harsh reality.

“We are almost here, miss,” the advisor said.
“Where?” I asked.
“A refuge of safety located in the rural south of our nation.”
I have never been able to take a tour of Thailand in its full, but that day, I
was able to grasp the beauty of the nature entirely. The bold, rising mountains
paired with the delicate, dancing bluebonnets were just a few things that looked
too surreal after having been confined in the urban life for so long. After being
enticed by the greenery speckled with violet dots of wisteria and sage, I began to
feel for my necklace that Tai Kah had given me, but all that was left was the
scratchiness of the lavender-scented robe and the discomfort of my luxury buttons.
I felt my breath quench up as the suffocation brought about a purple tone in my
lips.
“WHERE IS IT? MY NECKLACE?!?!” I shrieked.
“I am very displeased to tell you this, but we had to give up your necklace as
an exchange for your crossing here to the Tei Pei Mountains. It was the only thing
worthy of value,” the adviser answered.
“WITHOUT MY PERMISSION?!?! I AM THE PRINCESS OF
THAILAND. YOU SHOULD HAVE CONSULTED ME BEFORE
CONSULTING YOUR WITLESS BRAIN!” I retorted.
With an offended look but a calm tone, he replied, “Miss, I understand you
must be very frustrated, but you are no longer the princess anymore. The regime

has cut you off entirely after seeing such a disappointment to the dynasty. All that
you have is no longer yours anymore. You must face the reality now.”

After a long pause of pensiveness, I apologized for my attitude and took
time to internally think things through. Everything I had...gone. My love, my
authority, my possessions, my life.

“Kill me now. I can't live this life. What did I do to deserve this?” I
impulsively demanded.

The advisor chuckled. “Aahhh women can be so prone to decisions... Miss
Lai Eh, you can't let these small things crumble your life like that. I know it must
be difficult getting used to, but there's more to this world that can be offered.
Take, for example, happiness. With all the riches in front of you, I am sure you
have never had the true taste of happiness, have you?”

“Happiness? What's that?” I asked.
“Ahhh… you've got a lot to learn… but you will learn soon, after … this!”
he cried. The advisor flung me off the seat in front of the middle of the
field as I stumbled on the
cushiony grass. He quickly drove off, with his voice trickling, “Goodbye, miss!
You will thank me one daaayyyyyy!”
Confounded by what had just happened, I got up on my feet and tried to
catch up to the carriage, but it was too late; it had already become a small speck

far down the road. Grudgingly, I tried to search for the rest of civilization. My
eyes landed on a vineyard, growing into a deep purple with ripe clusters of grapes
tethered on the side of the hanging vines. My stomach began to growl at the sight
of the round berries gleaming a violet light off the mild sun. With no one in sight,
I swiftly plucked off a piece of grape, leaving a missing gap between the bunch.

“HEY! What do you think you're doing?” the voice of a man called out. I
turned back to face a large hunched-back man with whiskers covering his entire
body, from around his mouth to the ends of his legs.

“I am the princess of Thailand at the request of a single grape. I am starving
and slowly...
dying...please save me …” I replied dramatically.
“Yeah, yeah, yeah. Enough with the drama and may I say, your HORRIBLE
acting. Last time we had a so-called princess out here, unicorns existed,” he

scoffed.
“I am NOT lying. I’d prove it to you if I could, but some jerk decided to

take all my possessions and leave me stranded out here in this… may I say,
UGLY sight,” I retorted with pleasure.

“Well. I do think your figure might be ideal for thorn picking, so let's
make a deal. You work for me and in return, I’ll give you meals that will satisfy
your hunger.”

31

With a firm handshake, the deal was on.
For days at a time, my fingers dripped with blood from the thorns that
penetrated my delicate skin. My fingers resembled the pruned grapes that I
was allowed to eat at the end of every strenuous day.
The first few days were a living nightmare until I met Bai Lan. He too was
one of the five other workers in the fields. He made my heart flutter through the
hilarious jokes and light-hearted spirit which covered the facade of the not-the-

most-attractive face in the world. I have not felt this true love even for Tai Kah.
Tai Kah made me feel loved but a quiet night of
reflection made me realize I had never loved him back. I was only hypnotized by
his beauty which gave me the doubt that I had before. With Bai Lan however, I
didn't have a single care of what others may have opinionated of us. Bai Lan made
feel … happy. It was a true happiness that I have never felt before, the happiness
that the advisor wanted me to experience. I felt so free of shackles and imagined
soaring across the sky. I was too happy to think about the painful work that faced
me every morning, too happy to worry about what clothes I would wear the next
day, and too happy to wait for the nights that Bai Lan and I would spend under the
stars.

The clear nights full of laughter helps me to forget about the past and live
the present. Sometimes Bai Lan and I will turn on the countryside radio to tune

into the soothing sound of saxophones bellowing jazz, which carries a strong
melody in our hearts. As we hum along, our eyes meet the color painted by the
universe that holds a sense of mystery for the future to come. Every morning, I
wake up to the realization that I no longer live the life of a princess but the life of
a peasant. Amidst the morning fog, I can imagine the advisor strolling down the
fields so casually, checking up on me to see what my fire has been capable of
doing without the influence of water. It is a fire with self-control, not to harm, but
to keep people warm.

It is the fire of Lei Ah.


Click to View FlipBook Version